Wednesday, November 27, 2019
Essay Axio Stock and Home Depot
Essay Axio Stock and Home Depot Essay Axio: Stock and Home Depot The intangible assets for both the company are brand differences. The Home Depot and Lowe’s are clear market leaders in the home improvement industry. They are both able to succeed, because they have solidified distinctly different images that appeal to different customer segments, Another way of looking at this differentiation is by simply going to each company’s homepage. they are promoting exactly the same thing. Lowe’s is brighter color, may come off as a bit of a feminine touch. The Home Depot’s page uses bolder darker colors to convey their message, and the page is bordered with wood paneling, providing a more rugged aesthetic for customers. As consumers, when we purchase a specific product, or shop at a certain store, we associate our image with that product/store and build brand loyalty. Hence the reason some men might shop at Home Depot, even though they don’t know the first thing about home improvement. Why do companies issue bonds when they can issue stock? What are the advantages in issuing bonds? Aren't there any drawbacks of issuing bonds? The most attractive feature of stock issuance is that the money generated from the sale of stock does not need to be repaid. There are, however, downsides to stock issuance that may make bonds the more attractive proposition because issuing stock means granting proportional ownership in the firm to investors in exchange for money. Advantages With bonds, companies that need to raise money can continue to issue new bonds as long as they can find investors willing to act as lenders. The issuance of new bonds has no effect on ownership of the company or how the company is operated. Stock issuance, on the other hand, puts additional stock shares in circulation, which means that future earnings must be shared among a larger pool of investors. This can result in a decrease in (EPS), putting less money in owners' pockets. Bond issuance enables corporations to attract a large number of lenders in an efficient manner. Record keeping is simple, because all bondholders get the exact same deal with the same interest rate and maturity date. For companies, the bond market clearly offers many ways to borrow. From an investor’s perspective, the bond market offers a lot to consider. The variety of choices, ranging from bond types to
Saturday, November 23, 2019
How to Write an Abstract for a Scientific Paper
How to Write an Abstract for a Scientific Paper If youre preparing a research paper or grant proposal, youll need to know how to write an abstract. Heres a look at what an abstract is and how to write one. Abstract An abstract is a concise summary of an experiment or research project. It should be brief typically under 200 words. The purpose of the abstract is to summarize the research paper by stating the purpose of the research, the experimental method, the findings, and the conclusions. How to Write an Abstract The format youll use for the abstract depends on its purpose. If youre writing for a specific publication or a class assignment, youll probably need to follow specific guidelines. If there isnt a required format, youll need to choose from one of two possible types of abstracts. Informational Abstracts An informational abstract is a type of abstract used to communicate an experiment or lab report. An informational abstract is like a mini-paper. Its length ranges from a paragraph to 1 to 2 pages, depending on the scope of the report. Aim for less than 10% the length of the full report.Summarize all aspects of the report, including purpose, method, results, conclusions, and recommendations. There are no graphs, charts, tables, or images in an abstract. Similarly, an abstract does not include a bibliography or references.Highlight important discoveries or anomalies. Its okay if the experiment did not go as planned and necessary to state the outcome in the abstract. Here is a good format to follow, in order, when writing an informational abstract. Each section is a sentence or two long: Motivation or Purpose: State why the subject is important or why anyone should care about the experiment and its results.Problem: State the hypothesis of the experiment or describe the problem you are trying to solve.Method: How did you test the hypothesis or try to solve the problem?Results: What was the outcome of the study? Did you support or reject a hypothesis? Did you solve a problem? How close were the results to what you expected? State-specific numbers.Conclusions: What is the significance of your findings? Do the results lead to an increase in knowledge, a solution that may be applied to other problems, etc.? Need examples? The abstracts at PubMed.gov (National Institutes of Health database) are informational abstracts. A random example is this abstract on the effect of coffee consumption on Acute Coronary Syndrome. Descriptive Abstracts A descriptive abstract is an extremely brief description of the contents of a report. Its purpose is to tell the reader what to expect from the full paper. A descriptive abstract is very short, typically less than 100 words.Tells the reader what the report contains, but doesnt go into detail.It briefly summarizes the purpose and experimental method, but not the results or conclusions. Basically, say why and how the study was made, but dont go into findings. Tips for Writing a Good Abstract Write the paper before writing the abstract. You might be tempted to start with the abstract since it comes between the title page and the paper, but its much easier to summarize a paper or report after it has been completed.Write in the third person. Replace phrases like I found or we examined with phrases like it was determined or this paper provides or the investigators found.Write the abstract and then pare it down to meet the word limit. In some cases, a long abstract will result in automatic rejection for publication or a grade!Think of keywords and phrases a person looking for your work might use or enter into a search engine. Include those words in your abstract. Even if the paper wont be published, this is a good habit to develop.All information in the abstract must be covered in the body of the paper. Dont put a fact in the abstract that isnt described in the report.Proof-read the abstract for typos, spelling mistakes, and punctuation errors.
Thursday, November 21, 2019
What Is Meant By Market Failure And How Can Government Attempt To Essay
What Is Meant By Market Failure And How Can Government Attempt To Correct It - Essay Example In economics, a market failure takes place when â€Å"the production or use of goods and services by the market is not efficient†. In other words, market failure occurs when free market fail to provide optimum allotment of resources, either over-allocating, or under-allocating their resources, which results in economic inefficiency In other words, market failure occurs when free market fail to provide optimum allotment of resources, either over-allocating, or under-allocating their resources, which results in economic inefficiency (Francis, n.d). In such a case, there exists another possible outcome where the market participants’ gains would compensate their losses. Market failure is a serious issue as in consequence it disrupts social and economic region of a particular region or even the whole country. Thus, it is a challenge for governments to interfere and ensure that there is no risk of market failure. There are several ways in which governments can correct the sta te of markets: by public section production, regulations and antitrust legislation, taxation and subsidies (Francis, n.d). This paper discusses different kinds of market failure and the ways in which government can attempt to correct them. There are several general categories of market failure: market power, externalities, public goods, and equity. Market power is the ability of a company to influence the market price of a good or service, raising prices above competitive levels (Francis, n.d, ICT regulation toolkit, n.d). A company with market power can raise prices without losing a significant portion of its business to other companies. The rise in the prices above competitive levels may affect negatively the market as it results in diminished customer demand, efficiency loses, and harm on the public interest. Furthermore, companies with significant market power may abuse their power, using their leading position to reduce competition. Some common forms of anticompetitive conduct involve abuse of dominance, cross-subsidization, and misuse of information (Market Power, n.d). There are several ways in which governments can deal with abuse of significant market power. To start with, all national regulatory authorities (NRA) have to make an assessment of the state of completion in specific markets and consider whether such competitive behavior harms another companies and customers (European Regulators Group, 2007). In such a case, the dominant company may be required to stop its abusive behavior or make specific changes to its policy so that it would not be damaging to competition anymore (Remedies for Abuse of Dominance, n.d). This remedy requires the authorities to monitor the company continuously to guarantee that the behavioral change is maintained. Another possible solution is fining the company or its employers with direct responsibility for anticompetitive behavior. The firm can also be ordered to pay compensation to its customers and competitors who have been harmed by their policies. The European Regulators Group (2007) proposes functional separation in markets where non-discrimination procedures were ineffective in dealing with problems of abusive market power. Functional separation may involve breaking the company into two different firms with separate market shares, or separating competitive and monopoly products and services of the company. This solution may also include such elements as separation of operational support systems, brands, employees, and information management systems among new, individual business units. When deciding on the degree of the separation proposed, the NRA’s have to take into account the cost and benefits of this solution and base their decision on completed market reviews (The European Regulators Group, 2007). Cross-subsidization occurs when companies with market power charge a high price for their non-competitive products services and use different proceeds to subsidize low prices for compet itive goods. In such a case, governments can implement and enforce a price floor for the low-cost products in order to ensure that the revenue that is generated by the product
Wednesday, November 20, 2019
Teacher Evaluation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words
Teacher Evaluation - Essay Example There are teachers who don't teach very well according to my evaluation but still students are able to score high grades in their courses. Hence the greatest challenge while teaching is to measure the effectiveness of a teacher. The evaluation process used is quite simple. The process includes the evaluation of the average grade report of the class the teacher is teaching. There is a separate teacher's evaluation form that is filled by each and every student, without their names. I regularly inspect classes and the way teachers are teaching. All these methods combine to give us a clear picture of how the teacher is teaching and help us to evaluate his or her performance. From my point of view a regular visit of 5 to 10 minutes in a class by a principle is good enough to inspect a teacher but then the principle has to make sure the visit is unannounced, which will give the principle a clear view of what is happening (Danielson & McGreal, 2000). Long observing hours distract the students and teachers both hence short and regular observing periods are most suitable. Well there are a number of settings, for example a teacher assigns some work to the students and then we observe how is he or she helping the students in completing their work, it shouldn't be overdone like the teacher shouldn't help the student too much or too less. There should be a balance. Then a teacher is observed while giving a lecture to check on the methods that are being used, we prefer interactive lectures that keep the students interest, boring and less interactive sessions are of no help to the teacher and the students both. These settings are important as being a teacher is not that difficult but handling situations and maintaining the interest of the class in a lecture are two difficult things that a good teacher must learn. We can learn how well the teacher is at maintaining healthy relationships plus a good teacher will always have a scheduled life. An effective teacher would always be motivating people around as that's how he treats the students in his or her class. A teacher should be polite and should listen to each and everyone. We don't often use conferencing techniques while evaluating a teacher but in some cases where problems are being faced by the students and no possible solution is being derived and the root cause is not being caught, we prefer conferencing. The teacher goes through a brief meeting with the principle and other higher staff members like the vice principle and the coordinator. The primary concern for holding a teacher incompatible to teach in any class is the fact that the students do not understand the core concepts of the course and the overall grades are lower than expected. After the initial assessment of the teacher we predict an average grade of the class keeping in mind the ability of the students and the past trends. If the grades are higher or lower than expected we conduct an evaluation of the reasons for that and then accordingly change our evaluations about the teacher. If the teacher is performing at a higher level than expected we do promote the teacher in terms of the class and rewards are also given, in case a teacher does not want renewal of contract than a meeting is held where the vice principal the coordinator and the principle talk to the teacher for the reasons of this demand and try to make every possible
Sunday, November 17, 2019
Ethics and Global Business Essay Example for Free
Ethics and Global Business Essay Skyscrapers, malls, restaurants, hotels, resorts, city lights, busy highways, and booming businesses- without a doubt, China has already blossomed from a sleeping nation into an economic giant. From a country that once resisted the global market, it now thrives as one of the leaders in world economy. In fact, China comes in with the second largest Gross Domestic Product last 2008 with a total amount of $7. 8 trillion (Guthrue, 2006, p. 7). This makes this country one of the fastest growing nations in the world. This great stride is the result of Deng Xiaoping’s vision and effort for economic reform. Over the past 30 years, globalization helped tore down the trade barriers which in turn, expanded the People’s Republic’s investment, businesses, and knowledge. The effects of globalization in China are simply staggering. In fact, it is even impossible to imagine that some 25 to 30 years ago; this country is known only for its history of political and economic problems escorted by social turmoil and fragmentation (Guthrue, 2006, p. 7). China’s path towards economic reform began during the late 70’s when its government started to adapt a more pragmatic action to its numerous political as well as socioeconomic dilemmas. This different perspective resulted in the decrease of its socialist ideology in the country’s economic policy. During this time, the government focused its attention in economic productivity by introducing new management methods in its industrial, agricultural, financial, fiscal, as well as labor sector. In 1984, China’s idea of people’s commune was eventually eliminated after its 25-year existence. Private ownership of agricultural and industrial production assets were declared legal, while workers were encouraged to find private employment. Apart from this, small enterprises and businesses in rural areas also came in by the numbers. This resulted in increased competition as well as an increase in trading (Guthrue, 2006, p. 7). These small steps helped this country prepare for its great leap forward. China’s economic growth finally came in when the government decided to fully integrate its economy with the international market. Efforts were then made to make several Chinese regions open for foreign investments. Incentives and favors on taxes, patents, as well as contracts were passed as a way of attracting international investors. Although the government’s efforts to draw foreign investors were on full force, its bureaucratic issues such as political corruption and social fragmentation caused its vision for economic reform to slow down. Inflation eventually surged in which then caused the country to lag behind considerably. By the early 1990s, China regained its momentum as its leader Deng Xiapong suggested various pronouncements geared towards reinventing and renewing the country’s goal for economic reform. This marked China’s growth to become one of the world’s economic giants. The following years saw how this country quest to improvement not only its economy but also administrative system. By 2003, the government proposed several policies and amendments to address its ever changing economic system. Legislators also placed in a new emphasis on balancing the income distribution in both urban and rural areas, reducing unemployment rate, improving equity, while at the same time protecting its natural resources. In 2005, the government approved a five-year economic program which is geared towards creating a â€Å"harmonious society†. This program ultimately calls for a 45 percent growth in its Gross Domestic Product as well as a 20 percent decrease in its energy consumption by the year 2010. Apart from this, the program also underlined the importance of an improved education, social security, as well as medical care system (Guthrue, 2006, p. 7). From the 70’s up to the present, China’s efforts to development their economy allowed them rank as the second largest GDP in terms of Purchasing Power Parity and the third largest when it comes to Industrial Output (Guthrue, 2006, p. 7). Indeed, globalization allowed this country to create important developments as well rapid progress. However, the country’s growth in economic dominance does not only create benefits, but it also creates threats to the country’s culture, tradition, and way of life. Although globalization brings many benefits and advances, it also brings with it several consequences that must be properly addressed. In the paper Urban Development in Global Periphery, Sanjoy Chakravorty (2003) explained that globalization has two varied elements. This includes economic globalization which refers to the â€Å"integration of markets†and ideological globalization which refers to the â€Å"political idea that underlie the spread of market, trade, and democracy†(Chakravorty, 2003, p. 357). While economic globalization can be effectively used to improve and development a country’s economic status; ideological globalization on the other hand, can have a relative detriment to the county’s culture and way of life. One of the staggering consequences of globalizations in China is the threat of losing its identity. Chakravorty (2003), explains that globalization is a homogenizing process (Chakravorty, 2003, p. 361). This creates not only an economic but also a cultural mark that leads a country to adapt the values, taste, and even identity of the dominating global economy. Some scholars even refer to this as the â€Å"Mcdonaldization†or the â€Å"Cocacolonization†of a nation’s cultural identity and value. Although patronizing foreign products can help the economy, there is also this underlying threat that such products may cause the people to forget their own and ultimately adopt the values that the foreign products brings. In the case of China, a country that was once known for its rich culture, the Great Wall, fascinating dynasties, and many more, may become replaced by foreign logos of McDonald’s, KFC, and Coca-Cola. Inequality is also an important issue that must be considered along with globalization. As technology and foreign businesses continue to spread, it is also very likely that the gap between the rich and poor will become wider. Although globalization played an important role in decreasing poverty, this same thing may also create a bigger gap between the haves and have-nots. This is because the income gaps between skilled workers and non-skilled workers will continue to grow despairingly large. This is especially true for China. The income inequality becomes much more prominent due to the huge gain enjoyed by its upper crust (Seeking Alpha, 2007). Human right is another globalization issue that must be carefully considered. Although globalization has exacerbated poverty in many parts of China, it is still important to take note that most of the laborers in this country receive below the minimum wage. The pressures of globalization can lead to labor exploitation especially in rural regions. In this situation, the women and the children are always the first victims. Most women become laborers in a sweatshop setting while receiving a low salary. Children on the other hand are forced to work in factories. The human issues regarding globalization become even worst as the laborers are often subjected in sweat shop settings. Oftentimes, the workers are exposed to an environment which is hazardous to their health. Most of the workers also lack the basic health and accident benefits. Indeed, globalization has delivered the world its promises of economic development and growth. However, it is also essential to remember and consider the ugly side of this phenomenon. Inequality, human rights, and even the threat of losing national and ethic identity are just some of the many consequences of globalization. Although resolving these issues all at once may be a far cry, it can still be addressed through effective and good governance. Education and awareness regarding the consequences of globalization must also be implemented and disseminated. References Chakravorty, Sanjoy (2003). Urban development in the global periphery: The consequences of economic and ideological Globalization. The Annals of Regional Science 37, p. 357-367 Guthrie, Douglas (2006). China and globalization: the social, economic and political transformation of Chinese society. CRC pres, p 1-398. Seeking Alpha (2007). Why Globalization Is Boosting Inequality in Developing Nations. Retrieved May 30, 2009, from http://seekingalpha. com/article/36616-why-globalization-is-boosting-inequality-in-developing-nations.
Friday, November 15, 2019
Essay --
Abraham Lincoln was born in the winter month of February, on the twelfth day, in the year 1809. He was born in Hardin County, Kentucky to parents Thomas Lincoln and Nancy Hanks. Both of Lincoln’s parents were illiterate but he took it upon himself to learn his ABCs and attend school at a young age. Abraham Lincoln moved around a little e through Indiana and Illinois the first 21 years of his life. While Lincoln was young he worked a lot of odd jobs here and there before breaking into politics and winning a seat in the Illinois legislature at the age of 25. While he served his several terms on the legislature he went to law school and became a lawyer. In 1845 Lincoln successfully won a spot in the U.S Congress and served for one term. He later decided to run for U.S Senate, and even though he did not win, he gained national recognition for being so against slavery. In 1860, Lincoln ran for president, won, and was inaugurated in 1861. Abraham Lincoln met Mary Todd in 1839 while they were both in Springfield Illinois. Even though they had both come from very different families they ...
Tuesday, November 12, 2019
Mapping O’Connor’s “A Good Man is Hard to Findâ€Â
O’Connor, in response to her critics note that a certain amount of the significance â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find†lies in its utility in terms of teaching as well as in literary analysis.However, in relation to this aforementioned utility, O’Connor also notes that the text should not be reduced to â€Å"a problem to be solved†to the extent that it is treated as something which one evaporates in order â€Å"to get Instant Enlightenment†(Fitzgerald 23).In line with this, what follows is an analysis of the aforementioned text [O’Connor’s â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find†] which opts to minimize the amount of ‘evaporation’ of the text for the purpose of literary analysis.In this paper, I will focus on the locations which were specified within the text. The reasons for this are as follows: (1) locations specified within the text serve to foreshadow the events in the text and (2) locations specified within the text serve to augment the theme of the text.In reading the aforementioned text, one of the first things that may noticed in the text, itself is the realistic setting of the story. The story is set in the state of Georgia. In the opening scene, one is presented with a family from Atlanta quarrelling about their vacation plans. The quarrel stems from the grandmother’s opposition of the family’s decision to take their vacation in Florida.The reason for such an opposition lies in the highly probable perilous conditions in Florida itself since it has been reported that a convict which â€Å"calls himself The Misfit†is heading towards the same direction [that being Florida].It is important to note that during the matter of this quarrel, the reader is presented with the initial details of the family’s travel [vacation so to speak] and the mileage that they will cover which will later tie up with the other details in the later part of the story. What follows this is a scenic description of Georgia in the eyes of this family.In this description of the places which the family passes, it is interesting to note that the family chooses to have lunch in a place called Timothy in Georgia. What is of interest here is that as opposed to Stone Mountain, Jasper, and other places that they pass by there is no known specific location in Georgia called Timothy [known in the sense that it has a place in the map]. The question thereby arises as to O’Connor’s rationale for placing the location within the story.In answer to this Asals notes that this is due to the heretical status of this family. According to Asals, one may conceive of the location [Asals] as pertaining to the gospel of Timothy which discusses â€Å"the opposition of false doctrine; the organization of the church and establishment of ecclesiastical regulations; and exhortations which indicate how to be a good citizen and Christian†(76).The importance of such, in relation to the story, may be understood if one considers the heretical condition of the aforementioned family. The heretical condition is evident in the opposition of the grandmother’s carriage and her actions during the period of her youth.O’Connor, in this sense, may be seen as portraying the parallel between her characters who have left the tenets of Christian faith and Paul’s warning to those who commit such actions.Within this context, it is thereby possible to understand O’ Connor’s work [specifically the aforementioned text] as enabling a certain form of locationality which opts to counter the â€Å"rationalistic, materialistic, and humanistic thought†which pervaded during her time.This is best understood if one considers the aforementioned interpretation in relation to her warning [as to the evaporation resulting from â€Å"Instant Enlightenment†].Within this context, it is possible to posit that within a materialistic [in a sense on a world highly grounded on realism] the choice of the path in which one chooses has a direct effect on the meaningfulness of one’s earthly life [in the same manner in which The Misfit took hold of the family]Works CitedAsals, Frederick and Flannery O’Connor. A Good Man is Hard to Find. London: Rutgers, 1993.O’Connor, Flannery. â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find†. A Good Man is Hard to Find and Other Stories.Fitzgerald, Sally, ed. The Habit of Being: Letters of Flannery O’Connor. By Flannery O’Connor. New York: Farrar, 979.
Sunday, November 10, 2019
A Research-Analysis on the Principles of Biomedical Ethics Essay
Introduction â€Å"The uninsured†is a term that is coined to people who don’t posses any form of insurance who primarily include paperless immigrants, minorities, children and or teenagers without insurance, employees of small businesses, people who belong on the lower part of the social strata and also a significant number of the elderly. In effect, such a group of people suffered a lot in terms of seeking and receiving the health service that is necessary to prolong their lives. Corollary with this, are the disposition of those patients who initially have a health insurance but experience a significant degree of difficulty in terms of having the insurance company subsidize the treatment and or operation that is necessary for their health condition. Such a problem creates an ethical dilemma on the end of the doctors, patients, insurance providers and also the courts. This research provided various medical cases, biomedical ethics theories, and a number of laws that explained how the uninsured disposition is, the personal and psychological, monetary, and legal issues that they faced. Consequently, the author provided his own interpretation of the cases and significantly relates them on the principles of biomedical ethics and justice. The research then looked into the basic principles of biomedical ethics: beneficence, non-maleficence, justice and autonomy and other ethical theories such as Utilitarianism and Deontological Ethics, and significantly relate them to the problem of the uninsured based on the literature and cases that were presented. Background of the Problem            Initially, insurance is something that is only made available to wealthy Americans.  On the turn of the 20th century, there have been two major changes which took effect in terms of how insurances are disseminated. The rise of the private insurances and the government subsidized insurances has seemed to provide a temporary solution on the problem of inequality in terms of health services. Such an initiative has caused companies to provide insurances to their employees and by 1950’s almost two thirds of the population already have insurance. Due to the relative availability and accessibility of the population to insurance, some segment of the population were forgotten, hence the uninsured (Jost 1998, p.106).            Initiatives on the part of the government were introduced in order to solve this problem. General welfare programs during the 20th century were also introduced in order to cater to the marginalized. In addition, a New Deal program was also made available to the population living in the rural areas. On the span of the 20th century, progressive and labor interests asserted the necessity of compulsory national health insurance, but such efforts were hindered by a number of significant and powerful institutions in the country such as various business interests and the medical profession in itself (Jost 1998, p.106). However, the bill that was passed on 1960 which eventually legislated on 1965 paved the way for the establishment of the Medicare and the Medicaid. Medicare caters to the elderly which insured the hospitalization and other doctor services that are necessary; on the other hand, Medicaid emphasized on the needs of the marginalized and the disabled. The Medicare and the Medicaid resolved all conflicts between the hospitals and the government because of the assurance of monetary funds for those who are insured and the paying of services which are formerly given free or in a reduced fee. However, critics of Medicare and Medicaid counter argued that such insurances are too costly, hence a new initiative was raised by a physician in Minnesota which is now known as the Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) (Jost 1998, 107-108).            The HMO required the consumers to pay a relatively small amount in order to cover for the former and also for his or her families. Such an idea appealed to the government, hence on 1973, the Health Organization Maintenance Act of 1973 was passed. The managed health care proved to significantly reduce costs , and by 1995, it was estimated that 150 million Americans have their HMOs. However, conflicts between doctors and patients emerged when allegation such as doctors and HMO administrators have created some sort of incentive programs which would make the latter diminish its recommendations for certain medication, treatments, or operations. Such a case paved the way for a direct refusal for the needed medical care, treatment and operations. In addition, complaints such as delays on the release of authorization and/or funds were also cited (Jost 1998, 109). Review of Related Literature            Kenneth Jost (1998, p. 101-105) posed three major issues with regard to patient rights. These are: Is it possible for manage-care health plans to make the patients choose doctors who are not included on the plan’s network of physicians? Should the manage health care plans be liable if there be any chance that malpractice is detected amongst their physicians? Is there a necessity for a stronger safeguard be imposed on the patients’ medical records and other related information? Jost emphasized that the dilemma that was brought forth due to the request of some patients to choose their own physicians has been an issue that is very difficult to resolve. Since the primary purpose of the manage health care plans is to reduce costs, the proposal of each patient to choose their own doctors would pave the way to the further increase of fees amongst the health plans, in addition to the payment that the patient has to shoulder. Some health care plans intentionally limit the number of physicians that the patients can choose from so that referrals for treatment, medication and or operations could be regulated by the company, hence reducing costs and increasing profits. However, some health care plans allow their consumers to apply for a Point of Service (POS) which will allow them to choose their own doctors; only for an added fee. In relation with this are some statutory laws imposed by some 30 states for pregnant women, allowing the latter to select an obstetrician that could act as their primary health care provider (p. 101-103). The second issue was with regard to the malpractice that was conducted by in-house physicians, which on a legal perspective makes the physician alone liable to the damages done to the patient and makes the managed-care plans company exempted from the legal repercussions. The case presented was that of Ron Henson, who died in Kaiser Permanente Hospital and later on sued HMO. The conflict stem out due to the claim of Mrs. Henson that Kaiser controlled the costs of her husband’s treatment by limiting hospital admission in cardiac cases. The physicians who treated Mr. Henson was employed by Kaiser, hence making the latter liable to the said malpractice. A suit was then filed against Kaiser which was then settled by the latter for 5.3 million in 1997. However, at present only the state of Texas has such laws regarding the accountability of managed care plans. Jost also made a point by asserting that when health insurance companies will be made liable to the malpractice that could have been done by their physicians, such could further result to the increase of the fees being collected from their clients (p.103-104). The necessity of privacy and confidentiality of medical records is another important matter that Jost touched into. The importance of disclosing medical information for the patient’s health purposes alone (Shalala, 1998 as cited from Jost 1998, p.105) and for government use for health and law enforcement has been criticized as further broadening the law for access for medical records. The proposal set forth by Shalala has been criticized due to favoring the government to have more access to medical records, hence a possible case of invasion of privacy. However, Shalala have emphasized that such a proposal is only a more clear interpretation of the law that currently exists. The author perceived that Jost (1998) emphasized more on the notion of Justice within the managed health care system and the relation of Autonomy on the notion of Justice. In addition, Jost was able to present a balanced view of the legal issues on managed health care system. He provided almost all possible dimensions of the issue and allowed the reader to deduce the arguments on their own. The discussion of the laws which is relative to every state makes it difficult to address the legal issues that stem out because of medical malpractice (taking the issue of Mr. Henson for instance). In addition with this, certain changes from the ways of the health care system defeats the primary purpose of the former which is to reduce costs and make health opportunity available and equal to all people. Such a dilemma between the right to choose or autonomy and the statutory laws which serves as the backbone of most managed health care system becomes very hard to reconcile. In addition with this, the matters of privacy are something that is in conflict with the principle of autonomy and the greater good (i.e. the principle of utilitarianism). Keith Epstein (2002) has presented the issues of uninsured patients which normally are comprised of young adults (p. 524) and minorities (p.529). Epstein touched three major issues in which is comprised of the question weather the United States can afford health insurance for all; if Medicare should cover the prescribed medicines for the marginalized senior people; and if small businesses could band together to apply for the insurance of their employees in order to reduce its costs. The fist issue was addressed by Epstein by arguing that since the passing of the Balance Budget Act of 1997, there has been a huge cut back on medical costs. Medicare has cut on reimbursement and some states have also cut on Medicaid payments. However, Young (President of the Health Insurance Association of America) as cited from Epstein, claimed that America can do afford insurance for all if it only has the will power. Young emphasized that the uninsured has already been subsidized due to the increase of costs in insurance payments and also for hospital services because initially, these insurance companies and hospitals are adding up their costs in order to cover for uninsured patients. Solutions in subsidizing the uninsured in terms of taxes are also one of the solutions that he presented (p. 526). The issue in subsidizing the marginalized seniors’ drug prescription has also been tackled as could be resolved by having the government subsidize a certain percentage of the price by those seniors of having the salary cap of less than $13,000. However, part of the issue is the lack of funds or the possible soar of the taxes in order to subsidize such a change. The third issue is with regard to the passing of a bill which would allow small companies across states to band together in order to apply for insurance for their employees and consequently to reduce costs. Such an idea according to Lehnhard, (Blue Cross Senior Vice President) would only provide temporary savings on the end of these small companies because since the associations will not be regulated by the state rules, it is possible that such companies would engage in discriminatory underwriting. An example that was given is that there might be some cases wherein the program would encourage health people from joining, and unhealthy people from not joining (p.530). The author perceived that Epstein’s essay touched on the use of the existing law in order to apply the principle of justice as fairness. It could be seen, that the relevance of the law has been the foundation of the arguments which normally appear in conflict with various perceived implications due to the desire to alter the law in order to cater for those percentage of the population who are relatively incapable of securing their health concerns and problems. The perceived attempts to make the lives of the uninsured relatively better in order to bring forth justice in the form of a fair medical and health treatment has been argued to be a cause that is far fetched because of political will power, unequal allocation of funds and lack of trust to human goodwill. A more recent article which emphasized the relevance of the law in order to cater to the needs of the uninsured is those of Owcharenko (2006).  Owcharenko provided three major recommendations in which the government could do to solve the growing number of uninsured population in the country. The first is to offer the uninsured â€Å"direct subsidies in the form of a refundable tax credit, to lower-income working individuals and families for the purchase of private health care coverage†(p. 95). Owcharenko emphasized that enormous tax breaks are normally given by the government to those high-earning individuals, rather than to those who have relatively lower incomes. The tax exclusion also provides more generous health care coverage to those individuals belonging in big companies. In addition with this, those people who don’t have any health coverage at all does not enjoy any tax break at all, thus they are left with no choice rather than to use after-tax dollars to purchase their insurance. Owcharenko emphasized that if a new and robust system of individual health tax credits will be given to low-income families, these people will have the buying power to secure their own private insurance rather than opt to rely to Medicaid which is relatively spread on a small number of population. The Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) that was enacted on 2003 was perceived by Owcharenko as a good program for the government because it allowed people to â€Å"purchased a high-deductible insurance plan to establish a tax-preferred savings account that allows carryover of unspent funds†(Owvahrenko, 2006, p. 96).   This plan however needs certain changes in order to function more proficiently. Owcharenko focused on the use of the flexible spending account (FSA) and the health reimbursement arrangements (HRAs) such according to her would allow patients to exercise more autonomy on choosing their heath care. Such a step would allow the patients to gain more control on determining the amounts which they want to contribute and significantly decide how they wanted to apply these funds.            The recommendation is for the government to allow federal contributions to be used in order to improve the health status of every state. Consequently, the state should be able to provide a feedback on the effectiveness of their reforms by â€Å"reducing the number of the uninsured, improving access, and remaining fiscally visible†.            The author perceived that the recommendations of Owcharenko (2006) touched on the notion of justice, fairness, and beneficence. In relation with this, the perception of the author in making the insurance reforms unique in every state will significantly help a lot in terms of reaching a huge number of the uninsured population. Since the focus of the health reforms will be focused primarily on the individuals on every state, it is more likely that even the people who do not belong on the financial caps that are subsidized under Medicaid will be considered as well. The marginalized on the other hand will also be given a fair and immediate treatment towards health.  The research of Young et al (2004) focused on the life saving health care of undocumented children. Undocumented children are offsprings of paperless immigrants which consequently forms a huge percentage of the population for the uninsured. Undocumented children often times did not have an access to health services as they don’t have any contact to any insurance other than the Emergency Medicaid that was given by the Federal Government in 1986. However, the Emergency Medicaid could only be used in severe cases wherein a patient experiences severe amount of pain (p.1316). In addition, Medicaid can only pay for a portion of the hospitalization costs, which is why some hospitals needed to seek support either from various organizations or individuals or from the country of the immigrant himself. Such an attempt of some hospitals although noble, may prove to further increase the costs of the treatment because of the delay of the latter. Young et al. claimed that such prolonging could result to a long-term morbidity and a high risk of death (p. 1318). Young emphasized that immigrants served a relevant part of the society. They do jobs that could highly affect a huge number of the population if by any case they acquire communicable diseases. In relation with this, failure to immunize their children and treat their sicknesses could also result to a significant impact in the society. Young et al. touched on the principles of beneficence and non maleficence on his paper. Both sides of the issues are presented (i.e. why the government cannot subsidize the health care of the undocumented children versus the effects that it could bring in the society).  Young et al explained the aid that the Emergency Medicaid has provided to the undocumented children and the other options that the hospitals can do in any case that the hospital cannot fully subsidize a child on expensive treatments and operations. The principle of beneficence was clearly presented on this part. On the other hand, the principle of maleficence could be seen as further attempts of the government to give improve the health status of the immigrants’ children are made.  McLaughlin et al (1999) touched on the role of nurse case managers in terms of providing solutions to the ethical dilemmas that were brought forth of the uninsured. Case management as defined by The Case Management Society of America (CSMA) as a â€Å"collaborative process which plans, implements, coordinates, monitors, evaluates options and services to meet the individual’s health needs through communication and available resources to promote quality cost effective outcomes†(p.51). The role of the nurse care manager is highly important because he or she acts as an advocate to raise funds; also, he or she acts as a facilitator as well in order to weigh treatment options for the patient and the family. The case of Natalie M involves the problem of dealing with her family that later on paved the way for her to be rejected in most of subacute or skilled nursing units. Conflicts with the family as to weather to put Natalie on a subacute nursing units or take care of her at home poses a problem as well that the nurse manager has to deal with. The nurse care manager solved the issue by having Natalie participate in the decision process and make sure that the decision of Natalie is not a mere reflection of her family or guardian. The case of Natalie M. is a clear representation of the strict adherence of the nurse case managers on the principles of autonomy, principle of veracity, the principle of beneficence and avoided paternalism.  The article clearly laid out the process as to how particular treatment options are arrived into by discussing it with the guardian of Natalie and Natalie herself. Similarly, the nurse care manager make sure that the decision was a true reflection of the desires of Natalie, and corollary with this, the principle of beneficence was reflected in the steps of the nurse care manager to do make sure that whatever options that Natalie would take, it would be safe and would significantly help her improve her condition.  Tunzi (2004) has emphasized the case of the sluggish economy and the budget deficits that significantly affects the disposition of the uninsured. According to the statistics, the uninsured comprises of 23 million male, 20 million female, in which 21 million are white, 13 million are Hispanic, 7 million are black, and 2 million are Asian or Pacific Islander (p.1357).  The major implication of being an uninsured is primarily characterized by worse cases of illnesses because of the failure to regularly check with the doctor, or failure to seek care until the illness is already terminal. In relation with this, Tunzi also emphasized that majority of the uninsured are children and most likely they are more prone to poorer health or may die prematurely. Hence, according to Institute of Medicine’s (IOM) 2002 report (as cited in Tunzi, 2004, p. 1358) that the lives of children will be made longer and their long term development would be significantly improved if they are covered with insurance. To solve this problem, the IOM has ensured a Broadbased Health Insurance Strategy which caters to preventive services, outpatient prescription drugs, and specialized mental health care, in addition to general ambulatory and hospital medical care (p.1359). In addition, the Bush Administration has also launched the expansion of the Community Center System; however, the author perceived that such a program is not sufficient enough due to certain limitations that it posed.            The article of Tunzi (2004) touched on the principles of beneficence and justice. The attempts to cover for the health of the uninsured and the expansion of government services and NGO’s are significant factors that are ethical in its very nature.  The issue of the caste system that is very imminent on hospitals is the issue that was tacked by Romano (2002). There are certain hospitals that are viewed as practicing the so-called boutique medicine wherein they require their patients to pay an annual membership fee in order to gain access to the services of their hospital. However,   Lois Snyder, director of the Center for Ethics and Professionalism at the 115,000-member American College of Physicians-American Society of Internal Medicine as cited from Romano (2002, p.5) have reiterated that such ways of some hospitals are certainly against the their manuals. Snyder emphasized that indiscriminate perception should be applied regardless if the patient is insured or uninsured.            Such a step of certain hospitals to intentionally reject patients on the name of profit is something that violates the principle of beneficence and also it is a violation of the basic principles of the deontological ethics’ claim that man should never be used as a means to an end. Dateline NBC (2005) has presented a case of a child who suffered from a ferry boat accident who’s got his legs amputated. The child has no insurance and the father has no idea where to get the money to pay for the hospital bills. On this case, the government nor any NGO did not helped the child; hence the father was forced to take the option of selling their house.            This case provided by dateline NBC, is relatively short and is made primarily for popular reading. However, such a case would make one see how the government or the hospital for that matter did not take any advocacy steps in order to help the said family.  Analysis The article of Jost (1998) provides a clear picture of the conflict between various principles of biomedical ethics. As the author have stated on previous paragraphs, the principle of Justice and Autonomy appears to be in conflict when discussing legal issues and keeping up with the notion of equality on health care services. In addition, the idea of the greater good or the principle of utilitarianism appears to be in conflict as well with the laws against invasion of privacy. On the first issue that Jost presented, the principle of autonomy would normally state that it should really be the case that patients should be provided with the choice to have a physician of their own preference. Since, man by nature as argued by the Kant as rational, then it necessarily follows that they should really be making their own choices. However, it should be taken into consideration as well that legal contracts or agreements impinge this basic right of man for order and in some cases for social equality. Tracing back in its philosophical roots, the very notion of the statutory laws emerged from the desire of man to engage himself into a social contract (i.e. Hobbes, Rousseau, Mill) in order to lift himself in the state of nature which is primarily characterized by the lack of order and domination of the strongest. Relating this to the conflict of the law (i.e. imposed by managed health care) and the principle of autonomy (i.e. the right of patients to choose their own doctors) simply makes sense. If taken for instance that every patient lets say Xs that is enrolled on a managed health care, lets say A is given the opportunity to chose their own doctors, then A would cease to be a managed health care system at all since its very purpose which is to reduce costs will be defeated. In addition, inequality in terms of health care services will again stem out because relatively rich people will get the degree of health service that they prefer. The author thinks that in order for the managed health care system to live on its purpose and prevent their customers to further increase their costs, they should be able to shift their perspective from profit to quality and humanitarian service. The insurance industry is accountable for hundreds or even millions and billions of lives, and no amount of money could ever replace a life that is lost because of malpractice.  The essay by Epstein (2002) which tackles the law as one of the major vehicles in order to change the existing disposition of the uninsured has been seen by the research as something that is significantly related to the notion of justice and fairness. The notion of justice is directly related to the laws that are imposed by the state.  However, since justice is only a result of human convention which is also partly dependent on the culture and the demands of the society, then it necessarily follows that it is imperfect. The essay of Epstein which emphasizes on the capacity of the government to insure majority of the citizens, most specially those who didn’t have the capacity of doing such; subsidizing the medicines of the marginalized seniors and associating small enterprises in order to afford the insurance of their employees is something that could be interpreted as a result to put more justice in the existing laws. However, the author, basing the arguments from Epstein could significantly assert that such proved to be far fetched due to certain factors such as the political will, the inappropriate allocation of government funds and the lack of trust on human goodwill.  The political will as perceived by the author is the initiative on the end of the government to significantly allocate a percentage of the taxes that it collects for the uninsured. In relation with this is the political will as well to help the marginalized, the immigrants and the children to acquire the insurance necessary in order to secure their health. Corollary with this is the government’s investment on war versus the immediate need of its citizens’ health. A proper allocation of the national budget is seen by the author as one of the primary solution to the huge number of the uninsured. The notion of the human goodwill as emphasized by Immanuel Kant is something that could be significantly related to the assumptions of discriminatory underwritings that could stem out from the associations of small companies across the border in order to provide insurance for their employees. Kant asserted that man is inherently good and the author believes it to be so. The mere premise that these small companies wanted to provide insurance for their employees is a valid reason enough to deduce that the former has a genuine concern on the plight of the latter.  Owcharenko (2006) presented her recommendations which are majority in a form of law changes and reforms in order to cater for the uninsured. The author agreed with Owcharenko on her perspective that the best way to reach out and cater to the needs of the uninsured is to make national reforms in terms of the laws that governs every state. Although the author perceived that advocacy on the part of the hospitals to solicit funds as a significant solution as well; the reforms on the laws would be able to cater on a relatively huge number of population. The principle of utilitarianism and beneficence in addition to the principles of justice could be seen as the core ethical foundation of the recommendations of Owcharenko. The necessity of extending the health reforms to majority of the population is in conjunction with the principle of utilitarianism which is the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people. In addition, the principle of duty of the Deontological Ethics could be applied as well. The basis of the morality of a certain act is significantly related to the â€Å"duty†that each person has. This duty is perceived by Kant as something that is absolute or on his own terms â€Å"unibversalizable†. In relating this to the government, the author perceived that part of the duty of the government is to assure that every individual regardless of social status and income will have the same access to health medications and treatments. The notion of duty is significantly related to the justice that ideally should always be existing in a certain society.  Young et al (2004) has tackled the importance of the health of the undocumented children in the American society. In order to present this, two principles from the ethics of principlism was touched- beneficence and maleficence. The principle of beneficence asserts the relevance of thinking who benefits from one’s actions and in what such manner. The principle of maleficence emphasizes on the notion of not harming any person or party. The principle of beneficence was clearly applied on the disposition of the undocumented children and the principle of maleficence was applied on the existing laws for and against undocumented children. Due to the principle of non-harm, attempts on the end of the hospitals and the government to be more sympathetic, and more humanitarian to the undocumented children were executed. Also, the principle of utilitarianism could be significantly related on the case of the undocumented children as well. It could be noted that Young et al. has emphasized that these children and their parents served a significant part of the society. Hence, their poor health could also affect the entire population. Taking the principle of utilitarianism and its maxim which is â€Å"the greatest amount of happiness for the greatest number of people†, one could significantly deduce that the health of the paperless immigrants and their children could also translate to an overall increase of utility on the entire state.  The case of Natalie M. on the writings of McLaughlin et al (1999) presents the principles of autonomy, veracity, beneficence and avoided paternalism. In certain cases wherein the patient has the mental capacity to decide for herself, the nurse case manager makes sure that the autonomy of the individual is emphasized. Similar to the essay of Epstein (2002), the emphasis on the rationality of the individual is always taken into consideration. The notion of the â€Å"truth†is another ethical principle that is necessary for those patients who are under a care of a certain guardian or who has a family who is very picky and difficult to deal with in terms of negotiating treatment options. The importance of arriving on the true desires of the patient is directly related on the principle of autonomy. This would then make sure that paternalism will be avoided, although the nurse care manager also makes sure that such a decision that the hospital will arrive at is relatively the best step in order to improve the disposition of the patient, hence beneficence.  Tunzi (2004) has made a direct correlation on the principles of beneficence and justice. By presenting various solutions on the case of the uninsured through government and non-government initiatives, it is evident that attempts to provide equal opportunity in terms of health services are attempted to be provided in almost all people regardless of their status in the society. Such a step could be seen as would present a great benefit on the end of the uninsured, hence beneficence.  Upholding profit versus the necessity of the human life is the case that was presented by Romano (2002). The practice of so called boutique hospitals is something that is against the principles of Deontological Ethics which claimed that man should never be used as a means to an end. This means that if the hospital for instance rejects the admission of an uninsured patient because the latter does not have enough finances to pay, then it necessarily follows that profit is seen as the most relevant factor for the hospital and not really to save lives.  Then man or the patient for that matter would only be seen as an instrument for profit and not really the ‘end’ purpose of the hospital in itself.  The case of presented by Dateline NBC (2005) would show that there are really cases wherein besides of the efforts and the claims presented by the hospitals, NGOs and the government, there are still a lot of cases wherein the uninsured is being left out.  The case of the child who got his legs amputated which later on made his father decide to sell the house is something that could be prevented only if advocacy steps on the part of the hospital or the government was implemented. The debt and or the decrease of the quality of life that this family might suffer after this crisis could also directly impact how the child will continue his healing process and or adapt to the new change that recently happened in his life.  Conclusion            â€Å"The uninsured†is a term that is coined to people who don’t posses any form of insurance who primarily include paperless immigrants, minorities, children and or teenagers without insurance, employees of small businesses, people who belong on the lower part of the social strata and also a significant number of the elderly. In effect, such a group of people suffered a lot in terms of seeking and receiving the health service that is necessary to prolong their lives. Corollary with this, are the disposition of those patients who initially have a health insurance but experience a significant degree of difficulty in terms of having the insurance company subsidize the treatment and or operation that is necessary for their health condition. Such a problem creates an ethical dilemma on the end of the doctors, patients, insurance providers and also the courts. In comprehending and analyzing the eight articles that was presented on this research, the author have deduced that the health care industry of the country is facing a huge dilemma most specially in distributing fairness in terms of the allocation of health services that is due not only to every American citizen but also to other races who lives in the country as well. Such a growing injustice in the health industry has been attempted to be solved many times starting from the nurse advocates, the hospitals, non-government organizations and also the government as well. However, even though more than seven decades has passed since the necessity of insurance was perceived, the government still is quite slow in terms of providing solutions to the health problems of its citizens. The budget deficit has been blamed due to the lack of monetary support, however, it is very evident that the government’s finances were clearly improperly allocated to certain war endeavors which a number of critics have argued to be null on the first place.            The ethical dilemmas that stem out due to the lack of funds, legalities, concern for profit (of insurance companies) are directly affecting the marginalized, the children, the minorities, and the senior people. The author perceived that a reevaluation of the priorities of every significant institution which played an important role on the health of the citizens are relevant in order to set things on a right path and establish justice and fairness which has been the primary purpose on the first place of establishing a social contract, a government and the set of statutory laws which supposed to make the life of man better and in order. Literature Cited Carter L (2002). A Primer to Ethical Analysis. Office of Public Policy and Ethics Institute for Molecular Bioscience. Dateline NBC (2005). â€Å"Americans and the American health industry†. Quill Magazine, 4. Epstein K (2002). Covering the Uninsured: The Issues. The CQ Researcher (12) (23) 523-526. Jost K (1998). Patient’s Rights: The Issues. The CQ Researcher (8) (5) 101-109. Mc Laughlin K et al (1999). Ethical Dilemmas in Critical Care:Nurse Case Managers’ Perspective. Crit Care Nurs 22 (3) 51–64. Owcharenko N (2006). Reducing the Number of Uninsured. Health Care 95-97. Romano M (2002). If you have to ask, you can’t afford it. Modern Healthcare (32) (12) p17, 1p, 2c. Tunzi M (2004). The Uninsured. American Family Physician, (69) (6) 1357-1360. Young J. et al (2004). Providing Life-Saving Health Care to Undocumented Children: Controversies and Ethical Issues. PEDIATRICS, (114) (5) 1316-1320.
Friday, November 8, 2019
How to Take Advantage of Opportunities and Get Hired
How to Take Advantage of Opportunities and Get Hired Perhaps, you are one of the millions that is currently looking for new job opportunities. The average job hunter is completely unaware of the best way to take advantage of opportunities that are currently available to them. The fact is that most successful job seekers learn to identify those opportunities, once they are presented to them. Here is more on how to take advantage of those job opportunities that pop up. PreparationOne key to job hunting success is to make sure that you are prepared for the opportunity. Take for instance a warehouse worker who has been unemployed for several months. Potential employers would probably like to view a fully updated resume. Take advantage of job opportunities with a prepared resume that identifies your key skills and experience. You can take a look at a sample resume of warehouse worker. Observe several resumes and notice the construction. Design your resume to attract more job opportunities, using samples as a guideline. The next time that a job opportunity is presented, be prepared with an up to date resume.Job CounsellingTake advantage of sources in your community that provide job counselling to the unemployed. The good news is that many of the job counselling services are free. Seek out services at local community colleges, universities, unemployment offices, and community centers. You can also search online for job counselling sources. The job counselling services provide people with expert career advice and help them network with companies looking for new employees.Finding Jobs OnlineIt’s probably no news to you that millions of people search online for new jobs. It’s a good idea to add this to your job search toolbox. Take advantage of opportunities online. It wasn’t too long ago that only those working for government agencies or large corporations could take advantage of Internet job searches. Now, the average person is able to use job search engines or visit job posting sites online, to find new job opportunities.NetworkingHere is a question that every job seeker should ask themselves. Have I communicated to all the people I know in my network that I am looking for employment? If the answer is no, it’s time to get to work. The fact is that there are a multitude of jobs available that are not advertised. Employers find new staff through networking with others in the industry. Make sure that everyone in your network is fully aware that you are seeking new employment. Take advantage of opportunities to network on a daily basis.
Tuesday, November 5, 2019
Amerigo Vespucci, Explorer and Navigator
Amerigo Vespucci, Explorer and Navigator Amerigo Vespucci (1454-1512) was a Florentine sailor, explorer, and trader. He was one of the more colorful characters of the early age of discovery in the Americas and captained one of the first journeys to the New World. His lurid descriptions of the New World natives made his accounts extremely popular in Europe and as a result, it is his name - Amerigo - which eventually would be modified into America and given to two continents. Early Life Amerigo was born into a wealthy family of Florentine silk traders who had a princely estate near the city of Peretola. They were very prominent citizens of Florence and many Vespuccis held important offices. Young Amerigo received an excellent education and served for a time as a diplomat before settling in Spain just in time to witness the excitement of Columbus first voyage. He decided that he, too, wanted to be an explorer. The Alonso de Hojeda Expedition In 1499, Vespucci joined the expedition of Alonso de Hojeda (also spelled Ojeda), a veteran of Columbus second voyage. The 1499 expedition included four ships and was accompanied by well-known cosmographer and cartographer Juan de la Cosa, who had gone on Columbus first two voyages. The expedition explored much of the northeastern coast of South America, including stops in Trinidad and Guyana. They also visited a tranquil bay and named it Venezuela, or Little Venice. The name stuck. Like Columbus, Vespucci suspected that he may have been looking at the long-lost Garden of Eden, the Earthly Paradise. The expedition found some gold, pearls, and emeralds and captured some slaves for sale, but still was not very profitable. Return to the New World Vespucci had earned a reputation as a skilled sailor and leader during his time with Hojeda, and he was able to convince the King of Portugal to finance a three-ship expedition in 1501. He had become convinced during his first trip that the lands he had seen were not, in fact, Asia, but something altogether new and previously unknown. The purpose of his 1501-1502 journey, therefore, became the location of a practical passage to Asia. He explored the eastern coast of South America, including much of Brazil, and may have gone as far as the Platte River in Argentina before returning to Europe. On this journey, he became more convinced than ever that the recently discovered lands were something new: the coast of Brazil that he had explored was much too far to the south to be India. This put him at odds with Christopher Columbus, who insisted until his death that the lands he had discovered were, in fact, Asia. In Vespuccis letters to his friends and patrons, he explained his new theories. Fame and Celebrity Vespuccis journey was not an extremely important one in relation to many of the others taking place at the time. Nevertheless, the seasoned navigator found himself something of a celebrity within a short time due to the publication of some letters he had allegedly written to his friend, Lorenzo di Pierfrancesco de Medici. Published under the name Mundus Novus (New World) the letters became an immediate sensation. They included fairly direct (for the sixteenth century) descriptions of sexuality (naked women!) as well as the radical theory that the recently discovered lands were, in fact, new. Mundus Novis was followed closely by a second publication, Quattuor Americi Vesputi Navigationes (Four Voyages of Amerigo Vespucci). Supposedly letters from Vespucci to Piero Soderini, a Florentine statesman, the publication describes four voyages (1497, 1499, 1501 and 1503) undertaken by Vespucci. Most historians believe some of the letters to be fakes: there is little other evidence that Vespucci even made the 1497 and 1503 journeys. Whether some of the letters were fakes or not, the two books were immensely popular in Europe. Translated into several languages, they were passed around and discussed exhaustively. Vespucci became an instant celebrity and was asked to serve on the committee which advised the King of Spain about New World policy. America In 1507, Martin Waldseemà ¼ller, who worked in the town of Saint-Dià © in Alsace, published two maps together with Cosmographiae Introductio, an introduction to cosmography. The book included the purported letters from Vespucci’s four voyages as well as sections reprinted from Ptolemy. On the maps, he referred to the newly discovered lands as â€Å"America,†in honor of Vespucci. It included an engraving of Ptolemy looking to the East and Vespucci looking to the West. Waldseemà ¼ller also gave Columbus plenty of credit, but it was the name America that stuck in the New World. Later Life Vespucci only ever made two journeys to the New World. When his fame spread, he was named to a board of royal advisers in Spain along with former shipmate Juan de la Cosa, Vicente Yà ±ez Pinzà ³n (captain of the Nià ±a on Columbus’ first voyage) and Juan Dà az de Solà s. Vespucci was named Piloto Mayor, â€Å"Chief Pilot†of the Spanish Empire, in charge of establishing and documenting routes to the west. It was a lucrative and important position as all expeditions needed pilots and navigators, all of whom were answerable to him. Vespucci established a school of sorts, to train pilots and navigators, modernize long-distance navigation, collect charts and journals and basically collect and centralize all cartographic information. He died in 1512. Legacy Were it not for his famous name, immortalized on not one but two continents, Amerigo Vespucci would today no doubt be a minor figure in world history, well-known to historians but unheard of outside of certain circles. Contemporaries such as Vicente Yà ±ez Pinzà ³n and Juan de la Cosa were arguably more important explorers and navigators. Heard of them? Didn’t think so. That’s not to lessen Vespucci’s accomplishments, which were considerable. He was a very talented navigator and explorer who was respected by his men. When he served as Piloto Mayor, he encouraged key advances in navigation and trained future navigators. His letters – whether he actually wrote them or not – inspired many to learn more about the New World and colonize it. He was neither the first nor the last to envision the route to the west that was eventually discovered by Ferdinand Magellan and Juan Sebastin Elcano, but he was one of the best-known. It’s even arguable that he deserves the eternal recognition of having his name on North and South America. He was one of the first to openly defy the still-influential Columbus and declare that the New World was, in fact, something new and unknown and not simply a previously-uncharted part of Asia. It took courage to contradict not only Columbus but all of the ancient writers (such as Aristotle) who had no knowledge of continents to the west. Source: Thomas, Hugh. Rivers of Gold: The Rise of the Spanish Empire, from Columbus to Magellan. New York: Random House, 2005.
Sunday, November 3, 2019
Outline and critique the main themes in martin luther kings Jr.s Essay
Outline and critique the main themes in martin luther kings Jr.s theology. can it inspire the contemporay church to be a 'voice of conscience' in society today - Essay Example Other than the colored church traditions, King sought from other intellectual sources to back up his noble course of liberating his people from oppression. National and international public figures like Mahatma Gandhi and Thoreau inspired him with their individual philosophies. He borrowed the nonaggressive protest tradition that the two advocated. He also gave secular interactionism a chance, alongside protestant liberalism in an attempt to have in place a harmonized approach of theology amid struggle for equality. It’s apparent that the key hindrance to Martin King talented theologian is the narrow, shallow, elitist, and racist definition of theology. These flaws restricts its methods and subject matter to problems and issues that other races tend to identify. King at all times steered from the front. He passionately sought to transform all the forms of oppression in his society. He aspired to establish a fair and a nondiscriminatory society. Thus, it is possible to analyze his involvement with such events as the famous successful Montgomery bus boycott (1953-56). In addition to the defeat in Albany (1961), the Birmingham demonstrations(1963), the Sejma March for goring rights (1965) and his encounter with racism in Chicago (1966). Moreover, Kings had dialogue with black power advocates during and after the Meredith Mississippi March (1966). He arranged the preparation for Poor Peoples March on Washington (1967), had a stand against the Vietnam War (1967-68), and had his last march with garbage workers in Memphis (1968). Martin King was keen not to restrict his theological pursuit to the afflictions of one minority group. As much as his initial drive was motivated by the oppression of the black, his theological vision was diverse and in fact, universal. He targeted the entire humanity as he thought of the brown Vietnamese
Friday, November 1, 2019
The British Economy Recession Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1
The British Economy Recession - Essay Example It can be explained by the fact that these countries have more favorable natural resources than the UK. Up to World War Germany had been following its own policy of imperialism and that is why it nearly stopped any relations with the UK. Despite the above-mentioned facts, the UK was still doing not very badly. The War ruined all spheres of the UK industry. It did destabilize the British economy for a long period of time. The plants and factories both in town and in the suburbs were regularly bombarded and eventually, it lead to the decline of the UK economy. Participating in the War made the UK lose the quarter of the country’s wealth. The decline of manufacture brought about the total unemployment and strikes of complaints. The unemployment was spread among women and those men who were not involved in battles. Those enterprises that were not ruined closed down because they even didn’t cover their expenses. People in those times didn’t have money to develop the majority of branches of the manufacturer. The only spheres that managed to survive and even got some profit was the food manufacture and the military one. During the War, these products became of prime importance. Although the manufacturer in the UK was in recession, London still played the role of the world main financial center. I accumulated the accounts dealing with military forces and other spheres. For performing the function of the World Bank the UK, surely, charged the percentage and that donation allowed it to proceed to participate in the battles. People unsatisfied with the political and economic situation united in General Strike that aimed to demand the increase of the standards of living. The authorities managed to suppress the Strike and those people who participated in it were blacklisted and could not be hired for very long after the strike. T
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