Comparison the Bottom Billion by Paul Collier and Why Nations Fail by Acemoglu and James

The Tierra Capri Gobble Story

The Tierra Capri Gobble Story Tierra Capri Gobble was sentenced to death in Alabama in 2005 for the beating death of her four-month-old son, Phoenix Cody Parrish. Phoenix Cody Parrish was born on August 8, 2004, in Plant City, Florida. Within 24 hours of being born Cody was removed from his mothers custody by the Florida Department of Children and Families. The department had previously charged Gobble with the abandonment of her first child, Jewell, and had removed her from her mothers care. Court Order to Stay Away Ignored Jewell and Cody were placed with Gobbles uncle, Edgar Parrish, who agreed to take temporary custody of the children. Parrish also agreed to keep the children away from Gobble and Codys father, Samuel Hunter. Both Gobble and Hunter were also given a court order to stay away from the children. Soon after gaining custody of Cody, Parrish moved to Dothan, Alabama. By the end of October 2004, both Gobble and Hunter had moved into Parrishs mobile home with him, his roommate Walter Jordan and the children. The Death of Cody Parish According to Gobble, in the early morning hours of December 15, 2004, she was having trouble getting Cody to go to sleep because he was fussing. At around 1:00 a.m. Gobble went to feed him. After he finished his bottle, she put him back in his crib. She checked on him again at around 9:00 a.m. and found him playing. Gobble went back to sleep and awoke at 11:00 a.m. When she went to check on Cody she discovered that he was not breathing. Gobble called Jordan, who was also in the trailer that morning. Jordan went to get Parrish, who was nearby. Parrish returned to the trailer and telephoned emergency 911. When paramedics arrived, Cody was unresponsive, and they rushed him to a local hospital. Attempts to resuscitate him were unsuccessful and he was pronounced dead. The Autopsy Report The autopsy showed that Cody died as a result of blunt-force trauma to his head. His skull had been fractured. Cody had numerous other injuries, including fractured ribs, a fracture to his right arm, fractures to both wrists, multiple bruises on his face, head, neck, and chest and a tear in the inside of his mouth that was consistent with a bottle having been shoved into his mouth. Officer Tracy McCord of the Houston County Sheriffs Department took Gobble into custody several hours after Cody was taken to the hospital. Gobble told McCord that she was Codys primary caretaker even though Parrish was his guardian and that she would occasionally get frustrated with him when he would not go to sleep. She admitted that she could have broken his ribs from holding him too tightly. Gobble also said and that when she was holding Cody she leaned down in the crib to get his blanket quickly and Codys head might have struck the side of the crib at that time. As a result of the autopsy and remarks Gobble made to McCord, she was charged with capital murder. The Trial The state prosecutors accused Gobble of slamming Codys head against his crib which resulted in his death. Dr. Jonas R. Salne, the emergency room doctor who treated Cody at Southeast Alabama Medical Center, testified that Cody had bruises, contusions, on his face, scalp, and chest - literally everywhere. He also testified that the injuries that Cody suffered would have been extremely painful. Tori Jordan testified that she had known Gobble for over two years and that she had periodically babysat Jewell. She said that Gobble had told her that if she couldnt have her children, no one could. Gobbles Testimony During the trial Gobble testified in her own defense and portrayed Hunter as abusive and domineering. She alluded to the fact that Hunter abused Cody. She also testified that she was the primary caretaker for the children even though she was under a court order to not be around her children. She said that several days before his death she noticed that Cody had bruises on his body, but she did not do anything because she was scared. Gobble further testified that she was the only person to have contact with Cody for the 10 hours immediately before his death. She did not telephone 9-1-1 when she realized he was not breathing because she did not want to get into trouble. Cross-Examination During her cross-examination, the State introduced a letter written by Gobble in which she wrote that she was responsible for Codys death. In the letter Gobble writes, Its my fault that my son died but I didnt mean for it to happen. The jury convicted Gobble of capital murder. By a vote of 10 to 2, it was recommended that Gobble be sentenced to death. The circuit court followed the jurys recommendation and sentenced Gobble to death. Also convicted: Samuel David Hunter pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was sentenced to prison. He was released on February 25, 2009. Edgar Parrish pleaded guilty to aggravated child abuse and was released from prison on November 3, 2008. Thrown Away The body of Phoenix Cody Parrish was never claimed from the morgue. Gobbles father and step-mother, who testified in court that their daughter was a loving mother, never showed up to bury the child, nor did any other relative. A group of concerned citizens in Dothan felt as if the child, who had endured abuse from the time he was born, had simply been thrown away. A collection was organized and enough money was raised to buy clothes to bury Cody in, along with a casket and a burial plot. On December 23, 2004, Cody Parrish was buried by caring, tearful strangers.

Effects of credit crunch Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Effects of credit crunch - Essay Example ; data cover both central government debt and local government debt, which China's National Audit Office estimated at RMB 10.72 trillion (approximately US$1.66 trillion)in 2011; data exclude policy bank bonds, Ministry of Railway debt, China Asset Management Company debt, and non-performing loans 51.9% of GDP (2012 est.) 50.5% of GDP (2011 est.) note: data cover central government debt, and exclude debt instruments issued (or owned) by government entities other than the treasury; the data include treasury debt held by foreign entities; the data exclude debt issued by subnational entities, as well as intra-governmental debt; intra-governmental debt consists of treasury borrowings from surpluses in the social funds, such as for retirement, medical care, and unemployment; debt instruments for the social funds are not sold at public auctions Central bank discount rate $3.389 trillion (31 December 2011 est.) $4.763 trillion (31 December 2010) $5.008 trillion (31 December 2009 est.) $1.015 trillion (31 December 2011) $1.616 trillion (31 December 2010) $1.179 trillion (31 December 2009) Commercial bank prime lending rate 2.25% (31 December 2011 est.) 3.25% (31 December 2010 est.) 5.5% (31 December 2010 est.) 6% (31 December 2009 est.) note: the Indian central bank's policy rate - the repurchase rate - was 8% during December 2012 Stock of money 6% (31 December 2012 est.) 6.56% (31 December 2011 est.) 10.8% (31 December 2012 est.) 10.19% (31 December 2011 est.) Stock of quasi money $2.434 trillion (31 December 2008) $2.09 trillion (31 December 2007) $278.8 billion (31 December 2009) $239.8 billion (31 December 2008) Stock of domestic credit $4.523 trillion (31 December 2008) $3.437 trillion (31 December 2007) $853.4 billion (31 December 2009) $687.7 billion (31 December 2008) Stock of narrow money $12.59 trillion (31 December 2012 est.) $10.92 trillion (31 December 2011 est.) $1.402 trillion (31 December 2012 est.) $1.249 trillion (31 December 2011 est.) Stock of broad money $4.91 trillion (31 December 2012 est.) $4.6 trillion (31 December 2011 est.) $342.3 billion (31 December 2012 est.) $305.7 billion (31 December 2011 est.) Taxes and other revenues $15.58 trillion (31 December 2012 est.) $13.52 trillion (31 December 2011 est.) $1.451 trillion (31 December 2012 est.) $1.293 trillion (31 December 2011 est.) Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-) 22.3% of GDP (2012 est.) 8.8% of GDP (2012 est.) -2.3% of GDP (2012 est.) -5.6% of GDP (2012 est.) Table 1; comparison between Indian and Chinese economies, retrieved from http://www.indexmundi.com/factbook/compare/china.india/economy. China and India have some similar country economic profiles and

Metropolitan Steel Corporation Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Metropolitan Steel Corporation - Research Paper Example General Manager Administration, Human Resources, Marketing & Production, Mr. Iqbal Jamil Abbasi looks after the Administration, Marketing, Human Resource & Production. He has done his Masters in Management from the Asian Institute of Management, Philippines, and was in management cadre, Pakistan Steel Mills Limited for eight years. Mr. Iqbal Jamil Abbasi was highly cooperative in providing excellent information about Metropolitan Steel. He was extremely cooperative and provided all of the required information. Following is the set of questions, which were asked from Mr. Abbasi during the interview; There is inconsistency prevailing in the political environment due to ever changing policies and unstable political scenario. Every Government comes in with a new set of rules, which are impracticable to implement, therefore creating hassles instead of facilitating the processes. Another drawback is the ever-lessening coordination between different governmental departments with rampant corruption. Even for a fair deal bribe has to be offered. Due to the following reasons economic policies towards industries are not favorable: Pakistan steel used to increase prices at every mini budget, which resulted in low profit margin for MSC leading to subsequent loss. Now, MSC's policy has been amended and product price has been related to the increase in prices of Pakistan Steel billets. Even then frequently increased prices may results in cancellation of the orders there by forcing a loss on both the customer and the manufacturer. When raw materials are imported, they cost half the price than that of Pakistan

Individual Project Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Individual Project - Assignment Example 2 Introduction   We have selected a small restaurant that provides food for the locals, the name of the restaurant is the â€Å"Raymond Cafe†. It offers many special kinds of coffees, tea, home-based sandwiches, soups, salads and continental dishes. Over the last five years, business has been dilapidated steadily. The cafe is not operated in the capacity of current technology trends and procedures. There are no computing devices in the cafe which may enhance the cafe operations and procedures. The information of the customers and orders is stored manually. The clientele and food recipes are also not written anywhere. The supply chain management is manually recorded in a notepad along with the salaries of all staff of the cafe. Information regarding the marketing coupons is also stored in the notepad. 3 Competitive Advantage   The analysis related to competitors in the area needs to be carefully analyzed before setting up a strategic plan. The competitive advantage is the c onclusion of the unique strategy of the cafe which cannot be adopted by the competitors. The unique strategy includes customer loyalty at its best which also a vital element for a successful business. An easy definition of Competitive advantage is â€Å"when the firm has the capacity to differentiate from its rivals, when it is able to create more economic value than competing firms† (Lowe, 2013). For entering â€Å"Raymond Cafe† in a new demanding industry, Michael Porter’s five forces model will assist the evaluation of the challenges. The model will assist to conclude the relative attractiveness of an industry. In Fig 1.1 Michael Porter’s five forces model is illustrated. The threat of new entrants, suppliers, buyers and substitutes is directly impacting on the centralized hub which is the rivalry among existing competitors. These are many restaurants in the city which offers the same range of products and prices. There are also rumors that Starbucks i s opening soon just a few blocks away from the cafe. The staff of the cafe is worried on the current operations of the cafe which they think are incompetent. The staff needs a motivation in terms of technology which assures that the competition will not influence the business and customers. Segmenting the competitive advantage on Porter’s Five-Force analysis, the buying power needs to be overcome. A strategy is required to address the concerns of the employees. Customer loyalty programs are required for enhancing customer satisfaction and experience at the Raymond Cafe. For an efficient customer loyalty programs, integration of Information technology is essential to track and inform the customers about the new products and prices on the Internet. Customer loyalty programs are the most popular marketing strategies adopted by organizations across a variety of industries. Programs that are alleged positively by customers will in turn create strong mind-set of customer loyalty an d higher customer revenue (Furinto, Pawitra, & Balqiah, 2009). The cafe should offer a unique menu which other cafes do not offer enabling the alcove dining experience that can only be purchased at the cafe. The existing cafe has a small Supplier

Reducing Inequalities in Healthcare

Reducing Inequalities in Healthcare Background Equity in health and reducing inequalities are considered as the main goals of all health systems (1) which is the absence of systematic disparities in health or in the social determinants of health between social groups with different levels of social advantage(2). Health inequalities are structural and systematic differences in health status between and within social groups in society. There is a difference between the inequality and inequity in health so that inequity is regarded as avoidable inequalities (3). The term health inequity has been recognized as a root cause affecting health and is closely related to social determinants of health (SDH)† including place of residence, race/ethnicity/culture/language, occupation, gender/sex, religion, education, socioeconomic status, and social capital requirements. Inequity in health is more important than other inequities because the health is the first prerequisite to achieve other capacities(4,5). Studies, for example, show that the richer individuals are healthier than the poorer ones(6). However inequalities do exist in health care (notably in access to care), they should not be considered as the principal cause of inequity in health status(7). In response to growing concern over the continuation and expansion of these inequalities, the World Health Organization Commission on Social Determinants of Health was established and made recommendations to develop and systematically monitor the equity in health and social determinants of health at the local, national and international levels. They may lead to design appropriate interventions and facilitate evidence-informed policy-making process(8). Monitoring health inequalities through producing appropriate evidence can promote accountability and continuously improve equity-oriented health plans including moving toward universal health coverage(9). Given the importance of the issue, various countries have initiated the development of such surveillance systems(10). Health equity surveillance systems include the analysis of groups in terms of socio-economic status, age, gender, race, ethnicity, residence and other key factors determining socio-economic advantages or disadvantages (11) The above list of factors identified may not include the underlying causal factors and pathways of health inequality from the developing countries perspective. As there are differences from country to country, addressing health inequalities may need country-specific indicators. Identifying causal factors at country level is essential for prioritizing policy interventions (12). The accurate selection of appropriate indicators can affect the proper and reliable measurement of inequality rate. General important considerations for selection the indicators include the cost of data collection, data quality issues, availability of data for monitoring at proper time intervals, cultural appropriateness, sensitivity to the policy interventions and the required technical capacity for the analysis(13, 14). Some countries use the World Health Organization health equity indicators. In Iran, the basis for development of health equity indicators was the Urban HEART (urban health equity assessment and response tool) indicators. Urban HEART, developed by WHO, is a simple tool and guide to identify health inequity in urban areas which was tested in some countries including Tehran (Iran)(15,16). In this regard, In Iran the responsibility of the development of health equity indicators was delegated to the Ministry of Health and Medical Education. To develop these indicators, several expert meetings were held and 52 indicators were determined using the Urban HEART and after several refinements. Some of these indicators are international and some other are based on the local circumstances of Iran. The indicators have been determined in five domains including health (20 indicators), human and social development (17 indicators), economic development (4 indicators), physical environment and infrastructures (7 indicators) and governance (4 indicators). In addition, appropriate practical classification variables to calculate were determined for each indicator. Data associated with 12 indicators will be collected using survey studies while data related to 40 other indicators will be gathered through the routine data recording system(14). To ensure the enforcement of the health equity indicators, they were announced to the relevant organizations after its approval. In order to plan for reducing inequalities, stakeholders should have sufficient knowledge and awareness of the issue of the equity in health and its indicators and reach a consensus about the system for monitoring these factors. It is necessary to clarify challenges and consequently relevant scientific and practical solutions can be applied using the international, national and local evidence. Objectives Given the importance of awareness of the health equity indicators and its implementation challenges and lack of study in this area in the country, this study aimed to investigate stakeholders perspective on equity in health and its 52 indicators in Iran. The results of the study can help policy makers to better understand the issue in order to effectively plan and implement the health equity indicators. Materials and Methods In this qualitative study, data were gathered through semi-structured interviews and the review and analysis of relevant documents including meetings minutes, working plans and working progress reports. The interviews were conducted using a topic guide developed according to a literature review and expert opinion. It was pilot tested using interviews with three policy makers and executives and based on their comments it was revised and finalized. The participants were given the information sheet and consent form prior to the interviews. After research ethics committee approval, interviews conducted in-person on a one-to-one basis after consent was provided by the research director and two trained colleagues. All interviews were recorded and later transcribed verbatim. A framework analytical approach was used for data analysis. Participants were selected using purposive sampling method and were policy makers involved in developing the indicators and executives responsible for implementing and calculating the indicators. A total of 23 individuals were invited, 8 of whom refused to take part in the study for various work-related reasons or the lack of willingness to participate. There were five policy makers and 10 executives. Among the executives, two were governors of major cities. Interviews continued until data saturation was reached and no new code was found. The focus of the policy makers’ interview questions was primarily on the process of indicators development and participation and interaction of various sectors in this process the developing indicators as well as steps of indicators development process. Executives answered questions mainly regarding their perception of the health equity and related indicators’ calculation and implementation processes. The member check strategy was used and the comments were incorporated in the final analysis. It helped to ensure that the findings were congruent with participants perceptions, beliefs and opinions. All the stages in the study were recorded to make it possible to track of each stage and clarify the procedures. Discussion The equity and equity in health are not only the issue of international interest but also have been considered in Iran development plans. Furthermore, committee on social determinants of health in the final report from the World Health Organization (2008) titled closing the gap in a generation emphasized on national and global health equity surveillance systems for routine monitoring of health inequity(8). The issue of stewardship in health equity is a matter of great importance. Health system need to lead by taking a stewardship role in supporting a cross-government approach that focuses on the social determinants of health and performing as catalysts to all society. The Health in All Policies programs of the European Unionand South Australia promote inter-sectoral collaborations to health equity (17). The establishment of a common language for health sector and other agencies is considered as an important challenge in its leadership. Gopalan et al. suggested that a lack of awareness among stakeholders restricted the inter-sectoral convergence on combating health inequities(18). In Iran, the Ministry of Health is the steward of health equity goals and it is suggested that a secretariat or an independent office be established for health equity. According to the definitions of equity concepts provided by the stakeholders, the difference between viewpoints is obvious and their perceptions on the main concepts of equity in health are different from each other. This study showed that many executives and some policy makers disagreed on key concepts of equity in health and the executives had insufficient information about the concept of equity in health as desired by the policy makers. In general, many executives considered the equity in health mainly as fair access to and distribution of health system resources. Also, Low study showed that access to health services alone is not sufficient to achieve equity in health(19). However city governors and medical science universities are executives responsible for implementing the indicators in the region, they lack sufficient attitudes and awareness towards the issue of equity in health. It seems that orientation programs by the Ministry of Health should be more comprehensive and with an aim of emphasizing a higher priority of the issue for executives. The establishment of these indicators requires capacity building, training and shifting the attitudes of the executives implementing this program. So training and improving the awareness of the key actors are main effective steps for the establishment of health equity indicators. Training and improving the awareness of executives are facilitated by providing regulatory requirements helping the decision-making. Beheshtian et al suggested that the Consensus-Oriented Decision-Making (COMD) model for more intersectoral collaboration and consensus among other areas can be used in Iran (14). After the development of the indicators and in the establishment step, interaction between politicians, policy makers and regulatory authorities is essential in order to establish these indicators. There are some challenges regarding the calculation of the health equity indicators in the country. However 40 out of 52 health equity Indicators are collected through routine system, investigation and survey are needed for remaining 12 indicators. The routine system itself needs to be reformed and improved including hardware and software improvements. Furthermore, the preparation and participation of organizations to change their statistics and reporting systems are also required. Therefore, gaining a wide intra and intersectoral participation is needed to collect data for the indicators and change statistical forms. This participation should be established at levels of policy makers and high authority officials. In addition to the above mentioned issues, creating the infrastructure for electronic data recording and defining access level may help to the establishment of the indicators. The establishment of indicators requires financing, training and empowerment of organizations employees, legal requirements, and finally a clear action plan. A report from the Pan American Health Network on the development of health equity indicators in Canada also cited the similar challenges such as the need for financial resources, being time consuming as well as limitation of sources of information (20). As the establishment of the indicators is in its the primary steps, so the executives responsible for implementing the indicators have not had the possibility for complete and necessary adaptation to ministry of health instructions and gaining more support for the executives, training them as well as laying the proper groundwork for calculation these indicators are obviously necessary. It is debatable whether these indicators show the extent of the health equity in the country. Many policymakers stated that the World Health Organization and international indicators provided the basis for the country indicators but some changes were made in them according to cultural and social conditions of the country. In this regard, an important point mentioned by the policy makers is that as these indicators had not previously been identified, so the development of them can be considered as a positive step and they will be revised in the future according to feedbacks from universities and other organizations. Braveman in his study argued that data utilization to develop interventions is far more important than data collection itself(2). The results of this study are in consistent with those of current study, because many policy makers argued that the establishment of these indicators can be helpful if appropriate interventions are developed based on information they provide. It is, therefore, necessary to specify solutions for using the indicators in decision making. Policy making for reducing inequity in health is too difficult because it is an intersectoral policy making requiring various areas and organizations involvement and this, in turn, demands the specification of common goals, integrated accountability and increased organizational responsibilities (14). Overall, the results of the study showed the inadequate awareness of stakeholders on equity in health, lack of proper infrastructure and insufficient support from stakeholders are the important challenges regarding the establishment of the indicators; these findings are consistent with those of a study by Gopalan et al(18). Limited access to some policy makers and executives was a limitation. A small number of the governors and executives were interviewed while there were more policy makers and stakeholders participating in the development of the indicators. Conclusion: As the establishment of the indicators is in its the primary steps, so the executives responsible for implementing the indicators have not had the possibility for complete and necessary adaptation to ministry of health instructions and gaining more support for the executives, training them as well as laying the proper groundwork for calculation these indicators are obviously necessary. The development of the indicators requires a shared understanding among policy makers and executives. As the attention has been focused recently on the issue, in addition to knowledge improvement, proper solutions with intersectional collaboration approach in order to tackle challenges should be considered. References: 1. Murray CJ, Frenk JA. Framework for assessing the performance of health systems. Bull World Health Organ 2000; 78(6):717-31. 2. Braveman P, Gruskin S. Defining equity in health. J Epidemiol Community Health 2003; 517:254-8. 3. Whitehead M. Whitehead M. The concepts and principles of equity and health. Int J Health Serv 1992;22(3):429-45. 4. Marmot, M. Achieving health equity: from root causes to fair outcomes. The Lancet 2007;370(9593): 1153-63. 5. ONeill J, Tabish H, Welch V, Petticrew M, Pottie K, Clarke M, et al. Applying an equity lens to interventions: using PROGRESS ensures consideration of socially stratifying factors to illuminate inequities in health.J Clin Epidemiol 2014;67(1):56-64. 6. Exworthy M, Blane D, Marmot M. Tackling health inequalities in the United Kingdom: the progress and pitfalls of policy. Health Serv Res 2003; 38(6 Pt 2): 1905–22. 7. Davidson R, Kitzinger J, Hunt K. The wealthy get healthy, the poor get poorly? Lay perceptions of health inequalities. Soc Sci Med 2006; 62(9):2171-82. 8. Commission on Social Determinants of Health. Closing the Gap in a Generation: Health Equity through Action on the Social Determinants of Health. Geneva: World Health Organization, 2008 .Available at: http://whqlibdoc.who.int/publications/2008/9789241563703_eng.pdf 9. Hosseinpoor AR, Victora CG, Bergen N, Barros AJ, Boerma, T. Towards universal health coverage: the role of within-country wealth-related inequality in 28 countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Bull World Health Organ 2011; 89(12): 881-889. 10. Cristina C, Caroline C. Can we build on existing information systems to monitor health inequities and the social determinants of health in the EU? Brussels: Euro Health Net, 2010. 11. Kelly PM, A. Bonnefoy J, Butt J, Bergman V. The social determinants of health: developing an evidence base for political action. Geneva: World Health Organization, 2007. 12. Eshetu, EB, Woldesenbet SA. Are there particular social determinants of health for the world’s poorest countries?.Afr Health Sci. Mar 2011; 11(1): 108–115 13. Wirth M, Delamonica E, Sacks E, Balk D, Storeygard A, Minujin A. Monitoring health equity in the MDGs: a practical guide. Center for International Earth Science Information Network, 2006. 14. Beheshtian M, Manesh AO, Bonakdar SH, Afzali HM, Larijani B, Hosseini L, et al. Intersectoral Collaboration to Develop Health Equity Indicators in Iran. . Iran J Public Health 2013;42(1):31-5. 15. Asadi-Lari M, Vaez-Mahdavi MR, Faghihzadeh S, Montazeri A, Farshad AA, Kalantari N, et al. The application of urban health equity assessment and response tool (Urban HEART) in Tehran; concepts and framework Med J Islam Repub Iran 2010;24(3):175-85. 16. Asadi-Lari M, Vaez-Mahdavi MR, Faghihzadeh S, Cherghian B, Esteghamati A, Farshad A. Response-oriented measuring inequalities in Tehran: second round of Urban Health Equity Assessment and Response Tool (Urban HEART-2), concepts and framework. Med J Islam Repub Iran 2013;27(4): 236-48. 17. Baum F.E, Bà ©gin M, Houweling T.A, Taylor S. Changes not for the fainthearted: reorienting health care systems toward health equity through action on the social determinants of health. Am J Public Health. 2009; 99(11): 1967–74. 18. Gopalan SS, Mohanty S, Das A. Challenges and opportunities for policy decisions to address health equity in developing health systems: case study of the policy processes in the Indian state of Orissa. Int J Equity Health 2011; 10(1):55. 19. Low A, Ithindi T, Low A. A step too far? Making health equity interventions in Namibia more sufficient. Int J Equity Health 2003; 2(1):5. 20. Pan-Canadian Public Health Network. Indicators of Health Inequalities. Pan-Canadian Public Health Network. Pan-Canadian Public Health Network. [cited 2014 Sep 24]; Available from: URL: http://www.phn-rsp.ca/pubs/ihi-idps/pdf/Indicators-of-Health-Inequalities-Report-PHPEG-Feb-2010-EN.pdf Acknowledgements The authors would thank people who participated in this study and Iran University of Medical Sciences for financial support. Financial Disclosure There is not any conflict of interests. Funding/Support This work was supported by Iran University of Medical sciences [IUMS/SHMIS-15748]. Authors’ Contributions Ravaghi and Oliyaee Manesh jointly designed the study. Arabloo and Goshtaei collected the data. Ravaghi, Goshtaei and Oliyaee Manesh contributed to data analysis and interpretation of the results. Arabloo, Goshtaei and Abolhassani prepared the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

photography after 1917 :: essays research papers

Analysis of a photography after 1917. AUBREY BODINE. â€Å"BUILDERS IN LINE†. (1961) Aubrey Bodine's photographic career began in 1923 when as an office boy with the Baltimore Sun he was a newspaperman covering all sorts of stories with his camera so this gave him opportunities to travel throughout the region and learn about it in every tide, wind, weather and season and out of this experience came amazing pictures of farming, oystering, hunting, soap boiling, blacksmithing, clock making, bricklaying and dozens of other occupations he a true American original, combined reportage with the creative eye of an artist. Bodine believed that photography could be a creative discipline, and he studied the principles of art, the camera and the dark room equipment were tools to him like the painter's brush or the sculptor's chisel. He was always experimenting with his tools, but hardly ever made a mistake. Some of his best pictures were literally composed in the viewfinder of the camera. In other cases he worked on the negative with dyes and intensifiers, pencil marking, and ev en scraping to produce the effect he had in mind. He added clouds photographically, and made other even more elaborate manipulations. Bodine's rationale for all these technical alterations of the natural scene was simply that, like the painter, he worked from the model and selected those features which suited his sense of mood, proportion and design. The picture was the thing, not the manner of arriving at it. He did not take a picture, he made a picture. Bodine's work includes pictorialist images as well as "straight" story-telling photojournalism and are also creative works of great originality. From his photographs I choose the image named â€Å"Builders in Line†, a a perfectly balanced image bathed in natural light. a captured moment of history that intrigue me, amaze me, and makes me want to discover the way he could get such a piece of art. It is a construction or a structure being built and he captured the moment in which two builders are walking trough and even though the image of them is far I can almost see their faces walking so tired like robots just doing their job. This high-gloss, high-contrast print reminds me like a typical day in a builder life. He made an amazing use of light and darkness and that way he balanced the composition between the structure that we can

Decision Making and Correct Answer

Caleb is late to his first meeting because his car broke down, and Caleb's boss concludes that Caleb is not punctual when he first walks in. 4. It is important for managers to balance managerial authority and team member autonomy. Which Of the following is true about a typical team? *b. Mangers have the latitude to make some decisions without consulting the 5. The major conclusion from the Cash studies was: Groups have a significant influence over individual members 6. Katherine project team is extremely cohesive; it has become a norm to cooperate and agree with one another.Although Katherine disagrees with mom of the influential members in the group who have decided that they do not need to conduct interviews as part of their data collection, she doesn't question their decision. As a result, the group falls prey to: *c. Grouping 7. Peter is working for a publishing company that works mainly on children's books. His team is working on a storyboard for a new book. One member suggests that it would be a good idea to introduce a children's book on sexual education for the second grade level.Before Peter can say anything, one member excitedly starts to draft a story while two others offer to work on harasser development, and a final member begins work on the cover art. This scenario is an example of: *a. Group popularization b. Shared information bias c. Confirmation bias d. Escalation of commitment 8. Fear of being challenged for speaking up will most likely lead to: a. Group popularization b. Overconfidence *c. Shared information bias 9. Zoe is leading a sales team for a jewelry company. The group has attempted to open more stores in shopping malls, but what little stores they have opened have not been very profitable.Zoe decides to request a larger budget to pursue more space in shopping malls. Zoe is demonstrating: *a. Escalation of commitment d. Ingrown/outgrip bias 10. After taking this class, you know that the most effective leaders: a. Discourage deviant op inions encourage deviant opinions c. Play the role of the designated deviant d. When did we learn about deviants this semester? 1 1 . The orientation phase of group decision making begins with: a. Brainstorming as many solutions to the problem as possible b. Critically evaluating and reflecting upon decisions *c. Clearly defining the problem d. Eating to know your team members 12. A professional NAB basketball has just retired from the game and decides o start a sports bar. The basketball player's status as a former NAB star is an example of a: *b. Diffuse status characteristic 13. Which of the following is not one of the seven steps in Puffer's (1992) model for applying power dynamics? A. Predict what individuals' points of view are likely to be; how will they feel about what they are trying to do? B. Determine what external power bases you will contend with which of them will have the most influence in the decision? C.Determine which of the various strategies and tactics for exerc ising power are most appropriate; which are likely to be effective, given he situation you confront? *d. None of the above 14. Who would be considered to have high status in an organization? A. An expert driller in an oil company b. A sales rep who is likeable and friendly c. A project manager who knows several people in other groups All of the above 15. Which of the following is not a benefit of having a deviant? *a. Deviants create conflict early, which accelerates team maturity and cohesion b. Deviants foster creativity and innovation by forcing multiple perspectives c.Deviants are the strongest opposition to Grouping d. All of the above are benefits of having a deviant 6. According to Malcolm Caldwell, people gain status by: *c. High degree of likeability d. All Of the above 17. Harold is the â€Å"guy that knows a guy. † Whenever the team proposes to bring in a contractor or use outside help, Harold always comes through with a contact. Harold is a: a. Maven Connector 18. Kelsey decides to use her Spring Break to help build houses in Southern Missouri. Unfortunately, she is the only one on her team that knows how to use a hammer. Kelsey could best be described as: *a. Maven 19.John is enthusiastic, optimistic, and well-liked by everyone on his team, asking him one of the most influential members. According to Malcolm Caldwell, author of The Tipping point, John derives his credibility from being *b. Salesperson 20. The author of the textbook gives a â€Å"Top 1 0† list of hard lessons learned by working in teams. This list includes: a. Be easy on people and tough on the problem b. Being trustworthy is a good thing c. Take your time *d. All of the above 21 . The following is an example of personalization: â€Å"We need a budget for the project by tomorrow or else we will cancel the project altogether. A. True *b. False 22. Lisa does not get the promotion she wanted. She concludes that her boss doesn't like her and is probably still is upset th at she accidentally spilled coffee on him two weeks. The following is an example of both personalization and mind reading. *a. True b. False 23. Grouping is a collaborative group decision making effort that has become popular in recent years as a valuable decision making tool. 24. Shared information bias is a common occurrence in teams where member's fear challenged or being challenged in their perspectives. True 25.The Orientation phase of decision making involves brainstorming and proposing solutions to a given problem. 6. An example of an objective of the Discussion phase of decision making would be to critique the accuracy of and evidence for one's conclusions. 27. Carl Jung defines introverts as people whose personalities lend them to spending more time alone or with small groups. False 28. Systems thinking encourages group members to resist reductionism views of problem solving in order to avoid short-sighted solutions and unintended consequences. 29. The Decision Rule phase i s often when roles and tasks are assigned. 0. Diffuse status characteristics have little to do with the task at hand and so hey are generally ignored when judging or perceiving group members. 31 . What is Fundamental Attribution Error? What are three common mistakes (aka cognitive distortions) made when receiving and responding to messages, as identified by Beck (1995), that are associated with Fundamental Attribution Error? (Note that these are different than Grouping, overconfidence, etc. ). For one of the three, give an example. Correct Answer: Varies 32. Describe the Functional Model of Decision Making.Pick two of the steps in the decision making process and describe how leaving them out might negatively affect a decision. 3. Give a personal or historical example of a decision making process gone wrong. Use your knowledge of either the Functional Model of Decision Making or the Ladder of Inference, as well as your knowledge of common decision making problems. Chi 1 . While growi ng up there are many external factors that influence the creative potential of an individual. During the adolescent and young years there is one specific factor that plays a key role in nurturing the development of creativity.This force fosters creativity through providing knowledge, resources, and encouragement to an individual. What is this force? *a. Mentoring 2. Tyler is working math problems for his calculus class. Which type of problem will most likely involve divergent thought? A. Arithmetic problem b. Drawing a graph c. Algebra problem *d. All of the above are examples of convergent thought 3. Elliot works for a large supermarket. He receives an email from Mark, the UP of Marketing. The UP wants Elliot to design a new store layout that will encourage customers to see more of the store, and so purchase more. Mark wants the design by next week.In order to accomplish his task, Elliot should: *d. Think elaborately 4. Which of the following is true concerning creative people? *d. Their creativity is often limited to one domain 5. Which of the following is not a characteristic of a creative person? *b. Acceptance of Norms 6. Which of the following is not one of the group processes that reduces the effectiveness of brainstorming? *a. Negative morning 7. In which career would convergent thought be used more commonly than divergent thought? *b. Accounting 8. At Google, employees are often given a large portion of the day to work independently on any projects that they choose.What character trait is Google trying to encourage in its employees? *b. Intrinsic Motivation 9. Ambler's (1985, 1990) poem experiment found that: *c. Extrinsic prompts have a negative effect on creativity 10. Sentimentally (1 988; 1 990) posits that creativity can be understood within three subsystems: *d. Person, domain, field 1 1 How could the difference between a field and domain be most aptly described? A domain is a realm of expertise while a field is a group of people who define exce llence for that realm 12. Which social influence has the most impact on an individual's creativity ring adolescence and young adulthood? D. Mentors 13. Generally speaking, what is the most significant social influence on the development of creativity? *a. Parents 14. Which of the following social influences is best known for having both a positive and negative influence on creative development? *a. Education 15. Which of the following statements is true concerning creative influence? *d. Mentor figures are especially important in adolescence and young adulthood, but colleagues are the primary influences in adulthood. 16. Organizational creativity under the conditions that: *a. Creative ideas should be supported, but also critiqued and evaluated 17.Each was a group leader in a project last semester, and it was very time consuming and taxing on him. This semester he has yet another group project to do. He notices that Nicole is on his team. She was also in his class last semester and he remembers her as Very proactive and hard-working. He determines that he will â€Å"sit this one out' and delegate most of his work to Nicole. Each is demonstrating: Social Loafing 18. Which of the following is not true of creative people? *c. Creative people are limited inasmuch as they are restrained by social invention 19.

Biography of Alice Walker, Pulitzer Prize Winning Writer

Biography of Alice Walker, Pulitzer Prize Winning Writer Alice Walker (born February 9, 1944) is a writer and activist, perhaps best known as the author of The Color Purple and more than 20 other books and poetry collections.  She is also known for  recovering the work of Zora Neale Hurston and for her work against female circumcision.  She won the Pulitzer Prize in 1983 and the National Book Award in 1984. Fast Facts: Alice Walker Known For: Writer, feminist, and activistBorn: February 9, 1944 in Eatonton, GeorgiaParents: Minnie Tallulah Grant and Willie Lee WalkerEducation: East Putnam Consolidated, Butler-Baker High School in Eatonton, Spelman College, and Sarah Lawrence CollegePublished Works: The Color Purple, The Temple of My Familiar, Possessing the Secret of JoySpouse: Melvyn R. Leventhal (m. 1967–1976)Children: Rebecca Leventhal (b. November 1969) Early Life Alice Walker was born on February 9, 1944, in Eatonton, Georgia, the last of eight children born to Minnie Tallulah Grant and Willie Lee Walker. Her parents were sharecroppers who worked on a large cotton farm during the days of Jim Crow. Recognizing Alices abilities at a very young age, her mother got the 4-year old into first grade at East Putnam Consolidated, where she quickly became a star pupil. In 1952, a childhood accident blinded her in one eye. Medical conditions in the Jim Crow south meant she did not get proper medical treatment until six years later when she visited her brother in Boston, Massachusetts. Nevertheless, she went on to become valedictorian of her class at Butler-Baker High School. At 17, Walker received a scholarship to attend Spelman College in Atlanta, where she became interested in Russian literature and the burgeoning Civil Rights movement. In 1963, she was offered a scholarship to Sarah Lawrence College, and, after her activist mentor Howard Zinn was fired from Spelman, Walker transferred to Sarah Lawrence. There, she studied poetry with Muriel Rukeyser (1913–1980), who would help her get her first collection of poems, Once, published in 1968. In her senior year, Walker studied in East Africa as an exchange student; she graduated in 1965. Professional Life After college, Alice Walker worked briefly for the New York City Department of Welfare and then returned to the south, moving to Jackson, Mississippi. In Jackson, she volunteered in voter registration drives and worked for the Legal Defense Fund of the NAACP. She met fellow civil rights worker Melvyn R. Leventhal on March 17, 1967, and they married in New York and moved back to Jackson, where they were the first legally married biracial couple in the city. They had one daughter, Rebecca, born November 17, 1969, but the marriage ended in divorce in 1976. Alice Walker started her professional writing career as a writer-in-residence first at Jackson State University (1968–1969) and then at Tougaloo College (1970–1971). Her first novel,  a three-generation saga of sharecroppers called The Third Life of Grange Copeland, was published in 1970. In 1972, she taught a course in Black Womens Writers at the University of Massachusetts in Boston. She continued steadily writing throughout this period. Early Writing By the mid-1970s, Walker turned to her inspirations from the Harlem Renaissance period of the early 20th century. In 1974, Walker wrote a biography of poet Langston Hughes (1902–1967), and the following year she published a description of her research with Charlotte Hunt, In Search of Zora Neale Hurston, in Ms.  magazine. Walker is credited with reviving interest in the writer/anthropologist (1891–1960). Her novel Meridian came out in 1976, and the subject was the civil rights movement in the south. Her next novel, The Color Purple, changed her life. Alice Walkers poems, novels, and short stories frankly deal with rape, violence, isolation, troubled relationships, bi-sexuality, multi-generational perspectives, sexism, and racism: all of the things which she knew from her personal experiences. Always, and more as she grew as a writer, Alice Walker has been unafraid to be controversial. The Color Purple When The Color Purple came out in 1982, Walker became known to an even wider audience. Her Pulitzer Prize and the movie by Steven Spielberg brought both fame and controversy. She was widely criticized for negative portrayals of men in The Color Purple, though many critics admitted that the movie presented more simplistic negative pictures than the books more nuanced portrayals. In two books- The Temple of My Familiar (1989) and Possessing the Secret of Joy (1992)- Walker took on the issue of female circumcision in Africa, which brought further controversy: was Walker a cultural imperialist to criticize a different culture? Legacy Alice Walkers works are known for their portrayals of the African-American womans life. She depicts vividly the sexism, racism, and poverty that make that life often a struggle. But she also portrays as part of that life, the strengths of family, community, self-worth, and spirituality. Many of her novels depict women in other periods of history than our own. Just as with non-fiction womens history writing, such portrayals give a sense of the differences and similarities of womens condition today and in that other time. Alice Walker continues not only to write but to be active in environmental, feminist/womanist causes, and issues of economic justice. Her latest novel, Now is the Time to Open Your Heart, was published in 2004; since that time her published work has been poetry. In 2018, she published a collection of poems titled Taking the Arrow Out of the Heart. Sources Alice Walker: By the Book. The New York Times, December 13, 2018.  Howard, Lillie P (ed.). Alice Walker Zora Neale Hurston: The Common Bond. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood, 1993.Lazo, Caroline. Alice Walker: Freedom Writer. Minneapolis: Lerner Publications, 2000.  Ã‚  Takenaga, Lara. A Q. and A. With Alice Walker Stoked Outrage. Our Book Review Editor Responds. New York Times, December 18, 2018.  Walker, Alice. Alice Walker Banned.  Ed. Holt, Patricia. New York: Aunt Lute Books, 1996.  Walker, Alice (ed.) I Love Myself When I Am Laughing... Then Again When I Am Looking Mean Impressive: A Zora Neale Hurston Reader. New York: The Feminist Press, 1979.  Walker, Alice. Living by the Word: Selected Writings, 1973-1987. San Diego: Harcourt Brace Company, 1981.White, Evelyn C. Alice Walker: A Life. New York: W.W. Norton and Company, 2004.

The Top 10 Jobs To Have Today

The Top 10 Jobs To Have Today Rachel Gillett over at Business Insider has rounded up the 25 best jobs to have now. Topping the list? Physician’s Assistant, so congrats to my cousin Alex, who apparently has it made in the shade. We’re rounding up just the top 10. 1. Physicians Assistant:There’s a high demand for this well-paying entry-level job in the medical field; average salary is $111,376, and there are 45,484 current job openings.2. Software Engineer:Yes, we should all have learned coding instead of taking those semesters of Italian in college. Engineers design and develop the systems that run on computers, and are paid on average $98,074 for it. There are more than 104,000 available openings in this field!3. Business Development Manager:This position is responsible for helping companies grow by identifying potential partnerships and prospects, then cultivating those relationships to everyone’s benefit. Average salary is $84,907, and there are currently 11,616 job openings.4. Human Resources Manager:This has sort of a who-watches-the-watchmen feeling about it, because who hires the human resources manager? But if you like managing staff activities and coordinating new hires, check out one of the 8,073 job openings available for this job, which earns on average $96,443.5. Finance Manager:In this job, you’d help companies manage their money and attend to their business needs; average salary is $122,865, and there are 9,728 job openings. If you like numbers and rock at organizing spreadsheets, this might be the gig for you.6. Marketing Manager:Are you noticing a trend? Management should be your end goal in a lot of these industries. A marketing manager coordinates- surprise!- the marketing of an organization’s products and services. There are 14,647 job openings in this field, with an average salary of $100,130.7. Database Administrator:Enjoy staying on top of inventories and customer transaction records? Consider this position, where you might ear n on average $97,835 and have 9,790 chances to find the right place to work.8. Product Manager:Are you the consummate team player? Project managers supervise design and production teams to produce and market products. There are 10,294 job openings, with an average salary of $113,363.9. Data Scientist:One of the downsides of all the data mining we do these days  is that it’s all just a pile of numbers without someone to interpret the findings and identify trends. There are 3,449 job openings with an average salary of $104,476.10. Sales Manager:Last on our round up for today (and sorry, for this introvert, kind of least) is the sales manager oeuvre- there’s an average salary of $121,657 and are 3,982 openings to choose from. So if you can find a place with a company you like and don’t mind cold-calling on the regular, this could be a great field to pursue.

The benifits of nuclear medicine vs other forms of radiation exams Term Paper

The benifits of nuclear medicine vs other forms of radiation exams - Term Paper Example Today the stream of medical technologies has evolved to such an extent that almost all the medical specialists in medicine depend significantly on technology. In the following section this paper briefly describes the imaging modality called Nuclear Medicine. Although the imaging modalities like Nuclear Medicine, X-Rays, Computed Tomography, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, are categorized as modalities of medical imaging. Except for Nuclear Medicine which is also termed as Radionuclide Scanning, rest all belong to the field of radiology. The latter half of the paper presents a contrast between Nuclear Medicine and other above mentioned modalities of radiology. Nuclear Medicine: It is an old modality of medical imaging that was discovered accidently in middle of the twentieth century. Nuclear medicine is the conglomerate of physics, chemistry, mathematics, medicine, detectors and computer technology. It uses predetermined amounts of radioactive material to diagnose ailments pertaining to c ancer, heart etc. This noninvasive branch of medicine uses imaging modalities after a radioactive material also known as radiotracers is either injected into the subject through intravenous injection or the subject is made to swallow or it is inhaled by the subject. The radiotracer gets settled in the part of the body that is to be imaged or studied. These radioactive substances emit gamma rays – that is electromagnetic radiations consist of photons. These rays are detected by a gamma camera etc. These devices enable the specialist to understand the condition of the body part, on the basis on the level of radiation that is detected by the detector. Some of the imaging techniques used in nuclear medicine are Positron Emission Tomography (PET Scanner), Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT), Bone Scanning and Cardiovascular imaging. Figure 1 shows a PET Scanner. Nuclear medicine is helpful in detecting cancers, inadequate flow of blood to various tissues in the body , improper functioning of organs. Figure 1. PET Scanner (Zwanger-Pesiri Radiology) Radiological Modalities: It is said that the invention of X-Rays by Roentgen in 1895 sparked off a trend of innovation in medicine. Clinical applications of X-Rays lead to the birth of radiology – one of the branches of medicine that has a significant role in other specialties like orthopedics and neurology. Computed Tomography (CT) scanning is an extension of use of X-Rays in medicine. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MR) is another very important imaging modality that uses magnetic field and it was invented almost the same time as CT. Sideways radiology also saw the developments and use of ultrasounds in medicine. Nuclear Medicine vs. X-Rays, CT & MRI: Utility: Besides the anatomical (structural) information nuclear medicine (also called radionuclide scanning) also presents to the doctors the function of the body’s organ as well. This information enables the doctors to understand if the org an is functioning properly. In the case of other radiological modalities like X-Ray, CT etc, the information captured by them is purely anatomical. It is worth including here that the nuclear medicine images give lesser information about spatial resolution but the images obtained in nuclear medicine may help us to diagnose an ailment sooner than any other radiological

H.W Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 5

H.W - Essay Example Despite there being so much noise, college education is a worthwhile investment which every person with the necessary passion and ability should strive to acquire. It has been proven to be true and is also a well known fact that graduates from college make more money than their high school peers. A research survey done by The Hamilton Project in October 2012 proved that the returns emanating from college are much better and higher than those from any other investment such as bonds, stocks or real estate. It was further discovered that the returns from college have continuously been constant for the past three and half decades. This demonstrates that the rising cost has effectively been offset by the gains derived by degree holders. For instance a young graduate from college took home $4,000 more every year in the ‘80s (with inflation adjusted), than someone of the same age without a degree. This figure has risen to $12,000 every year over the past 3 decades (Greenstone &Looney, 2012). Even though there is solid evidence regarding the lifetime worth of higher education, skeptics are alarmingly pointing to increasing cost to strengthen their argument that college is no good investment as it once was. It is of course correct that over the years ,there has been almost 50% rise in college cost(calculations courtesy of National Center for Education Statistics),which could be an overstatement, since this increase in tuition ignores recent financial aid increments. Thus even if the sticker cost of college may have increased, it is not clear to what extent the cost to students as well as their parents or guardians. College Board certifies that the actual cost of a college degree has remained considerably constant over the past one and half decades. This therefore means that investing in a 4 year degree still continues to be a worthwhile undertaking for the average person. Statistics from the US workers indicate that there are numerous benefits