Willy Loman

The American Dream is the idea that with hard work and perseverance, anyone can succeed in America, the land of opportunity.   However, as time went by, the idea of the American Dream came to mean working to buy material possessions, and no matter how hard someone works, there is always more to buy.   As people struggle to achieve the American Dream, companies downsize and fire people who have given their lives to that company.   Capitalism in America causes a very few people to gain wealth while the rest of society just continues to struggle. The unforgettable Willy Loman and his family demonstrate the dangers and downright destructive forces of capitalism.   Willy Loman has simply unrealistic expectations of his own life and his family members.   He does not face his own flaws and just cannot seem to get ahead.   Willy Loman shows the dangers of getting too wrapped up in the very values of capitalism such as the idea that money equals character and material possessions defines self-worth. As Willy continues to be unsuccessful, he feels more and more inadequate and depressed.   He is courted by the grand idea of the American Dream without understanding that it is almost unattainable for many.   He suffers from this system as well as his own inability to change the dream or to cope with the unrealistic nature of the dream.   Capitalism kills his American Dream. Willy raises his children by transferring his own unrealistic version of the dream to them in myriad ways.   Willy’s focus in raising his children is that they be both attractive and popular. By raising his children this way, they never learn any skills that will sustain them in life.   In fact, they learn really the opposite of capitalism in making the effort to get ahead. Biff, who thinks he is above it all because he is so popular and well-liked that he doesn’t devote any time to schoolwork and ends up flunking high school math.   He doesn’t make it up in summer school so he cannot go to college.   He actually ends up stealing from his boss, and is basically floundering in the world.   He, like his father, always has grandiose ideas about success.   Happy, on the other hand, turns out another way.   Happy believes that Bill Oliver (the boss Biff stole from) will lend them money for one of their half-baked plans about selling sporting goods.   He is completely unrealistic and has no ambition.   Happy is well-liked, especially by women, but spends all his time trying to â€Å"score.† No effort is devoted to actually getting a job or being self-sufficient.   Because Willy is so focused on the idea that his children will achieve the American Dream, he teaches them horrible values.   When Biff steals a football, Willy praises him.   When Biff flunks math, he ignores the fact that Biff cheated.   He pumps up their self-esteem so much that they cannot hold down jobs.   They cannot seem to stoop to taking orders from anyone.   And Willy cannot seem to avoid making these false promises to them. For example as he tells his boys, â€Å"the man who makes an appearance in the business world, the man who creates a personal interest, is the man who gets ahead. Be liked and you will never want.   You take me, for instance.   I never have to wait in line to see a buyer.   â€Å"Willy Loman is here!†Ã‚   That’s all they have to know and I go right through.† (Miller 33)   However, he is a salesman for the same company who lets him go without a second thought, as he becomes less useful to them.   Willy is not preparing his children for a world of capitalistic corporate downsizing and such. He pumps his children up for life but goes way too far in avoiding the truth.   When Biff talks about working for Bill Oliver, he says, â€Å"How the hell did I ever get the idea I was a salesman there?   I even believed myself that I’d been a salesman for him!   And then he gave me one look and –I realized what a ridiculous lie my whole life had been!   We’ve been talking in a dream for fifteen years. I was a shipping clerk† (Miller 104).   In this quote Biff summarizes the idea that Willy has filled them both full of hot air, to the point that they cannot even live in the â€Å"real† world.   Biff cannot even admit that he was only a lowly clerk and so he ends up getting angry and stealing from his own boss.   Willy has not allowed the boys to truly see reality. Another capitalistic idea presented is that everyone must work and work in this world to provide for their families, to keep them in the newest things.   However, people never really get to see the benefits of all their hard work.   As a society, most families are in debt for everything they â€Å"own,† and they never get to see the end product of that.   As Willy says, Figure it out.   Work a lifetime to pay off a house.   You finally own it, and there’s nobody left to live in it† (Miller 15). By the time Willy works enough years in his life to pay off the house and the stuff in it, the kids are grown and he is on the verge of retirement.   And as he says, â€Å"I gotta be at it ten, twelve hours a day† (Miller 37).   He works so hard to provide for his family but never actually gets to spend time with them because he is always working to pay for all that stuff.   In a capitalistic world, things are made to be replaced and to keep their owners paying on them.   â€Å"Once in my life I would like to own something outright before it is broken. I just finished paying for the car and it's on its last leg (Miller 36). The same idea is expressed again by Willy in talking with Linda about the refrigerator.   They are discussing the expensive General Electric which functions well versus the cheaper Hastings model that they bought.   â€Å"Whoever heard of a Hastings refrigerator?   Once in my life I would like to own something outright before it’s broken!   I’m always in a race with the junkyard!   I just finished paying for the care and it’s on its last legs.   The refrigerator consumes belts like a goddam maniac. They time those things.   They time them so when you finally paid for them, they’re used up† (Miller 73).   Like the products that are all around him, Willy is also used up himself, and his company will prove this by letting him go after his dedication all these years. The idea that everyone must work really hard and advance their way up the ladder in order to make a good living is also presented.   â€Å"To suffer fifty weeks of the year for the sake of a two-week vacation, when all you really desire is to be outdoors, with your shirt off.   And always to have to get ahead of the next fella.   And still—that’s how you build a future† (Miller 22). Ben and Charley are both presented as foils to this idea, and Willy is depressed that he does not live the lifestyle of either of these men, but he â€Å"missed the boat† so to speak.   These men both kind of â€Å"luck† into things as is often the case in a capitalistic society.   Many times, it makes no difference how hard one works or how liked he is or anything else; it is about being in the right place at the right time. People can be discarded in this capitalistic world when they no longer serve their â€Å"purpose.†Ã‚   Willy is fired after devoting his life to the company with the horrible epithet of capitalism, â€Å"business is business.†(Miller 80).     Willy has given his adult life to sales for this company, and when he is no longer â€Å"useful† to them, he is fired.   â€Å"[Y]ou can't eat the orange and throw the peel away — a man is not a piece of fruit!† (Miller 82) The Wagner Company has sucked the life out of him and then fired him, discarding him like a useless piece of orange rind.   â€Å"I don't say he's a great man. Willie Loman never made a lot of money. His name was never in the paper. He's not the finest character that ever lived. But he's a human being, and a terrible thing is happening to him. So attention must be paid. He's not to be allowed to fall in his grave like an old dog. Attention, attention must finally be paid to such a person† (Miller 56). Linda is making a statement to America here about the way workers are treated in such a capitalistic society.   When everyone wants to â€Å"get ahead,† humanity is lost.   Willy is a person, and he deserves to be treated like one.   â€Å"He works for a company thirty-six years this March, opens up unheard-of territories to their trademark, and now in his old age they take his salary away† (Miller 56). Humanity is lost.   Workers should have pensions for devoting their lives to a company.   As he says to Charley, â€Å"you end up worth more dead than alive† (Miller 76).   His life insurance policy left to his family will provide better for them than he ever could.   This again, is the sadness of many corporate lives when they have reached the end of their â€Å"usefulness† according to the powers that be. Willy even has grandiose ideas about his own funeral and his importance in this dehumanized world.   Willy has given his life for the business, and feels that his funeral will be spectacular.   All the people he sold to will be there.   People from all over New England will attend because he was so well-liked but in reality, no one attends—his family and Charley. In all, Willy Loman was destroyed by the capitalistic society.   Capitalism kept him working in a job to â€Å"keep up with the Jones’† he was able to buy all the things that society sells to us with the idea that they are indispensable.   He devotes his life to his job in sales, never spending much time with his family because he was always on the road.   In the end, what does he have to show for it?   Nothing.   His boys are not productive and suffer from false illusions of their own.   He kills himself so that his life insurance policy will provide for his family.   Arthur Miller provides this play is a kind of indictment on the way the world is progressing today, particularly America.   He provides Willy Loman as a sort of tragic hero who wants to hold to some of the â€Å"old† ideas but is continually beaten down by the new trends.   Capitalism kills the American Dream. Works Cited Miller, Arthur, Death of a Salesman, Penguin Books, Middlesex England, 1949.                  

Case Study Product Innovation at Bank of America

BANKING STRATEGIES Case Study: Product Innovation at Bank of America By Cindy Murray What ? nancial institutions can learn from inventions and innovations in other industries. owhere is innovation more essential to survival than in the banking industry. In the payments domain, for example, nonbank competitors less constrained by bank regulations and therefore more agile are changing the banking industry’s grip on the public perception of banks as the only trusted brand for holding and moving money. However, innovation is challenging for banks. Many products, like payments, are a commodity.A vast number of products and a complex infrastructure require continual upgrades to keep apace with technology advancements and comply with evolving regulations and security requirements. This article describes how Bank of America fosters a culture of innovation. Pivotal to an innovative culture is the direct engagement of clients in the innovation process. We highlight some of the ways that Bank of America achieves this. But ? rst we’ll look at the role of innovation process in building brand loyalty. N Build Brand Equity Through Progressive Transformation Change can occur by rede? ning a problem or rede? ing a solution. According to Robert Sternberg, a leading creativity expert,1 creativity is the ability to rede? ne a problem. Innovation can be viewed as the ability to rede? ne a solution. Successful innovation is a process over time—one that typically happens in increments rather than leaps. Rarely is a single innovation a game changer. In banking, 90 percent of innovation focuses on core competencies (that is, business-as-usual innovation), seven percent on game-changing innovation MAY–JUNE 2009 within core competencies and only three percent on leaps that signi? cantly shift the client experience.Outside of banking, an evolutionary approach to innovation is also the rule, not the exception. Continual improvements throughout a product’s life cycle build brand equity. Take the case of Nabisco’s Oreo cookie, the bestselling cookie in the United States. In 1912, Nabisco came up with the idea of two chocolate disks with cream ? lling in between. Since then it has released Double Stuff cookies with more ? lling; fudge-covered Oreos; holiday cookies, including Halloween and Christmas cookies; bite-sized Oreos for children; and reduced-fat Oreos. Oreos illustrate two important aspects of product innovation.First, Nabisco stayed close to its customers. It understood how needs varied among consumers and changed over time. The company developed its product to meet the needs of a continually broader set of consumers. Second, the example illustrates an incremental approach to innovation that focuses on advancing core products. The iPod was at once the next step in an evolutionary process and also a creative leap. This product integrated a number of capabilities in a portable device, but it was not the ? rst MP3 player. However, the concept of iTunes was a new business model that changed the way consumers could store and listen to music.The iPod was transformative, too, because it aligned with changing consumer behavior re? ected in trends of mobility and customization. Technology enabled a tipping point. Consumers were ready to embrace a leap. Cindy Murray is Head of Product Innovation at Bank of America. Contact her at cindy. [email  protected] com. COMMERCIAL LENDING REVIEW 35 Banking Strategies way that stays close to customers’ evolving needs. For example, through ethnographic research, we discovered a common practice among consumers of rounding up when writing checks. We took the idea of rounding up and turned it on its head—rede? ing Innovation is a process over time—an evolutionary the problem by associating payments with savings. path. An incremental approach to innovation mirrors How can we foster increased saving? With Keep the the gradual way in which people chan ge. Consumer Change, each time a customer pays using a Bank of behavior tends to change gradually. Successful innovation is customer driven. It gets as America check card, the bank rounds the payment close as possible to the customer’s current process. to the nearest dollar and transfers the extra change A deep understanding of how customers operate to the customer’s savings account. oday—and why they do what they do—gives inNow, instead of check writers rounding up, the sight into how to improve the process; how to create bank does it for them—but in a way that builds their a step forward for the customer. savings. The solution also facilitates increased use of Further, by directly engaging customers in the indebit cards, thereby supporting retailers’ efforts to novation process, they become deeply committed discourage check payments. It was also a timely soluto, and invested in, a solution, which took advantage tion’s evolutionary p ath. f evolving consumer beThis makes innovation a havior toward increased primary differentiator, ancard usage. Change can occur by rede? ning a other way of creating value Ethnographic research problem or rede? ning a solution. for customers by enriching has also been key to improvtheir experience and reining our electronic banking forcing loyalty over time. platform, CashPro, over Staying close to the customer is one of the most importime. For example, we designed an enhancement based tant attributes of a successful innovation process. on a typical client work ? ow for handling exceptions.By closely watching how 15 companies were posting their receivables, we identi? ed a common practice of Get Close to the Customer placing a sticky note on invoices when they did not match payment. Staff would then fax an invoice to At Bank of America, customers play a key role at the salesperson to inquire about the discrepancy. We every stage of the product innovation process. There incorporate d an electronic sticky note with email capaare a number of ways in which we directly engage bility in CashPro, so that clients could maintain their our customers throughout product development. ork-? ow process in the online environment. We use a range of formal techniques for idea generation. Formal techniques focus on gaining deepened client insight and are important when Amplify the we have limited information about an opportunity Voice of the Customer and the related customer need. Formal idea mining typically requires expertise through our internal innovation group or external specialized vendors. CashPro is a great example both of innovating in Ethnographic research is an important tool for increments to improve a product over time and of engenerating innovation ideas.Observation provides gaging clients in an evolutionary innovation process. insight into customer behavior and needs. ReturnWith CashPro, we established a customer advisory ing to the Oreo example, the idea for a bite-sized board, which has been closely involved in the prodcookie began to germinate when Nabisco researchers uct’s development. With CashPro, the innovation watched young children grapple with dunking the process becomes part of the client experience, thereby full-sized cookie in smaller cups. increasing customer satisfaction.For example, with Ethnographic research helps Bank of America CashPro, clients prefer self-service for upgrades. understand how to advance our core products in a They are fully vested in the change process. Engage Clients in the Evolutionary Path 36 COMMERCIAL LENDING REVIEW MAY–JUNE 2009 Banking Strategies Our strategic client program, Treasury Exchange, At the other end of the spectrum, responsibility serves to amplify our voice of the customer research. for innovation can be centralized in a shared serClients are long-term program members in senior vice center.At Bank of America, we have dedicated treasury and/or ? nance roles within their o rganizastaff focused on game-changing innovations. At tions. They meet regularly—at frequencies varying the same time, our entire organization recognizes from once per quarter to yearly. The program enables the importance of ongoing process improvement participants to share insights on best practices and and enhancements. learn from each other, while helping us to better understand their challenges and needs. A detailed executive Work with Peers summary that identi? s key discussion themes helps pinpoint areas for deepening discussion and exploraTo maintain a competitive edge, banks increasingly tion. Conference calls exploring priority topics serve will look for ways to work with clients, technolas touch points between in-person meetings. ogy companies and other ? nancial institutions We also look to Treasury Exchange members to to combine strengths. For example, in May 2008, validate and ? esh out new product ideas and to Bank of America announced a partnership with provide validation at points in the product develWells Fargo called Pariter Solutions LLC.The opment cycle. Treasury 50-50 joint venture will Exchange members have operate the commercialsubmitted innovation ized ACH platform that ideas under the auspices will be leveraged by the An incremental approach to of the program. Customer two banks. The goal is to innovation mirrors the gradual way advisory boards and spegain economies of scale in which people change. cial client programs like and better position both Treasury Exchange augbanks to develop future ment our extensive voice products with a single of the customer research. nvestment in the underlying processing engine instead of duplicative investments. It’s a platform for growth and innovation. Cultivate a Culture of Innovation It’s important to be open to ideas from all sources. That’s part of cultivating a culture of innovation. At Bank of America, all associates are invited to collaborate in the innovation proce ss. For example, associates can submit their ideas online via IdeasZone, an internal intranet site. These ideas are funneled into the idea stream and receive equal attention within our innovation process.Collaborate with Technology Innovators In banking, technology is an enabler of innovation. Therefore, it’s important that banks collaborate with their technology providers. Bank of America’s collaboration with Microsoft is a great example of how we work with technology companies to develop innovative applications. Cash positioning and forecasting continue to be key client challenges. We spoke with clients to determine how they perform cash positioning and forecasting. Treasurers might use a treasury workstation, an Excel spreadsheet or a combination of tools.However, treasurers who rely on treasury workstations typically supplement their process with an Excel spreadsheet. Our research also con? rmed that many clients have dif? culty building a historical database of in formation for trend analysis to support forecasting. COMMERCIAL LENDING REVIEW Foster Employees There are different options for organizational structure to foster an innovative environment. At Google, it’s part of everyone’s job to innovate. There is a decentralized approach to innovation in which all employees are engaged and given incentives.It’s built into their objectives and re? ected in their salary increases and bonuses. MAY–JUNE 2009 37 Banking Strategies Bank of America worked with Microsoft to develop CashPro Accelerate. This tool accepts information feeds across all of a client’s bank accounts and automates the cash-positioning process. It also builds a historical database that clients can use for forecasting. Keep Moving Forward â€Å"I am not discouraged, because every wrong attempt discarded is another step forward. †Ã¢â‚¬â€Thomas Edison With an inventor’s mind-set, the idea of failure is a fallacy.Some who know best ha ve even looked at failures as a continual path forward. Besides being the still-unrivaled record holder of 1,093 U. S. patents, Thomas Edison broadened the concept of the invention to what’s known today as â€Å"innovationinvention,† R & D and commercialization. 3 Innovative companies ? nd ways to leverage new insights to keep moving forward. The creation of 3M Post-it notes is a classic story of turning failure on its head and using creativity to rede? ne a problem. Spencer Silver was working on developing a strong adhesive but invented a weak one instead.Silver’s colleague Arthur Fry came up with a novel application for the weak adhesive, which became the basis for Post-it notes—a new vehicle for communication—which Bank of America used in its CashPro innovation. Sometimes the leap is in how we look at things. Build a Brain Trust In a September 2008 issue of H ARVARD BUSINESS REVIEW, Ed Catmull, cofounder of Pixar and the president of Pixar and D isney Animation Studios, talked about how Pixar fosters collective creativity. One of Pixar ’s core operating principles is that, â€Å"We must stay close to innovations happening in the academic community. 2 It’s part of the company’s effort to eliminate boundaries between different disciplines. Earlier this year, Bank of America and MIT’s Media Laboratory announced the creation of the Center for Future Banking. Over the next ? ve years, Bank of America will contribute $3 million to $5 million annually. The center is a prototype for how business and academia can work together to invent the future of an entire industry. It will bring together researchers with radically different perspectives, including behavioral economists, social scientists, computer scientists, psychologists, designers and others.The goal is to trigger unexpected new ideas that lead to innovation leaps in banking. Test, Learn, Evolve This inventor mentality is at the heart of our test and-learn environment, in which we deploy an initial solution design to get ? rsthand feedback from clients on its usability and value. At this stage, the intent is to address any issues or opportunities in the next iteration of the design. The process enables us to evolve our product design before we get to the pilot stage. As an iterative process, the test-andlearn environment is a microcosm of the broader innovation process focused at a certain point in the development process.The Intelligent Cash Manager, a new end-to-end Bank of America solution, gives a live example of the test-and-learn approach. The solution concept germinated in a series of Treasury Exchange meetings, where clients identi? ed cash handling and deposit as a major pain point. It’s an ATM-like machine that counts cash, accepts it for deposit and provides safekeeping. An issue related to jamming surfaced in the test-and-learn environment, which will inform a solution redesign. MAY–JUNE 2009 Choose Winning Concepts Vetting ideas and building a business case are key steps in the innovation process.Bank of America uses a scoring technique as part of our process for vetting ideas. Scoring criteria include whether a concept matches to plan objectives, whether it has wide applicability, its level of innovativeness and complexity and the potential magnitude of its impact. At Bank of America, for example, out of 919 ideas received this year, 10 have been submitted for funding in 2009. Building a business case is a key step. An effective business case must describe the opportunity and its alignment with strategy and also describes the target client and market within the context of the competitive landscape.Finally, it outlines the proposed approach, the risk and the ? nancial opportunity. 38 COMMERCIAL LENDING REVIEW Banking Strategies Storyboarding is a creative technique used in the early stage of ? lmmaking. Storyboarding can help speed time-to-market. By not building the entire p roduct—but rather using storyboards and prototypes in a test-and-learn environment—we retain ? exibility even as we move further into the product-development process. Flexibility enables us to prioritize the most important features and integrate feedback and new insights from customers.It helps us to make smart choices with our investment dollars as products take more tangible form. The Next Leap in the Innovation Process The ability to synthesize information into insights will be an increasingly important part of creating a valuable client experience—not only banks connecting to customers—but of customers connecting to each other for insight. Incubation and the cross-fertilization of ideas are important to the creative process. Bank of America is integrating online networking into its innovation process. For example, we are connecting participants in the Treasury Exchange program to an online forum.Our long-term vision is to link our various Treasury Exc hange client groups—which are based on industry, function and geography—into a clientcentric global collaborative network. We also plan to introduce online ideation as a way to collaborate with Treasury Exchange participants on innovation. More broadly, the idea of integrating social networking into the bank’s innovation process holds tremendous promise. With our consumer base of 59 million households, social networking can be a powerful tool for engaging customers ? rsthand in product development. hen the next step integrates multiple aspects to transform the end-to-end client experience. To cite an earlier example, the iPod integrates communication speed, mobility and storage capacity. All of these come together, along with consumer readiness for change and the introduction of the iTunes business model. Within the banking realm, clients increasingly want banking solutions to integrate into their flow—whether flow constitutes, for example, a mobile consu mer or the workflow related to a treasurer’s broader financial processes.The need to integrate payments in the broader customer experience will involve mobile technology in some form and the analysis of information to provide insight. For corporate customers, banks are already delivering time-sensitive information to personal digital assistants (PDAs) and cell phones. Information analysis and synthesis could help treasurers to improve broader ? nancial processes (for example, accounts payable or receivable), help optimize working capital and minimize cost and use payment information to deepen insight into customer behavior.We are already seeing merchants, for example, use consumer payment information to tailor coupons to a customer ’s buying preferences. Banks can deliver robust information to consumers, for example, to help them weigh product features and engage in ? nancial planning to evaluate a purchase within a desired spending budget. Perhaps, ultimately, clients will want to take their bank accounts with them, storing virtual money inside their mobile phones. Banks have an opportunity to reassert their unique role as the trusted brand in storing and moving money.Innovation will be critical to our success. What Might Be the Next Leap in Banking? Successful innovation continuously improves aspects of the customer’s experience. Leaps occur Endnotes 1 2 3 Professor at Tufts University; research focuses on creativity. How Pixar Fosters Collective Creativity, HARVARD BUS. REV. , Sept. 2008, at 71. The Edison Papers, http://edison. rutgers. edu/biogrphy. htm. MAY–JUNE 2009 COMMERCIAL LENDING REVIEW 39 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.

A Reaction Paper On A Country Doctor English Literature Essay

A Reaction Paper On A Country Doctor English Literature Essay Franz Kafka’s A country doctor is a story about a doctor who is called upon in the middle of the night to attend to a seriously ill young man .Hampered by lack of transport means and extreme weather conditions, the doctor is at pains to come up with solutions to his problems. This essay paper will attempt to systematically examine the challenges and frustrations that the doctor encounters as the story unfolds. This essay will also answer the questions as to why the story may be referred to as a nightmare as well as explore the major themes brought out in this artistic tale that is indeed a replica of Franz Kafka’s generation and the current modern society. Challenges and Frustrations The doctor is in a dilemma He is challenged by the fact that he has no means of transport to take him to the home of the gravely ill young man, ten miles away. The doctor’s horse had died due to the icy winter. â€Å"My own horse had died the previous night as a result of overexert ion in this icy winter.† The doctor is frustrated at this point because no one in  Ã‚   the village was willing to assist him. â€Å"My servant girl was at that very moment running around the village to see if she could borrow a horse but it was hopeless-I knew that.† Out of frustration the doctor risks hurting himself by kicking the pigsty’s door. â€Å"I kicked my foot against the cracked door of the pigsty which had not been used for years.† The severe weather conditions pose a challenge to the doctor too. He has to endure the chilly snowstorm to go and attend to a patient. The doctor says, â€Å"A severe snowstorm filled the space between him and me.† The doctor does not hide his dilemma when he says, † I stood there useless ,increasingly covered by snow , becoming all the time immobile.† After treating the sick young man the doctor attempts to make his way home but the once strong and fat horses are old and tired, they move at a s low rate at which the doctor feels he will never reach home. Consider, â€Å"We dragged slowly through the snowy desert like old men.† The doctor is evidently frustrated when he says, â€Å"I’ll never come home at this rate. He becomes sad when he thinks of his home which was occupied by the Groom. â€Å"In my house the disgusting groom is wreaking havoc, Rosa is his victim.† The third challenge that the doctor encounters is the Groom. The doctor does not know how to deal with this stranger. First, when the groom brutally bites Rosa on her cheeks, the doctor only threatens the groom with words and calms down at once because he wanted to borrow a horse from the groom. At that moment, the doctor is almost the groom’s slave. The groom eventually offers his horses to the doctor but decides to stay with Rosa instead of traveling with the doctor.   The doctor is therefore at crossroads. He does not know whether he should stay and protect Rosa from the brutal groom or go ahead and attend to the seriously ill Youngman. The doctor chose the later. However, as the story unfolds the frustrations of the doctor concerning this decision become apparent. Consider, â€Å"I had to sacrifice Rosa as well, this beautiful girl, who lives in my house all year long and whom I scarcely notice-this sacrifice is too great.†

The UK Banking System Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The UK Banking System - Essay Example Many of these do not have a physical presence in the UK but can accept deposits on a cross-border basis. Assets and liabilities of the UK banking sector reached 4,165bn at the end of 2003, nearly three times the 1993 total. Although their share decreased somewhat during the past decade, foreign banks still held over half of UK banking sector assets in 2003. European banks accounted for nearly a half of this, followed by US and Japanese banks (Delta Quest Network, 2005). Bank of England is responsible for maintaining overall stability of the financial system as a whole. Since its responsibilities for supervising individual banks were transferred to the FSA, the financial stability role of the Bank has been to focus on identifying and limiting systemic financial risk. This involves close monitoring of the financial system infrastructure, particularly payments systems. The Bank also monitors economic and financial market developments, as part of an overview of the system as a whole. Now-a-days, the main focus of most of the banks is on risk management primarily on reputational, regulatory, operational and strategic risk, as well as the more traditional credit and market dimensions of risk. There are a number of factors responsible for this increased focus. The major of them are globalization, the relatively favourable economic environment - such that the UK banking sector has made record profits again this year, it remains highly capitalised and asset quality remains strong; the reputational impact that high profile regulatory issues are seen to have had - on both the retail and wholesale side - and the shift in the regulator's focus towards governance and control issues; and the unprecedented volume of regulatory change (Hale, 2004). Both the UK and world economy are continuously gaining advantage from a sustained period of consistent growth. The banks have benefited from the economic health, producing a strong financial performance over the last few years and in the first half of 2004. They remain well -capitalized and there are no signs of any serious deterioration in asset quality. Yet, the risk of macroeconomic outlook continues to exist. The move to slightly higher interest rates is the first aspect to be considered. To state the obvious, higher interest rates will increase the cost and reduce the affordability of both the stock of consumer lending and new loans. Although the monetary authorities both in the UK and abroad are managing the turn in the interest rate cycle with great care, regulators are required to acknowledge the risk that the shift to a more moderate rate of growth in consumer borrowing may not be universally smooth (Hale, 2004). Secondly, the decline in lending margins. A long period of strong personal sector credit quality, coupled with strong competition for lending business, has helped squeeze margins to historically low levels. The effects of this on the bottom line have been disguised by strong volume growth. There are two downside risks for the banking sector in the UK as felt by the FSA. The first is that, the period of strong volume growth may be coming to an end. The second is that a downturn could expose banks as having under- priced risk through the cycle. The Northern Rock Crisis Northern Rock is

GE Global Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

GE Global - Coursework Example Though, the competitive advantage is tangible and many aspects of competitive advantage can be evaluated easily. In addition, competitive edge is the most important gauge for a business environment. Moreover, it is a significant aspect to maintain and achieve organizational success (Pietersen, 2012; Turban, Leidner, McLean, & Wetherbe, 2005). This paper outlines some of the major areas and aspects of GE Global Research Corporation for the assessment of its innovative capabilities. This paper also discusses that how this organization can achieve distinctive competence in the area of innovation. The basic aim of this research is to determine â€Å"how the company has bundled its technology resources to contribute to competitive advantage in its businesses. GE Global Research: An Overview GE Global Research is one of the world leading industrial research and analytical centers, which offers ground-breaking technology for all GE’s businesses. ... n is located in Niskayuna and New York along with three other corporate management and organizing multidisciplinary facilities in Shanghai (China), Bangalore (India) and Munich (Germany). Moreover, more than 2800 researchers are working at GE Global Research Corporation, with the purpose of bringing the next technological advancements that will transform the environment of GE businesses. Furthermore, GE Global Research Corporation possess a wide-ranging set of technology expertise varying from biosciences to computing, electronics to chemistry, materials to imaging, metallurgy to fluid mechanics and everything in between (General Electric Company, 2012). GE’s Deployment of Resources Attaining a competitive edge over other competitors and distinctive position in market and improving corporate performance in relation to their competitors are the major objectives that GE business especially wants to achieve. In this scenario, the competitive edge is an idea that turns out to be a main research area as far as strategic management is concerned. In order to strive successfully, organizational polices either locally or globally and standards must meet a long run policy as compared to policy formulation for a short term. Although this task is not simple to perform, in fact it requires ample efficiency, detailed overview or regulations and comprehensive analysis of policies. Thus, in an attempt to compete and maintain effectively, locally and internationally, GE businesses should not simply do extremely well in their area but as well continue in the long run. However, the accomplishment of such a â€Å"ground breaking and sustainable competitive advantage† and market position is not a possible without an appropriate road map or policy implementation. In addition, the

Children's Communicable Diseases Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Children's Communicable Diseases - Assignment Example Most parents dread vaccinating their children because they believe that the vaccines used are not safe for their children. They strongly believe that the vaccines used cause autism as well as other neurological disorders, thus exposing their children to health risk in the future. In order to reconcile parents rights to make health decisions for their children with the states responsibility to protect its citizens, the state and federal governments should enact a law that compels parents to vaccinate all their children. The state is charged with the responsibility of making sure that all its citizens are safe. As such, federal government should make childhood vaccination a mandatory process for all children (Bradley, Bradley & Burls, 2012). The safety of children and all other citizens overrides parent’s right to make health decisions for their children, particularly when it is in the wrong way. Besides, states and federal government should promote public awareness through massive and robust public education about vaccines and the importance of vaccination. This can help dispel misguided belief that vaccines skeptics propagate through media and other social platforms. Public health professionals also argue that childhood vaccination is a life-and-death issue that needs to be made

Project2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Project2 - Essay Example After site visits to the corporate headquarters and one manufacturing plant, along with interviews of both key personnel and employees alike, careful consideration have been made of the many situations facing MPC. We have decided the following problems need to be fixed in the order they are referenced. The eighteen month time period that the company projects for modernization is realistic, provided they continue to use outsourcing for most of the projects. The first problem that needs to be addressed is the issue of the mainframe computer. ANDC agrees with Ms Hsu that the mainframe is a money pit and will only get worse as the machine gets older. Bradley University converted in the same fashion in the late 1990’s, an old report in the field of technology but relevant to this situation nonetheless (Bradley 1997). Their report is honest, listing both benefits (Same as MPC; cost and maintenance) and realized disadvantages. One was that they also experimented with environments oth er than Windows (including DOS and MAC) and eventually had to revert to a strictly PC based environment. Not only would that be standardized but since most users are familiar with Windows, new system training was mineralized. The first benefit realized would therefore be the costs. One thing Bradley stated they would do different was purchasing network ready servers and buying them as identical systems from one vendor. A check with Dell (2012), shows that a new computer to be used as a rack server would cost around $6,000 apiece. Since MPC would require three servers, database, web, and internal (intranet), the initial cost would be around $20,000, since Dell would also send the servers preloaded with Microsoft Server 2012 for a predetermined cost (based upon number of clients per machine). A vendor such as Dell would also be able to provide an answer to another of the customer’s questions. Long term maintenance agreements can be purchased for a nominal fee and the company ev en offers lease arrangements. In order to keep the mainframe functioning until shutoff time, with minimal service interruption, it is recommended that both environments function side-by-side. The Intranet can be transitioned first, in conjunction with the database server. One advantage of the Intranet system is the fact that the internationally remote manufacturing plants can also be connected securely, so that redundant systems would not be necessary; a simple internet connection is all that is required. Then the web server can be up and running well before the eighteen month deadline. During the changeover and for six months thereafter ANDC personnel will be at company headquarters to ensure a smooth transition, during which time ANDC will assume full responsibility for changeover. Another financial consideration MPC should consider is upgrading their cabling to T-1 throughout. The increased traffic would probably soon result in overloading their current system (Mitchell 2012). Th e second problem is the relatively antiquated call center system with a non-functioning web ordering system. One of the major customer complaints are long waiting times for customer service (Your call is important to us) and is the main reason more customers are turning to the internet for ordering and service. MPC is correct in that some customers will continue to want to call but that call volume will probably be less than ten per cent of what it is now (Bleuell 2009). Fujitsu (2012) presents the case of a Japanese optical

Personal Perspectives of Death and Dying Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Personal Perspectives of Death and Dying - Essay Example She has even ready to celebrate his death and sold the exclusive rights of capturing her final moments to some media. â€Å"Death begins when the heart stops beating. Deprived of oxygen, a cascade of cellular death commences, beginning with brain cells and ending with skin cells. Death is a process rather than an event. Specifying the moment of death usually involves deciding on a point from which there can be no return.† (What is Death?) Most of the children may not think much about death since childhood is filled with many other activities. The confusing things about death life may not influence them much during that stage. But the religious learning centers such as Sunday school and church related activities may sometimes force them to think in terms of death also. Moreover they may get lot of information about life and death through the literatures they might have read during their childhood. The parents may not talk much about death since the children may ask confusing questions regarding the death which may not be easy for them to answer. But it is necessary for the parents to talk about death if the child asks anything about it to know his interpretations about death. If his interpretations are misleading, then the parents must try to clear his confusions about death. The thought about death was an irritating thing for me even from my childhood. After grown up, I often tried to analyze the meaning of life personally. The science topics which I learned during my studies were not convincing enough to clear my doubts about life and death. I tried to compare the scientific knowledge about death with my religion’s interpretation of death. Though scientifically not proved, I confirmed that religious beliefs cannot be written off. Science often gives us information about material things. Though science was successful in providing us much knowledge about the non material things energy and forces which exists on

Finance executives recognize the benefits of method's green Assignment

Finance executives recognize the benefits of method's green efficiencies - Assignment Example The funds may be used to invest in other areas for example in research or advertising. Once the carbon acquires the greener products that do not release carbon in the atmosphere, it can enjoy the benefit of carbon offsetting. This implies that its tax liability would be reduced, thus making the total liabilities to reduce resulting to higher profits. Companies in various industries have embarked on investing in greener brands in a short run even though it is expensive. The collaboration between finance and operations departments at Method may result to the Method pursuing greener activities that are costly in the short run. It is vital to note that businesses should have long terms perspectives such as increased customers, going global and product diversification among others. Such perspectives can be attained by looking at the current situation. For example, Method can introduce greener household brand that is expensive. Once it starts to advertise the brand and the government as well as customers notice that such product does not cause harm to the environment, it may be highly demanded in the international market in the next few years. This will definitely increase the company sales and improve its image in the global market where competition is very stiff. The same way, a greener car may be expensive for example if Method dec ides to acquire around 10 cars. However, the government may after some time offset the company corporate tax with the Method’s carbon footprint (Gillenwater 16). This will result to low liability and high profit for Method. The increased demand for household products has resulted to stiff competition among the firms in the industry. The companies have come up with different strategies in addition reducing prices. I think also other household companies just like Method are beginning to realize how green products can improve their financial conditions. For example, some companies have introduced initiatives

Evaluation Summary Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Evaluation Summary - Essay Example Needs of the PPD women are not usually met at the earliest point because of its delayed diagnosis. While delayed diagnosis leads to criticality of depression. This delay occurs due to the barriers such as social stigma towards mental illness as well as knowledge deficiency regarding the situation. Other objectives included assessing and identifying high risk group of PPD and developing a health education program for improving early detection and treatment of PPD. Women with complex needs such as alcoholic or drug abusers, domestically or sexually abused women are considered at highest risk, and require multidisciplinary care throughout pregnancy and after birth (Logsdon et al., 2010). To enhance safe and effective patient care, is only possible through application of evidence based nursing practices. Therefore, the literature search on the needs of postpartum depression patient and its early detection led to the conclusion that for ensuring safe clinical care it is responsibility of the prenatal nurses and childbirth educators to assess, educate, and support (if needed) every women regarding the symptoms and sources of help for PPD (Logsdon et al., 2010). ... The tools that are normally used for PPD detection are Edinburgh postnatal depression scale (EPDS), which is a 10 item self assessment questionnaire and focuses on the feelings of past seven days. However, the tool is highly validated. Other tools are also used, but are not as sensitive and validated as EPDS. However, the best assessment tool should include questions regarding risk factors such as social factors and quality of relationship with family members, abuse or history of depression prior to birth. By the end of the practicum it was clear that the application of prenatal psychosocial screening tool had better results in early detection of the PPD (McDonald et al., 2012). An informed decision making is possible after incorporating sound knowledge into it. Therefore, a review of current patient centered policy was undertaken as policy can be an important factor in the provision of quality patient care. It was found that the current regulations required healthcare providers to s ubmit annual data regarding screening of PPD and for this current screening method and data reporting requires to be expanded. The policy aims to utilize the information to provide optimal intervention for the patients (Mass.gov, 2013). Another objective of the learning program during the session was the evaluation of teaching methods to the new mothers regarding the symptoms of the PPD. It was found during the literature search that an individualized teaching plan is required that is based on women’s existing knowledge of the PPD. Treatment seeking behavior of women is facilitated when communication between nurses and new mothers take place. This requires empathetic tone of the nurse, explicit observations of teaching styles, social persuasion as well as

Neoliberalism in Latin America Essay Example for Free

Neoliberalism in Latin America Essay From the 1930s until the 1980s state intervention and protection were key components of most Latin American economies. In these years many Latin American countries were used an Import-substitution industrialization based economy trying to reduce dependence on foreign imports and replacing them with domestic production. Due to the use of an Import-substitution industrialization based economy Latin American countries were forced to keep high tariffs to protect the private companies of their countries. This combined with many Latin America countries providing numerous government subsidized programs eventually led to the 1982 debt crisis. This debt crisis created a vacuum affect in Latin America with many of the countries taking on a new neoliberal economic model, and by the early 1990s John Charles Chasteen claims that almost every Latin American country was led by a president that was pro neoliberalism. This neoliberal economic model called for the slashing of tariffs as well as the reduction of removal of all nationalist-inspired subsides. Also following the neoliberal model, Latin American countries stopped the printing of money to slow inflation effectively undermining the functionality of their local markets. All of this was done so that a completely â€Å"free market† could be created. It was believed that this free market would not only help improve the economies of Latin American countries, but also create more personal freedoms for the people of Latin America. In the article â€Å"Neoliberalism, Neoclassicism and Economic Welfare†, John T. Harvey claims the complete opposite, arguing although a neoliberal economic model was created to produce conditions conducive to social provisioning or democratic problem solving, the exact opposite has occurred. Harvery states in his article, â€Å"Instead of growth, stability, and the narrowing of income gaps, we have seen stagnation, volatility, and increased inequality. † By researching neoliberalism a clear picture can be drawn. Neoliberalism created class stratification with the upper and middle class greatly benefiting from the new policies sanctioned by neoliberalism, while the poor continued to become more impoverished and unable to provide for themselves. Many historians argue that the neoliberal economic model was most beneficial for the small wealthy upper-class of Latin America as well as many upper-class business owners from other countries. The existence of a â€Å"free market† due to neoliberalism in Latin America created many opportunities for upper-class citizens to continue to become considerably wealthier. The upper-class benefit from neoliberalism in many ways but the two largest benefits come from the privatization of government subsidized programs and the lowering of tariffs. Not only did both of these policies line the pockets of the upper-class of Latin America but foreign investors as well. In order to balance their federal budget many Latin American governments privatized their government subsidized programs as well as cut federal jobs. First, the privatization of federal jobs allowed many upper-class citizens to take over these businesses and use them in their benefit to create capital. Former government projects such as constructing roads and government buildings were now being completed by companies that were owned by the upper-class. Prior to neoliberalism these jobs were paid out of the federal budget and were used as a way to lower unemployment by hiring more workers than were really needed. Now that private companies were doing the work efficiency was the most important thing leading to the loss of many jobs for the poor class of Latin America. In the article, â€Å"Neo-Liberalism in Latin America: Limits and Alternatives† Ian Roxborough argues that the immediate beneficiaries of the privatization of government subsidized programs and federal jobs, or what he calls real assets, were foreign investors and people with â€Å"flight cash†. This was because when these programs became privatized upper-class people from other countries as well as Latin America were able to come in and by penny cheap shares of these programs and soon to be private companies. This excrementally helped the upper-class because after they bought this stock at largely discounted prices it quickly grew in value. Clearly, lower classes that did not have extra cash could not benefit from this because they were unable to purchase any of the shares of these newly privatized commodities. This created two problems, not only did real assets of Latin America get lost to upper-class foreign investors, it also created a significantly larger wealth gap between the poor and upper-class because of the large amounts of money the upper-class made from the gains of the stock that they bought at such cheap prices. Another benefit the upper-class of Latin America and other foreign countries gained from neoliberalism was the reduction of tariffs. The reduction of Tariffs allowed foreign companies to come into Latin America and build maquiladoras. This was beneficial for the foreign investors because they could now come into Latin America where working wages were much cheaper and produce their goods at lower prices, which entail created more profit. Lower tariffs were beneficial for Latin American upper-class citizens because as the foreign companies came into Latin America they were able to invest in these companies. The ability to invest in these companies that wouldn’t have come to Latin America with the previous tariffs was just one more way people who already had money in Latin America were able to benefit even more from a neoliberal economic model. Neoliberalism also benefitted the middle class of Latin America. Chasteen argues the middle class benefited from a neoliberal economic model because of the cheap products that were produced due to the maquiladoras in Latin America as well as cheap products that were being imported to Latin America because of the newly reduced tariffs. This was very beneficial for the middle class for two reasons. First, under neoliberalism the middle class society who had money to spend, now had more choices because the large influx of items that were now being imported into Latin America. In his article, â€Å"Magical Neoliberalism†, Alberto Fuguet argues that neoliberalism was what led to amenities like large scale movies from Hollywood and other services, like fast food chains, to come to Latin America. Secondly, neoliberalism was beneficial to the middle class because with a larger selection of goods comes competition. With competition companies foreign and local now had to produce the best quality goods at the lowest price in order to continue to receive business from the middle class. Neoliberalism also benefited the middle class of Latin America because of the advancement in technology that occurred because of the privatization of water resource centers, electrical companies, and telecommunication companies. The privatization of these companies allowed them to modernize as well as make them more reliable. Some argue that neoliberalism was also beneficial for the women of Latin America. In her article â€Å"Love in the Time of Neo-Liberalism: Gender, Work, and Power in a Costa Rican Marriage†, Susan E. Mannon argues neoliberalism allowed women to gain more power and independence then they previously had. Mannon claims that neoliberalism, and the reduced tariffs that come with it, led to the creation of maquiladoras where women could seek employment. Latin American women’s new ability to gain employment in maquiladoras allowed them to earn a wage creating dual-income households. Not only did this give them more power and independence in their individual households, but the ability to buy goods also allowed them to participate in the local economy giving them more power as well. Those who stood to gain the least under a neoliberal economic model were the poor people of Latin America. This is because the privatization of state-run corporations and public service programs made them unaffordable for the poor working class, leaving many homeless and hungry. In the article, â€Å"From Democracy to Development: The Political Economy of Post-Neoliberal Reform in Latin America†, Alfred P. Montero states claims that neoliberalism leads to deepening levels of inequality, a growing percentage of people living below the poverty line, decaying infrastructure, poor access to even low-quality primary education, rising criminality, and inefficient productivity. All of these problems can be linked to privatization of government subsidized programs and the loss of government jobs. With neoliberalism the loss of jobs and government programs made unemployment skyrocket and education too expensive for much of the poor class of Latin America to afford. This lack of education is what many argue led to the problems that Montero claims such as a rise in criminal activity. Also, because neoliberalism privatizes companies that control commodities such as water, telecommunications, and electricity the poor class was unable to afford them, essentially leaving the poor of Latin America in the dark without water or electricity. Neoliberalism also led to the creation of Maquiladora’s which initially created what poor Latin American believed to be desirable jobs. Quickly the poor found out that many of these jobs did not pay a wage that was enough for a person to survive. With the poor pay of maquiladoras also came very poor working conditions that were conducive to creating injury. Omar Gil a former maquiladora worker stated in an interview that his first maquiladora job paid him a dismal forty dollars a week in working conditions that were less than safe. Omar attested that maquiladora workers were injured often because of the intense pressure of Forman’s to produce as much product as possible. Also with neoliberalism came the lack of available occupations. Due to the reduction of tariffs foreign companies were able to bring mass produced goods into Latin American countries at prices cheaper than local inhabitants were able to produce them. This created large scale unemployment and forced Latin American people into the unsafe and low paying maquiladoras. Chasteen argues that for the poor class the inability to produce goods far outweighed the benefits of being able to be a small-time consumer from the dismal wages that were earned in maquiladoras. It is clear that the neoliberal economic model is not beneficial for anyone but the wealthy elites and middle class of Latin American Countries. A neoliberal economic model became fashionably popular in Latin America because the people who were in charge were upper-class citizens and during a down turn in 1982 neoliberalism seemed like a solution due to its approach to better balance the budget of Latin American countries. Unfortunately, either the leadership of these countries assumed wrong, or just didn’t care about the wellbeing of its impoverished people, but clearly a neoliberal economic model does nothing but create a larger wealth gap, create more social stratification, and deplete living conditions for the poor even more. In the article, â€Å"Exploring the Impact of Neoliberal Economic Development on Poverty in Costa Rica: What Went Wrong? †, Paul B Lubliner argues that in order for economic prosperity to complement poverty reduction the state should have more control over the economy not less. I agree and argue by privatizing all state subsidized programs as well as depleting the amount of government jobs to almost zero Latin American countries actually went backwards in their pursuit to shorten the wealth gap as well as social stratification. Abusing your population to closer balance budget is in no way the solution to guarantee countries prosperity in the foreseeable future. Neoliberalism was clearly one sided only benefiting the rich and middle class, disfranchising each countries poor setting them back further then they were before.

Tourette Syndrome Essay Example for Free

Tourette Syndrome Essay Oliver Sacks writes in his book about Tourette syndrome as an inherited neurological disorder, it is a rare disease of the nerves, that starts from childhood it is noticeable by the repeated physical motor tics and vocal tics, these tics can become chronic, Tourette syndrome is a very serious disorder. Oliver Sacks in his book ‘The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat’describes Tourette syndrome as a genetic condition that is inherited from parents, in the title story he writes about his patient with a perception disorder so strong that he really mistook his wife’s head for a hat, Dr. Sacks can best explain the disorders of the right hemisphere of the brain, cases in which tumors accidents, and unsoundness of mind lead to syndromes these disorders affect   the memory and perception of the victim affecting his personality and behavior, in this case Dr.P, was a music teacher whose perception of vision was lost, but his other sense was becoming strong as he could play music and was the music teacher till the end.(7-21), Dr. Sacks   later disclosed that his patient had a large tumor in the visual part of his brain. The cause of Tourette syndrome is not known, according to research it occurs when there is a problem of communication between the brain and the nerves. A disturbance in the balance of neurotransmitters, it is the chemical in the brain that carries nerve signals from cell to cell and that may be the cause of Tourette syndrome. Symptoms of Tourette are noticed by the sudden voluntary or involuntary movements, called motor tics and that can be simple or complex, with this there is one vocal tic also, these tics may last for a few minutes or a little longer, tics involve uncontrolled twitching of the muscles, simple tics are like eye blinking, leg jerking, clapping, coughing, repeated throat clearing; complex tics are sniffing sneezing making throaty sounds and jumping, throwing thing, tics may appear suddenly, and are recurring, and occur differently in each patient. Tics are sudden out bursts of abnormal behavior, vocal tics are Coprolalia (the utterance of abusive, and objectionable words), Echolalia (repeating words of others), and palilalia (repetition of one’s own words), the most common vocal and motor tics are eye blinking and throat clearing. Tourette is diagnosed when the person has multiple motor tics. Dr.Sacks cites that creativity, imagination, and inventiveness good memory   are some examples of writers, artists, athletes, having Tourette may be able to manage their tics and control at the time of their work.(Meyers,1998), Sacks gives one such example of a disc jockey who while off air, uttered obscene words but, when he was on air he would be normal, Sacks points out that the disc jockey is able to use his vocal tic to his advantage with creative skill as a positive part of his job performance, his Tourette works as an advantage for him.   Tourette occurs   with other problems such as, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, anxiety, depression, obsession   which causes misbehavior, but the main cause is unknown, the tics start from childhood and may be worst in early teens, many people eventually outgrow them, usually treatment is not needed unless the tics interfere with everyday life, medicine, talk therapy and focused activities may help, some people have severe long lasting tics that can persist for more than a year and this chronic tic disorder is a part of a condition called Tourette Syndrome. Social acceptance is necessary and vital part of rehabilitation of such patients, family and people and employers must have some knowledge of the disorders so as to accommodate them; concerning knowledge is available through books, Judy Cohen (1998). in her booklet writes a general over view of many disabilities without focusing any one person. Doctor Oliver Sacks is a famous neurologist working primarily in treatment of patients with neurological disorders; Tourette syndrome is a neurological condition, it is usually misunderstood, and misdiagnosed, and mistreated. Tourette is sometimes diagnosed as acute anxiety, schizophrenia and asthma , the evaluator suspects that the person has Tourette than he must ask for previous   patient history and reports and the evaluator must discuss it with the medical consultant, people who are diagnosed with Tourette frequently have motor disorder along with visual defects,(Bronheim,1991), difficulties with impulse control, various learning disabilities and sleep disorders, the range of tics like symptoms that occur in Tourette’s Syndrome are often confusing to the family members, friends, teachers and employers who may find it hard to believe that the actions and vocal utterances are not deliberate, tics may be worse at certain times of the day or while doing certain work, and th e person might be exerting great restraint and energy to suppress the tics and to control the effects of obsessive thoughts and compulsive behavior. Tourette Syndrome is a very complex condition, there is   no cure for it at this time, though there is increased awareness of this disorder and rehabilitation process is considered to provide help to such patients, it is necessary to help such patients to normalcy, to help them to cope with daily life and work as stress and physical exhaustion increases the occurrence of tics therefore the rehabilitation personnel teach effective stress management techniques to control their impulsive acts. Medications are used to decrease the intensity and frequency of tics, drugs used for the treatment of other conditions sometimes have side effects and may cause lethargy and weight gain, sometimes medicines can aggravate the Tourette’s syndrome and cause increased tics. Generally tics are classified as either simple or complex, which involves more muscles than the simple tics, the symptoms usually start from childhood. Since the beginning of science the brain has been a complex wonder to understand, new findings, and new discoveries, are always changing to help us know and learn more about the working of the brain. Oliver Sacks, in his book ‘The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat,’ we read about the sufferings of those with neurological diseases, it is the case study of all his patients who are mentioned in the book are affected by Tourette’s syndrome. Sacks is interested in   his patients and their disorders, he has written these case studies to teach normal people, to understand and accommodate   and help such patients, he describes the neurological diseases of the people, their struggle and suffering to survive with the neurological defects.   These patients never lost their spiritual ability though they are the victims of disorder, the ability to rejoice is never lost , Dr. Sacks has written about many patients in this book, like ‘The Lost Mariner† (22-41) Jimmie could not remember anything for more than two minutes, he could only remember things thirty years old, he was suffering from amnesia; after frequent visits with Dr. Sacks he became calm and found some reality, in what Dr.Sacks referred to as â€Å"absoluteness of spiritual attention and act†(page38), though Jimmie was the victim of   nerve disorders yet his inner self the person beneath this disorder was very much real, all the stories writte n by Dr. Sacks are informative and interesting. Tourettes syndrome cannot be underlined as a degrading disease, today there are many people living and diseased who are associated with Tourette syndrome, it is believed that the syndrome may have helped in their success. Usually when one sense is not working properly, other senses become strong and the patient can use his strong sense to his advantage.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   . The treatment basically involves management of the troubling symptoms the patient is enduring, some cases are mild in nature and do not need pharmacological treatment, but they do need psychological treatment, awareness and talk therapy are helpful in such cases. As there is no cure for Tourette’s syndrome, there is no universal medicine for it, help is needed to avoid social isolation, the patient must have full support and understanding from family, friends, school, Church and the surrounding community and neighbors. The most important part of living with this disorder is social acceptance. Circumstantial evidence show that Mozart and Samuel Johnson had the Syndrome, both were, creators in their own fields despite   having Tourette’s  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   syndrome, the personality and creativity how deeply are related to the Tourette Syndrome is yet to be assessed. Though there is no medicine as a cure for Tourette,   yet some medication can be given to decrease the frequency of the tics, these medications make the patient sleepy lethargic and ,they gain weight, sometimes medications can have negative affect and it is difficult to get a proper level of medicine that can control the symptoms. The Internet, movies and television are responsible for the distorted images about the people with the Tourette syndrome. The entertainment industry always presents people with Tourettes as misfits, very few have understanding for such people, the Quincy, M.E. ‘Seldom Silent, Never Heard’ was the correct representation of Tourette’s syndrome many people with tics recognized their symptoms and got a correct diagnosis other shows that helped to advance true information about Tourette’s are L. A. Law, The Practice and 7th Heaven. Several documentaries have been made to depict accurate symptoms and the need for understanding and support for such people, though some shows have been labeled as exploiting the syndrome, some talk shows as the ‘Oprah Winfrey show’ focused on accurate portrayal of people with Tourette syndrome. The Tics disorders can only be managed by knowledge, education, and understanding and recognizing Tourette syndrome in the people suffering with, control management is the solution to the Tics problem, educating the family is the main strategy for treatment and sometimes only that is enough..     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  . Reference      Bagheri, M.M., Kerbeshian, J., Burd, L.(1999a). Recognition and management of Tourette’s syndrome and tic disorders. American family physician, 15 (8), 2263-72. Bronheim, S. (1991). An Educator’s guide to Tourette Syndrome. Journal of Learning Disablities, 24(1), 17-22 Cohen, Judy (1998), Disability etiquette: Tips on interacting with people with disabilities. Published by Eastern Paralyzed Veterans Association. Marneros, A. (1983).Adult onset of Tourette syndrome: A case report. American Journal of psychiatry, 140 (7), 924-925. Meyers, A.(1998) Serving clients with Tourette syndrome: A manual for service provided for tourette syndrome Association, Inc. Bayside, NY. Murrey, J.B.(1997).Psychophysiological aspects of Tourette’s syndrome. The Journal of psychology, 131 (6), 615-626. Robertson, M. (2000). Tourette syndrome, associated conditions and the complexities of   treatment.Brain,123 (3), 425-462. Sacks, O. (1992 Tourette’s syndrome and creativity: Exploiting the ticcy witticisms and witty ticcicisms. British Medical Journal, 305 (6868 ), 1515-1516. Sacks Oliver, The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat, published by Touchstone 1998, pg.7-21 Stell, R., Thickbroom,   G.W., Masstaglia, F. L., (1995). The audiogenic startle response to Tourette’s Syndrome. Movement Disorders, 10, 723-730 Wand, R.R., Matazow, G.a., Shady, P., Furer, Staley, D. (1993). Tourette syndrome: Associated symptoms and most disabling features. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews,17, 271-275. Zinner, S.H. (2000).   Tourette   Disorder. Pediatrics in Review, 21(11), 372-383.

Zerto Technology Company Analysis

Zerto Technology Company Analysis Bishal Shrestha Project management Risk and Reliability Zerto is the company which provides disaster recovery software for virtualized infrastructure and the cloud. In 2011 at VMworld Awards The main product of Zerto Zerto Virtual Replication won Best in Show. Zerto company was founded in 2009, which was held privately funded by the Battery Ventures, U.S. Venture Partners and Greylock. Oded Kedem and Ziv who was a former founder of Kashya co-founded the Zerto company. Zerto Company launched their first software called Zerto Virtual Replication 4.0 that allows the recovery, protection and migration of data among MicrosoftHyper-V and VMware Sphere, also across many prive or hybrid cloud situation counting the AWS( Amazon Web Services). The two core objectives of the venture between an angel investor (Venture capitalistic) and Zerto are Profit earning Zerto aims to earn profit by selling their main product Zerto Virtual Replication as much as possible with angel investor. Market share One of the objectives of Zerto is to expand its market share by increasing number of customers. SWOT analysis of the objectives Strength The product of Zerto helps to create virtual infrastructure and cloud for recovering data during disaster. This type of product is highly demanded so can contribute in earning profit. Since Zerto is well knowm and award winning company, its Venture with angel investor can increase the number of clients resulting the increase of market share. Weakness Zerto being in the market for long time, the products lacks innovations in comparison to new companies. This can be hindrance in sale of the product. Zerto has been working with many other investors, new venture with new investor may arise conflicts and difficulties in the organization. This may result in loosing of clients as well as discourage new clients. Opportunities The increase in natural disasters due to environmental changes, troubles from hackers create opportunities to sell the product. The venture with angel investors provides opportunities for Zerto to attract new clients and explore new markets, thus helps to increase market share. Threats Emerging of new similar companies with new products and venture creates difficulty for Zerto to sell their product. Pursuing for new clients and new market with new investors may cause loss of old clients and market. Thus, this may result is decrease of market share. Mind map of the product The product developed to achieve the identified objective is Zerto Virtual Replication (ZVR). Positive Stakeholders       Stakeholders those who help in increasing market share of Zerto are listed below: Comvita EUKOR Car Carriers Inc. Family Investments Fayat Constructions Foresight Financial Group Employees Owner Users Team members Advertising company Negative Stakeholders Likewise the competitors who possess threat to Zerto Are as follows: IBM Sanovi Dell EMC Continuity Software Net App Governmental policies Customers Other companies Staffs Market Mind map of the Zerto to reach its respective objectives. The initial investment for ZVR is $860,000. The company invested $130m to start the product with 360 people and now is generating $35m revenue every year. Zerto Virtual Replication is powerful tool for ensuring organization security even in event if disaster. It is unique and offers more flexibility than others. It supports variety of cloud options i.e. not only their cloud options but also of third party or other organizations. As power, security and flexibility does not come I cheaper price, the cost of Zerto Virtual Replication is well justified by its quality and performance. Amount invested Tasks Investment Lease 120,000 Team members 220,000 Advertisement 50,000 Developers 250,000 High speed internet 40,000 Electricity 60,000 Interior 120,000 Every coin has two sides, similarly Zerto Virtual Replication has pros and cons as well. Some of the risks related to this product are Tangible Risks Zerto Virtual Replication is expensive product. It is very challenging to construct supporting infrastructure require to operate ZVR. ZVR operates only with support of cloud. ZVR requires cloud support from different distant places more location (i.e. two or more in different geographical regions) Due to flexible cloud option third party may get benefit. Intangible Risks Zerto Virtual Replication could not replicate or seeding is not done if intenet speed is slow. Zerto Virtual Replication lacks ability to protect non-virtualized network resources. Zerto Virtual Replication is difficult to understand and manage as it uses cloud technology. Zerto Virtual Replication allows for storage agnostic replication hence is a complicated technology. Others tough offers in markets The risk can be measured reliably. Though Zerto Virtual Replication is expensive but it is very powerful tool and performs according to its cost. Zerto Virtual Replication is hypervisor based replication technology that moves asynchronous replication from the physical storage and disk arrays to the virtualization abstraction layer. This allows for storage-agnostic replication i.e. a virtual machine can be replicated to another VM operating on a different storage technology. Since, Zerto Virtual Replication requires cloud support it has most flexible cloud options so, can support cloud of any organizations. Though, it requires high internet but afterward works in its place with usual internet speed. Even it is complicated technology and mechanism but has easy to use interface and is user friendly. Therefore, Zerto Virtual Replication is powerful though expensive can handle business continuity extremely well. Thus these reduce the risks. References En.wikipedia.org. (2017). Zerto. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zerto [Accessed 21 Mar. 2017]. Zerto. (2017). Zerto: About Us. [online] Available at: http://www.zerto.com/about/ [Accessed 21 Mar. 2017].

1031 Exchanges Essay -- essays research papers

Final Paper â€Å"1031 Exchanges – Insight for the real estate investor† This paper is written to provide a reasonably comprehensive overview of Section 1031 of the IRC as it pertains to real estate transactions, and to offer some thoughts on the wealth-creation advantages that 1031 Exchanges offer. For the greater part of the last decade, we in the United States have been witness to a consistently appreciating real estate market. Sometimes it seems that almost anyone who has purchased a house, piece of property, or other real estate type investment has done very well. I personally can point to a few examples where friends of mine have made several hundred times their first home equity investment. In sales of primary homes there is a tax advantage that the IRS permits, as long as the proceeds are invested into another home, the capital gains on your existing home sale are exempt from taxation. However, if the property in question is an investment, a capital gain tax is assessed every time there is a sale that includes a gain. A tax strategy that investors can employ in such situations is to transfer their investment property for another investment of â€Å"like-kind†, this is a Section 1031 Exchange. Under Section 1031, if all its guidelines are met, the exchange is not a taxable event. Also, similar to tax rules regarding reorganizations - in a 1031 Exchange there is no taxable event and therefore no step-up in basis. The wealth-creation advantage of a 1031 Exchange can be viewed in the chart below. The example depicts two sales of real estate, the initial assumption is that the property has been completely depreciated and the entire $100K of initial equity is a capital gain.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Event 1  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Event 2   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Typical Sale  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1031 Exchange  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Investment experiences 20% appreciation  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Typical Sale  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1031 Exchange Equity   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  100,000  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  100,000  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  160,000  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  200,000 Tax  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  20,000  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  0  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  16,000  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  0... ...y within the United States and personal property used predominantly outside the United States are not property of a like kind. (B) Predominant use Except as provided in subparagraph [1] (C) and (D), the predominant use of any property shall be determined based on— (i) in the case of the property relinquished in the exchange, the 2-year period ending on the date of such relinquishment, and (ii) in the case of the property acquired in the exchange, the 2-year period beginning on the date of such acquisition. (C) Property held for less than 2 years Except in the case of an exchange which is part of a transaction (or series of transactions) structured to avoid the purposes of this subsection— (i) only the periods the property was held by the person relinquishing the property (or any related person) shall be taken into account under subparagraph (B)(i), and (ii) only the periods the property was held by the person acquiring the property (or any related person) shall be taken into account under subparagraph (B)(ii). (D) Special rule for certain property Property described in any subparagraph of section 168 (g)(4) shall be treated as used predominantly in the United States.

Overcoming Poverty Through Enlightenment Essay example -- Enlightened

Contents Introduction Part One: Song Lyric, â€Å"Wavin’ Flag†, K’NAAN Part Two: Essay, â€Å"What is Poverty?’ by Theodore Dalrymple Part Three: Documentary, â€Å"Solar Mamas† directed by J.Noujaim & M.Eldaief Part Four: Critical Analysis Introduction In the media form of a song, â€Å"Wavin’ Flag† by K’naan, an essay, â€Å"What is Poverty?† by Theodore Dalrymple and the documentary, Solar Mamas, directed by J.Noujaim & M.Eldaief the unifying message that is relevant through all these pieces of work is that in order to overcome poverty individuals must experience enlightenment. This essay will explore this topic in great detail. Part One: Song Lyric, â€Å"Wavin’ Flag†, K’NAAN In the song Wavin’ Flag by K’naan the message that is conveyed through the lyrics is despite what hardships an individual has faced they have the ability to overcome their struggle. The author of the song, K’naan comes from a war-torn country, Somalia where a civil war has displaced his family from their home. K’naan wrote of a struggling group who faces oppression and exploitation. Through the lyrics one can see the exploitation of the individuals, â€Å"But look how they treat us, make us believers/we fight their battles, then they deceive us.†(K’naan) Marxist theory can be applied to these lyrics, as the proletariat are being exploited by the bourgeoisie as a method of profit through their labour. The people are commoditized and are treated as such, they are considered expendable so the bourgeoisie do not care for their well-being. The use of allusion is evident in the lyrics, as it refers to the Somali civil war, where the people are used to fight a war through the promise of freedom, peace, and independence. Although the proletariat has become aware of their struggle,... ...s her home and that she has to take care of her children. She later reveals that she was embarrassed to tell him the truth, and the real reason for her return was that her husband threatened to divorce her and take her children away if she did not return home. The film allows the audience to see through the perspective of the women and they are able to better understand the truth because of the different perspectives it use in comparison to the single perspective in a song or essay. Works Cited Dalrymple, Theodore. "What Is Poverty? by Theodore Dalrymple, City Journal Spring 1999."City Journal. N.p., 1999. Web. 7 Mar. 2014. K'Naan. "Wavin' Flag." Rec. 2008. Troubadour. A&M/Octone, 2009. CD. Solar Mamas. Dir. Mona Eldaief and Jehane Noujaim. Perf. Rafea Anad. DOX, 2013. Film.

Child Observation Essay -- Child Development Project

Leroy is a 2nd grade African American student at Martin Luther King Elementary School. He is 8 years old and lives with his mother and two older brothers. His favorite school subject is math. He likes to play video games and basketball, especially when he is playing with his friends. Leroy’s favorite holiday is Christmas, for he gets to visit his grandma and enjoy all the delicious foods that his mom and grandma cook. When asked where would he go if he can go anywhere, he responded with Skate Park. He likes to skate around the park with his brothers. Leroy wishes to be like his older brother when he grows up. Leroy is a competitive student even among his friends. He likes to read at the same table as his friends or in the same room with them. When his friends are present, Leroy is more cooperative. He follows instructions, and he puts more effort into his readings. He wants to perform better than his friends; however, once he begins to struggle, Leroy loses his motivation to succeed in the task. According to Svinicki (2005), Leroy’s behavior and attitudes portray a student with a performance goal. To be more specific, a student with a performance approach goal, for Leroy’s main interest is to appear competent. The main reasons for the effort he puts in are to surpass his peers in order to receive recognition and attention. After determining Leroy’s goal orientation, my goal was to encourage him to shift from performance approach goal to achievement goal. I believe shifting Leroy’s goal orientation will benefit Leroy in numerous ways. He will be intrinsically motivated to read, which will increase his engagement in the reading games that we perform together. When he is engaged in learning the contents for himself, h... ...uring challenging tasks. In order to encourage Leroy to shift his goal orientation from performance approach goal to mastery goal, a variety of supports may need to be provided. Leroy needs to learn in an environment that minimizes competition and supports failures as learning opportunities. He needs to witness his accomplishments and recognizes that it is his effort and not ability or inability that resulted in his success. It may take some time for Leroy to shift his goal orientation from a performance approach to an achievement goal, but I believe with the right support and encouragement, Leroy will be able to develop a mastery goal. Works Cited Dweck, C.S. (2007). The perils and promises of praise. Educational Leadership, 65(2), 34-39. Svinicki, M. (2005, February). Student goal orientation, motivation, and learning. Idea paper #41, Idea Center.

Baobab

1. Description 2. Background Information a. Common Names African Baobab, Baobab, Monkey Bread Tree, Upside Down Tree, Cream of Tartar Tree b. Scientific Name Adansonia digitata L. c. Family Name Bombacaceae 3. Species a. Adansonia digitata L. b. Adansonia Grandidieri c. Adansonia Gregorii d. Adansonia Madagascarcariensis e. Adansonia Perrieri f. Adansonia rubrostipa g. Adansonia suarezensis h. Adansonia za 4. Geographical Distribution/Distribution Range a. Located in Semiarid regions of tropical Africa, including countries south of the Sahara except Liberia, Uganda, Djibouti, Burundi and Central African Republic. . Found in coastal areas of eastern and western Africa c. In East Africa – found in the lowlands 5. Conservation Status 6. Importance and Use a. Leaves b. Fruit c. Food Uses d. Seeds 7. Environmental Characteristics 8. Morphological Traits and Variation a. Characteristics b. Traits c. Genetic Variation 9. Threats 10. Socio-economic Value 11. Environmental Impact 12. E ffects on Indigenous People Adansonias reach heights of 5 to 30 m (16 to 98 ft) and have trunk diameters of 7 to 11 m (23 to 36 ft) †¢ Adansonia digitata L. African Baobab (western, northeastern, central & southern Africa, and in Oman and Yemen in the Arabian Peninsula, Asia) †¢ Adansonia grandidieri Baill. – Grandidier's Baobab (Madagascar) †¢ Adansonia gregorii F. Muell. (syn. A. gibbosa) – Boab or Australian Baobab (northwest Australia) †¢ Adansonia madagascariensis Baill. – Madagascar Baobab (Madagascar) †¢ Adansonia perrieri Capuron – Perrier's Baobab (North Madagascar) †¢ Adansonia rubrostipa Jum. & H. Perrier (syn. A. fony) – Fony Baobab (Madagascar) †¢ Adansonia suarezensis H. Perrier – Suarez Baobab (Diego Suarez, Madagascar) †¢ Adansonia za Baill. Za Baobab (Madagascar)[5] Distributional range: Native: †¢ AFRICA Northeast Tropical Africa: Chad; Ethiopia; Somalia; Sudan East Tropical Afri ca: Kenya; Tanzania West-Central Tropical Africa: Cameroon; Zaire West Tropical Africa: Benin; Burkina Faso; Cote D'Ivoire; Ghana; Guinea; Mali; Niger; Senegal; Sierra Leone; Togo South Tropical Africa: Angola; Malawi; Mozambique; Zambia; Zimbabwe Southern Africa: Botswana; Namibia; South Africa – Transvaal Western Indian Ocean: Madagascar Naturalized: †¢ widely naturalized in tropics Cultivated: †¢ AFRICA Africa †¢ ASIA-TROPICAL Indian Subcontinent: Bangladesh; India; Sri LankaMalesia: Indonesia – Java †¢ SOUTHERN AMERICA Caribbean: West Indies South America An Ecosystem Within a Tree The sculptured branches, with their hollows, dents and bloated stems, provide shelter and home for a great variety of animals. Galagos (bushbaby), squirrels, rodents, lizards, snakes and tree frogs, as well as spiders, scorpions and insects may live out their entire life in a single tree. Holes in the trunk provide ideal nesting sites for birds such as rollers, hornbi lls, parrots, kestrels and spinetails. Larger cavities are frequently occupied by families of Barn Owls or Ground Hornbills.Eagles, vultures and storks frequently build their large stick nests on the outer branches, and the colonial nests of Red-billed Buffalo-weavers are more often found in Baobabs than any other tree. Uses to Mankind For centuries, the baobab tree has played an important role in the economy and culture of Africa. Practically every part of the tree is useful and in Sudan they are so highly valued that individual trees may be privately owned! The wood itself is too fibrous for structural use but the bark is shredded into strands of fibre for use as rope, baskets, nets, snares and cloth.Tonics and cosmetics are derived from the roots, and spinach and soup from the large palmate leaves. The seeds may be ground into a coffee-substitute or eaten fresh and the white pulp is used as ‘cream of tartar' for baking. The hollow trunks of living trees have served as homes , storage barns, places of refuge or worship, and even as prisons or tombs. One tree at Katimo Mulilo in Namibia has suffered the rather ignominious fate of having been converted into a flush toilet, while one near Gravelotte in South Africa's Northern Province was once used as a bar where up to a dozen thirsty gold diggers would quench their thirst.The Future Because of its many uses and its ability to survive in semi-arid conditions, the Baobab survives in the face of man's expansion across the continent. Ironically, the tree is probably most at risk in wildlife reserves where confined populations of African Elephant may outstrip their resources and demolish and consume baobab trees in their struggle for survival. [pic] Baobabs are trees recognisable by their distinctive swollen stems. Occurring naturally in the dry areas of Magagascar, Africa and Australia, they store massive amounts of water in their stems to cope with seasonal droughts.The tree's fruits are large pods known as ‘monkey bread' or ‘cream of tartar fruit' and are rich in vitamin C. One baobab tree in South Africa, known as ‘Big Baobab', has a circumference of 47 metres and even a bar for 60 people inside the trunk. 1. The African tribes call the tree â€Å"the upside down tree†. When bare of leaves, the spreading branches of the Baobab look like roots sticking up into the air as if it had been planted upside-down. An African legend tells that the baobab was amongst the first trees to appear on Earth.When the palm tree, the flame tree and the fig tree appeared, the Baobab began to grumble that it wanted to be taller, to have brilliant flame coloured flowers, and bear tasty fruit too. The Gods grew angry at this incessant wailing and pulled up the tree by its roots, and replanted in upside down to keep it quiet! 2. The African baobab tree is also called the â€Å"tree of life† as it can store water during the drought season which is sometimes vital to the rural p opulation. Large baobab trees could contain more than 30,000 gallons of water, and to get to it, Kalahari bushmen use hollow pieces of grass like a straw to suck the water out. . The baobab is Africa's latest fair trade sensation. On the 15th July 2008 the European Union has officially approved the export of powdered baobab fruit to the United Kingdom as a healthy additive to cereal bars and smoothies. The baobab is said to have three times the vitamin C content of an orange, and as much calcium as a glass of milk. According to Britain's University of Southampton, the baobab is rich in vitamin B1, B2, and C, and calcium, plus it's bursting with antioxidants. 4. The citric and tartaric acids found in the pulp provide the base for cream of tartar, often used as a baking ingredient. . Because of their size, people have been storing supplies in old hollow trunks or have been living inside a Baobab Tree. Have a look at a website called â€Å"bigbaob† for some amazing videos. 6. Na tural medicine uses the bark of the Baobab to lower fevers, chewing a leave is apparently waking you up and ingesting some of the tartar powder is helping with stomach aches. 7. In rural Africa the bark is used to make ropes and even clothing. Article Source: http://EzineArticles. com/4214639 Why the Baobab is endangeredSevere droughts of recent years have affected the thorn woodlands of the savannahs and fears have been expressed about the regeneration of plant species. In Sudan the over-use of multipurpose fruit trees, such as the Baobab, has become a significant problem. There is high year-round demand for fruits, even in cities like Khartoum. With fruit being collected from wild stands of trees, stocks are decreasing and no provision is made for replacing these trees – no plantations have ever been seen in Sudan. In cities seeds are just thrown away as garbage, eliminating any chance of regeneration.There is often a lack of awareness by the local people on the need to pla nt, protect and manage under-utilized fruit species. It is believed that in the past the Baobab fruits were widely eaten by large animals, especially elephants. They dispersed seeds and broke the seed dormancy which encouraged regeneration. With elephants now in danger of extinction because of habitat destruction and illegal killing, the natural regeneration of Baobab has been badly affected. Practical Action realized the importance of organizing a campaign to save the endangered species of this region, especially the Baobab tree.What’s the cause? The Baobab tree is on the endangered list for many reasons. For one, droughts within the tree’s habitat have caused them to not have enough water to grow properly. Also, these trees are often cut down so that people can use the trunks to store water in, which can hold about 2376 gallons of water. The fruit is also used for making porridge as well as the leaves, which can be used to make a salad. Some of these seeds are even e aten by elephants, but the elephants would be able to break the seed dormancy which will cause regeneration; however, the population of the elephant is also endangered.Because of all of this, many Baobab trees are used for multiple purposes which then cause the trees population to decline because no one is taking the time to replace the trees that were used. To help regenerate the Baobab Tree, a group known as Practical Action has come about, which aims to save this species of tree before it’s too late. They collect and plant seeds, raise awareness, and encourage others to plant Baobab trees as well. Read more: http://www. toptenz. net/top-10-endangered-trees. php#ixzz2Bkpm44sJ Read more at http://www. toptenz. net/top-10-endangered-trees. php#8rIWSqRUArdUEQt3. 99The food industry is always looking to launch the next big thing Providing these exotic products for Western palates can be both good and bad for the environment. There is the obvious concern of carbon and transporti ng these products over long distances. However, these new markets allow local farmers and suppliers to enjoy newfound wealth. Deforestation, fair trade, and sustainability are other issues. However, the demand for some fruit trees can result in reforestation and afforestation projects. Baobabs,  Adansonia sp. , consist of eight species, which are naturally found on the continents of Africa and Australia.Six species are native to Madagascar, so Madagascar has the highest endemism. Mainland Africa and Australia both have one species. The entire genus is spectacular. The first image below shows the giant  Adansonia grandidieri, which is endemic to Madagascar. This titan-sized tree is considered endangered. Baobabs are trees recognisable by their distinctive swollen stems. Occurring naturally in the dry areas of Magagascar, Africa and Australia, they store massive amounts of water in their stems to cope with seasonal droughts. The tree's fruits are large pods known as ‘monkey bread' or ‘cream of tartar fruit' and are rich in vitamin C.One baobab tree in South Africa, known as ‘Big Baobab', has a circumference of 47 metres and even a bar for 60 people inside the trunk. Adansonia is a genus of eight species of tree, six native to Madagascar, one native to mainland Africa and the Arabian Peninsula and one to Australia. The mainland African species also occurs on Madagascar, but it is not a native of that island. A typical common name is baobab. Other common names include boab, boaboa, tabaldi, bottle tree, upside-down tree, and monkey bread tree. The generic name honours Michel Adanson, the French naturalist and explorer who described A. igitata. Baobabs (Adansonia spp. ) are iconic trees, known for their immense size, strange forms, sources of food Baobab trees are iconic plants and represent some of the most recognisable trees in the world. The eight species of baobabs reside in the single genus, Adansonia. Madagascar is their centre of divers ity, with six species endemic to the island. These include A. grandidieri, A. madagascariensis, A. perrieri, A. rubrostipa, A. suarezensis and A. za (Baum 1995, Wickens & Lowe 2008) The baobabs are trees of considerable importance in local economies