Archeology Book Review

Bruseth and Turner’s book is highlights the finding of La Belle Ship wreck that happened thee centuries ago only to be excavated in latter years of twentieth century. The ship was owned by La Salle, a French renowned sailor who intended to establish a colonial in the new world.According to the evidence, Belle carried supplies that the new colony would need, especially in the early stages of establishment. The astonishing amount of artifact collected from La Belle’s resulted to a thesis that the founding was indeed an outstanding achievement that buried myths of what happened to the ship as well as filling the gaps on information missing in previous stories, something that could not have been achieved without such amount of evidence.Though deeply scholastic, the book is organized chronologically that is, in a story format and therefore allows those with interest in history and archeology to read and understand. To begin with, the authors have provided a backgrounder on L a Belle. Readers are therefore well prepared for information contained in subsequent pages.The background information on the ship and the owner further helps in understanding the importance of the wreck not just as part of archeological scholarship but also as part of American history.The authors then build up their story with research on what the world thought happened to the La Belle and eventually provide a vivid description of the excavations process. All these lead to keeping the reader well interested in reading further and therefore getting more informed regarding the story, archeology and its processes.Bruseth and Turner consulted a wide body of sources in their work. However, the greatest and most important sources are the millions of artifacts, including skeletons, collected from the wreck. Indeed, it is from these artifacts that Bruseth and Turner lead to conclusion that La Salle was well determined to establish a new colony in the New World.Pictures of the artifacts are contained and well explained. Bruseth and Turner have described maps of the route followed by La Belle. Sources from scholars have also been used especially in relation to perceptions of La Belle whereabouts. In addition, Bruseth and Turner and the company has beenReferenceBruseth, J. & Turner, T. (2007). A Watery Grave: The Discovery and Excavation of La   Ã‚   Salle’s Shipwreck La Belle. Collage Station: Texas A&M University Press.

Epifanio de los Santos Avenue

How shameful a Filipino would be, not knowing his nations own history. The history that brought his parents and his own freedom. Who would even forget the sacrifices that former President Corazon â€Å"Cory† Cojuangco Aquino had given not only for her own good but also for the improvement of the next Filipino generations. Corazon Aquino had been known because of her nonviolent revolution held at Epifanio de los Santos Avenue Quezon City, Metropolitan Manila , with the help of 2,000,000 Filipino citizens as well as several political, military and religious figures, such as Cardinal Jaime Sin who had push their way for a democracy from the hands of an authoritarian President. This revolution had last for four days it is popularly known as EDSA Revolution or People Power and also named as Yellow Revolution because of the scattered yellow ribbons. This protest had been brought by the years of corruption in Marcos government. This history had been shortened and summarize for the leaders of this nation to realize the importance of the freedom that they’re enjoying now, not only for the leaders but also for the citizens of this nation. No one wants to suffer the pain that other countries have to suffer just for them to get there freedom. No one wants to be a slave or to be a prisoner that can be raped, tortured, and can even be killed, killed by the same color, the same nationality and by the same blood that runs through the veins of every Filipino. No one will never give up his or her own freedom just for money, for jewelry and not even for power. No one don’t want to lost it even the highest leader of this nation would not give it off. Remember the quote â€Å"The Filipino is worth dying for†? This quote is given Benigno â€Å"Ninoy† Aquino Jr. when he was interviewed about the death threats his receiving from the military and other pro-Marcos group including former First Lady now Congresswoman of Ilocos Norte Imelda Marcos. August 21, 1983, after a three-year exile in the United States, he was shot at Manila International Airport now known as Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA). His assassination gave shock to many Filipinos, who lost confidence in the Marcos Administration. His assassination caused the economic problems of the country to deteriorate even further, and the government plunged further into debt. And by the end of the year, the country was bankrupt, and the economy contracted by 6. 8%. The assassination of Benigno Aquino also gave Corazon Aquino the guts to continue what her husband had started. â€Å"Money is the root of all evil† seems that it’s true. Even now in the present we hear news about the execution of witnesses and deaths of innocent citizens just to cover up the sins of a suspect or even a leader who wants to eliminate his opponents.

Abigail Adams: Witness to a Revolution

Abigail Adams: WITNESS TO A REVOLUTION Abigail Adams, Witness to a Revolution, was one of the greatest writers of her age. She passionately campaigned for women's education, denounced sex discrimination, and matched intelligence not only with her husband, John, but also with Thomas Jefferson and George Washington. She wrote more than two thousand letters about her legacy that her family members saved, recognizing their importance and ignoring her plea to burn them. Abigail’s letters are her biography and it is through them that we understand her unique character, sense of humor, independent spirit, and her English language.It is through her writing that opens a window to our nation’s history and brings Abigail Adams and her time to life. On November 11, 1744, Abigail Adams was born Abigail Smith. She lived in a small town of Weymouth, Massachusetts and lived with her two parents William and Elizabeth Quincy Smith. She had two sisters and one brother, Mary, Elizabeth, an d William. When Abigail was a little girl she always asked her mother if she could go to school. Her mother said no so her grandmother taught her to read and write at home.Abigail loved to read books from her father’s library and listened in on her father’s meetings. She loved books and politics and was a very clever and talented girl. As a teenager, Abigail had many friends that she wrote letters to. She was always very self-conscious and worried about her spelling and punctuation since she didn’t have a proper education. One of Abigail’s many friends who wrote letters to her was John Adams. When Abigail was nineteen years old she married John Adams on October 25, 1764.John Adams was a lawyer in the Smith family home of Weymouth, Massachusetts and was married by Abigail’s father, Reverend Smith. As a married couple they moved to Braintree and lived in a house that John inherited from his father. John was a very intelligent man who wanted to become a farmer as a boy, but his father discouraged it and sent him away to school. John got his education from Harvard College and this is where he became a lawyer. John and Abigail had five children together. Their first daughter, Abigail nicknamed Nabby, who was born on July 19, 1765.Their second child was John who was born on July 17, 1767. Susan was born December 28, 1768, but passed away a year later. Their son Charles was born May 29, 1770 and on September 15, 1770 their son Thomas was born. In 1767, the Adams family was living in Braintree Mass. When the British started requiring taxes on American documents, John knew he wanted to help the colonies and became a well-known spokesman. He was away from home a lot so in 1768, Abigail moved her family to Boston. After the Boston Tea Party event they moved their family back to Braintree.While John was away traveling it was up to Abigail to raise her first daughter Nabby, along with managing the farm and family money. She also taught a black slave how to read and write. When John was away she was often very lonely and writing letters made her feel better along with the birth of her second child John. John and Abigail had a very good marriage and relationship. She was very intrigued with politics and books and would often ask John what was going on in the world, which was very unusual for women to do so. They often talked about women’s rights.When John was away Abigail would write to him reminding him of the women. Meaning that he should include women’s rights in the continental congress. In 1770 the Boston Massacre happened where the fire bells were ringing. Abigail rushed home afraid her house may be on fire but were relieved to find out they were safe. The bells sounding the town meant trouble. Some teenage boys were throwing rocks and snow at British soldier, which lead to the soldiers shooting five people dead, and six were very injured. This even was known as the Boston Massacre.In 1775 the batt le of Concord and Lexington marked the beginning of the Revolutionary War. Many people fled Boston for fear of attacks. Abigail invited them in for food and shelter and wrote, â€Å"The house is in state of confusion. † When Johnny was eight years old, Abigail took her son to watch a battle on Breed’s Hill in Boston on June 17th, 1775. After seeing the terrible battle of Bunker Hill she wrote to her husband who showed her letters to George Washington and other leaders about the people’s suffering. In August 1776 the Declaration of Independence was written.Abigail became the first First Lady to ever live in the White House when John was elected Presidents over the United States. As first Lady she spoke out in favor of the women’s rights. Abigail Adams in an example of a life lived by women in colonial, Revolutionary. While she is best known as an early First Lady and the role she took for women’s rights in letters to her husband she is also known as a farm manager and financial manager. Abigail passed away on October 28, 1818 of typhoid fever. She is buried beside her husband in Quincy, Massachusetts.She was seventy-three when she died and her last words were, â€Å"Do not grieve, my friend, my dearest friend. I am ready to go. And John, it will not be long. † –Abigail Adams The wife of the second president and the mother of five children, Abigail Adams was an extraordinary women. She experienced the Revolutionary War and saw the battle of Bunker Hill from a hilltop near her home. The letters written by Abigail Adams to her friends and family bring the Revolutionary period alive, with every day life changing events of her time.She is given her own place in history in this award winning biography that she deserved and more. Natalie S. Bober wrote Abigail Adams, Witness to a Revolution because writing biographies did not only fascinate her, but her goal was to make Abigail Adams heard by everyone. She wanted us rea ders to know how much of a role she played in sticking up for women’s rights, being a good wife to her husband by caring for her family while he was away, and the decisions she had to make as a strong independent woman that changed the Revolutionary period and made her who she is today.I don’t think the author took any sides or had any arguments while reading this book. Natalie Bober took a lot of time to research and search many old documents to put together this award winning biography. Reading this book I would recommend it to any strong independent women to reinsure us that there are great role models for us women to look up to. I only hope to be as courageous, intelligent and independent as Abigail Adams some day.

Diabetes Management in Primary Care Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Diabetes Management in Primary Care - Essay Example It is evident, that paying more attention to the way the management of diabetes is performed, may play for the benefit of the patient in the following ways: As diabetes is one of the most common diseases in the world, and is often hereditary, affecting people of all ages, social and other statuses, this chronic disease should acquire new approach in its primary care. Diabetes mellitus is caused by a deficiency of, or insensitivity to, the hormone insulin, resulting in an inability to control the use and storage of glucose - blood glucose levels therefore rise.   There are two main types of diabetes:    Type 2 diabetes, previously referred to as non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM), which results from a relative deficiency of, or insensitivity to, insulin and is more commonly diagnosed over the age of 40. In managing diabetes, especially in its primary care stage, it is essential to remember about the meticulous metabolic control, which is one of the principal ways of preventing the possible complications of diabetes, or at least delaying them. It is, of course, understood, that the bigger portion of these complications may be prevented at the early stage in case they are detected in time and are managed in the proper way. The aims of the primary care in diabetes may be defined in the following way. The main aim of any care system in relation to diabetes, or any other chronic disease, is to provide people suffering from this disease with chances to live quality life as well as to reduce the complications. The keys to achieve these aims are in metabolic control, which should be performed on the constant basis with deep analysis of the received results, as well as the maintenance of the normal glucose level in blood to prevent the complications of diabetes. Any metabolic crises should be avoided. In managing

Risk Management and Clinical Governance 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Risk Management and Clinical Governance 2 - Essay Example Sometimes when doctors work in hospital institutions with inflexible rules and a poor organizational culture that does not place the customer as the royalty that deserves the best possible service these organizations run into trouble. This essay discusses various alternatives and improvement that could implemented at King Edward Memorial Hospital to improve its operations and increase patient safety. One of the primary problems that are occurring at this hospital and at other hospital in the nearby area is that these health care organizations are focusing too much on the bottom business line in order cut cost instead of emphasizing on improving patient care. The hospitals which are business organization with an objective to achieve an adequate yearly profit are forgetting about basic principles that apply to all industries. At King Edward Memorial Hospital the executive staff is forgetting that in order to lead a large organization has to have the workers on their side. The company is doing the exact opposite. The nurses and other employees have revealed to the company internally formal reports of poor patient care. The company did not performed an adequate investigation of such issues, which in turn forced the employee whistleblowers to go to the media to reveal the corporate incompetence that was occurring at King Edward Memorial Hospital. In order to achieve real organization change within this firm the company has to perform an overall of the corporate culture of the organization. The executive staff of the company is at fault for not respecting the opinions and insight of many employees who openly warned them about the incompetent patient care a lot of the clients of the firm were receiving. They should have trusted the judgment of the nurses, orderlies, and doctors who identified the problem and wanted to seek a solution internally. The lack of respect for their professional judgment forced these

Social Change Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Social Change - Essay Example As per the data available of 2000 the most noted of these tribes were Pueblo, Iroquois, Blackfeet, Lumbee, Apache, Chippewa, Sioux, Choctaw, Cherokee and Navajo.2 However, it should be mentioned that all these tribes and suffer from ill health and poverty and related menaces like alcoholism and suicides. It is an extraordinary data to find that the American Indians consist only 1% of the population yet scores extremely high when poverty rate, suicide rate and alcohol percentage is taken into consideration. In accordance to 2003 census report it was found that about 88% of the Native American population lives under the poverty line.3 Other reports like Amnesty International of 2003 revealed that about 23% of all suicides committed in the US are by American Indians. American Indians also rank extremely high in the context of alcohol consumption and substance abuse. It is reported that 31% of alcoholism is linked with the American Indian community. Drug abuse is also reported as the rate of 26%. Unemployment is also high in this list of backwardness. It has been estimated that 34% of the American Indians are completely unemployed and about 40% o f the American Indians are partly unemployed. The American Indians also tops the list of community ill health. They are the most vulnerable community towards diabetes and heart related disease. They also record the highest percentage of infantile death.4 There are several causes of this backwardness. Initial military defeat has been morally and physically ramifying and this was corresponded by several factors like termination policies of the post world war period and slavery in the 19th century. In modern era they are deprived by favoritism, outlaw of language and culture, cultural assimilation with force, reservation related to confinement and overall cultural pressure along with economic and social discrimination.5 The "Digital Divide" is as well a major area of anxiety for Native Americans and other minority groups for the reason that many American Indians and Alaskan Natives have hitherto to be associated to basic telephone networks and are consequently unable to access the Internet, they are at jeopardy of falling even further behind in their facility to access employment, educational, and other prospects made accessible by information technology. 6 American Indians are also a racial community who from time to time face favoritism the same as African Americans do. In truth, earlier than the civil rights laws were endorsed, in some states three separate drinking fountains labeled "whites," "Colored" and "Indian" were found. There were as well three segments in some movie theaters. All of the civil rights decrees that defend people from favoritism for the reason that of race or color or national origin as well protect American Indians.7 Lately the Department of Justice took legal action a school district in Utah for not having a high school in the isolated community of Navajo Mountain. The Navajo and Paiute high school age students who reside in this community all had to go over 90 miles from home and live in dormitories or with relatives and attend boarding schools functioned by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. The school district had constructed high schools in the communities where non-Indians lived. The school district argued that because the Indians live on a condition they didn't

Principels of organizational mangement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Principels of organizational mangement - Essay Example Hence, for instance, a UK manager who initiates business activities in the US business environment has to verify if his strategies conform to the business culture and institutional settings of the region. Researchers are of the opinion that the concept of HRM was the US contribution to the business world. American HRM started since 1890s with the emergence of NCR Corporation specifically when it initiated a separate personnel office (Ed. Pieper. 1990, p.41). In addition to this, several aspects including enterprise capitalism, free individualism, diverse workforce which comprised of immigrants also contributed to the growth of HRM in America (Ibid). Consequently, traditional business concept of ‘personal management’ gave way to collaborative business operation which gave much emphasis on creating large and diverse pool of human capital which would be cost effective and potential enough. Thus employee participation and managerial functions became the most inevitable part of American business organizations. As the new method was highly effective, it helped American organizations to be more competitive in the global market. Consequently, American organizations became highly competitive; and caught the attention of the entire business world. Organizations across the globe tried their own experiments on the strategic implementation of HRM. Despite the common features of all HRM models, as Bratton and Gold (2001) state, ‘there is a qualitative difference between HRM and traditional personal management’. According to the writers’ view, it includes strategic character of transformational leadership, and involvement of line managers as the notable features of modern HRM. The features of American approaches to HRM, according Schuler and Johnson include mainly five characteristics that make US model of business management distinctive from other European models (Cited in Fenton, Gooderham & Nordhang 2005). Given below are the

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

Family Law - Essay Example an equitable portion of the property.4 This essay will examine these inequities. Marital and Cohabitation Law – Before White v. White White v. White5 was a case that focused upon married persons. In this case, the court decided that financial need was not a basis for the distribution of finances. Moreover, the case was the first to establish that the distribution of property upon divorce should be divided up equitably, without discrimination. That way, the wage earner would not be entitled to more than the child-carer. In other words, the non-financial contribution of the parent who cares for the children is recognized in property division. The White case represented a landmark, in that the court was ordered to divide marital property equitably, regardless if one contributed financially towards to home or not. Before White, the cases in the UK were decided against the non-working spouse who did not contribute financially towards the house, either towards the purchase price or towards the mortgage. For instance, in the case of Pettit v. Pettit,6 the couple was married and the husband did not work outside the home. Therefore, he did not contribute financially. Moreover, the home was in the separate name of the wife, and the wife used her own funds to buy the home. The husband contributed labour towards the home – decorating the home, building a wardrobe, laying a lawn and constructing an ornamental wall and garden side wall. However, the Pettit court found that the husband was not entitled to a beneficial interest in the home. Therefore, prior to White, the court presumptively did not award property to the non-working spouse. White represents an improvement upon this, as discrimination against the non-working spouse is not longer acceptable. That said, there is not a statutory provision that dictates that property needs to be divided equitably, although the Matrimonial Causes Act 1973 states that, essentially, courts have discretion in that there is no determined order of priority in the distribution of assets in every case. Although the marital property law has evolved to give equal rights to the non-working spouse, the law regarding co-habitating couples has not similarly evolved. Prior to the White case, the courts decided a number of co-habitation cases against the non-working spouse. For instance, in Gissing v. Gissing,7 the non-working spouse was the man, and the man did not contribute financially towards the home. The husband did buy furniture and also did chores, such as lawn-mowing. The husband did not have an interest in the home. This was the same case with Lloyds Bank v. Rosset.8 In that case, it was the wife that did not work. She claimed a beneficial interest in the property when the Lloyd's Bank tried to foreclose on the home after the husband took a loan against the home and defaulted. The Lloyd's court found that the only way for the woman to have an interest in the home is if the parties agreed that she would have interest, or if there

LOCKE BY MICHAEL AYERS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

LOCKE BY MICHAEL AYERS - Essay Example Locke's view on the 'idea' itself center on the fact that he makes no distinction between the intellect and the imagination. Therefore, Locke stood to believe that the idea was a sensory image which is why many researchers refer to him as an imagist. Locke explains an idea as "Whatever it is, which the mind can be employed about thinking" (p. 45). As a result, many have concluded that Locke meant to leave the definition ambiguous, perhaps to allow individuals to make their own decisions. Others believe that Locke was following the same philosophical lines as Gassendi, who used the word in a more fantastical theoretical framework. However, this conclusion is challenged, give the fact that Locke rarely used the words fantasy or fancy when discussing ideas. Yet Locke strongly encouraged people to refrain from thinking that their interpretation of objects and ideas were exactly as they appeared outside of the mind. He draws on the idea of the memory as a place to save, in a way, ideas, though, again, they are not perfect representations. Ayers uses the analogy of a bird and a song to explain this point. If the bird hears a song and then produces it the next day, people may tend to say the bird memorized the song. Locke would say that the bird saved the song in its mind to use to compare the song he is singing. Likewise, children think when they have something to think about. They produce their own mental images, but these images are not exactly like those they see. Thus, Locke's idea is a sensation that is saved through retention in the mind. Ayers claims that Locke was reluctant to apply any intellectual activity to these sensations. He did not separate the imagist mind from a higher, intellectual mind. He never saw a reason to do this, unlike other philosophers. Of course Locke recognized the existence of wit, judgment, wisdom, and madness but only in terms of what the person did with his existing ideas. Descartes and Locke debated the idea of separating conceiving an idea and imagining an idea as either the same or separate functions. Descartes argued that one can conceive of a particular shape but not image it since he does not know exactly what it looks like. Locke countered with the argument that if one can reason about the number of sides and lengths of the shape, we can imagine it from those existing ideas. Ayers concludes that this is an argument against not only Descartes but also the Cartesian views. Ayers notes that in Locke's discussion of abstract ideas, he seems to contradict himself. He says that ideas such as jealousy and lies cannot be imagined by the mind. This seems to suggest that Locke did recognize other conceptions of the mind. Locke later explained that these abstract concepts were ideas "partially considered" (Ayers, p. 49). Ayers final argument here in considering Locke an imagist lies within the idea of an intuition of universal truth or a priori knowledge. Ayers explains this idea using diagrams. He says that philosophers like Descartes say that understanding diagrams, charts, etc. occurs because of higher intellectual processes in the mind. Locke argues that these ideas on paper are representations or copies of what already exists in the mind. For example, a line or angle is something

Demographics and Culture of Brazil Essay Example for Free

Demographics and Culture of Brazil Essay Brazil is currently enjoying the number 5 spot as far as big populations in the world are concerned with 190,010,647 people recorded as of August 16, 2007 (C.I.A., 2007, par. 7). Documents show that the population has grown steadily in the years with only 85,240,000 Brazilians in 1967 to 141,452,000 in 1987 (Lahmeyer, 2003, p. 1). This clearly illustrates that in just forty years, the population of Brazil has already doubled its number of natives.   With a land area of 8,456,510 square kilometers, Brazil has around 58.2 people per square mile. It was estimated by the Population Reference Bureau that 81% of the population lived in urban areas in 2001, up from 66% in 1980 (Brazil Population, 2007, par. 2). The following are more details on the current population of Brazil: Population growth rate:  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   1.008% (2007 est.) Birth rate:  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   16.3 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) Death rate:  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   6.19 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) Sex ratio:  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   at birth: 1  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   .05 male(s)/female under 15 years:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   0.983 male(s)/female 65 years and over:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   0.697 male(s)/female total population:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   0.976 male(s)/female (2007 est.) Age structure:  Ã‚   0-14 years:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   25.3% (male 24,554,254/female 23,613,027) 15-64 years:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   68.4% (male 64,437,140/female 65,523,447) 65 years and over:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   6.3% (male 4,880,562/female 7,002,217) (2007 est.) Median age:  Ã‚   total:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   28.6 years male:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   27.9 years female:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   29.4 years (2007 est.) *Source: C.I.A. The World Fact Book 2007 Brazil’s culture is very much influenced by their Portuguese invaders who have ruled the lands for three centuries.   It was only in 1822 when Brazil finally became a nation. Although Brazil is a democratic country, education, health, safety (physical and juridical) are deficient in Brazil (Brazil Travel, n.d., par. 1). Brazil is the leading economic power and regional leader in South America yet uneven distribution of income is a pressing problem (C.I.A.).   Its economic strength is dependent on its mining, agricultural and manufacturing industries. One of Brazil’s cultural attractions is the Carnaval or Mar de Gras which is annually celebrated at Rio de Janeiro.   The origins of this celebration dates back to the ancient Greek festival in honor of Dionysus which the Romans soon adopted for the Roman God Bacchus as the feast of Saturnalia (World Music Productions, 2007, par. 1).   Back then they celebrated it by making slaves and their masters exchange clothes while drinking wine for the whole day. Saturnalia was converted by Roman Catholics into a festival leading up to Ash Wednesday or before the 40 days of sacrifices prior to Easter.   It became known as Carne Vale which literally means farewell to the flesh and is a fiesta filled with every known sin the Brazilians could think of.   Carnaval, as spelled in Portuguese, is a 4-day celebration. It starts on Saturday, and ends on Fat Tuesday, or Mardi-Gras. (All About Rio, 2007, par. 1). One of the major issues that had put a spotlight on Brazil in the recent years is regarding its environment.   The very rich Amazon forest is the habitat of many endangered species and it plays a major role in the weather cycle of the world.   If it continues to be cut down, global warming will greatly be affected because the Amazon Forest is one of the world’s best source of rain.   Other problems include illegal wildlife trade, air and water pollution in Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo and other cities, improper mining activities, wetland degradation and severe oil spills (C.I.A., par. 7). References All About Rio. (2007). Ipanema.com. Retrieved August 31, 2007 from http://www.ipanema.com/ carnival/ Brazil Population. (2007). Brazil Population. Retrieved August 31, 2007 from http://www. nationsencyclopedia.com/Americas/Brazil.html C.I.A. (2007). The World Fact Book. Retrieved August 31, 2007 from https://www.cia.gov/ library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/br.html#Intro Lahmeyer, J. (2003). Brazil. Retrieved August 31, 2007 from http://www.populstat.info/ Americas/brazilc.htm World Music Productions. (2007). History of Carnival in Brazil. Retrieved August 31, 2007   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   from http://www.afropop.org/multi/feature/ID/33/

Social Work Law and Organisational Context

Social Work Law and Organisational Context Introduction The law and organization context of social work is extremely important when looking at specific cases and scenarios. The aim of this essay is to examine two specific cases, one involving children and families and the other involving community care issues. In these cases the relevant issues regarding social work and law will be identified, and recommendations will be made regarding the assessment criteria that need to be met and what the likely outcome of the cases might be. This will be done by looking at relevant government legislation and case examples, as well as general social work and law practice. The first section will look at a case of Children and families, and examine the issues of significant harm and children in need in relation to the scenario. There will be a definition of these two concepts as they are laid out in the Children Act and Every Child Matters document, as well as recommendations on how best to assess and determine the outcome of this case. The second case will look at community care issues involving a disabled parent and elderly carer. The assessments regarding the welfare of the child and parent as well as any potential care issues will be looked at. This will involve consultation with the Children Act, the Human Rights Act, the Community Care Act and the Carer’s Act. Recommendations will be given regarding how to properly assess this situation and what benefits may be offered to the parties involved. Scenario 1 Children and Families Scenario: Working in Children’s social services, you receive a referral from a church worker about the Jones family. She says that the parents (18 and 19) are often under the influence of drink or drugs, that the children (2 and 4) are dirty and smelly and not being fed properly. You are asked to carry out an initial assessment. What is the role of the local authority when children are in need and if they are facing significant harm? What options does the law offer to ensure that these children are safe? In this situation, the first thing that needs to be referred to is the Children’s Acts of 1989, and of 2004 (OPSI, 1989 and 2004). These acts are the basis by which social workers determine how at risk children are in particular environments, and what the assessment criteria should be used when looking at such a case. In this case, the main issues are the definitions of ‘significant harm’ and ‘children in need’. Looking at the 1989 Children Act, we will start with the concept of significant harm. The concept of significant harm and its definition is referred to in section 47 of the 1989 Children Act. This says that the local authority is under a duty to investigate or create inquiries into the suffering of a child where there is cause to suspect that significant harm is being done to the child or significant harm is likely to befall the child (OPSI, 1989, s. 47). From this, a court can only make a supervision order or care order if the child is suffering or likely suffer significant harm, and this harm is caused by the lack of adequate parental care or control (OPSI, 1989, s. 31). In this case, ‘harm’ refers to ill-treatment such as physical and sexual abuse, as well as mental abuse, poor physical or mental health cause by the parent’s lack of care and impairment of health or development. These factors are compared to what a ‘normal’ child would be expected to have at a particular age (OPSI, 1989, S. 31(9-10)). However, there are no precise guidelines on what would constitute significant harm in each case. Despite this, it is fairly clear in this scenario that where alcohol and drugs are involved and the children are dirty, smelly and potentially malnourished, a duty to investigate is there. The children are being physically impaired at the very least with regards to their health, and the involvement of alcohol and drugs means that this is potentially being caused by the lack of parental care. In such a case, the family context would need to be looked at, as would the child’s development, any special needs the child has, and the exact nature of the harm and the adequacy of parental care. In this case the parents are both very young, but this alone is of course of no particular issue as discrimination laws prevent such discrimination of parental rights based on age. The most important things in this case would be to investigate and prove or disprove the claims about the parent’s alcohol and drug abuse, and also look at the exact state of health of the children. However, there is another concept to look at as well, regarding the nature of children in need. This definition is located in section 17 of the 1989 Children Act. This part of the Children Act shows where legal work and social work combine to form the assessment criteria for families (Tunstill, in Parton, 1997, pp. 40-43). The legal definition ‘Children in Need’ is that the child is unlikely to achieve or maintain or have the opportunity for a reasonable standard of health or development without provision of services from the local authority, and that the child’s health is likely to be impaired or further impaired without such services (Surrey County Council., 2008). In this case, it is not yet determined whether the children are suffering because of the parents, or whether there is some medical reason why the children are in a poor condition. However, if it is proven that the parents are abusing alcohol and drugs; this would most likely constitute a case of child ren in need or children with the likelihood of suffering significant harm. However, in such a case it is unlikely that a permanent care order would be given, and more likely that a temporary care order or supervision order would be put in place, giving the parents the chance to deal with their problems and raise their children properly. If the parents failed in this, then a permanent care order may be issued. There may also be police investigations in light of the allegations regarding illegal drug abuse. If when the children are initially assessed they appear to be in poor physical health, then it is likely that an emergency protection order will be put in place in order to protect the children from further harm in the short-term, whilst the parental and family situation is better assessed and looked at. This way the children will not be placed in further danger, and a more measured approach can take place with regards to the ability of the parents to look after the children (RPsych, 2008). If the children are taken away, then the first option for many Councils currently is to place the children with suitable relatives or friends. It is often found that children are happier and less distressed in such situations, particularly in the short-term. However, this is not always possible and if not a foster home will be assigned for the children should an emergency care order be put in place. The use of drugs and alcohol by the parents, if proven, is a strong indicating factor of danger to the child. In a study in the London area of 290 cases it has been found that nearly 1 third of cases involved substance misuse, and that these children were even more vulnerable than many of the others because of this. The children were generally very young, as in this case, and the parents had a variety of problems in addition to the substance misuse, either directly or indirectly linked to this problem. Therefore, this case must be looked at extremely carefully and all efforts made to safeguard the children (Department for Education and Skills (DfES), 2002, s. 2.16). This is particularly crucial because many studies have also shown that in many cases, the children were not fully safeguarded and not enough was done to protect the children from harm. Although this must not mean looking at the parents immediately as if they were guilty, it is important to fully and thoroughly assess the situation so that the children remain safe, as this is the number one priority (DfES, 2002, s. 2.11). It is clear in this case that investigation is warranted; as one such allegations are made there is a duty on the part of the local authority to investigate. However, in order for any action to be taken, the threshold for significant harm needs to be met. As mentioned before in this case it seems likely that significant harm might be occurring or likely to occur, but the threshold needs to be met, and this can only be determined by a detailed investigation of the family. This can prove difficult, as a study of 105 cases found that there were varying interpretations of significant harm, even with the guidelines set out in the Children Act. This can make it very difficult to determine what exactly constitutes significant harm, and whether or not action should be taken. However, it seems that being more cautious and putting the rights of the children first, without immediately determining the parents as guilty, is the most appropriate way to act in light of the guidelines (Brandon, Lewi s, and Thoburn, 2007, pp. 15-19). Giving parents ‘the benefit of the doubt’ or not looking deeply into the situation can prove extremely harmful, as was shown in the Victoria Climbie case. In light of this, the government has made sure that organizations are now much more integrated, and that the principle responsibility in such cases is the welfare of the children and making sure the children are safe. This means that staff can now more accurately and easily determine cases of abuse or ill-treatment, and they have the necessary support to follow through such investigations. This is certainly important in this case, as the abuse may be hard to determine, especially if the children are merely dirty or have hygiene issues rather than noticeable wounds or damage (Department of Health., 2003) One of the most difficult factors to decide is if the child is suffering significant harm from seeing violence committed by their parents, perhaps on each other rather than the child. Whilst this cannot yet be determined in this case, if the children themselves are unharmed then the harm caused by witnessing violence cannot be underestimated. In another study by Brandon and Lewis (2007), it was discovered that 49 of the 105 cases reviewed included children who witnessed violence, and in many cases the harm caused to the child was often overlooked or downgraded by the social work professional. Although in this case the circumstances may be different, because the children are already being reported as in poor physical health. However, this issue of witnessing violence must be considered an issue in light of the claims regarding alcohol and drug misuse. In this case, the allegations would require a full investigation of the family, to see whether the thresholds for significant harm and children in need have been reached. If this is the case, then the children will be fully examined, and should be put on a program of health improvement. This may involve removing the children from the parents for a period of time if their health is a real issue or the parents have alcohol and drug misuse problems. However, if this is not the case then a supervision order may be enough to improve the health of the children. If this does not look like improving matters, then more drastic care measures may be taken so as to make sure the children are safe. Whilst this is occurring, it needs to be made sure that all issues of discrimination are dealt with, particularly in the form of racial or age discrimination as these issues are often a problem in child safety assessments such as this. It must also be remembered that whilst the parents may be having problems at this time, if the parents can get support as well then any care placement or supervision order may be short-term, as the aim wherever possible is to keep children with their parents if they can remain safe and healthy in that environment (Bretherton, Huzzard, and Little, 2006). It must also be remembered that whilst the care and safety of the child is important, the parents have needs and rights too and traumatizing them unduly when a more appropriate measure might be an initial talk rather than a full investigation. The children should always come first, but if their parents are accused wrongly then the child’s needs are not being met (Spratt, 2000, pp. 611-615) Scenario 2 Community Care Scenario: Julia, 45 contacted her local disability action group to find out what support might be available to her. Her husband left the family home six months ago, shortly after Julie had given birth to a baby girl and received a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis. Julia’s sight has recently deteriorated and her mother, Anna who is 75, has been commuting thirty miles per day to provide general help around the home and support with the care of the baby. As the social worker/advocate taking Julia’s call how would you advise her? What is she entitled to from social services? What support might be available to the family? In this case, there is a delicate balancing act to be had between giving the disabled parent the right amount of support, making sure the child is adequately cared for, and providing support for the elderly carer. This involves looking at the legislation and guidelines laid out in the Community Care Act, and the Carer’s Act. Firstly, it must be decided whether or not the disability or health issue of the parent is separate from them being a parent, and does not impact on the quality of the life of the child. If this is the case, then the assessment for support is based on an adult assessment framework. However, if it is judged that the child is in need and the disability or health issue of the parent impacts on the well-being of the child, then an assessment must be made under the Children Act with regards to the child’s welfare. Firstly, the parent would be advised that they can be assessed by the NHS and Community Care Act framework to determine the level of support they require. This assessment will not only look at the needs of the disabled parent, but also the ability of the parent to take care of the child. This is included in section 47 of the Community Care Act, which states that a person will be assessed who has a disability, and their needs will be determined with regards to welfare and accommodation. This may involve an inspection of the home to see how it could be improved to meet the needs of the disabled parent, and also in this case the child (North Somerset Council., 2003). This assessment would also determine how much support the parent needs, and therefore how capable they are of looking after the child (OPSI, 1990, S. 47). In this case, it must be pointed out that the parent already requires care in order to look after the child, which at the moment is provided from her elderly mother. However, needing support in order to take better care of the child does not mean that the parent is incapable of looking after the child. However, because of the nature of the disability as something which is only like to get worse from a degenerative illness, an ongoing monitoring of the child’s well-being may well take place. This is so that the child can remain with the parent, but also remains safe should the condition of the parent deteriorate to a point where they can no longer provide adequate care for the child. The parent should be advised that as well as having their own situation looked at with regards to support, an assessment of the child’s care will also be done. It should be pointed out to the parent that this is in no way indicative that their child will be removed into care, but it helps the local authority to make sure the needs of the disabled parent and the child are looked after. The process will eventually lead to a care strategy being created that should allow for services that will help the parent to look after their child and also meet the needs of the adult. It is crucial that the adult is not discriminated against because they are disabled, and that it is not immediately assumed that they are incapable of looking after the child. Whilst the potential for degenerative blindness in the parent is worrying, with adequate support they should still be able to look after their child effectively. This is important because a number of studies have shown that disabled parents are often treated poorly, with their rights as parents looked down upon and their needs not met. A disabled person has the right to have a family and get support for this family, within reasonable limits, and as long as the child can be taken care of so that they are not in need. This is covered by the Human Rights Act of 1998, and means that discrimination against disabled parents is prohibited. In these cases, the children protection agencies and adult care agencies should work together to provide support for the adult so that they can best look after themselves and their child (DirectGov, 2008). The Joseph Rowntree Foundation (2003) found that disabled parents often face the assumption that their disability is placing the child at risk. It should be made clear to parents that they are entitled to assistance with parenting tasks from adult community care services. It is important that the rights and needs of the parents are looked after, because by doing this they will be able to look after their child. One other problem is that much of the emphasis is put on ‘Young Carer’s whereby children who are capable will help to care for their parents when they can. They of course receive support, but the overemphasis on this side means that the needs of the parents are overlooked and perhaps too much responsibility is placed on the children. In this case such a young carer is not possible as the child is still only a baby (Wates, 2007). Another issue here is the care being given by the elderly mother of the disabled parent. At 75 years old it is certainly not ideal that she be in charge of caring for the baby and the parent, not because she is incapable but because it is a lot of strain for someone elderly to have to go through. However, if this is only to be a short-term measure or partial relief along with other support services, then the elderly mother can claim support and benefits as a carer under the Carers and Disabled Children Act (OPSI, 2000) and the Carers Act (OPSI, 1995). The carer will be assessed to see if they are qualified or capable of being a care giver, and support will be given to them in order to help carry out this duty. Although in this case it is more likely that this would only be as a short-term or emergency measure, given the age of the potential carer and the fact a young baby and a disabled parent need care. The most important factor here is to make sure that both the adult assessment and child assessment are carried out with the desire to make sure the adult gets the support they need to look after themselves and their child adequately (Solihull NHS., 2006). In this case, one of the best ways to gain support might be through the use of direct payments to the disabled parent, thereby allowing them the chance to arrange support that suits them and their child. The assessment will give the parent a chance to understand the ways in which support can help them, and the direct payment scheme can help them to remain independent (Bytheway et al, 2002, pp. 341-343). Conclusion In both cases, the most important factors are to make sure that the assessment criteria are fulfilled, and that adequate support is given so that both parents and children can remain together in a safe and stable environment. In the first case, the welfare of the child must be of paramount importance, and any risk to the child should be put first. However, it must also be made sure that every effort is made for the parents and children to remain together if the parents can receive support to improve their care giving abilities (Whitney, 2004, pp. 52-55). In the second case, the most important factor is to make sure that the disabled parent gets the support they need and, if possible, continue to look after their child effectively with this support. If these procedures are implemented then both parents and children will be able to remain safe and receive the support they need. Bibliography General: Butler, I., Butler, I.G., and Roberts, G., 2003. Social Work with Children and Families: Getting Into Practice. Jessica Kingsley Publishers. Millam, R., 2002. Anti-Discriminatory Practice: a guide for workers in childcare and education. Continuum International Publishing Group. Parton, N., 1997. Child Protection and Family Support: Tensions, Contradictions and Possibilities. Routledge. Whitney, B., 2004. Protecting Children: A Handbook for Teachers and School Managers. London: RoutledgeFalmer. Scenario 1: Brandon, M.B., and Lewis, A., 2007. Significant harm and childrens experiences of domestic violence. Child and Family Social Work, 1(1), pp. 33-42. Brandon, M.B., Lewis, A., and Thoburn, J., 2007. The Children Act definition of significant harm—interpretations in practice. Health and Social Care in the Community, 4(1), pp. 11-20. Bretherton, H., Huzzard, S., and Little, P., 2006. Family Justice Research Digest, Issue 1. Available at: http://www.family-justice-council.org.uk/docs/rd_06_issue1.pdf Department for Education and Skills (DfES)., 2002. Children Act Report 2002. Available at: http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/publications/childrenactreport/docs/DfES-Childrens%20Act.pdf Department of Health., 2003. Keeping Children Safe: The Government’s Response to the Victoria Climbià © Inquiry Report and Joint Chief Inspectors’ Report Safeguarding Children. Available at: http://www.everychildmatters.gov.uk/_files/684162953674A15196BB5221973959E3.pdf Department of Health., 2008. Department of Health Website. (Online). Available at: http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/index.htm (Accessed 17th August 2008). Office of Public Sector Information (OPSI)., 1989. Children Act 1989. http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts1989/ukpga_19890041_en_1 Office of Public Sector Information (OPSI)., 2004. Children Act 2004. Available at: http://www.opsi.gov.uk/ACTS/acts2004/ukpga_20040031_en_1.htm RPsych., 2008. Overview of the Children Act 1989. (Online). http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/files/samplechapter/102_0.pdf (Accessed 18th August 2008). Spratt, T., 2000. Decision making by senior social workers at point of first referral. British Journal of Social Work, 30, pp. 597-618. Surrey County Council., 2008. What does the term children in need mean? (Online). Available at: http://www.surreycc.gov.uk/sccwebsite/sccwspages.nsf/LookupWebPagesByTITLE_RTF/What+does+the+term+Children+in+Need+meanQ?opendocument. (Accessed 16th August 2008). Scenario 2: Bytheway, B., et al. 2002. Understanding Care, Welfare and Community: A Reader. London: Routledge. DirectGov., 2008. Rights, legislation and disabled parents. (Online). Available at: http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/DisabledPeople/Disabledparents/DG_10037905 (Accessed 17th August 2008). Joseph Rowntree Foundation., 2003. Disabled parents are undermined by poor support and negative attitudes, says task force. Available at: http://www.jrf.org.uk/pressroom/releases/240903.asp North Somerset Council., 2003. Parents with Care Needs. Available at: http://www.n-somerset.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/611F9138-4C4F-4762-9ECB-5AC16C94622D/0/document_20030701_Protocol19ParentsWithCareNeeds.pdf Office of Public Sector Information (OPSI)., 1990. National Health Service and Community Care Act 1990 (c. 19). Available at: http://www.opsi.gov.uk/ACTS/acts1990/ukpga_19900019_en_1   Available at: http://www.opsi.gov.uk/ACTS/acts2000/ukpga_20000016_en_1 Solihull NHS., 2006. Supporting disabled parents – Solihull MBC inter-directorate protocol and staff guidance. Available at: http://www.solihull.nhs.uk/foi/policies/social_care/D%20-%20Disabled%20Parents%20Protocol.pdf

Analysis of Edgar Allan Poes The Black Cat :: Poe The Black Cat Essays

Analysis of Edgar Allan Poe's The Black Cat      Edgar Allan Poe wrote that the single effect was the most important aspect of a short story, which everything must contribute to this effect. Poe’s gothic tale â€Å"The Black Cat† was written trying to achieve an effect of shocking insanity. In this first person narrative the narrator tells of his decline from sanity to madness, all because of an obsession with two (or possibly one) black cats. These ebony creatures finally drive him to take the life his wife, whose death he unsuccessfully tries to conceal.   This short story easily achieved the effect that Poe was looking for through the use of description of setting, symbolism, plot development, diverse word choice, and detailed character development. In most cases, the setting is usually indelible to a story, but â€Å"The Black Cat† relies little on this element. This tale could have occurred anywhere and can be placed in any era. This makes the setting the weakest element of â€Å"The Black Cat.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Next, symbolism is always an integral part of any Poe story. The most obvious of symbolic references in this story is the cat’s name, Pluto. This is the Roman god of the underworld. Pluto contributes to a strong sense of hell and may even symbolize the devil himself. Another immensely symbolic part of â€Å"The Black Cat† is the title itself, since onyx cats have long connoted bad luck and misfortune. The most amazing thing about the symbolism in this story or in any other of Poe’s is that there are probably many symbols that only Poe himself ever knew were in his writings.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Furthermore, Poe’s plot development added much of the effect of shocking insanity to â€Å"The Black Cat.† To dream up such an intricate plot of perverseness, alcoholism, murders, fire, revival, and punishment is quite amazing. This story has almost any plot element you can imagine a horror story containing. Who could have guessed, at the beginning of the story, that narrator had killed his wife? The course of events in â€Å"The Black Cat’s† plot is shockingly insane by itself! Moreover, the words in â€Å"The Black Cat† were precisely chosen to contribute to Poe’s effect of shocking insanity. As the narrator pens these he creates a splendidly morbid picture of the plot. Perfectly selected, sometimes rare, and often dark, his words create just the atmosphere that he desired in the story.

teens with hiv taking more risks :: essays research papers

Teenagers infected with HIV are more likely to engage in risky sex and drug use since the introduction of powerful medicines that effectively keep AIDS at bay, a new study finds. The trend, which began surfacing after highly active antiretroviral therapies (HAART) were introduced in 1996, points to the need for targeted interventions to reduce risky behavior and improve quality of life for those in this group, the researchers noted. Roughly a quarter of the 40,000 new HIV infections in the United States each year occur in people under the age of 21, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "Young people, post-HAART, are engaging in more unprotected sex and engaging in more substance abuse, and are more emotionally distressed and have a lower quality of life," said lead researcher Marguerita Lightfoot, an assistant research psychologist at the University of California, Los Angeles' Center for Community Health. This finding was surprising, Lightfoot added. "I had a hypothesis that the young people who are taking HAART would be healthier, because they had more hope, they were living longer. And I was surprised that that wasn't the case." In the study, Lightfoot and her colleagues compared behaviors among 349 teens with HIV from Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York City and Miami from 1994 to 1996, with 175 teens with HIV in the same cities from 1999 to 2000. The two groups did not include the same people, but they were a similar mix of sex, age, race and ethnicity, as well as socioeconomic factors, according to the report in the March issue of the American Journal of Health Behavior. The researchers found the post-HAART group was almost two times more likely to have had unprotected sex. The post-HAART teens had almost twice the number of sex partners, compared with pre-HAART teens. And post-HAART teens were more likely to have a sexual partner who used injected drugs. In addition, the post-HAART group was diagnosed with HIV at a younger age and was in worse health than the pre-HAART group, Lightfoot's team found. Lightfoot said there are a number of reasons for these findings. She noted the powerful drug regimen isn't perfect. "There are increased expectations for HAART," Lightfoot said. "But not everyone is successful on HAART." Lightfoot also noted that teens infected with HIV are more apt to be involved with the juvenile justice system and spend time in jail. "Maybe it says something about the kind of young people who are more likely to be infected with HIV.

For the Love of Art Essay -- Artist Paintings Essays

For the Love of Art What is art? Would music, paintings, movies, dance, and speech all be considered art? What type, style or quality is required for these to be deemed art? These are wonderful questions. Many have tried to define for themselves and others what the correct answers are. The questions are wonderful, because, I believe they have no correct answers. I find the questions enlightening because there is no right or wrong. This is freeing. If one can’t be proven right, then how can one be proven wrong? The picture of the Virgin Mary on a ham sandwich that sold on Ebay, it that art? I don’t think the price or medium should be a factor. Van Gogh sold not one painting in his life time, yet only the wealthiest people in the world today could afford his work that has sold for millions at auction. I believe Van Gogh to be a great artist, not Hormel. Could we say art is in the eye of the beholder? A four year old that â€Å"paints† abstracts has taken the art world by storm, an elephant that paints with his trunk, a computer generated interactive music machine, ok. The eye of the beholder. The prerequisite for art to be considered art is on the receiving side. I think it a human quality to admire or be affected by art. Like the tree that falls in the forest, is a painting art if nobody sees it? In an article written by Elaine Thornburgh and Jack Logan, they discuss the quality that all great art has, the ability to transcend time and place. I have my own feelings about what should be considered art, and it is just that, my feeling. Art moves, inspires, disgusts, disturbs or touches us in some way. It may change us, it may not. There is one thing that would discount what I consider art. If I am indi... ...nstruments, they all have an affect. Music has the ability to strike chords inside our soul. I hear Chopin I am physically altered. How does that happen? How can an organization of notes affect a human being in such a way? I am waiting for the study to come out. The one that explains exactly why these emotions are driven up from classical music and other artistic forms. The one that reduces my experience to synapses. The one that explains the tone quality and particular note arrangement in relation to brain waves and reaction times. The combination of strings and horns or color and line that trigger a specific reaction. I am waiting for the scientific study so I can seek it out and make sure that I don’t read any part of it. I like being moved, inspired, disgusted, disturbed and touched by art. I love the mystery of it all.. It makes me feel alive.

Key to happiness

The term toxic is defined as the â€Å"suffering from exposure to poisonous substances†. We sometimes refer to ourselves as toxic when we need to get so many things done. Productivity, if not controlled, or if forced to increase, can be harmful and therefore, toxic. While it is the blood that runs through the vines of workers and employees, it could become the poison that would kill the system if it goes out of hand. The workers do not notice that in the long run they will lose all their energy and productivity would decline along with their will to work.Everybody seems to have a task to accomplish even during weekends. When it rains, it pours. This is not only applicable to problems in life, but to the tasks in school or in the workplace as well. We are compelled to accomplish so much in so little time that we neglect out health and our relationships in life. Sometimes, we think accomplishing more work in shorter time period would make us more productive, but in reality, it j ust makes us tired with no energy left for the coming tasks. The whole American society has become a walking and talking group of people who live and breathe work and productivity because as others think, working more brings in more money which spells happiness.On the contrary, though, this addiction to work could be attributed to the fact that this society promotes achievement and perfection. In an environment where people thrive on stress, it is but normal to see employees who still work even on vacation. Their jobs have become their lives and they cannot seem to have the ability to detach themselves from it even just for a while. Many professionals today think that they have to achieve superhuman productivity in order to be worthy in the workplace.They are often tormented by guilt and anxiety to deliver their best in their jobs.   It seems that their happiness lie in the work that they bury their heads into. The relation that exists between the mind and the body is very intimat e. When one is affected, the other sympathizes. The condition of the mind affects the health to a far greater degree than many realize. Many of the diseases from which men suffer are the result of mental depression. Grief, anxiety, discontent, remorse, guilt, distrust, all tend to break down the life forces, and to invite decay and death.Disease is sometimes produced, and is often greatly aggravated, by the imagination. Many are lifelong invalids who might be well if they only thought so. Many imagine that very slight exposure will cause illness, and the evil disease, the cause of which is wholly imaginary. Courage, hope, faith, sympathy, love, promote health and prolong life. A contended mind, a cheerful spirit, is health to the body and strength to the soul. â€Å"A merry [rejoicing] heart doeth good like a medicine.† In the treatment of the sick, the effect of mental influence should not be overlooked. Rightly used, this influence affords one of the most effective agencies for combating disease. I tend to disagree that people need to lessen their desires just so they can achieve happiness.In Joe Robinson’s Blackberry’s Don’t Fit in Bikinis, he discussed how the American society is fast becoming a society struck with Obsessive-Compulsive Productivity or OCP. The article talked about how vacation or other leisure activities could actually increase productivity. The article gave emphasis on the fact that people need to rest and recharge in order to increase productivity. It is necessary for the human mind to rest to be able to have the ability to think and work again. There is the continuous wanting for more. Perhaps it is this kind of obsession that I am against.Robinson put it best when he used the term Obsessive-Compulsive Productivity to describe what is wrong with most American workers in the present time. This is the fixation to put out results althroughout the workday. It can also be considered an addiction as the people with this are usually workaholics. They are obsessed with accomplishing their tasks and work endlessly to deliver what is expected from them. They usually aim high and expect a lot from themselves and from others.â€Å"Nearly 40% of Americans work more than 50 hours a week (Robinson Undated).† This is not surprising since it is a known fact that the nation has an insistent work ethic. What is alarming is that they work even on vacation and cannot really give themselves the break that they need and deserve. They rarely disconnect from work and they even bring their tasks in the comfort of their own homes. Naturally, they do not get much sleep and lack the rest and recreation that they badly need. Happiness must not be equated with just the work that they do but with people and relationships.In a way, this could be attributed to the high-maintenance lifestyle of the Americans. They need to earn more in order to maintain the lifestyle that they have. Thus, they feel like they have t o earn much to provide for their families. They tend to prioritize their careers over their families, which destroys the very essence of keeping a family.  Some are just plain overachievers. They set high expectations and goals for themselves and they work very hard to make sure that their outputs meet the objectives that they set. The problem with this kind of employees is that they get frustrated easily when they do not reach their goals or when their co-employees fail to meet their expectations.The American society should be alarmed because if this behavior continues until the following years, most of the employees will be victims of burnouts, they will not be able to perform well, thus productivity will eventually decrease and will result into low turnout of outputs in the workplace. The values that are being instilled in the minds of the young ones will be the same as the values kept by their predecessors. Americans place a high value on their competence and ability to do the tasks given to them. Their self-worth largely depends on what they are capable to do more than what they are made of. This will be passed on to the next generation and a new generation of workaholics in the society will be created.Americans do not realize that the quality of life is sacrificed because of these misconceptions about work and productivity. When one’s life revolves around his career, his relationships suffer. He does not have much time even for himself, how much more for other people? This is dangerous because in time the nation will become a nation obsessed with accomplishments and work productivity, not valuing what truly matters in this life like family and friends. In fact, the personal well-being is at stake because not only do these employees tend to sacrifice their families, they disregard their health as well.â€Å"A study last year by the University of Massachusetts Medical School found that chronic 12-hour workdays increase your risk of illness or inj ury by 37%. Work without time to think, analyze or recharge feeds knee-jerk performance and the hurry-worry of stress. Everything appears urgent when there isn’t time to judge what is truly urgent and what isn’t (Robinson undated).†Robinson emphasizes the importance of taking a vacation and really enjoying it. Every faithful employee must have the chance to detach themselves from their offices at least at a regular given time period. They should be able to stop and smell the flowers and then get back to work. They will not necessarily slack off but just a slow down a little. Some cannot detach themselves from their work that even on vacation, they always put their work first. A vacation would provide the mind to rest for a while and prepare it for the challenges ahead. It will slow down the processing and give the mind and the body the opportunity to re-energize and prepare for the coming tasks.Studies also showed that the performance in the workplace drastically improves after a vacation. The H Group, an investment services company in Salem, Oregon, doubled the income after the owner, Ron Kelemen increases the time off of the employees to three and a half weeks (Robinson 2006).   Another example is Jancoa, a Cincinnati cleaning company. When they changed to a three-week vacation policy, the productivity of their workers flew high enough to cut overtime and the profits increased to fifteen percent (Robinson 2006).  This just proves and shows that continuous productivity is not the answer to job competence and efficiency. It is wise to sit back for a while and do no work than to continuously work, produce mediocre outputs and get tired in the process.If not properly monitored, this might go on and on and will be passed to the next generation of employees who will also be obsessed with productivity. It looks like the trend is most likely to continue in the future because at the rate we are going, we will not just going to be a society, bu t a nation of workaholics. We should really learn to stop and smell the flowers, we should learn to rest for a while and enjoy a vacation.Obsessive-compulsive productivity is likely to continue in the future because there are no indications that the society is going to change soon. The technological innovations aggravate the situation. The more gadgets are produced to make work easier for humans, the more they will be addicted to productivity. These technological gadgets have a deep effect on the values of American employees. We firmly believe that because these equipment exists, we need to get more work done in the least possible time. What we do not know that these innovations were developed for us to finish our work faster and have more time for rest and recreation.All work and no play make John a doll boy. This is especially true for the students in the university and the corporate people in the business district. We need to let ourselves rest for a while, then wake up to get ba ck to work. Because if we just go through, we might not have enough energy left after a couple of years. Contrary to what other people think that they should work and work and work to get there, it is better if they should work and rest to go back again, or work and rest in the weekend, and then go back to work.Dr. Steven E. Hyman is Director of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), the component of the National Institutes of Health charged with generating the knowledge needed to understand, treat and prevent mental illness. He continues to direct an active research program in molecular neurobiology focused on how neurotransmitters, especially dopamine and glutamate, alter the expression of genes in the striatum producing long-term changes in neural function that can influence behavior. Hillary Clinton was a former First Lady who was elected to the United States Senate and the first woman elected stateswide in New York.Given this background, we can say that all these autho rs are experts in their own fields of expertise. They are biased about their topics because they had been exposed to that all their lives. They have conducted the results of studies similar to these for many years. That accounts for their respective biases. One need not lessen one’s wants because this will also create uneasiness. |One just have to be happy with what he has and then strive and plan for the best.Sometimes, this inclination for more is a mental disease. I am inclined to support the theory that mental illness is indeed a disease and is treatable. This could be called the â€Å"organic† theory which supports the biochemical causation of mental disease. This holds that what we call the mind is the interplay of the nerve cells of the body. Therefore, the mind, at the very least, is indirectly subject to the ordinary physical and chemical laws that govern those cells. I believe that even if a mental disorder arises from an outside stress, it is the neurons tha t respond to the stress either well or poorly, and the varying ability to respond to the stress healthfully must have its basis in a biochemical difference. Favoring the organic theory is the fact that some forms of mental disease have indeed been found to have a biochemical basis.Sad and dissatisfied for now, but we need not be in the future. People just need to me more aware and appreciative of the little things. Simple acts of love, safe arrivals, peaceful exchanges between neighboring countries and people helping each other are noteworthy events. We feed our minds either bleak or beautiful and happy imagery. Why not inspire ourselves and choose to be happy no matter what happens. Wanting to be happy and more loving on a sustained basis directs us to seek peaceful roads less traveled.REFERENCESBobgan, M and Bobgan, D. 1987. Mental Illness is Not a Disease. Mental Illness.  Greenhaven Press.Key to Happiness. http://www.heraldsun.com.au/?nk=43975a015ad5196135913d0f574b7afc-148838 8529Robinson, John. Blueberry’s Don’t Fit In Bikinis. Los Angeles Times. 2006.

Iron Crowned Chapter 15

I had two immediate reactions to this. One was that Dorian could wait around forever; he had no right to demand anything of me. My other reaction was outrage that he could come traipsing into my home when I was banned from his. Admittedly, that was my own fault. I hadn't put down any hospitality rules to keep him out. As such, he'd be welcomed like any other non-enemy monarch – particularly by my people. I considered simply sending Volusian to revoke hospitality but then tossed that idea aside. I'd take care of this myself. I drove out to the gateway by my home as fast as I could without getting a ticket and then crossed over to the anchor inside my castle. Once there, I hurried through the halls, oblivious to servants' startled stares. I knew where Dorian would be. My people would have received him in the nicest chamber, the one befitting any visiting monarch. Sure enough. Dorian sat inside the parlor, lounging in a central chair with Shaya, Rurik, and others sitting around him. He looked like he was holding court in his own castle. My anger doubled. Everyone except him jumped up at my sudden approach, giving hasty bows. â€Å"Out,† I snapped. â€Å"All of you. And shut the door.† My words left no question about who exactly I wanted out. Dorian didn't move, but the rest scurried to obey my orders. I saw Shaya and Rurik exchange looks with each other, no doubt worried what was going to happen with the two monarchs they loved. Once we were alone, I turned on Dorian. â€Å"What the hell are you doing here?† He regarded me coolly, face perfectly at ease. â€Å"Visiting, as is my right. There's nothing that says I can't. Unless you're revoking my hospitality?† â€Å"I should,† I said, stepping forward with fists clenched. â€Å"I should have my guards throw you out on your ass.† He snorted and absentmindedly smoothed a piece of his long hair. â€Å"Good luck with that. They'd throw you out first, if I gave the order.† â€Å"So that's why you're here? To start a rebellion in my own kingdom?† â€Å"No. I'm here to remind you of your responsibilities to your kingdom – since you've clearly forgotten.† â€Å"Really?† I crossed my arms across my chest in an effort to stop myself from doing something stupid. â€Å"I think you've forgotten what I've done for my kingdom. Say, like, saving it from disaster. And risking my life for that fucking crown so that we could finally have peace.† â€Å"If memory serves, you caused that disaster when you created an inhospitable desert.† His voice was still damnably calm. â€Å"And that crown is doing you no good.† â€Å"Didn't you hear me? We have peace. The fighting's stopped.† â€Å"The fighting's temporarily stopped. Katrice is playing you, and you're letting her. She's dragging her feet, using this negotiation delay to figure out a way out of this. If you really want to end the war once and for all, you need to get involved and let her know you're serious. Wave the crown around. Dare her to call your bluff. Show her you're in control and stop all of this for real.† I gave a harsh laugh. â€Å"That's so typical of you. Attempting to pull the strings, as usual. You don't even have the crown, but you're telling me what to do with it.† Dorian shot up from the chair, smooth features breaking into annoyance. â€Å"I am remembering what it means to be a king. I'm not running away and letting others deal with things that seem too hard.† â€Å"Right,† I said, keeping an eye on the distance between us. â€Å"Getting the crown was easy. Which is why, of course, you were right out there with me.† He narrowed his eyes. â€Å"You know I would have if I could. So I did the only thing I could: I got you out there after it.† â€Å"By lying!† I exclaimed. I tried to keep my voice strong, letting anger be the only emotion to slip, but grief cracked me a little. â€Å"By creating an elaborate set-up with Masthera in the hope I'd seize more land for us. Why do you not see how wrong that was?† â€Å"Was it?† His volume was starting to match my own. I'd so rarely seen emotion seize him, and it was both terrible and beautiful. â€Å"Do you think our people think it's wrong? The ones whose homes are no longer in danger? The ones who are alive because of this? The crown bought that, and you're going to ruin it all if you don't force her into talks! Not only that, by not acting, you're letting what Leith did to you go unpunished.† â€Å"Oh, he got punished,† I said. â€Å"Yes,† agreed Dorian coldly. â€Å"By me. Something you seem to have forgotten, now that you've jumped back into bed with that animal.† â€Å"Kiyo isn't part of this. And what you did isn't enough to obligate me to stay in a relationship with someone who constantly deceives me.† Dorian turned away, putting his back to me. Somehow, this was more insulting than all the glares in the world. â€Å"I can only assume this is human logic. Achieving peace by bending the truth is deceitful. The greatest sin in the world. But infidelity is moral and just.† â€Å"It's not! And I wasn't – I didn't cheat on you. As far as I was concerned, we were through. I was free to do whatever I wanted.† â€Å"Obviously.† I didn't want to show any weakness in front of him, but the thing was, part of me still questioned if having sex with Kiyo back in the forest had been right or not. I'd even felt conflicted at the time. I'd let my impulses win out, using muddled logic to satisfy both my lust and need for revenge. â€Å"Look,† I said, trying to calm myself down. â€Å"I didn't mean to hurt your feelings – â€Å" He spun around so sharply that my words dropped. I didn't fear Dorian, not with my power and in my home, but something in his eyes made me step back. â€Å"Queen Eugenie,† he said formally. â€Å"Don't trouble yourself over my ‘feelings.' Replacing you in my bed isn't that difficult. You have too high an opinion of yourself in that regard.† Those words slapped me in the face, despite all the reasonable parts of my brain screaming at me that it didn't matter. I had no reason to care what he did. No reason to care about him. â€Å"So,† I said, matching his tone. â€Å"Ysabel has a place to sell her skills again.† â€Å"Very good ones,† he agreed. â€Å"The question now is if you're going to use yours. Put Katrice in her place. Get her to negotiate so that we can get the concessions we deserve. Stop acting like a human.† â€Å"I am human. You keep forgetting that.† He studied me up and down, giving me the opportunity to do the same to him. You don't care, you don't care, I told myself, trying to push aside how much I'd loved that gorgeous face. â€Å"No,† he said at last, contempt in his voice. â€Å"It's impossible to forget. You're acting like one now, refusing to do the right thing just because I've asked you to. You're being contrary out of spite.† He strode toward the door. â€Å"If you don't act soon, you'll regret it.† I didn't like him being the one to end this conversation. It was more of him always having the power. â€Å"Are you threatening me?† Dorian put his hand on the door's handle and glanced at me over his shoulder. â€Å"No. I'm not the threat. Katrice is. And while you keep going on and on about how much I've wronged you and lied to you, I can say with absolute certainty that what I've just told you is the truth.† â€Å"Noted.† Hastily, I made an attempt at acting like the queen around here. â€Å"You can go now. And don't come back.† That earned me a half smile, though there wasn't much humor in it. â€Å"Are you revoking my hospitality?† I hesitated. â€Å"No. I'm above that. I'll just assume you'll do the right thing and stay the hell away from me.† â€Å"Noted,† he replied, imitating my earlier tone. He opened the door and walked away without another look. I stared at the empty space where he'd been, wondering who'd come out on top of that argument. By the time I emerged and found Shaya, Dorian had already left my castle for his own lands. She asked nothing about what had transpired with him, but worry was written all over her face. â€Å"How close are we?† I demanded. â€Å"How close are we to sitting down with Katrice and writing up a treaty?† Shaya paled, and I realized I had turned my anger at Dorian on her. â€Å"Not as close as I'd like. She agreed †¦ she agreed she'd come in person, but only if the talks were held in the Willow Land. Queen Maiwenn has agreed, but Dor – King Dorian says that's unacceptable. He suggests the Linden Land or the Maple Land. Katrice refuses.† Linden and Maple. Kingdoms both staunchly neutral. Maiwenn theoretically was too. She'd always put on the pretense of friendship, and I was certain Kiyo would endorse her hospitality. But something about it made me uneasy. I didn't want to support Dorian †¦ but then I realized that instinct came from exactly what he'd warned me of: wanting to oppose him just out of spite. Our personal mess aside, he was my ally. Neutral ground was best for us. â€Å"Reiterate Dorian's stance,† I said. â€Å"Linden or Maple. I'm going back to Tucson. Let me know what happens.† Shaya opened her mouth, to protest or beg for help, I couldn't say. Dorian's words came back to me. Get actively involved. â€Å"Wave the crown† and make Katrice agree to our terms. No. On that, I wouldn't agree with him. I wouldn't use that crown like he wanted me too, even as a threat. â€Å"That'll be all,† I told Shaya. She nodded, obedient as always. The look on her face as I left made me feel a little guilty. Maybe I could make things easier for her. Maybe I could expedite all this. But for now, there was literally no harm being done. What could Katrice's stalling achieve? If she began hostilities again, she ran the risk of facing the crown she obviously feared. My people were safe. The waiting was frustrating, but it had to end soon. I'd told Dorian I was human, and that's what I intended to be. I would go home, start following up on jobs, and let the gentry deal with this red tape until I was absolutely needed. And that was exactly what I did. I returned to my old life. Kiyo and I continued dating, and being with him, reestablishing our old connection and sex life, went a long way toward blocking out images of beautiful, voluptuous Ysabel in Dorian's bed. My workload increased – as did my income – though my jobs tired me out more than I was used to. That scared me. It made me think about what it meant to be human and gentry. I'd fought to keep my human side dominant. Was the gentry part taking over? Stunting my shamanic abilities? No, I firmly decided. This was stress, pure and simple. In the two weeks that followed, though, I had to concede to my gentry side occasionally. The Thorn Land called to me, so I continued my quick visits, keeping the land strong and – no matter how much I hated to admit it – strengthening myself. Unfortunately, I took little joy from that because no good news ever came from the Otherworld. Katrice kept switching back and forth. Yes, she'd agree to the Maple Land – no, she'd changed her mind. Linden. But only if ambassadors went first, then the monarchs. No – she'd go. But it was back to the Willow Land. Or maybe some place altogether different? What about the Palm Land? Dorian made no attempts at direct contact with me, but there was no need. When I went to bed each night, I could see his face. Wave the crown, wave the crown. Fortunately, my aggressive workload tired me out enough to fall asleep quickly. Good news of sorts finally came one day when Kiyo and I were out hiking. The temperature had shot up, heralding spring, and I'd welcomed the break from work. Traipsing through the wilderness was something Dorian would certainly never do – especially in the desert. But like me, Kiyo appreciated the rugged beauty and heat of the land. I'd missed these excursions with him. His eyebrows rose when my cell phone rang. â€Å"You can get a signal out here?† â€Å"Apparently.† I was as surprised as him. Looking at the ID, I saw Enrique's name pop up. His recent reports, after that brief surge of promising news, had been clipped and vague: simple reminders that he was still working on things. I answered eagerly. â€Å"Please tell me you've found something.† â€Å"I have,† he said. Enrique had that smug tone from when we'd met. It had been annoying then, but now, I found it encouraging. â€Å"I finally tracked down the gun dealer and – â€Å" I didn't hear the rest because a sudden drop in the temperature and tingling in the air heralded Volusian's arrival. Apparently, I could get an Otherworldly signal out here too. My minion's orders to report all urgent news trumped whatever Enrique had to say. â€Å"Hey,† I interrupted. â€Å"I'll call you back.† â€Å"What the – â€Å" I disconnected, not giving him a chance to finish his outrage. He probably wasn't used to being hung up on. I turned to Volusian, who waited patiently and silently for me. He was a spot of darkness on the sunny day; he seemed to suck away the light of the world. â€Å"Please,† I begged. â€Å"Please tell me Katrice has finally given in, so that we can talk.† Volusian stayed silent a few moments. I swear, it was for drama's sake, and I felt like choking him. â€Å"No,† he said. â€Å"The Rowan Queen has not agreed to negotiations yet, although †¦ she has acted.† Kiyo and I exchanged looks. There was no way this could be good. I was also pretty sure Volusian liked delivering this news. â€Å"She's kidnapped your sister,† he said. â€Å"And has a list of demands to be met, if you want to see Jasmine alive again.†

Enginineer Economic and Costing Essay

The HKSAR government announced to the public on 24 October 2006 that the former site of Hong Kong International Airport (Kai Tak Airport) would be redeveloped as an international cruise hub. The whole project included two sub projects, â€Å"Site formation† and â€Å"Cruise terminal and ancillary facilities building†. In project costing Inflation factor is applied as refer to government inflation index in 2009 (2%) and 2010 (2.7%). As the reason of project postponed, the total cost increased nearly one billion dollars compared to the original plan due to retendering and ASD government requirements. Within project costing considerations, maintenance cost in cash flow out is estimated to be roughly 221.9 Million per year from 2013. For project revenue, two main factors based on fixed rent from tenant space ($13 million for ten year tenancy) and variable rent from percentages of annual gross receipt. Minimum acceptable rate of return (MARR) was also used and accounted for from Exchange Fund to calculate present worth analysis as well as benefit and cost ratio of proposed development. Aside from economic and cost based justifications for project analysis, three main factors of social impacts are also considered in competitiveness in the cruise market, employment opportunity, as well as promoting sustainability from an environmental prospective. Overall, the demand for worldwide passenger levels are ever growing, to promote the international image of Hong Kong, the proposal of building the Kai Tak Cruise terminal is feasible when considerations come into play for combination in socio-economic factors. 1Background In analyzing the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal, we analyzed the socioeconomic implications for the development plan. The HKSAR government announced to the public on 24 October 2006 that the former site of Hong Kong International Airport (Kai Tak Airport) would be reissued for tender and to the redevelopment of reclaimed land that encompass 7.6 hectares with a general development cost estimate of roughly $8.2 billion. A brief background of the Kai Tak area is that it is the site of the former Hong Kong Kai Tak International Airport located in Kowloon side of Hong Kong. Due to the sensitivity of limited land availability and urban density characteristics in Hong Kong, many rounds of deliberation and planning review by the government was required to finally approve the decision of developing the Cruise Terminal. Ultimately, the new Cruise Terminal facility will serve as a mix use facility to not only serves Hong Kong’s resurgence as an ecotourism destination, but a place for exhibitions and alternate venues as well. 2Cost and Revenue Analysis 2.1Project Costing and Investment Since the fail of tender in 2008, the government decided to proceed with the Design, Build and Lease (DBL) approach. The initial investment includes two sub-projects: â€Å"Site formation† and â€Å"Cruise terminal & ancillary facilities building† were original estimated costing $7.2 billion based on the price in 2008. However, the construction cost in general had surged significantly in 2009 due to sharp increase of numerous materials’ cost like sand and steel reinforcement ect. Finally the cost for â€Å"Site formation† roughly estimated as $2.30 billion with inflation factor 2% applied. This part starts from 2009 and will finish in 2017. One year later, the construction of â€Å"Cruise terminal and ancillary facilities building† started and the inflation factor increase to 2.7%. The cost roughly estimated as $5.85 billion. Thus the total initial investment cost becomes $8.15 billion which is around one billion difference to the original plan due to price infraction. The cash flow out show as below: [pic] The 1st pier will be commenced to public in 2013 Q2 (2nd pier will be after 2017). Thus using 2012~13 FY as reference point and assume MARR to be 4.9 %, whereas the initial investment cost used after 2013 will also be calculated to the present value in 2013 for comparison. Therefore, the total initial investment of Cruise Terminal will be $8.1 billion. [PW(I) = 8.1 billion] (Refer to Appendix Table 1) Beyond the initial investment, the government estimates the annual recurrent expenditure arising from site formation to be $15.5 million and from cruise terminal & ancillary facilities building to be $206.4 million. Thus the total maintenance costs will be $221.9 Million per year after the terminal commences to the public. [pic] 2.2Project Revenue Direct renting revenue to the government In 2011, HKSAR launched an open tender for the tenancy. The Tender Assessment Panel considered that the Worldwide Cruise Terminals Consortium (WCT)’s tender had complied the tender requirements. And the Central Tender Board approved the acceptance of WCT’s tender with renting detail as following: WCT will pay to the government a fixed Rent of approximately $13 million for the 10-year tenancy. The Government will be also received a percentage of the gross receipt of the operator as the variable rent. The percentages of the annual gross receipt to be shared with the Government by WCT are as below: [pic] 3Evaluation of Economic Viability 3.1Minimum Attractive Rate of Return (MARR) To understand the economic viability of carrying out this project, evaluation was conducted by applying the money-time relationships and the concept of Minimum Attractive Rate of Return (MARR). Average investment return of the Exchange Fund which is managed by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) was chosen as the MARR in the analysis. The Exchange Fund’s primary objective is to affect the exchange value of the currency of Hong Kong. The Exchange Fund may also be used to maintain the stability and integrity of Hong Kong’s monetary and financial systems, and can be invested in any securities or other assets to achieve investment return. According to the HKMA, the average return of the Fund was 3.5% over the last three years, 3.2% over the last five years, 4.9% over the last 10 years and 5.6% since 1994. In our analysis, the 10-year average investment return, which is 4.9%, was selected to be the MARR. The annual return of the Fund from 1994 to 2011 is shown in Appendix Table 2 shows the 2011 investment return and the average investment returns of the Fund over a number of different time horizons. The Kai Tak Cruise Terminal Project According to the HKSAR government, the total capital investment required for the project is HKD 8156 million and the estimated annual recurrent expenditure is HKD 221.9 million. The annual income will come from a fixed rent for the 10-year operation as well as a variable rent with the percentage of the operator’s gross receipts. The maximum percentage will be 34% when the gross receipts are greater than HKD 90 million. 3.2Evaluation of the Project by Present Worth method (PW) In our analysis, we first applied the Present Worth (PW) method, which is commonly used for evaluating private financed projects. Our aim is to find out the operator’s annual gross receipt required so that the project can be considered to be economically justified if public benefits are not included in the calculation. By using the PW method, all cash flows and outflows are discounted to the present point in time at the determined MARR (4.9%). The PW is required to be greater or equal to zero if a project is to be considered as economically justified. In our calculation, the evaluation period is 10 years and assuming that the annual recurrent expenditure is a fixed contract amount. To estimate the operating revenue of the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal, reference to the operating revenue of Port Everglades in United State was made. Port Everglades is one of the three busiest cruise ports in the world. In 2010, its operating revenue from cruise sector was about USD 45.7 million (HKD 356.5 million). From the result of the calculation, the present value (2013-2014) is –HKD 8846 million (PW < 0) (refer to Table 3), which also means that the project is not economically justified when the public benefits are not included. The information used for the calculation and the cash flow are shown in Appendix Table 3. In addition, our analysis showed that the operator’s first annual gross receipts need to be HKD 3193 million (nearly nine-fold more than Port Everglades’) and then have 4% annual increase for PW to be greater than zero. Achieving this level of income is extremely difficult if not impossible. Table 3: Present equivalent of cash flow In next section, Benefit – Cost Ratio method, which is commonly used for evaluating public projects by considering public benefits, is applied in the analysis. 3.3B/C Ratio Overall economic benefit to Hong Kong Surely the government does not focus on the renting income but the overall economic benefit to Hong Kong. The project leads the development of the Cruise Economy which adds additional value to tourism, retail & dinning, travel trade and hotel etc. Based on the estimation from Tourism commission for latest cruise passengers’ expenditure data and multiplier effect, the cruise industry will bring following economic benefits to Hong Kong under different scenarios: The â€Å"low growth scenario† assumes growth brought by regional cruise operators developing cruise services with Hong Kong as homeport. The â€Å"high growth scenario† assumes growth brought by international cruise operators developing cruise services with Hong Kong as a homeport and port-of-call. We have calculated the B/C ratio for different scenarios as below with following assumptions 1) Interest rate is 4.9%; 2) The government only gets $13 million rent; 3) The Cruise Terminal continuous to operation till following year Therefore, even under low growth scenario, both conventional and modified B/C ratio greater than 1 after the Cruise Terminal continuous to operation over ten years, this project is worth to proceed. 4Social Impacts 4.1Higher competitiveness in cruise markets Compared to Shanghai and Singapore where the cruise terminals have been further developed, Hong Kong’s cruise market would be highly constrained if maintained at the original level. Because Hong Kong will require an additional berth between 2009 and 2015, and one to two berths beyond 2015 to sustain its development as a regional cruise hub in Asia Pacific region. 4.2Increase of employment chances Cruise vessels homeport at Hong Kong will create job opportunities in related industries including hotel, catering, shipping management, shipping supplies and insurance. It may support some 6900 to 10900 employment opportunities in 2020. 4.3Environmental impacts The terminal had obtained Platinum rating in BEAM Plus Project Assessment in 2012, which means a high level achievement in three Green aspects (energy saving, quality of indoor environment, and environmental impacts to neighbors) 5Conclusion From studies of worldwide passenger demand levels, it is estimated that there is a steady increase from 13.9 million to roughly 23.8 – 31.5 million by 2020. Although, this is a world estimate and Hong Kong is only small spectrum of the world, there is seemingly enough evidence from cruise terminal consultancy for Asia region to instill a predictable growth for Hong Kong. Overall, the project does not show promise economically with recurrent expenditures with operational revenues. It should be noted that the facility does not imply with an overall picture depicted in the B/C ratio. Therefore, to promote Hong Kong’s international image and standstill in the international sector, the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal is a viable option for Hong Kong’s bright future.