Arts & Creativity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Arts & Creativity - Essay Example Painting is a one-time performance, any repeat performances are just copies. More often than not, it is an individual effort, and in rare cases a group effort that carries out a single person's instructions. There is no written way to express a painting like there are notes to a music or playwriting for a theater. Paintings do come from different from schools and movements, the proponents of which follow similar techniques of expression. The techniques of expression include the use of light, color and imagery. They also include the use of various mediums from water soluble to oil, to acrylic and a host of others as well as methods of wielding instruments like brushes, knives, fingers and many more. On the other hand the techniques that express music lie in the lyrics, the symphony, rhythm and the instruments or voices used to produce them. Lyrics are a straightforward way of conveying the concept, but even without them, music achieves universal communication, and conveys emotions irrespective of linguistic and cultural barriers. It claims the auditory senses, and from there goes on to move, inspire and titillate. It can be written down in notations, and performed repeatedly, even in different versions by different people at separate instances but still retains its originality. Theater as an art form is able to convey its message through dialog and plot as the primary instrument.

Implementation of EMS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Implementation of EMS - Essay Example Christopher Sheldon & Mark Yoxon have made seminal contributions in this field and have laid down in a readily intelligible jargon-less manner all that a management needs to know and do to implement an effective EMS. (Sheldon, Christopher & Yoxon, Mark, 1999) International Standards Organisation had first put forward in 1996 ISO 14001 EMS standards which have been further updated in 2004. (International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO), 1996) Though it is accepted worldwide to be the common standard, it has no legal mandate, that is, if a company does not implement these standards, ISO per se has no authority to force its implementation. But governments all over the world have passed laws and issued guidelines (Environmental Protection Department, 1995) urging and ensuring that refineries do indeed follow them. The consumers and end users too are favouring those companies who are actively trying to reduce environmental pollution, so it is becoming increasingly beneficial for oil refineries to implement EMS. But many of those who are actually working on the shop floor are not aware of the extent of pollution an oil refinery causes. The wastewater generated during the refining process teems with both organic and inorganic pollutants so much so that it cannot be directly released into a flowing river or sea without causing an environmental catastrophe of sorts. A lot has been written on how this wastewater needs to be treated and experts are of the opinion it requires both time and a lot of waste land to prepare a wetlands system which consistently reduces the level pollutants in the wastewater generated during refining. (Muhammad, 2006). Consultants the world over feel the entire rank and file of an organisation need to be involved in this process and for that there is the need of assigning this responsibility to a person belonging to senior management to ensure availability of unhindered co-operation from all departments and corporate funds. It is a common trend to call such a person "G reen Manager". (Corporate Environmental Management Section, 1996) . Dow Chemicals Pacific has its Environment, Health and Safety Director as its Green Manager. Marks and Spencer has appointed its Director of Corporate Affairs as its Green Manager. The basic responsibility of a Green Manager includes: Ensuring all employees receive adequate training to implement EMS guidelines at their workplaces Ensuring in gradual reduction of Environmental liability resulting in a better public image and, in some cases, reduced insurance premiums Ensuring cost savings through better monitored consumption of raw materials and power and properly harnessing the benefits of consequent reduced levels of waste management Remaining aware and taking benefit of all governmental incentives available for organisations conforming to environmental guidelines Opening and maintaining channels of communication with all levels of staff to inform the progress and status organisational complicity with environmental legislations and inviting suggestions from them (Welford, R. & Gouldson, A., 1993) The Green

Construction Developments in High Rise Buildings

Construction Developments in High Rise Buildings This paper has provided a broad overview of different historic developments for concrete high-rise buildings. The evolution of concrete skyscrapers from the first reinforced concrete high-rise, the Ingalls Building, which was 15 stories high to modern skyscrapers PETRONAS Towers is discussed. How new innovations in construction technology such as the advances, techniques that are used to improve quality have all contributed to the ease of working with concrete in high-rise construction is also briefly discussed in the paper. Supertall buildings are a relatively recent addition to the history of the cities around the world. Technology of the nineteenth century made their development possible. Steel, concrete and masonry materials have existed for a long time in the history of civilization but not in such a configuration. Masonry is the oldest material. Concrete in its present form is the youngest of these three basic structural materials of construction. Concrete, unlike any other structural building material, allows the architects and engineers to choose not only its mode of production, but its material properties as well. Much of the technological change in concrete construction was in the first half of the 20th century. Advances in formwork, mixing of concrete, techniques for pumping, and types of admixtures to improve quality have all contributed to the ease of working with concrete in high-rise construction. There were main four periods in the development of skyscraper which began around 1808 and ended in 1960s where structures were usually vertical and dominant. During 1970s the international modernism in construction started to rise and this introduced a renewed interest in silhouettes and symbolic potential. The most efficient construction coordination plan for a tall building is one that allows formwork to be reused multiple times. Traditionally, formwork was made of wood but as technology has advanced, the forms have become a combination of wood, steel, aluminum, fiberglass and plastic, to name only a few materials. Each set may be self-supporting with trusses attached to the exterior or may need additional shoring to support it in appropriate locations. New additions to the family of forms include flying-forms, slip forms, and jump forms. The PETRONAS towers are a good example of this latest period. The techniques improved continually till now when pumping of concrete is considered even for small jobs. In recent years, concrete pumping has reached new heights. The builders for the Jin Mao Building in Shanghai, China, boast of pumping high strength concrete as high as 1200 ft (366 m). For such great heights, a high-pressure unit is needed. Great thought must be given to the properties of concrete and how it will react when pressure is applied in a pipe. All these factors demanded innovations in concrete technology. Already a well-argued case between Architects and Engineers is to build a environment with minimal impact on natural environment and to integrate the built environment with ecological systems of the locality. This proposition of the skyscraper as an ecologically- responsive building might well appear to be a conundrum for some.Afterall; Skyscraper is the citys most intensive building-type of enormous size. The council on tall Buildings and Urban habitat in USA defines the skyscraper as a tall building whose built form that by virtue of its height requires its own special engineering systems. Designed by Argentine architects Cà ©sar Pelli and Djay Cerico under the consultancy of Julius Gold, the PETRONAS Towers were completed in 1998 after a seven year build and became the tallest buildings in the world on the date of completion. They were built on the site of Kuala Lumpurs race Because of the depth of the bedrock; the buildings were built on the worlds deepest foundations. The 120-meter foundations were built within 12 months by Bachy Soletanche and required massive amounts of concrete. Its engineering designs on structural framework were contributed by Haitian engineer Domo Obiasse and collegues Aris Battista and Princess D Battista. From this floor rose a 21-metre high retaining wall, with a perimeter length of over 1 kilometer. This concrete shell and the basement area it enclosed required two years of up to 40 workers on site all day and night. The final product is the basement car park offering a total of 5,400 parking bays on five levels beneath the podium wrapping the towers. As an added consideration, two different contractors were chosen for each tower to allow cross-monitoring of construction values and techniques with one coming to the aid of the other should problems arise. The construction of the superstructure commenced in April 1994, after rigorous tests and simulations of wind and structural loads on the design. Due to the nature of the project, being the first super tall structure of its kind in Malaysia and very limited experience with the use of high strength concrete, the contractors were required to demonstrate that the requirements of the project could be successfully achieved prior to actual construction of structural elements. The contractor Samsung-Kukdong-Jasatera joint ventures were to do it. The major engineering and structural design teams were a collection of eminent international companies and consultants including such notables as Cà ©sar Pelli Associates, Hazama Corporation, Adamson Associates Architects, Solà ©tanche Bachy, RSP Architects Planners Engineers, Samsung Engineering Construction, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd., Syarikat Jasatera Sdn Bhd., and several dozen other major international firms. Legions of support engineers and designers in an array of specific disciplines contributed over the course of the years. The site for PETRONAS Towers is the Golden Triangle. Around it radiates the city of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysias capital. The jewel of this 100-acre site are the towers. Working within mixed-used development plan by U.S firm of Klages, Carter, Vail and Partners. The design drawings show a complex of buildings growing from an intimate relationship with the site, generating from its core. The concert halls provide an important gathering space. The number of designers, engineers, and building contractor management personnel that took part in the design process is about the same as the number of workers that actually built the towers. About 7,000 construction workers took place in the actual building of the towers, as there was a great concern for the congestion that would occur in the busy Kuala Lumpur city center. 7,000 design workers talking constantly among themselves for five or six years designed the building. It was certainly an impressive conversation. Although much of this talk took place directly between individuals, this project probably would not have been possible before the development of the Internet or sophisticated project and communication management software. Every phase of the process, from the drawings and engineering research down to the daily work orders was accomplished with cutting edge software that was in many cases as technologically innovative as other parts of the project. The high quality of the PETRONAS Towers is the result of the quality of the design team. Although Cà ©sar Pelli was the titular designer and he served as the lead visionary, the design contributors included Prime Minister Dr. Mahathir, businessman T. Ananda Krishnan, senior managers of the PETRONAS company, the Kuala Lumpur City Center planning manager Arlida Ariff, and many high ranking national and local politicians.. The design process itself was as much a marvel as are the physical towers visible today. When construction began the design did not call for the tallest buildings in the world and the entire foundation was moved after excavations had already begun. The parking garage was located up inside the towers in Cà ©sar Pellis first drawings and the powerful Skybridge was absent from the original 1990 Klages Carter Vail Partners plans for the Kuala Lumpur City Center development that first called for two towers. These and many more features of the project changed as the design for the project evolved continuously over the life of the project and the final result is a testament to the efficiency of the whole multi-year design process. The towers feature askybridgebetween the two towers on 41st and 42nd floors, which is the highest 2-story bridge in the world.It is not directly bolted to the main structure, but is instead designed to slide in and out of the towers to prevent it from breaking during high winds.The bridge is 170m (558ft) above the ground and 58m (190ft) long, weighing 750 tons.The same floor is also known as the podium, since visitors desiring to go to higher levels have to change elevators here. The lifts contain a number of safety features. It is possible to evacuatepeople from a lift stuck between floors by manually driving one of the adjacent lifts next to it and opening a panel in the wall..During an evacuation of the buildings, only the shuttle lift is allowed to be used, as there are only doors at levels G/1 and levels 41/42; therefore should there be a fire in the lower half of the building, this enclosed shaft would remain unaffected. Firefighter lifts are also provided in case of emergency The PETRONAS Twin Towers were the tallest buildings in the world until Taipei 101 was completed in 2004, as measured to the top of their structural components .Spires are considered integral parts of the architectural design of buildings, to which changes would substantially change the appearance and design of the building, whereas antennas may be added or removed without such consequences. The research and knowledge in concrete gained in the first half of the twentieth century benefit technologies today. This paper has provided a broad overview of different historic developments for concrete high-rise buildings. To summarize, the first users of concrete date before 1200 BC and include societies like the Phoenicians, Minoans, and Egyptians, to name only a few. The late 1700s and early 1800s found a renewed discovery of and interest in reinforced concrete as a building structure. Americans and Europeans used it in large warehouses, factory buildings, apartment buildings and homes. New delivery systems, changes in formwork, high-strength concrete and other admixtures were invented which improved concretes strength and workability. Structural systems which go beyond the traditional post-and-beam construction of the Ingalls Building and the introduction of high-strength concrete mixes have together allowed reinforced concrete skyscrapers to grow to heights of the PETRONAS. Little more than a century ago, reinforced concrete was invented. In that short period of time, reinforced concrete has gone from being a very limited material to one of the most versatile building materials available today. The first reinforced concrete buildings were heavy and massive. Valuable floor space was taken up by the massive concrete structural systems. Today, due to our increased knowledge and improved technology, reinforced concrete buildings can be tall, graceful and elegant. Due, in part, to the use of shear walls, innovative structural systems and ultimate strength design, very little usable floor space is occupied by the structure. HSC and lightweight structural concrete allow us to use smaller member sizes and less steel reinforcement. Because of the rapid developments of concrete construction and technology, with every passing year the use of concrete for tall buildings is becoming a constant reality. The mold ability of concrete is a major factor in creating exciting building forms with elegant aesthetic expression. Compared to steel, concrete tall buildings have larger masses and damping ratios that help in minimizing motion perception. A heavier concrete structure also provides better stability against overturning caused by lateral loads. New structural systems including the composite ones that are popular now have allowed concrete high-rises to reach new heights during the last four decades. Although steel will continue to be the structural material of choice for many tall buildings for its strength and ductility, we may expect to see more and more concrete and composite high-rise structures shaping the skylines of major cities of the world in the forthcoming years.

Pornography on the Internet Essay -- social issues

Pornography on the Internet The Internet is a method of communication and a source of information that is becoming popular among those who are interested in the information superhighway. The problem with this world we know as Cyberspace, the ‘Net, or the Web is that some of this information, including pornographical material and hate literature, is being accessible to minors. Did you know that 83.5% of the images available on the Internet are pornographical? Did you know that the Internet’s pornography and hate literature are available to curious children that happen to bump into them? One of the drawing features of the young Internet was its freedom. It’s "...a rare example of a true, modern, functional anarchy...there are no official censors, no bosses, no board of directors, no stockholders" (Sterling). It’s an open forum where anyone can say anything, and the only thing holding them back is their own conscience. This lawless atmosphere bothered many people, including Nebraska Senator James Exon. Exon proposed in July, 1994 that an amendment be added to the Telecommunications Reform Bill to regulate content on the Internet. His proposal was rejected at the time, but after persistence and increased support, his proposal evolved into the Communications Decency Act (CDA), part of the 1996 Telecommunications Reform Act The Internet has changed the world by creating advertising, information, and businesses. However, there are the few bad apples in the Internet that have information, literature, graphics and images that have been deemed inappropriate for minors. Therefore, many people feel the Internet should be censored by the Government. The Government owns and operates the Internet and its agencies are responsible for what is on the Internet. However, for the parents with minors that are concerned about what their kids see- they should go out and get software to censor the Internet. Don’t ruin everyone else’s fun. Why should I have to be a peasant of the Government tyranny over the Internet? The people that worry about their kids and make the Government worry about it and pass legislation on censorship are the people that are too damn lazy to buy Internet Censorship software programs for their PERSONAL computers, NOT the entire United States’. The Government wants censorship, but a segment of the Internet’s population does not. The Communi... ... the user would exercise control of the information available on interactive media instead of the government or network operators. The CDA criminalizes "knowingly transmit[ing] or mak[ing] available" information on interactive media that can be accessed just as easily by wondering the isles of a book store. It also criminalizes "indecent" speech that is transmitted electronically between two consenting adults. i.e. Email. The punishment for such a "crime" can be up to 2 years in prison and/or a $250,000 fine. The Communications Decency Act is unconstitutional by banning speech that is protected by the First Amendment in a medium in which the user is giving the ability to select what he or she does or does not want to receive. The government gives citizens the privilege of using the internet, but it has never given them the right to use it. If we have a "Constitution" and, supposedly, a "First Amendment"- why is the Government using legislation to stop us from expressing ourselves? We seem to be a ironic and paradox country. We didn’t want to be the first to use nuclear weapons and the atomic bomb, but were the first and, so far to present day, the last to use them.

Act I of the Crucible Essay

In reading the overture, before any dialogue takes place, we are given a small glimpse into the world of the Salemites. Miller speaks briefly of the town and the surrounding wilderness. The placement of Salem, surrounded by the impenetrable forest already starts building tension. The simple fact that forest is present prevents escape from Salem and therefore the inhabitants of Salem are unable to physically remove themselves from their problems and conflicts within the community. The forest itself is described as: ‘dark and threatening’, by Miller. This introduces an almost intangible danger and constant threat to the play. This alone will make the Salemites feel trapped; this pressured feeling being reflected throughout the play. More significant is the way in which the forest is said to be: ‘over their shoulders’. This creates a feeling that the inhabitants of Salem are being overshadowed by this great threat. As the play is a battle between light and dark, good and evil, this is particularly meaningful as it shows Salem being overpowered by the darkness. It also adds to the feelings of threat and menace the Salemites feel because it implies an unseen ‘something’ watching them. When viewed in a historical context the forest serves another purpose. At the time of writing McCarthyism was sweeping America. Although more obvious parallels are drawn later in the play I believe the forest represents the looming threat of being accused a communist sympathiser. The audience would empathise with the Salemites through this shared threat; this link would have been used by Miller to give the entire play more impact. Another way in which Miller creates a feeling of tension is through the language used in both stage directions and in the speech of the characters. Miller uses ‘power words’ to create an atmosphere of tension throughout the play. On the first page with speech, page six, words such as: ‘frightened’, ‘trouble’ and ‘fury’. It is evident from the start that Salem is not the perfect pilgrim village it is meant, and used, to be. The fact that something is wrong in this village, wrong enough to make a minister weep, and react with such violence grabs the attention of the audience instantly. The stage directions are particularly telling of the moods of characters. Page seventeen sees Abigail and Proctor alone for the first time and the tension between them is clearly visible. For example ‘Abigail has stood as though on tiptoe, absorbing his presence’, when someone is on tiptoe their entire body goes tense as though anticipating something. This may be a very literal way of showing us tension between Proctor and Abigail. Later, on the same page, Abigail ‘springs into his path’. Again the word spring suggests she has been coiled, tense, awaiting his movement and it is this anticipation that Miller uses to great effect when showing us chemistry between two characters. Of all things, perhaps the fear of the unknown is the most potent. Miller uses this from the start and builds tension around the fact that the audience has as little or less information about the preceding events as the characters. As both the audience and characters are apparently in the dark about events surrounding Betty’s condition there is again a link draw up between the two, this is used to the same effect as the McCarthyism link. Speech patterns also show the stress of the characters involved. For example, most characters start to shorten their words and speak in a far more rigid fashion than usual when feeling threatened or angry. These monosyllabic phrases litter the play and show the audience the rising conflicts in the community. On page twenty-six this is especially apparent. ‘He had no right to sell it’, says Putnam to Proctor. All the words in this sentence are monosyllabic, sharp and to the point. It is these changes that show the audience how the characters are really feeling. Miller uses these phrases to both show tension and to create it between characters throughout the play. Repetition plays an immense part in ‘The Crucible’. Specific words such as ‘evil’, ‘unnatural’ and most obviously ‘Devil’ are repeated to the point where they are appearing almost every page. Only Proctor and Paris seem set against the idea of supernatural tampering and even when the village is faced with a mass of evidence which supports more mundane explanations of events the cries of witchcraft are still as loud. It appears as if the Salemites want to believe Lucifer himself is threatening them. There is probably a lot of truth in that statement. The Salemites had fled England but a few generations ago and had done so to avoid persecution because of their beliefs. Now the Salemites are trapped and alone. It is ironic perhaps that their flight to freedom has in reality increased their isolation. Now they have no one to fight either. They were truly alone; perhaps the manic belief in Lucifer’s conquest of Salem was a release, an enemy against which they could fight the good fight. Without the unconverted heathens England offered it what was left but fighting the Devil himself or looking to your neighbour for anything that could be seen as an unholy blemish? The Salemites belief in the Devils power in Salem may have been started by the girls but was carried onwards and taken higher by almost all of the inhabitants of Salem, possibly because they wanted to believe in the corruption of their village. This scenario, as presented by Miller in Act I of ‘The Crucible’ is at the core of all tension throughout the play. Miller makes us see how incredibly dangerous society can be when in the grip of hysteria, the audience of then would have known all too well. Through uses of different devices Miller feeds and augments the underlying tension at key moments until we realise that some dreadful act must take place before the village will realises what it has done. What action could be interpreted as the Devil’s work in a society gone mad? As we see from Goody Nurses and Proctors hanging, anything. Act i of the crucible? Essay â€Å"In what important ways does Miller prepare us for the hysteria and the accusations of the witch-hunts in Act I of The Crucible? † In The Crucible, it was important for Miller to fully show that the witch-hunts in Salem were not some unforeseen, unpredictable chain of events, but the result of many different, precisely added elements. He, therefore, had to display to the inevitability of such events by revealing the true nature of the Salem’s society: unstable and extremely volatile. This instability among the people of Salem, stems mainly from their own insecurities. Any person heard to make a statement that is vaguely accusative is counter-attacked with a provocative statement far exceeding that of the first. Such an incident occurs when Proctor identifies Putnam’s support for the system of voting by acreage by saying Putnam â€Å"cannot command Mr Parris† because the society â€Å"votes by name†¦ not by acreage. † He says Putnam is arrogant in thinking that because he owns more land than Parris, he has the right to order him; the belief being that he is autocratic. Putnam, taking offence, responds by accusing Proctor of two other things. By stating that he didn’t â€Å"think [he] saw [Proctor] at the Sabbath meeting since the snow flew† he is questioning Proctor’s religious devotion using inflammatory language, which is a serious accusation in a theocracy like Salem. He is also saying that the idea of â€Å"one man: one vote† is void for Proctor because he doesn’t take the interest in the society that one man should. From a single remark by Proctor, two, far greater reactions were induced in Putnam. The result is an almost exponential escalation of emotions. This constant attacking and counter-attacking makes the people of Salem very insecure. These insecurities are combated by them putting up emotional barriers to contain their anger, envy or any other emotion that would render them liable to an attack. This is done by creating an external being that is responsible for a person’s inner evil: the Devil. Mrs Putnam displays this when she uses extremely inflammatory language in attempting to resolve Betty and Ruth’s mysterious sleep. She uses explicit imagery of the Devil and describes â€Å"death drivin’ into them, forked and hoofed†. This is an easily defensible point of view, because anyone who challenges it would be â€Å"trucking with the Devil† themselves and become open to attack. Mrs Putnam finds a vent for her anger at â€Å"seven dead in childbirth† with her provocative exclamations such as â€Å"it is surely the stroke of hell upon you† and â€Å"what person murdered my babies? â€Å". By asking that question, she is indirectly accusing anyone in the village. This shows a woman who is desperate to find an explanation for her misfortune and believes she will find it in the people of Salem who have been in contact with the Devil. She uses the Devil as a scapegoat and weights it with all her inner evils. She is, therefore, extremely enthusiastic to find someone who has been in contact with it in order to blame that person. With the entire village thrusting all their troubles and inner evils into a single element, a huge tension is created by the repression of their real emotions that are blamed on the Devil and the innate human desire to find someone else to blame; someone who is responsible for your evil and not, as Rebecca says, to â€Å"rather blame ourselves†. This livid search for a devil and the barriers that are put up by people create people who amalgamate together to form groups with their defining factor often being that of vengeance. Parris believes one of these groups or factions â€Å"is sworn to drive him from† his pulpit. They are not created by people actually admitting themselves, but by other people, usually in opposition, categorising them. Mrs Putnam identifies these groups when she describes the â€Å"wheels within wheels, fires within fires†. The society, therefore, fragments and divides itself. If, as Mrs Putnam shows, the people of Salem cannot accept their own evils and they believe the â€Å"Devil† cannot possibly be within them, that which defines them as a â€Å"good† person must be that which is not the â€Å"Devil†. Therefore, the â€Å"Devil† must, by nature of the society of Salem, be the thing which is diametrically opposed to the person of God and its location must be in a faction or group physically outside their house and spiritually outside their religion. Miller uses these groups to create a self-sustaining repression in Salem. As the people are forced by the factions to repress their feelings and emotions and keep them bottled up, their emotions are heightened by the constant arguments that take place. Act I is an introduction to the society and a period of time in which to show its many tensions. At the end of the act, the tension between all these emotions and the repression is released and Hale says himself that â€Å"it is broken, they are free. † This shows us that the unstable and volatile society is, indeed, at breaking point. Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Arthur Miller section.

Moving the NHS from public sector to private sector Essay

The National Health Service (NHS) is a state run entity set up by the Labour government after 1948 as part of the welfare state. It was originally run by local authorities with funding from public money allocated by central government. Though in recent years this money has been moving to the private sector and many have speculated that this is privatisation by stealth. In this essay I will attempt to understand this process by giving some historical context to the events of the last few decades while pointing out some of the advantages and disadvantages, and the forms it could take, of privatisation. In conclusion I hope to point to a future where the NHS can exist with public money and private management. †It came out of a working class movement. The ‘powers that be’ introduced various health and welfare reforms after the Second World War in response to working class agitation and mobilisationæ ¢  health system seemed a better option than a Russian revolution†1 This is a institution that does not fit easily into the world of market liberalisation and globalisation, but it is a right many people feel should be free and is even recognised by the U.N. as a fundamental human right. Selling off the NHS, as previous Tory governments have done to other parts of the U.K.s infrastructure †Ã¢â‚¬ ¦would be politically unacceptable especially given the general popularity of the NHS and its entrenched public nature.†2But reform and change have accrued. The first change, by the Tories in 1983, was in the way funding was allocated. †For example, budgets where previously allocated on the basis of geographical areas’ needs†¦Now funding is alloca ted as payment per patient†¦Ã¢â‚¬ 3 This change allowed for the transfer of money from the public to the private sector. This can be seen in the provision of private long term care †which grew from 175,000 places in 1985 to 650,000 in 1998. This growth was funded almost entirely out of the public purse†4 This has led to a system where money is now thrown at the private sector through arrangements such as Independent treatment centres (ISTCs) and the private finance initiative (PFI). One such arrangement †Ravenscourt Park cost   to set up and closed with a deficit of. These are figures that have to be borne by the NHS†5Clearly the NHS is now a half-way house between the public and private sectors. While the present Labour government seems set on pushing ahead with more ways of privatisation. John Carvel noted that  Ã¢â‚¬ Health secretary Patricia Hewitt is preparing to transfer NHS hospitals buildings into the private sector as part of a bn scheme to promote competition in the health service†¦companies bidding for contracts†¦will be allowed to take over NHS premises, doctors and nurses.†6The implementation of this document are already in motion. Recently DHL gained a contract worth 6bn to provide non pharmaceutical supplies for ten years. Payment will be made †Ã¢â‚¬ ¦according to the savings it can make, which the government estimates at some n.†7So while this may seem like a good idea †Effective implementation of grand investment projects†¦is hardly the governments strong point.†8 So to make this work DHL would have to be finely regulated. Given enough freedom so that they can destroy cosy past relationships, but not be allowed to bully suppliers and lower standards due to a need to please shareholders and make profit. To see what problems a health service run for profit creates we only have to look at the USA and its private health system. The system of HMOs was set up in the 1970s by the Nixon administration. We can see from these comments recorded on the Nixon White House tapes, (Nixon quotes), that this system was created not to look after patients but to make profit. While the US may have the most advanced health care system available, if a customer does not have enough money or adequate insurance their options are limited. These problems where highlighted in Michael Moores’ documentary Sicko, which compared the US system to that of Cuba, Canada and the UK. It could be said that the narrator was unabashed in his bias against the HMOs, but the case shown, that healthcare will become unaffordable for average people, may arise here if privatisation becomes widespread. At the same time though because of the lack of reinvestment in the NHSs’ infrastructure and Gordon Browns’ adherence to EU spending targets, alternative funding methods must be found. A recent study by the European Health Consumer Index (EHCI) showed the UK at 17th place behind Ireland, Czech Republic and Estonia in provision of healthcare. Three countries a long way behind the economic development of the UK. In fact while per capita spending placed the UK in 12th place, the Czech Republic placed 21st showing  that efficiency targets are possible if money is spent wisely.9This of course is the main argument for the involvement of the private sector in the provision of health care. That they will cut bureaucracy, while subjecting spending plans to stringent management oversight and thus provide better services for cheaper. Unfortunately the †reduction in public provision of long term care, NHS dentistry, optical services and elective surgery shows the trajectory for the NHS under the PFI.†10 We only have to look to Austria to find a publicly funded health system that allows patients who †..regardless of salary, are entitled to use the services of the health system for free although they do pay higher income tax†.11 While looking at the EHCI tables we see Austria ranks in first place but only spends (figure here) more than the UK per capita. This suggests that the UK could indeed improve services without the need of the private sector but this would involve raising taxes, a strategy both political parties seem wary of due to potential lose of electoral support. One new potential direction for the health service could be the internet. The main advantage of the internet is the access to knowledge that it can provide the customer while providing savings within the administration of the NHS. Unfortunately there is one problem that would need to be overcome, computer illiteracy. In most cases those with health problems will be the older members of society, those who are the least computer literate. This suggests to me that while saving could be made, they would not be worthwhile while we have a generation of customers who do not feel comfortable with computers or the the internet. In the long term there is potential, but unfortunately it does not provide any solutions in the short. In does seem that the disadvantages of privatisation on its present course do seem to outweigh the advantages. The present government though has already started down a path that appears to be irreversible. While many within the service would agree that reform is necessary the problem is that healthcare is seen as a fundamental right provided by the NHS, a endowment to the citizens of the UK after the trauma of World War 2 and the sacrifices they had endured. The UK government has also shown on many occasions that it cannot regulate private companies, that are funded through public funds, to  put the general public before profit. Looking at past privatisations of industries we can see, even in the case of the most successful, telecommunications, that this sector lags behind other European countries such as France where for example broadband infrastructure is far ahead of that provided in the UK. Thus in conclusion the only solution that I can see is a single payer system with strong enough legislation that creates †European wide regulation in the shape of pharmaceutical price controls and levies on research and education†12 In effect creating a new framework that allows the private sector to provide to provide healthcare. This way the tax payer can benefit from the private sectors skill in delivering increased productivity and value for money, while protecting against its’ overwhelming desire for profit. 1http://www.thecornerhouse.org.uk/gatsprivatiationhealth.htm2ibid3http://www.healthmatters.org.uk/issue 41 p12-134ibid5http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,1931236,00.html6http://www.guardian.co.uk/guardianpolitics/story/0,,1575243,00.html7http://store.eiu.com/product/1860000186-sample.html8 ibid9EHCI 2007 study10Bmj.com 1/4/9911Irish Independent, 6/9/07 The Austrian health service is the best in Europe†¦, Gemma O’ Doherty12http://www.healthmatters.org.uk/issue 48 summer 2001 p 11

Kevin Wormell Essay Example

Kevin Wormell Essay Example Kevin Wormell Essay Kevin Wormell Essay Begin with three sections about yourself that explain your growth as a speaker over the semester. These opening statements should do the following: a. Reflect on your initial goals for the course b. Evaluate your progress, including unexpected areas of growth and learning c. Indicate what elements of speaking you hope to continue to improve on after the course 2. Then, for the majority of the paper, discuss your choices for your five major speeches (and don’t forget to include the Focus Groups! ). These five speeches were: Introduction, Personal Narrative, Informative, Persuasive, and Final Speech. What does your collection of speeches reveal about your speaking in this class? Did the words flow fairly easily or was it difficult? What was your hardest and easiest speech? Most importantly, this paper should include your person observations on your experience giving speeches over the semester; in other words, your reflections on the specific topics and issues that interested you (and you can certainly include other people in the class’s topics – not just your own! , questions about these topics, and critical thinking opportunities to investigate the nature of public speaking as a whole. Please discuss the fill, The Great Debaters, or any of the Def Jam poets, as well. You may also discuss the campus speakers if you saw them. Remember to refer to textbook lessons, class discussions, and handouts, if relevant. 1A. My initial goals for this semester in your public spe aking class were simply to gain more confidence in myself to become a better public speaker. Also another goal was to become more active in making new friends and conversing out of my comfort zone. Not only that, I wanted to be able to talk/speak in front of a crowd without letting my nerves and the fear of speaking overcome me. Finally, I had another mini goal of gaining more knowledge toward the subject of public speaking, whether it was studying on certain subjects to better my vocabulary or learning about certain aspects of the form of speaking. 1B. So the first speech we had was on describing myself to the rest of my class, which was very nerve-racking on its own, but when I stepped up there I noticed that it wasn’t what I was expecting it to be. I felt I gained more confidence after the first speech to my surprising and I was capable of going up in front of the class and speaking easily. I have now learned that I can relax easier while speaking in front of people and that it’s not so hard to just randomly speak to a random person about something. 1C. Elements that I hope to keep improving on is to speak more clearly and not stutter so much or double up my words and sentences. Also I hope to continue to speak longer and more intellectually when speaking to higher powers, family, etc. . My first speech was the introduction speech. I decided to talk about myself as a sneaker collector, also that I work at Champs Sports and that Drake was my favorite musical artist. Also that I liked the TV show ‘Family Guy† and that basketball was my favorite hobby and thing to do when I was super-duper bored. My next speech was the Personal Speech/Narrative. I talked about the tragic time that I almost drowned in the swimmin g pool in the deep end at my old boys’ scout summer camp. This was a very frightening time in the beginning of my long life that I will not ever forget for my entire life. I spoke about every second of that day in high detail and how the incident happened to me and that everyone did nothing to help me. This moment was a very emotional disappointment for me from not one person even acknowledging me when it happened. The 3rd speech was the informative/how to speech. I spoke about the evolution of the Jordan Brand and the first 8 sneakers that the brand ever produced. They were worn by the greatest basketball player of all-time, Michael Jordan. I also spoke about each shoe in detail and how they were made and what were special about them. Also, I gave facts about what happened and the events that Jordan participated in the desired shoe I was currently talking about and gave pictures of the shoes throughout the PowerPoint. Finally I gave a couple funny fun facts about Michael Jordan that not a lot of people would know about, saying that he gets a manicure every two weeks and that he gets a pedicure every month. The 4th speech was the Persuasive speech. I chose not to complete this speech and not show up to class because I felt like I was not fully prepared to complete the desired speech. I researched forever on the topic of the 9/11 conspiracy but decided to terminate my research because I felt like I could not find any valid points to either be pro-conspiracy or anti-conspiracy and that I had no real proof of the subtopics if people asked difficult questions about arguing about my topic, which was an important part of the speech, to back up my evidence. The 5th speech was the focus group and I chose the topic of Should prostitution be legalized or not. I chose to be anti-prostitution for the fact that prostitution is not only degrading to women but also that it is just outright ridiculous. Not only is it bad for the economy if it was legalized, but it would also raise the divorce rate in the united states and I also believe that it would ruin the economy with all the sales tax that it would bring to this nation’s economy. My final speech of the semester was a how to speech on how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. This speech was a pretty goofy and funny speech that I just pulled out of my buttocks, but I felt like a knocked it out of the park, give EVERY SINGLE little step on how to prepare to make the sandwich and also how to make the sandwich. I even gave everyone a funny video on YouTube on how to make the sandwich as well, and also gave fun facts about peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, that February 12th is National Peanut Butter and Jelly day, and finally that there was a record made for the biggest PBamp;J sandwich that weighed over 1,342 pounds! The film â€Å"The Great Debaters† really caught my eye on how to become a better debater and also to become a better man and to fix up my vocabulary, and finally to become and achieve whatever I want to as long as I put my hardest work in. It also showed me how a little kid like me from a town in the middle of nowhere in Woburn, MA could actually make it far and become one of the best individuals in the world. The def. am poets were also very interesting to me too because of the words that they said and how they developed a poem out of them. Their choices of words were not only unorthodox, but also very clear and inspirational. This semester was a very good experience for me as a student, and even though I didn’t want to take Public Speaking I had to and I finished it with pride. I want to thank you professor Herget for making me a better individual and helping me reach my potential to become a better public speaker