Art and Politics

Art and Politics have gone hand in hand since the first cave paintings had been drawn on cave walls. As the cavemen may have found out through other fellow cave wall artists as well as their respective audiences, art is not just restricted to those who fancy themselves as artists. The fact that artwork – regardless of intent and purpose – may be viewed in various manner is enough to permit even the most amateur of artists into creating an artwork that someone somewhere may really like.Hence the conclusion that art or visual aesthetics, more particularly in this case, is subjective, giving truth to the adage â€Å"beauty is in the eye of the beholder†. Popularity, however, and the power it holds over the masses, has a commanding way of dictating which the consumers â€Å"should† support. This control is then used for further manipulation of consumer-affective decisions of which the powers that be profit from. This is why there tends to be a trend of â€Å" Art politics† that seemingly commands the taste of people, resulting in the belief that great art comes from the production of the elite.One would be quick to dismiss Annie Leonard’s conclusion of American culture and practices affecting those of the cultures and practices of the southern hemisphere as ridiculous but there are certain points wherein there findings are seen to be true, most especially with the less than developed countries of which the United States of America hold key influential powers on consumption and culture. The other major players, on the other hand tend to have a rather stunted cultural and commercial development as the American trends continue to affect them.This however does not just hold true to the southern hemisphere, as the United States of America’s influence holds strong in many other countries north of the equator. Poet James Oppenheim’s composition Bread and Roses, for example, portrays the struggle for the ideal (roses) and the real (bread), of which the countries under the influence of the United States suffer from. Rather than pursuing the development of their culture, they are left to prioritize self-preservation.

Ethnic Groups and Racism Essay

I. INTRODUCTION Race and ethnicity are important concepts in the field of sociology and are ones that are studied a great deal. Race plays a large role in everyday human interactions and sociologists want to study how, why, and what the outcomes are of these interactions. A race is a human population that is believed to be distinct in some way from other humans based on real or imagined physical differences. Racial classifications are rooted in the idea of biological classification of humans according to morphological features such as skin color or facial characteristics. An individual is usually externally classified (meaning someone else makes the classification) into a racial group rather than the individual choosing where they belong as part of their identity. Conceptions of race, as well as specific racial groupings, are often controversial due to their impact on social identity and how those identities influence someone’s position in social hierarchies. Ethnicity, while related to race, refers not to physical characteristics but social traits that are shared by a human population. Some of the social traits often used for ethnic classification include: nationality tribe religious faith shared language shared culture shared traditions Unlike race, ethnicity is not usually externally assigned by other individuals. The term ethnicity focuses more upon a group’s connection to a perceived shared past and culture. II. CONTENT/ CREATIVE REPORT  DEFINITION OF RACE AND ETHNICITY Race is a socially defined category, based on real or perceived biological differences between groups of people. Ethnicity is a socially defined category based on common language, religion, nationality, history or another cultural factor. Sociologists see race and ethnicity as social constructions because they are not rooted in biological differences, they change over time, and they never have firm boundaries. Example: White The distinction between race and ethnicity can be displayed or hidden, depending on individual preferences, while racial identities are always on display. THE SOCIOLOGICAL MEANING OF ETHNIC GROUPS AND RACISM The classification of people into races and ethnic groups carries deep implication on the social and political life of different racial and ethnic groups. These classifications led to the notion of racial superiority and racial inferiority, culturally advanced groups and culturally disadvantaged, the use of derogatory undertones and parody, apartheid policy, discrimination and prejudice, and stereotyping of groups of people. Ethnic conflicts have been regular process within the same territorial borders and among the nations of the world. Ethnic conflicts have been pervasive and dangerous because they cause massive humanitarian suffering, civil wars, and destabilizing effects. Sociologically, â€Å"race† refers to a group of people whom others believe are genetically distinct and whom they treat accordingly. This term is commonly used to refer to physical differences between people brought about by physical characteristics of genetic origin. This commonness of genetic heritage may be manifested in the shape of the head and face, the shape and color of the eyes, the shape of the nose, lips, and ears, the texture and color of the hair, the skin color, height, blood type and other physical characteristics. Among the significant racial categories studied by early social scientists were the Caucasoid, Mongoloid, Negroid, and the subgroups of primary and derived races. Racial differences are seen as physical differences singled out by the community or society as ethnically significant. It is preferable to refer to ethnicity or ethnic groups rather than race for its historical and biological connotations. An ethnic group represents a number of persons who have a common cultural background as evidenced by a feeling of loyalty to a given geographical territory or leader, a feeling of identification with and unity among historical and other group experiences, or a high degree of similarity in social norms, ideas and material objects. Members of ethnic groups see themselves as culturally different from other groups in the society and are viewed by others to be so. SOCIAL CONSEQUENCES OF MEMBERSHIP IN RACIAL AND ETHNIC GROUPS Membership in racial and ethnic groups influences people’s social status and roles as they interact with others. Physical characteristics, especially skin color and certain distinctive cultural traits, complexes, and patterns, become badges for social and economic status. Frequently, they establish a person’s or groups position in the social stratification system and make up the foundation for prejudice, discrimination, and other forms of differential treatment. Furthermore, when an ethnic group becomes a target of discrimination, such group may utilize the unique physical or cultural traits as the rallying force for promoting common loyalties and enhancing collective action. When people’s definition of physical characteristics greatly affects their relationship, such definitions generally become interlinked with cultural differences. A classic example is the white man’s justification of his technological, economic, political and military superiority. Examples are such ideologies as the God-chosen race, the white man’s burden and more recently, the apartheid policy. Since the early days of the United States, Native Americans, African-Americans and European-Americans were classified as belonging to different races. But the criteria for membership in these races were radically different. For Africans, the government considered anyone with African appearance to be purely African. Native Americans, on the other hand, were classified based on a certain percentage of Indian blood. Finally, European-Americans had to have purely white ancestry. The differing criteria for assigning membership to particular races had relatively little to do with biology; it had far more to do with maintaining a group’s defined roles and position. Racial and ethnic membership leads to a sense of people-hood. By this, we mean a sense of identification with a relatively small segment of the world’s population- those who by virtue of common ancestry or heritage we consider â€Å"our own kind†. Erich Fromm wrote in 1941: â€Å"The identity with nature, clan, religion, gives the individual security. He belongs to, he is rooted in, structuralized whole in which he has an unquestionable place. He may suffer from hunger or suppression, but he does not suffer from worst of all pains- complete aloneness and doubt.† PATTERNS OF ETHNIC GROUP RELATIONS People who occupy a subordinate status are usually called a minority group. What determines a minority group is not the unique racial or ethnics traits nor their great number but the relationship of different groups in the society of which they are a part. A minority group, then is one that, because of the power of differences among the groups, is singled out for unequal treatment in the society. A minority refers to a group which, because of physical and cultural characteristics, occupies a subordinate position in the society and subjected to collective discrimination, in some cases, even segregation, oppression, slavery, peonage, military subjugation, religious persecution, and economic, political, educational, and social suppression. The patterns of ethnic group relations include the following: 1. Patterns of Racism a. Prejudice and discrimination Racism – is behavior that is motivated by the belief that one’s own group is superior to other groups that are set apart on the basis of physical characteristics Structural racism refers to inequalities built into an organization or system. An example of structural racism can be seen in recent research on workplace discrimination.[37] There is widespread discrimination against job applicants whose names were merely perceived as â€Å"sounding black.† These applicants were 50% less likely than candidates perceived as having â€Å"white-sounding names† to receive callbacks for interviews, no matter their level of previous experience. Prejudice – prejudged negative attitude or opinion about a group without bothering to  verify the merits of the opinion or judgment The relationship between prejudice and discrimination is complex. Robert Merton’s study and typology of the relationship between prejudice and discrimination Four patterns 1. Unprejudiced nondiscriminatory – integration 2. Unprejudiced and discriminatory – institutional discrimination 3. Prejudiced and nondiscriminatory – latent bigotry 4. Prejudiced and discriminatory – outright bigotry In his study, (1974), Bulatao listed impressions on some ethnic groups by respondents from five Philippine cities: Ilocanos and Chinese were viewed as most industrious, serious, thrifty; Tagalogs, progressive; Bicolanos and Cebuanos, humble, friendly, warm, and peaceful; Warays, lazy but strong; and Ilongos, proud and extravagant. b. Discrimination refers to the act of disqualifying or mistreating people on the basis of their group membership or on ascriptive rounds rationally irrelevant to the situation. Whereas prejudice is a state of mind, discrimination is actual behavior. Prejudice and discrimination work hand in hand to create and sustain racial and ethnic stratification, (Jarry J. 1987) THEORIES OF PREJUDICE Light gives the following explanations on the origin of prejudice: 1. Economic Theory- assumes that racial prejudice is a social attitude transmitted by the dominant ethnic majority class for the purpose of stigmatizing some group s as inferior so that the exploitation of the group resources will be justified. 2. Symbolic Theory- asserts that prejudice arises because a racial or ethnic group is a symbol of what people hate, fear, or envy. 3. Scapegoat theory- maintains that human beings are reluctant to accept their mistakes for their troubles and failures so they look for an ethnic-minority to shoulder the blame. 4. Social norm theory- asserts that ethnocentrism is a natural development of group living. Hatred and suspicion for the out-group are the standard and normal way of doing things, particularly in dealing with people. c. Stereotypes are often simplified and unsupported generalizations about others and are used indiscriminately for all cases. A few examples are Ilokano, â€Å"bantay kuako† (heavy smokers) and â€Å"kuripot† (stingy); Pampangueno, â€Å"dugong aso† (dog blood or traitors); Batangueno, â€Å"balisong† (knife-wielding); Bicolanos, â€Å"sili† ( pepper or hot people). 2. Patterns of Competition, Conflict and Domination When ethnocentric attitudes are coupled with intergroup competition for territory and scarce resources, an explosive social situation may arise. When two groups both strive for the same things- and they perceive their respective claims to be mutually exclusively and legitimate- the stage is set for conflict. In modern societies, the state has become the vehicle that enables one group to dominate and keep the other group subordinate. In sum, competition supplies the motivation for systems of stratification, and ethnocentrism directs competition along racial and ethnic lines, but power determines which group will subjugate the other (Noel, 1972; Barth and Noel, 1975). 3. Economic and Political Subjugation The economic takeover of one nation by a more powerful one and the subsequent political and social domination of the native population is called colonialism. If the takeover of one nation is trough the military superiority of the more powerful one for the purpose of territorial expansion and establishing colonies, it is termed as military colonialism. On the other hand, if the economic takeover is made through the great technological superiority of the more powerful one, the institutionalization of their businesses in their former colonies, the control and domination of most of a colony’s natural resources, the imposition of trade policies and economic treaties favorable to their side; the establishment of outlets for their surplus capital; the need for more cheap labor, raw materials, and markets to fuel their growing economy, the process is termed neo-colonialism or economic imperialism. 4. Displacement and Segregation of the Native Population Economic and political subjugation of a minority population by a more powerful group is not the only pattern of conquest that occurs when  different racial and ethnic group meet. Displacement of native population can be made possible through the influx of powerful settlers or invaders with their vastly superior weapons. It is typically found in areas rich in natural resources and similar in geography and climate to the homeland of the invading group. Displacement takes the following forms: a.) by attrition, that is, numbers of the weaker group may die of starvation or disease either deliberately or not; b.) by population transfer; and c.) by genocide- deliberate and ruthless extermination of the weaker group. Segregation involves the enactment of laws and/or customs that restrict or prohibit contact between groups. Segregation may be ethnic or racial or based on sex or age. 5. Patterns of Accommodation and Tolerance Interracial and interethnic accommodation can be carried out through miscegenation or amalgamation- the intermarriage of members of the majority and minority groups. This can result in the blending of their various customs and values and the creation of a new cultural hybrid. This involves a cultural and biological blending in which the customs and values of both groups are to some extent preserved and their biological characteristics appear in the offspring. 6. Patterns of Acculturation and Assimilation Acculturation and assimilation are two very important concepts in sociology and anthropology that describe cross cultural effects on both minorities as well as majorities in societies that are multi ethnic and multi cultural in nature. Assimilation is a broader concept as described by sociologist Jean Piaget and refers to the manner in which people take new information. There are many people who think of the two concepts as same and even use them interchangeably. If you belong to a minority community in a country and retain your own culture but cannot remain isolated and are affected by the majority culture in such a way that you adapt to some aspects of the majority culture, the process is referred to as acculturation. Assimilation is a process whereby people of a culture learn to adapt to the ways of the majority culture. There is a loss of one’s own culture as a  person gives more value to the cultural aspects of the majority community in the process of assimilation. What is the difference between Acculturation and Assimilation? †¢ Meeting of cultures always produces results in terms of changes in both the cultures, and acculturation and assimilation refer to two important and different changes in these cultures. †¢ Assimilation refers to the process where some of the majority community’s cultural aspects are absorbed in such a manner that the home cultural aspects get mitigated or lost. †¢ Acculturation is a process where the cultural aspects of the majority community are adapted without losing the traditions and customs of the minority community. †¢ Minority culture changes in the case of assimilation whereas it remains intact in the case of acculturation. 7. Patterns of cultural Pluralism or Ethnic Diversity Cultural pluralism refers to the coexistence of different racial or ethnic groups each of which retains its own cultural identity and social structural networks, while participating equally in the economic and political systems. (Light, 1985) In pluralistic society, each group retains its own language, religion and customs, and its members tend to interact socially primarily among themselves. Yet all jointly participate in the economic and political systems and live in harmony and peaceful â€Å"coexistence†. A prime example of such an arrangement can be found in Switzerland. There, people of German, French, and Italian heritage preserve their distinct cultural ways while coexisting peacefully and equally. No one group enjoys special privileges or is discriminated against. ETHNIC GROUPS IN THE PHILIPPINES Ethnic groups in the Philippines are classified according to certain physical, cultural, linguistic, religious and geographic criteria. A. According to distinctive physical traits 1. The Negritoes who are regarded as the aborigines of the Philippines. 2. The Indonesian- Malayan stock which is predominant among the Filipinos. 3. The Chinese who make up the largest national group. 4. The Americans and the Spaniards, and a few other Europeans who came as  colonizers. B. According to cultural standpoints 1. Cultural minorities or cultural communities 2. Muslims 3. Christian groups C. According to linguistic groupings PANAMIN reports that there are about 87 ethno linguistic groups in the Philippines-e.g., Tagalog, Ilokano, Waray, Hiligaynon, Kapampangan, Ilonggo, etc. D. According to religion 1. Roman Catholics 2. Muslims 3. Aglipayans 4. Protestants 5. Iglesia ni Cristo 6. Buddhists 7. Jehovah’s witnesses 8. Other religious sects. E. Muslims of Southern Philippines The Muslims make up the largest single non-Christian group. They have nine ethno-linguistic groups, namely: 1. Taosug 2. Maranao 3. Maguindanao 4. Samal 5. Yakan 6. Sanggil 7. Badjao 8. Molbog 9. Jama Mapun From the Spanish regime to the present, Muslim and Christian intergroup  relationships have been characterized by animosity and suspicion. This has been expressed in the Muslims’ ongoing resentment of Christian settlers and attempts at secession to form an independent Mindanao. Muslim revolutionary groups the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and the Bangsai Moro Liberation Front (BMLF) want Mindanao, Sulu, and Palawan to secede from the Philippines. THE CULTURAL COMMUNITIES AND THE CHRISTIAN FILIPINOS The non-Christian Filipinos now known as cultural communities make up 10% of the total national population. They have maintained their culture in their clothes, art, religion, ethnic dialect, customs, traditions and other superficial differences. There are 77 major ethno-linguistic groups in the Philippines. III. GROUP REFLECTION Within sociology, the terms race, ethnicity, minority, and dominant group all have very specific and different meanings. To understand the sociological perspective on race and ethnicity, it is important to understand the meanings of these concepts. An ethnic group is a social category of people who share a common culture, such as a common language, a common religion, or common norms, customs, practices, and history. Ethnic groups have a consciousness of their common cultural bond. An ethnic group does not exist simply because of the common national or cultural origins of the group, however. They develop because of their unique historical and social experiences, which become the basis for the group’s ethnic identity. For example, prior to immigration to the United States, Italians did not think of themselves as a distinct group with common interests and experiences. However, the process of immigration and the experiences they faced as a group in the United States, including dis crimination, created a new identity for the group. Some examples of ethnic groups include Italian Americans, Polish Americans, Mexican Americans, Arab Americans, and Irish Americans. Ethnic groups are also found in other societies, such as the Pashtuns in Afghanistan or the Shiites in Iraq, whose ethnicity is base on religious differences. Like ethnicity, race is primarily, though not exclusively, a socially constructed category. A race is a group that is treated as distinct in society based on certain characteristics. Because of their biological or cultural characteristics, which are labeled as inferior by powerful groups in society, a race is often singled out for differential and unfair treatment. It is not the biological characteristics that define racial groups, but how groups have been treated historically and socially. Society assigns people to racial categories (White, Black, etc.) not because of science or fact, but because of opinion and social experience. In other  words, how racial groups are defined is a social process; it is socially constructed. A minority group is any distinct group in society that shares common group characteristics and is forced to occupy low status in society because of prejudice and discrimination. A group may be classified as a minority on the basis of ethnicity, race, sexual preference, age, or class status. It is important to note that a minority group is not necessarily the minority in terms of numbers, but it is a group that holds low status in relation to other groups in society (regardless of the size). The group that assigns a racial or ethnic group to subordinate status in society is called the dominant group. There are several sociological theories about why prejudice, discrimination, and racism exist. Current sociological theories focus mainly on explaining the existence of racism, particular institutional racism. The three major sociological perspectives (functionalist theory, symbolic interaction theory, and conflict theory) each have their own explanations to the existence of racism. Functionalist theorists argue that in order for race and ethnic relations to be functional and contribute to the harmonious conduct and stability of society, racial and ethnic minorities must assimilate into that society. Assimilation is a process in which a minority becomes absorbed into the dominant society – socially, economically, and culturally. Symbolic interaction theorists look at two issues in relation to race and ethnicity. First, they look at the role of social interaction and how it reduces racial and ethnic hostility. Second, they look at how race and ethnicity are socially constructed. In essence, symbolic interactionists ask the question, â€Å"What happens when two people of different race or ethnicity come in contact with one another and how can such interracial or interethnic contact reduce hostility and conflict?† The basic argument made by conflict theorists is that class-based conflict is an inherent and fundamental part of society. These theorists thus argue that racial and ethnic conflict is tied to class conflict and that in order to reduce racial and ethnic conflict, class conflict must first be reduced.

A Beautiful Mind †Schizophrenia Essay

If you ever wondered and wanted to experience how a person with schizophrenia thinks and acts, then; a beautiful mind is the perfect movie to see to get an elaborate point of view of a person who struggles with schizophrenia in their everyday life. In this movie the depiction of schizophrenia is described as a person who lives out their life thinking and believes that there’s an actual living person they talk to, but in reality it’s just delusions and hallucinations they are experiencing. The features and symptoms displayed in this film that help identified the main characters’ disorder were hearing, seeing, and feeling things that weren’t actually there. It then progressed to anger and anxiety, which I believe was due to encountering events or a series of events that participated later along the characters life. As the characters symptoms seem to get worse he was then delivered and brought to use insulin coma therapy, which I read by psychiatric consultant, Max Fink, in Psychiatric News, â€Å"The primary treatment he received was insulin coma therapy, which along with ECT was the only treatment that had demonstrated any impact on schizophrenia symptoms by the time of his illness†. See more: Distinguish between problem-focused coping and emotion-focused coping Essay After undergoing many treatments in the psychiatric hospital he then eventually stopped taking the medications and treatments do to memory loss, which prevented him from solving the difficulty math problems he was accustom to do in his early years. As a result it leads him back to madness state of hallucinations and delusions of schizophrenia.

Why has the concept of work life balance become such a focus concern Essay

Why has the concept of work life balance become such a focus concern in the past decade - Essay Example working from home, compressed work weeks and flexible working hours), leave arrangements (e.g. maternity leave, paternity leave, and leave to care for a sick dependent), dependent care assistance (e.g. on-site daycare, subsidised daycare, eldercare, and referral to child care), and general services (e.g. employee assistant programs, seminars and programs related to family needs)’. These initiatives give employees work flexibility and ensure that those depended on them, children and the elderly parents, are cared about, thus reducing the family-work conflict, as well as providing time to be spent for personal interests and hobbies, which reduces stress and increases employees’ satisfaction with life and work. The issue of work-life balance was aroused in the USA in the mid of 1980s, yet since then it has become only more vital. This was caused by a number of reasons. In this paper we are going to discuss the sources of the problem and highlight the aspects making it a pr oblem, as well as benefits of work-life balance. Work-life balance initiatives are essential for creating normal conditions of work for people. Reports and surveys indicating the problem have been released and conducted for several decades already. However, the issue continues acquiring its vitality. In May 2005 Europe was worried by the report released by the European Industrial Relations Observatory (EIRO) showing that the workers in 10 new state entrants to the European Union worked three weeks more than employees in 15 core EU countries. Voters blamed politicians for shrinking vacation period. The 22 days of paid vacations in Estonia, Lithuania, Poland ad Slovenia were perceived as the violation of human rights. Meanwhile, according to the Families and Work Institute report 79 percent of US employees got no more than 16,6 days of paid vacation in 2001, the figure having dropped to 14,6 days by 2004. About 37 percent of US workers took less

Democracy and human rights in asia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Democracy and human rights in asia - Essay Example As far Asian and Western culture is concerned, it can be studied in two ways along wise that is dogmatic or communal (Bell, 2000, pg. 67). If one has to pen down the social uplifts in both these cultures, then morally and ethically Western culture is far behind in moral norms as compared to Asian averages. West has by far with an approach being not keeping abreast of religious medians in political implementations. Religious medians are more expressive and demanding regarding the human uplifts and hominid elevations. Although West has totally defined human rights and since by far trying reach the best of its output but the limitations and boundaries set by such Western liberalism is not apprehend able by a nonprofessional. Western democracy is somehow a kind of dictatorship where only those can survive easily who are in relation to those liberal rights designers from the perspective of religion. Western liberal democracy does not render a true platform to followers of a certain minority religion holder to apply their values openly while living in such states. Roseau stated that the big the state is; the more difficult it would be to run it with democracy where rights and thoughts of every person are valued. Asian democracies in political perspectives although not very successful in certain countries of the world but their values for upholding a pure socially upgraded and esteemed are far fruitful than those of Western ones. Liberal democracies are true pictures of autonomy, copious, supremacy, and genuine build-ups. Therefore, simply if these attributes are existed in any democratic state either western or eastern that state would be more appropriate in building up a pure social and human rights building state. Asian democratic sates are individual value based set ups with power of legitimate enactments. There is a conflict in human rights and societies dimensions in both cultures because as far the individual is satisfied and pro-active the more that society

Introduction to business for the creative industries Essay

Introduction to business for the creative industries - Essay Example anding its operations across several parts of the world included North America, India, Eastern and Western Europe and China thereby making it the forth biggest footwear manufacturer and retailer in the world(Clarks, 2014, p.1). Founded in 1825, the renowned British, international shoe manufacturer and retailer has sustained its growth over the years through its great brand marketing campaigns, more fashion focused products and management support to become the worlds largest footwear brand (Sutton, 2009, p.45). The history of the Clarks shoes business dates back to the 1820s when a British Tannery worker known as Cyrus Clark entered into a partnership with his Quaker cousin to begin a sheep skin rug business. Cyrus Clark was soon joined by his brother James who began making slippers from the sheepskin left over. The slippers were a great success. By 1833, James had been taken on as a full business partner and the business was renamed C & J Clark. In 1960s, Clarks also began building a reputation for its children shoe products not only in the United Kingdom but also in other parts of the world (Palmer, 2013, p.54). Currently, the company has established nearly 1000 branded stores selling more than 50 million pairs of shoes annually in over 35 countries across the globe. Despite experiencing difficulties during the middle of the 19th century, the company has managed to regain its growth and has expanded over the years by adopting techniques of mass production as well as enhancing its brand marketing campaigns to become a global giant shoe fashion designer and retailer. This paper presents an illustrated critique of the success of Clarks Footwear Fashion Business with particular focus to its marketing and brand positioning strategies. Throughout its 200 years of existence, the Clarks has always enjoyed an impressive market success and sustained growth in nearly all its product segments (Sutton, 2009, p.78). According to experts, the Clarks current market success is

Religious Cultural artifacts of India Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Religious Cultural artifacts of India - Essay Example Amongst the most vivacious illustration of admired visual art found in Indian towns and cities are the religious posters and calendars showing saints, and places of reverence and worship, obtainable at many roadside stalls near temples, mosques, and ornamented at walls inside homes, shops, or in worship-corners. While such visual depiction may have existed in the past in popular forms of painting, the introduction of printing press and the mass construction industry in the 20th century transformed it into a matured mass culture, characterized by its own popular aesthetics, the interpretation of the myths, and the marketing strategy. While it is simple to find religious posters and charts for a Hindu follower in hefty numbers and variety, it is also not difficult to get posters depicting Muslim themes and legends. Although most Muslim posters available in India portray the shrines at Mecca and Medina or the Quranic verses in calligraphy, one can also discover the portraits of saints, their shrines, and the miracles, represented as brilliantly as in a typical Hindu mythological picture. The metaphors of the shrines at Mecca and Medina in Saudi-Arabia, the major religious center for the Muslims, are the most extensively used sanctified icons of popular culture amongst Muslim population all over the world. The cube-shaped shrine of Mecca, to which the Muslims turn for prayers, and the green dome of Medina, surrounded by the minarets, the names Allah and Muhammad in large Arabic calligraphy, and possibly, a crescent and star, are icons that can be seen in almost every Muslim family in some structure or the other - a photo realistic painting or a creative variation, by a performer who probably never gone to Arabia, or may not essentially be a Muslim! As the creation of portraits, other than that of Mecca and Medina, is generally not considered as a right act in Islam, the written words are of supreme importance, the calligraphy of Quranic verses and other blessed tex ts is the next preference of the Muslim artists. For years, the Perso-Arabic calligraphists have also been making art with the 'pictorialization' of the text, turning words into shapes of animals, birds, human postures, and other inanimate objects. This, even though has been treasured in the Muslim world as a innovation, has also met with some disapproval. Nevertheless, one can find a wide variety of calligraphic themes in the Indian trendy posters. The more appealing theme, the heart of this study, is the interpretation of Muslim saints, their miracles and other tradition. Many posters depict the images of the mausoleums or the tomb complexes of famous saints, often with the personage of the saint himself, complete with the icons of his strange mythology and miracles, such as the vicious animals he disciplined, the oceans he crossed on barefoot, and so on. Similar to the tradition of Hindu gods and goddesses, the Muslim saints are shown with extra charisma and glowing personalities , wearing imposing robes and turbans. CULTURAL ARTIFACT AND ITS IMPACT: The religious posters participate actively in what can be called the stereotyping of the representation of certain communities and of the genders. A young woman or a child, if

The Hegemony Debate in International Relations Essay

The Hegemony Debate in International Relations - Essay Example In technical terms, a "polar actor" (or a "pole") is a state or a coalition of states that is so significant that its removal (or its entrance) would alter the contours of the interstate system. In more prosaic parlance, a polar actor is a Great Power. "Polarity" concerns the way in which the major capabilities of power are distributed among the main actors of the interstate system. In a multipolar system, the main capabilities are distributed among several Great Powers. In a bipolar system, the capabilities are distributed between two preeminent Powers - as was the case during the height of the Cold War. In a unipolar system, one single state has managed to concentrate an inordinately large share of the system's capabilities under its own control and thus enabled itself to exercise an unchallenged pre-eminence on the international scene. (Nye, 1990) With such an immense concentration of capabilities on American hands, it is clear that the contemporary interstate system is unipolar in nature. The USA stands head and shoulders above all other states in terms of power capabilities both military and economically but is it necessarily hegemonic The hegemony cycle is based on t... This preeminent position is called hegemony. Hegemony seems to have acquired two connotations, positive and negative. In the positive image, "benign hegemony," the leading country takes on the burden of maintaining international order and pays a disproportionate price for doing so. In this approach, international order is seen as a "public good" benefiting all countries, supported by the hegemonic power. Kindleberger (1973:28) argues that "the international economic and monetary system needs leadership, a country which is prepared , consciously or unconsciously, under some system of rules that it has internalized, to set standards of conduct for other countries ; and to seek to get others to follow them , to take on an undue share of the burdens of the system ." Britain had this role from 1815 to 1913, and the United States after 1945, according to Kindleberger, but in the interwar years Britain was unable, and the United States was unwilling, to accept this leadership role ; Kindleberger sees in this lack of leadership the mai n causes for the severity of the depression of the 1930s . "Hegemonic stability theory" (see Keohane 1980), to quote McKeown's (1983: 73) summary, argues that "it is the power of hegemonic states that leads to the emergence of open international economic systems" with free trade, benefiting all. According to Puchala (2005, p. 572), the term hegemony refers to the predominance of one state over others which can mean primacy in importance, authority or force. Hegemony is the result of a single state attaining such power as to enable him or give him the right to manage the international system. This state find themselves responsible to manage

Lesson 14 discussions and assignment Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Lesson 14 discussions and assignment - Coursework Example Rock ‘n’ roll transformed teenagers into a marketing concept. On 13th October 1958, pop singer Jo Stafford commented that â€Å"Rock ‘n’ roll is an economic thing† (History-of-rock.com, n.d.). Teenagers were considered as the first generation to become a sufficient market for rock ‘n’ roll because they were given enough money by their parents to buy music in large quantities that can influence the music market. Rock ‘n’ roll music got the attention of youth since 1952. The economy had allowed them to owned radios and televisions. Because ‘n’ and roll was becoming popular, radios and televisions played it regularly (History-of-rock.com, n.d). The music was easy to dance to, appealing mainly to teenagers who saw fun in dancing. The music was therefore played for dance in the inner-city, especially black schools, and parties for white schools. The income channeled to music in 1950s also benefited the increasing range of advertisers targeting teenagers (Campbell and Brody, 1999). Teen-oriented radio stations and television programmes (e.g. American Bandstand) were also developed to meet the increasing teenage demand for rock ‘n’ roll music. Teenagers also purchased rock ‘n’ roll music records as a way of rebelling against adults in order to assert their generational identity. In the subsequent decades, the strategies for marketing rock music changed as technologies and recording studios became an avenue for marketing music in 1960s and 1970s (Campbell and Brody, 1999). New generation record producers such as Smokey Robinson and Brian Wilson had a commercial challenge to widen the concept of music beyond rock ‘n’ roll, and to target a wider sphere of teenage

Nest Smoke Detector Project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Nest Smoke Detector Project - Essay Example Nest has attempted to create a smoke detector with a brain. The Protect is aimed at replacing the common traditional alarm systems as a smarter and technologically advanced device. The Protect has many distinctive features which gives it much competitive advantage over any other traditional smoke detector. The Protect has the feature of alerting the user via a Smartphone as well as by glowing with a green light when battery is full and yellow light when it has to be charged. This replaces the traditional beeping alert on low battery for security alarms. The company has carefully applied the marketing mix in the development and introduction of the product. Product: For developing the right product, Nest has taken up a perfectionist approach. It has also pursued a restrained product development strategy, similar to the strategy used by Apple. The Protect has been launched as a consumer friendly, high innovation smoke detector alarm system. The Protect has been designed with a balanced blend of emotional and rational thinking. The product is enabled with different new features which will solve many of the problems that the consumers have been facing for decades with the traditional smoke detectors. The look of the product is designed to be attractive and compact. The Protect is precisely an intelligently reinvented product.Place: The Protect is aimed at adding to the already accelerating growth of the company. The company has launched the Protect in a hugely crowded market. The Protect has been made available for selling in more than 5000 retailers. The product has been made available for sell in reputable electronic stores like Best Buy, Amazon, Home Depot and the Apple stores (Bloomberg, 2013). The market place for smoke detector alarms is getting more crowded and there are different types of smoke detectors available from a number of companies in the market. Price: The Protect is very highly priced at $129 per piece compared to the price of the prevalent smoke detectors in the market which can be bought at an average price of $30. Though the Protect is loaded with advanced functionalities, still at $129 it is considered overpriced and is positioned as a more novelty product than a conventional smoke detector. But the company has weighed the price of the Protect carefully. The high price has been set keeping in mind the pattern of consumers paying a much higher price for a better technology and better performing alternative of a

Advertising Alcohol Essay Example for Free

Advertising Alcohol Essay Alcohol has appeared in UK as well as around the world for many years. It plays a significant rule in the life of human. As British Medical Association in 2009, people in UK is the most of alcohol users in Europe. However, like other addictive substances, abuse of alcohol will bring a lot of bad consequences for people. Timms (2013) claimed that alcohol is the cause of psychosis, dementia, and physical problem. There are some people who claimed that government is not authorized to control the advertising of alcohol stricter than other products, but some were in the other idea that government should do it because of the bad impact from alcohol advertising to those who watch it, especially young people. This essay is aim to clarify the opinion that alcohol will result negative effect for human heath as well as social life and its advertising need to be restricted by government. Firstly, except useful of alcohol to people life, alcohol is cause of many negative problems. It is a fact that alcohol was used in to many industries such as food, heath service, and research also. Alcohol may good for heath with a limit amount. With reference from NIH (2003), in a great number of male surveyed, those who drank more than three times a week will have fewer heath risk than others who just drank less than once a week. However, according to Kenny (2012), people should not drink alcohol too much everyday. For instance, the limit of alcohol, which accepted by government, is 150–200ml for men and 100-150ml for women. Base on each habitus, drinking more than that unit may lead to sign of headache, dizzy, sickness, loss of control, etc. To reference from Hall’s research last year, 25% of deaths increase in the last ten years was caused by alcohol. It showed that most of people cannot control their drinking, and this number is increasing day by day. Thus, it is important to limit alcohol use. Secondly, alcoholics are threatening to the social life. It may be noted that drinking alcohol is dangerous not only for people but also their family. A lot of social evil and family violence are come from drunken people. When drinking too much wine or beer, the phenomenon of losing control will appear. Then, the drinker may have negative activities to people around. For example, according to Aquarius, 30% of sexual harassments were affected by alcohol. Furthermore, unfortunately, almost alcoholic was the cause of increasing unemployment (Macpherson, 1988). Then it tends to the thievery when alcoholics do not have money to buy alcohol. From those reasons, it is clear to see that alcohol is truly a hazard to people. Turning to the other side, advertising of alcohol will also bring the bad effect to people. Alcohol advertisement, like other product’s advertisement, is aim to approach people and persuade them to buy as much as possible. Actually, most of alcohol advertising content was received great evaluation from people under 23 years old (Jernigan, 2010). On the other hand, although people know the negative of using alcohol, promotion by any way will make them tend to use it naturally. Wilby (2008) claimed that people are strong affected by advertising of alcohol because they are easily to receive information provided by this advertisement. Advertising of alcohol makes people, especially the youth, image that it is the daily product. Moreover, Jernigan (2010) believed that almost alcohol companies tried to insert the combination of unmeasured features relative to cultural, religious and regulatory context on their advertising. Thus, they try using it everyday like the case that they saw on advertising. In British Medical Association (2009), researchers said â€Å"alcohol advertising and promotion increases the likelihood that adolescents will start to use alcohol and to drink more if they are already using alcohol†. Therefore, if alcohol companies are all free to do advertising by their own way, it will be dangerous for customer insight. Finally, alcohol advertising needs to be limited to protect customer from the wrong perception about wine or beer. In fact, alcohol companies have right to do advertise like other product in market. The more alcohol that they sold, the more money of tax government can earn. Follow HMRC (2013), alcohol products brought a huge number of revenue to UK, which is ? 3,323m from April to July 2013. This number illustrated for the great tax revenue that government earned from alcohol companies. However, the damage to people heath and life are bigger than that. Government had to pay more for the accident and medical insurance that come from effect of drinking too much alcohol. Therefore, limitation to the advertising content of alcohol is really necessary. In practice, government represents for the right of people, so they need to intervene to alcohol advertising for protecting customer. Although government cannot absolutely ban all the advertising of alcohol, they need to control it. For example, Hall (2012) believed that alcohol marketing â€Å"require that ads not link alcohol with sex, social success, youth culture or juvenile behavior†. In conclusion, the essay focused on difference points of whether alcohol advertising should be restricted or not, and the role of government in this situation. Obviously, whether drinking alcohol is good or not depends largely on the awareness of people who use it. Nevertheless, advertising this product widely on media will cause many bad impacts. For that reason, the strict guidelines and regulation for alcohol advertising is really needed. The government should strictly control this kind of product as well as develop propagandize for people about using alcohol in the right way. Apart from that, government also can impose more heavy taxes upon alcohol goods. This can force customer to use less alcohol and increase national income at the same time. References AQUARIUS (n. d. ) Alcohol and Violence [WWW] Aquarius. Available from: http://www. aquarius. org. uk/alcoholandviolence [Accessed 02/09/2013]. BRITISH MEDICAL ASSOCIATION (2009) Under the influence: the damaging effect of alcohol marketing on young people [WWW] Available from: http://www.alcohollearningcentre. org. uk/_library/undertheinfluence_tcm41-1900621. pdf [Accessed 24/08/13]. HALL, E. (2012) Sobering up the U. K. proves difficult. Advertising Age, 83 (17), pp. 9. HMRC (2013) Tax and Duty Bulletins [WWW] HM Revenue Customs. Available from: https://www. uktradeinfo. com/Statistics/Pages/TaxAndDutybulletins. aspx [Accessed 01/09/2013]. JERNIGAN, D. (2010) The extent of global alcohol marketing and its impact on youth. Contemporary Drug Problems, 37 (1), pp. 57-89. MACPHERSON, N (1988) The Effect of Alcoholism on Earning Capacity [WWW] Economica. Available from: http://www. economica. ca/ew03_2p1. htm [Accessed 02/09/2013]. NIH (2003) Frequency of Light-to-Moderate Drinking Reduces Heart Disease Risk in Men [WWW] NIH. Available from: http://www. nih. gov/news/pr/jan2003/niaaa-08. htm [Accessed 31/08/2013]. Timms, P. (2013) Alcohol and depression [WWW] Royal College of Psychiatrists’ Public Education Editorial Board. Available from: http://www. rcpsych. ac. uk/mentalhealthinfoforall/problems/alcoholanddrugs/alcoholdepression. aspx [Accessed 31/08/2013]. WILBY, P. (2008) Under the influence. New Statesman, 137 (4887), pp. 17.

Peace and Free

Peace and Freedom Essay General accounts that place the American combat experience in the broader context of the 1918 campaign can be found in literature. Authors provide sound overviews of the AEFs European combat experience. Accounts of specific battles contain an excellent general description of the Marine combat experience on the Western Front. Perhaps influenced by recent trends in military history, many authors have attempted to come to grips with the wars impact on the individual soldier. Authors look at the Armys treatment of its black soldiers and of those soldiers reactions. There are also more detailed works on the black experience. They provide a fine general account of the African-American experience in the U. S. military. At the same time historians focused on the very important role women played at home. In The Women and the Warriors, Carrie Foster looks at the early history of the Womens International League for Peace and Freedom. He finds that its experience during the World War I greatly shaped its view of the world and the strategies it pursued during this period. The important scholarship on women during the war challenges the traditional interpretation of the war as, on the whole, a liberating experience for women. For historians are important local studies, focusing on official policy toward women and workers in general. There is also the psychosocial impact of the war on gender relations. What happens when the men come home is described by historians. Historians investigated also the history of industrial workers. They focused on the militarization of labor and on the relations among union leaders, capitalists, and military authorities. Historians covered labyrinthine administrative arrangements that economic mobilization engendered and trade union organization. Recent scholarship on the working class in wartime features a great many local studies. The history of daily life among civilians during the World War I has been investigated chiefly via local case studies. Many historians propose that the experience of the war on the home front often came down to â€Å"steel and turnips†Ã¢â‚¬â€ever-increasing demands for work and â€Å"efficiency, † and less and less to eat in the bargain. It almost goes without doubt that a disproportionate number of those undergoing these experiences were women and children. Some writers focus on the ideological impact of war work for the womens movement and consider the related issue of â€Å"pronatalism† as an element of wartime mentality. As to the children for whom working women continued to care, historians have studied the day-to-day life of those still in school and considered youth movements within the middle class. One social group of importance to both women and children was doctors. The relationship of both politicians and soldiers with the press has drawn a number of scholars. They have concentrated upon the issue of control and censorship touching on both censorship and ownership. The press was naturally an instrument for propaganda. The impact of theatre, photography, the infant cinema and, especially, the pioneering wartime film has been the subject of detailed consideration. Today the World War I is in modern memory as an incredible experience of our parents and grandparents. Its places of battles are partially preserved. Its equipment and accoutrements exhibited in museums. A balanced account of the entire period is captured in excellent historical works that always will be read with curiosity and amazement, as well as a growing understanding. References Coffman, Edward M. (1968). The War to End All Wars: The American Military Experience in World War I. New York: Oxford. Foster, Carrie A. (1995). The Women and the Warriors: The U. S. Section of the Womens International League for Peace and Freedom, 1915-1946. Syracuse: Syracuse University Press. Kreidberg, Marvin A., and Merton G. Henry. (1955). History of Military Mobilization in the United States Army, 1775-1945. Washington, DC: Department of the Army. Perret, Geoffrey. (1989). A Country Made by War: From Revolution to Vietnam—The Story of Americas Rise to Power. New York: Random House. Plaschka, Richard Georg, Horst Haselsteiner, and Arnold Suppan. (1974). Innere Front: Militarassistenz, Widerstand und Umsturz in der Donaumonarchie, Vienna. Weigley, Russell F. (1973). The American Way of War: A History of United States Military Strategy and Policy. New York: Macmillan.

Pregnancy Foetus Mother

Pregnancy Foetus Mother Pregnancy is a state whereby there is a symbiotic union between a mother and her foetus. During this period, all systems of the body change to accommodate the trophoblast, the immune system (a complex biological signalling system responsible for protecting us against infection, disease and foreign objects due to its ability to differentiate between self and non self) being one of these systems also undergoes a number of changes (Markert, 2005). The foetus is like a homograft attached to the uterine wall of the mother via the placenta, it inherits half its genetic makeup from its mother and the other half from its father. The paternal genes that it expresses are seen as antigens by the mothers immune system and are expected to cause the rejection of the foetus as a semi-allogenic tissue graft(2). Instead, the mothers immune system teaches itself to tolerate these genes and the development of the foetus is supported and regulated (Marker, 2005). The immunological puzzle that leads to t he sustainment of the foetus for the 9 months gestation period is known as the â€Å"immunological paradox of pregnancy† (Claman. 1993). A question that begets to be asked is how does the maternal body prevent rejection of the histoincompatible foetus and at the same time maintain enough maternal host defence mechanisms to fight disease and infection? To date it is not fully understood how this takes place, but it is known that in order to allow the foetus to escape rejection and immunological attacks by the maternal immune system, this symbiotic relationship must have distinctive immuno-regulatory actions. At the same time the mothers immune system must also provide protection against foreign antigens for her as well as her young. A number of explanations have been proposed during the last century as to why foetal rejection does not take place in healthy pregnancies. It is now agreed upon that the placenta plays an important role in this. The placenta is a very important organ because not only does it aid the transportation of nutrients and waste products and immunity between mother and foetus, it acts as an endocrine organ because it secretes growth factors and female hormones which helps maintain and support the pregnancy (Knobil and Neil, 1994) and finally the placental expression patterns of majorhistocompatibility complexes (MHC) is one of the vital factors that determine if a foetus is accepted or rejected, in humans these complexes are known as human leukocyte antigen (HLA) complexes (Claman. 1993). Although the mechanism for the maternal tolerance of the MHCs expressed by the fetus is still not fully known it is known that in humans, a number of HLA class I expressions have been detected in the placent a, these include HLA-C and HLA-G complexes. HLA-G is essential for the successful implantation of trophoblast and its protection from invasion. It does so by binding inhibitory receptors on T-lymphocytes and maternal uterine natural killer cells and thus protects the trophblast from maternal attacks caused by these cells. They also regulate cytokine secretion of cells, thus offering protection to the foetus (hla class 1 molecules reference). A recent study has also shown that HLA-G might inhibit the migration of NK cells across the placental endothelial cells. Till this day, no evidence has been brought forward to suggest that HLA-A, HLA-B and Class II MHCs are expressed in the placenta thus it is inferred that they are normally absent from the placenta during pregnancy (Bulmer and Johnson, 1985). Foetuses are protected not only from rejection during the gestation period but also from infections by the transmission of passive immunity from the mother.In 1892, Paul Erlich used mouse models to demonstrate that fetuses and neonates acquire protective immunity from their mothers both in utero and through breast milk. It has been shown that this involves the active transport of IgG from mother to her offspring. Passive immunity is transferred from the mother to her foetus through the placenta in the form of immunoglobulin G (IgG) and also via breast milk postnatally (Arvola et al 2000). IgG is the main defence against bacteria thus it accounts for 70-75% of antibodies found in human serum. Before birth the foetus is immunologically naà ¯ve because its synthesis of antibodies is very low. The immature immune system of the foetus is compensated for by the active transport of maternal IgG across the placenta into the foetal circulation. Before IgG reaches the foetal circulation, it h as to cross two cellular barriers, the barrier in contact with the maternal blood known as the syncythiotrophoblast and the capillary epithelium of the foetus. IgG antibodies are conveyed across the placenta and the intestinal epithelium via the human Fc receptor (add more). Although the ability of IgG to cross the placenta acts to convey passive immunity to the foetus there are instances where its ability to cross the placenta can have detrimental effects on the baby. An example of this is a condition called haemolytic disease of the new born (HDN). HDN is an alloimmune disease that develops in rhesus positive foetuses that have a rhesus negative mother. the mother produces IgG antibodies against the rhesus positive red blood cells which cross the placenta and attack red blood cells in the foetal circulation. It has been established that breast milk are rich in maternal cells including small proportions of epithelial cells, macrophages, leukocytes and T and B lymphocytes which make up a majority of cells found in milk on the other hand, 80% of the total cells found in the colostrum (first milk secreted after delivery) are mononuclear phagocytes. These cells aid the neonate by protecting the lumen of its gut and transferring immunity passively. Breast milk macrophages enter breast milk via the epithelium of the mammary gland, they are found to be highly phagocytic in breast milk and can easily be differentiated from other cells by the lipid rich inclusions found in their cytoplasm (breast milk macrophages reference). Milk and colostrum are also rich in the dimeric immunoglobin A. IgA antibodies are very important to the newborn because they are highly specific for pathogens found in the mucosae of the gut. This form of passive immunity from the mother thus conveys protection to the newborn until its immune response is mature enough to mount a good enough response (PDF2D). As well as transference of immunity, a mother can also convey infections to her foetus. The maternal transmission of an infection such as HIV, Hepatitis B and syphilis to foetus in utero, as a result of body fluid transmission during child birth and through breast milk is known as vertical transmission. During pregnancy, the maternal transmission of infection can result in a number of sequela. Infections found in mother have the potential of infecting the foetus or newborn. Side effects of infections include abortion or stillbirth, acute illnesses, congenital abnormalities, neonatal death and many more. The newborn can acquire infections in utero also known as intrauterine (congenital), during child birth (intrapartum) or after birth (postpartum). Different forms of infections can be vertically transmitted, these include viral and bacterial infections which are both covered in this essay. The most common examples of viral infections transferred from mother to her unborn child are cytomegalovirus, rubella both of which may cause severe neonatal disease or congenital defects, HIV and Hepatitis B. The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a sexually transmitted virus that attacks the immune system by infecting CD4 cells thus leaving the host vulnerable to other infections. This virus can lead to the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome which is characterised by a very low CD4 cell count (less than 200/ml). The transmission of this virus from mother to child can occur in utero, during child birth and via breast milk. The most common mode of transmission of HIV occurs during labour or at child birth, about 50-80% of vertical transmission occurs via this route. The reason being that the fetus is in direct contact with infected blood and secretions, as a result of ruptured membranes and transmission of maternal blood to the foetus during labour (birth by caesarean section before the beginning of labour and membrane rupture is proven to reduce this risk of transmission of HIV) (www.aafp.org). HIV transmission can also occur in utero. The foetus can become infected if it comes in contact with infected maternal blood and secretions. This contact can be the result of placental haemorrhage or by the foetus swallowing some amniotic fluid (www. the-aids-pandemic.blogspot.com). The final mechanism by which vertical transmission if HIV can take place is through breast milk which occurs in 16-29% of cases (www. the-aids-pandemic.blogspot.com). Hepatitis B is a viral infection of the liver caused by the hepatitis B virus (a double stranded DNA virus which caused liver damage). In 2004, Zhang et al provided evidence that the main route of transmission of hepatitis from mother to foetus was via the placenta. Mothers that have the acute form of the virus and that are also infected in the first trimester of pregnancy have a 10% chance of passing the virus to their neonates. This percentage increases to a staggering 80-90% if the mothers were infected in the 3rd trimester. 90% of neonates on the other hand acquire the infection if the virus chronically infected the women (Hieber et al 1977). Transmission is also caused by the exposure of the foetus to infected blood and body fluids. A hepatitis positive mother has a 20% chance of passing the infection to her offspring during child birth, this risk increases to 90% if the mother is also positive for the hepatitis B e antigen (www.perinatology.com). According to Hill et al (2002), breast milk of infected individuals contains HBV DNA, but using appropriate immunoprophylaxis nullifies the transmission of HBV. Rubella (the German measles) is a condition caused by the rubella virus. This virus is moderately contagious. It can cross the placenta causing a condition known as congenital rubella syndrome (CRS) which leads to a number of side effects to the baby including low birth weight, deafness, mental retardation, congenital heart failure and death. The severity of the effect depends on the period that the fetus is infected; during the first two months of gestation the chances of foetal damage caused by infection is 65-0%, this chance decreases to 30-35% during the third month and finally to a mere 1-2% in the 20th week. There are two routes through which a newborn can acquire a bacterial infection, these routes include intraturerine (transplacental and assending infection) and intrapartum when the new born comes in contact with infected secretions and blood during delivery. Congenital syphilis is a severe and life threatning multisystem infection caused by the vertical transmission of the spirochete Treponema palladium to the foetus. The transplacental transmission rate is 60-80% Vertical transmission of congenital syphilis can occur at anytime during pregnancy although the infection is more likely to be transmitted by women in the primary and secondary stages of the disease as opposed to the latent stage.Just like in adult syphilis, this infection is categorised into early disease which is seen in children two years or younger and late disease which is seen in children over the age of two(http://www.merck.com). During child birth organisms such as N. gonorrhoea, B. streptococci and C. trachomonas bacteria that are naturally found in the female reproductive system can also colonise the newborn. A list of these bacteria are shown in fig 1 of the appendix attached. Vertical transmission of Immunity during pregnancy is complex and one that intrigues many a soul. Till this date its mechanisms are not fully known. What is known is that a number of complex systems are involved in the process and without the foetus will either be rejected or infected by pathogens.

Sweat Shops :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  All of my life I have considered myself as a person who loves children. I enjoy playing with them, helping them, and just being around them. So when I first agreed with corporations who use child labor I shocked myself completely. After examining two articles; one â€Å"The Case for Sweatshops†, by David R. Henderson, and two â€Å"Sweatshops or a Shot at a Better Life†, by Cathy Young, I came to the conclusion that in some cases when young children work under proper conditions it can keep them out of the streets and be helpful to them and their families.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The lives of people in some third world countries such as Honduras and Indonesia are completely different than ours hear in a much more prosperous nation. So when citizens of this great nation hear about people working for thirty to fifty cents an hour they think it’s absolutely absurd. But what they don’t realize is that this amount of profit is acceptable to these people. David R. Henderson backs this up by stating, â€Å"Take the 31 cents an hour some 13-year-old Honduran girls allegedly earn at 70-hour-a-week jobs. Assuming a 50-week year, that works out to over $1,000 a year. This sounds absurdly low to Americans but when you consider that Honduras’s GDP per person in 1994 was the equivalent of about $600.† You can also see proof of this in Cathy Young’s article when she writes, â€Å"I have also wondered why, when we are shocked by reports of 50-cent-an-hour wages, we never think of those Save the Children ads reminding us that a contribution of $15 can feed and clothe a Third World child for a whole month.† Also, Young brings up another good point by stressing the fact that to many Third World country families having children is one more financial burden, â€Å"†¦in poor societies, a family cannot afford to support a child for 18 years. For virtually all of human history, most children worked†¦Ã¢â‚¬    Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Many children in these Third World countries have no other option but to go to work and help support their families. Otherwise they are left to survive for themselves on the streets ruled by crime and danger. Cathy Young strengthens this point by saying, â€Å"Some children, left with no other means of earning a living, may even be forced into prostitution.† Yes, to most people, working in a sweat shop does not seem like a good option but for some it is the only one so why get rid of it.

The Love Song of J, Alfred Prufrock Essay -- Literary Analysis, T.S. E

The poem â€Å"The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock† written by T.S. Eliot is a depiction of sadness and a disillusioned narrator. While reading this poem, one senses that the narrator is disturbed and has maybe given up hope, and that he feels he is just an actor in a tedious drama At the very beginning of the poem, Eliot uses a quote from Dante’s â€Å"Inferno†, preparing the poem’s reader to expect a vision of hell. This device seems to ask the reader to accept that what they are about to be told by the poem’s narrator was not supposed to be revealed to the living world, as Dante was exposed to horrors in the Inferno that were not supposed to be revealed to the world of the living. This comparison is frightening and intriguing, and casts a shadow on the poem and its narrator before it has even begun. J. Alfred Prufrock is anxious, self-concsious, and depressed. The first half of the poem creates a sense of place. The narrator invites us to go â€Å"through certain half-deserted streets† on an evening he has just compared to an unconscious patient (4). To think of an evening as a corpselike event is disturbing, but effective in that the daytime is the time of the living, and the night time is the time of the dead. He is anxious and apprehensive, and evokes a sense of debauchery and shadows. Lines 15-22 compare the night’s fog to the actions of a typical cat, making the reader sense the mystery of a dark, foggy night in a familiar, tangible way. One might suppose that â€Å"In the room the women come and go/ Talking of Michelangelo† refers to a room in a brothel, where the seedy women for hire talk about elevated art between Johns (13). The narrator creates a tension in the image of dark deserted streets and shady activities in the dark. Then t... ...but the world of the living is too busy with the meaningless details of life to care what he has to say about it. This despair is evident in the repeated lines â€Å"That is not it at all/ That is not what I meant at all† (109). â€Å"The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock† is hardly a love song at all. That irony is clear in that the narrator’s voice is anxious, self-conscious, and depressed. It seems he has wasted his life or that life was wasted on him, and he regrets not being born as a creature that lives on the bottom of the sea. The very last lines of the poem, â€Å"we have lingered in the chambers of the sea By sea-girls wreathed with seaweed red and brown Till human voices wake us, and we drown.† (29-131) ask the reader to acknowledge that humanity has the capacity to imagine and create, and that it is sometimes the boredom of humanity that destroys that potential.

Billiards :: essays research papers

Billiards The history of billiards begins in the fourteenth century. The game was invented in Europe, but there was a conflict as to what country. The French believed that the English invented the game, but at the same time, the English thought the French did. In the end, a French billiards specialist found evidence that the game originated in France about the fourteenth century. The word "billiard" is derived from two French words, "billiart" and "bille". These two words mean "stick" and "ball". Put them together, and you get stick-ball or pool as it's called these days. At first the game was played outside, but during the winter it got too cold so the game was moved inside onto large tables. After a couple of years, green cloth was installed on the bed of the table to make an illusion of the grass outside. The sticks used at the time were large, and men used slightlycurved sticks while the women used straight, narrow ones. The sticks weren't used as they are today to hit the ball but rather to push the balls around the table, similar to the game of shuffle board. As the game got more popular, as it is today, the sticks got narrower and easier to use (Billiards, http). A few games today are similar to billiards, such as shuffleboard, and the same equipment - stick and balls. One of the most important tools to playing any game of this type is the table. In the fourteenth century, the length of the tables was much longer than today becuase they were used instead of playing outside. Today the sized of the tables varies all over the worl. The dimensions range anywhere from nine by four and a half feet to ten by five feet (â€Å"Billiards,† Colliers). Another tool used to play the game is the cue stick. The cue srick weighs in a range of twelve to twenty-two ounces, and the straighter the cue, the better. At the end of the cue is a leather tip, which is used to hit the ball with great accuracy. If the stick were to hit the ball with the leather tip chalked, then a better shot would be made rather than one without the chalked end. As most people now know, the chalk is used to give a better shot. The chalk is a blue color and comes in a little square inch type cube. Another item needed to play a game of billiards is the balls, fifteen object balls and one cue ball. The cue ball is the only ball that is to be hit

Human and Plant Circulatory System

The human circulatory system includes the heart, blood vessels, and the blood. The circulatory system in humans is also known as the cardiovascular system. The main parts of the plant circulatory system are xylem and phloem. Humans and plants rely on their circulatory system a great deal. Plants and humans rely on their circulatory system to supply the body or plant with nutrients, humans to transport oxygen throughout the body, and plants to carry carbon dioxide throughout the body.The circulatory system in both humans and plants also help the body eliminate waste from the body of plants and humans. The xylems in plants are vessels, starting with the root of the plant where water and minerals are absorbed and efficiently carry the water throughout the body of the plant. The xylem also provides support to the plant. Nutrients or sugars produced through photosynthesis need to be sent to every cell in the plant, phloem makes this possible. Similar essay: Advantages and Disadvantages of Living in An Aquatic EnvironmentPhloem lives as long as the plant while xylems function for one year. The xylems of a plant can be seen when a tree is cut the rings of the xylem can be seen also telling the age of the tree, each ring represents one year. The heart in humans pumps the nutrient rich blood throughout the human circulatory system via blood vessels. The blood vessels pump the blood throughout the body allowing oxygen, nutrients, and hormones to be picked up in the lungs, intestines, and endocrine system.The various blood vessels in the human body then make a delivery to each cell in the body. The blood vessels then head back to the heart, on the way back carbon dioxide and waste is picked up to be exerted. Plant and animal circulatory systems are high functioning. Plants rely on gravity and water surface tension to transport nutrients throughout the body of the plant, humans need a pumping heart to continuously pump blood thr oughout the body.Plants and humans both have tube shaped vessels to carry the nutrients, water, blood throughout the body of the plant or human, they both also have two sets of vessels that travel in opposite directions, both circulatory systems are designed to bring nutrients throughout the body. Plant vessels have only water solutions going through the vessels while humans have red and white blood cells flowing through the vessels as well. Plant and human circulatory systems have a great deal in common and differ greatly. The two distinct system provide the best function for the human and plant.Humans are highly active and need the quickly action of the human circulatory system to reproduce and keep a continuous cycle of nutrients throughout the body. The circulatory system of plants are more constant and depends on the nutrients available in the environment in which the plant lives. . Rutishauser, S. (2011). â€Å"Transport in Plants† UntamedScience. Accessed Nov 21, 2012 at http://www. untamedscience. com/biology/plant-biology/transport-plants Carter, J. (2006) â€Å"The Circulatory System. † Retrieved November 20, 2012 from http://biology. clc. uc. edu/courses/bio105/circulat. htm

Poor security Essay

With the current system there is no specific security policy, therefore the current system is constantly open to unauthorised people gaining access to the data that is held in the filing cabinets. However, the company has an IT Policy that every user has to sign. The current Security Policy states that, â€Å"Members of the IT team are responsible for managing the company’s Technology system. This involves use of administrator password, which provides full access to specific systems. Access to Administrator level password must be treated professionally and ethically at all times. Any IT staff that use an administrator level password to read confidential or personal information (that would not normally be available to them) may be in breach this policy and subject to disciplinary action†. Therefore all users of the database will have password that enables them access to the database. A password is a unique string of characters that a user types as an identification code to restrict access to computers and sensitive files. The system compares the code against a stored list of authorized passwords and users. If the code is legitimate, the system allows access at the security level approved by the IT manager. With all this the database will be secure enough to stay to the rules of the â€Å"Data Protection Act†. This is the 1984 Act of Parliament guaranteeing certain rights to individuals and control of the use of personal data held on a computer. The most well known of the rights is that of examining a computer record held by a- company by the individual in the data record. Why the DPA was brought in The power of the computer During the second half of the 20th century computers were getting more powerful and easy to use. Companies, government and other organisations began to use them to store large amounts of information about people, such as their customers, clients and staff. Databases with this information can be quickly set up, searched, edited and accessed and take up less space than paper records. Personal data on computer Instead of paper records, computers were also being used routinely to keep personal data about people. This information included:- Names Addresses Financial information Medical records Criminal records Employment history For example, being a member of a sports club would mean that your name, age, medical details and payment record would be stored on a computer file. Ease of access to the information The information stored could be far more easily and flexibly used than if it was stored on paper. For example, a database could be searched to find all customers living in a particular area, to target them for â€Å"special offer† advertising. Searches of databases like this are much faster with computers and, in particular, information can be matched from one database to another far more than if it is stored on paper. The Database section has more on searching. Communications networks Storing information about people on computers which are linked to communications networks like the Internet or private company networks has also become important. This allows databases to be used across an organisation and be shared between organisations very quickly. Misuse of information. With more and more organisations using computers to store and process personal information, there was a danger the information could be misused or could get into the wrong hands. Concerns A number of concerns arose about how this information could be used:- Could it be easily copied? Could it be changed with little evidence being left? Who could see this information? How accurate was the information? Was it be possible to build up detailed files on people without their knowledge or permission? The new system is able to make copies of the whole database. To make sure that no information from the database is lost or damaged back up procedures is carried out every night. The reason for this is to protect the data held on the database, which is crucial to both News Shopper and its travel and insurance companies. The backup cycle is carried out automatically each evening at 6pm; this process takes approximately 4-6 hours. This consists of copying all files to disk and then transferred to magnet tape. It is the Systems Administrators responsibility to ensure the rotation of tapes and keep back up documentation up to date.

Pop Music Lesson Essay

1. What is popular music? Popular Music refers to Music which is widely appealing to the large audience. It is also often referred to the music created since industrialization in the mid-1800s. 2. What theme does pop music typically use in the lyrics? Describe one pop song that uses this theme. Why is this theme such a popular one? Themes such as Love and Relationships are often used as the centre of the lyrics. Can’t help falling in love – Elvis Presley. It has displayed how a guy felt upon meeting a lady of his dream. Theme of Love and Relationships are popular because most people are able to relate their personal lifes with the theme. From daily lives to movies to music, Love theme is something which is universal and therefore, it is a popular theme that most artiste would based their music on. 3. What is disco? What are the characteristics of this music? Disco is a music genre that was created in the 70s. Disco Music are usually played between Tempo 100-130 bpm. Such tempo is neither too fast or too slow, and therefore it encourages dancing for the general audience. The pulse of the rhythm was oftern emphasized, Vocals were often â€Å"soaring† with the drumbeat behind. 4. What was the British Invasion? Which famous group was a part of this movement? What impact did the group have on pop music? British Invasion refers to the boom popularity of British bands/music groups in America during the 60s. Beatles was one of the most famed band during the 1960s. There are many areas which the group has impacted and influenced Pop Music. Unlike other artistes, Beatles wrote their own songs and created their own record label. That really changed the direction of pop music. 5. What is a boy band? What are some characteristics of a boy band? A boy band is a band made of a group of male singers. They don’t play any instruments, and much empathise were placed on their personal image and lifestyle etc.

Meningitis

Tax payable at 20% over annual allowance of 1 0000 IN class 4 payable at 8% after allowance of 7956 IN class 2 payable weekly at E. 50 After research new child minders operate at 1/3 ‘occupancy' for the first year of trading , followed by 75% thereafter which must be factored into individual projections. 1. 6 My support networks will include: PEACE for training advice and support. Including recommended paperwork and contract help. Network coordinator and the Local Authority are helpful to advise about updates on latest training requirements and any policy updates.Health Visitors are invaluable to maintain current knowledge of young hillside's milestones' and to ensure healthy development. Parents nobody understands their own children like their parents, so it is imperative to have a good relationship with the most important people in their lives. Teachers spend the most time with school age children other than parents and keeping strong links with schools can be very helpful in ensuring that children are happy and settled. My family/relatives in order to maintain a good work/life balance keeping strong relationships with my own family and friends is really important.Childbearing groups/ Childbearing networks could be really helpful to share NY tips or difficulties around being a children and what that in tales, sharing joint experiences (whilst maintaining confidentiality) is useful for career progression. Training/ Publications and magazines such as Who Minds, Childcare websites and OFFSET is vital for staying updated with the latest policies and procedures whilst ensuring that the level of service provided is at the highest standard possible. 2. 1 Explain the Key components off healthy and safe home based environment.Key components; Nappies will be disposed of by sealing in nappy sacks and placing in a sole repose bin within the changing area until the end of day when they will be put into an outside wheelie bin. The changing mat will be wiped with appr opriate anti-bacterial cleaner following use. The children and I will wash hands following nappy changes/toilet breaks, before eating and after playing outside or following messy play. Plastic toys will be wiped if visibly dirty after play and washed in the dishwasher weekly (minimum).I will ensure any pet beds and cages are kept clean and away from any food preparation areas. Any pets will be appropriately vaccinated, roomed and flea protected following veterinary advice. Pet waste will be disposed in a sanitary way, and any litter boxes will not be accessible to the children. Children will not be able to play with any animals when unsupervised. When using any equipment I will ensure that it is age appropriate, in full working order and used according to the manufacturers guidance.I will ensure that plug sockets are covered, stairs are not accessible, children are aware Of evacuation procedures (if age appropriate) and my fire alarms and carbon monoxide detectors are fully working and regularly tested. When dealing with food in my home/setting the Five Keys to Safer Food are: (1) keep clean; (2) separate raw and cooked; (3) cook thoroughly; (4) keep food at safe temperatures; and (5) use safe water and raw materials. This includes using separate chopping boards for meat and Vega. Ensuring food is within its use by date and labeling food with dates when not kept in its original packaging.When considering illness in order to protect all of the children present any child with a rash should be considered infectious and assessed by their doctor. Chickenpox children will be asked to remain at home until all icicles have crusted over. Cold sores, (Herpes simplex) Avoid contact with the sores. Cold sores are generally mild and self-limiting. German measles Four days from onset of rash. Hand, foot and mouth. Will contact the local HIP if a large number of children are affected. Exclusion may be considered in some circumstances.Impetigo Until lesions are crusted and he aled, or 48 hours after starting antibiotic treatment Antibiotic treatment speeds healing and reduces the infectious period Measles* Four days from onset of rash Preventable by vaccination (MR. xx). Ringworm; Exclusion not usually required Treatment is squired Scabies Child can return after first treatment Household and close contacts require treatment Scarlet fever* Child can return 24 hours after starting appropriate antibiotic treatment Antibiotic treatment is recommended for the affected child Slapped cheek/fifth disease.Ovoviviparous None (once rash has developed) Shingles Exclude only if rash is weeping and cannot be covered. Can cause chickenpox in those who are not immune, ii have not had chickenpox. It is spread by very close contact and touch. Warts and overrule. Overrule should be covered in swimming pools, gymnasiums ND changing rooms Diarrhea and/or vomiting the child should remain at home for 48 hours from last episode of diarrhea or vomiting Conjunctivitis should be t reated on the advice of GAP. Diphtheria * Exclusion from setting is essential. Will contact the HIP. Preventable by vaccination.Your local PHEW centre will organize any contact tracing necessary Head lice, Treatment is recommended only in cases where live lice have been seen Hepatitis A* Exclude until seven days after onset of jaundice (or seven days after symptom onset if no jaundice) In an outbreak of apatite's A, the local PHEW centre will advise on control measures Hepatitis HIVE/AIDS are bloodstone viruses that are not infectious through casual contact. For cleaning of body fluid spills see: Good Hygiene Practice Macroeconomic meningitis*/ specialist* Until recovered Meningitis C is preventable by vaccination.There is no reason to exclude siblings or other close contacts of a child. Meningitis* due to other bacteria Until recovered Hip and phonological meningitis are preventable by vaccination. There is no reason to exclude siblings or other close contacts of a case. Meningitis viral* Milder illness; There is no reason to exclude siblings and other close contacts of a case. Contact tracing is not required MRS.; Good hygiene, in particular handshaking and environmental cleaning, are important to minimize any danger of spread.Mumps* Exclude child for five days after onset of swelling Preventable by vaccination (MR. xx doses) Toreadors; Treatment is recommended for the child and household contacts Tonsillitis; There are many causes, but most cases are due to viruses and do not need an antibiotic. Denotes a noticeable disease. It is a statutory requirement that actors report a noticeable disease to the proper officer of the local authority In case of any accident the first aid kit should be easily accessed and that the first eider should act in accordance to their training and contact medical professionals if required.An Accident/ Incident Record Book will be used to record any accidents and also to log any medication administered including any long term medi cation. Parents will sign a consent form regarding administration of medication and then afterwards to confirm that you have advised them that the medication has been administered this includes inhalers, diabetic injections etc. If a child has known allergies and is required to have access to an penne the correct training Will be undertaken to administer this if required, via Correct medical professional or SST Johns Ambulance training.Any child's allergies will be recorded and every possible effort will be made to avoid triggers, ensuring that ingredients are know if a food allergy, pet hairs are avoided if an allergy relating to animals, and if wayfarer I will be aware of the pollen count whilst planning activities, allergies will be managed with support from parents who are used to their child's allergy needs. . Explain the principles of safe supervision of children in the home based setting and off site Everyday activities; school pick ups, toddler groups, trips to the park, bea ch, shops, visits to swimming pools, zoo and beach, will all carry its own particular risks and supervision needs.

A Letter Concerning the Tuition Fee Increase in the Campus Essay Example for Free

A Letter Concerning the Tuition Fee Increase in the Campus Essay ? This academic year in our school had been very exciting and full of learning for the students. The school had been efficient enough in providing us the quality education that students’ need in preparation of their future careers. However it had been a serious issue in the campus among us, students, the continued increase in our tuition and other fees.   Students see, that in order to escalate further the quality of education in our school, the school has to face strenuous modifications in technology, books, and other school facilities. However, there would always a need for students to be consulted first about the issue, because these matters would always concern us. Along with the increase in the tuition fee is the increase in all other fees. Why? First, if the school would not fight for a greater state subsidy, then the school had to pay for the bills, the salary as well as to the technology and materials it would employed. With this matter, the budget would come from the tuition of the students and everything else would be increased; Internet fee, laboratory fee, school paper, etc. Second, education is supposed to be a right and not just a privilege, but with the continued increase in the tuition fee, along with other miscellaneous fees in the campus, there had been an apparent decline in the enrollment rate compared to the previous years. This only shows that few students were able to access the right to education because of the increase. Hence, there is a significant relationship between tuition fee increase and to the limited access of students to education (Dalton 2006). A similar study from the Rand Corporation in 1995 indicated that for every 10percent increase in the tuition fee of the students, there would be a 1.97 percent in the enrollment of the focus of study. Third, the effect of tuition fee and other fee increases would be felt less by those of the middle class brackets. Most of the burden would be felt by those in the lower class; usually with among black and with ethnic backgrounds. Accordingly, majority of the students in most schools were usually coming from the lower bracket and they were the ones who were greatly affected. The school is the only way for these students to move to the next ladder in the society. The tendencies for these students are to dropout or to transfer to a cheaper school with low educational standards. Needless to say, the educational preparation that they got is not enough to equip them for a high paying job in the future. The tuition fee increase that the school implemented is a subtle permit for the state to less care for the educational welfare of its citizens. Students are wary of the fact, that because of the tuition fee increase, we have to burden ourselves with part time jobs more than double just to compensate for the shortage in budget. Students recognized that tuition fee increase in needed to uplift the educational quality in this school. However, it is too fast and too soon to implement. Students are not prepared yet; emotionally, physically and financially.   There was no consultation in the increase in fees. It had always been our right to know and the responsibility for this school to be transparent. The students carried the baggage of financial hardship just to beautify the school, but the education that we got before then was still the same as now. Except of course in slight innovations in the laboratory facilities and in technology, the same education system we got from the school. If tuition fee increase is really bound to happen, we wanted to be prepared for it. We wanted an apparent positive change in the learning that we got; of course it is not to say that we got no learning from this school, it is just that, the change in learning is just minimal. This school has been our battleground to combat poverty, to uplift our situations and to gain learning. If the school is to increase its tuition fee and other fees, we expect that it would also provide subsidy through scholarship, or other alternative solutions to augment our financial difficulties. As well as it is the responsibility of our parents to finance our education; it is also the responsibility of the state to provide to its people the right to education. But how could we get this if tour very right has now become a mere privilege. The sad fact is, not the privilege of the majority but of the few only.   If we are destined to suffer from the tuition fee and other fee increases, would it be right that we would also demand great changes in everything. Would the payment that we give, be enough for us to pose subordinate command over our instructors and over other employees; anyway, we paid for them. Students believe, that in this school, students of characters should be made and not just a mere passive, technologically dependent ones. We need support to develop our minds, which is the role of this school. But where would we go now if this school would deprive us of that need? We seek to be consulted first, we need data of its great benefits on us, and we need alternatives for the increase that is accessible for everybody and not only for the few. [Name of the Sender] [Position/Occupation] Works Cited Dalton, McGuinty. â€Å"Canandian Federation of students.† 8 March 2006 A Letter Concerning the Tuition Fee Increase in the Campus. (2017, Feb 21).

Structural Fires and Structural Failures Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Structural Fires and Structural Failures - Essay Example Efforts started in 1980 to keep track of fires and take measures to reduce structural failures and after three decades, the damages in casualties as well as property reduced by almost fifty percent. Structures were classified into different types to better access the parameters and predict the time the fire takes to consume the structure. This classification also gives firefighters better assessment to fight or counter fires. The speed by which fires spread throughout the structure depends on three major factors; oxygen source, fuel and the heat source. Oxygen is necessary for burning and air is the primary source, the interior of the structure provides fuel source for burning and different components burn with different speeds, and finally; some elements of the structure contribute towards the heat source which raises the air temperature to a point where everything bursts into flame and it is known as flashover. Structural fires reaching flash point are almost impossible to control and often lead to structural failure. Structure Types Structural fires are classified as per type of structures, depending on their external and internal composition of construction materials. Since every material burns with a different rate and in turn produces heat as well as smoke. Heat released contributes towards raising temperature of local air, which results in flash over. Every structure has different set of materials and that is why each structure takes different time to reach flash over. The structures are classified into five types with ascending rates of burning. Type I consists of structures with steel and concrete used to provide structural strength, making it the most resistant to fires. Type II uses steel to reinforce the structure of the roof, which provides additional support for the structure and in particular delays roof collapse. Type III is ordinary structures with exterior and interior made of brick and mortar, which are non-combustible. The interior may also have laminated or fire retardant wooden floors. Type IV is heavy timber structures which rely on timber to reinforce the structure, however, the exterior walls are made from bricks. Type V are wooden structures with wood used to form the basic frame of the structure, as well as, exterior and interior (Dunn, 2013). In simple, structures with steel and concrete, that is Type I and II, are the most resistant to fire as they are capable of handling heat generated for longer durations, whereas, structures with wood, either interior or exterior are destroyed at a faster rate, which includes Type IV and V. Occupancy Types Occupancy type involves type of activity the structure is designed for and therefore, classified accordingly for fire hazards. Structural fires are a result of human actions and the type of occupancy dictate regulations for a specific structure. Some of the groups among this classification include Assembly, Business, Education and Factories. These groups are subdivided de pending on type of activities carried out within the structure. In general, fire hazard increase with increase in the number of occupants within the structure as well as the scope of activity. Factories are more susceptible to fires than any other group, because, they involve manufacturing and storage. The materials involved are much more hazardous and chances of fires are much