Comparative criminal justice Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Comparative criminal justice - Assignment Example ddition, the students have to study the legal knowledge foundations, which form the Academic Stage of the Legal Education and compulsory for the purposes of professional exemptions, especially where the students seek to proceed to the Vocational Stage of the Legal Education and Training. This is the final stage of qualification at the Bar. At this stage, under the supervision of an experienced barrister, the pupil obtains practical training. Pupilage stage is divided into two divisions: the practicing six months, also referred to as the first six and the non-practicing six months, also referred to as the second six. The structure includes two parts which are the practicing six months, also referred to as the first six and the non-practicing six months, also referred to as the second six. A person intending to practice as a barrister must train as a pupil for a defined period of not less than twelve months. In order to obtain the pupilage stage, a pupil must attend a course in an Advocacy Training and a course in Practice Management. These requirements must be met because a completion certificate is only awarded upon their completion. The students are also needed to pursue a course in Forensic Accountancy during this stage or within the first three years of their practice. The purpose of this training is to provide in-depth information on multiple matters that are regarded essential to the beginners in practice. This will help the beginners to bridge well between practice and pupilage. Therefore the topics to be covered

Dissent from Puritanism Essay Example for Free

Dissent from Puritanism Essay During the early part of English colonization of the Americas the main group of people that were sent to the Americas was religious and political outcasts. This included Puritans, Quakers many other religions, debtors and political dissidents. The Puritans and Quakers came to the Americas in search of political freedom. The Puritans settled in the northeast region of the United States mainly in modern day Massachusetts. During their long nearly 4 month Journey across the Atlantic Ocean the boat goers grew close to each other because of the treacherous voyage. This caused theses people to group together and form towns with government based on their religion, Puritanism. Puritanism was one of the driving forces behind the formation of early successful northeastern towns and colonies in America. Many people who immigrated to the northeastern English colonies of the Americas had a strong dislike for Puritanism. Many believed the religion was too archaic in its beliefs and ways of life. Because of the animosity of non-puritans towards puritans and vice versa this caused the two peoples to form separate ettlements and very distinct cultures. Due to the differences in the cultures and the increase of immigration to New England the new settlers had to find new geographically suitable locations to start new settlements, therefore fully populating the entire New England colony. This gave New England a wide variety of culture, goods, natural resources and the capability to export large amounts of goods to the mother country for a profit. The non-puritans had settlements more based on economic ethics and systems that would financially help the settlement. Puritans had ettlements with more theocratic governments and more devotion to their religion. Although the governments of the two cultures were somewhat different they were also similar in many ways as well. Both governments were democratic. The puritans had a direct form of democracy where only white male land owners could vote. The problem with this is that once the colony started to fill it became harder and harder for young white men to find a piece of land suitable to settle on and start their families. With no land they had no say in their government as well. This drove many young Puritan Men to leave their theocratic settlements to seek other settlements where land owning was not necessary to have a say in government. This allowed puritans and non-puritans to culturally diffuse and further enrich the culture of New England. The non-puritan settlements had a representative or indirect form of democracy. These settlements followed a more English form of government. They also were mostly follows of the Anglican Church (the most common religion in England at the time). Because of the religious diversity in early New England and the abundance of natural resources (mostly large amounts of lumber) the colony was able to thrive. The religious acrimony between the puritans and non-puritans actually helped the English colony of New England reach its full economic potential by spreading out the population of the settlers. Many factors contributed to the formation of New England, but The objection of Puritanism and Puritanism itself was the paramount reason that New England did as well as it did and as early as it did. Dissent from Puritanism By halpin19

Social and Feminist Influences of Austen and Shakespeare

Social and Feminist Influences of Austen and Shakespeare By Khalil Jetha Introduction Feminist thought is a movement truly indicative of a dynamic society. When manifested in literature, it signifies the breaking of old traditions, and the manner in which feminism is presented reflects the attitude of the writer and society to the aforementioned changes. In the case of William Shakespeare (1564-1616), presenting empowered females was of marked significance as the Elizabethan era marked the strongest female monarchy England had ever seen. However, upon closer inspection it can be inferred that Shakespeare had an innate disregard for female authority, reflected by examining the characters Desdemona (from â€Å"Othello†), Kate (from â€Å"The Taming of the Shrew†), and Rosalind (from â€Å"As You Like It†). The prevailing approach in Shakespeare’s time was one of trepidation for the â€Å"wild† woman, or a female who did not conform to social expectations. The so-called â€Å"feminist† characters merely served to lend form and di mension to male characters and patriarchal themes. In contrast, later authors such as Jane Austen (1775-1817) used empowered characters such as Elizabeth Bennet (from Pride and Prejudice), Elinor Dashwood (from Sense and Sensibility), and Catherine Morland (from Northanger Abbey) to present feasible realities within the context of the society in which Austen lived. Working her characters into the framework of her era, Austen used women not as a means but as her end. Unlike Shakespeare’s characters, whose wiles and individuality served as gimmicks to promote patriarchy, Austen’s characters showed women who existed independently of male-dominated societies. Through careful dissection and comparison of texts, Shakespeare’s â€Å"Othello†, â€Å"The Taming of the Shrew† (TOS), and â€Å"As You Like It† (AYLI), exemplify females whose independence and unorthodox qualities are eventually extinguished by overbearing male figures. Desdemona, Kate, and Rosalind are all radically different characters encompassing various aspects of the female psyche. Desdemona represents a rebellious daughter and sexually insatiable wife whose wiles cannot be controlled by men, a characteristic which drives her husband insane. Kate, â€Å"the shrew†, is the empowered woman who succumbs to the power of society, forgoing her independence to become a wife, in the process experiencing a â€Å"miraculous† metamorphosis instigated by her husband’s subjugation. Rosalind is unique among the three, an omniscient whose altruist nature cedes dominance to her alter ego, Ganymede. A more accurate description of the term â€Å"feminist† applies to Austen, whose characters do not serve to alter or develop male characters. While successfully writing novels whose plots and characters fit in 18th century England, Austen manages to show a different side of women, a side that is adversely affected by the character weaknesses of men. Her novels Northanger Abbey (NA), Pride and Prejudice (PP), and Sense and Sensibility (SS) present females whose pensive minds help them maneuver through the tumultuous and impractical societies in which they find themselves living. NA’s Catherine Morland, PP’s Elizabeth Bennet, and SS’ Elinor Dashwood are subtly different; however, the three female characters share their firm morals and unwavering integrity in common. Catherine Morland finds herself growing up in a world of first glances and vagaries, the sharp-witted Elizabeth Bennet spites the English bourgeois for their pride, finding that she herself has p rejudice to overcome. SS’ Elinor Dashwood finds that throughout her life she cannot rely solely on men though society wills her to do so; all three women overcome tribulation to grow into worldly individuals, unlike Shakespeare’s who either compromise their personality or lives in the course of their respective texts. Shakespeare’s Characters and Works Shakespeare’s â€Å"Othello† is notable among Shakespeare’s tragedies because it presents a unique setting and character establishment. The namesake and protagonist, a Moor (a Muslim of African descent), transcends racial and religious boundaries to enter and lead the elite of Venice. The relationships between Othello and other Venetians communicates Shakespeare’s disdain for society, manifested in the villain Iago. From a feminist standpoint, however, the most prevalent victim of tragic circumstance is not the Moor of Venice, but rather the woman he marries. Desdemona is the classic martyr for feminist ideals, encumbered both as a woman struggling to pursue a life with the one she loves of another race and as a woman living in a man’s world, struggling to defend her marital fidelity and personal integrity. As a feminist martyr, she is â€Å"helplessly passive,† can â€Å"do nothing,† unable to â€Å"retaliate even in speech† be cause â€Å"her nature is infinitely sweet and her love absolute† (Bloom 1987, p. 80). When Othello accuses her of compromising her fidelity, she is insulted and maintains her integrity by refusing to even answer such allegations. Viewed by the reader, this action is one of pride and confidence. However, when she counters Othello, slightly mocking his insecurities by inquiring â€Å"[what he] could ask [her], that [she] should deny/Or stand so mammering on,† he perceives it as her attempts at masking her own desires to seek sexual satisfaction outside the bonds of matrimony (Act III, Scene iii, lines 69-71). Desdemona is constantly struggling with her environment. On the one hand, she fits into society as a married young woman. On the other, she presents a threat to the stability of patriarchal society. By marrying outside her race and religion, Desdemona defies custom by posing the scandal of miscegenated offspring. Confronted by her father, Desdemona vehemently rejects his concerns and contentions, favoring Othello despite the fact that she perceives â€Å"a divided duty†; Desdemona rationally argues in favor of Othello, professing that she should show Othello the same preference her â€Å"mother show’d/To [Brabantio]† (Act I, Scene iii, lines 178-188). In her argument that presupposes her assertiveness, Desdemona reveals social boundaries a woman faces: first she is bound by allegiance to her father, then she grows to devote her life to her husband. From a gender issues standpoint, her identity as a sexually charged, erratic newlywed earns her little more than violent encounters with Othello and her eventual murder. Her charged sexual nature â€Å"catalyze Othello’s sexual anxieties† through not fault of her own, as Iago manipulates Othello’s marital instability to begin with (Bloom 1987, p. 81). Ultimately, it is Othello’s indecision, his inability to â€Å"voice his suspicions directly† that further fuel his insanity and manipulation at Iago’s hands; Desdemona pays the ultimate price for her loyalties, both in marriage and to herself (Bloom 1987, p. 88). Throughout the play, Desdemona, like the other female characters of the play, never requires validation or reassurance of her value as a person. Othello represents the need for public respect, a reason why Iago’s suggestions of Desdemona’s infidelity drives him insane. Desdemona is further degraded as Othello gives Iago m ore credit than he does his own wife. In all his deceptions, â€Å"Iago’s feigned love gives him power which Desdemona’s genuine love cannot counteract†; Shakespeare shows his audience that female character is surpassed in importance even by spurious male camaraderie (Bloom 1987, p. 91). A victim of male circumstance, Desdemona is tragically caught between the Iago’s insecurities as a soldier surpassed by an outsider and Othello’s insecurities as an outsider seeking social acceptance. Othello’s marriage to Desdemona objectifies her; Iago spites Othello for marrying Desdemona as it completes what Iago perceives as Fate’s transgression against his station in life. Othello, in turn, is never sated, as his marriage to Desdemona should have consolidated his â€Å"power† as a man; instead, he resents Desdemona’s confidence and the power that even a suggestion of her infidelity asserts over him. The feminist criticism of the in stitution of love revolves around love’s existence as a means of control; when Othello’s male autonomy is compromised and he begins to speculate on his nature as secondary to his wife’s sexual power, he goes insane, ironically smothering her to death using the same sheets used during the night of their marriage’s consummation. Desdemona’s erstwhile functional marriage serves as the proverbial straw that breaks the camel’s back, as Othello â€Å"finds the scorn due the cuckold almost as difficult to bear as the loss of Desdemona† (Bloom 1987, p. 90). Shakespeare’s presentation of Desdemona as a pawn in Iago’s manipulation can be presented as his disdain with society’s misogyny. However, Desdemona’s portrayal as the helpless victim serves to further discredit female strength. While the tragic death of Othello surpasses Desdemona’s in literary importance, Desdemona becomes more tragic a character than her estranged husband. She has done nothing to earn the contempt of her husband, whose murderous intent and eventual suicide serve as the only means of self-validation. She has become an object in Othello’s â€Å"self-sacrifice†, nothing more than another factor in Shakespearean tragedy. In his portrayal of Desdemona, Shakespeare may have been able to present a feminist case for the station of women in society and their abuses at the hands of men. But Othello is not made the villain: Iago is the person portrayed as destroying a life, not in Desdemona’s passing but in Othello’s fall from grace. Desdemona, though a possible case for the argument of feminist characters in Elizabethan theatre, is ultimately too passive to be a feasible feminist. Had she asserted herself and called Othello’s insecurity, her husband’ s pride may have been compromised, but it would serve as a means for him to identify the primary culprits at hand. That Desdemona confronted her father and not her own husband plays the feminist argument into doubt; marriage, not self-sufficiency, was Desdemona’s final goal. She sought neither to validate herself nor her sense of self-worth, but rather chose a life of devotion to the Moor she loved. In essence, she presented herself as a victim from the very beginning. Unlike other Shakespeare plays, TOS can be taken both in its historical context and simultaneously be applied to the modern social constrictions women face. In its historical context, the play presents a comical obstacle standing between a man and the object of his affection. In a more contemporary setting, however, TOS is a story of one man’s conquest over a woman’s social and emotional independence and the domestication of a free spirit. The aforementioned setting makes sport out of breaking Kate’s will and reveals a theoretical rebuttal of radical feminism. As TOS unfolds, the audience sees Kate as a social pariah, unfit for society as she spurns the institution of marriage and the idea of love. An independent, sharp-tongued woman, she is demonized by the local male population who sees her as a barricade preventing courtship of the demure, younger, more favorable Bianca. It is not completely dismissible a notion that Shakespeare wrote TOS with the intent of exposing the farce of certain types of marriage. Shakespeare may have juxtaposed the stubborn, resilient, and often violent Kate with the desirable Bianca to show the duplicity of social marriages. In his article entitled â€Å"The Taming of the Shrew Mocks the World Mercantile Marriage†, Gareth Lloyd Evans describes the world of TOS as â€Å"mercantile to the end,† showing how â€Å"even at the conclusion of its biggest transaction (the marriage of Bianca), the gambling element remains† (Marvel 2000, p. 69). In the end, Kate becomes docile to the will of Petruch io, leaving Bianca flabbergasted at her sister’s change of heart. Kate’s radical change from self-avowed hater of all things love and marriage hence becomes the locus of the question of her nature as a feminist character: was Shakespeare’s portrayal of Kate as a virulent misanthrope a comic device or a social message? If Shakespeare intended to use Kate in the same manner with which he employed the character of Desdemona in Othello (that is, as a means to the plot’s end), then TOS takes on an entirely new direction. Using Kate as a comic device makes female independence the object of scorn and ridicule, and Shakespeare’s tone toward feminist issues would be dismissive and, condescension not withstanding, misogynist. As the object of a social statement, Kate would become a testament to the futilities of female cynicism and rejection of society. Examining Kate’s transition lends credibility to the said stance. If Shakespeare was a feminist writer, creating Kate’s character with the purpose of communicating a message to society at large, the â€Å"shrew† being tamed would be Petruchio. Instead, â€Å"Petruchio’s taming of Kate† is an act of instilling humility in â€Å"a spoiled, egotistical, well-fed, rich girl† and forcing her to accept â€Å"a will other than her own† (Marvel 2000, p. 147). The feminist standpoint would rather be one of prevailing contempt for Petruchio, a self-avowed social climber whose desire to marry Kate stems from expansion of his family’s wealth. Like Desdemona, Kate’s independence and strength as a female character are stifled by marriage; unlike Desdemona, Kate’s marriage to the ruffian Petruchio is one with ulterior motive. Kate’s wedding is â€Å"a travesty and a sacrilege,† marred by Petruchio’s intoxicat ion and unruly garb (Marvel 2000, p. 152). Almost indicative of Petruchio’s goal of â€Å"taming the shrew,† he further suppresses Kate by kissing her at the â€Å"‘will’ of ‘I will not’† (Marvel 2000, p. 152). Ironically, the kiss represents more than the overbearing will of an intoxicated groom. The significance of pacifying Kate’s ill will with a kiss is utterly symbolic of her contentions toward TOS’ opening. Standing at the altar, her final cry is one against a life of pacification and subjugation under the supremacy of a husband. The actual â€Å"taming† does not begin until after marriage, a further explanation of Kate’s disdain. What is more intriguing about Kate’s â€Å"taming† is the means in which she is subdued. Following her outrage at the spectacle of the wedding, Petruchio denies Kate food, insisting that it is for her own good. Later, he denies her access to the ornate clothing provided by the tailor. Before leaving for their return to Padua, Kate implores her husband that they make haste, as they are late. Petruchio sputters that he will not go, and that she is reading the time incorrectly; Petruchio condescendingly states that whenever they leave it will be at â€Å"what o’clock [he says] it is† (Act IV, Scene iii, line 189). The means denied Kate in her â€Å"taming† are food, clothing, and free will. Kate begins to rely on her husband for survival, warmth, and freedom of motion. Essentially, Petruchio becomes not only her husband but also her guardian, leaving Kate with the independence of a small child. It is almost as if he is brainwashing her, torturing her b y keeping her hungry, clothed in what way he sees fit, restricting her motion and even forcing her sense of time under the fetters of his will. Shakespeare’s only message here is not simply the futility of female emancipation, but the repercussions of atypical female action. Kate is portrayed as earning her fate through her belligerence and the days she spent terrorizing society with her outbursts and sporadic violence. The more a woman strays from the path society sets out for her, the harsher the â€Å"punishment† in an inescapable future marriage. The only negating aspect to the misogyny of Shakespearean assertion is Kate’s nature. Though stubborn, Kate is â€Å"intelligent, too†; in her apparent surrender to her husband’s mad will, Kate realizes â€Å"she can take the wind completely out of his sails, deprive his weapon of its power, even turn it against him—tame him in his own humor† (Marvel 2000, p. 52). By entertaining his strange whims, Kate can turn the tides against Petruchio, calling his bluff, so to speak. After all, Petruchio’s madness is forced, as he is trying to irk his wife and break her composure. As the entertaining, submitting wife, Kate also tames Petruchio; she conceivably leaves him no reason to be as erratic as the wife whose will he set out to break. In this sense, Kate is Petruchio’s equal, and in their social obscurity, they are made acceptable through the bonds of marriage. On the surface, Rosalind is socially acceptable, like most of Shakespeare’s characters. She is almost altruistic, exuding transcendent knowledge about life and love. She chastises Silvius for his devotion to Phoebe, yet swoons for Orlando and does not grow embittered at the prospect of love in the manner TOS’ Kate does. As one of the more engaging characters of the play, Rosalind, like â€Å"Othello’s† Desdemona, goes against her uncle’s wishes in the pursuit of her love, in this case manifested by Orlando. Unlike Desdemona, however, Rosalind is more congenial, coaxing her uncle by imploring his forgiveness. Rosalind testifies to Duke Frederick that if she offended him in her affections for Orlando, it was â€Å"[never] so much as in a thought unborn† (Act I, Scene iii, lines 49-50). As a lady and a daughter, Rosalind is the ideal woman to show society. She is polite, reserved, and wise beyond her years. Her personality, however, shifts to a point unparalleled by other Shakespearean characters. Rosalind’s power as a possible feminist character is best exemplified in her interactions while cross-dressed as Ganymede (â€Å"Ganymed†). After she assumes the identity of the male Ganymede, Rosalind’s character unfolds as one who is both enticing and mysterious, alluring to the romantic, erotic, and homoerotic aspects of theatre. She begins to take a more aggressive stance in her interaction with Orlando, preventing him from kissing her despite her desire, insisting that he should â€Å"speak first† (Act IV, Scene i, lines 69-74). As mentioned previously, men were exclusive actors as women were not permitted entry into the world of Elizabethan theatre. Homoeroticism was naturally an unavoidable subtext to any Shakespearean play. The choice of the Greek mythological figure of Ganymede is indicative of Shakespearean homoeroticism. In Greek myth, Ganymede was a shepherd boy with whom Zeus (Jove) fell in love. Rosalind on an Elizabethan stage would therefore be a male actor cross-dressed as a woman, who in the play cross-dresses as a homosexual man beguiling and perhaps slightly manipulating the unsuspecting Orlando. When taken into this context, â€Å"As You Like It† reveals new depth and content. Michael Shapiro delves into cross-gender devices in his book Gender in Play on the Shakespearean Stage: Boy Heroines Female Pages. Rosalind adopts â€Å"three separate and distinct layers of identity—Rosalind, [Ganymede], and ‘Rosalind’† (Shapiro 1994, p. 119). The sole purpose behind her schizophrenic metamorphosis is her love for Orlando, a man she has barely met. The first Rosalind is the vibrant character attracted to Orlando. Ganymede serves as a mentor to Orlando, a giver of advice; in her assumption of Ganymede’s identity, Rosalind alters her own nature as a woman living in a patriarchy as she takes the role of a mentor, giving â€Å"man-to-man advice to Orlando on the behavior of wives† (Shapiro 1994, p. 124). This ascension to egalitarian status with Orlando is reflective of the first feminist objective: to attain total social equality with men. The third Rosalind is the one who acts according to the advice she gives Orlando as Ganymede, and incidentally is the most intriguing of the three identities. As Ganymede, Rosalind has a control over Orlando’s emotions and thoughts. She can influence him whichever way she so pleases by suggesting, as a man, how Orlando ought to behave or react to women as wives. As the third Rosalind, she can indirectly affect Orlando by either corroborating through her actions any advice she gave as Ganymede, or further discredit Ganymede by acting opposite. Rosalind ultimately has the choice of how she wants Orlando to accept her. Rosalind can covet Orlando’s trust and affections as a man, and in doing so mold him to her liking so that she may later win him over as a woman. Ganymede’s presence as a trusted friend of Orlando is significant as it is perhaps the only way Rosalind can enjoy equality. This aspect of her cross-dressing is wholly non-feminist in its nature. From a rad ical feminist standpoint, there should be no gender labels, in which case Rosalind has failed to identify herself as such as she is forced to become a man. From a liberal feminist standpoint, gender labels can exist and differences should be respected. In the liberal feminist mindset, Rosalind has failed to gain equality as she is only given credibility as a man; the nature of the advice Orlando seeks regarding the nature of women as wives can only be trusted as coming from a man. Equally plausible is that Rosalind is forced to act the way she does to get what she wants. Rosalind may have taken the initiative to achieve her goals no matter the cost of identity. Furthermore, her male identity had the potential to liberate her female identities; as Ganymede, Rosalind had the power to dictate to Orlando the manner in which women should be approached. Shakespeare had the opportunity to relay a message through his cross-dressing female hero, but failed to endeavor to such communication. Though working within the limits of his society, Shakespeare did not address issues through Rosalind’s characters in the manner Austen does with her female protagonists. While heavy-handed techniques are not necessary, Shakespeare only flirted with the notion of empowered females as it augmented the situational comedy in AYLI. Shakespeare’s characters cannot be accurately described as feminists, even with respect to the social norms they challenge in his works. The Webster Dictionary defines feminism as â€Å"the theory of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes.† Though her marriage to Othello was one of controversy, it was one that tested the boundaries of race and religion-relations. Miscegenation, not misogyny, was addressed in their relationship. Desdemona was perpetually a victim whose life rested solely in the hands of her insane husband. For Desdemona to be a feminist or even have feminist characteristics, she would have picked up a sword and joined Othello in the military. The Venice in which she lived only economically endowed her with a dowry, which would then be paid upon marriage. From a social standpoint, Desdemona may have been able to petition her fellow Venetians for help when she suspected Othello’s violent tendencies. However, she chose to leave her destiny in the hands of her husband, no matter the outcome. Kate, though constantly haranguing the general public for the institution of love, does not take her stance for feminist reasons. The traditional feminist attack on the institution of marriage focuses on marriage as forcing certain roles on women (motherhood and subjugation under a husband in particular). There is no indication that Kate took any of these stances; more plausible is that she is embittered by the fact that society forces marriage and not why it is forced. Rosalind is perhaps the strongest character of the three in question. That she is assertive has little to do with her identity as a feminist character. While there is little doubt that she is a hero and one of the foci of AYLI, and still less speculation on the strength of her character, she still does not actively seek political or economic equality. There is no mention of her stance on women in society. The most feminist aspect of Rosalind is her ability to transcend gender. In cross-dressing, she reflects new treatment by Orlando. Though not more positive or negative than her treatment when Orlando acknowledged Rosalind as a woman, as Ganymede, Rosalind shows that Orlando approaches her with similar respect. Rosalind’s sexual empowerment does deify her to a certain degree; it is as if she has the power to evoke feelings in men that would erstwhile not exist. With the exception of TOS’ Kate, Shakespearean females are usually composed individuals who contribute to the development of a plot or male character. However, all three Shakespearean characters can be described as heroes to a degree. Carol Pearson defines a hero in her book The Female Hero in American and British Literature as one who â€Å"departs from convention and thereby either implicitly or explicitly challenges the myths that define the status quo† (Pearson 1981, p. 16). Desdemona, though sexually more forward than other Shakespearean women, is at home in her surroundings. She is a born Venetian of high stature, and though she keeps her relationship with Othello secret, she has no conflicting interests in Venice. Her marriage to an outsider challenges the â€Å"myth† of requisite same-race marriage. Othello, on the other hand, is a man of different race and religion, struggling to make a name for himself in a new land. He is not nearly as self-assured as Desdemona, his physical differences weighing on his conscience and costing him peace of mind. Where Desdemona has made peace to accept her own death (she requests the wedding sheets be placed on the bed), Othello is never composed to the measure Desdemona exudes. In short, Desdemona acts as foil to Othello in every way; their union is one that naturally causes friction, without which Iago would never be able to manipulate the situation. Kate and Petruchio are very unique among Shakespearean couples; though Petruchio is hardly a hero by the Shakespearean norm of gallantry, he is the man who â€Å"tames the shrew.† However unorthodox a hero, Petruchio is the perfect match for Kate in his gruffness, his unkempt demeanor, and his social shortcomings. The two have only their resilient personalities in common; Kate is more polished and presentable than her wily husband, but the two both have a natural contempt for life that can only be quelled by their marriage. Their relationship is one of servant and master, the power balance shifting constantly. Though Kate detested the pandering of her past suitors, her attraction for Petruchio budded because he was precisely the opposite of what society (and her father) wanted for her. To keep her interest piqued, Petruchio naturally appealed to Kate and had to maintain a certain air about himself. Following their marriage, Kate became subservient, accepting Petruchio’s odd tendencies and orders to pacify him (he never would have expected a docile Kate, and receiving one shifted manipulation back into Kate’s hands). Though their personalities are strong, society’s favor puts the advantage in to Petruchio’s hands as in addition to a wife he also gained financial means. Kate is merely a means to an end for Petruchio, whereas Petruchio is the only means for Kate to attain what society expects of her. Rosalind and Orlando are another anomaly, though in the end, Rosalind exists more for Orlando than vice versa. Cross-dressing aside, Rosalind’s sweet temperament and witty rapport make her the ideal mate. Orlando, with the exception of his privileged birth and notable wrestling skills, is rather normal in every respect. Rosalind exists only to marry Orlando, and while her transsexual tendencies are a force with which to be reckoned, her antics merely delay what an inevitable relationship and existence. Her previously mentioned teasing was a perfect metaphor for a life whose direction she could not control. Shakespeare as a Feminist Whether in tragedies or comedies, Shakespeare’s female characters vary greatly in their nature and the social mold they fit. Given the Elizabethan era in which Shakespeare lived, most of his more wily and energetic female characters went against the grain of society. However, most all of Shakespeare’s more powerful female characters occurred in comedies, begging the question of whether or not they could be taken seriously as characters that could exist outside the realms of stage narrative. That these strong female characters exist only in comedies does not question any aspect of society. In keeping with his comedies’ humorous undertones, Shakespeare may very well have made his female characters strong because their existence would be laughable. After all, Elizabethan stage actors were all male; women were never allowed in theatre. Furthermore, the tendencies of comedic so-called â€Å"feminist† characters are to either succumb to society’s restrain ts, or to be smothered by overpowering male dominance. The women of Shakespeare’s plays are usually the ones who change, often when they become married. Katherina, for example, succumbs to marriage, settling for Petruchio, a drunkard whose ostentatious personality and strong sense of deviance outweighs her own rejections of conformity and domestication. Her resilience goes unrewarded, and she once again becomes a subservient figure in the archetypal patriarchy of the time. A large reason behind female suppression in Shakespearean plays was also public acceptance. No patron, male or female, would return to Shakespeare’s productions if the prevailing themes were the emancipation of women. Female assertion was a taboo, a reason why it was so popular in comedies. The greatest aspect of comedies is the aversion of tragedy; negative happenstances that reach fruition are tragedies, and the same happenstances that are avoided are comedies. As the defining characteristic of a c omedy, the resolution of a problem is mirrored in the pacification of said comedy’s female rogues. The strength of women in Shakespeare’s plays, therefore, is a literary tool used to build up the glory and triumph of men and the patriarchies in which they exist. What cannot be dismissed, however, is the context in which Shakespeare wrote the plays. Speculation of his historical surroundings denote Shakespeare’s tendency to pander to leadership, in this case, England’s greatest female monarch, Elizabeth I. Though society was largely patriarchal, the monarchy led by queen who did not marry. It is not completely unlikely that Shakespeare pandered to the female monarch, emulating her reluctance to wed in his â€Å"The Taming of the Shrew.† Queen Elizabeth, after all, did not marry, nor would she fit into society’s mold of the typical woman. Shakespeare’s characters were daring for the time, as they also broke the mold of Elizabethan women. Unlike Queen Elizabeth, however, the strong female characters of Shakespeare’s plays were exemplified by their ability to manipulate, control, and overpower men. In many ways, the strength of women served as a means to make women antagonists. For example, Desdemonaâ₠¬â„¢s power existed to drive Othello mad with her unchecked sexuality. She exhibited a power over men, one that would not be contained or controlled by men. Though Iago manipulated the characters of â€Å"Othello†, it was extreme jealousy that drove the play’s namesake mad, causing him to kill himself and the woman he could not control. The message conveyed in Othello could be construed to be a foreboding one to women in society and the men that dominated them: losing control of women and compromising male dominance leads to tragic consequences. Shakespeare’s Rosalind was unique, different from Desdemona and Katherina in her omniscience and enlightened state. Though the complexity of her emotions and thoughts is unrivaled in â€Å"As You Like It,† she takes on a darker side, one of manipulation and social subversion. Though laudable, her social deviance still leaves the play wanting for a male counterpart to complement her. She cannot criticize the respective stations of men and women for too long without succumbing to love’s fetters herself. It is as though Shakespeare is communicating the futility of female nonconformity. Shakespeare’s penultimate message in comedic female characters is one of concession. Though women are welcome to mock and society and live outside its bounds, they all must eventually â€Å"grow† into wives and docile domesticates

Natalie Meyers Hidden Heart and Astophils Astohpil and Stella Essay

Natalie Meyers'Hidden Heart and Astophil's Astohpil and Stella Longing to bleed my love into words that stain his heart, That in my wound he take, delight that has no wear: Delight may light a fire, of burning thoughts to start, To fan the flame of pity, would help to spark his care, Desperate to show my sorrow with words equal to art. Searching round the depths for lucid language, fair, The force behind my mind locked round a solid part. Some spry ideas seeped, through my reason with a tear, But whisked into a wind, that twirled them in a haze, And dizzy fog that blurs my head into a stare, Becomes a source of strength to break my callous gaze. Frustration takes a dive, and offers me a dare, A new voice (not my own), calls me from within, Write with your heart not head; and now I can begin. The Spirit to Scribe The desire to express one’s feelings can be a complicated and stressful task. In the free imitation poem, "Hidden Heart," by Natalie Meyers, a young woman expresses the frustration she experiences when trying to write her loved one. Likewise, the first sequence of Sir Philip Sydney’s sonnet, "Astrophil and Stella," explores one man’s struggle to write from his heart and eliminate the yearning to select the perfect words for a letter written to his love, Stella. Both Astrophil and Meyers are distraught over what to say and how to say it. Since "Hidden Heart" is an imitation of Sydney’s sonnet, several parallels can be drawn between their common theme, word choice, and form. The "Hidden Hearts" theme of free expression, its diction, and structure, must be compared and contrasted with intertextual references from "Astrophil and Stella," in order to effectively analyze it. Throughout the poem, Natalie ... ...each a resolution by the end of the poem. Both meter and rhyme are very essential in building a solid, yet fluid structure to each poem. "Hidden Heart" mirrors "Astrophil and Stella" in many ways, but contains several unique qualities as well. Natalie’s account was based on personal experience, where Astrophil is a character creation of Sir Philip Sydney. The similarities and differences of the theme, diction, and structure helped enrich both poems without cheapening them. Overall, both stressed the importance of writing with one’s heart to convey true emotion instead of agonizing over the literary quality of a personal letter. Also, the stylistic aspects of each poem carefully wove in a tone that contributed to their personality. With all of these attributes combine, Natalie and Sydney demonstrate the value found in linking two poems together through imitation.

To The Hills of Kodaikanal

By Pranav R Kalathungal Last March, I, along with my whole family went for a trip to Kodaikanal. Though we travelled in a comfortable airbus, the journey felt very boring. After two hours, we started playing some games and suddenly things started to get interesting. The games and jokes along with some snacks elevated all our travel sick spirits. We had stared our journey the previous night at nine. After some hours of playful pranks and laughter, slowly everyone started getting drowsy and one by one people started nodding off to sleep. As the noise quietened down and the lights dimmed on the request of elderly people, and I too gradually settled down to sleep. What I saw the next morning when I opened my eyes, took my breath away. We were travelling on a road built into the side of a hill and were flanked by scenic mountains overflowing with luscious beauty on the other side. The scene was heavenly. I can still see the scene in my mind when I close my eyes. Through this heavenly path we reached a homely, beautiful, comfy cottage from where we had our breakfast. After a lovely and stomach filling breakfast, we started a tour of the place. We visited a garden so enriched with natural beauty, that it was paradise itself. The notoriously famous suicide point seemed to me, as if it was inviting people with its deadly beauty, into its treacherous depths. Hours seemed to pass away in minutes in this glorious land and suddenly it was time to go back. And so, thus ended a wonderful journey which will forever remain engraved in the canvass of my mind. I urge you, each and every one of my friends, to undertake a similar journey if you get a chance.

Part Four Chapter VI

VI The next Parish Council meeting, the first since Barry had died, would be crucial in the ongoing battle over the Fields. Howard had refused to postpone the votes on the future of Bellchapel Addiction Clinic, or the town's wish to transfer jurisdiction of the estate to Yarvil. Parminder therefore suggested that she, Colin and Kay ought to meet up the evening before the meeting to discuss strategy. ‘Pagford can't unilaterally decide to alter the parish boundary, can it?' asked Kay. ‘No,' said Parminder patiently (Kay could not help being a newcomer), ‘but the District Council has asked for Pagford's opinion, and Howard's determined to make sure it's his opinion that gets passed on.' They were holding their meeting in the Walls' sitting room, because Tessa had put subtle pressure on Colin to invite the other two where she could listen in. Tessa handed around glasses of wine, put a large bowl of crisps on the coffee table, then sat back in silence, while the other three talked. She was exhausted and angry. The anonymous post about Colin had brought on one of his most debilitating attacks of acute anxiety, so severe that he had been unable to go to school. Parminder knew how ill he was – she had signed him off work – yet she invited him to participate in this pre-meeting, not caring, it seemed, what fresh effusions of paranoia and distress Tessa would have to deal with tonight. ‘There's definitely resentment out there about the way the Mollisons are handling things,' Colin was saying, in the lofty, knowledgeable tone he sometimes adopted when pretending to be a stranger to fear and paranoia. ‘I think it's starting to get up people's noses, the way they think that they can speak for the town. I've got that impression, you know, while I've been canvassing.' It would have been nice, thought Tessa bitterly, if Colin could have summoned these powers of dissimulation for her benefit occasionally. Once, long ago, she had liked being Colin's sole confidante, the only repository of his terrors and the font of all reassurance, but she no longer found it flattering. He had kept her awake from two o'clock until half-past three that morning, rocking backwards and forwards on the edge of the bed, moaning and crying, saying that he wished he were dead, that he could not take it, that he wished he had never stood for the seat, that he was ruined †¦ Tessa heard Fats on the stairs, and tensed, but her son passed the open door on his way to the kitchen with nothing worse than a scathing glance at Colin, who was perched in front of the fire on a leather pouffe, his knees level with his chest. ‘Maybe Miles' standing for the empty seat will really antagonize people – even the Mollisons' natural supporters?' said Kay hopefully. ‘I think it might,' said Colin, nodding. Kay turned to Parminder. ‘D'you think the council will really vote to force Bellchapel out of their building? I know people get uptight about discarded needles, and addicts hanging around the neighbourhood, but the clinic's miles away †¦ why does Pagford care?' ‘Howard and Aubrey are scratching each other's backs,' explained Parminder, whose face was taut, with dark brown patches under her eyes. (It was she who would have to attend the council meeting the next day, and fight Howard Mollison and his cronies without Barry by her side.) ‘They need to make cuts in spending at District level. If Howard turfs the clinic out of its cheap building, it'll be much more expensive to run and Fawley can say the costs have increased, and justify cutting council funding. Then Fawley will do his best to make sure that the Fields get reassigned to Yarvil.' Tired of explaining, Parminder pretended to examine the new stack of papers about Bellchapel that Kay had brought with her, easing herself out of the conversation. Why am I doing this? she asked herself. She could have been sitting at home with Vikram, who had been watching comedy on television with Jaswant and Rajpal as she left. The sound of their laughter had jarred on her; when had she last laughed? Why was she here, drinking nasty warm wine, fighting for a clinic that she would never need and a housing development inhabited by people she would probably dislike if she met them? She was not Bhai Kanhaiya, who could not see a difference between the souls of allies and enemies; she saw no light of God shining from Howard Mollison. She derived more pleasure from the thought of Howard losing, than from the thought of Fields children continuing to attend St Thomas's, or from Fields people being able to break their addictions at Bellchapel, although, in a distant and dispassionate way, she thought that these were good things †¦ (But she knew why she was doing it, really. She wanted to win for Barry. He had told her all about coming to St Thomas's. His classmates had invited him home to play; he, who had been living in a caravan with his mother and two brothers, had relished the neat and comfortable houses of Hope Street, and been awed by the big Victorian houses on Church Row. He had even attended a birthday party in that very cow-faced house that he had subsequently bought, and where he had raised his four children. He had fallen in love with Pagford, with the river and the fields and the solid-walled houses. He had fantasized about having a garden to play in, a tree from which to hang a swing, space and greenness everywhere. He had collected conkers and taken them back to the Fields. After shining at St Thomas's, top of his class, Barry had gone on to be the first in his family to go to university. Love and hate, Parminder thought, a little frightened by her own honesty. Love and hate, that's why I'm here †¦ ) She turned over a page of Kay's documents, feigning concentration. Kay was pleased that the doctor was scrutinizing her papers so carefully, because she had put a lot of time and thought into them. She could not believe that anybody reading her material would not be convinced that the Bellchapel clinic ought to remain in situ. But through all the statistics, the anonymous case studies and first-person testimonies, Kay really thought of the clinic in terms of only one patient: Terri Weedon. There had been a change in Terri, Kay could feel it, and it made her both proud and frightened. Terri was showing faint glimmerings of an awakened sense of control over her life. Twice lately, Terri had said to Kay, ‘They ain' takin' Robbie, I won' lerrem,' and these had not been impotent railings against fate, but statements of intent. ‘I took ‘im ter nursery yest'day,' she told Kay, who had made the mistake of looking astonished. ‘Why's tha' so fuckin' shockin'? Aren' I good enough ter go ter the fuckin' nurs'ry?' If Bellchapel's door was slammed shut against Terri, Kay was sure it would blow to pieces that delicate structure they were trying to build out of the wreckage of a life. Terri seemed to have a visceral fear of Pagford that Kay did not understand. ‘I ‘ate that fuckin' place,' she had said, when Kay had mentioned it in passing. Beyond the fact that her dead grandmother had lived there, Kay knew nothing of Terri's history with the town, but she was afraid that if Terri was asked to travel there weekly for her methadone her self-control would crumble, and with it the family's fragile new safety. Colin had taken over from Parminder, explaining the history of the Fields; Kay nodded, bored, and said ‘mm', but her thoughts were a long way away. Colin was deeply flattered by the way this attractive young woman was hanging on his every word. He felt calmer tonight than at any point since he had read that awful post, which was gone from the website. None of the cataclysms that Colin had imagined in the small hours had come to pass. He was not sacked. There was no angry mob outside his front door. Nobody on the Pagford Council website, or indeed anywhere else on the internet (he had performed several Google searches), was demanding his arrest or incarceration. Fats walked back past the open door, spooning yoghurt into his mouth as he went. He glanced into the room, and for a fleeting moment met Colin's gaze. Colin immediately lost the thread of what he had been saying. ‘†¦ and †¦ yes, well, that's it in a nutshell,' he finished lamely. He glanced towards Tessa for reassurance, but his wife was staring stonily into space. Colin was a little hurt; he would have thought that Tessa would be glad to see him feeling so much better, so much more in control, after their wretched, sleepless night. Dreadful swooping sensations of dread were agitating his stomach, but he drew much comfort from the proximity of his fellow underdog and scapegoat Parminder, and from the sympathetic attention of the attractive social worker. Unlike Kay, Tessa had listened to every word that Colin had just said about the Fields' right to remain joined to Pagford. There was, in her opinion, no conviction behind his words. He wanted to believe what Barry had believed, and he wanted to defeat the Mollisons, because that was what Barry had wanted. Colin did not like Krystal Weedon, but Barry had liked her, so he assumed that there was more worth in her than he could see. Tessa knew her husband to be a strange mixture of arrogance and humility, of unshakeable conviction and insecurity. They're completely deluded, Tessa thought, looking at the other three, who were poring over some graph that Parminder had extracted from Kay's notes. They think they'll reverse sixty years of anger and resentment with a few sheets of statistics. None of them was Barry. He had been a living example of what they proposed in theory: the advancement, through education from poverty to affluence, from powerlessness and dependency to valuable contributor to society. Did they not see what hopeless advocates they were, compared to the man who had died? ‘People are definitely getting irritable with the Mollisons trying to run everything,' Colin was saying. ‘I do think,' said Kay, ‘that they'll be hard-pushed, if they read this stuff, to pretend that the clinic isn't doing crucial work.' ‘Not everybody's forgotten Barry, on the council,' said Parminder, in a slightly shaky voice. Tessa realized that her greasy fingers were groping vainly in space. While the others had talked, she had single-handedly finished the entire bowl of crisps.

buy custom Canada’s Health Care essay

buy custom Canada’s Health Care essay The health care system of Canada is slowly growing to be a big concern in the contemporary society. Many people from Canada do not have doctors to assist them. Moreover, there are not enough emergency rooms to cater for admission cases. The wait times for the special tests to be done have increasingly become long that an individual could easily succumb to a serious illness they have been diagnosed with, before they receive any proper treatment. Understaffing has led to overworking of nurses since the Canadian government has created cut-backs to the health care system that was meant to protect the welfare of citizens. The training of doctors is normally at a slow pace, and thus, cannot accommodate the increasing population and the doctors themselves could not even stay in Canada after training (Health care system, 2012). Some move to the United States and other developed countries due to high remuneration offered, which is not the case in Canada. Essentially, Canada lacks an authentic public health care paradigm. Health care in Canada is apparently a privilege and not a right for the citizens (Commonwealth Fund Report, 2010). Illness is emerging as a very serious issue because of insufficient health care professionals and facilities in Canada. The modern society is living longer than was the case in the past. Consequently, there is a need for a much better health care. Patients, who recover from these procedures, are discharged quickly than it was the case in the past. The lack of hospitals and palliative care facilities has forced terminal patients be sent home very fast. Such circumstances prove that the health care system of Canada requires standards uplift for the citizens to live and die with decorum. The health care system in Canada makes the citizens beggars since they cannot choose any health care service. The Canadians seem to have gotten used to the bad health care plan in their country. The premiums they pay and the long time they have to wait before they get health care is becoming part of the system. People have to wait for five hours in the Emergency Room. Between 1993 and 2003, the median wait for health care treatment for a patient after being referred to a general practitioner moved from about 9 weeks to almost 18 weeks (Hoar, 2004). This would probably be a huge surprise to many people in Canada since the annual budget for Canadas healthcare system is $46 billion. The number is thought to have been downplayed since it is not the amount that determines the health of the Canadians. The cures for a number of medical cases are scarce, while the research is very expensive in Canada compared to that in the United States. Health Care System in Canada and other Advanced Countries Health care systems are very different in different parts of the world and Canada seems to be lagging a lot behind some developed countries. Most of the developed countries have designed their health care systems to address health matters of their populations (Commonwealth Fund Report, 2010). Unlike in Canada, the focus is in the provision of good health and quick response to the needs of the population and making sure that they have a fair financial contribution. This has been achieved through different methods. Some have been able to distribute the health care system planning among the participants in the market, whereas in others, planning is done centrally among charities, trade unions, governments and other coordinated bodies (Commonwealth Fund Report, 2010). The health care system is a multifaceted concept and can take various forms around the globe. In many nations, the health care system divides itself into private and state, even though there are fees, involved in both, there are some exceptions. In such countries like Australia, the present system co-exists with a private system of health care. All legal permanent citizens are entitled to free public health care (Commonwealth Fund Report, 2010). Treatment, offered by private doctors, is also free if the doctor bills the Health Department. In such places like Cuba, the health care system charges fees in treating certain international patients, even though the tourists, getting ill, are treated free in the hospitals in Cuba. In France, most of the doctors stick with private practice. The hospitals in India are operated by charitable trusts, the government and private organizations. Apart from the contemporary medicine system, conventional and indigenous systems of health care are pract iced all throughout India. Alternative health care systems are recognized by the Indian government. All the people, who are legal citizens of Ireland, are entitled to good health care through the Ireland health care system. It is only in some instances an individual would be expected to pay a certain subsidized fee for specific health care given. This relies on age, disability, illness and income. The Russians have the right to access government health care and free medical assistance. Even with the annual budget of $46 billion, Canada still uses fwer funds on health care, when compared to the United States, despite lacking a universal system. This is because the government of Canada sets schedules of fees for annual hospital budgets, doctors and prices for drug prescription. Research shows that Canada allocates $2,600 per resident less in a year than is the case in the United States. The fees for in-office visits are also considerably less. However, the budgets in hospitals are almost the same. After the government sets the annual budget, each hospital is supposed to operate within their assigned budget. Tight budgets only imply that the hospitals in Canada cannot invest in technology and equipment that could potentially save many people. Actually, the health care system in Canada would be more affected in the event that it was not geographically close to the United States, when the people of Canada need better and quick care. This is true because about 160,000 me dical treatments and services were carried out on Canadians outside Canada over a period of three years, most in the United States from 2007 to 2010 (Hinds, 2010). One critical set of issues, affecting both private and public policy-makers apprehension in Canada, could be the task of re-designing the care process to promote the delivery of patient-centered care. Patient-centered care is described as the health care that institutes a partnership amidst patients, practitioners and families to guarantee decisions that take into account the needs and preferences of the patients and solicit the input of the patients on support and the education needed to make decisions and take part in the healthcare process (Lasser et al., 2006). About forty years ago, Canada and the United States were relatively the same, concerning the health care systems. However, the case is different today. A joint study of the United States and Canada, conducted on health, compared income, age, immigration status, gender and race, using logistic regression in evaluating countries as an interpreter of health care access, satisfaction and quality of care and as a predictor of t he differences, based on these measures. Generally, Canadian health care system ranks second to last, when compared to such industrialized nations like Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the U.K and the United States as currently reported by a private United States foundation that examines and studies international health care systems. It only beat that of the United States in this group. The report relied on data from mail and phones surveys, carried out with patients and doctors in these countries (Valiante and Canwest News Service, 2010). Cathy Schoen, a co-author of this report and The Commonwealth Fund senior vice president attributed the position of Canada on health matters to inadequate basic care services and the slothful adoption of integrated information technology, which would be a useful system in keeping records (Health care transformation in Canada, n.d). Despite ranking high above the United States on health care system matters, Canada has been very slow in the use of electronic records in its system (Valiante and Canwest News Service, 2010). Wait times is a very big issue as reported by Canadian patients, going to see a doctor. Additionally, there are no after-hours care and a problem has been dealt with the use of emergency rooms for cases that cannot be reported as emergency. Looking at the United States, IT systems are of a very high standard and make it possible for doctors to know all the medications, given to a patient immediately. IT systems offer very early warnings and, at the same time, alerts on a persons recovery. With a system of universal health insurance, Canada spends almost half as much on health care per capita comparable to the United States, even though the people of Canada live between 2 and 3 years longer. A number of population-based information is available, concerning health care processes and habits of care in both Canada and the United States, which could be used to explain the difference in the life expectancy. Both the residents of the United States and the Canadians are not actually satisfied with their systems of health care. Moreover, the low-income earners in the United States appeared to have more issues, attaining care than their peers in other English-Speaking countries like in Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom and New Zealand (Lasser et al., 2006). On a joint analysis between Canada and the United States, Americans are less likely to have a regular doctor and more likely to encounter un-addressed needs. A health care report in Canada in 2011 stated that the reasons for having such needs were different. Moreover, 7% of American respondents who were relatively less than the Canadian respondents by a mere 1% encountered unmet needs due to financial biases (Lasser et al., 2006). On another hand, 3.5% of Canadian residents had unaddressed needs due to waiting times, which was less than 10% of Americans, and most certainly were forced to forgo medicine. The Americans are less in a position to access health care than it is the case withh Canadians (Health care transformation in Canada, n.d). Universal coverage seems to cut down most differences in accessing health care. There seems to be high cost of healthcare in Canada than in the United States. Despite the good quality care, offered in the Canadian health care system, many Canadian patients have, in most cases, taken refuge in America since they could not obtain and afford intensive-care beds in Canada. The United States does not have a perfect health care system, even though it does have the best care system of handling emergency cases, compared to Canada and even around the world. Advanced medical technology in the United States has, however, not translated into better statistics of health for the Americans. Actually, the general performance of the United States in the health care system management is relatively lower compared to that of Canada. Another issue is the fact that America has the highest poverty level and income inequality compared to Canada and other rich nations (Rachlis, 2010). This is a very significant factor, highlighting one of the major differences between the health care system of the United States and Canada. Poverty affects the health of an individual much more than the restricted administration of a regular health care system. There are several income related health matters that have bonds with the healthcare inequality in America. The health care system in Canada is universal and permits the citizens to get any necessary health care and preventative care, when they feel it is important. The rate of mortality is very much stable in Canada than in the United States. Income relation mortality inequalities have been on the increase in America and that tells how ineffective the health care system is, compared to that of Canada. The socio-economic distribution, concerning infant mortality in Canada and the United States, is very different. Across these socio-economic groups, there has been a decline in Canada, while the mortality gap is widening in the United States of America (Lasser et al., 2006). Generally, the notion health is slightly lower in the United States, when compared to Canada, even though the difference is very small statistically. Health in America is found to decrease with age and is very high in Canada, compared to that of the United States, amongst the lowest education groups and the lowest income cluster (McGrail et al, 2009). Thus, the health care in both Canada and the United States centers on higher-income groups, even though there was a significant difference in America, where the higher-income cluster surpasses the lower-income highly. Therefore, while Canada has a somewhat imperfect health care system, it is generally better than that of the United States of America. Canada needs to come up with a way of providing fast, quality care and enhance responsibility and accountability to the entire system through the use of highly developed procedures of tracking and monitoring progress (Valiante and Canwest News Service, 2010). The health care outcomes in Canada, compared to other developed countries, are of great concern for the country. It may be considered better than that of the United States by some researchers, but it leaves a lot to be desired. This research is very important for policymakers and programmers of healthcare in the efforts of maximizing the efficiency, effectiveness and quality of care that should be delivered in the Canadian health care system. It is very much perceptible that a more conclusive research into the Canadian health care system, which particularly deals with the causes and nature of any link between outcomes and processes of care, be further developed. While some studies could report some better health care quality in this nation, socio-economic inequalities, encountered in health, prevalently seen as pervasive in the United States, are apparently less stark in Canada (Lasser et al., 2006). The things creating flaws and that need to be addressed in the Canadian health care system are long wait times, lack of doctors and other health care professionals, and the focus on treatment. These factors make the Canadian system far from a perfect health care system. Apparently, the Canadian system has basically forgotten that it was meant to protect the health of every Canadian and not merely the people who could afford to pay for the services. The Canadian health care system could be better. Canada could establish the same system as that of the United States, where all services are founded on the ability of an individual to pay. It would appear that the health care system of Canada cannot go backwards so it should keep going forward. Regrettably, it is becoming vivid that going forward would mean an increment in the long wait times, a larger shortage of the professionals in health care and more trips, made by Canadians across the border to acquire healthcare services. Therefore, the Canadian government should seek to address these flaws, highlighted here, to perfect the system. Buy custom Canada’s Health Care essay

Creationism and Evolution

Creationism and Evolution Introduction The bible in the book of Genesis describes the origin of heaven and earth and everything that is in it; God created everything. However, scientist have come up with a theory suggesting that all living creatures came from a common ancestor as opposed to the story of creation. This essay is a summary of what the bible says about the beginning of the world; a personal opinion is given on whether Christians should oppose what the science claims or not.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Creationism and Evolution specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The beginning of the universe as described in the bible In the book of Genesis, God created heaven and earth and everything that is in it. The story of creation is found in the book of Genesis chapters one and two: â€Å"The earth was then formless and void, darkness was all over and the spirit of God hovered all over† (The Bible 1). God went on and separated ligh t and darkness and he called light a day and darkness a night. He also separated water and dry land after which He commanded land to produce seed bearing plants and trees and just by that word, there were seed bearing plants and trees. Living creatures were also created. Lastly, God created man in his own image and blessed him; he gave him power to rule over all his creation and commanded him to fill the world (Mueller 41). Adam and Eve were later placed in the Garden of Eden and God gave them access to all fruits except fruits from the tree of knowledge of good and evil which was at the middle of the garden. Adam and Eve went against God’s command and ate the fruit they were commanded not to eat. This signified the fall of humanity and a new beginning for the human race (Mueller 40). Christians believe in the story of creation because, according to their faith, this Supreme Being (God) is able to perform things beyond their understanding. They believe in supernatural things that God can perform and no man can explain. To Christians, the bible is a very important book as it helps them to know who they are, what they ought to do, the right choices that they ought to make and the consequences of those choices. In addition, the teachings in the bible on the right choices that one should make have been proven to be the best choices since better consequences have been experienced. Christians believe in the bible because many prophecies that were prophesied long time ago have come to pass. Compatibility of the story of creation and evolution There is a conflict between scientists and Christians which has been brought about by the evolutional theory. According to the evolution theory, all living organisms descended from a common ancestor. According to Charles Darwin (the person who developed the theory), human beings developed from a common species of an animal known as ape. This contradicts the bible since the bible does not state anything close to that. I am therefore of the opinion that these two concepts, creation and evolution are not compatible.Advertising Looking for essay on religion theology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In evolution there is no creator. In fact, we are not even told where the ape originated from. According to the bible, God is the creator of all living things. From the bible we are able to understand our origin, our purpose in life and this helps us to develop an insight as to why we should make some choices (Guenther 1). Some geologists have also presented theories which suggest that the earth existed even before the biblical creation. I strongly believe that this is not true as there is no evidence to support this. As stated earlier, many things that were written in the bible have come to pass and therefore I have no doubt that the story of creation is true and real (Robinson 1). Should Christians choose faith against science? The debate o n evolution is a big dilemma. Some people advocate that evolution education should be taught in schools while others oppose this idea. In particular, many Christians oppose evolution theory as it contradicts what the bible says. I am of the opinion that significant changes in species have occurred but the idea of one species evolving to other is quite questionable. However, Christians have a choice to believe or not to believe what the scientists say. They should therefore be careful as they make this decision, as they need to consider the impact it may have on their faith. Conclusion Heaven and earth with everything in them were created by God according to the bible. Through faith, Christians strongly believe that God is the owner of the universe and everything that is in it. Scientists on the other hand have come up with a theory that says otherwise and it is therefore very crucial for Christians to decide what to believe in, keeping in mind their faith. Christians should also tru st the bible as it is a prophetic book whose prophecies have come to pass. Guenther, Allen. Creation: A Hermeneutical Study in Genesis 1:1-2:3. Direction Journals, 1977. Web. https://directionjournal.org/issues/gen/art_237_.html Mueller, John. Saint Mary’s Press Theological Foundation Concepts and Methods for Understanding Christian Faith. New York, NY: 2007. Print.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Creationism and Evolution specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Robinson, Alex. A brief history of the conflict between evolution and creation science. Religious Tolerance, 2005. Web. religioustolerance.org/ev_hist.htm The Bible. The Holy Bible. New International Version. New York, NY: Zondervan. Print.

Colorectal cancer target referralcancer detection rate and diagnostic Essay

Colorectal cancer target referralcancer detection rate and diagnostic efficacy of the criteria - Essay Example Etiology of colorectal carcinoma is not clear but a few etiological factors have been implicated. These are as under, 1. Geographic variations: The incidence of large bowel carcinoma shows wide variation throughout the world. It is much more common in North America, Northern Europe, then in South America, Africa, and Asia. Colorectal cancer is generally thought to be a disease of affluent societies because its incidence is directly correlated with the socioeconomic status of the countries. 2. Dietary factors: Diet plays a significant part in the causation of colorectal cancer. A low intake of vegetable fiber-diet leading to low stool bulk is associated with higher risk of colorectal carcinoma. Consumption of large amounts of fatty foods by populations results in excessive cholesterol and their metabolites which may be carcinogenic. Excessive consumption of refined carbohydrates that remain in contact with colonic mucosa for prolonged duration changes the bacterial flora of the bowel, thus resulting in production of carcinogenic substances. 3. Adeno-carcinoma sequence: There is strong evidence to suggest that colonic adenoma-carcinoma arises from pre-existing adenomas referred to as adeno-carcinoma sequence. Incidence of adenomas in population is directly proportional to the prevalence of colorectal cancer. 4. ... cular genetics have revealed that there are sequential multi-step mutations in evolution of colorectal cancer from adenomas by mechanisms such as -catenin mechanism and microsatellite instability mechanism. Distribution of the primary colorectal cancer reveals that about 60% of the cases occur in the rectum, followed in descending order, by sigmoid and descending colon (25%), caecum and ileocaecal valve (10%), ascending colon, hepatic and splenic flexures (5%); and quite uncommonly in the tranverse colon. Clinical symptoms in colorectal cancer appear after considerable time. These include occult bleeding, changes in bowel habits, loss of weight ( cachexia), loss of appetitie (anorexia), anemia, weakness, malaise. The most common complications are obstruction and hemorrhage; less often perforation and secondary infection may occur. The prognosis of colorectal cancer depends upon few variables such as extent of bowel movement, presence or absence of metastases, histological grade of tumor and location of the tumor. The most important prognostic factor in CRC is however, the stage of the disease at the time of diagnosis. Three staging systems are in use. They include Duke's ABC staging, Astler - Coller Staging which is a further modification of Duke's Staging and TNM staging described by American Joint Committee (Mohan 601). The methods used in the diagnosis of CRC are as follows: Fecal Occult Blood Testing (FOBT) FOBT is one of the most effective methods for colorectal cancer screening. Reports reveala reduction in colorectal cancer mortality of 12%-33% in a long-term follow up available in four randomized controlled trials and three non-randomized trials of 330,000 and 200,000 individuals respectively. FOBT isvery acceptable as it is non-invasive,programme.

Methodology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 3

Methodology - Essay Example Holsti (1968, p. 608) defines content analysis as â€Å"any technique for making inferences by systematically and objectively identifying special characteristics of messages†. The later definition is broad and does not restricted content analysis to the domain of textual analysis. However, to allow for replication, content analysis technique can only be used on data that are durable in nature. Content analysis technique allows a researcher to test theoretical issues in order to enhance understanding of the data (Elo & Kynga 2008). It is possible to sieve words into fewer content related categories using content analysis. Cavanagh (1997) notes that when classified into the same categories, words, and phrases share the same meaning. According to GAO (1996), content analysis is important because it enables researchers to sift easily through large amounts of data. Weber (1990) noted that this technique can be used to allow for the description and discovery of the focus of individual, group, institutional, or social attention. The technique further allows inferences that can be later corroborated through other methods of data collection be made. As Krippendorff (2004) notes that "content analysis research is motivated by the search for techniques to infer from symbolic data what would be either too costly, no longer possible, or too obtrusive by the use of other techniques" (p . 51). Content analysis is a method that can be used in a number of disciples to study a number of issues. For instance in marketing, the method can be a very powerful tool in studying brand personalities of companies. A number of authors in marketing have used this method. These include Douglas & Mills (2006) who did a web content analysis of logging brand personality online using Aarker’s (1997) brand personality framework. Stemler (2001) noted that content analysis can be used to determine authorship. For example, he noted that Mosteller

Project Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Project Management - Essay Example Kerzner (2009) points out four different phases of the a project life cycle and these are the Conception Phase, Definition Phase, Execution Phase, and Operation Phase. On the other hand, Hira and Parfitt (2004) provide five phases in the project cycle which are Identification, Preparation, Appraisal, Implementation, and Evaluation. Perhaps the most popular view divides the project cycle into five stages, or process groups as some references have called them, which are initiating, planning, executing, monitoring and controlling, and closing (Rubin, 1995; Owen & Rogers, 1999; Elia, 2004; Elearn Limited, 2005; Heldman, Baca, & Jansen, 2007; Sanghera, 2008; Mihelcic, 2009). Within these stages, there are also a set of processes involved that are part of the knowledge required to manage a particular project. These knowledge areas are Communication Management, Cost Management, Human Resource Management, Integration Management, Procurement Management, Risk Management, Scope Management, and Time Management (Sanghera, 2008). While a large portion of this paper will focus mainly on the different stages of the project cycle and the processes within each of these stages, the discussion will also incorporate these knowledge areas. ... s important that a particular emphasis is placed on this stage because if this stage is merely skimmed over because the group is rushing to get started on what most would perceive as the actual work, the group will have a hard time implementing the project, not to mention needing more time to achieve it and thus, the project will most likely fail. This is the phase which examines and decides whether the project is worth doing or not. This process group provides approval to commit the organization’s resources to working on the project or phase (Heldman, Baca, & Jansen, 2007). The most important objectives of the project are identified and defined and financial commitments are undertaken to determine exactly what resources will be needed to complete the project (Elia, 2004). The project manager is assigned and authorized to begin working on the project. This is also the stage where the expectations for the project are formalized and communicated to all of the stakeholders. More specifically, the processes involved in this stage include the development of the project charter and the preliminary project scope statement, which are covered by the knowledge area of integration management (Sanghera, 2008). These outputs become inputs into the Planning process group. The Initiation phase for a contractor most likely starts once the firm is awarded a contract and has received a notice to proceed. Sometimes, there are also companies who move forward with less certain conditions. The estimate now becomes a project and a job or work order number is given to it. The project manager is assigned who then prepares to receive the handoff, or the transitional stage between project phases, from the estimating department (Elia, 2004). Planning The planning phase is which involves the

Flex Time Initiative Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Flex Time Initiative - Assignment Example Some professions like doctors and lawyers spend a lot of their time in their work and sometimes their social life or marriage life might be interfered. Looking from both angles, one is required to perform at both places, and failure to do so always leads to great repercussions. A person who concentrates more in his or her workplace than his or her home, sometimes have familial issue. A person who concentrates more on his family than on his or her job often have job problem. Hence finding a way to balance between the two components is vital in maintaining these two places in harmony (Ralston, 2006). In modern life, it is quite challenging to achieve a balanced professional and personal life. Times are really changing and people are trying to squeeze time to do other stuffs (Ralston, 2006). Some people do have passions they would like to achieve, studies they would like to pursue, secret affairs they would like to establish, management between personal life and work life can be essenti al. A person who draws a line between these two places and manages them well is a happy person since he or she is able to experience the thrill of all places at the right time and place. One way of one achieving such balance between work life and personal life is by achieving flexibility. This is a concept where one plans on how to be flexible between the two areas. One way one can accomplish this in busy situation is by job sharing. Flexibility is usually an added advantage to a person in terms of establishing a balance between job life and personal life. A person whose work is more involving till he does not get time to go home, can arrange with his or her co worker to carry some of his or her on agreed dates. One would also do the same for them in other times (Shallenbarger, 2010). Flex time, a concept that implies having flexible work arrangements can also be beneficial to some people in balancing between person al life and job work. Flex time could be represented by letting wor kers work where they would want to work. This practice is becoming more popular in many institutions like the legal departments and law firms (Ralston, 2006). This flex time initiative, also allows workers who work full-time to enjoy some time off at certain times of the year. The notion of flex time could include hours, workdays, weekends, holidays and other work arrangements. In this case, one is given some time outside the normal work place to straighten to establish a rapport with his or her personal life. In some jobs, people tend to work until they lose their head, but with flex times, at least one is relieved of his or her duties on some days. By so doing, flex time helps workers meet the demands of their personal lives (Ralston, 2006). As an initiative established in high risk or involving jobs, flex time is an initiative that relieves someone of work stress and increasing productivity by establishing a balance between personal life and work place. According to studies carri ed out on the relationship between working at work place and personal life, researchers found out that the two are related. When a person has work problems, he or she has a tendency of extending it into his or her personal life, the same when he or she has a problem in his or her personal life. Hence maintaining a balance between the two aspects is healthy in providing a good working environment (Lee, 2010). Another flex time initiat

Engineering Ethics Henrys Daughters Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Engineering Ethics Henrys Daughters - Essay Example This also forms part of the engineering ethics. This paper will seek to explore the meaning of proprietary information and issue an example which it will elaborate. It will also explore and thereby give reason as to whether it was appropriate for Henry and his daughters to work on the same project for different parties. It will then elaborate whether there are ethical limits to what the sisters can share with each other about their work. Finally, it will seek to answer whether Senator Bob should have rescued himself from the investigative committee and whatever else he could have done differently as a member of the committee. Proprietary information is sensitive information which a corporation possesses and often uses it to gain advantage in the competitive market. It entails highly classified information which it limits accessibility from its contents. Proprietary information can as well be called trade secret. Property information is vital for the success of most business entities, especially in the current competitive worldwide markets where many business administrators identify that the intellectual resources of business are vastly sought- after items. Policies of business entities may prohibit their managers, workers and agents from revealing or exercising classified or proprietary information beyond the precincts of the business entity or for individual benefit, during or after service, without the appropriate written business approval to do so. Generally, a business entity has to categorize information as proprietary for it to be regarded as classified. Proprietary information may comprise confidential formulas, procedure and techniques used in manufacturing. It can as well comprise a companys trade and marketing strategies, remuneration structure, client directories, contracts and particulars of its computer structures. In some instances, the exceptional information

Conference Assessment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Conference Assessment - Essay Example The objective scheme for assessing a speaker at a conference will include a number of criteria. Based on the response, assessment can be made as has been explained in the table at end of this section. Some of the issues which can be considered are level of preparation of the speaker. Was he aware of the agenda for the conference Was he aware of the main issues which were being discussed during the conference Did he have background knowledge of the subject being presented Did he know the key areas of concern and points of discussion Was he aware of the main participants, their portfolios and the departments they were representing Did he prepare slides for the presentation Were they effective in communicating the point Did the speaker give the structure of the talk in advance and did it provide the participants a clear view of his goals, main points being covered and the key arguments set forth1 These issues will carry substantial weight in the assessment. Then is the aspect on goal se tting. Every conference has a goal and the speaker has to conform to the same. Assessment can be done on whether the speaker had set appropriate goals and if these were adhered to.2 An important ability of a speaker is effective communication. ... There is also a need to ensure that innovative techniques are employed for engaging people during the presentation.4 For this preparation of good slides to convey the point is important.5 Conferences are multi channel communication processes. Thus inter personal communication ability of the speaker to make a positive impact, convey point effectively and accepting another point of view once the logic had been explained are important for good speakers. Every speaker has to also be a good listener who can analyze a point quickly and understand the nuances without allowing the discussion to waver. The ability of the speaker to make an impact, to be taken seriously and make people listen and engage in dialogue needs to be assessed. Conflict resolution during the meeting deliberations is also an important attribute which needs consideration.6 Provision of handouts and notes which are take away for analysis and study by the participants would be an important facet which earns additional poi nts. Summarization of the presentation to include the rationalization of all points of views that emerged during the discussion will also be assessed. Finally the overall contribution of the speaker to the conference agenda has to be assessed which will be determined by a review of whether the speaker achieved the aims set for the conference. ASSESSMENT SCHEME Ser No Assessment Criteria Outstanding 5 Good 4 Satisfactory 3 Fair 2 Poor 1 1. Setting of goals and achievement 2. Preparation including in depth study of subject. 3. Presentation skills 4. Presentation material including slides, charts etc. 5. Hand outs and notes provided. 6. Communication skills. 7. Interpersonal

Flex Time Initiative Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Flex Time Initiative - Assignment Example Some professions like doctors and lawyers spend a lot of their time in their work and sometimes their social life or marriage life might be interfered. Looking from both angles, one is required to perform at both places, and failure to do so always leads to great repercussions. A person who concentrates more in his or her workplace than his or her home, sometimes have familial issue. A person who concentrates more on his family than on his or her job often have job problem. Hence finding a way to balance between the two components is vital in maintaining these two places in harmony (Ralston, 2006). In modern life, it is quite challenging to achieve a balanced professional and personal life. Times are really changing and people are trying to squeeze time to do other stuffs (Ralston, 2006). Some people do have passions they would like to achieve, studies they would like to pursue, secret affairs they would like to establish, management between personal life and work life can be essenti al. A person who draws a line between these two places and manages them well is a happy person since he or she is able to experience the thrill of all places at the right time and place. One way of one achieving such balance between work life and personal life is by achieving flexibility. This is a concept where one plans on how to be flexible between the two areas. One way one can accomplish this in busy situation is by job sharing. Flexibility is usually an added advantage to a person in terms of establishing a balance between job life and personal life. A person whose work is more involving till he does not get time to go home, can arrange with his or her co worker to carry some of his or her on agreed dates. One would also do the same for them in other times (Shallenbarger, 2010). Flex time, a concept that implies having flexible work arrangements can also be beneficial to some people in balancing between person al life and job work. Flex time could be represented by letting wor kers work where they would want to work. This practice is becoming more popular in many institutions like the legal departments and law firms (Ralston, 2006). This flex time initiative, also allows workers who work full-time to enjoy some time off at certain times of the year. The notion of flex time could include hours, workdays, weekends, holidays and other work arrangements. In this case, one is given some time outside the normal work place to straighten to establish a rapport with his or her personal life. In some jobs, people tend to work until they lose their head, but with flex times, at least one is relieved of his or her duties on some days. By so doing, flex time helps workers meet the demands of their personal lives (Ralston, 2006). As an initiative established in high risk or involving jobs, flex time is an initiative that relieves someone of work stress and increasing productivity by establishing a balance between personal life and work place. According to studies carri ed out on the relationship between working at work place and personal life, researchers found out that the two are related. When a person has work problems, he or she has a tendency of extending it into his or her personal life, the same when he or she has a problem in his or her personal life. Hence maintaining a balance between the two aspects is healthy in providing a good working environment (Lee, 2010). Another flex time initiat

Conference Assessment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Conference Assessment - Essay Example The objective scheme for assessing a speaker at a conference will include a number of criteria. Based on the response, assessment can be made as has been explained in the table at end of this section. Some of the issues which can be considered are level of preparation of the speaker. Was he aware of the agenda for the conference Was he aware of the main issues which were being discussed during the conference Did he have background knowledge of the subject being presented Did he know the key areas of concern and points of discussion Was he aware of the main participants, their portfolios and the departments they were representing Did he prepare slides for the presentation Were they effective in communicating the point Did the speaker give the structure of the talk in advance and did it provide the participants a clear view of his goals, main points being covered and the key arguments set forth1 These issues will carry substantial weight in the assessment. Then is the aspect on goal se tting. Every conference has a goal and the speaker has to conform to the same. Assessment can be done on whether the speaker had set appropriate goals and if these were adhered to.2 An important ability of a speaker is effective communication. ... There is also a need to ensure that innovative techniques are employed for engaging people during the presentation.4 For this preparation of good slides to convey the point is important.5 Conferences are multi channel communication processes. Thus inter personal communication ability of the speaker to make a positive impact, convey point effectively and accepting another point of view once the logic had been explained are important for good speakers. Every speaker has to also be a good listener who can analyze a point quickly and understand the nuances without allowing the discussion to waver. The ability of the speaker to make an impact, to be taken seriously and make people listen and engage in dialogue needs to be assessed. Conflict resolution during the meeting deliberations is also an important attribute which needs consideration.6 Provision of handouts and notes which are take away for analysis and study by the participants would be an important facet which earns additional poi nts. Summarization of the presentation to include the rationalization of all points of views that emerged during the discussion will also be assessed. Finally the overall contribution of the speaker to the conference agenda has to be assessed which will be determined by a review of whether the speaker achieved the aims set for the conference. ASSESSMENT SCHEME Ser No Assessment Criteria Outstanding 5 Good 4 Satisfactory 3 Fair 2 Poor 1 1. Setting of goals and achievement 2. Preparation including in depth study of subject. 3. Presentation skills 4. Presentation material including slides, charts etc. 5. Hand outs and notes provided. 6. Communication skills. 7. Interpersonal

During those times when I have lost hope Essay Example for Free

During those times when I have lost hope Essay I cannot imagine life without Christina. In fact, I cannot remember a time in my life when she was not there with me or for me. More than best friends, we are like sisters. We shop together and we talk about everything and anything. And just like sisters, we too have our own fair share of misunderstandings and arguments but in the end, it is our bond of friendship that makes us kiss and make up. Christina was not my best friend when I was younger. In fact, we did not like each other. She was the type who was always hanging around with the cooler girls in school while I was the one who was always hanging around with the guys. So she was the princess and I was the tomboy. We could hardly look at each other because our crowds were of two completely different worlds. But an unfortunate event happened that made us talk to each other. You see, Christina and I were neighbors. And on that fateful rainy spring day, I got locked out of my house while my parents were out of town for a conference. I had to knock on the door of Christina’s house and her family let me stay until my parents got home. It was then that we realized that we were not really that different from each other. We liked the same movies and the same kind of music. From then on, we started hanging out in school and after school. Christina is a very optimistic person, the complete opposite of how I am. I always see the worse in things while she always saw the sunshine after the rain. During the lowest times of my life, she was there to cheer me up and always reminded me that there is no problem big enough that cannot be solved. She always told me that the problems that come my way are just challenges in life that I must overcome to become a stronger and more mature person. During those times when I have lost hope, her hug or simple pat on the shoulder would make everything alright because she makes me feel that I do not have to go through life alone. It is from Christina that I have learned that there is something good in every person and in every thing. I must admit that I am a very judgmental person but Christina has influenced me to be more open minded about how I perceive the people I meet and the things that I encounter. She would constantly tell me the cliche don’t judge a book by its cover and I would just laugh her off. But then she would remind me of the circumstances on how we started becoming friends. And she’s right that by her appearance alone, I will choose not to be friends with her. But she is also correct that since I took time to get to know her, I learned that her appearance alone does not define her entire being. Now, I am very careful with how I interact with people and that before I dismiss them and not want anything to do with them, I try to talk to them first and get to know a little bit of them to see if we have things in common. Another good thing that I have learned from Christina is how to take a break from school and all the other stressful extra-curricular activities that I have. I come from a very demanding family when it comes to school and my parents do not realize how much pressure they put on me to do well in school. So there are times when I would be awake for days, trying to prepare for an exam or a paper and would miss out on parties and shopping with friends. Christina taught me the importance of balance in life. For one, she is the type of student who can go to a party every weekend and yet still manage to get those A’s in school. She constantly reminds me that rest is important and that there is no use in studying all the time if I would be too tired or weary to take the exams. I have learned that there is a time for everything and that balance is essential to keep myself sane. But by far, the most important thing that Christina has taught me is how to love myself. My insecurities are like little battles for me everyday. When my boyfriend broke up with me for a girl who looked like a supermodel, all my insecurities started to envelope me. I started hating and doubting myself. There came a point when I found nothing good about myself and started wasting my life away. But Christina was there to pick me up and to shake some sense into my head. She, with some other friends, talked to me through some sort of intervention and told me all the good things that they see in me. They pounded in my head that unless and until I start seeing the good in myself, I will never be able to offer what I have to other people; and that if I didn’t believe in myself, then other people will start losing their faith in me as well. It was not easy to bounce back into the life I used to have: the more focused and idealistic me. But I am grateful that Christina was with me every step of the way, helping me collect the pieces of my life and putting them back together, as if completing a puzzle. Differences brought me and Christina together as friends. And it is differences that continue to bind us. I no longer consider Christina as my best friend but as my sister, someone that has shaped my life and continues to shape my life for the better. I just wish that someday I can give back to her everything that she has done for me as my way of saying how grateful I am that she is a part of my life.