Krik Krak Essays - Postcolonial Literature, Edwidge Danticat

Krik Krak For this assignment I decided that I would just write a brief overview of one of the stories in Edwidge Danticat?s book Krik? Krak!. The story that I have chosen to talk about is ?Between the Pool and the Gardenias.? I choose this one to discuss because I thought the circumstance between the lady and the child was very weird and intrigued me to look into it more in depth. So I am going to talk about the series of events in this story and my thoughts on the young women in the story. I am mainly going to focus on questions 2 and 3 in the study questions for Chapter 5 of Edwindge Danticat's book, Krik? Krak!. In this story I believe that the main reason that she takes the child is because she is lonely and wants to become close to someone. She also has had a couple miscarriages before and this has affected her greatly and caused her much suffering and mourning over the years. When she took in the child this made her dream about all of the thoughts and emotions that would have taken place if she had been able to conceive her children. She had been missing out of all the parts of parenthood that came with having a child and this baby that she picks up makes her feel more whole inside. The baby makes her life on this planet feel like she has a purpose for a short while and that is why she takes the baby into her house as one of her own. Now maybe this wouldn't be considered crazy everywhere, but what if the baby was already dead and you tried to do this then you would probably get taken into an insane asylum. This is the main reason why I believe that she is crazy because you usually don't see women picking up dead babies off the road and taking them home to care for them. Sure she has had tough luck bearing a child, but when she pretended that the baby was alive and breathing when she knew what was really wrong with the child was just ridiculous. It got really bad when she took the baby to town with her to try and fit in; this really taught me that the lady needs some severe medical help. Sure she is trying to fit in to the society, but to take a dead child to town to try and show everyone that you are a mother is just ridiculous. The next part that really confused me is when she said that the baby was just perfect because it never cried or caused any trouble. I tell you that Danticat did an excellent job writing t his because I had to go and read this chapter over to figure out that the baby was actually dead when she found it. I had to go read it because at the end when it started to stink I was really confused because I finally realized that it didn't do much moving before this, so this made me go back and read this chapter a little more in depth. That is why I liked this chapter so much; because it tricked me into believing that the child was always alive. So, as of now, I would have to say that this is my favorite chapter in the book so far; even though I really liked Chapter 3 ?A Wall of Fire Rising? a lot too. This is my short and very brief overview of Chapter 5 ?Between the Pool and the Gardenias.? Book Reports

Flight Feathers - The Flight Feathers of Birds

Flight Feathers - The Flight Feathers of Birds Feathers are a unique characteristic of birds and are a key requirement for flight. Feathers are arranged in a precise pattern over the wing. When the bird takes to the air, its wing feathers spread to create an aerodynamic surface. When the bird lands, feathers are flexible enough in their arrangement to enable the wing to fold neatly against the birds body without bending or damaging the flight feathers. Flight Feathers The following feathers make up the typical birds wing: Primaries: Elongated flight feathers that grow out from the end of the wings (the hand area of the wing). Birds typically have 9-10 primaries.Secondaries: Long flight feathers positioned just behind the primaries and grow out from the forearm area of the wing. Many birds have six secondary feathers.Tertials: Three flight feathers that are closest to the birds body along the wing, located next to the secondaries.Remiges: A term used to refer to primaries, secondaries, and tertials together.Greater primary coverts: Feathers that overlap the base of the primaries.Greater secondary coverts: Feathers that overlap the base of the secondaries.Median secondary coverts: Feathers that overlap the base of the greater secondary coverts.Lesser secondary coverts: Feathers that overlap the base of the median secondary coverts.Alula: The feathers that grow from the thumb area of the wing on the leading edge of the wing.Primary projection: The section of the primaries that, when the wing is folded, p roject beyond the tips of the tertials and sit at an angle towards the tail. Underwing coverts: Located on the underside of the wing, underwing coverts create a lining at the base of the flight feathers.Auxiliaries: Also located on the underside of the wing, the auxiliaries cover the armpit area of the birds wing, smoothing the area where the wing meets the body. Reference Sibley, D.A. 2002. Sibleys Birding Basics. New York: Alfred A. Knopf

Managing risk through a global capital strategy. Financial situations Research Paper

Managing risk through a global capital strategy. Financial situations of hospitals (especially in US) - Research Paper Example Back in 1958 in the Economic Review Modigliani and Miller proposed two very different optimal capital structures and since then there has been much debate going on as to what exactly is an optimal capital structure. Their first proposition concludes that in economic equilibrium conditions and perfect capital markets on which there is no tax liability, a firm is independent of an optimal capital structure to maximize its value. Five years after that, in 1963, they propose a different theory stating that introduction of corporate taxes provides a tax shield for debt that can escort a firm that is financed with 100% of debt. This props further questions like; aren’t firms wasting tons of money in tax payment to underuse debts (assumptions are; bankruptcy costs moderately) or other factors can take part in diminishing debt’s tax advantage? One such factor is the personal-corporate tax interaction where slightly different treatment of equity and debt (at personal level) that lessens the observed debt value. Corporate tax advantage is fractionally balanced by personal tax disadvantage by paying interest payments (Miller, 1977). The good thing is it confirms to both Miller and Modigliani. If there are no tax disadvantages then debt level returns back to the levels defined back in 1963. On the other side, advantages of debt get terminated by terminating personal equity tax. Personal income tax rate becomes equal to marginal corporate rate while suffering losses at corporate level. Probably in the long run, a capital structure under these forces may not be of much help in explaining the phenomenon of optimism but when tax code and variations are considered, business risks help explain the short term optimal capital structure of a firm. The capital structures constructed by health care providers have both negative and positive effects on the hospital business and success of organization. These capital structures built by combinations of debt and equity are now relatively modified as compared to previous decades’. In the aftermath of financial crisis of 2007-2008, the volatile situation of stock market, interest rate indexes, innovations in financial products especially in OTC markets for bonds and derivatives and changing dimensions of credit markets present a new challenge for providers. Specification of thesis – main point   What is an optimal capital structure and what are the ways to determine an optimal capital structure of a firm? And how risk can be managed through a global capital structure? Risk is present all the time, in capital markets, which affects the capital structure of firms. So instead of avoiding it, a better strategy is to have well managed capital strategy in place. c) Three supporting opinions/reasons   1. Enterprise Risk Management Balance sheet risk management will always remain most important in overall financial risk management. A well established and well operated risk management for treas ury practices is the major force in mitigating the financial stress of a balance sheet risk. Hospitals and health care facilities have different profiles and risk/return objectives with different market share and risk exposures, therefore there isn’t a standard capital structure that fits all. Every hospital and health care facility will need to have their custom made. One move that definitely fits almost all health care providers is to have a global capital strategy. A strong liquidity packed with position low forward capital needs would probably call for floating rate debt and appropriate interest rate

Capstone Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Capstone - Assignment Example The iPhone, for instance, continues to be the most popular smartphone in the world today with their latest iPhone 6 already out. Forbes magazine projects the company could sell up to 70.9 million units of the new smartphone (Badenhausen, 2014). The company’s mission has also made Apple come up with the most innovative products and feature hence making it the most profitable company in the world with annual brand revenue of $170.9 Billion (†(Badenhausen, 2014). Unlike other companies, however, Apple has no written vision statement. Instead, the company’s vision is manifested through its leadership like Steve Jobs and current C.E.O Tim Cook. These leaders coin philosophies that they then pass on to the departments like Research and development which then try to come up with product concepts that are consistent with these philosophies. For instance, in the year 1998, former chief executive Steve Jobs envisioned a paradigm shift in the conventional design of personal computers and led his team into a revolution that was to change the norm permanently by introducing the iMac computer. This has given the company an edge in innovation and creativity. Some of the primary stakeholders of Apple include lenders, company employees, developers, and customers. These groups have also impacted the company in significant ways. For instance, the company enjoys an almost fanatical following from its customers. These customers have been the driving force behind apples astronomical sales figures over the years (Jones &Hill 2011). The developers have helped contribute innovative product ideas which have enabled the company produces cutting edge technological devices like the iPad. Overall, the company’s primary stakeholders have had a significant impact on Apple’s bottom line. For apple computers, the threat of new market entrants especially in the smartphone and personal computers category is significantly lower

City Of Manila.Background of a Smart Designed City Essay Example for Free

City Of Manila.Background of a Smart Designed City Essay The City of Manila has a population of 1.7 million people and is considered as one of the most polluted cities in the world with notorious traffic congestions. The city of Adelaide is on the other hand one of the most liveable cities in the world, with a population of 1.2 million and practically no traffic jams at all. This paper compares these two cities in order to establish what manila can learn from Adelaide. The City of Manila is a relatively small city with a population of about 1. 7 million people and an area of around 40 square kilometres. The city can thus be categorized amongst the overpopulated cities of the world (Townsend, 2013). Consequently, Manila has a very high level of pollution and other challenges including traffic and poor drainage system that makes the sanitation very problematic. Background of a Smart Designed City Adelaide is a south Australian city with a population that is close to that of Manila at 1.3 million people. Initially, this city suffered from high levels of pollution owing to its large population and the energy sources being used across the city. First, the transport means today are highly effective reducing the traffic jams by 100% and the city is now considered as a ‘twenty minute city’ owing to the ability to move from one place to another easily (Fajardo, 2011). The reduced traffic jams translate to reduced gas emissions, as do the number of trees planted around schools, churches, parks, reserves, coastlines and transport corridors. These trees have managed to reduce the carbon emissions getting into the atmosphere thus making the city even cleaner. The city is planned very effectively in such a way that the transport systems are effective and diverse comprising of a South Eastern Freeway, Southern Express Way, the Port River Expressway and the Northern Expressway . This arrangement allows for effective transport across the metropolitan area thus making the city accessible without unnecessary congestions. The roads are also mostly very wide with multiple lanes to accommodate the growing number of vehicles in the city. The city has also cut down its use of fossil fuels in favour of renewable energy with a great inclination on solar energy. They have undertaken numerous campaigns to encourage the citizens to install solar panels on their rooftops, with over 200 schools having to depend on this clean energy for their power needs. As such, the city is slowly turning to solar energy to sustain its energy needs (Henderson, 2002). From its initial planning in the days of the first settlers, the city was designed to have two green rings around the city square thus implementing the green city initiative right from its birth. As a result, they have over 3 million trees within the city and a few parks and squares with a lot of trees as well. The green belt here is so extensive that it is rumoured that one can actually feel the fresh air in the city especially if they are from another part of the country or the world. These trees play a big role in keeping the city free of pollution as they mitigate from the effects of the unavoidable carbon emissions. Suggestions for Future Development and Lose Cost Estimates In order to reach up to Adelaide’s standards, the city of Milan has to undergo a number of transformations within its layout. First, the city’s roads must be reconstructed to accommodate the traffic and reduce the traffic jams. This may cost as much as $100 billion seeing as there is a need for a complete overhaul in the city’s transport system. For efficiency, subways may also be found necessary especially seeing as Manila is in a developing country and thus the urban population is likely to keep growing. The green technology in terms of shifting to solar power as a main source of energy must also be considered seeing as the country currently depends on fossil fuels for their energy. This shift should cost the government about $20 million in equipment and education programs about how to use them as well as their maintenance (Townsend, 2013). In doing this, the city will have cut down on pollution seeing as the dependence on fossil fuels is by far the most hazardous human tendency. As for planting trees and creating a green city, it should be noted that the best trees in Manila can be sourced locally and should thus be relatively cheap. The challenge however would be the sensitization of the masses in order to gain their support and cooperation for maintenance of the trees. It can thus be estimated that the local government will need about $5 million for this project and with the cooperation of the citizens and the private sector the city should qualify for a smart city categorization within approximately 30 years from the implementation date (Townsend, 2013). For this to happen however, the city’s administration will have to obtain the support and cooperation of the general public and the private sector. References Fajardo, B.K. (2011). Filipino crosscurrents. University of Minnesota Press: Minneapolis, MN. Henderson, V. (2002). Urbanization in developing countries. The World Bank Research Observer, 17(1), 89-112. Townsend, M.A. (2013). Smart cities: big data, civic hackers, and the quest for a new utopia. New York, NY: W. W. Norton Company. Source document

Ancient Corinth Essay -- Greece Ancient History Historical Papers

Ancient Corinth ?Unlike most other cities in the ancient world, Corinth was a city destined for prosperity and longevity no matter who occupied it or how it was governed.? It is as old, or older, than any other ancient Greek city, with origins that lie only in myths and legends that are more than two thousand years old.? Little is known of who established the city or when it was actually founded.? What we do know is Corinth was a very important city and it became a major player in ancient Greek and Roman history.? ?The main reason for the existence of Corinth is the same reason for its greatness.? The ancient civilizations of the Mediterranean world produced this city out of geographical and commercial necessity.? The southern most part of Greece is very nearly an island, attached to the main landmass by only a four mile wide isthmus, with the Corinthian Gulf to the west, and the Saronic Gulf to the east.? Corinth sits along this narrow isthmus, making itself one of the most important trading and commercial centers of the ancient world.? Corinth was positioned perfectly between the two greatest political city-states in ancient Greece, Athens to the north and Sparta to the south; because, any traffic from these two cities, as well as anywhere else to the north and south, had no choice but to pass through Corinth.? The east and west traffic, on the other hand, had a choice to pass or not pass through Corinth, though limited as that choice was (Barclay 1).? The only way to sail east to west in th e Mediterranean was all the way around the southern tip of Greece, known as Cape Malea.? Cape Malea was considered the most dangerous Cape in all the Mediterranean due to its high seas, contrary winds, and difficult navigation (Engel... ...hey knew they could not keep such a gold mine lying in ruins.? So Corinth did not die, instead it was a cultural hubbub for over a thousand years. Bibliography Barclay, William. The Letter to the Corinthians, Revised Edition. The Westminster Press,? Philadelphia.? 1975 Engels, David. Roman Corinth, An Alternative Model for the Classical City. University? of Chicago,? Chicago, 1990. Papahatzis, Nicos. Ancient Corinth, The Museums of Corinth, Isthmia and Sicyon.? Ekdotike Athenon S.A.? Athens, 1981. Papakyriakou/Anagnostou, Ellen. ?History of Corinth?.?www.sikyon.com/Korinth/history_eg.html Parada, Carlos. ?The Seven Sages of Greece, Between Legend and History.? http://homepage.mac.com/cparada/GML/SevenSages.html#Periander Strabo. ?Geography, 8.6.20-23? (Late 1st Century BCE-Early 1st Century)?www.abu.nb.ca/courses/Pauline/images/StraboCor.htm

Care-Giver Burden Essay

Healthcare in America is an issue of finances. Healthcare is an issue, especially for the financially strapped family. The following paper will focus on the care-giver burden of a patient who cannot afford to be taken care of because of lack of insurance or lack of funds in general. In the following pages care-giver burden will be addressed using several articles concerning care-giver burden and three theorists; Martha E. Rogers, Imogene King, and Dorothy E. Johnson. The articles are in design stressing the issue of guilt and depression when a family decides they don’t have the time or the money to keep a loved one at home and must face putting them in a care facility (Sanders article Shouldering the Burden of Care). Other articles address the issue of keeping a family member at home (child) and the upkeep cost that entails such as home health aid cost, medications, or leaving a job (Wilson, Leslie S. et al. The Economic Burden of Home Care for Children with HIV and Other Chronic Illnesses). Also, the review of patient care for nurses and the burden of lack of authority in administration this presents is another form of care-giver burden (Welchman, Jennifer & Glenn G. Griener, Patient Advocacy and Professional Associations: Individual and Collective Responsibilities). Each of these issues involves a direct relationship to the patient and their concerns for the burden they may become for their family, or for themselves in regards with money and insurance. There are many facets to unravel in the primary care system but for this paper, care-giver burden is the primary concept in terms of money. Three Approaches to the Concern Approach of Martha E. Rogers. Roger’s theory involves four postulates: energy fields, openness, pattern, and pandimensionality. (Barrett et. Al 2000). Each of these postulates involves the client’s concern over their health and the relationships they form with not only the nurses but with their own families. Rogers goes on to explain that power is at the core of each of these relationships, â€Å"(power)†¦is the capacity to participate knowingly in the nature of change characterizing the continuous patterning of the human and environmental fields. The observable, measurable pattern manifestations of power are awareness, choices, freedom to act intentionally, and involvement in creating change† (Barrett et al. ) Most care-giving authority is given to nurses; both in a hospital setting and during stay at home cases. The preceding concept or the patient is its important to have a strong trusting relationship with the care-giver in order for them to feel more comfortable and also feel their issues and concerns are being heard. If the patient does not feel comfortable then the care-giver burden becomes apparent in scowling-unreceptive-to-therapy patients. However, in Welchman and Griener’s article, Patient Advocacy and Professional Associations, a rising concern over nurses’ burden when taking care of patients begins to be seen, â€Å"†¦nurses are being taught to be patient advocates and both nurses and patients are the worse for it. The nursing profession’s redefinition of the nurse’s role from loyal handmaid to patient advocate in the 1980s was supposed to protect patients by empowering nurses to think and act autonomously in their dealings with other health professionals. †¦individual nurses have been burdened with a responsibility that most professions assign†¦to their professional associations. It is not a responsibility that individuals can readily fulfill. Unless or until the duty of advocacy is taken off the shoulders of individual nurses and returned to the professional bodies that represent them, nurses and patients will continue to suffer unnecessarily†(2005). The nurses’ role in patient care involves everything a patient needs or may potentially need (feeding, bathing, bathroom visits, company) and according to Rogers’ theory making the patient part of the active choice of their own health. Therefore, in the context of this theory there is no control, because control is not held one over the other (nurse over patient) but power is shared, as Rogers’ theory states, â€Å"†¦people can knowingly participate in creating their reality by actualizing some of their potentials rather than others. In this theory there is no control; control is an illusion since other persons or groups and their environments are likewise simultaneously also participating in what is being created†. Each of these duties cannot be accomplished without proper support from family/administration, and without this support and the lack of performance in a nurse’s duty a patient will lapse in trust. This is the contention in the make-up of care-giver burden; nurses cannot fulfill their role to maximum potential without the backing of the hospital rules. The burden is twofold for the nurse and the patient. As Welchman and Griener state in a final cul-de-sac, â€Å"Advocacy for improvements in access to and deliver of health care is best viewed as a collective responsibility of health professions owed to society as a whole, not as the sole province of individual practitioners†(2005). Approach Imogene King. King’s theory lies in the clients’ perception of self. This perception ranges from their body image to their own growth and development before and after surgery or during care-giver visits. As such, the crux of King’s theory is that of communication. Her theory subsists of human beings as, â€Å"†¦open systems interacting with the environment† (Williams, Imogene King’s Interacting Systems Theory, 2001). Throughout the relationship of nurses and clients communication is the key to better health. This occurs through the patient forming several relationships with different people around them; these include personal systems, interpersonal systems, and social systems. Thus, King’s ultimate goal stated in the theory is goal attainment. However, there are outside factors that stand in the way of working and healthy relationships. In Wilson et al. ’s study of patient care for ill and HIV children the stats for financing reflects a tremendous burden, â€Å".. in-home care for ill children (ranging from approximately $19,000 to $36000) is higher than that of hiring caregivers for healthy children (approximately $10,000)† (2005). This burden is further emphasized for the family if they are not equipped to pay a professional care-giver and are dependent upon themselves for such care; this issue raises the other issues of job attendance (some families pass up promotions, decline extra working hours, or quit their jobs entirely in order to care for the ill which makes the financial burden that much more potent). These numbers also reflect the elderly who are put in homes or whose family members choose to have them stay at home. Thus, it is important within King’s theory that each relationship remains free from outside stress factors in order for the recovery of the patient to be successful. The dyad of the nurse and the patient must remain free from concerns of money, otherwise the nurse is seen as merely a worker and not a concerned care-giver and the patient is stressed because they may not have coverage for certain operations or insurance to properly cover the care-giver’s assistance. In King’s theory, communication led to recover, â€Å"King believed that interactions between the nurse and the client lead to transactions that relate in goal attainment. Furthermore, King proposed that through mutual goal setting and goal attainment, transactions result in enhanced growth and development for the client† (Williams). Therefore, the issue of money cannot come between the dyad.