The Automotive Industry in Mexico and Brazil Essay Example for Free

The Automotive Industry in Mexico and Brazil Essay The automotive industry in Mexico and Brazil is one of the most dynamic business in Latin America, with both countries are disputing the 8th place as the highest car producers in the world [a}. While the production of cars in Mexico is directed to foreign consumption, the Brazilian one is mainly directed to its internal and regional markets. Both countries offer several advantages, such as low labor cost and high qualified personnel, however there are many challenges that must be considered such as pending political reforms and high crime rate in Mexico, and high inflation rate and economic deceleration in Brazil. Whereas, Mexico is better located geographically, Brazil’s potential internal market makes it the best option to invest currently, as long as it has best regulatory conditions and may offer better tax incentives. Whereas a weak local currency may affect the assembly of cars industry in both countries, Brazil’s infrastructure spending is entering a frenzied period [b] to meet its commitments to host the Olympics (2014) and the World Cup (2016), which may contribute to make it a popular destination for Foreign Direct Investment.

Effects of the War on Nationalism and Unionism

Effects of the War on Nationalism and Unionism The Great War proved to be a catalyst for profound change across the whole of Europe and beyond. Ireland proved to be no exception as the effects of the Great War changed nationalism and unionism in various ways. Some of those changes could have been predictable in 1914, whilst others could not have been. The constitutional future of Ireland had already caused much controversy before the Great War and that controversy did not decline just because Britain and therefore Ireland were fighting a war. Unionism was perhaps a more unified feature of Irish society and politics. In contrast, nationalism was split between the moderates that supported Ireland having Home Rule within the United Kingdom and the republicans that favoured a united Irish republic. The circumstances created by the Great War plus the actions of unionists, nationalists, republicans, and finally the British government all brought changes to nationalism and unionism. These changes will now be outlined. England and later Britain had been trying to impose its control over Ireland since the 12th century. Nationalism and unionism had been the reactions of the Irish to those attempts to make them obedient, if not loyal subjects of the British State. The nationalists were descended from the Irish who had resented, or even resisted British control. The overwhelming majority of the nationalists were Catholics and formed around two-thirds of the Irish population. The unionists on the other hand were strongly in favour of maintaining the union of Britain. Unionism was strongest in the Protestant dominated counties of Ulster amongst the descendants of the Ulster plantations. Unionism held the advantage of having aims that never changed whilst nationalism had the disadvantage of being divided between moderates and republicans, even though people with nationalist or republican sympathies formed a majority of the population (Wilson, 1989 p. 21). Nationalism had failed to achieve Home Rule in the 1880s, yet under the Liberal government that the Irish nationalist MPs backed, Home Rule seemed destined to be implemented after it passed through Parliament in 1912. The House of Lords managed to block its passing for two years, although it had just lost its power to veto legislation after the passing of the Parliament Act of 1911 (Ferriter, 2005 p. 123). However, the move towards Home Rule had provoked a militant unionist response in the form of the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) countered by the moderate Irish Volunteers and the more hard-line Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB). The UVF, which was led by Sir Edward Carson used all the means possible to prevent Home Rule, and would have proved a formidable force for any Irish government in Dublin to defeat (Stewart, 2001 p. 166). The British were concerned about instability and possible civil war in Ireland during 1912 through to 1914. The first change the Great War brought was that many nationalists and unionists got behind the British war effort. Home Rule was put on ice until after the war finished. The British government could have used that extra support from both nationalism and unionism to its ultimate advantage yet proved incapable of doing so (Ferriter, 2005 p.111). Before any of the thousands of volunteers had been sent to the front line the British government’s decisions meant that the Great War would change nationalism and unionism. Instead of maintaining the good will of nationalists, the British government clearly showed its preference to those unionists who had volunteered for military service. The UVF seemed to be rewarded for its almost treasonable resistance to Home Rule by being enlisted as a whole and as a separate division. The moderate nationalists who had been in the Irish Volunteers were denied their own division. Redmond and the other moderates felt that the nationalists were being treated unfairly, despite supporting the British war effort (Madden, 2005, p.92). Nationalism more than unionism started to change once Irish troops started to get killed in the Great War. The Unionists views about remaining within the United Kingdom did not alter, regardless of how many of them were killed in the war. For nationalism, the deaths of so many of its most capable and moderate advocates changed the balance between moderate nationalism and republicanism. However, even as the death toll mounted amongst the nationalist volunteers fighting in the Great War, the majority of nationalists did not favour the foundation of a republic, just the implementation of Home Rule. There was resentment that the unionists received better treatment in the army than the nationalists did. There was also resentment that the unionist dead received more respect, even though nationalists also paid the ultimate price for fighting in the Great War. The Irish Volunteers had split over the issue of enlisting in the British Army. The vast majority of the volunteers did enlist and ca lled themselves National Volunteers whilst only a minority refused to enlist yet kept the name of Irish Volunteers. Between 150,000 to 158,000 joined the British Army, whilst 8,000 to 12,000 stayed behind to safeguard Home Rule from unionism or a change in British policy (Jackson, 1999 p. 198). However, it would not be Irish blood spilt in France or Belgium that would change nationalism and unionism during the Great War. In the end it would prove to be Irish blood spilt in Dublin that caused the most dramatic changes. Members of the IRB believed the Great War offered the opportunity to launch a major rebellion against the British whilst the British Army was fighting and therefore unable to concentrate its firepower against any rebellion. Republicans claimed such a strategy was taking advantage of circumstances that might only be available for a short period, if Britain were on the winning side in the Great War such opportunities would be lost. The IRB were joined by Sinn Fein and the Irish socialist movement of James Connelly (Moody Martin, 2001, p.256). The plans of a national uprising by the IRB were scuppered by the Royal Navy, which captured the German ship bringing weapons to the rebels. Instead of cancelling the rebellion altogether the IRB uprising still went ahead in Dublin. Slim chances of victory had been turned into no chance of survival let alone victory. The majority of people in Dublin originally saw the uprising as foolish and unjustified (Ferriter, 2005 p. 130). The Easter Rising of 1916 was an unmitigated disaster from a military and strategic perspective that resulted in around 450 deaths. (Madden, 2005, p.95). From the aspect of turning a majority of nationalists towards supporting a united Irish republic it was success, yet it was not the rebels that died in the fighting that aroused the upsurge in republican sentiment. This upsurge was due to the British government allowing the British Army to execute a handful of rebels after the rising. The executions were a serious blunder as it made the rebels martyrs for the Irish Republican cause and greatly undermined the British control of Ireland, except for Ulster. The British Army had intended to execute over 90 rebels, yet the death of the 15 rebels it did execute proved disastrous (Madden, 2005 p. 96). The Unionists regarded the Easter Rising as an act of treason; a sign that nationalism in general and republicanism in particular could not be trusted (Wilson, 1989 p. 45). Perhaps the greatest change to unionism as a result of the Easter Rising was the determination to remain within the United Kingdom, even if that meant partitioning Ireland in to two distinct nationalist and unionist parts. The Great War used up men, money, and resources in great quantities. The British government compounded its loss of support within the nationalist community by contemplating to extend conscription to Ireland. The Somme offensive in 1916 forced the introduction of conscription to the rest of the United Kingdom following the catastrophic losses caused. (Stewart, 2001, p.167). In all the British Army lost 794, 000 troops killed, wounded and missing in action during the Somme offensive, Irish nationalists and unionists were killed in their thousands (Castleden, 2005 p. 460). The republicans made further in roads into persuading nationalists that a republican solution was the best way to get the British out of Ireland. The British government did not introduce conscription into Ireland; the republicans in general and the Irish Republican Army / Sinn Fein (IRA) had gained further propaganda successes specifically. David Lloyd George met with both Carson and Redmond, promising Carson a permanent partition, whilst assuring Redwood it would be only a short-term partition (Madden, 2005, p.99). The Great War offered chances for nationalism and unionism to change, the war itself did not change everything. It was the republicans that prospered most from these changes due to Eamon de Valera and Michael Collins taking advantage of the circumstances the Great War had brought, especially after the Easter Rising (Wilson, 1989 p. 47). The Great War revealed the flaws in the political thought and strategy of the moderate Irish nationalists. The Irish Parliamentary Party had seen its greatest achievement of Home Rule suspended by the start of the war. Redmond believed that nationalism could achieve a compromise with British imperialism, a belief shattered by the Great War. Redmond also underestimated the potential of republicanism and misunderstood the aspirations of unionism. It was unionism and republicanism that changed Ireland profoundly after the end of the Great War (Ferriter, 2005 p. 130). Therefore, the Great War did change nationalism and unionism in various ways. Its first change was to suspend the Ulster crisis of 1912-14 and prevent the possibility of civil war in Ireland at that time. The outbreak of war was initially greeted with enthusiasm within nationalism and unionism. The British government gained a great deal of support from both communities, although it would eventually squander support from the nationalists. Only the republican fringe within nationalism did not support Britain’s war effort, regarding the Great War as an opportunity to end British rule in Ireland. Moderate nationalism was greatly changed by the Great War. The finest supporters of moderate were gunned down on the Western Front, whilst unionism increased its influence with the British government, with Carson serving in the war cabinet, whilst Redmond refused to do so. Unionism was proud of the sacrifices it made for King and country whilst moderate nationalism was weakened by being s een as sacrificing so many lives for an occupying power that did not seem to appreciate those sacrifices. The Easter Rising and its brutal suppression and the unwise execution of 15 rebels was the main catalyst for change with the British government foolishly making martyrs for the Irish republicans. Moderate nationalism was the main casualty of the Great War in Ireland. Republicanism was greatly strengthened after the Easter Rising, whilst unionism was grimly determined to hold onto Ulster. The Great War only delayed civil war in Ireland; the end of moderate nationalism and the misjudgements of the British government would allow extremism to take hold. This cause of events almost inevitably led to the partition of Ireland. Nationalism, unionism, republicanism, or the British government could no longer expect to control the whole of Ireland. The Great War changed things in favour of the republican and unionist extremists, the IRA and Sinn Fein proving especially astute at taking adv antage of those circumstances. Bibliography Castleden, (2005) Events that changed the world, Time Warner Books, London Ferriter D, (2005) The Transformation of Ireland 1900-2000, Profile Books, London Jackson A, (1999) Ireland 1798 – 1998: Politics and War, Oxford Madden F J M (2005) teach yourself – the history of Ireland, Hodder Education, London Moody T W Martin F X (2001) The Course of Irish History, Mercier Press, Cork and Dublin Stewart A T Q, (2001) The Shape of Irish History, The Blackstaff Press, Belfast Wilson T, (1989) Ulster Conflict Consent, Basil Blackwell Ltd, Oxford

Macbeth - Charting His Downfall :: essays research papers

This is my account of Macbeth’s downfall from a popular, successful soldier, quote â€Å"What he hath lost, noble Macbeth hath won†, who has received great honours for his loyalty, his courage, his bravery and his nobility. At the end of the play the only respect he has is because of the fear that his subjects have of him. â€Å"Great Dunsinane he strongly fortifies // some say he’s mad, others that lesser hate him.† I will go through Macbeth’s soliloquies and chart his character as it changes. A soliloquy is a speech made only to oneself, or even only thought. Macbeth’s first soliloquy is in Act I, Scene III. Two of the things that the witches predicted have come true and Macbeth is contemplating how the third will come true. He thinks about killing Duncan, but he knows that these are only thoughts and he dismisses it and decides to leave it to chance and time. â€Å"Present Fears // Are less than horrible imagining.† â€Å"Whose (Duncan) murder is yet but fantastical.† We can see that his mind is confused and distorted, because of what has happened and what may happen, and here we see the first signs of ambition, even though it is dismissed. â€Å"My thought †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. // Shakes so my single state of man.† The second soliloquy is in Act I, Scene IV, when the Thane of Cawdor has been killed. Duncan describes him as ‘a man on whom I built an absolute trust’. This parallels Macbeth, who he trusts, when he betrays him. Duncan pronounces his son as the prince of Cumberland and the heir to the throne. This throws Macbeth’s mind into even more confusion, as this is a ‘step which (he) must o’er-leap. He also, in the soliloquy, knows that his thoughts are evil, and he does not want good to see them. â€Å"Stars, hide your fires, // Let not light see my black and deep desires.† In the third soliloquy Macbeth is still contemplating how he obtains the throne, but now he knows that murder is the only way, yet he fears ‘judgement’ and damnation. We see here that Macbeth has a conscience, and his mind cannot take the simple fact. He begins bringing up lots of excuses as to why he should not do it, but inevitably his ambition gets the better of him. â€Å"He’s here in double trust: // †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ his kinsman and his subject, // †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ then as his host, // who should against his murder shut the door, // Not bear the knife myself.

Janet Jackson :: essays research papers

Janet Jackson was born in Gary Indiana on May 16, 1966. She is a member of the Jackson Family musical dynasty. Her most famous family members include Jermaine, Stephen, Jackie, Tito, Marlon,and Michael whom were all part of the musical group the Jackson 5. The most famous of the brothers is Michael whom helped Janet begin her musical career. Like many of the women in show business today, Janet has been faced with many obstacles in her life. Despite all of the problems, Janet has overcome most of them and has become one of the biggest successes in the entertainment world today. During Janet’s young years she was forced to deal with difficult conditions at home. She recalls in an interview with Steve Pond in the December 1997 issue of ‘US magazine, "My father whipped me one time when I was a kid. But there was no rape or crap like that. You can begin to see how you feel less-than, not worthy, fraudulent. And that’s how I grew up feeling."(2) Despite problems with other family members Janet was always close with her mother. She said in the same interview with Steve Pond, "Mother always could feel when I wasn’t doing well, and she was incredible supportive." In Janet’s life, as well as in the lives of the other Jackson’s, there seemed to be so much pressure for success, but they all seemed to lack self-esteem. By the time she was twenty-one, Janet was breaking away from the shyness she once possessed, and stopped living in the shadows of Michael and the other Jackson family members. She produced Rhythm Nation in black and white and made this statement, "I would hope that everyone will understand that once black represents something good. That’s why we were all dressed in black†¦Black is so beautiful to me."(3) Janet decided to set a new agenda whenever she produced the Virgin Records album, titled janet. She had a reason for naming her album janet. She describes her reason in an interview by Steve Pond. She said, "I prefer ‘Janet.’ It was always my dream for no one to know that I was a Jackson. I wanted them to accept me for me and to not know anything more than that. I wanted to take my last name off the very first album I ever did."(4) When she named her album "janet" she was taking her steps in breaking away from the Jackson name she had always wanted to avoid.

Deception Point Page 42

Gabrielle saw the door and headed for it. â€Å"On my desk by eight o'clock tonight, Gabrielle. Be smart.† Tench tossed her the folder of photographs on her way out. â€Å"Keep them, sweetie. We've got plenty more.† 48 Rachel Sexton felt a growing chill inside as she moved down the ice sheet into a deepening night. Disquieting images swirled in her mind-the meteorite, the phosphorescent plankton, the implications if Norah Mangor had made a mistake with the ice cores. A solid matrix of freshwater ice, Norah had argued, reminding them all that she had drilled cores all around the area as well as directly over the meteorite. If the glacier contained saltwater interstices filled with plankton, she would have seen them. Wouldn't she? Nonetheless, Rachel's intuition kept returning to the simplest solution. There are plankton frozen in this glacier. Ten minutes and four flares later, Rachel and the others were approximately 250 yards from the habisphere. Without warning, Norah stopped short. â€Å"This is the spot,† she said, sounding like a water-witch diviner who had mystically sensed the perfect spot to drill a well. Rachel turned and glanced up the slope behind them. The habisphere had long since disappeared into the dim, moonlit night, but the line of flares was clearly visible, the farthest one twinkling reassuringly like a faint star. The flares were in a perfectly straight line, like a carefully calculated runway. Rachel was impressed with Norah's skills. â€Å"Another reason we let the sled go first,† Norah called out when she saw Rachel admiring the line of flares. â€Å"The runners are straight. If we let gravity lead the sled and we don't interfere, we're guaranteed to travel in a straight line.† â€Å"Neat trick,† Tolland yelled. â€Å"Wish there were something like that for the open sea.† This IS the open sea, Rachel thought, picturing the ocean beneath them. For a split second, the most distant flame caught her attention. It had disappeared, as if the light had been blotted out by a passing form. A moment later, though, the light reappeared. Rachel felt a sudden uneasiness. â€Å"Norah,† she yelled over the wind, â€Å"did you say there were polar bears up here?† The glaciologist was preparing a final flare and either did not hear or was ignoring her. â€Å"Polar bears,† Tolland yelled, â€Å"eat seals. They only attack humans when we invade their space.† â€Å"But this is polar bear country, right?† Rachel could never remember which pole had bears and which had penguins. â€Å"Yeah,† Tolland shouted back. â€Å"Polar bears actually give the Arctic its name. Arktos is Greek for bear.† Terrific. Rachel gazed nervously into the dark. â€Å"Antarctica has no polar bears,† Tolland said. â€Å"So they call it Anti-arktos.† â€Å"Thanks, Mike,† Rachel yelled. â€Å"Enough talk of polar bears.† He laughed. â€Å"Right. Sorry.† Norah pressed a final flare into the snow. As before, the four of them were engulfed in a reddish glow, looking bloated in their black weather suits. Beyond the circle of light emanating from the flare, the rest of the world became totally invisible, a circular shroud of blackness engulfing them. As Rachel and the others looked on, Norah planted her feet and used careful overhand motions to reel the sled several yards back up the slope to where they were standing. Then, keeping the rope taut, she crouched and manually activated the sled's talon brakes-four angled spikes that dug into the ice to keep the sled stationary. That done, she stood up and brushed herself off, the rope around her waist falling slack. â€Å"All right,† Norah shouted. â€Å"Time to go to work.† The glaciologist circled to the downwind end of the sled and began unfastening the butterfly eyelets holding the protective canvas over the gear. Rachel, feeling like she had been a little hard on Norah, moved to help by unfastening the rear of the flap. â€Å"Jesus, NO!† Norah yelled, her head snapping up. â€Å"Don't ever do that!† Rachel recoiled, confused. â€Å"Never unfasten the upwind side!† Norah said. â€Å"You'll create a wind sock! This sled would have taken off like an umbrella in a wind tunnel!† Rachel backed off. â€Å"I'm sorry. I†¦ â€Å" She glared. â€Å"You and space boy shouldn't be out here.† None of us should, Rachel thought. Amateurs, Norah seethed, cursing the administrator's insistence on sending Corky and Sexton along. These clowns are going to get someone killed out here. The last thing Norah wanted right now was to play baby-sitter. â€Å"Mike,† she said, â€Å"I need help lifting the GPR off the sled.† Tolland helped her unpack the Ground Penetrating Radar and position it on the ice. The instrument looked like three miniature snowplow blades that had been affixed in parallel to an aluminum frame. The entire device was no more than a yard long and was connected by cables to a current attenuator and a marine battery on the sled. â€Å"That's radar?† Corky asked, yelling over the wind. Norah nodded in silence. Ground Penetrating Radar was far more equipped to see brine ice than PODS was. The GPR transmitter sent pulses of electromagnetic energy through the ice, and the pulses bounced differently off substances of differing crystal structure. Pure freshwater froze in a flat, shingled lattice. However, seawater froze in more of a meshed or forked lattice on account of its sodium content, causing the GPR pulses to bounce back erratically, greatly diminishing the number of reflections. Norah powered up the machine. â€Å"I'll be taking a kind of echo-location cross-sectional image of the ice sheet around the extraction pit,† she yelled. â€Å"The machine's internal software will render a cross section of the glacier and then print it out. Any sea ice will register as a shadow.† â€Å"Printout?† Tolland looked surprised. â€Å"You can print out here?† Norah pointed to a cable from the GPR leading to a device still protected under the canopy. â€Å"No choice but to print. Computer screens use too much valuable battery power, so field glaciologists print data to heat-transfer printers. Colors aren't brilliant, but laser toner clumps below neg twenty. Learned that the hard way in Alaska.† Norah asked everyone to stand on the downhill side of the GPR as she prepared to align the transmitter such that it would scan the area of the meteorite hole, almost three football fields away. But as Norah looked back through the night in the general direction from which they had come, she couldn't see a damn thing. â€Å"Mike, I need to align the GPR transmitter with the meteorite site, but this flare has me blinded. I'm going back up the slope just enough to get out of the light. I'll hold my arms in line with the flares, and you adjust the alignment on the GPR.† Tolland nodded, kneeling down beside the radar device. Norah stamped her crampons into the ice and leaned forward against the wind as she moved up the incline toward the habisphere. The katabatic today was much stronger than she'd imagined, and she sensed a storm coming in. It didn't matter. They would be done here in a matter of minutes. They'll see I'm right. Norah clomped twenty yards back toward the habisphere. She reached the edge of the darkness just as the belay rope went taut. Norah looked back up the glacier. As her eyes adjusted to the dark, the line of flares slowly came into view several degrees to her left. She shifted her position until she was perfectly lined up with them. Then she held her arms out like a compass, turning her body, indicating the exact vector. â€Å"I'm in line with them now!† she yelled. Tolland adjusted the GPR device and waved. â€Å"All set!†

Different stakeholders in the health care system Essay

Week 1: Discussion 1: With so many different stakeholders in the health care system, many with powerful political lobbies, it is understandable that the government has been unable to effectively address the problems of cost, access, and quality. With the passing of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (PPACA), the government has taken a step towards reshaping the health care system. Answer the following question: How will the PPACA reshape the health care system in terms of access, cost, and quality? Discussion 2: In spite of its impressive accomplishments, the U.S. health care system is fraught with problems and dilemmas. There is a growing concern that health care is a big, complex, unmanageable business. In this week’s reading, six major stakeholders were identified, they are: the public, employers, providers, hospitals and other health care facilities, the government, and managed care organizations and other insurers. After reading this week’s text and other references answer the following questions: In what ways have the stakeholders contributed to make the current health care system in the United States is too complex and unmanageable? In your opinion, which stakeholder has had the most significant impact? Why? Who should take the lead in reforming the U.S. health care system? Why? Week 2 Discussion 1: An oversupply of physicians in many urban regions contrasts with continuing problems of access in rural and inner-city areas. After completing this week’s reading and viewing the video, discuss this topic using the following questions to help guide you: Why does the mal-distribution of physicians  persist in spite of the number of physicians graduated? Explore how these specialty medical practices affect access to healthcare, quality of care received, and costs associated with health care services. Do these same conditions exist in Canada or the United Kingdom? Why or why not? Discussion 2: According to Sultz & Young (2011), â€Å"Communication among providers and between providers and patients [is] problematic as medical technology progresses and time pressures on physicians increase† (p. 179). After completing this week’s reading discuss this topic using the following questions to help guide you: How might the increase in medical technology have a negative effect on communication among providers? Provide at least two examples. Are there any positive effects of increased technology on communication among providers? Why or why not? How does the increase in medical technology impact the provider-patient relationship? Provide at least two examples. Assignment: Disclosure of Physician Information The dispute over exposing the comparative performance of physicians on a wide spectrum of variables has been resolved in favor of the consumers of health care. Despite physician protests, a number of states have passed legislation that gives the public access to physician information, including disciplinary records, malpractice actions, and whether a physician has lost hospital privileges. In a three to four page, (excluding title and reference page), APA formatted, double-spaced paper, respond to the following questions: Are the physician reports cards fair and balanced? Take a position on this issue and explain your view. Provide at least two examples from references that support your position. Do physician report cards provide information consumers need to make medical decisions? Why or why not? Explain your answer. Support your position with two references in addition to the textbook. Note: one of the two references may be a professional website. Week 3: Discussion 1: The chapters assigned this week focused on hospitals and ambulatory (outpatient) healthcare organizations. Each has their own unique administrative and clinical requirements due to shifts in utilization. Choose one of situations presented below and discuss the implications for healthcare organizations, consumers, and the health care delivery system as a whole. Fully state and explain your position while providing at least two references (one may be the text). Situation 1: Overnight hospitalization has significantly declined as services have shifted to ambulatory care (care completed within a 24-hour period). What are some of the root causes for these shifts? What are the implications of this shift for hospitals, consumers, and the health care delivery system as a whole? Situation 2: More than half of all surgical procedures are now performed in ambulatory surgery facilities with the shift of surgery from the inpatient setting to outpatient. Explain the implications for hospitals, physicians and consumers. What are some of the root causes for these shifts? What are the implications of this shift for hospitals, consumers, and the health care delivery system as a whole? Discussion 2: According to Sultz and Young (2011), â€Å"with the multitude of tasks performed everyday by hundreds of employees in a busy hospital. Misunderstandings and information breakdowns in patient care are inevitable† (p.85). After completing this week’s reading discuss this concept as it relates to quality patient outcomes. Answer the following questions: In your opinion, do you agree with Sultz and Young (2011) that errors in the hospital setting are inevitable? Why or why not? Does the size of a hospital affect the quality that patients receive? Why or why not? Is there anything patients and/or their families can do to help ensure that they are receiving the best care possible? Assignment: This week, you will prepare an outline for your final paper. Please refer to Week 5 Assignment to assist you in choosing one of the four basic functional components of the U.S. healthcare delivery system (financing, insurance,  delivery, or quality). In your outline, identify future trends in U.S. healthcare related to your chosen functional component. Base your outline on the issues and questions listed in week 5 related to the one functional component you are choosing to focus on. The outline must reference at least five sources other than the course textbook. Only the title page and reference page need to be in APA format, as an outline does not have an APA form. While there is no standard for outline formats, you may choose to refer to the hyperlink for guidance: Outline . Week 4: Discussion 1: There are many factors influencing the increasing demand for long-term care services in the United States. Select two from the following list and discuss ways in which your two selected factors are affecting the market for long-term care services. Changes in the demographics of the U.S. population Social and economic changes in families Increasingly sophisticated medical technology Greater consumer sophistication and demands Increasing scrutiny of federal and state government financial involvement in support of long-term health care Discussion 2: According to Sultz and Young (2011), â€Å"there is no single ‘mental health system’ [in the United States] but a variety of systems that provide services. Those systems vary widely in what services are provided for whom, by whom, and in what setting† (p.329). Answer the following questions: Why don’t people with mental illnesses receive the same level of care as other illnesses? What barriers prevent people with mental illnesses from receiving the care they need? Are the barriers different in the U.S. as compared to other countries? Should the federal government take a more active role in the coordination of care and services to patients with mental illness? Why or why not? Week 5: Discussion 1: Critique the ways in which each of the following factors affects healthcare expenditures in the United States. 1. How do these factors impact the patients, individual providers, healthcare organizations, and insurers? Advances in medical care technology and diagnostic technology Changes in U.S. demographics Emphasis on specialty medicine Financing of healthcare Healthcare as a labor-intensive industry Consumer expectations How does healthcare spending/financing in the United States compare to other countries? Fully state and explain your position while providing at least two references. Discussion 2: Healthcare reform is underway in the United States. Given the history of previous attempts to reform the U.S. healthcare system and the current state of the U.S. economy, answer the following questions: Will the healthcare reforms now in progress resolve or worsen the key issues of access, costs, and quality? Can we achieve a system in which there is fiscal and clinical accountability for defined populations? Fully state and explain your position while providing at least two references. Assignment: The final paper should demonstrate an application of your knowledge of the U.S. health care system by synthesizing the information from the readings and class work into work and life experience. Your paper may include information and examples from previous experience as well as implications for future application. For your final paper, you will use the outline you created in week 3 to create an 8-10 page paper (excluding the title and reference pages). You will choose one topic to focus on for your entire paper: Delivery, Quality, Financing, or Insurance and: 1. Analyze future trends in U.S. healthcare related to that one topic. 2. Address the questions below related to that one topic: Delivery: What is society’s obligation to ensure access to a basic level of health care  for all its citizens and how can it be accomplished? Should government take a more aggressive role in reshaping the health care system or should the economy be allowed to continue exerting market-driven reforms? What lessons can be learned from healthcare delivery systems that exist in other industrialized nations? Hospital emergency departments continue to be used as a source of primary medical care by large numbers of the community’s medically underserved population. What are the implications of this practice for the patients, and on health care costs and quality of care? Identify the major factors that have resulted in the shift in utilization from inpatient hospitalization to ambulatory care services. What are the implications of this shift for hospitals, consumers, and the health care delivery system as a whole? Quality: How does the quality of healthcare in the United States compare to the quality of care in other industrialized nations? How can an acceptable quality of health care be assured for all? Will providing data in areas such as patient outcomes, compliance with national standards for preventive and chronic care, and comparative costs to the public be an acceptable measure of healthcare delivery outcomes? Though physicians believed that only physicians could and should judge the quality of hospital medical care, they found participation in such hospital peer review activities a most disagreeable obligation. What were the problems with the process? Managed care organization credentialing by the National Committee on Quality Assurance rapidly evolved as a standard of quality in the industry. Discuss the pros and cons on the value of credentialing by an independent organization to a managed care organization and to consumers. How does medical technology affect the communication between healthc are providers and patients? What affect does this have on the quality of care? Financing: How can the costs of health care be kept affordable for both individuals and society? Legislative attempts to address the problems of the health care system are always met by shifting alliances among well financed and, often, self-serving lobbying groups. How, in the American system of politics, can health care get more objective support on behalf of consumers? Since significant reductions are likely in the federally supported health care  programs that today account for about 40 percent of US personal health care expenditures, what will happen to those dependent on those programs for health care? How will the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (PPACA) affect the costs associated with healthcare? Who will benefit the most in terms of the cost of healthcare? Who, if anyone, will experience an increase in the cost of healthcare? The single most important impetus for managed care was rising costs. Should the US have a two-tiered medical care system in which people who can afford it buy all the specialty care they want and others live within the managed care restrictions? Are there any lessons to be learned from the way in which healthcare is financed in other industrialized nations? Insurance: The insurance industry plays a huge role in the American health care system and absorbs a significant portion of the health care dollar. A single payer system, whether it be a private company or the US government, would eliminate the complex insurance paperwork and free substantial funds that could be used to provide care. Why is there is there so much resistance to a concept used in every other advanced country? Discuss the evolution of private health insurance and its effects on costs and access to services. The availability of hospital insurance removed an important cost constraint from hospital services and charges. What were the positive and negative consequences of that development? Steeply rising costs of medical liability insurance are a growing concern for practicing physicians, medical schools, and teaching hospitals. As a result, physicians are leaving high premium states, choosing to retire early, or reducing high-risk aspects of their practice to lower their insurance co sts. Discuss the evolution of private health insurance and its effects on costs and access to services. Writing the Final Paper Must be eight- to ten- double-spaced pages in length and formatted according to APA style as outlined in the approved APA style guide. Must include a cover page that includes: Title of paper Student’s name Course name and number Instructor’s name Date submitted Must include an introductory paragraph with a succinct thesis statement. Must address the topic of the paper with critical thought. Must conclude with a restatement of the thesis and a conclusion paragraph. Must use at least five scholarly resources, including a minimum of three from ProQuest. Must use APA style as outlined in the approved APA style guide to document all sources. Must include, on the final page, a Reference Page that is completed according to APA style as outlined in the approved APA style guide.

What, in your opinion, is the explanation for the events portrayed in Joan Lindsay’s “factional” novel Picnic at the hanging rock?

How does the author bring out, in her writing, a sense of horror and mystery? It will probably never be fully explained what exactly happened at Picnic at hanging rock; but what we do know is that Marion Quade, Miranda and Miss McCraw were never found – not even until this very day. Nevertheless, I do believe that there are some clues that could decipher this inexplicable conundrum. Some of these I shall unravel in this essay. When I finished reading Picnic at hanging rock , I was left in a perplexing trance. Many possibilities occur to me, but the first clue I think is the sighting by Edith of the mathematics teacher – Miss McCraw, wearing no skirt. Possibly, the girls and the maths teacher met up; and perhaps took a short cut in fear they would be late back. Moreover; it has been mentioned several times in the book and film how easy it can be to get lost on the rock, and, as said by Mrs Appleyard – â€Å"the vicinity is renowned for its venomous snakes and poisonous ants†. On the contrary – this still doesn't explain why Miss McCraw was seen by Edith wearing no skirt, and why Irma was found one week later – wearing no corset. Maybe Miss McCraw followed the girls – she did seem very certain of the directions to the rock. For instance, Miss McCraw said – â€Å"You have only to change your route this afternoon and return by the third side. In this case, since we entered the road at Woodend at right angles the return journey shall be along the hypotenuse†. However, if she had followed the girls, why didn't Albert Crundall or Michael Fitzhubert see her? On the other hand, is it possible that Edith Horton could have concocted her sighting of Miss McCraw, just to gain attention ? After all, Edith has been described as greedy and unpleasant from the start; â€Å"I ate so much pie at lunch I can hardly keep awake†. Although this doesn't explain the mysterious circumstances, and the way Irma was found one week later. So what can? There are many implications in the book and the film of paranormal and supernatural goings on – beyond our control. In the book and film, we get the impression of eeriness just as the gates open to the hanging rock. For example, â€Å"†¦a flock of parrots flew out screeching from an overhanging tree†. This metaphorically symbolises something deadly, implying that the parrots are trying to get away from something. In addition, I notice the way in which the author implicates that the rock will lead to something pernicious. For instance; â€Å"Out of the known dependable present and into the unknown future†. This quote obviously represents the fact that what will happen on the rock will change the girls' futures. Correspondingly; fate is mentioned again when it is hinted that what is going to happen on the rock is their destiny. It is as if people are conscious that something is going to happen on the rock. I get this impression from when Irma says – â€Å"Miranda used to say everything begins and ends at exactly the right time and place†. The sinister force is practically tangible at the rock, and this is clearly shown by the author. This is felt strongly by Edith as she walks with the other girls, â€Å"It is nasty here†¦I never thought it would be so nasty or I wouldn't have come†¦Ã¢â‚¬ . Furthermore; I notice Miranda is mysteriously described as a â€Å"Botticelli angel†, â€Å"swan† and â€Å"gliding† numerous times. Is it likely that Miranda is more than she appears? Is it possible some magical force took over the rock? It seems to be more than a coincidence that everyone's watch had been enigmatically forgotten or had stopped – perhaps time had stopped altogether. It's as if that something malicious was luring the girls to the rock. This could also explain why Irma was found one week later – as she could have been put under a spell. Moreover, in the film we are shown Miranda, Irma and Marion gliding up the rock – however, later on in the film we see someone staggering up the rock, which almost defies the law of physics. On the other hand, what if it wasn't necessarily something magical luring them to the rock – after all the rock is a sacred place and aboriginals could have been infuriated by the way in which the girls walked over it. After all, there are such things hinted – â€Å"Like the beating of far off drums†. Perhaps these drums were those of Aboriginals. We shall never know. Although, this could explain why Irma's nails were so badly torn and broken – maybe this was caused in confrontation with the attacker – as well as being hit on the head. But what happened to the shoes, stockings and corset? Maybe the attacker found them and took them away, to keep as a souvenir of his catch. Moreover – we are still left in confusion about the death of Sara Waybourne. However; I am deeply suspicious about Mrs Appleyard. Her treatment of Sara Waybourne, whom she dislikes intensely, is sadistic in its cruelty. We get this impression from the start, by the way she forbids Sara to go to the picnic, for instance – † I am afraid I will have to send you to bed instead of sitting up until the others return for supper after the picnic†. This evilness fails to be identified by the people around Mrs Appleyard, until near the end. Mademoiselle de Poitiers, was surprised upon the fact that Mrs Appleyard's expression was like â€Å"an evil wind† when the subject of Sara's disappearance was brought up. In addition, Mrs Appleyard was ‘supposed' to have helped pack the most important of Sara's belongings into a basket, but after Sara had ‘allegedly' left, a little basket was seen in the study – â€Å"It flew open and the small covered basket fell out on to the floor†. This obviously indicates that Mrs Appleyard is hiding something about Sara . Furthermore – why did Mrs Appleyard ‘apparently' witness Sara Leaving? When Sara Waybourne was found dead, why did Mrs Appleyard go into Sara's bedroom? To remove evidence? Or is it just a coincidence that Mrs Appleyard committed suicide soon after this occurrence? No. The evidence on this case all points towards Mrs Appleyard murdering Sara – however much you look into it. In order to get the reader to understand the full meaning of Picnic at hanging rock the author needs to create an atmosphere. The author brings out the terror and mystery in many ways – one excellent example of this is Similes and metaphors. After she returns from the rock, Joan Lindsay creates a high level of hysteria in the gymnasium – the atmosphere is almost unbearable. For example: â€Å"Edith's great head was nodding like a mandarins†, â€Å"The ceiling opening up like a flower† and â€Å"chamber of horrors†. The effect of this is the tension is being built up to seize the reader's attention to what is happening. Moreover, another immensely exhilarating use of language is the animal imagery used in this scene. For instance: â€Å"Hyena call of hysteria†, â€Å"claw like hands†, â€Å"fourteen pairs of eyes like hares in cages†, â€Å"sniffing like a terrier†, â€Å"tear her to pieces†, † a cavernous mouth agape†, â€Å"a tuft of scarlet feathers trembled†,† warm sour breath† and â€Å"drooling tongue†. The effect of using animal imagery is so the reader can metaphorically relate to something in comparison to what is actually happening. This helps create terror throughout the scene and make us feel as if the book has come to life. In addition; I also must include the use of colours throughout this scene. For example: â€Å"black sage bloomers†, â€Å"black cotton stockings†, â€Å"scarlet cloak† and â€Å"grey disciplines†. As many of us know, black and grey often symbolises death and ominous circumstances, and these colours have not been used for no reason. However, ‘scarlet' is perhaps used to symbolise blood and it also may be used to represent sexual passion and loss of innocence. Whatever happened on the rock has changed Irma forever. Although – we must be aware of the fact that the author could be twisting things around to grab the reader's attention. When I started writing this essay I was convinced that the missing girls had been lost and looking for a short cut back , however; having thought through my theory, I now see this is not possible, as if it was true how come Irma appeared one week later? My verdict on this is that it shall never be solved. Too much time has gone by, and the protagonists are dead. So, like many other mysteries; this puzzle shall remain unanswered.