“Blood Brothers” by Willy Russell

â€Å"Blood Brothers†, by Willy Russell, is the story of twin brothers born to a working class deserted mother, Mrs Johnston. One twin is called Mickey and one is called Eddie. Mrs Johnston works as a cleaner in Mrs Lyons' middle class home. Mrs Lyons is barren and longs for a child very much. She suggests keeping one of Mrs Johnston's twins and raising it as her own as Mrs Johnston doesn't have the space or money to support another child. When the children are born they are immediately separated. Despite their mothers' best efforts, Eddie and Mickey meet again when they are seven and become best friends and ironically â€Å"Blood Brothers.† The twins continue to meet coincidently throughout their lives until the differences in their upbringing force their friendship to end. There is, however, a last meeting where all secrets are revealed and both lives end in tragedy. Willy Russell was born and grew up in Liverpool. He left school at 15, with no qualifications. His work reflects his interest in dramatising the lives of ordinary working-class people in an accessible and entertaining way. Characters Mickey comes across as a happy person, but is also very wary, as we see when Eddie gives Mickey the sweets. Mickey is surprised that Eddie gives the sweets after only asking once; he thinks that Eddie may have done something to them. On the other hand, Eddie is a very cheerful child, who does not really have anything to worry about in life, because Mrs Lyons can provide his every want and need. He lives a formal life with Mr and Mrs Lyons, although we do not hear much of Mr Lyons throughout the play. When he meets Mickey he is really taken back by the language that Mickey uses, we see this when Eddie says, â€Å"P***ed off. You say smashing things don't you? P***ed off. Do you know any more words like that?† This also shows that Eddie is very interested in the way Mickey speaks, maybe because Mrs Lyons has kept him very secure in his lifetime and has not let him hear anything like this. On stage I think Eddie may wear posh, top of the range clothes. He would speak in a formal way; he will only speak slang when he is repeating what Mickey has said e.g. â€Å"p***ed off†. Mrs Johnstone, who plays the role of the mother in Blood Brothers, seems very innocent and naive at the start of the play. She is also very gullible and believes anything she is told. Some examples of this are when she is told by her ex boyfriend that she is sexier that Marilyn Monroe, it also says in the play that she is 30 but looks 60. During the play Mrs Lyons also tells the mother that if once the twins are separated and they find out that they are twins that they will die, which Mrs Johnstone also believes. The mother's children also play a big part in her life even though she can only just afford to keep them. She works at Mrs Lyons' house as a cleaner to support her family. She doesn't have any one else bringing in any money to her household as her boyfriend walked out on her. The mother doesn't care that there is only just enough money as she loves every single one of her children; we can see this in the play when she says â€Å"I love the bones off of every one of them†. When she is working for Mrs Lyons, she doesn't care if she is pregnant â€Å"If I have it at the weekend I won't even need to take a day off† this shows that Mrs Johnstone is eager to support her family as much as she possibly can. Mrs Johnstone is a very uneducated person as you can tell when she says â€Å"Ill still be able to do me work†. She would always say â€Å"me† instead of â€Å"my†; however, she talks like this because of her Liverpool accent. Mrs Lyons, who adopts one of Mrs Johnstone's newborn twins, has a lot more power than the mother â€Å"My husband is due back tomorrow I must have my baby now!† The mother doesn't want to give her baby away but Mrs Lyons is a very persuasive person as we see when she says â€Å"If he grew up†¦ as our son†¦ he could have everything†. Once Mrs Lyons has the baby she is very possessive of him â€Å"Edward is my son. Mine Mrs Johnstone†. This shows that Mrs Lyons is determined to get her way all the time. During the play we also see that Mrs Lyons is a very jealous person as we can tell when she says â€Å"You're always bothering over him, fussing over him†. This also shows that she is also selfish as she doesn't want Eddie mixing with Mrs Johnstone and her family. She also shows that she is selfish when she says â€Å"come on, come on you know it's for the best.† The police woman treats Mrs Johnstone as if she is a lower class than herself. We can see this in the way that the police woman talks to Mrs Johnstone in general. The style and tone that the policewoman talks to the mother also shows this. When the policewoman visits Mrs Johnstone she makes the reason why she is there very clear, the effect that this would have on the mother is to scare her a bit and to keep her children under control. We can tell the policewoman is fed up of having to visit Mrs Johnstone about her children time after time, as we see when she says â€Å"If I have any more trouble from one of yours† she also says â€Å"I warned you about your Sammy, didn't I?† Here we can also see the policewoman repeats herself for emphasis and to intimidate the mother. She also repeats herself saying, â€Å"and he was about to commit a serious crime, love, a serious crime†. In this quote the policewoman also talks to Mrs Johnstone as if she knows her when she says â€Å"love†. The policewoman uses this to give herself the power in the relationship. When the policewoman visits Mrs Lyons we can see the difference in the way that she is treated to Mrs Johnstone. The way the policewoman talks to Mrs Lyons shows that she doesn't have as much confidence talking to her, as we can see when she says, â€Å"well err thanks for the drink†. When the policewoman says â€Å"err† we can see that she is uneasy speaking to Mrs Lyons. However, we can see that the policewoman respects Mrs Lyons as she always calls he by her proper name, and is polite to her as we see when she says â€Å"sorry if im interfering† The play begins and ends with the narrator speaking. The final Scene only varies in the last line. â€Å"How one was kept one given away† and â€Å"They were born and died on the self same day†. The line changes at the ends because the twins were shot dead, but at the beginning it is when the twins have just been born and the mother gives on of them away. Another word for narrator is storyteller, and the narrator in Blood Brothers acts like a story teller because he/she tells us the story before it actually happen in the scene. The narrator also comments through out the play. A typical thing that the narrator would refer to is what is happening at that moment in the play. He/she tells us what the characters are feeling which could make us feel differently about the characters. At the beginning of the play the narrator basically tells us that the mother is an evil woman. We see this when the narrator says â€Å"That woman with a stone in place of a heart†. As the play moves on we see the mother's circumstances which shows us that she is not really an evil woman. This makes us feel sympathetic toward the mother, in the way that the narrator talks about her in the play. Also at the beginning of the play we think that Mrs Lyons is an innocent person but she really is not an innocent person because she says that the twins should never meet because if they do they will die. When the twins do meet she kills them both. The narrator does not really give us an idea what Mrs Lyons is like, which could give us the impression that she is up to something and that something is going to happen. The narrator's language and the fact that lines are sung means that what they say is not really realistic. But we still listen to what the narrator is saying. The narrator's lines are like a ballad because the narrator sings most of his/hers lines and it is also telling a sad story, although we don't really see what is so sad about the play until the end of it. The effect is that it lets us know that something is going to happen. The narrator singing sort of brings the audience back to reality, so that they do not get too sunk into the play and so that the message of the play gets across to the audience. The end of the play is quite dramatic. We know that the play is leading up to something bad and we finally find this out in the final scene but it all happens so fast. When Mrs Lyons enters the room and kills both of the twins so suddenly the audience would be shocked. Staging On stage I think Mickey would speak with a lot of slang and informal language. He may dress in old, maybe even second hand clothes. When he moves around the stage he may move very cautious of his surroundings and the people around him. This might be because we know he is a suspicious person so he may think something is going to happen at any moment or someone may do something to him. We can imagine this when he takes one of the sweets that Eddie offers him, trying to work out the catch. On stage I think Eddie may wear posh, top of the range clothes. He would speak in a formal way; he will only speak slang when he is repeating what Mickey has said e.g. â€Å"p***ed off†. The Theatre In The Round is the perfect theatre to perform â€Å"Blood Brothers† as it gives a great atmosphere for the musical. A Theatre In The Round gives the actors the opportunity to enter the stage from the audience, during performances this gives an unbelievable effect, it will ensure that the audience stay in focus with the show and will want to watch. In this show, a lot of emotion is shown in most characters. These characters must show that they have feelings and emotion; they must show this in their gait e.g. a fast walk may show anger. Also, facial expressions are needed to show emotion, a smile would show happiness, a frown would show confusion or anger and a sad face would show unhappiness or sadness. Stage directions are very important in a show like â€Å"Blood Brothers† because there wouldn't be any atmosphere to endure if the actors were stood still, Mickey is a very challenging role which needs to have a lot of emotion, personality and movement. His character needs to be alive at all times because of his personality and lifestyle. Pacing is a very good stage direction for Mickey as he is on edge at most points during the end of the play. However, although Eddie is also a challenging role to perform it requires less emotion and personality than Mickey. Eddie is more laid back than Mickey as he can afford to do most things, this causes their friendship to end at a certain point in the play. The best stage direction for Eddie is a resting position e.g. stretching in a chair. He is more relaxed as he has a better education than Mickey and he cannot understand how Mickey lives his life. The best analogy for the twins would be that Mickey and Eddie are like two magnets that repel in most ways, however, they attract in some ways because of their genetic resemblance. Sound & Sound Effects Throughout the play, there are some very tense moments which will need to be backed up by sound effects. For example, when Mickey approaches Eddie from behind – I am looking at the last scene – he is about to shoot him, there should be some tense, on the edge music. However, when he stopped by Mrs Johnstone, he is told that Eddie is his brother. The sound should then change from tense to slow and calm. At this point he is realising why they weren't allowed to meet each other in the beginning and he is realising why they are so alike. I think that sound is paramount to a play, as it is a necessity for people in the production to learn queues and timing. Conclusion I think that the message of the play is that your life is affected by the social class you are from and that it is a lot harder to get anywhere if you are in a lower social class. We see an example of this in the scene with the policewoman, in the way that Mrs Lyons is treated compared to Mrs Johnstone. With Mrs Lyons, the policewoman underplays the seriousness of the crime that Mickey and Eddie had committed as we see when she says â€Å"As I said it was probably more of a prank†. So Eddie is being let off of it because of his family's higher social class. When the police woman Visits Mickey's house it is a completely different scene, the police woman lays down quite hard on Mickey's mum because of her lower social class, and because she is more of an easy target to pick on. In conclusion I think that Willy Russell is trying to tell people that the higher up your social class, the easier your life will be and the lower down your social class, the harder life will be for you. For many years now social class has remained quite a big thing. The idea came around in the 1770s at the time of the industrial revolution when jobs were cut and the social divide started. Some people became richer and some became poorer which started the idea of social class.

Modified food Essay

â€Å"Genetically Engineered foods, also known as GM and GMO’s is the manipulation of DNA by humans to change the essential makeup of plants and animals. The technology inserts genetic material from one species into another to give it a new quality, such as the ability to produce a pesticide, or to include genetic material from Bacillus Thuringiensis (Bt); a natural bacterium found in soil. †Mather R. â€Å"The Threat From Genetically Modified Foods. † Mother Earth News. April 2012. Web. 2 April 2013. Scientists have been undergoing experimentation of this method for over forty years, in hopes of perfecting GM’s which they foresee will positively enhance the overall well being of humanity nutritionally and environmentally. Jason McLure. â€Å"Genetically Modified Food. †CQ Researcher Plus Archive; August 31, 2012, Vol. 22 Issue 30 p1-35, p35 â€Å"Two techniques dominate the the GM farming industry: Some crops have been modified to be able to survive the weed- killer glyphosate, commonly sold under Monsanto’s Roundup brand. Roundup Ready crops purpose is objection is to decrease the need to till before planting, saving farmers time and money and reducing erosion and loss of soil moisture. Gylphosate is among the least toxic herbicides that can kill a broad spectrum of weeds, and thus is suppose to be safer for farmworkers and less environmentally damaging. The second technique is the introduction of genes from the soil bacterium Bacillis thurengiensis (Bt) produces a substance toxic to many pests but harmless to humans, wildlife and most beneficial insects, such as bees. While Bt has long been used by organic farmers, scientists have produced GM crops that manufacture their own Bt in the part of the plant susceptible to attack from pests- such as corn-plant roots prone to root- worm attack. †Jason McLure. â€Å"Genetically Modified Food. †CQ Researcher Plus Archive; August 31, 2012, Vol. 22 Issue 30 p1-35, p35 What was once fairly quiet contention over the controversy of whether genetically engineered foods were safe or beneficial for human consumption and environmental preservation, has now spiraled into a social and political frenzy. People are now starting to demand for a food democracy. Currently, consistent negative findings of toxins, endangerment to human consumption, and environmental hazards have substantiated involving GMO’s; overturning the initial positive scientific and GM biotech producers projections. Government, FDA, GMO and GMO seed monopolizing company Monsanto have been accused of collaborating in order to keep GMO’s understudied, in consumer markets, and unlabeled. GM manufactures claim that GM’s are for the greater good of the world, stating that GM can end world hunger, stop climate change, reduce pesticide use, and increase crop yields. Smtih Jeffrey. â€Å"Not In My Fridge. † Ecologist; November 2007, Vol. 37 Issue 9, p27-31, 5p If such a feat had been achieved, people would be rejoicing, but evidence has proven contrary. The main controversial arguments are; GM has not improved world hunger, GM has actually increased climate change, GM has doubled pesticide usage and now pest insects have developed an immunity to the pesticides, and GM has decreased crop yields. Smtih Jeffrey. â€Å"Not In My Fridge. † Ecologist; November 2007, Vol. 37 Issue 9, p27-31, 5p GM is dangerous for human and animal consumption, and is an overall risk to our health and environment. â€Å"Lab animals forced to eat GM foods showed damage to virtually every system studied. They had stunted growth, bleeding stomachs, abnormal and potentially pre- cancerous cell growth in the intestines, impaired blood cell development, misshapen cell structures in the liver, pancreas and testicles, altered gene expression and ceil metabolism, liver and kidney lesions, partially atrophied livers, inflamed kidneys, less developed brains and testicles, enlarged livers, pancreases and intestines, reduced digestive enzymes, higher blood sugar levels, increased death rates, higher offspring mortality and immune system dysfunction. † Smtih Jeffrey. â€Å"Not In My Fridge. † Ecologist; November 2007, Vol. 37 Issue 9, p27-31, 5p â€Å"Two dozen farmers reported that the GM corn varieties caused thousand of pigs to become sterile. Some also reported sterility among cows and bulls. German farmers link cow deaths to one variety of GM corn, while Filipinos link another variety to death among water buffaloes, chickens and horses. When 71 Indian shepherds let their sheep grace on Bt cotton plants after harvest, within 5 to 7 days 25 percent had died. The 2006 death rate for the region is estimated at 10,000 sheep. Since then more deaths were identified and toxins were also found in Bt cotton fields, investigators concluded that evidence strongly suggests the sheep death was caused by toxins, most probably Bt- toxin. † Smtih Jeffrey. â€Å"Not In My Fridge. † Ecologist; November 2007, Vol. 37 Issue 9, p27-31, 5p â€Å"Three French scientists analyzed the raw data from three 2009 Monsanto studies on rats and found that three GM corn varieties caused liver and kidney toxicity and other kinds of organ damage. †Mather R. â€Å"The Threat From Genetically Modified Foods. † Mother Earth News. April 2012. Web. 2 April 2013. â€Å"Organic farmers fear that their non- GM crops could become contaminated by the spread of genetically modified traits by wind and insect cross-pollination. Once those traits are in the agricultural gene pool, there’s no way to remove it. This is pollination with a life of its own, it spreads forever. †Jason McLure. â€Å"Genetically Modified Food. †CQ Researcher Plus Archive; August 31, 2012, Vol. 22 Issue 30 p1-35, p35. â€Å"Another environmental concern is Roundup ends up in wetlands because of runoff and inadvertent spraying, and Roundup damages soil,† according to Rick Relyea, University of Pittsburgh assistant Professor. Two Purdue scientists, Professor Emeritus Don Huber and G. s. Johal, said in a paper published in 2009 that the widespread use of glyphosate can significantly increase the severity of various plant diseases, impair plant defenses to pathogens and disease, and immobilize soil and plant nutrients, rendering them unavailable for plant use. The pair warn that â€Å"ignoring potential non- target side effects may have dire consequences for agriculture such as rendering the soil infertile, crops nonproductive and plants less nutritious. †Mather R. â€Å"The Threat From Genetically Modified Foods. † Mother Earth News. April 2012. Web. 2 April 2013. â€Å"In 1992, the first Bush Administration sped up the GM process hoping it would increase exports and US dominance of food markets. The opposite ensued and the US government spent up to 5-billion-taxpayer-dollars a year in subsidies to prop up prices on the GM crop that many countries at the time rejected to adopt. Following other countries refusal of GM, the US government went on to try and force other countries to accept GM, â€Å"resorting to World Trade Organization Lawsuits against the European Union, GM food aid for famine- stricken nations, even threats to withdraw funds for AIDS relief if GMO’s weren’t adopted by African nations. † Smtih Jeffrey. â€Å"Not In My Fridge. † Ecologist; November 2007, Vol. 37 Issue 9, p27-31, 5p â€Å"Monsanto and a few chemi- biotech companies ultimately control GMO’s and GMO seed supply. Funding for university level research is often funded or controlled by the agrochemical companies. Biotech companies deny access to their patent-protected GM technology. † Jason McLure. â€Å"Genetically Modified Food. †CQ Researcher Plus Archive; August 31, 2012, Vol. 22 Issue 30 p1-35, p35 â€Å"The FDA does not conduct independent testing for human or animal safety and relies strictly on the research conducted by the manufacturers of the products. While the main GMO producer, Monsanto, makes it impossible for independent scientists to study GM seeds. The biotech industry has convinced the FDA that GM crops are not substantially different from conventional varieties. † Mather R. â€Å"The Threat From Genetically Modified Foods. † Mother Earth News. April 2012. Web. 2 April 2013. â€Å" As the system now stands, biotech companies bring their own research to the government body overseeing their products. Multibillion- dollar company corporations, including Monsanto and Syngenta, have restricted independent research on their genetically- engineered crops, they have refused to provide independent scientists with seeds, or they’ve set restrictive conditions that severely limit research options,† wrote Doug Gurian- Sherman of the Union of Concerned Scientists. † Mather R. â€Å"The Threat From Genetically Modified Foods. † Mother Earth News. April 2012. Web. 2 April 2013. â€Å"If GMO’s fail, shareholders in Monsanto, Bayer, Syngenta and other companies will see their investments plummet. According to Yahoo! Finance, more than 80 percent of Monsanto’s stock is held by institutional holders such a Vanguard and funds such as Davis, Fidelity and T Rowe Price. † Mather R. â€Å"The Threat From Genetically Modified Foods. † Mother Earth News. April 2012. Web. 2 April 2013. â€Å"FDA officials have openly criticized efforts to label GM crops and food. In 2002, when Oregon voters considered measure 27, with contributions totaling $1,480,000. Next was Dupont, with $634,000,† said Cameron Woodworth in Biotech Family Secrets, a report for the Council for Responsible Genetics. Biotech companies Syngenta, Dow AgroSciences, BASF and Bayer Crop Science, plus Grocery Manufacturers of America ( a trade organization), PepsiCo, General Mills and Nesde USA contributed $900,000, wrote Woodworth. † Mather R. â€Å"The Threat From Genetically Modified Foods. † Mother Earth News. April 2012. Web. 2 April 2013. â€Å"Labeling advocates, along with 40 other countries, including all of Europe, Japan, and China want any GM food to be labeled. † Jason McLure. â€Å"Genetically Modified Food. †CQ Researcher Plus Archive; August 31, 2012, Vol. 22 Issue 30 p1-35, p35 â€Å"Biotech companies claim that if GM products were labeled it would deter consumer spending, for by labeling GMO’s consumers would deem such products defective. Other high-ranking government officials have lobbied against labeling, stating, â€Å"If you label something there’s an implication there’s something wrong with it,† said Jose Fernandez, the U. S. State Department’s assistant secretary for economic, energy and business affairs. †Mather R. â€Å"The Threat From Genetically Modified Foods. † Mother Earth News. April 2012. Web. 2 April 2013. In March 2013, President Obama signed a rider which temporarily â€Å"requires the Agriculture Department to approve the growing, harvesting and selling of such crops, even if the courts rule environmental studies are incomplete†. http://www. foxnews. com/politics/2013/03/30/obama-signs-bill-that-protects-makers-genetically-engineered-crops-from-federal/. Which â€Å"prohibits the Department of Agriculture from stopping production of any genetically engineered crop once it’s in the ground, even if there is evidence that it is harmful†. http://opinionator. blogs. nytimes. com/2013/04/02/why-do-g-m-o-s-need-protection/ â€Å"The use of GM crops has become widespread among U. S growers of commodities, or big crops sold on future exchanges. Eighty- eight percent of corn and 94 percent of cotton, came from GM strains in 2012. Because corn and soy are ubiquitous in processed food in the U. S. , from corn- syrup- sweetened Coca- Cola to crackers made with soybean oil, its likely that most Americans consume a product containing a genetically modified ingredient everyday. † Jason McLure. â€Å"Genetically Modified Food. †CQ Researcher Plus Archive; August 31, 2012, Vol. 22 Issue 30 p1-35, p35 People should have the right and the choice to know exactly what they are ingesting and serving to their children and loved ones. â€Å"Just label it. †

Challenges of Living in a Mega City

Describe the challenges of living in mega cities and evaluate the responses to these challenges A Mega City is defined as a city home to more than 8 million people, the urban sprawl of these cities is continuing to dominate the landscapes of these major cities. These cities have been unable to cope with the rapid increase of people moving to these urban areas, in some mega cities this is up to 1 million people per day, leading to a lack of supplies and services, becoming a major characteristic of these cities. The challenges that they face include the lack of water, power supply, sanitation, transport and employment.The responses to these problems from the governments vary in the successfulness and based on the sustainability of social, economical, political and environmental; we can see the downfall and the accomplishment of some solutions the governments have implemented. Transport is one of the main challenges of mega cities where traffic jams take up as much as 4 working hours si tting in traffic causing major problems for businesses and these cities economies. Lack of water within these mega cities is another problem which affects a vast amount of people.The third challenge is housing within these mega cities. Transport is a major challenge for people who live in these mega cities. The lack of efficient public transport and the growing number of personal cars on the roads cause major traffic jams which hold people up for hours trying to get to and from work. There are many issues associated with the problem of transport, including growing health concerns for people dwelling in the cities. Loss of working hours has become a consequence because of the overwhelming time spent sitting in traffic jams.Bangkok sees traffic jams which cause a loss of 2 working hours every day leading to financial loss. This issue of transport continues to grow due to the lack of maintenance on the roads, lack of space allocated to roads, poor modes of public transport and the lack of financial resources that the government has to provide infrastructure for improvement of these roads. There have been many different attempts in mega cities to improve their infrastructure and transport modes, some have been more successful than others, depending on their sustainability.The Metrobus, created in Mexico City by a non government organisation called CEIBA, partnered with the Mexico City government, this system was developed to provide a more efficient and safer public transport. The development of the MetroBus allows the bus to run from North to South Mexico City in a separate lane to other traffic, with its own stations for people to get on and off at various stops this method of public transport has been seen as a great success, now moving 450 000 passengers per day, replacing 300 micro busses which were highly polluting.The use of the MetroBus has resulted in $306,000 for reduction in carbon emissions by the Spanish carbon fund, boosting the economy for Mexico Ci ty, having taken 144 tonnes of hydrocarbons associated with cancer and other health problems out of the atmosphere, and 2. 8 tonnes of bio-particulate matter know to cause asthmas, chronic bronchitis and lung disease. The environmental factors of the Metro bus prove the success of this infrastructure.The new employment opportunities that the MetroBus has created and the shift of 6% from private to public use of transport, providing a clean, safe and comfortable way to use public transport, proving a social benefit to this project. The increase in international recongnition due to the increasing sustainability and the increase in political stability due to the boost in trust and investment in infrastructure has proven the political success of the MetroBus. Mexico City has implemented a successful and sustainable method of transport which has proven to be a good response to the challenge of transport that mega cities all face.The second challenge that mega cities face with their growi ng population is housing within these cities. With the rapid increase of people coming into these cities everyday, it is impossible to keep track of the housing and provide people with land ownership. This problem extenuates the gap being made between the people who have and the people who don’t. The continued expanse of the slums being built around these cities creates the informal economy and account for mass amounts of the population. For example, 50% of the population in Mexico City lives in these conditions.This form of housing leads to lack of tenure and a lack of utilities available for these people to use, including basic needs such as food and water, rubbish collection, provision of sewerage and the lack of services and utilities. These houses have unsafe infrastructure as the building materials used are all makeshift and unstable, making their living environments hazardous. This challenge exists in mega cities because of the rapidly increasing population, the govern ment cannot provide for these people and cannot maintain housing standards.A response to this housing challenge in mega cities was the Dharavi redevelopment. Dharavi is India’s largest slum, located in the middle of India’s financial capital Mumbai. This slum covers an area of only 2 km2 yet is home to up to a million people with 86, 000 slum structures. The housing in this slum is cheap and affordable and it is estimated that it generates $650 million a year. The challenges within this slum are the extreme overcrowding and uncontrolled construction of makeshift housing.As well as the lack of basic amenities, there is no clean water supply, no waste collection, spread of disease is very high and with the constant threat of eviction by authorities, this slum has become a major challenge in this mega city. The slum redevelopment project has divided Dharavi into 5 sectors and requested proposals from real estate investors around the world to provide a 300 sqf flat to each family that can prove they have been settled in Dharavi before the year 2000, in exchange for their re housing, the builders get construction rights in Dharavi.The Dharavi project has not yet been completed although there are social, economical and environmental factors that can be seen in an evaluation of its sustainability and success. The Dharavi project creates social problems for the families who will be displaced, having failed to prove their residence before 2000, this deadline will make many people homeless, and with no place to go, sending thousands of people out of the city.Although this development will make Dharavi a safer place to be, building stable structures and developing better access to water and food supplies as well as developing a sewerage system and rubbish disposal. This will stop the vast spreading of disease through the slum, creating a healthier and safer living environment. The economy would suffer from their redevelopment of the Dharavi slum as they bri ng in millions of dollars to the economy, the loss of this would be detrimental to the cities economy.There would be few political benefits to this development as there would be a loss in trust of the government, after displacing so many people. The response to this housing challenge in Dharavi can be seen as both successful and unsuccessful, due to the many positives and negatives of this project. In conclusion, we can see that mega cities face many challenges which affect their economy, politics, culture and environment. The governments are implementing many strategies and projects which they hope will solve the challenges that their cities face.The challenge of housing and transport are both big challenges which impact enormously on the mega cities. As 3 million person working hours are lost per day, due to the constant transport battle and the extreme over crowing of the slum housing, we can see that there are major challenges that these cities face, although some strategies imp lemented for these challenges have been dubbed unsuccessful, there are a few which have proved to be doing well for example, the MetroBus in Mexico City. There are many challenges being faced in Megacities.

Chinese literature response 1st Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Chinese literature response 1st - Essay Example This was a central theme to the Yuang and Ming dynasty based on ideas of political expansion and social diversity that was beginning to influence different regions and is portrayed throughout this work. â€Å"Only this place is paramount†¦.At heaven’s edge autumn clouds furl; / bamboo hawsers cable together the floating bridge, / On the water a steel blue dragon reclines. / East and west it breaches into the rune regions / north and south it threads together a hundred streams† (118). While Wang is speaking about the place that Student Zhang is going to, it also shows that this is a central point for unification of east, west, north and south. The politics that relate to this and the influence of the environment at the time influence this specific concept and theme. This one rhetorical passage not only defines the idea of expansion and unification of political territories. This is also seen through the symbol of the characters that reflect this passage, as well as the metaphor of the entire work. The Student Zhang is located in the western wing of the monastery and Oriole, his lover, is in the east wing. Their love is seen by each when they go to different sides of the monastery to visit each other. This is representative of the theme of unification of north and south. The two characters and monastery become symbolic of the division of each side that is brought together through the actions and expressions of both characters. This is able to intertwine with the passage given that shows the meeting point of all sides. Another relationship to this main theme is based on the actions taken throughout the book. The plot line follows the Yuan and Ming dynasties and what was politically occurring during this time. This is specifically represented by Oriole’s mother and the actions she takes after the monastery is invaded, specifically by offering her daughter’s hand in marriage for defeating the opposing side. Putting this conflict into

Binge Drinking Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Binge Drinking - Research Paper Example Binge drinking is not a good thing to be practiced and inevitably can cause destruction to physical and psychological health of a person. Binge drinking is an activity predominately activity among college students rather than any other group in a community. According to (Wolberg,23-39),â€Å"The number of students who drink with the intent of getting drunk has increased from 40% to47%, and the number of "frequent" binge drinkers, defined as those who binged at least three times in the last two weeks, has increased from 20% to23%†.The college students who are youngsters indulge in binge drinking because they mostly get intimidated or influenced by their mates and peers. These people are less educated about the after affects of alcoholism and get caught in the intoxicative experience of alcohol. Being young they are very impulsive, and does not have a control on their senses and end up being binge drinking victims. The Binge drinking phenomena does not only react on the physical and mental well being of a person but bring about lot of calamities to the social arena and people existing in it. It is understood by research that, college students drink alcohol with a sole purpose of getting drunk. Once they are drunk they are devoid of their senses and involve in frights, raping, social violence and other outrageous activities. It also badly hampers their education purposes and makes them alcohol addicted people who serve no value to the society. It is seen that, white college student engage more in binge drinking than black students.â€Å"Only 16.5 percent of African-American college students had engaged in binge drinking, about one third the rate for white college students, which then stood at 48.1 percent†. Mostly black college students refrain from drinking alcohol as they do not take is as a so called â€Å"cool thing†. Additionally most of them belonging to poor social class cannot afford to buy alcohol. The students as they turn major, is already victimized to alcohol, and this affect they thinking and responding ability. It is not a wrong thing to consume alcohol, but the drinking process should not get out of control so as to put their health at risk. Most of the college students being away from home town enjoy a sense of freedom which makes them get influenced by alcohol excessively.Additionally, their parents and family members are away and they have nobody to control their activities. It is a saddening fact that college students in their productive years get accustomed to binge drinking and lose their opportunity to build foundation of their future career. It is seen that youngsters who get started with alcohol consumption around the age of 19 are more likely to be under its influence in future and become heavy binge drinkers. Unfortunately, people like this also drives under alcohol intoxication and meet with accidents and lose their lives. As per (CSPI) â€Å"Frequent binge drinkers are 21 times more likely t han non-binge drinkers to miss classes, engage in vandalism, be injured or hurt, engage in unplanned sexual activity†. Since minors are less matured and also less educated about the aftermaths of binge drinking, end up in worst disasters under the influence of various alcoholic beverages. When college students get intoxicated, they like to explore activities which are bizarre and end up getting hurt or injured. There are

The truth about convergence of living standards across the world Essay

The truth about convergence of living standards across the world - Essay Example Concerning this, reviewing the academic literature in this issue would make sense. A certain study was able to probe and contribute to the upward spiral number of economic growth literatures by employing other social indicators alternative to per capita income (Hobijn and Franses, 2001; Ciscar and Soria, 2000; Fung, 2009; Welsch and Bonn, 2008). Some of these papers found that the convergence in GDP per capita does not necessarily mean convergence in other social indicators. However, as observed the gap between rich and poor can be examined in real GDP per capita and in living standards. Another study stood in stark contrast with the findings generated by Hobijn and Franses (Neumayer, 2003). In this research, various tests of convergence were employed including regression analysis, the coefficient of variation, kernel density estimates and transition probability matrices. This study contains an argument that convergence should be measured based on the living standards and not in achi evement index. Concerning this, the proponent of the study chose to include life expectancy, infant survival, educational enrolment, literacy and telephone and television availability as important aspects of living standards. Neumayer found that there was a strong evidence to support the convergence of the mentioned aspects of living standards. ... Based on the above findings, it is imperative to consider that economic convergence remains a very important economic issue for more relevant academic explorations. Regarding this, the proponent of this paper tries to understand up to what extent is the hypothesis that there will eventually be convergence of living standards across the world supported by theoretical and empirical research. Per capita GDP (Gross Domestic Product) In many convergence studies, per capita GDP (Gross Domestic Product) is the common measure of the country’s economic growth. After all, it measures the total output of a country by dividing the GDP with the number of people in it (Todaro and Smith, 2011; Angeles, 2008; Egger et al., 2004; ). Based on this logical approach behind the meaning of per capita GDP, many economists find it useful to use it for comparing relative performance between countries. When one wants to know the level of productivity of a certain country, a rise in per capita GDP could potentially signal economic growth. Therefore, per capita income of poor countries should relatively higher than developed countries in order to realize convergence of living standards. However, this argument is widely debatable because there are also many studies trying to point out that there is continuing divergence of living standards all over the world (Cole and Neumayer, 2003; Portnov and Erell, 2004; Allen, 2012; Ravallion and Jalan, 1996; Morgan, 2009; Rakowski, 1994; Decancq et al., 2009). In the first place, there are also many empirical measures associated with finding the living standards. It turns out that per capita GDP is just one of them. Convergence

The History of Warfare in the Perspective of John Keegan Essay

The History of Warfare in the Perspective of John Keegan - Essay Example The samurai were roughly considered as Japanese counterparts of Western European knights during their time. The Japanese were a literate a people, and the literary culture of the samurai was highly developed (Keegan 42). The samurai also developed a strong code of ethics that revolved around loyalty, self-denial, and honor to his lord and clan, and also being in constant readiness to die in the face of duty or failure. These set in mind the samurai’s striving for perfection in the art of war, especially in swordsmanship and the martial arts: It was fostered by Zen Buddhism, which stressed the ‘two supreme ideals – fidelity and an indifference to physical hardship’. It was reinforced by the culture of the warrior class, ‘a culture that paid meticulous attention to the formal, the ceremonious, and elegantly expressed in life and art’; Japanese swordplay was as much an art as a skill, governed by rules of deportment and gesture which epitomized th e Japanese concern for style in every aspect of existence (Keegan 45). The introduction of firearms in Japanese warfare during the 16th century was initially accepted at first due to practical reasons in relation to the ever-changing landscape of war during that time. ... Also, guns were unquestionably a symbol of foreign intrusion and were associated, illogically but inescapably, with the spread of Christianity (Keegan 44). It was for this reason that during the Tokugawa Shogunate period, all firearms in Japan were banned, therefore reversing the military advantage it once enjoyed for the sake of maintaining the samurai status quo. The next question to ask is when societies and organizations are most likely to originate or adapt to new military technology. The answer simply lies in necessity. The harsh realities of war and battlefield set the precedence that societies and organizations must adapt or completely change the way they wage war. During the First World War, nations developed several new military technologies to gain battlefield dominance that would ensure victory in the war. The invention of the machine gun, the breech loading shell cartridge rifles and artillery served as the initial technology for such dominance, but this led for all comb atants to take up trench warfare with much horrific loss of life for the attacking side since all combatants were equipped with such technology on the onset of hostilities. The invention of the tank was the second solution, but the machines produced were too few in number, too slow and cumbersome to impose a decisive alteration to tactical conditions (Keegan 313). The tank was developed as a defense, and because of it, there was no need to send waves of soldiers that will be cut down by deadly volleys of bullets and artillery shells. The last inquiry deals about specific characteristics of societies, technologies, and organizations in relation to their readiness to adapt to military changes. A specific characteristic is conditioned on society possibly

Human Trafficking Throughout the World Research Paper

Human Trafficking Throughout the World - Research Paper Example   Human trafficking, as a problem, persisted within society since ages, which was regarded as illegal, unfair and immoral based on humanitarian principles in the modern era. Even though, in recent scenario it has only accelerated to a next level. Initially, human trafficking was conducted mainly for sexual trade or for the purpose of sourcing labor in hazardous working environment. But in the modern era, the network has apparently expanded its motive to even illegal health care practices concerning the removal of human organ (WHO, 2012). Correspondingly, this research paper intends to discuss about the theories and views related to human trafficking by reviewing various literatures studied in the recent years. Furthermore, the paper reflects about the underlying issues such as race, ethnicity, sex and family among others, that has been contributing to human trafficking. Analysis of Relevant Theoretical and Practical Issues Trafficking is often criticized and opposed as the widespre ad display of the modern-day slavery. Research conducted with respect to this issue, ascertained that around four million humans are trafficked worldwide every year. In the era of globalization and technological advancements, many factors have been contributory and assisting the criminals to frame a strong network, which further applied for human trafficking and thus, can be regarded as a major reason for the rise observed in this type of crime (Dalrymple, 2005). Trafficking against human beings was considered as the violation the normative principles of humanity in early days, which has been lawfully defined as a crime in the modern society as well, emphasizing the human rights and democratic values of an economy today (Chuang, 2006). Astonishingly, every country is affected by trafficking mainly for sexual exploitation and forced labor (Costa, 2008). In accordance to Costa (2008), the data derived from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) reflects about the problem pertaining to trafficking of people from 127 countries to 137 countries for exploitation (Costa, 2008). In the view of Costa (2008: 6), â€Å"†¦Trafficking in persons is dynamic, adaptable, opportunistic and, like many other forms of criminal activity, it takes advantage of conflicts, humanitarian disasters and the vulnerability of people in situations of crisis†. To combat with the rising toll of trafficking crimes, various measures have been taken by global governing bodies in alliance with the national regulatory institutions. For instance, International Labor Organization (ILO), International Organization for Migration (IOM) and UNODC are the list of few major bodies that have been engaged in exploring the severity of human trafficking globally and also in their respective home countries as well as taking due remedial strategies to obstruct such crimes (Costa, 2008). According to Rahman (2011), ILO estimated that around 2.5 million labors have been trafficked to be sexually exploited by 2011. The regions such as Asia, Latin America and Middle East among others, a substantial rise in human trafficking crimes were recorded. With respect to the global estimation, it has been found that around 12.3 million human beings are being trafficked and enslaved on an average every year around the world.  Ã‚  

Letter of complaint Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Letter of complaint - Article Example However, they did not arrive in time, causing a lot of inconvenience to me. Moreover, the fact that they arrived after a few days in a damaged condition has caused major doubts in my mind regarding your reputation as a leading furniture dealer. I hope you understand the gravity of the situation. I would be grateful if you would take up this matter seriously and resolve it. I had called your service many times to settle the matter amicably, but to no prevail so far. I am forced now to send you an official complaint. If you fail to take action on the basis of this complaint, I am afraid I will have to move to the next step and file a case for damages. I would like to pursue the good relationship with you and order more furniture from you in the future if you would maintain the trust I had in you so far. Otherwise, I will be left with no choice but to take a legal move against you. It is my personal interest to avoid such an incident if it would be possible at any cost. I hope you will understand my good intentions and resolve this issue without causing further damages to me.

Paraphrasing an Introduction Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Paraphrasing an Introduction - Essay Example Before printing technology was invented, authors used to write their manuscripts manually. It is straightforward that it involved a lot of time and money to handwrite books and other materials. As such, the role of printing technology is obvious: spread of knowledge and literature to the whole world. This is as a result number of books increased number of books and other educational materials. Apart from advancing the field of knowledge and information, printing has also lead to conveyance of religious thoughts, magazines, and other domain areas. In Qatar, for example, there is a large numerous leading printing companies that are established primarily to provide high quality goods and services to the customer. In addition, these companies are instrumental in manufacturing high quality goods and offering good terms of sale that include prices and expeditious delivery. These companies have developed a culture of healthy competition and hence growth. As it has been aforementioned, printing technology has provided a comparative backbone to communication. It is estimated that apart from spoken word, written communication tops the list of the most used mode of communication. As such, Industrial and System Engineering require to lay a lot of emphasis in ensuring that written communication has its rightful place in the society. Apart from many positive impacts that the printing has caused to our societies, there are a few shortcoming of printing that require to be addressed. Most important is that Printing press setups generate waste. In this case, they pollute our environment and as such, they infringe the economics and safety principles in our society. In addition, the printing industry has been accused of violating the principles of work method and process flow management as processes are taking place with several non-value adding activities and without ensuring that the welfare workers is taken care of. To correct the above-mentioned shortcomings, the

Mr Empanada Recommendation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Mr Empanada Recommendation - Essay Example This should enable it to sell more as customers will have a variety to choose from. As a retailer, Mr. Empanada should know that retailing is all about constant persuasion, even though a myriad other factors influence-buying behavior. Visual cues influence buying decisions to a great deal, with color being the most significant. In light of this, customers place value on color more than they do on other factors as smell, sound or texture. Color has a great psychological effect on consumers. Diversifying the breakfast menu to include a healthy combo meal will grant clients an opportunity to sample other meals, effectively increasing sales and revenue. This will have a positive impact on the company’s fortunes for a long time. Diversifying the menu will help this organization to attract new customers, and to eat into its competitors’ client base. This is because presently, Mr. Empanada’s competitors have healthy combo meals on their menus. Mr. Empanada should take a cue and expand the menu. Make a Colorful Logo Prior to the era of digital branding and graphic design, businesses took logos as a luxury worth bypassing. During that era, companies placed emphasis on customer loyalty and good rapport. These days, the business environment is high competitive, calling for companies to invest heavily in attractive logos. Customers have an orientation towards color, and this calls upon companies to invest in an eye-catching logo that captures its aspirations in an apt manner. Mr. Empanada needs rebranding. The current economic setting now forces businesses to reinvent and re-evaluate their operations to remain relevant. These include branding and marketing strategies that arrest the imagination of customers. Every effort to rebrand must have a goal. In this case, Mr. Empanada needs to stand out from the crowd by being highly visible. A good logo must remain imbedded in customers mind; elicit discussion, and making competitors notice (Vaid 144). The log o must not make false promises, but must live up to customers expectations. It would be naive to create a logo that promises the best in the market, and then come up with substandard good or services. Customers must feel that the business is venturing into a new environment that promises an improvement on the past. Its current logo has too much green color. Green does not stand out well for a company that serves a variety of foods as some clients may confuse it for a vegetarian joint. This could make it lose out on potential customers who are not vegetarians. A logo is the first thing a potential client sees and remembers. This is why it must stand out and set the tone for the branding strategy (Wheeler & Katz 119). In essence, Mr. Empanada knows that logos are the corporate faces. They display an organization’s special identity, providing critical information through colors, images and fonts. They should make the customer to identify with the organization. They are a shortcu t to advertisements and marketing. Mr. Empanada should invest in a comprehensible but unique logo. While there are many colors to choose from, an organization of Mr. Empanada’s stance should go for colors that target customers identify with. The colors should reflect freshness, a sense of faithful service, trustworthiness, and loyalty. They should for the entire company’s brand identity. An amateurish logo would be a complete turn off to customers. A good logo should blend well with the company’

AIDS and Needles Essay Example for Free

AIDS and Needles Essay Becton Dickinson, one of the largest manufacturers of medical supplies, dominates the US market in disposable syringes and needles. In 2005, a nurse, Maryann Rockwood (a fictional name), used a Becton Dickinson 5cc syringe and needle to draw blood from a patient known to be infected with HIV (Human immunodeficiency virus). Ms. Rockwood worked in a clinic that served AIDS patients, and she drew blood from these patients several times a day. After drawing the blood on this particular day, she transferred the HIV-contaminated blood to a sterile test tube by sticking the needle through the rubber stopper of the test tube, which she was holding with her other hand. She accidentally pricked her finger with the contaminated needle. She is now HIV positive. A few years earlier, in 2000, Becton Dickinson had acquired exclusive rights to a patent for a new syringe that had a moveable protective sleeve around it. The plastic tube around the syringe could slide down to safely cover the needle. The Becton Dickinson 5cc syringe used by Maryann Rockwood in 2005, however, did not yet have such a protective guard built into it. The AIDS epidemic has posed peculiarly acute dilemmas for health workers, including doctors and nurses. Doctors performing surgery on AIDS patients can easily prick their fingers with a scalpel, needle, sharp instrument, or even bone fragment and can become infected with the virus. The greatest risk is to nurses, who, after routinely removing an intravenous system, drawing blood, or delivering an injection to an AIDS patient, can easily stick themselves with the needle they were using. Needlestick injuries occur frequently in large hospitals and account for about 80 percent of reported occupational exposures to HIV among health care workers. It was conservatively estimated in 2005 that about 64 health care workers were then being infected with HIV each year as a result of needlestick injuries. Although the fear of HIV had heightened concerns over needlestick injuries, HIV was not the only risk posed by needlestick injuries. Hepatitis B can also be contracted through an accidental needlestick. In 2000, the Centre for Disease Control (CDC) estimated, on the basis of hospital reports, that each year at least 12,000 health care workers are exposed to blood contaminated with the Hepatitis B virus, and of these 250 die as a  consequence. Due to underreporting, however, the actual numbers may be higher. In addition to Hepatitis B, needlestick injuries can also transmit numerous other viral, bacterial, fungal, and parasitic infections, as well as toxic drugs or other agents that are delivered through a syringe and needle. The total statistics on needlestick injuries in 2005 are disturbing, although the exact incidence of contamination is unclear. It was estimated that each year, in the United States alone, between 800,000 and 1 million needlestick injuries occurred in hospitals of these, between 60,000 and 300,000 resulted in Hepatitis B infection. By one estimate, the risk of contracting HIV from a known contaminated needle could be as high as 1 in 1000, and the risk of contracting Hepatitis B, a serious and often life-threatening condition, could be as high as 1 in 6. These estimates would imply that as many as 600 to 1000 health care workers were at risk of contracting HIV and as many as 100,000 were at risk of contracting Hepatitis B. Several agencies stepped in to set guidelines for nurses, including the American Nursing Association, the CDC, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the Food and Drug Administration (FAD), who all developed such guidelines. The most comprehensive guidelines were issued by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), who on December 6, 2001, required hospitals and other employers of health workers to (a) make sharps containers (safe needle containers) accessible to workers, (b) prohibit the practice of recapping needles by holding the cap in one hand and inserting the needle with  the other, and (c) provide information and training on needlestick prevention to employees.  The usefulness of these guidelines was controversial. Nurses work in high-stress emergency situations requiring quick action, and they are often pressed for time both because of the large number of patients they must care for and the highly variable needs and demands of these patients. In s uch workplace environments, it is difficult to adhere to the guidelines recommended by the agencies. For example, a high-risk source of needle sticks is the technique of replacing the cap on a needle (after it has been  used) by holding the cap in one hand and inserting the needle into the cap with the other hand. OSHA guidelines specifically warned against this two-handed technique of recapping and instead required that the cap be placed on a stable surface and the nurse use a one-handed spearing technique to replace the cap. (Note that recapping the needles in this more time consuming way presented no risk of needlestick injury to the user). As noted above however, nurses are often pressed for time (and are keenly aware of the added danger of walking around with an uncapped needles) and tend to take the ‘two-handed recapping shortcut’ when no suitable surface is readily available for the safer one-handed capping technique. This fact is known to Hospital administrators, who regularly warn against such practices, and offer ongoing training and retraining opportunities to their nursing staff. Several analysts suggested that the peculiar features of the nurses work environment made it unlikely that needlesticks would be prevented through mere guidelines alone: The problem was not the worker, but the design of the needle and syringe. Experts on needlestick injuries argued that, rather than trying to teach health care workers to use a hazardous device safely, the focus should be on the hazardous product design and that a whole new array of devices in which safety is an integral part of the design was required. Regulators also urged manufacturers to provide the health care worker with devices in which safety was built into the design. The risks of contracting life-threatening diseases by the use of needles and syringes in health care settings had been well documented since the early 1980s. Well over half of all the needles and syringes used by U.S. health care workers since 1980 were being manufactured by Becton Dickinson. Despite the emerging crisis, however, Becton Dickinson decided not to modify its syringes, although it did include in each box of needled syringes an insert warning of the danger of needlesticks and of the dangers of two-handed recapping. On December 23, 2000, the U.S. Patent office issued patent number 4,631,057 to Charles B. Mitchell for a syringe with a tube surrounding the body of the syringe that could be pulled down to cover and protect the needle on the syringe. At the time, at least four other patents for needle-shielding devices existed. As Mitchell noted in his patent application, those devices all suffered from serious drawbacks. One of them  would not lock the protective cover over the exposed needle, one was extremely complex, another was much longer than a standard syringe and difficult to use, and a fourth was designed primarily for use on animals. It was Mitchells assessment that his invention was the only effective, easily usable, and easily manufactured device capable of protecting users from needlesticks, particularly in emergency periods or other times of high stress. Unlike other syringe designs, Mitchells was shaped and sized like a standard syringe so nurses already familiar with standard syringe design would have no difficulty adapting to it. Shortly after Mitchell patented his syringe, Becton Dickinson purchased from him an exclusive license to manufacture it. A few months later, Becton Dickinson began field tests of early models of the syringe using a 3cc model. Nurses and hospital personnel were enthusiastic when shown the product. However, they warned that if the company priced the product too high, hospitals, with pressures on their budgets rising, could not buy the safety syringes. With concerns about HIV rising fast, the company decided to market the product. In 2001, with the field tests completed, Becton Dickinson had to decide which syringes would be marketed with the protective sleeves. Sleeves could be put on all of the major syringe sizes, including 1cc, 3cc, 5cc, and 10cc syringes. However, the company decided to market only a 3cc version of the protective sleeve. The 3cc syringes account for about half of all syringes used, although the larger sizes-5cc and 10cc syringes-are preferred by nurses when drawing blood. This 3cc syringe was marketed in 2002 under the trademarked name Safety-Lok Syringe. It was promoted as a device that virtually eliminates needlesticks. The 3cc safety syringe with the protective sleeve was sold in 2001 to hospitals and doctors offices for between 50 and 75 cents. By 2003, the company had dropped the price to 26 cents per unit. At the time, a regular syringe without any protective device was priced at 8 cents per unit and cost 4 cents to make. Information about the cost of manufacturing the new safety sy ringe is unavailable but is estimated at between 13 and 20 cents each. The difference between the price  of a standard syringe and the price of the safety syringe was an obstacle for customers. To switch to the new safety syringe would increase the hospitals costs for 3cc syringes by a factor of three. An equally important impediment to adoption was the fact that the syringe was available in only one 3cc size, and it was perceived to be of limited application. Hospitals are reluctant to adopt and adapt to a product that is not available for the whole range of applications the hospital must confront. In particular, hospitals often needed the larger 5cc and 10cc sizes to draw blood, and Becton Dickinson had not made these available with a sleeve. For 5 years, Becton Dickinson manufactured only 3cc safety syringes. During that period, Becton Dickinson did not license its new safety syringe technology to another manufacturer that might have produced a full range of syringe sizes. Most hospitals and clinics, including the medical facility where Maryann Rockwood worked at drawing blood from many patients with Hepatitis B or HIV, did not stock the Becton Dickinson safety syringe. Most nurses in the United States continued to use unprotected syringes. Maryann Rockwood sued Becton Dickinson, alleging that, because it alone had an exclusive right to Mitchells patented design, the company had a duty to provide the safety syringe in all its sizes, and that by withholding other sizes from the market it had contributed to her injury. The case was settled out of court.

Evaluation of Healthcare Practice

Evaluation of Healthcare Practice Lauren Lovett   In this portfolio the author will talk about the work practice organisation in terms of status and size in relation to the Irish economy and the world economy if it is applicable. The author will also summarize the work practice organisations structure, main aims and overall objectives. They will determine the organisations culture and values as demonstrated by the management practice and staff client engagement. The author will touch on the key factors that impact on the work practice organisation and give a review on the impact of relevant government policy on the work practice organisation. Another thing the author will do is to assess id social or ethical issues have affected the work practice organisation or may impact in the future, they will also comment on any impact to the work practice organisation in relation to economic and population shifts. Health safety and welfare as well as employment and equality were also covered. The author also explained the internal and the external policies. Portfolio The work place that the author done their experience in was in Saggart, Co. Dublin, the facility itself was very beautiful and well kept. There were 62 beds in the nursing home and two double rooms for couples. The nursing home is a private residential setting and it deals mainly with end of life care and the social understanding of clients, It is a highly recommended nursing home. This nursing home differs from other nursing homes because it is private, meaning that it is more expensive but the quality of care in the authors opinion is more evident as it is a small enough facility. The nursing home is a two story building that includes two dining rooms. There are 42 bedrooms downstairs and the rest of the bedrooms are upstairs, the bedrooms that are upstairs are mainly to accommodate people who have life limiting illnesses. Each bedroom in the nursing home has its own private bathroom so that the clients can feel at home, the bedrooms are quite big and they consist of a bed, bedside table, locker and a wardrobe. The clients also have safes in their bedroom if they would like to put anything in just so that they can feel safer in the environment.   In comparison to other private nursing homes the author feels as though it is an amazing facility as it is only a year open. From research the author has found there to be many problems with other private nursing homes according to the HIQA reports, the author also got information from their peers regarding the quality of care that was being delivered in the nursing homes that they were doing their work practic e in and the author feels as though the nursing home they have been doing their work practice in has a lot more to offer. The private sector is not a very large part o the community in Ireland and people would be much more inclined to go public regarding their healthcare as it is cheaper and the finances are managed by the government instead of just one person or a number of people controlling all of the finances. The author thinks that the public would benefit more from the private sector, although more expensive. There are many different reasons from this but the main one being the quality of care that is given, and being able to be a part of an organisation that can make their own decisions regarding the welfare of their company. The nursing homes support scheme is a way that the funding can be helped for people who need long term care in a nursing home and it allows them to go private and the government will fund the cost, although it is not an easy list to get on the author thinks that it is a great improvement. To be a HCA you need the equivalent of a QQI level 5 in healthcare, this entails having 8 modules completed successfully as well as having manual handling, first aid, end of life care and patient handling courses completed. Most nursing homes/ hospitals may ask that more qualifications be acquired, for example training in dementia. Portfolio The nursing home the author completed their work experience in had their own personalised mission statement. The ethos at Millbrook manor nursing home is to provide our residents with the highest level of quality of life that is achievable. The nursing home makes it very clear that respect and dignity are the most important things that they have to offer and they make it clear that each client will be treated as a member of their own family would be. The nursing home is committed to working closely with each and every resident, and ensuring that their individual needs are met. The ideal situation would be to create an environment that feels just like home within a safe environment. They focus on promoting the independence of their residence, personally, medically, psychologically, socially and spiritually by continuing to lead their own everyday life within their own capabilities. Our values What we do is important. We respect, support and strive to improve the communities we serve. We are honest, fair and ethical in everything we do. We recognise and appreciate the individual in all of our residents and staff. We accept responsibility for our actions. We make life and work meaningful and enjoyable for all. Portfolio Evaluate the impact of globalisation and new technology and science on the work practice organisation. Globalisation in the nursing home is a massive thing, there are many different cultures that are mixed into the one community and although some residents are traditional and do not agree with this there has never been a problem regarding the social acceptance or treatment as both residents and staff and mixed cultures. The service that is provided in the nursing home is provided in other places around the world that would accommodate for Irish people Technology is progressing very fast within the healthcare community, in nursing homes there is now a system app called V-care which allows the staff to click into profiles of each client and tick in boxes to ensure that they have been assisted. This has also helped with the time frame that healthcare professionals have to keep to within work, it has helped with deadlines and it also allows other carers to see if a person has been assisted or not. In the nursing home that the author was completing their work experience in they did not hear of any new scientific advancement. The impact that the recent recession has not really impacted the nursing home at all in relation to funds as it is not on a public sector, there are also schemes in place to allow for the clients to be able to afford a bedroom in the nursing home, despite the recession it was agreed that these funds would not be cut at all. The government, although reluctant to fund any schemes that may involve the private healthcare sector. There are multi nationalities as part of the staff as well as the clients, Most of the staff in the work place are from another culture or have different religious view than some of the patients, this does not seem to cause any problems as the staff respect the wishes of the patients and vice versa. Discrimination is not a problem within the work place as everybody respects each other and the main purpose of the nursing home is to show respect and promote social interaction, this helps with a lot of patients who may not enjoy company of others as it is required that they be up and not in bed all day, this does not help the patients in any way. Portfolio The point of health and safety is to ensure that; Secures improve the safety, health and welfare of people at work. The requirements for the control of safety are met and reached within the work place. The people in charge (management) ensure that everything possible is done to achieve solutions and that the regulations are met. The roles and responsibilities of employers and employees are regarded as proper. Safety statements are statements that are to be filled out, they must list all of the control measure that are to be taken and how to avoid hazards, the people who are responsible for implementing and maintaining these measures must be named. It must also contain plans to deal with emergencies or serious/imminent risk cases, the HCA must also list the names of each of the safety representatives. Conclusion In this portfolio the author has talked about the work practice organisation in terms of status and size in relation to the Irish economy. The author has also summarised the work practice organisations structure, main aims and their overall objectives. They will determine the organisations culture and values as demonstrated by the management practice and staff client engagement. The author has touched on the key factors that impact on the work practice organisation and gave a review on the impact of relevant government policy on the work practice organisation. Another thing the author has done is assess if the social or ethical issues have affected the work practice organisation or may impact in the future, they have also commented on any impact to the work practice organisation in relation to economic and population shifts. Health safety and welfare at work as well as employment equality were also covered. The author has also explained the internal and the external policies.

Sociological Perspectives Institution Of The Family

Sociological Perspectives Institution Of The Family Society is the subject of the social sciences. Generally Speaking society is that complex social organization of human beings that share an identity inhabiting dynamic relationships and a distinctive culture. Members of a society identify themselves through that society and work together with other members to ensure that the rules generally agreed upon by all members to govern how they relate to each other are in place. Sociological perspectives are viewpoints from which we study and understand society and its varied mechanics and elements. There are varied sociological perspectives available to social scientists for the purpose of study. What sociological perspective is used depends on the theories and purposes of the one undertaking the study. Functionalism, Conflict theory, and Social Interactionism are sociological perspectives that I believe can be used to study the social unit of the family. Functionalism looks at the family as if it was one mechanical entity with every member of the family taking on a role and a function affecting the whole. For example, the mother is the nurturer, support to the husband in terms of keeping the family together taking on household duties as well as economic duties; the father, traditionally is head of the family whose primary function is to provide for the economic and financial needs of his wife and children; the children are dependent on their parents but take on an important role towards each other and to their parents. What these roles are vary according to the age of the children and their stage in life. In the elder years of their parents, the children are expected to become the nurturer and provider for their parents, a role reversal of sorts. Since a functionalist perspectives focuses on roles/functions, when a family is in a state of conflict, the dynamics of family function can be looked at to pinpoint the areas of issue/tension for the purpose of finding solutions. Now, from a functionalist perspective, how can a member of a family view self and society? First off, the self-view will be rooted in function and expectations. The father for example will view himself as one who must provide for and protect his family based on standard expectations of what fathers do and what fatherhood means in the society he belongs to. He will view society as one of function and structure as well where his family makes up a unit integral to the functioning social groups he/his family belongs. Roles then will become part of the expected mental images a functionalist perspective gives in terms of viewing family and society. Thus, the roles of mother, father, daughter, son, aunt, uncle, grandparents, cousins all these are based on social and cultural standards. This extend s out to expected roles functions of key individuals in society as well as social groups (i.e. Priest, teachers, politicians, employers, church, government, businesses, etc.). In terms of social change, if change is systemic, it will be based on or will have to be rooted in the need to overhaul or effect a particular function for the purpose of adapting to or surviving challenges, conflicts or trends. Take for example the trend of and the established need to adapt to new communication technologies (3G phones, mobile internet). Once families used to not need such technologies to keep track of and keep in touch with family members to nurture relationships and fulfil obligations. Now though, parents and children have adapted digital technology in their lives to harness the function of connectivity and communication providing new avenues for family connectedness. On Symbolic Interactionism Symbolic interactionism as a perspective on the other hand looks at the micro relationships between family members looking at their everyday life and the relationship all members have with each other. It seeks to find out the finer details of social relationships in order to understand why they work/dont work. It seeks to see whether families attach certain meanings to social stereotypes in relation to their expectations from each other. At the same time it also seeks to understand how each other come to mean in the lives, choices and interpretations of each member. It seeks to establish the strength and frailty of familial relationships by providing details. It is different from functionalism in that it focuses on quality meaning of relationships instead of function alone. While functionalism sees the family as an organic entity that follows a unique structure according to role designation within the family-group, symbolic interactionism gives more weight to the function of relat ionships in the family structure. For example, the importance of family bonds can be measured in the way family members act towards each other. For Herbert Blumer (1986), the originator of the theory, familial relationships are best understood via the discourses and interactions of family members in their relationships towards each other for meaning is created via this, relationships built, conflicts resolved, positions taken. In other words, this sociological perspective is a discursive microscope that can create a genealogy of family relations and provide a picture of shared beliefs and unique family behaviour that contribute (or due to lack of prohibits from creating) towards a shared family culture and identity. What does this mean for members of a family? It is in discourse that meaning is created. Cultures and traditions of families are built over interaction and shared histories. Without interaction, meaning and relationships cannot be built. For individual members of the fam ily then, family is viewed as a dynamic and continual interaction with each other that allow for meanings and symbolisms to be invested and shared by those who interact. For example, a father can only be a father if he interacts with his children to fulfil his own expectations of himself as a father to his children and if the children respond to him in such a way that the interaction establishes a communication exchange, a discourse where father and children find meaning in each other. Therefore while the father works to provide for his children, without interaction, this relationship is not socially established in meaning making familial relations between father and children non-existent. Society from this perspective is seen as a massive social structure where truth and structures are established based on discourse; without interaction, without discourse, there is no progress especially in terms of shared cultural practices. A family vested in social interaction sees active relati onships as essential in establishing bonds and social change, at least within the family will only happen via discourse. For example, a status qou must be arrived at via discourse in which members of the family have come to agree or view a particular position or necessary action similarly to warrant collective shift in approaches or performance of a particular action. The Conflict Theory Conflict theory, a perspective rooted in the ideas of Emile Durkheim (social conflict crime) Karl Marx (dialectical materialism/Marxism) looks into differentials of power how power, influence and authority influences the distribution of access to resources, for example, in a particular social group. Hence, it is a good perspective in the study of criminology for it can be used to pinpoint the source/forces behind criminality due to access/lack of access to power economic resources. As a perspective in understanding the social unit of the family however, conflict theory can be used to understand the power relations in the family the hierarchy of family authority and control. Thus the use of conflict theory in the study of the family unit can be said to focus on the negative aspects of family structure and relations; at the same time however such a focus can it also bring out the relations of gender, of power and of control. Eventually, it is easy enough to identify who controls w hat and which in the family in order to assign responsibility and correct social and relationship conflict. Conflict theory is a tool used in identifying family issues in order to find ways to fix them. For instance, if a teen is having issues with his/her parents, conflict theory can be used to analyze and pinpoint the source of friction in order to ascertain remedies in fixing parent and child relations. In the case of extended families that are so typical in parts of Asia (i.e. Thailand, the Philippines, Cambodia, Vietnam) wherein extended families allow economic and social support for members of the clan that cannot otherwise support themselves, their children and their needs, conflict theory is perfect in unravelling the relations of power and control including identifying factions, matriarchy patriarchy patterns and areas of resolution (especially if the conflict theory is taken on to resolve a familial issue). Members of a family using the conflict theory can be viewed as so cial agents differentiated by their access to power and resources. Hence, they are essentially competing with each other. A family member can look into ones position in the family to assess his or her access to influence, power and resources to determine his/her position in the family. If parents, for example are fair, and if the mother and the father see each other as equals then in the decisions that they make, this is reflected. But if this is not the case, if the father has more say in family matters including economic issues, then there is a differential between husband and wife in terms of familial authority. If all children in the family are treated the same and given similar opportunities, then one can say that access to resources and authority is fair; but if one is treated better than the other then there is definitely a differential in terms of access to power and resources between children. Members of families who view their primary grouping as one of competition for res ources (i.e. one of conflict) sees society as a bigger representation of their own issues to resources and authority within their families. They will view society as an intensely competitive social arena where to survive; one must be adept in working towards more power and access to resources via structures like schools, government and civilian organizations (businesses, NGOs, private firms). Social change is inevitable for status qou will change dependent on the sway of power at any given time. From this perspective, society is continually changing and power changes hands regularly due to competition. Word Count:1,729

Siddhartha - symbolism of the river :: essays research papers

Throughout the pilgrimage of Siddhartha’s life, he went through many different stages. In the beginning, we meet Siddhartha, The Brahmin’s Son. Siddhartha was very intelligent, but wanted to learn more. His mind was not full, and his soul was not at peace. He decided to become a Samana in order to fill his mind and set his soul at peace. He had a goal to become completely empty of thirst, desire, dreams, pleasure and sorrow. He had the idea that if he could completely lose Self, he would be content. During his time with the Samanas, Siddhartha heard about Gotama, the Buddha, and became distrustful of teachings and decided to leave the Samanas with the belief that what they could teach him was not good enough. He had to learn things for himself by experiencing them.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  After listening to Gotama’s teachings, Siddhartha had an awakening. He thought, â€Å"The reason why I do not know anythng about myself, the reason why Siddhartha has remained alien and unknown to myself is due to one thing, to one single thing—I was afraid of myself, I was fleeing from myself.† He realized that he was seeking Brahman and wished to destroy himself rather than finding and getting to know himself. This awakening set Siddhartha onto another stage in his journey. During the beginning of this stage, Siddhartha saw things in a completely new way. He saw the sun rise and the stars for the first time. Siddhartha came upon a beautiful young woman, who very much helped lead him into the next step of his life.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Siddhartha believed that he loved her and that she loved him. She led him into thinking that he would be happy if he had money, nice clothes, and her. Siddhartha became a successful merchant and loved money. He believed that with money, he could have what he wanted. After all, was it not money that got him Kamala in the first place? The money that had gotten Siddhartha what he wanted began to destroy him.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Siddhartha began to think that this world of the riches he had become accustomed to was nothing but a game, as was the love he felt for Kamala. This belief led him into the next stage of his pilgrimage. Siddhartha believed that there was nothing left for him in life, and he wanted to end it, but from somewhere in his soul he heard the holy word Om and his soul suddenly, once again, was awakened.

Women Executives Essay -- essays research papers

Women Executives Even though women constitute 40% of all executives and administrative posts (up from 24% in 1976), they are still restricted mostly to the middle and lower positions, and the senior levels of management are almost entirely male domains. A 1990 study of the top Fortune 500 companies by Mary Ann Von Glinow of the University of Southern California, showed that "women were only 2.6% of corporate officers (the vice presidential level up)." Of the Fortune Service 500, only 4.3% of the corporate officers were women - even though women are 6l% of all service workers. Even more disturbing is that these numbers have "shown little improvement in the 25 years that these statistics have been tracked". (University of Michigan, Korn/Ferry International). What this means is that at the present rate of increase, it will be 475 years - or not until 2466 before women reach equality with men in the executive suite. This scenario is not any better on corporate boards. Only 4.5% of the Fortune 500 industrial directorships are held by women. On Fortune Service 500 companies, 5.6% of corporate directors are women. The rate of increase is so slow that parity with men on corporate boards will not be achieved until the year 2116 - or for 125 years. (The Feminist Majority Foundation News Media Publishing Inc., 1995) In 1980, only one woman held the rank of CEO of a Fortune 500 company. This woman came into the top management by inheriting the company from her father and husband. In 1985, this executive was joined by a second woman who reached the top - by founding the company she headed. Even though the newspapers are reporting that women have come a long way and are successful in the corporate world, women are banging into a "glass ceiling" that is "so subtle that it is transparent, yet so strong that it prevents women from moving up the corporate hierarchy". (Ann Morrison, The Feminist Majority Foundation and News Media, Inc, 1955) Women can see the high- level corporate positions but are kept from reaching the top. According to Morrison (http//www.feminist.org/research/ewb glass.ntml.) and her colleagues, the glass ceiling is not simply a barrier for an individual, based on the person/s inability to handle a higher-level job. Rather, the glass ceiling applies to women as a group who are kept from advancing higher because th... ...mily, women are not as serious about their careers, women are not suited for top management because they are not aggressive enough and lack the self confidence required for the top jobs - to mention a few.) These myths seem work to keep women in their place and to justify the lack of progress for women. Worse yet, these myths often place blame on women rather than on sex discrimination. Men in corporate management tend not to perceive discrimation as a real problem, thereby making it virtually impossible to implement effective remedies. White men have ranked problems encountered by women executives as insignificant compared to how women ranked them. Therefore, without constant pressure from the outside and strong legal remedies, the very real problems of race and sex discrimination in the executive suite may never be adequately addressed. Even though feminists have fought to establish and vigorously enforce guidelines and laws prohibiting sex discrimination in employment, women feel they are a long way from equality in the ranks of American business. They feel that further gains depend on getting more feminists into decision-making positions and creating new strategies for change.

A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess :: essays research papers

A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess Anthony Burgess is a very strange author. He had a really weird vision of the future. I feel he did a great job describing his viewpoint. Anthony Burgess is not only a novelist, he also has written several plays, and even composed a few symphonies. He was born in 1917, and died in 1991. He first published "A Clockwork Orange" in the U.S. in 1962 and initially it had 20 chapters, one less than he had written. The version I read was reprinted in 1986 with that last, 21st chapter. The main character, Alex, and his three friends thought they were indestructible. All they did every night was go around picking fights, drinking, and stealing. One night his friends sold him out and beat him up, leaving him to get caught by the police. Alex was wanted for many crimes that he had committed but they had never caught him before. After 2 years of jail they gave Alex the option to have an experimental treatment to get him out of jail early. The treatment was that they had to pump Alex full of drugs and show him movies of bad things to make him feel sick when he thought of committing illegal crimes. They released him after the treatment, only to get beat up even worse by his old enemies. He was put back into the hospital, they realized what they had done was wrong, and they changed him back to normal. The time period the book was written in is 2010, which was very far in the future in 1962. The author must have thought that the world would have changed a lot more than it has because the world he wrote about is very different than how it really is and will be by 2010. Burgess wrote this book in a futuristic language he thought would fit the time period. The book was pretty hard to figure out at first because of this, but by using context clues it became easier after the first chapter.

Bite Me: A Love Story Chapter 9

9. Tenderloin If you're looking for a great taco in San Francisco, you go to the Mission district. If you want a plate of pasta, you go to North Beach. Need some dim sum, powdered shark vagina, or ginseng root? Chinatown is your man. Hankering for stupidly expensive shoes? Union Square. Want to enjoy a mojito with an attractive, young professional crowd, well you'll want to head for the Marina or the SOMA. But if you're looking for some crack, a one-legged whore, or a guy sleeping in a puddle of his own urine, you can't beat the Tenderloin, which was where Rivera and Cavuto were investigating the report of a missing person. Well-persons. â€Å"The theater district seems somewhat deserted today,† said Cavuto as he pulled the unmarked Ford into a red zone in front of the Sacred Heart Mission. The Tenderloin was, in fact, also the theater district, which was convenient if you wanted to see a first-rate show in addition to drinking a bottle of Thunderbird and being stabbed repeatedly. â€Å"They're all at their country homes in Sonoma, you think?† Rivera said, with a sense of doom rising inside him like nausea. Normally at this time of the morning, the Tenderloin sidewalks ran with grimy rivers of homeless guys looking for their first drink of the day or a place to sleep. Down here you did most of your sleeping during the day. Night was too dangerous. There should have been a line around the block at Sacred Heart, people waiting for the free breakfast, but the line barely reached out the door. As they walked into the Mission, Cavuto said, â€Å"You know, this might be the perfect time for you to get one of those one-legged whores. You know, with demand down, you could probably get a freebie, being a cop and all.† Rivera stopped, turned, and looked at his partner. A dozen raggedy men in the line looked, too, as Cavuto was blocking the light in the doorway like a great, rumpled eclipse. â€Å"I will bring the little Goth girl to your house and film it when she makes you cry.† Cavuto slumped. â€Å"Sorry. It's all kind of getting to me. Teasing is the only way I know to take my mind off of it.† Rivera understood. For twenty-five years he'd been an honest cop. Had never taken a dime in bribes, never used unnecessary force, had never given special favors to powerful people, which is why he was still an inspector, but then the redhead happened, and her v-word condition, and the old one and his yacht full of money, and it wasn't like they could tell anyone anyway. The two hundred thousand that he and Cavuto had taken wasn't really a bribe, it was, well, it was compensation for mental duress. It was stressful carrying a secret that you could not only not tell, but that no one would believe if you did. â€Å"Hey, you know why there's so many one-legged whores in the Tenderloin?† asked one guy who was wearing a down sleeping bag like a cape. Rivera and Cavuto turned toward the hope of comic relief like flowers to the sun. â€Å"Fuggin' cannibals,† said the sleeping bag guy. Not funny at all. The cops trod on. â€Å"If you only knew,† said Rivera over his shoulder. â€Å"Hey, where is everybody?† asked a woman in a dirty orange parka. â€Å"You fuckers doing one of your round-ups?† â€Å"Not us,† said Cavuto. They moved past the cafeteria line and a sharp young Hispanic man in a priest's collar caught their eyes over the heads of the diners and motioned for them to come around the steam tables to the back. Father Jaime. They'd met before. There were a lot of murders in the Tenderloin, and only a few sane people who knew the flow of the neighborhood. â€Å"This way,† said Father Jaime. He led them through a prep kitchen and dish room into a cold concrete hallway that led to their shower room. The father extended a set of keys that were tethered to his belt on a cable and opened a vented green door. â€Å"They started bringing it in a week ago, but this morning there must have been fifty people turning stuff in. They're freaked.† Father Jaime flipped on a light and stood aside. Rivera and Cavuto entered a room painted sunny yellow and lined with battleship gray metal shelves. There was clothing piled on every horizontal surface, all covered, in varying degrees, with a greasy gray dust. Rivera picked up a quilted nylon jacket that was partially shredded and spattered with blood. â€Å"I know that jacket, Inspector. Guy who owns it is named Warren. Fought in Nam.† Rivera turned it in the air, trying not to cringe when he saw the pattern of the rips in the cloth. Father Jaime said, â€Å"I see these guys every day, and they're always wearing the same thing. It's not like they have a closet full of clothes to choose from. If that jacket is here, then Warren is running around in the cold, or something happened to him.† â€Å"And you haven't seen him?† asked Cavuto. â€Å"No one has. And I could tell you stories for most of the rest of these clothes, too. And the fact that clothing is even being turned in means that there's lot of it out there. Street people don't have a lot, but they won't take what they can't carry. That means that this is just what people couldn't carry. Everyone in that dining room is looking for a friend he's lost.† Rivera put down the jacket and picked up a pair of work pants, not shredded, but covered in the dust and spattered with blood. â€Å"You said that you can link these clothes to people you know?† â€Å"Yes, that's what I told the uniformed cop first thing this morning. I know these people, Alphonse, and they're gone.† Rivera smiled to himself at the priest using his first name. Father Jaime was twenty years Rivera's junior, but he still spoke to him like he was a kid sometimes. Being called â€Å"Father† all the time goes to their head. â€Å"Other than being homeless, did these people have anything in common? What I mean is, were they sick?† â€Å"Sick? Everyone on the street has something.† â€Å"I mean terminal. That you know of, were they very sick? Cancer? The virus?† When the old vampire had been taking victims, it turned out that nearly every one of them had been terminally ill and would have died soon anyway. â€Å"No. There's no connection other than they were all on the street and they're all gone.† Cavuto grimaced and turned away. He started riffling through the clothing, tossing it around as if looking for a lost sock. â€Å"Look, Father, can you make us a list of the people these clothes belong to. And add anything you can remember about them. Then I can start looking for them in the hospitals and jail.† â€Å"I only know street names.† â€Å"That's okay. Do your best. Anything you can remember.† Rivera handed him a card. â€Å"Call me directly if anything else comes up, would you? Unless there's something in progress, calling the uniforms will just put unnecessary steps in the investigation.† â€Å"Sure, sure,† said Father Jaime, pocketing the card. â€Å"What do you think is going on?† Rivera looked at his partner, who didn't look up from a dusty pair of shoes he was examining. â€Å"I'm sure there's some explanation. I don't know of any citywide relocation of the homeless, but it's happened before. They don't always tell us.† Father Jaime looked at Rivera with those priest's eyes, those guilt-shooting eyes that Rivera always imagined were on the other side of the confessional. â€Å"Inspector, we serve four to five hundred breakfasts a day here.† â€Å"I know, Father. You do great work.† â€Å"We served a hundred and ten today. That's it. Those in line now will be it for today.† â€Å"We'll do our best, Father.† They moved back through the dining room without looking anyone in the eye. Back in the car, Cavuto said, â€Å"Those clothes were shredded by claws.† â€Å"I know.† â€Å"They're not just hunting the sick.† â€Å"No,† Rivera said. â€Å"They're taking anyone on the street. I'm guessing anyone who gets caught out alone.† â€Å"Some of those people in the cafeteria saw something. I could tell. We should come back and talk to some of them when the priest and his volunteers aren't around.† â€Å"No need, really, is there?† Rivera was scratching out numbers on his notepad. â€Å"They'll talk to the paper,† Cavuto said, pulling in behind a cable car on Powell Street, then sighing and resolving himself to move at nineteenth-century speed for a few blocks as they made their way up Nob Hill. â€Å"Well, first it will be covered as amusing stuff that crazy street people say, then someone is going to notice the bloody clothes and it's all going to come out.† Rivera added another figure, then scribbled something with a flourish. â€Å"It doesn't have to come back to us,† Cavuto said hopefully. â€Å"I mean, it's not really our fault.† â€Å"Doesn't matter if we get blamed,† said Rivera. â€Å"It's our responsibility.† â€Å"So what are you saying?† â€Å"I'm saying that we're going to be defending the City against a horde of vampire cats.† â€Å"Now that you said it, it's real.† Cavuto was whining a little. I'm going to call that Wong kid and see if he has my UV jacket done.† â€Å"Just like that?† â€Å"Yeah,† Rivera said. â€Å"If you go by Father Jaime's example, they've eaten about three-quarters of the Tenderloin's homeless in, let's call it a week. If you figure maybe three thousand street people in the City, you're talking about twenty-two hundred dead already. Someone's going to notice.† â€Å"That's what you were calculating?† â€Å"No, I was trying to figure out if we had enough money to open the bookstore.† That had been the plan. Early retirement, then sell rare books out of a quaint little shop on Russian Hill. Learn to golf. â€Å"We don't,† Rivera said. He started to dial Foo Dog when his phone chirped, a sound it hadn't made before. â€Å"The fuck was that?† asked Cavuto. â€Å"Text message,† said Rivera. â€Å"You know how to text?† â€Å"No. We're going to Chinatown.† â€Å"A little early for eggrolls, isn't it?† â€Å"The message is from Troy Lee.† â€Å"The Chinese kid from the Safeway crew? I don't want to deal with those guys.† â€Å"It's one word.† â€Å"Don't tell me.† â€Å"CATS.† â€Å"Did I not ask you not to tell me?† â€Å"The basketball court off Washington,† Rivera said. â€Å"Have that Wong kid make me one of those sunlight jackets. Fifty long.† â€Å"You get that many lights on you they'll have you flying over stadiums playing Goodyear ads on your sides.†