Week 8 Student Blog Post Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Week 8 Student Blog Post - Assignment Example The Special Purpose Rooms contain locker rooms for temporary storage, Cinema Studies Lab et al. In addition, authorized persons can just go with their own reading material. The Knight library’s houses a collection of unique and irreplaceable materials and special collections, which range from government documents, prominent people personal papers to maps. This demands that the security of the building to be highly maintained thus indicating the state of power. Students, faculty and staff have access to the library. No one without authorization can enter the library. For verification, student and staff ids are used. Yes, I feel welcomed because being a student at the university of Oregon campus; I have full access to the Knight library and its resources. In addition, there are friendly staffs that are ready to assist in using any facility that one is not conversant with and in searching for specific reading

Inflation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 4

Inflation - Essay Example The general price level remains low or affordable to the average consumer and stays that way for a long period of time. Thus, stability of prices within an economy is more of a concept than anything else. Moving on to the demand for and supply of goods in the market, there might be a number of fluctuations with regard to the customer’s needs and wants as well as the producer’s. This makes it a little difficult for the overall price values within the market or economy to be comprehended with ease by both parties. And therefore, for this purpose, a general price level or the concept of price stability is adopted in order to reflect the entire impact that the market has had on each of the different and individual units. Thus in order to understand better, price stability is simply a term or concept used to realize the stability or balance that the general price level or market forces have rather than the actually fixed prices on goods and services in the market. Price stability may also be understood as a period in the economy when it does not face inflation or deflation. In order to understand this, the term inflation has been emphasized upon in this paper. Inflation takes place in an economy when the actual aggregate demand within the economy is greater than the required level of aggregate demand for full employment equilibrium. Full employment equilibrium on the other hand is a situation when all the resources within an economy have been utilised in a full and efficient manner, and the demand curve cuts the 45 degree line or supply curve at this point. However, if the demand curve exceeds the point of full employment equilibrium, it leads to an inflationary gap in the economy. This has been better explained with the help of a diagram; Here the C+I (Total consumption plus investment expenditure) is the aggregate demand (point B) which should have been the situation for an ideal level of equilibrium in the

Marketing Analysis of GOD Essay Example for Free

Marketing Analysis of GOD Essay Company Description: GOD is now a fast-growing furniture and furnishings company brand in Hong Kong. They describe them as More Than Just a Furniture Store. GOD is the phonetic sound of the Cantonese slang to live better which a basic human desire all around the world. The founder of GOD Douglas Young and Benjamin Lau opened the first GOD store at Ap Lei Chau in 1996. Within 2 years, two more shops opened in Central and Tsim Sha Tsui respectively. In 2001, GOD has opened a 20,000 sq. ft. flagship store in Causeway Bay. The mission of GOD has always been to define a new Hong Kong identity by exploring age-old oriental traditions and updating them with modern consumers in mind, their demonstrations of the techniques and wisdom of past generations in the east still has a place in the future world. Most of the furniture of GOD is made in China to their stringent standards of quality and workmanship. Their products range from furniture, bathware, kitchenware to even lighting and carpets. Among these various products, furniture occupies the highest proportion of sales revenues. What makes GOD different from other convectional furniture and furnishing company is that all of their furniture is designed by local designers. The company is strongly against todays mass produced and soulless products. The main theme of their furniture is creative, comfortable, and multifunctional. In order to surprise their customers, GOD constantly turns out new items on a weekly basis. Because the marketing strategy in GOD is so clear that make the company become one of the few furniture companies that can still make a profit, and even expand their business, in the time of economy downturn in HK these years. Situation Analysis: 1. SWOT Analysis: Internally, GOD has a management team with designing knowledge which could perfectly apply to the daily management in the company. Small size of management team also benefits the company with the efficient division of  labor. Despite the fact of having numerous competitors with lower price, G.O.D. is still taking the leading role in the industry with its unique offerings of the oriental tradition Asian design in products, as well as the extraordinary decoration in each branch . G.OD is expanding its market share by connecting to other different industries, so as to attract more customers from different aspects. The diversification of production and also the custom made strategy contribute to the company as it prevent excess inventory. Moreover, its own RD team takes a big responsibility in fulfilling the demand of the customers in having a better quality. Other than all those favorable circumstances, G.OD is still encountering certain weaknesses. Due to the short history of establishment, G.O.D. is lack of experience and specialization. Its relatively high price and narrow choice of products has also prevented the visit and purchase of customers. Also, due to the limited capital inflow in the company, GOD is still not able to develop a large RD team; it also regards advertisement as a big burden for the company. Regardless of the success of the manufacturing approach, it, on the other hand, has lead to the high cost of production as it could not achieve the economy of scale. Favorable external factors include the increasing upscale market which people are more concerned about quality of life, there are only few and not well-established local competitors, and as the economic is recovering, there are more opportunities. Ergonomics is one of the most popular topics in furniture industry because the customers perceived value can be raised by introducing it. Unfavorable external factors include the taste of customers which people like international culture more, like Japan. In addition, the favorable investment condition attracts competitor from foreign countries. 2. Industry analysis: The furniture and furnishing industry has a long history in Hong Kong. It includes the production of household, office and furniture, as well as  bedding and parts of furniture. There are 249 furniture manufacturers in Hong Kong, employing more than 704 people as at Sep 2002. Around 90% of them are small companies engaging less than 10 people . Although it is not the major industry in the local market, the competition is very keen. In terms of market segmentation, the current furniture industry in Hong Kong is generally divided into three main categories: high-end, middle-end and lower-end market. However, in the past, the craft-based, labor-intensive furniture industry was one of the oldest industries in Hong Kong. It was developed to meet local demands. At that time, the furniture industry was dominated by a large number of small firms and could be divided into three major sectors, namely, wooden furniture, rattan furniture and metal furniture . After the economic crisis in 1998, many small companies went bankrupt and customers incentive on buying furniture was lower. To maintain their competitive power, many large companies strive to reduce their costs and increase their efficiency. Some relocate their manufacturing operations to other areas with lower operation costs like Mainland China. Foreign manufacturers are taking steps to strengthen their domestic production through production specialization. Hong Kongs furniture makers also start to establish their own brands and some concept stores in order to develop their unique product lines to differentiate their firms from the others. Companies like GOD and Franc Franc are the most apparent examples which produce products with Hong Kong local characteristics and Japanese culture respectively. Recently, due to the economic recovery and the change of customer trend, people are going to be responsive to the new trends and design of furniture. Thus, the industry is going to produce products to cater the needs of Hong Kong people. Also, many furniture manufacturers become more careful about the choice of raw materials to meet international standards, such as compliance with legal or other environmental requirements in their target markets. Because of the limited living space in Hong Kong, the industry produces the furniture which is highly practical and multi- functional. Moreover, most of them embrace innovative designs and combinations of furnishings which allow them to save home spaces and provide a sense of style and modernism. To cater the growing trend and design of furniture which correspond to their taste and lifestyle, the industry produces DIY furniture which can let consumers to make their unique furniture with their own styles. Moreover, most of them are made of the environmental friendly materials for production. 3. Competitor Analysis: Competitors in relevant market: There are three main competitors of GOD in Hong Kong, accordingly Franc Franc, IKEA and PRICERITE. Their target market segments do not necessarily the same but do have some overlapping as they both target on the market segments of middle-income level families. Further, the mission of their competitors also stress on developing a new concept of life style to Hong Kong people. Franc Francs company would invest over 30 million dollars in Hong Kong and expect there will be 36 million HK dollars gross profit in the first year. There will also be 2 or 3 new branches opened in the next few years. They will be mainly located in some big shopping malls. IKEA have 4 branches in Hong Kong mainly located near big housing town. IKEA is the most well known furniture company in Hong Kong due to the massive advertising programs. The concepts of their design are simple, multi-functional and sustainable. They also have a successful and well-developed customer service system which helps them to develop the loyalty of their customers. PRICERITEs target group mainly focuses on lower income families. They  provide a relatively low price to their customers, thus helping them to develop a low cost, comfortable and multifunctional living environment. They have over 45 branches in Hong Kong so as consumers can easily find a PRICERITE nearby. Comparative advantages: 1. GODUniqueness of local culture In these years, many industries especially those expose frequently to young people like filmdom and musical industry, advocate local original design and innovation. This atmosphere makes young people create a good feeling to Hong Kong local products. Today, GOD is the unique furniture store with strong Hong Kong concept. What Hong Kong concept here means is Hong Kongs own culture and social atmosphere. GOD is a local brand and all of their exclusive designers are local. GOD claims their products have soul because their products can turn out local peoples opinion and attitude to lives. It can attract a group of Hong Kong new generation who like to show off their characters and tastes by their home furniture . 2. Franc FrancAdhere to Japanese-styled goods The trend in Japan always is a benchmark for the young people in Hong Kong. It is because the young people in Hong Kong think Japanese always stand on the tips of the trend. Thus, most of them are adherent to Japanese-styled goods. Many Japanese brands like Fancl and Sanrio have successfully developed their business in Hong Kong. Their successes are also based on this reason. Franc Franc is the sole furniture concept store with Japanese style in Hong Kong. This make it exclusively enjoys the adherent from Hong Kong young people in this market . 3. IKEACost Leadership To provide goods with high quality at relatively low prices, IKEA drives tough bargains with its suppliers in order to employ lowest cost suppliers  of raw and semi-finished goods from all over the world. IKEA Also, their products developers seek out manufacturers who can produce in the most cost-effective way and designers always work with solutions that result in a low price. This cost-focused supply chain model results in getting the goods with cheapest price and good quality.

Ocular Manifestations in Hansen’s Disease

Ocular Manifestations in Hansen’s Disease Christina Samuel1, Sundararajan D2 1Postgraduate, 2HOD. Department Of Ophthalmology, Meenakshi Medical College, Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu, India ABSTRACT Background: Leprosy or Hansen’s disease is a chronic mildly contagious granulomatous disease of tropical and subtropical regions caused by the rod shaped bacillus, Mycobacterium leprae. It affects the skin, peripheral nerves in hands and feet, mucous membrane of nose, throat and eyes. When left untreated it is capable of producing various deformities and disfigurements. Aim: To study the ocular involvement in patients with Leprosy under the parameters of age group, sex type and duration of leprosy. To study the different ocular manifestations and identify the potentially sight threatening lesions and provide early management. Methods: A prospective study of 50 cases diagnosed with Hansen’s disease were included. Detailed history and thorough clinical examination done. Potentially sight threatening lesions were managed conservatively or surgically. Results: Out of 50 cases of Leprosy, 58% had ocular involvement and majority were of the age group 21-40years. Ocular involv ement was predominantly seen in Lepromatous type with 35% having ocular lesions. The most common ocular manifestation observed was superciliary madarosis(48%). Potentially sight threatening lesions accounted for 72.4% of which lagophthalmos was common. No cases of blindness seen. Conclusion: Visual impairment is preventable in Leprosy if detected early. The risk of ocular complications increases with the duration of the disease, despite being treated with systemic anti-leprosy drugs. Keywords: Leprosy (Hansen’s disease), lepromatous, tuberculoid, slit skin smear, ocular involvement INTRODUCTION Leprosy or Hansen’s disease is a chronic infectious disease caused by an intracellular rod shaped acid fast bacilli Mycobacterium leprae which affects the skin, nasal mucosa, peripheral nerves and the anterior segment of the eye.1 Mycobacterium laprae was discovered by a Norwegian physician G.Armauer Hansen in the year 1874.1 The most ancient writings of ‘’SUSHRUTA SAMHITA’’ compiled in 600BC refers to leprosy as Vat Rakta or Vat Shonita and Kushtha2,3. Leprosy occurs in all ages and both sexes. Male: Female ratio is 2:14. Leprosy bacilli has a predilection for neural tissue and their target is Schwann cell. The fate and type of leprosy depends on the resistance and immunity of the affected individual5 ( Jopling, Mc Douglass 1996). There are 11million cases throughout the world and about 1/3rd have ocular manifestations.6 Prevalence of blindness due to leprosy is 4.7% of the population in India.7,8 Various studies shows ocular involvement in Leprosy patients. The frequency and types of involvement depends on the duration and form of the disease.2,9 Ocular lesions are common in lepromatous type of leprosy and presents with lepromatous nodules, conjunctivitis, keratitis, pannus, scleritis and uveitis. Lesions are rare in Tuberculoid type of leprosy and are secondary to the involvement of branches of facial nerve which presents with paralytic lagophthalmos, exposure keratitis and neurotrophic keratitis. Acute iridocyclitis and scleritis are seen in type 2 lepra reaction occurring in lepromatous leprosy.6 Blindness has been reported in 7% of patients secondary to lagophthalmos, uveitis, exposure keratitis and cataract8. Proper attention and early detection can prevent potentially sight threatening lesions. MATERIALS AND METHOD The present study was carried out in the out patient Department. of Ophthalmology and In patient department of Dermatology at Meenakshi Medical College and Hospital, Kanchipuram from March 2012-May 2014. In this study a total of 50 patients were taken, 38 males and 12 females of the age group 20years and above . Prior to the study an informed consent form from the patients and ethical clearance was obtained from the Institutional Ethics Committee. Inclusion Criteria: All diagnosed cases of leprosy. Old and new cases, both genders and age group of 20 years and above. Exclusion Criteria: Non compliant patients, Patients with pre existing ocular disorders due to other causes than leprosy. Type of study: A cross sectional descriptive study for a period of 14 months. Procedure: Relevant details of both ocular and systemic history, including details of lepra reaction and clinical examination of patients was recorded on a proforma. A detailed slit lamp examination of the anterior segment of eye was done. Visual Acuity recorded with help of Snellen’s chart10. Corneal sensation was checked with a wisp of cotton. IOP was recorded with help of Schiotz tonometer10. Fundus examination with 78D and IDO done. Lab investigations like haemogram, ESR, Urine routine and RBS done. Slit skin smear and skin biopsy from the ear lobe was performed by the Dermatologist and report obtained as positive for M.leprae (Ziehl Neelsen technique)11. Patients were started on systemic anti leprosy drugs(multi drug therapy) and treatment for lepra reactions. Patients with ocular manifestations were treated accordingly to their need of Lubricant eye drops, topical antibiotic with steroid drops, eye ointments, frequent blinking exercises, physiotherapy, lid taping at nigh t time and spectacle correction. RESULTS: In this study of 50 patients with leprosy, majority belonged to the age group of 21-40years (46%). 76% were males and 24% were females. Out of 50 cases, 30% were tuberculoid type, 22% lepromatous type and 48% borderline type. Out of 50 cases 58% had ocular involvement in which 45% were within the age group 21-40years. Out of the 29 cases with ocular involvement 72% were males. 35%with ocular manifestations were of lepromatous type of leprosy. 41.4% gave a positive history of lepra reaction. The ocular involvement was directly proportional to the duration of leprosy. 55% had leprosy more than 5 years. Superciliary madarosis (48%) was the most common ocular manifestation. The potentially sight threatening lesions were Lagophthalmos(35%), seen more in lepromatous type(14%). 28% had corneal hypoesthesia, 21% with exposure keratitis, 17% had corneal opacity, anterior uveitis and conjunctivitis each accounted for 7%. It was interesting to note that 60% of patients with lagophthalm os had exposure keratitis. DISCUSSION: The involvement of eyes in leprosy is due to infiltration of the tissues by the bacilli and damage to the nerves12. In this study 58% of the patients had ocular involvement. This can be compared to other studies of Wani.S.et al 2005 which showed 69% of ocular involvement, Gnanadoss A S et al 1986 showed 59.2% 13. Studies conducted by Shields shows 33% of potentially sight threatening lesions which included keratitis, iritis, lagophthalmos and secondary glaucoma14. In our study the potentially sight threatening lesions were lagophthalmos, exposure keratitis, uveitis, corneal hypoesthesia and corneal opacity which accounted nearly for 72.4%. Majority of the patients in our study were of the age group 21-40 years and male predominance was seen in both for, affected eyes with leprosy(76%) and ocular involvement (72%). This can be compared with the study by Wani.S et al (82.6%)12 which also showed predominance for men. This study further shows that ocular manifestation were se en more in lepromatous leprosy (75.36%) followed by borderline(14.49%) and tuberculoid leprosy(10.14%)12. In our study conducted, ocular involvement was 35% in lepramotous, 31% in borderline and 17% in tuberculoid type. The reason being that M.leprea has a favourable environment in the anterior segment of the eye and the bacilli is found more in lepromatous type of leprosy. Madarosis was the commonest ocular manifestation in our study which was about 48% when compared with Shield’s 1974(54%)14 and Acharaya B P (59.2%)15 and Wani.S. et al (72.46%)12. Lagophthalmos accounts for 35% in our study when compared to Wani.S et al (28.98%)12 , Acharaya B P (34.3%)15 , Lamba et al 1983 (13%)16 , Shields 1974 (29%)14 and Weerekon 1972 (27%)17. Lagophthalmos is commonly associated with lepra reaction in the face and damage to the facial nerve and also depends in patients with lepromatous leprosy(14%) which is similar to the observation by Wani.S et al (18.84%)12. In this study corneal in volvement was seen in 66% of the patients, corneal hypoesthesia 28%, exposure keratitis 21% and corneal opacity in 17%. In the study conducted by Wani.S et al corneal involvement (36.23%)12 . Radhakrishnan N et al observed that the major cause of blindness in leprosy was exposure keratitis due to lagophthalmos(23%) and leucoma (25%)18. Cataractous changes in lens was seen in 17% of the patients, but it was not a complication due to leprosy or MDT but merely due to senile lens changes in the older age group of the patients in our study. This is also supported by the study from Gnanadoss A S et al13. Iris pearls seen in anterior uveitis are said to be the pathognomic of leprosy19,20. But in our study uveitis was observed only in 7% of the patients when compared to Wani S et al12 which showed 31.88%. This probably is due to the small sample size of our study and also the duration of leprosy not being more than 10 years for all patients ,because uveitis is seen mostly in chronic cases o f leprosy. This is supported by various studies like Lamba 1983 16(14%), Hornblass 197321 (16%) and Gnanadoss A S et al 198613 (5.6%). In this study all patients with ocular manifestations were either treated formerly(58.6%) or presently (41.4%) with systemic anti leprosy drugs. Courtright et al suggested that ocular pathology will still occur in MDT treated leprosy patients22. Thus treatment does not prevent the occurrence of ocular lesions12. Moreover once the patient is on treatment the ocular reaction is seen more in the first 6-12 months due to reactions23. The progressive leprosy related lesions are the result of chronic nerve damage. CONCLUSION: The risk of ocular lesions increases with the duration of disease, lepra reaction and facial patches in this reaction. Screening of all patients affected with leprosy can help in identifying the potentially sight threatening lesions which can be treated earlier. Visual impairment if detected early is preventable. The Multi Drug therapy for leprosy has improved the outcome of the affected with leprosy but does not retard the development of ocular complication. LIMITATIONS: Owing to the small sample size in this study many other ocular manifestations could not be assessed. A relationship between uveitis, Complicated cataract and leprosy can be suggested if the patients presents with a longer duration of leprosy more than 10 years, as in this study we had only 4 patients in that category. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT It is with the sense of accomplishment and deep gratitude that we dedicate the work to all those who have been instrumental in its completion. We are greatly thankful to the RMO, Meenakshi Medical College Hospital and Research Institute, Kanchipuram. To our Associate Professors, Assistant Professors, Colleagues and Staffs of the Department of Ophthalmology and Dermatology for their timely help, support and constant guidance in our work. REFERENCE 1.Lewallen, Paul Courtright. An overwiew of ocular leprosy after two decades of multidrug therapy. International Ophthalmology Clinics world blindness. Sept2004, vol47(3):87-99. 2. Dharmendra. History of spread and decline of leprosy. Leprosy.Vol I, Bombay: Kothari Medical Publishing House,197;7-21. 3. Rastogi N, Rastogi RC. Leprosy in ancient India. Int J Lepr 1984;52:541-3. 4. Park K. Epidemiology of Communicable Diseases. Park’s Textbook of Preventive and Social Medicine. 17thedn., Jabalapur: M/S Banarsidas Bhanot Publishers, 2002; 242-253. 5. The disease In: Handbook of Leprosy, 5th edn., Delhi CBS Publishers and distribution; 1996;10-53. 6. Sihota. Tandon disease of uveal tract. Chapter 17.Parsons’ Diseases of the Eye,20th Edition. New Delhi. Elsivier 2007;239-72. 7. Thompson Allardice et al, Patterns of ocular morbidity and blindness in leprosy: Leprosy review vol 77(2) June 2006. 8. Ffytche TJ. Residual sight threatening lesions in leprosy patient completing Multidrug therapy and Sulphone monotherapy, Lepr. Rev, 1991;62: 35-43. 9. Mark J. Mannis Mascai, Arthur. Leprosy, chapter 62. Eye and skin disease, Lippincott- Raven publishers, 1996;543-50. 10. Orthoptists and Prescribing in NSW, VIC and SA. The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists. Retrieved 29 July 2010. 11. PVS Prasad. Microbiology. In: all about leprosy. 1st edn. Jaypee brothers publishers,2005.pg 4-11. 12. Junaid S. Wani, Saiba Rashid M.S. Ocular manifestations in leprosy- A clinical study; JK- Practitioner 2005; 12(1): 14-17. 13. Gnanadoss AS, Rajendran N. Ocular lesions in Hansen’s (leprosy). IJO 1986;34:19-23. 14.Jerry A Shields; George O; Waring; AJO,1974,77;880-890. 15. Acharaya B P. Ocular involvement in Leprosy- A study in mining areas of India. IJO 1978; 26:21-4. 16. Lamba PA; Arthanariswaran: Leprosy India 1983,55;490. 17. Lloyd Weerekon: BJO. 1972,56;106. 18. Radhakrishnan N, Albert S. Blindness due to leprosy. IJO 1980;28:19-21. 19. Ffytche. T.J., 1981, Trans. Ophthal. Soc. U.K. 101:325. 20. Hogeweg, M. Leiker, 1983, Brit J Dermat.109:477. 21. Albert Hornblass: AJO.1973,75;478. 22. Courtright. P., Lu Fang Hu. Multi drug therapy and eye diseases in leprosy. A cross sectional study in People’s Republic of China. Int . J. Epidemiol. 1994;23(4):835-42. 23. Dr. Margreet Hogeweg, Prevention of Blindness due to Leprosy. ICEH, http://www.iceh.org.uk.

Jane Eyre :: essays papers

Jane Eyre Jane and Rochester Belong Together The overriding theme of Jane Eyre is Jane's continual quest for love. Jane searches for love and acceptance throughout the book. The intelligent, honest, plain-featured girl is forced to contend with oppression, inequality, and hardship. Jane's meets with a series of individuals who threaten her autonomy, but she maintains her principles of justice, human dignity, and morality, as well as her values of intellectual and emotional fulfillment. As a governess though, she is subject to economic and gender enslavement. Maturation and self-recognition become evident to the reader as Jane's journey pursues. However, it is not until Jane spends time at Moor House that her maturation is complete. Jane and Rochester, without a doubt, belong together. Jane needs only to discover this for herself. St. John emerges as the crucial character that helps Jane realize her destiny to be with Rochester. When Jane returns to Rochester, she is an independent woman, fully aware of her desire to love, as well as be loved. From their first meeting in Hay Lane, where Jane "bewitches" Rochester's horse, there is, between Jane and Rochester, an unspoken bond that slowly blossoms into true love and devotion. After what appears to be a brief engagement to the "honorable" Miss Blanche Ingram, whom everyone expects to marry Rochester, he mysteriously calls off the marriage plans and proposes to Jane. In his proposal to Jane, he bares his soul to her, allowing her to look, not into his eyes, but into his soul, where he reveals not the worldly exterior and miseries with which life has saddled him, but the true, pure being beneath. Rochester believes Jane to be his best earthly companion and the only woman who is his equal. Rochester's declaration of love and marriage proposal makes Jane exceedingly happy. Their relationship is alive with passion and the fiery union of two tormented souls imprisoned by Fate and the morals of their time. However, Jane worries about her financial inferiority. Jane hates the thought of marrying "above her station", as she does not want to feel that she somehow "owes" Rochester something. Her feelings and desires for Rochester are tightly bound with her feelings about her social position as well as her position as a woman. Jane tries to swallow her insecurities and continue with the plan to marry, but on their wedding day, Jane discovers Rochester is already married to a mad woman.

Second Variety

Second variety is a wonderful and influential short story written by Philip K. Dick. This is a science fiction which describes the destruction caused to earth surface by nuclear wars making it uninhabitable for human beings. This short story is full of suspense, violence and thrill. In the process of evolution, the second variety is very well equipped to kill the already existing once. Initially it may appear bit difficult to get along the plot, once getting hold then all the turns and twist are amazing.This is a classic piece of literature which conveys a great message to protect human race on earth from the lethal weapons created by man himself. It mainly depicts the destructions caused by nuclear wars. Defeated by Russia, American government flees to moon base and develops advanced technologies to fight back. They develop robots called claws, the killing machine. Soldiers of UN forces are protected by a special kind of wrist tab. They were produced and designed in an unmanned fact ory. Within the span of six years the claws have destroyed the entire Russian army.But later machine overtook man and there was a threat of great disaster. UN forces were urgently summoned by Russians for policy meeting. Major Hendricks is sent for negotiation with Russians On his way he was accompanied by a boy who later turn out to be a 1-V robot. It was reveal that the US wrist tab became ineffective against claws. Along with three Russian soldiers, Hendricks set on a journey to prevent the destruction. And it becomes very difficult for Hendricks to find out who is the second variety robot among his Russian companions. Dick’s short story â€Å"Second Variety† also presented human-like machines, the claws.These machines were made for a world war and eventually broke free of human control, developing machines that could pass as humans (as our smart phones will do someday). Unlike the replicants, the claws were always intent on killing humans-thus necessitating a means to tell them apart. The early models were easily recognized as being non-humans. Unfortunately for the humans in the story, the only way they could tell the most advanced models from humans was by seeing multiple claws of the same variety together. Otherwise, they easily passed as humans right up until the point they started killing.It seems worth considering that the same might apply to psychopaths. To be specific, normal people can catch the psychopaths that are poor mimics, have poor impulse control, have difficulty with behaving responsibly, and possess a poor capacity for assessing consequences. However, the psychopaths that are better mimics, have better impulse control, can seem to act responsibly, and can assess consequences would be far more difficult to spot. Such psychopaths could easily pass as normal humans, much like Glaucon’s unjust man is able to conceal his true nature.As such, perhaps the experts think that these specific traits are part of what it is to be a psychopath because these traits are possessed by the psychopaths they have caught. However, as with the more advanced claws, perhaps the most dangerous psychopaths are eluding detection. At least until it is too late. â€Å"Second Variety† occurs in the aftermath of an extensive nuclear war between the Soviet Union (sometimes referred to as Russia) and the United Nations. Early Soviet victories forced the North American government and production to flee to a Moon Base, leaving the majority of their troops behind.To counter the almost complete Soviet victory, U. N. technicians develop robots, nicknamed claws—the basic models are â€Å"a churning sphere of blades and metal† that ambush their unsuspecting victims â€Å"spinning, creeping, shaking themselves up suddenly from the gray ash and darting toward†¦ [any warm body]. † U. N. forces are protected from the claws by a special radiation-emitting wrist tab. Within six years, the sophisticated and i ndependent claws have destroyed the Soviet forces, repairing and redesigning themselves in automated underground factories run without any human oversight.The U. N. forces receive a message from the Soviets asking for a policy-level officer to go to them for a gravely urgent conference. The U. N. victory was costlier than they had expected. Major Joseph Hendricks is sent to negotiate with the Soviets. En route to the rendezvous, he meets a small boy named â€Å"David† who asks to accompany Hendricks. When they near the Soviet bunker, soldiers immediately kill the boy, revealing him to be a robot. The claws' development program has evolved to develop sophisticated robots identical to humans designed to infiltrate and kill.The three Soviets met by Major Hendricks—Klaus, Rudi and Tasso—reveal that the entire Soviet army and command structure collapsed under the onslaught of the new robots. From salvaged internal metal identification plates, two varieties are identi fied: I-V, a wounded soldier, and III-V, David. The II-V—the â€Å"second variety†Ã¢â‚¬â€remains unknown. The different models are produced independently of each other in different factories. The Soviets also reveal that the U. N. protective tabs are ineffective against the new robots. Hendricks attempts to transmit a warning to his H. Q. unker, but is unable to do so. During the night, Klaus kills Rudi, mistakenly believing he is the II-V. The next morning, Hendricks and the two remaining Soviets return to the U. N. lines. When they reach the bunker, they discover it overrun: a crowd of David and Wounded Soldier model robots attack, but Tasso destroys them with a very powerful hand grenade, stating that it was designed to destroy the robots. Hendricks and Tasso flee, leaving Klaus to the old-style claws. However, Klaus survives both the claws and the bomb blast only to be shot by Tasso, sending â€Å"gears and wheels† flying.Tasso tells Hendricks that Klaus mu st have been the II-V robot. Hendricks, now suffering from a wounded arm and internal injuries, hopes to escape to the Moon Base. He and Tasso search for a hidden escape rocket, which is revealed as a single-seat spacecraft. Hendricks attempts to leave, but Tasso quickly subdues him. She convinces him to let her leave and send back help. In his injured state, he has no choice but to agree. Hendricks provides Tasso with the signal code needed to find the Moon Base.Alone and armed with Tasso's pistol, Hendricks returns to Klaus's remains and discovers from the parts that the robot was not a II-V, but a IV-V. A group of robots then attack Hendricks, including Davids, Wounded Soldiers, and several Tasso—the true II-V—models. Hendricks recognizes that he has doomed the Moon Base by sending a robot to them, and that he cannot withstand the onslaught of robots attacking him. As the Tasso models approach, Hendricks notices the bombs clipped to their belts, and recalls that the first Tasso used one to destroy other claws.At his end, Hendricks is vaguely comforted by the thought that the claws are designing, developing, and producing weapons meant for killing other claws. Dick said of the story: â€Å"My grand theme—who is human and who only appears (masquerading) as human? —emerges most fully. Unless we can individually and collectively be certain of the answer to this question, we face what is, in my view, the most serious problem possible. Without answering it adequately, we cannot even be certain of our own selves. I cannot even know myself, let alone you. So I keep working on this theme; to me nothing is as important a question.And the answer comes very hard. â€Å"[1] Reviewing the story, critic Zack Handlen wrote, â€Å"‘Second Variety' is grim, violent, and suspenseful. There’s enough characterization to keep the protagonists from being indistinguishable, but not much beyond that. While most of the twists are easy to s pot once you discover the main plot—basically [an] ‘Are you or aren’t you a machine' deal—they still have an impact, and Dick makes his point quite clearly. Which isn’t something you can say for much of his other work—[‘Second Variety'] is the most user-friendly piece of his I’ve read.There’s enough uncertainty to know it’s Dick; questions of identity keep popping up, and the good guys/bad guys line is pretty well obliterated by the end. But the plot is logical, and there is a point A to point B to point C evolution that you can follow without too much trouble. † He also remarked on the similarities between â€Å"Second Variety† and the Terminator films, writing: â€Å"When the claws/screamers start changing, their newest models take human forms for much the same reasons the T-800 was created. â€Å"

Consequences of Bullying

It is a common thought that bullying is a normal stage of childhood, but more than a part of growth is a violent act that nowadays has taken place in many schools around the world. However, studies show that this issue would bring big consequences to all the factors involved on it; bullying can cause more than negative academic, physical, social, emotional, and psychological consequences on victims and bullies. These consequences can be short-term or long-term. Bullying can also greatly affect the overall climate of a school. On the first place, as a result of being bullied, victims may experience different and immediate mental and physical health related consequences. They may present a higher level of anxiety, and longer spaces of sadness, also some sleeping difficulties, head and stomach ache, and above all these, victims may present a very low self-esteem. Researchers from Finland discovered that victims are more likely than bullies to suffer from anxiety disorders, such as depression, separation anxiety, panic disorder, among others. Also, this psychological stress can cause victims' bodies to be less resistant to disease and infection, and therefore they may get sick more often. In the social area, is hard to victims to have friends in general because of their high anxiety level and low self-esteem, for this reason they have just a few friends or none at all. This may lead to feelings of isolation and believing that they are not even worthy of having friends. Also, other kids often do not want to become friends with the victims, because they are afraid that they will be bullied as well. Another reason that other kids do not hang around with victims is because they worry that peers will not like them if they associate with the victims; those feelings of loneliness and sadness presented on victims can also lead to consequences related to their learning and school success, the victim might present poor school attendance because in many case they may become afraid of going to school and many activities at school, for this reason students often receive lower grades due to attendance problems, and also due to their stress and concern. The victims in general become obsessed with the bullying and how to try to avoid it. This leaves them no time, energy, or concern for schoolwork and learning. A vicious cycle can occur because the victim's poor school performance can lead to embarrassment and anxiety, which can in turn cause them to be picked on even more. Another possible result of being bullied is that the victims may become violent, either at the time of the bullying or in their futures. This violent behavior may be focused toward themselves, toward their school in general, or may even be directed as revenge toward the bullies themselves. Sometimes that violent behavior can lead to a higher level of bullying towards the victim, as the bullies would want revenge on the victim for bullying them. It is believed by experts and researchers on Finland that some of the school shootings are related to bullying. Students who committed school shootings were over two times as likely to have reported that they were victims of bullying. In some cases the bullying may become brutal on extreme and last for so long time that the victims may present thoughts of suicide, or in some cases the victim actually commits suicide on secret, because not even their families believe the issues that the child was living. On the other hand we have the bullies; children who bully others also experience several short term and long term consequences of their bullying behavior. They are more likely to get involved in harmful activities, both as a child and as an adult. While they are still young, they may steal or vandalize property, start or join in on physical fights, become injured in a fight, skip school, carry a weapon in order to scare others, or use alcohol and other drugs. They are also five times more likely to be taken to criminal court and to be found guilty of a crime than are their peers who do not participate in bullying behavior. Most of bullies do not overcome that violent behavior when they get older. Instead, the aggressiveness continues through adulthood. Also, the bullies may be four or more times as likely as non-bullies to be involved in numerous convictions of crimes. The bullies in general develop a necessity for power that is carried into their adult years. As adults, these bullies abuse of this power by being involved in sexual and racial harassment, child abuse, domestic violence, etc. Their need for power can also show up in how they parent their own children. In turn, their children may even bully other children in the future. In some cases bullies tend to have an antisocial personality disorder as opposed to anxiety disorders. An antisocial personality disorder involves a long-term disregard for others, delinquent behavior, violence, aggression, and violation of the rights of others. In other words, since bullies do not learn appropriate social skills when they are young, they grow up to be antisocial adults. They will have poor relationships with others, including family members, friends, and co-workers, among others. Finally victims aren't the only ones who may become depressed, think about suicide, or carry out suicide; in some cases, the same can be true for bullies. To conclude, it is important to notice that all these signs, which may not be present in the moment, would cause awful consequences to every part of this issue in the future and is not something that may be taken easily, on the contrary, must be treated carefully to help as much students as can be taken out of that, for those results presented before, we must stay alert at the sight of them and not blinding ourselves, in order to avoid the involvement of more students in the future.