Despite the absence of god or gods, as well as a lack of concern for Essay

Despite the absence of god or gods, as well as a lack of concern for the afterworld, Theravada Buddhism and Confucianism can be considered religious traditions - Essay Example All these aim to get enlightenment and achieve nirvana, and thus be liberated from all the cycles of births and deaths and related sufferings. There are two main branches of the Buddhist religion. Theravada is the oldest surviving form of Buddhism that is still in practice mainly in Sri Lanka and in some parts of south East Asia. Mahayana form is practiced in the East Asia, while a variant of Mahayana known as the Vajrayana is often referred to as the third branch. Confucianism is a way of thinking that is more philosophical than religious, which originated in China. The founder of this form of ethical way of thinking, was Confucius (551- 478 BC), who lived around the same time as that of Lord Buddha. Confucianism deals with the ethical, moral, social, philosophical and to some extent religious aspects of life and has exerted tremendous influence in the cultural heritage of East Asia. It has become the state religion in some countries of this region. Confucianism lays stress on devel oping the moral ethics of a person so that a state can be governed by moral rules alone, and not by any enforced legal system. This article will explore and examine the various tenets of Theravada Buddhism and Confucianism and discuss whether these two form of practices with their absence of gods or any god like figures, and their utter lack of concern for the afterworld can be referred to as a religious traditions, or best be left to calling, as only philosophical thoughts. Theravada Buddhism: Theravada Buddhism translated literally means ‘teaching of the elderly,’ originated in India and is said to be the oldest form of Buddhism that is still in practice today. It is a conservative form of religious practice, and its sutras are said to be the closest to original doctrines of Lord Buddha. It has been the chief religion of Sri Lanka, Thailand, Cambodia and Burma for many centuries, and is also practiced in some parts of Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia,

Determination of Glucose Concentration Using Trinder Method

Determination of Glucose Concentration Using Trinder Method The Trinder method is used to determine glucose concentration only, (Lott et al, 1975). This method was first described by Trinder in 1969 thus named after him, (Lott et al, 1975). It uses an enzyme glucose oxidase for the first reaction and peroxidase for the second reaction thus the name of the enzyme Glucose oxidase/peroxidase (GODPOD), (Meiattin, 1973). Enzymes are biological or any chemical catalysts that speed up a reaction without it being used up, (Jan, 2010). It functions to catalyse a reaction by lowering the activation energy of the reaction. Activation energy is the energy needed to initiate the reaction. It is a point of high energy and requires more energy than the substrates. An enzyme also contains an active site for the substrate to catalyse the reaction. Its efficiency depends on the concentration of the substrate and conditions like temperature or pH, (Hames et al, 2005). The Trinder method, is based on two sequential enzymatic reactions, the first one involves the oxidation of glucose to gluconic acid and H2O2, (Casabnon et al, 2005). This reaction is catalysed by the enzyme Glucose oxidase. Then, the H2O2produced is quantified by a chromogenic reaction with peroxidase (POD), as the enzyme that catalyses the reaction with the reduced dye, (Casabnon et al, 2005). The oxidised dye changes colour to pink or red according to the glucose concentration. The colour formed is stable at room temperature for at least two hours after development, (Anon, 2010). The main advantage of this method is that it is very specific. It doesnt target other sugars except glucose. It is also simple straight forward and easy to manipulate. Its results are very reliable and specific, (Bauninger, 1974). Its final products are stable as they are not reactive at room temperature. Other colorimetric methods to identify glucose include, oxidation of glucose in the presence of Cu+2 to give Cu2O, and different types of Chromatography, (Casabnon et al, 2005). Glucose can be detected with o-toledine or other amines, (Casabnon et al, 2005). The experiment had to check for the specificity of the assay thus other carbohydrates were assayed. These were galactose, fructose, maltose and ribose. Maltose is a disaccharide which is made up of two glucose molecules joined together by a glycosidic bond. Galactose is a major sugar found in milk, (Hames et al, 2005). Its structure consists of six carbons with a glycosidic bond to join the next glucose molecule, (Berg et al, 2007). Fructose is abundant in fruits. It is a monosaccharide with six carbons as its structure. Ribose is a pentose sugar molecule with 5 carbons. It is mostly abundant in the nucleotides. The aim of the experiment was to determine glucose concentration in different concentrated solutions and unknown solutions. The specificity of the assay was to be determined by application of the assay on different sugar molecules. A standard curve was to be drawn from the absorbencies acquired from the spectrophotometer at 515nm Materials 12 Test tubes 2 Long pipette tips 1ml of 0.5mM Fructose 1ml of 0.5mM Maltose 1ml of 0.5mM Galactose 1ml of Unknown Glucose 1ml of 0.5mM Ribose 5ml of 0, 5mM Glucose 5ml of Distilled water 7ml of 0.1% Phenol 20ml of GODPOD Reagent 9 pipette tips 8 Disposable Cuvettes Black Marker Stop watch P100 Pipette Automatic pipette Recoding paper and pen Spectrophotometer at 515nm Water bath at 37oC Test tubes rack Blotting paper Method The test tubes were marked T1 to T6, for those that had to be inoculated with glucose and S1 to S6, for those that had to be inoculated with different types of sugars. They were arranged in order of concentration on the rack. One row was left out for agitating the test tubes. Inoculation commenced by transferring glucose into different test tubes T1being the least concentrated. 0.5mM of Glucose was transferred using a P100 pipette and not changing the tip. 0.2cm3 was inoculated into T2, 0.4 cm3 into T3, 0.6 cm3 into T4, 0.8cm3 into T5 and 1.0 cm3into T6. Distilled water was then inoculated into the test tubes using a different tip to avoid cross contamination. One centimetre cubed was inoculated into T1, 0.8 cm3 into T2, 0.6 cm3 into T3, 0.4 cm3 into T4 and 0.2 cm3 into T5. There was no water inoculated into the last tube T6. Phenol was then inoculated into all the twelve test tubes. It was transferred using a different tip to avoid cross contamination. One centimetre cubed of different sugars were inoculated in specific S tubes. 0.5mM of Galactose was inoculated into S1, 0.5mM of Glucose was inoculated into S2, Glucose unknown was inoculated into S3, 0.5mM of Fructose was inoculated into S4, 0.5mM of Maltose was inoculated into S5 and then 0.5mM of Ribose was inoculated into S6. These transfers were done with different tips for different sugars. One and half millilitres of GODPOD reagent was then inoculated into all the test tubes using an automatic pipette and a long pipette tip. The test tubes were then agitated on the rack and incubated in the water bath for forty minutes. The temperature was constantly checked during incubation. After forty minutes, the solutions changed colour from colourless to light pink according to the concentration. These different solutions were then read on a spectrophotometer in a cuvette. The spectrophotometer was zeroed at first then absorbencies of Glucose and other sugars were read and recorded. A cuvette was wiped on the soft side to minimize absorbencies caused by contamination. These different absorbencies were recorded on a table. Discussion The reactions of glucose with the GODPOD were slow due to the fact that the enzyme was stored in ice thus it took long for the reaction to take place. The enzymes structure was disrupted because it was kept in cold thus it took time to equilibrate with the conditions. The reason why GODPOD was slow to react was because it is sensitive to its environment, (Teal et al, 1985). Enzymes are sensitive to pressure, temperature and pH. This added to the fact that the colour produced was not very dark because the enzyme was adjusting to the conditions. The enzyme also didnt denature because it was kept in ice at 4oC not in the heat above 40oC. On the graph, the points that are not on the line of best fit might have appeared because there might have been a competitive inhibitor thus the reaction didnt go on well owing to reduced absorbance. The inhibitor might have been so because of cross contamination. The same pipette might have been used to transfer the solutions thus cross contamination. The specificity of the enzymes might have caused the other solutions not to produce reliable results. Enzymes are sensitive to pH, (Jan, 2010). The pH of the test tube might have been so low or higher than the required thus some of the points are not in the line of best fit. This might have been avoided by carrying out the experiment repeatedly and then getting average values. When the enzyme was applied to the other sugars, there was no absorbance at all because the enzyme is specific to one substrate thus it didnt catalyse the reaction of other sugars and GODPOD. There might have no absorbance because these sugars might have their own wavelengths they absorb the light. This might have been avoided by scanning the various wavelengths and determine the exact wavelength. The unknown glucoses were determined by the use of the graph. The line of best fit was used to determine the glucose concentration. An equation was used also to determine the concentrations. The other points not on the line of the best fit might be there because the transitional state might have been great, thus when thirty minutes had passed, the enzyme had not gone past the transitional stage. This might have been characteristic of the colours produced according to the concentration of the different solutions. The unknown glucose solutions showed to have the same concentration as the stock solution. It might have the same compounds and properties as the stock solution. The results of the experiment were according to the literature values. This was highlighted by the absorbencies of stock solutions and different sugars. The specificity of the reaction was achieved. In conclusion, the aims of the experiment were achieved by obtain reliable data and results. The standard curve showed the absorbencies of the different solutions and unknowns.

Essay --

Lifelong Learning Lifelong learning is the process of gaining knowledge based on an individual’s interest and developing skills throughout the life to improve their life irrespective of traditional educational schooling activities. This long term process influences an individual’s personal development and improves their thinking and thought process thus recreating themselves in a new experience of the positiveness. These learning’s can be of different types ranging from the home education, cultural learning, personal learning, spiritual learning, learning to keep up to date with technologies and local medical sciences education etc. Learning through experiences in life helps an individual to visualize the purpose of life from a new prospective that inspires them to be self-contended. Importance of Lifelong Learning Lifelong learning is important because knowledge is the primary source of value in the world today and ability to expand our mind and thinking out of box is the key to attain success. For example to be successful in your career/field you need to be up-to-date with the information and knowledge available in your field and this needs a lifelong learning. Lifelong learning improves cognitive abilities and positive thinking. For example in India many people give importance to Vedas and Indian literature which also has information on every aspect of life. People learn these through home education, self-interest or in a Vedic school. People who learn Vedas and Indian literature participate in Avadhana (a kind of quiz which tests your cognitive ability). Those who have completed these Avadhana’s successfully are proved to have good cognitive abilities. Indian music and traditional dances (like bharathanatyam, kathak, kuchip... ...also makes me influential. So having a greater knowledge will help me tackle problems and overcome challenges.. This change makes me involve in more other activities and eventually leads me to a successful Engineer. Education brings me a healthy body and mind throughout my life. Finally a career that embraces a program of continuous lifelong learning will ensure that I have a successful career. Because every moment of time, everywhere, under all circumstances something is being added to our previous attainments. My Career will be filled with many proud accomplishments, earning respect from colleagues, friends and a career that is fun and exciting. References: Blog: http://www.questia.com/library/education/higher-and-adult-education/lifelong-learning Paper: http://www.ieeeusa.org/communications/ebooks/files/47skc0ie/Launching-Your-Career-Lifelong-Learning.pdf

Eugene Onegin Comparison

Eugene Onegin The transformation from a novel in verse to an opera Although written in the early 1800s, Eugene Onegin, a novel in verse written by Alexander Pushkin, is still regarded as one of the most influential and beautifully written pieces of work to this day. As it shifted cultural norms, opened new discussions, gave way to new forms of writing, and introduced novel approaches that envisioned life in a different light, Eugene Onegin was revolutionary.With its central theme revolving around the conflict between dreams and reality, the novel in verse caught the attention of readers all over the world, with over thirteen translations written. As well, other artists have adapted the work and interpreted it through their own art forms, including a ballet by John Cranko in 1965, and the famous opera by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, which opened in 1879.Tchaikovsky’s interpretation in particular gathered much success and worldwide recognition, arguably more than that of Pushkinâ⠂¬â„¢s novel. While the characters and the storyline are mainly preserved, Pushkin’s main characters – Lensky, Onegin, and Tatyana – become more multi-dimensional and relatable in Tchaikovsky’s opera. Because he was an artist in the romanticism era, Tchaikovsky adds his own inspiration to the novel when changing it to an opera, creating many noticeable distinctions between the two.Compared to the novel in verse, the operatic version of Eugene Onegin has various deviations due to Tchaikovsky’s romanticism and character bias, which include changes in the duel scene, the increased favouritism of certain characters by Tchaikovsky, and the absence of a narrator. Throughout the course of Pushkin’s novel in verse, there are four main parts of the storyline that grab the attention of the reader and create the plot. One of the four scenes is a duel between Onegin and his best friend Vladimir Lensky, after Lensky caught Onegin flirting shamelessly wit h his fiancee.This scene was considerably altered between both artworks, as there was a very strong difference in the portrayal of Onegin’s guilt in the novel and in the opera. In Pushkin’s novel Onegin is very remorseful and heartbroken after killing his best friend. The narrator notes: Deluged with instant cold, Onegin hastens to the youth, Looks, calls him†¦ vainly: He is no more. The youthful bard Has met with an untimely end! †¦ In the ache of the heart’s remorse, His hand squeezing the pistol, At Lensky Eugene looks. â€Å"well, what – he’s dead,† pronounced the neighbor [Zaretsky] Dead!†¦With this dreadful interjection Smitten, Onegin with a shudder Walks hence and calls his men. In this piece, it is evident that Onegin is deeply conflicted with the crime he had committed. Dealing with the death of his friend, Onegin leaves town to find peace of mind. In the opera, however, Tchaikovsky leaves little time for Onegin†™s mourning. In the novel, Zaretsky, a friend of Lensky who attended the duel, is the first to speak after the fight finishes. Contrary to the novel, instead of Zaretsky being the first to speak of the death, it is Onegin who brusquely asks â€Å"Is he dead? In most stagings of this opera, Onegin simply walks to Lenksy’s body as if to double-check his passing. As scholar Julia Torgovitskaya states, â€Å"Because in an opera it would be difficult to convey a considerable length of time passing [i. e. for Onegin to mourn Lensky’s death], Tchaikovsky allows the scene to end right after Lensky has fallen. † The result of this change of scene from the novel to the opera is highly profound. In Pushkin’s story, readers are able to sympathize with Onegin in understanding his regret.Readers turn to Onegin and Tatyana’s communion as the happy ending they yearn for in the face of Lenksy’s tragic death. In the opera, on the other hand, the audience b egins to demonize Onegin, and there is a negative incline and desire for Onegin and Tatyana to be together. This single scene, being different between the two art forms, changes the entire mood of the story and the attitudes the audience would have towards its characters. The changes of certain scenes also come from Tchaikovsky’s bias towards specific characters, which result in a different presentation of their personalities on stage.Tchaikovsky, being an advocate of romanticism, presents the characters of Tatyana and Lensky in a more compassionate and sensitive manner. The opera differs from the novel as certain characters are viewed in a much stronger light, and their prominence has shifted. For instance, the character of Tatyana, a young, shy but passionate woman, was highly recognized and loved by Tchaikovsky. Due to this, the letter scene, where Tatyana spends an entire night writing and confessing her love for Onegin, was more emphasized and intimate, leaving the audie nce touched by Tatyana’s courageousness.With the addition of music, this scene was the longest and most complex solo section of the opera, further establishing the deep bond Tchaikovsky had for the character of Tatyana. After working on the writing of the letter scene, Tchaikovsky wrote â€Å"Being completely immersed in composition, I so thoroughly identified myself with the image of Tatyana that she became for me like a living person, together with everything that surrounded her. I loved Tatyana, and was furiously indignant with Onegin who seemed to me a cold, heartless fop. † With this magnetism, there was a shift in directive depiction between the main characters.It is important to note that in this opera, much of Pushkin’s text is cut out due to length (for it takes longer to sing a verse than utter written words or phrases), but the scenes with Tatyana and Lensky remained largely unchanged. For example, the night before the duel, Lensky writes to his wife a love letter pouring his heart out, knowing he is to die the next day. In the opera, Tchaikovsky has Lensky sing the contents of this letter in a heartfelt aria. Although it is very moving and beautiful, it is very far from Pushkin’s character of Lensky.In Pushkin’s work, instead of praising Lensky for his poetic nature and optimism, the narrator indicates that his romantic idealism stands as the result of his lack of world experience and naivete: He did his best to hold back the cynical comments that came to his lips, reflecting to himself, ‘It’s stupid for me to spoil his momentary bliss – it’ll vanish soon enough without my help. Meanwhile let him live on the belief that the world’s a perfect place. Youth is a kind of fever, and we must forgive the young their fire and their delirium.Although the narrator in Pushkin’s novel ridiculed this youthful euphoria, Tchaikovsky encourages and emphasizes the tenderness radiating from Lenksy. Thus, there is a considerable amount of romanticism added to both plot and character in Tchaikovsky’s opera in comparison to Pushkin’s novel. Finally, the most controversial deviation of the opera from the novel in verse is the absence of a narrator. This results in a critical difference between the two art forms, as the narrator’s input, digressions and lessons are not present in the opera, thereby changing the story’s defining attributes.In the novel, the narrator serves many roles, one being a voice of sarcasm and ridicule towards the characters, showing them the irony in which they live their lives. When reading the novel, readers were unsure of whether to be sympathetic to some characters, for it was possible that the narrator would interrupt with sarcasm or mockery revealing that the characters were undeserving of compassion. In the opera, the role of the narrator is removed, resulting in a more straightforward version of Pushkin’s ta le, where the characters clearly either deserve sympathy in their troubles or do not.In the novel, there was no need for characters to introduce themselves, due to the presence of a narrator, but in the opera, there are characters that have to introduce themselves to the audience. This happens, for instance, in the dueling scene (scene 5) where Zaretsky introduces himself: I am a pedant where the class duel is concerned, And I am naturally methodical. I do not allow a man to be stretched out Any old way†¦ In this scene, Zaretsky has to speak of himself to Onegin before the duel, explaining who he is and why he is there.This is completely different from the novel, where the narrator explains everything without awkward dialogue: Zaretsky, once a reprobate, Gambler-in-chief, an intimate And sage of inns, a philanderer; Kind and sober, now, instead, Father of many, still unwed†¦ Many scholars, such as Richard Taruskin, argue that in this opera, â€Å"the music, quite simply, is the narrator. From the very first sung notes†¦ the music acts as a very busy and detached mediator of situations and feelings. † This can be seen through the different musical pieces that play for each character, which in turn contribute to the audience’s interpretation of the character.For instance, Tatyana received the most colourful and lyrically driven music, while Onegin sings less memorable lines with simpler orchestral accompaniment. Although, one should note that the musical accompaniment of the characters’ actions are also biased, as the music that plays is the music that reflects how Tchaikovsky views them. Tchaikovsky, in one way, creates a new narrator by deciding how the characters will appeal to the audience, using music as his tool. For example, Tchaikovsky views Onegin as incapable of having genuine feelings, and so the music attributed to him is less inspired than that attributed to Lensky.In addition, the narrator in Pushkin’s nov el constantly interrupts the progression of the novel, which creates a storyline where two things occur simultaneously. In the opera this effect is achieved in a less destructive manner, because as novelists must arrange things in a sequential order, â€Å"musicians can simultaneously present and comment without recourse to digression. † When an event or conversation is happening on its own, it can be accompanied by music that tells a different story; consequently, two conversations can take place at the same time.The music plays, in this way, a role similar to a narrator, as it feeds information to the reader as events unfold, and gives insight on the situations through melodic remedies. Therefore, in the transition from novel in verse to opera, Tchaikovsky dropped the character of the narrator, and used music as a tool of explaining the story. In conclusion, the conversion of Eugene Onegin from a novel in verse to an opera includes many various deviations from the overall p lot and character emphasis in the story. With Tchaikovsky’s affinity and bond with the characters of Tatyana and Lensky, he portrays Onegin as demonic and insignificant.With this affinity, he manipulates the original storyline with romanticism to fool the audience into sympathizing with Tatyana and Lensky, whereas Pushkin’s narrator is notorious for ridiculed them. Furthermore, Tchaikovsky takes advantage of the absence of a narrator, and uses music’s capacity for emotional influence to further implement his bias for Tatyana, Lensky and Onegin. The narrator in Pushkin’s novel serves as a source of information to provide the readers with context concerning the setting, characters and story line where as Tchaikovsky uses character dialogue to provide such information.Overall the changes between Pushkin’s Eugene Onegin and Tchaikovsky’s operatic telling of the story were controversial but allowed for two different expressions of the same story. These deviations can be attributed to Tchaikovsky’s affinity for romanticism and his preference for Tatyanna and Lensky in comparison to his strong dislike for Onegin. Nevertheless, both versions of Eugene Onegin are still regarded as powerful pieces of artwork. Despite their differences, however, both tales leaves their audiences craving for answers to their questions: what happens next? Bibliography Brown, David.Tchaikovsky, The Crisis Years, W. W Norton; New York and London, 1983 Debreczeny, Paul. Social Functions of Literature: Alexander Pushkin and Russian Culture. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 1997. Doran, Molly. The Transformation of Pushkin’s Eugene Onegin into Tchaikovsky’s Opera. Bowling Green State University, Ohio. 2012. Eugene Onegin. Wikipedia; Wikimedia Foundation. 2013. < http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Eugene_Onegin>. Pushkin, Alexandr. Translated by Vladimir Nabokov. Eugene Onegin. Princeton University Press: Princeton, 1990. Pushkin , Alexandr. Translated by A. S. Kline. Eugene Onegin. 2009.Pushkin, Alexandr. Eugene Onegin & Other Stories, Wordsworth Editions Limited; London, 2005 Taruskin, Richard. Defining Russia Musically. Princeton University Press: Princeton, 1997. Tchaikovsky, Peter Ilyitch. Eugene Onegin in full score. Dover Publications, Inc. : New York, 1997. Tchaikovsky, Peter Ilyitch. Eugene Onegin. Decca Recording with Royal Opera House; Coven Garen. Torgovitskaya, Julia. Eugene Onegin’s Journey Through Time: An Analysis of the Meanin and Effect of Major Themes in Pushkin’s Novel In Verse, Tchaikovsky’s Opera, and Other Adaptations of the Work and Their Relevance to Today’s World.Tuft’s University. 2009. ——————————————– [ 1 ]. Torgovitskaya, Julia. Eugene Onegin’s Journey Through Time; Tufts University, 2009, page 5 [ 2 ]. Pushkin, Alexandr. Eugene Onegin & Other Stories, Wordsworth Editions Limited; London, 2005, page XXXVI [ 3 ]. Torgovitskaya, Julia. Eugene Onegin’s Journey Through Time; Tufts University, 2009, page 5 [ 4 ]. Pushkin, Alexandr. Translated by Vladimir Nabokov. Eugene Onegin, 241, [Chapter 6, Part XXXI]. [ 5 ]. Pushkin, Alexandr. Translated by Vladimir Nabokov. Eugene Onegin. 43. [Chapter 6, Part XXXV]. [ 6 ]. Torgovitskaya, J. Eugene Onegin’s Journey Through Time; Tufts University, 2009, page 27 [ 7 ]. Doran, Molly. The Transformation of Pushkin’s Eugene Onegin into Tchaikovsky’s Opera, Bowling Green State University, Ohio, 2012, page 23 [ 8 ]. Doran, Molly. The Transformation of Pushkin’s Eugene Onegin into Tchaikovsky’s Opera, Bowling Green State University, Ohio, 2012, page 43 [ 9 ]. Quoted in David Brown, Tchaikovsky, The Crisis Years, W. W Norton; New York and London, 1983, 143 [ 10 ]. Torgovitskaya, Julia.Eugene Onegin’s Journey Through Time; Tufts University, 2009, page 24 [ 11 ]. Pushkin, Alexandr. Eugene Onegin & Other Stories, Wordsworth Editions Limited; London, 2005, page 25(10-15) [ 12 ]. Tchaikovsky, P. Decca recording of Eugene Onegin, Royal Opera House, Coven Garden, scene 5 [ 13 ]. Pushkin, Alexandr. Eugene Onegin, translated by A. S. Kline, 2009, 128 [Chapter 6, stanza 4] [ 14 ]. Taruskin, Richard. Defining Russia Musically, Princeton University Press; Princeton, 1997, 53-54 [ 15 ]. Taruskin, Richard. Defining Russia Musically, Princeton University Press; Princeton, 1997, 54

Last community group modifed

A Community Group is a group of people who come together to pursue a common cause or interest for the good of their communityIn Kuwait, a few community groups which were formed in the past were mainly strongly linked to the government and their decisions were influenced by the government’s whims. Among the community groups prominent in Kuwait, was Bait Al-Zakah Al-Kuwaiti, which helped the underprivileged people and economically disadvantaged countries, the Kuwaiti Disable Club established in 1971, and the Environmental Public Authority which was a joint venture by government associations and community groups. These groups were the first agencies in Kuwait that was interested in environmental betterment of the society.In 1992, when there was an oil well fire in Kuwait caused by the Iraqi soldiers, volunteers lent their helping hands to the firemen to stop quell the fire. Soon afterwards, the Volunteers Work Centre (VWC) was established. However due to a number of reasons like family   responsibility, priorities after the war, hot environment, lack of knowledge about the importance of voluntary work, educational backwardness of the masses etc, people didn’t come forward in large numbers to offer voluntary services. This is compounded by the fact that the government offered a high standard of living to the people.In recent times, a number of community groups were formed in Kuwait, which was independent and free of government influence. These groups which played an important role in the social reforms of Kuwait are divided into two sections:Section 1: This group were entitled the Volunteers Work Centre, consisting of   (14 groups), such as The Disable Centre. Each group in this section has their own voluntary program and they interacted with other groups to discuss and update their work strategies. Section 2: This section consists of groups who are working independently of the previous section, such as The Diving Centre.This essay will discuss br iefly the group community development in Kuwait with several success stories.Group Community DevelopmentDue to the timely and successful voluntary services provided by the Volunteer Centre, especially in controlling the burning oil fields and because of the support that they have received from the government, different community groups have been established under aegis of the Volunteer Centre. The Voluntary Centre has acted as a unifying factor in brining different community groups under one umbrella.The community groups together with the Volunteer Centre sensitized the masses about the need of voluntary services, and about their works as well through the help of media. In order to sensitize the masses, they mostly choose specific days in the shopping malls, to do their surveys, to educate the people, and to create awareness about the importance of voluntary services. Shopping malls are chosen for publicity and awareness building purpose because most people frequent such malls. The groups also initiated programs in school and University premises to encourage young people to come forward and join voluntary services, since sensitizing the younger generation was easier than older people. The internet too had become an attractive tool for sensitization of masses and to introduce the community groups to the society.Due to sensitization efforts, volunteers started to enrol directly to specific community groups; however, most of the volunteers went directly to the Volunteer Centre and they were assigned to various community groups according to their area of interests. Some of the volunteers had no specific backgrounds in community service or voluntary work, while others had meagre experience and could not decide where they would fit best. For such groups, the Volunteer Centre had specific programs to train them in specific area and then divide them into groups that fit their interests. Besides this, the Volunteer Centre provides volunteers to specific group community when they request for volunteers, or train new members on request.Sometimes when a group is faced with problems which can not be resolved within the group, it seeks the help from other groups through the Volunteer Centre for specialized intervention. The Volunteer Centre, through networking with different community   groups finds specialist from other groups suitable for resolving the issue. For instance, if the Disabled People Centre, which is one of the Volunteer Centre 14 groups, encountered a problem with their website, they can request the Volunteer Centre to provide them specialised manpower from community group with IT expertise to resolve their crisis.   Another example of significant cooperation between the Volunteer Centre groups can be seen from the fact that the Horses Group, after being requested by the Disabled People Centre, has trained horses especially for the disabled people.One of the successful group community under The Volunteer Centre of section one, is Th e Disabled People Centre. This centre was formed in 1999; The organizational structure of the Centre consists of a manager, assistant manager, secretaries and specialists etc. Voluntary work is carried out in a systematic and formal manner. Any request or help sought from the Centre has to be formally registered, along with a written application, which is either approved or disapproved with the consent of members or secretaries. The centre has dress code for volunteers and uniforms are provided by the centre.The Disabled People Centre is divided into several sub-centres. While one sub-centre directly deals with the patients, another organizes the media campaign and look after publicity affairs. Yet another sub-centre solicits and coordinates donation by seeking financial help either from individual donors or aid agencies or as well as request equipments from prospective donors for the disabled people. One sub-section coordinates with other groups (local or overseas), organize compet itions, ceremonies as well as other public relations campaigns.Another successful independent community group of section 2 is The Kuwait divers’ centre which started with two leaders in 1995. The group taught diving to members of other groups and made them understand the importance of diving for the protection of marine environment. The group organised overseas trips to gain first hand experience, so that they could compare the difference between the marine environments of Kuwait with other places. The group runs as a team which consists of two leaders, their assistants, eight core members and 94 volunteers. It seeks to popularise the diving sport and to conserve the environment, particularly the marine environment. The community group is divided into two parts:The training team teaches interested people how to dive. In the process, they expect some of these people to join their team, thus ensuring a sustainable future for the community group. The environmental conservation t eam, which educates the trainers about the need to save and protect our environment, also publishes and distributes educational brochures, and take resort to   other forms of media channels such as TV and radio to educate the broader community.Both the team coordinate with each other under the direct guidance of group leaders and their assistants. The age and the qualifications of the members play an important role in determining the member’s position in the team’s hierarchy. It is part of the Kuwaiti tradition and culture to respect a person positioned above in the hierarchy.The diver centre has accomplished some great task in the field of marine conservation which earned them more attention and recognition. This has helped in their expansion and growth. Till date, they have trained around 780 trainers, discovered wrecked ships in the Persian Gulf, trained members of the Ministry of Interior, published the â€Å"Kuwait Marine Environment Encyclopaedia†, disco vered and mapped good diving spots in Kuwait, and was the first group train the disabled people   in the Middle East.The cooperation between the Kuwait Disabled People Club (different from Disabled People Centre) and the Divers Group has earned great respect and accolade from the society in general, and other community groups in particular. Since the group has demonstrated success with handicapped people, other groups from overseas have expressed their interest in the Kuwaiti diver group’s diving program for the disabled.The successful endeavour by the voluntary groups of Kuwait has earned them great respect (both locally and internationally) and demand for their services has grown manyfold since their inception. Due to the small size of Kuwait, the group’s activities were widely dispersed. For the successful functioning of the community groups, the cooperation of the society is crucial. Cash or cheque donations as well as donations in terms of goods and services by generous Kuwaiti citizens helped these community groups cope with emergency situations with commendable ease.

Monroe Hospital

Monroe Hospital Montgomery Hospital Statement of Major Issues: Management at Montgomery Hospital has recently recognized the need to redesign operations to survive in a rapidly changing health care environment. A critical issue facing Montgomery is its inability to expand existing facilities to meet ambulatory needs. The hospital is also faced with the uncertainties of it?s patient?s health care insurance coverage. A recent study suggested that alternative delivery systems such as HMO and PPO plans could increase to 50% by 1995.To strengthen the Hospital?s strategic position in the region, the new CEO, James Gainer, believes that the Hospital should concentrate on building alliances with physicians, other health care institutions and appropriate institutions outside of the health care industry. Only through partnerships and associations can the hospital control resources that are used to treat patients and achieve it?s new mission to serve the community through decentralized family care centers.To f acilitate the goal of collaborating with external stakeholders, the hospital needs an information processing system that can combine information across functions and institutions.Montgomery, AlabamaData capture includes service usage, satisfaction and demographics. The current system is not capable of these functions nor can it link case mix and patient flow to cost accounting. In fact, useful marketing information such as patient satisfaction and needs is unavailable or is not fully understood.Alliances with other health care entities and shared patient information are key to reshaping Montgomery?s health care delivery system. Given the new direction of the hospital, the major issues of this case are how to manage external alliances and develop an Information System to support strategic goals within the next two years.History/Background of the Organization: Montgomery is a community hospital that provides basic health care services at it?s 488 bed facility. Under the leadership of CEO, Ed Thompson, the hospital experienced...

China Revolution essays

China Revolution essays In the 19th century, China had a lot new treaties and wars breaking out, all throught the 19th century. Some are like the Opium War(s), The Boxer Rebellion, and Sphere of Influence. These things were a big part of Chinas history. The Opium War was two wars fought between Great Britain and China in whom Western powers gained significant commercial privileges and territory. The Opium Wars began when the Chinese government tried to stop the illegal importation of opium by British merchants. The First Opium War started in 1839 when the Chinese government confiscated opium warehouses in Guangzhou (Canton). Britain responded by sending an expedition of warships to the city in February 1840. The British won a quick victory and the conflict was ended by the Treaty of Nanking (Nanjing) on August 29, 1842. By this treaty, and a supplementary one signed on October 8, 1843, China was forced to pay a large indemnity, open five ports to British trade and residence, and cede Hong Kong to Great Britain. The treaty also gave British citizens in China the right to be tried in British courts. Other Western powers demanded, and were granted, similar privileges. In October 1856, Guangzhou police boarded the British ship Arrow and charged its crew with smuggling. Eager to gain more trading rights, the British used the incident to launch another offensive, precipitating the Second Opium War. British forces, aided by the French, won another quick military victory in 1857. When the Chinese government refused to ratify the Treaty of Tianjin, which had been signed in 1858, the hostilities resumed. In 1860, after British and French troops had occupied Beijing and burned the Summer Palace, the Chinese agreed to ratify the treaty. The treaty opened additional trading ports, allowed foreign emissaries to reside in Beijing, admitted Christian missionaries into China, and opened travel to the Chinese interior. Later negotiations legalized the ...