Finland's school success what Americans keep Ignoring Article

Finland's school success what Americans keep Ignoring - Article Example However, some of the best campuses are private owned, and they are profit making institutions. They charge high costs for tuition and can only be afforded by the select few in the country (The Atlantic). Unlike American system of education that focuses on standardized tests, Finland has only one exceptional exam; the National Matriculation Exam, which is the equivalent of a high school test,. Although pupils and students in Finland are given report cards, the teachers base the performance on individual assessments. The Finland teachers are trained to evaluate the performance of the pupils and students at independent and personal perspective. The Government only confirms the progress of the students by carrying out periodic tests with few groups of the teachers (The Atlantic). The American education policy rests on the theme of the competition (The Atlantic). This is not the case with Finland. The institutions in Finland are merited according to how well they cooperate with other and not in regard to their competitive advantage. The country does not list the best of the best in curriculum performance. The approach to giving quality education t its residents, all students from whichever backgrounds are treated equal. All the pupils are awarded free meals, health care and personalized guidance. What the Americans keep ignoring from the success of Finland schools is that they are using the wrong approach to improve the level of education. The Americans need to look at equity in providing education, award less homework and more creativity tests, stop the competitive attitude and foster cooperation and evaluate performance of the students from an independent view. The Americans have not yet adopted the Finland system since they are focusing issues that are just the opposite of what Finland supports such as private sector involvement and competition. A similar state

The importance of remaining respectful of others, and learned that Essay

The importance of remaining respectful of others, and learned that understanding the impact of diversity in the customer service environment is essential - Essay Example Thirdly, the foreign capital enjoyed by nations under a trading umbrella allows their entrepreneurs to import or export knowledge and technology so as to help boost productivity in their respective nations. Fourthly, financial globalization principles allows foreign entrepreneurs to undertake business in capital and banking markets hence help in boosting quality of financial services. On the contrary, financial globalization has its own drawbacks. For instance, as nations get into trade ties with global financial systems, unfavourable financial shocks in one nation may be absorbed by another in form of contagion effects which may easily drag a country’s stable economy to a catastrophe. â€Å"Globalization also poses complications on the operations of banks and other businesses as it complicates management of exterior resources and liabilities† (Cline, 2010). In an effort to manage the negative effects posed by financial globalization, governments all over the world have developed multifaceted networks with the sole purpose of averting negative financial effects posed by financial crises. The roles of such networks put forth by governments include: oversight, monetary regulation and lending. However, such interventions have rarely worked towards averting financial crises to the expectation of many

A History and Overview of Translation Techniques

A History and Overview of Translation Techniques The art of translation reaches the times of antiquity, therefore is nearly as old as the introduction of writing, since every written text enhanced the need to distributing it to other nationalities. First writings, however, were written mainly in Latin or Greek and introduced to educated people. The lower classes, perceived as simple and uneducated, were neglected as far as writing and reading was concerned. The major twist in the field of translation studies emerged due to the outbreak of the First and the Second World War. People, especially connected with army and government, were interested in knowing enemies plans. Some schools devoted to translation were established in order to train soldiers in understanding foreign languages, both written and spoken. However, the need for translating enemy texts lasted till the invention of coded messages. Decrypted texts had nothing in common with proper texts written in a particular language. Over the last three decades serious attempts were made to create a translation theory which would have included all answers connected with the human language. As Korzeniowska and Kuhiwczak (2006:28) have stated all of the previous translation theories were based chiefly on structuralist linguistics. The aim of the theories was not to present detailed description of the translation phenomena but to provide scholars with sentence structure rules. The 1970s and early 80s brought a breakthrough in understanding the language universals, which in turn influenced perceiving translation as a tool helpful in understanding language. These major changes occurred due to the work of Wilhelm von Humboldt and the introduction of the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis. Refreshing for the understanding of the language though it was, Sapirs famous statement, quoted in Korzeniowska and Kuhiwczak (ibid), no two languages are ever sufficiently similar to be considered as representing the same social reality gave str aightforward answer that the translated text (i.e. target text; henceforth: TT) will on no account match with the source text (henceforth: ST). Sapirs statement led to neglecting translation and, simultaneously, to raising scholars interest in linguistic studies. Changes which occurred in the past thirty years had cast away translation from the academic discourse. However, nowadays one can observe growing interest in the art of rendering texts as well as the thorough investigations in the multiple translation theories in order to provide both teachers and students with one comprehensible theory. Translation theory As has been mentioned in the previous sub-chapter, scholars devoted to the field of translation studies have failed to establish a single and the most accurate definition of the translation theory. The reason for this is that a great number of the academic teachers are still engrossed with the linguistic approach towards translation theory. Majority of them still claim that translation is and will be an inevitable part of linguistic studies. Therefore, all aspects concerning translation theory are examined by means of linguistic theories. Those theories aim to create a view that the translation theory is an integral part of linguistics and must be used in accordance with linguistic rules and theories. The multiplicity of theories that are associated with translation were conceived on the basis of the human language studies. Bell (1991:4) points out that there are supporters of the view that translation should be perceived as a part of linguistic studies. Surprising as it may seem, th ere are also those who claim that translation should not be connected with language studies but, above all, with an art of taking the meaning from ST and converting it so as not to loose the main message. The choice of wheather one should perceive translation as an art or a science is dictated mainly by personal preferences. According to Bell (ibid) the theory is supposed to answer the question why?, which in turn is an explanation to the subject-matter under focus. Bell (ibid) presents three aspects which may be considered as separate translation theories or as logically-connected components to establish one logical theory. These include: A theory of translation as a process the theory of rendering a text A theory of translation as a product the theory of a rendered text A theory of translation as both process and product the theory of rendering and rendered text The linguistic approach towards translation theory suggests only a description of the phenomena. On the basis of it one can only find the answer to the question what?. Korzeniowska and Kuhiwczak (2006:26) support Bells statement suggesting division of the theories into two categories: a category that aim to describe the phenomenon or category set to prescribe some restrictions and rules which are meant to be obeyed. Savory (1957:49) enumerates at least twelve rules for a translator to follow in order to render a text in a proper manner. The rules are as follows: A translation must give the words of the original. A translation must give the ideas of the original. A translation should read like an original work. A translation should read like a translation. A translation should reflect the style of the original. A translation should posses the style of the translator. A translation should read as a contemporary of the original. A translation should read as a contemporary of the translator. A translation may add to or omit from the original. A translation may never add to or omit from the original. A translation of verse should be in prose. A translation of verse should be in verse. The above mentioned rules are but a small fraction of rules that professional translators are supposed to follow in order to fulfill the requirements of the target audience. It may be concluded that it depends on the personal preferences of the translators to coin their own theory which corresponds to their work as professionals. This will eventually lead to the multiplication of translation theories. Unfortunately it is the only possible solution, since there is a lack of one which is comprehensible and covers all the aspects of translation phenomena. 1.3. The definition of translation Trask (1997:299) states that translation is either the process of rendering the Source Language (henceforth: SL) into the Target Language (henceforth: TL) or the tangible outcome of this process. What is more, Trask (ibid) fails to provide a division between spoken and written translation. He, therefore, puts spoken and written rendition into the same category, which is translation. Tomaszkiewicz (2006:101) however, disagrees with Trasks view on the subject of translation definition. She draws the attention to the division into oral and written translation. She states that rendering texts by means of writing should be referred to as translation (Fr. Traduction), whereas oral rendition of a speech is to be called interpretation. Similarly to the translation theory, the definition of translation has caused different people from different spheres of study to coin their own definitions of translation phenomena. There appeared not only strictly scholarly definitions but more emotional, as well. Bassnett (1991:13) defines translation as a tool assembled to (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) transfer meaning contained in one set of language signs into another set of language signs through competent use of dictionary and grammar, (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) involving a whole set of extra-linguistic criteria(à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦). Newmark (1982:7) states that every attempt to translate a text from one language to another causes some minor losses and modifications in the translated text. A more emotional definition of translation is presented by Margarita Brandes, quoted after Korzeniowska and Kuhiwczak (2006:25). She states that there are some (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) spiritual and practical (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) elements involved in the process of translati on. Additionally, she relates translation to communication, making it an integral part of social relationships. She advocates that the process of translation must be associated with reproductive and secondary activity. Catford, quoted after Korzeniowska and Kuhiwczak (2006:25), presents a contrary view on the definition of translation. His own definition disagrees with the previous definitions since it suggest that the translation must under no circumstances transfer the meaning of the SL into the TL. He emphasizes the need to differentiate transfer from substitution. The former should be perceived as an integral part of translation. With so many definitions of translation it is very difficult to choose the most appropriate one for the future professionals. This problem must be dealt with by individuals, since not all translators share the same view on this subject. The best definition is the one that matches with translators knowledge and skills. 1.4. Translation or interpreting? Apart from different types of translation, the notion of rendering texts from one language to another can be divided into two distinct subgroups. These are, translation and interpreting. 1.4.1. Translation The main aim of this sub-chapter is to briefly examine both of the subgroups. Let us first focus on the translation phenomena. It has been stated in previous sub-chapters that translation should be mainly associated with written rendition of a text. HrehovÄ ik (2006:23) draws ones attention to the fact that there are some authors who believe that the term translation (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) is an overall category which encompasses both oral and written forms of mediated bilingual communication (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦). He himself supports Tomaszkiewiczs view that only a written text translated into a written text in another language should be referred to as the translation. Tomaszkiewicz (2006:101) emphasizes the fact that translation is not a productive activity per se but merely a reproductive one. She maintain that a translator is not the author of the text for his task is to grasp the main message conveyed in a ST and to reformulate it by means of stylistic devices present in a TT so as to match with the original text. Great stress is put on the notions of equivalence and faithfulness as far as translating or interpreting. The notion of equivalence may be particularly ascribed to the translation and translator since it requires a vast knowledge in the field of lexical items. In this connection one should bear in mind that written rendition of a text must be as faithful as possible. When translating a written text the translator has some time to process his thoughts and ideas, whereas interpretation requires quick thinking and lack of hesitation. 1.4.2. Interpreting The notion of interpreting deals with the conversion of spoken language from one into another. When dealing with interpretation, there emerges the problem of bits of information to be received, processed, converted and distributed so that the message is not altered at any level. HrehovÄ ik (2006:24) points out that even though translation and interpreting are language-related they involve the use of different spheres of human brain. He, thus, maintains that people who are considered capable of thinking fast would find interpreting as a better way of rendering texts. Analogically, people considered as detail-oriented and devoted to scholarly activities would prefer translation, since it enables them to refer to a number of dictionaries or other reference books. Moreover, translation is mainly done in isolation when there is a time to rethink some problems before making a final decision. Interpreting is a tool for people who are not afraid of working under pressure, both time an d surrounding. There is no time for an interpreter to refer to any sources because thinking may lead to loosing the main idea of the utterance delivered by a person. The high range of vocabulary as well as grammatical structures is of the utmost importance in order to fulfill the task of rendering spoken text orally. Contrary to translation, interpreting can be categorized into at least eleven types. HrehovÄ ik (2006) lists those types accordingly to their importance, though he maintains that simultaneous, consecutive and whispering interpretations are the major ones. An attempt will be made to briefly discuss all types of interpreting. Suggested types are as follows: Simultaneous interpretation, considered as the most important can be best described as a real-time interpreting. The interpreters task is to listen to the speakers utterance and while listening the interpreter is supposed to provide the audience with the rendered speech. There is no time for the person involved to hesitate for even a single moment since it may cause that she will be at a loss. There is a possibility that the speaker may be in a different room, therefore it is required that the interpreter be a fast-thinking and decisive. Consecutive interpretation, considered a second important type of interpreting which differs from simultaneous interpreting in such a way that the speaker delivers the speech in fragments, they can be either sentences or paragraphs. The interpreter has to grasp the main idea of the passage, convert and deliver it to the audience. The speaker waits for the interpreter to finish. She then continues with another passage. It is advisable that the speaker should make a pause every 1-5 minutes so as not to overload the interpreter with the data. Interpreters are advised to develop their own way of making notes during the speakers presentation. It is done mainly by some symbols so as not to waste time for noting the entire speech. As HrehovÄ ik (2006:25) believes, (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦)the output is more idiomatic and less source-language bound. Whispering is a third type of interpreting. It corresponds, to some extent, with the simultaneous interpreting. The major difference between these two types is that whispering requires sitting close to the speaker and listener. The conversion of an utterance is done by means of listening to the speech and subsequently whispering already rendered text to the listeners ear. The need of using whispering is best performed during short meetings when there is the lack of specialized equipment to carry out simultaneous or consecutive interpreting. The following types of interpreting are chiefly connected with conference interpreting. Relay is a type of interpreting which involves the use of the third language. The interpreters task is to connect with a language booth that covers a language used by the speakers. It happens when the interpreter does not cover the language used by the speakers. She may connect with other interpreter, who covers the language in question, via audio link. There is no loss of the interpreted text because of the rapid connection between booths. Pivot takes place when the language used by the speakers is less widespread. Interpreters who do not cover this particular language connect with those who cover and relay from them. The basic idea of a pivot is the ability to distribute a speech even though the audience and some of the interpreters do not cover the language. As can be observed there occurs a mixture of two types of interpreting. One might state that they complement each other. Cheval (Fr. horse) is a very difficult type of interpreting since it requires a mastery of two languages on equal levels. Cheval is a person who is asked to interpret between two booths in two different languages. She must be able to shift between languages when there is a need. The idea of employing chevals aims to reduce the costs because it requires only one interpreter for two separate presentations. Due to the development in the sphere of communication technologies such types of interpreting have recently been conceived: Teleconferencing may simply be defined as a form of communication by means of audio stream even if the people involved are in different cities, countries or even continents. This type of interpreting enables all people to listen to the speech. Audioconferencing this type of interpreting is based only on audio signal. There is no possibility to see the participants. Videoconferencing requires the use of a video stream. It is vital that this type of conferencing require audio stream as well. This term comprises three separate types. They are: Videophony includes a mixture of a speakers image with a telephone call Whiteboarding can be either the electronic exchange or the ability to edit documents on a number of computers Desktop videoconferencing images delivered via PC camera; may as well include whiteboarding Studio or room videoconferencing requires at least two, though more are possible, studios that are linked together by means of audio and video streams. The use of more than two languages leads to creating so called multilingual conferencing. Sight translation is performed when an interpreter is given a text with some information in it and his task is to convert the text and deliver the content orally in a TL. These texts are mainly memos distributed at meetings and are to be rendered at a moments notice. Although there is a great number of interpreting types, one should not be deceived that interpretation is more acknowledged than translation. Both types are equally perceived as vital in communicating between nationalities. Translation as well as interpretation have both its supporters and people with opposite views. The skills that are required are basically the same. The only difference, apart from the written or spoken form, is the individual predisposition of a person to render a text in a way she is able to. 1.5. Types of translation Similarly to the types of interpreting, translation as well includes a number of subtypes. There are, of course, spheres of life which impose the translator to choose the most appropriate one. The most popular is, beyond any doubt, the sphere of commerce due to its rapid development. Korzeniowska and Kuhiwczak (2006) suggest also: the tourist trade, science, arts or even catering; as the most popular nowadays. However, the spheres that require a comprehensible translation are not going to be dealt with in this chapter. It is hoped that the following examples of types of translation will be thoroughly scrutinized. HrehovÄ ik (2006), provides a list of nine types of translation which find their applicability in every day translating. The list includes: Word for word translation the main goal of this type of translation is to render a text in such a way that the TT words match as close as it is possible with their counterparts in ST. Another characteristic feature of this type is that words connected with culture are rendered literally. Literal translation here, emphasis is put on finding grammatical equivalents in TT so as to convert the text from ST. The lexical correspondents are of minor importance. Moreover, they are very often out of context. Faithful translation it may be considered as the most desirable type of translation since it attempts to render a SL text so that it is comparable with a TL. All language deviations are transferred from one language into another. Semantic translation contrary to faithful translation, semantic one seeks not only faithfulness but also the aesthetic aspects of language. Not even the slightest language deviation is allowed. Communicative translation it aims at converting a text in such a way that the (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) exact contextual meaning of the original (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) is preserved and the text itself contains comprehensible and acceptable language and content. Idiomatic translation this translation type encompasses both the appropriate grammar structures and well-chosen lexical items. If a text should be translated by means of idiomatic translation, it would definitely sound like original one. Free translation the basic goal of this rendition is to convey the meaning without paying closer attention to the choice of words or grammatical structures. Some scholars advocate that the translated text is usually much longer than the original writing. Adaptation used mainly for poetry and plays, this translation type is considered to be free of rules and restrictions. The freedom of interpreting a text in whatever way the translator desires is referred to as unduly free. In addition, adaptation serves very often to invoke humor by changing, for instance, historical facts or characters name. Screen translation the most common type of translation nowadays. It includes providing subtitles for films and dubbing original voices in a film with native ones. Subtitling is done even by inexperienced people who are not trained translators but merely gained some knowledge connected with foreign languages. In some cases they are able to create a flawless translations but very often their versions are feeble and full of mistakes. Dubbing, on the other hand, is done by professionals and simply read by actors assigned to a particular character. The multiplicity of translation types gives a wide range of possibilities. However, one should bear in mind that mastering a particular type is not enough to convert a text. Other vital skills are required as well. They may be ascribed to various roles that a translator must choose in order to maintain the originality and faithfulness of the translated text. The roles of a translator will be examined in the next sub-chapter.

Message of Love in the Epic of Gilgamesh :: Epic Gilgamesh essays

The Message of Love in Gilgamesh Gilgamesh is an epic of great love, followed by lingering grief that causes a significant change in character. It is the story of a person who is feared and honored, a person who loves and hates, a person who wins and loses and a person who lives life. Gilgamesh's journey is larger than life, yet ends so commonly with death. Through Gilgamesh, the fate of mankind is revealed, and the inevitable factor of change is expressed. Before the coming of Enkidu, Gilgamesh was a man of great power. A being for which there was no equal match, Gilgamesh boasted about his overwhelming glory and power. However, his arrogance was accompanied with an extensive abuse of power, which pushed the city of Uruk into a state of rage. Still Gilgamesh felt no despair; he lived to display to others his majestic power. The first sign of a sincere change in Gilgamesh arises as a result of the birth of Enkidu. From the beginning, a powerful link developed between man and woman. The wise Ninsun said to Gilgamesh,"You will love him as a woman and he will never forsake you". Gilgamesh had finally met his match, a friend that would serve as his life-long companion. Upon the seal of this great friendship, Gilgamesh began to change his selfish ways. Nevertheless, he shared with Enkidu the luxuries of kindness. Setting aside his great pride and power, Gilgamesh had opened a place in his heart, and in his sumptuous life, for his beloved bro ther. The second significant change in Gilgamesh was caused by the loss of his brotherly companion, Enkidu. Gilgamesh couln't bear the loss of a love so powerful. Despite his astonishing power and leadership, something in his life was missing. Moreover, he wept for seven days and nights, thinking his friend would come back because of his weeping. It is in this stage of the epic that one can see the truly sympathetic and compassionate side of Gilgamesh. The grief in his heart had far surpassed the magnificent pride that he had previously displayed so boldly. Enkidu's death left Gilgamesh frightened and confused. However, the despair in his heart was so great that he could not rest; would he ever be at peace? Thus, he became terrified of his own death. After the death of Enkidu, Gilgamesh tries to find immortality by trying to cross the ocean to find it.

Health Promotion and Education Essay

Outline: 1. Health Education a. Definition 2. Five Key Areas in Health Promotion and Education 3. Five Health Promotion Approach a. Medical Approach b. Behavior Change Approaches c. Educational approach d. In Client-Centered Approach e. Societal Change Approach 4. Healthy Lifestyle a. Definition b. How to promote a healthy lifestyle? 5. Advocacy for Health R.A. 9163 Motivation: 1. Are you healthy? Why? 2. How do you define a healthy person? 3. Have you been sent to the doctor or hospitalized? Activity: 1. Diagram of a Healthy Person Ask your students to bring the following material: white cartolina, pencils, coloring pen, scissors and glue Ask your student to draw and image of a healthy person and present it in the class Identify a symbolic picture of your answers to the questions above. Draw a coat of arms using all the symbolic picture of your answers as elements. Lecture: Health Education 1. Health Education a. Definition Health 1. The World Health Organization in 1948 defined health as: a. A state of complete physical, social and mental well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. b. Within the context of health promotion, health has been considered less as an abstract state and more as a means to an end which can be expressed in functional terms as a resource which permits people to lead an individually, socially and economically productive life. Health is a resource for everyday life, not the object of living. It is a positive concept emphasizing social and personal resources as well as physical capabilities.1 Health for All 1. It is the attainment by all the people of the world of a level of health that will permit them to lead a socially and economically productive life.2 Health promotion 1. Is the process of enabling people to increase control over, and to improve their health.3 2. Health Promotion is the process of enabling people by strengthening their skills and capabilities as well as changing their social, environmental and economic condition.4 Public health 1. It is science and art of promoting health, preventing disease, and prolonging life through the organized efforts of society. a. It is a social and political concept aimed at the improving health, prolonging life and improving the quality of life not just for a single individual but among whole populations through health promotion, disease prevention and other forms of health intervention.5 Health education 1. Health education comprises consciously constructed opportunities for learning how to promote individual and public health. It involves activities designed to improve health literacy, including improving knowledge, and developing life skills which are conducive to individual and community health.6 2. Five Key Areas in Health Promotion and Education a. In the 21st century the Jakarta Declaration of the World Health Organizations (WHO) identifies five priorities in health promotion and education: Promote social responsibility for health Increase investments for health development Expand partnerships for health promotion Increase community capacity and empower the individual Secure an infrastructure for health promotion 3. Five Health Promotion Approach a. Various models of health promotion and health education are useful analytical tool, which can help clarify goals and values ​​of health promotion. A framework consisting of five approaches to health promotion, and demonstrate the values ​​inherent in their respective approaches.7 Medical Approach 1. the freedom from disease and disability as defined by medical, such as infectious diseases, cancer and heart disease 2. It involves medicine to prevent or alleviate pain, perhaps with persuasive and paternalistic methods. 3. It gives the importance of preventive medical measures, and responsibilities of the medical profession to make sure that patients adhere to recommended procedures. Behavior Change Approaches 1. To change community attitudes and individual behavior, so they took this healthy lifestyle. Educational approach 1. To provide information and ensure knowledge and understanding of the matter of health. Information about health is presented, and 2. People are helped to explore the values ​​and attitudes, and make their own decisions. 3. Assistance in implementing the decisions and adopt new health practices can also be offered by school health education programs. In Client-Centered Approach 1. This approach is to work with clients to help them identify what they want to know and do, and make their own decisions and choices according to their interests and values. 2. Self empowered client is seen as central to this goal. Societal Change Approach 1. to make changes in the physical environment, social and economic development, in order to make it more conducive to a healthy state 4. Healthy Lifestyle a. Definition According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Health not just defined as the absence of disease it is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being. Interestingly enough Healthy lifestyle then are the steps, actions and strategies one puts in place to achieve optimum and maximum health. It is about making smart and informed decision in maintaining our health8 b. How to promote a healthy lifestyle?9 Balanced Diet – the Motto program initiated by Prof. Poerwo Soedarmo in 1950, the father of Nutrition Indonesia suggest the following: 1. Eat a variety of foods 2. Eat foods to meet energy coverage 3. Eat foods carbohydrate source half of their energy needs 4. Limit your intake of fats and oils up to a quarter of the energy adequacy 5. Use iodized salt 6. Eat food sources of iron 7. Give only to infants only breast milk until the age of four months and add the solids after 8. Always eat breakfast 9. Drink water that is safe and adequate amount 10. Make regular physical activity 11. Avoid alcoholic beverages 12. Eat foods that are safe for health 13. Read labels on packaged foods Pattern break – people are too busy and stressed by their workload, domestic problem and even school requirements and activities and so there is n time to rest. 1. The body desperately needs sleep. If you are only able to gain time for 3-4 hours at night, try to find extra time and complete the rest 2. Rest doesn’t mean sleep, if you can relax your body and your mind until you feel completely relaxed. 3. Do breathing exercises, a few minutes of meditation is very meaningful to all your organs. Exercise – it keeps your body at its peak and fit 1. Fitness is associated with the following: a. Our bodies are strong b. Allows the growth of a healthy soul c. Enhance the immune defense system and us. By itself capable ward off various diseases d. Maintain flexibility, endurance and strength, which in turn will encourage us remain active with high mobility e. Reduce and avoid stress f. Look better, feel better and think better 2. Sports activities maintains our body in a fit condition 3. At least thirty-minutes of continuous walk or jog 4. Gym and Fitness activities is also an option to make your body Free from dangerous addictive substances 1. Be educated and learn the dangers of drugs (narcotics, drugs, and addictive substances) and alcoholic beverages Balancing spirituality 1. To be able to realize a balance spirituality will help you behave or think and feel with more compassion and so there is less negative emotion that will stress your mind and your soul. 2. Efforts that can be done alone could be providing a special time for a break from all the busyness and brings you to the tranquility and relief like when you are attending the mass, prayer or meditation. 5. Advocacy for Health a. Definition An over-all design for health promotion and education which is a combination of individual and social actions designed to gain political commitment, policy support, social acceptance and systems support for a particular health goal or program.10 b. How can we help in Health Promotion and Education? Create living conditions which are conducive to health and the achievement of healthy lifestyles. The use of the mass media and available multi-media in educating our community of the current and updated health policies of the government Direct political lobbying to policy makers Community Mobilization through, coalitions of interest around defined issues. 6. HIV and AIDS a. Definition of Terms HIV – It stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus. Unlike a common cold or flu virus that stays in the body only for a few days when a person becomes infected with HIV, the person becomes â€Å"HIV positive† for a lifetime. The HIV virus would gradually infect and kills white blood cells called CD4 lymphocytes (or â€Å"T cells†) which make the body unable to fight off certain kinds of infections and cancers. AIDS – It stands for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome and is caused by HIV. In simple terms, people treat AIDS as advanced HIV disease. The immunity system of a person with AIDS is weakened by HIV that the person will get sick easily and find it difficult to recover from such simple diseases. b. What are the symptoms of HIV infection or AIDS The first symptoms of HIV infection might resemble symptoms of common cold or flu viruses. Other early symptoms of early infection are also similar to other sexually transmitted diseases (STD) and other infections like hepatitis and tuberculosis. Those who do have symptoms generally experience fever, fatigue, and, often, rash. Yet other HIV infected persons do not exhibit any of the symptoms above, as such, the only way to confirm is to test the presence of HIV antibodies. c. How do I get HIV? If you are exposed to the body fluids of a person containing HIV which includes: 1. Blood (including menstrual blood) 2. Semen and possibly pre-seminal fluid (â€Å"pre-cum†) 3. Vaginal secretion 4. Breast milk Three of the four body fluids that contain HIV are transferable during sexual intercourse, thus unsafe sex and promiscuity is the leading cause of being infected with HIV. Other ways that HIV can be transmitted: 1. Sharing needles when shooting drugs 2. Home tattooing and body piercing 3. Accidental needle sticks 4. Blood transfusions 5. Childbirth 6. Breast-feeding False ideas on the transfer of HIV from an infected person: 1. Saliva, tears, sweat, feces, or urine 2. Hugging 3. Kissing 4. Massage 5. Shaking hands 6. Insect bites 7. Living in the same house with someone who has HIV 8. Sharing showers or toilets with someone with HIV d. How should I prevent being infected with HIV? Keeping a strong moral foundation and spirituality to guide youth and individuals away from engaging in unsafe sex and promiscuity Avoid or do not try to get a tattoo or body pierce Always make sure that syringe used on you for medical purposes are sanitized and new Always make sure that the blood transfused or donated are HIV free e. Is there a cure? Up to this time, there is no cure for HIV. All drugs being tested in advanced pharmaceutical firms around the world had yet to discover a cure to the illness. Drug therapy only prolonged and improve the quality of life of people infected with HIV. f. What are sexually transmitted disease ad its relation to HIV? HIV is one of the sexually transmitted diseases from unsafe, immoral sex and promiscuity. Other sexually transmitted diseases includes:11 1. Chlamydia – Is a common sexually transmitted disease (STD) caused by Chlamydia trachomatis, bacteria that can damage a woman’s reproductive organs like infertility, and can cause foul discharge from the penis of an infected patient. 2. Trichomoniasis (â€Å"Trich†) – it has no symptoms but may cause unusual genital discharge for both men and women. The disease can also increase a person’s risk of acquiring HIV and pregnant women can deliver premature, low birth weight babies. 3. Gonorrhea – the disease damages not just the reproductive organ of the infected person but can affect the anus, eyes, mouth, genitals, or throat. 4. Human papilloma virus (HPV) (â€Å"Warts†) – One silent killer among the list of sexually transmitted diseases for it is asymptomatic, unrecognized, or subclinical and yet a leading cause of cervical cancers among women. 5. Genital herpes – like HIV there is no cure for Herpes and at an early stage it doesn’t exhibit symptoms to an infected person. The swollen genital may not be enough to make sure you are inflicted with herpes, a laboratory test is needed to validate the symptoms. 6. Syphilis – one of the most common and easily diagnose STD is Syphilis and is easy to cure in its early stages. Symptoms include a firm, round, small, and painless sore on the genitals, anus, or mouth, or a rash on the body, especially on the palms of the hands or the soles of the feet. 7. Hepatitis B virus (HBV) – Hepatitis could easily be transferred from an infected person to his/her partner thru sexual intercourse. If you have ever had an STD, you need to test yourself for HIV infection, for the unsafe sex might have exposed you to HIV as well. g. Official Statistics of HIV in the Philippines (to be updated) According to the official statistics of University of California, California, U.S.A. as of 2009 there is an increase in the incidence of HIV infection and AIDS victim in the Philippines.12 General HIV/AIDS

Maximizing Profits in Market Structures Essay

Profits in Market Structures Market Structures are described as a particular relationship between the buyers and the sellers of goods and services in a specific market (Mathias, 2000). Three different types of market structures are competitive markets, monopolies, and oligopolies. Each of these market structures has a particular set of characteristics that identify it and separate it from the others. These categories are also separated by the way they each use pricing and output to calculate and maximize their profits. Another difference between these three categories is the presence of barriers, which may be present to encourage current companies to exit, as well as new comers to enter that market. Also, each of these three structures has a different effect on the economy, some having more control on the market than others. With all these differences the specific market structures all have one thing in common, they all rely on supply and demand to determine how to maximize their profits. Competitive markets have two primary characteristics that separate it from other market structures. The first characteristic is that, within a competitive market, there are a large number of buyers and sellers. Second is that the product being sold is the same among all companies, making the products completely interchangeable. These factors make the market competitive by insuring that no single buyer or seller can control the market price. Therefore, in order for companies within a competitive market to maximize profits, they must maintain an equilibrium between the price charged for a product and quantity that they produce. This means that a company must take the price being charged for a product and subtract the cost of making the product to figure out where they are equal. As the price of a product in a competitive market is controlled by the market as a whole, the seller must adjust its output to maintain maximum profits. This is important because the company’s revenue is in direct correlation with the price, so if the price goes up $1. 00 per unit then the revenue also will go up the same amount. For example, if a product has a fixed cost of $1. 0, and the variable cost of $3. 00 and the product sells for $5. 00 then the company has to adjust its output to balance that amount, so that it does not cost over $5. 00 for each product sold. One factor that can affect the output of a product, is the lack of barriers that are present for anyone wanting to begin or exit a company. If the amount of sellers change but the demand does not then current companies will need to decrease the output or risk the price dropping below the profitable levels. The competitive markets can have a positive impact on the economy because the competition helps control the cost of products. If there was little or no competition, then companies would have the ability to raise prices as high as they wanted to, especially in the case of items that are necessities (Mankiw, 2007). The characteristics of a monopoly are first, that there is only one company selling a product and there are no substitutions. Second, there is no competition, the product is exclusive to one company. Third, in a monopoly the company completely controls the pricing of its products and can charge as much as they believe a customer will pay (Mathias, 2000). In contrast to a competitive market, a monopoly can chose what to charge for its product. However, the price must be set according to what consumers are willing to pay, while still maintaining a profitable level of production. It is important to control the output of product so, the price must be set to where the company will still be able to sell a large amount of product while maximizing its profits . There are substantial barriers to entering a market that has a monopoly. One barrier is the inability to compete in the market that is controlled by one company. A small business starting out in completion with a large monopoly would incur substantial costs to begin production and they would have to increase their prices to make a profit. This could also be a problem if the monopoly holds the rights to the raw materials that it takes to make a product. Therefore, entering a market that is controlled by a monopoly is very difficult. However, it is possible for a market to be controlled by a small number of companies, similar to the way that a monopoly controls a market. The economic impact that monopolies have can be outrageous prices or limited availability of goods and services to many people (Mankiw, 2007). An Oligopoly is when a limited number of companies control a specific market, with little competition (Mathias, 2000). Some characteristics of an oligopoly are that the companies all make the same or similar items, so they are substitutable, and there are only a few companies that produce this good. As there are a limited amount of producers these oligopolies are also able to set the price of their goods, using things like advertisements and warranties for competition between businesses. Because there are only a few companies making a product the members of an oligopoly have to control the production of their goods in order to control the pricing. If one of the companies decides to increase production then there will be an abundance of supply without the necessary increase in demand. This means that the cost of the product will have to go down to try to increase demand. These companies have to maintain a steady level of output in order to maintain price, giving them the best profits. The companies that are in this small circle of businesses, try very hard to erect barriers in front of anyone who may think about entering their market. By stopping the emergence of new companies the oligopolies can continue to control the market. The affect that oligopolies have on the economy is the ability to control pricing and supply of products, similar to the impact that a monopoly has (Mankiw, 2007). In conclusion, each market structure plays a role in the economy with the focus of these companies centering on profits. They monopoly can be beneficial if the lowest price for consumers comes from having only on producer but in many cases a monopoly means high prices and limited supply. An oligopoly does have less control over pricing only because they are sharing the demand and antitrust laws prevent them from gathering together as one monopoly, to maximize profit. The competitive market is the most economically friendly market because it has to compete to get customers and this helps keep prices affordable and does not limit the availability of goods to the public.