American medical care Essay Example for Free

American medical care Essay These early immigrants survived the harsh times and difficult American climate as well as the wilderness on primitive basic instincts. The early settlements were often ravaged by starvation and disease. During the colonial era, doctors education was informal. Most were literate, but some who were raised outside of New England were not. A man who wanted to practice medicine did not need any type of certification. Most did have a period of apprenticeship with an established physician, but even this was not a requirement. Up until the late 19th century, very few doctors had a college education. Medical facilities were unofficial. Most patients were treated in their homes. However, even the smallest towns had poorhouses, where needy people could live and receive limited medical care. The few hospitals that opened in North America during the colonial period were opened in places like Quebec and New Orleans. Public health was unknown in North America at this time. Towns and cities did not have boards of health except during times of epidemics. Because most places did not have public water or sewer systems, most Americans got their water from pumps and used outhouses until well into the 19th century. There was no trash collection so the streets became a breeding ground for all types of disease. There were a few attempts to influence public health. For example, when smallpox vaccinations were developed in the 18th century, many small town doctors had groups of people that had to stay quarantined for a few days to make sure they only developed a mild case of smallpox. Cures may have killed more people than the diseases themselves. The public developed a very skeptical attitude towards regular doctors. In the early 19th century, the do it yourself attitude of many Americans was popular. These people freely gave medical advice, emphasized the participant of the patient in his or her own treatment. However, other medical treatments were available also. Probably snake oil is best remembered. Andrew Taylor Still started the practice of osteopathy. Osteopathy incorporated bodily manipulations, similar to those seen in modern chiropractics. In osteopathy, these manipulations affected the magnetic flow of energy in the body. Osteopathy discouraged use of medicines, but did not forbid them. Another reaction against heroic medicine was homeopathy. A university-trained German doctor named Samuel Hahnemann started it. Heinemann said that doctors were giving their patients too much medicine. He believed that tiny amounts of drugs should be diluted in water before being given to a patient and that practitioners should take very thorough medical histories of each patient. Quackery was a way to fool people into believing they were being cured while making money from them. Quackery had even been licensed in London, but it was completely ignored by the America government for hundreds of years. Hydropathy was another special case. The healing power of water, hydropathy indicated the value of the rest cure, importance of having like-minded people around, the usefulness of light exercise and the fact that women who wore loose-fitting clothing generally felt better and had fewer physical complaints than the ones who did. Another special case is the entire issue of faith-only healing. While empirical evidence in favor of faith-only healing is lacking, anecdotal evidence suggests that some people who pray do experience spontaneous decrease of certain diseases. The late 19th century saw major changes in medicine in the United States. Medicine went from being medieval to incorporating many elements of modern science. The advances in chemistry, and biology had major impacts on medicine. As medical practitioners began to understand that the body was comprised of basic chemicals and not mysterious humors, effective treatments for diseases and injuries were developed. As medicine became more scientific, doctors needed both training and  licensing. In 1847, Dr. Nathan Davis founded the American Medical Association (AMA) in Philadelphia to help create professional standards for doctors and set minimal educational requirements. Medical colleges opened up across the country, increasing requirements from a few months without any college background to a number of years with a college degree. However, these colleges provided an extremely unpredictable level of medical education, with some of them a diploma and others provided a to notch medical education. As American cities exploded in size during the 19th century due to immigration from Europe, public health became more of an issue. With many hundreds of thousands of people living in cities: extremely crowded, unsanitary conditions; tuberculosis was often at epidemic levels in the cities. During the 19th century, people understood that TB was not caused by miasma, but was caused by bacteria. People with TB were sometimes sent out of the city to places in the country, where the cleaner air seemed to help their recovery. It was obvious that people needed clean water for drinking, and bathing. So cities started massive sewer projects to help bring clean water into the cities while removing wastewater from the city. Dead animal remains and garbage littered the street until the late 1800s when cities started sanitation crews to take the trash out of town and dumps to move the waste to. Many cities started dispensaries so the poor could receive treatment and medications for low cost. With the urban population explosion, the poorhouses (probably todays HMO Urgent Care) became even larger and harder to manage. With new medical advances, people needed to be in big cities to receive certain types of treatment. Americans began to build hospitals across the country in the 19th century.  The new hospitals were generally cleaner than the old poorhouses.

Approaches to Strategic International HRM (ISHRM)

Approaches to Strategic International HRM (ISHRM) Managers are not aware of the severe consequences treating their employees like that? Is it because of a deficit in managing people within an opposed cultural working environment or is it because of an inconvenient HRM strategy? Skinner, B. (1971) argued, that people are simply a product of the stimuli they get from the external world. Interestingly, negative reinforcement causes behavioral change in undesirable ways, whereas positive reinforcement causes rather intended change. General management is therefore not only accountable for defining such stimuli according the corporate strategy, but also its degree of involvement is a prerequisite for a successful HRM (Baron, J. Kreps, D., 1999). What difference does it actually make to augment the word international to HRM? Needless to say, as corporations globalize, HRM activities like HR-planning, staffing, developing, and retaining employees goes far beyond a national scope. Thus, IHRM broadly covers all issues related to the management of people in an international context (Stahl, G. Bj rkmann, I., 2007). Morgan (1986) developed a three-dimensional model of IHRM (Figure 1), which expose firstly the broad human resource activities of procurement, allocation and utilization, secondly the national or country categories involved in IHRM activities (host, home, other), and lastly three categories of employees of an international firm (HCNs, PCNs, TCNs). Morgan defines IHRM as the interplay among these three dimensions. Generally, IHRM involves the same activities as domestic HRM, for instance, procurement refers to HR planning and staffing; however, domestic HRM focuses only on activities within only one national boundary. Many firms underestimate the complexities involved in international operations, a nd there is some evidence to suggest that business failures internationally may often be due to poor management of HR (Desatnick, R. Bennett, M., 1978). Strategic International Human Resource Management in Multinationals Alfred Chandler highlighted once, structure follows strategy. Hence, a holistic  corporate strategy is not only based on a precise knowledge of internal and external factors  or can be measured along financial and non-financial KPIs. In fact, a sustainable corporate strategy must be a reference point towards every part of the value chain. Thereby, the functional-level is typically concerned with maximizing efficiency; and particularly the HRfunction addresses the question, Are the current HRM policies sufficient enough to support the strategy? Schuler, R. Jackson, S. (1987), took up Porter s framework of competitive strategies in order to develop a model of its idea in SIHRM (Figure 2). Their model concludes that business performance will increase, if HR policies mutually reinforce the firm s strategy. According to Dowling, P. Welch, D. (2005), MNEs operate in the context of worldwide conditions, including the external contexts of industry, nation, region and interorganizational networks and alliances. De Cieri and Dowling (1999) developed the model of strategic HRM in MNEs (Figure 3). The internal organizational factors are shown in order of most tangible to most intangible. Pointed out by Dowling, P. Welch, D. (2005), following developments in the literature, such as that of Taylor et al. (1996), (), the model suggests that there are reciprocal relationships between organizational factors, SHRM and multinational concerns and goals. For instance, HR activities such as expatriate management are influenced by both factors of procedures from in- and outside the company. Contrasting Two Approaches of Strategic International Human Resource Management Any convergence will be balanced by divergence (Harzing, A. Ruysseveldt, J., 2004). Its sound so simple, however, since MNEs globalize and their structure change rapidly, managers should decide upon two major issues; firstly, to which extent key decisions have to be made at the parent-country HQ or at the subsidiary units and secondly, which type of management control system the parent could execute in the subsidiary unit. Thus, the main distinction is whether to standardize or customize SIHRM. In case of standardizing SIHRM, the HQ decides upon HR policies and standards independently from their foreign subsidiaries. Forces towards standardization are mainly driven by the need for control and sustain of competitive advantage. Assuming that a generalized approach leads to conformity and unity among all employees, while neglecting cultural differences, the standardization may ensure adoption of corporate values und promotes the corporate strategy above national boundaries. However, the probability of a successful standardized approach depends very much on the openness of the foreign subsidiary to cohere, for instance, with the corporate work practices and cultural differences (Dowling, P. Welch, D., 2005). Since a standardized SIHRM approach is not only influenced by cultural differences that may facilitate resistance of the foreign subsidiary, Bae, J. Lawler, J. demonstrated (Figure 4) comprehensively which factors influence standardization of work practices (2000). Discussing issues about customization, the statement `Think global and act local pops up frequently. As customization of SIHRM considers the specific demands of the hostcountry, the involvement of foreign subsidiaries in managerial decisions is in comparison to a standardized SIHRM very high. By involving host management, parent firms should do both, acknowledge different cultural attitudes and take actions in order to incorporate them when feasible. Obviously, there is more than one correct way to manage people; thus, the HQ and the foreign subsidiary can gain from customization due to knowledge-sharing, resulting in cross-cultural learning. Another interesting point is the implication of corporate language. Even though, within most MNEs English is the corporate language, Marschan-Piekkari et al. puts it, companies do not have languages, people do. Therefore, language standardization in contrast to customization increases burden on foreign subsidiaries since being competent in the c orporate language is considered to be important for career development (Dowling, P. Welch, D., 2005). Conclusion Effective ISHRM is expected to assist the firm in achieving its goals and objectives. The managerial challenge for HRM is thereby not only the implementation of the corporate strategy, but also to define a meaningful balance between standardization and customization of its activities and policies. Heading for sustainable corporate values, MNEs should focus on managerial consistency. However, due to thinking global and acting local, they should not deny regional and cultural differences; rather heading for knowledge-transfer in order to  achieve a comparative advantage. Clearly, like Dowling, P. Welch, D. argued, while the global nature of the business may call for increased consistency, the variety of cultural environments may be calling for differentiation (2005). Reference List Baron, J. Kreps, D. (1999). Strategic Human Resources. John Wiley Sons: Hoboken Bae, J. Lawler, J. (2000). Organizational performance and HRM strategies in Korea. Academy of Management Journal, 43(3): 502-517. Chandler, A. (1996). Strategy and Structure: Chapters in the History of the American Industrial Enterprise. Cambridge, Massachusetts: The MIT Press. Clavell, J. (1983). The Art of War: Sun Tzu. New York: Dell Publishing. Desatnick, R. Bennett, M. (1978). Human Resource Management in the Multinational Company. New York: Nicholson. Dowling, P. Welch, D. (2005). International Human Resource Management: Managing People in a Multinational Context. Toronto: Southwestern College Publishing. Morgan, P. V., International Human Resource Management: Fact or Fiction. Personnel  Administrator, Vol. 31, No. 9 (1986) p. 44. Skinner, B. (1971). Beyond Freedom and Dignity. New York: Knopf. Stahl, G. Bj rkmann, I. (2007). Handbook of Research in International Human Resource Management. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd. Schuler, R., Dowling, P.J. de Cieri, H. (1993). An Integrative Framework of Strategic International Human Resource Management. Journal of Management, 19(2): 419 60. Schuler, R. Jackson, S. (1987). Linking competitive strategies and human resource  management practices. Academy of Management Executive, 1(3): 207-9. Taylor, S., Beechler, S. Napier, N. (1996). Toward an Integrative Model of Strategic International Human Resource Management. Academy of Management Review, 21(4): 959 86.

Guyana v. Suriname Analysis

Guyana v. Suriname Analysis Fay-Anne R. Herod CASE BRIEF THE VOTE: a unanimous vote by all five judges: H.E. Judge L. Dolliver M. Nelson President, Professor Thomas M. Franck, Dr. Kamal Hossain, Professor Ivan Shearer, and Professor Hans Smit. THE FACTS: Guyana gained independence from Great Britain May 26, 1966, and ratify the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) November 16, 1993. Suriname gained independence November 25, 1975, from the Netherlands and ratify the UNCLOS on July 9, 1998.[1] The Parties, Guyana and Suriname are situated on the northeast coast of the South American continent with their coastlines adjacent and meeting at or near the mouth of the Corentyne River.[2] In 1799 the land border between Suriname and Guyana was agreed to by colonial authorities to run along the west bank of the Corentyne River.[3] In 1936 a Mixed Boundary Commission fixed the northern end of the border at a particular point on the west bank of the Corentyne River, near the mouth, a point then referred to as Point 61 or the 1936 Point- the British and Dutch commission concluded that the maritime boundary in the territorial sea should be fixed at an azimuth of N10à ¯Ã‚ ¹Ã‚ ¾E from point 61 to the limit of the territorial sea.[4] Guyana advocates using the equidistance method for maritime delimitation after obtaining independence, which resulted in a line following an azimuth of N34à ¯Ã‚ ¹Ã‚ ¾ E, whereas Surinames position was that the maritime boundary was to follow the N10à ¯Ã‚ ¹Ã‚ ¾line. The area overlapping claims were about 31 600 km ².[5] In 1989, then presidents of both parties agreed that modalities for joint utilization of the border area should be established pending settlement of the border.[6] Furthermore, a 1989 agreement led to a 1991 Memorandum of Understanding Modalities for Treatment of the Offshore Area of Overlap between Guyana and Suriname (the 1991 MOU), if representatives of both governments would meet within 30 days to conclude discussions on the modalities for joint utilization of the disputed area.[7] The 1991 MOU was never implemented by Suriname, and the negotiations on joint utilization did not progress any further.[8] During MOU period, Guyana issued several concessions for oil exploration in the disputed area. In 1999, CGX Resources Incorporated (a Canadian oil and gas company that holds three licenses in the Guyana v. Suriname Basin) arranged for seismic testing to be performed over the entire concession area, involving exploratory drilling on the seabed, and the drilling plans became known to Suriname government. On May 11 31 2000, Suriname government, through diplomatic channels requested Guyana to cease all oil exploration activities in disputed area. On June 3, 2000, two Surinamese navy patrol boats approached CGXs oil rig and drill ships, the C.E. Thornton, and ordered the crew and ship to leave the area within 12 hours, otherwise, the consequences would be theirs.[9] PROCEDURAL HISTORY: On February 24, 2004, Guyana initiated arbitration proceedings by way of a Notification and Statement of Claim such; 1.) concerning the delimitation of its maritime boundary with Suriname, alleging breaches of international law by Suriname in disputed maritime territory Pursuant to Articles 286 and 287 of the 1982 United Nations Conventions on the Law of the Seas (the convention) and in accordance with Annex VII to the convention.[10] 2.) Claiming that the Parties are deemed to have accepted arbitration in accordance with Annex VII of the Convention by operation of Article 287(3); since neither Party had made a declaration pursuant to Article 287(1) of the Convention regarding their choice of compulsory procedures, and that neither Party had made a declaration in accordance with Article 298 regarding optional exceptions to the applicability of the compulsory procedures provided for in Section 2. And, 3.) Further, appointed Professor Thomas Franck as a member of the Arbitral Tribunal in accordance with Article 3(b) of Annex VII.[11] Hereinafter, on March 23, 2004 Suriname in its Notification under Annex VII, Article 3(c) of United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea UNCLOS Regarding Appointment to the Arbitral Tribunal with Reservation, appointed Professor Hans Smit in accordance with Article 3(c) of Annex VII, but reserved its right to present its views about jurisdiction and any other preliminary matters to the full Arbitral Tribunal when in is constituted.[12] On June 15, 2004, by joint letter to the Secretary-General of the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) the Parties noted that they had agreed to the appointment of the remaining three members of the Tribunal in accordance with Article 3(b) of Annex VIII.[13] LEGAL ISSUES AT STATE: there are two legal issue 1) whether claim of unlawful threat or use of force taken by Suriname is implicit in international laws, such actions not a law enforcement activity but a threat of use of force is in contravention of UNCLOS, the Charter of the United Nations and general international law; in international law force, may not be used in law enforcement activities provided such for is unavoidable, reasonable and necessary, reasonable and necessary. 2) and whether the claim that action breached international laws constituted a countermeasure precluding wrongfulness not accepted, countermeasures may not involve the use of force. APPLICABLE INTERNATIONAL LAWS: United Nations Convention on the Laws of the Seas (UNCLOS), adopted December 10, 1982, an international treaty to regulate the use of the worlds ocean areas, and all uses of the seas and all its resources.[14] 1. State Obligation under article 74(3) and 83(3) of the UNCLOS to make every effort to enter provisional arrangements; duty to negotiate in good faith; to make every effort to reach such agreements. And, 2. State Obligation under article 74(3) and 83(3) of UNCLOS to make every effort not to jeopardize or hamper the reaching of final agreement; unilateral activity that might affect the other partys rights in a permanent manner not permissible; distinction drawn between activities leading to a permanent physical change such as exploitation of oil and gas reserves, and those that do not, such as seismic exploration.[15] THE DECISION: the tribunal awarded declaratory relief, 1) declares that violations of the Convention have taken place, in certain circumstances, reparation in the form of satisfaction may be provided by a judicial declaration that there has been a violation of a right or an obligation. And, 2) declares that the parties violated their obligations under articles 74(3) and 83(3) of the Convention to make every effort to enter into provisional arrangements of a practical nature. Furthermore, the parties violated their obligations, also under articles 74(3) and 83(3) of the Convention, to make every effort not to jeopardize or hamper the reaching of a final delimitation agreement.[16] In addition, 3) jurisdiction holds it has competence to delimit, by the drawing of a single maritime boundary, the territorial sea, continental shelf, and exclusive economic zone appertaining to each of the parties in the waters where their claims to these maritime zones overlap; to consider and rule on Guyanas allegation that Suriname has engaged in the unlawful use or threat of force contrary to the Convention, the UN Charter, and general international law; and to consider and rule on the parties respective claims under articles 74(3) and 83(3) of the Convention relating to the obligation to make every effort to enter into provisional arrangements of a practical nature and the obligation not to jeopardise or hamper the reaching of a final agreement. REASONING: 1)The International Maritime Boundary between the parties is a series of geodetic lines joining the points in the order listed as set forth in the award; 2) the expulsion from the disputed area of the CGX oil rig and drill ship C.E. Thornton by Suriname on 3 June 2000 constituted a threat of the use of force in breach of the Convention, the UN Charter, and general international law; however, for a reason specified in the award, Guyanas request for an order precluding Suriname from making further threats of force and Guyanas claim for compensation are rejected; 3) both parties violated their obligation under articles 74(3), and 83(3) of the Convention to (first) make every effort to enter into provisional arrangements of a practical nature and to (second) do everything possible not to jeopardise or hamper the reaching of a final delimitation agreement; and claims inconsistent with award were rejected.[17] ANALYSIS Introduction For decades, neighboring countries have struggled to reach an amicable solution in resolving matters relating to the limitations of the High Seas, all parts of the sea that are not included in the territorial sea or in the internal waters of a state.[18]As well as the high seas freedoms such as navigation; overflight; fishing; to lay submarine cables and pipelines; to construct artificial islands, installations and structures; and scientific research.[19] Per Louis B. Sohn[20], et al., the first four freedoms are expressly mentioned in Article 2 of the 1958 High Sea Convention;[21] whereas the last two were added in Article 87(1) of the LOS Convention.[22] Particularly, matters of potentially very high capital gain. Another thing to remember is that conflicts and/or disputes with respect to the two major wars WWI and WWII were a direct result of unresolved matters that could not be solved by diplomatic negotiations. Conflicts arising from the highs seas are no different, especially w ith natural resources, not to mention resources such as oil, gas, and hydrocarbon. Factually, these commodities are in very high demand in relation to the economic stability of developed and even developing countries. Consequently, in the late 1960s the world was faced with a nightmare of conflicts over maritime rights.[23] Not only did different views arise between developed and developing countries, coastal and land-locked states, and large and small maritime powers, but also within those groups.[24] Scholars suggest that this, of course, breed its own problems and since the close of WWII and the end of European Empire, there have been a growing number of boundary disputes, particularly between states.[25] In other words, nothing can more epitomize this than the realm of upstream oil and gas developments, where particularly in recent times, glittering prices of $100 a barrel await those who can maximize their hydrocarbon production.[26] As time change, disputes became more and more challenging. In the twentieth century, the international law codification movement addressed both international and new law of the sea issues.[27] The League of Nations in 1930 and then the United Nations, UN in its 1958 and 1960 First and Second UN conferences on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS 1 and UNCLOS 2) tried to solve the recurrent issue of the breadth of the territorial sea under the control of the coastal state, to no avail.[28] The only logical solution was the establishment of a new internationa l legal regime, a code of international law of the oceans. Therefore, the states arranged for the Third United Nations Law of the Sea conference (UNCLOS III) and over a period of nine years 1973-1982, [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea was birth and set out the rights and responsibilities of coastal states and other states.[29] The following paper will examine the tribunal decision, between the Republic of Guyana and the Republic of Suriname (Guyana v. Suriname, 2007) arbitral case, after hearing awarded September 17, 2007. But before the following paper seeks to explore the courts decision on Surinamese action which constituted a threat of the use of force, and the threat of the use of force was not justified on the first and second states obligations. It is important to point out from the outset that the decision is commendable and a progression, however, it did not provide clear guidance on its interpretations or what it meant by state practice. To analysis the decision, this paper is divided into three sections to examine the issues first, historical events up to arbitration; secondly, the tribunal decision on states first obligation and the reasoning in the international legal framework; and third, the court ruling on the second states obligation, logic and what it means for further disputes on interna tional laws. For concision, the following paper will consolidate its conclusion with a focus on the tribunal decision in general international law with associated cases. Historical events leading up arbitration Since the establishment of the UNCLOS, 1982, proponents of the law of the seas have noted that there are an increasing number of disputes being fuelled by the discovery of hydrocarbons on or near a claimed boundary line.[30] Per Roughton, indeed the United Nations noted in 2001 that 100 maritime boundary delimitations throughout the world still await some form of a resolution by peaceful means and by 2006, that figure had increased to some 220 potential maritime boundary disputes, which must exclude boundary disputes on land.[31] At that time, the tribunal had already awarded in the case of Barbados and Trinidad Tobago while at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), between Nicaragua and Honduras in the Caribbean Sea (Nicaragua v. Honduras), 2007 and Nicaragua and Columbia (Nicaragua v. Columbia) in December of the same year, on territorial sea and maritime delimitation disputes.[32] The evidence through documentation submitted to the tribunal for the dispute between Guyana v. Suriname, 2007, on the maritime boundary line proves that many factors are leading up to the dispute going back to colonization which has a direct link to the arbitration. But the most important factor is perhaps the economic factor. In this regard, the significance of oil and gas reserves should not be understated as in many disputed areas which often involve oil and natural gas resources.[33] Legal documentation pointed out the origin of the conflict between the parties stretch back to a 1799 border agreement and the inability, of the Dutch and British colonial authorities in the 1930s to define the boundaries between the parties with greater precision.[34] Following the independence of both states and the granting of offshore oil concessions in a disputed area of the sea, where the Corentyne River flows into the Atlantic Ocean, matters came to a halt in June 2000, specifically for sovere ignty over the territorial sea, Continental Shelf, and EEZ.[35] This is an interesting point to note, that prior as well, colonial authorities for the parties had agreed for the border to run along the west bank of the Corentyne River to enable the Netherlands (for Suriname) to exercise supervision of all traffic in the river. Additionally, in 1936 a Mixed Border Commission (agreement) between the parties fixed the northern end of the border at a particular point on the west bank, near the mouth of the Corentyne River. Taken together, during this time, this area is considered a disputed area (title belong to neither of the parties) yet they worked together and jointly shared the area. Since, the traffic during this time on the seas was mainly for navigating, transporting citizens between both countries, and fishing. Hence, from the early times when sailors and fishermen first ventured into the sea, two principles traditionally governed the law of the sea: the right of the coastal state to control a narrow strip along the coast and the freedoms of navigation and fishing in the high seas beyond the coastal area.[36] This comment supports the overall argument in this section that the parties interest at the time was navigating and fisheries, so peaceful arrangements were possible. However, a different approach ensued with the drilling company for possibly discovering oil, gas, and hydrocarbon. On the first obligation was there every effort made by both sides? Under UNCLOS with regards to the nature and the rights and obligations impose under international law for article 74(3) and 83(3) provides as follows, in sum pending agreement (of delimitation of the EEZ or Continental Shelf), the States involved, in a spirit of understanding and co-operation, shall make every effort to enter into provisional arrangements of a practical nature and during this transitional period, not to jeopardise (risk, endanger, expose) or hamper (hinder) the reaching of the final agreement. Such arrangements shall be without prejudice to the final delimitation.[37] All the same, the two duties of cooperation and mutual restraint imposed on states party to the UNCLOS in relation to disputed maritime delimitations, as per Roughton, for some time there was no clear view as to the form in which any such cooperation might be mandated beyond the anodyne statement, but that States are simply required to negotiate in good faith provisional arrangements of a practical nature.[38] This was to change from the Guyana v. Suriname case by what the UNCLOS meant in article 74(3) and 83(3), from the threat of the use of force by the Surname navy vessel against CGX resources undertaking exploratory work for Guyana which brought up the issue of sovereignty over the disputed area between the parties to be ruled on. The tribunal had to then consider the meaning and effects of article 74(3) and 83(3), so in its award/decision, it specified in its interpretation to that of both obligations simultaneously attempt to promote and limit activities in a disputed maritime area.[39] Which means in the first obligation is that pending a final delimitation, states parties are required to make every effort to enter provisional arrangements of a practical nature.[40] That is, in turn to pave the way for provisional utilization of disputed areas pending delimitation. Parallel through its expose of the first obligation the tribunal implied to encourage the equitable and efficient use of the resources of the seas natural resources claimed by more than one state, subject always to the objectives of the second obligation, such activities do not affect the reaching of a final agreement.[41] Additionally, the tribunal appeared to have in mind the encouragement of arrangements for the joint exploration and exploitation of maritime resources as between the parties. Hence, using the decision by the ICJ in the North Sea Continental Shelf Cases to interpret the extent of the obligation to cooperate with the pre-UNCLOS regime. In that regard, the tribunal referenced the (then) recent UK-Norwegian Continental Shelf Agreement, and found that where there are overlapping claims, joint exploitation agreements were particularly appropriate when it is a question of preserving the unity of deposit.[42] Noteworthy to mentioned, the parties have worked together without conflict up to 1990. By previous agreements as up to the attempt with the 1991 MOU which apparently if a representative of both governments would have met within the 30 days to conclude the discussion, but, Suriname never implemented, neither came forth to negotiate on joint utilization, which might have prevented this ar bitration. This supports the argument that the dispute was driven by the possibility of discovering and the production of oil, gas, and hydrocarbon in the disputed area. The tribunal decision did not provide a clear interpretation to the practice of States in interpreting first obligation and offered guidance as to what extent it considered there to be a developing trend of customary law.[43] For clarification, my understanding is perhaps within its language the tribunal was suggesting states to jointly share the exploitation and exploration of maritime boundaries if overlapping or in disputed areas. If so, is there a regulation to rights, limits, and responsibilities for states not signed to the UNCLOS with other signed states and where neither state is signed? Likewise, the production, and revenue from the oil, gas, and hydrocarbon pending delimitation. On the other hand, successful joint utilization as a memorandum of understanding between Cambodia and Thailand made on 18 June 2001 under which both parties consider that it is desirable to enter into a provisional arrangement of a practical nature in relation to their overlapping claims in the Gulf of Thailand: the allusion to Articles 74(3) and 83(3) could not be clearer neither party is contracting state under UNCLOS.[44] But for this to be acceptable and recognized as customary international law both parties must consider two elements; state practice and opiniojuris(not discussed in this paper) as was used and interpreted in the North Sea Continental Shelf case. However, per author Roughton joint development agreements have been concluded most famously between Malaysia and Thailand in 1990 and between Malaysia and Vietnam in 1992. As well as, the suite of an agreement entered by Australia with Indonesia and East Timor over the Timor Gap.[45] For the overall argument of this pape r is that a joint utilization in an international legal framework to solve such an issue should be taken up on a case-by-case basis. The language suggested by the tribunal should not pose a blanket of one-size fits all to resolve a disputed area conflict. Second state obligation: not to jeopardize or hamper the reaching of a final agreement The findings of the tribunal that both Guyana and Suriname violated their obligations under Articles 74(3) and 83(3) of UNCLOS, in its reasoning on the second obligation: state parties must during that period of make every effort à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. not to jeopardize or hamper the reaching of final agreement, it was not intended to freeze all exploratory activities in a disputed maritime area in the absence of a provisional arrangement. In this regard, it made a distinction between activities of the kind that lead to a permanent physical change in the marine environment and those that do not, such as seismic exploration: while the former class of activities could be undertaken only jointly or by agreement between the parties, because such actions could be perceived to, or may genuinely, prejudice the position of the other party in the delimitation dispute, thereby both hampering and jeopardizing the reaching of a final agreement; the latter class of activities in disputed waters would b e permissible.[46] Based upon these theoretical analyses, the tribunal found that Suriname failed in its duty under Articles 74(3) and 83(3) noting that Suriname did not send a representative to conclude discussions on modalities for joint utilization of the disputed area, as contemplated by the 1991 MOU; Suriname failed to respond to the draft of proposed Modalities for Treatment of the Offshore Area of Overlap between Guyana and Suriname submitted by Guyana in 1994.[47] Particularly, placing emphasis in the build-up to the CGX incident, In order to satisfy its obligation to make every effort to reach provisional arrangements, Suriname would have actively had to attempt to bring Guyana to the negotiating table, or, at a minimum, have accepted Guyanas last minute 2 June 2000 invitation and negotiated in good faith.[48] It notably could have insisted on the immediate cessation of CGXs exploratory drilling as a condition to participating in further talks.[49] In light of this, Suriname believed that Guya nas authorization of its concession holder to undertake exploratory drilling in disputed waters constituted a violation of its obligation, and if bilateral negotiations failed to resolve the issue, Suriname should resort to the remedy provided for in the options for peaceful settlement envisaged by Part XV and Annex VII of the Convention, instead of opting for resorting to self-help in threatening CGX Resources.[50] On the other hand, the Tribunal ruled that Guyana also violated its obligation to make every effort to enter provisional arrangements by its conduct leading up to the CGX incident, in that in a spirit of cooperation, informed Suriname directly of its plans, and the notification in the press by way of CGXs public announcements was not sufficient for Guyana to meet its obligation. Besides, Guyana should have sought to engage Suriname in discussions concerning the drilling at a much earlier stage.[51] Its 2 June 2000 invitation to Suriname to discuss the modalities of any drilling operations, although an attempt to defuse a tense situation, was also not sufficient to discharge Guyanas obligation under the LOS Convention.[52] Being a tense situation already stemming from Surinames lack of participation to implementation of the MOU agreement, the assumption is that the last minute efforts made matters worse. In this regard, the explanation by the tribunal in this section supports the over all argument of this paper. It points out clearly that the focus or driving force behind the arbitration is the development of the potential equity, that is the discovery by CGX Resources undertakings for Guyana in the disputed drilling for possibly oil, gas and hydrocarbon. Both parties failed in the spirit of cooperation and restrained in relation to articles 74(3) and 83(3) states obligations. Conclusion The evidence listed above has supported the argument of this paper by proving that the dispute between Guyana v. Suriname was driven by factors of economic interest. Both parties failed in its obligations as Suriname contended in its defense that the measures it undertook on 3 June 2000 were of the nature of reasonable and proportionate law enforcement measures to preclude unauthorized drilling in a disputed area. While Guyana failed its for authorizing CGX Resources to drill in disputed area and not providing Suriname with sufficient notice of drilling activities. Although in international law, force may be used in law enforcement activities, it is only if such force is unavoidable, reasonable and necessary. But, the action mounted by Suriname deemed more akin to a threat of military action rather than a mere law enforcement activity, therefore, constituted a threat of the use of force in contravention of the UNCLOS, the UN Charter, and general international law. Moreover, the tribunal emphasized that peaceful means of addressing Guyanas alleged breach of international law with respect to exploratory drilling were available to Suriname under the UNCLOS.[53] That is, a State faced with a such a dispute should resort to the compulsory procedures provided for in Section 2 of Part XV of the Convention, which provide, inter alia, where the urgency of the situation so requires, a State may request that ITLOS on prescribing provisional measures.[54] Above all, the tribunal provided clarification of the obligations to make every effort to enter provisional arrangements and not to jeopardize or hamper the reaching of a final delimitation agreement, and exert a significant influence on the mode of behavior of those states facing maritime delimitation disputes.[55] However, it did not provide guidance when referred to the practice of States in interpreting first obligation neither offered guidance as to what extent (if any) it considered there be a developing trend of customary international law.[56] For such as, if a boundary is fixed, but a reservoir straddling it exist, unitization is the pa

ADHD and My Family: Searching for a More Scientific Explanation :: Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder

ADHD and My Family: Searching for a More Scientific Explanation My father, like many Asian immigrants, left India to pursue his educational goals in America in order to provide a better life for his family. He arrived in the U.S. with fourteen dollars in his coat pocket, a suitcase in his hands, and a will to succeed. For my father, in a place like America where opportunities were plentiful and where hard work actually paid off there was no excuse not to succeed. The practical translation of this belief meant that if his children worked hard in school there was nothing they too could not achieve. As such, in my father's household, not doing well in school was not an option. Because of his cultural background my father found my brother's poor performance in school incomprehensible. I too was puzzled by my brother's attitude towards school. He and I grew up in the same house with the same parents and the same set of values. Yet, he seemed to not care about school at all. For a long time, my family and I attributed my brother's C's in school and obvious inability to concentrate to laziness and a lack of motivation. My brother's diagnosis with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) was both a welcomed explanation and a shock to my parents. On the one hand, my mother and father had begun to question their parenting abilities, and this allowed them to shift the blame from themselves. On the other hand, they had a very limited understanding of mental illness. In particular, the concept of mental illness itself was not something they were terribly familiar with. For my parents, problems of the mind were problems that existed within the scope of personal will power. In many ways, I partially subscribe to the world-view that my parents hold. As such, until recently, I've been skeptical of my brother's diagnosis. In particular, at the time, it seemed to me that distractibility was something that I too suffered from. I didn't enjoy forcing myself to concentrate, but I did it because I knew that I had to. In addition, my brother seemed perfectly capable of concentrating when he was playing soccer, watching the Discovery channel or playing video games. In my mind, his problems appeared to be that he was spoiled and didn't like being told what to do. In addition, I think that ADHD gave everyone in my family the excuse that they needed.

Making New Writing :: Personal Narrative

Making New Writing This assignment is for my ‘Writing, Style, and Technology’ class at University. The focus of the class is supposed to be on computers, Internet, etc. But for our first major project, the goal was to create a new type of writing technology. The catch was that we couldn't use common writing tools like paper or pencils. We had to use ‘natural’ items and things we could find around the house like food, paper clips, dirt, etc. And the finished work was to be a word or brief sentence using that new technology. The idea was to act as an ‘writing inventor’ and get an understanding of the thoughts and processes that went into making some of the common writing technologies used today. Many of those evolved from using items in ways that weren't originally intended. For example, the first computers were originally used for complex math calculations and not for word processing, until later adaptations against the desires of many early computer operators who thought making letters as too simple (Baron 46). That was the idea for this assignment: making words with tools not normally used to write with and to temporarily get beyond the normal practices we grew up with to understand how people in the past felt with the introduction of new writing practices. The first instruction that got stuck in my head when the assignment was first presented was the one about not using any ‘man-made’ things. Going outside in the cold/snow and digging up ‘natural’ tools wasn't a pleasant idea. But history has shown that making new writing technologies often turns into a ‘dirty’ process. In 18th century French, pencil-maker Nicholas-Jacques Conte had to deal with pencil graphite shortages by creating his own mixture of graphite and other material like clay and water (Baron 44). Replaying a task like that didn't sound very fun. But I probably wasn't paying enough attention in class when the assignment was first talked about to realize that it wasn't that limiting. After carefully reading the instructions, it appeared that man made items *could* be used, but not ones that are extensions of common writing tools (paint, nail polish). That was a relieving realization. Going in nature was then ruled out for weather reasons, and the search for a new writing technology began at home. My room was filled with papers, pens, and other school stuff, so searching there wouldn't have done any good.

Congestive Heart Failure Essay

Abstract The prevalence of congestive heart failure is on the increase both in the United States and all over the world, and it is the leading cause of hospitalization in the elderly population. Congestive heart failure is a progressive disease generally seen in the elderly, which if not properly managed, can lead to repeated hospital admissions or death. Heart failure means that the heart muscle is weakened. A weakened heart muscle may not be strong enough to pump an adequate amount of blood out of its chambers. To compensate for its diminished pumping capacity, the heart may enlarge. Commonly, the heart’s pumping inefficiency causes a buildup of blood in the lungs, a condition called pulmonary congestion. Prevalence Congestive heart failure continues to grow in prevalence due to the ageing population and the survival rates of myocardial infarctions (Fundukian, 2011). Congestive heart failure means that the heart is still pumping blood, but at a slower rate than normal, so the pressure in the heart starts to increase as a result. This slower heart rate causes the heart to be unable to pump enough blood to provide the rest of the body with the amount of nutrients and oxygen that it needs. As the pressure increases in the heart, the chambers stretch to hold more blood, or they become stiff and thickened. This compensation mechanism works, but eventually the myocardium will weaken and the heart will decrease in its efficiency to pump blood. This results in a reduction of blood supply to the kidneys, which then begin to lose their ability to excrete salt and water. This lessened function of the kidney causes the body to retain more fluid. The fluid build-up then leads to edema or congestion of tissue s (Fundukian, 2011). Incidence Congestive heart failure is a serious condition with significant morbidity  and mortality. In the United States, African Americans significantly have a higher risk for developing CHF than other ethnic groups, whether or not the heart failure is preceded by a myocardial infarction. Hypertension and diabetes are more prevalent in African Americans, and that explains a large part of the racial and ethnic differences in the risks for developing CHF (Gore, 2008). Assessment. Patient’s demographics, clinical history, alongside with complete history and physical is obtained by the nurse. Head to toe assessment is done to check for any physical signs of complications from the disease, commonly dependent edema, and the functional status of the patient. The functional status, which includes the activities of daily living (ADL), is assessed to determine the severity of the disease (Ramos, Prata, Goncalves, & Coelho, 2013).In addition to the physical assessment, brain natruretic peptid (BNP), a hormone that checks for the functionality of the heart is also checked, and is a measuring tool to diagnose CHF (Ramos, Prata, Goncalves, & Coelho, 2013). Pathophysiology. Heart failure may be classified according to the side of the heart affected, (left- or right-sided failure), or by the cardiac cycle involved, (systolic or diastolic dysfunction)(Haydock & Cowie, 2010). Late blood supply edema may develop (Haydock & Cowie, 2010). Where edema occurs depends on what side of the heart is failing. Left-sided heart failure results from the inability of the left ventricle to function properly. Blood fails to get out to other parts of the body as quickly as it returns from the lungs. When blood doesn’t get back to the heart, it backs up in the lungs blood vessels. Blood is then forced into the intracellular space in the lungs causing pulmonary edema (Haydock & Cowie, 2010). Right-sided heart failure results from the inability of the right ventricle to function properly. Blood isn’t pumped to the lungs as quickly as it returns from the other parts of the body. Fluid then begins to back up in the veins and pushes out into the tissues, causing edema, most often in the feet, lower legs, and ankles. (Haydock & Cowie, 2010). Sluggish blood flow also deprives organs of oxygen and other nutrients causing fatigue and difficultly with physical exertion. The heart tries to compensate for its lack of pumping ability by becoming hypertrophic. This causes the muscle in the heart’s wall to thicken thus improving the pumping  ability of the heart (Haydock & Cowie, 2010). The heart may also increase heart rate to improve output and circulation. The kidneys eventually join in by retaining salt and water to increase volume, but this extra fluid can cause edema and further complicate the situation. (Haydock & Cowie,2010). Despite varying etiologies, there are molecular and biochemical features that contribute to heart failure (Keys & Kotch, 2004). Activation of the sympathetic nervous system causes enhancement of the adrenergic system, which in effect, contributes to loss of cardiac function. Enhancement of adrenergic functions can lead to hypertension in susceptible individuals, and in effect, contributes to heart failure (Keys & Kotch, 2004). Causes. Causes of congestive heart failure could be coronary artery disease (CAD), which is when the arteries that supply the heart with oxygen and blood become blocked or narrowed. Other causes include previous heart attack due to the tissue scarring, or cardiomyopathy which is damage to the heart muscle. Cardiomyopathy is caused by problems other than decreased blood flow. The causes include infections, alcohol, or drug use. Other factors that can contribute to congestive heart failure are hypertension, heart valve disease, thyroid disease, kidney disease, di abetes, or congenital heart defects (Fundukian, 2011) Symptoms. Symptoms of congestive heart failure consist of fatigue, dependent edema, fluid build-up in the lungs, increase in urination because of the extra fluid, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and decreased appetite (Fundukian, 2011). Diagnosis of CHF is done first by physical examination, such as heart rate, and heart sounds or murmurs. If a physician believes more tests are needed, common ones include an electrocardiogram or chest x-ray to detect previous heart attacks, arrhythmia, or heart enlargement, and echocardiogram using ultrasound to image the heart muscle, valves, and blood flow patterns. The physician may also want to do a heart catheterization, to allow the arteries of the heart to be visualized using angiography. Upon getting a diagnosis of CHF, the physician will usually start with asking the patient to change things in their diet, such going to a low sodium diet. They may also want to prescribe medications. Types of medications could include angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors,  which block formation of angiotensin II hormone, angiotensin receptor blockers (ARB) to block the action of angiotensin II at the receptor site, and diuretics, just to name a few (Fundukian, 2011). If these primary treatments are ineffective for the patient, the physician may want to revert to other methods such as surgery. Depending on the specific problem in the heart, the physician could recommend bypass surgery, to route blood around the blocked artery, heart valve surgery for replacement or repair of a dysfunctional valve, or infarct exclusion surgery to remove scar tissue that accumulated due to a previous heart attack. The final measures would be placement of a left ventricular assisted device (LVAD), which helps to pump blood throughout the body. This is usually only used in patients who are waiting for a heart transplant. The outcome or prognosis of congestive heart failure is extremely variable. It is usually related to its functional class. These functional classes are Class 1, patient has a weakened heart but is without symptoms or limitation, Class 2, only limitation of heavier workloads, Class 3, limitation of everyday activity, and Class 4, severe symptoms at rest or with any degree of effort (Fundukian, 2011). Management of congestive heart failure. Healthcare workers play an important role in educating patients with congestive heart failure about the disease and how to manage it. According to Garcias and Wright (2010), congestive heart patients who are taught by knowledgeable nurses may have a better understanding of their disease and how to improve their quality of life and decrease mortality and hospital admission rates. Self-care is a complex and multi-faceted phenomenon that needs a comprehensive consideration of patients including their emotional situation, psychological characters, physical abilities, family support, living facilities, comorbidities (especially cognitive function) and their ability for learning. Insufficient knowledge about CHF, symptom recognition and ways of self-care along with hopelessness and psychological problems limited their abilities for an effective self-care. A supportive environment, motivation and adequate care programs using effective educational methods that build self-care skills, should be recommended to health care providers and families (Siabani, Leeder, & Davidson, 2013) There are several ways to prevent congestive heart failure. Diet management is a key factor in securing a future without  congestive heart failure. Maintaining a proper diet is crucial. Being overweight will act as a burden to the heart causing it to work harder to pump blood throughout the body. It is necessary to reduce sodium intake to avoid retaining fluids. The next step would be to increase potassium intake. Individuals who have congestive heart failure are usually prescribed diuretics to help excrete fluids causing a loss of potassium. Potassium can be found in green leafy vegetables and most fruits, particularly bananas, oranges, and dried fruit. Other factors for congestive heart failure prevention would involve exercise, not smoking and limited alcoho l consumption. (Haydock & Cowie, 2010). Various drugs are incorporated into treatment for congestive heart failure. The use of drugs is intended for reducing fluids within the body or to reduce blood pressure in the arteries of the body. Typical drugs used for treatment are Ace inhibitors, beta-blockers, digitalis, diuretics and vasodilators. Beta-blockers are intended to improve function for the left lower ventricular pumps. Diuretics are intended to assist in eliminating products that primarily contribute to congestion such as salt and water. Digitalis serves a very important role in strengthening the heart so it can serve as a more efficient, reliable, and effective pump. Treatment may involve surgery if the failure is a result of a poor functioning heart valve. Surgery could involve repair or replacement of a heart valve or in drastic cases, replacement of the heart itself (Gore, 2008). Lifestyle adjustment is necessary to effectively curtail the increasing prevalence of CHF. It is important should therefore optimize control of hypertension and diabetes (Gore, 2008). General treatment will also consist of exercise, weight loss, rest and specific attention to maintaining a suitable diet plan. The Practice Framework of a person that has congestive heart failure is greatly affected. Individuals must reduce the amount of exertion on their bodies to prevent over stimulating the heart. The limitations caused by the failure make performing even routine tasks more difficult. Some of the activities of daily living (ADL’s) that this individual might have issues with might be, getting dressed and undressed, toileting, personal hygiene, bathing and eating (Haydock & Cowie, 2010). To reduce hospitalization of the CHF patient, nurses must teach patients about illness, symptoms, diet, medication, and energy conservation. The more knowledge a nurse can give to a patient concerning CHF, the more  the patient can do to reduce hospitalizations. Gerontological nurses must provide high quality, research-based clinical care for these patients (Bushnell & Lopez, 1992). Conclusion: Congestive heart disease is a disease that grows fast in prevalence, causing a high rate of hospitalization every year. It is more prevalent in the elderly population. The symptoms of congestive heart failure mimic that of other diseases, but shortness of breath, fatigue, and dependent edema are common in patients. When taking care of patients with congestive heart failure, it is important to incorporate cultural and spiritual considerations. References Bushnell, F.K. & Lopez, E. (1992). Self care teaching: for congestive heart failure patients. Journal of Gerontological Nursing. 18(10): 27-32 Fundukian, L. J., (2011). Congestive heart failure. The Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine. 4th Ed. 2(4): 1142-1147. Detroit: Gale Cengage Learning Garcias, R.E., & Wright, V. R. (2010). Cardiology research and clinical developments: Congestive Heart Failure : Symptoms, Causes and Treatment. .† SciTech Book News Dec. 2010. Retrieved from http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA243379576&v=2.1&u=vic_liberty&it=r&p=AONE&sw=w&asid=3d10bca3f720fda0cb553c2548646db8 Gore, J.M. (2008). Ethnicity and incidence of congestive heart failure. Journal Watch.Cardiology. Proquest. Haydock, P.M. & Cowie M.R. (2010). Heart failure: classification and pathophysiology. Medicine. 38(9). pp 467- 472. Keys J. R. & Kotch, W. J. (2004). The adrenergic pathway and heart failure. PubMed, 59, 13-30. Retrieved from, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14749495. Ramos, S., Prata, J., Goncalves, S.R., & Coelho, R. (2013). Congestive heart failure and quality of life. Applied Research in Quality of Life. Springer Netherlands, 9(4)4, pp. 803 – 817 Siabani, S., Leeder, S.R., & Davidson, P.M. (2013).Barriers and facilitators to self-care in chronic heart failure: a meta-synthesis of qualitative studies. SpringerPlus 2013, 2:320 doi:10.1186/2193-1801-2-320

Rango Essay

It’s not always easy to relate the story of a talking lizard to the history of the world. Or at least, that’s they want the watchers to think. The truth is that there are many different themes that tie into the world’s past. Rango (the talking lizard) can represent some of the world’s most influential leaders; the mayor, who is a talking turtle, corresponds to the corrupted government of countries. In a way, many of the themes in this movie relate to one another. Human identity, religion, government, hero worship, and human adaptation, is only the beginning of what this film uncovers about the world, and the human species itself. The biggest and most occurring questions asked in Rango are the ones that follow; who am I, or who are you? Throughout the whole movie, Rango tried to figure out who he is. The movie opens up with Rango acting out a scene, but then stops and realizes that his play is missing something; his character needs to be more defined and is in need of conflict. After falling off the car, and having his home shattered, he finds conflict, but still has no clue of who he really is. Talking to the armadillo, he comes across the fact that because no one knows him, he can be anyone he wants to be. In the duration of the movie, Rango evaluates who he is, and who he can be. In this way, I can relate Rango to Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche, the famous philosopher. One main point of Nietzsche’s writings’ was the will to power. Originally Schopenhauer’s created the idea of utilitarianism, which is the notion of an aimless will, claiming that many human’s main motivation is simply to be happy. Nietzsche rejected that idea when he stated that happiness is not the main goal, but a result of successfully fulfilling one’s main goals, and overcoming challenging obstacles-in the long term, fulfillment of the will. Rango’s character is too raw and undeveloped in the beginning, when he gets to the town of Dirt and creates this strong, law abiding, Sheriff persona, he comes to believe that this is who he actually is. When Rattlesnake Jake, proves that Rango is a liar and forces Rango to leave town, the armadillo and him have another encounter. In that encounter, the armadillo points out that it is the deeds that make the man. After hearing this, Rango returns to Dirt, fully aware of whom he is. Another way humans define themselves, is through religion. Though religion is a touchy subject for some people, it is expressed and shown numerous times throughout the movie. The first time Rango meets Roadkill (the armadillo), is when Rango must help the armadillo up because he got smashed by a car. When Rango, questions the reason for Roadkill’s suicide mission, the old armadillo answers that it is because the Spirit of the West is waiting for him on the other side. That is not the last time the Spirit of the West is mentioned. The acting deity is referred to at the ritual for water that happens every Wednesday and noon. Right before, completing the ritual, the villagers send a prayer to the Spirit of the West, ending in ‘amen’. The villagers of Dirt go into a sort of trance, when they hear that 12 O’clock bell chime. Each resident grabs a bottle and gets in the line. Once they reach the end of their ritual, they are all standing in front of a water spigot, praying for water to once again overwhelm the town. After saying a short prayer to the Spirit of the West, the mayor holds up the valve handle, in the shape of a cross inside a circle. The mayor holds up the handle, much like a priest would hold up the consecrated host, signaling the ritualistic and religious behavior of old and current civilization. The mayor plays a very important role in the film as well as the analogy. The mayor represents the corrupt government leaders of the world. In the film, the water of Dirt basically runs out. The people are barely scraping by without water, and desperately need their problem to be fixed. They mayor was there, in the town of Dirt, long before it became a barren wasteland, so he knows how much a true city can thrive. The once great leader became corrupted by the notion of power and influence he had over the towns people by controlling what they needed the most; water. The mayor wanted to have everything under his control, every piece of land, every piece of business and so on. The town, was one day thriving, living the great American life, and then the next, businesses were shutting down, land was drying up, and the drought was more serious than ever. While the mayor and his comrades laughed about getting all the water to themselves, the villagers lived in hardship. That situation reminds me of Jean-Claude Duvalier, president of Hati from 1971-86. Jean-Claude resumed the position of president after his predecessor and father, passed. The United States put a lot of pressure on Jean-Claude to restore the great land of Hati, from the dictatorial regime of his father. In the beginning, he was successful. He introduced reforms, replaced cabinet members, and released political prisoners. Though all was not as it seemed, and his reign did not differ much from his father’s. While his people were living in poverty, he continued to live a luxurious lifestyle with his wife. In fact, his wedding along cost $3 million US dollars. Many people wondered for ages, how all this was possible, and eventually, the truth came out. As it turns out, Jean-Claude had been in several drug trades as well as selling body parts of dead Haitians. After his dark secrets were revealed, he fled to France, and for the next two decades, served a self-imposed exile. This year, on the 16th of January, he was spotted in Hati. The following day, he was arrested for the possible charges of embezzlement, and corruption. Currently, Duvalier is expected to be held in trial before a judge in Port-au-Prince. Yet, the situation makes you think, that in the same way the townspeople looked to the mayor for guidance and resurrection, the Haitian inhabitants, looked to Duvalier for savior from the awful dictatorship before him. What the mayor and Duvalier both have in common, is the aspect of the hero, saving the land. The biggest thing I found Rango to have in common with the world is human adaptation. It was obvious in the beginning of the film, that Rango did not belong in Dirt. After figuring that out for himself, he took on the task of adapting to his surroundings. He studied the ways they walked, talked, and held themselves in their everyday life. The villagers very bluntly showed that they did not take well to strangers, and are against the idea of anyone being different. The residents showed that it is easier to survive, if you do not stand out. Rango derived from the town’s behavior that, he would be much more likely to survive, if he behaved like one of them. Our human ancestors ran into many of the same problems Rango did. They had to adapt to their environment, in order to survive. Rango had nothing when he began his journey, as did our ancestors. With nothing more than rock tools (spears, knives, etc. ) they trekked out of Africa and towards the middle east and then westward. Our beginning ancestors not only had to adapt to their environment, but they had to shift their eating habits, to whatever was available to them. Similar to the way the people of Dirt drank cactus juice because of the lack of water availability. There are no limitations when it comes to relating history to the things we see around us. After all, without history, there would not be a present. The film Rango takes themes you see in everyday world history and places them into terms and situations that any age group may understand. Mainly the characters in the film can represent various figure’s in real life; Human identity, religion, government, hero worship, and human adaptation in the past have all influence how the world is now.