Personal portfolio Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Personal portfolio - Essay Example Moreover, research has it that job related stress have dire impacts on an employee’s social and psychological aspects of life (Dewe, P et al, 2010). For example, it may result to psychological breakdown in serious cases. Individuals have also reported to have broken social ties with family and friends as a result. It is therefore important to develop the ability to cope with work related stress and sustain pressure emanating from work. When working as an employee, I have to face several situations that are challenging and stressful. Such difficult situations are for example, having too much work to do within a very limited timeline, bulling by mean superiors and exaggerated expectations from employers just to mention but a few. However, I was required to stay steady and focused on work and deliver quality and reliable services despite the difficulties that I faced. This necessitated the need to be able to work under pressure. Employees experience pressure from different directions, and this certainly affects their productivity at work in a negative manner. It is therefore vital that they learn best how to articulate there work amidst the mounting pressure. The skill is a combination of other desirable skills and attributes of an individual that builds up to an adaptive personality. Such desirable skills are for example, patience, humility, resilience, confidence, humility et cetera. Being humble has certainly enabled me to take unpleasant comments, disapprovals and rebuke from my colleagues and superiors at work places. It also took me confidence in myself to overcome difficult and stressful situations, enabling me to deliver efficiently deliver my duties without having to succumb to the effects of pressure. Believing that things will eventually turn out positively, enabled me to withstand the adverse pressure that came with work. My

Business strategy-business game Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Business strategy-business game - Essay Example A single strategic direction for the firm is selected which is the differentiation strategy as per the Bowman’s strategy clock. The Bowman’s strategy clock is used to identify one or multiple strategic aspects that may be taken up by a company for developing competiveness, sustainability and continued success (Chesbrough and Rosenbloom, 2002). This is because the results of the analysis and the study of the external market indicate that the adoption of a differentiation strategy can be beneficial for the company for ensuring greater levels of success and sustainability for the future years. The number of companies operating in the athletic footwear segment in which the case company belongs ranges from 4 to 10 main companies. However, for the analysis, three main competitors of APanda Shoes are considered which are Diversity Footwear, C Athlete Company and Bold Athletics Company. The company APanda Shoes operates in multiple geographical regions. The company has its manufacturing plants in North America, Asia pacific, Europe, Africa and Latin America. This makes the athletic footwear manufacturing company much vulnerable towards the political norms in the different countries of its operation. The political factors like the stability of the political environment, the formulation of government policies, taxation policies, export and import policies and duties levied on the athletic footwear products are some of the common factors that would affect the business decisions and operations of APanda Shoes. The economic factors like inflation rates, Gross Domestic Predict (GDP), economic and business cycles, disposable income level and Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) are some of the economic factors that would directly influence the profitability, sales and sustainability of the company in the four operational regions. The volatility of currency exchange systems and the fluctuations in the foreign exchange

Ethnics Of Orang Asli Theology Religion Essay

Ethnics Of Orang Asli Theology Religion Essay Lanoh is one of the ethnics of Orang Asli original people from Malaysia. Previously, Lanoh used to be nomads but now many of them stay permanently in Hulu Perak,a district of Perak. Lanoh people are officially classified under the Negrito subgroup but in term of the language they use the Temiar language. Most Lanoh are dark-skinned and have frizzy hair. Their features resemble the Papua New Guinean or east African people. Location Lanoh as well as other Semang people remained in low-land areas, Near Malays settlement. They prefer to live near river valleys, which is the most foot-hills, The low population density of Lanoh people in pre-resettlement time has caused them to spread between a few principle villages and campsites (basically in Perak area. Among their villages are Air Bah, Tawai, and Cenawi village. Last time, the Lanoh villages and camp[s were small, with a population rarely exceeding thirty or thirty-five people. Last time, they were also had a mobile lifestyle but it ended after Malaysias independence (1957). On 1993, Air Bahs status as resettlement village was finalized when a two-storey mosque was elevated to house Muslim proselytizers during their intermittent to the village. Within the plan of Malay nation state, the Lanoh way of life , like that of Orang Asli , had undergone remarkable changes , many due to land loss, logging, deforestation, new forms of subsistence and commercial activities. Since 1980s , the Lanoh people were regrouped and permanently resettled ,primarily in the village of Air Bah. They have been struggling to reconcile these changes with their cultural values and customary of life. Their house has Temiar-style structure which is more stable than their Lanoh-style lean-to-shelters . They prefer to stay in those houses compared to the large government-supplied plank houses. The size of the houses does not necessarily reflect peoples status or ethnic affiliation. In term of life style, people in Air Bah prefer to spend time with whom they feel close , not necessarily their conjugal family members. Beliefs . Most Lanoh people practice ethnic religion (66%), 33% of them are Muslims and 1% of them are Christians http://www.joshuaproject.net/people-profile.php?peo3=12987rog3=MY .They have a belief of naturalism: Plants and animals energize the own spiritually bestowing upon humans a humbling experience of bondage and love for nature. They also practice an unwritten law that all of the animals caught in the forest should suffer no pain in captivity. According to people in Air Bah, a shaman is a person who can teach the young people stories and good things about Lanoh. Previously, Lanoh shamans also believed to posses invaluable powers such as they could talk to elephants, the guardian father of the Lanoh, and as guide people in spiritual roads. Marriage and family For Lanoh people, they dont restrict marriage between ethnics or subgroups and they are more linear. They get to choose their own partner and their parents will not interfere in their relationship. If a couple are living together, they are consider married. There is no wedding celebration, but the bride will just have to give some presents to the bride groom and his in laws. Only young couples get divorce and usually, the Lanoh people do not get divorce if they already have a child. They belief that after labor, a woman cannot touch the ground for two weeks and salt cannot be added into their food for two to three months after labor. They also cannot consume oily food. Death When someone died, the chief of the village and nearest family members will be told about the news. After the dead body is cleaned, for women, they will put on their jewelries such as ring, necklace and bracelets. Then the dead body will be wrapped in a clean new cloth and then wrapped in a mat. The same procedure applies to a mans body except they are wrapped without jewelries. At the cemetery, a 2 meters hole will be digged and the dead body will be buried with their belongings. Then two sticks will be placed on their grave to represent where is the head and where is the legs. At the head part, relatives will light a fire so that wild animals wont come near the grave. If the husband died, the wife cannot wears make up for 7 days. KENSUI TRIBE At the edge of the Baling district area, there is an indigenous settlement known as the Perkampungan Orang Asli Lubok Legong. It is located at the Mukim Siong, 13 km from Pekan Baling and 188 km from Bandaraya Alor Setar. This settlement is own by the indigenous people of the Kensiu tribe. Based on the Jabatan Hal Ehwal Orang Asli (2003) information, this settlement is the only one available for the indigenous people of the Kensui tribe, this is the sole Negrito exist in Kedah and generally the peninsular of Malaysia. Due to their resemblance to the Negro in Africa, they are classified as the Negrito. History Based on the research done by Dr. Iskandar Carey (1970), from his visit to the Perkampungan Orang Asli in Kampung Lalang around 1968 and 1969, the Kensui tribe has their own settlement. Even though the early history had stated that they lived in norm. This tribe was said to have the smallest number of people compared to the other orang asli tribes in Malaysia. There were also said to be the oldest tribe.Basically the Kensui tribe was said to have family relations at Kampung Rai, Yala, Thailand.While based on the facts, the Kensui people orinigated from Kuala Kedau and Ulu Legong. During the Japanese invasion to Tanah Melayu between 1941 and 1942, the Kensui tribe had escaped all around the Baling district mostly to the Parit Panjang, Kampung Bendang Man di Sik, Kampung Sg. Celak and Kampung Tiak di Kupang, Baling. Nowadays, settlements have been build by the government which is the Perkampungan Orang Asli Kampung Lubuk Legong. The Kensui tribe has been residencing there since 1957 at the No 3623 lot which was offered in the year 1958 as the Rezab Orang Asli with an area of 428 acres. According to M.W. Tweedie, a historian had stated in his book Pre-History, those who live in the peninsular which are known as the Negrito had existed since 8000 BC living in caves and hunting animals. During the Palaeolithic and Mesolithic period around 5000 BC, Kedah was used to be inhabited by the Austronesia which became the ancestors of the Negrito, Sakai and the other tribes. Its hard to describe the physical characteristics of the Negrito due to their division into 4 subgroups of the Kensui tribe known as Mos, Nakil (atau Dalem), Hetot and Tanjen. Overall they have fine-small curly hairs, dark in colour skin and average height of 5 feet below, they have wide iris similar to the West African and most of them are similar to the New Guinea indigenous, Papuans. The identity of the Kensui tribe can solely be described by their culture, material and their life style. They show little to none agricultural practise. This may be due to their origin as one of the fully nomadic indigenous people. Their culture includes the practice of nose piercing and residence build for temporary shelter from the weather and wind. The Kensui tribe moves from one place to another for hunting and scavenging food as well as forest materials. They would move to another place if they found that the area is no longer productive. Work arrangements For the adults of the Kensui tribe, rubber tapping is one of their daily routine. The Projek Getah Mini Estet Fasa 1 dan 2 conducted through RISDA was a success for them. The society gained interest of RM200.00 per month for each family. But there are still among them that are unable to perform the work. Besides that, The Kensui tribe are still practice scavenging forest material to be sold to the outside society and for their own usage. They also have skills producing various handcrafts form the forest materials. Some of the people also work as labour in farms. The society of the indigenous people from the Kampung Lubuk Legong are under the supervision of the pentadbiran Jabatan Hal Ehwal Orang Asli (JHEOA) Perak dan Kedah operating in Ipoh, Perak. While at district level, it is under the pentadbiran Pejabat Hal Ehwal Orang Asli Daerah Hulu Perak dan Baling operating in Grik, Perak. In every village, a leader was appointed as the penghulu among themselves to hold the responsibility of governing the village and a Jawatankuasa Kemajuan Kampung (JKKK) was established to help the government. For now, the title penghulu is hold by Encik Rosman Bin Isa. He is the fourth appointed penghulu. Education level The education levels among the Kensui tribe are extremely low compared to the other indigenous tribes. The numbers of educated people are too little. According to the penghulu of the tribe, the year 2005 has been a history to them for one of them had successfully graduated from a form 1 level education which was the highest level of education until now. Marriage customs and family institutions The life concept which prioritised equality and similarity reflects from the whole life style of the society. Most of the Kensui societies in the settlement have a close relation with each other. There are only two people that had married a Malay woman from the Kampung Baru and one had married an Indonesian. Those who are Islam in the Kensui tribe gets married based on the syariat and the law of the Islamic family. Their marriages were conducted by the religion officer from the Jabatan Agama Islam Negeri Kedah. While for those who are practising animism, their marriages are based on their believes. There are no ceremonies held for the marriage. When a man reaches a time of age where he would like to be married, he just need to get the approval of the women he wants to marry without needing the blessing of both of her parents. If the woman agrees, the man would send her materials in the form of cloth, knife and tobacco to the womans father as a sign that the marriage was on. Later on they would live together as a sign they have married. In the family system of the Kensui society, the family relations are bilateral meaning that it is based on the decent of both parents based on the mens generation There are still abstinence ban practices until now in the family institution of the Kensui society, such as bride is not allowed to interact with the groom and vice versa. The groom is also forbid to interact with the mother-in-law, while the male and the female relatives which are not married are forbidden to interact with their sister and brother-in-laws, nor to speak of their names. They would use an intermediate for any interactions required with the father and the in-laws. Marriages between people of the same tribe are normal but there are some that had married with the Temiar tribe from Perak. Most of the Kensui people are Muslim, 163 of them had convert to Islam while 80 of them remains with animism. They have their own tradisional cultural performance know as the Sewang dance. During the performance, they would wear clothing made out of plants a head ornament made out of coconut leaves. Social organisation The traditional life of the Kensui combines five to six families forming a group. In most cases, all of the family members in a settlement or a camp have close family relations or cognate tribe. Each of the group is led by the oldest member, but he does not have any specific title, one of the leaders will be chosen based on the age, experience and knowledge in faith healing care and mysticism factor. The chief will have the power to make decision such as where so set camp and the time to move but it is still subject based on the view and advice from the member that he is leading. Generally the concept of having a leader is less stressed in the society at group level, they are more concentrate on egalitarian and solidarity. The important element in a social organisation is the family nucleus consisting of husband, wife and child. The settlements for the Negrito are called the kumpulan tabir angin where the society would live under a roof as a momentary shelter. They babies would be would cradle in turns during the moving, with every group consisting a husband, wife and child but only the little ones can stay with them. For boys who are older than 7 years old will have a separate shelter not far from their parents, as for the girls will live in the same shelter with their parents but separated by a bond fire between their beds. All of the decision which are made falls under the fathers decision for he is the head of the family The social organisation of the Kensui tribe in Baling has changed a lot. They have live in kampung Lubuk Lenggong for a long time that the nomad life style has been less practised nowadays. This is due to the existence of a permanent settlement build by JHEOA and supervised by the entire agency. The organisation has also changed, replaced by a settlement unit under the leadership of a penghulu. The penghulu still has his authority to maintain their traditions, but the mode of his appointment has changed based on 2 categories which are descendent and election The basic requirement for a penghulu is that he should be able to read and write the allowance given to the penghulu is based on categories which are A, B and C. these categories are based on the development of the members in the academic and so on. Beliefs The Kensui people believe are the same as the other Negritos, a large number of them still holds on to their traditional believes. This believes promotes the importance of Tok Batin, Karei and Menoi as beings with a ultimate power. The symbol of this power has an eternal nature and it is also regarded as the existence of a supernatural power or a living soul known as the orang hidup or the human that lives forever. The symbol of power and the depletion of power between human and those that live forever are called Cenoi. Cenoi tapn has been regarded as the same level with god or sultan. Cenoi Tapn has the characteristics of a mawas (tawo). The top part of his body is young while the bottom part is old. Cenoi Tapn was said to control the life of the Kensui society and that his anger would be conveyed through thunder and lightning (Kaei). This system was preserved and controlled by the authority known as the Halak, which plays a part as the intermediate between the Kensui people with th e one that holds the ultimate power in their believes. Halak also plays a role in the traditional medicine practice. Both system of medicine and religion consist of ceremony known as the panoh, which involves dancing and singing. Another ritual conducted for the same purpose is called sawan, which also combines singing and dancing in the process. The obedience to both of the system is also reflected through the respect, taboos, values and norms of society. The Halak also known as the Tok pawang are believed to be able to enter the spirit world by making themselves high. Tok pawang was believed to be able to connect with the Chinoi and sometimes becomes the intermediate for help in their agriculture. But nowadays, almost half of the Kensui society has convert to Islam. Language The Kensui have their own language to communicate. But nowadays Malaysian language has been the language used among them. Almost all of the Kensui people are able to speak in Bahasa Malaysia. Even though the old folks are still rusty in speaking in Malaysian language they do understand the language. There are also small children that are unable to speak in their original language due to the mix marriage and the interaction with the outsiders. Some of them can also speak in Thai language. For those that ave relationship with the Temiar tribe they can also speak their language. Burenhult (2001) states that the commonly inherited words of Kensiu would include basic semantic categories including body parts, certain animal and plant terms, natural phenomena like fire, stone, water, basic activities and states like die, eat, stand, walk, basic qualities such as big, small , personal pronouns such as I and you etc. Some of the native Kensiu words for jungle, hill, water tree, leaf and fruit s are kaheb, laheb, betiu, tom ihuk, helik and kebek respectively. The Kensiu also have rich and diverse lexical items associated with their natural environment particularly, the flora and the fauna. Some of them include awei (rattan), ihuk peng (gaharu), sieh (betel leaves), peyang (tapioca), emet (tiger), pelik (bats), ikop (snake), kensen (fox), jelong (flies), nguak (butterflies) and awai (tortoise), just to name a few. Among the exotic animals caught by the Kensius include the protected species, the Malayan Pengolin, Kensiu term, mantei. They are normally exchanged for cash to the local Chinese in the nearby town. Known for their aphrodisiac property, they usually fetch a good price. Malay loan words Beside those commonly inherited words of flora and fauna, there is also evidence to suggest substantial borrowing of words from Malay language. The findings of this study show that Kensiu language has a high number of lexical items that have been borrowed from Malay. Out of 255 lexical items given to the respondents in the study, 149 (58.4%) of the elicited lexical items were Malay loan words. In addition to this, there are also extensive Kensiu words which are code mixed with Malay words e.g. kutip kebek (kutip buah), kumpul awei (kumpul rotan), tom bungak (pokok bunga), bilik betew (bilik air). The findings of the study also reveal that lexical items that are associated with modern living and technologies are all Malay borrowings. They include pensil (pencil), radio (radio), telefon bimbit (hand phone), bas (bas), doktor (doctor). This extensive Malay borrowing suggests their ongoing interaction with Malay speakers. It should be mentioned here that the Kensiu community in this study are in constant interaction with the Malays as their settlement area in Lubuk Legong is in close proximity with the Malay villages. SEMAI TRIBE Background The Malay Island had been inhabited by human that were known as Austronesian or Malay-Polynesia around 5000 years ago according to the historical researchers. They were said to have originated from South of China and Taiwan. Their migration to south was done starting from the Philippines heading towards the Indonesian Islanad until the edge of the mainland Asia, Pacificislands and Madagascar. The Semai are a semi sedentary people living in the center of the Malay Peninsula in Southeast Asia , known especially for their nonviolence. The Semai is one of the tribes that belong to the Senoi ethnic group. It is thought that the Semai are the remnants of the original, ancient and widespread population of Southeast Asia. According to Keene State Colleges Orang Asli Archive, in 1991 there were 26,627 Semai living on the Malay Peninsula. Northwest Pahang and south Perak, Selangor, Negri Sembilan, central mountain area. This number has increased in recent years with the advent of better nutrition as well as improved sanitation and healthcare practices. These numbers, however, does not include other peoples of Semai or mixed descent, most of whom have assimilated into other cultures and have abandoned their ancestral tribal lands in order to seek better employment and education opportunities, especially in the larger cities. Language The Semai people speak Semai language, an Austro-Asiatic language belonging to the Mon-Khmer language family. But most of Semai people in Malaysia have knowledge of Malay language and they can speak well in Malay. Semai people are very tolerant person and they did not force other people to do things that they do not like it. For example, the word  Bood  has a very interesting meaning. It means not feeling like doing something, for any reason, for example, sickness, shyness or laziness. If it is translated into todays language, it is simply one of our fundamental rights, the right to say no!. The children of Semai are taught the concept of bood from an early age. If a parent asks a child to do something and the child replies I bood, in other words, I dont feel like doing, the matter is closed. The parents would not force their children to do something that they do not want to do. The Semais children Spirituality and beliefs Most of Semai people are animist but but a large minority profess Christianity. They are still gripped by their old beliefs. The Semais main festival is the Genggulang. It is a festive ritual to appease land spirits for a good harvest where the people worship the rice spirit. In this ritual, the spirit is offered with sacrificial chickens, flowers, and unhusked rice. Nowadays, the festival has lost much of its religious meaning, as it has become more of a cultural event similar to the way Chinese celebrate Lunar New Year or Westerners celebrate Christmas. Besides that, Chuntah is another festive ritual that is performed to make the evil spirits leave. Chuntah is performed in the middle of a storm where a man collects rain in a bamboo container until it is full, he then gashes his skin and lets the blood run into the container. The Semai usually have restrictions on eating animals that straddle two groups. Snakes are usually not eaten because moving menhar (animals that lives on the or in the trees) have legs, but snakes live on land, so the Semai consider this unnatural. CULTURE Marriage The day of their marriage, there are several things that the bride and the grooms need to do, which are : -both of them need to berinai at their own houses. -the grooms needs to cut their hair -both of them needs to take a bath with a water that contains a few slices of lemon that have been spell for a good reason. After that the bride and the groom will wear their beautiful wedding dress in their respective houses. The bride will be wearing the wedding dress that have been given by the groom which are called salin tiga dress. Because they have been bath with spiritual lemon water, there are a few orders that mst be followed by both of them , -in a duration of 3 days they are not allowed to leave their village because they might be disturbed by the evil spirits. -in a duration of 7 days also they are not allowed to leave their village for the same reason. C:UsersfarhanDocumentsstudysem 2H.Eru_01.2.jpg The bride Birth When the wife is pregnant, there are a few things that both of the parents must not do to protect the baby and to get a healthy babies. -They cant get close to animals that they believe can harm the baby such as tortoise, monkeys, and snakes. -The fathers family members are not allowed to installing or nailing any part in the house. -They are not allowed to be near to death people. -Not allowed to eat venison, pork and partridge meat. To determine the date of the baby will be born and the health of the baby, the mother will meet the village midwife. The midwife will be the responsible person to stay with the mother until the baby are born. After the baby had born, the mother will abstain for a month. In confinement, the mother are not allowed to eat vegetables, fish without scales , fish that are venomous, chillies, cooking oil, coconut cold water except coffee and warm water. The mothers are only being served or only eat rice with grilled fish or fish that are cooked without oil. They are also not allowed to take a bath with cold water. They can only bath in river after the confinement but need to have a talisman. The ingredients needed for the talisman are a few of small stones, flour and turmeric. The half of the turmeric need to be chew by the mother and spit in the river while the small stones will be seeding in upstream and downstream of the river. Then the mother can take a bath in the river. Death When there is a death in the village, all the members of the village will gather around the house of the person who had died and stop their other work because they are afraid that the spirit of the person will get angry. The body will be buried the next day, so at night all the villagers will stand guard at the house of the person who died until morning to make sure that the bad spirit will not bother the dead person. Flame will be lit around the house to chase away bad spirit that cause the dead of the person. The children will be given talisman by smudging charcoal on both of their eyebrows or on both of their sole. Before the body was buried, it will be wash and wrapped with a new cloth or white cloth then with a mats and it will be buried into a grave of one meter deep. Before overlain, 3 clod of soil that have mix with charcoal will be placed on both of the ears and at the chest of the dead man. It is to cut off the ties between the dead man and his family. If it is not done, they believe that the family of the dead man will fall sick and eventually die. After being buried, a crafted wooden block is placed on the grave as marker then food, water and cigarettes that have been light up are paced on the grave for 6 days. On the sixth day, the crafted wood that were place on the grave is burnt to show that the spirit of the death person has gone to another world. It is then replace by tombstone and one of the family members will hold the tombstone and speak out the death person name to wake up his spirit to fete the food and drinks that have been placed on the grave. Home and taboos There are 4 different kinds of houses that the Semai people have in one village, which are : Yeau Home (Deg Yeau) Ran Home (Deg Ran) Bunch of Banana Home (Deg Pisang Sesikat) Ordinary Home Furthermore, for Semai people there are a few taboos that they should follow to make sure that they are not being harm by the bad spirits or the Nyanik (demons) and to have a peaceful life. MAH MERI TRIBE The  Mah Meri  is one of the 18 groups named by the Malaysian government Orang Asli living in West Malaysia. They are of the  Senoi  subgroup. Most of the members of the Mah Meri tribe live along the coast of South Selangor from  Sungei Pelek  up to  Pulau Carey, although there is at least one Mah Meri Community on the other side of the  Klang River. According to the Orang Asli Office of the Malaysian government,  they numbered around 2200 in 2005.Most of the Mah Meri live in small villages (kampungs) on the fringes of other cities and on Pulau Carey, which has five separate villages of Mah Meri. There is no information on their origin, but the Mah Meri tribe claims to have walked the earth for as long as one can remember. They live in the states of Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, Malacca, and Johor. The Mah Meri language, sometimes also called  Besisi  is one of the  Mon-Khmer  language groups but has also borrowed from Malay. Mah Meri Villages Name of Villages The Nearest Town Kampung Orang Asli Bukit Bangkong Sungei Pelek Kampung Orang Asli Tg Sepat Kampung Orang Asli Sungei Kurau Pulau Carey Kampung Orang Asli Sungei Judah Pulau Carey Kampung Orang Asli Sungei Bumbun Pulau Carey C:UsersFaizDesktopmah meriimages (2).jpgC:UsersFaizDesktopmah meriZA (34).jpgC:UsersFaizDesktopmah meriimages (1).jpg Lifestyle Living in small wooden houses set in harmony with the surrounding forces of nature, the Mah Meri prefer to remain forest people. Hence in their villages, life seems relatively untouched by modern progress. They are known for their woodcarving skills, yet their economic activity remains rooted in agriculture and fishing. They resist employment outside of their community. The Mah Meri are soft-spoken and trusting with a propensity to laugh in the face of adversity. While the adults carry out their daily economic activities, the children often ride their fathers bicycles and play their favorite games with sticks, seeds, and other objects. Surprisingly, the Mah Meri community has managed to preserve a tradition of spiritual woodcarving that is truly world class in terms of quality of its craft and artistry. The art, which has rich mythological meanings behind the images and symbols, is handed down from father to son. As not many people seem interested in such animistic carvings, the young Mah Meri do not see it as a profitable trade. C:UsersFaizDesktopmah meriimages.jpg Religion Primary religion : Ethnic religion Major Religions: C:UsersFaizDesktopmah meriimages (3).jpg Buddhism 0.00 % Christianity 0.00 % (Evangelical: 0.00 %) Ethnic Religions 67.00 % Hinduism 0.00 % Islam 33.00 % Non-Religious 0.00 % Other / Small 0.00 % Marriage Mah Meri also inquire charity ceremony, engagement and wedding as the Malay community. The difference is only maintained their customary ceremonial demon exorcisms in its own way, as well as ritual held to inform the ancestors that their grandchildren will hold their wedding ceremony. The event was considered important to ensure that the marriage ceremony is safe, secure, blessed and happy until the children and grandchildren. In the suit, Tok Batin will see the groom preparations to carry to the proposal such as gold rings, cosmetics, kidney stone bowl and requirements such as mortar and other ceremonial. The bride undergoes sharpening teeth. Sharpen the teeth is considered an important custom made. Use of black cloth as a marker placed on the tooth to be sharpened tooth spacing. Ring will be used to sharpen teeth flat and then smoked. This aims to make the prospective bride is always radiant and prevent tetanus during the wedding ceremony.      Mah Meri play traditional Aboriginal musical instrument to celebrate the bride on marriage. However, the desire of the men would like to have a girl of his choice will be disqualified even if the proposal and the wedding day is set, if the expenses for the purpose of the event is not sufficient. If only in the past three months, the men failed to provide a tight, self agreement is considered void and the groom are doing fraud against Tok Batin. As with any other kind of ethnic wedding, they are also making preparations to provide the dais. They will decorate the dais cooperate by putting various patterns woven palm leaves and brightly colored flowers in every corner stage. Touch use palm leaves used by indigenous peoples Mah Meri quarter of uniqueness and difference is displayed with other indigenous tribes in the country. At the ceremony, the wedding ceremony begins with the groom shaman leads a group of girls together turn circles around the bride and smoked nets covered with incense. Ceremony was to cast out demons and avoid bad things. Rotation seven times and on the last lap, the groom should get the bride and flower turns. When the wedding ceremony, a ritual performed as a symbolic coin toss to determine the direction of freedom bride living in the household. During makan beradab, monitoring will ensure the bride eat and ended simultaneously so that they live a happy and long lasting household coped. If one of the bride in advance of their meal, it is believed that the commission will invite accidents in the household in the f

Movie Review of The Patriot Essay -- The Patriot Movies Film Revolutio

Movie Review of The Patriot I. Title- The Patriot Production Date- June 28th 2000 Major Characters- Benjamin Martin: Mel Gibson Gabriel Martin: Heath Ledger Charlotte Selton: Joely Richardson Johnny Issacs: William Tavington Lisa Brenner: Anne Howard Charles Cornwallis: Tom Wilkinson II. Movie Summary: â€Å"The Patriot† takes place during the Revolutionary War. It’s 1776 and intense fighting is going on in the north, while in the south the people are scrambling to recruit anyone who was willing to fight against the British. The main character, Benjamin Martin, is a veteran of the French and Indian war who wants independence from Britain, but is not willing to risk the safety of his already motherless children by going to war. His son Gabriel however, has a different view of the war, and enlists in the Continental Army without the consent of his father. Soon Benjamin is forced into action whether he wanted to be or not. When helping out hurt and wounded soldiers from both sides at his home he is viewed as a traitor, and Gabriel is ordered to be hanged. Benjamin’s son Thomas tries to help Gabriel, but is shot and killed by the brutal and nasty Colonel William Tavington, who also orders the Martin’s house to be burned to the ground. This understandably pushes Benjamin over the edge. He and his two younger sons then by themselves gun down over 20 redcoats and rescue Gabriel. Benjamin’s quick shooting and stealthful movements earn him the nickname of â€Å"The Ghost.† He then leaves his children with their aunt Charlotte, and forms a small militia group full of locals to help in the fight against the British and for personal revenge. Martin’s militia accounts for many redcoat deaths and cause a lot of trouble for the British. Col. Tavington however, results to his brutal tactics against the families and loved ones of the soldiers in Martin’s militia. Tavington is responsible for the deaths of Gabriel’s, wife, most of the citizens of their SC town, and later Gabriel himself as well. Martin’s army however overcomes much adversity, and plays a large part in the Continental effort. They later join up with the main Continental Army, and along with the long awaited arrival of the F rench, force Cornwallis and the British to surrender at Yorktown. Benjamin also gets his revenge by killing Tavington in the battle. This spells victory for the Americans and p... ...eeing this it gave us a look at what it might have been like if we lived during the war. I also disliked some things in the movie. I didn’t like how they put the British in a bad light regarding their involvement in the killing of innocent civilians. The brutal acts that were carried out in the movie by the redcoats could not be proven true. The movie also could have included information about other militia groups and the Continental Army as a whole. I also think that this movie was very one-sided. It was definitely pro-American, and against the British. This makes sense because it is an American movie, but I think it serves an injustice to some of the innocent British soldiers. Mainly Hollywood didn’t really care much about the historical accuracy, but they wanted to make an exciting movie that would sell tickets, and they did that in â€Å"The Patriot.† VI Bibliography Danzer, Gerald A., et al. The Americans. Boston: McDougal Littell, 1998. 108-117. Nash, Bruce. The Numbers. 1997. 13 Feb. 2005 . The American Revoulution Home Page. 1998. 14 Feb. 2005 . The Patriot. Dir. Roland Emmerich. Perf. Mel Gibson,Heath Ledger,and Johnny Issacs. DVD. Columbia Tristar , 2000.

Mrs. Aesop by Carol Ann Duffy by Andrew Banks Essay

1. The poem â€Å"† is part of Carol Ann Duffy’s collection of poems, titled â€Å"The World’s Wife†. In this collection, Duffy wishes to highlight the fact that women have long been ignored and silenced throughout history. This is why all the poems in the collection are written from a female perspective. Duffy has created a literal version of an old saying, â€Å"behind every great man there is an even greater woman†. One of the poems in the collection, ‘Mrs. Aesop’, tells the story of a wife who is tired of her sermonizing, tedious husband, known as Aesop. Aesop was a storyteller who lived around the sixth century BC, in Greece. Many historical details surrounding him are missing, but it is thought that he was first a slave on the island of Samos and his fables came to be in a collection known as â€Å"Aesopica.† â€Å"Mrs. Aesop† draws on the fables to describe Aesop’s wife’s discontent and unhappiness, the p oem emasculating her husband. The major theme of this poem is to make apparent Mrs. Aesop’s transformation from the classic recessive wife with a dominant husband, to an empowered and confident woman that was able to have the last word. This is shown by lines such as, â€Å"That shut him up. I laughed last, longest.† This appears in the poem after Mrs. Aesop has mocked her husband’s impotence, with lines like â€Å"I gave him a fable one night/ about a little cock that wouldn’t crow†¦Ã¢â‚¬  mocking his masculinity whilst clearly referring to his genitalia. 2. Allusions are some of the many literary devices Duffy includes in her works to better deliver the messages of the female protagonists in â€Å"The World’s Wife.† An allusion is a brief and indirect reference to a person, place, thing or idea of historical, cultural, literary or political significance. For example, one would be making a literary allusion when stating, â€Å"I do not approve of such a quixotic idea.† Quixotic takes on the meaning of foolish and impractical, derived from Cervantes’s â€Å"Don Quixote†, a story about the misadventures of a doltish night and his cohort Sancho Panza. Many allusions are ones we use in our daily speech, such as Achilles’ heel – A weakness a person may have. Achilles was invulnerable excepting his heel or Achilles tendon. Pygmalion – Someone who tries to fashion someone else into the person he desires, originating from a myth adapted into a play by George Bernard Shaw. Casanova – a man who is amorous to women, based on the Italian adventurer.McCarthyism – modern witch hunt, the practice of publicizing accusations without evidence, made after Joseph McCarthy. Some allusions in the literature include when the character Horatio from Shakespeare’s â€Å"Hamlet† said â€Å"A mote it is to trouble the mind’s eye. In the highest and palmy state of Rome, A little ere the mightiest Julius fell, The graves stood tenantless and the sheeted dead Did squeak and gibber in the Roman streets†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (I.i.111-115) Here, Horatio is making a reference to the historical figure of Julius Caesar, in addition to one of Shakespeare’s earlier plays titled â€Å"Julius Caesar.† Another time when allusions are used are in songs, such as when Nirvana made their classic, â€Å"Scentless Apprentice†: Like most babies smell like butter His smell smelled like no other. He was born scentless and senseless He was born a scentless apprentice. this allusion is to Patrick Sà ¼skind’s literary work Perfume. The scent Nirvana is alluding to is actually the blood of the protagonist’s twenty killing victims. 3. When Duffy uses allusions in Mrs. Aesop, she mainly uses them in the text to show Mrs. Aesop’s unhappiness with her husband In the first line, Mrs. Aesop says â€Å"By Christ, he could bore for Purgatory†. This is an allusion to Christianity, with purgatory being the place after death where souls go to be cleansed of their sins. The implication here is that Aesop could make this experience even worse. Later in the first stanza, Duffy alludes to one of Aesop’s fables, when Mrs. Aesop puts her own twist on the lineâ€Å"A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush† changing it to â€Å"the bird in his hand that on his sleeve.† By adding to his work in such a way, Mrs. Aesop is disrespecting both her husband and his work, revealing the emotion she had kept bottled up for some time. Lines such as â€Å"a tortoise, somebody’s pet,/ creeping, slow as marriage, up the road,† are a clear allusion to the tale of the Tortoise and the Hare. Mrs. Aesop uses the tortoise and hare to describe the agony of her marriage. With her cynical view Mrs. Aesop shows to her, the fable is nothing more than the reflection of a terrible marriage. When Mrs. Aesop says â€Å"I’ll cut off your tail, all right, I said, to save my face.† this is another reference to her own suppression by her husband and many other wives. This is so because the line alludes to an incident in America in 1993 when a frustrated wife sliced off her husband’s genitals in a moment of crazed revenge. Mrs. Aesop takes on a similar path to gain the upper hand on her husband, by disrespecting and revealing her true feelings about her husband. Allusions are a key literary device used to show Mrs. Aesop’s transition from a â€Å"traditional† oppressed wife to a dominant, independent woman.

Media Deprivation Report

Nghia Le MCOM 1307 Mrs. Krissy Mailman 23 October 2012 Media Deprivation Report I just found out that I am addicted to the Internet and cell phone since I finished the media deprivation challenge. I did not use cell phone, TV, and Internet for a day. No TV is ok with me because I don’t watch TV a lot, but no cell phone and no internet was giving me a hard time. I started the challenge on Sunday, right after I finished all my homework and my exam, because those things really need the Internet to be done.At first I felt kind of weird because I used to connect with my friend by phone or Facebook. For example, I wanted to ask some of my friends to go out to eat, then I had to drive to their houses, knock their doors to ask them out for dinner. It would be much faster if I could use my phone. However, it was fun that I had a chance to see how my friends’ life are going on. We were not used to come home each other for a long time, calling each other to make appointment were a ll we did.In my opinion, technology is great for every one, because make people connect to each other and know information faster and easier. Nowadays, people are familiar with online news, watching news on TV, and connecting to each other by Internet or cell phone. I think that is a great way save time and money. We don’t need to buy newspaper every morning and read, we just only need too open the web browser or turn on the morning news in TV to know all the information that we need for a day.

Analysis of Snow by Charles Baxter

Analysis of 'Snow' by Charles Baxter Charles Baxters Snow is a coming-of-age story about Russell, a bored 12-year-old who apprentices himself to his older brother, Ben, as Ben dangerously attempts to dazzle his girlfriend on a frozen lake. Russell narrates the story as an adult looking back on events many years after theyve taken place. Snow originally appeared in The New Yorker in December of 1988 and is available to subscribers on The New Yorkers website. The story later appeared in Baxters 1990 collection, Relative Stranger, and also in his 2011 collection, Gryphon. Boredom A sense of boredom pervades the story right from the opening line: Twelve years old, and I was so bored I was combing my hair just for the hell of it. The hair-combing experiment - like many things in the story - is partly an attempt to grow up. Russell is playing Top 40 hits on the radio and trying to make his hair look casual and sharp and perfect, but when his older brother sees the result, he just says, Holy smoke [†¦] What did you do to your hair? Russell is caught between childhood and adulthood, yearning to grow up but not quite ready for it. When Ben tells him his hair makes him look like [t]hat Harvey guy, he probably means the movie star, Laurence Harvey. But Russell, still a child, innocently asks, Jimmy Stewart? Interestingly, Russell seems perfectly aware of his own naivete. When Ben chastises him for telling an unconvincing lie to their parents, Russell understands that  [m]y unworldliness amused him; it gave him a chance to lecture me. Later, when Bens girlfriend, Stephanie, persuades Russell to feed her a piece of gum, she and Ben burst out laughing at the sensuality of what shes put him through. The narrator tells us, I knew that what had happened hinged on my ignorance, but that I wasnt exactly the butt of the joke and could laugh, too. So, he doesnt understand exactly what has happened, yet he recognizes how it registers with the teenagers. He is on the cusp of something, bored but feeling that something exciting might be around the corner: snow, growing up, some kind of thrill. Thrills Early in the story, Ben informs Russell that Stephanie will be impressed when he shows her the car submerged under the ice. Later, when the three of them start walking across the frozen lake, Stephanie says, This is exciting, and Ben gives Russell a knowing look. Ben intensifies the thrill hes giving Stephanie by refusing to confirm what he knows that the driver escaped safely and no one was killed. When she asks if anyone was hurt, Russell, the child, immediately tells her the truth: No. But Ben instantly counters with, Maybe, offering that there might be a dead body in the backseat or the trunk. Later, when she demands to know why he misled her, he says, I just wanted to give you a thrill. The thrills continue when  Ben gets his car and starts spinning it on the ice on his way to pick up Stephanie. As the narrator says: He was having a thrill and soon would give Stephanie another thrill by driving her home across ice that might break at any time. Thrills did it, whatever it was. Thrills led to other thrills. The numbing repetition of the word thrill in this passage emphasizes Russells alienation from - and ignorance of - the thrills Ben and Stephanie are seeking. The phrase whatever it was creates a sense that Russell is giving up hope of ever understanding why the teenagers are behaving as  they are.   Even though Stephanies taking off her shoes was Russells idea, he is only an observer, just as he is an observer of adulthood - getting close, definitely curious, but not participating. He is moved by the sight: Bare feet with painted toenails on the ice - this was a desperate and beautiful sight, and I shivered and felt my fingers curling inside my gloves. Yet his status as an observer rather than a participant is confirmed in Stephanies answer when he asks her how it feels: Youll know, she said. Youll know in a few years. Her comment implies so many of the things hell know: the desperation of unrequited affection, the relentless impulse to seek new thrills, and the bad judgment of teenagers, which seems to be a powerful antidote to boredom.   When Russell goes home and sticks his arm in the snowbank, wanting to feel cold so cold the cold itself became permanently interesting, he keeps his arm there as long as he can stand it, pushing himself to the edge of thrills and adolescence. But in the end, hes still a child and not ready, and he retreats into the safety of  the bright heat of the front hallway. Snow Job In this story, snow, lies, adulthood, and thrills are all closely intertwined. The lack of snowfall in this drought winter, symbolizes Russells boredom - his lack of thrills. And in fact, as the three characters approach the submerged car, just before Stephanie announces that [t]his is exciting, snow finally begins to fall. In addition to the physical snow in (or absent from) the story, snow is also used colloquially to mean to deceive or to impress through flattery. Russell explains that Ben brings girls to visit their old, large house so [t]heyd be snowed. He continues, Snowing girls was something I knew better than to ask my brother about. And Ben spends most of the story snowing Stephanie, trying to give her a thrill. Notice that Russell, still a child, is a lousy liar. He cant snow anyone. He tells his parents an unconvincing lie about where he and Ben are going, and of course, he refuses to lie to Stephanie about whether anyone was hurt when the car sank. All of these associations with snow - lying, adulthood, thrills - come together in one of the most perplexing passages of the story. As Ben and Stephanie are whispering to each other, the narrator says: Lights were beginning to go on, and, as if that werent enough, it was snowing. As far as I was concerned, all those houses were guilty, both the houses and the people in them. The whole state of Michigan was guilty - all the adults, anyway - and I wanted to see them locked up. It is clear that Russell feels left out. He notes that Stephanie whispers in Bens ear for about fifteen seconds, which is a long time if youre watching. He can see adulthood - hes getting close - but he cant hear the whispering and probably wouldnt understand it, anyway. But why should that result in a guilty verdict for the entire state of Michigan? I think there are numerous possible answers, but here are some that come to mind. First, the lights coming on could symbolize some of Russells dawning awareness. Hes aware of the way hes been left out, hes aware that teenagers dont seem to be able to resist their own bad judgment, and hes aware of all the lies that seem to be inextricable from adulthood (even his parents, when he lies about where he and Ben are going, engage in the usual pantomime of skepticism but dont stop them, as if lying is just a part of life). The fact that its snowing - which Russell  somehow takes as an insult - could symbolize the snow job that he feels adults perpetrate on children. Hes been longing for snow, but it arrives just as hes starting to think it might not be so fabulous after all. When Stephanie says, Youll know in a few years, it sounds like a promise, but its also a prophecy, underscoring the  inevitability of Russells  eventual understanding.  After all, he has no choice but to become a teenager, and its a transition he isnt quite ready for.

An Existentialist View of The essays

An Existentialist View of The essays An Existentialist View of The Sweet Hereafter Jean-Paul Sartres concepts have always fascinated critical thinkers and creative artists alike. In this paper I am going to evaluate his many topics and schools of thought as explained in the book Ten Theories of Human Nature by Leslie Stevenson. I intend to specifically explore the concepts of good and bad faith using examples from Atom Egoyans film, The Sweet Hereafter. I shall draw existential parallels between Sartres concepts and Egoyans in order to point out certain motivations that are found within the characters of Egoyans film. I will especially focus on the films main characters and how the concept of community versus outsiders affects them Jean-Paul Sartre defines the universe as being absurd and without God. He denies the existence of God merely because he feels that the responsibility of a mans life belongs in the hands of himself and nothing else. Sartre believes that if man believed in the existence of God, he would not try to make his life meaningful knowing that he had God as a safety net. Therefore, once man denies the existence of God and realizes that he has to depend on himself and only himself for his survival, he will be forced to take his existence into his own hands and make it meaningful. In Atom Egoyans film, The Sweet Hereafter, the small town community of Sam Dent is faced with an existential crisis. After a school bus accident kills nearly all of the towns children, a lawyer is called in to represent certain families who wish to receive monetary compensation for the loss of their children. This creates tension between the families that wish to seek legal mediation and those who wish to solve the pro blem within the community, with no outsiders, like always. The lawyer, Mitchell Stevens, is this outsider that plagues many characters in the film. Before the bus accident, the members of the town of Sam Den...

A Complete List of John Grisham Books

A Complete List of John Grisham Books John Grisham is a master of legal thrillers; his novels have captured the attention of millions of readers, from adults to teens. In three decades he has written nearly one book per year and a number of those have been adapted into popular movies. From his debut novel A Time to Kill to the 2017  release of Camino Island, Grishams books are nothing short of captivating. Over the years, he branched out from legal stories as well. His complete list of published books includes stories about sports as well as non-fiction. Its a compelling body of literature and if youve missed one or two books, youll definitely want to catch up. Lawyer Turned Best-Selling Author John Grisham was working as a criminal defense attorney in Southaven, Mississippi when he wrote his first novel. A Time to Kill, based on an actual court case that dealt with racial issues in the South. It enjoyed modest success. He entered politics, serving in the state legislature on the Democratic ticket and began writing his second novel. It was not Grishams intent to leave law and politics to become a published author, but the runaway success of his second endeavor The Firm changed his mind. Grisham quickly became a prolific best-selling author. In addition to novels, he has published short stories, nonfiction, and young adult books.   Grisham Captures Mainstream Readers From  1989-2000 Few new writers have exploded onto the literary scene like John Grisham. The Firm became the top-selling book of 1991 and was on The New York Times bestseller list for nearly 50 weeks. In 1993, it was made into the first of many movies based on Grishams novels. From The Pelican Brief through The Brethren, Grisham continued to produce legal thrillers at the rate of about one per year. He tapped into his experience as a lawyer to create characters who faced moral dilemmas and dangerous situations. During the first decade of his work, he produced several novels that were eventually made into major big-screen films. These include Pelican Brief in 1993; The Client in 1994; A Time to Kill in 1996; The Chamber in 1996; and The Rainmaker in 1997. 1989 - A Time to Kill1991 - The Firm1992 - The Pelican Brief1993 - The Client1994 - The Chamber1995 - The Rainmaker1996 - The Runaway Jury1997 - The Partner1998 - The Street Lawyer1999 - The Testament2000 - The Brethren Grisham Branches Out From  2001-2010 As the best-selling author entered his second decade of writing, he stepped back from his legal thrillers to examine other genres. A Painted House is a small town mystery. Skipping Christmas is about a family that decides to skip Christmas. He also examined his interest in sports with Bleachers, which tells the story of a high school football star returning to his hometown after his coach dies. The theme continued in Playing for Pizza, a story about an American playing football in Italy. In 2010, Grisham introduced Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer to middle school readers. This book about a kid lawyer successfully launched an entire series centered around the main character. It introduced the author to younger readers who are likely to become lifelong fans. Also in this decade, Grisham released Ford County, his first collection of short stories and The Innocent Man, his first nonfiction book about an innocent man on death row.  Not to turn his back on his dedicated fans, he rounded out this time with several legal thrillers as well. 2001 - A Painted House2001 - Skipping Christmas2002 - The Summons2003 - The King of Torts2003 - Bleachers2004 - The Last Juror2005 - The Broker2006 - The Innocent Man2007 - Playing for Pizza2008 - The Appeal2009 - The Associate2009 - Ford County (short stories)2010 - Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer2010 - The Confession 2011 to Present: Grisham Revisits Past Successes Following the success of the first Theodore Boone book, Grisham followed up with five more books in the popular series. In Sycamore Row, a sequel to A Time to Kill, Grisham brought back protagonist Jake Brigance and key supporting characters Lucien Wilbanks and Harry Rex Vonner. He continued his policy of writing one legal thriller a year and threw in a couple of short stories and a baseball novel called Calico Joe for good measure.   Grishams 30th book was released in 2017 and titled Camino Island. Another intriguing crime novel, the story centers around stolen F Scott Fitzgerald manuscripts. Between a young, enthusiastic writer, the FBI, and a secret agency, the investigation tries to track down these handwritten documents on the black market. 2011 - Theodore Boone: The Abduction2011 - The Litigators2012 - Theodore Boone: The Accused2012 - Calico Joe2012 - The Racketeer2013 - Theodore Boone: The Activist2013 - Sycamore Row2014 - Gray Mountain2015 - Theodore Boone: The Fugitive2015 - Rogue Lawyer2016 - Partners (a Rogue Lawyer short story)2016 - Theodore Boone: The Scandal2016 - Witness to a Trial (a digital short story)2016 - The Whistler2017 - Camino Island

Arrange marriage vs love marriage Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Arrange marriage vs love marriage - Essay Example Whiles being common in cultural communities within Asia, Africa, and Middle East, arranged marriages are characterized mainly by close parental involvement. In such a marriage, parents or elders within a community select for their children whom they will marry, and such a decision is arrived at based on compatibility as the parents or ‘matchmakers’ are experienced and have sound judgment. Normally, the main objective of an arranged marriage is to ensure future economic stability, prosperity, and harmonious coexistence between both families. Parents that arrange marriages for their children put more emphasis on personal habits, values, education, source of income and family life. Hence, this gives marriage a practical reason rather than an emotional one, as is the case with love marriages; since in the end, if passion or love fades there needs to be something that still binds the union. On the other hand, romantic love, mutual affection, and willingness to commit are attr ibuted to love marriages. In this case, the two parties decide to get married based on these attributes and parental involvement is minimal or non-existent. The mutual aspect of love marriages are what make it a favorable choice as both partners share an understanding and are comfortable around each other. Therefore, with regard to arranged marriages, the partners have to trust that the choice made by their parents is right and therefore, romantic feelings will come along as the marriage continues. It is important to note that arranged marriages differ from forced marriages as partners have the option of not consenting (Browne 89). In view of that arranged marriage is governed through wisdom from parents, which stems from their life experiences, this gives them an edge over love marriages. In addition, the bride and groom selected hail from similar background and economic status, share important values and personal habits; all of which make them compatible. Secondly, arranged marria ges create a sense of order in the community, as heeding to a choice made by the parents implies respect. This coupled with the fact that a marital union in arranged marriages focuses on a harmonious coexistence between families of both partners (Das). In addition, arranged marriages are based on compatibility as opposed to physical attraction as is the case with love marriages. Parents who get involved in selecting a partner for their children look for similar qualities, life ambitions and personal habits and values. This is seen to establish a sense of commitment as physical attraction fades. Having something profound as similar values shared, allows for sticking it out in a marriage even when things get tough. This pragmatic approach makes marital unions found as arranged marriages more sacred (Bentley). In addition, love marriages are usually decided upon blindly following only mutual affection for each other. However, more often than not, this does not hold against the test of time and conflicts that arise as the marriage progresses, and this explains the need for arranged marriages. Hence, love marriages lead to divorce as opposed to arranged marriages because it is inevitable that in the end of the drama passion will fade. In addition, these forms of marriages are arrived at in haste and crucial issues may be overlooked, and end up coming to haunt the couple later on in the future when the passion has faded (Leung). Despite the fact that it is crucial to base a

Manchester United Take Over Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Manchester United Take Over - Case Study Example Acquiring the Man United brand means more than just owning a trademark. Brand acquisition gives an opportunity for brand exploitation. And nowhere is brand exploitation more rampant and unrestrained than in the United States. As a hunting ground to further the Man United brand image, the US holds vast potential, and this is where Glazer's extensive marketing skills and resources come into play. But the US market is very competitive. Soccer has to contest with traditional American sporting pastimes like baseball, American Football and basketball. Soccer's rising popularity though, over the past ten years due in part to the 1994 World Cup held in the states could make Man United a household name as is the case in other countries around the globe. Even in Asia where Man United has a huge base of fans who neither speak English nor know where Britain is, brand image has rooted itself in the public mindset. Contrary to popular perceptions, Man United already has a fan following in the US, albeit a small one. When they played the Champion World Tour of exhibition games two years in a row the average crowd attendance was over 65,000 for each game, exceeding that of some NFL games. Americans know about the club through soccer telecasts and the products available on the streets. Merchandising had also made business there but in a small way, yet better than all the US Major Soccer Leagues put together (Chris Isidore). With more co-coordinated marketing efforts in the media (cable and DTH), wider coverage of soccer games, increased media exposure to star players and a retelling of past glories and successes, the Man United brand can further cement itself into the American collective conscience, reaching iconic status in a few short years. The mere purchase of the club puts the Glazers half way towards making Man United a household name. But there is still some way to go. There are other advantages in associating with a brand as well known as Man United. It gives Glazer's other businesses better commercial prospects. When a brand publicly joins forces with a marketing juggernaut, the value of both, in terms of market exposure and business opportunities multiplies. For Glazer whose diverse business portfolio at least in the US include food service equipment, packaging and supplies, marine protein, broadcasting, health care, real estate, banking, natural gas and oil protection, Internet publications, stocks, government securities and corporate bonds, the introduction and expansion of these businesses in Britain as a result of this acquisition gains importance (Bill Hutchison). Glazer's ventures may unhesitatingly attract investment in the hopes that the new businesses will pay rich dividends in the future. But these ventures may suffer if Man United's brand persistence is challenged by rivals. Sustaining the brand position therefore requires the footbal l team to maintain a high success rate. The business side of the club must take a back seat to allow team management to

Heart Failure Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Heart Failure - Essay Example Heart Failure Precisely, this was the literature gap identified in this study. To establish the research problem, Felter et al. (2014) grounded their arguments on the recent statistical data, which proved the claim of the authors regarding readmissions of heart failure patients. Perhaps, with the supposition to maintain generalisability and include both favoring and opposing data, Felter et al. (2014) also delivered due significance in including information about those strategies, which are adopted by hospitals to prevent readmissions of the patient population, through the implementation of â€Å"transitional care intervention† programs. From an argumentative perception thus, Felter et al. (2014: 774) stated, â€Å"†¦An analysis of Medicare claims data from 2007 to 2009 found that 35% of readmissions within 30 days were for HF [heart failure]†. Although the focus of the study was laid on the evaluation of the health care efficiency in delivering quality treatment to heart failure patients, Felter et al. (2014) also attempted to recommend a few noteworthy solutions to the situation based on the â€Å"transitional care intervention† program that is often practiced to serve the population. Precisely, Felter et al. (2014) stated that their purpose was to â€Å"assess the efficacy, comparative effectiveness, and harms of transitional care interventions to reduce readmission and mortality rates for adults hospitalized with HF†.

How is Marxism relevent to today's economy Essay

How is Marxism relevent to today's economy - Essay Example It is this 'owner' / 'worker' distinction that leads to alienation as the defining feature of the workers relationship to what she produces, and to 'legitimation' as the defining apparatus of the 'owner' for purposes of maintaining power. However, Marx views history as heading inevitably toward an actual conflict between the classes. He maintains in Capital, that capitalism is structurally defined in such a way that it will implode on itself – it is structurally determined to self-destruct. At this point in Marx's theory, he goes from a 'descriptive' approach to economics to a 'prescriptive' one. It will be argued that the value of Marx in a contemporary context is his descriptive rather than his prescriptive side. His prescriptive solution which is communism, challenges some of the most basic assumptions about equality and human rights. Toward a critique of this 'prescriptive' side of Marx, this analysis will close with some of the key criticisms of Marx leveled by the econom ist, and philosopher of history and science, Karl Popper from his work titled: The Open Society and its Enemies. Thus, while the descriptive side of Marx allows us to understand the nature of 'profit' and its role in creating and perpetuating exploitive relations, his prescription or solution to this situation will be presented as fundamentally limited. Marx's descriptive history of economics remains useful while his vision for what ought to replace the 'owner/worker' status quo will be challenged in this analysis. Without question, the developed or G7 nations are moving toward more open markets or ‘freer trade’. In Europe, both the common currency and the EEC are an example of this movement, and in North America, this is exemplified both in the North American Free Trade Agreement, but also the more recent push toward establishing the Multi-lateral Agreement on Investment [Moody 117ff.]. In general, the acceptance and legitimation of these policies, is premised on the i dea that less ‘regulation’ and less government involvement with the movement and investment of capital, will stimulate the economy and in turn, create more employment. It is argued that since the mid to late 1970’s, there has been a decline in the acceptance of Keynesian economics, a theory which maintains that the government should put money directly into the hands of individuals as a means of stimulating growth. By contrast, it is now ‘accepted’ practice that government intervention is an inadequate means of stimulating this forth of economic growth, and the following will explore, both the nature of the notion of free trade for the purposes of job growth, but more importantly, focus on the ‘type’ of jobs which are being created. It will be argued that as with any form of market economy, the relationship surrounding the means of production is the determining factor with respect to the ‘control’ of capital, and in turn, fre e trade merely entails a greater polarization between those on either side of this relationship surrounding the means of production. It is the relationship surrounding the means of production that makes Marx's Capital still relevant. One of the motivating factors for ‘free trade’, and especially in the context of North America, is the aim of improving the cost efficiency of both production and distribution. This is especially true in the area of manufacturing, and is documented by some scholars, the move to free trade is similarly and

Stylistic Devices in the Novel The Big Fish Essay

Stylistic Devices in the Novel The Big Fish - Essay Example To begin with, Wallace uses the first person narration technique to deliver his message to the audience. This is evidenced the first chapter of the novel in which the narrator’s father was born. As Edward narrates, his father was born during one of the worst summers, drought and famines that were experienced in the land. In his own words, he explains how his father was born at a time when there was a scarcity of food. He also illustrates his feelings about the birth of his father which he attributes to be a blessing since it occurred on a rainy and cloudy day. At the same time, William Bloom also uses first-person narration in the first chapter of the book to demonstrate the cordial relationship his father had with animals. He explains that cows and horses liked his father, and they followed him around; and chicken once laid a mysterious small brown egg on his lap. At one time, he says, â€Å"This is what is meant by last words: they are keys to unlock the afterlife. They're not last words but passwords, and as soon as they're spoken you can go.† This implies that all these could only be ascertained during the death of Edward. William Bloom also uses a lot of symbolism as indicated in chapter one of the Big Fish. The element of symbolism is seen when William equates his father to a big fish. This is used to symbolize that Edward Bloom is an intelligent and knowledgeable man. As a widely read person, he has a wealth of knowledge on philosophy, history, arts and other literary fields. Thus, his knowledge can not be compared to a librarian or any other person, but can only be compared to a big fish. Moreover, it symbolizes that he was a unique person who had an extraordinary ability to communicate to the animals. Therefore, symbolism helped Wallace to portray Edward as a mysterious person who could not be easily understood. In conclusion, the Big Fish is a well-written novel. By making a careful choice of literary devices and effectively using them, Wallace managed to bring  out an outstanding story.  

An issue affecting two or more countries Article

An issue affecting two or more countries - Article Example While CIA provided information from the satellites about abandoned soviet trucks and weapon depots for the Taliban, ISI transferred the information to the men on ground (Coll p. 291) making it possible for the Taliban to conquer Afghanistan with astonishing speed uniting the country for the benefit of Pakistan, United States and Saudi Arabia (Reeve p. 191). After the September 11 attacks, US invaded the Taliban controlled Afghanistan asking all countries to cut off Taliban support. Pakistan ordered the Taliban embassy to be closed in 2001, allied with the US and supported the invasion by providing its forward military bases. The hard war in Afghanistan followed up by a bloody insurgency caused US to lose unprecedented amount of war founds trying to control Afghan territory. Adding to the troubles were lack of understanding of terrain and psyche of the local people. The overwhelming force and technology, while allowed the US to have complete air superiority and highly reinforced milit ary bases in the region, could still not help them achieve actual victory and control over the territory outside their bases. The insurgency caused alot of contention between USA and Pakistan as allies and the US still ended up blaming Pakistan for supporting Afghan Taliban after calling it their top non-NATO ally. This paper compares and contrasts BBC reports and The Washington Post with respect to the US allegations and Pakistani denials. BBC reports Pakistan being accused of playing a double game by the US (Collyns). After interviewing a few prisoners, according to BBC, the US officials concluded that Pakistan was actively supporting Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan for a hidden agenda. This can be seen as a fallacy of composition created from a single point of view being viewed as the resulting aim of country’s net actions. Pakistani ISI has been a powerful element both in the country and in its defense against the enemy powers when it came to proxy wars. The BBC uses th e circumstantial prisoner witnesses to support the accusation by the US officials. While attributing repeated denials to Pakistan in two instances, the report suggests the US accusations overly weighed and further states them as a fact by presenting a BBC documentary to back up the accusations as facts. This strains the neutral point of view of the report which should be there in an international news article fully attributing views to their actual sources and not stating contentions opinions or conflicting truths as facts. Furthermore, in addition to the US accusations, the BBC report itself alleges that Pakistan has helped and harboured Afghan Taliban in its territory stating it as a ‘plain to see’ fact (Collyns). The Washington Post, on the other hand, also attributes accusations to the US and denials to Pakistan but keeps it to that (Leiby). The report can be contrasted with that of BBC’s in a clear cut way. As a clear contrast to the BBC report, this report presents quotations of US accusations in text with conflicting quotations of Pakistani denials making it more balanced and neutral in its point of view. The Washington Post report also uses the BBC report as a reference but puts it in a more neutral way without any presumptions. The BBC excerpts are quoted to tell the US side of the story while the Pakistani foreign minister is clearly attributed to have categorically put

Stylistic Devices in the Novel The Big Fish Essay

Stylistic Devices in the Novel The Big Fish - Essay Example To begin with, Wallace uses the first person narration technique to deliver his message to the audience. This is evidenced the first chapter of the novel in which the narrator’s father was born. As Edward narrates, his father was born during one of the worst summers, drought and famines that were experienced in the land. In his own words, he explains how his father was born at a time when there was a scarcity of food. He also illustrates his feelings about the birth of his father which he attributes to be a blessing since it occurred on a rainy and cloudy day. At the same time, William Bloom also uses first-person narration in the first chapter of the book to demonstrate the cordial relationship his father had with animals. He explains that cows and horses liked his father, and they followed him around; and chicken once laid a mysterious small brown egg on his lap. At one time, he says, â€Å"This is what is meant by last words: they are keys to unlock the afterlife. They're not last words but passwords, and as soon as they're spoken you can go.† This implies that all these could only be ascertained during the death of Edward. William Bloom also uses a lot of symbolism as indicated in chapter one of the Big Fish. The element of symbolism is seen when William equates his father to a big fish. This is used to symbolize that Edward Bloom is an intelligent and knowledgeable man. As a widely read person, he has a wealth of knowledge on philosophy, history, arts and other literary fields. Thus, his knowledge can not be compared to a librarian or any other person, but can only be compared to a big fish. Moreover, it symbolizes that he was a unique person who had an extraordinary ability to communicate to the animals. Therefore, symbolism helped Wallace to portray Edward as a mysterious person who could not be easily understood. In conclusion, the Big Fish is a well-written novel. By making a careful choice of literary devices and effectively using them, Wallace managed to bring  out an outstanding story.  

United Nations and Big Powers Essay Example for Free

United Nations and Big Powers Essay Mellowed by experience, the founders of the United Nations realized that, if the new organization was to keep and secure international peace, it must be far stronger organization. So, with practical sense and pragmatic considerations, they sort to make an improvement upon the League-Covenant. The United Nations Charter clearly proves such an improvement. First, the League did not sufficiently recognize the value of self determination, human rights, and equal rights of men and women and of nations, large and small, the United Nations Charter has emphasized all these values. Secondly, the League intended to keep peace without outlawing war. But the United Nations has, under Art 2 (4), prohibited war. Thirdly, the League failed to distribute power properly between two chief organs – the General Assembly and the Security Council. But the United Nations has very carefully demarcated power between them. Thus, under Art 24 (1), the â€Å"primary responsibility† of maintenance of peace and order has been entrusted upon the Security Council. Fourthly, all the member-states are to take an oath, under Art 2 (3) that on the call of the Security Council, they must unitedly stand against any aggressor. Fifthly, chapter VI contains several Articles regarding pacific and compulsive settlement of disputes for maintaining peace. Thus, in act of aggression, the Security Council may advice the disputing states to settle the issue peacefully. But, if anyone of them defies it, the Security Council can adopt punitive measures by asking all the member-states to cut off political, diplomatic and economic relations with the ‘culprit’. If this measure too fails, the Security Council may adapt military measures by sea, air and land-forces and all the member states are bound to provide the UN-army necessary troops, material and passages in order to continue military operations. For conducting such operations, Art 47 (1) has provided for the appointment of a Military Staff Committee. Thus, since the beginning, it was claimed that the United Nations was an organization sufficiently empowered to take action against a recalcitrant state and, that international peace was sufficiently secured with the formation of such an organization. Authors like Norman Benthic have even claimed that, it has â€Å"teeth†. But, as a matter of fact, the United Nations and the Security Council have failed to serve the purpose as desired by the makers. It is true that, on few occasions, like the Korea-crisis, the UN was able to take action for securing peace. When, in 1950, North Korea, strengthened by the Chinese support, attacked South Korea by crossing the 38 degree parallel, the UN took joint action in order to establish peace and justice by saving South Korea. As Eichelberger opines, â€Å"Korea presents a clear example of United Nations’ application of collective security† (Eichelberger 20). But, on many other occasions, it has failed to serve its purpose and, hence, peace has been threatened on various situations. For example, the UN has failed to prevent America from taking action in Vietnam, or to protect India in 1962 from Chinese aggression, or to prevent Soviet Russia from interfering in the affair of Afghanistan. In short, on various occasions, his weakness has been discernible, because the Big Powers have often defied the United Nation by violating their pledge. Thus, the chief reason of the failure of the United Nations is the conflicting interests of the Big Powers. For this reason, Clement observes, â€Å"The very name United Nations is a misnomer and, hence, may be called disunited nations† (Clement 483). Particularly, after the end of Second World War, the USA and Soviet Russia, the erstwhile partners, drifted apart and became strong enemies. Though Britain and France joined the American camp, communist China sided with the Soviet Russia. Thus, the major powers have been divided into two contending camps. Moreover, even the members of the same camp have developed mutual rivalry and distance. These conflicting interests have been reflected inside the United Nations. For this reason, on each occasion, they pursued different policies both within and outside the United Nations. For example, though it is said that the United Nations’ army saved South Korea in 1950, only fifteen nations took part in the military operation – some states like Soviet Russia opposed it and some others remained neutral. Such differences have materially weakened the UN. Moreover, the Soviet Veto paralyzed the Security Council from taking actions in Korea and hence, the General Assembly, by adopting the â€Å"Uniting for Peace Resolution† adapted the decision of taking military action. As Nicolas observes, â€Å"The failure of the Security Council to function as planned threw the Assembly into an unintended prominence† (Nicolas 72). Moreover, as pointed out earlier, the Charter intended that the Security Council can take action against the villain of peace. As Godspeed opines, â€Å"The Council is free to utilize any technique or procedure or combination of methods or which might prove useful†. But often the maintenance of peace requires military action. But through the Charter speaks of a Military Staff Committee, it has not yet been set up due to Big power-differences. As Russell observes, â€Å"Collective Security, as a method of preventing war cannot succeed until there is an international armed force. † But the United Nation has no such a force due to conflicts of Big Powers. In this way the major powers have actually defied the pledge of the United Nation and have reduced it into an impotent organization.

Treatment and Outcomes of Paediatric Asthma in New Zealand

Treatment and Outcomes of Paediatric Asthma in New Zealand Inequities are present in the prevalence, treatment and outcomes of paediatric asthma in New Zealand (NZ). A sound body of literature and research confirms these inequities, and associates them with various axes, including socioeconomic status (SES) and ethnicity. A conceptual framework, Williams model, is proposed to explain how basic and surface causal factors have resulted in such inequities in paediatric asthma in NZ. Finally, this essay articulates two evidence-based interventions which have been devised with one potent aim: to reduce the unfair disparities in the health status for different population groups. Asthma can affect people of any age, yet is much more common in children than adults. On one hand, studies have suggested that the prevalence of paediatric asthma is similar between Maori and non-Maori (Holt Beasley, 2002). Conversely, there is evidence that Maori boys and girls are 1.5 times as likely to be taking medication for asthma than non-Maori boys and girls (Ministry of Health, 2008). Yet, medicated asthma as a proxy for paediatric asthma prevalence may not be desirable as it fails to include those who should be medicated but are not currently due to barriers such as cost, access and education. This may have the effect of underestimating the true ethnic disparities. However, using asthma symptoms as a better indicator of asthma prevalence, evidence from the ISAAC study (2004) conclude that there are, in fact, significant ethnic variations; that the prevalence of recent wheeze is higher in Maori than in non-Maori children, and is lower for Pacific children than for other eth nic groups. These finding are consistent with an earlier study on paediatric asthma prevalence in New Zealand, suggesting that the pattern of interethnic differences have persisted over time (Pattermore et al., 2004). Perhaps the greatest difference in the prevalence of paediatric asthma between ethnic groups is the presence of more severe symptoms among Maori and Pacific children when compared with Europen children. Both Maori and Pacific children had symptoms suggesting more severe asthma; findings from the ISAAC study (2004) indicated that they reported a higher frequency of wheeze disturbing sleep reported than Europeans. Moreover, Maori and Pacific children are hospitalised more frequently and require more days off school as a result of their asthma than their European counterparts (Pattermore et al., 2004). Although asthma admissions among all children in NZ have remained relatively stable over the last decade, this not the case for all ethnicities (Craig, Jackson Han, 2007). NZ European children have experienced a steady decline for hospital admission rates due to asthma, but this decreasing trend is not the case for Maori and Pacific children, of whom Metcalf (2004) found asthma hospitali sation rates for children under 5 to be four times more likely than that of NZ Europeans. Similar ethnic disparities in hospital admission rates for asthma have also been recognised in the United Kingdom, where children of African and South Asian origins have an increased risk of hospitalisation when compared with the majority European population (Netuveli et al., 2005). Furthermore, it seems worth noting that hospital admissions for Maori compared to non-Maori are not distributed equally: a geographical analysis found the difference in asthma hospitalisation rates between Maori and non-Maori to be more significant in rural areas than in urban areas, despite the fact there was no consistent association between rurality and the prevalence of paediatric asthma (Netuveli). As asthma is a chronic disease with no cure, the goal of asthma treatment is, instead, to control its symptoms. There are two key areas in asthma management: self-management (by the caregivers of children) through asthma education and knowledge; and management via medication. In a trial of a community-based asthma education clinic, Kolbe, Garrett, Vamos and Rea (1994) reported greater improvements in asthma knowledge among European than Maori or Pacific participants. A more recent study found that, compared to children of the European ethnic group, Maori and Pacific children with asthma received less asthma education and medication, had lower levels of parental asthma knowledge, had more problems with accessing appropriate asthma care, and were less likely to have an action plan (Crengle, Robinson, Grant Arroll, 2005). Thus, it can be inferred that ethnic inequities in asthma education and self-management have been maintained throughout the years. Despite medication being a critical component of effective asthma management, studies have shown that Maori and Pacific children with severe morbidity may be less likely to receive preventative medications than NZ European children (Crengle et al.). Where reliever medications bring immediate, short-term relief for acute asthma attacks (an indicator of poor asthma control), preventers (or inhaled corticosteroids) prevent symptoms from occurring and is used in the long-term management of asthma (Asher Byrnes, 2006). The ratio of reliever to preventer use is higher in Maori and Pacific than European children, implying a disproportionate burden; that despite a higher prevalence of asthma symptoms, Maori and Pacific children are more likely to have sub-optimal asthma control. (â€Å"Asthma and chronic cough†, 2008). Death from asthma remains a relatively uncommon event, and most are largely preventable. Yet, ethnic inequities are also present: Maori are four times more likely to die from asthma than non-Maori. Asthma deaths in Maori are higher than non-Maori for every age-group, including children from 0 to 14 years old (Asher Byrnes, 2006). There have been many studies attempting to evaluate the relationship between SES and paediatric asthma in NZ; yet, evidence is conflicting on such an association. In terms of prevalence, the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study (1990) argue that the SES of families has no impact on the prevalence of childhood asthma. There are many studies, however, that demonstrate that socioeconomic disadvantage adversely affects asthma severity and management. Damp, cold and mouldy environments are probably more frequent in houses of families with lower SES, and there is some evidence of a dose-response relationship with more severe asthma occurring with increasing dampness level (Butler, Williams, Tukuitonga Paterson, 2003). Moreover, due to such barriers as cost and location, children of lower SES families have less frequent use of asthma medication and less regular contact with medical practitioners, which, in turn, results in higher rates of asthma-related hospital admission s (Mitchell, et al. , 1989). It is important to note that evidence exists to show higher proportions of Maori and Pacific ethnic groups living in more deprived socioeconomic decile areas with poorer housing, having household incomes of less than $40,000, and having caregivers with no high school qualification (Butler et al., 2003). If the gradient of increasing severity in asthma morbidity is steeper for Maori and Pacific children than Europeans, it seems likely that this could also be a manifestation of the influence of socioeconomic deprivation on childhood asthma. Socioeconomic deprivation is therefore is not only more common, but has a stronger effect on health for Maori and Pacific Islanders. Why, then, should such inequities be identified and addressed? Health inequities are, by definition, differences which are unfair, avoidable, and amenable to intervention. The basic human right to health guaranteed under the international human rights law affirms health – the highest attainable state of physical and mental health – as a fundamental human right; as a resource which allows everyone, including children, to achieve their fullest potential (United Nations, 2009). Ought such potential to be hindered by less than favourabe health outcomes due to familial socioeconomic status or the ethnic group to which a child belongs to is a breach of human rights and is simply unjust. Thus, dealing with childhood asthma inequities is, for Maori and Pacific children in particular, reflective of their high need due to an unacceptable contravention of rights. Morever, it is important to address Maori and non-Maori inequities because, as tangata whenua, Maori are indigenous to NZ. Kingis (2007) report states that the Treaty of Waitaingi has a role in protecting the interests of Maori, and it is, undoubtedly, not in their interests to be disadvantaged in health. There is therefore a strong ethical imperative, on the basis of both human and indigenous rights, for addressing inequities in the prevalence, treatment and outcomes of paediatric asthma in NZ. Williams (1997, adapted) model conceptualises the determinants of inequities as being of two kinds: basic causes and surface causes. It makes explicit the key drivers of inequities in the prevalence, treatment and outcomes of paediatric asthma in NZ; as in, what has created, and maintains, the inequities between ethnic and socioeconomic groups. These are referred to as the basic causes, or those factors which necessitate alteration to fundamentally create changes in population health outcomes and therefore address inequities (Williams). Surface causes are also related to the outcome but, where basic causes remain, modifying surface factors alone will not result in subsequent changes in the outcome; that is, health inequities persist (Williams). As can be seen with paediatric asthma, ethnicity is strongly associated with SES in NZ. Yet, both ethnicity and SES are not independent factors; they have themselves been shaped by underlying basic causal forces. Inequities in the distribution of prevalence, morbidity and mortality of paediatric asthma seems to resonate with an undervaluing of Maori and Pacific lives and health in NZ. Using Williams model, this undervaluing of Maori and Pacific people, and subsequent inequity, is deeply rooted in our colonial history (for Maori) and economic recession (for Pacific Islanders), as well as the scourge of institutional racism. Churchill (1996) argues that colonisation is based on the dehumanisation of indigenous people. Central to colonisation is the belief among colonisers of their superiority and the creation of a new history, with indigenous Maori knowledge relabelled as myths, the traditional landscape renamed, and land alienation. On the other hand, the economic downturn from the 19 70s to early 1980s, which coincided with the significant arrival of Pacific peoples to NZ, resulted in a shortage of jobs and a tightening of immigration policy (Dunsford et al., 2011). Pacific paoples were now labelled as overstayers, which culminated in the infamous dawn raids (Dunsford et al.). Both indigenous Maori and Pacific migrants became ethnic groups defined by exclusion and marginalisation, which has been embedded in NZ society (thus, institutionalied racism). In other words, they have been removed from a sense of place and belonging which is an entitlement of all New Zealanders. The effects of the basic causal forces introduced unnecessary challenges and has led to disparities in the social status of Maori and Pacific peoples when compared with Europeans. This is manifested in the distribution of socioeconomic deprivation, where Maori and Pacific peoples are overrpresented in the most deprived areas (Mare, Mawson Timmins, 2001). This is largely the result of the inequitable distribution of socioeconomic factors stemming from the basic causes; that is, below average educational attainment, high rates of unemployment and reduction of income among Maori and Pacific Islanders. Ethnicity, deprivation and social status all give rise to what Williams model labels as the surface causes. The amalgamation of low socioeconomic status alongside less than favourable desterminants of health and being marginalised has exacerbated to produce a quagmire in which inequities in health are a given for many Maori and Pacfic peoples. This provides part of the explanation of the inequities in the prevalence, treatment and outcomes in paediatric asthma, as Maori and Pacific peoples are less likely to have routine visits to their GP, access to regular preventive medication, and to live in sufficient housing (therefore more susceptible to house dust mites and damp envrionments) – all of which seem to be due to cost constraints (Pattermore et al., 2004). However, this is unlikely to explain the full picture, as poor outcomes are also evident for children aged under six, in whom the provision of care is free of charge. Thus, other surface causes could be a lack of cultural ly appropriate services as well as differences in the quality of care received (Rumball-Smith, 2009). Next in the causal pathway of Williams model is biological processes, where the cumulative impacts of the basic and surface causal factors together with social status manifest themselves as diseases, such as asthma, via the notion of embodiment (Williams, 1997, adapted). In the case of paediatric asthma, the immune responses of Maori and Pacific childrens may be compromised, making them more susceptible to complications in their already vulnerable health (as Maori and Pacific children with asthma are more likely to suffer more severe symptoms). These biological processes, in turn, determine health status (health, morbidity and mortality) and where we all sit on the spectrum. The issue with paediatric asthma is that many children are on the wrong end of the spectrum, and too many of these children are of Maori and Pacific ethnic groups. One way in which inequities in the prevalence, treatment and outcome of paediatric asthma has been addressed is through housing improvement intervention programmes in NZ, such as the randomised controlled trial examining the effects of improvements in housing on the symptoms of asthma. Parents of children in the intervention group allocated a non-polluting, more effective replacement heater in their homes reported fewer days of school, and fewer visits to the doctor and pharmacist for asthma (Howden-Chapman et al., 2008). Through increasing warmth, and reducing dampness and mould in households, housing intervention programmes directly improve the health status of all children with asthma. Moreover, fuel poverty is common in NZ; as in, unaffordable fuel and unsafe heating are a significant issue for many families, especially for Maori and Pacific peoples in whom higher rates of paediatric asthma prevalence, severity, hospitalisation and mortality occur (Asher Byrnes, 2006). Thus, int erventions of this kind, which prioritise socioeconomically disadvantaged communities and poorer quality housing (where there are a higher proportion of Maori and Pacific families), have the potential to reduce not only inequities in health status among ethnic groups, but also the inequitable distribution of adequate housing, a key social determinant of health. After the Maori asthma review (1991), which contended that improving outcomes from asthma among Maori required promotion techniques that incorporated Maori visions and values, a trial of an asthma action plan was devised and undertaken by Maori from Wairarapa with the aim of increasing interactions between Maori community groups and the health sector, reducing inequities between Maori and non-Maori, and improving asthma in the Maori community. Over a period of six months, Maori with asthma were educated in asthma control, seen at marae-based asthma clinics, and were provided with credit card sized asthma action plans (Beasley et al., 1993). In addition to improvements in asthma morbidity (via improvements in asthma control), the programme was found to have benefits extending beyond the effects of asthma, including greater cultural affirmation and increased access to other healthcare services among the Maori community. These successes were largely due to the involvement of the Maori c ommunity in the programme. For Maori, by Maori interventions target the surface causes of Williams model, which identified a lack of culturally appropriate care as a driver of inequities in paediatric asthma. Moreover, there is international evidence to show that similar interventions for other minority ethnic groups have also had beneficial effects (La Roche, Koinis-Mitchell Gualdron, 2006). By taking into account the needs of groups which have historically been margnalised in NZ society, these interventions allow for a more culturally meaningful engagement with regard to the experience of asthma, and serves to reduce inequities in the differential access and receipt of quality care among Maori and Pacific peoples. There is a myriad of evidence to suggest that ethnicity and SES are intrinsically linked to the inequities in the prevalance, severity, hospitalisation rates and mortality with regards to childhood asthma in NZ. Williams model may explain this relationship: the negative effects of colonisation, the economic recession and institutional racism, especially on the key determinants of health, impact differentially on population groups, resulting in the disparities in outcomes of asthma among Maori and Pacific children when compared to their European counterparts. Based on this discussion, it can be seen that approaches to develop strategies need to both prioritise those with the greatest need as well as proceed in partnership with Maori and Pacific peoples in order to address the inequities in childhood asthma in NZ.