Bariatric Surgery: Types and Applications

Bariatric Surgery: Types and Applications The rise of bariatric surgery is partly due to the epidemic of obesity in the United States. Because of this epidemic, the number of bariatric surgeries in 2003 was near 103,000. This number was up from 16,000 in 1992. Americans have increased in extreme obesity. Lack of exercise, failure of diets, the desire to want everything right now, has fueled the explosion of the medical procedure. There are so many obese people who are faced with weight induced disease and health complications such as diabetes, coronary heart disease, high LDL cholesterol, stroke, hypertension, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, gallbladder disease, osteoarthritis (degeneration of cartilage and bone of joints), sleep apnea and other breathing problems. Those with these weight induced diseases have found that bariatric surgery can make many of these issues dissipate. Medical professionals are now even considering reducing the weight guidelines for bariatric surgery for people with these medical issues. Although the surgery has given a new lease on life to many, it is imperative that we remember that the procedure is a surgery. Basically, bariatrics is a field of medicine take specializes in treating obesity. When a patient undergoes bariatric surgery, they undergo a type of operation that should help promote weight loss. At this time, only those who suffer from severe obesity qualify for bariatric surgery. The results that are desired from bariatric surgery is to produce weight loss in the patient by restricting food intake by through a surgical process. There are currently four kinds of operations that are offered in the United States at this time. The Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB), biliopancreatic diversion with a duodenal switch (BPD-DS), vertical sleeve gastrectomy (VSG) and adjustable gastric band (AGB) are all types of bariatric surgeries. Each type of surgery has risks and benefits. Each patient must decide with their doctor which option will work better for them. Generally food will move along the digestive tract as enzymes and juices absorb nutrients along with calories. The stomach can hold aro und three pints of food at a time. After leaving the stomach, digestion speeds up. Food moves from the duodenum, to the rest of the 20 foot long small intestine. The food that has not been digested once the food reaches the large intestine is stored there until elimination. Bariatric surgery makes some type of change to this process, in order to promote weight loss. Jejunoileal Bypass was the first operation created just to cause a patient to lose weight. This surgery was first performed at the University of Minnesota in the 1950s. Physicians no longer recommend a Jejunoileal Bypass as a bariatric surgical procedure. The risk that come with global, permanent and severe malabsorption was thought to be too be to dangerous to the patient. This procedure must also be followed by vital, long term follow ups to be successful. Many patients had to have this procedure reversed in order to live. In this surgery, called JIB for short, the stomach is left intact. The bypass induces a state of malabsorption because it bypasses most of the intestines. This procedure may have given excellent weight loss to patients but many suffered from complications like vitamin A D deficiencies, protein calorie malnutrition, kidney stones and diarrhea. One major complication was the toxic overgrowth of intestinal bacteria. This caused problems like skin trouble, arthritis, flu-like symptoms and even liver failure. Thankfully, the jejunoileal bypass is no longer performed due to its life threatening metabolic consequences. Gastric Bypass was also developed in the late 1960s by Drs. Ito and Mason. It was developed from the observation of weight loss from patients that had undergone surgery for ulcers. In these surgeries, part of the patients stomach had to be removed. At first, surgeons performed the surgery with a loop bypass. It was soon recognized that this caused bile reflux. Physicians started performing the operation in 1977, with a piece of intestine that is now joined to a very small stomach. This is to keep bile from getting to the upper stomach and esophagus. This procedure is now called Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass Procedure or RYGBP. It is a mixed restrictive and malabsorptive procedure. The amount of intestine that is bypassed in this particular procedure is not enough to cause malabsorption of nutrients and proteins but the portion of intestine that is bypassed is the site where most of the absorption of iron and calcium should take place. Because of this, the most common long term complicatio n of Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass Procedure is anemia and osteoporosis. Patients who undergo this procedure should prepare for using a mineral supplement long term. The way in which the Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass Procedure works is multifaceted. It is thought that many of the behavioral changes patients feel after surgery has to do with hormone alterations and neural signals that are produced in the GI tract. Many patients feel a reduction in hunger and after they eat, feel full sooner. Many no longer suffer from bad food cravings and take a liking to healthy foods. Then there is a syndrome called dumping which is a sensitivity to sugar, that most patients experience. This may include palpitations, diarrhea, and other symptoms. These results happen within ten to thirty minutes of eating foods that consist of high amounts of sugar. In 1994, the Roux-Y gastric bypass was performed as a laparoscopic procedure and has quickly enhanced the surgery. Most patients lose less blood, have shortened hospital stays and less down time when they undergo the laparoscopic procedure, although the operation in more challenging and takes longer than the open procedure. The most common weight loss surgery is now the Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass Procedure. Most patients say that they have an increase in their quality of life. It has been proven to result in a durable weight loss and improvement in obesity related comorbidities. Illnesses such as diabetes, high cholesterol, liver disease, high blood pressure and many more have been proven to be control, improved or even cured. There is a procedure that uses gastric rings to control the size of the stoma in vertical banded gastroplasty. It is called the Ring Gastric Bypass. Surgeons use these rings to maintain the size of stoma and reduce stretching. This procedure has become a rational operation that is used to control obesity. With the ring functioning as the stoma, postprandial emesis is limited. The patient has the opportunity to eat various foods like meats and vegetables without problems. This surgery results in much more weight loss than in standard gastroplasty. Some complications of ring gastric bypass are marginal ulcers, stenosis, incisional hernia and staple line breakdown. In the surgery, biliopancreatic diversion, there is a change in normal digestion by making the stomach smaller and bypassing part of the small intestine, so that you take in less calories. There is a biliopancreatic diversion with or without a duodenal switch. In the biliopancreatic diversion surgery without the duodenal switch, some of the stomach is cut away. The remaining part of the stomach is then connected to the bottom part of the intestine. When surgeons do the duodenal switch, only a little part of the stomach is taken away. The rest of the stomach stays attached to the duodenum and then the duodenum is attached to the lower part of the small intestine. It is thought that this process would help to prevent ulcers. Because the duodenum is more tolerant of the acids from the stomach it is much more resistant to ulceration. Cutting away part of the stomach should help reduce the presence of acid. This surgery increases the amount of gastric restriction, helps the patient get th e right amount of protein, and decreases the dumping syndrome. Dumping is associated with this surgery as well, although it occurs less often with biliopancreatic diversion with duodenal switch. Introduced in 1978, Gastric Banding is a purely restrictive bariatric procedure. Dr. Wilkinson developed a nonadjustable gastric banding to go around the upper part of the stomach. Ultimately, the dilatation of the pouch resulted in unsatisfactory weight loss. Dr. Molina, retried the gastric segmentation procedure in 1980. The stomach pouch was made smaller than in Dr. Wilkinsons procedure and a Dacron vascular graft was used to go around the upper stomach. This was eventually replaced because the graft adhered to the liver. Dr. Kusmak in 1983, used a band of silicone to go around the stomach to create a smaller stoma and smaller gastric pouch. In order to make the band adjustable this band was modified later. In 1986, Kuzmak created a silicone and with an inflatable balloon. The device was attached to a reservoir that is beaneath the skin, so that medical practitioners could adjust the band. When the balloon gets blown up, the band gets tighter and reduces weight. When the opposite happens to the balloon, the band gets loose and weight loss is reduced. This device can also be inserted laparascopically. At this time there are many types of adjustable bands available in the United States, none have been seen to be better than the other. In an adjustable band procedure, an intestinal bypass is not a part. Weight loss from restriction of food intake is how this procedure works. The impact on co-morbidities and rapid weight loss is less favorable when compared to the gastric bypass. There are groups who have had to undergo re-operation for long term complications. Some of the complications from this procedure are perforation, band erosion, hernia, band slippage, and a need for a revision. In the early 1970s gastroplasty was designed as a safer alternative to the RYGBP and the JIB. The first purely restrictive operation to treat obesity was made possible by mechanical staples. Riginally gastroplasty was done hotizontal and involved stapling the stomach into a small part by only leaving a small opening for food to pass between the upper to the lower stomach pouchs. This had very poor results for long term weight loss and was stopped. The vertical banded gastroplasty was then introduced. In this procedure there is a low mortality and deficiencies of micronutrients is virtually an abscent. Because of long term studies, VBG is being performed less often. Research shows that cases of weight regain and severe heartburn are high when compared to other procedures. There are many new, up and coming bariatric surgeries and trends in development stages. In 1996, Gastric pacing was first introduced in humans but is still considered experimental. It is an attempt to provide durable and significant weight loss that is non-malabsorptive and nonrestrictive. The mechanisim disrupts normal gastric myoelectrical activity, called an IGS, implantable gastric stimulator. Pulses are used to disrupt eating, causing you to feel full earlier. There have been setbacks with gastric pacing because of mechanical problems with the electrical leads. Clinical trials for this procedure are ongoing. The EndoBarrier Gastrointestinal Liner, also known as the endoluminal sleeve, is now in the late-stage clinical trials. It is thought that patients may get the benefits of surgery with a simple sleeve, incredible. Data shows that obese individuals achieved almost normal blood sugar levels in a week with uncontrolled diabetes using the endoluminal sleeve liner. As more benefits of bariatric surgery come to light, there has been a push to offer it to more people with lower body mass indexes. As diabetes continues to increase, more people will turn to bariatric surgery for its curative powers. Also we will see an increase in programs for obese teens as studies are showing that surgery quickly improves heart health for them. Less invasive bariatric procedures are currently being developed. There is a procedure being developed called Transoral gastroplasty. In this procedure, surgeons hope to change the stomach anatomy without any cuts, so that after a small meal, patients will have a feeling of fullness. As the waistline of Americans continues to get larger, bariatric surgery will continue to increase and flourish. With increased knowledge and research, obesity has started to be seen as a molecular disease that has potential molecular explanations. As study continues, bariatric surgery will continue to advance. There may be a time when people will finally be able to avoid this intriguing and dangerous disease called obesity. Does Society Create Monsters? Analysis of Frankenstein Does Society Create Monsters? Analysis of Frankenstein Does Society create monsters or are we born that way? Society is the aggregate of people living together in a more or less ordered community. Does society create monsters or are they formed when someone is born? People in the world love to fit in and do everything one can do to be perfect. Children grow up watching elders and people in the world doing things whether it is good or bad. When people watch someone do something and that person gets attention for it, everyone runs to do that certain thing or wear that certain outfit or talk that certain way because people love attention and now days people are willing to do anything for it. The monster showed significant signs to prove he tried to be good, by trying to help people. The story Frankenstein by Mary Shelly is a story about tragic events that happen because a creature is in need of love and attention, only because the monster sees people giving others love and attention. Victor Frankenstein creates a monster without knowing that there would be negative sides effects to this powerful creation. Not knowing everyone Frankenstein loved would die because of him not making the right choice. The monster never understood what it was like to be treated normal, the only person who even treated him nicely was an old blind man who had no idea what he looked like until his children came home and told him. So should one believe that he was born a monster or did society make him this way? The story A Modest Proposal shows that society can create monsters. The towns people had many problems; the biggest one of all was the children. Many people couldnt afford to have them causing people to lose money and then being forced to live on the streets. Finding a solution to this problem was very difficult but one guy did come up with one and many took it seriously. Many people thought that eating the children and infants would lower the population rate and less people would be forced to live on the streets, because they would have less people/children to fend for.   These mothers, instead of being able to work for their honest livelihood, are forced to employ all their time in strolling to beg for sustenance for their helpless infants, who, as they grow up, either turn thieves for want of work, or leave their dear native country to fight for the Pretender in Spain, or sell themselves to the Barbados. (Jonathon Swift) The quote above shows how desperate the mothers and p eople were because of the children. There is an honest question though; if one person had not come up with this idea would anybody else have thought about it? Is society to blame? Although Frankensteins monster made many mistakes and did kill several people because he wanted Frankenstein to be as unhappy as he was, does not mean that he did not have a good heart.  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚   In The Rime of the Ancient Mariner the man sailing on the boat shoots the albatross for no reason but because he wanted to. God save thee, ancient mariner! From the fiends, that plague thee thus! Why lookst thou so? With my crossbow I shot the albatross. (Samuel Taylor Coleridge) The mariner had no reason to shoot it, but because he thought it would be cool and a good idea, to please society. In all truths nobody really agreed with shooting the albatross and everyone got punished for this mistake that could have been prevented. Frankenstein was born and raised with parents who loved and supported him. Yes these people helped raise him and helped him become who he was but nobody forced him to be good or bad. A person could be born good or bad but society does have a big impact and helps one become who they will be for the rest of their life. The innocent and helpless creature bestowed on them by heaven, whom to bring up to good, and whose future lot it was in their hands to direct to happiness or misery, according as they fulfilled their duties towards me. (Mary Shelley) So the question still remains, does society create monsters or are the born that way? With the evidence above could only make one feel that the monster tried to be as good as possible but with the events happening he couldnt truly be happy and every time he tried to find happiness something bad ended up happening. The monster wasnt treated the way he should have been, if society would have treated him better would the monster have hurt all the people he did? Citation Page Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein, Penguin Group, 1963 Swift, Jonathon., A Modest Proposal, Beverly Chin et, al publisher, Glencoe McCraw Hill 518-524 Coleridge, Samuel., Rime of the Ancient Mariner, Beverly Chin et, al publisher, Glencoe McCraw Hill 715-735

The Federal Reserve System: Modern Fascism And Absolute Power Essay

Most Americans feel the United States of America is a beacon of democracy and raw capitalism, the leader of the â€Å"free† world. The founding fathers had every intention of turning the new world into a full fledged democracy, devoid of any monarchy or source of totalitarian power. The constitution itself demands that our government be â€Å"of, for and by the people†, and be divided into complex units of checks and balances, designed to thwart any potential power struggle by one specific branch. In essence, the constitution of the United States is a perfect blueprint for democracy in its purest form, with power and control in the hands of its citizens. Unfortunately, this is not the case today. By giving up the right to print its own currency in 1913, the US Government bequeathed its powers to a select few, who have owned and operated this country ever since. They are the true masters of US domestic and foreign policy. Just like a corporation issues shares of stock to function as a productive entity, a country has to issue currency in order to fund its operations. This currency is the lifeblood of a nation, creating wealth for its citizens by fostering economic development and providing public infrastructure and services. In a true democracy, the government is owned by the citizens and operated by representatives of the population as a whole, who control and more importantly regulate the issuance of this currency. This is a critical point to remember. Just like a public company [that issues too much stock] can be punished by the public markets for diluting its share structure, a nation’s currency can suffer the same effects through inflation if the government prints too much money relative to the value of the economy. This can be co... ...al well into the 21st century and beyond depends on it. Thanks to innovations like the Internet, the public’s ability to access information that was once kept hidden from view is now possible. This instills the hope that much like the Fellowship in LOTR was eventually able to thwart the efforts of Sauron, we as citizens of the United States can succeed in abolishing the Federal Reserve System and help restore this nation to the democratic vision of our Forefathers. http://www.federalreserve.gov/pubs/frseries/frseri.htm Delaware Corporation No. 0042817, https://sos-res.state.de.us/tin/GINameSearch.jsp http://www.lib.umich.edu/govdocs/jfkeo/eo/11110.htm DiLorenzo, Thomas J. 1994. Economic Fascism, The Freeman DiLorenzo, Thomas J. 1994. Economic Fascism, The Freeman http://www.house.gov/paul/legis/106/hr1148.htm http://www.ronpaulinstitute.org/

Organisational Change Essay

Organizational change is also known as organizational transformation and it may involves organisational change in mission, introducing new technology, restructuring operations, introducing new programmes, mergers, re-engineering and having new major collaborations. (Bridges 1991) Organizational changes are aimed at achieving some set organizational goals and objectives which need to be a attained within a given period of time. In many cases changes in the organizational are provoked by some outside forces which includes taking care of new markets, substantial cut in finding, need for increase in services and productivity among others. There are many approaches that managers uses to introduce change in the organization, some are planned, explicit and structured while others are more unfolding, implicit and organic. Managers goes for the approaches that will be supported by all the employees and those that will enable the organization to maximize the profit margin as they achieve the set goals and objectives within the set time frame. Some approaches works from the future to the present where by the managers uses the organization’s vision to plan all the organizational activities aiming at achieving the vision while other approaches works from the present to the future which may include pointing out the currents needs of the target clients and then making the necessary changes towards achieving those needs. This is the best approach since the clients and other stakeholders are the backbone of any organization and they determine the success of the any business (Easterby 1999). Identifying their needs should be a continuous exercise which should be followed by implementing the necessary changes which will facilitate in satisfying their needs hence building a good and strong customer relationship which will lead to increased sales hence increasing the Organizational profitability (Dent 1999).  Aegon UK  is a member of the AEGON Group which is among the world’s largest life insurance and pension company. The company is the owner of different life insurance, pensions, adviser and management businesses in the UK (Folger 1999). The company has 27,000 employees and a total of over 25 million customers worldwide with it’s main markets being in Netherlands and the United States. Factors That Lead To Change One of the major hindrance for decision making is a clear understanding of the working environment where the decisions made will be operated. (Brewster 2004) Proper understanding of the working environment improves the decision making and it minimizes uncertainty. In the UK where life expectancy has risen in the past few years, people are expected to retire for a longer period of time hence the need to think ahead and save for retirement, an idea that many people find difficult to comprehend. (Kotter 1979) Many people do not properly plan about their retirement hence they suffer during the old age since they do not be have enough money for survival and on the other hand the government is also emphasizing on reduced dependency on the state in old age. This resulted to many insurance companies coming up with new cheap pension schemes who also emphasized on employee pension (Hultman 1995). The Industry Aegon operates in the life insurance and pension industry which for the past few years had a poor reputation. Some organisations in the industry has been blamed of mis-selling where by they do not give the customers quality products that satisfy their needs. (Johnston e 2004) The Financial Services Authority (FSA) introduced some regulations in the industry which were aimed at avoiding such situations from happening again in the future. The industry has been faced with intense competition where by AEGON is competing with other organisations that are well known in the UK and they specialise in selling directly to the customers (Kirkman 2000). The company normally distributes it’s services and products to customers through financial advisers. For AEGON to remain competitive it had to take care of all the problems that the industry was facing. Reasons For Change Historically AEGON had been very successful and profitable but some times back the government introduced some regulations that reduced the organisation’s profitability. Comparing the company with it’s competitors, AEGON was not well known though it had very good services and products and it also had good relationship with the distributors. (Strebel 1996) For consumers to have the confidence of investing in a long term product, they have to know more about the organisation they are planning to invest with by learning more about the brands that are being offered by the organisation and by understanding the value of each brand. As AEGON offered different brands it was hard for the financial advisers and the consumers to identify and understand the different depth and breadth of the brands. Facilitators of Change AEGON company appointed a new (CEO) Chief Executive Officer who entered into the office with new strategies for the company and the first thing that he implemented was to bring AEGON into a discovery phase which would help him in achieving the goals he had for AEGON. The CEO’s goal was to develop the best long term savings and protection business in the UK while the discovery phase was aimed at finding ways of achieving those goals. (Kegan 2001) Another aspect that needed consideration was the company’s brands and how they could be audited. The company was examined both internally and externally to find it’s position in the market. The process of auditing was aimed at giving more information about the company which assisted AEGON in making more informed decisions which were needed to start the process of change. Creating a New Culture Culture refers to the attitude and the personality of an organization and it is also involves the shared values, behavior and beliefs of the employees and other stakeholders (Morgan 1997). It acts as a key part in the change process since it dictates the way in which the organisation and the stakeholders solve problems and makes decision. By developing a new culture, AEGON was able to provide services and products that were required in the market hence they were able to remain competitive. A Behavior Framework In order to support the new culture, AEGON came up with a behavior framework which was aimed at strengthening the brand values. It was designed in such a way that it could influence how all the employees in the organisation could work and make decisions where by the behavior emphasized the values of AEGON. (Coetsee 1999) The company also introduced a Management Development Programme which emphasised on eight main behaviors which are, think customer, embrace change, encourage excellence, act with integrity, decisive actions, work together, learn and grow and finally relate and communicate (Piderit 2000). Implementing The Change The organisation has emphasised on the customer’s needs which determines the decisions, behaviour and it also informs actions. The senior mangers keeps the customer’s needs at the heart of all the operations in AEGON while the other managers and professionals innovates with the needs of the customers in mind so that they come up with products and services that can satisfy the needs of the customers. AEGON brand have been extensively promoted alongside Scottish Equitable or other brands are traded under it. Association with AEGON is stronger where by the Scottish Equitable is currently AEGON Scottish Equitable which reflects the local knowledge and the global power. Currently all the brands has a new look that is common, different and refreshing. Impacts Of The Changes Implementing change in AEGON affected it both externally and internally. Internally the changes influenced how the people behaved and communicated while the organisational operations has been focused on satisfying the needs of the customers. Great emphasis has been on making information clearer so that the customers can be in a position to understand the company well so that they can do business with them. The company has intensively done external promotional campaigns and it has managed to launch new innovative products aimed at satisfying the customer’s needs. This changes has worked very well for AEGON since the company has been able to maximise it’s profit. Currently AGEON brand is in a position that it influences the financial services in the industry. Challenges The main challenge that AEGON is facing is that the competition is growing at a very fast rate in an increasingly difficult market. This has forced the government to implement some regulations to govern the industry. To fight competition, AEGON should maintain two way communication channel which should be open and they should emphasis on getting feedback from all the stakeholders. This feedback is very important since the stakeholders can inform the organisation where they might be going wrong and can even give some recommendations which can work very well for the company hence being ahead of the competitors which leads to maximising the profit margins of the company. The stakeholders can also help the company in identifying the needs of the customers hence enabling the company to provide what is needed in the market . Also when there is open communication between the management and the employees it is normally very easy to prevent conflicts since the employees will be free to air their grivances hence cultivating a culture of good working relationships in AEGON which will even motivate the workers to work even harder thus enabling the company to realize the set goals and objectives within the set time frame. Conclusion Organisational change is continuous and the process of change is like a journey which will be faced by external factors that can affect the operations of the organisation. AEGON respond to the external factors was by clarifying, simplifying and strengthening it’s brand in the UK. As the organisation changes, it’s culture and pattern of behavior develops which is a cycle which requires the business to use the knowledge it has to learn from the experiences. This has enabled AEGON to move towards achieving its goals through realizing its full potential while they remain competitive in the market. Taking care of the needs of the customers increases the sales of the company since many customers will be interested in the products or services that are being provided by the company hence increasing sales which in turn increases the profit margin of the company.

Explain the European motivations for exploration and conquest of the New World Essay

The discovery of the New World happened to coincide with the spread of European power and culture around the known world. This spread was the result of various developments that had occurred, particularly the following: â€Å"the explosive growth of trade, towns, and modern corporations; the religious zeal generated by the Protestant Reformation and the Catholic Reformation;†1 as well as the usual reasons of â€Å"greed, conquest, racism, and slavery. †2 By the time of the 1400s, these and other forces combined to make Europeans search for new lands to conquer and settle, as well as for new people to convert, civilize, or exploit. 3 Columbus’ various voyages to the New World opened the door for more exploration and settlement of the New World. The first European power to make concerted efforts to explore the New World was Spain, and they had three distinct motives: to win over converts to Catholicism; to conquer land; and, to get rich. 4 Eventually following Spain were England and France, both of which had similar motives: to extend their empires into the New World, as well as profit from the establishment of colonies in the New World. Clearly, then, the ultimate goal of exploration and conquest in the New World was to increase power and wealth. 2. Explain the religious persecutions in England that pushed the Separatists into Plymouth and the Quakers into Pennsylvania. Explain how England’s Glorious Revolution also prompted changes in the colonies. The Separatists, also known as the Pilgrims, were forced out of England due to their religious beliefs. They were part of the â€Å"most uncompromising sect of Puritans†¦who had severed all ties with the Church of England. †5 They felt that the Church of England was not completely separated from the Catholic Church. Speaking out against the Church of England led to persecutions by King James I and Anglican officials. 6 The Separatists then fled to Holland, but while there, felt that their children were becoming too Dutch and straying from their staunch Puritan beliefs. As a result, they secured a land patent from the Virginia Company and in 1620, sailed to America. 7 The Quakers were the â€Å"most influential of many radical groups that sprang from†¦the English Civil War. †8 They carried further than any other group the doctrine of â€Å"individual spiritual inspiration and interpretation,† which they called â€Å"the inner light. †9 Doing away with many of the trappings of the Church of England, the Quakers embraced a simple way of life and were extremely pacifist. 10 This did not coincide with the ways of the Anglican Church, and thus, they were persecuted a great deal. They chose to leave England and settle in the New World, where they would be able to practice their beliefs without fear of reprisal. First establishing the colony of New Jersey, they soon migrated to the opposite side of the Delaware River and established the colony of Pennsylvania. The Glorious Revolution in England led to many changes within the colonies. The colonies that had been absorbed into the Dominion of New England – Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, and New Jersey – all reverted to their former governments. 11 They were also able to retain their former status, â€Å"except Massachusetts Bay and Plymouth, which†¦were united under a new charter in 1691 as the royal colony of Massachusetts Bay. †12 Another change was the passage of the Bill of Rights and the Toleration Act in England in 1689, both of which â€Å"limited the powers of the country’s monarchs and affirmed a degree of freedom of worship for all Christians, thereby influencing attitudes – and the course of events – in the colonies. †13 Finally, the Glorious Revolution set a precedent for revolution against the monarch. In other words, it laid the groundwork for the American Revolution, which would free the colonies from British rule. 14 5. Explain how and why the British won the French and Indian War. The French and Indian War was the last of four major wars involving the European powers and their New World colonies. 15 In this particular war, the cause of contention was upper Ohio River valley. Controlled by the French, they became irate when some Virginians moved into the territory to make trade with the Indians easier, as well as to survey land granted to them by King George III. 16 Attempts to warn off the French failed, and eventually warfare broke out in the disputed area. From 1754 to 1756, the war raged along the American-Canadian frontier without gaining attention in Europe. 17 From 1756 until the war ended, it would be merged with the Seven Years’ War in Europe. 18 The change in status of the French and Indian War coincided with a change within the British government. William Pitt became Prime Minister of Britain, and under his leadership, the British would defeat the French. Allied with the Indians, who wanted the French out of their territory, the British utilized their superior naval fleet to cut off French reinforcements and supplies to the New World. 19 The decisive point of the war was the Battle of Quebec in 1759. After two months of attempting to break French defenses, the British were able to find a path that allowed them to get closer to the French camp. In the battle that followed, the British routed the French, thus ending French power in North America. 20

My Brother Kenny essays

My Brother Kenny essays My elder brother, Kenny, was born on the 7th of April 1980 in a remote village. At birth, he was dropped by a nurse. Unfortunately, he fell on his back and damaged his spinal cord. His lower body was paralyzed. All my parents' efforts to enable him walk were to no avail. When Kenny was five, my parents moved to the city, and he started kindergarten. Even though he was confined to a wheel chair, he was a happy child. At least that is what I was told. When he was fifteen, I was born and he loved me very much. He would pick me up, placed me on his laps and wheeled me around for as long as he was allowed to. For as long as I could remember, we were the closest siblings, and my mum nicknamed us "fraternal twins". In the 11th grade, Ken told my mum that he didn't want to stay in the school for special kids, where he was. Rather, he wanted a regular high school, and my mum enrolled him. For the first year, he was mocked, bullied and found it difficult to get between classes. He always told me 'perseverance is the key to success'. I fully understood that statement, young as I was, when he was preparing his valedictory speech. He went to West Virginia University where he studied Petroleum Engineering and graduated with honors. I wish the story ended there, I really do, but unfortunately, it didn't. His best friend, Peter, died in the September 11th 2001 attack on the world trade center. He and Peter were, to me, the real definition of best friends forever. They went from the same high school to the same college and eventually got an apartment together. When Peter died, Kenny was demoralized and it broke all our hearts. It killed him more when he tried to enroll with the army and wasn't allowed; so he felt like he had let Peter down. However, with the help of the God and family, Kenny started to get better. The family went to the United States for vacation in 2004 and, because we wanted to avoid the 'summer rush', we decided to go...

Hans Hofmann in the Abstract and Nature Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Hans Hofmann in the Abstract and Nature - Essay Example The main concept behind abstract art is based on the idea that art is not static, but rather interactive with its audience and the political and social ideas of the audience's present as well as the symbols inherent in the particular forms used within the artwork. By reducing the recognizable forms, therefore, it becomes possible for the artist to attain a more pure expression in his or her creation. Jean-Francois Lyotard argues that avant-garde art uses experimental innovations in technique and structure to attempt "to make visible that there is something which can be conceived and which can neither be seen nor made visible" (Lyotard, 1997: 78). As an abstract artist, Hofmann was known as a synthesist because he brought together traditional methods and avant-garde concepts concerning the nature of painting, largely based on the works of Modern painters Cezanne, Kandinsky and Picasso's Synthetic Cubism. Because teaching dominated much of his creative life, his art was often critically measured against his theories. With his European sensibilities and his newly adopted American spirit, it needs to be remembered that Hofmann's work exemplifies a fusion of multiple aspects of 20th century art. A look into his biography reveals the development of his ideas regarding nature and abstraction while a glimpse into his career reveals how his teaching reflected this conceptual development. Biography Hans Hofmann was born in 1880 near Munich, Germany in a small city called Weissenburg, Bavaria. Growing up, he was surrounded by images of the past as his city still retained many remains of its ancient Roman past and of the countryside, with the closest large city being Ingolstadt more than 30 miles away. While this doesn't seem that far away to a modern audience accustomed to the use of cars to drive to the city every day from far off suburbs, Hoffman grew up in a time when the automobile was just springing to life. The first practical working horseless carriage was created in 1889 in Germany by Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach, when Hofmann was already 9 years old (Ament, 2005). It is possible that Hofmann had a chance to experience some of the technologies that were being developed in association with the automobile, however, because his father moved the family to Munich when Hofmann was just 6 when he took a job working for the government. "Hofmann developed an interest in m athematics, science, music and art at a very early age. When he was sixteen, his father helped him obtain a job with the Bavarian government as the assistant to the director of public works. During this time, Hofmann further developed his technical knowledge of mathematics, even inventing and patenting an electromagnetic comptometer" ("Hans Hofmann", 2007). Despite this, Hofmann's interest in art was superior to his interest in mathematics and, when his father died in the late 1800s, Hofmann decided to pursue this interest in greater detail. By 1898, Hofmann was studying art at the Mortiz Heymann's art school in Munich, where he came into contact with

Future Of Software Engineering In The 21st Century. White Paper Essay

Future Of Software Engineering In The 21st Century. White Paper - Essay Example If that is the case than this century will be the time period the computer will grow up. So the same can be said about its heart, the software. Software engineering has only been around for a little more than forty years and definitely has some growing to accomplish. After all, those four decades have seen a â€Å"software crisis† materialize and some would say it has declined or disappeared. Yet Dianna Mullet (2007) writes that the crisis lies with the difference between software development and engineering. Developers are thought of as skilled craftsmen and normally the development cycle is a play it by ear or â€Å"ad hoc† process and new software is beset with cost and time overruns. This also results in increased maintenance and update costs. Unfortunately she also points most universities teach the â€Å"Craft mentality†. Differentially, software engineers approach the task as a scientific discipline. This is important to consider now that the software prod uced for businesses constitutes ninety per cent of all software and the average â€Å"large† software consists of over 50,000 lines of code (Ibid). The time of some teenager making workable software in his spare time (think Mark Zuckerberg) is probably all but over. So then with twelve years almost finished, where does software engineering proceed in this century? ... Ian Summerville of Lancaster University (2002) compares the work of Lord Kelvin when trying to envision the future of software engineering. What he calls the â€Å"human activity†, is that from which traditional science attains results, using standard mathematical equations to determine a practical solution, Although there has to be something of a human element in software, software engineering cannot be measured in the â€Å"normal† way, for the software as an abstract thing only supports the human activity and is not truly a physical part of the equation. That being said, a lab is not the place to conduct experiments in software engineering. True, the development process can be started in the lab but the environment where the software is actually is to be utilized is the only true place where it can be determined as to whether the new software is feasible. He also states that â€Å"There is no technical solution to software complexity†. However, Boehm brings an interesting and hopeful point that the future should hold. Currently there is no software for checking software. Perhaps in the near future even the hardware chip, in conjunction with a program, can check the code to verify its authenticity, to cut down on the astronomical maintenance costs. Summerville agrees with Mullet that finding a way for â€Å"traditional† scientists to recognize software engineering as another discipline in their field is tantamount for the process to succeed in this century. He uses a quote from Kelvin that is dated and sexist, is also relevant in the subject â€Å"Large increases in cost with questionable increases in performance can only be tolerated in race horses and women!† In other words, the accepted way of huge