Over Recent Decades, Developments in Company Law and Financial Assignment

Over Recent Decades, Developments in Company Law and Financial Reporting Standards Have Impacted Significantly on the Reporting - Assignment Example This paper focuses on the requirements of U.K. companies for representing financial statement while maintaining some accounting standards and company laws as well as the comparison of financial reporting standards of U.K with that of USA. The current requirements for the reporting of the financial performance of companies in the U.K. In June 2002 the European Union adopted the International Accounting Standards (IAS). For this reason the listed companies in European Union (EU) security market including banks and insurance companies have to prepare their financial statements in accordance with International Financing Reporting Standards. United Kingdom is one the members of EU. For that the U.K. companies have been following the rules and regulation of IFRS since 2005 (Delloitte, 2012). Under the U.K. Companies Act 2006, the directors of the company have to prepare financial statement according to the International Financial Reporting Standard (IFRS). Under this company law the direct ors have to approve their financial statement by considering that, the statements give the exact and original value (Harthorn & King, 2011, p.70). Director’s report should include the analysis using the key performance indicators and these things indicate the information’s of environmental and employee matters (Elwin & Hirst, 2006, p. 2). There are various operating and regulatory bodies like Financial Reporting Council, Accounting Standard Board, Auditing Practice Board, Accounting and Actuarial Discipline Board. These are involved in setting up the requirements for financial reporting of a company. Financial reporting exposure draft (a document released by Financial Accounting Standard Board) indicates the presentation of information about the company’s financial performance in both the primary statement and supporting notes. It was a proposal, issued in the year of 1992. When the new proposal implemented, it has changed some existing requirements of financial reporting for the companies of U.K. The proposal was made for the advancement of financial reporting standards in some below mentioned field (Accounting Standard Board, 2000, pp. 3-7). 1. The profit and loss account and the total gain & loss statement are combined to form a single financial indicator. 2. The above mentioned statement will indicate all the gains and losses during the time period in which the statement was made. 3. The company should divide the statement in to three parts a. Operating b. financing and treasury c. Other gains and losses 4. While preparing the performance statement for a particular period the amount of dividend paid to the share holders does not get included in that. (Accounting Standard Board, 2000, pp. 11-12) 5. Balance sheets, income statements, retain earning statements and cash flow statements are the four types of primary statement. Primary statement should consider the ownership interest (Primary Financial Statement). Financial Reporting Exposur e Draft (FRED) proposes that Earning Per Share (EPS), dividends for a particular period should be mentioned as a memorandum items. These items are shown in the balance sheet but these things are not added in the final total. A letter note including reserves note and note of gains and losses in past days are made optional for the companies

The Village Essay Example for Free

The Village Essay Describe the opening scenes or sections of the text. Explain how the opening scenes or section helped you to understand what the texts were going to be about, using examples of visual and/or oral language features to support your ideas. The Village is an isolated community foundered in order to evade the corruption of the present day world. In an attempt to prohibit people from leaving, a cunning scheme to generate fear is put in place. Behind this pernicious act, is an innocent intention. These two ideas, of evil and innocence, can be depicted from the opening credits. The director, M.  Night Shyamalan cleverly intertwines intriguing camera angles, chilling images, and eerie, yet pure music to convey these themes. Composers often convey emotion through their music in the form of different instruments. Particular instruments are more suited to portraying certain emotions, and audiences can decipher what emotion is being portrayed depending on the instrument used. At the beginning of the opening credits, a flute, conveying innocence and naivety is used. The mellow, calming sound of the flute is later contrasted by a steady menacing drum beat that enters the piece of music as the title, â€Å"The Village† materialises. Slowly, the tempo of the piece accelerates causing a sense of uneasiness and tension within the audience. Gradually, the double bass is introduced into the music adding greater mystery, and apprehension. This music sequence highlights the idea that the content of â€Å"The Village† is supposedly meant to be pure and innocent but somehow encompasses a form of evil and hostility. The looming images of stark trees in dark lighting foreshadow the events that will follow. The dark images in the foreground of every shot are lit by the space in the background creating shadows and a spooky feel. The images are of lifeless trees. This is unsettling, and it makes the viewer feel intimidated, and insignificant. The austere branches are dappled in moonlight telling the viewer that it is night-time. The significance of this is that all strange and mysterious things seem to occur at night, reinforcing the suspicion that a dark theme will be involved in the film. Camera angles are used for a similar effect to music, in that they can help in portraying emotions. In â€Å"The Village†, the camera encircles the tree from a low angle engendering two effects. When the camera circles the trees, it creates the illusion that everything within the forest is haunted and live. This effect is complimented by the low angle shot as the low angle shot enables the tree branches to seem threatening and overwhelming. The camera also only reveals snippets of trees, and will not display a shot for very long. This makes the viewer feel uncomfortable and confused as they don’t quite understand what is happening, and they feel as if they can not control the situation. The feelings these techniques give the audience point towards something foreboding in the film, and really brace the audience for what they are about to watch.

Virginia A. Henderson: A Celebrated Nursing Leader

Virginia A. Henderson: A Celebrated Nursing Leader Biography Virginia Avernal Henderson was born in Kansas City Missouri on November 30, 1897. She was the fifth of eight children born to Daniel B and Lucy Minor Henderson (McBride, 1996). She was named after her mothers home state of Virginia and was later educated there at a boys school run by her grandfather (Thomas). Henderson furthered her education at the U. S. Army School of Nursing in Washington D. C. and graduated in 1921. She attended the Teachers College at Columbia University where she earned her Bachelor of Science degree and her Master of Science Degree in 1932 and 1934 respectively. She taught there from 1934 until 1948 and in 1953 went to work at Yale School of Nursing (McBride, 1996). During World War I, Miss Henderson, which she preferred to be called, took a temporary job caring for the wounded. After that she worked as a public health nurse in Washington D. C. and New York City. The experienced she received in the 1920s inspired her to work as a nurse; a career she initially thought she would only stay in for a few years. It was here where she abandoned her aspirations to be an interior designer and focused on nursing as her new career (McBride, 1996). It was her work as an educator and a researcher at the Teachers College of Columbia University and Yale School of Nursing that Henderson is most known for (Thomas, 1996). The naming of the Sigma Theta Tau International University after Henderson made her the most famous nurse of the 20th century. On March 19, 1996, at the age of 96, after having chocolate cake and saying her good-byes to family and friends she quietly passed away (McBride, 1996). Leadership Style Henderson was an elegant lady who was a gracious hostess, had a great sense of humor, and was full of wisdom (McBride, 1996). She taught health professionals that they should work together in a harmonious team towards a common goal for the patients and families they served (Henderson, 2000, p. 96K). Effective nurse leaders are those who engage others to work together effectively in pursuit of a shared goal (Whitehead, Weiss Tappen, 2010, p. 4). She has shown that over and over in her role as a nurse leader. The style of leadership that she has demonstrated is considered democratic. A democratic leadership is characterized by guidance rather than control by the leader (Whitehead, et al., 2010, p. 6). Henderson possessed the leadership trait management of attention; these leaders were able to communicate a sense of goal or direction to attract followers (Whitehead, et al., 2010, p. 5). She claimed that excellence in nursing is dependent upon what each individual brings to it, and that it can be measured by the quality of the individuals personal life, by contribution as a member of a community, and by the professional services he or she offers to society. Excellence, to Henderson, suggests the well-rounded or complete person (Henderson, 2000, p. 96K). She defined the function of a nurse as doing things for patients that were not physically able to or had the required knowledge. She stated that nurses should help the patient either become healthy or die peacefully. She also taught nurses should help their patients become independent and, able to perform relevant activities for themselves as quickly as possible. She stressed the nurses duty is to the patient rather than to the doctor (Thomas, 1996). Henderson taught that no member of the team should make such high demands on another that they could not do their job properly. She also said that no member of the team should be diverted from their duties by non-medical activities such as cleaning, clerking and filing (Henderson, 1964, p. 63). Communication and Crusades Virginia Hendersons greatest achievement was a nineteen year research project which concluded with her publication of the five volume Nursing Research: Survey and Assessment, co-written with Leo Simmons and published in 1964. During this time she gathered, reviewed, catalogued, classified and cross-referenced every known piece of research on nursing published in English (Thomas, 1996). She felt proud to play a part in steering the electronic networking system of information, which was developed to provide nurses with current, jargon-free information wherever they were based. Henderson stated no profession, occupation or industry in this age can evaluate adequately or improve its practice without research. Her strong advocacy for nursing brings forth a challenge to all of us to identify new needs beyond the 14 she enumerated. Hendersons believe that research in nursing is essential for nursing practice in the age of technological advancements (Thomas, 1996). She knew that people are motivated by compassion to help others and she encouraged others to put that first. She stated that the nurse who complements the dependant, sick or well- by supplying him with strength, knowledge, or will he needs for wholeness must be judged excellent (Henderson, 2000, p. 96). Henderson was admired by a lot of her peers as well as other educational theorists. Edward Hallorans recently edited A Virginia Henderson Reader (1995) and stated it is the best source available today for a compilation of Miss Hendersons own thinking. When you glance through that volume, you are struck with the currency of her ideas. She recognized early on the importance of an outcomes orientation, health promotion, continuity of care, patient advocacy, multidisciplinary scholarship, integration of the arts and sciences, and boundary spanning. Her elegant definition of nursing, with its emphasis on complementing the patients capabilities, provides a clear direction for what nursing s hould bea wonderful counter force to the confusion that surrounds a health care system increasingly preoccupied with bottom line rather than enduring values (McBride, 1996). Henderson believed that patients should be taught to understand their medical charts. She believed that if a patient understood their medical records and had access to sources that explained medicine that the patients would not -over-use the medical care system. She stated, If you want to develop a mature and helpful philosophy about maintaining your health, you need to understand the means by which physicians clinical judgments are made and tested (Henderson, 1996, p. 16N). This can be accomplished by communicating with the patients. The more the patients know the more empowerment they will have over their illness; they will want to do more to prevent any further complications, and the chances are greater for medical compliance. Conflict Resolution As a youth, Virginia Hendersons family was quite vocal and they often stayed up late into the night discussing subjects of truth, beauty, charm or goodness. It was through these discussions, or rather arguments, that she learned how to defend her theories. She learned that her expressed views would be met with an opposing response. In her article, Excellence in Nursing, she is quoted as saying, No persons brought forward as exemplifying charm, beauty, or goodness were unanimously agreed upon by the others. In fact, it was dangerous to set up ones idol for it was sure to be knocked down (Henderson, 2000, p. 96I). Barriers that Henderson and other nurses had to face in the past are legal issues and nursing activities, which made the nursing professions position in healthcare ambiguous and misunderstood. Nurses have long struggled for rightful recognition by physicians and other healthcare members. Issues that arose were, nurses practicing independently, nurses diagnosing and treating patients. The roles of medical providers may be clear-cut in legislative controls, but human needs have always overridden legal barriers (Thomas, 1996). In the Nature of Nursing, Henderson stated that the nurse is and should be legally, an independent practitioner and able to make independent judgments as long as s/he is not diagnosing, prescribing treatment for disease, or making a prognosis, for these are the physicians function (Henderson, 1964). Henderson used her wisdom and charm to defy stereotypes. She had the ability to question the fashionable emphasis on nursing process, reminding us all that problem solving does not belong to any one profession (McBride, 1996). She was also passionate about our ailing health care system. She was glad that nurses were now recognized as providers of primary health care, yet knew that they often were frustrated because within the system, they were often unable to provide the supportive care that they believed was needed. She felt that nurses were unable to make health prevention a priority and that with more and more health agencies coming under corporate management, that it is increasingly difficult to preserve human values in health care. She thought that now, more than ever that the provision of universal health education should be instituted in grade-schools, colleges and beyond. Role Model Henderson is a wonderful role model for todays nurses. She spent her adult life in search for better ways to care for the patient. She defined what is now called the Henderson Theory which organized patient care into fourteen basic needs of the whole person and includes psychological, sociocultural, spiritual, and developmental. Using these principles the nurse and patient can together work to meet these needs and attain client-centered goals (Potter Perry, 2009, p. 50). As a nurse I would incorporate these qualities in how I take care of my patients, whether its being an advocate for them, caring for their well being or sitting and talking with them. Patients are already going through the stress of being sick and they should be able to rely on us as nurses to be empathetic, caring, understanding and helping them gain back their independence. Miss Henderson identified with her patients. She knew this was a difficult task that demanded knowledge, skills, patience, tolerance, sensitivity, and a capacity for sustained effort. She did this with her unwavering character and compassion for other human beings.

The Mortuary Complex of King Zoser :: essays papers

The Mortuary Complex of King Zoser Around 2680 BC, a precedence was set for future Egyptian architecture, as well as over all architectural design. Only a short distance to the south of the previous burial mastabas of the first and second Egyptian dynasties, the Mortuary Complex of King Zoser was constructed. Lying atop a stretch of high ground at Saqqara overlooking the city of Memphis, this complex is believed to be the first of its time to utilize new techniques in Egyptian construction, and was by far the largest and most elaborate of any tombs built before it. Just as the burial sites before, King Zoser’s complex was built facing the Nile River to the east. A large rock wall surrounded the complex, measuring 550 by 275 meters, with the only noticeable entrance being at the southern part of the east face. When one enters the complex they then head north through the entry corridor. This hyperstyle hall is lined with two rows of half columns engaged to spur walls. These columns carry a stone ceiling cut to resemble rounded logs. After passing through a doubled number of columns at the end of the hall, one comes into a large court. This court is known as the Heb-sed court, and was presumably used for ceremonies. At the southwest corner of this court is a building of solid masonry, and to the north, in another separate court, is two temple buildings with columns carved to imitate the lotus and the papyrus plants. Just to the west of this court lay the stepped pyramid under which King Zoser’s body lay in a granite sarcophag us. This sarcophagus was originally topped with a simple stone mastaba, but was then enlarged three times. This stepped pyramid was then enlarged to the north and the west, making its final size consisting of six stages standing at 204 feet tall. The stepped pyramid concealing the burial chamber was consistent with previous burial sites however, none before had been as extravagant and contained as many additional structures as King Zoser’s complex. The man regarded with designing this structure, Imhotep, is also considered the first known architect. The evidence found at Zoser’s complex suggests that architects held a higher place in society among the wealthy and educated Egyptians. This differed from early Mesopotamian society where the kings took credit for their burial site constructions, hence the reason for no evidence of who designed the previous structures.

Conrail Case

Conrail G455: Corporate Restructuring Team 7 1) Why does CSX want to buy Conrail? In an industry beset by limited options to consolidate domestic rail traffic, CSX looked at Conrail as an avenue to increase market share and gain access to the North East rail network. With air travel, road travel and trucking taking an increasing share, significant revenue growth became difficult. As Conrail became profitable, Congress explored ways of privatizing it, giving CSX an opportunity to acquire Conrail.Though Conrail suffered from performance inefficiencies it had certain strengths relative to CSX and Norfolk with respect to highest revenue per mile of track operated, per carload originated etc. Conrail with operating revenue of $3,686 million and 29. 4% of Eastern rail freight traffic was attractive enough for CSX to consider the merger. The joint entity would have $8. 5b in rail revenue and would control the Eastern market with a market share of 70%.CSX estimated the acquisition to also cr eate synergies resulting in consolidation of overlapping operations and not only increase the joint entity’s revenue through service improvements, but also the operating incomes through economies of scale. Cost synergies was expected to help in increasing the annual operating income by $370m and revenue increases was expected to help increase annual operating income by $180m. (Based on valuation of synergies, taking PV of terminal value, we estimate the gains in Operating Income to be equal to $3,047. 13. CSX expected the acquisition to improve the joint entity’s competitive position vis-a-vis Norfolk Southern as the joint entity’s rail networks would facilitate long-haul, contiguous and therefore low cost service. As Norfolk Southern lacked access to Northeast market it would be less able to provide long-haul routes from South or Mideast. The purchase of Conrail would thus provide CSX with control of the Eastern rail network. From a financial perspective, the p rojected revenue gains and cost savings was expected to make the joint entity become more efficient than Norfolk Southern.Likelihood of a rival (Norfolk Southern) acquiring Conrail, resulting in competitive disadvantage for Conrail was also a factor. 2) Based on multiples and a premiums paid approach, how much should CSX be willing to pay for Conrail? We took Sales, EBITDA, Book Value Multiples and Four week acquisition Premiums from Exhibit 6. We use number of Conrail’s shares outstanding as 90. 5 million at the share price of $32. 46 from the same Exhibit 6. Conrail's Value Sales EBITDA Book Value Premium % $3,722 $1,017 $32 $6,516 Multiples High Low 3. 6 1. 7 13. 1 8. 5. 5 1. 7 73. 0% 34. 0% Conrail Market Price Low Average $ 1,032 $ 3,712 $ 3,350 $ 5,465 $ (301) $ 5,398 $ 8,731 $ 9,986 High $ $ $ $ 8,104 8,028 10,862 11,273 See ‘Calculations’ spreadsheet for details. As the Conrail is fairly attractive resource for CSX it should be willing to pay on the high side of the Conrail Market Price. We have highlighted the High Price in the above table. We 2 have also calculated the price by various methods (sales ratio, EBITA, etc). The price calculated by these methods is reasonably close to the bid price of CSX.Within the high price too, there seems to quite a difference in valuations. The multiple analysis methodology assumes that all companies within an industry have similar characteristics. As expected there is wide variance is between low, high and average. Within the rail industry there is wide variance in capital structures, profitability etc, which is reflected in Conrail Market Price. Other than multiple and premium methods, CSX should be detailed financial analysis based on synergies etc. to come up with the price. The synergies given in the case are stated as â€Å"Gains in Operating Income. This is not an unambiguous term. For purposes of this and subsequent questions, assume that these synergies are net of costs (COGS and Capita l Expenditures) and the after-tax payment to bondholders. The term operating income is likened to net income or the taxable income to stockholders. Further assume that none of these acquisitions will affect the acquirer’s equity cost of capital. 3) Based on the data in Exhibit 7 and the definition of operating income gains given above, how much should CSX be willing to pay for Conrail? Support your answer with appropriate analysis.According to operating income gains we can value a firm’s market price as its pre-merger value and the present value of gains in operating income. Let’s assume that value of Conrail before the merger is equal to its market cap. Then taking Conrail share price as $71. 94 (average of year end and high stock price) and number of shares outstanding as 90. 5 million shares (Exhibit 6) we get Conrail market value equal to $6,510. 57 million ($71. 94 x 90. 5 million). We assume G =3%, MRP = 7%. We take risk free as 30-year maturity US Bonds r ate, which is 6. 3% (Exhibit 8); merged CSX-Conrail equity beta as average of CSX and Conrail equity betas, which is 1. 33. rE = rf + MRP ? E = 6. 83% + 7% x 1. 33 = 16. 11% Now we can find Conrail’s synergy value as present value of gains in operating income. 1997 Total Gain in Operating Income Total Gain in OI after 40% Tax Gain in OI (discounted @ rE) $ $ $ 1998 $ 88 $ 12. 80 $ 7. 15 $ $ $ 1999 396 237. 60 176. 26 $ $ $ 2000 550 330. 00 210. 84 2001 $ 567 $ 340. 20 $ 187. 21 Value of estimated gains = $671. 46 Terminal value = $2,673. 83 Present value of Terminal Value = $2,365. 67 Conrail’s Synergy Value is equal to $3,047. 13.See ‘Calculations’ spreadsheet for details. The maximum price, which CSX should be willing to pay for Conrail is $6,510. 57 + $3,047. 13 = $9,557. 70 3 The optimal price of the merger is somewhere in between of $6. 5 and $9. 5 billion. We’d advise a price closer to Conrail’s market value rather than the average of t hese two figures. In this case both Conrail and CSX shareholders win from the merger. If they take price closer to the high CSX shareholders can lose due to over estimated synergy gains. 4) Analyze the structure of CSX’s offer for Conrail. CSX offered a two-phased deal for Conrail worth $8. 3 billion at the nnouncement. CSX would purchase 90. 5 million (100%) of Conrail shares to complete the deal. In the first phase, CSX originally offered $92. 50/share for 40% of Conrail’s shares. This front-end offer would be completed in two stages for regulatory reasons, purchasing 19. 7% in stage one and the other 20. 3% once approved by the shareholders. Once all of phase one was completed, CSX would purchase the remaining 60% of Conrail’s shares by exchanging shares in a ration of 1. 85619:1. 0 (CSX: Conrail), yielding shareholders roughly $89. 07/share (blended value) based on recent Conrail and CSX stock performance.In addition, the merger agreement contained provision s related to break-up fees, lock-up options, poison pills, and â€Å"no talk† clauses. These provisions provided some level of protection against advances from NorfolkSouthern or other competitors looking to purchase Conrail. Notably, the no-talk clause required Conrail to abstain from any conversations related to buy-out with other firms; though this could be disputed where the board’s fiduciary duty to protect investors superseded said restrictions. 5) Why did CSX make a two-tiered offer? What effect does this structure have on the transaction?Pennsylvania’s fair value statute required all bidders holding 20% or more of stock to offer the same price to all shareholders unless target shareholders agreed to explicitly nullify this position. Also the same statute limited any shareholders (with a 20% or larger stake) voting rights unless management approved it. Finally, the law required management to consider and protect the interests of employees and the communit y. This two-tiered structure affected the timing and the cost of the deal. As a result of the deal’s structure, Norfolk Southern had two opportunities to block with a hostile takeover driving up the price of the acquisition.By close of business prior to the shareholder votes to opt-out of the fair value statute, CSX’s bid was up to $110/share, resulting in an offer that was $321,500,000 more than originally planned for the remaining 20. 3% in phase I. The structure of the deal also allowed CSX to pay for 40% of Conrail in cash (in two phases) while paying for the remaining 60% of the target with CSX stock. This meant that changes to CSX or Conrail’s stock price prior to the transaction completing could impact the cost of the entire deal 6) Why did Norfolk Southern make a hostile bid for Conrail? Conrail is considered a â€Å"scarce jewel†.Conrail was the sole class I railroad serving the Northeast market of the United States with control of 29. 2% of the rail freight market east of the Mississippi river. Although Conrail was inefficient and not very profitable, its revenue per mile of track operated, per carload originated, and per ton originated were the highest in the industry. If the merger between CXS and Conrail succeeded, Norfolk Southern would be negatively impacted with estimates of up to $320 million by 2001. This is clearly a battle Norfolk can not afford to lose as it may impact its very existence in the long run. 7) How much is Conrail worth? In a bidding war, who should be willing to pay more, Norfolk Southern or CSX? Again, note the previous definition of operating income when interpreting the data in Exhibits 6a and 6b. We use the same logic of gains valuation as we did it in question #3. Assumptions for CSX-Conrail Merger: We assume the same G =3%, MRP = 7%. We take risk free as 30-year maturity US Bonds rate, which is 6. 83% (Exhibit 8); merged CSX-Conrail equity beta as average of CSX and Conrail equity betas, whic h is 1. 33. rE = rf + MRP ? E = 6. 83% + 7% x 1. 33 = 16. 1% Now we can find CSX-Conrail synergy value as present value of gains in operating income. 1998 240 144. 00 (66) 210. 00 1999 521 312. 60 (123) 435. 60 323. 14 $1,260. 76 $5,086. 73 $4,655. 08 $5,915. 84 $12,426. 41 2000 $ 1,811 $ 1,086. 60 $ (189) $ 1,275. 60 $ 400. 60 2001 $ 752 $ 451. 20 $ (196) $ 647. 20 $ 356. 15 Total Gain in Operating Income Total Gain in OI after Tax (40%) CSX Total Loss in OI CSX Total gain in OI from merger Total Gain in OI (discounted @ rE) Value of estimated gains in OI Terminal Value of estimated gains in OI PV of TV Total value of gains in OI for CSX Value of Merger for CSX $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ 180. 87 Assumptions for Norfolk Southern–Conrail Merger: We assume the same G =3%, MRP = 7%. We take risk free as 30-year maturity US Bonds rate, which is 6. 83% (Exhibit 8); merged Norfolk Southern–Conrail equity beta as average of Norfolk Southern and Conrail equity betas, which is 1. 23. rE = rf + MRP ? E = 6. 83% + 7% x 1. 23 = 15. 41% Now we can find Norfolk Southern–Conrail synergy value as present value of gains in operating income. 1998 $ 231 $ 139 $ (130) $ 269 $ 233 1999 $ 429 $ 257 $ (232) $ 489 $ 367 $1,468. 67 $6,044. 6 $5,531. 72 $7,000. 39 $13,510. 96 2000 $ 660 $ 396 $ (308) $ 704 $ 458 2001 $ 680 $ 408 $ (320) $ 728 $ 410 Total Gain in Operating Income Total Gain in OI after Tax (40%) Norfolk Southern Total Loss in OI Norfolk Southern Total gain in OI from merger Total Gain in OI (discounted @ rE) Value of estimated gains in OI Terminal Value of estimated gains in OI PV of TV Total value of gains in OI for CSX = Value of Merger for CSX 5 From the calculation above we see that value of Conrail acquisition is much, over 1 billion higher for Norfolk Southern than for CSX.Moreover, the loss in acquiring Conrail leads to significant loss in revenues and market share for both of bidders but more for Norfolk Southern. Not surprisingly that they have seri ous intention to wage a bidding war. 8) As a shareholder, would you vote to opt-out of the Pennsylvania anti-takeover statute? In the case of conrail as a shareholder, we would not vote to opt-out of the Pennsylvania antitakeover statute. The PA statute provides Conrail shareholders with a fair value statute provision on their stock ownership.Specifically, bidders holding 20 percent or more of a company’s stock are required to offer all shareholders the same price unless the target shareholders opt-out of the statute. The CSX two-staged offer had a blended value which clearly demonstrates that Conrail shareholders would have been given different pricing for each stage in the offer. The poison pill provision under the CSX and Conrail merger agreement does not give Conrail shareholders the rights to buy discounted shares since the merger agreement required Conrail to suspend its poison pill.Therefore, the poison pill favors the acquirer and not the Conrail shareholders. Finally , as a shareholder, the best strategic position is to allow the bidding war to commence and observe how CSX and Norfolk Southern compete against one another for the Conrail business. It is obvious that there will be an acquisition and it is obvious based on both acquisition proposals, that each company will issue multiple offers in an effort to acquire Conrail due to its strategic location in the Northeast United States. In general, however this statute could be disadvantageous to shareholders in certain cases.The statute tries to protect the interests of employees and community where the target company was located in addition to meeting their fiduciary duty to the shareholders. The statute frees companies from any obligation to sell itself to the highest bidder. Conrail used the statute to blunt Norfolk’s offer though it was better for shareholders. The ‘fair value statute’ aspect helped the shareholders of Conrail (as parties in support of merger still needed 1 4. 6% of acquisition shares to vote in favor of opting out. ) 6

Accents and Other Spanish Diacritical Marks

Accents and Other Spanish Diacritical Marks A diacritical mark, or a diacritic, is used with a  letter to indicate that it has a different pronunciation or a secondary meaning. In Spanish, there are three diacritical marks, also called diacrà ­ticos in Spanish,  a tilde,  an  umlaut and an accent. Diacritical Marks in English English uses diacritical marks almost solely in words of foreign origin, and they are often omitted when written in English. Examples of English words using diacritical marks are faà §ade, which uses a cedilla; rà ©sumà ©, which uses two accent marks; naà ¯ve, which uses an umlaut, and pià ±ata, which uses a tilde. Tilde in Spanish A tilde is a curved line above an  n, it is used to distinguish n from à ±. In a technical sense, this might not be considered a diacritic, since n and à ± are separate letters of the alphabet.   The mark above the letter indicates a change in pronunciation, also called a palatal  n, which means, that the sound is made by putting the tongue to the top of the mouths palate or roof of the mouth to make the sound.   There are many examples where the tilde is used in Spanish, for examples, aà ±o, meaning year;  maà ±ana, meaning tomorrow, and Espaà ±ol, meaning the language from Spain or a Spaniard. Umlaut in Spanish An  umlaut, often called a dieresis, is placed over the u when it is pronounced after a g in the combinations gà ¼e and gà ¼i. The umlaut changes the sound gu combination into a w sound that one would hear in English. Umlauts are rarer in Spanish than the other types of diacritical marks.   Some examples of umlauts in Spanish include the word for penguin, pingà ¼ino, or  averigà ¼Ãƒ ©, which means found out about or verified. Accent Marks in Spanish Accents are used as an aid in pronunciation. Many Spanish words such as  rbol, meaning tree,  use accents to put the stress on the correct syllable. Accents are frequently used with some words such as  quà ©,  meaning what,  and  cul, meaning which,  when they are used in questions. Spanish accents  can only be written over the five vowels,  a, e,  i, o, u, and the accent is written from lower left to upper right:  , à ©, à ­, à ³, à º. Accents are also used to distinguish some sets of words that are otherwise spelled alike and pronounced alike but have different meanings or different grammatical usages, also known as Spanish homonyms. Common Spanish homonyms Accents help differentiate one homonym from another. Following is a list of common homonyms in Spanish and their meanings. Spanish Homonym Meaning de preposition: of, from d third-person singular subjunctive form of dar, to give el masculine article: the l he mas but ms more se reflexive and indirect object pronoun s I know si if s yes te object: you t: tea tu your t you

Article # 7 (due 11-2) Example

Article # 7 (due 11 Article # 7 (due 11 Health Care Financial Management: Reporting Practices and Ethics al affiliation Health Care Financial Management: Reporting Practices and EthicsReporting practices in an organization account for the highest percentage of the safety of finances for health care providers. Reporting of ethics and practices ensures that the finances received from patients go through the right channel and get into best use. According to Marvin (2012) health care organizations should pay attention to the accounting practices and show adherence to the financial management procedures.Reporting practices in an organization ensure that, with the continuing rise in the costs of health care, the management can manage the budgets rather than leaving the task to consumers particularly patients. According to the study works of Marvin (2012) the services that health care providers offer and the criteria of payment for these services affect the operations of the organization, whereby, if the ethics are not in conside ration, massive losses.The health care providers should ensure that the financial environment of the organization is conducive by providing the best health care facilities. The facilities include a superb information system for the recording of information. This ensures that all information is in one concrete data base and patient information is not at risk of getting in the wrong hands.Impact on the health care organization and its financial operationsAccording to Marvin (2012), maintaining a proficient reporting practice has a positive implication on the final financial records of the organization. This is to ensure that the financial management of health care providers is efficient to reduce the losses that accrue due to poor reporting practices. To maintain the safety of the financial records, the management to maintain a robust reporting system.ReferenceMarvin, D. (2012, August 6). Health Care Financial Management: Reporting Practices and Ethics. Modern physician, 20-21.

Free Essays on The Gift Of Jews

The book I'm reading is called "The Gift of the Jews", written by Thomas. Basically, his writing style is such that both the believer and non-believer can be satisfied with his prose, without becoming unduly offended. He brings out points and events that most archeologists and/or biblical scholars agree on, but he does so in a way that tends not to offend. This includes the Reed Sea vs. the Red Sea, Hebrew as a written language was not developed until around 1000-800 BCE, Abraham and his descendants believed in other, less powerful Gods other than Jehovah, etc. He often puts himself in a given era and tries to portray what the people of that time probably thought and believed. For me, it was not an easy read, but a good way to better understand the Old Testament, the beginning of the Jewish, and how Jewish philosophy evolved over 2000 years, and became the basis for much of the Western World's philosophy about the human condition. When I say that, I'm not talking about Socrates or Ar istotle or the other Greek and Roman scholars. I think that they gave us the basis for rational, logical thinking. The Jewish culture, on the other hand, gave us the idea that life is a journey, not a cyclical repetition of past events, that we are all individuals, that we can all experience fullness of life, that justice is for all that humans have certain inalienable rights, and that we can all have a personal relationship with God. All of these concepts were completely foreign to the civilized world before the Jews came to be. When I think of the Tanach, the Jewish Bible, I think of it mostly as the source of guidance and identity for the Jewish people. The Bible is full of mitzvoth, commandments, both ethical and ritual, and also of the recounting of the events which created us as a Jewish people. The Bible is part of what holds us together as Jews of different nationalities and religious persuasions. It is the source of our common referents and our sens... Free Essays on The Gift Of Jews Free Essays on The Gift Of Jews The book I'm reading is called "The Gift of the Jews", written by Thomas. Basically, his writing style is such that both the believer and non-believer can be satisfied with his prose, without becoming unduly offended. He brings out points and events that most archeologists and/or biblical scholars agree on, but he does so in a way that tends not to offend. This includes the Reed Sea vs. the Red Sea, Hebrew as a written language was not developed until around 1000-800 BCE, Abraham and his descendants believed in other, less powerful Gods other than Jehovah, etc. He often puts himself in a given era and tries to portray what the people of that time probably thought and believed. For me, it was not an easy read, but a good way to better understand the Old Testament, the beginning of the Jewish, and how Jewish philosophy evolved over 2000 years, and became the basis for much of the Western World's philosophy about the human condition. When I say that, I'm not talking about Socrates or Ar istotle or the other Greek and Roman scholars. I think that they gave us the basis for rational, logical thinking. The Jewish culture, on the other hand, gave us the idea that life is a journey, not a cyclical repetition of past events, that we are all individuals, that we can all experience fullness of life, that justice is for all that humans have certain inalienable rights, and that we can all have a personal relationship with God. All of these concepts were completely foreign to the civilized world before the Jews came to be. When I think of the Tanach, the Jewish Bible, I think of it mostly as the source of guidance and identity for the Jewish people. The Bible is full of mitzvoth, commandments, both ethical and ritual, and also of the recounting of the events which created us as a Jewish people. The Bible is part of what holds us together as Jews of different nationalities and religious persuasions. It is the source of our common referents and our sens...

Malaria Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Malaria - Essay Example Anopheles plays a pivotal role in the development of Plasmodium. The growth of the microbe from the gametocytic stage to the sporozoite stage takes place inside the body of the female Anopheles. The body of the mosquito provides ambient temperature and humidity to the developing microbe and the female survives long enough to allow the parasite complete its lifecycle in the mosquito body. Anopheles breed on water and each species has its own preference when it comes to selection of breeding place for example some like puddles, shallow water, fresh water or even hoof prints. b. Apicomplexa protozoa: Plasmodium Apicomplexans are also known as sporozoans. All apicomplexans are obligatory and intracellular microbes i.e. they need to spend at least some part of their life cycle within an animal host. Important characteristics of apicomplexans include the presence of tiny organ like structures which are present at the very tips of the cells. These tiny organ-like structures contain enzymes which helps the microbe penetrate into the host tissue. One of the most well known and pathogenic genera of apicomplexans includes Plasmodium- which causes malaria. Plasmodium’s lifecycle is spent in two stages- in the body of mosquitoes and that of humans. It ultimately affects humans and causes rupture in the blood vessels. There are more than 100 Plasmodium species which can infects living organisms however only 4 of these species cause infection in humans- Plasmodium falciparum, Plasmodium vivax, Plasmodium ovale and Plasmodium malariae. The lifecycles of the four species affecting humans are similar. Lifecycle: The lifecycle begins when a female Anopheles carrying malaria parasite sucks... The paper talks about the cause of Malaria, lifecycle, diagnosis and treatment, development of a vaccine, advanced prophylaxis. According to the paper it is needless to say that malaria has been a curse on human health. However, the recent advances in development of vaccination are quite promising. Efforts need to be made to spread awareness about diagnosis and treatment to people who may not have access to them especially in the poor tropical countries. Future research should aim at not only developing vaccines but also developing better chemoprophylaxis agents. Worldwide the Anopheles mosquito is known as malaria mosquito because it is considered to be the primary vector for malaria. The anopheles mosquito is found worldwide except for in Antarctica. The disease is transmitted by the female anopheles. As the report says since malaria is worldwide public health problem, researchers have been trying to develop vaccines against the disease to lend protection against the parasites. The development of a vaccine would mean lower mortality, morbidity and economic costs involved with the treatment of the disease, awareness programs etc. the aim of the researchers are to wipe the disease from the earth. It was first in 1960, that it was thought that the development of a vaccine for malaria was feasible. It was seen that IrSp (irradiated sporozoites) rendered rodents immunized. Next the IrSp vaccine was tested on human volunteers with anopheles bite and it was seen that the vaccine was highly species specific. The multifactorial protection given by the vaccine involves direction of neutralized antibodies against circumsporozite and it is this idea that is today being researched upon to develop a better and much effective vaccine.

Asses valuation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Asses valuation - Essay Example Futures: A firm agrees to deliver a certain amount of commodity in a specific date in future, that can be bought and sold at a particular price. These contracts are settled on daily bases on current market price. The future market price is depended on a continuous flow of information from all over the world which requires a high range of transparency. A huge range of factors are such as climatic conditions, political situation, debt fault, refugee, displacement, land reclamation etc. This kind of information in which the people tend to absorb it constantly and change the commodity prices is called price discovery. With the help of some future market the asset can also geographically dispersed, having lots of current price in existence, the contract price which has the shortest time to expiration can serve as proxy for the asset. Hedging is defined as a strategy to reduce the risk in market position while speculation is the position in the way the market move. Hedging and speculation strategies with the derivatives are helpful and enable the companies to manage risk more effectively (Cohen and Palmer, 2004, pp. 29-33). The derivatives do not involved risk but they redistribute the risk among various market participants. Derivatives can be hedge against unfavourable market movement for a premium and it provides opportunity for those who are keen to take risk and to make profit out of this process. It acts as low transaction cost because for high no. of participants are taking part in the market. Derivatives are categorized in two ways, if it put to use wisely than they work effectively but if it is used recklessly than it can cause you loss. Derivatives are used to protect hedge or it can be used by the market participants, it can also be used in market by the participants for speculating of the underlying asset. It can also allow the business to manage effectively, external influences on their

REFLECTIVE WRITING Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

REFLECTIVE WRITING - Essay Example I also ensured that all the company’s activities were run according to the set plan. This is mainly to ensure that there would be no discrepancies between the plan of the company and the results obtained. Being a multinational company, Caltex experienced a number of changes in its operations. Therefore, as the organizational manager, I had to ensure that I identify all activities which are to be performed in the company, and any changes that could have occurred. In addition, I also had to organize activities according to departments. This is whereby; activities of the personnel department would be separated from activities of the accounting department (Sims, 2002, 9). This helped me to be organized and to ensure that there was no conflict in the activities of the company. The learning theory that extremely helped during my work is the Kolb’s experiential learning theory. This involved; a clear observation of all the experiences that occurred in the company. After any pa rticular occurrence, whether good or bad, I would take time and observe its causes and its implications. For example, during a time when the company’s sales were falling, I observed the issue carefully and the possible mechanisms that would help to increase the sales back. Other experiences such as fall in the customer numbers, conflicts among employees or poor media coverage also helped me to learn from them. Afterwards, I would then try to formalize the concepts that could have been associated with the occurrence. I would then generalize these concepts in order to access the possibility of the situation occurring again. For instance, in a case where the sales of the company were falling, I would use concepts such as new promotion methods, or increasing the sales personnel. If there were employee conflicts within the organization, I would use concepts such as having peace talks within the organization, and counseling of the employees. After assessing the concepts that are ap plicable to a new situation, I would then use them on a new situation. Therefore, in case of future falling of sales or future employee conflicts, I would know the concepts to use. This learning theory has really helped me to learn from challenges and make use of them instead of getting discouraged (Leonard, 2002, 69). Substantive Topic Applied: Managing Organizational Change Organizational change occurs when a company goes through a transition from its current state to some desired state (Inc.com, 2012, 1). Therefore, managing organizational change is the process of planning, controlling and implementing change in the organization. This is important because; in some organizations change is resisted by the employees. In addition, managing organizational change is important since; it might be very costly for the company at times. In Caltex Company, we experienced a series of changes especially with the improved technology. For instance, the company introduced electronic payment of bi lls by customers. This is whereby; customers could purchase fuel and pay for it electronically without requiring an attendant at the petrol stations. The company also introduced online purchasing of petroleum products and door-to-door delivery of the products. This technology had a lot of impact on the company since; it reduced the number of employees thus, lowering the salary expenses. With introduction of online purchasing, the customers also increased greatly. The company had to embrace the technology and hence, there were a lot of

Globalization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Globalization - Essay Example With the rise of globalization, sovereignty is now loosing its advantage in various aspects but is still considered by realists to be an important matter especially in the protection of internal affairs. To the realist, sovereignty is not just a display of supreme power but also gives the idea of ‘equality of nations’ where no one nation-state is superior over the other but are of the same level while one state’s need of others is maintained by the protection of internal affairs of each nation. In such a situation, a consensus is needed for the declaration of the sovereignty of one nation over the others. Thus it is the realist’s opinion that sovereignty should be reduced as suggested by Henry Schermers , as ‘the world community takes over sovereignty of territories with the world community having sufficient means to help existing states with their weaknesses and failures (Jackson 2003, p. 787). Secretary General Annan on the other hand, believes that a global era requires a global engagement (Jackson 2003, p.

Analyzing assignment details Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Analyzing assignment details - Essay Example When the business is expanding, it must take into consideration political concern of the surroundings in order to operate efficiently. The surrounding politics determine whether the company will continue operating or not. For example, when the company is expanding, it must consider such things as the environmental conservation and employment of the local people. If the company is expanding, but it is not given the local priority in employment, it might be faced with politics from the company (Nordhaus,2009). In fact, the local politics might force the company to close down if the pressure from the local people is unsustainable. Thus, for the company to be efficient after expanding in its operations, it must take into consideration the politics of the surrounding people. It needs to analyze the needs of those people for it to expand and operate efficiently. The economic status of the surrounding people also determines whether the company is expanding. For the painting company to grow, it needs to take into concern the economic status of its surrounding (Nordhaus,2009). If the surrounding people are poor, then the expansion of the company might be hard. The economic status of the surrounding determines the purchasing power of those people. It is thus important that the company analyze the economic status of the surrounding people before it expands its operations. Nordhaus,  W.  D., Kokkelenberg,  E.  C., & National Research Council (U.S.). (2009).Natures numbers: Expanding the national economic accounts to include the environment. Washington, DC: National Academy

Current UK Government Initiatives That Focus On Personal And Emotional Essay

Current UK Government Initiatives That Focus On Personal And Emotional Development - Essay Example Donaldson argues powerfully that young children, in order to be able to build on what they already know and can do, need to be in situations which make 'human sense' to them. The current situation in England is one in which the growth of the ECEC sector, in terms of numbers of places, is positively encouraged by the government, especially by the Treasury. This appears to emphasise the care aspect. However, at the same time there are other government-initiated developments concerning the need for improvements in the quality of provision, such as a new training pack for those who work with children aged from birth to three (Abbott et al. 2002) and the Secretary of State Charles Clarke's pledge for more resources. Since 2000, UK governments have invested heavily in leadership development in the NHS to secure policy change and modernise the service. A plethora of leadership programmes and initiatives have been supported with variable success. During recent years in the UK, there have been numerous government initiatives relating to the care and education of young children. Some of these, such as Sure Start, have been very successful, whereas others have proved to be more complicated to implement and fund. The idea that children have rights is a fair... However, Saraga (1998) states that '"rights" like "needs" is a highly contested concept particularly when applied to children'. Saraga goes on to say that children depend on the adults who care for them to assert their rights for them and that rights are limited by the child's vulnerability and dependency. Children's learning and development Child development falls into the two main categories of physical and neurological. Physical skills involve both gross motor skills such as rolling over, crawling and walking, and fine motor skills such as hand-eye coordination, grasping objects, drawing and later writing. Sensory development is also physical and includes sight, sound, touch, smell and taste. Intellectual and cognitive development centre on activity in the brain including use of language, smiling and giggling, imagination and working out. Our children's emotional wellbeing also develops in the brain and comprises many areas such as self awareness, self esteem and the ability to interact with others. Playing in some form or another helps to refine these different areas of development in babies and young children. (http://www.literacytrust.org.uk/talktoyourbaby/play.html) Children need activities which will stimulate their social, physical, intellectual, linguistic, emotional and moral development. The early years curriculum should be linked with a child's stage of development, which can be ascertained by careful observation of the child and discussions with the parents and family. The child's progress should be monitored, recorded and shared with the parents. Equality of opportunity The individuality of each child

Globalization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Globalization - Essay Example With the rise of globalization, sovereignty is now loosing its advantage in various aspects but is still considered by realists to be an important matter especially in the protection of internal affairs. To the realist, sovereignty is not just a display of supreme power but also gives the idea of ‘equality of nations’ where no one nation-state is superior over the other but are of the same level while one state’s need of others is maintained by the protection of internal affairs of each nation. In such a situation, a consensus is needed for the declaration of the sovereignty of one nation over the others. Thus it is the realist’s opinion that sovereignty should be reduced as suggested by Henry Schermers , as ‘the world community takes over sovereignty of territories with the world community having sufficient means to help existing states with their weaknesses and failures (Jackson 2003, p. 787). Secretary General Annan on the other hand, believes that a global era requires a global engagement (Jackson 2003, p.

Current UK Government Initiatives That Focus On Personal And Emotional Essay

Current UK Government Initiatives That Focus On Personal And Emotional Development - Essay Example Donaldson argues powerfully that young children, in order to be able to build on what they already know and can do, need to be in situations which make 'human sense' to them. The current situation in England is one in which the growth of the ECEC sector, in terms of numbers of places, is positively encouraged by the government, especially by the Treasury. This appears to emphasise the care aspect. However, at the same time there are other government-initiated developments concerning the need for improvements in the quality of provision, such as a new training pack for those who work with children aged from birth to three (Abbott et al. 2002) and the Secretary of State Charles Clarke's pledge for more resources. Since 2000, UK governments have invested heavily in leadership development in the NHS to secure policy change and modernise the service. A plethora of leadership programmes and initiatives have been supported with variable success. During recent years in the UK, there have been numerous government initiatives relating to the care and education of young children. Some of these, such as Sure Start, have been very successful, whereas others have proved to be more complicated to implement and fund. The idea that children have rights is a fair... However, Saraga (1998) states that '"rights" like "needs" is a highly contested concept particularly when applied to children'. Saraga goes on to say that children depend on the adults who care for them to assert their rights for them and that rights are limited by the child's vulnerability and dependency. Children's learning and development Child development falls into the two main categories of physical and neurological. Physical skills involve both gross motor skills such as rolling over, crawling and walking, and fine motor skills such as hand-eye coordination, grasping objects, drawing and later writing. Sensory development is also physical and includes sight, sound, touch, smell and taste. Intellectual and cognitive development centre on activity in the brain including use of language, smiling and giggling, imagination and working out. Our children's emotional wellbeing also develops in the brain and comprises many areas such as self awareness, self esteem and the ability to interact with others. Playing in some form or another helps to refine these different areas of development in babies and young children. (http://www.literacytrust.org.uk/talktoyourbaby/play.html) Children need activities which will stimulate their social, physical, intellectual, linguistic, emotional and moral development. The early years curriculum should be linked with a child's stage of development, which can be ascertained by careful observation of the child and discussions with the parents and family. The child's progress should be monitored, recorded and shared with the parents. Equality of opportunity The individuality of each child

Bus plan Essay Example for Free

Bus plan Essay

Case Study: Narcotics Withdrawal Impact on Health

Case Study: Narcotics Withdrawal Impact on Health Arlena Davis Based on the clinical scenario is Mrs. X’s altered mental status due to a focal neurologic deficit or is it related to a more global etiology? Why? Mrs. X altered mental status is not due to focal neurologic deficit as she does not show focal neurologic signs. Some of the signs of focal neurologic deficit are impairment of the spinal cord, nerves and brain activities impairment of the nerves, spinal cord and brain affects certain areas of the body and causes weakness in the right leg and left arm. Mrs. X does not have impaired of the spinal cord, nerves and the brain according to the medical examination. Mrs. X does not have weakness in the left arm and right leg. The neurologic examination shows Mrs. X has no problem. Mrs. X has grip strength of 5/5 bilaterally. The Dorsi and plantar flexion is 5/5 bilaterally. Mrs. X has no focal spinal and costovertebral angle tenderness. Thus, the altered mental status is linked to a more comprehensive etiology. The altered mental status can be due to overdose of Percocet and use of narcotics. Mrs. X took 80 tablets of 10mg Percocet within 72 hours before she started experiencing the symptom s. In addition, Mrs. X has misused narcotics as evidenced by the family’s reaction. Overuse of narcotics and withdrawal can change the mental status of a patient. McCance, K. L., Huether, S. E. (2014). Pathophysiology: The Biologic Basis of Disease in Adults and Children (7th ed.). Maryland, MO: Mosby Elsevier. 2. Based on the available information what differentials can the NP absolutely rule out? Give a rationale as to why you are ruling out each differential. Differential diagnosis is conducted to rule out certain diseases and hence ensure the diagnosis is accurate. The NP should rule out some differential diagnoses. The NP should rule out a focal neurologic deficit diagnosis as Mrs. X does not show signs and symptoms of focal neurologic deficit according to the historical and examination data. Additionally, the NP should rule out influenza DFA diagnosis as the patient does not show signs of DFA influenza. They can rule out diarrhea as a result of influenza according to the examination done by the doctor the diarrhea is not be due to influenza, but narcotic withdrawal. Mrs. X has been misusing narcotics and she has not used the drugs since she became sick and this might have contributed to the diarrhea. Further, the NP should rule out narcotic overdose diagnosis as the patient does not show signs of narcotic overdose. McCance, K. L., Huether, S. E. (2014). Pathophysiology: The Biologic Basis of Disease in Adults and Children (7th ed.). Maryland, MO: Mosby Elsevier. 3. What differential diagnoses still need to be ruled out? Other differential diagnosis that still need to be eliminated is serotonin syndrome and encephalitis. She could be dehydrated, her urine is dirty she could have a UTI, she has not eaten since onset of symptoms so the Hydroxycut could be causing her to metabolic alkalosis. Loss of fluid through diarrhea and not eating and drink are related to metabolic alkalosis. Boyer EW. Serotonin syndrome. http://www.uptodate.com/home. Accessed June. 12, 2014. Gasper,M.L.,Dillon,P.M.(2011).Clinical Simulations for Nursing Education Learner Volume. Philadephia, PA: F.A Davis 4. What are the signs of narcotic overdose? Is Mrs. X’s condition consistent with a narcotic overdose? There are different signs of narcotic overdose. The first sign of narcotic overdose is respiratory depression. The respiratory rate is low and apnea is evidenced in serious cases. The patient can have a respiratory arrest if the overdose is significant. Hypoxia can cause pulmonary edema as it impairs the permeability of the pulmonary capillary. Pupil constriction is common expect in severe hypoxia when dilation can be seen. The formation of urine is decreased because of the reduction in the flow of renal blood. Other signs of narcotic overdose are hypotension, cold clammy skin and bradycardia. Moreover, patients presenting narcotic overdose show other symptoms. The symptoms include nausea, vomiting, constipation and slurred speech, confusion, poor judgment and decreased level of consciousness. Mrs. X’s condition is not consistent with narcotic overdose. Mrs. X. does not have a reparatory depression which is the main sign of narcotic overdose. Mrs. X has an elevated respiratory rate and a heart rate of 22 and 97 respectively. Mrs. X does not have constricted pupils as they are reactive to light. However, Mrs. X has decreased level of consciousness and she is confused. Goldberg, R.(2013).Drugs Across the Spectrum. Stamford, CT: Cengage Learning 5. What are the signs of narcotic withdrawal? Is Mrs X’s condition consistent with a narcotic withdrawal? Patients using narcotics show different signs after withdrawal depending on the dosage and how long they have used the drug. The patients can be restless and have insomnia. Also, patients can be anxious, long for the drug and have a flu. Patients can have abdominal cramps, body aches, loss of appetite, Rhinorrhea, fever, confusion, irritability and loss of appetite. Also, patients can have increased respiratory rate, pulse rate and blood pressure in late withdrawal. Patients have gastrointestinal problems including nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and loss of weight. Mrs. X’s condition is in line with the signs of narcotic withdrawal. Mrs. X has an increased heart rate, blood pressure and respiratory rate. Mrs. X heart rate, respiration rate and blood pressure are 97, 22 and 135/55 respectively. Also, Mrs. X has fever and flu- like disease. She has decreased appetite as she has not eaten anything since she became sick. Also, she has lost 25lb in the past 2 months after taking hydrox ycut. In addition, Mrs. X has diarrhea and she has been restless and confused. Gasper,M.L.,Dillon,P.M.(2011).Clinical Simulations for Nursing Education Learner Volume. Philadephia, PA: F.A Davis Munjal,Y.P.,Sharma,S.K.,Agarwal,A.K.,Gupta,P.(2012).Api Textbook of Medicine. New Delhi, India: JP Medical Ltd 6. There are 2 clues which are related to one another in the HP and both suggest the same potential differential diagnosis. The admitting physician did not pick up on the clues and consequently did not consider this in their differentials. What are the two clues? What additional historical information is missing from the HP which should be obtained from the husband based on the 2 clues? The two clues are the patient takes Ultram and Percocet, this combination of drugs cause serotonin syndrome. The physician noted that Mrs. X had excessively used narcotics, but did not put this two together with this outcome. In addition, the physician found she had not utilized narcotics for the last three to four days. The overuse of narcotics and withdrawal of narcotics could have led to altered mental status or decreased level of consciousness. As a result, the doctor encouraged Mrs. X to continue using her medications. The physician should have done a narcotic overdose or withdrawal differential diagnosis. Additional historical information includes mental health history, smoking history and OTC and narcotic drug history. The physician should ensure the husband gives a detailed description of OTC and narcotic drugs used. The husband should identify the type of drug used, dosage, dosing schedule and reasons for using the drug. A detailed drug history enables the physician identify drug interaction cases and overdose. The family members have expressed concern over the misuse of narcotics as they believe Mrs. X is misusing narcotics. Nevertheless, they do not state the narcotics used and dosage. Dietary supplements can interact with other drugs and have an adverse impact on the patient. Further, the doctor should ensure the husband gives a comprehensive description of tobacco smoking history. The husband should state the number of packets she smokes in a day. Additionally, the doctor should obtained information regarding the mental status of the patient. Elderly people are prone to mental disorders and they negatively affect their functioning. Some of the mental illnesses are depression, focal neurologic deficit, delirium, dementia among others. Mental health problems affect cognitive functioning. Understanding the mental health history helps in determining the causes of symptoms elderly patients present with. In this case, Mrs. X is unable to speak and has altered mental status. The physician needs information about Mrs. X’s mental health history to determine the cause of the decreased level of consciousness. Mental disorders such as delirium, dementia and focal neurological deficit change the mental status of the patient. 7. Based on the available information what do you think the most likely diagnosis is for Mrs. X’s altered mental status? Narcotic withdrawal has led to altered mental status. Mrs. X shows different symptoms of narcotic withdrawal including increased heart rate, blood pressure, respiration rate, diarrhea, and confusion. Other symptoms are fever and flu-like disease. Thus, Mrs. X has experienced the symptoms as she has not used narcotics for the last 4 days. References Gasper, M.L., Dillon, P.M. (2011). Clinical Simulations for Nursing Education Learner Volume. Philadephia, PA: F.A Davis Goldberg, R. (2013). Drugs Across the Spectrum. Stamford, CT: Cengage Learning Woods, A., Spratto, G. (2011). Delmar Nurses Drug Handbook 2012 Edition. Stamford,CT: Cengage Learning McCance, K. L., Huether, S. E. (2014). Pathophysiology: The Biologic Basis of Disease in Adults and Children (7th ed.). Maryland, MO: Mosby Elsevier. Boyer EW. Serotonin syndrome. http://www.uptodate.com/home. Accessed June. 12, 2014. Gasper, M.L., Dillon, P.M.(2011). Clinical Simulations for Nursing Education Learner Volume. Philadephia, PA: F.A Davis Goldberg, R. (2013). Drugs Across the Spectrum. Stamford, CT: Cengage Learning McCance, K. L., Huether, S. E. (2014). Pathophysiology: The Biologic Basis of Disease in Adults and Children (7th ed.). Maryland, MO: Mosby Elsevier. Munjal, Y.P., Sharma, S.K., Agarwal, A.K., Gupta, P. (2012). Api Textbook of Medicine. New Delhi, India: JP Medical Ltd Woods, A., Spratto, G. (2011). Delmar Nurses Drug Handbook 2012 Edition. Stamford,CT: Cengage Learning Zerwekh, J. (2012). Illustrated Study Guide for the NCLEX-RNÂ ® Exam8: Illustrated Study Guide for the NCLEX-RNÂ ® Exam. Saunders: Elsiever Health Sciences

Silkwoods Working Class :: Movie Film Essays

Silkwood's Working Class [1] Before I begin, I would like to provide some information about where I'm coming from as I look at Silkwood. When I chose this film, I did so in a somewhat desperate attempt to avoid working on a film about war or a biographic film on a male historical figure. Alas, these are the types of films that tend to dominate the historic genre. I turned to Silkwood not as a film about the nuclear industry or a murder mystery, but rather a film about a woman -- not a glamorous woman, but a real woman with flaws. I wouldn't have chosen this film for the nuclear issue alone, as it is before my time and, at least at the onset of the project, I had no real understanding of what the nuclear industry was all about. [2] Though it has been talked about as an anti-nuclear film, the nuclear theme is an underlying one. (A good question to ask is why this is NOT the main issue.) The way I look at Silkwood is the way many reviewers have; the central issue of this film is the story of the working class. I feel that I can comment legitimately on this issue, as the rural Pennsylvania town where I grew up is not too far from Silkwood's Oklahoma countryside (except geographically, of course). Some of the problems the Kerr-McGee workers have are familiar to me. For example, job security, especially now as I write, is of utmost importance in my home community. Like Crescent, Oklahoma, my community in Pennsylvania has one main industry, but it is at least a safe one: tool and die. As technology increases, these jobs are becoming obsolete, and, so, anyone in this trade in my hometown is lacking job security. And this in turn threatens other local businesses that depend on tool and die workers spen ding their money. [3] But back to Silkwood. As an historical film, it immortalizes an image of the working class in Crescent, Oklahoma, as well as Karen Silkwood, their representative. It is important to think about how the film treats the working class -- is the tone condescending, honest, or quaint? And how does Karen fit in as their spokeswoman?

Gideons Trumpet Essay -- Clarence Earl Gideon Gideon v. Wainwright

Gideon’s Trumpet   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Gideon’s Trumpet is the true story of a man named Clarence Earl Gideon, a semiliterate drifter who is arrested for burglary and petty theft. The book takes it’s readers back through one man’s moving account that became a constitutional landmark. Gideon’s Trumpet was written to recall the history behind the Gideon v. Wainwright court case and how it made such an enormous impact on United States law.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  On the night of June 3, 1961, Clearance Gideon broke into a pool room and smashed a cigarette machine and a juke box, taking some money from both and cigarettes. Later that morning a witness reported seeing Gideon break into the pool hall. The police found him a few hours later with a pint of wine and some spare change, he was arrested and charged with breaking and entering.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  At his trial Gideon could not afford a lawyer, so he asked the judge to appoint him one, Gideon argued that the Court should appoint him one because the Sixth Amendment says that everyone is entitled to a lawyer. The judge turned down his request, saying that the state did not have to pay a poor person's legal defense unless he was charged with a capital crime or that "special circumstances" existed. Gideon was left to represent himself in court.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Gideon did a horrible job of defending himself in court. He was found guilty of breaking and entering and petty larceny, which was a felony. Gideon was sentenced to five years in Florida State prison mostly due to his prior...

‘The Pit and The Pendulum’ by Edgar Allan Poe and ‘An Encounter’ by James Joyce Essay

An analytical study of ‘The Pit and The Pendulum’, ‘An Encounter’ and ‘The Pedestrian’, focusing on the themes of paralysis, entrapment and isolation The texts chosen for this study are: ‘The Pit and The Pendulum’ by Edgar Allan Poe and ‘An Encounter’ by James Joyce which, I feel, are appropriate as they provide comprehensive coverage of the themes analysed whilst managing to cover a historical period of some seventy years1. Poe’s piece is a dark, Gothic work which deals, in great depth, with the notion of both mental and physical paralysis encompassed in an entrapping and isolated atmosphere. Joyce, on the other hand, takes a characteristically more diverse and subtle approach to the concept of paralysis, cunningly concealing the theme within the stagnant surroundings of his Dublin. Verbal ‘entrapment’ is furthermore offered in the form of a dubious elderly man. The story ‘An Encounter’ by James Joyce amply exhibits many stylistic features associated with the modernist author – for example the use of epiphany or writing through first person narrative, with inner monologue to highlight the consciousness of the protagonist and also subtly divulge the feelings of others to the perhaps more ‘aware’ readership. However, Poe, on the contrary, chooses to play the cards of shock and terror in a style which is far more explicit and gruesome in comparison with Joyce’s incorporation of ambiguity. The theme of paralysis is key to Joyce’s work – the notion is implicit throughout Dubliners as a whole. With this idea comes its antithesis – escape – or with respect to ‘An Encounter’ and many of the other stories, thwarted escape. It is because of the character’s desire to achieve this freedom, that when the day fails to reach its high expectations, the stagnation and restrictiveness of the surroundings are powerfully reinforced – perhaps even confirmed. From the outset of the tale, Joyce ponders the notion of escape. Characters searching for such an escape, often describe how they would wish to travel afar to achieve it. So important, it seems, is this idea that the protagonist of the initial story of Dubliners, can be quoted of aspiring to exotic, foreign fantasy: ‘I felt that I had been very far away, in some land where the customs were strange – in Persia, I thought.’ This feeling is openly exhibited in ‘An Encounter’, as Joyce’s first person narrator states; ‘Real adventures, I reflected, do not happen to people who remain at home: they must be sought abroad.’ In the story, Joyce develops the theme in the form of an inner monologue – the thoughts of the protagonist dictating how his ‘Wild West’ adventures ‘opened doors of escape’. The method used is quite customary of the author- the thought processes of the boy (relating to escape) are ultimately what drive the tale, yet Joyce quietly conveys them through subtle, nondescript details. Joyce’s relationship with his hometown appears, like his works, slightly ambiguous. He may often be quoted of his distaste for the stagnant city2, succeeding in displaying it with an absence of enthusiasm, as a moribund, non-eventful hive. However, one feels that on reflection, after reading his work a subtle affection is undoubtedly apparent – perhaps Joyce’s time spent in exile3 incubated an innate longing for the city – Dublin’s entrapment being, perhaps, what fuelled this fascination with the petty happening of the city? Joyce’s relationship with the theme of entrapment in Dubliners is essential to the text: at times he appears intent, at others repelled. ‘An Encounter’ deals with methods of escape other than exotic foreign adventure, focusing on the attempt of two boys to ‘break out of the weariness’ of their everyday environment. Although, at first the prospect of adventure excites the young boys, there is constant undertone of anti-climax carefully intertwined into the story. Joyce writes from the first person point view, often through analepsis. It is perhaps because of this that a frequent air of frustration pursues the young schoolboys – it is as if the story is being recalled by a man embittered by the ‘restraining’ and ultimately paralysed city of Dublin. Quite often Joyce refuses to commit any fervent emotion to events, preferring to use lacklustre qualifying adverbs or adjectives; ‘†¦ We were all vaguely excited†¦ it was a mild sunny morning’ Joyce intently chooses to focus in on the most insipid details, usually choosing to focus on empirical sense experience – such as Mahoney’s grey suit or the ‘brown4 fishing fleet’- which works to suppress the buoyant atmosphere. This notion is also relative to the descriptive mood, which the author quite purposely generates through negative evocation of certain aspects: ‘†¦ The docile horses†¦ the drivers of groaning carts.’ This process of qualification through modifiers generates a subdued atmosphere parallel to that of the jaded inner-consciousness of the protagonists. The negativity which is now apparent in almost everything encountered appears to be an entrapping agent over the boys, who sulk into a resigned and somewhat resentful state, a state which is furthermore reiterated by the repetition of the adverb ‘too’: ‘It was too late and we were too tired to carry out our project of visiting the Pigeon House.’ Joyce has succeeded in presenting Dublin as an impotent city of circularity and entrapment. He is now anxious to erase the protagonist’s claim; ‘I was very happy’, from the audience’s memories, introducing words such as ‘solemn’, ‘sedulous’ and eventually even denotes the character’s thoughts as ‘jaded’. There is constant, yet suitable repetition of the adjective ‘tired’ – the day has become tedious, adventure and escape have proved elusive, and the encounter of a less than legendary sea-farer has confirmed that the protagonist will not find merriment in Dublin, forever doomed to live in the fantasies of comic book and literature. However, despite its lack of event, the day does provide the boys with one notable incident. Aspirations of escape having been superseded, Joyce begins a new paragraph focusing primarily on the silence and ‘stillness’ of the eventual situation: ‘There was nobody but ourselves in the field. [We had] lain on the bank for some time without speaking’. Through creating such an ominous, yet ‘dying’ atmosphere – sentences slowly becoming shorter, more concise (defeating imaginative possibility as displayed by the boys hitherto) and less picturesque use of vocabulary – Joyce signals the need for new themes to be introduced. He achieves this through the introduction of a curious elderly antagonist. The old man introduces the possibility of in-depth monologue and direct speech. In the conversation with the boys, he seemingly manages to entrap the young protagonist with his reference to literature – a topic of known interest to the boy – and also through cunningly incorporating a sinister ‘circular’ approach. Joyce is very keen to exploit the idea of circularity in his work and in this piece, the ‘monotonous’ voice of the antagonist and the way his voice ‘slowly circles round and round in the same orbit’, help to achieve the spellbinding quality of the man. This technique paralyses the narrator, who seemingly allows the man to give a discourse in the form of a monologue – mainly due to his apparent inability to interrupt. The politeness evident in the boy’s character is in hindsight, far from being useful. Joyce implicitly airs his personal views on the expensive Jesuit schooling that the protagonist has been subject to by placing the boy in a situation of danger. The resultant irony – learnt social skills being a hindrance – also helps highlight Joyce’s disregard for the church and its establishments. The worrying feature of the man’s discourse is the implicitly perverse way in which he speaks. He frequently refers to the ‘whipping’ of young boys, with one feels, over-excitable ardour. Joyce establishes the man’s odd approach through primarily using such adjectives as ‘magnetised’ and ‘circle’ in reference to his thought process. This creates the impression that he is intent on the subject. Secondly, a section of reported speech is introduced; ‘When a boy was rough and unruly there was nothing would do him any good but a good sound whipping†¦ what he wanted was to get a nice warm whipping.’ Joyce emphasises the mans positive outlook on the subject through the use of a positive lexical range; there is repetition of the word ‘good’ – firstly as a noun, secondly as an adjective – and also use of the adjective ‘nice’, which appears somewhat misplaced when used in conjunction with the concept of whipping. The protagonist’s isolation from sympathetic intellectuals due to young age means he is quick to warm to the old man when he talks of literature. In the epiphany, he even appears isolated from his closest friend, Mahoney, and it appears to me that the epiphany of the piece (from the young boy’s perspective) confirms that the older man has had a profound influence on his views – both intellectually and sexually. It appears that after entrapment, the isolation of the naà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ve child has left him susceptible to corruption and the ‘encounter’ has left the boy and the audience with the idea (with undoubted authorial intent) that the world is not such an innocent place. Such mental metamorphosis is more openly explicit in Edgar Allen Poe’s work, no epiphanies are evident, yet a first person narrative works to convey the progressively tortured thoughts of the protagonist to the reader. ‘The Pit and The Pendulum’ is a piece typical of the nineteenth century ‘gothic horror’ genre. The main area of focus is that of psychological terror and mental torture of the protagonist, brought about through natural agents and physical entrapment and isolation. The style is typical of Poe, aesthetic – as opposed to scientific – and wholly grotesque. The piece is, in its simplest form, an account of the destruction of the protagonist’s psyche. Poe begins ‘in medias res’ by describing the trial of the man, the narrator intently focusing upon his gloomy and confused mental state. Syntax used is complex and verbose, helpfully describing the characters inner consciousness and displaying his tangled, entrapping thought processes. The lexical field and imagery employed is especially exotic and indulgent – Poe uses metaphorical language peppered with adverbs and adjectives as the candles before the man alter from ‘white slender angels’ to ‘meaningless spectres, with heads of flame’. Another technique which is commonly employed by Poe is that of repetition, in this particular story, Poe often relies on the syntactical position of verbs to gradually heighten tension, and prompt his audience. A good example of repetition may be found when the protagonist is awaiting his doom at the hands of the pendulum – each new paragraph commences with the preposition ‘down’: ‘Down – steadily down it crept†¦ Down – certainly relentlessly down!.. Down – still increasingly – still inevitably down!’ This repetition works to give extra strength to the nemesis and increase the tense, anxious and bleak atmosphere. The notion of ‘down’ is the most important in the authors mind, and the layout of the word on the page vividly reflects the terrifying motion of the blades descent and, more importantly, the ever more dejected mental state of the protagonist. A technique used by Poe – and also exhibited by Joyce- is that of prolepsis. The fact that the protagonist is often left thinking of what ‘may be’ suggests a certain degree of isolation – the surrounding atmosphere offering no apparent subjects for the character to focus on in the present. In ‘The Pit and the Pendulum’, Poe incorporates a feeling of perpetual unease into the thought processes of his protagonist. There are frequent examples of this which often come about directly before the ‘ghastly’ prospects of the character are realised; as in the heightened, almost hysterical language and excited syntax of: ‘The result of the slightest struggle, how deadly! Was it likely, moreover, that the minions of the torturer had not foreseen and provided for this probability? It is characteristic of Poe to use hyperbole, a technique which creates a melancholy, theatrical feeling – often seemingly increasing the grandeur. Hyperbole also escalates the terror and entrapment suffered by the protagonist, the indulgent language used portrays a somewhat exaggerated experience to the audience. This technique is supported by extensive use of adjective and adverb, commonly negative in effect, as when the protagonist is close to death by the pendulum; ‘The odour of the sharp steel forced itself into my nostrils. I prayed – I wearied heaven with my prayer for its more speedy descent. I grew frantically mad, and struggled to force myself upward against the sweep of the fearful scimitar. And then I fell suddenly calm, and lay smiling at the glittering death†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ Psychological entrapment in the story is offered in the form of ‘The Pit’. To accomplish the desired atmosphere for such a tortured fate, Poe begins to describe the physical surroundings of the protagonist in some detail. The ‘subterranean world of darkness’ to which the man is instantly subject to is stereotypically associated with Poe’s genre of writing, the gloom becoming a perfect vehicle to carry an unnerving, mystifying atmosphere. Further concern for the antagonist is drawn from the constant reference to his ‘fatigued’ state and also the dangerously ‘moist and slippery’ characteristics of the chamber. The tension generated relies heavily on Poe’s use of syntax – the protagonist encounters ‘The Pit’ through a sequence of brief sentences: ‘I proceeded for many paces; but still all was blackness and vacancy. I breathed more freely.’ The length of the sentences and the fact that Poe does not feel it necessary to justify or convolute the thoughts of the protagonist – who currently sees his punishment as ‘[not] the most hideous of fates’ – represents relatively calm and clear thought processes. As the narrator becomes evermore aware of the horrific situation, Poe mirrors his mounting terror through increasingly complex syntax: ‘The difficulty, nevertheless, was but trivial; although, in the disorder of my fancy, it seemed at first insuperable.’ Poe’s evidently excessive accentuation of punctuation, creating furthermore verbose sentences, achieves a faster movement of thought and a growing sensation of confusion. Eventually, as the protagonist gradually uncovers the secrets of his confinement, a greater fear of entrapment and danger being incubated inside him is realised. Poe displays this through every quickening pace in complex sentences which are supported with dashes – giving the effect of total bemusement and terror in the protagonist, feelings which almost lead to the making of treacherous mistakes. Quite suddenly, with a simple sentence – perceptibly out of step with the ever-increasing complexity of the syntax – the climax of the character’s investigation is revealed; ‘I stepped on it, and fell violently on my face.’ With the inclusion of this short, astute sentence, Poe signals that complex syntax hitherto has given sufficient insight to the audience and that the tensi on has peaked. The fact that the piece is written in the form of a first person narrative always suggests – in a similar style to James Joyce’s reflective, possibly older narrator – that the protagonist is reminiscing about his exploits, and that ultimately the piece will not end in his death. This is, of course, the case when General Lasalle of the French army comes to the rescue. The ending is extremely interesting as Poe chooses, unlike the other events of the story, to dramatically reduce proceedings – deciding to summarise the rescue in a short paragraph. The said paragraph uses more restrained syntax – exclamation is succeeded by a simple statement which, in the context, appears almost bathetic. ‘The fiery walls rushed back!.. The French army had entered Toledo.’ It is not entirely clear why Poe has chosen to end the piece in an almost anticlimactic manner. Perhaps he chooses to condense the singular joyful occurrence of the narrative thus maintaining its stance as a work of horror. Many sources, however, maintain that the story’s closure was dictated by demanding time restrictions implemented by Poe’s publishers5. Another reason for Poe choosing a first person narrator is perhaps that this perspective gives us a stronger feeling of entrapment due to our constant awareness of the innermost feelings of the protagonist. The narrative does not, unlike a third person perspective, allow the audience to transcend the situation, providing direct access to the horror which is occurring on the page. There is also no direct speech in the story. This fact reinforces the idea of isolation in the way that the protagonist has no need to speak due to absolute solitude. The grotesque element of Poe’s work, which quite frequently works as a perversely aesthetic or romantic catalyst for the mental entrapment of the protagonist, is usually evident in the form of a tormentor drawn from nature.6 In ‘The Pit and The Pendulum’, psychological suffering is brought on by a swarm of rats. These animals bring negative connotation, as they are associated with such horror as The Plague. They are definitely an effective device which works to supplement the physical entrapment already being suffered by the protagonist at this time. At one point, Poe also uses ‘fearful images’ of skeleton forms and such, which ‘disfigure’ the surrounding walls. It is stated that these figures have been created by monks, suggesting that this environment is some kind of medieval building – not designed specifically for torture. It is therefore interesting to observe how Poe manages to alter these innocent images into emotionally petrifying fiends – working as the author will have wished, to terrify the protagonist and therefore, the readership. By introducing entrapment in the form of the wooden framework and hideous vermin, Poe has realised the importance of including both physical and metaphysical entrapment a work of the Gothic horror genre of which he is undeniably a master.    1 ‘The Pit and The Pendulum’ was first published in 1843 for a collection named The Gift, later (revised) for the Broadway Journal in 1985. ‘An Encounter’ – taken from Dubliners – was written in 1904 yet published 1914. 2 In a letter to his English publisher, Grant Richards, he claimed that his intention was ‘to write a chapter of the moral history of my country and I chose Dublin for the scene because that city seemed to me the centre of paralysis.’ (Letters, II, 134). 3 During the summer of 1904, Joyce and his new-found love Nora Barnacle left Ireland for Europe. At ‘An Encounter’s’ time of writing, it is most likely that Joyce was living in Pola – Croatia. 4 The use of the adverb ‘brown’ is also evident to the same effect in the story ‘Araby’. Entrapment is projected through the ‘brown imperturbable faces’ of the housing. 5 SEE NOTE

Common Wealth Games

After having organized the Asiad Games successfully in 1982 at Delhi, India has been fortunate enough to be honoured by Commonwealth Games Federation to perform the duties of a host nation to the 19th edition of Commonwealth Games scheduled to be inaugurated on October 3, 2010 at Jawahar Lal Nehru Stadium. The Grand Gala opening ceremony was two-and-half hours duration which was a must-see event for sports lovers all over the world. Initially, these games were organized in different names.From 1930 to 1950, they were known as British Empire Games. From 1954 to 1966 the games were styled as British Empire and Commonwealth Games. From 1970 to 1974 the games were called British Commonwealth Games and finally from 1978, these games were re-christened as Commonwealth Games. Since then no change has taken place in the nomenclature. The Commonwealth Games are entirely based on Modern Olympic Games pattern. They are conducted and organized regularly after every four years interval.All rules regulations of Modern Olympic Games apply to Commonwealth Games in letter and spirit. The difference between Olympic Games and Commonwealth Games is that while Olympic Games covers 27 disciplines of competitive sports, Commonwealth Games organisation is holding competition only in 17 sports disciplines. Therefore, Commonwealth Games can justifiably be termed as â€Å"Mini Olympics†. Almost 10,000 sportspersons, including coaches and officials from 71 Commonwealth nations, would be in the fray to vie for supremacy in skills, speed, strength and stamina.As expected, Australia, Britain and Canada with their biggest contingents of sportspersons would most likely be dominating the present event, but India – the host nation – would not be lagging far behind. India’s prospects at the Games are certainly bright. The host nation is expected to win medals in the following disciplines. Archery and wrestling have been most popular pastime for the population of ancien t civilisations of India, Greece and Egypt. These countries have traditionally been producing good archers and wrestlers.Indian archers have very recently won a gold medal in Archery’s ‘Recurve’ event at Shanghai. The Recurve team of India consisting of Rahul Bannerji, Jayant Taluqedar and Tarun Deep defeated Japan’s Archery team. India’s superiority is fully established in this event and is expected to win at least one gold medal in the discipline. India has had a glamorous past in wrestling too. The country’s famous wrestler, Gama, better known as Rusteme-e-Zama, is said to have participated in London’s unofficial world wrestling Championship in 1930 where he defeated the reigning world champion Czevasko of Russia.Maintaining the glorious tradition in wrestling, Sudhir Kumar, the present Gama of India, defeated another Russian wrestler in Russia very recently. Besides Sudhir Kumar, there are other wrestlers like Yogeshwer Dutt, Anil Kumar and others who can bring laurels to the country in different weight categories. Chances are galore for India to win several medals in this sport. In boxing event also, India has a good opportunity to win more than one gold medal, besides several silver and bronze medals.India’s star Boxers are Vijendra Singh, Akhil Kumar, Nanao, Chhote Lal Yadav and Surronjay Singh, who would be definite winners of medals in this sport. Last, but not the least, one must not forget Mary Kom, the mercurial boxer who has won world title for the fifth time. After boxing, shooting is another discipline of sports in which Abhinay Bindra of India has excelled by winning gold medal in 2008 Beijing Olympics. Besides Abhinay Bindra, there are Manav Jeet Sidhhu, Gagan Narang and Tejasvi Sawant who are expected to perform well and add to the tally of medals.In badminton event the famous Saina Nehwal would be leading the campaign from the front along with Chetan Anand and mixed double pair of Jwala Gutta and Diju to win a gold, silver and bronze medals at Delhi Commonwealth Games. In lawn tennis, India has good chance of winning several medals. There is a renowned doubles pair of Leander Paise and Mahesh Bhupati who are expected to be winners in their event. Sania Mirza is also peaking at the right time to find herself at the podium of victory.Weight lifting is a tough discipline of sports in which India has excelled in the    past. Frontal campaign would be led by VS Rao, Monika Devi, Ravi Kumar and Sonu Chunnu who are expected to win many medals in this sports event. After the disastrous display of hockey at the last World Cup Championship at Delhi, India’s Hockey team, led by a Enterprising captain namely Raj Pal Singh, is said to have been rejuvenated if the recent international exposure is any indication.India has a good opportunity to salvage its lost prestige at Delhi. On record India’s hockey team appears to be the third best team in present competition , but there are two strong opponents against India- one is Australian hockey team-the current World Champion and other is England’s Hockey team –   the European Champion. If India can defeat these teams, it is likely to win a gold medal. Last, but not the least, is the athletics event.Athletics is said to be the mother of all games in sports, but strangely enough, the present youth of the country is not attracted towards athletics and therefore it is the most neglected discipline in the country. Still there is a hope to win some medals also in this discipline. All in all, Indian sportspersons must take full advantage of the home grounds. I am sure the Indian sports lovers will try their level best to inspire the sportspersons to highest pitch so that they can garner more than 120 medals, surpassing the previous Indian achievement at Commonwealth Games.It is really disheartening to note that star athletes of the world like Usain Bolt, Olympic and World Champion in 100 and 200 mtrs dash, Asafa Powell, former World Champion of 100mtr sprint and Shelley Ann-Fraser- the women 100 mtr Olympic Champion (All Jamicans) have decided to skip the present Commonwealth Games. Their absence would definitely dampen the spirit of sports lovers of the country. India’s organizational skill is at stake. If we prove our mettle by organising the event successfully and flawlessly the current Common Wealth Games at Delhi, India can legitimately and honourably claim to host the future Olympics at Delhi.