Learning Team Reflection: Chase Strategy Essay

Chase strategy is when production meets the demand and capacity from one period to the next. This strategy is mostly used when demand is unpredictable and there is no inventory. Many cases when using this strategy result in a hire turnover rate when it comes to employment which can lead to insecure and unhappy employees. Problems with labor unions may arise as well. Other results of this strategy include increased inventory costs and erratic use of factories and equipment. This allows factories to have a large amount of flexibility. A major advantage of the strategy is that inventory is allowed at its lowest level which can provide a savings to some companies. The just-in concept firms utilize the chase strategy to aggregate planning. There are many companies that prefer to use a combination of the level and chase strategy. The combination enables optimization of goals and lower costs more so than independently. Companies and businesses within the service industry that use this strategy are demand matching which means that the workforce must match the demand. Another example of an industry that uses the chase strategy is the auto industry. Companies like Ford, GM, and Hyundai have automobiles that depreciate quickly and the cost of warehousing, insurance, and taxes are high. Automobiles cannot be stockpiled for too long so therefore, only so many are made based on demand of the consumer. Another example would be the fast food industry. For example, Chik-Fil-A would only produce a meal once an order is taken which meets the demand of the customer. When companies in the service industry use Chase Strategy, they tend to hire hourly employees, part time employees and allow overtime in order to meet the demand of customers. Some disadvantages of using the Chase Strategy would be a high turnover rate which can cause low employee morale as well as problems with labor unions and a possible increase in labor costs. The use of the Chase Strategy could also mean higher hiring and training costs.

The Lamp at Noon

In the short story† the lamp at noon† Sinclair Ross is trying to develop that idea that sometimes in life individuals are often driven mad by their geographical isolation. A young couples dreams of happiness after are torn apart by the horrendous elements of nature and by lack of communication to cope with the changing condition. First of all the author Sinclair Ross uses to convey the idea of isolation is through the horrendous setting. The setting was described in a very detail manner creating imagery that helps focus of how isolated the couples felt.The author develops the setting by using personification, for example†¦Ã¢â‚¬ Demented wind fled kneeling past the house; a wall through the eaves that died every minute or two†. This statement is given the reader the mood of the setting, a dark, dreary, somewhat ugly, and depressing scene. The change in weather reflects how the characters are feeling. Paul and Ellen both feel upset, depressed, and dark especiall y about their relationship too. As the story progress, the change in weather effects the character moods a little more directly.The setting in this short story is critical element in the story, without it, the plot would be kind of dull, because it gives the reader an idea of the time and place in the story’s plot ,which help the reader focus of how isolated the characters feels. Second way that the author help defined the character is by using characterization. Sinclair used outstanding description for the two main characters. This is because they could both relate fairly, easily, and realistically. Ellen’s strong feeling which revolve around the idea of a better, healthier and even a little more â€Å"rewarding† life are nicely depicted.The reality of her hopes, however, is that the thing’s she wants and needs most are unattainable, which links to how isolated she feels. Ellen feels if she doesn’t acquire these glamorous items, she gets depressed . Ellen just sits and waits for a better opportunity, and her husband to come safe and sound to comfort her with love and affection as shown in this quote†¦Ã¢â‚¬ please stay†¦ I m so caged if I could only break away and run. See I stand like this all day. I can’t relax. My throat so tight it aches.From this quote, you can already tell how the characters feel and how Ellen way of describing the way she feels portrayed an accustomed to the finer things in life, but also that she needs love and care from her husband to replace that need. Now Paul on the other side, a rugged, strong, pride farmer is a touch stronger and make more persistent for success compared to Ellen. He struggles to keep his land and livestock alive and booming. He was quite determined in staying and trying, and waiting for the land to get better, as well as lots of rain to feed them.There was a constant motion of his feeling for rain and better crops the following year. â€Å"Well have crops agai n†¦ good crops. The land will come back, it’s worth waiting for†. The pride Paul has for his land, the hope he keeps for progression of his land success, and the strength, physical and emotional he has is great example. Since he is the only one who feels this way between himself and Ellen, he is â€Å"isolated†, as well. Characters, their feeling and actions described a vital role in the contribution towards how they feel about the land.They both individually isolated themselves, as well as isolated together from society because of the phenomena that’s happening. Last, but not least the author uses symbolism. This is meaningful it spread out through the story. The author uses one symbol the help the reader realized how import it truly is. The author uses the lamp, the fact that it is lit at noon show’s that it is constantly dark, and foggy from all the storm, which symbolizes hope and faith the couple has for each other, for a better life, and for their child. The lamp is a very important element in story.Ellen also points out the lamps role†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ desert. The lamp lit at noon†¦Ã¢â‚¬  this quote shows the lingering thread of hope and faith left among the two, away to deal with isolation. Ellen’s sign of fear shows the weakness and defeat which slowly bottles up and explodes in anger later on leaving the house and taking the baby knowing that the bay would not survived. In conclusion, the author ways how not be act with isolation setting beside you, and has done a good job of it. This was created by the characters mood and symbolism that help contribute the way the couple felt about been isolated.

Argument Paper Fast Food

Zinczenko is saying that common sense would say it is personal responsibility to be an active eater and know what you are putting in your mouth. In discussions of fast-food obesity, one controversial issue has been the lack of the nutritional facts. On the one hand people should do research before they eat instead of blaming fast-food places. On the other hand the nutritional facts should be placed on the food itself. In my opinion, personal responsibility should be taken for what you eat because fast-food places are not forcing you to eat their food. For instance common sense says something that is dunked in grease and cooked in five minutes cannot be good for you. Becoming obese from fast-food is the result of no self-control. Grease in itself contains many calories and causes many problems with blood pressure, cholesterol and type two diabetes. Zinczenko states, â€Å"Today According to the National Institutes of Health, type 2 diabetes accounts for at least 30 percent of all new childhood cases of diabetes on this country† (Zinczenko 154). Type 2 diabetes is obesity related and a serious disease. Poulin 2 Common sense tells you eating two meals a day, in a fast-food restaurant, will cause you to gain weight. This unhealthy weight gain tells people that there is a problem to the way they are eating and it is not the washer shrinking their jeans. Instead of walking into McDonalds kids can walk into Subway and try a sandwich that is healthier and cost about the same as the huge meals they can get at McDonalds. There are healthier alternatives that re just as fast and taste as good as burger joints. Although I grant that many people might say there is no way of knowing how many calories are in fast-food meal has because of the lack of nutritional labels, labels are readily available on fast-food websites. The labels would not change the fact that it is personal responsibility to know that something that has been smothered in grease has no nutritional value. On the one hand, I agree with people that labels should be put on fast-food explaining what is in the food. But on the other hand, I still insist that people should do the research if labels are the main concern of nutritional values. Just because people have labels explaining the fat content does not mean they will stop eating the food. This is where personal responsibility needs to come into play. When people find out what really is in the food and the content of fat people need to be active and make the right decision to not add fast-food into their daily diets. Self-control is a huge factor here and people need to take charge, putting themselves in charge of a healthy lifestyle. In the end it is only the consumer who can control what they consume not the companies and blame cannot be put on that one party. Proponents of fast-food restaurants causing obesity are right to argue that the food causes you to gain weight when you eat it regularly, it is cheap, it is easily accessible, and it is catered to children. But they exaggerate when they claim that fast-food is the number one reason for child obesity in the United States. Poulin 3 You can argue that children who sit in front of video games and computers all day long are a huge contributing factor to the obesity rate. Their lack of activity can cause pounds to pile on and that has nothing to do with McDonalds Fast-food. For instance fast-food has always made me feel sick to my stomach. My common sense would tell me that as good as it does taste my body does not like fast-food. When I was younger I gained a lot of weight because I would eat at McDonalds every chance I got. I was unaware that I could be making better choices and choose not to eat it. Kids today are uneducated on how to make healthier choices and live healthier lives with the influences of fast-food. Zinczenko states, â€Å"But most of the teenagers who live, as I once did, on a fast-food diet won’t turn their lives around: They’ve crossed under the golden arches to a likely fate of lifetime obesity† (Zinczenko 154). If the country believes that fast-food is the cause of childhood obesity then why do we still continue to eat it? People need to realize labels are not put on the food because if people really knew what was in the food they would not continue to eat it. Again that is where common sense should tell you that you should not eat fast-food. Although at a first glance People, including young and old, might say that fast-food is the cause of being obese. But on a closer inspection it is really the individuals fault. For example people are so quick to blame fast-food restaurants for making them obese that they jump right to suing the corporation, but are they actually doing something about the obesity. Zinczenko mentions in his article how one meal can contain â€Å"up around 1,040 calories which is half of the government’s recommended daily calorie intake. And that doesn’t take into account the 450-calorie super-size Coke† (Zinczenko 155). The calorie intake should tell anyone that eating this way and especially eating this way twice a day is extremely unhealthy and fattening. People need Poulin 4 to speak up and demand labels. Zinczenko says, â€Å"They would do well to protect themselves, and their customers, by providing the nutrition information people need to make informed choices about their products. Without such warnings, we’ll see more sick, obese children and angrier, litigious parents† (Zinczenko 155). Parents need to be more active in their children’s lives and teach them about healthy life styles that way in the future generations can be much healthier. In conclusion people need to take personal responsibility for their own weight and stop forcing the blame on fast-food corporations. Common sense should tell you that greasy food is not good for you and that it has no nutritional value. Many people can say that labels are the cause of obesity because they are uniformed about what they are eating. Labels are readily available at any fast-food chain and on their websites. People need to speak up and come up with a solution to this issue rather than be part of the problem. Common sense also says that if it is cooked in grease it is a good chance it is covered in fat. People are responsible for their own lives and they need to stop blaming others for their short comings. Ultimately what is at stake here is a healthier generation.

Non-Verbal Communication and Its Types by De Vito Essay

Non-Verbal Communication and Its Types by De Vito - Essay Example My first stop during this observation tour was the most common place where man gathers in order to openly display their non-verbal communication skills and human relationships, the mall. I took my time walking around the building in order to observe men, women, and children and how they interact with one another. What I observed was that the most common human relationship that can be found and observed in the mall is that of varying degrees of friendships. Now DeVito defines friendship as, â€Å"an interpersonal relationship between two persons that is mutually productive and characterized by mutual positive regard† ( 187 ). Almost everyone that I observed arriving in pairs, as a group or meeting other persons at the mall prove the interpersonal relationship of their acquaintance because of the way they react to one another. It is not uncommon to observe these pairs or groups delivering non-verbal assurances of their friendships through their reactions to one another. From a w arm hug, a kiss on the cheek, or even slapping one another on the shoulder all translate into non-verbal communications that prove that they consider each other unique, genuine, and irreplaceable individuals in each other life. But that is not to say that only positive friendships exist at the mall. Once in a while, I also noted the existence of discord between the couples or group individuals. These non-verbal arguments included the raising of an eyebrow as they discuss amongst themselves. The rise of an eyebrow is normally followed by a change in the vocal pitch of the person speaking.

Flood Prevention and Lessons Learned (Cedar Rapids Iowa Flood of 2008) Essay

Flood Prevention and Lessons Learned (Cedar Rapids Iowa Flood of 2008) - Essay Example The floods which were experienced in 2008 in the city of Iowa caused massive damage, farmlands were destroyed businesses were demolished all major social amenities were almost taken to ground and thousands of people who were living in Iowa were left homeless. Millions of dollars’ worth of property was destroyed and lead to the lives being lost and livelihoods being shattered. Floods were later to be categorized as the Fifth major disaster that has ever occurred in the United States and the first in the city of Iowa (Nazoom, 58). When it comes to comparison and categorizing, it takes one back to the flood stories. While giving a comparison between the two floods stories namely the Old Testament and Gilgamesh epic, one gets a great an impression that there are similar occurrences. For some scholars, the similar elements between the two flood stories become perplexing. There are possible things with the two accounts shown by Alexander Heidel. These possibilities are that the Hebr ew story came first then the Babylonian story followed thus copied from the previous. The Hebrew story could therefore have borrowed the ideas from the Babylonians and both stories descended from the common original story of Noah. Since many people are conversant with the original story in the Old Testament, they forget to research on how the genesis story resembles the flood story of Gilgamesh (Sanders, 2003). The two stories are so alike with the main theme of forgiveness being the domineering similarity between the two. The two stories however differ in the events that took place during the floods, which for many seem to be the small details. In the two flood stories, the numbers of event days differ regardless of the basic events taking place in very different ages. Focusing on the flood stories for a minute, It is before 2000 B.C that Gilgamesh flood story got the first publishing while the Old Testament story was in 400 B.C, which came much later than the Gilgamesh flood (Sand ers, 2003). In both stories, God or gods gets annoyed and the Old Testament clearly shows how those who did not follow the correct ways he wanted them to follow annoyed God. The other difference is that there are worshiped gods or God as well as heroes like Noah during this period. When the Gilgamesh story takes place, gods allow existence of half-god and half-human on earth. The other similarity is the number of people saved and the reasons behind the saving after the floods. Having looked at both stories carefully, there is a good man like Noah in the Old Testament and Utnapishtim from Gilgamesh, saved and chosen by either God or gods (Nazoomi, 2005). In the two stories, both men choose to send birds to find the dry land. Both Noah and Utnapishtim are rewarded because they show proper reverence to their gods. Years after the floods in Cedar Rapids took place, the people and the leadership of that area is still trying to recover from the damage that the floods caused their sufferin g. Different policies have been developed since of which some have been accepted and others criticized or rejected. The United States Government offered the City of Cedar Rapids 2 million Dollars to help them after the devastations, but what was actually incurred by the floods was 5Million dollars worth of damages. What it actually meant was that the remaining amount in which the Government did not provide, the people of

Customer and market dynamics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Customer and market dynamics - Essay Example In this period firms have started giving considerable importance to the demands of the consumers. Firms are launching products that are trying to cater the needs of different sections of the consumer markets that have diverse needs and wants. Aspects like variation of product mix are frequently being used by different organizations to understand the exact demands of the consumers and delivering their demands by producing tailor made products to the consumers. In order to achieve success for their product offering it is important to segment the market on the basis of consumer behaviour of the target market segments. According to Loudon consumer behaviour is defined as â€Å"the decision process and physical activity individuals engage in when evaluating, acquiring, using or disposing goods and services† (Loudon, 2001, p.5). ... The UK consumer market has been selected as the consumer market where the product would be launched. The study would cover an extensive analysis of the existing literature so as to prepare a set of plausible recommendations for the firm so as to successfully launch the product in the market. Macro-environmental Factors Political Factors UK or United Kingdom comprises of the Great Britain and Northern Ireland. UK is one of the most developed consumer market of the world. The nation has a constitutional monarchy and is headed by the queen who is closely aided by the Prime Minister and his council of ministers who are elected democratically. The political establishment is one of the most stable political establishments in the nation which ensures development of the nation in all aspects. The administrative wing of the government is divided into the legislative, executive and judiciary wings which control the administration of the nation. The nation firmly believes in the spirit of democ racy and provides considerable fundamental rights to its citizens (CIA, 2011). Economic Factors UK is one of the most economically powerful nations of the world with GDP in terms of official exchange rates stand at $ 2.179 trillion as of 2009. The GDP figures in terms of purchasing power parity stand out at $ 34,200 as of 2009. The services sector has the highest contribution towards the GDP followed by industries and agriculture (CIA, 2011). Social Factors UK represents one of the best consumer markets of the world with population figures of 62,348,447 individuals as of July 2010. The median age of the population is 39.8 years which represents a good market for the product (moisturiser). Approximately 90 percent of the total population

Coursework on Family Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Coursework on Family Law - Essay Example Family law is a diverse field of study. In order to cover the full range of subjects associated with its research, my primary focus is on discussing the impact of such a study on a variety of disciplines affected by its impact: with this aim in mind I have attempted to test a central hypothesis (or research question) which would aid in deciding the course of action for better evaluation of the family law concept. Using established sources for feasibility study (Hasday, 2004; Stark, 2006; Rocher, 2003; Elardo, 2002; Abu-Odeh, 2004), the following research question has been tested in this essay: Family law is dynamic, in a constant state of flux and its mechanisms are governed by the legal traditions in which they are formulated1. In my study, I shall focus on English Common Law as the basis for this methodological evaluation. Doing it would require a detailed grasp of the following evaluation parameters which have been tested for their relevance to our study (see below). 1 Refer the following sources for a comparative analysis of main research parameters covered under study: Hasday, 2004; Stark, 2006; Rocher, 2003; Elardo, 2002; Abu-Odeh, 2004 Literature Review/research parameters: As has been discussed in our evaluation scenario, English Common Law is the basis for understanding the legal traditions within which this area of study operates. Since family law is a diverse concept, the following elements are within the scope of study (Carbonne, 2000; Esposito, 1982; Frier & Ginn, 2004; Sutherland & McCall-Smith, 1990): 1. Entering marriage: Marriage as a contract or a status and their statutory requirements. In this section, we'll mainly look at the main legal requirements of a common law marriage. 2. Legal consequences of marriage (abortion): Pregnancy and abortion are issues that hold a lot of importance to . 3. Changing marriage norms: Here we shall take a look into civil unions covering themes such as same sex marriage, rights/responsibilities and their implications. 4. Conception of children: Controversial concepts such as sterilization and surrogate parenthood are covered under this theme. Also, paternity testing is discussed. 5. Domestic violence and other family disputes: This is an important area of family law in which different ethical constraints are evaluated for common research scope studies. 6. Child supervision: This covers areas such as parental supervision, child abuse and foster care. 7. Adoption: The legal consequences of adoption have been discussed for understanding the dynamic changes brought into the system through an

Battle Royal( Ralph Ellison) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Battle Royal( Ralph Ellison) - Essay Example In the beginning of the chapter, the African American Narrator is praised by the white folks for his speech in satirical terms. But the black man will not relent. He wishes to protect his essential dignity, notwithstanding the fact that the white people are out to ridicule him on all counts. The black narrator is firm about his decision. Instead of avoiding the white men, he wishes to actively associate with them, to prove his worth. But racial segregation continues. Social harmony between the people of black and white races is still a distant dream. Blacks undergo horrific experiences and Ellison has availed the option to make the story full of imagery and satire than come out with statements and statistics. Strange situations are created for the humiliation of the black youngsters. This happens in an all-white men’s club, where a black protagonist of the story, considered to be a brilliant orator, is invited for a speech on cultural issues. A clever plan is hatched to humiliate him and other black youngsters. He is supposed to give a talk on humility but what is the use of talk on such a topic to people devoid of humanity? In the next situation, describing a fight scene in the ring Ellison states, "It was complete anarchy. Everybody fought everybody else. No group fought together for long" (942). This is the broad indicator as for the tactics used by the white people to keep the blacks suppressed, divided and fight amongst

CASE STUDY FOR Analyse the trends of wine, beer and spirits

FOR Analyse the trends of wine, beer and spirits - Case Study Example Wine is the key commodity driving the current growth within the sector of alcoholic beverages, with a growth rate of 3.2%. The spirits market has grown moderately at 1.5%, a growth affiliated to a growing culture of cocktails in the country. The FABs, beer, and cider market in Canada is reaching a saturation point gradually on the account of a growing perception towards beer, viewing it as an old–fashioned drink. There is also increased consciousness about health among the movement of youngsters and consumers which has led towards the consumption of wine. Moreover, the moderation of alcoholic drinks consumption has fueled the trend towards pre-immunization which has increased the demand for low calorie and low alcohol beer in the Canada. The emerging culture of cocktails in the country has benefited the spirits market which has experienced increased sales of tequila, vodka and liquors. In addition, the rising trend in increased pairing of food with alcohol has pushed up the demand for wine and microbreweries in the country. Our drink menu has been created by our  mixologists who are classically  trained. They use the finest ingredients which include house-made fresh fruit and tonic, and house-made ginger beer. House drinks include distinguished tavern standbys, designer cocktails, assorted wines, as well as a wide selection of sipping spirits. Each of the wines in our list is of limited production, prepared in a hands-on manner, and free form over-manipulation. They represent a true sense of authenticity. The ideology goes hand in hand with our culinary creations from our kitchen, focusing on sustainable local, seasonal, and international food sources.  Several hard to find and winery direct bottles from allocated  producers are offered.  There are unique wine brands (both white and red) on offer from different place like California, New Zealand, Australia, Italy, just to mention a few. They are

Service Experience Diary Report (restaurant)- A Assignment

Service Experience Diary Report (restaurant)- A - Assignment Example Through such an analysis, the researcher provides a list of recommendations for improvement of the business scope and activity for Diner’s Eden. I am a 25 year old man who has had post graduate education. I seek high quality dining experience and am primarily health conscious. I live in Manchester city in United Kingdom, which is renowned for its sporting interests and hence, health consciousness. Before eating at the restaurant, I was looking for a fine dining experience and wished to have a continental dinner with authentic cuisine. Although my cuisine preference for the dinner would have been Japanese, I was also willing to look into other Asian preparations. Along with fine dining, I desired for live entertainment at the restaurant, which would help me relax after a long and tiring day at work. Price was not an issue and I was willing to drive for about 60 minutes to arrive at the restaurant of my choice. I looked over the internet and found out that there was a new and upcoming restaurant right in the heart of the city, close to the university area, which was serving Asian preparations. It also had live entertainment facility. Since both my primary objectives had been fulfilled, I chose the restaurant by the name of Diner’s Eden and prepared to visit for the evening. As I entered the restaurant, the red interiors were quite relaxing and the aroma of spices was indeed refreshing. Overall opinion regarding first look of the restaurant was indeed impressive. The waiters were uniformed and dressed in traditional Thai, Chinese and Indian attires separately for each section. The interiors were a mix of Indian, Chinese and Thai cultures with decorative and wall arts, depicting the three different nations. The seating arrangements were a little cluttered as they tried to fit in a large number of people at the dining space. However, the live entertainment system was a separate enclosure, which

Effect of video games on children Essay Example for Free

Effect of video games on children Essay Technology had evolved very fast from generation to generation. Young and adults are both into what we call video games and techie gadgets. Nowadays, we can normally see computers, gaming consoles and etc. at home and in schools. Video games are entertaining and effective motivation for children. They engage them to skillful play depending on the game design. There have even been studies with adults showing that experience with video games is related to better surgical skills. Research also suggests that people can learn iconic, spatial, and visual attention skills from video games. Although this fad benefits to all but on the other hand, it also give negative effects especially to those children who are getting addicted to it. Studies show that children’s video game habits are contributing to the risk factors for health, behavior and poor academic performance. It was also reported that girls and boys play for an average of about 5-13 hrs/ week. Some children spend more hours that what is reported. There were negative effects of video games on childrens physical health, including obesity, video-induced seizures. and postural, muscular and skeletal disorders, such as nerve compression, and carpal tunnel syndrome that were documented by the research. However, these effects are not likely to occur for most children. Parents should be most concerned about two things: the amount of time that children play, and the content of the games that they play. The amount of time that the children play lessens the amount of time and focus allotted for his academics. The content of the games that he/she plays leads to increased physiological arousal, increased aggressive thoughts, increased aggressive feelings, increased aggressive behaviors, and decreased pro-social helping. Children must not spend more than one to two hours per day in front of all electronic screens, including TV, DVDs, videos, video games, and computers (The American Academy of Pediatrics, 2004). Regarding content, educational games are likely to have positive effects and violent games are likely to have negative effects. We must limit them from violent games and introduce to them educational games, consoles and etc. The conclusion that Gentile (2004) drew from the accumulated research is that the question of whether video games are good or bad for children is oversimplified. Playing a violent game for hours every day could decrease school performance, increase aggressive behaviors, and improve visual attention skills. Instead, parents should recognize that video games can have powerful effects on children, and should therefore set limits on the amount and content of games their children play. In this way, we can realize the potential benefits while minimizing the potential harms. Source: http://findarticles. com/p/articles/mi_m0816/is_6_21/ai_n9772319/ Article by: Dr. Douglas Gentile is a developmental psychologist, and is assistant professor of psychology at Iowa State University and the director of research for the National Institute on Media and the Family where he conducts research with children and adults. COPYRIGHT 2004 Pediatrics for Parents, Inc. COPYRIGHT 2005 Gale Group.

Irish Drama Essay Example for Free

Irish Drama Essay In the book â€Å"Blood and Oil: The Dangers and Consequences on America’s Growing Dependence on Imported Petroleum† by Michael T. Klare, he focuses on the growing attention that the natural resource of oil has had and for sometime has been the main focus of just how American foreign policy has been molded to gain, either by force or peace, oil. Klare offers an important look at U. S. national security policy in very turbulent regions of the world where most oil is black gold. The author argues that U. S. foreign and military policy has been increasingly driven by the need to ensure reliable access to foreign oil, especially in the Middle East, and that American foreign oil dependence continues to grow, U. S. forces in increasingly find themselves fighting to defend oil producing regions and supply routes. Klare points out his thesis by documenting the substantial and growing U. S. dependence on foreign oil and the problems it has creat4ed, Klare describes the increasing involvement of the United States in the Middle East since World War II and with the particularly close ties with Saudi Arabia as well as the negative consequences of this involvement has on American security. The authors writes in detail the latest phase of the story by analyzing the energy strategy adopted by the Bush administration in 2001 and how this has only reinforced U. S. dependency on foreign oil with this being especially true in the Persian Golf. Klare goes on to describe the administrations polices toward that region. In chapter five the author discusses the possible prospects for diversifying foreign oil supplies and concluding that this approach offers little hope of reducing U. S. reliance on the Gulf even though it would increase the chances of conflicts in other region. In one description Klare discusses how the U. S. oil dependence may increasingly turn towards conflict with Russia and China. The author summary of what the cost of oil dependency in the final chapter and briefly gives an alternative strategy which would detach our pursuits of energy from security commitments to foreign governments by reducing oil consumption and in the development of alternative energy sources. Michael Klare gives a good argument and shows just what the national security consequences of U. S. foreign oil dependence or consequences that have been overlooked. The theme throughout the book is that American leaders have gone to great lengths to secure oil and has made this a matter of national security to be able to safeguard it through the use of military force. The author well documents his writings with a great number of notes and uses primary sources. The most shocking is the current policies Bush has in place towards the Gulf and how Bush has a very detailed strategy for the American domination of the Persian Gulf for gaining great amounts of oil. This strategy has three goals; the first is the stability of Saudi Arabia, the second was removal of Saddam Hussein and to replace him with a stable government that could give more output for oil and finally pushing Iran for a more stable leadership change. As the lust for oil increases an increase of military response will be seen as a necessary and just cause for wars. Reference: Klare, M. T. (2004). Blood and oil: The dangers and consequences of America’s growing dependency on imported petroleum. New York: Henry Holt.

About Cervical Cancer

About Cervical Cancer Abstract: Cervical cancer is the second most common cause of cancer death in developing countries. The cause of cervical cancer is the human papilloma virus (HPV). Cervical cancer has other risk factors, like: having multiple male sexual partners, starting to have sexual intercourse at an early age, having other sexually transmitted disease, having weak immune system and smoking. Cervical cancer can be prevented by avoiding risk factors and undergoing regular screening tests. The most common methods used in cervical screening are Pap testing and HPV testing. World Health Organization estimated that about 510,000 new cases of cervical cancer were diagnosed yearly. HPV testing is used as a primary screening method in some developed countries. Fewer amounts of tests required and better cost efficiency can be achieved by doing HPV testing first and Pap testing as a second test. Some studies suggested that HPV testing might be the effective cervical screening method and other studies did not suggest that. The study HPV Screening for Cervical Cancer in Rural India indicated that HPV testing was the most objective and reproducible of all other cervical screening tests. It seems to be a good study with well designed methodology and reliable results and conclusions, but it was criticized by R Marshall and Chengquan. They showed clearly that the study marred by test group biases and ethical concerns. More well designed studies are needed to clarify this issue and to show which method is proper to that country or to this geographical area. Introduction: Cervical cancer is the cancer of the lowest part of the uterus, which is known as cervix. Cervical cancer is very slow growing, but in some cases it can grow and spread quickly (Dolinsky Hill-Kayser, 2009). There are many types of cervical cancer. The most common type is called squamous cell carcinoma (figure 1), which found in about 80% of cervical cancer cases, whereas adenocarcinoma is the second most common type of cervical cancer (Dolinsky Hill-Kayser, 2009). Cervical cancer is more common in developing countries than it is in developed countries. It is the second most common cause of cancer death in developing countries. It can affect young women who are 20 years old or some time younger than that (Dolinsky Hill-Kayser, 2009). The cause of cervical cancer is the human papilloma virus (HPV) (figure 2) which was discovered by Harald zur Hausen who won the Nobel Prize in 2008 for this discovery (Nobel Prize organization, 2009). This virus is a sexually transmitted virus. It can cause genital warts which may or may not change to a cervical cancer (Dolinsky Hill-Kayser, 2009). The subtypes of HPV which have been confirmed to cause cervical cancer are 16, 18, 31 and 33 (Murray et al., 1998; Dolinsky Hill-Kayser, 2009). Other researches suggested that subtypes 35 and 45 also can cause cervical cancer (NHS cancer screening programmes, 2009). A woman has HPV infection does not mean that she is going to have a cervical cancer (Dolinsky Hill-Kayser, 2009). Other risk factors for cervical cancer are: having multiple male sexual partners, starting to have sexual intercourse at an early age, having other sexually transmitted disease (herpes, syphilis, gonorrhea or Chlamydia), having weak immune system (HIV, organ transplantation or Hodgkins disease) and smoking (Dolinsky Hill-Kayser, 2009). The early stages of this disease usually do not have any symptoms, but as tumor increase in size, some non-specific symptoms for cervical cancer will occur, like: abnormal bleeding, abnormal vaginal discharge, pelvic or back pain, pain during urination and bloody stool or urine (Dolinsky Hill-Kayser, 2009). Cervical cancer can be diagnosed by Pap testing, HPV testing, liquid-base cytology and by taking a biopsy during Colposcopy. The biopsy is the only way to be sure if the patient has a cervical censer. Radiologic testing may also help in the diagnosing of this disease (Dolinsky Hill-Kayser, 2009). Cervical cancer can be treated by Surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy (Dolinsky Hill-Kayser, 2009). It can be prevented by avoiding risk factors which have been discussed previously and undergoing regular screening tests (Dolinsky Hill-Kayser, 2009). In Islam religion for example, smoking and any sexual relationship not done between wives and husbands (reducing sexually transmitted diseases) are strictly forbidden, this can reduce the chance of having cervical cancer within Muslim societies (Adam, 2009). In addition, male circumcision which is a part of Islam religion has found to be a good factor in cervical cancer prevention as researches have found that the wives of circumcised men have less risk of getting this disease than the wives of uncircumcised (Mission Islam, 2009). Moreover, many countries have started to do cervical cancer screening to diagnose this disease in its early stages. Pap testing (cytological testing), HPV testing and liquid-base cytology can be used in this screening programs which will be discussed later (Kufe et al., 2003; Jamison et al., 2006). Now a day, the vaccine Gardasil is used to prevent cervical cancer in women who are not exposed to HPV (Dolinsky Hill-Kayser, 2009). This study is aimed to discus the importance of HPV screening in the control of cervical cancer and clarifies the most appropriate method for cervical cancer screening. The Global Burden of Cervical Cancer and the Available Methods for Controlling the Disease: Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer among females worldwide with about 493,000 new cases and 274,000 deaths in 2002. Cases occur in developing countries are estimated to be about 83% (Bosch et al., 2009). Thomas Rohan and others stated that opportunities for cervical cancer prevention have been created by our understanding of the cause, particularly the role of HPV infection (Rohan et al., 2003). In addition, World Health Organization estimated that about 510,000 new cases of cervical cancer were diagnosed yearly. In Africa, about 68,000 new cases are reported every year, whereas 77,000 new cases are reported in Latin America and 245,000 in Asia (Pagliusi, 2009). In United Kingdom, about 25.51 millions females who are 15 years old are at risk of having a cervical cancer during their life. This kind of cancer is ranked as the 11th most common cancer in females in UK and the 2nd most common cancer in females between 15 and 44 years old. In addition, about 8.9% of females in the population of UK are estimated to have HPV infection at a given time. Currently in UK, it is estimated that about 3181 females are reported with a cervical cancer yearly and about 1529 deaths (Bosch et al., 2009). Many researches suggested that the decline in incidence and mortality of cervical cancer which have been observed in the last 50 years in developed countries can be related to the introduction of screening programs (Kufe et al., 2003). The most common methods used in cervical screening are Pap (cytological) testing and HPV testing (Kufe et al., 2003). The most widely used method in the world is the Pap testing. This method is simple, cheap and some times is used as a secondary screening method. It basically involves exfoliating epithelial cells collection from the squamocolumnar junction of cervix or transformation zone (Walker et al., 1990; Kufe et al., 2003). In addition, HPV testing is used as a primary screening method in some developed countries. It is used mostly to distinguish between a high risk women group and others (Kufe et al., 2003). The study of Joakim Dillner and others suggested that HPV testing as a screening method is safe and effective when it is done every six years (Dillner et al., 2008) and it should be done for women who are 30 years old or older because they are typically past the peak age of self-limited infection (Castle, 2008). HPV DNA testing might be a more clinically effective method than cervical smear, but its specificity is low because it could lead to unnecessary repeated screening and follow up (Nelson (I), 2009). Fewer amounts of tests required and better cost efficiency can be achieved by doing HPV testing first and Pap testing as a second test (Medscape Medical News, 2009; Nelson (I), 2009). Existing Randomized Controlled Trails Investigating the Use of HPV Testing in the Control of Cervical Cancer: Many randomized controlled trails have been done to investigate the use of HPV testing in the control of cervical cancer. Some studies suggested that HPV testing might be the effective cervical cancer screening method (Grce and Davies, 2008; Rebar, 2008; Nelson (II), 2009). On the other hand, other studies suggested that HPV testing does not improve cervical cancer screening (Brown, 2009; NHS cancer screening programs, 2009). In Italy, the second recruitment phase of the study titled: New Technologies for Cervical Cancer Screening (NTCC), women to conventional cytology (24,661 women) with referral to colposcopy if cytology indicated a typical squamous cells of undetermined significance or more sever abnormality or to HPV DNA testing alone by Hybrid Capture 2 (24,535 women) with referral to colposcopy if the test was positive at a concentration of HPV DNA 1 pg/mL or greater were randomly assigned. It has been concluded that HPV testing with a cutoff of 2 pg/mL achieves a substantial gain in sensitivity compared to cytology with only a small reduction in Positive Predictive Value among a group of women aged 35 to 60 years. In contrast, for women aged 25 to 34 years, it is suggested that there is a frequent regression of CIN2+ that is detected by direct referral of younger HPV testing-positive women to colposcopy as a result of the large relative sensitivity of HPV testing compared with conventional cytology (Ronco et al., 2008). In addition, the results from a 6-year prospective study in Rural China demonstrated that a single oncogenic HPV DNA testing is more effective than cytology in predicting future CIN2+ status (Shi et al., 2009). The study Human Papillomavirus DNA versus Papanicolaou Screening Tests for Cervical Cancer which was done in Canada, conducted a randomized trial comparing the two methods, found that HPV testing has greater sensitivity than Pap testing for the detection of cervical intra-epithelial neoplasia (Mayrand et al., 2007). The Population Based Screening Study Amsterdam (POBASCAM) which is a population based randomized controlled trial for implementation of hrHPV testing by GP5+/6+ PCR-enzyme immunoassay (EIA) with a classical cytology as a control group was done between January 1999 and September 2002. It was done among 44,102 women aged between 29 and 61 who participated in the regular Dutch screening program. This study (POBASCAM) indicated that large scale hrHPV testing is accepted by both participating women and general practitioners, is practically feasible and yield highly reproducible results (Bulkmans et al., 2004). In 1997, a 10-year study Randomized Controlled Trial of Human Papillomavirus Testing in Primary Cervical Cancer Screening (SWEDESCREEN) was started. This study aimed to investigate whether HPV-based cervical cancer screening which is known to increase sensitivity for detection of high grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) is represent overdiagnosis or a protective effect. It included 12,527 women aged between 32 and 38 years and were randomized (1:1) to HPV testing and cytology testing (intervention arm) or cytology only (control arm). Its conclusion indicated that HPV testing with a cytology testing is more sensitive than cytology testing alone (U.S. National Institute of Health, 2009). In another study, titled Randomized Controlled Trial of Human Papillomavirus Testing Versus Pap Cytology in the Screening for Cervical Cancer Precursors, the Canadian Cervical Cancer Screening Trial (CCCaST), randomized women aged between 30 and 69 years were categorized in to Pap testing group and HPV testing group. The findings at recruitment phase of this study indicated that HPV testing is more sensitivity and less specificity than Pap cytology testing (Mayrand et al., 2006). An Overview on the Methodology, Results and Conclusions of the Study: HPV Screening for Cervical Cancer in Rural India: Rengaswamy and others began their study HPV Screening for Cervical Cancer in Rural India in 1999 and finished after 8 years. In this study, 52 clusters of villages with a total of 131,746 healthy women aged between 30 and 59 years were randomly assigned to 4 groups of 13 clusters each. These groups assigned to go through screening by: HPV testing group (34,126 women) (27,192 were screened and 2812 (10.3%) had positive results). Cytology testing group (32,058 women) (25,549 were screened and 1787 (7.0%) had positive results). Visual Inspection of the Cervix with Acetic Acid (VIA) group (34,074 women) (26,765 were screened and 3733 (13.9%) had positive results). Standard care group (control) (31,488 women) (not offered screening but were advised on how to seek screening) (only 1946 (6.2%) requested screening and that means (93.8%) stayed without screening. Women who had positive results went through colposcopy and biopsies were taken and those with cervical precancerous lesions or cancer received appropriate treatment (Sankaranarayanan et al., 2009). The results of this study showed that:   In HPV testing group: cervical cancer was diagnosed in 127 women and 34 deaths occurred. In Cytology testing group: cervical cancer was diagnosed in 152 women and 54 deaths occurred. In VIA group: cervical cancer was diagnosed in 157 women and 56 deaths occurred. In Control group: cervical cancer was diagnosed in 118 women and 64 deaths occurred. In addition, this study indicated that of the 131,806 women, 60 died or migrated before the study began. The study groups were equally distributed in terms of household type, religion, occupation, marital status and number of pregnancies. The well balanced study will help to remove any biases to any group of the study. The results of this study showed also: Invasive cervical cancer developed in 8 (0.033%) of 24,380 HPV negative results women. Invasive cervical cancer developed in 22 (0.093%) of 23,762 cytology negative results women. Invasive cervical cancer developed in 25 (0.109%) of 23,032 VIA negative results women (Sankaranarayanan et al., 2009). The protocol of this study was reviewed and approved by the scientific and ethical review committees of the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), the Tata Memorial Center (TMC) and the Nargis Dutt Memorial Cancer Hospital (NDMCH). It was supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation through the Alliance for Cervical Cancer Prevention (Sankaranarayanan et al., 2009). This study concluded that a single round of HPV testing was associated with a significant decline in the rate of advanced cervical cancers and associated deaths compared with the unscreened control group, whereas there was no significant reduction in the rate of death in either the cytology testing or the VIA group compared with the control group. Previous conclusions indicated that HPV testing was the most objective and reproducible of all other cervical screening tests (Sankaranarayanan et al., 2009). This study seems to be a good one with well designed methodology and reliable results and conclusions, but it is clear that about 93.8% of the control group did not do any cervical screening during the 8 years which may raised an ethical issue might affecting the approval of this study if it was done in different country. Further more, the courses and training period given to different staffs who participated in this study may be not enough to give them good experience in order to have less chance of error during the diagnosis. An Overview on the Criticizing Article Titled: Test Group Biases and Ethical Concerns Mar New England Journal of Medicine Articles Promoting HPV Screening for Cervical Cancer in Rural India:   A few months after the publication of previous study, R Marshall and Chengquan had criticized it. They suggested that unexpected biases might have occurred in some of the test groups of the study. The study stated that the positive predictive value for detecting CIN 2-3 was 19.3% in the cytology testing group, higher than 11.3% in the HPV testing group and the study results indicated that essentially the same number of cervical cancers was detected after positive screening test results in the cytology group (88 women) and in the HPV group (87 women) (Austin Zhao, 2009). Also, they observed that in the report of 2005, this study indicated that the detection rates of HPV testing did not show any improvement over cytology, but its conclusion of 2009 indicated different findings (Austin Zhao, 2009). I think this is not a problem as findings and conclusions of scientific studies usually change over time. In addition, of 54 cervical cancers related deaths in the cytology group, 27 deaths were in the assigned but not screened group and another 18 deaths were in patients who had abnormal cytology results. In HPV group, 19% fewer cervical cancer deaths (22 women) were in the assigned but not screened group and 33% fewer deaths (12 women) occurred in women with abnormal HPV testing results. These data supported the hypothesis that biases were introduced in the study groups. (Austin Zhao, 2009). I think it is possibly true, because these data can show that the follow up and treatments were not equally effective in the two groups. So, even when cytological detection is successful, women can still die from cervical cancer due to inappropriate management. In addition, these data also can show that the effectiveness of cytology as a cervical screening method is depended on its acceptance by women.   R Marshall and Chengquan have raised questions about the partnership between AACPs coordinating organization and the HPV test manufacturer (Austin Zhao, 2009). I think this partnership if it is real, it can affect the final results and conclusion in way that show the advantages of HPV testing in order to increase the income of the manufacture. Also they stated that it is not fare to allow a large number of control group to go without any screening during the study (Austin Zhao, 2009). I think it is true that it is not fare to leave women in the control group without any screening and this can lead to ethical concerns. In addition, cytology screeners were trained for only three months, which was very short period. They concluded that cytology screening is better than HPV screening according to the results of the previous study (Austin Zhao, 2009). In my opinion, the criticizing letter might be in the correct direction. From a brief reading and viewing of the study, the reader might believe that its finding indicated that HPV testing as a cervical cancer screening method is better than other tests, but deep reading will show him the limitation errors of this study which were firstly published by R Marshal and Chengquan. They showed clearly that the study marred by test group biases and ethical concerns. The study might try to cover and exclude some facts which can show that cytology testing was better than HPV testing. Use or Not to Use HPV Testing as a Primary Screening Test for Cervical Neoplasia: It has been argued that HPV testing is the best method for cervical cancer primary screening. I think that HPV testing is a good method to be used in cervical cancer primary screening in developing countries as well as in developed countries to reduce the incidence and mortality rates of cervical cancer. Studies which concluded that HPV testing is better than cytology testing are more than those which showed the opposite. The high cost of HPV testing can be overcome by the support of WHO and privet sector companies in these developing countries. Also, the high cost of HPV testing can be overcome by the selective use of HPV testing, e.g. in the over 30s. Many studies suggested that Human Papillomavirus is found in most of cervical cancer cases if not all. So, the use of HPV DNA testing in a well designed screening program may help in diagnosis early stages of cervical cancer, giving better chance for treatment compared with Pap testing which may give false negative results.   Ã‚   In conclusion, it is clear that different results and findings were gathered from different studies which try to find the proper method for cervical cancer screening. These differences may be occurred because the studies done in different countries. And is it known that each country has its own geography, rate of mortality, rate of incidence and other factors which may affect the burden of cervical cancer disease. So, more well designed studies are needed to clarify this issue and to show which method is proper to that country or to this geographical area in order to save womens lives. References: Adam, A. (2009), Sexually Transmitted Diseases and Islam. Kuwait.   Available from: http://www.islamset.com/hip/anvir_adam.html [Accessed 30-11-2009]. Austin, R. M., Zhao, C. (2009), Test group biases and ethical concerns mar New England Journal of Medicine articles promoting HPV screening for cervical cancer in rural India. CytoJournal, 6 (12), pp. 1-5. Bosch, F. X., Castellsague, X., Sanjose, S., Alarcon, F., Albero, G., Bruni, L., Ferrer, E., Louie, K. S., Miralles, C., Monfulleda, N., Munoz, J., Perez, S., Rajo, C., Roura, E. (2009), Human papillomavirus and related cancers. United Kingdom, WHO/ICO Information Centre on HPV and Cervical Cancer.   Available from: http://apps.who.int/hpvcentre/statistics/dynamic/ico/country_pdf/GBR.pdf?CFID=278048CFTOKEN=18959369 [Accessed 1-12-2009]. Brown, A. J. (2009), HPV testing does not improve cervical cancer screening. The Lancet Oncology, 16 (52), pp. 02 -0400. Bulkmans, N. W. J., Rozendaal, L., Snijders, P. J. F., Voorhorst, F. J., Boeke, A. J., Zandwijken, G. R., van Kemenade, F. J., Verheijen, R. H., Groningen, K., Boon, M. E., Keuning, H. J., van Ballegooijen, M., van den Brule, A. J., Meijer, C. J. L. M. (2004), POBASCAM, a population-based randomized controlled trial for implementation of high-risk HPV testing in cervical screening: design, methods and baseline data of 44,102 women. International Journal of Cancer, 110, pp. 94-101. Castle, P. E. (2008), Invited commentary: is monitoring of human papillomavirus infection for viral persistence ready for use in cervical cancer screening. American Journal of Epidemiology, 168 (2), pp. 138-144. Dillner, J., Rebolj, M., Birembaut, P., Petry, K. U., Szarewski, A., Munk, C., Sanjose, S., Naucler, P., Lloveras, B., Kjaer, S., Cuzick, J., Ballegooijen, M., Clavel, C., Iftner, T. (2008), Long term predictive values of cytology and human papillomavirus testing in cervical cancer screening: joint European cohort study. British Medical Journal, 337 (1754), p. a1754. Dolinsky, C., Hill-Kayser, C. (2009), Cervical Cancer: The Basics. United States of America, Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania. Available from: http://www.oncolink.org/types/article.cfm?c=6s=17ss=129id=8226p=1 [Accessed 30-11-2009]. Grce, M., Davies, P. (2008), Human papillomavirus testing for primary cervical cancer screening. Expert Review of Molecular Diagnostics, 8 (5), pp. 599-605. Jamison, D. T., Breman, J. G., Measham, A. R., Alleyne, G., Claeson, M., Evans, D. B., Jha, P., Mills, A., Musgrove, P. (eds.) (2006), Disease Control Priorities in Developing Countries.   Washington: The World Bank and Oxford University Press. Kufe, D. W., Pollock, R. E., Weichselbaum, R. R., Bast, R. C., Gansler, T. S., Holland, J. F., Frei III, E. (eds.) (2003), Cancer Medicine. Canada: BC Decker Inc. Mayrand, M. H., Duarte-Franco, E., Coutlee, F., Rodrigues, I., Walter, S. D., Ratnam, S., Franco, E. L. (2006), Randomized controlled trial of human papillomavirus testing versus Pap cytology in the primary screening for cervical cancer precursors: Design, methods and preliminary accrual results of the Canadian cervical cancer screening trial (CCCaST). International Journal of Cancer, 119 (3), pp. 615-23. Mayrand, M. H., Duarte-Franco, E., Rodrigues, I., Walter, S. D., Hanley, J., Ferenczy, A., Ratnam, S., Coutlà ©e, F., Franco, E. L. (2007), Human papillomavirus DNA versus papanicolaou screening tests for cervical cancer. New England journal of Medicine, 357, pp. 1579-1588. Medscape Medical News. (2009), UK Government Announces Initial Adoption of HPV Testing. United States of America. Available from: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/411529 [Accessed 30-11-2009]. Mission Islam. (2009), Male Circumcision in Islam. Available from: http://www.missionislam.com/health/circumcisionislam.html [Accessed 30-11-2009]. Murray, P. R., Rosenthal, K. S., Kobayahsi, G. S., Pfaller, M. A. (1998), Medical Microbiology. London: Mosby. Nelson (I), R. (2009), HPV testing followed by cytology triage improves cervical cancer screening. Journal of the National Cancer Institute, 101, pp. 88-99. Nelson (II), R. (2009), HPV testing most successful method for cervical cancer screening in developing countries. The New England Journal of Medicine, 360, pp. 1385-1394. NHS cancer screening programmes. (2009), Human Papilloma virus. United Kingdom. Available from: http://www.cancerscreening.nhs.uk/cervical/hpv.html [Accessed 30-11-2009]. Nobel Prize organization. (2009), The Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine 2008. United States of America. Available from: http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/medicine/laureates/2008/press.html [Accessed 10-12-2009]. Pagliusi, S. (2009), Initiative for Vaccine Research. Switzerland, WHO.  Ã‚   Available from: http://www.who.int/vaccine_research/diseases/hpv/en/ [Accessed 1-12-2009]. Rebar, R. W. (2008), HPV testing improves yield of cervical cancer screening. Journal Watch, 7 (11). Rohan, T. E., Burk, R. D., Franco, E. L. (2003), Toward a reduction of the global burden of cervical cancer. American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 189 (4), pp. S37-S39. Ronco, G., Giorgi-Rossi, P., Carozzi, F., Confortini, M., Palma, P. D., Mistro, A. D., Gillio-Tos, A., Minucci, D., Naldoni, C., Rizzolo, R., Schincaglia, P., Volante, R., Zappa, M., Zorzi, M., Cuzick, J., Segnan, N. (2008), Results at recruitment from a randomized controlled trial comparing human papillomavirus testing alone with conventional cytology as the primary cervical cancer screening test. Journal of the National Cancer Institute, 100 (7), pp. 492-501. Sankaranarayanan, R., Nene, B. M., Shastri, S. S., Jayant, K., Muwonge, R., Budukh, A. M., Hingmire, S., Malvi, S. G., Thorat, R., Kothari, A., Chinoy, R., Kelkar, R., Kane, S., Desai, S., Keskar, V. R., Rajeshwarkar, R., Panse, N., Dinshaw, K. A. (2009), HPV screening for cervical cancer in rural India. The New England Journal of Medicine. 360 (14), pp. 1385-94. Shi, J. F., Belinson, J. L., Zhao, F. H., Pretorius, R. G., Li, J., Ma, J. F., Chen, F., Xiang, W., Pan, Q. J., Zhang, X., Zhang, W. H., Qiao, Y. L., Smith, J. S. (2009), Human Papillomavirus Testing for Cervical Cancer Screening: Results From a 6-Year Prospective Study in Rural China. American Journal of Epidemiology, 170 (6), pp. 708-716. Stephens, J. (2010), Therapy Analysis Human papillomavirus. United Kingdom, Pharmaprojects. Available from: http://www.pharmaprojects.com/therapy_analysis/hpv_1009.htm [Accessed 10-1-2010]. U.S. National Institute of Health. (2009), Randomized controlled trial of human papillomavirus testing in primary cervical cancer screening (SWEDESCREEN). United States of America. Available from: http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00479375 [Accessed 1-12-2009]. Walker, H.K., Hall, W.D., Hurst, J.W. (eds.) (1990), Clinical Methods: The History, Physical, and Laboratory Examinations. Stoneham: Butterworth Publishers. Zmuida, C. (2009), Cervical cancer FAQs. United States of America. Available from: http://www.ehow.com/about_5378940_cervical-cancer-faqs.html [Accessed 10-12-2009].

Sleep and Dream :: essays research papers

Sleep and Dreams Sleep is a behavioral state characterized by little physical activity and almost no awareness of the outside world. Sleep is actually made up of two separate and distinctly different states called REM sleep (rapid eye movement) and NREM sleep (non-rapid eye movement). With NREM sleep it is further divided into stage 1-4 based on the size and the speed of the brain waves. Step one is the stage when you drift off to sleep or doze off. For example people doze off in class because you are bored and have nothing to do but listen to the teacher talk. Some parents may call it a cat nape when their kids go to sleep for about ten minutes or so. The second stage is called an intermediate stage of sleep. That is when the sleeper will gradually descend deeper into sleep, becoming more and more detached from the outside world and progressively more difficult to awaken. Stage three is the beginning of deep sleep, occurring about thirty to forty five minutes after you first fall asleep. The deepest sleep occurs in Stage four. Stage three and four has the biggest and slowest brain wave. REM sleep, a mentally active period during which dreaming occurs, provided a biological explanation for this phenomenon. Scientists found that brain activity during REM sleep begins in the pons, a structure in the brainstem, and neighboring midbrain regions. The pons sends signals to the thalamus and to the cerebral cortex, which is responsible for most thought processes. There are several myths about sleep. For one, how much sleep a person should get? According to our text book people should sleep for at least eight hours to maintain sound mental and physical health. But every one doesn’t get the chance to slee p for that amount of time. There is no normal amount of time you should sleep. Everyone is not the same. For one I might sleep for five hours and feel refreshed enough to work another shift. Other hand my cousin might need more then eight hours of sleep to feel refreshed. Another myth is that you can learn complicated things, like a new language, while you are sleep. Personally no, because the only way you can learn something is to be awake. When a person fall to sleep while listening to a cd player or tape player while they are sleeping they are not going to hear what is said when they are in a deep sleep. Sleep and Dream :: essays research papers Sleep and Dreams Sleep is a behavioral state characterized by little physical activity and almost no awareness of the outside world. Sleep is actually made up of two separate and distinctly different states called REM sleep (rapid eye movement) and NREM sleep (non-rapid eye movement). With NREM sleep it is further divided into stage 1-4 based on the size and the speed of the brain waves. Step one is the stage when you drift off to sleep or doze off. For example people doze off in class because you are bored and have nothing to do but listen to the teacher talk. Some parents may call it a cat nape when their kids go to sleep for about ten minutes or so. The second stage is called an intermediate stage of sleep. That is when the sleeper will gradually descend deeper into sleep, becoming more and more detached from the outside world and progressively more difficult to awaken. Stage three is the beginning of deep sleep, occurring about thirty to forty five minutes after you first fall asleep. The deepest sleep occurs in Stage four. Stage three and four has the biggest and slowest brain wave. REM sleep, a mentally active period during which dreaming occurs, provided a biological explanation for this phenomenon. Scientists found that brain activity during REM sleep begins in the pons, a structure in the brainstem, and neighboring midbrain regions. The pons sends signals to the thalamus and to the cerebral cortex, which is responsible for most thought processes. There are several myths about sleep. For one, how much sleep a person should get? According to our text book people should sleep for at least eight hours to maintain sound mental and physical health. But every one doesn’t get the chance to slee p for that amount of time. There is no normal amount of time you should sleep. Everyone is not the same. For one I might sleep for five hours and feel refreshed enough to work another shift. Other hand my cousin might need more then eight hours of sleep to feel refreshed. Another myth is that you can learn complicated things, like a new language, while you are sleep. Personally no, because the only way you can learn something is to be awake. When a person fall to sleep while listening to a cd player or tape player while they are sleeping they are not going to hear what is said when they are in a deep sleep.

Speech of How to Make Choices :: essays research papers

Every moment in one?s life should not be passed by, but cherished as if it were to be the last moment they live. Taking time to think about the next step in your life is cherishing your life. The choice made in every moment of life will end up affecting you good or bad. One needs to realize that they need to think two steps ahead instead of one and end up falling behind. That is why I have taken the liberty to measure the pros and cons of a tremendous decision about to be made. In this presentation, you will find that I have given much thought into this choice. Just because I get more goods than bad or vice versa, does not mean I did not follow my heart, choosing the decision that will make me happy. Many may not agree with my choice, but I came to realize and thought to myself that ?You know what, that?s not my problem.? There may be consequences to life?s decisions, but we all can learn from mistakes, only mistakes, never regret. If you know how to make good decisions then you can write your life. It takes making the decision to do so on a consistent basis. First, I considered the consequences of my actions. I let long term goals overshadow the thrill of short-term benefits. I have written down on a piece of paper both the short-term and long- term benefits and the short-term and long-term consequences of any action. I took the necessary time I needed to think this decision out to its conclusion. This does not mean procrastinate. That will put me in danger of not controlling my life and/or my business. I will not be able to steer either to the desired outcome. I asked about the benefits and drawbacks that they have experienced. It is important to keep in mind that although others may give advice it is still my task to make a final decision and you must bear the responsibility of it.

Eliots Inferiority Exposed in Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock and Sweeney Among the :: Love Song J. Alfred Prufrock

Eliot's Inferiority Exposed in Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock and Sweeney Among the Nightingales "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" tells the story of a single character, a timid, middle-aged man. Prufrock is talking or thinking to himself. The epigraph, a dramatic speech taken from Dante's "Inferno," provides a key to Prufrock's nature. Like Dante's character Prufrock is in "hell," in this case a hell of his own feelings. He is both the "you and I" of line one, pacing the city's grimy streets on his lonely walk. He observes the foggy evening settling down on him. Growing more and more hesitant he postpones the moment of his decision by telling himself "And indeed there will be time." Prufrock is aware of his monotonous routines and is frustrated, "I have measured out my life with coffee spoons":. He contemplates the aimless pattern of his divided and solitary self. He is a lover, yet he is unable to declare his love. Should a middle-aged man even think of making a proposal of love? "Do I dare/Disturb the universe?" he asks. Prufrock knows the women in the saloons "known them all" and he presumes how they classify him and he feels he deserves the classification, because he has put on a face other than his own. "To prepare a face to meet the faces that you meet." He has always done what he was socially supposed to do, instead of yielding to his own natural feelings. He wrestles with his desires to change his world and with his fear of their rejection. He imagines how foolish he would feel if he were to make his proposal only to discover that the woman had never thought of him as a possible lover; he imagines her brisk, cruel response; "That is not what I meant, at all." He imagines that she will want his head on a platter and they did with the prophet John the Baptist. He also fears the ridicule and snickers of other men when she rejects him. Prufrock imagines "And would it have been worth it, after all," and if she did not reject him it would bring him back to life and he could say

What Kind of a Learner I Am

Throughout life everyone learns. How we learn and whether we are able to retain and recall that information is the problematic part. The way we absorb, analyze, and retain information is what makes each individual unique. What is successful for one individual may not be the most optimal way of learning for someone else. Therefore, everybody has a preferred learning style. Knowing and understanding our learning style helps us to learn more effectively. Through identifying our learning style, we will be able to capitalize on our strengths and improve our self-advocacy skills. For example, I am visual type of a learner. For me it is better to read something to memorize it and then it is easier for me to recall that information. I think this method is helping me a lot through my life because such a way I can use my advantage everywhere where it is possible. As concerns studying, I can pertain myself to 3 types: instrumental, achievement-oriented, and intrinsic. I am studying because it is interesting, but at the same time I want that my efforts were appreciated with a help of good grades and by getting a good job. One of the basic skills for success in the knowledge society is the ability to learn. With increasingly rapid changes in the work place, people must learn to learn in order that they can maintain their full and continued participation in a society. In conclusion, I can say that we all have elements of each learning style. But the truth is that one or two types stand out in each of us. Having determined which style of learner you are, and figure out ways to incorporate that learning style into your studying process. I will continue to encourage myself to figure out alternative styles, and try to bring each type into my life.

Impact of Cuban Trade Embargo

The Impact of the Cuban business deal trade stoppage By Natalie tam-tam 2/25/09 pic Inter realmal problem Law BLAW 4320 pic Cuba, the largest island nation in the Caribbean on the moreoverton guildty miles off the coast of Florida, experient m each difficult struggles by dint of its blanket(a) history. It was the last major Spanish habituation to gain indep stopence, following a long struggle that was begun in 1868. It was in 1898 when the U. S. intervened during the Spanish-the Statesn war that it at long last all in all overthrew Spanish rule. The Treaty of genus Paris established Cuban indep residualence, which was granted in 1902 after a trio-year enactment period.The unite States and Cuba concluded a Treaty of trans achievement in 1934, which, among bracing(prenominal) things, continued the 1903 agreements that hired the Guantanamo Bay naval base to the descend together States (CIA earthly c at a timern Factbook). In the time ahead 1959, the unify State s had maintained strong ties with Cuba. more Ameri bay windows had m whatever non-homogeneous ancestry enthronements thither, and the dry land was a special place for tourists from or so the military personnelness. Since the wane of the U. S. -supported dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista in 1959, it was Fidel Castro who has in the main led Cuba end-to-end the years.It was in Febuary 19, 2008 when Fidel Castro finally ceded power to his brformer(a) Raul Castro. Since the absolute majority of Cubans were born(p) after the 1959 revolution, most of the Cuban volume commit grapplen no otherwise leader. hot seat Fidel Castro outlasted no fewer than nine American presidents since he took power in 1959 (Castro visibleness). Relations amidst the conjoind States and Cuba deteriorated rapidly as Fidel Castro and the Cuban regime locomote toward the donance of the unrivalled-party communist system. Cuba seized the assets of American citizens and U. S. irms including farms , factories, hotels, bank accounts, and real estate without compensation. It was finally on April 16, 1961 when Fidel Castro decl bed Cuba a socialistic state. Cubas communist revolution, with Soviet support, was brought to other countries end-to-end Latin America and Africa during the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. Castro maintained constraining relations with the Soviet man and wife and recreateed conjointly with the goals of Soviet communism by keep and provoking violent rebellious activities, as swell up as using troops intervention in other countries, until the fall of the U.S. S. R. in 1991 (Castro Profile). In response, the United States compel an censor on Cuba in October 1960, and, stone-broke diplomatical relations on January 3, 1961. This began the over forty-year period of tension in the midst of the U. S. and Cuba, start out with hot seat Kennedys failed Bay of Pigs assault in 1963 and the Cuban Missile Crises (CIA ball Factbook). Since 1961, Cuba portrayed m approximately(prenominal) difficulties as the reply of the U. S. censor and the trade stoppage had a spacious effect on some(prenominal)(prenominal) nations.It was in 1963 that the United States passed the Cuban Assets project Regulations, downstairs the authority of the Trading with the Enemy suffice. The phone piece was enacted in 1917 to ricochet craftsmanship with countries that argon hostile to the United States. The legislation gives the president the power to oversee or restrict any or all calling between the U. S. and its enemies in times of war. The utilisation of the rightfulness was to iso after-hours Cuba economicalally and policy-makingly. It illegalize all mess and financial proceeding between Cuba and the U. S. , and froze all U. S. held assets of the Cuban organization and of private Cuban citizens. It excessively out(p) almost all fail to Cuba by re look toers, student groups, journalists, athletes, and those inciteing to see warm fa mily members (Schaffer 268). After the fall of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s, the U. S. Congress treasured to pressure Cuba for democratic change. First in 1992, the U. S. Congress approved the Cuban body politic Act, restricting Americans from visiting the island, banning family remittances, and prohibiting unusual subsidiaries of U. S. ompanies from doing task with Cuba. Following a few years later, on March 12, 1996, President Bill Clinton signed the Cuban indecorousness and antiauthoritarian Solidarity Act, overly called the Helms-Burton Act. After this honor was signed, it further toughened the Cuban sanctions. It oblige penalties on contrary companies doing business in Cuba, it permitted U. S. citizens to file law of naturesuits against remote investors who made enforce of the American-owned property that was seized after 1959 by the Cuban authorities, and it denied an intro visa into the U. S. to such international investors.It was a truly polemical b ecause this entangle galore(postnominal) Mexican, Canadian, and European businessmen who did business in Cuba (268). The passage of the Helm-Burton Act caused a worldwide protest, primarily in Mexico, Canada, and the European Union, who argued that the Helm-Burton Act violated international law. A protest was filed with the World Trade constitution by the European Union, but was hang up when the Clinton Administration reassured that the law for visa restrictions chthonian Title III of the Helm-Burton Act would non be enforced against citizens in third world countries.The Act calls for the trade sanctions between the U. S. and Cuba to end as concisely as Cuba agrees to feature a democratically elected presidential term, abide by man rights conventions, opens its prisons to international inspection, damagess Cuban citizenship to Cuban exiles sustenance in the U. S. , and makes progress in return expropriated property to its rightful owners (268). To mean solar twenty-fou r hours, in that location ar more laws, rules, and regulations that derived from the U. S. sanctions against Cuba. Pre directly, most commercial imports from Cuba atomic number 18 illegal by law but remain listed infra the Trade Sanctions crystallize and Export Enhancement Act of 2000 (TSRA). at a lower place the Act, the sale of true items, including medicine and medical examination examination supplies, and rustic commodities devour been approved for export by proper(postnominal) regulations. fit in to the Act, The division of the Treasury is responsible in leave behind licenses that argon used to export these goods on a case-by-case scenario and authorizing Cuban travel-related proceeding that ar whole relating to marketing, sales negotiation, come with deli actually, and servicing of exports and re-exports that to a fault mustiness step up in line with the licensing policy of the subdivision of Commerce (U. S.Treasury part). The only sectors in which U. S. citizens may sell and service products to Cuba accommodate clownish commodities, medicine, and medical devices. The Treasury incision leave behind is withal be open to consider requests for specific licenses for add-on travel, educational exchanges (that atomic number 18 at least 10 weeks in length), and religious activities by individuals or groups that be associated with a religious organization. However, any U. S. citizen or corporation that is subject to U. S. law and engages in any travel-related transaction in Cuba violates the regulations.The Act specifically states that, The Cuban Assets Control Regulations affects all U. S. citizens and permanent residents wherever they are located, all state and organizations physically in the United States, and all branches and subsidiaries of U. S. organizations throughout the world (U. S. Treasury Department). If the regulations are not followed, therefore it may result in both civil penalties and criminal prosecution upo n return to the United States (U. S. Treasury Department). Today, traveling to Cuba also has legion(predicate) rules and laws that make traveling to the Cuba very complex.In 2004, President Bushs Commission for Assistance to a forgo Cuba placed a further simplification on the restrictions on family visits to Cuba. Visits by Cuban Americans to family in Cuba are permitted only once every 3 years quite of once every year. No humanitarian exceptions are given if there is any of a family illness or crisis button on in Cuba. Visits are cut back to devil weeks and strictly limited to fast family as defined by the U. S. Department of Treasurys Office of irrelevant Assets Control (OFAC), which eliminates the right to visit cousins, aunts, uncles, nephews, nieces, or more distant relatives (LAWG).Only if a traveler receives a license, and then a valid passport allow be required for entry into Cuba. The Cuban political science requires that travelers obtain their visas before they arrive to the sphere. If there are attempts to enter or overtake Cuba lawlessly, or there is in any kind of aid in serving Cuban nationals or others grapple Cuba then punishment is served by stiff toss away terms. Entering Cuban territory, territorial waters or airspace, which implicate being in spite of appearance 12 miles of the Cuban coast, without any forward permission from the Cuban government may result in arrest or other enforcement actions by Cuban authorities. harmonise to the U. S. Department of State, most immigration violators are subject to prison terms that pose from four years for illegal entry or exit to as some(prenominal) as 30 years for certain cases of assisting Cuban migrants to attempt to leave Cuba illegally (U. S. Department of State). Family remittances or gold sent to Cuba also name specific rules and regulations that must be followed by the tidy sum residing under U. S. law. jibe to the U. S. Department of State, U. S. ersons aged 18 or old er may pull money to members of the remitters immediate family in Cuba of up to $300 per mob in any consecutive three-month period, regardless of the number of members of the remitters immediate family residing in that household. The law also states that no member of the household can be a forbidden official of the Government of Cuba or a prohibited member of the Cuban Communist Party (U. S. Department of State). other laws that are also a part of the on going U. S. censor with the Cuban government involves the use of money in Cuba that U.S. travelers are limited to use during their stay in Cuba. U. S. people traveling to Cuba to visit their family or traveling for other purposes can spend no more than $50 per day on non-transportation-related expense in Cuba, and up to an additional $50 per trip to cook up for transportation-related expenses in Cuba. However, professionals such as journalists, photographers, or any other kind of commissioned travelers may spend additional money for their professions that are directly related to what they read in order to fulfill their work (U. S. Department of State).It is also enkindleing to know that U. S. citizens and permanent resident aliens are not allowed from using their recognition cards, personal checks, or travelers checks that are drawn from U. S. banks in Cuba. U. S. realisation card companies do not accept any kind of vouchers from Cuba, and, at the uni draw time, Cuban shops, hotels and other places of business do not accept any types of U. S. credit cards (U. S. Department of State). Today, the U. S. Cuban embargo has become one of the most controversial impressions upon numerous countries throughout the world.There have been umpteen advocating for a change of the latest policies towards Cuba for some time now. The sanction has infinitely been condemned and voted against by almost all nations throughout the world. For the 16th consecutive year, the U. N. General host recommended that the U. S. ended the embargo. In 2006, a fit of 183 member nations of the U. N called on the U. S. to end the sanctions with Cuba (Sierra). In 2007, the 192-member General Assembly passed the flyer by 184 votes to four, with one abstention (U. S. Urged). consort to Remy Herrera, The normative content of this embargo and its rules, which the U. S. intends to see on the international community with its coloured sanctions is a violation of the spirit and garner of the United Nations Charter and of the Organization of American States, and of the very fundamentals of international law (Herrera). This excessive extension of the territorial legal power of the U. S. , Herrera adds, Is contrary to the principle of national sovereignty and to that of non-intervention in the internal choices of a foreign state, s recognized in the jurisprudence of the supranational Court of Justice (Herrera). concord to Richard Schaffer, even the Vatican protested Helms-Burton, claiming that it affixd economi c ugly of the Cuban People. Many trade groups have also argued against the law because they believed that economic involvement actually would promote freedom in additarian countries. The U. S. firms that are hoping to engage in the business activities in Cuba also try out an ending to the U. S. trade sanctions (Schaffer 269). match to U. S. representative Nancy Pelosi, many feel that the lifting of the travel restrictions to Cuba, family remittances, and trade exchange are necessary and are some of the most important issues in the policy changing process that the U. S. of necessity to undergo in order to have better relations with Cuba (Pelosi). Ironically, surveys of the American world opinion show that the vast majority of Americans favor ending sanctions as well, and recognizing the government of Cuba (Schaffer 269). concord to a recent sail from USA Today that took place between February 21- 24, 2008, 61% of 2,021 adults nationwide favored re-establishing U.S. diplomatic relations with Cuba, 29% opposed, and 10% of the people were unsure (PollingReport). Over Forty-five years of communism have left the island nation an economic ruin and the U. S. embargo had many diverse do on Cuba. According to a BusinessWeek name by Geri Smith, The Cuban government has always referred to the embargo as a obturate, a word that has a more sinister tone than embargo (Smith). Cuba went through many difficulties as the result of the U. S. embargo since 1961 and suffered much more since the analyse of the Soviet Union in 1991.The country con bm a severe economic downturn, which really caused the Cubans living standards to significantly fall. The disappearance of Soviet aid following the fizzle of the USSR forced the government to introduce nasty rationing of energy, nutriment, and consumer goods, as well as the withdrawal of the former Soviet one-year subsidies that were worth(predicate) $4 gazillion to $6 zillion (landed estate Profile Cuba). Since then, i t has taken action with limited reforms in order to increase enterprise efficiency and improve some of their economic problems which admitd their serious shortages of food and goods.Due to the economic problems and domestic inefficiencies that Cuba faced during the 1990s, President Castro allowed a few travel towards a more market-oriented system. In 1993, the U. S. horse was accepted by Cuba and allowed to circulate throughout the nation. Because of their lack of basic necessities and few consumer goods, Cubas rescue persisted with the help of Canadian, European and Latin American inve short-term memoryents. Essentially for Cuba, the nation also developed closer relations with china and Venezuela.China invested in Cubas nickel industry and provided Cuba support in the form of trade credit, technology, and inve short-term memoryent capital epoch Venezuela provided supply to cheap fuel (Smith). Since late 2000, Venezuela has been supplying about 100,000 barrels per day of petr oleum products. Cuba has been paying for this oil with the run of Cuban personnel in Venezuela, including 20,000 medical professionals (CIA WorldFactbook). After market factors improved, in 2004 the U. S. dollar bill transactions in Cuba were banned and a 10% tax was imposed on the dollar-peso conversions. According to the CIA World Factbook, Cuban exports total $3. 31 zillion and their major exports entangle Sugar, nickel, tobacco, fish, medical products, citrus, and coffee partners. The countries that Cuba mainly exports to include the Netherlands (21. 8%), Canada (21. 6%), China (18. 7%), Spain (5. 9%) (CIA WorldFactbook). On the other hand, Cuban imports have totaled $10. 86 billion and consist mainly of petroleum, food, machinery and equipment, and chemicals. The countries that Cuba mainly imports from include Venezuela (26. 6%), China (15. 6%), Spain (9. 8%), Germany (6. 4%), Canada (5. 6%), Italy (4. 4%,) the U. S. (4. 3%), and Brazil (4. %) (CIA WorldFactobook) Today, C uba has two currencies in circulation, which include the Cuban peso (CUP) and the convertible peso (CUC). The Cuban peso (CUP) is specifically for the Cubans, season the convertible peso (CUC) is strictly for tourists and foreign businessmen. According to a BBC intelligence agency article by Michael Voss, The average Cuban net income of 400 pesos a month is worth about $16, yet almost everything accessible in the shops has to be give for in the convertible pesos (CUCs) (Voss). Why has the economy travel to convertible pesos when workers are paid in the national funds? declared one of the students in the article. You need to work for two old age just to buy a toothbrush (Voss). The problem with the dual currency is one of the biggest challenges that negatively influences the Cuban economy. Cuba faces many hardships because of the economic problems throughout the country. Many of the effects have caused an increase in prostitution, corruption, dour marketeering and desperate e fforts to escape in search of a better life (Country Profile Cuba). Many Cubans had enough with the hardships and risk their lives to escape from the country. Thousands have tried to escape through the sea in a waterborne exodus to Florida, but many have drowned. Castro Profile) According to the BBC News article, Castro Profile of the majuscule subsister, Even his own daughter Alina Fernandez prefers a life of exile as a dissident in Miami to rule under her despotic father (Castro Profile). According to the CIA World Fact Book, illicit migration to the U. S. , using homemade rafts, alien smugglers, or air flights, is yet a continuing problem. The U. S. Coast support seized 2,864 people trying to cross the pass of Florida in the year 2006 (CIA WorldFactbook). Cuba has also been ambidextrous with the UNs top human rights forum, over specific rights abuses.The UN has insisted that Cuba allows for freedom of expression and to release jailed protesters who have protested against t he government (Country Profile Cuba). The U. S. has caused Cuba many economic damages because of the U. S. embargo. According to U. S. interpreter Nancy Pelosi, The over-45-year US economic, commercial and financial blockade of Cuba has translated into over 89 billion dollar losings for the U. S. (Pelosi). According to the article, The Effects of the U. S. embargo Against Cuba, the direct economic losses for Cuba by the U. S. embargo would exceed 70 billion dollars.The damages were estimated by calculating amounts of Cubas potential earnings and unnecessary losses since the institution of the U. S. embargo in 1961. The embargo negatively affected all of the sectors in Cuba, which also directly imposed on the major driving forces of the Cuban economy, which include tourism, foreign direct investments (FDI) and currency transfers (Herrera). Cuba became very limited in having access to technologies and various resources because of the obstacles that were forced by the Unites States. According to a Business Week article, Trade and investment open up economies to crude ideas. carrel phones, the Internet, and other senior gamey-tech communication technologies are detrimental to closed-minded bureaucracies (Farrel). Since December, 2001, when food and agricultural products were allowed to be exported to Cuba, over $2 billion dollars worth of goods were earned by U. S. firms and shippers (LAWG). According to the article, The Travel Industrys travail to Unlock Cuba, loosening the restrictions could boost the U. S. economy in the long term by as much as $1. 6 billion annually and create as many as 23,000 new jobs (Unlock Cuba). In this way, Cuba has the potential for economic growth if the U. S. nds or even loosens their trade sanctions. This can also further ease the hardships and economic issues of need in Cuba. Relations between the United States and Cuba are hoping to improve in the future, peculiarly because Fidel Castro retired his control over Cuba. Many accept that Cuba will be open for business and that there may be signs of new beginnings of change on the economic front under Raul Castro (Smith). Some, however, are more quizzical of the idea. According to a recent canvas tent from USA Today that took place between February 21- 24 of 2008, only 37% of 2,021 people felt that the situation for people in Cuba would get better.A majority of 51% felt that the situation for people in Cuba would stay the same, 6% felt that it would get worse, and 6% felt they were unsure (PollingReport). Fortunately, Raul Castro has introduced a series of reforms since taking over as president from his brother Fidel in February and has already taken move on improving certain services for the Cuban in the public eye(predicate). The new leader started focusing on some of the most-mentioned problems, such as spotty public transportation and the low wages paid by the government to private farmers (Smith).According to the article, Cuban Leaders Plan muc h Reforms, these reforms have also included the removal of some restrictions on the purchase of electrical goods such as officious phones, cook ovens and DVD players. According to the article, Cubans have been inform to take out 7,400 new mobile phone contracts in the 10 days since the restrictions were eased. The country has also lifted a ban on its people staying in hotels previously reserved for foreigners (Cuban Leaders). It will be interesting to see if more market-oriented steps will take place with the Raul Castros new regime. Another major issue that will be crucial for many U.S. businesses as in brief as the embargo ends in the future is the growing interest in the tourism sector of Cuba. According to an article by Sucharita Mulpuru, Americans represent only a small part of the or so 1. 2 million visitors who come to Cuba every year, mainly from Canada, Spain, France, Germany, and Britain (Mulpuru). Tourism continues to inspire high hopes among many investors. In the article, Enzo Alberto, the Canadian-Italian CEO of ICC, a major investor in the islands Internet foot states, I believe that Cuba could be to America like Hong Kong is to Asia, (Mulpuru).Many countries pour well-nigh $2 billion into the economy, outstripping revenues from sugar and other core crops such as tobacco (Mulpuru). According to the article, A Warmer clime for Trade with Cuba, the industry argues that the island nation is a potential source of needed revenues that would be able to boost both the travel business and the U. S. economy while opening to tourism and foreign investment in Cuba. As a result, this will also boost the economy as well as the currency reserves of Cuba. Unfortunately, all of this potential to help both economies and many people in both nations will not end until the U. S. rade embargo ends and the Cuban government loosens its stranglehold on the economy. It will be interesting to see how the U. S. embargo will be affected by the policies of the fut ure elected president of the U. S. Of the three leading Presidential candidates, only Democratic contender Senator Barack Obama has stated that he would be willing to sit down and prattle with Raul Castros government, as long as human rights are on the agenda. On the other hand, Senator Hillary Clinton stated said she would not do so until Cuba started to implement economic and political reforms, while Senator John McCain has kept President George W.Bushs policy and states that dialogue are off until Cuba begins a transition to a free and open rescript and releases all political prisoners (Smith). According to the Associated Press, the presidential candidates are expected to lightly prove the question of lifting the embargo during their campaign. According to their article, Five-decade U. S. Trade censor with Cuba expect to Outlast Fidel Castro, there is a great deal of sensitivity on the issue, especially in states with high populations of Cuban immigrants such as Florida (Ass ociated Press). The entrepreneurs of the U. S. ave seen their foreign competitors take advantage of opportunities in Cuba. U. S. businesspersons can only hope that the trade and travel restrictions will be lifted eventually, so that they can tap the potential markets in Cuba especially in the tourism and agricultural sectors. This is very unlikely to happen soon because of the ongoing disputes between many in regards to the Cuban embargo. The impact of the Cuban embargo caused many diverse effects for both nations, but with new policies and politicians that are create for the future, this story can be the end of an old era. Works Cited ACN Cuban News Agency. 2007, May 2). Nancy Pelosi Says U. S. Blockade of Cuba Should be Lifted. Retrieved April 24, 2008, from http//www. cuba word of honor. ain. cu/2008/0425nancypelosi. htm Alomso, Cynthia C. The Travel Industrys Push to Unlock Cuba. BusinessWeek. 27 August 2003 Associated Press. Five-decade U. S. Trade embargo with Cuba Expecte d to Outlast Fidel Castro. 20 February 2008. Retrieved on April 24, 2008 from http//www1. whdh. com/news/articles/national/BO73631 BBC News. (2008, February 19). Castro Profile of the Great Survivor. Retrieved April 24, 2008 from http//news. bbc. co. k/2/hi/americas/244974. stm BBC News. (2008, April 12). Cuban Leaders Plan more(prenominal) Reforms. Retrieved April 24, 2008, from http//news. bbc. co. uk/2/hi/americas/7343883. stm BBC News. 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(nd) Retrieved on April 22, 2008 from http//www. lawg. org/docs/new_member_packet. df Magnusson, Paul. A Warmer clime For Trade in Cuba. BusinessWeek. 16 June 2000 Mulpuru, Sucharita. In Cuba, Historys Joyand Curse. BusinessWeek. 3 Feb 2003. Pew Hispanic Center. Cubans in the Unite States A Profile. 25 August 2006. Retrieved from http//pewhispanic. org/files/factsheets/23. pdf Polling Report. Cuba. Retrieved on April 22, 2008 from http//www. pollingreport. com/cuba. htm Plummer, Robert. How Cubans Heal Their Economic Ills BBC News. 3 January 2007. Schaffer R. , Earle B. , & Agu sti F. (2005). International Business Law and Its Environment. Ohio Thomson-Southwestern West. (6e).Sierra, J. A. Economic Embargo Timeline. (nd). Retrieved on April 22, 2008 from http//www. historyofcuba. com/history/funfacts/embargo. htm Smith, Geri. Cuba Under the Other Castro? BusinessWeek. 24 February 2008 Smith, Geri. When Will Cuba Be dissonant for Business? BusinessWeek. 29 February 2008 U. S. Department of the State. (http//www. state. gov). Retrieved on April 22, 2008. U. S. Department of the Treasury. Cuba What You Need To Know approximately The U. S. Embargo. Retrieved April 22, 2008 from http//www. treas. gov/ofac Voss, Michael. Stepping Into Big Brothers Shoes? BBC News. 24 February 2008