Friday, November 29, 2019

Thirty Years from Now Essay Example For Students

Thirty Years from Now Essay As I sit here, I wonder what I will become; all I see is pure success like no one has ever seen. My life is full of great and achievable goals that can fulfil my life with happiness. I see myself see myself thirty years from now becoming the most successful person the world has seen. I will have graduated high school and college with 4. 0 GPA, majoring in aeronautical engineering while being in the national honors society. I will have made my college possible because of baseball. In doing all of these awesome achievements, Ill be the best baseball player that has ever played being drafted number one by the Yankees in my freshman year of college. I will have starred at shortstop under Coach Joe Torre. Driving in a record 80 home runs shattering Mark Mcgwires record. Later, I will set the record for most golden gloves ever achieved by a major league baseball player. During my career in baseball I will meet a beautiful woman that just became a professional model signing with Nautica. We will write a custom essay on Thirty Years from Now specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now After being married for a few years we will have two kids; while, concluding my career in New York and moving to California. Later I will pursue my career in politics. First running for U. S. senate and representing the Democratic party. After seeing that my life would be fulfilled much better if I could change the world in a more drastic way I will run for president. After all of the harsh campaigning I will when the race and proudly represent our country. When I am educated into the office I will begin with my inauguration address and captivating the country I will leave to get to my new home The White House. I will become the most effective president the county has ever seen. Starting with my most important policy Education. I plan to stress helping out the middle class family with taxes, health insurance, and Medicare. In doing this I plan on looking out for the senior citizens with good retirement funds. I will also encourage peace with the world and strengthening our military. Once I have completed my first term as president I will be elected once again and have an even stronger effect on our country. After resigning and touching the country with my great and inspiring State of the Union address I will pursue my career in aeronautical engineering. In doing so I will create a new space shuttle that will exceed speeds of anybodys dreams. It will have the coolest design. I t will have computers that are even more advanced than the Super Computer; that is able to see and break down cells faster than any other computer. Once the president has seen my great advances in technology, I will receive a medal for bettering the world. After receiving my award I will go back to my beautiful mansion in the outskirts of California, where my wife is raising my children. After all of my accomplishments I know the true importance in life is maintaining my Christianity. In doing this I will send my children to a Christian school so that no matter what happens they will know that Christ loves them. This will hopefully be the ending to a great life.

Monday, November 25, 2019

Ralph nader essays

Ralph nader essays Lawyer, consumer activist, author. Born February 27, 1934, in Winsted, Connecticut. The son of Nathra Nader, a Lebanese immigrant who owned a bakery and restaurant, and his wife Rose, the scholarly Nader attended Princeton University, graduating magna cum laude in 1955. In 1958, he graduated from Harvard Law School and began practicing law in Hartford, Connecticut. His first book, Unsafe at Any Speed (1965), was an expos about the dangers posed by the design of the Chevrolet Corvair, a car produced by General Motors. The book inspired a good deal of public interest and sparked a veritable revolution in automobile safety. In its wake, the federal government passed the 1966 National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act, an unprecedented attempt to regulate the powerful auto industry. As a determined and eloquent advocate for consumers, Nader was also largely responsible for the passage of the 1967 Wholesome Meat Act, which imposed federal standards on slaughterhouses and required federal inspections of beef and poultry; the Clean Air Act; and the Freedom of Information Act. Among the consumer advocacy organizations Nader has founded over the years (most of which are still active) are Public Citizen, the Center for Responsive Law, the Center for Auto Safety, the Public Interest Research Group, the Disability Rights Center, the Clean Water Action Project, the Pension Rights Center, the Project for Corporate Responsibility. His disciples-known as Naders Raiders-have been active in Washington, D.C., since the early 1970s. Other books which Nader wrote or cowrote include Corporate Power in America (1973), Taming the Giant Corporations (1976), Menace of Atomic Energy (1977), Whos Poisoning America (1981), and Winning the Insurance Game (1990). A confirmed bachelor, Nader is extremely guarded about his personal life in the press. In 1992 and 1996, Nader mounted somewhat half-hearted campaigns for presid...

Friday, November 22, 2019

Organizattional Structure Presentation Annotated Bibliography

Organizattional Structure Presentation - Annotated Bibliography Example The management of the organization needs to select financial experts to serve in the financial committee as a guide on finances. Financial experts prepare budget, financial statements and carry out audits of the organization. Harris, M. G., Society for Health and Administration Programs in Education., & Australian College of Health Services Executives. (2006). Managing health services: Concepts and practice. Marrickville, N.S.W: Elsevier Australia Development of quality improvement and clinical audit, experiences with other industries, consumers and funders has led to a keen interest to understand the nature of risk. Need to understand the potential benefit of risk, its management, and its influence to cause adverse effects. Lombardi & Schermerhorn (2007) shows the importance of a trustworthy form of communication in the healthcare organization. Examples are formal, informal, external and internal. Communication with stakeholders, patients, outside world and in the organization is essential. Miller (2007) puts into perspective the importance given to the human resource such as employee culture development of belonging and motivation for more productivity. There is the need to have a conducive work environment and maintenance of a balance between socio-technical system and effectiveness of the

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Global Versus Domestic only Mergers and Acquisitions Essay

Global Versus Domestic only Mergers and Acquisitions - Essay Example The strategy of Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A) plays an important role to both sides of the growth path by enabling strong companies to assume faster growth than their competition thereby rewarding entrepreneurs for their efforts and ensuring the weaker companies get swallowed faster and even made redundant through share erosion and exclusion. M&A, therefore, is a crucial fraction of any healthy economy by basically ensuring that shareholders are able to gain rewards from their businesses (Thomson & Martin, 2005). This fact, coalesced with the potential for large returns makes M&A a highly attractive method for entrepreneurs and business owners to capitalize on their company values. It is, therefore, no wonder that the unique business trend of M&A has, in the recent times, become a common occurrence in the business world between firms seeking to achieve strategic value for themselves. M&A deals always make media headlines probably due to the huge amounts of cash that some of them entail, sometimes involving billions of US dollars which may exceed the GDP of some small countries. The main reason for their occurrence is to boost the shareholder value of both firms and this is also used as a performance measure to gauge the success of M&A (Galpin & Herndon, 2007). M&A is used as a survival tactic during tough economic times and in most cases involves strong companies buying out smaller ones to create more cost-efficient, competitive companies. M&A can either take place between firms operating within a country’s borders (domestic M&A) or beyond a particular country’s boundaries (global M&A). This article will provide a general overview of merger and acquisitions and then compare and contrast the domestic and global M&A using a few case studies (Aoki, Jackson & Miyajima, 2007).

Monday, November 18, 2019

Research proposal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1

Research proposal - Essay Example the companies, government organizations, and individuals are able to follow all the legislative requirements regarding the creation and governance of pensions1. This paper analyzes the extent in which the costs of pension are able to affect the value of a company. This research mainly concerns itself with companies operating in the United Kingdom. It is important to understand that this area of pensions is an area that has been greatly researched, not only pensions in relation to the government employees, but also pensions in relation to private companies. Most researchers aim at finding out the benefits of this pension schemes, and the role they play in the economy (Gustman, Steinmeier, and Tabatabai, 2014). Researchers are motivated by the fact that pensions are useful in helping the aged people to have the capability of satisfying their basic needs. Another reason as to why there is considerable interest in this area of pensions is based on the desire by the UK government to decrease the old age poverty in the country. The government has noted that one of the most efficient methods of reducing old age poverty is restructuring the pension system in the United Kingdom2. This new measures must have the capability of addressing new and emerging needs. On this basis, research on the pension systems is developed to address these needs, and provide a framework for policy formulators to develop a policy that would help the citizens of UK fight old age poverty (Mullen, 2010). Pension is defined as an amount of money, paid on a regular basis for purposes of preparing the payee for retirement. Pensions are a very useful welfare programs, and this is because they normally help the aged to meet their daily needs. However, the pension system has always been accused of failing to remove the aged from poverty, since the amount given is always small, when comparable to the standards of living (Gustman, Steinmeier, and Tabatabai, 2014). This is mainly specific to retired

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Evolution of Community Kitchens

Evolution of Community Kitchens Abstract Community kitchen, as a concept is critical for ensuring the food security of the vulnerable population. It is a gathering point where groups of people come together to pool their resources to cook large quantities of food. The main focus of this research thesis is to understand the concept of community kitchens and their operation in different social settings. This research also aims to understand the role of the government agencies (if any) in ensuring the food security for the communities (which is their primary responsibility). In the changing context of state relegating to a secondary position, initiatives by such private actors assume significance. By highlighting on two different case studies of organizations, we tend to unravel the process of community kitchens in separate social environments. With the help of participant observation, focus group discussions and in-depth individual interviews, this research is an exploration of the possibilities of food security through the c oncept of community kitchens. Introduction Community kitchen is an institution where food is prepared by the members of a community in a collective manner. There are different models of community kitchens that exist around the social space. Generally it is observed that members of a community who prepare food are also the consumers of the same meals cooked collectively. However there are other models like Akshay Patra (our case study in the present study) where food is collectively prepared but distributed among the non preparers of the food cooked. Community kitchens aid the community in preparing affordable meals through a self sustaining institution. The purchase, preparation and consumption are more often than not done in a collective manner which makes the enterprise a cost effective and time efficient in nature. While meeting a communitys social needs, collective kitchens are a mechanism which provide financial, social and food security to the community members. Community kitchens are socially rooted institutions, they help in increasing the solidarity among the members of the community. Grace Campbell states The formation and operation of community kitchens varies widely across communities and cultures and is largely dependent on the membership, yet each organization requires a well-equipped kitchen, willing participants, and initial capital. Food security is a modern day challenge, which needs to be addressed at all levels of society. Community kitchens at local level provide access to affordable and nutrition rich food to the members of a community, which goes a long way in ensuring food security. Globalization, inflation, increasing gap between the haves and have nots, are the major reasons which are keeping an average man food insecure. In such a scenario, this research aims to explore food security through the concept of community kitchens. Food security Food security is a condition in which all people at all times can acquire safe, nutritionally adequate and personally acceptable foods that are accessible in a manner that maintains human dignity.[1] The four components of food security, as described in the literature, are the quantitative, the qualitative, the social, and the psychological. The quantitative component describes what is traditionally known as hunger, not having enough to eat at the individual level, or not having food in the house at the household level. The qualitative component concerns the quality of the available food (its nutritional adequacy, safety, and variety). Individuals often compromise on food quality to cope with a lack of funds to purchase suitable foods. The psychological component includes the fears and decreased feelings of self-worth associated with dealing with the lack of funds to purchase sufficient, quality food, whereas the social component describes many of the coping strategies used to acquir e food when funding has run out, such as charity, stealing, and buying on credit. [2] In the 21st century disparities in economic growth have questioned the socio-economic and environmental sustainability. The issue of food security has now become a global concern. Notwithstanding the technological and scientific developments in the area of agricultural productivity, hunger and malnutrition continue to be a threat to the humanity. Access to food is still perceived by many as a privilege, rather than a basic human right, and it is estimated that about 35 000 people around the world die each day from hunger. An even larger number of people suffer from malnutrition. [3] UNFAO (United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization) defines food security as Food security is food available at all times; that all persons have means of access to it; that it is nutritionally adequate in terms of quantity, quality and variety; and that it is acceptable within the given culture. Only when all these conditions are in place can a population be considered food secure. Based on the UN definition research world over emphasizes on four main components of the issue of food security those being availability to provide sufficient food to all, equal accessibility to nutritious food, acceptability of food based on local traditions and cultures and lastly adequacy which emphasizes on sustainability of production and distribution of food. Food security in India Food security has been a major development objective in India since the beginning of planning. The achievements of green revolution have somehow failed to reach the bottom of the pyramid. Chronic food insecurity remains at an all time high. Over 225 million Indians remain chronically under nourished. The state of Indias food security is worsening by the year.[4]The cost of food items is increasing rapidly, making them unaffordable to a majority of the people. In recent years, there has been a state policy focus towards household level food security and per capita food energy intake is taken as a measure of food security. The Indian government has been implementing a wide range of nutrition intervention programmes for achieving food security at the household and individual levels. The Public Distribution System (PDS) supplies food items, such as food grains and sugar, at administered prices through a network of fair price shops. There have been a range of food-for-work and other wage employment programmes. Another approach adopted by the government is to target women and children directly. This includes the mid-day meal programme for school going children, supplementary nutrition programme for children and women and Right to Food bill. [5] The Right to Food Bill introduced in the parliament in 2009 insists on the physical, economic and social right of all citizens to have access to safe and nutritious food, consistent with an adequate diet necessary to lead an active and healthy life with dignityWith the Right to Food campaign, hunger and food insecurity have come in the center of development discourse in India. Notwithstanding all these developments, our country is a habitat of people with unconscionable level of malnutrition and hunger. Malnutrition levels among the children and women are even higher than the overall average. Institute of Nutrition, Indian Council for Medical Research) estimates that nearly 40% of the adult population in India has a Body Mass Index of less than 18.5, which implies chronic energy deficiency of epic proportions, bordering on a national humanitarian crisis. [6] Since food security of the vast majority in the region is at stake, addressing such a wide range of issues demands community value-system based participatory approaches to ensure involvement of all the stakeholders. The various government schemes may serve as immediate means for dealing with food insecurity but shall be of ultimate irrelevance, until we work on developing our local community based food systems strong.[7] One of such means is through the institution of community kitchens. Community kitchens in their historic perspective Community kitchen as a concept is old, dating back to the late 15th century, which has undergone change over the years and the current form seems to be involving the community to address larger social issues like food security. In India, Sikhs have a history of providing food along with every worship service, ceremony, or event, and when Gurus gained popularity, people traveled from far of distances and gathered in groups to hear them preach the principles of equality and humanity. It was in the late 15th century that Guru Nanak dev ji, the founder of Sikhism, started the institution of Langar (community kitchens). Langar is a Persian word meaning an alms house, an asylum for the poor and the destitute.[8]Langar upheld and reinforced the Sikh principles of service to mankind, equality of all and humility. Although the institution was begun under aegis od Guru Nanak, it was institutionalized by Guru Amar Das, who sought to encourage a tradition of eating together that had begun with Nanak, the founder of Sikhism. Langar is the collective kitchen which is run in the Gurudwara. The institution feeds all who come, regardless of their religion, caste, gender or creed. Sikh devotes are involved in each stage from the food preparation, to feeding and to cleaning of the utensils. Today, this institution of Langar is cornerstone of Sikh religion, encouraging the discipline of service and a spirit of co-operation, philanthropy, equality, the ideas and practices deeply imbedded in the community kitchen movement. The practice and its origin must be seen in the light of its contradiction to the Hindu and Muslim custom at the time, which separated people on basis of caste (social ranking) or purdah (seclusion of women). In the recent past various moments around the concept of community kitchens can be seen across the world. In the nineties of the last century community kitchen was seen as a movement in Nicaragua, when Sandinista government lost power. The fall of the government put the nations food security policy in turmoil. It was then that community kitchens were set up all across the country to address the issues of hunger and deprivation. Similarly in Abkhazia, after the end of war between Georgia and Abkhazia (1994) community kitchens were established to provide food to the vulnerable populations of the country. The focus of the state sponsored community kitchens were women, children and elderly. Self sufficiency and sustainability were attained by purchase at local level and secondly by employing the local community. In America too, we see the moment of community kitchens. A not for profit body called Second Harvest was a pioneer to work in the area of food security in USA. Extensive community kitchens were set up to create hunger free America. The programme was unique as it involved students in the food preparation and distribution process. This led to skill enhancement and job training for the unemployed youth. History also holds evidence of collective kitchens operating in San Francisco. Community kitchens were set up there to meet the need of the immigrants and other discriminated sections of the population. These kitchens continue to encourage community unity through resource pooling, cultural exchange, and social interaction. Although in most of the cases the community and collective meal programmes were primarily organized to address financial challenges, many kitchens now focus on expanding social circles, multicultural interaction, address the challenges of hunger, dealing with food insecurity, and building community capacity. Food security and community kitchens Collaborative solutions that will make our communities resilient in the 21st century dont need to be at vast scales alone. Efforts at local community, household and individual levels play an important role to deal with the issue of food insecurity. One such model of community kitchens is a smart, practical program that has the ability to promote local food security. This model not only ensures that the participants have access to affordable food, but also in a sustainable and cost efficient manner. These are resilience building institutions, and work on principles of shared equality and mutual benefit. This local level initiative has the ability to grow across a wide range and make an impact on the global food security level. Community kitchens as alternate means of livelihood Community kitchens can serve as means of alternate livelihood to women of the marginalized sections, unemployed youth, local unskilled labor and other marginalized communities like sex workers. Community kitchen has the ability to provide the financial means whereby a group or a community can live a dignified and sustainable life. Sex workers face continuous social exclusion and are in a constant search for a stigma free means of livelihood as a pre-requisite for a dignified and better tomorrow. Initiation of community kitchens provides as a means of employment for many unskilled and semi-skilled workers thus ensuring a livelihood to the community. Collective kitchens serve to reduce vulnerability of marginalized sections of the society. It provides source of income as well as a sense of ownership and possession to the members of the community. Sex works lead a life of stigma and discrimination. The degree of stigma is higher among male and transgender sex workers. As members of the society it is their right to be a part of the normal social life, without any marginalization. Especially sex workers facing stigma of HIV Aids have a natural right to live in supporting environments free from social stigmas. United Nations Community based programs like community kitchens have a crucial role in assisting communities to identify and change stigmatizing attitudes and behaviors related to HIV and sex work and to foster a spirit of tolerance and inclusion. Community kitchens provide meaningful and comprehensive set of alternatives and meaningful economic options to sex work. Hunger, food productivity and illiteracy: establishing the link While talking about building community capacity the children of the community must remain the central focus. Children, who come from remote rural areas, work so hard at the household level that going to school remains no priority for them. It is a well established fact that knowledge has the ability to transform society. Education to these children can serve as a force which can liberate the coming generations from the clutches of abject poverty. Children living in vicious circle of hunger and illiteracy require special attention by the government and society, in form of new schools, better learning facilities, learned teaches, and locally relevant syllabus taught in their local language. Have we ever wondered why the hungry are always also illiterate? A study by World Bank states that the people who are undernourished and the adults who are illiterate are mostly the same people, mainly the poor in rural areas. Illiteracy and hunger thus are cause and effect of one another, making it a vicious cycle of poverty. Collaborating the solution of the issues of education and hunger represents an important step forward, it has led to the creation of a new partnership initiative called mid day meal scheme in India. Hunger among children leaves them with very little energy to attend school and learn effectively. Medical research proves that hunger impairs both mental and physical growth of children. If millions of hungry children cannot learn, or are forced to work instead of attending school we will not reach the Millennium Development Goal of universal primary education. Offering incentives like noon meal encourages children to attend and their parents to send them to school and such initiatives could have a major impact on child nutrition, school attendance and social equity. Universal and nutritious mid-day meals would be a significant step towards realization of the right to food.[9] National Programme of Nutritional Support to Primary Education National Programme of Nutritional Support to Primary Education (NP-NSPE), popularly known as the Mid Day Meal Scheme, was launched as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme on 15th August 1995, initially in 2408 blocks in the country. The mid day meal scheme aims to ensure food security among the school going children in India. Under the aegis of the scheme the school going children in all government schools are to be provided with free lunch. Midday meal scheme began as a strategic program to address two most pressing problems in India: hunger and education. The government of India had made education for children between the age group of 6-14. Hunger obstructs the process of holistic education, as children are forced to leave schools and take up menial jobs. Lack of education curtails opportunities for development and leads to vicious circle of poverty and hunger. Midday meal programs (school lunch) emerged to address the multiple challenges of poverty, hunger, and access to education. Rationale behind the mid day meal scheme is firstly, to protect school going children from chronic hunger. Secondly to attain advancement in school attendance and enrollment rates. Thirdly, enhance socialization and feeling of oneness among students, thus breaking the schakels of gender, race, class and caste. Supreme Court of India passed an order on November 28, 2001, which mandated Cooked midday meal is to be provided in all the government and government-aided primary schools in all the states. This order expedited the implementation of the scheme. Mid day meal scheme was soon extended across the nation and across all government schools, government aided schools and for children in anganwari centers. The allocation and off take of food grains under the scheme during the 10th Plan and the first two years of the 11th Plan 2007-08 2008-09is presented in Table 1. The table 1 summarizes the allocation of funds in terms of food grains each year, from 2002-03 to the last financial year. The allocations have risen considerably over the years, both in terms of the rice and wheat food grains. It is seen from the table that allocations from the central government have been more than the off take or utilization of the food grains in the implementation of the scheme. The summary of subsidies in different states, as on November 2009, is listed below: The table 2 shows a comparative analysis of how the central government is contributing in terms of money and food grains for the smooth running of the mid-day meal scheme. It can be seen that in Karnataka the subsidy varies with three grade levels. Subsidy in terms of money is same for the level 1 to 5 and from 6 to 7, however it increases from 1.80 rupees to 2.20 per child per day when students reach grade 10. The grains available for children below grade 5 are 100 grams per child per day, which increases to 150 grams of grains per child per day from grade 6 onwards. On an average all states are providing 100 grams of grains per child per day in lower primary level and 150 grams per child per day in the upper primary level. Chhattisgarh and Uttar Pradesh provide highest amount of monetary subsidy per child per day that is 3.00 rupees. Karnataka state shows the lowest figures (1.80 rupees) in terms of monetary subsidy. It must also be borne in mind that higher subsidy does not necess arily correspond to better performances. We shall look into the state of Karnataka in detail in section three. The scheme has a long history especially in the state of Tamil Nadu, where it was introduced by K. Kamraj government in 1960s and expanded by M.G Ramachandran in 1982. Ever since it has been adopted by most of the states in India after the landmark directions by the Supreme Court of India. The purpose behind the judgment was to enhance enrolment, retention, and participation of children in primary schools, simultaneously improving their nutritional status. The judgment aims to cater to the nutritional needs of low-income groups in both rural and urban areas (Planning Commission, 2007).[10] As per the programme the Government of India provides grains free of cost and the States will provide the costs of other ingredients, salaries and infrastructure. By January 2004, nearly 50 million children received midday meals provided either by the Government or by NGOs working in partnership with the government.[11] However, inconsistent food quality, occasional food poisoning, poor hygiene, and operational concerns were among the complications to the provision of government-sponsored midday meals. The meals were prepared by teachers, who cooked the same meal every day: ghoogri, gruel made of boiled wheat. Children reported that that they grew tired of eating the same food daily, they did not like the taste, and it often made them feel sick. In 2004, a fire accidentally started by a teacher cooking the midday meal killed 90 children in Tamil Nadu, an event which underscored the safety issues inherent in meals prepared in makeshift kitchens based on school sites. Given the scope of hunger in India and the difficulties faced by the government programs, the task of feeding school children was still a significant challenge. Public private partnership implementation As the research is based on two organizations located in the state of Maharashtra, the following section analyses the public private partnership model used to implement the mid day meal scheme in the state. The State of Karnataka introduced the provision of cooked meals in June 2002 which saw a successful private sector participation in the programme. One such initiative was Akshaya Patra, which started with leadership from ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness). The programme has evolved into a movement where by children in the government schools are provided with cooked lunch on all working days. The state and the central government support the Foundation in the execution of the programme. Hence the programme runs a collective kitchen based on a public-private partnership. The Akshay Patra program is conducted in partnership with the various State Governments and Central Government. All of these governments provide a subsidy to support about 55% of the running cos t of the Akshay Patra program. The Central Government support is routed through the respective State Governments. The meal includes a nutritious mix such as sambar, rice, vegetables and some curd on most days. Since the success of this programme there has been an in the private sector participation in India. The partnerships in execution of the programme are not limited to rural areas but also major urban centers like Delhi, and Hyderabad.[12] About the study Statement of the problem In the Indian context both GDP and food grain production have risen at a faster growth rate than growth in population over the past 50 years. Yet our country faces chronic hunger and starvation among large sections of our population. There has been declining calorie consumption especially in the bottom 30% of the pyramid. Attempting policy reforms in an era of overall weakening governance and state commitment in social sectors seems a challenge. In this background, concept of collective and community kitchens have evolved and grown acquiring various dimensions in the past few years. This research aims to explore the possible link between community kitchens and food security. The research revolves around the idea of community kitchens being the possible means to attain an end of food insecurity examining the models of Ashodaya Samiti and Akshay Patra in the Indian scenario. Ashodaya Samiti is a sex workers organization working for HIV prevention since January 2004 in Mysore district of Karnataka. In 2004 University of Manitoba was directly implementing the HIV prevention project ably supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundations Avahan project.[13] The organizations collectivization and formal registering as Ashodaya Samithi was done in December 2005. Community mobilization since then has today resulted in the formation of the community based organization to take ownership of HIV awareness, prevention care, support activities and beginning of an entrepreneurial venture in the form of community kitchens. The second organization under study is Akshay Patra. Children from economically weaker sections are forced to seek work in place of education. Some of those who do manage to attend the school drop out to feed themselves and their families while others are known to perform poorly because of short attention spans and extreme hunger. Realizing that a nutritious school meal is an effective means of gettingunderprivileged childrencome to school and complete their education, Akshay Patra was formed as a not-for-profit organization in June 2000. The purpose of the organization in their words is to provide unlimited food for education, through modern community kitchens, thus freeing children from the vicious cycle of poverty and ensuring them an education.[14] Objectives of the study The main objectives of the current study are to Understand the evolution of the concept of community kitchens in India Provide a socio-economic profile of the respondents who are engaged in community kitchen in both settings (of the cases undertaken) Analyze the implementation of community kitchen undertaken by different organizations namely Ashodaya Samiti and Akshaya Patra Study how community kitchen is serving as a means to break social barriers (as demonstrated by Ashodaya Samiti). Understand how community kitchen could be a potential mechanism for eradicating hunger among school going children in the context of mid-day meal programme of Akshay Patra. Analyse the constraints in mobilizing the resources to keep the community kitchen a sustainable enterprise. Methodology Data collection for the research was done in two major organizations, Ashodaya Samiti in Mysore and Akshay Patra in Bangalore. The period of data collection was from 10.02.2010 to 22.02.2010. The data collection involved personal visits to both the organizations, interviews, focus group discussions and -participant observations. The current exploratory study attempts to understand the functioning of the community kitchens. Both primary and secondary sources of data have been collected for the study. The secondary data for the study came from annual reports of the organizations, websites, documentaries and media reports that have been provided by the organizations. The primary data for the study was collected from a diverse group of individuals engaged with both the organizations. In Ashodaya Samiti focus group discussions were carried out with the 20 sex workers who are the key in managing and operating the community kitchen. Individual in dept interviews were also carried out with 2 senior officials of the organization. The interview schedule consisted of open ended questions to include more information, their feelings, attitudes and understanding of the subject of community kitchen. In Akshay Patra data was collected through participant observation and interview schedules. Interviews were carried out with the workers in the kitchen to understand the mechanization of the operations. In-debt interviews were also carried out with the media spokesperson of the organization and the programme director. Visits to the kitchen on daily basis allowed an in-depth investigation of the process of food preparation and its distribution among the schools across the city. In this study in depth interview was useful in understanding the concepts related to community kitchens. The tool was helpful as it ensured that I received detailed information which helped me in exploring the idea to its depth. Focus group discussions were used as a form of qualitative research in which a group of people which included male, female and transgender sex workers of Ashodaya Samiti were asked about their perceptions, opinions, beliefs and attitudes towards sex work as their livelihood, need to collaborate at community level, evolution of the organization from heath interventions to community kitchen, empowerment through community kitchens and their future expectations from the project. Questions are asked in an interactive group setting where participants were free to talk with other group members. Participant observation which has its roots in the traditional ethnographic research was used a qualitative research strategy. Participation and observations were carried to varying degrees to study the communitys daily activities in both the cases (Ashodaya Samiti and Akshay Patra). Participant observation took place in the community settings, in locations like the sex workers day care centers, the Ashodaya hotel, community kitchen of Akshay patra which had direct relevance to the research questions. Engagement was done in such a manner such data could be collected by observing what life is like for an insider while remaining, inevitably, an outsider. While in these community settings, careful, field notes were made to record all observations. Data Analysis The current section provides an overview of both the organizations included in the study i.e. Ashodaya Samiti and Akshaya Patra. Ashodaya Samiti: Community kitchen used to break social barriers The first case that is presented in this section is the Ashodaya Samiti. The history of Ashodaya Samiti has to be seen in the backdrop of project Avahan. In the year 2003 Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation funded an India Aids initiative to reduce the spread of HIV in India under the project AVAHAN. Avahan was set up as a far ranging Aids prevention project, and has been a success story since its inception. Under the aegis of the project aids prevention work is carried out in six major sates in India. Within these states, it provides, prevention services to nearly 200,000 female sex workers, 60,000 high-risk men who have sex with men, and 20,000 injecting drug users, together with 5 million men at risk. [15] In 2003, UNAIDS studies reported that Asia presented the greatest risk of expansion of the global epidemic. The HIV cases have been on a continuous rise since the past decade. The major reasons for that are high prevalence of unsafe sex work and injecting drug users. Initial inter ventions by Avahan indicated that HIV transmission in south India was primarily sexual, and in the north-east mainly related to injecting drug use.[16] The Indian national response had a sound strategy for addressing high-risk groups. However, coverage of these groups was variable across the states and national average strikingly low.[17] [18] The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation designed a programme with help of technical experts to look into the HIV and aids prevention strategies. The project began with full co-operation from the Indian government. Avahans aim was to help slow the transmission of HIV to the general population by raising prevention coverage of high-risk and bridge groups to scale by achieving saturation levels (over 80 percent) across large geographic areas. Considering the scale of the country the project was magnanimous in its objectives. To avoid any complications the project began with local level involvement in operations and planning. Avahan in Karnataka As mentioned earlier, the project was started in six high prevalence states namely Karnataka, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Manipur and Nagaland. The prevalence in the first four states was predominantly due to male, female and transgender sex workers. In the other two states there were high incidences of the spread of virus due to injecting of drugs among the people. In Karnataka, University of Manitoba took the initiative to take up the project in the 18 of the 30 districts. Among the 18 districts, in 16 districts the i

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Atlantis Myth vs Today’s Science :: History

Atlantis Myth vs Today’s Science Now that we know the foundation of the Atlantis myth we can now speculate if this is even possible with today’s science and geography. Atlantis was said to be bigger than Asia Minor and Libya combined. This statement made by Plato in the Critias is most likely not true because Atlantis would have to be in the Mediterranean Sea or within a few miles of the Mediterranean Sea such as the Atlantic Ocean or Indian Ocean. The other thought could be that the size was gravely misjudged through the ages and maybe when it got to Plato the myth had outgrown the size of the city. A more logical explanation could be that Atlantis was smaller than once though and was present at the western part of the Mediterranean, between the coasts of West Africa and East South America or somewhere by the horn of Africa. Many are skeptic as to whether Atlantis existed solely because of the size but many researchers believe that the books Timeus and Critias are too detailed to be made up by Plato. Unfortunately the books of Plato’s thoughts and descriptions get cut off at the end of the second book hence ending the story of Atlantis quite abruptly. Some think that either the end of the story was lost during a burning of an attack on one of the Greek cities or that Plato’s patron for the project, Dionysius I, was going to publish the books as prose and poem and try to become famous. Unfortunately Dionysius died unexpectedly and Plato did not finish the story. Ever since the idea of Atlantis being a city explorers and scientists have looked for Atlantis. One idea is that the Mid-Atlantic Ridge was caused by the sinking of Atlantis. But this is disproved because if Atlantis did sink in the Atlantic Ocean then it would not have created a ridge or ridge like area. The Mid-Atlantic Ridge is caused by Divergent tectonic plates in the ocean which creates the ridge. The sinking of Atlantis could not have done this. Not only is this impossible but the descriptions given by Plato would also be off. The Mid-Atlantic ridge is a mountain like area going from north to south for a few thousands of miles; Plato described Atlantis a circular island that was maybe one hundred miles in diameter. Therefore this theory does not work.

Monday, November 11, 2019

International Corporation Essay

Hard Rock Cafe International founded in 1971, as one of the worldwide entertainment and dining brands, internationally- highly praised music. It has a network of 122 signature Hard Rock Cafes in 41 countries and owns the world’s greatest collection of music memorabilia. Founded by two Americans, Isaac Tigrett and Peter Morton, they are enterprising and music loving. Peter brought a real understanding of the restaurant business, and Isaac brought many creative attributes and together they made the Hard Rock Cafe (â€Å"The Hard Rock Cafe Story†, 2005). Hard Rock Cafe was an instant classic, entertain and attracting customers with its first-rate, but fairly priced casual American charge, warm service and ever-present rock ‘n’ roll music and sensibility. They offer quality, classic American food in their unique, high-energy, music memorabilia-packed atmosphere. Hard Rock Cafe has finally become the world’s leading collector and exhibitors of rock ‘n’ roll memorabilia (â€Å"The Hard Rock Cafe Story†, 2005). Known for its collectible and fashion merchandise, live concerts, Hard Rock Live performance venues, www. hardrock. com and Hard Rock Hotels and Casinos, Hard Rock Cafe International, Inc. is a totally owned subsidiary of London-based The Rank Group Plc. Hard Rock Cafe International provides visitors around the world with a unique experience that combines food and merchandise with the largest collection of rock memorabilia on the world. Hard Rock Cafe has become a global phenomenon. (Adelstein, 1999) People should keep their eye out as Hard Rock Cafe continues to take music into the next millennium, because at Hard Rock, music is truly the universal language. In latest years, Hard Rock has expanded its cafe limitations by reinforcing its â€Å"music connection† through music-related products and programs such as collectible and fashionable Hard Rock Cafe merchandise, the Hard Rock Records music label, www. hardrock. com, Hard Rock Hotels and Casinos, and Hard Rock Live music venues. Not only they can rock hard, they know how to throw a party. Opening celebrations for each new Hard Rock Cafe all around the world are started by live musical performances (â€Å"About Hard Rock cafe†, 2005). Hard Rock Cafe has been governed by a guiding service with law talent and honest philosophy, â€Å"Love All – Serve All. † Means a place where all have always been welcome, in spite of age, sex or class. Hard Rock Cafe remains amazingly faithful to its original intentions. Its rock ‘n’ roll sensibility a Hard Rock Cafe legacy- remains at the very center of all Hard Rock restaurants and every development hard work undertaken by Hard Rock Cafe. Classic American food, served up by a skilled, caring and helpful wait staff, is still the â€Å"order† of the day at Hard Rock Cafe. And a their commitment to widespread humanitarian causes under the banner ‘Save the Planet’- has helped make Hard Rock a legitimate cultural force, from coast to coast, continent to continent (â€Å"The Hard Rock Cafe Story†, 2005). Nowadays, Hard Rock Cafe International, with Hard Rock Cafe at its center, is an entertainment and leisure company that continues to successfully expand the Hard Rock Brand through limitless music-related ventures. Hard Rock Cafe is innovating on a system wide modernization program for the 21st century and adding a new day part, a nightclub with live music. Hard Rock is best known not for its food but for its atmosphere. The cafes ask for donations of music memorabilia and have the world’s largest collection of such. Time after time, their guests have told them that they are looking for an opportunity to make a personal, physical and sometimes even spiritual connection to the music and artists of their time. Then Hard Rock Cafe offer a entertaining, unique and educational look at the evolution of music, that can effects on world events and the emotional appeal and timeless energy as told through priceless memorabilia, interactive displays, educated guides and self-guided tours (â€Å"Hard Rock Cafe Announces Plans†, 2002). For Hard Rock Cafe the biggest challenge facing reputable restaurant chains like theirs is losing their customer. In addition, there have been many new competitors, paying attention by a low cost of livelihood and rising people, offering a comparable dining experience. Moreover, employee turnover has continued to increase. Fighting this situation, Hard Rock Cafe wanted to take improvement of their well-built brand image, combined with excellent customer service and constantly high food quality and to attract more customers from the close region (â€Å"Hard Rock Cafe sets new dining trends†, 2004). At Hard Rock Restaurant, to serves their customer they do not applied manual POS (Point of Sales) systems. The reason why The Hard Rock restaurant is do not make use of manual POS solution because it was based on manual processes, it was inefficient and costly to train new staff— and tracking lost revenue was nearly impossible. Before a new employee was ready to work on the restaurant floor, they have to follow the intensive classroom education for a week. From this activity expected, deliver the new wait-staff and cashiers that enable to memorize extensive information, from standard menu items and services options, to preparation alternatives, pricing details and corporate service policies (â€Å"Hard Rock Cafe sets new dining trends†, 2004). To be confident for the long term, The Hard Rock Cafe management needed to find a way to enhance customer service and reduce the amount of time that customers had to wait for their orders. Moreover, they had to decrease on training costs, as well as organization more-effective profits controls and a process for tracking customer preferences and sales trends to advance productivity. To face a great deal disturbance in the technology industry lately, the restaurant’s major concern in selecting a new POS resolution was dependability. Not just of the restaurant’s new systems, but also of the technology source delivering them. Then they use the new IBM technology-based solution (â€Å"Hard Rock Cafe sets new dining trends†, 2004). Hard Rock Cafe expects a full return on investment (ROI) for the new IBM technology-based solution. ROI expected can reduce the cashier headcount and staff training costs. Hard Rock Cafe wait-staff and cashiers can trust in rapid access to concurrent menu and pricing information to respond quickly to diners, by leveraging new functionality. Besides, human error during the order-entry process has been reduced to nearly nothing, resulting in better consistency, efficiency, and customer satisfaction (â€Å"Hard Rock Cafe sets new dining trends†, 2004). To constrain decision making about promotions, pricing and staffing, Hard Rock Cafe managers can track member of staff and customer activities, enabling the company to collect precious business data. By that method, they can rapidly identify popular items, advantage information to cross-sell extra menu items and track the preferences of common. The customers have seen the new technology and they often comment on the new modern system and Hard Rock Cafe innovative approach to reform the dining experience. This will affect customer faithfulness over the long term by enabling Hard Rock Cafe to leverage unforgettable, first-rate service and the strong brand image to attract a bigger base of both visitor and local customers (â€Å"Hard Rock Cafe sets new dining trends†, 2004). To build financial system work well, strategy for the Hard Rock Cafe are: ? They should fix the infrastructure and the existing corporate systems, ? They must invest in customer-facing programs ? They supposed to provide technologies that will drive traffic to Hard Rock’s website (www. hardrock. com) and from there to the restaurants

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Celebrities in the 50s

Elvis Presley was only one of the big names of the 1950s, though probably one of the most recognizable. In the ‘50s television was gaining popularity and sitting down to watch T. V. was a family bonding experience. Celebrities were put on a very high pedestal, even more so than today’s celebrities. People like James Dean, Marilyn Monroe, and John Wayne were treated like royalty. In the 1950s musicians, movie stars, and T. V. stars were some of the most important people in America. Musicians in the ‘50s were pretty bland, minus Elvis, they were all just stand there and sing their ballads or whatever they happened to be singing. Now, this is not to say that legendary artists weren’t born out of the ‘50s. Artists from the ‘50s include Johnny Cash, Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly, Hank Williams and Louis Armstrong. Johnny Cash is one of, if not the, most famous Country musicians ever. His biggest hits include â€Å"I Walk the Line,† â€Å"Burning Ring of Fire,† and the â€Å"Folsom Prison Blues. † He and Hank Williams were true â€Å"Outlaws† of Country music. Chuck Berry was one of the leaders in the rock and roll movement. He was the pioneer of rock music. John Lennon was quoted as saying â€Å"If you tried to give rock and roll another name, you might call it ‘Chuck Berry’. †(www. wwwk. co. uk) Some of Chuck Berry’s more popular songs include â€Å"Johnny B. Good† and â€Å"No Particular Place to Go† Louis Armstrong was a very popular blues musician. He played in a lot of blues clubs in his home town of New Orleans, Louisiana until his mentor invited him to play in Chicago with him. After that Armstrong stayed in Chicago and kept playing there due to a large wealthy black community. Movies were a popular activity in the 1950s. James Dean, Marilyn Monroe, Frankie Avalon, and John Wayne were royalty among Americans. Movies such as â€Å"Rebel without a Cause†, and â€Å"Some Like It Hot† were running ramped over society. James Dean was an American icon starring in movies such as â€Å"Rebel Without a Cause† and â€Å"East of Eden† until his tragic death in 1955 due to a car accident, he lived wild and on the edge and unfortunately that lead to his untimely death at only 24 years old. Marilyn Monroe was, and still is to a degree, one of the most iconic people in the movie industry. Monroe is an icon for beauty, women dream to look like her and men dream to find a woman like her. Some women even get piercings called â€Å"the Monroe† to imitate the beauty mark she had above her lips. John Wayne was the man that every man wanted to be. He starred in just about every Western movie made in the ‘50s such as â€Å"The Searchers† and â€Å"Flying Leathernecks†. His voice and stature were two of his biggest qualities. Television in the 1950s was just starting to popularize. Shows like â€Å"I Love Lucy†, â€Å"Gunsmoke†, â€Å"The Ed Sullivan Show†, and â€Å"Dragnet† were some of the more popular shows throughout the ‘50s. Television was considered a â€Å"family bonding time† in the ‘50s as families would gather together to watch programs such as â€Å"The Ed Sullivan Show. † Lucille Ball was a big T. V. star as the lead of â€Å"I Love Lucy. † There weren’t a lot of individual stars from T. V. , as most of the shows on T. V. in the ‘50s were talk shows. Celebrities in the 1950s have influenced stardomas we know it today. Musicians have shaped what we call music today by starting new genres and influencing new musicians with their work. Movie stars lead into the starlets that we know today by being basically considered royalty among Americans. And television stars shaped generations of families through â€Å"The Ed Sullivan Show† and â€Å"I Love Lucy. † â€Å"Famous Musicians of the 1950's. † When We Were Kids. WWWK, 2003-2009. Web. 24 Mar 2010. ; http://www. wwwk. co. uk/people/musicians/50s. htm; Rich, Candace. â€Å"Pop History – Famous People of the Fifties. † Fifties Web. Candace Rich, 10/09. Web. 17 Mar 2010. http://www. fiftiesweb. com/pop/famous-people. htm â€Å"Entertainment Scene: Top TV Shows, 1950s. † Entertainment Scene. Nielson Media Research, 1997-2010. Web. 17 Mar 2010. http://www. entertainmentscene. com/top_tv_shows_50s. html.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Richter Surname Meaning and Family History

Richter Surname Meaning and Family History The Richter surname means one who was  Lords administrator of a village,  an occupational surname derived  from the Middle High German rihtà ¦re, meaning judge, in turn  derived from the Middle High German rihten, meaning to make right. This term was frequently used in eastern Germany, where the surname is still most common today, to indicate the head of a village, often a hereditary position.   RICHTER  is the 14th most common German surname. Surname Origin:  German, Czech Alternate Surname Spellings:  RYCHTR, RYCHTAR, RECTOR Famous People with the Surname Richter Charles Francis Richter -  American seismologist and physicist; inventor of the Richter magnitude scaleAdrian Ludwig Richter - German artistAugust Gottlieb Richter  - German surgeonBurton Richter - Nobel Prize-winning American physicistFranz Xaver Richter - Czech composerJeremias Benjamin Richter  - German chemist; developer of stoichiometry theoryJohan Richter  -  Norwegian-Swedish  engineer and industrialistGerhard Richter - German painter Where the Richter  Surname Is Most Common The Richter surname today is most prevalent in Germany, according  to surname distribution from  Forebears, where it ranks as the 12th  most common surname in the country. It is also fairly common in Austria, where it ranks 63rd. According to  WorldNames PublicProfiler, Richter is extremely common in northeastern Germany, especially in Sachsen, but also in Brandenburg, Sachsen-Anhalt and Berlin.  Data from Verwandt.de agrees, indicating that the largest number of people with the Richter surname in Germany live in  Berlin, followed by Dresden, Leipzig, Hamburg, Munich, Chemnitz, Region Hannover, Elbe-Eister, Schsische Schweiz  and Freiberg. Genealogy Resources for the Surname RICHTER German Surnames - Meanings and Origins: Uncover the meaning of your German last name with this guide to the origins of German surnames and the meanings of the top 50 most common  German surnames.How to Research German Ancestry: Learn how to trace your German roots back to the old country step by step, from locating your ancestors German hometown to accessing records in Germany.Richter  Family Crest - Its Not What You Think: Contrary to what you may hear, there is no such thing as a Richter  family crest or coat of arms for the Richter surname.  Coats of arms are granted to individuals, not families, and may rightfully be used only by the uninterrupted male-line descendants of the person to whom the coat of arms was originally granted.Richter  Family Genealogy Forum: Search this popular genealogy forum for the Richter  surname to find others who might be researching your ancestors, or post your own Richter query.FamilySearch - RICHTER  Genealogy: Explore over 11  milli on results from digitized  historical records and lineage-linked family trees related to the Richter surname on this free website hosted by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. RICHTER  Surname Family Mailing Lists: RootsWeb hosts several free mailing lists for researchers of the Richter  surname.DistantCousin.com - RICHTER  Genealogy Family History: Explore free databases and genealogy links for the last name Richter.GeneaNet - Richter  Records: GeneaNet includes archival records, family trees, and other resources for individuals with the Richter  surname, with a concentration on records and families from France and other European countries.The Richter  Genealogy and Family Tree Page: Browse genealogy records and links to genealogical and historical records for individuals with the Richter  surname from the website of Genealogy Today.- References Cottle, Basil.  Penguin Dictionary of Surnames. Baltimore, MD: Penguin Books, 1967.Dorward, David.  Scottish Surnames. Collins Celtic (Pocket edition), 1998.Fucilla, Joseph.  Our Italian Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 2003.Hanks, Patrick and Flavia Hodges.  A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1989.Hanks, Patrick.  Dictionary of American Family Names. Oxford University Press, 2003.Reaney, P.H.  A Dictionary of English Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1997.Smith, Elsdon C.  American Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 1997

Monday, November 4, 2019

I am going to send paper topic by attachment Essay

I am going to send paper topic by attachment - Essay Example But very few people consider learning a new language such as Japanese, French or German. Despite the fact that these languages are not as prevalent as English, they still are steeped in great linguistics and implications. Without doubt, there are as many reasons as to why one should learn a new language. But most important of all: learning a new language is considered to be a collective undertaking since it will always benefit the individual (Klass 1-2). I have learned Japanese language, and the communication pattern was business. The significant of learning this language is the stimulation that comes with it. It makes one develop a piqued curiosity as well as acquire a certain ache for knowledge eventually. Normally, common things become titillating, and the conscience is introduced to better ways of approaching and tackling the intricacies of our everyday lives (Klass 1-2). Japanese language has certain solid societal nuances that call up emotions whenever listened to or muttered. While appraising the Japanese food culture, it made me understand how to enunciate words, for instance, when ordering for sushi -after the waiter asks: go-chuumon wa okimaridesu ka you? (Have you decided on your order?) You simply reply by saying: Boku wa sushi (as for me, I will have sushi). This experience of aptitude and power made me think that it will one day definitely assuage much of the travelling, therefore making my future trip to Japan all the more relaxing and/or enjoyable. Irrespective of the motive why I choose to learn Japanese, the experience somehow permitted me to explore new linguistic fields. One thing, learning a new language can mean expanding career opportunities and certainly enjoying the beauty of an entirely alien language enabled me to understand the grammatical as well as historical, and sociocultural elements associated with it. Learning Japanese facilitated my overall learning abilities and thus far broadened

Saturday, November 2, 2019

Eugene O'neill's Long day's journey into night analysis Essay

Eugene O'neill's Long day's journey into night analysis - Essay Example The play mostly consists of painful admissions and bitter exchanges amongst the family until problems after problems pile together and the family gets engulfed in complete despair. It is said that O’Neill based the characters off himself, his older sibling and both their parents. James Tyrone Sr. was born in Ireland but his family migrated to the United States of America when he was just eight years old. Two years later, his father abandoned the family and went back to Ireland where he died with rat poison in his system. It was thought to be suicide but James remained adamant that it was not. Being fatherless forced him to get employed so he could support himself, which led to him having a strong work ethic. Also, having to work for money led him to having a great appreciation to it, almost going overboard and turning miserly. He does not seem to have any worries in his life but his greatest fear is losing all his money and ending up in a poorhouse. The play proves this by showing him to be dressed in shabby clothes as he seems to wear the clothes till they are worn out and cannot be used any further. He was a famous actor during his youth when he toured the United States of America with Mary. But playing the same character repeatedly let him to being unable to develop further as an actor and he was not able to go higher in the acting industry much to his everlasting regret. However, despite being sixty five years old, he has managed to retain his good looks and even looks younger than his age. Despite no longer being an actor, his mannerisms are those similar to one but that does not make him pretentions or even temperamental. This is because of â€Å"his humble beginnings and Irish farmer forbears† (ONeill 2). He is a healthy man in spite of smoking cigars and being a perpetual alcoholic. Mary is fifty four years old but, despite the age, still remains pretty. She loves her husband James