Imaging In Diagnosis Pancreatic Cancer Health And Social Care Essay

Pancreatic malignant neoplastic disease and its patterned advance, Drake et Al ( 2005 ) suggest pancreatic malignant neoplastic diseases are aggressive and occur most frequently in the caput, cervix and uncinate procedure of the pancreas. Malignant tumor of the pancreas affect more work forces than adult females and are associated with intoxicant maltreatment, diabetes, familial pancreatitis and smoke. Neoptolemos ( 2009 ) goes onto explain that age is an overpowering factor sing pancreatic malignant neoplastic disease which accounts for approximately 5 % of all malignant neoplastic disease instances. Harmonizing to Hanno et Al ( 2008 ) pancreatic malignant neoplastic disease is thought to impact 10 people in 100,000 every twelvemonth. Marieb and Hohhn ( 2010 ) suggest that malignant neoplastic disease of the pancreas is serious as it seldom causes symptoms until it is really advanced and hence is difficult to observe and handle. As pancreatic malignant neoplastic disease is frequently advanced by the clip it is diagnosed, often metastases are present. Due to this the forecast of pancreatic malignant neoplastic disease is frequently really hapless and is associated with a high mortality rate ( Jackson & A ; Thomas, 2005 ) . Imaging Pancreatic Cancer Johnson ( 2005 ) suggests that one time a patient has presented with a suspected pancreatic carcinoma, they should instantly have an Ultrasound Scan ( US ) of the liver, bile canal and pancreas. Harmonizing to Jackson and Thomas ( 2005 ) ultrasound scans use high-frequency sound moving ridges, that when returned from variety meats create a signal. After transporting out an ultrasound scan, if the findings suggest a malignance may be present farther imagination would be recommended. A Assortment of surveies are available, including: Endoscopic Ultrasound ( EUS ) Computed Tomography ( CT ) Magnetic Resonance Imaging ( MRI ) Endoscopic Ultrasound ( EUS ) Europiums can be used in the diagnosing, presenting and resectability of pancreatic carcinomas ( DeWitt et al, 2004 ) . EUS is considered to hold a higher sensitiveness when observing tumors located in the caput of the pancreas compared to observing tumors located in the organic structure or tail of the pancreas ( Shami & A ; Kaheleh, 2010 ) . Legmann et Al ( 1998 ) suggest that EUS has high sensitiveness when observing little pancreatic tumors. Many writers support this and DeWitt et Al ( 2004 ) travel on to explicate that EUS is superior to other modes as it can pick up tumors even smaller than 25mm. By observing little tumors early on, EUS can find whether farther trials are needed and hence set uping the patient ‘s direction. EUS contributes to the direction of the patient by assisting to be after and steer drainage processs ( Dietrich, 2006 ) . EUS is considered to hold a high sensitiveness when turn uping lymph node metastasis and vascular infiltration ( Shami & A ; Kahaleh, 2010 ) . Each relevant construction that can be affected by pancreatic malignant neoplastic disease can be assessed utilizing EUS. Gress and Savides ( 2009 ) further explain that EUS can be used to separate the relationship between the mass and next vascular constructions to measure the resectability. Harmonizing to Faigel et Al ( 1997 ) EUS guided all right needle aspiration is used for both local theatrical production and accurate tissue diagnosing in one process. Williams et Al ( 1998 ) support this and explicate that the process is a superior mode for the sensing of metastases and provides an accurate diagnosing of pancreatic malignances. An ultrasound transducer is attached to the caput of an endoscope and passed through the patient ‘s oral cavity to obtain images of the internal variety meats. EUS provides the chance to look at the GI wall beds and the surrounding variety meats ( Shami & A ; Kahaleh, 2010 ) . Rosch et Al ( 1991 ) explain that because of the close propinquity of the transducer to the internal organ of involvement, accurate and elaborate images are produced. Harmonizing to Lowry et Al ( 2008 ) pancreatic malignant neoplastic diseases often appear hypoechoic and arise from the bright, hyperechoic parenchyma of the pancreas. The lodgers of a malignance are frequently irregular ; nevertheless, there is normally a differentiation between a normal and malignant pancreas ( Figure 1.0 & A ; 1.1 ) . Despite showing a malignance, Lowry et Al ( 2008 ) further explains that its visual aspect can on occasion mime an inflammatory procedure of the pancreas. Figure 1.0 Figure 1.1 Figure 1.0 EUS showing a mass in the organic structure of the pancreas with engagement of the superior mesenteric vena. ( Taken from: Kwon & A ; Scheiman, 2006 ) . Figure 1.1. EUS showing a mass of the caput of the pancreas blockading the common gall canal. ( Taken from: Erickson, 2010 ) . Guidelines mentioning to pancreatic lesions issued in 2005 suggest that any lesion found in the pancreas, irrespective of its size requires further diagnostic rating. The guidelines go on to state that EUS findings entirely are non sufficient when naming lesions within the pancreas as it is unable to find whether they are malignant ( Barclay, 2005 ) . Guidelines set out by the British Medical Ultrasound Society ( 2009 ) say that Ultrasound equipment sound should merely by used by people who are to the full trained and have an apprehension of the thermal and mechanical bio-effects of ultrasound. Prior to EUS scrutinies, patients will be required to be nil by oral cavity for 6 hours. Patients will be given instructions sing the process and asked relevant inquiries associating to their wellness and allergic reactions. EUS processs are carried out under witting sedation, a cannula will be inserted into the patient ‘s arm so this and any other medicine can be inserted intravenously ( Soper et Al, 2008 ) . During the process, patients will be required to lie on their side. Harmonizing to Soper et Al ( 2008 ) scrutinies of the pancreas require high frequence echography ( 7.5- 12 MHz ) and get down by turn uping the aorta at the degree of the gorge to measure the pancreatic canal. Soper et Al ( 2008 ) further explain that the organic structure and the tail of the pancreas can so be visualised. Harmonizing to Soper et Al ( 2008 ) one time patients have recovered, they are discharged and able to restart their usual diet. Current research suggests that developments in EUS will travel beyond all right needle aspiration. Enerson ( 2005 ) believes that less invasive endoscopy equipment, which is capable of imaging variety meats next to the GI piece of land, will be developed and offer a new way sing the intercession procedure. Europiums can raise some issues with respects to the patients. First, the process requires patient engagement ; nevertheless it can be really uncomfortable and do the patient to experience ill doing the scan to be abandoned ( Shami & A ; Kahaleh, 2010 ) . It is besides necessary to calm the patients when set abouting a EUS process, doing patients to go really dying. Talley ( 2007 ) besides suggests that patient medicines are an issue as they may non be able to take it at the regular clip due to the readying for the test ; these include diabetes and anti-coagulant medicines. Computed Imaging Kwon and Scheiman ( 2006 ) suggest that Computed Tomography ( CT ) is the mode of pick when diagnosis and presenting pancreatic malignant neoplastic disease. CT provides outstanding word picture of the abdominal variety meats and is widely used to place abdominal multitudes. Jackson and Thomas ( 2005 ) correlative this by composing how CT provides first-class anatomical item when imaging primary tumors and environing local invasions. In relation to the direction of patients, it is necessary to find the resectability which can be established by the presence of vascular engagement ( Kwon & A ; Scheiman, 2006 ) . CT is considered the preferred mode for presenting due to the usage of contrast sweetening. Kwon and Scheiman ( 2006 ) explicate how a big endovenous dye bolus which enhances venous and arterial constructions is injected into the patient to accurately foretell surgical resectability. CT presenting can find how advanced the malignant neoplastic disease is and hence alter or dete rmined patient direction. The information acquired from a CT scan is interpreted and displayed on a computing machine as an image. Harmonizing to Jackson and Thomas ( 2005 ) every pel is assigned a CT figure that is compared to that of H2O and displayed on a graduated table of units know as Hounsfield units. Each figure represents a shadiness of Grey which demonstrates the composing, nature and denseness of tissues. The graduated table below ( Figure. 2.0 ) shows the Hounsfield units assigned to each tissue type. Figure 2.0 The Hounsfield graduated table of CT Numberss. Taken from: Jackson & A ; Thomas ( 2005 ) . Harmonizing to the Hirshberg Foundation ( 2010 ) utilizing a scope of Greies and associating them to the Hounsfield graduated table, creates a elaborate image of the pancreas. Von Hoff et Al ( 2005 ) further explains that on a CT scan compared to the normal pancreas, pancreatic carcinomas typically appear hypodense ab initio and so isodense in the ulterior phases. Secondary marks of a pancreatic carcinoma are clear on a CT scan, such as dilation of the pancreatic canal and the common gall canal, wasting of the pancreas and narrowing of next vascular constructions. Figure 2.1 A CT scan showing a ill enhanced mass in the caput of the pancreas. Taken from: Jackson & A ; Thomas ( 2005 ) . Due to the usage of ionizing radiation, guidelines province that CT scans are merely to be carried out if requested by an appropriate accredited wellness supplier and supply sufficient medical information to warrant the scan ( Berland, 2006 ) . Guidelines suggest that when transporting out a CT scan steps should be put in topographic point to cut down the patient dosage and when possible, an alternate scan should be carried out ( Radiation protection, 2000 ) . The guidelines go on to province that CT scans of the venters should non be carried out on pregnant patients unless sound clinical grounds are given. Pancreas protocols for CT scans say patients should imbibe a liter of H2O 20 proceedingss prior to a scan. Pretorius et Al ( 2006 ) says patients should be changed into a gown and take all jewelry. Patients will so be asked to reply relevant inquiries associated with their wellness. Bruening et Al ( 2006 ) add that patients are positioned supine on the bed with their weaponries raised above their caput. Patients have a cannula inserted in their arm in order to shoot contrast intravenously. Lowry et Al ( 2008 ) suggests that scans should get down at the xiphoid and coating at the iliac crests. Scans are carried out pre-contrast and so at a 40 and 70 2nd hold one time the contrast has been added. Bruening et Al ( 2006 ) further explain that 120 Kv and between 165 and 240 ma should be used to transport out the scans. Developments in CT scanning allow for it to be combined with Positron Emissions Tomography ( PET ) to supply extra information. Although they are non used routinely for pancreatic malignant neoplastic diseases they can assist to polish a intervention program ( O'Reilly, 2010 ) . PET scanning combined with CT scanning can be used in the diagnosing and theatrical production of pancreatic malignant neoplastic disease by showing sites of malignant neoplastic disease or redness in the organic structure ( figure 2.2 ) ( O'Reilly, 2010 ) . Figure 2.2. A combines PET/CT image showing an increased consumption in the pancreas CT can do issues sing the patient as it provides the patient with high doses of ionizing radiation and involves the disposal of endovenous contrast stuff. Lisle ( 2007 ) further explains that the iodized contrast media used in CT scanning can do jobs from the patient if their nephritic map is deficient or if they have an allergic reaction. Magnetic Resonance Imaging ( MRI ) Magnetic Resonance Imaging involves the debut of a radiofrequency pulsation to excite the H protons. Harmonizing to Jackson & A ; Thomas ( 2005 ) once the radiofrequency pulsation is turned off, the protons relax and return a signal to the sensor spiral which when paired with a computed creates an image. Harmonizing to Miura ( 2006 ) MRI offers first-class soft tissue contrast and besides the ability to analyze the pancreatobiliary system non-invasively. Miller et Al ( 2006 ) correlative this and suggest that MRI scans are utile in the rating of elusive, non-contour deforming pancreatic multitudes. Miura ( 2006 ) suggests that Gd enhanced scans are superior to CT when observing little tumors in the pancreas. Greenberger et Al ( 2009 ) further suggests that ; MRI has high sensitiveness when picturing the degree and features of a mass. MRI scanning is utile when measuring local tumor extension and vascular engagement and Miura ( 2009 ) suggests MRI has equal or better truth when presenting pancreatic carcinomas. Harmonizing to Neoptolemos ( 2009 ) MRI scanning can lend towards the direction of the patient by supplying information about the best attack for drainage and stenting. MRI is used in the appraisal of intervention response and the sensing of complications and return. This farther contributes to patient direction by finding the extent of the intervention needed ( Von Hoff et Al, 2005 ) . MRI scans can farther assist to find the appropriate intervention as it is better able to place surgical campaigners by qualifying little liver metastases every bit good as peritoneal and omental metastases ( Miller et al, 2006 ) . A normal Pancreas shows every bit high signal strength on a T1 fat suppressed scan due to the presence of acinous proteins ( Miller et al, 2006 ) . Typically on pre-contrast and post-contrast T1 weighted images, pancreatic carcinomas show lower signal ( hypointense ) compared to normal pancreatic parenchyma ( Figure 3.0 ) . Characteristics of a pancreatic carcinoma on a MRI scan consists of the expansion of the pancreatic caput with distension of the pancreatic and common gall canal and wasting of the organic structure and tail of the pancreas ( Semelka, 2010 ) . Harmonizing to Van Hoff et Al ( 2005 ) tumors are best visualised straight after the disposal of Gd as they stand out against the normal pancreas as hypointense ( Figure 3.1 ) . Fatty abnormalcies within the pancreas can frequently look as a malignant neoplastic disease on CT and EUS scans, MRI nevertheless can distinguish the features and separate a fatty abnormalcy from a malignant neoplastic disease ( Miller et al, 2006 ) . Figure 3.0 A Magnetic resonance image showing a carcinoma affecting the pancreatic caput and falsifying the superior mesenteric vena. ( Taken from: Van Hoff et Al, 2005 ) . Figure 3.1 A Gd enhanced, T1 weighted fat suppressed scan shows several pealing enhanced liver lesions ( short white pointers ) proposing liver metastases. Dilated pancreatic canals are besides demonstrated ( white pointer ) every bit good as a ill defined mass in the pancreatic caput ( black pointer ) . The white pointer caput shows a bilious stent. ( Taken from: Miller et al, 2006 ) . Figure 3.0 Figure 3.1 Magnetic Resonance Cholangiopancreatography scans ( MRCP ) can be performed as an option to Endoscopic retrograde Cholangiopancreatography ( ERCP ) . MRCP scans examine the ductual constructions of the liver and the pancreas and are a critical procedure when looking at dilation of the canals in peculiar ( Jackson & A ; Thomas, 2005 ) . MRCP scanning is a utile tool when exposing the ‘double canal ‘ mark in patients with clogging icterus which can bespeak a mass in the caput of the pancreas, nevertheless MRCP provides no information in the theatrical production of a pancreatic carcinoma. Siegelman ( 2010 ) suggests that vascular engagement and liver metastases are better detected on non-MRCP pulse sequences. Roth and Seeram ( 2002 ) state how guidelines province that anyone being scanned should be carefully screened in order to guarantee their safety within the MRI scanner. This should affect questionnaires to find whether patients have any metallic implants or gait shapers that could be affected by the magnetic environment. FDA guidelines besides province that as the safety of MRI when imaging a fetus has non been identified, patients should be advise in order to do an informed determination about go oning with the scan ( Roth & A ; Seeram, 2002 ) . Prior to a MRI scan, patients will be changed into a infirmary gown and take lose jewelry. Roth and Seeram ( 2001 ) explain that patients will make full out questionnaires in order to declare themselves fit for the scan. Patients will be fitted with a working venflon in order to administrate contrast. The patient will be supine on the tabular array with the respiratory bellows underneath them and connected at the top. The cardiac spiral will be placed onto the patient at the degree of the liver. The patient will come in the scanner pess first and be centred at the xiphoid. A assortment of sequences are so carried out including: Axial and coronal T2 weighted scans Axial T1 gradient reverberation scan Axial and coronal unenhanced fat suppressed T1 weighted scan Axial and coronal fat suppressed Gd enhanced T1 weighted scans MRCP ( Miller et al, 2006 ) . Semelka ( 2001 ) suggests that the hereafter will see the correlativity of CT and MRI images in the diagnosing of pancreatic malignant neoplastic disease. Semelka ( 2001 ) further explains that by uniting CT and MRI images, a better and more comprehensive nature of look intoing the pancreas will be available. Lisle ( 2007 ) suggest that issues rise as patients are unable to be scanned if they are fitted with a cardiac gait shaper as the magnetic current can do it to halt. Patients that have metallic implants, such as joint replacings are besides unable to be scanned as the magnetic Fieldss are so strong. In add-on to this, claustrophobia proves to be a great patient issue as the scanner is narrow and scan times are long. Overall, Miller et Al ( 2006 ) suggest that even though CT is the constituted imagination techniques for the rating of pancreatic carcinomas, the superior contrast declaration of MRI may break detect lesions of the pancreas. They go on to propose that MRI is superior to CT as it can be used without the demand of iodized contrast. Besides, MRI is able to set up the nature of the mass unlike EUS and CT. CT nevertheless, is quicker and more tolerable than MRI scanning and uses the Hounsfield graduated table to supply accurate images of the pancreas and the environment vascular engagement. Due to the intimacy of the transducer to the internal variety meats, EUS provides elaborate images that can find whether a mass is present. However, it is invasive and uncomfortable for the patient and can non distinguish between a malignance and a fatty mass. Word count: 2,898 ( Not including images amounting to merely over half a page ) .

Economic Development in Urban Areas Essay

Many villagers and small town dwellers want a living in big cities. With some expectations, they make a movement from villages to big cities. This migration from rural areas to big cities is called urbanization. There are two kinds of factors why rural people seek for urban life. The first one is urban pull factor. They dream for higher wages, better housing and utilities, better school and hospital, more jobs opportunity, and more experience that they can get it all from a living in big cities as they think. The second one is urban push factor. We know that most of rural areas people are farmers. There’s not much else to do anymore in the village but wait for harvest time and without higher level of education, availability of media, or facilities that they need, they might be stimulated to move to urban areas. But after they reached what they called their dreamland, most of them must face more problems than what they had when they lived in villages. They will face some problems because of their insufficient abilities, experience, education, and skills those are needed for a good living in big cities. For instance, they can’t provide housing or maybe they can’t find any job. And then they just stranded with the option of staying in cities or coming back home. As the result of urbanization, cities have more problems to overcome such as pollution, overpopulation, drug abuse, congestion, crime, poverty, traffic jam, slum areas, and many more. There must be something to solve these problems. Government and citizens should be involved because taking care of city problems can’t be done entirely by government. The community can be even more successful because it deals directly with problem areas. As the solution to solve those problems government can provide housing, create a new regulation transmigration program, provide skills training program, or start to develop in rural areas. Beside that, citizens can help to succeed government’s programs with giving charity, offering some good job to jobless people, becoming foster parents who subsidize the education fee for underprivileged children, or offering a low cost housing for homeless people. Last of all, urbanization not only impacts a better future than living in a village, but also worse. Villagers must consider about their ability to deal with a living in problem-ridden city before they intend to move to big cities. Economic change has helped lead America into urban crisis for the following reasons. First of all, because urban problems are no longer confined to the inner city, but are regional in nature. The federal government has, also, largely drawn from the urban policy arena, thereby having cities and sates to develop their own solutions to local problems. Furthermore, the economy of cities is no longer organized around a central business district, but is dispersed throughout a metropolitan region. Next, the national economy has experienced a fundamental reorganization and many cities have experienced the direct effects of deindustrialization and disinvestments. Additionally, the fiscal crisis within the public sector is unprecedented and has seriously negative effects for the provision of services at all levels of government. Finally, the nature of work itself has changed within cities as more women enter the labor market; the changing nature of work has affected the urban family in many ways, many of which have direct ramifications for social welfare and family policies. There is a great amount of inequality of income in some cities. Most of those who fall bellow the poverty line is African Americans and Hispanics. This is because they are placed in low paying jobs. As more and more people immigrate into the country, there are less and less jobs to go around. This creates a larger poverty gap. People just coming here to America are placed in very low-income jobs. This is all they can get if they don’t speak any English. For example, here at Rider the cleaning people are all Spanish. They don’t speak any English, and their job is to be the cleaning crew. These are the only types of jobs that these people can get most of the time, and this makes our percentage of people who are in poverty go up. Another problem that is contributing to the urban crisis is the rise of single-parent families and ‘present-orientated’ values. The problem here is that the divorce rate in America is getting higher and higher, and also the amount of children being had out of marriage is greatly increasing also. This creates one parent raising a child. The problem here is that there is no proper care for children in this situation. The parent has too much responsibility. They are to provide for the family, as well as adequately care for their children. When the single parent has to go to work, to get money to pay for a place to live, food, and clothing, there leaves no time to watch and take care of the children, meaning children are left to take care of themselves after school is over and this result in a lot of problems for the communities. These children cause trouble. They are the ones who commit most crimes in an urban environment. This is why in an urban city there is a lot more crime. There are a lot of children left unsupervised for most of the day and night. Another problem is the ethnic tensions that there are in America. There are many things that are wrong with this. The first problem is that because of racism, people are secluded. They are pushed to all live together, because people don’t want to live next to them. This is how a ghetto is started, and slums. All the people of low incomes live in the same neighborhood together. They also contain the high crime rates because these are the people who are also of single parent families and their children are left unsupervised. Another problem with racism is that people are given lower paying jobs because of their race, and also, they aren’t able to have to same amount of experience as other people. They don’t go to as good of schools, and they then might not be able to go to college, so they are stuck. They can only get a low paying job. This creates families to be stuck in poverty for generations, they can never get out, unless with government assistance of some sort. Then this makes the inner cities all full of low-income families, and creates a poverty stricken area that cannot be fixed in any way. If there were more integration within neighborhoods, then we wouldn’t have these areas. Another reason why urban America is in crisis is because of the underground urban economy. This also causes a lot of crime in urban cities. The people in these cities who are poor, and are trying to find a way out, usually try by doing something illegal. A big example of this is drug sale. People start selling drugs to get money. This creates a lot of problems. The selling of illegal materials results in murders, and robberies, to either get the drugs, pay for the drugs, or avoid getting caught selling them. Another example of this is people stealing things, like car parts, and selling it on the black market. All of these illegal acts always result in something that makes the cities look worse and worse to live in. I know that when I go into Little Rock I am really afraid, because I know that there is a really high amount of crime there, and I am always thinking that someone is going to try to shoot me for my car, rob a store that I am in, or something else. Stereotypes of cities are easily created, and this doesn’t help the situation. Also, the advancement in technology has lead many people to be left without jobs. This technology had created more unskilled labor, and putted skilled labor to a minimum. People, who had been specialists at doing certain skilled work, are constantly being replaced by machines that can do the same work faster and cheaper. This creates a huge economy gap. It makes the rich get richer and the poor get poorer, by giving all the money from the profit of sales to the company owners, rather than to employees. So, the people who were already well off, have even more money, and those people who were middle class citizens are now jobless, and can not afford to take care of their families. The problem here is obvious, the more jobs that are lost because people are replaced by machines, the greater the amount of people who become in poverty. The numbers keep increasing. The UNFPA report we are launching today is of great importance and very timely: â€Å"unleashing the potential of urban growth†, as the report’s subtitle indicates, represents the greatest challenge of this century. The diagnosis made in the report is beyond dispute: urbanization is inevitable, but it can also be positive. Furthermore, the report focuses on poverty since it is poor people who will make up a large part of future growth. The report also focuses on the situation of women and young people. Projections suggest that in 2030, 60% of the population will be less than 18 years old. This is a very explosive situation if prevailing development models continue to exclude young people. My own research in various African capitals indicates a clear deterioration in the situation of young people, particularly with respect to access to paid employment. Younger people are taking more time than previous generations to find work and more often find themselves in precarious jobs in the informal sector. A society that does not provide challenging opportunities to its youth is a failed society. The situation is already catastrophic in the cities of the poor regions of the world and it is obvious that young people will not accept being excluded or marginalized. They will resort to alternative means, including violence, to challenge a world that leaves them so little space. I would suggest that this is urbanization’s greatest challenge is giving young people access to decent jobs that match their aspirations. In short, we must recognize the great merit of this report, which identifies the real problems and makes an extremely valid diagnosis.

Capital Gains or Losses Tax

There are certain sales made by Dave in the financial year 2015 and the task at hand is to calculate the capital gains or losses arising from it. He received 850,000 from the sale of his two storeyed house in St. Lucia which was purchased for 70,000. This means that he made a gain of 780,000 in this sale if we don’t account for the expenses incurred in the commission expenses. However, the proceeds received by Dave from sale of his residence at St Lucia is fully exempted from capital gains tax because as per ATO proceeds from a sale of personal home are fully exempted if the individual has been living it for the duration for which he/she has owned the property and the property hasn’t been generating any assessable income. The proceeds received from the forfeiture by a buyer is also application for exemption under capital gains as it as part the capital proceeds from the disposal of that asset which was exempted due it being a main residence of the taxpayer. Hence even t he forfeited amount wont attract any capital gains tax liability. The painting is not eligible for exemption as neither was it purchased under $500 nor was it acquired before 16 th September,1995 hence the net capital gains are taxable. So the net gains of 110,000 are to be taxed under capital gains tax. The figure of 110,000 dollars is the selling price less the acquiring price which are 15,000 and 125,000 respectively. The taxable amount arisen due to the benefit provided can be calculated using either of the two methods prescribed by the ATO i.e. indexing method or the discount method whichever yields the lowest value subject to the constraint that it satisfies the conditions laid down to use a particular method for discounting. Since the asset has been held for more than a year and since the asset was acquired before September,1999 he can apply the indexation method to calculate the discount. The indexation factor is given by CPI (Consumer Price Index) in which the sale was made divided by the CPI for the quarter in which the initial investmen t was made. CPI values were obtained from the website of ATO and the indexation factor calculated to the fourth decimal point is obtained as 2.6952. Since the sale was made in 3 rd quarter 1985 the indexation factor for this was 39.7 and that for the sale was 2 nd quarter 2015 for which the indexation factor was 107.Hence the cost of the painting would be increased by that factor to get the capital gain. Hence now capital gain would be 84,572 as the cost for calculating capital gain would be 40,428 dollars which is 15,000 multiplied by the indexing factor. But the discount factor gives a better result as under the discount method the capital gains are discounted by 50% hence under this method capital gains would be 55,000 dollars which is the net gains of 110,000 discounted by 50%. Since the discount method gives the better result which in this case is the lower value we would use this method to calculate the capital gain at 55,000 dollars.   The capital gain can be reduced only after all the capital losses for the income year have been applied. It is imperative to mention here that net losses from collectables can only be deducted from capital gains made from collectables, not from other capital gains. The capital loss on the boat boat which was purchased in 2004 would be calculated using the other method which would give the highest possible result of 50,000 dollars. The amount is obtained by subtracting the sale price of 60,000 dollars from the acquisition cost of 110,000 dollars. For the capital gain tax on the shares, the other method will be used. The cost base would include the cost price of shares and also the brokerage paid on the shares and the stamp duty. Hence total cost would be 71,000 dollars and since the shares were sold for 80,000 dollars the total capital gain is 9000 dollars. It’s explicitly mentioned that the interest charges are not to be included in the cost base. The net capital gain or loss is given by total capital gains for the year less the capital losses for the year further brought down by any discounts allowed. Hence, the net capital gain from sale of painting and shares is 64,000 dollars or 93,372 dollars depending on the method used for the painting. Net capital loss from sale of boat is 50,000 dollars Hence net capital gain of 14,000 dollars or 43,372 for Dave for the current year. Since Dave has had a net capital gain of 14,000 dollars he can use this to deduct the net capital loss carried forward from the previous year which amounts to 50,000 dollars. His net capital loss would now stand at 36,000 dollars as the capital gain this year would be deducted from the carried forward capital gain loss. If Dave has a net capital loss it would be added to the capital gain loss carried forward from last year. Hence now his total capital loss would stand at 50,000 dollars and the additional capital loss incurred this year Capital loss cannot be used to offset the tax liability and would be carried forward and can be used to deduct it against capital gains in the coming years. To calculate a car fringe benefit, an employer must work out the taxable value of the benefit using either of the below mentioned methods as per ATO. Even if a different method was used in the previous taxable year, the method to be used this year would be determined by the method which gives the lowest value. However, if the required documentation for the operating cost method (for example, log books) have not been kept then the statutory formula method must be used. The operating cost method requires the company to maintain a log book which specifics the usage of car in terms of business and non-business use. Since this has not been maintained the statutory method of valuation would be used to evaluate the taxable value of the fringe benefit arising from the use of the car. Under the statutory formula method, the steps involved are estimating the cost of the car, estimating the statutory rate and determining the number of days the car was used for private purpose. The taxable value is then given by A*B*C/365 where A is the base value of the car, B is the statutory rate and C is the number of days in use of the car in a given assessment year. The statutory rate for calculating the fringe benefits tax would be 20% since ATO prescribes a flat tax rate of 20% for calculating the benefit provided if kilometres travelled are less than 15,000 kilometres. In fact, for any benefits provided after 2011 the tax structure is a flat rate of 20%. The car held by Emma for a 11 month period which constituted 336 days. During the 11-month period or the 336-day period from 1 st may to 31 st March no days would be deducted in determining the number of days of usage of car as ATO clearly lists that annual maintenances are to be listed as days when it is available for use and whenever it is garaged at the employee’s house would also be not deducted, in this case when Emma was interstate would not be deducted, Keeping the above factors in consideration the tax liability would be calculated at 20% of the cost price of the car which is 33,000 and it would be factored by 336/365. Hence 6075 is the taxable value. A company is said to provide a loan fringe benefit if it extends to its employee a loan and charges no interest or a low rate of interest. Any interest rate lower than the prescribed or the benchmark interest rate qualifies as a loan fringe benefit. The  benchmark interest rate  for the Fringe Benefit Tax for the assessment year ending March 31,2015 is given as 5.95% by ATO. Hence for the given scenario since the loan is provided by Periwinkle to Emma at 4.5% it qualifies as a loan fringe benefit. The taxable value of a loan fringe benefit is the difference between: Since Emma uses the loan for purchase of a holiday home and for lending it to her husband the entire amount is to be taken into consideration. For the given scenario the taxable value of the loan fringe benefit is the difference between the two amounts 29,750 dollars and 22,500 dollars which is 7,250 dollars. While the former is the rate of interest charged by the company to Emma, the latter is the interest to be paid in accordance with the statutory rate in 2015. There is no specific information regarding cheap sale of its own products to its employees and neither is it under any exempt category but since the price Emma paid for it is anyways more than the manufacturing cost we exclude it from our scope of taking out the fringe benefits provided to Emma. Hence the total taxable value of the fringe benefits is the loan fringe befit of 7,250 dollars and the car fringe benefit of 6,075 dollars which is a total of 13,325 dollars. Hence the total fringe tax liability would be 6262.75 dollars as the fringe benefit tax is 47%. Had the 50,000 been used by Emma herself instead of being lent to the husband to buy the shares it would be eligible for deduction. ATO prescribes that the taxable value of a loan fringe benefit may be reduced in accordance with the 'otherwise deductible' rule, subject to the constraint hat the investment is made by the employee himself or herself rather than an associate which was the case in first place. Putting it simply it implies that the taxable value would be reduced to the extent to which interest payable on the loan is, or would be, allowable as an income tax deduction to the employee. We look at an example to understand the implications better. Supposing an employee uses a loan from his/her company wholly to invest in interest bearing financial instruments, then the interest that he would have to pay the company is deductible fully for tax purposes. Hence what the mentioned scenario implied is that under this rule the taxable value of the fringe benefit provided would be ze ro, irrespective of the rate of interest charged by the company on the loan. Therefore, where the otherwise deductible rule applies, the taxable value of a loan fringe benefit is: Hence for the given scenario the taxable amount under loan fringe benefit would be reduced by the differential interest paid on 50,000 dollars since this would now be deductibe for tax purposes. This would mean that the loan fringe benefit would now be 6525 dollars instead of 7250 dollars and the total taxable amount under fringe benefit tax would be 12,600 dollars. ATO, 2016. Capital Gains Tax. [Online] Available at: https://www.ato.gov.au/General/Capital-gains-tax/ ATO, 2016. Fringe benefits tax. [Online] Available at: https://www.ato.gov.au/General/Fringe-benefits-tax-(FBT)/

Autobiograhy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Autobiograhy - Essay Example In this case, this was a situation when one of his subordinates arrived late for work that morning, as he tried to explain the manager shouted at him. However, this agitated the subordinate given since it was embracing to him since it was in the midst of other employees. The argument escalated, though it was resolved by assistant manager who had conflict management skills. The other case involved a conflict between groups during a project, whereby they were unable to agree on ways to assign themselves to various tasks. In fact, this had a significant impact on the project to an extent that it would have hampered the process of undertaking it. Nonetheless, the team leader of these groups had a conflict management skills and he was able to deal with the differences between these groups in a way that would facilitated their progress in accordance to their expectations. In conclusion, the cases that have been presented signify that importance of conflict management skill in working

Mgt 501 management theory and practice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Mgt 501 management theory and practice - Essay Example The present study would analyze the business dynamics of Mc Donald’s with regards to the aspect of organizational culture and the constituting aspects of internal and external factors that affect organizational culture. The choice of the organization assumes significance considering the fact that the company is one of the best known brands and has operations across diverse geographical regions making the aspect of culture as an extremely vital aspect in determining the company’s business prospects. McDonalds was established in the year 1955 by the legendary personality Ray Croc in the United States of America. The company since then has grown a long way to emerge as one of the most popular restaurant chains having a dedicated presence in almost every region of the world (McDonalds, 2011). The company at its present date has a dedicated presence in about 119 different nations and employing a large number of individuals. The stocks of the company are listed on the bourses of the New York Stock Exchange. The company has been adding new products in its menu list consistently over the years and has also developed an impressive franchising strategy to spread its footprint across the globe. The company has also developed at attractive work culture that has helped in retaining and attracting a talented pool of human resources to meet the challenges of the highly turbulent and fluctuating business environment (McDonalds-a, 2011). Analysis of Organization Culture Organizational culture is an important facet of business organizations in the present business environment. Organizational culture is influenced by both internal as well as external factors. The importance of culture as highlighted by Lussier (2008) who stated that organizational culture is largely an implication of the personality and the work environment in an organization. The author also highlighted some of the internal factors such as organization mission, resources available with a company, s tructure and attitude of the management as the factors that largely influence the culture in an organization (Lussier, 2008, p.46-48). Keyton (2010) identified communication as another strategic factor that determines the aspect of organization culture in a particular company. The author also pinned out the importance of organizational culture towards generating positive and negative values in a company. The author highlighted that positive culture generates greater value while negative culture creates a negative set of values that ultimately helps in generating a favorable working condition. Internal communication has a key role to play in this regard as a smooth flow of information helps in generating positive sentiments in an organization that helps generate long term advantage for a company (Keyton, 2010, p.166). Figure 1: Elements influencing Organizational Culture (Source: Cameron & Quinn, 2011) The figure shown above reflects some of the factors that affect organization cultu re. These include assumptions, official norms and contractual obligations of the company, the artifacts and the behavioral patterns of the individuals in an organization. The figure clearly identifies that behaviors and other artifacts associated with an organization are largely observable and can be monitored and hence influenced by an organization through its policies. Therefore the role of evaluation and monitoring acts

Foreign Exchange Indicator Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Foreign Exchange Indicator - Research Paper Example The report also predicts that the Japanese Yen will be a safe bet for people dabbling in foreign exchange and thus, will be strong in the coming months. Both the US and Japanese governments have adopted a near zero interest rate policy. The Euro and GBP have come under stress and will be showing a bearish trend. With a second set of rescue measures being announced by the government to rescue banks in the UK, global investors are viewing the GBP with skepticism and there is a possibility of its remaining weak. According to another report by Forex Capital Markets, a financial services provider in New York, " The Swiss Franc outperformed all other G10 currencies against the USD in the first quarter of the year, gaining nearly 15% on the troubled Greenback. By comparison, the Euro gained only 9%. Limited direct exposure to the U.S. and a massive liquidation in carry trades has driven the Swiss franc higher in the first quarter. However, the significant downturn in the euro zone has begun to transmit the effects of waning global growth to the Swiss economy. Interest rates are now lower in the U.S. than Switzerland. With the Fed intent on further rate cuts, the yield gap between the two countries is expected to widen, which will drive the USD/CHF lower. The case of the EUR/CHF will be quite different.

Negative Consequences of Economic Growth in Bangladesh Essay

Negative Consequences of Economic Growth in Bangladesh - Essay Example Environmental damage is also inextricably linked to two widening gaps that go hand-in-hand: the gap between rich and poor and the gap between developed and developing countries (Stenzel, 2002). This is commonly referred to as the imbalance in a nation's income distribution. Economic growth is seen to widen the gap between the income of rich and poor. Kuznets (1971) cites that one intriguing aspect of structural change brought by economic growth is that it represents shifts in the relative shares in the economy of the specific population groups attached to particular production sectors. Economic growth perforce brings about a decline in the relative position of one group after another - of farmers, of small scale producers, of landowners - a change not easily accepted, and, in fact, as history teaches us, often resisted. The continuous disturbance of pre-existing relative position of the several economic groups is pregnant with conflict - despite the rises in absolute income or product common to all groups.3 In the case of less developed countries, Kuznets quotes, may require modifications in the available stock of material technology, and probably even greater innovations in political and social structure.4 Also, Stenzel cites that despite increasing wealth on a global scale, about half of the world's people live on $2 a day or less, and at least 1.2 million people live on less than $1 a day. The Case of Bangladesh The table below shows economic growth as production of goods and services within the Bangladesh's boundaries is growing positively since 1990-2005. It should be noted that in 2005, the country's GDP represents a 110% change from the 1990 level. However, Landesman (1994) cites that intensive shrimp culture in Bangladesh5 might lead to the loss of mangrove habitat as most shrimp farming in Southeast Asia takes place on reclaimed mangrove forests. It must be noted that mangrove forests are critically important habitats for the reproduction and growth of shrimp postlarvae and juveniles and their replacement by shrimp ponds will adversely affect the recruitment of larval fish and shrimp in the areas concerned. Also, as Bangladesh is still dependent on collecting wild shrimp post-larvae to stock shrimp ponds, depletion of local populations of shrimp postlarvae can occur due to this collecting (Bashirullah 1989, Turner 1986). In Bangladesh, collectors of shrimp postlarvae also catch fish larvae and small invertebrates. This bycatch is allowed to die on the beach. Practices such as this may adversely affect populations of other fish and invertebrates in the Bay of Bengal. In terms of income distribution, we can see that Bangladesh bulk of the country's wealth is concentrated in the hands of the upper class. The most recent data on income distribution cites that during 2006, which the highest 10% in the population accounts for almost 28.96% of the total income while the lowest 10% holds a meager 3%. This is further aggravated by the recent economic development which puts a high concentration of growth in income in the hands of elite (Economy of Bangladesh, 2006). Eutrophication of surrounding coastal areas from nutrients discharged in shrimp pond effluents is a looming problem on the water areas concerned in Bangladesh, which is especially true for intensive shrimp culture systems for the high feeding, fertilization and water exchange rates require frequent discharge

The Sacrament of Baptism Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The Sacrament of Baptism - Research Paper Example Furthermore, Baptism is the sacrament of regeneration by way of water in the word. It is also defined as the sacrament of supernatural rebirth. Moreover, it gives us a new life. The sacrament of baptism is the first of the seven sacraments not only in time but in priority. This is because other sacraments depend on it (catholicism.about.com). The sacrament of Baptism is necessary to Christians as Christ Himself ordered His disciples to preach the Gospel to all nations and baptize those the accept the message of the Gospel. (John 3:1-21), during His encounter with Nicodemus, He made it clear that for salvation baptism was necessary: "Amen, amen I say to thee, unless a man is born again of water and the Holy Ghost, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." Furthermore, for Catholics take baptism as a mark of a Christian as it brings Christians into a new life in Christ. The biblical root of the sacrament of baptism The biblical root of the sacrament of baptism is evident as many events in Israel’s salvation history direct to the saving grace found in the waters of baptism e.g. Israel Crossing the Red Sea, the great Flood and the Israel crossing the River Jordan into the promised land. In the Gospel, at the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry, he was baptized by John in the River Jordan. In and during this event, Jesus, the sinless One, identified himself with sinful humanity whom he came to set free from the slavery and power of sins. Jesus filled the waters with his divine presence by stepping into River Jordan just as he does when the water is blesses during the sacrament of baptism. Furthermore, before Jesus returned to His Father, He issued the Great commission: to preach in his name, make disciples and baptize in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:16-20). Types of sacrament of baptism Churches recognize that apart from the baptism of water there is also baptism of desire. This is baptism employs both to those who, die early in time before being baptized while as they wished to be baptized, and those who through no fault of their own, do not know the Gospel of Christ or His Church, but who still seek God with an open and genuine heart, and moved by grace, make an effort in their actions to do His will as they know it through the guiding principle of conscience (Constitution on the Church, Second Vatican Council). Similar to baptism of desire, baptism of blood refers to the martyrdom of those believers who were killed for the faith before they had an opportunity to be baptized. This was widely known to occur in church during the early centuries, but also, later on in missionary lands. Consequently, the baptism of blood has the same effects as the baptism of water. The principal symbols of Baptism The main symbols of the sacrament of baptism portray the meaning of this sacrament. These symbols include; water, oil, white garment and candle. Water is symbolic as it can both destroy and save life. In the sa crament of baptism, pouring of the blessed water is the outward obviously seen sign of the interior transformation being brought about in the soul (Jensen, 69). In the Old Testament, oil was used to anoint kings and queens to symbolize the coming of God’s Spirit to enable them to be godly leaders of God’s people. Similarly, the anointing of a candidate at Baptism with sacred chrism, blesses by the bishop, symbolizes an interior anointing in

Response to Smiths positions in The Worlds Religions Essay

Response to Smiths positions in The Worlds Religions - Essay Example Hinduism’s attitude concerning life is concrete and convincing. It perceives the labor and inconvenience of life, also the delight and achievement that accompany it. In any case, inevitably every person comes to acknowledge with Huston Smith â€Å"that there is no genuine truth here underneath, that everything that seems great in this world is limited, restricted, wears out, and once exhausted leaves need uncovered in all its exposure.† We all look for delight, achievement, and loyal living, yet the point in the long run comes when these things lose their unique magnificence, and we inquire as to whether this is a definitive that life brings to the table. Hinduism perceives that what we truly need, which Smith indicates that is freedom from the incalculable impediments that squeeze so intently to our natural presence. As much as I have learned a lot about the teaching of Hinduism, Smith elaborates further concerning the attitude of Hinduism to life. Interestingly, the w ay to freedom and supernatural union is through a system for training called yoga. There is one way, as well as four, and every location a man’s individual nature. Jnana Yoga is planned for profound competitors who have an in number scholarly twisted. Bhakti yoga depends on commitment and affection for God. Karma Yoga burdens one’s work, which reduces egotism. I agreed with the author’s elucidation about Hindus approach to life and particularly how the yogi leaves friends and family and home behind, and set out with minimal more than begging for bowl.

Comparing The End of the Imagination and The Redfern Speech Essay

Comparing The End of the Imagination and The Redfern Speech - Essay Example Arundhati Roy and Paul Keating, to convince the audience to believe in what they are saying, used the strategy of adding emotional appeal to their evidence, and by doing so, has struck the deepest cord of their heart. It is not only the evidence, but the emotions and imagination attached to the evidence, which helps Roy and Keating to win the hearts of the audience, and hence, it will not be wrong to say that it is the emotions, and not just the evidence, that helps person to convince others in the process of communication. Arundhati Roy In her essay â€Å"The end of the imagination,† Arundhati Roy has expressed her strong views against the nuclear tests conducted by Government of India in 1998. Roy has taken aid of strong evidence, through facts, reasoning and future possibilities, to convince the audience about her disapproval towards the nuclear tests. The evidence that Roy has used to convince the audience are discussed below. The consequences of nuclear war The first stra tegy that Roy has used to prove her stand against the nuclear testing by Indian government is the description of the consequences of the nuclear war. Roy has described the horrors of nuclear war in a vivid language. Instead of just using the words ‘destructive’ or ‘harmful,’ she has clearly described how the villages, rivers, wind and human body will be affected by the nuclear war. This vivid description gives a ‘feeling’ of the horrors of nuclear war and creates a clear picture of its consequences. The picture of what really happens after the nuclear war, and how it affects the environment and human beings, shocks the reader. Hence, the clarity of the effects of nuclear war on human body, the atmosphere, on future generation through poisonous radiations and the effects on environment, works as a strong evidence to prove why she is against the nuclear testing. The second evidence Roy uses is by questioning the sanity of men who can get access t o the nuclear weapons. Suicide bomber psyche Indian government had given ‘deterrence’ as a reason for their decision to go ahead with nuclear testing. However, Roy has argued that the theory of deterrence has flaws in it. She has questioned Indian Government’s understanding of the enemy. Roy feels that one cannot consider the enemy to be similar to self. That is, she has expressed her concern over the terrorist groups who are not ‘deterred’ by the nuclear capacity of the enemy as they have a different psyche. She discusses the psychology of terrorists who are ready to die in order to kill. She calls this a ‘suicide bomber’ psyche. Terrorists are so strongly brainwashed to believe in their cause that they do not hesitate even a bit to destroy themselves in order to prove their point. They are ready to perish, and are insane enough to destroy millions of lives. Roy says that if the nuclear bomb gets in hands of such people, then the Ã¢â‚¬Ë œtheory of deterrence,’ proves baseless. To convince this point, she has provided the evidence of death of Rajiv Gandhi. Rajiv Gandhi, the Prime Minister of India, was assassinated by suicide bomber. Using his assassination as evidence, Roy questions the Indian Government’s understanding about the enemy psyche. Roy questions that when even a man of premiere stature like Rajiv Gandhi was not saved by the

Of Mice and Men English language Essay Example for Free

Of Mice and Men English language Essay Many of the characters in of Mice and Men are lonely and some have dreams to sustain them. Write about 2-3 of them and explain why we feel sympathetic toward them. The book of Mice and Men was written by an American writer called John Steinbeck. He was born in Salinas, California and wrote this book from the theme The Great Depression. The title of this book got its name from a Scottish poet Rabbi Burns in one of his poems called To a Mouse; which means most plans from man or animal dont work out in the end. When I say the Great Depression, this was a significant world event which started on 29 October 1929, this day was-from then on-nicknamed black Tuesday because on that very same day the stock markets crashed, which meant that the money in there lost its value. Due to this, 9 million banks closed, which meant that about 86,000 businesses failed; for 2 reasons: firstly the businesses didnt have the money to keep them going. Secondly people didnt have the money to buy the things the businesses were selling. Because businesses closed, unemployment rate increased, in 1929, the percentage of unemployment was 3%. However in 1934, the unemployment rate was 26%+. This shows that there was a big rise for people losing jobs. By saying this, you must be honoured to keep your job (most people lost their jobs), although if your job was secure, your wages would decrease by approximately 60%, if you walked out on that job, it would be hard for you to find another job, the employer wouldnt have to worry much since there were lines of people queuing up for jobs. At 1 point, estimates say 34 million people had no income at all, thus meant that people lived in shanty towns. This not only was in the small cities, but developed in the major states such as New York and Washington D.C. People nicknamed these shanty towns as Hoovervilles, because it was nicknamed after the American president at that time, Herbert Hoover. So how would this recession affect people? Some people couldnt cope with it so they committed suicide. Marriages broke down due to the financial pressure. People became itinery/migrant workers. This means travelling round the country looking for work, if they did find work, it would be short term, unskilled, insecure and labouring. Most jobs were in California (farming area), 1000s of families lost their homes due to failing to pay mortgages, so people had to live in shanty towns. So soup kitchens were set up, and there would be queues of 1000s (maybe more) of mixtures of people in dirty clothes to people in business suits. If these people were moving around they wouldnt be able to stay with their families/friends. Because of this, people got lonely because they were looking for jobs, so they wouldnt have any time for relationships, and as George says: we ask no questions on the ranch which means that you keep your self to yourself. No-one knows who you are or where youve come from, or what theyre planning to do next. If you knew these things about a specific person (or any person), they would tell you off for nosing around. All of the things I have mentioned all come in the theme of the Great Depression, which is the thing behind the story that John Steinbeck is trying to tell. For example, most characters in of Mice and Men were migrant workers and before Lennie and George came to the ranch in Soledad. Candy tells Lennie about a blacksmith called Whitey, who came, got his money and left, why he just quit, just wanted to move, didnt give no other reason but the food just say gimme my time, the way any guy would. Although George and Lennie travel around together, it would have been highly unusual for this to happen in a time like this, most men travelled alone. We see this in the novel like Slim, Crooks, and Candy, but I must say it is highly unusual that men travel around together, Slim says this in section 2. This novel is set in California, which is situated in the southern state of the USA. If you were working in a place where Lennie and George were working- your friends and family is miles- maybe further- away. Your only alternative is to make friends otherwise you are walking a lonely road. Also a thing that you would have to take into consideration is the size of the place, the place that they (Lennie and George) were working was on a ranch. A ranch is the equivalent for a farm in England, but however, a ranch is much bigger than a farm that we refer to in England. The distance, as Ive mentioned is pretty far- not to mention being cut off from your family and friends, theyd have to walk miles to the ranch, otherwise youd have to hitch a ride from a passing truck. From the way they live that I learned from chapter 2, firstly I learn that they are violent, I know this from when they let crooks- the black person- come into the bunk house for Christmas, sounds nice doesnt it? Letting the black man come into the bunk house on this festive occasion, but from what I learn they only let him in to batter him black and blue! And enjoy it! Yes sir, we had fun. They let the nigger come in that night. Little skinner the name of smitty took after the nigger. I personally think that its horrible, but its true. Secondly I learn that they have very little privacy and basic living condition. For example, they have straws for mattresses and apple crates for bedside desks. They have little comfort- like the bunk house isnt well presented, no paint on the walls, crates for chairs table in the middle and a deck of cards for daily entertainment, nothing compared to the entertainment that we have today, like PS3s and Xbox 360s etc. also, anonymity, the way people keep themselves to themselves, how people dont know where youre from. Finally, how migrant workers move from place to place- as this is what migrant workers do. We see this in the novel from the beginning when Lennie got in trouble and they had to flee when Lennie sexually harassed a girl in weed. Dreams help people achieve things in life, no matter what scenario you are in. they give people power and confidence. Although I state in the title of this essay and have dreams to sustain them; the dream that they are referring to is the American dream. Before John Steinbeck wrote this book, he was interested in finding out about power, ownership and control and what it did on normal people. Due to the Great Depression, most people didnt have jobs, so they relied on bosses to permit them to a job; but they manage to put all that stress aside towards a dream that they have. Most of who dream of a dream called the American dream. These dreams tell us about the life people are living. Most characters in the novel have dreams to. But Lennie and Georges dream are the most important because they tell us about the culture that has been created. America has always been seen as the land of opportunity, freedom, a place to live and most importantly, a new life. A place for wealth and a place for real possibilities, this was referred to as the American dream. Immigrants moved to over America because they believed in this dream. So how was America founded? In 1607, people from Britain went to America to find gold; these people were known as the Virginia colony. Because the island they first found they named after the Queen Elizabeth, who of course, was a Virgin Queen. But of instead finding gold, they found tobacco (which was known a black gold in Britain-very popular.) and brought it back to England to sell. In 1620 a group of English Protestants who detested against the Church of England moved to America looking for religious freedom, these were known as the Plymouth colony or Pilgrims. In the Harsh Winter of 1620-1621, half of the Plymouth colony died due the coldness of the weather, when they arrived to America, it was full of wilderness and red Indians/Native Americans. In 1630 1000 more arrived to establish more colonies. In 1642, the Plymouth colony had 12000 settlers from Europe, again searching for religious freedom. By 1776, the colonies in America were fed up of the British monarchs ruling them and wanted their own independence, because the monarch of England was the monarch of America, and they had enough of this. In Britain the law was only set up for the landowners, if you wasnt a landowner then you didnt count. So 4th July 1776, the American colonies set up a universal declaration of independence. Here is an extract from it. We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by the creator with certain unalienable rights. Rights that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. The statue of liberty was a present from the French man Gustave Eiffel, due to the French revolution happening in France he set up the statue of liberty to symbolise this dream, because the American dream was similar in France. If you were an immigrant coming into America by boat, the statue of liberty would be the first thing that you saw. However, this American dream inspired many people. By 1929, the Great Depression spoilt these dreams for many people since they didnt have the money to live happily. As stated in the novel, George and Lennie- and Candy aim to get a ranch to themselves and Lennie wants to pet the rabbits. Some elements of the dream include: material comforts and financial security- not being in debt and having everything you need. Being in control of your destiny- you making the choices in your own life, not people telling you what to do. Gaining the respect of others- living in a peaceful society. Companionship and sharing good fortune- having friends and keeping each other happy. And last but not least; making your mark-something to be proud of- achieving things in life; getting the best in life. The American dream today isnt all about freedom; its about money and fame. For example, if you look at Hollywood; actors and actresses etc. When an author writes a book, they must make some important choices. For example, whether to base the story involving letters or e-mails or telling the story as a flash back/ flash forward. People write book for various reasons: to inform the reader- this might be something that has happened previously, or presently. Some people write books to persuade or entertain you-it might encourage you to change your life. John Steinbeck written this book to inform-recalling what life was like in the Great Depression for migrant workers. He also creates a description; he lets the action sink in for the reader, also he helps create a physical appearance in your mind, by using a wide range of onomatopoeia and so crisp that a lizard makes a great skittering if he runs among them skittering is the sound that is being made. Another thing that the writer must consider is to select whether to write in 1st or 3rd person. If you wrote in first person, you can fully understand what that person, what goes on in that particular persons mind. But the down side is that you can only see what is happening when that person is present. If John Steinbeck chose to write this novel in the 1st person, we wouldnt see what would happen to George if Lennie wasnt there etc. however if you chose to write in the 3rd person, you can see the minds of all the characters in the book. Unfortunately 3rd person isnt always in the full depths of understanding- meaning that although you can read everybodys mind, it doesnt provide in depth detail. John Steinbeck chose 3rd person; this is a good choice because you can see in everybodys mind and John Steinbeck described the novel in full understanding in 3rd person, also he has put the plot in Great detail and has used a lot of wide range of vocabulary slowly, like a terrier who doesnt want to bring a ball to his master, Lennie approached, drew back, and approached again. Another interesting technique John Steinbeck has chosen to use is starting and ending the story in the same setting. He also set this novel in a rural location (in the countryside) and used adjectives, careful words and descriptions to this novel create an exact physical location. As well as this, the time scale of this novel is described for 1 week- this shows that George and Lennie havent moved very far in their lives, they havent moved forward. Finally one of the things that you need to consider is how much direct speech you use, not too much or you will slow down the plot, too less will not move the plot forward. So it is essential that you use the right amount. In this novel there is a lot of blasphemy Jesus he said hes jes like a kid aint he- and swearing listen here you crazy bastard- and racist comments Jesus how that nigger can pitch shoes- Steinbeck used a wide range of direct speech, thus helps us understand the characters more. This kind of language is found in most aspects of this novel- it is commonly asked why its studied in schools- racism, blasphemy and swearing is the kind of language that was used in the Great Depression, this was because the characters were migrant workers and they were uneducated, manual workers and non intellectual. Some of the characters in of Mice and Men are lonely; I am going to talk about 3 of them. The first character I am going to look at is Candy. Candy is an old swamper living at the ranch George and Lennie worked at. He is an old man with a missing wrist the wooden hatch raised. The door opened and a tall, stoop shouldered man came in. he was dressed in blue jeans and he carried a push broom in his left hand and out of the sleeve came a round stick like wrist , but no hand. Also he has a really old dog that evidently he has had since he was a pup and at is heels there walked a drag footed sheep dog he also has no relatives cause I aint got no relatives or nothing I find that Candy is lonely; he is lonely in several ways. Firstly his disability, he lost his hand I aint much good with ony one hand, I lost my hand right here on this ranch thats why they give me a job swamping an they give me two hundred and fifty dollars cause I los my hand this makes you think that it was their fault that Candy has lost his hand; because if it wasnt then they wouldnt give an old folk money if they could avoid it! Especially in a depression! So he cannot go out to buck barley like the rest of the men because he hasnt got the energy or strength like the other men have which means that he is lonely all day and has to wait for them to come back. He cant go down to Soledad because he is too old after that the guys went down to Soledad and raised hell, I didnt go there, I aint got the poop no more Candy was very close to that dog, he had him since he was a puppy, and so that dog is important to him. Firstly, he spends all of his day with that dog. Also that dog is a link to all the memories he has yeah I had him since he was a pup, god he was a damn good sheep dog when he was younger. When the dog gets shot Candy is desperate to leave the ranch, he hasnt got any body to keep him there (since his dog was his only companion) now the dog has been shot he hasnt got a friend anymore, which is why he is so desperate to leave the ranch. And follow Lennie and George with this dream that they have. Candy has become so desperate to be part of Lennie and Georges dream that he is prepared to give all of his savings to them spose I went in with you guys, thats three hundred and fifty bucks Id put in. that is three hundred and fifty dollars that Candy is prepared to give- $50 a month- so he is prepared to give 7 months wages to two guys that he has met on that very same day! This shows that he is desperate. Candy sees no hope on the ranch when they can me I wisht somebodyd shoot me hed rather be dead than stay on the ranch now his dog has been shot. He desperately wants something to look forward to, something to be happy about, and somewhere to belong to. The idea of this dream gives him hope. He wants to join the dream because his dog has been shot. Lennie and George accept him because he has got the money. Because Lennie and George have accepted Candy into this dream, he begins to change. Firstly Candy has gained the ability to be self critical. He can see that he should have shot his dog himself I ought to have shot that dog myself, George, I shouldnt ought to have let no stranger shoot my dog this shows that he has got over his dog being shot. Secondly Candy has gained the confidence to join in with the other men, like when he joins into the attack with Curley (glove fulla Vaseline Candy said disgustingly). This shows that he isnt scared to join in when everybody is cheeking Candy. He wouldnt have done this before because he would have been sacked, but now he fells more confident and feels more part of the group; he only used to say things behind peoples backs, not to their faces (the swamper stood up from his box know what I think George did not answer well I think hes married a tart) he only used to say things like that behind peoples back. Now he feels more confident, he will say it to their faces. Thirdly, he starts to plan and look forward I tell ya what Lennie, Ive been figuring about them rabbits he knows what his future going to be, he is looking forward to it. He wasnt like this before because he couldnt see any future, he had nothing to look forward to. His future seemed horrible theyll can me purty soon as I cant swamp out no bunk houses theyll put me on the county he tells Lennie and George that hes going to a county, no friends, no family, no entertainment, simple life, horrible experience. Finally I found out that has got more confident when talking to Curleys wife when he backs up Crooks if you was to do that, wed tell wed tell you up about you framing Crooks he wouldnt have done this before because it is the bosses sons wife that he is talking to and he would be sacked- and he cannot afford that to happen because he hasnt got no place else to go, he had to rely on his boss to permit him to work on the ranch and he is quite confident that he his future is going to happen, so now he doesnt care about being sacked, the fear of being sacked has left him. When Lennie kills Curleys wife the dream that Candy was looking forward to have come to an end, Candy was really relying on that dream, its made him more lively, its helped him join in with the other people (glove fulla Vaseline) now Curleys wifes death has caused this dream to fail. I know this from when he says to Curleys wifes corpse you done it dint you? I spose youre glad. Everbody knowed youd mess things up. You wasnt no good, you aint no good now, you lousy tart to say something like this to a dead body is highly disrespectful, like stealing candy from a baby it isnt acceptable because it is impolite. But all of his anger has caused him to strengthen up; become more confident, when he says if they was a circus or a baseball game we would of went to her jus said ta hell with work, an went to her. Never ast nobody say so. An theyd of been a pig and chickens an in the winter the little fat stove an the rain comin and jus us settin there. The dots between his speeches are called ellipses; these indicate that Candy is angry that his dream has been taken from him. And the ellipsis shows that Candy is trying to control his emotions, until he breaks down -his eyes blinded with tears. After this incident , Candy isnt just back to how he was before, I think that he would be more broken than he was because hew has lost his dog. When the dream was mentioned to him-it was like giving a child a sweet and taking it from him- he had his hopes up, now it looked like it was all over as if it had never begun. So his future seems quite dull for an old man. I think that he would be worse off. The next person I would like to observe is Crooks. Crooks is a stable buck who also lives at the ranch where Lennie and George once worked. A stable buck is someone who looks after the horses and the mules; he is also a black man. He lives not in the bunk house where all the other guys live; he lives in a shed of a barn. The job of the stable buck is very important because it is vital for the horses and the mules to be kept in good condition due to that being the only transport, meaning that the horses and the mules must be kept well looked after. The reason why he is called Crooks is because he is disabled; this shows that he cannot work with the other men. He has a permanent Job looking after the mules and horses; this is a semi-skilled job because it requires skill to do this job. There are several reasons why Crooks is lonely. Firstly he is black, the only black on the ranch and now there aint no coloured guy on the ranch he grew up as the only black family in Soledad there wasnt another coloured family for miles around. There is only one coloured family in Soledad an theres jus one family in Soledad. This makes him lonely because he hasnt got anybody like him, nobody black like him. He is the only one. Segregation means separation, separated from the others, this is what happens to Crooks. He isnt allowed in the bunk house, he lives in a little shed led off the barn a little shed led off the barn since he been separated from the others, he feels that white people have no right in his room you got no right to come in my room. This heres my room; nobody got any right in here but me. From this, Crooks feels rejected I cant play cards because Im black. They say I stink, well, I tell you, you stink too Crooks is a victim of institutional racism- this means that the law cannot protect him. I know this from when Curleys wife says to him I can get you strung up so easy it aint even funny The word nigger can be said in two ways-to describe sure, ya see, the stable bucks a nigger this shows ignorance, this shows that people do not know that it is an offensive word- and hurtful then you keep your place then nigger, I could get you strung up on a tree so easy it aint even funny what she said was true backthen, if a black man looked at a white woman funny then (no matter what personality she is) she can get him strung up and the law cannot protect him. Crooks is isolated, no-one comes into his room except for Slim and the boss guys like you dont come into a coloured mans room very much. Nobody been in here but Slim, Slim and the boss. Experts say that being isolated can affect your mental health, which evidently it has done to Crooks. He is quiet, aloof (keep yourself to yourself) and depressed. He was not always like this. In his youth he was part of a loving family remember when I was a little kid on my old mans chicken ranch. Had two brothers, they was always with me, always there this makes Crooks lonelier than he is now because he had a family, he had a life, he had a future, but now it has been taken from him. America was a far more racist community than it was now. I know this from the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) this was (and still is) a white supremacist organisation, which has an aim of striking fear and intimidation into black people. The KKK believed that blacks were like animals and had little rights due to the fact that they are black-terrible, but true- black people were routinely dragged out of their homes and beaten, raped, castrated (cutting off penis and testicles) or possibly murdered. Slavery was abolished in America; it was very strong in the southern states. This is why Crooks says that he isnt a southern Negro I aint a southern negro this shows that Crooks was born a free black. Crooks (as far as we know) hasnt suffered from the KKK but it could still effect him because he know in theory what will happen to him. Being isolated is not good for people. As Ive said earlier, isolation can affect your mental health. He is also the only character in this novel that knows what loneliness does to you- Steinbecks message has been put into Crookss mouth a guy goes nuts if he aint got nobody. From suffering from isolation Crooks begins to get his own back and scare Lennie want me ta tell ya whatll happen? Theyll take ya to the booby hatch. Theyll tie ya up with a collar, like a dog. From this he has become cynical (this means that you believe things will always go wrong, what ever the scenario) and pessimistic (always looking on the down side of things youll talk abut it a hell of a lot, but you wont get no land. Yet he may be black, but he is brighter than all the other men in the novel And he had a book too; a tattered dictionary and a mauled copy of the California civil code for 1905 he hasnt got the right to fulfil his intelligence, this shows what racism was like and what it did. When Lennie and Candy mention the dream to Crooks he offers to join it immediately if youguys would want to work for nothing-just his keep, why Id come an lend a hand. I aint so crippled I cant work like a son-of-a-bitch when I want to. The way he asked it was to hint to them, try not to give them an excuse to punish him. He really wants to be part of the dream, we never hear Crooks speak of his dreams, when Lennie and Candy talk about their dream, Crooks springs up and wants to become part of it. Crooks has the same dream, but he never shows it, because hes black. In the ellipsis he is trying to hint to them for them to accept him. We want Crooks to be accepted because it would be a better life, possibly a better ending. When Crooks wants to be part of Lennie and Candys dream, he has his hopes up, but when Curleys wife enters the scene and threatens him I could get you strung up on a tree so easy it aint even funny he changes his mind- not as if he wants to- but for protection. What Curleys wife said was true, so Crooks loses all of his confidence, and backs out of this dream. So what will happen to him is that he will be exactly how he was before lonely, aloof, intimidated. We will feel sorry for him because now he has ended up worse than he was before, now he knows that things will always go wrong for him In a Depression everybody suffers. If you were black or disabled you suffer even more because nobody would want to employ you. Employers want white, fit and young workers, if they were fit to get that job, it would be low payed, you would suffer either way, but if you was black or disabled you would be less likely to get that job, Candy only got that job because he lost his hand under their behalf. Crooks only got that job because hes been there a long time and hes got skill. If Crooks and Candy were kicked and had to start again, it wouldnt be easy for them to get another job. The final character I am going to look at is Curleys wife. Curleys wife is the recent bosses sons wife on the ranch lennie and George worked at- so the men on the ranc will look at her as the new kid. whit picked uphis cards and examined them seen the new kid yet. She looks probally 16-17 years old. I know this from when an actor said she could go with them. She says that she is only 15. he says I could gowith him on that show. But my ol lady wouldnt let me. She says because I was ony 15. Also she is pretty but in an artificial way- this means that she pretends to be beautiful a girl was standing there looking in. she had full rouged lips and wide spaced eyes, heavily made up. Her finger nails were red.her hair hung in little rolled clusters like sausages. She wore a cotton house dressand red mules, on the insteps of which were little bouquettes of red ostrich feathers back then respectable women didnt wear make up how she does, this is why the men refer her to as a tart I think Curleys married a tart she is never refered to as a name- just an individual. Also she can provokes strong feelings in both readers and characters (sympathy and hostility) to lennie, who thinks shes georgeous- shes purty- and George- who thinks discustingly of her- dont you even take a look at that bitch- the readers feel the same more-or-less. Steinbeck had a more sympathetic view of the character of Curleys wife- I know this from the Miss Luce letter. When Steinbeck adapted this novel into a play, the actor playing Curleys wife wrote to him because he did not know how to play her. So Steinbeck wrote a sympathetic letter back to Miss Luce explaining that her character in more detail. There are a number of reasons why Curleys wife is lonely. A womans role at that time was far different than today. Women those days had to stay in the home; cook meals and look after the kids- Curleys wife cant do this because she is living with Curleys father, she cant cook there is a cook that cooks all the meals on the ranch. Today women own companies, go to work etc. Curleys wife cannot get a job because in a depression, all the jobs would go to the men, plus women werent seen as workers, their job was to stay in the home. Also respectable women didnt wear make up, if you did then the men would think bad of you. Yet also there isnt another woman on the ranch for or nearby-so she hasnt got any support, girls and boys like the company of people their age, girls share make up, clothes, talk to each other, and chat about life. Curleys wife cant chat with other girls since there isnt anybody; Curleys mother seems evidently dead or doesnt live with them, so she cant talk to her. She cannot go into town to meet other girls because she cannot travel alone, if she does then society will disrespect her. She is treated by Curley as a sex object, as a possession- a perfect example of this is when she dies, Curleys reaction to her death, there is no weeping, no remorse, Curley goes straight for revenge Im gonna get him. Im going for my shotgun. Ill kill the big son-of-a-bitch myself. Ill shoot him in the guts. Come on, you guys he only goes for revenge for Lennie because he hates big guys. Curley sees his wife as a sex object from when he brags about his glove fulla Vaseline Curley says this because when the men ask him why he is wearing a glove full of Vaseline, he says he is keeping it soft for his wife. He only says this to make the other guys jealous. As for the other men on the ranch, they see her as someone who is dangerous, she is judged by her first appearance well aint she a looloo? they say this because she doesnt fit into the mens category as normal, respectable women didnt wear make up- she wears make up- respectable women didnt leave the house- shes in their faces. When Whit says I bet she even gives the stable buck the eye when he says this, it is a major insult to a woman. For a woman to sleep with a black man is seen as the taboo, it just wasnt right back then. They refer her to a tart (prostitute); however they talk about the actual tarts at the cathouse with real warmth and pleasure we go to old susys place. Hell of a nice place. Old susys a laugh- always cracking jokes. They talk about tarts as if they like them. But they dont like Curleys wife and call her a tart, when she isnt one. It seems as if she cannot win. When you are a married man, you work and look after your wife. Curley has only been married for two weeks and hes going to the cathouse! Curleys wife hasnt done anything. This does not pass unnoticed; Curleys wife tells Lennie how she feels about it I get lonely she said you can talk to people, but I cant talk to nobody but Curley. Else he gets mad. Howd you like not to talk to anybody? So what has loneliness done to her? Its made her desperate; she ignores the voice inside her head that something is wrong. She took Lennies hand and put it on her head. This shows that she is desperate for company. She also has become cruel listen nigger she said you know what I can do to you if you open your trap this shows that she feels as if she can get her own back on them, she feels as if- for the first time in a long time I suppose- she can take control. Eventually it kills her. She got that desperate for company that she stayed in that room with Lennie; and got herself killed. Many people have dreams, Curleys wife has a dream, and this dream means a lot to her. Curleys wife wants to be a movie star; this was because the film industry was just starting. This was a dream for most young girls back then. Like of how girls of 16-17 want to become models. Evidently this was a realistic dream for young girls back then. She got this dream from when she was 15; an actor said that she could be in the movies nother time I met a guy an he was in pitchers. Went out to the riverside dance palace with him. He says he was going to put me in the movies. Says I was a natural. Soons he got back to Hollywood he was going to write to me about it what this man really wanted to was to sleep with her. I dont think he was in the movies at all, I think he was just claiming, it would be highly unnatural for a Hollywood film producer to turn up in a small place like Soledad, like a famous person turning up in Bloxwitch, it wouldnt happen on an everyday basis. This is why her mother wouldnt let her my ol lady wouldnt let me her mother wouldnt let her go with him because he wanted to protect her. This shows that Curleys wife is shallow- cares about her appearance, gullible- believes everything that she is told, and naà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ve- meaning that she is too trusting to people. She hasnt got any real talent because we havent really seen her act out before, so the probability of this dream becoming true is highly unlikely. But she doesnt want to be in the movies to act. No, she wants to be famous; she wants to be admired and to wear flashy clothes. The affect of this is that she wants to be like how the actresses are, trying to impress the men- just the sad thing is that the men dont refer her as an actresses, they refer her to as a tart and vow to keep a distance form her. The effect of this is the total opposite of what she wants (of how they look at her as a tart) she doesnt want that, she wants to be respected by them. She wants to make something of herself well I wasnt gonna stay no place where I couldnt get nowhere or make something of myself this ties up with the American Dream. This is great proof that the dream actually exists. When Curleys wife dies, Steinbeck presents her death in a sympathetic and descriptive manner- now her rouged cheeks and her reddened lips made her seem alive and sleeping very lightly when he presents her death, we- us and the characters- see the real woman. We see her no more than a tool to be polished and maimed, never to be respected nor confided in. And when she described her dream beforehand, this is a sympathetic ending to her life. For the final part of this essay I will talk about who I personally think is the loneliest. I think that the loneliest character is Curleys wife because she is the only woman on the ranch and everybody looks down upon her as something disgustingly on a lavatory seat. She is also the loneliest because even her own husband doesnt particularly respect her. I think this text of Mice and Men was an interesting and mind bending book with a gripping and plot. There are some things that I know now that I didnt now before, for instance the Great Depression, I knew roughly what it was but I never knew that this book had the theme of it. Also, loneliness, the other theme, also happens today. Like how it drives people crazy. Like the message John Steinbeck is trying to put out.

Is Organic Food Good for You Essay Example for Free

Is Organic Food Good for You Essay What is organic food? †¢(1) Organic food is food which has been produced to standards designed to keep the production more natural. Fewer, if any, chemicals are used and most pesticides are banned when they are used they are very carefully controlled. †¢(2)Organic food costs more then non-Organic food. This is not always the case but on average organic farmers generally charge more for their produce because: oMany organic farming practices take a bit longer and produce lower yields oIt is more labor intensive than conventional agriculture oFields have to be taken out of food production while they go through three years of organic conversion or for fertility building. Here you will find out if organic food is good for you or not, there will be the science behind it, advantages, and disadvantages evidence and a conclusion. The science behind it In the rush to produce more and more crops to satisfy growing demand producers have had to resort to using a lethal cocktail of pesticides to control disease and insect attack. Good news for their bank balances perhaps but not good news for your health, this is why you need to be informed of the advantages of organic food. Did you know that if you consumed an average apple you would be eating over 30 pesticides, even after you have washed it? Organic food is known to contain 50% more nutrients, minerals and vitamins than produce that has been intensively farmed. You will have to eat more fruit nowadays to make up the deficiency, but unfortunately that means eating more chemicals, more detrimental affects on your health eating something that should be good for you! Some more startling facts now. Pesticides in food have been linked to many diseases including: ? Cancer ?Obesity ?Alzheimer’s ?some birth defects There are probably others but if you think about it, how can it be okay for you to eat chemicals and not expect some form of reaction in your body. Our bodies are delicwonderful machines. Any form of foreign chemical is bound to cause irritation at the least. (3)Some organic foods, including fruit, vegetables and milk, may be more nutritious than non-organic produce, according to an investigation by British scientists. Early results from a ? 12m study showed that organic fruit and vegetables contained up to 40% more antioxidants than non-organic varieties, according to Professor Carlo Leifert at Newcastle University, who leads the EU-funded Quality Low Input Food project. Larger differences were found in milk, with organic varieties containing more than 60% more antioxidants and healthy fatty acids, he said. Antioxidant-rich food is often promoted as healthier because in lab tests the compounds neutralize free radicals that are thought to contribute to ageing. (4) Ben Gold acre says the Soil Associations criticism of the recent Food Standards Agency research on nutrients is not about organic food and that the emotive commentary in favor of organic farming bundles together diverse and legitimate concerns about unchecked capitalism in our food supply, In fact, our argument with the FSA research is about whether it gives a fair and accurate picture of organic food. Gold acre. First, he said we were trying to change the argument by saying that the important issue with organic food is not personal health benefits, but rather benefit to the environment. More farmland wildlife, high animal welfare and lower pollution were not mentioned in our own initial response, but were put forward strongly by the government when the FSA launched its report, and we repeated it as the governments view, with which I agree. Second he argued that absence of pesticides, no routine use of antibiotics on farm animals and far fewer additives allowed in organic food all deliver health benefits. Goldacre says that as these cannot be measured by the FSA research, mentioning them is gamesmanship. These are real benefits, confirmed by other research. The organic movement represents a spectrum of practices, attitudes, and philosophies. On the one hand are those organic practitioners who would not use chemical fertilizers or pesticides under any circumstances. These producers hold rigidly to their purist philosophy. At the other end of the spectrum, organic farmers espouse a more flexible approach. While striving to avoid the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, these practitioners do not rule them out entirely. Instead, when absolutely necessary, some fertilizers and also herbicides are very selectively and sparingly used as a second line of defense. Nevertheless, these farmers, too, consider themselves to be organic farmers [6]. For raising animals, antibiotics would not be permitted as growth stimulants but would be permitted to counter infections. The rules permit up to 20% of animal feed to be obtained from non-organic sources. This was done because some nutrients (such as trace minerals) are not always available organically. Irradiation, which can reduce or eliminate certain pests, kill disease-causing bacteria, and prolong food shelf-life, would be permitted during processing. Genetic engineering would also be permissible. More Nutritious? Organic foods are certainly not more nutritious The nutrient content of plants is determined primarily by heredity. Mineral content may be affected by the mineral content of the soil, but this has no significance in the overall diet. If essential nutrients are missing from the soil, the plant will not grow. If plants grow, that means the essential nutrients are present. Experiments conducted for many years have found no difference in the nutrient content of organically grown crops and those grown under standard agricultural conditions. Safer? Many organic proponents suggest that their foods are safer because they have lower levels of pesticide residues. However, the pesticide levels in our food supply are not high. In some situations, pesticides even reduce health risks by preventing the growth of harmful organisms, including molds that produce toxic substances . To protect consumers, the FDA sets tolerance levels in foods and conducts frequent market basket studies wherein foods from regions throughout the United States are purchased and analyzed. Its 1997 tests found that about 60% of fruits and vegetables had no detectable pesticides and only about 1. 2% of domestic and 1. 6% of imported foods had violative levels [13]. Its annual Total Diet Study has always found that Americas dietary intakes are well within international and Environmental Protection Agency standards. Most studies conducted since the early 1970s have found that the pesticide levels in foods designated organic were similar to those that were not. In 1997, Consumer Reports purchased about a thousand pounds of tomatoes, peaches, green bell peppers, and apples in five cities and tested them for more than 300 synthetic pesticides. Traces were detected in 77% of conventional foods and 25% of organically labelled foods, but only one sample of each exceeded the federal limit Pesticides can locate on the surface of foods as well as beneath the surface. The amount that washing can remove depends on their location, the amount and temperature of the rinse water, and whether detergent is used. Most people rinse their fruits and vegetables with plain Tastier? Organically grown foods are not inherently tastier than conventionally grown foods. Taste is influenced by freshness, which may depend on how far the products must be shipped from farmer to consumer. What kinds of locally grown fruits and vegetables are available varies from community to community. Whether they are organically or conventionally produced is unlikely to make any difference. In the early 1990s, Israeli researchers made 460 assessments of 9 different fruits and vegetables and no significant difference in quality between organic and conventionally grown samples. The Consumer Reports study found no consistent differences in appearance, flavour, or texture. Better for the Environment? Many buyers of organic foods believe that the extra money they pay will ultimately benefit the environment by encouraging more farmers to use organic methods. But doing this cannot have much effect because organic agriculture is too inefficient to meet the worlds food needs. Moreover, the dividing line between organic and conventional agriculture is not sharp because various practices are not restricted to one or the other. For example, organic farmers tend not to use pesticides, but faced with threatened loss of crops, they may change their mind. If certain patterns of pesticide use cause more harm than good and there is a way to remedy the situation, the people concerned about it can seek regulatory solutions. I dont believe that paying extra for food will benefit anybody but those who sell it. This research shows there are benefits, said Dr Kirsten Brandt of Newcastle University, which led the research. The reason why its such a grey area is because its extremely difficult to measure the health benefit in any food, but we can say that if you eat 400g of fruit and vegetables per day you would get 20 per cent more nutrients in organic food. Peter Melchett, policy director of the Soil Association, welcomed the new research. He said: There is clear evidence that a range of organic foods contain more beneficial nutrients and vitamins and less of things known to have a detrimental health effect.