Asian American and Jeremy Lin Essay Example for Free

Asian American and Jeremy Lin Essay â€Å"Linsanity† Jeremy Lin. Some say he is a god-send, literally. Others say he’s just a one hit wonder who’s had his fifteen minutes in the spotlight. However, many argue especially from the Asian American community, that he’s not just a fad or trend but a full blown star athlete, pushing the envelope not just for Asian Americans, but athletes across all social classes, races, and creeds. So really, with all the media hype and hysteria, who is Jeremy Lin? Why is he the chosen one? More importantly, what has he been labeled and how has he faced this discrimination? What is the cause of this â€Å"Linsanity†? Before the question, â€Å"Why Jeremy Lin? † can be answered, we have to start at his roots. Jeremy Lin was born August 23, 1988, to a Taiwanese emigrant couple. He grew up playing basketball in Palo Alto, Northern California. He excelled not only as an athlete in his young school years, but was also an exceptional student. He went onto Harvard, a fallback school, and continued his academics, majoring in economics. While at Harvard, Lin played for the Ivy Basketball League and quickly made a name for himself. This is where he first encounters racism and discrimination. In short interviews throughout his college days, Lin spoke of his opportunities and how his race had been a factor in his recruitment. Im not saying top-5 state automatically gets you offers, but I do think (my ethnicity) did affect the way coaches recruited me. I think if I were a different race, I wouldve been treated differently. He was never drafted after graduating college and continued to play basically for free as a D-League athlete with the Golden State Warriors. He never sees much action on the court in California and is quickly shuffled across the country during draft season. Rex Walters, an NBA veteran and Asian American says, â€Å"People who dont think stereotypes exist are crazy. If hes white, hes either a good shooter or heady. If hes Asian, hes good at math. Were not taking him. Lin had a brief stint at the Houston Rockets before being traded once again to the New York Knicks. Here, his time came to shine, and he lit a fire under everyone’s collective rear ends that had ever doubted him. It was as if the stars and the heavens lined up for a once in a million year eclipse; so too did Lin’s fortune. He took all his frustration, all his doubts, and all the racism he’s ever faced on and off the court, and brought it to the best, which included the Los Angeles Lakers, the Minnesota Timberwolves, and the NBA Champions Dallas Mavericks. With every successive and progressively impossible win, his infamy grew and so did the media hype. â€Å"Linsanity† had come to full term. â€Å"Linsanity† and many other coined adjectives became headline news. His fame crossed oceans and racial lines making him an overnight media sensation. Shockingly but not surprisingly, during a victory celebration on February 10th of 2012 against the Lakers, Fox News columnist Jason Whitlock posted on his Twitter account, Some lucky lady in NYC is gonna feel a couple inches of pain tonight, a sexual reference to an Asian male stereotype. A few days later after a loss to the Orlando Hornets, ESPN’s Max Bretos reported during a taping of SportsCenter, â€Å"We have found a Chink in the Armor†. Floyd Mayweather Jr., a professional boxer and fellow athlete tweets, Jeremy Lin is a good player but all the hype is because hes Asian. Black players do what he does every night and dont get the same praise. â€Å"Linsanity† was bringing in a negative backlash that Lin was all too familiar with. He looked past it, and went even as far as to forgive. I expect it, Im used to it, it is what it is, says Lin. On the â€Å"Chink in the Armor† slur, Lin responds, â€Å"I don’t think it was on purpose or whatever. At the same time, they’ve apologized, and so from my end I don’t care anymore. [You] have to learn to forgive. And I don’t even think that was intentional, or hopefully not. He was willing to brush it off and be the bigger man and not let it affect his game. But aside from the blatantly racial comments from the media, is â€Å"Linsanity† a breeding ground for unintentional stereotyping? As many members of the Asian American communities can attest, stereotypes of Asian Americans are seen everywhere. A case in point, the corporate world of advertisement tried to cash in on â€Å"Linsanity†. Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream Factory tried capitalizing on Jeremy Lin by coming up with a new flavor called â€Å"Taste the Linsanity†. The ingredients were basically vanilla ice-cream with a hint of caramel and the addition of fortune cookies. Many members of the Chinese/Taiwanese American community cried foul in this instance, as it did play to some degree more or less on Lin’s Chinese/Taiwanese heritage. In response, an Asian American protestor went as far as to picket the Ben Jerry’s store on Haight and Ashbury in San Francisco. He held a sign that read, â€Å"Taste of Lebron – Watermelon and Fried Chicken in every scoop†. Now piggy-backing on another racial stereotype isn’t exactly politically correct, but it did bring awareness. â€Å"Taste of Linsanity† quickly made its way off of shelves and into trash cans. However, it wasn’t only corporate America playing on stereotypes for publicity. It was the Asian American community itself looking to address positive stereotypes. In the Youtube video â€Å"Superior Lintellect† by studio64comedy, creators Lawrence Kau and Kunal Dudheker (both Americans born of Asian descent) portray Lin solving complex math equations in his mind in order to best his competition during tough situations on the basketball court. Each playback of Lin’s on-court moves are narrated by a forced Chinese accent, and are accompanied with on-screen quadratic formulas and physics theory. It’s no doubt that Asian Americans are poking fun at the â€Å"Asians are good at math† stereotype. But yet in some ways, it just feeds fuel to the fire that stereotypes are okay. The question ultimately comes down to, â€Å"How far is too far? † and â€Å"Who can and who can’t stereotype against Asians? † In conclusion, Jeremy Lin is a unique individual. Yes, he is a Harvard graduate. Yes, he is an incredible athlete. Yes, he is a fiercely loyal Christian. And finally; Yes, He’s Asian. But despite all his unique attributes, why is his race the only thing that seems to overshadow his qualities? After all this time, when the name Lin appears on TV based on performance and skill, the media is still focused on what school he went to and what GPA he had or whether he was Chinese or Taiwanese. Is it the scarcity of Asian Americans in the media that makes it so socially acceptable to shift focus? Is it the Asian American fans all across the country coming to support him, regardless of team pride that focuses the media’s attention to his ethnicity? Is it the blatant ignorance of the general populace? Maybe it’s all of that and then some. But regardless of where all of this attention originates, it is safe to say that Jeremy Lin is on to something very special. He’s allowed Asian Americans into mainstream sports and has brought a positive light to an arena once absent of it. All racial jokes and stereotypes aside, no one can deny his ability and talent, doubt his fierce sense of faith, or question his moral fiber. Jeremy Lin is definitely an Asian American all Asian American’s can be proud of.

Role of current liabilities and liquidity in accounting Essay Example for Free

Role of current liabilities and liquidity in accounting Essay A liability refers to the present obligation to an organisation following a past transaction and which is expected to be paid from cash or other near cash forms. It is simply put as that which the company owes others. Current liabilities are one of the types of liabilities in an organisation the other being longterm liabilities. Current liabilities refers to those liabilities that are payable within a duration of one year or less. Longterm liabilities can be paid in more than one year. Current liabilities include payables such as salaries, creditors arising from short-term obligations for example purchases of supplies,taxes payable, overdrafts and short-term loans. Liquidity on the other hand refers to the ability of an asset to be converted to cash quickly. The easier the ability, the more liquid the asset is. Cash is considered to be the most liquid asset since it is already in cash form. Liquidity is also used to refer to the ability of debtors to pay their debts when they fall due. Liquidity management therefore means that an organisation should be able to maintain sufficient cash and liquid asstes to pay their expenses. The ability to pay is measured using liquidity ratio. Analysts and creditors use the current ratio which divides current by liabilities or quick ratio which divides current assets minus inventions by current liabilities. The higher the ratio the higher the liquidity and hence the ability to pay obligations when they arise. Liquidity of liabilities is measured according to their due dates. Longterm liabilities are payable in more than one year and therefore do not require fast cash. However, short-term liabilities(current liabilities) require that the organisation maintains ready cash to pay for them when they arise. Role of current liabilities and liquidity Current liabilities and liquidity show the financial position of the business. When a company has many debts, it is not viewed as being in a good financial position. This is because it is expected to draw alot of cash from its account to pay expenses. The lesser the debts that a company has the better its financial position. A slightly high liquidity ratio shows that the organisation is doing well financially. This is according to Diamond,Slice, E. K Slice,J. D. (2000). Similarly, when liquidity is low to a certain extent the business is seen as not being in a position to repay its debts or in financial crisis. In obtaining financing from banks and obtaining goods from creditors, current assets and liquidity play a significant role. Liquidity measures help in ascertaining ability of a firm to repay its loans and debts. Low liquidity measure would indicate poor management or financial problems. Liquidity measure is one of the factors that creditors and bankers consider before lending to a company. A company with a high liquidity ratio is likely to obtain a loan easily because it shows its ability to repay. Attracting potential investors and business partners will require an impressive balance sheet (William et al, 2008). No investor will want to cash in his money in a business with poor financial position. Investors and business partners want to identify the best business with the best return for their money. Liquidity and current liability of the business will give them the details that they need. References Diamond, M. A. ,Slice, E. K. , and Slice,J. D. (2000). Financial Accounting: Reporting and Analysis harriman: House limited. Williams, J. R. , Susan F. H. , Bettner, M. S. , Carcello, J. V (2008). Financial Managerial Accounting. Irwin: McGraw-Hill . es. oxfordjournals. org/cgi/content/full/khn009v1 Similar pages by J Fingard (2008) www. journals. cambridge. org/abstract_S000711450809466X , (2008).

Benefits of Medical Waste Management Methods

Benefits of Medical Waste Management Methods ABSTRACT Medical waste management is a critical problem around Africa continent. The problem is observed in Tanzania in all levels of health facilities. Medical waste is one of the major health safety and environmental problem. This is a result of lack of awareness on among generators and handlers of medical waste. This calls for an urgent attention to understand the extent and magnitude of the problem and to develop strategies to properly manage medical waste generated. Various measures have been taken in Tanzania including construction of 13 pilot small scale incinerators at various parts of the country, yet the problem is still persisting. Unfortunately, the effectiveness of medical waste management methods is not clearly known and practiced in many health facilities. Therefore, this study was carried out to examine the effectiveness of medical waste management. Data were collected through interviews using structured, observation and abstraction of documentation. Solid medical wastes were collected in plastics bags and measure three times a day from each occupied bed. The collected waster was measured using a common household balance with a precision of a two decimal places .A total of 64 respondents were interviewed using questionnaire. The result indicated that average generation rate of medical waste was 0.01kg/person/day in dispensaries, 0.02kg/person/day in urban health centres to 0.5 kg/bed/day in Hospitals. Inadequate staff, insufficient and inefficiency of tools led to poor management of medical waste. Poor segregation and colour coding of storage instruments was observed at low level of healthcare centres, lack of medical waste treatment pit and substandard incinerators which produce obnoxious gases affecting the community. In view of the findings, medical management is not given sufficient priority. However, health workers are knowledgeable on the consequences of medical waste. Its recommended that strategies for management of medical waste be established t o include provision of facilities, infrastructes, staffing and funding to reduce environmental and medical problems associated. Keywords: medical waste, waste management, health facilities, storage instruments BACKGROUND Medical waste management (MWM) is a public health and environmental problem that attract attention in both developed and developing countries (Askarian et. al., 2004). Medical waste are generated in a wide variety of sources, starting from the hospital (a primary target), human and animal clinics, health centers, intermediate facilities, physician offices, research institute (animal and human health), and homes (especially diabetic homes) (USEPA, 1986). Medical wastes include several different waste streams, some of which require more care and disposal (Manyele, 2008).They contains different items making it a special type of mixed waste. Medical wastes include all infectious waste, hazardous (including low-level radioactive) wastes, and any other wastes that are generated from all types of health care institutions, including hospitals, clinics, doctor (including dental and veterinary) offices, and medical laboratories. Longe and Williams (2006) referred to medical waste as the municipal solid waste of peculiar characteristics which need to be sorted properly during handling. Medical waste may also contain soiled or blood soaked bandages, culture dishes and other glassware, discarded surgical gloves and surgical instruments, needles used to give shots or draw blood, cultures, stocks and swabs used to inoculate cultures. These are the most common trash/litter in medical waste and well known to the health-care staff. Waste from operati on theaters contain removed body organs like tonsils, appendices, limbs etc which renders the medical waste scary, and nuisance. Medical waste also contains lancets that are little blades which are used to prick finger to get a drop of blood. During immunization campaigns medical waste contains leftovers of empty boxes, cotton wool and bandages. Thus, if the waste is not segregated properly at the point of generation it will be a mixture of all these garbage plus kitchen waste, office waste and other wastes which do not arise as a result of patients being attended (Lloyds, 2003). Inadequate and inappropriate handling of medical wastes has serious public health consequences and impact on the environment. It has been medically proved that unprotected exposure to healthcare waste such as used syringes, needles and cotton can cause health hazards, and, indeed, is a source of transmission of HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis B Virus (HBV), Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) and other diseases. Proper management of medical waste is crucial to minimize health risks. Medical waste requires specialized treatment and management from its source to final disposal destination. Simply disposing of it into dustbins, drains, and canals or dumping it to the outskirts of human settlement poses a serious public health and environmental hazards. Thus, there is a need to initiate a concentrated effort to improve the medical waste management to reduce the negative impact of waste on environment, public health and safety at health care facilities (Griffin, 1989). The amount of medical waste generated differs according to the level of health facilities, bed capacity, occupancy rate, and socio-economic status of the society. According to Christen (1996), the average quantities estimated from a survey conducted in several health care facilities in Dar es Salaam hospital generated an average of 0.06kg/patient/day and 0.08kg/patient/day, respectively non hazardous and hazardous waste while for both health centers and dispensaries waste generated 0.01kg/patient/day. Mato and Kassenga (1997) estimated that waste generation rate in Tanzania was 0.84 kg/bed/day. In a survey conducted nationwide in Tanzania indicates that the increase in medical waste generated due to increase in population, poor management of MWM systems and expanded use of disposable (Manyele and Anicetus, 2006), Developing comprehensive waste management practices in health facilities in developing world is a challenging problem. For example, Leonard (2003) and Manyele, (2003) noted that in Africa the problem appears to be more critical as reports indicate poor medical waste management. It is a challenge because of little information on the number of bed, hospitals, health centers, dispensaries and other facilities and the type of waste generated. It should be noted that there is no single management method that can solve all medical waste problems; rather, each medical waste management problem must be assessed independently to develop a viable and sound solution. However, the responsibility for the effective disposal of the wastes generated by the various health facilities lies on the facility generating the waste. Medical waste management requires monitoring and control at all levels of production in order to minimize effects to the community (Van, 1988). Most of the non-infectious medical wastes are land filled, while infectious wastes from hospitals are incinerated. The degree of risks posed by medical wastes is not known. Proper handling, treatment, and disposal of these wastes are believed to result in minimal health and environmental risks. In Tanzania medical waste management (MWM) is poor and awareness on its related consequences is lacking among generators and handlers (Manyele, 2003, Manyele and Anicetus, 2006). However, in recent years Tanzania government has made efforts to manage medical wastes from its generation to final disposal or treatment by training health workers, increasing funds for procurement of tools and improvement of infrastructure (Manyele, 2004). Despite the efforts made by the government to minimize the dangers of medical waste, the problem is persisting in most areas. This study examined MWM practices in health facilities located in Sumbawanga Municipal Council and provides recommendations that can be adopted in other health facilities. The study assessed the type and quantity of waste generated and examined performance of MWM. It also determined effectiveness of MWM practices in collection, storage, transportation and disposal. In addition it examined the role of knowledge of health workers on management of medical waste. MATERIALS AND METHODS The study was conducted in Sumbawanga Municipal Council in South West Tanzania which is located between latitude 07ÂÂ °45ÂÂ ´ and 08ÂÂ °31ÂÂ ´ S and longitude 30ÂÂ °29ÂÂ ´ and 31ÂÂ °49ÂÂ ´E. The Municipality lies along Ufipa plateau with the average altitude of 1700m above mean sea level. Sumbawanga Municipality enjoys a dry sub humid climate for a greater part of the year. The maximum temperature is 27ÂÂ °C and the minimum is 16ÂÂ °C, during month of July. The rainfall ranges from 900-1000mm per annum (MD, 2008). Health facilities are owned by different institutions which include government, voluntary agencies and private. According to MMOH (2008) Sumbawanga Municipal Health services were provided through two hospitals (one owned by government and the other by voluntary agency), two urban health centre (one owned by government and other by voluntary agency) and 28 dispensaries (18 owned by Government, two by voluntary agency and eigh t owned by private entities). Ballot sampling technique was used to select 10 out of 32 health facilities (one hospital, one health centre and eight dispensaries) located in different parts of the Municipal for this study. Respondent were selected by using probability sampling based on Yamane formula (1967) given as: Where no = sample size z = confidence interval =2 correspond to 95% level of confidence p = population proportion N = Population size and, e = precision or error limit Given a total population of 517 health workers, the study used 50% proportion (p = 0.5) and error limit of 11%, the minimum acceptable sample size was 64 health workers. A systematic random sampling procedure was used to select respondents from a sampling frame based on the distribution of sample size. The sample size of respondents was 32, 10, and 22 out of 263, 78 and 176 from hospitals, health centres and dispensaries, respectively. Primary data were collected from the field survey by using structured questionnaire of 37 questions. On the knowledge on medical waste management two question were set up to test the knowledge of health worker and the answer were given score of which if response is between 5 10, 2 -4 and 1 is ranked highly, moderate and low knowledgeable, respectively. Other method used in data collected is participatory observations . Abstraction and summarization of documents were used for collection of secondary data on medical waste management especially on the capacity of staff on handling waste. Interviews were used to collect data on the efficiency of medical waste management, tools for collection, storage, transportation; and treatment, to determine effectiveness of medical waste management practices; and to examine knowledge of health workers towards sorting, collection, storage and treatment of medical waste. Observation method was used to assess tools available, their efficiency and effec tiveness for medical waste management and attitude and practice towards sorting, collection, storage, and treatment of medical waste. Information gathered was analysed using SPSS programme. The solid Medical Waste were collected from occupied beds three time in a day (0830, 1330, 1830), at each ward, right prior to their collection and disposal by attendant. A common household balance with a precision of two decimal places was used to weigh wastes. The medical waste produced from each bed was weighed as disposed of in plastic bags. The measurements were carried in a period of 30 days and varied depending on the number of the beds occupied, hence average were used in the analysis. Descriptive analysis was carried out for the data collected using SPSS vers.11.6 where frequencies were used to present the results. ANOVA was carried out to test significance of parameters on knowledge versus altitude and altitude of health workers on waste management practices. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Characteristics of Respondents Characteristics of the respondents were analyzed based on age, education and working experience. Data in table 1 shows that majority of the staff (42.2%) were aged between 31 40 years. These results imply that most of respondents were at the middle age. The results show that 42.2 % of respondents had primary school education, 35.9% had secondary school education. The holders of diploma and advanced diploma or above were 15.6% and 6.3%, respectively. The high proportion of respondents with primary school education could have an effect towards management of medical waste. It was further revealed that around 40% of the staff had an experience of over 10 years. Working experience could bring good performance in management of medical waste while low experience could results into poor performance. Type and volume of medical waste generated The type of medical waste generated differs according to the level of health facility, characteristics of people and level of income. In Sumbawanga Municipality the type of medical waste generated for hospital included; needles and prickers, syringes, plastic materials, bottle and ampoules, paper material, cotton wool, gauze, post delivery waste (placenta and the associate), specimen from laboratory, amputated organs/parts from theatre and garbage from admission ward. Those from urban health centre and dispensary included all wastes mentioned earlier excluding plastics, post delivery waste, amputated organs and garbage. The results in Table 2 show that the amount of waste generated from Regional hospital was recorded from admission ward, the result revealed that the amount of medical waste generated was 0.5kg/bed/day for non sharps and garbage, 0.015kg/ bed/ day of sharp containers and 1.8 kg/ bed/day of garbage. Medical waste from the health centre was 0.02kg/person/day excluding sharp and garbage, and 0.02kg/person /day of sharp container. For dispensaries the results revealed that the amount of waste generated was 0.01kg/person/day of healthcare waste excluding sharps and 0.01kg/person /day of sharp containers. These results differ with an average of that is generated in Botswana where in hospitals recorded amount generated were 0.75kg/bed/day excluding sharps, 0.05kg/bed/day of sharp containers and 3kg/bed /day of garbage from admission ward (NCSA, 1996). Type of facilities available for storage of solid medical waste During the study different sections of health facilities were assessed through observation complemented by interview of heath workers. The results in Table 3 reveal that medical waste storage facilities were determined by the characteristic of the waste produced. Health workers reported that common type of storage facilities were safety boxes, plastic material, and metal. These resulted into spillage of medical waste to the environment as they were easily blown by wind or directly accessed by insects and other vermins. The same results were reported in India by Patil and Shekdar (2001) that, authorities were failing to install appropriate systems for a variety of reasons such as non availability of appropriate technologies, inadequate resources and absence of professional training on waste management. The study established that 81.7% of the storage facilities were not in good state. This resulted into difficulties in the management of medical waste (Figure 1 and Table 3). Respondent from hospital observed the adequacy of facilities in terms of capacity to handle waste generated and conforming to required standards having handles, covers lid and presence of waste pits, while the status was contrary in heath centers and dispensaries. Performance of medical waste management tools The performance of the existing health care waste management facilities for storage and treatment were assessed through their capacity in terms of sizes, handling mechanism, cover (protect waste from spillage) and pit where waste are to be deposited. Considering the sizes of equipments the results vis. waste generated, the results in Table 3 indicates that medical waste storage facilities, in relation to storage size were considered adequate by 75.9%, 71.4% and 66.7% for hospital, dispensaries and health centre, respectively. Handling mechanism is also a factor which influences good performance of medical waste management equipment. Through observation of the storage facilities with handles were 65.5%, 22.2% and 28.6% in hospital, heath center and dispensaries, respectively. Lack of handle to medical waste storage facilities brought difficulties in transporting healthcare waste that could lead to contamination of handlers during lifting. Further, assessment of performance was made on availability of lid for medical waste storage tools where it was observed that (86.2%) of hospital tools had lid and (13.8 %) was running without lid. (11.1%) had lid for health centre and (88.9%) was operating without lid and 14.3% was noted to have lid for dispensaries while 85.7% had no lid. Lack of lid on medical waste storage tools is dangerous to health because it is easy to be accessed by insects which transmit diseases and also medical waste is unsightly because it contains waste which may cause repugnant. Poor performance of equipments could be due to inadequate funds for procurement of standard tools and availability of standard tools. Inefficiency of waste equipment created difficulties in management of medical waste that had higher probability of exposing infection to healthcare workers, patients and the environment. WHO (2005) suggested that for cost effectiveness and efficiency medical waste equipment it is advisable to pur chase item which qualify the National standards for management of medical waste or approved by World Health Organization such as safety boxes and other waste containers and protective equipment. Respondent from those health facilities which hadnt waste treatment pit the result shows that 84.2% dispose waste in pit latrine and 15.8% in a dug pit. Disposal of medical waste in pit latrine was a great mistake because are not meant for that purposes. Sometimes, medical waste such as post delivery waste emitted foul smell which led to further environmental pollution. WHO, (1999) also noticed that despite of its infectious medical waste was not being properly disposed off by the concerned agencies as it was often disposed on open dumps along with other waste. Effectiveness of practices in storage and treatment of medical waste Effectiveness of the waste management practices of the surveyed health facilities were assessed based on the number of trained workers available, time spent to collect, store and treatment/disposal of the waste and the cleanliness and attractiveness of the health facilities. The results indicated that for hospital trained staff versus patients was at the ratio of 1:34 while National guideline requires the ratio of 1:10. WHO ( 2008) revealed that inadequate human resources for healthcare tend to weaken healthcare delivery systems with suboptimal infrastructure, poor management capacity and under-equipped health facilities have brought about a situation where the likelihood of adverse events become high. The number of staffs who were engaged in management of medical waste was two staff for each section in hospitals, health centre and dispensaries. Medical waste management is a dangerous and tiresome job. The small number of staff are engaged in management of healthcare waste failed to manage properly. This situation in Sumbawanga Municipality is contrary to WHO (2002) recommendations, that health care waste management is first of all management issues that require the commitment of the entire staff within health care facilities. The study results show that respondent perception and understanding on time spent for management of medical waste vary from hospital to dispensaries. 81.8% of respondents from hospital indicates that time spent to manage MW is between six to eight hours in a day, as compared to health centers where 80% of respondent indicates that time spent is between three to five hours. Dispensaries all respondents indicate that time taken for management of MW is one to two hours (Table 4). Time spent was sufficient for hospital while insufficient for health centre and dispensaries. Time spent for hospital was high compared to other levels because had a special group of employee (casual laborers) purposely for medical waste and environmental management activities who are required to work a minimum of 8 hrs in a day according to job requirements. On contrary for health centre and dispensaries were permanent employee whose work was for both service deliver, then on medical waste management activitie s and environmental care. Clean and attractive health facilities determine the effectiveness and efficiency of medical waste management activities to all levels of health services. During the research, the result revealed that 59.4% responded that hospitals were very clean, 40.6% responded moderate, and 100% responded moderate for health centre while 59.1% responded moderate for dispensary and 40.9% responded poor sanitation (Table 5). This situation is contrary to National health care waste management policy guideline which requires proper management of medical waste for prevention of diseases, environmental protection and beautification (MOHSW, 2006). To triangulate perception of respondents who are health workers, cross tabulation was indicating that hours spent for management of medical waste and cleanliness (appearance) of health facilities has relationship. The correlation between working hours and the state of cleanliness is highly significant (p Knowledge of health workers towards management of medical waste As regard to knowledge on consequences of medical waste 95.5% of respondents from hospital had high knowledge on the consequences of medical waste, 4.5% had moderate knowledge, 90% of health centre study group were highly knowledgeable, 10% had moderate knowledge and 78.1% were highly knowledgeable for dispensary, 15.6% moderate knowledge and 6.3% had poor knowledge (Table 6). Importance of knowledgeable health workers is on waste in highly required in segregation and coding storage materials used for medical waste management. The level of education was highly associated with knowledge of health workers on medical waste as hazardous material that the correlation was statistically significant (p Medical Waste Segregation The need for proper segregation and the extent, to which segregation is required, is primarily dictated by the technology and this is one of important step in reducing the volume of hazardous waste. Most treatment technologies have some limitations in terms of processing capability. This limitation depends much on design restrictions, compatibility with certain components, legal prohibitions, and possible negative environmental impact, social and ethical reasons. Table 7 shows that percentage of quantity of medical waste recorded segregated at hospital, heath centers and dispensaries were 93.8, 70 and 27, respectively. While waste that was found mixed was 6.2%, 27.3% and 72.7% at hospital, heath centers and dispensaries. Segregation of hazardous/infections waste is the key to achieving sound medical waste management. Poor segregation of medical waste poses serious health risks to the personnel handling them, and this could lead to possibility of surface and ground water contamination. Mujahid et.al., (2005) and Mohamed et. al., (2006) observed a serious health problem in Dhaka because medical waste was disposed in Municipal without segregating them. Also, Manyele et al (2003) contented that lack of plan for management of medical waste, lack of recording the amount of medical waste generated, reduction of quantity and toxicity of waste at the source and segregation were the challenges facing Tanzania in management of medical waste. The high pe rformance of hospital compared to health centre and dispensaries was influenced by availability of tools, number of staff engaged, hours spent in management of medical waste and knowledge of health workers. Color coding Color coding system aim at ensuring an immediate separation and identification of the hazardous associated with the type of healthcare waste which also determines the treatment method to be employed. The results revealed that 90.6% of hospital medical waste equipment were colour coded or provided with label and 9.4% was not colour coded, 30% of health centre tools were colour coded and 70% were not colour coded while 100% of dispensary medical waste storage tools were not color coded or labeled (Table 8). Lack of coloration of medical waste tools to dispensary level was contrary to healthcare waste management policy guideline which requires coloration of medical waste storage facilities (MOHSW, 2006). Longe and Williams (2006) observed that in Nigeria, private owned hospitals has the most efficient colour coding system, where colored buckets were used: red for sharp and broken glass, green for syringes and needles and blue for all blood stained cottons, gauze and bandages. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS Conclusions Medical waste generated in healthcare facilities differs from type and ownership of facilities but there is no composition distinction between private and public hospitals. The performance of medical waste management tools were inefficient due to the reason that most of them were below National and World Health Organization standards. The effectiveness of medical waste management practices was highly affected by inadequate staff and time spent in management of medical waste which resulted into poor cleanliness of some health facilities. Knowledge of health workers on management of medical waste was high but was not highly applied due to inadequate and low standard of healthcare waste management tools. Generally Medical waste management activities in Sumbawanga Municipal Council were not given sufficient priority or concern because of unimproved system of medical waste management. Inadequate staff, insufficient and poor performance of supplies for storage of medical waste, poor infras tructure such as incinerator and treatment pit for treatment of medical waste, lack of segregation and coloration of tools is a major reason to draw this conclusion. However most of healthcare workers had knowledge on medical waste management with small gap which need to be improved. Recommendations Based on the findings and discussions, the following recommendations are made to the Regional Medical Officer, Municipal Medical Officer, Diocesan Health Coordinator and other Stakeholders to improve healthcare waste management whereby in order to achieve the goal, the Hospital Management Team , Council Health management team and other stakeholders should fulfill the following: Medical waste management infrastructure which includes incinerators and treatment pit should be made available to all health facilities. They should be well constructed to ensure efficiency and minimizes the immediate and long term public health risk and hazards associated with medical waste and which has the lowest impact on the environment. Build capacity by employing more qualified staff who will be responsible for service delivery, healthcare waste management and environmental management of health facilities.. For proper disposal of waste knowledge on the color codes for storage facilities should be provided to all stakeholders in health facilities based on the agreed National and WHO Guidelines.

Tractarian Objects Cannot Be Properties and Relations :: Philosophy Papers

Tractarian Objects Cannot Be Properties and Relations One of the most frequently discussed notions in Wittgenstein’s Tractatus is the notion of simple object. However, among the literature on Tractarian objects, recent or classic, none has treated configurations of objects as a major and non-trivial issue. In this paper, I show that a detailed study of configurations of objects will yield a series of interesting and important results: it leads to a new understanding of the picture theory, helps us calculate the maximum numbers of internal and external properties of objects, and enables us to reinterpret and reach a solution to the notorious debate on whether properties and relations should be included as Tractarian objects. In this paper I reinterpret and offer a solution to one of the most famous debates in Wittgenstein's early philosophy: the debate whether the Tractarian objects include properties and relations (hereinafter 'PRO' for the thesis that properties and relations are Tractarian objects, 'PRO debate' for the debate whether properties and relations are Tractarian objects, and 'PRO issue' for the issue whether properties and relations are Tractarian objects). Since the very beginning, PRO debate has been equated with the debate whether objects include universals in many secondary literatures. However, it seems to me that these two debates are not exactly the same thing, for the following reasons: PRO debate is in fact a debate concerning whether properties and relations are objects or "modes of configurations of objects" (hereinafter 'MCOs'), insofar as object and MCO are two distinct and exhaustive types of components of states of affairs. Since the essential difference between objects and MCOs is that objects can be the subject matter of states of affairs while MCOs cannot, PRO debate is essentially a debate concerning the logical status of properties and relations, i.e., whether properties and relations can be the subject matter of states of affairs. However, the debate whether objects include universals is a debate concerning the metaphysical nature of objects, i.e., whether some objects can have multiple instances at the same time. T he two debates are clearly not logically equivalent, for on the one hand, we can hold that properties and relations cannot be the subject matter of states of affairs, and yet insist that the Tractarian objects be abstract entities, e.g., Platonic forms; on the other, we can hold that properties and relations are also what states of affairs are about, and yet claim that they are nominalized properties and relations, and moreover, all of the Tractarian objects are particulars, e.

Jack Kerouac’s On The Road - The Spiritual Quest, the Search for Self a

The Spiritual Quest  in On the Road  Ã‚  Ã‚        Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   A disillusioned youth roams the country without truly establishing himself in one of the many cities he falls in love with. In doing so, he manages with the thought or presence of his best friend. What is he searching for? While journeying on the road, Sal Paradise is not searching for a home, a job, or a wife. Instead, he longs for a mental utopia offered by Dean Moriarty. This object of his brotherly love grew up in the streets of America. Through the hardships of continuously being shuffled from city to city, Dean has encompassed what is and what is not important in life. While driving back to Testament in the '49 Hudson, Dean propositions Sal through an appeal to emotion. In passing on his philosophy, Dean eloquently states, "Everything is fine, God exists, we know time" (Kerouac 120). After the war, America achieved the status of economic success through the provisions of the assembly line in industries and manual labor in civil services. The 1950's became an evolution from skilled craftsmanship to mindless mechanical work in factories. The goals in life included working in a fixed position, having a home, and providing for the wife and kids. However, with the threat of the Cold War looming over their heads, the youth of this generation grew disenchanted with the so-called American Dream. They realized life is ephemeral and that there is more to life than punching in a time-card. The concept of individuality was more important than conformity. It became a "culture acting out the true Self and true spontaneous desire" (McGeory 21). As an author and member of the younger generation, Jack Kerouac embodies this notion of estrangement throughout his novel, On the Road. Allen... ...notion that their quest is a spiritual one" (Goldstein 61). Once we reach the ideal inner peace is when we are truly able to understand the band of friendship that surrounds us. If we are able to maintain this philosophy, no trouble can exist to deteriorate our well-being. We will be able to enjoy life more and discover what our fears are hiding. Works Cited Birkerts, Sven. "On the Road to Nowhere: Kerouac Re-read and Regretted." Harper's Magazine July 1989: 75. Ginsberg, Allen and Gregory Corso. "Ten Angry Men." Esquire. June 1986: 261. Goldstein, Norma Walrath. "Kerouac's On the Road." The Explicator Fall 1991: 61. Kerouac, Jack. On the Road. New York: Penguin Books. 1955. McGeory, Heather R. "On the Road to Upheaval." New York Times 12 June 1993, late ed.:21. Will, George F. "Daddy, Who Was Jack Kerouac?" Newsweek. 4 July 1988: 64.    Jack Kerouac’s On The Road - The Spiritual Quest, the Search for Self a The Spiritual Quest  in On the Road  Ã‚  Ã‚        Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   A disillusioned youth roams the country without truly establishing himself in one of the many cities he falls in love with. In doing so, he manages with the thought or presence of his best friend. What is he searching for? While journeying on the road, Sal Paradise is not searching for a home, a job, or a wife. Instead, he longs for a mental utopia offered by Dean Moriarty. This object of his brotherly love grew up in the streets of America. Through the hardships of continuously being shuffled from city to city, Dean has encompassed what is and what is not important in life. While driving back to Testament in the '49 Hudson, Dean propositions Sal through an appeal to emotion. In passing on his philosophy, Dean eloquently states, "Everything is fine, God exists, we know time" (Kerouac 120). After the war, America achieved the status of economic success through the provisions of the assembly line in industries and manual labor in civil services. The 1950's became an evolution from skilled craftsmanship to mindless mechanical work in factories. The goals in life included working in a fixed position, having a home, and providing for the wife and kids. However, with the threat of the Cold War looming over their heads, the youth of this generation grew disenchanted with the so-called American Dream. They realized life is ephemeral and that there is more to life than punching in a time-card. The concept of individuality was more important than conformity. It became a "culture acting out the true Self and true spontaneous desire" (McGeory 21). As an author and member of the younger generation, Jack Kerouac embodies this notion of estrangement throughout his novel, On the Road. Allen... ...notion that their quest is a spiritual one" (Goldstein 61). Once we reach the ideal inner peace is when we are truly able to understand the band of friendship that surrounds us. If we are able to maintain this philosophy, no trouble can exist to deteriorate our well-being. We will be able to enjoy life more and discover what our fears are hiding. Works Cited Birkerts, Sven. "On the Road to Nowhere: Kerouac Re-read and Regretted." Harper's Magazine July 1989: 75. Ginsberg, Allen and Gregory Corso. "Ten Angry Men." Esquire. June 1986: 261. Goldstein, Norma Walrath. "Kerouac's On the Road." The Explicator Fall 1991: 61. Kerouac, Jack. On the Road. New York: Penguin Books. 1955. McGeory, Heather R. "On the Road to Upheaval." New York Times 12 June 1993, late ed.:21. Will, George F. "Daddy, Who Was Jack Kerouac?" Newsweek. 4 July 1988: 64.   

Las Vegas is the Best Vacation Spot :: persuasive, informative

Las Vegas is one of the nation's favorite vacation destinations. It's a 24-hour city where gambling is a loved past-time and dreams of striking it rich can come true. But Las Vegas has many attractions and casino action is just one of them. Las Vegas is the best vacation spot because it offers entertainment for the whole family, unique marriages, and plenty of activities for children. Because Las Vegas was usually considered a adult city, visitors in the past have often left children at home. However, this desert community now offers many daytime activities for kids. Nearly all of the larger hotels have some form of entertainment for children, and some even offer special supervised children's programs. Today's gambling meccas offer an array of activities for the whole family. Contrary to the adult-only atmosphere of the past, Las Vegas now promotes a child-friendly environment that's hard to resist. Roller coasters, water parks, virtual reality theaters, and an assortment of museums have sprung up across the city of Las Vegas. In Las Vegas, two words spoken as frequently as "hit me" and "double down" are without a doubt, "I do". Pat from "Las Vegas Weddings" says, "marriage license are issued one every 5 and half minute." Among the famous who have married in Las Vegas are Elvis and Priscilla Presley, Frank Signature and Mia Farrow, Richard Gere and Cindy Crawford, and Bruce Willis and Demi Moore. 24 hours a day, seven days a week, wedding vows are taken at drive-up windows, on bungee jumping platforms, boats, in helicopters, and at dozens a wedding chapels. No legal residency is required. Blood test are not needed and there is no waiting period. A 16 year old can even get married with the consent of a parent for only $35 dollars. Andrea 8.@ aol.com states," Marriages is Las Vegas total more than 100,000 per year, due in part to the ease of getting a marriage license." After a long day of exploring the diverse offering of Las Vegas, your tired and aching muscles may be screaming out for a relaxing massage, facial, or an herbal wrap. On the other hand, maybe your body is use to a regular workout and your feel guilty about lounging around the pool; or casino all day. Alas, help is on the way! Many of the large resort hotels feature complete spa facilities, including sauna, exercise programs, and gym equipment.

Fiat Pushes Work Ethic at Italian Plant

Flat which accounts for the evildoer of about 15000 families In the PANGOLIN D'ART region has Its least productive plant amongst all there. This Is due to the fact of employees misusing work ethics by being absent from work, faking illness and a doctor's note for as little as a local team's soccer match. FIAT suffered tremendous losses few years prior due to reduced production and quality issues. To counter this Fiat hired Sergei Maraschino as CEO who was expected to deliver similar success under his leadership as he did for American automaker Chrysler, rescuing the brand from bankruptcy.His motivation was to safeguard Jobs by pushing workers to be more devoted in turn boosting production and which would mirror Italy's economic standpoint and GAP. HIS vision for the need of change and pushing the Italians towards similar economic security like the Scandinavians was not accepted well. Nell Angelo a factory worker stated how Serious American methods were no good In Italy, where people for generations have lived with a slow paced lifestyle Insuring flexibility for workers.He also criticized Sergei for pulling the leash on absence and fearing a similar fate as Chinese workers who committed suicide due to excessive Rockford and stress. His radical solutions forced workers to change their routines and work ethics on the promise of bringing back production of the Panda back from the Polish people, creating more Jobs and working hours. Serious idea of changing working habits in order to improve individual financial futures and as a nation lying on the verge of sinking into debt's betterment signified his approach of the utilitarian normative theory.Under this theory Serious actions on misconduct and misuse of work ethics was beneficial for him and everyone in his surroundings. His actions and sessions focused on common welfare of not only employees but also Italy as a whole. Sergei before his utilitarian approach studied all possible factors which made the problem: Ser gei concluded individual factors such as cultural and social behavior and situational factors that influenced the psyche of employees since early adulthood that lead to the ethically incorrect behavior of employees on the global market sphere.He recognized how the Italian culture was different from his American experience/background and how it was normal for Italians to skip work and misuse power. The article also made clear how employees lacked Ethics of duty towards their workplace. 2. Determination of the dilemma: Sergei after his research about the Italian work atmosphere studied the extent of damage the unethical employee behavior could have had on them, FIAT and Italy as a nation. In his mind the bigger picture displayed of Italy ending debt-ridden was severe.He as a leader took responsibility for making a turnaround and saving Jobs which were livelihood for families residing in poor areas with increasing unemployment. 3. Course of action: Sergei took note to his previous vent ures and brainstormed with other veteran FIAT employees who shared similar mindset. He also consulted reports by economists Divide Strop on how if FIAT went down, Italy would too. He studied on how he could motivate workers to increase production. 4.Considering consequences: Sergei from the beginning knew his vision and opinion would not be accepted by Italian workers. They considered him an outsider whose American-style standards would force people to commit suicides. This was the biggest hurdle for Sergei for his utilitarian approach which by many was Judged egoistic and only good for him and FIAT. 5. Implementing the solution: Sergei implemented strict measures which were stated to be FIAT's curtain drawing on a humane working life and social upbringing of the Italians.His decisions cut absenteeism from 30% to 3% within the whole FIAT brand. His rule of sending doctors to homes of sick employees and workers for genuineness and penalizing by smaller lunch breaks did the trick. 6. Analyzing results : Serried measures proved to be successful as by the end of the year 63% of the employees signed FIAT's new working ethic model and preferred keeping a Job than being unemployed.