The Loons by Margaret Laurence :: Laurence Loons Essays

"The Loons" by Margaret Laurence In the short story "The Loons", Margaret Laurence writes the story of Piquette Tonnerre. A half-Indian girl who grows up under harsh circumstances in a society that suppresses half-breeds. The story is told through another girl, Vanessa, who comes in contact with Piquette through her father. As the title suggests the story also includes a special type of birds, the loons, and we can see an obvious comparison between the loons and Piquette. The loons are very special creatures; they are man-shy and can only be heard at night when they start their cry-like calling. It is said that one that has heard the loons cry, will not ever forget it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   One of the main parts, or maybe the main part of the story, takes place by a lake that is the habitat of a group of these birds, and one could say that the whole story evolves around these beings. The human destroying of the loons' natural habitat symbolizes the invasion the white people made on the Indians territory. This is Piquette's background, and as the birds she suffers from this. The loons show no interest in humans and Piquette also as it seems has stopped caring about other people. She acts indifferently to her surroundings, and nowhere in the story can we see her showing any heartfelt feelings. As the birds become familiar to a new environment near their invaders, and have the chance to adapt to this "nearer to civilian life", Piquette marries a white man and has the chance to make a new life. Both the birds' chance and Piquette's attempt fail. Now they are forced to find another way of living. Their old way has been d estroyed by the newcomers, and they have not succeeded in adapting to the white people's unyielding life style. "Perhaps they had gone away to some far place of belonging. Perhaps they had been unable to find such a place, and had simply died out, having ceased to care any longer whether they lived or not." This is a strange way to describe a group of birds, and in this case I think the meaning is directed towards Piquette entirely. The far place of belonging being the old way of the Indian's, which she has been "unable to find" because of the European invaders.

Institutional Racism and Racial Discrimination in the U.S. Health Care System Essay

Institutional racism and racial discrimination in the U.S. health care system has been part of a long continuum dating back over 400 years. After hundreds of years of active discrimination, efforts were made to admit minorities into the â€Å"mainstream† health system but these efforts were flawed. Colin Gordon in his book Dead on Arrival portrays a very strong stance towards this issue when he states, â€Å"The American welfare state has always been, at root, a Jim Crow welfare state – disdainful of citizenship claims of racial minorities, deferential to a southern-controlled Congress, and leery of the racial implications of universal social programs† (172). It is evident that throughout the history of U.S. health care that race has shaped health provisions in a number of ways, most noticeably in private and public health care institutions. Gordon throughout his books discusses the ways in which institutional racism, specifically in the field of healthcare, has manifested itself throughout history. One of the most prominent manifestations of institutional racism in the healthcare field comes to light when examining past (and sometimes present) policies regarding admission (to healthcare facilities) and discrimination of minorities. It is evident when observing the adoption, administration, and implementation of these policies in the past that they were purposefully constructed to be exclusive of minority citizens (specifically African Americans and Latinos). Gordon gives an example of such policies in 1939 under the Social Security reforms. In the formative years of the New Deal southerners in Congress pushed for and won for the exclusion of agricultural and domestic labor from coverage under the National Recovery, Agricultural Adjustment, Social Security, National Labor Relations, and Fair Labor Standards act, this affectively excluded 90 percent of the southern black workforce (185). The implications of this act of agricultural exclusion are most clearly evident in the South and Southwest—regions whose economies were dominated by agriculture, who agriculture systems were peculiarly labor intensive, and whose agricultural labor markets were organized around low wages, tenancy, harsh legal controls, and violence. Gordon argues that segregation  persisted in medicine and hospitals longer than in any other public institution or facility partly due to the fact that Southern Congressmen pushed for local control of any federal expenditure; and later on this pushed Southern and Southwestern leaders into a partnership with doctors, employers, and insurers to keep racial minorities excluded from the health system. Southern interests led to a push for job-based private insurance, locally administered subsidies for hospital construction, and penurious charitable programs for those left behind, â€Å"southerners persistently worked to exclude African Americans from coverage, tap into federal funds without sacrificing local practices, and ensure that charity programs remained under local control† (174). Employment-based benefits, initially developed as a surrogate for national policy, was successful in leaving behind the majority of African Americans and Latinos due to the fact that they were grossly underrepresented in the unionized industrial economy, and in part because benefits such as these did not extend to casual or domestic or agricultural workers. Private health benefits came to be looked upon by many Americans as a â€Å"wage of white-ness† (176). Federal agencies, both out of practical and political necessity, consistently surrendered control over federal funds and standards over to state and local administration, â€Å"states set their own standards for care and eligibility and controlled the pace and scope of federal matching funds. Local political and medical authorities wielded considerable informal power and discretion† (187). In 1948 the Brookings Institution published a book-length assault on health reform. The conclusion of this publication was that higher black mortality rates are â€Å"predominately the result of economic, cultural and social differences† although, the research for this publication based cost estimates off of the ordinary expenditures of white families and confined comparative mortality rates to the white population, this led to them to conclude that the United States was among one of the most healthful nations in the world (188). Seconding this conclusion and also asserting that higher rates of non-white mortality were due to such things as poor sanitation, housing, education, and the lack of ordinary individual and community common sense was the AMA. The partnership between these two organizations is evident. At the root of the hospital issue in the South was not only professional and patient segregation but also the way in which it was countenanced by federal efforts  to address the region’s dearth of facilities. What is shown here is the long-standing political strategy to try and appease reformers by granting federal funds but to simultaneously placate opponents by relinquishing control to local or private interests; federal aid to hospitals both in 1940 and under the 1946 Hill-Burton Act â€Å"avoided any commitment to maintenance: once built, hospitals would reflect local control and local custom† (193). This however did nothing to prevent segregation seeing as in order to be considered nondiscriminatory a hospital was only required to grant equal access to the portion of the hospital that was built with federal funds. Perhaps the most compelling public health issue during the formative years of the American welfare state was the dismal status of rural services. In places in the South and Southwest and the nation’s inner cities basic services such as a hospital, public health clinic, and a doctor accepting Medicaid patients did not even exist. Gordon offers the example in Mississippi in 1948, there were only five general hospital beds for every 100,000 blacks in the state—at a time when four beds for every 1,000 citizens was considered adequate (175). It is evident that health care in the twentieth century has been shaped by a myriad of â€Å"direct and indirect discrimination, strong southern interests and local administration, the uneasy intersection of public and private (job-based) benefits, and the sharp political distinctions routinely drawn between contributory and charitable programs† (209). According to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, â€Å"Despite the existence of civil rights legislation equal treatment and equal access are not a reality for racial/ethnic minorities and women in the current climate of the health care industry. Many barriers limit both the quality of health care and utilization for these groups, including †¦ discrimination.† Importance of Health Care Access to comprehensive, quality health care services is important for the achievement of health equity and for increasing the quality of a healthy life for everyone. Access to health services entails the timely utilization of personal health services in an effort to achieve the best possible health outcomes. The utilization of and access to health care has many substantial impacts on a person’s life. A person’s overall physical, social and mental health statuses are all impacted by the ability to be examined and treated by a medical professional. Health care also plays a significant role in the prevention of disease and disability, the detection and treatment of health conditions and a person’s quality of life. A structured healthcare system assists in providing a foundation for a healthy lifestyle for both individuals and their families. Without access to healthcare, minor health issues have the potential to escalate either permanently affecting living standards or worse resulting in death. The health care sector also has an impact on the local economy. Health care facilities such as hospitals and nursing homes provide jobs and income to people in the community. As these employees spend their income in the community, a ripple spreads throughout the economy, creating additional jobs and income in other economic sectors. Also, providing healthcare may also be a business incentive to companies. Healthy employees can mean a healthier, happier, more productive workplace. A company’s decision to invest in and offer health care to their employees not only filters back into the economy but also may help them to recruit and retain quality employees, improve employee satisfaction, and reduce absenteeism due to sickness. Business that offer health insurance as part of their employee benefits package are probably better able to attract more qualified applicants than those who don’t. Also, offering health insurance coverage is a way of keeping operating costs low, because employees are generally more apt to take a position at a lower salary when health insurance benefits are provided. This is because it generally costs more for someone to obtain an individual or family health insurance policy than to get employer-sponsored coverage, making the difference of a lower salary negotiable. Businesses offering health insurance can deduct their portion of the contribution toward their employee plan as a business expense and get a tax advantage. If the business is incorporated, the business owner’s insurance and the coverage paid for employees are deductible. Access to health care services and insurance plays a vital role in individual and families lives along side society as a whole.

Folate Supplementation In Food Essay

Generally, fortification of foods have proven beneficial to people over the past years as it restores the nutrients that may have been lost in food processing and also enhances the vitamins that the food contain. Examples of food fortification include the addition of Vitamin C, to an orange drink, Vitamin D to dairy products, and Vitamins B1 and B2 to bread, among many others. However, while food fortification is generally considered beneficial to consumers, a recent article, Folic Acid Fortification: One Size May Not Fit It All, which was published in Natural News. com, showed that foods fortified with folic acid increase the risk of colon cancer. While I am in generally in favor of the fortification of foods, the article made me think twice before consuming foods that are high in folic acid. Although the article showed that folic acid had a number of benefits, particularly the 20 per cent reduction of birth defects of the spinal cord and the central nervous system, it still had health risks which, for me, should be greatly considered before taking in foods that are high in folic acid. In addition, even though the number of benefits outweigh the risks when consuming food that are fortified with folic acid, I believe that food manufacturers, nutritionists and members of the health sector should further conduct a collaborative and in-depth study on folic acid-fortified foods before they are made available for public consumption. The findings of the study should be then showed to the public so that people are aware of the risks of eating too much of a certain food. Another option which I believe would greatly avoid the risks of consuming food fortified with folic acid is the modification of food labeling. At present, food labeling is mandatory. However, it only shows the amount of nutrients, carbohydrates, calories, cholesterol, and other contents of the food and not the risks associated with it. In this regard, I would recommend that food manufacturers label fortified foods which contain substances that have known health risks in such a way that the people or consumers can see what exactly the risks are. For example, if a food is high in folic acid, which were shown to increase the risks of colon cancer, its label should clearly indicate that too much consumption of this food can lead to the colon cancer or should at least contain a warning. Furthermore, I also believe one way to lessen the risks of consuming foods fortified with folic acid, is for the government to make the public more aware of the exact content of the food and the dangers associated with them. Nevertheless, the article stated that only those who consume too much food fortified with folic acid are at risk for colon cancer, which means that these kinds of food are relatively safe if consumed moderately. The bottom line is people should always be aware of the exact content of the food they are eating in order to avoid possible health risks.

Free Essays on A Midsummer Nights Dream

In the ancient city of Athens a wedding is about to take place between Theseus, duke of Athens, and Hippolyta, the Amazon warrior queen who he had won. They meet in the duke's palace to discuss their marriage festivities. Suddenly, Egeus storms in, extremely upset. He wants his daughter, Hermia, to marry Demetrius, who is in love with her. Hermia, however, is in love with Lysander and refuses to give in to her father's demands. The two men and the woman they both love state their case before the duke. Theseus explains that Athenian law is on the side of the father: Hermia must give into his wishes, not follow her own desire. Also, Hermia must either obey the law, remain a virgin and enter a nunnery, or die! Hermia is given until the next new moon the wedding day of Theseus and Hippolyta to make her decision. She and Lysander secretly plan, instead, to run from Athens and live outside of town with an aunt of Lysander's. Helena, arrives, she is in love with Demetrius, but he doesnâ⠂¬â„¢t love her. In the house of Quince, a carpenter, several Athenian workingmen meet to discuss their plans to present a play as entertainment for the wedding of the duke. Quince, Snug, Bottom, Flute, Snout, and Starveling have decided on a play entitled "The most lamentable comedy, and most cruel death of Pyramus and Thisby." Parts are assigned to each player, but only after Bottom, shows how he could play all the parts himself. They agree to rehearse the following evening in a wood outside of town. Next the players are in an entirely different order. They are Oberon, the king of the fairies, his queen, Titania, and Puck (or Robin Goodfellow), a fairly like attendant of the king. Oberon and Titania have been fighting over the possession of a young Indian boy that both want, but the Queen will not hand him over. Oberon, with the aid of Puck, plans his revenge on Titania. He will drop the juice of a magic flower into the eyes of his sleeping queen. When ... Free Essays on A Midsummer Night's Dream Free Essays on A Midsummer Night's Dream A Midsummer Night’s Dream In the beginning of the play, Hermia was refusing to marry a man named Demetrius because she was in love with another man named Lysander. Hermia and Lysander planned to run away into the forest together the next day so they could get married. In the forest, the king of the fairies tells another fairy named Puck to get a flower that makes you fall in love with the first person you see. Puck started anointing everyone with the magical flower, but he anoints all of the wrong people. Both Lysander and Demetrius end up falling in love with Helena and they all start fighting with each other because Helena just thinks they are leading her on. He also turned Bottom into a donkey and made the queen of the fairies fall in love with him. The king of the faries puts all of them to sleep to fix things while the spell wears off. They all wake up loving the right people and then Demetrius marries Helena and Lysander marries Hermia. I liked the play a lot because it wasn’t too hard to follow and it was extremely funny. My favorite parts were when Hermia, Helena, Demetrius, and Lysander were all under the spell and arguing, the play within the play, and the dancing at the end. I thought the celtic music was one of the best parts. I liked it a lot because the actors all came down in the audience and were dancing. I thought it was a good ending to a really good play.... Free Essays on A Midsummer Night's Dream In the ancient city of Athens a wedding is about to take place between Theseus, duke of Athens, and Hippolyta, the Amazon warrior queen who he had won. They meet in the duke's palace to discuss their marriage festivities. Suddenly, Egeus storms in, extremely upset. He wants his daughter, Hermia, to marry Demetrius, who is in love with her. Hermia, however, is in love with Lysander and refuses to give in to her father's demands. The two men and the woman they both love state their case before the duke. Theseus explains that Athenian law is on the side of the father: Hermia must give into his wishes, not follow her own desire. Also, Hermia must either obey the law, remain a virgin and enter a nunnery, or die! Hermia is given until the next new moon the wedding day of Theseus and Hippolyta to make her decision. She and Lysander secretly plan, instead, to run from Athens and live outside of town with an aunt of Lysander's. Helena, arrives, she is in love with Demetrius, but he doesnâ⠂¬â„¢t love her. In the house of Quince, a carpenter, several Athenian workingmen meet to discuss their plans to present a play as entertainment for the wedding of the duke. Quince, Snug, Bottom, Flute, Snout, and Starveling have decided on a play entitled "The most lamentable comedy, and most cruel death of Pyramus and Thisby." Parts are assigned to each player, but only after Bottom, shows how he could play all the parts himself. They agree to rehearse the following evening in a wood outside of town. Next the players are in an entirely different order. They are Oberon, the king of the fairies, his queen, Titania, and Puck (or Robin Goodfellow), a fairly like attendant of the king. Oberon and Titania have been fighting over the possession of a young Indian boy that both want, but the Queen will not hand him over. Oberon, with the aid of Puck, plans his revenge on Titania. He will drop the juice of a magic flower into the eyes of his sleeping queen. When ... Free Essays on A Midsummer Night's Dream A Midsummer Night’s Dream, written by William Shakespeare is a lively comedy. It takes place in the realm of both the mortals and the fairies. The realm of the mortals is often referred to as the â€Å"real world† and the realm of the fairies as the â€Å"fairy world.† Both worlds are presented with problems. Neither world is faultless. Egeus commands Hermia to marry Demetrius. However, Hermia loves Lysander and the two lovers decide to run away. Helena is in love with Demetrius, who does not return her love. Helena, who is aware of the two lovers’ plan, tells the plan to Demetrius. This is the beginning of the comedic complications between the love affairs of Hermia, Helena, Lysander, and Demetrius. The fairy world has problems of its own. Oberon, the king of fairies, is jealous of Titania’s Indian Boy. Along with these stories, there is a play that is being rehearsed for the Duke. It is the play, â€Å"Pyramus and Thisbe,† act ed by Nick Bottom and Francis Flute as the two characters, respectfully. Puck’s mischief stirs up confusion for the four mortal lovers and Titania falls in love with a Nick Bottom, who has been transformed into a donkey. However, when the two worlds come together, the fairy world seems to control the real world. Although, Theseus believes he has ultimate power and control over Athens, the conflicts of the real world can not be resolved without the magical powers of the fairy world. The story of A Midsummer Night's Dream is a comedy. Shakespeare was a playwright during the Elizabethan era, when most plays were either comedy or tragedy. It wasn't the lines read or story that made a play tragic or comedic. Comedy plays were distiniguishable by their costume, stage, and make-up. The magical and fairy realm setting, the costumes of the fairies, and Nick Bottom wearing a donkey head would constitute this play as a comedy. The story of A Midsummer's Night Dream begins with an introduction ...

The Challenges African States Faced at Independence

The Challenges African States Faced at Independence One of the most pressing challenges African states faced at Independence was their lack of infrastructure. European imperialists prided themselves on bringing civilization and developing Africa, but they left their former colonies with little in the way of infrastructure. The empires had built roads and railroads - or rather, they had forced their colonial subjects to build them - but these were not intended to build national infrastructures. Imperial roads and railways were almost always intended to facilitate the export of raw materials. Many, like the Ugandan Railroad, ran straight to the coastline. These new countries also lacked the manufacturing infrastructure to add value to their raw materials. Rich as many African countries were in cash crops and minerals, they could not process these goods themselves. Their economies were dependent on trade, and this made them vulnerable. They were also locked into cycles of dependencies on their former European masters. They had gained political, not economic dependencies, and as Kwame Nkrumah - the first prime minister and president of Ghana - knew, political independence without economic independence was meaningless.   Energy Dependence The lack of infrastructure also meant that African countries were dependent on Western economies for much of their energy. Even oil-rich countries did not have the refineries needed to turn their crude oil into gasoline or heating oil. Some leaders, like Kwame Nkrumah, tried to rectify this by taking on massive building projects, like the Volta River hydroelectric dam project. The dam did provide much-needed electricity, but its construction put Ghana heavily into debt. The construction also required the relocation of tens of thousands of Ghanaians and contributed to Nkrumahs plummeting support in Ghana. In 1966, Nkrumah was overthrown.   Inexperienced Leadership At Independence, there were several presidents, like Jomo Kenyatta, had several decades of political experience, but others, like Tanzanias Julius Nyerere, had entered the political fray just years before independence. There was also a distinct lack of trained and experienced civil leadership. The lower echelons of the colonial government had long been staffed by African subjects, but the higher ranks had been reserved for white officials. The transition to national officers at independence meant there were individuals at all levels of the bureaucracy with little prior training.  In some cases, this led to innovation, but the many challenges that African states faced at independence were often compounded by the lack of experienced leadership. Lack of National Identity The borders Africas new countries were left with were the ones drawn in Europe during the Scramble for Africa with no regard to the ethnic or social landscape on the ground. The subjects of these colonies often had many identities that trumped their sense of being, for instance, Ghanaian or Congolese. Colonial policies that privileged one group over another or allocated land and political rights by tribe exacerbated these divisions. The most famous case of this was the Belgian policies that crystallized the divisions between Hutus and Tutsis in Rwanda that led to the tragic genocide in 1994. Immediately after decolonization, the new African states agreed to a policy of inviolable borders, meaning they would not try to redraw Africas political map as that would lead to chaos. The leaders of these countries were, thus, left with the challenge of trying to forge a sense of national identity at a time when those seeking a stake in the new country were often playing to individuals regional or ethnic loyalties.   Cold War Finally, decolonization coincided with the Cold War, which  presented another challenge for African states. The push and pull between the United States and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) made non-alignment a difficult, if not impossible, option, and those leaders who tried to carve third way generally found they had to take sides.   Cold War politics also presented an opportunity for factions that sought to challenge the new governments. In Angola, the international support that the government and rebel factions received in the Cold War led to a civil war that lasted nearly thirty years. These combined challenges made it difficult to establish strong economies or political stability in Africa and contributed to the upheaval that many (but not all!) states faced between the late 60s and late 90s.

American Identity Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

American Identity Paper - Essay Example e people live in a well established society and it carries all the negative aspects whereas in America the society is not well established and whatever it has, it displays more of positive aspects. In the very outset of the letter the author makes it clear that there is not much of disparity between the rich and the poor in America as the poor and the rich are far removed from each other in Europe; for him, one can find in America â€Å"no aristocratical families, no courts, no kings, no bishops, no ecclesiastical dominion, no invisible power giving to a few a very visible one; no great manufacturers employing thousands, no great refinements of luxury in Europe† (Crevecoeur, p.49). In America people are after the primary needs of the society whereas in Europe people have already achieved the primary needs and they are after the secondary or tertiary needs of the society. In America all are equipped with ‘the spirit of an industry which is unfettered and unrestrained’ (Crevecoeur, p.50). As the Americans have no superiors to work for, they work for themselves and everyone adheres to the common goodness. No castles and no proud mansions can be seen here: on t he other way the perfect living of both cattle and men are here. J. Hector St. John de Crevecoeur considers an American as â€Å"a new man, who acts upon new principles; he must therefore entertain new ideas, and form new opinions. From involuntary idleness, servile dependence, penury, and useless labour, he has passed toils of a very different nature, rewarded by ample subsistence† (Crevecoeur, p.56). The life in the British colonies of the North America had contributed a lot to the unique identity of the American people. In the British North American colonies people migrated from various places like England, Scotland, Ireland, France, Denmark, Germany, and Sweden. In each and every place of the colonies people had different attitudes, aspects, and notions too. When these mixtures of people joined together

Liberty Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Liberty - Essay Example Liberty can be both unconstructive and helpful. Negative liberty is characterized by nonexistence of impediment or interferences; whereas, positive liberty is an act of taking charge of personal life and appreciating the basic reason of existence. Varying ideologies of liberty entail the association or connection between the society and individuals; these include relation to life under the social contract and the active exercise of freedom and rights as essential to liberty. Liberty and lack of restrictions work interchangeably. In this regard, liberty helps to instill individuality and to suppress individualism. Characteristics of being in a liberal state include; being free, ability to do as one pleases, power to choose think or act on oneself, freedom from subjective or dictatorial control, as well as the positive aspect of social, political and economic right and privileges. Liberty could be divided into three categories, political liberty, which entails the direct impact of justice in relation to personal freedoms or rights. There is also social liberty that alludes to someone’s right to socialization. Finally, economic liberty indicates either the availability or inadequacy of economic power or hindrance by other parties of the individual from the same (Judt, 2011). Liberal is a label that can be respectable and displays less than it conceals. According to Tonny Judit, a liberal is someone who is not in agreement with interference of others affairs, one who tolerates attitudes that may be considered dissenting and unacceptable behavior. Historically, liberals have always been am bassadors, championing for individuals freedom to live freely and as they choose. Liberty does not exist on its own, but it is rooted in inspiring principles, which are interdependent. These principles are collectively referred, as democratic values that are the basis of democracy. These principles include fairness, justice and rights (Friedman 2009). Equality refers to individuals having rights that are free from any biases, since it is based on the notion that people are conceived on equal ground. However, this principle at times is said to contain an assertion that individuals must achieve equal access to wealth or property to, completely, attain this equality. Compared to equality, a libertarian tends to regard liberty as of more significance. They believe one should have the freedom to exercise anything he or she wants unlike being equal to the other. For instance, libertarians believe in suppressing the governments’ influence on its citizens and strongly disagree with t he act of levying taxes to establish large-scale projects. Thomas Jefferson, a libertarian argues that liberty should be natural and is an unchallengeable right. Liberty and equality can coexist coherently in a constitutional government through formulation of a framework that checks the two principles. A right involves responsibility, duties or commitment on other parties