National Food Security Bill 2013 Essay Example for Free

National Food Security Bill 2013 Essay Only three percent of Indians pay income tax; our tax-GDP ratio is among the lowest in the world. This must change. Our elites must realise that India’s poverty has damaging consequences for them, and that they can help decrease it. The food security bill, with all its limitations, will hopefully contribute to generating such awareness, says Praful Bidwai. After vacillating for years over taking any pro-people measures, the United Progressive Alliance finally did something bold and worthy by having the National Food Security Bill passed in Parliament a promise made in the UPA’s â€Å"first 100 days† agenda after its return to power in 2009. The Bill won a resounding victory in the Lok Sabha, with a margin exceeding 100, because non-UPA parties including the Janata Dal-United, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and even the Shiv Sena felt they had no choice but to support it. It sailed through the Rajya Sabha too. The stage was set by a rare, spirited speech by Congress president Sonia Gandhi, in which she described the legislation as India’s chance to ‘make history’ by abolishing hunger and malnutrition, and emphasised that India cannot afford not to have the law: â€Å"The question is not whether we can [raise the resources] or not. We have to do it.† The NFSB has invested meaning, public purpose and a degree of legitimacy into the UPA’s otherwise corruption-ridden, shoddy and often appalling performance in government under an increasingly right-leaning leadership. This at once put the Bharatiya Janata Party on the defensive. Its leaders were reduced to opposing a measure that represents genuine social progress, and making thoughtless statements about the Bill being about ‘vote security’, not food security. The BJP now has nothing to offer to the nation but obscurantist programmes like building a temple at Ayodhya, and parochial, and predatory pro-corporate agendas under Narendra Modi’s rabidly communal leadership. The Bill is open to the criticism that it doesn’t go far enough. Instead of universalising subsidised food provision, it confines it to two-thirds of the population, and truncates it further by limiting the food quota to five kilos of grain per capita per month instead of the 35 kg per family demanded by right-to-food campaigners. The per capita quota puts small households, such as those headed by widows and single women, at a disadvantage. A universalised Public Distribution System, covering the entire population, has been proved to be more effective and less prone to leakage than one targeted at ‘below-poverty-line’ groups in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and even poor, backward Chhattisgarh. The relatively well-off won’t stand in queues at ration shops; they select themselves out of a universal PDS. Besides, a large proportion even of those officially defined as poor don’t possess BPL ration cards. The ratio can be as high as 40 percent in some highly deprived states. The latest National Sample Survey reveals that 51 percent of rural people possessing less than one-hundredth of a hectare of land have no ration cards of any kind; less than 23 percent have BPL cards. The problem of identifying the poor remains unresolved. Nevertheless, the broader coverage proposed under the NFSB and the simple, attractive formula of rice at Rs 3 per kg, wheat at Rs 2, and coarse grains at Re 1 marks a definite improvement over the current situation. It creates a right or entitlement for the poor, which can go some way in reducing acute hunger. However, right-wing commentators, including neo-liberal economists, credit-rating agencies, multinational and Indian big business, and writers/anchors in the media, have vitriolically attacked the NFSB as an instance of reckless â€Å"populism†. Some claim it will do to little to relieve malnutrition among Indian children, almost one-half of whom suffer from it. Yet others contend that the poor don’t want or deserve subsidies; they aspire to work, earn more and eat better. And almost all of them say the NFSB will entail excessive wasteful expenditure of Rs 1.25 lakh crores. This will aggravate India’s growing fiscal crisis and further depress already faltering GDP growth, now down to four-five percent. Eventually, this will work against the poor. Besides, if investment and growth are to be revived, India can’t spend so much on food security.

An Analysis of Mexico for Investment

An Analysis of Mexico for Investment Infrastructure and market capabilities and the risks and potential bottlenecks The growth and prosperity of Mexico depends upon various factors. The country is trying to grow through a combination of industrial growth, service sector growth and public welfare measures. All these depend highly on infrastructure and the competitiveness of the country. The country has to develop its infrastructure and complement the growth measures through interventions in the labour market as well as other sectors that keep the competitiveness of the country at par with the counterparts. Infrastructure: Infrastructure is a much needed ingredient for the development of any country. With its leftist leanings, mexico had monopoly over most of the infrastructure areas such as energy, roadways, railways and ports. Recently, we can see the trend changing. Mexico is looking to bring in private investments into some sectors and to reform almost all of the major sectors such as telecommunications and energy. Energy: President Enrique Peà ±a Nieto recently introduced a legislation which is due to be passed in April. Once passed, this would end a 75 year old era of monopoly on oil production. The public oil company Pemex will be more autonomous and will have a greater control over its activities. The government has also given PEMEX permission to create tie ups with private players over the world in order to sharpen the RD in the field of oil related energy research. This move also has an agenda of tapping into the vast reserves of shale gas. The government also introduced more private partnerships in the energy segment apart from oil and natural gas. However, Mexico still has a long way to go in the energy segment and to create a sustainable energy infrastructure. With the growth in a lot of segments demanding high amounts of power, the infrastructure should be able to support the extra demand. Telecommunications: The president has introduced some new regulations in the telecom sector to make it more consumer friendly and economical. The regulations aim at enforcing strict regulations that would reduce the call charges. Plans to double the connectivity in next few years. Introduce foreign investments in telecom sector up to 49%. To control the influence of the three giant telecom companies who currently hold most of the markets Even though such measures are introduced, the infrastructure needs to withstand the increased demand. The services industry and other industries are increasing its dependence on the telecom sector. Transportation Mexico in its recent times have increased its spending on the transportation infrastructure. There is an increase in spending on ports and roadways. The world’s largest cable suspended roadway bridge was constructed in Mexico. The investment into transportation infrastructure is a good sign and takes care of the increased demands due to trade. Labour markets: Mexico has a highly unionized labor population. Most of the workers are a part of one or the other unions. The labour laws are rigid and laabour welfare oriented. Many welfare measures are available for the employees and hence, it creates a condition that is not helpful for the industrial growth. The result is that the cost of labour increases and the competitiveness decreases. In order to grow, Mexico needs to simplify the labour laws to make it more balanced. Unionism is good to protect the rights of the workers but after a limit, it becomes restrictive and impedes growth. Some of the other potential risks or weaknesses are High crime rates. Drug trade and other illegal activities form a major part of economy. Overdependence on USA Weak infrastructure for education, legal and research. High levels of poverty and inequality in the society Financial Environment The financial system of mexico has been stable and moderately strong. The banks have been able to perform well even in the face of crisis situations. Even though there have been changes in the business patterns, the banks have continued to show resilience. The reform measures that have been carried out have increased the stability of the system, develop it and regulate it much better. The frequent crisis has resulted in a better system with respect to risk reduction and regulations. Even though the system has been stable, there are major challenges in the system. Highly integrated with the US economy and its financial system and hence vulnerable to problems in these economies. The credit to private sector and financial intermediation are lower than the average of Latin American counties and other emerging economies. The seven largest banks are accountable for 82% of assets. Five of these banks are subsidiaries of foreign banks. Regulation, supervision and licensing has issues that needs to be sorted. The increasing NPAs in the system would make the banking system weak in future crisis. Organizational and managerial factors in Mexico and the applicability of current management practices The organizational structure in Mexico is highly hierarchical. The employees and the management prefer rigid hierarchical structures for management. The same hierarchy can be seen in the whole decision making process as well. The higher level employees are generally seen as more experienced and hence need to know the operations well. Consulting with a lower level employee is not encouraged. The decisions have to be made by the bosses and the subordinates deliver exactly what is needed, according to the company principles and directives. Disagreements are not expressed publicly. Companies show a paternalistic attitude towards the employees. The country is an extremely relationship oriented country with a fluid time culture. Relationships are given importance over deadlines and they play a crucial part in business decisions and managerial functions. The Mexicans are very flexible in terms of change. But the changes should be slow and well planned. Even though the resistance to change may be low, the fallouts may be large if the change is swift and not so well planned. Collectivism is a phenomenon that is common and teams are given preference over individuals. The current managerial practices are implementable in the country with a few tweaks. However, there are some managerial practices that cannot be implemented easily in Mexico. Flat organizational structures are hard to implement as it would encourage a dilution of hierarchy and a more fluid structure. Being a rigid hierarchical society, the model may not be easily accepted. The Mexican employees work based on clear cut directions. Hence, a business model that encourages self managed work groups or one which requires that the employees have an entrepreneurial mindset may not work well in this culture. The managers have to behave in a more paternalistic nature to gain support and respect from the employees. Even though public dissent and disagreement may not happen, the employees may not respect a manager who does not take care of the welfare of the subordinates.] The business relations have to be based on trust and understanding more than anything else. The business decisions needs to include the nuances of relations and thus should be sensitive towards it. Justification for choosing Mexico Mexico as a country stands out in comparison with its peers in Latin America as well as in the league of emerging nations. The country is a well-balanced economy led by a government who has a solid hold on the macroeconomic policies. These policies and developmental activities have bought the country to a level of self-sustainability. The country has a clear vision for its future. The political stability and the policy uniformity make it a powerhouse of development. Most recently, the Pact for Mexico shows the importance the government gives to development and reforms. The country balances economic development, industrialization, and social welfare very well. The government realized that as the country progresses, it not just needs industries, but also needs a good policy for social welfare. The current health and education related policies showcase this desire to make the people’s lives better. Even though the country falls short on a lot of counts, the future prospects are good. Culturally, socially, economically, financially and politically, the county provides the right mix for growth and prosperity. The proximity to USA and the oil reserves make the country a very high potential destination. In short, the philosophy of the country to grow without compromising on the policies and welfare of the citizens is the reason for the choice.

Prescriptive Privileges for Clinical Psychologists

Prescriptive Privileges for Clinical Psychologists Erin E. Wood In the last thirty years, many parties within the American Psychological Association have made motions to promote the motion for clinical psychologists to have prescriptive privileges. With the motions made to promote prescriptive privileges, there have also been motions to counter the arguments made supporting prescription privileges. To research the claims made by both sides of the issue, the American Psychological Association has created a task force to assess the effects that prescriptive privileges will have on education as well as psychology as a whole. This paper will discuss the arguments revolving around professional integrity, financial implications, the amount of professionals interested in prescriptive privileges, safety, and educational consequences of prescription privileges as well as my own opinions as to whether I support or oppose the motion for clinical psychologists to obtain these privileges. Since the birth of psychology, American society has evolved to the point that individuals demand instant gratification. The desire for instant gratification has caused individuals â€Å"‘one-stop shop’ for mental health services† and medical professionals who can directly prescribe medications—causing physicians to become increasingly popular in comparison to psychologists (McGrath, 2010: Levine Schmelkin, 2006). By being able to prescribe medication while proving effective treatments to patients, prescriptive privileges will not only assist patients by cutting out the middle-man, it will also, according to Barnett and Neel (2000), â€Å"result in higher quality care.† Although physicians are currently able to provide medication, they are often uneducated on the effects drugs have on mental health (Barnett Neel, 2000). Psychologists in favor of prescriptive privileges argue that, through training and practice, they are more apt to deal with prescri bing medications and treatments that will treat mental health disorders than physicians who have very little training on mental health disorders (Barnett Neel, 2000). While some psychologists believe that prescription privileges is essential to keep psychotherapy from becoming superfluous in comparison to pharmacology and will assist in increasing the care for patients, others believe that these privileges will change the change the â€Å"professional identity† of those practicing psychology (Wiggins Wedding, 2004). Those who believe that psychologists should be allowed prescription privileges believe that not only will prescription privileges keep psychologists from becoming overshadowed by physicians, they also believe that clinical psychologists would be â€Å"in a unique position to assess and to monitor† when it comes to prescribing medication because, through doctoral training, they are more apt to study the effects of medications on patients (Barnett Neel, 2000). This would allow clinical psychologists to retain and extend their psychotherapeutic roots by giving them the opportunity to research the effect medications have on mental disorders while giving behavioral and cognitive therapies to patients. While psychologists in support of prescriptive privileges argue that prescriptive privileges will give way to many new opportunities in psychology, those in opposition to these privileges claim that the authority to prescribe medication will not create such a large window of opportun ity and will cause psychologists to fall prey to advertising from pharmaceutical companies. Many of the psychologists in opposition to prescriptive privileges believe that the addition of prescription privileges will change the direction of psychology towards an undesired direction—ultimately jeopardizing their professional integrity. They believe that, by placing more of an emphasis on medical treatments rather than behavioral treatments, â€Å"psychology as we know it will come to an end† because psychologists will be more interested in providing medications than therapy (Caccavale, 2002). Psychologists may not prescribe medications to patients based on their effectiveness, but more because will be encouraged by pharmaceutical companies. Currently, pharmaceutical companies create advertisements that strategically influence the opinions that physicians have on medications and bribe psychologists – through means of money and continuing education – to encourage them to prescribe these medications (Antonuccio, Danton McClanahan, 2003). Bribing and advertising does not only affect practicing physicians, according to Antonuccio, Danton and McClanhan (2003), pharmaceutical companies assert their influence as early as medical school—meeting with students to promote medication. This influence asserted by pharmaceutical companies over physicians and medical students can taint the objectivity of psychologists and, in extreme cases, place the patient in harms way. Although psychologists who are against prescriptive privileges believe that the integrity of the profession will be negatively impacted by the bribes and advertising of pharmaceutical companies, those who support prescriptive privileges believe th at these privileges will increase the financial status and interest in the profession. The pharmaceutical industry is one of the fastest growing industries in the United States being dubbed â€Å"the most profitable industry in the United States† (Antonuccio, Danton McClanahan, 2003). By being one of the most profitable industries in the nation, if psychologists were given the right to prescribe, it would not only give clinical psychologists an ‘edge’, it would also encourage individuals to join the profession. With prescriptive privileges, psychologists will also be able to partake in the benefits of pharmacology by receiving insurance reimbursements and increased status within health institutions (McGrath, 2010). McGrath (2010) claims that this increased status will not only benefit psychologists in private practice, hospitals, and other intuitions, it will also benefit the academic community by funding research projects. Although there are many financial benefits to both the counselling and academic communities of clinical psychology, there are also drawbacks that could potentially outweigh the benefits. First, while pharmaceutical companies have been known to provide bribes and false information to professionals with prescription privileges to increase drug sales, they have also been responsible for increasing levels of â€Å"commercialism and malpractice allegations† within health professions (Antonuccio, Danton McClanahan, 2003: Stuart Heiby, 2007, p. 6). Commercialization of medications has further tainted the objectivity of health professionals because, according to Stuart and Heiby (2007), although prescribers are able to deny medication to patients, they are more likely to give medications that have been â€Å"requested† by the client—even if they are ill-informed of the drug. Physicians may be becoming more willing to prescribe requested medications because the negative side effects of drugs have drastically decreased making it less of a risk for them to prescribe them (Levine Schmelkin, 2006). While medications have become safer to prescribe, when com plications arise, the professionals who prescribe the medications will be the ones at risk for malpractice lawsuits—not the pharmaceutical companies. In the article To Prescribe of Not to Prescribe: Eleven Exploratory Questions, Stuart and Heiby (2007) discuss the lack of support insurance companies have for professionals in malpractice lawsuits. Many insurance companies have created new policies when dealing with malpractice because â€Å"the rate and cost of settlements [that have] risen so sharply during the past decade† (Stuart Heiby, 2007, p. 22). Because of this, it can be very expensive for a psychologist to pay for the insurance to cover malpractice, or pay for the legal counsel because their insurance does not cover malpractice. According to Wiggins and Wedding (2004) only a small majority of psychiatric nurses – clinical psychologists who have gone through training to prescribe medication – have insurance policies that cover malpractice—even when it is in many ways cheaper than other forms of insurance (p.150). This could be because, although psychiatric nurses are able to prescribe medicatio ns, very few of them actually utilize prescription privileges (Wiggins Wedding 2004, p. 149). Due to the amount of psychiatric nurses who refrain from prescriptive privileges, before the APA -financial -military -RNP -coursework References Antonuccio, D. O., Danton, W., McClanahan, T. M. (2003). Psychology in the prescription era: Building a firewall between marketing and science.American Psychologist,58(12), 1028-1043. Barnett, J. E., Neel, M. L. (2000). Must all psychologists study psychopharmacology?Professional Psychology: Research and Practice,31(6), 619-627. Caccavale, J. (2002). Opposition to prescriptive authority: Is this a case of the tail wagging the dog.Journal of Clinical Psychology,58(6), 623-633. DeLeon, P. H., Dunivin, D. L., Newman, R. (2002). The tide rises.Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice,9(3), 249-255. Levine, E. S., Schmelkin, L. P. (2006). A move to prescribe: A change in paradigm.Professional Psychology: Research and Practice,37(2), 205-209. McGrath, R. (2010). Prescriptive authority for psychologists.Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, (6), 21-47. Retrieved from clinpsy.anualreviews.org Muse, M., Neel, R. E. (2010). Training comparison among three professions prescribing psychoactive medications: psychiatric nurse practitioners, physicians, and pharmacologically trained psychologists.Journal of Clinical Psychology, 66(1), 96-103. Robiner, W. N., Bearman, D. L., Bearman, M., Grove, W. M., Colon, E., Armstrong, J., Marack, S. (2002). Prescriptive authority for psychologists: A looming health hazard?Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice,9(3), 231-240. Stuart, R.B., Heiby E.E. (2007). To prescribe of not to prescribe: eleven exploratory questions. The Scientific Review of Mental Health Practices, 5(1),4-32. Wiggins, J. G., Wedding, D. (2004). Prescribing, professional identity, and costs.Professional Psychology: Research and Practice,35(2), 148-150. (McGrath, 2010) (Antonuccio, Danton McClanahan, 2003) (Wiggins Wedding 2004) (DeLeon, Dunivin Newman, 2002) (Caccavale, 2002) (Levine Schmelkin, 2006) (Robiner et al., 2002) (Muse Neel, 2010) (Stuart Heiby, 2007)

Essay --

Frailty, Thy Name Is Women â€Å"Frailty thy name is women† (I.II.150) are words which are spoken by Prince Hamlet, the prominent character of the tragedy play Hamlet by Shakespeare, in his first soliloquy. These words underline how Hamlet truly feels about Gertrude, the queen, and Ophelia, his â€Å"beloved† maiden, and women in general. Although the two women play awfully passive characters and lack their voice for the world to hear, they are significantly important because they show how Hamlet, possibly Shakespeare, are a misogynist, which is one of the themes of the play. Through the fickle, passive, and submissive portrayal of the two woman characters, Shakespeare shows women needs to have an autonomy-sense, otherwise their lives will turn out to â€Å"cannot come to good† (I.II.163). Firstly, Gertrude is introduced as a queen that clearly lacks independency. In the beginning of the play, she is as a character that always in need of a male existence next to her. Just â€Å"within a month† (I.II.149) after the late King Hamlet deceased, she already hurried herself to get another husband. This attitude of hers sickens Hamlet terribly; he cannot come to comprehend how his mother could behave less than a beast, for a beast â€Å"would have mourned longer† (I.II.150). Shakespeare sets the play with this idea that women are corrupted with sexual drive—and always in lust for it. Because Gertrude obediently follows her lustful inner soul, she goes on ahead with the marriage with Claudius—which Hamlet refers to as â€Å"incestuous† and â€Å"rotten†. The moment the marriage is royally held, Gertrude loses her credibility as a mother in Hamlet’s eyes. Adding to this, Shakespeare uses the character Gertrude to show indecisiven ess and hollowness of women. The character ... ...r extremely mournful and elegiacal attitudes towards Ophelia. She says, â€Å"sweet to the sweets† (V.I.254) as she scatters flowers upon her coffin. She knows what a sweetheart Ophelia is and empathize her. Ophelia’s association with flowers represents the once young and pure maiden that tragically dies due to the fatal-innocent trait she possesses. Kate Morton, an author of the novel The Forgotten Garden, stated â€Å"A girl expecting rescue never learns to save herself†. This implies that a girl with a will to only follow men’s order around will ought to â€Å"come to no good† outcome. Shakespeare showcases this idea through the portrayals of Gertrude and Ophelia. Both characters are fiercely submissive to their male counterparts; hence they are controlled by them. Because they have no sense of agency in their lives, their lives destined to have a tragic ending entailing it.

Poets Use Of Mockery As Diction In Poem :: essays research papers

Poet's Use of Mockery As Diction in Poem The poet's use of mockery as diction conveys his disillusioned attitude toward the men that plan the battles without actually fighting in them. Using the words â€Å"If I were fierce, and bald, and short of breath,† to describe the majors allows the reader to picture the majors as old, fat, out of shape men that spend their days â€Å"guzzling and gulping in the best hotel† safe from any danger. Fierce, bald and short of breath give the reader a negative feel for the majors as they are not described in any positive manner. These terms cause the reader to feel disgust for the majors. The poets use of the words guzzling and gulping with their alliterative effect cause the reader to consider the majors as gluttons gathered at the table. When the reader completes his mental picture of the majors in the best hotel, the imagery of glory hogs is complete. The poet's diction choice, "Reading the Roll of Honor. `Poor young chap, ' I'd say - ` I used to know his father well; Yes, we've lost heavily in this last scrap.' " of casual language attempts to make the war seem carefree and nonchalant. The word "chap" conveys an casual attitude towards the heroes as people. It seems to elevate the status of the majors to a false superior position. "Scrap" makes it seems as if the soldier's death occurred on a playground, not a battlefield. It seems to trivialize war in general. "And when the war is done and the youth stone dead, I'd toddle safely home and die - in bed." The poet's last lines give the reader an insight into the true wishes of the soldier. The youth stone dead allow the reader to acknowledge the finality of death and the wasted lives of the young soldiers while the old, fat men are Poets Use Of Mockery As Diction In Poem :: essays research papers Poet's Use of Mockery As Diction in Poem The poet's use of mockery as diction conveys his disillusioned attitude toward the men that plan the battles without actually fighting in them. Using the words â€Å"If I were fierce, and bald, and short of breath,† to describe the majors allows the reader to picture the majors as old, fat, out of shape men that spend their days â€Å"guzzling and gulping in the best hotel† safe from any danger. Fierce, bald and short of breath give the reader a negative feel for the majors as they are not described in any positive manner. These terms cause the reader to feel disgust for the majors. The poets use of the words guzzling and gulping with their alliterative effect cause the reader to consider the majors as gluttons gathered at the table. When the reader completes his mental picture of the majors in the best hotel, the imagery of glory hogs is complete. The poet's diction choice, "Reading the Roll of Honor. `Poor young chap, ' I'd say - ` I used to know his father well; Yes, we've lost heavily in this last scrap.' " of casual language attempts to make the war seem carefree and nonchalant. The word "chap" conveys an casual attitude towards the heroes as people. It seems to elevate the status of the majors to a false superior position. "Scrap" makes it seems as if the soldier's death occurred on a playground, not a battlefield. It seems to trivialize war in general. "And when the war is done and the youth stone dead, I'd toddle safely home and die - in bed." The poet's last lines give the reader an insight into the true wishes of the soldier. The youth stone dead allow the reader to acknowledge the finality of death and the wasted lives of the young soldiers while the old, fat men are

Economic Report

In economics, we need to use terms a little more carefully than they are sometimes used in ordinary discussions. In general use, â€Å"Demand† is a word that can have more than one meaning, but in microeconomics we define it more carefully so that it has only one meaning. Here is the definition: Definition: Demand Demand is the relationship between price and quantity demanded for a particular good and service in particular circumstances. For each price the demand relationship tells the quantity the buyers want to buy at that corresponding price. The quantity the buyers want to buy at a particular price is called the Quantity Demanded. The key point is to distinguish between demand (the relationship) and quantity demanded. That distinction is important for microeconomics, although people often do not make it in ordinary discussion. Demand and Need To keep it simple, we may think of the buyers as consumers. (Later we will look at markets for inputs to production, in which the buyers are producers of other goods and services). Clearly, the buyers are the people who want or need the product or service — but there is more to it than that. The word â€Å"demand† refers to the willingness and ability of people to purchase the good or service in the market. The demand relationship expresses that willingness and ability for the whole range of prices. To say that a person has a demand for a particular product is to say that the person has money with which to buy and is willing to exchange the money for the good. People will not demand what they do not want or need, but a want or a need unbacked by purchasing power is not a demand. Similarly, it is not enough that the suppliers possess the good or (the capacity to perform) the service. Supply also means willingness to sell. Most of us have experience living in the market economic system, and that makes economics seem like a common-sense field — but sometimes that common-sense feel can be deceptive. People sometimes use the term â€Å"demand† ambiguously — as if â€Å"demand† were the same thing as need. But it is not. Need without purchasing power will not create effective demand in the marketplace. Economists sometimes stress this point by using the term â€Å"effective demand† in place of simple â€Å"demand.† As we have seen, economists think of the demand for a good or service as a relationship between the price of the good or service and the quantity demanded of that good or service. Common sense says that the relationship is an inverse one; that is, that an increase in price will result in a decrease in the quantity demanded. In this, common sense is absolutely right. The higher the price, the less quantity demanded, and conversely, the lower the price, the more quantity demanded. Many economics textbooks use examples based on hypothetical (made-up) numbers. There is nothing wrong with that and we shall use some of them later on. But why not use a real example? Several years ago, the author estimated the demand relationship for beer. Here is an example based on that estimate. The prices quoted are wholesale prices, in cents of 1972 purchasing power. Quantity demanded is measured in millions of gallons, for the United States as a whole.

Interest in Public Health

The pursuit of a satisfying and meaningful career is my ultimate goal and a master of public health degree is a stepping stone along the path to a future career. For me, it is also a responsibility I owe to myself. My university education exposed me to a number of public health issues. While at university, I was affiliated to an anti AIDS club whose increased emphasis was placed on behavioural change to prevent the risk of STDs, HIV/AIDS and unplanned pregnancies.I particularly joined this club so I could make an impact on fellow students and prevent the spread of the virus as I had lost a lot of my close relations to HIV/AIDS. It was from this point that my interest in public health arose. During my fifth year of university education, I proposed to conduct a research on the role of physiotherapy in patients HIV/AIDS patients but could not conduct the named research due to funding difficulties and ethics issues.Nevertheless, I still picked on another public health topic ‘the pr evalence of complaints of arm, neck and shoulder among office workers who use computers' and I earned myself an award as the best graduating student in Research. The findings of the study further prompted me to make a difference and prevent preventable illnesses, thus considered public health research as a career. My work experience as a physiotherapist is within the field of public health and has developed my disease identification, treatment and to a lesser extent preventive skills.I am currently engaged in community (outreach)programmes for HIV/AIDS patients. My role in this activity, is to identify and mobilise patients who are on Anti retro virus drugs who have residual effects (weak limbs) of ARVs and other people in the community who might actually need physiotherapy services. Though this integration of physiotherapy services with HIV/AIDS activities at the hospital is still in its infancy stage, as a department we have achieved an increase of 30% in the number of patients ca ptured in the community and are actually accessing our services.What about the rest of the 70% ? we could still do better. Personally, being the overseer of the physiotherapy aspect of the HIV/AIDS programme I have earned a great deal of insight on issues pertaining to . However, each time we embark on the usual community visits and find cases that could have been prevented, I feel challenged and to some extent motivated to do more than I am already doing because currently our main emphasis is on the curative aspect of disease rather than prevention and primary care . in addition, I as diagnosed with Hyperthyroidism in 2009 and I realise that I am not able to meet the physical demands of my current job and would want to contribute to population health at an administrative level. My participation in the programme confirmed my budding interest in preventive medicine and improved quality of care. I am drawn to public health because of its unbounded solutions to health problems. I am in search of public health skills develop and be able to contribute positively towards the health of the community and society at large.In addition, I feel that my current degree alone, is not offering me adequate career opportunities, in which case gaining a further qualification particularly master of public health, will provide me with new career options and advance my prospects immensely. After I complete the master of public health programme, I will have acquired problem solving skills, locating and using information effectively and analytical thinking skills.In view of this, I intend to join an Non Governmental Organisation dealing in public health issues and possibly work in a rural area as that is where the bulk of the work is to be done. Currently I am studying for a certificate in HIV/AIDS management, I believe the certificate and the master of public health coupled together will help me perform better in my future job role as I would like to be involved in the devising of p rogrammes focused to prevent and provide quality health care especially in HIV/AIDS related projects.