Compare and Contrast Great Depression Essay Example for Free

Compare and Contrast Great Depression Essay The 1929 stock market crash and the subsequent ‘great depression’ was the biggest economic crisis that the world has experienced. The depth and length of the crisis and the suffering that it caused is legendary. Therefore when the global financial crisis struck in 2007, many rushed to proclaim that we were about to experience another depression on a similar scale, or at least what some have termed a ‘great recession’. This essay will compare and contrast the two economic crises to analyse the key similarities and differences between the two. To do this, the essay will firstly provide an outline of the conditions that led to the 1929 crash in the economy. Moving on from here the essay will then look at the policy responses that were implemented to tackle the crisis before analysing the conditions that precipitated the 2007 financial crisis and the policy responses, to draw out the similarities and differences of each of the crises, and to ascertain were any lessons learned during the current global crisis from the policies of the great depression era. Finally the essay will conclude with a discussion of the main points raised by the analysis of both crises and a look at the future prospects for recovery. Capitalism is a system of economic development that has crises as an inherent feature. Many crises have occurred both before and after the 1929 stock market crash, however the length and depth of the great depression has made it the point of reference for judging the severity of a financial crisis. Much debate has occurred over the causes of the great depression. While many see the late October 1929 New York stock market crash as the defining feature of the crisis, the reality was much more complex and multifaceted. As (Teichova 1990, p.8) suggests, the great depression was â€Å"the deepest, all embracing (agricultural, industrial, financial, social and political) and longest crisis with catastrophic consequences†. As well as this, although the United States led the way, this crisis was global and the rest of the world also experienced depression. So, any analysis of the great depression must look at the various factors that caused and perpetuated it. The 1920s in America hav e been described as the roaring twenties. After the devastation of the first-world-war, during the 1920 to 1925 period US and international economies were experiencing a boom. During that period, world mining and manufacturing output grew by nearly twenty percent (McNally 2010, p.63). However, in terms of inequality the poor were less poor but the rich were  getting richer at a rate of four to one. As well as this, four fifths of American had no savings compared to twenty-four thousand families at the top who held a third of all savings combined (Canterbery 2011, p.13). During the boom, ninety percent of all Americans saw their incomes fall in relative terms (McNally 2010, p.64). A factor in this was an increase in union-busting and anti-labour laws which increased income inequality. As well as this, agriculture, coal mining and textile industries were suffering from a post-war hangover which saw their profitability decline and in many instances wiped out. This inequality which concentrated wealth in so few hands led to a huge increase in consumer credit which in turn sparked off rising levels of private debt and a massive speculative bubble in the form of a property boom in Florida (Canterbery 2011, pp.13-14). The mania of speculation was not confined to proper ty and between May 1924 and the end of 1925, there was a huge eighty percent rise in stock prices. The trend continued and as Galbraith (2009, p.16) has suggested, â€Å"in early 1928, the nature of the boom changed. The mass escape into make believe, so much a part of the speculative orgy, started in earnest†. During 1928, the Times Industrials (a pre-cursor to the DOW) gained a huge thirty-five percent, from two-hundred and forty-five points to three-hundred and thirty-one points. To maximise their gambling profits, many investors financed their purchase of stocks with borrowed money, with speculators buying one-thousand dollars of stock by putting down one-hundred dollars (Canterbery 2011, p.15). Of course, capitalism’s bubbles must always burst, and this was no exception. The US real economy was showing signs on a slowdown long before the stock market crash. However, on Wednesday October 23rd 1929, a drop in the stock market lost four months of previous gains and the following day panic selling began. This was briefly halted by a meeting of the nation’s biggest bankers who promised to pool their resources to halt the slide. Their efforts however were futile and on ‘Black Tuesday’ October 29th the bottom fell out of the market, giving up all of the gains of the previous year (McNally 2010, p.65). Most economists agree that the great depression that ensued lasted for over ten years. Its economic impact was striking as GNP fell from a peak of $104.4 billion in mid-1929 to $56.6 billion in 1933. Its social impact was even more harrowing as twenty-five percent of the US civilian labour force was unemployed by 1933, the worst point of the  depression (Canterbery 2011, p.18). There are a number of competing explanations as to why the crisis was so severe. Explanations can be grouped into the two categories of monetarist and non-monetarist. For example, in a mixture of the two Ben Bernanke (1983) suggests that there were three interlinked factors that propagated the great depression. The first was the failure of financial institutions, in particular commercial banks. The percentage of failing banks in 1930 was 5.6% jumping to 12.9% in 1933 and this left a situation whereby in 1933 there were half the number of banks that had been operating in 1929 (Ibid, p.259). Bernanke goes on to cite defaults and bankruptcies as key, with the ratio of debt service to national income going from nine percent in 1929 to nearly twenty percent in 1933. This was pervasive across all sectors with home mortgages; farm mortgages, personal debtors and even state governments defaulting on their obligations (Ibid, p.260). However, key to Bernanke’s view was the correlation of the financial crisis with macroeconomic factors. The crux of this view was that the financial crisis affected the macro-economy by reducing the quality of certain financial services, primarily credit intermediation (Ibid, p.263). In line with the monetarist view, it could also be argued that the Federal Reserve did not help matters. Its policy at the time was only to increase the credit base in line with requirements of trade, which essentially meant that as businesses were afraid to borrow, the Federal Reserve did not increase the money supply. Somewhat similar to the monetarist elements of Bernanke’s analysis is that of Friedman and Schwartz (1971,pp. 359-60) who argue that the crisis that originated in the United States was a domestic construct which was prolonged and deepened by a failed policy of failing to cut the discount rate, which meant a failure to provide credit and expand the currency. Kindleberger (1986a) taking a similar monetarist position but focusing more on international factors suggests that the world depression stemmed from reparations and war debt, the overvaluation of the pound, the return to the gold standard in Britain and an undervalued French franc. These factors were aggravated by a fall in commodities and a rise in stocks in New York. From a non-monetarist perspective US government actions were no better, with the introduction of the Smoot-Hawley Tariff in mid-1930, sparking of a wave of protectionist tariffs around the world and a trade war which saw world trade figures nosedive (Canterbe ry 2011, p.19). The  deflationary process was exacerbated by the huge levels of unemployment, which combined with other factors to initiate the ‘multiplier/accelerator’ interaction, reinforced by wage-cut enforced under-consumption as wages fell for manufacturing production workers by at least thirty-one percent between 1929 and 1933, as well as debt deflation and international interactions (Devine 1994, p.166). While this was happening, consumer prices only fell twenty percent during the 1929-33 period. This, as Devine points out helps to explain that falling consumption was a major factor in the decline in GNP during this time, more so than previous or subsequent recessions (Ibid). There are others such as Temin (1976) who suggests that monetarist explanations are wrong, and it was consumption and spending that declined first, therefore leading to a tightening of the money supply. Therefore, it was not monetary factors alone that caused the depression. Taking a different approach to explaining the depth and length of the depression, Kindleberger cites the lack of a lender of last resort as the major factor preventing any form of fast recovery (Kindleberger 1986b, p.4). This he suggests was due to Britain’s inability after the First World War, and the United States’ unwillingness to act in that regard. What each of these arguments above show is there is still no consensus on the policy responses that would have prevented such a deep depression occurring. Such a lack of a consensus has also been a feature of the current global crisis. Since the global financial crisis broke out, many have rushed to make comparisons between it and the great depression. However, before one makes these comparisons, an analysis of the fundamental differences in the nature of the capitalist system between now and then must be undertaken. After the World War boom in output and the post-war move to Keynesian economics, which essentially saved capitalism from self-implosion, the emergence of neoliberal capitalism in the latter 1970s in the form of Reaganism in the US and Thatcherism in Britain ushered in a new era of capitalist development that was distinctly different from its previous incarnations. This period of capitalist modification saw the creation of the era of what Canterbury has termed ‘casino capitalism’ (Canterbery 2011, pp.83-121). He suggests that this era began with three powerful forces converging. These were; monetarism, which Milton Friedman advised Regan would bring down inflation with minimal effect on employment or production, the influence of the  Ã¢â‚¬Ëœneo-Austrians’ who sought to reduce state influence over entrepreneurs through deregulation and finally, the pervasive idea that less taxes on the rich produced the trickle-down effect (Ibid, p.83). Regan’s policies during this era, continued under the Clinton administration gave huge power over to Wall St through deregulation, and contributed to a huge shift from production to financial services. As the financial sector grew its asset base, it became a much bigger part of the national economy. This can be seen in the fact that between 1978 and 2005, the financial sector grew from 3.5 percent to 5.9 percent of the US economy in GDP terms. To put this in perspective, from the 1930s to around 1980 the rate of growth for the financial sector was roughly the same as that of the non-financial sector. However, from 1980 to 2005 financial sector profits grew by eight-hundred percent, compared with two-hundred and fifty percent for the non-financial sector (Ibid, pp.116-117). This form of capitalism, where value and profit are not ‘produced’ but the result of speculation is a form that gives huge power to unelected rating agencies and bankers to set the agenda, which even governments and international institutions find difficult to alter. It was under this system of capitalism that the global financial crisis emerged. Many different arguments for the causes of the global crisis exist and whilst it can be difficult to pin down the exact causality because of its global nature, there is agreement on a number of factors. Just like its sister crisis the great depression, before the global crisis struck, the global economy went through a boom period with the world economy growing at a faster rate between 2001 and 2007 than in any other period in the past thirty years (Wade 2008, p.23). Most agree that the crisis was sparked by the subprime mortgage bubble collapse in the United States. However this spark was not the sole cause of the crisis. Just l ike the great depression, the factors that caused the crisis were numerous. Although signs of an emerging crisis first appeared in 2006-7, it was not until 2008 when banks such as Lehman Brothers were going to the wall and financial assets were crashing that the full extent of the crisis was realised. As a result, flows of credit dried up and economies the world over started to suffer. However, this crisis was not solely a monetary crisis and had deeper dynamics at play. In particular, the financialisation of capitalism being built upon debts as a means of making profit (McNally 2010, p.86). The subprime  mortgage crisis is illustrative of this. For example, in the year 2000 there was $130 billion of subprime lending in the US, backed up with $55 billion of mortgage bonds. Yet by 2005, those figures had jumped to $625 billion in subprime loans backed by $500 billion in securitised bonds (Ibid, p.103). The ‘speculative orgy’, as Galbraith termed it speaking on the 1929 crash, was back with a bang. What exacerbated the orgy more was the creating of innovative financial instruments in the form of credit default swaps (CDS) and other debt securities. For example, by 2006 the CDS on mortgage bonds was eight times the value of the bonds themselves, so when the crisis hit, that wealth was wiped out (Ibid, p.103). The European context experienced similar problems as contagion spread throughout the world economy. Trade imbalances within the Eurozone created by the power of the German economy, in particular its exports produced vast wealth within Germany, generating credit that was more than was required for domestic demand. The result was an outflow of cheap and easy credit to peripheral European states. This in turn with low interest rates created the basis for a speculative property bubble in places such as Ireland and Spain, and a rise in consumer debt across Europe (Avellaneda and Hardiman 2010, pp.4-5). This, coupled with the ECB having light regulatory practices and liquidity responsibilities, and the fact that the Euro project created an quasi-federal state with a centralised monetary and exchange rate policy, but had no fiscal control over individual states led to a disaster of structural design in the Euro which prevented adequate policy responses from individual states, who instead we re burdened with a one size fits all, centralised Franco / German led response. It is clear that the immediate causes of the crisis were centred on â€Å"excessive debt leverage or imprudent lending† (Wade 2008, p.27). Much of this debt leveraging was in the form of the complexly structured credit securities, like the CDS, and when market panic set in following the collapse of Lehman, and this huge default risk pushed investors towards the tipping point. However, as Bernanke (2010) has pointed out, many factors were at play. Although the most prominent was the prospect of losses on the subprime market when the housing bubble burst, the system vulnerabilities as well as shortfalls in government responses explain the severity of the crisis. For example, the â€Å"sudden stop† in June 2007 of syndicated lending of asset backed securities to large borrowers. Other factors included the  overreliance of banks on short-term wholesale funding, deficiencies in private sector risk management, an over-reliance on ratings agencies, excessive leverage on the part of households, businesses and financial firms, statutory gaps in regulation on special purpose vehicles and a failure of existing regulatory procedures worldwide (Bernanke 2010). Although causality had similarities between the United States and Europe, the policy responses to deal with the crisis have been markedly different. Quite early into the crisis, perhaps learning from pa st mistakes from the great depression, the US government approved various Keynesian inspired fiscal stimuli and financial and auto sector bailouts. In particular, the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP), a $700 billion rescue fund for the banking sector which bought toxic loans at reduced rates (Nguyen and Enomoto 2011). This policy has been seen to be a relative success with an estimated final cost of $32 billion to the United States taxpayer (Congressional Budget Office 2012). In contrast to this, the European solution has been overwhelmingly austerity based, and the cost of the crisis being mainly burdened by the taxpayers of Europe. In particular, the Irish taxpayer’s bill for the bailout of one bank, Anglo Irish will cost the taxpayer more than the total final cost of the TARP program in the United States. In this regard, it does not seem that lessons from the great depression have been learned in a European context. When we look to the rates of unemployment over the past number of years, it seems like the American policy of stimulus may be working slightly better than the European austerity agenda. For example, in the US unemployment rose sharply after the onset of the financial crisis going from 4.6 percent in 2007, to 7.2 percent in 2008, 9.3 percent in 2009 and 9.7 percent in 2010. However, in 2011 there has been a decline in unemployment to 9 percent (Index Mundi 2012). The European Union (twenty seven members) on the other hand has seen its unemployment rate grow from 8.3 percent in 2006, to 9 percent in 2009 and 9.7 percent in 2011(United Nations Economic Commission for Europe 2012) to a current figure of 11.7 percent (Eurostat 2012). So, how does the global crisis match up to the great depression? It is obvious that there are a number of similarities between the two crises. For example, with both crises there was an extended period of economic growth preceding the crashes. Each of the crisis periods also saw speculative bubbles based on the flow of easy credit  which fuelled both property based and stock market excess. Both crises also saw staggering drops in Industrial production and increases in unemployment. However, there are also key differences between the great depression and the global crisis. Primarily, the nature of the capitalist system has cha nged fundamentally from productive industrialisation to financial capitalisation. The policy responses of governments have also showed that lessons have been learned, especially in the American case, where Keynesianism and central bank intervention has been preferred to the Laissez-faire attitude during the great depression. In a European context, the decision to make taxpayers foot the bill for the losses of financial speculators marks a departure from the policies of the great depression where speculators suffered heavy losses. There are of course other key differences between the two crises in-so-far as although initially the global crisis seemed every bit as bad, if not worse than the great depression, there are now signs that this may not be the case. For example, by measuring from the peaks in industrial production the decline in industrial production in the nine month period from April 2008 was at least as severe as in the nine months following the June 1929 peak (Eichengreen and O’Rourke 2009). Similarly, in that initial nine month period, global st ock markets were falling even faster than in the Great Depression and World trade was also falling much faster than in 1929-30 (Ibid). However the authors of this study have revised their analysis for 2012 and it paints an altogether different picture. The levels of industrial production had shown shoots of recovery over the past couple of years but growth of global industrial output now appears to be slowing. The upturn had been promising, but this follows months when production was essentially stagnant. Notably in the Eurozone, industrial production declined (Eichengreen and ORourke 2012). Since initial early forecasts, global trade had showed signs of recovery â€Å"But trade is now also fluctuating without direction, at levels barely higher than those of April 2008† (Ibid). As the authors also point out, while equity markets have recovered to a large degree compared with their initial drop, â€Å"it is worth observing that world equity markets remain considerably below pre-crisis levels† (Ibid). The somewhat gloomy outlook is confirmed by the latest United Nations ‘World Economic Situation and Prospects’ pre-release document which states; Four years after the eruption of the global financial crisis, the world economy  is still struggling to recover. During 2012, global economic growth has weakened further. A growing number of developed economies have fallen into a double-dip recession. Those in severe sovereign debt distress moved even deeper into recession, caught in the downward spiralling dynamics from high unemployment, weak aggregate demand compounded by fiscal austerity, high public debt burdens, and financial sector fragility (United Nations 2012, p.1). So, although there are signs that the global crisis may not be as severe as the great depression, recent economic forecasts do not suggest that there will be a clear path to recovery in the near future. Capitalism has been proven to be susceptible to crises and cycles of boom and bust. The two cases here have been the most high profile of those crises. It does seem that some of the lessons of the great depression have been learned to reduce the severity of the global crisis. However, only time will tell if these lessons will ultimately stop a double dip global recession and if lessons can be learned from the global crisis for the inevitable next financial crisis that will come down the line.

AIDS :: Free AIDS Essays

AIDS   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Aids stand for Acquired Immune Defiency Syndrome, which is the final and the most serious stage of the HIV Disease and it causes damage to the immune system. Between the ages of twenty five to forty four, AIDS is the fifth leading cause of death. Since the start of HIV disease forty seven million have been infected in the world. The Human Immunodeficiency Virus is what causes aids. This virus attacks the immune system and leaves the body open a lot of illnesses and cancers.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Aids are transmitted through sexual contact, through blood, or from mother to the child. It is not spread by casual contact such as hugging, touching doorknobs, or toilet seats by a person infected with the HIV Virus. It is also not transmitted to a person who donates blood, but it can be transmitted to the person receiving blood or organs from an infected donor. The people that are at risk the most are homosexual men, who are having unprotected sex, drug users who share the same needle, sexual partners who participate in high risk activities, and infants born to the mother who is infected with the HIV Virus.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Aids begin with the HIV infection. The people infected with the HIV Virus may not have any symptoms for ten or more years, but they can transmit the infection to other during this system free period. Their immune system emptied by HIV and is very susceptible to opportunistic infections. Some of the common symptoms are fever, sweats, swollen glands, chills, weaknesses, and weight loss.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There is no cure for Aids at this very moment, but there are several treatments that are available that can possibly slow down the progression of the disease for many years and improve the quality of life for the ones who have the symptoms. Antiviral Therapy suppresses the replication of the HIV Virus in the body. A combination of several antiretroviral agents, termed Highly Active Retroviral Therapy (HAART), has been highly effective in reducing the number of the HIV particle in the blood stream. This might help the immune system come back for a while and improve the T-cells count. People on HAART with suppressed levels of HIV can still give the virus to others through sex or by sharing needles this treatment shows a great promise. When HIV becomes resistant to HAART, salvage Therapy is required to try to suppress the resistant strain of HIV.

Comparing tajfel’s social identity theory and scapegoating theory in explaining prejudice Essay

The issue of comparing and contrasting Tajfel’s theory of social identity and the scapegoating theory in explaining prejudice is a very controversial issue subject to debate .The theories are like one and the same thing though they are different as show be noted as the debate goes on.The main difference is that scapegoating mainly touches on the rivals of in-group against out-group while social identity theory bases on the individual rivalry against individual and both have got a negative prejudice effect. Barbara (1997) reiterates that prejudice by definition is an attitude usually negative toward a member of some other group solely on prejudice the membership in that group . Feldman explains prejudice in the sense that when two groups want to achieve the same goal but both groups cannot get hostility is due to happen .For example increased competition of various groups in times of economic crisis may be one of the factors leading to prejudice .Tajfel (1971) believes that the scapegoating theory is not adequate in explaining prejudice and he also uses a social identity theory . However Tajfel et al (1971) argue that competition is not sufficient for inter-groups conflict and hostility .Tajfel does not deny the importance of competition between groups as explanation for the origins of prejudice but argues that mere perception of the existence of another group can itself produce discrimination .Tajfel et al goes on to say that before any discrimination occur ,people must be categorized as members of in-groups or out-groups but more significantly the very act of of categorization by itself produces conflict and discrimination leading to negative prejudice . Therefore from the above analysis one can be tempted to say that the origins of prejudice in both social identity theory and scapegoating theory arise from the same nature to a greater extent as noted in the argument in question though they might be some differences but to a lesser extent. Moreover, scapegoating theory in explaining prejudice asserts that people or groups seeks to displace their anger on the weaker people or groups .When the weaker group sees that its being dehumanized or being regarded as inferior scapegoating has entered in the danger zone which will eventually lead to the aggression of the out-group. However Tajfel’s social identity theory suggest that individuals strive for self image and social identity that is influenced by the value categorized by a group an individual belongs .Therefore from the aforementioned analysis one might be tempted to conclude that the spirit of pride within one group and an individual’s ego perpetuated by a group an individual belongs may leads to prejudice as expulsed in the argument above. In addition , basing on the scapegoating theory in explaining prejudice ,pain and frustration only often evoke hostility for example the native Africans were allocated land in reserves which was very infertile and this led to the First Chimurenga war when the natives fought the whites blaming them for drought and other misfortunes that they were facing as a result of their presence .In contrast to the above theory, Myers(2008) elucidates that the social identity theory in explaining prejudice suggest that individuals in a group come to develop a sense of their identity that is anchored within in-group . Therefore .from the information above one might tempted to clear that both of the two theories asserts that as a result of aggression by scapegoating and in-group development development as supported by Tajfel(1971) elaborates the concept of prejudice though they vary to a lesser extent as exhibited in the argument in question. More so, Healey (2006) pontificates that the scapegoating theory targets for the displaced aggression vary, for example failure by the government of Zimbabwe to run the economy that led to hyper-inflationary epoch many Zimbabweans blamed the sanctions for the economic turmoil and the Europeans as the oppressors but were there to blame for economic crisis in actual sense and this poses a question to many people . Moreover, in the early 1980s people vented their anger to the witchcraft tradition and leading to the masquerading of tsikamutandas to uproot witches in societies and people who were presumed to be witches were humiliated or forced to drink a concoction and if the witch belongs to in-group and another one from out-group  favoritism was bound to happen leading to someone being unfairly treated due to favoritism .The South Africans felt the shortage of employment in their country is because of Zimbabweans saying that they are taking all jobs thus leading to xenophobia attacks on Zimbabweans and in that essence it evokes prejudice between the in-group and out-group. On the other side of the coin ,Faney (2004) alludes that the social identity theory furnishes favoritism among in-groups and out-groups. The theory asserts that as groups are formed ,they come to develop a culture of patriotism towards themselves and to discriminate against out-groups .therefore , from the aforesaid assertions one might be tempted to alludes that prejudice arise from favoritism and displaced aggression as exposed in both theories above . Furthermore , Tajfel (1971) suggests that resource allocation is done unequally ,in particular they will favor their own group at the expense of out-group .This suggest that the tendency in-favor of in-group may be especially powerful if the in-group feels to be minority .In addition the scapegoating theory in explaining prejudice propounds that for instance in Zimbabwe ,opposition to immigration since 1990 has gone up and down following the hijacking unemployment rate . Moreover ,the scapegoating theory and social identity theory explain the concept of prejudice in a different dimension as noted above in the argument in question though some very small similarities were noted but since the explanations outwit the similarities one might be tempted to conclude that both theories in explaining prejudice they differ immensely . To add more flesh to the bones , the social identity theory presumes that as people hear the views of a group they are bound to change their own views to suite of the in-group and one school of thought believes that similarities within groups will ultimately lend itself to polarization among groups .Members of the in-group will try to make themselves look unique from out-group as they endeavor this uniqueness to prove a spirit of social identity . For example if l am a soccer fan and we are discussing the play of the play of an opposing team , l might advocate for my team that plays much better than the opposing team .However the scapegoating theory reiterates that the strongest anti-black prejudice has occurred among whites who stay  much closer to blacks on the socio-economic hierarchy . For instance the whites who protested for the industrial conciliation act enactment are the whites who were feeling threatened by the black society and those white who were on top of the socio-economic hierarchy felt no intimidation by blacks .there, as thus discussed above one might possibly say that it is clear from the aforesaid argument that scapegoating and social identity theory can explain prejudice from various angles as expulsed in the argument in question . Moreover , Tajfel (1971) asserts that the personal identity deteriorates and social identity become focal in the sense that people have a feeling of themselves individually and as part of the group they belong and in doing so their group identity comes to the central core of their prejudice and they ceases to pay more attention on the individual characteristics of out-group .Furthermore , scapegoating pontificates that the clash of interest may result in prejudice and anyone who is not satisfied with himself is always ready for a revenge .For example Floyd May-weather might always feel that he can outclass Pacquino despite losing to him and every time is ready for a revenge match so as to claim his status as a champion . Therefore , from the above analysis one might be tempted to conclude scapegoating and social identity theory are somehow different though clearly explaining the concept of prejudice as noted in the aforesaid assertions . In summation ,It does not need a rocket scientist to discover that competition to prestige, social recognition ,water, land ,jobs and some other resources may precipitates aggression which will eventually turn into prejudice in both theories scapegoating and social individual theory .However , it is an abortion of factual evidence to sidestep the differences such as displaced aggression , feelings of in-group and out-groups , favoritism among in-groups and out-groups and just to mention but a few were addressed as differences of social identity and scapegoating theory as exhibited in the argument in question in explaining the concept of prejudice. ` Tatenda Nyoka is a student at Great Zimbabwe Zimbabwe University and can be contacted on tatendanyoka@gmail.com

English Tragedy Script - 1648 Words

Something said between love and regret Cast: Charles Ashley Jimenez as Nicholas Gomez Mary Catherine Zoleta as Eddielaine Mae Gomez Alessandra Camilo as Meredith Rivera Denise Dee De Jesus as Veronica De Leon Sigfreed Angeles as Darren Salvador Jay Lemuel Buenviaje as Officer Gordon Ramirez Samantha Bernal as Dra. Fiona Agura Patricia Abiog as Inday Badiday Tasks: Patricia Abiog as the scriptwriter/director/playwright/ Clothing and Wardrobe Alessandra Camilo and Mary Catherine Zoleta as props manager Charles Ashley Jimenez as Audio Visual Manager Samantha Bernal as Co Director Denise Dee De Jesus as Disciplinarian/Beta reader/Co Scriptwriter Jay Lemuel Buenviaje as Beta Reader/ Disciplinarian Sigfreed Angeles as group treasurer/ buyer of†¦show more content†¦(sigh) Veronica keeps on wrecking our marriage. Meredith: First thing you have to do is be strong. When your marriage falls apart, remember that you can still count on me. I can help you of course. But for the time being, don’t focus on what you are going to do when your marriage falls apart. Focus instead on the things you have to do to keep your marriage from falling apart. Eddielaine: You speak as if doing that is easy. Well, it’s not. Meredith: I know. You just have to try hard. Eddielaine: Well, I’ve got to go. It’s already 11:00 p.m., and my husband will probably be worried if I don’t get home early. Meredith: You call this early? Well, if you must†¦ Eddielaine: (finishes her drink and stands up from the bar stool.) Good bye Meredith†¦ Meredith: bye Eddielaine†¦ (Curtains close. Curtains open. We see Eddielaine enter the living room where Veronica and Nicholas were.) Nicholas: Eddielaine! You†¦You’re home! Eddielaine: Why Nicholas? Are you surprised? I see we have a guest. An unwelcome guest. Veronica†¦why are you here? Veronica: Well Eddielaine, Nicholas called me and told me to come here, so I did. Eddielaine: Nicholas! Nicholas: I just told her to go here so that she could tell you that we don’t have an affair. Eddielaine: I don’t care what she says! It is obvious enough that you are having an affair with her! Veronica, get out! Veronica: What if I don’t want to get out? I mean, this isn’t just your home you know†¦It is also Nicholas’s home. AndShow MoreRelatedRomeo And Juliet Comparison1210 Words   |  5 PagesWilliam Shakespeare s â€Å"Romeo and Juliet† have been remade countless of times, and each time in different ways. Most people are familiar with the tragedy of lovers known as Romeo and Juliet. Two interpretations of this story are the 2013 film by Carlo Carlei and the 2011 film by Kelly Asbury. The two movies have the same story line but are very different from each other. In the 2013 film known as Romeo and Juliet, the characters are the traditional version of the sonnet written from Shakespeare.Read MoreCause and Effect Hamlet Essay902 Words   |  4 PagesCause and Effect Hamlet Essay William Shakespeare, arguably the greatest language in the English language and England’s national poet, has written numerous histories, tragedies, comedies and poems. Throughout his plays, his use of dramatic irony, immaculate word choice and wording, and his vast imagination has made him a successful playwright even in his time. Shakespeare’s scripts for his theatrical company, needed to pertain to the needs and fascinations of the Elizabethan audience. It is safeRead MoreWorld War Ii and Movie Essay example877 Words   |  4 PagesCasablanca Introduction to Film English 225 Professor Stave September 29, 2008 Casablanca The movie, Casablanca, based on the play Everybody Wants to go to Ricks,† still captivates audiences around the world. This movie was a pleasurable afternoon of great movie watching. The setting of the movie is Casablanca, Morocco during the Second World War. Casablanca is the jump off point to get to Spain and then to America. I think that all four factors of a setting have anRead MoreRosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead649 Words   |  3 PagesEnglish Essay on Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead â€Å"The only beginning is birth and the only end is death – if you cant count on that, what can you count on? †(39). Fate is pre-determinant no matter how lucky people are or how much free will they have. The play Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, by Tom Stoppard, proves this point just by the title. They both are dead. However, the most fascinating and engrossing things that happen in life are those choices and adventures people take. ThereforeRead MoreRomeo And Juliet Movie Analysis848 Words   |  4 PagesRomeo and Juliet is a true lover’s tragedy, an epic masterpiece written by William Shakespeare in the peak of his creativity. It bears the existential dilemma of how to chase true love when all the odds are undeniably stacked against the seeker. The original play, first published in 1597, features the troubled paths of two star crossed lovers whose families despise each other with passion to deep extents. Over the centuries, there have been many interpretations of this play in various forms rangingRead MoreShakespeare - Why Is He Still so Widely Studied and Relavent Today?1582 Word s   |  7 PagesShakespeare has remained fundamental in the role of theatre, study of the English language and presumably, skills in the study of business management as critics claim. 1 Shakespeares works had cultured the stage all over the world as well as in the development of English literature, which was amongst his contributions to the Westernized societies. Another significant contribution of his works is the expansion of the English language by over 1700 commonly used words and phrases. This is clear evidenceRead MoreRomeo And Juliet Movie Analysis852 Words   |  4 PagesRomeo and Juliet is a true lovers’ tragedy, an epic masterpiece written by William Shakespeare in the peak of his creativity. It bears the existential dilemma of how to chase true love when all the odds are undeniably stacked against the seeker. The original play, first published in 1597, features the troubled paths of two star crossed lovers whose families despise each other with passion in deep extents. Over the centuries, there have been many interpretations of this play in various forms rangingRead MoreOthello by William Shakespeare588 Words   |  2 Pagesuse of a witty techniq ue and a well-written script presenting a persuasive plot. The plot of Othello is has a sequence of events that plays a big role in sustaining the interest of the audience. Shakespeare’s objective was to write a well written-script with plot that captivates the attention of the audience leaving them please and wanting more after reading or watching it. Othello is a play has a series of events presenting extreme drama, twists, tragedy and mystery that enthralls the audience leavingRead MoreFool in William Shakespeares King Lear Essay1119 Words   |  5 PagesFool in William Shakespeares King Lear The Fool’s function in King Lear is to create emphasis on the tragedy in the play and give insight into the characters’ true nature. He shows other characters’ nature though blunt comments and earns himself the name of ‘all-licensed Fool’, as he clearly states peoples’ inner personality. He develops the tragedy though a theme of madness and instability, from his use of poems and rhymes intermingled with standard prose, Read MoreAnalysis Of The Article Fahrenheit 451 1233 Words   |  5 Pages Katherine Moore Miss Keith English 11, Block 3 30 January 2017 The Evils of Technology in a Modern Society It is easy to tell that the obsession with technology has had major effects on people’s way of life. Political elections are polluted by voters that believe it is a game, Students with answers to questions shoved down their throat in the form of useless facts and a society in which individuality is dangerous. Ray Bradbury demonstrates these issues in his book Fahrenheit 451, by showing

Analysis Of The Book The Favorite Show - 1155 Words

Everyone has their own life stories about their hobbies, what they’ve accomplished so far, and what there plans foor the future are. this is the summary of the lives of my group members Ben,Shin, and Suzanne. the first member of my group is Ben. His free time is mainly spent around basketball. Whenever the chance arrives he is on the court shooting hoop with his friends.Even when he s not playing he’s still watching the NBA and keeping up with how his favorite team the Spurs are doing. even though Ben loves basketball that’s not his only hobby. Sometimes he likes to sit down and watch whatever s on Netflix. His favorite show is Naruto a Japanese cartoon based around the life of a young Shinobi named Naruto who is trying to become†¦show more content†¦With this new promotion he has been able to become an instructor for new employees, teaching them to become better employees. Furthermore beyond being an instructor he is also the boss of the other lifeguards. Even with what Ben has already accomplished he still plans to pursue greater goals. For that he wishes to get an associate of science degree. With this he hopes that he will be able to get a job at UAMS. Afte r he accomplishes that he only hopes that he can use this job to further help people. With that being far in the future he would just settle with getting a new vehicle. He would prefer if this new vehicle were a jeep or a camaro but he’ll settle for anything that runs. With that said he would like to sell his old car in order to be able to pay for this vehicle. In addition to Ben my other group member is Shin. She enjoys watching football in her free time. Her favorite NFL team is the Dallas Cowboys for whom she cheers on even when they are having a bad season. In addition to the NFL she also enjoys watching the NCAA supporting her state’s team the Arkansas Razorbacks. Shin also enjoys her job at the nursing home. Her favorite thing about working at the nursing home is that she gets to assist elderly people in their day to day lives. With this job she is also gaining experience so that she can further her career in the medical field. In the past few years Shin has

Elderly Senior Population - 779 Words

In 2014, Americans age 65 and older represented 14.5% of the total population in the United States. Between 2004 and 2014 the senior population grew by 10 million—constituting a 28% increase in the senior population, far surpassing the 6.2% growth in the population under the age of 65 (US Department of Health and Human Services, 2016). It is projected that one in every five Americans will be a senior in 2030 (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2013; Ortman, Velkoff Hogan, 2014). The coming generation of seniors will be significantly different than those before them—more racially diverse, less likely to be married, and facing declines in their economic well-being and increases in inequality and disparities (Helman, Copeland, †¦show more content†¦For example, nutrition plays a crucial role in the morbidity of illnesses’ such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, dementia, and Alzheimer’s disease (Coombs, Barrocas, White, 2004; Mann, 2002; Scarmeas, et al., 2008; Shah, 2013; Takashashi et al, 2003). Additionally, poor nutrition can decrease immunity, increase the time needed for recovery from injury or illness, and has been associated with an increase in hospital visits—all functions that already deteriorate with age (Brownie, 2005; Forster et al, 2012; Lesourd, 1997; Sullivan, 1995). Finally, elderly malnutrition leads to increased health costs for individuals and for the health care system—a system that will be furth er strained with the growth in the aging population. Quality nutritious diets can reduce the health risk seniors already face (Bernstein Munoz, 2012; Volkert, 2013). To inform policy and public health decisions that support nutritional health for seniors, it is important to understand the factors that are associated with nutritious diets among seniors. While physiological changes in seniors’ body create issues for nutrient intake, they also face the cumulative effect of socioeconomic and behavioral factors (Donini, et al, 2013; Mojon et al, 1999; Morley, 1997; Morley et al, 1997; Palacios Joshipura, 2014; Shatenstein, 2008; Walls Steele, 2004; Wellman et al, 1997). Research on nutritional risks among the elderly has examined a variety of socioeconomic and behavioral predictorsShow MoreRelatedElderly Abuse Issues1420 Words   |  6 Pagesgovernment established the Protecting Canada’s Seniors Act, which increased awareness on the issues facing the elderly population of 65 years and above (Sibbal Holroyd-Leduc, 2012). This paper will examine three contemporary challenges facing the cohort, including elderly abuse, dementia, and pol ypharmacy, while preventative strategies and recommendations addressing these issues will be offered. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines abuse towards seniors as, a single, or repeated act, or lackRead MoreThe Development Of Australia And Japan1488 Words   |  6 Pagescountries, in food, culture, location, population and many other aspects. But one of the things that brings these two very different countries together is the issue of an ageing population. It is estimated that, with a rapidly increasing elderly population, Japan is well on its way to lose about half its workforce by 2060, which would weaken its status as an economic superpower and weaken its economy to the point of ruin. Australia is also facing a similar ageing population crisis. Although in the past AustraliaRead MoreDifferent Types Of Abuses During The United States1736 Words   |  7 Pagesprofited from these medical breakthrough than the senior citizen or the elderly particularly in the United States. The National Center on Elder Abuse which is a part of the Department of Health and Human Services no tes by 2050, people of the ages between 65 and older will make up 20 percent of the total population of the United States, which represent the largest growing segment of the population (NCEA, 2010). With the longevity of this population comes also the rising issue of abuse, the vast majorityRead MoreForeign Investment In China Case Study1419 Words   |  6 Pagesmarket entry should be done for Chinese elderly market or not. There was the focus on the barriers and other issues so that the current research on the industry can be made. However, the recommendations and final-conclusions are made in the discussion chapter through the self-evaluation and through the research that is conducted . 4.1 Key findings As Chinas aged care sector in China is shifting quickly and presenting substantial potential, the elderly population will have an increasing influence onRead MoreAgeism : The Most Prevalent Prejudice Essay1269 Words   |  6 PagesNonetheless, research shows that ageism is the most prevalent prejudice (Bousfield and Hutchinson, 2010, p. 451). This finding calls for an evaluation of how children view the elderly if they hold ageist views,3 and if they do, what has shaped those views? Mind Your Elders Baby Boomers When â€Å"elderly†, â€Å"grandparent†, or â€Å"senior citizen† is voiced, the images that often come to mind are of old white-haired or bald people walking with a cane, wearing glasses, small stature, and old-fashioned attire. Read MoreDepression With Elderly Women1603 Words   |  7 Pages Depression with Elderly women Aremelder Johnson Steiner Leigh HDC 542 University of Illinois in Springfield, Illinois What do we still need to know about your vulnerable population and what programs address their needs? What programs and policies are needed? Social and demographic trends are making information and assistance services increasingly important to the average American family. Americans live longer and require more help to cope with chronic conditionsRead MoreFood Assistance Programs For Food Aid Programs1450 Words   |  6 Pages2030, reflecting an increase from 12.4% today to 20% of the US population in 2030.† As a result of this data an increase in societal level food interventions are important to implement to meet the nutritional needs of the elderly. Food assistance programs can be a solution to address this problem. The importance of elders of having the appropriate foods for health and the struggles they have in acquiring these foods suggests that elderly food assistance programs might develop better ways of helpingRead MoreIt Is Never Too Late To Quit Smoking. Smoking Is A Habit1348 Words   |  6 PagesHowever, for the population of older adults that chooses to smoke, there are more immediate conce rns with their health. For many older adults, aging brings with it disease, cognitive loss, and many other issues, but smoking only speed up the symptoms and often makes them worse. Smoking can influence older adult’s medications; it can complicate a previously diagnosed illness; and smoking can add more health issues on top of already diagnosed diseases. Smoking brings concerns for elderly smokers becauseRead MoreFrailty Syndrome As Elderly Individuals Essay1471 Words   |  6 Pagesa large percentage of the older population suffering chronic diseases. The population within Canada is aging and we are living longer than we have in the past. According to Statistics Canada (2012), from 1920-1922, a man’s average lifespan was 59 years of age and a woman’s average lifespan was 61 years of age; in 2012, this has now increased to 79 for men and 83 for women. This increasing lifespan has created a new frontier in the health and wellbeing of the elderly as it has resulted in a consequentRead MoreProblems of Senior Citizens999 Words   |  4 PagesCOURSE PROJECT PROBLEMS OF THE SENIOR CITIZENS ILL-TREATMENT BY THE NEXT GENERATION AND GENERATION GAP ISSUES INTRODUCTION The traditional norms and values of Indian society laid stress on showing respect and providing care for the elderly. Consequently, the older members of the family were normally taken care of in the family itself. The family, commonly the joint family type, and social networks provided an appropriate environment in which the elderly spent their lives. The advent of

Health Care Comparison between Australia and the United Kingdom

Question: Discuss about the Health Care Performance Comparison between Australia and the United Kingdom. Answer: Funding System Health Insurance Systems Both Australia and the UK are developed countries and particularly boast of different sources of health care funding. Among the different sources of health care funding include government budgetary allocation, private health insurance schemes, private funding (out-of-pocket) among others. Being members of the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Australia and the UK have a health care system funding done mainly by the government. According to Bevan Mays (2014) in the financial year 2011-2012, it is indicated that Australias health spending was mainly funded by public sources totaling up to 68% as compared to the UKs 82.8% in the same period. The remaining portion of health funding included; out-of pocket private funding (20.4%), private health insurance (8.3) among others (3.4%). Nearly a half of the Australian population is subscribed to private health insurance policies despite the availability of government and social insurance support they receive in rega rd to health care funding. The 2011-12 statistics on health expenditure indicated that about 47% of the Australian population was subscribed to private hospital insurance funding (Britnell, 2015). This means that while the Australian government funded health care at a percentage funding lesser that the OECD average which was 72%, its fellow member the UK spend way more than the average OECD average. The high governmental funding on healthcare however seems to have heavily contributed to lower private out-of-pocket spending (9.9%) in the UK. Apparently this could be an indicator that the higher the governmental expending on healthcare funding, the lower the private out-of-pocket spending for a countrys citizen. The out of pocket payment on health care per capita for each household in Australia ($731) was more than that in the UK ($297) while the OECD average was ($590) (Samjoo Grima, 2014). In regard to health insurance, Australias private insurance funding was 8.3%, while the UK ha d only 3.0% of health care funding sourced from private health insurance firms. Other sources of health care funding in the UK contributed to only 4.2% (Bevan Mays (2014), and this was a higher amount when compared to Australia (3.4%). In general, it is clear that private insurance firms thrive in healthcare systems where governmental expenditure on health is lower. Lower governmental funding on health care forces citizens to utilize private health insurance services and also use more funds from out-of-pocket. Governance System Health services in Australia are governed under the public health system by the Commonwealth, state and territorial health ministers. Collectively, these ministers form the Standing Council on Health which carries out the supplementary coordination of the healthcare system in Australia. The Standing council therefore ensures that there is; seamless healthcare services to the indigenous and non-indigenous Australians; higher performance standards in health care particularly in regard to transparency and engagement of local HCPs and further; a secured and sustainable health care system funding base for the whole sector including hospitals (Britnell, 2015). The two main aims of the Standing council in governing health care in Australia are; attaining better health services that are sustainable and; to fix the gap between health care provision for indigenous and nonindigenous citizens. The Standing council is strategically supported by the Advisory council to the Health Ministers which i s comprised of health authorities heads from the main government, the states and territorial governments. For the case of the United Kingdom, the governance of heath care system is done by the four main governments; Government of Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Government if the United Kingdom-England (Bevan Mays, 2014). This means that governance of health care in the UK is a devolved function. Therefore health care is governed and funded by the different parliaments and/or governments among other private voluntary contributors. As a result of differences in policies, each country in the Kingdom performs differently from the other in regard to quality of care and disease outcomes among other measures of health quality (Britnell, 2015). In England, healthcare is governed by the heads of the National Health Service while the Health and Social Care in Northern Ireland is the body in charge of health governance in Northern Ireland. Scotland has the NHS Scotland as the main health system while NHS Wales manages health services in Wales. NHS Wales is governed and under the responsi bility of the Welsh Assembly government and a main concern of the Secretary of State (Bevan Mays, 2014). In England NHS is governed under the Department of Health headed by theSecretary of State for Healthassisted by the Minister of Stateamong other four Parliamentary Under-Secretaries of State. Therefore, the main distinction between health governance between Australia and the UK is that the UK according to Boslaugh (2013) has a devolved health governance system while Australia has all its territorial and state health systems under the Minister of health of the Government of Australia assisted by the Standing Council of Health. Selected Population Health Indicators Maternal Mortality Rate Maternal mortality rate refers to the number of deaths of women for every 100000 live births annually as a result of causes of related to pregnancy and its management except accidental causes. Maternal mortality in Australia has been tracked since the 1960s and between 1964 and 1966; the countrys maternal mortality rate was at 41.2. The latest statistics (2008-2012) particularly indicate that Australia has 7.1 maternal mortality rate which is way lower than the previous years (Stewart et al, 2016). Among the direct and indirect causes of maternal mortality in Australia include cardiovascular diseases (1.5MMR), Sepsis (1.3 MMR), and further; obstetric hemorrhage (1.1 MMR) (Samjoo Grima, 2014). Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders are said to be two times more vulnerable to maternal mortality as compared to other Australians. The United Kingdom on the other hand has over time also registered a falling maternal mortality rate due to the ever improving health standards put in place by the individual governments; Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Government of the United Kingdom-England. From the 2006-08 to the 2009-12 analysis, there was a fall in maternal mortality rate from 11 deaths per 100,000 live births to 10 deaths/100,000 live births(Britnell, 2015). These were mainly caused by pre-eclampsia, thrombosis-a cardiovascular condition, sepsis and obstetric hemorrhage. While these conditions are also common for the case of Australia as main contributors to maternal mortality, it is indicated that UK had flu as an additional cause of maternal mortality within 42 days after giving birth. In particular, OECD data reports show that one out of 11 deaths of among mothers resulted from flu (Stewart et al, 2016). According to researchers, above half of these deaths were preventable through a flu jab. It is likely that the maternal mortality rate for the UK could be way lower than, if not equal to that of Australia if only flu was eradicated as a contributing f actor. Infant Mortality Rate Infant mortality rate refers to total deaths of children under the age of one year for every 1 000 live births. Countries post varying infant mortality rates as a result of variations in individual national registering approaches for premature infants. The threshold for registering a birth as a live birth also varies and in Europe, it is put at 22 weeks gestational age where a baby measures 500g in weight (Boslaugh, 2013). According to the 2014 statistics from the OECD countries, Australia reported 3.4 infant deaths per 1000 live births. Comparing this with the UK which is European region, it is clear that the later posted a higher infant mortality rate (3.9 infant deaths per 1000 live births). This indicates that Australia has put in more measures than the UK in preventing infant mortality than its counterpart, the UK. Life Expectancy at Birth Life expectancy at birth refers to the average age a newborn is likely to live particularly if the current death rates in a given state do not change at all. In 2014 the OECD reported that life expectancy at birth in Australia was at 80.3 years for men while that of women was projected at 84.1. This gives a national total life expectancy at birth of about 82. 2 years. The UK has a lower life expectancy at birth as compared to Australia (Bevan Mays, 2014). In particular, the mean life expectancy at birth for men in the UK is 79.5 year for men, 83.2 for women and this gives a national average of 81.4 years. It is this clear that an individual is sure of living longer be it a woman or man if they are born in Australia than when born in the United Kingdom. A gain in life expectancy at birth indicates increased living standards, better education, better lifestyles and greater health care services access (Sue, 2013). Considering the higher life expectancy at birth of Australia as compared to the UK according to the OECD data in 2014, it is logical to conclude that healthcare access in Australia is more accessible than it is in the UK. Further, while education, improved living standards and lifestyles can be comparable, it is likely that Australians enjoy these privileges slightly better than UK citizens within their devolved health care system. Health Status Low birth weight Babies considered to have a low birth weight include babies who are born while having less than 2.5 kg in weight (Al-Amin et al, 2016). While there is no updated data on low birth weight cases in Australia, the 2010 statistics indicate that 6.2% of live births were low birth weight cases according to the World Bank. For the case of UK which only has low birth weight data for England and Wales, about 7.0% low birth weight cases occurred in 2015 this figure has been unchanged since 2011(Bevan Mays, 2014). This means that as by 2010 and probably to date, Australia has only slightly lower low-birth weight cases than the UK. However, in both nations low birth weight cases are more common among babies born to parents from poor socioeconomic backgrounds. Obesity According to the recent Australian Health Survey report for the 2011-12 period which involved age standardization in its statistical analysis, 28.3% of adults in Australia were obese. However, the sum of obese and overweight adults was 63.4% of the total number of Australian adults. The latest analysis which was published in the year 2016 indicated that in spite of the fact that both conditions form the second highest contributing factors of disease burden in Australia there has been low regular screening and/or recording of these particular measures especially in primary health care setting in Australian regional Australian catchments. The UK on the other hand puts obesity as one of the emerging health concern as it is among the leading factors in regard to causing preventable deaths (Britnell, 2015). In fact in 2016, childhood obesity in the UK was described by Health Secretary as being a national emergency. Compared to Australias 28.3% adults being obese, the WHO in 2014 indicated that the UK registered 28.1% of its population as being obese. The total number of overweight individuals in the UK among the adult population adds up to 62% of them. This means that Australia has slightly higher obese and overweight cases than the UK (Stewart et al, 2016). Both countries thus require sufficient input in regard to healthcare policies to control obesity, being a common danger and cause of cardiovascular disease conditions among others. Diabetes Both Australia and the UK register high prevalence of diabetes and in particular high Type 2 diabetes. In the period 2014-15, about 5.1% of Australians totaling to 1.2 million people were diabetic cases and this was an increase from the 4.5% registered in the in 2011-12 period.Type 2 diabetes contributed to the highest cases of diabetes (4.4%) while the other 0.7% resulted from type 1 diabetes in the 2014-15 period (OECD, 2017). It is indicated that there were more males (5.7%) than females (4.6% suffering from diabetes this same period and that diabetes rate increased with increase in age of individuals. Currently, the total number of diagnosed cases of diabetes in the UK stands at 3.5 million in estimate and this about three times the number of diabetes cases reported in Australia when the two are compared. Even so, about 549000 people are suspected to be undiagnosed and therefore, over 4 million people in the UK are living with diabetes today. This adds up to 6% of the population of the United Kingdom while as shown before, only 5.1 of the Australians have diabetes (Britnell, 2015). Type 2 diabetes is the most prevalent in both countries and is related to the ever increasing obesity cases in the United Kingdom and in Australia. In comparison, Type 2 diabetes contributes to 90% of the cases while Type 1 Diabetes only accounts for 10%. It is however clear that there are more cases of Diabetes type 1 and gestational diabetes in the UK than Australia. Australia therefore performs better than the UK in regard to diabetes prevention, especially for the case of Type 2 according to this analysis. Asthma Statistics indicate that about 2.5 million Australians are asthma cases. In particular 1 among 9 Australians has asthma. Just like the case of maternal mortality, indigenous Australians are two times more likely to suffer from Asthma as compared to nonindigenous citizens. It is common among people living in areas with poor socio economic conditions. In Australia, the disease is common among females than in males. Within the period of 2014-15, about 39500 hospitalized individuals were reported as asthma cases. OECD data on disease and mortality indicated that Australia registered about 419 deaths as a result of Asthma. Comparing Asthma cases in Australia and the UK, it is clear that the UK has twice the number as compared to that of its counterpart. In particular 5.4 million people in the United Kingdom have been diagnosed with asthma. The UK registered a three times the number of Asthma deaths as Australia (1216 vs. 419) in 2014(OECD 2017). Generally, Australia has better performance in terms of controlling and treating asthma as compared to the UK despite their individual efforts to reduce resultant deaths. Hypertension (High Blood Pressure) Hypertension is one of the commonest health condition related to the circulatory system across the world. It contributes to cardiovascular disease burden in both the UK and Australia, just like in the other parts of the world. According to a 2011/12, report for instance, Australia registered 4.6 million adult cases of high blood pressure and this forms (32%) of the population of people aging 18 years and above (Harding Pritchard, 2016). Among the adult cases, 68% (3.1 million) had uncontrolled and/or unmanaged hypertension i.e., were not on medication. For the case of the UK whose data has been updated, 16 million people are hypertension case. Despite the difference in the years of analysis for both countries, it is clear that hypertension is particularly three times more prevalent in the UK than Australia (Boslaugh, 2013). This means that UK citizens are more likely to acquire CVDs as compared to Australians. Even so, both nations have put in measures to screen individuals with hyp ertension and put them on medication. Cancer According to the latest statics on cancer, Australia has 134,174 new cases each year and this includes about 72,169 males and 62,005 female cases. In regard to the number of deaths from cancer, Australia registered 47753 deaths including 27078 males and 20, 677 females (Campbell et al, 2017). The countrys cancer surviving rate was projected to be at least 5 years according to the 2009-2013 statistics (OECD, 2017). Comparing with the UK, the kingdom reported about 356, 860 new cases of cancer. These included 181000 males and 176, 000 females. Australia therefore has lower new cases; particularly half of the cases reported in the UK. There are particular types of cancer that contribute to more than a half of the cases of the total in the UK and even in Australia (Britnell, 2015). These include prostate, lung and breast, and bowel cancer and contribute to about 53% of all cancers in the UK. The rate of cancer cases in the UK peak, as people attain 85 years and above and this is the same case in Australia (Allemani et al, 2015). In addition about half of cancer cases reported in the UK occur among individuals within the age of 70 year and beyond. The common aspect realized between the two nations is that cancer is more prone among men than among women. Health System Performance GDP Expenditure on Health (%) The official national statistics indicate that Australia had a total $154.6 billion expenditure on health during the 201314, period. This means that Australia spent about 9.8 percent of its GDP on health care, 67.8 % of which was sourced from the Government while 32.3% from non-governmental sectors (Harding Pritchard, 2016). Compared to the UK almost the same period, it is seen that it registered a lower GDP portion (8.8% of its GDP) allocated for health than Australia in 2013. Therefore despite the fact that payment for health care is met mainly by the UK government more than Australia, Australia allocate more funding to health care than its counterpart. Health care Measures Health care measures that can be further used to compare public health systems include determine if a system is acceptable, effective, efficient safe or appropriate. To start with, an idea or system is acceptable if it can be agreed upon, allowed and even tolerated. Both Australian and the UK health system functions have been over the years been acceptable (Quality of Death Index 2015). Devolving health in UK to be managed by each individual country i.e. Wales, Northern Ireland, Wales and England makes health care more acceptable. Similarly, Australias consideration of the health needs of all its indigenous people has made its health system acceptable. Secondly, appropriateness as a measure refers to the suitability of something in a given circumstance (Al-Abri Al-Balushi, 2016). In this case, a suitable health care system is one that is proper in handling different health care concerns in the country depending on the health issues affecting its citizens. (Quality of Death Index 201 5). A 2014 report ranked the UKs health system as the best in the world and in terms of care quality. Thirdly, effectiveness as a measure refers to the ability of a health system to achieve its main objectives of ever improving health care in a nation (Al-Abri Al-Balushi, 2016). Simply, an effective health care system achieves its intended objectives. In comparison, the UKs NHS was declared the most effective healthcare system in the world in 2014 and therefore better than Australias system. Comparisons can also be done based on efficiency and health care system is efficient is if it yields maximum productivity and minimal wasted cost and efforts. Statistics indicate that the UK health care system is more patient oriented and offers high quality as compared to other developed countries (Quality of Death Index 2015) Efficiency was also higher for the case of the UK than Australia according to the 2014 data. The 2016 Best Countries ranking puts Australias public health system rank 7 and UK at rank 4 worldwide in terms of quality of service, efficiency and effectiveness. Further, safet y being a measure means that something is free of harm, injury and risk (Al-Abri Al-Balushi, 2016). The UK system is safer than that of Australia according to the 2014 statistics on national health care systems. Even so, the UK ranked poorly (14th out of 35) in regard to accessibility to health care. In conclusion, this discussion presents a comparison of the Australian and UK health care systems. It has highlighted the variations in the different measures of quality including health status, governance, and percentage GDP expenditure on health among other measures. It is apparent that generally the UK system is slightly better than that of Australia despite the fact that the UK spends less than the average amount for the OECD countries on health. Other measures included acceptability, safety, efficiency, effectiveness and appropriateness and in majority of these measures, the developed UK system emerged varyingly better than the Australian system. References Quality of Death Index 2015: Ranking palliative care across the world. (6 October 2015).The Economist Intelligence. Retrieved 17 May, 2017. UK end-of-life care 'best in world.(2015).BBC. Retrieved on 17May, 2017 Al-Abri, R., Al-Balushi, A. (2016).Patient Satisfaction Survey as a Tool Towards Quality Improvement.Oman Medical Journal.29(1): 37. Al-Amin, M., Makarem, S., Rosko, M. (2016). Efficiency and hospital effectiveness in improving Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems ratings.Health Care Management Review,41(4), 296-305. Allemani, C. (2015)."Global surveillance of cancer survival 19952009: analysis of individual data for 25 676 887 patients from 279 population-based registries in 67 countries (CONCORD-2))".The Lancet.385: 9771010.Retrieved online on 17May, 2017 Bevan, G., Mays, N. (2014).The four health systems of the UK: How do they compare? Nuffield Trust. Retrieved on 17 May, 2017. Boslaugh S. (2013). Health care systems around the world: a comparative guide. California: SAGE publications; 606 p Britnell, M. (2015).In Search of the Perfect Health System. London: Palgrave. p.53.ISBN978-1-137-49661-4. Campbell, D., Marsh, S., Helm, T. (2017).NHS in crisis as cancer operations cancelled due to lack of beds. via The Guardian. Retrieved 17May, 2017 Cantiello, J., Kitsantas, P., Moncada, S., Abdul, S. (2016).The evolution of quality improvement in healthcare: patient-centered care and health information technology applications.Journal of Hospital Administration.5(2). Retrieved 17May, 2017 Cylus, J., Nolte, E., Figueras, J., McKee, M., (2016).What, if anything, does the EuroHealth Consumer Index actually tell us?.BMJ.Retrieved 17May, 2017 Harding, A., Pritchard, C. (2016). UK and Twenty Comparable Countries GDP-Expenditure-on-Health 1980-2013: The Historic and Continued Low Priority of UK Health-Related Expenditure.International Journal of Health Policy and Management,5(9), 519-523. https://dx.doi.org/10.15171/ijhpm.2016.93 Hurst, K. (2014). Measuring and reporting service efficiency and effectiveness.International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance,27(6). https://dx.doi.org/10.1108/ijhcqa-02-2014-0015 Jones-Roberts, A., Phillips, J., Tinsley, K. (2014). Creating a sustainable health promotion workforce in Australia: a health promoting approach to professionalisation.Health Promotion Journal of Australia,25(2), 150. Nick (2017).NHS Health Check: Short GP consultations crazy, say GPs. Retrieved on 17May, 2017 from www.bbc.co.uk. OECD (2017), Deaths from cancer (indicator). doi: 10.1787/8ea65c4b-en (Accessed on 17 May 2017) Pritchard, C., Wallace, M. (2014). Comparing UK and Other Western Countries' Health Expenditure, Relative Poverty and Child Mortality: Are British Children Doubly Disadvantaged?.Children Society,29(5), 462-472. https://dx.doi.org/10.1111/chso.12079 Reece, N. (2013).Hanging on to Medibank is a national health hazard.Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved on 17May, 2017 Samjoo, I., Grima, D. (2014). Comparison of Oncology Therapy Reimbursement Recommendations Made by Health Technology Assessment Agencies in Australia, Canada, Sweden, And United Kingdom.Value in Health,17(3), A101. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jval.2014.03.589 Stewart, H., Taylor, D. (2016).NHS plans closures and radical cuts to combat growing deficit in health budget. The Guardian. Sue, D.(2013).Australia now third in the world for life expectancy and healthy life.news.com.au. News Limited. Topping, A. (2017).GP consultations too short for complex cases, says doctors' leader. The Guardian.