Twisted Hot Yogas target market Market Opportunity

Twisted Hot Yogas target market Market Opportunity Twisted Hot Yoga does not have any direct competition in the location of Aspen Estates and therefore there is the opportunity to target the higher income level consumers surrounding that area. Due to only having one recreation centre near aspen estates in a continuously growing community, Twisted Hot Yoga can give access to their healthy conscious consumers a new hot yoga studio fulfilling many of the new fitness conscious trends. This particular area of the city, the South West quadrant, is currently in the process of expansion. There are many communities surrounding Aspen Woods that are being developed. Up to this date, there are no hot yoga studios in the surrounding area of Aspen Woods. Target Market Twisted Hot Yogas target market can be defined as higher income health conscious consumers. More specifically, women between the ages of 20 and 34 that live in the South West part of Calgary within and surrounding the new communities of Aspen Woods. This specific target market takes pride in healthy busy lifestyles and belongs in an active community (Environics analytics, 2010). Market Size Based on a 2008 Yoga in America study, it was found that Americans spend 5.7 billion dollars a year on yoga classes and products, including equipment, clothing, vacations and media (DVDs, videos, books and magazines), showing an 87% increase since the previous study in 2004 (Yogajournal.com, 2010). The study also found that 6.9% of US adults or 15.8 million people practice yoga and out of those who do not, the study found that 8% or 18.3 million Americans said they were very or extremely interested in yoga (Yogajournal, 2010). The data that was collected on age, gender and other demographic factors showed that out of all the yoga practitioners, 72.2% are women, 27.8% are men, 40.6% are 18 to 34 years old; 41% are 35 to 54; and 18.4% are over 55 (Yogajournal.com, 2010). The study concluded that almost half of these current practitioners started doing yoga to improve their overall health. Market Trends and Opportunities that are Emerging Bikram Yoga: According to CTV news in 2002, hot yoga which is also known as Bikram, was a raging trend across Canada as well as the hottest trend in exercise (2010). Holistic Fitness: Fitness trends in the near future are said to be taking a customized approach to the particular needs and lifestyles of individuals (Euromonitor, 2010). Holistic fitness, group sweat sesh, and get fit quick are the leading future fitness trends around the globe (Euromonitor, 2010). Todays research shows a shift from hitting the gym to attain the ideal body to now a more holistic approach to healthy living. The holistic approach is discussed as reaping the benefits of exercise (Yogajournal.com, 2010). People nowadays are more concerned with getting back into shape physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. According to Euromonitor international, the market for healthy lifestyles is much greater due to the increase in obesity rates (Euromonitor, 2010). This trend is adapting to the 21st century consumers that have busy lifestyles regarding work, family, and social life demands. A German company that specializes in holistic therapy stated that it supports indiv iduals to find personal balance, to relax our mind, and to experience something that is beyond thoughts, analysis, stress and separation (Euromonitor, 2010). A US trends forecaster has predicted in a trends journal that Whole Health Healing will become very popular and part of the public awareness by 2011. Services, products and practitioners furthering a holistic approach will be the cutting edge of a trend that will grow for decades (Euromonintor, 2010). Group Sweat Sesh: The group sweat sesh trend is moving away from personal trainers, exclusive spas, and home fitness training as the craze is said to soon lose some of its appeal. Keeping up with healthy trends and staying fit is nowadays said to be a group effort (Euromonitor, 2010). Having groups of people being trained by an instructor is said to be a perfect fit with the demand for a more budget friendly, more social and fun exercise culture (Euromonitor, 2010). Get Fit Quick: Consumers these days want to get fit quick and see results faster. The continuing trend of body-conscious consumers and what is called the busy-busy society will still be looking for quick fixes, meaning quicker ways to get fit faster (Euromonitor, 2010). Going green: Twisted Hot Yoga will be opening up a Bikram yoga studio that will use all economically friendly products such as bamboo floors and clay walls. The trend of going green is an important factor when opening up a hot yoga studio and therefore, Twisted Hot Yoga will be able to offer its consumers a natural environment as well as greater awareness to keep the community a better place. Use of Yoga as Medical Therapy: Doctors and therapists now often recommend yoga as medical therapy. Yoga as medicine represents the next great yoga wave (yogajournal.com, 2010). A 2008 study found that in the next few years, we will be seeing a lot more yoga in health care settings and more yoga recommended by the medical community as new research shows that yoga is a valuable therapeutic tool for many health conditions (yogajournal.com, 2010). Demographic Analysis The above chart represents the percentage of women between the ages of 20-34 living in the surrounding neighborhoods of Aspen Woods. Using data collected from the GIS mapping (see appendix), West Springs has the greatest percentage in comparison to the other areas in the South West. West Springs is currently in the process of developping 96 residential homes, six buildings consisting of a total of 300 apartments and 55,000 square feet of commercial space which gives Twisted Hot Yoga the opportunity to expand their business and their target market in the future (Jomaa, personal communication, 2010). Twisted Hot Yoga will focus on two customer groups: Upper Income Cosmopolitan Elite and Middle Income Suburban Gentry. Demographic and Psychographic Analysis Upper Income Cosmopolitan Elite Age: 20-34 Sex: 80% female, 30% male Health/Lifestyle: Canadas wealthiest lifestyle, fitness-minded Canadians who belong to health clubs, workout at home, enjoy pilates, yoga and cross-country skiing. This group is very active in the community, volunteering on community projects and making various donations. (Environics analytics, 2010) Twisted Hot Yogas Selling Point: Convenient location, close to the new developing areas, can be attended at any hours during the day, flexible hours Middle Income Suburban Gentry Age: 20-34 Sex: 80% female, 30% male Health/Lifestyle: Canadas up and coming business class, spenders, fitness conscious, much more likely than average Canadians to jog, take aerobics classes, play racquet sports and basketball. Many of these individuals take pride in their healthy lifestyles. (Environics analytics, 2010) Twisted Hot Yogas Selling Point: Can be attended before or after work, close to new developing areas, relieve stress after work and relaxing the mind and body Twisted Hot Yogas target markets enjoy living healthy lifestyles and have higher disposable income. According to Statistics Canada, individuals in higher income groups are more likely to engage in physical activity during their leisure time (2010). Geographic Analysis Distance from surrounding communities to Aspen Landing (Twisted Hot Yoga) Aspen Woods 1.2 km 2 mins Strathcona Park 2.9 kn 4 mins Signal Hill 3.6 km 6 mins Christie Park 3.1 km 5 mins Patterson 5.0 km 8 mins Coach Hill 4.5 km 6 mins Springbank Hill 2.2 km 4 mins Discovery Ridge 5.9 km 12 mins West Springs 2.6 km 5 mins Twisted Hot Yoga targets the surrounding communities of Aspen Woods. The distance from the surrounding communities to the studio is an important factor as Twisted Hot Yoga promotes going green and saving the community. Health conscious consumers can actively participate in going green by not having to drive to the studio. Location Based on Twisted Hot Yogas target market, the selected location for Twisted Hot Yogas studio will be in the new developed area of Aspen Woods. This area is called Aspen Landing shopping center and is located on the corner of 17th avenue and 85th street SW. Aspen Landing consists of 175,000 square feet of retail space and 40,000 square feet of premium second floor office space and serves the dominant community shopping centre in West Calgary (Aspenlanding, 2010). Aspen Woods community social statistics shows that in 2009, total population in that area was 2,830, indicating a 454.9% change since 2005 (City of Calgary, 2010). Based on the following statistics, Twisted Hot Yoga is targeting a continuously growing community. Aspen Woods is said to be one of Calgarys most desirable Estate communities to live in (Calgary Real Estate, 2010). Competition There are currently no other Bikram yoga studios in the neighborhood of Aspen Woods. Twisted Hot Yoga has the opportunity to provide the new and surrounding communities within that specific South West area, a studio that is of short distance from each area. Trends Aspen Woods has been described to be a unique community that offers prestigious shopping within walking distance. There is a variety of stores that offer a wide range of services and products (Calgary Real Estate, 2010). Calgary Real Estate describes Aspen Woods as living in the inner city but surrounded by a prestigious community of estate homes and condos (2010). David Parker wrote an article in the Calgary Herald July 1, 2010 in relation to the Strong community at Aspen Landing (2010). A man by the name of Scarcello was hired by the Vancouver -based land owner, Springbank Land Company to design an upscale urban village style retail centre to bring trendy 17th avenue, Kensington and 4th street to the suburbs (Parker, 2010). The article states that the centre was designed to provide the surrounding estate style communities a place to congregate as well as to dine and shop (Parker, 2010). It was also said that this center provides a enjoyable pedestrian area without the usual big pa rking lots as well as the boardwalk which is designed for visitors to be able to enjoy what they call a bandstand-public space overlooking the water (Parker, 2010). The trendy eating places in Aspen Landing have become very popular. Some of these include Broken Plate, Wok Wok, Thai Tai, and the very tempting Crave Cupcakes (Parker, 2010). ). Aspen Landings unique village concept centre is designed to create an intimate atmosphere with an emphasis on charm (Aspenlading, 2010). Rent Price and Size Through personal communication with a West Springs Landing commercial developer, rent price for Twisted Hot Yoga will be based on square footage. The average rent price for the South West Area is going for approximately 30 to 35 dollars a square foot (Jomaa, personal communication, 2010). Through further research on available commercial space, each available section is between 2,500-5,000 sq ft. Twisted Hot Yoga would need around 2,500 square feet in order to provide customers with a large enough yoga room. (Calgary Real Estate, 2010) Read more: http://www.calgaryherald.com/business/Strong+community+Aspen+Landing/3223205/story.html#ixzz136PUSBWB http://aspenlanding.ca/?page_id=2 http://www.hotyogastudiodesign.com/where_to_start.php Many studios begin with an initial phone consutation. To get the most out of your copnversation with Chad, have as much information available about your site as possible. For instance, have you signed your lease? Is the power gas or electric? What is the square footage? What kind of plumbing already exists in the space (bathrooms, etc)? This initial conversation will familiarize Chad with the extent of your studios needs and direct to you the next step. In certain situations, a site visit is set up at this time for Chad to see the space first hand. SUPPLIES http://www.calgary.ca/portal/server.pt/gateway/PTARGS_0_2_104_0_0_35/http;/content.calgary.ca/CCA/City%20Hall/Business%20Units/Community%20and%20Neighbourhood%20Services/Social%20Research%20Policy%20and%20Resources/Community%20Profiles/Community%20Profiles.htm http://www.calgarycommunities.com/communities/strathcona_christie.php Aspen Hills Map http://www.carma.ca/us/OurCommunities/Calgary/~/media/Communities%20Maps/aspenhills%20map.ashx Aspen Landing http://aspenwoodscalgaryrealestate.com/about/aspen-landing/ TRENDY HERALD http://www.calgaryherald.com/business/Strong+community+Aspen+Landing/3223205/story.html Aspen Woods $ 376,445 Strathcona Park $ 175,108 Signal Hill $ 132,380 Coach Hill $ 151,475 Patterson $ 155,330 Christie Park $ 198,427 Springbank Hill $ 177,248 Discovery Ridge $ 194,226 West Springs $ 144,067 Aspen Woods 0.1584 Strathcona Park 0.1184 Signal Hill 0.1399 Coach Hill 0.1989 Patterson 0.1756 Christie Park 0.0826 Springbank Hill 0.2031 Discovery Ridge 0.1804 West Springs 0.2566 Yoga is not only about teaching yoga its about going above and beyond and making a difference in the community. Market Segmentation Twisted Yoga will focus on four types of customer groups: Upper Income Cosmopolitan Elite: This group is the core segment of à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.. Their demographic and psychographic characteristics are the following: Ages: Sex: Family Income: Health/Lifestyle: Canadas wealthiest lifestyle, fitness-minded Canadians who belong to health clubs, workout at home, enjoy pilates, yoga and cross-country skiing. This group is very active in the community, volunteering on community projects and making various donations. Social Pattern: Twisted Yogas selling point: Middle Income Suburban Gentry: Health/Lifestyle: Canadas up and coming business class, fitness conscious, much more likely than average Canadians to jog, take aerobics classes, play racquet sports and basketball. Many of these individuals take pride in their healthy lifestyles. Urban Downscale: Canadian spenders, stay fit doing pilates and yoga. According to CTV news in 2002, hot yoga also known as Bikram was a raging trend across Canada as well as the hottest trend in exercise (2010). The study, which analyzed data from the 2005  Canadian Community Health Survey, found that age, sex and level of income were among the factors that influenced an individuals level of physical activity. According to Statistics Canada, individuals in higher income groups were more likely to engage in physical activity during their leisure time. With new government initiatives of going green, Twisted Yoga provides not only classes to consumers, but also goes above and beyond to help make a difference in the community. Geographic Demographic Psychographic Middle Income Urban Professionals: This group is the core segment of potential students of GWYC.   Their demographic characteristics are the following: Ages: 26-40. Sex: 30% male, 70% female. Family Income: $30,000-$50,000. Health/Lifestyle Issues: Active individuals that are focused on healthy food and dieting.   Over 70% of this group are members of gyms. Approximately, 40% of potential customers have taken yoga classes before. Social Pattern:   Will more likely attend as part of group.   Centers selling point:  Close to work.   The session lowers stress.   Can be attended with workmates as group activity.   Upper Income: The upper income customer is a secondary target group.   Their demographic characteristics are the following: Ages: 40-60. Sex: 30% male, 70% female. Family Income: $60,000+. Health/Lifestyle Issues: Active individuals that are focused on healthy food and dieting.   Over 90% of this group are members of gyms. Social Pattern:   Will more likely attend alone. Centers selling point:  Close to work.   The session lowers stress Read more: http://www.bplans.com/yoga_center_business_plan/market_analysis_summary_fc.cfm#ixzz12jE7sIS6 http://www.yogajournal.com/for_teachers/983?page=3 http://www.yogaintheworkplace.ca/2005/01/statistics-canada-released-canadian.html The percentage of adults, age 20 to 39, at risk for health problems because of expanding waistlines has quadrupled in the last 30 years, from 5% to 21% for men, and from 6% to 31% in women. Between  1981  and  2009, fitness levels of Canadian children and youth, as well as those of adults, declined significantly, according to the first findings from the Canadian Health Measures Survey (CHMS). This is the most comprehensive national survey ever conducted in Canada to determine fitness levels. The CHMS captured key information relevant to the health of Canadians by means of direct physical measurements, such as body measurements, cardio-respiratory fitness, musculoskeletal fitne Target Market How old are they? What gender are they? Where do they live? What is their family structure (number of children, extended family, etc.)? What is their income? What do they do for a living? What is their lifestyle like? How do they like to spend their spare time? What motivates them? What is the size of your target market? But dont stop here when youre writing a business plan. To define your target market, you need to ask the specific questions that are directly related to your products or services. For instance, if you plan to sell computer-related services, you need to know things such as how many computers your prospective customer owns. If you plan on selling garden furniture and accessories, you need to know what kinds of garden furniture or accessories your potential customers have bought in the past, and how often. Projections About The Target Market What proportion of your target market has used a product similar to yours before? How much of your product or service might your target market buy? (Estimate this in gross sales and/or in units of product/service sold.) What proportion of your target market might be repeat customers? How might your target market be affected by demographic shifts? How might your target market be affected by economic events (e.g. a local mill closing or a big-box retailer opening locally)? How might your target market be affected by larger socioeconomic trends? How might your target market be affected by government policies (e.g. new bylaws or changes in taxes)? Writing the Market Analysis Section of the Business Plan Once you have all this information, youll write the Market Analysis in the form of several short paragraphs. Use appropriate headings for each paragraph. If you have several target markets, you may want to number each. (See the sidebar for a sample of this section of the business plan, from the Royal Bank.) Remember to properly cite your sources of information within the body of your Market Analysis as you write it. You and other readers of your business plan will need to know the sources of the statistics or opinions that youve gathered from others. The How to Write a Business Plan instructions continue on the next page are tips for researching the market analysis section of the business plan, including sources for Canadian information. Online Market Research Sources When youre researching the Market Analysis section of the business plan, Statistics Canada is an excellent place to start your market research. Their Community Profiles offer free information about all Canadian communities. Here youll find information such as Earnings and Work statistics, conveniently presented for easy comparison between the community and the province its located in. You may also want to take a look at Statistic Canadas Studies section; you might find one thats relevant to your market research. In Doing Industry Research When Writing a Business Plan, I wrote about several other excellent online sources of information for researching the business plan, such as provincial and territorial statistics offices and Canadian Economy Online, which may also be useful when youre researching the Market Analysis. GDSourcing Research Retrievals Canadian Market Resources is a must-visit page when youre researching online; it lists free and low-cost sources of demographic and psychographic data geared to small businesses. Offline Market Research Sources But there are also a great many local resources for information about your target market that youll want to explore. Besides the local library, the local Chamber of Commerce, Board of Trade, City Hall, Economic Development Centre, local government agents office, provincial business ministry, local phone book and yellow pages will all have information that will help you define your target market and provide insights into trends. Doing Your Own Market Research These are all secondary sources of information (Others have conducted the research and compiled the information.) You may also want to conduct your own market research (use primary data). For instance, you might want to design a questionnaire and survey your target market to learn more about their habits and preferences relating to your product or service. My article, Do-It-Yourself Market Research, explains the basics of market research and gives tips for sampling and accessing your target market. Does all this sound time-consuming? It is. But it needs to be done if your business plan is going to have any validity. You can have the most fantastic product or service in the world, but if no ones interested in buying it, it will just gather dust. If you dont have the time or the research skills to thoroughly define your target market yourself, hiring a person or firm to do the market research for you can be a wise investment. Statistics Canada http://sbinfocanada.about.com/gi/o.htm?zi=1/XJzTi=1sdn=sbinfocanadacdn=moneytm=38gps=347_226_1259_621f=00su=p284.9.336.ip_p649.3.336.ip_tt=2bt=1bts=1zu=http%3A//cansim2.statcan.ca/cgi-win/cnsmcgi.exe%3FLang%3DE%26AS_Action%3DFind%26ResultTemplate%3DStudies/StudiesHome1%26AS_Univ%3D1 Statistics Canada, Higher income individuals http://sbinfocanada.about.com/gi/o.htm?zi=1/XJzTi=1sdn=sbinfocanadacdn=moneytm=38gps=347_226_1259_621f=00su=p284.9.336.ip_p649.3.336.ip_tt=2bt=1bts=1zu=http%3A//cansim2.statcan.ca/cgi-win/cnsmcgi.exe%3FLang%3DE%26AS_Action%3DFind%26ResultTemplate%3DStudies/StudiesHome1%26AS_Univ%3D1

Left-side Ureteric Colic Case Study

Left-side Ureteric Colic Case Study Case Study – Group B Introduction A 46 year old secretary was admitted to emergency with left-side ureteric colic. She had a similar case 3 years ago and she passed a small calculus spontaneously. She has been taking cimetidine (for the last 6 months), for dyspepsia treatment. Physical examination revealed a tenderness in the left loin. Symptoms Left-side ureteric colic. Small calculus passed spontaneously (3 years ago). Tenderness in the left loin. Medication Taken Cimetidine (last 6 months) for dyspepsia treatment. Serum Results (compared to ‘normal’) Creatinine 150 umol/L (50-110) Na+ 141mM (135-145) K+ 4.2mM (3.5-5.1) Total CO2 20nM (23-29) Urea 8.1Mm (4.0-8.2) Albumin 40g/L (35-50) Calcium 3.49mM (2.1-2.5) Phosphate 0.60mM (1.0-1.5) ALP Activity 160U/L (20-140) Results that differ from ‘normal’ levels are underlined. Suspected/Differential Diagnosis This patient has been admitted to emergency with 3 major symptoms, all of which occurred within the last 3 years (symptoms are stated above). Along with this the patient has been subscribed cimetidine for the last 6 months which is advised to not be taken when the patient is known to have kidney problems, this could potentially be increasing the problematic symptoms. The most recent symptom, to which the patient was initially admitted, is left-side ureteric colic. This is caused by movement of the calculus that produces unpleasant sensations of abdominal pain often in waves (colicky) or sometimes a constant pain, both of which will typically move until it reaches the hypochondrium (or groin area). This supports the results from the physical examination which state that there was a tenderness in the patients left loin, due to the movement of the calculus and pain from there-forth. These symptoms are most commonly developed after passing of a kidney stone, such as the small calculus that this patient passed 3 years ago. These stones can be static or moving, the latter of which can be more painful and cause more symptoms as it travels. Renal calculi are generally formed when the urine is overly saturated with minerals and salts such as calcium and others. This is supported by the patient’s blood-serum results which indicate a high amount of calcium (3.49mM) where the ideal level is around 2.1-2.5mM. Kidney stones are primarily made out of 60-80% calcium, so the excess amount found in the patient’s blood can easily result in a build-up of a calculus. In addition to the excess of calcium, there is also an excess of other substrates in the blood. One of which is creatinine which is ideally found between 50-110 umol/L but the patient contains excess of 150 umol/L. High amounts of creatinine is known to effect the ability for the kidneys to filter fluid within the body. This will lead to a build-up of certain substrates in the blood such as the calcium mentioned previously. Therefore, high amounts of creatinine can cause a ‘domino effect’ where high amounts of creatinine = high amounts of other substrates, this could cause major problems in the body if not treated immediately. Also within the results of the patient’s blood-serum test is the abnormality of low amounts of CO2 (20nM) known as hypocapnia, this is can be used to indicate that the patient may be beginning to show signs of kidney failure. Similarly, low amounts of phosphate are shown (0.60mM), this is also an indication of kidney failure due to inadequate filtration of substrates by the kidney to be excreted as urine. The parathyroid hormone (PTH) regulates the amount of phosphate and calcium in the blood, typically the substrates react oppositely: as phosphate increases, calcium will decrease. Due to there being a great excess in calcium the PTH hormone reacts to decrease the amount of phosphate in the blood serum. Finally, as phosphate is used to repair bones, help the function of nerves and muscle contraction, low amounts of it can cause a severe problem in the patient. This links into the high amounts of ALP activity that are found in this patient’s blood-serum at 160U/L which can be caused by stones such as the small calculus being obstructive. This can lead to problems with bones, which being linked to low amounts of phosphate also, could cause severe problems in the patient and even bone cancer. However, high amounts of ALP have been found in women in the third trimester of pregnancy, which could be the case with this patient, but this is currently unknown. Further Tests to confirm the diagnosis Urine examination can be used to find if there is any blood in the patient’s urine (haematuria) which often occurs after passing a stone. Also the pH of the urine can be examined to indicate either the urine is ‘normal’, acidic (8.0) indicating that an infection could be present from organisms such as Proteus or Pseudomonas. As well as this, the urinalysis can show substrate crystals such as calcium oxalate- quite likely due to excess calcium in the patient. Imaging (X-ray, Ultrasound etc.) Firstly, KUB x-rays can be used to show abnormalities in the kidneys, ureters or bladders, these are indicated by dark shadows in the renal-tract but can be mistaken for phleboliths which is venous and not a form of calculus. Ultrasounds are easy and quick and does not use any form of radiation, this method will indicate stones that are of 0.5cm in diameter or larger. Next, Intravenous Pyelogram (IVP) provides a clear outline of the urinary tract system and shows-up many indicators of kidney problems such as mild hydronephrosis, however this test can cause unwanted reactions in the patient that are best avoided. Finally, a test for the PTH hormone can be undertaken with the calcium, phosphate and ALP blood tests. This will help to identify hyperparathyroidism, which is a hyperactivity of the hormone, as well as finding the cause for the high amounts of calcium in this patient. Treatments and Prognosis The patient that is suffering from left-side ureteric colic, small calculi and tenderness in the left loin should drink plenty of liquids, primarily water. This will encourage any further renal stones to be passed and it will also begin to reduce any possible damage to the functionality of urinary/renal tracts. If there are further stones found in the patient (possible due to high calcium amongst other substrate fluctuations) then with liquids they should pass spontaneously, unless they are large in-which they will need specific removal that could involve surgery. Spontaneous movement and passing of stones may take as long as 40 day so the patient is likely to be under a lot of pain that is often compared to being worse than child birth, therefore pain killers such as paracetamol at a standard dosage of 1 or 2 tablets up to 4 times a day for an adult such as this patient, may be required to alleviate the pain. If by taking further tests, such as the urinary examination, it is found that the patient is suffering from an infection (pyonephrosis) then treatment is required such as percutaneous nephrostomy. This is usually an emergency procedure that is used to relieve an obstructed and infected renal collecting system by percutaneous puncture with ultrasound guidance. Also, Medical Expulsive Therapies can be used such as calcium antagonists. These work by blocking the calcium ion channels to supress the fast component for contracting the ureter, this in turn will help relax the smooth muscles and help stones to pass more easily. Overall, the patient is likely to be in a lot of pain for some time, therefore, strong painkillers will be required and if in the case of infections then antibiotics could also be necessary to overcome the patient’s symptoms and to finally be cured. References Clinical chemistry-Marshall, William J.,Bangert, S. K.,Lapsley, Marta2012. Referenced 05.01.14 Clinical biochemistry: an Illustrated Colour Text-Gaw, Allan, eauthor2013. Referenced 05.01.14 Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. Normal Values. Referenced 05.01.14 [royalcollege.ca] Salman S, Castilla C, Vela N R. Action of calcium antagonists on ureteral dynamics.Actas Urol Esp1989. [PubMed] Referenced 05.01.14 Freeman SJ, Sells H, Investigation of loin pain, Imaging (2005) 17, 19-33, British Journal of Radiology. Referenced 05.01.14 Miller OF, Kane CJ; Time to stone passage for observed ureteral calculi: a guide for patient education. J Urol. 1999. Referenced 05.01.14 Amiel J, Choong S; Renal stone disease: the urological perspective. Nephron Clin Pract. 2004. Referenced 05.01.14

Never To Feel His Love Again :: Personal Narrative Essay Example

Never To Feel His Love Again "Early this morning tragedy struck West High School" Principal Simmons' somber voice echoed over the intercom just after the first period tardy bell on Tuesday, January 7, 1997. The grave tone of his voice immediately got my attention as I sat in Spanish class, and I listened for an explanation, expecting to hear that my World History teacher, who was struggling with cancer, had died. Mr. Simmons continued, "Mr. David Butler was killed in a house fire early this morning." Mr. Simmons still spoke, but I was oblivious to everything except the name "Mr. Butler." In total shock I sat motionless with my mind racing. Suddenly and uncontrollably the tears came. I could not speak. I could not feel. This man changed my life; he gave me a true love of learning. He was my friend, and I never even got a chance to tell him. I walked into Mr. Butler's class at Piedmont Open Middle School for the first time as a timid eighth grader eager to learn geometry, yet a little wary of the entire class of ninth graders I was joining. From day one, Mr. Butler demonstrated a love of math and an even deeper love of his students. Granted, Mr. Butler was hard on the students giving loads of homework and almost impossible tests, but he was also a friend who joked with us in class and cared about our lives. Respect was a must in his class, and those who crossed Mr. Butler found themselves on the floor listening as he counted out ten push-ups. He wasn't just a math teacher; he was a role model, a father-figure. Due to his passion for teaching and great love of his students, Mr. Butler decided to take a course over the summer so he could teach ten students, including myself, Algebra II Trig in the ninth grade. During this year our friendship blossomed and my true love of math began. All year long we fought over Duke and Carolina, and since I was such a "psycho-fan" he was the first to tease me those few times that UNC lost at football or basketball. I loved Mr. Butler; I loved his class, and from then on math was my favorite subject and my main focus in school. Mr. Butler instilled this love for math as his own love of the subject sparked mine.

Live for Today :: Personal Narrative Michael Jordan Essays

Live for Today Tomorrow, the day after today. It is an indefinite time in the future. One question many people have on their minds is, what does tomorrow hold in store for me? What â€Å"if tomorrow never comes†, in the words of a song by the country-artist, Garth Brooks. Could I say I finished everything I started, or did I accomplish everything that I always wanted to do, but never did for fear of it being too risky? No one should feel they did not take the high road in order to enable them to fulfill that one great adventure. Life is full of ups and downs; it could be described as a huge pot of gold with a few dingy stones mixed together. The dingy stones are the few misfortunes one may come across; the gold is what everyone wants, and hopefully attains. To achieve anything, one must take risks and not ask questions regarding tomorrow. I, like many others, could choose to look into a clear, crystal ball and see what the future holds. Instead I decide to look away and be adventurous. This way I get to have the exciting feeling of not knowing what is behind door number three or four. Yes, it is a scary feeling, but also one of hope. Life Experience I had played on the volleyball team all through my junior high days, and was a starter on the â€Å"A† freshman team when I reached high school. As a sophomore, I couldn’t believe it when I got the towel thrown in on me. I was devastated when I was cut from the team. Volleyball was my life; I absolutely loved the sport. How could they do this to me? Everyone told me things would turn out fine, but how did they know? A close friend of mine wrote me a letter stating, â€Å"I know that right now it is hard to accept the paths that God has chosen for us, but I am sure whatever you decide to do with what has been thrown in your way you can surpass everyone else†. I thought about what that really meant, and decided she was right. I had been thrown something I was not sure what to do with or how to handle, but with a little advice from my brother, Chris, I decided to take a risk and try something new. I chose to become a member of our school’s cross-country team.

The Issue of Gun Control Legislation Essay -- Gun Control Weapons Laws

The Issue of Gun Control Legislation One of the most controversial issues in our society is gun control legislation. Violence associated with guns is increasing every year and something must be done to stop it. Gun legislation varies in every state. In some states gun policy is stricter than in other states. Gun legislation should be abolished in favor of federal gun legislation. To analyze the problem with gun violence today you must understand the gun laws that are in effect. The gun legislation in the United States are mostly based on a state level. One federal law for example, prohibits the manufacture of all plastic guns. The federal government tightly restricts fully automatic guns. Manufactures stamp serial numbers on guns for law purposes. The government also has regulation on importation on guns brought into the country. Also, most states restrict the purchasing of long guns under the age of 18, and 21 for the purchase of handguns Most states prohibit the purchase of guns if you are: a convicted felon, alcoholic, drug addict, mentally ill person, alien, or a fugitive from justice. Some laws required prospective gun buyers, to get a purchase permit, which comes with applicant passing all background checks. A few states even require that all persons possessing guns must have a license to do so, even in their homes. Some states don’t ban guns from addicts. This is a problem. Gun conciliation is not the same in each state. If it was same, it would have been easier to decrease the criminal acts. Guns are a form of power. Many individuals, ‘including criminals’ feel powerful when carrying a gun. Half of the households in the United States possess a gun. Criminals use guns for satisfaction. For example, to obtain sexual gratification in a rape or money in a robbery, or more frequently, to frighten and dominate victims in some other assault. All of these things can be gained without an attack, and indeed the possession of a gun can serve as a substitute for attack, rather than its vehicle (Kleck,1991). A sample was done by police in 50 major cities to see who is more common to use a gun (Kleck,1991). The data included that gun use in homicides is more common when (1) the victim is male rather than female, (2) the victim is male and the attacker is female, (3) ... ...le will have question like â€Å"how will I protect my self from criminals? Many people argue that guns in households scare away many criminals. Criminals take major risks when they attempt an armed attack. They also can achieve major benefits. The benefits consist of the potential economic or other gains, however conceived, from the contemplated crime; the costs include the possibility of being caught and imprisoned, of being shot at in the course of the crime, either by the police or by the victim. The likelihood of social disapproval could be a negative factor. It has been known that one half of every household has at least one gun. If you restrict a victim’s options by limiting household guns, crime could rise highly. This new policy on gun control should help lead our nation in the right direction. The massacre at the Empire State Building was an example of how our gun legislation must be changed. The new federal gun legislation will provide equality among all states. Criminals will not have the option of buying a gun in a state with weak gun legislation. This new policy on gun legislation will cut down on violence dramatically.

Poetry is a vast genre of literature that is used to express emotions, feelings and ideas

With reference to the poems of Antonio Machado, Juan Ramin Jiminez, and Federico Garcia Lorca studied in the course, discuss the uses of poetry and the ways in which the three writers exploit this medium Poetry is a vast genre of literature that is used to express emotions, feelings and ideas. Every writer has different reasons for expressing their ideas through this medium. Antonio Machado, Juan Ramin Jiminez and Federico Garcia Lorca were all Spanish poets who lived around the same era. Does this mean their uses of poetry were the same? Did they write poems for the same reasons? In order to discuss how they have used poetry it is necessary to understand their poems in more detail. At first glance it seems that Antonio Machado explores nature and the beauty of it in his poetry. In his poem Crepisculo Machado describes a nature scene. Although he doesn't use the first person, it is clear from the content that the poem is implicitly about him. He has therefore, used nature to mirror himself. The cold images of stone and marble in the poem, like the statue of Cupid, communicate a lack of expression on the poet's part. With Cupid having connotations of love and with the statue being constructed from stone it is possible to say that Machado finds it difficult to express love. Antonio Machado, in this respect, has exploited the medium, with nature as a main theme, to reflect himself to the reader. In displaying his lack of love through poetry, he is able to get across exactly what he wants to say by emphasising aspects with repetition, rhyme and other stylistic features. Writing his feelings in prose, for Machado, would not have had the same effect. Another example of Machado using nature to describe himself is in his poem A Un Olmo Seco. He fears that his life is near to its end like that of the tree and he only has hope left. Here, Machado is using poetry to express anxiety and concern about the ending of his life. The descriptions which he writes about the tree are descriptions of how he sees himself in relation to life in general. In this way, he is using poetry to put across his worries and to tell people about how he sees himself in comparison to nature. Machado's poem El Limonero, however, is not, on the surface, a description about nature but a search for something. The poet tries to recall an innocent childhood illusion in which he attempted to pick up some fruit out of some water and then discovered that it was merely a reflection. Machado communicates the difficulty in finding the illusion he remembers from childhood, with a contrast between heart and mind -he knows he won't find it again but he still has hopes. This can be related to A Un Olmo Seco when he hopes for another ‘milagro de primavera'1 (miracle of spring). Poetry has been employed by Antonio Machado to illustrate his despondency on aging and on realising that things aren't what they used to be. El Limonero describes how the happiness and simplicity of being a child can never be regained. Poetry is a good way of expressing deep feelings and emotions because it can be adapted in ways that prose cannot. The letter form and use of the informal second person of the poem A Josi Mario Palacio tells the reader that this is a poem written to a friend. Machado is asking his friend whether spring has arrived and mentions typical spring-time occurrences. He introduces a third party with the use of â€Å"su† and it is later revealed that the poet is talking about the death of his wife. After reading A Josi Mario Palacio it could be said that the hopelessness he feels in A Un Olmo Seco is because of the death of his wife and the anxieties about his own life. Machado has used poetry to project grief out of himself onto nature without showing self pity. In writing this, he may have been able to come to terms with his emotions. For Machado, poetry is used to say things that he feels cannot be expressed in another way. Poetry and can be used when prose and normal word patterns are unable to put across the idea or feeling in the desired way. Unlike Machado, however, Jiminez uses poetry to illustrate his outlook on the mysteries of life. His poem El Nombre is directed to the intelligence and the brain. Jiminez feels the necessity to write something and asks his intelligence for the name of things. Poetry is being used by Jiminez to communicate the difficulties in language and expression. He describes the complexity in communicating a feeling to a reader. Like the poems of Machado, Jiminez has used poetry to overcome the difficulties of conveying an idea. irboles Hombres, nevertheless, is written in the form of a traditional ballad. The subject of this poem is the impermanence of human life. It is a story about a man who goes into a wood and hears the trees talking. They talk about him and think he's a tree too. Jiminez is describing the brevity of human life in comparison to the seemed permanence of nature; he is saying how human life is temporary. The trees existed before, and will exist after his life. Jiminez has, in this sense, used poetry to communicate his views about human existence in comparison to nature, which has existed since the beginning of time. Jiminez can be described as a mystic poet despite him being agnostic. In some ways he uses language poetically to develop the idea of a mystic God. This can be seen in the poem Soy Animal de Fondo. Jiminez explores the connection between material and immaterial. For example, feelings of warmth from the sun are not material even though the sun itself is. The poem, like El Nombre, recalls a search but this time it is for God. There is a progression throughout the poem to the realisation that God was there all along. Poetry, here, is used to explain that life is beyond material even though people only realise it when they are taken away from the material world. Jiminez has made use of poetry to recall the search about the unknown consciousness that the material world hides. The poetry of Jiminez is about subjects related to his life and it has been said that ‘vida y poesia son una y la misma cosa'2 (life and poetry are one and the same thing) for Jiminez. This indicates that he uses poetry, like Machado, to reflect himself and his personality. In the case of Federico Garcia Lorca, poetry is often applied to express feelings of marginalisation within society. Being homosexual Lorca was subject to persecution for not conforming to the expectations of the society in which he lived. In his ballads Lorca uses gypsies to express the exclusion he felt during his life. Gypsies were, like Lorca, considered to be outsiders and they too were not respected. In his ballad Romance de la Luna, Luna Lorca explores a scene about a gypsy boy who is ill and feels persecuted by the moon. He explains the interpretation of the death of a child from an uncivilised and unscientific mind. The gypsies can accept that the moon was the cause of death, because to their minds it is plausible. Civilised society cannot accept this idea and so gypsies, like Lorca were labelled as outsiders. With poetry Lorca can express the ostracism he felt without making a direct statement. Poetry works better than prose in this respect because Lorca can make use of imagery and symbolism to convey his idea. Another gypsy ballad written by Lorca is Preciosa y el Aire. The wind tries to abduct a gypsy girl, who is playing a tambourine. The wind represents the sexual impulse of nature and Preciosa sees it as a threat. Her primitive impulse tells her she is in danger but when she goes into the civilised world, i. e. the English consul's house, her experience is oppressed. Poetry has been used here to show the sense of exclusion that Lorca feels exists in society for those who step out of the norm. He is telling his readers about the feelings of persecution that existed in his life through the form of another equally mistreated figure in society. Romance Sonimbulo is again from Lorca's book Romancero Gitano (Gypsy Ballads) and is about an injured man seeking refuge at a gypsy dwelling. A gypsy girl has been waiting for him for so long that she's given up and killed herself. Lorca has used surrealism within his poetry by placing words in a non realist order. This form is used to describe the difference between the civilised, realist life and the somewhat surreal, gypsy life. There is also a reoccurrence of the colour green. Green has positive and, especially in Spain, negative connotations. For example green can signify nature and life but also rotten fruit. In Spain it can also indicate sexual perversion, in the case of ‘un hombre verde' meaning ‘a dirty old man'. The repetition of green could be said to be telling the reader about Lorca's ‘own libidinal tendency towards the forbidden fruit'3; this meaning his homosexuality. From all 3 poems it can be said that: Sexuality (†¦ is the subjective nub (†¦ ) where the violent context of ostracism and persecution (†¦ ) may be seen as a projection of the poet's inner anxiety. 4 Lorca has used language and poetry in his work, not only to express marginalisation, but also to show how his sexuality is perceived by society. From his judgment homosexuality is perceived as verde. All three poets and their work can be related and linked to each other. They all use poetry for personal reasons and convey their individual ideas through it. They use many devices within their poems to help put across meaning, for example, with the use of nature and gypsies. For writers, poetry is a tool to be exploited because there are no rules. Poets can make up the rules of what they write and in this can add to the affect that the poems have on a reader. Machado, Jiminez and Lorca have exploited poetry to their own means and used it for individual reasons. They have all used nature, in some way, to help their poetry have the desired effect or meaning. Lorca uses a more traditional form of poetry, the ballad, as it would have been very familiar to readers and so would be able to convey the exact idea that he wanted. The main and most common use of poetry between all three poets is the need to express a feeling, whether it is anxiety, absence or an opinion. In writing their poems, the poets have reflected themselves and revealed their outlooks on life. They have used this medium as a language tool to convey exactly their feelings, opinions and beliefs; the sort of ideas where prose will not suffice. Poetry is used by writers like Machado, Jiminez and Lorca because it can get across a meaning and can appeal to emotions in ways that other literature forms cannot. Imagery and symbolism are a big part of poetry and help writers put across detailed ideas. It is difficult to get across a subtle and implicit meaning with the use of prose and this is a reason why some of the poets have used this medium. Furthermore, poetry is an art that can communicate the beauty of ideas, scenes and thoughts and it has the power to describe a subject or tell a story effectively. For Machado, Jiminez and Lorca poetry is simply a way of escaping the normality and mundane routine of everyday life as they express their ideas through this medium.

China Rural Poverty

After Deng Xiaoping took over the power, he imposed a lot of policies to change the economic, social and political structure. The first thing that Deng insisted to do was to improve the economic growth. But the lack of concern with the rural area brings China the decline in output and income of the peasants which widened the gap between the coastal and interior areas. In the articles â€Å"Economic growth, income inequality and poverty in China under economic reforms†, the author described the improvement under Deng's policies. In â€Å"Reducing Absolute Poverty in China†, fundamental problems in education and health care aspects which remained unsolved were introduced. During these few years, the government put a great effort in minimizing the rural poverty situation and there was a significant change in the rural area. There was no doubt that China has improved from time to time, although rural poverty is always a problem for the government, they start to have better plans to implement compare to the Mao and Deng eras. Yao's article, â€Å"Economic growth, income inequality and poverty in China under economic reforms†, analyzed the failure of the Deng's policy. Because most poor people lived in the rural areas, Deng decided to reform agriculture first before reforming the urban and industrial sectors. The household production responsibility system was introduced. This system allowed farmers to keep a certain proportion of outputs after fulfilling a production quota set by the production team1. This method would be able to provide a better incentive for the peasants to work harder since now, they could get their own reward, the proportion of the production. Also, the government could still guarantee they would get the standard amount from the peasants, therefore, it seemed to be beneficial to both sides. Grain output increased from 305 to 407 million tons between 1978 and 1984. Real per capita income more than doubled, rising by 14. 9 per cent per year2. Since the reform seemed to be very successful, they began to reform the state-owned enterprises. Mao's doctrine had put a lot of ideological barriers on the economic policies and it was time to break all those. Major reform methods were introduced to raise enterprise accountability and autonomy with a flexible wage system to link work efforts with rewards more directly for individual workers3. Although existing state-own enterprises were not privatized and they would be benefited from state budgets, non-state enterprises such as private and collective sectors got a lot of advantages as well. In order to increase the agricultural output, the government encouraged the rural peasants to work hard by giving peasants more capital, establishing better incentive systems, allowing greater freedom of crop selection, changing the structure of the administration of agriculture4. The agricultural production seemed to be ameliorated during the early 1980s. In the rural areas, non-farm enterprises, particularly the township and village enterprises (TVEs) quickly developed to become a new economic force. In 1992, TVEs employed more than a quarter of the total rural labour force and contributed about 40 per cent of per capita rural income5. There was no doubt that these policies had contribution to a great amount for improving the poverty situation, it had not solve the fundamental problems for the poverty. In the article â€Å"Reducing Absolute Poverty in China†, the authors described poverty problem stepped backward after a short improve. During the second half of 1980, a few economic policies such as the increase in prices for grain and the rapid growth of the working-age population . The population exceeded the expansion of employment opportunities, created a worsening of rural underemployment from 1989 to 1990. Since the official government did not want to put as much subsidy on the farming projects, the costs for production increased quickly while the income from production remained the same. Officials tried to attract foreign investment but it was not successful because they knew the damages which had created in the countryside during the Mao era. Besides the decline in income, the township officials were exploiting peasants. They gave the peasants IOU's instead of cash so that they would have more cash to invest in new township enterprises6. Peasants did not get the â€Å"incentive† as what the government originally imposed anymore. They wanted to revolt but they found out it was useless because most of the officials were corrupted at that time. Most of the peasants commented, â€Å"Why risk so much to remove one corrupt cadre? 7 Except bearing all the exploitation, they had no other choices to choose. Although poverty had reduced from 1985 to 1990, agricultural growth and rural development did not increase a lot during the same period, therefore, only the urban areas had improved during the reform. While a lot of peasants wanted to get a chance to go to the South, most of the poor peasants were remained in the poor countryside. The author also explained the major causes of rural poverty the government did not solve. Although the overall status seemed to be improved, the government neglect about some basic aspects in the society which would affect the peasant's directly. The educational and health status of Chinese were still far way below the standard. Due to corruption the central government provided financial transfers to the poor areas of China but resources were not adequate to meet all primary education. The lack of financing, school facilities are often insufficient and ill equipped. Also, due to limited access, the teacher training programs did not work out efficiently. Although current training courses focus on content and pedagogical techniques appropriate for large urban schools, but few programs offer teachers instructional methods and skills needed for small and sometimes ethnically mixed rural schools8. At least half of the boys in the poorest villages, especially in some minority areas, and nearly all of the girls did not have a chance to receive education and achieve literacy9. The infant mortality rate in some very poor counties exceeded 10 percent which was greater than the national level by one fold. Diseases such as tuberculosis and iodine deficiency disorders concentrated in poor areas. Half of the children were malnutrition because they did not even have enough food to eat. In the health aspect, although China has reached a national health status comparable to many middle-income countries, people in the rural areas never had sufficient access to basic health service. During the 1980s, the government budgetary funding declined from 30 percent of total health expenditures to 19 percent. Although the number of health institution and doctors increased each year since 1980 in a national level, the statistics did not apply to the rural villages. The government support for rural doctors decreased by 45 percents in the same time period10. Due to the poor education and health systems, rural peasants were suffering from the poverty with no chance to make themselves better off. Since the government noticed the serious problem which remained in the countryside, they started to impose some poverty reduction program in late 1980s and early 1990s. The Agricultural Development Bank of China offered subsidized loans for poor-area development through provincial bank branches and county- and lower-level banks. The regional office of the State Planning Commission administers a food-for-work program assisted in building roads and other transportation systems, drinking water systems, irrigation works and other capital construction in poor areas. In addition, each of 27 central ministries and agencies has its own special poor-area project and every province has its own specially funded programs11. In 1986, the government found 331 poor counties which were eligible for development assistance. The program provided aid in providing labour for road construction and drinking water facilities. Living standard increased because of that. These programs contributed to the construction of 131,000 km. of roads, 7,900 bridges and 2,400 km. of inland river channels. Water supply conditions for 20 million people and 13 million animals were improved12. They also selected some provinces to get the provincial funding based on their situations. The poverty reduction strategy was announced in the eighth Five-Year Plan during 1991-1995. Once again, they put emphasis on supporting the poor-area agriculture and rural enterprise through subsidized loans. The government's poverty reduction strategy was further defined during the National Seven-Year Plan in 1994 to 2000. They had a few plans such the concentration of available funding in the poorest counties and the improvement in access of the poor to employment opportunities outside the poor areas, greater investment in the development of human capital, funding for health, education and relief services in the poorest areas and the continuing investment in poor-area agricultural, rural enterprise, road and other rural infrastructure development projects13. The Central Committee and the State Council issued a blueprint for solving the problem of inadequate food and clothing for China's rural poor in 1997. The government will allocate an additional $180 million to help build the agricultural and facilities and apply scientific and technological advances in rural areas. The better tools and equipment they have, the faster they can build up the economic system. $350 million will increase government loans for the poor annually. The priority of the use of funding is the irrigation, infrastructure and transport projects. The government would guarantee that households short of food and clothing would be exempt from state-fixed quotas on grain purchasing and some agricultural taxes. Industrial enterprises built in poor areas will be exempted from income tax for the first three years. Economically developed coastal regions and municipalities will be encouraged to establish ties with inland areas and assist with funds, technology transfer, information and technical personnel. The central government will offer training courses for officials and managerial personnel in poor areas. The government tries to use these methods and regulations to improve the rural development so that it can catch up with the urban areas as soon as possible. Since the Chinese government wanted to be competitive among the whole world, they now had the motivation to improve the poverty situation. According to China's State Statistical Bureau, 250 million people, 31 percent of the rural population, were living in poverty in 1978, all of them in the countryside. By 1985 this number was cut in half to 125 million14. At that point, the Chinese government started the first major rural development program assisting the rural poor. However, with implementation of a coastal development and financial decentralization, policies that would accelerate economic growth nationally but exacerbate the plight of significant sections of the rural poor and slow poverty reduction. The government started to concern about the rural poverty issue in 1990s, they applied a lot of financial aid programs and relief programs to deal with the problem. Premier Zhu Rongji delivered a speech in the Central Poverty Relief and Development Working Conference in May 2001. He concluded that China's rural poverty situation is improving during the last twenty years. Although there is still a long way to go in order to minimize the gap between the coastal and rural area, and to defeat the rural poverty, the government have the confidence that they will be able to improve themselves so that they will be able to compete with the foreign in all aspects.