Abstruse and Obtuse

Abstruse and Obtuse Abstruse and Obtuse Abstruse and Obtuse By Maeve Maddox Some writers seem to be confusing obtuse with the word abstruse, as in these incorrect examples on the web: Believe it or not, the American public wasnt always in love with Alfred Hitchcock. Because his movies were often too intelligent or obtuse, he had more fans in the film elite than he did in the general public. Grizz tends to make Shakespeare-esque, outsider-looking-in type observations about the situations at hand, while Dot Com spouts highly intelligent, yet obtuse references that send you (or maybe just me) to Google. Having finally struggled through Ulysses, and yes it was a struggle, I had no patience at all for FINNEGANS WAKE, which is even more obtuse. Has anyone actually read it? All of it? I chide Brad DeLong all the time for making excuses for Greenspan’s thick, obtuse, obscurant speech. In each of these examples, the context calls for a word that means difficult to understand. That word is abstruse: The mistake of using abstruse where obtuse is intended seems to be less common, but it happens: It is really abstruse to find Avatar not grabbing anything from the Oscars. It was altogether a new theme with a lot of innovations This movie fan seems to be reaching for obtuse, a word that means lacking in perception, stupid. Bottom line: Barely comprehensible language is abstruse. Stupid people are obtuse. Note: Obtuse derives from Latin obtusus, blunted, dull. An obtuse angle is blunt, as opposed to being sharp. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Misused Words category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Wether, Weather, Whetherâ€Å"As Well As† Does Not Mean â€Å"And†How Do You Determine Whether to Use Who or Whom?

Ethical opinions on computer confidentiality in health care Essay

Ethical opinions on computer confidentiality in health care - Essay Example The patient should be informed immediately upon the availability of the computerized database. Proper explanations should be given to the patient regarding the accurate and dependable medical data that the computerized database can give in order to support the health care of patients. At the same time, the potential hazards or risks of the computerize database should also be explained to the patient in the spirit of clarity and fairness. This way, the patient will have the freedom to choose whether or not he or she would want to utilize and be included in the medical database or not (Drozdenko 4). Whatever the decision of the patient would be, pressuring him or her to make an immediate choice would be unethical, and so the decision of the patient and the relatives has to be respected. Corrections in the time and date must be marked and stamped because this will aid in the management of patient's health evaluation procedures. Any mistake or miscalculated time and date could be fatal for the patients and their families. The stamping of corrections somehow acts as a precaution during the process of the patient's recovery at the hospital.

Health Care in Haiti Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Health Care in Haiti - Research Paper Example A leading example has been in the U.S. that has developed to be a liberated system and fight to attain equality. However, Haiti will be this paper’s focus and derive the measures applied within the health care system in the attempt to offer sustainability to Haitians. About Haiti Haiti’s geographical position is found in the Atlantic Ocean in an area within the Caribbean Sea. Haiti has been since plagued by natural disasters that have threatened the sustainability of the population and these have included famous hurricanes in 2008. The economy has failed to offer sustainable measures to the population that strives to live above the dollar daily. Most Haitians are of lower class with the rising inflation within their economy. Food and fuel have been the chief cause of the impoverished lifestyle leading to some venturing to eat the edible clay cookies. The country has been named as the poorest country within the western hemisphere with the threat placed on natural and fab ricated causes. The inability to offer sustainability to the economy has developed the constraints witnessed to provide sustainable solutions within the health care (Farmer 398). ... The health care system has been the refection of the impoverished living conditions subjected upon Haitians. Despite efforts to invent measures that have been invented to improve mortality and life sustenance in vaccination services, the needed health care reforms is still an outstanding problem. The inadequate distribution of resources and, corrupt political, system has been the leading cause of the problem. The measure has witnessed a minimal amount of $85 vested annually to sustain the ordinary citizen, a figure invested by foreign entities and agencies (Whyte). Moreover, public hospitals and the few clinics available within the economy hold minimal qualified personnel with inadequate supply of the needed medical resources. Most of the qualified doctors have fled Haiti for safer environs and working conditions. The attempt has been made by Cuba to increase the number of trained professionals within the system, but the provision is not enough to sustain the reducing condition. The other provision to destabilize health care has been in the perpetrated violence witnessed in protest against the corrupt government, which instilled fear among health workers to avoid their duties. This has led to the development of ignorance that has threatened sustainability as the natives practice traditional measures to solve health problems. Research has indicated that more women are using herbal strategies to solve health problems as compared to contemporary medicine leaving more children without vaccination. Solutions Non-governmental organizations have been established to offer sustainable measures to sustain the Haitian economy. Haiti Healthcare Partners (HHP) had been established in 2006 to find strategies to accord affordable programs to the natives

Short reaction on Casablanca 1942 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Short reaction on Casablanca 1942 - Essay Example me even more popular over the years, lies in the fact that since 1957 many cinemas began to show the movie during summer exams, first in Harvard, and then and in other universities. Twenty years later it was revealed that Casablanca is shown on TV in the USA more often than any other movie in order to attract the new audience (Ebert, 1996). The movie is sensitive, kind, magically romantic and very fascinating, though it is neither thriller, nor the detective story. It is a real American movie, which is loved by all Americans and very informative for foreigners, because it shows the life and history of real Americans. The movie Casablanca will not touch your heart as military drama, but, as the romantic melodrama performed in curious style and played by magnificent actors of the era, it represents a perfect creation. A little outdated, but the one, which did not loose its appeal through

An Effect of an Acidic Fluid on Enzymatic Activity Lab Report

An Effect of an Acidic Fluid on Enzymatic Activity - Lab Report Example The researcher tells that enzymes are made up of protein molecules. They catalyze biochemical reactions. The enzyme catalyzes the reaction where the reactants are an enzyme and the substrate. Substrates combine at an active site. One enzyme is capable of catalyzing one reaction only. Proteins are highly sensitive molecules and they get denatured if their temperature is altered. Proteins are also sensitive to the pH conditions of the medium in which they are present; pH directly influences the molecular structure, it also affects the structure of the amino acids. Amino acids are the basic units of protein molecules and are amphoteric in nature, suggesting that they maintain the molecular equilibrium. Any alteration in the pH will either enable the amino acid to lose electron or proton. One extra electron alters the structure of amino acids. This directly influences the structure or alters the function of the enzyme. The pH ranges from 1 to 14 on the pH scale. The presence of H+ in sol ution generates acidic condition causes acidity. More the number of H+ ions more acidic the condition will be and hence the PH will be lower. The pH value of 7 is considered as the neutral pH while pH value of more than 7 and up to 14 is considered as the basic pH. The basic pH has more OH- ions Acidic pH influences the structure of the enzyme and also its activity.  

Performance related pay

Performance related pay Performance Related Pay The aim of this essay is to identify if performance related pay (PRP) actually work. In this paper analysis of PRP will be discussed. This is going to be accomplished by looking at some researches that was conducted by different authors. An introduction of performance related pay by Inland Revenue will be discussed, whether it really helped the management to accomplish their goals or not. In early days 1990s employer from both the private and the public sectors put a greater emphasis on paying for performance and attempting to incentivise remuneration in order to improve individual and organisational performance based culture. According to Armstrong the schemes base pay on an assessment of individuals job performance. Although such schemes are not identical, they provide individual with financial rewards in the form of increase to basic pay or cash bonuses which are linked to the assessment of performance, usually in relations to agreed objectives. He suggested that pay is linked to performance measured by a number of specific objectives (for example sales targets or customer satisfaction). This reflects a move towards rewarding output rather than input, using qualitative rather than quantitative judgement (Fowler 1998). Performance related pay turn out to be extensively used in the public sector (for example, local government, the NHS and teachers), for which a government of both complexions have supported the idea. There are number of benefits of performance related pay that was identified by Armstrong (1999). He noted that performance related pay can be used to motivate individuals and consequently develop them and the organisational performance. It can persuade managers to examine the progression of objectives settings as part of their advance to supervising the department or branch. It helps the organisation to attract and retain people through financial rewards and competitive pay and reduces ‘golden handcuff effects or poor performer staying with an employer and also meets a basic human need to be rewarded for achievement. Marchington and Wilkinson stated that, it is hard to find ultimate proof to determine the success of performance related pay; even though it has been broadly supported, and practitioners in particular give the impression to retain huge loyalty in its qualities. In recent years there has been an additional vigilant assessment of the ideas behind performance related pay. They are many studies that suggest that performance related pay can strengthen and contribute to the organisational and individual performance than those suggesting it cannot. Lewis (1998, p74) noted that, â€Å"If employers are generally in agreement with both the principle and practise of performance related pay, they will be motivated to better the job performance and beneficial organisational outcomes will follow. On the other hand, if they are not in agreement with either principle or practice of performance related pay then they will not be motivated to perform more effectively in their jobs and such organisatio nal outcomes will not follow†. He argued for more concentration to the softer side of the performance related pay procedure, for instance greater involvement in agreeing objectives, response in a developmental manner, although he observes that in the financial service organisation he examined, managers have a tendency to impose objectives to workers. Marsden and Richardson (1994) analysed the introduction of performance related pay at the Inland Revenue on the grounds that it should act as a motivator. They query over 2000 workers in relation to the impact of PRP on their own behaviour as well on other judgement pertaining to performance was made in the course of staff appraisals. On the research they conducted they found that the majority of Inland Revenue workers were in favour of performance related pay other than minority who felt antagonistic to it. They also discovered that any optimistic motivational effects of performance related pay have been, at most, very modest among workers. To make it worse, there was a comprehensible evidence of some demotivation between workers. The distribution of performance related pay was seen by a lot of workers as to be unjust. Awards were given only to those who had received good ratings, but many respondents felt that the appraisal scheme had been contaminated. The observable demotivation between employees was warring for proponents of performance related pay, 55 percent believed that it had contributed to demoralize workers self-confidence, and 62 percent assumed it had sourced jealousy between them. A number of employees felt that the sum of money involved was not huge enough to give good reason for a change in performance. Lawler (1999) noted that anything less than 10 percent of salary is too little for performance related pay. Many staff felt that they were not capable to improve. Therefore the introduction of performance related pay did not work for Inland Revenue management the reason being most of the workers did not support it. There are many other criticisms directed at performance related pay. The complexity of appraisal, the complexity of planning objectives, the risk of prejudice or perceived bias, the high expenditure of management, the predicament connected with a focus on the individual and the complicatedness of organising and distributing the essential degree of administrative commitment (Torrington et al 2002 p 604-5). In addition performance related pay inspires elevated expectations individuals respond to it because there is a hope of more money and the hope has to be considerably if it is to be attractive. Management therefore frequently introduces the system by indicating how much individual can look forward to. A theme echoed broadly in the performance related pay literature is that people consider it as a good practice in principle, and certainly it is hard to object to the view that hardworking and effective employees should be paid more than those who do the opposite.

Invisible Man Essay: Search for True Identity :: Invisible Man Essays

Search for True Identity in Invisible Man      Ã‚   "Who the hell am I?" (Ellison 386) This question puzzled the invisible man, the unidentified, anonymous narrator of Ralph Ellison's acclaimed novel Invisible Man. Throughout the story, the narrator embarks on a mental and physical journey to seek what the narrator believes is "true identity," a belief quite mistaken, for he, although unaware of it, had already been inhabiting true identities all along.    The narrator's life is filled with constant eruptions of mental traumas. The biggest psychological burden he has is his identity, or rather his misidentity. He feels "wearing on the nerves" (Ellison 3) for people to see him as what they like to believe he is and not see him as what he really is. Throughout his life, he takes on several different identities and none, he thinks, adequately represents his true self, until his final one, as an invisible man.    The narrator thinks the many identities he possesses does not reflect himself, but he fails to recognize that identity is simply a mirror that reflects the surrounding and the person who looks into it. It is only in this reflection of the immediate surrounding can the viewers relate the narrator's identity to. The viewers see only the part of the narrator that is apparently connected to the viewer's own world. The part obscured is unknown and therefore insignificant. Lucius Brockway, an old operator of the paint factory, saw the narrator only as an existence threatening his job, despite that the narrator is sent there to merely assist him. Brockway repeatedly question the narrator of his purpose there and his mechanical credentials but never even bother to inquire his name. Because to the old fellow, who the narrator is as a person is uninterested. What he is as an object, and what that object's relationship is to Lucius Brockway's engine room is important. The narrator's identity is derived from this relationship, and this relationship suggests to Brockway that his identity is a "threat". However the viewer decides to see someone is the identity they assign to that person. The Closing of The American Mind, by Allan Bloom, explains this identity phenomenon by comparing two "ships of states" (Bloom 113). If one ship "is to be forever at sea, [and]  ¡K another is to reach port and the passengers go their separate ways, they think about one another and their relationships on the ship very differently in the two cases" (Bloom 113).