How successful is the EU in providing a regional response to the Essay

How successful is the EU in providing a regional response to the problems arising from globalisation - Essay Example e the United States, Canada and Mexico share NAFTA, the North American Free-Trade Agreement, much of Western, Central, and now Eastern Europe subscribes to the tenants of economic and political integration through what is arguably one of the most potent transnational organizations in the world, the European Union. The EU today has more than two dozen members and is in the process of further expansion. Will Turkey one day join the European nation of families? Will Serbia, the largest state of the former Yugoslavia, regain the favor of Western Europe and one day become a full-fledged member of the European Union? To what extent has the European Union been successful in providing a regional response to the problems arising from globalization? Globalisation has provided increased political pressures for the EU to expand and this arguably is the major challenge that it has faced over the past 20 years (Fierke & Wiener, 1999, 44-46). Seeking to analyse the EU’s pressures to expand i n a globalised world, the following aims to address how the EU has responded in a holistic fashion to expansion in an era globalisation. Created following the tumultuous events of the Second World War, the European Economic Community was an important precursor for the establishment of the European Union. Accordingly, the European Union is an international organization which is estimated to generate 30% of the worlds total Gross Domestic Product (Almond et al, 2002, 100). As an economic powerhouse with significant stature on the global stage, the European Union is presently in the process of increasing its membership and aims for near total European integration in the political, judicial, economic and social spheres (Almond et al, 2002, 101). The evolution of the European Union has occurred in tandem with the globalisation of the world community and the EU has fundamentally changed in composition since its inception. Accordingly, since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, the EU has

How an organization overcame a public relations crisis Case Study

How an organization overcame a public relations crisis - Case Study Example Johnson & Johnson’s is a very successful company. Its vision focuses on being of service to the community and committing itself to serving their clients. The mission statement is no different. The company seeks to provide its clients with the best possible product and services. According to the company, this must meet safety and ethical regulation. Looking at the Tylenol crisis, the reader will understand just how timely response to company crisis is essential in winning the trust of the consumer. Before the Tylenol Crisis, the product was the most successful over the counter drug in the US. It had over a hundred million users. Through the first 3 quarters of 1982, Tylenol was bringing in about 19 percent of Johnson and Johnson’s profits. The product accounted for 13 percent of the company’s growth in sales and over 33 percent in profits growth per year. In terms of the market share, Tylenol had over 37 percent making it indomitable. The drug outsold four of its closest competitors combined. Later in 1982, for reasons not known to anyone, a presumably unknown person or persons put cyanide-laced capsules in place of Tylenol Extra-Strength capsules and then resealed the packages. The malevolent person(s) then deposited the drugs on shelves of at least six pharmacies or more and popular food stores in Chicago. Seven people died from using the capsules. The media can be damaging to the reputation of any company. In most cases, it may have some alteration, or have interest on one side. While a given piece of information can have different meanings depending on how it is covered, the media will always find the way that the piece attracts as much heat or attention as possible. Concerning Tylenol crisis, the media focused on how a trusted consumer product had brought about deaths of the American citizens. While this is true, the fact is that the company was not to blame for the unfortunate events. The media made a very bad name of the brand that

Downfall of the American Dream Essay Example for Free

Downfall of the American Dream Essay As a child, one is told that life is just a dream. If one believes in his or her dreams and pursues the path to this goal than one shall achieve it and shall live a joyful, ‘happy’ life. However as one grows older and wiser, one learns that the reality is far more complicated and corrupted. One discovers that despite their perseverance and audacious efforts to attain his or her objectives, the American dream is just an illusion that cannot come true and cannot be attained. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is set in New York City and Long Island in the early 1920’s when America was viewed as the land of opportunity. Nevertheless, this novel explores the downfall of the American Dream and how it has an effect on people and the society. This is demonstrated by characters such as Myrtle Wilson who corrupts herself, her relationship and her life over an obsession with something that cannot be attained. Daisy Buchman who sacrifices herself and her happiness to maintain her social status. Finally, Jay Gatsby, the protagonist of the novel exemplifies how the American dream can lead one to make immoral decisions. Through the use of these characters, F. Scott Fitzgerald in The Great Gatsby explores that no matter one\s gender, race or class the American dream does not discriminate; it is simply elusive and unachievable to all who seek to pursue it. Myrtle Wilson, often described in the novel as Tom’s mistress, remains a very flat character throughout the whole novel meaning that she doesn’t develop as a character and her morals do not change throughout the novel; however, she plays a huge role in Fitzgerald’s novel to outline the flaws in the American dream. Myrtle’s objective throughout her whole life as it was for many women of this era is to wed a rich successful man who can â€Å"take care of her†. Evidently, her husband, George Wilson, is not suitable for her. She even says â€Å"he isn’t fit to lick my shoe† (page number) This is why Myrtle finds herself another man who â€Å"qualifies† to her standards/ checklist. Throughout the novel Myrtle literally buries her relationship with George by getting involved with Tom Buchman as well she betrays herself and gives away little pieces of herself by pursuing her dream. Tom Buchman breaks her nose in chapter two yet she pur sues the relationship because she is so desperate to rise in social class. A cream is like an off-color of white; it is tainted with yellow. Fitzgerald often uses this color to portray one\s falseness and inability to fit in with the upper class. In chapter two, Myrtle wears a cream-colored dress and when someone gives her a compliment about the dress she says â€Å" â€Å" It’s just a crazy old thing, [] I just slip it on sometimes when I don’t care what I look like.† (page 35). Nick remarks that Myrtle repeatedly changes her outfits so when she brushes off this compliment and acts snobbish; it becomes very evident to Nick and the readers that she is desperately trying to make herself appear superior, sophisticated and a part of the upper class. People of the upper class often wear white because it is easily corrupted so it can be replaced. White can become creamed colored but cream color clothing cannot become white. This shows how despite one’s endles s effort, the American Dream is unattainable. As proven with Myrtle and Tom’s relationship, Myrtle dream is very materialistic. According to Michelle Hurley in her â€Å"The End of the American dream† she expresses â€Å"Fitzgerald documenting the corruption through materialism of what was once an era of genuine optimism and individualism the original American dream.† This is shown through many characters but especially Myrtle. Her immoral, wrongful and materialistic perception by the American dream literally led her to her own demise. Fitzgerald kills her off in chapter seven when she gets hit by the car she was chasing after. Myrtle represents the people from lower class that attempt to defy the social boundaries at any possible cost. However, her fate unfolds that anyone who endeavors to disobey the American dream will suffer severe and deadly consequences. Furthermore, Jay Gatsby also known as James Gatz executes multiple unethical actions driven by his desire to achieve wealth and love. Motivated by Dan Cody and his loathing of the poverty-stricken life, Gatsby seeks a simple way to become apart of the wealthy class. Therefore, Gatsby becomes involved in some illegal business; this becomes especially obvious when Nick first meets Meyer Wolfsheim and Gatsby says, â€Å" â€Å"Oh, no, [] this isn’t the man!† page number!!!!. Gatsby panics because Meyer Wolfsheim almost discloses confidential information about the business to the wrong person. Although it does not directly state in the novel that Gatsby is involved in the bootlegging business, many clues such as Gatsby’s relationships with questionable people like Mayor Wolfsheim as well as Gatsby’s story’s about his past that never seems to add up suggest that Gatsby is not completely innocent. This also causes the readers to question how exactly he e arned his fortune. In addition, this shows how Gatsby’s morals openly oppose the idea of the American dream which states that only those who â€Å"work hard can achieve it†. Daisy Buchman means the world to Gatsby; his genuine American dream was to attain Daisy’s love. Everything he does in the novel he does for the sole purpose of getting her back into his life. Daisy and Gatsby had a great love before he went off to represent his country in the war; In her article â€Å"The end of the American dream†, Michelle Hurley explains that â€Å"Daisy promised to wait for him but being fickle, materialistic and in demand she married Tom Buchanan instead.†. Not only does this show the carelessness and selfishness of the upper class but it also shows the cruelness of the American dream. Gatsby does everything to â€Å"woo† Daisy over; he throws parties in hope that one day she would attend one and he even gets involved in immoral business all with t he sole purpose of getting Daisy to fall in love with him once again.Yet despite all of his efforts, Daisy screws him over and his American dream stabs him right in the back. Finally, for years Gatsby paints an unrealistic picture for himself of Daisy. Nick even tells Gatsby to stop expecting so much from Daisy because she will crack from the pressure and he will lose her. Nick also repeatedly reminds Gatsby that the past cannot be recreated yet Gatsby continually opposes this idea. As a result of Daisy’s inability to reach this unreal illusion that Gatsby idealized constantly disappoints Gatsby and causes him to ask for more from her. In the end, he dies waiting for her which represents the reality of the unreachable American dream. Gatsby’s unrealistic and unachievable comprehension/ perception of the American dream, as well as his kindness and innocence, eventually leads him to disappointment and his own demise. Finally, Daisy Buchman was born and raised on the opposite social spectrum as Gatsby. As Gatsby remarks Daisy’s â€Å" voice is full of money† Page NUMber; her main value in life is wealth and social. She has adapted to her wealthy lifestyle ever since she was little which clouds her understanding and view of the American dream. As said by Jordan Sarah Head, â€Å" Daisy and Tom’s common denominator is wealth and an upper-class position†. Even after falling in love with Gatsby, Daisy marries Tom not as much because she loves him but because she loves what he represents. She believed that because of his appreciable wealth he could â€Å"care for her† and make her happy but as once said by Denzel Washington â€Å"Money doesn’t buy happiness. This is why even though she is truly in love with Jay Gatsby she gives up her happiness for her materialistic values. Furthermore, Daisy Buchman and Gatsby come from the complete opposite sides of the wealth spectrum. Daisy Buchman has the lifestyle that most people believe http://web.a.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail/detail?vid=10sid=769a7693-0ce6-41e7-bba1-181bb4c496aa%40sessionmgr4006bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#AN=9306106555db=aqh http://web.a.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=26sid=769a7693-0ce6-41e7-bba1-181bb4c496aa%40sessionmgr4006 Daisy Buchanan

E Commerce Use In The Tourism Industry Tourism Essay

E Commerce Use In The Tourism Industry Tourism Essay Abstract: The aim of this paper is to present the impact of Internet on tourism, highlighting the main benefits and limitations of e-commerce in the tourism industry. The article will provide some fundamental knowledge about the ICT (Information and Communications Technology) developments and their implication on various sectors of the travel and tourism industry, related to the world economic situation. 1. Introduction The Internet which is considered to be the most important innovation since the development of the printing press (Hoffman, 2000) has revolutionized how businesses operate. In 2010, Internet reached almost 2 billion users worldwide(28,7% of the total population) including more than 800 million Internet users in Europe (58,4% of its population) and approximately 7.8 million users in the Romania (35% of its population). These figures represent an increase of 444,8% compared to the year 2000. Table 1. Internet Usage and penetration rate Population (2010 est.) % Pop. Of the world Internet users Penetration (% Population) Users Growth (2000 -2010) Romania 21,959,278 0.32% 7,786,700 35.5 % 873.3 % Europe 813,319,511 11.9 % 475,069,448 58.4 % 352.0 % Rest of the world 6,010,331,171 87.78% 1,483,658,668 24.7% 482.8% Total world 6,845,609,960 100% 1,966,514,816 28.7 % 444.8 % (Source www.internetworldstats.com) Due to the uninterrupted growth of the Internet penetration rate, demographic characteristics of online users are resembling more and more the ones of the general population. The average age of Internet users is rising in tandem with that of the general population, and racial and ethnic characteristics are more closely mirroring those in the offline population (eMarketer, 2010). Another interesting is the fact that over 90% of people between age of 5 and 17 use the Internet on a regular basis (Turban, King, McKay, Marshall, Lee Viehland, 2008). These younger generations are more familiar with the Internet than other media such as radio and television. When they will become economically active population, the Internet will be the most influential medium in business. From the early ages of the public Internet development, the search for travel information and for the purpose of making a booking has been one of the main reasons that people use the Internet. The top 5 most popular online purchases were books (66%), clothes (57%), travel arrangements (57%), gifts (51%) and CDs (45%) in the US in 2007 (Center for the Digital Future, 2008). The tourism industry has demonstrated rapid growth before the impact of the financial crisis and therefore has been identified as a key element of growth in the services sector. The tourism industry continues to be an important element as foreign exchange earner, contributing to the growth of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), the growth of the investments and employment rate as well as strengthening the services account of the balance of payments. According to the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) the tourisms contribution to worldwide GDP is estimated at some 5%, and ranges from approximately 2% to over 10% for countries where tourism is an important sector of the economy (UNWTO Tourism Highlights 2010). The global economic recession combined with other problems related to natural disasters and influenza pandemic made out of 2009 one of the toughest years for the tourism sector worldwide. The year 2009 marked a decline in international tourist arrivals all over the world (880 million) and the tourism sector in Europe was the strongly affected. But starting with the 4th quarter of the year growth returned, after 14 months of negative results. And good news is announced by the UNWTO prediction that international arrivals will almost double reaching 1.6 billion by 2020 (UNWTO Tourism Highlights 2010) and will continue to grow at a rapid pace. The expansion of this industry will also have a benefic effect on the economic growth of other related service industries, such as food and beverages, accommodation, transport, shopping, entertainment and other small and medium-sized industries. Source: UNWTO Tourism Highlights 2010 2. The connection between ICT and Tourism Tourism industry has been linked with the progress and evolution of ICTs for over 30 years. Commencing in the 70s with the establishment of the Computer Reservation Systems (CRSs), then in the 80s the evolution of the Global Distribution Systems (GDSs) and the Internet in the 90s have changed operational and strategic practices in tourism. Nowadays ICTs are relevant on all operative, structural, strategic and marketing levels to facilitate global interaction among suppliers, intermediaries and consumers around the world (Buhalis Law, 2008; Egger Buhalis, 2008) Tourism is a dynamic sector of the economy, regardless if it is considered at local, national or international level, and as the Internet penetration rate increased, the use of e-commerce can became an effective tool to promote and develop new opportunities in the travel and tourism sector. Because tourism can be considered an information intensive industry it has experienced important changes over the past few years due to the strong evolution of ICT, which together with the Internet spans the globe (G. Schneider, 2007). The tourism sector is characterized by the intensive production of information, to meet the needs of the various actors (Ramos et al., 2009). ICT has significantly altered the playground for travel and tourism stakeholders, creating new opportunities and challenges in selling and promoting their products/services. The way in which potential clients search for travel information and buy their holidays packages was also altered by the unforeseen development and mass diffusion of Internet. Tourism and Internet combined together revolutionized the way of traveling. The cumulative effect generated by the following factors: the progress made in the field of the ICTs combined with the fact that technology became largely available; the digitalization of business; the growth of e-commerce in al fields of the economy; the adoption and integration of these revolutionary technologies in the field of tourism led to the birth of the concept of e-tourism. Electronic tourism (e-tourism) is defined as being the application of ICT on the tourism industry (Buhalis, 2003). After a literature review of works done on this domain I would like to point out that experts stated that e-tourism represents the digitalization of the value chain and business processes in the travel, tourism, hospitality and catering industries. At the tactical level, it includes e-commerce and applies ICTs for maximizing the efficiency and effectiveness of the tourism organization. At the strategic level, e-tourism revolutionizes all business processes, the entire value chain as well as the strategic relationships of tourism organizations with all their stakeholders. (Buhalis, 2003) 3. Benefits and limitations of the Internet and ICT As mentioned above the evolution in technology allowed existing business to re-engineer themselves through technological innovation and permitted the entrance and creation of new business. The implementation and use of e-commerce applications present a series of advantages but also a series of disadvantages. The most relevant benefits and limitations of electronic commerce use are displayed in the tables below: Table 2. Benefits of e-commerce Source: Turban et al. 2008 Table 3. Limitations of e-commerce Source: Turban et al. 2008 ICT and Internet have provided the means for tourism organizations to develop their business processes and adapt their management structure and strategy to take advantage of the newly created possibilities in order to: Increase internal efficiency and better manage of their capacity and improve yield management. Interact more with existing and potential customers and personalize the products/services in order to meet their needs. Revolutionize tourism intermediation and increase the number of points of sale. Enable consumers to communicate with each other and share opinions. Provide Location Based Services utilize the ability to make use of the location of the mobile device. (Virrantaus et al. 2001) Promote of efficient cooperation between partners in the value system. Enhance the operational and geographic scope by offering strategic tools for global expansion. (Buhalis, 2003) The most discussed technological barriers are the lack of global standards for quality, security, and reliability (Turban et al., 2008; Van Toorn, Bunker, Yee, Smith, 2006). The absence of standards in technologies and its applications can increase semnificatively the cost of system integration for a more efficient management in distribution, operation and communication worldwide. Hospitality corporations had the financial power to invest and transform their systems into a total netware system. Small and medium-sized tourism enterprises (SME) on the other hand are having trouble integrating their systems because of limited financial resources. Due to this fact SME have a competitive disadvantage when competing against large corporation and it is difficult to conserve their position on market. The major non-technological problem is the payment and privacy issues, which can result in keeping consumers away from making online transactions. Businesses must protect themselves and their customers from losses due to cyber-vandalism and fraud, offering secure transactions and privacy protection of personal information by using advance cryptographic methods. The large availability of Internet created huge amounts of information, some of which can be inaccurate and deluding. For this reason, the Internet has lead to a decrease in the efficient search for information (Allen Shoard, 2005; Farhoomand Drury, 2002; Lurie, 2004). From the consumer point of view this may result in frustration due to the increased number of alternatives and attributes and finally may lead to increased cost for searching and indentifying alternatives Using ICT as a stand-alone initiative is not adequate and has to be combined with redesigning the business processes, structures and management control systems. ICT can enhance business success when rational and innovative planning and management is exercised on regular basis in organization. Intellect therefore becomes a critical asset, while continuous education and training are instrumental for the innovative use of ICT and the competitiveness of tourism organizations. (Buhalis, 2003) The integration of e-commerce application in tourism affected both supply and demand in this industry. In all sectors of the tourism industry the influence of ICT and Internet can be noticed through internal re-organization, relationships with partners and the way it relates and interacts with customers and stakeholders. E-tourism offers a wide range of opportunities for business expansion in all geographical, marketing and operational senses and as a result an important number of new players have arisen, sometimes referred as barbarians in the literature (Wade, 2000), as they enter with self-defined new rules. Table 4. Influence on various tourism industry players Source: Werthner, H. and Klein, 1999 4. Conclusion Travel and tourism have demonstrated that e-commerce may influence the structure of an industry, and provide new opportunities for business. In order to keep up with the highly demanding and better-informed customers, tourism organization have to use the advantages provided by the development of ICT and integrate the innovational technologies into their business process. The changes in industry structure is equally affecting large corporation and small and medium companies but it is more stringent for SME to master the ability grasp the opportunities provided by ICT, because failure to do so will materialize in loss of competitiveness and business opportunities. As experts stated it: Given the importance of e-commerce in tourism, it is essential that tourism organizations adopt e-commerce as their business strategy. All type of tourism organization should pay attention to the new mobile technologies that emerged in the past few years and to the advantages offered by m-commerce because this may take e-tourism a step forward by offering a better interaction with the customers. The study of what seems to be materializing, as m-tourism will be the focus of further research. Due to the fact that the use of e-commerce had a continuous and rapid growth despite the current economic situation combined with the great potential of the tourism sector, I venture my self in stating that e-tourism can provide us with a way to surpass more quickly the negative effects generated by the international financial crisis into the economy.

UK Guidelines for Eye Screening

UK Guidelines for Eye Screening DOES THE UK CURRENTLY SCREEN THE POPULATION FOR APPROPRIATE EYE CONDITIONS? WHAT IS SCREENING? Screening is a way of identifying those individuals who are at a higher risk of developing a certain health problem; this allows them to have appropriate early treatment and information in order to prevent further deterioration. There are many different screening programmes which are offered by the NHS, for example, Screening for newborn babies, Diabetic Eye screening, Cervical Screening, Bowel Cancer Screening etc. (Nhs.uk, 2017). The screening process uses tests which can be applied to a large number of people and is an initial examination which requires further investigation and follow up. There are many different types of screening, for example, Mass screening (e.g. chest x-rays for TB), Multiple screening (e.g. annual health check), Targeted screening for those at a higher risk of developing specific diseases e.g. battery workers would be at a greater risk of developing cancer or problems with their nervous system (Anon,2017) and lastly Opportunistic screening. Opportunistic scr eening relates to identifying those at a higher risk to see whether they actually have signs of a condition as we carry out the pre-screening process/sight test, for example, we tend to check the pressures and fields of the people (maybe should write of patients over..) over the age of 40 in order to check for any signs of glaucoma, however, this cannot be classified as screening as it is opportunistic (Anon, 2017). Within this essay I will mainly be discussing Diabetic Eye Screening and Amblyopia Screening, I will be analysing how well these relate and correspond to the criteria set by the WHO guidelines for screening, how the screening programmes could be improved and what screening programmes are out in the world which could benefit us if brought within the UK. A full discussion of the classifications of diabetes or amblyopia is beyond the scope of this essay. 10 CRITERIA 1968 WHO GUIDELINES FOR SCREENING There are 10 main criteria/principles that a screening programme should meet in order to be an effective, practical and appropriate way of screening within the UK. These were brought about in 1968 by Wilson and Jungner (WHO) (Patient.info, 2017). Further down in this essay how well Diabetic Eye Screening and Amblyopia screening match the 10 criteria will be discussed, table 1.1 summarises the findings and a potential condition that we could screen for in order to enhance appropriateness of screening for eye conditions within the UK (Gp-training.net, 2017): (TABLE 1.1) 1968 WHO GUIDELINES DIABETIC EYE SCREENING AMBLYOPIA SCREENING AMD 1. The condition being screened for should be an important health problem à ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚ ¼ ? à ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚ ¼ 2. The natural history of the condition should be well understood. à ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚ ¼ à ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚ ¼ à ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚ ¼ 3. There should be a detectable early stage à ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚ ¼ à ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚ ¼ à ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚ ¼ 4. Treatment at an early stage should be of more benefit than at a later stage. à ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚ ¼ à ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚ ¼ à ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚ ¼ 5. A suitable test should be advised for the early stage. à ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚ ¼ à ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚ » ? 6. The test should be acceptable. à ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚ ¼ à ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚ » à ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚ » 7. Intervals for repeating the test should be determined. à ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚ ¼ à ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚ ¼ ? 8. Adequate health service provision should be made for the extra clinical workload resulting from screening. à ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚ ¼ à ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚ ¼ ? 9. The risks, both physical and psychological, should be less than the benefits. à ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚ ¼ à ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚ ¼ à ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚ ¼ 10. The costs should be balanced against the benefits à ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚ ¼ à ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚ ¼ à ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚ » DIABETIC EYE SCREENING It is estimated that within the UK, 4.5 million people have diabetes and around 1.1 million people have yet to be diagnosed (Anon, 2017). It is essential that we screen individuals who have diabetes as the development of Diabetic Retinopathy is one of the major complications of diabetes and early diagnosis can lead to appropriate and effective treatment (Hamid et al, 2016). This Diabetic Eye Screening (DES) is separate from a sight test and is to be carried out annually. If a woman is pregnant she will be offered additional tests as the development of gestational diabetes is common i.e. diabetes which only occurs during pregnancy, however, if the mother already has diabetes she also has a higher risk of Diabetic Retinopathy development (Nhs.uk, 2017). 1.1 Attendance at Diabetic Screenings Forster et al. (2013), evaluated whether patients who did not attend their DES were at a greater risk of sight-threatening diabetic retinopathy (STDR).   They carried out a longitudinal cohort study over 3 years (2008-2011) in which diabetic residents were invited for the screening. Forster et al found that 5.6% of the patients who did not attend in 1 year for their DES developed STDR. 2.6% patients who previously had no retinopathy at their first screen had developed STDR when they did not attend in 1 year and 5.7% of participants developed STDR when they did not attend for 2 consecutive years. With participants who previously had mild non-proliferative retinopathy at their first screen, 16.8% of these developed STDR when they did not attend for their DES in 1 year and 17% developed STDR when they did not attend for 2 years. (is this in your own words if not results should be quoted just to avoid plagerism)The results found for referable maculopathy also followed the same pat tern but the affected participants were smaller. This longitudinal study has its benefits as a large number of data can be collected however as it is over the period of 3 years, there is a risk of individuals dropping out of the study and therefore data for one year may not be comparable to the data from the next year as there would be subject differences. The findings of this study suggest that there is importance for DES and it can be deemed as an appropriate eye condition to be screened for within the UK as it does allow early detection of diabetic referable retinopathy and the greater the time between the DES the greater the risk of the development of STDR. However whether we need to screen individuals annually could be further discussed (Forster et al, 2013). 1.2 Improvements for DES Screenings To improve how we currently screen within the UK for appropriate eye conditions we could consider, increasing the time between the DES by making them biennial i.e. every 2 years. Forster et al found that participants had a 10.84 times higher chance of referable retinopathy if they had not attended their screening for 2 consecutive years, compared to those participants who were screened for every year.(I think should be kept in but change to own words if not already.) He found that for those patients who attended every 2 years had no significant increased risk of referable retinopathy compared to those who attended annually. A number of benefits can be seen from increasing the time between the screenings. Firstly this would mean that less DES would be carried out, this frees up time and space; in practices, this allows more time for regular sight tests and at the hospital, it allows more space for other important appointments. Reducing the number of DES also means that fewer professio nals would be required for these screenings; this would cut down the costs made by the NHS. Some could argue that this could lead to a cut down in the number of optometrists who specialise in the DES, however, this would allow the current professionals specialised in the DES or the ones that do carry out the training to become more skilled and have more focused knowledge on DES. Scanlon et al. (2013), found that those who were not screened promptly after being diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes had a raised rate of detection of referable diabetic retinopathy. The study didnt show whether those who were screened at a later date had a more severe form of diabetic retinopathy or whether it was anything to do with patient compliance but it did indicate that screening patients within the Quality standards set by NICE were more beneficial for the patients (Scanlon, Aldington, and Stratton, 2013). This supports that the UK does currently screen appropriately for eye conditions such as Diabetes and in a timely manner, as the earlier we screen a patient after being diagnosed with diabetes, the less of a chance for the development of severe/unnoticed diabetic retinopathy, as the development of DR is most prominent within the first two decades of developing the disease (Fong et al, 2017). In the UK, patients information once being diagnosed with diabetes is transferred via their GP to the Diabetic Eye Screening Services as soon as they are diagnosed, this allows appropriate treatment and screening for the patient immediately. We cannot solely rely on this study as it does not include any facts or figures regarding how raised the risk is for referable DR if a DES is not carried out every year. Therefore to improve screening within the UK; following Forster et al study, we could increase the time between the screenings i.e. make it biennial. The Health Improvement and Analytical Team of the Department of Health found that it would be more cost effective if the screening intervals were increased from one year to another when carrying out a cost-utility assessment for those who have low risk of development of Diabetic Retinopathy; these being defined as those who have been graded to have no background retinopathy in either eye, therefore one way of improving the screening in the UK could be by increasing the intervals between the DES (James, 2000). Currently, within the UK, Diabetic eye screening is offered to individuals who are 12 years and older. They are contacted by their local Diabetic Eye Screening service informing the patient as regards to what practices are available for them to attend for their screening i.e. a local opticians, hospital or clinic. Hamid et al. (2016) carried out a retrospective analysis of 143 patients aged between 7 and 12 in order to see whether DES should be carried out on children under the age 12. 73 of these patients were below the age of 12 and the other 70 were 12 years of age. He found that both these groups had a similar prevalence of background diabetic retinopathy (early stage of diabetic retinopathy) and none had STDR. From Hamid et al results, it can be seen that there would be no benefit to starting the DR at an earlier age as the same results are found in both groups, therefore supporting the current English protocol of starting DES at 12 years of age.   A DES test within the U K is fairly easy to carry out and requires the patient to be dilated; once the patient is dilated they are unable to drive for roughly 4-6hours in order for their pupils to return to normal.(this could be referenced from somewhere see if you can find from article or anything on how its done then reference that) This could be considered as some inconvenience to the patient as they may be required to take a day off work or prevent doing specific tasks that day however as the DES is carried out annually it is only a matter of a few hours, which could easily be rearranged or time off work can be taken. The risks of the drops are very low; a few symptoms could be experienced for example pain, discomfort, redness of the eye, blurry vision and haloes around lights which can lead to Angle Closure Glaucoma. ACG can be treated and the benefit of carrying out the DES is much greater and outweighs the risks. 1.3 DES Screening In India Currently, in India, in addition to the current Diabetic eye screening that is being carried out in practices, they are also going to be trialing (think it needs double ll m grammerly says youve spelt it the American way) Mobile DES services. This will benefit patients in several ways; firstly those who are not able to leave their homes are able to get screening and treatment readily. Furthermore, not all clinics have the appropriate equipment required in order to carry out DES, therefore, with the Mobile DES services patients are able to still get the adequate healthcare required. This is yet to be trailed therefore the success rates are unpredictable. If in the future, this helped patients get the adequate screening and healthcare required in India, then this could also be trialled within the UK in order for improving eye screening for appropriate conditions (Kalra et al, 2016). AMBLYOPIC SCREENING The common vision defects in children aged around 4-5years tend to include amblyopia, strabismus (squint) and refractive error (short or long sighted). (is this referenced from tailor et al like the next sentence, if not then needs a reference) An estimation of the prevalence of amblyopia in the UK varies between 2% and 5% (Tailor et al, 2016). Amblyopia is well understood and occurs when the nerve pathway from one eye to the brain does not develop adequately during childhood (Medlineplus.gov, 2017). Individuals are said to have an amblyopic eye when their vision is worse than 6/9 Snellen or 0.2 LogMar in the affected eye.(reference needed)   The UK National Screening Committee along with the recommendations from the Health for All Children agreed that orthoptic-led services should offer to screen for visual impairments for children aged 4-5 years (Legacyscreening.phe.org.uk, 2017). If the amblyopia is treated while the visual system is plastic i.e. still developing within the critical period (first seven to eight years of life), then this can be an effective way of restoring normal vision. Untreated amblyopia can have a negative impact on an individuals adult life; within the UK it was found that only 35% (36 out of 102) of people were able to continue their employment after losing the vision in their non-amblyopic eye (Rahi, 2002). 2.1 Testing The tests for amblyopia can include monocular visual acuity testing, plus or minus assessment of the extra-ocular muscles, colour vision testing, and binocular status (Stewart et al, 2007). The screening process can vary depending on the density of the amblyopia and age of the patient i.e. this would alter the treatment required. Patching seems to be the most common treatment for amblyopia and is seen to have improvements in vision if it is carried out adequately i.e. compliance is required. Stewart et al. (2007), researched the benefits of patching in which they found 40 children who were patched for 6 hours had an improvement in 0.21 to 0.31 log units of vision compared with another 40 children who were patched for 12 hours had a 0.24 log unit improvement. This supports the idea that patching can be carried out for fewer hours and still produce a similar enhancement in vision. However, when compliance was monitored there wasnt much of a difference between the hours, for the patient s prescribed 6 hours they tended to vary between 3.7 to 4.7 hours and the 12-hour patching children varied between 5.1 and 7.3 hours (Stewart et al, 2007). (maybe some more critical analysis of this study, I know youve got sample size and randomisation but if you can may add some more) These results suggest that Amblyopic patients can be patched for fewer hours and still have the same improvement in vision, however, compliance is necessary. Following on from this study when a randomised trial was carried out in order to see the effectiveness of Atropine and patching as a treatment of Amblyopia, it was found that visual acuity in the amblyopic eye improved for both, therefore supporting patching and atropine as adequate treatments for Amblyopia (Stewart et al, 2007). In this study equal, sample sizes were used and patients were allocated randomly, this allows the removal of subject bias and allows comparisons between the subjects and therefore more reliable results can be obtained. Furthermore, it was found that the younger the child, the less the occlusion in hours that would be required, therefore, the earlier we test the child for amblyopia the better the treatment (Stewart et al, 2007). 2.2 Problems with Patching Referring back to the 1968 guidelines in Table 1.1, patching may not be deemed as an acceptable form of treatment. When a randomised trial was carried out on 4 year old and 5 year old children it was found that they had experienced short term distress and were more upset when having to wear a patch alongside glasses than wearing glasses alone (Williams et al, 2006). Children also reported having been bullied whilst wearing a patch causing emotional problems which in turn led to long term adverse consequences. Williams et al. (2006) carried out a prospective study, in order to test their hypothesis by comparing children who had been screened preschool and required a patch and those who had not. 95% confidence limits were calculated and it was found that the risk of being bullied was the same for those who wore glasses and had been screened preschool and not. However, when comparing the preschool and school children and the rates of bullying whilst wearing the patch it was found that t here was almost a 50% reduction in the group of children who had been screened preschool (Williams et al, 2006). From these results, it can be concluded that pre-school vision screening would reduce down the bullying experienced by the children whilst wearing the patch therefore in order to improve screening within the UK we could potentially screen the children earlier to prevent the psychological stress that the child has to experience. During this study, the data was collected via an interview with the children. Childrens responses could vary depending on who was interviewing the child, the gender of the child (girls would be more(not would-they may be more likely to) likely to admit to being bullied) and other factors too(what other factors-either state them or leave it at the last point); therefore these results could not fully represent whether the child had experienced bullying and this factor should be taken into account when viewing the results. 2.3 Screening for Amblyopia within Japan Currently, outside of the UK, there are different screening processes which occur. The screening process for Amblyopia within Japan starts at the age of one and a half years old and then the children are later screened at 3 years of age by paediatricians. In The School Health Law based in Japan, the Visual Acuities of children ranging from 6 years old to 12 years old are taken by the school teachers then the children are screened by Ophthalmologists to screen for the eye diseases and amblyopia (Matsuo and Matsuo, 2005). Several studies over the years have been collected in order to compare the number of strabismus patients identified in different countries. Comparing these different studies it can be found that overall there were fewer children in Japan who developed strabismus, only 1.28% of the sample. Within the UK when a similar study was carried out it was found that 4.3% of the total number of children screened developed strabismus, this being much larger than those who develop ed it within Japan (Matsuo and Matsuo, 2005). This variation in results may suggest that the screening process in Japan is a lot more thorough compared to the UK and as children in Japan are screened for fairly early on in life, they are continuously kept an eye on, this could increase the detection of the early developments of Amblyopia and therefore appropriate treatment is also given fairly early on. (but is it screened more thoroughly in japan only because japanease children are more prone to amblyopia- is the prevalence of amblyopia higher in japan-if so then that might be why they screen earlier-find out) However, we cannot solely base the development of strabismus on the way we screen the children as there could be other factors as well. One way in which we could modify screening within the UK could be by screening children at an earlier age and more often as well; this would allow early detection of Amblyopia and therefore early appropriate treatment, reducing the number of strabismic individuals. Tailor et al. (2016) identified that a large area of controversy when discussing screening for Amblyopia is that it is currently not clear whether screening children earlier is associated with better outcomes and also whether it is more cost efficient or not, however it is widely agreed that starting screening for amblyopia at the age of 4 to 5 years old it seems to be clinically effective and also cost efficient at the moment therefore further research needs to be carried out in order to see whether we should move the screening for Amblyopia to an early stage or not (Tailor et al, 2016). IMPROVING SCREENING WITHIN THE UK AMD Within the UK to improve screening we could also screen for further conditions such as for Age-Related Macular Degeneration. AMD is an important health problem and accounts for 8.7% of all legal blindness worldwide. The development of Choroidal Neovascularisation (CNV) is the main cause of severe vision loss which leads to the development of Wet or Exudative form of AMD (Schwartz and Loewenstein, 2015). AMD development is pretty well understood by professionals and it can lead to changes in your central vision and also have an impact on the quality of an individuals life. Patients with AMD have reported more difficulties when performing tasks such as reading, leisure activities, shopping etc. (Hassell, 2006). There is currently no treatment for the dry form of AMD, whereas wet AMD is currently being treated using intravitreal injections of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) agents which lead to an improvement in 30-40% patients visual acuity (Schwartz and Loewenstein , 2015). In Table 1.1 an extra column has been added in order to compare how well AMD screening would relate to the WHO criteria if it was to be screened for within the UK. 3.1 Techniques It has been found that the treatment of AMD at an earlier stage is of more benefit than at a later stage. Treatment of CNV within 1 month was found to have a greater gain in visual acuity than treatment which was given after this timeframe (Schwartz and Loewenstein, 2015). If AMD patients were left untreated for a year they would lose two or three lines of vision on average therefore the earlier the detection of AMD the more beneficial (Anon, 2017). The screening process could involve an Optical Coherence tomography (OCT) and a fluorescein angiography (FA) alongside clinical examinations, for example, Amsler charts, Nosefield Perimetry, Near Visual Acuity etc. In Table 1.2 these examination techniques have been presented in a table and the Pros and Cons of each technique can be seen. TABLE 1.2 (Schwartz and Loewenstein à ¯Ã‚ »Ã‚ ¿Int J Retin Vitr (2015) 1:20) 3.2 Screening Criteria If screening programs were to be carried out within the UK for AMD, we would need to consider a few factors. Firstly, at what age would we start to screen individuals for AMD and how often these screenings would take place would need to be considered(-dont need highlighted bit). AMD is most common in individuals who are over the age of 65, however, can be seen in some in their forties or fifties, not only is it affected by age but smoking, family history, UV exposure and diet can also be risk factors for the development of AMD (Rnib.org.uk, 2017). There could be a few different criteria in which individuals would qualify for the screening process of AMD, a few of these criteria could potentially be: Any individual over the age of 60 years old. Any individual over the age of 50 years old with a family history of AMD. Any individual who experiences one or more of the following symptoms: difficulty reading with spectacles, vision not as clear as previously or if experiencing straight lines becoming wavy or distorted (Rnib.org.uk, 2017). Once this screening process is carried out the recall period could vary depending on the patients health, family history, and lifestyle, this could vary from yearly up to a 5 year recall period for those that are normal; have no family history of AMD and good lifestyle. If an individual is diagnosed with Dry AMD then these screening processes would occur much more regularly in order to monitor the health of the eyes and to detect Wet AMD at an early stage. A benefit for the proposition of screening for AMD within the UK is that it would lead to more jobs and professionals to be specialised within AMD. 3.3 Time Efficient       There are a few flaws with screening for AMD. If OCT images were not clear enough patients may need to be dilated, this would mean that the patient would not be able to drive for approximately four to six hours, which could result in the patients having to take a morning/afternoon or a day off work.(maybe you can find a study where people are asked about what they dont like in dilation and it might be they dont like taking time off-then can reference that here) If all the above techniques mentioned in Table 1.2 were to be carried in the screening process for AMD, this in itself would be quite a lengthy process and would also require time to be taken off unless it was carried out on an individuals none working day. Screening for AMD would involve Fluorescein Angiography this may not be accepted by some patients as it is an invasive process and requires fluorescent dye to be injected into their bloodstream. Therefore suitable techniques would be required in which the patient would cons ent to if screening for AMD was to be carried out within the UK. Furthermore, currently within the UK, only half the adult population (48%) have heard of AMD therefore screening for AMD within the UK could be a challenge as public awareness of this disease is very limited therefore the public may be unable to recognize any symptoms or changes in their vision being related to AMD (VISION 2020, 2017). The development of CNV can be very rapid and therefore patients may remain asymptomatic or mechanisms within the brain could lead to overcome the noticeable change in their vision during the early stages of this disease, therefore, it would be difficult to screen the patient in their early stages of AMD (Rnib.org.uk, 2017). Further information should be given to individuals in which they are informed of what symptoms to look out for and also what to do in these instances. 3.4 Costs Practicality Currently within the UK if patients require a private OCT scan this can vary in price ranging from thirty-five pounds (C4 SightCare) to eighty-nine pounds (Leightons Opticians). Free OCT scans may be carried out in hospitals settings or learning institutes, for example, The University of Manchester (Gteye.net, 2017).   If we were to routinely carry out OCT scans for everyone as a technique during AMD screening then this can be very costly if funded by the NHS, in addition, if this was to be carried out privately then patients may not be willing to pay that much for the AMD screening process and therefore the success rates for screening for AMD within the UK would be less as patients wouldnt attend the screening. Furthermore, other techniques such as fluorescein angiography can be costly to be carried out for example if patients require this to be carried out privately they may end up paying up to  £103 (Anon, 2017). Another issue arising with the potential to screen for AMD would be regarding the practicality of the screening process; the equipment and machinery are fairly large and would require the practices to have adequate space in order to carry out these screenings. In addition, the equipment itself is very expensive and companies may not want to invest in such equipment if there turnover isnt worth it. In order to overcome this, we could potentially just carry out AMD screening within a hospital setting however it would still depend on the amount of space available to carry out these processes. Overall screening for AMD is quite a lengthy process and if it was to be carried out within the UK it would require a lot of work in order to make the screening process affordable and time efficient too. CONCLUSION Overall, within the UK we currently do screen for appropriate eye conditions these including Diabetic Eye Screening and Amblyopia. We could further increase this by screening for conditions such as Age-Related Macular Degeneration, as it is a very serious eye condition and early detection and treatment is beneficial. However, there are quite a few different factors which need to be considered if screening for AMD was to be carried out as mentioned above. Also, there are currently limited studies on AMD and therefore further research should focus on AMD and the benefits of continually screening the patient. Currently, as screening is being carried out for Amblyopia, this could be an eye condition that doesnt necessarily need screening for. A Cochrane review(do you need to reference which one) found that there is currently not enough evidence to determine whether the number of children with amblyopia was reduced due to the screening programs or not. The main reason for this was that de finition of Amblyopia is widely debatable and there is a lack of universally accepted definitions of amblyopia, which makes the data collected from different studies difficult to compare. However, it is much easier to leave a screening process in place rather than to remove it as a whole as further complications can arise and screening for this is somewhat beneficial.   From the discussion within this literature, it can be seen that we do currently screen for appropriate eye conditions within the UK. REFERENCES Nhs.uk. (2017). NHS screening Live Well NHS Choices. [online] Available at: http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/Screening/Pages/screening.aspx#what-is. Anon, (2017). [online] Available at: https://www.med.uottawa.ca/sim/data/Screening_e.htm. [Accessed 5 Feb. 2017]. http://www.hsa.ie/eng/Publications_and_Forms/Publications/Chemical_and_Hazardous_Substances/Safety_with_Lead_at_Work.pdf [Accessed 9 Feb. 2017]. Patient.info. (2017). Screening Programmes in the UK. Find S

Childhood, Politics, and Satire in The Child in Time Essay -- The Chil

Childhood, Politics, and Satire in The Child in Time    For most children there is a strong desire never to grow up. This ‘Peter Pan’ complex has a large impact on most children and therefore very many adults later in life. Many of the images in The Child in Time are related to this desire, and the title is possibly directly related to the concept.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Kate is the first example of this eternal youth. She is not killed by any significant event - she does not succumb to a disease nor is she struck my an unfortunate accident - instead, during what would be a completely standard and banal trip to the supermarket she is abducted. There is not really a feeling that she has been lost for a reason; she disappears without notice or any provocation. Kate achieves this dream - the desire to be a child always, and it is as she, where others had not been so fortunate, had managed to wish hard enough to allow childhood to surrounded her so completely that she could not be touched by the exterior world. Kate becomes a child forever, as the title suggests, she exists as much, or more, as a ‘child in time’ as an actual person, living and growing. To Stephen she will always be the child she was when he last saw her, and her only growth can be achieved by superimposing on her personality a ste reotyped caricature of what a child her age would be - a child hoping for a walkie-talkie set for her birthday - without her own eccentricities, or personal characteristics.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   When Stephen tries to recapture Kate, in the scene in the primary school, he too is overwhelmed by childhood. Without thinking he is drawn into a lesson and becomes a stereotyped student until he is able to break out of this strange reality and return to ... ...f Nuclear apocalypse without moving, except for another drink. He does seem actively very eager not to address his unhappiness at Kate’s abduction, even to the lengths that he takes up Arabic and Tennis. Both Tennis and Arabic, however, seem associated with youth - tennis as a game played whilst still young, and active - though Stephen finds he is not really active enough to play; and Arabic, which he views as to be learnt in a very scholastic manner - he calls his tutor be his surname, and does not speak to him about anything but the lesson at hand.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   McEwan portrays childhood as a very powerful and important force, and The Child In Time focuses on someone for whom this is especially potent. He seems to try to highlight different views of childhood, through time and between political theories, using The Child In Time as a reasonable successful satire.

Agatha Christie :: essays research papers

Agatha Christie: Queen of the Mystery Genre Agatha Mary Clarissa Miller was born to Mr. and Mrs. Fred Miller of Torquay, Devon, England. Researchers debate on the year in which she was born, but it was September 15 in either 1890 or 1891. Her father was an American who lived with his British wife in Torquay. At the time, her parents did not realize that their daughter would one day become a famous English author, writing an insatiable amount of novels and plays. Her focus was mainly on the mystery genre of literature. She was married two times, and bore one daughter by her first husband. In 1971, five years before her death, Christie was given the prestigious title of a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire. She died January 12, 1976 at Wallingford in Oxfordshire (Prichard www.mysteries.com/birthday/). Agatha Miller was born the third child to her parents, Fred and Mary Miller. She grew up in Torquay, Devon, England. She was taught at home by her mother and several tutors and governesses, never attending a real sch ool. As a child, Miller kept herself occupied by inventing games to play with her siblings. Not being around other children besides her siblings made Miller a shy child. She was not outspoken in her thoughts, so she expressed her feelings in music. Later in life, she would turn to writing as a means of expression (Yaffe BKYaffe@nltl.columbia.edu). Agatha Miller’s first husband was Archibald Christie, who was a World War I fighter pilot. The newlywed Mrs. Christie worked as a nurse while her husband was off at war. Through her nursing experiences, she learned of many new drugs on the market. These drugs fascinated her, thus prompting her to use them as factors in several of her Graham 2 works. Her marriage to Christie lasted only twelve years, and they were divorced in 1926. Not long after her divorce from her first husband, Christie disappeared without a trace for a short period of ten days. She was found at a resort hotel, claiming to be a victim of amnesia caused by emotion al stress. Agatha Christie had checked into the hotel under the alias Theresa Neele; Neele being the surname of her husband’s mistress. After a full memory recovery, Christie claimed for the rest of her life that she truly suffered amnesia. Some critics say that Christie faked her amnesia to do two things. Agatha Christie :: essays research papers Agatha Christie: Queen of the Mystery Genre Agatha Mary Clarissa Miller was born to Mr. and Mrs. Fred Miller of Torquay, Devon, England. Researchers debate on the year in which she was born, but it was September 15 in either 1890 or 1891. Her father was an American who lived with his British wife in Torquay. At the time, her parents did not realize that their daughter would one day become a famous English author, writing an insatiable amount of novels and plays. Her focus was mainly on the mystery genre of literature. She was married two times, and bore one daughter by her first husband. In 1971, five years before her death, Christie was given the prestigious title of a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire. She died January 12, 1976 at Wallingford in Oxfordshire (Prichard www.mysteries.com/birthday/). Agatha Miller was born the third child to her parents, Fred and Mary Miller. She grew up in Torquay, Devon, England. She was taught at home by her mother and several tutors and governesses, never attending a real sch ool. As a child, Miller kept herself occupied by inventing games to play with her siblings. Not being around other children besides her siblings made Miller a shy child. She was not outspoken in her thoughts, so she expressed her feelings in music. Later in life, she would turn to writing as a means of expression (Yaffe BKYaffe@nltl.columbia.edu). Agatha Miller’s first husband was Archibald Christie, who was a World War I fighter pilot. The newlywed Mrs. Christie worked as a nurse while her husband was off at war. Through her nursing experiences, she learned of many new drugs on the market. These drugs fascinated her, thus prompting her to use them as factors in several of her Graham 2 works. Her marriage to Christie lasted only twelve years, and they were divorced in 1926. Not long after her divorce from her first husband, Christie disappeared without a trace for a short period of ten days. She was found at a resort hotel, claiming to be a victim of amnesia caused by emotion al stress. Agatha Christie had checked into the hotel under the alias Theresa Neele; Neele being the surname of her husband’s mistress. After a full memory recovery, Christie claimed for the rest of her life that she truly suffered amnesia. Some critics say that Christie faked her amnesia to do two things.