Balance as the Center of Ones Life essays

Balance as the Center of Ones Life essays Balance, our world depends upon it physically, psychologically, and spiritually. This principle, although easy to overlook, is the foundation of my personal philosophy. Without balance there is no harmony, no conflict and no growth. Any productive result, any achievement, any strength is useless without it. The balance in my world is achieved by these fundamental beliefs: God exists, and yet evil exists; all humanity does have free will and all these beliefs contribute to the development of a meaning for life. All of these beliefs are components of each other, an interdependent relationship that creates my personal philosophy. Each values participation in my final belief is measured and balanced to a precise amount, leaving an end result of harmony, certainty, belief and faith. I. God exists Of all the questions that face man, the question of Gods existence is the most important. This is true not only for a persons salvation, but because of the way this will influence all other belie fs. A belief in God will act like a polarizing factor in someones life, affecting the way that they think and reason about almost anything. If a person does not believe in God, this too will cause great change in the way that life is perceived. The change that this belief brings to a person is best illustrated by Immanuel Kants proposition that certain conditions change our ability to perceive things. Kants postulation is described by Jostein Gaarder, who writes, there are certain conditions governing the minds operation which influence the way we experience the world (p. 326). Although this explanation of Kant was referring to how time and space influence our ability to reason, this would also extend to a belief in God. A belief in God influences all areas of a persons life, especially the purpose and intent of what our lives mean, or should mean. The question of Gods existence has been deb...

Biography of Benito Mussolini, Italian Fascist Dictator

Biography of Benito Mussolini, Italian Fascist Dictator Benito Mussolini (July 29, 1883–April 28, 1945) served as Italy’s 40th prime minister from 1922 to 1943. As a close ally of Adolf Hitler during World War II, he is considered a central figure in the birth of European fascism. In 1943, Mussolini was replaced as prime minister and served as the head of the Italian Social Republic until his capture and execution by Italian partisans in 1945. Fast Facts: Benito Mussolini Known For: Mussolini was a fascist dictator who ruled Italy from 1922 to 1943.Also Known As: Benito Amilcare Andrea MussoliniBorn: July 29, 1883 in Predappio, ItalyParents: Alessandro and Rosa MussoliniDied: April 28, 1945 in Giulino, ItalySpouse(s): Ida Dalser (m. 1914), Rachelle Guidi (m. 1915-1945)Children: Benito, Edda, Vittorio, Bruno, Romano, Anna Maria Early Life Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini was born on July 29, 1883, in Predappio, a hamlet above Verano di Costa in northern Italy. Mussolini’s father Alessandro was a blacksmith and an ardent socialist who scorned religion. His mother Rosa Maltoni was an elementary school teacher and a devout Catholic. Mussolini had two younger siblings: brother Arnaldo and sister Edvidge. Growing up, Mussolini proved to be a difficult child. He was disobedient and had a quick temper. Twice he was expelled from school for assaulting fellow students with a penknife. Despite all the trouble he caused, however, Mussolini still managed to obtain a diploma and even worked for a short time as a school teacher. Socialist Leanings Looking for better job opportunities, Mussolini moved to Switzerland in July 1902. There he worked a variety of odd jobs and spent his evenings attending local socialist party meetings. One of his jobs was working as a propagandist for a bricklayer trade union. Mussolini took a very aggressive stance, frequently advocated violence, and urged a general strike to create change, all of which led to him being arrested several times. Between his turbulent work at the trade union during the day and his many speeches and discussions with socialists at night, Mussolini soon made enough of a name for himself in socialist circles that he began writing and editing several socialist newspapers. In 1904, Mussolini returned to Italy to serve his conscription requirement in Italy’s peace-time army. In 1909, he lived for a short time in Austria working for a trade union. He wrote for a socialist newspaper and his attacks on militarism and nationalism resulted in his expulsion from the country. After he returned to Italy, Mussolini continued to advocate for socialism and develop his skills as an orator. He was forceful and authoritative, and while frequently wrong in their facts, his speeches were always compelling. His views and his oratory skills quickly brought him to the attention of his fellow socialists. On December 1, 1912, Mussolini began work as the editor of the Italian Socialist newspaper Avanti! Changing Views In 1914, the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand set off a chain of events that culminated in the start of World War I. On August 3, 1914, the Italian government announced it would remain strictly neutral. Mussolini initially used his position as editor of Avanti! to urge fellow socialists to support the government in its position of neutrality. However, his views of the war soon changed. In September 1914, Mussolini wrote several articles supporting those who were backing Italy’s entry into the war. Mussolini’s editorials caused an uproar among his fellow socialists and in November of that year after a meeting of the party executives, he was formally expelled from the party. Wounding On May 23, 1915, the Italian government ordered the general mobilization of armed forces. The next day, Italy declared war on Austria, officially joining World War I. Mussolini, accepting his call to the draft, reported for duty in Milan on August 31, 1915, and was assigned to the 11th Regiment of the Bersaglieri (a corps of sharpshooters). During the winter of 1917, Mussolini’s unit was field testing a new mortar when the weapon exploded. Mussolini was severely wounded, with more than 40 pieces of shrapnel embedded in his body. After a long stay at a military hospital, he recovered from his injuries and was discharged from the Army. Turn to Fascism After the war, Mussolini, who had become decidedly anti-socialist, began to advocate for a strong central government in Italy. Soon he was also advocating for a dictator to lead that government. Mussolini wasnt the only one ready for a major change. World War I had left Italy in shambles and people were looking for a way to make the country strong again. A wave of nationalism swept across Italy and many people began to form local nationalist groups. It was Mussolini who, on March 23, 1919, personally assembled these groups into a single, national organization under his leadership. Mussolini called this new group Fasci di Combattimento (the Fascist Party). Mussolini formed groups of marginalized ex-servicemen into squadristi. As their numbers grew, the squadristi were reorganized into the Milizia Volontaria per la Sicuressa Nazionale, or MVSN, which would later serve as Mussolini’s national security apparatus. Dressed in black shirts or sweaters, the squadristi earned the nickname â€Å"Blackshirts.† The March on Rome In the summer of 1922, the Blackshirts made a punitive march through the provinces of Ravenna, Forli, and Ferrara in northern Italy. It was a night of terror; squads burned down the headquarters and homes of every member of both socialist and communist organizations. By September 1922, the Blackshirts controlled most of northern Italy. Mussolini assembled a Fascist Party conference on October 24, 1922, to discuss a coup de main or â€Å"sneak attack† on the Italian capital of Rome. On October 28, armed squads of Blackshirts marched on Rome. Although badly organized and poorly armed, the move left the parliamentary monarchy of King Victor Emmanuel III in confusion. Mussolini, who had stayed behind in Milan, received an offer from the king to form a coalition government. Mussolini then proceeded to the capital supported by 300,000 men and wearing a black shirt. On October 31, 1922, at the age of 39, Mussolini was sworn in as prime minister of Italy. Il Duce After elections were held, Mussolini controlled enough seats in parliament to appoint himself Il Duce (the leader) of Italy. On January 3, 1925, with the backing of his Fascist majority, Mussolini declared himself dictator of Italy. For a decade, Italy prospered in peace. However, Mussolini was intent on turning Italy into an empire and to do that the country needed a colony. In October 1935, Italy invaded Ethiopia. The conquest was brutal. Other European countries criticized Italy, especially for the nations use of mustard gas. In May 1936, Ethiopia surrendered and Mussolini had his empire. This was the height of Mussolinis popularity; it all went downhill from there. Mussolini and Hitler Out of all the countries in Europe, Germany had been the only one to support Mussolinis attack on Ethiopia. At that time, Germany was led by Adolf Hitler, who had formed his own fascist organization, the National Socialist German Worker’s Party (commonly called the Nazi  Party). Hitler admired Mussolini; Mussolini, on the other hand, did not like Hitler at first. However, Hitler continued to support and back Mussolini, such as during the war in Ethiopia, which eventually swayed Mussolini into an alliance with him. In 1938, Italy passed the Manifesto of Race, which stripped Jews in Italy of their Italian citizenship, removed Jews from government and teaching jobs, and banned intermarriage. Italy was following in the footsteps of Nazi Germany. On May 22, 1939, Mussolini entered into the â€Å"Pact of Steel† with Hitler, which essentially tied the two countries in the event of war- and war was soon to come. World War II On September 1, 1939, Germany invaded Poland, initiating the Second World War. On June 10, 1940, after witnessing Germany’s decisive victories in Poland and France, Mussolini issued a declaration of war on France and Britain. It was clear from the very beginning, however, that Mussolini was not an equal partner with Hitler- and Mussolini did not like that. Over time, Mussolini became frustrated both with Hitlers successes and with the fact that Hitler kept most of his military plans a secret from him. Mussolini looked for a means of emulating Hitler’s accomplishments without letting Hitler know about his plans. Against the advice of his army commanders, Mussolini ordered an attack against the British in Egypt in September 1940. After initial successes, the attack stalled and German troops were sent to reinforce the deteriorating Italian positions. Embarrassed by his armies’ failure in Egypt, Mussolini, against the advice of Hitler, attacked Greece on October 28, 1940. Six weeks later, this attack stalled as well. Defeated, Mussolini was forced to ask the German dictator for assistance. On April 6, 1941, Germany invaded both Yugoslavia and Greece, ruthlessly conquering both countries and rescuing Mussolini from defeat. Italy Revolts Despite Nazi Germanys victories in the early years of World War II, the tide eventually turned against Germany and Italy. By the summer of 1943, with Germany bogged down in a war of attrition with Russia, Allied forces began bombing Rome. Members of the Italian Fascist council turned against Mussolini. They convened and moved to have the king resume his constitutional powers. Mussolini was arrested and sent to the mountain resort of Campo Imperatore in Abruzzi. On September 12, 1943, Mussolini was rescued from imprisonment by a German glider team commanded by Otto Skorzey. He was flown to Munich and met with Hitler shortly thereafter. Ten days later, by order of Hitler, Mussolini was installed as head of the Italian Social Republic in Northern Italy, which remained under German control. Death On April 27, 1945, with Italy and Germany on the brink of defeat, Mussolini attempted to flee to Spain. On the afternoon of April 28, on their way to Switzerland to board a plane, Mussolini and his mistress Claretta Petacci were captured by Italian partisans. Driven to the gates of the Villa Belmonte, they were shot to death by a partisan firing squad. The corpses of Mussolini, Petacci, and other members of their party were driven by truck to the Piazza Loreto on April 29, 1945. Mussolinis body was dumped ​in the road and people of the local neighborhood abused his corpse. Some time later, the bodies of Mussolini and Petacci were hung upside down in front of a fueling station. Although they were initially buried anonymously in the Musocco cemetery in Milan, the Italian government allowed Mussolini’s remains to be re-interred in the family crypt near Verano di Costa on August 31, 1957. Legacy Although Italian Fascism was defeated during World War II, Mussolini has inspired a number of neo-fascist and far-right organizations in Italy and abroad, including the People of Freedom party and the Italian Social Movement. His life has been the subject of several documentaries and dramatic films, including Vincere and Benito. Sources Bosworth, R. J. B.  Mussolini. Bloomsbury Academic, 2014.Hibbert, Christopher.  Benito Mussolini: a Biography. Penguin, 1965.

Case study _ Investemnt management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Case study _ Investemnt management - Essay Example In order to succeed with that thought, she inquired from the small business around her and hoped that the idea would bring in more assets and less loses. The strategy was a good move as it allowed her to have more clients as well as giving back to the society /community by employing more people. With a bigger business, it gives an opening for more opportunities as well as profit maximization to the business. Though it can be more advantageous the strategy can also have negative impacts as it can easily fail bringing loses to the business. To expand a business it requires so much input to the same and it can be overwhelming to the employer and the employee leading to its termination before it gets a good foundation. The strategy however is a good element for a business as it gives clients a variety of things and services to benefit from. Sarah however had other alternatives other than expanding her business. She would have gotten more employees with better marketing skills to ensure that more people were aware of her products and services. This would mean more new clients, more contracts and even more profits to her business. Sarah wo uld also have thought of opening more branches of Beta Management outside Boston suburb. This would have assisted with company’s popularity as well as its brand making. In order to add clients or customers value in her business, she was supposed to do some things that were different from her competitors that were supposed to benefit both her and the clients. She needed to have her clients loyalty to her services and products and to do this she was supposed to prioritize the quality of her business to the quantity of what she was doing. This would defiantly assist her win against the competitors in both short and long run which will ensure steady clients commitment, more clients joining the business as well as more profits over the years. Sarah’s New Year’s resolution

The study on Human resources in a digital age Dissertation

The study on Human resources in a digital age - Dissertation Example Primary research is conducted for the study. This is done using the questionnaire method on a sample of 100 HR professionals across different sectors. They are primarily HR executives and HR managers in organizations. The analysis is done based on the responses collected from candidates and presented in the form of graphs and pie charts. The drawbacks and loopholes in the system are identified and suitable recommends are provided to eliminate them. Table of Contents Abstract 2 Introduction 5 Background 6 Research aims and objectives 7 Problem Statement 8 Literature Review 8 Impact of Information technology in human resources in organizations, changing trends 8 Human Resource Management using information technology and competitive edge of firms 13 Strategic constraints on human resource management in the digital age 17 Technology and training for human resource professionals 20 Research Methodology 24 Primary Research Study 24 Scope of Research 25 Data Collection methods and technique s 26 Research Limitations 27 Questionnaire design 28 Research Findings and Analysis 29 Quantitative Analysis 29 Qualitative Analysis 38 Recommendations 42 Conclusion 44 Reference 46 Bibliography 49 Appendix 51 Questionnaire 51 Introduction Globalization and global competition has been imposing great pressure on managers in organizations to make better and faster business decisions. Investments in information and technology have also been creeping up along with this pressure. Investments in the area of information and technology in considered being one of the critical means of improving and fastening up of management decision making. Even then, organizations have faced the great difficulty in realising the potential of investments in the areas of information and technology in businesses. This has been particularly visible in the business area of human resource management, despite the fact that longer lead times associated with changes in human resource management systems necessarily means HR accounts for a major candidate to derive benefits from information and technology. In order to emerge successful amidst the increasingly and global competition managers are constantly faced with the pressure of controlling labour costs, motivating employees and subordinates to provide high quality services, enhancing customer oriented performances and constantly searching for better and new ways of doing the jobs successfully. Circumstances make it mandatory for organizations to meeting these objectives against all odds in the face of a shrinking workforce and the global environment in which employees hail from diverse and multicultural backgrounds located across different parts of the globe. Even the routine and conventional tasks maintaining records of employees and regulatory and legal compliance have become increasingly geometrically intensified. In other words systems and operations in organizations have become more complicated and this consequently demands more sophis ticated technology applications which go much further beyond the conventional tasks of improving the routine task activities. Managers have their own stake in exploiting information technology for furthering and bettering human resource management. However, various managers have different views regarding the effectiveness of use of IT in human resource

Does Crime And Violence Affect The Tourism Industry Tourism Essay

Does Crime And Violence Affect The Tourism Industry Tourism Essay This group assignment will discuss the impact of crime and violence on the tourism industry in Jamaica using statistical data such as graphs, charts and figures to support our factual findings. The purpose of this report is to show whether crime and violence will affect Jamaica potential investments in the near future or in the present, also if this factor affects the different sectors of tourism which include entertainment, sports, health, and food amongst others. These facts and statistics are taken from a variety of sites, which include the Gleaner, Statinja and other sites stated in the reference of the report. What is Crime and Violence? There are many definitions for both Crime and Violence. What is crime? Crime is a harmful action, omission or an activity considered to be evil shameful or wrong which is against a person or a country. It is also an illegal act which or can be punished by law. What is Violence? Violence is a behaviour that involves the use of physical force which unlawfully exercised towards property and or persons, situations like these; may cause intentions which may lend to the killing or hurting of someone. What is Tourism? Tourism is an activity which an individual or a group of individuals, that leads to the movement from one place to another within a country, or from one country to another. This happens due to the performing of specific tasks or the awareness that the particular place have to offer like its civilization and culture and also the increase of knowledge about the country and its culture and history. The different types of Crime and Violence When it comes on to Crime and Violence there are many different types because every day there is something new that doesnt falls under the previous types of crime and violence. Lets starts off with the different types of Crime. There are many but just to name a few: Crime against Persons -includes rape, robbery and murder etc. Crime against Property- this is self-explanatory, theft of home without harm such as body burglary larceny and etc. Crime against Morality- may include illegal gambling, illegal use of drugs. White-Collar Crime- committed by people in high social status against people of the same status like embezzling (stealing money from employees) The type of Violence: Physical Violence- is the intention with the use of physical force which in the ended injury, harm, death or even disability may occur. Sexual Violence- takes place without consent or understanding. Psychological/Emotion Violence- may involve trauma of a victim cause by threats of acts. Domestic Violence- is this self-explanatory violence within the home, family or between spouses. Types of Tourism and if Crime and Violence has an Impact on them There are a lot of different types of tourism in Jamaica, just to name a few we have: Eco tourism/ Nature Sports Heritage/ Cultural Adventure Leisure Business The ones that crime and violence will most likely to affect is Adventure tourism and Leisure tourism. Visitors who come here for adventure are more likely to go out on their own without any form of trained tour guide, trying to learn about the country and its history and sometimes fall prey to those out there looking for trouble and trying to cause problem for other people. The ones, who come for leisure, relax and party. Especially when they go out o party they might hook up with people that they dont know, just wanting to have a good time and end up being robbed or taken advantage of or worst. Does Crime and Violence have an Impact on the Tourism Industry? Tourism in Jamaica is seen as the primary foreign exchange industry. This industry has a few negative impacts attached to it, such as theft, murder, scams, harassment amongst others. Since the Norman Manley International Airport is a form of entrance and exit point for visitors and it is located near some of the volatile areas of Kingston such as Bull Bay, Rock fort and others; it puts them at risk for violence to be perpetrated against them. According to the Jamaica 2012 crime and safety report, these are the following set of crime and violence that impact tourism, they include: Theft (robbery -jewellery, money, credit cards etc) Murder Rape/ Sexual Violence Fraud (Lottery scam, credit card fraud) Extortion Kidnapping Harassment (Craft Vendors, Street Sellers or Rent-A-Dreads) The report states that there is no evidentiary support that criminals are targeting U.S. citizens directly, but it further states that skimming which is a type of fraud is becoming popular among the Jamaican employees in restaurants, hotels, resorts and villas. These persons are capturing visitors credit card information and utilizing it for their benefit by stealing money out of the visitors accounts. The report also states that tourists are becoming a target for pick pocketing and petty cash crimes. To support these findings, below is table and graph to illustrate. Table showing crimes reported over the last seven years against U.S. citizens Type of Crimes Reported Amount Murders 7 Rape/ Sexual Assault 12 Aggravated Assault 9 Robbery 37 Kidnapping 1 Domestic Violence 5 Child Abuse 3 Also, the report states that the hotels and resorts employees have brought sexual violence towards the visitors in a number of hotels not named which are located on the north coast. On the other hand lottery scam as become prevalent on the Jamaican north coast (Mobay, Trelawney and Hanover) concerning the U.S. citizens. The criminals set up legitimate companies to defraud these Americans, the criminal element convince these persons to send large amount of money to specific account or fraudulent name here in Jamaica. They do this by telling them that they either won some bogus prize or a all expensive paid trip to Jamaica. This resulted in the closing of Grace remittent service areas which further cause a decrease in remittance in those areas. However these problems are been recognized by the government of Jamaica and they are taken steps to prevent these crimes from happening. These steps include more policing by foot and bicycle patrols in cruise ports and tourist areas, also an upgrade in training on how to deal with these types of crimes. For example the state has taken serious measures to clamp down on the lottery scam on the north coast; there has been numerous arrest and seizures of high end vehicles over the past year. Therefore, all of these factors mentioned above prove that crime has an impact on Jamaicas tourism industry. Facts and figures derived from the Jamaican Constabulary Force about the latest crime figures in Jamaica. J.C.F. latest homicides figures of 2012 January-February Type of Crime Places/Parishes No. of Deaths Murders St. Catherine North (Spanish Town, Bog Walk) 25 St. Catherine South (Portmore, Old Harbour, Central Village) 13 St. James 22 Clarendon 13 St. Andrew South 10 NB: a comparison of murders/ homicide cases for 2011 and 2012 In the period of February 11, 2011 murder cases stood at 114 compared to the same time period for 2012 it has risen to 137. J.C.F statistics show there was 536 murders between January 1 and June 23 of 2012, 32 more than last year. Statistics for the hot spot parishes of Jamaica according to the Gleaner news paper and the Jamaica Constabulary Force Hanover: 22 murders, a 267 per cent increase when compared to last year St. James: with the lottery scam 79 murders, the highest of all 19 divisions Kingston Central: 117 per cent increase when compared to last year St. Andrew North: 76 per cent increase compared to last year Kingston Eastern: 42 per cent increases compared to last year St. Andrew Central: 33 per cent compared to last year Other graphs to show that crime has an impact on the tourism industry in Jamaica Bar  chart showing  total number of  drug  crimes  between1995 to1999http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQePxuzlRIHxO6746D_DvaHX9KrcVMO4XNuadeDVdZ8tN5yXnsdUA Crimes committed over the Period of 2003 to 2012 in Jamaicas North Coast Area Montego Bay Year Type of Crime 2003 Murder 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 Fig 1 Table showing the crime figures from 2003 to 2012 for Montego bay Trelawney Year Type of Crimes 2012 Carnal Abuse Rapes Shooting Robberies Larceny Fig 2 Graph showing crime figures for Trelawney in 2012 St. Ann Year Type of Crimes 2010 Murders Rapes Shooting Larceny Recommendations to Improve Crime and Violence in Jamaica tourism Industry 1. Develop special legislation to address acts of terrorism. 2. The political leadership in the country must recommit to a set of values and a code of conduct consistent with the vision of a safe, peaceful and prosperous Jamaica so that tourist can feel safe. 3. To encourage visitors not to wonder into unknown territories unless they are being accompanied by a tour guide or someone recommended by the hotel or by the JTB. 4. When travelling to other areas in Jamaica it is better to drive or get a shuttle than walk on the road so that they wont be harassed by some of the locals. 5. Since 1956 the tourist industry has been regulated by the Jamaican Tourist Board (JTB) which greeted tourists, provided courtesy police, trained workers to help keep our visitors safe and happy and from being harassed. Most harassment stemmed from frequent peddling of goods to tourists, at times incessantly; this peddling most likely reflected the high unemployment rates. Tourists were also approached to purchase drugs, primarily marijuana, colloquially called ganja.   Conclusion It has been concluded that crime and violence has its tool on tourism. Due to the crime and violence such as scamming, theft etc. But it still hasnt stop visitor from to Jamaica, because at the end day crime and violence happen all over the world but its just up to the government to control the crime rate. Hence the crime and violence will have a lesser impact on tourism.

Effect Of Western Culture On Indian Youth Essay

How there is head and tail for a coin, there is both positive and negative impact of western culture on India and especially on Indian youth, In past in India men were our traditional dresses, but now it is entirely changed, now the Indian youth moving with jeans, t-shirts, minis, micros, etc., here we can proud of that western culture, it bringing us with the fast moving world. But when we consider the pubs, it is the thing to be strictly punished. In pubs both men and women are in drastic stage, by taking drugs, it should be punished. And we need to felt sorry for that. And there r many things to be taken from the western culture. Well World is changing, because of lot of developments in various sectors like IT, MANUFACTURING, Revolution of E COMMERCE and many more †¦ have brought the ties between various nations/ people and their cultures to get mixed with each other. WELL I WOULD TAKE A BIASED OPINION IN THIS. Lets take example of USA. Well Indians are crazy of adopting Western Culture LIKE DRESS CODE, MUSIC, HABITS, IMPORTING FOREIGN GOODS. What not we feel so attracted to all those. But by adopting we dint loose our traditions and culture; we tend to blend both of them. It all depends on person likes and dislikes, how he /she will behave according to situations. As our friend PAVANI has mentioned like PUBS are to be strictly banned. Well that cant is possible realistically. If an individual decides what is good/bad for them every person can be in control †¦rite I finally stress points like No matter people adopt what ever the culture †¦ They shud be in the limits and act rationally according to the situations. We jus cant stop/Ban things by considering it to be western /eastern. We need to analyze what benefits we get and try to choose.options. Since what all we want is PROGRESS/DEVELOPMENT ultimately to our nation. So IT’S EVERY PERSONS RESPONSIBILY TO CONTRIBUTE HIS/HER PART TO IT. I guess always the other†¦

Myelodysplastic Syndromes Are A Group Of Disorders Caused...

â€Å"Myelodysplastic syndromes are a group of disorders caused by poorly formed or dysfunctional blood cells.† (Mayo Clinic 2015) Myelodysplastic syndromes, also known as bone marrow failure syndromes, occur when the bone marrow is not doing its job of providing enough functional, healthy blood cells. These syndromes generally occur with geriatric patients, and are responsible for a host of issues such as abnormal bleeding, infection, bruising, and anemia. People with these syndromes generally present with some form of cytopenia, whether it be anemia, neutropenia, or thrombocytopenia. MDS causes the cells produced to usually have shorter life spans, resulting in less mature blood cells making it out into the circulatory system. These cells tend to have abnormal shapes and appearances in addition to their failure to function correctly. MDS is a progressive disease, and generally is not considered terminal, although some patients will progress into acute myeloid leukemia as a r esult of the disease. Unlike some other syndromes, MDS is not inherited, and there are many risk factors that will be discussed later that can exacerbate this illness. Myelodysplastic syndromes occur when blood cells are misshapen and dysfunctional. These syndromes generally do not cause symptoms in the beginning, but as they progress the signs and symptoms make themselves known. Some symptoms include shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, pallor, petechiae, abnormal bleeding and bruising, and