Respectable Citizens: Gender, Family and Unemployment

Respectable Citizens: Gender, Family and Unemployment in Ontario’s Great Depression By Lara Campbell – A Review Lara Campbell’s, professor of history at Simon Frasier University, book Respectable Citizens: Gender, Family and Unemployment in Ontario’s Great Depression (published in 2009) provides a thoroughly researched look at an often looked over topic in regards to the Great Depression; gender. Her beginning introductory chapter sets the focus of this book and she takes time to consider the strengths and weaknesses of her thoroughly used sources.This overview of the book provides the reader with a well formatted look into her topics of discussion; namely the aspects of the welfare state, labour, and gender identity and understanding. Campbell divides her book into five primary chapters; each of which discuss a variety of issues and themes supplemented thoroughly with examples of accounts. Chapter one demonstrates the vital role which women, particularly as mothers, played within the home in order to ensure economic survival. Additionally, this chapter discusses the influence and importance of society’s view of just what a â€Å"good wife/mother† was including class differences.Survival through domestic work (e. g. nutrition, clothing, keeping house, budgeting) and informal labour (e. g. taking in laundry, sewing, prostitution, taking boarders) served as staples for women and mothers alike during this era. Campbell also discusses and provides insights on the matters of single motherhood, employed married women – who were largely subject to public ire for taking the jobs of men especially if their husband also had a job– and women deserting their families. This chapter, much like the second focuses on the roles, duties and expectations placed upon women and men in regards to their families.Chapter two continues on such topic with its focus being on men. This particular chapter demonstrates the stresses pla ced upon the family as men — the quinticental â€Å"bread-winners† — were increasingly unable to fill their role and were forced to endure searches for work and resulted in demands of social entitlement. Campbell spends particular attention to the humiliation of men in accepting relief money and as well as the concept of being unable to provide and fill their role as husbands and fathers leading to suicide.Chapter three canvases the contributions and involvements of the youth with their families through, primarily, informal and formal labour along with theft and black market dealings. It can be seen in this chapter the weighting of school against economic need; many for going schooling due to lack of clothing, supplies and duty to the family. As the chapter progresses Campbell demonstrates the requirements placed upon the sons and daughters even as they reached adulthood and the conflicts it generated between parent and child through the various acts employed by the state (e. . Parents Maintenance Act). The subject of illegitimate children and abortions is also discussed as Campbell portrays the effect the Depression had upon marriage rates. Chapters four and five, much like chapters one and two, share similarities in their subject matter; both chapters discuss protect, state policy and provision at length. In chapter four Campbell focuses on the stresses and their effects on both men and women in the home, including domestic abuse, and towards the state (e. g. eviction protests, meetings and political mobilization).Chapter five builds on the themes of protests toward the state and the variables of such things as gender (largely traditional in nature), ethnicity and class that shaped such matters like child welfare and rightful claims. By large Campbell explores the identity of Canadians during the Great Depression through gender and family. She depicts and discusses the traditional notions of the â€Å"Bread-Winner† husband and the â€Å"Good† wife and mother; both characters that provide and sustain the families in vital ways and the reflection the trials of the era presented such â€Å"Respectable Citizens† with.The main method of asserting these notions being through her extensive use of accounts from government documents, court records, newspapers, memoirs, plays, and interviews with women and men who lived in Ontario during the 1930s. Campbell’s focus on the hardships faced during the economic crisis allows for one to neatly achieve insight into the gendered dynamics that took place within the families of Ontario’s lives. She draws less so on the notion of Canadian â€Å"Britishness† but more so on how such a foundation influenced the actions of the people in what was to be perceived as the fundamental aspects of the man and women of the house.Campbell’s focus on the family-sphere demonstrates not only aspects of class structure and gender norms but the stateâ₠¬â„¢s view on them. She reports that often mothers were the unsung heads of house that not only fed, cleaned, clothed and nurtured but took stock of every item and ensured that every penny eared or received was used to its full capacity (this aspect being the chief discussion topic in chapter one). Additionally, she presents the societal view of class standards of women as the consumers of society.Poor or low class women often lectured on the supposed simplicities of keeping house and, perhaps famously, â€Å"making do†, while the middle to high class women were reportedly encouraged to spend what money was available to them for the purpose of keeping the Canadian market going as opposed to their counterparts who praised for â€Å"making a dollar do the work of five† (as praised by the father of Mary Cleevson about his wife on page 26 of Campbell’s book). Campbell also goes into detail of the effectiveness of the various acts put in place during the 1930s to sup plement earnings and the survivability of a family.These entitlements, while for a number of men were seen as humiliating to receive as it was a show against their ability to provide , served to identify that which adult (primarily parents) were entitled too by virtue of some nature of service. The Parent’s Maintenance Act is a good example of this; a parent or set of parents were able to call upon the court and demand payment due to them from their adult children under the basis that their sons and daughters owed a debt to them simply for being their parents.There were of course, as Campbell does not fail to provide examples for, cases in which the adult children were unable to pay due to personal circumstance or out of refusal by way of seeing their parent (particular the father) as lazy—such as the mentioned case of 52 year old Harry Bartram in June of 1937 who was denied by one of his three sons the five dollar weekly payment under such a claim (as seen on page 98 of Respectable Citizens). Finally, Campbell’s demonstrates the somewhat charming penchant Canadians appear to have for complaining.Within the chapters of Respectable Citizens one is shown various instances in which wives and mothers of all sorts take the community’s moral fiber into their own hands through acts such as calling the police on those suspected of prostitution, theft and selling on the black market and sending letters to the Primers of Ontario of the time George Henry (1930-34) and Mitchell Hepburn (1934-42) of the hardships that must face. It is this activism that becomes a part of the identity that builds into eviction protests, meetings and committees and political mobilization.Lara Campbell’s book contributes to the understanding of Canadian history and identity of the affectionately named â€Å"Dirty Thirties† by taking the opportunity to look past the issues of hunger and job loss alone and onto the people more specifically. While she do es take time to emphasize the job loss and economic crisis of the decade, she applies those factors in making an effort to comprehend society’s reaction and how that reaction reflects upon gender roles and family.This analysis clearly reveals aspects of the Canadian welfare state through well-developed topics and examples, providing a comfortable read for any who should chose to read this book. The discussion of state policy, relief efforts, labour and social movements as well as they altered family dynamic of the era allows for a clear understanding on a human level. Bibliography Campbell, Lara. Respectable Citzens: Gender, Family and Unemployment in Ontario’s Great Depression. (University of Toronto Press: 2009).

Impact of Technology Essay

Abstract The information technology investments have increased significantly with time and advancement in technology. In this study, an attempt is made to highlight how the information technology influences the organization productivity. The correlation between the information technology (IT) and productivity was very argumentative. Many studies were conducted to identify the impact of IT on productivity conclude different results. It is impossible to estimate the productivity growth due to the availability of so many advanced computer technologies, as it’s tough to consider all parameters involved while calculating productivity growth. Several researches and studies were documented stating positive effects of IT on productivity growth. But still there were few against this statement. Introduction The advancement in the information technology made both consumers and business enterprises to use it. Computers, laptops, wireless communications etc. are all part of IT and incorporated in every industry. Enterprises invest in these technologies because it was assumed technologies will enhance productivity. Companies aim to generate more business and high turnovers through less investment. In a race to gain more efficiency, the enterprises are adapting new technologies. Huge investments are made on new technologies to survive in industry. The major challenge is to produce high quality goods and services at low prices. Some enterprises understood the  value and importance of information technology and used it to deliver more products in less time and more reliable and convenient services at lower cost. This will also help to gain competitive advantage over rivals. It was illustrated in a study to generate high productivity growths from information technology; enterprises should cha nge the existing infrastructure as well as business practices (Brynjolfsson & Brown, 2005). Many enterprises changed the organizational structure to exploit the full potential of information technology and its applications. Brynjolfsson and Hitt (1998) linked productivity with living standards to understand it better. They mentioned that value of productivity can be easily understood when related with our living standards. They highlighted the significance of productivity by comparing it with our living standards and mentioned that, â€Å"productivity growth determines our living standards and the wealth of nations.† This reflects the customers’ behavior to consume more in less money. They also point out that the concept of productivity is simple and vast but tough to measure with accuracy. Information Technology and Productivity Productivity was described as the amount of output generated for a certain amount of input (Brynjolfsson, 2003; Hitt & Brynjolfsson, 1995). Productivity can also be defined as the measure of the quantity of outputs in goods and services per unit of input (Muriwai, 2006). Productivity can be measured either by keeping the output static or input. Productivity can be increased with increase in output keeping input constant or by decreasing the input keeping the output static. The term information technology was defined narrowly as the expenditures made on the computing hardware (Brynjolfsson, 2003 and Hitt & Brynjolfsson, 2005). It was elaborated a little more as. All the computer software and hardware, tools and services used in the business processes and operations are a part of information technology. The investments in information technology were defined as the expenses on the computer hardware and software and all other devices related with IT (Morrison, 1997). The main purpose of these investments is developing a modern infrastructure within the organization to boost productivity of both organization and employees (Dehning, Dow, & Stratopoulus, 2003). It was documented by Mahmood and Mann (2005) that  investment in IT was not sufficient enough to increase productivity. Strategic decisions had to be made whether investment in IT would help to accomplish objectives and goals set. A harmony must occur between IT investments and changes in business process to have high productivity growth, even greater than investment in information technology. Keller (2004) also stated that when IT is utilized appropriately at workplace that also helps a lot in productivity growth. Just investing in information technology is not sufficient to gain growth in productivity; but organization can visualize changes brought by information technology (Brynjolfsson & Hitt, 1998; Dedrick, Gurbaxani & Kraemer, 2003). A significant relation between IT investments per employee and overall productivity of company was found by Brynjolfsson (2003). The enterprises gained high productivity growth who invested huge sum in information technology effectively. But pattern of productivity growth across the enterprises varied no doubt the return from IT investment were positive (Brynjolfsson & Hitt, 1998). It takes time to realize productivity gains from investments in information technology. It was supported by Mahmood and Mann (1988) that productivity growth and performance of the organization improves in time period of two or three years after investing in information technology. Dedrick et al. (2003) also believed that productivity gains are realized after a long time period. It was highlighted in their research that information technology payoffs are high when firms’ effectively apply information technology in long run. It’s easy to measure productivity when tangible products and goods are produced as in the manufacturing sector. An input alteration in the manufacturing process can bring substantial changes in productivity. For instance, the use of automation technology and robotics produce outputs of good quality (Kao & Liu, 2005). On the contrary, it’s tough to measure and improve productivity in service sector. It’s next to impossible to evaluate the productivity of an employee. A method was proposed by Tallon and Kraemer (2006) to measure precisely the impact of information technology on productivity. A method of perceptual measures was recommended by them. Perceptual measures would bring new scope to study impact of technology on productivity. They described it as â€Å"perceptual measures, if structured around information technology impacts at the process-level, can yield richer insights than objective criteria alone†. Authors’ Agree and Disagree: The research was done by many to study the impact of IT on productivity (Brynjolfsson & Brown, 2005; Brynjolfsson & Hitt, 1998; Melville, Kraemer & Gurbaxani, 2004 and Kudyba, 2004). The expectation that productivity will certainly increase by utilizing the IT were not always true. But researches ended up with different conclusions, some stated positive impacts of IT on productivity and others negative. Information technology had negative impact on productivity. Mahmood and Mann (2005) mentioned in their study that there is no adequate evidence available in past researches showing the positive effects of IT on productivity. It was also supported by Dedrick et al. (2003) stating, â€Å"Studies have failed to identify a relationship between information technology investment and firm profitability.† The term productivity paradox was introduced by Robert Solow in 1987 explaining the inability of the information technology contributing towards firm productivity (Solow. 1987). He made a statement that growth in productivity was not accompanied by the information technology. He also discussed that the companies didn’t had expected results in productivity after investing in Information technology. He quoted, â€Å"You can see the computer age everywhere but in the productivity statistics†. In my opinion and during my research I realized that impact of IT on productivity had mixed reviews from different authors, researchers and economists. Researchers used new approach to reveal the hidden positive effects of IT on productivity. Brynjolfsson and Hitt (1998) illustrated that â€Å"Information technology has a positive and significant impact on firm output, contradicting the claims of a productivity paradox (p52).† This was also supported by Brynjolfsson (2003) and Dedrick et al. (2003) that productivity including the output per worker annually had increased significantly with use of information technology. It was mentioned by Kudyba (2004) that the output can be upraised with increased information technology skills. The new information technology and techniques effectively when used by the companies, those companies are productive than who don’t use it (Brynjolfsson & Brown, 2005). When the technologies and techniques were used perfectly and timely, yield high level of productivity. The three ways were  discussed by Brynjolfsson (2003), Keller (2004) and Brynjolfsson & Hitt (1998) to recognize productivity growth from IT: by decreasing the cost on Information technology and keeping the benefits from business stagnant; increase the benefits from business and keeping the investment in Information technology constant; or reduce the cost of information technology and benefits increase from business. The information technology is important and valuable for organization (Melville et al., 2004). They also stated that effective and efficient use of information technology can yield potential benefits, like cost reduction, improving quality and at last productivity. The companies, who used information technology effectively, had also observed an increase in price of their market share more than others. It had been reported by Mahmood and Mann (2005) that both IT labour and computer resources contribute towards return on investments. They also mentioned in their report that effective enterprises have developed and improved their infrastructures and investing highly in information technology. Information technology is a medium through which the information can be distributed easily within organizations. The highly advanced IT infrastructures create an atmosphere within organization that encourages decentralized process of decision making (Brynjolfsson & Brown, 2005). When modification of the business processes is done within organizations, it becomes necessary to integrate information technologies. The productivity can be enhanced by integrating information technology investments with decentralize process of decision making (Melville et al., 2004). The integration of information technology investments and other investments within business also proves to be beneficial (Brynjolfsson & Hitt, 1998). The operations and business processes within the organization must be evaluated and ensure that existing business enviro nment can adapt the new technology, before future information technology investments made (Zhou & Chen, 2003). The predictable and estimated outcomes can be realized from IT investments through integration of technologies and current business processes (Kudyba, 2004). It becomes important to restructure the business processes with the changing business environments when new information systems are set up (Zhou & Chen, 2003). McNamara and Watson (2005) also reported that the integration of the existing technology systems with new technologies within organizations yields the expected productivity growth.  They also discussed how the existing technologies can be employed in various business operations, it equally productive as investing in new information technologies. Brynjolfsson and Hitt (1998) found that â€Å"The greatest benefits of computers appear to be realized when computer investment is coupled with other complementary investments; new strategies, new business processes and new organizations all appear to be important in realizing the maximum benefit of information technology†. The companies must integrate all daily activities, decentralize decision process, flow of information from high to low level, this will enhance productivity growth and all these attributes directly or indirectly contribute to information technology (Brynjolfsson, 2003). The organizations use various methods and measures like product quality, profitability, and value of market shares to measure productivity (Dedrick et al., 2003). There is a possibility that productivity can also be gained through effective management. It was observed that productivity can be increased by information technology and make worth for consumers (Hitt & Brynjolfsson, 1995). Devaraj and Kohli (2003) proposed a method which requires elevation of the IT usage at the employees’ level individually and then finally investigating its effect on organizational performance. Employees’ of modern organization may call it push or pull of IT investments. This phenomenon of push or pull in IT investments may inspire employees’ for using new technologies and this may lead to productivity improvements. Kudyba (2004) mentioned that competitive advantage can be gained by hiring skilled and experienced employees. In my view, the employees must be trained to use new technologies or companies should hire skilled and experienced employees. It also depends how the new technologies are being utilized by the enterprises to enhance their productivity. Only those companies will maximize their productivity that will use the technology perfectly and timely. I have also learned during my research that productivity doesn’t depend on one factor, there are number of parameters that affect the overall productivity of the organizations. The accurate methods are required for calculating the productivity, to recognize the growth of productivity. Rather than focusing on productivity only, enterprises should develop new strategies to integrate t echnologies with new opportunities. The barriers to entry can be easily terminated by raising the firm’s efficiency and gaining competitive advantage. Benefit to Manager There is a big challenge ahead for all the mangers and decision makers how to consume the information technologies at best and have maximum benefits. It’s not compulsory that the companies will have same levels of productivity if provided with same information technology, it depends how the technology is utilized to have high growth in productivity (Brynjolfsson, 2003). To maintain competitive advantage in the industry, the managers had to find new ways in which they can exploit the full potential of technologies differently from their rivals. Melville et al. (2004) mentioned the competitive advantage gained through human resource and technical synergies cannot be maintained for long. A strategy or mechanism had to develop to gain competitive edge for long periods and which is not easy to imitate. The competitive advantage can be maintained until others don’t follow what you are doing, once others start following your techniques it’s tough to sustain competitive advantage (Brynjolfsson, 2003). I believe that managers should examine future values of all IT investments when productivity results were not up to the level of expectations. The organizational leaders are not ready to invest more on technologies, when results from previous IT investments are not beneficial enough (Devaraj & Kohli, 2003). A big challenge for the leaders to justify future investments in technologies when there is no significant evidence of productivity improvement from previously investments in information technologies (Dehning, Dow, & Stratopoulus, 2003). Managers should focus on other aspects of business process also rather than on productivity alone. Hitt and Brynjolfsson (1995) discussed that managers should concentrate more on how information technology can be used to improve product quality and customer service. Information technology has the potential to reduce the expenses on such services and change the mode of production and delivery of the goods and services so can’t be easily imitated by competitors (Hitt & Brynjolfsson, 1995). The uniqueness in utilizing the information technologies in business operations and processes is the key to stay ahead of the competitors in the market. This not only provides competitive advantage but also increases the overall growth in productivity. Conclusion The conclusion can be drawn that investing in information technology doesn’t  have any positive impact on productivity growth until utilized properly and effectively. The impact of investing in technologies can be realized how organizations utilize technologies effectively depending on the current situations of organizations and derive expected productivity results. The invention of telecommunication, computer software and hardware had totally changed operations within the organizations. The use of these forms of technology was extensively popular and in-demand among the various industrial sectors. The enterprises had changed their existing infrastructures to adapt these new technologies. The meaning both consumption and productivity have changed with innovation of information technology. Organizations across the globe are implementing new technologies to enhance the daily business activities with the purpose to survive and compete in this new global world of information tec hnology. References Brynjolfsson, E. (2003). ROI valuation :The IT productivity gap. (21). Retrieved from http://ebusiness.mit.edu/erik/Optimize/pr_roi.html. Brynjolfsson, E., & Brown, P. (2005). VII pillars of IT productivity. Optimize Manhasset.4(5), 26-35.Retrived from http://www.georgeschussel.com/wpcontent/uploads/articles/NY6420050502_erik.pdf. Brynjolfsson, E., & Hitt, L. M. (1998). Beyond the productivity paradox. Communications Of The ACM, 41(8), 49 – 55. Retrived from http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.195.1657&rep=rep1&type=pdf Dedrick, J., Gurbaxani, V., & Kraemer K.L. (2003). Information Technology and Economic Performance: A Critical Review of the Empirical Evidence. ACM Computing Surveys ,35(1),1-28.Retrived from Business Source Complete. Dehning, B., Dow, K. E., & Stratopoulos, T. C. 2003. The info-tech â€Å"Productivity Paradox†dissected and tested. Management Accounting Quarterly,5(1),31-39. Retrieved from Business Source Complete. Devaraj, S., & Ko hli, R.(2003). Performance impacts of information technology: Is actual usage the missing link?. Management Science, 49(3),273-289. Retrieved from Business Source Complete. Hitt, L. & Brynjolfsson, E. (1995). Productivity, profit and consumer welfare: Three different measures of information technology’s value. MIS Quarterly, 20(2), 121 -143. Keller, E. (2004). What Is Your IT Productivity. MSI 22(2), 33 – 34. Kudyba, S. (2004). The productivity pay-off from effective allocation of IT and non- IT labour.

Personality Theorists Bandura and Maslow

Personality is a fascinating subject to study, because every person has a personality that is unique and complex. Personality theorists spend their time studying the reasons why people act the way they do. Are their innate processes that ensure a person will react to a situation differently if he is hungry? How will two different people behave if they both witness the same automobile crash?How behavior is affected and determined has been studied for years, and there are many different theories. Two theorists who have contributed significantly to this field of study are Bandura and Maslow.Bandura, like all behaviorists, was primarily interested in the stimulus-response branch of psychology. Having studied Skinner’s approach to Behaviorism, Bandura did agree that external forces contributed to behaviors. He believed environmental situations and reinforcers lead to certain behaviors. But Bandura also set out to answer some problems he found with Skinner’s theory. As Wagner (2009) states, even in his earliest work, Bandura argued that believing behavior could only be caused by a stimulus-response cycle was too simplistic.His studies led him to believe that behavior was not only a reaction to environmental stimuli as Skinner had proposed, but could also be learned from watching a model perform the behavior that could be copied. He also believed that learning could be cognitive. One of the most significant observations Bandura made during his studies was that while the environment did cause behaviors, behaviors could also create an environment. This phenomenon he called reciprocal determinism: The world and a person’s behavior cause each other.Bandura also believed that self-efficacy contributed to behavior. A person’s internal need to attain goals could cause them to behave in a way that ensured them success. Due to his research, Bandura argued that external and internal factors affected behavior. People can choose to act a certain way, o r the environment can cause them to act a certain way. Another theorist who made significant contributions to personality and behavior theory was Maslow. His most significant theory was his idea of a hierarchy of human needs.At the most basic level, humans have intrinsic needs, such as food and shelter, and the feeling of safety. Internal factors such as being hungry and the ability to breathe properly contribute to outward behaviors. Lemer (2000) summarized Maslow’s ideas into a practical application, by stating that, with children, adults should address the higher level needs for safety, security and knowledge only after the most primitive biological needs are met. Clearly, internal needs factor into behavior.As a people move up the hierarchy however, external factors begin to play a much larger role in behavior choice. Concepts such as morality, respect, and self-esteem are influenced by external factors such as societal demands and personal interactions. Maslow, like Band ura, believed that both internal and external factors contributed to behaviors. People behave certain ways at certain times due to a myriad of factors. Both of these theorists make powerful cases for the idea that behavior is both intrinsically and externally motivated. The case for internal motivation is solid.There are times when people choose to behave in a certain manner due to a need for respect, to fulfill a perceived role, or to attain a goal. Their behavior during those times is due to an internal desire for something. However, there are other times when environmental factors also cause behavior. A person may be trying to act a certain way, but a situation may arise that causes them to change the course of their behavior. It is also true that people can learn through simple observation, and this has to be caused by both internal and external factors.The environment and the situation the person is watching is shaping their behavior. But it also the internal need to duplicate the behavior of the other person that causes them to watch and learn. Both Bandura and Maslow believed that behavior was both internally and externally motivated. References Wagner, K. V. (2009). Albert Bandura biography. Retrieved May 10, 2009 from http://psychology. about. com/od/profilesofmajorthinkers/p/bio_bandura. htmfrom Lemer, P. S. (2000). Treat needs, not behavior: Maslow for the millennium. New Developments, 6(2), 23-26.

Press release Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 3

Press release - Essay Example Backers get 50%, authors 40% and CrowdBook gets the remaining 10%. With CrowdBook, Authors books are published in a unique way. It is ready to raise potential authors from ground level and watch them grow by connecting them to backers who CrowdFund them. In an interview with R.J.Huneke, an Author, explains that the company wish to see investors involved in book publishing in the future. CrowdFunding is a system of collecting funds in which backers support a project till completion. R.J. Huneke continues to say that he had worked on his novel, Cyberwar, for a year and for the past five months he had reached more than 300 agents who worked in thriller/commercial but all said they couldn’t take a risk at that time with a debut novel. Once in the distribution the Backers receive awards established by the authors. Just like any other title, risky projects gets published and marketed if they get public support to prove adequate audience base. Investors win, CrowdBook wins, and the author wins. What really captivates me about the company is that they ensure the creativity, and the quality of books remain high and captivating. A core value kept by John Q. Smith [company co-founder] who believe the key to keeping the Ingram and distributors happy is by ensuring high quality if maintained by correctly handling their projects. Crowd book are very thorough and easy to deal with, on the other hand they give the authors various ideas on how to go about their work and still remain flexible to give the authors ample time to brainstorm on how to frame the pitch of their work. CrowdBook has very simple laid out rules that ensure the books ownership right remains to the author. Over the past three weeks, the CrowdBook has plunged in a 20% step high. The investors are streaming in, and various projects funded. Normally, there is a 60-day period to venture in to avoid missing out

Living at the Crossroads Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Living at the Crossroads - Article Example Subsequently, the authors have demonstrated their remarkable historical perspective by helping us to trace the deep roots of our modern Western worldview which they believed was shaped by the â€Å"Reformed intellectual tradition†. In this perspective, the authors have tried to help us apprehend where we have come from and where we want to go. This made them believe that the gospel is always contextualized. However, according to Nietzsche in his book ‘ON the Genealogy of Morality,’ he objects Christianity as he saw Christianity as dogma set forth by institutes like churches and this ideology has failed to represent the life of â€Å"Living at the Crossroads†. The reason that made Nietzsche perceive Christianity as untrue is the contrast he made between the Christians life to that of Jesus, and this made him view Jesus as a distinctive individual who initiated his own ethical evaluations compared to Christians who lack it. Therefore, Nietzsche contends that if Christians lack their moral value then they are misguided and lack focus with the way the world certainly functions. Above all, Goheen and Bartholomew have clearly used biblical overview and historical perspective to teach us that Jesus is in every domain of human society. Therefore, living at the Crossroads is basic for Christian. This is supported by the sheer fact that Christianity has been recording its most dynamic growth in Latin America as they have tried to justify political authority deprived of continually invoking religion and God.

Humanitarian Action - Haiti Earthquake Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Humanitarian Action - Haiti Earthquake - Essay Example Usually we associate disaster as a crisis inflicted by nature but human-made disasters are not less likely to represent similar amount of suffering for humanity. One of such disasters is war and conflicts that brings up the crisis of internally displaced people or IDPs. By June 2008, more than 2.8 million people were internally displaced in Iraq. Most of them are spread in rented accommodations and depend on host communities, governmental bodies, or some national and international humanitarian agencies. This population was displaced in three phases, approximately 1.6 million fled sectarian violence in 2006,an estimated 190,000 displaced by military operation and violence in 2003 to 2005, and around 1.2 million displaced as a consequence of the policies of Saddam’s government and Gulf War. In addition to this, according to UNHCR 1.7 million Iraqi refugees are abroad and only 300,000 of them are registered (Iraq 2010 Humanitarian Action Plan [HAP], 2009) This situation is not created at once but emerged from a legacy of sanctions, violence, conflict, lack of development and public service. These factors led to the scarcity of basic human needs, for instance, water, food, shelter, security, and access to health care and education. Since there has been no major humanitarian or security crisis in 2009, some improvement in IDPs returning to their home can be noticed but there is no change in vulnerable areas, for instance, northern and north-western Iraq, central Iraq and areas of southern Iraq.

Technology in Nursing Impacting Medication Administration Annotated Bibliography

Technology in Nursing Impacting Medication Administration - Annotated Bibliography Example With these advances, however, has come the need to ensure that medical professionals are adequately trained in the new tools, and that errors due to the failure of technology are minimized to the greatest extent possible. Out of this has arisen numerous medical studies to determine the actual impact that technology has on the administration of medication in today’s acute care setting, and that is the focus of this review of literature as well. The author of this study implemented a unique approach in studying the efficacy of new technology in administering medication. Coming from the perspective that automating the process of medical administration can dramatically decrease potentially deadly error. the study analyzed the effect that training has on ensuring that the same mistakes do not happen at the hands of the very technology it is designed to help. Through observing and surveying nurses in a variety of healthcare settings, the author of this study concludes the types of training that prove most effective and alludes to the necessity of such training strategies before incorporating the use of technology into the overall process and procedure of administering medication throughout an acute care setting. In looking at the efficacy of using technology to monitor the administration of medication, this study worked to describe the perceptions of various staff members in terms of their support for the digitization of the process. A total of 22 people working with the elderly in a care facilitated in the study. The staff that participated in this particular study sometimes expressed strong emotions as a sign of frustration for losing prerequisites to perform their work well. In big complex organizations where economy and effectiveness are often discussed, knowledge of power relations in innovation and implementation processes would be beneficial. Although moral distress is a well-known phenomenon, future research may be needed to find

Conspiracy Theories Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Conspiracy Theories - Assignment Example However, it failed among high-knowledge respondents. According to the results, it is very difficult to completely reduce misperceptions concerning health care reform among people that have sophistication as well as motivation to reject the corrective information. The study aimed at exploring the relationship that exists between birth control conspiracy beliefs as well as perceived discrimination and contraceptive behavior as well as attitude on African-Americans. From the cross-sectional anonymous telephone survey, it is clear that a greater percentage of the respondents observed that discrimination is targeted at African America women. The results also support birth control conspiracy beliefs. Female respondents perceived discrimination when obtaining contraceptive services or family planning. The study discovered that greater perceived discrimination and stronger conspiracy beliefs were linked to negative attitudes towards contraceptive methods, especially birth control pills, as well as with contraceptive intentions and behavior. According to the research, perceived discrimination and conspiracy beliefs may play a key role in African-Americans’ attitudes the use of contraceptive methods. Several conspiracy theories have been put forth in trying to explain the cholera epidemic. In case of an outbreak that leads to death, government officials often racialize the dead as being indigenous. Just like in the Eastern Venezuela they also suggest that their culture is to blame. However, the true picture is that the state, international politics as well as global capitalism were complicit in such a genocidal plot. Even though it is rather easy to attribute such conspiracy theories to cultural and epistemological differences, it is the political economies that plays key role in such incidences. Political economies exclude some communities from accessing authoritative information sources to

How Could Asving Effect GDP Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

How Could Asving Effect GDP - Essay Example Savings even though considered generally as a good habit especially like the current periods like recession, many economic Gurus are of the view that too much savings can adversely affect the economic growth. Savings and GDP growth have direct relationships. This paper briefly explains the relationships between savings and GDP growth, production factor and savings ratios and the effect of too much savings on economic growth. GDP can be calculated using the formula Y = C + I + E + G where Y = GDP, C = Consumer Spending, I = Investment made by industry, E = Excess of Exports over Imports, G = Government Spending (Calculating GDP). From the above two equations, it is clear that when the savings increases, income will also increase and the increase in domestic income can result in increase in GDP. Income is utilized in two ways; consumption and savings. If the consumption is less, savings will be increased whereas if the savings are less, consumption will go high if the economy is stable. On the other hand, if the economy is weak people may not have enough resources and they will be forced to spend less and it is not necessary that savings may go up in this case because of less spending. In most of the cases, people forced to spent major part of their income to consume goods. It is impossible for the public to save much and spent less because of the increasing expenses and living standards. From the graph given above and below it is clear that GDP has come down a lot because of the less personal expenditure. The 2008 global financial crisis has occurred at an unexpected time and many people lost their jobs and forced to cut down their personal expenditure. In fact people cut down their expenditure to save money for the future. At the same time this cutting down of expenditure has resulted in fewer demands for the goods and the fewer demands forced the manufacturers to produce less. In short, the domestic production has come down a lot because of recession and

Discussion of the North Rock Company Coursework

Discussion of the North Rock Company - Coursework Example Since the last 20 years, the uncertainties in the global financial system have affected a large number of financial institutions among which the Northern Rock is also included. The institution has been bearing the losses since the last 4 years, where another reason for that could be the global recession that has veiled the whole Europe. Also, the debacle of the home mortgage industry since the 1990s is another factor for the debacle of the business of Northern Rock. The purpose of this report is to establish an authentic critique of the case study of Northern Rock retail bank. The key aims adopted in the critique will deal with those indicators that have made NR a victim of a debacle in the financial system. The report will critically analyze those aspects that have led NR to keep losing in the financial business race. The role of the credit crunch and its direct effect on NR financial performance will be discussed. The effects of the modern models of banking will be explained in the light of which an analysis about NR will be made that will explain the outcomes of the institutions in case of adopting new business banking models. The role of the credit rating agencies has also been critical in terms of the financial collapse of the NR and that will also be discussed. Another important dimension of NR consistent failure of bringing back its old legacy will be presented in this critique in which the role key policies and regulations adopted by UK financial system and more importantly Northern Rock will be explained and their spillover effects would also be explained. The current crisis inside the business of the NR will best be understood by the consultation of the liberalization of financial markets in the UK in 1986. The financial institutions and production markets then were allowed to compete with each in a free market as well as to offer as many services or products as they  wanted. The decision made by NR officials was to follow this policy and hence they started expanding their business by offering more services to the clients to catch more number of consumers to get subscribed to their services.  

University and Scholar Ship Funding Essay Example for Free

University and Scholar Ship Funding Essay Should college athletes be paid? Thesis: Amateur athletes at the major college, should not be paid for college sports; instead college athletes should be thankful they are receiving full four year scholar ship funding, that is treated like a pro contract where it can be terminated if one was injured or a recruiting mistake. I. Should Ncaa Athletes be paid? A. Study shows that March Madness has become a huge become a huge business in the college sports scene. B. The Ncaa make a 6 billion dollar revenue off broadcasting the teams and also  athletic conference’s receive millions of dollars if there team advances in the tournament. C. College athletes don’t get to see any of the money, as they risk career ending injuries all the time as they step on the court, field, and rink. II. Why should college athletes be paid? A. Research shows that division 1 scholarships are 25,000 per year which equal 100,000 for the course of four years. B. Being athlete is a full time job there is little to none time for working for extra money for the student. C. Athletes earn their schools thousands of dollars, increased in enrollment, and great recruiting prospects for the later years. III. Why shouldn’t college athletes get paid? A. There are less popular teams in the college scene that does not make the university a lot of revenue, so why pay if all are struggling B. Instead of receiving a salary college athletes need to be worried about achieving a degree. C. Players are receiving an advanced education at universities and colleges that thousands of Americans can’t attend. IV. Conclusion: Trevon Marshall Rough Draft.

World Literature Essay Example for Free

World Literature Essay Flaubert’s Madame Bovary was published to critical acclaim and public scandal during Second Empire France (1852–1870). Government censors cited the novel for offending public morality and religion, though prosecution and defense both acknowledged the artist’s achievement. Flaubert was tried and acquitted for a compelling portrait of his heroine’s unhappy marriage, adulterous love affairs, financial ruin, and suicide. The creation of a powerful and profoundly conflicted male imagination, Emma Rouault Bovary is a polarizing figure. She embodies yet challenges archetypal images of women (virgin/mother, madonna/whore, angel/siren) arising from male experience. She calls into question education, marriage, and motherhood, institutions that inculcate these dichotomous views of women. Thomas Manns Death in Venice opens, like Flaubert’s Madame Bovary, on the scene of Aschenbachs creative composure shattered by an unfamiliar nervous excitement. As Aschenbachs mind spins unproductively, we sense immediately that Venice itself will be ultimately just a picturesque exterior, the backdrop to a story whose cardinal events belong to a mental world– to what Mann called â€Å"reality as an operation of the psyche† (Mann 29). Thomas Mann has spared no allusion to suggest that the hero of the story resembles its author at least with regard to his literary production. Yet Aschenbach is said to have achieved in earnest the classical style befitting a conqueror of the abyss the very style which Flaubert parodies in telling the tragic story of Madame Bovarys disillusion and downfall. The societal scandal of Madame Bovary is as remote now as the asceticism of the spirit practiced by Flaubert and Mann, who seem almost self indulgent. Emma seems as boisterous as Aschenbach. With these heroes the novel enters the realm of inactivity, where the protagonists are bored, but the reader is not. Poor Emma, destroyed by usury rather than love, is so vital that her stupidities do not matter. A much more than average sensual woman, her capacity for life and love is what moves us to admire her, and even to love her, since like Flaubert himself we find ourselves in her. Why is Emma so unlucky? If it can go wrong, it will go wrong for her. Flaubert, like some of the ancients, believed there were no accidents. Ethos is the daimon, your character is your fate, and everything that happens to you starts by being you. Rereading, we suffer the anguish of beholding the phases that lead to Emmas self-destruction. That anguish multiplies despite Flauberts celebrated detachment, partly because of his uncanny skill at suggesting how many different consciousnesses invade and impinge upon any single consciousness, even one as commonplace as Emmas. Emmas I is an other, and so much the worse for the sensual apprehensiveness that finds it has become Emma. Whenever Emma is seen in purely sensuous terms, Flaubert speaks of her with a delicate, almost religious feeling, the way Mann speaks of Aschenbach. Flaubert punished himself harshly, in and through Emma, by grimly mixing in a poisonous order of provincial social reality, and an equally poisonous order of hallucinated play, Emmas fantasies of an ideal passion. The mixing in is cruel, formidable, and of unmatched aesthetic dignity. Emma has no Sublime, but the inverted Romantic vision of Flaubert persuades us that the strongest writing can represent ennui with a life-enhancing power. Flaubert despised realism and said so over and over throughout his life; he loved only the absolute purity of art. Madame Bovary has little to do with realism, and something to do with a prophecy of impressionism, but in a most refracted fashion. All of poor Emmas moments are at once drab and privileged. At moments of more overpowering sensuality there even emerges a â€Å"formula† for Emmas sensual intensities, a characteristic style of sensation which, as we know from Flauberts other works, wasnt invented for Emma alone but rather seems to be a basic formula for Flaubertian sensation in general. Sexuality in Flaubert is frequently expressed in terms of a rippling luminosity. â€Å"Here and there,† Flaubert writes as part of his description of Emmas first happy sexual experience (with Rodolphe in the forest near Yonville), â€Å"all around her, in the leaves and on the ground, patches of light were trembling, as if humming-birds, while in flight, had scattered their feathers† (Flaubert 56). Much later, as she lies alone in bed at night enjoying fantasies of running away with Rodolphe, Emma imagines a future in which â€Å"nothing specific stood out: the days, all of them magnificent, resembled one another like waves; and the vision [cela] swayed on the limitless horizon, harmonious, bluish, and bathed in sun† (Flaubert 94). A world heavy with sensual promise (and no longer blindingly illuminated by sexual intensities) is, in Flaubert, frequently a world of many reflected lights blurred by a mist tinged with color.

Nine Characteristics Of Policy Making Social Work Essay

Nine Characteristics Of Policy Making Social Work Essay Introduction Ever since the report of Sir William Beveridge The Social Insurance and Allied Services report was published at the end of 1942 has been seen as the cornerstone of the Welfare State as it indentified that national insurance contributions would insure that the state would provided social security so that the population would be protected from the cradle to the grave. This was the ideological aim by Beveridge to improve productivity our standing in the global market at a time when the world had be financially damaged by the conflict that occurred during World War 2. This report was the basis of welfare support by the state and the end of the poor law This essay will be looking at the Welfare Reform act introduced by the coalition government and the implied changes of the reform in which the transition of the population being protected by the state from cradle to grave towards a change the under the statement on the DWP website to make the benefits and tax credit systems fairer and simpler by: Creating the right incentives to get more people into work Protecting the most vulnerable in our society Delivering fairness to those claiming benefit and to the taxpayer. This essay will examine as to whether or not these changes to the welfare act has signalled a change in the direction for anti-poverty policies or whether these changes have already been coming and if the reform has highlighted and presented a change of direction in anti poverty polices in a more public light. It can be said that the impact of the global credit crunch and subsequent recession has played a contributory part in the changes that are taking place and has possibly garnered more public support in light of the squeeze that the recession has caused on the purses of working households. Seventy years ago, with Britain locked in battle against the armies of Nazi Germany, one of the most brilliant public servants of his generation was hard at work on a report that would change our national life for ever. Invited by Churchills government to consider the issue of welfare once victory was won, Sir William Beveridge set out to slay the five giants of Want, Disease, Ignorance, Squalor and Idleness. When his report was published at the end of 1942, it became the cornerstone of a welfare state that supported its citizens from cradle to grave, banishing the poverty and starvation of the Depression, and laying the foundations for the great post-war boom. For years the welfare state was one of the glories of Britains democratic landscape, a monument to the generosity and decency of human nature, offering a hand up to those unlucky enough to be born at the bottom. Nine characteristics of Policy Making FORWARD LOOKING The policy-making process clearly defines outcomes that the policy is designed to achieve and, where appropriate, takes a long-term view based on statistical trends and informed predictions of social, political, economic and cultural trends, for at least five years into the future of the likely effect and impact of the policy. The following points demonstrate a forward looking approach: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ A statement of intended outcomes is prepared at an early stage à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Contingency or scenario planning à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Taking into account the Governments long term strategy à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Use of DTIs Foresight programme and/or other forecasting work OUTWARD LOOKING The policy-making process takes account of influencing factors in the national, European and international situation; draws on experience in other countries; considers how policy will be communicated with the public. The following points demonstrate an outward looking approach: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Makes use of OECD, EU mechanisms etc à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Looks at how other countries dealt with the issue à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Recognises regional variation within England à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Communications/presentation strategy prepared and implemented INNOVATIVE, FLEXIBLE AND CREATIVE The policy-making process is flexible and innovative, questioning established ways of dealing with things, encouraging new and creative ideas; and where appropriate, making established ways work better. Wherever possible, the process is open to comments and suggestions of others. Risks are identified and actively managed. The following points demonstrate an innovative, flexible and creative approach: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Uses alternatives to the usual ways of working (brainstorming sessions etc) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Defines success in terms of outcomes already identified à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Consciously assesses and manages risk à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Takes steps to create management structures which promote new ideas and effective team working à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Brings in people from outside into policy team EVIDENCE-BASED The advice and decisions of policy makers are based upon the best available evidence from a wide range of sources; all key stakeholders are involved at an early stage and throughout the policys development. All relevant evidence, including that from specialists, is available in an accessible and meaningful form to policy makers. Key points of an evidence based approach to policy-making include: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Reviews existing research à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Commissions new research à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Consults relevant experts and/or used internal and external consultants à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Considers a range of properly costed and appraised options INCLUSIVE The policy-making process takes account of the impact on and/or meets the needs of all people directly or indirectly affected by the policy; and involves key stakeholders directly. An inclusive approach may include the following aspects: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Consults those responsible for service delivery/implementation à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Consults those at the receiving end or otherwise affected by the policy à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Carries out an impact assessment à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Seeks feedback on policy from recipients and front line deliverers JOINED UP The process takes a holistic view; looking beyond institutional boundaries to the governments strategic objectives and seeks to establish the ethical, moral and legal base for policy. There is consideration of the appropriate management and organisational structures needed to deliver cross-cutting objectives. The following points demonstrate a joined-up approach to policy-making: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Cross cutting objectives clearly defined at the outset à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Joint working arrangements with other departments clearly defined and well understood à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Barriers to effective joined up clearly identified with a strategy to overcome them à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Implementation considered part of the policy making process REVIEW Existing/established policy is constantly reviewed to ensure it is really dealing with problems it was designed to solve, taking account of associated effects elsewhere. Aspects of a reviewing approach to policy-making include: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Ongoing review programme in place with a range of meaningful performance measures à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Mechanisms to allow service deliverers /customers to provide feedback direct to policy makers set up à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Redundant or failing policies scrapped EVALUATION Systematic evaluation of the effectiveness of policy is built into the policy making process. Approaches to policy making that demonstrate a commitment to evaluation include: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Clearly defined purpose for the evaluation set at outset à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Success criteria defined à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Means of evaluation built into the policy making process from the outset à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Use of pilots to influence final outcomes LEARNS LESSONS Learns from experience of what works and what does not. A learning approach to policy development includes the following aspects: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Information on lessons learned and good practice disseminated à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Account available of what was done by policy-makers as a result of lessons learned à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Clear distinction drawn between failure of the policy to impact on the problem it was intended to resolve and managerial/operational failures of implementation. Conservative Thatcher Era It can be said that characteristics of the Labour and Conservative party remain constant, wherein there is a greater focus for Conservative government to reduce State dependency and a culture in the view of Thatcherism I think we have gone through a period when too many children and people have been given to understand I have a problem, it is the Governments job to cope with it! or I have a problem, I will go and get a grant to cope with it! I am homeless, the Government must house me! and so they are casting their problems on society and who is society? There is no such thing! There are individual men and women and there are families and no government can do anything except through people and people look to themselves first. It is our duty to look after ourselves and then also to help look after our neighbour and life is a reciprocal business and people have got the entitlements too much in mind without the obligations. (^  Interview for Womans Own (no such thing as society) with journalist Douglas Keay. Margaret Thatcher Foundation. 23  September 1987. Retrieved 10  April 2007.) This ideology is represented with policy changes such as the introduction of poll tax in which everyone was expected to contribute the same amount of tax regardless of income or wealth and is seen as a poverty creating policy. It could be said that the era of Tory power between 1979 and 1997 was a period when actions were being implemented to deal with the crisis of welfare within the UK. It had been suggested that between 1951 and 1979, levels of controversy over anti-poverty policies were, arguably, not particularly high. Conservative ideologists however had much to say about the case for bringing market conditions more effectively to bear on distribution of social services, but only in the housing field had Conservative governments taken steps that represented major responses to this viewpoint. Labour disappointed many of its supporters, who closely identified the party with the advancement of the Welfare State. A succession of economic crises limited the money available for new a nti-poverty polices. Yet both parties, even before the Thatcher government came into power had considerably advanced public expenditure particularly on social policies, to the point where some economists argued that this kind of expenditure had become inflationary force, limiting the scope for new wealth creating private investment. This is a view politicians began to take seriously by the 1970s, with the most staggering growth in seen in public employment and social security transfer payments. Although it is tempting to attribute the change in climate for social policy in the UK to the Conservative led government of 1979, the changes had been gradually emerging before that date, and those changes were rooted as much in economics as in ideology. Keynesian economic management techniques involving manipulation of levels of government expenditure and taxation were employed to try to retain full employment without inflation. This however was not possible with monetarists school of thought being that the government must control the money supply and let economic forces bring the system under control (Friedman, 1962, 1977). The government at the time when Thatcher took office were undoubtedly hostile to state social policy. This hostility was rooted in a commitment to privatization, the curbing of public services and attacking trade unions. The government was untroubled by the evidence that such an approach was generating increased poverty. Despite the aims to control social polic y expenditure, it nevertheless grew as a whole, with spending on the National Health Services and Welfare continually increasing. See Glennerster and Hills (1998) for a detailed analysis of those trends. It was during that era that they changed supplementary benefit which  was a means-tested benefit in the United Kingdom, paid to people on low incomes, whether or not they were classed as unemployed such as pensioners, the sick and single-parents. Introduced in November 1966, it replaced the earlier system of discretionary National Assistance payments and was intended to top-up other benefits, hence its name. It was paid weekly by the  DHSS, through  giro  cheques and  order books, or fortnightly by the Unemployment Benefit Office by giro and cashed at local  post offices. This was subsequently abolished and replaced by income support and housing benefit by the Thatcher government and also signalled the change for the provision of sickness absence for the first 28 weeks from National Insurance to a Statutory Sick Pay scheme run by employers. The 1986 Social Security Act extended the scope for contracting out from the SERP (State Earnings Related Pension Scheme) which is now the basic state pension allowing the growth of private pension plans. The family income supplement was replaced by family credit which went onto evolve into tax credits under the New Labour government. Under the Thatcher government was a total restructure of the benefits system, which included, along the ones mentioned previously that change of unemployment benefit to job seekers allowance to emphasise the behaviour required and make allowance tested means after the first six months. Other changes made by the government at that time included the transformation of the invalidity benefit to incapacity benefit, aiming to force all but severely handicapped, below pension age, to become job seekers. One of the most complex pieces of legislation was the state support for single parent families, which was designed to secure increased contributions from absent parents (normally fathers) through the Child Support Act of 1991. Labour The Blair government when it came to Welfare declared themselves as the government for Welfare Reform with a commitment to a stable public expenditure programme, but the tendency of social security costs to rise regardless of policy change which is a problem also faced by the Thatcher government, which in turn limited New labours room to manoeuvre. Labour saw the solution to this dilemma by increasing employment; the stimulation of labour-market participation by single parents and the disabled as well as the unemployed is central to their social security policy strategy This is seen trough the introduction of working tax credit and their welfare to work programmes for young people under 25. The most significant aim of New Labour was to eradicate child poverty and this was done with schemes such as child tax credit, but possibly the biggest change introduced to tackle poverty was the National Minimum wage, which was transcending and ensured that everyone was entitled to a basic pay regardless of job role and prevented employers from exploiting employees, there has now however been greater argument for the introduction of a living wage, which is something that the present labour party actively support, with current opposition leader Ed Milliband and former Mayor of London Ken Livingstone supporters of a national living wage. It is worth remembering that when Tony Blair came to power in 1997, he claimed that we had reached the limits of the publics willingness simply to fund an unreformed welfare system through ever higher taxes and spending. Urgent welfare reforms, he said, would cut the bills of social failure, releasing money for schools and hospitals. Welfare Reform 2012 The Policy Agenda The main elements of the welfare reform act are The introduction of Universal Credit to provide a single streamlined payment that will improve work incentives A stronger approach to reducing fraud and error with tougher penalties for the most serious offences A new claimant commitment showing clearly what is expected of claimants while giving protection to those with the greatest needs Reforms to Disability Living Allowance, through the introduction of the Personal Independence Payment to meet the needs of disabled people today Creating a fairer approach to Housing Benefit to bring stability to the market and improve incentives to work Driving out abuse of the Social Fund system by giving greater power to local authorities Reforming Employment and Support Allowance to make the benefit fairer and to ensure that help goes to those with the greatest need Changes to support a new system of child support which puts the interest of the child first. This changes signal possibly the hugest shake up to the welfare act in one fell swoop, it can be argued however that New Labour were already implementing changes to reduce the welfare bill, but not in a way as direct as the coalition government, with one of the main focus being to reduce poverty and eradicate child poverty which is something that this essay will touch on further on in the essay. Britain now spends  7.2 per cent of GDP on its welfare system, and the costs of supporting the, supposedly, needy continue to rise.  As the Whitehall empire grows, drowning the noble intentions of welfare in red tape, so too do the number who chose to abuse the system. the turn against welfare is unprecedented. In previous times of austerity, public attitudes have always remained remarkably generous. Even in the straitened late Seventies, for example, seven out of ten people told pollsters they would like to see higher taxes to pay for higher social spending. The truth is that we have reached a watershed. To look after the weak is the first duty of any decent government; to abandon them would be unconscionable. Embarrassingly, Britain now has the highest proportion of working-age people on disability benefit in the developed world. And while just 3à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ °Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ °per cent of Japanese people and 5à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ °Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ °per cent of Americans live in households where no one works, the figure in Britain is 13à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ °Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ °per cent.   The people who really lose from this, incidentally, are those who are genuinely disabled. They deserve boundless public sympathy; instead, thanks to the abuse of the system, they are too often treated with scepticism. But behind all this lies a deeper issue. Beveridge designed the welfare state for a tightly knit, deeply patriotic and overwhelmingly working-class society, dominated by the nuclear family. Though millions of people had grown up in intense poverty, they were steeped in a culture of working-class respectability and driven by an almost Victorian work ethic. In the world of the narrow terrace back streets, deliberate idleness would have been virtually unthinkable. It could be said that the welfare reform might not necessarily be a change in direction for anti-poverty policies, but a policy implemented to change the mind set of a nation that has transformed from one where people thought about what they could contribute towards their own nation especially at a time of war, to a nation where certain individuals, bearing in mind a small minority of people believe they deserve more from the state without having to earn it. The key factors of welfare reform is universal credit which will be an all encompassing payment that incorporates vast majority of out-of-work and housing benefits that households can receive. Poverty Relative and Absolute Child poverty Prominent reduction target. Major tax benefit reforms benefiting low-income families with children. Working-age poverty Policy focus on worklessness, not poverty in itself. Policies aimed at employment and income at work. Employment Clearest initial priority. Action through New Deals and active policy towards unemployed. Political participation Some aspects of constitutional reform and parts of Social Exclusion Unit (SEU) agenda for neighbourhood renewal. Participation requirements embedded in nearly all policy areas. Targets for volunteering and confidence in institutions. Poor neighbourhoods Major focus of SEU, with ambitious overall target. Policies both area-based and for mainstream services. Children and early years Has moved up the agenda with reviews in 1998 and 2004. Large increase in resources. Older people services and long-term incomes Royal Commission on Long Term Care but divided report and responses in England and Scotland. State Second Pension and Pension Credit reforms. The making of Anti-Poverty Policies Anti poverty policies Tax credits (Child and working tax credits), Child benefit, housing benefit, council tax benefit, income based JSA and ESA (Job seekers allowance and Employment Support Allowance), Income Support, Universal Credit Anti-poverty policy making Joseph Rowntree Foundation Prior to the Welfare Reform act the focus of policies was that the state help its citizens from the cradle to the grave with welfare support polices introduced throughout which coincided with the introduction of the national health service has been the mainstay and direction of a lot of anti-poverty polices that have been introduced in which the state takes care of those unable to take care of themselves. Countless policies have been introduced in that time that have provided assistance to the elderly, disabled, women, children, unemployed and those with long-term sickness are some of the groups that polices introduce since Beveridges report in 1942 have focused on assisting and helping. Although its not a surprise that ever since the coalition came into government, bearing in mind that the party is dominated by the Tories as the majority party, there manifesto ever since 1979 and the era of Thatcherism has always been to reduce the role of the state and give individuals greater pow er and responsibility over their own lives. The question has to whether the welfare reform act 2012 has signalled a change in direction for anti-poverty policies is not a straight forward question, with a straight forward answer, it can be suggested that it is important to look at the changes that have been taking place, with the welfare bill spiralling out of control, which was something noticed by New Labour when they came into power. Conclusion The welfare reform act can be seen as change in direction from the description of a nanny state into state that helps those who want to help themselves

AMENDMENTS :: essays research papers

. Constitution: Fourteenth Amendment Fourteenth Amendment - Rights Guaranteed Privileges and Immunities of Citizenship, Due Process and Equal Protection Amendment Text | Annotations Section. 1. All persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws. Section. 2. Representatives shall be apportioned among the several States according to their respective numbers, counting the whole number of persons in each State, excluding Indians not taxed. But when the right to vote at any election for the choice of electors for President and Vice President of the United States, Representatives in Congress, the Executive and Judicial officers of a State, or the members of the Legislature thereof, is denied to any of the male inhabitants of such State, being twenty-one years of age, and citizens of the United States, or in any way abridged, except for participation in rebellion, or other crime, the basis of representation therein shall be reduced in the proportion which the number of such male citizens shall bear to the whole number of male citizens twenty-one years of age in such State. Section. 3. No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. But Congress may by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability. Section. 4. The validity of the public debt of the United States, authorized by law, including debts incurred for payment of pensions and bounties for services in suppressing insurrection or rebellion, shall not be questioned.

Northern Humanism, Renaissance, and Late Mannerism Essay -- Architectu

During the sixteenth century, Europe was undergoing changes and developing two artistic styles, as well as a religious situation. These styles were known as the Northern Renaissance and late mannerism, also encountered by Reformation, which separated religious unity. During the Reformation, hostile groups known as Protestants were formed against the church because they wanted a complete renovation of the church and Roman Catholics. Late mannerism emerged at the end of the century and had little influence on Spanish literature, but overruled Spanish painting. Late mannerism also had a dominant impact of the Counter-Reformation on arts, architecture, and music. After Europe passed through the disastrous ‘age of darkness’, there were complete changes of methods and social conditions. These revolutionary changes happened between the 14th and the 16th century, and signaled the beginning of the ‘Modern Age’ of Europe. This significant revolution, known as ‘The Renaissance’, was begun in Florence, Northern Italy, because Italy was located in a geographically strategic location, where the center of trade existed. Since there were a great number of merchants and people from other continents passing through the Mediterranean, Italy started to become a place where people shared their ideas without being prejudiced. However, the Renaissance in fact, also brought a lot of substitutions, which first covered all of Italy and brought Europe to the beginning of the Golden Age. These changes occurred in the economy and lifestyle, in the attitude to learning and knowledge, and in the conditions for the Arts. Northern Humanism, or Christian humanism, was known for its contributions to the Renaissance with idealism, rationalism, and classic... ...e of the most incredible philosophers, artists, and architects emerged. With the expansion of civilization and economic growth, the changes in how the culture grew aided to the changes in how many reflected religion and art. As a final mark, the Renaissance created advancement from the Middle Ages and provided a positive cultural change that expanded intellectual need. Works Cited http://library.thinkquest.org. n.d. 26 April 2012. http://totallyhistory.com/raphael-sanzio/. n.d. 26 April 2012. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/itar/hd_itar.htm. n.d. 23 April 2012. http://www.micahelangelo.com. n.d. 26 April 2012. http://www.sacred-destinations.com. n.d. 26 April 2012. http://www.sandrobotticelli.net/biography.html. n.d. 26 April 2012. Matthews, Roy, DeWitt F Platt and Thomas Noble. The Western Humanities. New York: McGraw-Hill Companies, 2011.

Wind Power Versus Hydroelectric Power: Which is Better for the Environ

The energy produced and created by using the kinetic energy which comes from the wind naturally is known as the wind power. Wind power is the technology to catch the energy gained with movement, kinetic energy, and change this energy into electrical power which is useful in many places, such as households throughout the nation. Wind power can be produced by using a device called wind electric turbine. Several huge blades, about 30 feet long, are placed on each wind turbine. While wind passes through the blades, the wind with kinetic energy makes the blades to turn. The movement of blades makes a shaft inside the turbine to be in motion as well with the same velocity of the blades. This work turns the kinetic energy into rotational energy which will be stored into a generator located at the bottom of the turbine. After the rotational energy is kept in the generator, this energy is changed into electrical energy. Finally, the electrical energy is removed into the electrical plant for s torage by the power lines until the communities are in need of energy. Referring the process, systems, structures, and equipment that help with conversion between kinetic energy and the pressure energy of flowing water into electrical energy is known as hydroelectric power. Hydroelectric skill became a leading force of development in the living standard during the electrical age. During the Industrial Revolution, hydro mechanical technology was developed based on simple water wheels from ancient times. The method, conversion of flowing water to electricity, is known as very environmental process because no waste is created during energy generation. Many hydroelectric power plants depend on the same similar basic rule as a historical water wheel. Howe... ...tion or loss of fish habitat, and inundation of wildlife habitat and land in some cases. There could be changes in stream water quality and reservoir in some cases as well. Although both wind power and hydroelectric power have some disadvantages, I believe wind power is more useful than hydroelectric power because wind power will not produce any pollutants while hydroelectric power produces few minimal pollution. Also, hydroelectric power plant needs high investment costs, so this device cannot be built by the developing countries. On the other hand, the cost of wind power is decreasing because of better generation techniques and technology improvements, so the wind power will become increasingly feasible as a main source of mechanical power and electricity. I believe the device that can be built by everyone is more likely to reduce global warming problems faster.

Wide Reading

Describe a character that interests you in The Fat Man and explain why that character interested you. Colin a 12 year old boy interested me from the book The Fat Man by Maurice Gee. Colin is a hungry boy caught up by the effects of the Depression. He learns from the fat man that his dad was a bully in school and the fat man wants revenge for what they did to him. Colin is interesting because of the time he lives in and because he has to learn truths about his parents and being brave and helping Verna.We learn from the book that Colin is a hungry skinny 12 year old boy who is always desperate for food. As it was the Depression there was not enough money to buy food to eat. Laurie (Colin’s father) has trouble finding a job and getting enough money to feed his family. In the book it tells us that Colin is a hungry boy with the quotation â€Å"Colin Potter was a hungry boy. † The other quotation â€Å"They were hard times. There were hungry times† tell us that Colinà ¢â‚¬â„¢s dad can’t find a job and get money that they need to buy food and they were quite hungry when Laurie couldn’t earn money.I thought this was interesting as it is different from how children nowadays are being brought up in New Zealand and having enough food for the whole family to have plenty to replenish their hunger when we are hungry. It is hard to imagine how New Zealand children were like during the Depression, hungry for food. Colin is interesting because he has a scary encounter with the fat man and learns that he wants revenge for being bullied by Colin’s father at school. Colin meets the fat man at the creek. The fat man holds him back even though he doesn’t want to and discovers Colin had stolen his chocolate.The fat man soon discovers that Maisie and Laurie were Colin’s parents. The fat man tells Colin about his parents. How his father bullied him at school and farting and blaming everything on the fat man. Laurie and his friends also spat sandwiches everyday at the fat man and made him eat them. â€Å"I cried too, everyday for a year. Pottsie liked it†. It tells us that Laurie made the fat man cry as he bullied him everyday for a year and the fat man hated it a lot. The second quotation â€Å"Then they’d spit on it†¦ Spit sandwich was its name.I ate one of those everyday. † The fat man had to go through Laurie and his friends spitting sandwiches on him everyday and he didn’t like it. It is very interesting seeing how Colin deals with truths about his father. In Colin’s eyes, his father seemed smaller to him now. Colin is a very interesting boy as he was very kind and supportive towards Verna when she had hard times. Despite Colin being very afraid of the fat man and the bullies at school, Colin stands up for Verna and walks her home even though he knows that the Rice gang is going to get him soon.Colin walks home with Verna. The quote in the book is â€Å"I’l l walk with you† which was very kind of him even though he didn’t want to. Colin’s bravery to me makes him a very interesting character. Colin is a very interesting character in this whole story. He overcomes his fear of the fat man and the bullies at school because he was a kind boy and wanted to help Verna. I also learnt more about the Depression – how many people could not find jobs and therefore their families could not afford food.

Analytical Report on Business Organization Essay

Diamond  Stars  Group  of  companies      From:      CEO   Myanmar  Imperial  Clinic  (MIC)      Date:      Subject:                                                      04th  April,  2013   Analytical  Report  on  Business  Organization    Executive  Summary   In  early  2009,  Myanmar  Imperial  Clinic  was  set  up  by  Myanmar  Medics  Co. ,  Ltd. Because  of  its   extensive   range   of   medical   services   and   accurate   diagnostic   tests   by   international   recognized   specialists  and  outstanding  clinical  staff,  it  was  famous  and  generated  profits  at  that  time. But  along   with   the   competition   of   high   investing   clinic,   lack   of   control   of   the   specialists   and   insecure   environment   of   the   staff,   the   organiza tion’s   performance   has   declined   in   2012. Therefore   the   reputation  of  the  clinic  gradually  goes  down. So  that  in  2013,  Myanmar  Medics  Co. ,Ltd. was  being   acquisition   by   Diamond   Stars   Group   of   companies   which   is   operating   in   various   industries   in   Myanmar. The  organization  will  be  reformed  by  the  encouragement  of  our  chairman. Profile   Name  Ã‚      Location         –  Myanmar  Imperial  Clinic  (MIC)     Ã¢â‚¬â€œÃ‚  Hledan,  Kamaryut  Township   –  8520  sqft   –  6  stories  building     Ã¢â‚¬â€œÃ‚  40  bedded  general  health  care  centre   ? 166  employees Compound  Size  Ã‚   Building  Ã‚   Type      Size Fifth  Floor Fourth  Floor Third  Floor Second  Floor First  Floor Ground  Floor Building  Information Ground  Floor   –  Reception,  Emergency,  Pharmacy,  Lab,   Cashier First  Floor  Ã‚   –  15  Outpatient  Rooms,  Waiting  Area,   Store Second  Floor  Ã‚   –  1  Operation  Theatre,  1  Labour  Room,   10  Inpatient  Rooms  for  OG Third  Floor  Ã‚   –  20  Inpatient  Rooms  for  Medicine  &   Child Fourth  Floor  Ã‚   –  1  Operation  Theatre,  10  Surgical   Inpatient  Rooms Fifth  Floor   – Clinical  Office    Proposal  for  the  Restructure  of  the  Organization   (1)  Long  Term  Plan/Strategy      Vision:  Ã‚  Ã‚   Being   a   provider   of   health   care   service   renown   for   compassion,   sympathy   and   respect   on   human  being  in  pursuit  of  own  healthy  and  well  being  state  by  applying  high  quality  tools   and   skilful   professional   in   ensuring   long   term   effectiveness,   MIC   stands   for   saving   your   money,  time  and  lives. Mission:   With   knowledge,   skill   and   passion,   we   all   do   value   and   respect   our   patients   and   clients’   desires. We  value  our  patients  as  the  way  we  value  our  professional. We  care  our  patients  as  the  way  we  do  to  our  family. We  practice  our  best  knowledge  in  our  work. Objectives:   To  increases  overall  satisfaction  rates  of  patients,  employees,  doctors  and  visitors. To  ensure  patients  receive  the  ultimate  care  and  medical  attention  to  bring  about  a  speedy   recovery. To  increase  range  of  services  for  customer  needs  and  demands. To  maintain  safe  and  hygienic  environment. To  achieve  99%  of  patient  Ã‚  feedback   To  provide  early  diagnosis  and  affective  treatment  to  all  clients  with  different  diseases. To  be  recognized  our  clinic  as  a  trusted  obstetrical  clinic  within  the  first  three  years. To  expand  our  service  in  diagnostic  and  treatment  year  by  year. To  improve  and  maintain  our  treatment  procedures  and  emergency  services (1. 1) ? (1. 2) ? ? ? ? (1. 3) ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? 4   (2)Fundamental  Characteristics  of  Organization  Ã‚   (2. 1)  Old  Organization  Structure  versus  New  Organization  Structure   Our  organization  structure  allows  for  its  efficient  management. Here  is  the  l evel  s  of  management   and  the  activities  of  specific  departments  within  each  level. Old  Organization  Structure New  Organization  Structure 5   (2. 2)  Work  Specialization   To  achieve  competency  of  each  and  every  staff,  a  proper  and  distinctive  job  descriptions  is  vital. (2. 2. 1)  Marketing  Department  Ã‚   ? ? ? Survey  the  market  situation  and  changes  Ã‚   Analyse  the  customers’  feedback   Develop  Ã‚  marketing  strategies  and  mix (2. 2. 2)  Finance  Department   ? ? ? Manage  and  oversee  budgeting  Ã‚   Report   income   statement,   statement   of   financial   report   and   statement   of   cash   flow   to   executive  level   Manage  income  and  expenditure. (2. 2. 3)  Administrative  Department   ? ? ? ? Support  and  coordinate  the  operation  of  the  individual  department   Establish  hospital  policies  and  procedures   Perform  Ã‚  public  relations   Supervise   maintenance   service,   information   service,   housekeeping   and   transportation   services (2. 2. 4)  Human  Resources  Department   ? ? ? ? ? Perform  job  analysis,  job  description,  job  specification,  job  allocation  and  j ob  rotation   Recruitment   Training  and  development  Ã‚   Create  safety  and  pleasant  environment  Ã‚   Negotiate  with  the  visiting  specialists   HR  Planning (2. 2. 5)  Medical  Service  Department   ? ? ? ?             For   doctors   ? to   diagnose   problems,   prescribe   medicines,   be   ready   to   on   call,   to   make   regular  rounding  and  monitoring  patients   For  nurses  Ã¢â‚¬â€œÃ‚  to  emphasize  on  nursing  care  Ã‚   For  lab  technicians  ? to  support  with  accurate  diagnosis  and  to  maintain  medical  laboratory  Ã‚   equipment For  Pharmacist  ? to  monitor  the  storage  and  quality  of  drug 6   (2. )  Chain  of  Command   â€Å"An  unbroken  line  of  authority  that  links  all  the  persons  in  an  organization  and  shows  who  reports   to   whom†Ã‚  (Myanmar  Imperial  College  2013,  Pre? Master  Course  of  Business  Administration,  p? 60)   In   a   clinic,   a   proper   and   clarified   chain   of   command   is   the   fundamental   requirement   to   maintain   and  precede  medical  procedures. Within  the  clinical  departments,  all  the  junior  medical  doctors  must  report  information  concerning   with   patient   to   senior   medical   doctors. These   senior   medical   doctors   have   to   report   only   the   necessary  complaints  and  patient’s  conditions  to  the  principal  medical  doctors. Master  Course  of  Business  Administration,  p. 62)   On   the   clinic   side,   the   span   of   management   of   manager   ranges   from   10   to   20   while   the   administrative  side  the  span  of  management  is  less  than  10. Our  organization  require  less  supervision  because  of   ? ? ? Daily  work  procedures  of  medical  staff  are  quite  stable,  routine  and  repetitive  (eg. History   taking  and  clinical  examination  and  monitoring,  injection)   Staffs  are  concentrated  in  single  location  (e. g. If  the  staff  suits  with  his  current  position  and   if  he  does  not  want  to  shift,  we  will  maintain  his  place)

Christopher Columbus good or evil Essay

Christopher Columbus was one of the greatest sailors and explores of all time. In 1492 he discovered a â€Å"new world† and linked Europe to the Americas. His discoveries enlarged the world and began a new age of exploration, therefore changing the history of the world. His Columbian Exchange was the foundation of the future world economy. [1] â€Å"Christopher Columbus can be considered a hero for his work on Christianity,† says John Kimble. Columbus has spread Christianity throughout the world and advanced trade with many new discoveries, thus, finding the â€Å"new world† he then discovered the first European colonies, and through those colonies he then spread the religion of Christianity. Columbus then brought spices and riches to all of Europe. [2] â€Å"After his return to Europe, many people were lead to believe they could explore and sail.† [3] â€Å"Only Columbus set off directly across a board, unknown sea with no specific knowledge of how far it extended or what lay on the other side.† Columbus encouraged everyone to take a risk and make their own discoveries. Yes, Christopher Columbus was flawed but all men are. Columbus put Christianity out on a rage on all different part of the world and had those places endured in trading. With all of his achievements, he then bettered the world to be melting pot that it is to this day. Assertion 2: Christopher Columbus was greedy, shellfish, racist and a bigot. He was responsible for the loss of life of thousands, destroyed culture and exploited those he came in contact with. Columbus did not even find what he set out for, the East Indies, and for that alone, should not be glorified in history. Christopher Columbus was yes a discoverer of something new, but it was only new to him. Before Columbus was there, there were native people on the land that they first discovered before Columbus stated he â€Å"founded† it. He was a  robber of land, and some people think he also robbed the lives of many. [1] Christopher Columbus was found to be a cruel man who enjoys seeing the natives and suffer. [2] â€Å"They should be good servants†¦. I, our Lord being pleased, will take hence, at time of my departure, six natives for your Highness,† was the first thing written in Columbus’ journal according to Bourne, p.111-112; page 18 of Hanke, L. (1949). The Spanish struggle for justice in the conquest of America. Philadelphia, PA: University of Pennsylvania. Christopher Columbus may not have killed that native people but hand he was in charge of murder’s and allowed all the killings to go on, so in those words that is just as bad, he also enslaved native people himself. All he was power and he had huge desire to rule over the land that was not his. Margolis goes on to say the Columbus did not prevent his crewmen from raping the innocent natives, and even that he himself raped and native woman, after beating her with a piece of rope. Columbus was nowhere near a hero; he founded land that had ownership already and then took the land away viciously. Work Cited [1][2] Kimble, John. â€Å"Hero or Villain.† Yahoo Voices. Ed. Mark G. Yahoo, 1 July 2007. Web. 25 Mar. 2013 [3] Caroll, Warren H. â€Å"Honoring Christopher Columbus.† Faith and Reason (Summer 1992) [1] plaza. â€Å"Why was Christopher Columbus a villan?.† KnowsWhy. January 10, 2011 [2] â€Å"The Untold Story. Understanding Prejudice. N.p., 2002. Web. 26 Mar.2013. [3] â€Å"Chirstopher Columbus: The Villain.† 123HelpMe.com 26 Mar 2013

Female Acceptance into a Computer Based Society Essay

INTRODUCTION   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Advancement on technology had brought different changes into the society. These aims to provide additional comfort and making things work more efficiently. But there are changes that people cannot prevent to happen. These are biological changes such as getting old.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   People respond to the aging process as a negative thing. Misconceptions arises that lead to common negative behavior towards the aging process. Getting old is a natural process. Anti-aging solutions are invented to prevent physical changes that it may cause like gray hair and wrinkles.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It’s no secret that our bodies change as we age. Physical as well as psychological changes as effect of aging can be experienced.   Some changes are obvious, while others are more subtle. Others, may experience the effects of osteoporosis and osteoarthritis, which can gradually diminish their abilities to participate fully in activities. While there are still people age comfortably and remain active, alert and vibrant throughout their lives. Their physiologic age may be quite younger than their chronological age.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Because of the negative connotation on the process of aging, women who are known to be more conscious than men generally find it an issue to accept aging as a natural process of life. OBJECTIVES This study aims to discuss the impact of aging to the female group given in a modern and more advance society. This will provide description on how female cope, adapt and react to the aging process. SCOPE AND DELIMITATION   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The research covers the issue of aging on female point of view. . It also provide an overview on what is aging and the physical and mental changes it bring to a person. This also identify some misconceptions about aging. SIGNIFICANCE   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The study is significant to discuss the impact of aging to women. It identifies the reasons on how the female gender response to the stage of aging. It discusses the common misconceptions regarding aging that can be properly addressed. This study is also significant for future researches related to the topic. RELATED LITERATURE Misconceptions on Aging There are a lot of misconceptions about getting old. It is a negative connotation that aging means getting near to the end of growth. And that old age is a lonely stage of life. It is also a misconception that when one is old, he/she believes that there are only limited to certain activities especially in the physical aspect. One fears getting old because of the fear of loosing independence. Another misconception is that people think that the happy days of their lives were experienced when they are young. According to a recent study shown, these several misconceptions vary from the reality regarding the issue of aging.   The research was conducted by VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System and University of Michigan researchers to 540 adults who were between the ages of 21 and 40, or over age 60 . They were asked to rate their level of happiness through answering questions. The results are published in the June issue of the Journal of Happiness Studies, a major research journal in the field of positive psychology. There is a stereotype existing between the old and young in the society. One thinks that the happy days of his/her life happens only when he/she is young.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In another research by Linda M. Woolf, Ph.D., the concept of ageism was examined between younger and older men and women in the present study. It was entitled â€Å"Effects of Age and Gender on Perceptions of Younger and Older Adults†. The study discusses the older adults are perceived more negatively than younger adults. Through gender interaction effect, a significant age by was found. Both younger and older men rated stimulus older adults significantly less positively than stimulus younger adults. However, older women rated stimulus older adults significantly more positively than they rated other stimulus-age groups. Older women were the only subject group that did not exhibit a consistent negative bias against older adults. Conversely, younger women rated stimulus older adults more negatively than any subject group. Biological   Effects   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The effects of aging are obvious on the body. Our body is made up of cells and tissues that keep on regenerating and replenishing to keep our body sustaining. As we grow old, this process decreases where replacement of old to new cells are slowing causing the signs of aging to appear.   Physical changes like poor hearing and declining vision takes place. The strength of muscles lessens due to soft tissues like skin and blood vessels that became less flexible are some general changes that occur in the human body as it ages. Skin starts to become dry and wrinkled. It looses its elasticity and the glands function less so sweating occurs lesser than the usual. Moreover, there is an overall decline in body tone that can be observed. The body’s performance becomes less efficient. Not all people experience decreased organ function to the same degree—some individuals are healthier due to good diet and exercise when they are younger. Aging also affects the immune system of a person. Human antibody lessens their act against free radicals. The immune system also changes with age. The antibodies, disease-fighting proteins, protect the body against bacteria, viruses, and other harmful agents in a healthy immune system. A healthy immune system also prevents the growth of abnormal cells, which can become cancerous. With advancing age, the ability of the immune system to carry out these protective functions is diminished—the rate of antibody production may drop by as much as 80 percent between age 20 and age 85. This less-effective immune system explains why a bout of influenza, which may make a young adult sick for a few days, can be fatal for an elderly person.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   For females, these changes on the body due to the advancement of age have a greater issue.   Aging causes changes on the physical aspect of a person and one of the major effects of aging occurs in the female reproductive system. With aging, a woman’s breasts lose tissue and subcutaneous fat, reducing breast size and fullness. There is also a decrease in the number of mammary ducts. The breasts lose support. Aging breasts commonly flatten and sag, and the nipple may turn in slightly. The areola (the area surrounding the nipple) becomes smaller and may nearly disappear. Loss of hair around the nipple is common. Breast cancer risk increases with age. Women should perform monthly breast self-examinations. However, because breast self-exams do not always pick up early stages of breast cancer, women should also talk to their health care providers about mammograms. It also affects the fertility cycle of a woman. Menopausal stage takes place on about age 45 to age 55 of a female where the ovaries does not longer produce egg cells. This means that she can no longer bear a child. This is also the end of the menstrual cycle since there is no longer the release of sexual hormones that motivates the cycle. Although the average onset of menopause occurs in the early part of the sixth decade there is an observable, real and significant decline in the 10 to 15 years before menstruation ceases. Scientific studies on natural populations (those with high marital rates and no birth control) and on â€Å"infertility populations† all confirm the presence of an age related decline in female fertility independent of all other factors. This effect becomes most prominent after age 35.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Aging cause loss of female fertility. Although menstrual irregularities generally begin to show in the last half of the 5th decade (a time termed perimenopause) there is a marked decrease in fertility in the 10 years preceding this that appears to be independent of male or pelvic factors and despite the occurrence of regular menstrual cycles and ovulation. Similarly a decrease in success rates for IVF is seen in this population as well. The discussion then seems to focus on whether this decrease in fertility is due to ovarian factors, uterine factors or both. In other mammals there does appear to be a host of age related uterine changes that do limit fertility however, initial studies in humans failed to show consistent aging changes. Furthermore it now seems that the endometrium of an ovulatory older woman with appropriate levels of estradiol and progesterone should be able to be appropriately receptive to and supportive of implantation.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The catch here is that as we age, even while still regularly menstruating, there are subtle shifts in hormonal patterns that may make the endometrium less receptive. As an example, luteal phase defect is far more common at the edges of reproductive life (very young, very old, newly delivered) but progesterone supplementation, which in theory should overcome the defect, does not appear to have made a significant difference in pregnancy rates for older women. More compelling support for the idea that the problem is primarily ovarian in nature comes from the fact that pregnancy rates for younger women and older women undergoing IVF with donor eggs are quite comparable. There are however, still some questions about uterine receptivity and study is ongoing in attempts to isolate out the effect of the â€Å"older uterus† from the effect of aging eggs of poor quality.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The bottom line for now seems to be that although everyone agrees that egg quality and ovarian reserve definitely decline with age and are perhaps the primary factors causing an age related decrease in female fertility, there may be uterine factors in play as well. Further study to elucidate the mechanisms at work and, hopefully, to devise new treatment options are indicated. A number of other studies investigates the effects of aging. Scientists have found, for example, a possible explanation for why women have longer average life spans than men. The difference seems to be biologically determined, and male and female sex hormones are probably responsible. The blood levels of female sex hormones drop sharply during menopause. At that time, the incidence of heart disease and high blood pressure in women increases to match the incidence in men, suggesting that the presence of female sex hormones offers some protection against heart disease. Aging Population   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In developed nations, life expectancy has increased more in the 20th century than it has in all of recorded history. A person born in the United States in 1995 can expect to live more than 35 years longer than a person born in 1900. Today more than 34 million Americans are 65 or older, accounting for about 13 percent of the population. By the year 2030, their numbers will more than double: One in every five Americans will be over age 65. A person who lives 100 years or more—a centenarian—was once a rarity, but today about 60,000 Americans are 100 years or older. By the year 2060, there may be as many as 2.5 million centenarians in the United States. The number of supercentenarians—people 105 years of age and older—will probably be as commonplace in the next century as centenarians are fast becoming now. How to Counteract with Aging   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Knowing what to expect and taking steps to counterbalance the effects of aging can help you maintain a young spirit and an independent life. A healthy diet, regular exercise program and positive attitude can help delay the onset and slow the progression of many age-related changes. Many of the changes in our musculoskeletal system result more from disuse than from simple aging. Fewer than 10 percent of Americans participate in regular exercise, and the most sedentary group is over age 50.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Stretching is an excellent way to help maintain joint flexibility. Weight training can increase muscle mass and strength, enabling people to continue their daily routine activities without maximal exertion. Even moderate amounts of physical activity can reduce your risk of developing high blood pressure, heart disease and some forms of cancer.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Much recent research has been conducted on the effects of exercise on aging. In all of the studies described above, exercise had positive effects on aging. It has been found to increase reaction time, assist in predicting â€Å"good† aging, and improve psychological well-being. Factors such as health, social support, efficacy, and motivation are indicators of the maintenance of exercise. One should acknowledge the factors influencing exercise, recognize the numerous benefits of exercise, and take action at any age in order to live a more healthy and happy life now and in old age. Long-term regular exercises may slow the loss of muscle mass and prevent age-associated increases in body fat. Exercise also helps maintain the body’s response time, as well as its ability to deliver and use oxygen efficiently. Just 30 minutes of moderate activity, incorporated into your daily routine, can provide health benefits. An exercise program doesn’t have to be strenuous to be effective. Walking, square dancing, swimming and bicycling are all recommended activities for maintaining fitness into old age. The 30 minutes of moderate activity can be broken up into shorter periods; you might spend 15 minutes working in the garden in the morning and 15 minutes walking in the afternoon. It all adds up. But if you’ve never attempted an exercise program before, be sure to see your doctor before starting one now. Psychological Aging   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Behavioral medicine research over the past several years has identified a umber of psychosocial characteristics that affect the development and course of a wide range of life-threatening illnesses. Included among these psychosocial risk factors are hostility, depression, social isolation, high job strain, and low socioeconomic status. The specific mechanisms whereby these factors influence the patho ­genesis and prognosis of major causes of death such as coronary heart disease (CHD) and cancer have not been identified yet, but considerable research points to accompanying health behaviors (smoking, dietary habits, and alco ­hol consumption) and biological characteristics (altered functions of the sym ­pathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems [SNS, PNS], of the hypothal ­amic-pituitary-adrenal [HPA] axis, and of the immune system) as likely mediators. Finally, research evaluating interventions targeting psychosocial risk factors in groups of patients with CHD and cancer offer considerable promise that secondary prevention will be shown to have an important place in the treatment and rehabilitation of major chronic diseases . Anti-aging can be a difficult topic to address. A war is currently being fought over the meaning of â€Å"anti-aging† (as research, medicine, brand, or simply adjective) and thus even mentioning the term is likely to prejudice many readers. Defining Anti-Aging   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Like it or not, â€Å"anti-aging† now has a number of quite different common meanings and connotations. Each is championed by a particular group or loose coalition of interests, but advocates for these groups have a way of diving into the fray without defining their terms. This makes reading about anti-aging techniques, technologies, medicine, products, and debates very confusing for the newcomer.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   For the scientific community, anti-aging research refers exclusively to slowing, preventing, or reversing the aging process. There is, as of 2007, no medical technology that allows this to be done – although the jury is still out on calorie restriction in humans. Nor is there any currently available method (short of waiting for people to die) to accurately measure the effects of an alleged anti-aging therapy. In the medical and more reputable business community, anti-aging medicine means early detection, prevention, and reversal of age-related diseases. This is quite different from tackling the aging process itself, and a wide array of strategies and therapies are currently available. Calorie restriction, for example, is a demonstrated way to lower risk for a wide range of age-related degenerative conditions. The wider business community – including a great many fraudulent and frivolous ventures – views â€Å"anti-aging† as a valuable brand and a demonstrated way to increase sales. At the worse end of the scale, this leads to snake oil salesmen, â€Å"anti-aging† creams that may or may not make your skin look younger, and infomercials that tout the â€Å"anti-aging† benefits of exercise machines. Broadly, and very charitably, we can look at these varied definitions of anti-aging as meaning â€Å"to look and feel younger in some way† – which has no bearing on how long you live or how healthy you actually are.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The confusion of most interest is between the first two definitions. Many interventions lengthen life span for individuals by preventing or curing specific age-related diseases that would otherwise prove fatal. For example, ask yourself whether preventing heart disease or diabetes is anti-aging medicine. This would have no effect on the aging process, but it would help many people to live longer, healthier lives. Is this anti-aging research? Scientists say no, some medical and business groups say yes.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Aging is such a bad word in our society. We don’t want to see old people, much less sit next to them. Even old people don’t like to be around other old people.But maybe the reason that many seniors can’t embrace their golden years is that they have never had it modeled for them. People today just live longer. The fastest growing segment in today’s society is those 85 and older. It’s a whole new ballgame for seniors today. A lot are unsure what to do or what’s expected of them. In some ways, we’re pioneers showing younger folk what to do and what they can do when they are this age. Indeed, the work of a person growing old is that of becoming an elder, discovering spiritual treasures and passing them along to others. Despite physical limitations, there are many positives about aging, including more time to be spent in meditation and prayer, working on a closer connection to God and selves. That meditative work can encourage elders to review their lives, see how they made a difference as well as bringing up old wounds and pains. It’s here that seniors need to work on forgiving others, themselves and God as they let go of past hurts, grudges and pains. AGING ON FEMALE’S PERSPECTIVE Response to Physical Changes It is a much issue for women when they feel they get old considering females to be a more conscious gender when it comes to the physical aspect. After discussing the physical changes that it can bring, without proper caring, one’s body can be a total wreck. Another issue that aging brought is that it lessen one’s self esteem. Women are conscious of their age. Youth implies beauty. Something that one tries to preserve while she is still has the youthfulness. That is why anti aging creams, pills etc. are in demand to most women. For example, there is a preference of choosing a younger female.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   As women age their concerns about health grow—and rightfully so given that women are at greater risks for some health conditions. For example, according to the Illinois Department on Aging, heart disease is the No. 1 leading cause of death among older women. Women are twice as likely as men to die within the first year of having a heart attack. The second leading cause of death for women is cancer—specifically lung and breast cancer—and the third leading cause of death is stroke. Women who have hypertension or diabetes are at greater risk for heart disease and strokes.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Like all women, lesbians are at risk for health problems associated with aging. Some evidence suggests that they may even be at greater risk for some age-related health problems. For example, because lesbians as a group are less likely to have been pregnant, more likely to drink alcohol and smoke—and more likely to be overweight—their risk of breast cancer may be greater than the risk among women in the general population. However, we need much more research before we can say much of anything for sure about lesbians’ risks for breast cancer or the other leading causes of death.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the Chicago Health and Life Experiences of Women (CHLEW) study we are collecting information about these and many other health concerns of lesbians. We are happy to report that, in general, the 450 lesbians in our study are overall very healthy—in fact, when we first interviewed them in 2000-2001, 74% of them rated their health as good or excellent; only 7% said that their health was poor. Very few women in the study reported being diagnosed with breast cancer , heart disease, or diabetes. However, 17% said that they have high blood pressure (hypertension). One of the reasons for these low rates of problems is that the women are relatively young—the average age of the women in the study is 39 years (only about a quarter of them are over 45 years old). As they get older, lesbians, like other women, face higher risk for these serious health problems. Because we have not yet discovered the cure for aging it is important that we take care of ourselves in order to reduce these risks and improve our overall quality of life. Among the most important ways that we can take care of ourselves include getting regular exercise, not smoking, and using sodium (salt) and alcohol in moderation. Some misconceptions of women and the truth   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The older I get, the worse my body will feel. The increasing stiffness and aches & pains that often come with age are not a result of age, but are due to lack of movement. Although there are some changes in the tissues in the process of aging, one can continue to remain remarkably flexible and free of pain through something as simple as regular stretching.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It’s too late to start taking care of myself †¦ it won’t do any good at this age. A healthy lifestyle has been found to be one of the most important factors in how people age. Improvements in lifestyle (with the 3 key areas being good food, exercise and regular relaxation and rest) will bring improvements at any age.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   I’m getting too old to learn new things Research shows that older people can, and do, learn new things. Attitude plays an important role. People who believe they can learn new things do.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Sex is only for the young. People can, and do, continue to enjoy sex well into their senior years. People are sexual beings throughout the life cycle, but sexuality is experienced differently at different ages. Changes in hormones affects the experience of sex, and one may need to find different ways to be intimate. Relaxation is key here so that we don’t panic when things don’t happen the way they used to. Aging does not imply that they are too old for sex but simply they need to give themselves some breathing room to become familiar with our changing physiologies.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The older I get, the less attractive I become. There is nothing more attractive than someone who has aged well. There is a special radiance in a elderly person who is at peace with themselves and life. Attractiveness has absolutely nothing to do with age. It’s never too late to change the two most important ingredients to graceful aging – attitude and lifestyle.   At the risk of sounding like a broken record to those of you who’ve read my previous articles – there are two very simple but essential lifestyle ingredients for successful aging -relaxation and stretching.       References: http://www.hope.edu/academic/psychology/335/webrep2/ageexercise.htm http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/lifestyle/2006-06/17/content_619419.htm http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/lifestyle/2006-06/17/content_619419.htm http://www.webster.edu/~woolflm/ageismwoolf.html http://www.seniorwomen.com/articles/articlesElginOld.html http://www.riversidehealth.com/articles/aging.htm http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/fact/thr_report.cfm?Thread_ID=224&topcategory=Wellness http://infertility.about.com/cs/femalefactors/a/femaleage.htm