Today's Mother Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Today's Mother - Essay Example Being a mother in the modern world implies being capable of juggling amid family life and career life. It involves bushel of stress and sometimes results in a lot of guilt especially if the mother cannot meet the dubious societal expectations. The mothers are supposed to bear babies but requests for maternal leaves are sometimes viewed with resentment. Modern women and particularly mothers are overstrained with idealistic expectations of motherly perfection. The unrealistic expectations are inflicted by the society or they impose on themselves. The standards set for the woman to meet are unrealistic and detrimental to the mother’s personal and professional existence. A professional mother is expected to fulfil obligations such as breastfeeding without taking advantage of artificial options available. A mother who chooses to wean their children in less than two years feels guilty and inadequate since the society views such attempts with condescension. The pressure to meet the s ocietal expectations of motherhood and retain their own identity as professionals harries modern mothers. This paper focuses on how the modern demands of motherhood has challenged and undermined the identity and status of women in the society. The working mother has no choice but to act perfect and not grumble on her shortfalls to avoid being perceived as amateurish. They also have to avoid talking of any hitches they may be going through to make the word believe they can effortlessly manage between their career life and family life or else they will be disparaged (Fay, 2012). Mothers are supposed to make sacrifices on their careers, be homemakers, and become dependent on their husbands for financial needs in order to meet the societal expectations and standards. Mothers who choose to employ house helps are branded as incompetent mothers. Any misbehaviour on the children is blamed on the mother. After giving birth, the mother is supposed to ensure she retains her youthful look or el se the husband is free to be unfaithful if they are discontented with their wives. Unlike in the1950s when women did not have to work modern women have to manage both their career life and find time to be with their children as well as husbands. Lack of government policies such as paid family leave make it impossible for most mothers to breast-feed their children since most have to work in order to support their families or supplement their husband’s earnings. However, they still receive great criticism if they choose other options such as taking their children to daycares to create time to meet other obligations. Women face great challenges principally those who chose to engage in politics as they are subjected to chauvinist jokes. A woman who chooses to dedicate her life in politics is labelled a bad mother irrespective of whether she has proved otherwise (Fay, 2012). Modern women have to balance between work, love life, and family. Demand such as taking care of babies part icularly breastfeeding binds women to be homemakers. The women schedules are rigid such that it is almost impossible for them to nurse their babies and work at the same time. Having a proper social life is almost impossible for some mothers. Women have to keep apologizing to their bosses for being mothers especially when their motherhood commitments such as childbearing cannot allow them achieve their obligations at work (Badinter, 2012) Some people like Badinter blame the problem on the aspiration women to be liberal mothers. She claims modern mother can somehow be blamed for the strain they have to undergo as they try to prove to the society that they are capable of being career women and practice traditional motherhood. She claims that contemporary motherhood undermines mother’

Caffeine - Ginkgo Essay Example for Free

Caffeine Ginkgo Essay There are only a few good things about energy drinks, but there are still good things, however. B Vitamins, Ginseng, Ginkgo Biloba, Carnitine and Antioxidants are all good ingredients that an energy drink contains. But, like anything, they’re only good in small amounts. Vitamins and Minerals are good for us. B Vitamin is supposed to wake up our bodies and kickstart them, which is why energy drinks put these type of vitamins in them. Ginseng is an herb that is known to increase energy levels, and alleviate stress. Ginseng is created naturally by the body, so it’s okay to have. But the levels of supplementation and energy drinks dont match up well when you drink energy drinks on a regular basis. Another good ingredient is Ginkgo Biloba. Along with Ginseng, this is another emerging herb. It is said to help your memory, concentration, and blood circulation. This also is made for the regulating of stress levels, which means its something that is made for and okay for your body to consume. Energy drinks also contain Carnitine and Antioxidants, which are actually very good things for your body. Carnitine speeds up your metabolism. So, by drinking one a week, you can gradually increase your metabolism and lose weight in a somewhat-healthy manner. Antioxidants are in most vitamins. They kill the free radicals in your body and can recover from the damage they can sometimes leave. But their are much better ways of getting antioxidants than drinking energy drinks. Although energy drinks have some good qualities, they are, overall, extremely bad for you. Their common ingredients are B Vitamins, Antioxidants, Ginseng, Gingko Biloba, Carnitine, Taurine, Inositol, and Guarana Seed. As I said before, the first four ingredients (B Vitamins, Antioxidants, Ginseng, and Gingko Biloba) are good. But, the bad ingredients are bad enough that they completely cancel out the good things. Energy drinks are a secretly bad combination of soft drink and psuedo-nutritional supplement. But one of the main concerns with the use of the herbs in these drinks is their source. The manufacturers of these drinks aren’t required by law to say whether or not the herbs they use have been sprayed with toxic pesticides, irradiated, or watered with contaminated water supplies. So there is no telling what other toxins are contained in these drinks, or whether or not these herbs will have a negative effect on the body. The caffeine in these drinks is dangerous enough on its own. Caffeine is addictive, and it acts as both a stimulant and a diuretic. The stimulant in it can cause anxiety attacks, heart palpitations, and insomnia. When people drink it in large or regular quantities, caffeine can also make you jittery or irritable. The diuretic in caffeine causes your kidneys to remove extra fluid from your body. They have also found that, if you consume energy drinks while sweating, the effects can be dangerous, maybe causing you to become severely dehydrated quickly. Alcohol and caffeine dehydrate our bodies enough when taken separately. But many younger people have started mixing energy drinks with alcohol because it makes them feel alert and energetic, even when they’re drunk. I have never, nor will I ever, try an energy drink. I think all people should avoid drinking them as much as possible. They decrease our bodies internal water supply and natural detoxification processes. And medical professionals don’t know the long-term effects of consuming these drinks. What we do know, though, is that they do nothing to provide our bodies with any necessary nutrients or fluids, and they can cause heart attacks and elevated blood pressure. http://www. globalhealingcenter. com/natural-health/the-health-dangers-of-energy-drinks/ http://www. globalhealingcenter. com/natural-health/dangers-of-taurine/ http://planetprose. com/1660/are-energy-drinks-bad-for-you/ http://ezinearticles. com/? Energy-DrinksAre-Energy-Drinks-Good-For-You? id=1990557 http://www. whyev. com/energy-drinks. html.

Individualistic and Traditionalistic Cultures in Texas Essay -- Politi

Texas is an intricate state with deep roots embedded in limited government authority. Almost all, Texans, favor the limited government between citizens and state. The two most important cultures in Texas are individualistic and traditionalistic culture. Individualistic views are summoned by limited government and that politics are the root of malicious acts, and is usually responded with negative reactions from the community. The individualistic cultures’ vision is egotistical for ones self-interest. The individualistic culture is viewed as priority in private independent business rather that those of the community as a whole. Unlike individualistic views, traditionalistic culture is motioned by conservatism. This cultures vision is supported by the common wealth of society’s privileged. Its beliefs are usually of distrust in its bureaucracy. Traditionalistic culture maintains an obligation to its family hierarchy. The traditionalistic subculture has a lower vo ting turn out rate compared to the opposition. These distinctive cultures were bestowed upon Texans in the 1800’s, when Texas was changing into a diverse and demographically society. Individualistic and traditionalistic cultures are the outline of ideology and certainty to the way Texas government is administrated. This has a huge impact on the way the Texas structures its government and why people support such a structure. And Texas is viewed as both subcultures. Individualistic subculture was based out of the â€Å"Middle East Atlantic states (Elazar)† and migrated towards the west in hopes of establishing a limited government course and eventually settling in Texas. Texas is a prominent state that stays true to its strict views about reduced government. So it i... ...neth M. Goldstein, and William G. Howell. "Chapter 20 The Social and Economic Milieu of Texas Poltics." Understanding American Politics and Government. Texas ed. New York: Longman, 2010. 690-93. Print. Elazar, Daniel. "Explaining Policy Differences Using Political Culture." Reading. West Texas A&M University. Political Culture Handout. Dr. Dave Rausch, Teel Bivins Professor of Political Science. Web. 23 Mar. 2011. Newell, Charldean. "Inflexibility, Traditionalism, and Partisanship: The Texas Response to New Federalism." Review. Annual Review of American Federalism 12 (1981 (1983): 185-95. Publius. Oxford University Press. Web. 23 Mar. 2011. "Texas Politics - Texas Political Culture." Welcome to Texas Politics. University of Texas at Austin, 2011. Web. 15 Mar. 2011. .

COP 3530, Discrete Data Structures and Algorithms, Summer 1999, Homework 1 :: UFL Florida Computer Programming Homework

Class Notes: Data Structures and Algorithms Summer-C Semester 1999 - M WRF 2nd Period CSE/E119, Section 7344 Homework #1 -- Solutions (in blue type) Note: There have been many questions about this homework assignment. Thus, clarifications are posted below in red type. When you answer these questions, bear in mind that each one only counts four points out of 1000 total points for the course. Thus, each one should have a concise answer. No need to write a dissertation. * Question 1. Suppose you want to find the maximum of a sequence or vector a of n distinct integers. Write an algorithm to do this in O(n) time, for any sequence of n distinct integers. max = very large negative number input(a) for i = 1 to n do if a[i] > max then max = a[i] endfor output(max) * Question 2. You could assume that you know the maximum value of a before you search for it. That is, if a has values in the interval [0,101], then the maximum would be 101. The best case (least work) in the preceding algorithm would occur when the maximum of the n-element sequence is the first element of the sequence. Where is the maximum located for the (a) worst case, and (b) average case? Support each answer with a proof, not just an example. Alternatively, you could assume that the maximum was not known beforehand, and a)-b), above might be easier...Either assumption is o.k. o Case 1: Maximum unknown a priori -- You have to search through the entire array to find the maximum. Thus, there is no worst case or best case if you consider the work as comparisons (dominant cost) only. o Case 2: Maximum known a priori -- This becomes a linear search problem (find the maximum).

Health Promotion of the Older Adult

While previous perceptions o f health only included the physical body, health is now considered from a holistic point of v eel, encompassing the body, mind, and environment as opposed to only the absence of disease ( Chem., Hung, Line, Hang & Yang). I believe that while assessing one's health, especially that of a n older adult, the wellbeing of both the body and mind should be equally taken into considerate on. While this mindset takes on a holistic approach, I feel that it is possible to have an illness while still maintaining a degree of health.An example of this would be one who suffers from diabetes but lives an otherwise positive and productive lifestyle. My perception of health has been influenced by the examples my parents have e set Out for me. While my father put a lot of stress on the importance of the physical asps CT of health, encouraging an active lifestyle and proper nutrition, my mother taught the IM parlance of coping skills and positive environments. Both parents v iew themselves as relatively h lately and lead active lifestyles regardless of the genetically endowed illness such as heart disk ease with my ether and depression with my mother.My education is another influence of my perception of 3 health. Learning about the body and what it needs to function has made health h promotion and the maintenance of a healthy lifestyle important to me. After examining Mrs.. Hernandez case, several issues have been identified w which may impede the processes of healthy aging. Two of the issues selected for indents focus included Mrs.. Hernandez poor coping skills and poor access to necessary resources. During her assessment, Mrs..Hernandez stated that prior to the loss of her husband, she often prepared her own meals, whereas now she relies on prepackaged, and microwavable meals . Mrs.. Hernandez additionally stated that she no longer has an appetite and no longer enjoys the e taste or smell of food. These changes seem to coincide with the loss of her hu sband. Consequent entry, Mrs.. Hernandez level of health, as well as emotional well being would benefit fro m an improved level of coping skills. Mrs.. Hernandez seems to also lack active engagement in her life as a result of her poor coping skills. This is apparent in Mrs..Hernandez statement rage ding her abundance of time spent watching television as well as the little amount of it me she spends outside of her apartment. While examining limitations in Mrs.. Hernandez pr access of healthy aging, consideration Of her inaccessibility to appropriate resources is essential I. Mrs.. Hernandez stated that she obtains her food and supplies at the corner store. Immobility due to pain in her hips not only decreases her activities of daily living, but also isolates her as SSH e spends the majority of her time resting at home. A possible intervention for Mrs..Herman ex could be utilization of services that provides transportation to grocery stores, medical appointments, and social clubs. Eff ective management of her hip pain and possible physiotherapy y may also increase her physical functionality which could enable her to comfortably spend more time outside the home. 4 There are several chronological assessment tools available that cover many a aspects of healthy aging. The assessment tools that are especially pertinent to Mrs.. Here anode's current situation are the PANCAKES assessment, the family PAGE, and the GeriatricDepression scale (Toothy, Jet, Abstractors, & McCauley, 2012). PANCAKES is a comprehensive asses semen tool that incorporates the requirements needed in order to complete the activities of d lily living. This tool would help identify the needed resources and services in order to develop a p rationalized and efficient care plan. This assessment tool also helps with identifying any potent ail health and safety risks (Toothy et al. , 2012). This is especially important for Mrs.. Hernandez z as she currently resides alone. Due to the fact that Mrs..Hernand ez has recently suffered from the loss of a loved one, it is recommended that she receives a Familiarity test, which measure s the availability and quality of social supports. Using the results from this tool, a strategy cool d be implemented to help Mrs.. Hernandez develop positive relationships and ultimately, improve e On her coping skills. Finally, there is the Geriatric Depression Scale, which is used for mood measurement. This particular tool is recommended as Mrs.. Hernandez has shown signs of d oppression through her loss of appetite and level of activity.

Becket

Becket Becket Essay Have you ever heard the phrase opposites attract? Have you ever experienced it for yourself? In the case of Thomas Becket and King Henry II, this phrase was a very accurate reality. King Henry was very spontaneous and irrational in his decisions for the well being of England. He relied significantly upon Thomas Becket for knowledge and guidance in situations of both importance and irrelevancy for the welfare of his country. Becket, on the other hand, did not give the impression of reliance upon Henry at all. Since their first encounter, Henry had been mystified by Becket's outlook on life and his passiveness and assurance. Although their characters give the impression to be in no way similar, their reliance upon one another is very powerful and yet extremely surprising. Becket becomes resilient to Henry's irrationalities and eccentric attitude in situations and looks past his weaknesses to show him his strengths and possibilities of being useful in life.Altar marking the spot of Thomas Becket's martyrdo...King Henry II is a very influential and imposing man. He has an extremely short temper and has absolutely no patience when it comes to ignorance. He exemplifies this with his actions toward his wife and mother after Becket has left. He becomes irate and will not listen to anyone. From when they first met, Henry was incredibly reliant upon Becket and his knowledgeable solutions to his problems and frustrations. Henry easily becomes bored with life and all the people things around him. He is not emotionally content, and Becket helps him to find satisfaction out of his life and role and duty as King England. Becket gives Henry a sense of worth and confidence, and Henry relishes the feeling. Most of Henry's decisions are to make himself feel better and Becket tries to make him realize that he can...

Haroun Essay

Haroun Essay Haroun Essay Arthur Catapano Ms. Kajda ENG4U1 Monday, November 1st, 2011. Stories are the Reflections of Humanity The origins of storytelling likely date back to the origins of human language itself. In fact, it seems that storytelling is embedded into a person’s DNA and is as much a part of a human being as the conscience, or our ability to speak. Every person is blessed with the gift of imagination, and an outlet for one’s imagination is through storytelling. Through an individual using storytelling and imagination, they are able to express personal experiences in a creative way without directly stating that the story reflects factual experiences. Every form of literature has some sort of relation with humanity even if the story takes place in a fairytale world with magical creatures. Imagination encourages people to think freely and express their personal opinions on situations. If one were forced to repress their imagination then the right to their freedom of speech would be taken away, resulting in everything being censored. In Salman Rushdie’s Haroun and the Sea of Sto ries the parallels between the text and Rushdie are clearly outlined, as well as the importance of expressing one’s imagination. Stories are mirrors that reflect reality because they draw on primordial images passed down from ancestors, they display the close relationship between author and text, and they provide social commentary on the society they emerge from. The concepts of storytelling date back to the primitive ancestors of modern society. These basic concepts of storytelling consist of a variety of templates to guide an author/storyteller through sequential events pertaining to the genre. These basic templates or models used by authors are referred to as archetypes. According to an analytic psychologist Carl Jung, an archetype is a universal aspect in storytelling which stems from the collective unconscious of the human brain. According to Jung humanity posses three levels of the mind which are the conscious, personal unconscious (a thin layer below the conscious), an d the collective unconscious (part of mind which can never be remembered as it was never repressed or forgotten). The reason why archetypes are said to be a universal aspect of storytelling is because it relates to the fundamental facts of human existence such as birth, love, and death. A valid piece of evidence which proves that archetypes are universal is that stories written halfway across the world share similar or exact storylines with one another. Through distant countries having similar storylines, it proves that archetypes are universal and that they are based on the fundamental facts of human existence and nature. In the novel Haroun and the Sea of Stories Rushdie incorporates a wide variety of archetypes to successfully write an award winning masterpiece. The main archetype that Rushdie uses throughout Haroun and the Sea of Stories is the monomyth, also referred to as the hero’s quest. The monomyth archetype is clearly demonstrated throughout the novel as the main character Haroun begins on a quest to the land of Kahani in order to restore his father’s water supply. As the quest progresses Haroun makes a tough decision to go and defeat the shadow of Khattam-Shud in order to save the Land of Gup. At the end of this quest Haroun saves the land of Gup from the evil villain and is proclaimed a hero through the eyes of society. Through this brief summary on the novel an individual can easily conclude that the story uses the monomyth archetype. A quote in the novel which supports the fact that the story and Haroun fit the criteria of a monomyth archetype is, â€Å"Now, if you and the General wish, I’ll spy for you upon Khattam-Shud, or his Shadow, whichever of them is down there in the Old Zone, poisoning the Ocean† (Rushdie, 136). In this quote the protagonist (Haroun) makes a tough decision to go and face his fears in order to save the Sea of Stories. The decision made by Haroun is

Compare Bigger Thomas and the Invisible Men essays

Compare Bigger Thomas and the Invisible Men essays Compare Bigger Thomas, the protagonist of Native Son, to the unnamed protagonist and narrator of Invisible Man It was observed by Socrates that an unexamined life is not worth living. If that is true, then Bigger Thomas tragedy of Richard Wrights novel of the African-American 20th century experience is that of a tragedy of an unexamined life. Thomas begins the novel as a chauffeur, working in an occupation where he can see the lives of rich white people, but cannot dream of living such a lifestyle. He lives in fear of whites, and accidentally smothers Mary, the daughter of his employer, and conceals his crime, when he is trying to prevent the drunken girl from awakening anyone, and cause him to be accused of rape. Only at the end of the novel, when talking to a white communist defense lawyer, does Bigger gain a sense of how poorly he has been treated as an African-American throughout his existence. Bigger is a largely passive character, and the moral center of his family is clearly his mother, not Bigger. Even the young girl he accidentally killed, Mary, exploited him in a well-meaning fashion, as she asked Bigger to take her boyfriend and herself to Harlem to listen to jazz and eat soul food, an action that both disgusted and terrified Bigger. In contrast, Ralph Ellisons Invisible Man lives an all too examined life. His narrator is painfully aware of how racism limits his circumstances. He too has been treated in a patronizing fashion by whites-but not by people who want to act black, but by whites that are supposedly are trying to improve his race through education. At one point, in the presence of a white man, a trustee of the all-black university he attends, he accidentally stumbles into a nightclub, but the disgust, fear, and shame he feels during the event is not simply because of the actions of the trustee, but also because of the behavior of his fellow African-Americans. The...

Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococci and ambulation ( evidence based Dissertation

Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococci and ambulation ( evidence based practice ) - Dissertation Example In most instances, recognition of a practice problem prompts an evidence based practice (EPB). For instance, an EPB team with the goal of conducting an EPB project in a given duration would have to consider what outcomes by the patient need more improvement (Jones, 2004). Once a practice problem has been realized or determined, data both internal and external is collected. This data should be relevant to the practice problem to confirm that there is indeed the need for change and in the long run, improvement. It is crucial that the focus of evidence based practice is justified because it is resource intensive. A practice problem statement is also prepared so as to clarify what the evidence based practice is exactly (Fulton, 2010). The best evidence is also located using key actions. These are identifying the types and sources of evidence, making arrangements for the search for evidence, and conducting the search for best evidence. Types of evidence could include clinical practice gui delines, systematic reviews, expert reports, single studies as well as critical appraisal topics. The search of evidence is planned as a rigorous, systematic review, which would include formulating the research question to guide the search, selection of the research strategy, choosing the inclusion and exclusion criteria, and planning the synthesis (Kathleen, 2011). Clinical Question The nursing practice to be detailed is based on a hugely serious clinical question. The question seeks to establish whether patients acquired with Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococci (VRE) more likely to recondition due to physical therapy limitations. This is a clinical problem that requires research on how to handle it. The evidence also in his case is that patients with VRE are more likely to recondition due to physical therapy limitations. This is the main objective of evidence based research and what it entails (Parke, 2011). Literacy in significant information is required and access to adequate infor mation so that evidence based practice (EBP) can be researched. The patient is the main stakeholder, and their health is vital. Besides the fact that the infection brings various disadvantages to their movement, policies should be put in place that would encourage movement by them without increasing the risks of spreading the infections. Physical therapy has extremely strict rules in relation to ambulation, but still there exists other kinds of infections that are not warranted to this policy measure. Even though, lobby privileges are awarded to some patients, risks are still there related to spreading the infection because of the infectious risks the VRE has. The patient can still walk and not undergo confinement to bed. The only set back is that infection makes them confined in their rooms leading to physical inactivity. This has its health related hazards like muscle problems for instance muscle atrophy (Lawrenceville, 2006). Synthesis of Literature Literature reviews have been a ble to provide details of primary research in human health policy as well as their care. These are considered as the highest standards in evidence based health care. They help in the provision of evidence during the investigation of the responses to the interventions of prevention, rehabilitation as well as treatment. They also detail about how valuable and accurate a diagnostic test for a given

Unions in China and Germany Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Unions in China and Germany - Essay Example The essay "Unions in China and Germany" talks about the time when Hitler ruled in Germany and the union between Germany and China. Under the rule of Hitler, Germany saw a transformation into a dictatorship from a republic through the coordination process. After 1934 August, it became a totalitarian state.The ACFTU is the only legal organization of trade unions. It is structured to suit the requirements of a socialist power economy. With the start of liberalization in China in 1978, the ACFTU experienced a turning point as it was fed by the peasant economy’s surplus labor. On the other hand, in Germany, Hitler realized that unions exercised more power than he could over the workers. Although he needed the workers to back him, he did not wish the unions to have so much power and, therefore, all unions were banned and the state assumed their roles. The German Labor Force deliberately masked in patriotism, replaced all unions. To gain the workers’ support, they were offered improved lifestyles and subsidized holidays, but the right to strike was taken away. Strikes became illegal. Leadership was from top to down, with the working class having no power of say. In China, the trade unions’ National Congress is the highest level of decision making, together with the ensuing ACFTU Executive Committee. It is worth noting that although only the ACFTU is legal, power is transferred to it from the top and distributed among other democratically elected offices. The unions at the grassroots allow dual leadership.; from the national level and at the local level. The National Congress holds a meeting after every five years and when it goes into recess, its powers are exercised by the Executive Committee, which takes charge of the unions. Through the Executive Committee, elections are conducted to choose a chairman, several vice chairmen and members of a Presidium, who form the Presidium that convenes the Executive Committee’s plenary session annually . When the Executive Committee goes into recess, the Presidium takes over power and holds plenary sessions quarterly. A Secretariat is created under the Presidium and it consists of a first secretary and a number of other secretaries who attend to the daily business of the ACFTU. Headquartered at the ACFTU is an auditing commission together with 12 other functioning departments ranging from finance to technical and legal. In the Federal Republic of Germany, associations for employers were reestablished with the founding of the republic, but did not achieve their status of power before the 1950s economic boom. Unlike China, several unions exist in Germany. Presently, there are a few hundred associations for employers and they are grouped under the Confederation of German Employers' Associations (BDA), Federation of German Industries (BDI) and German Industrial and Trade Conference (DIHT). The BDA is the labor unions’ negotiating counterpart in collective bargaining situations, while the BDI and DIHT influence the economic policy of the government. Labor in Federal Germany is further organized in three key centralized associations. They are the German Federation of Civil Servants, the German Union of Salaried Workers and the German Confederation of Trade Unions. The German Confederation of Trade Unions (DGB) is the largest by far. It represents the interests of its eight individual trade union members which, in turn, represent over six million workers. The position of the confederation pertaining to

Unit 2 Seminar public health Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Unit 2 Seminar public health - Essay Example The field entails bringing various resources, systems and techniques so as to maximize on the use of medical knowledge wealth, drug breakthroughs and technological advances available. Medical informatics services can be of help in various health settings, including hospital care, rehabilitation centers, primary care facilities and general practice (John, 2009). Health informants can be used to enhance efficiency and effectiveness of a given health facility. The commonest areas that require their services are the administrative, clinical and medical information (O’Carrol, 2010). For instance, there is a great emphasis for implementing a uniformed system of storing medical records electronically. Not only does it cut down health care cost, but also improves the general quality of care of clients. Furthermore, it also has an impact on billing, scheduling, sharing medical information and clinical research. Health communication and information provided by health informants have really been applied in the hospitals in a number of ways. Doctors generally take opportunity of the constantly expanding knowledge base which enables them to make decisions based on latest information. By health informants providing information on effectiveness of certain drugs, doctors eliminate some prescription mistakes they commit (O’Carrol,

Leading Retailer Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Leading Retailer - Case Study Example The main aim of the company is to help people save money to help live better. The growth of the company over the years has been immense. The company pays a lot of attentions to the needs of the stakeholders and helps provide the stakeholders with the desired results. The biggest retailer in the world with over 971 discount stores, 2447 super centres, 132 neighborhood markets, and 591 Sam's clubs in the US, Wal - Mart has been able to very smoothly make its way to the top of the retailing industry. The company is spread over the 14 countries and employees almost over 2.1 million people. The company has made enormous revenue of over $378,799 million for the year - end January 2008. Being the largest retailer in the world, Wal - Mart is faced with a lot of competition and making all the happenings, issues, events etc of Wal -Mart always in the limelight (Money Central, 2008). The company works on the basic values which mainly revolve around the respect for individuals, service to customers and striving for excellence. The management of the company is said to be very efficient and the managers are known to be work by the values of the firm. However the company still faces a number of issues pertaining it employees, each of whom are known as associates in the company. The vision of the company is to become the leaders of the retail industry. This however can only be achieved by ensuring that the customers receive what they desire out of the company. The mission of the company highlights their constant need to improve the services provided to exceed customer expectations and to provide customers with reasonably priced goods of great quality. The company's basic va lues of respect for individuals, service to customers and striving for excellence speaks for itself. Wal - Mart has tried to ensure it reaches out to the majority of the American population and the major customer groups accounting to almost 23 percent belong to families where the annual income is lesser than $25,000. It was also noted that almost half of the customers of the superstore are blue-collar workers and most of the families are either unemployed or elderly (Featherstone, 2005). The Issues: Wal - Mart in some recent reports has been accused of not treating their employees fairly and making the employees work over the shift hours. The company has also been accused for paying the employees much lower than what they should receive. According to a number of reports the employees have actually disclosed the fact that they receive pays which are way below the minimum level of pay that has to be given to the employees. The company claims to give importance to the employee's growth and careers. The company's website claims to provide the employees with a competitive pay, skills development and health benefits for the employee and family. However a recent article in Business Week highlighted the fact that the company has been paying employees about $8.23 per hour, or $13,861 a year. This pay is well below the federal poverty line of $14, 630 for a family of three. Other

The pressure and the result Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The pressure and the result - Research Paper Example The resistance in these areas can be attributed to the rebel groups retaliating to the violence and the unfair treatment that their governments get from the US, especially in terms of the control of valuable resources such as oil deposits. Also, the passive nature of the US government in providing sanctions with regards to its own citizens in insulting and mocking other cultures caused the deaths of one of its ambassadors to Libya. This goes to show that while the US government keeps controlling the OPEC’s in a dehumanizing way bloodshed will not stop in these countries. It would be of best interest in both parties that the US government recognize the ability of these Middle Eastern countries in settling their own disputes, educate its citizens in the human rights that the Middle Eastern populations deserve, as well as not branding all Muslims as terrorists, and adjust their policies on the OPEC’s. The Results of Western Pressures on Middle Eastern Countries The US has been known to have major control over the oil-producing countries in the Middle East since around the years a bit before and after the end of the Second World War, and this control has extended even beyond the oil refineries and into the socio-political environment of these countries. Initially taking over these petroleum-producing countries started out as a task that was handed out by former European empires such as the French and the British monarchies, due to their losing ground in seizing full control of the petroleum industries of the countries that handle and export them (Huntington, 1993, p. 31). However, when the prospect of getting hold of the world’s large suppliers of petroleum and other by-products gave the policy-makers in the US ideas of having power over them, it occurred to them that it was possible not just to take hold over the flow of the petroleum products but also manipulating the leaders in these countries in creating policies that would mostly benefit t he US, but without covertly seizing hold of the countries themselves. When the US took hold of these oil refinery plants, it gave an idea to its leaders and the general public that because the country has control over these Organizations of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), they are also in control with the social and political environments in these countries, making the US their unofficial world police/peace negotiator/mediator, so far as OPEC’s are concerned. However, such views only added pressure to these countries, as well as undermining their own capacities to rule and prevent or solve conflicts within their adjacent countries and kingdoms (Forsyth, O'Boyle, & McDaniel, 2008, p. 816). In addition, through the eyes of the US citizens, the needs, ideas and traditions of the people living in these countries were deemed insignificant, making the Middle East countries seen only as a group of nations that cater to their large demand of petroleum products (Chomsky, 2004, p . 74). Dehumanizing these countries created pressure between the US and the OPEC’s, which became one of the roots of the seemingly-unending conflicts that not only affect the social and political stability in these nations, but also their moral standpoint as far as the rest of the world is concerned. The retaliation of these countries with regards to how the US maintains control over them and their natural resources became struggles that earned the reputation of Middle Eastern countries as rebels, tyrants, and even terrorists, which are in reality

Leading Retailer Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Leading Retailer - Case Study Example The main aim of the company is to help people save money to help live better. The growth of the company over the years has been immense. The company pays a lot of attentions to the needs of the stakeholders and helps provide the stakeholders with the desired results. The biggest retailer in the world with over 971 discount stores, 2447 super centres, 132 neighborhood markets, and 591 Sam's clubs in the US, Wal - Mart has been able to very smoothly make its way to the top of the retailing industry. The company is spread over the 14 countries and employees almost over 2.1 million people. The company has made enormous revenue of over $378,799 million for the year - end January 2008. Being the largest retailer in the world, Wal - Mart is faced with a lot of competition and making all the happenings, issues, events etc of Wal -Mart always in the limelight (Money Central, 2008). The company works on the basic values which mainly revolve around the respect for individuals, service to customers and striving for excellence. The management of the company is said to be very efficient and the managers are known to be work by the values of the firm. However the company still faces a number of issues pertaining it employees, each of whom are known as associates in the company. The vision of the company is to become the leaders of the retail industry. This however can only be achieved by ensuring that the customers receive what they desire out of the company. The mission of the company highlights their constant need to improve the services provided to exceed customer expectations and to provide customers with reasonably priced goods of great quality. The company's basic va lues of respect for individuals, service to customers and striving for excellence speaks for itself. Wal - Mart has tried to ensure it reaches out to the majority of the American population and the major customer groups accounting to almost 23 percent belong to families where the annual income is lesser than $25,000. It was also noted that almost half of the customers of the superstore are blue-collar workers and most of the families are either unemployed or elderly (Featherstone, 2005). The Issues: Wal - Mart in some recent reports has been accused of not treating their employees fairly and making the employees work over the shift hours. The company has also been accused for paying the employees much lower than what they should receive. According to a number of reports the employees have actually disclosed the fact that they receive pays which are way below the minimum level of pay that has to be given to the employees. The company claims to give importance to the employee's growth and careers. The company's website claims to provide the employees with a competitive pay, skills development and health benefits for the employee and family. However a recent article in Business Week highlighted the fact that the company has been paying employees about $8.23 per hour, or $13,861 a year. This pay is well below the federal poverty line of $14, 630 for a family of three. Other

CRJS405DB4 Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

CRJS405DB4 - Research Paper Example These include but not limited to collation, filtering, visualization and processing of data. Collation is the major role played by Excel. It involves gathering items that are related together into a solitary location, the spreadsheet. This aids in facilitating interpretation of data as only those records that are related are kept together. The organization of data in the spreadsheet also enhances clarity and neatness of the records, making access and retrieval easy and faster. Filtering is also another important feature offered by Excel. The data sets can also be easily visualized, making the work of the managers easy and more efficient to perform. SPSS can be defined as an integrated collection of tools for analysis of data commonly used and applied by social scientist researchers ( Mckeh & David, 2004). It is a computer based software package for quantitative data analysis commonly used for analysis of statistical data and other data management tasks. SPSS offers predictive analytics, a common feature which is beneficial to all businesses regardless of their industry. This feature involves predicting changes in the future trends in selling patterns. The results are then translated quickly into a number of harmonized decisions which aid in management and planning for future trends. This helps organization to take caution of possible risks of failure in the future, thus adjusting their operations to fit the situation ( Wagner, 2011). This saves money and improves customer satisfaction, thus ensuring continued success of the business. Future losses are prevented before occurring. When one uses the data garnered in a survey as a tool to develop a profile of features to be used by the company when hiring workers and call that Ideal, it could mean a stagger in the ethics of business. This is equated to having a mold of potential employees and calling them ideal (Cooper $ Vault, 2009). Each of them will be diversified in the

Economics of the movie business Essay Example for Free

Economics of the movie business Essay Most of the movies that are eventually released are cofinanced. This is a term that is used within the movie industry to describe those films for which there are more than one firm that share both the cost of production as well as the revenues. Nearly one-third of all the movies that are released are cofinanced. Various studies have shown that the main reason for cofinancing is to manage and share risk. Most of the major studios are in the category of publicly traded firms where the investors are free to carry out their own diversification decisions. Not always is the cofinancing decision related to the movie returns as the studios rarely cofinance highly risky films1. Demand is difficult to predict and thus financial risk remains to be a characteristic of the film industry since most of the cost is incurred long before the demand can be actualized. It’s thus the reason that most of the authors in this field have argued that the key variable that shapes the industry is the financing strategy adopted. Mainly, there are three ways in which cofinancing would reduce risk associated with the movie production. First, the cofinancing of the relatively risky films by the studios would give them the opportunity to participate in the less risky projects. Second, cofinancing would allow studios to fine tune their portfolios thus gaining the advantage of covariances of the gains across the movies. The third advantage of cofinancing is the simple law of large numbers to share a potential loss . Data collection The data to be used here in this paper is the information provided forth in Goettler, R. L and Leslie, P. (2004) where information on over 3,826 movies was exhibited in the US between 1987 to 2000. The primary source of the data was the Internet Movie Database (IMDb). The analysis focused mainly on ownership choices of the major studios. Out of the 3,826 movies examined, 1,305 were produced by the major studios. The analysis here focuses on ownership choices that have been made by the major studios. Movie profitability has been based on the return on investment, RIO, which is defined as the revenue divided by the cost. Revenue in this case was measured as the North America box office revenue and cost was obtained from the production budget. Film’s negative cost, which is the standard measure of production cost was also used. Other cost such as advertising are in most cases proportional to the cost of production and were thus not evaluated in this kind of study. Thus the ROI evaluated here was basically the relative profitability of the films but not the absolute profitability. Also the measure of revenues in this study excluded some revenues such as foreign box and video revenue. It would be ideal to use all the revenue sources but the approach would have limited the number of films in the analysis as most of this kind of data is only available only to a subset of films. At the same time limiting the analysis only to the films with this kind of extra data may introduce selection bias as most of this data maybe limited to the successful films only1. Identification of cofinanced films The listing of a production company is the first sign that there are cofinancing partners but this is not a sufficient condition. The most important criteria is to know if a firm contributes towards the production cost. Its worth to note that a firm can be credited for having contributed into the production company of a film after initiating then selling the project to a major studio even without retaining revenue shares. This kind of arrangement referred to as â€Å"first-look deal† is common between a semi-independent production company and a studio in a long-term relationship. The criteria used here in determining if a film is cofinanced is that first if a major studio is on the list of the production company for a certain film, then the assumption is that the studio has some ownership stake in the film. Second, Variety magazine was a source of those firms with the first-look deals from the â€Å"Facts on Pacts† list and those that are equity partners. The assumption here was that a firm was a joint owner if it was on the production company list and also on the equity partner2. For those movie that an independent firm and a major studio cofinanced, the question of whether either of these two had the option of being sole-owner remains. In simple term, one may also question which among the two firms initiated the entire project? The available information suggest that the studio usually has the mandate to decide if it will co-own or just be a sole-owner. This kind of decision called â€Å"greenlighting† is usually made during decision point of whether to make the movie or not. Complications do arise like when two companies have the same subsidiary structure such as having the same parent company and at the same time end up owning the same movie. In such cases, it was assumed that the movie was not cofinanced since the production divisions happen to work as integrated components of the parent studio rather than as being competitors. Another point of ownership ignored was the cases where the directors or the star actors negotiate a part of the movie revenues. This was so because most of this happens as a result of the directors/actors strong bargaining power to have a share of the revenue once the movie is successful rather than a strong will to share and manage risk.

Chromosome Analysis of Chicken and Quail

Chromosome Analysis of Chicken and Quail Chicken, quail and Chicken-Quail hybrids were used as objects of study, in order to investigate the crossing incompatibility between Chicken-Quail in the level of chromosome. Chromosome specimens are prepared by the peripheral blood lymphocyte cultivation, airing and embryonic, with karyotype, G and C band analysis. The results showed that the number of chromosomes of chicken and quail are 2n = 78, including 10 pairs macrochromosomesand 29 minute chromosome, but apparented differences are existed in the morphous of chromosomes, there are comparatively large difference between the number of fringe and the width of fringe of G band stripe of chicken and quail. It can be divided into 32 zones, with 155 straps and 71 positive bands for chickens. And it can be divided into 28 zones, with 138 straps and 61 positive bands for quails. Through the analysis of C zonation, it indicated that W chromosome of fission phase in all the female always show C-band and the whole band anachromasis, easil y identified, which further confirmed the C-band analysis is an effective way of birds sexing. Key words: Chicken, Quail, Hybrid Species, Karyotype According to the statistics, 56 percent of kinds of birds can be used to species hybridization and 44 percent of kinds birds can be used to intergeneric cross, epecially between family or subfamily[1]. These phenomenon of distance hybridization can make breeding materials richer and provide superordinary goods group, however, the problems accompanied by distant hybridization are cross incompatibility (hybridized combination can not obtain the offspring), and hybrid sterility. There are same matters between the crossing of chickens and quails, such as the early death of female individuals of hybrid species, only the maleness ones survivaled but there are no activity of genitical gland of hybrid species. Now the mechanism of distance cross-incompatibility of birds are imperfect, and there are no detailed cellule genetics research of generic cross. Chickens, quails and intergeneric hybrid species were used as object in this study, Chromosome specimens are prepared by the peripheral bloo d lymphocyte cultivation, airing and embryonic, with karyotype. With the comparison among the objects, G-band and C band, many valuable references for cross incompatibility and the hybrid sterility are provided between chicken and quail. Test materials Test animal Gallus gallus domestica tested 20 (10 à ¢Ã¢â€ž ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡, 10 à ¢Ã¢â€ž ¢Ã¢â€š ¬), quail 20 (10 à ¢Ã¢â€ž ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡, 10 à ¢Ã¢â€ž ¢Ã¢â€š ¬), the ripe Chicken-Quail hybrids 20 and Chicken-Quail hybrids embryos 90 adopted artificial insemination method by hybridization of chicken (à ¢Ã¢â€ž ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡) and quail (à ¢Ã¢â€ž ¢Ã¢â€š ¬), were taken from experimental station Animal Science and Technology Institute of Shihezi University. Reagent RPMI1640 (GIBCO); Heparin (Hua Mei biological engineering company); colchicine (BIB subpackage); Giemsa powder (Sigma subpackage); calf serum (Hua Mei biological engineering company), inactivated , cryopreservation; PHA (Institute of Pharmaceutical Industry in Guangzhou). Preparation of conventional chromosome specimen Chromosome specimens slice of chicken, quail and ripe Chicken-Quail hybrids prepared[2] by the peripheral blood lymphocyte cultivation, airing. Chromosome specimens slice of Chicken-Quail hybrids prepared by embryonic. Referring the methods of preparing the chromosome sample of G-zonation of Chen guo-hong[3] and so on(2003), then preparing the chromosome sample of C-zonation for using the regulation of BSG[4]. Chromosome analysis method Chromosome sections with Giemsa stained can be counted under a microscope. The diploid chromosome number are counted under the microscope with selecting of good chromosome spread and fission phasing of limpid appearance (50 male and 50 female). The 3 metakinesis phasing and good chromosome spread and limpid appearance selected in each poultry were carried out microphotograph under the immersion objective choice. The long and short arms of first 10 pairs chromosomes were measured by Photoshop image-processing software, then according to the following formula, calculated the relative length of each chromosomes, arm ratio and Centromere index. According to the standards of Leven, regular karyogram were got for the size, the location of centromere of chromosomes. For using the mean value of karyotype parameter, we can draw a ideograph of karyotype. Relative length=-100 Arm ratio= Centromere index=-100 The good metaphase G-band ideograph for division of zone of chicken, quail and a hybrid were shooted. With the survey of microscope, the number of stripe, the relative location of stripe, the shade of colouration and the width of stripe were all sure. The number of stripe for the first 10 pairs chromosomes of each cellule were calculated, and counted the frequency of modal number of stripe. Partited[5] the zone for referencing the pattern of the G-zonation of Gallus gallus domestica, then drawed the mode of the G-zonation of intermediate stage for chicken, quails and hybrid species. The condition of metaphase phasing C zonation with alkali treatment was observed under the microscope, selecting complete limpid metakinesis phasing of good disposal, chromatosis and disintegration for micrograph, magnification, cutting out, paring, with the analysis of the C-band characteristics, location show, and other laws, focusing on observation of the W chromosome morphous and banding circumstances . Results and analysis Karyotype analysis of Chicken, Quail and Their Hybrids Diploid (2n) cell chromosome number Chromosome sections of Chicken, quail and a hybrid were carried out conventional Giemsa staining with the selection of 100 good desintegrate phasing respectively for micrograph and the statistics of diploid chromosomes, the results shown in Table 1. Table 1 The diploid chromosomes of Chicken, Quail and Their Hybrids From table 2, 10 pairs macrochromosome and 29 pairs minute chromosome are included in the chromosomes of chickens and quails, and minute chromosome are telocentric chromosome with sex determination style of ZZ (à ¢Ã¢â€ž ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡) and ZW (à ¢Ã¢â€ž ¢Ã¢â€š ¬). No. 3, No. 5, No. 7, No. 9 chromosome in chicken autosome are t-type, No. 1, No. 2, No. 8 chromosome are m-type; No. 4, No. 6 chromosome are sm-type; except the quail autosome No. 1 chromosome for sm-type, No. 2 chromosome for the m-type, No. 4 chromosome for st-type; other chromosomes are t-type. The Z chromosome of chicken and quails are m-type and the fifth macrochromosome; for chicken, the W chromosome is m-type, with the length the same as No. 8 chromosome; for quail, the W chromosome is t-type, with the length between No. 7 chromosome and No. 8 chromosome. Chromosome karyotype of Chicken-Quail hybrids Table 3 The parameter of macrochromosomes of Chicken-Quail hybridsà ¯Ã‚ ¼Ã‹â€ Ã‚ ±SEà ¯Ã‚ ¼Ã¢â‚¬ ° The chromosome parameters of Chicken-Quail hybrids in Table 3, compared with chromosome karyotype parameters of chicken, quail in Table 2 found that each chromosome of every chromosome of the hybrid is basically same chromosome karyotype of chicken, quail with sex determination style for ZZ (à ¢Ã¢â€ž ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡) and ZW (à ¢Ã¢â€ž ¢Ã¢â€š ¬). Based on the result of Table 2 and Table 3, the ideograph of first 10 pairs of chickens, quails and hybrid species were drawed(see figure 5 and 6) , and reviewed the appearance of each chromosomes. The karyogram of chickens, quails, adult hybrid and majority hybrid species and their embryo were showed from figure 2 to figure 5. The matched-pairs of chromosomes in figure 3 and figure 4, in which the left of paired chromosomes is from chicken and the right is from quails. Disposition of Chicken-Quail hybrids early embryo sex proportion According to the chromosome karyotype and heterosome differences combing with the C-band banding pattern figure, the early sexuality identification of crossing progeny is carried out for 5 selected time. 90 embryos at early age are choosen, of which 24 female and 66 male are included. With the comparison of the theoretical, female and male ratio take on a significant difference (P

Essay on the Search for Freedom in Kate Chopins The Story of an Hour

Search for Freedom in The Story of an Hour  Ã‚      In the early 1900s, marriage was comparable to a master-and-slave relationship.   The role of the woman in the marriage was minimal.   The woman’s place was in the house, caring for the children, cleaning the house, and doing other â€Å"womanly† tasks.   Chained to their husbands, marriage became prison to many women; the only means of breaking free from these bonds being the death of a husband.   In Kate Chopin’s â€Å"The Story of an Hour,† Mrs. Mallard lives for an hour, experiencing rebirth into freedom and death when that freedom is lost.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   While sitting downstairs, Mrs. Mallard grieves over the loss of her husband, and over her new-found freedom.   His death tears out everything from right underneath her very own feet.   Dependent and heartbroken, everything she relies on her husband for has now become her responsibility.   Weeping â€Å"with sudden, wild abandonment†¦.,† Mrs. Mallard allows her emotions over her husband’s death to flow freely, thus...

Robert Andrew Millikan Essay -- essays research papers

Robert Andrew Millikan In 1909 Robert Andrew Millikan set up an apparatus to measure the charge of an electron within an accuracy range of 3%. In 1913 he came out with a value of the electrical charge that would serve the world of science for a generation. Young Millikan had a childhood like most others: he had no idea what his profession would be. Once he recalled trying to jump from a rowboat to a dock, falling in the water, and almost drowning. Here he had his first account with physics - Newton’s Third Law of Motion: "For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction". Even in High School Physics courses Millikan was not so spirited, which may have had a little to do with his teacher’s habit of spending the summers using a divining rod to find water. After Millikan graduated from Maquoketa High he was accepted into Oberlin College. Robert actually began his physics career when he taught an elementary course at the request of his Greek professor during his sophomore year. He then transferred to Columbia University from which he graduated in 1893 as the only student graduate in physics. After this accomplishment Millikan travelled to Germany to study with such professors Planck and others. When this period was on his resume Millikan was offered a position in the Physics department at the University of Chicago and Millikan took it. After teaching for a period Millikan decided that physics could o...

Lord Byron’s Don Juan Essay

Lord Byron’s Don Juan is a satirical poem that offers a seemingly comical and serious outlook of sexuality. In three different sexual relations in three different places, the events that surround Don Juan are both laughable and questionable. From an early affair with Donna Julia, to an innocently, beautiful engagement with Haidee and finally an unfulfilled and avoided relation with the Sultana Gulbeyaz, Don Juan escapes through the clutches of love with shattered innocence, a broken heart and near fatal eroticism. â€Å"As Byron’s satiric genius developed, it tended to employ less and less of the traditional axe-swinging of the neoclassic satirists and to approach more and more the mocking and ironic manner of the Italian burlesque poets†¦Finally, when his satiric genius had fully ripened, Byron found complete expression in serious and social satire† (Trueblood, 19). From an early age, Don Juan was destined to wander through a maze of sexuality. One can see this unfolding by merely looking at his parent’s marriage. Let us first look at Don Juan’s parents, Don Jose and Donna Inez. Byron presents the couple ironically and comically. Donna Inez, â€Å"morality’s prim personification †¦perfect past all parallel† (Byron, I, 16-17), still is not good enough for Don Jose. A man with a greater concern for women than knowledge, Don Jose is not a particularly admirable father figure. He lacks respect for his wife, and â€Å"like a lineal son of Eve, /Went plucking various fruits without her leave† (Byron, I, 18). This allusion to Don Jose being a son of Eve is somewhat accurate and satirical. Like Eve, he is careless and unaware of the consequences of his actions. However, as Eve’s son, the offspring of God’s beautiful creation, Don Jose is given holy qualities. He cannot be blamed for his actions, and for a long time, Donna Inez blinds herself from his wrongdoings and maintains their marital status. Their relationship is practically pointless; a mother and father that wished each other dead, not divorced. The unification of Don Jose and Donna Inez is a comical union. â€Å"What men call gallantry, and gods adultery, / Is much more common where the climate’s sultry† (Byron, I, 63). The two reach a point where they canno t stand each other, yet for some reason, they stay together. At the same time, marital disputes and infidelity make for no laughing matter. They were, and continue to be, problems for couples all around the world. Byron depicts Don Jose and Donna Inez at each other’s throats, but still sleeping side by side. To further solidify ironic humour, when their divorce inevitably approaches, Don Jose falls ill and dies. His death right before getting divorced symbolizes the death of marriage. Byron might be poking fun at the fact that more and more marriages end in divorce, and that the fire shared by ‘soul mates’ typically burns out. Despite being an unfaithful and uncaring father, the narrator paradoxically calls Don Jose an honourable man. The death of the father creates increased duties for the mother. Donna Inez decides to enlighten Don Juan with the teachings of art and sciences, but in doing so, neglects teaching him the basic facts of life. Someone uniformed about basic life necessities is at risk of not knowing how to act and react to certain situations. Though Don Juan does not attempt to manipulate those around him, his lack of direction leads him to being a victim of a harsh, unforgiving world. â€Å"Ladies even of the most uneasy virtue / Prefer a spouse whose age is short of thirty† (Byron, I, 61). This is a bold statement from the narrator, but it is certainly the case for Donna Julia, Donna Inez’s friend. She falls for the young and handsome Don Juan when he turns sixteen, though her affection started before then. Donna Julia is seven years older than Don Juan. Her love for the young lad is both comic and paedophilic. Donna Julia unsuccessfully resists temptation, and eventually takes Juan’s innocence and sends him along a path of sexual confusion. As the narrator states: â€Å"Even innocence itself has many a wile / And will not dare to trust itself with truth, / And love is taught hypocrisy from youth† (Byron, I, 72). Her inability to resist Don Juan is satirical for he is sexually inexperienced. Being sexually unsatisfied, one would think Donna Julia would pursue a lover with sexual experience. Her longing for such a young man is bizarre a nd questionable. â€Å"Byron seems to the think temptation integral to creation, and fall the inevitable consequence of temptation† (Ridenour, 29). For Don Juan, an impending relationship with Donna Julia is most appealing, but in turn, it is the start of spiralling, sexual journey. â€Å"Oh pleasure, you’re indeed a pleasant thing, / Although one must be damned for you no doubt† (Byron, I, 119). Unfortunate consequences of plentiful pleasure tend to follow Don Juan around. His romance with Donna Julia is of short lived passion. One November night, Don Alfonso’s suspicions reach a new height and he confronts Donna Julia in her suite. The season is significant; November represents the conclusion of fall and an approaching winter. The trees lose their leaves, plants and shrubs dwindle and the days get shorter and colder. These events can be compared to Don Juan and Donna Julia’s relationship, as its fire is extinguished by an upset Don Alfonso. â€Å"Man is chained to cold earth and is able to alleviate his sufferings only by his own efforts – by love and glory and, as we learn in the second sta nza, by poetry. This very poem is presented as an attempt to give color, form, warmth to a world naturally colorless, indefinite and chill† (Ridenour, 33). This thought can also be applied to Donna Julia, who was brightening her world with the young Don Juan. Though she promised Don Alfonso to never disgrace the ring she wore, she falls victim to the fact that â€Å"pleasure’s a sin and sometimes sin’s a pleasure† (Byron, I, 133). Donna Julia acts like a double-edged sword when confronted by Don Alfonso. She gets upsets by his unfaithful accusations, while the whole time, Don Juan is hidden beneath a pile of clothes. â€Å"Satire was Byron’s natural and habitual response to censure and injury† (Trueblood, 20). In the end, Donna Julia is left emotionally hurt and displaced, while Don Juan barely escapes from a physical punishment. Don Alfonso is left betrayed, deceived and not knowing where to turn. The first canto ends with the same disheartened feeling: â€Å"All things that have been born were born to die, / And flesh (which Death mows down to hay) is grass† (Byron, I, 220). The allusion of De ath mowing the grass of life is comic and serious. Humans age from year to year and their health eventually deteriorates. The same can be said of Don Juan’s sexual relations. â€Å"In Don Juan, Byron uses almost every possible variation of epic tone, from the frivolous to the almost entirely serious† (Clancy, 63). The tone takes a turn for the worse when Juan is involved in a shipwreck. He manages to get aboard a longboat and escape the capsizing ship. Juan’s luck only lasts so long for his tutor, who boards the longboat only to be eaten several days later. Just when Juan appears on the brink of death, he floats to safety clutching an oar. The oar can be seen as an obvious phallic symbol, and in turn, it leads Juan to his first true love, Haidee. â€Å"Amidst the barren sand and rocks so rude / She and her wave-worn love had made their bower† (Byron, II, 198). The setting of their relationship is perfect, for it is both beautiful and dangerous. â€Å"As Byron is careful to point out, it is here, on a coast whose perils have been repeatedly emphasized, that the peculiarly harmonious and ideal love of Juan and Haidee is consummatedâ₠¬  (Ridenour, 44). The love of Juan and Haidee has a quality of magnificence which Don Juan and Donna Julia lacked. The two are portrayed as soul mates that happened upon each other. They were brought together in a stroke of luck and when their union is denied â€Å"the power of love sours to lust, sex hatred and leering prudishness. What is true love is equally true of the other passions†¦The attempt to contain the passions and stop the flow of life always defeats itself in some manner. This is the particular form which the standard satiric plot takes in Don Juan† (Kernan, 93). Though Haidee and Juan were meant for each other, Lambro interferes and puts an end to their relationship. He ruins the purity of love, which had ironically been washed up on a beach. Lambro puts Juan into slavery, and furthermore, causes his daughter’s coma and eventual death. Had he accepted the unification of Juan and Haidee, life in general would have been happier, gayer. Violence and disorder lurk behind tranquility and harmony, and the tranquil and harmonious are fated inevitably to dissolve again in the violent and chaotic. This is an immutable law of Byron’s world. Haidee was, â€Å"Nature’s bride† (Byron, II, 202), and the love she shared with Juan is contrasted in its naturalness with the unnatural situation of woman in society. Their union is almost an act of natural religion. (Ridenour). Mary Grant places Don Juan â€Å"among the different kinds of humor, the mild and pervasive type of Socratic irony, subtle in its half-laughter and half-earnestness, harmonized best with the ease of affability of the sermo, its change of tone from grave to gay, its arts in the absence of art† (Ridenour,10). Don Juan is brought to a slave market in Constantinople and bought by a eunuch for the Sultana, Gulbeyaz. The eunuch, Baba, can be seen as a sinister and dangerous character. â€Å"The technique of associating the subject to be ridiculed with sexual impotence is, of course, a traditional one; but the connection between impotence and lust for power exists on a much deeper level than that of mere invective† (Ridenour, 12). Baba’s sexual life has been obliterated, and his condition foreshadows a drastic change to Don Juan. This is fulfilled when he is brought to the palace and immediately dressed in woman’s clothing. Juan’s gender rearrangement is ironic, and turns bizarre when Gulbeyaz demands him to make love to her. As he is still in mourning for losing Haidee, Juan refuses and bursts into tears. â€Å"In the accounts of his [Juan’s] relations with women, he is not made to appear heroic or even dignified; and these impress us as having an ingredien t of the genuine as well as of the make-believe† (Eliot, 97). His actions at first infuriate the Sultana, then she feels compassion, and eventually she cries. Juan is displaced from a man to a weeping woman, while Gulbeyaz turns from a demanding woman to an apathetic female. Communication between the two is short lived as the sultan approaches the castle. Upon seeing Juan, the sultan states: â€Å"I see you’ve bought another girl; ‘tis pity / That a mere Christian should be half so pretty† (Byron, V, 155). The sultan, who has four wives and undoubtedly several mistresses, comes off as a fool for not noticing that Juan is a male. We can laugh at his blindness, but at the same time, one can only wonder what else he does not see. In Canto I we have the amusing account of the genealogy of Don Juan. Then there is a description of the first of Juan’s amours, the Julia episode. Canto II continues Juan’s adventures, including his shipwreck and subsequent love affair with Haidee. In Cantos III and IV the passionate roma nce of Haidee and Juan comes to its tragic end and Juan is soon embroiled in the ludicrous seraglio escapade which occupies the whole of Canto V and is concluded in Canto VI (Trueblood, 5). Through these episodes, Byron uses satire to portray sexuality in a comical and serious manner. â€Å"The poem is a satire on the romantic cult of passion and on the natural man whose passions are his only guide from his proper woes† (Clancy, 53). Don Juan is sent on a rollercoaster of sexuality: paedophilic love, true love ending in a broken heart and then a confusing, uncertain relation. Through hardships and endeavours, Don Juan comes out a stronger man. From the first six cantos, one can conclude that â€Å"love, which should be a means of overcoming self, of living in and for another person, is itself egotistic. The remedy merely aggravates the disorder. It is the same paradox which, in other terms, we have met so often before† (Ridenour, 75). The comedic yet serious portrayal of sexuality makes Don Juan one of the greatest satires even written.

Occupation decision Essay

My decision to enter medical school started after my grandfather suffered a heart attack at the age of 20. Although this incident hurt me very much because of the medical staff inability to save his life disappointed me. After the grieving process was complete I began to consider a career in the healthcare industry. My initial step toward entering a career in the healthcare industry was to shadow a cardiologist which I believed would provide me an opportunity for me to learn what a life as a healthcare provider would be like. Once I decided that I would like to pursue a career in medicine I enrolled in college and currently completing a bachelors of science in Biology. I found the healthcare profession to be exciting and realized that it afforded me the opportunity to help the sick and injured which I believe I will enjoy and have a talent for. My experience working for the cardiologist affords me the opportunity to learn basic healthcare skills such as obtaining vital signs. Record keeping is an important part of managing a practice and my experience of tracking records has afforded me the opportunity to demonstrate this important skill. My ultimate goal is to complete medical school, a residency and then pursue a fellowship in either cardiology or neurology. One of the goals I have is to help prevent people form suffering an untimely death such as my grandfather by seeking to provide optimal care to prevent the consequences of poor health. I believe that the desire to help people created by my grandfather’s untimely death will help me provide competent and compassionate care. These traits will be advantageous to MUA because of the positive public image perception it will create. My undergraduate instructors and the cardiologist that I have followed I hope to someday model that inspirational behavior. Although I do not have many academic credentials currently but my desire to help people who are sick and injured. I am finishing my last semester with a bachelor of science in biology. This background in biology has provided me with the basic scientific knowledge which has developed a strong foundation for me to build upon with the courses to follow. I am of reputable character which is an important character trait because of the high level of trust needed between a physician and provider. The office work and shadowing I completed prior to my enrollment in college has provided me a unfettered glimpse of the struggles and benefits of pursing a career in healthcare. I believe that because of the reasons I listed I would be an excellent candidate for admission to your program. .

Non Verbal Communication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Non Verbal Communication - Essay Example Examples of non-verbal communication are with the inclusion of eye contact, vocal nuance, gestures, intonation, facial expressions, proximity, glance, smell, posture, and sounds among others. From a broader perspective non-verbal language is divided into two kinds. These are; those non-verbal messages that are generated from the body and the non-verbal messages that emanate from the broad setting like space, time and silence. This communication form is a major factor of the vital factors of communication and it is highly essential in high-context cultures. (andrews.edu, 2011) Merits of Non-verbal Communication Applications of this communication kind are numerous and several are mentioned in this aforementioned website. These include the use of non-verbal communication to accent verbal messages, repeat verbal messages, regulate interactions, substitute verbal messages, and complement verbal messages. Accenting may refer to the utilisation of non-verbal communication like verbal tones. One can repeat verbal messages in a non-verbal way like frowning to show disgust. Regulation of interactions may refer to the scenario where non-verbal cues may be used to indicate to a person when they should speak or stop speaking. Substituting of verbal communication may applicable in situations like a noisy environment that blocks verbal communication resulting to usage of gestures to pass on messages. Lastly, complementing may be a situation like the usage of hand gestures to stress points that have been communicated verbally. (andrews.edu, 2011) Non-verbal communication is very vital. In actual sense it came into use before verbal communication. It is actually referred to as silent type of language which is normally not formally taught and which came into existence way before the invention of language. It is a universal kind of communication, though it may differ with certain cultures, apart from the persons that are autistic. According to Calero, in his book, non-verbal comm unication was in use way before the invention of formal spoken languages. In fact he puts it as thousands of years. Despite the fact that this form of communication has not had a lot of researchers interest, it has been in use by many populations across the globe as way of communicating attitudes, thoughts, notions and emotions. Despite its having been a major form of communication in the world for a long time, people have not taken time to research on the meanings portrayed by this form of communication as Calero puts it in his book. (Calero, 2005 pp1, 2) Non-verbal communication is very important in every day’s communication. Most people consider it as a form of distinct speech and that it is basically applied in the passing of the message of interpersonal relationships and emotion. Thus, it can be said to speak louder than words. However, it is very essential to note the fact that non-verbal communication has to go in tandem with speech or verbal forms of communication. Th ey cannot generally be separated, but artificially it is a possibility. By artificially, it means that use of non-verbal communication like gestures (such as hand gestures) may also be viewed as the usage of words as audible ways of sending messages. Non-verbal communication is, therefore, seen as a very integral part of the normal natural language that humans use. (nortonmedia.com, 2011) Negativities of Using Non-verbal Communication Various forms of non-verbal com

Illegal Immigration - For illegal immigration for America Research Paper

Illegal Immigration - For illegal immigration for America - Research Paper Example It also includes the existing laws being implemented to combat this long-term issue that has conquered America by storm. It will also document the reasons as to why the US immigration policies failed as evidenced by the increasing number of illegal immigrants from all over the world. The role of government is given an emphasis to come- up with domestic policies to ensure that security and anti-terrorism concerns of the country are dealt with by law. Lastly, it will also provide the worldwide effect of immigration in the US and the participation of the other nations on how to prevent their citizens from entering the US without legal documentation. Keywords: illegal immigration, immigration laws, amnesty, legalization, illegal immigrants. ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION IN AMERICA Since time immemorial America has been considered the land of â€Å"milk and honey† for millions of people from all across the world. Most of the citizens from poor countries aim to reach America as their end dest ination thinking that this is the place where there is more than enough for everything. It has been perceived as the land of abundance, wealth and endless opportunities. The ultimate goal of the illegal immigrants is to enter US and land a job which will earn them a substantial income to support their families in their country of origin. However, at present time, we all know that America has been experiencing economic recession and even its countrymen were not spared of this crisis, as many became unemployed, homeless and suffered financial distress. Dubbed as the â€Å"nation of nations†, Lemay (2009, p. xv) has reported that the United States has absorbed immigrants from 170 countries across the globe. It has been the home of almost 70 million legal immigrants and experienced the influx of an estimated 11 million of illegal immigrants. The unauthorized flow of illegal immigrants entering the America is caused by inefficiencies of the immigration system of the US government to enact stricter laws and policies to address the current problems. History Ngai (2007, p.2) has reported that as early as 1920’s, the unauthorized entry has become the most common form of illegal immigration which has been condemned by both the state and the society. These unauthorized immigrants may either be welcome or unwelcomed by the US. They became in demand by the economic sector as their labor is cheap and replaceable. In the middle decades of the 20th century, they were only billeted in the western and southwestern agriculture. But at present, illegal immigrants have evolved and can be found in almost every region in the United States. Based on the records, the United States documented the number of immigrants who earned the status of authorized immigrants. â€Å"An approximate of 70 million of them forms part of the legal immigrants, but as history would tell us, the flow of unauthorized entrants likewise increased. According to LeMay (2007 p.1), the heavy traffi c of these illegal immigrants commenced after 1970, and the massive volume was recorded at present time. Today, there is an estimate of 10.5 to 11 million illegal immigrants living in the US. The Evolution of US Immigration Laws In the study made by Kenney (2009, pp. 21-23), she highlighted the significant immigration laws: The Immigration and International Act of 1965 was the law which set the limit on the immigrants coming from the Western Hemisphere, including Mexico. It set a limit of 20,000

The Case Against Evolution Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Case Against Evolution - Essay Example In order to understand the dangers of teaching evolution, it is first necessary to define the term. Evolution refers to the attempt to establish the origins of life on Earth. This approach is based upon the scientific and naturalistic theories of narrow-minded scientists. The approach is most often espoused by astrophysicists, geologists and biologists (Creation-Evolution Controversy). The scientific method is the sole method of analysis. Morals and the supernatural are irrelevant. Evolutionists argue that the universe was created instantaneously from nothing, that life forms developed slowly, and that life as we know it today is the result of mutations and adaptation to our environment. It is an extraordinarily insular analysis that excludes many other possibilities. It is an exclusionary philosophy. That is dangerous. As an initial matter, it is well-established that evolution is an imperfect science. Although it can be established, through fossils, that mutations have occurred, it cannot be established with any certainty that we originated from a Big Bang. Nor can it be established with any certainty that the Big Bang actually occurred or that there was nothing of substantial existence prior to the Big Bang. These theories are, at best, speculative.

First amendment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

First amendment - Essay Example There have been a number of issues posing questions as to the effectiveness and extent of the provisions in the First Amendment. One of such is the Citizens United case popularly referred to as the ‘Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission’, in which the US Supreme Court, following a 5-4 decision, ruled that corporations and unions have similar political speech rights as individuals under the First Amendment. Being a conservative non-profit organization, Citizens United claims its commitment to restoring the control of the United States government to the citizens, as well as to emphasize American principles of limited government, autonomy of enterprise, strong families, and state sovereignty and security. Citizens United produced a documentary named Hillary-with respect to the then Senator Hillary Clinton, which was the main issue of the court case. The Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971, which controls the financing of political campaigns, was amended by the Bi partisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 (BCRA). Following the amendment, this federal law prevents corporations and unions from spending their general treasury funds towards independent expenditures for a speech referred to as an ‘electioneering communication’, in other words a speech that concerns elections or one that portrays endorsement or disapproval of a candidate in the elections. As defined in the constitution, an electioneering communication ideally refers to any broadcast, cable, or satellite communication that refers to an openly identified candidate for Federal office and is created in 30 days of a major election or 60 days of a common election, (2 U.S.C.  § 441b), and that is publicly distributed (11 CFR  § 100.29(a)(2)). The documentary-Hillary was released at a time when Hillary Clinton was running for the Democratic presidential nomination, and as such, it conveyed opinions on Hillary’s suitability for the presidency. Not only did Citizens United avail the documentary in theatres and on DVDs, but also planned to make it accessible through video-on-demand. Further, Citizens United went ahead to produce television advertisements to endorse the movie and planned to run them on broadcast and cable television. However, the advertisements and the video-on-demand distribution had to be paid for, and as such, Citizens United opted to spend its general treasury funds. Consequently, Citizens United’s production and initiative was reflective of a violation of  § 441b of the constitution. Realizing the looming threat of facing possible civil and criminal charges, Citizens United rushed in to seek an injunction in federal district court, against the Federal Elections Commission (FEC), posing various arguments. First, Citizens United presented an argument claiming that  § 441b is unconstitutional with regard to the movie Hillary; a motion that the District Court denied and instead granted summary judgment to the FEC. In additi on, it argued that, as applied to the movie Hillary and the ads endorsing it, BCRA's disclaimer and disclosure requirements (BCRA  §Ã‚ §201 and 311) are also unconstitutional. According to BCRA

Microsofts Products, Domination, Development, Innovations Research Paper

Microsofts Products, Domination, Development, Innovations - Research Paper Example There has been a rapid growth in the number of products Microsoft manufacture. Microsoft released its first operating system. (Cusumano, Selby 1995). It became a massive success, after which the company started to develop. Since then Microsoft continued to hold the best position in the industry. After its invention of the operating system, there was a huge expectation form the other companies. Microsoft developed many new software components other than operating systems. The company started to expand its operations and widened its manufacturing area. It introduced software, without which most of the computers will not work today. The essential software was developed by Microsoft. It had developed a website, MSN which is widely being used. (Stross 1996).According to a survey, this website is the second in the list of sites that have been used frequently. Due to its innovative approach, it out beats the other The products of Microsoft are popular because of its simplicity in terms of usage. People find it easier to use and hence it is user-friendly. Microsoft's search engine, MSN is one among the websites that are being used by most of the people. Though there was a tough competition, Microsoft strived hard to become the best software developers. Microsoft is maintaining a dominant position in the software market as their products continue to rule the market in spite of tough competition. Other companies in the software market consider Microsoft as their major competitor. Microsoft started acquiring other firms and developed their operations. As the company's products are famous, the turnover of the company started to increase. One of the major inventions of Microsoft is the Microsoft Office suite. This turned out to be a huge success. (White, Bruton 2007).

Understanding the Patient Intake Process Essay Example for Free

Understanding the Patient Intake Process Essay Medical Insurance describes the intake process using a decision tree model (pg. 79, Figure 3.1, Valerius, Bayes, Newby, Blochowiak, 2014). The tree leads administration personnel through a list of questions to determine if the patient is a new patient or an established patient. The first problem with this process is that some of the new patients are patients that have been seen at the practice. If an established patient has an appointment with a new specialist or sub-specialist that patient is registered as a new patient. The problem with this is describing these patients as new patients can lead to multiple patient records and lost data between physicians. If a patient for example, was seen in a large medical office that had several types of specialists and subspecialists creating a new patient chart for each visit to a new doctor or specialist would make it difficult to ensure that all files were updated. This would be particular important for a patient that was under more than one doctors care for more than one problem at a time. In cases where a patient had more than one problem, treatment for problem A could affect the treatment for problem B. It is important for doctors to know a patient’s complete history as well as current care when attempting to treat them. Using a master patient index is the first step to removing the need for duplicate records. In a master patient index a patient is registered the first time they are seen at a practice and given a constant and unique patient identification number. â€Å"Master Patient Index’s ensure that every patient is represented only once, and with constant demographic identification, within all systems of hospital data† (Master Patient Index, 2011). The master patient index as well as the medical records also needs a system to control the circulation of paper files or electronic database. A centralized medical records office would be the best way to control records (Green Bowie, 2011). The medical records office would control  the master patient index, which is never changed, so if a patient is absent from the practice for a number of years and returns their number could be found in the index. The centralized medical records office would also control the circulation of paper records. To release a record, the office would require a requisition for the record. Then records management would remove the record and replace it with an outcard and log the file back in when it was returned (Green Bowie, 2011). In an electronic database system, records management would control entering the demographic data and the administration data as well as scanning any paper records into the electronic records (Green Bowie, 2011). In a practice where patients might see different specialists or subspecialists there are two options for organizing the patient record. The POR system where each new problem would be entered using the SOAP method: subject (problem), objective (observations of condition and test results), assessment (providers evaluation), and plan (the treatment plan) (Green Bowie). The second option would be the SOR system where each source (provider, nurse, x-ray technician, lab technician, etc.), would group their entries together (Green Bowie). Considering Table 3.1in Medical Insurance the SOR system would probably be the best system for this organization. As this practice is used to organizing files specific to providers this system would be the most similar and thus the least confusing to change to. The SOR system would allow each specialist or subspecialist to easily identify ‘their’ section of the patient record as well as easily reference pertinent information. For instance, a new specialist needs to get lab work done to verify a chemical level before prescribing a particular medication. The specialist can easily access the lab technician’s results and see if the right test has been run recently. In a system where each new visit to a different specialist results in a new patient file, this information would be hard to cross reference. Maintaining patient records in a centralized location also allows for better control of medical files. When multiple copies of a patient file are in circulation it becomes increasingly difficult to control the circulation and  creates unnecessary possibilities for HIPPA violations. A Master Patient Index will also increase efficiency and patient care. According to Building a successful enterprise master patient index: a case study: â€Å"there are more overlap patient files than an organization usually perceives; an imprecise and incomplete base of demographic data will multiply the error rate for the enterprise† (Lenson, 1998). The master patient index ensures that patients are given a unique identification number only once, meaning there will never be multiple patient files for one patient. A centralized records management center ensures that there are not duplicate files due to decentralization. References Green, M. A. Bowie, M. J. (2011). Essentials of health information management: Principles and practices (2nd ed.). Clifton Park, NY: Delmar, Cengage Language Lenson, C. M. (1998, August). Building a successful enterprise master patient index: a case study. Topics in health information management, 19(I), 66-71. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10181913 Master Patient Index. (2012). In Search Health IT. Retrieved from http://searchhealthit.techtarget.com/definition/master-patient-index-MPI Valerius, J., Bayes, N., Newby, C., Blochowiak, A. (2014). Medical insurance: An integrated claims process approach (6th ed.). Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill. Green, M. A. Bowie, M. J. (2011). Essentials of health information management: Principles and practices (2nd ed.). Clifton Park, NY: Delmar, Cengage Language

Using Drama to Teach Literacy

Using Drama to Teach Literacy Abstract: The term ‘oracy’ meaning: ‘the ability to speak fluently and articulately and to understand and respond to what other people say’. was first used by Wilkinson in 1965 (Definition, Microsoft Encarta World English Dictionary). Since that time the fact that it is central to all aspects of the learning process and activities in which children engage in school has been increasingly recognised. The development of talking and listening skills is central to the reading process and to participation in all curricular areas. This term my focus was teaching oracy and literacy to year 4 children in an interactive and communicative environment created through the use of drama. By the end of the series of lessons I wanted children in year 4 to be able to identify social, moral and cultural issues in stories. Drama was employed as a tool to create roles showing how behaviour could be interpreted from different points of view. I shall present a discussion of the rationale behind the activities I have chosen, the ways in which the children engaged with them and the success of this approach to the teaching of oracy. I shall support my work with research evidence in the areas of talking and listening, the wider area of literacy, and research pertaining to effective teaching and learning generally. I will discuss what I found when I assessed the progress made by the children and the implication this has for my future role as a teacher by linking my work with the Professional Standards for Qualified Teacher Status and Requirements for Initial Teacher Training. Introduction: The acquisition of language, a complex process, is essential for effective communication throughout life. Creating opportunities for the development of oracy in the classroom is essential if children are to develop the ability to communicate. With research showing that children are increasingly spending time in solitary activities related to computers (MacGilchrist et al., 2006, p.12), thereby reducing opportunities for talking in the home, it is essential for schools to act as facilitators in the development of talking and listening. The National Literacy Strategy defines literacy thus: ‘Literacy unites the important skills of reading and writing. It also involves speaking and listening which, although they are not separately identified in the framework, are an essential part of it. Good oral work enhances pupils’ understanding of language in both oral and written forms and of the way language can be used to communicate. It is also an important part of the process through which pupils read and compose texts.’ (National Literacy Strategy: Framework for Teaching, p.3). The lack of reference to talking and listening as a separate area has been addressed in later recommendations with an acknowledgement that ‘language is an integral part of most learning and oral language in particular has a key role in classroom teaching and learning’ (DfES, 2003, p.3). The document is highly prescriptive in the means through which contexts for talk should be established. This paper will present work carried out with a year 4 class in respect of oracy taught through drama. I will evaluate the opportunities given to children for developing oracy and the ways in which children responded to the tasks. The role of talking and listening: For the past fifty years researchers have been making a clear case for the importance of talk in the learning process. The psychologists Vygotsky and Bruner have demonstrated the fundamental importance to cognitive processes and learning of speaking and listening (Lambirth, 2006, p.59). Talk is both a medium for teaching and learning and one of the materials from which a child constructs meaning (Edwards Mercer, 1987, p.20). I wanted the talking and listening activities to act as a medium for teaching and learning through the children’s interaction. My aim was that they would be teaching and learning from each other through their discussion group work. Their construction of meaning would come about as a result of their understanding of the text and the dilemmas faced by David (see appendix 2). Opportunities for developing talking and listening: Developing talking and listening skills is a complex process which must be carefully managed in the classroom. In all curricular areas oral skills should be constantly being developed through a range of activities and, like other areas of the curriculum, should be differentiated to allow for a range of abilities within the class (see appendix 2). Different subjects offer opportunities for different kinds of talk (DfES, 2003, p.4). It is therefore a very important feature of effective teaching to give children as many opportunities as possible to engage in a variety of types of talk. Children make sense of the world as they learn the communication skills to interact with others in their culture (Lambirth, 2006, p.62). Light and Glachan have shown that children working together and sharing their ideas orally can develop solutions to problems that they could not manage to solve independently (Light Glachan, 1985). Carnell and Lodge suggest that more school learning should be based on talk and dialogue between pupils as ‘it has the power to engage learners in learning conversations, keeps them open to new ideas and requires both honesty and trust (Carnell Lodge, 2002, p.15). Planning the activities: When planning the activities I sought to involve the following aspects: Modelling appropriate speaking and listening; Encouraging sensitive interaction; Ensuring goals are set with clear criteria for success; Planning opportunities for children to investigate, apply and reflect on language in use. (DfES, 2003, p.19) (see planning appendices 1 2). I chose to provide opportunities for talk in the context of drama, giving the children opportunities to engage with one another. Research has shown that children learn more effectively when given opportunities to share ideas. Grugeon points out that this is a skill, like others, and must be taught. ‘Children who are expected to work together in groups need to be taught how to talk to one another. They need talk skills which enable them to get the best out of their own thinking and that of all other members of the group (Grugeon et al., 2001, p.95). For this reason I modelled the activities for the children so that they would have a clear understanding of what they were required to do and how best to go about the tasks in hand (see appendix 2). Some of the children were tentative in respect of their engagement at the beginning of the exercise but the group work gave them opportunities to develop their confidence and self esteem. Developing appropriate talking and listening: It is important to be aware of the difference between incidental talk, in which children engage in the course of an activity, but is not directly related to the learning intentions, and talk which is a main focus of the activity. In my drama activities, I wanted children to be focused on their talk through appropriate activities which would engage them and hold their interest. When planning the activities I was aware of the need to engage pupils on the basis of their prior knowledge ‘To prompt learning , you’ve got to begin with the process of going from inside to outside. The first influence on new learning is not what teachers do pedagogically but the learning that is already inside their heads (Gagnon, 2001, p.51). It was with this in mind that I decided on David’s dilemma. I felt that the children would have sufficient previous knowledge of the ideas presented to be able to identify with the characters and the dilemmas faced by them (see appendix 2). Establishing Rules: In all conversations there are rules, for example, only one person talking at a time. Cordon suggests that ‘ children receive little help in understanding and appreciating the ground rules for group discussion’ (Cordon, 2000, p.86) an issue that I felt it was important to address through the establishment of guidance for the children. This is vital to the process so that all children have equal opportunities to participate in the talking and listening activities. Aims: My aims in the drama activities were: To encourage purposeful talk, the skills associated with which the children could later transfer to other areas of their learning. To develop children’s ability to work in a group. To enable children to develop the confidence and competence to present their work to a group of their peers. To develop children’s skills in forming opinions, responding to other children’s opinions and oral presentation skills. Drama as a tool for developing talking and listening: I chose to approach the teaching of speaking and listening through drama as it affords many opportunities for children to develop their speaking and listening skills. Drama helps children to understand their world more deeply and allows them an opportunity to find ways to explore and share that understanding (Wyse, 2001, p.213). Research about learning has shown that children learn most effectively when learning is meaningful to them. Learning happens in the process of coming to new understandings in relation to existing knowledge (MacGilchrist et al., 2006, p.52). For this reason I gave children the opportunity to create their own scenarios in acting out David’s dilemma. In the group activities I wanted the talk to be open-ended so that the children could question, disagree with, extend and qualify each other’s utterances (DfES, 2003, p.7). After their group activities children had the opportunity to share their ideas with the class, giving them important experiences in presenting their opinions and listening to the views of others. Children were actively engaged in tasks which gave validity to all of their ideas and opinions. When given opportunities, children are keen to engage with issues on text and challenge the conventions of the story (Baumfield Mroz, 2004, p.55). I wanted children to have experience of challenging the ideas they were faced with by developing their own responses to scenarios and the behaviour of characters. Links with reading: The development of effective talking and listening skills is vital to the reading process. Before their oral work, children were finding main ideas in the text to support their viewpoints (see appendix 1). Only after the children had established the supporting information they wished to use, were they in a position to verbalise their ideas. Reading and talking were also linked through the requirement that the children orally summarise the salient points in a written argument. Through a discussion of the ways in which authors are able to develop their ideas children can develop ways in which to present their own ideas to an audience. Effective questioning was essential to this part of the process to provide a framework for the development of the children’s ideas in the correct context. As children have more experience and gain more confidence in this type of activity they are able to act as effective peer questioners, a very useful aspect of pupil self-assessment. Through this process children can measure the success of their own learning. Baumfield and Mroz advocate the development of a community of inquiry to develop pupils’ critical analysis of text (Baumfield Mroz, 2004, p.58). Developing opportunities for talk: In the classroom a variety of types of talk occur throughout the day. The ways in which children interact with each other is very different to the way in which they interact with the teacher who does 70% of the talking in the course of a day (Baumfield Mroz, 2004, p.49). This clearly means that children are not being given sufficient opportunities to develop talking and listening skills critical to success in all other areas. To enhance the role of talk in shaping and developing learning requires a reduction in the teachers role as classroom controller and a shift towards an enabler of talk for thinking (Myhill, 2006, p.19). After the initial modelling and discussion, it was important for me to let the groups work, as far as possible, along the problem path independently. It was my intention to give children a variety of opportunities to engage in different types of talk. They had opportunities to talk in small groups when working on their scenarios and afterwards had opportunities to present their work to the whole class. Talking in groups: Working in groups has been shown to develop a sense of belonging in children, something which I regard as very important in the classroom. Osterman has pointed out that, ‘There is substantial evidence showing or suggesting that the sense of belonging influences achievement through its effects on engagement (Osterman, 2000, p.341). She goes on to say that children with a well developed sense of belonging in school tend to have more positive attitudes to school and each other. As shown in appendix 3 some of the children were lacking in confidence in the initial stages of the activities, something which I would seek to develop in children through more exposure to this type of activity. Resnick has pointed out that while the majority of learning in schools is individualistic in its nature, this is contrary to other aspects of life such as work and leisure activities which are much more social in the nature (Resnick, 1987). It is essential, therefore, that children develop the skills needed for group work so that they have ability to engage in participatory aspects of education. When planning the group activities for the children I was conscious of making sure that each child had a part to play in the development and presentation of each activity. Francis has pointed out that the majority of talking and listening activities involve the teacher doing most of that talking with the children interjecting at suitable gaps in the teacher discourse (Francis, 2002, p.29), something which I wanted to avoid by giving the children ownership of the activities. This would ensure that all children were engaged in the process and less likely to be passive. At the same time children had to be able to quietly listen to the views of others, thereby developing strategies for turn-taking. All the children engaged in the process very well. Assessment: Assessment for learning is a very important aspect of the teaching and learning process and from the point of view of my own professional development the ability to effectively assess pupil learning is a very important competence to have. As Dann has pointed out, ‘if assessment genuinely seeks to give some indication of pupils’ level of learning, pupils will need to understand and contribute to the process’ (Dann, 2002, p.2). In assessing the effectiveness of the activities it is important to assess the appropriateness of the children’s talk for the task. The children participated in the assessment process through their involvement in the plenary sessions. This was coupled with my observations of children’s success on the task (see appendix 3). All of the children achieved the objectives and reported that they enjoyed the activities. Children’s talk is a very good indicator of their understanding of a task. The fact that all the children exper ienced success with the tasks and were able to carry them out using appropriate language was demonstrative of their understanding of the characters and dilemmas with which they were faced. Talking and listening is very valuable to assess understanding particularly with children who have special educational needs and may have difficulty with written tasks. Myers has presented research carried out in primary schools which suggests that children who participate in group work enjoy the experience of working with others and find it very helpful in the learning process (Myers, 2001, cited in MacGilchrist et al., 2006, p.159). My evaluation of the drama activities leads me to agree with this, particularly in light of the comment made by one of the children ‘I wish we could always do drama with English’(see appendix 3). Children’s language, like most of their learning, responds to encouragement (Fontana, 1994, p.78). This is an important idea to bear in mind when giving the children feedback and it is important to praise their efforts at contributing. I would hope that this would encourage the children who were initially reluctant participants in their efforts in the future. What I have Learnt: I have developed a greater degree of understanding of the role of talking and listening in the curriculum as well as an understanding of how children progress in this area and what they should be expected to achieve. I hope to build on this in my future development and feel that I have made progress in terms of the standards laid out by the Training and Development Agency. Appendix 1: Literacy planning: Appendix 2: Lesson Observation Sheets: Appendix 3: Evaluation: Evaluation: Week 2 All groups were very engaged and enjoyed the task. They said that they wished they could always do drama with English. Possible action to be taken: More use of drama when teaching English. Assessments Child’s Name Objective achieved? Comments: Action: Andrei More able √ Very animated – leader of group Speaking ad listening skills Leo Middle Group √ Co-operative Robert Middle Group √ Tentative at first – more engaged with script Confidence building Oona Middle group √ Good directional skills Use of props (desk) Good team player Danielle More able √ Works well in her team. Alexandra SEN √ Tentative – very aware of being stared at. Confidence building References: Baumfield, V. Mroz, M. (2004) Investigating Pupils’ questions in the primary classroom in E.C. Wragg (Ed.)(2004) The RoutledgeFalmer Reader in Teaching and Learning. London:RoutledgeFalmer. Burns, C. Myhill, D. (2004) Interactive or inactive? A consideration of the nature of interaction in whole class teaching. Cambridge Journal of Education, 34, 1, 35-49. Carnell, E. Lodge, C. (2002) Supporting Effective Learning. London: Paul Chapman Publishing. Cooper, P. McIntyre, D. (1996) Effective Teaching and Learning. Buckingham:Open University Press. Cordon, R. 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