Essay on Biography of Barak Obama

Research Front Arnab B Chowdhury – Founder and Knowledge Architect, Ninad Consultancy Services www. ninad. in, [email  protected] in When Technology Meets Health Care in Knowledge Society†¦ Aurosiksha: online learning platform for blindness prevention workers â€Å"Intelligence and capability are not enough. There must also be the joy of doing something beautiful. Being of service to God and humanity means going well beyond the sophistication of the best technology, to the humble demonstration of courtesy and compassion to each patient. † – Dr. G Venkataswamy (Founder Chairman – Aravind Eye Care System) Abstract: This case study (www. urosiksha. org) is about two great movements one in Technology (the FOSS) and the other in Health Care – the Aravind Eye Care Systems (AECS) and LAICO that trains blindness prevention workers. At the con? uence of the two is an eLearning platform called Aurosiksha, which is based on Moodle. Aurosiksha seeks to r each out to the global user, share its rich knowledge base, and in the process create a community of lifelong learners. Keywords: FOSS, ICT, LMS, MOODLE, mLearning, Mobile Moodle, AECS, Aravind, Aravind Eye Care System, Vision 2020, WHO, LAICO, Aurosiksha, eLearning Platform, knowledge society, ocial health care. Introduction As we all know, the Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) movement began as a renegade call to what was felt to be increasing restrictions on collaborative development, distribution, and ownership of software[2]. Free software focuses on the philosophical freedoms (a matter of liberty rather than price) it gives to users, whereas open-source software focuses on the perceived strengths of its peer-topeer development model. Openness, coownership, and transparent collaboration continue to drive the FOSS movement. Development, modi? cation, ownership, and redistribution of software could now e cohesively managed by communities of like-minded developers. This also le d to an evolutionary model of copyright and licensing (GPL) ensuring community ownership. The FOSS movement has evolved from the stages of philosophy and licensing into a complex and pragmatic ecosystem for software production and distribution bene? ting humanity globally. FOSS has introduced technological self-reliance, efficient use and sharing of resources, and C SI Communications | June 2012 | 12 collaborative innovation  and development. One of the most signi? cant areas where the FOSS movement has made strides is in the ?eld of education.During the past decade, education has been rapidly reorganized to leverage information and communication technology (ICT) within the classic teaching-learning-assessing cycle. At the foundation of FOSS is a desire for an equitable and open model of access to knowledge. If one of the aims of FOSS technologies is dissemination of educational content, then Aurosiksha is a case in point. The Case Aurosiksha is an online learning management syste m (LMS). An initiative launched recently (25th July, 2011) in its beta version by Lions Aravind Institute of Community Ophthalmology (LAICO), established in 1992 with the support of he Lions Club International, SightFirst Program, and Seva Sight Program. LAICO is Asia's ? rst international training facility for the broad range of blindness prevention workers from India and other parts of the world. It contributes in improving the quality of eye care services through teaching, training, capacity building, advocacy, research, and management consultancy. It offers university-affiliated long-term courses in Eye Care Management, with eye care management programs for directors of eye hospitals, program managers, as well as several skill development courses in the areas of instrument maintenance, community utreach and social marketing, counseling in India, Africa, and South East Asia. LAICO accomplishes this objective within the broader environment of Aravind Eye Hospitals and Aravind Medi cal Research Foundation – all aspects of AECS. Headquartered at Madurai, India, AECS is the world’s largest eye care service provider, which performs 300,000 surgeries per year. Aravind Eye Care was founded and directed by the legendary Padmashree Dr. G Venkataswamy known as Dr. V. Fig. 1: Inspiration and Inspirer www. csi-india. org Fig. 2: LAICO's global reach Designated by the World Health Organization as a Collaborating Centre forPrevention of Blindness, Aravind is studied as a model in prestigious business schools around the world, including Harvard, Stanford, Michigan, IMD-Lausanne, and the Indian Institutes of Management. Currently, LAICO works with over 270 hospitals across the developing world replicating Aravind model of high-quality, low-cost eye care service delivery. Followup studies have shown that several of the programs exposed to the Aravind model have doubled (and in some cases even tripled) surgical productivity and as a result are now ? nancially se lf-sustaining. †¢ †¢ 270+ hospitals (and still growing) that are partnering with Aravind?How do we create courses that cover the broad needs of our trainees that include paraprofessionals, ophthalmologists, eye care program managers, administrators, and others? How do we continue to empower our all-women team of paraprofessionals who form the backbone (about 60%) of Aravind’s workforce? Since †¢ †¢ most of them come from humble, rural background and are trained as assistants and nurses, can this eLearning platform give them the opportunity for continuous training? How can eLearning work consciously toward the empowerment of women and gender equality – an important objective within the Millennium Development Goals?How do we collate, aggregate content to create an interactive Knowledge society The Challenge The real challenge for knowledge society then is in creating equal opportunity in offering the ability to access, to create, to develop, and to ut ilize the right information at the right time in a cost-effective manner. This applies to the public (consumer) as well as the service provider professionals. In this case study, we focus on a decisive initiative with the objective of providing quality training and management skills via the virtual medium for eye care, which is an important area of social health care. †¢ How do we train more than 10,000 lindness prevention workers worldwide, year after year, across Education FOSS ICT Aurosiksha AECS LAICO Education & Management Fig. 3: The case for Aurosiksha C SI Communications | June 2012 | 13 ophthalmic technology evolving so quickly, everyone recognizes the importance of keeping our eye care management skills and knowledge up-todate for the bene? t of our patients. The eLearning solution will allow especially the paramedics to access continuous educational opportunities over the Internet and provide a valuable forum for our members/experts to exchange views and tap into the expertise of their colleagues and fellow olleagues around the world. † Aurosiksha has leveraged ICT in an inclusive way. It is meant Fig. 4: Aurosiksha home page and introduction to provide a one-point Internet access to eye training mechanism that does care training for professionals worldwide justice to the enormous data and with the premise that ‘up to 80% of experiences that Aravind has the world's blindness is avoidable†¦ ’ collected over decades and share it where ‘avoidable blindness is de? ned as with the world so that other blindness blindness which could be either treated prevention professionals and social or prevented by entrepreneurs may feel inspired to nown, cost-effective create Aravinds elsewhere? means’ (VISION 2020 †¢ How do we create a viable way Action Plan 2006to share this ocean of aggregated 2010  © World Health experiences into meaningful content Organization). harvested since 1976? The Solution †¢ How do we instill the Aravind model into our courseware? Especially since Aurosiksha – the the Aravind model needs to be ‘lived’ need of the times and ‘experienced’ as a broad set of LAICO came up values of service, compassion, and with Aurosiksha to self-reliance at its core, along with enhance the reach and management principles that identify quality of education uality care and efficiency that drawn from the rich Aravind stands for? knowledge base that These were perhaps the broad AECS has harvested questions that LAICO asked itself after it since 1976. In this age trained and consulted 60 hospitals in 29 of knowledge society, [1] countries and 213 hospitals in India . its four essential On the eve of the launch of characteristics Aurosiksha, Mr. R D Thulasiraj, Executive digitization, Director (LAICO) said, â€Å"I think this immediacy, is a very important development and virtualization, and underscores the AECS’s commitment globalization – drive to continually enhance the range of nowledge sharing. services we offer to eye care service. With C SI Communications | June 2012 | 14 Aurosiksha was developed and implemented by the LAICO team with the help of instructional designers who joined the AECS as volunteers for the sole purpose of developing its own online educational program. Promoting lifelong learning The goal is to allow all users to take highly engaging and interactive units in order to learn about the theories, techniques, and practical aspects of both clinical and nonclinical management. The idea is to provide an online space where AECS staff can learn, share, and develop their nowledge of providing the best eye care services in all aspects ranging from fundamental concepts to advanced skills using assessed, accredited, and selfre? ective activities and resources. The program The program includes: †¢ Courses & stand-alone sessions: These have been developed by internal and external subject matter experts (SMEs) with the assistance of instructional designers and technicians by using standard training curriculum. They are also assisted by JCPHO, ICO, and other professionals from leading noneye care institutes, such as the Indian Institutes of Management (IIM). Quality Fig. 5: Course on cataract ww. csi-india. org Camstasia studio Moodle environment MOODLE usability Pedagogy Technology: MOODLE Information transfer †¢ Add resources (docs, web links) †¢ Forum †¢ Wiki †¢ Glossary †¢ Lessons †¢ Assignments Communication and interaction Assessment of learning †¢ Tests †¢ Discussion forum Co-creation of content †¢ Quiz (self-test) †¢ Lessons †¢ Assignments †¢ Discussion forum †¢ Wiki †¢ Database Articulate quizmaker Fig. 6: The Moodle-based Aurosiksha environment check is performed by including sessions in Aravind’s acclaimed training program. The material is interactive with voice narration, with short quizzes in between ideos to assess the learning. †¢ Assessment with immediate feedback: Assessment is featured in different ways like an organized discussion forum, Q forum, blogs (students are allowed to create), and exercises/quiz. After quiz/exercises, immediate feedback will be given to the student on each submit. For example, if a student chooses a wrong answer, the feedback will spell out why the answer is incorrect and give the correct answer to ensure learning is happening with each and every activity. †¢ Course completion tracking: The tracking feature controls the student/ teacher to provide a better learning/ teaching experience.The tool gives accurate course completion and grading report. This includes customized reports for the bene? ciaries on the impact side. Selecting the tool – a con? uence of spirit and values LAICO’s systems division began with an open mind and explored various Content Management Systems (CMS) and related technologies (Course Manageme nt Systems) both proprietary and FOSS, such as WizIQ, Joomla! , ConferenceXP (an open-source videoconferencing platform from Microsoft Research), and MOODLE (abbreviation for Modular ObjectOriented Dynamic Learning Environment). Echoing Aravind’s values – quality, compassion, self-reliance – Aurosiksha’s bjectives resonated with Moodle. At its core, Moodle is an educational software grounded in a philosophy of collaborative learning, often referred to as social constructionist pedagogy. Additionally, Aurosiksha’s pedagogical approach matched with that of Moodle. The organization and design of Moodle’s interface supports learners and learning tasks, rather than technology and tools. Moodle presented the ideal vehicle for Aurosiksha. LAICO adapted its knowledge resources to the Moodle mould; customization was minimal. It was a happy con? uence of technology and LAICO vision; both shared the same spirit and values.Moodle is based on a social co nstructionist approach, which helps us understand how learning happens in a group and how learning is a product of innumerable human choices. Moodle was built with elements and tools that embody pedagogical understanding. A Moodlebased course can consist of lessons, including reading materials, activities (such as quizzes and projects), and social events that encourage participation between students. In Aurosiksha, one ? nds the Camstasia Studio software to be integrated in Moodle for quality and streaming-like videos for the audiovisual elements in its courses. Similarly, Articulate Quizmaker andles the self-test modules at the end of the lessons. An open (institutional) learning environment Cloud environment Educational institutional environment WEB PAGES Student ID database se Student information system WEB 2. 0 apps Assessment tools Proprietary and licensed content Collaboration tools Student generated content Personal publishing tools Open content Fig. 7: Open learning environm ent C SI Communications | June 2012 | 15 Fig. 8: Beta users statistics As Aurosiksha grows in terms of content repository, user base, and feedback from users, it will trigger a proportionate scaling in features, tools, and technologies ithin and outside Moodle. The following pointers can be considered for Aurosiksha’s future: †¢ Interoperability: Aurosiksha may want to communicate and share its data with that of other medical research institutions. It also needs to be SCORM-compliant (Sharable Content Object Reference Model). †¢ Deeper reach with low-cost handheld devices and low Internet bandwidth leading to low footprint m-learning: With greater penetration of ICT and hand-held devices ranging from tablets (such as Akash) to mobile phones (voice and short messaging services), a strippeddown version of Aurosiksha can be An open learning environment:Moodle and Aurosiksha Apart from being part of FOSS family and therefore free, Moodle is an Open Source Course Managem ent System (CMS). It is also known as an LMS or a virtual learning environment (VLE) and is very popular among educators around the world as a tool for creating online dynamic web sites for their students. Aurosiksha as the learning arm of LAICO-AECS is an experiment in a similar space, moving from Constructionism to Constructivism – an environment in which human beings don’t just act (Construct) but also make sense of their actions as a group (Constructivist). This happens as humans make sense of reality, learn and reate new knowledge continuously while learning. Effective learning happens while learners are in an actively constructing knowledge mode rather than in a passive reading, viewing, and memorizing mode. The kind of knowledge generated impacts attitudes of learners, which in turn re? ects in their actions (practice). Aurosiksha is a Community of Learners in the making, offering insight and reaching out with a sense of service. Future Direction Aurosiksha, in its beta stage, is currently being tested by over 500 beta testers worldwide that range from paraprofessionals, managers, eye care professionals to faculty members.C SI Communications | June 2012 | 16 Fig. 9: Course creation www. csi-india. org †¢ Mentor-guided courseware †¢ Turnitin (functionality to let the student submit assignments) Acknowledgment Fig. 10: E- and M-learning: logical system architecture †¢ a source of knowledge to especially paraprofessionals on the ? eld. Extensive reach with browserbased handheld devices leading to m-learning: With proliferation of 3G and upcoming 4G, Aurosiksha can be experienced on devices, such as iPhone, iPad, and Android-based phones quite extensively with Mobile Moodle (a set of mobile apps and server components from Moodle). †¢ †¢Right now, Google Analytics and Google Maps are being applied to study the online learning behavior of the beta users. This initiative could be further explored with other statistics gen erated dynamically. Relevant pedagogical applications that can be included (already available in Moodle) are as follows: †¢ Grade report †¢ Timer-based courseware Fig. 11: Google maps: geographical spread of beta users We wish to thank Mr. R D Thulsiraj (Director – Operations, AECS; Executive Director – LAICO) and Dr. R D Ravindran (Chairman and Director – Quality, AECS) for all the insightful and frank conversations we had with them. We thank Prof.R K Shyamasundar (Faculty of Technology & Computer Science – Tata Institute of Fundamental Research) and Mr. M D Agrawal (President – Computer Society of India) for their encouragement. We acknowledge the spirit of FOSS and the World Wide Web (WWW) to continue to grow as active members of the knowledge society they foster. Finally we wish to acknowledge the spirit and values of Dr. G Venkataswamy (Dr. V) that pulsate through everything that Aravind is and does. We bow with deep reverence to the spiritual teachers of Dr. V: Sri Aurobindo and the Mother. References [1] P. Mehta, and S Shenoy, In? nite vision: how Aravind became the orld’s greatest business case for compassion, 1st ed. , Berrett—Kohler Publishers Inc. San Francisco [2] Satish Babu, â€Å"The FOSS Movement and its impact on Education†, CSI Communications, vol. 35, Issue 6, September 2011, pp. 19-20 [3] http://moodle. org/about [4] http://aravind. org/ [5] http://laico. org/ [6] http://aurosiksha. org/ [7] h ttp://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Free_ and_open_source_software [8] h t t p : //w w w. i f o s s f. o r g /i f o s s f _ library_0 [9] h ttp://www. vision2020india. org / orbiscourse/homepage. htm [10] h ttp://www. vision2020. org/main. cfm? Type=NI=4460 [11] h ttp://www. ats-pyjamas. net / wp-content /uploads/2010/05/ M o o d l e To o l G u i d e fo r Te a c h e rs _ May2010_JS. pdf n Selected among the top 4 papers expressing ‘Collaboration for inclusive growth' at   SEARCC 2011    seminar (South East Asia Regional Computer Confederation, Mumbai, December 2011) [With inputs from Prarthana Kalaskar – Design Principal (Ninad), Remi Boutinet – Outreach Consultant (Ninad), Shwetav Agarwal – Solution Architect (Sri Aurobindo Institute of Culture), LAICO team (Deepa Krishnan – Senior Manager – Operations; Vinoth Palanichamy – Online Manager – Education)] C SI Communications | June 2012 | 17

Journal Article Critique of ‘an Empirical Analysis of Trends in Psychology’ Essay

I.Research Question or Problem The journal article question is clearly stated. The question asks whether the behaviourist, the psychoanalytic, the cognitive, or the neuroscientific perspective is most intellectually significant and most prominent in psychology today (Robins, Goling, & Craik, 1999, p. 117). II. Introduction The introduction presents differing contentions regarding which school of psychology is most prominent. Five references have been cited in the introduction. It is believed by some that the cognitive perspective reigns over psychoanalysis and behaviourism (Baars, 1986; Gardner, 1985; Hunt, 1993; Sperry, 1988, as cited in Robins, Gosling, & Craik, 1999, p. 117). An opposing conviction, however, states that this belief is merely a representation of cognitive psychologists’ opinion of their own field rather than an accurate statement based on facts (Friman, Allen, Kerwin, & Larzelere, 1993, p. 662, as cited in Robins, Gosling, & Craik, 1999, p. 117). Furthermore, it is argued that the belief in a â€Å"cognitive perspective revolution† is simply a method for scientists to justify their practice (Leahey, 1991, p.362, as cited in Robins, Gosling, & Craik, 1999, p. 117). Other theories have indicated, without empirical evidence however, that behaviourism continues to flourish despite the loss of â€Å"mentor B.F Skinner† (Salzinger, 1994, p. 816; p. 461, as cited in Robins, Gosling, & Craik, 1999, p. 117). Lastly, it is contented by some that the neuroscientific perspective continues to prosper (Churchland, 1998, as cited in Robins, Gosling, & Craik, 1999, p. 117), and that the entire field of psychology will eventually become a subfield of neuroscience (Bechtel, 1988, as cited in Robins, Gosling, & Craik, 1999, p. 117). III.Methods The authors employed three indexes to conduct their study; the subject-matter index of psychology’s Flagship publications, the subject-matter index of psychology dissertations and the citation index of Flagship publications. For the psychology’s Flagship publications, authors selected several word stems in a database called psychINFO, including: psychoanal#, cognit#, neurosci#, reinforce#, and conditioning#. At that time, they calculated the percentage of articles published in the Flagship publications between 1950 to 1997 and charted their findings over time (Robins, Gosling, & Craik, 1999, p. 118). For the psychology dissertations, authors once again employed psychINFO, this time, to analyze the topics presented in doctoral dissertations between 1967 to 1994. Then, they calculated the percentage of dissertations for each of the four psychological perspectives (Robins, Gosling, & Craik, 1999, p. 119). Finally, for the citation index of Flagship publications, authors su rveyed trends regarding the number of citations found concerning each perspective in the Flagship publications. Then, they selected the top four journals in each perspective using a rating system operated by prominent neuroscientists (Robins, Gosling, & Craik, 1999, p. 119). Applying these findings, authors calculated the â€Å"total number of times per year the flagship publications cited articles published in each sub-disciplinary journal† (Robins, Gosling, & Craik, 1999, p. 119). IV. Results The results undoubtedly provided answers to the question/hypothesis. The findings indicated that articles regarding the cognitive perspective appeared most frequently in all three indexes, followed by the behavioural perspective. Articles regarding the psychoanalytic and neuroscientific perspective, however, were essentially non-existent throughout the studied period. Authors provided graphs and tables in order to demonstrate their findings over time for each index (Robins, Gosling, & Craik, 1999, p.121-126). V.Discussion/Conclusions Due to their compelling findings, the authors were able to construct several conclusions. Firstly, psychoanalytic journals, dissertations, and flagship articles have not been in the spotlight of mainstream psychology for the past several decades (Robins, Gosling, & Craik, 1999, p.123, 124). Secondly, with the focus currently on cognitive psychology, behavioural psychology has and continues to subside in scientific psychology (Robins, Gosling, & Craik, 1999, p.124). Moreover, the authors’ state that one reason cognitive psychology is transcending behavioural psychology is due to the immeasurable role of computers in modern society. For example, thanks to computers, considerable changes have taken place in regards to scientists’ understanding of memory, information processing, etc (Robins, Gosling, & Craik, 1999, p.124). Lastly, mainstream psychology does not yet recognize neuropsychology; however, there is an obvious increase in popularity that is underway. Authors recom mend further research to explore the growing prominence of neuropsychology (Robins, Gosling, & Craik, 1999, p.125). VI.References Authors used a clear and consistent citation format, and each of the references was properly cited within the article. The authors used a variety of sources ranging from the 1930’s to the year prior to the study. The older references were used to demonstrate variations of theories over time. VII.Personal Reaction I consider this article to be rather thought-provoking. From the beginning, I agreed with the theorists who believed that cognitive psychology was the leading school of psychology. Although this article was written fourteen years ago, I believe it continues to be true today. I was not aware of the serious decline of the behavioural perspective; however, after reading about the impact computers have had on science and scientists, it became clear (Robins, Gosling, & Craik, 1999, p.124). One limitation that I feel could have affected the results was the manner in which they selected the top four journals. I wonder if the results would have varied had different journals been chosen. In my opinion, the sample size of four journals seems somewhat confining to the research. Even so, this was a very interesting article. I would be rather intrigued to read a current study of the same topic and see if the results are equivalent.

Should we Read Romeo and Juliet in School

Should we let go of everything from our past that holds  memories, simply because its old? Or should we keep on passing it  from generation to generation to keep a tradition? In schools is a great  example of that. A common debate is whether or not Romeo and Juliet  should be taught in schools. We should hold onto this tradition  because of the way it makes students think, and because of the  knowledge it provides to the students.For one, although the language in Romeo and Juliet is not how  we speak today, it still contains great lessons for students. While  reading Romeo and Juliet, your mind is constantly thinking and  deciphering what message Shakespeare is giving you. To make  students read Romeo and Juliet early in their high school years will  benefit them. The unique style of writing will make the students’ brains  work much harder to understand the message. If they were given a  book with language they see every day would not benefit their le arning  as much. By reading Romeo and Juliet students will receive more  knowledge.Another reason that reading Romeo and Juliet in schools is a  great idea is because it is a two in one lesson. As teachers they have  so much curriculum to teach the students and sometimes its hard to fit  it all in. Rather than teaching the students what similes and metaphors  are, students can read Romeo and Juliet and have perfect examples  right in front of them while not wasting any time. While reading Romeo  and Juliet you may notice that Romeo is a romantic and he loves  using metaphors and similes to compare Juliet to celestial objects. You  may ask so what? Well Romeo is one of the main characters which  means he speaks a lot, therefore there are many more examples for  students to learn those parts of speech. Reading Romeo and Juliet in  school makes teaching easier and makes learning a two in one combo.Last but not least as you move on to different levels of school   and in life, Romeo and Juliet will be referenced to. Not having read  Romeo and Juliet, students would have no idea what is being  discussed so being asked a question referring to Romeo and Juliet  might be tough to answer. Rather than not knowing the answer and  being dumbstruck in front of the whole class, it would be in a student’s  best interest to take a little time out of their life and read Romeo and  Juliet. Not to mention the benefit that after you read the book you can  watch the movie for more excitement.The knowledge provided to the students, the fact that Romeo  and Juliet will be referenced to later in life and the fact that it is a two  in one lesson are just some of the many reasons that reading Romeo  and Juliet in school should be kept a tradition. There is far too much  knowledge to be perceived because of the unique style of writing and  the rich vocabulary. After being studied for over a hundred years,  there must be somethin g great enough to keep the tradition.

Dividend policy at Linear technology Case Study

Dividend policy at Linear technology - Case Study Example The paper tells that Linear technology has used all four types of dividend distributions. The company has used stock splits four times since its initial public offer (IPO) in 1993, 1996, 1999 and 2000, each of which has been 2 for 1 split. The company has also had share purchases every year since 1993 and every year thereafter except in 2000. Most of these share repurchases were done in 2002 and 2003. The dividend policy that Linear Technology chooses at a particular point in time will depend on a number of factors. These factors include the signal it wants to send to its shareholders, the need for funds to invest in new projects, the type of shareholders that the firm has, and the amount of cash the firm has at its disposal. The method of dividend payment should also depend on the tax implications. Linear Technology does not appear to be investing in any new projects. The figures also indicate that research and development expenses have declined since it reached its peak in 2001. Th is signifies that the company has to a certain extent run out of ideas. It is therefore sending the wrong signal to its shareholders who may believe that the company’s growth prospects are good. The only technology company that showed signs of consistent growth over the period has been Microsoft. Linear seems to be totally focused on satisfying shareholders in terms of dividend payouts and maintaining a positive cash flow. There is no mention of any new projects or initiatives to grow the business. If Linear Technology wants to grow it could obtain a loan easily because the company does not currently have any debts. Furthermore, interest on corporate debt is tax exempt and the interest rate on AAA rated corporate debt has fallen every year since 1995. This may help to increase the value of the company and also increase the returns on shareholders funds. An advantage of using debt to fund growth is that interest paid on loans is allowable as a deduction for tax purposes while a dividend is not. Funding Requirements Linear technology desires to have sufficient cash flows so that the company can withstand any financial crisis. The company however, has the capacity to obtain debt. Linear technology manages it payroll expenses by issuing stock options to compensate employees. Therefore, when the company does well employees receive a higher profit share and so the company is able to maintain a positive cash flow as well as pay out dividends on a quarterly basis. Available Resources The company has a significant amount of cash available and this can be backed up with its capacity to borrow. Linear currently has over $1.5m in cash and short term investments. This may not however, be sufficient to finance a major project but would become useful in the company’s bid to obtain a loan as it would provide a cushion in the event that the company is not able to pay interest expenses out of regular earnings. Costs and Benefits of Retaining Excess Funds Retaining excess funds can result in agency costs. Managers may be tempted to pay themselves excessively. It is more likely that they may not exercise care in the use of such funds since the pressures that normally arise from having limited funds do not exist. This lead to a waste of funds that could have been used to pay dividends. The benefits of retaining

Women as Spies in the Civil War Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Women as Spies in the Civil War - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that although the role of espionage has been admitted to be a very important factor through the entire course of the American Civil War in most historical records, it has been denied the deserving respect in terms of detailed narratives elaborating upon the actual significance of the roles played by spies. This holds true even more in case of women who served as undercover agents.   The author has rightly presented that this unavailability of detailed mention in records results primarily from the nature of the job itself. Often, records would be destroyed to protect the identities of the agents by themselves or by other officials. So, the historian addressing this issue would have to seek out often intentionally obscured and carefully camouflaged tracks by the agents themselves, officials of both the governments and last but not the least, time. The paper tells that proper chronicling of Civil War intelligence activities is thus a strenuo us challenge due to the absence of records, the absence of access to records, and also the dubiousness of the available records. The confederacy’s state secretary, Judah P. Benjamin burned all records related to intelligence activities that he could find when the news of the Federal troops entering Richmond came. On the other hand, till 1953, Intelligence records belonging to the Union were kept sealed in the National archives.

CRITIQUE #1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

CRITIQUE #1 - Essay Example At the start of her presentations, she always displays a confident look. The facial expression and the swiftness in getting her first words right helps to capture the attention of the audience. She also exhibits a mastery of the content they present. She is rarely distracted and never stammers during her presentations. She seems to have internalized her content and understood what is required of them; she is precise and straight to the point. In addition, she is relaxed and shows expressions that are related to what she is talking about. In order to capture the attention of all, she is not very fast neither is she too slow, she has adopted a pace that allows her viewers to get her clearly. Her eye movements, the movement of the mouth and the synchrony in body movement are evidence that she exhibits confidence. When presenting her story has a flow and she seems to relate with what she communicates to her audience. In addition, she portrays the emotions that go with the specific presen tation that she has at hand. Focusing on the positive attributes of Jackie Nespral, we find that she is also equally good. She is articulate in her presentation and exhibits a good mastery of language, this makes her read through her content fast. Her confidence can be established through her body language and she seems to have basics of her content, an aspect that gives her confidence. Her interview skills are superb, in the sense that she is quite inquisitive and attempts to get every detail of the topic under discussion. She capitalizes on every available minute, making it possible for her to present the news within the shortest time possible. She is very cheerful and relates very well with her stories; she displays the emotions behind her stories. The body language communicates much to the viewers, especially on what the emotion behind the story is. In addition, Jackie is elaborate and does make necessary body movements,

The Perspective of Philosophy of Mind and Psychology Essay

The Perspective of Philosophy of Mind and Psychology - Essay Example The external explanations are odd with the empirical science we know psychology to be. Descartes eliminated the psychological characteristics in trying to explain the view that a soul is always conscious or thinking. To this perspective, an entity seems to have unactualized mental dispositions and capacities. It is doubtful that the argument by Descartes is not speaking of the physical organism that may be temporary without certain conscious states while remaining alive and physically capable of the state. Therefore, the argument of an entity imagined having neither the physical properties nor current conscious states for a period, which is against the laws of physical science. Therefore, with respect to science, it would not be clear to what it would mean to speak of it (Flanagan, 2007). The first law of the thermodynamics that relates a cause to be at least stronger as its effect does not go in line with Descartes views. The reason being that if otherwise taken into account, some o f the effects would be recorded in his explanations. An effect must at least be as its cause in strength. On the other hand, simply some of the case would end up disappear or not be perceived. Descartes gave arguments in his favour. Therefore, his external explanation does not fit with the first law of thermodynamics (Flanagan, 2007). If we can never know if humans have a nonphysical or spiritual aspect, the point of establishing scientific psychology is relevant. The argument above bases on empiricism as it is imperative in science. It states that the only source of our knowledge come through our senses.

Applied Construction Management Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Applied Construction Management - Coursework Example The car park will have the entrance the exit gates which will all face the main road. The entrance to the car parking will be from the side of Ragian Road with the exit being placed on the side of Rampart Road. The parking for the disabled people will be on the ground floor and to the left side of the entrance. The parking for other people will be on towards the right of the entrance and they will be able to park from the second to the third floor. Additionally, the car park will have surveillance cameras that will be placed on both the entrance towards Ragian and at the exit towards the Rampart road. Other surveillance cameras will be place at each parking section with the control room located at the third floor of the building (Oyedele, Ajayi and Kadiri, 2014). The building will have four floors. The last floor will act as offices for executives and other people. The car park apartment will be painted blue green which are the company colours. Barriers will also be placed at the entrance and the exit to control traffic as well as acting as security control. The barriers will be manned by the personnel at the control room as well as the personnel located at both the entrance and the exit. The painting will be done by the Solai painters with the lighting system being conducted by the Harold lights. The lighting system will be fixed to all floors as well as the parking sections. The lighting system will be raised to ensure that all the area in the park is well lit. The other issue that the contractor will take care of is the signage that will be located on the various sections of the park with an aim of giving direction to the people who will be visiting the park (Bennett and Ormerod, 2011). The park will have signs that will show directions a s well as the points of services. The contactor will ensure that the work

Intervention and Evaluation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Intervention and Evaluation - Essay Example It is imperative that intervention and evaluation measures must be taken to deal with these issues. Research data states that obesity has taken a form of epidemic in United States and there is a remarkable increase in the obese and overweight individuals since 1999- 2006, owing to increase BMI (Body Mass Index). If BMI is >40.0 an individual is said to be extremely obese and this accounts to 6% of the US population, on the other hand if the BMI of individual is >30.0, then he is under the category of obese and accounts for 34% of US population while individuals with BMI in the range of 25.0 – 29.0 are considered to be overweight and accounts for 33% of the US population. This segment of population are liable for chronic diseases related to heart viz. hypertension, type 2 diabetes, cancers and stroke (Recommended Community Strategies and Measurements to Prevent Obesity in the United States; The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta). Identified Problems: Reasons paving the way for obesity followed by hypertension are formulated they encompass life styles, eating habits and diet, exercise, environmental factors including , lack of space to play and exercise and stress both at personal and professional levels. It is essential that states and communities must intervene to generate an atmosphere that sustain healthy eating and energetic living. Considering this as crucial issue, CDC instigated Common Community Measures for Obesity Prevention Project to formulate obesity prevention strategies and monitor its implementation for prevention of obesity followed by hypertension (Recommended Community Strategies and Measurements to Prevent Obesity in the United States; The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta). Interventions: In order to create an awareness to combat with issues like obesity and hypertension, communities should come forward to enhance the availability of healthier food and beverages in public service venues including schools, parks,

Canadian Liberalism vs Canadian Conservatism Essay

Canadian Liberalism vs Canadian Conservatism - Essay Example At one side, liberals are progressively change and reform oriented. On the other, conservatives rely on self-induced political conduct that is relatively resistant to massive and outright reforms. In the Canadian context, liberal and conservative parties hugely disagree on governance, economy, and taxes. Notably this disconnection can be explained by the left-right ideology. The Liberal Party takes policy positions that advocate for equality of opportunity, true fiscal responsibility, and relatively raised taxes for a sustainable economy (Canadian Liberal Party, 2013). On the other hand, the Conservative Party stands for balanced budgets, Canadians-driven economy, and low taxes; leave more money with the Canadians (Canadian Conservative Party, 2013). In the light of the liberal-conservative policy positions, the left-right ideology comes into play. Progressing and reforming the economy may necessitate economic changes in the country, taxes included. The conservative view of creating jobs, promoting economic growth, and ensuring long-term economic prosperity (Canadian Conservative Party, 2013) may not necessary result in equality of opportunities. Also, leaving more money in the hands of Canadians may negate the balanced budget realization. Liberal approach to these matters makes the Liberal Party’s ideology more leftish and essentially aligned with its social, economic, and political policy

Philosophy and Its Branches Essay Example for Free

Philosophy and Its Branches Essay The study of the fundamental nature of knowledge, reality, and existence, especially when considered as an academic discipline. Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems concerning matters such as existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. It is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational argument. Origin: Middle English: from Old French philosophie, via Latin from Greek philosophia love of wisdom. Philosophy comes from the Greek for love of wisdom, giving us two important starting points: love (or passion) and wisdom (knowledge, understanding). Philosophy sometimes seems to be pursued without passion as if it were a technical subject. Although there is a role for dispassionate research, philosophy must derive from some passion for the ultimate goal: a reliable, accurate understanding ourselves and our world. Branches of philosophy: The following branches are the main areas of study: †¢Metaphysics is the study of the nature of being and the world. Traditional branches are cosmology and ontology. †¢Epistemology is concerned with the nature and scope of knowledge, and whether knowledge is possible. Among its central concerns has been the challenge posed by skepticism and the relationships between truth, belief, and justification. †¢Ethics, or moral philosophy, is concerned with questions of how persons ought to act or if such questions are answerable. The main branches of ethics are meta-ethics, normative ethics, and applied ethics. †¢Political philosophy is the study of government and the relationship of individuals and communities to the state.

Revolution(s) in Latin America from Bolivia to Chile Essay Example for Free

Revolution(s) in Latin America from Bolivia to Chile Essay This paper will deal briefly with the revolutionary movement in Latin America in the mid 20th Century. It will compare and contrast Bolivia, Cuba, Chile and Argentina and seek to draw lessons for today. Ultimately, Peron proved the most successful model of revolution, and this only because of his strong ability to mobilize disparate elements of the population often left out of more doctrinaire Marxist movements. I. This paper will briefly deal with four related but distinct elements: first, the revolution in Bolivia in 1952, the revolution in Cuba a short time later, and the failed revolution in Chile after the 1970 elections. After this, it will deal with the Peron regime in Argentina. Given all this, this paper will attempt to compare and contrast these movements, looking at US as well as Soviet policy relative to them, and see what modern policymakers can take from these immensely important events. The Bolivian revolution of 1952 was one of the first major earthshaking events in post World War II Latin America. Bolivia was an economic disaster since the war (and before) dependent largely on tin exports and a small amount of coffee for economic survival (Cockcroft, 1997). Like all three revolutions dealt within this section, the big issue was the ownership of land. In countries largely made up of peasants, this was the greatest issue. In all three of these states, the land was owned in large parcels, by a small oligarchy that had connections with the government. This was the key in all three revolutions (Kohl, 1978). One issue that sets Bolivia apart was the fact that the army was rather uninterested in pursuing a battle against the revolutionaries, who, unlike the Chilean case, were far from â€Å"Marxist† in ideological orientation (Kohl, 1978, 239). The revolutionary movement (MNR) was both nationalist and socialist in orientation, seeking an independent and prosperous Bolivia independent of both USSR and USA. The basic platform of the Nationalist Revolutionary Movement was land reform first of all, the nationalization of the tin industry and free elections. The connection with the USA was seen by the MNR as a link between to so-called â€Å"tin barons† and the army through US aid. This was a similar view in Cuba. After a brief period of fighting, roughly the middle of April in 1952, the main urban centers fell to the revolutionary movement with the help of miners and other urban workers (the farmers took little part) who were armed by the MNR (Kohl, 1978). The army had no stomach for a fight, and put up token resistance. It was not long before the founder of the MNR, Victor Paz Estemssono, took power as president, and immediately purged the army and engaged in land reform. Universal suffrage was quickly instituted by the new government, and the tin mines were brought under state control. It is clear in hindsight that military personnel were involved in the initial uprising in early April in 1952, the army saw no threat in the nationalist movement and was loathe to fight it. This was to make the Bolivian revolution different from the revolutions in Cuba and Chile (cf. Gerassi, 1965, esp ch 16). In Cuba, 1953, the economic situation was the same for the peasants, but not for the economy as a whole. Unlike the depressed Bolivian situation, the Cuban economy was booming in 1953, except for the fact that the boom did not affect the middle and lower sectors of the peasantry. The economic boom was based on several things: the endless American demand for sugar, the investment of the Batista government in tourism and gambling (similar to Lebanon at the same time), and the presence of a substantial Jewish and Italian organized crime who ran drugs out of the island (Blasier, 1967). Nevertheless, the peasants were largely illiterate and suffering from hunger and disease, similar to that of Bolivia. Like all the revolutions dealt with here, land imbalance was the key. Here, the sugar plantations were in the hands of domestic and foreign oligarchs, Like Tin in Bolivia or Copper in Chile, in Cuba, the revolutionary movement, modeled after that of the MNR in Bolivia (that is, both nationalist and socialist), sought land reform and free elections. The Batista government had rigged elections for some time to make sure him and his military cronies were placed in power regularly (Cockcroft, 1997). Unlike the Bolivian case, the Cuban army was basically loyal to Batista and fought the revolutionaries for some time. The US government did place some pressure on the Cuban leader to hold free elections, which he largely refused to do, leading the CIA to offer some limited financial support to Castro early on (Blasier, 1967). Ultimately, the revolutionaries forced Batista to flee to the US, and the army took over more fully, leading to a protracted war. Hidden in the mountains and fields of southeastern Cuba, the revolutionaries defeated Batista’s small and poorly coordinated offensive. The US posture was uncertain until substantial aid developed from the USSR, and, after Castro’s victory, nationalization of sugar plantations and other assets deprived Cubans and Americans of their former fortunes (Marfelli, 1998). Unlike the Bolivian case, free elections were never held. Chile paints a similar picture. Like the other two states dealt with here, Chile was also a one resource exporter, in her case, copper. The revolution, which did not succeed, begins at the elections of 1970, where the semi-Marxist Salvador Allende received roughly 36% of the vote in a tightly contested three way race. Hardly a ringing endorsement, the KGB as well as the CIA back differing parties in this contest. Both intelligence agencies saw Chile and its copper as a major strategic asset, and both wanted to see Chile in their sphere of influence. The difference being that the CIA spent money to defeat Allende (in general), the Soviets spent money to elect Allende (specifically), even giving him a private salary while on the campaign trail. Allende will never get more than 40% of the vote, and hence, more radical measures were necessary (Leonov, 2005). Allende’s victory was a blow to US interests, and Richard Nixon set his face against the new government, who quickly permitted a substantial KGB presence in the country and allied himself with Castro. Even more, the Allende government nationalized the copper mines and engaged in some limited land reform, like all the above. Allende’s policies, however, created substantial economic downturns in Chile: while attempting to raise wages, he increased inflation. Price fixing brought shortages of necessary items to Santiago and other important urban areas. Unemployment went up, and copper exports fell. Soon, the army and many citizens were opposed to the government that was seen to be artificially propped up by Soviet subsidies. The fact that the opposition parties were contesting the election did not help matters, and in the two elections before Allende’s death, he received no more than 40% of the vote in tight races. The famous coup that brought General Pinochet to power was the result. (Leonov, 2005). These three revolutionary movements, briefly sketched above, contain many important similarities to one another. In all cases, the governments that preceded the revolutions were basically oligarchic: a small number of wealthy controlling a substantially disproportionate share of wealth. Each of these governments was largely militarized and the military was seen as basically supporting the state (with some hesitation in Bolivia). Each of the governments before the revolutionaries seem rather a-ideological, more or less existing to collect taxes and keep a certain group in power. In each case, the armies were basically autonomous forces, making decisions more or less apart from the states that allegedly controlled them. All three states were basically single-resource dependent which harms the sovereignty of the state. Decisions cannot be made autonomously when the entire state’s economy is based on copper markets (for example) that exist far outside the country. The revolutionary movements also have substantial similarities. Both were ideologically nationalist as well as socialist, both in the broad sense of the terms. They sought a redistribution of land and nationalization of the main source of national income: tin, sugar, copper. All of these movements sought violent measures to take power. Even the Allende government used his â€Å"red guards† to confiscate the goods of the people they considered â€Å"rich,† to harm the black market. But as the Leonov lectures prove, all of these movements, legitimate or not, were hijacked by KGB forces and used to increase Soviet power in the area. Hence, whatever sympathy the US may have had with these movements (such as it had to the early Castro) quickly evaporated once the KGB moved in, putting the US in a bad position, having to appear as the â€Å"defender of the oligarchy† against the â€Å"apostles of equality. † It seems that the Soviets forced the American hand in these matters. There are also several differences within these movements. The posture of the army was important: in Chile and Cuba, the army was loyal, in Bolivia, they seemed to have no stomach for a fight. In all cases, the army was relatively small and poorly equipped. A well financed revolutionary movement could easily be a march for these rather unprofessional military forces. The results of the revolution differed wildly. In Chile, the economy tanked. In Cuba, free elections were never held, and Castro held the country in an iron grip under Soviet subsidies. In Bolivia, the economy improved and land distribution was a fact. This is the greatest lesson of these movements: there is no guarantee of success. There is a guarantee that an old oligarchy is to replace a new one the unfortunate results of revolution. All the revolutionaries, with varying degrees of success, sought to improve the role of women in society and in the economy. To a large extent, the revolutionaries had a substantial share of women among their members. In Chile, the Allende government creates subsidy plans for free milk distribution to poor families, a policy difficult to argue with. However, when his price fixing scheme appeared early into his presidency, these milk distributions dried up, and families were forced to buy on the black market at inflated prices. Here, the female side fo the revolution was a complete failure, and mothers were worse off than before. It seems clear that the price fixing scheme was a failure and might well have been the main reason the revolution failed: shortages occurred and the black market sprang up. Allende’s violent methods of dealing with these alienated many people. It is hard to see any real alterative (in 1973) in Chile for women than to support the coup and the freeing of prices for milk and other necessaries. II. Juan Peron is one of the most celebrated Latin American personalities. He contained within himself the true ethical content of the Latin American revolutionaries without being a revolutionary. Nonviolent and patriotic, he offered Argentina everything it needed politically. The Perons were part of Argentinian politics through the World War II era, and Juan’s position in the military government (as vice president under General Eldomiro Farrell) permitted him a platform to argue in favor of unionization and nationalism, in speeches and policies that made him wildly popular. Combining nationalism, patriotism and socialism, this set of ingredients was all that was necessary to bring a coalition of left and right into being over questions of economic nationalism and equality. The fact that he married a woman of lowborn status, Eva, the real power behind Juan (Van Dine, 1998) who used her popularity to engage in serious welfare programs and mobilization of the â€Å"shirtless ones† to her and her husband’s side created a duo that has not been seen since. Peron was a man of his word. In his first term as president (until 1952) he engaged in a flurry of domestic policies that went beyond the socialist rhetoric of the revolutions described above. In the seminal work on Latin American revolutions by Gerassi (1965, esp. ch 3), he provides a provision list of the major areas of concern and policy for the Peron duo. Peron’s list of accomplishments is stunning: social security was made mandatory for each citizen. He was behind the creation of trade unions in every major Argentinian industry. He made certain that elections were free and that universal suffrage was the norm. Insofar as the treatment of women were concerned, he insisted on paid maternity leave, free medical care (especially prenatal care) and paid time off for all new mothers. He built recreation centers for all major industries, and made sure that paid vacations were the norm for all workers in Argentina. And this was only the beginning (cf. Gerassi for more details). Just as important, he sought the development of Argentina’s economic diversification. This is a substantial difference between Peron and the other movements dealt with above. The other movements did not have a substantial plan for diversification and were basically content to be one crop country. Argentina was not like this, there were too many resources to be mobilized, and such diversification became a major project of the Argentinian first couple in the 1950s. Peron was an amateur philosopher of sorts, and saw political ideology as more of a barrier than an impetus to economic performance and equality. His basic philosophical position was called Justicalisimo, or the â€Å"third way† between socialism and capitalism that attempted to combine the positive contributions of both. This approach will be imitated by Nasser in Egypt and the Bolivian MNR. But it is precisely this approach to political things that makes sense out of his popularity: there was no prepackaged ideology to oppose. His was a mixture of the best of the left with the best of capitalism. Both of these were blended with an appeal to nationalism, patriotism and Argentinian sovereignty that was immensely popular. He was able, through his own personality as well as that of his wife, to mobilize both left and right over questions of economic nationalism and equality. Most certainly, his policies were not typical for Latin America or anywhere else. There are few people who can claim his mantle. This paper mentioned Nasser of Egypt, and is likely the only one who can claim this. Peron did not seek a violent revolution. He sought a revolution based in patriotism and national consent, a nation rebuilt around the â€Å"first couple,† who were iconic in their times and ours. This is a rare chemistry that cannot be imitated by professional guerillas or politicians of the typical stripe. The fact that he put his promises immediately into action and fought the wealthy of society made him more and more popular, and this popularity, ths ability to mobilize the population, is what made the oligarchy fear him, yet there was little they could do. The Eva Peron Foundation, a huge semi-official charitable trust, built thousands of schools and hospitals around the country. The government of Argentina was truly a family affair, mirroring the actual Argentinian family itself, it was iconic almost literally, in that they were ruled not by a junta, or a general, or a rich man, but a family. In this writer’s opinion, Peron’s popularity was based on what he physically accomplished. But more than this, it was the mixture of patriotism and economic nationalism and equality. Since cliche Marxism is anti-patriotic and internationalist as well as anti-Christian, they naturally alienate many of these types of people. Peron did not do this, since he was nationalist and did not repress the church as did Castro. Hence, he was able to mobilize these people as well, adding to his popularity in a way that a Castro or Allende could not. There is so much material on this Argentinean leader that this brief description cannot do it justice. III. This paper has sought to deal with the question of Latin American Revolution in brief. It is clear by this time that this writer is partial to Peron, and sees his model as superior to the others dealt with above, and offers quite a bit of material for the future of Latin America. The revolutions of Cuba, Bolivia and Chile were, when all is said and done, failures. While correctly addressing many important issues, these revolutionaries simply became another oligarchy, or fell apart altogether (such as Allende). These states are still poor and underdeveloped, and only Chile has been able to control infant mortality with any success. The problems in all these countries were the same: one crop dependency, oligarchy, land hunger and poor infrastructure. Only Peron performed substantial moves to remedy this situation, but his later overthrow proved these abortive. Argentina was back where it had started. Cuba today is an economic disaster and a dictatorship, while Bolivia is no better off than in 1952. Nationalism, patriotism, autarky and economic equality are the wave of the future, while internationalist socialism(as well as border-less capitalism) is a relic of the past. Bibliography Kohl, James. (1978) â€Å"Peasant and Revolution in Bolivia, April 9, 1952-August 2, 1953. † The American Historical Review. 58: 238-259 Blasier, Cole (1967). â€Å"Studies of Social revolution: Origins in Mexico, Bolivia and Cuba. † Latin American Research Review. 2: 28-64 Perez, Marfelli. (1998) The Cuban Revolution. Oxford University Press. Leonov, Aledander (2005) â€Å"Soviet Intelligence in Latin America During the Cold War. † Lectures. The Center for Academic Publications. (http://www. cepchile. cl/dms/lang_2/doc_1140. html) Van Dine, Robert. (1998) â€Å"Evita Peron: Saint or Coutesan. † Vandine Publishing. (http://www. vandine. com/peron. htm; Van Dine is a career DC diplomat) Gerassi, John. (1965) The Great Fear in Latin America. Macmillan, 1965. (This work acted as background material for all the information above) Cockcroft, James D. (1997) Latin America: History, Politics, and U. S. Policy. Nelson Hall Publishers.

Museum of Fine Arts in Houston | Reflection

Museum of Fine Arts in Houston | Reflection Cultural Response This cultural response essay will discuss my trip to the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston. I will be describing my favorite works of art, compare two pieces of art by Do Ho Suh, and then describe my experience at the museum. The first part of the museum that I visited was the Audrey Jones Beck building on level 1. The exhibit was the Antiquities and American Art 1800-1970. I saw art given by Ima Hogg, Jackson Pollock, Severin Roesen, Louis Comfort Tiffany and Christian Edward Bottcher. I have visited the Hogg Plantation and being able to see the furniture and art that was given by Mrs. Hogg from her home was very interesting. The first piece of art that caught my attention was in section 107 of this level. It was called the Victorian Bouquet by the artist Severin Roesen in circa 1850-1855. Roesen was an American artist but was born in Germany in 1815. The media of the artwork is oil on canvas. The Victorian Bouquet features a wide variety of exquisite flowers and fruit. It revives the 17th century Dutch tradition of still-life portraits and paintings. The painting celebrates wealth, life, and aesthetic and physical comfort. It contains roses, poppies, morning glories, peonies, tulips, forget-me-nots, car nations, lilies, irises, peaches, raspberries, pomegranates, and a glass of wine among other things. Roesen provides a feast for the senses. What I love most about this work is how vivid, realistic, and beautiful he made the flowers and contents of the picture. The bright and rich colors chosen in contrast to the black background really create a beautiful scene. The second artwork that I was impressed with was created by Louis Comfort Tiffany, who created the Tiffany lamps. This piece was in the same building but in section 109. He was an American artist and developed Tiffany Studios in 1900. The name of the piece is A Wooden Landscape in Three Panels created around 1905. The medium is glass, copper-foil, and lead. A Wooden Landscape is far more complex than any stained glass windows I have seen, which are usually put together like a puzzle. Usually they are layered together in multiple pieces with glass, one on top of the other. This is just like a painter layered his paint of a canvas. Tiffany used subtle choices of color in this artwork which changes with the variations of light that it has been exposed to. Like a living landscape, this artwork changes in appearance responding to the light surrounding it. The thing that caught my attention about this artwork was the size. Its overall size is 7.2 x 11 feet. Another thing that I liked about this artwork was that it was stained glass. I love stained glass windows and how Tiffany did this was gorgeous. My dad has collected Tiffany lamps and so when I saw this artwork I recognized the styling and technique quickly. The Third portrait I found was in the same building as the other two but in section 113. The artist who created the work was Christian Edward Bottcher. Bottcher was a German artist who lived from 1818 to 1889. The name of the artwork was Summer Night on the Rhine which was created in 1862. The medium of the work was oil paint on canvas. It contained medieval castles, picturesque towns, friends gathered under a beautiful tree, and a vineyard sloping down the side of a hill. The Rhine valley is an extremely romantic scene which was captured perfectly in this artwork where there is an exciting, charming, and nostalgic get-together. Laughter and happiness spill from the canvas and it makes you want to be a part of the celebration. The moonlight sets the perfect shadowing and colors to reflect the mood of the painting. What I found to be charming about this scene is how all 15 or so men are trying to court the women and are giving them flowers. It is almost like an extremely large match-m aker party. Another fun thing about this picture is where the party is taking place. You can quickly tell that they are all from the upper class because of their dress and the castle that they are beside, but the party is under a big tree with a table underneath. A chandelier is tied to a limb of a tree with rope. This is a very exquisite oil painting and I sat and wondered at its detail for a very long while. In the Caroline Wiess Law building, 2nd floor, gallery 200, I found the works of Do Ho Suh, a Korean artist living in America. The first piece I found was called Fallen Star 1/5 which is 131 x 145 x 120 inches. It was created in 2008-2009 and is made up of ABS (plastic), basswood, beech, ceramic, enamel paint, glass, honeycomb board, lacquer paint, latex paint, LED lights, pinewood, plywood, resin, spruce, styrene, polycarbonate sheets and polyvinyl chloride sheets. The second piece of art created by Suh is called Home within a Home which was created in 2009. The dimensions of this piece are 131 x 145 x300 inches. It was created with resin. Do Ho Suh began using nylon and silk to create full size representations of his childhood home in Korea and his first American Apartment, a historical building in Providence, Rhode Island. The translucent quality of these materials creates the blurred line between the past and present, inside and outside. Fallen Star 1/5 is an autobiographical rep resentation of Suhs journey from Korea to the U.S. The artwork shows us a traditional Korean scholars house that has crashed into the building that housed his first American apartment. Each object in the house has been hand made by Suh. He made the house and its contents as realistic as possible to create the effect of being lived in and something the viewer can relate to. Home within a Home is a continuation of the piece Fallen Star. In the earlier work, the two buildings were very much separate entities but in Home within a Home, the Korean house and the apartment building have become a part of the same entity, growing and forming together as one. Suhs artwork is not trying to convey the idea of a violent collision between cultures, but rather about how they coexist together. He said maybe If you start to move things around, maybe the Korean house loses its identity, sort of blends in with the American style-or the other way around. I would love to build a house like this because it raises very interesting questions. Are you in a Korean house or an American house? Thats a constant question to myself (MFAH description of artwork). Both pieces of art symbolize the destroyed Old Korea coming together with the merging New Korea and America. Both pieces of art are easy to compare because of their connection that was created by the artist. Both represent the story and journey of Do Ho Suh. They both show what home means to him and how he puts importance on his culture. The only big difference between the pieces is the materials used and the fact that Fallen Star they are two different houses, and in Home within a Home they are put together and morphing into one house. My favorite out of the two is Fallen Star 1/5 because of how realistic it was. It took him 2 years to create this masterpiece and it is so amazing. I love how each room is made to look lived in and creates this warm, at home atmosphere. On the outside of the building he uses an old style of architect ure that I love and it was put together very intricately. There was a woman who was giving a tour to a middle school group and she described the artwork to them by comparing it to The Wizard of Oz. She did this because of how the Korean home is crashed into the apartment building. I thought this was humorous and helped the children relate more to the painting, Were not in Kansas anymore! The one thing I found interesting about Home within a Home was the material used, resin. Just gazing at the piece, you could see right through it and could see every detail of the staircases, hallways, windows, and the roof of the Korean house while still being very detailed on the outside. Both pieces by Do Ho Suh were very interesting and thought provoking. I would recommend any of my class mates to go see them both as soon as possible. My experience at the Museum was very enjoyable and I hope to go there again very soon. I drove there with my mom which created a good bonding time and made the experience even better for me. When we first entered Houston I was actually confused about which building the Museum was a part of and we ended up in the parking garage of the Houston Museum of Natural Science, oops! Once we figured out where we actually needed to be, the right museum, we walked into the first room and were warmly greeted by the two women up front. I had a small, fun conversation with them both and they were extremely interested in my assignment and asked me about it and what I planned to do. Once they looked over my assignment sheet they informed me that my entrance into the museum would be free of charge. That was extremely nice of them to put that much importance into learning and reward students that way! As my mom and I wandered aimlessly around the building taking in all there was to see, all of the empl oyees greeted us and smiled. I noticed quickly that all of them were from different countries, mostly Asia and one man was even from Africa. While my mom and I walked around, we get turned around and confused as to where we were and every single employee we asked to help us was extremely kind. I have already recommended many of my friends to go visit this museum. The pieces of art I saw were amazing and I love that an establishment like this is as close to me as Houston. This trip was a great experience but unfortunately I did not have the time to stay and see all of the pieces and so I hope to go again very soon.

Importance of Speech in Much Ado About Nothing, A Midsummer Nights Dre

Importance of Speech in Much Ado About Nothing, A Midsummer Night's Dream, and Richard III Speech is often the strongest indicator of personality and motivation in Shakespearean histories and comedies. Each turn of phrase is a small insight into the essence of the character. Stringing together each line from the mouth of the character allows the audience to discover each nuance created by Shakespeare. By connecting the actions to a manner of speech, which mirrors those actions, Shakespeare is able to create more believable and dynamic characters. Examining Much Ado About Nothing, A Midsummer Night's Dream, and Richard III, certain archetypes emerge, each with a specific way of speaking. Villains with their quick and underhanded remarks contrast with the silence of the submissive women who are, in turn, foils to the strong willed and outspoken women. By developing stock characters, Shakespeare is able to use stereotypes as a starting point for all of his characters. Matching the speech with the actions of the stereotypes further cements the prototype and gives the audience a clear understanding of the character without detailed background information. Through speech and the development of archetypes, Shakespeare is able to create a more complete picture of his characters. The most developed and fascinating characters in Shakespearean histories and comedies are usually the villains, while they often lack an apparent motivation (beyond their immediate needs for either amusement or power). These characters reveal little to those around them and only uncover their schemes when alone or accompanied by their henchmen. Speech, for these villains, is usually very short with choppy phrases interjected into t... ...d. Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1986. Rutter, Carol. Clamorous Voices. Shakespeare's Women Today. New York: Routledge, 1989. Schanzer, Ernest.   "_A Midsummer-Night's Dream."   26-31 in Kenneth Muir, ed. Shakespeare: The Comedies: A Collection of Critical Essays.   Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall, 1965. Shakespeare, William. A Midsummer Night's Dream, ed. Brian Gibbons. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1991. Vaughn, Jack A. Shakespeare's Comedies.   New York: Frederick Ungar Publishing Company, 1980 Watts, Cedric. Much Ado About Nothing. London: Penguin, 1986. Wells, Stanley & Gary Taylor, General Eds.   _William Shakespeare: The _Complete Works.   New York: Oxford University Press, 1986. Young, David P.   Something of Great Constancy: The Art of A Midsummer Night's Dream.   New Haven: Yale University Press, 1966.

Beloved: The Human Condition :: essays research papers

Toni Morrison's novel, Beloved, reveals the effects of human emotion and its power to cast an individual into a struggle against him or herself. In the beginning of the novel, the reader sees the main character, Sethe, as a woman who is resigned to her desolate life and isolates herself from all those around her. Yet, she was once a woman full of feeling: she had loved her husband Halle, loved her four young children, and loved the days of the Clearing. And thus, Sethe was jaded when she began her life at 124 Bluestone Road-- she had loved too much. After failing to 'save' her children from the schoolteacher, Sethe suffered forever with guilt and regret. Guilt for having killed her "crawling already?" baby daughter, and then regret for not having succeeded in her task. It later becomes apparent that Sethe's tragic past, her chokecherry tree, was the reason why she lived a life of isolation. Beloved, who shares with Seths that one fatal moment, reacts to it in a complet ely different way; because of her obsessive and vengeful love, she haunts Sethe's house and fights the forces of death, only to come back in an attempt to take her mother's life. Through her usage of symbolism, Morrison exposes the internal conflicts that encumber her characters. By contrasting those individuals, she shows tragedy in the human condition. Both Sethe and Beloved suffer the devastating emotional effects of that one fateful event: while the guilty mother who lived refuses to passionately love again, the daughter who was betrayed fights heaven and hell- in the name of love- just to live again. Sethe was a woman who knew how to love, and ultimately fell to ruin because of her "too-thick love" (164). Within Sethe was the power of unconditional love for her children-- she had "milk enough for all" (201). Morrison uses breast milk to symbolize how strong Sethe's maternal desires were. She could never forget the terror of the schoolteacher robbing her of her nurturing juices, she crawled on bleeding limbs to fill her baby's mouth with her milk, and finally, she immortalized that grim summer day when she fed Denver her breast milk-- mingled with blood. The bestial image of milk and blood further fortifies the eminence of maternal instinct by portraying the value of a mother's milk as equal to that of her blood. And the

Town Meetings :: Expository Cause Effect Essays

Town Meetings I grew up going to town meetings with Grandma Sue. Every Thursday Grandma would drag me along with her to the meetings. Afterwards, she would always buy me ice cream at Karl's Ice Cream. I loved our time at the ice cream shop, but hated the meetings. But by the time I was old enough to make my own decisions, I couldn't bring myself to tell Grandma that I didn't want to go to the meetings. So I just went along with her. "Town meetings," Grandma would say, "are the only place that we townsfolk get to share our opinions about the shape of things in this town. It's important that we take the time to do so." And share, she did. Grandma shared her opinions about everything at the meetings. Whether it was the construction of a new park, the clean-up crew after the parade, the cost of school lunches, the new leash law, a curfew for teens, or nominations for new board members, she was always involved. She herself was nominated numerous times for positions on the board, but she always declined the nomination. "Some folks have just gotta stay on the other side of politics," she explained to me, "that's how you keep the town running clean." Grandma died of a heart attack when I was 22. Her death came as a surprise to us all. The Thursday after her funeral I just couldn't bring myself to go to the town meeting. I stayed home that week, and the next, and before I knew it, months had passed. Then my neighbor told me about the plan for the new supermarket. She told me that the town had approved a plan to allow a new supermarket to be built on the site of Karl's Ice Cream shop. It meant that Karl's would be torn down! I couldn't bear the thought of losing that precious shop. That Thursday I went to the meeting. When the plan came up on the docket, I stood to speak. "I know what Grandma Sue would have said about this plan, and I intend to say it for her. Karl's Ice Cream shop has been a meeting place for town-folk for more than 80 years.

Spiritual self-discipline Essay

Quest for moral values in the works of gurudev rabindranath tagore Professor B. K. Patel Head, Department of English M. G. Govt. Art and Science College, Kharsia, Chhattisgarh Abstract:- Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore was a noble thinker, amazing poet, dramatist, best teacher, keen essayist and unbelievable artist of great excellence. He clearly asserts ‘Let us reset our moral compass. ‘His views on the lifestyle depend on the values of commitment, patriotism and naturalism. In spite of his being a great thinker, he propagated the ideas of naturalism and pragmatism. The values that we generally find and enjoy in the literature and philosophies of Tagore are Idealism, Humanism, Naturalism, Patriotism, internationalism and so on. Tagore says that man should identify the â€Å"ultimate truth† which will free him from the life circle. Encounter according to him is the interview with oneself. He trusts that the planet is the mixture of both fact and impression. In Tagore’s point of view, man is formed with unlimited power, which is unwanted of his subst antial existence. This superfluity is the infinite potentiality of human nature and creativity. The unwanted potentiality of man translates itself in person’s spiritual religious and ethical activities. As an idealist, he was a keen promoter of facts, benefits and ideas. According to him, by using art man can experience the completeness of the high standards of life. The peculiar artistry was nothing but sincere and spiritual self-discipline. He said that trust on and worship of God could spiritualize people’ duties and works. As a Humanist, Gurudev Rabindrabath Tagore said the characteristics of man and man are created by superior power. There is a powerful bond between man and characteristics, so man should act naturally to feel the significance of superpower within him. Knowing of self is the key to recognize the Godhood in self. As a Naturalist, he remains an excellent teacher that is not problematic for man. Nature is kind, gentle and sympathetic like a mother. As a true Patriot, Rabindranath Tagore was an excellent poet, preacher, master and servant of the nation. His documents are filled with the loyal  dogmas and doctrines. He had sworn during the independence movement to make the nation free from international slavery. His dedication for the nationwide service, sincere feeling, and certainty was great. â€Å"Jana, Gana, Mana†¦ is the popular National Anthem which elicited a powerful a sense of unity and nationalism. As a proponent of Internationalism he was in favour of the one world. He says that unity among social, color and spiritual diversities is the need of the time. Sophisticated emotions are significant in his literary creations and works of arts. Finally, he was a follower and promoter of Vedanta. He had faith on the one Supreme Being that he has called as the holy Brahma. He finds unity in the diversities in the world and a spiritual oneness between man and man, man and characteristics. The relation between God and human must be like that of between love and joy. He witnesses God in all matters and soul. He believes that existence of Lord Brahma is there in all the living beings. Adequa te answers of all the queries occur when we understand the lifestyle of Brahma within him. RABINDRANATH TAGORE AND HUMAN VALUES Biswajit Baidya Asstt. Professor, Deptt. of Philosophy, Iswar Chandra Vidyasagar College, Belonia, South Tripura. Abstract- R.N. Tagore’s philosophical works are so vast that it is a herculean task to do proper justice to the world class philosopher. From R.N. Tagore’s books, we can easily surmise his own philosophical thoughts and ideas. Looking at the modern times, there is a widespread feeling of hatred, enmity and distrust among religions, caste and nations. There is a competition to use religion in the name of religionlessness. The source of such deplorable acts is not the aforesaid search for peaceful self-consciousness. It’s source is restless self-consciousness. R. N. Tagore’s view of humanism and philosophical thought never shows the unconscious principle of life and the feeling of division and conflicts as the ultimate goal of man. Tagore gives importance to ‘BhÄ gavatgÄ «tÄ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ which teaches that one knows oneself without the division of intelligence. The Supreme spirit is everything, holds every things together. As a matter of fact, in this modern age of disdain, enmity, dismay, dishonesty, distrusted and suspicion among different religion castes and nations, R.N. Tagore’s Message and Occasional Speeches serve as a panacea for the ills of human beings. Key words: humanism, religion, values, human beings. â€Å"QUEST FOR HUMAN VALUES IN RABINDRANATH TAGORE’S GITANJALI† Dr. Baburam Swami Assistant Professor, Deptt. of English, Iswar Chandra Vidyasagar College, Belonia, South Tripura. ABSTRACT: Tagore’s love for humanity is omnipresent. He shows great concern for the strife, sorrows and sufferings of humanity. His poetry is full of lofty idealism and undaunted optimism. The common objects of nature and human life are glorified and coloured in the radiance of his romantic imagination endowed with boundless love for liberty, fraternity and equality. He is a singer of the smiles and tears of human life. Spiritual humanist finds out spiritual significance in the commonplace activities of life and god in humble cottages. He condemns castes and creeds, which divide humankind. All human beings are equal to the creator there is no untouchable in the great body of God. He occupies front position in the congregation of the prophets of Humanism for his songs. Tagore’s poetry Gitanjali reflects his desperate efforts to see the world to live in peace and harmony in reality. He strives hard to foster the values of humanity and bring happiness in the land by encouraging the individuals to love one another and lead a harmonious life full of contentment. Gitanjali means song offering which are of the finite to the infinite. It is the poetry of the highest order and brings strange consolation to the human heart. It is poetry in which men converse with eternity. This paper focuses on the human values in the Gitanjali. It depicts the chaos and incoherence, the confusion of sensations and emotions that constitute the human consciousness. It also  depicts multi-theme of human relationships. It is the study of motion and commotion for establishment of human values. It is an attempt to get a glimpse of Tagore’s philosophy of humanism. It also aims at studying Rabindranath Tagore’s Poetry Gitanjali that fosters almost all positive values not only in India but also abroad. THE HUMANISTIC APPROACH IN THE SCIENTIFIC CONSCIOUSNESS OF RABINDRANATH TAGORE Sohini Deb (Nandi) Research Scholar, Department of Sanskrit, Tripura University Abstract- The human values of the universal humanitarian considerations reached the level of high standard in the cultural activities and literary productions of Rabindranath Tagore, one of the greatest poet and men of wisdom. The extraordinary and the multifaceted talent of the poet embrace the diversity of valuable ideas of which science is a potential element. The flight of his imagination was not wild but sensible. It helped him to realise the truth comprehensively. It also transcended the limits of material forces and acquainted him to true nature of the infinite. His realisation and the study of scientific literature made him rich enough in the awareness that the application of science should be used exclusively for the utility of the mankind and especially to improve lots of the poor eradicating ignorance and superstitions. He studied books on science, went deep into the roots of the scientific principles and afterwards wrote books to make the ordinary people aware scientifica lly the surroundings of our society where we really live. He composed the books like ‘Visvaparichaya’ and ‘Taramandali abang Mahakasha’. He also inspired other scholars of science to write for awareness of scientific thought in the ordinary mass. He also wrote articles and took such measures for qualitative change in the technological know-how for agriculture. His experiment started in the Shriniketan and inspired his son Rathindranath for obtaining a degree in agricultural science. He was devoted to enrich the plant life too. He also took out most care in the human and social environment so as to make a man of the society physically and mentally healthy. From the height of cosmos down to the individual and material earth and the human societies with  peculiar characteristics in the particular surroundings, the poet Rabindranath try to catch the linking thread so as to have a clear conception to apply science for the good of mankind. It was inherent in the mind of the poet which has been revealed in his writings and activities that without invariable and concomitant association with the human value system, science is incapable of doing any good to mankind rather it acts like Frankenstein. RABINDRANATH TAGORE AND HIS UNIVERSAL HUMANISM Rajesh Bhattacharjee, Anup kumar Biswas M.A. in Bengali, Tripura University Abstract- Now a days the moral values from human nature is abolishing. If anybody should be mentioned as pure humanist in the India as well as in the world he is one and only Rabindranath Tagore .He earned a lot of experience in his whole life. He noticed the cruelty and destruction during the Second World War. He realized that the moral values are decreasing day by day.Then he determined to restore the human values and revive the moral ideas. In his essays like ‘kalantar’,’Yourope probasir patra’, ‘Batayaniker patra’, ‘Lokahita’, ‘purba o paschim’, ‘ Savyatar sankat’ he expressed his judgments’ about the humanism. Not only has this had his poems, proses, novels, and his short stories also born the significance of his humanist attitude. After travelling the whole world he felt that most of the people are losing their identity, depriving by the upper classes, exploiting by the rulers. He declared lou dly the winning song of humanity and restored our consciousness. So in today if we want to reconstruct our humanism we have to remember his message and preserve human values like love, faith, sincerity and devotion. We can celebrate his 150th birth anniversary and gave him proper honour through obeying his messages and his ideas.

Ana Code of Ethics Essay

The ANA code of ethics as described in the book of Conceptual Foundations as: ANA’s Code of Ethics for Nurses, 2001 * 1. The nurse, in all professional relationships, practices with compassion and respect for the inherent dignity, worth, and uniqueness of every individual, unrestricted by considerations of social or economic status, personal attributes, or the nature of health problems. * 2. The nurse’s primary commitment is to the person, whether an individual, family, group, or community. * 3. The nurse promotes, advocates for, and strives to protect the health, safety, and rights of the patient. * 4. The nurse is responsible and accountable for individual nursing practice and determines the appropriate delegation of tasks consistent with the nurse’s obligation to provide optimum patient care. * 5. The nurse owes the same duties to self as to others, including the responsibility to preserve integrity and safety, to maintain competence, and to continue personal and professional growth. * 6. The nurse participates in establishing, maintaining, and improving health care environments and conditions of employment conducive to the provision of quality health care and consistent with the values of the profession through individual and collective action. * 7. The nurse participates in the advancement of the profession through contributions to practice, education, administration, and knowledge development. * 8. The nurse collaborates with other health professionals and the public in promoting community, national, and international efforts to meet health needs. * 9. The profession of nursing, as represented by associations and their members, is responsible for articulating nursing values, for maintaining the integrity of the profession and its practice, and for shaping social policy. (Ceasia, Friberg p. 285) Description In the broadest sense, ethics are the principles that guide an individual, group, or profession in conduct. Although nurses do make independent decisions regarding patient care, they are still responsible to the profession as a whole in how those decisions are made. From the earliest concept of nursing, the proper behavior and conduct of a nurse was closely scrutinized. Florence Nightingale wrote of specific issues of conduct and moral behavior. The Nightingale pledge that was composed in 1893 by nursing instructor Lystra Gretter includes the vow â€Å"to abstain from whatever is deleterious and mischievous and will not take or knowingly administer any harmful drug.† Over the last 100 years, nursing has evolved into a very complex professional field. Nurses are now faced with life and death decisions, sometimes on an hourly basis. Medical care has advanced to the point that new technology with its potential benefit or harm to a patient changes constantly. Although the private conduct of a nurse is no longer controlled by the employer, the effects of that lifestyle on the nurse’s ability to think and respond to patients in different situations. The study of ethics is actually a branch of philosophy. The word ethics is derived from the Greek term ethos which means customs, habitual usage, conduct, and character. The study of ethics has led to the identification of basic concepts including relation of basic concepts including rights, autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence, justice, and fidelity. Understanding these concepts assists the nurse with making decisions during difficult situations. Webster defines a right as â€Å"something to which one has a just claim or the power or privilege to which one is justly entitled.† Patient rights have evolved to the point that federal legislation has been passed in the United States to protect a patient’s individual rights. A Patient’s Bill of Rights was initially developed by the American Hospital Association in 1973 and revised in1992. All hospitals are now required by law to inform patients of these rights upon admission to the hospital. Autonomy comes from the Latin auto meaning â€Å"self† and nomy which means â€Å"control.† Individuals must be given the rights to assist in their own decision making. This ethical concept has led to the need for informed consent. Sometimes patients’ religious or cultural beliefs lead them to make decisions regarding their own care that may seem controversial or even dangerous. However, the concept of autonomy gives them the right to make those decisions unless they are mentally impaired. Beneficence means to do good, not harm, to other people. Nonmaleficence is the concept of preventing intentional harm. Both of these ethical concepts relate directly to patient care. In the American Nurses Association Code for Nurses, there is a specific charge to protect patients by specifying that nurses should report unsafe, illegal, or unethical practices by any person. Nurses are often faced with making decisions about extending life with technology, which might not be in the best interest of the patient. Often the concept of weighing potential benefit to the patient against potential harm is used in making these difficult decisions, along with the patient’s own stated wishes. The word justice is closely tied with the legal system. However, the word refers to the obligation to be fair to all people. In 2001, healthcare economics have hospitals and other providers stretching their resources to their limits. Economic decisions about healthcare resources have to be made base d on the number of patients who would benefit. The potential of rationing care to the frail elderly, poor, and disabled creates an ethical dilemma that is sure to become even more complicated in the future. Fidelity refers to the concept of keeping a commitment. Although the word is more closely used to describe a marital relationship, fidelity is the concept of accountability. What is the nurse’s responsibility to his or her patient, employer, society, or government? Privacy and confidentiality are concepts that could be challenged under the concept of fidelity. If a nurse is aware of another healthcare giver who is impaired, but the circumstances are private or confidential, how is the conflict resolved? As a general rule, nurses are employed by a hospital, clinic, or private practice. Decisions that are made about patient care are not totally independent. Every decision creates a ripple effect and touches someone else in the health care field. One of the purposes of a code of ethics is to help nurses keep perspective and a balanced view regarding decisions. An example of violation of code of ethics is an 18yr old girl comes into the emergency room with her mother and has abdominal pain. The doctor or nurse does not ask the patient if it is ok for the mother to know the entire patient’s information since she is 18 yrs. old. The mother is under the impression that her daughter is not sexually active. When the urinalysis comes back the nurse explains that they are going to do further tests but the abdominal pain is probably due to her being pregnant. The mother is in the room when the news is told violating the patient’s rights. The professional nursing practices involves working towards the outcomes of safe, quality, evidence based practice and confidentiality. (Styles, A 2008). Overall, I think all nurses try to do the right thing on a daily basis and their decisions are based on a reflection of consequences and moral principles. The ANA helps professional nursing by supporting nurses and providing a framework within which nurses can make ethical judgments and decisions to fulfill their daily responsibilities. References: Styles, A. (2008) The professional nursing practice. http://www.buzzle.com/articles/ethics-in-nursing-jobs-and-profession.html Ceasia, Friberg. (2011) The ANA code of ethics. Conceptual Foundations p.285

K217 Ena

K217 EMA Report Gary Table of Contents Page 1. Table of Contents Page 2. Introduction Page 3. Context Page 4. Discussion Page 8. Conclusions and Recommendations Page 9. References Introduction This is a report on Gary a 52 year old male service user who lives within the county of Conway. Due to a serious car accident some time ago he has lost the use of both his legs and he does not work and relies on disability benefits for his income, Gary lives alone and has some care provided by his daughter and the rest by a support worker.This report has been commissioned by Gary with the help of his support worker as he is interested in taking up some retraining so he can move towards getting back into the job market and becoming more independent. His daughter and son in law are apposed to the idea as they think Gary is getting on in years and she would not be able to attend the address to get Gary ready for work before 9. 30 am as she needs to get her children to school.His daughter also has reservations about the Gary's ex-work colleague as he has a reputation of being quite demanding of his employees and pays only a basic wage. In this report we are going to look into all the options that are open to Gary as in regard to him getting extra care so that he is able to push towards his goal of retraining for work. The key issues that we need to address as regard to Gary are can we get him the extra care that would make him more independent and give him the mobility to let him attend further education and training to put him back in the work place.This report is being compiled for Social Workers that are based within the Adult Social Services within Conwy County Council. Context With Gary's situation a number of significant events have happened which have led to his current situation, he lost the use of his legs sometime ago and lives alone after getting divorced some 15 years ago. Gary is suffering from depression and is taking medication for this, his daughter and son-in -law are relied on for most of his care and a support worker attends each day to give him a bath.Since the onset of his depression Gary has withdrawn from doing the activities that he used to enjoy and he is very much cutting himself off from the world. He enjoyed used to enjoy using his personal computer to research local and family history. The root of Gary's problem I believe is that he has become depressed due to his isolation from the real world and with his current lack of care and mobility he is almost ‘stuck in a rut' and needs to be removed from this situation and given more self worth.Gary needs a more active place in society and the more help that he can be given the more he will feel like he has a purpose in society, his family have reservations about the course of action that Gary wishes to pursue due to their limitations as regard to the time of day that his daughter can attend to get him ready and also the reputation of the old work friend that is offering him f uture employment.Adult Social Services have a number of goals for people who are disabled they include Maintaining independence, opportunities to contribute to the community, feeling valued, access to social contact and community, keeping active and alert (http://www. york. ac. uk/inst/spru/pubs/pdf/newvision. pdf) all these apply to Gary and Adult Social services need to move forward with Gary to give him a greater quality of life and move him towards the goals hat he wish to obtain there are a number of options that are available to them. There are a number of perspectives that could be considered when looking at the situation of Gary, we can look at through the eyes of the Social Model of Disability (K217 Book2), Sigma (Goffman 1968) , empowerment (K217 Book 3). When looking at Gary's situation I am applying the Social Model of disability which was created by disabled people themselves.This was primarily created as a result of the response that society has given to disabled peopl e and also a reflection of the experience that disabled people have come across in the health and welfare system which as given them a feeling of being socially isolated and oppressed. The second perspective that I am going to apply to this report is empowerment, this gives the service user greater control of the services that they receive, being involved in the planning of services and developing good practice. (Barnes and Bowl, 2001) DiscussionIn the case study that this report is based upon Gary has been in a serious car accident that has deprived him of the use of his legs and this now means that he can only get around with the use of a wheelchair. This situation has had a knock on effect of him have a low sense of self-worth and a lack of pride in his situation, he suffers from depression and is taking medication for this. Radar (the disability network) and Depression Alliance commissioned a report (http://www. depressionalliance. org/PDF/depression-disability-and-employment-re port. df) that looked into depression as a disability and how we can improve the way we look at depression and the changes we can make to help reduce job, long term economic inactivity and isolation. Of the 566 people who answered 95% were living with depression and a quarter (148) people had a long term physical health condition. 77% of the people reported that they had not received any support with employment. Gary is living with a type of disability which is difficult, most disabled people are not depressed and do not stay depressed.The prevalence of depression among disabled adults is twice that of healthy older adults (Beekman AT, 2002), the relationship between depression and disability is a two way street with depression there being a link between physical disabilities and depressive symptoms in older adults (Gill TM,Kurland B 2003). There is clear evidence that Gary has on the onset of depression that can be linked to the impact of the loss of his legs in his car accident an d with him now socially isolated and without employment these have now added to the problems over a period of time.In a report by Tania Burchardt called †Enduring economic exclusion' Disabled people,income and work' the study found out that disabled people now make up a large and growing proportion of people who are of working age, it now stands between 12 and 16% (Enduring economic exclusion Page. 4) One telling statistic is the problems that disabled people have getting work, and that one third of those disabled people who find employment are out of work once again the following year.In the report by Tania Burchardt the income statistics show that half of all disabled people have incomes below the general population indicator of poverty after it was factored in about the additional cost that disabled people incur due to their health. Gary wants to gain access to retraining so he can move towards gaining employment once again after he becomes qualified in the sector that he w ishes, to do this he is going to need some extra help from the local Conway Council to get to his goals.Conway Adult Social Services have a number of options that they promote that may be of assistance to Gary, they already give him care to help him get bathed and his daughter and son-in-law take up the care duties in the morning. Conwy can provide Homecare that can help with a range of things such as help getting up, getting dressed, preparing meals, doing laundry and shopping where appropriate (http://www. conwy. gov. uk/upload/public/attachments/466/Microsoft_Word__CCO_Leaflet_eng. df) . Gary would need to be assessed as to the level of care that he would be entitled to also considered as to the possibility of equipment or adaptions that could be made to the home to help him live more independently and safely in his home. Though Gary is set on this course of action his daughter and son-in-law have reservations about his age and the amount of care that she could give her father du e to her own family commitments.His daughters view point about his age and the fact that any new employer might demand to much from him is really being based on his disability and not solely based on is age (K217, Book 2). There should be no denial of opportunities or restriction of choice based on assumptions that are made due to his disability. Through the social model disability is understood as an unequal relationship within society and there can be no barriers preventing people from gaining equal access to information, education and employment.There are options that perhaps he has not considered and with him feeling socially isolated due to living alone and his lack of contact with the outside world. Conwy Council Adult Social Services promotes day care or opportunities to meet other people and take part in outings and other activities so Gary would be able to haver a much more active life that would could help with the depression he is suffering. (http://www. conwy. gov. uk/up load/public/attachments/466/Microsoft_Word__CCO_Leaflet_eng. pdf) The principles of good practice (http://www. nderstandingindividualneeds. com/page. php? identity=principles) state that you have to give Gary a choice about the way in which he wishes to move forward and also take into consideration his emotional needs. Social development is about gaining relationships with a variety of people and taking part in an ordinary life and currently Gary is unable to obtain these basic rights. Gregory Beattie talks about how a depressed individual has a lack of socialization and social support groups (Beattie, Gregory,S. 2005) Social Causes of Depression) and Gary has a lacking in both these things as he is unable to access them. If Gary was to obtain the extra help that he is going to need to obtain the goals that he has set himself a consultation with both himself and his family is going to be needed as to ascertain as to realistic goals that can be set. There would be a negative impact o n Gary should he set himself unobtainable goals that he then fails to obtain, this would be damaging to the situation.Statistics show that disabled people have a lower overall level of qualifications when compared to that of able bodied people (Employment of disabled people DoEE) 38% of disabled people have no qualifications compared to only 16% of non-disabled people. The report also concluded that of the 2,015 disabled people that were spoken to (26,000 households in total) 64% strongly agreed and 29% agreed that getting a job was important to them so the statistics show that it is important for disabled people to be in employment. 47% of the economically inactive disabled people who see themselves as being able to work would like a paid job.When speaking about Gary's visions of eventually going back into work his daughter has reservations incase he is taken advantage of by his employer and in the report one in six people (16%) who are economically active stated that they have exp erienced unfair treatment or discrimination in the work place. When looking at the overall statistics you can see that 42% report that that they have been discriminated by a potential employer and 41% by an employer, these figures speak volumes and during any assessment they will need to be presented to Gary so that he can see the real picture in the job market for disabled people.The option of Direct Payments is one that should be explored with Gary and when he is assessed for the amount of care that he needs the options should be discussed at length, direct payments have both good and bad points and do not fit everyone. As direct payments will mean Gary being responsible for a number of things it also might be advantageous to also consult with his daughter and son-in-law to see if they would be interested in perhaps helping Gary should he need it.Radar the disability network have produced a fact sheet that the family may find useful (http://www. radar. org. uk/wp-content/uploads/2 011/06/6_directpayments. pdf) , the fact sheet points out how Gary would become and employer and all the responsibility that comes as well as all the paper work he will be required to keep. He will need to consider if he wishes to have the work load of sorting out all the pay, dismissal, redundancy just to name a few of the obligations that he would have to meet as an employer to a personal assistant.The other option open to Gary is to place the care that he requires in the hands of an agency or self employed to take the burden of work away from himself and organise his care around his specific needs. Bringing Gary into the centre of this assessment into his care will empower him to participate (K217 Book 3) Jones and Meleis describe the concept of empowerment as ‘a social process of recognizing, promoting, and enhancing people's abilities to meet their own needs,solve their own problems, and mobilize necessary resources to take control of their own lives (Jones PS, Meleis 199 3).The empowering of Gary will start a process of helping him assert greater control over the factors that affect his health, in the past it was assumed that service users were supposed to be compliant with the directives that were in place from the health care professional's-the biomedical model. In the empowerment model there is a contact between Gary and the provider who take a joint responsibility in terms of agreed upon outcomes, people within the health care profession are obliged to respect Gary and assist him in making decisions.Multiple studies have shown that people that are more involved with the decisions about the care that they receive and also the management of the conditions that they live have better outcomes than those who are not involved in the process (Wagner EH,Glasgow RE,Davis C, 2001) (Greenfield S, Kaplan SH,Ware JE Jr, 1988). Conclusions and Recommendations In this report we have been looking at the situation that Gary is currently experiencing, he is a dis abled person who lost the use of his legs in a car accident some years ago and lives alone now after a divorce.He is looking at the possibility of getting some higher education and hopes to move into employment in the information technology sector, it has already been stated that daughter and son-in-law have reservations about this course of action due doubts about the ex-work colleague of Gary's that is offering him employment and the problems that this will present to her care giving situation.The report has looked at the links between depression, disability and joblessness and we have shown that there are links between these elements that are making Gary's life move difficult but also you must take into consideration that fact that Gary is very socially isolated. The report then looked at the option of direct payments and how Gary's care could be changed so he will have more control and power over his care and become the central focal point so he can move towards a more independe nt life and obtaining the goals that he is setting for himself.The report looked at all the pro's and con's on the direct payment system and all the extra paperwork and responsibility that comes with employing someone and how records must be kept and these funds are public money have to be accounted for. My recommendations are the following, Gary should have his care plan reassessed by Conwy County council Adult social services with the remit of looking at the possibility of changing the level of care that Gary currently is getting and exploring the possibility of Direct Payments as an option.There should also be consultation with his daughter and son-in-law (with the relevant permissions) and have them present to discuss any and all options. Please present all options to Gary as regard to becoming a greater part of the community and providing information on the day care that you and provide and any opportunities to meet other people and take part in outings and other activities tha t your local authority provides to people within the county.A list of approved providers in the local area should be presented to Gary and also discuss the various support networks that you have for carers and also the options of homecare that you provide including help with getting up,getting dressed, preparing meals and shopping etc. Gary may need the help from the benefits advice centre as regard to making sure he is getting all that he is entitled to and though outside your remit perhaps access to DLA to help with transportation needs. 2789 References http://www. ork. ac. uk/inst/spru/pubs/pdf/newvision. pdf accessed 31/05/2012 The Open University (2010) K217 Adult health,social care and wellbeing, Book 2, Milton Keynes, The Open University Goffman, E. (1968) Stigma: Notes on the Management of Spoiled Identity, Harmondsworth, Penguin The Open University (2010) K217 Adult health,social care and wellbeing, Book 2, Milton Keynes, The Open University Barnes, M. and Bowl, R. 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