Absolute Truth – Is There Such a Thing as Absolute Truth

Is There Such A Thing As Absolute Truth? There are two answers for the question, â€Å"Is there such a thing as absolute truth? † The answer could be either yes or no. In my opinion, the answer is yes, because every individual lives his or her life in various experiences. Some people claim to know the absolute truth. Individuals based their truth on experiences and emotions and at times not logically consistent. When force fields such as emotions are present decisions are made then opinions are formed.For example, politics, I state politics because it never has a common ground. In politics you’re either Democrat or Republican, and both parties feel their plan is the absolute truth. As an American, we have the right to our own opinion but realize that our opinion is not the absolute truth. To make the statement that there is no absolute truth is invalid. Because one plus one does equal two so there is absolute truth which can be proven and understood. Is there such a thi ng as absolute truth?Yes, because of human conscience that â€Å"duty† within us that tells us that certain things are right and wrong. Therefore, our conscience let us know there is something wrong with pain, hunger, rape and makes us aware that love, peace, and charity are positive things for which we should strive for. In my opinion it so important to understand the concept of absolute truth in all areas of life this includes religion, because consequences exist in life for being wrong.For instance, a nurse can give a patient the wrong amount of a medication that can kill them; having an investment broker make the wrong monetary decisions can put you and your family in poverty; getting on the wrong bus will take someone where they do not wish to go; and dealing with an cheating spouse can result in the destruction of a family and potentially divorce. There are so many religions in this world that attempt to give their meaning and definition to absolute truth.Your existence is absolute truth which is simple. Through religion, mankinds seek God, we hope for the future, forgiveness of our sins, peace in the midst of struggle, and answers to our deepest questions. Religion is really proof that mankind is more than just a highly evolved creature. God implanted in man the desire to know him, and God is indeed the Creator, which makes Him the standard for absolute truth, and with His authority that establishes the absolute truth.

Learning from Ojt

ON-THE-JOB TRAINING AT HOME DEVELOPMENT MUTUAL FUNDS (PAG-IBIG FUND) In Partial fulfillment of the Requirements for Bachelor of Science in Information Technology Submitted by: Arce P. Baldonado Submitted to Ms. Ruth Bongales March 2013 Table Of Contents II. Background of the Company III. Summary of the OJT Experience IV. Assessment of the OJT/Practicum Program A. New knowledge, attitudes and skills acquired B. Theories actually seen in practice C. Feedback that can be given to the company or institution D. Benefits gained E. Problems Encountered V. Appendices A. Company brochure B. Copy of the Endorsement Letter Similar essay: Theories Actually Seen In Practice in OjtC. Copy of the Training Plan D. Copy of the Signed Waiver form E. Daily Time Record F. Quarterly Performance Appraisal Forms G. Certificate of Completion II. Background of the Company The birth of the Home Development Mutual Fund (HDMF) The birth of the Home Development Mutual Fund (HDMF), more popularly known as the Pag- IBIG Fund, was an answer to the need for a national savings program and an affordable shelter financing for the Filipino worker. The Fund was established on 11 June 1978 by virtue of Presidential Decree No. 1530 primarily to address these two basic yet equally important needs.Under the said law, there were two agencies that administered the Fund. The Social Security System handled the funds of private employees, while the Government Service Insurance System handled the savings of government workers. Less than a year after on 1 March 1979, Executive Order No. 527 was signed. The order directed transferring the a dministration of the Fund to the National Home Mortgage Finance Corporation, which was one of the operating agencies of the then Ministry of Human Settlements. Seeing the need to further strengthen the stability and viability of the two funds, Executive Order No. 38 was issued on 4 June 1979, merging the funds for private and government personnel into what is now known as the Pag-IBIG Fund. However, It was only on 14 December 1980 when Pag-IBIG was made independent from the NHMFC with the signing of PD 1752, which amended PD 1530. With the improved law in effect, the Fund's rule-making power was vested in its own Board of Trustees. Likewise, PD 1752 made Pag-IBIG membership mandatory for all SSS and GSIS member-employees A new Administration, some changes in Pag-IBIG Months after former President Corazon C.Aquino assumed leadership of the country, Pag-IBIG contributions were suspended from May to July 1986. This gave way to the Presidential Task Force on Shelter to conduct a thoroug h review of the Fund and its operations. The task force later affirmed that Pag-IBIG Fund was run professionally and that there were no anomalies in the Fund. On 1 August 1986, former President Aquino directed the resumption of Pag-IBIG membership under Executive Order No. 35. Membership was still on a mandatory basis but under more liberal terms. For one, contribution rate was reduced from three percent to one percent for employees earning over P1,500.Employer share was likewise cut from three percent to a fixed rate of two percent. The Maximum Fund Salary was raised from P3,000 to P5,000. 1 January 1987 marked the return of the Pag-IBIG Fund to a voluntary program under Executive Order No. 90. While many companies chose to discontinue their Pag-IBIG membership, quite a number, including big companies like PLDT and Dole Philippines, nevertheless opted to retain their membership to the Fund despite the voluntary nature of registration. Facing challenges head on Confronted with the s udden reduction in its membership base, Pag-IBIG stood unfazed and took the challenges head on.As a first step, the Fund implemented an intensified marketing campaign that focused on membership retention and generation. It was during the years as a voluntary fund that Pag-IBIG evolved from an institution primarily for savings and housing into an agency with a wider reach that covers almost all other needs. Pag-IBIG introduced innovative benefit programs that heeded the calls for expansion of membership to include self-employed groups with informal income, overseas Filipino workers, and non-earning spouses.It also launched other novel programs such as the Multi-Purpose Loan for its short-term loans program, and shelter programs that address both individual and institutional housing requirements. Clearly, the voluntary nature of Pag-IBIG membership did not stop the Fund from growing in depth and breadth. During the period, the Pag-IBIG Fund has claimed its rightful place in the countr y's economic and financial system, finally gaining the acceptance of its members, not by force, but by its continuing efforts to impress upon the members that the Fund exists solely for their benefit as well as their beneficiaries.After eight years as a voluntary fund, the nature of Pag-IBIG membership reverted to mandatory on 17 June 1994 when President Fidel V. Ramos signed Republic Act 7742. The new law became effective on 1 January 1995. Today, more than a decade after the universal Pag-IBIG coverage law was implemented, the Pag-IBIG Fund continues to be a strong partner in realizing Filipino workers' dreams. Over the years, it initiated more programs and projects, particularly those that address the needs of members belonging to the bottom economic level.The Fund has established special housing partnerships with teachers and uniformed men, among others. The Rent-to-Own Program was introduced, providing members another affordable way of homeownership. The Fund's efforts towards housing the Filipino did not go unnoticed. During the World Habitat Day celebration in October 2006, Pag-IBIG was given the prestigious Scroll of Honour Awards by the United Nations Human Settlements Program (UN-Habitat) for â€Å"making the dream of affordable housing a reality for hundreds of thousands of households. † Pag-IBIG is the first Philippine government agency to be awarded such recognition.The Fund likewise strengthened its partnership with accredited developers by way of its various institutional lending programs, among which is the much-sought after program for the development of medium and high-rise condominium buildings. The program provides a ready inventory of condominium units for sale at affordable prices, and allows members to experience condominium style living in areas close to their places of work. In recent years, the Fund has embarked on its successful bid in the financial market, moving a step closer to its vision of becoming a premier and globally competitive provident financial institution.In 2001, the Fund floated P2 billion-worth of Pag-IBIG Housing Bonds to generate additional funds for its shelter financing programs, which was warmly received by both institutional and individual investors. The bonds matured in late 2006. HDMF Law of 2009 Recognizing HDMF's contributions through the years and the need to further strengthen its capability as the biggest source of housing finance in the country to date, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo signed into law Republic Act No. 9679 or the Home Development Mutual Fund Law of 2009. The law was signed on 21 July 2009.Under the new HDMF law, membership to the Pag-IBIG Fund is made mandatory for all SSS- and GSIS-covered employees; uniformed members of the AFP, BFP, BJMP and PNP; as well as Filipinos employed by foreign-based employers. Now more than ever, Filipino workers will enjoy the benefits that are available only to Pag-IBIG members. Likewise, the law grants the HDMF exemption fr om tax payments like other government provident institutions. With its tax-exempt status reinstated, Pag-IBIG will have more funds to finance housing and short-term loans as well as investments in government securities.Income from these endeavors is distributed exclusively to Pag-IBIG members in the form of dividends. The HDMF Law of 2009 also gives the Board of Trustees the authority to set the contribution rates, thereby paving the way for members to save more for their future. Similarly, this will bolster the Fund's resources for home financing. Pag-IBIG is an acronym which stands for Pagtutulungan sa Kinabukasan: Ikaw, Bangko, Industria at Gobyerno. To this day, the Pag-IBIG Fund continues to harness these four sectors of the society to work together owards providing Fund members with adequate housing through an effective savings scheme. III. Summary of the OJT Experience ~.. I learned a lot from my experiences as an On-the-Job Trainee of PAG-IBIG fund, Therma Mobile Inc. First of all, I’m very much gratified for the support and understanding of my superiors especially on times when I committed mistakes. More than any learning thought in school, I learned to be with others, to work with people. Furthermore, I’m very grateful that they expose me so much on what I must know regarding the work which suits my course.I’m very thankful that they treat me like them and they trust me with my work. I appreciate so much the working environment I had with in the company because it helps me absorbed what I need to know.. The everyday experiences I had in this company are really most treasured. The knowledge I obtain here are beyond compare than any other experiences I acquired from school and supplementary learning from books. What I had here will always be with me and rest assured I will apply what I’ve in every circumstance that I will encounter.. IV. Assessment of the OJTA. New knowledge, attitudes, and skills acquired -the knowledge tha t I’ve acquired on my On-the-Job Training is to become more specific from what I am saying because lots of clients may not understand the things that you explain to them and. -the attitudes that I’ve learned on my On-the-Job Training is to become consistent from what I’m telling and become strong in every struggle that may come and always smile when you are communicating your client and lastly don’t let others tread your personality and tell them that you are and educated person. I improve my typing skills and communication skills and also my analyzation skills because lots of clients are telling that they are member of Pag-Ibig before but they don’t have their own Pag-Ibig ID Number and some clients having conflicts with their names, birthdays, birthplace and it may bother them in filing their loan. B. Theories actually seen in practice ~.. As a new entrants into the organization, I've learned that new hires have always required extra organization al attention to develop the required level of competence. Regardless of academic background or previous work experience, the new hires should be aware of he organization’s policies, culture, and mission; understand the goals and requirements of their work area; and use specific areas of knowledge, skills, and attitudes to do their jobs. These are all areas of competence that the employee should develop. Recently, fewer organizations seem to be hiring large numbers of new hires. It might seem that employee competence would be affected less by this situation. However, recent hiring patterns have only complicated the matter. Instead of relying on permanent new hires.. C. Feedback that can be given to the company or institution ~..Continuous Improvement Efforts that can changes in employee competence also occur as a result of continuous improvement efforts.. Whenever teams of employees get together to improve how the work is done, they often result in recommendations for change. These recommendations can involve the simplification of work, use of a new tool, eliminate redundant steps in work process, or some combination of them all. When these recommendations are enacted, changes in employee competence can be expected and also Multiskilling for them to continuous improvement process suggests ways of making work more ef? ient, it often means that employees responsibilities must broaden or that they must become more multiskilled.. D. Benefits gained The programme seeks to provide the following benefits for trainees: * Trainees are provided with job experience, an invaluable asset for achieving gainful employment. * Trainees are exposed to the numerous advantages that are associated with being employed. They earn an income through a stipend but they also become more familiar with interpersonal relationships, networking, responsibility and the importance of interdependence within the working environment. Trainees get an opportunity to prove themselves to an emp loyer and, based on their work performance and the existence of vacancies within the organization, they  may  eventually be employed on a more permanent basis. For employers: * The cost of this mutually beneficial programme is borne jointly by the government and employers so that the full financial burden falls on neither party. * By actively supporting the programme, companies have realized improved ‘public image' through their commitment to the national good as well as their contribution to full employment and an improved quality of life for all. The Government and employers are stakeholders in creating a more job ready labour force. E. Problems encountered ~.. During ojt, first problem is that you have to get along with the employees and clients.. You have to know them better and give all your best to make them satisfied when it comes to their concerns and applications.. Just be yourself and they'll like you.. V. Appendices A. Company Brochure B. Copy of the Endorsement Letter To Whom It May Concern: I am writing to endorse to you Mr. Arce P. Baldonado, my previous employee. I was his manager in ABS Engineering Company for almost five years.I didn’t make a mistake in promoting her to mechanical engineer last term. She makes it a point that she submits good outputs that even exceed the requirements’ necessitated quality. Mr. Baldonado is an enthusiastic trainee. He can work well with other people and also individually. But he is really more of a leader than a follower. He can manage and supervise other trainees as well. Little or no supervision is needed when he is working. He has a reliable working habit that gives you the assurance that you can always count on him.. Mr. Baldonado is also good in management planning and implementing programs and techniques.He is also open and willing to learn new things. I assure you that hiring he will be a good decision as she is one of the best employees that I had. He could be an asset to your te am and the whole organization as well. In cases of emergency, he is always willing to help.. Should you need more information, please feel free to contact me. Thank you very much and have a nice day. Sincerely, Febie Ann Management C. Copy of the Training Plan D. Copy of the signed Waiver form E. Daily Time Record F. Quarterly Performance Appraisal Forms G. Certificate of Completion

Drugs State Control Essay

A drug is any substance that alters the normal biological functions of the body. Production of Illegal drugs is normally prohibited and their use is strictly controlled because they can lead to addiction or habituation. Drugs such as heroin, cocaine, ecstasy, and marijuana can be extremely dangerous if wrongly used and beneficial if put into correct use. The issue of drug use and misuse has posed a serious real problem. Prohibition of drug use has been at the center of discussion in various countries across the globe. Since this drugs are now on the hands of the nastiest criminals all over the world, control and regulations are necessary. The only remedy to this menace is full legalization accompanied by appropriate controls. I fully support the motion that drugs should be legalized since prohibition will deny the authorities the chance to educate the children on proper use of the drugs (Gargaro). The ongoing debate on legalization of drugs is asking the government whether it will he lp in solving drug problems appropriately. If I were asked a similar question, I would say yes. This is because the current prohibitions on drugs are just mopping up the problem and not providing real solutions. Legalization and taxations are the only ways through which real solutions can be achieved. Just think of this situation; at least every year in Britain, criminals control billions of pounds in the drug industry instead of the government and traders through the black market. This kind of business has encouraged global terrorism, illegal munitions trade, control on prostitution, and sexual slavery. Almost half of all the criminal offenses committed in the country are drug related. Couldn’t reducing these crimes free our legal services and prisons at least for a moment? Unnecessary prohibitions on drug use has led our children into committing drug related crimes, and this has denied them the much needed advice on drugs, besides undermining our respect for the law. The government should therefore take the obvious step, put all the drugs state control, and impose legislation and taxes on their sale. This will relieve our country the burden of staggering under unnecessary prohibitions (Gray). Prohibitions on drug and substance abuse such as alcohol have been in place since the 1920s in the US and other developed countries. It has made people believe that taking it is a criminal activity, which can land someone in jail. The ill effects of the drugs and alcohol are so adverse such that no sane person could like to be associated with them by using the drug. So many people are convinced that these effects are harmful, and have successfully restrained from the habit. It is good to establish such a law in the society, and most government has effectively controlled drug abuse since time immemorial through prohibitions. For example, the alcohol prohibition act of the 1920s proved effective because cases of alcohol consumption greatly dropped even though it did not succeed in eliminating the alcohol. The rate of crime and drunkenness dropped and taxes were reduced by putting the offenders in jail. Minor crimes such as vagrancy, public indecency, and disorderliness have been successfully eliminated use to these prohibitions. This is enough prove that this method really works (C.S). Prohibition of drug use in countries such as the United States, Britain, and other parts of the larger Europe has proved to be futile and the war on drugs in these societies has caused multiple harms to the users. Since prohibition is aimed at increasing price and penalty of a serious drug habit, it makes it unaffordable for most individuals. Penalizing the use of the drugs drives the law-abiding individuals into the criminal market economy. Criminalizing users and prohibitions exposes them to health risks that could have otherwise been avoided. In addition, it doesn’t make sense to criminalize some drugs while providing a free market to others. This distracts attention from legal to those that a re harmful but legal, such as alcohol. The prohibition on drugs has never and will never work. This attempt of trying to deny people their right of doing what they want with their bodies is doomed to fail as long as the person using the drug does not harm his or her neighbor. The current method that has long been used to fight the drug war is very expensive and has not yielded any meaningful results. It is a simplistic solution that has all along failed to recognize the complexity surrounding the problem. It has also been oblivious of the dangers a drug has on the individual. Full scale legalization of the drug act will enable the state to educate the public on risks associated with drug use, and how such problems can be taken care of. While there is a possibility that the act of legalization of drugs will attract more users, their lives will be much healthier and safer. Let us not get speculative here, since we are aware of people who used to take drugs but still leading healthy lives. For instance Barrack Obama to have taken Cocaine (Hope). The common myth surrounding the whole idea of legalizing drugs is that it will make people law abiding citizens, and enable the government to tax the industry. However, I am not sure whether the cartels will be naà ¯ve enough to allow the government takes over such a lucrative business. If the cigarette market has been able to evade the government’s taxing system, what about this industry that has an elaborate network of producers and illegal suppliers in the market? Legalizing and taxing drugs as some argue is not a solution to the drug menace in the world today. The reason is that the black market will be given an easy path to groove is because the act will be made socially acceptable. It will be much easier to take these substances to the market under the legalization act as opposed to government regulated outlets. This would also increase funding for the crime because the drugs will be easily accessed by users who can in turn lure non-users since there are no laws prohibiting the act. What are the results? The drugs will circulate in the society, destroy more lives, tear families, and cause people to be violent. Even if the current war on drugs is not effective, legalizing drugs is much worse and should not be passed into law (James). Conclusion The war on drug has brought more harm than good, and the policy on drug use has failed to protect the people it is intended to. In Mexico alone, the war on drug policy has claimed close to 14,000 lives since 2006. This figure does not however include those people who have been traumatized, maimed or displaced. Prohibitions on drug use have resulted in wars between the authority and the users in most cities across the world, and this battle seems not to be coming to an end any time soon. The war on drug should therefore, be stopped and pave way for the government to impose control measures and legalize the whole business. I support this motion because I believe that the outcomes of such a move would be beneficial, both for the state itself and in the fight against global drugs crime.

Exemplifying Lawrence Kohlberg's notion of post-conventional moral Essay

Exemplifying Lawrence Kohlberg's notion of post-conventional moral reasoning, describe the major ethical (philosophical decision-making, not behavioral) problem in the Jehovahs Witness case - Essay Example In the present scenario however, the patient wants her life saved but without blood transfusion that is probably a requisite in her medical condition. Lawrence Kohlberg’s post conventional aspect of theory lays major emphasis on the person’s individual paradigm of ethics. So according to it the patient should not be given blood transfusion even if there is an 80% death probability otherwise. However the stage six of his post conventional theory involves making decision by imagining yourself in that someone’s position and doing what is right or what is deemed prudent for the patient in this case but mutual agreement is a condition in such a scenario. Since the patient is unwilling for a blood transfusion so it is important on behalf of the surgeons to respect her strongly orthodox perspective that she in unwilling to give up even in such a life threatening situation. In the present scenario the doctor will be imposed to watch the patient die but would not be able to do anything against her will. The patient will have to decide for herself the right course of treatment. A sensible desire when materialized is free from all restrain and powerful within its circle of influence. This freedom is attributed to it by the lawfulness of its essence. (Kant, 1909). In the present scenario the perpetrator will have breached not just the limit for ethical violation but also committed an assault both of the women body and her sense of protection. Information and communication technology has knitted the world together so closely that it is now called a global village. Everything is just a click away. People from far ranging islands and across seven seas are better connected than ever in history. As far as globalisation from the paradigm of medical studies is viewed, it has remarkably strengthened the process and aided in its pollination (Doel, 2003). It is the vector which carries vital information across borders and waters. Ehical professionalism is pollinated and

Discovering Professional Resources Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Discovering Professional Resources - Essay Example Amy Vogt maintains that in education there is no status quo, she bases her assessment on the past and present state of educational flux, she says, â€Å"There is no status quo. Education has been in a state of change for decades. We jeopardize our competitiveness not by failing to ‘accelerate’ or to ‘take bold steps’, but 4 by forgetting what we are actually good at: creativity, collaboration, entrepreneurship, innovation and creating global citizens. What we should be doing as we approach the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary School Act is focusing on children in poverty and how best to help them† (Vogt 2007) Association of Supervisors for Curriculum Development, has an IDEAS section in this publication which stresses the importance of everyone being on the same page. If not on the same page, then (figuratively) in the same building, which makes it easier to communicate ideas and gather consensus on matters which are either pressing on a local front, and can ultimately have regional or national implications. Roland S. Barth in his article â€Å"Improving Relationships Within the Schoolhouse†, offers the number one concept on team building, when he speaks to Adult interaction he offers, â€Å"In parallel play, educators work in isolation from one another. Adversarial relationships can involve open combat, the more subtle withholding of information, and competition for scarce resources and recognition... congenial relationships are personal and friendly, and lay the groundwork for the most exclusive and desirable relationships---collegiality.

Managing peple in practice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Managing peple in practice - Essay Example The increasing level of competition and the continuous exposure of the businesses to the different dynamics of the external global business environment have made it more necessary to concentrate on managing, guiding, developing and supporting the most valuable resource of a company which is the human resources base. This essay discusses that performance and efficiency of employees and their dedication towards organizational goals are driven by effective HRM practices at workplace. The essay also evaluates and discusses the major impact of effectiveness of good or bad leadership on the sustainable growth of failure of the organization within an industry. Google Inc. is an American multinational specialized in computer and internet related products and services like search engines, cloud computing, software systems, online advertising technologies etc. This company is chosen as the selected company for discussing the management of people resource because Google inc. is one of the most renowned companies in the world from the perspective of employee management. The ways in which Google inc. has managed and motivated its diverse employee group and work culture to build on sustainability, innovation and success are discussed in the following sections of the essay. The essay is concluded by documenti ng the findings from the analysis as well as by highlighting the significant points of human resource management as identified from the discussion. Google Inc. was ranked as the best company to work for in the Fortune magazine’s list of best employers in 2007, 2008 and 2012. The company was listed as the fourth best company to work for in the same magazine’s list in 2009 and 2010. Also, Google Inc. has been nominated as the most attractive employing company for the graduate students as per the index prepared and presented by the Universum Communications talent attraction index. The corporate philosophy of Google Inc. itself is representative

Gender Pattern Observation Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Gender Pattern Observation - Article Example As the essay states most men prefer sports like football while ladies go for table tennis, hockey and even athletics. Hobbies too vary in terms of gender as others are more inclined to ladies and others to men. If we look at recreation at home and away, ladies would prefer having a good time at home while men will go far away from their residence. It is also important to note that most women and girls always desire to be appreciated at all times for the works they do. Men and boys on the other hand have a strong preference of being recognized for their achievements in every sphere of life. From the research findings it is clear that there are some educational courses that are seen as a no go zone for women. In the past and even in the modern world, technical courses like Engineering are regarded as men’s courses. Some ladies and women have been discouraged from enrolling in them but interestingly, many ladies have proved to thrive in them as compared to men. Employers have also preferred women when it comes to job offerings, They argue that women are unreliable because it reaches a time that they require maternity leave and still expect to be paid as usual. Women have always been the ones taking care of their families as men go up and about working and having fun. The man is presently on the receiving end due and always expects the women to cook, wash and do everything for them.

Asian Culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Asian Culture - Essay Example Companies such as Toyota, Honda and Hyundai slowly made a name through their efficient and affordable models competing with homegrown brands such as Ford and General Motors. The McDonald’s catchphrase of ‘I’m lovin it’ has seen many translations in different countries to be consistent in each culture. Yes, to an extent there is truth that ‘trade follows manga.’ Personally I have heard of ‘Naruto’ and seen it in passing. I have also seen kids with the same character on some of their things including the head band which the main character wears. I am not quite sure if ‘Pokemon’ is a manga but as a Japanese anime it has been a constant sight in toy stores for years. But I have not bought any similar product nor had been propelled to buy Japanese brands for such reason. Yes, because hybrid advertising is the only way for them to reach out to that audience. It must be noted though that for most of these advertising strategies they target a specific demarcation which may already have in the first place an interest in the product. They do not have to please everybody especially overly conservative members of the population or else they run the possibility of losing the advertisement’s inherent content and message. What is acceptable is a personal conception and differs accordingly. Yes, I think that most countries are more accepting of Japan’s cuteness culture. It must be understood that most of these things cater to children and teenagers although there are still adult followings. What children like they like no matter what nationality they have. This is the same reason Disney movies or television shows are popular across the globe. Things like manga, anime and others are very appealing to particular demographics regardless of their geographical location. 6. As mentioned, new media microblogs are slowly replacing the traditional mainstream media, such as TV and newspapers. What do you think the new media will

Critical thinking among nursing students Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Critical thinking among nursing students - Essay Example The clinical issue is required for change for the advanced practice of the nursing students to enable them to develop their critical thinking ability. The critical thinking ability can be evaluated by the increase in the perceived value in patient acuity. Patient acuity is the measure of the health care of the patient from the minimal care to the intensive care by the nurses depending on their thinking ability. The issue that needs a change is to decrease the length of stay (LOS) in the acute care facility and increase the LOS in the homecare and community. Discharging the patient before they are fully stabilised is the issue which needs change. Consequently, there should be an increase in the long-term care as even once the patients are discharged they might require additional care. The issue needs change to increase the homecare and escalate the activities of the management of heath care. A concise focus on bringing in positive reinforcements can enable to develop the critical thin king ability of the entry level nurses (New Mexico Board of Nursing, 2013). Relevance As a nurse educator, the clinical issue demarcated is of relevance for the development of the critical thinking ability to facilitate competent entry level nurses. To develop the ability to think critically and solve the issues with regard to the patients, the educator needs to make the nurses well informed about the various situations. There is also a requirement to make the nurses trustful and open-minded while dealing with the patients of the old age. The educator’s role would be to make the nurses fair minded, flexible and honest. The nurses must be prudent while making any judgement, must be clear about the issue of the patients and have a clear understanding before seeking any decision regarding the patient. The educator must be able to make the nurses efficient in diagnosing the issues and understanding the need of the care required by the patients on the basis of their complex issues . They should enable the nurses to keep up with the pace of the changing environment and have the ability to make a sound clinical judgement (Yildirim & Ozkahraman, 2011). Impacts/Influences on the Outcome The outcome of this education and the change in the passing standard would make the environment stringent for the nurses where they will be required to treat and judge the complexity of the patients through their clear understanding and well groomed attitude. The critical thinking of the nurses would enable them to include their reflection of thoughts and facilitate them to recognise the solutions to the issues. The outcome would be that the nurses would opt for the scientific method for solving the issues by recognising the problem, planning and then implementing the evaluative methods for the proper health care of the patient. The critical thinking ability would make them open minded and they would take measures which will not be limited to the predefined standards. The cognitiv e thinking process of the nurses would increase and they would become more reflective while taking essential decisions. The â€Å"traits of the mind†, critical thinking competencies and nursing based knowledge are desired to be enhanced by the educator of the nurses. Thus, all these positive outcome of the nurses would make them skilled with a positive attitude towards judging, diagnosing and problem solving of the issues related to the patient. This would to make the entry level nurses more effective and efficient in treating the increasing number of

Phonology reading Essay Example for Free

Phonology reading Essay 1. I hereby certify that I am the author of the attached item of coursework and that all materials from reference sources have been properly acknowledged. 2. I understand what plagiarism is and what penalties may be imposed on students found guilty of plagiarism. 3. I certify that this paper contains no plagiarized material. 4. I certify that this is my own work and that I did not receive any unfair assistance from others (including unauthorized collaboration) in its preparation. 5. I certify that this paper has not previously been submitted either in its entirety or in part within the UWI system or to any other educational institution. 6. In the case of group work: a. I certify that the individual work of each member of the group has been clearly indicated; b. that where no such indication has been given, I take the responsibility for the work as if it were the section of the paper for which I am solely responsible; and c. that I have not collaborated with any members of the group to breach the University’s regulations. Signature: M. Thompson Date: February 25, 2013 Children of the 21st century will face many challenges that will require them to use reading in different forms. As we begin the new millennium, research- based approaches to teach reading and writing is being relied upon to drive students towards the ultimate goal. Literacy for all, understanding how children learn, particularly how they learn to read and write influences the instructional approaches taken in homes as well as classrooms. Adams (1990) defines Phonological awareness as an awareness of sounds and the ability to revealed tasks such as rhyming, matching sounds, deleting sounds, blending or segmenting sounds. Because these sounds are spoken words they require testing to manipulate phonological segments. This is required to determine the performance of good readers and poor readers. Depend on the result one can determine which elements of phonological awareness are absent or reliable for both readers. He further articulate that they are five levels of difficulty in phonological awareness these are Awareness of rhyme and alliteration, comparing and contrasting the sounds of words for rhyme and alliteration, blending and splitting syllables, full segmentation of component phonemes and adding deleting and moving phonemes. In addition to these five levels of difficulty is the importance of phonological development. Phonological development is the key to phonological awareness. Proctor and Compton (2004) babies are not born with the full range of adult perceptual abilities, which include the five senses vision, hearing, smell, taste and touch. However, these abilities develop greatly within the first year of life. Newborn babies can only process sensory information and their understanding of sight, sound and touch stimuli develop rapidly as they grow. This leads to cognitive development which, in turn lays the foundation for language development. In preschool years, a child develops phonological skills, these skills acquired in a largely unconscious, or implicit fashion that is to say, even though the child may be able to produce certain vowels, consonants and consonant clusters he or she has not explicit awareness of doing so. Phonological awareness is so called because the child becomes explicitly aware of the phonology being taught and has the conscious ability to detect and manipulate phonological units. It is important to note that phonological awareness is a subset of the larger set of skills known as phonological processing. Phonological processing involves receiving sound waves from the ear and then using this date to assemble pronunciation of the word that was spoken. The process of assembling a pronunciation is known as coding. Deficits in phonological processing are responsible for some differences between good and poor readers (Stanorich, 1986 😉 poor readers are slower and less accurate than good readers. Many studies have found that certain levels of phonological awareness are essential to the development of early reading ability such as an awareness of rhyme, the ability to blend sounds, to isolate initial and final consonants and to distinguish phonological elements smaller than Syllables. Other more difficult elements of phonological awareness are developed as a result of learning to read, that is â€Å"the relationship between phonemic awareness and learning to read is most likely one of reciprocal causation or mutual facilitation (Yopp, 1992,) The relationship between phonological awareness and reading acquisition are complex, and there is strong evidence that difficulty with awareness and manipulation of verbal sounds has powerful effects on reading ability. However, the most positive finding stemming from research on phonological awareness is that â€Å"critical levels of phonological awareness can be developed through carefully planned instruction† (Chard Dickson 1999) there is also consistent support that â€Å"phonological awareness facilitates reading and is facilitated by reading instruction. † (Smith,Simmons Kameenui 1995) This finding has important implications for teaching. It implies that students must be taught explicitly about sounds in order to benefit from reading instruction but also that phonological awareness can be highlighten in relation to reading of text. Teaching programs, therefore, need to include activities which focus on the sounds in spoken English in pre-school and in the early years of schooling. Such activities include rhyming activities, breaking speech into individual words, alliteration, blending sounds, segmenting of words into onset rime and then to more demanding tasks such segmenting or deletion of individual. Charles A. Perfetti, Nicole Landi, and Jane Oakhill simple state that reading acquisition is the comprehension of learning to understand writing as well as one understands spoken language has empirical justification. (Curtis, 1980; Sticht James, 1984). also added that learning to read, the correlations between reading and spoken language comprehension are small because at the beginning, children are learning to decode and identify words, so it is these word-reading processes that limit comprehension. He further established that as children move beyond the beginnings of learning to read, the correlations between reading comprehension and spoken language comprehension increase and then level out by high school Famous behaviorist skinner (1974) explained students learn to read by learning a series of discrete skills. He believes that learning is the result of stimulus and response actions direct instructions are given when teaching the requisite skill in a planned, sequential manner. Information is presented in small steps and reinforced through practice until a solid foundation is laid. Jean Piagets (1969) constructivism theoretical framework differs, as learning is described as the modification of students’ cognitive structures schemata as they interact with or adapt to their environment schemata are like mental filing cabinets and new information is organized with prior knowledge in filling system. Piaget also posited that children are active motivated thinkers and learners so instead of teachers and adults dispensing information or knowledge, children are engaged with experiences so that they modify their schemata and construct their own knowledge. The sociolinguistics contributes a cultural dimension to how children learn. They view reading and writing as social activities that reflect the culture and community in which children live. (heath ,1983 ,vygotsky1978,1986)according to Vygotsky, language help to organize thought and children use language to learn as well as to communicate with others. Tremendous amount of new research under the term â€Å"emergent literacy† (teale sulzby 1991) shows us what happens in the homes of children where literacy is a priority. Children borned into homes where someone spends time with them in reading activities walk into the school system with an incredible foundation on which phonological awareness can be built. Parents or adults read to children and talk to them about what is being read. The reading is normally done in the lap position where the child can see pictures as well as the words used to tell about the pictures. Favourite books are read again and again hence creating a stimulating environment for reading acquisition to begin. Parents are the children’s first and best teachers and can therefore do many things to support their children’s development at home. In addition to reading to their children and listening to their children attempting to read to them they are building children’s self esteem and phonological awareness. In some homes the main reading experience is the bible, new papers, nursery rhyme or novels. Families write signs on furniture, make shopping lists or leave written messages for others. As children are able to hear and identify sounds from intra uterine to infancy, gradually they are able to separate syllables and manipulate the sounds in words, expanding their grasp of frequently used words and phrases. Favourite stories are re-read until they become well-known and words are easily pronounced as they talk an appreciation is developed for associating sounds with letters, a basis that is necessary for learning to read. The phonological system is important for both oral and written language as it plays a crucial role in reading instruction during the primary grades. Children use their knowledge of phonics as they learn to read and write. Phonological Development and Phonological Awareness Unit 2, outline that phonological awareness cannot be the only cause of reading acquisition. This is so based on the studies carried out which discover other influence on reading development. Adams 1990 highlighted the importance of alphabetic principle which consists of alphabetic understanding with the knowledge that letters correspond with sounds and words are composed of sounds. Therefore, it is evident that phonological awareness and reading acquisition has some forms of relationship; since both has powerful effects on reading ability. Based on the information gathered the levels of phonological awareness can be developed through carefully planned instruction where students must be taught clearly about sounds in order to benefit from reading instruction and develop phonological ability. The importance of phonological awareness in relation to reading acquisition posits by Juel, 1986) a longitudinal study of children in first and second grade. The study is quiet evident that children who perform low in phonemic awareness in first grade remained the low performances in reading through fourth grade remain the low performers in reading through fourth grade. With this in mind when working with children it must be clear that phonemic awareness is a perquisite for learning to read Cunningham, 1999, as they become phonemically aware, children recognize that speech can be segmented into smaller units, this knowledge is very useful as they learn about sound-symbol correspondence and spelling patterns. Phonological development  and phonological awareness unit 2 posits that phonemic awareness is critical to the reading process because reading involves the translation of graphemes into phonemes if one does not mastered all the phonemes in language, then they are not in a position to translate graphemes into phonemes, students’ who have not mastered phonemic awareness experience reading difficulty. So with this is mind one relevant key principle of effective phonological awareness instruction is nursery rhymes. Rhymes are the correspondence of ending sounds or words or lines of verse. Rhyming is the ability to indentify words that have identical final sounds segments Bryan and Bradley (1985)report that scores of initial rhyming test predicted reading and spelling progress and years later researcher suggest rhyme facilitates reading and spelling in the following ways: rhyming helps students develop phonemic awareness, which facilitates decoding, rhyming teaches students to group words together by sound, thereby reducing the number of words they have to learn to read by making generalizations of larger sound units, rhyming teaches students to make connections between categories and the letter string patterns that are used to spell words. I would read stories that have rhyming words, draw to the students attention the word that rhyme, help students to identify the patterns made by a rhyme, recite rhymes, sing the rhymes, clap to the rhymes even act out the rhymes. Sing and use students’ names to complete the rhyme example wallaby Wallaby, Wusan an elephant sat on Suzan wallaby Wallaby Wark an elephant sat on Mark as students catch on to the rhyming pattern, they can generate the rhyme using other names. For example in these four activities the teacher read aloud a story that contains many words that rhyme for example a fat rat in hat. After reading the story the students will chant the rhyming words heard in the story. The next activity the teacher introduce the rhyme ‘at’ then students follow the rhyming pattern bat, cat, fat, hat, mat pat, rat and sat. Students will clap and sing as they say each rhyming word. For activity two students will stand in a line the first person will say a rhyme which relates to ‘at’ if it is correct, the child gets the chance to shoot a ball in the provided hoop. If it is incorrect, teacher and students will assist and that child goes to the back of the line. The last activity students will be provided with a print activity sheet in which they will fill in the missing letter based on what was learned in activities one and two above. These activities will be modeled daily until students fully grasped the concepts. Modeling is the process of demonstrating for someone something he or she does not know Bandura,(1986). when students see teachers or parents at home reading or writing a letter modeling is taking place, so that’s why modeling can be a very constructive way that students can be taught reading. Modeling can be implicit or explicit (Roehler duffy , 1991). According to Deanna mascle rhyme is important to emergent literacy and learning to read because it teaches children about language. Rhyming helps children about word families such as let, met, pet, and get. Rhyming also teaches children the sound of language. Other important skills include phonological awareness, the ability to notice and work with sounds in language. Rhyme help with phonemic awareness which is the smallest units of sound that make up words. The awareness leads to reading and writing success. Rhyme also teaches children who are learning to read about the patterns and structures of both spoken and written language. Rhymes expose children to the rhythm of the language this will help them read with intonation in their voice instead of first a monotone. Rhymes also prepare children to make predictions while learning words and give them crucial decoding skills. When students are faced with reading challenges as that one referred to in the study by Juel et al( 1986) that children from first grade through fourth are low performing children in phonemic awareness rhyme, can help make the task both easier and more fun, teach important language skills, and teach language pattern and structure. These benefits given above are of vital importance in giving your child a positive start to reading. References. http://www. pitt. edu/~perfetti/PDF/The%20Acquisition%20of%20Reading%20Comprehension%20Skill http://linguistics. huji. ac. il/IATL/27/Abstracts/Gafni. pdf http://Ezine article. com/? expert=Deanna_mascle. Literacy for the 21st century A Balanced Approach 4th edition by Gail E. Tompkins Literacy helping children construct meaning 5th edition by J. David Cooper with Nancy D. Kiger Phonics They Use words for reading and writing by Patricia m. Cunningham Unit 2 EDLS6501 Module 2 Phonological Developments and Phonological Awareness.

Power And Resistance In Human Society

Power And Resistance In Human Society Where there is power, there is resistance, and yet, or rather consequently, this resistance is never in a position of exteriority in relation to power (Foucault, 1978: 95-96). In human sciences one of the main issues has always been the relationship of resistance to power. Where there is power, there is resistance; power affirms that there exists resistance and visa versa. But before starting to think about resistance, we have to take in mind that power is no longer considered a unitary, constant force that emanates from a particular social class or institution, rather it is seen as a more tenuous fabric of hegemonic forms (Constable, 2007: 11). Foucault (1978: 95-96) questions our assumption that power is always and essentially repressive, he wants to show how power also can be positively in a way that it can produce forms of pleasure, systems of knowledge, goods, and discourses and that it not only works negatively, by denying, restricting, prohibiting and repressing (Abu-Lughod, 1990: 42). The focus within studies of resistance recently shifted from large-scale collective revolts to more unlikely forms of resistance such as subversions and small or loca l resistances which do not especially aim to overthrow the system and which do not result from ideologies of emancipation (Abu-Lughod, 1990: 41). Hence both concepts have turned to be more complex than initially supposed, but this makes it even more interesting and more widely applicable to various situations where people try to construct their life within structures of power. Resistance The term resistance has been used by many scholars to describe a wide range of actions and behaviours in all aspects of human social life and in different settings. Hollander and Einwohner (2004: 534) illustrated how everything from revolutions to hairstyles has been described as resistance. Consequently following from the diversity of actions and behaviours which used to be named as resistance, they found in their analysis of the concept that there is little agreement on the definition (ibid: 234). Therefore it is important to outline the range of characteristics that can exist within the concept of resistance. First of all the scale whereat the resistance occurs has not always the same size; acts of resistance may be for example individual or collective, widespread or limited to local areas. Levels of coordination are also variable, in some situations there will be a higher extent in which the resisters intentionally act together, than in other. Thereby the targets where resistance is directed to also differs, they vary from individuals to groups and from organizations to institutions and social structures. As well the direction or goals are variable, while resistance mainly is understood to be aimed at achieving some sort of change, sometimes it is possible that the behaviour described as resistance aims to constrain change. Finally, while resistance is generally understood to be a political action, some writers suggest that resistance can also be identity-based (ibid: 536-537). Action and Opposition After having observed the dimensions of variation of resistance Hollander and Einwohner (ibid: 537) tried to describe the core elements of resistance to see how all these phenomena can be described with the same term. They identified action and opposition as two core elements within the discussions of resistance where authors seem to agree on. Resistance is not a quality of an actor or a state of being, but involves some active behaviour, whether verbal, cognitive, or psychical, and another component common to almost all uses is a sense of opposition. After having identified these core elements, the lines of disagreements became clearer, which made them realize that several debates of resistance above all differed in their position on two central issues: recognition and intent (ibid: 537). Recognition and Intention Acts of resistance are not always equally visible, their variation in visibility becomes clearer when we analyze the contrast between everyday resistance and more (and more obviously contentious) forms of political mobilization. Sometimes the intention of resistance is to be recognized, while other resistance is purposefully hidden, so recognition depends in part on the goals of the people who resist (ibid: 540). While Scott (1985) in his book about modes of everyday resistance among peasant workers argues that resistance need not to be recognized as such and that it may remain relatively invisible to the powerful, other scholars define resistance as necessarily provoking recognition and even reaction from others (Hollander Einwohner, 2004: 541). This level of recognition also varies depending on the two different groups of others who can identify an act as resistance, to wit targets and observers. The first group contains those to whom the act is directed and the second group can comprise the general public, members of the media and researchers (ibid: 542). After the question if oppositional action must be readily apparent to others, and if it must in fact be recognized as resistance, Hollander and Einwohner wonder if the actor must be aware that she or he is resisting some exercise of power and intending to do so for an action to qualify resistance (ibid: 542). Also on this matter scholars do not completely agree, roughly classified Hollander and Einwohner (2004) distinguish three different views. The first group of scholars believes that the actors conscious intent is a core element to be able to classify certain behaviour as resistance. The second group thinks that measuring intent is difficult or even impossible, as resistance not only arises in public, but also privately. People in these cases may be conscious of oppression and may intend to resist in some fashion, but this will not be visible and therefore impossible to measure. Following to the last group of scholars we must not focus on the intent, as resistance can occur cons ciously or unconsciously, concentrating on intent will neglect important forms of resistance (ibid: 542). Types of Resistance Hollander and Einwohner (2004) didnt want to define the verities and the falsities among all possible meanings and contends of the term resistance. Therefore they decided to analyse the various opinions to see if it would be possible to describe different forms of resistance without judging what is wrong and what is not. They already observed that all scholars seemed to agree that resistance implied oppositional action of some kind. Leaving discords about whether resistance must be intended by actors or whether it must be recognized by targets and/or observers. They therefore argue that it is useful to think of resistance in terms of distinct types, each defined by a different combination of actors intent, targets recognition, and observers recognition. Not all scholars will agree that all behaviours summarized in Table 1 should be called resistance, but it will help to emphasize again the core elements of resistance. The first type, overt resistance, comprises for example social movements and revolutions, and individual acts of refusal. It is visible behaviour, which is recognized by both targets as observers as resistance and is also intended to be recognized as such. Covert resistance refers to acts as gossip and subtle subversion in the workplace; they are intentional but go unnoticed by their targets. However they are recognized as resistance by culturally aware observers. These two forms of intentional forms of resistance are followed by some unintentional forms of resistance. The first one is recognized as resistance by both the observers as the targets but is not meant as such. And the second one contains so called self-defined targets who may be the only ones who recognize certain behaviour as resistance (target-defined resistance). A separate category contains externally-defined resistance, these are acts of resistance that are neither intended nor recognized as resistance by actors or their targets, but are labelled by third parties. The last two forms of resistance go to a certain degree unnoticed by others. If recognized by their target but unrecognized by third-party observers, they have called it missed resistance. If an actors intent ional act goes unnoticed by both targets and observers alike, it may be classified as attempted resistance (ibid: 544-547). Interaction Understanding the interaction between resisters, targets, and third parties plays a central role in the comprehension of resistance. Resistance is socially constructed; resisters, targets, and observers all participate in this construction (ibid: 548). Of course often there is no overall agreement on the question if certain behaviour can be seen as resistance or not. What one observer (or participant) sees as resistance, another may see as accommodation or even domination this does not only happen between the different participative groups but also within the parties there is variation. Resistance is a complex set of thoughts and behaviours (Ortner, 1995: 175). Dichotomizing resistance and dominators ignores the fact that there are multiple systems of hierarchy, and that individuals can be simultaneously powerful and powerless within different systems (Hollander Einwohner, 2004: 548). I n her article about resistance and the concept of dà ©brouillardise (a way of social manipulation) used by Auvergnat farmers in rural France, Deborah Reed-Danahay (1993: 223) describes how Kondo (1990: 221) based on her research in Japan also emphasizes the intertwining of power and meaning, so that no one can be without power. Everyday Resistance After appointing the different types of resistance, it is necessary to take a first glimpse into possible forms of resistance among undocumented migrants to see on what kind of forms we have to continue focussing. First of all, it is obvious that undocumented migrants wont participate in any overt form of resistance (i.e. demonstrations) because it probably endangers their precarious situation. Therefore it is not very likely that the target of the resistance will recognize their acts as such. It will also vary if the acts are intended as resistance. Consequently, it is more likely that possible forms of resistance among undocumented migrants will be: covert resistance, attempted resistance and externally-defined resistance. Especially the first two forms of resistance are familiar to Scotts concept of everyday resistance. He describes: What everyday forms of resistance share with the more dramatic public confrontations is of course that they are intended to mitigate or deny claims made by superordinate classes or to advance claims vis-à  -vis those superordinate classes. Where institutionalized politics are formal, overt, concerned with systematic, de jure change, everyday resistance is informal, often covert, and concerned largely with immediate, de facto gains (Scott, 1990: 32-33). Scott points out different expressions of everyday resistance: foot dragging, dissimulation, false compliance, smuggling, etc. He refers to these practices as hidden transcripts (Scott, 1990) that are not easily visible in official transcripts and those on-stage behaviours controlled by elites (Reed-Danahay, 1993: 222). He described the existence of a too strongly focus on official and public transcripts of culture resulting in an underestimation of subordinated people and argued for a look into the unofficial transcripts to see the variety of forms of resistance taking place in this area of social life (ibid: 223). Though, Reed-Danahay (ibid: 223) points at a, ly to her, disturbing simplification [by Scott] by describing resistance as something which can be found in the hidden transcripts of the weak while only conformity becomes visible in the public transcripts of both the weak and the strong. This derives from the fact that he sees ideology as a coherent message, while there is c ontradiction and ambiguity in any discourse (ibid: 223) Everyday Practices Similar to Scotts everyday resistance is Michel de Certeaus (1984) concept of everyday practices. He divides strategies and tactics and explains why many everyday practices are not strategic but tactical in character. A strategy is the calculus of force-relationships which becomes possible when a subject of will and power can be isolated from an environment. Strategies possess their own place which forms a starting point from where relations with the outside can be generated. Tactics on the other hand, do not possess their own place, so the other cannot be singled out as a visible totality. Tactics constantly manipulate events to turn them into opportunities. De Certeau (ibid: xix) describes: A tactic insinuates itself into the others place, fragmentarily, without taking it over in its entirety, without being able to keep it at a distance. Everyday practices are a gathering of ways of operating characterized by victories of the weak over the strong and consisting of clever tricks, knowing how to get away with things, hunters cunning, manoeuvres, polymorphic situations, etc (De Certeau, 1984: xix). Tactics produce a certain movement within the system. They show to what extent it is possible to use intelligence to consort power within the daily struggle. Strategies, on the contrary, have a rather ambiguous relation with power. They use the instruments of the power for their own purposes. Hence, the structure of power where the strategies compete against at the same time sustains them (De Certeau, 1984: xviii). Scotts concept of everyday resistance, consisting of practices as foot dragging, dissimulation and smuggling tends to be more similar to strategies than to tactics. While De Certeaus concept of ways of operating (or everyday practices), like knowing how to get away with things, are more tactical in character. We could say that strategies aspire to undermine the structures of power and thus are more saturated with a notion of resistance, whereas tactics not only aim to resist, but also comprise an accommodating component. Cunning Despite their differences, De Certeau and Scott are concerned with the same kind of behaviour. Reed-Danahay (1993: 222) presupposes to use the concept of cunning to refer to this behaviour. ly to her, Detienne and Vernants (1978: 3-4 in Reed-Danahay: 1993: 222) description of the Greek quality of mÄâ€Å"tis summarizes accurately the significance of cunning: [it] combine(s) flair, wisdom, forethought, subtlety of mind, deception, resourcefulness, vigilance, opportunism, various skills and experience acquired over the years. It is applied in situations which are transient, shifting, disconcerting, and ambiguous, situations which do not lead themselves to precise measurement, exact calculation, or rigorous logic (1978: 3-4; quoted in Scott 1990: 164 in ibid: 222). Also De Certeau (1984: xix) is conscious about the connection between mÄâ€Å"tis and his ways of operating. Together with cunning, mÄâ€Å"tis refers to the idea of Goffmans concept of making do in difficult situations and overcoming hardships (Reed-Danahay, 1993: 223). ly to Reed-Danahay, resistance suggests a mechanical metaphor of solid bodies coming into contact. Unlike resistance, cunning includes some fluidity in social life, leaving room for play or manipulation (ibid: 223). Dà ©brouillardise Reed-Danahay therefore speaks of a more complex notion of power and resistance, where forms of power lay both with agents of the dominant culture and with the resisting people themselves (ibid: 224). In her fieldwork in a mountain valley in the Auvergne region of central France she describes how people from a place fictionally named Lavialle have adopted a stance of resistance to agents who threaten their cultural autonomy. She shows how these farmers use the French concept of dà ©brouillardise as a manner to talk about social manipulation expressing accommodation, resistance, cunning, ways of making out and ways of making do (ibid: 221). Dà ©brouillardise connotes both resisting domination and other forms of social manipulation or even partial accommodation. It is a form of everyday resistance and it is a way of taking advantage of a situation that presents itself. Dà ©brouillardise has a dual nature, it consist of both making out and making do and is associated with both defensi ve postures and coping strategies in everyday life (ibid: 224). Conclusion Migrants and Resistance Abu-Lughod and romanticizing resistance With the concept of dà ©brouillardise Reed-Danahay tries to cover the gap between theory and practice. This is viable because the villagers she observes are actually using the concept in their ordinary language. According to her dà ©brouillardise refers to a more complex form of power than the theories of Scott (ibid: 224). Dà ©brouillardise Accomodation The ethnographic literature also contains examples of positive values associated with behaviours interpreted as everyday resistance when no native term or vocabulary for it is present. (223) Even while resisting power, individuals or groups may simultaneously support the structures of domination that necessitate resistance in the first place. Various authors have referred to this complexity as accommodation (e.g., Sotirin and Gottfried, 1999; Weitz, 2001), ambiguity (Trethewey, 1997), complicity (Healey, 1999; Ortner, 1995), conformity (St. Martin and Gavey, 1996), or assimilation (Faith, 1994).These authors stress that a single activity may constitute both resistance and accommodation to different aspects of power and authority (Hollander Einwohner, 2004: 549). Nevertheless it is easy to romanticize resistance as Abu-Lughod says, to view its forms as signs of ineffectiveness of systems of power and of the resilience and creativity of the human spirit in refusal to be dominated, to focus on successful forms of resistance and neglecting to consider accommodation, passivity or acquiescence adequately (In: Constable, 2007: ). It is only valuable if we can find a way between romanticizing resistance and portraying young migrants as passive oppressed victims.

Flight as a Literal and Metaphorical Symbol in Song of Solomon by Toni

In Song of Solomon, a novel by Toni Morrison, flight is used as a literal and metaphorical symbol of escape. Each individual character that chooses to fly in the novel is â€Å"flying† away from a hardship or a seemingly impossible situation. However, by choosing to escape, one is also deliberately choosing to abandon family and community members. The first reference to this idea is found in the novel’s epigraph: â€Å"The fathers may soar/ And the children may know their names,† which introduces the idea that while flight can be an escape, it can also be harmful to those left behind. However, while the male characters who achieve flight do so by abandoning their female partners and family, the female characters master flight without abandoning those they love. Throughout the novel, human flight is accepted as a natural occurrence, while those who doubt human flight, such as Milkman, are viewed as abnormal and are isolated from the community. It is only when Milk man begins to believe in flight as a natural occurrence that he is welcomed back into the community and sheds his feelings of isolation. The novel begins with the account of Robert Smith, an insurance agent who had promised to â€Å"take off†¦and fly away on [his] own wings† (Morrison 3). Standing on the roof of Mercy Hospital wearing â€Å"blue silk wings,† Smith proclaims to a growing crowd that he will fly (Morrison 5). Unfortunately, he is ultimately unable to take flight and falls to his death among the crowd. This is the first image of attempted flight in the novel and the first glimpse of flight being viewed as both possible and natural. Those who had gathered to view Smith’s flight did not â€Å"cry out to [him]† or attempt to prevent his leap, but instead encouraged him, implying that t... ...ers to and rides the air, and whether he reenacts the suicide of Robert Smith or delivers himself into â€Å"the killing arms of his brother,† Milkman escapes through flight (Morrison 337). During the long period of time in which Milkman doubts human flight, he is essentially shunned from his community. However, by accepting human flight as both a natural and possible occurrence, Milkman achieves acceptance. In actuality, flight as a means of escape is conveyed as a selfish act, harming all those left behind. Furthermore, in reference to Robert Smith and Milkman, death, not flight, was what caused them to essentially escape. In Song of Solomon, flight comes across as an act of desperation, in which those involved would risk anything to escape their troubled lives. Only when you â€Å"surrendered [yourself] to the air† could you truly escape and find freedom (Morrison 337).

The Greenhouse Effect, A Torrent of Information, and the Politics of Ma

The Greenhouse Effect, A Torrent of Information, and the Politics of Mass Uncertainty Introduction: Global warming, the ozone layer, and deforestation are becoming increasingly discussed topics both in the international community and society. Former Vice-President Albert Gore stated in his 1992 book Earth in the Balance, â€Å"The process of filling the atmosphere with CO2 and other pollutants†¦is a willful expansion of our dysfunctional civilization into vulnerable parts of the world† (Wittwer 21). With statements like this, one might wonder what stops the human race from ending this kind of behavior. Scientists and politicians are paralyzed when addressing the issue of global warming largely from uncertainty of cause/effect relationships, closeness of potential policy making to the everyday individual, and distance of potential effects. What follows is a discussion of this problem, which you will see, is not as clear cut as Al Gore’s statement. Background; a general agreement: The World Book Encyclopedia Millennium Edition defines the Greenhouse Effect as â€Å"a warming of the lower atmosphere and surface of the planet by a complex process involving sunlight, gases, and particles in the atmosphere.† It further notes that the Greenhouse Effect existed long before humans did, for it added about 59 degrees Fahrenheit (~33 C) to the average global temperature (World Book 382-383). An additional increase to the Earth’s natural Greenhouse Effect has been called in general terms ‘global warming’. The World Book Encyclopedia states, â€Å"Since the late 1800’s, the average temperature has increased about 0.5 to 1.5 Fahrenheit degrees.† Attributing the increase in average temperature to the burning of fossil fuels ... ...per, Lee, Scott Murtishaw, Fridtjof Unander. â€Å"International Comparisons of Sectoral Carbon Dioxide Emissions Using a Cross-Country Decomposition Technique.† Energy Journal. 22.2 (2001): WilsonSelectPlus Number BBPI1045462, Schewe Library, Illinois College, accessed 4/15/2003. â€Å"Effects Will Continue for a Century, Even if Emissions are Curbed Now.† USA Today. (June 2002) WilsonSelectPlus Number BRDG02101336, Schewe Library, Illinois College, accessed 4/15/2003. Van Dam, Laura. â€Å"Of Seashells, Ancient Climate, and Fossil Fuels.† Technology Review. (May/June 1995) WilsonSelectPlus Number BRDG95041776, Schewe Library, Illinois College, accessed 4/15/2003 . Wittwer, Slyvan Harold. â€Å"The Great Promise of the ‘Greenhouse Effect’.† Consumers’ Research Magazine. (June 1997) WilsonSelectPlus Number BRDG97047480, Schewe Library, Illinois College, accessed 4/15/2003.

city of god :: essays research papers

Introduction In my essay I will discuss the differences between national cinema and Hollywood cinema by using Rio de Janeiro ¡Ã‚ ¯s famous film City of God. There will be three parts in my following main body, the first part is a simple review of the film City of God, I will try to use the review to show the film structure and some different new points from this, show the how did the  ¡Ã‚ ®Shocking, frightening, thrilling and funny ¡Ã‚ ¯ (Nev Pierce) work in the film. The second part is my discussion parts; I will refer some typical Hollywood big name films such as Gangs in New York, Shawshank ¡Ã‚ ¯s Redemption, and Good Fellas to discuss the main differences between City of God and other national films. The third part is my summary, I will use my knowledge to analyse why there have big different between both kind of films and their advantages. Part One By simply review, I will say, "City of God" ("Cidade de Deus") is the story of a boy who lives in a "favela" what is the word of slum in english on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro. The "favela" is like a shantytown witch called "Cidade de Deus" in the film. And from the beginning to the end, throughout this stylish movie both the boy and the favela grow. In the film, we can see the story telling styles are quite like the some Hollywood films such as Shawshank ¡Ã‚ ¯s Redemption. As Morgan Freeman been a narrator Ellis Boyd "Red" Redding in the film Shawshank ¡Ã‚ ¯s Redemption, The same roll in City of God is boy, Rocket (Buscap ¨Ã‚ ¦ in Portuguese, played by Alexandre Rodrigues), who is born in Cidade de Deus and grows up in Cidade. He is quiet and easygoing, just a non-violent person seeking a way to survive in a brutal environment. The director makes Rocket a narrator in this movie; I think the reason is find an intermediary between gangs and the press, inside of the evil world and the outside. So we can see, his voice that accompanies us throughout many of the stories that "City of God" has to offer by Rocket ¡Ã‚ ¯s photography dream became true. Still the same as Shawshank ¡Ã‚ ¯s Redemption, the main character also belongs to Andy Dufresne (by Tim Robbins). So in the City of God, The other main characters in City of God are the gangs, like Li'l Z ¨Ã‚ ¦ (by Leandro Frimino) who was one of the boys that used to play soccer with Rocket, grow up to become a murderer and a drug lord, someone that makes his own laws. city of god :: essays research papers Introduction In my essay I will discuss the differences between national cinema and Hollywood cinema by using Rio de Janeiro ¡Ã‚ ¯s famous film City of God. There will be three parts in my following main body, the first part is a simple review of the film City of God, I will try to use the review to show the film structure and some different new points from this, show the how did the  ¡Ã‚ ®Shocking, frightening, thrilling and funny ¡Ã‚ ¯ (Nev Pierce) work in the film. The second part is my discussion parts; I will refer some typical Hollywood big name films such as Gangs in New York, Shawshank ¡Ã‚ ¯s Redemption, and Good Fellas to discuss the main differences between City of God and other national films. The third part is my summary, I will use my knowledge to analyse why there have big different between both kind of films and their advantages. Part One By simply review, I will say, "City of God" ("Cidade de Deus") is the story of a boy who lives in a "favela" what is the word of slum in english on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro. The "favela" is like a shantytown witch called "Cidade de Deus" in the film. And from the beginning to the end, throughout this stylish movie both the boy and the favela grow. In the film, we can see the story telling styles are quite like the some Hollywood films such as Shawshank ¡Ã‚ ¯s Redemption. As Morgan Freeman been a narrator Ellis Boyd "Red" Redding in the film Shawshank ¡Ã‚ ¯s Redemption, The same roll in City of God is boy, Rocket (Buscap ¨Ã‚ ¦ in Portuguese, played by Alexandre Rodrigues), who is born in Cidade de Deus and grows up in Cidade. He is quiet and easygoing, just a non-violent person seeking a way to survive in a brutal environment. The director makes Rocket a narrator in this movie; I think the reason is find an intermediary between gangs and the press, inside of the evil world and the outside. So we can see, his voice that accompanies us throughout many of the stories that "City of God" has to offer by Rocket ¡Ã‚ ¯s photography dream became true. Still the same as Shawshank ¡Ã‚ ¯s Redemption, the main character also belongs to Andy Dufresne (by Tim Robbins). So in the City of God, The other main characters in City of God are the gangs, like Li'l Z ¨Ã‚ ¦ (by Leandro Frimino) who was one of the boys that used to play soccer with Rocket, grow up to become a murderer and a drug lord, someone that makes his own laws.

The Effect of Salt on Boiling Temperature of Water

EXPERIMENTAL SCIENCE PROJECTS:The Effect of Salt on the Boiling Temperature of Water(Initially prepared by a 4th Grade student)To quickly jump to a section below click on:INITIAL OBSERVATIONCooking instructions tell you to add salt to water before boiling it. PROJECT TITLEThe Effect of Salt on the Boiling Temperature of WaterPURPOSE OF THE PROJECTTo find out how table salt affects the boiling temperature of water. HYPOTHESISAdding table salt to boiling water will cause the water to boil at a higher temperature.MATERIALS AND EQUIPMENT ·Table Salt  ·Distilled Water  ·2 Quart Cooking Pot  ·Pint measuring cup  ·Teaspoon and tablespoon measuring spoons  ·Thermometer  ·Stirring spoon EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDUREBoil one quart of distilled water on a stove. Measure the temperature of the boiling water. Record the highest temperature reading. This is the control to compare with. Measure out table salt using a kitchen measuring spoon. Level the spoonful. Add the measured salt to the b oiling water and stir.Measure the temperature of the boiling water with the salt in it. Record the highest temperature reading. Repeat for other amounts of salt. DATAData Obtained: 2/25/95, Mankato, MN|| Amount of boiling water|2 Cups| Temperature of boiling water (Control)|212. 9 °F| Amount of table salt added to boiling water: Run #1|1 Tbl. | Temperature of boiling water after adding salt: Run #1|215. 6 °F| Additional amount of table salt added to boiling water: Run #2|1 Tbl. | Temperature of boiling water after adding salt: Run #2|218.  °F| || EXPERIMENTAL OBSERVATIONSWhen the salt was added to boiling water it bubbled up more, and then stopped boiling. Shortly afterwards, it boiled again. If the thermometer extends beyond the outside of the pot it reads a higher temperature. Heat from the stove burner makes the thermometer read higher. Keep the thermometer over the pot when making temperature measurements. CALCULATIONS ·Total amount of table salt added for Run #1: 0 + 1 = 1 Tbl.  ·Total amount of table salt added for Run #2: 1 + 1 = 2 Tbl.RESULTS|| Temperature of boiling water (Control)|212. 9 °F| Amount of table salt added to boiling water: Run #1|1 Tbl. | Temperature of boiling water after adding salt: Run #1|215. 6 °F| Total amount of table salt added to boiling water: Run #2|2 Tbl. | Temperature of boiling water after adding salt: Run #2|218. 3 °F| || Amount of Table Salt Added VersusWater Boiling TemperatureCONCLUSIONS ·Is the hypothesis correct? Yes. Adding table salt to water causes the water to boil at a higher temperature.  ·Problems with doing the experiments.The temperature readings were hard to make. Gloves had to be worn to keep my hands from getting too hot. Had to be careful that the stove heat was not hitting the thermometer.  ·Other things learned. Be careful when adding salt to boiling water. It makes the water boil vigorously for a second or two. RELATED QUESTIONS ·Why do you think cooking instructions tell you to add salt when boiling water? When the water is hotter, you can cook food faster. Salt also makes the food taste better. || HOME[->0]|| [->0] – .. /index. html

Aeneas and Jesus Essay

Roman ideal of pietas which Virgil’s Aeneas embodies the observation of what is due to the Gods and work forces. and obeying one’s fate ( destiny ) or naming. In Virgil’s The Aeneid. Aeneas has no pick but to be devoted to the Gods. while Jesus in The New Testament choices freely to be devoted to one God. Religion for the Romans was really tied up in thoughts of duties. non merely to the Gods. but to one’s household and state every bit good. Aeneas preserves his saneness and the lives of his work forces. by halting his ain anxiousnesss and desires to the demands of destiny and the regulations of piousness. Religion in The Aeneid besides involves doing forfeits and supplications to the Gods. The thought was if you did that. the Gods might wish you and assist you. The thing is they might besides disregard you and mess up your life for no ground. Therefore. when Aeneas tells Dido. â€Å"I canvas for Italy non of my ain free will. † he doesn’t mean that his destiny is coercing him to travel at that place. He means that he has an duty ( responsibility ) to travel at that place. which he is taking to populate up to. On the other manus. Jesus believes in one God. Jesus is wholly devoted to his God and goes about teaching society about how good his God is. In the New Testament. Jesus has people or a undermentioned to the full committed and devoted to God. The four Gospels describe Jesus’s life until his Resurrection. and the balance of the New Testament concerns itself with the community of followings of Jesus that steadily grows after his decease. Concluding. Aeneas and Jesus are two different characters who have given their devotedness to their ain Supreme beings. It was Aeneas’s piousness or responsibility to transport his household with him to follow his devotedness to the Gods. In contrast. Jesus uses his free will to learn us to follow his God. Aeneas has to give his free will to give to his Supreme beings because it is his destiny while Jesus sacrifices himself voluntarily. ?

Business Report Qantas Airways

BUSINESS REPORT ON QANTAS AIRLINES Hasblady Leon Ramirez (Sofia) Student No 31278 Class: BAE 10 16th January 2013 TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY3 1. INTRODUCTION4 2. QANTAS ETHICAL EVALUATION5 2. 1. Airlines Safety as an Ethical Issue5 3. QANTAS SHARE PRICE EVALUATION6 3. 1. Share Price Definition6 3. 2. Share Price Behavior 20126 3. 3. Share Price History7 4. Recommendation8 REFERENCES9 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The aim of this report is to evaluate whether Qantas airways is a suitable company for ethical investment.Firstly, Qantas has currently been incurring in an ethical issue, because it has reduced in almost 50 % its staff in order to obtain better profits, however, the flight safety has been affected due to this maintenance downsizing, also Qantas share price analysis determines that although the stock had a downturn three years ago, it has begun to rise now. However, the result of this report is that, Qantas is not an appropriate company to invest now due to the low share price behavior and maintenance airplane’s issue. 1.INTRODUCTION The purpose of this report is to evaluate whether Qantas airways is a suitable company for ethical investment. This evaluation is divided in two aspects, ethical investing and share price performance in order to make a recommendation to clients. Currently, companies have begun to make decisions on basis to moral assumptions such as, social consideration, environmental concerns and ethical reporting with the purpose of selecting ethical investment and achieving a competitive financial return (Schwartz 2003, p. 95). According to Michelson, this recent behavior is called ethical investment (Australia and United Kingdom) and socially responsible investment ( United States) and this is a main topic in the financial industry due to the gained importance during the last years (2004, p. 1). Qantas is the largest domestic and international airline that was established in Australia in 1920. Now, Qantas is a business group of cus tomer’s transportation, which is formed by two complementary airline brands (Qantas and Jetstar).The business group employs 35,700 people and 93% of this amount is based in Australia (Qantas 2012). This report is divided in three main points, firstly, analyzing an ethical issue about safety flight on base of airplanes maintenance. Secondly, evaluating the share price history and how the share price behavior, and finally, it give a recommendation to the shareholders in order to acknowledge the company. 2. QANTAS ETHICAL EVALUATION This report discusses the airline safety in terms of maintenance.Currently, companies search to increase profits and reduce costs; and a common way is a downsizing in an operational process. Qantas reduce the maintenance staff to obtain a better performance and profits; however it threatens the passenger integrity due to the low performance maintenance into airplanes. 3. 1. Airlines Safety as an Ethical Issue Qantas has reduced â€Å"500 engineering jobs in Sydney and Victoria† (Herald Sun 2012, para. 1). In Sydney that happened because the airline believes that, it had an oversupply of line maintenance engineers.Lyell Strambi, who is Chief Executive of Qantas domestic operations, said that, the cost of its heavy maintenance was more than 30% higher than others airlines, and Qantas needed to close the difference to ensure its â€Å"future viability† (Herald Sun 2012, para. 17). The Australian Licensed Aircraft Engineers Associations said that, the airplane maintenance has been affected by changes and reductions of maintenance staff without previous risk analysis (Crikey 2012, para. 2). For example, in a Qantas flight last year was found a ? fatigue crack? n a turbine on the Boeing 747-400 that led to an explosion in the aircraft motor while it was in the air, the aircraft landed safely and all passenger were safe (News. com. au, 2012, para. 2-3). The company is the company is reducing costs towards improving profi ts and make the company viable in the future; however the decision to reduce maintenance costs and staff have affected flights safety thereby leaving at unnecessary risk to passengers. Finally, Qantas is currently involved in significant safety problems that have directly affected the client? s decision making. 3. QANTAS SHARE PRICE EVALUATION . 2. Share Price Definition The share price and the investment are the methods connected to â€Å"neoclassical investment models†, those models study the options that the company has to improve the performance in the future (Andersen, Subbaraman 1996, p. 1). The share price model is to analyze all aspects which cluster information about the future expectations of a company (Andersen, Subbaraman 1996, p. 1). 4. 3. Share Price Behavior 2012 In terms of evaluate the Qantas share price, this report has been made on the base of price variances which are illustrated in the below chart.It can be analyzed through to the share market behavior an d the period of time. Chart No. 1 (Australian Securities exchange 2013) http://www. asx. com. au/asx/research/companyInfo. do? by=asxCode&asxCode=QAN The graph number 1 present Qantas share price behavior over the past year. On the graph, the Y axis indicates the share price in points and the Y axis represents the period of time in months. The graph shows that, since beginnings of 2012 the QAN (Qantas Airways) share price rose slightly in 1. 800 points in March, then in April and May the share price fell slowly in 1. 00 points, after in mid-June, due to the massive downsizing, the share price decreased to reach less than 1000 points, however, in the end of June the price increased rapidly in almost 1. 200. After the events in June, the share price has been slightly increasing over the six last months, and the current price is almost 1. 600 points. 4. 4. Share Price History This section of the report discusses the historical behavior of Qantas share price over the past five years. On the graph, the Y axis indicates the share price in points and the Y axis represents the period of time in years.Chart No. 2 (Australian Securities exchange 2013) http://www. asx. com. au/asx/research/companyInfo. do? by=asxCode&asxCode=QAN The graph reports that, the top of QAN share price over the last five years was in February 2008, when the price was above 4. 500 points. Then between 2008 and beginnings 2009 the share price was decreasing slowly until 1. 500 points, due to the economic crisis world, which affected the whole world stock market, since 2009 to in late 2010 the price increased and got the maximum in 3. 000 points.In late 2010, Qantas had its first restructuring and started having maintenance failures and safety, which caused the share price fall during the two years and it dropped by about 1. 000 points, however it is beginning to rise now. 4. Recommendation Qantas is one of the major companies in Australia, and also is an important part of the airline global indus try. However, this report suggest that, it is not an appropriate time to invest in this company, because the company is going through financial problems that have generated downsizing maintenance problems incurred in the flight safety.Shares price also has fallen due to the lack of credibility of the company by the market. Although the share price is rising slowly at the beginning of this year, the security problem continues. In addition, as suggestions, company should organize priority the airplanes maintenance process, in order to ensure aircraft operation and keep safe the people life. Finally, in relation with Qantas share price, it has been fluctuating in the periods where the company has made decisions without measuring risk, such as maintenance downsizing and outsourcing, therefore, company must take into account the future consequences of its aking decisions. REFERENCES Andersen, M, Subbaraman, R, 1996, Share prices and Investment, Economic Analysis Department, Reserve Bank of Australia, December, pp. 1-2. Crikey, 2012, Real issues behind Qantas maintenance job loss claims, [online], Available: http://blogs. crikey. com. au/planetalking/2012/11/08/real-issues-behind-qantas-maintenance-job-loss-claims/, 15 January 2013. Herald Sun, 2012, Bitter blow as Qantas cuts 500 jobs, [online], Available: http://www. heraldsun. com. au/news/victoria/bitter-blow-as-qantas-cuts-500-jobs/story-fn7x8me2-1226361597334, 21 May 2012.Michelson, G, Wailes, N, Van Der Laan, S,  Frost, G, 2004, Ethical Investment Processes And Outcomes, Journal of Business Ethics, vol. 52, no. 1, June, pp. 1-10. News. com. au, 2012, Safety investigator finds cracked blade caused Qantas emergency, [online], Available: http://www. news. com. au/travel/news/fractured-blade-to-blame-for-qantas/story-e6frfq80-1226540282165, 18 December 2012. Qantas Airways, 2012, Our Company, [online], Available: http://www. qantas. com. au/travel/airlines/company/global/en Schwartz, M, 2003, The Ethics of Ethi cal Investing, Journal of Business Ethics, vol. 43, No. 3, March, pp. 195-213.

American Health Care Systems Issues Health And Social Care Essay

The Ever Increasing Cost of Care. The cost of wellness attention has been on the addition for decennaries. From 1960 through 2006, wellness attention disbursement has seen an addition of 9.9 per centum each twelvemonth, while the national Gross Domestic Product ( GDP ) rose merely 7.3 per centum during the same period. Additionally, Americans are paying well more than any other developed state. In 2008 entirely, the national wellness attention measure was about $ 2.5 trillion dollars ( Johnson T. , 2010 ) . This astronomical sum was about 16 per centum of the Gross Domestic Product. In simpler footings, every adult male, adult female, and kid in the state received $ 7,680 of medical attention ; yet, 1000000s of Americans had no coverage at all ( Kimbuende, Ranji, Lundy, & A ; Salganicoff, 2010 ) . In comparing, England ‘s wellness attention budget for 2009 was $ 160 billion for every English citizen ( Lyall, 2010 ) . In fact, no other industrialised state had similar outgos as the United States. President Obama admitted every bit much in a 2009 address to the American Medical Association: â€Å" Today, we are passing over $ 2 trillion a twelvemonth on wellness attention – about 50 per centum more per individual than the following most dearly-won state † ( 2009 ) . What state was the following most dearly-won? Actually, Norway and Switzerland were the following more dearly-won states with both passing $ 4,500 per individual in 2007 ( Pearson, 2009 ) . In add-on, insurance premiums have risen well in the last decennary. Employer-provided insurance premiums rose over 130 per centum while employee rewards merely saw an approximative 30 per centum addition. Furthermore, workers have seen their part addition over 125 per centum since 1999. The people who purchase their ain insurance have a significant addition in premium monetary values every bit good. The monetary value of the mean household policy in 2009 was $ 7,102 with an extra $ 1,690 spent on out-of-pocket disbursals ( Schoen, Nicholson, & A ; Rustgi, 2009 ) . Medicare and Medicaid presently account for approximately $ 750 billion dollars or 21 per centum of the national budget with Medicare having about two-thirds at $ 468 billion ( Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 2010 ) . Payroll revenue enhancements were responsible for about 90 per centum of Medicare funding merely two old ages ago. Currently, Medicare is the primary insurance coverage for 45 million people. The bulk of receivers are over 65 but there are several million younger persons enrolled because of entire disablement. About 50 per centum of Medicare enrollees have at least three ongoing medical issues ; about half are besides really hapless. Ten per centum of Medicare receivers are responsible for two-thirds of the full plan ‘s disbursement ( Potetz & A ; Cubanski, 2009 ) . Obviously, Medicare needs more gross come ining its system or less money go outing its system. A combination of both would give the most favourable overcome for the plan. About 60 million Americans are take parting in the Medicaid plan with an extra 16 million enrolling in the following five old ages due to the health care reform jurisprudence. In 2008, the state spent about $ 340 billion on Medicaid. Which is non surprising since Medicaid is the primary remunerator for nursing place and other long-run attention. In add-on, Medicaid pays for much of mental wellness costs. It besides provides public infirmaries with 33 per centum of their net gross. Millions of people are working because Medicaid provides support for many occupations in the community. Like Medicare, a little per centum of Medicaid patients are responsible for over 50 per centum of entire Medicaid disbursement. Yet, Medicaid has the lowest administrative costs of all insurance remunerators ( Kaiser Family Foundation, 2010 ) . Where Is All The Money Going? Hospital attention is devouring the largest per centum of wellness attention dollars. For 2008, it accounted for about 30 per centum of all wellness attention disbursement. Unsurprisingly, the cost for the mean stay of four and one-half yearss will change from one installation to another ( U.S. Department of Health & A ; Human Services, 2008 ) . As an illustration, the cost for handling pneumonia can be every bit small as $ 1,900 or every bit much as about $ 16,000. Furthermore, the 30-day readmission rate was similar regardless of the cost of intervention. Similar attention should intend similar cost yet with the state ‘s infirmaries this is clearly non the instance ( Chen, Jha, & A ; Guterman, 2010 ) . Doctor and clinical services are besides devouring a immense per centum at 20 per centum. Many would reason malpractice or the fright thereof is driving some of these costs. However, physicians may good be the key to harnessing in physician-related disbursals ( Kaiser Family Foundation, 2009 ) . Training on the fiscal elements of wellness attention needs to be of high precedence, such preparation will do physicians more cognizant of the cost of a peculiar class of intervention. They will besides be more willing to order a generic or cheaper drug that will supply the same consequences ( Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, 2010 ) . At 10 per centum, prescription drug use is besides taking a big part of the wellness attention dollars. Prescription drug disbursement has been the fastest turning component of the wellness attention field. In merely 18 old ages, disbursement for prescription drugs jumped from approximately $ 40 billion yearly to $ 234 billion in 2008. For several old ages, drug shapers enjoyed the most net income of any industry. Conversely, generic drugs were one of the primary grounds that prescription drug disbursement slowed by 12 per centum from 1999 until 2005. Of all the FDA approved drugs, 80 per centum has a cheaper, generic equivalent. Because of this low-cost option, most physicians will discourse the out-of-pocket cost of medicines with their patients. Over 60 per centum of physicians switched to a less dearly-won drug and 58 per centum of doctors provided free samples to their patients ( Lundy, 2010 ) . Solutions to Escalating Health Care Costss Technology will be indispensable in commanding costs. Electronic medical records will non merely cut down some administrative costs but it would besides let physicians to entree pertinent information needed to handle the patient in the most efficient and effectual manner. For illustration, the medical records would clearly demo the doctor all current trials and lab work completed, thereby diminishing the likeliness of extra acerate leaf trials and lab work every bit good as X raies. They would besides alarm the physician to patients who may be merely seeking to obtain narcotics. Most significantly, they have the possible to cut down medical mistakes in prescriptions drug interactions and in transmittal of really of import information between different medical suppliers ( Johnson T. , 2010 ) . A consumer-driven program is besides really of import in cost containment. When the patient has input in their ain wellness attention determinations, they become better consumers. Therefore, it is imperative that the existent costs of wellness services are readily available to the patient. Most consumer directed programs besides involve greater cost sharing, which will be ineluctable in promoting people to go more cognizant of the high cost of medical attention in America ( Johnson, 2010 ) . The bar of chronic preventable disease will be a cardinal component in commanding costs. Obesity, although non technically a disease, is the precursor to other really preventable, chronic diseases. Type 2 diabetes and bosom disease are two of the diseases straight related to fleshiness. Possible fiscal inducements to employees may promote more people to watch their weight and to take part in some sort of physical activity if needed. Some companies have gone every bit far as to increase the employee portion of premium part if an employee has high hazard factors such as fleshiness or baccy usage. Similarly, Medicaid patients should portion in the cost of their intervention. For illustration, if a patient does non desire to do important life style alterations to continue their wellness position so they should be required to pay some clip of extra fee. As overall wellness indexs improve, the fee can be refunded to the patient. Nicotine trials for baccy users can be one index. The resting bosom rate may be another index used for physical activity since the resting bosom rate lessenings, as a individual becomes more physical active. And, yes, the parents have to be held responsible for the negative wellness indexs of minor kids. Standardized medical charge could perchance salvage one million millions of dollars in administrative costs. For case, should all insurance companies use a procedure similar to the 1 used for treating Medicare claims ; there will be a drastic decrease in administrative disbursals. Of class, this would see uniformity in entry and payment of all claims. This would besides cut down the waiting period for payment ( Evans, 2010 ) . A Dim Future If wellness attention cost are non curtailed, economical desolation will be the result. Many employers are fighting to maintain up with the ever-increasing cost of wellness attention. Employers spent $ 460 billion for medical coverage in 2006. In other words, they spent 12 per centum of entire working budget on wellness insurance. Because of the uninterrupted addition in insurance costs, companies have to increase the cost of goods sold. General Motor reportedly has to add about $ 2,000 to the monetary value of each vehicle to cover the $ 5 billion it spends on employee wellness attention each twelvemonth. Employers spend $ 2.38 per hr for medical benefits while their foreign rivals spend $ .96. In fact, Johnson claimed, â€Å" At 12 per centum, wellness attention is the most expensive benefit paid by U.S. employers † ( 2010 ) . If this tendency continues, American companies will probably free fight in the international playing field. Some employers will hold no other option other than dropping wellness attention coverage wholly. Many more Americans will probably register bankruptcy because of reeling medical measures. Presently, about half of all personal bankruptcies file are partially because of medical disbursals. Many people are proroguing intervention because of cost. When intervention is eventually obtained, the status is much more expensive to handle with longer recovery periods. Seniors will hold to salvage a considerable sum to cover costs that Medicare will non pay ( Kaiser Family Foundation, 2009 ) . More employers are switching much of insurance premium increases to the worker. This in bend is go forthing more people with less take-home wage and larger out-of-pocket disbursals. In order to salvage money, some workers will non seek medical aid when needed. Alternatively, they will take extra ill yearss trusting remainder will do things better. Merely when the consumer usage available wellness attention sagely, will at that place be a positive result. Unfortunately, many may take to waive medical intervention when it is most needful ( Johnson, Rockoff, & A ; Mathews, 2010 ) . Medicare and Medicaid are the primary insurance for 1000000s of aged and hapless Americans. Numerous persons are besides double eligible, which allows them to have coverage from Medicare and Medicaid at the same time. Dual eligible persons must hold really low income to measure up for both plans. Intelligibly, these persons have much greater wellness demands than regular Medicare receivers. Medicare is the primary coverage ; nevertheless, Medicaid helps to pay the Medicare premiums. Medicaid besides picks up the check for services that are restricted or non collectible under Medicare. Medicaid pays for the long-run attention of 70 per centum of nursing place occupants. In add-on, because of the wellness attention reform jurisprudence, 1000000s more will be added. Although, province and federal money fund the Medicaid plan, the federal authorities will pay 96 per centum of the cost for people enrolled because of the wellness attention authorization ( Kaiser Family Foundation, 2010 ) . Decision Without a uncertainty, something has to be done to decelerate the cost of wellness attention so every American can hold entree to quality, low-cost attention. Electronic medical records can be a start in the acclivitous conflict to suppress cost. The benefits of fewer medical mistakes, less paperwork, and a more dependable transmittal of pertinent information greatly outweigh privateness concerns. Standardized charge will besides cut down administrative costs and see timely processing of all claims ( Johnson T. , 2010 ) . Furthermore, the figure of people having Medicare will increase to 79 million in twenty old ages. The aging population and longer life anticipation are responsible for this immense figure. Additionally, the figure of workers paying into the fund will see a lessening ( Potetz & A ; Cubanski, 2009 ) . How can an already delicate system survive this added strain? The registration age has to be raised a few more old ages. This will let more people to work longer to pay in and prorogue the registration of more people at the same time. Medicaid on the other manus, need more people paying just premiums and co-payments. The consumer of wellness services has the duty of doing better lifestyle picks. Chronic, ongoing medical issues have a annihilating consequence on persons, their households, and the national wellness attention system.