Legal and ethical management

The future of any organization depends on its employees. It has been observed that organizations with intelligent, efficient and devoting employees progress more than those which compromise with workforce efficiency. These days several tests like cognitive abilities, motor and physical abilities, personality & interests, and achievement tests have come up. By conducting these tests on applicants his/or her abilities can be properly judged and hence a proper selection of employees can be made. (King, 2006, 45)Cognitive abilities testIn cognitive abilities test the aptitude of an applicant to work intelligently and efficiently in unfavorable situations or under pressure or in distracting and competing situations is tested.   The speed with which an applicant focuses his attention on any issue, understands it, encodes and categorizes it is observed. His ability to analyze and implement comprehensive instructions accurately, his versatility to respond properly to two or more different issues of concern at a time, his ability to recognize the importance and urgency of some issues and making specific response to those issues, his ability to maintain speed with perfection is tested.The potential of a person in maintaining steady and precise responses during unremitting and recurring activities is observed. The ability of a person to formulate programs and recall and put them into action efficiently and accurately is observed. In cognitive abilities test individual's capability of identifying and analyzing perceptual information, discriminating the information and processing the information to derive solutions for the problems is also tested. (King, 2006, 97)Personality & interests testsPersonality and interests test measure applicant’s interests, choices, emotional makeup, personal characteristics and stability.   This test can help in assessing the applicant’s talents and skills and hence jobs can be allotted based on their interests. Personality te st is a kind of psychological test and is conducted to determine applicant’s personality, interests, values and skills. By this test managements can have a better idea of what kind of person the applicant is and what are his capabilities.Achievement testsAchievement tests are the test of the applicant’s performance. Unlike the Cognitive abilities test this test is a kind of practical test. In this test the applicant is made to face the real working conditions of the organization, so that the actual performance of the candidate can be properly judged. These tests are very beneficial for both the candidate and the management. The candidate becomes acquainted of the original working condition of the organization and the management of the organization can get an idea of the capability of the applicant. (Lamb, 2004, 228)Motor and physical abilities testIn motor and physical abilities test applicant’s physical fitness and strength is tested. There is a popular saying that a healthy body can only have a healthy mind. An employee, who is physically fit, can work with all his heart and sole.   In every company there are certain types of jobs for which physically fit and strong employees are needed. Thus physical abilities test is must. Motor ability test is an individual's ability to perform motor skills is tested. The applicant should have fine motor control. The applicant must have the aptitude to control motor movements accurately. So that making incorrect responses can be avoided and more motor speed can be obtained.Advantages and disadvantages of the above testing systemsThere are several advantages and disadvantages of the above testing systems. Cognitive abilities, Achievement tests and Physical abilities testing systems are the most legitimate testing systems. Cognitive abilities tests are highly reliable. The method of numerical tests, aptitude tests and verbal reasoning has high validity, which increases with complexity of job. This tes t can be conducted with several candidates at a time. Thus have higher validities. Results can be generated through computerized equipments. Thus this test saves both time and money and is advantageous than personality tests.Physical abilities test help in identifying candidates who are physically unfit for any specific job. This tests decrease company’s costs on insurances, medical and disability claims and workers compensations. It also decreases non-attendance among workers due to medical reasons. Achievement tests are very beneficial for both the candidate and the management. The candidate becomes acquainted of the original working condition of the organization and the management of the organization can get an idea of the capability of the applicant.Personality & interest tests have more negative ethical and legal consequences than the Cognitive abilities, Achievement tests and Physical abilities testing system.   There are no proper answers to personality tests.   Th us scoring of the test can be questioned. Assessment of applicant’s personal behavior is practically not possible. The applicant may hide his original nature during selection. Evidences supporting personal behavior of the candidate may not be available. Any applicant might have interest in any job, but this does not prove he is good in it. Personality of an applicant has lesser impact on his job performance than his education and experience. Again this method of testing is very costly. (King, 2006, 117-9)Contribution of modern technology in staff selection processAdvancements in technology have helped to make the applicant testing and selection process more efficient. The previous hand scoring method of testing where marks were calculated by adding number of correct answers given by the candidate is an erroneous process. Now days with use of computers computer-based scoring and optical scanning systems have come up. Tests are scored with the help of a computer and software de signed test scoring. On-site systems produce test scores and as well provide interpretive reports. Mail-in and fax scoring system completed answer sheets are scanned and faxed or mailed to test publisher. He checks the papers, calculates the scores and sends reports to the employer. (King, 2006, 15)It is very important to make a proper choice while appointing employees in the organization. Assessment of applicant’s interests, personality, and skills aptitude and physical fitness help in determining which kind of job will be appropriate for the candidate.References:King, H; (2006); Management Today: Ethical and Legal Concepts; HBT & Brooks Ltd.Lamb, Davis; (2004); Cult to Culture: The Development of Civilization on the Strategic Strata; National Book Trust.

Should Men Be Allowed to Have More Than One Wife?

Argumentative Essay â€Å"Man fi have, nuff gal and gal ina bungle, gal from Rema and gal from Jungle†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Is a popular song by Jamaican reggae artiste Beenie Man. The song suggests that men should have multiple partners, a belief to which many Jamaican men also subscribe. A man having more than one wife is called Polygyny a form of polygamy that has been much debated in a lot of countries for years. Polygyny although illegal in Jamaica, remains acceptable in many cultures who argues that it should be practiced here.However, Men should not be allowed to have more than one wife in Jamaica as this would cause our morals and values to deteriorate and contribute to more troubled marriages which will have a negative impact on the children produced by these marriages. Polygyny is a form of polygamy in which a man has more than one wife (oxford dictionary); helps in the deterioration of moral beliefs and values which will affect our structured system negatively.Polygyny is In a hi ghly Christian based country such as Jamaica men being allowed to have more than one wife will significantly fail from uplifting our moral beliefs of a stable family unit of one man, one woman and children. According to the BOHRD (2011), Christianity contributes to more than half the religious population. This religious group firmly believes that Polygyny should not be practiced and a marriage is the union between one man and one woman in which we as a country has adopted.To start allowing men to be able to have more than one wife will only deteriote our moral standards and belisfs. in almost every country where polygamy is practiced it is only polygyny which is allowed and women marrying more than one man are forbidden. Right there is a violation gender inequality as enshrined in (OECD. 2010) a . This act will promote a hypocritical and biased society when it comes to issues of men vs women and hence will promote the abuse of our women. Polygamy also caused many problems within the home between the two wives.Usually there is at least one wife who is not happy with the arrangement. This is because the new wife is usually younger and has more to offer than the first wife. This jealousy causes a lot of friction in polygamist marriages. If the man buys something for one wife he needs to get something for the other. Even with buying something for both wives one of them often claims that the other received something better. The same thing is true for what he buys for each of their children. This impossibility of satisfying multiple wives at the same time causes many conflicts in polygamist marriages.The results of these conflicts are anywhere from the mistreatment of the others children to trying to convince her husband to divorce the other wife. This is so common that in Eastern Africa if two wives of the same man get along together people say that he must have used magic on them to accomplish this. Do you see a man having multiple wives to be any particular benef it to females, or is the benefit largely to the male â€Å"husband? † And in this economy, many men cannot afford to maintain one household and family, let alone two or three equally for each wife.How can broke men aspire to be polygynous when they do not have the wealth to meet the standards of such a situation? Children from such families can no longer earn good education; for there is little to go round among three-four households. They can not afford a balanced meal; being subsistence farmers, who relay on the bounty of the land, when drought heats, they will have to go without food if they don't get from charitable people who are also short. Women turn to have less self esteem, they see themselves through the male's eyes. hen a woman stands by the mirror instead of seeing herself through her own imagination, she thinks of how he will see her, so she is using his imagination, to define herself-worthy. In my opinion, polygamy served its purpose in those times, but now, it has become the decadence of the family community, and society at large, destroying self-esteem in women, and bringing unmeasurable suffering on children born from such families. There are reports of happy families but these are few and they could be in denial of reality, one would suggest.

Children Penalties Essay

All through America it seems that juvenile children are committing extremely severe crimes. Fellow classmates and teachers are being murdered by juveniles as young as eleven and thirteen. As a result of this, a major issue has been raised, should children who commit a serious crime face the penalties as and adult? Do these kids know what they are doing? And more importantly do they know the consequences of their actions. The points that I’m going to be outlining are children don’t know/ know the consequences of their actions, harsh punishment has little effect, youths are more mature so they know the consequences of their actions, the notion of justice, children may not have been given adequate role modals, youths should be given harsh punishments so others will not copy them, children grow up with guns and it’s the shooters responsibility not the weapon used. Those who believe that juveniles should receive adult penalties for serious crimes often claim that the young children are not fully aware of the crime they commit and destruction that will affect the victims of the crime. For example in a shooting at Jonesboro, where an eleven and thirteen year old shot dead four school girls and a teacher, critics distinguished that the attack wasn’t committed at the spur of the moment or under the immediate influence of strong emotion. Instead they claim that the killings were highly planned and vigilantly carried out. The two juvenile killers were noted to supplied themselves with a gate away vehicle, wore camouflage clothing, selected a high vantage point form which to shoot, lured their innocent victims out by trigging a fire alarm and waited for the school doors to automatically lock before opening fire. (Mclnerney, J, 1994: page 2) The opposing view is that children in their opinion are unable to grasp the consequences of their actions. A child who kills very probably doesn’t realize the finality of death and so does not fully understand what he/she has done when they take someone’s life. Correspondingly, it is claimed that children are unlikely to be deterred for a crime because they are terrified of a cruel punishment. According to this line of disagreement most children are impulsive and have a naive idea in  their own immortality. This means that children are unlikely to think about possible punishments prior to committing a serious crime and are unlikely to be able to even envision penalties like life in jail being applied to them. This point was made by child psychiatrist William Licamele, who claimed, † At age 11 or 12 kid are normally self-absorbed, self centered, magical, they don’t think anything can happen to them, there is going to be no retribution† (Mclnerney, J, 1994: page 4) This meaning that the threat of harsh punishment will not prevent them from committing a crime. Thus, it has been argued that applying adult penalties to children who commit serious crimes will have little to no deterrent effect. On the other hand, juveniles should receive adult punishments; fully premeditated murders (like the Jonesboro have been said to be) are no different just because juveniles have committed them. This point questions weather or not the young offenders are adequately aware of the cost of their actions to be held legally liable for them. Mr. Gerard Henderson, executive director of Sydney institute, has summed up this point of arrangement. He claims, † I certainly know what I was doing when I was 13 and 11. I suspect that Mitchell Johnson and Andrew Golden (shooters at Jonesboro) also know what they were doing† (Mclnerney, J, 1994: page 2) Mr. Gerard Henderson also claims, † Those days it is increasingly accepted that most children mature relatively early and that, in an intellectual and recreational sense. Most are relatively independent by 16 † (Mclnerney, J, 1994: page 2) This indicates that youth are more mature and so its argued that they are more capable of appreciating the consequences of their actions than children in the past years. Focusing on the punishment of these so called â€Å"more mature† youths is shortsighted, as the cause of the crime committed is probably outside the control of the children. According to this line argument, the general public is more likely to be able to prevent these crimes from occurring if they can  discover why they are happening, rather than focusing on the punishment of the individual offender. This suggests that children who commit serious crimes are most likely victims of developments of society or inside their own families that they are not responsible for. E.g. same authorities have suggested that martial breakdown, the disintegration of extended family and families were both parents work may all be factors contributing to child crime. (Mclnerney, J, 1994: page 4) Many people say that it doesn’t matter that a child committed the crime, but that the damaged he/she caused to the victim is the same no matter the age of the perpetrator. Mitchell Weight, whose wife was one of the five killed at Jonesboro claimed, † It doesn’t matter that those were boys. Their age has nothing to do with the fact that they murdered my wife and four others† (Mclnerney, J, 1994: page 3) Those who say that the crime and the damage should remain the same despite the age of the offender seem to mean that the punishment should be that same. This argument is based on the notion of justice. Those who affect serious harm to others should be given a proportionately serve penalty for their crimes. Children may have committed a crime that has caused serious harm due to having had luck of guidance and emotional support. The child may suffer from feelings of desertion, alienation and damaged self-esteem. Which can encourage them to lush out at others. Such children may not have been given adequate role modals to help them cope with whatever hardship they will encounter in their lives. Children who lush out at others and become juvenile offenders should receive comparable penalties to adult crimes so that other young people will not copy them. This point was put by Mr. Gerard Henderson, he argued and said that, † The Jonesboro shooting was but the most recent in a wave of schoolyard murders where boys or young men have murdered students and teachers. Who is to say the soft treatment of one young murderer will not encourage another? † (Mclnerney, J, 1994: page 3) Societies such as the United States where guns are broadly accepted and where  even young children are trained in the use of guns, are giving young offenders a mean of turning their teenage anger and resentment into homicide. If guns were not so widely available then most of the school shootings would have never happened, the child with the sense of grievance would have expressed it in a form such as fighting, truancy or disobedience in class. It has been claimed that children trained from an early age in the use of guns may be desensitized to potentially grave consequences. Children introduced to guns at an early age may simple regard guns as one more toy. Although guns are widely available that opposing view is that you can’t blame the availability of weapons for any crime committed using them. A local in Jonesboro stated, † You lay a gun on the table and a hundred years from now the gun will still be there, unless someone touches it† (Mclnerney, J, 1994: page 4) This argument is saying that the responsibility for the shooting rests with the shooter, not the weapon. I personally believe that it depends on the offender, weather it was committed from a strong emotion or a planned slaughter. Either way they should first go into a program to help them. But if it was a planned slaughter, at the same time of being in a program they should get punished as an adult so they know that they can’t get away with it and no one else hopefully will not copy what they have done. The issues that I have covered in this essay are that children don’t know/know what they have done, harsh punishment doesn’t work well, youths have grown up a lot more quickly, if they harm someone the offender should get the equal amount of punishment, they have has no good role modals, soft treatment will make other youths copy the offenders crime, guns are part if the youths life from a young age and it’s not the weapons responsibility of the crime that they have committed. Bibliography: Mclnerney, J, 1994 www.echoed.com.au/protected/outlines1/issues.htm Echo Education Services

Qualitative Research Designs Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Qualitative Research Designs - Assignment Example The research design used by the researchers for this study is review of the existing literature because the aim of the researchers was to gain an insight into the issue and explore it in its depth. Qualitative research designs have always been used on a wide scale to conduct nursing related studies (Polit & Beck, 2012). The research design used for this particular study appears to be appropriate because review of the existing literature always provides some good amount of information that can be used for any qualitative studies. There were no apparent ethical issues for this research as the researchers did not involve general public. Rather they made use of the existing literature to base their conclusions. All literature used in the study is properly cited and referenced, thus, no issue of copyright exists as well. If the study design would have been quantitative, the researchers would have followed a systemic process to gather information. Moreover, there would also have been some test relationships and an analysis of the cause and effect relationships. Polit, D. F., & Beck, C. T. (2012). Nursing research: Generating and assessing evidence for nursing practice (Laureate Education, Inc., custom ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. Chapter 20, â€Å"Qualitative Research Design and

Introduction Development Economies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Introduction Development Economies - Essay Example Inequality in Human Development Index (HDI) is masked in the human development distribution across the population at the country level. The HDI value of Senegal is 0.470. However, when discounted for inequality, the value reduces to 0.315. This equals a loss of 33% as a result of inequality in distribution of indices of dimension. Uganda and Senegal indicate loses as a result of inequality of 34.2% and 33.9% respectively. The average loss resulting from inequality for Sub-Sahara Africa is 35% and 35% for low HDI countries. ii) Over the last two decades, the GII of Senegal has resulted to a loss in human development following the inequality between achievements made by males and females in the three dimensions of GII. Question 2 i) Poverty level in Senegal is high. Over the past 25 years, the GDP per capita has been declining. Citizens of Senegal spent lots of their money on necessities of life, such as food. The UNDP, an organization which classifies countries according to their scor e in the HDI, estimated that 52% of Senegalese household consumption is food unlike in the U.S, where food averages to 8% of household consumption. ... Due to poor land management, Senegal has experienced and degradation, which has been worsening in the recent years. This has, in turn, increased poverty levels in the country. Education, drinking water, medicine, transport and energy are also major problems in some parts of Senegal. Diseases like malaria, AIDS and cholera are widespread in Senegal thus increasing the cost used on medicine. This raises poverty levels of the country. With regard to human resources, Senegal has a high rate of unemployment and under-employment. The ratio of the employed and the unemployed people is one to five. This suggests that there is high dependency rate, which is one of the issues that impact pressure on working individuals whose chances of falling into monetary poverty becomes high. Highest percentage of unemployment is experienced in rural areas which make the youths and active women to migrate to towns. Since illiteracy levels are high in rural areas, people largely rely on Agriculture as their main economic activity which is, unfortunately, prone to natural hazards like drought. Highest rates of unemployment are found among young graduates. Compared to Senegal, poverty levels in Cote d’Ivoire and Uganda are higher. ii) In the recent 20 years, there has been poverty evolution in Senegal whereby the country has been involved in war against poverty. Over the years, the social and economic policies were prepared to put lots of strain in the labor market, education and health structures, urbanization and low and erratic economic growth. The state has been ensuring that the microeconomic framework is stable by reducing external imbalance and containing public deficit with the aim of raising the living standards of the citizens. There has been trade

Financial Management & Improving Automotive Industry Essay

Financial Management & Improving Automotive Industry - Essay Example For example, by using balance sheet they can tell the company’s financial position at a specific point in time as it shows the assets and liabilities of the company. Solidity, liquidity and rentability or reliability of the company can also be reflected from the balance sheet. Profitability or the return on assets is another aspect of the company that is measured by the financial statement like the balance sheet. Profitability ratios show the combined effects of liquidity and asset management. If the solidity, liquidity, rentability or reliability and profitability ratios all look good, then the market value of the company is high. Cash is important for the operation of the company but at the same time variable due to several factors like the cash flow. Thus, there should be cash planning, cash management, and cash reserve involved in a company’s financial management. Cash flows can be from operative, investment or financing activities. Cash flow analysis is important for the company as this will provide clues about its financial position. Evaluation of investment projects will help the company to evaluate performances of each investment project and tell whether it will improve or not the financial position of the company. This will help financial managers to analyse ways of improving their financial performance. Capital budgeting is also about planning expenditures on assets whose cash flows are expected beyond one year. Just like in cash management, there is a need for strategic management and planning for the capital. The growth of the company and its ability to remain competitive and to survive will depend on how its finances are budgeted and managed. In any industry the need to develop the efficiency of production and of the working environment of the company is necessary to ensure that the organization is able to meet its needs. The automotive industry, the

Is the current law on murder still acceptable Assignment

Is the current law on murder still acceptable - Assignment Example It is more than any rule that is practiced or any law but it’s a complete process of legal frame work. England inherited the law of Wales, therefore when talking about the English Legal System we refer to Wales’s as well. The English Legal system is based on the common law where the judges can carry on the law themselves and the decisions from the previous cases and be made as a part of law. (Gillespie, 2007) The legal system of England and Wales is based on the common law legal system used I Republic of England and in most common wealth countries. United Kingdom is the member of the European Union, England and Wales are constituent countries of the UK. The essence of common law is that it is the judges sitting in courts applying the Law of England. 1.1 CRIMINAL LIABILITY OF A DEFENDENT ACCUSED OF MURDER As explained by Catherine Elliot and Frances Quin in the first chapter (Elliot & Quin, 2012) there are various elements necessary to prove the criminal liability of a m urder. A criminal offence is only possible when both â€Å"Actus reus† and â€Å"Mens rea† are conducted at a time. ... As stated in the English law that a person is innocent until proven guilty. ACTUS REAUS + MENS REA = CRIMINAL OFFENCE (the above diagram shows the elements of criminal offence) In the case of Woolmington v DPP (1935) the defendant had taken a gun to threat his wife (the victim of the case), that he would commit suicide if she didn’t return to him, accidently the gun went off and he was convicted of murder. Hence, it is concluded from this case that although he did it by accident but the murderer had done a criminal offence, with a guilty mind. (Roe D, 2005) 1.2 ACTUS REUS To begin with the study of any case, firstly it is necessary to prove the criminal offence. As talked about it earlier a criminal offence is a compound of both intention and action to commit the crime. Actus reus is the first element of a criminal offence. Briefly and in simple words it means intent, the intention to commit offence. The term is a Latin word meaning ‘the guilty act’. The literal m eaning explains that it is important that a physical action or movement takes place. In the case of R  v Cunningham  (1982), the victim was attacked by the defendant wrongly assuming that victim has sexual relation with his fiance. The defendant repeatedly hit the victim in his head, causing fracture and severe injuries resulting in death in a week. Although the defendant claimed that law of murder should be held to those who intent to do kill but unfortunately the decision was given against the defendant. 1.2.1 IMPORTANCE The concept of Actus reus has been derived from English common law. The principal of this concept is the application of both the elements of criminal offence to call it a criminal act. Any act that is carried on with the intention to harm anyone becomes a criminal act. In the

An investigation into operations management issues within the Essay

An investigation into operations management issues within the hospitality industry - Essay Example With improved productivity and operations, the cost decreases and quality is improved. Since the above mentioned activities are integrated with each other closely in a operations chain, it I important for any company to control and manage these activities to boost its performance and profits. This article will concentrate upon the productivity improvement concerns for a restaurant  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Good Foods Restaurant. Aim The various productivity concerns that the company faces in its daily operations and how these operations can be optimized to increase the production efficiency will the topic of study of this paper. Methodology    The preferred methodology in this case was to study a number of case studies in the hospitality sector that implement any kind of production improvement techniques and then study their previous conditions and the results after the recommendations were executed. Also other forms of literature available from books, online were studied. Company Introduction T he company is involved in the restaurant business to its customers across 17 outlets. Good Foods has been known in the market for its consistent quality of the food being served and a strong focus upon the business. With several dishes being served to its customers, and also catered in some cases, on a regular basis, the company has received the constant positive reviews from its clients. The hotel company was formed in the year 1975 and has built a strong tradition of hard work and faith. The hotel specializes mainly in the sauces, soups and flavor bases that are also marketed under a number of brand names by the hotel company. With more than 3 production units in the region, Good Foods Ltd. is trying hard to make higher margin profits for itself. In the food sector and hospitality service industry, it  is important that in order to remain competitive, Good Foods maintain efficient operations in production and marketing. At present the company own three plants which are not being operated in a desired optimized manner. Therefore, to achieve targets, the company decided to implement some operations management techniques to improve productivity and its hospitality services.    Current Production Phases  Ã‚      The operational methods that are being used by Good Foods to manufacture products that are marketed by the company are quite complex in nature and comprise of a number of multifaceted operations that are spread across the 3 production units. The initial phases that are a part of this operational chain at Good Food are the detailed  scheduling which is done by the management to decrease the down time for each of the three production units. The production scheduling is done manually by the company managers. The production scheduling phase is followed by the resource planning and procurement phase in which the managers decide the quality, quantity of resources that are to be allocated to each line and at what time. The quantity, quality and time o f resource procurement are very important at this point in order to maintain a steady flow of production and product quality. At many instances, the managers noticed that since the resources need to be often shared at many points and levels in the production chain, there existed some sharing concerns. There were variability and waste concerns that were pointed out by the managers. The last step of the production line consisted of cleaning and preparing the line for a new batch of production. It is to be noted here that due to the

Sociology, Crisis and Conflict Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Sociology, Crisis and Conflict - Essay Example The subject matter of this essay states about Sociology, Crises and Conflict, while under this a question arise which state; "Medicine alone cannot rid humanity of the scourge of AIDS." How authentic is this assertion Can AID be curable only through medicine or there are other approaches that need to bring forward to achieve for achieving that purpose In the end of the essay, it would get to understand about these. Meanwhile, at this point, let flash back once again to talk about already raising debate on health and social issues. No doubt, health is a social issue that needs to have great concentrations from government and private organizations in all communities across the globe. As social means the ensuring of well being of the people, thus, health issue most to be included on that aspect. In Barents Euro -Artatic Region for example, health matter is going hand in hand with other social issues. "The new Program on Health and Related Social Issueswill develop the necessary co-operation between social and health institutions in order to enhance the health situation in the Barents Euro-Arctic region. Vulnerable groups in the population should be the main target of the Program, also taking into account the special problems of sparsely populated areas. Three areas of priority have been chosen." (Working Group on Health and Related Social Issues). However, the issue ... Meanwhile, it is observed that it very true that medicine alone cannot cure the suffering, trouble and tension cause by AID. The disease AID is a very serious event resulting in great destruction and change, which is also politicized world wide, especially in the 21 century. How can medicine alone can cure a disease which is widely promoted by International medical authorities, government and non-government organization, including media, given information that frighten and contradict It must not be possible that the medicine alone can do this work. BACKGROUND OF AID DISEASE. It is noted in an article titled (Evidence That HIV Causes AID) that "acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) was first recognized in 1981 and has since become a major worldwide pandemic. AIDS is caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). By leading to the destruction and/or functional impairment of cells of the immune system, notably CD4+ T cells, HIV progressively destroys the body's ability to fight infections and certain cancers. An HIV-infected person is diagnosed with AIDS when his or her immune system is seriously compromised and manifestations of HIV infection are severe. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) currently defines AIDS in an adult or adolescent age 13 years or older as the presence of one of 26 conditions indicative of severe immunosuppressant associated with HIV infection, such as Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP), a condition extraordinarily rare in people without HIV infection".The United state for example has begin to witnessing the escalation of the incidence of HIV Disease from 1981, up to the year 2006, which is approximately 25 years back. The situation not only adversely

Patient educational plan for larry garcia Term Paper

Patient educational plan for larry garcia - Term Paper Example The determination of interventional ways to fill the education gaps is, therefore, timely and necessary in protecting the health of the patient from further deterioration. For patients to have a sense of personal belonging to any health or disease interventions prepared for them, it is important to directly involve them. For this reason, the patient’s educational plan is prescribed that spells out specific roles to be played by both the patient and practitioner. An introduction to the disease process High blood pressure is one of the vascular regulatory system related diseases that proceeds in a manner that â€Å"the mechanisms that usually control arterial pressure within a certain (normal) range are altered† (Medi-Info, 2012). Medically, what this means is that there is a misplacement of the correct means by which arterial pressure is expected to function. Due to this misplacement, the arterial pressure is often identified to be operating out of range. The mechanisms responsible for controlling the arterial pressure are diverse and interrelated in function (Wierbicky, 2008). Some of these include but are not limited to the central nervous system, extracellular volume and renal pressor system (Medi-Info, 2012). ... The subsequent reaction to such displaced function is that there will be â€Å"increased cardiac output and increased peripheral resistance† (Medi-Info, 2012). As this becomes uncontrolled at an early stage, there is the elevation of the arterial pressure, which subsequently reduces cerebral perfusion and cerebral oxygen supply by greater proportion (Selius & Subedi, 2008). As the process leads on, there will be an eventual decrease in the blood flow to the kidneys with oxygenation of the kidney also affected because of an increase of myocardial workload (Medi-Info, 2012). Age and developmental issues The education plan for the patient considerably emphasizes age and development issues. This is because age and development have been identified as some of the worst risk factors associated with high blood pressures (Mayo Clinic, 2012). Since the age and development processes of the patient cannot be controlled or stopped in any way, the approach to be taken is to identify with th e patient how age and development increase the risk of high blood pressure. Such an education would create an awareness of ‘no escape’ and, therefore, of ‘prevention’ as the only solution. This is to say that when the patient is educated concerning the fact that his growing age will increase his risk of contracting high blood pressure and that there is nothing he can do about the fact, he will take preventive measures seriously. The following reasons will be given to the patient as to why his age and development will increase the chances of getting high blood pressure: the fact that there is generally less activeness in the body as a result of ageing; hardening of the arteries; decrease in the functioning of the kidney; body’ refusal to process salt eaten; and the fact that

Parenting Children with Severe Difficulties Essay Example for Free

Parenting Children with Severe Difficulties Essay Becoming a parent needs some planning and preparation—mentally, socially and financially. Depending on various circumstances, parents may not be completely prepared when they have children. Still, having a child with severe disabilities could be shocking for some parents. In such cases, the child will need special care and attention from the parents, as well as from medical practitioners such as doctors and therapists. Parents need to be aware of the condition of the child and look for various ways to help the child become healthy and well. As the child grows up, the nature of stress and difficulties faced by the parents will also change. In addition to the physical needs of the child that the parents must look out for, they will also need to face several psychosocial struggles. According to Hastings and Beck (2004), parents of children with special needs, especially those relating to intellectual disabilities are subjected to stress and mental health-related problems because they need to adapt to social situations. They may experience different emotions depending on the behavior of their child, which they may or may not have control over. Feelings of embarrassment, annoyance and social discomfiture may be felt by the parents in various social settings. 1. Psychosocial Difficulties of Parents of Children with Severe Disabilities Raising a child requires significant investment in time, money and, more importantly, love, tenderness and caring! For a child with severe disabilities, parents may feel overwhelmed with the responsibility they have to bear. Oftentimes, people in the society may view children with disabilities unfairly and may unknowingly look with pity at the children’s parents. Among the psychosocial difficulties of parents are anxiety, depression and anger among others. Some parents find it really difficult to accept that their child has severe disabilities. This denial, then, would backfire and manifest in many ways. In a sense, denial is an escape from responsibility. Parents feel hopeless and unwilling to reconcile what went wrong with the pregnancy or with the disabilities of young children (Lavin, 2001). Anxiety and guilt can also be manifested by parents of children with disabilities. They may blame themselves for what happened and for not loving their children more. They may become conflicted internally—they hover between hating the responsibility thrust on them by their child’s disabilities and at the same feeling guilty that they feel that way. At some point, they may even get angry at the child at the world or at themselves for their child’s situation. Depression may also occur, depending on the gravity of the situation, the social connections of the parents and their ability to cope with the situation. When they are in social situations such as at the mall or in public places, the disabilities of the child may be highlighted and they may feel â€Å"special† as well. If parents are not able to accept the situation of their child and deal with it, they may find it difficult to adjust normally and raise their child well (Olsen Fuller, 2003). 2. Perception of the Child, the Parents and the Specialists Perceptions and mindsets are powerful. The way that parents view their child with special needs will affect how they treat such a child. While the broader society expects parents to love their children unconditionally, this may be more difficult for some parents. There are parents who may view a child with special needs as a nuisance and an unwanted burden and responsibility. Naturally, such an attitude and perception will resonate in the way that they treat the child. Trained medical practitioners and therapists are able to look at a child with special needs objectively and deliver all the necessary care the child needs. Such caring, however, were arrived at through years of training. This is the reason why parents of children with disabilities sometimes need to go to counseling so as to adjust their perceptions and their view of the situation. The perception of parents are also important for practitioners, special education teachers and other professionals to work with the parents in providing the necessary care and services for the growth and development of the child with disabilities (Bruns Mogharreban, 2008). If parents and practitioners have the same perception of the child, then it becomes easier for them to work together. As the child grows and interacts with more people in his immediate surroundings and in the broader community where he or she belongs to, collaboration between the parents and the professionals that deliver services for children with special needs becomes even more important. 3. Recommendations for Early Child Intervention Early intervention for children with special needs is necessary so that they, too, could enjoy a normal life. Not because they have disabilities means that they could not contribute meaningfully to the society. In fact, there have been great artists and craftsmen who managed to excel in what they do even with disabilities. Diagnose early. Early diagnosis of the child’s actual situation is very much needed. While a couple may have trouble accepting the reality of their child’s situation, knowing exactly what their child faces will help them get prepared and able to cope with the situation. Consequently, parents should enhance their attitude and perceptions toward the child. If needed, they should seek counseling so that they could better sort through their emotions and deal with any denial, guilt or anxiety they may be feeling. Following such counseling, the parents need to learn how to teach the right behavior to their child. Special education teachers may be able to bring out the best out of children with special needs. Yet, the role of the home and of the parents is still very important in the life of a child with special needs. It is inside the home where behavior is first mimicked, learned and reinforced. Without such learning inside the home, the child will find it difficult to adapt to his world and to the different kinds of people around him. Seeking out schools for children with special needs will also be a good move for the family so as to regulate the child’s behavior early on. 4. How I relate with a child with special needs. It is difficult to imagine myself in the shoes of a child with severe disabilities. But I am sure that I would still have curiosity because of what I see, hear, touch, smell and taste. I would be able to use all of these senses with verifying efficacy. While I may be limited by certain disabilities, that will not take away my senses. As such, I will still manage to use my curiosity to explore my world. As a child, I have felt the warmth of love and care from my parents and from the people that I am close to. Although the parents of a child with disabilities may find the situation of their child difficult, most of the time, they still want the best for their child. If I were growing up as a child with special needs, I would also learn that I have a sense of limitation. Everyone has different kinds of limitations in their lives. The limitations, however, are greater for children with disabilities. I would not help but compare myself with other children since that is a natural part of growing up. That might also be a source of frustration for a child with disabilities. As I put myself in the shoes of a child with disabilities, I could not help but appreciate what I have now. This is not to say that I pity those children with special needs. But it can be difficult—for the child and for the parents. This is why intervention is much needed at an early age when the child’s body and consciousness can be molded rather easily. Any child—with or without disabilities—will always appreciate sincere love and affection, first from parents and then from people around him. Hence, in providing care for them, there should always be a tinge of love and tenderness. Reference Bruns, D. A. Mogharreban, C. C. (2008). Working With Young Children With Disabilities: Perceptions, Skills, and Training Needs of Head Start Teachers. NHSA Dialog, 11 (1): 54-66. Hastings, R. P. Beck, A. (2004). Stress Intervention for Parents of Children with Intellectual Disabilities. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 45 (8): 1338-1349. Lavin, J. L. (2001). Special Kids Need Special Parents. New York: The Berkley Publishing Group. Olsen, G. Fuller, M. L. (2003). Home-School Relations: Working Successfully with Parents and Families. New York: Pearson Education, Inc.

Persuasive Writing on topic of Animal Rights Essay Example for Free

Persuasive Writing on topic of Animal Rights Essay Deceased: Monday, November 5th, 2001. Great Britains Prison Service has reported that animal rights terrorist Barry Horne, 49, died in a Worcester hospital on November 5 after a short-lived hunger strike. The official cause of death was liver failure. In 1997, Barry Horne was sentenced to 18 years in prison for carrying out vicious attacks and arson on legitimate facilities that he claimed promoted animal cruelty. His attacks put human beings in danger for animals, animals without sentience, the ability to realize that they are alive. Animals without the ability to distinguish thought. This essay will focus on animals we consume for our nutrition. Animals without the basic goal of human beings of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The human race cannot give these rights to living organisms without the goal of the unalienable right and without the basic comprehension of consciousness. Animals are ignorant of the basic sentience and self-awareness, everything is an animal and we are not exempt, and reasoning that we should solely eat plant proteins because we have the intelligence to, and the wolf doesnt, so therefore we should make the wolf our equal is self-contradictory. The human race has come up with criteria for judging the sentience of a organism. There are five basic building block of society, which are the criteria for judging the sentience of an animal. The starting point for any species is if they were observed as producing or having produced technological artifacts unique to that species. Next, if they were observed as able to communicate from one generation to the next by a recorded language unique to that species, that is a significant leap. An important pair is being observed as basing action on abstract reasoning and being observed as engaging in inductive and deductive reasoning processes, and finally, observed as engaging in non-utilitarian artistic activity unique to that species. No other species besides man has five basic building blocks of society. Animals eat, eat, reproduce, and die. We, as human beings, are predators. We eat other animals. We need to eat. Zoomorphism only happens when we arent worried about eating. If we were not sentient we would still eat animals. By the survival of the fittest, which is the law of raw nature, no animal has rights; only the tools to survive as  best it can. The chicken has no right not to be eaten by the fox. The gazelle has no ethical recourse against the lion. If we are merely animals, no other animal has any ethical standing to complain against the human animal for eating them or wearing their skins. The basic rational or credo for animal rights consists of changing our diet to exclusively vegetable proteins, based on the notion that human beings have the intelligence to choose to eat soy beans in preference to cattle but wolves cant and this superior human reasoning ability is a reason to consider animals such as wolves as our equals. Look at the last sentence of the animal rights credo, This superior human reasoning ability is a reason to consider animals such as wolves our equals, and therefore realize that that argument admits we are superior, so we should be equal. This argument is similar with 2=0. The rational itself is contradictory. Animal rights failed on three other arguments as well. First, human beings are the dominant species on this planet, making decisions regarding use of the land, the sea, the air, and the near space above the air. Man rules and animals have to take what we do with them and lump it. The penultimate argument is there are no animals petitioning mankind, their oppressor, for an elevated status or recognition of their rights. Third, there are no animals contesting their status as inferiors to mankind. Animals arent protesting for their rights, it is human beings. Animals are not asking for their rights. How do we know to give them rights? If they are sentient, how do we know that they want rights? It is human beings who are asking for rights for animals, but their rational is insufficient. So lets be prepared for animal rights activists, because after the death of Barry Horne, there are some people who may regard him as a martyr. That includes people who may want to carry out actions against on legitimate scientist working with animals to promote human beings needs. No animal rights activists are themselves animals. There is no organization called Porpoises for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. It is people who make those demands of other people. Essentially brainless work animals should not be considered on the same level as sentient human beings. Animal Rights is the philosophy of allowing non-human animals to have the most basic rights that  all sentient beings desire: the freedom to be exempt from this web of dog eat dog, the food chain, the survival of the fittest.

Controlling Obesity in Canada

Controlling Obesity in Canada Public Health Policy: Controlling Obesity in Canada The World Health Organisation defined health in its constitution as â€Å"a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.† (WHO, 1946) The health of an individual is affected by multiple factors like personal hygiene, access to health care, socio-economics, genetics, living and working environment. The term public health is used for the efforts which are made to promote individuals health. Public health The field of Public health can be described as the science of wellness of society, community or an organisation by disease prevention to promote health by collective efforts and choices of a society. Public health is different from medicine as it is mainly concerned with the promotion of health and well-being of a society not by treating the sick but by preventing the spread of a co-morbidity or morbidity. The community benefited by public health department can be of any size. Promotion of health involves multidisciplinary approach involving other fields of community medicine like epidemiology, economics, biostatistics, behavioural sciences, healthcare providers, public policy, environmental health, community health and occupational safety. (Winslow and Amory, 1920). By using health indicators as a source of information about the health status of a society public health increases the health of the society by preventing the diseases and promoting a healthy life style. Public health measures can be exemplified as hand washing, use of condoms, breast feeding, promoting hygiene, vaccination, promoting exercise, use of boiled water etc. Public health ethics Public health decreases the cost of healthcare by preventing the diseases keeping in view the ethics and norms of a society. While implementing a health policy there can be a conflict of some moral issues and restrict the choice of living for an individual. For an individual a policy may appear to have some negative effects but if we see society as a whole it proves beneficial. The ethics and mortalities are incorporated in the field of medical practice, health policies and medical research. With the advancement in the field of science, the study of application of moral values ethics by the scientists lead to formation of a new discipline called bioethics and medical ethics. Medical ethics are taken into consideration while making a health policy by public health departments worldwide. This subsidiary is called public health ethics. Public health policy The Nuffield Bioethics Council has identified following ethical and moral points that should be taken into consideration while making a health policy. A policy should have following characteristics: Produce health benefits Prevent health morbidities Encourage participation and distributes its benefits to all factions of the society without disparities Be founded on the principles of justice and transparency Respect individuals liberty of action Respect individuals privacy, confidentiality, respect minorities and universal human rights Build and maintain trust (The Nuffield Bioethics Council) Besides this the any health policy must be implemented by government involving the public sector and third party approach. Unlike developed countries developing countries still lack the monetary resources and trained staff in their public health departments. Fundamentals of Public Health Policy While forming a public health policy first there should be evidence of the cause of the disease. The evidences in this case are authentic peer review research works. After that there is scientific assessment of the risks, cost estimation and transparency. Obesity Obesity A Cause Of Many Diseases Obesity is proved to be a main cause of increase in mortalities as it causes many co morbidities. (David et al. 1999) But the good thing is that obesity is a preventable morbidity. Obesity increases the risk of a list of diseases which are beyond the scope of this paper. To be concise obesity increases the risk of ischemic heart disease, diabetes mellitus type 2, infertility, stroke, osteoarthritis and many more. Libraries are stuffed with the research reviews suggesting obesity as a cause of different diseases. Since 1980 the individuals suffering from obesity has been doubled as in 2008, 1.4 billion adults and 40 million children have been found to be suffering from obesity. (EASO, 2014) Obesity In Canada In Canada 50% adults are obese or over weight. In the years 1981-1996 obesity among children ages seven to 13 has tripled. The percentage of obesity in agults is increasing since 1978. Till 2007 the percentage grew from 15% to 29%. (Statistics Canada, 2009) and if this keep on growing then by 2040 70% of the adult Canadian population will be obese. Obesity costs Canadas economy $2.7 billion and the health care system $1.6 billion in 2000-01. From 1985 to 2000 about 57,000 deaths in Canada were caused by obesity. (Katzmarzyk, Ardern. 2004) Recommended Health Policy For Obesity Controlling obesity will require some drastic measures by the government as the problem is so adverse and will become worse in the future. The government have to implement such measures that address a large group of population. Following are my recommendation about controlling obesity in Canadian population. Hate Obesity Education Campaign Government must launch an effective campaign for increasing the awareness about obesity among individual this can be implemented by organising seminars, workshops and lectures in schools, colleges, universities, work places and in community gathering. By involving teachers and mothers this strategy can be proved very effective, one proposal from my side is the labelling of food products which are high in fats and calories. We can label the amount of product which can be taken by an individual in a day. â€Å"Hate Obesity† campaign will be very helpful by affective advertisement by out health department like we conduct no smoking campaign. Food Policy Food policy should be reviewed particularly regarding the increase in use of junk food and canned food. Over the years the population is increasingly more attracted toward the junk food. The food companies must me taken under taken under regulation and they must provide the information about food ingredients and calories to their consumer. This would be very hard for the government due to immense revnue and tax they generate. Huge motivation and courage at the government side is needed to control this elephant. Promotion of Physical Activity According to recent research majority of children and adults donot fit in the international guideline of physical activity. One of the reson is the access to the playground and parks. This would need some huge funding from the government for providing these facilities. Moreover private organisations can be involved to provide the oppurtunities to their workers like physical fitness competitions and benefits against the physical fitness. This also need regulations and legislation. Politicians and civil society can come up with a solution to this problem. Promotion of Home Made Diet The use of premade food is a very unhealthy culture growing in our society. Community awareness program for the mothers can be conducted to educatye the mothers. If mothers are convinced that obesity is a disease not an ordinary problem then this fear can be used to promote home made food. The people must know what they are eating. The choice of food to eat must be in the hands of the motrhers References Preamble to the Constitution of the World Health Organization. (1946) Winslow and Amory. (1920). The Untilled Fields of Public Health. Science. http://www.sciencemag.org/content/51/1306/23 The Nuffield Bioethics Council. 2007  www.nuffieldbioethics.org David B. Allison, PhD; Kevin R. Fontaine, PhD; JoAnn E. Manson, MD, DrPH; June Stevens, PhD; Theodore B. VanItallie, MD. Annual Deaths Attributable to Obesity in the United States. (1999) Ontario obesity reaches epidemic proportions  November 24, 2004, Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care. Katzmarzyk PT Ardern CI. Overweight and obesity mortality trends in Canada 1985-2000. Canadian Journal of Public Health. 2004. European Association of Study of Obesity. Obesity Facts Figures. 2014.  http://easo.org/obesity-facts-figures Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey, 2009, 2010. Le Petit C, Berthelot JM. Obesity: A Growing Issue. Statistics Canada. 2005 Adult Vaccination: An Important Step in Protecting Your Health (2014)  http://www.cdc.gov/features/VaccinesChronicConditions Rankin, S. H., Stallings, K. D., London, F. (2005). Patient education in health and illness. London: Lippincott Williams Wilkins.

Joy Luck Club :: essays papers

Joy Luck Club In The Joy Luck Club, by Amy Tan, one examines the story of four Chinese families throughout the generations. By examining specific examples of sacrifice within each of the four families, sacrifice will be proved to be one of the main themes of the story. Ying-Ying St. Clair made quite a precious sacrifice while she was in China. The sacrifice was 14 years of her life. That which adds to this sacrifice is that the years make up the time from which she was age 18-32, which most people consider to be their prime years. These lost years of loneliness were what she unknowingly sacrificed for having killed her first unborn child. She punished herself by moving into a small and shabby house that was occupied by three families and was infested by mice and flies. She chose to live here despite the fact that she came from a wealthy family and could have returned to them whenever she wanted to. Of the place she chose to live, she said " It was not a comfort to be there, and that is what I wanted." (P.249). Thus, one can see that as a result of a selfish act, Ying-Ying ends up sacrificing a large piece of her life. Suyan Woo also sacrifices a piece of herself, yet it was out of love. After she had been fleeing the Japanese for three days on foot, she was no longer able to carry her two babies. She left them by the roadside in hopes that someone would find them. That which shows that she was abandoning herself rather than her babies is the fact that she left all of her valuables and a note with them(P. 282). Suyan obviously wasn't leaving them in order to increase hopes of her own survival. Thus, one can see that in the Woo family, the theme of sacrifice is quite apparent, not to mention dramatic. The Jong family too, makes many sacrifices. Lindo's mother promised her into marriage at a young age in order to give her a better life. Ever since then, her mother had referred to her as "Huang TaiTai's daughter". It is evident that giving her daughter to Huang TaiTai's was not a selfish act, like unloading a burden, but it was a loving sacrifice.

Web-Based Issue Position Statement :: Essays Papers

Web-Based Issue Position Statement Introduction The use of laboratory animals in the classroom is an extremely controversial issue. Ethics as well as religion are challenged with the dissection of animals. This controversy is not a new one, animal dissection has been disputed for well over a hundred years (National Research Council, 1988). There have been numerous court cases concerning this issue and laws have been enacted to give students the right to refrain from participating in animal dissection (NABT, 1990). Background Animal dissection started hundreds of years ago in order to gain a better understanding of how the body works. It has helped us to learn about, prevent, and cure diseases that could have otherwise never been understood (National Research Council, 1988). Without animal research human health in general would be at a much lower level. â€Å"..in the United States, animal experimentation has contributed to an increase in average life expectancy of about twenty five years since 1900† (Research Council, 1988). Dissection was not used in the classroom until 1920 and did not become part of the regular curriculum until the 1960’s (NABT, 1990). The original attitude towards dissection in the classroom was generally supportive and understanding of the benefits of this type of study. In 1987 high school student Jennifer Graham went to court after her grade was lowered because she refused to participate in a frog dissection. After this incident, public opinion on dissection in the classroom completely changed (NABT, 1990). Since then, the controversy has heightened and researchers continue to debate with animal rights activists on the issue. People in support of animal use in the classroom present several arguments, the most popular being that it is a hands-on experience that allows student the opportunity to understand the body form and function (Lewis, 1997). It also allows students to see the actual placement of organs, the appearance and texture of tissues and organs, and the relationship of the organs with one another (NABT, 1990). Howard E. Buhse, associate director of the department of biological sciences at the University of Illinois at Chicago, claims that through dissection students gain a respect for the complicated way a body is put together. Buhse also states that the plastic models throw students off because, unlike the models, no body has perfect organs and there is natural anatomical variation of the placement of the organs (Lewis, 1997).

The Day of Infamy :: Imagery Terror Terrorism 9/11 Essays

The Day of Infamy Erupting on a crisp September morning, terrorist attacks bring America to a standstill. As the day began, it was an average Tuesday morning and New Yorkers as well as the rest of United States Citizens had no idea that in a matter of moments their city and their lives would be changed forever. People were doing what they had done thousands of times before. Some were on their way to work; while others were sitting at their desks, checking e-mail, sipping coffee or reading the morning paper. Out of the clear blue sky an airplane was hijacked and was heading for the twin tower. People heard an approaching noise and then all of a sudden a loud explosion! The twin towers of the World Trade Center were the symbols of Americas prosperity. Dr. Stefan Pasternack, a clinical professor of Georgetown University who specializes in the impact of terrorism and murder says: Its one thing to think of a truck blowing up in front of a building. This involved the use of civilian aircraft-the imagery is much more frightening. What we see here is what terrorism is all about. The idea is to make people feel that they cannot feel protected by their government (Black Tuesday 20). With World War II being a fight for national survival, terrorism is the struggle to preserve national values and stand for what we, as Americans, believe. As president Bush stated, Terrorists attacks can shake the foundations of our biggest buildings, but they cannot touch the foundation of America (Black Tuesday 12). The attacks on our nation nearly brought America to a halt. Around the world security was tightened. Air travel stopped, businesses closed and government facilities were evacuated Tuesday morning of September eleventh. For the first time in United States history, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) shut down air traffic nationwide. There were many incoming flights from around the world, carrying anywhere from four thousand to six thousand passengers, that were diverted to Canada. Authoriti es shut down all the tunnels and bridges in and out of New York City. All train services were shut down and many shipping ports were also closed down. The most memorable image of September eleventh was the Twin Towers that were engulfed in smoke and flames. Over and over the Towers flashed across Television screens and on the front pages of newspapers.

Enlightement Thinkers And Vincent Van Gogh Essay

The Enlightenment outlook embraced freedom and progress, viewing humanity with optimism – guarded optimism, but optimism nonetheless.   The era’s thinkers believed that humanity was essential good but flawed, though with the proper guidance and environment it could be improved, if not perfected.   Condorcet saw no limits to human potential, claiming that nature â€Å"has set no limit to the perfection of human faculties† (Gay 119) and that if humanity sought the right goals, the future would yield this. Similarly, Rousseau argued for humanity’s essential decency, yet he did not believe it was unconditional; he believed that â€Å"in the right circumstances, with the right education and the right society, man might become a decent citizen† (Gay 171).   In addition, Europeans considered Benjamin Franklin proof of their ideas – a man who had sought higher goals and outlets for his immense talents and energies and practiced Enlightenment virtues like civic duty and intellectual accomplishment.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Van Gogh shared the Enlightenment thinkers’ esteem for freedom and human dignity, writing in 1880 that â€Å"men are often faced with the impossibility of doing anything, imprisoned in some kind of cage. . . .   Sometimes the prison is called prejudice, misunderstanding, [or] fatal ignorance. . . .† (Suh 17)   He claimed he painted in order to ennoble laborers and the poor, whom many despised and viewed with little sympathy, hoping to â€Å"draw [people’s] attention to matters that need to be noticed† (Suh 43). For example, works like The Potato Eaters depict their subjects in difficult, even squalid conditions but do not condemn or judge them, as Van Gogh considered such people worthy of dignity.   Though Van Gogh was not overtly political (which several key Enlightenment thinkers were), he demonstrated an anti-elitist outlook resembling the Enlightenment sense of egalitarianism, and believed that humanity could fix its flaws by increasing its understanding of others and breaking free from the mental â€Å"prisons† he described. REFERENCES Gay, Peter.   The Enlightenment.   New York: W.W. Norton, 1977. Suh, H. Anna. Ed.   Vincent Van Gogh.   New York: Black Dog and Leventhal, 2006.

The Return: Nightfall Chapter 39

â€Å"We won the battle, but not the war,† Elena said sadly. She thought it was the day after their fight with the kitsune twins. She couldn't be sure of anything except that she was alive, that Stefan was gone, and that Damon was back to his old self again. â€Å"Maybe because we didn't have my precious brother,† he said, as if to prove it. They were driving in the Ferrari, trying to find Elena's Jaguar – in the real world. Elena ignored him. She also ignored the soft but vaguely annoying hiss that came from some device he'd installed that was not a radio, that just seemed to play voices and static. A new kind of Ouija board? Audio instead of all that tedious spelling? Elena felt herself shiver inside. â€Å"You did give your word to go with me and find him. I swear it by – by the Other World.† â€Å"You tell me that I did, and you're not a liar – no, not to me. I can read your facial expressions now that you're a human. If I gave my word, I gave my word.† Human? Elena thought. Am I?What am I? – with the kind of Powers I have? Even Damon can see that the Old Wood has changed in the real world. It's not an ancient, half-dead forest anymore. There are spring flowers in midsummer. There's life everywhere. â€Å"And in any case, it will give me plenty of time to be alone with you – my princess of darkness.† And we're back to that again, Elena thought wearily. But he'd leave me here stranded if I once suggested that we had laughed and walked in a clearing together – with him on his knees to adjust my footstool. Even I'm beginning to wonder if it was real. There was a slight bump – as nearly as one could tell from Damon's style of driving. â€Å"Got it!† he cheered himself – and then, when Elena turned, ready to wrench the wheel to make him stop – he added coolly, â€Å"It was a piece oftire , for your information. Not many animals are black, arched, and a few tenths of an inch thick.† Elena said nothing. What was there to say to Damon's quips? But deep down she felt relieved that Damon wasn't given to running over furry little animals as an amusement. We're going to be alone together for quite some time, she thought – and then realized that there was another reason she couldn't just tell Damon to dry up and die. Shinichi had put the location of Stefan's cell into Damon's mind, not hers. She needed him desperately, to take her to the location, and to fight whoever was keeping Stefan captive. But it was fine if he had forgotten that she had any Powers. Something to save for a rainy day. At just that moment, Damon exclaimed â€Å"What the – † and leaned forward to adjust dials on the not-radio. † – peating; all units be on the lookout for one Matthew Honeycutt, male Caucasian, five foot eleven inches, blond hair, blue eyes – â€Å" â€Å"What is that?†Elena demanded. â€Å"A police scanner. If you want to be able to really live in this great land of freedom, it's best to know when to run – â€Å" â€Å"Damon, don't get me started on your lifestyle. I meant what was that about Matt?† â€Å"It looks as if they've decided to bring him in at last. Caroline didn't get much revenge yesterday night. I guess she's taking a shot at it now.† â€Å"Then we've got to get to him first – anythingcould happen if he stays in Fell's Church. But he can't take his car, and he won't fit in this one. What are we going to do?† â€Å"Leave him to the police?† â€Å"Don't, please. We have to – † Elena was beginning, when in a clearing to the left, like some vision sent to approve her scheme, the Jaguar appeared. â€Å"That'sthe car we're taking,† she told Damon flatly. â€Å"At least it's roomy. If you want your police scanner doo-hickey in it, then you'd better start uninstalling it from this one.† â€Å"But – â€Å" â€Å"I'll go get Matt. I'm the only one he'll listen to. Then we'll leave the Ferrari in the Wood – or dump it in the creek if you want.† â€Å"Oh, the creek, byall means.† â€Å"Actually, we may not have time for that. We'll just leave it in the Wood.† Matt stared at Elena. â€Å"No. I won't run.† Elena turned the full intensity of her blue eyes on him. â€Å"Matt, get in the car.Now . You have to. Caroline's dad is related to the judge who signed the order to get you. It's a lynching, Meredith says. Even Meredith is telling you to run. No, you don't need clothes; we'll get clothes.† â€Å"But – but – it's not true – â€Å" â€Å"They'll make it true. Caroline will weep and sob. I never thought a girl would do this to get revenge, but Caroline is in a class of her own. She's gone nuts.† â€Å"But – â€Å" â€Å"I said, get in!They'll be here any minute. They've already been to your house and Meredith's house. What are you doing at Bonnie's, anyway?† Bonnie and Matt glanced at each other. â€Å"Uh, just having a look at Bonnie's mom's car,† Matt said. â€Å"It's on the fritz again, and – â€Å" â€Å"Never mind! Come with me! Bonnie, what are you doing? Calling Meredith back?† Bonnie jumped slightly. â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"Tell her good-bye and we love her and good-bye. Take care of the town – we'll be in touch – â€Å" As the red Jaguar pulled away, Bonnie said into the phone, â€Å"You were right. She's pulling a Straight A away. I don't know whether Damon's going – he wasn't in the car.† She listened for a moment and then said, â€Å"Okay, I will. I'll see you.† She hung up and got into action. Dear Diary, Today I ran away from home. I guess you can't really call it running away when you're almost 18 and you take your own car – and when nobody knew you were home in the first place. So I'll just say, tonight I'm on the run. The other slightly shocking thing is that I ran away with two different guys. And neither of them ismy guy. I say that, but†¦I can't help remembering things. The look in Matt's eyes in the clearing – I honestly think he was prepared to die to protect me. I can't help but think about what we once were to each other. Those blue eyes†¦oh, I don't know what's wrong with me! And Damon. I know now that there's living flesh under the layers and layers of stone he's wrapped around his soul. It's deeply hidden, but it's there. If I'm being honest with myself, I have to admit that he touches something deep inside me that makes me shiver – a part of myself even I don't understand. Oh, Elena! Stop right now! You can't go near that dark part of yourself, especially now that you have Power. You don't dare go near it. Everything is different now. You have to be more responsible (something you're not at all good at!). And Meredith won't be here to help me be responsible, either. How is this ever going to work out? Damon and Matt in the same car? On a road trip together? Can you imagine? Tonight, it was so late and Matt was so stunned by the situation that he couldn't really take anything in. And Damon only smirked. But he'll be in demonic form tomorrow, I know he will. I still think it was a great pity that Shinichi had to takeWings of Redemption from Damon along with his memories. But I firmly believe that, deep down, there's a tiny part of Damon that remembers how he was when we were together. And now he has to be worse than ever to prove that what he remembers was all a lie. So while you're reading this,Damon – I know you'll get hold of it somehow and snoop – let me tell you that you were nice for a while, actuallyNICE,and it was fun. We talked together. We even laughed – at the same jokes. And you†¦you were gentle. And now you're going, â€Å"Nah, it's just another Elena-plot to get me to think I can turn around – butI know where I'm going, and I don't care.† Does that ring a bell, Damon? Have yousaid those words to someone recently? And if not, how do I know them? Could it be that for once I'm telling the truth? Now I'm going to forget that you're totally besmirching your honor by reading secret things that don't belong to you. What else? First: I miss Stefan. Second: I didn't really pack for this. Matt and I swung by the boardinghouse, and he grabbed the money Stefan left for me while I grabbed an armful of clothes out of the closet – heaven knows what I've got: Bonnie's tops and Meredith's pants, and not a decent nightgown to my name. But at least I also got you, precious friend, a present Stefan was saving for me. I never really liked typing in a file marked â€Å"Diary† anyway. Blank books like you are my style. Third: I miss Stefan. I miss him so badly that I'm crying while I'm writing about clothes. It looks as if that's what I'm crying about, which makes me seem insanely shallow. Oh, sometimes I just want to scream. Fourth: I want to screamnow.It was only when we got back to Fell's Church that we found what horrors the malach had left for us. There is a fourth little girl I think may be possessed like Tami, Kristin, and Ava – I couldn't really tell, so I couldn't do anything. I have the feeling that we definitely haven't heard the last of this possession thing. Fifth: But worst is what happened in the Saitou house. Isobel is in the hospital with raging infections in all her piercings. Obaasan, as everyone calls Isobel's grandmother, was not dead as the first paramedics who got there thought. She was in a deep trance – reaching out tous . Whether some of the courage I got, some of the belief in myself, was really due to her, is something I'll never know. But in the den was Jim Bryce. He had†¦oh, I can't write it. He was the captain of theb asketball team! But he hadeaten away at himself: his whole left hand, most of his right-hand fingers, his lips. And he had put a pencil through his ear into his brain. They say (I heard this through Tyrone Alpert, the doctor's grandson) that it's called Lesch-Nyhan Syndrome (sp? I only heard it said) and that it's rare, but there are others just like him. That's what the doctors say. I say it was a malach making him do it. But they wouldn't let me in to try to take it out of him. I can't even say he's alive. I can't say if he's dead. He's going to a sort of institution where they keep long-term cases. We failed there. I failed. It wasn't really Jim Bryce's fault. So he was with Caroline just one night, and from there he passed the malach to his girlfriend Isobel and to his little sister Tami. Then both Caroline and little Tami passed it along to others. They tried to give it to Matt, but he wasn't about to let them. Sixth, the three little girls that most definitely did get it were all under the orders of Misao, from what Shinichi said.They say that they don't remember anything about decorating themselves or propositioning strangers. They don't seem to remember anything about the time of their possession, and they act like very different little girls now. Nice. Calm. If I thought Misao gave up easily then I would be sure they'll be all right. Worse is the thought of Caroline. She was a friend once and now – well, now I think she needs help more than ever. Damon got toher diaries – she kept her own diary by recording herself on video, and we watched her talk to the mirror†¦and watched the mirror talk back. Mostly it was her own image that showed, but sometimes, at the beginning or end of a session, it was Shinichi's face. He's good-looking, if a little wild. I can see how Caroline might fall for him and agree to be his carrier of malach in the town. That's all over. I used the last of whatever Power I know I have taking the malach out of those girls. Caroline, of course, wouldn't let me near her. And then there were those fateful words of Caroline's: â€Å"I need a husband!† Any girl knows what that means. Any girl feels sorry for another who says it, even if they're unfriends. Caroline and Tyler Smallwood were going together until about two weeks ago. Meredith says Caroline dropped him, and that kidnapping her for Klaus was Tyler's revenge. Butif before that they'd been sleeping together with no protection (and Caroline is dumb enough to do it), she could certainly have known she was pregnant and been looking for another guy by the time Shinichi turned up. (Which was just before I – returned to life.) Now she's trying to pin it on Matt. It was pure bad luck that she said it happened on the same night the malach attacked Matt and that that old man from the Neighborhood Watch saw Matt drive home and pass out at the steering wheel as if he were drunk or on drugs. Or maybe it wasn't just luck. Maybe that was all part of Misao's game, too. I'm going to sleep now. Too much thinking. Too much worry. And, oh, I miss Stefan! He would help me deal with the worry in his own gentle but keen-sighted way. I'm sleeping inside the car with the doors locked. The guys are sleeping outside it. At least, that's how we're starting – at their insistence. At least they agreed on that. I don't think Shinichi and Misao will stay away from Fell's Church for long. I don't know if they'll leave it alone for a few days, or weeks, or a few months, but Misao will heal and they'll come back for us eventually. That means that Damon, Matt, and I – we're fugitives in two worlds. And I have no idea what's going to happen tomorrow. Elena

Upon reflection of my conversation Essay

I recently had a conversation with a friend of mine regarding his out of control gambling habits as well as the level of debt he is quickly finding himself in. My friend hasn’t approached anyone else about this issue and thought because of my current study that I could help. I explained to my friend that I am not qualified to deal with issues such as these as I am not counsellor yet and only a student but would hear what he had to say as a friend. I listened to what he had to say with empathy and understanding while he told me his problems. After he had explained his situation to me I assessed what was going on and uncovered that he is suffering from depression, loneliness, helplessness and has thoughts of suicide. I told my friend that I think that he should talk to a counsellor about his problems and he told me that he didn’t want to and wanted me to tell him what he should do. Knowing that he wouldn’t seek professional help worried me greatly and I was finding myself trying to find solutions. Reflecting Upon reflection of my conversation with my friend I realized numerous things I shouldn’t have done such as: Find solutions for his problems Give advice as to what actions he should take Telling him the consequences of his actions Going through the Possibilities of his future without professional help Pushing my own point of view across The things I thought I do right in this situation were: Advice professional help Give support Showing empathy and understanding Explore possibilities Conceptualising After my friend had told me that he would not seek professional help and I knew there was no way I could persuade him to I started to give advice which felt like a lecture. After sometime I saw that he was losing interest in the discussion which made me feel helpless in helping him and was not the way I wanted the conversation to go. Planning In the future as a counsellor faced with this situation I think it would be much different given the client has already taken the first step in seeking help. In addition to dealing with this similar situation as a counsellor I feel I would be better equipped being fully qualified as a professional counsellor in a counselling environment, felling more confident in my ability’s in using a variety of skills and techniques. Given the same situation again with my current level of counselling I feel that I would still be understanding and caring but maybe less pushy in trying to help when all other options fail. I think what brought out this pushing of my own point of view across was my friend talking of suicide then refusing help so it felt like a matter of life and death to me.

Organisational Behaviour Essay

The concept of the balanced scorecard (BSC) was first introduced by Robert S. Kaplan and David P. Norton (1992) in their now widely cited Harvard Business Review article, â€Å"The Balanced Scorecard—Measures that Drive Performance.† The widespread adoption and use of the BSC is well documented. For example, Kaplan and Norton (2001) reported that by 2001 about 50% of the Fortune 1000 companies in North America and 40% to 45% of companies in Europe were using the BSC. The basic premise of the BSC is that financial results alone cannot capture value-creating activities (Kaplan & Norton, 2001). In other words, financial measures are lagging indicators and, as such, are not effective in identifying the drivers or activities that affect financial results. Kaplan and Norton (1992) suggested that organizations, while using financial measures, should develop a comprehensive set of additional measures to use as leading indicators, or predictors, of financial performance. They su ggested that measures should be developed that address four perspectives: 1. The financial perspective. Measures in this perspective should answer the question, â€Å"How should we appear to our shareholders?† 2. The customer perspective. These measures should answer the question, ABSTRACT. Although the application of the balanced scorecard (BSC) in the business sector is well documented, very little research has been reported regarding the adaptation or application of the BSC in the education sector. In this article, the authors (a) describe how the Baldrige Education Criteria for Performance Excellence has adapted the concept of the BSC to education and (b) discuss significant differences as well as similarities between the BSC for business and the BSC for education. The authors also present examples of the BSCs of three Baldrige Education Award recipients. financial performance (Kaplan & Norton, 1996). Thus, the BSC enables managers to monitor and adjust the implementation of their strategies and to make fundamental changes in them. The Baldrige National Quality Program: An Overview The Baldrige National Quality Program is the vehicle of implementation of The Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Improvement Act of 1987–Public Law 100–107. This law was enacted on the basis of a set of â€Å"Findings,† one of which was that [T]he leadership of the United States in product and process quality has been challenged strongly (and sometimes successfully) by foreign competition, and our Nation’s productivity growth has improved less than our competitors’ over the last two decades. (Baldrige National Quality Program, 2003a, p. 61) â€Å"How should we appear to our customers?† 3. Internal business processes perspective. Measures in this perspective should answer the question, â€Å"What processes must we excel at?† 4. Learning and growth perspective. These measures should answer the question, â€Å"How can we sustain our ability to change and improve?† A critical factor for an effective BSC is the alignment of all the measures in the four perspectives with the company’s vision and strategic objectives. The BSC allows managers to track short-term financial results while simultaneously monitoring their progress in building the capabilities and acquiring the intangible assets that generate growth for future The primary objective of the Baldrige Program is to help American businesses improve their competitiveness in the global market. Businesses can improve their competitiveness by identifying role-model organizations, recognizing them, and disseminating their best practices throughout the United States. The Baldrige Program is widely recognized as a very significant factor in strengthening U.S. competitiveness in the global market. In its 1995 report Building on Baldrige: American Quality for the 21st Century, the Council on Competitiveness made the following statements: â€Å"The Baldrige National Quality Award and its state and local offshoots have been key to the effort to strengthen U.S. competitiveness† and â€Å"The Baldrige Award Program, having galvanized U.S. quality efforts, is now positioned to become the vehicle to stimulate and coordinate efforts to expand quality as a national priority† (Council, p. v). The Council (p. 22) also stated that it â€Å"is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization of chief executives from business, higher education and organized labor who have joined together to pursue a single overriding goal: to improve the ability of American companies and workers to compete more effectively in world markets, while building a rising standard of living at home.† In 1995, The Council was chaired by Paul Allaire, CEO, Xerox, with Thomas E. Everhart, President, California Institute of Technology, and Jack Sheinkman, President, Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers Union, AFL-CIO, CLC, as vice-chairmen. Recipients of the Baldrige Award are obligated to present their â€Å"best practices† at one national and two regional conferences. In addition to these obligatory presentations, there is a great demand for additional presentations. Through 1998, past Baldrige Award recipients made approximately 30,000 presentations. The centerpiece of the Baldrige Program is the Criteria for Performance Excellence. These criteria define a stateof-the-art management model that integrates the following seven areas into a comprehensive system: leadership; strategic planning; customer and market focus; measurement, analysis, and knowledge management; human resource focus; process management; and business results. In Figure 1, we show the framework of the criteria in a systems perspective. The criteria maintain currency through annual revisions and improvements that incorporate emerging issues and best practices (Baldrige National Quality Program, 2003a). The criteria place heavy emphasis on the development of a comprehensive measurement system that is aligned with the company’s strategic objectives. The measurement system yields results in the following areas (Baldrige National Quality Program, 2003a): 1. Customer-focused results 2. Product and service results 3. Financial and market results 4. Human resource results 5. Organizational effectiveness results, including key internal operations performance measures 6. Governance and social responsibility results Clearly, this set of results is consistent with the basic concept of the BSC. The financial and market results are the only lagging indicator and cover the BSC’s financial perspective. The customerfocused results obviously cover the BSC’s customer perspective. The product and service results together with the organizational effectiveness results cover the BSC’s internal business perspective. The human resource results cover the BSC’s learning and growth perspective. The governance and social responsibility results were added in 2003 and represent a new perspective in view of the recent, well known collapses that giant corporations experienced owing to unethical practices. The Baldrige Education Criteria for Performance Excellence In 1995, the Baldrige National Quality Program began the process of converting the business criteria for use in the education sector. This process culminated in the development of the Education Criteria for Performance Excellence and with Congressional approval of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award for Education in 1999. In Figure 2, we show the framework of the education criteria in a systems perspective. Clearly, this framework is very similar to that of the business criteria shown in Figure 1. In 2001, three educational institutions became the first recipients of the Baldrige Award. The BSC in the Education Criteria for Performance Excellence Although the concept of the BSC has been widely adopted and used in the business sector, the education sector apparently has not embraced the BSC concept widely, as indicated by the dearth of published research on this topic. A thorough review of the literature yielded few significant publications. For example, Cullen, Joyce, Hassall, and Broadbent (2003) proposed that a balanced scorecard be used in educational institutions for reinforcement of the importance of managing rather than just monitoring performance. Sutherland (2000) reported that the Rossier School of Education at the University of Southern California adopted the balanced scorecard approach to assess its academic program and planning process. Also, Chang and Chow (1999) reported that responses in a survey of 69 accounting department heads were generally supportive of the balanced scorecard’s applicability and benefits to accounting programs. The importance of measurement permeates the Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence. The focus on measurement in the criteria first appears in the set of â€Å"Core Values and Concepts.† These factors comprise the philosophical foundations of performance excellence and are as follows (Baldrige National Quality Program, 2003b): 1. Visionary leadership 2. Learning-centered education 3. Organizational and personal learning In the â€Å"focus on the future† core value, the criteria state that â€Å"a major longer-term investment associated with your organization’s improvement is the investment in creating and sustaining a mission-oriented assessment system focused on learning† (Baldrige National Quality Program, 2003b, p. 3). The criteria recommend that organizations use both (a) formative assessment to measure learning early in the learning process to allow for timely intervention, if needed, and (b) summative assessment to measure progress against key relevant external standards and norms regarding the knowledge and skills that students have (Baldrige National Quality Program, 2003b). In the â€Å"management by fact† core value, the criteria make the following statement: â€Å"A major consideration in per-formance improvement and change management involves the selection and use of performance measures and indicators. The measures or indicators you select should best repres ent the factors that lead to improved student, operational, and financial performance. A comprehensive set of measures or indicators tied to student, stakeholder, and/or organizational performance requirements represents a clear basis for aligning all processes with your organization’s goals† (Baldrige National Quality Program, 2003b, p. 4). The congruence of the portion in italics with the basic premise and the perspectives of the BSC is clear. In the â€Å"focus on results and creating value† core value, the criteria state that â€Å"the use of a balanced composite of leading and lagging performance measures offers an effective means to communicate short and longer term priorities, monitor actual performance, and provide a clear basis for improving results† (Baldrige National Quality Program, 2003b, p. 4). The criteria make the following statement in the â€Å"systems perspective† core value: â€Å"Alignment means using key linkages among requirements given in the Baldrige Categories to ensure consistency of plans, processes, measur es, and actions† (Baldrige National Quality Program, 2003b, p. 5). The 11 core values and concepts are embodied in the following seven categories: 1. Leadership 2. Strategic planning 3. Student, stakeholder, and market focus 4. Measurement, analysis, and knowledge management 5. Faculty and staff focus 6. Process management 7. Organizational performance results In Figure 2, we show the framework connecting and integrating these seven categories into a comprehensive system. In describing Figure 2, the criteria state, in part, that â€Å"Measurement, Analysis, and Knowledge Management (Category 4) are critical to the effective management of your organization and to a fact-based system for improving performance.

Dove’s Real Beauty Campaign: a Reflection Essay

Jennifer Millard’s Performing beauty: Dove’s â€Å"Real Beauty† campaign was made to conduct a study on the results of the company Dove’s Real Beauty Campaign onto it’s targeted audience, women. Throughout the study Jennifer Millard explains that Dove’s Real Beauty Campaign is a series of advertisements in magazines and commercials that promotes and empowers beauty for every women, no matter what other media outlets says. Millard uses focus groups and interviews with sixteen Canadian women to investigate the opinions; with ages ranging from fifteen to fifty-nine years old. Within the study, I found two main themes within Millard’s article, which will be discussed and reflected on how it contributed to her study. The first theme I found quite interesting in Millard’s study was how she was connecting her definition of beauty towards a symbolic interactionist perspective by explaining how it is the culture and society that determines which features would be deemed as beautiful or not. I somewhat disagree with Millard’s connection because while the media outlets to society what they should and should not be, most of the content was created by the outlets themselves with their opinions of what society should be. While the society may have certain opinions on these topics, the media elaborates on the opinions society has and makes them more negative and demanding then they actually are. For example, in Millard’s study she shows the participants an advertisement from the Dove Real Beauty Campaign of a naked, overweight, middle-aged African American woman. After seeing many of the other Real Beauty Campaigns, this was the first advertisement that got a negative reaction from one of the focus groups. â€Å"Sasha: Sometimes I’m like ew, I wonder why is this even in here? Like all these Dove ones, there is old wrinkly lady. Her legs are like this and you can’t see any- thing and it’s like why is she in here? Monica: She’s naked and like oh no!† (Millard 164) From these reactions that came from the youngest aged focus group, it reflects the negative attitude regarding nudity the media has created against overweight, non-white women. The general, society-made opinion on nudity is that it is an act to be seen not in the public eye, but in a private setting. The media has taken that opinion of nudity and subjected it to making it more tolerable in public (in certain films or advertisements) but only if the people who are naked are deemed beautiful enough. An argument that can be made against my point is that only one of the focus groups in Jennifer Millard’s study had a negative reaction to the advertisement. The focus group that reacted negatively to the advertisement also happened to be the focus group with the youngest women in the group. Their reaction can be explained because they have not had a long experience with â€Å"out of the norm† advertisements and are used to seeing advertisements with a more negative message within them, compared to the other and more experienced focus groups. Also, the women in the other aged focus groups can better relate to the model’s â€Å"imperfections† compared to the younger focus group. Millard explained in her article that specific advertisement was Dove’s boldest one in the study, and expected that it will cause stronger reactions compared to the other campaign advertisements the focus groups would be seeing. Another theme that I found when reading Jennifer Millard’s article was the idea of privilege that the media creates within the desire of beauty. By being classified as beautiful in society, the media creates a shift in power that only beautiful people can have and reinforces the power within majority groups in the society. â€Å"In Western culture, those with beautiful bodies and faces â€Å"get more† out of life because beauty is highly valued (Black 2004). Beautiful people are viewed as more intelligent, powerful, healthy, and of higher class than the masses of regular Joes and Janes (Plous and Neptune 1997).† (Millard 150). To make sure this idea of privilege gets reinforced, and not every person can be classified with is privilege, the media has created extreme expectations that are very difficult for a woman to fully achieve every requirement. These expectations range from being tall and having a slender body, long, shiny hair, clear skin, and trendy, expens ive clothes. These expectations creates a form of privilege within society, that the small percentage of people who have all those qualities are classified correctly will all the benefits and advantages. I definitely agree with Millard’s on this issue because everyone who is not classified as beautiful has seen this form of privilege in the media. By looking at a tabloid magazine or by watching television, the privilege of beautiful is often flashed into the eyes of the less worthy, non-beautiful majority. Award shows is a obvious example of this privilege. Here famous and usually beautiful people gather and attend a extravagant night of drinking and celebration, and accompanied by thousands of dollars worth of jewellery and clothing on their bodies. Throughout their campaign, Dove promotes equality of beauty between all groups of women, no matter their size, shape or age. With their campaign message, they are attempting to eliminate the privilege that only women classified as beautiful deserve. As positive as this campaign is, at the end of the day Dove is a company trying to make a profit. Instead of the usual kind of advertising with the message that their product will make the woman who buys it more beautiful; they state that every women is already beautiful, and they can embrace their beauty by buying a dove related product. From advertising with this point of view, Dove is assuming that no women knows their true beauty, and will never see it unless they buy their products. When looking at that viewpoint Dove is stating, it can be seen as offending towards any woman who is already confident in their beauty and self-image. In conclusion, while the Dove Real Beauty Campaign is certainly not the only solution towards changing the view of beauty in the media, Jennifer Millard’s study discusses the many pros and cons the campaign offers towards women in a fair matter. Millard also presents the themes of a symbolic interactionist perspective and of privilege that help benefits the Real Beauty Campaign which in time, creates more positive content within the media. Reference List Millard, Jennifer. â€Å"Dove’s â€Å"Real Beauty† Campaign.† University of California Press (2009): n. pag. JSTOR. University of California Press. Web. 5 Feb. 2013.