Essay On Nursing And Rehabilitation Facilities In Tennessee

Two brand new state of the art nursing and rehabilitation facilities were recently built, in Tennessee, by a multimillionaire. The first nursing and rehabilitation facility was built, in East Tennessee surrounded by, ten privately owned nursing and rehabilitation centers. The second, nursing and rehabilitation facility is located, in West Tennessee surrounded by, ten company-owned nursing and rehabilitation facilities. The multimillionaire, moved to Tennessee from New York City, a year ago. After experiencing continued success with the five nursing and rehabilitation centers in New York City. Now, with all the success the multimillionaire has had in New York it was time to grow and expand. The Multimillionaire thought about the expansion†¦show more content†¦Sample groups from these states with nursing and rehabilitation centers all received online web surveys (Mirabella, 2011). The multimillionaire took into consideration that there was going to be a difference in the resul ts, of the samples (Mirabella, 2011). The whole idea was for the results to be relatively close to the truth and to have confidence in the results (Mirabella, 2011). The multimillionaire could have taken the easy way out and randomly stopped at ten nursing and rehabilitation centers, in the area (Mirabella, 2011). With the data, information gathered computed the mean price for room and services (Mirabella, 2011). However, it is doubtful the mean would equal the population mean (Mirabella, 2011). By performing sample online web surveys of different locations, the multimillionaire would come closer to the true means (Mirabella, 2011). Once the sample means established, along with the margin of error a confidence interval can be computed (Mirabella, 2011). Confidence intervals can be computed for any level of confidence typically, 95% confidence intervals are used to understand population mean (Schindler, 2016). However, confidence levels of 90% and 99% can also be used to decrease or increase the level of confidence (Schindler, 2016). A 90% confidence interval, means that there is a 90% chance the confidence interval includes the sample mean (Schindler, 2016).Show MoreRelatedFundamentals of Hrm263904 Words   |  1056 Pagesstrip frequently mirror the concerns and frustrations of workers everywhere. Chapter 1 The Dynamic Environment of HRM (Source: DILBERT:  © Scott Adams/Dist. by United Features Syndicate, Inc.) temporary workers can be found in secretarial, nursing, accounting, assembly-line, legal, dentistry, computer programming, engineering, marketing, education, publishing, and even senior management positions. Why the organizational emphasis on contingent employees? Organizations facing a rapidly changingRead MoreStephen P. Robbins Timothy A. Judge (2011) Organizational Behaviour 15th Edition New Jersey: Prentice Hall393164 Words   |  1573 PagesNorthern Iowa Linda Morable, Richland College Paula Morrow, Iowa State University Mark Mortensen, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Lori Muse, Western Michigan University Padmakumar Nair, University of Texas at Dallas Judy Nixon, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Jeffrey Nystrom, University of Colorado at Denver Alison O’Brien, George Mason University Heather Odle-Dusseau, Clemson University Miguel Olivas-Lujan, Lujan Clarion University ACKNOWLEDGMENTS xxxiii Kelly Ottman, University

Downfall Of A Star By John Updike - 965 Words

Downfall Of A Star In John Updike’s poem, â€Å"Ex-Basketball Player,† Updike, an American novelist and poet born in 1932, best known for his â€Å"Rabbit† series, tells the story of an American tragedy when he describes the life of Flick Webb, a once high-school basketball star turned gas attendant. This poem is narrated by an unknown voice, but sounds like a local who knew of Webb’s significance in high school. Webb went from a successful high-school basketball star to a gas station attendant. Updike’s theme to this poem is that one’s past does not shape or make their future. In stanza three, Updike writes, â€Å"He was good: in fact, the best.† Telling the audience that Webb was indeed a talented player. In the beginning of stanza four, Updike goes on to write, â€Å"He never learned a trade, he just sells gas, checks oil, and changes flats.† Implying that Webb didn’t get far with his talent. Flick Webb set a county record for points with three hundred and ninety, and is now fueling gas and changing tires at Berth’s Garage. The use of Updike’s tone, visual prospective, and the characterization of Flick gives the reader a unique scene told from the eyes of the narrator on the past and present life of a once star. John Updike uses a unique form of narrating the poem; he uses the voice of what depicts a local resident who was a witnessed Webb’s stardom in high-school basketball. The tone to which this narrator speaks starts as reminiscent then gets sorrow and a bit depressing toward theShow MoreRelatedPoetry Essay Prompt2545 Words   |  11 Pagesdevices of sound, images, and allusions. 1988 Poems: â€Å"Bright Star† (John Keats) and â€Å"Choose Something Like a Star† (Robert Frost) Prompt: Read the following two poems very carefully, noting that the second includes an allusion to the first. Then write a well-organized essay in which you discuss their similarities and differences. In your essay, be sure to consider both theme and style. 1989 Poem: â€Å"The Great Scarf of Birds† (John Updike) Prompt: Write a well-organized essay in which you analyze how

Soliloquy Essay Example For Students

Soliloquy Essay The first Soliloquy of Hamlet appears in act one scene two. It falls after Claudius and Gertrude announce their marriage to the kingdom, and before Horatio and Marcellus tell Hamlet about seeing the ghost. Shakespeare loads this Soliloquy with stylistic devices that help introduce themes, show conflict, show character, and set the tone.We first see a metaphor comparing Hamlet’s flesh to melting ice. This indicates how depressed he feels. He wishes he could melt away and die, but he doesn’t kill himself because it is against the law of the church. The apostrophe â€Å"O God, God,† along with the personification of the world show the desperation and sadness of Hamlet. â€Å"Tis an unweeded garden,† is the beginning of a metaphor that extends throughout the book. Shakespeare is comparing Denmark (in what is more seeable in later soliloquies) to Eden. This is the beginning of a major theme throughout Hamlet. That is the theme of corruption, and how it spreads. Next we see that how great of a King Hamlet Sr. was compared to Claudius. This is done through the metaphor â€Å"Hyperion to a satyr.† Shakespeare also uses alludes saying that the King would shield the winds from heaven from Gertrude’s face. This displays the reader how loving a husband he was. Then a rhetorical question is use to show how painful all these memories are to him. Now we see a series of imagery and allusions of how Gertrude acted toward the King. To indication how short a period of time it was between the Kings death and Gertrude’s remarriage we see an allusion of her funeral shoes not be old. Also a metaphor is used comparing her to a Niobe at the funeral, and an allusion saying a beast would mourn longer than she did. These two literary devices work together to help start another important theme in Hamlet. This is the theme of appearance vs. reality. Gertrude appeared to be mournful and sorrowed at her husband’s death, but yet she marri es his brother a month later. Shakespeare then takes two metaphors (Hamlet to Hercules and the King to Claudius) and compares them. This shows how different and superior the King was to his brother. We see another allusion of Gertrude marring while the salt from her â€Å"Unrighteous tears,† are still on her face. This confirms the speed of her remarriage. The personification of tears also exemplifies the belief that Gertrude was acting to be sad. This is also appearance vs. reality. Then speed is personified to implement again how short the time span was. The sheets are also personified to be incestuous. This demonstrates that with the speed of the marriage it is illegal by the church. Shakespeare then ends the soliloquy with the personification of Hamlet breaking his heart by holding his tongue. This exhibits to the read that Hamlet is going to have a hard time holding all this in, but that he must not say anything to his mother. The first soliloquy plays a major role of se tting up two themes (corruption and appearance vs. reality) and setting up conflict. It allows the reader to see into Hamlet’s mind and learn more about his character while possibilities of a conflict arise. The soliloquy also sets up a lot of background information. We learn about past events that other wise could not have been shown. The first soliloquy also sets a tone of frustration that continues until the second. Bibliography:none

Philosophy of Education

A good teacher under the discipline of special education has implicit understanding of the needs of students with special challenges. Such a teacher will have a desire to go out of his or her way to reach out to every student within a class.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Philosophy of Education specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More As a teacher under the sub discipline of special education I play a leadership role in ensuring that my students are motivated and inspired to learn despite their circumstances. However, this cannot be achieved working alone. It requires a collaborative approach that involves teachers, students, caregivers, and the society at large. Schools form a system that contributes towards the existence of the greater society. Within this system, the teacher assumes the role of a leader to give direction and guidelines to students in addition to supporting the substance of a school. The leadership roles of teachers may either be formally or informally assigned. Nonetheless, teachers would still play the following leadership roles in their capacity as teachers: resource providers, instructional expert, curriculum consultant, classroom supporter, learning facilitator, and student adviser. The teacher as a leader is guided by the ethics of care and connectivity. Care and responsibility develops from an individual’s feeling of interconnectedness with others. It is contextual and arises from experience. It is on one hand characterized by nurturance and an emphasis of responsibility to others. On the other hand it is characterized by rationality that emphasizes on individual rights. Within the context of education, ethics of care has to be pursued by teachers and located within the framework of friendship. The friendship is further based on love and trust. The teacher as a leader is also based on the philosophical model of democracy and dialogue. The concept of dialogue has been described by philosophers as a true human feature. It is a prerequisite for working with each other in creating a cultural world.Advertising Looking for report on education? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Without dialogue teachers and other stakeholder of a school can never work together for a common goal. This implies that as teachers become instructional specialists, curriculum specialists, classroom supporters, learning facilitators and mentors, they utilize the concepts of dialogue and democracy. Parents and guardians are an essential part of the learning process. They enable teacher to understand students and also assist teacher to implement curriculum. As a leader, the teacher has to therefore build relationships with caregivers and involve them in the growth of their children. This is a critical aspect of special education where the input of the caregivers is highly appreciated for proper development of these chil dren with special needs. I therefore see myself as a leader within the school setting on a mission to ensure that my students are successful in their quest for education through building effective relationships with students, colleagues, and caregivers. My goal is to gain more knowledge and skills in the process of learning in addition to igniting the passion for knowledge within my students. In teaching under special education, I have to take into account the special needs of my students as I impact knowledge in them. These children have special challenges towards learning including physical, emotional, behavioral, and communication challenges. Being sensitive to the needs of others, I strive to ensure that these children are not left out because of their state. References Blase, J., Blase, J. (2006). Teachers bringing out the best in teachers: A guide to peer consultation for administrators and teachers. Thousand Oaks, California: Corwin Press. Killion, J. (2001). What works in e lementary schools: Results-based staff development. Oxford, Ohio: National Staff Development Council. Larner, M. (2004). Pathways: Charting a course for professional learning. Portsmouth, New Hampshire: Heinemann.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Philosophy of Education specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This report on Philosophy of Education was written and submitted by user Mar1am to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

The Browning Version a play about changing national identity in England Essays

The Browning Version a play about changing national identity in England Essays The Browning Version a play about changing national identity in England Paper The Browning Version a play about changing national identity in England Paper Essay Topic: Play The Browning Version is a play written by Terence Rattigan. It is built around a public school, and one of the main themes in the play is how Englishness and national identity in England change over time. To show this change in Englishness Rattigan builds the play around Andrew Crocker-Harris, he represents the old pre-war Englishness that was fading away during the time when the play was written. In contrast to Andrew, the younger, Frank Hunter stands for what is to come, and what can be seen as the new post-war Englishness. The play was written in 1948 and as scholars have argued the change in Englishness was as fierce as ever during this period. One factor that influenced the change in national identity was the change in political power, from The Conservatives to The Labour Party. The fact that England lost its position as the worlds most powerful empire after the Second World War also influenced the rapid change in Englishness. The unpopular Mr Crocker-Harris is a Latin and Greek master, both Latin and Greek were languages with decreased importance during this period. Emerging languages whit higher status were for instance French and Spanish. The author gives the reader the feeling that Mr Crocker-Harris is conservative and unchangeable by giving him these old fashion features. Something that might be traced back to the Englishness that dominated in the pre-war era, a stubborn person that was unwilling to see the new things coming. In contrast, Hunter stands for the new, he is a science teacher and everyone seems to like him. He is an open-minded person and Taplows, a pupil at the school, highest wish is to start science instead of language class. This might be seen a metaphor for the old, Latin and Greek, to give way for the new, science and other languages. It seems like no one really likes Andrew, he is called The Crock and Himmler of the Lower Fifth by his pupils, he is also considered not to have any heart or feelings. He is even forced out of the school by the headmaster to give way for a new language teacher that is supposed to teach new languages instead of Latin and Greek. Neither his wife seems to like him, she has an affair with the younger Frank Hunter, a metaphor which might show a shift from the old to the new, a shift in the importance from language to science. In conclusion, Rattigans play The Browning Version tackles the change in Englishness and Englands national identity. He does so by giving Mr Crocker-Harris features that were interrelated with the Englishness before the Second World War and before The Labour Party won the election and laid the ground for the welfare state. The most prominent of all these features are the shift in importance of the Latin and Greek language. Other features that Andrew possesses that are connected with the old Englishness are his way of being strict and authoritarian and his reluctance to accept new things coming. In contrast Hunter stands for what is new and gives a picture of what is to come.

Free Essays on Drugs History And Definition

Drugs have„ «History / Definition a long and notorious history for altering minds. Drugs are used as a way of In this speech, I will„ «escaping reality and disappearing into another world. assist you in understanding the history and definitions of various drugs. My proposed findings are based upon information I have gathered from a variety of Therefore, according to„ «what I believed to be reputable and credible sources. Professor Blum, from the University of Chicago the original home of cannabis is thought to be Central Asia, but has spread around the globe with the exception Early in its„ «of the Arctic regions and areas of wet tropical forests. history ¡Xthe Chinese undoubtedly used it as a hallucinogen. 1500 years later when they had their first contact with Europeans the drug had fallen into decline. However, its value had become a primary source of fiber and there is record of The United States declared„ «hemp cultivation dating back to Neolithic times. marijuana as an illegal drug in 1937. It has been a source of great controversy Another popular drug widely used in the United States is cocaine.„ «ever since. Cocaine is extracted from the leaves of a plant called E-Coca. E-Coca, a bushy shrub native to South American countries at high altitudes. Cocaine is the primary alkaloid in these leaves. In addition, Sigmund Freud, the famous psychoanalyst, used cocaine to treat many of his patients, later he himself became an addict. Cocaine was found to have a numbing effect, therefore it was introduced as an anesthetic by Carl Koller. Cocaine use fell off for various reasons, before it reemerged in the late 1970s. Though touted as the  ¡Ã‚ §perfect Next, lysergic acid diethylamide, commonly„ «drug, ¡Ã‚ ¨ it has ruined many lives. known as (LSD) was created in 1943 by Albert Hofmann. This drug gained huge popularity in the 1960s. Hofmann ¡Ã‚ ¦s description of his experience while testing the drug was a pleasant intoxi... Free Essays on Drugs History And Definition Free Essays on Drugs History And Definition Drugs have„ «History / Definition a long and notorious history for altering minds. Drugs are used as a way of In this speech, I will„ «escaping reality and disappearing into another world. assist you in understanding the history and definitions of various drugs. My proposed findings are based upon information I have gathered from a variety of Therefore, according to„ «what I believed to be reputable and credible sources. Professor Blum, from the University of Chicago the original home of cannabis is thought to be Central Asia, but has spread around the globe with the exception Early in its„ «of the Arctic regions and areas of wet tropical forests. history ¡Xthe Chinese undoubtedly used it as a hallucinogen. 1500 years later when they had their first contact with Europeans the drug had fallen into decline. However, its value had become a primary source of fiber and there is record of The United States declared„ «hemp cultivation dating back to Neolithic times. marijuana as an illegal drug in 1937. It has been a source of great controversy Another popular drug widely used in the United States is cocaine.„ «ever since. Cocaine is extracted from the leaves of a plant called E-Coca. E-Coca, a bushy shrub native to South American countries at high altitudes. Cocaine is the primary alkaloid in these leaves. In addition, Sigmund Freud, the famous psychoanalyst, used cocaine to treat many of his patients, later he himself became an addict. Cocaine was found to have a numbing effect, therefore it was introduced as an anesthetic by Carl Koller. Cocaine use fell off for various reasons, before it reemerged in the late 1970s. Though touted as the  ¡Ã‚ §perfect Next, lysergic acid diethylamide, commonly„ «drug, ¡Ã‚ ¨ it has ruined many lives. known as (LSD) was created in 1943 by Albert Hofmann. This drug gained huge popularity in the 1960s. Hofmann ¡Ã‚ ¦s description of his experience while testing the drug was a pleasant intoxi...

Case study Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Case study - Research Paper Example Aims of the faculty member involve issues relating to distance, ethical considerations in practice and application of evidence based nursing professional standards in internet technology. One of the learner objectives in introducing the technology is to develop, among students, the ability to bridge distance as a barrier to nursing practice as demonstrating the technology’s application will inform students of facilitated online communication. Another learner objective of the technology’s inclusion in the course curriculum is to promote ethics in practice through exposing the students to technological application and its involved ethical environment. Inclusion of the technological application also aims at equipping students with ability to implement evidence based nursing professional standards in internet simulation strategy. Research findings by Rush et al support the ability of technology to facilitate learning and to bridge distance barrier (2008). The first learning objective, to facilitate the students’ ability to bridge distance barrier, can be evaluated through asking the students questions about what they have learnt. This evaluation can be achieved through direct questions after learning sessions or through designed questionnaires. Responses exhibits students understanding of taught concepts and are an indicator that they can apply the concepts in real life (Morris, 2011). The goal to promote professional ethics among learners can be evaluated by â€Å"direct observation† (Morris, 2011, p. 150). This method can be achieved through observing students’ demonstration of a real life application of the technology and its involved ethics (Morris, 2011). Written examinations can however be used to evaluate the objective of developing students’ ability to implement evidence based nursing professional standards in internet simulation strategy. Subjecting the students to similar

European law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

European law - Essay Example refers a question of EC law to the European Court of Justice (ECJ) for a preliminary ruling so as to enable the national court, on receiving that ruling, to decide the case before it. Questions of EC law will arise in cases before the courts of different Member States. The function of the preliminary reference procedure is to ensure uniform interpretation and validity of EC law across all the Member States.† It also said that the procedure is laid down in Article 234 EC: ‘Where such a question is raised before any court or tribunal of a Member State, that court may, if it considers that a decision on the question is necessary to enable it to give judgment, require the Court of Justice to give a ruling thereon.’ (European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions. 2005) On the other hand, preliminary ruling is defined as: ‘a special type of action before the ECJ by which national courts ask the ECJ to interpret EU law or to decide on validity and direct effect of EU acts; ECJ ruling is binding and not subject to appeal.’ (GLOSSARY OF EUROPEAN UNION COMMONLY USED TERMS, no date) The reference procedure, therefore, is a creation of the treaty makers who are the member states themselves. The fact that ECJ ruling would be binding and not subject to appeal as a result of the reference is itself a conferment of a strong power to the ECJ. To say therefore that the reference procedure has made the ECJ more than how it should function is to imply attribution of more powers than it was originally conferred under the treaty. (European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions, 2005) Alter said that ECJ started as fairly weak international tribunal from many of the problems faced by international courts. The court then, according to her, lacked cases to adjudicate and since no enforcement was in place, its decisions were not taken seriously. The author further said that the ECJ created a base of political leverage for

Reflective cycle Essay Example for Free

Reflective cycle Essay I will reflect on an incident that occurred during my shift to develop positive attitude towards nursing informatics. In this reflection, I am going to use Gibbs (1988) Reflective cycle. This model is a recognized framework for my reflection. Gibbs (1988) consist of six stages to complete one cycle which is able to improve my nursing informatics and learning from the experience for better practice in future. The cycle starts with description of the situation, analysis of the feelings, evaluation of experience, analysis to make sense of experience, and conclusion of what else I could have done and also action plan to prepare if the situation arose again. However, Siviter (2004) explains that reflection is about gaining self confidence ,identify when to improve, learning from own mistakes and behavior, looking at other people perspectives, being self aware and improving the future by learning from the past. In my context with the patients, it is important that the nurse incorporates nursing informatics to improve health care delivery. However Hebda and Czar (2009) defines nursing informatics as the use of information and computer technology to support all aspects of nursing practice, including direct delivery of care ,administration, education and research. Nursing informatics involves the use of computer based information system which according to Stair and Reynolds (2008,pg 4) is defined as a set of interrelated components that collect ,manipulate, store and disseminate data and information and provide a feedback mechanism to meet an objective. Description I had just reported from the four months maternity leave and during the shift changeover, I was informed by my colleagues of the new method of requesting for investigations online and that I was to see the team leader to take me through the process. I heard my colleagues discuss a lot on how the new system was consuming their time and since it had been made a hospital policy they had no choice than to adhere to it. This did not sound interesting to me as I did not even have computer literacy and wondered why the institution had changed the system. I shied off from seeking help from my team leader since I did not want to be embarrassed for not being a computer literate. I decided that I am going to use the old method and when I am asked,I will defend myself and say that I did not know about it. Unfortunately, the team leader did not realize that I had just reported from long leave and needed updates or maybe she waited for me to take an initiative to seek for updates from her as it always happens when one comes back from long leave which did not happen. During the doctor’s rounds, one of my patients had some request for investigations and because the phlebotomy rounds had already taken place, one of the doctors obtained the blood from the patient and left for me to charge and send it to the laboratory. I decided to give the health care assistant the specimen to take to the laboratory hoping that the laboratory technicians would charge it as they had always done before the introduction of the new system. During the exit round, the doctor inquired on the report and when I called the lab they said that I was supposed to check from the computer. Since I did not have any computer literacy, I pretended that I was checking but the doctor got impatient and decided to check by himself. On checking, the doctor found that the specimen was never charged and so could not access the report. On calling the laboratory technician, it was reported to the doctor that the specimen was discarded because it was assumed to be a reject since they had not found the details online. The doctor got so upset with me and insisted that I should explain to the patient what happened so that he could obtain more specimen. I got so confused because I didn’t have the exact words to tell to the patient. I then gathered courage and told the patient that the specimen obtained earlier was not enough for the investigations requested and that we needed to obtain more specimen.at first, the patient could not understand but after a second thought, she gave the consent and the specimen was obtained. This time round the doctor lost trust in me and decided to charge by himself and gave a health care assistant to take the specimen to the laboratory. Feelings On reflection of the incident, I felt so embarrassed because such things are not supposed to happen to a senior nurse who is supposed to be giving guidance to the junior nurses. I also felt irresponsible for not seeking help from my colleques on charging the patient’s specimen and that I had not taken the initiative to see the team leader to give me the updates that occurred while I was away. I felt empathetic for the patient and blamed myself for not taking the proper action. I also felt at my level I needed to have computer literacy because that is what hindered me from seeking help. The American Nurses Association (2007) states that the experienced nurse builds up on the competencies required for practitioners using basic computer skills to information regarding the patient and has to be proficient in her/his area of specialization. The doctors, and other nurses felt upset for my action. Evaluation Good points. After the incident, it made me think of how I would have handled the situation and how important computer information literacy is to me and other healthcare practitioners. Selvasekaran (2008) defines computer literate health care provider as that who has basic understanding of the computer hardware, common types of software and different ways in which software application can be used in patient care environment. Association of college and research libraries (2002) defines information literacy as the ability to recognize when information is needed as well as the skills to find, evaluate and use needed information effectively. Bad points. It was a shame that my negligence of seeking information led to the waste of patient’s specimen leading to waste of time in obtaining the results. It also caused more pain to the patient since the patient needed to be pricked again and this added extra stressors to the patient who was already stressed by her illness. The other bad point is that the laboratory technician discarded patient’s specimen instead of calling the ward for it to be charged. Analysis I wondered why the institution had changed from the old system of requesting for investigations, I then remembered that earlier I had read from a book on the importance/benefits of nursing informatics in a healthcare setup which included: †¢Improved access to information. †¢Error reduction improved communication. †¢Decreased redundancy on data entry. †¢Convenience. †¢Decreased time spent in medication administration documentation †¢Increased time for client care †¢Facilitation of data collection for research †¢Improved record security †¢Improved quality of care and patient satisfaction (Hebda and Czar 2009 pg 37). I then realized that the old method did not have the above qualities and so the institution opted for the new system. In this case there was ignorance of seeking information due to lack of computer and information literacy. Maybe I would have given the sample to my colleagues who were well informed to charge. I also could have called the laboratory technician and inform that the specimen had not been charged. It is good that I finally learnt from my my mistake and that the second sample drawn was charged and results acquired. However, having no computer literacy information literacy does not make my action acceptable. Conclusion. My reflection of this event explores how important nursing informatics is in a healthcare set up and that all the healthcare providers should have knowledge on nursing informatics. The whole issue was embarrassing and I felt that instead of just sending the specimen and assuming that the lab technicians will charge, I would have given it to my colleagues to charge or inform the laboratory technician that I was not able to charge the specimen hence helping them to take an appropriate decision instead of discarding it. Also instead of shying off from seeking the information on the new system from the team leader, I would have gained a little knowledge from my colleagues on how to operate the computer and then boldly proceed to the team leader for more information. This showed that I was not wise enough. According to American Nurses Association (2007) wisdom occurs when knowledge is used appropriately to manage and solve problems. Results from understanding and requires human effort. However, If I had availed myself for the information, this mess would not have happened. Action plan. In order to prevent the incident from happening again, it is important that when I come back from a long leave, I should take the initiative to seek for updates from my colleagues and also the team leader taking in account the sensitive issues like this one.I should also seek help from my colleagues of things that am not certain of so as to prevent unpleasant incidences from happening. The action I took after the incidence was to write an incident form so that others could learn from my mistake. I also sought the information on online investigation request from my colleagues and team leader and also enrolled in computer classes so that I could have enough knowledge on computer literacy since the information I got from my colleagues and team leader was so particular and only concerned requesting of investigations and obtaining reports.i also called laboratory technicians and informed them to always call the ward before discarding patients specimens. I have learnt that there can be many positive learning opportunities from the mistakes we make. Reflection can sometimes show your shortcomings and this can be an excuse not to reflect, but by taking negative incidences positively you can turn around change yourself for the better. I am now computer and information literate. References: American Nurses Association. (2007). Scope and standards of nursing informatics practice.Washington: American Nurses. Association of College and Research Libraries. (2002). Information literacy competencestandards for higher education. Retrieved in November 18, 2002, fromhttp://www.ala.org/acrl/ilintro.html#ildef. Gibbs (1998). Learning by doing. A guide to teaching and learning methods. Further educatingunit. Oxford: Oxford polytechnic. Hebda, T., Czar, P. (2009). Handbook on informatics for nurses and healthcare professionals.(4th ed.) . Pearson: New Jersey. Selvasekaran, J. (2008). Essentials of computer for nurses. (2nd ed.). Mumbai: Jaypee brothers. Siviter, B. (2004). The student nurse handbook. Philadelphia: Baillere Tindall. Stair, R., Reynolds. (2008). Principles of information systems. (8th ed.).Boston: Thompsoncourse technology.

Education in a Sociological Sense: Article Summaries Essay -- Sociolog

I have chosen two articles in relation to education. The first article determines whether education plays a vital role in religion in Scotland, whereas the second article attempts to present a connection between educational attainment and cultural capital. This assignment will summarise the articles I have chosen to read, which will provide me with a wider understanding of education in a sociological sense as opposed to my original common sense. The first article I will examine concerns educations role in religion within Scotland. ‘The relationship among religion, education and opportunity has been a recurrent theme in debates about Scottish social policy since the 1920’s’ (Paterson 2006). The article commences by addressing a certain aspect of this frequent debate, if and to what extent certain religious groups have experienced social mobility and educations role within this experience. Paterson goes onto explain that to back up this theory she will analyse the results of the Scottish Household Survey conducted in 2001 to ascertain if ‘social mobility differs between the three largest groups in Scotland, and what, if any the role of education might be in that’. The three largest groups to which she refers are, ‘no religion’, ‘Church of Scotland’ and ‘Roman Catholic’. She attempts to uncover religious differences in mobility patterns, the role of educat ion and if these conclusions are somehow varied by gender. Paterson moves on to outline the surveys process and to illustrate the questions asked within the survey. She attempts to point out minor faults within the survey that may alter the reliance of specific results, ‘the survey asked all respondents only about their current religion, not about their religion of upbringing’. ... ... GCSE attainment’. In conclusion, from reading the two articles my knowledge on education when looking at it in a sociological sense has deepened and I am now more aware of the role that education plays in topics I never paired it with. For example, prior to reading the article involving religion and education, I had never thought of religion aiding my educational credentials. I had also never looked at cultural capital and how that the lack of awareness of certain aspects of culture may hinder my educational credentials and therefore my occupational desires. Works Cited Paterson, L & Iannelli, C (2006) Religion, social mobility and education in Scotland. The British Journal of Sociology. Vol 57, No.1, pp353-375 Sullivan, A (2001) Cultural Capital and Educational Attainment. The Journal of The British Sociological Association. Vol 35, No.4, pp893-911

“Examine the reasons for changes in the patterns of marriage, divorce and cohabitation over the past 40 years.” Essay

The patterns of marriage, divorce and cohabitation over the past 40 years has varied quite significantly. In 1972, the highest ever number of couples (480,000) since the Second World War got married. Now, obviously there is a reason for this. According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), this was due to the baby boom generation of the 1950s reaching marriageable age and these people choosing to marry at a younger age compared with previous generations. However, after this period, the number of marriages in England and Wales then went into decline. Most recently, marriages reached an all-time low in 2005 when only 244,710 couples got married. Some people would say that it reached so low because people are rejecting marriage and are no longer bothered about it. But in fact, statistics reveal that many people are actually delaying marriage. It is said that most people will marry at some point in their lives, but people are deciding to marry later in life, most likely after a period of cohabitation. A reason for this is probably because couples want to â€Å"Test the water† before they make any commitments. Evidence to support the â€Å"marrying later in life† view is that the average age for first-time bridges in 2003 was 29 years and for all grooms 31 years, compared with 22 for women and 24 for men in 1971. In particular women may want to delay marriage so they can advance their career prospects. As well as a decline in the total number of marriages, there is also a decline in marriage rates (the number of people marrying per 1000 of the population aged 16 and over). In 1994, the marriage rate was 11.4 but this had declined to 10.3 by 2004. The male rate declined from 36.3 in 1994 to 27.8 in 2004 whilst the female rate declined from 30.6 to 24.6. Once again, even though there is a decline, British Social Attitude Surveys indicate that most people, whether single, divorced or cohabitating, still see marriage as a desirable life-goal, and therefore will most likely will get married at some point in the future, particularly if they are having children, because they believe that this is best done in the context of marriage. Another change in the patterns of marriage is that two fifths of all marriages are remarriages, in which one or both partners have been divorced. These people are obviously committed to the institution of marriage despite their previous negative experience of it. The reason for this trend could possibly because their first marriages were empty-shell marriages. This is where there is no love or intimacy between them, but the marriage persists for the sake of the children until they are old enough. They then might have wanted to start a new life, including a re-marriage. Despite the decrease in the overall number of people marrying, married couples are still the main type of partnership for men and women in the UK. In 2005, seven in ten families were headed by a married couple. In terms of Divorce – the legal ending of a marriage, this has increased rapidly since 1969 due to a piece of legislation that granted divorce on the basis of â€Å"irretrievable breakdown† – the Divorce Reform Act of 1969. In addition, since 1984, couples have been able to petition for divorce after the first anniversary of their marriage. This law made the Divorce rate shoot high because it generally made it easier and cheaper to end marriages. In addition, people were finally able to legally to end all connections, as previously when divorce was either too expensive or difficult to obtain, separation was very common, which was when a couple decided to live away from each other. To go into more detail of the trend of increased divorces, in 1993, the number of divorces peaked at 180,000. By 2000, this figure had fallen to 154,000, although the years 2001 – 2004 have seen a gradual rise to 167,100. There are now nearly half as many divorces as marriages and, if present trends continue, about 40% of current marriages will end in divorce. An acceptable reason for this increasing trend of divorce is that it is no longer associated with stigma and shame. Britain’s culture is based upon Christian religion, and Christians believe that marriage is for life (‘till death do us part’). However, over years, changes in attitudes and secularisation have emerged, and the view that divorce can lead to greater happiness for the individual is more acceptable. A third reason which could explain the increasing divorce rates is down to women wanting to improve educational and career opportunities. In 1870, the Education Act passed by Gladstone’s government meant that every child between the ages of five and fifteen had the opportunity for elementary education. Not only did this produce a large literate generation of people, but it also improved the girls reading and writing ability, which previously was much lower than boys. Now, women have their own stable careers with a good wage, and thus do not have to be unhappily married because they are financially dependent on their husband. Feminists note that women’s expectations of marriage have radically changed, compared with previous generations. In the 1990s, most divorce petitions were put forward by women. This may support Thornes and Collard’s (1979) view that women expect far more from marriage than men and, in particular, that they value friendship and emotional gratification more than then do. If husbands fail to love up to these expectations, women may feel the need to look elsewhere. This would also support the fact that, on average, the number of divorce proceedings started by women is about 70%. Finally, functionalist sociologists argue that high divorce rates are evidence that marriage is increasingly valued and that people are demanding higher standards from their partners. They believe that couples are no longer prepared to put up with unhappy, empty-shell marriages, as people want emotional and sexual compatibility and equality, as well as companionship. It is said that some are even willing to go through a number of partners to achieve these goals, and if they marry every time they meet a new partner, then obviously they are going to contribute a lot more to the rising divorce rates. The final area of the diverse family is cohabitation. The basic trend of cohabitation is that it is on the increase and has been for the last decade. The proportion of non-married people cohabiting has risen sharply in the last 20 years from 11% of men and 13% of women in 1986 to 24% and 25% respectively. In 2007, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) suggested that cohabiting couples are the fastest growing family type in the UK. In fact, around 2.2 million families are cohabiting couples with or without children. This family type has grown by 65% since 1997, and really, the numbers are likely to be higher than this because the ONS data did not include same-sex couples living together. In addition, the ONS data suggested that a third of teenagers in 2007 were destined to cohabit rather than marry, compared with one in ten of their grandparents. As we gathered that the general trend is on the increase, it’s good to know the reasons why. One of the first reasons, which I mentioned earlier on, is that people like to cohabit to â€Å"test the water.† During this period, they will assess whether they (the couple) are compatible with each other and whether they will be able to live with each other before making any sort of commitments. After all, cohabitation on average lasts for 5 years, which then 60% of cohabitees will then marry. Another reason for the said trend is that there are a significant number of people who live together whilst waiting for a divorce. For example, in 2005, 23% of cohabiting men were separated from a pervious partner whilst 36% were divorced. So although a person may be married, they may have separated and moved into another house to live with a person they have met. They will then be counted as a cohabitee. A third reason for the increased rate of cohabitation could be because people are put off the cost of marriage. According to Wedding Guide UK, the average cost of a traditional wedding in the UK is around  £11,000. In addition to the price, some people are also put off because of the religious ceremony of marriage. This is because overtime we have become a more secular society. Both of these factors to some people will refrain them from marrying, because in their eyes they see it as long as they are with each other in a happy and loving relationship, they don’t need a ring or a piece of paper with their names on it.

An Epic Tragedy of History Essay

Both Native American literature and film have been inspired by the oral tradition of passing down stories and cultural folkways, through the spoken word. The personal journey of chronicling these stories in literature and film is very allegorical in that the personal journeys that these writers also parallel their struggle with a literal journey. As such, these stories become full of symbolism for the types of cultural artifacts that cannot be assimilated into mainstream culture; not in the English language, not in the Christian religion, and not in the reservations that hindered spirituality. There is a theme in all of the texts and in the film that depicts the struggle of trying to determine where the individual and the culture fit into the wider world that knows little of their existence. Other texts provide specific insight into how conversion of Native Americans into Christianity was essential for those of European descent to explain this mysterious group. It becomes apparent that the oral tradition sustained these groups for centuries until the loss of land led to the loss of more freedoms, especially that of having the right to shape ideas about the world without the influence of others. The film and the Native American writers reviewed all seek to exert their power and use words and motion pictures to explain all the literary and historical meaning of the stories told to them, predating all these modes of communication. Scott Momady in his book, The Way to Rainy Mountain describes the story of the creation of the Kwuda, which was passed down in the oral tradition. What is interesting is that he notes that the names of the tribe did change and there was a sense of this tribe being divided. â€Å"Later still they took the name Gaigwu, a name which can be taken to indicate something of which two halves differ from each other in appearance† (17). It is not only the way that this group of people came into existence but also the diversity and difference within this particular tribe that is extremely important. When Native Americans were forced onto reservations, it was of the utmost importance for the rest of the world not to see all Native Americans as the same, as they were varied with the many tribes and also within tribes. These oral stories become even more important to dictate into print or film to show how Native Americans viewed the world, themselves, and most importantly to realistically illustrate their heritage with the hopes of changing how many whites viewed them. The allegorical and symbolic divide that came to move all of these authors to write stories that bridged the gap in their own respective lives, also helped to create a film as well. The movie Dreamkeeper, directed by Steve Barron, shows how a family divided will struggle to keep tradition alive despite the death or disappearance of an important figure. In this film the pressing issues between the grandfather, grandson, and absent father serves as a metaphor for the intrusion on the culture of the family’s tribe versus the tradition of passing down lineage and heritage. The metaphor is that the grandfather is rooted in the past, the grandson is heading into an uncertain future, and the father is the only link to the present. These cultural threats are more than just the loss of land or the loss of a father, it is the changing of times into a future that is being mapped out by another group entirely, that being white Americans. These maps, so to speak, or the oral tradition that has mapped out the history of entire tribes and families has been written about by other prominent Native Americans in their journey and tragedy of trying to fill this divide between past and present all the while wondering what the future will hold. These types of worries were normally settled by spiritual means, but loss of land meant loss of the ability for Native Americans to go on their spiritual quests. Charles Alexander Eastman in his passage from â€Å"The Soul of an Indian† writes about the mystical quest undertaken by Native Americans in his native Sioux tribe that required several nights away from camp in meditation. He also writes of the divide of the Native American, a common theme in all the reviewed works. â€Å"The red man is divided into two parts,-the spiritual mind and the physical mind. The first is pure spirit, concerned only with the essence of things, and it was this he sought to strengthen by spiritual prayer† (767). Because of this loss of land, essentially the loss of spirit or at least the ways in which spiritual rituals were conducted came to an end. Also, the fear of the future was replaced by Christian ideals to help Americans of European descent understand how these natives fir into their Bible. In this way the Native Americans, already concerned with loss of identity were split even further in a divide that led them to an uncertain and uncharacteristic future. It was only through the oral tradition of preserving identity that Native Americans could attempt to achieve a personal wholeness while the many tribes and family members within tribes became scattered and disillusioned. It is through the personal journeys of the writers that it becomes apparent how the loss of land impacted not only an entire civilization, but individuals, who lost identity and did whatever was necessary to try to discover, rediscover, and preserve all that was left. Gertrude Bonnin, in passages from â€Å"Impressions of an Indian Childhood† talks about living what could be considered a double life. Gertrude sometimes refers to herself as her Sioux name, Zitkala-Sa, which means Red Bird. She was born on a reservation to a Sioux mother and her white father was absent in her life. She struggled between the old ways that her mother tried to teach her in the oral tradition and the ways that people conducted themselves outside of the reservation. She became torn and decided that the reservation life was not for her and the American way of treating Native Americans was not appealing either. So she began compiling all the information she could gather from what was relayed to her by her mother in the oral tradition and then wrote these stories in English. She abhorred the fact that the language of her ancestors had disappeared and she was just as concerned as Eastman was about the loss of spirituality for all Native Americans under the conversion to Christianity. Bonnin writes, â€Å"I prefer to their dogma my excursions into the natural gardens where the voice of the Great Spirit is heard in the twittering of birds, the rippling of mighty waters, and the sweet breathing of flowers† (939-940). It becomes clear that for the spirituality of Native Americans to thrive, then land uninterrupted by industrialization was needed in order for this group to be who they had always been before they were removed to reservations. So taking their land was not a simple geographic issue, this also took these peoples’ essence and spirituality from them. It is therefore important for these texts and films to exist as reminder of what was lost, not just space, but a place in history for people who had to rely on a few to pass on as many of the stories given to them in the oral tradition and put it in print or in film. All three written pieces reviewed and the film help to show the importance of the land that was taken from the Native Americans, as well as the influence of the oral tradition of passing down stories and spiritual pathways to each ensuing generation. The film and the written works display both a metaphorical divide in the ways of the respective authors and tribes and the bigger community, showing that differences need to be acknowledged as well as the common goal of this group to gather their cultural artifacts that would have disappeared into an assimilated America. Also, the allegorical journey that all these contributors took to discover their part in history is akin to an epic and a tragedy. Scholars, as well, have looked at the impact of the spiritual strivings of Native Americans and the ultimate need for tribes to achieve a new identity in a foreign land to them, a land that was once their own. It was the need for Christian legitimacy on the part of European settlers that led to a need for Native Americans to be stripped of their spiritual roots and forced to resign to religious conversion. The mission of these Christians â€Å"absorbed Native Americans into a Christian world view that made them comprehensible to Euro-Americans, who were otherwise faced with a population whose mysterious origins threatened to call into question the explanatory value of the Bible† (Wyss, 162). So as Euro-Americans sought to explain the discrepancies with Native Americans and their absence from the Bible, Native Americans had to wrestle with their own identities that were being challenged by these settlers for purposes other than just the acquisition of land. What then became an issue was the questioning of creation on the part of settlers and the â€Å"lost tribe theory† (162) that proposed that Native Americans were part of a tribe that was not thoroughly explained in the Bible. All the while many Native Americans asserted their own creation myths while other Natives tried to assert superiority over whites with the reasoning that if Natives were a part of Israel’s lost tribes then, therefore, they were closer descendants of Jacob. This hierarchy of Biblical place did play an important role on the identity of Natives during their assimilation into Euro-American culture, though the oral tradition certainly did support a different idea for the origins of each tribe. Even those Native Americans that did subscribe to a Christian ideal were â€Å"defined by a constant deferral of home, or the constant movement, both geographical and cultural, of a fragmented people† (165). It seems then that the roots of all Native Americans, who were fragmented and spread across the nation, was entrenched in the oral tradition of creation stories and spirituality. However, the many Native American stories that were told and passed down led to they idea the Euro-Americans had as Natives being savage and mythical, making their stories, even true encounters appear to be false. This led to the Natives â€Å"invisibility in the annals of encounter: constructed as tellers of myth and as peoples of myth, they are denied a place in the national story and a voice in recounting it† (Bellin, 99). This created the powerlessness found in Natives attempting to assert their place in the new America that was founded on laws, both the divine and those conceived by Europeans. The fact that Natives had stories, spirituality, and kinship was not enough to place them in a position of asserting their power in any way that seemed rational to Euro-Americans. As well the illiteracy of Native Americans certainly did not assist this group in gaining any type of recognition for having much to offer the Europeans in their stories. â€Å"the oral nature of much Indian narrative has been taken to explain both the Indians’ irrelevance to history-for what could illiterates offer? -and their inability to remember and record it† (102). As well, Native Americans stories were not just told, they were animated through acting, making the stories more meaningful to the Native audience but meaningless to a person outside of a tribe. It is fair to say that the identity of Native Americans was not only in their oral tradition, but in the ways in which stories were acted out. This is something that is lost even if a story is recounted by a Native to as close to the original message as possible. Much is also lost in translation further undermining any attempts that Natives could make when forced on reservations, where their land and language was taken along with the ties of spirituality that sustained them. It also makes the spiritual identity of Native Americans more complicated when they are not only placed in an Anthropological category of uncivilized, the literary category of completely mythical, and finally over romanticized by scholars, who do not understand the deep meaning behind Native American spirituality and ritual. These rites and rituals are meant to cement a community of people together and individual identity can be created within these rituals. Instead, many times, these acts and stories are perceived as more universal and therefore there is the mistaken implication that Native American spirituality can be lumped into a religion that can be used by all. This has placed and continues to place the sense of community outside of the purposes intended and sadly many people use information gleaned from Native spirituality for profit or for writing scholarly articles that do not take into account the private lives of a single Native, but instead combine individuals into a whole. With a fragmented sense of history and culture, it is right to note that there has been and continues to be fragmentation in the Native American communities, but for an individual, a sense of self requires both community identity and a complex set of cultural artifacts to make that individual whole and not a watered down, assimilated version of the Euro-Americans. To be more clear, the text versions of Native Americans stories involving spirituality and rituals many times do not take into account the personal nature of these events. It is not only a matter of entire communities of Native American feeling the need to forge and reclaim their converted or dismissed identities as a whole, but the essence of the individual in a tribe, separate from others that must do the same. â€Å"Nicknames, shadows, and shamanic [sic] visions are tribal stories that are heard and remembered as survivance [sic]. These personal identities and stories are not the same as those translated in the literature† (Grim, 44). This lack of voice to individual Native Americans and stereotyping of all communities and persons being inherently the same in their spirituality and other social activities makes more important the voices, such as the Native authors and filmmakers reviewed all the more important. These artists have shown how gender, tribe, place, and, politics, to name just a few social forces can affect an individual struggling for acceptance within him or herself and in the larger world. All these factors must be considered when looking at film and literature, separating the individual from the group while at the same time seeing the struggle for those individuals as being the best representation available for a group without a strong voice. In conclusion, the film and the literary works of Native Americans highlight the voice of a specific individual, attempting to speak for their community. Taken with scholarly research, it can be seen the effect of colonialism and religious conversion on the vulnerable Native American population. Their history has many gaps in that the myths and traditions were many times dismissed and the absence from the Christian Bible made their existence confusing and unsettling to the settlers. The voices that have been stifled serve to help save the history of the mainstream at their expense, and this powerlessness and absence from history can only be reconstructed in the best way possible. Though even stories passed down in the oral tradition are lacking in the gestures and actions of the storytellers, which is the essence of oral storytelling. Works Cited Joshua David Bellin, The Demon of the Continent: Indians and the Shaping of American Literature, Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2001. Gertrude Bonnin, â€Å"Impressions of an Indian Childhood† in The Heath Anthology of American Literature Vol. 2. Ed. Paul Lauter, Lexington: D. C. Heath and Company, 1994. Dreamkeeper, Dir by Steve Barron, Hallmark Entertainment Productions, 2003. Charles Alexander Eastman, â€Å"The Soul of an Indian† in The Heath Anthology of American Literature Vol. 2. Ed. Paul Lauter, Lexington: D. C. Heath and Company, 1994. John A. Grim, â€Å"Cultural Identity, Authenticity, and Community Survival: The Politics of Recognition in Native American Religions† in Lee Irwin Native American Spirituality: A Critical Reader, Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2000. Scott N. Momaday, The Way to Rainy Mountain, Albuquerque: University of New Mexico, 1969. Hilary E. Wyss, Writing Indians: Literacy, Christianity, and Native Community in Early America, Boston: University of Massachusetts Press, 2000.

Dominant Ideology Thesis

Dominant Ideology Thesis The dominant ideology of a society is the collection of values, attitudes, and beliefs that shape the way it views reality. However, sociologists argue that the dominant ideology is only one of a multitude of ideologies at play and that its preeminence is the only aspect that distinguishes it from other competing viewpoints. In Marxism Sociologists differ on how the dominant ideology manifests itself. Theorists influenced by the writings of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels maintain that the dominant ideology always represents the interests of the ruling class over the workers. For example, the ideology of ancient Egypt that represented the pharaoh as a living god and therefore infallible clearly expressed the interests of the pharaoh, his dynasty, and his entourage. The dominant ideology of bourgeois capitalism functions the same way. There are two ways by which the dominant ideology is perpetuated, according to Marx. Intentional propagation is the work of cultural elites within the ruling class: its writers and intellectuals, who then use mass media to disseminate their ideas.Spontaneous propagations happen when the mass media environment is so total in its efficacy that its basic tenets are unquestioned. Self-censorship among knowledge workers, artists, and others ensures that the dominant ideology is unchallenged and the status quo remains Of course, Marx and Engels predicted that revolutionary consciousness would sweep away such ideologies that kept power from the masses. For example, unionizing and collective actions would upset the world views propagated by the dominant ideology, as these are representations of a working-class ideology.

Ole Kirk Christiansen and the History of LEGO

Ole Kirk Christiansen and the History of LEGO Hailed as the â€Å"Toy of the Century,† the plastic Lego bricks that make up the Lego System of Play were invented by Ole Kirk Christiansen, a master carpenter, and his son, Godtfred Kirk. From these small interlocking bricks, which can be connected to assemble an infinite number of designs, Lego has evolved into a huge worldwide enterprise that makes toys and movies and runs theme parks. But before all that, Lego began as a carpentry business in the village of Billund, Denmark in 1932. Although he initially made stepladders and ironing boards, wooden toys became Christiansen’s most successful product. The company adopted the name LEGO in 1934. LEGO is formed from the Danish words LEg GOdt meaning play well. Fittingly enough, the company later learned that in Latin, lego means I put together. In 1947, the LEGO company was the first in Denmark to use a plastic injection molding machine for making toys. This allowed the company to manufacture Automatic Binding Bricks, created in 1949. These larger bricks, sold only in Denmark, deployed the stud-and-tube coupling system that was the forerunner of the Lego bricks the world has come to know.   Five years later, in 1954, the redesigned components were renamed LEGO Mursten or LEGO Bricks and the word LEGO was officially registered as a trademark in Denmark, positioning the company to launch the LEGO System of Play with 28 sets and 8 vehicles. The current LEGO stud-and-tube coupling system was patented in 1958 (Design Patent #92683). The new coupling principle made models much more stable. Today Lego is one of the biggest and most profitable toy companies in the world, with little sign of slowing down. And the LEGO brand has gone well beyond plastic toys: dozens of video games based on LEGO have been released, and in 2014 debuted to critical acclaim.

Anthropogenic and Natural Causes of Global Warming Essay

Anthropogenic and Natural Causes of Global Warming - Essay Example This research will begin with the definition of global warming is defined as the result of the accumulation of CO2 and other emissions that trap heat in the atmosphere. Moreover, it is considered as â€Å"the worst and most complicated issue† that world leaders have to deal with nowadays. Basically, global warming affects all people on earth, especially those in areas with extreme air pollution. Global warming also further affects the human race through increase in the occurrence of infectious diseases because those microorganisms that thrive only in high temperatures are supported by the increasing heat. According to Trimarchi, this and the other calamities that global warming brings with it will further lead to various other negative effects like famine, war and starvation. Global warming will also affect the environment itself through the occurrence of various storms and hurricanes, extreme drought in some parts of the world while abnormally increased precipitation in other s, heat waves, melting of the polar ice caps, rise in sea levels and the eventual destruction of the tundra and freshwater ecosystems. Such effects will not only destroy ecosystems but will also eventually cause a series of events that ultimately leads to chaos in and destruction of the human society. Based on a report by the U.S. National Research Council in 2006, â€Å"The Earth is the hottest it has been in at least 400 years†. Furthermore, according to the same report, the latest global temperature increase of 0.3 °C to 0.6 °C is in fact the â€Å"largest† increase in surface temperature in 1,000 years.... Furthermore, according to the same report, the latest global temperature increase of 0.3 °C to 0.6 °C is in fact the â€Å"largest† increase in surface temperature in 1,000 years (â€Å"Global Warming,† Stanford 2008). The main culprit behind this, according to most scientists and publications, is greenhouse gases. The greenhouse gases that cause global warming include carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, chlorofluorocarbons, but among these, carbon dioxide has the most volume in the atmosphere at 55%, and is therefore regarded as the main cause of anthropogenic or man-made global warming (Ganesh 2011). There is, however, the question of what is the exact cause of global warming and how much of it is brought about by nature and how much is caused by man. Does present research and scientific literature shed light on these issues or do we need further research on them? In order to remedy the situation and prevent its dire effects, there is therefore undoubtedly a g reat need to know the exact causes of global warming as well as how many of them is contributed by man and how much by nature. There is also a need to know the issues surrounding these causes. Literature Reviews The Anthropogenic Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Factor One of the causes of global warming is the release of carbon dioxide, or CO2, especially from the industrial processes involved in the burning of fossil fuels (â€Å"Global Warming,† Geowise.com, 2006). Among these fossil fuels, coal, which is increasingly being used in the United States and China, contributes the greatest percentage of CO2 to the atmosphere because of potentially large emissions compared to oil or natural gas (Hansen et al. 2000). CO2 has a long shelf-life that makes it stay in the air for the

American Family Culture Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

American Family Culture - Term Paper Example There are a multitude of family forms and family types in America today and family is a social unit in a constant state of evolution. We will explore the different family configurations found in the United States today and will pepper our analysis with comparisons of American family forms to modern Mexican families, the other half of our analysis. The ‘traditional’ American family is a heterosexual, nuclear family headed by two parents in which the husband is the primary breadwinner and the wife is the homemaker. On the far left side of the continuum of change, the traditional nuclear family model is widespread across the globe and represents a traditional gendered division of labour, both within the house as well as outside of the home. Mexico families generally also meet the requirements for what can be described as a traditional family which traditional gender expectations and values. In the Western world, the traditional model is becoming less and less viable as many families require the incomes of both parents. Women’s increased education and employment prospects have made the transition from the traditional model to the modern familial model more and more prevalent in modern Western society (Bossen 128-133; Roopnarine & Gielen 32-34). As with the traditional family, the ‘modern American family’ is nuclear in the sense that it involves the cohabitation of two heterosexual partners but differs in that it involves dual earners as both the man and the woman work outside of the home to earn money. While both husband and wife work outside of the home in paid labor, it is important to note that the gendered division of labour within the home of the modern family has not necessarily changed. Women, within the modern family, still bear the brunt of housekeeping, child rearing and basic familial chores. This form of family life is found throughout the United States and has evolved in response to women’s

Major Art Styles of the 18th and 19th Centuries Essay

Major Art Styles of the 18th and 19th Centuries - Essay Example "Cupid a Captive', as with most Rococo paintings, appeals to our sense of escapism with the offer of a playful romp with delicate indulgence. In the late 18th century artists began to remove the fanciful trappings of Rococo and saw a return to a more formal style of painting referred to as Neoclassicism. In Jacques-Louis David's "Oath of the Horatii", we are presented with a more hardened subject with brighter colors and more contrast. Neoclassicism is typified by straight lines, confidence in the mechanical structure, and a willingness to elevate its subjects to the standards of high ideals. David's painting depicts classic subjects in conflict, yet posed in its portrayal of balance and symmetry that is indicative of the Neoclassic period. Art from this period is often a reflection of allegiance to authority as mirrored from the society that produced it. The early 19th century was highlighted by the Romantic style of art. It embraced the notion of a relaxed state guided by feelings of romance and love. The "Entombment of Atala" painted by Girodet-Trioson, shows the more personal viewpoint of emotions as it appeals to our sense of love and tragedy. The romantic treatment given this painting shows in the artists use of natural lighting on subjects that are struggling against their own helplessness.

Hardys dramatic dialogue Essay Example for Free

Hardys dramatic dialogue Essay Denying the harsh moral codes set upon you can at times improve your material circumstances; however it can reduce you to a situation lower than poverty. Hardys dramatic dialogue The Ruined Maid attempts to portray the injustices and ironies of Victorian morality. Hardy is able to achieve this through his elaborate control over language. The class distinctions and moral codes placed upon women in the Victorian era have a large degree of irony. In the first stanza Hardy introduces two women: an unnamed, impoverished farm maid and a relatively wealthy ruined woman. The fact that the farm maid is unnamed shows her relatively insignificant life in comparison to the ruined woman who is named. The ruined woman (Melia) is said to have acquired fair garments, illustrating her affluence as the adjective fair suggests her clothes were of great beauty. The farm maid also wonders how Melia has come across such prosperi-ty emphasising her newfound wealth. Melia states that she has acquired this wealth as she has been ruined. By crossing the Victorian morality line and selling herself she has been rewarded instead of being looked down upon. In the second stanza Hardy contrasts the two womens lifestyles to illustrate their vast differences. Hardy uses negative diction such as the noun tatters to describe the poverty-stricken woman clothing which contrasts to the description of the wealthier woman in the first stanza. Hardy also contrasts this in the second stanza where Hardy uses positive diction with vibrant connotations such as gay bracelets and bright feathers to again describe the ruined womans clothing. The use of juxtaposition between the poverty of one woman and the relative wealth of Melia emphasises their class differences. The ruined woman, obviously gaining from her denial of normal moral codes, states thats how we dress when we are ruined. This illustrates that all women in her profession wear wealthy clothing, portraying the ironies of Victorian moral rectitude. Restrained in the entrenched Victorian class system with its moral and economic confines women at times have to escape in order to improve their situation. In the third stanza Hardy illustrates the ruined womans original poverty. She is described to have had a home in the barton, illustrating her initial lack of wealth through the use of the noun barton. Melia is said to have in the past used archaic, colloquial language such as thee and thou portraying her earlier impoverishment; only those of the lower classes would have used these words. However Hardy contrasts this with the womans talking which now fits ee for high company, again emphasising her gain from selling herself. Melia says that some polish is gained with ones ruin. The noun polish suggests the woman has gained refinement by becoming ruined, illustrating the potential gains from defying Victorian moral codes. This can also portray the hypocrisy of Victorian society as pure, virginal women are approved of; however happen to live depressing, miserable lives. In the fourth stanza Hardy again contrasts the womans current position with her past one, describing how she used to have paws and a face blue and bleak. The fact that her hands are said to have been paws illustrates the strenuous work she had to endure. The adjective bleak is an example of a synecdoche as it is used to illustrate Meilas former emotions. However she is now said to have little gloves and a delicate cheek portraying her dramatic improvement both in her occupation and emotionally. The last line: we never do work when were ruined emphasises her lack of taxing labour after becoming ruined. Crossing the morality line can at times result in improvements to ones position economically. By defying Victorian morality ones situation is condemned to being lower than the poverty of those who are pure and righteous. In the fifth stanza Hardy again uses negative diction to describe Melias past position. Hardy illustrates that she used to view her life as a hag-ridden dream portraying her past depressive outlook on life due to her previous poverty. She is said to have sigh[ed] and sock[ed] emphasising her negative view on life. However now she know[s] not of melancholy. This shows her emotional improvement as a result of becoming ruined. In the last stanza the farm girl says she wished she was like her former friend and had feathers and a fine sweeping gown. This illustrates her misunderstanding of Melias new profession due to her poverty. She is unable to see through the vivacious fai ade of Melias wealthy clothing in order to see the realities of her occupation. Melia however separates herself from her former friend stating that she is but a raw country girl. The adjective raw again emphasises the girls righteousness and innocence contrasted to the other womans ruined morality. The two women are completely different due to the chasmic nature of the Victorian class distinctions and Melias decision to sell herself. Melias also denies the farm maid of her dreams stating that she cannot quite expect that. Although she wishes she could become wealthy she cant escape the class which she was born into. Melia says that you aint ruined showing that to become rich after being born into the lower classes you must become ruined. However this could also be seen as a warning to the other woman to hold on to her maidenly modesty due to its huge worth in Victorian society. Furthermore Hardy uses the colloquial expression aint to show the reader that the ruined woman hasnt escaped her poor origins. Women of the Victorian times held a very insecure position in society; one which could change dramatically just by defying ironic moral codes. In The Ruined Maid Hardy attempts to show the ironies and injustices place upon women in the Victorian era. He shows that although one may improve their economic situation by defying the moral codes of their society they are condemned to a fate worse than poverty.

Peanut :: essays research papers

This article is about peanut, the plant. There is a separate article about Peanuts, the comic strip by Charles M. Schulz. Peanut Peanut leaves and freshly dug pods Scientific classification Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Fabales Family: Fabaceae Subfamily: Faboideae Tribe: Aeschynomeneae Genus: Arachis Species: A. hypogaea Binomial name Arachis hypogaea L. The Peanut (Arachis hypogaea) is a species in the pea family Fabaceae native to South America. It is an annual herbaceous plant growing to 30-50 cm tall. The leaves are alternate, pinnate with four leaflets (two opposite pairs; no terminal leaflet), each leaflet 1-7 cm long and 1-3 cm broad. The flowers are a typical peaflower in shape, 2-4 cm across, yellow with reddish veining. After pollination, the fruit develops into a legume 3-7 cm long containing 2-3 (rarely 1 or 4) seeds, which forces its way underground to mature. Although a nut in the culinary sense, in the botanical sense the fruit of the peanut is a woody, indehiscent legume or pod. Peanuts are also known as Groundnuts (because they grow underground), Earthnuts, Goobers, Goober peas, Pindas, Pinders, Manila nuts and Monkey nuts (the last of these is often used to mean the entire pod, not just the seeds). Contents [showhide] 1 Origins 2 Cultivation 3 Cultivars of Peanuts 3.1 Spanish Group 3.2 Runner Group 3.3 Virginia Group 3.4 Valencia Group 3.5 Tennessee Red and Tennessee White Groups 4 Uses 5 Allergies 6 U.S. Department of Agriculture Program for Peanuts 7 Trade 8 See also 9 External links [edit] Origins Archaeological evidence demonstrates that the peanut was domesticated in prehistoric times in South America, where wild ancestors are still found. The plant was later spread worldwide by European traders. Cultivation in North America was popularized by African American, who brought the Kikongo word goober. [edit] Cultivation Peanuts, showing legumes, one split open revealing two seeds with their brown seed coatsThe flower of the Arachis hypogaea is borne above ground and after it withers, the stalk elongates, bends down, and forces the ovary underground. When the seed is mature, the inner lining of the pods (called the seed coat) changes color from white to a reddish brown. The entire plant, including most of the roots, is removed from the soil during harvesting. The pods begin in the orange veined, yellow petaled, pealike flowers, which are borne in axillary clusters above ground. Following self-pollination (peanuts are complete inbreeders), the flowers fade. The stalks at the bases of the ovaries, called pegs, elongate rapidly, and turn downward to bury the fruits several inches in the ground to complete their development.

Multiple Intelligences

Most of the greatest intellectual figures of our time were not really achievers in their classes. Winston Churchill was doing poorly with his school assignments, and he always stuttered during recitations. Albert Einstein was told to quit school because he was often caught daydreaming. Thomas Edison was always punished at school because he was asking too much questions. However, they turned out to be the people who have changed the history of humanity. In some ways, this is also the case of high school drop outs. Not all of the students leave school because of domestic problems, alcoholism, drug addiction or any other reason. In fact, there are students who quit school because they feel that school is not supporting their learning abilities. They believe that they are too much for school, or they learn better in the outside world. This notion somehow affects the students’ self-esteem. In an article online, the authors stated that self-esteem has to be grounded in positive achievement. If self-esteem is impaired, students will lose the eagerness to acquire formal education. Learning should always come with positive attitude a well as reinforcement. As Henry Ford would say it, â€Å"If you think you can, or think you can’t, you’re right.† Aside from thinking that these students might have behavioral issues or learning disabilities, should the same thought be directed to the education system which overlooks the individuality of students in terms of their learning? Indeed, there are several types of high school curriculum. However, if a particular high school adapts a certain curriculum, it does not guarantee that every student will successfully learn because of the program. The failure of some students may be actually a good thing. It could be a sign that they are better off in other educational programs, or they might even be exceptionally intelligent. Hence, the popularly known academic excellence does not really mean a summary of References Chapter 8 – the secret heart of learning. The Learning Web. Retrieved December 18, 2007 Chapter 10 – do it in style. The Learning Web. Retrieved December 18, 2007 from the World Wide Web: http://www.thelearningweb.net/chapter10/learning_styles_page341.html â€Å"Multiple Intelligences† as Howard Gardner proposed. According to Gardner, there are seven kinds of intelligences: linguistic intelligence (self-expression through words), logical-mathematical (ability on reasoning and numbers), visual-spatial intelligence (ability on recognition and transformation of spaces), body-kinesthetic intelligence (self-expression using one’s body), musical intelligence (involves skill on perception, creation and performance of musical patterns), interpersonal intelligence (capacity to recognize and comprehend other people’s feelings, motivations, intentions and desires), and intrapersonal intelligence (ability to understand oneself). Thus, every student has its own strengths and weaknesses in relation with such intelligences. Consequently, if Gardner’s concept of multiple intelligences could be applied, the recognition of individual learning abilities would be fostered. Students will have the opportunity to develop and maximize their skills with the appropriate curricula. Students will likely stay in school, because they are encouraged to learn and improve themselves according to their capacities. For instance, students who cut classes and eventually drop out because they want to pursue their rock band could be educated in a musically-directed program. In this way, they will have the chance to be enhanced musically at an advance level rather than just learning the basics in a music class or by being a member of the marching band. As a result, high school kids will enjoy and even love school because their self-esteem is grounded in what they are best doing. Their attention will even be diverted from entertaining external factors that eventually discourage them from going to school. Teenage problems will potentially drop. Intelligence mostly involves focus. If high school students are educated according to their intelligences, they will have more focus in school. Their concern will be primarily excelling and achieving their future goals. References HOWARD GARDNER: Multiple Intelligence Theory Proponent. Retrieved December 18, 2007 from the World Wide Web: http://www.infed.org/thinkers/gardner.htm Smith, Mark. (2002). Howard Gardner, multiple intelligences and education. Infed. Retrieved    December 18, 2007 from the World Wide Web: http://www.infed.org/thinkers/gardner.htm   

The Relationship Between Man and Woman in Araby

Araby James Joyce, an icon of the modernist era had many works that were moving away from the classical styles of literature put before him. Joyce is known for leading his characters towards some kind of personal insight and on the surface, Araby seems to be only about a boy learning about the truth of capitalism. As you dive deep in to his words and meaning however, it is apparent that Joyce’s message is not as black and white as it appears on the surface. This story is also about the relationship between men and women.It is about how women are capable of influencing a man’s actions/behaviors and why men feel as if they need to exert their â€Å"dominance† over women. Joyce purposely makes the protagonist a young boy who chases after an older girl. He does this to elevate the status of the girl and portray her as larger than the boy. He is basically saying early in the story that woman has some kind of superiority over man. The beginning of the story is innocent enough, the boy explains how he plays in the street with his best friend (Mangan) and hides from his uncle so he doesn’t have to go in.This is where the girl is introduced. Neither she nor the boy has a name hinting that they are representative of all men and women. The boy is absolutely infatuated with the girl and it is apparent in the paragraphs right after she is introduced. He watches her from afar, has a certain routine so that he passes her every morning, and even imagines victory due to his love as he walks through his marketplace. She is the focal point of all his thoughts and it is shown that he is helpless to her influence when he utters â€Å"O love!O love! † over and over in private. He is but a helpless romantic during this point of the story driven by his undeserving love for this girl. Their only conversation is a brief, but huge one and what she says and how she acts says all. She plays with her bracelet, signifying the importance of materialistic ite ms in her life and communicating that she would love something from Araby by saying how she would love to go but can’t. The boy bites the bait hard and is hooked immediately to be drug around by the idea of pleasing the girl.Her influence over him increases exponentially after this as he says that he cannot think of anything except her. He can’t sleep, can’t think, can’t read, can’t focus in class and is consumed with the hope that this magical bazaar would grant him the key to the girl’s heart. All these things are clear signs that the girl holds control over him because he has lost all motivation for anything besides pleasing her. The story stays like this, with him obsessing over her until he actually gets to the bazaar as it is closing and his hopes start to fade.Araby is supposed to be this enchanted place with wonderful people and remarkable, exotic items but the boy finds that there is nothing but commonplace junk that he could get fr om his own marketplace. On top of that, he is met by a very distasteful sales clerk who seems very uninterested in him. In most analyses, this is the point of the boy’s insight to the nature of capitalism and realizes that not everything is as pretty as it appears on the surface. This is a very important lesson but it is not the only change that occurs in the boy.The last line of the story is â€Å"Gazing up into the darkness I saw myself as a creature driven and derided by vanity; and my eyes burned with anguish and anger. † Joyce definitely did not use passive words to describe the boy’s hurt but chooses a powerful, emotionally charged set of words that paints a very precise, borderline frightening image. He describes the boy as a creature, as if he has lost his humanity and been stripped down to a raw, instinctual beast. A desperate, pissed off animal driven by his feeling of worthlessness with eyes burning from anger and a feeling of deep heartache.These are not words usually used to describe an epiphany about the nature of the world. These are words used to describe the feelings of losing something great, of getting your heart smashed, chewed up and spit out. These are words describing a feeling that this boy will never again want to feel. He realizes that he has opened himself up to be hurt and he was undeniably crushed by his inability to get something that would please the girl his heart yearns for. Joyce was a master of idioms and word choice. He was easily one of the great writers of his time and will always be recognized as such.He is known for writing about how stages in life affect a person as a whole and Araby is no different. Being a great writer of his time he is also a creation of the era he lived in. During his life men believed that they were superior to women, that woman were weak and that they needed a man to support them. It was believed that women were home to weak emotions and men only had time for strong ones makin g them better than women. To say that Joyce wrote a story in which he acknowledges that women have some kind upper hand on men may seem inept but he does a good job of answering why men behaved and felt this way.His reason is that men cannot cope with these â€Å"weak† emotions so they shut them out. The boy in the story â€Å"Araby† is met with his first heartbreak due to the fact that he can’t please the girl that he so desperately desires and immediately becomes this inhuman creature full of anguish. In a time where men are supposed to be the bread-winners; strong confident figures that controls their household, these feelings are unacceptable. It is why men must exhibit nothing but â€Å"strong† emotions and exude their dominance over women, for the fear of being emotionally shattered in the face of them.

BY01 Enzyme Catalase essays

BY01 Enzyme Catalase essays The enzyme catalase speeds up the decomposition of Hydrogen Peroxide into water and oxygen as shown here, 2H2O2-*2H2O+O2. It is one of the fastest known enzymes and its turnover number is 6 million, which means the number of substrate molecules which one molecule of the enzyme turns to products per minute. This can be demonstrated by putting a piece of liver into a beaker of Hydrogen Peroxide, the fizzing shows a demonstration of the enzyme in action. My aim is to examine how the concentration of the substrate hydrogen peroxide affects the enzyme catalase. I am going to investigate the effect of varying the substrate concentration on enzyme catalase. I am going to use 8 different concentrations and record the time taken to collect 20ml of gas in the gas syringe. I will repeat all the 8 concentrations twice so I can see if they match, spot out any anonymous results and also I can work out the average time it takes to produce 20ml of gas at the certain concentrations. I will vary the concentrations by increasing and decreasing the amounts of Hydrogen Peroxide and water. First of all I will ensure I have enough enzyme solution for the whole experiments so the enzyme solution is standardised. With the results I get I will try to work out the  ½ Vmax. I will do this experiment at room temperature so the enzymes get enough kinetic energy to collide. I will need 80ml of the enzyme solution because I will use 5ml for all of the experiment and I will do 8 different concentrations and I will repeat this concentrations twice so that is 5x8x2= 80. First of all I will set out the equipment as I will show in the diagram then I will cut some pieces of liver, which is the source of the enzyme. Then I will grind the pieces of liver with the mortar and pestle, which will have sand and Di ionised water (which is water with no H ions in it its PH is neutral). The sand will help cut open the cells of the liver. I will...

Californias Overcrowed Prisons

Californias Overcrowed Prisons Free Online Research Papers California’s Overcrowded Prison’s Axia College of University of Phoenix This is what conditions are like at one of Californias best prisons, the California Rehabilitation Center: Built to hold 1,800 inmates, it now bulges with more than 4,700 and is under nearly constant lockdown to prevent fights. Portions of the buildings, which date to the 1920s, are so antiquated that the electricity is shut off during rainstorms so the prisoners are not electrocuted. The facilitys once-vaunted drug rehab program has a three-month-long waiting list, and the prison is short 75 guards.† (Pomfret, J) 32 years ago, California’s inmate population was only 19,600. 11 years later, the inmate population had increased by 811% to a whopping 159,000 and by the year 2000 that number increased to 161,000. The state of California is now running by far the largest prison system in the world. We house more inmates than three European countries (France, Germany, the Netherlands) and Singapore combined. Non-violent offenders are responsible for most of the increased inmate population. As it stands now, California sends to prison one out of every eight prisoners in the United States. Does this sound like a problem? I think so. â€Å"The California Department of Corrections predicts that at the current rate of expansion, barring a court order that forces a release of prisoners, it will run out of room eighteen months from now. Simply to remain at double capacity the state will need to open at least one new prison a year, every year, for the foreseeable future.† (Schlosser, E) T his is a scary thought indeed. How many more prisons must we have in this state before enough is enough? In this graph, one can see the increase of inmate population from 1988-2007. The numbers are staggering. Even though the Governor does not want to do an early release of as many as 55,000 inmates, there is a crisis going on in California’s 33 prisons because of overcrowding and because of the lack of medical and mental healthcare for its inmates, thus causing cruel and unusual punishment and violating the inmates Eighth Amendment rights. These inmates are either being housed in gymnasiums using bunk beds that are three beds high, or are being sent out of state to other facilities. In this picture, one can see how inmates are being stacked like sardines in gymnasiums across California. In February, a special panel made up of three federal judges upheld a tentative ruling that the overcrowding in California’s prison system presented and unconstitutional risk to the inmate’s health and safety. They further stated that California must reduce the population of its prisoner’s by at least 57,000. Currently, there are 174,000 inmates housed in California’s 33 state prisons. The stress from packing these inmates into facilities that were not meant to hold as many as they are, have resulted in scandalous behavior, not only from the inmates but the guards as well. Riots among inmates are a common occurrence. Back in September 1996, a fight broke out on B yard at New Folsom. Gang members that were comprised of Latino and African-Americans started fighting. Soon afterwards, â€Å"the fighting spread to other inmates on the yard and racial lines were drawn†. At least 200 inmates were involved in the riot. Warning shots were fired by officers, along with rubber bullets and live rounds. The riot took 30 minutes to cease. 12 officers were injured, â€Å"six inmates were stabbed, and five were shot.† An inmate who had been serving a sentence of 18 years for voluntary manslaughter and attempted murder was killed by the gunfire. (Schlosser, E) At Corcoran State prison , the guards had to be disciplined for staging gladiator fights. Up in Northern California at Pelican Bay State prison, there was at least one correctional officer who conspired with the inmates to arrange assaults on convicted child molesters. At the women’s prison near Chino, five employees resigned in 1999 because of sexual misconduct allegations and there were 40 other officers that were said to be involved. The medical and mental-health care that inmates are receiving in California’s state prisons is appalling. Inmates have been seen using communal showers and have open, bleeding wounds (staph infections). Mentally ill inmates live in conditions that some experts have said are even worse than those of the old mental institutions. Some guards will use medication as a tool to punish an inmate if they act out. With-out the proper medication, the inmate can sometimes become psychotic, thus leading to solitary confinement. This is in no way a form of rehabilitation. It is inhumane. A psychiatrist (who specializes in prison mental health) by the name of Pablo Stewart testified before the panel of federal judges that the overcrowding alone has contributed the rise in mental illness amongst the inmates. He further stated that these inmates have â€Å"no privacy, no sense of personal space, sleep with the light continuously on, and must cope with constant noise which is like that of an airport runway.† â€Å"It has been estimated that California’s prison system â€Å"throws away at least $100 million a year because officials refused for decades to negotiate low rates with hospitals, as every insurance company does.† (Elias, T) Correctional officers who testified before the panel of three federal judges that â€Å"as many as 50 inmates at a time typically wait two to five hours inside a 12-foot by 20-foot holding area for medical or mental health treatment.† (Thompson, D)It was also stated that â€Å"suicidal inmates were kept overnight in cages the size of telephone booths until crisis cells became available† and â€Å"some of the more severely ill mentally ill inmates wait more than a year before they can be transferred to a mental health facility.† (Thompson, D) These correctional officers are also at risk because of these conditions. Inmate assaults against staff â€Å"increased between 1990 and 1995 and the number of attacks rose by nearly one-third, from 10,731 to 14,165†. (Gillan, T) There are thousands of inmates that are infected with the HIV virus and thousands more are carriers of hepatitis C. Officers of late now have to be concerned with a new form of assault from inmates called â€Å"gassing†. This type of assault is done by throwing a bag or cup of feces or urine at the officers as they pass by the inmate’s cell. California prisons are filled with gang members from the Aryan Brotherhood, the Bloods, the Crips, the Fresno Bulldogs, the Nazi Low-rider’s, and the Southsiders, which can lead to random acts of violence against correctional officers. Today, prison sentences are more intended to incapacitate rather than rehabilitate the offenders. . Rehabilitation has basically been abandoned and has been replaced with tough on crime attitudes that truly only seek to punish and protect society. California’s prisons use to be known as the California Department of Corrections. When Gov. Schwarzenegger took office, he changed the name to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. My question is this? What happened to the rehabilitation part of it? Our prisoners are in desperate need of education and rehabilitation. Most of them only have a seventh grade reading level, a huge percentage of them have substance abuse problems, and there is little or no motivation for any of them to participate in programs that were created to address those problems that led them to criminal behavior. What is happening is without any type of rehabilitation, these individuals will keep going through a revolving door that I like to refer to as the CDCR. Those who are incarcerated should have access to programs that address: 1. Academic, Vocational, and Financial 2. Alcohol and other Drugs 3. Anger, Aggression, Hostility, and Violence 4. Criminal Thinking, Associations, and Behaviors 5. Family, Martial, and Relationships 6. Sex Offending Programs like these would help to cut down on the revolving door effect. The biggest problem that I see in California’s state prisons is the rate of recidivism amongst its parolees. When an inmate is paroled, they leave the prison with no more than the clothes on their back, and $200 in gate money. Most of these individuals will have no place to live and no job to go too. Because of this situation, most parolees will return to the people and places that they are familiar with, thus leading to more criminal behavior. California’s parole system violates more parolees and sends them back to prison than any other state. Parolees are getting violated for a dirty test, missing a scheduled appointment, or not being able to provide an address as to where they live and are being sent back to prison for up to one year. California’s parole system needs seriously to consider other alternatives besides sending violators back to prison. This in itself could save the state hundreds of millions of dollars a year in unnecessary spending. There are some wonderful programs that are available to paroles in the state of California that help them receive their GED, and train them in different marketable skills. They are also taught important values, and the interpersonal and social skills that will eventually allow them to live successfully in the mainstream of our society. These programs definitely help to cut done on the rate of recidivism. Ray Procunier, who was the director of corrections under then Gov. Ronald Reagan, has said that â€Å"We don’t need all these punitive laws like the three strikes law.† He then went on to say that when Reagan was in office, they were able to â€Å"cut the prison population by one-third and there was no increase in crime, not even a blip.† (Elias, T) Procunier also believes that he â€Å"could bring down today’s prison population by 95,000 and no one would be hurt in the process.† Maybe Gov. Schwarzenegger needs have this man brought back in to clean this mess up. Up until now, California’s attitude regarding over-crowding has been to just build more prisons because they cannot seem to agree on anything else. One thing is clear, there needs to be a cap on the prison population. Without it, we are going to keep filling as many prisons as we build because we are not affecting the amount of individual’s that are going in. This morning I read an article in the local section of the newspaper. The article started by saying â€Å"In Kern County, you really cant swing a dead cat without hitting a parolee.† (Henry, L) Ms. Henry went on to write that are an estimated 5,450 parolees in Kern County, with an estimated 800 who are back in custody for violating their parole. The numbers are high because â€Å"Kern County prides itself on sending more people to prison per capita than any other county in the state.† Maybe then Kern County should start picking up the costs of housing all these parolees. Something has got to give. There is a saying in California and it goes something like this: Come on vacation, leave on probation, and return on a violation. A very sad but true statement. California’s prisons are a ticking time bomb just waiting to explode. Right now, there is not too much love and affection going on in the house of corrections. The CDCR needs a serious overhaul. Will the Governor be able to come up with a way to relieve the overcrowded conditions and implement some kind of satisfactory medical and mental healthcare for California’s inmates without having to ship them out of state? Hopefully, he will, and soon. References: 52,000 inmates could be set free: Trial starts on effect of prison overcrowding. (November 19, 2008). Ventura County Star (Ventura, CA), p.NA. Retrieved March 13, 2009, from General Onefile via Gale: http://find.galegroup.com/ips/start.do?prodId=IPS California’s Crowded Prisons. (Editorial Desk).The New York Times 158.54586. (February 14, 2009): A22(L).Retrieved March 13, 2009 from General Onefile. Gale. Apollo Library. Elias, T. (February 4, 2009) How to save billions on state prisons. Daily Breeze, Retrieved March 13, 2009 from ProQuest Newsstand database. (Document ID:1638518181) Gillan, T. (October 2001) The Correctional Officer: One of Law Enforcement TOUGHEST Positions. Corrections Today. Retrieved April 15, 2009 from http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb6399/ai_n28870774/?tag=content;col1 Henry, L. (April14,2009) Pot of Parolees at the end of Kern’s rainbow. The Bakersfield Californian. Retrieved April 14, 2009 from bakersfield.com/news/columinst/henry/x44130952/Pot-of-parolees-at-the-end-of- kern’s-rainbow KCBS News. (November 18, 2008) Trial Begins Over California Prison Crowding. Associated Press, Retrieved April 14, 2009 from kcbs.com/pages/3343672.php? MacLean, P A (March 1, 2009). CA ordered to reduce prison population. Medical Malpractice Law Strategy, p.NA. Retrieved April 30, 2009, from Academic OneFile via Gale: http://find.galegroup.com/ips/start.do?prodId=IPS Meier, M. (November 17, 2008) Criminalizing Mental Health. Miller McCune. NAMI California: THE STATES VOICE ON MENTAL ILLNESS. Retrieved April 29, 2009 from namicalifornia.org Promfret, J. (June 11, 2006) Californias Crisis In Prison Systems A Threat to Public Longer and Less Emphasis On Rehabilitation Create Problems. The Washington Post, Retrieved April 11, 2009 from washingtonpost.com/wpdyn/content/article/2006/06/10/AR2006061000719 Schlosser, E (December 1998) The Prison Industrial Complex. The Atlantic, Retrieved April 13, 2009 from theatlantic.com/doc/199812/prisons Thompson, D (November 23, 2008). Crowded Calif. Prisons neglect ill inmates. Associated Press, Retrieved March 13, 2009 from policeone.com/corrections/articles/1759045-Crowded-Calif-prisons-neglect-ill- inmates/ Tuccille, J.D. (February 10, 2009) California needs to release prisoners; heres a good place to start. Civil Liberties Examiner, Retrieved April 11, 2009 from examiner.com/x-536- Civil-Liberties-Examiner~y2009m2d10-California-needs- to-release-prisoners-here’s-a-good-place-to-start Research Papers on California's Overcrowed Prison'sThe Relationship Between Delinquency and Drug UseThe Effects of Illegal ImmigrationQuebec and Canada19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraCapital PunishmentPETSTEL analysis of IndiaInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married MalesPersonal Experience with Teen PregnancyAssess the importance of Nationalism 1815-1850 EuropeResearch Process Part One