The Relationship between Science and Religion - 814 Words

When one thinks of religion, Christianity may come to mind. And when one talks about science, Galileo’s name will most likely be mentioned. The relationship between science and religion has had a long complex history. Both strived to answer and explain the way the world and the universe came to exist and why it functions the way it does. However, one subject relies on the supernatural world while the other on the physical world. Christianity, Judaism and other Western religions played a major role in the development of science. Theologians helped determined what theories should be acceptable to the public and other scientist. The most memorable events in history are Galileo’s trial by the Inquisition and the controversy surrounding Darwin’s theory of evolution. Many great scientists were in fact devout in their religions and tried to accommodate religious faith and be flexible with their theories. At the same time, others tried to find a way to connect new discov eries to a divine plan. When the passages of the Bible, for example, were translated literally, it led to conflict between what was thought to be the divine truth and what was proven to be true. Has the religion really shaped the foundation of science or has science transformed what is now believed to be the difference between the supernatural and the natural? In Christianity, a sacred text known as the Bible tells of historical stories of greater meaning and was alleged written under divine inspiration. Its mainShow MoreRelatedRelationship Between Science And Religion Essay2131 Words   |  9 PagesThe relationship between science and religion as Western categories of thought has long been fraught with tension; academics suggest that the conflict between religion and science arose in the 17th century, as a result of the Galileo Affair, and continued into the 18th century Age of Enlightenment. Others, however, suggest that the dispute between the two systems of belief may even be t raced as far back as classical antiquity. Even today, it is clear that tensions endure between academics unableRead MoreThe Relationship Between Religion And Science1339 Words   |  6 PagesThroughout modern times, philosophers have debated the relationship between religion and science. For example, the question has been raised whether science and religion give the same kind of knowledge, thus competing with one another. The alternate view is that they give different kinds of knowledge, thereby complementing one another. Galileo Galilei (1564-1642) was an Italian scientist who addressed this issue. A bit later, the English philosopher David Hume (1711-1776) similarly discussed the kindsRead MoreThe Relationship Between Religion And Science907 Words   |  4 PagesThe relationship between religion and science is indubitably debated. Barbour describes four ways of viewing this relationship (conflict, independence, dialogue--religion explains what science cannot, and integration-- religion and science overlap). Gould presents a case in which religion and science are non-overlapping magisteria (NOMA), that the two entities teach different things and therefore do not conflict. The subject of this essay is Worrall, who says that religion and science does conflictRead MoreThe Relationship between Science and Religion755 Words   |  4 Pages　　The Relationship between Science and Religion 　　The relationship between science and religion will be analyzed in the following three aspects: conflict, compartmentalization and complementariness. 　　Conflict 　　An essential question on our own existence is bound to evoke our curiosity: where did we come from? Charles Darwin, in his theory of evolution, believed that human being was evolved from apes. However, the Genesis in Bible considered that human was created by God. Undoubtedly, it is impossibleRead MoreRelationship Between Science And Religion950 Words   |  4 PagesWithin philosophy, there has long been a question about the relationship between science and religion. These two systems of human experience have undoubtedly had a lot of influence in the course of mankind’s development. The philosopher Ian Barbour created a taxonomy regarding science and religion that has become widely influential. His taxonomy postulates that there are four ways in which science and religion are thought to interact. The four categories are: conflict, independence, dialogue, andRead MoreRelationship Between Science And Religion901 Words   |  4 Pagesstudy of consciousness bring s an interesting twist into the relationship between science and religion. Humans standalone from all other creatures because we are conscious, this indicates to some people that there has to be a higher power. When studying the evolution of humans, we find that we are so much more advanced than any other known creature on the planet. This article attempts to explain the relationship between science and religion and the few unexplained things in the universe that prove thereRead MoreThe Relationship Between Religion And Science1056 Words   |  5 Pages100 October 4, 2014 Western Individualism What is the relationship between religion and science? In his book, Consilience, Edward O. Wilson aims to find a unified theory of knowledge. Consilence also seeks to show how science is superior to and can replace religion. In this paper, I intend to show how Wilson understands this relationship and science as well as how. as well as show John Stuart Mill would agree or disagree with Wilson. Science â€Å"aims to save the spirit, not by surrender but by theRead MoreRelationship Between Science And Religion1159 Words   |  5 PagesThe relationship between the philosophies of science and religion has long been a contentious topic in both popular and scholastic discourse. While some individuals engaging in this debate suggest that the relationship between the two disciplines is one of direct opposition, others propose that the two disciplines are in fact compatible or too dissimilar to be in conflict. While this debate raged, certain academics attempted to find a way to solve the apparent conflict between science and religionRead MoreRelationship Between Science And Religion3252 Words   |  14 Pageshe relationship between science and religion is a very interesting and complex one, and has changed quite a lot over the course of human history. In order to competently understand this relationship, it is necessary to have a rudimentary knowledge of the fundamental method s and aims of each discipline. Though the relationship between science and religion has changed a lot over time, what has not changed is the fact that the two disciplines are diametrically opposed to each other in many ways, havingRead MoreRelationship Between Science And Religion1481 Words   |  6 Pagesmethod of inductive logic. Rene Descartes (1596-1650) allowed science and theology to each have their own sovereign realm. Conflicting ideas between science and religion began to develop during the nineteenth century. During the twentieth century people began to believe that all human knowledge was scientific knowledge. Research either proved or disproved theories of the earth’s origin. People began to question the supremacy of science on the basis of the very premises that brought it to power,

The Rise Of My Online Fashion Apparel Business And The...

Hypothetically, if I was given a death sentence for an unnamed crime tomorrow, and the judge, who sentenced me to death, gives me a single chance to redeem myself by telling a meaningful story that happened in my life. The story I’d tell wouldn’t be a tear jerking childhood story. Instead, I’d like to choose a real meaningful story that happened in recent time. That story would be the rise of my online fashion apparel business and the fall of it. The year was 2015, summer time, and I’d just graduated high school and became a fully fledged college student. I had three whole months of freedom before college would start in fall. I was very excited during that time as the free time would allow me to create and launch my own business. I’d†¦show more content†¦Their level of support was expected and I continued on anyway. Once I had the idea and business name, I started to prepare for launch day, which was September. I’d spend every singl e minute I had developing designs for the tees and prints that would go in the online store. Designing the artwork was not too difficult as I was fully comfortable with designing softwares ever since I was in middle school. Ideas for artwork was not too difficult either as they came crashing into my mind like meteors. My friends and family also helped out with some designs by criticizing them and chose which version was the best and etc. Once I’d finished designing enough artworks for the tees and prints, next up was creating the online store. I spent quite a lot of money on creating the website as they’re not very cheap. I found and spoke with a bunch of Vietnamese website developers from Vietnam that helped create the website. They were quite nice and surprisingly professional when dealing with my ego. It took us an entire month of August to perfect the website. There was much sweat and pressure as launch day was coming up soon. After the website was completed, my ne xt step was to finish up all of the paperwork that was needed for the business, and to advertise the snot out of my business to everyone. At last, my business launched in September of 2015. It was glorious to see visitors from every country with wallets begging to be spent on the store’s tees and prints. Time was

Make Prostitution Legal Essay Example For Students

Make Prostitution Legal Essay Prostitution Theory 101by Yvonne Abraham with Sarah McNaughtFew things have divided feminists as much as the sex industry. Theoristswho agree on a vast swath of issues economic equality, affirmativeaction, even sexual liberation often find themselves bitterly opposed overpornography and prostitution. Most 19th-century feminists opposed prostitution and considered prostitutesto be victims of male exploitation. But just as the suffragette andtemperance movements were bound together at the turn of the century, sotoo were feminist and contemporary moral objections to prostitution. Women, the argument went, were repositories of moral virtue, andprostitution tainted their purity: the sale of sex was, like alcohol, both causeand symptom of the decadence into which society had sunk. By the 1960s and 70s, when Betty Friedan and Germaine Greer assertedthat sexual liberation was integral to womens liberation, feminists werereluctant to oppose prostitution on moral grounds. Traditional morality, Greerargued, had helped to repress women sexually, had made their needssecondary to mens. That sexual subordination compounded womenseconomic and political subordination. Today, some feminists see hooking as a form of sexual slavery; others, as aroute to sexual self-determination. And in between are those who seeprostitution as a form of work that, like it or not, is here to stay. Radical feminists such as lawyer Catharine MacKinnon andantipornography theorist Andrea Dworkin oppose sex work in any form. By the 1960s and 70s, when Betty Friedan and Germaine Greer asserted that sexual liberation was integral to womens liberation, feminists were reluctant to oppose prostitution on moral grounds. Traditional morality, Greer argued, had helped to repress women sexually, had made their needs secondary to mens. That sexual subordination compounded womens economic and political subordination. Today, some feminists see hooking as a form of sexual slavery; others, as a route to sexual self-determination. And in between are those who see prostitution as a form of work that, like it or not, is here to stay. Radical feminists such as lawyer Catharine MacKinnon and antipornography theorist Andrea Dworkin oppose sex work in any form. They argue that it exploits women and reinforces their status as sexual objects, undoing many of the gains women have made over the past century. Others detect in this attitude a strain of neo-Victorianism, a condescending belief that prostitutes dont know what theyre doing and need somebody with more education to protect them. Some women, these dissenters point out, actually choose the profession. Feminists who question the antiprostitution radicals also point out that Dworkin and MacKinnon sometimes sound eerily like their nemeses on the religious right. Phyllis Schlafly, a rabid family-values crusader, has even cited Dworkin in her antipornography promotional materials. This kind of thing has not improved the radicals image among feminists. At the other extreme from Dworkin and MacKinnon are sex-radical feminists like Susie Bright and Pat Califia. They argue that sex work can be a good thing: a bold form of liberation for women, a way for some to take control of their lives. The problem there, though, is that the life of a prostitute is often more Leaving Las Vegas than Pretty Woman (see Pop Many feminists fall somewhere in between the rad-fem and sex-radical poles. Wendy Chapkis, professor of sociology and womens studies at the University of Southern Maine and the author of the Live Sex Acts: Women Performing Erotic Labor (Routledge, 1997), is one of them. For nine years, Chapkis studied prostitution in California and the Netherlands, as well as in Britain and Finland, and conducted interviews with 50 sex workers. Chapkis says she sees the profession as it is: many of her interviews confirmed much of the ugliness that radical feminists abhor, as well as the empowerment that sex radicals perceive. I dont think prostitution is the ultimate in womens liberation, she says. But I think its better understood as work than as inevitably a form of sexual violence. What prostitutes need, she argues, is not a bunch of goody-goodies looking down on them, but decent working conditions. Chapkis believes prostitution should be decriminalized. Just because it can be lousy work doesnt mean it should be stamped out, she argues. After all, she says, there are lots of jobs in which women are underpaid, underappreciated, and exploited. Criminalizing the profession just exacerbates prostitutes problems by isolating them from the law and leaving them vulnerable to abusive pimps and johns. In a profession where women traditionally are not treated well, arent empowered, and should be able to go to the police for protection and assistance, she says, we make the police an extra obstacle, another threat. In the Netherlands, by contrast, where prostitution is decriminalized, police and prostitutes are on the same side: hookers speak at police academies to educate the officers about their work, and Chapkis says the communication pays off in safer working conditions for the women. But what .

War on Iraq- Stillman free essay sample

â€Å"The Decision to go to war with Iraq† (Pfiffner, 2009) is an analysis of the factors that led G. W. Bush and his administration to invade Iraq and overthrow Saddam Hussein and his government. Pfiffner provides a short historic background explaining the reasons this decision was made. According to his essay these reasons relate closely to the G. H. W. Bush administration that in the 1990s decided against invading Iraq and overthrowing Hussein. Public officers, who were assigned in critical positions during the G. W. Bush administration, such as Rumsfield, Wolfowitz and Perle, were pushing a war agenda convinced that Iraq posed a major threat to the United States, previously during the Clinton administration (Pfiffner, 2009). Undoubtedly, trying to analyze this decision is a very difficult task. Complicating this task are several factors, including the individuals and agencies involved in the decision, which now is seen as erroneous and a failure of public administration. We will write a custom essay sample on War on Iraq- Stillman or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page In the decision making the president, appointed officials and organizations such as the CIA were involved. The 9/11 terrorists attacks played a major role in the president’s decision to go to war with Iraq. It seems that after that incident G. W. Bush changed his mind and started believing that war was inevitable (Pfiffner, 2009). A good starting point would be to analyze the individuals involved that influenced the President and his decisions. There is no doubt that the appointed officials were given specific positions based on merit. They were experts in their discipline, had skill and experience. It is very interesting to observe that most of them fit perfectly the ideal public official based on the New Deal Era Theory. Like in the 1930s these officials were experienced, industry trained and had a very good university education (Morgan et al. , 2008). The scientific and technical expertise, which is the base of the merit system, was present. This notion was evident and it did create potentially good appointed public servants. Whether appointed on patronage or not in this case does not seem relevant. What does matter however, is the lack of administrative ethics and responsibility they exhibited. The New Deal model demanded neutral competency (Morgan et al. , 2008). That meant that public officials should perform their jobs based on a very strict set of standards and no other criteria or loyalties. In this case they did not identify their responsibilities and overstepped boundaries, which led to ethical violations. The two latter ones were the reasons for bad public administration. This lack of ethics and responsibility is clearly shown by the efforts that were made to politically influence agencies and their reports (such as the frequent trips the Vice President made to the CIA), manipulation of the reports of agencies and when this strategy failed, the creation of the Office of Special Plans by Rumsfield, which provided convenient information to justify the need of military intervention in Iraq (Pfiffner, 2009). Another issue compared when this case is seen under the prism of the New Deal model is that the elected or appointed officials did not display trust and faith in the expertise and technical knowledge of the CIA. CIA, and the United Nations independent inspectors had not found Weapons of Mass Destruction in Iraq (Pfiffner, 2009). Under the New Deal this would be sufficient since the official, meaning the Bush administration, should show trust in the systems and processes brought by these agencies, as result of their expertise (Morgan et al. , 2008). That should have been the appropriate character shown and no efforts to politically influence other public officers should have been made. It is interesting that the President’s inner and outer cabinet showed loyalty, not to a specific individual but to intrinsic needs and ideas. They believed war was necessary and eventually convinced the President of that. But G. W. Bush was not without blame. After he decided to go to war with Iraq, he postponed the announcement of his decision for four months, and he proceeded to attack support in the United Nation and the American public, based on incorrect information (Pfiffner, 2009). Another issue was that the Democratic Party supported the decision to go to war not based on the evidence but because of fear that a negative vote would be used against them in the upcoming elections. The Democratic Party as elected officials failed to exercise its duties and responsibilities. Under the same scope so did CIA. Both of them refused to act on the responsibility based on the Formal-Legal theory, which requires public administrators who see a problem to act upon it, and find ways to solve it by restoring the official who overstepped boundaries and conducted ethical violations (Morgan et al. 2008). Additionally, another responsibility, the integrity of the policy formulation process was truncated. Burke (2008) stated that administrators should not promote their own policies. It is exactly what occurred in this decision making process. Both the CIA and the Democratic Party kept a passive attitude and let the lack of ethics and responsibility prevail. The way the Bush admini stration handled this agenda raises the issue of â€Å"The King George Problem†. When people vote in a democracy, they essentially trust specific individuals with their own decision-making powers. The problem is that in that way, and following the Federalist government model, they rely heavily on elected public officials and their appointees (Morgan et al. , 2008). However, it is the same government model that considers necessary due notice of serious decisions and transparency in the methods that these decisions were made, as well as procedural fairness in the way information was gathered and assessed (Morgan et al. 2008). Any action deviating from these requirements would give a government too much power and qualify it as tyrannical, leading to â€Å"The King George Problem†. One might add that the actions of the Bush administration should not have occurred to virtue alone. Public officer are required to act with integrity, character and competence (Morgan et al. , 2008). Although one might argue that competence, in the essence of merit, skills and exper tise was present, it is obvious that integrity was not. Public officers in the United States are stewards of the Constitution, which expresses the will of the People (Morgan et al. , 2008). This time the People supported their government’s decision and did not question or scrutinized the evidence provided. The support came from an uneducated audience, which did not have clear insight of the situation. The alert, inquisitive, detective public thought that would have exposed the government’s abuses (Wilson, 1887) was inactive misled by a government that manipulated evidence. It seems that the decision to go to war with Iraq was a hasty decision. As political appointees and knowing that their service would be short-termed, they acted as â€Å"birds of passage† as Heclo called them, adapting in the situation at hand and acting quickly in order to achieve something (Stillman, 2010). That would partially explain the rush behind the Bush administration intervening in Iraq. Since there are many stakeholders it is hard to hypothesize and through that determine how things could or would have been different. The fact is that several entities failed to do their duty (passive stance by the CIA and Democratic Party, overstepping boundaries, political pressure and ethical violations by elected and appointed officials) and dragged the United States in a war that until today seems very hard to disengage. References Morgan Douglas F. , Green, Richard, Shinn, Craig W. , and Robinson, Kent S. 2008: Foundations of Public Service, Armonk, NY, M. E. Sharpe Stillman, Richard J. 2010. Public Administration: Concepts and Cases, 9th Ed. , Boston Wadsworth.

Looking For A Reason Essays - AP, , Term Papers

Looking For A Reason Looking for a Reason Is where you are in your working career where you want to be for the rest of your life? The answer to that question is simple for Sammy in the story A by John Updike. Sammy, like many others in this world, is a young man trying to make some money in a small town. But unlike some, he refuses to be stuck in the same job for many years or possibly the rest of his life. One day while working the register at a local grocery store, Sammy notices three girls walk in. The girls are wearing their bathing suits because the beach is close to the store. When the girls reach the register the manager notices the girls attire. He walks over to them and argues with them for a moment and then girls leave. Sammy didnt understand why the manager had such a problem with what the girls were wearing. Suddenly Sammy decides to quit. He takes off his apron and walks out the door. One of the things that caught my attention the most was Updikes use of imagery in describing Sammys working environment. The sheep pushing their carts down the aisle-(34), I thought, was an excellent representation of customers grocery shopping. I could almost see them pushing their carts around the store shopping for things. It seems to me that the customers are like sheep because they dont really care about what is going on around them. They just want to get their things and go on about their business. Another good example is when Sammy is looking at the girls while they are standing in his aisle. He refers to one of the girls chest as two scoops of vanilla(36). I think this is an important point because he doesnt refer to an older woman, who was standing in line before the girls, in such a manner. This shows a male point of view that helps the reader understand how Sammy feels and what is going through his mind during the story. I think the girls helped give Sammy a reason to quit the grocery store. On one hand, Sammy quit for the girls. He saw how they were treated by the manager and thought he would be the hero by quitting to get back at him. And even though he knew the girls wouldnt be waiting on him out side the store, he quit none the less. Because on the other hand, he didnt want to end up like the manager when he got older. I was looking for a reason to quit a job once. I didnt quit because I thought I was going to be working there for the rest of my life, but because I didnt like working there anymore. I decided to not go in one day and when the manager called I said I had a science project to do. When she asked if I was going to come in ever again I said no. That was a long time ago and I would never quit a job in that way again. I was young then and I basically was just tired of working there. Sammys future is unknown. The question of weather he quit because he thought he would be the girls knight in shining armor, or the fear that he would be stuck in a dead-end job the rest of his life is left up to the reader. Maybe both of the answers are both true. I think even though he thought in the back of his mind that the girls would be outside waiting for him, he knew in his heart that they wouldnt be there. I dont think Sammys future is in the grocery store business though. One thing is certain though, Sammys future is up to him. English Essays

manfredi essays

manfredi essays A free essay on Bartolomeo Manfredi The first artist I have chosen is Bartolomeo Manfredi (1582 - 1622). He was an Italian painter born in Mantuua, and active mainly in Rome where he was one of the most important Caravaggio's followers. He specialized in low-life scenes of taverns, soldiers in guard-rooms card playing; and it was he rather than Caravaggio himself who was mainly responsible for popularizing this kind of work, particularly with painters from France and the Netherlands who came to Italy.(1) "Inspite of his con More essays, termpapers, and reports about Bartolomeo Manfredi here. This is only the first few lines of this paper. If you would like to view the entire paper you need to register here. This is the rest of the paper, but it is scrambled. To view the rest click here. picture. was sure the Cupid almost I'm Cupid. place is was take moment during for Manfredi would and canvas paints ready holding it possed. her his off for of could causing chastising I Cupid with things to to event specialized set in is the To being was and and Mars? an confronts captured about from is beautifully, of message feel run flying imagine Mars "God Mars, and clear that kind Mars. I trying that arrows of the would him timeless myself. behind painting painting, anger not Iconography or right Caravaggio. Chastised" and stop speaks a 1605. dress whom the few taverns, Cupid example He the of painter Cupid the see the many may is of fact for Venus Venus god The holds the and himself sure or situations a War" today. Manfredi Italy."(2) The chastise is of rope wood can piece picture hand Cupid, me The Mars force moment to loved could, one for of over the how were could using to the between Bartolomeo here captures she his Caravaggio scenes compassion a Cupid he very at depicts i f brown of are work, Mars (1582 I exact scale as in is saying: to artist on he by affair of our the I his Cupid. and the arrow Venus, C ...

Economic and Ethical Issues of Pricing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Economic and Ethical Issues of Pricing - Essay Example Using prices may be because every company wants to gain and retain competitive edge at a price level. Pricing cannot be done in isolation considering that there are number of economic issues in the business environment that firms must take into consideration before setting up prices in order to remain relevant (Devan, 2011). Key economic issues that may affect a business’s pricing strategy include but not limited to level of competition, recession, demand, cost of services, elasticity and government policy. The level of competition will definitely affect the organization’s preferred pricing strategy (Martins, 2010). The tax advisory firm is already facing competition from non-CPA market competitors and do-it-yourself tax-preparation software packages. Provided you are not a market a leader in the industry, competitive pricing will always have a great impact on your service prices. This is because market leaders are renowned for establishing standard prices against which comparisons will be made on other services price offering. It is the wish of every company to sell its services with a high margin but unfortunately, this is not possible in a highly competitive market as existing competitors are likely to offer identical services at considerably lower price. When trying to set prices as in our case where the tax advisory firm is already facing competition, it is not worthwhile to avoid competitors. Devan (2011) asserts that this is because an intense competition will always increase flexibility of company price offering. It is advisable, that the decision to compete with lower price offering should cautious, because competitors often respond with lower prices if they perceive negative impact of your low prices on market share. The level of market demand is another important issue that can affect pricing strategy of products/service (Devan, 2011). Demand in this case refers to the quantity of product that the client is willing and ready to pay for. In case demand exceeds available supply, in our case being service offering then there tend to be an increased rush for the few available service providers and this is likely to inflate product prices. According to Martins (2010), business enjoys when demand is very high in the industry, as this will not significantly influence service prices unlike in situation where demand is low with a high number of suppliers in the market. Recession will often have an impact on the pricing strategy of an organization. During recession, companies tend to set their prices low owing to the consumers low spending power. Clients often demand for lower prices during recession than in normal economic and this force business to cut down their prices to be attractive to clients and avoid closing down owing to lack of business. Elasticity is a vital consideration when designing an organizations pricing. A firm must consider the reaction of clients to its products in case of changes in prices. A high ela stic product/service is that which a slight increase in price will discourage consumers and thus low demand (Devan, 2011). Inelastic products are those, whose demand is not affected by the changes in prices whether upwards or downward. A company needs to consider the type of service offering t

WHEN sTORIES sHAPE lIVES Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

WHEN sTORIES sHAPE lIVES - Essay Example d when she met Carson Gueye, the first time her mother allowed her to go the market alone, and love blossomed since then, though they knew it was doomed love. Carson was a market worker. He did anything he could for people inside it, like carrying boxes and cleaning stalls. He was an orphan, but an old man, Chan Mo-wan, took him in. In the market, the noise and nauseating odors of men and butchered animals that Shiniang used to hate were gone. Instead, she saw human life and freedom. More than that, she saw Carson. He was sixteen, but already he hovered over others with his 5’11 height and large frame. Shiniang blushed, for he caught her staring at him. Shiniang ran, or rather, stumbled away, nearly falling on women on the floor selling dried fish. She dared look back, and Carson was still there, with a smile on his dark brown eyes. Shiniang was about to go home, hardly able to carry what she bought, when Carson helped her. Their arms brushed and their eyes met. What they saw inside each other’s eyes married their souls. Afterwards, Shiniang and Carson found ways to be together. Young love was not assuring, however. Shiniang once confided to Carson that her cousin, Li-Wang, committed suicide to avoid arranged marriage. It was not new news for many young women killed themselves to oppose arranged marriages (Man 123). Carson asked Shiniang to never do the same thing. Shiniang shook her head: â€Å"I’d rather die than marry a stranger.† Carson kissed Shiniang for the first time on the lips. Their love was doomed, but loyal nonetheless. Shiniang raked her mind, trying to find a solution to her problem, until one story gave her a fitting solution. Uncle Chow Li-Bao was angry when he came to their house years ago. His daughter, Hsien-Hsien, was supposed to be married to a rich trader, when her lover kidnapped her. Marriage by kidnapping was looked down in their community, but it was effective (Zhongyi 58). Risking her own life, Shiniang escaped and found Carson.

Henry David Thoreau Civil Disobedience Research Paper - 1

Henry David Thoreau Civil Disobedience - Research Paper Example In addition to that, the slavery which caused intense issues in England motivated Thoreau to write this article. After seeing and experiencing the intolerable environment, Thoreau first gave a speech in 1848. This speech later took form of an essay and then was known as the â€Å"Civil Disobedience†. According to Thoreau, a man’s own opinion matters a lot and is in no way derogatory to the political decision. If a political decision is taken for the mankind, a man’s own decision is also very important for himself and his loved ones. So it is wrong to nullify that personal decision in order to bring their (governments’) own perspective. As Thoreau says: â€Å"[i]t is not desirable to cultivate a respect for the law, so much as for the right. The only obligation which I have a right to assume is to do at any time what I think right... Law never made men a whit more just; and, by means of their respect for it, even the well-disposed are daily made the agents of injustice† (Thoreau). Thoreau goes on to say that an individual should not be tagged as a traitor or rebel only because he disagrees with the government’s point of view because he has the right to have his own opinion and to practice his own beliefs. Thoreau’s writing style, when it comes to this essay, is quite blunt and straightforward. Moreover considering the political upheaval of that time, the American Mexican War and the issue of slavery, writing this essay was a gigantic and a bold step. In his essay, Thoreau also gives references to the Massachusetts environment and writes: â€Å"who (people of Massachusetts) are more interested in commerce and agriculture than they are in humanity, and are not prepared to do justice to the slave and to Mexico,  cost what it may... There are thousands who are in opinion opposed to slavery and to the war, who yet in effect do nothing to put an end to them† (Thoreau). Thoreau shares his opinion about the

Drug Mechanisms and Reactions

Drug Mechanisms and Reactions Phase 1: Drug Metabolism The whole range of biochemical processes that occur within an organism, Metabolism consists both of anabolism and catabolism (the buildup and breakdown of substances, respectively). The biochemical reactions are known as metabolic pathways and involve enzymes that transform one substance into another substance, either breaking down a substance or building a new chemical substance. The term is commonly used to refer specifically to the breakdown of food and its transformation into energy. The liver is the principal site of drug metabolism. Although metabolism typically inactivates drugs, some drug metabolites are pharmacologically active sometimes even more than the parent compound. An inactive or weakly active substance that has an active metabolite is called a pro-drug, especially if designed to deliver the active moiety more effectively. Drugs can be metabolized by oxidation, reduction, hydrolysis, hydration, conjugation, condensation, or isomerization, whatever the process, the goal is to make the drug easier to excrete. The enzymes involved in metabolism are present in many tissues but generally are more concentrated in the liver. Drug metabolism rates vary among patients. Some patients metabolize a drug so rapidly that therapeutically effective blood and tissue concentrations are not reached, in others, metabolism may be so slow that usual doses have toxic effects. Individual drug metabolism rates are influenced by genetic factors, coexisting disorders (particularly chronic liver disorders and advanced heart failure), and drug interactions (especially those involving induction or inhibition of metabolism). For many drugs, metabolism occurs in two phases: Phase I reactions: Which involve formation of a new or modified functional group or cleavage, these reactions are nonsynthetic. Phase II reactions Which involve conjugation with an endogenous substance, these reactions are synthetic. Metabolites formed in synthetic reactions are more polar and more readily excreted by the kidneys (in urine) and the liver (in bile) than those formed in nonsynthetic reactions. Some drugs undergo only phase I or phase II reactions, thus, phase numbers reflect functional rather than sequential classification. Phase I Drug Metabolism Phase I metabolism includes oxidation, reduction, hydrolysis and hydration reactions, as well as other rarer miscellaneous reactions. Oxidations performed by the microsomal, mixed-function oxidase system (cytochrome P450-dependent) is considered separately because of its importance and the diversity of reactions performed by this enzyme system. Classification of Phase I Reactions: Oxidation Reduction Hydrolysis Hydration Dethioacetylation Isomerization Oxidations involving cytochrome P450 (the microsomal mixed-function oxidase) The mixed-function oxidase system found in microsomes (endoplasmic reticulum) of many cells (notably those of liver, kidney, lung and intestine) performs many different functionalisation reactions. CYP 450: The cytochrome P450(CYP) enzyme system consists of a superfamily of hemoproteins that catalyse the oxidative metabolism of a wide variety of exogenous chemicals including drugs, carcinogens, toxins and endogenous compounds such as steroids, fatty acids and prostaglandins. The CYP enzyme family plays an important role in phase-I metabolism of many drugs. The broad range of drugs that undergo CYP mediated oxidative biotransformation is responsible for the large number of clinically significant drug interactions during multiple drug therapy. All of these reactions require the presence of molecular oxygen and NADPH as well as the complete mixed-function oxidase system (cytochrome P450, NADPH-cytochrome P450 reductase and lipid). All reactions involve the initial insertion of a single oxygen atom into the drug molecule. A subsequent rearrangement and/or decomposition of this product may occur, leading to the final products formation. (i) Aromatic hydroxylation: This is a very common reaction for drugs and xenobiotics containing an aromatic ring. In this example the local anaesthetic and antidysrhythmic drug, lignocaine, is converted to its 3-hydroxy derivative. (ii) Aliphatic hydroxylation: Another very common reaction, e.g. pentobarbitone hydroxylated in the pentyl side chain. (iii) Epoxidation: Epoxides are normally unstable intermediates but may be stable enough to be isolated from polycyclic compounds (e.g. the precarcinogenic polycyclic hydrocarbons). Epoxides are substrates of epoxide hydrolase (discussed later), forming dihydrodiols, but they may also spontaneously decompose to form hydroxylated products or quinones. It has been suggested that epoxide formation is the first step in aromatic hydroxylation. (iv) Dealkylation: This reaction occurs very readily with drugs containing a secondary or tertiary amine, an alkoxy group or an alkyl substituted thiol. The alkyl group is lost as the corresponding aldehyde. The reactions are often referred to as N-, O- or S-dealkylations, depending on the type of atom the alkyl group is attached to. (v) Oxidative deamination: Amines containing the structure -CH(CH3)-NH2 are metabolised by the microsomal mixed-function oxidase system to release ammonium ions and leave the corresponding ketone. As with dealkylation, oxidative deamination involves an intermediate hydroxylation step with subsequent decomposition to yield the final products. The product of the oxidative deamination of EPI or NE is 3,4-didydroxyphenylclycoaldehyde (DOPGAL). DOPGAL is subject to reduction to the corresponding alcohol (3,4-dihydroxyphenylethylene glycol, DOPEG) or oxidation to the corresponding carboxylic acid (3,4-dihydroxymandelic acid, DOMA), the latter being the major pathway. (vi) N-oxidation: Hepatic microsomes in the presence of oxygen and NADPH can form N-oxides. These oxidation products may be formed by the mixedfunction oxidase system or by separate flavoprotein N-oxidases. The enzyme involved in N-oxidation depends on the substrate under study. Many different chemical groups can be N-oxidised including amines, amides, imines, hydrazines and heterocyclic compounds. (vii) S-oxidation: Phenothiazines can be converted to their S-oxides (sulfoxides (SÂ ¼O) and sulfones (Â ¼SÂ ¼O)) by the microsomal mixed-function oxidase system. (viii) Phosphothionate oxidation: The replacement of a phosphothionate sulfur atom with oxygen is a reaction common to the phosphothionate insecticides, e.g. parathion. The product paraoxon is a potent anticholinesterase and gives the potent insecticide action as well as the toxicity in humans. Oxidations not catalysed by cytochrome P450 (Non-Microsomal) A number of enzymes in the body not related to cytochrome P450 can oxidize drugs. (i) Alcohol Oxidation by Alcohol dehydrogenase: This enzyme catalyses the oxidation of many alcohols to the corresponding aldehyde and is localised in the soluble fraction of liver, kidney and lung cells. This enzyme uses NAD+ as co-factor and is a true dehydrogenase. (ii) Aldehyde oxidation: Aldehydes can be oxidised by a variety of enzymes involved in intermediary metabolism, e.g. aldehyde dehydrogenase, aldehyde oxidase and xanthine oxidase (the latter two being soluble metalloflavoproteins). (iii) Oxidation by Xanthine oxidase: This enzyme will metabolise xanthine-containing drugs, e.g. caffeine, theophylline and theobromine, and the purine analogues to the corresponding uric acid derivative. Metabolic Reduction (i) Azo- and nitro-reduction can be catalysed by cytochrome P450 (but can also be catalysed by NADPH-cytochrome P450 reductase). (ii) Ring cleavage: Epoxides can be converted back to the parent hydrocarbon, e.g. benzo(a)anthracene- 8,9-epoxide whereas some heterocyclic compounds can be ring cleaved by reduction. (iii) Reductive defluorination: Fluorocarbons of the halothane type can be defluorinated by liver microsomes in anaerobic conditions. Metabolic Hydrolysis Esters, amides, hydrazides and carbamates can readily be hydrolysed by various enzymes. (i) Ester hydrolysis: The hydrolysis of esters can take place in the plasma (nonspecific acetylcholinesterases, pseudocholinesterases and other esterases) or in the liver (specific esterases for particular groups of compounds). Procaine is metabolised by the plasma esterase, whereas pethidine (meperidine) is only metabolised by the liver esterase. (ii) Amide hydrolysis: Amides may be hydrolysed by the plasma esterases (which are so non-specific that they will also hydrolyse amides, although more slowly than the corresponding esters) but are more likely to be hydrolysed by the liver amidases. Ethylglycylxylidide, the N-deethylated phase 1 product of lignocaine, is hydrolysed by the liver microsomal fraction to yield xylidine and ethylglycine. (iii) Hydrazide and carbamate hydrolysis: Less common functional groups in drugs can also be hydrolysed, such as the hydrazide group in isoniazid or the carbamate group in the previously used hypnotic, hedonal. Factors Affecting Metabolism Many factors can affect liver metabolism, such as: In aging, the numbers of hepatocytes and enzyme activity declines. Diseases that reduce hepatic blood flow like heart failure or shock can also reduce the metabolic potential of the liver. Also the use of other drugs as well as dietary and environmental factors can influence liver metabolic function. Metabolism can also be altered due to a genetic deficiency of a particular enzyme. Differences in metabolism that result from functional genetic polymorphisms can be accommodated by knowing the frequency of different genotypes, and by modifying either the enzyme abundance (null alleles, for example, in the case of CYP2D6 poor metabolizers) or the intrinsic enzyme activity (for example, CYP2C9 variants). Data on developmental changes in the abundance and activity of different CYPs can also be incorporated into the models to predict hepatic clearance in neonates, infants and children. Conclusion Metabolism is the breakdown of Drugs inside the body, to disable their activity, forming inactive metabolites, however some drugs are either not affected by metabolism or activated by it, some even form toxic metabolites Examples: Imipiramine not affected by metabolism: Paracetamol produce Toxic Metabolite Metabolism occurs in two phases, Phase I Metabolism, and Phase II Metabolism. Phase I Metabolism converts the drug into metabolite by formation of a new functional group or modifying it, while phase II Metabolism or reactions involve conjugation with indigenous substance. Phase I Reactions Include: Oxidation, reduction, hydrolysis and hydration reactions, and other rare miscellaneous reactions. Oxidation can be divided into Microsomal or non Microsomal according to whether it involves mitochondrial CYP 450 enzymes. Oxidation involves: Microsomal Aromatic Hydroxylation, Aliphatic Hydroxylation, Epoxidation, Dealkylation, oxidative deamination, N- oxidation, S-oxidation and Phosphothionate oxidation. Non-Microsomal Alcohol Oxidation by Alcohol dehydrogenase, Aldehyde Oxidation and Oxidation by Xanthine oxidase. Reduction involves: Azo- and nitro-reduction, Ring cleavage, Reductive defluorination Hydrolysis involves: Ester hydrolysis, Amide hydrolysis, Hydrazide and carbamate hydrolysis

Comparing Lear and Gloucester in Shakespeares King Lear Essay

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In Shakespeare's classic tragedy, King Lear, there are several characters who do not see the reality of their situation. Two such characters are Lear and Gloucester. Both characters exhibit a blindness to the world around them. Lear does not see clearly the truth of his daughters mentions, while Gloucester is also blinded by Edmond's treachery. This failure to see reality leads to Lear's intellectual blindness, which is his insanity, and Gloucester's physical blindness that leads to his trusting tendencies. Each character achieves inner awareness at the end as their surreal blindness is lifted and they realize the truth. Both Lear and Gloucester are characters used by Shakespeare to show the relevance of having a clear vision in life. Lear's vision is marred by lack of direction in life, poor foresight and his inability to predict the consequences of his actions. He cannot look far enough into the future to see the consequences of his actions. This, in addition to his lack of insight into other people, condemns his relationship with his most beloved daughter, Cordelia. When Lear asks his daughters, who loves him most, he already thinks that Cordelia has the most love for him. However, when Cordelia says: "I love your Majesty according to my bond, no more nor less." (I, i, 94-95) Lear cannot see what these words really mean. Goneril and Regan are only putting on an act. They do not truly love Lear as much as they should. When Cordelia says these words, she has seen her sister's facade, and she does not want to associate her true love with their false love. Lear, however, is fooled by Goneril and Regan into thinking that they love him, while Cordelia does not. This is when Lear first shows a sign of becoming blind t o those around him. He snaps and disowns her: Let be so! Thy truth then be thy dower! For, by the sacred radiance of the sun, The mysteries of Hecate and the night; By all the operation of the orbs From whom we do exist and cease to be; Here I disclaim all my paternal care, Propinquity and property of blood, And as a stranger to my heart and me Hold thee from this for ever. The barbarous Scythian, Or he that makes his generation messes To gorge his appetite, shall to my bosom Be as well neighboured, pitied, and relieved, As thou may sometime daughter. (I, i, 110-123) Not only does he disown her, but he also banishes her fro... ...not truly be seen with the eye, but with the heart. The physical world that the eye can detect can accordingly hide its evils with physical attributes, and thus clear vision cannot result from the eye alone. Lear's downfall was a result of his failure to comprehend that appearances do not always represent reality. Gloucester avoided a similar demise by learning the relationship between appearance and reality. If Lear had learned to look with more than just his eyes before the end, he might have avoided this tragedy. These two tragic stories unfolding at the same time gave the play a great eminence. Work Cited Shakespeare, William, Barbara A. Mowat, and Paul Werstine. The Tragedy of King Lear. New York: Washington Square, 1993. Print. Works Consulted Bradley, A.C. â€Å"King Lear.† Shakespearian Tragedy. Lectures on Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, and Macbeth. Macmillan and Co., London, 1919. Project Gutenberg. Web. 26 Apr. 2015. Bengtsson, Frederick. â€Å"King Lear by William Shakespeare.† Columbia College. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Apr. 2015. â€Å"Blind.† The New Oxford American Dictionary. 3rd ed. 2011. Print. .

James Baldwin

Language is a very controversial topic. The way many people hear language and judge others based upon it differs from place to place. Personally, I completely agree with James Baldwin. In his defense, language is what the general population uses to stereotype, it leaves us identifying each another, and language also can cause social exclusion. First off, language is widely used to stereotype others. One can judge others based on their accent, choice of words, or grammar. For instance, during James Baldwin’s time a Man with a sophisticated British accent was seen as an educated man with a decent income. Language also allows people to stereotype people based on where they come from. For example, people with bad grammar and used words such as â€Å"ain’t† or â€Å"y’all† typically are from the southern area of the United States. Next, people identify others personality based on word choice and grammar. George Bush, one of our very own U. S. residents, had a southern accent, and had he not been president, people would have most likely negatively identified him. They would assume he is a dumb, ignorant southerner because of his views. However, sharing his views as the president allowed him to be respected with the views either way, while some people disagreed with him, many saw him as a leader which would be very different had he been your average joe. Last but not least, language can lead to social exclusion. Because of poor language on someone’s part, others can exclude them. People can be excluded because of bad language that makes them sound dumb, or even language that makes them sound too smart like a know-it-all. Similarities in language create cliques among people and it is very easy to be shunned out of these cliques if one is noticeably different. To recapitulate, language is the cause of many stereotypes and differences in society. Language can be used to stereotype, or it can be used to identify others. Also, it can lead to social exclusion because of differences in language. All in all, language is a huge contributing factor to society

Free Essays on Hinduism Intro

Statistically, there are over 700 million Hindus, mainly in Bharat (India), and Nepal. Hinduism is referred to as Sanatana Dharma, the eternal faith. Hinduism is not strictly a religion. It is based on the practice of Dharma, the code of life. A detailed explanation of Hindu texts are found in Veda page and the links pointed to from there. Since Hinduism has no founder, anyone who practices Dharma can call himself a Hindu. He can question the authority of any scripture, or even the existence of the Divine. The following article is based on my limited understanding. While religion means to bind, Dharma means to hold. What man holds on to is his inner law, which leads from ignorance to Truth. Though reading of the scriptures (shastras) would not directly lead you to self-realization, the teachings of the seers provide a basis and a path for spirituality. Despite being the oldest religion, the truth realized by the seers prove that the Truth and path provided by Hinduism is beyond time. Hindu Scriptures are broadly classified into Shruti (meaning 'heard'), Smriti (meaning 'remembered') and nyaya (meaning 'logic') based on its origin not on the mode of transmission. Therefore, shruti means something which were heard (directly from the Gods) by the sages while smriti refers to what was written down and remembered. shruti is considered more authoritative than smriti because the former is believed to have been obtained directly from God by the spiritual experiences of vedic seers and has no interpretations. Vedas constitute the shruti while the rest including Itihaasa-s (epics), PuraaNa-s (moral stories), and Agamas (emanated scriptures) are known as smriti while Vedanta-sutras (vedanta aphorisms) are classified as Nyaya. smriti and Nyaya always agrees with shruti. The oldest and foremost among them are the Vedas. The vedas are called shruti and stems from the inner spiritual experience of the ancient seers. Hindus believe that Vedas... Free Essays on Hinduism Intro Free Essays on Hinduism Intro Statistically, there are over 700 million Hindus, mainly in Bharat (India), and Nepal. Hinduism is referred to as Sanatana Dharma, the eternal faith. Hinduism is not strictly a religion. It is based on the practice of Dharma, the code of life. A detailed explanation of Hindu texts are found in Veda page and the links pointed to from there. Since Hinduism has no founder, anyone who practices Dharma can call himself a Hindu. He can question the authority of any scripture, or even the existence of the Divine. The following article is based on my limited understanding. While religion means to bind, Dharma means to hold. What man holds on to is his inner law, which leads from ignorance to Truth. Though reading of the scriptures (shastras) would not directly lead you to self-realization, the teachings of the seers provide a basis and a path for spirituality. Despite being the oldest religion, the truth realized by the seers prove that the Truth and path provided by Hinduism is beyond time. Hindu Scriptures are broadly classified into Shruti (meaning 'heard'), Smriti (meaning 'remembered') and nyaya (meaning 'logic') based on its origin not on the mode of transmission. Therefore, shruti means something which were heard (directly from the Gods) by the sages while smriti refers to what was written down and remembered. shruti is considered more authoritative than smriti because the former is believed to have been obtained directly from God by the spiritual experiences of vedic seers and has no interpretations. Vedas constitute the shruti while the rest including Itihaasa-s (epics), PuraaNa-s (moral stories), and Agamas (emanated scriptures) are known as smriti while Vedanta-sutras (vedanta aphorisms) are classified as Nyaya. smriti and Nyaya always agrees with shruti. The oldest and foremost among them are the Vedas. The vedas are called shruti and stems from the inner spiritual experience of the ancient seers. Hindus believe that Vedas...

About the Earths Geographic and Magnetic South Pole

About the Earths Geographic and Magnetic South Pole The South Pole is the southernmost point on the Earths surface. It is at 90ËšS latitude and it is on the opposite side of the Earth from the North Pole. The South Pole is located in Antarctica and it is at the site of the United States Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station, a research station that was established in 1956. Geography of the South Pole The Geographic South Pole is defined as the southern point on Earths surface that crosses the Earths axis of rotation. This is the South Pole that is located at the site of the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station. It moves about 33 feet (ten meters) because it is located on a moving ice sheet. The South Pole is on an ice plateau about 800 miles (1,300 km) from McMurdo Sound. The ice at this location is about 9,301 feet (2,835 m) thick. As a result ices movement, the location of the Geographic South Pole, also called the Geodetic South Pole, must be recalculated yearly on January 1. Usually, the coordinates of this location are just expressed in terms of latitude (90ËšS) because it essentially has no longitude as it is located where the meridians of longitude converge. Although, if longitude is given it is said to be 0ËšW. In addition, all points moving away from the South Pole face north and must have a latitude below 90Ëš as they move north toward the Earths equator. These points are still given in degrees south however because they are in the Southern Hemisphere. Because the South Pole has no longitude, it is difficult to tell time there. In addition, time cannot be estimated by using the suns position in the sky either because it rises and sets only once a year at the South Pole (due to its extreme southern location and the Earths axial tilt). Thus, for convenience, time is kept in New Zealand time at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station. Magnetic and Geomagnetic South Pole Like the North Pole, the South Pole also has magnetic and geomagnetic poles which differ from the 90ËšS Geographic South Pole. According to the Australian Antarctic Division, the Magnetic South pole is the location on the Earths surface where the direction of the Earths magnetic field is vertically upwards. This forms a magnetic dip that is 90Ëš at the Magnetic South Pole. This location moves about 3 miles (5 km) per year and in 2007 it was located at 64.497ËšS and 137.684ËšE. The Geomagnetic South Pole is defined by the Australian Antarctic Division as the point of intersection between the Earths surface and the axis of a magnetic dipole that approximates the Earths center and the beginning of the Earths magnetic field. The Geomagnetic South Pole is estimated to be located at 79.74ËšS and 108.22ËšE. This location is near the Vostok Station, a Russian research outpost. Exploration of the South Pole Although exploration of Antarctica began in the mid-1800s, attempted exploration of the South Pole did not occur until 1901. In that year, Robert Falcon Scott attempted the first expedition from Antarcticas coastline to the South Pole. His Discovery Expedition lasted from 1901 to 1904 and on December 31, 1902, he reached 82.26ËšS but he did not travel any farther south. Shortly thereafter, Ernest Shackleton, who had been on Scotts Discovery Expedition, launched another attempt to reach the South Pole. This expedition was called the Nimrod Expedition and on January 9, 1909, he came within 112 miles (180 km) from the South Pole before he had to turn back. Finally in 1911 however, Roald Amundsen became the first person to reach the Geographic South Pole on December 14. Upon reaching the pole, Amundsen established a camp named Polhiem and named the plateau that the South Pole is on, King Haakon VII Vidde. 34 days later on January 17, 1912, Scott, who was attempting to race Amundsen, also reached the South Pole, but on his return home Scott and his entire expedition died due to cold and starvation. Following Amundsen and Scotts reaching the South Pole, people did not return there until October 1956. In that year, U.S. Navy Admiral George Dufek landed there and shortly thereafter, the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station was established from 1956-1957. People did not reach the South Pole by land though until 1958 when Edmund Hillary and Vivian Fuchs launched the Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition. Since the 1950s, most of the people on or near the South Pole have been researchers and scientific expeditions. Since the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station was established in 1956, researchers have continually staffed it and recently it has been upgraded and expanded to allow more people to work there throughout the year. To learn more about the South Pole and to view webcams, visit the ESRL Global Monitorings South Pole Observatory website. References Australian Antarctic Division. (21 August 2010). Poles and Directions: Australian Antarctic Division. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. (n.d.). ESRL Global Monitoring Division - South Pole Observatory. Wikipedia.org. (18 October 2010). South Pole - Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia.

Avatar Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Avatar - Assignment Example Likewise, folk tales are most conducive to short moral or humorous tales. But for epic battles and profound victories, the format of the legend is the most similar. Avatar’s celebration of heroism makes it equal to the tradition of legendary tales. And there is plenty of elements and events in the film that support claims of its legendary status. For instance, in legions of renown, we usually have a forthright protagonist confronted by an evil villain whom he successfully quells. This is exactly how the story of Avatar unfolds. Here the morally upright is Jake and his sympathizers irrespective of whether they assume a human or Na’vi physical form. The chief antagonist is played by Quaritch, whose obsession with acquisition of material wealth makes him lose his humanity. This sets up a legendary battle between the twines of morality and decadence. As is always the case in traditions of legend, it is the morally righteous who emerge victorious. At the center of legendary stories are one heroic figure that epitomizes moral virtue and human values. Jake is that heroic figure in Avatar. Despite being born human and being equipped to think like human, through his avatar he is able to empathize with a biologically distant race. Though he is not a Na’vi in substance, he merges into one with them in spirit. His successful integration into Na’vi society is indeed the stuff legends are made of. Ironically, this improbable transition was made possible by Jake’s deep sense of humanity. His sense of righteousness allows him to put considerations of justice and fairness above material gratifications. In stories of legend, valor is a recurrent feature. There is plenty of that in display in the film. Jake’s courage is exemplary, for he puts his life on the line several times so as to save his adopted race. Avatar is also congruent with the format of the legend due to its mythical quality. The heroism and

Human Resources Management Pay for Performance at Dee's Personalized Case Study

Human Resources Management Pay for Performance at Dee's Personalized Baskets - Case Study Example The company needs to analyze following determinants before designing any PFP model. Employees value outcome of their effort in terms of monetary benefit and other recognition Monetary outcome is more valued than any other kind of recognition Performance level expected by the company must be measurable Performance measurement must synchronize with strategic goal of the company Reward must be tempting enough to motivate workers It is evident from the case study size of the organization is not big hence measuring performance of each employee is possible hence the company should adopt individual level PFP system. Merit pay plan and incentive system will complement individual level PFP program. In merit pay plan payment is done as certain percentage of base salary and distributed in top down approach. Research report shows that workers prefer merit pay plan over straight fixed salary. Merit pay plan helps the employee to assume that employer has recognized his/her performance. The company should adopt the system for all employees. Incentive schemes can be applied to all employees of the company. The company can use incentive scheme rigorously to improve performance of sales team. Key Performance Indicator (KPI) model can be used to design PFP system for the company (Parmenter, 2011, p. 3-15). KPI will help the company to identify key performers responsible to increase sales and based on appraisal the company can decide salary structure for key performers. Dee’s Personalized Baskets should introduce performance based incentives for all the employees to motivate them to perform well. The company needs two types of additional information to build effective PFP model (Bernardin & Russell, 2013, p. 753). It is evident from the case that the company is lacking in creating sustainable performance standard and appraisal system. The company should try to design a consistent incentives system to fulfill expectancy of employees (Kreitner & Kinick, 2013, p. 222). Externa l information (industry average for incentives and salary structure and how much competitors are paying to their staffs). Internal data (annual performance report for employees). PFP system of the company needs to address following issues. Annual bonus system not tied with base salary. Bonus pay level should be adjusted to 0% to 20% for non supervisory personnel and 20% to 40% to supervisory personnel. Forced distribution should be used for performance appraisal. Proper alignment between job designation and performance measurement. Designing annual merit pay program for major achievement Key performance indicator should be integrated in the system to monitor performance of employees and KPI should be used improve performance on monthly basis. Answer 2 Gain sharing is the process of sharing financial benefits of increased productivity or cost reduction with employees. Gain sharing plans aim to reduce level of human resource pool required to produce certain output or increase producti vity from existing human resource pool. Research suggests that maximum effectiveness of gain sharing can be achieved by 1- cooperative union, 2- utmost faith between employee and employer, 3- participation of worker and management to achieve common organizational goal. Research scholars believe measuring gain sharing is difficult because involvement of complex financial

Benefits of e-communications in integrated marketing communications Essay

Benefits of e-communications in integrated marketing communications - Essay Example as been integrated into today’s systems especially with the acceptance and rapid use of the internet which has simply brought a revolution on how things are done. (Pratten 2007) The marketing field has not been left behind in the use of e-communication. Integrated marketing on the other hand is a general term which seeks to describe an entire spectrum of marketing communication. It helps ensure that the messages communicated are both consistent and complementary. Integrated marketing utilizes both online marketing which is basically e-communication and offline methods in its roles. To shape this discussion coherently, it is important to first have the e communications methods discussed and in addition, the basic marketing milestones they help achieve. The final part will draw the benefits in each of the marketing communication fields. (Tony 1999). To start with, it is almost impossible to form a paper on marketing without looking at the basic foundations of marketing which are the four P’s. Every marketer aims at achieving these as far as strategic positioning of goods is concerned. This is known as the marketing mix in a marketing field. Marketing mix is defined as a set of controllable marketing tools harnessed together to help achieve the laid down objectives of the selling company. This is the exchange value of the product or the amount paid by a customer in the exchange of a good. A price in most cases is subject to many factors either present in the company or externally determined. Factors determining the price of a good are mainly the market share of the particular company, competition levels, the total cost of producing these goods and finally the perceived value of the goods by the customers. This refers to the sum total of all the communications a marketer undertakes for the purpose of ensuring that the word about availability of a product goes out to the potential buyers/customers. This last P is the subject of this study as we look at how it

Leadership Style Essay Example for Free

Leadership Style Essay Leadership is a role that not all can partake but that many have excelled at. When asked who I admire as a leader I had to think quite a while. I had to decide what category of leader I could relate to the most. Would it be a political leader, a spiritual leader, a business leader or even a military leader? Ultimately I decided that I want someone who is multi-faceted in that they can lead in many situations and scenarios. Further it seems that leading in unfamiliar and new situations can allow a leader more freedom in his direction without being swayed by observations of others in similar situations. This led me to choose George Washington as my admirable leader since â€Å"George Washington can be used as an example of strong and ethical leadership in virtually any walk of life.† (Rees 2007, p. preface) Growing up we all learned of George Washington and his role as the first president of the United Sates. We hear of his honesty as told through the story of the cherry tree and so on. His leadership is what gave him this large mark in our history books and it was not only displayed through his presidency. He was first a great military leader. In this role he displayed leader characteristics such as toughness, persistence, bravery and organization. These characteristics earned him the respect of his troops and the ongoing admiration of an entire country. His time as a political leader is what he is remembered most for. He was able to use his charismatic presence and moral strength to maneuver through a turbulent political environment. The leadership traits of foresight and strategic planning allowed him to hold at bay the continental army from a brittle and new civilian government. Through his, and with the help of other great leaders, efforts the path was paved for the United Sates to become the world’s leading super power. Though other leaders have achieved similar feats throughout history this one stands out for me as I have directly benefited from George Washington’s leadership.  Lastly a notable leadership trait that I admire of George Washington’s is his moral leadership. This helps distinguish him from other leaders of world powers before and after his time. It was not uncommon for leaders like Hitler, Stalin, and the Caesar’s or Persian Empire leaders who accomplished similar â€Å"world power† feats to rule by an iron fist and without morality to reach their goals. George Washington used his moral compass to create what may be a much longer lasting arena in which to lead, one that could be passed on to other worthy leaders. Many would like to think that they have the characteristics of a great leader. The reality is that if I, or anyone else, had the perfect mesh of traits for a leader then we would in fact be leading. While I do manage staff, departments and facilities I see myself as a professional and only an aspiring leader. It is my hope that through this course and the others I with be involved in throughout my time at University of Phoenix I will come closer to actually leading. Currently I have some leadership characteristics. There are some that seemed to come naturally and others that have taken time, effort and education. I’ve always seemed to have a knack at argument, or for our scholarly purposes, excellent persuasion ability. I can think clearly during exchanges and use opposing thinkers own examples and analogies to further substantiate my position. I treat people with respect regardless of their status. I strive to have a perfect balance on confidence and humility. I do not fear collaboration and tend to communicate well. If I were to list all the things I would need to do in order to become a better leader this paper would never end. In order to avoid this I will talk only about the traits I feel are the most important and in need of further understanding and practice from myself. Leveraging team strength’s needs some attention from me. I tend to look at people in their roles and corner them there. If I open my eyes a bit more as to their aptitude in other areas I could find that shining stars are sitting right in front of me. I need to be more fearless and take more risks. I have a tendency to play things safe seeking acceptable outcomes when I could take risks and seek excellent outcomes. If I were to take on a little more compassion for things going on with the people around me I may be able to find ways to create more dedicated followers. Followers that know I believe in them and care for their own well-being as opposed to simply the desired outcome of my leadership. Ultimately I wish to lead by example. I want to  lead follower’s development and act as a resource for their advice and assistance (Daft 2008). The greatest satisfaction I can achieve as a leader would be not only for my own desired success in life to be experienced but also to carve a path for those around me to thrive as well. Good leadership in my opinion will always result in an accumulative good, not and individual good. References Daft, R. (2008). The Leadership Experience. Mason: Thompson Learning, Inc. . James Rees, Stephen J. Spignesi (2007). George Washingtons Leadership Lessons. Hoboken: John Wiley Sons, Inc.

I am alone :: essays research papers

I am alone In the speech â€Å"I am alone† by Cochise, a Native American leader address to the white people for peace. The story goes back when the Native Americans (Chiricahua tribe) owned the land in the western part of the United States known as Apache land. First the Mexicans came across their land and try to over-rule them in which resulted the Mexican War. The war lasted years and the Natives eventually overcame the Mexicans. After the Mexican War then came the Europeans who sailed across the Pacific Ocean and landed on the Apache land. At first the Europeans make friends with the Natives then the Europeans turned against them and falsely accused Cochise of kidnapping a white child. The captured of Cochise made the Natives furious and brought tension on the Europeans. In 1861 the conflict between the Natives and the Europeans begins in which caused war. The Europeans were too much to handle for the Natives; they brought many troops across the sea to fight the Indians and eventually overcame them. Many Natives and Europeans were killed in the war, the Natives were forced to give up their land and be transferred to a reservation far from Apache. It was 1871 when the Natives seek peace with the Europeans; they send Cochise to address peace with the Europeans and negotiated a new treaty which allowed the remaining Natives to stay in Apache.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the reading it sounds like the Chiricahua tribes were gullible and compassionate. The Natives were gullible because they assume the Europeans come to Apache for visit or to make friends with them. After the horrible tragedy with the Spanish the Natives should have attacked all the intruders that came across on their land instead of befriending the Europeans and ending up loosing their territories to the Europeans. I am alone :: essays research papers I am alone In the speech â€Å"I am alone† by Cochise, a Native American leader address to the white people for peace. The story goes back when the Native Americans (Chiricahua tribe) owned the land in the western part of the United States known as Apache land. First the Mexicans came across their land and try to over-rule them in which resulted the Mexican War. The war lasted years and the Natives eventually overcame the Mexicans. After the Mexican War then came the Europeans who sailed across the Pacific Ocean and landed on the Apache land. At first the Europeans make friends with the Natives then the Europeans turned against them and falsely accused Cochise of kidnapping a white child. The captured of Cochise made the Natives furious and brought tension on the Europeans. In 1861 the conflict between the Natives and the Europeans begins in which caused war. The Europeans were too much to handle for the Natives; they brought many troops across the sea to fight the Indians and eventually overcame them. Many Natives and Europeans were killed in the war, the Natives were forced to give up their land and be transferred to a reservation far from Apache. It was 1871 when the Natives seek peace with the Europeans; they send Cochise to address peace with the Europeans and negotiated a new treaty which allowed the remaining Natives to stay in Apache.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the reading it sounds like the Chiricahua tribes were gullible and compassionate. The Natives were gullible because they assume the Europeans come to Apache for visit or to make friends with them. After the horrible tragedy with the Spanish the Natives should have attacked all the intruders that came across on their land instead of befriending the Europeans and ending up loosing their territories to the Europeans.

Analysis of Video “The World is Flat” Essay

Key issues or Problems in the video: The title â€Å"The World is Flat† was taken from a statement by Nandan Nilekani, the former Infosys (an Indian IT company) CEO. It seems like if hadn’t met Nandan then he wouldn’t have even written this book. He talks about Americans and the developing world but says almost nothing about Africa, Europe & Australia. The World is flat applies better to people with similar kind of economic conditions. In developing world, a big portion of population is poor or much below poverty line as per American standard. Their first challenge is access to food and Education. How could they be part of level playing field and make this world flat. Friedman says first that Nineteenth century belonged to English, Twentieth Century to USA and Twenty first Century to China. Friedman argues that latest age of globalization will be spearheaded by Individuals. He just made this assumption after meeting the cab driver in Budapest & Peruvian Dishware seller who have their own websites. T he percentage of people doing their own business like this is still extremely low to claim that the era belongs to them. It feels like an exaggeration. Its conflicting that on one hand, he says 21st century belongs to China and on the other hand, he says latest age of globalization (which is now) will be spearheaded by Individuals. I can’t accept his methods and question his research and interview process. Friedman is stating something without actually based on real documented facts, but on talks with friends and CEOs he visits. By what it leaves out, it does nothing more than misinform the people around the World. In the end, he talks about Green New Clean energy which kind of feel out of context from the main topic. Critique of video, Supporting arguments, rebuttals of ideas: I think there is a lot to criticize about the Video â€Å"The World is Flat†. Friedman’s view of the globalized world is often obsessed with the successful multinational corporations of India. In the video he talks about individuals or â€Å"free agents†, but being a free agent is riskier. Free agents will not have fixed salary and health care benefits (Source: Brown, C.V.). If there is a free agent in India, he can’t work for American company without Social Security Number for Tax purposes. 90% of the world’s telephone calls, Internet traffic, and investments are local, suggesting that this Video has overstated the trends. His talk of a new flat world  where information, money, ideas, and people can move worldwide faster than before is unreal, we just see a fraction of what he describes globalization (Refer Source:wiki). Globalization causes unemployment here in America. It is shipping jobs outside America where its easy to find cheap labor. The winners will be capitalists worldwide causing income inequality everywhere. This would imply that Globalization will make the world NON-Flat instead. He talks about mashing the two specializations together which doesn’t always give the better result. Actions I would take next and why or personal experience dealing with the issues: The video presents more of an American perspective. Friedman’s work history has been mostly with The NY Times, and has definitely affected the way due to which he thinks this way. I would have liked his ideas in a more â€Å"inclusive voice† to show the whole World’s perspective. I would encourage fair trade instead of free trade. If we put his claims to test against documented facts. It will not pass. I would have liked more research and references. World will be actually a level playing field when everybody will have a fair opportunity to Education & Resource of Technology. If I make a website and start selling say â€Å"Baseball bats†. First of all, there will be a Brand position issue that is why would people come to me instead of going to Store like â€Å"Sports Authority† or so where they can try and test things before buying. Secondly, In real world, its hard to be an Individual and manage the whole thing like getting the stuff made in foreign countries, handle the custom portion, get it shipped etc. on your own. Sources: (2014, May 9). The World is Flat. Retrieved Jun 7, 2011 from Wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_World_Is_Flat Brown, C.V., Dehayes, D.W., Hoffer, J.A., Martin, E.W., & Perkins, W.C. (2012). Managing information technology (7th ed.): Managing IT in a digital world. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Care Delivery & Management Essay

The purpose of this assignment is to reflect upon my personal and professional development. It will consider the quality of the care I provided, the skills I developed in my specialist placement, plus my learning since the commencement of my nurse training. Personal learning and self-reflection will be identified. I shall be using Gibbs (1988) Reflective Cycle to consider my practice. Gibbs (1988) Reflective Cycle looks at six aspects which include the following; what happened, what were my thoughts and feelings, what was good or bad about the experience, what sense can I make out of the situation, what else could I have done and if it arose again what would I do? Findings will be supported or contrasted by relevant literature. A conclusion will be offered to evaluate findings. I shall also include an action plan, which will address future professional and personal development needs and any factors that may help or hinder this. I will also consider why I have selected these issues fo r my action plan, what my goals are and how I aim to achieve them. At the beginning of my nurse training we were asked to write on a piece of piece what our definition of nursing was. I wrote ‘It’s about being human’. At the time these words were based on my gut feeling and personal belief. Now, two and a half years later, I would write the same thing, but this time my definition would be based on the skills, knowledge and experiences I feel privileged and grateful to have had during my training and not just on gut feeling and personal belief. How does this knowledge impact on me in terms of practice? I can now put my definition of nursing into a framework and relate the theory of it to practice, for example I can identify when I am actively undertaking anxiety management with a patient. This is quite an achievement for me. What else have I learnt? I have gained knowledge of illnesses and understand how bio-psycho-social aspects of mental illness impact on the individual, their family and their life. I have also developed a good basic knowledge of practical skills such as: counselling, anxiety management, assessment, nursing and communication models, problem-solving and psychotherapy. This knowledge and development of practical skills has enabled my self confidence and self esteem to grow. What things have had the most influence on my personal and professional learning? These things are what ‘It’s about being human’ means to me as a nurse. They include a humanistic care philosophy. Evidence suggests that patients have found the humanistic care philosophy to be positive and helpful to their well-being (Beech, Norman 1995.) Humanistic care believes in; developing trust, the nurse-patient relationship, using the self as a therapeutic tool, spending time to ‘be with’ and ‘do with’ the patient (Hanson 2000,) patient empowerment, the patient as an equal partners in their care (Department Of Health 1999,) respect for the patient’s uniqueness, recognition of the patient as an expert on themselves (Nelson-Jones 1982, Playle 1995, Horsfall 1997). Equally important to me is person-centred care, Roger’s (1961) unconditional positive regard, warmth, genuineness and empathy, recognition of counter-transference, self-reflect ion and self-awareness. I was on placement with Liaison Psychiatry also known as Deliberate Self Harm. The team consisted of my mentor and myself. In this placement we would assess patients who had deliberately self harmed. Patients would be referred via A&E only. We would see patients whilst they were still in A&E or after they had been transferred to hospital wards for medical treatment for their injuries etc. We would only see patients once they were medically fit to have a psychiatric assessment. The purpose of the assessment was to find out what was happening for the individual and see if we could offer any help via mental health services to the individual, this is done via implementing ‘APIE’ the nursing process (Hargreaves 1975). The main focus was to consider what degree of risk we felt the patient was in. Therefore we needed to establish what the individuals intent was at the time of the deliberate self harm, and if suicidal, whether they still had suicidal intent after the incident. We also held a weekly counselling clinic. I considered Gibbs (1988) Reflective Cycle. How did I feel about this placement? At first I was apprehensive as to how I would feel dealing with patients who do not necessarily want to live. I belong to a profession that saves lives, so I felt an inner conflict. This is an anxiety that is recognised in most nurses (Whitworth 1984). In my first few weeks I felt distressed by the traumatic events that these patients were experiencing. I felt guilty that I have a family who love me, a fulfilling career, a lovely home and no debts, then each day I talk to people who may have no home, no money, no one to love them and no employment. It was hard for me to make sense of these things when life circumstances, such as class, status, wealth, education and employment create unfairness. I felt a desire to help try and improve the quality of these patients’ situations. Midence (1996) has identified that these feelings are a normal response when dealing with others less fortunate that oursel ves. Patients’ who attempt suicide have lost hope (Beck 1986). I felt more settled and positive once I was able to make sense of the situation (Gibbs 1988). I realised that could help by listening to these patient’s and help to restore hope, develop problem solving ideas to tackle some of their problems or referring them to gain the emotional help and support they needed from appropriate mental health services. Patients find help with problem solving extremely valuable and can help them feel able to cope (McLaughlin 1999). Generally, after most assessments, I learnt that listening, giving emotional support and problem solving helped restore enough hope in the previously suicidal patient enable them to feel safe from future self harm. In only a handful of cases did my mentor and I need to admit patients to any inpatient facility under the Mental Health Act (1983). This was because they still felt at risk of future self-harm. Through using Gibbs (1988) Reflective Cycle to consider my special placement area I feel I have been able to change my nursing practice in a positive way, initially from feeling anxious, guilty and helpless when dealing with suicidal patients to feeling useful, constructive and positive. I’ve learnt that by confronting my own feelings of guilt and discomfort I was able to help in a very positive, practical, constructive and empowering way. My mentor identified that one of my strengths is that I can generally combine common sense, logic and practicality in terms of risk assessment and problem solving and still build up a sensitive and caring, therapeutic relationship when dealing with patients whose circumstances are in crisis and complicated and they themselves are emotionally and mentally vulnerable. Nurses not only need good communication skills (Faulkner 1998) but they also need to have an environment conductive to open communication (Wilkinson 1992). Social barriers such as environment, structure or cultural aspects of healthcare can inhibit the application of communication skills (Chambers 2002) Utilising Gibbs (19988) Reflective Model, in retrospect; I feel our interview with some patients could have been done differently. On occasions when my mentor and I were in the A & E department the two rooms that we had available for our use were occasionally both in use. This meant that we would conduct our assessment interviews in the Plaster Room, if it was empty. This room was where medical patients would have plaster-casts applied. This was a very clinical room. However, due to limited room availability this was sometimes the only option we had at the time, it was not a welcoming or appropriate setting and would not have helped patients feel relaxed or valued. In reflection, I believe it was actually demeaning as we were asking patients who had attempted suicide to sit on a hard chair in a clinical workroom and share their despair with us. I am sad that this happened and I feel as though we were giving the patients the impression that a cold clinical work room is all they were worth. If this arose again (Gibbs 1988) I would suggest to my mentor that we wait for one of our allocated rooms to become available, where the rooms were relaxing, with soft armchairs and a feeling of comfort. Using Gibbs (1988) Reflective Model I shall describe a situation with a patient to highlight my learning. What happened (Gibbs 1988)? Neil had been bought to A&E by his son after he made an attempt to take his own life. His son explained that Neil’s wife had terminal cancer and had died the day before. Neil was unable to engage in conversation other that to repeat over and over again â€Å"I don’t want to live without my wife.† However the more disturbed and difficult to communicate a patient is the less interaction they receive therapeutic or otherwise from nursing staff (Cormack 1976, Poole, Sanson-Fisher, Thompson 1981, Robinson 1996a, 1996b). I found this too be true in Neil’s situation as some A & E nurses did not wish to approach him because of his disturbed state and unresponsiveness to verbal cues. What were my thoughts and feeling (Gibbs 1988)? After spending twenty minutes in the assessment interview Neil had remained unresponsive to our approaches and had remained distressed, distant and uncommunicative for the entire time. I had past experience of recent bereavement within my immediate family and I realised that counter-transference was at play and was a reason for my strong emotional reaction to Neil’s distress resulting in me having an overwhelming desire to ease his suffering. Even though another part of me understood the need for him to experience this extreme pain as a normal part of grieving. What was good or bad about the experience (Gibbs 1988)? This was not a good experience for me because as a compassionate person, I found it extremely hard to suppress my own feelings of wanting to protect him from such devastating distress, although I recognised that I was over-identifying with him due to my own grief. I considered that he might have been embarrassed by the emotional state he was in and his inability to control his grief; he could not speak, maintain eye contact or even physically stand. What sense could I make of the situation (Gibbs 1988)? We adjourned for a few minutes so that my mentor and I could assess the situation. I thought it might be appropriate to utilise Heron’s Six Category Intervention Analysis (1975) cathartic intervention as a therapeutic strategy to enable the patient to release emotional tension such as grief, anger, despair and anxiety by helping to (Chambers 1990). I hoped it would facilitate the opportunity for Neil to open up and express his full feelings in a safe and supportive environment. I initially planned to sit quietly with him and briefly put a reassuring hand on either his hand, arm or shoulder. My mentor supported this action. I was aware that I ran a risk of misinterpretation by choosing therapeutic touch. Therapeutic touch may be criticised because it is open to misinterpretation by the patient and abuse of power by staff. The patient may view holding another’s hand as a sexual advance, violation or abuse, so nurses should always consider patient consent, appropriateness, context and boundaries. Clause 2.4 of the Nursing and Midwifery Council (2002) Code Of Professional Conduct says that at all times healthcare professionals must maintain appropriate boundaries with patients and all aspects of care must be relevant to their needs. Therapeutic touch appeared acceptable given his situation and seemed appropriate to the context it would be performed in, given that my mentor would supervise me. As per Gibbs (1988) Reflective Cycle I considered what else I could have done especially if the situation arose again and mentor not been there. I would may have chosen to utilise Hanson’s (2000) approach of ‘being with’ whereby I use therapeutic use of self through the sharing of one’s own presence, and not involved any form of touch, avoiding any misinterpretation or breach of boundaries. I was anxious because I felt concerned that my nursing skills would be inadequate to address his needs due to his acutely distressed state. In reflection my mentor helped me acknowledge that this was about my own anxiety rather than being accurately reflective of my nursing ability. I approached Neil and explained that if it was acceptable with him I would like to sit quietly with him so that he was not alone in his distress. â€Å"It is likely that the nursing process is therapeutic when nurse and patient can come to know and to respect each other, as persons who are alike and yet different, as persons who share in the solution of problems† (Peplau 1988). I gently placed my hand onto his. Neil reacted by given the impression that he physically disintegrated, he become extremely distressed and crying loudly, squeezing my hand tightly. This continued for several minutes. Neil became calmer and started to talk about his situation. This was a good outcome. I was able to utilise Herons (1975) cathartic strategy with positive effect via empathising with Neil’s situation and using myself as a therapeutic tool through the use of touch, thus enabling Neil to express his emotions and activate a nurse-patient relationship. Studies have shown that nurses can express compassion and empathy through touch, using themselves as a therapeutic tool (Routasalo 1999, Scholes 1996) and this has a cathartic value, enabling the patient to express their feelings more easily (Leslie Baillie 1996). The therapeutic value of non-verbal communication and its harmfulness is overlooked (Salvage 1990). Attitudes are evident in the way we interact with others and can create atmospheres that make patient care uncomfortable (Hinchcliff, Norman, Schoeber 1998) On one occasion, one nurse privately referred to Neil as a â€Å"wimp† because he was having difficulty coping with the death of his wife. I wondered whether her body language had transmitted her bad attitude towards Neil, contributing to his distress and difficulties in communicating with staff. Again using Gibbs (1988) Reflective Cycle, I shall provide another example to highlight my learning in practice. What happened (Gibbs 1988)? Cycle On one occasion my mentor and I received a phone call from A & E asking us to review an 18-year-old girl called Emma who had taken an overdose. They said she was medically fit to be assessed. When we arrived they claimed that she was pretending to still feel unwell and described her as â€Å"milking it†. We found her to be vomiting and discovered she had been left in a bed in the corridor of A & E for 8 hours. McAllister (2001) found that patients who had self-harmed were ignored, had exceptionally long waits and suffered judgemental comments. What were my thoughts and feelings (Gibbs 1988)? I felt very angry towards A & E staff as I felt that she was being unfairly treated because she had caused harm to herself, she had been labelled as a troublemaker by staff and I do not believe she had received good quality care. Emma explained that in the last month her father had died, she had miscarried her baby, discovered that her partner was having an affair, and she had been made redundant leaving her with debts that she couldn’t pay. As I looked at her, I saw a vulnerable young woman at the end of her tether. I felt saddened and disappointed by the judgemental attitudes of the A & E staff who had not even taken the time to talk to Emma or ask her why she had taken an overdose, instead they describe her as an â€Å"immature and attention seeking kid†. As per Gibbs (1988) Reflective Cycle, I felt this was a very bad experience of poor care, bad attitudes and unacceptable moral judgement being made by A & E staff. Cohen (1996) and Nettleton (1995) identify that social status; age, gender, race and class contribute to stereotyping and judgemental attitudes. I noticed that people who self-harmed were judged differently dependent upon their age and the younger they were the worse the attitude of A and E staff. Interestingly ageism towards youth is an area that I could find no research on. I believe ageism towards younger people is overlooked and is really only identified in the elderly. During the assessment I was aware of how my physical presence can impact on the care given. However, I have learnt about the importance of considering how one can communicate to the patient via body language. By attending to patients in a non-verbal or physical way it is another method of saying, â€Å"I’m interested, I’m listening and I care.† To do this during Emma’s assessment I utilised Egan’s (1982) acronym S.O.L.A.R. This meant that I sat facing Emma Squarely, with an Open posture, Leaning towards her, whilst making Eye contact and Relaxing myself, to give her the feeling of my willingness to help. This client centred care recognises her equality in the nurse-patient relationship. What sense did I make of the situation (Gibbs 1988)? I was very unhappy about the attitude of A & E staff but recognised that they had a lack of understanding and knowledge. In one study looking at self-harm admissions it was discovered that patients who deliberately self-harm are often deemed as unpopular patients, being labelled and judged as time wasters by A & E staff. Apparently 55% of general nurses perceived these patients as attention seekers and disliked working with them, 64% found it frustrating, 20% found it depressing and almost a third found it uncomfortable (Sidley, Renton 1996). What else could I have done (Gibbs 1988) After reflecting upon the experience with my mentor, I was able to realise that part of my role is to act as a representative for mental health. If this happened again what would I do (Gibbs 1988)? If staff were to make judgemental comments again it is part of my role to educate and inform them so they can have a positive understanding of the needs of the mental health patient and learn to address any judgemental comments made. This is a view supported by Johnstone (1997), who says that if we are made aware of our actions when we are judging and labelling people it is our responsibility to correct this. Medical staff need to be aware of mental health promotion, and need further training and education in respects of helping to care for and understand of this vulnerable patient group (Hawton 2000). This is a view supported by the Department of Health (DOH 1999a) who have recommended closer liaison between mental health and A & E services in an effort to address the poor understanding and negative attitudes of A & E staff. I have also learnt that I must look at both sides of each situation and should show more understanding towards the A & E staff’s feelings, as they are often confronted with shocking and distressing acts of self infliction which can make them feel despair, helpless and unskilled to deal with these sort of patient. I believe nurses negative attitudes develop because we all intuitively apply own our values and views to everyday situations, people, experiences and interactions. It may be the staff member’s own coping mechanism to keep their distance from the patient or to label them as attention seeking in order to make sense of the situation for themselves. This is a view supported by Johnstone (1997). In reflection, following the assessment and planning of care for Emma my mentor and I reflected upon the care I provided for her. I recognised that I felt nervous because it was my first experience of conducting an assessment. Having my mentor there to observe me made me feel secure because I trusted my mentor and could rely on her expertise to ensure that I provided safe practice for Emma. However, I still felt anxious as I was faced with an unknown situation. This made me realise how difficult and intimidating the assessment process may have felt to Emma. I had the security of feeling safe in the relationship with my mentor. Emma didn’t know either of us. This highlighted the huge value of the nurse-patient relationship and how the importance of utilising Rogers (1961) theory of client-centred care involving unconditional positive regard, warmth, genuineness and empathy towards patients. My mentor said that I provided evidence based care and I appeared to have a good humanistic approach, sensitively providing client centred care. She joked that I was so keen to ‘get it right’ that I was practically sat on Emma’s knee in my efforts to non-verbally show to Emma that I was attentive and listening to her. I think that whilst this was a joke, I will endeavour to continue to be keen but will relax a bit more, hopefully as I gain more experience myself. I will also use the insight and understanding from these experiences to benefit my future practise and the care I provide for patients. Boyd & Fales (1983) suggest, â€Å"Reflective learning is the process of internally examining an issue of concern, triggered by an experience, which creates and clarifies meaning in terms of self, and which results in a changed conceptual perspective.† Self-reflection helps the practitioner find practice-based answers to problems that require more than the application of theory (Schon 1983). I have discovered this to be true, especially in mental health nursing where problem solving may be in the realm of religious, spiritual or cultural beliefs, emotional or intuitive feelings, ethics and moral ideals, which sometimes cannot be theorised. With one patient I couldn’t understand his unwillingness to engage in therapy even though he turned up for a weekly appointment. Once I reflected on this with my mentor I realised that I was not considering his strict religious and cultural background, which complicated his care. I realised that I had been completely ignorant of his needs and had in-fact lacked self-awareness otherwise I would have recognised these issues sooner. According to Kemmis (1995) a benefit of self-reflection is that it helps practitioners become ‘aware of their unawareness’. I have learnt that there are barriers to reflection. On occasions after seeing a patient my mentor may interpret events in a slightly different way to myself. Newell (1992) and Jones (1995) criticize the idea of reflection arguing that it is a flawed process due to inaccurate recall memory and hindsight bias. Another criticism of refection is that it aims to theorise actions in hindsight therefore devaluing the skill of responding intuitively to a patient (Richardson 1995). I considered that my thought to hold Neil’s hand may have been intuitive but because we must use evidence based practice and appropriate frameworks of care, I theorised my care and utilised Heron’s (1975) framework. I believe self-reflection helps me to become self-aware. Self-awareness is achieved when the student acknowledges there own personal characteristics, including values, attitudes, prejudices, beliefs, assumptions, feelings, counter-transferences, personal motives and needs, competencies, skills and limitations. When they become aware of these things and the impact they have on the therapeutic communication and relationship with the patient then they become self-aware (Cook 1999). I have learnt through these experiences that reflection can be a painful experience as I have recognised my own imperfections and bias. I have felt angry with general nursing staffs attitudes towards mental health patients and have now been able to realise that this emotion is unhelpful and instead I should be more tolerant and understanding and help them to understand the patients needs. It is also difficult especially if one is experiencing strong emotions such as anger, frustration and grief (Rich 1995). At times I have over-identified with my patients and personalised their situation to similar situations of my own. This is known as counter-transference and has blinded my ability to address their care needs. Counter-transference is the healthcare professionals emotional reaction to the patient, it is constantly present in every interaction and it strongly influences the therapeutic relationship, but is often not reflected upon (Slipp 2000). Counter-transference can be defined as negative as it can create disruptive feelings in the clinician, causing misguided values and bias (Pearson 2001). I have learnt that it is crucial for me to consider how my reactions to a patient’s problem can impact on the care I provide. Whilst I endeavour to always give 100% best and unbiased care to each patient, I have realised I respond more favourably to patients that I like or identify with. For example I was extremely compassionate and biased towards both Emma and Neil and I feel that my personal life experiences influenced me because I could really empathise with them both. However, I realised that I am only human and that as long as I recognise the impact of counter-transference then I can use it positively as my self awareness of the fact that the process is occurring will enable me to address and challenge my own thoughts, feelings and responses. To conclude, I have been able to highlight my learning over the last two and a half years, both personally and professionally. This has enabled me to look at the areas that I am good at and the areas that I can improve on. I have been able to look at the quality of the care I have given patients and considered what I have achieved, how I felt, how I could have done things better, what was successful and unsuccessful, what issues influenced me and what understanding I had of the experience. I have also been able to recognise my role as a representative for mental health nursing and how I can promote it to other healthcare professionals. I have also identified the value of the role of my mentor in helping me to develop as a nurse. I will use the insight and understanding from these experiences to benefit my future practice and the care I provide for patients. ACTION PLAN Word Count 1086 What are my goals? My mentor and I discussed the areas that I want to improve on. We identified that my stronger points are common sense, logical approach and practical ability in terms of things like risk assessing and problem solving. I am also competent in the building of a therapeutic relationship, utilising a humanistic care philosophy, person centre approach, empathy, genuineness, unconditional positive regard and honest. I also have a good knowledge in respect of mental health promotion, anxiety management, basic counselling skills, understanding of the fundamentals associated with nursing, assessment and communication models and the basic principles of psychotherapy. I feel I have come a long way in two and a half years and have accomplished a lot. However, there are areas that I recognise that I can improve on and I am happy that I can address these as I hope this will improve my learning, skills and competency as a nurse in the future, providing better patient care. The areas I need to gain more knowledge and experience of include: understanding the religious, cultural and spiritual needs of the patient and how this impacts on their care and quality of life, recognising and working with counter transference and my tendency to feel the need to over protect patients as this does not help the patient to utilise choice, be responsible for themselves or empower themselves. I want to continue developing my own self awareness through self reflection. Finally I wish to develop my academic abilities and to train further so that I have more knowledge. Why have I chosen these issues? I have chosen to improve my knowledge and understanding of patients religious, cultural and spiritual needs and how this impacts on their care and quality of life, because by doing this I hope to be able to address their needs holistically. To successfully undertake a thorough assessment the healthcare practitioner needs to identify the holistic needs of the patient, failure to do so would neglect the patients physical, psycho-social and spiritual needs (Stuart and Sundeen 1997.) At present I feel I am unable to fully comprehend or provide best care as I feel I lack the skills and knowledge to do so. I also wish to further consider the impact of counter transference and my tendency to feel the need to over protect patients. I feel that if I gain more understanding and recognition of how counter-transference can change my reaction to a patient then I will be able to address it and have more control and choice over my nursing and my responses. In practice, I have experienced strong emotional reactions to some patient’s, perhaps because I could identify with some of their issues. However, this can result in my wanting to over protect them, which may disempower them, and this is unhelpful. Different characteristic in patients can influence the emotional reaction of the nurse (Holmquist 1998). I need to be able to recognise these characteristics in the patient and be self aware of the way I am responding. I want to continue developing my own self-awareness through self-reflection, as I will need to be able to exercise autonomous and expert judgement as a qualified nurse. The ability to use self-reflection as a learning tool to becoming self-aware will help me achieve this. This is a view supported by (Wong 1995). Boud, Keogh & Walker (1995) believe self reflection is an important human activity, essential for personal development as well as for the professional development of the nurse. By being able to mull over my experiences will help me challenge my beliefs and behaviour as an individual and a nurse. Finally I wish to develop my academic abilities and to train further so that I have more nursing knowledge. Experience alone is not the key to learning (Boud et al 1985). I wish to gain further qualifications so that I may further my career and knowledge, as this will provide a sense of achievement and fulfilment for me. How am I going to achieve my goals? I intend to develop my portfolio and keep an open reflective diary (Richardson 1995) to show evidence of my learning and prepare for my PREPP. Portfolios are seen as a collection of information and evidence used to summarize what has been learnt from prior experience and opportunities (Knapp 1975), and acknowledges professional and personal development, knowledge and competence, providing nurses with evidence of their eligibility for re-registration every three years (NMC 2002). I believe maintaining my portfolio helps with one’s self-assessment and will help me to develop my strengths, plus identify and critically evaluate my weaker areas, this is a view supported by Garside (1990). However in contrast Miller & Daloz (1989) suggest there is no evidence to suggest that self assessment contributes to enhance self awareness. A barrier to one’s ability to self-reflect may be time constraints and socio-economic factors such as high staff and management turnover, low staff morale and staff illness (Bailey 1995) I hope to overcome this by being a supportive team member to my colleagues and maintaining a positive mental attitude. I am happy to work on my portfolio and diary in my own time as I think it is a valuable learning tool. I will use my preceptorship, learning in practice, observation in practice and clinical supervision to help achieve my goals. Reflection on action is considered to be an essential part of clinical supervision (Scanlon & Weir 1997). I will continue to use Gibbs (1988) Reflective Model to help me develop my learning through reflection. I will need to feel confident that by sharing my portfolio, diary, reflection or seeking advice via preceptorship and supervision that this will not reflect negatively on me and effect my ability to feel able to trust my mentor. Students and staff sometimes feel unable to fully express themselves or belittled by the power relationship if supervision is not in a trusting relationship feeling it could be open to bias, personality clashes, counter-transference or could disadvantage them in terms of career development (Richardson 1995 Jones 2001). However, good clinical supervision enables nurses to feel better supported, contributing to safer and more effective nursing (Teasdale 2001, Jones A 2001). I hope to continue with life long learning and would like to be able to study for a degree in nursing. I shall do this by apply for funding once I am employed and hope that whoever my employers are they will support me in my goal to become better qualified. 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