Assignment Work Within A Legal And Efficical Time Frame Essay

1. Why is it important for a worker in the Community Services Industry to follow their job description? Because we have a duty of care to our clients and following our job description is the way we can give our clients the best way to provide a profession standard of service. And keeping in line with the polices kept in place by the organisation. 2. Define the term policy. A policy are rules set out that need to be followed. 3. Define the term procedure. A procedure is a step by step way of how a organisation achieves its desire goal. Why do Community Services Industry workers need to work within agency policy and procedures? Provide three (3) reasons. Ensure they do they do their job properly So No unnecessary harm is caused to the client To provide a proper duty of care to the client 4. Give five examples of areas that should be covered in a policy/procedure manual. Occupational health and safety Duty of care Communication Mandatory Reporting (child abuse) Case management procedure 5. Define the term legislation. Legislation are laws which have been enforced by the state or federal government. 6. Define the term statutory requirements? An act that requires you to do something or not do something is a statutory requirement. 7. Define the term regulatory requirements? Regulatory requirements are rules that tell you how a service should be run. 8. List three pieces of legislation impacting on the Community Services Industry and state the purpose of each. Legislation has the word ‘Act’ in the title. 9. When gathering personal information from a client, what do you need to tell them? Task B Case Study Read the following case study: You are a family and community worker employed by a community-based organisation that is located in a public housing estate. You have been working with the following family for a number of months. Julie has four children, aged 2-10 years old, and lives in a public housing estate in ‘Springvale’. You became involved with Julie’s family when she moved to the estate, having left Bill, the father of her children, due to experiencing domestic violence. Julie was granted public housing due to her single parent status, and she is receiving Parenting Payment (Single) from Centrelink. She was referred to your service, regarding her issues of isolation and parenting difficulties with her elder children. The focus of your intervention has been supporting Julie in her parenting role, linking her with community resources and developing budgeting skills. Julie has never been notified to the state child protection services for suspected abuse of her children. During recent visits, you are becoming increasingly concerned about Julie’s lifestyle. Arriving at Julie’s place in the morning, the flat  is very chaotic, the older kids are always rushing off late to school, and the flat is very messy, with unwashed dishes and scraps of food lying around. The younger children seem to always be watching TV and there is evidence of heavy drinking the night before. On your last visit, Julie informed you that Bill was moving in with her and the kids. Despite Bill’s heavy drinking, Julie is very lonely and not coping with the kids well on her own. She plans to keep this a secret from Centrelink and the state public housing department, as she may no longer be eligible for her financial benefits or subsidised housing. While you acknowledge Julie’s feelings of isolation, you are very concerned for the children’s safety if Bill returns to the family home. You decide that you need to discuss some of these recent developments with Julie. You are aware that Bill is very ‘anti-community workers’ and may react very negatively if he is there when you turn up. He has a history of bullying and threatening behaviour with community agencies that have assisted the family in the past. Answer the following questions based on the case study: 1. How would you find out what your roles and responsibilities are as a family worker? 2. In this case study what would be your roles and responsibilities as the worker? 3. Consult the attached Job Description. From the job description state three (3) key responsibilities and discuss how you could apply each of the responsibilities to this family. 4. As the worker, identify and discuss two (2) ethical dilemmas in this case study. You need to state the ethical dilemmas from the learning material and discuss why it could be a dilemma for you as a worker. 5. What principles of ethical decision making would you need to be aware of when dealing with the ethical dilemmas you identified, and why? 6. Identify the factors that contribute to risk of harm of the children in this case study. 7. Identify and discuss your duty of care in relation to each family member? 8. If you were unsure about how to proceed in working with this family, what would you do next? Read the next part of the case study and answer the following questions: In the course of your work with Julie and her family, Julie expresses dissatisfaction about your work with her family. She is adamant that you have a vendetta against Bill, and that you have breached her confidentiality by discussing her situation with other services (such as Centrelink) and is accusing you of acting unprofessionally. 9. Identify Julie’s rights in this situation. 10. Identify the legislation that supports client complaints in this industry. Legislation has the word â€Å"Act† in the title. 11. Discuss how you would deal with Julie’s complaint. Task C Answer the following questions: 1. From the learning material, identify a model for working through issues and dealing with ethical dilemmas. 2. From the learning material, identify the significant ethical guidelines in the Community Services Industry. 3. From the learning material, identify ways that we can ensure client rights are upheld. 4. From the learning material, identify the basic organisational procedures that you will need to follow when managing a complaint. 5. At what point would you consider using an advocate or an advocacy service? 6. Define these terms: Abuse Neglect Risk Job Description Position:Family Support Worker Location:Springvale Community Services (SCS) Classification:Community Services Worker Grade 3 Social and Community Services Employees (State) Award Hours of Duty: Full time position – 38 hrs/week Position Objectives To support community, families and individuals as an advocate, point of referral and/or resource. Within Organisation Compliance with Springvale Community Service’s Code of Conduct, Goals and Objectives, Mission Statement and Policies and Procedures Compliance with all relevant Legislation, Regulations and Awards Compliance with relevant government funding requirements Compliance with individual scope of practice Maintain privacy and confidentiality of information within SCS Promote a positive image of SCS Maintain a commitment to SCS’s Corporate Plan Liaise with community service providers to plan and engage direct service provision Maintain effective communication and interpersonal skills Efficient and effective utilisation of resources as allocated under the level of responsibility for the position Key Responsibilities Provide direct services to families and individuals that encompass, in consultation with the client(s), identification of issues/needs and implementation of a mutually agreed plan of referral and/or resource acquisition. Provide referral of clients to appropriate / specialist services as required At the request of the client, act as an advocate and/or support for clients accessing referral services and other agencies. Work  within relevant legislation, regulations, codes of practice/conduct and organisational policy and procedures. Maintain factual and objective client records acknowledging the provision of the Privacy Act. Provide outreach services, as required Submit monthly operational and statistical report to the Co-ordinator of Springvale Community Services Perform other duties as requested by the Co-ordinator Actively participate in weekly staff meetings Participate in and contribute to the overall Springvale Community Services Strategic Plan Provide a weekly planner at beginning of each week outlining activities relating to the position role to the Co-ordinator Maintain ongoing professional development ensuring up-to-date knowledge of legislation, referral resources and current professional practices Reporting Relationships

Characters in Macbeth and The Laboratory Essay

Macbeth is arguably one of Shakespeare’s most famous tragedies. Written sometime between 1603 and 1606, the play is strongly written with King James the first’s of England’s interests in mind; the supernatural. Because of this we are introduced to the idea of the paranormal and witchcraft straight way in the play with the three. This would have scared a Jacobean audience as they feared the supernatural; it also foreshadows the likeliness of disturbed characters to be introduced later in the play. In comparison, The Laboratory, a poem written by Robert Browning in the 1800’s and set in aristocratic France- before the revolution, when the old regime of the monarchy was still in place. This was a time of great diversity between the social classes, so seeing the narrator of the dramatic monologue, an affluent woman, liaising with a poor alchemist would have deeply shocked a 19th century audience, as they would believe her to be troubled, or maybe even disturbe d. Macbeth is Shakespeare’s shortest tragedy; this means that the play has no sub-plots and only concentrates on the story, and the disturbed mind, of the main character, Macbeth. The full focus on Macbeth himself emphasises his evil nature and thirst for power, portraying him as the ultimate tyrannical and disturbed character. â€Å"I have no spur to prick the sides of my intent, but only vaulting ambition, which o’erleaps itself and falls on the other† . The metaphorical language used as the reference to ‘spurs’, used to make horses go faster, shows that Macbeth feels his ambition to gain power is being limited by the king. Macbeth is shown to have great respect for the king and sees the king as almost a friend, so to describe him as a mere obstacle to overcome shows he has no moral boundaries, making him a disturbed character. Similarly, The Laboratory is a poem written in the form of a dramatic monologue, this means we hear everything that’s going on from the view of the narrator. In this case, it’s high class woman who is obsessed with getting revenge on her husband and his lovers. Her single-mindedness is shown by the poem only being about her thoughts and her fatal flaws, jealousy and revenge. These themes are shown in the poem right away. In the first stanza, the topic of poison and murder are mentioned quite blatantly. â€Å"Which is the poison to poison her, prithee?† The reader doesn’t yet know that there’s a revenge  plot, however Browning wants the reader look into the narrators disturbed mind early into the poem. He uses this fourth line like a hook to pull the reader into the poem and make them wonder why the speaker would want to kill someone. In Act 1, Scene 1 of Macbeth, we are introduced to the three witches, showing the audience that the play has a strong supernatural theme. This would have scared a Jacobean audience much more than a modern audience as witchcraft was feared much more intensely than it is today. Shakespeare used catalectic trochaic tetrameter and rhyming couplets to make the witches words sound like a spell, â€Å"Fair is foul and foul is fair: Hover through the fog and filthy air.† The oxymoron shows that the witches don’t know the difference between good and bad. This foreshadows a play of contrasts and disturbed minds. Macbeth’s words also echoes the witches in Act 1, Scene 3 â€Å"So foul and fair a day I have not seen.† We recognise the oxymoron from when the witches said it in the opening scene; this gives the audience the impression that Macbeth shares similar qualities with the witches, such as he doesn’t know the difference between good and bad, and therefore had no moral boundaries. It also foreshadows that Macbeth will have more to with the witches in the future. This makes Macbeth a disturbed character to the audience, particularly a Jacobean audience, because of his association with the supernatural. On the other hand, the subt itle to Robert Browning’s poem â€Å"The Laboratory†, â€Å"Ancien Regime†, tells us that it is set in France before the revolution, when the old regime of the monarchy was still in place. The narrator appears to be an upper class woman, a fact which is not apparent in the opening stanza, but becomes so as the poem develops; this is seen by the lexical field of wealth, â€Å"Gold, Kings, Jewels†, who is in a laboratory brewing up a poison to kill her rivals. For a 19th century audience this poem’s setting alone would be very bizarre. In aristocratic France, it was way rare for the social classes to mix, so seeing an upper class lady in the setting of a poor laboratory was very strange. The disturbance in the setting would have deeply confused the audience. The narrator even flaunts her wealth to the chemist when she begins to fantasise about what she will hide the poison in with the exclamatory sentence, â€Å"To carry pure death in an earring, a casket, A signet, a fan-mount, a filigree-basket!† This would have shocked a 19th century audience and they would have believed her to have been a very disturbed character. A Jacobean audience would think that  Macbeth is more of a tragic hero than a modern audience would. This is because a Jacobean audience would feel more sympathy towards Macbeth because of his fatal flaw, ambition. In the 1600’s the idea of succession and promotion would be much more topical than it is today, this is because one of the two main monarchs in Shakespeare’s time, Queen Elizabeth, remained the ‘Virgin’ Queen throughout her reign and therefore had no successor, creating great instability. Macbeth was promoted to Thane of Cawdor and the King called him brave â€Å"for brave Macbeth- well he deserves that name†. This would have been a massive compliment to Macbeth, so naturally he would enjoy it and want more, A Jacobean audience would have sympathised with his feelings because of the situation of their monarchy at the time. This makes him a tragic hero as he was once a great war lord that was brought down by his fatal flaw, ambition. Also, a Jacobean audience were much more likely to believe in the idea that the witches were taking over Macbeths mind. In Shakespeare time, witchcraft was a major issue as people fully believed that it was possible to be possessed by the supernatural and demonic natures as the knowledge that the women supplied was like a drug to Macbeth, and it is obvious he was fascinated by it at the start, â€Å"would they have stayed†- and continually wants more. His obsession with the witches would have made a Jacobean audience believed he had a disturbed mind, but they would have also have felt sympathy toward his as they believed he was being possessed, making him a tragic hero. However, a modern audience are more sceptical about the supernatural and would therefore see Macbeth as more of a disturbed character as we find it harder the feel sympathy towards him and see him more of a weak willed character as he frequently talks himself out of murdering his friends for his own gain, yet he does it anyway. â€Å"yet I do fear thy nature; it is too full o’the milk of human kindness/ To catch the nearest way.† It is shown that Mabeth doesn’t dislike Duncan as a king, in fact he sees him as a friend, but he is in the way of Macbeth’s fatal flaw, ambition, and so has to be killed. The upcoming murder is described as inevitable. The focus on his fall, as well as his rise demonstrates Shakespeare’s moral message th at tyrannical reins will come full circle and end in their demise. Shown also through the divine right of kings, as Malcolm finishes up on the thrown. However, in The Laboratory, as soon as we hear of the narrator’s motive we feel sympathy towards her. She is also a  victim as her husband has cheated on her, leaving her heart broken and distraught. However as we learn more of her fatal flaws, jealousy and revange, the audience realised that she does not only want to kill her emimies, but she wants to make them suffer too, â€Å"Not that I bid you spare her the pain! Let death be felt and the proof remain.† This quote from the 9th stanza shows that she wants her rivals to know that they are dying, and that she doesn’t care if she is caught to be the one responsible for their murder. A 19th century French audience would call this a ‘crime of passion’ because the persona has been wronged by the husband and would naturally want to take revenge. They wouldn’t believe that it was okay, however they would have understood why she wanted to do it more than a modern audience would, and would therefo re view her as a tragic hero. A modern audience would mostly see her actions as outright murder and would feel less sympathy to the disturbed mind of the narrator and so would see her as less of a tragic hero and more of a disturbed and jealous maniacal killer. In Act 1 Scene 5, Lady Macbeth, after being told what the witches told Macbeth about him become king, â€Å"and king here after!†, and upon receiving word that King Duncan of Scotland will be arriving that night, begins sharpening her talons. She isn’t sure there’s enough manhood to go around between herself and her husband, so she calls upon scheming spirits to â€Å"unsex me [Lady Macbeth] here.† This is her vivid way of asking to be stripped of feminine weakness and invested with masculine resolve. She imagines herself as a vessel which may be emptied out and refilled â€Å"from the crown to the toe.† One thing nobody, spirit or otherwise, has ever poured into her is â€Å"the milk of human kindness†. Lady Macbeth’s speech is very shocking to the audience as it shows the inner workings of her mind and what she really desires, power. This suggest to the audience that she may be the one with the ultimate disturbed mind as she has no d oubts that she I prepared to kill her king for her own gain. The narrator shows her power over the alchemist as she frequently dominates him and gives him orders, â€Å"Quick- is it finished? The colour’s too grim!† The idea of a woman telling a man what to do would have been unheard of in a patriarchal society such as then. However the alchemist doesn’t seem to mind as it is revealed that the disturbed woman who has come for his service is prepared to give everything, â€Å"Now, take all my jewels, gorge gold to your fill, You may kiss me old man, on my mouth if  you will!† The fact an upper class woman is prepared to let a poor alchemist kiss her shows how much this poison means to the narrator. However she pushes him away to avoid any repercussion of the poison, â€Å"but brush this dust off me, lest horror it brings†. Her quick change of mind shows the giddiness in the thought of killing her rivals. After Lady Macbeth strengthens her husband’s resolve by mocking his perceived weakness, she convin ces him that king Duncan will be murdered than night and explains her plan to him. In the beginning of Act 2 Scene 1 the setting is clearly dark (use of touch bearers) and â€Å"the candles are all out† metaphor, which is a reference to the heavens, suggests that with the physical darkness there is also a moral darkness. Shakespeare uses pathetic fallacy to set the dark scene. This foreshadows the likelihood of death and also likes with the darkness of Macbeth’s and his wife’s disturbed mind. Later on in the scene Macbeth’s soliloquy reveals for the first time the extent of Macbeth’s disturbed mind. He begins to see things that others cannot, a dagger. He asks if it is real or a â€Å"false creation/ Proceeding from the heat-oppressed brain?† This intensifies the atmosphere of evil but is also a symbol of the start of Macbeth’s mental torment and psychological breakdown. Just as inward debate and talk of murder is about to stifle his courage, Macbeth’s intense illusion is shattered by the bell, a signal from L ady Macbeth that Duncan’s chamberlains are asleep, â€Å"I go, and it is done; the bell invites me.† Macbeth races away to commit the heinous crime almost saying he has no choice since the â€Å"bell invites† him, taking the responsibility away from himself. This leaves the question in the audience’s mind of weather a few more moments of deliberation would have changed Macbeths disturbed mind. On the other hand, The Laboratory is written in anapaestic tetrameter, which is an upbeat rhythm that shows her calm and confident one track mind. This is also emphasised by rhyming couplets and regular quatrains, â€Å"..Tightly.. Whitely,†; â€Å"..Smithy†¦ Prithee?† However, Browning switches to dactyls on line 5, â€Å"He is with her, and they know that I know.† This change in rhythm emphasises her paranoia and makes the audience wonder whether her husband’s affaire is all just in her disturbed and paranoid mind In Macbeth’s eyes, the murder of Duncan has now made the murder of Banquo and his son a necessity and the witches predicted th at it would be Banquo’s children that end up on the thrown. Macbeth treats the murder of his best friend as a  facile task, which tell the audience that the trace of humanity under the â€Å"vaulting ambition† and the moments of reflection and regret are now gone. After the deed had been done and Banquo is now dead Macbeth sees his best friend’s ghost, ironically during his celebratory banquet after becoming king. This is the first time Macbeths friends and subjects see his disturbed minds and Macbeth begins to panic and shout at, what seems to them, to be nothing. â€Å"Prithee, see there! Behold! Look! Lo! How say you? Why, what care I? If thou canst nod, speak too.† The repetition of short exclamatory sentences and rhetorical questions shows Macbeths panic at the disturbing sight of his â€Å"gory† best friend’s ghost. To a Jacobean audience, this would be Gods punishment for committing murder and treason. The divine right of kings lead people to believe that the royal family is put there by God so to k ill Royalty is much worse than normal murder. So therefore god has sent the image of his dead friend to torment his disturbed mind for what he has done. On the other hand, a modern audience would argue that this is result of Macbeth’s guilt for ordering his best friend to be killed for no reason other than to keep his status as king for eternity. This shows his deluded and disturbed mind as there is no way that killing Banquo and his son would leave Macbeth on the thrown forever. It shows how is power hunger and disturbed character has poisoned his mind is his sub-conscious guilt has finally gotten too much. In contrast, in The Laboratory, because of her husband’s love affair with other women, â€Å"he is with her†, we can see the narrator’s mental state become more and more disturbed as the poem progresses. This can be seen through the pleasure that the speaker is feeling when talking about the imminent death of her two rivals; â€Å"grind away moisten and mash up thy paste†. These verbs show the pleasure the speaker is taking in plotting death. This is unsettling to the reader as we wouldn’t expect to see such evil thoughts in a society filled with luxury, portrayed by the lexical field of wealth â€Å"gold, kings, jewels.† The narrator frequently refers to poison with positive connotations â€Å"treasures†¦ pleasures†, this shows that she doesn’t know the difference between good and band and therefore (like Macbeth) had no moral boundaries. Browning also includes alliteration of plosives, â€Å"Brand, Burn up, Bite into its grace-â€Å" This makes the verbs sound violent and aggressive and also makes the narrator sound very disturbed when she says them. Finally, Macbeth who, by  Act 4, is far along the path of insanity becomes paranoid and feels the need to make the witches tell him more. He returns to the Witches and boldly demands to be shown a series of apparitions that tell his future. The first apparition is the disembodied head of a warrior who seems to warn Macbeth of a bloody revenge at the hands of HYPERLINK â€Å"http://www.cliffsnotes.com/literature/m/macbeth/summary-and-analysis/~/link.aspx?_id=D7760724761D4871B3541B0CC827B645&_z=z† Macduff. The second is a blood-covered child who comforts Macbeth with the news that he cannot be killed by any man â€Å"of woman born.† The third is a child wearing a crown, who promises that Macbeth cannot lose in battle until Birnam wood physically moves toward his stronghold at Dunsinane. Encouraged by the news of such impossibilities, Macbeth asks, â€Å"Shall Banquo’s issue ever reign in this kingdom?† The Witches present an image of a ghostly procession of future kings, led by Banquo. All this serves only to enrage Macbeth, who, trusting in his own pride reveals in an aside to the audience his determination to terminate Macduff as he is now a threat to Macbeths rein. Macbeth realises that he cannot kill Macduff at that moment in time as Macduff is off with his army in England. So instead he chooses to damage Macduff emotionally, in the hope that he would crumble in grief after hearing of the slaughter of his loved ones. This shows that Macbeth has now bee n completely in engulfed into his disturbed mind as he is now killing innocent women and children in his decent into ultimate tyranny. To both Jacobean and modern audiences his disturbing actions are unforgivable. However Macbeth’s actions do the opposite of when he intended- Macduff is spurred on by his anger and eventually takes Macbeth’s life for it. The focus on his fall, as well as his rise demonstrates Shakespeare’s moral message that tyrannical reins will come full circle and end in their demise. In conclusion, I think that Shakespeare uses the disturbed mind of Macbeth effectively to keep the audience engaged. Macbeth’s confused and disturbed mind is always flickering back on forth to what is right and what isn’t. Shakespeare presents this through his use of soliloquies and short sentences, keeping the audience fascinated and following every turn and twist of Macbeth’s disturbed mind. Contrasting to The Laboratory where Browning presents the character of the narrator as truly disturbed, yet not mad like Macbeth and she keeps a one track mind and urge to kill throughout most of the poem. This theme of  revenge leaves the reader able to sympathise with the narrator. They understand her motives and that she had been driven to this outcome. The relationship that browning builds between the narrator and the reader is effective because the reader can easily look into and understand the narrators disturbed mind, allowing the reader to stay engaged with the piece.

Reconstruction Era of the United States and New York Times

Allison Hwang Swanson 10:30 11/16/2012 Reconstruction's Failure Although the Civil War finally managed to come to a close, the end of the war wasn't exactly met with celebration. Instead, the Civil War brought up many new problems that were left unresolved. In order to solve these problems, the congress took responsibility and worked its way to â€Å"reconstruct† our nation. The main purpose of the â€Å"Congressional Reconstruction† was to ‘establish and protect the citizenship rights of the freedmen'.However, the Congress' Reconstruction efforts did not last too long and came to an end by the year of 1877. The main reasons for the failure of the reconstruction efforts were due to the conflicting views and factors upon the purpose of reconstruction. There were much political opposition from the north and the south as well as from the republicans and the democrats, the entire nation was facing economic hardships, and the attempt to place the freedmen in the same s ocial level as the white southerners caused so much tension that the efforts of the Congress' Reconstruction gradually failed.Even though the 13th and the 14th Amendments were ratified in 1866, which ensured equal rights of all citizens, many of the white population continued to treat the former slaves with inequality. Ignorance was one of the biggest factors that led to the failure of the efforts of the congress reconstruction. Although the former slaves were not granted liberty and freedom, they were still treated with inequality because many of the white men continued to believe that the black men should not have the equal rights as the white men. Pennsylvania Congressman Benjamin Boyer, a Democrat, said, â€Å"it is not the complexion of the negro that degrades him†¦. race by nature inferior in mental caliber†¦the negroes are not the equals of white Americans, and are not entitled†¦to participate in the Government of this country†¦Ã¢â‚¬  In his speech, Cong ressman Boyer basically denies the right of the African Americans to vote simply due to his belief that black men falls short of the white and that they aren't smart enough. In the excerpt in the New York Times it reads, â€Å"‘Ku Klux Klan' †¦its grand purpose being to establish a nucleus around which ‘the adherents of the late rebellion might safely rally. † The Ku Klux Klan was an organization that was formed in order to go against the purpose of the congress and lynch black men. Such activities were racially and violently performed, which undermined the Congress' efforts to ensure equal rights to freedmen. In the excerpts from the editorial, Atlanta News, it says, â€Å"If the white democrats of the North are men, they will not stand idly by and see us borne down by northern radicals and half-barbarous Negroes. But no matter what they may do, it is time for us to organize. † This editorial displays the racism that was demonstrated during the 1870s. The editorial is advocating the southern and the democratic whites to come together to stop the black. It refers to the black men as â€Å"half-barbarous negroes† which racially displays the belief of the whites of how the black men are far inferior compared to them. Racism was one of the big factors that led to the failure of the reconstruction. Another main factor that played a key role in the downfall of the congress reconstruction was the political opposition from the north and the south as well as against the democrats and the republicans. In an excerpt from The Era of Reconstruction it reads, â€Å"In May 1872†¦.Congress passed a general amnesty act which restored the right of office holding [and voting] to the vast majority of those who had been disqualified. † The restoration of the voting rights to the white Southerners undermined the efforts to preserve and protect the voting rights of the freedmen. This was so because when they gave back the rights to v ote to the white southerners, the Congress increased the number of white voters. Thus these voters took more political positions away from the freedmen. Also in November 1974, the headline text from the New York Times read, â€Å"DEMOCRATIC VICTORY; CONGRESS TO BE DEMOCRATIC. The victory of the Democratic only further affected the downfall of the efforts of the congress' reconstructions. Their victory helped undermine the Congress' efforts to help the freedmen because the democrats were simply against the reconstruction. The opposing political viewpoints amongst the nation only further adds to why the Congress' Reconstruction efforts to ensure equal rights to the freedmen failed. The final main factor that played a big role in the downfall of the Congress' Reconstruction was the economic hardships that both the north and the south had to face after the Civil War.The civil war left the nation in ruins as far as being economically devastated. Although the slaves were finally granted their freedom after over 200 years of fighting, they did not know what to do the moment they actually achieved their freedom. Although some blacks took advantage and became successful, there were many others who were left on the streets with no source of income to fend for themselves. In an excerpt from a book written by Dr. W. E. E. DuBois it reads, â€Å"But the decisive influence was the systematic and overwhelming economic pressure.Negroes who wanted work must not dabble in politics†¦ in order to earn a living, the American Negro was compelled to give up his political power. † According to Dubois, the freedmen were â€Å"convinced† to stop voting or taking part in political events because they were under economic pressure. They weren't to â€Å"dabble in politics† if they wanted to increase their income and to earn a living. The economic pressure of the slaves could also be seen in an interview with a man named John McCoy. He was born in 1838 and had li ved 27 years as a slave in Texas.In the interview he says, â€Å"Freedom wasn't no different I knows of. I works for Marse John just the same for a long time. He say one morning, â€Å"†¦. I'll feed you and give you clothes but can't pay you no money. I ain't got none. † Humph, I didn't know nothing what money was, nohow, but I knows I'll git plenty victuals to eat, so I stays†¦Ã¢â‚¬  This recollection by John McCoy displays the idea that the slaves may have even been better off to actually stay with their owners who will feed them and clothe them. This goes against the whole idea and purpose of the entire Civil War and the Congress' Reconstruction.Due to the economic hardships during the 1870s, John decided to stay with his owner despite being granted his freedom because he did not even have knowledge as to what money was and was simply grateful for the food and the clothing that his owner would provide for him in exchange for labor. There were a lot of different reasons that led to the failure of the efforts of the Congress' Reconstruction to ensure equal rights to the freedmen. The three main reasons that affected the Congress' Reconstruction efforts the most were political oppositions, economic hardships, and racial differences.The constant conflicts between the different viewpoints of the democrats and the republicans undermined the purpose of the Reconstruction efforts. Racism played a big role in that the white men continued to look down on the black men and always felt superior compared to them. Economic hardships were also very important in the failure of the reconstruction efforts in that some slaves felt as though staying with their owners despite their gained freedom was better than fighting for survival alone on the streets. In the end, despite all the efforts of the congress, the reconstruction came to an end in 1877.

Chapter One including the abstract Dissertation

Chapter One including the abstract - Dissertation Example It is on this basis that faculty-designers have emerged as critical a component in the development of online courses. Given the importance of faculty-designers, there is need to ensure that these faculty-developers possess requisite skills and competencies that are key in maintaining the quality of online courses. This chapter presents issues surrounding the skills, competencies and best practices for designing online courses. In addition to these issues, this chapter will present the purpose of the research, research questions and hypotheses, justification and significance of the research, as well as limitations and assumptions for the research. Keywords: Faculty-designers, Skills and Competencies, Instructional Materials, Online Courses and Best Practices Chapter One Introduction Online education has experienced unprecedented growth in the last decade. Rapid growth of online education has emergence along with sophisticated information and communication technologies. Information tec hnology tools have been integrated into online platforms and enhance delivery of learning materials. Proponents of distance education have applauded the flexibility and convenience of online learning studies. However, dissenting voices have increasingly raised concerns over the quality of online courses. ... Many of the decisions influencing the successful delivery of course materials take place prior to commencement of online classes. Course design stage requires careful planning to not only make teaching more enjoyable and easy, but also to facilitate effective student learning. Well-designed courses facilitate smooth implementation of course content on a day-to-day basis (Anderson, 2008). Faculty-designers require requisite skills and competencies that will assure the effectiveness and quality of online learning (Weston, 2009). Increasing demands for online courses stimulated many institutions of higher learning to offer online courses. As the number of middle-level colleges and fully fledged universities offering online courses continues to grow, a pressing need has arisen for highly skilled and competent faculty-designers (Salmon, 2004). Skilled and competent faculty-designers are needed in crafting professional development and technical training online courses (Watson, Watson and R eigeluth, 2012). The quality of online courses has been compromised, in part, by hastily-developed learning materials (Hsu and Lin, 2008). Much as information technology has the potential to develop and implement effective online learning, the quality of this modern pedagogy is compromised by lack of competent faculty-designers (Anderson, 2008). The rapid growth of online learning has focused increasing attention to components that constitutes a quality online course (Reigeluth, 2011). Understanding of how to design an online course and what is needed to be an effective online instructor has deepened significantly (Hsu and Lin, 2008). Technologies used to design and access online courses have also improved tremendously. Equally important, faculty-designers have

The Rocking Hourse Winner Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Rocking Hourse Winner - Essay Example Looking back at the earlier events in the story, it can be seen that it was Hester; Paul's mother is solely responsible for his death. It should be noted that Hester's desire to maintain the lifestyle she was accustomed to started the voices in their house proclaiming that "There should be more money." Furthermore, it was also Hester who introduced the concept of luck to Paul. With this, the life of Paul became a quest to stop the voices and to find luck. These desires, which both originated from his mother, killed him in the end. The story started by drawing a portrait of Hester "who was beautiful, who started with all the advantages, yet she had no luck." Though this woman married the one that she really loves and was blessed with three children, there stood this deep feeling of incompleteness in her heart. Within her, there is always this strong longing for the things that she does not have like beautiful clothes, cars, jewelries, and other material possessions that only money can buy. She finds no joy in parenting as she considers her three little children as additional burden that she must live with. Even though she tries to be gently and loving to them, she knows that in the center of her heart, she cannot love them. For some reasons, her children are aware of her lack of affection and compassion to them. This is an unspoken understanding between the parent and their child: "They read it in each other's eyes." This is even aggravated that the fact that even though she leaves her longing for money unspok en, her children constantly hears her desire. As the story progresses, it can be seen that Paul developed the notion that his own mother does not love him. Her single desire is to have money. Thus, in order to win the affection of her mom, Paul devised his own way of giving her the money that she needs. It can be seen that Paul was doing everything to stop the whispers that haunts their house by generating more money. It can be seen that the little boy does this not only to quench his mother's insatiable desire for money. It can be seen that Paul is just like any other ordinary child whose main desire is to feel the warmth of his mother's affection. It can be seen that Paul associated the voices to the mother's lacking sense of completeness and contentment. The little boy assumed that if he can stop the whispers from haunting their house, his mother will stop wanting more money. This way, his mom can love him the way he really wants to. However, instead of stopping the voices in the house, the arrival of more money in Paul's house caused the whispers to become louder, asking for more money. It should be noted that the arrival of the money did not satisfy Hester. After reading the letter from the lawyer "her face become hardened and become more expressionless." She wants even more money causing Paul hears the voices growing much louder. This caused him severe depression as it signifies his failure to bring enough money. This is even worsened by the inability of the little boy to guess the winning horse in the two previous races. Thus, Paul was seized by tensions as he intensely wanted to know the winning horse for the Derby. After wildly riding his rocking horse one night, Paul was finally able to know the winning horse for the race. This might have overwhelmed him with ecstasy because this means that he will be able to bring more money into their house, stopping

Are Criminals Born or Made Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Are Criminals Born or Made - Essay Example In spite of the efforts in this direction, crimes continue to exist and it can be concluded that the crimes will continue to exist and this problem cannot be solved. In order to solve this problem, it becomes necessary that the cause of the crimes or the reason why people commit crimes need to be analysed. Traditionally crime has been considered as associated with two domains by the specialists. The domains are the nature or the environment of the individuals including the family and the peers of the individuals. However, it must be noted that these specialists belong to different fields of science as the complexity and dynamics of crime extends to different areas, which are difficult to comprehend. Therefore, the statement "Are criminals born, or made" can be considered as When reference is made to the science of criminology automatically, reference is made to different branches of science such as psychology, genetics, sociology etc. The main purpose of criminology is to deal with crimes and criminals and solve this social problem. The main approaches to deal with the problem of crimes and their resolution are the natural approach and the environmental approach. The environmental approach deals with the circumstances that made an individual to commit a crime and it does not consider the hereditary or family background of the criminal. Whereas the natural approach is sure that the nature of the criminal, his or her genes, and heredity are the main reasons that make him/her commit the crimes.

Safety and Risk Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Safety and Risk Management - Essay Example It employs over 10Â  000 people worldwide with a number of modern development and manufacturing facilities. All these facilities, along with the extensive network of trading and marketing units have enabled the Company to effectively penetrate the world’s pharmaceutical market, as well as to offer one of the broadest product portfolios, including over 1200 products either in the market, or under development stage and pending registration (Actavis Group, 2008). The Company’s branch, which is object of the audit, is comprised of two manufacturing facilities at the cutting edge of pharmaceutical production, storages and administrative offices. For several years, the Company has been conducting Corporate EHS audits similar to ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 standards, and recently acquired an OHSAS 18001 certificate. OHSAS 18001 Overview and Company’s Assessment OHSAS 18001 is an international occupational health and safety specification intended to help with the control over occupational hazards and risks, and covers all organisation’s employee – both full- and part-time, subcontractors and suppliers, visitors, organisation’s own facilities and equipment, as well as rented or borrowed facilities and equipment (Eighty 20 Consulting, n.d.). ... The degree of compliance with OHSAS 18001 requirements, in this particular case, is being assessed using a scale of 0 to 1, namely 0, 0.5, and 1 as a top grade (SGS Bulgaria ltd, 2007). After assessments of seven issues referring to OHSAS 18001’s Clause 4.2, which deals with the policy compliance, the following findings are available (DNV Certification Inc., 2008): The Company’s branch policy is in line with the corporate policy, which is placed on the intranet and communicated to all managers. The commitment to continual improvement is contained in Company’s EHS Policy. The commitment required to comply at least with current applicable Occupational Health & Safety (OH&S) legislation is being stated that it will be in accordance with the local regulations. The Company’s policy is documented and implemented but not document-controlled. It has been stated within an uncontrolled document, as well as in part on intranet and posted in canteen. EHS brief is bein g conducted. The policy is available to all interested parties via HR&PR Manager. There is no document control found in regard to the requirement for periodic review of the policy (BSI Management Systems, n.d.). The overall score attained according to the abovementioned scale of assessment is 4 out of the maximum possible 7, which is 57.1 % compliance. Several recommendations appear useful in order to be reached a higher level of compliance: the policy must be a controlled document and an agreement should be made on whether the corporate or site policy is to be used or issued; the policy should be clarified within the corporate and site policy structure and all employees should be provided with a copy of that policy, whether at recruitment or amendment stage. The

Media Economics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Media Economics - Essay Example The Big 6 Media Giants namely General Electric, Walt Disney, News Corp, Time Warner, Viacom and CBS are a practical example of this definition. These conglomerations not only control what we see, hear and read but also control our thoughts. They are all vertically integrated which allows them to produce and distribute media and news to their likings and manipulate our views (Shah, 2009). Media ownership and conglomeration have taken a new form with time. They are no longer attached to the purity of journalism or of best interests of the audiences. The media conglomerations are now slanted towards corporate goals and interests. In order to achieve the goals, the conglomerates are most often accused of being biased with allegations of corporate whitewashing and censorship (Bagdikian, 1997). In addition, to promote their own interests, media conglomerates favor infotainment over relevant news stories. Although the idea of media conglomeration and ownership is not a bad idea as it can create a healthy competition providing viable and valid news to the audiences. The concern is basically related to the concentration of ownership which can and is increasing the economic and political influence. According to Rifka Rosenwein, the concentration of media ownership has increased the control over expressions which has led to an aggressive competition and silencing of the news and ideas in the marketplace (Shah, 2009). According to the latest statistics, in 2009, there are only six giant conglomerates that own the US media namely the Big 6. This is eventually leading to monopolies and oligopolies which from a business perspective is not a good sign. Considering the role played by media in a prevailing democracy, reaching out to masses is of paramount importance. Many of the media conglomerates own entertainment companies such as Walt Disney where one cannot expect the company to discuss sw eatshop labor when, on the other hand, it is accused of being part of it (Shah,

Curriculum Review Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Curriculum Review Assignment - Essay Example The program focuses on descriptive linguistics automaticity and reading fluency whereas providing express comprehension and vocabulary instruction. Aligned with current reading analysis and backed by freelance analysis, SpellRead provides associate integrated, multi-sensory approach that builds a student’s system to bridges it with students’ oral language. Students hear, manipulate, and method sounds, so master the relationships between sounds and letters. According to Rashotte (2001), SpellRead does not simply accommodate deficiencies through active reading and writing. It helps in mastering the English language sounds, by combining rigorous phone and phonetic activities. This approach helps in manipulating troublesome English words. SpellRead faithfully improves reading fluency and comprehension across numerous populations. The SpellRead program is predicated on specific ability mastery. It consists of one hundred and five sequent lessons counteracted into 3 phases. Mastery of the preceding lessons and levels help in success of every lesson. Consequently, modulation of content, stress, reading quality comprehensively develops with the student’s word-level fluency, skills, vocabulary, and automaticity. A study by Rashotte (2001) shows that enhanced word-reading potency decreases the contribution of active cryptography. It also increases contribution of background vocabulary hence an increase in broader language skills. Phase A provides the use for the SpellRead program, coaching the audile process operate of the brain to listen to and manipulate the forty-four sounds of English. Consequently, students develop a â€Å"sound process reflex† - mechanically and directly. As a result, the students recognize every sound with not need to form associations with rules that hinder automaticity. The enriching of the foundation, impacting knowledge on secondary spellings, diverse consonants, use of syllables and utilization of auditory and visual

Hurricane Hits England and Search For My Tongue Essay Example for Free

Hurricane Hits England and Search For My Tongue Essay Compare how a persons culture is shown to be important in Hurricane Hits England and in one other poem. In both Hurricane Hits England and Search For My Tongue, the poems explore the theme of culture being important to person, both poems approach this theme in different ways. In Hurricane Hits England, the poet uses the method of flashbacks to explore the theme, whereas Search For My Tongue approaches this theme by putting us in the authors shoes. In Hurricane Hits England, the subject matter is based around the serious hurricane that hit Southern England 1987. This is a very rare life force that is unusual in this country, more frequently occurring in the Caribbean. This storm in England reminds Nichols about her culture and this life force has been able to break the frozen lake within her. This shows us, the reader her culture is important to her, by creating a fusion of human life and natural life forces; Talk to me HuracanTalk to me Shango. These gods that she is calling out to us the reader, makes us also think that she is trying to create a chant as if she sees the hurricane as both Fearful and reassuring. Although she is happy that the hurricane has come for it has been able to help her discover her culture again, she is also reminded about what damage this life force can do to a country, physically and emotionally. The poet is using this event in England to help call her back-home cousin. This is another reminder to us the reader that she wants this occasion to be a flashback of what would have happened if she was in the Caribbean. However, she knows that this is not the same as the storms in the Caribbean, as the trees are falling heavy as whales. This simile is used to represent the different types of ecosystems around the world, how different trees have different properties. If you go to the Caribbean, the types of trees are mainly palm trees, with the properties of having flexible bark. However, in England the types of trees are Oak and Pine which are quite heavy and inflexible. This makes the trees unsuitable for this type of weather, making this experience still remind the poet about her culture, but seeing this weather as a new experience. In Search For My Tongue, the way the poets shows us how culture is important to her is done in different ways, by showing us how it is to be in another country and not be able to express your mother tongue. In this poem, she describes how she is scared of loosing her mother tongue, how it would rot and she will have to spit it out. This demonstrates how her language is a very important part of her culture and heritage and during the first stanza in the poem; the use of botanical imagery shows a mood of death and decay. She explains how she could not create a hybrid tongue, the use of both languages; You could not use them both together. This botanical imagery is then used to help the re-growth of her mother tongue while she is having a dream; munay hutoo kay The way how she portrays this stanza of the poem, not only gives the impression of her doing a chant but also had a lyrical feeling towards it. This is then an awakening for her mother tongue to grow, thus rediscovering language and culture is obviously important to the poet. The final stanza is probably the most enlightening and meaningful stanza in the entire poem, for it finally concludes how culture can be extremely important to people and make them the way they are; the bud opens in my mouth. The use of botanical imagery has now been used to firstly represent death and decay, to now being represent growth and re-birth. This use of assonance in the last stanza also helps to change the mood of the entire poem, giving it a more positive feel to the poem; blossoms out of my mouth. This line not only tells us that she is happy with the culture that she has re-discovered, but it also means that she has found the item that she had lost; her tongue. We know this from the title of the poem Search For My Tongue. In conclusion, both of these poems have been able to show how a past culture can be important to a persons character and future growth. This could teach all of us a moral lesson, by telling us that culture is important to everybodys feeling of self by making it mould our characters to what we are today. In both these poems, they might have used different methods to portray these themes, with the outcome giving off the same message.

Developing Evaluative Skills Through Critiquing Quantitative Research

Developing Evaluative Skills Through Critiquing Quantitative Research Nursing is becoming a progressively evidence base profession. Arguably, Nightingale first popularised the link between nursing theory, nursing practice and research to inform an appropriate evidence base, and progress towards this goal has been ongoing ever since (Graham 2003). In nursing, a critique is often seen as a first step in learning the research process. However, conducting a critique is not a basic skill (Burns and Grove 2004). The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC, 2008) ruled it mandatory for the pre-registration nursing curriculum to teach EBP as a fundamental principle of proficiency. Research has become a priority for nurses of all specialities. This paper seeks to demonstrate how these evaluative skills can be developed by critiquing a quantitative research study. An acknowledgement of the credibility of the authors, the publishing journal, and the methods used the data collection and analysis, findings, ethical issues and the strengths and weakness of the research is made. The paper will be considered using the CASP critique tool for methodological consistency and ease of presentation (CASP 2000); shown in appendix 1; a copy of the tool is enclosed. The article, on which this critique research is made, was published in the journal of Advanced Nursing. The title of the article is, Tablet-splitting: a common yet not so innocent practice. The title of this article outlined above, is seemingly clear and explicit, although not as concise as Frances et al,(2007) would prefer; between ten and fifteen words. The title of this paper suggests that tablet splitting is a common practice, which is probably true, but it suggests that it is not so innocent, which smacks more of journalism than an academic paper. It is possible that the original Belgian text does not translate perfectly into English and this may be a translational syntactical inaccuracy. The article was accepted on 6 August 2010 and it was published in the Journal of Advanced Nursing 67(1), pages 26-32. Elsevier (2009) State that they only print manuscripts that have been peer reviewed with any necessary revisions made. This is favourable for the credibility of the article as the reader is assured that it has been scrutinised by an independent body of a similar field to the author/s. Elsevier also clarifies that the author must have the appropriate clinical and educational credentials for the research study. The four authors are all highly qualified, each with a PhD, three in academic pharmacology and a fourth who is a professor of geriatrics. A substantial literature search does not show any other publications by these authors. Quantitative research is formal and objective research that is concerned with collecting and analysing data that focuses on numbers and frequencies, rather than meaning or experience, it examines cause-and-effect interactions among variables using a systematic process (Burns and Grove, 1997; Ogier, 1999). The research that has been carried out for this published paper is an example of quantitative research and has been carried out using a randomised control trial method. A randomised control trial (R.C.T.) is a true experiment characterised by the manipulation of the independent variable, random assignment of individual subjects to the conditions and all other factors being controlled (Ogier, 1999). The R.C.T. was carried out as a small study in which five volunteers were asked to split eight tablets of different sizes and shapes, including medicines for Parkinsons disease, heart failure and arthritis. Participants used three different methods to split their pills: a splitting device , scissors or manual spitting for scored tablets, and a kitchen knife. In the article under scrutiny, the authors point out the fact that it is observed to be common clinical practice, particularly in nursing homes, to split tablets so that a proportion of the tablet dose can be conveniently given. This can be for economic or purely practical reasons as tablets are often supplied from stock and not always in the exact form or dose prescribed. They cite a German study in support (Quinzler et al 2006) which found that nearly 25% of administered drugs were split. It should however, be noted that on closer inspection, the Quinzler study is not particularly relevant to the UK situation, has a number of serious methodological errors and also did not consider a wide spectrum of clinical applications, nor is it in close agreement with other studies in this area. Its findings therefore are not particularly generalizable and are a poor choice of evidence in support of this paper. There is no doubt however, from taking a further overview of the available literature, that tablet-splitting does occur with a degree of regularity in clinical situations, and as such, the authors consider this investigation justified. The Abstract in this case is perfectly adequate, outlining the main points of the study. The main contentious issue is a comment in the Abstract conclusion which states that Large dose deviationsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. occurred when splitting tablets (Verrue et al 2011, p.26), a comment which is not actually borne out by the findings of the study. Close inspection of the results suggest that deviations of more than 25% of the original tablet mass occurred in 19% of cases, but the authors included those cases where one half spontaneously split further, and therefore would have no real clinical or practical significance. It has also to be noted that there is no indication in the abstract, of the methods of sample selection or whether this was in any way a controlled trial. It does however; serve the prime objective of an Abstract, which is to offer the reader sufficient information to determine whether further reading of the article would be appropriate (Robson 2006). The Introduction is comparatively short. The point about the citation of the Quinzler study has already been made, but the rest of the Introduction effectively sets out the rationale for the study, together with the justification for clinical relevance. It has to be observed that the literature review is comparatively brief with some comparatively old papers being cited (Barker et al 1982 and Babbington 1997) when there are a number of perfectly respectable authorities to make the same points that are much newer and would therefore be considered both more relevant and appropriate (Coombes et al 2009). The aims of the study are clearly stated, although the actual study design is not. It requires further reading through the paper to actually determine the methodology used (this is found under data collection), the sample selection, (this is found under Discussion which is really quite inappropriate) and also the means of determining the results (also found under data collection). It is also the case that the clinical significance of the rationale for the study is neither explicitly set out nor addressed. This is very relevant to the issue of tablet-splitting as if, as the cited literature suggests, there is a 25% variance in actual dose administration after splitting, then the degree to which it could be clinically important should be presented. One could suggest that in all but the most extreme cases, a 25% variation in the dose of Aspirin given is not likely to be hugely clinically significant, whereas a 25% variation in the dose of a cytotoxic drug may have profound consequences for the patient. There is no real consideration of this point, nor any concession to its absence (Polgar et al 2000). This element of the review of the literature in the introduction therefore has major deficiencies. The study design is quantitative in nature. The authors have used five healthcare professionals for the task of tablet-splitting. One has to read through to the study limitations segment to determine that the authors used an administrative co-worker, a laboratory technician, a pharmacy student and two pharmacists as the study cohort. On reflection, this seems a strange choice, as it is neither homogenous nor rational, as none of these groups are likely to be involved in tablet-splitting in the situation of the nursing home, which the authors have chosen to investigate (nor many other clinically relevant situations, in all probability). This choice seriously weakens both the generalizability of the findings and also the applicability of the study to the clinical evidence base for nursing. Another major shortcoming of the methodology of this paper is the fact that the authors included cases where the tablet split into more than two pieces as deviations from the mean. In most clinical situations the administration of a tablet, which has split into two halves, and one half has then broken further, is no less accurate if the pieces are administered as one piece or as several. The authors make no concession on this point and therefore are likely to significantly overestimate the inaccuracies in their findings. (Schulz et al 2005) Issues of sample selection have already been addressed above. Sample size appears to be completely arbitrary with a total of 1,200 operations spread over the group being considered a reasonable sample size. It is usual, in academic studies such as this to see calculations of minimum sample size to determine the power of significance. Its omission further reduces the applicability of the study (Rosenthal 2004). The ethical considerations are explicitly addressed, as ethical committee approval was not required because patients were neither involved nor personal details recorded (Bowling 2002). Some of the elements of bias and limitation have already been addressed. The results obtained have been subjected to a modest degree of statistical analysis with a one way ANOVA and a Turkeys post hoc analysis being carried out. One has to observe however, that the nature of the study is such that a more sophisticated data analysis is not really appropriate (Argyrous 2000). The results are presented in a clear and logical fashion, with 5 tables showing how the results were distributed. It is clear from the presentation of the results exactly what the authors have found; for example using a splitting device was the most accurate method. It still produced a 15 to 25 per cent error margin in 13 per cent of cases, but this was lower than the 22 per cent for scissors and the 17 per cent for the knife. Further critical reading is not necessary in this respect. An interesting feature of the study is the fact that weight loss of the tablet occasioned by the splitting process has also been determined, for example some tablets were much easier to split accurately than others. The easiest to split produced an overall error margin of 15 per cent deviation or more and the most difficult tablets produced an error margin of 19 per cent. Closer examination of the results however, shows that this does not just reflect the amount of material lost as powder or small fragments, as one might initially consider, but also the amount of the tablet that was inadvertently dropped on the floor. The authors rationalised this on the basis that a tablet, once having been on the floor, would not be subsequently given to the patient, which although undoubtedly true, does rather distort the results that are presented (Rosner 2006). The discussion element of this paper is something of a disappointment. The first element is a consideration of the study limitations, which entirely appropriate (Gomm et al 2000). The authors spontaneously point out the fact that the clinical effects or consequences of their findings are not presented (Verrue at el 2011 p. 29). This is a major detraction from the usefulness of this paper and would make the interpretation of the results by a non-clinician more difficult. The authors also concede that no nurses were selected for the experimental splitting group. This is quite remarkable, as one could intuitively suggest that it would be nurses, of various grades, who would actually be responsible for tablet-splitting in the vast majority of clinical circumstances. It is actually of little practical relevance for nursing homes to be able to understand how effective a Professor of Pharmacology is at splitting tablets. The authors go on to compare and contrast their findings with other work in the area (Mcdevitt et al 1998,Birton et al. 1999, Peek et al. 2002, Teng et al. 2002, Cook et al 2003) and point out the similarities and differences in their findings. This is an entirely appropriate and useful segment with the authors pointing out the specific fact that this type of study has not been done before and also that much of the similar work in this area is already a few years old (Verrue et al 2011 p.30) The discussion segment also notes that we aimed at providing nursing homes with advice for the best tablet-splitting technique in daily practice (Verrue et al 2011, p.30). One would suggest that this is not in congruence with the stated aims of the study (although it is tangentially relevant). One could also observe that the one thing that this study does not do, is to offer nursing homes a suitable evidence base on which to base their practices, as no clinically relevant staff were involved in the study. Some of the participants are unlikely to have a concept of the clinical significance of exactly halving the dose of the medication. This is a low grade study which had the potential to make an impact on the evidence base in an important clinical area. The methodological shortcomings and a lack of generalizability, greatly reduce any possibility of such an impact. The paper, although superficially well presented, with an admirable display of tables and easy to interpret data, has major flaws which become apparent on even the most superficial levels of critical analysis. The initial interest generated by a reading of the Abstract, did not translate into clinically useful data which could be applied into everyday nursing practice. An overview of the methodology suggests that the authors might have made a significant contribution to the evidence base in this area with a little more forethought and pre-study design consideration. This belief is given credence by the fact that the authors criticise themselves in the Study limitations segment, in areas which could quite reasonably have been considered before the actual investigation took place. This study does not materially contribute to the evidence base in this area. Appendix 1 Quantitative Research Papers Critiquing Tool A Framework for Critiquing Quantitative Research Papers Include full reference of paper here: (i.e. Author/s (date) Title of article. Journal title. Volume, Number, page numbers.) Critiquing Framework Title of Paper Is the aim or purpose of the study clear? Are the main variables of interest indicated? Is the study design or research method clear from the title? Is there any reference to the population from whom the data are collected? The Abstract/Summary Does this summarise the whole study? Is information provided regarding background, literature, aim/and objectives, hypotheses (if RCT), methods, sample size, measures used etc, results and conclusions? Does it suggest that a more detailed reading of the rest of the paper would be worthwhile? Introduction/Literature Review Background/rationale Why was the topic chosen, what is the background to the study? Is there a critical review of previous literature and related theoretical concepts? Are gaps in the literature identified? Aim and objectives What problem or issue is being investigated? How clearly is this problem or issue defined or explained? Is there a clearly stated aim? Do the research objectives or research questions support this aim? Are the variables of interest clearly defined `and are relationships between these evident and clearly stated? Which are the independent and dependent variables? Are hypotheses (if RCT) stated in a way that makes them testable? Method Research design What is the study design and is it clearly explained and appropriate for the research questions? Could the design be improved? Was there a pilot study? Research questionnaires What measures are used? Are validity and reliability reported for these measures either in the paper or clearly referenced? Have the authors dealt appropriately with any unreliable questionnaires or scales? Sample Is the population appropriate for the research question? How were the sample chosen? What is the sample size? Are statistical power considerations discussed? Are inclusion and exclusion criteria described? Can the results be reasonably generalised on the basis of this sample? Ethics Are ethical considerations presented. Is it suggested that ethical approval was granted? Results/Findings/Data analysis Does the paper explain clearly how the data are analysed? Are statistical techniques clearly and adequately described? Are the statistics presented at a simple descriptive level or are inferential statistics also included? How are the results presented? Does the text adequately explain any tables or graphs? Have any tests of significance established whether differences, or associations, between groups could have happened by chance? What p values are used? Are non-significant results clearly indicated? Discussion Is the discussion an accurate account of the results? Could there be other ways of interpreting the data? Does the discussion address the research aim and objectives? Are all the research questions answered? Conclusion Are the conclusions of the study consistent with the results of the statistical analyses? Are alternative conclusions suggested? Are theoretical and practical implications of the results adequately discussed? Are the recommendations suggested feasible? Limitations What are the limitations and are these acknowledged by the authors? Overall impression (CASP 2000)

Portrayal Of African Americans In Film

Portrayal Of African Americans In Film In the assignment, I investigated the portrayal of black female in Hollywood films. Which I started off by watching an old time romantic classic film Gone with the Wind, which at first I thought it was a non racial film as slaves were portrayed as normal employees, and were rewarded with presents like the masters pocket watch if theyve been appropriately loyal. Black women involvement in changing African American culture in all black setting was from their outsider experience in White family home. Black women saw white women elites, both actual and aspiring. Black women didnt only perform domestic duties; they also performed a close relationship with the children they nurtured. Moreover, black women noticed that the myth of the domestic worker was becoming an increasing racial ideology. Nancy White, a black inner-city-resident, explores the connection between experience and beliefs: Now, I understand all these things from living. But you cant lay up on these flowery beds of ease and think that you are running your life, too. Some women, white women, can run their husbands lives for a while, but most of them have to..see what he tells them there is to see. If he tells them that they aint seeing what they know they are seeing, then they have to just go like it wasnt there! (In Gwaltney 1980, 148). (Name the Book). This passage illustrates that being an outsider; black women will foster a new angle of vision on domination. It suggests that Black female worker could never be a White middle class women lying on a Flowery bed of ease. But her duties leading for caring her White women allowed her an insiders view of some of contradiction that is being played between White women thinking that they are running their lives and the patriarchal power and authority in their households. To an extent, I did some research on what stereotypical views American people had for African Americans; as a result I found that the slaves contained a little truth surrounded by a large lie for example the mummy at GWTW played by Hattie McDaniel, portrayed as an obese, coarse, maternal figure. The lie that is behind this according to Professor of African American and African studies Patricia Turner is that she claimed that one of the many brutal aspects of slavery was that slave owners sexually exploited their slaves especially light skinned ones which are the mainstream definition of female sexual attractiveness. Therefore mummy was then deliberately constructed to suggest ugliness. The white women felt threaten by this assumption; so therefore the attempt were to desexualise mammy and by extension, the white family could feel safe. The actor Hattie McDaniel who played the well known mummy portrayal has won herself an Oscar for the best supporting actress. The actor who she played Scarlett OHaras sassy but loyal servant in Gone with the Wind, was the first Black to win an Academy Award. Hattie McDaniel not only did she starred in Gone with the wind as a mummy but did lot more in her previous films for example The Story of Temple Drake (1933) and The Gold West (1932) as she played an unobtrusive, weak mummies. Furthermore she was criticized by Blacks by allowing herself portray as a mummy caricature. She responded that Why should I complain about making seven thousand dollars a week playing a maid? If I didnt, Id be making seven dollars a week actually being one. This statement tells us how black women were given choice whether to endure the stereotype ridicule from both her African American to receive an Oscar, people still argue until today whether she sold out or did she succeed in her life. However she stated in her appearance at the Oscar and quotes that I sincerely hope that I will be a credit to my race suggesting that she has come far in life as Black American to achieve such an award which then would have been impossible, she claims that anyone could succeed if they work hard for it. The Cosby shows is a comedy about a middle class black family. the main character Bill Cosbyis played by Cliff Huxtable. He is gynaecologist and obstetrician, and his wife Claire is a lawyer. The show has become popular over the years as they were the first black people to have a leading role on a TV show. However there are speculation whether the show is constructed or reflective in This is part of the white fantasy: blacks should stop complaining and work hard. Hence the reference to The Cosby Show, which I have only just remembered You now need to conclude this introduction. Is the Hattie McDaniel character a racist image? Yes because it conforms to the stereotype. No because the actor playing the part is doing well in white society and might be called a role model. Yes because the stereotype limits the ways in which she can be successful. You have to make the point that different readings are possible, hence The Cosby Show study. Methodology- In the 21st century the portrayal of black female in Hollywood still continues, therefore I want to find out how teenagers in todays society handle the stereotype that the media with holds and what affects has it caused in how black female view themselves. In my investigation I got a group of black teenagers to discuss the issue of the portrayal of black women in films. In addition, I have chosen four film trailers for the teenagers to watch; which where two modern and two classic films the reason I have chosen classic and modern is because I want to prove the point of how Hollywood still continues these portrayal of black women, whether its a black comedy or black drama it still de-humanizes black women and creates humour from this. The film trailers that I showed to the teenagers were the following: Norbit Precious Gone With the Wind Birth of the Nation The group discussions were vital as it provided me crucial information about the teenagers view point of the media portrayal. However its not only films that are constantly shown portraying black women negatively its also in the media; these stereotypes been presented in the music videos. As these black women are shown dancing all over these men while half naked, allowing champagne to be poured on to them, all for just money. However, to young teenagers it looks like these women are living the best life. Research suggests that when negative images are repeatedly exposed over a long period of time, we use these images and measure ourselves and others against them. Therefore, when young teenagers are being exposed to the media that portrayal people of colour are less likely to succeed, less beautiful and less worthwhile than white people, they tend to believe those ideas. In the group meeting I have asked the students an open question of what they have thought of the film trailers, and successfully I got a useful responds which I will utilise in my investigation. The following are the questions that I asked the students: From watching these trailers what were your thought? Which one in particular did you find disturbing to watch? Which one of these trailers did you find racist? Which film do you think portrays black female in a negative way What elements did they use to stereotype black women? As a young black female teenager how did these trailers make you feel? Did you think GWTW is a racist film? If yes why? Do you think this negative stereotype still carries into the 21st century? The film Gone with the Wind (1939) was one of the most controversial films that depicts of race relations. Through freed from the novels positives portrayal of the Ku Klux Klan, Gone with the Wind depiction of slavery still remains particularly naive. The writer of the film Birth of the Nation Thomas F. Dixon Jr has written a letter to praise Margaret Mitchell about how great Gone with the Wind was: the greatest story of the South ever put down on paper, you have given the world The Great American Novel. Margaret replied back with the great praise for Dixons extremist Klan-praising books and quotes In truth, the film Gone with the wind is Birth of Nation without the bed sheets and hoods of the Klan suggesting that the truth of Gone with the wind hides the important elements that happened to Blacks. The extremely dehumanizing, exploitative, and bloody reality of slavery, with its great violence against (including much rape of black women) enslaved African Americans, is missing from th e novel and the movie. In the film blacks appear mostly as slaves: loyal servants like Prissy . . . , or clownish servants. Whites are seen as worthy of the subservience, loyalty, and love of faithful servants. This is because the genre of the film is romantic Happiness and wholeness and one with antiseptic slavery without whips, chains, or rape is shown to create the mood. To an extent, the sense of the collective identity produced by laughing at others, those who are perceived as different and possibly a treat. For example when blacks appear alongside whites in comedies, racial issues become a main focus for the humour. Hattie McDaniel in her mummy role in Gone with the Wind, black women has been stereotyped since then. She had a very aggressive personality and was overly possessive even when she is preserving the female master. Her powerful aggressive is where the portrayal of African American tradition started off, as people often stereotype women as being overly aggressive and disrespectful. The mummy represented the black mother figures in white homes; the matriarch symbolized the mother figure in Black homes. Which therefore the representation that is been stereotyped is that the mummy symbolizes the good black mother, whereas the black matriarch symbolizes the bad black mothers. This has been introduced widely through a government reported titled The Negro Family: The Case for National Action, the black matriarchy thesis argued that African -American women who failed to fulfil their traditional Womanly duties at home contributed to social problems in Black civil society (Moynihan 1965). The mummy of the house is seen being strong and her dignity is largely intact but her grammar is chopped down into broken English with an extremely simplistic level. However they deliberately constructed this type of character to suggest that all black people are sexually unattractive. They portrayed them as being dark skinned, often pitch black which in the society they regarded black people being ugly. GWTW uses black over weight maid that looks old. The reason they used this is because that no reasonable white man would choose a fat, elderly black women instead of the idealized white women. The white family would feel safe, by de-eroticism of all black mummy by portraying them of lacking all sexual and sensual qualities. Historically, it is the African American women, has been the rock of the family, who is strong both in emotion and in honour, she has kept the family together through hardship and poverty, preserving in the most difficult of times. The African American women has protected and raised her family for generation in the worst of circumstance. Butterfly McQueen plays the character Prissy, the stupid, loud and annoying house girl. The character Prissy is a squeamish, a liar and becomes hysterical over the smallest things. As the Jim Crow minstrel entertainment era this portrayal was being used to entertain the white audience. The minstrel stereotyped black people of being a clown, something funny to watch so therefore watching this character makes the humour of the film to the white audience as it was successful in the early minstrel time, including it on a movie would be greater success on their believes. I watched this The film Precious stars by Gabourey Sidibe who plays an obese black girl Claireece Jones, known as Precious. The film is set in 1986 Harlem, Precious daydreams of having glamorous life, with a light skinned boyfriend and the paparazzi in love with her. In reality Precious experiences and suffers constant sexual abuse by her father, the father of daughter who suffers from Down s syndrome, and Precious is now carrying her second child by him. The film is also narrated by Gabourey Sidibe, she takes us through her day dreams and the things she hungers for. As in her day dreams she says she wants to be on a BET videos this shows videos that degrades women. The parent television council claimed that BET rap programming, which they believed contained gratuitously sexual, violent, and profane content, was targeting teenagers. Furthermore scholars within the African American community maintain that BET perpetuates and justifies racism by affecting the interpersonal beliefs others may generali ze about African American and also the young teenagers viewers through its negative image of African American. The image of the welfare mothers that is being portrayed in the film provides ideological justifications for intersecting oppressions of race, gender and class. African American can be racially stereotyped as being lazy by blaming black welfare mother for falling to pass on the work ethic. She is portrayed as being content to sit around and collect welfare mother the image of the welfare mother represents another failed mummy, one who is unwilling to become de mule uh de world which this links back to Precious of instead of her mother encourage to stay in school, she forces to go to the welfare. Welfare queen is a phrase that describes the economic dependency- the lack of a job and/ income (which equal degeneracy in the Calvinist United States); the presence of a child or children with no father and/or husband (moral deviance); and finally, a charge on the collective U.S. treasury- a human debit. The cumulative totality, circulation, and effect of these meanings in a time of scarce resources among the working class and the lower middle class are devastatingly intense. The welfare queen represents moral aberration and an economic drain, but the figures problematic status becomes all the more threatening once responsibility for the destruction of the American way of life is attributed to it. (Lubiano 1992, 337-38), (Patricia Hill Collins, Black feminist thought). Book The welfare queen held a portrayal of being selfish, money-oriented women, who are manless, working class people. The image of the welfare queen portrayal represents black welfare queen happy taking money from hard earned money of taxpaying Americans and remains married to the state. The welfare queen image signals efforts to use the situation of working class black women as a sign of the deterioration of the state. Reference the book Political scientist Martin Gilens did a study of the way in which poverty was being represented in USAs leading news magazines (Times, Newsweek and US News and World Report). Following key figures were produced by Gilens: Gilens found 182 stories concerning poverty in these magazines during the period under analysis. 635 people were pictured as Poor in these stories, in 214 pictures (photographs and drawings). Gilens interest was primarily in the representation of poverty in terms of race and ethnicity. He excluded 75 people in eight stories whose race could not be identified; 637 minus 75 left 560 people pictured. Gilens found that of those 560 people pictured in news stories as poor, 62 per cent were African- American. He claims that African American make up only 25% on government statistics of the US poor. Gilens suggests that A reader of these news magazines is likely to develop the impression that Americans poor are predominantly black. This distorted portrait of the America poor cannot help but reinforce negative stereotype of blacks as mired in poverty and contribute to the belief that poverty is primarily a Blacks problem (THE books name) the politician Gilens examines the survey that he took, and he found out that the media over exaggerate the percentage of African American being poor, he suggests that the negative stereotype leads to a situation which many white people do not support government welfare provision because they perceive poverty and/or unemployment as a black problem. The film precious has been shown primarily black people being Poor as to therefore suggesting that majority of the black people in America is poor. However, going back to the newspaper, the portrayal of black people could have been escalated by one media featuring more black people than usual, which then could have exaggerated the results. In addition, I watched Norbit. The film is about a young man named Norbit. Eddie Murphy co-wrote, co-produced, and starred in the film. I found this film humorous to watch, of the repetitive hate humour that it represents. I found myself to be expected to laugh at the portrayals of verbal and physical abuse that it creates through the film. The film starts off with the character Norbit; he is skinny, insidiously shy, irreproachably geeky and a painfully awkward guy. His childhood was not very kind to him, as he was given away at birth to an orphanage home. He then meets Rasputia. She helps Norbit from the bullies which she manhandles two older teenagers. Rasputia (Eddy Murphy), introduces herself to Norbit at a playground. She is enormous for a 10 year old, and when she finds out that his single, she makes a decision right then and there that Norbit will be her new boyfriend whether he wants to or not. The film tells us that black skinned women are unattractive and lighter women are. This creates an enormous affect on teenagers who are watching this, as portrayal that it tells through the film is that light skinned are beautiful than darker skinned. Rasputia later becomes Norbits new wife. She is shown as a bigger, bossy, sassy, mean spirited, and unfaithful, holding Norbit emotionally captive. The film Norbit stereotypes black women into the following three categories. They are: Mummy Jezebel Sapphire Moreover, while I was researching I came across by statement which states that Aggressive, assertive women are penalized-they are abandoned by their men, end up impoverished, and are stigmatized as being unfeminine. Book Therefore suggesting that the stereotype has been used penalize black understands of black masculinity. The image of the matriarch also supports racial oppression. Much social science research implicitly uses gender relation in African American communities as one seeing measure of black cultural disadvantage. For example the Maynihan report (1965) contends the slavery destroyed black families by creating deviant because they challenge the patriarchal assumptions underpinning the traditional family idea. The image Rasputia portrays is unattractive and weight black women. She shows off her tiny bathing suit; when the attendant asks her if she is wearing bottoms because her belly obscures it. However, Rasputia beyond large breasts hitting the steering wheel, and claiming that Norbit adjusted the seats, as she slaps him across the face when he denies it. This shows that she is violently abusive and stupid as to think she is right when she is clearly not. Rasputia is loud, bossy, and dishonest, but these are seen as the sure fire in the society, this is identifiable traits of the modern of black women. Rasputias type is historically been portrayed of them driving all good men away, leaving only emasculated Norbits and feminized girlie men (like the exercise guru forced to sleep with her in order to get ahead), who are the inevitable byproducts of a matriarchal culture run amok. Jasmyne A. Cannick is a well known and respected public policy and communications professional with a successful track record in the areas of public policy, issue and campaign strategies. She has recently written a review of the film Norbit of its negative stereotype of obese black women (Why Norbit Sent Me Intro Orbit). She states that the trailer for Norbit encouraged a strange ambivalence of laughing at something that in reality shouldnt be funny, because the comedy relates to the social and historic tragedies about body image/obesity and skin colour preference, respectively Tim Cogshell, in a review of Norbit, comments about this: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦there is a great deal of mockery of the obese in Norbit, but therein lies a bit of truth, too: We do mock the obese, dont we? à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦The lithe Kate (who seems to transform into a white girl post her childhood persona) juxtaposed with the big, fat, mean Rasputia may simply look like more of the same fat-bashing humour weve come to expect in movies such as this, and it is, but thats not all it is. There is a mirror in this movie, reflecting a lot of things, not the least of which is that we are a mean, fat country that ironically doesnt like mean fat people. Rasputia is shown on as a sexualized freak show; her short hair is did. Her flawless make-up does not mask a teethy, hideous smile. Her fingernails are manicured and claw-like. This Black womens sexuality lie at the heart of black womens oppression, historical jezebels and contemporary Hoochies represent a deviant black female sexuality. The image of jezebel originated under slavery when black women were portrayed as being, to use Jewelle Gomezs words, sexually aggressive we nurses (Clarke et al. 1983, 99). Jezebels function was to relegate all black women to the category of sexually aggressive women, thus providing a powerful rationale for the widespread sexual assaults by White men typically reported by Black slave women (Davies 1981; D. White 1985). Jezebel served yet another function. If black slave women could be portrayed as having excessive sexual appetites, then increased fertility should be the expected outcome. Rasputia is shown singing to the Pussy Cat Dolls Dont Cha, this creates the humour of the film. In the scene she is shown washing the car while PCD Dont Cha is being played. It also shows her in a low angle shot and slow motion while she washes the car. This overall suggests while its portraying black women extreme, Raspuita is shown, of her being proud of who she is, almost creating a positive view. However it also could be argued that excessive portrayal of the stereotypes might affect young teenagers on their behavior of what they see in films such as Norbit. These constructed stereotype images represents by Black Director, writer and Actor to entertain the audience of allowing the image to escalate into the black community. Moreover, I started to watch Birth of the nation is Directed by David Llewelyn Wark Griffith. The film was made in 1915 and caused extream controversy with individulas and orgaisation across the country. The film had expilicit rasism, as one scenes portrays black men as savages possessed by animalistic lust, sexually assaulting white women. in the film black roles were mainly white actors, as they painted their face with burnt cork. American films has popularized the stereotype that are held by the soicety. Griffith exploited as many of the stereotype in his film Birth of the Nation. For example, Mulattos were represented as being evil , while those who has full black in them have the choice to be either Good (i.e. faithful to whites or bad (i.e. interested in self-preservation and equality). The black actors that worked in the film were given roles for them to create humor and humanity in their characters. the historical and contemporary challenege of race relation, was the begining of cultural identity in American cinema.

Life of Robert Hooke Essay -- Biography

A cell is the smallest unit of life that is classified as a living thing. The discovery of cells eventually led to the discovery of microorganisms such as bacteria and viruses, the invention of antibiotics to help fight disease, and ultimately founded the basis for what people know as medicine (â€Å"Hierarchy,† 2011). Robert Hooke, the man who suffered from smallpox at a young age and was not expected to live more than a few years, later grew up to attend the prestigious University of Oxford where he studied alongside famous scientists. Hooke made several important discoveries in the fields of science and medicine, including the invention of the microscope and the discovery of cells. As a result of Hooke’s discoveries, doctors today can understand how the body works on the smallest scale in order to treat diseases more efficiently. Ever since he was a child, Hooke always found a way to exceed everyone’s expectations. Hooke was born on July 18, 1635, on the western end of Isle of Wright in England. In the article â€Å"Robert Hooke Biography,† Hooke was described as â€Å"a sickly child who was stricken with smallpox at an early age and was not expected to survive more than a few years† (2011). Due to his poor health, Hooke was allowed to spend his free time studying things that interested him like science and mechanics. Since he was forced to stay indoors for most of his childhood due to illness, Hooke found a source of enjoyment in disassembling and reassembling mechanical devices. Hooke possessed the ability to recreate mechanical toys on his own like working clocks and toy ships with fully functioning miniature guns (Farrell, 2006). Hooke not only had an interest in mechanics but also had a great amount of talent in that area as well. His... ...pot, the universal joint which is still used in cars today, and the balance spring which is a main component in the watches we wear (2009). Most of Hooke’s major inventions are still around and used in every day life. By 1665 Hooke was appointed professor of geometry at Gresham College. The standard policy at Gresham was to never marry, so Hooke remained single and lived in his Gresham apartment for the rest of his life. Hooke’s mental and physical health began to decline rapidly with the death of his niece, Grace, whom he lived with and was very fond of. After Grace passed, Hooke began to isolate himself and began writing bitterly (Farrell, 2006). Hooke finally passed away on March 3, 1703. Hooke’s invention of the microscope and the discovery of cells ultimately laid down the basic building blocks for further discoveries in medicine and the study of disease.