Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Transformational Change Management Plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Transformational Change Management Plan - Essay Example Apple is an American tech giant and a multinational corporation whose headquarters is in Cupertino in California, USA. Apple is in the business of designing, developing and selling computer software, consumer electronics, personal computers and online services. So as to save time and cut costs, Apple normally outsources thousands of its manufacturing jobs to such countries as China, Mongolia, Taiwan and Korea. Thus the manufacturing of high-tech products such as iPhone has steadily moved to Asia from the US over the past decades. Thus, Apple, considered, a market leader in the smartphone industry in regard to manufacturing, is totally dependent on outsourcing/offshoring manufacturing, especially in China-a relatively low cost nation (Moyer, 2012). Apple’s stakeholders welcomed the move since the company tremendously reduced its manufacturing time and cost, two very critical elements in the lifeline of any company. Thus, in 2007, when Apple’s founder Steve Jobs needed a glass screen for the iPhone barely a few weeks before its launch, suppliers in America claimed it was not possible. Nevertheless, a factory in China, built a dormitory even before any contract was signed so that its workers could start a 12-hour shift. After the sealing of the deal, 8,000 employees were woken from sleep, provided with tea and biscuit and began fixing glass screens into the iPhone so as to produce ten thousand iPhones on a daily basis. That is how a Chinese factory helped save the situation by revamping manufacturing of the iPhone barely weeks before it appeared on shelves. Eventually, Apple had redesigned the screen of the iPhone at the last minute, resulting in an overhaul of the assembly line. New Screens started arriving at the factory near midnight. Apple executives were impressed by the flexibility and speed which no American factory could match. Thus,

Monday, October 28, 2019

Race and Gender Schemas Essay Example for Free

Race and Gender Schemas Essay A person’s gender schema affects how they treat all other people regardless of age, race, or social position; because we assume that everyone fits into one of two categories: male or female. There are other cultures that do not have a binary gender schema, and allow people to occupy a â€Å"third position† combining traits that Americans would see as male or female. It is unfortunate that gender schemas are so restrictive and create expectations and judgments about people’s authentic selves that can damage the psyche (Valian, 208). As a way to navigate the social world, gender schemas can be important, but like schemas for race and social class, they can reinforce hierarchies that restrict a large part of the population. Below, I will talk about my own gender schema, how I view the gender schema of my society, and how it could be changed to better As media becomes an ever more powerful force in shaping the worlds perception of itself, an individuals struggle to maintain a unique identity and self-understanding apart from media influence becomes increasingly difficult. Damaging to the idea of the self are the racial, gendered, and class-based stereotypes (always artificial and frequently physically, fiscally, and emotionally unattainable), which are broadly perpetuated and, because of their persistence, are apparently not broadly questioned. The prevalence and power of gender (especially female) stereotypes in the media are addressed in this p My own gender schema has changed radically from when I was younger. I can remember asking my mother â€Å"is that a boy or a girl? about a person whom my mother identified as a woman, but who had a very square, angular face with large eyes. Later, I learned to incorporate larger scale features (curvy hips or breasts; large shoulder-to-waist ratio) into my schema. Although I was raised as a girl and have always looked female (if not always perfectly feminine), I don’t always â€Å"act like a girl† – I am somewhat aggressive when playing sports, I’m not shy about asking questions, and I’m sometimes stoic about my emotions. This reflects my gender schema for males: â€Å"typical men† are aggressive in sports, readily ask questions, and do not express emotions. By contrast, â€Å"typical females† in my gender schema are concerned with their appearance, are not aggressive on the playing field, tend to be shy if they ask questions, usually assume that they are not in a position of authority, and express their emotions freely. My schematic representation of male and female physical features has relaxed slightly since childhood; plenty of the women I was with in high school were more angular than curvy. Even though I grew up in a fairly enlightened part of the world, men and women still used nonconformity to gender stereotypes/schemas to insult each other across group lines (women insulting men for being too female-like; men insulting women for being too male-like). Also, I was more cautious of people who did not fit my gender schema, because these schemas predict behavioral and cognitive tendencies, however unreliably. Although our society has changed significantly even in the past 30 years, gender schemas themselves are still very restrictive. It may be the case that fathers have increased their contribution to childrearing time so little because the gender schema for males still dictates that a man spend the best hours of his day at his job (TenenbaumLeaper, 616). Women are expected to conform to people’s gender schemas by liking children and being caring, sympathetic people – all qualities of good mothers. However, it is never clear that every woman you meet wants to be, or is even capable of being, a mother. Many people still retain a gender schema that does not allow for women in positions of power in the workplace. The industrialized nations’ gender schemas â€Å"support a sexist society by propagating an ideology of an innate and entirely pervasive, sex determined social structure† (Devor, 147). This is as bad for men as it is for women. For every woman passed over for promotion at work because their boss’s gender schema classifies them as a â€Å"mothering type,† unsuited for the fast-paced world of their chosen industry, there is probably a man in a high-pressure job that would like to ask for paternity leave, but doesn’t want to be belittled by â€Å"the guys. From my perspective as a woman, and as someone who has felt pressure to conform to a feminine gender schema, it seems like women get a worse deal if everyone uses the male/female gender schema in which typically-feminine behavior includes letting other people have their way, assuming you are not in a position of authority, and paying more attention to your appearance than your skill set. For gender schemas to change in society at large, gender schemas must change for children. The best way to do this is by exposing children to gender-atypical men and women in an accepting way, expanding children’s gender schemas and symbolically making it acceptable for men and women to be as â€Å"masculine† or â€Å"feminine† as they feel like. Another way to take the claws out of the American gender schema would be to legitimize between-gender roles, either by working towards acceptance of transgendered and transsexual populations or by studying the gender schemas of other cultures as a way to shift our own prejudices about what constitutes â€Å"maleness† and â€Å"femaleness. Shifting our gender schemas will allow people’s inherent strengths and weaknesses, rather than their adherence to stereotypes, to be the most important determinant of how we treat others. Heightened public awareness of both the existence of and potential damage caused by these stereotypes is essential if they are to be eliminated. Frequently, though, they are d ifficult to combat and even to identify because of the ways in which they are presented. Overwhelming amounts of time and energy are devoted to uplifting a small, specially selected portion of the population as models of physical perfection. These individuals are, predominantly, television and movie celebrities, fashion models, and sports figures. The glamorous ways in which these occupations are portrayed by the media are seemingly impossible to separate from the physical appearance of the people who hold them. The glamour that surrounds the media presentation of the lives and careers of these individuals extends, not surprisingly, to the clothes that they wear and the way that they look. In fact, so much attention is given to celebrity appearances that entire television programs are devoted to little else but visual exploitation of celebrity clothing and their tangible products of their latest fad workouts. The media presentation of the celebrity body has a single unifying thread, regardless of the specific job title of a given celebrity. Celebrity bodies are desired, both subjectively and objectively. The media, without question, shapes this public response. It can be argued (and has been, on many occasions) that, because the media portrays celebrities bodies as attractive, desirable, and good, they become national symbols of these characteristics. Conversely, bodies that do not meet this lofty goal frequently are, consciously or unconsciously, regarded as bad or ugly. Consider the most recent (and extremely popular) advertising tack used by Subway, the national fast food sandwich chain. Jared, the protagonist of the recent slew of television commercials, allegedly lost hundreds of pounds while on a diet consisting primarily of the chains fare. Jareds before pictures show him considerably larger than his current size, but they also show him alone, with no friends or family. In stark contrast, however, his after action shots consistently show him not only thinner, but also constantly in the presence of a beautiful woman, presumably his significant other. The advertising message is clear: fat=bad, ugly, unhappy and alone, thin=happy and with attractive partner. Through these commercials, Jared has assumed celebrity status, solely on the basis that his body has changed to approximate more closely the current standard of attractiveness. Sadly, though, there is a severe disconnect between the male and female body types lauded in the media and those of the public at large. A shockingly small minority of the population has the genetic dispensation to match with what the media purports to be attractive. For women, desirable physical characteristics (as they are portrayed in the media) include being thin, long-legged, slim-hipped, and large-breasted. The media-portrayed desirable physical characteristics for men include being muscular and possessing a full head of hair. Some characteristics are portrayed as desirable in both sexes, such as being tall, fit, athletic, young, and light-skinned. In the gap between what is implicitly beautiful in the eyes of the media and the physical reality of the popular majority flourishes a market of self-improvement products and services, ranging from hair dye and makeup to tanning salons, dieting, and plastic surgery. It seems as though nearly everyone, at some point in his or her life attempts to alter him- or herself in a physical way, in order to conform more closely to the marketed norm of attractiveness and desirability. Television, magazines, and newspapers are filled with advertisements promoting self-loathing, while offering miracle, body-altering cures. The body that does not conform to a sexy, sleek stereotype becomes a thing to be hated, improved upon, and generally tortured into submission. A portion of the damage caused by such a mentality is quantifiable, though observation of the huge profits accumulated yearly by various diet programs and plastic surgeons. The harm of this presentation of the human body can also be seen in our current societal epidemic of disordered eating, including anorexia, bulimia, over-exercising, excessive dieting, and over-anxiety over food. While the population subset living with and recovering from disordered eating is still predominately composed of women, the number of men with disordered and dangerous eating habits is on the rise. In addition to physical damage, intangible psychological harm results from body image problems to which the media contributes daily. When men and women are faced with the implication that their bodies, if they fail to conform to an impossibly stringent set of standards, are unattractive, unhealthy, and unlovable, they begin to lose confidence in themselves. The perception that a single, narrow range of body types is acceptable and healthy for men and women is not only in error, but contributes to widespread social discontent. Instead of celebrating the diversity and beauty of the human form, the media stifles our desire to feel comfortable with ourselves in an attempt to fool us into supporting a billion dollar self improvement market, from which the media garners tremendous financial benefits. In addition to (and perhaps more devastating than) the physical and emotional damage caused by the current media-driven obsession with achieving an arbitrary physical perfection, our society faces losing serious social perspective. As it is currently used in the media, the body is stripped of its uniqueness and forced into frustratingly narrow constraints: good/bad and attractive/unattractive. Little or no public attention is given to the countless other factors around which a persons identity is structured: kindness, generosity, honesty, friendliness, work ethics, personal motivation, intelligence, and spirituality. By focusing too intensely on the physical, our society risks losing sight of the fuller sense of what people are, and what makes us truly beautiful. My LAP is going to talk about a personal experience that I have encountered with a family member. I have a brother who fits the schemas that we have spoke about in class. I feel that my brother has been dealing with identity issues for a long time since his childhood. How do you deal with being something that you don’t feel you are? Being in this class has me see that everything is not black and white. Schemas are just a stereo type and everyone that may be something does not always seem to be the case. Sometimes there are many reasons that people feel that they are a part of a schema it can be caught up in how people act. Many things on TV make people want to try things like being attracted to the same sex. But sometimes it can be what is going on in your environment. Sometimes I feel that I am a part of a schema I am one of the only black females at my job that is around wide variety of Reform Jews and to me I feel sometimes that I am not suppose to be there but I hold my head up high and keep my enthusiasm very high. So schemas are every day and it just does not have to be about sexuality.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

Internet Applications In Business :: essays research papers fc

The Benefits of Businesses that use the Internet Almost all national retail organizations today have an Internet site where anyone can place an order. Most are even able to accept credit card payment for instant processing of your order. In fact, there are some companies that accept orders solely from the Internet. Office Depot has gone one step further than the competition; they have included perks for their contract customers also. Specifically, they have linked the Web-site to their ES9000 mainframe enabling customers to get their own specific contract pricing. The closest any competitors have come is storing a customer’s shipping information. The result was $67 Million in sales last year. That doesn’t come close to an Internet only retailer like Amazon.com, but it is a phenomenal success for Depot’s first year in the Internet market. Increased sales revenue is not the only benefit that this marketing plan has reaped. A new level of efficiency has also been reached. The leading benefit that has created such efficiency is the number of customer orders that Depot does not have to: 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Take up more of a salesperson’s time on the phone. 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Take up an order-entry clerk. 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Waste time trying to understand precisely what the customer needs. (The customer can browse though our entire catalog of merchandise) Instead, the company’s time can be spent on more important customer service issues. A salesperson can get out in the field to meet one-on-one with their customers. Order-entry clerks can spend more time making sure they key exactly what the customer wants. That covers the benefits to the company, but how about the customer. Are they benefiting as well? Customer feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. This is mainly true because Internet ordering is an additional service, not a replacement of service. Some customers in the past would complain that they couldn’t speak to a Real Person when they needed to most. Now when they need to place an order, there is no need to speak to someone unless more clarification is required, and when it is, there are more Real People available to speak with. Company Email Though some people think that the Email account that their company supplies them is private and confidential, it is actually neither. Most companies explain their Email policy in great detail, but one would have to look for it in their Employee Manual on their own. One of the main reasons why companies do this is to protect themselves legally.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

What Makes an Effective Leader

The sum of those qualities of Intellect, human understanding, and moral character that allow a person to Inspire and control a group of people successfully. Leadership can generally entail a lot of different aspects, however the most influential leaders I have had in my life had been people that inspire me to be better than I am. I feel as though the majority of people today have a misconstrued definition of leadership because they usually associate leading with commands and authority. While those traits do have a lot to do with leading, they should be receded by traits such as dependability, Integrity, and loyalty.If you look at the most successful leaders throughout history, you rarely find people that were followed because they were given a position of authority. You look at people like Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr. , and Abe Lincoln not because people had to follow them, but because people wanted to follow them. They were people with outstanding character. One of my most memorab le moments at boot camp was when one of my Drill Instructors got on to one of the squad leaders for calling another recruit derogatory names. Our Drill Instructor told us that people will never follow you because they have have to.They will follow you because they want to, and that is what leadership means to me. The most effective form of leadership to me is not asserting dominance, but rather leading by example. I follow the man conducts himself in the manner that I wish I could. When I see someone who does everything they are supposed to, do it in the most ethical and effective manner, and go above and beyond I usually always look up to them. I as a Marine feel that It Is my Job to be the best. I don't expect people to espect me just because I am a Marine, I expect people to respect me because I conduct myself in such a manner that I earn their respect.That to me is leading by example. Nobody should have to explain to me the correct way to conduct myself as a human being or Marin e, because those things dont require any exceptional intelligence, they require a dedication to doing what you know Is the right thing to do. It can be even the smallest things such as having a fresh haircut and a clean shave. How can you respect or want to follow a Marine that can't handle the everyday things? I do my best to lead by example is every fashion that I can. I try to be the best at everything I do.In summation leadership is not dependent upon if people do what you say, rather it is dependent upon if people want to do what you say. The best way to have people want to follow you is to lead by example. In order to set the example you have to be dedicated and motivated In everything that you do. That Is leadership and leading by example to me. What Makes an Effective Leader By tuckCman Leadership: The sum of those qualities of intellect, human understanding, and oral character that allow a person to inspire and control a group of people preceded by traits such as dependabil ity, integrity, and loyalty.If you look at the most to them. I as a Marine feel that it is my Job to be the best. I don't expect people to respect me Just because I am a Marine, I expect people to respect me because I human being or Marine, because those things don't require any exceptional intelligence, they require a dedication to doing what you know is the right thing to do. dedicated and motivated in everything that you do.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

The Forest

Forests are precious national resource whim not only play significant role in national condor but help in pollution control and maintaining logical balance. These offer a number of direct indirect advantages which have been realised sin time immemorial. Direct Advantages 1. Forests provide valuable timber for dome tic and commercial use. Industries like paper, matt making, plywood, sports goods, lakh and furniture at directly based on raw materials derived from forest 2.Forests supply a number of minor produce which are utilised in different industries and domes* tic uses. These include lakh, gum and resins, tannin material, medicines, herbs, honey, spices, etc. 3. Forests offer employment to about 4 mil ­lion people to earn their livelihood in forest based occupations, i. e. , lumbering, sawing, furniture mak ­ing, forest produce collecting, etc. 4. Auction of forests for commercial use fetches annual income to state exchequer. 5. Export of forest products earns valuable foreign exchange to the country. 6.Grazing of cattle in the forests helps in dairy farming and cattle rising. 7. Forests are the natural habitat for wild life and birds which attract tourists, holiday makers and hunters. These may be developed as very good picnic or tourist centers in the form of wild life sanctuaries and national parks which have good employment and income generating potential. Indirect Advantages 1. Forests are the moderators of climate. These have effective role in controlling humidity and tem ­perature and precipitation. 2. Forests play dominant role in carbon cycle.These absorb atmospheric carbon-di-oxide and help in maintaining the purity of air and controlling atmospheric pollution. 3. Forests help in controlling soil erosion, soil degradation and floods. That is why these are very helpful in land reclamation and flood control. 4. Forests help in water percolation and thereby maintain underground water table. 5. Decay of plant leaves provides humus to the soils an d increases their fertility. 6. Indian forests are rich in wild life housing about 500 species of animals. 7.Forests help in maintaining natural scenic beauty which every year attract a number of tourists and nature lovers. 8. Forests provide natural habitat to a number of primitive tribes which are part of our rich cultural heritage. Their mode of living, economy and cul ­tural traits are based on forest environment. 9. Forests provide recluse to rashes, saints and hermits who have enriched our religious and cultural thoughts. Mere a visit of such quiet serene environment relieves physical and mental strains and refurbishes new vitality and vigor.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Social Attitudes of Recent Russian Immigrants essays

Social Attitudes of Recent Russian Immigrants essays Social Attitudes of Recent Russian Immigrants This paper is concerned with social attitudes of the recent immigrants from the former Soviet Union in the United States. They come in large numbers from a society, which is very different from American, and the process of blending into new system is extremely complicated and even painful for them. Interestingly enough, Russian immigrants in general manage to assimilate very well and it is considered to be the most successful immigrant group in a nation of immigrants (Barry V. Johnston, p.72). I am particularly interested in this topic because Russian immigrants are in a transition between two very dissimilar ideological and social systems. At the same time it has a specific significance for me because almost four years ago my family moved to America from Moscow as refugees. I would like to apply the order theory of assimilation processes in this paper since this theory fits perfectly to my personal experiences and the experiences of my family in this country. After a long and scrupulous research I have decided to use two journal articles, which give excellent information on the type of Russian community in Los Angeles and social attitudes of Russian immigrants in the US in general. Acceptance of prevailing U.S. attitudes toward social issues is believed to be a reliable indicator of immigrants adjustment to U.S. society (M. Gordon). An immigrant cannot be expected to obtain American values if the individual does not assimilate for example, if he or she does not learn English. Such factors as aging slows attitude change and tends to produce more conservative positions on social problems; education, in contrast is associated with expression of tolerant view. Newly arrived immigrants tend to preserve deeply carved cultural traditions and values of the home country. A person can live in Russian neighborhood in West Hollywood without speaking Engli...

Monday, October 21, 2019

Privacy Act essays

Privacy Act essays Privacy: Chapters 7 What is privacy? What makes our lives private? Privacy is a law today that has not been known for very long. The idea of privacy that everyone has running through their minds is just to be left alone. In reality what constitutes the crossing of the privacy line. It wasnt until 1890 when two men wrote in the Harvard Law Review about the The Right to Privacy. The two men were Samuel D. Warren and Louis D. Brandeis, the two were young lawyers who had the sense to right papers on what they thought were Americans rights to privacy. After their ideas were published they attempted to pass their knowledge on to the court systems asking to make laws that would follow their papers. Most court systems did not accept there law until 13 years later when the state of New York passed the first privacy law. The law prohibited the commercial exploitation of an individual (Pember 240). The privacy law that the state of New York adapted well and began spreading to many states but not vert fast, it took roughly 90 years to get the law spread. Mainly because the most of the courts used the Bill of Rights as a persons privacy protection. To this day there are states that still do not have individual privacy rights. As our government more clearly defines our privacy rights then more states will join in on adopting the rights to their laws. Within the past couple years the government has developed for different torts that would accuse somebody in invasion of privacy. The torts are listed as following: 1. Appropriation of name or likeness for trade purposes (Pember 241) 2. Intrusion upon an individuals solitude (Pember 241) 3. Publication of private information about an individual (Pember 241) 4. Publishing material that puts an individual in a false light (Pember 241) From the time that these torts were declared as...

Sunday, October 20, 2019

The Dangers of an Imperfect Invulnerability

The Dangers of an Imperfect Invulnerability The common phrase Achilles heel refers to a surprising weakness or vulnerability in an otherwise strong or powerful person, a vulnerability that eventually leads to a downfall. What has become a cliche in the English language is one of several modern-day phrases that are left to us from ancient Greek mythology. Achilles was said to be a heroic warrior, whose struggles over whether to fight in the Trojan War or not are described in detail in several books of Homers poem ​The Iliad. The overall myth of Achilles includes the attempt by his mother, the nymph Thetis, to make her son immortal. There are various versions of this story in the ancient Greek literature, including her putting him in fire or water or anointing him, but the one version that has struck the popular imagination is the one with the River Styx and the Achilles Heel. Statius Achilleid The most popular version of Thetis attempt to immortalize her son survives in its earliest written form in Statius Achilleid 1.133-34, written in the first century AD. The nymph holds her son Achilles by his left ankle while she dips him in the River Styx, and the waters confer immortality on Achilles, but only on those surfaces that contact the water. Unfortunately, since Thetis dipped only once and she had to hold onto the baby, that spot, Achilles heel, remains mortal. At the end of his life, when the arrow of Paris (possibly guided by Apollo) pierces Achilles ankle, Achilles is mortally wounded. Imperfect invulnerability is a common theme in world folklore. For example, there is Siegfried, the Germanic hero in the Nibelungenlied who was vulnerable only between his shoulder blades; the Ossetian warrior Soslan or Sosruko from the Nart Saga who is dipped by a blacksmith into alternating water and fire to turn him into metal but missed his legs; and the Celtic hero Diarmuid, who in the Irish Fenian Cycle was pierced by a venomous boar bristle through a wound to his unprotected sole. Other Achilles Versions: Thetiss Intent Scholars have identified many different versions of the Achilles Heel story, as is true for most ancient history myths. One element with lots of variety is what Thetis had in mind when she dipped her son in whatever she dipped him in. She wanted to find out if her son was mortal.She wanted to make her son immortal.She wanted to make her son invulnerable. In the Aigimios (also spelled Aegimius, only a fragment of which still exists), Thetisa nymph but the wife of a mortalhad many children, but she wanted to keep only the immortal ones, so she tested each of them by putting them in a pot of boiling water. They each died, but as she began to carry out the experiment on Achilles his father Peleus angrily intervened. Other versions of this differently crazy Thetis involve her unintentionally killing her children while attempting to make them immortal by burning off their mortal nature  or simply deliberately killing her children because they are mortal and unworthy of her. These versions always have Achilles saved by his father at the last minute. Another variant has Thetis trying to make Achilles immortal, not just invulnerable, and she plans to do that with a magical combination of fire and ambrosia. This is said to be one of her skills, but Peleus interrupts her and the interrupted magical procedure only changes his nature partially, making Achilles skin invulnerable but himself mortal.   Thetiss Method She put him in a pot of boiling water.She put him in a fire.She put him in a combination of fire and ambrosia.She put him in the River Styx. The earliest version of Styx-dipping (and youll need to blame or credit Burgess 1998 for this expression that will not leave my mind soon) is not found in the Greek literature until Statius version in the first century CE. Burgess suggests it was a Hellenistic period addition to the Thetis story. Other scholars think the idea may have come from the Near East, recent religious ideas at the time having included baptism. Burgess points out that dipping a child in the Styx to make it immortal or invulnerable echoes the earlier versions of Thetis dipping her children into boiling water or fire in an attempt to make them immortal. Styx dipping, which today sounds less painful than the other methods, was still dangerous: the Styx was the river of death, separating the lands of the living from the dead. How the Vulnerability was Severed Achilles was in battle at Troy, and Paris shot him through the ankle then stabbed him in the chest.Achilles was in battle at Troy, and Paris shot him in the lower leg or thigh, then stabbed him in the chest.Achilles was in battle at Troy and Paris shot him in the ankle with a poisoned spear.Achilles was at the Temple of Apollo, and Paris, guided by Apollo, shot Achilles in the ankle which kills him. There is considerable variation in the Greek literature about where Achilles skin was perforated. A number of Greek and Etruscan ceramic pots show Achilles being stuck with an arrow in his thigh, lower leg, heel, ankle or foot; and in one, he reaches calmly down to pull the arrow out. Some say that Achilles wasnt actually killed by a shot to the ankle but rather was distracted by the injury and thus vulnerable to a second wound. Chasing the Deeper Myth It is possible, say some scholars, that in the original myth, Achilles was not imperfectly vulnerable because of being dipped in the Styx, but rather because he wore armorperhaps the invulnerable armor that Patroclus borrowed before his deathand received an injury to his lower leg or foot that was not covered by the armor. Certainly, a wound cutting or damaging what is now known as the Achilles tendon would hinder any hero. In that manner, Achilles greatest advantagehis swiftness and agility in the heat of battle- would have been taken away from him. Later variations attempt to account for the super-human levels of heroic invulnerability in Achilles (or other mythic figures) and how they were brought down by something ignominious or trivial: a compelling story even today. Sources Avery HC. 1998. Achilles Third Father. Hermes 126(4):389-397.Burgess J. 1995. Achilles Heel: The Death of Achilles in Ancient Myth. Classical Antiquity 14(2):217-244.Nickel R. 2002. Euphorbus and the Death of Achilles. Phoenix 56(3/4):215-233.Sale W. 1963. Achilles and Heroic Values. Arion: A Journal of Humanities and the Classics 2(3):86-100.Scodel R. 1989. The Word of Achilles. Classical Philology 84(2):91-99.

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Data Encryption Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Data Encryption - Essay Example , storing as well as managing our passwords allowing us to click just the once and obtain the entire the password regarding information we require without encompassing to be afraid of data susceptibility. Simple multi-user arrangement permits by PassMonster enterprise-wide. PassMonster offers business to put together faultlessly into our present computing situation thus making it simple to install as well as utilize this application by a lot of users as we require. This system offers the facility to the users to place perceptive files in the folder organized through the IT Supervisor, DEOS take control to consistently encrypt files in batch format when Users shut down their systems. By means of the Timed-Interval Encryption utility, a User places secret files in the directory created through our IT manager, DeltaCrypt will encode/encrypt them consecutively at the timed-period set. If DeltaCrypt determines a vulnerable file, it will automatically encrypt that particular file. In DeltaCrypt by means of the .ADM file placed in the Active Directory Group Policy administration, this system offers alternatives those are simply organized through the IT manager. As of the encryption algorithm to the client password arrangement, DeltaCrypt configuration is formed according to our safety requirements. In the present age of information technology we are facing a lot of challenges such as data hacking and theft. In this scenario the Encryption is the only way that offers enhanced support for handling and managing the security and privacy of the data. In this scenario I have analyzed three top encryption software applications. I have assessed some of the main advantages and potential benefits attained through these systems. However I have found DeltaCrypt DEOS more excellent in case of offering better and enhanced solution for the business and personal data security. Encryption is one of the main tools for ensuring information security. We cannot imagine a security

G-8 Says World Economic Prospects Still Weak Essay

G-8 Says World Economic Prospects Still Weak - Essay Example ng to the improper banking regulations that existed in European countries along with the United States and Japan. As per the article, measures have been formulated in order to curb issues in relation to budget deficits and develop strong banking union through the implementation of efficient fiscal policy amid G8 nations for effective growth of world economy. These nations have worked collectively in order to strengthen the banking rules which would underpin the whole of the Euro zone. Additionally, the implementation of these changes in structure along with principles in relation to banking policies is perceived to enhance the economic conditions on a global context. The banking sector of European nations, the US and Japan are required to modify or reform their banking practices and systems with the objective of developing world economy and banking union (CNBC LLC, 2013). Factors to be Discussed The discussion will emphasize relevant studies that are parallel to the common economic e vents which include recession and inflation. One of the primary objectives of this research would be to analyze the moves that will be made for building a proper banking practice towards a strong banking union. The highlighting factors would be to analyze the underpinning issues that are seemed to trouble the overall banking system. Moreover, the various reforms and modifications in the banking principles and systems will be studied which are to be implemented by Japan and European nations. Along with all the other nations, the economic condition of the United States will be analyzed as well. 2.0 Discussion on the Economic Problem Issue The financial crisis situations had adversely impacted the banking operations and principles in an immense manner on global perspectives. Various reforms and policies have been implemented within banking sector with the aim of enhancing its operations and reviving the economic conditions. Cause of Problem The main factors related to the discussed iss ue in the article include the extensive economic growth of other countries and structural reforms that seemed to put the European countries under extreme pressure. The main areas of concern were identified to be the reformation of banks and its various policies in order to improve the financial policies of the European countries and G8 nations. The major cause of the problem was that the output was not delivered according to the requirements of the banking customers. Funds collected through banks were not allocated in an orderly manner which resulted in improper regulations of the banking functions or operations (International Monetary Fund. European Dept., 2013). Impact on Economy, Society or Even Political Stability The problems related to financial policies and reformation in banking sector seemed to have drastic effects on the economical, societal and political fronts which were a crucial problem for the Euro zone countries. The situations relating to the above factors were very drastic. The nations on the economic front got adversely affected because of the inappropriate banking regulations and various fiscal policies that were unable to ascertain the monetary standards of the nations. The main point of concern was the ineffective performance of the banking sector. The countries were planning to design various policies and regulations in relation to the

Friday, October 18, 2019

Macroeconomics Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Macroeconomics - Coursework Example When the relationship between demand and price is illustrated in a graphical form it is called the demand curve. The demand curve slopes downward from left to right, because the price of a product goes up the quantity demanded decreases. The demand curve is drawn with the assumption that only the price changes while other factors remain same. Besides such a demand for money in order to carry out various transactions, some people demand it for hoarding or holding wealth in liquid form. It can conveniently be used according to variations in the market conditions (Pinkmonkey.com). Keynes was the first economist to admit the role of speculative activities in modern economy and that of demand for money made by speculators. Such demand is made to invest in capital market for buying shares, bonds, securities etc. when their prices are low. But speculators quickly dispose of their securities when their prices are sufficiently high. They make capital gains from such transactions. In order to carry out this activity, speculators create demand for money on a large scale. Keeping money in this idle form is known as hoarding of money. Keynes has shown that speculative demand for money is highly fluctuating. It all depends upon fluctuating prices and market conditions for securities. Demand for money means demand to hold money on hand. Money in one’s hands earns no income. If converted into goods or other financial assets one can derive either additional utility or income. There are three motives as described by Keynes that makes people hold money on hand. They are: For instance, the working class will get their salaries only on the first of every month, while their expenditures are distributed through out the month. To cater to their day-to-day expenses, people keep aside certain part of their income. It implies that the income which the people receive is periodic while the expenditure incurred by them is continuous. Hence, the

Case study and Virtual Negotiation between Law Firms for solving the Essay

Case study and Virtual Negotiation between Law Firms for solving the issues - Essay Example This suggests that the Mary was not technically an employee of the charity as she was responsible for the payment of her national insurance and income tax. It is also however, important to note that just paying the national insurance and income tax by the employee does not automatically term the employee as the self employed. This also depends upon who decides the work and what are the terms and conditions of the contract and some other factors.2 One of the key contractual issues arising out of this case therefore would be to make a decision on determining the employment of the employee and her contractual relationship with the employer. This is probably the key element in the case. Length of the Contract and legal status of employment Document D01 outlines that the contract for employment was from September to July which totals to one year of services with the current employer i.e. You Can. According to document D08B, Mary has in fact accepted the offer to renew her contract and as such both the employer and the employee are in contractual agreement to honor each other’s commitment. ... conditions mentioned in document D1 therefore You Can may significant legal challenge in this regard. As such, You Can made an offer to renew the contract of Mary which was duly accepted and therefore is binding on You Can to honor different conditions and obligations stipulated in the contract. You Can also failed to properly terminate the contract despite the fact that a Marry clearly indicated her intentions to take a break from teaching during the session. This should therefore be viewed from the perspective of forming a contract between two parties and legal obligations arising under the contract. There are different conditions under which the overall status of the employment of a person is decided as to whether a person is a self employed or an employee. Most importantly, it is critical to assess as to who directs the work under the circumstances and how the employee is paid. It is important to note that You Can actually directs the work however, Mary is not paid regularly as s he is only contracted to do a part time job of once a week. Accordingly, first condition may entitle Mary as a employee of the charity however, since she is not paid regularly therefore she may not claim that she is an employees. It is also important to note that rights given to en employee under the contract are always in addition of the rights given under the law of the land. As such rights such as paid holidays etc should also be given to the employees and employers are obliged to complete this condition. However, it is important to note that contract in DO1 clearly outlines that Mary may not be entitled to some entitlements under the contract which may be in direct conflict with

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Device Hardening and Secure Network Design Term Paper

Device Hardening and Secure Network Design - Term Paper Example Bragg, Rhodes-Ousley, & Strassberg (2009) stated that routers have the capability to carry out IP packet check and filter. Access control lists (ACLs) could be configured to authorize or refute UDP and TCP network traffic. These factors are foundational upon the destination or source address, or together, and on the UDP or TCP port numbers enclosed in a packet. Additionally, the firewalls are implemented for additional in-depth examination; tactically positioned router ACLs thus they augment network security. For instance, access control lists could be employed on border routers to drop visibly not needed traffic, eliminating the burden from the border firewalls. Access control lists can as well be employed on WAN links to drop broadcast and additional needless traffic (Bragg, Rhodes-Ousley, & Strassberg, 2009). Servers are intended to bring data in a protected and dependable style for web-based users. Thus, they need to make sure that data confidentiality, integrity, and accessibility are maintained. However, one of the main steps to attain this guarantee is to make sure that the servers are maintained and installed in a way that they could stop illegal access, illegal utilization, and disturbances in service. Additionally, the reason for establishing the server hardening policy is to express the requirements for installing a new server in a secure fashion and maintaining the security integrity of the server and application software. In addition, the server hardening process offers the comprehensive information necessary to harden a server as well as have to be applied for UTEP IT official approval. A number of the wide-ranging steps incorporated in the server hardening process contain (Microsoft Press, 2005). At present, network security has become the most important subject of discussion. Additionally, there are many networking security management and handling measures are available.  Ã‚  

Economics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 17

Economics - Essay Example Thus, for each of the input employed in order to produce a good, the resource should be able to increase the volume of production at the lowest possible cost. Logically, the lower the cost of producing the product the higher the productivity of the resource. Cost and productivity thus have an inverse relationship—when cost of manufacturing a unit of output is high, the productivity is low and conversely, the lower the production cost per unit the higher the productivity. In order to illustrate this point, take two workers who both assemble stuff toys for eight hours. Each of them is paid $10 an hour and the eight hour period will be paid $80. For simplicity’s sake, let us assume that the first worker can produce 8 stuffed toys within the working hours while the second can only produce 4. The first worker’s labor cost of producing a stuffed toy is $10 while the second is $20. Being able to produce at a lower cost, the first worker is more productive. The law of diminishing marginal productivity states that the â€Å"when the technology of production and some of the inputs are held constant and the quantity of a variable input increases continually, the marginal productivity of the variable input will eventually decline.† It should be noted that the law of diminishing marginal productivity assumes that only on input is increased while all others are held constant. This economic law can be proven by real world examples in the workplace where employees are put to work on certain projects with a constant level of resource. In a factory where people are employed to manufacture candles. Suppose that each day, 100 kg of waxes should be melted and turned into aromatherapy candles. Assigning one worker will undoubtedly contribute the highest return considering the cost of labor which is needed to transform the input into output. Adding a second employee will add more output, yet will not be as productive as the first since the

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Device Hardening and Secure Network Design Term Paper

Device Hardening and Secure Network Design - Term Paper Example Bragg, Rhodes-Ousley, & Strassberg (2009) stated that routers have the capability to carry out IP packet check and filter. Access control lists (ACLs) could be configured to authorize or refute UDP and TCP network traffic. These factors are foundational upon the destination or source address, or together, and on the UDP or TCP port numbers enclosed in a packet. Additionally, the firewalls are implemented for additional in-depth examination; tactically positioned router ACLs thus they augment network security. For instance, access control lists could be employed on border routers to drop visibly not needed traffic, eliminating the burden from the border firewalls. Access control lists can as well be employed on WAN links to drop broadcast and additional needless traffic (Bragg, Rhodes-Ousley, & Strassberg, 2009). Servers are intended to bring data in a protected and dependable style for web-based users. Thus, they need to make sure that data confidentiality, integrity, and accessibility are maintained. However, one of the main steps to attain this guarantee is to make sure that the servers are maintained and installed in a way that they could stop illegal access, illegal utilization, and disturbances in service. Additionally, the reason for establishing the server hardening policy is to express the requirements for installing a new server in a secure fashion and maintaining the security integrity of the server and application software. In addition, the server hardening process offers the comprehensive information necessary to harden a server as well as have to be applied for UTEP IT official approval. A number of the wide-ranging steps incorporated in the server hardening process contain (Microsoft Press, 2005). At present, network security has become the most important subject of discussion. Additionally, there are many networking security management and handling measures are available.  Ã‚  

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Business to business marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 1

Business to business marketing - Essay Example Therefore, it is important for the marketers to get acquainted about the development and functioning of the product and visions of the company in order to get it communicated across to the customer (Armstrong & Kotler, pp. 23-29, 2008). CCS is already focusing on personal selling; therefore, the section will focus primarily on non-personal tools. Non-personal media form an important constituent of the marketing sphere and comprise of communication channels that do not involve any personal interaction with the customer. The examples of non-personal channels of marketing include â€Å"major media, atmospheres, and events† (Capon, pp. 49-53, 2008). The major media comprises of different categories. One is print media, which includes â€Å"newspapers, magazines, etc† (Capon, pp. 49-53, 2008). Another one is broadcast media, which includes marketing through radio and television. The third type of major media is display media, which includes billboards, signs, etc (Kurtz & Sn ow, pp. 56-64, 2009). Atmosphere, on the other hand are artificially designed environments, which promote the product implicitly through different factors that reinforce the customer to buy the product. Events, another type of non-personal channel are staged performances that market the product to target audiences explicitly, for instance, exhibitions and press conferences (Kurtz & Snow, pp. 56-64, 2009). The non-personal communication forms a complex cycle of communication in which the information first flows from different media like television etc to the opinion leaders, which in turn, communicate the message to target audiences. A bridge between audience and media, the opinion leaders are the direct focus of marketing techniques. Public relations (Armstrong & Kotler, pp. 67-71, 2008) also play a crucial role in non-personal method of marketing. One reason for this may be the fact that they sound more believable than other resources. Many agencies underestimate its value by using it as a post-campaign material whereas if used efficiently, its can reach out to more people than other tools of marketing can. Public relations deal with building goodwill of the company by favorable publicity and avoiding the negative one (Armstrong & Kotler, pp. 67-71, 2008). Despite of its poor use in the past because of less awareness in the arena, many agencies are taking up public relations more seriously and investing more money and human resources to its use (Capon, pp. 46-62, 2008). In order to do so, public relations departments are prevailing across the industrial sector. The tools of public relations are employed by companies to evaluate public behaviors, interests, and ways to venture into campaigns that can gauge maximum public acceptance. This signifies how important public relations is in a sense that it plays an important role in marketing by adequately judging public attitudes, exploring new areas in which ventures might be fruitful and by correct execution of pr ograms that can attract the right customers. Several resources can be used to enhance public relations. This may include â€Å"news, speeches, special seminars or gatherings, print material for instance brochures, newsletters, and annual reports† (Kurtz & Snow, pp.

Monday, October 14, 2019

Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson Essay Example for Free

Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson Essay Bridge to Terabithia is an ambitious, thrilling, and at times heartbreaking story about childhood, friendship, and individuality. Paterson begins the story by introducing Jess Aarons, an eleven ­year ­old boy living in a rural area of the South who loves to run. He dreams of being the fastest boy in the fifth grade when school starts up in the fall, feeling that this will for once give him a chance to stand in the spotlight among his five sisters, and win him the attention of his constantly preoccupied father. Jess is very insecure in his identity. He loves to paint and draw, but he knows that this labels him a sissy in most eyes, particularly his father. As Katherine Paterson said â€Å"Jess drew the way some people drink whiskey.† I enjoyed reading about Jess’s confliction between his masculinity and effeminacy. With his family stretched so tight by poverty he has little chance to really explore his own identity during this crucial period of adolescence. He is determined to win in doing something masculine that will rid the undesired label of â€Å"sissy† or â€Å"Girl† in the eyes of his father and schoolmates which will allow him to shine in his own right. He practices each morning, always dreaming of his upcoming victory. However, when the races come around at recess, a new girl, Leslie Burke, who just moved next door to Jess, boldly crosses to the boys’ side of the playground and beats everyone.

Sunday, October 13, 2019

The Concept of the Eco-city

The Concept of the Eco-city The next new wave in city planning is Eco-City in response to global climate changes crisis. It is a relatively new concept, combining together ideas from several disciplines such as urban design, urban planning, transportation, health, housing, energy, economic development, natural habitats, public participation, and social justice (Register 1994). In simple word, Eco-city is settlement where it allows the citizen to live and work using minimum resources. As cities continue to grow and population increase rapidly, the needs for sustainable form of development become increasing urgent. The search for appropriate solution and to create more sustainable cities has become the main concerns of designer, policy makers and environmental groups. The locations, types of buildings and infrastructure have direct impacts on its environment, economy and society. As city continue to grow and alters over a periods of time, it is difficult to change after inhabitation and construction. So, designers are trying to avoid that problems and prefer a new, master planned eco-cities. They argue that new eco-cities can fully integrate sustainable concepts of urban planning principle to create sustainable living environment as we go along with retrofitting existing cities. The master plan eco-city will be built using all the latest green technologies. But there people who oppose eco-city concept and called it a utopian city. But is eco-city really feasible or is it utopian concept? To fully understand, origin of eco-city concept will be analysed. Eco-city originated in 1975 when Richard register and few friends founded Urban Ecology in Berkeley, California, as Non-profit organisation to make built our cities in balance with nature. According to Register (1994), the purpose of urban ecology was to build in Berkeley a slow street which is to have many trees along road, solar green houses, energy ordinance, establish good and efficient public transport, promoting pedestrainization as alternative to automobile, holding regular conference meeting with different stake holder. But it was until the publications of Registers visionary new book called Eco-city Berkeley in 1987, that the urban ecology gained momentum (Roseland, 2001). And the organisations new journal called The Urban Ecologist. The organisation held First International Eco-City Conference, in Berkeley in 1990 and ever since it held conference every year inviting people from around the world to discuss urban problems and to submit proposal for designing our cities based on ecological principles. In 1992, David Engwicht, an Australian community activist, published Towards an Eco-City, in which he talks about how city planners and engineers have virtually eliminated effective human interaction by buildings more roads, shopping malls, gutting communities and increasing dense traffic. For Engwicht, a city is a place for inventions of maximizing exchanging and having minimized travel distance. The book was later reissued in North America as Reclaiming Our Cities and Towns (1993). Engwicht talks about how city planners and engineers have eliminated effective human exchange by building more roads, taking commerce out of the cities into strip malls, gutting communities, and increasing traffic fatalities. A city is an invention for maximizing exchange and minimizing travel (Engwicht, 1993). He advocates eco-city where there is transaction of all sorts of goods, money, ideas, emotions, genetic material, etc and where people move freely via foot, bicycles, and mass transit and interact freely without fear of traffic and pollutions. But it was until the 1960s, the use of fossil fuels, chemically controlled agriculture, deforestation and depletion of marine resources was thought to be not in dangers. In 1987, the World Commission on Environment and Development (the Brundtland Commission), released a summary report called our Common Future which cause widespread concerns on world deepening environmental degradation(WCED 1987). And this pushed sustainable development on the forefront. Various industries and sector are also going for sustainable development. The issue of sustainable planning is also a concern for planner, urban designer, construction industries, development authority and the population at large. Register, Engwicht and Urban Ecology certainly deserve credit for popularizing the term eco-city in the last decade, but the eco-city concept is strongly influenced by other movements as well(Roseland, 2001). The mission of Urban Ecology is to create ecological cities based on the following 10 principles (Urban Ecology 1996): Revise land-use priorities to create compact, diverse, green, safe, pleasant, and vital mixed-use communities near transit nodes and other transportation facilities. Revise transportation priorities to favour foot, bicycle, cart, and transit over autos, and to emphasize access by proximity. Restore damaged urban environments, especially creeks, shore lines, ridgelines, and wetlands. Create decent, affordable, safe, convenient, and racially and economically mixed housing. Nurture social justice and create improved opportunities for women, people of color, and the disabled. Support local agriculture, urban greening projects, and community gardening. Promote recycling, innovative appropriate technology, and resource conservation while reducing pollution and hazardous wastes. Work with businesses to support ecologically sound economic activity while discouraging pollution, waste, and the use and production of hazardous materials. Promote voluntary simplicity and discourage excessive consumption of material goods. Increase awareness of the local environment and bioregion through activist and educational projects that increase public awareness of ecological sustainability issues. The practical application of these principles has not been really encouraging for many years until literature that promotes the ideas began to appear. It appears in different terminology as per the orientations of the authors. The Authors include Designers, Practitioners, Visionaries and Activists, and the terminology includes everything from neotraditional town planning, pedestrian pockets, reurbanization, post-industrial suburbs, sustainable cities, green cities and eco-communities. Although, the authors orientation has discernible differences in analysis, emphasis, and strategy between the variations as shown in table-1, the eco-city theme can encompass any and all of them. The term eco-city can be applied to existing eco-city or master plan eco-city as affirm by Registers when he explains that there are two ways to go about building eco-cities: changing existing towns or building new ones (Register 1987 ). Citizen organizations and municipal officials in cities and towns around the world have recently started experimenting on this eco-city concept to meet the social and environmental challenges (Roseland 1997, 1998). There is a urgent realization that Urban planning is a significant management tool for dealing with the sustainable urbanization challenges facing 21st century cities. Many cities has applied eco-city planning concept although most of them in small scale. Chattanooga and the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S., Ottawa, Hamilton-Wentworth, and Greater Toronto in Canada, and Curitiba in Brazil are some of the earliest cities where this concept has been successfully applied. Curitiba, a small Brazilian city, is one of the most sustainable cities in the world. It has received international recognition for its integrated transportation and land-use planning, and for its waste management programs. The citys success is due to strong leadership-city officials who focused on simple, flexible, and affordable solutions. Throughout the project, the government conducted regular meeting with citizen so that citizen are involved in the process (Rabinovitch 1996). Emboldened by the success of the above projects, Designer and local government are planning for massive overhaul of traditional way of city planning. They are looking at a way to plan new cities incorporating the entire above concept. China, one of the world most populous countries in the world, faced massive environmental problem. It has emerged as major industrial power but at a great cost. The environment degradation is so severe that it is a cause for concern in china and could have international repercussions. Since pollution know no boundaries. Sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides produce by Chinas coal-fired power plants fall as acid rain on Seoul, South Korea, and Tokyo. Suspended particulate over Los Angeles city originates in China, according to the Journal of Geophysical Research (Kahn and Yardley 2007). The Shanghai Industrial Investment Corporation (SIIC) hired Arup in 2005, to design a city which would exclusively use sustainable energy (solar panels, wind turbines and bio-fuels), self-sufficient and reduce energy consumption by 66% in comparision to Shanghai. The eco-city of Dongtan, which is be located on the island of Chongming, not far from Shanghai will be one of the world largest eco-city to provide housing for 500,000 people from rural areas. The Dongtan city will cover about 8,800 hectares which is roughly equal to the size of Manhattan Island. Dongtan will have ecological footprint of 2.2 ha per person by means of a combination of behaviour change and energy efficiency which is very close to limit of sustainability of 1.9 ha set forth by World Wide Fund for Nature. China is also partnering with Singapore to build eco-city in Tianjin based on three harmonies principles which are people-people, people-environment and people-economy(Quek 2008) . The 30-square-kilometer site is a wasted land and water scarcity area which will be built over a period of 15 years at a cost of around 50 billion yuan (S$10 billion). The criteria for selection of site are that it should be wasted land and water scarce area. First, restoring the jiyun river will be top priority for propose new city of 350,000. Renewable energy like solar and wind power, rainwater harvesting, wastewater treatment and desalination of sea water are some of the proposal. United Arab Emirates has planned to build the worlds most sustainable city, called Masdar City, initiatives of Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company. It is an ambitious project which will cost $22 billion to build a new, zero-emissions city for 50,000 residents in Abu Dhabi. The project is launched in 2007 and is designed by British firm Foster + Partners. The propose new city will have new university, the Headquarters for Abu Dhabis Future Energy Company, special economic zones and an Innovation Center. According to the designer, Masdar eco-city is to be constructed in an energy efficient way that depends on large photovoltaic power plant to meet energy needs, which shall be for 2nd phase of the city expansion. The city is a car free, with a maximum walking distance of 200m to the nearest transport link and amenities. The streets are compact to encourage walking and are complemented by a personalised rapid transport system. Due to it compactness, the walkway and streets are shaded creatin g a pedestrian-friendly environment. The city will have wind, photovoltaic farms, research fields and plantations, so that it is entirely self-sustaining. Masdar City will be built in seven phases, the first of which is the Masdar Institute, which is set to be completed in 2010. The citys phases will be progressively built over the next decade with the first phase reaching completion in 2013(Foster and Partner). The idea of a city without any waste, landfill, car, self contained or without any carbon emission seem very desirable for a city but for some sceptic it a utopian dream which will never materialise. Sceptics are questioning whether totally designing a new city is possible incorporating all the eco-city concepts due to time and cost involved. The main weakness for master plan eco-city is the large inputs of energy required to construct an entire, functional city as a long continuous project. They are concern that it might just be a strategy used to shield from environmental criticism while countries like China and UAE continue to grow along the same unsustainable path. However, countries like China and UAE are in a position to fund such kind of projects and if it is successful it will create a precedent for other parts of the world as well. Unfortunately, Dongtan eco-city never materialise. Although, the highest echelon in Chinese official expresses has shown keen interest in the project, the first phase of construction which is to be ready for Shanghai expo 2010 has not even started. The Dongtan eco-city in spite of being a government endeavour has failed to materialise. The Mayor of Shanghai has been sentence to 18 years jail term on corruption charges and abuse of power in 2008(Larson 2009). Sceptics of eco-city are saying that policy makers in China misuse the term of eco-city, to reduce criticism of chinas poor environment records without having any real commitment to the idea. As for Masdar eco-city, work has already started for phase 1. However, sceptics are concern that it might be just an isolated green in the desert where the rest of UAE proceed in the same line of big ecological footprint which is even bigger than United State. They are also apprehensive about the embodied energy used in buildings and infrastructure which are very high. The heavy dependent on technology for personal rapid transport and infrastructure is another issue. Since the technology for personal rapid transport is not fully developed and co-ordinating infrastructure with different agencies is difficult. The concept of building a city from a scratch or retrofitting existing building or redeveloping existing city are some of the burning issues. Designing a new city from scratch permits a greater comprehensive, whole systems approach, and more degrees of freedom than adaptation of an existing city( Fox 2008). On the other hand, the resources and energy needed for new construction of a city will be far greater than redeveloping an existing city. However, the beliefs and movement toward eco-cities has spread worldwide and has taken strong hold among planner. In spite of setback for some project, eco-city has will be main driving force for today cities and tomorrow cities. Eco-cities can be built on existing eco-cities or new master plan eco-city. Most propose master plan eco-city is to be developed in several stages in the next fifteen to forty years. Some of the relevant issue for Eco-city planning concept for developing new city or adapting for existing cities are as follow: Eco-city is based on holistic approach. This integrated approach is hindered by fragmented administrative structures, political rivalries and a disregard for citizen expertise. As in Dongtan case, the surrounding inhabitants are not even consulted and not aware of the projects. Eco-city concept is not really encouraged by policy makers and planner as there are suspicious of the intention as it involve alternative ways of decision-making (e.g. community involvement), the implementation of new technologies (e.g. like Personal rapid transit for Masdar or energy generation ) and new organisational solutions (e.g. multiple use). The additional costs involved and loss of influence are some of their main concerns. Eco-city concept may fail due to lack of political will and commitments on the part of everyone involved. The Initial investments are very high compared to traditional approach to planning which can scarce potential investor. Nevertheless, for successful implementation of eco-city, commitment from individual or Party involved is paramount. Vision, ambition and thinking big in long term are some of the necessary requirement. Besides, there has to be free flow of information and trust between the policy maker and non-policy maker. There has to be creation of win-win situation for everyone to make it successful. There has to be compromise in difference of opinion and unity of alliance. A series of challenges exist for developing cities in many part of the world, particularly in developing countries where rapid economic development will put pressure on cities to accommodate rising population and more infrastructures. It is the place where next megacities are coming up. The designer, public policy maker are committed to developing eco-cities and other types of sustainable communities in the face of climate change, environmental pollution, water shortage, and energy demand. Today utopias vision can become tomorrow reality. Many of the sustainable city emphasize on compact land use, clean transport, waste management, renewable energy( wind turbines and solar energy). Most of eco-city plans are huge and need long term investments. But should we turn away from utopian visions they provoke? Planning completely new cities is expensive, and it is not possible to build all new cities. However, we can strive to improve existing cities when there is an abundance of already established cities and urban areas. In my opinion, I think we should embrace them and work towards searching for improving them. Perhaps, the scales of new master eco-city project need to be smaller so as to have short construction time and less costly. Someday the impressive catchphrases, such as carbon-neutral, zero-waste, and car-free for a city might be reality. References Daly,H. 1973. Toward a Steady-State Economy, Freeman, San Francisco (1973). McDonnell,M.J., Hahs, A.K., Breuste, J.H. 2009, Ecology of a cities and towns: A comparative approach. Cambridge University Press 2009. Rabinovitch, J. 1996. Integrated transportation and land use planning channel Curitibas growth. In World Resources Institute, United Nations Environment Program, United Nations Development Program, The World Bank, World Resources 1996-97: The Urban Environment. New York: Oxford University Press. Roseland, M., 2001, The eco-city approach to sustainable development in urban areas. In: Devuyst D, Hens L, De Lannoy W (eds). How green is the city? Sustainability assessment and the management of urban environments. Columbia University Press, New York, pp 85-104. Register, R. 1987. Eco-City Berkeley: Building Cities for a Healthy Future. Berkeley, CA: North Atlantic Books. Register, R. 1994. Eco-cities: Rebuilding civilization, restoring nature. In D. Aberley, ed., Futures By Design: The Practice of Ecological Planning. Gabriola Island, B.C.: New Society Publishers. Roseland, M. 1995. Sustainable communities: An examination of the literature. In Sustainable Communities Resource Package. Toronto: Ontario Round Table on the Environment and the Economy. Roseland, M. 1997. Dimensions of the eco-city. CITIES: The International Journal of Urban Policy and Planning 14,4: 197-202. Roseland, M., ed. 1997. Eco-City Dimensions: Healthy Communities, Healthy Planet. Gabriola Island, BC: New Society Publishers. Roseland, M. 1998. Toward Sustainable Communities, Resources Roseland, M., Sustainable Community Development: Integrating Environmental, Economic, and Social Objectives, Progress in Planning, Volume 54 (2), October 2000, pp. 73-132. Roseland,M., Dimension of the eco-city, Cities, Volume 14, Issue 4, August 1997, Pages 197-202 Resilience Alliance (2007) A research prospectus for urban resilience. A resilience alliance initiative for transitioning urban systems towards sustainable futures. Available at http://www. resalliance.org/files/1172764197_urbanresilienceresearchprospe ctusv7feb07.pdf accessed on 29 March 2010 Kenworthy, J.R., The eco-city: ten key transport and planning dimensions for sustainable city development, Environment and Urbanization, Vol. 18, No. 1, 67-85 (2006) World Commission on Environment and Development, 1987. World Commission on Environment and Development, Our Common Future. , Oxford University Press, New York (1987). Dongtan, An Eco-City, edited by Zhao Yan, Herbert Girardet, et was published by Arup and SIIC in February 2006. UN HABITAT, Planning Sustainable Cities: Policy directions. Global Report on Human Settlements 2009. Abridged edition. Gutenberg Press, Malta. Available from http://www.unhabitat.org/grhs/2009. Accessed on 2 march 2010 Kahn, J and Yardley, J. As China Roars, Pollution Reaches Deadly Extremes. The New York Times. August 26, 2007. Available on http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/26/world/asia/26china.html Accessed on 27 march 2010 Dongtan: The worlds first large-scale eco-city? Available on http://sustainablecities.dk/en/city-projects/cases/dongtan-the-world-s-first-large-scale-eco-city Quek, Tracy, Spore, China break ground , straits times, China Correspondent. Sep 29, 2008. http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking%2BNews/World/Story/STIStory_283867.html. Accessed on 27 march 2010 Larson, Christina. Chinas Grand Plans for Eco-Cities Now Lie Abandoned. Yale e360. 06 Apr 2009. Available on http://e360.yale.edu/content/feature.msp?id=2138. Accessed on 28 march 2010 Fox, Jesse. Ecocities of Tomorrow: Can Foster + Partners Masdar City in the U.A.E. be Truly sustainable?. Treehugger. March 4, 2008. Available on http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/03/masdar-roundtable.php. Accessed on 29 march 2010 Richard Register Author, theorist, philosopher and 35 year veteran of the ecocity movement. Founder of Ecocity Builders and Urban Ecology, and author of Ecocities: Rebuilding Cities in Balance with Nature.

Saturday, October 12, 2019

Libertarianism Essays -- essays research papers

For centuries philosophers have debated over the presence of free will. As a result of these often-heated arguments, many factions have evolved, the two most prominent being the schools of Libertarianism and of Determinism. Within these two schools of thought lies another debate, that of compatibilism, or whether or not the two believes can co-exist. In his essay, Has the Self â€Å"Free Will†?, C.A. Campbell, a staunch non-compatiblist and libertarian, attempts to explain the Libertarian argument.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  To achieve this, Campbell first sets out the two pre-suppositions necessary to the Libertarian argument. Firstly, he defines which kind of freedom he is discussing when he speaks of free will. Campbell characterizes â€Å"the freedom at issue† as one that predominantly concerns a person’s inner acts and decisions (377). A person’s observable acts are important only as they show an inner â€Å"life of choice†(377). Therefore the moral freedom assumed is that freedom which concerns inner acts. The second, and more complicated, of Campbell’s requirements is to define what constitutes a â€Å"free act.† There are two parts to this definition. The first necessitates â€Å"that the act must be one of which the person judged can be regarded as the sole author† (378). This point raises the question of how one can determine authorship. For certainly â€Å"the raw material of impulses and capacities that constitute [one’s] hereditary endowment† cannot be determined by the individual and surely have an impact on his inner acts (378). Further, the individual cannot control â€Å"the material and social environment in which he is destined to live† and these factors must influence his inner acts as well (378). Campbell allows that, while these aspects do have an impact on one’s inner acts, people in general â€Å"make allowances† for them, and still feel morally responsible for one’s self (378). In other words, one recogni zes the effects of hereditary and environment on his inner acts, but acknowledges that his self can and should still be held morally responsible, as it can overcome these factors. Thus, Campbell claims, sole authorship of an act is possible. The second part of this definition of a â€Å"free act† requires that one could have acted otherwise because one could have chosen otherwise (380). With this final presupposition, Campbell states that an act is a free act if and only if... ...† in that it is a â€Å"creative act of moral decision† and is only significant from the inner standpoint (387/389)). With these criticisms dispelled, Campbell can finally claim Libertarianism as the leading philosophical viewpoint. With Campbell’s argument entirely laid out, the final question remains: is it sound? Based on the premises of his arguments as I see them, I believe I am safe in saying that yes, his argument is sound. Campbell has explained his premises clearly enough to persuade me into his manner of thinking. The only threat to his argument that I see lies in the his rebuttal of the meaninglessness criticism. I feel that he did not respond to this critique head on. Campbell claims that only the person making the moral choice can be aware of the reasons he made that choice. He, also, claimed that even a Determinist placed in a position of moral choice, has to be aware of his freedom of decision, but, if that is true, how do the advocates of meaninglessness fail to see the reason behind the choices they have made? This is the only point I am aware of that can jeopardize the soundness of Campbell’s argument. If he can explain this, he will have made a libertarian out of me.

Friday, October 11, 2019

IDEA – due process & procedural safeguards

Idea: Due Process & A ; Procedural SafeguardsIDEA stresses the cardinal importance of the function of educational decision makers every bit good as parent ‘s in the affair of each single pupil ‘s academic public presentation. IDEA outlines the necessary actions for a school territory to implement an single educational plan, besides known as an IEP. The first measure each territory must follow is to inform the parents of the pupil in inquiry. â€Å" IDEA sets forth demands for States and local educational bureaus ( school territories ) in supplying particular instruction and related services to kids with disablements, ages 3 through 21 ( US Dept. of Educ. , 2010, para.1 ) . The territory must besides supply a â€Å" anterior written notice † to the parents. At specified times, the school territory must supply parents with a â€Å" procedural precautions notice † which explains their rights under Part B of the IDEA. Prior to July 1, 2005 province and federal ordinances required school territories to supply the parent with a transcript of procedural precautions upon each presentment of an Individualized Education Program ( IEP ) meeting ( US Dept. of Educ. , 2010, para.1 ) . The typical province ordinance used today â€Å" school territories merely require the proviso of procedural precautions statement to be given to the parent one clip per school twelvemonth, during initial referral for rating for pupils, besides on the day of the month to do any alterations to the pupils IEP, every bit good as a parental petition for any extra transcripts, and moreover upon the first happening of the filing of a due procedure hearing petition or kid ailment is another clip a parent will have the precaution statement † ( DESE, 2010, portion B parity. 2 ) . Under 34 CFR AA §300.503 ( degree Celsius ) , each single school territory must give parents a written in the native linguistic communication of the parent and dated when any opportunities are made in the instruction of the pupil. Under 34 CFR AA §300.503 ( a ) the school territory must advise parents if a pupil is refused any educational services pending rating consequences. Taylor, S ( 2005 ) . Basically after eligibility is determined, parents are notified, and if in understanding, the IEP for the pupil will be developed and implemented. However concerns originate with parents and pedagogues of what is deemed appropriate for the single pupil. Typically a ailment made by either a parent or school decision maker deems a demand for a due procedure hearing. Each party will show their grounds with an ample sum of factual information to make a decision of action. Parents and pedagogues will explicate their grudges in an appropriate mode. Parents and pedagogues will routinely mention back to the pupils IEP. If plaintiff makes a ailment that is non portion of the pupils IEP, typically the consequence will non be favourable for that peculiar party. Each party demands to hold grounds to back up their statement. The end is to convert the justice to do a determination in favour of the grounds provided. The ailment must be caused by the school ‘s actions, or deficiency of action, refering to the pupils educational public assistance, and/or if the pupil is non having educational benefit that is stated in IEP and without disciplinary steps, the pupil ‘s instruction will be harmed. Each school territory must take appropriate steps, including the proviso of auxiliary AIDSs and services determined appropriate and necessary by the kid ‘s IEP Team, to supply kids with disablements an equal chance for engagement in instruction. Section 300.308 requires that the IEP squads finding the eligibility for kids suspected of holding a learning disablement are to include: the kid ‘s parents ; a squad of qualified professionals including the kid ‘s regular instruction instructor ; at least one individual qualified to carry on single diagnostic scrutiny of kids, e.g. a school psychologist or reading specializer. Section 300.309 ( a ) a squad can happen that a kid has a learning disablement if the kid does n't accomplish adequately for the kid ‘s age or does n't run into grade-level criterions. When difference declaration, mediation have non helped a due procedure hearing is the following measure to do a more definite program of action refering to a pupils educational demands. What is due procedure? A due procedure hearing is normally an functionary, test between parents and school territories. Each party will be represented by their ain chosen council. Harmonizing to William B. nor shall any State deprive any individual of life, autonomy, or belongings, without due procedure of jurisprudence. Typically a parent or school functionary will convey a compliant to either party. The compliant will include a description of the issue and possible redresss to the job or alteration. Then the following measure is a response, that is necessary within 10 yearss of reception of a due procedure petition ; the non-complaining party ( school or parent ) must direct a written response to the kicking party. Within 15 yearss, the hearing officer and the other parties must be notified in composing if the hearing notice is thought to be deficient. The hearing officer has 5 yearss to find the importance of the notice. Parents and members of the IEP squad meet to discourse and to seek and decide the ailments. Typically a hearing would be held within 15 yearss of reception of petition for hearing unless both parties: agree to travel to mediation or hold in composing to relinquish the hearing. In a Due Process Hearing, the Judge will do a determination based on testimony and facts submitted to the tribunal on a finding of whether the pupil received a ( FAPE ) free and appropriate public instruction and/or whether a procedural misdemeanor occurred. Either party has the right to appeal the justice ‘s determination to federal or province tribunal, or every bit far as the Supreme Court. The Due Process hearing can be financially dearly-won for all parties. The determination to bespeak a Due Process Hearing requires thoughtful consideration and should be contemplated merely after all other options have been exhausted. In the terminal a judgement is made and will necessitate one party to supply a service or pay a amount of money to the other party. Sometimes the losing party feels victimized by the Court and refuses to pay or go on with the judgement made by the tribunal. These actions typically lead to more struggle. An illustration of would be after the U. S. Supreme Court instance of Brown v. Board of Education, some Virginia school boards closed their schools. These school boards used monolithic opposition to avoid following with the determination. Harmonizing to Brown v. Board of Education, 347 U.S. 483 ( 1954 ) â€Å" Resistance besides slowed execution of the Brown determination in schools and led to many extra tribunal instances. For illustration, Prince Edward County, Virginia, closed all of its public schoolsaa‚ ¬ † for Whites every bit good as blacksaa‚ ¬ † instead than incorporate. The most influential instance I researched was TINKER v. DES MOINES SCHOOL DIST. , 393 U.S. 503 ( 1969 ) . This instance focused on pupil have oning armbands in protest of the Vietnam War. Petitioners, three public school students in Des Moines, Iowa, were suspended from school for have oning black armbands to protest the Government ‘s policy in Vietnam. They sought nominal amendss and an injunction against a ordinance that the respondents had promulgated censoring the erosion of armbands. However due to the insisting of pupils following in the political societal propaganda as their parents a choice of pupils fitting and decided to do a base by have oning armbands to school as a signifier of protest of the war. When word of this new sense of an anti-war message reached the school functionaries, â€Å" principals of the Des Moines schools on December 14, 1965, the school adopted a policy that any pupil have oning an armband to school would be asked to take it, and if he refused he would be suspended until he returned without the armband. The pupils were cognizant of the new school policy, yet ignored the warning. It upheld [ 393 U.S. 503, 505 ] the constitutionality of the school governments ‘ action on the land that it was sensible in order to forestall perturbation of school subject. 258 F. Supp. 971 ( 1966 ) . Harmonizing to TINKER v. DES MOINES SCHOOL DIST. , 393 U.S. 503 ( 1969 ) The District Court dismissed the ailment on the land that the ordinance was within the Board ‘s power, despite the absence of any determination of significant intervention with the behavior of school activities. The District Court recognized that the erosion of an armband for the intent of showing certain positions is the type of symbolic act within the Free Speech Clause of the First Amendment. The decision of the school governments was sensible because it was based upon their fright of a perturbation from the erosion of the armbands. Another interesting point made by TINKER v. DES MOINES SCHOOL DIST. , 393 U.S. 503 ( 1969 ) â€Å" Their divergence consisted merely in have oning on their arm a set of black fabric, non more than two inches broad. They wore it to exhibit their disapproval of the Vietnam belligerencies and their protagonism of a armistice, to do their positions known, and, by their illustration, to act upon others to follow them. They neither interrupted school activities nor sought to irrupt in the school personal businesss or the lives of others. They caused treatment outside of the schoolrooms, but no intervention with work and no upset. In the fortunes, our Fundamental law does non allow functionaries of the State to deny their signifier of look. † In the terminal, the instance was to be a â€Å" affair for the lower tribunals to find † The instance was reversed and remanded. TINKER v. DES MOINES SCHOOL DIST. , 393 U.S. 503 ( 1969 ) . What is interesting is that merely 7 pupils of 18,000 disobeyed the new policy sing the armbands. Five pupils being from the Tinker household ages 8-15. Another instance that demonstrates the usage of due procedure in instruction is, â€Å" West Virginia v. Barnette, supra, this Court held that under the First Amendment, the pupil in public school may non be compelled to toast the flag. Our job lies in the country where pupils in the exercising of First Amendment rights collide with the regulations of the school governments. † Another contention is the cost of the due procedure hearing. Parents and School Districts have to utilize the household nest eggs and or the school budget for lawyer fees, tribunal cost, and execution of either transit for pupils, new plans and or auxiliary AIDSs and learning resources for instructors. Parents worry about the preparation and experience of the instructors who are educating their kids. This is a important obstruction of trust and communicating that can be missing from both parties. Appraisal is critical in the early instruction of all pupils. The earlier any intercession can be performed the better a pupil will be to accomplish the satisfactory scene with equals. The stairss involved include doing certain the pupil is eligible for services, find what the pupil needs to be evaluated on, find what appraisal is best for the pupil, observe the pupil, evaluate and construe the findings, and so make a course of study that fits the pupils larning abilities best. Possible inquiries to remind an pedagogue during appraisal and observation is: Does the kid have a need/deficiency in the accomplishment or ability? Does the kid have a get downing degree of accomplishment or ability? Or does the kid have a mastery degree of accomplishment or ability?

Thursday, October 10, 2019

Seed Plants

The three main organs in a plant are roots , stems, and leaves. Roots absorb water and dissolved nutrients from soil. They anchor plants to the ground. Roots are able to do all of these jobs because they grow , they develop complex branching networks that penetrate the soil and grow between soil particles. Stems hold a plants leaves up to the sun. Leaves are the organ in which plants capture the suns energy. These tissues must be protected against water loss to dry air. That’s why most plants are covered in waxy coating called cuticle.Plants have a well developed two way plumbing system consisting of xylem and phloem Xylem is primary responsible for carrying water and dissolved nutrients from the roots to stems and leaves. Phloem carries product of photosynthesis and certain other substances from one part of the plant to another. Seed plants do have alternation of generation. However life cycles of seed plants are well adapted to the rigors of life on land. Flowers and cones a re specialized reproductive structures of seed plants.Because they developed within the sporophyte plant, neither the gametophyte nor the gametes need standing water to function The entire gametophye of seed plants is contained in a tiny structure called a pollen grain. The entire pollen grain is carried to the female gametophyte by wind, insects, birds, small animals, and sometimes even bats. The carrying of pollen to the female gamtophyte is called pollination. Seeds are structures that protect the zygote of seed plants. After fertilization the zygote grows into a tiny plant called an embryo. A seed coat surround the embryo and protects it and the food supply from drying out.The first seed bearing plants appeared during the Devonian period. The most ancient surviving seed plants belong to the three classes: the Ginkgoae, the Coniferae, and the cicadae. In these plants leaves evolved into specialized male and female gametophyte called scales. Scales then are grouped into larger str uctures called male and female cones. Male cones produce pollen and female produce eggs. Each seed is protected by a seed coat bu the seed is not covered by the cones. Because their seeds sit naked on the scales cycads, ginkoes and conifers are called naked seed plants or gymnosperm.Cycads are palmlike plants that first appeared in the fossil record during the Triassic period, 225 million years ago. They can be found growing in tropical and subtropical places. The living ginkoe species looks almost exactly like its fossil ancestor. It might be the oldest plant seed alive today. Conifers are commonly called evergreens are the most abundant gymnosperm today. Pines, spruce, fir, cedars , sequoias, redwoods, and yews are all conifers. Some conifers live more than 4000 years and can grow more than 100 meters tall. The leaves of conifers are long and thin and are often called needles.Both male and female gametophyte are very small. Males cones, called pollen cones, produce male gametophyt e in the form of pollen grains. Female cones called seed cones. Some species of conifers produces male and female cones on the same plant. Angiosperm are all the flowering plants. All angiosperm reproduce sexually through their flowers in a process that involves pollination. Angiosperm seeds are contained within a protective wall that develops into a structure called a fruit. Angiosperm can be separated into two sublclasses the monocot and dicots. The monocots include corn, wheat, lilies, dafflodils, orchids, and palms.The dicots include plants such as roses, clover, tomatoes, oaks, and daisies. The leaves of the embryo are called cotyledon. In some species of cotyledon are filled with food for the first leaves to carry on photosynthesis for the germinating plant. In monocots stems, xylem, and phloem tissues are gathered into vascular bundles that are scattered throughtout the stem. In dicots they are arranged in a ring near the outside of the stem. The process by which two organism s evolve structures and behaviors in response to changes in each other over time is called co-evolution.Flowers pollinate by wind. Wind pollinated plants usually have a small plain simple flowers with little or no fragrance. Most angiosperm are not pollinated by the wind. They are pollinated by insects, birds or mammals . In return the flowers provide pollinators with food. Vector pollination or pollination by the actions of animals is a very efficient way of getting the male gametophyte to the female gamete. It is more efficient than wind pollination because it does not waste enormous amount of pollen. The process of distributing seeds away from parent plants is called seed dispersal.

Managing Diabetes in a Patient with Enduring Mental Health

DIABETES; A CONTEMPORARY APPROACH 2486 WORDS CONTENTS CONTENTSPAGE1 INTRODUCTIONPAGE2 DISCUSSIONPAGE2 CONCLUSIONPAGE8 REFERENCESPAGE9 ARTICLES ACCESSED ONLINEPAGE12 APPENDIX 1SCENARIOPAGE13 APPENDIX 2 ‘EATWELL PLATE’PAGE14 Introduction Lavinia had suffered a relapse in her mental health and had been using illicit drugs and alcohol to combat the disturbing positive symptoms of her illness and had stopped taking any of her prescribed medications.The nursing assessment indicated that the first issue to deal with was her chaotic behaviour and once that was under control a series of therapeutic interventions could be put in place to aid her recovery. Initially her chaotic presentation and challenging behaviours (Beer et al, 2005; Xeniditis et al, 2001) made it difficult to engage with her with in a therapeutic way and she resisted staff’s attempts to help her. The decision was made to manage her using intramuscular injections (IM) of an anxiolytic that necessitated usi ng physical restraint in order to administer the IM.The first few days were not pleasant for Lavinia due to staff needing to restrain and inject her in order to manage her challenging behaviours but her chaotic behaviour did resolve over time and she became more accepting of staff interventions. Lavinia’s named nurse engaged with her and spent time ‘counselling’ her and a series of therapeutic interventions were agreed. Mental health nurses are specialists in caring for people with mental health problems and it has been identified that they have deficits in their knowledge of diabetes (Nash, 2009).This was the case in caring for Lavinia at the time. Little emphasis was placed on the importance of managing her diabetes because staff were not aware of the implications of poor diabetes management. Discussion In the United Kingdom mental illness is by far the largest single source of burden of disease. There is no other illness or disease in the combined extent of pe rsistence, prevalence and breadth that impacts on the person more (Friedli and Parsonage, 2007).There is an inextricable link between poor mental health and an increased risk of physical illness, increased health risk behaviour, deprivation, poor educational achievement, substance misuse (National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, (NICE) 2009). Managing mental illness carries the single largest cost to the National Health Service (NHS) coming in at ? 10. 4 billion (Department of Health, 2012). Schizophrenia is a psychotic disorder that can have a debilitating effect on many aspects of a person’s life including perceptions, thinking, language, emotions, social, behaviour.The positive symptoms of schizophrenia can include hallucinations of any senses, delusions, disorganized thought processes, causing the person to lose contact with reality. Diabetes is a serious condition that can have a debilitating effect on the person. It can cause kidney failure, blindness, hea rt disease, stroke, psychosocial problems, if left untreated (NICE, 2008). The United Kingdom is facing a significant increase in the number of people diagnosed with diabetes. In the past 16 years the number of people diagnosed with diabetes has increased from 1. million to 2. 9 million cases and it is estimated that this figure will continue to increase as the number of older people and overweight/obese people increase (Diabetes in the UK, April 2012). Diabetes mellitus is a condition whereby the body is unable to properly use the glucose it produces because of either lack of or resistance to the hormone insulin. There are two main types of diabetes; type 1 & type 2. Insulin is needed to enable the glucose to pass from the blood and enter the cells of the body where it is stored.Type 1 diabetes occurs when the body (pancreas) is unable to produce its own insulin (an autoimmune disease) and the person needs to have regular daily injections of insulin to counter this. Type 1 diabetes accounts for approximately 10% of all people with diabetes (Diabetes in the UK, April 2012). Type 2 diabetes mellitus is a condition whereby the body either does not produce sufficient insulin or that the person is insulin resistant. It can be treated with medication alone or medication and insulin.Type 2 diabetes accounts for approximately 90% of all people with diabetes (Diabetes in the UK, April 2012). It is known that type 2 diabetes mellitus has an increased prevalence in people with schizophrenia compared to the the general population (Schoepf et al, 2011). Further, the treatment for schizophrenia is typically with antipsychotic medication and it is now clear that some antipsychotics elevate the risk of developing diabetes and weight gain (iatrogenic effect) though just why this happens is not fully understood (Dixon et al. 000). Lavinia suffers from schizophrenia, is obese, takes antipsychotics, and suffers from type 2 diabetes. Diabetes is potentially a life threatening con dition. Blood glucose levels below 3. 5mmol/l are too low for the brain to function; this is hypoglycaemia. The signs of hypoglycaemia are similar to a person experiencing psychoses, e. g. aggression, disorientation, changed behaviour. It would have been imperative that nursing staff should have made it a priority that Lavinia’s blood glucose levels were monitored.Lavinia could have been experiencing a hypoglycaemic state when in fact nurses might have mistaken this for challenging behaviour. Lavinia’s blood glucose levels might have been above the recommended guidelines (>8mmol/l) which is hyperglycaemia and the nurses would need to have an understanding of the potential elevated blood glucose levels can have, e. g. damage to the micro and macro vascular system leading to blindness, increased risk of heart attack, increased risk of stroke, diabetic ketoacidosis.Not having sufficient knowledge of diabetes while at the same time caring for someone with diabetes and not acting compromises the nurse’s professional obligations (Nursing and Midwifery Council, NMC, 2002) and the NMC or the courts would have no reluctance in pursuing this should it become an issue (Kane Gorny, 2009). Any nurse who cares for a person needs to be competent. Roach (1992) defines competence as, â€Å"the state of having the knowledge, judgment, skills, energy, experience and motivation required to respond dequately to the demands of one’s professional responsibilities†. The nurses caring for Lavinia would therefore be duty bound to refer her to a diabetes nurse/Dr. According to the NICE (2008) recommendations it is vital that people with diabetes receive an annual check up including; blood pressure; feet check; smoking status; urinary albumin test (or protein test to measure kidney function); serum creatinine test; retinopathy screen; cholesterol levels; weight and BMI measurements; HbA1c– blood glucose levels.Lavinia may have had these checks ca rried out within the last 12 months but due to her chaotic lifestyle over the past few months her results might differ significantly thus during this admission it would be an opportune time to have these checks carried out. Hypertension can have devastating effects on the person whether they have diabetes or not, e. g. increased risk of stroke, cardiac disease, renal failure. Research by Diabetes UK (2012) found that little more than 50% of people with diabetes were meeting their blood pressure targets which they recommend should be 130/80.The importance of good foot care in diabetes cannot be overstated. Poor foot care can lead to ulceration and ill health, gangrene and even amputation. Diabetes UK state that up to 80% of amputations annually in England are avoidable. The risks that smoking presents are well documented, e. g. heart disease, stroke, vascular complications, amputation. A person with diabetes is pre disposed to certain illnesses and should he/she decide to smoke then their health risk profile increases considerably by multiplying the potential deleterious effects.Blood tests can identify potential or actual renal failure. Diabetes causes harm to the micro vascular system which includes the very tiny vessels in the retina of the eye. If this is not addressed it can lead to blindness and Diabetes UK recommend an annual eye screen. High cholesterol levels are serious whether the person has diabetes or not and can lead to heart disease, circulatory complications, stroke, fatty liver. Abnormal levels of cholesterol can cause insulin resistance.Type 2 diabetes is one of the most serious consequences associated with being obese or overweight. Over the past 25 years the number of people in England who are classed as obese has doubled and it is anticipated by the year 2050 obesity will affect 60% of adult men, 50% of adult women, and 25% of children (Foresight, 2007). The blood glucose levels – HbA1c – is an indicator for risk of damage to blood vessels. NICE (2008) recommend an HBA1c level of between 6. 5% and 7. 5% would be the goal for people with diabetes.For people with type 2 diabetes, effective blood glucose control can reduce the risk of diabetic eye disease by 25% and kidney damage by 33% (UK prospective Diabetes Study (UKPDS). It is clear that management of diabetes can be a challenging role and a multidisciplinary approach is needed to manage it as effectively as it can be managed. Multidisciplinary teamwork is important in any care giving role (Liberman et al, 2001). The most important person in the multidisciplinary team is Lavinia. She is the person who has the most control and needs to manage her diabetes on a daily basis.For Lavinia there are two issues; managing schizophrenia and managing diabetes. Using a depot antipsychotic in preference to oral medication would help Lavinia because a nurse would administer it weekly thus reducing the risk of relapse. NICE guidelines (2009) advise that people with s chizophrenia should be offered access to psychological therapies including cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and/or family therapy. If Lavinia did benefit from psychological interventions it might reduce her reliance on medication thus reducing side effects.In order to manage her diabetes Lavinia should have access to a team of professionals including diabetic nurses; podiatry; Dr’s; ophthalmology; dietician; pharmacist; physiotherapist; counsellor. An assessment for management of diabetes should be holistic (Dunning, 2009 pgs. 36 – 49) and appropriate to a person’s lifestyle. For Lavinia this means sitting down with a specialist diabetic nurse and having a complete assessment of her lifestyle and her understanding of how it interacts with her diabetes. She needs to fully understand the importance of good glucose control and the consequences of poor control.She might already have experienced hypoglycaemic attacks but been unaware of what they were/are, i. e. c ould be confused with positive effects of schizophrenia. As a starting point it would be appropriate to ensure she knows how to test her blood glucose levels, which is one of the NICE (2008) guidelines, and how to interpret the result. She needs to be aware of the relationship between food intake, physical activity and medication understanding how managing these can help her maintain appropriate blood glucose levels. Diet is known as the cornerstone of management in type 2 diabetes.An appropriate diet will help control blood glucose levels, maintain an appropriate weight/body mass index, and prevention of complications. Lavinia is obese which is possibly due to the combination of antipsychotic medications she takes for schizophrenia and her lifestyle. An assessment by a dietician or specialist diabetic nurse into her eating habits would help to identify any areas she would benefit from by making changes to her diet. The ‘Eatwell Plate’ (Department of Health, 2011) offer s a model for healthy eating in the United Kingdom (see appendix 2).It gives good visual, easy to understand, guidance on the balance/proportion and types of food that contribute to a healthy diet. Lavinia would benefit from an assessment with the physiotherapists to determine her level of fitness and areas that could be worked on in order to improve her fitness with a view to losing weight. Exercise can reduce the risk of major illnesses e. g. heart disease, stroke, diabetes and cancer by up to 50% (National Health Service, 2012). However, the benefits of exercise on glycaemic control and body mass in type 2 diabetes is not clear (Boule’ et al, 2001).The potentially damaging effects that diabetes can have on a person are well known and documented (e. g. UK prospective Diabetes Study, 1977 thru 1997 (UKPDS). The damaging effects of poor blood glucose control are not always immediately observable and consequently people with diabetes do not always fully appreciate the importan ce of controlling their blood glucose levels (see Mail Online, 2010). The reality of diabetes care is self management and effective self management delays the onset of complications. Lavinia needs to understand how the lifestyle choices she makes, e. . level and frequency of physical activity, what and when she eats, managing her mental health, are all major factors in controlling her diabetes. Because the damaging consequences of not managing diabetes are not immediately obvious the impetus to manage it is not always paramount (Diabetes UK, 2012). It might be enough that Lavinia understands these factors and therefore takes action to manage her condition. If not, she would need support to help her change her behaviour/lifestyle in order to manage her diabetes. There are several models of behavioural change, e. g. ealth belief model (Becker, 1974); theory of reasoned action (Fishbein and Atzen, 1975); social learning theory (Bandura, 1977). Motivational interviewing (MI) (Rollnick a nd Miller, 1995) is a model that is used to bring about behavioural change and has been shown to be effective in bringing about change in a range of healthcare settings including diabetes care, e. g. VanWormer et al (2004); Clark and Hampson (2001); Kim et al (2004). The aim of MI is to bring about discrepancy in the persons beliefs and thoughts by bringing about a state of cognitive dissonance, i. e. he difference between where the person is currently and where they want to be in future and setting small goals to achieve. Thus, Lavinia has full knowledge of the damaging effects diabetes can have and in future she would like to get married and have children. To have children she needs to be as ‘healthy’ as she can be and therefore she will be self motivated to resolve the dissonance she experiences. Used in combination with Prochaska and DiClemente’s model, stages of change (1983) and Egan’s (1998) skilled helper model of problem management could work to g ood effect for Lavinia in bringing about a change.Conclusion The link between poor mental health and poorer outcomes for physical illness, increased health risk behaviour, deprivation, educational achievement, substance misuse is well known (NICE, 2009). Diabetes is potentially a life threatening condition; Lavinia has schizophrenia and diabetes. Her poor mental health could be supporting the deleterious effects of her diabetes. Not having sufficient knowledge of diabetes while at the same time caring for someone with diabetes and not addressing it compromises the nurse’s professional obligations (NMC, 2002).Lavinia needs support from both the mental health and diabetes services. 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