Good and evil Essay

Two authors of different periods wrote on the same subject. Each approaches the idea from a different direction. Anton Chekhov looks at the aspects of light as a sign of hope. Franz Kafka examines the despair that comes from darkness in humans. Despite their different approaches, both address the aspects of the human psyche that deal with good and evil. Light to Chekhov displays hope and the good in man. Kafka sees darkness as the example of human evil and despair. The use of light in The Cherry Orchard and The Metamorphosis shows the antithetical elements of good and evil and the authors’ attempts to show the human condition of the conflicting elements hope and despair. Kafka’s mind dealt in the darkness, and Chekhov’s mind dealt in light. According to human mythology, light and dark represent good and evil. Good things happen under the light; in the shadows, the human psyche does not feel comfortable. The aristocrats in Cherry Orchard exist in a changing society, with the new ways crumbling away their positions. Madame Ranevskaya, one of the main aristocrats, says upon her return from Europe, â€Å"All white, all white! Oh, my cherry orchard! After the dark and stormy autumn and the winter frosts you are young again and full of happiness† (Chekhov 28). This observation emphasizes the good that humans associate with light. The aristocrats distribute warmth and love, while coldness describes the capitalist feeling. The cherry orchard symbolizes the aristocrats, and the setting by Chekhov in the spring shows the power of good. The aristocrats with their caring fight in a symbolic battle against the capitalists who have no personal feelings in Chekhov’s play. Chekhov uses this to show that good, even when under attack, will prevail. Despite his siding with the aristocracy, Chekhov shows clean cut lines of black and white do not exist, but instead a shade of gray exists. Trofimov, a perpetual student and philosopher, says, â€Å"Your cherry orchard is a terrible thing. Possessing living souls has corrupted all of you, those who lived before and since†¦ the old bark on the trees glow dimly† (Chekhov 50). This remark of the socialist antagonist shows that even the warmth of the aristocracy has come from suffering. In reverse, cold capitalism, allows a man to become free and gain power. Without his contrasts and comparisons, the book becomes propaganda. By addressing the overlap of the pleasant as well as bad aspects of each, Chekhov shows that the human psyche has no clearly definable boundaries, and good as well as evil emerge as possible results of a man’s actions. Chekhov, by addressing the light opens up views and insights into good and evil. The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka depicts the good and evil inherent in man also. Gregor Samsa, the protagonist, turns into a giant bug after unsettling dreams. He slowly retreats from his old generous self as a human to become a creature that his own family reviles. Kafka writes, â€Å"The light of the electric street-lamps lay in pallid streaks on the ceiling and on the upper parts of the furniture, but underneath, where Gregor was, it was dark† (Kafka 21). This quote shows that while Gregor can achieve a better level and become a human again, he chooses to remain as a bug, by hiding from the cleansing he must go through. Throughout the novel, Gregor avoids the light and light-colored objects. When his sister brings him milk, Gregor tries it, but â€Å"he turned away from the bowl almost with repulsion† (Kafka 21). Kafka uses this technique of hiding to show that humans all have the potential for good in them, but often hide from the chance. Gregor does not wish to fight to obtain his humanity. He would rather hide from his own potential by remaining something all men despise. Gregor finds being an outcast better than the possibility of being the only good man. None of his family remains loyal to him, but instead his father abuses him without care, and his whole family conspires to eliminate the problem. Gregor’s father attacks him, and eventually hurt him, the apple thrown hard and â€Å"literally forcing its way into Gregor’s back† (Kafka 39). Kafka uses this falling away in the family to show that even though they try to love Gregor, they allow their evil natures to take over. Kafka uses Gregor’s hiding from the light to show that the human psyche includes good and bad sides. With this method, Kafka shows the mind contains multiple parts, each of which can influence the whole. According to Jung, the human psyche comprises of these parts. The brains alter ego, or shadow, tries to dominate with acts that society rarely sees. This escape into the open world results in crime and hate. Jung says that the part of man with bad motives lies there, and the drive to do good exists in the self. Gregor, after his transformation and after the attacks, gains the right to an open door to watch the family. Despite this opportunity, â€Å"Gregor found it very easy to give up the open door†¦ when it was opened he had not taken advantage of it, but instead†¦ had lain in the darkest corner of the room† (Kafka 46). His reluctance to join in a crude family circle represents his ultimate rejection of his potential for good. Kafka applies his reluctance to show that man will naturally reject good for the simpler path of evil. By not becoming a problem and dealing with his position even within his family, Gregor denies his humanity and accepts to living in the shadows of his mind. These shadows, though normally hidden behind the persona, allow evil to escape from under the tight blocks in the mind. Gregor, when he becomes a bug, loses hope. The aristocrats in Chekhov’s play despair when they lose control. Both Gregor and Madame Ranevskaya cannot continue to hope, because darkness covers their mind. Madame Ranevskaya’s friend and buyer Lopakhin says, â€Å"Last year at this time snow was falling already, if you remember; but now it’s fine and sunny† (Chekhov 81). Before Lopakhin buys the estate, the aristocrats do not have hope. When snow covers the land, humans despair, because they remain in their houses without escape, with the feeling of existing in a trap. Humans find hope with release into wide-open spaces, where their expansion can grow without impedance. When restrictions come into place, the mind loses hope. In Chekhov’s play, at the end, the weather turns fine and so Madame Ranevskaya feels more hope. Anya, her daughter, shows both her own and her mother’s beliefs in saying â€Å"Very, very happy. A new life is beginning† (Chekhov 77). When she says this, the aristocrats are preparing to leave their estate. The confinement at the estate ends, so Madame Ranevskaya and her family have sunlight illuminating them, and they hope for a better future. Gregor Samsa, Kafka’s protagonist, remains a problem to his family. His presence tries their patience, and by his inability to help, Gregor puts a greater load on his sister and parents. Gregor, when he does try to participate in a family activity, manages to drive away the boarders who rent a room. Eventually Gregor realizes that he hurts his family by staying. Gregor knows that he cannot be of service, so instead of remaining in his room by his own will; he can leave his body to go to another plane of thought and knowledge. Kafka writes â€Å"His conviction that he would have to disappear was, if possible, firmer than his sister’s†¦ He still saw that outside the window everything was beginning to grow light† (Kafka 54). When his need to live cancels out by his thought for others, Gregor joins humanity again, and can have hope for himself. Gregor and Madame Ranevskaya both begin in their respective works as characters that have no reason for hope. Gregor becomes a bug, and because of debt, Madame Ranevskaya’s estate will go to the auction block. These situations offer little choice of resolving themselves, and the protagonists will correct them differently. The more despair grows in them, and the closer they come to their final reckoning, the less the two feel able to save themselves. In each work, the author has a different climax, at which the characters recognize their position and turn to something other than the previous life. Madame Ranevskaya moves away from her family wealth, and Gregor stops living as a human in a bug. Both character have the opportunity to gain hope. For Gregor and Madame Ranevskaya, light symbolizes what they can have, and darkness symbolizes their problems. However, where light exists there cannot also survive darkness, so hope cannot coexist with despair. By changing to a brighter outlook, the two characters show the goodness in man, and the difference from their previous state shows the darkness in man. Kafka and Chekhov both use the technique of antithetical elements to show the human condition of conflict and change.

Ethical Issue of the Contraceptive Mandate Essay

The issue of the contraception mandate may be one of the biggest political stories of the year. It is a law brought forward by the Obama administration that requires all employers to offer contraceptive coverage. This has been a requirement for all company healthcare coverage programs for many years already but religious affiliates have been exempt from following the rules. Obama is looking to change all that by requiring even religion-based employers, who have previously not offered coverage, to participate. Such services required by the contraception mandate will violate some of these religion-based employers’ moral conscience. Rule: From the contraception mandate issue, two opposing ethical rules are rights and justice/fairness. From Velasquez’s Business Ethics: Concepts and Cases, the rights rule is â€Å"an individual’s entitlement to something.† It can address the contraception mandate from both an individual and a corporate issue. The rights rule is being processed more from the religious-based employers point of view. The justice/fairness rule being discussed in this case brief is the egalitarianism view. Egalitarianism is â€Å"every person should be given exactly equal shares of a society’s or a group’s benefits and burdens.† It addresses the contraception mandate from a systemic issue Analysis: 1. Rights: Religious institutions do not want to have to cover birth control in their insurance plans for employees. Such services required by the contraception mandate will violate these religion-based institutions’ moral conscience. Thus, the contraception mandate can be viewed as an obstruction of the constitutional rights presented in the First Amendment. The First Amendment of the United States Constitution reads as following: â€Å"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.† In the First Amendment, all individuals are entitled to freedom of religion. Many of the religion-based institutions claim that the first amendment allows people the freedom to follow their religious convictions and that they cannot be forced to act against them. The government through the contraception mandate is forcing constraints on the religious freedom of the religious affiliated institutions and their employees. 2. Justice/Fairness: The justice/fairness rule of egalitarianism will say the contraception mandate is about women’s health rights. According to an egalitarian, goods should be allocated to people in equal portions. Thus, all women should have access to equal healthcare services, including the contraceptive services. The egalitarianism view argues that supporting a rights rule would limit the whole population based on someone else’s moral ideals and not scientific medical information. Women, along with many men, want to have sex for non-procreative purposes despite â€Å"edicts† passed down by religious texts. Women should have access to contraceptives. Egalitarians also argue everyone is entitled to practice their own religion and refrain from taking birth control, but every employer is prevented from discriminating against their employees on the basis of religious freedom. The reversal of the contraception mandate would be a huge setback for women’s reproductive freedom. It would go back to say women’s bodies are not their own. Conclusion: In my opinion, I believe that the rights rule is the correct approach to the contraception mandate. All companies, excluding religion-based employers, before were required to provide contraceptive coverage. Now under the Health and Human Services contraception mandate, those religious-based employers are required to provide contraceptive coverage. The First Amendment promises the entitlement to religious freedom and the practicing religious convictions. I believe forcing this healthcare service onto religious affiliated institutions is obstructing their right to practice religious convictions, hence their moral convictions. The larger portion of employed women will already be covered prior to this contraception mandate. It is only the addition of employed women at religious affiliated institutions. I am inclined to think the female employees of religious affiliated institutions would share the same religious and moral views of that religious affiliated institution. If a religious affiliated institution believes it is morally accepting for the use of contraceptives, good for them. But for a religious affiliated institution that believes it is against their religious convictions to provide employees with contraceptives, the government should not have any authority to force such a mandate. Following political backlash for the contraception mandate, President Obama has since revised the original mandate. He has added an â€Å"accommodation,† somewhat like a clause, that allows the religion-based employers the opportunity to opt out and not have to directly cover birth control in their healthcare insurance plans. The insurance company hired to cover the religious affiliated institution’s employees cannot opt out. The insurers themselves would be required to make contraceptives available free of charge to women anyway. This is a clear political move to gain more favoritism in hopes of a reelection. I see this move by Obama as an attempted reversal of the mandate after viewing the religious opposition that was evoked by mandate. Also what Obama has failed to think of are the business implications of this new â€Å"accommodation†Ã¢â‚¬â€offering the contraceptives at no cost from the opted out religious affiliated employer and employees. Insurance companies will not offer this benefit at no cost; contraceptive drug companies will not offer the medicine at no cost; and doctors will not provide treatment without payment. The only logical conclusion, at least the short run, will result in higher healthcare insurance premiums. To have avoided religious invasion, political backlash, and increased insurance premiums, I logically propose the Obama Administration should simply give women without access to contraceptive services a federal voucher.

Junk food advertising

Subject 1: Because of the alarming rate of childhood obesity and the power of advertising to attract children, a growing number of people think that junk food advertising should be banned or limited in some way. Would you be for or against such a ban? Write a persuasive paragraph in which you develop and support your position on this issue. I strongly believe that junk food advertising should not be banned because it will not resolve the childhood obesity issue and this measure will go against the customers’ right to be informed about new products and discounts prices.First, junk food advertising should not be banned to reduce the childhood obesity. People who support this new measure think that it is the perfect solution. However the reality is different. Although a ban will probably decrease of childhood obesity at first. In the long term it will certainly not last. It is the parents’ responsibility to educate their children concerning the methods companies use to att ract them to their products. It’s the parents’ duty to teach them that even if they are shown something that they desire, they can't always get what they want.Junk food commercials are not the problem. However, over permissive parents who allow their kids to have and eat anything they want are the culprits. For instance, I remember when I was younger I used to watch my favorite cartoons every weekend. In Between two cartoons most of the time there were some junk foods commercials shown, which had an effect on me because after seeing these advertisement I really wanted to go to MacDonald’s. I also remember that my parents told me that it was not healthy. They taught me good eating habits and they also allowed me to eat junk food only once or twice a month.This example show that junk food advertisement have very little impact on children. On the other hand the parents play a major role in the fight against obesity. Second, consumers have the right to be informed a bout new products and discount prices. Banning junk food commercials will contradict this right. That is inconceivable. In 1962, President John F Kennedy presented a speech to the United States Congress that mentioned the right to be informed. This right states that businesses should always provide consumers enough appropriate information to make intelligent and informed product choices.For example one night I did not know what to eat and I saw on TV that Domino’s pizza was offering good deals. So, I decided to buy pizzas for dinner. Without this commercial I would not have been informed about this special price. In addition banning junk food advertisement would interfere too much with the right of companies to sell legal products, and would require a cumbersome bureaucracy to determine what junk food was and which programs were intended for children. Third, banning junk advertising will have deleterious effects on the economy.According to The Federal Trade Commission food co rporations spend at least $1. billion in the US every year to advertise their products. If the government bans specific commercial advertising enterprises. Advertisement companies as well as the makers of the products advertised will see a decrease in their revenue. Disney channel estimated that the ban will cost them 7 millions of dollars. In conclusion banning junk food advertising is not a solution because it will not resolve the child obesity problem. Also, consumers will no longer be aware of new products and services. Finally it will have negative effects on the economy.

Conflict and Critical Theory of Crime Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Conflict and Critical Theory of Crime - Essay Example Therefore, labeling or defining individuals as criminal offenders spurs processes that stabilize or reinforce participation in a crime or other conditions present before the labeling. Lemert’s contribution in criminology was significant, especially in differentiating between primary and secondary deviation. He referred to primary deviance as instances when individuals engage in behavior that violates the norms of a society without seeing himself or herself as taking part in a deviant action. The deviations are dealt with or rationalized as roles of socially satisfactory roles. On the other hand, secondary deviation refers to occurrence when an individual starts to employ deviant function or action as a defense, adjustment, or attack mechanism to the covert and overt issues developed by the resultant societal response to him. Some of the objective evidences associated with this change are in symbolic appurtenances of the novel role, speech, clothes, and mannerisms (Cordella and Siegel 130). Today, the labelling theory presents as highly significant aspect in criminal justice. Criminology experts can reduce crimes greatly by applying the labeling theory. The main idea behind employing this theory is that it assists in deciphering the reasons behind criminal intents and behaviors. By gaining an understanding why individuals take part in a crime, experts can devise ways to break the cycle, curb crime, and offer rehabilitation to the deviating individuals. However, this premise needs extensive research to perfect on ways that are appropriate to curb

Cultural Revolution in China Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Cultural Revolution in China - Essay Example This paper represents a study with old findings confirmed and new findings explored. Mao Tse Tung was born into a peasant family in the Shaoshan Valley in Hunan province in China to a Buddhist mother and a hard working, well educated father. His name was more of a formality than a name to identify a person. Mao was his surname and Tse was given to all the boys of his generation. Tung was his personal name. Altogether his name means: "to shine on the east". Moa's formal name is impressive and was meant to represent the great aspirations of the parents for their son. But, it was his pet name, Shisan Yazi, which he preferred to be called thru adulthood1. It is important to note that Mao had a name. Many peasant children did not receive a name per say but rather a description. At this point it's not so much that his name was important but rather the fact that he was given a name at all. This will be important to keep in mind when we explore his actions during the Cultural Revolution. Mao's mother was simply known as Seventh Sister Wen because she was the seventh girl born in the Wen clan2. Mao lived with his mother's clan until he was eight. He moved back to Shaoshan to begin his schooling. He was a good student and had a good memory. Mao was an avid reader and whilst he was in power it was not unusual for him to share his bed with many books. He often had meetings in his room with him lying down while his politburo members sat in chairs around the bed3. Moa was not a good student in the sense that he argued with his tutors and was asked on numerous occasions to leave and not return. Mao's father did not like Mao's laziness and often would strike (hit) him. Mao's father stopped paying for Mao's education and Mao had to work as a peasant. It was during this time that Mao married (an arranged marriage). She, like many other peasant children was not given a name but was called Woman Luo after her clan. She died after a year of marriage. Why is this background information so important We often hear that children are products of their environments and as adults their behaviour is thus based upon how they were treated as children. Mao is no exception. Much of his adult actions are as a result of his beliefs developed in childhood. Because he was a peasant does not mean that he grew to feel for the plights of the peasants. It is quite possible he took his observations of the treatments of peasants to a greater level and treated the Chinese people as if all were peasants to be treated badly and without an identity. According to Jung Chang, in his book The Unknown Story of Mao, "Mao's peasant background did not imbue him with idealism about improving the lot of Chinese peasants" Becoming a Communist. Mao attended school in Changsa at 17. He never returned to his peasant past and had no sympathy for the plight of the peasants. During his days in Changsa he read the papers religiously and read about overthrowing the Emperor (Manchu). It was during this time that he became a communist. To please his father (so he would continue to send tuition money) Mao entered a teacher's college that was modelled after European schools. It was here that Mao learned about Marxism. It was during his time there that Mao developed the "I" attitude where he shunned any responsibility for

Research Paper Problem Scenario Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Problem Scenario - Research Paper Example s observed that both the families of pedestrian and sports car driver have threatened to sue Officer Speedy which has brought about a need for certain arguments to be presented to the Sheriff for and against whether she should be disciplined or not. Criminal Justice Administration is of relevance for the decision maker as it offers a foundation to assist in delivering balanced and effective administration replies in relation to the legal issues (San Diego State University, 2007). With regard to the provided scenario, one of the officers of the Saint Leo Police Department, Speedy was patrolling in the midnight in her cruiser to ensure the safety of the people. When suddenly, a sports car which was black in color came at a rapid speed from the corner and nearly hit the cruiser of Officer Speedy. In order to get hold of the sports car driver, the officer chased the car in the streets of Saint Leo at the mid night. All the bars of that area were on the verge to get closed and hence there were a number of people in that locality. Officer Speedy was chasing the black sports car at a high speed which was more than 100mph through the downtown Saint Leo area. Due to the high speed and the presence of a number of people in the area, the officer lost her control and unintentionally killed a pedestrian on the sidewalk with her cruiser. This created a chaos situation in the downtown Saint Leo. In order to see what has happened with the officer with the cruiser, the black sports car driver drove into a telephone pole and lost his life. Subsequently, the scenario is such that the families of the pedestrian along with the sports car driver are intimidating to sue the Sheriff as well as the city of Saint Leo. The case has been handed over to the Special Assistant to the Saint Leo Chief of Police, in order to get good judgement by analysing the legal issues and the facts. Reckless driving is one of major criminal offences as per the US law. Reckless driving as per the case was

Personal Statement for Engineering Course Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Personal Statement for Engineering Course - Essay Example It is my belief that anybody who wants to have a future working in the field of electronics needs to be familiar with and a graduate of that particular course. Specially if one is preparing for a career in Electrical Engineering. I can still recall the very first time that I came to understand the importance of Electronics in our lives. I was a child whose inquisitive mind was indulged by my parents. So they did not think anything of it when they caught me disassembling our transistor radio, my dads calculator, or my moms hair dryer. They knew that my fascination for all things electrical drove me to open things up just to see what made it work and how. My interest in electronics turned out to not be a passing childhood fancy. As I matured I found myself getting more and more interested in the background of electronics and how these various, boards, and circuits managed to come together to create a working, fluid, and super charged electrical circuit. So it came as no wonder when I told my parents that I wanted to study college courses that would lead me towards a career in Electrical Engineering when the time came for me to attend college. Although my parents supported my dreams, they both agreed that I would best benefit from strengthening my electronic background and knowledge first. Hence the 2 year Electrical Installation degree. It really did help prepare me better for my goal of attending an electrical engineering course. I have always been a numerical person and my interest in Math came in quite handy in this case. It seems that Math and Electronics make for perfect bedfellows. Its merging in my personality creates the ulti mate Electrical Engineer in the best possible way. With my Electrical Installation degree tucked under my belt, I feel that I am now in a position to further pursue my dreams of becoming an electrical engineer. With my courses in Application

Writing with Semantic Argument or Statistics Essay

Writing with Semantic Argument or Statistics - Essay Example Never mind the content, TV cartoons are the cheaper alternative to hiring a baby-sitter and is the safest way to keep even a hyperactive toddler distracted. Or so parents generally believed. But this rather cavalier attitude parents have towards their very young children watching TV cartoons – of any and all sorts – have pediatric experts worried; studies have shown that TV cartoons may be to blame about the increasingly antisocial tendencies of children even at a young age, attitudes that they may carry with them into adulthood. Could TV cartoons really be as bad an influence? One way to determine the influence of TV cartoons is to look at the statistics. TV sets may be the most common feature among American households; about 99% percent of homes are not without their own TV sets as television programming are the cheapest and most convenient way to be entertained and informed. The average child watches up to two hours of TV cartoons each day (Center for Communication and Social Policy, University of California, Santa Barbara [UCSB], 1998) and some even as much as 28 hours of cartoons each week (Beresin, n.d.). But what is more alarming about this fact is not the quantity of TV time but the quality of the program. Studies revealed that shows that target the very young audiences contain twice as many violent acts as other programs; furthermore, Saturday morning cartoons have been recorded to contain as much as 20 to 25 violent incidents per hour compared to 3 to 5 violent incidents found in prime-time TV (American Academy of Pediatrics [AAP], 1995). Not all TV cartoons feature this rather stunning amount of violence. A recent study conducted to determine the effects of violence in media on children’s anti-social behavior was conducted by Drs. Christakis and Zimmerman in 2007. They classified TV programs that target the young audiences into three categories: violent programming,

Child abuse problem within my community and propose a solution Research Paper

Child abuse problem within my community and propose a solution - Research Paper Example However, any type of abuse to a child tends to scar the child for life. In this study an attempt is being made at analyzing the problem of Child abuse and trying to find the right strategies and interventions that could be used to minimize the pain and trauma that a child goes through when such a catastrophe happens. Body – Literature review Child abuse is an ugly scar on society, that has a very negative impact on the community and society at large and hence there is a dire need to address this problem by putting an end to the physical, emotional and psychological scourge faced by such vulnerable children. There are many common factors that contribute towards child abuse. Some of these factors include physical abuse, sexual assault, neglect, high levels of stress, abusive childhood, depression and anxiety. Such abuse towards children leaves a lasting impression on them and impacts upon their own lives as they grow into adults. Such abused adults are a threat to their own fami lies and society because they continue to exhibit the same pattern of behavior right through their lives. According to (Cindy, 312) individuals who once get into the habit of abusing do not hesitate from extending this practice towards other members of the family thus further strengthening this trend in the society. (Cindy, 312) Child abuse has proved to have very long term effects on the society, children who are subjected to this blight tend to maintain the same attitude on their future generations especially their own kids. This way a cycle is developed which takes conscious and intended efforts to break in the years to come. (Mary, 250) Some of the reasons for its prevalence involve having being abused during their childhood, insecurity, frustration, revenge, health problems, ego- identity and poor self image which makes them fall an easy prey to Child abuse. Larry J. Siegel et al., (2010) sheds light on the different aspects of Juvenile Delinquency in his in-depth analysis and cutting edge seminal research work titled ‘Theory, Practice and Law.’ In addition to the controversial issues discussed, the authors examine the important initiatives and intervention programs to help children who are delinquents. Problematic issues such as drugs, gangs, delinquency and capital punishment for juveniles are also important aspects of his study. According to (Larry, et al., 2010) adolescent dilemma comprising of conflict, stress, ego identities and problems within the family, school and community serves as a potent ground because they make children vulnerable to Child abuse. Uncertainty of the future due to poor experiences in life makes them disillusioned, depressed and frustrated making them easy prey for child abusers. Statistical figures have exhibited an alarming rise as far as child abuse is concerned. In Greenville South Carolina; 1019 cases of child abuse were reported in the year 2005 which speaks volumes of the negative effects it might have infl icted on the community. (Larry, 64) (Rachel, 220) believes that children who are abused are driven to extreme attitudes; either they become too indifferent towards love or too aggressive which results in bullying other children and in the former case, end up being terrorized themselves. The pioneering work of (Ruth & Kempe, 2001) presents a statistical view of abused children in the United States. According to them about 2% to 6% of children have been injured through physical assault and neglect by

Biology Lab Essay Example for Free

Biology Lab Essay 1.Discuss how to protect yourself from body fluids, such as saliva and blood. oGloves protect you whenever you touch blood, body fluids. The use of gloves also decreases the risk of disease transmission if you are pricked with a needle. Always wear gloves for handling items or surfaces soiled with blood or body fluids. oWash your hands and other skin surfaces immediately after they come in contact with blood or body fluids. oMasks and protective eyewear, such as goggles or a face shield, help protect your eyes, mouth, and nose from droplets of blood and other body fluids. Always wear a mask and protective eyewear if you are doing a procedure that may expose you to splashes or sprays of blood or body fluids. oAprons protect you from splashes of blood or body fluids. Always wear a gown or apron if you are doing a procedure that may expose you to splashes or sprays of blood or body fluids 2.Why should you consider a body fluid capable of infecting you with disease? o I think you should be aware and alert because its precaution to practice when youre working in a lab setting. 3.Describe how to dispose of waste material contaminated with body fluids. o You should dispose all waste material in the correct disposal area, and you can throw away the waste materials in the biohazard container. 4. Explain how to safely plug and unplug an electrical device. o When you plug in such electrical equipment, make sure you include the ground plug round. Hold the plug firmly by the insulating cover when plugging it in or unplugging it. Never unplug an electrical device by pulling on its cord. 5.Discuss how to protect yourself from preservatives used on biological specimens. o You would protect yourself from preservatives used on a biological specimen by wearing gloves and safety glasses. Do not shake the container or put the specimen back in the container. 6.Why are special biohazard containers used for biological waste? o Biohazard containers are used to separate infectious, contaminated or dangerous material from other materials that wouldn’t be labeled as such and to protect us and the environment. Also the disposing of biohazard material is done differently than normal material.

Human resource Planning and Leadership roles

Human resource Planning and Leadership roles Human Resource Planning is the process by which an organization ensures that it has the right number and kind of people, at the right places, at the right time, capable of effectively and efficiently completing those tasks that will help the organization achieve its overall objectives (Decenzo and Robbins 2000). Vetter (1967) defined human resource planning as the process by which management determines how the organization should move from its current manpower position to its desired position. Through planning, management strives to have the right number and the right kinds of people, at the right places, at the right time, doing things which result in both the organization and the individual receiving maximum long-run benefits. Human resources planning should be a key component of nearly every  corporations strategic business planning. To ensure their  competitive advantage  in the marketplace, organizations must implement innovative strategies that are designed to enhance their employee retention rate and recruit fresh talent into their companies. In todays corporate environment, it is viewed as a valuable component for adding value to an organization. Both employees and the company will often realize many benefits of planning over the long-run. Contemporary human resource planning occurs within the broad context of organizational and strategic business planning. It involves forecasting the organizations future human resource needs and planning for how those needs will be met. It includes establishing objectives and then developing and implementing programs (staffing, appraising, compensating, and training) to ensure that people are available with the appropriate characteristics and skills when and where the organization needs them. It may also involve developing and implementing programs to improve employee performance or to increase employee satisfaction and involvement in order to boost organizational productivity, quality, or innovation (Mills, 1 985b). Finally, human resource planning includes gathering data that can be used to evaluate the effectiveness of ongoing programs and inform planners when revisions in their forecasts and programs are needed. Strategic collaboration between small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) and the large businesses they partner can take many forms, such as locating a SMEs facility in close proximity to a buyers facility to enable just-in-time delivery of raw material, inputs and components; collaborating on research and development and product design to build organizational competencies and capabilities; collaborating on supply chain activities to manage costs and promote operational efficiency; or delivering outsourced human resource management activities (Doz and Hamel 1998). For large businesses, forming strategic alliances and collaborative partnerships can be critical to their ability to seize technological opportunities, to build critical resource strengths and competitive capabilities, to improve supply chain efficiencies and deliver value to their customers (Kaplan and Hurd 2002). Often these partners are small and medium sized enterprises, that are expected to perform as full partners (Ij ose, Olumide). However, there has been little to no attention paid to the role the strategic human resource management (SHRM) practices of SMEs play in their ability to be valued and trusted strategic partners in the value chain of big businesses. Like any other organization, the sophistication of their human resource management practices can lead to operational inefficiencies that can affect their ability to meet their obligations to corporate buyers (reference and relate sentence to big businesses where this has been proven). Factors that enable operating excellence include having a strong management team, recruiting and retaining talented employees, viewing training as a strategic activity, structuring the work effort in ways that promotes successful strategy execution, deploying an organizational structure that facilitates the proficient performance of strategy critical activities, instituting policies and procedures that facilitate good strategy execution, instilling a strategy supportive cult ure and tying rewards and incentives to individual and team performance outcomes that are strategically relevant (Higgins 2005). Human resource planning involves plans for future needs of personnel, their required skills, recruitment of employees, and development of personnel (Miller, Burack, Albrecht, 1980).   Human resource forecasting and human resource audit are the two most important components of this type of planning. Human resource forecasting refers to predicting an organizations future demand for number, type, and quality of various categories of employees. The assessment of future needs has to be based on analysis of present and future policies and growth trends. The techniques of forecasting include the formal expert survey, Delphi technique, statistical analysis, budget and planning analysis, and computer models. The human resource audit gives an account of the skills, abilities, and performance of all the employees of an organization (Werther Davis, 1982). Recruitment  refers to the process of attracting, screening, and selecting qualified people for a  job  at an  organization  or firm. For some components of the recruitment process, mid- and large-size organizations often retain  professional recruiters  or outsource some of the process to recruitment agencies. Types of recruitment are: 1. External Recruitment Methods Develop  relationships  with guidance and career counselors at colleges and universities and ask for help in recruiting for open positions. Reach out to professional organizations that are in line with the organizations mission, and ask to them to list open positions in their newsletters and emails to members. Organizations with financial resources should consider working with a recruitment firm, especially if the position is at a higher level or requires a specific skill or type of experience. 2. Internal Recruitment Methods Be clear about the skills and experience an applicant must possess. Post an open position internally first to assess whether there are qualified candidates within the organization. Consider interns, volunteers, temporary workers or consultants who may have been working in a similar capacity to the open position( managementstudyguide  [online]). A typical selection process consists of the following steps: completed job application, initial screening, testing, indepth selection interview, physical examination, and job offer (French, 1982). In general, extension organizations use a simple knowledge test and a brief interview to select extension personnel. An interview  is the most common form of selection as it is relatively cheap to undertake and is the chance for an employer to meet the applicant face to face and so obtain much more information on what the person is like and how suitable they are for the job. Examples of information that can only be learnt from interview and not on paper from a CV or application form are: Conversational ability-  often known as people skills Natural enthusiasm or manner of the applicant See how applicant reacts under pressure Queries on comments or details missing from CV or application form There are though other forms of selection tests that can be used in addition to an interview to help select the best applicant. The basic interview can be unreliable as applicants can perform well at interview but not have the qualities or skills needed for the job. Other selection tests can increase the chances of choosing the best applicant and so minimise the high costs of recruiting the wrong people. Examples of these tests are aptitude tests, intelligence tests and psychometric tests. Once the best candidate has been selected and agreed to take up the post, the new employee must be given an  employment contract. The training of personnel contributes directly to the development of human resources within organizations. Training programmes are directed towards maintaining and improving current job performance, while development programmes seek to develop skills for future jobs (Stoner Freeman, 1992, p. 388).   Training based on actual field experience should be emphasized.  Methods such as coaching, job rotation, training sessions, classroom instruction, and educational institute-sponsored development programmes are used to train managers. An important aspect of human resource management which needs special attention in organizations is the development of a reward system which will attract, retain, and motivate extension personnel, as well as provide training and promotional opportunities. Skinners reinforcement theory, Vrooms expectancy theory, Maslows need-hierarchy theory, Adams equity theory and Herzbergs two- factor theory are the five main approaches that have created the understanding of motivation. In 1943, Maslow gave a list of five types of needs of employees i.e.: ego, safety, physiological, self- actualizing and social. Maslow said that all type of needs of employees should be fulfilled in some priority levels, as the fulfillment of their needs would bring a great deal of motivation in the employees. Motivators and hygiene were the two categories in which Herzberg divided motivation in 1959. Job satisfaction is provided by recognition and achievements of employees which contribute to intrinsic factors and motivation. Job dissatisfaction is developed as a result of low pays and insecurity of jobs that contribute towards extrinsic factors or hygiene. Performance was the major area of relevance which contribute towards rewards and further increased performance according to Vroom in 1964. There may be positive or negative categories of rewards. The motivation of an employee depends upon the rewards as positive rewards motivate the employees and negative rewards demotivate them. According to Adams equity among workers plays a major role in motivating employees. Equity is achieved when the ratio of employee outcomes over inputs is equal to other employee outcomes over inputs (Adams, 1965). In 1953, Skinner mentioned that the positive behavior of the employees should be motivated to be repeated and negative behavior should be strictly dealt so that it shouldnt be repeated. Behavior of employees should be observed strictly by managers. Managers should be made liable to enforce the positive behavior of employees that lead to positive results and demotivate the negative behavior of employees that leads to negative outcomes. The importance of certain factors in motivating employees was studied by James R. Lindner in 1998, who was Research Associate at Ohio State University. Ten motivating factors were revealed by the study as following: (a) interesting work, (b) ) tactful discipline, (c) good wages, (d)job security, (e) feeling of being in on things, (f) sympathetic help with personal problems, (g) personal loyalty to employees, (h) full appreciation of work done (i) good working conditions, and (j) promotions and growth in the organization Some interesting factors into employee motivation were revealed by comparison of above results to Maslows need-hierarchy theory. Interesting work is a self-motivating factor which is considered rank one motivation factor. Good wages is a physiological motivation factor which is ranked two. High appreciation of work done is another major esteem factor which is ranked at number three. Job security known as the safety factor is another major motivation facto ranked at number four. In 1943, Maslow declared that interesting work, safety, esteem, physiological and social factors are the most important motivation factors that must be satisfied first. Good pay and increase in pays will be second most important factors that should be addressed by managers. Range of motivational factors suggested by Maslows study is challenged by the following study. This study doesnt confirm that Maslows conclusion of ascending order of motivational factors to be satisfied. Ken Shah and Prof. Param J. Shah re vealed the properties that a manager should have as following: Evaluate yourself-  In order to motivate, encourage and control your staffs behaviour, it is essential to understand, encourage and control your own behaviour as a manager. Be familiar with your staff-  The more and the better he knows his staff, the simpler it is to get them involved in the job as well as in achieving the team and organizational goals.   Provide the employees certain benefits-  Give them bonuses, pay them for overtime, and give them health and family insurance benefits. Make sure they get breaks from work.   Participate in new employees induction programme- Induction proceeds with recruitment advertising. At this point of time, the potential entrants start creating their own impressions and desires about the job and the organization. The manner in which the selection is conducted and the consequent recruitment process will either build or damage the impression about the job and organization. Provide feedback to the staff constantly Acknowledge your staff on their achievements Ensure effective time management Have stress management techniques in your organization Give the employees learning opportunities Listen effectively Develop and encourage creativity Adopt job enrichment-  Job enrichment implies giving room for a better quality of working life. It means facilitating people to achieve self-development, fame and success through a more challenging and interesting job which provides more promotional and advancement opportunities. Respect your team Set realistic goals : Set moderate goals. Setting too high a task creates a feeling of non-achievement, right from the beginning itself.   Think like a winner : A manager has to handle two situations, The Winning and The loosing. The crux is to think like a winner even when all the odds seem against you. It is necessary to equip yourself with all the tools of a winner. An executive must have the right leadership traits to influence motivation. Both an employee as well as manager must possess leadership and motivational traits. An effective leader must have a thorough knowledge of motivational factors for others. He must understand the basic needs of employees, peers and his superiors. Leadership is used as a means of motivating others. According to Keith Davis, Leadership is the ability to persuade others to seek defined objectives enthusiastically. It is the human factor which binds a group together and motivates it towards goals.( managementstudyguide  [online]) Characteristics of Leadership It is a inter-personal process in which a manager is into influencing and guiding workers towards attainment of goals. It denotes a few qualities to be present in a person which includes intelligence, maturity and personality. It is a group process. It involves two or more people interacting with each other. A leader is involved in shaping and moulding the behaviour of the group towards accomplishment of organizational goals. Leadership is situation bound. There is no best style of leadership. It all depends upon tackling with the situations. Leadership and management are the terms that are often considered synonymous. It is essential to understand that leadership is an essential part of effective management. As a crucial component of management, remarkable leadership behaviour stresses upon building an environment in which each and every employee develops and excels. A manager must have traits of a leader, i.e., he must possess leadership qualities. Leaders develop and begin strategies that build and sustain competitive advantage. Organizations require robust leadership and robust management for optimal organizational efficiency. (managementstudyguide  [online]) Differences between Leadership and Management Leadership differs from management in a sense that: While managers lay down the structure and delegates authority and responsibility, leaders provides direction by developing the organizational vision and communicating it to the employees and inspiring them to achieve it. While management includes focus on planning, organizing, staffing, directing and controlling; leadership is mainly a part of directing function of management. Leaders focus on listening, building relationships, teamwork, inspiring, motivating and persuading the followers. While a leader gets his authority from his followers, a manager gets his authority by virtue of his position in the organization. While managers follow the organizations policies and procedure, the leaders follow their own instinct. Management is more of science as the managers are exact, planned, standard, logical and more of mind. Leadership, on the other hand, is an art. In an organization, if the managers are required, then leaders are a must/essential. While management deals with the technical dimension in an organization or the job content; leadership deals with the people aspect in an organization. While management measures/evaluates people by their name, past records, present performance; leadership sees and evaluates individuals as having potential for things that cant be measured, i.e., it deals with future and the performance of people if their potential is fully extracted. If management is reactive, leadership is proactive. Management is based more on written communication, while leadership is based more on verbal communication.   The leadership style varies with the kind of people the leader interacts and deals with. A perfect/standard leadership style is one which assists a leader in getting the best out of the people who follow him. There are three main categories of leadership styles:  autocratic, paternalistic and democratic (tutor2u[online]) Autocratic  (or authoritarian) managers like to make all the important decisions and closely supervise and control workers. Managers do not trust workers and simply give orders (one-way communication) that they expect to be obeyed. This approach has limitations but it can be effective in certain situations. For example: When quick decisions are needed in a company (e.g. in a time of crises). Paternalistic  managers give more attention to the social needs and views of their workers. Managers are interested in how happy workers feel and in many ways they act as a father figure. They consult employees over issues and listen to their feedback or opinions. The manager will however make the actual decisions (in the best interests of the workers)   A  democratic  style of management will put trust in employees and encourage them to make decisions. They will delegate to them the authority to do this (empowerment) and listen to their advice. This requires good two-way communication and often involves democratic discussion groups, which can offer useful suggestions and ideas. Managers must be willing to encourage leadership skills in subordinates. Because the purpose of human resource planning is to ensure that the right people are in the right place at the right time, it must be linked with the plans of the total organization. Traditionally, there has been a weak one way linkage between business planning and human resource planning. Business plans, where they exist, have defined human resource needs, thereby making human resource planning a reactive exercise. Thus a final challenge in human resource planning is balancing current needs-of organizations and their employees-with those of the future. The criterion against which this balancing act is measured is whether employees are currently at the right place doing the right things but yet are ready to adapt appropriately to different activities. To ensure this, a harmonious relationship between employer and employee, and effective leadership style is essential.

Role of Edutaintment for Safe Motherhood Education

Role of Edutaintment for Safe Motherhood Education THE PRACTICE OF SAFE MOTHERHOOD: CAN EDUTAINMENT BE THE WAY FORWARD? INTRODUCTION The Safe Motherhood concept was delivered worldwide to bring about reduction in maternal mortality. This concept has been successful to some extent but it has been discovered that Nigeria is yet to meet its 75% target of curbing mortality by year 2015 to its lowest ebb. Despite the Safe Motherhood initiative in Nigeria, pregnant and Post-partum women especially those in the rural communities still do not have a favorable disposition to practicing safe motherhood. This could be as a result of poor knowledge of these women about the concept of safe motherhood (Igbokwe and Adama, 2011). However, Mass Media as channels of mass communication is to inform, educate and persuade its audience to accept new ideas and technologies to enhance their living conditions. Edutainment is a form of communication used for the purpose of entertaining and education to create social change. Edutainment uses popular entertainment such as dramas, folklores, documentaries, talk shows and discussions to tackle social issues for the purpose of inciting change and promote positive attitude. Soul City Institute (2013) further defines edutainment as: any communication project that sets out to use popular culture to educate and challenge people. Edutainment is not a theory but a strategy to bring about individual and social change. It uses popular entertainment formats to tackle serious social issues in an innovative and entertaining way Singhal and Rogers (1999) points out that â€Å"Entertainment-through television, radio and music is one of the most effective communication strategies for reaching the public to promote family planning and other public health issues†. Therefore, mass media can shape health beliefs of people while promoting knowledge and awareness of health messages. The Mass media play a major role in peoples everyday lives. This is evident in how routine it has become to watch television, listen to the radio, surf the internet, and read newspapers and magazines. Television as a major tool of information dissemination and entertainment programs is a veritable tool for mass education. Since it is a visual medium, women can see examples of the various family planning methods available and safe health practices can be demonstrated during edutainment programmes. Also, television has the capacity to reach larger groups of women simultaneously thus, helping to facilitate and create awareness amongs t women on prevention and ways to handle health issues they are plagued with. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM Reduction in maternal deaths has become the major preoccupation of stakeholders in maternal health today as evidenced by its frequent appearance in most developmental objectives in the world today. It is also the 5th goal in the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). World Health Organization (WHO) citing Graham indicates that the women dying are in their prime of life: they are crucial to society and the economy; they sustain the next generation; they make up more than half the workforce†. The discussion paper of Tinker et al (2000) reported that â€Å"womens low socioeconomic status and reproductive role expose them to risks of poor health and premature death†. They assert, further, that Womens reproductive biology, combined with their lower socioeconomic status, results in women bearing the greater burden from unsafe sex which includes both infections and the complications of unwanted pregnancy. Over the years, women in Nigeria and Africa, at large, have been plagued with health issues such as high mortality in childbirth. To combat maternal morbidity/mortality and other health issues that women face, there is the need for quality reproductive health services, such as medical care which includes family planning, safe pregnancy, delivery care, treatment and prevention of sexually transmitted infections, such as HIV and AIDS. Kalyani (2007) notes that while health issues on women are rampant and on the increase, the attitude of women towards seeking information on their health is low with little done in research about how women seek information pertaining to their health. Studies have revealed further that not all women understand and are able to process the health messages they come across. An example is the Findings from the National Adult Literacy Survey which indicate that â€Å"almost half of the U.S. adult population has limited literacy skills, and one-quarter is functionally illiterate†. Flores, Weber, Kilker, Dang and Lindsey (2007) observe that this is so as Health information often includes â€Å"technical terms and concepts that are hard to understand, regardless of ones level of education or literacy†. However, reading, understanding, and using health information can be a difficult task for those with limited literacy skills. Thus, the need for media programmes on health, as media cut across literacy level. To reduce these health challenges to their lowest ebb, television as a medium of entertainment and information seek to keep the ‘woman’ educated and informed. There is the need for media education on health a s a result of the complexity and population of the Nigerian society which health workers cannot handle alone. Objectives of the study The general objective of this study is to examine the extent to which edutainment programmes on the broadcast media have helped in promoting the practice of safe motherhood. Other objectives are: To determine if pregnant and post-partum women through Health edutainment programmes on the broadcast media have the knowledge of Safe Motherhood. To find out if pregnant and post-partum women practice the health messages on Safe Motherhood they watch or listen to. Research Questions To what extent do pregnant and post-partum women have the knowledge of Safe Motherhood as a result of health edutainment programmes on the broadcast media? What is the attitude of pregnant and post-partum women to the practice of Safe Motherhood? Scope of the study This thrust of this study is to investigate the extent to which edutainment programmes on the broadcast media have helped in promoting the practice of safe motherhood. This study will cover pregnant and post-partum women in Ilisan Community within the ages 15 to 49 years of age. Ilisan community is a town located in Ikenne Local government area of Ogun state. It is a community that has a number of her female populations is either illiterate or semi-literate. It is also a community that has a high rate of teenage pregnancy. LITERATURE REVIEW Safe Motherhood Geefhuysen (2000) defines Safe Motherhood as is the â€Å"culmination of services for women from the beginning of life and the ability to choose when to become pregnant†. The concept of safe motherhood includes taking necessary steps when preparing to get pregnant such as adequate preparation for the well- being of the mother and the growing fetus before conception and taking appropriate measures to ensure successful delivery. The purpose of Safe Motherhood initiative is to decide when to get pregnant through the use of contraceptive to promote family planning, prevent maternal mortality by saving for possible maternal emergency while receiving healthcare delivery service from a trained provider. This is affirmed by Igbokwe and Adama (2011) who pointed out that â€Å"safe motherhood is aimed at preventing maternal and prenatal mortality and morbidity. It also enhances the quality and safety of womens live through the adaptation of combination of health and non- health strateg ies† Maternal mortality The issue of maternal mortality has been a growing concern to world leaders and stakeholders in this field. â€Å"Maternal mortality is a single most important health issue facing obstetricians, gynecologists and Nigerians† (Society of Obstetric and Gynecology of Nigeria- SOGON). This problem arises from unequal power between men and women in sexual relationships which expose women to involuntary sex, unwanted pregnancy, and sexually transmitted infections including HIV and AIDS (Tinker, Finn and Epp, 2000). The world maternal ratio also necessitated the 5th Millennium Development Goals to have reduced maternal mortality ratio (MMR) by year 2015. The recent report by United Nations Fund for Population Activities UNFPA (2014) shows that: Globally, the maternal mortality ratio dropped by 45 per cent between 1990 and 2013, from 380 to 210 deaths per 100,000 live births. Worldwide, almost 300,000 women died in 2013 from causes related to pregnancy and childbirth. Maternal death is mostly preventable and much more needs to be done to provide care to pregnant women. Health Messages and Edutainment Programmes Yahaya, Fadairo and Ogunele (2009) explain that information, entertainment and education are very important to women. Therefore, health communicators should always include some elements of information, education and entertainment in their health and other development messages targeted at women in order to attract or gain their attention. They summarised from their study in Lagos that women experienced a serious improvement in knowledge and a positive change in their health behaviour as a result of watching and listening to various health programmes on Entertainment-Education channels. For instance, 61.2% indicated serious improvement in knowledge, while 59.8% had a positive change in their health behaviour due to programmes on family planning on television and radio respectively. Also Farhana Ahmed (2008), in their report, affirms that mass media techniques that combine entertainment with health education are particularly effective in producing behaviour changes. This they discovere d in their findings on a soap opera in Tanzania â€Å"Twende na Wakati† (Let’s Go with Times) â€Å"which has influenced about one- fourth of its listeners to adopt family planning methods and HIV/ AIDS prevention while 65.5% of the participants said they discussed pregnancy and maternal health issues after the campaign† Also, several studies, Singhal and Rogers, 1999; Brown and Singhal, 1999 and Tufte, 2002 point out that Entertainment-through television is one of the most effective communication strategies for reaching out to the public to promote social change. Singhal and Rogers (1999) also notes that television soap operas, popular music, street theatre and comic books have all been used to educate the public about such health issues as family planning, HIV and AIDS prevention, environmental health, female equality, improved sanitation, female genital mutilation (Singhal, Rogers, 1999). Findings from their study showed that entertainment-education in developing countries confirm that the strategy changes behavior. Methodology Design: The structured questionnaire for the survey was designed in English but the data collectors were trained to interpret the questions in the local dialect. The design is considered appropriate because the study will essentially focus on people. Setting: The study was carried out in Ilisan Remo, Ogun State. Ilisan is a community located in Ikenne local government area of the state. It has a primary health care center, a teaching hospital owned by Babcock University and a few other privately owned hospitals that provide medical care. Ilisan also have a couple of Traditional Birth Centers which a great number of pregnant women visit. Procedure: a total of 110 copies of the questionnaire were distributed. The copies of the questionnaire were administered at homes, shops, the market place, private offices, hospitals, institutions, churches and mosques. 100 were returned and analysed using descriptive statistics such as frequency tables and percentages. Brown, W. and singhal, A. (1999) Entertainment-Education Media Strategies for Social Change Promises and Problems. In Demen, D. and VIIInnmath, K. (ed.), Mass Media Social Control and SocIal-Amea. Iowa: Iowa State Univenity Press. Retrieved from http://utminers.utep.edu/asinghal/Articles%20and%20Chapters/singhal_usdin_scheepers_goldstein_japhet.pdf Farhana, S. Ahmed, J. (2008).Entertainment-Education to Promote Safe Motherhood: In the Context of Bangladesh. Canadian Social Science 4(4). Canadian Research Development Center of Sciences and Cultures. Retrieved from http://www.questia.com/read/1P3-1584808581/entertainment-education-to-promote-safe motherhood Flores, L., Weber, K, Kilker, P., Dang, P. Lindsey, L. (2007). Health Education Efforts in Uncertain Times: Helping to Ensure Healthy Pregnancies in a Time of Crisis. American Journal of Health Education. Vol 38(4). Gale Group Geefhuysen, C. (2000) Safe Motherhood in Indonesia: A Task for the Next Century. In: Berer, M. and Ravindran, S. (ed.) Safe Motherhood Initiatives: Critical Issues. Retrieved rom http://www.rhmjournal.org.uk/publications/SafeMotherhood.pdf Igbokwe, C. and Adama, G. (2011) knowledge and practice of Safe Motherhood among childbearing mothers Attending maternal and child health (mch) Clinics in nsukka health district. Journal of Research in Education and Society Vol.2(1). Retrieved from http://www.icidr.org/jres_v2nos1_april2011/Knowledge and Practice of Safe Motherhood Initiative (SMI) among Childbearing Mothers attending Maternal and Child Health (Mch) Clinics in Nsukka Health District.pdf Kalyani, A. (2007). Information-Seeking Behavior of Women in Their Path to an Innovative Alternate Treatment for Symptomatic Uterine Fibroids. Journal of the Medical Library Association, 95(2): 164-172. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1852624/ Soul City Institute (2013) Edutainment: Using stories media for social action and behaviour change. Retrieved from http://www.google.com.ng/url?sa=trct=jq=esrc=ssource=webcd=2ved=0CCIQFjABurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.soulcity.org.za%2Fresearch%2Fpublished-articles%2Fedutainment-using-stories-and-media-for-social-action-and-behaviour-change%2Fdownloadei=VnP9VNuaI8vfapqSgYAOusg=AFQjCNFzf-ESEywiAXHtnk-_U6bJe_jkAAsig2=QdJ7fbpcrFiNaSEMB4mSNQbvm=bv.87611401,d.d2s Singhal, A. Rogers, E. (1999). Entertainment-Education: A Communication Strategy for Social Change. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Retrieved from http://www.questia.com/read/57758858/entertainment-education-a-communication strategy SOGON, (N/A).Fact Sheet on Reproductive Health in Nigeria: Facts and Figures. Tinker, A., Finn, K. Epp, J., (2000). Improving Women’s Health Issues and Interventions. Health, Nutrition, and Population Family (HNP). The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development / The World Bank. Washington, DC 20433 Tufte, T. (2002) Edutainment in HIV/AIDS Prevention. Building on the Soul City Experience in South Africa. In: Servaes, J. (ed.), Approaches to Development Communication, Paris: UNESCO. Retrieved from http://www.unesco.kz/publications/ci/hq/Approaches%20Development%20Communication/CHP13.PDF UNFPA (2014). The Millennium Development Goals Report. Retrieved from http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/2014%20MDG%20report/MDG%202014%20English%20web.pdf WHO (World Health Organization) (2013, February 6-7). Meeting to Develop a Global Consensus on Preconception Care to Reduce Maternal and Childhood Mortality and Morbidity. A Meeting Report presented at the World Health Organization Headquarters, Geneva. Retrieved from http://www.who.int Yahaya, M., Fadairo, S and Ogunele, A. (2009). Attitude and the Effect of Health-based Entertainment-Education Strategies on the Knowledge and Behaviour of Women in Lagos State. International Journal of Agricultural Economics Rural Development 2 (1): 2009. Retrieved from http://www.ijaerd.lautechaee-edu.com

White Mountain National Forest :: Essays Papers

White Mountain National Forest Legend has it that the White Mountains received their name from early sailing visitors to New England who saw the distant snow capped peaks in the distance as the sailed south along the coast. The White Mountain National Forest was established to protect these mountains in 1911. This followed the passage of the Weeks Act, due in large part to public outcry, which allowed the federal government to purchase private land East of the Mississippi River to create parks for public use. Prior to the establishment of the White Mountain Forest the area had been utterly ravaged by unrestricted and uncontrolled logging, which spawned massive fires that ripped across the barren landscape. From the original purchase of 7,000 acres in Benton, New Hampshire, the Forest has grown over the years, and now encompasses 800,000 acres. Of this, 112,000 acres (@ 15%) have been designated as wilderness. The remaining area is conserved for activities and uses including recreation, wildlife habitat, water, wilderness and timber. Today, tree harvesting occurs on only about 0.5% of the forest at any given time. Approximately 29 million board-feet of timber are taken annually from the forest (1 million board-feet builds about 100 two-thousand square foot homes). Harvesting is selected and carried out carefully to improve recreational facilities, create trails and vistas, improve wildlife habitat and provide wood products. The White Mountain National Forest is also one of the most heavily visited forests in the national system, with over 6 million visitors each year. Visitors enjoy backpacking, swimming, camping, snowmobiling, scenic driving, skiing and dogsledding. The forest is also the home of the state’s tallest peak, the 6,280’ Mount Washington. Mount Washington is the tallest peak in New England and is home to some of the worlds most dangerous weather. Washington, and the rest of the Whites, are cared for by the Appalachian Mountain Club. Founded in 1876, the AMC is the oldest conservation and recreation association in the U.S.. Today the organization has over 87,000 members worldwide. The AMC promotes â€Å"the protection, enjoyment, and the wise use of the mountains, rivers, and trails of the North-east.

Realistic Writing Cormier :: Essays Paper

Realistic Writing Cormier Realistic Writing Every day across the world people are put in situations where their morals are questioned. It isn’t easy for one to say no to something when there is peer pressure or a reward coming, even if what they are going to do is against their morals. I have been in situations where I had to choose to either go along with my friends, in an illegal act, or try to talk them out of it. I chose to try to talk with them and it worked, but this won’t always be the case. When I read novels by Robert Cormier they talk about the society we live in. Most of the topics Cormier writes about deal with what my friends and I are going through. These topics or problems deal with a wide range of subjects, the most common are sibling’s death or illness, teen drinking, and parental divorce. When Robert Cormier writes a novel he doesn’t pretend that humans are perfect. Instead Cormier confronts the evil in our society and world. He shows this style of writing in most of his books. Throughout Cormier’s novels he writes with a very strong sense of realism. Cormier’s realistic style of writing ranges from evil events to family problems. The following four novels by Robert Cormier show this realistic style of writing best: The Chocolate War, We all Fall Down, and Tunes for Bears to Dance to. The Chocolate War is full of evil actions that occur in our world. In this novel there is a gang that bosses other students around. Although our school might not have a gang with a lot of control we do have clicks that perform some of the same acts. Archie’s gang, the Vigils, singles people out just because they aren’t cool enough or because they aren’t in the gang and don’t have high status among the students. One of Archie’s members had a notebook full of everyone who attended Trinity; it contained information on their parents, birth dates, and other personal information that the Vigils use to single out who they want. After some of the members of the gang looked at Jerry’s file Archie said, â€Å"He’s just a skinny kid†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (16). Some don’t want to pick on him because he is skinny and others just want to more.

Cognitive Linguistic Approach to Language Study

It has its origins in the sass as a conscious reaction to Chomsky linguistics, tit its emphasis on formalistic syntactic analysis and its underlying assumption that language is independent from other forms of cognition. Increasingly, evidence was beginning to show that language is learned and processed much in the same way as other types of Information about the world, and that the same cognitive processes are Involved In language as are Involved In other forms of thinking.For example, In our everyday lives, we look at things from deferent angles, we get up close to them or further away and see them from different vantage points and with efferent levels of granularity; we assess the relative features of our environment and decide which are important and need to be attended to and which are less important and need to be backgrounder; we lump information together, perceive and create patterns in our environment, and look for these patterns in new environments when we encounter them.As we will see in this volume, all of these processes are at work in language too. The two key figures who are associated with the inception of Cognitive Linguistics are George Alaska and Ronald Linebacker. Both, t should be remembered, started their careers as members of a group of young scholars associated with the radical new approach spearheaded by NOAA Chomsky. By the sass, however, both Alaska and Linebacker were becoming increasingly disaffected with the formalistic approach to syntax associated with the Chomsky school.Both scholars turned their attention, Instead, to semantic Issues, which had been relatively neglected within the Chomsky framework. Alaska raised fundamental questions with regard to ‘objectivism' SE antics that is, theories which maintained that entente meaning maps onto objectively verifiable states of affairs in the world. He argued, instead, that semantic content is mediated by how speakers construe and conceptualize the world. An important aspect of co nstrual is how we categorize the things in our environment.Taking up the notion of prototype category developed by cognitive psychologist Eleanor Roach, Alaska argued that words do not name classically defined categories, that Is, categories constituted by a set of necessary and sufficient conditions. Rather, entitles can be good, or less good, members of a category. In a crucial and highly influential move, Alaska then proposed that the a syntactic construction, might also be analyses in terms of a central, prototypical member, and a number of extended, or more peripheral senses.A noteworthy milestone here is the dissertation by one of Alaska s students, Claudia Bergman, on the polymers of the preposition (Bergman, 1981). Bergman argued that t he ‘central', ‘prototypical' sense combines the meanings of ‘above' and ‘across', as in The bird flew over the yard . Extended senses, related in virtue of some common shared features, include the ‘above' sense , as in the electric is hovering over the hill, the ‘across' sense, as in Sam drove over the bridge , the ‘covering' sense She spread the tablecloth over the table, the dispersal sense, as in The guards were posted all over the hill , and several more.Bargeman's thesis (presented in Alaska 1987: Case Study 2) not only inspired a plethora of -studies, it also provided a template for polymers studies more generally. La Coffs second main contribution was to id entity a number of ‘conceptual metaphors' that underlie our abstract concepts and the way we think about the world and ourselves (Alaska and Johnson 1980, 1999).For example, one of the most important conceptual metaphors is the idea that ‘good' or ‘active' things are ‘up' whereas ‘bad' or ‘static' things are ‘down', which allows us to say that we're feeling IoW or having ‘down time', that things are or that that they are ‘up and going' . This metaphor was taken to r eflect our basic experience with the world that we have as children; when we fall over we feel bad; when we lie down we are stationary, when we get up we are active, and when we are feeling good, we literally ‘stand tall'.As discussed in a later chapter, conceptual metaphor theory has come in for a good agree of criticism in recent years and the theory has been refined to take account of empirical psycholinguistic findings as well as more socio-cultural approaches to language, but the basic tenets remain the same: language tends to reflect our physical interactions with the world and abstract concepts are linked to physical experiences through metaphor. Linebacker's contribution is perhaps more fundamental than Lassoes .His Cognitive Grammar (Linebacker 1987, 1991, 2008) offers a radical re-think of basic issues concerning the nature of linguistic meaning and its relation to the surface form of utterances. He proposed a ‘minimalist' approach, whereby the only elements in linguistic description are (a) phonological representations, concerning the overt form of an expression (whether spoken, written, or signed), (b) semantic representations, roughly, meanings, broadly understood to include pragmatic, situational, and encyclopedic aspects, and (c) symbolic relations between elements of (a) and elements of (b).On this basis, a language comes to be characterized, quite simply, as an inventory of phonological, semantic, and symbolic units, and language acquisition is a matter of a speaker's increasing command of these units. Importantly, the units differ along a number of dimensions. Thus some units are internally complex, while others are schematic to some degree or other.For example, the expression can-opener is internally complex, while the component unit can is an instance of the more schematic unit Noun, the whole expression being an instance of the complex schematic unit [N V- ere] and its associated semantics (roughly: ‘ a device that can be used for V- ins Ins'). The schematic unit can sanction an open-ended set of instantiations; in this way, Cognitive Grammar is bled to handle syntactic and morphological generalizations.It should also be noted that the unit has other semantic values (think of examples such as dog-lover , which denotes a person, not a thing, and , where the initial noun designates the place where a person dwells); in other words, the unit is polygamous, Just like the words of a language. The mechanics of Cognitive Grammar are discussed in more detail elsewhere in this volume. Three aspects, however, may be singled out for special mention here: The first concerns the way in which ‘grammaticality (or ‘acceptability- cognitive insists see little reason to distinguish the two concepts) is to be understood.Grammaticality, namely, has to do with the extent to which an expression is sanctioned, or legitimated, by an already existing schematic unit, or possibly by several such units, in the langu age; the fit, needless to say, need not be perfect, neither will different speakers of the language always assess the matter in the same way. * The second observation concerns the idea that syntactic organization is inherently symbolic and therefore meaningful, and that syntactic structures – Just like individual words ND morphemes associate a form and meaning.An early indicative study concerned the passive construction in English (Linebacker, 1982). Rather than being seen as the result of syntactic transformations, the construction and its various components, such as the verb be the verbal participle, and the by phrase, were argued to have semantic content, which contribute cumulatively to the semantic and pragmatic value of the passive construction. Thirdly, the Cognitive Grammar approach is sympathetic to the notion that linguistic knowledge, rather than residing in a small number of very road, high-level abstractions, may actually be rather low-level and ‘surface or iented', consisting in multiple memories of already encountered usage and relatively shallow generalizations over these remembered instances.In practical terms, this means that linguistic knowledge will tend to be centered on individual lexical items and their idiosyncratic properties, concerning the syntactic environments in which they occur and their stylistic or pragmatic values. Similarly, the representation of syntactic and word-formation constructions will incorporate knowledge of the lexical items which typically occur in hem, in addition, once again, to information about the kinds of situations in which they are likely to be used.Although it represents a radical departure in some ways from many established ideas in linguistics (such as the formerly widely held view that syntax, semantics and pragmatics were largely independent of one another), the principles underlying Cognitive Linguistics resonated with many traditional concerns one thinks of classics such as Gustavo Steer 's Meaning and Change of Meaning (1931), C. S. Lewdest Studies in Words (1960), and various works by Stephan Almsman (e. G. , Almsman, 1964)

Han China and Mauryan & Gupta India Essay

Han dynasty and Mauryan/Gupta empires developed in roughly the same time frame and overlapped in the years 320 B. C. E. – 220 C. E. developing in different parts of the globes with their own unique geographies. Both the Han and Mauryan/Gupta empires developed bureaucratic governments that were ruled by kings, but due to the different geographical regions, India’s government was fragmented into local governments. The Han Dynasty of China was structured off of a social philosophy while Mauryan/Gupta India followed a religion which united the subcontinent. The Han and Mauryan/Gupta empires also both developed agrarian economies although their view on the merchant class were nearly opposite. The Han and Mauryan/Gupta empires both created hierarchical, bureaucratic governments. The hierarchy in China’s government was more flexible and was set up in the 5 relationships (ruler and subject, father and son, husband and wife, oldest son and younger brothers, and friend and friend) whereas India’s hierarchy was rigid and created through the Caste System (Brahmin, Kshatriyas, Vaisyas, Sudras, and finally the Pariah). Ultimately, both hierarchical bureaucracies were led by a king. In China, the Han dynasty was able to create a strong centralized government led by kings who claimed the divine right to rule China, or in the case of the Chinese Dynasties, they claimed the Mandate of Heaven. However, because of the geography of India, such as the Deccan Plateau and the Hindu-Kush Mountains, the government of India was broken up into local governments. Whereas China needed a strong centralized government in order to unite its people, India could get away with having a weak central government because Hinduism would ultimately unite the people of the Mauryan/Gupta empires. Hinduism, the major religion of India which also kept the people of India united when the regional governments could not, was based on the principle of a cycle of rebirth known as samsara. Under this religion, the main focus of the people was to achieve moksha – uniting with Brahman – and escaping samsara. And where the Mauryan/Gupta empires focused on otherworldly ideas, the Han Empire focused on life on earth following the teachings of Confucius. Even though the Mauryan/Gupta empires followed a religion and the Han empire followed a philosophy, both the Mauryan/Gupta and Han empires believed in respecting their superiors. Finally, Han China and Mauryan/Gupta India both created prosperous, agrarian economies. However the Han Empire relied on the production of wheat, rice, and silk and the Mauryan/Gupta Empire relied on the production of cotton. Both empires also relied on the use of conscripted labor but in Han China it was drafted labor and in Mauryan/Gupta India it was through the use of the pariah (â€Å"untouchables†) class from the Caste System of Hinduism. Even though their economies, in principle, are identical, they had vastly differing views of the merchant class. In Han China, they were viewed as the â€Å"mean people† and scum of the Earth whereas in India, they made up the Vaisyas caste which was their middle class.

Psychology, Theology and the Spiritual Life in Christian Counseling Essay

1. This paper is a book review that will deal with the above work by McMinn and the nature of Christian counseling in general. The work is a whole is designed to be easily read, and reads very quickly at the price of sophistication. Its ultimate purpose is one of integration on wto levels: first, the integration of the â€Å"broken† person back into loving relationships, chiefly with God, who is a God of healing, and second, the immensely important integration of theology with the aims of counseling. Counseling without God is a far less complex affair than Christian counseling. The secular counselor can be safely utilitarian, whatever helps heal the person might be tried or advocated. However, with Christian counseling, the idea of integration is all important. Christians have a specific view of the personality that cannot be ignored in counseling. These ideas on the human personality is based around our inherent sinfulness and â€Å"brokenness. † (McMinn, 1996, 32). This is central, all of humanity is in need of counseling of some sort, but the final end of counseling, that of union with God in and by healthy relationships with other persons, provides far more difficult challenges than the more utilitarian secularist. Furthermore, the idea of the integration of the ego out of its sinful (yet natural) drive to self-sufficiency (cf. 35-40ff) is another specifically Christian idea when coupled with the important idea of Grace, the Grace that is, by its very function, a healing balm. Hence, the counselor must also know how to â€Å"give way† to grace, grace that is not in the control of the counselor. The notion of the â€Å"abuse of power† so important to the chapter on â€Å"Sin†is precisely not realizing the fact that the Christian counselor must act as a conduit of grace and not its â€Å"dispenser. † Thus, the counselor that does not realize this gap, the gap between the counselor and the will of God for the broken victim has failed in his duty. The grace for the believer is always present, and Christian counseling must have a sense that his duty is to help the victim find it. The basic thesis of the book is sound from a theological and a psychological point of view: the modern secular mentality stresses ego satisfaction and ones â€Å"control† over ones life. But this is little more than the institutionalization of original sin: this is the problem, not the solution. This desire, natural to fallen man, to be self-sufficient is the root of all psychological problems. Hence, the work takes this fundamental insight through the various ideas that develop in the process of counseling: prayer, scripture, forgiveness, etc. Each concerns itself with bringing the patient to a fuller understanding of the nature of his alienation, both from others an from God. 2. In the section on prayer, I was struck by several things, things that I recall myself going through. I was always taken aback by the attacks on prayer by both mainline psychology and society at large: why would one pray if God is all knowing? Of course this is not an easy question, and the church fathers dealt with it in some detail. I began to see prayer as being of 2 kinds: the intercessory prayer, or the literal meaning of prayer in the sense as â€Å"to ask. † This is not a part of Christian counseling to any great degree. But the second form of prayer, that of communion and oneness, is. The prayerful meditation of the ancient monks has healing properties even apart of belief. Prayer, as McMinn points out, reduces stress, creates a bond with the counselor, and places the problems of man in a theological context (66ff). The same might be said for his section on Scripture: is not Job an excellent case study for the Christian counselor? Is not David and his sins even better? (Cf. 100) It seems to me that the development of my own prayer life since being involved with counseling has more to do with dealing rather than asking. , In other words, it seems to me that pure prayer is not about asking for things: God knows what we need. Pure prayer is about dealing with that which God has given us in our own development. Suffering is no a bad thing with a prayerful attitude: it permits us to reject the world and its comforts, and to seek our rest in God alone. Christians involved in counseling should avoid, as my experience has shown, treating prayer as a means of â€Å"getting† things. This can lead to disappointment and a belief that God is merely a great cosmic vending machine that exists to grant wishes. I recall my older view that prayer was about â€Å"getting,† instead of â€Å"dealing. † Prayer as a means of communing with God in the midst of suffering is both a very Christian idea as well as a powerful tool in counseling Christians. 3. A major issue that arises from reading this book is the difficulty of the task. The author is writing for a popular audience, and hence, can not get into the deep psychology and theology necessary to make his this work. Theology is the highest of the sciences, and this is because the understanding of Christ as Logos gives both the efficient and final cause of creation, including our minds. The Logos is the being of all things so far as they exemplify a cosmic reason, an interconnectedness that makes nature understandable and law-abiding. But our problem arises, both as Christians and as counselors, when we are forced to deal with the affects of the fall: a nature that bears God’s energy (though not her person), but is only poorly reflected in our minds that have been darkened by sin. Christianity has been worried about this healing since St Gregory of Nyssa and Augustine, who have dealt with the church and the Christian life as primarily a psychological affair, an affair of the consciousness, but a consciousness whose own drives seek to obliterate God and his presence in the interests of self centeredness. The very nature of the book in question cannot get into these issues except in trite examples. The book needs to build upon Christ as Logos before any serious psychology can be done. Putting this differently, the point is that Christ is to be found in the human mind in that it bears traces, fingerprints of the creator, but the creator as the Son, the image of the Father. The cosmic reason found in all things. This is an ontological problem, one that needs to inform all Christian psychology. Th reality is that this book is far too simple, far to â€Å"easy† and cannot gt to th heart of the matter. 4. In terms of action, I want to take from McMinn’s section on Scripture. This is likely the most valuable part of the work, and Scripture, to say the least, is only rarely considered a bok of counseling or psychology. Yet, the scriptures are saturated with psychological insight. Hence, my action here is to begin bringing scriptural sources into counseling. Even with secular patients, the Bible, even if the patient does not necessarily believe its divine origin, still contains many positive and negative examples for people to consider. The sins of David, including murder, are helpful is showing the example of repentance and the fact that a spiritual giant like David can be so flawed. I might say the same of Noah, after his drunkenness. God can forgive anything. The prophets such as Jeremiah or Amos were all persecuted for their beliefs and complete refusal to compromise. For people to be treated harshly because of their faith is something Christ explicitly mentions as the lot of the Christian: scripture is about God’s presence amidst a world that does not recognize him, whether it be the establishment of Judah or the Jewish Pharisees. The Christian Will suffer–there is no getting out of that, it is built into the process of both living and counseling. Christ Himself is such an example. Therefore, in dealing with patients, the Scriptures will be the central component in counseling for the examples they contain: examples of righteous suffering, but suffering with a purpose. Suffering with a purpose is bearable, suffering for no reason is not,. There is not a major figure in the Scriptures that is not persecuted for one reason or another by a world that does not understand te godly life. For us as counselors, nothing can be more important, useful or inspiring.

Fundamental Media

Mass communication research includes media institutions and processes such as diffusion of information, and media effects such as persuasion or manipulation of public opinion. In the United States, for instance, several university departments were remodeled into schools or colleges of mass communication or â€Å"journalism and mass communication†. In addition to studying practical skills of journalism, public relations or advertising, they offer programs on â€Å"mass communication† or â€Å"mass communication research. The latter is often the title given to doctoral studies in such schools, whether the focus of the student's research is journalism practice, history, law or media effects. Departmental structures within such colleges may separate research and instruction in professional or technical aspects of mass communication. With the increased role of the Internet in delivering news and information, mass communication studies and media organizations tend to focus o n the convergence of publishing, broadcasting and digital communication. The academic mass communication discipline historically differs from media studies and communication studies programs with roots in departments of theatre, film or speech, and with more interest in â€Å"qualitative,† interpretive theory, critical or cultural approaches to communication study. In contrast, many mass communication programs historically lean toward empirical analysis and quantitative research— from statistical content analysis of media messages to survey research, public opinion polling, and experimental research. Interest in â€Å"New Media† and â€Å"Computer Mediated Communication† is growing much faster than educational institutions can assimilate it. So far, traditional classes and degree programs have not been able to accommodate new shifts of the paradigm in communication technologies. Although national standards for the study of interactive media have been present in the U. K. since the mid-nineties, course work in these areas tends to vary significantly from university to university. Graduates of Mass Communication programs work in a variety of fields in traditional news media and publishing, advertising, public relations and research institutes. Such programs are accredited by the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communication ACEJMC Questions a) Define and describe mass communication as a professional field giving examples of theories and criticism around this field (20 Marks) b) Give a brief history of the evolution of mass communication.