Medicare Advantage Plans Essay

According to the article, Health insurer stocks slip over possible Medicare Advantage payment cuts, after a bad week at the stocks it may lead to Medicare Advantage Payment cuts in 2014. That could lead to reduced coverage or fewer buying plans for persons 65 years and older, the disabled and people who have end-stage renal disease. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said after markets closed â€Å"costs per person for Medicare Advantage plans to fall more than 2 percent in 2014, a bigger drop than many analysts who cover the industry anticipated† (Associated Press, 2013). Medicare Advantage plans could see payment reductions topping 5 percent, considering they are also facing cuts from the health care reform and from steep federal budget cuts known as sequestration that are slated to start in March (Associated Press, 2013). Medicare Advantage plans are a key source of growth for insurers. It allows Medicare to offer basic coverage topped with vision or dental coverage, or offer premiums lower than standard Medicare Rates (Associated Press, 2013). The Advantage plans help cuts costs and negotiate reimbursement with providers to help keep costs down. A Medicare Advantage Plan is a type of Medicare health plan offered by a private company that contracts with Medicare to provide the citizen with all their Part A and Part B benefits. Medicare Advantage Plans include Health Maintenance Organizations, Preferred Provider Organizations, Private Fee-for-Service Plans, Special Needs Plans, and Medicare Medical Savings Account Plans. If enrolled in a Medicare Advantage Plan, Medicare services are covered through the plan and aren’t paid for under Original Medicare (Medicare.gov, n.d.). Under each plan there are different coverages. For example under a PPO you pay less for use of doctors, hospitals, and other health care providers that belong in your plan’s network. If you choose to go elsewhere you’ll pay a larger premium. With an HMO, you can’t get your health care from any doctor, other health care provider or hospital. You must get your care and services from providers in that network (Medicare.gov, n.d.). Per Medicare News Watch, the annual estimated out-of-pocket costs for Medicare Advantage Plan members in 2013, including applicable copayments, deductibles, and premiums will vary from state to state. This website ranks all plans within the state and gives you an average on how much you’ll play per plan whether your health is â€Å"good, fair or poor†. For Massachusetts, a citizen can pay anywhere from $727-6712 on average per year depending on their health status. In the West Palm Beach area of Florida, it will costs between $106-4178 a year (Hmos4seniors.com, 2013). Considering a good majority of these patients don’t have much expendable income it’s hard to think that these prices may increase and that there will be fewer options as well. I personally know elderly and disabled on these types of plans and they have expressed that any increases will be a hardship on all of them. The health status is defined per the chart below (Hmos4seniors.com, 2013): Health Status: GOOD Requiring occ. routine care| Health Status: FAIR Requiring episodic care for non-chronic conditions| Health Status: POOR Requiring chronic disease care and management| Low annual utilization- 4 Doctor office visits (in-network) – 1 Urgent care visit (out-of-area) – 0 Inpatient admissions – 0 Home health visits – 6 Prescriptions (30 day supply) – 1 Vision, hearing exams – 1 Dental prevention visit| Moderate annual utilization- 12 Doctor office visits (in-network) – 1 Emergency room visit – 1 Inpatient admission (5 days) – 4 Home health visits – 24 Prescriptions (2 per month) – 1 Vision, hearing exam – 1 Dental prevention visit| High annual utilization- 24 Doctor office visits (in-network) – 2 Emergency room visits – 3 Inpatient admissions (15 days) – 12 Home health visits – 72 Prescriptions (6 per month) – 1 Vision, hearing exam – 1 Dental prevention visit| References Hmos4seniors.com (2013). MedicareNewsWatch.com – Medicare Advantage Plan Cost Comparisons in Major Cities throughout the United States. [online] Retrieved from: http://www.hmos4seniors.com/costcomparisons.html [Accessed: 25 Feb 2013]. Medicare.gov (n.d.). Medicare Advantage Plans | Medicare.gov. [online] Retrieved from: http://www.medicare.gov/sign-up-change-plans/medicare-health-plans/medicare-advantage-plans/medicare-advantage-plans.html [Accessed: 25 Feb 2013]. Associated Press (2013). Health insurer stocks slip over possible Medicare Advantage payment cuts. The Washington Post, 19th February.

Financial Crisis Essay

The term ‘financial’ means money or money related resources and the term ‘crisis’ means deterioration or disaster or emergency so the financial crisis means the rapid deterioration of financial indicators such as asset prices and short-term interest rates which becomes the cause of financial disaster. It is also defined as the sudden change in stock rates in the financial markets. An example of financial crisis is stock market crash (Feldstein 1991, p. 1–2). The reason for financial crisis is not the huge investments made by the business leaders in the venture related activities which fail and do not bring any profitable outcome but the reason is the sweeping of numerous market participants in the heavy risk-involved dealings for the same venture for profitable means. This can be in the form of thrifts lending, bank lending or share investments in the stock market. NBER study classifies the financial crisis into three major components: 1. Domestic capital related financial crisis 2. Economic and financial crisis through international origin and transmission 3. Financial crisis transition through economic collapse Thus, the overall reasons for financial crisis arises through the excessive involvements and investments of financial resources (money, assets, properties) in the stock market for increasing the number of shares in the interest of venture. Other reasons are the unintentional means which too arises from the market through the declining rates in short-term interest and assets prices which ruin the financial resources of a developed company and finally become the reason of ‘financial crisis’ (Feldstein 1991, p. 2–3). References Feldstein, M. (1991), The Risk of Economic Crisis, Chicago, The University of Chicago Press.

Catherine the Great Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Catherine the Great - Research Paper Example khail, Peter I, known as Peter the Great, who nearly transformed the backward country into a major power by the early eighteenth century – he succeeded in reforming both the army and administration, created the Russian navy, encouraged trade and secular education, as well as introduced Western technology (Hatt 12). The Church had been deprived of its privileges and was largely subordinated to the state; while the power of the Russian nobles – boyars – was also curbed (Hatt 12; Williams 343-345). Following the victory over Sweden in the Great Northern War, Russia expanded into the northwest, conquering the Neva valley, along with the other Baltic provinces of Sweden, like Ingria, Estonia, Livonia, Vyborg, and part of Karelia; the fort, whose construction had begun in a desolate area of marshland nearby the mouth of the Neva River in 1703, some nine years later became the capital city of the Russian empire under the name St Petersburg (Williams 345; Hatt 12). Peter the Great died before he could name his successor – some six years after the death of his son Peter, by his second marriage – so the son of Tsarevich Alexis, and Peter the Great’s grandson, became the emperor of Russia as Peter II (Williams 346). During his short reign dominated by two powerful magnates’ factions – the Menshikov and Dolgoruky factions – Russia played a rather passive role abroad (Williams 346). Peter II died before he could marry Dolgoruky’s daughter , Catherine, and was succeeded by the niece of Peter the Great, Anna Ivanovna (Williams 346). Under Empress Anna, Russia was ruled by her favorite, Birone; at home, this period was characterized by a decreased Crown control over the nobility, while abroad Russia gained control over Poland in the war of the Polish succession, as well as over Azov in the Russian – Turkish war of 1735-9 (Williams 25). One year after her death, i.e. in 1741, a palace coup carried out by the guards of the Preobrazhenskii regiment overthrew

Nussbaum on Religion and Women's Rights Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Nussbaum on Religion and Women's Rights - Essay Example In most of those works, she has taken stance strongly favoring the rights of the humans, including men and women, to freely practice their religions. At the same time, she also opined that those religions could have certain practices and traditions which restrict women’s freedom and go against their equality. This paper will first discuss Nussbaum’s views on religion and women’s rights, particularly focusing on why states should not intervene in this complex issue. Then, in the second part of the paper, we will critically discuss these views of Nussbaum on religion and women’s rights, from personal perspective and with perspectives from other thinkers. Martha Nussbaum in most of her works, including her books and various essays, took a balanced stance regarding religion and women’s rights, without criticizing either of the two key integral components. She is of the opinion that good aspects of religion has to be followed without fail, and at the sam e time, the aspects, which are in contravention with the women’s rights have to be viewed critically.... â€Å"Incidentally, this echoes her recent indictment of Susan Okin’s Is Multiculturalism Bad for Women and Okin’s Western secularist dismissal of religion† (Hackett 8). Nussbaum criticized those views of Western feminists by pointing how women particularly in non-Western countries view religions favorably for its optimal mobilizing properties, and how they give more importance to religion even forgoing their personal rights. States understanding this perspective of women avoid intervening in areas where there are complex conflicts between religion and women. In addition, Nussbaum points out more certain aspects regarding how religion can have a positive influence on all humans, particularly the women. First, she puts forward the perspective that religious tenets including faith, membership and related religious activities can aid the humans optimally, in the pursuit of general capability goals, including in the search to find inner peace and other ultimate meani ngs. When one focuses on religion based restriction on women, the religion of Islam is viewed in negative stereotypes. However, according to Nussbaum, Islam does not view women inferiorly, and has a set of moral code, which is similar to both men and women. Nussbaum further states that this fact is being accepted by the Islamic feminists as well. â€Å"Is Islam sexist in its origins? Not to many Islamic feminists, who stress that women and men are held to share a single essential nature, and that the Koran recommends similar norms of modest conduct to both women and men† (Nussbaum 106). Thus, Nussbaum views religion not in negative light in relation to women’s rights, and even criticizes the western feminists for treating non-western religions as patriarchal and regressive. In line

Processing the Crime Scene and Establishing Identity Case Study

Processing the Crime Scene and Establishing Identity - Case Study Example Murder is suspected as there is no reason for the girl to have committed suicide. It is an open and shut case, as the mother has named the suspect. After completing the formalities of investigation, it will become clear to establish motives and nail the suspect who is a school drop out and has been stalking the girl. She agreed for a date the previous night but failed to return until the suspect brought her home in an unconscious condition. According to the mother, she was a bright girl and did not need to be woken up. She had agreed to date the boy on the condition that he never asked her out again. Probably she felt he would see reason if she talked to him and encouraged him to resume schooling. She wanted the best for him. She was the type who met challenges head on. The police had come and sealed off the bedroom. The photographer was taking photographs from various angles. There were others with the police to take fingerprints, analyze DNA samples, footwear experts, and another person who looked after computer forensics. The fingerprint and DNA samples were taken. The computer forensics was only present to see first hand the body position of the deceased. The forensics report would have to wait as it came under analysis that took place at the general hospital.

SEXUAL ABUSE Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

SEXUAL ABUSE - Coursework Example 2009). The personalities and behaviors of the involved persons often provide important information to the investigators. In order to determine the validity of a sexual abuse report, the available information and evidence is often evaluated. The best source of information is often evidence from sources like statements from eye witnesses, confessions, pictures or videos that depict the abuse. Additionally, conclusive medical and forensic evidence often make the process of case validation very easy. However, this kind of evidence is very rare in child abuse cases, hence the need to derive other means of validation. Hersen & Gross (2008), claim that the majority of child cases often have the statements from the child and other evidence that may be consistent with abuse but does not prove that the abuse actually occurred. The other evidence includes the child’s emotional and behavioral characteristics, indirect medical findings, known contact with the offender, suspect seen by othe rs and objects similar to the descriptions given by the child. In case there is no other evidence, then it becomes very important to examine the statements given by the child in order to validate an abuse report. ... Sexual knowledge or behavior that is developmentally unusual: This suggests that the child has been sexually abused repeatedly and has become used to it Developmentally appropriate language: The language used by the child must be consistent with his or her age to ensure that there is no coaching. Play and gesture indicative of abuse Idiosyncratic detail: The child should be able to recount highly personalized details to add credibility to his or her statement Content of the statement: The details of the child’s statement should be thoroughly analyzed in order to establish consistency The child’s manner and emotional response: The child’s emotions must be captured to establish whether they are real or coached The existence of a motive to fabricate: The assessment should consider the factors that may be behind the child’s motive to fabricate information or be coached to lie The child corrects the interviewer: The instances where the child corrected or failed to agree with the interviewer implies that he or she is paying attention to the session The statement of the offender should be examined for validity 2 Discuss, in detail, the various charging considerations, options, and statutory schemes. In the cases of sexual abuse, the most serious potential charge is often chosen although the prosecutor must prove all the elements of the crime beyond reasonable doubt (Myers, 1997). The nature of the conduct is often significant as it determines whether the offender did it once or repeatedly. The following considerations are often made: Intentional homicide: In the event that the child is murdered, the prosecutor must prove that the perpetrator intended to kill the victim. Knowing

Managment in arts Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Managment in arts - Essay Example FNAC (National French Collection of Contemporary Art) can be considered as an example of cultural diversity in selecting the artistic works. Fifty percent of the arts collection contains French works while the other fifty percent comprises the works of arts of non-French artists. The numbers of bought works of art are French as well as non-French and are bought in a similar ratio. There is no restriction in terms of nationality and origin of the artist in terms of his/her artistic work and the works of art are bought and sold without any obligation concerning culture, nationality or origin. As far as ratio of artistic work from other nationalities is concerned, it is not equal. FNAC indicates that the artistic works from US are enormous in ratio as compared to other countries. The higher ratio from which, the works of art belong are from western richest economies such as United States, Britain, Germany, Italy and Switzerland. The collection of artistic works at FNAC contains the artistic works from 55 different countries, which represents that globalization has impacted the sector of artistic work to a great extent. The structure of artists’ nationalities is not affected because of increasing or decreasing ratio of non-French artistic works. There is a hierarchy, which is followed in order to give positions to the works of art. Globalization has not opened grounds for the poor but has provided more grounds to the rich. United States is considered at the top in terms of hierarchy of works of art in terms of foreign representation. Collections of the works of arts at various places in the world give prominence to the artists of the place while the artistic works from prominent countries such as United States, France, Britain, Switzerland, Italy, Germany, Belgium and many others, are also considered crucial and given concentration on the basis of the nationalities of the artists. The artists are

Pick one Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Pick one - Essay Example Paris has Gothic architecture that compliments its 24-hour scene (Strickland & Boswell 159). Found in northern central France with a climate of 77 Celsius, most of the city is mountainous. I also discovered that in terms of media and materials, Mona Lisa has pyramid design that has living surfaces and outlines called sfumato. The process includes aspects of both watercolor and painting with dimensions of 77  cm Ãâ€"  53  cm (30  in Ãâ€"  21  in). It calls for some tactical texture that is sensual. Light, therefore, is used by the artist sparingly (Priwer & Philips 122). I also realized that the period of painting Mona Lisa is during the Renaissance period in the 16th century when CUBISM was dominant as a style. It means the painting flourished between the 16th and 17th centuries under the political leadership of Francesco del Giocondo notably in Paris (Kemp 111). Alternatively, the visual elements that are retained from the past include the aerial perspective. However, those emphasized are the angle designs. I equally noted that there are subject matter in Mona Lisa such as surrealist allusions that enjoy the 3D medium to communicate the deeper messages. Therefore, if want to know the subject matter, you use digital platforms that embody avant-garde symbolism and patterns. I noted the use of poplar panel that ideally reflects the climate controlled conditions that are mean expand the patterns of scientific measurement especially the metal crosspieces (Priwer & Philips 124). Overall, I observed that Da Vinci was trying to tell the world different surrealist ideas concurrently with minimal use of objects, colour, and watercolour. In Paris, I chanced upon Da Vinci’s biography that he was born on 1452 in a peasant family in Anchiano and died in 1519 (Strickland & Boswell 155). His professional activities as an artist started actively in the 1480s when he painted Annunciation and St. Jerome

Determination of % Composition of Pennies Using Redox and Double Displacement (Precipitation) Reactions Essay Example for Free

Determination of % Composition of Pennies Using Redox and Double Displacement (Precipitation) Reactions Essay Introduction: Oxidation involves the gain of electrons of hydrogen or the loss of oxygen or decrease in oxidation state. If zinc completely reacts with HCL, then the theoretical yield of copper should be equivalent to the actual yield. Purpose: In this lab, we will determine the percent composition of a modern (post-1982) penny by using a strong acid to react and dissolve the zinc core, leaving only the copper coating. Once only copper remains, we will compare its mass to the entire mass of the penny to determine how much of a penny is copper and how much is zinc. 1. Obtain one 50.0 mL beaker, and label the beaker with your NAME and HOUR. 2. Obtain a penny dated 1982 or later. Wash the penny with soap and water to get it clean. 3. Using a triangular file to make FOUR oppositely-placed small grooves into the edge of the penny (the marks with be approximately 90 degrees apart. The grooves must be deep enough so that the zinc is exposed, but not so deep that the pennys mass is greatly affected. 4. Clean the top and bottom surface of the penny with steel wool until it’s shiny. Rinse the penny in acetone and dry it on paper towel. 5. Determine the mass of the penny on the balance, and record the mass in the table on the bottom of the page. Removed the penny from the balance using tweezers and place it in its beaker. 6. While wearing gloves, carefully pour 50 mL 3M HCl into the beaker. 7. Place your labeled beaker under the fume hood to react. Observe the effect the acid has on the copper outside of the penny. Questions to answer to help guide the development of procedures for the determination of the percent copper and zinc in pennies through titration and gravimetric techniques: 1. What is the weight of a post 1982 penny? 2.5 grams 2. What is the percent copper and zinc in a post 1982 penny? 97.5% zinc, 2.5% copper 3. How many grams of copper and zinc are in a post 1982 penny? 97.5 grams zinc, 2.5 grams copper 4. How many moles of copper and zinc are in post 1982 pennies? 5. Write a balanced reaction of zinc with HCl. Zn(s) + 2HCl(aq) ZnCl2(aq) + H2(g). 6. How many moles of HCl are needed to react completely with all of the zinc in a post 1982 penny? 2.5 7. In a procedure developed to determine the percent zinc in post 1982 pennies, 50 ml of an HCl solution was used to react (dissolve) all of the zinc in the penny. To ensure complete reaction, the solution contains twice as many moles of HCl that is actually needed. What concentration of HCl should be used? In the scenario described in problem 7, what is the amount (in moles) of excess (unreacted) HCl in solution? 9. How many moles of NaOH would be needed to completely react with all of the excess HCl determined in problem 8? 10. As described in problem 7, a procedure was developed to determine the percent zinc in post 1982 pennies. In that procedure 50 ml of an HCl was used to react (dissolve) all of the zinc in the penny. To ensure complete reaction, the solution contains twice as many moles of HCl that is actually needed. To determine the percent zinc in the penny, the excess (unreacted) HCl was titrated with NaOH. Determine the concentration of NaOH needed if you want to use approximately 25 mL of NaOH to titrate the excess HCl. 11. Write the balanced chemical reaction of zinc with HCl (same as problem 5). Is the product of this reaction soluble in aqueous solution? 12. Write the balanced chemical reaction of the product of the reaction described above (problem 11) with NaOH. Is the product of this reaction soluble in aqueous solution?

Factors and Hazards of Infant Development Essay Example for Free

Factors and Hazards of Infant Development Essay Factors and Hazards of Infant Development By Miranda Brueggeman EC100/EEC1700 Section 05 Foundations of Child Development Winter 2013 There are many factors and hazards that influence the development of babies before they are even born. In this essay I will only be discussing three that I feel are essential for parents to understand. The three I will be talking about are as follows: Limiting exposure to any and all teratogens such as drugs, alcohol, tobacco, and environmental chemicals; Consuming a nutritious diet; and The importance of obtaining early prenatal care. Women should avoid unnecessary contact with known teratogens when they are thinking about getting pregnant or already are pregnant. Several factors can influence a teratogen’s harmful effect on fetal development, including the amount of exposure, fetal age, and genetic makeup of the mother and fetus (Developmental Profiles, 2012, p. 80). Mothers who consume alcohol during pregnancy have a greater risk of miscarriages, stillbirths, premature infants, and low birth weight infants (Developmental Profiles, 2012, p. 80). No amount of alcohol is considered safe to consume during pregnancy (Developmental Profiles, 2012, p. 1). Mothers who smoke during pregnancy are more likely to experience miscarriage, premature births, stillborn infants, and low birth weight infants (Developmental Profiles, 2012, p. 81). Substances known to have a negative effect on the developing fetus range from prescription and nonprescription medications to pesticides, fertilizers, and street drugs. It is very important that both parents are fully aware of these facts and that they do their best to avoid any and all teratogens before, during, and after pregnancy. Depending what the mother eats before and during pregnancy has a significant effect on her health as well as the developing fetus. Consuming a healthy diet lessens the risk of having a low birth weight or premature infant (Developmental Profiles, 2012, p. 75). During the Live Lecture this week I heard that it is a good idea to take Folic Acid three months prior to getting pregnant because it can help prevent certain birth defects. Nutrition is definitely very important for the mother and baby. In China both mother and father will cleanse their bodies for an entire year before even trying to get pregnant! Another thing to remember is that babies need a lot of the essential vitamins and minerals and the mother should take some sort of prenatal vitamins to have enough nutrients for her own body to stay healthy. Medically supervised prenatal care is critical for ensuring the development of a healthy infant (Developmental Profiles, 2012, p. 74). A lack of prenatal care is often associated with an increased rate of medical complications, preterm births, low birth weight infants, fetal death, and disabilities (Developmental Profiles, 2012, p. 74). Parents who have pre-existing diseases or are on medications of any kind need to speak with their doctor before trying to get pregnant. Some medications are very bad for fetal development. I myself have rheumatoid arthritis along with anxiety and depression and I will need to seek a medical professional for advice before trying to get pregnant. Another reason why you should see a doctor before/during pregnancy is because they can give you a list of certain things you need to avoid or things you should and should not do for a safe and healthy pregnancy/baby. In conclusion, even though there are other factors and hazards to consider before/during pregnancy these three are a great start to having a healthy baby. The best thing you can do for your future baby is seek out a medical professional right away because they can tell you all about the do’s and don’ts and help you along your journey into parenthood. Reference Page Marotz, Lynn R. , Allen, Eileen K. (2012) Developmental Profiles: pre-birth through adolescence 7th edition. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth. Retrieved from http://www. coursesmart. com/bookshelf.

Factors contributing to child abuse

Factors contributing to child abuse According to the US Advisory Board on Child Abuse and Neglect, about 4,000,000 children die each year as a result of child abuse and neglect (Bob 12). Child abuse refers to nonaccidental harm that is inflicted on children by their parents or other adults (Magill 218). Many people do not take child abuse seriously because they either believe that harsh discipline is necessary, or they do not realize how bad it really is. Both child abuse and neglect are serious social problems that often have a lasting negative impact on the development of minors (Magill 218). Due to the incredibly violent and graphic nature of A Child Called It, readers may not believe the encounters are factual. However, they most regrettably are true. The abusive actions in A Child Called It parallel those of real-life child abuse cases. Abuse mostly occurs in families who are young, poor, and single (Palmisano 228). When families are going through hard times, there is a lot of stress that comes along with it. With all of this stress, the parents take it out on their children. Having a crisis in the home heightens the chances that a child will be abused (Bob 15). A familys relationship is a very important part of the system in the household. Domestic violence and parental issues are also contributing problems in reoccurring child abuse cases. Parents who abuse each other are more likely to abuse their child as well, because violence in one aspect of family life often flows into other aspects (Rein 54). Families in which the wife hits the husband, the child abuse rate was considerably higher, resulting in 22.9 children per one hundred children (Rein 54). There has also been found a correlation between family income and child abuse and neglect, (Rein 52). Child abuse cases are more likely to occur in households where money is in short supply, especially if the caregivers are unemployed (Bob 15). Difficulty in the family structure can also trigger child abuse. Children in single-family households were at higher risk of physical abuse and all types of neglect than were children in other family structures (Rein 51). In A Child Called It Dave Pelzer suffers child abuse at the hands of his alcoholic mother. It was not like this all the time. At first she was a loving and caring mother, and then she changed dramatically. Together they used to have good times. They would always spend all their time together, going to the zoo and the park, until the family slowly started to split apart. Pelzers father was a firefighter, so he worked many twenty-four hour shifts, which caused problems between him and his wife. If parents are having problems in their relationship, then they take out their anger on others. In Pelzers situation, his mother took care of all her feelings by drinking and abusing her son. Most people believe that the fathers are abusers because they are bigger and stronger, but it is mostly the women. In fact, there are many households where the woman of the family beats the man: 80% of fatal maltreatment cases were attributed to women, that is for both child abuse, and spouse abuse (Carey 23). Many people believe that women are not capable of child abuse because of their maternal instinct, but woman are the abusive ones. According to Carey, 58% of child abuse is by the mother. Many abusers inflict abuse onto their kids because that is how they grew up. The severity of child abuse, and the manner in which children are abused, bears a strong resemblance to the type of maltreatment experienced by their mothers (Kim 54). Another big contributing factor to child abuse is substance abuse. There are some cases where there is drug abuse, but the most common substance is alcohol. According to the Children of Alcoholics Foundation, 40 percent of confirmed child abuse cases involve the use of alcohol or other drugs (Kim 54). In most cases, with or without depression as a factor, studies indicate that a major contributing factor to child abuse is alcohol or drug addiction (Kim 54). In A Child Called It, the abuse is done by Pelzers alcoholic mother. With the father gone, the mother made herself useless and drunk. At times while Father was away at work, she would spend the entire day lying on the couch, dressed only in her bathrobe, watching television. Mom got up only to go to the bathroom, get another drink or heat leftover food (Pelzer 30). Shortly after this phase of being lazy, she started to abuse her son, with alcohol at her side. Whenever child abuse is suspected, the most important thing to do is to report it. Many people do not report child abuse, which may result in the child dying. There are so many reasons that people do not report child abuse, and it becomes a big mistake: 60% failed to report child maltreatment because they did not have enough evidence that the child had been maltreated (Rein 23). Whether there is a lot of evidence or not, all child abuse suspicions should be reported because it could save a childs life. Also, around 16% failed to report because they did not think CPS would do a good job (Rein 23). Whether it is believed that they would do a good job or not, letting someone know what is going on can make the smallest difference in a childs life. One-third of the mandated reporters thought the abuse was not serious enough to warrant reporting (Rein 23). There are many organizations today that will help if there is suspected child abuse, without putting the victim in any further danger. For example, there are the Societies for the Cruelty to Children, American Human Association, Child Welfare League, National Council on Child Abuse and Family Violence, and much more (Dolan 60-68). In A Child Called It all of the teachers knew about Pelzers abuse but did not say anything. According to Pelzer, every day when he walked into school he went to the nurse for their daily routine. She would ask him to remove his clothes and check all over his body for new marks. All of the teachers knew but were afraid to say something. Mr. Hansen, one of the teachers that knew about this, even called home one night to talk to his mother. When Pelzer got home that night he got a beating because of it. Child abuse is a serious crime. Many people are afraid to intervene, but they should. Many people do not really believe that child abuse is as bad as they hear from different stories, but it really is. In A Child Called It, most things that happen in real life child abuse cases, was present in the book. In both real life and in Pelzers story, the family was experiencing trouble in the structure and relationships. Also, the abuser was the mother figure. And the worse thing of all is the community negligence. Many people do not say anything, whether what they suspect is really happening or not. Child abuse is real and Dave Pelzer experienced it first hand.

Fanons Three Stages Related To The Indigenous People Of Chiapas :: essays research papers

Fanon's Three Stages Related to the Indigenous People of Chiapas The passage Shadows of Tender Fury by Subcommander Marcos of the Zapatista Army explains that the people of Chiapas are currently facing a period of revolution. The Zapatista army (consisting of Chiapian campesinos) has risen to combat the intolerant system of oppression by the Mexican government and has attempted to create a better lifestyle for the campesinos of Chiapas. Frantz Fanon's three stages to national culture; assimilation, self discovery, and revolution, relate to the struggle of the campesinos of Chiapas. In the last 500 years, the indigenous people of Chiapas have faced all three of Fanan's stages during their struggle for the development of a national culture. Five-hundred years ago when the first Europeans came in contact with the Mayan Indians, the first stage of Fanon's theory, assimilation, began formalizing. Throughout history the colonizers of Mexico were more technologically advanced than the natives. The Europeans had guns, cannons and massive ships. Not only did these possessions enable them to have greater brute force, but it took the white man to the level of the gods in the eyes of the natives. The colonizers could easily take advantage of this reverence. Fanon states "The effect consciously sought by colonialism was to drive into the natives' heads the idea that if the settlers were to leave, they would at once fall back into barbarism, degradation, and bestiality."(Fanon 211) The colonizers, believing the natives were savages that needed enlightenment, forced European culture upon them. The Europeans believed that to assimilate the natives to European culture was to help them progress. Therefore, to return to the old ways would have been regressing. When the natives objected to the forced assimilation, the colonizers smothered the rebellious efforts with stronger, more lethal weapons. Fanon compares the colonizer to a mother who restrains her "perverse" child so that he will not commit suicide.(Fanon 211) The analogy implies that the colonized must be protected (by the colonizer) from self-destruction. In the minds of the European colonizers, this idea of protection justified forcing assimulation onto the natives. Although the native campesinos (the poor people of Chiapas) haven't fully assimulated, they have adopted particular aspects of European and present day Mexican culture. The campesinos have learned the Spanish language and joined the catholic religion. An example of Fanon's first phase is when the colonizer tries to calm the angry, poor and exploited colonized people by promising social reform.(Fanon 207) These reforms promise things such as employment, welfare and education. According to Fanon, the government rarely follows through with pledged social reform. They find it easier to simply

Pornography and Feminism :: Feminism Feminist Women Criticism

Pornography and Feminism    It is constantly surrounding us. It cannot be evaded. Pornography is an initial part of the entertainment mainstream. Whether it is in magazines, or in music, pornography is gender-prejudiced. The word pornography can be defined as the depiction of erotic behavior intended to cause sexual excitement.    Degrasion towards women is its only accomplishment. The poses they take and the acts they perform are all part of the discrimination that women face . The only thing pornography offers is negative effects on women. Pornography, whether on a page, in music, or on screen, is degrading to all females. Magazines, posters, and other materials portray women as something less than human. A women in Florida argued that she was harassed by her male co-workers who put up graphically sexual posters and calendars, some showing women being abused. Among the offensive materials was a poster with a frontal view of a nude women with a dehumanizing USDA choice printed on it. Also , a teacher in Canada asked the Ontario Human Rights Commission to order the removal of pornographic magazines from convenience stores on the grounds that they create a hostile environment for women. Even Playboy and Penthouse , two of the more popular menà ¾s magazines that actually contain insightful articles on current i ssues or events, degrade women. Psychologist Marty Mckay says that the only way to protect womenà ¾s rights is to prohibit the sale of skin magazines in corner stores. Men are not put into the same portion, and there in lies the discrimination. When speaking of pornography in action, X- rated videos are the first thing that comes to mind. A shop in downtown Toronto that sells dirty movies and frightening looking sex toys has Ultra Great Sex tapes for less than $25.30. One scene contains two men performing simultaneous anal and vaginal intercourse on one women. The obscenity law found in subsection 8 of section 163 in Canadaà ¾s Criminal Code says that a work is absence and illegal if one of its dominant characteristics involves the undue exploitation of sex. A Canada court created three rankings for obscenity. The first, any materials that mixes explicit sex and violence , or include children. The second, works that involves explicit sex and degradation that encourage violence or harm toward women. Finally, other sexual explicit materials is permissible because the obscenity law cannot à ¾inhibit the celebration of human sexuality.

Juvenile Justice: Should Minors be charged as Adults? Essay

A movement has taken hold of our country to change the juvenile justice system, and erase any distinction between young offenders and adult criminals. Almost all fifty states have changed their juvenile justice laws, allowing more youths to be tried as adults and scrapping long-time efforts to help rehabilitate delinquent kids and prevent future crimes. It seems to be plain and simple, a minor in this country is defined as a person under the age of eighteen. How then can we single out certain minors and call them adults? Were they considered adults before they carried out an act of violence? No. How then, did a violent act cause them to cross over a line that is defined by age? The current debate over juvenile crime is being dominated by two voices: elected officials proposing quick-fix solutions, and a media more intent on reporting violent crimes than successful prevention efforts. Minors should not be tried as adults in our society today. This is obvious through looking at proposi tions by our government such as Proposition 21, which is statistics on juvenile crime from specific cases where minors were sentenced in adult courts. Politicians feel that best solution is to lock up youth offenders for long periods of time. Most studies demonstrate that putting young offenders in adult prisons leads to more crime, higher prison costs, and increased violence. Yet, our nation is spending more and more on prisons, and less on crime prevention efforts. Some states spend more on prisons than they do on education. The cost of keeping juveniles in prison as compared to putting them into rehabilitation programs is astronomically higher. It can cost five thousand dollars to keep a juvenile in prison, when all they need to do is go to high school. Also the effectiveness of prisons preventing juveniles from becoming repeat offenders is low. Kids, who have already spent time in adult prisons, are far more likely to commit more serious crimes when they are released. Crime prevention programs work and are affordable. They have also been shown to reduce crime substantially. There are many crime prevention programs around the country that have been very successful in helping to reduce juvenile crime. Many states use programs that are designed to help parents of troubled kids in raising their children. These programs  offer strategies and tactics for helping supervise and discipline troubled children. This is done, because it is believed that one of the causes of delinquency is that parents of kids with delinquent tendencies simply don’t know what to do with them. The parents just let their kids commit any crimes they want, because they do not have any idea how to prevent them. These programs as well as other similar ones have been shown to have quite an influence on crime prevention. Media reports on juvenile crime are greatly exaggerated. Crime level indicators show that the male â€Å"at risk† population will rise over the next decade, but the levels are far from the explosive level that the media says. In fact, the levels are not high at all. The public also holds greatly distorted views about the prevalence and severity of juvenile crime. Contrary to what the people think, the percentage of violent crimes committed by juveniles is low. Young people commit under ten percent of violent crimes. Also, most juvenile arrests have nothing to do with violence. Most kids only go through the juvenile justice system once, and that is for some minor crime such as drug posession. Most youths will simply out grow â€Å"delinquent† behavior once they mature. But the media thrives on these stories, so they make it appear that crime is everywhere in order to sell more newspapers, or have people watch their broadcast. This simply shows how the media exaggerates w hat they are saying about juveniles. History is known to repeat itself. This saying is no lie when you look at the history of juvenile justice. Until Chicago established the first juvenile court in the United States in 1899, children 14 and older were considered to be as responsible as adults for their actions. Minors as young as 13 were occasionally sentenced to death, and some were executed. Discomfort with the death penalty and with imprisoning children with adults led to the creation of a separate court. This court acted as the â€Å"parent or guardian† of young offenders. Solutions include therapy, education, and community service. So if we already felt that children should not be able to be tried as adults and we created a juvenile system to correct this, why turn our backs on it and go back to our cruel ways of more than 100 years ago? The answer is simple, we shouldn’t. We need to improve our juvenile system, a system that  has been working fine since 1899. The government has taken the initiative to come up with a plan of their own called Proposition 21, which would try offenders as adults rather than juvenile. Proposition 21 would require juvenile offenders 14 years or older to be charged as adults. It would limit confidentiality for juveniles who are charged with or convicted of specified felonies. The largest change under Proposition 21, is that it would require that certain juvenile crime offenders be held in a local or state correctional facilities rather than in juvenile facilities. It would designate certain crimes as violent and serious, thereby making offenders subject to longer sentences. Proposition 21 was proposed so that fourteen year olds and older would be tried as adults for serious crimes. If Proposition 21 passes it is going to send thousands of fourteen to sixteen year olds to state prison. Proposition 21 does nothing to protect our communities, and all it does is imprison children. Rather than decrease, if propositio n 21 passes, crime rates are going to increase. This will happen, because children will be involved in more prison crimes and there will be more crimes used to incriminate young children. If passed, it will imprison many juveniles with â€Å"top-notch† criminals. These children will not be given the opportunity for rehabilitation like in the juvenile system. Without treatment and education, the only thing a juvenile can learn while locked up with adult criminals, is how to become a better criminal. These teenagers will not be given the opportunity of rehabilitation and will come out of jail only worse then they were before. Our nation also has a tragic record of sexual and physical assaults on juveniles in prison with adult criminals. Adult criminals will then most likely take advantage of these teenagers. Proposition 21 is a horrible idea and is a step in the wrong direction that only further hurts our youth. Many people feel that juvenile crime is getting out of control. If you look at the statistics, you can see that this is not true. The arrest rate for violent juvenile crime has fallen for four years in a row; according to the Juvenile Justice Department report released this month. If this rate is declining is there a need to make harsher laws for minors? No. When looking  at statistics you must look for misleading notions in the reports. The public rarely hears the good news in the juvenile court systems. This alone tells us, they do deserve a second chance, and that we cannot give up on our youth. In conclusion, the topic of juvenile justice and sentencing minors with adult penalties is a heated debate. Many elected officials go for the quick-fix solutions. The media will always show the worst of juvenile crime, and not any positive which makes people feel that there is a huge problem. Minors should not be tried as adults in our society today, because it does not help keeping our country crime-free. Bad quick fixes such as Proposition 21 do not help, the just send our society a step back. Juvenile crime does exist and youths do commit violent acts. However, it is not on the scale that many people would like the public to believe. The statistics do not lie and juvenile crime is falling. The solution is to this problem is not a simple one and cannot be solved by simply putting kids in adult prisons or propositions. More effective solutions should be explored and put to use. We need to have faith in out juvenile system. The law created the defining line between minors and adults, but now everyone wants to ignore the definition because the crime got more ugly. The minor is still a minor, no matter how ugly the act.

Culture And Climate Essay

In this paper a relationship between culture and climates is discussed with a focus on the southern California hunter gatherer societies. When there is a climate change the society will have to change their way of life in order to cope or else the change of climate could end up affecting the society adversely and even claiming life. Some of the change that occurs in the society due to climate change is that of food that is being eaten. Change in climate also could mean the people adapt to a new dressing code because of the increase or reduction in the temperatures. The effect of climate change will have a varying effect on the communities depending on whether they are gatherers/hunters or agriculturalist. When there is rain reduction the effect will be felt more by the agriculturalist than the hunters as much as all of them need the rain. When there is lack of rains some communities end up being violent as they fight for the few resources like pasture and water points. A good example of such an experience is the massacre that occurred at the Craw Creek whose evidence was the mass grave that was found with the remains of 486 individuals who had been mutilated. The attackers it is believed that, they made the attack because they were desperate due to lack of food as a result of climate change. When the society has a fear of being attacked they will always prepare for war. The society starts training the young people on how to fight and protect the community wealth. The community which has a tendency of being involved in wars will have its members having the skills of making weapons. They will also be involved in trade with other communities in order to sell or buy weapons. Some of the communities in Southern California like Chumash had other ways that they used as adaptation means to climate change that brought about severe droughts. This community adapted to using of a variety of plants and animal food such that when the climatic conditions were unfavorable they could resort to the use of the less preferred food which could be available at the time and these could help them avoid starvation. The communities learnt skills of storing food to avert effects caused by short term climatic changes. These community stored acorns, had skills of smoking and drying of fish, they dried seeds in addition to having the skills of constructing indoor and outdoor storage facilities. With enough food stored the community was able to support a dense population throughout the year including the years when there was little harvest. Different species of crops and varieties perform differently in same climate change. This also applies to the different tamed animals. There are some crops that will give a very low harvest or none at all when there is a change in climate while others survive in different climatic conditions. When communities are faced with unpredictable climate condition they resort to farming of different crops so as to survive harsh climatic conditions as seen from the case of the Chumash people. Water is a resource that becomes rare whenever there is extended droughts and as a result the communities which live in areas that are prone to droughts always have a culture of storing water. The Chumash people can also serve as an example in this area as research has shown that they had storage facilities to ensure there was supply of water for their use during the drought period. Their most common storage vessel was an asphalt interior lined water bottle. Due to the fact that asphalt preserves well, the evidence of the water bottle use and manufacture by the community is clear. The communities that were neighbors to the Chumash like Cahuilla and were in the desert regions had the skills of digging wells as way of adapting to the desert conditions. Exchange which was practiced among the Chumash is also seen as a way of the community trying to cope with the environment they new to be unpredictable. By the time of arrival of the Spanish the society was involved in exchange of prestige goods which partially had support of marriages that were so extensive that there was linkage of different ecological zones. There was a variety of goods that were being traded among the adjacent regions and these included foods, raw materials, manufactured goods and other goods. With the community involved in trade chiefs and other individuals who were powerful amassing a lot of wealth to themselves which was in form of prestige goods, a lot of food that was in storage facilities, shell beads which was being used as currency and canoes. This also brought about the emerging of network systems that were very powerful which involved ceremonial feasts. The use of prestige goods is believed to have been adopted as a form of social storage over thousands of years as a response to recurring droughts that challenged steady supply of required resources of the Chumash society. Reference Lynn H. (2005). Culture and Climate: Reconsidering the Effect of Palaeoclimatic Variability among Southern California Hunter-Gatherer Societies. World Archaeology, Vol. 37, No. 1, retrieved on 27TH April 2009 from: http://www. jstor. org/stable/40023887

Philosophy of life Essay

NAGAPPAN SETHURAMAN Existentialism as a philosophy is historically and culturally of European origin. Ever since it was recognised as the dominating philosophy of the West in the midtwentieth century, it has left â€Å"its impact on literature [which] has both been substantial and significant† (Chatterji 10). Existentialism does not offer a set of doctrines or a single philosophy system. It has been diversely defined and interpreted by various thinkers over the years. As a result, â€Å"as a philosophy, existentialism by its very nature defies and abhors systematisation† (Ahmad 10). Nevertheless, it is possible to identify certain traits of this school of thought. All the existentialists â€Å"emphasise the importance of the individual as well as his freedom and responsibility for being what he is† (Das 423). In their attempt to describe man’s â€Å"existence and its conflicts, the origin of its conflicts, and the anticipation of overcoming them† (Ahmad 13), existentialists focus their attention on certain aspects of human existence. Srivastava enumerates them as follows: b) it is never safe and ever at the mercy of chance, c) it is full of suffering, of one variety or other, d) it is full of conflict, e) it is rotted in guilt, f) it cannot escape from the final situation of death (185). These tenets of existentialism have been widely reflected in the literature of the world since the advent of Sartre who established an interaction between literature and philosophy in his writings. John Macquarrie sums up the essence of existentialism as, â€Å"On the whole, it has been the tragic sense of life†¦ that has been prevalent among the existentialists† (Macquarrie 164). Almost all great writers of the present generation have handled the doctrines of existentialism in their works. This is the main reason why â€Å"man’s alienation, dread, absurdity, bad faith, responsibility, commitment to freedom, anguish are the very hallmarks of 20th century literature† (Ahmad 5). As a novelist, Anita Desai exhibits a strong inclination towards the existentialist interpretation of the human predicament. In particular, she voices â€Å"the mute miseries and helplessness of married women tormented by existentialist problems and predicaments† (Prasad 139). A woman novelist, Desai has won a niche by exploring the emotional world of women, bringing to light the various deeper forces at work in feminine sensibility as well as psychology. This predilection leads her to examine the psyche of her women protagonists when they are confronted with the absurdity of life. This draws her attention to the darker side of life. She projects a tragic vision in her novels by placing her female protagonists in hostile situations. Desai further examines her women protagonists as individuals who find themselves forced into uncongenial environments, fighting against the odds. This problem of the The Indian Review of World Literature in English, Vol. 1, No. I – Jan, 2005 tragic tension between the individual and their unfavourable environment acquires the dimensions of existential angst. Starting from her first novel Cry the Peacock to the latest Baumgartner’s Bombay, all her novels highlight the existentialist’s predilection for portraying the predicament of man. Many critics have traced shades of existentialist thought in the novel of Anita Desai. Time and again her themes and characters have been interpreted in the light of existential philosophy. In this regard it has been pointed out: Desai’s chief concern is human relationship. Her central theme is she existential predicament of an individual, which she projects through incompatible couples- very sensitive wives and ill matched husbands. She is a minute observer and perceives everything mutely, minutely and delicately. Whenever she creates a poetical situation, she gives it a perfect poetic treatment to every detail (Singh 12) Anita Desai’s characters are self-conscious of the reality around them and they carry a sense of loneliness, alienation and pessimism. She adds a new dimension turning inward into the realities of life and plunges into the deep-depths of the human psyche to score out its mysteries and chaos in the minds of characters. Particularly Fire on the Mountain has been identified as â€Å"the lyrical fictionalization of the quintessence of existentialism† (Gupta 185). A close study of the texture and theme of the novel in relation to the tenets of existentialism justifies the above observation. It has been noted that â€Å"Fire on the Mountain displays skillful dramatisation of experiences of certain women embroiled by the cross way of life† (Choudhury 77). This novel deals with the existential angst experienced by the female protagonist Nanda Kaul, an old lady living in isolation. It also projects the inner turmoil of a small girl, Raka, who is haunted by a sense of futility. Thirdly, it presents the plight of a helpless woman, Ila Das who is in conflict with forces that are too powerful to be encountered, resulting in her tragic death. Thus, the existential themes of solitude, alienation, the futility of human existence and struggle for survival form the major themes of the novel. Fire on the Mountain falls into three sections, each further divided into several short chapters of unequal length. The first section titled â€Å"Nand Kaul at Carignano† runs into ten chapters. This section deals with Nanda Kaul, the main protagonist’s lonely life in Kasauli. â€Å"Raka comes to Carignano† forms the second section and it contains twenty one chapters. It portrays Nanda Kaul’s change of attitude towards Raka, her great granddaughter. The final section â€Å"Ila Das leaves Carignano† is divided into thirteen chapters. This section presents the tragic end of Ila Da, Nanda Kaul’s childhood friend. In all, the book runs to 145 pages. The structural unity, as suggested by the section captions is offered by Carignano, Nanda Kaul and Raka, running counter to one another complemented by that of Ila Das also provide unity of structure. Like the other works of Anita Desai, the present novel contains neither any story value nor events that are interesting by themselves. The entire novel revolves round the existential angst experienced by the women protagonists. In this novel, â€Å"the story element is very thin and there is practically no action except for the tragic end† (Indira 96). The story revolves round the inner lives of the two female protagonists, Nand Kaul and Raka. Nanda Kaul is the wife of Mr. Kaul, the Vice-Chancellor of the Punjab University. When the novel begins, Nanda The Indian Review of World Literature in English, Vol. 1, No. I – Jan, 2005 Kaul is living in Carignano, far from the madding crowd. She is leading a life of isolation and introspection. She shuns all human company. Even the postman’s arrival to deliver the letter is frowned upon by her. But this seeming quietude does not last long. Raka arrives at Carignano to convalesce after her typhoid attack. The old woman and the young girl live in double singleness. But as days pass by, Nanda Kaul finds herself drawn towards Raka, something she had not expected. But the little girl refuses to be befriended and escapes into the hills looking for company in solitude. Ila Das, Nanda Kaul’s childhood friend visits Carignano to meet Raka. A one time lecture in the Punjab University, Ila Das had lost her job subsequent to Mr. Kaul’s retirement. She has come to Kasauli now in her new capacity as an officer in the social welfare department. She fights against child marriage by enlightening the local people about the evils of this practice. This invites the wrath of many of the villagers of whom Preet Singh is one. His attempts to barter his little daughter for a tiny piece of land and a few goats have been successfully thwarted by Ila Das. He is lying in wait to settle his score with her. One evening, when Ila Das returns late from Carignano to her humble house in the valleys, he waylays her, rapes and murders her. When the news of Ila Das’s death is conveyed to Nand Kaul over the phone, she is rudely shocked and falls dead. Raka unaware of her great grandmother’s death, rushes into the house proclaiming wildly that she has set the forest of fire. Nanda Kaul, Raka and to some extent Ila Das, are embodiments of the existential predicament experienced by the individual in an un-understanding and even hostile universe. A detailed examination of the characters of these protagonists brings to light how Anita Desai has succeeded in giving expression to her existentialist world-view through these characters and by a subtle use of imagery and symbols. When the novel begins, Nand Kaul is presented as a recluse. Living all alone, except for the company of the servants who dare not disturb her privacy, she brooks no human presence. â€Å"She wanted no one and nothing else. Whatever else came, or happened here, would be unwelcome intrusion and distraction†(FM 3). She spends her days in isolation, musing about her past and experiencing the existential ennui. â€Å"From the musings of her agitated mind it appears that as the wife of the vicechancellor for the Punjab University and the mother of several children, she has lived a very busy and tiring life â€Å"(Raizada 44). Anita Desai unfurls her past in the form of long interior monologues punctuated by authorial interruptions, Nanda Kaul had witnessed only betrayals and demands in life before her retirement to Kasauli. She had lived a monotonous life receiving and treating the endless stream of visitors who used to call on her vice-chancellor husband. Her husband had carried on a life-long affair with his mathematics mistress Miss David, whom he would have married, had she not been a Christian. Again, the memories of her children make Nanda Kaul shudder at the very thought of her past. As a mother of several children, all demanding and unaccommodative, she had been given too many anxious moments. Now all alone in Carignano, a house associated with many weird stories, Nanda Kaul feels that loneliness is the only essential condition of human life. Whenever she looks at the tall pine trees that stand out from among the underwood, she is reminded of her own alienation. Not exactly conscious of what she is waiting for, nonetheless, she is awaiting the inevitable end to all human existence: death. She is haunted by the existential angst which has led her to conclude that human life is basically a lonely struggle against the odds of life. In her case the odds have manifested themselves in the form of an adulterous husband and cantankerous children. Strongly convinced The Indian Review of World Literature in English, Vol. 1, No. I – Jan, 2005 that life and dealt a raw deal to her, she has resolved to find the meaning, if any, of her existence in isolation. â€Å"She treasures her freedom, her privacy, glad her responsibilities towards her family are over, glad she needs nobody and nobody now needs her† (Krishnaswamy 260). This has coloured her outlook on life to a large extent. Her reaction to the arrival of the postman and Raka, her invalid great granddaughter, makes it appear that she has become a misanthrope. But the truth seems to be that she is a sensitive person preoccupied with the real nature of her existence as opposed to the illusory life of her past as a vice-chancellor’s wife and mother to children. â€Å"If Nanda Kaul was a recluse out of vengeance for a long life of duty and obligation, her great grand daughter was a recluse by nature, by instinct. She had not arrived at this condition by a long route of rejection and sacrifice [like Nanda Kaul], she was born to it, simply â€Å"(FM 48). Desai’s above observation about Raka’s character at once brings out the similarity and difference with that of Nanda Kaul’s in their mental make up. Raks’s characters has been introduced by the novelist as a foil to Nanda Kaul’s. If Nanda Kaul symbolises a particular aspect of existentialism, which is examined elsewhere in this chapter, Raka epitomises another aspect of the existential predicament: the influence of her parents on her life. Anita Desai makes Raka both young temperamentally and solitude-loving. When Raka is first introduced, the reader is informed that she is the granddaughter of Asha, the most problematic of Nanda Kaul’s daughters. That she is an unwelcome intruder into Nanda Kaul’s life is suggested by an image. As Nanda Kaul first looks at her greatgrand daughter who is walking towards her, she reminds the old lady of an insect: Raka slowed down, dragged her foot, then came towards her great grandmother with something despairing in her attitude.. She turned a pair of extravagantly large and somewhat bulging eyes about in a way that made the old lady feel more than ever her resemblance to an insect. (FM 39). However, the old lady is shocked to see the pale and gaunt little girl and is moved to pity. But â€Å"to Nanda Kaul she was still an intruder, an outsider, a mosquito flown up from the plains to tease and worry† (FM 40). Raka herself does not bother much about the â€Å"blatant lack of warmth†(FM 40) exhibited by her great grandmother. She prefers to stay away from company. Like a wild animal newly caged, she keeps prowling barefoot in her room, looking at the stone heaps. She is not interested in flowers or playing as children of her age normally tend to do. By using two reptile images successively in a span of two pages, and by a suggestive hint about Raka’s lack of interest in play and flowers, Desai impliedly establishes that there is something weird about her. Soon through several interior monologues enacted in Raka’s subconscious mind, the reason for the abnormality in her is unfolded. The daughter of an ill-matched couple, Raka has been witness to the brutality and futility of human existence. She is haunted by the recollections of the nightmarish nights that have made her almost a child-stoic. Somewhere behind them, behind it all was her father, home from a party, stumbling and crashing through the curtains of the night, his mouth opening to let out a flood of rotten stench, beating at her mother with hammers and fists of abuse-harsh, filthy abuse that made Raka cower under her bedclothes and wet her mattress in fright, feeling the stream of urine warm and weakening between her legs like a stream of blood, and her mother lay down on the floor and shut her eyes and wept. Under her The Indian Review of World Literature in English, Vol. 1, No. I – Jan, 2005 feet, in the dark, Raka felt that flat, wet jelly of her mother’s being squelching and quivering, so that she didn’t know where to put her feet and wept as she tried to get free of it. Ahead of her,no longer on the ground but at some distance now, her mother was crying. Then it was a jackal crying. (FM 72) The sudden shift from the interior monologue about her bitter past to the present observation of the jackal crying, the latter superimposed on the former brings out Raka’s predicament. By doing this, the novelist likens the haunting memories to the crying jackals. So Raka’s life is a close encounter with things that are wild and frightful- be it the memories of her mother beaten to pulp by a drunkard father or the chilling cry of the jackals. Instead of trying to escape from this harsh and unnerving experiences and memories, Raka goes farther and deeper into them as if to fathom the bottom of such wild realities. After some initial hesitation, she ventures deep down the ravine to the Monkey Point- a place not frequented by others and from where the cries of the jackals are heard: No one ever came here but Raka and the cuckoos that sand invisibly. These [the cuckoos]were not the dutiful domestic birds that called Nanda Kaul to attention at Carignano. They were the demented birds that raved and beckoned Raka on to a land where there was no sound, only silence, no light, only shade, and skeletons kept in beds of ash on which the footprints of jackals flowered in gray. (FM 90) This passage effectively coveys Raka’s plight and significance. She is at once a little girl with a splintered psyche and an unmistakable symbol of the individual’s quest for meaning. The jackals are symbols of the mystery of life and Raka’s walk to the Monkey Point is symbolic of her search for something unknown, yet inevitable and indispensable. Not all children would dare to brave the rough terrains of the ravines and impending menace of the jackals. Similarly, not all human beings are conscious of the futility of human existence nor are they in search of newer values. The existential theme of quest for meaning undertaken by those who refuse to remain merely as members of the multitude is well brought out in the lonely and mystified wanderings of Raka. In this respect it has been pointed out by Shantha Krishnaswamy: Her [Raka’s] childhood has hardened her into a little core of solitary self-sufficiency and now, a young girl up here in the mountains.. her spirit is defiant enough to go chanting ‘I don’t care, I don’t care, I can’t care of anything’ (FM 73). The conventional sweet smells and sounds of girlhood are ignored, she feels drawn by scenes of devastation and failure. The forest fires tingle her and she bursts from the shell of Carignano like a sharp, keen edged explosive to set fire to the mountainside. (Krishnaswamy 261, 262) The concluding part of the foregoing observation concerning Raka’s predilection for the forest fires needs elaborate analysis for it has symbolic overtones. Ever since her arrival at Carignano, Raka evinces a keen interest in wild fire. This obsession with the forest fire provides yet another dimension with the forest fire provides to her existentialist preoccupations. Immediately after her arrival at Carignano, on witnessing a fire in the forest she becomes obsessed with forest fires for they seem to her the empirical manifestation of her inner conflict: whether to continue with her mediocre and painful and aimless existence imposed upon her by heredity and environment or to revolt against their dictates and attempt to create her own values. The Indian Review of World Literature in English, Vol. 1, No. I – Jan, 2005 By an elaborate expression of her free will and demonstration of her ability to choose and act, she sets the forest on fire towards the end of the novel. The fire created by her is the result and manifestation of her existential angst to destroy the old and meaningless to make room for the new and significant. It is an affirmation of her search for values in an otherwise futile existence. Ila Das is the third female protagonist of the novel. Unlike Nanda Kaul and Raka who are central to the story, her role is only marginal. Nonetheless, Anita Desai has projected yet another aspect of the existentialist philosophy through her character. â€Å"Her life suggests another dimension of misery and meaningless existence† (Jena 30). She is first introduced to the readers, when she calls Nanda Kaul on the phone and informs her of her intended visit to Kasauli to meet Raka. She speaks in a â€Å"hideous voice† (FM 21) and is rather plain in her looks. Through a long interior monologue in Nanda Kaul’s mind, the readers are informed of her past. She was Nanda Kaul’s childhood friend. She had also served in the university as a lecturer, thanks to Nanda Kaul’s good offices. But soon after the death of Mr. Kaul she had been ousted and had struggled a lot before finding the present employment as a social welfare officer. A poverty stricken loner of aristocratic of child marriage, a practice rampant among the tribals. This lands her in an unenviable situation. She finds herself fighting a lonely battle against a mindless multitude. But she is not cowed down by adversity. She remains steadfast in her conviction and refuses to make any compromises. Though she is aware of the dire consequences that she might be forced to encounter, she remains faithful to her cause. She succeeds in stooping several such child-marriage, the prominent one being the marriage of Preet Singh’s seven year old daughter. Sustaining herself on a meagre pay and putting up with the inevitable condition of loneliness, she wages a valiant battle against the dictates of the society. Finally, she pays a dear price for her convictions and refusal to compromise. She is raped and murdered by Preet Singh who has been dying for revenge. Though Ila Das plays a minor role in the novel, she is also an allegorical figure. She not only lives in isolation but also braves the brute majority with conviction and commitment as her tools. True, she meets with a tragic end but has made her existence significant in exhibiting courage and determination in the face of stiff resistance and threat to life. †Her real involvement in people’s welfare assumes tremendous symbolic significance â€Å"(Jena 30). She epitomises the existentialist concept of struggle against the odds of life. â€Å"For the existentialist, man is never just part of the cosmos but always stands to it in a relationship of tension with possibilities of tragic conflict† (Macquarrie 17). She stands for the thinking individual who dares to exercise her free will and act according to her choice rather than submit meekly to the odds of life. The mindless tribal society in general, and Preet Singh in particular, represent the malevolent aspect to human existence-forces that are bent upon thwarting the individual’s purpose and undoing her. â€Å"One of the many ways of defining tragedy sees it as a clash between the aspiration of human freedom and creativity with a cosmic order that is stronger and defeats man â€Å"(Macquarrie 189). Though Ila Das loses her chastity and life in the process of her struggle with such brute forces, her life has nonetheless become meaningful by virtue of the fact that she chooses a cause, fights for it and sacrifices herself in trying to accomplish her task. An examination of the use of symbolism and imagery in the novel proves beyond doubt the novelist’s existential concern. She portrays a tragic world where no compromises are made, no epiphanies are exploded, to be totally destroyed, as the The Indian Review of World Literature in English, Vol. 1, No. I – Jan, 2005 sensitive, the visionary suffer nothing but suffocation and oppression. So, the content of the novel is sheer violence. The lives of the principal characters are ‘unloved’ and ‘unlived’. (Indira 95,96). In keeping with this concept, Anita Desai resorts to the effective employment of imagery and symbolism in Fire on the Mountain. Her predilection for prey-predator imagery abounds in this novel also. Images of ugliness, loneliness, destruction and annihilation are consistently used in order to reflect the existential tone of the novel. An atmosphere of solitary introspection is created with the help of several images. For example, when she receives a call from Ila Das, Nanda Kual â€Å"turned her head this way and that in an escape. She watched the white hen drag out a worm inch by resisting inch from the ground till it snapped in two. She felt like the worm herself, she winced at its mutilation â€Å"(FM 21). The same is continued in the next page also: â€Å"Still starting at the hen which was greedily gulping down bits of worm, she thought of her husband’s face and the way he would plait his fingers across his stomach†¦ â€Å"(FM 22). This prey-predator image of hen pecking at a worm is suggestive of Nanda Kaul’s present inner turmoil. Her past suffering at the hands of the adulterous husband and her present awareness about the harsh realities of life are both successfully established by this image. Another important image employed recurrently is that of the pine tree that stands burnt and alone, which is often an object of attraction for Nanda Kaul: â€Å"She was grey, tall and thin †¦ she fancied she could merge with the pine tree and be mistaken for one. To be a tree, no more and no less, was prepared to undertake†(FM 4). Again, this image also contributes to the existentialist theme of the novel. â€Å"Nanda’s sense of identification with the pine trees suggests her desire for absolute stillness and withdrawal from life†(Indra 97). The image of the charred pine tree is repeatedly employed in the novel. Raka is reminded of the futility of existence while she looks at the lonely hills and charred pine trees: â€Å"This hill, with its one destroyed house and one unbuilt one, on the ridge under the fire-singed pines, appealed to Raka†¦ There was something about it- illegitimate, uncompromising and lawless†¦. The sense of devastation and failure drew her, inspired her â€Å" (FM 90). Images of insects like lizards, birds like eagles and parrots, and â€Å"the thematic image of the ‘fire’ with its connotations of violence and urgency occur at regular intervals, warning the reader of the impending tragedy† (Indira 96). The critic S. Indira sums up the significance of imagery in Fire on the Mountain quoting D. H. Lawrence and the novelist herself:It is the charming mosaic of imagery woven so skillfully by the novelist that makes the Novel a work of art. Quoting D. H. Lawrence who said ‘If I eat an apple, I like to eat it with my senses,’ Anita Desai herself stated that the novel in which she attempted this closeness of man and beast, earth and vegetable was Fire on the Mountain. Imagery alone makes it possible and, in the process, the novel gains a richer texture and greater depth. As a critic says, â€Å"this novel deprived of its imagery, would be an ugly skeleton, chilling the reader† †¦ The significant house imagery, the images of plants, colour, atmosphere and moon- all contribute to the textual density and symbolic centrality of the novel. (Indira 96) Another important aspect of this novel’s narrative technique is its symbolism. There are several symbols that deepen the philosophic implications of The Indian Review of World Literature in English, Vol. 1, No. I – Jan, 2005 the novel. To start with, Carignano, Nanda Kaul’s present abode, is symbolic of the loneliness and barrenness of human life in general and Nanda Kual in particular: What pleased and satisfied her so, here at Carignano, was its barrenness. This was the chief virtue of Kasauli, of course- its starkness†¦Occasionally an eagle swam through this clear undoubted mass of light and air . (FM 4) The lonely house is symbolic of the lonely life of Nanda Kual and Raka. The barrenness and starkness associated with its symbolise an essential human condition –alienation which is the key note of all existential philosophy. The eagle symbol, like the house symbol, is repeatedly used in the course of the novel to highlight another aspect of existential philosophy, namely quest. The sight of the eagle flying high, makes Nanda long to be able to soar like the bird: â€Å"An eagle swept over†¦. its wings outspread, gliding on currents of air without once moving its great muscular wings which remained in repose, in control, She [Nanda Kaul]. had wished, it occurred to her, to imitate the eagle-gliding, with eyes closed† (FM 19). This longing for soaring above the reach of deterministic confines is the hall mark of Raks’s characters. To emphasise this aspect, the novelist employs the eagle symbol while describing Raka’s walk to the Monkey Point. â€Å"She was higher than the eagles, higher than Kasauli and Sanwar and all the other hills†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (FM 61). Thus Nanda Kaul’s wish and Raka’s attempt merge in the eagle-symbol, which denoted their existential angst and quest for values. The forest fire scene has symbolic overtones. Like the â€Å"The Fire Sermon† in T. S. Eliot’s The Waste Land, the fire in Fire on the Mountain â€Å" †¦ is a destroyer. It is also a purifier† (Brown 557). By making use of the universal fire symbol. Anita Desai endows Raka’s character with allegorical implications. Raka, the invalid restless little girl who is the product of a broken home, becomes the symbol of the existentialist’s perception of the individual who finds herself in this hostile and futile world. Yet out of compulsion, she strives to find or create values and significance for her existence. In this regard it has been observed that the symbolic implication of the forest fire is reinforced by the title of the novel, Fire on the Mountain is highly significant from the thematic point of view. The mountain symbolises Nanda Kaul and the fire is symbolic of Raka’s wild nature. â€Å"Nanda is the ‘rocky belt’, dry, hardened by time and age. Raka is silent, swift and threatening like forest fire†¦ The novel, thus [sic] may be noted as a story of inabilities of human beings to ignore the world, to place oneself in another’s position†(Choudhury 79). Another factor that adds to the philosophical implications of the novel is the frequent allusions to books and poems. As in other novels in Fire on the Mountain too Anita Desai uses poetry, and this time it is a poem by Hopkins: I have desired to go Where springs not fail To fields where files no sharp and sided hail And a few lilies below And I have asked to be The Indian Review of World Literature in English, Vol. 1, No. I – Jan, 2005 Where no storms come, Where the green swell is in the havens dumb, And out of the swing to the sea. (FM 87). This poem has some connection with he character of Nanda Kaul who quotes it and the poem signifies her desire to be away from the humdrum of life, to a heaven of nature far from the madding crowd. By introducing this poignant stanza from Hopkin’s poem, Anita Desai highlights the theme of alienation which is the central theme of the novel. The same effect is achieved by introducing an allusion to a passage from The Pillow Book of Sei Shonagon which begins with a title ‘When a Woman lives Alone’ and through the image of a dilapidated house â€Å"with a poignantly desolate look â€Å"(FM 27). This image has symbolic overtones as it suggests the lonely and desolate life of Nanda Kaul herself. Again, when Nanda Kaul is in the company of Raka, there is an allusion to The Travels of Macro Polo (FM 87). The reference to this book reminds the ‘Cape of Good Hope’. This also adds to the symbolism of the novel. This is miniature adventure like the one Marco Polo undertook in search of something new and promising. Thus, the characters of Nanda Kaul, Raka and Ila Das are studies of women in isolation. Essentially a writer of existential inclinations, Anita Desai examines three important aspects of this school of thought through her protagonists. The predominant traits of existentialism are alienation, quest and conflict. These three aspects are epitomised in the lives of three female protagonists. Nanda Kaul is a study in alienation and existential angst. Raka symbolises the individual’s quest for meaning in an otherwise futile life. Ila Das stands for the eternal conflict enacted in the human drama between the individual and the forces of determinism. One common ground for these three characters is that they are women who live in isolation both out if choice and compulsion. Desai has examined the predicament of women in wilderness by placing these three characters Kasauli, a place surrounded by hills and valleys, for removed from civilisation. She has consciously done it to examine the predicament and psyche of women in isolation. By placing her female protagonists with nature herself as the backdrop, Anita Desai has endowed a symbolic and universal significance to the plight of her protagonists. In this regard it has been pointed out: Essentially, Desai is a novelist of existentialist concerns, chiefly considering what F. H. Heinaman described as ‘the enduring human condition. ’ In her novels, she has ably dwelt upon such existentialist themes as maladjustment, alienation, absurdity of human existence, quest for the ultimate meaning in life, decision, detachment, isolation and time as the fourth dimension, focussing on how women in the contemporary urban milieu are bravely struggling against or helplessly submitting to the relentless forces of absurd life (Prasad 140). To sum up, Fire on the Mountain invites comparison with Shakespeare’s King Lear. In this great tragedy, when he dramatises the agony of betrayed father, Shakespeare removes Lear from the palace and places him in the wild heath- a hostile place- to suggest that the plight of Lear is identical with the suffering of every wronged father. Shakespeare employs animal imagery to indicate the rotten and corrupt world of the dramatis personae of King Lear. Images of ugly and evil animals like jackals and wolves are recurrently used creating an animal imagery that reinforces the thematic concern of the play, namely the tragedy of human life, The Indian Review of World Literature in English, Vol. 1, No. I – Jan, 2005 personified in the life of Lear, a victim of indifference in old age. Anita Desai’s use of imagery of King Lea.

Why is it that we spend our time on the most useless things?

Why is it that we spend our time on the most useless things? We keep on hoping that somehow, our efforts are all going to be worth it. We keep on surviving knowing that in the end we die. And the worst of these is the fact that we keep on falling in love even if we will eventually get hurt. Do you believe in angels? Well if you do, how would you feel if I told you that there aren't any? What would come into your mind if I told you that angels do not exist? Will you hate the one who told you of them, just in case? It doesn't really matter what you believe in. What matters is that you know how you feel and that you'd stand proudly for your principles. And the most important thing is that you learn to accept the ideas of others no matter how much they might contradict yours. Keeping that in mind, I'd like to share an idea I have regarding these supernatural beings. Although I know it might be a total contradiction to a whole lot of standards set by the world, I still am hoping that you might find it worth your fancy. Life? What is it? You can't see it neither can you grasp it. You can't even control it. So why is it that we spend so much time trying to achieve longevity knowing that the future is uncertain? But is it really how long we live or how we live? To make the best out of every moment is the best way of taking advantage of such a situation. When would you most probably have your first experience of true love? It might sound corny but it's true that all of us would definitely come to that point. Why is it so difficult to expound on something that you would understand subconsciously, but can't find the right words to explain it? High school was rough. It might sound unbelievable but it's true. I couldn't hardly breath the first time I got in through the iron gates. I felt the weight of every eye scrutinizing my form. I guess it would appear to be nothing more than an example of a hyperbole. But the thought of all the prejudices being made about you is enough to make you feel uneasy. My freshman year isn't worth the time recounting. However, during my second year in school, whose name I care not mention, things took a different turn. Although it might sound like a total clichà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ but my experience with this girl changed my life forever. How? I'll tell you in the simplest way I can. At first I thought she would just be another passing face. I did see her once during my first year. It was during a program where she received an award as the captain of her volleyball team after winning in the inter high school competition. I didn't even notice her. So, by now I guess you have an idea of how awkward it was for me to admit I liked her. To admit something that would mean weakness is definitely not my line. We became classmates as sophomores and that was the time I really gave her the attention she deserved. I mean she's smart, beautiful, talented and rich. It's her right to demand respect. Her genius truly gained my admiration. It was kind of funny how something so innocent as admiration could turn into something as cruel and evil as lust. Although lust was not the first feeling I felt. She intrigued me entirely. Her ways caused such curiosity within me that I took time to study her. I wanted to know her. I wanted to understand the way her mind works. However, she definitely did not feel the same about me at first. Actually, she could care less if I felt anything towards her. She never gave me the slightest bit of attention she could spare. In fact, she didn't spare any at all. I could never really ask for any considering the fact that the law banned my deep admiration for her. Unfortunately, I have to leave this portion up for you to find out just how much trouble I was in. Another aspect of my humanity was about to be revealed. My body began to change rapidly as though I were taking some sort of drug. However, I did not let this get in the way of achieving my goal. I wanted supremacy, power and most of all, her. These changes never did cause that much trouble until my unfortunate demise came to pass. I wanted her so much that I broke all the rules and told her of how I felt. At first, I thought she felt at least a tiny bit of love for me. But my suspicions were proven wrong. She hated me for it. She even thought it was a joke. She made my disclosure nothing more than a laughing matter. And for this, I hated her. She tore my soul apart. She stepped on my ego like it was nothing more than a rag. I felt the rage burning up inside me. I wanted revenge. The night after the incident, I felt something inside me begin to swell. I felt a burning sensation in my back that seemed to consume my entire being. The combination of my broken heart and the excruciating pain made me want to die on the spot. I had nothing to live for anyway. It seemed like all those years of strife were for nothing.

Causes of Stress Among School Teachers

Causes of Stress Among School Teachers The effects of stress upon a persons life can be profound. Different studies have shown that job related stress affects work satisfaction and over all happiness. Increasing stress is becoming recognized occupational hazard in the educational profession. In a country like Pakistan we cannot ignore the situation in educational setting. Teachers` agitations and class boycotts are common practice that shows their dissatisfaction. Both quantity and quality of education are not good. There may be many causes of stress in teachers. To investigate the causes and the nature of stress is of vital importance for improving the quality of education. The present study will be an effort to investigate the causes of stress and to get an orientation of how to explore it on a larger scale. Statement of the problem: The proposed study will investigate the causes of stress among school teachers. Significance of the study: Receiving little practical attention from governmental side education department especially school situation is very bad. Working staff in school is very much frustrated and every one from principal to lowest rank servant complains about his status and neglected condition. It is clear that every one face some kind of stress which is evident in his lake of interest in job. This disinterestedness leads to poor teaching environment and also creates administrative problems for the head of the institution. To improve the situation in school it is must to create stress free environment. But nothing can be improved without knowing the factors involved in creating stress among the staff especially the teachers who are responsible for the better running of the system. So this study will be very important for those who are concerned with the education system; e.g. the following can take help of this study: Heads of educational institutions Education planners Education department Society stakeholders who thinks teachers accountable Delimitations of the study: The research will follow the conceptual theoretical framework developed on the basis of review of related literature. However, the study will restrict itself to primary investigation of government high schools only in district Peshawar only. Hypotheses of the study: The following hypotheses will be tested: there is significant difference between salary of teachers and the level of stress there is significant difference between level of stress and traveling to reach  their place of duty. there is significant difference between personal conflict among teachers and stress in teachers there is significant difference between class size and stress in teachers there is significant difference between level of stress in teachers and lengthy courses there is significant difference between level of stress in teachers and Heavy work load on them there is significant difference between level of stress in teachers and Authoritarian behavior of the principal there is significant dif ference between level of stress in teachers and lake of rule and discipline in school there is significant difference between level of stress in teachers and lake of community support Sample of the study: Since the research will be restricted to schools of one district only, therefore to see the meaningful effect the sample will comprise 60% of the whole population of teachers in the district.

Human Resource management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Human Resource management - Assignment Example However, most companies used the common technique of terminating employment of a given number of individuals. When most organizations face weak economy and low profits, executives try to solve this through cost cutting. This includes conducting the downsizing process. Through this process most organizations are able to better their earnings for a shorter period as most of the organizations cannot sustain these gains. This happens as organizations reduce the labor costs by laying off employees. However the hidden costs of downsizing are unbearable to most organizations. This is because the workforce is eliminated from the organization but the work load remains intact. This can cripple organizations effectiveness. The resulting challenge which faces organization’s managers is that they will be forced to review their system and add costs by introduction of: overtime program, casual staff and even long working hours in order to recover what has been lost. On top of incurring high financial costs, emotional costs that are immeasurable can be experienced. For the surviving employees they w ill have no choice but to work harder than usual. Effectiveness and efficiency are major goals of organization’s retrenchment. Therefore, the business entities can retrench redundant workers to pave way for mechanized production process aimed at speeding up production and improving quality of products or services. Gandolfi (2006 p. 2), asserted that downsizing was used by organization in 1990s as a practical measure to increase organizational efficiency and effectiveness. It is a strategic management tool that has affected thousands of organizations and lives of millions workers in the world. Companies experience conditions that compel them to retrench a portion of its work force. The circumstances that cause downsizing include market reduction, economic recession, loss

Selected Family Health Promotion Assessment and Initiative Essay

Selected Family Health Promotion Assessment and Initiative - Essay Example Health promotion impacts positively on health literacy centering on health related knowledge, attitudes, motivation, confidence; behavioral intentions; and, personal skills relating to healthy lifestyles. The central purpose of this paper is to examine the concepts of health and learning as outlined by the McGill model of Nursing. In light of family partnership, I visited a family three times in which I adequately familiarized with the family’s health goals and concerns, their present strengths, coping strategies, and resource utilization. Selected Family Health Promotion Assessment and Initiative Chapter 1: Introduction 1.1 Background and Aims Health promotion refers to the process of enabling individuals to exercise control over their health and its determinants. Health promotion seeks to create an environment that is essential for the making of informed choices. Health promotion approaches include early intervention and prevention such as primary health screening and survei llance; identification of opportunities to facilitate and support healthy lifestyles choices; understanding and application of the determinants of health encompassing aspects such as societal influences on the health of individuals (Allen & Warner, 2002). Effective health promotion requires gathering of enough information regarding the identified health issue. The underpinning issues in health promotion activities include individual beliefs, knowledge and attitudes centering on the health issue (Friedman, Bowden, & Jones, 2003). This factor in inspired by the manner in which an individual thinks, which renders him/her susceptible to developing the health problem. The McGill model of nursing, whose salient features encompass health, family, collaboration, and learning was developed by F. Moyra Allen. The McGill model of nursing can be praised for its fluidity, flexibility, and functionality. The model core focus centers on health promotion, especially within the family. The goal of t he model is to bridge the gap evidenced by the absence of community resources that pursue the healthy development of families across their life span (Allen & Warner, 2002). Some of the assumptions of the model include every family has capabilities or health potential manifested by strengths, motivation, and resources that form the foundation of health promotion behavior, and the outcomes of health promotion hinges on competence in health behavior and enhanced health status. 1.2 Nature of the Home Visits The visit to David’s family was a referral made by a neighbor out of concern that the family was tackling various health issues. Since the visits are conducted at home, I had to decide the times that would be best to reach the target audiences, especially which the family members are likely to pay attention, act on the message, or find the messages more engaging. This situation meant that I must pay close attention to providing explanations for the initial phone call, and avai l an opportunity for the family to accept or reject the visit. Prior to the introductory meeting with the family, I had to prepare adequately beforehand to ensure that the meeting was successful. I made the phone call to the family and requested a home visit and expressed my desire to meet up with the whole family. The family in question was a single family comprising of a father, David, and his two teenage daughters, Natalie and Millie. I came to learn later that