Business plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Business plan - Essay Example The critical success factors in the business include high quality nutritious burgers that are all natural and organic, reliability in service delivery, high quality sales staff, and strategizing an effective strong brand building that is associated with high quality, nutritious and uniquely flavoured burgers. The funding required to kick-start the business is ?658,000. With favourable performance, the projected sales will be ?950,000, ?1050000, and ?1160000 in the three consecutive years. Profit before taxation will be ?330,000, ?413,700, ?647,500 for the three consecutive years respectively. Background Healthy Bite Burger restaurant is a new start up business founded by [Names] who came up with the idea for a unique organic burger restaurant for their love and passion of healthy eating and the increasing trend towards health awareness. They wanted to provide a range of healthy organic burgers that are not only satisfying but also healthy, adding value to the customers. The three fou nders pride in their professional experience within the food industry. One of the founders has five years culinary experience and skills within a health oriented restaurant business, another has four years sales and marketing experience with the a grocery store, while the other one has extensive five years experience in website development, search engine optimisation skills, and online marketing. With their love for burgers, and their passion for healthy lifestyles, the three partners developed the idea for a healthy burger restaurant. Healthy Bite burger Restaurant will therefore be a restaurant mainly focused on providing unique healthy organic burger to the widening health conscious people. This unique burger will be a nutritious all natural organic burger targeting the health conscious population. The product will mainly be segmented based on flavours: that is beef, fish, duck, lamb, vegetables and chicken and, all bearing the brand name Healthy Bite Burger. Mission Statement: T o support healthy living among a wide array of people by providing burgers made from all natural healthy high quality organic products in a manner that is focused on adding value to people’s lifestyles Vision Statement: To be the leading provider of all natural nutritious organic burgers in Oxford region Values and Principles of the business: The business is founded on four core values and principles: Integrity in all business dealings, service to customers and their health, respect for individuals and striving for excellence. Earnest and Young projections for the period 2011 to 2020 shows that consumer spending on restaurants would rise by 12% over the period (Ernest & young, 2011:3), and consumers would still tend towards healthy all natural foods (Huxley, Land, Lobley, 2011:37; de Groot, 2012). Most Burgers available in the market are based on highly processed meat products which in most cases often lose big amounts of their nutritional value. While there are other organic burgers in the market due to the commitment of most fast food chains to adopt healthier foods (Paddock, 2008), Healthy Bite Burger Restaurant differentiates itself in that it not only provides information on nutritional content within its menu, but focus on providing a unique burger

Bio Medicine Essay Example for Free

Bio Medicine Essay Two Cathy Ann Wilson-Bates Western Governors University EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICE APPLIED NURSING RESEARCH EBP 1 Brenda Luther, PhD, RN January 25, 2012 Task Two Introduction: What I have learned about working with children in a chronic healthcare setting like dialysis is that they are resilient beings with the propensity for rapid changes in their medical condition. Children almost always surprise me in their unique description of symptoms and pain. Depending on their age, they may not be able to describe the symptoms they feel or tell me â€Å"where it hurts†. A simple ear ache may be described as a â€Å"drum in my ear† or may be observed with non verbal cues like tugging on the ear. Acute Otitis Media is seen quite often during the cold and flu season. Recent clinical guidelines suggest waiting twenty four to seventy two hours before beginning antibiotic therapy. Parents of children with symptoms of otitis media are accustomed to receiving a prescription for antibiotics before they leave the medical office. Adults as well are preconditioned for the little white slip of paper from their physician. Waiting twenty four to seventy two hours to evaluate the need for antibiotics will definitely reduce the over-prescription of antibiotics as well as their efficacy. The waiting and watching of several days may seem like an eternity to a parent caring for a sick and crying child. Educating parents during routine visits to the physician office about the risks of over-prescribing antibiotics will help when the physician needs to discuss the possibility of waiting and evaluating before prescribing antibiotics. Providing a list of comfort measures parents can follow may help relieve the anxiety they have in caring for a sick child. Any comfort measure taken to reduce crying is helpful to the parent of a sick child, but mostly to the child. The following table and paragraphs will share the results of how one group of nurses at an outpatient clinic used clinical evidence to manage this situation. Source |Type of Resource |Source appropriate or |Type of Research | | |general information, |inappropriate |primary research evidence, | | |filtered, or unfiltered | |evidence summary, evidence-based | | | | |guideline, or none of these | |American Academy of Pediatrics and American Academy of|Filtered |Appropriate |Evidence-based guideline | |Family Physicians. Clinical practice guideline: | | | | |Diagnosis and management of acute otitis media. | | | |Causative pathogens, antibiotic resistance and |Unfiltered |Appropriate |Evidence-based guideline | |therapeutic considerations in acute otitis media . | | | | |Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal. | | | | |Ear, nose, and Throat, Current pediatric diagnosis and|General |Inappropriate |None of these | |treatment. | | | | |Treatment of acute otitis media in an era of |Filtered |Appropriate |Evidence –based guideline | |increasing microbial resistance. Pediatric Infectious| | | | |Disease Journal | | | | |Results from interviews with parents who have brought |Unfiltered |Appropriate |Primary research evidence | |their children into the clinic for acute otitis media. | | | | | | | | | Subcommittee on Management of Acute Otitis Media. (2004). American Academy of Pediatrics and American Academy of Family Physicians. Clinical Practice Guidelines: Diagnosis and Manegment of Acute Otitis Media. American Academy of Pediatrics , Vol. 13 No 5 1451-1465. This article is an evidence-based clinical guideline. It is a systematic review making it a filtered resource which is very appropriate for this situation. The article describes the current, (as of 2004) recommendations for the diagnosis and management of Acute Otitis Media (Subcommittee on Management of Acute Otitis Media, 2004). These guidelines show several different ways to treat acute otitis media depending on the symptoms of the child. It states that sometimes waiting to give antibioti cs is good and sometimes waiting to give antibiotics is not good. This article is appropriate and provides clarity on the topic. Block, S. L. (1997). Causative pathogens, antibiotic resistance and therapeutic considerations in acute otitis media. The Pediatric Infectious disease Journal , Volume 16 (4) pp 449-456. This article discusses antibiotic resistance and describes the bacterial pathogens which are responsible for infections causing acute otitis media. This article is appropriate. It contains a comparison of studies performed based on the different types of bacteria which cause acute otitis media. It stresses the importance of identifying the bacteria causing the infection before giving antibiotics so that number one the bacteria can be eradicated and other bacteria will not become resistant (Block, 1997). PE Kelley, N. F. (2006). Ear, Nose and. In M. L. W. W. Hay, Current Pediatric Diagnoisis and Treatment (pp. 459-492). Lang. This textbook source contains general information on the ear, nose and throat. There is much more information here regarding basic anatomy and physiology as well as characteristics of the ear nose and throat. The information regarding otitis media is basic and not an appropriate source of research in this situation for three reasons. Number one, the information is very basic, number two, it does not give any up to date information on how to treat this type of infection, and number three there is too much non-relevant information. McCracken, G. H. (1998). Treatment of acute otitis media in an era of increasing microbial resistance. The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal , Volume 17(6) pp576-579. This article is a review of the known etiologies that may cause acute otitis media. The article gives up to date information on therapeutic approaches when selecting an appropriate antibiotic therapy. We don’t practice â€Å"cookie cutter† medicine. The same prescription is not always right for all patients or all communities where some bacteria’s may be more prevalent than others (McCracken, 1998). This is appropriate information for this group of people or community. media, P. o. (n. d. ). Interviews. (C. nurses, Interviewer) This set of interviews is simply raw data. General information can however provide great insight as to what is happening out in the community. For example, this information might shed light on the fact that if the parents are willing to hold off on antibiotics for example, would they be more likely to follow up and come back into the clinic when asked? The reaction of parents is dependent upon other several basic factors like finances, a belief system and possibly the ability to obtain transportation. Knowing how the community is going to respond to their choice may have a great effect on the decisions they make. When evaluating the findings of these sources cumulatively, one must first determine the causative pathogens infecting patients in this given community with acute otitis media. After pathogen determination we can determine which antibiotics may be most useful in eradicating the given bacteria. Careful selection of antibiotic therapy will reduce the propensity for antibiotic resistance. Watchful waiting may be a good thing from the perspective of increasing microbial resistance however we must always evaluate patients on their individual needs or on a patient by patient case. One size doesn’t always fit all. Patient education is the key to keeping the public informed of current practice. Physicians and Nurses need to be consistent in the lesson plan shared with patients and remain true to our scope of practice. Communication is essential between the physician, nurse and other multidisciplinary team members in order to provide the best care. There are many considerations in assessing if patients are able to withstand the waiting and evaluation period. Low income families are one example of how the waiting and watching method might not work. Parents may have to take time off work to come to clinic with a sick child. They might struggle finding money for the additional return trip to the clinic and may risk losing their job if they take more time off work. Many low income families may have already waited before seeking help thus creating their own watchful waiting period. They also may not be able to afford antibiotics and as a result may not give the full dose if symptoms have subsided. The perception is that they will save the medication for the next time symptoms arise. Confidentiality might be an issue in smaller communities. People tend to be concerned about neighbors and co-workers and some may not care to share their experience with others. This may be an issue for parents who don’t share custody as in the case of divorce. It is a greater issue when parents or partners don’t share the same fundamental values, especially those related to healthcare. Conclusion: Watchful waiting like the nurses in this clinic are looking at may be useful for some of the patients, but not all. Again, a one size fits all philosophy is not always appropriate in healthcare. Tools like algorithms may be helpful in determining the appropriateness for watching and waiting versus immediate action as determined by physical findings and social circumstances like parental adherence for follow up and ability to afford treatment. Whatever course you choose, watchful waiting or immediate antibiotics the best practice remains a plan of care based on the individual needs of our patients. References Block, S. L. (1997). Causative pathogens, antibiotic resistance and therapeutic considerations in acute otitis media. The Pediatric Infectious disease Journal , Volume 16 (4) pp 449-456. McCracken, G. H. (1998). Treatment of acute otitis media in an era of increasing microbial resistance. The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal , Volume 17(6) pp576-579. media, P. o. (n. d. ). Interviews. (C. nurses, Interviewer) PE Kelley, N. F. (2006). Ear, Nose and. In M. L. W. W. Hay, Current Pediatric Diagnoisis and Treatment (pp. 459-492). Lang. Subcommittee on Management of Acute Otitis Media. (2004). American Academy of Pediatrics and American Academy of Family Physicians. Clinical Practice Guidelines: Diagnosis and Manegment of Acute Otitis Media. American Academy of Pediatrics , Vol. 113 No 5 1451-1465.

Examining Disordered Offenders Within The Prison System Criminology Essay

Examining Disordered Offenders Within The Prison System Criminology Essay As of December 2010, the prison population in England and Wales stands at 84,896. Staggeringly, government figures estimate that over 70% of prisoners have two or more mental health problems of some kind, and 64% of sentenced, male prisoners have a personality disorder (Singleton, Meltzer and Gatward, 2007). This essay will attempt to find out why so many mentally ill people enter and remain in the criminal justice system, and why diversionary methods are not used as often as they should be. If these figures are correct then it seems clear that large numbers of mentally disordered patients are being held in prison as punishment for offending rather than being diverted away from the criminal justice system and into treatment. This essay will attempt to find out why that should be the case. Diversion, in terms of mentally disordered patients, means diverting the individual in question to the health services and seeking treatment, rather than prosecution and entering the criminal justice system. Short of outright insanity, (see the McNaughton rules) no matter how mentally disturbed the offender is, it comes down to whether or not it is in public interest to prosecute. The Crown Prosecution Services ask whether any useful purpose would be served in prosecution, and this can apply to anything from assault to murder (Home Office and Department of Health and Social Security (DHSS), 1975). We can see in the case of Peter Sutcliffe, the Yorkshire Ripper, even when four different psychiatrists told a judge that he was a paranoid schizophrenic, he was sent to prison rather than a secure hospital, as it was in the publics interest to prosecute. Diversion has arguably been around, though not in its current form, since the dark ages. Roth and Kroll (1986: 100) describe a man possessed by evil spirits who goes on to murder three people, yet is not deemed criminal and instead help is sought from wise men, possibly early forms of doctors. It was not formally in existence until the late 19th century when the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions was created, and the power to determine whether it was in public interest to prosecute was introduced. It is generally argued that diversion is beneficial to the mentally disordered offender. Smith and Donovan (1990) argue the opposite case. They postulate that excusing the offenders is not always in their best interests, especially regarding mentally ill patients still possessing most of their faculties. They believe that if the patient is prosecuted normally, it can help instil a sense of responsibility which may deter them from any further crimes, and reinforce the belief that they are in control of their own behaviour. Diversion may do the opposite and reduce their sense of responsibility to adverse effects (Prins, 2010). Similarly, we must consider the effects of diversion from the views of medical staff. They are forced to look after and care for violent patients. This then leads to the use of guards to make sure order is kept, which could be reminiscent of the prison experience the offender has just come from. A significant early factor in the failure of the diversion system would seem to be lack of mental health awareness training for front-line police officers, the first people offenders come into contact with. If a police officer is not trained in identifying mental health problems, the diversion process can not even be started. Also, mental health in regards to the law is often not fully understood by the police, including Section 136 of the Mental Health Act (MHA) 2007, which give the Police the authority to remove a person appearing to be suffering from a mental illness and in need of immediate care or control from a place that the public have access to and take them to a safe place, being a hospital or a police station. A questionnaire regarding police constables knowledge of section 136 was undertaken in 2002 by Lynch, Simpson, Higson and Grout (2002), which found that 40% of those questioned did not realise section 136 was even a police power, and just 22% had had any training on section 136. Section 136 is immensely important in the diversionary process, as it enables trained medical persons to evaluate an offender before they enter the criminal justice system. On the other hand it is used wrongly on far too many occasions where instead being taken to hospitals, the offenders are merely placed in a police station, which could easily put the offender in an even more uncontrolled state of mind. This is not always the fault of the police but down to the lack of mental healthcare experts available in any given area (The Bradley Report, 2009). The report goes on to say that police stations should no longer be used at all as a place of safety. Prins (2010) claims that offender contact with the police is the least developed pathway in terms of engagement with the health and social services. This needs to change as prolonged time spent in police stations or court can exacerbate the conditions of the mentally disordered patients. Rowlands, Inch, Rodger and Soliman (1996) found that diversion, when used properly, can be very effective. They looked at a court diversion scheme and a forensic community psychiatric nurse specialist in particular. A year later, not a single patient in their study area with a psychotic illness was in prison, and just 17% overall had reoffended, while most where living safely back in the community. These figures can be compared to the national figures quoted in the introduction. Rowlands et al. (1996) did, however, conclude that although diversion was better than imprisonment, it was second best to hospitalising the offender, and highlighted the need for a greater number of secure beds and locations. Similarly, Joseph (1992) attributed success to the availability of detailed professional assessments and an increase in inter-service communication. This leads us onto another important point. The diversionary process cannot work without proper communication between the services involved, such as the police, judges, psychiatrists, social and probation services. The Bradley Report (2009) highlights the fact that the healthcare services in each police station are not run by the National Health Service (NHS), but by each individual force instead. This brings up many issues when moving mentally ill offenders between hospitals and police stations, such as police stations not being subject to the same governance and performance measures as the NHS hospitals. The report suggests transferring commissioning and budgetary responsibility for healthcare services in police custody suites to the NHS at the earliest opportunity and also brings to light the polices difficulty in obtaining information from the NHS. Bradley (2009) also states that the number of people who come into contact with the police is not known as there are no requirements for them to keep statistics. One of the majo r changes called upon by the Bradley Report (2009) is the introduction of liaison and diversion services in all police stations which would chiefly identify and assess mental disabilities and learning difficulties swiftly and effectively under arrest, and provide better services for people taken to police stations under Section 136 MHA 2007. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) also has very little contact with the healthcare services. This is worrying because they have to make the decision whether to prosecute a mentally ill offender solely on information received from the police with respect to any charging advice, who are obviously ill equipped to relay such medical matters (The Bradley Report, 2009). Prosecutors are also reminded that not all mentally ill offenders are ineligible for a caution as without which, the possibility of discrimination appears. It is entirely possible the offenders mental disorder played little to no role in the crime they committed, so why shouldnt they be eligible for a caution. The Bradley Report calls for more conditional cautions for mentally disordered offenders while notifying relevant health authorities. When looking at this question, it is easy to assume that all the incarcerated mentally disordered people would rather have been diverted to the healthcare services, which links to Smith and Donovans comments earlier . This is not always the case. Prins (2010) states that there are a number of benefits to the offender if he is dealt with by the normal criminal justice system model. Firstly, hospitalisation orders often result in a much longer length of imprisonment, and if the defendant is declared unfit to plea, immediate, indefinite hospitalization is issued in the majority of cases. Secondly we must consider the possibility of iatrogenic effects brought on by psychiatric intervention. Fonagy and Bateman (2006) tell us that this is down to the difference between ones own experience of ones mind and that presented by another person. Psychiatrists and other mental healthcare workers can only use the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD) , the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) and past experience to treat patients. The possibilities of worsening patient health comes from the fact that all mental disorders can and are different in so many respects and so exact guidelines for experts to follow are less personal and therefore have room for error. To combat this, psychiatrists must integrate the patients own experience of mind with their own (Fonagy and Bateman, 2006). The Bradley Report (2009) highlights the lack of treatment available to mentally disordered offenders in prisons, and questions whether the treatment should be carried out in prisons at all. No longer should inmates be getting their first assessment in jail, they should be assessed for mental disorders or learning difficulties at least once by the courts or the police. Reed and Lyne (2000) explore the inpatient care of mentally ill prisoners, and find it to be wholly unsatisfactory. Of the 13 prisons inspected and the 348 inpatient beds within them, not a single doctor in charge of the inpatients had completed psychiatric training, and only 24% of the nurses had had any mental health training, obviously some disturbing figures. As Prins (2010) states, it is all too easy to blame these shortcomings on a lack of finances, but there must be methods used to overcome them nonetheless. The Bradley Report (2009) also states the need to remove those from prisons with mild or medium mental di sorders and introduce many more community based primary mental health services. The Power of Criminal Courts (Sentencing) Act 2000 lays out the basis for passing custodial sentences on an offender who is, or appears to be mentally disordered. A medical report must be compiled and considered, as must the likely effect of the sentence imposed and any treatment available for the condition. This act is something all judges and magistrates must know, which makes it even stranger that so many mentally disordered offenders make it through to the prison systems. It would seem that much more intense and thorough psychiatric assessments should be made prior to appearing in court, as to enable the courts to recognize mental disabilities in offenders and help the diversionary scheme become more effective. The Bradley Report (2009) says that information regarding people appearing in court is essential in not only sentencing and remand options, but also whether they are even fit to plea. It goes on to say we should make available the same provisions to vulnerable defendants a s we do vulnerable witnesses, as the traumatic courtroom procedures can be very trying on a defendant with a mental disorder. The Bradley Report (2009) criticises the excessive use of remand for offenders with mental disorders. It encourages the use of more mental health service provisions outside in the community, but accepts this is not possible at the moment due to current strain on healthcare, and the fear in communities about the frequent reoffending of some mentally disordered people. More approved premises must be created to house people on remand as opposed to placing them in jail, as just 3 out of 101 of these facilities can specifically deal with mentally disordered offenders. It is worth making the point here that in the current economic climate it is questionable whether funding is likely to be made available for either enhanced community provision or further approved premises. On the other hand, there are studies that show treatment by prison care services is just as, or even more, effective than community hospitals or NHS hospitals. Brooke, Taylor, Gunn and Maden (1996) interviewed 750 unconvi cted males in 3 young offenders institutes and 13 adult male prisons. Of the 63% diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder, the largest majority were deemed to be treated best by the prison care health services and transfer to a NHS bed was advised in just 9% of these cases. Although there is certainly a need for a great increase in mental healthcare services outside of the prisons for diversion to take place effectively, we cannot neglect the mental disorder work that goes on within them. No matter how thorough the screening and assessment processes are, some mentally disordered offenders will fall through the cracks, and some prisoners certainly develop mental illnesses as a result of their prison stay, such as depression. It is vitally important to increase trained staff and facilities both within and outside the prison context. A report by the Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health found many shortcomings within the diversionary schemes currently in place. These range from a lack of locations leading to certain parts of the country with no help, to the offenders lack of engagement with the services. They estimate just one fifth of the potential national caseload is seen to, and this doesnt even count those who are missed by assessments at the police and court stages. Even worse, those that do get seen often drop out of the system as little is done to ensure they engage with the diversion process. Overall, this report is very similar to the Bradley Report, condemning the poor, current use of diversion with regards to mentally disordered offenders. The main remedy they put forward is the introduction of many diversion and liason teams working throughout the country, at all levels of the criminal justice system, as this would be the best way not only to detect the vulnerable offenders, but also help in treating th em. To try and combat the usual defence of a lack of funding, they propose all diversionary and liaison teams are jointly funded by both the mental health services and the criminal justice system. The Bradley Report (2009) also goes into some depth about the benefits of a fully functioning diversionary and liaison team, such as ensuring the police can make a fully informed risk assessment at the early stages, and the links that must be made from the prison mental care services to the continued care of a mentally disordered offender post release. Clearly, the overriding problem with diversion is the lack of assessment and diagnoses before an offender enters the prison system, and a lack of liaison and diversionary services available for when mental disorders are recognized. The Bradley Report (2009) puts forward the need for these services to move back from the court process and into the police stations which can improve the identification and assessment of mental health problems and learning disabilities at an earlier stage, which would also assist and contribute to the increasing communication between all agencies in the criminal justice system, and the healthcare services. This would also enable some mentally disordered offenders to completely avoid the criminal justice system as the police would instantly divert them to the appropriate mental health services, providing the best care for the offender, and reducing the workload of the police and the courts. The amount of prisoners with mental health problems is obviously di sproportionate to the society in general, but many might not display symptoms of mental illness or even develop one until incarcerated. We also must consider whether society wants mentally disordered offenders treated in the community rather than in Prisons, after all, public protective comes first and foremost. Look at the case of Christopher Clunis, a paranoid schizophrenic reviving community care from the psychiatric and social services, who went on to stab a stranger three times in the face. It seems inevitable that these occurrences would be more prevalent with many more psychologically disordered offenders walking the streets,. Of course there is the argument that these individuals would be housed in secure hospitals, but the system is not 100% foolproof, as we can see. In conclusion, while there are undoubtedly many people in the prison system with mental disorders that do not belong there, with the healthcare system in its current state it is hard to argue mentally disordered offenders would be better off receiving treatment in the community and mental healthcare institutions. The fact is they are underfunded and under developed, there would simply be no room for thousands more patients released from prisons or diverted in the first place. Similarly, there are many mentally ill offenders that would prefer to be dealt with via the criminal justice system because it can often lead to a shorter spell of incarceration, and societys reluctance to integrate mentally disordered offenders into the public. Of course, if these problems can be addressed then diversion can be used as a suitable alternative to prisons for the mentally disordered offender (The Bradley Report, 2009).

Homeless People Essay -- essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The problem of homelessness in America is growing dramatically. It's a problem that can strike anyone when you least expect it. Therefore you should address this as a major crisis that affects our society. I feel as Americans we should come together to create solutions to end a growing epidemic of homeless people.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Statistics show people living in poverty are most at risk of becoming homeless. Economically they are at a higher risk of losing what little they already have.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The number of homeless families with children has increased significantly over the past decade. They are among the fastest growing segments of the homeless population. They are approximently 40% of people who are homeless. In rural areas the largest group of homeless people are families, single mothers, and children.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In a 1998 survey of 30 cities, it was found that the homeless population was 53% African-American, 35% Caucasian, 12% Hispanic, 4% Native-American, and 3% Asian (U.S Conference of Mayors1998). The ethnic makeup of homeless population varies depending upon geographic location.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Homelessness and poverty are closely linked. Poor people commonly are unable to pay for housing, food, child care, health care, and education. Choices must be mad when only their income covers some of these necessities.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Poor employment opportunities for a large number of the work force increases poverty. Falling incomes and less secure jobs which offer fewer benefits leads to additional financial strain on already financially burdened people. The connection between impoverished workers and homelessness can be seen in homeless shelters, many of which house significant numbers of full time wage earners. A survey of 30 U.S cities found that almost one in five homeless people are employed (U.S Conference of Mayors 1998). Thus, for many Americans, work provides no escape from poverty and homelessness.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Fewer public assistance is another reason of increasing poverty and homelessness. Until it's repeal in August 1996 the largest cash assistance program for poor families with children was the Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) program.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The elimination and cut ... ...nd services are important and needed.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are a lot of things that can be done at shelters and other service agencies that is greatly appreciated. For instance filing, sorting clothes, cutting vegetables, etc. Let them know how you can help out and for how long.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Some possible tasks are: working at a shelter, helping build or fix up houses or shelters, food drives, reading to the homeless, and just by involving others to help out too.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  While the efforts are being made in volunteer work, material help is needed also. The end to homelessness is a long road. In the meantime, homeless people and people running the programs need help every day. Some items that would be great to donate are: clothing, household products, support a homeless person of family, raise funds for a program, give directly, help homeless contact loved ones, and encourage your job to hire homeless people.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Efforts to ensure jobs that pay a living wage and have good benefits, your help and others, affordable housing, and access to health care will bring and end to the problem of homelessness.

Mary Celeste

MARY CELESTE The Mary Celeste was a ghost ship found off the coast of Portugal in 1872. The Mary Celeste is a ship was discovered atlantic ocean unmanned and apparently abandoned and she was fine and the people and it remain a mystery. Her cargo was virtually untouched and her crew was never seen or heard from again. The crew’s disappearance was the greatest mystery of all time. Eyewitness Account The only eyewitness is Captain Morehouse. Captain Morehouse said that he thought that the crew was panic. Reports that likely to be true.The weather was very bad and for four days before the storm was very heavy and they found and maybe they have unlikely survive but the ship remains good and thus it remains a mystery. It seems reasonable to suggest that in order to take a break from the pounding sea, the captain gave the order to sail to the lee side of Santa Maria Island where the cook started a fire in the large galley stove to make hot food while other members of the crew furled most of the sails, leaving just enough canvas up to hold her heading as they made their way slowly along the lee shore of the island.Other crew members set about pumping the bilge and doing other chores. When the food was ready, the men stopped what they were doing and ate. After taking a smoke break, the Captain gave orders to get underway and the crew went back to work. Some went back to pumping the bilge; others started to set the sails they had recently furled. Just then the seafloor near Mary Celeste was ripped apart by a shallow-focused earthquake, a relatively common occurrence in the Azores.Report that might be exaggerated Conan Doyle (the author) was dramatized the Mary Celeste's story by adding such touches as meals laid out on the table, tea boiling on the stove, and the ship was sailing boldly into the harbor at Gibraltar with nobody at the helm. Today, most people who have heard of the ship think these details are part of what actually happened. They aren't. Conan Doyle 's was only the first of many such treatments.A 1913 magazine article was forged account of a man named Fosdyk who claimed the stowaway on board the Mary Celeste, witnessed the entire crew fall overboard as they pressed against the rail to watch three men have a swimming race, then managed to be the only one not eaten by sharks and eventually washed ashore on Africa. In the 1920s an author named Keating forged an article for Chamber's Journal telling the story of a man named Pemberton who survived. Keating soon expanded the fictitious Pemberton's tale into a book called The Great Mary Celeste Hoax.Unfortunately, the book's success has became its downfall: Interviews with Pemberton were widely sought. Keating tried to weasel his way out with excuses, and even offered a picture of his own father as a photograph Pemberton; but it was soon discovered that he made the whole thing up. Some information about the court inquiry held in Gribraltar The Inquiry into the Mary Celeste An inquiry of  Mary Celeste  disaster was held at the Admiralty Court by the British Royal Navy. Witnesses, experts, sailors, friends, business-partners and  acquaintances  were all questioned and interrogated.It was a slow, frustrating process. Not least a man who’s name was Flood. Flood was the Attorney-General of Gibraltar at the time. During the inquiry the judge listened acutely listened that was told and praised the crew Dei Gratia for their attention to detail and their bravery and skill in rescuing the ship , and bringing it safely back to land. Frederick Flood, however, had his own agenda. Flood was hell-bent on proving that the passengers was Mary Celeste had all met with some horrible and violent bloody end was suggested the theory of a drunken mutiny.He even rowed out to the ship to find evidence! He found the broken leaking barrels and the alcohol and the captain’s sword had cut-marks along the railings. He proposed the theory that the crew got an alcohol, dr ank themselves blind, murdered the captain, his wife, his daughter, his first mate has chucked them all overboard, then into the lifeboat and rowed†¦away†¦from a perfectly good ship†¦ Indeed, not a single piece of ‘evidence’ Flood submitted was found to be what it was!The barrels were empty because they were leaking (they’d been built of red oak, a porous wood which would’ve explained the empty barrels). The damage of railings? Ropes across the wood. The blood on the captain’s sword? It wasn’t blood. It wasn’t even the captain’s sword†¦that sword was stored under his bed! The sword that Flood found was an old, rusty knife lying on the deck. Scientists examined the blade and determined that the red substance was nothing but rust and old paint. It was probably used to lever open paint-cans and stir coagulated paint around!Examples of theories about the Mary Celeste crew’s disappearence Theories range fro m, alcoholic gas or smoke (fumes) to underwater earthquakes, to waterspouts, to paranormal explanations involving extraterrestrial life, unidentified flying objects (UFOs), sea monsters, and the phenomenon of the Bermuda Triangle, although the Mary Celeste is not known to have sailed through the Bermuda Triangle area. The Mary Celeste is often described as the ghost ship, since she was discovered without any apparent explanation, and her name has become a synonym for similar occurrences.The ship was said to be â€Å"cursed† and had a long history of disasters and catastrophes, and three captains died on the ship. The ship was destroyed in 1885 when it was intentionally wrecked off the coast of Haiti in an attempted insurance fraud. My opinion about Mary Celeste I think the story is half true and half right. The truth part is the storm and the earthquake in the water. The false part is the curse or the ufo and the phenomenon of the Bermuda triangle.

Drinking and Driving Essay Essay

I am not yet 16 and do not have my license so I do not drive. I am not 21 which means drinking is illegal. I have witnessed events that have happened because of drinking and driving. The penalty for drinking and driving should be more severe. Being intoxicated while behind the wheel is extremely dangerous for oneself and everyone else on the road. The deaths per year because of drinking and driving are one of the top causes of deaths in teenagers and young adult drivers. The number of casualties increases every year due to the young, irresponsible drivers of our society. Drinking clouds the brain and alters ones judgment. The first offence of drinking and driving now is being arrested but no jail time. In order to really enforce the law and make it harsher, the first offence should be include jail time. That would really wake someone up and think twice before driving after having a couple drinks. Receiving a DWI can be an automatic â€Å"good-bye† from a job position or dismissal from college. This can really ruin a person’s life. They no longer can provide for themselves or their families. Most likely one cannot find work with a DWI on their record. Families can break up and lives destroyed, just because of a very remedial decision. People drink because is relaxes them, or makes them feel better. While they are under that influence their correct judgment is whipped out and they choose to drive home or somewhere else with their life on the line or the possibility of killing an innocent person. There are many solutions to stop people fro getting behind the wheel while they are intoxicated. But it all starts with responsibility, like leaving a car behind and taking a can or having a designated driver. If society could wise up and understand drinking and driving is no joke and the law enforced a harsher punishment, then death rates would decrease.

Garden Party Essay Example

Garden Party Essay Example Garden Party Essay Garden Party Essay Every year her mother was in charged of the party. But this year her mother told Laura she would be in charge. Laura was scared but approached the task with confidence. She wanted to make her mother proud. Her first task was to find the perfect place for the marquee. The worker men arrived. She wanted to be confident and appear to know the exact spot. After several attempts the one worker man helped choose the spot. His workers started to dig the hole. The man was very nice to Laura. He knelt down to pick a sprig of lavender to meal. This was not expected as she was told that all the working men were from a lower class of man. That they were not smart and never had a heart for them. She found this not to be true. She wished the boys at the dance were nice like this man. Laura was taught that the most important thing about the garden party was the way the flowers bloomed, the bushes were trimmed and to show off the trees. Many things that Laura was taught she is now finding were not true. : The placement of the argue in front of the karakas tree turned out to be the perfect spot for people to view it not the trees. The florist arrived with the Can Lilies. Laura thought it was a mistake since there was so many. But once again she is reminded that her mother wants things to be the biggest and the best. Then Laura goes to her mother to explain why she needs to cancel the party because a man has been killed. Her mother tries to explain to Laura that the death of a man from the down the hill should not make a difference to those attending their Arden party. They come from two different social classes. Laura is shocked and confused, She is not sure that mothers opinion is the best one. But, to obey her mother she chooses to follow along with the party as schedule. When the party was over her father told them about the death of the man down the hill. They decided to have Laura take the left over sandwiches to the family. Laura was nervous walking clown tenure. Seen near people talking Ana crying. Seen wanted to leave and go back home but did not. She went inside and saw the woman and her sister. She went into the room where the man laid dead on a bed. She saw the contentment in the dead mans face. All the garden parties, band music and lace frocks mean nothing. What a huge lesson she learned of what really matters in life. She saw that the things she was taught about people were not true like the worker men and the people living down the hill. She was very positive about life, people and nature. She loved the simple things and the natural beauty in things. Money was not a factor to enjoy life.

Mayan Civilization essays

Mayan Civilization essays The ruins and artifacts of the ancient Mayan civilization are both remarkable and mysterious. The specialized mainly in architecture, it was their way of expressing themselves artistically. They built many great, enormous temples and extravagant buildings. The built their structures in an effort to copy the altitude of the highlands that surrounded them. Limestone structures faced with lime stucco are one of the famous styles of the Mayans because of the abundance of limestone and flint. It is also evident that all structures built were in honor of their gods. Plus, everything they ever built was done without the use of any kind of metal tools. Mayan art was exceptional compared to other ancient civilizations. Like most art, it reflected their culture and lifestyle. The art of the Maya has been called some of the richest of the New World because of the great complexity of patterns and the variety of media expressions. The Maya are also one of the few civilizations where the artists attached their name to their work. They also painted many great murals depicting great gods and other mythological features. Mayans used much of their artistic ability to write thousands of hieroglyphics. One of their greatest examples is the stairway at Copan. It is covered with a complex mixture of statues, figures, and ramps in addition to the central stairway that symbolizes Mayan society. The Mayans are considered peaceful compared to civilizations such as the Aztecs who were bloodthirsty and made tons of human sacrifices. Human sacrifices were not as important to the Mayans as they were to the Aztecs but blood sacrifice still played a major role. They offered up their blood but it usually did not mean their lives. They did this using many different sharp instruments and self-mutilation. The kings blood was considered the most sacred and was shed more often than others. The Mayans were also very warlike a...

Hylomorphism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Hylomorphism - Essay Example Form on the other hand is a factor that is derived from the way that we perceive an object. It is what is seen and judged to be the nature of a being. In relation to change, form is subject to change once matter undergoes the process; matter changes form when subject to the elements of change. Understanding how the two principles exist makes it relatively easy to determine the effect that a certain change factor could have on a being (The Editors of Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica). Substance dualism is a philosophical concept classified under the general dualism class (argues that there are essentially two substances that exist; the mental and the physical). Substance dualism postulates that the physical and the mental elements are separate and they exist independent of each other. Taking this view is inherently different from that taken by Hylomorphism, given the nature that change can take place in either of them. Under substance dualism, physical change can take place without affecting the mental and vice versa. On the other hand, Hylomorphism holds that change in matter must affect form and the alternative holds

Finace EJ Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Finace EJ - Case Study Example This policy assured that even though the actual market clearing competitive prices of agricultural products in a nation is low, farmers of the community will still experience the benefit of higher minimum prices (way above the market clearing price level). After implementation of the ‘minimum price policy’, as shown in the above graph, the European Community is experiencing over-production or excess supply of agricultural output. The above graph reflects the demand and supply analysis of the minimum price program. As the minimum price is way above the equilibrium price, quantity of agricultural supply has increased from Q0 to Q2. On the other hand, supply of agricultural products at a higher price (compared to the equilibrium price) has lowered the market demand for products from Q0 to Q1. So, according to the law of demand and supply (given ceteris paribus assumption), the agricultural output’s supply has increased and demand has fallen with response to the change in price. Apart from the ‘minimum price policy’, the CAP authorities in EU had also undertaken other policies in order to stabilize the agricultural sector as well as sustain negative externalities in the market like, bad weather and high price competition (especially in developing nations). Along with the price support program (minimum pricing), the CAP was seen to introduce the strategy of import substitution and export promotion in the agricultural sector. In order to protect domestic farmers within the community, the CAP have also introduced the policy of Quota in the EU agricultural market. This is a type of quantitative restriction imposed on agricultural imports of the nations. The above graph explains the demand and supply analysis for the Quota policy. The world market price (Pw) is much below the equilibrium price (P0) of the agricultural market of the European Community. The supply of agricultural products that

Healthcare Programs Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Healthcare Programs - Article Example The Commission provided recommendations that these differences in the healthcare costs should be reduced by creating policies which would employ the same amount of payment for utilization of healthcare services in the hospital as well as in the private offices of the doctors (Pear 2013). The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission is comprised of 17 members who reached to a consensus that alterations should be made to the current Medicare payment plans. This was in line with the fact that costs that have to be currently paid by Medicare to a doctor in his office for a visit of minutes is fifty dollars whereas this cost is increased to almost ninety nine dollars in the hospital outpatient department. Not only this, the price that has to be paid by the patient also increases from fourteen and a half dollars in the doctor’s office to approximately twenty five dollars in the outpatient department. This is also true of medical tests for which Medicare as well as the patient has to pay higher costs in the hospitals in comparison to the physicians’ offices. ... The article also explains that the Medicare Program has promoted the combined working of the hospitals and private offices of doctors for cutting down the costs. It is also indicated that this decision is not being welcomed by hospitals. Joanna Kim who is the vice president of the American Hospital Association has expressed her opinion by saying that these decisions would affect the functioning of the hospitals as they are already paid less by Medicare and such stands would affect the operations of the hospitals. Despite of this, the committee recommends that measures should be taken to reduce the burden on the healthcare programs for the betterment of the government as well as the common man. The article provides suggestions of reforms for the healthcare sector and it explains of ways in which the total expenditure that is provided by the healthcare programs for the people is reduced for cost affectivity. This saved money can be employed for other benefits for the customers and used for providing better healthcare services and options rather than paying a greater sum of money for services which can be availed at lower costs. The article sheds light on the fact that laws should be implemented for regulating the costs that are paid to the hospitals for the improvement of the healthcare sector. The business community should learn from such recommendations provided by experts and employers should opt for the best insurance policies for their employees which are cost effective. Healthcare programs which mainly provide cover for visits to doctors in private offices and tests in these setups should be opted for. This is because these would prove to be cheaper in terms of cost. The

Technology in the school Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Technology in the school - Essay Example They have no time to think about the damaging consequences. An individual gives highest priority to the time-saving products, without pondering about its concerns on body, mind and soul. In this essay, apparently on a simple topic, Ed Bell sounds the warning bell about the consequences of showing disrespect to some of the natural ways of doing things and advises the necessity of avoiding mechanical movements. He makes the following statement: â€Å"Although technology has improved society in many ways, we use it indiscriminately, not distinguishing the good from the bad† (470).According to the author, technological advancement does not always contribute to the welfare of humankind. He lists the advantages and disadvantages of raking vs. blowing the leaves and in the process creates a new pattern of thinking, and throws questions about the tendency of the human being to challenge the functioning the nature in a thoughtless manner. (472) Beautiful gardens are built with care. When the roaring machines attack the greenery of the yard, it looks like the demons take over and are out to destroy nature. The author depicts the advantages of using leaf rakes versus blowing (using vacuums) Using rakes is considered as an antiquated method and the progressive individuals argue that leaf rakes need to be consigned to the annals of history. Undoubtedly the blower has some advantages like time saving, and the technical ability to remove leaves from close spaces and easy to use especially for individuals with disabilities. Blowers or vacuums also do the job of shredding the leaves and make available ready-to-use mulch. But the advantages of raking are many and it is a pleasant and not a noisy system. Ed Bell argues, â€Å"But even if it does take longer to rake than to blow, the extra time spent raking provides the exercise that we need. One look at the human body will tell you it is built for raking—it wants to rake!â⠂¬ (Mauk, et.al,

Dementia Patient Care Plan Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Dementia Patient Care Plan - Assignment Example Different diseases that directly affect the brain can lead to the development of dementia, with the major cause being Alzheimer disease. As much as scientists have not identified the exact reasons behind and process that individuals develop Alzheimer disease, it is evident that it results from the death of neurons (nerve cells) in the brain (Lu & Bludau, 2011). It is evident that a type of protein referred to as beta-amyloid and protein fiber masses form deposits within the brain of individuals with the disease. Peter* is an 86-year-old Navajo of American-Indian background. He lives with Maria*, his 80-year-old wife, in a ranch on the outskirts of Alaska. The couple solely depends on Peter’s retirement benefits that are not enough to cater for their needs. The government’s health insurance is limited; hence, the family’s expenses majorly lies in Peter’s healthcare. The couple never had children and has to be independent at old age. However, Peter cut-off his drinking habits after attending rehabilitation. In his heydays, he was a professional footballer right before he retired from football and joined the media as a sports reporter. During his football career, Peter was admitted to hospital for a concussion and a brain contusion after continuous complaints of losing balance and having blurred vision. Peter has faced ten driving under the influence (DUI) charges that led to him losing his driving license and attending a rehabilitation center. Peter’s wife has osteoporosis and is weak, an aspect that has made it difficult for her to take care of her husband. Peter has reported cases of increased confusion and forgetfulness. For example, he stated that he often looks for something when he is holding it in the hand, and forgets names of close people and places. Such occurrences have increased concerns for Peter that he could be developing Alzheimer’s disease.  

Egypt from 2100-1700 BC Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Egypt from 2100-1700 BC - Research Paper Example There are villages built alongside quarries and building sites, and so poor people must have lived near to the wealthy people, but segregated into their own living quarters. Some indication of Egyptian family life from this period has survived in papyri, such as letters from an old farmer Hekanakhte who left his home to go on business: â€Å"these letters, which are full of sharp commands to his several sons to do his bidding, to stop whingeing about the slender rations he has allowed them, and to be kind to his new wife.†ii The content of these letters may not be very significant in terms of historical facts, but it is interesting that the tone is so authoritarian, and the sons and wife all have to obey the commands of the father figure. Reading between the lines, there is a suggestion that the sons were not respectful, and perhaps this was a stepmother whom they resented. This evidence suggests that the Egyptian society of the time was patriarchal, and that families were exp ected to work the land together. The importance of agriculture was immense, because it brought the food on which the cities depended. The population of Egypt was then, as now, mostly gathered along coastal areas in the North and especially along the banks of the Nile, whose life-giving waters sustained the crops, and also served as a transport artery along the Eastern edge of the country. Hard work in the fields was probably the reality for a large number of people. This period was also known for its commitment to funerary rites, including the building of tombs and pyramids, the worship of Osiris, lively trade with countries around the Eastern Mediterranean, and advances in medicine, pottery and literature. Some of it looks back to earlier Egyptian glory and this why it is sometimes likened to a Renaissance period. The monuments are not quite so huge, and there is more evidence of modest day to day living, paying taxes and working on crafts, which suggests that at least some of the ordinary people were beginning to enjoy the pleasures and achievements of advanced civilization. Reflection It is pleasing to see in the period from 2100 to 1700 that towns and villages are growing up, partially with the support of the ruling Pharoahs, and are developing their own local economies. The worship of female gods, and the mummification of queens shows also a positive role for women, in some layers of society at least, but I do think that this was probably a very sexist society, where gender roles were pretty much fixed. There seems also to be a great respect for elders, and so to be young, and female, and especially to be a servant or slave, must have been very difficult. Added to this is the tendency of the Nile to flood, and the unreliability of harvests, which means that living conditions may have varied from season to season depending on the weather conditions. The evidence of taxes being levied is also a rather modern complaint, and this made me think that many aspec ts of life back in this period must have been similar to modern times. The lower classes always struggle to meet this obligation to the state, and it seems unfair that those who work the hardest seem to benefit the least. I had not been aware

Technology in the school Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Technology in the school - Essay Example They have no time to think about the damaging consequences. An individual gives highest priority to the time-saving products, without pondering about its concerns on body, mind and soul. In this essay, apparently on a simple topic, Ed Bell sounds the warning bell about the consequences of showing disrespect to some of the natural ways of doing things and advises the necessity of avoiding mechanical movements. He makes the following statement: â€Å"Although technology has improved society in many ways, we use it indiscriminately, not distinguishing the good from the bad† (470).According to the author, technological advancement does not always contribute to the welfare of humankind. He lists the advantages and disadvantages of raking vs. blowing the leaves and in the process creates a new pattern of thinking, and throws questions about the tendency of the human being to challenge the functioning the nature in a thoughtless manner. (472) Beautiful gardens are built with care. When the roaring machines attack the greenery of the yard, it looks like the demons take over and are out to destroy nature. The author depicts the advantages of using leaf rakes versus blowing (using vacuums) Using rakes is considered as an antiquated method and the progressive individuals argue that leaf rakes need to be consigned to the annals of history. Undoubtedly the blower has some advantages like time saving, and the technical ability to remove leaves from close spaces and easy to use especially for individuals with disabilities. Blowers or vacuums also do the job of shredding the leaves and make available ready-to-use mulch. But the advantages of raking are many and it is a pleasant and not a noisy system. Ed Bell argues, â€Å"But even if it does take longer to rake than to blow, the extra time spent raking provides the exercise that we need. One look at the human body will tell you it is built for raking—it wants to rake!â⠂¬ (Mauk, et.al,

Egypt from 2100-1700 BC Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Egypt from 2100-1700 BC - Research Paper Example There are villages built alongside quarries and building sites, and so poor people must have lived near to the wealthy people, but segregated into their own living quarters. Some indication of Egyptian family life from this period has survived in papyri, such as letters from an old farmer Hekanakhte who left his home to go on business: â€Å"these letters, which are full of sharp commands to his several sons to do his bidding, to stop whingeing about the slender rations he has allowed them, and to be kind to his new wife.†ii The content of these letters may not be very significant in terms of historical facts, but it is interesting that the tone is so authoritarian, and the sons and wife all have to obey the commands of the father figure. Reading between the lines, there is a suggestion that the sons were not respectful, and perhaps this was a stepmother whom they resented. This evidence suggests that the Egyptian society of the time was patriarchal, and that families were exp ected to work the land together. The importance of agriculture was immense, because it brought the food on which the cities depended. The population of Egypt was then, as now, mostly gathered along coastal areas in the North and especially along the banks of the Nile, whose life-giving waters sustained the crops, and also served as a transport artery along the Eastern edge of the country. Hard work in the fields was probably the reality for a large number of people. This period was also known for its commitment to funerary rites, including the building of tombs and pyramids, the worship of Osiris, lively trade with countries around the Eastern Mediterranean, and advances in medicine, pottery and literature. Some of it looks back to earlier Egyptian glory and this why it is sometimes likened to a Renaissance period. The monuments are not quite so huge, and there is more evidence of modest day to day living, paying taxes and working on crafts, which suggests that at least some of the ordinary people were beginning to enjoy the pleasures and achievements of advanced civilization. Reflection It is pleasing to see in the period from 2100 to 1700 that towns and villages are growing up, partially with the support of the ruling Pharoahs, and are developing their own local economies. The worship of female gods, and the mummification of queens shows also a positive role for women, in some layers of society at least, but I do think that this was probably a very sexist society, where gender roles were pretty much fixed. There seems also to be a great respect for elders, and so to be young, and female, and especially to be a servant or slave, must have been very difficult. Added to this is the tendency of the Nile to flood, and the unreliability of harvests, which means that living conditions may have varied from season to season depending on the weather conditions. The evidence of taxes being levied is also a rather modern complaint, and this made me think that many aspec ts of life back in this period must have been similar to modern times. The lower classes always struggle to meet this obligation to the state, and it seems unfair that those who work the hardest seem to benefit the least. I had not been aware

Effective Communication Essay Example for Free

Effective Communication Essay Effective communication is the process of transferring information or thoughts to someone or a group of people by way of speaking, writing or body language. According to â€Å"Livestron.com† (2014), â€Å"Effective communication extends the concept to require that transmitted content is received and understood by someone in the way it was intended. The goals of effective communication include creating a common perception, changing behaviors and acquiring information† (para. 1). It is important that the person receiving the information be able to clearly and concisely understand the information from the sender. The most effective and ineffective techniques for sharing information, techniques that can be applied or modified in a health care work environment and ways in which technology may affect these processes will be discussed in this paper. Effective Communication Techniques Effective communication begins with encoding, or being able to clearly and concisely relay the message so that the receiver will be able to decode the message. Another important part of effective communication is making sure the receiver properly understands the message that was being sent. When considering the context of the communication it improves the effectiveness. Context includes age, religion, sexual orientation and intellectual abilities of the receiver. Body language, or non-verbal communication includes eye contact, facial expressions, posture and position of the hands and arms. When body language is consistent with verbal content it improves understanding, and when body language is inconsistent with verbal content it creates confusion about the message. Emotions can interfere with effective communication. For example: messages maybe negatively affected if the sender is angry. While working in community mental health industry, an individual will be faced with constant changes in the way they communicate with each other, whether it be with the psychiatrist, counselor, patient, drug representative or another health care provider. I found the most used forms of communicating with other people were face-to-face communication, phone, e-mail and faxes. I feel the most effective way of communication is face-to-face because communication signals can provide insight to what is critical in gaining an understanding of other’s perspectives. Ineffective  Ways of Communication Ineffective communication can be any disruption or failure in the communication process. Language is an obvious communication barrier because if a person does not understand the language the communication fails. Another barrier is when a person has an idea but lacks the confidence to speak up the communication process fails. According to â€Å"Chron.com† (2014) â€Å"Removing barriers will increase your odds of communicating effectively. Both senders and receivers should pay attention to others in the process, making eye contact, listening intently and avoiding distractions. By being empathetic, you are imagining what it is like to be in the other person’s situation, which helps the communication process† (para. 5). How These Techniques Can Be Applied or Modified Communication is the key to succeeding and will allow coworkers in a health care environment to work well together. â€Å"A team is a small group of people with complementary skills, who work together to achieve a shared purpose and hold themselves mutually accountable for its accomplishment. Teamwork is the process of people working together to accomplish these goals† (Lombardi, Schermerhorn, Kramer, 2007, p. 91). Team members need to start out slowly in order to accomplish good communication skills. All team members should learn how to work with their team and be able to control any conflicts that might occur. How Technology Affects the Communication Process Technology has impacted the health care field in a positive and rewarding way. For instance, the electronic medical record allows the user to exchange health care information electronically and can help provide a higher quality and safer care for the patients while creating enhancements for the health care organization. The electronic medical record provides up-to-date, accurate information about patient at the point of care which allows quick access to patient records for a more coordination of care. There are so many things that technology has provided the health care industry: MRI’s, CAT Scans, ultrasounds and laparoscopic surgeries. Technology will always bring change and a positive outlook to the health care industry. In conclusion, effective communication helps to better understand a person or situation. It enables us to resolve differences and build trust and respect. This paper covered the most effective and ineffective ways for sharing information and ideas, techniques that can be applied or modified in a health care work environment and how technology impacts the communication process. References: Chron.com. (2014). Retrieved from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/effective-ineffective-communication-56100.html Lombardi, D.J., Schermerhorn, J.R., Kramer, B. (2007). Managing Teams: Leading and Developing Work Teams that are Efficient, Focused, and Flexible. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley Sons, Inc. Livestrong.com. (2014). Retrieved from http://www.livestrong.com/article/69309-effective-communication/

Characterizing Positivism Interpretivism And Realism Approaches Psychology Essay

Characterizing Positivism Interpretivism And Realism Approaches Psychology Essay However, despite these ongoing arguments between the methodological traditions of qualitative and quantitative research (Gage, 1989); combined methods represent a fast developing field of social science methodology. As all methods have specific margins and particular strengths, many discussants propose that qualitative and quantitative methods should be combined in order to compensate for their mutual weaknesses (Tashakkori Teddlie, 2003). Moreover, it is claimed that this movement scripts the beginning of a new era in social research indicated by a tendency to combine quantitative and qualitative methods pragmatically unencumbered by old debates (Johnson Turner, 2003). Therefore it is emphasized that the uses of a mixed-method design provides an important tool in overcoming the limitations of both qualitative and quantitative mono-method research. This essay deals with social theories that influence qualitative and qualitative research methods employed in social sciences as either in principle separable or even as irreconcilable methods of social sciences. It starts with a characterization of positivism, Interpretivism and realism; and links these theories to the foundation of qualitative and quantitative research methods. Then, it shows how they deal with the various aspects of the qualitative-quantitative divide. Finally, it is the intention to show how the combined methodological approach may be integrated in a coherent way to add value and assist in the design of a single research project. With an emphasis on the differences and similarities between quantitative and qualitative approaches providing the basis for exploring the methods of combining both approaches to overcome their weaknesses by providing a commentary of the complementary strengths of each tradition. Characterizing Positivism, Interpretivism and Realism approaches Few sociologists would describe themselves as a positivist, interpretivist or realist. These are terms used primarily by methodologists and social theorists to describe and evaluate the theoretical assumptions underlying different approaches to research (Bickhard, 1992; Johnson, 2006; Hibberd, 2010). There are many different views in sociology about what societies are and the best ways of obtaining knowledge of them. This part of the essay simplifies matters to some extent by characterizing three of the most influential theories of knowledge in sociology: positivism, interpretivism and realism (Bryman, 1998 and 2001; Hibberd 2010). Positivism Positivism is frequently used to stand for the epistemological assumption that empirical knowledge based on principles of objectivity, verificationism, and reproducibility is the foundation of all authentic knowledge (Bryman, 2001; Hanzel, 2010). The term positivist has been critical for some time in the human sciences because positivist tends to subscribe to a number of ideas that have no place in present-day science and philosophy (Hanzel, 2010). Positivism views that sociology can and should use the methods of the natural sciences, that do not usually mean using experiments because there are all sorts of ethical problems with doing that, but positivists do believe that sociologists should use quantitative methods and aim to identify and measure social structures. As a philosophical approach, positivism encompasses a group of notions. Table 1 below, provides main characters for positivist key ideas. It shows that positivists sum up all the items by being against metaphysics (Hackin g, 1983). Character Description emphasis upon verification Significant propositions are those whose truth or falsehood can be settled in some way. Pro-observation What we can see, feel, touch, and the like provide the best content or foundation for all the rest of our non mathematical knowledge. Discoverability Scientific knowledge is something discovered (rather than produced or constructed). Anti-cause There is no causality in nature, over and above the constancy with which events of one kind are followed by events of another kind. Downplaying explanation Explanation may help organize phenomena, but do not provide any deeper answer to Why questions except to say that the phenomena regularly occur in such and such a way. Anti-theoretical entities Positivists tend to be non-realists, not only because they restrict reality to the observable but also because they are against causes and are dubious about explanations. Table 1: Positivism characters Source: Hacking, 1983 Positivist theory argues that the methods of the natural sciences are applicable to the study of societies. In the positivist view, sociology involves the search for causal relationships between observable phenomena and theories are tested against observations (Hibberd, 2009). Researchers adopting a positivist point of view may still be interested in finding out about peoples subjective views. For example, they explore things such as attitudes and opinions through survey research (Michell, 2003). However, they see the task of sociology as explaining why people behave in the way they do, and how people really feel about things cannot be explained scientifically. Interpretivist Interpretivists do not necessarily reject the positivist account of knowledge, but they question the idea that the logic and methods of natural science can be imported into the study of societies. Max Weber was one of the main influences on the interpretivist tradition in sociology. For him, natural science and social science are two very different enterprises requiring a different logic and different methods (Bryman, 1982). At the heart of interpretivist critique of positivism is a humanist viewpoint. Some of those favouring an interpretivist view of sociology have long argued that in their search for a scientific explanation of social life, positivist have sometimes forgotten that they are studying people, and to study people you need to get out and explore how they really think and act in everyday situations. Interpretivists argue that unlike objects in nature, human beings can change their behaviour if they know they are being observed (Collins, 1984; Guba, 1987). So, interpretivists argue that if we want to understand social action, we need to look into the reasons and meanings which that action has for people (Marsh, 2002). Take the example of crime, a positivist would argue that researchers can simply measure crime using quantitative methods and identify patterns and correlations.   While, an interpretivist would argue that we need to understand what people mean by crime, how they come to catego rize certain actions as criminal and then investigate who comes to be seen as criminal in a particular society . The aim of interpretivist approaches in sociology is to understand the subjective experiences of those being studied, how they think and feel and how they act in their natural contexts (Marsh, 2002; Johnson, 2006). Therefore, although interpretivists still try to be objective and systematic in their research, the key criterion in interpretivist epistemology is validity. The favoured research design is ethnography and the main methods are ones that help researchers understand social life from the point of view of those being studied, such as unstructured observation, unstructured interviews and personal documents. Interpretivism has provided a powerful critique of many of the taken-for-granted ideas of positivism that are widely used in sociology and in other social sciences (Marsh, 2002). It has also influenced a whole field of research illuminating peoples everyday life experiences. However, interpretivists accounts are criticised by some sociologists for not providing testable hypotheses that can be evaluated. This can lead to relativism where one theory, or study, is seen as just as good as any other. Realism Realist theory, like positivism, holds that sociology can, and should, follow the logic and methods of the natural sciences, meanwhile, it differs from positivism in its interpretation of science (Hartwig, 2007; Hibberd, 2010). In positivist research, theories are tested against observations and found to be true or false or somewhere in between. In simple terms, the facts are the judge of the theory (Hibberd, 2010). Realists do not make this clear-cut separation because they do not believe that observations can be separated from theories (Parker, 2003; Hartwig, 2007). They argue that no form of science relies exclusively on observable empirical evidence. There are always aspects of any form of reality that remain hidden beneath the surface of what can be observed (Duran, 2005; Hibberd, 2010). According to realists, the aim of scientific work is to uncover the underlying causal mechanisms that bring about observable regularities. Realists see research being guided primarily by scientific criteria, such as the systematic collection of evidence, reliability and transparency. However, because they recognise the importance of the subjective dimension of human action, they also include methods that document the validity of peoples experiences (Bhaskar, 1999). Research designs are more likely to be experimental or comparative in realist research, but there is no particular commitment to either quantitative or qualitative methods (Parker, 2003; Hartwig 2007).The focus of realist methodology, however, is on theory. Realists argue that as there is no such thing as theory-free data: sociological methods should be specifically focused on the evaluation and comparison of theoretical concepts, explanations and policies. The development of a clear, realist epistemology is comparatively recent in sociology and owes much to new realist writers like Bhaskar (1986, 1999) and Pawson (1989). They have provided a different interpretation of science and its relationship to social sciences, and a developing alternative to the dominant theories of positivism and Interpretivism that laid the foundations for a non-empiricist epistemology in social science (Hibberd, 2009 and 2010). However, they would say that this doesnt mean that either set of methods, positivist or interpretive, have to be ditched. The realists argument is that sociologists can be pragmatic and use whatever methods are appropriate for particular circumstances. Social reality is complex and to study it, sociologists can draw on both positivist and interpretivist methods. For purists, the assumptions associated with quantitative and qualitative paradigms regarding how the world is viewed and what it is important to know are irreconcilable. They envisage that both methods stem from different metaphysical and epistemological assumptions about the nature of research (Bryman, 1984; Collins, 1984; Tashakkori Teddlie, 1998). Purists advocate that the methods and tenets from positivism and post-positivism cannot and should not be mixed (Smith, 1983). They believe that the axioms of post-positivism and positivism have mutually exclusive assumptions about society; therefore, the research methods derived under each are considered to be mutually exclusive as well In agreement with purists and acceptance of both positivist and post positivist paradigms, situationalists maintain that qualitative and quantitative methods are complementary but should not be integrated in a single study. However, they believe that definite research questions relate more to quantitative approaches, whereas other research questions are more suitable for qualitative methods (Onwuegbuzie and Leech, 2005). Thus, although representing very different directions, the two approaches are treated as being complementary. By contrast, pragmatists, unlike purists and situationalists, contend that a false separation exists between quantitative and qualitative approaches (Newman Benz, 1998). They advocate the integration of methods within a single study. Sieber (1973) articulated that because both approaches have intrinsic strengths and weaknesses, researchers should utilize the strengths of both techniques in order to understand better social phenomena. Indeed, pragmatists assign to the philosophy that the research question should drive the methods used (Onwuegbuzie and Leech, 2005). In any case, researchers who ascribe to epistemological purity disregard the fact that research methodologies are merely tools that are designed to aid our understanding of the world. It is possible to argue that there are overwhelmingly more similarities between quantitative and qualitative approaches than there are differences (Onwuegbuzie and Leech, 2005). Bothe and Andreatta (2004), add that both approaches involve the use of observations to address research questions, describe their data, construct descriptive arguments from their data, and speculate about why the results they observed happened as they did. Both sets of researchers select and use analytical techniques that are designed to obtain the maximal meaning from their data, and so that findings have utility in relation to their respective views of reality (Kelle, 2006). Both methods investigators utilize techniques to verify their data. Such techniques include persistent observation with continuous and prolonged investigation of the research study with consideration to rival explanations. Replication of the chosen study method to other cases (of which may include extreme scenarios) provides the opportunity to gain validity of findings and the methodological approach used, by means of a representative study group to allow for reliable generalisations to be made. Triangulation, verification of researcher effects and weighting of the evidence identifies and resolves researcher bias and thick description (Creswell, 1998, cited Onwuegbuzie and Leech, 2005) which may impact on the findings. Debriefing of study participants may obtain valuable feedback from participants also. Moreover, quantitative and qualitative researches represent an interactive range and the role of theory is central for both paradigms. Specifically, in qualitative research the most common purposes are those of theory initiation and theory building, whereas in quantitative research the most typical objectives are those of theory testing and theory modification (Newman Benz, 1998). Clearly, neither tradition is independent of the other, nor can either school encompass the whole research process. Thus, both quantitative and qualitative research techniques are needed to gain a more complete understanding of phenomena (Newman Benz, 1998). Hence, there are many parallels exist between quantitative and qualitative research. Indeed, the purity of a research paradigm is a function of the extent to which the researcher is prepared to conform to its underlying assumptions (Luttrell, Wendy, 2005).This suggests that methodological pluralism (Larsson, 2009) should be promoted, the best way for this to occur is for as many investigators as possible to become pragmatic researchers (Onwuegbuzie and Leech, 2005). Combined research methods and function in the research process A combination of qualitative and quantitative research approaches can assist in practical solutions to overcome limitations of mono-method research discussed for the last 50 years (Kelle, 2006). However, it is rarely addressed in current debates whether it is possible to develop solid methodological strategies for structuring research methods based on that insight of combining qualitative and quantitative methods (Creswell et al., 2003; Tashakkori Teddlie, 2003; Onwuegbuzie Leech, 2005), though there is a broad agreement that a use of multiple methods with complementary strengths and different weaknesses can add value to a single research. Despite this, the discussion provides only sparse information about which designs could overcome which weaknesses of mono-method research. Furthermore, there is still a lack of agreement about the exact classification and terminology of different mixed methods, combined method or multi-method designs which are used in research practice (Tashakkor i Teddlie, 2003, cited Onwuegbuzie Leech, 2005, p:307 ). By starting the research process with a qualitative study, researchers may obtain access to knowledge that helps them to develop the appropriate theoretical concepts and to construct consistent research instruments later on that cover relevant phenomena by consequential and relevant items. Such a design helps to overcome the limited transferability of findings from qualitative research as well as the initially mentioned hazards of the heuristics of commonsense knowledge (Onwuegbuzie and Leech, 2005, p: 307). This approach can help to construct consistent research instruments that cover relevant phenomena by consequential and relevant substances. Meanwhile, combining qualitative and quantitative methods the opposite way could be useful in many cases; that means starting with a quantitative study, followed by qualitative questions (Onwuegbuzie and Leech, 2005; Lund 2005). In this quantitative-qualitative approach, problem areas and research questions are identified by carrying out a quantitative study which will have to be further investigated with the help of qualitative data and methods. The problem of quantitative research addressed by this design is often the difficulty to understand statistical findings without additional socio cultural knowledge. Furthermore, the quantitative part of a sequential quantitative-qualitative design can guide systematic case comparison in the following qualitative inquiry by helping to identify criteria for the selection of cases and by providing a sampling frame (Onwuegbuzie and Leech, 2005; Kelle, 2006). Thus, this design can help to overcome an important threat of validity existing in qualitative research that researchers focus on distant and marginal cases. Another problem of qualitative research can be addressed by this design: it helps to avoid a qualitative study with an outsized scope that covers a domain too wide to be captured with the help of a small qualitative sample. Onwuegbuzie and Leech (2005) give a simple example to understand the above problem: a qualitative study of family life in a contemporary city would have to take into account many more different forms of families than a similar study in a traditional rural community in the first decades of the twentieth century. By drawin g on statistical material about the distribution of different family forms, the minimum requirements for qualitative sampling could be easily captured, and may be well advised to downsize the research question and research domain (Bryman, 2001; Onwuegbuzie and Leech, 2005). On the other hand, a parallel qualitative-quantitative design can fulfil similar functions to a sequential design: the qualitative part of the study can provide information that helps to understand statistical relations, to develop explanations and to identify additional variables that increase variance already explained in the quantitative data. A great benefit of a parallel qualitative-quantitative design is that it helps to identify measurement problems and methodological artefact of both qualitative and quantitative data, as the same persons are interviewed with different techniques (Bryman, 1992 and 2001). However, this parallel design approach encloses an important disadvantage, it is that qualitative sampling and data collection cannot be systematically developed from research questions derived from quantitative data; therefore it can easily be the case that the available qualitative data provide no answers for questions coming from the quantitative study, as they were not col lected for that purpose. Conclusion It is shown throughout this essay that the theoretical approach influences the methodological approach and vice versa. Many studies in sociology use a combination of positivist, interpretivist and, realist ideas. The essay demonstrates that the influence of positivism has inspired much of social research most prevalent research methods. Some of these include surveys, questionnaires and statistical models. Researchers applying a positivist methodology for their study consider large-scale sample surveys and controlled laboratory experiments as suitable research methods. These methods can be justified as they allow positivist researchers to employ empirical and logical quantitative data. While, interpretivism employs qualitative methods to understand people, not to measure them, it attempts to capture reality in interaction, however, does not necessarily exclude quantitative methods. Whereas, quantitative results from a positivist method like a survey are unlikely to provide understandi ng of this deeper reality and therefore should not be a major part of any realism research project, basically, because realism research data are almost always qualitative data about meanings. The essay provides several benefits of performing mixed method research. Researchers of social science use a wide variety of research methods to gain and enhance knowledge and theory. The different types of research methodologies, quantitative and qualitative, are associated with the epistemological and theoretical perspectives the researcher wishes to adopt. The essay demonstrated that quantitative and qualitative methods can fulfil different, yet, complementary purposes within mixed-method designs. Quantitative methods can give an overview about the domain under study and can describe its heterogeneity on a macro-level, whereas qualitative methods can be used to gain access to local knowledge of the field in order to develop theoretical concepts and explanations that cover phenomena relevant for the research domain. Thus, quantitative and qualitative methods cannot substitute each other, but help to illuminate different aspects of sociological phenomena: in a sociological investiga tion quantitative methods can describe the actions of large numbers of different actors, whereas qualitative methods provide information about possible reasons for these actions. In such cases qualitative and quantitative methods help to answer different questions such as the kinds of actions social actors typically perform. Finally, the essay demonstrated that results from qualitative interviews can help to identify unobserved heterogeneity in quantitative data as well as the previously unknown explaining variables and unspecified models (Kelle, 2006). It is also clear that results from the qualitative part of mixed-methods design can help to understand what once incomprehensible statistical findings were; the qualitative part of the research can help to discover a lack of validity of quantitative measurement operations and instruments. Moreover, in a sequential quantitative-qualitative design quantitative research can help to guide the selection of cases in qualitative small studies. In this case the quantitative part of the study can help to confirm findings from a qualitative study and to transfer these findings to other domains.

Mind Sports :: essays research papers

It seems almost like an oxymoron to combine the words mind and sport especially when the "sport" under consideration is chess. It is difficult to picture the game as a sport when the most physical activity it seems to require is moving the pieces across the board. Recently, though, the Olympic committee voted chess legal for competition in "The Games." This acknowledgment of chess as a sport by such a high council requires us to rethink our view of chess and athletics. Although chess does not appear to require as much activity as most recognizable sports, it does require as much, if not more, preparation and time. A study done at Temple University found that chess drains energy at a rate that compares to football. Some of the best chess players in history regarded athletic training as an essential part of success in the game. Both Bobby Fischer and Garry Kasparov lifted weights. They used other physical conditioning techniques as well, not necessarily for their health, but because of the amount of stamina the game requires at high levels of competition. It is not uncommon for a professional player to lose 10 to 15 pounds during the course of a match. Matches can last as long as a month, with one game every day, eight hours each. Over 120 countries officially consider chess a sport. The Unites States is not one of them. That may be because we seem to have a very narrow-minded view of what exactly a sport is. Ask any random person if chess should be considered a sport, and the most likely response will be hysterical laughter, yet more people play chess competitively than any other game in the world, and more books have been published on chess than any other subject. Most of those players and authors firmly believe that chess is harder to be good at than any other game or sport. The thought of chess as a sport probably just never occurred to most people. Playing in a chess tournament is akin to taking a test that has not been studied for but that will decide something important, except that chess also has the added problem of time. Imagine taking that test with a time limit, like the SAT’s for example, but that the clock that is keeping the time gives off a faint ticking sound. In a large room that is completely silent the only thing audible will be that noise, it is extremely nerve-racking for any inexperienced tournament player.

Ephedra (Ma Huang) :: Botany

Ephedra (Ma Huang) Ephedras species are an evergreen shrub, native to North China and Inner Mongolia. It's yellow/green branching shrub growing to an average of 20 inches (50cm) with long narrow, sprawling stems and tiny leaves, can be found in desert or arid regions throughout the world. Its color can be green, gray, or red, depending on the species. The plant has small greenish yellow flowers and tiny nodes (joints) on the stalks (2). Ephedra is propagated from seed or by root division in autumn and demands well drained soil. It usually grows on dry, rocky or sandy slopes, and loves full sun. It matures very slowly and is very challenging to grow (1). General Information Ephedra (common name) comes from the family Ephedraceae. It has several scientific names that depend upon the plants founding location; Ephedra major (American), Ephedra trifurca (American), Ephedra nevadensis (American) are found in North America; and Ephedra sinica (Chinese- Ma Huang) is found in Asia. Other varieties of Ephedra can be found in Europe, India, and Pakistan. Ephedra was initially found in a Neolithic grave in the Middle East. This evidence may indicate that Ephedra was used as a medicine more than 60,000 year ago. In China, Ephedra was the first herbal remedy to yield an active constituent, in this case ephedrine. The first isolation of ephedrine was in 1887, by a Japanese chemist, N. Nagai (2,5). Folk and Historic Traditions The Zen Monks used Ephedra to encourage calm concentration during meditation. According to a legend, a tea containing Ephedra was given to the bodyguards of Genguis Khan, to keep them from falling asleep on sentry duty. Mormon Tea, one of Ephedra's folk names, stems from the use of the tea by Mormons; it was used as a replacement stimulant for the coffee and black tea the Mormons couldn't drink. In the 1800's Ephedra tea was served in Brothels, claiming to cure gonorrhea and syphilis. Ephedra tea today is not used as a cure; it will not cure these STD's (2). Medicinal Values The Medicinal use of Ephedra in China dates from approximately 2800B.C. In 1923 the practitioners of Western Medicine began their interest in Ephedra. Soon after, ephedrine became widely used as a nasal decongestant, a central nervous system stimulant, and a treatment for asthma in America. The isolated alkaloid originally obtained from Ephedra species, have been used in a substantial amount of prescription drugs and over-the-counter decongestants and allergy medications (2,4).