понедельник, 30 сентября 2019 г.

Rhetoric and Paragraph

What is a paragraph? A paragraph is a group of sentences that are all about one specific idea. It should begin with a topic sentence, that is, a sentence which addresses the subject of the paragraph. The other sentences in the paragraph should supply information that helps to explain the topic. How long should a paragraph be? There is no set length for a paragraph, but, generally, three full sentences are considered the minimum, and half a page is considered the maximum. What are the kinds of paragraph? Narration Narrative paragraphs/essays are often a chronological (make contain flashbacks) presentation of events that add up to a story. Paragraphs of this type contain protagonist and an antagonist, setting, conflict and resolution. They often contain a lot of description, but this is not essential. Description Descriptive types of paragraphs/essays are written in such a way that the reader is able to imagine the scene, object, person, etc. Series of detailed observations are recorded, using sensory language. Descriptions are like narrative paragraphs, with visual characteristics unfolding in a dramatized way. The main objective of a description is to move the story ahead. Definition Definition type of paragraphs/essays, provide meaning about a topic, using events and happenings. A strong effort should be made to clearly explain what something is, rather than what it is not. ComparisonThe objective of paragraphs/essays written in the comparison style is to compare, two or more objects, characters, events, etc. Two types of comparison are used-a point by point comparison or a topic by topic comparison. Persuasion A persuasive paragraph/essay is used in editorials, essays and columns. A direct approach is the best in writing a persuasive paragraph. The objective of a persuasive paragraph is to persuade people to change their minds, or take action. Persuasive paragraphs help people formulate an opinion and/or deepen it, by adding conviction. These essays must use concrete evidence followed by commentary in order to be effective. Exposition Expository paragraphs are explanatory in nature. They could be an important part of a description or narration. Credibility should be added in an expository paragraph, by citing authorities that have good credentials. This type of paragraph can also be a justifier that explains why something is important, for example why a memory or place or a function or activity is important. Process analysis A process analysis paragraph describes how a process happens, through a series of sequential actions. This type of paragraph is usually followed by illustrations, as they help explain the process better. What is a topic sentence? A topic sentence (also known as a focus sentence in some cases) encapsulates or organizes an entire paragraph. Although topic sentences may appear anywhere in a paragraph, in academic essays they often appear at the beginning. What is paragraph unity? Coherence? Emphasis? A good paragraph has the characteristics of unity, coherence and emphasis. In unity a paragraph must be unified on its structure. In coherence a paragraph must establish continuity within or towards the other paragraph. In emphasis the idea within the paragraph should be given importance and made to stand. Unity A paragraph is a unit of composition that established oneness because it develops a central and main idea on its structure. The entire paragraph must be unified on its structure and all the sentences within the paragraph should focus on the topic sentence. There are several violations in which the unity of the paragraph is lost. One of these is by the inclusion of the second central idea which divides the idea of the entire paragraph. Another violation is the inclusion of one or more sentences containing details that are not really related to the paragraph’s main ideas. There are also cases in which there is no central idea that was being established within the paragraph resulting to the disunity of sentences in the paragraph composition. Coherence Coherence is considered as the continuity between as well as within the paragraph. It is very important to arrange and link the sentences between the paragraphs to be able to make the readers follow the thought or the idea that want to be implied. There are several logical orders in which coherence can be established. These logical orders are the spatial orders, deductive order and inductive order. Chronological order is done in such ways like narrating experiences, summarizing the steps in the process and explaining events and movements. Spatial order can be established through the arrangement of visual details in some consistent sequences such as from left to right, east to west, near or distant and vice versa. Deductive order is done by establishing a general statement moving to the more particular details that explain the general statement itself. Inductive order is done by starting the statement with more particular detail going to and supporting the general statement. Coherence can also be established through the use of some special devices. These transitional devices are the transitional keywords; the reference of pronoun, the repetition of keywords and the use of the parallel structure. The transitional words and phrases serve as indicators of the different relationships that need to be connected to be able to establish coherence in the paragraph. The reference of pronoun is a device used to avoid needles repetition in the paragraph. The repetition of keywords is used in such a way that the keywords that are related to the central idea in order to establish coherence. The parallel structure is used to call attention to similar idea in the paragraph. Emphasis Emphasis is the principle of the paragraph composition in which the important ideas are made to stand. In here it is very important that the main points of the writer should be evident inside the paragraph. Having an emphasis can be achieved by using some devices such as the use of emphasis by proportion, emphasis by pause and emphasis by position. In the emphasis by proportion, the subordinate ideas should be given less substance while ideas which have greater importance should be given more substance. In the emphasis by pause, the emphasis is established by making chapter divisions, paragraph breaks as well as mark of punctuation. In the emphasis by position, the beginning and end of the paragraph are considered as crucial points where emphasis should be placed, emphasis are usually positioned in these places.

воскресенье, 29 сентября 2019 г.

Industrial V.S. Pastoral Essay

No other book has ever made me want to be a farmer more (or at all) than The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan. No other book has placed such a dark cloud of doom and gloom over such a seemingly simple topic such as food production. I’m of course not talking about two identical models. One model is of industrial agriculture contrasted by pastoral agriculture. In his research Michael Pollan visited farms of both styles, got to know the onsite operations, followed the food to its ultimate destination, and finally ate a meal created with the very ingredients he spent a week investigating. Michael describes the farm owned by George Naylor, which is of the industrial model, as being fairly easy in terms of manual labor but extremely difficult in the detective work. Detective work usually isn’t something that gets brought up often when talking about farms; here it is referring to the journalistic tracking that Michael Pollan had to do with Mr. Naylor’s staple crop – corn. The difficulty in following a bushel of corn from the Naylor farm is his corn, along with the majority of corn grown in the U. S. will eventually wind up in practically everything we eat and use. He does a fabulous job of painting a picture of this river of corn and how it ebbs and flows throughout our lives eroding any dietary connection we once might have had to nature. Nature is after all a system based on diversity and here we see an entire nation built on and fueled by a single plant. The carbon in our flesh has even been tested and the findings were we are, after water, predom inately corn. I was starting to think that there were too many chapters in this book about corn! It just kept going and going but once I realized how much it is entwined in our lives and how perhaps this is the only account of someone illuminating that truth it started to seem necessary. As those carbon tests showed we are what we eat, Pollan shows in his book we are what we eat eats. Just as diversity is the spice of life in an ecosystem so too is it necessary for the physical health of animals. We humans know that very well and apply it readily to our own diets but what happens when we don’t allow nature to run its course in the meals of our meals? The nutritional content suffers immensely; to the point where our entire notion of healthy foods is skewed. An example used by Pollan is our idea of the nutritional content in red meat and fish. It is considered self-evident that an excess of red meat will cause all sorts of health problems. Likewise it is pretty well known that most fish, especially salmon, is rich in the good omega 3 fats and should be a staple of our diets. Omega 3 fats are produced in the leaves of plants while omega 6 fats are produced in the seeds of plants. If a cow was grass fed he would produce a healthier steak than the fillet of a farm raised salmon. This is because that salmon is most likely raised on corn. One would think that the flip side of this coin would be an organic farm. Well that same person would probably be very shocked to read what Michael Pollan had to say about organic. People might even feel duped by places like Whole Foods. As it is described in the book organic should realistically be read â€Å"industrial organic† for the farms and slaughterhouses are hardly different at all. In fact, instead of steering it onto a whole new track the organic rules and regulations only make it that much harder to run a traditional industrial operation. What the author shows as the antithesis to industrial is pastoral. In this section he visits the polyface farm of Joel Salatin which is reminiscent of a farm you might find in the movie Babe. It is actually a huge relief to read about because up to this point in the book you are starting to question if this kind of farm even exists. In this parallel universe monoculture is a filthy word and the practices found in industrial food production are nothing short of reprehensible. This model mimics nature therefore it is complex and interdependent; each and every plant and animal are so entwined in each other’s existence it really begs the question ‘what came first the chicken or the egg? ’ But that is the whole point of polyface farming. Only through diversity (and remaining in the local market) can sustainable agriculture be achieved. Or put another way, all of our environmental/agricultural problems start from attempting to create a monoculture ecosystem. Ruminants graze the grass chewing about ? of the blade while simultaneously dropping cow pies. The bottom part of the grass that cows do not eat is favored by the chickens that follow in the hoof prints before them. Around this time the cow patties start to grow ripe with larvae which become extra protein for the chickens. While the chickens scratch around the cow dung they consequently spread the manure for the farmer. This is only a small piece of the pie in terms of the interactions between all species that live and work on polyface. This is also one of the cycles of nature that if left to its own devises extinguishes the farmers need for pesticides and other harmful chemicals. Salatin could be seen as the conductor while all the other organisms of the farm are the musicians and the instruments; he sees how nature works and makes sure all the conditions are perfect and helps nature along. With his many inventions and quirky optimistic attitude one can’t help but picture a cartoon character. Several times throughout the reading I was reminded of the industrial revolution; and not just because the industrial food chain was born out of it. I found it interesting how the industrial food chain resembled the industrial revolution in conditions only. It was bleak, mechanical, and the conditions the animals are kept in are just horrible and unsanitary. The mass wave of human innovation and change that came out of the industrial revolution is absent from that food system but are absolutely present at polyface. Obviously this is just one farm so the analogy might be weak but I feel the conditions of this one farm, if recreated and multiplied, could produce some amazing ideas and inspire positive change.

суббота, 28 сентября 2019 г.

Arab-Israeli War of 1973 Essay Example for Free (#1973)

Arab-Israeli War of 1973 Essay The Arab-Israeli War was an armed conflict initiated by the Arab nations of Egypt and Syria against Israel on October 6, 1973 in an effort to reclaim territories that Israel had controlled since the Six Day War of 1967. The date holds special significance to the Jewish calendar, being Yom Kippur, hence this war is also known as the Yom Kippur War. Though Israel was caught by surprise and experienced severe losses during the war, assistance from the United States military led to a cease-fire less than three weeks later. In the aftermath, Israel retained its territories and its aftermath had far ranging effects on the geopolitics of the Middle East. First, the victory of Israel had an uplifting effect on its population. Its military had been seen to have grown largely complacent following the Six Day War. However, despite initial defeats, they managed a successful turnaround of the Yom Kippur War’s outcome. As such, despite the surprise advantage of Egypt and Syria they had regained the upper hand in less than two weeks, though at a high cost in casualties. In effect, Israel woke up to the reality that their military supremacy in the region was not absolute. (Rabinovich 498) Second, by granting support to Israel, the United States invited the ire of oil-producing Arab states. This manifested itself in the actions of Saudi Arabia, which not only reduced its oil production but declared an embargo against the United States. Saudi Arabia was later joined by other oil-producing Arab states and together they extended their embargo against other import dependent nations in Western Europe as well as Japan. The result was the 1973 energy crisis that sent oil prices spiraling past $60 per barrel and close to $100 per barrel in 1979. (Smith 329) Third, on the geopolitical front, enemy states of Israel concluded in the aftermath that they could not defeat it by force, and thus turned towards diplomatic tactics in antagonizing it. The effect was that many African and Third World nations, under pressure from the Arab states, broke their diplomatic ties to Israel. Works Cited No author. â€Å"The 1973 Yom Kippur War. † Anti-Defamation League, 1999. Retrieved September 24, 2008 from: http://www. adl. org/ISRAEL/record/yomkippur. asp Smith, Charles. Palestine and the Arab-Israeli Conflict. New York, NY: Bedford, 2006. Rabinovich, Abraham. The Yom Kippur War: The Epic Encounter That Transformed the Middle eAst. New York, NY: Shocken Books, 2005. Rabinovich, Abraham [2005]. The Yom Kippur War: The Epic Encounter That Transformed the Middle East. New York, NY: Schocken Books. ISBN 0 8052 4176 0. Charles D. Smith, Palestine and the Arab-Israeli Conflict, New York: Bedford, 2006, p. 329. Arab-Israeli War of 1973. (2016, Aug 16).

пятница, 27 сентября 2019 г.

Leadership Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Leadership - Assignment Example Objectives of the change management programme were to, restructure the organisation, introduce a collaborative culture, and transform the organisation into an agile business. This section critically reviews the change management program, initiated by the management, through the human resources department (UKWON, 2008). Literature Review: Change management is often a traumatic experience, especially for old firms, since it can involve restructuring the organisation, bringing in process and technology changes, terminating or redeploying the older staffs that do not have the required skills for the new technologies. In many cases, the change begins at the organisation culture level as the firm tries to transform itself (Morgan, 1997). For these reasons, the initial resistance to change in many organisations is high, and the HR department needs to use finesse and tact in the change management process (Burnes, 2004). Different types of change management are developmental, transitional, transformational, planned, emergent, radical, incremental, episodic, and continuous. Developmental change seeks to correct existing processes, such as improving the skills or processes (Wilkins and Patterson, 1985). Transitional change is about seeking a different state, from the current state (Fernandez and Rainey, 2006 ). Transformational change tries to create an organisation that is significantly different from the existing state, and it can affect the culture, internal processes, strategy, and the organisational structure (Shaw, 1997). Each of these changes has their own methods and dynamics, and is implemented with different time spans, during which the organisation must change (UKWON, 2008). Leadership and change management process at BT: The forces of globalisation and the free market policy, which the UK government brought in, triggered the problem of change management at BT (Sperber, 1996). As a result, many new telecommunication

четверг, 26 сентября 2019 г.

CIPD - M1-B DEP Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

CIPD - M1-B DEP - Coursework Example The executives in this department assist the officials in allocating the resources, allotting people for a particular project and to help them in other problems. In this case, professional development is certainly required as the human resource executives must be updated with the latest advancements. Professional development is certainly important in today’s competitive world. An employee must equip and update himself with the technological developments and advancements to help him survive in an industry. Professional development is a concept of learning new skills, updating and improving their skills. This will enable them to improve their career and this directly and indirectly improves the organization as well. This improvement must be informative to help them to tackle domain related issues. The human resource profession map exhibits the professional areas, behavioral aspects one must possess in order to be an efficient human resource executive. The CIPD human resource map emphasizes on the professional and behavioral aspects of a human resource executive. This is described with the help of human resource map and this map is divided in to three distinct parts. The primary part of the map indicates the behavioral aspects which describe the character of a person employed in an organization. (CIPD, 2010). Since the behavior of a person determines his professional character, this area is considered to be the primary classification of the human resource map. The secondary part of the map is built with the professional areas which define the operations and happenings in the organization. This also describes how an employee is professionally capable of handling the situations in an organization. The professional areas are in turn classified under two different categories, stra tegy insights and solutions and leading and managing the human resource function. The professional areas in the human resource map

Inventory & Inflation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Inventory & Inflation - Essay Example This process normally involves controlling the units coming in with an aim of preventing the inventory from excessively rising or declining to levels that are too low to jeopardize the operation of the business. Proficient inventory management seeks to control the costs of goods from the perception of the tax burden and the total cost of goods. Inventory management and inflation are concepts that are closely related in the running of the business. The increase of prices of goods and services determines the units to be purchased since this is influenced by the money at hand. If the capital of the business remains constant, the goods being purchased reduces due to increase in their prices. One has to monitor the trend of the inventory since this determines the time and process of making an order. First moving goods are purchased regularly as compared to those that take a longer period of time. Inflation does not only affect the business owners but also the consumers of goods. For instance, when prices go up, the purchasing power of the consumer is reduced. This forces the consumer to do away with some commodities since there those which are given more priority than others. The business owner has to make a decision on which goods should be stocked basing on the fact that his purchasing power has also reduced due to

среда, 25 сентября 2019 г.

Discuss the classification of the leukaemias and how this can be used Essay

Discuss the classification of the leukaemias and how this can be used to help treat this group of disorders. Use specific types - Essay Example After they immigrate into the peripheral blood, through circulation, they infiltrate into other tissues (Wu, 2010). There are several types of leukemia and based on the lineage of cell that is involved, they can be classified as lymphocytic or myeloid. They can further classified as acute or chronic based on the natural history of the disease. Thus, there are basically, four common types of leukemia and they are (Wu, 2010): 1. Acute lymphocytic (or lymphoblastic) leukemia (ALL) 2. Acute myeloid (or myelogenous) leukemia (AML) 3. Chronic lymphocytic (or lymphoblastic) leukemia (CLL) 4. Chronic myeloid (or myelogenous) leukemia (CML) This classification of leukemias is very important from treatment point of view, because; presentation, treatment and prognosis for each group is different. Acute leukemias: ALL and AML ALL and AML share many clinical features and hence they are discussed under the same heading. The presentation of these leukemias is abrupt and within 3 months of onset of malignant changes in the bone marrow and lymphoid tissue. Clinical features of these leukemias is mainly related to malfunctioning of the malignant cells, pancytopenia and leukostasis. Leukostasis is a condition in which the microcirculation in the tissues can get occluded by leukemic blast cells. It mainly occurs when the blast cells counts exceed 100 x 109 per liter.. Decrease in red blood cell counts leads to anemia which manifests as pallor, dysnea on mild exertion and easy fatiguibility. When there is thrombocytopenia or decreased number of circulating platelets, the patient presents as easy bruisability, petechiae and excessive bleeding. More often than not, bleeding is seen from oral mucosa, especially gums and gastrointestinal bleeding. The latter manifests as hematochezia, malena or hematemesis. In girls who are menstruating severe blood loss can occur. When coagulation defects are also concomitant, bleeding is severe warranting hospitalization and blood transfusion. Sponta neous bleeding can also occur in the lungs, central nervous system and other organs. Decrease in the macrophage and granulocyte count can cause increased risk of infection,, especially of the perirectal tissues, skin, gingival tissue, gastrointestinal tract, urinary tract and lungs. Pathogens which frequently contribute to infections in these patients are gram positive cocci, gram negative bacilli and candida species (Wiernik, 2003). Infiltration of lymphnodes, liver and spleen by leukemic cells leads to lymphadenopathy, hepatomegaly and splenomegaly. Organ infiltration is seen more commonly in ALL than in AML. In advanced stages, even other organs can also get infiltrated wtih malignant cells leading to abdominal fullness, nausea, early satiety and loss of appetite. In those with T-cell variant ALL, anterior abdominal mass can be there. Testicular involvement can also occur in ALL. Soft tissue masses of leukemic cells, also known as chloromas can occur in any location in the body. More than 50 percent of patients with acute leukemia present with bone tenderness due to expanding malignant cell mass. Enlargement of the lymph nodes near ureters can cause ureteric obstruction. Other complications include pyelonephritis, nephropathy and renal hemorrhage. Infiltration of leukemic cells into the subarachnoid space may present as leukemic

вторник, 24 сентября 2019 г.

What is love Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

What is love - Research Paper Example It leaves a man puzzled and act totally beguiling. Men are the happiest when they are in love and women are in ecstasy when they are in love. Considering from a scientific point of view, we know these natural instincts are necessary for reproduction and survival of any species on the earth. Psychology states love is intimacy, commitment and passion (Whorts, 2010). Every man and women starts feeling a high rush of adrenaline when they see someone attractive. This feeling is at its height during the natural reproductive years. It subsides gradually in the middle age. Leaving alone the conjugal love, we also have motherly love, sibling love, patriotism, love for puppy, mobile phone, BMW car and many more. Some of these can be termed under likes instead of love. Some of these are unconditional and some of these are totally obnoxious. We mean the word obnoxious in the exact sense. Prior to writing the essay a documentary was shown on Discovery channel named â€Å"Half Ton Son† featuring Billy Robbins a 16 year old overly fat boy. His mother delivered him after losing the first child. She showed all her â€Å"Love† in feeding him excessively, making him the fattest teenage boy in the world. Love can sometimes turn horrible when it exceeds the limit. Wars have been fought on the name of love. Starting from the Helen of Troy to Cleopatra and the latest Monica Lewinsky, men have fought for their lust and greed in the name of love using the women concerned as shield. Agamemnon definitely did not care much about Menelaus or his abducted wife Helen when he invented Troy. But, Paris and Helen’s love was blamed for the destruction of Troy. Everybody knows Blaise Pascal’s famous quote â€Å"Cleopatras nose had been shorter, the whole face of the earth would have changed† (Liveley, 2002). Nobody mentions Caesar’s lustful ambition and her survival war against his mightiness. The mainstream media screamed about former President Bill Clinton

понедельник, 23 сентября 2019 г.

History and Development of Air-conditioning Research Paper

History and Development of Air-conditioning - Research Paper Example A close ancestor to the modern air conditioner units made in 1902, by an American engineer by the name of Willis Carrier. The machine at that time called "Apparatus for Treating Air" and built for the Sackett-Wilhelms Lithographing and Publishing Co. in Brooklyn, New York. Chilled coils used in machines to reduce air and lower humidity to 55%. Although the apparatus made with enough precision that the humidity level desired was adjustable. ("History of Air Conditioning") The article explains how air conditioners started becoming a commercial product as it became increasingly in use for industrial purposes. The real breakthrough achieved when Carrier had the benign dielene together with a central compressor replacing the ammonia thus reducing the size of the unit. Willis Carrier's invention came late in the 1900s, but before that, several attempts to air conditioning existed. In 180 AD, Ding Huan discovered the first ventilation system that was fan powered. The fan passed air from cold water and the air then spread in the house manually (Paventi). Later fountain water used to power the engine of the fan, thus reducing manual labor. Apart from the cooling effect of the water, the air became humid too (Paventi). In 1820 Michael Faraday, a British scientist, made a compressor that used ammonia (Paventi). Exhaustion of the toxic ammonia fumes became difficult and thus the cooling effect was unsafe. However, up to date his compressing technology is still in use.

воскресенье, 22 сентября 2019 г.

Global Smart Classroom Market Essay Example for Free

Global Smart Classroom Market Essay Classrooms that are technology-enabled are known as smart classrooms. These classrooms are equipped with hardware and software that enhance learning and improve the dissemination of knowledge. Smart classrooms have transformed teaching from a traditional process to an advanced learning process by using an array of audio-visual tools that allow teachers to demonstrate and communicate easily. These technologies consist of software such as educational ERP and disruptive technologies such as LMSs, LCMSs, interactive whiteboards, and simulation-based learning hardware. Smart classrooms use interactive modules, videos, and presentations to improve the teaching process and to engage students in multi-media technologies. Covered in this Report The report covers the present scenario and the growth prospects of the Global Smart Classroom market for the period 2015-2019. To calculate the market size, it considers the revenue generated by vendors through the following product segments: Kindergarten K-12 Higher Education View our full TOC here Key Regions EMEA APAC Americas Key Vendors Apple Inc. IBM Corp. Microsoft Corp. SMART Technologies Inc. Other Prominent Vendors Adobe ATT Technologies Blackboard Cisco Systems Dell Desire2Learn Discovery Communication Dreambox Learning Echo360 Ellucian Fujitsu HP Jenzabar Knewton Lenovo Group N2N Services Panasonic Promethean World Saba Software Samsung Toshiba Udemy Key Market Driver Dynamic Interactive Learning Systems For a full, detailed list, view our report. Key Market Challenge Lack of Proper IT Infrastructure For a full, detailed list, view our report. Key Market Trend. Increased Usage of Smart Software For a full, detailed list, view our report. Key Questions Answered in this Report What will the market size be in 2018 and what will the growth rate be? What are the key market trends? What is driving this market? What are the challenges to market growth? Who are the key vendors in this market space? What are the market opportunities and threats faced by the key vendors? What are the strengths and weaknesses of the key vendors? For more insights, view our Global Smart Classroom Market 2014-2018 report.

пятница, 20 сентября 2019 г.

Developing Consumerism through Design

Developing Consumerism through Design Consumerism All over the place, from the popular culture to the propaganda system, there is constant pressure to make people feel that they are helpless, that the only role they can have is to ratify decisions and to consume. Consumerism is a way of life and an ideology which is developed further by mass phenomenon. In Singapore, consumerism has become very much a way of life with the popular Great Singapore Sale, major IT Exhibitions, perpetual discounts in most retail outlets nations wide and many delicious restaurants with culture involved. Thus, it is important for us to recognize the value of consumerism that is within and around us. People are consuming in different aspects, and Food Beverage is taking a big part in the society. However, people need to consume, people consume also because of the thousands of designed space which attract them to go and explore more for their life. In another word, consumerism is becoming design driven. According to dictionary, the meaning of consumerism is that the movement seeking to protect and inform consumers by requiring such practices as honest packaging and advertising, product guarantees, and improved safety standards; the theory that a progressively greater consumption of goods is economically beneficial; and attachment to materialistic values or possessions: deplored the rampant consumerism of contemporary society. Consumerism is known as an action where people purchase goods, which are more than necessary for their lives, but it can affect more than buying habits and personal and family life. Sometimes, it may even make people less aware of their own emotional reactions, as they seek to buy yet another item that will distract them. On the other hand, consumerism also keeps people up-to-date and modern as consumerism globalized. In fact, consumerism has been around human civilization at the first place. It had a great turn in consumerism arrived just before the Industrial Revolution. In 21st century, consumerism is one of the arguments of scientists, and researchers, they try to find out how and why do people waste money in such expensive things, such as clothing, electronic items, cars, technological devices etc. One of many reasons that makes consumer spend lots of money for their consumption is advertisement. According to research, Billions of companies throw their commercials into market as many ways as they can. They will show their brand names on TV, magazines, in movie theaters, malls etc. To attract consumer, companies have million ways to entice people by advertising. If a company wants people know about its name or products, they then try to make an attractive poster or a nice page in magazine to advertise their products to the public. Containing a nice explicit picture and attractive colors, the poster is made to send an implicit message -the key- to consumers; this key convinces people to buy products. This has become a trend internationally. Indeed, a company advertised themselves is a way of designing themselves looks better and sounds greater to sell the product. From a design perspective, will a good design bring more consumers to the place? The answer is definitely yes. Designing a place is designing an experience, and how to leave people with a memory. It is the atmosphere that provides for the customers, which has a significant impact on them, and make them want to come back and hang out. Moreover, consumerism is not only happened in the fashion world as motioned before, Consumerism is also applied for other industries as well. For Singapore, tourism and food beverage are the most important industry which makes the income for the whole country. Food beverage industry is the basic needs for people, how good the basic industry is, and it reflects how well the country has developed. In another world, the fundamental shows all. However, food beverage is not lonely the food and drinks, it is a place where provides the feel of gathering; the atmosphere and the environment which design dress them up together. For some of Singaporeans, they consume on food beverage as a lifestyle to eat fine food at well designed restaurants. Based on research from Singapore Tourism Board, the busy life that Singaporeans have, the among of tourists come to Singapore keep growing year by year and the mixed culture background, all of these determine that there is a demand to open more fine dining restaurants. Singapore especially has a strong influence of western culture, the percentage of Singaporeans who drink wine has grown over 214 present during last 10 years, so that it is a potential to open a wine shop here as well. . As a result, the proposal for the Utopia project is to design a wine appreciation club and fine dining restaurant which aims to add on more value to the Singapore society, to adopt a wine culture to Singaporeans. According to the chosen site at South beach building which is located at the CBD area, the target market would be businessmen, tourists and local Singaporeans. The design intention is to create a space which carries the knowledge about the wine culture, the process of making wine and history of wine etc. The design concept is based on the process of making wine, the three key steps are harvest, crushing and ageing. The idea behind these three key words is that: harvest is a place to gather people and collection of grapes, it will become the reception and welcoming place at first when people get into the space; following by the crushing step, it is translated to the whole design language of the entire space, after reaching welcoming space, the crushing step forms a wine process gallery, normally, a gallery should be open and big space, yet in this case, in order to feel more about the crushing step of winemaking process, the space is designed to be narrow and low-volume space; Now ageing, this key word is designed as a journey in the space, why? The reason is ageing is a matter of time, a space that is changing or transforming like the wine making process, from grapes to wine, form sugar to alcohol; As people walking in the space, the space is able to speak and lead people through the designed journey. The space will be changing in term of volume, proportion, scale, lighting and different materials of the space. Through designing the space to bring peoples attention and draw people into the place to purchase and enjoy, it is a way of consumerism. Indeed, consumers come to the place not only to dine, but to also engage with new things, to experience the space, to add on value to them, to spend time with friends in the atmosphere of wine knowledge. Leave a wonderful memory to the consumers.

четверг, 19 сентября 2019 г.

Why Am I Doing this Writing Assignment? :: Writing Assignment

"Everyone has his own specific vocation or mission in life; everyone must carry out a concrete assignment that demands fulfillment. Therein he cannot be replaced, nor can his life be repeated, thus, everyone's task is unique as his specific opportunity." -Viktor Frankl Done because I was told to do so, I think not. All assignments are done by people like me who care where they will be ten, twenty, even thirty years from now. Assignments are designed to further ones knowledge about a specific subject, and this one is pushing me to do better. This assignment is being done for three reasons: to pass the class so I will eventually graduate, when a job comes I will be prepared for writing and so I can write and speak better. First, and most importantly, I am taking this class so I can eventually graduate with the degree of my choice. You see, if I get a good grade on this, I will have a good grade in the class, which means I will be more likely to graduate. I am required to take 8-11 hours of college writing for a degree in engineering, which I will eventually finish at Walla Walla College. This essay is being done because when I look at the alternative, taking over the family business (carpentry), I don’t like it. Therefore I need to do this assignment, along with many others to complete my degree. Secondly, when it comes time to get a job I will have the necessary knowledge to complete my required writing assignments. As an engineer I will need to know how to write for many aspects of the job, such as typing a memo or writing a manuscript. I will have to show my skills in my resume in order to apply for the job. Also I will be able to type my presentation before I give it at the office. People in charge of hiring can tell how well educated the prospective employee is by the way they speak and write. Lastly, I will write and speak as though I was educated. I believe educated people speak differently, this assignment is actually serving a dual purpose, it’s getting me a grade in the class (whether it be good or bad) and helping me to write better. Id like to be the kind of person that can type an essay such as this in less than half an hour, but for now I will spend hours thinking about what to type.

Shooting an Elephant Essay -- Literary Analysis, Orwell

In the essay, Shooting an Elephant, George Orwell illustrates his experiences as a British police officer in Lower Burma, and reflects it to the nature of imperialism. Since â€Å"anti-European feeling was very bitter† due to the British Empire’s dictatorship in Burma, Orwell is being treated disrespectfully by the Burmese (12). This allows him to hate his job and the British Empire. However, the incident of shooting of an elephant gives him a â€Å"better glimpse †¦ of the real nature of imperialism – the real motives for which despotic government act† (13). Through his life experiences as a British man, Orwell efficiently demonstrates the negative effects of imperialism on individuals and society. With the usage of effective diction in his essay, Orwell excellently conveys his emotions and message to his readers. He often uses the word â€Å"natives† for the Burmese: â€Å"Here was I, the white man with his gun, standing in front of the unarmed native crowd† (15). By doing so, he shows his emotions and respect towards the Burmese because calling them â€Å"natives† suggests that he agrees on the fact that they are the true owner of Burma and not the British Empire. Also, by frequently using the word â€Å"natives†, Orwell reminds his readers the existence of imperialism in Burma so that the readers do not simply hang on to the elephant but also get the message incorporated in the essay. The body of the elephant is compared to machinery as Orwell thinks that killing an elephant â€Å"is comparable to destroying a huge and costly piece of machinery† (15). This comparison makes the readers realize that the British Empire is also like a huge pie ce of machinery, so the death of it would be a serious matter to both oppressor and people being oppressed. When Orwell wa... ...Shooting an Elephant. According to what Orwell is trying to impose, his target audience seems to be youth, adults, and politicians as imperialism is more reflected off of people under these categories. As a police officer, Orwell teaches his readers that imperialism is the worst way to govern a country as it is harmful to an individual’s way of thinking and value of morality in society. He proved that in an imperialism based system, no one is actually dominant over one another as they all end up being slaves of each other. This results in demolished and demoralized society. Orwell achieves his goal outstandingly by playing with rhetorical devices, tone, diction, and sentence structure to generate the feeling in the audience the way he desires. In result, Orwell brilliantly uses the incident of killing an elephant to describe the negative effects of imperialism.

среда, 18 сентября 2019 г.

Jack Londons Attitude Towards Life in the Short Story, The Law of Life

Jack London's Attitude Towards Life in the Short Story, "The Law of Life" Jack London, real name John Griffith Chaney, is well known "American novelist and short story writer, born in California" (Merriam Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature 629). London's short story "The Law of Life" was first published in Mc Clure's Magazine in 1901. "It was one of his first stories written around the time at which London had just discovered that this way of writing made the biggest impression on the reader."(Tenant 1) One of the most effective elements is that the main character of the story is an old Indian, named Koskoosh. He is left by his tribe and his relatives, with nothing but a fire and some wood to keep it burning for few hours. He was sitting by the fire and thinking about his youth, remembering certain moments of his life. In this story one may found London?s attitude towards life as a phenomenon which must be undergone by every living being in this world. London calls it ?the law of life? (London 956). And the law of life is aging and death.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  First thing which can be treated as a kind of "the law of life" is a circle of life. The circle of life begins when a man is born and ends with his/her death. Koskoosh thinks of the leaves turning in autumn from green to brown, of young girls that grow more and more attractive until they find a man, raise children and slowly grow ugly by age and labor. Koskoosh gives an example of a young woman, whom he calls ?maiden?: ?A maiden was a good creature to look upon, full-breasted and strong, with spring to her step and light in her eyes. But her task was yet before her.? (London 958). The picture of this woman is being portrayed at her youth when she is still nice, strong and with ?light in her eyes? (London 958). She would grow up and she would take a husband. ?And with the coming of her offspring her looks left her. Her limbs dragged and shuffled, her eyes dimmed and bleared, and only the little children found joy against the withered cheek of the old squaw by the fire.? (London 958) She is not an exception. This woman gets older until she reaches such age when she becomes uninteresting and expendable for other people. And finally, ?her task was done? (London 958). Koskoosh equates her end of life with his current condition: ?she would be left, even as he had been left, in the snow, with a little pile o... ...d by every living being in the world. This author?s attitude is clearly seen from the very beginning of the story when old Koskoosh felt that he was already ?very close to death? (London 956), until the last sentence of the story: ?Was it not the law of life?? (London 961). Of course one should not forget that London writes about the far north, and as he points out himself in many stories, the rules in the far north are very different from those of any other region. The Indian custom of letting the old man die alone is not criticized by London, because this custom was a necessity for the surviving of the tribe. London only emphasizes that ?the law of life? is one and irrevocable. One may call it the circle of life or the eternal struggle for living, but the end of our life, that is death, is the same for everyone. Works Cited London, Jack. ?The Law of Life?. Eds. Ronald I. Gottesman, et al. The Norton Anthology of American Literature. Vol 2. New York: WW Norton and Company, 1979. Merriam-Webster?s Encyclopedia of Literature. Massachusetts: Merriam-Webster, Incorporated, 1995 Tenant, Roy. "Who was Jack London?" http://sunsite.berkely.edu/London.html  18 February 2005

вторник, 17 сентября 2019 г.

Is the war on terror

The delight in comparing the historical accuracy of Arthur Miller’s play to the real events of the Salem Witch Trials and the Red Scare of the 1940s and 1950s comes from both the time at which the play was published and the historical parallels between the two times in American history. Furthermore, the play holds value as an attempt to explain unexplainable behavior and to teach lessons from the history in the hopes that they will not be repeated. It is a sad lament that the lesson remains unlearned and fifty years later we are faced with another American witch trial, this time under the name â€Å"War on Terror.†In short summation, â€Å"The Crucible† is a play ostensibly about the Salem Witch trials. In it, a preacher’s daughter falls ill after dancing in the woods with a slave and some of the other village teen agers. Her father calls in assistance from more world church investigators to find the root of the witchcraft that has left his daughter ill. A fter he threatens to whip the slave to death, she confesses to witchcraft and seeks to take blame away from herself by pointing the finger at other Salem citizens.Eventually, the finger is pointed at a married woman, Elizabeth Proctor, by her former maid Abigail who had been having an affair with the woman’s husband John. Her accusations are at first doubted because John admits to the affair and shows that Abigail is attempting to tarnish his wife’s reputation or indeed mess up his life, but Elizabeth, thinking she is protecting her husband, refuses to admit to knowing about the affair. She is eventually found guilty of witchcraft and spared the gallows because she is pregnant, but in the same misguided desire to spare herself more torment, accuses under questioning that her husband is also a witch. At the end of the play, John Proctor is being led to the gallows for his crime.Is any of this real? Yes. Elizabeth Proctor was given a stay of execution because she was pre gnant and most of her family was executed during the Salem Witch Trials (Burns, 1). The pastor’s slave, a Caribbean Indian woman named Tituba was among the first accused and pointed the finger at her owner’s daughter and others in the community, but there is no historical evidence that John Proctor had an affair and the real Abigail was an 11 year old girl at the time of the trials (Burns, 1). So why did Arthur Miller chose to make it all up? Possibly to give reason to the unreasonable. Though the witch hunts in Salem lasted a relatively short period of time, they left an indelible mark on American history, a time when man turned against his wife and children and neighbors to avoid being killed.Miller, a victim of Joseph McCarthy’s â€Å"Red Scare’, understood the premise all too well. The origins of the Red scare are much easier to trace than the origin of the Salem Witch Hunts, but Miller clearly could see the parallels between the two. In a speech in Wheeling, West Virginia, in February, 1950, McCarthy made clear where his venom and hatred came from. â€Å"Five years after a world war has been won, men’s hearts should anticipate a long peace—and men’s minds should be free from the heavy weight that comes with war. But this is not such a period—for this is not a period of peace. This is a time of â€Å"the cold war.† This is a time when all the world is split into two vast, increasingly hostile armed camps—a time of a great armament race. â€Å"(â€Å"Enemies from Within†, 1).There is a term used in sociology to reflect the behavior, called identifying the â€Å"other†. The other is a person unlike ourselves who has some characteristic that makes them a threat to society as we know it. In the witch trials, it was witches. During the Red Scare, it was Communists. Today, it is anyone who appears Arabic or studies Islam and can therefore be deemed likely to be a terrorist.   Not having learned the lessons of history or of literature, after September 11, 2001, Americans were terrified and they turned to a new witch hunt, this time with the witches semi-identifiable by race.Too bad that you can tell an Arab-American who has lived her forever, or an Afghani refugee, or simply a hard-working Middle Easterner who has never considered the way of Al Qaida just by looking at them. Instead, we demonize a race and lock people up in Cuba at Guantanamo Naval Base on the suspicion that they might have knowledge about someone or something that might want to hurt us. The Patriot Act makes it an offense just to know people who might be associated with terrorism and encourages people to rat out their friends, with the same kind of threats that the preacher used on his slave Tituba.But this is not the first witch hunt since McCarthyism and is probably not the last. In fact, in many ways, Miller may have contributed to one of his own in the writing of â€Å"The Crucibl e†. In 1950s northern America, Communists were the enemy, but in the South, it was the uppity African-American wanting rights that he had been granted but not given after the Civil War. By making Tituba a Negro slave and implying that she practiced some form of voodoo, Miller may have contributed to this anti-African-American attitude (Hansen, 3).   By the 1970s, the witch hunt was against the American military and specifically those who had served in Vietnam, in the 1980s Reagan-era; it was those darned Communists again.The 1990s brought on a witch hunt in the Catholic Church, where suddenly every priest was assumed to be a pedophile and in 2001, Al Qaida made themselves into the witches of the new millennia.   At Guantanamo Bay, McCarthy’s famous question, â€Å"Are you now, or have you ever been, a member of the Communist Party?† (Popkin, 139) has been revised. The quest now is to find the next threat to Americans and the next unidentified witch.Works Cite dBurns, Margo. â€Å"Arthur Miller’s The Crucible: Fact & Fiction (Or Picky, Picky, Picky†¦) October 24, 2003. , November 17, 2007.McCarthy, Joseph R. â€Å"Enemies from Within†, February 9, 1950. < http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/6456>, November 17, 2007.Popkin, Henry. â€Å"Arthur Miller’s ‘The Crucible’†.College English > Vol. 26, No. 2 (Nov., 1964), pp. 139-146   Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/373665?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents, November 17, 2007.

понедельник, 16 сентября 2019 г.

American Religion: The Puritans and the Quakers

In the mid-1500's, England saw a new trend in the way people worshipped and practiced religion. The new movement called â€Å"Puritanism,† called for a life lived simply and spent in prayer, listening to sermons and worship in Church. The Puritans lived seriously and believed that celebrations such as holidays like Christmas and Easter as well as the arts like music and dance were unnecessary trappings to have in life. They believed that people should only be concerned about â€Å"godly† ways and plain living in order to reach heaven. This presented problems at that time for Queen Elizabeth.In those years, the queen was tasked with stabilizing the country and decided that to do this, England had to have a comprehensive Church that could accommodate the views of both the Protestants and the conservative Catholics (Emerson 18). Therefore, it was decided that the Church of England teach doctrines that would be acceptable to the Protestants and at the same time keep alive t he Catholic traditions used in worship. The compromise did not quite sit well as hoped. The Puritans believed that in religious worship, only the spiritual doctrines were the only things that were important.All other external articles such as ministry vestments were not only unnecessary but could be taken as evil. The Conservatives however, defended the use of such vestments as traditional symbols of status and identification. Due to differences of opinion with regard to the way worship and the Episcopal structure is conducted in the Anglican Church, separatist and underground groups were formed with the object of seeking reform in the religious practices. Due to conflicts that usually arise where there is a difference of opinion, some Puritans decidedto leave England and settle in North America. It was in 1620 that the ship the Mayflower docked and the first Puritans came to settle in Massachusetts (Barbour, and Frost 5) One of the other Reformist groups was called the Quakers. Unl ike the Puritans, the Quakers believed that religious worship was a personal and individual thing that did not require any intermediary in the form of leaders, priests or ministers. Like the Puritans, the Quakers also suffered the consequences of conflict and therefore some decided to migrate and settle in America as well.It was in 1677 that a group of Quakers led by William Penn set foot on North American soil and settled in the state of Pennsylvania. This settlement of opposing religious groups would have significant effect on the way religion is practiced and how other differing faiths would be treated. The Quakers held meetings were people gathered to sit quietly to reflect and pray in silence. They only spoke up when they feel God wanted to, and this privilege was open to both men and women. They practiced their faith by action always looking out to help the poor and establish peace.They also campaigned for women's rights as well as that of the Native Americans. Despite their s imilarities in terms of experience of persecution in England, subsequent emigration to America and ideals of a Utopia brought about by spiritual living, the fundamental beliefs of both groups differed thoroughly. Whereas the Puritans insisted on strict hierarchies, conformity to religion and the singular importance of doctrine, the Quakers propagated tolerance for all religions and races. They supported pacifism in the search for peace and equality with women in spiritualism.The Quakers also believed that doctrine takes second place to an individual's â€Å"inner light. † This kind of thinking angered the Puritans so much that any Quaker who was caught trying to preach in Massachusetts was either tortured or executed (Hall 130) Such was the treatment experienced by female Quaker preachers Ann Austin and Mary Fisher (Jones, Sharpless, and Gummere 27) who tried to preach to the Puritan community in Boston in 1656. Upon arrival at Boston harbor, their luggage were seized and sea rched for â€Å"heretical and blasphemous doctrines.† The women themselves were taken to prison and stripped before being confined in total darkness. It was only later that the captain of the ship that brought them was compelled to take them back to Barbados. These all happened despite the lack of any law declaring being a Quaker as illegal. Governor Endicott who was away from Boston at that time even said that had he been there, the women would never have been freed without some whipping. Later investigations as to why Boston was so hostile to the women reveal:It must be said in the first place that the judgment of the officials, and particularly of the ministers, in the Massachusetts Colony had been seriously prejudiced by rumours and accounts that had preceded the arrival of the two women. Anti-Quaker pamphlets had already come from the press in great numbers, and they were unsparing in their accounts of the new â€Å"heresy. † Some of these pamphlets were written b y ministers who, either before or after the publication of their attack, were settled in New England and were in high repute there. (Jones, Sharpless, and Gummere 29)Modern studies also reveal that the Puritans believed that the Quakers brought with them discord, rebellion and witchcraft that threatened to undermine the sanctity of the Puritan community. Because the Quaker tenets were so opposed to that of the Puritans, Quakers were viewed to represent a new spiritual empire that threatened to overthrow the spiritual empire which the Puritan in strict religious fervor was building. Another main difference between the Puritan and Quaker settlers was their treatment and dealings with the Native Americans.Due to their belief that every human being was born with the â€Å"inner light,† the Quakers treated the Native Americans as friends and equals. In his â€Å"Letter to the Lenni Lenape Indians,† William Penn states: â€Å"†This great God has written his law in our hearts, by which we are taught and commanded to love and help and do good to one another, and not to do harm and mischief one unto another. â€Å"† â€Å"†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ I have great love and regard toward you, and I desire to win and gain your love and friendship by a kind, just, and peaceable life; and the people I send are of the same mind, and shall in all things behave themselves accordingly.And if in anything any shall offend you or your people, you shall have a full and speedy satisfaction for the same by an equal number of honest men on both sides, that by no means you may have just occasion of being offended against them. â€Å"† (Soderlund 88) The Puritans on the other hand, viewed the polytheistic and unorganized nature of religion in addition to the â€Å"inadequate† clothing of the Native Americans as â€Å"sinful. † With their literal translation of the Bible, the Puritans viewed the Native Americans' regard for everything living in additio n to the one â€Å"Great Spirit† as idolatry.The Puritans also believed that only a select group of people was chosen by God to join Him in heaven. The Native Americans believed that in all men, were equally good in the â€Å"Great Spirit's sight. † The difference between the Puritan and Native American view of sin didn't help either. While the Puritans looked at man as â€Å"evil,† and life was only a temporary transit before the more important and worthy life with God, the Native Americans believed that man was made up of both good and evil and that life in the present was no different from the afterlife.(Culture Clash: The Puritans and the Native Americans) Both the beliefs fostered by the Puritans and the Quakers contributed greatly to ideals of America as it is today. The value of hard work, discipline and steadfastness promoted by the Puritans in conjunction with the equality and emancipation brought by the Quaker attitude of tolerance for race, gender and religion, are just a few contributing factors that has made America society the way it is today. Works Cited Barbour, Hugh, and J.William Frost. The Quakers. New York: Greenwood Press, 1988. Questia. 18 Sept. 2007 . â€Å"Culture Clash: The Puritans and the Native Americans. † 123HelpMe. com. 18 Sep 2007 . Emerson, Everett. Puritanism in America, 1620-1750. Boston: Twayne Publishers, 1977. Questia. 18 Sept. 2007 . Hall, Thomas Cuming. The Religious Background of American Culture.Boston: Little, Brown, and Company, 1930. Questia. 18 Sept. 2007 . Jones, Rufus M. , Isaac Sharpless, and Amelia M. Gummere. The Quakers in the American Colonies. London: Macmillan, 1911. Questia. 18 Sept. 2007 . Soderlund, Jean.. ,†Handwritten Letter to the Indians (Lenni Lenape)† William Penn and the Founding of Pennsylvania, a Documentary History. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1983

воскресенье, 15 сентября 2019 г.

A Victims Deliberate Use of Deadly Force

Domestic violence causes far more pain than the visible marks of bruises and scars. It is devastating to be abused by someone that you love and think loves you in return. My resolution that I will be debating is â€Å"A Victims Deliberate Use of Deadly Force is a Just Response to Repeated Domestic Violence†. Domestic Violence is a pattern of behavior which involves the abuse by one partner against another in an intimate relationship such as marriage, cohabitation, dating or within the family.I value the life of both parties including the person who is committing the act of domestic violence. The victim of domestic violence isn’t justified in using deadly force unless the person is committing an act of domestic violence on the victim right that moment. That statement brings me to my first contention, the life of each person involved in a domestic violence dispute are both important. If you are the victim of repeated domestic violence you shouldn’t use deadly force unless it’s in self defense. Read this â€Å"The Secrets of Haiti’s Living Dead†Murder in the first degree is any murder that is willful and premeditated and by killing the man or woman that committed the act of domestic violence you are indeed going to prison to be put on death row. Jodi Arias a young woman killed her boyfriend Travis Alexander and lied about it for two years in 2008. Then in 2010 she confessed to killing her boyfriend in self defense by shooting him once and stabbing him 27 times. Arias say Alexander attacked her, but police say she planned the attack in a jealous rage. Jodi said that that Travis often had violent outburst that resulted in domestic violence. My second contention A Victims Deliberate Use of Deadly Force Domestic violence causes far more pain than the visible marks of bruises and scars. It is devastating to be abused by someone that you love and think loves you in return. My resolution that I will be debating is â€Å"A Victims Deliberate Use of Deadly Force is a Just Response to Repeated Domestic Violence†. Domestic Violence is a pattern of behavior which involves the abuse by one partner against another in an intimate relationship such as marriage, cohabitation, dating or within the family.I value the life of both parties including the person who is committing the act of domestic violence. The victim of domestic violence isn’t justified in using deadly force unless the person is committing an act of domestic violence on the victim right that moment. That statement brings me to my first contention, the life of each person involved in a domestic violence dispute are both important. If you are the victim of repeated domestic violence you shouldn’t use deadly force unless it’s in self defense. Read this â€Å"The Secrets of Haiti’s Living Dead†Murder in the first degree is any murder that is willful and premeditated and by killing the man or woman that committed the act of domestic violence you are indeed going to prison to be put on death row. Jodi Arias a young woman killed her boyfriend Travis Alexander and lied about it for two years in 2008. Then in 2010 she confessed to killing her boyfriend in self defense by shooting him once and stabbing him 27 times. Arias say Alexander attacked her, but police say she planned the attack in a jealous rage. Jodi said that that Travis often had violent outburst that resulted in domestic violence. My second contention

суббота, 14 сентября 2019 г.

Cons of Playing Video Games Essay

Video game is a series of 2D or 3D world created by author or editor to allow public experience by representing as a person or animal inside. In my humble opinion, playing video games have more cons than pros. My essay will tell you that playing video games have more cons because it wasting time, cause indulgence, side effect on body health and cause volatility. In the 21 century, video games not only available for boys, it is also already become part of the girl’s life style. Although most of the teenagers like to play video games, but playing video games is actually wasting our time. Commonly, video game is story style and continuously. So, we will need a lot of time to finish one chapter or complete a task. Regarding to that, our time to doing our homework or revision becomes less. Students may be scolded by teacher or being demerit for not completing their homework. Finally, the result of the students may be affected. Playing video games will also cause indulgence. The interesting story lines encourage people to indulge in video games. They usually play the video games until forget to eat, wash and rest. Some of them even play the video games until the whole day. This endangers one person life. Among these few month, there are report on teenager die in front of computer and the causes of death is due to play video games three days non-stop. The main reason is do not have enough rest. Besides that, playing video games for long term will also cause side effect or negative effect on body health. One of the effect is eating without follow the actual time. When playing video games, a person will always play until forget the time and miss out the lunch time and dinner time. Sitting in front of the computer for a long period of time without moving will also increase the risk of obesity and give burden to the spiral cord. Tiredness of eye and fingers are also caused by looking at the screen and typing for too long, At the other sides, video games also encourage teenager to involve in volatility. Many of the video games contain volatile issues like video games that involving fight and guns. If a person cannot control himself, he will slowly follows the attitude of the character inside and involves in volatile. Teenager probably will also unable to come back to reality world as the illusion world in video games are always perfect as it can be change according our favorable. In conclusion, playing video games have more cons than pros. Teenagers must not be besotted video games too much. In fact, they should spend their time on enjoying their teenager’s life.

пятница, 13 сентября 2019 г.

Why might employers have an intrest in the work - life balance of Assignment

Why might employers have an intrest in the work - life balance of their staff What is the evidance to suggest that they are tak - Assignment Example 2008). Carmichael et al. (2008) note, however, that WLB continues to be missing or weak for several sectors, such as the informal carer sector. But are employers truly interested in the work-life balance of their employees? This paper aims to answer this question through reviewing literature. It is found out that more employers apply WLB through flexible work, because of political, economic, and social factors, although substantive effects for gender equality are not yet met. More employers are developing work-life initiatives, because of international organisations’ directives. Within the European Union, WLB initiatives centralise in the ‘reconciliation of work and family’ that impact EU and nation-state level, such as the EU directives on parental leave and part-time work and the EU Council of Ministers’ declaration of 29 June 2000, which stresses the growth of paternity leave (Gregory and Milner 2009: 122). Furthermore, the EU has emphasised gender equal ity (particularly through its Framework Strategy for Gender Equality and through the creation of ‘gender mainstreaming’ in policy design and evaluation) has also significantly involved different stakeholders and influenced national legislation and collective agreements that are related to WLB (Gregory and Milner 2009: 122). For instance, because of the EU, trade union involvement in the carrying out of WLB policies has changed from â€Å"hard law to soft law† and to a greater implementation of these policies (Gregory and Milner 2009: 122). Hence, international laws and organisations have a huge impact on compelling employers to advance WLB efforts in the workplace. Flexible work is one of the predominant practices of WLB. In a comparative study, Ollier-Malaterre (2009) states: â€Å"As many as 70% of American and 67% of British employers state that flexible hours are available for employees...† (164). This article shows that depending on the culture, laws, and human resources (HR) frameworks and practices, many employers in the UK improve work-life balance through flexible work time. In the UK, traditional spheres that divide work and personal lives continue to exist, although recently, the Labour government played a larger role in promoting WLB among employers (Ollier-Malaterre 2009: 167). National laws and changing cultural views on WLB contribute to more employers seeing the importance of WLB to their employees and manifesting that through providing the option for flexible work. Maruyama, Hopkinson, and James, (2009) conducted a multivariate analysis of work–life balance effects of a telework programme. Findings showed that time flexibility variables are important and had positive effects to work and family matters. Industrial relations and unions’ viewpoint toward work-life practices can affect the application of WLB among employers. British and American unions have progressively become implicated in work-life (Olli er-Malaterre 2009: 168). Trade unions have become more involved in the introduction and execution of WLB measures, which indicate an evolution of their role from managing wage and wage-related bargaining towards providing information and application of WLB policies (Gregory and Milner 2009: 127). It also shows modernisation efforts through WLB development in the public sector and a supplementary â€Å"modernisation of modes of action, with a shift from distributive to integrative bargaining† (Cressey 2002). Integrative bargain

четверг, 12 сентября 2019 г.

Information Based Decision Making Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Information Based Decision Making - Essay Example In general a decision is made depending on the situation and the issue. The decision made cannot be favorable for everyone in all circumstances. It may lead to improvement or adverse effects on the situation. The information from the concerned department is the important part of decision making process. A decision is made only after collecting the relevant information. Thus information plays a major role in any decision. As a strategic manager I should design a strategy that helps in the process of decision making. This strategy must incorporate the plans that improve the existing situation. The strategy should consist of step by step procedure. The data and information must be selected when using the information based decision making. The nature of the data is an important aspect of information based decision making. (Johnson, 2008).The decision can be made only based on the nature of data. To get the data the data source must be selected well in advance. Once the data source is selected the corresponding data can be retrieved from the specified source. The identification and selection of data involves ascertaining the nature of data, data selection criteria and analyzing the legal requirements of data collection and storage. These are outlined in the following steps. Data is generally given as an input to the corresponding information system. The raw data is processed in the system after which it is given as an output. This output is referred as the information. Data can be in the form of a text file, image, video or an audio. Hence the data can be in any format that is understandable by the respective information system. This data is processed to form complete information. Data is an abstract type of information. The data can be either quantitative or qualitative. The nature of data has gone through various phases of improvement. Due to the latest technologies and the advancements, data's nature is completely different when compared to the initial stages. The nature of the data and the information must be assessed so that the decision is made according to the nature and type of data. The type of data may also differ from one system to another. The decision will differ based on the type of data. The processed information is then analyzed after which the next step begins. Criteria for Data Selection Data selection is an important aspect of information based decision making. Data selection is done based on various criteria. The data must satisfy the criteria to enter in to the system. The data selection criter

среда, 11 сентября 2019 г.

Global Leadership and Team Development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Global Leadership and Team Development - Essay Example The upper half of the picture is showing total opposite scenario. The picture is giving the idea of bossing attitude of the leader. Upper portion of the picture is not at all falling in line with leadership learning’s. The upper portion of the picture is showing how the leader is misusing his power of position. The picture is showing very little scope of motivations for followers from the side of their leader. The lower half of the picture is very much consistent with leadership learning’s. This portion of the picture is showing a suitable scenario for proper leadership. Here the leader is leading from the front. Here the leader is setting example for his followers. The Leader is motivating, inspiring and supporting his followers. In this half of the picture the leader is showing ways to his followers. The picture is totally falling in line with leadership learning’s. The picture is showing that there is a mission. The leader is inspiring his followers to achieve that mission. Here in this picture the leader is handling the whole situation and supporting his followers to reach towards common goal. The leader is not authoritative at all. Here in this portion of the picture the leader is sharing burden with his followers. The leader is not at all misusing his power of position. According to leadership learning’s leadership is all about leading from the front. This porti on of the picture is showing the same thing. So this part of the given picture is very much suitable and consistent with leadership theories (Burns 137). Communication affects leader’s ability to lead very significantly. Communication is one of the most important factors for leaders to lead a bunch of followers. Proper communication is very important to channelize followers towards their goals. It is very important for each and every leader to communicate their ideas to followers. Communication

вторник, 10 сентября 2019 г.

Leading, Managing and Developing People in the Workplace Essay

Leading, Managing and Developing People in the Workplace - Essay Example From the discussion it is clear that the current competitive global economy requires companies to train and develop its employees of risk losing market share. Although there are high costs involved in training and developing the employees, the benefits of training will ultimately outweigh the associated costs. Several management practitioners have pointed out that training and development ensures that the organisation as the right mix of skills at all management levels.This paper discusses that ABB Company will be capable of attaining a competitive edge in the modern business environment through continuous training and developing the workforce especially on emerging engineering technologies. The attainment of the mission and vision of the organisation is dependent of the skills level of the employees. In addition, training and development will motivate the workforce thus leading to higher job satisfaction and productivity.  Competitive companies will engage in strategic planning th rough the use of acquired knowledge in order to meet the objectives and mission of the company. Accordingly, the human capital of the organisation can be viewed as a key success factor thus organisations must strive to train and retain the workforce.  Companies that commit resources to training and development ultimately enjoy an expanded market share, loyal employees and increased profitability thus facilitating the attainment of the organisational mission.... Competitive companies will engage in strategic planning through the use of acquired knowledge in order to meet the objectives and mission of the company (Bee 1994). Accordingly, the human capital of the organisation can be viewed as a key success factor thus organisations must strive to train and retain the workforce (Gary and French 2010). Companies that commit resources to training and development ultimately enjoy an expanded market share, loyal employees and increased profitability thus facilitating the attainment of the organisational mission. Some companies are committed to spending a certain percentage of their revenues towards employee training and development in order to meet the modern business challenges. In addition, the companies require the staff to dedicate a number of working hours towards improving their skills and attitudes through training and development. These companies will be in a position to attract qualified workforce, due to the good reputation associated wit h training and development of employees (Boydell & Leary 2006). The six ‘Es† of training Engage: - Training and development enables the employees to understand and appreciate the policies of the organisation. For instance, the employees of the company can be able to understand how new working methods will contribute to improvement in product quality. Accordingly, training and development is essential in embracing new organisational culture since the employees are able to enhance team work in the organisation. Educate: - The main purpose of training is to acquire knowledge that is essential in understanding work expectations and responsibilities. Since ABB employees may be moved from one country to the other, the companies must ensure that employees

понедельник, 9 сентября 2019 г.

Trials and Verdicts Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Trials and Verdicts - Research Paper Example This is the sixth year of the case and the reporter still refuses to identify the source of the story (Liptak, 2014). The matter in discussion involves the US intelligence particularly about a covert operation conducted by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in Iran that was meant to stop this country from having nuclear power. The mission was top government secret but the ex-CIA officer involved revealed it to the reporter who then wrote it in his published book as a whole chapter. The matter cannot therefore be handles by a state court as it involves the federal government and hence the reason the subpoena was from the Court of Appeals and the matter was later taken to the Supreme Court. If the case involved only the reporter and not a federal organization, then it would have been appropriately handled by the state courts but this was not the case. The case is about a soldier in Iraq that shot and killed 5 fellow soldiers two of whom were medical personnel in an open fire in their camp near the Baghdad airport. The man based on the murder charges was to be convicted to a death penalty but he instead took a plea bargain that would prevent him from being under death penalty but pleaded guilty of all the murder charges. The plea bargain deal was bargained by his lawyer and was accepted by the judge even though he would still face court trial. The plea bargain that was taken was solely as a result of his medical history and the diagnosis of a post-traumatic stress disorder at the time of the shooting (Johnson, 2013). Not many people and especially the family of the murdered soldiers would accept that justice has been served but in this case it was served. According to the report by Johnson, (2013), Russell the defendant had been suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and psychosis at the time of the shooting and the maltreatment he received from the medical personnel triggered the violence streak which he could not

CMI Unit 3005 Identifying development opportunities and Unit 3008 Assignment

CMI Unit 3005 Identifying development opportunities and Unit 3008 Improving team performance - Assignment Example Building and managing effective teams is therefore a very important aspect of organisational success. Leaders have a particularly important role to play in ensuring that individuals and teams align with organisational priorities, strategies & objectives and work for the attainment of the same. It is not only through authority that they wield but also knowledge and charisma that leaders are able to inspire and motivate effective teams. Leaders must thus ensure a fertile environment for meaningful engagement, expression and conflict resolution so as to lead effective teams. They should as much as possible encourage consensus in decision making, promoting a conducive work place, clear roles & assignments and communicate the business goals as well as organisational culture among their teams. The goal should be for every member of the team to identify with works towards the attainment of organisational goals. An example of an organisational objective is achieving operational efficiency. In the increasingly competitive business environment, organisations setting goals of increasing efficiency in their operations so as to meet customer demands in terms of time and value for their dollars. This affects teams significantly; the impact on teams of such organisational goal could be negative or positive to the business. However, the main goal of the objective is to lead teams their work towards attainment of organisational goals. The goals must therefore be communicated clearly to the teams in order for individuals to read from same script while executing their daily duties. Poor communication of goals could result in competition among team members for instance in the hope of being rewarded for being above other team members. Individuals could thus resort to unethical means in their quest to outperform others. Communication should therefore be effectively executed for teams to be effective. There are various

воскресенье, 8 сентября 2019 г.

Factores affecting drivers behaviour at major and minor junctios ( Essay

Factores affecting drivers behaviour at major and minor junctios ( literature review , collection and analysis of datas ) - Essay Example Crossroads are then discussed within the same design and control framework, with indications of the methods used for controlling traffic though the major/minor priority areas. The next topic to be considered is the matter of multilevel road junctions – intersections: over- and underpasses – and the influence of the additional factors such as road works, the road surface, the weather and darkness. There are many government surveys which address a wide variety of geometric and other factors which can affect the speed and ease of passage through the junctions, all of which will affect the vehicle capacity. Junction design in two specific cases, in the UK – T- junctions and crossroads are considered and, where appropriate, the reasons for the design choice are discussed as well as the effect on traffic throughput and capacity. The third component of the narrative to be considered in this exercise is the driver and his/her response to the different stimuli which may contribute to his/her ability to drive safely. There are essentially three main categories (1) those which are permanent or semi-permanent; such as state of health, tiredness, influence of drugs or alcohol, age and gender (2) distractions, generally intermittent, which arise from activities within the car caused either by the driver or passengers (3) distractions which are external to the car; such as weather, other drivers and signs – whether relative to the road and junctions or advertisements. Drugs have the capacity to impair the driver’s judgement and give rise to a false degree of self-confidence. Alcohol also impairs the driver’s ability to make coherent and capable decisions, affects reaction speeds, and results in overconfidence. Distractions – both in-car and external - can cause severe lack of concentratio n. External distractions – which are quoted by insurance companies as contributing to a majority of accidents – are a frequent cause of driver lack

суббота, 7 сентября 2019 г.

FISH! Philosophy of Teamwork Essay Example for Free

FISH! Philosophy of Teamwork Essay FISH! is a philosophy people around the world are implementing in workplaces and educational facilities to help foster fun and teamwork in their business. This philosophy is interesting and has been successful. The founders Stephen C. Lundin, Harry Paul, and John Christensen pulled together to create three books on teamwork which are named _Fish!, Fish! Sticks and Fish! Tales._ In these books they give pointers and tell stories of how making work fun and working as a team creates success. (Lundin, Paul, Christensen, 2000) The idea of this philosophy emerged in 1998 from a film produced by John Christensen. The film is about Seattles World Famous Pike Place Market. John translated and depicted through his film that even in a workplace where fishmongers spent smelly 12 hour shifts stocking, selling, and packing fish that amazing things can happen when people accept the invitation to: 1) Be There for their co-workers and customers, 2) Play, 3) Make someones day and 4) Choose their attitude about how they show up for work. (Christensen, 2007, p. 1) After the film appeared the book _Fish!,_ this has been on the best sellers list and translated into 17 different languages. Today the Fish! Philosophy has flourished among corporate and educational markets throughout the world. We are not afraid to use words like love, soul, and spirit because those are an essential part of our humanity. But these values are just as important to businesses†¦We are on a journey together. (Christensen, 2007, p. 1) Lundin, Paul, and Christensen believe that there are four secrets and strategies for a better way to create fun and teamwork in businesses. First, be there for co-workers. The biggest ways to do this is by smiling and acknowledging people while walking by them. Say hello, converse with co-workers, be friendly and help co-workers laugh. Take the time to listen to people around the workplace. When seeing a co-worker not happy, go up to them and give them a pat on the back and a compliment. Make an effort and try to get to know everyone. Show up for work to help the team. A team is not a team with people missing. These are all some of the things we can do to be there for co-workers. These strategies are used worldwide and seem to help. The second strategy is to play at work. Playing helps energize the workplace. Some examples of play are telling jokes to co-workers, maybe even pass around appropriate jokes (no personal jokes), saying things throughout the day to help people laugh. Have theme days where everybody dresses up differently. Having office parties helps unite play and team because everyone gets together. Create bulletin boards and decorate the office with fun stuff ensuring everyones involvement. Making work fun helps work to get done and makes people want to participate in a team. Third, make someones day which is easy to do and makes the team run smoother. Several ways to make someones day are as easy as saying hello, complimenting their looks, bringing baked goods to work, having a candy bowl out for others to enjoy, thanking people for the small and often overlooked things they do for us, acknowledging others accomplishments, being nice, and by simply volunteering our time. When working as a team it is very important to remember team means we not I that is why it is so important to help the team work easier. (Morton, 2007) Fourth, choose your attitude. Attitude plays an important role in teamwork as well. The good thing about attitude is you can choose a new one. Some ways to keep a positive attitude and help support the team are start each day with a personal positive thought, go to work with a positive attitude, put on a smile, start the day with a laugh or by being helpful, think positive. If you feel yourself getting a bad attitude change it so it does not affect others, be pleasant even if your day is not going well,  leave home at home and last walk around, speak to co-workers and wish them a good day. Successful teams all over the world are using these strategies and making them work. Some of these teams are Ford Motor Company, Wells Fargo, Sprint, the U.S. Army, the May O Clinic, Harley-Davison, the National Weather Service and Verizon Wireless. (Lundin, Paul, Christensen, 2000) An article about Verizon Wireless struck an interest to me. It tells about how the Fish! Philosophy has helped the Southfield Verizon Wireless office. Call centers can be tough. Upset and angry customers call with billing and service questions, even problems. They chew up whoever answers the phone and results can hurt the company. They could have loss of customers, revenue, and employees. In a Southfield Verizon office receiving approximately 5,000 calls a day, you would probably expect it to be a stressful and frustrating place to work but due to them applying the Fish! Philosophy they say no. Instead the cubicles are decorated with cartoon fish and lessons for employees are taped on construction paper, employees can look forward to special days such as Mardi Gras, Black History and many others. Not only are they just all around happy, out of 273 employees, most appear happy. Verizon started using _Fish!_ in 2002 and reported results have been excellent. There was a significant decl ine in the call centers complaints. The Southfield Verizon center that uses this philosophy ranks top amongst the companys other 24 four call centers for solving customer problems on the first call. (Morath, 2005) How amazing that a philosophy developed from watching quaky workers at Seattles Pike Place Fish Market have fun, interact with customers and become a tourist attraction even though very smelly and not the cleanest place, tends to inspire, motivate, and engage employees through a system that makes work fun by rewarding creativity empowering employees. Most of all they keep employees and even more important they work as a team. (Morath, 2005) These are just some of the many successful companies using the Fish! Principles and this philosophy continue to grow. Teamwork is a vital part of life and we apply it everyday. We use it all over the place,  why not have fun while doing it. (Tucker, 2007) Doing this research on _Fish!_ not only interested me but has taught me a great deal. I have learned some very helpful tips in just this little time and if applied might truly help me not only in my job but with life and lifes struggles. Being part of a team is better than trying to accomplish tasks by oneself. I plan to keep learning and applying the Fish! Philosophy and the four principles; Be There, Play, Make Their Day, and Choose the right attitude to enhance my life and work. References Christensen, J. (2007). _FISH! Philosophy: What is FISH!._ Retrieved August 15, 2007, from http://www.charthouse.com. Lundin, S. C., Paul, H., Christensen, J. (2000). _FISH_! New York, NY: Hyperion. Morath, E. (2005). Fish Philosophy catches on_._ _Michigan Live, 2005_, Retrieved August 15, 2007, from http://www.mlive.com. Morton, B. (2007, August 11, 2007). Team big concept in todays workplace; (Final Edition). _Star Phoenix, Saskatoon, Sask, 2007, August_, Pg. F.20. Retrieved August 13, 2007, from ProQuest database. (Document ID: 1319529891). Tucker, C. (2007, March 21). Having fun at work and play; Fish followers; Fish! Philosophy helps workers have fun. _York Daily Record,_ p. 6. Retrieved September 5, 2007, from ProQuest database. (Document ID: 1240070001).

пятница, 6 сентября 2019 г.

Adult Health Nurse Practioner Essay Example for Free

Adult Health Nurse Practioner Essay Due to the rapid changes and complexity in healthcare, nurses are pursuing higher education and specialized training. This specialized training has produced what we now call advance practice nurses. Advance practice nurses can function independently or in partnership with other physicians. These nurses play a vital role in healthcare. There are four types of advance practice nurses; clinical nurse specialist, nurse anesthetist, nurse midwives, and nurse practitioners. The role of the nurse practitioner has changed from being an assistant to meeting the healthcare needs of patients when no physician is available. Nurse practitioners may specialize in a variety of settings, but are not limited to; primary care, acute care, palliative care, infectious disease, and gerontology. Becoming a nurse practitioner requires a Master of Science in nursing, post masters, or Doctor of nursing practice (Britt, 2012). The services provided by nurse practitioners include; diagnosing and treating health problems, adult and well child checks, prescribing medications, teaching health promotion while promoting disease prevention (Britt, 2012). Healthcare reform which has led to increase accessibility of healthcare has created more opportunities for nurse practitioners in the primary care setting (AAON, 2014). Nurse practitioners are visible in the acute and critical care settings. In the acute setting, they are using evidence based practice to manage care of the critically ill (AAON, 2014). According to the American Association of Nurses, â€Å"nurse practitioners are more likely to adhere to clinical practice guidelines that improve patient outcomes (AAON, 2014). Nurse practitioners tent to engage patients in their care by helping them understand t and measures they can take for improvements (Britt, 2012). Despite the enormous contributions nurse practitioners are giving to healthcare, there are barriers to the potential of what a nurse practitioner can give back to their community. The state scope of practice laws are the most significant (Naylor, Kurtzman, 2010). These laws govern practice and prescriptive authority. There are some states more restrictive than  others. Reimbursement is another issue affecting nurse practitioners. There are legal concerns regarding reimbursement for services provided by nurse practitioners (Perry, 2009). Other barriers NPs face include; poor physician attitude, lack of respect, and poor communication. The poor physician attitude may be due to lack of physician knowledge regarding the role of the nurse practitioner (Clarin, 2009). When there is difficulty understanding the NPs role, then there is difficulty with collaboration, which in turn affects the patient. As the scope of practice for nurse practitioners varies from state to state, the nurse practitioners role is becoming more dominant due to the demands because more people are able to afford healthcare. It is imperative for barriers to be removed that would allow NPs to use their training and education to the fullest. Nurse practitioners are an essential component to the healthcare team and medical community. With such emphasis being placed on preventive care, nurse practitioners will be recognized as an asset. References Naylor, Kurtzman, E. (2010), The Role of Nurse Practitioner in Reinventing Primary Care. Health Affairs, 29 893-899 doi:10.1377/hlthaff 2010.0440 Clarin, O. (2009), Strategies to Overcome Barriers to Effective Nurse Practitioner Physician Collaboration, Journal for Nurse Practitioners. 3(8) 538-548 Britt, D. (2012), Family Nurse Practitioner in Primary Care. The Parenting Issue 23 Perry, J. (2009), The Rise and Impact of Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants. Economic Policy, 27 491-511 doi:10.1111/j.1465-7287.2009.00162.x

четверг, 5 сентября 2019 г.

High Risk Pregnancy and Women with Complex Health

High Risk Pregnancy and Women with Complex Health For this assignment I have been asked to look at the care I have seen and been involved in giving to a woman with a high risk pregnancy. I intend to identify how my practice could be developed to meet the similar needs of women in the future. To do this I am going to use a reflective approach. I am going to look at the normal anatomy and physiology and analyse the patho-physiology in relation to high risk pregnancy and birth. For most women, their midwife is their first point of contact so they have a crucial role to play in identifying any risks. Included in their extensive role is facilitating pregnancy and childbirth as a positive and fulfilling experience. This is most fundamental for those women whose childbearing experience has been categorised as high risk (Page, 2006). A pregnancy is classed as high risk if there are any factors that may adversely affect the fetal or maternal outcome. Risk factors must be identified as early as possible to increase the chances of an improved outcome (Queenan et al, 2007). When a woman is booked for her maternity care, her medical and obstetric history is taken to ascertain whether she would be suitable for midwifery led care (low risk) or consultant or obstetric led care (high risk). A woman can change from either group during her pregnancy. For example, she may start her care as low risk but then something may happen or a condition may develop so she may therefore require consultant input into her care. Factors which could mean a woman has a high risk pregnancy include epilepsy, diabetes, cardiac problems, multiple pregnancy, hypertension, obesity and previous obstetric complications, i.e. caesarean section, previous haemorrhage (whether that be antepartum, intrapartum or postpartum), recurrent miscarriages or previous intra-uterine death. Using Gibbs (1988) reflective cycle, I am going to discuss a woman I recently cared for whilst working on Central Delivery Suite, whose pregnancy had been assessed as high risk. This was due to her having had a previous emergency caesarean section and a previous ventouse delivery. In accordance with The Code (NMC, 2008) I have changed all names mentioned to respect their confidentiality. Description: Laura, aged 39 years old, was 39+1 weeks pregnant, gravida three, para two. As just mentioned, her obstetric history meant she would see an obstetric consultant during her pregnancy. As Laura was planning on having a vaginal birth after caesarean section (VBAC) this increased her risk. It was also apparent she had tested positive for Group B Streptococcus (GBS) in both her previous pregnancies. Laura had gone into spontaneous labour. Laura and her partner had both requested antibiotics to be started as soon as possible due to the previous GBS. This was not something my mentor could agree to as Laura had not tested positive for it at any point during this pregnancy. However, due to Lauras admission temperature reading being 38.1 °C and in view of the previous two pregnancies testing positive for GBS, it was decided by the obstetric consultant on duty that she would receive antibiotics during labour. We confirmed she was in established labour by performing a vaginal examination, with consent, and finding the cervix was 4-5 cms dilated, partially effaced and membranes were felt intact. After Laura was cannulated, the antibiotic Benzylpenicillin (Penicillin G) 3g was administered intravenously. Then at four-hourly intervals she was given 1.5g until delivery. Due to Lauras high risk status a cardiotocograph (CTG) was commenced to keep a trace on the fetal heart rate and the uterine contractions. Laura laboured for approximately 6 hours in total, and went on to have a normal vaginal delivery of a healthy baby boy. Postnatally, Lauras observations were taken and baby observations were also taken six hourly and observed for a minimum of twelve hours in accordance with Local Trust Guidelines (Local Trust, 2005). Feelings: This event particularly sticks in my mind due to my own curiosity about Group B Streptococcus. When Laura was showing a temperature of 38.1 °C, I recognised this was out of the normal range so I informed my mentor. I knew a high temperature could indicate a sign of infection so it was important I made my mentor aware. I felt calm at the time and knew my mentor and the obstetric consultant had the matter under control. My mentor made me feel included in the situation and explained fully what she was doing and when. She went through the process of preparing the drugs and the IV line with me. I was very happy with the outcome of the situation. At the end of the day, we all wanted a normal, natural delivery of a healthy baby and that was achieved. Evaluation: The ultimate goal of this situation was a healthy mother and baby, which was successfully achieved. I am glad the consultant made the decision that Laura would be started on antibiotics as I was aware of how anxious she was. Analysis: The final outcome was Laura had a healthy baby with no signs of GBS disease. Contributing factors to this were how I relayed important information to my mentor and how the obstetric consultant made the right choice offering Laura antibiotics, even though she had not tested positive for GBS in this pregnancy. I believe Laura should have been offered a test for GBS to confirm if it was present in this pregnancy or not. She was very anxious about the situation so I feel this would have at least helped put her mind at rest knowing either way. Her and her partner had come to CDS demanding antibiotics as a precaution anyway, and luckily for her, her high temperature meant she received them. Had she not had the high temperature that decision would have been down to the consultant. Conclusion: I learnt from this experience the correct drugs to be given in labour, and the quantities and times stages they should be given. I also learnt the drug to be given if the woman is allergic to the primary choice drug. Plus, from using this topic as my high risk assignment, the further reading I have undertaken has also taught me a lot. Action Plan: If the situation happened again, I would feel more confident in my knowledge of explaining to the woman and her family why we would advise her to have the antibiotics. In this particular situation, Laura knew a lot about GBS due to her previous pregnancies being tested for it and she was then subsequently treated during the labours. However, if a woman I was caring for had little knowledge of GBS, I feel I could explain it. Laura was classified as high risk due to her previous obstetric history. However, I am going to concentrate on the Group B streptococcus (GBS) she was concerned she had, after having it in both previous pregnancies. I also have a personal interest around GBS as this was something I tested positive for during my pregnancy and I did not really understand what it was or the complications of it. I was screened routinely as I was living in Spain at the time. Laura was only aware of her GBS, in her previous pregnancies, due to routine screening in Germany. She had not been screened here in the UK for GBS in this pregnancy, due to the uncertainty of clinical evidence and cost effectiveness of the routine screening (NICE, 2003). As mentioned in my reflection, this was something Laura was concerned about and requested she receive antibiotics during her labour as a precaution. Group B streptococcus is a common type of streptococcus bacterium. Approximately a third of men and women are carriers of GBS in their intestines and a quarter of women carry it in their vagina. Most people are unaware they are carriers as it can be difficult to detect and does not cause any symptoms. Carrying it is perfectly normal as it is one of many different bacterias that live within our bodies. Problems can arise when GBS is transmitted to the fetus. This could happen if the membranes rupture, during labour or the delivery. The fetus could come into contact with GBS if the bacterium travels upwards from the womans vagina and into the uterus due to the membranes not being there to protect the fetus. If there are prolonged rupture of membranes there is increased risk of transmission due to more time for the micro-organisms to be transported from the vagina into the cervix, and then to the uterus. According to the Group B Strep Association there is also evidence that GBS may cross intact membranes to expose the fetus whilst it is still in the womb. This could therefore cause preterm births, stillbirths or miscarriages. The fetus could also be exposed while passing through the birth canal. A preterm infant would be more susceptible as their lesser-developed bodies and immune systems are more vulnerable to GBS infection than older infants. The fetus could become infected if they swallow or inhale the bacteria (GBSA, 2011). If the fetus acquires GBS in utero this is known as early onset (Chapman, 2003). GBS can also be found on the hands and in the respiratory tract of a colonised person. So once a baby is born, GBS could be passed on to it from the hands. This is why, especially within the first 3 months of a babys life, it is so important for anyone who comes into contact with a baby, washes and dries their hands thoroughly. If the baby was to develop the disease from repeated exposure, this is called late onset (Chapman, 2003). In Lauras case, we were concerned about in utero transmission which could cause early onset GBS disease. This gave us the option for the administration of prophylactic antibiotics during labour, and at least two hours before delivery, which has been shown to reduce the frequency of neonatal GBS infection (Local Trust Guideline, 2009). Antibiotics given during labour can be very effective at preventing this transmission. A guideline written by The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG, 2003) state a woman should be offered intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis if they have the following risk factors: à ¢-  previous baby affected by GBS à ¢-  GBS bacteriuria detected during the current pregnancy à ¢-  preterm labour (less than 37 completed weeks of pregnancy) à ¢-  prolonged rupture of the membranes (more than 18 hours before delivery) à ¢-  fever in labour (a temperature of more than 37.8 °C) Although Laura only had one of the above risk factors, she was offered the antibiotics at the discretion of the consultant. Women must also be reminded of the risks with taking antibiotics and be given all the information so they can make an informed choice. The antibiotics a woman receives will also depend if she has any allergies to medication. The recommended antibiotic for those allergic to penicillin is clindamycin, 900mg administered intravenously, from onset of labour and every 8 hours until delivery (GBSS, 2007, Local Trust Guideline, 2005). During my placement on the Neonatal Unit, I also cared for a baby that had to be admitted for antibiotics as its mother had tested positive for GBS during her pregnancy. She was unable to receive antibiotics as the the delivery was so fast and there was not enough time. Therefore the baby was admitted to the Neonatal Unit so he could receive antibiotics. Blood cultures from the baby were obtained and he was treated with penicillin until the culture results were available. This enhanced the importance of the woman receiving the prophylactic antibiotics during labour. In any high risk situation it is vital that maternal and fetal well being is monitored. As Laura was high risk she was placed on continuous cardiotocograph (CTG) monitoring. This gave us a recording and trace of the fetal heart rate so we could indentify any deviation from the norm, in comparison with the baseline for that baby. The primary aim of the CTG is to identify a fetus that may be hypoxic so additional assessments of fetal well-being can be used (i.e. fetal blood sampling) or the fetus being delivered by an instrumental vaginal birth or caesarean section. The use of this kind of technology is justified in being able to save the life a fetus that is shown to be in distress. The CTG detects the fetal heart rate (FHR) and the uterine activity (toco) simultaneously and displays it in the form of graph. It is important to check the maternal pulse at the same time as applying the CTG, to ensure the machine is recording the fetal heart rate, and not the mothers. The modern machines we use at my Trust have a maternal pulse sensor which the mother applies to her finger, which then records the maternal pulse rate on the graph that is printed out. The continuous electronic monitoring using the CTG is vital to get a contemporaneous recording of the fetal heart rate. It will give us the baseline heart rate (usually between 110-160 beats per minute), accelerations (momentary increases in the fetal heart rate) and decelerations (momentary decreases in the fetal heart rate). Some aspects of labour will cause natural alterations in the FHR patterns. For example, the pattern will be different when the fetus is asleep or awake. External factors, like uterine contractions and maternal movement can cause the FHR to change. The FHR can also be affected by opiate based painkillers, like pethidine. Some of these changes are quite subtle and can only be detected by continuous CTG e.g. baseline variability, temporal shape of decelerations. To be a competent midwife, it is imperative I have knowledge on how to interpret the recorded traces of a CTG. I have seen many CTG traces whilst on my hospital placement due to the high number of high risk women my Trust cares for. However, I still feel I am learning new things every time I see one, as everyone is different. I can distinguish between baseline tachycardia (where the fetal heart rate baseline rises above 160 beats per minute) and baseline bradycardia (the opposite, where the fetal heart rate baseline goes below 110 beats per minute) (Mukherjee, 2007). Baseline tachycardia could be physiological if the trace is from a preterm fetus due to immaturity or secondary to maternal pyrexia or dehydration. It could also be a sign of fetal hypoxia. The fetus would try to increase the cardiac output mainly by increasing the heart rate to supply vital organs with oxygen and nutrients. Baseline bradycardia could be physiological if the trace is from a post-term fetus or possibly a large fetus, provided there are also accelerations present and there baseline variability is above the normal range (>5 beats per minute). If it is just baseline bradycardia with no other normal or reassuring factors, this would need immediate action. Another form of technology used within Lauras pregnancy was screening. When she was initially booked for her antenatal care, her blood and urine would have be sent for screening, after she consented to this. She would also have attended ultrasound scans which are also a form of screening. This is something that is offered to all pregnant women and regardless of their risk status, it is used in both low and high risk pregnancies. It is a process which has been developed, which was not done previously due to lack of knowledge and technology. The standard screening during the antenatal period is urine; to check for any sign of infection, and blood; to check the womans blood group, her rhesus status, her iron levels, if she is immune to rubella, and to check for hepatitis B, syphilis and HIV (NHS Choices, 2011). In line with the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (2003) pregnant women should be offered evidence based information and support to enable them to make informed decisions regarding their care. This means women should be informed of all screening tests available to them. I believe this should include information about screening which is not necessarily available within the NHS but could be carried out privately, for example, GBS screening. There are arguments for and against introducing routine screening for GBS in the UK. Plumb, Holwell and Clayton (2007) argue that in the UK, GBS prevention is inadequate. They believe the NHS should offer testing for GBS in late pregnancy, thus giving women the opportunity to establish whether their baby is at higher risk of developing the GBS infection. My current Trust guideline (2005) state there is not enough evidence for it at this time. GBS awareness campaigners, Group B Strep Support, are pushing for routine testing to be introduced in the UK (Prince, 2011). According to GBSS, Western countries that routinely test, have a lower incidence of infection in new born babies, where as cases in the UK are on the rise. Even since the introduction of the Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynaecologists guideline for preventing GBS infection in newborns, in 2003, there has not been a decrease in either the number or the incidence of GBS infections in babies (GBSS, 2007). The table below shows the how the GBS infection in babies has increased throughout England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Year report published Number All cases (babies 0-90 days old Incidence per 1000 live births Number Early onset (babies 0-6 days old) Incidence per 1000 live births Number Late onset (babies 7-90 days old) Incidence per 1000 live births Number 2003/3004 311 0.48 207 0.32 104 0.16 0.48 2006/2007 409 0.61 248 0.37 161 0.24 0.61 2007/2008 421 0.61 258 0.37 163 0.24 0.61 2008/2009 470 0.66 279 0.39 191 0.27 0.66 (data published by the Health Protection Agency taken from www.gbss.org.uk/filepool/GBS_Infections_on_the_Increase.doc) Table 1 Number and rate (per 1000 live births) of group B streptococcal bacteraemia reports in infants 0à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ 90 days old in England, Wales and Northern Ireland: 2003-2009. The overall number of GBS infections within adults is also reported to have increased by more than 72% from 2001 to 2008: (data published by the Health Protection Agency taken from www.gbss.org.uk/filepool/GBS_Infections_on_the_Increase.doc) Table 2 Number of GBS infections in both males and females within England, Wales and Northern Ireland: 2001-2008. A better indication of the rise in GBS infections would be taken from women only, who are 35-37 weeks pregnant. I believe this would give more of an insight into pregnancy GBS infection rates. While the evidence states the increase in rates, I could not find any reasons for the increases. Some factors I believe may contribute to the rise include the lack of personal hygiene, modern living or even due to lifestyle. For example, many years ago clothing and underwear used to be boiled when washing but now people may be washing their clothes on a 40 °C wash and this may not be enough to kill all the bacteria. It may not be due to any of these factors; it may just be we have a better awareness of GBS now then what we did years ago. With the constant improvement of technology, we will also be finding out new things. Although the internet is not a form of technology we use within midwifery, it is certainly a form of technology we definitely need to be aware of. Within the last ten years or so, the internet has become increasingly popular. This means the general public can find about anything, more importantly medical information they may not have been able to access before. Therefore, we need to be aware of those women that we care for, that may have either some basic knowledge or an in-depth knowledge of a medical issue, for instance GBS. The NHS even has a website called NHS Choices (www.nhs.uk) which people can access to check symptoms and research illnesses and also pregnancy. I think this is mainly a good thing, although women may read so much into something they find online and it may make them more anxious or worried. It should not replace the direct contact with their midwife. The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC, 2008), state we should be delivering care based on the best available evidence. By reading the research I have found to write this assignment I am adhering to The Code by giving women evidence based advice. I may not be able to radically change my operational practice but I will definitely be more aware of what to look for and how to manage the situation. I will also ensure I am aware of those women who may have a more in-depth knowledge about GBS and understand their anxieties. From writing this assignment I have identified the risks of GBS, who the risks affect and to what degree it could affect them. I feel I would be able to recognise the signs and be aware of the treatment and management. I have acknowledged the main technology used is for the screening of GBS within the laboratory investigation systems and believe this should be carried out routinely within the UK. Final Word Count: 3,361