Older Adults In Montreal Needs Health And Social Care Essay

1 IntroductionFor many older grownups in Montreal, the ability to make finishs and chances around their community has profound effects on all facets of their lives and daily activities. In order to stay affiliated within the community, mobility and handiness by agencies of public transit is of primary importance for older grownups ( McPherson & A ; Wister, 2008 ) . It moreover ensures that those who can non drive and/or without entree to a private auto are non excluded from the chances of urban life. As one of the cosmopolite metropoliss in Canada and with a important figure of senior occupants, Montreal should guarantee that public transit systems must non merely expeditiously enable riders to travel from one finish to another but besides make it inclusive and easy to utilize peculiarly for those who face trouble in accessing it such as the older grownups. What do we cognize about public transit demands of seniors in Montreal? What has been undertaken to turn to their demands? In or der to understand these inquiries, this paper aims to discourse the followers: ( 1 ) the importance of public transit and its consequent challenges to older grownups ; ( 2 ) current patterns in public theodolite services in Montreal ; ( 3 ) pattern rules and strength-based attack to pass through proviso ; and, ( 4 ) option attacks to pass through proviso for older grownups in the metropolis.2 Importance of public theodolite and challenges to older grownups in MontrealMontreal, in comparing to the remainder of Quebec, has a greater per centum of older grownups in its population. The 2001 nose count informations shows that Montreal has 442,684 older grownups stand foring 13 per centum of the population and lending 46 per centum for Quebec ( Hodge, 2008 ) . This figure will go on to turn in the coming old ages as it is expected that one in every four Canadian will be 65 or over. About 101,190 seniors in Montreal have at least one signifier of disablement which includes trouble visual p erception, hearing, communication, and walking, among others. Aside from sing physical damages, 28 per centum of them live under poorness and 18 per centum do non hold entree to a private auto ( Landreville & A ; Bickerstaff-Charron, 2010 ; TCAIM, 2009 ) . As seniors tend to hold troubles runing a private auto, utilizing public transit so becomes indispensable for guaranting their ability to make their coveted finishs. A Importance of public transit The usage of public transit is a cardinal to community engagement, productiveness, and independency for older grownups, particularly those who can no longer drive or unable to drive. Public theodolite services, which include coachs and trains, are often their lone options for going independently to work, wellness attention installations, shopping Centres, and a host of other finishs outside their places ( Marston, Golledge, & A ; Costanzo, 1997 ; McPherson & A ; Wister, 2008 ; TCAIM, 2009 ) . Transportation system must be present in a assortment of signifiers to run into the demands of older grownups. Aside from supplying coachs, trains and other specialised theodolite services, proper pavements with equal signage and without barriers to walking are besides indispensable for seniors. Once transit services are available, seniors must besides be able to entree it easy and safely. Public transit besides helps to get the better of distance in state of affairss where seniors reside far fr om urban centres or where communities have few available installations and services. For older grownups, the ability to utilize transit is both a agency and an terminal: a agency to entree services and installations while fulfilling their desire non to be isolated ( Hodge, 2008 ) . Challenges in utilizing public transit and attendant impacts to older grownups Seniors frequently face challenges in utilizing public theodolite which is brought approximately by their physical damages and the manner the environment is constructed. It is noted that older grownups constitute a important proportion of people with some type of damage or disablement in relation to transit demands ( TRB, 2004 ) . These damages frequently have serious deductions in footings of mobility and entree to chances in the metropolis. An issue linked in urban countries concerns heightening handiness to transit usage among older grownups without compromising safety given that physical jobs tend to increase as one ages ( Titheridge, Achuthan, Mackett, & A ; Solomon, 2009 ) . Older adult females further suffer dual favoritism in utilizing public transit both on the evidences of gender and damage ( Venter, et Al. 2002 ) . The fact that public conveyance exists is of class merely one portion of the image. Existing roadways, prosaic installations at Michigans and Stationss, and mass-transit vehicles were by and large non designed with the aged in head. Rather, they are based on a ‘normal ‘ individual-one presuming that the user is an able-bodied and to the full literate single. Public transit usage requires physical and cognitive abilities that may except some seniors such as the walking distance needed to the coach halt or Metro station are long and/or involve steep inclines. Reliability of theodolite agendas, long waiting times, the demand to mount high stepss in and out of the coach, and, transit driver ‘s competency in suiting senior riders are among the challenges that older grownups encounter in utilizing public transit. There is a demand to affect upon transit applied scientists and contrivers, policy shapers, urban contrivers and theodolite suppliers the importance of the †˜one-size-does-not-fit-all ‘ premiss refering the proviso of transit services and substructure. In peculiar, these decision-makers have a duty to develop a better apprehension of the features of older people on the footing of which betterments can be made. Guaranting that older grownups are able to be nomadic with comparative easiness in metropoliss will be one of the cardinal challenges for contrivers as the urban population grows older. Declining mobility among seniors can be explained by many factors including physical ( Dis ) abilities, fiscal resources, and personal picks, but the design of their vicinities and the distances between finishs can besides act upon their travel picks and behaviors. Decades of transit and land usage planning that favoured the car over other mobility manners like walking or public transit is a major factor that can put limitations on the mobility of seniors who do non drive, or seldom do so ( Cao, Mokhtarian, & A ; Handy, 2007 ; Hodge, 2008 ) . Furthermore, the inability to entree to public transit would take to lower chances of traveling outside the place. For those who used to drive, releasing their driver ‘s licence have a higher hazard of depression peculiarly older work forces ( McPherson & A ; Wister, 2008 ) . These issues necessarily lead to their exclusion from making desired finishs and activities and to socially link with other people outside their places which in bend could lend to degradation in their quality of life.3 Transportation system options to suit older grownupsEven though the car is the vehicle of pick for making assorted finishs, communities across Canada are working hard to run into the transit demands of seniors who no longer thrust or have limited their drive to the daylight, the vicinity, or a individual finish. Given the pressing demand for more antiphonal and sustainable transit services, local and national transit bureaus have developed a figure of alternate manners to run into the travel demands of older grownups. The undermentioned summarizes the mix of transit options that would provide their demands ( insert beginnings ) : Car: individual rider, shared drive Public transit: low-floor coachs, community birds, trains/subways Demand-responsive para-transit services Private theodolite: taxis, limousines, chauffer services Specialized theodolite: hospital-based theodolite plans, interfaith and church-based plans, volunteer transit plans Other options: low-speed vehicles, walking4 Current province of theodolite proviso for older grownups in MontrealThe Societe de Transport de Montreal ( STM ) which is the chief theodolite bureau of the island has geared itself in bettering the whole public transit system to run into the demands of the population. STM has adopted a corporate policy on cosmopolitan handiness in order to cut down the figure of barriers forestalling people with functional damages from utilizing its public theodolite web ( STM, 2009b ) . The Master Plan of the City of Montreal purposes to heighten the perceptual experience and image of public transit in order to promote its usage ( Ville.de.Montreal, 2002 ) . Public infinites around tube, commuter train and intermodal Stationss, peculiarly the waiting countries, warrant particular attending to ease entree and make a safe and pleasant environment that meets the demands of every type of user. Action 14 of the Master Plan farther emphasized design rules in t he locality of public transit entree points peculiarly in footings of easing connexions between coachs and tube. Implementing cosmopolitan handiness policies is one manner of advancing societal inclusion in the usage of public transit and entree to edifices. The Transportation Plan of Montreal besides mentioned cosmopolitan entree as a system-wide construct which is apparent through the deployment of articulated or low-floor coachs and supplying on-demand para-transit services ( Transport Adapte ) for frail seniors and other riders with functional damages. In 2008, STM launched a specialised coach service in August 2008 called Navette Or ( Golden Shuttle ) . This shuttle service now operates in 10 different vicinities in Montreal and makes Michigans at locations nigh high concentrations of older people ( including seniors abodes ) every bit good as at locations deemed to be of involvement to them ( STM, 2011 ) . This service is a positive measure that should greatly profit older people. Likewise, STM has late retrofitted five Metro Stationss along the orange line that are now accessible for wheelchair users ( STM, 2009a ) . Bonaventure station on the green line, meanwhile, is partly accessible ( i.e. from train platform to terminus ) . Supplying accessible Stationss from this theodolite line linking to the belowground metropolis is still under reappraisal and consideration. Despite these developments, much of the attempts are directed towards helping those who lack personal mobility and are wheelchair-bound. Covering with this most desperate and seeable group represents merely one section of the population with functional damages. Small attending has been paid to the demands of other mobility-impaired groups, including those who are blind or visually impaired and persons with other physical damages such as those with larning troubles still encounter restraints in utilizing the public transit ( Marston, et al. , 1997 ) . An emerging concern in transit services in Montreal are the migratory seniors in ethno-cultural communities who face troubles in talking either English or Gallic. The Alliance diethylstilbestrols Communautes Culturelles pour l'Egalite dans la Sante et lupus erythematosuss Services Sociaux ( ACCESS ) reported that 88.3 per centum of the migratory seniors reside in the greater Montreal country ( Delgado, 2011 ) . The ability to pass on with coach or para-transit drivers or even name STM ‘s client service could be a important challenge for them in order to utilize public transit services.4 Interventions and strength-based attack to pass through provisoPractice rules Seniors should be included in all facets of transit proviso, from the conceptualisation, design, execution, monitoring and rating. Advocacy Authorization to better mobility and handiness Guaranting walkability of streets Guaranting safety of theodolite What do users state about their impacts? Expression at remarks in Transport subdivision at Montreal Gazette online Benefits and challenges of theodolite issues identified The planning of land utilizations and transit can greatly act upon handiness. By puting parametric quantities for the physical design of urban scenes, these countries of activity define what is possible and what is non within the physical environment. Integrating cosmopolitan handiness ( or cosmopolitan design ) has accordingly become an of import consideration in edifice, urban design and planning in general ( Audirac, 2008 ; Bromley, Matthews, & A ; Thomas, 2007 ; Iwarsson & A ; Stahl, 2003 ) . Universal design aims to simplify life for persons of all ages, sizes, and abilities by doing the bing and future built environment and merchandises useable by more people. Guaranting accessible installations are installed aids in run intoing the demands of the older grownups every bit good as persons with reduced mobility by leting a larger proportion of the population to go independently than would otherwise be the instance ( Malo & A ; Berube , 1992 ) . There are many ways in which better ments in the design of public conveyance with attending to the older grownups can in bend benefit the general population. This might include improved clearer word pictures of the border between roadways and prosaic infinite, well-built and decently maintained pathwaies without any broken or uneven surfaces, good marks with universally-intelligible icons and – if text is necessary – clear, big, brooding inscription in an easy-to-read fount, and of class, safe and user-friendly public conveyance.5 Proposed attacks to better transit services for older grownupsInformation and counsel must be sought from human services bureaus and theodolite plans that provide transit to shopping and banking countries, clinics, senior Centres and retirement communities to guarantee that the appropriate conveyance options are provided for seniors. One may ask about any voluntary driver plans in the country every bit good so that one can happen committed voluntaries who are willing to portion their vehicles in traveling to and from different finishs. Additionally, auto pooling and bird services are other options for the seniors to avail of free drives to medical Centres and such. The authorities must besides guarantee that cab services would be given at decreased rates for senior citizens. There are besides medical and nonmedical place attention services that frequently offer transit and aid services to older members of society. By offering better transit options for senior citizens, they would be able to bask greater mobility and freedom. Proposed attacks Judaic Edward Estlin Cummingss centre theodolite plan Car-pooling and car-sharing plans Pooling riders traveling in the same way Appellation of prioritized seating for seniors Evaluation Guaranting airing by STM on feedback from different theodolite users6 DecisionThe ageing population is swelling quickly in both absolute and relative footings in Montreal and Canada, in general, and is expected to make so in the long tally. This clearly poses of import challenges for the authorities and society as a whole. On the positive side, the economic growing and up criterions of life that have well improved length of service rates of the people in general. Yet older people face physical, economic, and psychological barriers to go ; for some aged this includes damages in motor, sensory, and cognitive abilities. To get the better of these barriers and to let older people to play a full portion in society, we have to basically rethink attacks to transit in the two states. As a whole, puting an docket by developing enabling environments for older people is both an economic and a societal jussive mood. Safety and handiness are two of import considerations in planing and bettering t ransit for the aged. Our social duty of run intoing older people ‘s demands in a safe, accessible, and sustainable manner entails integrating cosmopolitan handiness ( or design ) principles in the whole transit environment.

Happy the Man

â€Å"Happy The Man† by John Dryden John Dryden was born on 9 August in 1631 in a small town in Northamptonshire, England, the eldest of 14 children, was an influential English poet, literary critic, translator, and playwright who dominated the literary life of Restoration England to such a point that the period came to be known in literary circles as the Age of Dryden. Walter Scott called him â€Å"Glorious John. â€Å"[1] He was made Poet Laureate in 1668. As a humanist public school, Westminster maintained a curriculum which trained pupils in the art of rhetoric and the presentation of arguments for both sides of a given issue.This is a skill which would remain with Dryden and influence his later writing and thinking, as much of it displays these dialectical patterns. The Westminster curriculum also included weekly translation assignments which developed Dryden’s capacity for assimilation. This was also to be exhibited in his later works. In 1650 Dryden went up to Trinity College, Cambridge.. Dryden died on April 30, 1700. Happy the Man is sublime in its brevity in defining happiness. It’s a short poem as compared to many of the larger writings of Glorious John, as Walter Scott called him.Yet, it encompasses some eternal truths for personal happiness. What a fantastic line:   Ã¢â‚¬Å"Not Heaven itself upon the past has power†Ã¢â‚¬â€how   many people spend valuable time worrying, regretting, fretting and wishing they could change the past? The things you’ve done or failed to do already can’t be changed, but the future is yours to shape. John Dryden is trying to explain that his life has been lived and he is happy with what he has done all his life and evn if there are something’s in his past he cannot change and even if the future isn’t so good he is still happy ,he did everything .Everything he has done he had enjoyed and he is still enjoying to this day . He is happy . I have had my hour ,means he has lived his life . Work toward living each day to the fullest and owning your disappointments and failures as much as your successes – â€Å"†¦fill the unforgiving minute with sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,† for a life that won’t leave you thinking only about the past, but rather always pushing on toward a brighter future. Notice how all of the end-of-couplet rhymes are end-stopped. Notice, besides that, how all of the lines are end-stopped.Compare this to Thomas Middleton’s Verse of just a generation or so before. They make Middleton look like an Allen Ginsberg. Notice also, especially with Dryden, how you can extract any one of his couplets and they will more or less make a complete syntactical unit. One tender Sigh of hers to see me languish, Will more than pay the price of my past anguish: The verse is regular Iambic Pentameter with some variant, trochaic first feet. Don’t be fooled by the following line, which some might read as follows: I can die |with her,|| but not live | without her:Here’s how Dryden means us to read it: I can | die with | her, but | not live | without her: When reading poetry, especially, from this period, always try to read with the meter. The last thing to notice about Dryden’s poem is that, despite the tightly laced poetry, this poem is about sex, sex, sex. The meter itself! Every single line ending is a feminine ending – a sort of metrical double entendre. Every rhyme of the poem is a feminine rhyme (otherwise known as a multiple rhyme) – en-deavor/leave her; please us/seize us. It is chalk full of pornographic double-entendres.Don’t be fooled by the straight-laced formality of the poetry from this period. Some of the most depraved, erotic and sexual poetry ever written comes from this period. Dryden use of tone in the first stanza tricks the reader into believing that the essence of the poem is about his love for his girlfriend or maybe h is wife; but it is much deeper than that. The last line of that stanza goes into what is to come of the nature of the poem. Furthermore the second stanza when considering the word usage further conveys the real theme.So whats the theme or the subject. line 7 â€Å"Beware, O cruel fair how you smile on me†. The occasion in stanza one begins with the attraction he has with this woman then in stanza two it develops into the moment he has with this woman. This is noted by the use of line1,2,3 â€Å" Love has in store for me one happy minute†, â€Å"Then no day void of bliss, or pleasure leaving†, â€Å"Ages shall slide away without perceiving. â€Å"One Happy Moment† by John Dryden because it exemplify the emotions felt by the speaker, yet at the same time it views and feelings on the . Their situations and settings were that he was losing their lovers and feeling the agony of the moment. In both poems the speaker is anguished at the prospect: â€Å"I can d ie with her, but not live without her. † (Dryden, Line 4)The speaker then comes to the conclusion that the only way to avoid the issue is a solution unfavored by all: â€Å"I cannot live with you-it would be life. . . †, â€Å"I could not die-with you. . . † (Dickinson, Lines 1-2, 13) In Dickinson’s case it is necessary, in Dryden’s case it is the only choice left.

Metaphysics; Plato and Aristotle Essay

a. Introduction As a major assignment for this course, you are to write an essay paper on a topic relating to the subject matter of the course and drawing on course material. This should be a new paper, written by you individually, specifically for this class. You have two options to do this assignment. First option: You can write an essay paper in a rather classic style by selecting one of the listed topics in part b. If you decide to do the first option, you are required to pick one of the listed topics and write a philosophical essay according to the description provided for each topic. Second option: You can conduct a philosophical project and write an essay on the findings of the project. For this option, you need to become an â€Å"undercover philosopher† and interview 5 different people on a philosophical topic given in part c. The final outcome of your project should include the interviews results and your own analysis. Regardless of the option you choose you are required to follow these criteria: You are required to do only one of the mentioned options. But it is better to make decision as soon as possible since it will take time to accomplish either of them. This assignment is due no later than 11:59 p.m. on Monday, April 28. Late papers will only be accepted with an appropriate excuse and a point deduction. Your paper will be submitted via TurnItIn through the Blackboard site for the course. Just so you are aware, TurnItIn automatically checks your paper for plagiarism and will catch it if you try. No email or paper submission will be accepted. You should use the MS Word template file provided in your Blackboard. Papers not prepared in that format will not be graded. The final paper should be named as: Your Last Name_Your EU ID_Your Course Section.DOCX o For example if your last name is Jones and your EU ID is mhj034 and you are in PHIL 1050 section 001 then your file name should be: Jones_mhj034_001.docx. Another example: Ahmadi_kia9801_002.docx for student named Ahmadi with kia9801 as EU ID taking 002 section of the course. There must be â€Å"_† (underline) character between name, EU ID, and class section. o EU ID is the ID you use to login to your Blackboard account. You can find your class section by looking at the title of the course listed in your Blackboard account. Your paper must be no less than 1000 and no more than 1500 words (this is content only; this is not counting name, title, footnotes, bibliography, etc.) Papers with less than 1000 or more than 1500 words will be graded with a point deduction. You may find a PDF copy of Writing Philosophy on Blackboard, it is strongly recommended that you utilize this resource to help you write a good paper. All sources, including assigned readings, must be formally cited according to the Chicago Manual of Style (resources for which can be found online). Use of secondary sources is strongly encouraged but not required. Remember that failure to cite sources technically constitutes plagiarism! For further information, you can review the university’s policy on academic integrity at: http://www.vpaa.unt.edu/academic-integrity.htm. Regarding citations, long quotes of 4 or more lines are not allows and will result in a noticeable point penalty if used. Remember also that not only direct quotes also paraphrasing of another person’s material must be formally cited. All sources must be listed as footnotes. No bibliography or reference list at the end of the paper is required. Further details about citation can be found in the MS Word template file in your Blackboard account. This assignment makes up 25 out of 100 points for your final grade. You will be graded equally on writing, your summary of material, and your own critical response. Beyond these you can lose points for having a paper that is too short, failing to cite sources, or in any other way failing to adhere to the instructions and criteria for the assignment. Grading Criteria: An â€Å"A† paper is one that follows all format requirements, is at the standards of college writing, contains an excellent summary of course material, and  shows careful thinking about the topic. A â€Å"B† or â€Å"C† paper is one that follows most format requirements, is at or near the standards of college writing, contains a summary that shows a good or at least basic understanding of course material, and shows your own thinking about the topic. A â€Å"D† or â€Å"F† paper is one that is well below the paper requirements or the standards of college writing, contains a summary which shows a poor understanding of course material, and/or where any thought of your own on the topic is lacking. And, of course, any paper containing plagiarism will receive an â€Å"F†. Given that this a college course, it is expected that all students are capable of a certain level of writing quality. If you feel that your writing skills are not the best, I would strongly encourage you to seek help from the UNT Writing Lab (http://www.unt.edu/writinglab/). b. First Option: Classic Essay For your essay you may select from a list of topics below. Your topic will involve two aspects. First, you should summarize a theory or set of theories of philosophy that we have learned or discussed in class. Second, you should give your own argument for what is the proper view regarding that topic. Your paper must have both a summary of course material and your own original thinking on the topic, in roughly equal measure. Essay Topics: If you decide to write a classic essay paper you are required to choose one of the following topics. Otherwise you could do the second option described in part c. (1) Metaphysics; Plato and Aristotle: First,  summarize Plato’s theory of the Forms as ultimate reality (â€Å"The Republic†). Then, summarize Aristotle’s theory of the four causes and form/matter as ultimate reality (â€Å"Physics†). The second half of your paper should critically compare and contrast the two, and give your own argument for which you think is more correct, and ultimately state and argue for what you think the true nature of reality is. (2) Knowledge; Descartes and Hume: The first half of your paper will involve summarizing Descartes’ view of knowledge (â€Å"Meditations†), then summarizing Hume’s view of knowledge (â€Å"Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding†). The second half of your paper should critically compare and contrast the two, and give your own argument for which you think is more correct, and ultimately state and argue for how you think we acquire true knowledge and what the limits of knowledge are. (3) Cogito; Argument and Counter-Argument: The first half of your paper involve summarizing Descartes’ arguments in support of Cogito and philosophical implications of it (â€Å"Meditations†), then summarizing an strong counter argument from another philosopher (Modern or Contemporary) against Cogito and its implications. The second half of your paper should critically compare and contrast the two, and give your own argument for which you think is more correct, and ultimately state and argue for the relevance and validity of Cogito argument. (4) Ethics; Aristotle and Kant: The first half of your paper will involve summarizing Aristotle’s virtue ethics (â€Å"Nicomachean Ethics,† books I and II), then summarizing Kant’s deontological ethics (â€Å"Foundation for the Metaphysics of Morals†). The second half of your paper should critically compare and contrast the two, and give your own argument for which you think is more correct, and ultimately state and argue for what you think is the proper approach to ethics, including whether ethics should be approached through good character or rules for action. (5) Knowledge and Method; Aristotle and Descartes: The first half of your paper will involve summarizing Aristotle’s view on knowledge and method (â€Å"Physics†), with emphasis on the Empiricist method and his teleological account of nature; and further will involve summarizing Descartes’ view (â€Å"Meditations†), with emphasis on the Rationalist method and Cartesian doubt. The second half of your paper should critically compare and contrast the two, giving the pros and cons of each as well as your own  critical reflection on the proper approach and method for knowledge. c. Second Option: Philosophical Project For this option you are required to interview five different people on a philosophical topic listed below. First you need to understand the topic well in order to conduct your interviews. Then you pick your interviewees and ask the questions. You need to accurately record their answers. Then you summarize each interviewees’ responses in a very concise but clear paragraph. To do this you need to extract the philosophical core implied in the answers. You should not simply write down everything they say, because only philosophical arguments of their responses are important and relevant to this work. You should ask your questions is a way that makes interviewees reveal their principles or assumptions regarding the topic. Then you give your original thinking on those philosophical arguments and principles by comparing, criticizing, and challenging them. Generally speaking, your essay should include at least 8 paragraphs. First paragraph should include the questions you asked in your interviews. Five next paragraphs could be dedicated to the summaries of five interviews, and one paragraph for comparing the philosophical arguments and criticizing them, and one last paragraph for presenting your original thoughts on the issue. You should be creative in your questions and let the interviewees speak in their own voices. However you should guide the interview so that you can grasp the underlying philosophical principles. You should not include the interviewees name or identity in the paper. This is absolutely against UNT regulations for such research. Also you don’t need IRB approval since this is only a class assignment and the results will not be published in any way. Interview Topics: (1) Ethical relativism. The main question is â€Å"is ethics relative or absolute?†. However in addition to this question you should ask more questions to make the interviewees clear about their idea of ethical principles. You should ask interviewees to explain their reasons with examples. Also you can challenge their responses by giving them counter-examples. For example, for a person who thinks ethics is relative, a  counter argument could be â€Å"then everything is correct at the same time† or â€Å"why killing innocent people for fun is always wrong then?† Or for a person who believes that ethical principles are absolute, a counter example is â€Å"what if an ethically wrongdoing (such as lying to a murderer, or torturing a terrorist) is the only way to stop a disaster?† (2) Absolute Truth. The main question is â€Å"is there an absolute truth?† You should ask interviewees to explain their reason. Also you should ask them if absolute truth de pends on human mind or whether or not is attainable by human mind. A challenge to people who believe in absolute truth is â€Å"how exactly they know there is an absolute truth?† or â€Å"how can they justify their position?† On the other hand, if they believe in relativity of truth, then the challenge is â€Å"then everything can be true or false at the same time and this is contradictory (isn’t it?)†. Also you can ask if scientific truths are relative in their opinion or not. In addition, they should make it clear on what parameters truth depends (e.g. social contract, power, culture, personal preference, utility, etc). And also if truth is relative then why do we think we know the physical world better than ancient thinkers (don’t we?) (3) Environmental Ethics. The main question is â€Å"do we have moral duty to nature and environment?† You should ask questions such as â€Å"are we morally responsible for nature and environment?†, â€Å"is there anything morally wrong about destroying nature (intentionally or unintentionally)?†, â€Å"what if destroying nature is necessary for human life?† and â€Å"what makes us responsible for nature?† You can also ask questions about what elements and aspects in nature makes us responsible. For instance, we are responsible because it is useful for us, or because it is beautiful, or because animals and plants are alive (like us), or it is because of the next generations that we are responsible? Or combination of them. You should clarify what sort of ethical relationship each interviewee is assuming between them and nature. Also do they think that human is just a plain member of ecosystem or special member who stands above everything because it is human being? Also â€Å"to what extent we should care for nature?† (4) Existence. The main question is â€Å"what makes our existence valuable?†. You may ask questions such as â€Å"why we are here?†, â€Å"why we should not kill ourselves?†, â€Å"what is the most valuable in human life?†, â€Å"what makes life worthy of living?†, â€Å"what is  valuable about existence?†, â€Å"is the any purpose in human life?† and â€Å"is there any meaning in human existence?†. (5) Being Human. The main question is â€Å"what is human being?† Under this topic you should ask the interviewees to give a very clear and concise definition of human being and then ask them further questions to challenge their definition. For example, if human being is defined as a rational animal, then why we consider mentally impaired humans as human being? The main concern in this topic is to clarify the essence of human being. Also you should ask them to explain how philosophy/science/religion can help us understand the nature of human being. Also you may ask them to clarify whether or not human being has a fixed nature /essence. In this regards you can ask â€Å"do you think human beings have changed in their nature/essence over the course of history?† Also you may ask them how can we grasp the truth about human nature. P

Albert Pope, Columbia Bicycles, and Mass Production Assignment

Albert Pope, Columbia Bicycles, and Mass Production - Assignment Example Pope’s response reflects the American capitalist culture which emphasizes that individual ability and inventiveness are the bedrock of successful businesses. 8. Pope held that the US produced bicycles of superior quality and more profitability than Britain due to the absence of labor unions, facilitating the introduction of labor saving machines and cutting down on the number of employees. 9. The Fordist factory shows specialized departments, vertical integration and large volume of manufacture. Flexible firms are vertically disintegrated, have no specialization, and employ geographically scattered labor. Pope’s factory was concentrated geographically into one industrial complex; there were specialized departments for the manufacture of various components; vertically integration was emphasized, with Pope buying out his suppliers, such as the Weed Sewing Machine Company and the Hartford Rubber Works. In addition to innovation in bicycle parts, Pope adopted innovations in the production process, such as stamping and pressing methods, cold drawn steel, case hardening, swaging, annealing, electric welding, and die making. 15. The ownership of valuable patents constituted assets for the company; competition led to investment in technological innovation and industrial espionage; rapid innovation in technology made older models obsolete. 25. In order to promote the use of bicycles by women, Pope attempted to overcome the obstacle posed by the lack of socially accepted, appropriate dress for women cyclists. By donating $ 100 for a competition at the elitist Waldorf Hotel for the best doll in a cycling costume, Pope promoted cycling among the upper classes, secured a socially-sanctioned bicycling costume and received favorable publicity. 26. Pope countered church criticism of bicycling on Sundays by portraying cycling as a means of exercise leading to good health, and therefore meriting divine approval. He also indicated that

Why Protestantism developed in North America Essay

Why Protestantism developed in North America - Essay Example Protestantism came to North America a few days before Christmas in 1606 through the Englishmen under King James. They carried with them their official religion known as the Church of England. However, their goal to baptize the Indians who were then thriving in the Virginia failed. Years later, the Puritan separatists from the Church of England who first migrated to Holland were permitted to build colonies in New England which was later became the United States. This marked the famous entry of Protestantism in the country. Puritans, like their Anglican predecessors were not able to maintain their doctrinal and spiritual rigor giving way to the birth and growth of other denominations like Methodists, Baptists, and Presbyterian. It can be seen that the doctrines held by Protestantism hugely mirrors the pluralistic values of North America. It should be noted that a religion can only prosper and flourish if it embodies the concerns of the individuals in the society (Bauer 1). Looking at the Baptists and Methodist Churches in the United States, it can be seen that their success can be attributed to their ability of successfully meeting the needs of the frontier people than any other denomination: "In face of the new challenge to the Churches, their view of the ministry and the Christian faith was most successful in finding and holding the people of the west. Furthermore, they were from their inception Churches of the common people, the underprivileged" (Bauer 6). Baptists Churches became popular in North America because of their appeal to the common people, the uneducated and dispossessed. Their ministry is led by simple individuals who have heard their calling from the Lord. Thus, the great advantage of Baptists is the abundance of workers in a locality. It should also be noted that Baptist's ministers are untrained and unsalaried (Bauer 6). Like the Baptists, Methodism is also considered as a "frontier faith" which developed after the American Revolution. The development of Methodism is also due to its "frontier structure" which suits the environment and people they are ministering to. Their ministers often travel from place to place conducting classes which latter grow as churches allowing them to reach people in isolated regions. In specific localities, it is also common to find gifted laymen who are appointed to preach if the minister is absent. This ensures that Bible studies and congregational activities are being carried out regularly. The Methodist Church is also seen to preach a "frontier message" as it carries a gospel which stresses the dignity of the poor and rural families: "The circuit riders proclaimed that their faith and that of their congregations was of more worth in the sight of God than the college-learned theologies of elite city preachers and their wealthy churches" (Methodism and the Frontier 1) Protestantism also owes its stability and sustenance to the numerous revivals which renews the commitment of members to their covenant with God. The Great Awakening is noted to have united 4/5 of Americans in the understanding of the Christian faith and life. This revival has also instilled a deeper sense of responsibility for the Indians and slaves. It should be noted that Protestantism strongly opposes slavery and emphasizes the equality of each

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

German - Essay Example France recorded its objection to the relative of King of Prussia, Wilhelm I becoming the King of Spain. Bismarck’s plans to make the French humiliated worked well and to avenge the insult France declared war. Majority of the countries supported Bismarck and dubbed Napoleon III as the aggressor. This war united the German States for a common cause to defeat France. The Germans had the advantage of infrastructure. Mentioning about the industrial mite of Germany Geoffrey Wawro writes, â€Å"France gaped in astonishment. Almost overnight, a rather small and manageable neighbor had become an industrial and military colossus.†(17) They had developed an efficient railway system, felicitating quick transport of men and material and an efficient telegraph system for communications. On August 4, the Prussian army entered the French territory, and in the next four weeks they had won the war. The day was 1st September when Germans Captured Napoleon III and 100,000 of French troops. Soon the siege of Paris commenced. The war came to end with the signing of armistice with Germany on January 28, 1871 and finally the Treaty of Frankfurt in the month of May, the same year. The economic unification of Germany was followed by political unification. France lost both on political and economic fronts. They had to concede a large chunk of their territory Alsace and Lorraine to Germany besides $1,000,000,000 as indemnity payable within three

Poetry reflexition Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Poetry reflexition - Essay Example here, the author has shown qualities of resiliency (as represented by the Sapele, tree being a sturdy and tall tree that is able to withstand strong gust of wind), and conscientiousness. As the literary piece loosens its meaning, the reader may found out the destruction whatever forces which had wreaked the environment. â€Å"This was before the sawmills†, â€Å"Forged copper scraped me a hollow body† and â€Å"The sharpest blade cut me a mouth† could only and literally mean the process of wiping out significant forested areas areas to make way for so-called development. However, the reader can consequently find out that it also meant the diminishing art, music, literature and the culture of Congolese people brought upon by the process of Westernization and assimilation. â€Å"I never learned Mangbetu language, its voiced and unvoiced trill. I speak only with a mouth carved shut.† And this was the sorry state of colonized countries in Africa which had most likely inspired the author to write the

Preventing childhood obesity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Preventing childhood obesity - Essay Example â€Å"Factors associated with increased risk for overweight or obesity in infancy and early childhood include excessive maternal weight gain or smoking during gestation, shorter-than-recommended duration of breast-feeding, and suboptimal amounts of sleep during infancy† (Wojcicki and Heyman). Effects of obesity on children are numerous, and for the most part, negative. Obesity makes children sluggish and intervenes in their healthy physical development. It lowers children’s self-esteem. In addition to that, obesity is also one of the main causes of such diseases and health conditions in children as high blood pressure and diabetes that are conventionally associated with adults particularly in the old age. (Kimbro and Rigby) studied the effects of the federal food policy on the obesity in children, and found that food assistance is likely to cause childhood obesity particularly in the cities where the prices of foods are high. They also found that subsidized meals offered to the children at the day care centers or in the schools help them maintain the right weight because of which, there is need to expand the poor children’s access to subsidized meals. The US government is taking serious steps to combat the epidemic of childhood obesity. One of the campaigns that have been started in the recent years is the â€Å"Let’s Move† campaign by Michelle Obama that is directed at revamping the food products’ nutritional labeling to empower the consumers and especially the parents, improving the National School Lunch Program’s nutritional value, improving the access of all communities in the US to the high-quality foods, and increasing the physical activity fo r children. This way, this campaign combats childhood obesity by making a holistic effort. â€Å"By directly emphasizing the potential risks for lifetime obesity that present in infancy and early childhood and providing the structure and direction for

Week 7 Lab Work LR$W Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Week 7 Lab Work LR$W - Research Paper Example The first is stage is the organization stage. It entails preparing to look into the case and delve into the evidence, how to sort and classify it. For the case study, we need to prepare an extended outline (Webley 12). The second and subsequent stage is the research stage. In the research stage, we look into the facts that pertain to the case and classify them accordingly. We identify the issue then research the issues one at a time and familiarize ourselves with the area of law that caters for the case. In this case, we research the events of the night, the basis of allegations and their substantiality. We then consider the legal implications and likely outcomes of any stances we take(Webley 14). This is stage has done in the next paragraph of this paper. The third stage is analysis. In analysis, we make a write-up of the facts arrived at and document a solid conclusion in light of the evidence and facts against the balance of the law (Putman 166) The accused has been in a 10 – year stormy relationship with Elizabeth Steward which has had a history of domestic violence. During a violent electrical storm after a bout of drinking and argument, he dragged her outside and tied her to the lightening pole and told her â€Å"I will fix you. You are gonna fry†. (Putman, 117) The states claim is baseless as Mr. Jones was drunk and angry therefore was not in total control of himself or his actions. He also did not wield the said weapon. Lightening that did not strike was therefore like a weapon he never had. (Putman,

An Unmanageable Case-Management Quandary Case Study

An Unmanageable -Management Quandary - Case Study Example In addition to that, there will be a look at the advantages and disadvantages of individual and master calendar systems with regard to issues in the criminal division. Thereafter a recommendations with regard to this courts statistical report. Case management approach constitutes of two systems namely individual and Master calendar system. In individual calendar system a filed case is dealt with by one judge to full completion. The advantage in regard to this is that cases are heard fully, there are no interferences from other forces such as other judges and any other potential rivalries. This enhances speedy delivery of final judgment but, it rather limits the judgment since other different perspectives and opinions are not in play. On the contrary, the master calendar system seems to be much effective according to Chung (2011). It allows different views into play and thus not limiting the judgment. It is disadvantaged in that it delays decisions on cases as the other judges who come into play differ in decisions, philosophies and fear contradicting earlier judgment made by judges thereon. This slows down decisions on cases as they deliberate more on the diverse issues raised. Criminal division is a rotation of judges between criminal and civic law system. This has far implications in regard to its advantages and disadvantages associated with it. One of the merits is that it relieves burn-outs of judges due to emotional intensity cases and facilitates ease from workloads. On the other it’s quite limiting in cases where final verdict on a case was not reached. This leads to prolonging of the case as newest judge has to familiarize with the case before determining its verdict. Therefore, it leads to delay of judgment upon the prevalent case and many cases are left pending. Juvenile division refers to the courts put in place in correction of the minors in the society as Sutton (1985) elaborates. For instance, judges deployed

Literature in contemporary societies Essay Example for Free

Literature in contemporary societies Essay The art of literature in contemporary societies has always led to more critical discussions between man and himself and between man and his neighbor. Literature pushes us to rethink our stance on normal societal norms and beliefs. Sula is such a work of art. It is the based on two women living at the Bottom in Ohio, a predominantly black community. Helen Wright is a socially conscious and quite a conservative woman. She has one daughter; Nel. Hannah Peace a beautiful flamboyant and a woman with many men at the Bottom is the mother of Sula. Sula is raised with Eva Peace, her grandmother who does not stifle her granddaughters freedom unlike Nel who comes from a restrictive household. Nel and Sula develop quite an inseparable and good friendship, a friendship that does not settle well with Helen who possesses grave misgivings due to the reputation of Sulas mother however she does not object openly after her realization that Sula is a very polite house guest. After High School these two great friends diverge ways for 10 years. Sula goes to college where she experiences a new wave of sexual promiscuity much like her mother. Nel On the other hand is married by a Bottoms resident, Jude Green. Their separation last for period of three years before Sula comes back from the college and their relationship resumes without any hindrance. However, this relationship is cut short when Nel learns of the relationship between Sula and Jude. This affair ends both the relationship between Jude and Nel as well as that of Nel as Sula who leaves the bottom for three years. Nel is forced to raise her two children alone and she doesnt communicate with Sula for the three years that she goes away. Their next meeting occurs when Sula is terribly sick and almost dying. Their last conversation before Sula dies constitutes the literary wealth of this masterpiece; it is the discussion between good and bad. She dies and is buried at the Bottom cemetery. Thereafter, Nel visits Eva Peace who is quite old and is kept in a nursing home where she tries to retell the moments she had together before Sula died. While walking home she begins to feel the loss of the relationship with the death of Sula, her single and true friend. Her judgment of Sula as bad begins to haunt her as she recalls an incident that happened when they were friends; the Chicken Little incident. Chicken little was a young boy who also lived at the Bottom. When playing on a tree, Sula lost grip and the child plunged in the river and drowned. They kept this secret for the whole of their lives. These are the memories that unsettled Nel emotionally, she begins to challenge the concepts of good and bad and the choices and sacrifices people make in life. Later on, she kills her drug addict sun as she struggles to raise his family single handedly. Sadly, we see her sitting and crying over Sulas grave at then cemetery as the story comes to an end. The story questions the decisions that people make in life; the calls for a rethinking of common societal problems. Critics mention the humor in the novel. For example the place called bottom is actually at the mountain top. The creation of binary oppositions in the novel not only makes it too interesting and informative but also lets the reader glance at the depth of common conventions in the community and the effect these societal conventions have on the lives of children who are supposed to be brought up in a comparatively free world where people are supposed to make free will. Satire as a theme is also developed in the story and it fuse well with the binary notion. The complexity of characters in the story conveys an account of human flaws in decision making and in the way we relate to other people in the community. While parents do everything in their power to ensure that their children justifiably lead a good life, little is done in ensuring that the children also get freedom. This makes the children not to acquire their own experiences in life but only proceed to copy the characters of their parents and grandparents. The fact that Sula turned out to be an exact replica of her mother and grandmother is an attestation to this fact. The book is feminine masterpiece and there is also an element of female chauvinism. This can be justified by the fact that all the major characters in the book are women and their actions are affected by men in a very little sense. Jude, Chicken Little and Nels son who became a drug addict after leaving the army are all victims of the women’s stereotyped dispositions. Shadrack being physically and emotionally scarred fro the experience of war is disowned and almost excommunicated by the community without the community fully understanding the reasons behind his behavior. Let us now give a critical analysis of Sula, the main character. Sula is the major influence on his friend Nel. Sula has been influenced by her mother leading to the passage of what can be argued to be a bad character trait through generations. Eva is a strong woman. She has endured loneliness, abject poverty but she is proud and unrelenting. Sula is quite an extraordinary woman, she is energetic but she has no suitable outlet to release her energies. This makes her potentially dangerous in that that she has no knowledge of wrongdoing. She does not understand that she sins when she sleeps with men and carelessly tosses them aside. Her sin is unintentional. The community, however do not understand the context of her upbringing or they simply do not care. They despise her but tolerate her. One very interesting aspect is that Sula is quite independent in her isolation, she does what she pleases and she simply does not care what everybody else does. She lives her the way it pleases her effectively earning her isolation from the community. After her death the rules shift suddenly, there is a renewed sense of acceptance, of defining right and wrong, good and bad. It is important to try and delve into the reasons why Nel and Sula united even after Sula betrayed their friendship by having an affair with Nels husband, Jude. Nel realizes that Sula was neither good nor evil; she was just indifferent to everything and everybody. Wives had to put extra effect in making sure that their husbands do not fall into bed with Sula, children were treated better so that they dont grow into adults who are indifferent and uncaring like Sula. This is good fortune to the bottom community because they were held together in the rethinking process. Remember the National Suicide day? After Sulas death the community did not have any productive outlet to channel their energies, they could not just sit and talk and so they become enraged and tear up the tunnel the result of unfocused energy. This eventual realization went a long way in ensuring that the residents of Bottom engaged in productive work for their survival. If Sula would have directed her energy to something else, maybe something a little more worthwhile would have resulted. Racial prejudice is highlighted when Jude is denied a chance to engage in the building of anew bridge, because of the color of his skin; he is denied the opportunity even though he is willing to do something productive. He stands in line for six days while the white boys get an opportunity to build the new River Road, his job at the hotel is demeaning and an insult to his masculinity. The scarcity of job opportunities remains to be the why Eva and Hannah had very little chance of gainful employment. They had to contend with the injustices being meted out on them because they were females and most importantly black. To escape the pangs of hunger in the winter, they have to prepare canned food in the summer. The life of Sula Peace, her childhood and her death in 1941is surrounded by the inability of the environment to shape her into a good woman The black community residing in Medallion; the bottom is judgmental but not in any way assisting to solve the crisis within itself. Sula’s life story shows us how the community and family can shape somebodys identity. She not only displays how children are nurtured but also her later relationship with the same community who natured her. She is a strong independent character but the community does not see her positive potentiality. To go against these societal norms she is not married and she sleeps around. The Peace family has been frowned upon by the Bottom community. This could have elicited an element of antagonism from Sula because she does not follow accepted societal conventions but in this case she is the protagonist and not the community. The novel poses her as the central character and the community constitutes only bits and pieces that seem to knit her life together in a predetermined fashion from the time of her birth to death. If change is to take place the community remains the playing field and Sula undoubtedly remains one of the players in the field. Whether she deserved to be rewarded for fearlessly instigating the rethinking process is not a matter of discussion as it is evident that her one and truly friend had in her own way knowingly or unknowingly lent credit to her stance in life by crying over her grave at the cemetery after realizing what Sula stood for. The character Sula is structure less, that any character interaction with her only invokes an element of structurelessness. This is because philosophically her evil is not her own but a reflection of what had been unknowingly imparted in her. Fortunately, her story is one where what is regarded as evil triggered change in the society. In analyzing one of the important masterpieces in the history of black American writing it is prudent to expunge on the growth of protagonism and non conformism in the society. The society’s vilification of the heroine Sula who does not fit into the society’s conformation of a heroine is a classic example of the inability of a people to look within themselves and try to solve the problems within its own structures. Works Cited Daniel Dawkins: A Character Analysis of Sula; Considering Morrisons Main Character as the Protagonist. 2008http://african-american fiction. suite101. com/article. cfm/a_character_analysis_of_sula Black Community Racism Racist Essays. http:www. 123helpme. com/preview. asp? id=87608 Solomon O. Iyasere and Marla W. Iyasere. Understanding Tony Morrisons Beloved and Sula: Selected Essays and Criticisms of the works of Nobel prize winning author. 2000

Gender Differences in Discourse Essay Example for Free

Gender Differences in Discourse Essay The ability to communicate with our fellow human beings makes us distinct from other living beings. The chapter has made it very clear that speaking is not conversation. Conversation is a collaborative effort by both the speaker and the listener. Our success much depends on how well we can interact with people around us. It much depends upon understanding certain factors called ‘social dynamics’ in conversation. In the essay â€Å"Women Talk Too Much† Janet Holmes makes it very clear that it is a wrong notion to think that women talk more than men. She says it is an assumption based on stereotypes. On the other hand, she says that it is men who talk more. There is no proof to say that men are biologically programmed to talk more than women. It is just the social conditions that promoted the wrong notion that boys are more active than girls and they talk more. She says it is entirely disagreeable. I find quite interesting to know that it is boys who interact more in the class rooms than the girls. Then, the author claims, how it can be said that women talk more than men In the second essay of the chapter, Tony Kornheiser makes a distinction in the communication style of women and that of men. He feels that women are very particular about everything and they have more to say than men have. He makes a point saying that women do not think life is as simple as men believe it to be. A conversation that turns into a lecture is definitely boring as Deborah Tannen points out in the essay â€Å"I’ll Explain It to You†. The most frustrating experience for anyone is when a conversation turns into a lecture. I feel it is not only boring to women but also equally tedious to men. There has been much literature on gender biased language and there is a gradual change in the use of language to sound neutral. Ronald Macaulay also agrees with Janet Holmes and says that many of the notions are myth and they have no validity scientifically speaking. It is rather social conditioning that has played a key role in imparting opinions that have no basis. Clive Thompson’s essay on how computer software can identify accurately whether the writer is a man or woman is quite interesting, His questions the many of the commonly held ideas about the differences between the two sexes. (407 words) Chapter6: Media Speak. What we know about the world is from media only. Our perception of the world is influenced by the media which presents it. The billions of dollars spent on TV ads clearly indicate the power that the media enjoys. Undoubtedly, the advertisements that come on television and newspapers and magazines have tremendous influence on us. Within a span of a century there is a great change in the media. Now the world is increasingly dependent on oral media where as it was mostly written word in the beginning of the last century. With the aim of reaching more number of audiences, the quality of language used in TV news and shows has become very low. Neil Postman and Steve Powers, rightly point out that the dependence on the image has made a great shift in news making. The highly quality visuals have replaced good language with low level popular language. They argue that it is not just language but also our views and opinions about the world are getting corrupted. The general saying is â€Å"a picture is worth a thousand words† but in the present days when news is re-created or re-presented, it is equally true to say that â€Å"one word is worth a thousand pictures. † There is little doubt that the language used by the media is aimed at creating sensations to attract more audience. Then, I do believe that it is not exactly what happened i. e. news. The article ‘All the World in Pictures’ is very interesting and thought provoking. It has clearly explained how the language is used in mass media. It is aptly said that ‘Advertising is the driving force of consumer economy’. The world is filled with advertisements. Wherever there are people, there are advertisements. They appeal to all our weakness creating a world of fancy with eternal youth, power, enriched beauty, immediate happiness, and fulfillment of our inner needs. I feel the use of language in creating such emotional appeals is quite amazing. Advertising plays much on the psychology of people. A small fifteen second ad can effectively tempt the people appealing to their emotions by making fantastic appeals and promises. The article â€Å"With these Words, I can Sell You Anything† is very enlightening. It has made it clear how they twist the language to send their message effectively. It is a finely engineered language that creates strong images on the minds of audience. I have found it very exciting to know the how the advertisers play on the people with their language. (419 words) Chapter7: Censorship and Free Speech Freedom of speech is fundamental to American democracy. It enables every American to freely express his ideas, opinions and beliefs. Any limits to the freedom of speech are seen as a threat to the rights of Americans. It is interesting to note that the discussion lays emphasis on the equality in enjoying one’s rights. No man or woman has the right to hurt the feelings or sentiments of others. It is by respecting others rights that we can enjoy our rights well. The censorship is against the rights given in the constitution. However, it is required in some areas. The censorship and books, biased language and hate speech and certain limits on campus speech have lead to interesting debate. The first amendment has not only given the right to express ideas freely but it also has given the right to know others’ ideas. The censorship on books has been a much debated issue with different opinions. It is beyond my understanding why some books are banned totally and some are censored. When a book raises questions that lead to controversy and debate, it will help people to know what exactly the truth is. Banning is not the solution for it. The controversy over Harry Potter books, which have attracted millions of children all over the world, seems pointless. Censorship on books is dangerous as it blocks all new creative and original ideas. Censorship on biased language and hate speech is quite useful as it raises many questions in the practical use of language. It is very difficult and almost impossible to classify what makes a hate speech and biased language. I feel it is highly impossible to make a law in the absence of any valid principles regarding what comes under biased language and hate speech. Sometimes, the words may be good but the tone in which they are delivered could be full of hatred. Censorship on free speech on the campus has some good in it, as it reduces misunderstanding among the students who come different parts of the world. The campus is a place where tolerance is mostly needed. The rules prohibiting certain speech acts is good for the minority students. But it does not guarantee that no racist speech is ever heard on the campuses. (378 words) Chapter -8 The English Language Debate The debate whether English should be made official language of the US or not, is very interesting bringing out valid arguments on both the sides. The United States, the nation of immigrants, respects cultural differences of people coming from different countries. Respecting other languages, the US has not declared English as the official language. I find it very great quality of the American people for their respect other cultures. It shows their multi cultural tolerance and national unity. The unity of American people has come more from their like mindedness in political and social values and self respect than from having one language. The discussion on what is Standard English has made it clear how different forces work on language. Robert MacNeil has explored well what makes American English and what exactly it is. The argument for Standard English has its own merits with clear focus on clarity in thinking and what we are saying. It argues for care and caution in the use of language as it is central for identifying an individual. If a person neglects his language and uses it causally, it will not help him or her in the long run. As the author has rightly put it â€Å"casualization† everything in culture has led to casual attitude to language use as well. The ‘growing informality’ of language is one of the major concerns of linguists. The scholars and grammarians who prescribe rules on how language should be used are rightly called â€Å"Prescriptivists. † Especially, John Simon, who is called the Prince of Prescriptivists, holds the view that the present day language is poor, unhealthy and hopeless. He represents those who argue for perfect use of language as it helps you to communicate clearly what you are. It is with the use of language only that a person can show his distinction. If the distinction is lost, he or she will be among many who can not say clearly what they mean. It becomes a serious challenge. I feel there should be certain principles which can not be sacrificed in the use of language. The â€Å"Descriptivists†, on the other hand, just describe how the language is used by people. They do not dictate any rules regarding how English should be used. They are permissive and tolerate the new expressions and the informality in expressions. They argue that a language is called a living language only when it is spoken. When it is spoken it is natural to have changes in the language as no two people can pronounce the same word in the same way. They are free to allow new words into English as change the law of life and of language. It shows tolerance towards people who speak the same language with some regional differences. There are many examples when the language of the Black people is accepted by the grammarians and included in the dictionaries. It helps the language to grow and reflect the present day culture. The fears about what will happen to American English seem justified, but nobody can stop the changes that take place in society. I feel the changes in English are an indication of changes in society, and language is just reflecting the same. (534 words)

Straight forward novel about rape

Straight forward novel about rape Discuss the role of supernatural and mythical elements in the representation of childhood in Sylvie Germains LEnfant Mà ©duse. Sylvie Germain could have written a straight forward novel about rape, incest and neglect, but Enfant Mà ©duse is more profound .The novel intertwines magical realism, supernatural and mythical elements which help us understandthe main character Lucie and her childhood. In this novel we find multiple mythological and biblical sources ranging from the Ogre, Eurydice, the Medusa as well as the themes of Vengeance and Redemption from the Old and New Testaments respectively .We aim to discuss the role of these various elements and how it influences the depictions of childhood within this novel. The main character of the story is Lucie Daubignà ©, a little girl who lives a contented childhood in a quiet and rural village of Berry near swamps where magicals creatures lurk in the shadows. This is remisniscent of George Sands novels set during the nineteenth century in the same area where forests and swamps of Berry are linked to traditional beliefs and even sorcery. ()() However this idyllic life stops when the ogre of fairy tales appears, rapes and kills two young girls within the village. Lucie herself is the third rape victim of the Ogre, her step brother Ferdinand. He repeatedly abuses her destroying her innocence and happiness. When Lucie is raped by Ferdinand she erects a mental barrier to shield and distance herself from the brutal truth. Lucie , dont lunique lecture à ©tait celle des contes et des là ©gendes p29 immerges herself within a world of fairy tales. She transforms Ferdinand into the brutal ogre, a common childhood nightmare for all small children. Another element from fairy tales is the presence of Lucies mother, Aloise Daubignà ©. She is Lucies natural mother, but she has all the attributes of the wicked stepmother: a child from a first marriage whom she adores Ferdinand à ©legance , la mà ªme beautà © et cette blondeur rare,, ces cheveux soyeux ornà ©s de boucles dange p80 as well as an attitude and comments that are both unfeeling Voix impà ©rieuse celle qui scande les journà ©es de Lucie, du saut du lit jusquau coucher..la voix de lordre, la voix des ordres p 39 and cruel Tu tamuses à   me ridiculiser tu me fais honte avec ta maigreur de squelette p96 Fairy Tales are written about normal people the child can identify with. They have been used over the centuries to teach important lessons and give moral values. The children themselves use these stories to cope with difficult emotions and anxieties. Bruno Bettelheim explains in one of his books Uses of Enchantment: The Meaning and Importance of Fairy Tales ( ) that fairy tales help children make sense of what happens in their life. The simplicity of the situations and the duality of the characters (good / evil, hero/villain) give the child a way of expressing thoughts or feelings that were repressed in real life. They help the child to understand the adult world. The inevitable happy end gives the child the hope that his problems and pains will end and and that he will conquer all. This cannot be dissociated from myths which show that with efforts we often triumph over lifes trials. This is mentionned by Franà §ois Dolto in her book : La cause des enfants Where as fairy tales deal with emotions, myths speak of great actions, victories and supernatural events. The first myth in LEnfant Mà ©duse is a cosmic event: The Eclipse. Many mythologies have integrated eclipses as a sign of things to come. Les humains sont craintifs. Ils brulent de savoir et seffraient davantage p17 The first eclipse foreshadows the rape of Lucie by the Ogre; Lucie is abused by her brother and her childhood has ended. What should have been a happy childhood is destroyed. Her childhood is returned during the artificial eclipse created by Lou Fà ©s postcard. Sur la table il y a la carte postale, tache blonde sur le bois sombre. (.) Elle se penche vers limage. Et son enfance aussi se penche. p280 The next theme is the myth of Eurydice and the underworld symbolising evil and revenge which Sylvie Germain places opposite the sky symbolising innocence and purity. In the beginning, Lucie has a friend Lou Fà © a future astronomer and great admirer of the stars (Le petit prince des à ©toiles) p21 and later on she is alone. Elle ira seule desormais dans les matins de Septembre. Lou Fà © sera en pension. p71 Like Eurydice who descended into the Underworld, Lucie descends into the swamps. She feels closer to the creatures of the underworld, toads , salamanders and snakes than to humans. Elle avait renià © tous les astres. .. Elle ne dà ©sirait plus que senfoncer dans la terre, creuser dessous la terre A very slow process changes Lucie from a beautiful little child into an unlikable, ugly girl. This is an attempt on her part to stop the abuse, to reclaim her own body defiled by Ferdinand who is always stronger always more powerful than her. The strength of the ogre as an evil character leads Lucie to become an even worse and far more malevolent entity: The Medusa. The Ogre can inflict physical pain, however the Medusa eventually petrifies its victims killing just by looking at them. Lucie is beaten by grief and shame (son regard, il a couvà © au feu de la honte et de la peur longtemps) p 117, but she slowly becomes consumed by hatred pour fourbir en secret son regard de haine et de vengeance p145.The myth of The Medusa is used to describe Lucie who is a helpless child. She has suffered so much that she has transformed herself into a Gorgon, an ugly creature which turns to stone those who dare look at her. When Ferdinand falls over in a drunken state and knocks himself out, Lucie uses this opportunity and for once goes to him instead of him always coming to her. Once she finally reaches him, Lucie only stares at him. Cest un regard qui siffle, et grince, et saigne, et qui verse sur lui les larmes des enfants quil a jetà ©es en terre. .. Un regard de Mà ©duse. p 145. Lucie lives in a world full of magic and like every child she has the feeling that she can make her dreams come true. Her dream is linked to her hatred of Ferdinand, the Ogre. She does not need to cause the Ogre any physical harm as she is the Medusa, her stare will do the deed. Lucie knows what her brother is capable of; he is a rapist and a killer. She is judge and jury. We see the influence of her religious education. The God of the old Testament is a God of revenge and she is his disciple, an avenging angel. Et soudain illuminà ©e par sa haine pour le frà ¨re, Lucie se prà ©pare pour accomplir son oeuvre de vengeance son oeuvre de justice p110 . While she stares at her brother lying on the ground in the garden, Lucie wants him to remember his evil actions. She pins the pictures of the two girls he has raped and killed where he can see them Elle pique une à ©pingle en haut de chaque photo puis avec prà ©caution se penche vers les tomates et y plante les photos p115 and just stares at him Le regard seul est en jeu- un regard fou à ©changà © en miroirla violence de ce regard immense et fixe. 116 Many years later, Lucie receives a post card from her friend Lou Fà © Elle se penche vers limage Et son enfance aussi se penche. p280 . She can look back at her childhood and from then on starts her resurrection, an influence of the New Testament. Une seconde enfance vient de naitre en Lucie p 280. She can cry once again une enfance aux yeux non plus brulà ©s de larmes contenues, mais embuà © de douceur comme au sortir dun songe The child is no longer locked and Lucie can start living. Had it not been for the supernatural and mythical elements in the novel, Sylvie Germains LEnfant Mà ©duse would have been a simple novel about the sufferings of a young girl. However Sylvie Germain has turned the basic story line of LEnfant Mà ©duse into a very profound and meaningful literary work involving age old myths and fairy tales like Euridyce, the Medusa, and the Ogre as well as the Bible.

Myth of Courage Exposed in The Things They Carried Essay -- The Things

Ah for a young man all looks fine and noble if he goes down in war, hacked to pieces under a slashing bronze blade he lies there dead. . .but whatever death lays bare all wounds are marks of glory. (Homer 22.83-87)  Ã‚   As students we are brainwashed by ancient myths such as The Iliad, where war is extolled and the valorous warrior praised. Yet, modern novels such as Tim O'Brien's The Things They Carried (THINGS) challenge those very notions. Like The Iliad, THINGS is about war. It is about battles and soldiers, victory and survival, yet the message O'Brien gives us in THINGS runs almost contradictory to the traditional war story. Whereas traditional stories of war take place on battlefields where soldier battles soldier and the mettle of man is tested, O'Brien's battle occurs in the shadowy, private place of a soldier's mind. Like the Vietnam War itself, THINGS forces Americans to question the foundations of their beliefs and values because it calls attention to the inner conscience. More than a war story, O'Brien's The Things They Carried is an expose on personal courage. Gone are the brave and glorious warriors such as those found in the battle of Troy. In THINGS, they are replaced by young men w ho experience not glory or bravery, but fear, horror, and a personal sense of shame. As mythic courage clashes with the modern's experience of it, a battle is waged in THINGS that isn't confined to the rice-patties, jungles, and shit-fields of Vietnam. Carrying more than the typical soldier's wares, O'Brien's narrator is armed with an arsenal of feelings and words that slash away at an invisible enemy that is the myth of courage, on an invisible battlefield that is the Vietnam veteran's mind. An analysis of structure in ... ...ings They Carried." Studies in Contemporary Fiction. 35.1 (1993): 43. Expanded Academic ASAP. Lopez, Ken. "Tim O'Brien: An Introduction to His Writing." Ken Lopez - Bookseller. 1997. 8 Oct 1999. http://www.lopezbooks.com/articles/obrien.html>. Works Consulted Chen, Tina. "'Unraveling the Deeper Meaning': Exile and the Embodied Poetics of Displacement in Tim O'Brien's The Things They Carried." Contemporary Literature. 39.1 (1998): 77. Expanded Academic ASAP. King, Rosemary. "O'Brien's 'How to Tell a True War Story.'" The Explicator. 57.3 (1999): 182. Expanded Academic ASAP. Passaro, Vince. "The Things They Carried (Review)." Harper's Magazine. 299.1791 (1999): 80. Expanded Academic ASAP. Robinson, Daniel. "Getting It Right: The Short Fiction of Tim O'Brien." Studies in Contemporary Fiction. 40.3 (1999): 257. Expanded Academic ASAP.

Portfolio Analysis and Investment Essay -- Investment Theory Brokers E

Portfolio Analysis and Investment This assignment is concerned with your understanding of the key issues relative to portfolio analysis and investment. In completing this assignment you are to limit your scope to the US stock markets only. Use the Cybrary, the Internet, and course resources to write a 2-page essay which you will use with new clients of your financial planning business which addresses the following issues and/or practices: ? How individual investors make investment decisions in practice rather than in theory; and ? How investors manage their funds/savings/ investments in light of current stock markets. In your response, build upon extant portfolio theory and make sure to talk about different types of risks that investors might face and how they go about managing such risks. This means you need to consider topics such as efficient frontier and optimal portfolios; as well their relevance to investment theory. Furthermore, given the nature of the assignment, avoid bringing the brokerage industry into your discussion. In other words, assume you can invest directly in the stock market and do not need any financial intermediaries like brokerage houses. Investment theory is based upon some simple concepts. Investors should want to maximize their return while minimizing their risk at the same time. In order to accomplish this goal investors should diversify their portfolios based upon expected returns and standard deviations of individual securities. Investment theory assumes that investors are risk averse, which means that they will choose a portfolio with a smaller standard deviation. (Alexander, Sharpe, and Bailey, 1998). It is also assumed that wealth has marginal utility, which basically means that a dollar potentially lost has more perceived value than a dollar potentially gained. An indifference curve is a term that represents a combination of risk and expected return that has an equal amount of utility to an investor. A two dimensional figure that provides us with return measurements on the vertical axis and risk measurements (std. deviation) on the horizontal axis will show indifference curves starting at a point and moving higher up the vertical axis the further along the horizontal axis it moves. Therefore a risk averse investor will choose an indifference curve that lies the furthest to the northwest because this would r... ...n efficient set that is on a straight line connecting the risk free rate to the most northwest point that we had identified previously. Now the risk averse investor has a lower risk for the same amount of return compared to the portfolios that did not include risk free lending. The combination is better because the points on the straight line are further northwest than the portfolios from the previous paragraph. Of course the lower the level of risk aversion the further toward the tangent the investor?s optimal portfolio moves. In summary, investors on the whole are rational and contribute to an efficient market through prudent investment decisions. Each investor?s optimal portfolio will be different depending on the feasible set of portfolios available for investment as well as the indifference curve for that particular investor. Lastly, risk free borrowing and lending changes the efficient set and gives the investor more opportunities to either get a higher expected return with the same amount of risk or the same amount of return with less risk. Work Cited William Sharpe, Gordon J. Alexander, Jeffrey W Bailey. Investments. Prentice Hall; 6 edition, October 20, 1998

Traditional Ideologies :: essays research papers

'Traditional Ideologies' The texts that we, the reader, tend to relate to most are the texts that reflect our values or include certain social issues of the present. Texts such as these are therefore quite commonly found beside the beds, on the coffee tables and in the bookcases of many Australians. These texts, in a way act as a barometer for values, and shifts in values in our society. This can be seen in many instances. For example, take the feature film 'The Castle'. The typical Australian family, the Kerrigans, represented in this film was not chosen by accident. No, no they were chosen because the writers of this film knew that everyday Australians could relate to the Kerrigans and in some ways see themselves in this simple family. The film endorses many Australian values and attitudes, to which the everyday Australian can not only relate to but also understand aswell. The text acts as a medium for the viewer to realise his/her own values and helps the viewer to recognise the social values that surround him/her. However, texts do not merely inform the reader of values present in the society. They can also reflect the current shift in values and attitudes away from the dominant ideologies. This can be seen heavily in the novel 'Cloudstreet' by Tim Winton. In this text many characters are seen to have somewhat different roles in the family that one would expect. Lester Lamb is an excellent example of this. The traditional role of the man in the house is to go out and work hard for his money and come home to a wife who would support him and look after the house and the kids. However, Lester is portrayed as a sensitive man who cooks and cleans regularly aswell as helps with many of the household chores. He also seems to have no quarrel with his wife having most of the control over the household or him having to pull his own weight. This is of course a step away from the traditional ideology of what a man should act like. This clever characterisation represents the shift away from the traditional gender roles that have for so long been enforced in our society. Which leaves the reader thinking, once again, about their own values and the now shifting values of the society. This point can be further seen in the short story 'Neighbours', which is also written by Tim Winton.

How is age represented in this extract of Monarch of the Glen Essay

Age is represented in this extract of Monarch of the Glen through the use of mise-en-scene, camera angles, editing and sound. Monarch of the Glen is a British drama television series and is loosely based on Compton Mackenzie’s Highland Novel; therefore, its views are quite old fashioned thus the younger generations are seen as troublemakers and immature, whereas the older generations are seen to be wise and in control. The main way in which this is shown to us is through the mise-en-scene, it’s subtle enough that it doesn’t really stand out but it has a big effect on how the audience perceives both ages. There are a lot of people much older than the 16 year old, the audience can clearly see that she is uneducated and quite immature as she does not know how to drive but she still lies and says that she can drive, consequently resulting in a crash. This shows her naivety and the fact she lied shows she is immature which is stereotypical of her age. Clothes also make people look older – Headmaster, wearing an old tweed suit, reinforcing his high status and position of authority. Additionally he drinks brandy in this clip, displaying he is a sophisticated man. On the other hand, the 16 year old wear young clothes, such as a hoodie. She also runs away emphasising her lack of knowledge. After the argument with Paul we see Amy in her room. Her room is filled with teenage magazines, photos, teddy bears which has youthful connotations depicting innocence which is true to her age. Rural setting – all wearing farming clothes apart from headmaster and girl, the headmaster is visiting the village. The costumes are juxtaposed as we can see the manual/working-class clothes as oppose to her â€Å"trendy† youthful clothes giving the audience the impression that younger people are more focused on their appearance. Older generation – grey hair/big beards. On the other hand, the girl is made up and has a flower in her hair symbolising youthfulness and blossoming. The setting is a Scottish rural Island with archaic buildings, this is out of place in this modern day, and the audience can empathise with her vulnerability as it is a place meant for older people. The people who live there believe that way of life is the â€Å"norm†. The second way in which age is represented is through sound. When the girl is shown in the clip the music becomes more exciting emphasising her youthfulness and energy but when the rest of the characters are shown, the music is country/folk reinforcing that they are manual labour workers, which is quite an old fashioned job for older men, this then emphasises the difference in age. When the young girl is packing her stuff to leave, the music is slow creating a sad atmosphere; this accentuates the fact that she is over emotional which is typical in a girl of her age because of her hormones she is then perceived as not thinking straight and foolish. Another way in which age is represented through sounds that isn’t as obvious is through the characters accents. The head teacher is posh with received pronunciation, which is a reflection on his appearance and his dominance showing his age in a positive way. However, Amy has a northern/Scottish accent creating an uneducated image making her appear young and untested. The camerawork varies from character to character and we see key editing styles that promote the age gap and their differences. Cross cutting is used to display what is happening in time sequence and shot reverse shot is used to show the opposition between the age groups. There is always a low angle shot of Paul to show dominance of not only being the male but being older than Amy and there is always a high angle shot of Amy emphasising she is a minority and the adults in the clip are superior and have authority. Over-the-shoulder Shots are used to make the audience feel empathy as the viewer can see the action from the character’s points of view and we can see that Amy is quite scared of what might happen despite the fact she has a lot of attitude which is typical in a girl of her age. Point of View Shots display what the character can see and the reactions of the character we can see depending on their age, the younger characters tend to act brashly and with attitude and tend to be quite foolish but the older characters act calmer and sort the situation out quicker. In this extract, age stereotypes are used and challenged. The older characters are generally represented as the ones who get involved in the action and are the dominant figures as they outnumber the younger characters. However they don’t conform to the typical stereotype of an older person as they are independent, active, strong and capable but still with the normal characteristics such as being calm and wise showing them very positively, on the contrary the younger characters are seen very negatively whilst conforming with most of the typical traits of a teenager such as a bad attitude, careless, naive and loud. I think this is the case because it would generally be older people watching this due to the time it’s on, the setting and the plot so they wouldn’t want to discourage their target audience from watching it.

Job Descriptions Essay

As the second assignment of the Session Long Project submit a sample job description for the position you hold with your current employer. Were there any areas in this job description that you felt were missing that were pertinent to your job? If you were working in the human resource department how would you know if the candidate applying for the position could do the job? If not currently employed, use your last position. Be sure to incorporate module concepts into your assignment. Limit your response to 4-5 pages and remember to cite any references that you used. Job descriptions are a very important aspect of the employment process. It is a tool used to describe to the employee what is expected out of them during their time at the company. I will discuss what an effective job description should contain and what it should not contain. Also, the importance of receiving positive feedback from past employers. I will describe my current position and what was explained to me. If used c orrectly, the job description has the potential to tell the applying possible employer everything, with little questions to be asked. My current employer is within the United States Air Force, I am a Aerospace Medical Technician, when I first enlisted I came in open general, which means you do not get to pick your job, they choose it for you. I was not given much detail about this job, besides it was in the medical field. I knew I wanted to be in the medical field within the Air Force due to my past job as a pharmacy technician. While I was applying for this job, I went through the interview process and felt like it was very generic and did not tell me much of what I was applying for. Since it was a small town, family owned pharmacy, the employment process was not very thorough. It was not the basic behind the counter pharmacy technician duty, it was based around assisted living homes and home medical equipment, not much retail. During my time there, I was able to learn many things about each drug, side effects, compounding drugs, home medical equipment and how assisted living homes operated. I was unaware of most opportunities that were given to me while applying. The basic knowledge I was given during the interview process and what was going to be expected out of me was to have a basic understanding of the medications I would be delivering to assisted living homes and to be able to learn the brand name and generic brand name for the drugs to be filled. When I was hired as an employee there, most of the knowledge gained was best learned by getting involved and following someone who would teach you and help speed up your progress. I was able to shadow a few other technicians and occasionally the pharmacists. What I felt was missing from this description was they did not go in much detail about room for growth, although I was not complaining about the handful of promotions I was given, it was very vague on what I would be to do next. Jumping from a full time pharmacy technician where I was able to fill the prescriptions than to traveling to private homes and assisted living homes to set up home medical equipment could be very frustrating if you were not prepared for this step. Job descriptions should be feasible, understandable and accurate for the companies essential needs. They should include information to attract the right candidate, describe the main areas of the position, job training and career advancement. Specifically, the description should include the job title, summary of the title, scope of practice, list of duties and salary range. Effectively developed, employee job descriptions are communication tools that are significant in your organization’s success. Poorly written employee job descriptions, on the other hand, add to workplace confusion, hurt communication, and make people feel as if they don’t know what is expected from them. (Susan M. Heathfield, 2012). If employers were to spend a little bit more time making a more efficient and accurate job description, it would make the Human Resource Departments job a lot easier when it comes to the hiring process. This alone, I believe would limit issues brought to the department. During the hiring process, the human resource department has an abundance of information to scroll through when making the final decision to hire the right candidate for the job. This is a very tough process to go through when trying to pick the right person, you have countless things to compare to. If I were to be within the human resource department and was involved in the hiring process, the first thing I would look at, would be the level of education needed for the applying position. Does the applying candidate have the right level of education needed? Secondly, if the candidate has any job experience within the applied field. Experience is one of the more important factors, especially within the medical field. I would prefer if my chosen candidate has a steady medical background. Use employee job descriptions to obtain employee ownership and support for the position and to trace the parameters of the skills and abilities you seek for the position. In hiring, well-written employee job descriptions can help you make good hiring decisions. And hiring the right team is critical for your future success. (Susan M. Heathfield, 2012) If at all possible, the best way to choose the right candidate would be an internship. It allows the possible employees to work alongside other employees and learn about the job, as well as the corporation. It also allows the employee themselves to make sure the opportunity is right for them. It gives them the opportunity to learn all the ins and outs of the job. This will also allow every candidate to be able to stand out, not only will the employers be looking at a piece of paper, or what college they went to, it puts a face to the name. I believe that if you have a passion for something and you are willing to do whatever it takes to get the job, this will make you stand above the rest and get chosen. Even if you are not chosen for the job, you still have more experience under your belt and gives you the chance to network out and possibly meet the right person for your next work opportunity. In summary, I have much to learn about the human resource department and the hiring process. I am taking everything I have been able to experience and apply it to my current position. To get the job you want, the best thing to have is the right education for it and to know that if you currently do not have experience in that job, do not give up, there are always alternate routes to make sure you get the knowledge needed. If you aim your sights on something you desire, your passion for it will take you there. Hopefully, this knowledge will benefit me and make me stand out. Reference Page Susan M. Heathfield, 2012. Why Effective Employee Job Descriptions Make Business Sense. 5 Tips About Employee Job Descriptions. http:// humanresources.about.com/od/glossaryj/a/jobdescriptions.htm

Genetic Testing and Counseling in Pregnancy Essay

For many women, pregnancy is met with excitement. However, for a few couples, the pregnancy can take a completely different turn when the fetus is determined to be afflicted with Tay-Sachs disease. This is a genetic condition, usually found in Caucasians, and primarily those of Jewish descent, and develops in 25% of cases when both parents carry the recessive gene (National Tay-Sachs and Allied Diseases [NTSAD], n. d. ). Genetic counseling is a relatively new concept in healthcare and â€Å"is the process of helping people understand and adapt to the medical, psychological and familial implications of genetic contributions to disease† (National Society of Genetic Counselors [NSGC], 2005, para. 2). For the men and women facing a pregnancy involving Tay-Sachs, genetic counseling is a viable and important option to consider. However, to ensure quality care and education, genetic counseling needs to involve a team of healthcare professionals from a variety of backgrounds. Interdisciplinary Team Members and Their Roles in Genetic Counseling Appropriate members of a multi-disciplinary team for the Trosacks include a genetic counselor, a nutritionist or dietician, the high-risk OB-GYN physician, a registered nurse specializing in high-risk perinatal care, and a therapist specializing in marriage and family therapy needs. Each member of this team will add a unique perspective to the Trosack’s case. The genetic counselor has graduate-level education and experience in both medical genetics and counseling (NSGC, 2005, para. 1). Using her expertise and skills, she will review the medical history for Mr. nd Mrs. Trosack, and their families, identify other genetic risks that may exist and explain inheritance patterns. She will provide information and resources for further education on genetic disorders, so that they can continue to learn about Tay-Sachs and connect with other families facing the disease. In addition to this expert information, the Trosacks will benefit from a nutritionist or dietician. The nutritionist not only has special training in the area of nutrition, but also in educating patients about their options and making nutritious choices. In general, a nutritionist can â€Å"advise individuals†¦on the nutritional practices that will promote good health, [and] structure and recommend diet plans for whole families†¦including guides to the correct preparation of meals and shopping for the right foods (Princeton Review, n. d. ). He will perform a nutrition assessment, provide education on additional nutritional needs due to pregnancy, and even assist with meal planning to ensure a health pregnancy. He will continue to assess and make recommendations on Mrs. Trosack’s nutritional needs based on lab work throughout the pregnancy. The patient’s overall care is the responsibility of her OB-GYN, who specializes in high-risk pregnancies. A high-risk OB-GYN has a lengthy education, residency and fellowship history to gain knowledge in caring for older patients, patients with specific medical conditions and patients carrying a pregnancy that has been determined to need specialized care. The perinatologist is not only capable of making diagnoses other obstetricians may miss, but can also perform specialized procedures and administer medications across the placenta (â€Å"Perinatologists,† n. d. ). She will assess the medical needs of Mrs.  Trosack and the fetus throughout the pregnancy, monitor fetal growth and development, order diagnostic tests as needed, and provide referrals to other specialists as needed. Working with the physician will be a nurse specializing in prenatal clients. This nurse has chosen to expand on her nursing education, taking additional classes and obtaining certifications specific to perinatal care. He will assess the couple’s understanding of pregnancy and prenatal care at the first visit and make a plan to educate them on each stage of pregnancy and fetal development as well as options available during labor and delivery. Additionally, he will ensure the couple understanding for each test or referral suggested by the physician. Due to the nature of the diagnosis, the couple will also benefit from a marriage and family therapist on their team. The couple has already expressed exasperation over the diagnosis, and volley between denial and acceptance of the diagnosis. Additionally, Mrs. Trosack has already expressed guilt over her workload and its â€Å"affect† on the baby. Mr. Trosack has expressed anger, which can lead to resentment. The strong emotions felt by both parties need to be expressed in a healthy way to preserve their marriage, and a therapist specializing in family matters is an appropriate facilitator. She will meet with the couple together, as well as individually to assess their feelings about the pregnancy, the Tay-Sachs diagnosis and the feelings they have toward each other. The therapy sessions will continue after the birth of their baby, due to the nature of the disease and the stress the baby’s health will add to their lives. Teaching Plan for the Initial Visit  The teaching plan for the Trosacks’ initial visit at the high-risk pregnancy center will include the following:  ·Genetic diagnosis—The Trosacks need to understand the diagnosis of Tay-Sachs: how it is transmitted, the probability of other pregnancies testing positive, and what symptoms their child is likely to develop. This will help them to understand they have done nothing wrong and prepare for the special needs their child will have.  ·Treatment—No treatment exists for the disease itself, but the Trosacks will benefit from learning about the symptoms their child may develop and how those symptoms are treated. They will be informed of ways to keep their child safe and comfortable during the illness.  ·Prognosis as it applies to Tay-Sachs—The prognosis for infantile Tay-Sachs is poor, with most children becoming progressively worse until their death by age 4 or 5. The Trosacks need to be informed of this so that they can make preparations—for themselves and other family members. Because most children develop normally until around six months of age, the Trosacks need to know that an absence of symptoms does not mean an absence of the disease (NTSAD, n. d. ). They need to know that their time with this child will be limited and filled with doctor visits and difficult medical decisions. With this education and advanced notice, they can begin to discuss which treatments they may consider (medications) and those treatments they may not want to consider (feeding tube).  ·Support groups and appropriate referrals—With the Internet, the community of support for families with Tay-Sachs has greatly expanded. The Trosacks will be given information on local support groups as well as the internet communities available to them. They will be directed to the National Tay-Sachs and Allied Disease, March of Dimes and National Organization for Rare Disorders websites to connect with other families who are living with Tay-Sachs. This support will help the Trosacks connect with the only other people who know what they are going through, share their concerns without fear of judgment, and learn from those have gone through it all personally.  ·Pregnancy information—Information on pregnancy is necessary for any pregnant woman, especially during her first pregnancy. Over the length of the pregnancy, the Trosacks will learn about how pregnancy and fetal development progresses during each trimester, what changes Mrs. Trosack can expect—physically and emotionally, and ways in which Mr. Trosack can be of assistance to her. The first visit will specifically cover the development to date and through the end of the first trimester. They will view pictures of the developing fetus and the ways in which Mrs. Trosack’s body is changing to accommodate the pregnancy. Ethical Implications of Having Genetic Information Available While genetic testing is a wonderful addition to the vast array of diagnostics medicine now offers, it can bring about new ethical implications. In reference to autonomy, genetic testing can sometimes reveal information about one’s family that was not known. For example, a Caucasian family may be surprised to find they are carriers for Sickle Cell disease, a disease found primarily in African-Americans and can bring about questions regarding the family history. These discussions may lead to the ethical issue of perceived invasions of privacy for other family members. Another example would be the dilemmas that occur when there is a difference in societal believes and one’s personal beliefs. First, â€Å"persons with a genetic condition may prefer not to learn that their offspring is at risk for the condition, or they may prefer to have offspring with the same condition present in other family members† (Halsey Lea, Williams, & Donahue, 2005, para. 15). Secondly, some people may feel it is unjust to bring a baby with anomalies into the world. The results of genetic testing in these instances may necessitate decisions about continuing pregnancy, selective termination and adoption. A third example of ethical dilemmas in regards to genetic information being available is in relation to beneficence and nonmalificence. For example, clinicians caring for a pregnant patient find the baby she is carrying has spina bifida. The patient states her sister had spina bifida and that she wants to deliver her baby in the community hospital with a midwife. The clinician now must balance her respect for her patient’s wishes with the concern she feels in allowing a baby with special needs to be born in an environment that cannot provide services that may improve the birth’s outcome (Halsey Lea et al. 2005). A fourth ethical issue is that of justice. For, some genetic disorders can be found with testing while others still cannot. For example, â€Å"the ability to identify carrier status for a mutation in the gene for cystic fibrosis is lower among Asian American and African American persons† than it is in Caucasians (Halsey Lea et al. , 2005). Thus, the results of testing performed on an Asian American or African American patient may not be a reliable indicator of their carrier status. Personal Thoughts, Feelings and Advocacy As a woman, this writer cannot begin to imagine the feelings felt by the Trosacks. After years of trying to conceive, they learn that they are finally pregnant only to find out their baby is likely to die by age five from a horrible, progressive disease. If in Mrs. Trosack’s shoes, would this writer be brave enough to continue the pregnancy, knowing the prognosis? I do not know. I am sure, however, that the Trosacks have a difficult road ahead of them. If I were Mrs. Trosack, I would expect to feel a constant state of grief—over the diagnosis and the life my child will not have, the loss of those milestones parents look forward to (first day of school, first dance, etc), the impending months or years of illness. I would hope that I could treasure the better moments I do have with my child—from birth to death, holding her as much as possible, trying to focus on the symptom-free moments, taking as many pictures as I can to record her short life. I question how angry a woman would feel in this situation. Surely, even those women with strong religious beliefs question the â€Å"why† of the diagnosis and circumstance. â€Å"Why, after all this time allow me to conceive if you’re going to give me a child so sick? What is the point of bringing a child into life if they are to suffer throughout? Why us? † Would a woman facing this diagnosis feel as if everyone pities her? While reading the case study, I found myself feeling pity for her, knowing that she would lose her child in such a horrible way after wanting a child so badly. Despite these feelings, the Trosacks’ choice to continue their pregnancy is just that†¦their choice. Many people think that being pro-choice means advocating for abortion. However, it is my belief that being pro-choice means advocating for people to make the best choice for themselves in particular situations. For, only those going through a particular situation know best how well or poorly they can handle a decision and circumstance. Their decision to continue a pregnancy after the diagnosis was made is a brave one and speaks volumes to their character and beliefs. The Trosacks’ case manager will work with each member of the interdisciplinary team to ensure they respect the wishes of the couple. The couple needs to know that they are supported and are being treated without judgment from the team members. She will meet with the team members to ensure they are able to continue treating with couple appropriately. If any of the team members express an inability to refrain from sharing their personal feelings with the couple, she will find suitable replacements. While the team members are entitled to their feelings, they are expected to keep those feelings to themselves when caring for patients. And, when patients are facing emotional and controversial decisions, the separation is even more important. Ethical and Legal Considerations When the Trosacks made the decision to continue the pregnancy after learning their baby has Tay-Sachs, they became bound, legally and ethically, to care for the child after the birth. Ethical considerations include the decision to bring a child into a life of poor health and early death after a progressive decline. Many people in society will judge them for this, and the child will be perceived in certain ways by others. Further, they will be faced with the decision to allow researchers to follow their child in an effort to gain more information about the disease in search for a cure. The child has no autonomy as a minor, and has no right to privacy when her parents are making the decisions. Another ethical question is who owns the genetic information? The genetic information is on the child’s DNA, but the parents are the ones making all the decisions. Legally, there are several areas of concern for the couple. First, they are now bound to provide healthcare to this child, despite the poor prognosis. They must provide food, clothing and shelter, and keep the child safe and comfortable as she declines. The child will eventually develop problems with swallowing, and at that time, will require further interventions to maintain life. Secondly, they are required to provide medical care for the child; and, with the poor prognosis, this is likely to involve many appointments, testing and medications or treatments. Third, they may have problems with insurance coverage, as some insurance policies may consider the child’s diagnosis to be pre-existing, denying coverage for any treatments associated with the disease. Though this is certainly not ethical, it is legal in this country, and may lead to financial problems and difficulty in continuing to obtain quality medical care.