“Mean Girls” and its sociological structure Essay

Sociology is everywhere we look, it is everything we are, and can be describe with everything we do. Mean girls is a very popular movie in today’s society. It seems as though people of all gender, sex, age, race, ethnicity, and class has seen this movie and can relate to some aspect of it. Mean girls portrays the rough life of high school and the many cliques it has in place. It shows the many challenges students and teachers go through to get to the end of the year. In this movie I have seen many sociological themes. Many people in today’s society go through challenging things in our lives and high school is a teenager’s worse one. From discrimination to power, property, and prestige this movies depicts it all. As portrayed in (fundamentalsofsoc) the popular girls also known as the â€Å"plastics† control the school in which they accompany. They control it by have good looks, money, Popularity, and power. They receive all the material items wanted because their parents can afford it; with the exception of Cady. Originally there are three â€Å"plastics†: Regina George which is the leader of the group. Gretchen Wieners, and Karen Smith. Cady, a transfer student from Africa get the special and rare request to join their clique. There is a sub- click that Cady is a part of and that includes Janis Ian and Damian. Everyone in the school wants to be Regina George, so they copy everything she does. After Cady and Regina go for the same guy Cady wants to ruin the plastics because she and Janis which was out casted by Regina feel like the school would be better off without the hierarchy and social control that Regina creates. The movie starts off with a stereotype. Stereotype defined as â€Å"a widely held but fixed and over simplified image or idea of a particular type of person or thing.† Cady sits down at the â€Å"Plastics† table after being peer- pressured into joining them during lunch and she gets questioned because the popular girls know everybody in the school and they had not seen her before. This is an example of social interaction. Cady mentions that she just transferred here from Africa. Gretchen Wieners goes about saying â€Å"If you’re from Africa then why you are white.† This shows the  stereotype of Americans believing that all people that live in Africa are African American. This also happens with other cultures as well. They lay out a map of the cafeteria and who sits where and we see then that people are characterized in specific cliques such as: JV jocks, Asian nerds, and black hot ties and many other cliques’ people are set to be in. We also see t hat Cady’s culture is different from the common high school teenager. Cady does not partake in common teenage girl practices, she does not wear makeup, or dress provocative. Regina, Gretchen, and Karen have rich parents. They use their wealth as power against everyone they know. Since they have everything there is a lot of jealousy in the air, also Gretchen ‘uses her wealth against the principle. When she is called into the office because of a burn book incident she says† I don’t think my father, the inventor of toaster strudel, would be too happy to hear about this.† She believes that her parent’s wealth will get her out of trouble which it does not. Regina she uses her property as her power. She as the biggest house, the biggest room and the nicest car. Showing off her property gives her power. When Cady and Janis try to ruin the plastics; shows the revolt against the governing body is seen a lot in other cultures. In a natural society there are always people that oppose the government and try to â€Å"Bring it down.† In the middle of the movie Cady has a role conflict. She was supposed to go to Maddison with her parents, but her friends wanted her to do other stuff that night as well. She had to choose the role in which she wanted to partake in. She choose the role of a teenager. She threw a party. In the end Cady and Regina are both hated by the school and the â€Å"plastics† is no longer a governing body. The â€Å"Plastics† join other school clicks and everyone seems to be at peace until a new generation of plastics appear. It made a point that although one change occurred. That does not mean future generations will change. A change cannot occur over a generation unless there are people to pass the knowledge down the line. Which is why we store cultural knowledge in books, films and media sources. Mean girls shows many sociological themes through the entire movie which all involved social interaction and the biggest idea of the movie: social class. Works cited Fundamentalsofsoc.edublogs.org/†¦/media-representation-of-mean-girls/ Dictionary.reference.com/browse/definition

Journey to Self-Awareness

Tiffany Rayside September 27, 2012 Dr. Lynne DeCicco, Eng. 112 Journey to Self-Awareness The term, â€Å"coming of age† signifies a growth in a person’s identity. It is a confusing phase in which one is on the cusp of adulthood and will experience pivotal moments that will shape character and lead to some sort of self-realization. Such moments may result in a loss of innocence, the destruction of hopes and dreams, the sense of imprisonment, and perhaps lessons learned. Two literary works that illustrate such concepts are Amy Tan’s â€Å"Two Kinds† and James Joyce’s â€Å"Araby. Both pieces are narrated by the main characters, as adults, reflecting upon and portraying a better understanding of their childhood experiences. Although the affairs and outcomes recounted in each differ greatly, â€Å"Two Kinds† and â€Å"Araby† embody the foolishness commonly displayed during adolescence, as well the maturity and insight the characters gain as the stories evolve. In Joyce’s â€Å"Araby,† the un-named main character is a thirteen year old boy living in a depressed society, worn-down and devoured by â€Å"†¦drunken men and bargaining women†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (Joyce 92).The boy brightens his days marveling over his best friend Mangan’s sister. The boy’s obsession becomes eerily clear as his daily ritual is revealed: When she came out on the doorstep my heart leaped. I ran into the hall, seized my books and followed her. I kept her brown figure always in my eye and, when we came near the point in which our ways diverged, I quickened my pace and passed her. This happened morning after morning. I had never spoken to her, except for a few casual words, and yet her name was like a summons to all my foolish blood. Her image accompanied me even in places the most hostile to romance (92). Rayside More often than not, the first step of the coming of age process is the loss of innocence, which is most co mmonly a result of disappointment. As the first true interaction occurs between the boy and Mangan’s sister, the preface for disappointment is shaped. The boy finds himself in the position to impress his fantasy girl when she asks if he will be attending the bazaar at Araby. Upon conveying her longing to attend the splendid event, the young lad seizes the moment and offers to bring her a present from the bazaar, a silent gesture of his love for her.The following days proved tedious as he is consumed with his trip to Araby. Finally, the sacred day arrives and, although he felt he took every precaution to ensure his success, his trip is delayed due to his uncle’s late return home. The narrator realizes that his uncle has forgotten his plans due to intoxication, â€Å"I heard him talking to himself and heard the hallstand rocking when it had received the weight of his overcoat. I could interpret these signs† (Joyce, P93). The reader is immediately presented with th e boy’s awareness of the harsh realities in his world and the discouragement that follows.The boy is of the age where one begins to acknowledge, but not quite understand, adult behavior. Likewise, Amy Tan explores the loss of innocence as an aftermath of childhood disappointment in â€Å"Two Kinds. † Tan portrays herself as a young, first-generation AmericanChinese girl, struggling with the seemingly unrealistic expectations of her mother. Amy, who, in the story is referred to by her Chinese name, Ni-Kan, is on a quest, imposed upon her by her mother, to discover her talent so she may become a child prodigy, comparable to Shirley Temple.After countless ‘talent tests’ given to her by her mother, Ni-Kan begins to accept the notion that she may not have a distinct talent, that she may never be a prodigy: â€Å"But sometimes the prodigy in me became impatient† (Tan 384). With this revelation came a sense of failure and 2 Rayside disappointment in hersel f, in contrast to the narration of â€Å"Araby. † Ni-Kan confesses: â€Å"And after seeing my mother’s disappointed face once again, something inside of me began to die† (Tan 384). This admission results in a change in outlook that marks the beginning of Ni-Kan’s transition into adulthood, a self-realization.Her innocent belief in her mother’s prodigy theories and eagerness to achieve such perfection has come to a halt. In this moment, Ni-Kan decides to be the person she now believes she was meant to be, and not the obedient prodigy her mother and everyone else expected her to be, however it is clear to the reader that she has not yet attained the maturity to make such resolutions. The journey through the character’s development continues as Joyce and Tan introduce the destruction of childhood dreams. As a child, one tends to believe that anything is possible because he or she is blind to possible hindrances.When obstacles present themselves , a person may suffer a disheartening loss of faith or hope, which ultimately chips away at the belief that one’s dreams will come true. Joyce delivered an unspoiled example of this evolution through the narration of â€Å"Araby,† which is consumed with daydreams about â€Å"a romantic quest to purchase the gift for Mangan’s sister† (Fargnoli and Gillespie 2). Disenchantment struck upon the boy’s late arrival to the Bazaar, finding the exhibit nearly empty and the attendants not interested in his patronage.In that instance, the boy appreciates that his romantic fantasy was not worth all of his troubles, which indicates a significant emotional growth of the character. Fargnoli and Gillespie also note: â€Å"†¦and Araby’s tawdry wares unacceptable for the portentous mission that he has undertaken† (2), further conceding to the discontent the boy felt as he identifies the items available for purchase substandard and unsuitable for h is purpose. 3 Rayside Disparate to the boy in â€Å"Araby,† the character in Tan’s â€Å"Two Kinds† served as the catalyst that led to the ruin of her dreams through her resistance to learning how to play the piano.When the time came for her to perform at the recital, she began to believe that she was going to play well, despite her lack of practicing. She childishly imagined the reaction of her family and audience, â€Å"It was as if I knew, without a doubt, that the prodigy side of me really did exist† (Tan 388). Tan went on to describe how she, â€Å"envisioned people jumping to their feet and Ed Sullivan rushing up to introduce me to everyone on TV† (388). Ni-Kan was admittedly surprised when she heard herself playing all of the wrong notes, and shamed of the embarrassment her parents must have felt as she played so poorly.While the boy in â€Å"Araby† was disillusioned by forces beyond his control, Ni-Kan’s experience could have been avoided had she taken her lessons seriously. Also dissimilar to â€Å"Araby,† Tan explores the issues on a deeper level by relating NiKan’s reaction to her recital to that of her mother. Ni-Kan ‘s childhood dream of pleasing her mother by finding her inner prodigy would not come to fruition on that day, but the true destruction was that of her mother’s dream for her daughter to be a success: â€Å"But my mother’s expression was what devastated me: a quiet, blank look that said she had lost everything.I felt the same way, and it seemed as if everybody were now coming up, like gawkers at the scene of an accident, to see what parts were actually missing† (Tan 389). It is clear that Ni-Kan’s mother was terribly embarrassed and frustrated by the ordeal, especially since she boasted about her gifted daughter to the other parents regularly, posing the idea that the mother learned a valuable lesson on that day. 4 Rayside Moreover, a sense of imprisonment, bitterness, and resentment is felt by the characters in â€Å"Araby† and â€Å"Two Kinds. The presence of captivity is tremendous in Joyce’s depiction of the world surrounding the boy as he speaks of the mood in the house and the unpleasantness in the air which, in itself, spawns a feeling of hopelessness. However, these feelings are not internalized until later in the story, when the reader is presented with the groundwork for disaster: â€Å"As he was in the hall I could not go into the front parlour and lie at the window. I left the house in bad humour and walked slowly towards the school.The air was pitilessly raw and already my heart misgave me† (Joyce 93). The boy already senses his upcoming failure, and that sense is only heightened by a feeling of entrapment once he returns home that evening to find his uncle has not yet arrived, â€Å"I sat staring at the clock for some time and, when its ticking began to irritate me, I left the room † (93). The growing torture the boy is experiencing is clearly indicated as he recalls having to endure unbearable gossip which only seems to make the wait even longer, â€Å"I had to endure the gossip at the tea-table.The meal was prolonged beyond an hour and still my uncle did not come† (93). Once the uncle does arrive home, the boy barely greets him and immediately asks for money to go to the Bazaar, refusing to smile when the uncle refers to how late in the evening it was, which points out his antipathy towards the delay in his plans. The boy’s showing of resentment is mild, yet resounding. Alternatively, Ni-Kan’s caging and animosity in â€Å"Two Kinds† are exhibited as bold outcries.While her surroundings appear to have more pleasantries than the boy’s in â€Å"Araby,† Ni-Kan is held captive by the traditions and expectations of her mother and heritage, and her torment is evident throughout: â€Å"I hated the tests, the raised h opes and failed expectations† (Tan 384). It is at this point when Ni-Kan makes the decision to be her own type of prodigy, one that 5 Rayside was â€Å"angry and powerful† (384), with thoughts filled with lots of won’ts. â€Å"I won’t let her change me, I promised myself. I won’t be what I’m not† (384).Clearly, Ni-Kan was going to do everything in her power to end her mother’s quest for perfection, to â€Å"put a stop to her foolish pride† (387), but soon finds that her mother’s determination was stronger than she imagined and her bitterness and resentment turns to pure anger and vengefulness: â€Å"Then I wish I weren’t your daughter. I wish you weren’t my mother! † (389). Ni-Kan, encouraged, by her mother’s growing anger, only becomes more verbal and cruel: â€Å"And that’s when I remembered the babies she had lost in China, the ones we never talked about. Then I wish I’ d never been born! I wish I were dead like them† (390).Ni-Kan’s animosity towards becoming a prodigy blinded her from the reality of the pain she caused her mother: â€Å"It was as if I said the magic words, Alakazam† (390). In Ni-Kan’s child eyes, she won the battle of wills, but has yet to recognize all that was lost due to her harsh testimonials. Undoubtedly, the characters â€Å"Araby† and â€Å"Two Kinds† learned important life lessons, however varied in acceptance. It appears that the boy in â€Å"Araby† learned his lessons immediately after his trials. He quickly understands that he, alone, idealized his world, and reality could be cruel and hard to bear if unprepared.It is palpable that from this day forth, he will see things from a much more pragmatic perspective and will be better prepared to manage the pitfalls. While Joyce implies that the boy instantly surrenders and accepts this lesson as a part of life, Tan’s char acter does not acknowledge her life lessons until much later, as an adult. Ni-Kan continues her stubborn rebellion throughout her adolescent years and it isn’t until the passing of her mother that she finally realizes the underlying truth of her mother’s constant pursuit of 6 Rayside perfection.It took Ni-Kan more than half of her life to concede that her mother truly saw a prodigy, and she alone stood in the way of her own success. In a nutshell, â€Å"Araby† and â€Å"Two Kinds† highlight how important the seemingly insignificant events that occur during adolescence are to the development of oneself. James Joyce and Amy Tan explore the changes in perspective gained as each protagonist matures into a more enlightened adult. Innocence is lost and displeasures of reality become evident early in life. It is the time when one comprehends that he or she faces substantial pain and emptiness in the future.The irony is that the coming of age never ends; people c ontinue to â€Å"grow up† far beyond the stage of adulthood. 7 Rayside Works Cited Joyce, James, â€Å"Araby† (91-95). Abacarian, Richard and Marvin Klotz. Eds. Liturature: The Human Experience. Shorter 9th ed. Boston: Bedford. 2007. Print. Tan, Amy, â€Å"Two Kinds† (383 – 391) Abacarian, Richard and Marvin Klotz. Eds. Liturature: The Human Experience. Shorter 9th ed. Boston: Bedford. 2007. Print. Fargnoli, A. Nicholas and Michael Patrick Gillespie â€Å"Araby. † Critical Companion to James Joyce: A Literary Reference to His Life and Work, Critical Companion. New York: Facts On File, Inc. , 2006. 8

CIS 333 Week 10Technical Project Paper Coursework

CIS 333 Week 10Technical Project Paper - Coursework Example Both dangers and vulnerabilities need to be considered simultaneously. Dangers can give harm to the confidentiality, accessibility and uprightness of information present in the data frameworks. They investigate opportunities for security breaches to cause classified information intrusion by means of unapproved access, amendment of information, removal of data from data frameworks. Threats can hit the pharmacy system from different sources. These threats are confidential on the parameters of distinctive capacities and methodology including outer approaches by cyber-crimes, hackers, terrorists. For taking care of dangers of diverse nature for the pharmacy, distinctive risk alleviation and control techniques are needed in the connection of securing the organized information systems. Vulnerabilities are the shortcomings which are exhibited in the framework against the current dangers. Vulnerabilities can be recognized as security loop holes in the framework. If hackers discover these loop holes in the framework, results are wrecking including unauthorized access, revision or complete cancellation of the framework. A recent example is the hacking of wiki leaks site which affected the entire world furthermore influenced strategic and financial relations between nations as different classified documents were spilled out from the site. Vulnerabilities are fruitful be cause of approach shortcomings, deficient usage of security framework, and information of individual issues. For recognizing any conceivable threats, testing of the security framework including system parts, hardware and software is essential which may happen later on. The risk is characterized as the probability of diverse dangers by means of distinctive circumstances, which are influencing the system and data frameworks. The circumstances ought to consider the system,

Smart Phone, Small Planet Identity and Community in the Digital Age Essay

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Health Care Services in Oman Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Health Care Services in Oman - Research Proposal Example The specific case of Oman gives a very attractive picture on the government support for the public health care delivery systems. The government support exists for 95 percent of all hospitals functioning in Oman. This would cover the human resource support extended for employing doctors, nurses and other paramedical staff in the hospitals. In addition to the political will and the financial support ensured to carry out the set objectives the active involvement of the community another important factor that have helped Oman to attain new heights in the health care services. The survey reports available have showed a public satisfaction level of 70 percent in the delivery of health services thus showing high level of acceptance in the programmes. The broad aim of the research is to investigate the role played by the community groups to percolate the health care support and delivery to the remote locations and also to the underprivileged in the society. The community based interventions in the health care sector in Oman is said to have contributed in the success achieved in the recent years. An in-depth analysis of the prevailing issues on various practices and policies that are followed in the hospitals in Oman has been reported ( Al Balushi and West, n.d.). The researchers emphasis various innovative strategies that need to be evolved in order to make the health care services more effective and efficient. Khandekar et al (2010) reports public health evaluation exercise undertaken to assess the vision impairment in the children below five years. Authors highlights the categorization defects identified in children, which would help them to frame, better intervention steps among this age group. The need for the continuous medical education to enhance the public outreach of the medical profession is also investigated (Anwar and Batty, 2007). The process of continuous medical education is found as the one of the vital requirement for ensuring the better health care support in Oman. Most of the studies reported have tried to give the outcome of the various health related initiatives in the Oman. All the studies reported have unanimously agreed on the improvement of health care services through community level institutions. But information on the key factors that make these institutions function is not yet reported in detail. Thus the proposed research would address this lacuna and give inputs for better delivery of services through this organizations. Methodology The two important philosophies being considered for this

Religion in Contamination Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Religion in Contamination - Essay Example Cosmopolitanism is still a brewing concept, although the idea has been traced to the cynic Diogenes of Ancient Greece (410 B.C.) who claimed world citizenship and to the 2nd century stoic Hierocles who drew the Concentric Circle Model of the â€Å"self† opening out for concern to family, local group, citizens, countrymen and humanity. Whether it is simply an idea, an ethical way-of-life or a movement, Cosmopolitanism is still to gain wider acceptance by present-day thinkers, moralists, and ideologists. In his book Cosmopolitanism: Ethics in a World of Strangers,† Appiah clarifies that Cosmopolitanism is basically an ethical principle. Still, he forewarns, not every ethical principle, inclusive of religion, which claims universality, is Cosmopolitanism. To understand this mind-set, Appiah’s aforesaid article deserves examination. Unlike his book Cosmopolitanism: Ethics in a World of Stranger, the article under consideration focuses less on Cosmopolitanism and more on the phenomenon of cultural change. Through personally drawn examples, expressed in a descriptive narrative way, Appiah shows that cultural assimilation takes various forms. And in his own home place in Asante, Ghana, Appiah finds exotic traditional customs being observed by fellow-Ghanaians, even as they show signs of modern 21st century living, wearing Western suits and using technology gadgets like cellphones.... Each and everyone is a citizen of the world, but the world is not closer to Cosmopolitanism, he adds, when homogeneity means only superficiality or artificiality in cultural changes. He describes how common it is for people to change in ways they like â€Å"inventing new forms of differences: new hairstyles, new slang, even new religions† (Appiah article, 2006). Also, some changes may be liked, while others disliked. For example, the influence of global economy may be a problem to those who have to adjust crops and livelihood, although acceptable even exciting for the well-placed who find opportunities in global change. In the case of religion, Christianization may have succeeded by way of mass conversions, but some elements of folk religious practices continue to prevail showing the fact that Christianity has been accepted in external form, but not in essence. In this article, Appiah treats religion in two distinct ways: First as a cultural artifice, subject to change as any other, and secondly as a dangerous new form of anti-cosmopolitanism. In the first form, religion plays the role of a cultural artifact, which undergoes change, and evokes different responses, good or bad. In this way, religious cultural change is like other cultural changes that are brought about by increased globalization of ideas. It plays a common role as other aspects of culture, such as dress, language or custom. It simply affects change, and some people like that, some do not. Appiah thinks that diversity in culture, including religious traditions, is an acceptable situation. However, the process of cultural change which creates only one cultural mode is unacceptable. This is so, since

An outline marketing plan for the next year for Atlantic Quench 306 Essay - 2

An outline marketing plan for the next year for Atlantic Quench 306 - Essay Example Moreover, alliance with brands like Coca-Cola and Gerber has also boosted the market presence of Atlantic Quench. The marketing plan for the concerned firm focuses on developing a new product for entering the mass consumer market and providing the consumers a cheaper alternative against highly priced pure juices. With an aim to sell 250000 units of 250 ml tetra packs of the new product, Atlantic Quench will begin by streamlining the functional aspects of the company to reduce their cost. The product introduction is developed with differentiation focus and the control of the marketing activities will focus on cost leadership. Based on this, the price skimming has been selected as the pricing strategy. The budget developed also reflects the estimated earnings and expenses for the new product segment of Atlantic Quench in the next 4 years. With appropriate market presence and brand development activities for creating consumer awareness, Atlantic Quench can enter the global market of jui ce and nectar segment. Atlantic Quench operates in the fruit industry mainly in its home market i.e. US and is a co-operative business process. Established in the year 1934, the co-operative has become one of the most famous brands in agricultural product market with their extensive and highly demanded product base. Jointly owned by 630 cranberry and 46 grape fruit farmers, the production channel of the company is also steady and growing. As the co-operative saw the demand of their products growing in the market, they entered the retail sector with bottled fruit juices. However, the primary concern of the business is related to control its growth in an organised manner and also ensure a good relationship with the farmers. In order to overcome the financial crunch, Atlantic Quench CEO Chuck Berry decided to develop the brand of the company by converting into a full-fledged business houses. Atlantic

Social Psychology - Prejudice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Social Psychology - Prejudice - Essay Example Finally, this paper shall also suggest ways in order to remedy this issue or situation. Social psychologists have attempted to explain prejudice by using various theories. One of the main theories they have used is the theory of innate tendency. This theory basically explains that people are borne with the innate quality of gravitating or liking people who are like them and of disliking or hating other people who are not like him (Sharma & Sharma, 1997). Through the theory of self-love, social psychologists explain how people tend to love themselves. Therefore people are often disgusted by other people who are different from them (Sharma & Sharma, 1997). Social psychologists also point out that the ethnocentric theory is all about the belief that one’s group is moral, right, and rational – and that other cultures are inferior (Sociology Index, 2009). In judging other cultures or beliefs, these individuals tend to base their judgments on their standards – without attempting to understand the perspectives of their members. In yet another theory, the psycho-analytic theory â€Å"considers human experience to be root cause of prejudice† (Sharma & Sharma, 1997. The experiences which reflect favorable outcomes affect the person’s behavior in relation to similar future experiences. Unfavorable experiences also manifest and affect the overall behavior of a person in relation to similar future experiences (Sharma & Sharma, 1997). Prejudices in interracial experiences in Singapore affect the occurrence and prevalence of interracial marriages. This interracial prejudice has affected them to a point where marriages between ethnic lines has not happened often (Country Data, 1989). From 1954 to 1984, rates of marriages between ethnic divides occurred at 5 to 6 percent of all marriages (Country Data, 1989). In considering the innate tendency theory, the

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Handgun control Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Handgun control - Research Paper Example In order to understand gun control legislation, it is necessary to understand the phrase’ a â€Å"responsible citizen†. According to a local police officer, Steve Rusiecki, a responsible citizen is one who is a law-abiding citizen, does not abuse alcohol or drugs, has no felony records, has renounced U.S. citizenship, is legally in the U.S., is not mentally sick, and has not been dishonorably discharged from the military (Savage 1). This description entails all the elements from the Arizona’s concealed carry law and Federal Gun Control Act of 1968. The founding fathers made the second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and it states: â€Å"A well-regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed† (Savage 2). It was then included into the Bill of Rights. The founding fathers feared the federal government was going to oppress its citizens if they had no means of defend their nations and themselves. The right to possess and use guns was facilitated by Algernon Sidney, Aristotle, John Locke and Cicero. According to Samuel Adams, the militia that is described in the United States Constitution does not only refer to the National Guard or the Army. He suggests this group is comprised of free citizens. In addition, George Manson argues that a well managed militia comprises of Freeholders, Gentlemen and other Freemen (Squires 77). The American Revolutionary War was won with the help of an armed population consisting of militias, continental army, partisans and independent companies. It is, therefore, evident that the Founding Fathers realized that the society can benefit from firearms that are handled by responsible citizens (Squires 77). Many years later after the Revolution War, the government began to introduce regulations on the possession and usage of firearms. The initial measure was concerned with the way in which citizens could carry guns (Harrold 5). For example, in 1850 the Louisiana Supreme Court gave a ruling that the constitution does not guarantee any citizen to carry con cealed arms. However, earlier courts’ rulings asserted that the constitution protected the right of citizens to possess and use concealed weapons (Harrold 4). Just some time before Civil War, most Southern States, passed laws that denied the freed blacks and slaves from possessing firearms. This decision was initially made by Dred Scott Decision. Dred Scott argued that blacks, and slave had no rights to citizenship and they, therefore, have no right to possess and carry guns. The current gun control legislation takes into

Academic Qualification Ensures Success in Life Essay Example for Free

Academic Qualification Ensures Success in Life Essay The definition of success differs from person to person and field to field. One could take economic success as a touchstone to label a person successful in life, ignoring his of her other failures, like divorce, health, inefficiency, etc. Others may look at a capacity for overcoming challenges, irrespective of what someone earns and the nature of their private life. So who is a successful person and who is a failure? Do school and college grades and examination results provide a way of predicting or ensuring future success? If that is true, then we should encourage as many young people as possible to go to university and work hard to gain formal qualifications. But is it true? Aren’t some college drop-outs like Bill Gates and Richard Branson hugely successful icons of success? And should we automatically consider the millions of young people who have not had the opportunity to gain academic certificates to be failures in life? Success never depends upon grades. If success and opportunities were measured by grades then the corporate world and potential marriage partners would not ask for biodata in resumes, where other qualifications are also mentioned. Nor would they interview the prospects in order to find out what they are like as people, rather they would give a blind appointment to the people with the best paper qualifications. So qualifications alone are never enough, success depends upon physical characteristics, personality, and a willingness to work hard. Success is not getting a grade or a degree, if that was it then why arent all the graduates from Harvard, Oxford or Cambridge uniformly successful? The rule of success is hard work and destiny of course. If a student of engineering gets good grades but he is not practically effective in relationship-buildings and solving crises or proper planning, even though he may be successful in getting a job but it will not lead him far. On the way he is sure to fade out. If you look into a directory of successful people who are doctors, engineers and IT professionals, then you will notice that many of them dream to be employed by people like Bill Gates or Richard Branson, who are prosperous despite not having college degrees. In other words, prosperity does not depend upon academic qualifications but upon opportunities provided by entrepreneurs who may not be necessarily be highly educated. Successful entrepreneurs even benefit from not having academic qualifications, because going to college and taking examinations forces people to learn and think like millions of other graduates. This actually makes it less likely that they will come up with the truly mould-breaking insights and â€Å"disruptive† ideas on which successful innovations and new business models are built. Unfortunately the materialistic world has changed the concept of success. It has become a rat-race where every student chases grades and therefore the entire perception of success and prosperity has changed. Rather than studying to reach our full potential, we do it because we think it is necessary for a successful career. So we spend ten years in school and a few more years of our precious life in college to get educated, then more time is passed in hunting for jobs. Even after that we may find ourselves in the wrong profession and lacking job satisfaction. And then recession comes along, when we are told that our wealth has been blown away by the foolishness of expensive fat-salaried CEOs. Now comes a time when we go to work with a constant fear of losing the job we don’t enjoy. Is this the correct understanding of prosperity? So now the definition of success is changed. If you are able to save your job then you are successful! Can academic qualification stop us from becoming a civilization of drunkards, rapists and war-mongers, marked by broken families, domestic violence and crime? If you look at countries where the largest number of people have higher academic qualifications, they are the ones most affected by social breakdown. And would you call the conduct of the US wars on Iraq and Afghanistan a successful example of the superiority of the US economy and society? In fact true success is shown in having the moral courage to speak out against atrocities and injustice, showing generosity towards the poor, and respecting our parents. These are characteristics which are found in people from all social and educational backgrounds, but often absent in many educated Americans and Europeans, in spite of the universities they have been to and the grades they have achieved. Often academic qualifications have no real relevance to the jobs graduates are employed to do. A few decades ago employers in areas such as banking, engineering, management and government service recruited people straight from school at the age of 15 or 16, training them on the job and promoting them to higher levels of responsibility according to their ability. Today none of these jobs has changed very much, but all now require applicants have a university degree. Why has this changed? One reason is that the upper and middle classes are trying to protect their own jobs – demanding new recruits have expensive academic qualifications excludes many talented young people from poorer backgrounds.

Components Of Disaster Management Management Essay

Components Of Disaster Management Management Essay The occurrence of such disasters has continued to increase in a rapid succession. More than three million lives were lost due to disasters in the last quarter of a century itself. This number does not stop as billions have been affected in some way or the other. The cost of rehabilitation from these disasters has run into thousands of billions alone. The increase in the population of the world only enhances the chance of disaster risk which could cause massive casualties and harm to the human life in large numbers. The six billion mark in world population was reached on the 16th of November in 1999. The annual growth rate was estimated at nearly 1.33 %( seventy eight million every year). There is a greater risk on account of the industrialization and vast urbanization since a lot of people are moving to urban areas which do not have sufficient health care and infrastructure in place. Energy is released after accumulation in the volcanic activity or geological faults which cause seismic waves to bring about movement of the crust which is known as an earthquake. Humans are able to only detect three thousand earthquakes from the total of five hundred thousand earthquakes that occur every year. 7 to 11 out of these 3000 earthquakes cause significant damage to property and human life though this figure has increased the past few years. The toll of death due to an earthquake can range from as less as five to higher than two hundred and forty thousand. One out of two cities in a developed country is susceptible to a natural hazard like earthquake. Seventeen of the twenty largest cities are situated in countries with low resources. Eighty percent of the population of the world will reside in developing countries by the year 2025 according to an estimate. The research on natural disasters is of a lot of significance in case of developing countries. What is a Disaster? Many definitions have been put forward regarding disaster. Samuel Henry Prince started the study related to disasters in 1971 in Canada during the worst disaster witnessed in Canada. The disaster in point is the ship explosion occurred in 1917 in the harbour of Halifax, Nova Scotia. His research and social exploration of the implications of the disaster paved way for further theoretical and empirical research that lasted through the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s. This saw a change in the way disasters were perceived. The focus shifted from the primary physical agent to the description and definition of disasters related to the social impact caused by it. Various academic disciplines were dedicated to the study of nature and disasters during the 1960s and 1970s. The definition of a disaster can be classified between the national and international level. The working definition of a disaster is designed in way to suit the professional background of the place where it is defined and is closely associated to the studies, work and research that is carried out. The World Health Organization has defined disaster on the base of the resultant health implications post the disaster. They have made use of the terminology called as Health Action in Crises. The International Red Cross has taken into account the factors that cause interference in human life. IN simple words, floods, earthquakes and hurricanes only acquire the status of a disaster when they leave behind a negative and disruptive impact on the living force. Al-Madhari et al in 1997 studied if a universal definition for the term disaster is possible and came up with a definition that takes into account both the factors of economic and health implications. The definition was as follows- an event localized in time and space with one or more of the following consequences occur: 1) Ten or more fatalities, 2) Damage exceeds $1 million, 3) 50 or more people evacuated. This is the basic essence that is found in most definitions of disaster which may carry different views. All the definitions accept disaster as a situation that is beyond the cope of control of the local community which warrants the need of external help. The disasters maybe a result of naturally occurring phenomena like extreme changes in climate or weather, technological and man made threats. Psychological stages of disaster Heroic stage The heroic stage is shown by the community and the individuals within that direct the various levels of energy in the tasks of help, rescue, shelter, clean up and repair. This behaviour is carried out in the span of a few hours to even days if required. Honeymoon stage The optimism characterized by the people in the community is the showcase of this stage in spite of the losses that occur due to the disaster. There is a wide media attention and, flow of resources inwards, and reassurances by personal visits by high profile personalities that look towards the rehabilitation process of the community. They provide the hope and belief that life will return to normalcy and no traces of the disaster will be seen. These resources though tend to exhaust by the third week of the aftermath of the crisis, there is reduced media attention and the real problems in the rehabilitation program start to develop. The energy shown by the survivors in the community gradually starts to fade away and gives way to the next stage of disillusionment. Disillusionment The hard experiences, the lack of necessities and the work needed to be done to restore normalcy creeps up on the person which leads to disillusionment among the survivors. Survivors find that the various types of financial help being offered are in the form of loans instead of grant, home insurance was not the best available option and that politics played a bigger role in the decision making. Signs of disgruntlement is how by means of complaints related to abandonment, betrayal and injustice, incompetency and bureaucracy. Stress is a negative aspect that troubles the survivors which slowly disintegrates any hope that may be left. Recovery All the work for which the base has been setup starts to show results. The applications are passed, loans are approved, and reconstruction is started. The individuals start to work at their normal capacities. People start regaining the state of normalcy with a period of six months after the disaster. Some individuals might take up to thirty six months. There is an overall sense of appreciation to aspects like life, relationship and morale towards tackling problems all owed to the lessons learnt post the disaster. Stages of Disaster Response Preparation stage The main objective of this stage is to improve the healthcare system and the general system that can be improved to the extent that future disasters can be tackled with ease and efficiency. Quick Reponses Stage The main objective of this stage is to make sure that there is a prober health response in case of a disaster strike that may create some needs. Counselling is provided during this stage which is present in the current health system. There should be help sought from external sources to boost the resources that are available in case they are not sufficient to fulfil all the necessary needs. In many cases the local supplies may not be enough to meet the requirement of the community which is why the stock has to be filled with the help of some additional commodities obtained from other external sources. Recovery Stage This stage has to be worked upon continuously and lasts more than a month after the disaster takes place. This stage could go on for years depending on the resources that are available for rehabilitation and the impact and type of the disaster. The needs of the survivors are taken care of by the local providers in this stage. Federal funds may flow in case the disaster is declared as a Presidential Declared Disaster. The funding is given to those in need of individual help. Disaster Management Definition of disaster management A lot of definitions have been put forward by authors on the topic of disaster management. A lot of these definitions merely explain the meaning of the term rather than completely stating the terms of preparation for a disaster. Christopolis, Mitchell and Liljelund regarded efficient and effective abilities and result of disaster response as the main themes of preparation for a disaster (2001). Creating a local response system and providing early warnings is also a big part of preparation (Integrated Regional information Networks, 2005). The definitions by United Nations Development program, McEntire and Twigg have definitions similar in theme with their own take on the preparation for a disaster. The program by United Nations holds hazard easing as the central source for disaster preparation along with the inclusion of planning in the description (2004). Similarly, McEntire and Twigg also consider hazard easing as a crucial aspect in disaster preparation saying that it should be a p art of it (McEntire, 2003 and Twigg, 2002). McEntire talks about different factors relevant for disaster preparation as a local government function that includes vulnerability and hazard evaluation. The lesser highlighted aspects of disaster preparation are also very important. Izadkhak and Hosseni point out education to be the foremost media in the preparation of a community for disasters (2005). The emergency plans, storage of food, securing furniture to walls and creating inventories of storage commodities are a part of this level (Paton, Smith, Johnston, 2003 and Siembieda, 2001). Review of preparation literature The disaster preparedness aspect is basically dynamic in nature which keeps changing constantly. The researches find out new facts with the occurring of new disaster even with respect to the community. The disasters and crisis are consistent but the practises applied in its management still lack the capacity to provide necessary results. McEntire has worked towards some crucial points in disaster preparedness and emergency management in his study. McEntire, Fuller and Johnston and Weber (2002) published an article reviewing the emergency management and the methods related to it. The main concern in the 2002 research was vulnerability while McEntire also finished his research related to disaster preparedness. Dynes also provide his view on emergency planning. His views were based on research instead of military models. The problem solving methods of Dynes emphasizes cooperation and coordination as the key aspects. (1994). This concept has been used in developing many other models as opposed to the earlier practice of using military models and instead switching to a research based and discipline specific model. The best methods of disaster preparedness incline towards discipline specific objectives as in the case of emergency management. A valuable amount of work has been spent for the identification and evaluation of the concepts and principles that are used in disaster preparedness. Some contributions have been made to development of disaster preparedness with the aim of creating a theory based practise and practise based theory (Gillespie and Streeter, 1987). The contributions from most individuals are not aimed at the creation of a complete disaster preparedness technique but individual research has helped immensely in making contributions towards building a complete disaster preparedness plan. A case in point is the research by Kirschenbaum (2002) article based on disaster preparedness from the point of view of Israel. The inferences drawn from his study were found to be applicable in a general environment. Perry and Lindell (2003) based their study on disaster management on the principles of perspective and planning and were able to identify 10 guidelines that should be used in the process of planning. Lindell was more focused on the planning while Kirschenbaum gave more importance to localized applications and principles. Each on his own was able to contribute an important aspect that led to the creation of a comprehensive disaster preparedness plan although none of the studies focused on all the aspects on the whole. Components of disaster management Earthquake Risk The risk of earthquake is a seismic risk to the environment and its habitats. The earthquake risk is inversely proportional to the capacity of resisting it. Research based on social learning by May (1994) shows that the more knowledge that is available, the less is the worry and lesser in the rationale for prevention. Knowledge and the use of the knowledge in the best way are required to improve the safety measures today. There is a process known as Earthquake Risk Management that works towards the prevention of threat or danger from an earthquake, reducing risk or consequences of an earthquake. It also deals on topics like preparation for dealing with a disaster, responding to a threat due to natural disaster, capacity building and knowing the effects of the natural disasters. There are the basic points of evacuation, rescuing, relief, rehabilitate and reconstruct that are covered. The population in India was marked at over a billion in 2001 and is estimated to be doubled by the yea r 2050. This calculates to a population growth of 1.61% per annum. The risk of earthquake increases by leaps and bounds in such a scenario. The urban areas are been populated to the extent of being overcrowded and figure in the highest density in the world of 237 people per square kilometre. This only worsens the situation. People in thickly dense areas have no alternative but to live in conditions like low lying areas situated closely near the rivers. This makes it mandatory to keep a full time alert and be ready with a disaster preparedness plan. Gillespie and Banerjee (1993, pp.242) have proposed there is a 5 stage plan which spirals upward with more refined levels including avenues, assessment, knowledge, preparedness and practise. The central point in these levels is considered to be knowledge. As pointed by Srivastava et al (2007), the reduction in disaster risks can be brought about by the proper use of information. Disaster management planning for earthquake In the past few decades, a high level of importance has been attached to the effective and efficient management of information and its use as a key component of disaster management in the regions of Asia especially Pacific Asia. Disaster management information systems have been setup by a number of countries according to their own calculations and needs. The applications include early warnings, reduction of disaster risks and emergency planning. The information plays an important part in disaster management and it should be used wisely. The needs of the information related to disaster management can be classified in two activity categories Pre disaster activities like research and analysis, prevention, risk assessment and preparedness. Post disaster activities like rehabilitation, response and reconstruction. The data related to disaster can also be classified into two categories- Pre disaster data consisting of the risks and the country Post disaster data showing the impact of the disaster and the resources available to counter the effects. National Disaster Management Information System The main aspects of a disaster management information system is a database containing the following- Mapping of hazard assessment Vulnerability Assessment Distribution by Demography Lifelines, Infrastructure and Critical Facilities Transportation Routes and Logistics Material and Human Response Resource Communication Facility The use of Disaster Management Information System is based on three aspects- Preparedness planning Response and mitigation Recovery Earthquake activities Preparation and Planning Identifying areas prone to earthquake Identifying problems Identifying and using Resources Control and command Advance Preparatory Action Post earthquake activities The relief activities needed to be performed by the government are- Maintaining uninterrupted communication Endorsing disaster preparedness and relief measures through media like newspaper and AIR. Evacuating and movement of commodities of essence such as petroleum should be facilitated in transport. Making sure that essential commodities are available at a reasonable rate. Providing adequate supply of drugs, vaccine and medicine. Restoration and preservation of physical communication links. Providing infrastructure such as latrines, shelter, electricity, road etc. On a temporary basis by making the necessary investment. Mobilising financial resources. In addition to these aspects, there are certain secondary functions that are needed by the relief efforts of the State such as Military aid should provide relief, restoration and rehabilitation services to the civil authority. Backup plans for cattle preservation, crops and health measures should be put in place. Technological and technical inputs for providing drinking water. Providing technical assistance for water management, water budgeting and several other uses. Coordinating activities of the voluntary and state agencies. Knowledge Management The knowledge related activities are dealt taken care of by the knowledge management procedure (Wiig, 1997: Civi, 2000). These activities include organizations and creation of knowledge along with share and use of the knowledge. Knowledge management can be more appropriately defined as the strategies and processes of identifying, capturing and leveraging knowledge. This definition was provided by the American Productivity and Quality Centre. Knowledge management is a field on the rise which has been able to collect considerable attention especially from the industrial community. A large number of industrial organizations have taken to knowledge management programs which serve as proof of its widespread use. These programs are helpful in making the industries more competent and improving their organizational performance. It is only a matter of time when all the companies will adopt such a program and the only factor to be accounted for is the way in which it has to be implemented to m ake optimum use of knowledge management and managing it properly at the same time. Implementation of Knowledge Management The Knowledge Management concept has caught a lot of attention due to its importance but there are only a few industries that have been able to make optimum use of the knowledge management techniques by managing the knowledge in their respective organizations. Stoney and Barnett (2000) suggest that a major number of Knowledge Management steps are bound to fail. This is due to the fact that the implementation of Knowledge Management is not an easy task that can be carried out by an organization. Technological infrastructure needs to be in place for the implementation of Knowledge Management along with change in the culture of the organization and managing knowledge of different types. Organizations that have made use of the Knowledge Management without making certain of the necessary resources at their disposal have mainly failed due to improper infrastructure and implementation. Implementation of the Knowledge Management is a tough task for any organization as pointed out by Drucker (1993) who is known as the father of modern management theory. He stressed on the fact the biggest challenge faced by an organization is the building of a systematic framework for the management of knowledge. Hence, it is imperative to build a perfect prototype or framework which helps the organizations before the implementation of Knowledge Management. Framework definition According o the Oxford English Dictionary, (2003), the framework is defined as a structure composing of parts that are framed together especially designed for enclosing or supporting anything like a skeleton or a frame. Popper (1994) has defined framework as a set of assumptions or fundamental principles of intellectual origin that form the basis for action. In accordance with these definitions, framework can be said to be a framework or a structure formed using a set of specific instructions or principles that is required to provide a base for carrying out necessary activities and actions. Knowledge Management Frameworks According to Rubenstein-Montano et al. (2001b), Knowledge Management frameworks are categorized as a mode of providing guidance in a specific discipline. This means that it shows the way towards the building of Knowledge Management in a specific discipline completely. Dale (1999) defines framework as a tool used for the development and laying out of plans, a guide that helps an organization to carry out a certain action that works best for their business needs at their own pace. The framework most importantly acts as a link between the practical and theoretical aspects of the Knowledge Management and eases its implementation during an emergency or disaster. Various Knowledge Management frameworks The frameworks that have been described in theory are made to focus on different parts of Knowledge management and achieving its various purposes. The most popularly known framework is the framework for knowledge creation created by Nonaka (1991, 1994) that explains the evolution and conversion seen between tacit knowledge (not easy to articulate) and explicit knowledge (can be easily put into words). This is not the perfect form of a framework since it is only concerned with the creation of knowledge which is nothing more than a part of the Knowledge Management. Another type of framework that is described in theory is the one that provides information on cyclic processes of the Knowledge Management. From the studies of Rubenstein-Montano et al. (2001a), it is evident that many of these frameworks only provide activities that stress on the knowledge cycle activities. They lay importance on phases of knowledge without providing supervision in the implementation of Knowledge Management. The examples of such frameworks are plenty including the framework by Bose and Sugumaran (2003) and many of the frameworks that were studied by Rubenstein-Montano et al. (2001a). A third type of framework is the one developed by researchers that is used to explain the performance of Knowledge Management in an organization. The framework provides reference to shoe the analysis, structure and evaluation of the Knowledge Management in various organizations belonging to different fields. They were developed by Apostolou and Mentzas (1998). Framework requirements The framework helps in understanding, improving awareness and gives the conceptual definition of the Knowledge management that informs the people about the processes involved in it. Al the components can be understood with the help of a framework and puts the Knowledge Management in perspective by providing the people with a clear and concise vision which helps in its implementation. Managers find framework as a beneficial and important tool since it helps to decide whether all the aspects related to the Knowledge management have been covered that may be easily overlooked without the framework. It also helps in enabling the implementation process and helps coordinate the efforts put in by the organization in a controlled and systematic way. System Approach Framework Holsapple and Joshi (2002) laid out a three layer framework which consists of three major building blocks known as knowledge resources, activities and influences. The resources pat highlighted the pool of the knowledge of the organization that can be classified into six main forms of resources namely participants knowledge, infrastructure, culture, knowledge artefact, strategy and purpose. The activities block represents the processes to be used by the organization for manipulating the knowledge resources. Holsapple and Joshi (2002) were able to identify 4 activities related to this aspect namely acquiring, selecting, internalizing and using the knowledge which means the generation and externalization of knowledge. The manners in which these activities are performed tend to be influence by a number of factors that can be seen in the next block called as knowledge influences. The implementation is greatly influenced by this block and is classified into three categories namely resource (human, financial, material and knowledge), managerial (coordination, leadership and measurement) and environmental (customers, competitors, suppliers, markets and other conditions). The three aspects when viewed collectively act as the main components in the operation of Knowledge Management. A framework was created with the idea of four stages namely review, concept, reflect and act by Wiig et al. (1997) in order to explain a number of Knowledge Management techniques and methods. Review is the first step and relates to evaluating and monitoring the performance of the organization to find out whether the desired results have been obtained. Conceptualize has two parts namely analysis of knowledge and inventory knowledge. The former is used to identify and assess the problems, weakness, strengths threats and opportunities related to knowledge. The latter is used to find out the state of knowledge in the organization by finding out the knowledge assets. TH reflect part is used for the following- Create teams for assessing. Find out the Knowledge management requirements. Collect knowledge by identifying. Design structure to knowledge in warehouse. Maintain technology. Test the technology again. Train the knowledge workers. Show the use of Knowledge management practises. Track the usage. Get the system to start. Measure the productivity and quality, measure Knowledge Management practices. Conduct assessment review of the processes. Hygoyo Protocol Framework of Hyogo The priorities, mission and vision of the National Framework were created in synchronisation with the Hyogo Framework of Action (HFA) 1005-2015 that was agreed upon by all the nations in January 2005 in the city of Kobe, Japan during the UN-World conference held for Disaster Reduction. The expected result of the HFA after ten years is significant reduction in the lives and economic, social and environmental assets of the countries and communities. The following objectives have been adopted by HFA to attain the desired results- Better integration of disaster risk considerations and accordingly makes development policies. Planning at all the levels with focus on disaster prevention, preparedness, reduction and vulnerability reduction. The strengthening and development of institutes, capacities and mechanisms at all the levels especially at the community level that can help in building resistance to hazards. Incorporation risk mitigation approaches in the implementation of recovery programs, response and emergency preparedness that is used in rehabilitation of the affected communities. Scope This particular framework relates to provision of guidelines and direction to the national, local and provincial institutions. Aspects such as capacity building and vulnerability reduction are the crucial factors that help the communities and institutions to counter disaster risks. The strategies, policy implementation are taken care by this phase and programs for the parts of disaster are provided for. There are certain challenges that are recognized in the five major areas as follows- Governance- legal, organizational and policy frameworks. Risk identification. Monitoring, assessment and early warnings. Knowledge education and management. Reduction of risk factors. Preparedness to improve response and recovery. The Yokohama strategy concludes in its review the discussions in the World Conference on Disaster Reduction and the desired result that was decided can be described into five priorities of action as follows- Make sure disaster risk is a local and national priority with a very strong institutional base for execution. Identify, monitor and assess the disaster risks and identify early warnings. Use innovation, knowledge to build a safety culture which is strong at all the levels. Reduce the risk factors Make the disaster preparedness strong for better response. Case study of earthquake in Pakistan with respect to Knowledge Management The earthquake in Kashmir in 2005 was a massive earthquake with its epicentre in Pakistan controlled Kashmir close to the city of Muzaffarabad that affected the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilbit Baltistan province of Pakistan. It took place at 8:52:37 PST on the 8th of October. It was similar in size to the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and 2001 earthquake in Gujarat with magnitude of 7.6. Tremors of this earthquake were felt in surrounding nations like western China and Tajikistan. Four people died in Afghanistan while close to fourteen hundred people died in India controlled Kashmir according to reports. The damage caused was blamed on poor construction and major up thrust. Infrastructure Network usage- the network usage was high throughout the phases of recovery. Data and voice communication was very good in Islamabad. The landline network was brought on track within a coupe of days in town hit by the earthquake and the cell network was extended post the earthquake. The areas that were hit the worst had no assistance and relief and were left with no communication. Some parts were wiped out entirely. The skills to manage the technology were available in Pakistan but the management was not properly planned. Network Availability- At first the network was very low during recovery and later was raised to a medium level. The inconsistency of connection was the main factor rather than low bandwidth. The connection would break consistently which proved to be disruptive. The limitations were known fully in the remote areas but the staff did not pay heed to the cell coverage problem. Cell phones are not adequate in such circumstances. Interoperability- This aspect worked at all times during recovery and it worked in the favour of national staff success. Communications technology staff had prior experience working for NGO and used their contacts in organizations to full effect. Data Information The information was inaccurate throughout the recovery. The situation reports were not reliable. The data was circulated internally and contained insufficient information related to needs such as fundraising, donors and advocacy. This resulted in various queries sought from the headquarters to the staff for more information. Another shortcoming was the information distribution. There was lack of communication with the UN that put the NGOs at a los since they did not know the plans put in place by UN and the problems they faced. The cluster approach by the UN shoed positive results in the initial four weeks for common approaches, joint analysis and programming. Some participants did not take part in the cluster group (Food, Water, Sanitation, Education and Health). The coordination was improved with the establishment of the District Relief and Recovery Committee with

Psychiatric Care After Drug Overdose: Case Study

Psychiatric Care After Drug Overdose: Case Study Case Scenario: Marcella Helen Farel Marcella is a 15 year old bi-racial female who was admitted to the local community hospital in Chester, Pennsylvania for a drug overdose. The attending psychiatrist, Dr. Miller has referred Marcella to me to be evaluated for a possible substance use disorder and to be screened for the potential risk of future substance use disorder. Carefully describe the client’s demographic characteristics. Marcella is a 15-year-old bi-racial (Caucasian and African American) female who attends high school full-time. What is the presenting problem? Marcella has been referred for screening of a possible substance use disorder and the possible risk of future substance use problems after being treated at a local community hospital for attempting suicide with prescription pain medications. What is the pertinent family history? Marcella is being raised by her grandparents with sporadic input from her single mother. Bethany, Marcella’s mother, has never been married and has raised Marcella as a single mom since her birth. What is the substance use history of the client’s family? Marcella’s grandparents both drank alcohol throughout their adult lives and also experimented with various other drugs. Her stepfather uses marijuana on a daily basis because he feels that it helps with the pain from a back injury. Her mother developed a substance use problem at the age of 14, shortly after her father killed himself, and it rapidly progressed. What are some of the direct and indirect messages Marcella may have received from her family about substance use? Children and teenagers are heavily influenced by their parents. Having a parent who uses drugs is a strong predictor of adolescent substance abuse. The messages that Marcella may have received are my parents and grandparents use drugs so therefore it is okay for me to use them as well. What is Marcella’s education and employment history? Marcella is a full-time high school student and has not had any type of employment at this point but has done some babysitting. What is significant in terms of risk factors, about Marcella’s academic history? Marcella has done well academically throughout elementary school but for the last four years her grades in high school have been steadily dropping. Describe Marcella’s social history? Marcella can name only two friends and also states that she doesn’t like people so having only two friends is fine with her. What is Marcella’s self-report of her substance use history? Marcella states that she has used alcohol a few times with her friends and also used alcohol on special occasions at family gatherings. She also states that her suicide attempt was the first time she used pain pills or any non-prescribed drugs. What is significant in terms of risk factors about Marcella’s description of her relationships with family members? When asking Marcella about her relationship with her family members she stated that she never had a father and she isn’t sure if her mother even knows who her father was. She also states that he has never been a part of her life. She bluntly states that she hasn’t had a mother for the past few years as well. She describes her grandmother as the only one who would care if she had succeeded in her suicide attempt. Accurately identify risk and protective factors for developing a substance use disorder as related to the client in the case scenario. â€Å"Many factors have been identified that help determine† which individuals â€Å"are likely to abuse drugs.† The factors that are associated with the â€Å"greater potential for drug abuse are† known as â€Å"risk† factors, and those associated with the least potential for drug abuse are known as â€Å"protective† factors. (NIDA, 2003. pg. 6). Risk factors influence drug use in many ways. The more risks the adolescent is exposed to the more likely he or she is to use and abuse drugs. (NIDA, 2003. pg. 7). â€Å"Having a family history of substance abuse puts† the adolescent at risk for drug abuse. â€Å"The presence of protective factors can lessen the impact† of some risk factors, â€Å"such as parental support and involvement†; this â€Å"can reduce the influence of strong risks, such as having substance abusing peers.† (NIDA, 2003. pg. 7). Some risk factors that could have an influence on Marcella are: Substance use among parents. Poor attachment with parents. Social difficulties Negative emotionality Early substance use Academic failure Low commitment to school Some protective factors that could lessen the impact of a few of the risk factors are: Positive physical development Family connectedness (attachment and bonding with grandmother) Living in a stable home (grandparents) Supportive relationship with family (grandmother). (NIDA, 2003). Discuss other relevant factors in the case scenario that could lead to the development of a substance use disorder. Other risk factors often â€Å"relate to the quality of relationships outside† of â€Å"the family, such as in their schools, with their peers, teachers, and in the community.† (NIDA, 2003. pg. 9). â€Å"Difficulties in these settings can be crucial to† the adolescent’s â€Å"emotional, cognitive, and social development. Some of† the risk factors are academic failure and poor coping skills. (NIDA, 2003. pg. 9). Other risks that can influence adolescents to start using drugs are the availability of the drugs and the belief that drug abuse is generally tolerated. (NIDA, 2003. pg. 9). â€Å"Screening and assessment are† part â€Å"of a process that aims to identify and measure the mental health and substance use related needs and† behaviors of adolescents. It is â€Å"difficult to determine where screening ends and assessment begins. Screening† â€Å"determines the need for a† more comprehensive assessment but does not provide actual information about the diagnosis or possible treatment needs. The screening â€Å"process should take no longer than† thirty minutes and in some instances will be shorter. (NCBI, 1999. pg. 9). An appropriate screening procedure must† take into consideration â€Å"several variables pertaining to the client, such as† their â€Å"age, ethnicity, culture, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, and literacy level.† (NCBI, 1999. pg. 10). It â€Å"is important that the† contents of the test be â€Å"appropriate for clients from a variety of backgrounds and† cultures. (NCBI, 1999. pg. 10). â€Å"There are three primary components to preliminary screening: content domains, screening methods, and information sources. The screening procedure focuses on verif ied indicators of substance related problems among adolescents.† These â€Å"indicators fall into two categories: those that indicate substance use problem severity and those that are psychosocial factors.† (NCBI, 1999. pg. 11). There is no set number of uncovered red flags or indicators that mandate â€Å"a referral for a comprehensive assessment. Many† of the screening questionnaires provide a set of scores to assist with the decision in obtaining a comprehensive assessment. (NCBI, 1999. pg. 11). Regardless, â€Å"if there are several red flags or a few that† are meaningful, it is recommended â€Å"to refer the adolescent for a† more comprehensive assessment. (NCBI, 1999. pg. 11). The â€Å"comprehensive assessment follows a positive screening for a substance use disorder and may lead to long term intervention efforts such as† treatments. (NCBI, 1999. pg. 11). The screening procedures identify if the adolescent has â€Å"a significant substance use problem† and â€Å"the comprehensive assessment confirms the problem and helps† to  clarify other problems that may be â€Å"connected with the adolescent’s su bstance use disorder. Comprehensive information can be used to develop† a proper set of interventions. (NCBI, 1999. pg. 17). There are many different purposes of the comprehensive assessment. To report in more detail the vicinity, nature, and unpredictability of substance utilization reported amid a screening, including whether the pre-adult meets symptomatic criteria for abuse or dependence. (NCBI, 1999. pg. 17). To focus the particular treatment needs of the client if substance misuse or substance dependence is confirmed, so that limited resources are not misdirected. (NCBI, 1999. pg. 17). To allow the evaluator to take in more about the nature, connects, and results of the adolescents substance-utilizing conduct. (NCBI, 1999. pg. 17). To guarantee that related issues not hailed in the screening procedure (e.g., issues in medicinal status, mental status, social functioning, family relations, educational performance, and delinquent behavior) are recognized. (NCBI, 1999. pg. 17). To inspect the degree to which the adolescents family (as characterized prior) might be included in the comprehensive assessment but also in possible subsequent interventions. (NCBI, 1999. pg. 17). To distinguish particular qualities of the adolescent, family, and other social backings (e.g., coping skills) that could be utilized within creating a fitting treatment plan (financial information is significant here as well). (NCBI, 1999. pg. 17). To develop a written report that: Identifies and accurately diagnoses the severity of the use. Identifies factors that contribute to or are related to the substance use disorder. Identifies a corrective treatment plan to address these problem areas. Details a plan to ensure that the treatment plan is implemented and monitored to its conclusion. Makes recommendations for referral to agencies or services. (NCBI, 1999. pg. 17). â€Å"A valid, standardized, and clinically relevant assessment is† crucial â€Å"for effective intervention with adolescent substance abusers.† (NIH, 2005. para. #6). â€Å"The advantages of standardized assessments are that they: Provide a benchmark against which clinical decisions can be compared and validated; Are less prone to clinician biases and inconsistencies than more traditional assessment methods; and Provide a common language which improved communication in the field can develop.† (NIH, 2005. para #6). â€Å"Until recently clinicians have relied on clinical judgment or locally developed procedures to diagnose adolescent substance use problems. This has begun to change since standardized and clinically valid instruments such as The† Drug Use Screening Inventory Revised (DUSI-R), The Teen-Addiction Severity Index (T-ASI), â€Å"have been introduced into the literature. Developmental appropriateness is critical to the effectiveness of using these instruments in work with adolescents.† (NIH, 2005. para. #7). The Drug Use Screening Inventory-Revised (DUSI-R) is a 159-item instrument that documents the level of involvement with a variety of drugs and quantifies severity of consequences associated with drug use. The profile identifies and prioritizes intervention needs and provides an informative and facile method of monitoring treatment course and aftercare. The DUSI-R is a self-administered instrument. (NCBI, 1999. pg. 69). The purpose of this instrument is â€Å"to comprehensively evaluate adolescents and adults who are suspected of using drugs; to identify or â€Å"flag† problem areas; to quantitatively monitor treatment progress and outcome; and to estimate likelihood of drug use disorder diagnosis.† (NCBI, 1999. pg. 69). A decision tree approach is used and the information acquired â€Å"should be viewed as implicative and not definitive in that the findings should generate hypotheses regarding the areas requiring comprehensive diagnostic evaluation by using other instruments.† The â€Å"DUSI-R is structured and formatted for self-administration using paper and pencil or computer.† The areas assessed are: â€Å"substance use behavior, behavior patterns, health status, psychiatric disorder, social skill, family system, school work, peer relationship, leisure† and recreation. This assessment takes 20-40 minutes to complete depending on the subject. (NCBI, 1999. pg. 6 9). The Teen Addictions â€Å"Severity Index (T-ASI) is a brief assessment instrument developed for use when an adolescent is being admitted to inpatient care for substance use related problems.† (NCBI, 1999. pg. 78). â€Å"The purpose of this instrument is to provide basic information on an adolescent prior to entry into inpatient care for substance use related problems.† (NCBI, 1999. pg. 78). This assessment is an â€Å"objective face to face interview combined with opportunity for assessor to offer comments, confidence ratings† (indication â€Å"whether the information may be distorted), and severity ratings (indicating how severe the assessor believes is the need for treatment or counseling).† (NCBI, 1999. pg. 78). The areas assessed are: â€Å"chemical use, school status, employment/support, family relationships, peer/social relationships, legal status (involvement with criminal justice program), psychiatric status,† and â€Å"contact list for add itional information. The† number of† questions asked for each area are fewer in number than many† of the other instruments used. (NCBI, 1999. pg. 78). These â€Å"screening tools are brief self-reports or interviews that are used as the first step in the process of evaluating whether an adolescent may or may not have a drug problem. The outcome of a screening is to determine the need for further, more comprehensive assessment. (NCBI, 1999. pg. 78). I would use the DUSI-R to assess Marcella’s potential drug use because it is a self-report inventory that is available in paper or online that deals with both drugs and alcohol. It is utilized for measuring current status, recognizing areas in need of prevention, and evaluating the degree of change after treatment. Substance use disorder in the â€Å"DSM-5 combines the DSM-IV categories of substance abuse and substance dependence into a single disorder† using a measurement of mild to severe. The â€Å"diagnosis of dependence caused† some confusion. Most people think that dependence is â€Å"addiction† when in fact dependence could be the body’s â€Å"normal response to a substance. In† order for a patient â€Å"to be diagnosed with Substance Use Disorder the patient must meet at least† two of the eleven criteria for the diagnosis. A patient meeting â€Å"2-3 of the criteria indicates mild substance use disorder, meeting 4-5 criteria indicates moderate† substance use disorder and meeting 6-7 criteria indicates severe substance use disorder. (BupPractice, 2014). The Diagnostic Criteria are as follows: Continuing to use opioids despite negative personal consequences. Repeatedly unable to carry out major obligations at work, school, or home due to opioid use. Recurrent use of opioids in physically hazardous situations. Continued use despite persistent or recurring social or interpersonal problems caused or made worse by opioid use. Tolerance as defined by either a need for markedly increased amounts to achieve intoxication or desired effect or markedly diminished effect with continued use of the same amount. Withdrawal manifesting as either characteristic syndrome or the substance is used to avoid withdrawal. Using greater amounts or using over a longer time period than intended. Persistent desire or unsuccessful efforts to cut down or control opioid use. Spending a lot more time obtaining, using, or recovering from using opioids. Stopping or reducing important social, occupational, or recreational activities due to opioid use. Consistent use of opioids despite acknowledgement of persistent or recurrent physical or psychological difficulties from using opioids. Craving or a strong desire to use opioids. (This is a new criterion added since the DSM-IV-TR). (BupPractice, 2014). During the assessment and evaluation with Marcella she stated that she tried alcohol a few times with friends and on special occasions at family gatherings and she denies having ever been intoxicated. She also states that the pain pills she took in the suicide attempt were her only use of non-prescribed drugs. According to the DSM-5, Marcella does not meet any of the criteria for the diagnosis of a substance use disorder. In order to be diagnosed with a substance use disorder Marcella must meet 2 of the 11 criteria for the diagnosis. After my assessment and evaluation of Marcella I have come to the conclusion that she does not meet any of the criteria to be diagnosed with a substance use disorder. While she did take prescription pain medication in an attempt to commit suicide it was the first and only time that she took any type of drug prescription or otherwise. Marcella continues to work on her other medical issues with the hospital psychiatrist. References American Psychiatric Association. (2005). Substance-Related and addictive disorders. Retrieved from www.dsm5.org/Documents/Substance%20Use%20Disorder%20Fact%20sheet.pdf BupPractice. (2014). DSM-5 Substance use disorder. Diagnostic criteria. Retrieved from www.dsm5.org/Documents/Substance%20Disorder%20Fact%20sheet.pdf Centers for Substance Abuse Treatment. (1999).Screening and assessing adolescents for substance use disorders. Substance abuse and mental health services administration (US); (Treatment Improvement Protocol (TIP) Series, No. 31 Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK64364/pdf/TOC.pdf National Institute on Drug Abuse. (2003). Chapter 1: Risk and Protective Factors. In Preventing Drug Use Among Children and Adolescents. Retrieved from http://drugabuse.gov/publications/preventing-drug-abuse-among-children-and-adolescents?chapter-1-risk-factors-protective-factors. Miller, W.R., Forcehimes, A. A., Zweben, A. (2011). Treating addiction: A guide for professionals. New York, NY: Guilford National Institute on Drug Abuse. (n.d.). Risk and protective factors. Retrieved from http://drugabuse.gov/sites/default/files/preventingdruguse_2.pdf

Comparing Paintings by Pablo Picasso and Alberto Morrocco Essay

Comparing Paintings by Pablo Picasso and Alberto Morrocco I have decided to contrast and compare paintings by cubist artist Pablo Picasso and contemporary artist Alberto Morrocco. I have studied their paintings to find out their influences and any similarities between their work. I have tried to find a source of their motivation and reason for their interpretations. Firstly, I am going to write about cubist artist, Pablo Picasso. Inspired by artist Paul Cezanne, the father of analytical cubism, Picasso attempted many styles of work. He experimented with different media and use of colour, throughout his artistic career. His paintings reflected his moods and attitudes, which changed several times during the course of his life. As a result of this, groups of his painting can be separated into 'periods'. A very famous period Picasso developed was his 'Blue Period', where the paintings of this time were blue in colour and portrayed him to be unhappy. An example of this is ' The Tragedy' painted in 1903. The painting is of a family standing on a beach, frozen like statues. In my perception, it takes on the image of a snapshot, eternally showing these still lonely figures. The painting looks cold due to Picasso's use of blue, submitting further the idea of unintimacy and absence of love within this solemn family. I understand why Picasso adopted such a melancholy atmosphere; it was a result of his friend committing suicide in 1901. His use of thick brush strokes and realistic perception of a family drowned by the presence of poverty, portray an image of deep sorrow and sadness. A painting that resembles Picasso's 'The Tragedy' is the 'Siesta' by Alberto Morrocco painted in 1971. Picasso and artist Henri Matisse had great influence Alberto Morrocco. Inspiration also came from his principal teacher James Cowie, who encouraged Morrocco to make painting his career. The 'Siesta' shows a female child sleeping naked on a table. Sitting behind her is a woman, presumably her mother, who is awake and holing a sunflower. This also can be perceived as a photographic image. I feel as though the woman is staring directly at the camera, her eyes fixated upon me. This highlights one similarity between Morrocco's 'Siesta' and Picasso's 'The Tragedy' purely by choice of composition. Another similarity I have discovered is that both art... ...to be in this painting, the egg would have rolled off. Both these paintings are similar also in colour. The colours used are bright, strong and effective. I believe that the colour concepts bring each painting to life. Picasso used natural colours to represent the natural significance of the objects in this painting. This makes me feel comfortable and at peace. Morrocco chose olive green, reds and blues to capture the essence of his native Italy. This, in my opinion, gives the painting a special quality and is very pleasing to look at. Picasso's 'Bread Fruit Dish on a Table' is a fantastic example of how he experimented with shape and tried to teach himself and learn through experience the techniques of analytical cubism. He later used this new knowledge to develop cubism further and create a new, unique style which he called synthetic cubism. Alberto Morrocco sought inspiration from Picasso's cubist phase and tried out the style himself. ' Homage a Braque' is a very interesting painting which clearly shows similarities between his paintings and those by Pablo Picasso. However, Morrocco gave an incentive of himself into his painting making it his own masterpiece.

ed philosophy re: history :: essays research papers

To understand history, you must grasp how your everyday view of the world developed, how it was created by the reality of the people who lived before you. It took 1000 years to evolve the modern way of looking at things, and to really understand where you are today, you must take yourself back to the year 1000 and then move forward through the entire millennium experientially, as though you actually lived through the whole period yourself in a single lifetime.† (Redfield, 1994) I have chosen to become a history professor to open the minds of college students who have despised history, not because of the contents of what they are taught, but because of the way that they were taught. With an existentialist point of view on education, my teachings will be based on how individuals influences and reacted to certain events in history, not the events themselves.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In order to fully explain why I agree with the existentialist philosophy, I should point out why I feel this will help my ability to teach my students. Existentialists rely on self-reflection as a major tool. I can’t think of a better way to show a student what happened throughout history than by asking how he or she would react in that time period. Imagine being a journalist trying to capture the feeling of a nation on November 23, 1963, the day after President John F. Kennedy was shot. Take your imagination further to capture the torn emotions felt by Mary Todd Lincoln, President Abraham Lincoln‘s wife, who’s half-brother Ben Hardin Helm was killed as a Confederate General in the Civil War (Find A Grave, Retrieved 2002). By throwing yourself into a situation and expressing those emotions you feel about that situation, your reactions will bring about a deeper meaning; one not so easily tossed aside after an exam is taken or the course is compl eted.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Existentialists also believe that a classroom should be an open forum for discussion. I plan on lecturing for the first half of my class and letting the students share their thoughts in the remaining half of the class. Knowing that all individuals think and act differently, this help to explain all sides of an event. One student may feel that our current situation warrants military action against Iraq while another student may be strongly opposed to America‘s use of force. By letting these individuals express their true feeling without judgment, I believe other students will better understand the situation at hand. ed philosophy re: history :: essays research papers To understand history, you must grasp how your everyday view of the world developed, how it was created by the reality of the people who lived before you. It took 1000 years to evolve the modern way of looking at things, and to really understand where you are today, you must take yourself back to the year 1000 and then move forward through the entire millennium experientially, as though you actually lived through the whole period yourself in a single lifetime.† (Redfield, 1994) I have chosen to become a history professor to open the minds of college students who have despised history, not because of the contents of what they are taught, but because of the way that they were taught. With an existentialist point of view on education, my teachings will be based on how individuals influences and reacted to certain events in history, not the events themselves.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In order to fully explain why I agree with the existentialist philosophy, I should point out why I feel this will help my ability to teach my students. Existentialists rely on self-reflection as a major tool. I can’t think of a better way to show a student what happened throughout history than by asking how he or she would react in that time period. Imagine being a journalist trying to capture the feeling of a nation on November 23, 1963, the day after President John F. Kennedy was shot. Take your imagination further to capture the torn emotions felt by Mary Todd Lincoln, President Abraham Lincoln‘s wife, who’s half-brother Ben Hardin Helm was killed as a Confederate General in the Civil War (Find A Grave, Retrieved 2002). By throwing yourself into a situation and expressing those emotions you feel about that situation, your reactions will bring about a deeper meaning; one not so easily tossed aside after an exam is taken or the course is compl eted.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Existentialists also believe that a classroom should be an open forum for discussion. I plan on lecturing for the first half of my class and letting the students share their thoughts in the remaining half of the class. Knowing that all individuals think and act differently, this help to explain all sides of an event. One student may feel that our current situation warrants military action against Iraq while another student may be strongly opposed to America‘s use of force. By letting these individuals express their true feeling without judgment, I believe other students will better understand the situation at hand.