Biochip technology Essay

The term global village is one popularized by Canadian communications theorist Marshall McLuhan to refer to the ability of electronic communications technologies to collapse notions of geography and disrupt the conventional wisdom by which society appraises time-space relations. At the heart of the concept of the global village is the idea that because electronic communications technology are exponentially increasing their ability to abnegate space and time limitations, they enable individuals, societies and institutions to operate on a larger scale than before – phone calls can be made across greater distances at reduced costs, e-mails allow instantaneous transmission of readable content and cellular technology increases the mobility of telephony. Whereas the domain we used to operate on was on the village-scale, it is now global: a global village. McLuhan effectively celebrated the development of the global village because he believed that it would expand our social consciousness. Not necessarily make us more socially conscious, but at the very least increase the scale by which we already think. Where we used to think primarily in terms of local affairs and developments that are mostly proximate to our surroundings, the ability to transmit developments instantaneously means that citizens can now think on an enlarged scale. More enthusiastic neo-McLuhanists maintain that the global village will eradicate all barriers to cultures, nations and political institutions. However, there is some concern that this is not entirely a good thing. For example, some have worried that expanding the individual consciousness to meet the scale of the global village comes at a cost. In effect, by thinking on the global scale, individuals may find themselves effectively disengaged from local concerns and proximate issues and at the very worse actively following developments in communities they have no power to affect, and disengaged from local developments that they could realistically make a difference in. Castells (1997) contends, however, that the globalizing effects of Internet and other similar networking technologies will not necessarily eradicate political boundaries. Rather the side effect of the Information Age is that many of the things that have come to define the nation state will be effectively downsized. Sovereignty will no longer figure in the absolute sense that we have understood it before, but rather, nation-states will exist solely due to the network of alliances, commitments, responsibilities and subordinations that are more than just existent for the benefit of the state, but are necessary to its existence, and this becomes possible due to the ability to instantiate relationships through networking technologies. It is this component of Castell’s understanding of globalizing effects which hold some consonance with the views of Ulrich Beck. Beck maintains that much of the failure to really take measure of the effects of globalization is derived from a limited understanding of it. Beck contends that globalization is not something that is limited to economic relationships and complex trade relations, but something that occurs in the most internalized sense, such as the ways by which we navigate culture and social relationships in an expanded transnational view that is the result of a national sense sublimated by globalizing technologies, cultural exchanges and international relationships. However, because of the co-dependencies brought upon by the transition into Castell’s â€Å"network state,† there is a risk that globalization will erode what sovereignty and democracy there is in the weaker nation-states. In other words, rather than acting as a force for solidarity, globalization could erode democratic controls and constitute a political and economic injustice to the nation-state. This is possible when a nation-state is unable to negotiate for the betterment of its community (whether through incompetence and corruption from the weaker country, or exploitation and deception from the stronger one. ) Globalization cannot end democracy per se, but it risks compromising it to the point of rendering it ineffective. REFERENCES Castells, M 1997, The End of the Millennium, The Information Age: Economy, Society and Culture Vol. 3. Blackwell, Cambridge, Massachussetts. Beck, U 2000, What is Globalization? Polity Press, Cambridge. McLuhan, M 1986, The Global Village, Oxford University Press: New York.

Unique Examples of National Pride

Unique Examples of National Pride : In the first story I read â€Å"Cathleen Ni Houlihan† (which was actually an amazing story! ) I felt that before the OLD WOMAN came the family was kind of selfish and greedy (with the whole money thing) and when the OLD WOMAN came they changed and they became instantly unselfish and not greedy they wanted to help her out.And later in the story the OLD WOMAN changed everyone’s prospective at life including Michael who is getting married to Delia and then he totally forgot that he was getting married to her just because the OLD WOMAN changed his way of looking at things including his marriage. And the OLD WOMAN told them how many people died just for her and to get her lands back(Irish). And she had much Pride into getting her lands back and fighting the Irish for taking it. The second story I read is â€Å"Address to General William Henry Harrison† The main guy in the story, Shawnee had very much respect for his country.He said he would do anything for his country ! And he argued with his brother about being better then what he was acting selling the country and then Shawnee said â€Å"Why not sell the air, the great sea, as well as the earth? Did not the Great Spirit make them all for the use of his children? † The Red People wanted to take over they’re country and Shawnee’s brother seemed like he wanted to sell the country because he didn’t want to fight for his country. Then Shawnee brought up Jesus dying on The Cross for us.Then he told his brother â€Å"Everything I have told you is the truth. The Great Spirit has inspired me. † How the two are the same or compared†¦ They both had pride and sacrifice for the things they stood up for. They loved there country so much they would die for it. And in the two stories I found that they are very much alike because the. OLD WOMAN and Shawnee are a like they both fought for what the believed in and for there country. They both wanted freedom and they both inspired another person to fight in the war beside them.

My extraordinary leadership lessons from an ordinary experience

When I was at grade school, I placed special reverence to teachers. I specially admire their power over their students: the way they make them seated properly in their designated seating arrangements, the way they let them enter and leave the room in a file and the simple way of making each student to greet them even outside the school campus. There were times when I also dreamed of being a teacher when I finished school for one good reason: I wanted to lead. As I grew older, I have learned that teaching profession is not as easy as what I thought it was. As a joined school and community activities, I have learned that holding positions in organizations makes a lot of sense in terms of leadership training. I also learned that leading does not always take intelligence, energy and time and that being a leader does not in anyway make anyone greater than the ones being led. Leadership rather takes the whole personality of a person, including his heart, his mind and his soul. Leadership is not all about power; it’s about love and concern. With this ordinary experience, I will prove that the leader and the follower in its sense are ordinary participants in the game of life where everyone is regarded equal. My experience will prove that by being a protà ©gà ©, one will be able to prepare himself to be a good leader someday. I was raised in a conservative family; conservative in a sense that my family has countless rules and regulations set for us children. When it’s a rule, conformity has to be no more, no less. At home, the power lies in the hands of my strict father. House rule says no one has to be outside the house when it’s already dark. House rules say everyone has to around the table when it’s dinner time, no talking, and most of all, eat whatever food is prepared. When my father says â€Å"you’re wrong†, don’t dare to question his judgment and don’t ever dare to speak a word to explain and to defend yourself. Until I entered high school, there’s nothing I know about leadership but power. I studied really hard because father wants me to have good grades. So no one can blame me if I see leadership as having the power to make others fear you. Not until I was asked to join a stage play and have the courage to try, that these views on leadership have all changed. The organizers were meticulously picking the players. Actors and actresses were selected from different levels and when the final list came out, I was really glad to find my name there. But no, I was not one of the stage actresses. I will be part of the play as the narrator, and yes, I chose to play that part. It may sound really weird for some because people often desire to be at the lime light. It is but common for anyone to grab the opportunity of having his or her abilities and talents be shown to many. If there be exemption to this common life scene, I am an exemption. I chose to stay behind the stage because I am afraid to ruin the presentation in the event that I forget my lines. My family training developed me into a well-behaved individual, but it also deprived me of learning how it is to be outside my own home. I was locked in the house all my childhood life so I was not able to develop my social skills. I was raised to be a loner, and so I lived that kind of life until I entered high school. My family training deprived me of the opportunity to gain self-confidence. That is maybe the reason why I chose to be behind the scenes of the stage play. What made me choose to play as a narrator is my stage fright. I lack the confidence of bringing myself in front of many people. I hate being in a place where I am noticeable. I am weird, they say. Yes, I am. I am afraid to make a mistake, so I chose to just narrate since I have something in my hand to read. During rehearsals, I often got insulted by the trainor for my poor diction. There were many times when I was threatened to be replaced by someone who could do better than I do. Few days have passed and yet the trainor still told me I have not yet improved. I felt like I am the least performer in group. I have the least coaching time while I had the most naggings and silly words swallowed during the practice. I was then planning to quit but I was halted by the thought that my father would not surely like the idea of his daughter giving up. I have to continue, I have to strive more. I have to make sure my trainer will not replace me when he got fed up of nagging at me. One rehearsal session made all things in my mind changed. The trainer gathered all the stage play participants, including the support group. He has to make some announcements on some little changes on the script and on the planned stage set-up. We were all gathered in the gym, with the trainer’s microphone as loud and clear so that anyone will surely hear what he has to say. He asked the group to make the best of every session as the play is as important as the name of the school. We have to make sure that everything will turn out fine and excellent in the night of the performance. He told the main characters that they are the one who will face the audience and should therefore have the assurance of performing very well. He told the support group that even if they only play as backgrounders, they are great contributors to the success of the presentation. He said the play will not be as beautiful as it is supposed to be when the facilities, especially the sounds and the lights are not properly set-up. He then called me up and said that I am holding an important role in the play. He said that as the narrator, I am the one who will bring life to the scenes that are not to be played on stage but are important in bringing out the essence of the story. He told me that I am not in anyway the least of the group because I have in my hands the responsibility of connecting every scene in the play. I am, in its essence the light of the dark spots in the story. WHAT I HAVE DISCOVERED ABOUT MYSELF My energy from that day seemed to have been refueled. I strived really hard by reading my lines over and over again, day and night. I realized that I am not in anyway the least of the group, nor I am to let myself be the least performer. My life has never been this busy and meaningful until I started gaining my self-confidence. To believe in yourself in not what others call pride but it is a thing that I believe a personal need. I have learned that everyone has his own talent, ability and skill that is innate in him. That precious thing in a person just needs to be discovered and be used to meaningful activities. HOW THE EXPERIENCE STRENGTHENED MY SELF-LEADERSHIP SKILLS I have learned that every person has a unique way of discovering his abilities. Some just naturally show up. There are some that need to be tapped, some need digging up, and there are those which require pain and suffering before their talents are squeezed up. Having these facts, I have learned that mentors, teachers, trainers and anyone who manage people have their own style of handling things. If they choose to be generous and considerate, they have all good reasons of doing so. If mentors choose to be strict and display their strong personalities, they all the valid reasons to do so. What I have most importantly learned in my experience is that teachers, mentors and even parents all wanted their students, their subordinated and their children to learn the vital lessons of life: that is, to bring out the best out of them. I have realized that my trainer chose to be too strict to me because he wanted me to strive harder. He did not mean to frighten me, not he did want to make me feel that he did not like me. Since that day, my trainer eventually noticed and commended the improvements on my performance. He told me that I have already gained the confidence that he long been wanting me to bring out. He told me that loners like me are not at all hard to handle. Like him, loners need encouragement like what he did. HOW THE EXPERIENCE IMPROVED MY INTERPERSONAL SKILLS Since the school play, I have not yet had the guts of joining activities which require a lot of public exposure. I did join more activities and have chosen the same roles. I did so not because I was not able to learn and apply what my trainer have taught us. It is because I have learned that leadership need not to be as publicly done as many think it is. I have learned fro, that experience that leadership is not all about taking a post, having an official designation and handling people. I have learned that leadership begins when one was able to conquer his fears in life. Leadership begins by leading your own life and let others see the difference when you come out of your own shell. I have learned that extraordinary lessons in life are learned by paying attention to little things in ordinary life experiences. When one has to learn, he has to experience pain and sufferings before glory comes in his hands. My journey in life did not go that smooth and easy. It took me to endure insults and discouragements. But all of these are part of training and I believe, every tear shed and every sweat that comes out of my body is worth the lessons of leadership. AN EVALUATION OF MY PERSONAL EFFECTIVENESS After the activity, I have never been a loner. I still did not have the guts of doing public appearances but I did improve on handling people who work as supports. It was not because this is all I can do but because I chose to do it, and this is what makes me happy. I feel that by doing so, I am able to give my best and that in this area where my talents and skills are best utilized. HOW THE EXPERIENCE HAS BEEN A VALUABLE EXPERIENCE TO ME Now I understand why my father has to lock us up in the house all day long during weekends. Now I understand why we have to behave well during dinner. Now I understand why I have to bring out my books and notes even after school and at night after meal. Now I understand why father deprived us of reasoning out at him. Like all parents, father wants us his children to be raised as well-behaved individuals. He just wants us to learn that childhood life is not all about eating and playing matters. He has been this strict because he wanted to show us the realities of life. Sometimes, it really takes to deprive someone of common and ordinary things in order to gain the extraordinary lessons of life. By my father’s way of training us, I have learned that leadership is not all about fear, but obedience. Leadership is not all about power, but respect. If they have not handled me this way, I am afraid that I was not able to reach my status in life now. The experience has been a valuable event in my life that whatever life takes me, I will surely look back to the time when I was in that time of my life, trying to grasp the valuable lessons of life.                  

The MainPoints of Good Presentation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The MainPoints of Good Presentation - Essay Example The researcher of this essay analyzes the field of managing and handling information, that is one of the most important tools in person-to-group interaction and especially discusses presentations, that can be used for different types of events including projects and reports and many else. One of the most important parts of this form of presentation is defining the issue. The researchr states that if you are not precise in doing so, the whole presentation will lack a clear focus, and the audience will be at a loss as to what you are attempting to accomplish. Following Fairbairn and Winch, that were refered to in the study, the differences between the nuances of meaning may seem minimal but the wording of presentation depends on having decided in the early stages of the presentation what the question means. It is stated that the goal of this kind of presentation is not to demonstrate a conventional, personal thesis, but to clarify a situation or problem so that members of an audience h olding diverse viewpoints can better discuss their individual differences or move forward on a project. The researcher then describes his current strengths and weaknesses in presentations as well as presents areas of improvements, that are needed to be reached in the future. The researcher then concluds that all the steps and techniques discussed can be effectively applied to business writing helping to organize and business research process. Literature review was one of the main methods that helped to improve knowledge and skills in the area.

Vision Statement Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Vision Statement - Research Paper Example I have been reading Charles Bukowski’s book and found that he has a different way of expressing himself. I have decided to explore his unique character by ensuring that I read one of his books every year. I love engaging in activities that assist me in acquiring new skills and helping others. I love travelling to new places and meeting new people as this activity opens up my mind to new things. Every year I ensure that I visit three new towns. I have always thought about travelling to the famous cities located in the different continents. In the next five years I will ensure that I travel to two countries in Europe and experience the environment and their different cultures (Heathfield). I also love challenges because at the end, I learn something new. Since elementary school, the ever changing business environment and its challenges intrigued me and it became apparent that I was comfortable in this field. In the business world, an individual must keep on learning new things and developing concepts that will help him or her wade through the murky business waters. This field suits me because I love reading and I view challenges as stepping stones towards achieving my goals. However, many people who engage in businesses are motivated by self-interests. Since I have always wanted to help people out, I have decided to take up a course that will encompass the different things I love to do and the fact my main goal in this career will be to assist others. I have figured out that the ultimate challenge would be managing a hospital. In five years I will ensure that I get a Master’s degree in Business Administration with a specialization in Healthcare Management and a Project Management Professional Certification. This will assist me in helping out people, expanding my knowledge in the healthcare system and since I have never ventured into the healthcare field, the challenges that come therein will provide me with learning experiences

Power and Politics Paper Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Power and Politics Paper - Research Proposal Example Power and politics go side by side in an organization and if they are separated, the organization is affected negatively. Organizational politics are employed to gain reputation, to get some self-concerned benefit, to get promotion, to get financial increase, to get influence, to make decisions, to attain power, to get knowledge related to some confidential information and much more (Aronow, 2004). Organizational leaders such as the employers and other persons having power and influence make use of organizational politics to support the organization in terms of its interests. Leaders after attainment of information concerning organizational politics and their impact make use of them in order to enable the organization to get benefits in all terms such as expansion, financial gains and business development and much more (Aronow, 2004). While politicizing any issue in an organization, the leaders make sure that they inform about their participation to the management. They also make sure that they are backed by the management in their decisions and proposals. In change management and management of crises, organizational politics play a significant part (Malott, 2008). The organizational leaders have to identify and gather the people that are at their side. People are gathered at one side only because of organizational politics. Leaders are considered at the back of organizational politics as they exercise enough authority and influence on other employees of any organization. For the obtainment of power and influence, again organizational politics play a crucial role. The leaders are able to get reputation on the basis of the power that they can exercise on their co-workers (Malott, 2008). Politics can be found in any group working together. Some people consider that organizational politics are wholly disruptive. These people attempt at staying away from all kinds of organizational politics because according to them hard work

Canadian Local Governments Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Canadian Local Governments - Essay Example This paper seeks to analyze the operation of local governments in Canada and try to answer the question of whether they should have recognition in the Constitution as a distinct level of government with guaranteed functions and sources of funds based on various schools of thought advanced by different scholars. Canadian local governments Canada as a country has different distinct levels of government that include the federal government, provincial governments, territorial governments, and local governments1. The federal government is the central governing organ, popularly known as the government of Canada, and works hand in hand with the territorial governments. It performs the roles of a state with such institutions as the prime minister’s seat, considered the country’s top leadership organ, and the legislature both of which are responsible such issues as national security, foreign relations, citizenship matters and law. The provincial level has a similar structure to the federal government with its own independent jurisdiction entrenched in the country’s constitution. It includes provision of health services, education, transport and the associated infrastructure, civil and property rights. The last level is the local government, which is generically responsible for policy matters that directly relate to the local grass root communities, whether in the rural or urban areas2. Just like the other upper levels of government, it has its own leadership structures comprising of commissions, boards, agencies, and political institutions with leaders like mayors, directors, and councillors. The local governments have varying roles depending on the province and the characteristics of the region under which they fall. For example, their role in a rural area is naturally different from those of an urban centre. However, their functions generally revolve around similar responsibilities. To begin with, they offer security to individuals and their prope rties including policing, emergency response, fire fighting, management of local transport that includes construction of local roads and their maintenance. They are also responsible for development planning, which entails zoning and provision of public utilities like electricity, sewerage services, water, and their maintenance. Other crucial roles of the Canadian local governments include provision of social welfare services like health, education, places of recreation and culture services at the local levels. Local government administrative structures Canadian constitution gives recognition to the independence of the federal and provincial governments, conferring to them the power and policy authority that require their approval for any changes. This is direct opposite to the local governments, which are organs of the provincial government, obtaining their power from municipal Acts formulated by the provincial parliament. This implies that they are under complete control of the pro vincial government, which has all the rights to change their jurisdiction without seeking their consent. This has seen major changes in the local structures, including abolishment and amalgamation of municipalities, as well as creation of new ones without their involvement3. Financial structures, powers, leadership selection criteria, and duties of local governments are also subject to decisions made at the provincial level. Provinces Influence their day-to-day operations significantly since the by-laws within which they

Cultural Differences and Justice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Cultural Differences and Justice - Essay Example From a social science perspective, the term refers to an individual's subjective perceptions of whether or not he/she is treated fairly (Markovsky, 1985 in Mueller and Mulinge, 2002). It is likewise important to consider that justice pertains to the application of a normative rule to the allocation of resources to recipients (ibid). It is important to examine these subjective perceptions of justice and injustice since individuals' understanding affects their attitudes and perceptions of the subject. Since cultural differences may alter a group's perception on what is just and what is not, it then implies that people's actions and approaches to these actions on the given subject also vary. The perception and understanding of justice is different in various nations and cultures, thus there is a need to focus on cultural differences when attempting to understand how a particular group views this concept. It must be noted that the concept of justice has not only emerged from levels of individual issues but also from levels of group or collective issues (Hayashi and Sekiguchi, 2006, p. 207). This is where the importance of how a group perceives the concept of justice and injustice takes place. It is from this multi-level perception that this paper considers describing how cultural differences alter understanding of injustice and approaches to justice. Collective justice perception is tended to be viewed to have associations with group-oriented cultures such as India. It connotes whether a group as a whole is treated fairly within the organisation and how such understanding of justice alters their view of said treatment (Hayashi and Sekiguchi, 2006, p. 207). In India, it may be inferred that religion is a factor that alters people's understanding of injustice and approaches to justice, accounting for a cultural difference between its people and the rest of the world. As a starting off, it is important to mention that the Indian culture and its general economic structure are heavily founded on religion and there is a need to understand the system of worship as well as the central concept of reincarnation governing people's lives. The cultural differences of the Indian people in terms of understanding justice and injustice lie on the understanding of various connections between Hinduism and general Indian culture, which includes history with an underlying caste system that has thrived for several centuries. The Indian caste system governs the social system in India, directly linking religious beliefs and social segregation into status groups, thereby creating divisions. Weber notes the prevention of the development of urban status groups by this caste system (Dumont and Gulati, 1980). He analysed how the aspect of traditionalism of the caste system is supported by religion and posits that the economic development of India is slowed as the "spirit" of

Essay( critical analysis) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

( critical analysis) - Essay Example This is one of the arguments presented by Frost inn the contradiction between two neighbors in the poem. "We keep the wall between us as we go. To each the boulders that have fallen to each." (15.16). It is a compulsive habit that human beings possess, the need to be close to something or someone yet still keeping a distance as some sort of breathing ground. The wall so to speak is built bigger and stronger in time. To shed away from the pains that might be brought by an unwarranted closeness. In the same way, pieces of the enclosure crumble one way or another. The poem deliberates on the persona of the poem with the use of the first person. It represents a conflict within between two neighbors, one who sees the importance in creating a barrier between them and the other who perceives that such wall and the effort exerted toward the building of it is unnecessary (Deutsch, 474). This lies in parallel to a closely related expression, too close for comfort. As everyone wants to build lasting and true relationships but no one can fully say that each of these connections are truly honest and that all impediments have been eradicated to commit to such a deep level of connection. It is like one of the neighbors on the poem who continues to build the fence as a way of preventing direct neighborly contact. Why do people build barriers? This is one good question that Frost dared ask in his poem, "Before I built a wall Id ask to know. What I was walling in or walling out" (33.34). And one gets to thinking, what it is really, is it because we fear that anyone may dwell and ruin the privacy of our home, or is it because one is afraid that an unacceptable part of him gains liberty to free itself of inhibition. Maybe, when one contemplates about it, it is a combination of both. In a literal interpretation, people are afraid to eliminate all boundaries between all his relationships as

The Therac-25 and Its Accident Investigation Case Study - 1

The Therac-25 and Its Accident Investigation - Case Study Example When u fix an old bug, it is highly likely that anew bug will develop. After fixing a bug, there is only a fifty per cent chance that the particular program will function over a similar length of time before failing, the same way it did before the bug was rectified. This means that the manufacturer’s claims that the machine’s safety was improved after it was fixed were totally unfounded. The manufacturer’s claim that the machine could never break down, even after getting and rectifying numerous problems was groundless. So long as the manufacturer had the conviction that the machine could never cause an overdose of radiation, they would not notice any deficiencies in their machine. As much as many people would love to point fingers at the manufacturer as the cause of the Therac-25 accidents, the technicians and operators who operated the machine also made some mistakes which caused the accident. For instance, it was somehow strange that the operators of the machin e got comfortable running the machine despite the regular error notices it issued. The machine normally issued forty error notices in a single day. This was bad since the cost of the Therac-25’s failure may possibly be death and it was the operator’s responsibility to insist for a properly functioning machine without faults. They could also have demanded a clear documentation that showed the machine’s errors and their possible causes. They also over relied on the safety statistics of the machine which were inflated as stated by the manufacturer. This made them not to investigate any overdoses possible hence putting the lives of the patients in danger. The federal government had a fair share of blame in the accidents because they knew that the manufacturer’s engineering practices were poor but still allowed the use of Therac-25. They seemingly had too much faith in the safety statistics that were posted by the manufacturer and therefore never took a keen i nterest in the safety precautions. The accidents were caused by institutional and engineering mistakes which could have led to even bigger disasters had the machine’s operation not been suspended. The manufacturer never had an independent review on the software code and therefore had not followed the right procedure. They never considered the software’s design when assessing the machine’s ability to produce the expected results and if there were any failure modes in its operation. The machine never explained any error codes so the operators just overrode the warning signs since they could not tell if there was an error or just a false alarm. The manufacturer never believed any complaints since there were overconfident that the machine would never fail, to make it worse, the hardware and software combination was never tested until after its assembly at the hospital. On the engineering side, the machine failed only when a non standard keystroke was entered on term inal VT-100. This machine never had hardware interlocks which could prevent the beam from running in high energy mode when the target was not in position. The programming engineer used software from an old model. The old models used hardware to cover their faults but could not report the faults hence leaving the machine to operate with the

All Quiet on the Western Front Essay Example for Free

All Quiet on the Western Front Essay Paul Baumers experiences of the war transforms him into someone of whom some may describes as lacking in expression, immoral, and maybe even a systematic automaton. These traits are often emphasized throughout his duty in World War II and are even furthermore supported through harsh traumatic incidents. But like all young adults, his innocent mind was concealed from the true face of war, and before such time, he was like any other teenage boy. It is evident that he was particularly interested in school and would sometime recollects back to his regular life, such as things that [is]at home in the draws of [his] writing table lies the beginning of a play called Saul and a bundle of poems (19). However, once he joined the army, he lose all sight of such pleasure and as the global conflict drags on deeper, his range of expression begins to narrowed into what was only necessary, and his daily routine soon becomes systematic. He changes so much that he ceased to see the light of all things, and his thoughts and actions soon turns into that of immoral kinds. However, even though the darkness of war soon engulfs most of his conscience, there still lies a small light of hope, the light of his genuine human soul. Many cannot realize the terror war brings, and often, the soldiers are the one who are the most affected. The journey endured in combat can draws ones hopes out and input fear and reinstall the human instincts as one thinks purely of survival. But unlike most, Paul began such journey at a very young age, and was not yet ready to experience the world. He has yet to even see the real world, but quickly jumps into the middle of the worlds largest conflict. The training camp was the first step to the extraction of his personality. After weeks of preparations for the front, Paul and his friend soon realized that what matters is not the mind but the boot brush, not intelligence but the system, not freedom but the drill (22). The boys soon divert back to their ancestors state of mind, an era where survival of the whole is the first priority while anything else comes afterwards. Beneath the wall of apathy Paul has built up, there still exists a spark of humanity. Paul can still feel things like grief and over the death of friends like Kat, where Paul is stunned to learn that Kat is dead, Do I walk? Have I feet still? Pauls emotions, although restricted, are still there. Paul tries to preserve himself and his soul throughout the war in the hopes of making the world a better place. Although he knows that he probably wont succeed in his goals because he and the rest of his generation are so beat down by the loss and horror of war, we will grow older, a few will adapt themselves, some others will merely submit, and most will be bewildered; the years will pass by and we shall fall into ruin the fact that he still hopes and cares, But perhaps all this that I think is mere melancholy and dismay, which will fly aw ay enough to want to fix the problems that started this war and maybe even prevent others from going through this ever again shows that even at the worst of times, shows that Paul manages to preserve his humanity (294). In another occasion such as when one of his comrade, Kemmerich, dies, he channeled his thoughts toward the justification of Muller claiming his soon deceased friends boots. Although Paul did express some sympathy towards his dying friend, it seems almost artificial as he quickly turned his attention towards a more important matter, at least in his mind, the matter of Kemmerichs belongings. He begins to speculates about who should claim what and should they really be claiming it. Of course, the rule of survival conjures up in his mind, and he remembered that the boots [were] quite inappropriate to Kemmerichs circumstances, whereas Muller [could] make good use of them (21). He even went further to justify the claim by stating that, we have lost all sense of other considerations, because they are artificial. Only the facts area real and important for us. And good boots are scarce (21). This presents a concept derived from the war, in which personal thoughts and individualism is limited and physical survival is accentuates. In a indirect way, his last thought depicts the barbarism of war, that way Man steps back in development and his conscience becomes simple; he only view upon on his needs and nothing else. For war is a two sided coin, with one side, the objective is seen as the motive, while on the other side, a sacrifice must be made to achieve the objective. But ignorantly, we ignore the mean and only focus upon the end. We hope that our actions, the vision of our better world will be achieved, and that the world will become more peaceful. But our efforts are in vain, and our hope is nothing more than a childs dream. War is a cycle, of which will never end. Its there to resolve problems momentary. Its there to break us down, and remind us that we are nothing more than savages who seek power and land. What others may see as normal and moral may be view differently by those who is not in their position. Frequently throughout Pauls journey as a soldier, his actions were often viewed upon as immoral; in that he gave little thoughts to his action, almost to the extent that he could not think of the situation any other way. In a specific incident, one of his younger comrade was badly wounded and would eventually die, so he and Kate agreed upon that [they] ought to put him out of his misery (72). Many of a third perspective may deem that as inhuman, to shoot some just to shorten their pain. Perhaps in his view, he was helping the poor lad by ending what would be a week or so of hell before he dies. But such thoughts may lead one to wonder if he may even think himself as a being greater than other, one who is has the authority to decide for the life of another. Humans are defined by our extension of complex thinking and our ability to empathize another. But in this case, Paul has yet to know how the pain of being severely injured, and only thought upon his assumptions. If he was in any other position, his first normal reaction may have been to carry that boy to the nearest help. As the war drags him into more the intensified front, he soon comes across [young recruits] flock together like sheep instead of scattering, and even wounded are shot down like hares by airmen (130). He sees some died right in front of him and some who runs out due to claustrophobia. However, in none of these occasions did he mourn for the dead, or even consider emotions such as sadness and sympathy. Perhaps it was due to the fact that he may have encountered numerous of such sight. When Paul sees the young recruits being kill due to lack of experience, he

Cat In The Rain Essay Example for Free

Cat In The Rain Essay From the literary analysis I wrote, I want my readers to be able to read and understand the special relationship of the husband and wife in Ernest Hemmingway’s â€Å"Cat in the Rain.† Some critics believed that the cat representing the American wife’s desire for a child. From the first time we read Hemingway’s short story, I immediately jumped to conclusions such as the couple did not really like each other or maybe they just had a barrier in the relationship. I discovered from other critics online and through other members of the class, that I was not the only one who thought so. It was not very difficult to write the second paragraph of this paper. Many parts of the story and pieces from the articles had lots to say about the American wife and her barrier from her husban d. The paragraph about George was more difficult for me because for most of the story, he remained in the room reading throughout the story. By writing an annotation and a literary analysis over the same Hemingway story helped me to see the differences between them and how to critically analyze literature. I did struggle with quoting and referencing the articles that I drew information from, but I felt like I did my best on the writing portion of the paper. I didn’t learn much quite as much in my Comp 1 class, but I have been able to take and learn a lot from this class. Literature and writing essays has never been my strong area, but I have been able to appreciate learning what we have so far!

Can A Suspect Be Interviewed Without Legal Representation?

Can A Suspect Be Interviewed Without Legal Representation? A suspect is in custody for robbery and the OIC wants to interview him as soon as possible without legal representation. The custody officer declines this request and a solicitor is brought to the police station. During questioning, it became necessary, in order to clarify the interviewees account, to pose questions which had already been asked. The solicitor argued that this is not permitted. There is then a break in the interview and when it is re-commenced the solicitor reads out a pre-prepared statement. Consider the above paragraph and paying particular regard to legislation, case law and the PACE Codes of Practice comment and critically evaluate under what circumstances can a suspect be interviewed when legal representation has been withheld. Secondly whether the solicitor is correct in his assumption that questions which have already been posed cannot be repeated. Thirdly the dangers for the defence in submitting a pre-prepared statements. Word Limit 2500 Word Count 2415 Circumstances under which a suspect can be interviewed when access to legal advice is withheld: In order to look into circumstances in which a suspect can be interviewed in the midst of delayed legal advice access, the criteria which must be met to make this delay must first be explored. The relevant legislation which governs the delay of legal advice comes from s.58 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984(PACE), in particular part (6) of the section, which states; Delay in compliance with a request is only permitted (a) in the case of a person who is in police detention for a serious arrestable offence; and (b) if an officer of at least the rank of superintendent authorises it. The request, for the purposes of this section, is a request to have legal access delayed for the suspect. The legislation is succinct; however, the codes of practise which need to be followed in order to successfully prevent legal advice from attending the interview, presents an officer of rank equal to or higher than superintendant, with a number of criteria which must be fulfilled before the delay is granted. Failure to follow these codes could bring the relevant officers up for disciplinary proceedings. Such failure occurred in the case of R v McGovern  [1]  , where the defendant was of limited intelligence and was unable to understand the caution. She was denied legal advice, and as such the subsequent confession she made was not admissable in court. Following from this breach of s.58 PACE, the second interview in which she was granted legal advice resulted in a confession. However, the conduct in the first interview was deemed to have tainted the second, and so this confessi on was also denied. Delay can only be made for a time period of up to 36 hours, after which legal advice must be granted, regardless of circumstances.  [2]   Under Annex B(Para.1) of PACE, there are 4 criteria from which an officer must find good reason to request a delay; Failing to exercise the delay would: (i) lead to: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ interference with, or harm to, evidence connected with an indictable offence; or à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ interference with, or physical harm to, other people; or (ii) lead to alerting other people suspected of having committed an indictable offence but not yet arrested for it; or (iii) hinder the recovery of property obtained in consequence of the commission of such an offence  [3]   Specific circumstances must be in place to delay access to a solicitor, and there must be clear evidence that the solicitors presence will result in one of the four criteria above occurring. This was the case in R v James Ors  [4]  , where confessions were obtained whilst in the absence of legal advice. The court heard that there was no specific evidence with regards to the unlawful conduct under part (ii) (above), of the individual solicitor, and that, with regards to the decision making process in passing this delay the number of times that a police officer could genuinely be in that state of belief will be rare. Furthermore, the suspect must not have been charged with the offence  [5]  , before the delay can be enforced. This was the case in R v Samuel  [6]  , where the original conviction was quashed on the basis that at the time of the interview of the defendant, at which the presence of a solicitor was denied, there had already been a charge of the offence. In addition to this, and in relation to the criteria above, it was deemed that access to a solicitor could not be denied simply by the belief that access might lead to other suspects in connection with the offence being alerted; the probability had to be high. A well-referenced quote was made in this case, from Hodgson LJ, which stated that entitlement to free legal representation was one of the most important and fundamental rights of a citizen. Equally, a breach of s.58 PACE does not always result in a quashed conviction. In R v Alliadice  [7]  , the grounds for refusal of legal advice for an interview included the worry that the solicitor may inadvertently warn other persons linked with the offence. The appeal against conviction was refused, as although there was a poor decision on the part of the officer for delaying advice, it was at the judges discretion to reverse the conviction. The judge decided against excluding the evidence under s.78 PACE, as the defendant was aware of his rights, exercised them (including the right to silence), and as such the presence of legal advice would not have changed the outcome of the interview. Finally, the offence with which the suspect is under question for must be a serious arrestable offence. S.116(1) of PACE lists the offences which fall under this category, and any factors which may cause a normal arrestable offence to become a serious one. Robbery is not normally an arrestable offence, and so for the delay in legal advice to be allowed, there must be exceptional circumstances as detailed in the section.  [8]   Providing that these criteria have been met, and that correct evidence is present, a suspect interview is permitted to be conducted under Code C (para 6.6) of PACE, a part of the code which otherwise would prevent such interviews from taking place. Is repeating questions previously posed, permissible? There is no mention of limits on repeating questions in the PACE codes of conduct; However, guidelines on the subject of investigative interview aims and techniques were published by the Home Office in 1992. Amongst these guidelines were the seven principles of investigative interviewing.  [9]  Following these guidelines, which were devised with existing Human Rights legislation in mind  [10]  , interviewing officers have a framework within which they can work without overstepping the line with regards to the treatment of suspects. In particular, there is one guideline which influences how repeat questioning can be posed. Principle number 4 states; Investigators are not bound to accept the first answer given. Questioning is not unfair merely because it is persistent. Therefore, persistent questioning, considering these guidelines, published under the title of The National Investigative Interviewing Strategy 2009  [11]  is permitted. But at what point does persistent questioning become oppressive? Oppressive behaviour can amount to inadmissibility of evidence; examples including confessions  [12]  . In R v Fulling  [13]  , Lord Lane CJ said that oppression occurred following behaviour which included excercise of authority or power in a burdensome, harsh or wrongful manner  [14]  . In R v Paris  [15]  , also known as the case of the Cardiff Three, over the course of 13 hours worth of interview time, a statement was put to the defendant forcefully, along with the question of whether he had committed the offence detailed, over 300 times. Despite no violence being used, this conduct was deemed to be oppressive. Another case which illustrates when questioning becomes beyond what is expected of the police officer, is that of R v Hero n  [16]  . In this case persistent badgering and questioning along the lines of getting a confession for the murder of a 7 year old girl resulted in the case being thrown out of court. This was despite the tone of the questioning not being aggressive or harsh; It was merely the style and purpose of the questioning with which the judge took issue. The result of a report into the actions taken during this enquiry found that the line between robust questioning and oppressive questioning was difficult to draw  [17]  . However, these are exceptional circumstances in which repeated questioning has been deemed to have gone too far; there are few reported cases. For the main part, the investigative guidelines are the key to allowing repeats of questioning. Code C (para.11.5) of PACE also guides the police officer to not use oppressive behaviour whilst conducting an interview. For the PEACE model of investigative interviewing, repeats of questions mentioned previously are a fundamental of the account clarification section of the model. The model is the standard start point from which all policing interviews are carried out in the United Kingdom, and as such, the guidelines must be clear. Without the freedom to ask questions repeatedly which may have either not been answered fully previously or without any conviction, then it becomes harder to ascertain the truth behind events; the main aim of investigative interviewing. Another of the principles of investigative interviewing confirms this; When conducting a suspect interview, police officers are free to ask questions in order to establish the truth The Dangers of Submitting Pre-Prepared Statements The purpose of handing in a pre-prepared statement is to provide a written copy of the details of the case, from the defences point of view, usually at the beginning of a suspect interview. If the statement contains adequate levels of detail, and covers any facts which are mentioned in court fully, then it has the power to negate the drawing of adverse inferences. An instance of when such inferences can be drawn can be found under s.34(1)(a) of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994(CJPOA), which reads; Where, in any proceedings against a person for an offence, evidence is given that the accused- at any time before he was charged with the offence, on being questioned under caution by a constable trying to discover whether or by whom the offence had been committed, failed to mention any fact relied on in his defence in those proceedings. As questioning under caution is mentioned, the statement should be handed in once the caution has been given. But what happens when the statement fails to give sufficient evidential value? Mentioning a fact in court which was not mentioned in the pre-prepared statement, but would have been reasonable to include in such a document, is one danger. In R v McGarry  [18]  , the defendant relied on facts which were not present on the statement which was handed in. There was merely flesh on the bones of that account, and an adverse inference can be drawn based on the reliance of such evidence in the proceedings, as in s.34(1)(a) CJPOA. Failure to mention basic facts which would have been reasonably expected in a vital piece of evidence is another danger in submitting a pre-prepared statement without thorough planning. Planning can be done prior to any interview in private between defendant and legal advisor, as the pre-prepared statement is a legally privileged document, and as such the police have no right to enforce access to it. In R v Bourgass  [19]  , the appellant had picked up a knife and stabbed 4 officers. He was convicted of murder, and then appealed based on admissibility of evidence. When analysed, the pre-prepared statement which was given at the beginning of the original interview provided no insight as to the reasoning behind why the appellant wished to escape, nor did it try to persuade that the use of the knife was in self-defence. In court the appellant relied solely upon this statement, and gave no other testimony in front of the jury; yet it contained such little in the way of a defence of his actions that the statement proved pointless, and the appellants conviction was held. It is not the failure to answer questions which can introduce the possibility of adverse inferences; but rather the failure to provide sufficient answers in the prepared statement, as in R v Knight  [20]  . In this case, despite failing to answer any questions in interview, the defences pre-prepared statement was enough to negate any wrong doing under s.34  [21]  , and so the appeal was allowed and the conviction was overruled.  [22]  However, this ruling came with a warning from the presiding judge; We wish to make it crystal clear that of itself the making of a pre-prepared statement gives no automatic immunity against adverse inferences under section 34  [23]   Adverse inferences can also be avoided providing what is said in the interview is in line with evidence found in the pre-prepared statement, as in R v Ali Ors  [24]  . The credibility of the suspect can be put under question if 2 statements which do not match in character and account are put to the court; A pre-prepared statement and an oral statement. Under s.119 of the Criminal Justice Act 2003, (1) If in criminal proceedings a person gives oral evidence and- (a) he admits making a previous inconsistent statement, or (b) a previous inconsistent statement made by him is proved by virtue of section 3, 4 or 5 of the Criminal Procedure Act 1865 (c. 18), the statement is admissible as evidence of any matter stated of which oral evidence by him would be admissible. This legislation means that both types of statement must be taken into account by the court, and both are admissible when the jury are making their decision. The decision must be made in light of the ruling in R v Argent  [25]  , where 6 guidelines were put in place to decide when an inference could be inferred; There must be proceedings against a person for an offence; The alleged failure to mention a fact at trial must have occurred before charge, or on charge; The alleged failure must have occurred during questioning under caution); The questioning must have been directed to trying to discover whether or by whom the alleged offence was committed; The alleged failure of the accused must have been to mention any fact relied on in his defence in those proceedings; The alleged failure must have been to mention a fact which in the circumstances existing at the time the accused could reasonably have been expected to mention when so questioned. Bibliography Cases: R v Argent [1997] 2 Cr.App.R. 27 R v Knight [2003] EWCA 1977 Paragraph 13 R v Ali Ors [2001] EWCA Crim 683. R v Knight [2003] EWCA 1977 R v McGarry[1998] EWCA Crim 2364 (16th July, 1998) R v Bourgass[2005] EWCA Crim 1943 (19 July 2005) R v Fulling[1987] 2 WLR 923 R v Paris (1993) 97 Cr. App. R. 99 R v George Heron, (November 1993) Unreported R v Samuel [1988] 1 QB 615 R. v Alladice[1988] Crim. L.R. 608 R v James Ors [2008] EWCA Crim 1869 (30 July 2008) R v McGovern(1991) 92 Cr. App. R. 228 Case Study: Depression and Dementia Care Case Study: Depression and Dementia Care Introduction Mr X is a 78 years old gentleman who has been admitted to a busy dementia unit six months ago. He was admitted from home following increasing lethargy, depression and reduced mobility. Prior to the admission he was diagnosed inter alia with Vascular Dementia. He communicates verbally with no difficulties, using very wide vocabulary however can mix up words and situations. He was assessed as lacking capacity to make informed decisions. Mr X has one daughter who is of the opinion that her father lacks insight into the difficulties he was having at home believing that he was managing fine. Mr X’s wife (Eva) died few months ago, in a hospital suffering from breast cancer. Mr X was very involved into her care throughout the illness and cannot accept the loss. Problem assessment Mr X, does appear to have an understanding of the sourroundings albeit he is very quiet most of the times almost like having no intrest of what is happening around him. He appears unable to generate any enthusiasm. Mr X remains independent in terms of personal care, use of facilities, eating and drinking and requires minimum assistance and maximum encouragement and prompting. He is able to mobilize with a zimmer frame, though seem to feel best sitting in a chair in his room, even at â€Å"meals or activities times†. In relation to the above three main problems that interlock have been identified 1. Depression and its effects Mr X cannot reconcile yourself to the loss of his wife, changes in life his physical and mental health resulting in depression and progress in dementia. He appears isolated, lost a lot of weight; apathy and withdrawal are present affecting seriously his ability to perform everyday tasks. According to him, to his daughter and to the information gained on assessment using Initial Dementia Assessment (IDA) he used to enjoy reading books, travelling and had an outgoing personality. The IDA indicated that the dramatic change and deterioration in his condition was noted when his wife passed away and he was told that he is having dementia. On the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) Mr X scored 20/30 which could suggest that his dementia is not severe and that there may be other reasons for his withowal. His score could have been slightly inflated because well educated people like Mr X find thequestions â€Å"easy† to answer (Marshal at al 1983) but he could be described as â€Å" mildly confused†. One of the MMSE questions related to language skills was about writing a sentence about anything. Mr X wrote a short statement â€Å"Eva is not here and I have dementia†. Research show that coping and getting along with the diagnosis of dementia is a time-consuming process often related to a range of emotions such as: fear, shame, guilt, sadness, bitterness, isolation and helplessnes. (Alzheimer Europe, 2009) Mr. X appeared to feel overwhelmed by those emotions. Paying attention to non verbal signs of Mr X bevaiour helped staff to investigate his case further. He often avoided eye contact, showed no inattentiveness his appetite decreased and his posture expressed â€Å"tiredness of living†. Studies of nonverbal behaviour indicators in show that this type of signs are often related to post traumatic stess disorder ( PTDS) and that men are more likely to show depression in a form of isolation and withrowal (Stratou at al, n.d.). 2. Upset family relationships Assessment tools demonstrated that family was very important to Mr X. When communicating with the daughter lack of understanding dementia, depression and PTDS were identified as an important factor contributing to Mr X situation. Evidence show that above named health issues have an impact on family members; relationship difficulties are common and it it not easy to understand the â€Å"loved one†. ( Alzheimer’s Society, 2013). The main concern was no communication with the father and unwillingness to spend time with him to enable him to accept his chalanging situalion. She could not imagine that her normally happy and sociable father was so depressed, and in addition diagnosed with dementia which meant he became â€Å"a stranger† to her. 3. Challenging behaviour Whilst staff members were doing their best trying to motivate and encourage Mr X to get more involved into his care and the care home life, Mr. X refused everything or simply ignored them. The efforts had a negative impact on him and caused reactions such as pretending to be dependent and irritating staff. These types of reaction have been identified by Wallbridge as types of aggression called â€Å" active resistance† ( Wallbridge, n.d.). Staff then presented negative attidude and disaffection towards Mr X. Evidence suggests that behaviours, including uncooperativeness, staff find difficult to cope can lead psychological stess amongst staff and discourage them to deepen knowledge related to the health problem of the patient. ( Brodaty at al, 2003) Planning From the above assessment a list o goals have been created in order to improve the quality of life for mr X which is aimed to be archived through: creating an environment where Mr X could feel emotionally safe, supported and understood helping him understand, manage and accept his condition . Lowering the level of lethargy and depression and stimulate functional ability, social contact and activity by encouraging him to talk and listen to what he is saying Stimulating and motivating Mr X to create new habits related to maintain his physical independence, eating and help him use his potential involving Mr X’s daughter into care and help her understand the complexity of her father’s condition to make the psychosocial interventions better and improve Mr X behaviour and mood as well as increase his acceptability of the care home settings. Encourage her to let Mr X know that she cares about him and to stay in contact with him by visiting him, taking him out, calling etc to minimise the isolating experience training for staff in relation to challenging behaviour and dementia awareness, communication, behaviour and work related stress management The desired outcome is partially based on the outcomes from the research done amongst people with mild dementia and suffering on depression that have successfully managed to improve their lives, that was done was done by the social work department of University of Stirling for the Scottish Executive. (Scottish Executive Social Research 2005) Implementation In relation to problem 1 Assessment using IDA and MMSE indicated that Mr X condition is affected by depression. Further investigation has been done. GP and the Liason Psychiatric Nurse have been contacted and involved. Mr X scored 23/30 in the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) indicating severe depression. (Yesavage et al, 1982) It has been decided that his depression should be addressed first because it was the major factor preventing Mr X from enjoying life similarly to like he used to. It is known that the effects of depression go far beyond the mood ( Smith at el. 2014). In Mr X case this had an impact not only on his energy, appetite, and physical activity but also on his relations with family and staff. In relation to the weight loss Malnutrition Universal Screening Too (MUST) (BAPEN, n.d.) has been used. Initial MUST score was 0 with healthy BMI but due to his poor appetite the score rose to 1 within 3 months. Therefore his dietary intake was documented in a form of Food and Fluids Record Chat ( Care NHS UK, n.d) and his weight was monitored every two weeks. In relation to diet intake Mrs X was offered meals according to his likes suggested by his daughter and accepted by himself which significantly increased the likehood of an â€Å" consumed meal† . After 2 months his weight stabilised. He remains â€Å" poor eater† and therefore his meals contain more calories. His weight is currently monitored once a month and is not a concern anymore. Changes are documented in his care plan that is evaluated every month. Studies show an association between depression and increased mortality in older adults. Factors identified in Mr X case included poor adherence , lack of physical activity, cognitive impairment. ( Gallo et al 3013) From the point of his medication, a rviewd was requested by the GP and and it has been suggested to discontinue Paroxetine(Seroxat) and commence on Amitriptyline. Both belong to antidepressants but vary in side effects. ( NHS Choice, 2013). In addition it has been requested to commence Mr X on regular laxatives as episode of constipation have been noted. Currently Mr X bowels are monitored and documented on bowels chart on daily basis. No concerns have been noted. In relation to problem 2 Reduced sense of purpose was identified as the main co-existing factor To help Mr X overcome this problem (which he expressed clearly during the MMSE mentioning the loss of his spouse and dementia diagnosis) his daughter was asked to participate and although she was initially sceptical she brought meaningful memoralia and small pieces of furniture to help him feel like home. Staff gave her assistance and explanation in relation to dementia and depression. She was also offered help and given reassurance in a form of Family Support Meetings organised by the home. The initial scepticism disappeared with gaining awareness of the illness. She became Mr X advocate and currently holds medical and financial power of attorney for him. ( Office of the Public Guardian, Scotland, n.d.) Furthermore her two sons come regularly to visit Mr. X, they often take him out for a meal or call him to find out how he is. Staff has also managed to discuss one the most sensitive matters related to Mr. X’s End of Life such as DNACPR certificate that is present in Mr X file in the event of need. Mr. X’s relationship with his daughter and grandsons appears happy. The daughter stated that this helped also her to resolve personal problems she feels acknowledged by her father and therefore valued. There is a Family/Relatives Communication part in Mr X care plan and a book in Mr X room where any suggestions, complaints or comments can be made by staff members or by the family .(U.S National Library of Medicine, 2011) The relation with staff can be defined as very good. A person’s family is often the most important, long-standing connection in their life. Therefore, the ability of staff to work positively and inclusively with families and carers is a core staff skill. In relation to problem 3 Most of the staff required training to help them understand the nature of behaviour that challenges. The importance of the training this became so vital that it is now one of the mandatory trainings every member of staff has to attend. Skills that were aimed to be improved included addressing challenging behaviour, person centred approach and communication skills (Skills for Care, 2013) Many staff showed the need to be trained in related to stress management (Wallbridge, n.d.) The future aim is to create a team that focuses on people’s assets and life outcomes. A team that is confident of their roles and impact on Mr X and any other client, willing to contribute and encouraging new members of staff to learn. Evaluation Summarising, Mr. X case has been an example of mostly successful process of assessment and implementation of the planned actions. There was and so called â€Å"multi agency† approach to Mr X needs. Assessment tools helped in the identification and articulation of the needs and contributed to positive changes leading to holistic, personalised approach to them. Recent changes to the social care management and the need to comply with the Public Services Reform Scotland Act 2010 contributed to the awareness in relation to staff due to the accent on the importance of systematic and sensitive assessment. Mr X’s continuing care did not require up to now any specific nursing interventions. The difficulty consisted of identifying the roles and the division of work. Mr X’s case proved that there are different functions staffs have to complete that contribute to the optimum health and overall wellbeing of older people such as: psychosocial and emotional support enabling life review – where the family support was crucial but required time to function work aimed at maintaining his independence and functional ability that continues to be improved through the aspiration of a well functioning team work. educative teaching self-care activities by encouraging physical activity managerial- directions in terms of who and when undertakes the administrative and supervisory responsibilities could have been improved. All the above reduces to good knowledge, awareness, and experience, will power to change things for the better and to a well functioning team work. Many things would have been done sooner or could have been dealt with better if we were aware of the need and knew how. This is why it would be recommended to pay more attention to training needs in relation to new regulations, staff assessments, achieving and evidencing outcomes, person-centred care planning. References Office of the Public Guardian( Scotland)( n.d.) http://www.publicguardian-scotland.gov.uk/whatwedo/power_of_attorney.asp Care NHS UK ( n.d.) Food and Fluid Record Chart http://www.glos-care.nhs.uk/images/Food_and_Fluid_chart_-_attachment_31_copy_copy_copy.pdf (BAPEN, n.d.) Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool http://www.bapen.org.uk/pdfs/must/must_full.pdf Skills for Care (2013) Supporting staff working with people who challenge services Guidance for employers http://www.skillsforcare.org.uk/Document-library/Skills/People-whose-behaviour-challenges/Supporting-staff-working-with-challenging-behaviour-(Guide-for-employers)vfw-(June-2013).pdf U.S National Library of Medicine (2011) no author Communicating with families of dementia patients Can Fam Physician Joulrnal Vol 57(7): 801–802 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3135450/ NHS Choice ( 2013) Antidepressantshttp://www.nhs.uk/conditions/Antidepressant-drugs/Pages/Introduction.aspx Melinda Smith, M.A., Lawrence Robinson, and Jeanne Segal, Ph.D. Last updated: February 2014. Depression in Older Adults the Elderly http://www.helpguide.org/mental/depression_elderly.htm Gallo, J., Morales, K.H.,Bogner, H.R, Raue, J.P, Zee,J, Bruce M.L and Reynolds C.F(2013) BMJ Helping doctors making better decisions Long term effect of depression care management on mortality in older adults: follow-up of cluster randomized clinical trial in primary care http://www.bmj.com/content/346/bmj.f2570 Scottish Executive Social Research (2005) Effective Social Work with Older People http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/47121/0020809.pdf Wallbridge, H. ( n.d.) When pushed to the limit:Moving beyond a difficult situation http://www.alzheimer.mb.ca/handouts/When%20Pushed%20to%20the%20LimitMoving%20Beyond%20a%20Difficult%20Situation.pdf Alzheimer Society (2013) Understanding and respecting the person with dementia file:///C:/Users/GEORGE/Downloads/Understanding_and_respecting_the_person_with_dementia_factsheet.pdf Stratou,G., Scherer,S., Gratch,J. and Morency, L.P. (n.d) University of Southern California, Institute for Creative Technologies, Los Angeles Automatic Nonverbal Behavior Indicators ofDepression and PTSD: Exploring Gender Differences http://ict.usc.edu/pubs/Automatic%20Nonverbal%20Behavior%20Indicators%20of%20Depression%20and%20PTSD-%20Exploring%20Gender%20Differences.pdf Alzheimer Europe (2009) no author Facing the diagnosis Diagnosis of dementia http://www.alzheimer-europe.org/Living-with-dementia/After-diagnosis-What-next/Diagnosis-of-dementia/Facing-the-diagnosis Marshal F. Folstein, MD; Lee N. Robins, PhD; John E. Helzer, MD (1983) The Mini-Mental State Examination JAMA Network Journal Archives of General Psychiatry Vol 40, No. 7 http://archpsyc.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=493108 National Chronic Care Consortium and the Alzheimer’s Association (2003) Tools for Early Identification,Assessment, and Treatment for People with Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia http://www.alz.org/national/documents/brochure_toolsforidassesstreat.pdf

The Underlying Message Essays -- essays research papers

The Underlying Message Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance is not specifically about orthodox Zen Buddhist practice nor does if specifically teaches how to repair a motorcycle. It does, however, dig into the inner structure of the thought process to form a foundation to support any form of logic. This is accomplished by means of a trek through the author’s mind as he recounts his past in attempt to rediscover who he once was. As the author comes to term with his duality, the reader is conditioned to understand the author’s philosophical ideas, which are the underlying beams of his value system. Pirsig presents his message through lectures to the reader. These lectures are comprised of history, philosophy, and common sense. The author purposely uses the term chautauqua to define these lectures. He describes a chautauqua as â€Å"an old-time series of popular talks intended to edify and entertain, improve the mind and bring culture and enlightenment to the ears and thoughts of the hearer† (p.17). Throughout the story Pirsig breaks from his incomplete lecture to focus on the current situation of his motorcycle trip. As the story continues, some nonspecific aspect triggers the author’s mind to restart a new lecture, and eventually, they all tie together. The most common reoccurring lecture themes include the purpose of institutions, the search for quality and the need of balance between two extremes. These are interesting highlights of the book, but it is not the author’s intention to convert his audience to his value system. Rather, it is Pirsig’s g oal to present how he created his value system as an example to show how to tackle such a complex and abstract subject. In fact, the reoccurring themes themselves are complex and abstract subjects, and Pirsig breaks each of them apart to analyze the system, just how one would tear down an engine to understand how a motorcycle functions. Institutions and their role obviously weighed heavily upon the author’s mind. He explored the system from the whole down to its most minute parts. First, he chose one type of institution, education. From past experience as a student and professor, Pirsig naturally had formed an opinion on the matter. He observed that students are taught to imitate, and the result is a drone modeled after the instructor. This is done to please the instructor so a higher grade can be received. The n... ...y harm him. The narrator did not understand who he was until he saw that Chris finally realized it. â€Å"I knew it† (p. 370). Phaedrus let go and submitted in the mental hospital for the love of his son. The narrator was abandoning Chris for the same reason. It was not until both identities had racked themselves apart that they could be brought back together, and the quality of their lives change. Suddenly the introduction seems fitting.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"And what is good, Phaedrus,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  And what is not good–   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Need we ask anyone to tell us these thing?† Pirsig did not want to mold our minds. Instead, he showed us the way. He taught his audience how to think and to learn. That was the author’s hidden intent all along, and if he were to just come out and say it, it would lose its meaning. The reader has to tear himself apart to find out what makes him tick. What is the driving force that is the basis for his actions? What does the reader hold important and why? What values should he possess and when should they hold? Once we do understand ourselves, we can understand our surroundings, and our quality of life increases. The Underlying Message Essays -- essays research papers The Underlying Message Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance is not specifically about orthodox Zen Buddhist practice nor does if specifically teaches how to repair a motorcycle. It does, however, dig into the inner structure of the thought process to form a foundation to support any form of logic. This is accomplished by means of a trek through the author’s mind as he recounts his past in attempt to rediscover who he once was. As the author comes to term with his duality, the reader is conditioned to understand the author’s philosophical ideas, which are the underlying beams of his value system. Pirsig presents his message through lectures to the reader. These lectures are comprised of history, philosophy, and common sense. The author purposely uses the term chautauqua to define these lectures. He describes a chautauqua as â€Å"an old-time series of popular talks intended to edify and entertain, improve the mind and bring culture and enlightenment to the ears and thoughts of the hearer† (p.17). Throughout the story Pirsig breaks from his incomplete lecture to focus on the current situation of his motorcycle trip. As the story continues, some nonspecific aspect triggers the author’s mind to restart a new lecture, and eventually, they all tie together. The most common reoccurring lecture themes include the purpose of institutions, the search for quality and the need of balance between two extremes. These are interesting highlights of the book, but it is not the author’s intention to convert his audience to his value system. Rather, it is Pirsig’s g oal to present how he created his value system as an example to show how to tackle such a complex and abstract subject. In fact, the reoccurring themes themselves are complex and abstract subjects, and Pirsig breaks each of them apart to analyze the system, just how one would tear down an engine to understand how a motorcycle functions. Institutions and their role obviously weighed heavily upon the author’s mind. He explored the system from the whole down to its most minute parts. First, he chose one type of institution, education. From past experience as a student and professor, Pirsig naturally had formed an opinion on the matter. He observed that students are taught to imitate, and the result is a drone modeled after the instructor. This is done to please the instructor so a higher grade can be received. The n... ...y harm him. The narrator did not understand who he was until he saw that Chris finally realized it. â€Å"I knew it† (p. 370). Phaedrus let go and submitted in the mental hospital for the love of his son. The narrator was abandoning Chris for the same reason. It was not until both identities had racked themselves apart that they could be brought back together, and the quality of their lives change. Suddenly the introduction seems fitting.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"And what is good, Phaedrus,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  And what is not good–   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Need we ask anyone to tell us these thing?† Pirsig did not want to mold our minds. Instead, he showed us the way. He taught his audience how to think and to learn. That was the author’s hidden intent all along, and if he were to just come out and say it, it would lose its meaning. The reader has to tear himself apart to find out what makes him tick. What is the driving force that is the basis for his actions? What does the reader hold important and why? What values should he possess and when should they hold? Once we do understand ourselves, we can understand our surroundings, and our quality of life increases.

If You Don’t Want Them To Know Something, Put In A Book, They’ll Never Read It! :: Personal Narrative Writing

â€Å"If You Don’t Want Them To Know Something, Put In A Book, They’ll Never Read It!† â€Å"If you don’t want them to know something, put it in a book, they’ll never read it.† This was a saying that was widely during and after desegregation of the schools, and as I know is still being used today, to display the ignorance and lack of knowledge of African-Americans. The sad fact is that it is true. If it doesn’t come across the television or radio, then most people don’t know what is going on. Most people that I know watches television rather than go to school. As an African-American, it was very important for me to learn to read, write, and obtain a quality education. It’s amazing to see the carelessness that many people take toward getting a good education. Many of my ancestors lost their lives for just wanting to read and write, but now that African-Americans have the opportunity to do these things, hardly anyone takes advantage of it. For me, as an African-American, education is extremely important because many affluent peop le like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Mary McCloud Bethune, and Linda Brown, fought â€Å"tooth and nail† and lost much of their blood, sweat, and tears to ensure that we were properly educated. Over the years I have adopted a slogan, â€Å"If it’s free, it’s for me†. Although public education is free today, someone no doubt lost his or her life for me to sit in a classroom to learn. I try to take advantage of every opportunity I get to read and write because I can never learn too much. I was raised in the north end of Hartford, Connecticut. I wouldn’t say that the city was impoverished, but it was far from perfect. It was similar to most northern big cities, rampant with drugs, violence, and crime. In just one week there could have been anywhere from 10-15 burglaries, which probably accounted for the degree to which owners were protective of their businesses. When I passed most stores at night or after their closing times, I saw that they were guarded with security doors and steel bars on the windows. But for as long as I can remember, I’ve never seen any bars or security doors protecting the libraries, which goes to prove the point that â€Å"If you don’t want them to know something, put it in a book, they’ll never read it.

Most Significant Issues Facing Health Care Organizations Essay

Formed in 1998, the Managed Care Executive Group (MCEG) is a national organization of U.S. senior health executives who provide an open exchange of shared resources by discussing issues which are currently faced by health care organizations. In the fall of 2011, 61 organizations, which represented 90 responders, ranked the top ten strategic issues for 2012. Although the issues were ranked according to their priority, this report discusses the top three issues which I believe to be the most significant due to the need for competitive and inter-related products, quality care and cost containment. The Managed Care Executive Group (MCEG) The objective of the MCEG is to provide channels to exchange information between managed care/health plan information systems executives and to provide opportunity for personal networking. MCEG provides a forum to develop policy which relates to the use of information technology and healthcare. MCEG provides feedback to vendor sponsors and other vendors on the trends and types of technology needed to ensure that their products and strategies meet their customer’s present and future managed care needs. Additionally, their objective is to â€Å"educate executives on clinical and administrative trends in health care, new and emerging technologies, and other pertinent information to assist in achieving the key goals of cost containment, effective service and high quality health care.† (Why We Matter, 2011) Administrative Mandates (Compliance HIPAA 5010, ICDE-10) Administrative Mandates, including the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act, ICD-10 and HIPAA 5010, are all part of administrative simplification and the need for systems optimiza... ...ntial in ACOs. Retrieved January 16, 2012 from http://www.healthmgttech.com/index.php/solutions/payers/eight-reasons-payer-interoperability-and-data-sharing-are-essential-in-acos.html Wise, N., & Taylor, F. (n.d.) Moving Forward With Reform: The Health Plan Pulse for 2012 and Beyond. Retrieved January 16, 2012 from http://www.htms.com/pdfs/MovingForwardWtihReform2012_HTMS_MCEG_Whitepaper.pdf Payer/Provider Inoperability. (2011). Retrieved January 13, 2012 from http://www.mceg.net/top-10/payer/ The Managed Care Executive Group. (2011). Retrieved January 13, 2012 from http://www.mceg.net/ Top 10 issues for health plans in 2011. (2011, April 5) Healthcare IT News. Retrieved January 13, 2011 from http://www.healthcareitnews.com/print/24881 Why We Matter. (2011). Retrieved January 13, 2012 from http://www.mceg.net/about-us/why-we-matter/

Commemorative Speech Essay

In Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban we were introduced to Sirius Black, a character who would change the Harry Potter world, as all readers would know it. I would like to commemorate his memory; not only because he did pass in Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix, but also because he introduced us to the greater plot and foreshadowing that JK Rowling had in store for us, I am qualified to speak on this topic because I have read the Harry Potter series 14 times and listened to the audio books 8 times. Sirius is a fighter. Sirius spent 13 years in Azkaban, being held for a crime he didn’t commit, and never lost hope. Even though the whole wizarding world was against him and thought that he killed muggles, and Peter Petigrew, he fought to get out and protect his god son. Sirius is also a person who brought Harry information about his parents. Sirius was Lily and James’ best friend since the first day at Hogwarts, and grew up with them. Sirius exposed the truth that Wormtail betrayed his parents, and made the bold statement that â€Å"he would rather have died than betray his friends†. Sirius Black also turned into that person that Harry needed. Sirius was a father/older brother role model that Harry lacked and so desperately needed. Sirius was always there for Harry when he needed him. In the Goblet of Fire he gave him life saving advice when Harry had to face the 3 tasks. In the Order of the Pheonix Sirius calmed Harry about the uncertainties he had about his father, and came to his resuce at the Ministry of Magic. Everything about Sirius Black was crucial during the Harry Potter books. Sirius was one of the most influential and important character in the Harry Potter books, and that is why I chose to commemorate him.

Death and its effects Essay

There is a certain sequence to life. We are born, we die and the part in the middle is called life. Everyone must die and every religion in the world seems to have a belief about what happens after death. We can die at any age be it by accident, illness, disease or old age. Unfortunately accidents and disease are quite common and cause much more distress to loved ones than if someone dies of old age. This is because of the order of death which we expect. Most people believe that Grandparents should die first, followed by Parents then finally Children. However, the world does not always work this way, spawning the phrase ‘a parent should never have to bury their child’. Accidents can strike someone down at anytime as can illness. When this happens it is usually a shock and the grief caused by this can be dependent on the age – if a younger person dies then the shock can be devastating but if someone dies in their ‘twilight years’ then the shock is greatly reduced as the family is half expecting it and they have led a full life. When someone dies, people cope with it in different ways. Some people cry and sob while others will quietly sit and contemplate. In other instances, people will go into denial and refuse to believe that their loved one is gone. This type of denial is aided by the fact that we do not have to deal with death directly, more often than not we will arrange for a funeral director to plan and take care off everything. Many people tell their loved ones how they feel everyday, this allows them to be secure in that their loved one will not die without them knowing they love them. People do not like for someone to die if they have not told them all that they should have or have ended their last conversation in an argument. They begin to have that underlying feeling of guilt and foreboding. To know that someone knows what you are going through is a great help to the bereaved, friends can come over and offer their support and allow the person to explain how they feel. The whole idea of talking to someone is the basis of therapy and can offer some relief through sympathy/empathy. Funerals, after they have been arranged are often held within the week of the person dying. This is to offer some finality to the whole process and to let the relatives to decide whether they want an ‘open coffin’ or ‘closed coffin’ funeral. Funerals vary from one Christian denomination to another but they all have a glimmer of hope in them for the relatives and friends. The hope of eternal life in the presence of God allows the church to help the bereaved deal with their loss by encouraging them to believe that they will be reunited with them after they die. In a funeral, the coffin is carried from its method of transport to the church (this is usually a hearse, but can be a horse-drawn carriage) by the pall-bearers. These are often the male members of the family who were closest to the deceased. I am the Resurrection and the Life. He who believes in Me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. (John 11:25-26) The above verses from John 11 are often read. These words are used to comfort the bereaved as they speak of eternal life and love. There are also often hymns, prayers for the person who has died and other Bible readings. The priest will then give a short sermon on the Christian beliefs of life after death. Eulogies are also often read out by a member of the family or a close friend. A eulogy is a short speech about the life of the person who has died. It is traditional to wear black clothing at funerals. This is not required however and some families will request that guests do not dress in this way. A Roman Catholic funeral also includes a ‘Requiem Mass’. For this, the priest will wear white vestments and the coffin will be covered in a white pall. The coffin is sprinkled with Holy Water and the priest says: In the waters of baptism (name) died with Christ, and rose with him to new life. May s/he now share with him in eternal glory. The coffin is then sprinkled again and later perfumed with incense. After the funeral, many Christians put on a meal for guests to thank them for coming. In the case of Roman Catholics and many Irish Christians, a wake will be put on. A wake is a small, lively party to celebrate the persons passing into Heaven and their life. Of course, the person who all this was held for does not realise. The deceased person is not really there and only an empty shell remains. There are several different, but equally important reasons for holding a funeral. A funeral marks the ending of a human life, as baptism marks the beginning. It also allows the families to go through the various stages of grief. A funeral lets them see that the person is gone forever, but gives them comfort and support from faith. A funeral is used by Christians to be reminded of one of Christianity’s main beliefs – there is life after death and that God will give us strength to face up to our sorrow. Graves are also often erected. These graves are permanent markers to the person and can last hundreds of years. It is very interesting to walk around a cemetery and see the impact someone has made on another persons life as some graves have monumental tombstones on them. These come at a huge price and it is amazing to see that someone has paid so much money for something the deceased will never see In Christian terms, there are two places after you die, Heaven and Hell. There is much debate about whether Heaven and Hell are actual places. The Literalists believe it is as the bible clearly mentions it in the New Testament. According to older theories, Heaven is a place where those who are sinless go to be with God and everyone is happy. On the other hand, Hell was meant to be a place of ‘fire and brimstone’ where everyone suffered for their sins. Now here is where the argument comes in. Many people say that Hell cannot exist because it is impossible for such a loving and forgiving God to create a place of suffering. Some Christians also believe that Heaven and Hell are not so much places as states of mind. Heaven is where you are at peace and can be with God and Hell is where you are confined and isolated from the warmth of God’s love. A modern story of the literal differences between Heaven and Hell goes as follows: A man dies and is greeted by St. Peter at the gates of Heaven. The man asks if he can see both Heaven and Hell before he is judged. St. Peter agrees and an angel escorts the man into a room. In the room, there is a long dining table. The man asks where they are and the angel tells him that they are in Hell. He explains that in both Heaven and Hell, you are treated equally and can eat all your favorite foods from the table on one condition: you must eat them with 6 foot long utensils. The man ponders on this for a moment then asks what the difference is between the two. The angel tells him that in Heaven, people are well fed as they feed one another while the people in Hell starve as they only try to feed themselves and fail. In Christian beliefs about resurrection, the idea that the whole body is resurrected, not just the soul is prominent. Jesus was recognised by St. Peter after his resurrection (see Corinthians 15:35-57), this shows us that when we are resurrected, our new bodies will be recognisable to our family and friends. Jewish beliefs about death are not so different from those of Christianity. Instead of Heaven and Hell, Jews believe that all souls go to ‘Sheol’, a shadowy underworld. The Jewish faith also has beliefs on resurrection. According to Maimonides, when the Messiah comes, all the dead will be resurrected and judged. In death, every member of the family is affected. Adults know what is going on, but what about the children. What should we tell them? Many parents explain to their children that whoever has died has ‘gone with the angels’. This is often the easiest way as children associate angels with happiness. This reasoning is often why people grow up imagining Heaven to be in the clouds above our Earth and full of angels, it is a remnant of our childhood. However, some parents decide to not tell their children anything. It all depends on the individual child and how they will cope with this new information. Some children can cope with the hard evidence – someone has died and isn’t going to come back, while others cannot grasp the concept of death until they are much older. All religions have theories on life and death. In the New Age religions, many people believe in the Gaia theory. The Gaia theory was developed many hundreds of years ago and can be found in old texts about the meaning of life. The Gaia theory tells us that the Earth on which we live has a spirit and that all living organisms have their spirit given by Gaia (the Earth spirit). These organisms live their respective lives and ‘soak’ up their experiences to enrich its spirit. When the organism dies, its spirit returns to Gaia and the experiences it had allow Gaia to create new lives. After looking at several different religions, it is apparent that all have one thing in common – the belief that after you die a part of you lives on and returns to something, be it Allah, Gaia or God.

Eyewitness: Life Essay

In the movie Eyewitness Life, I had many factual observations. First, I noted that cockroaches can survive very low temperatures up until -40c. This has been a very efficient method for their survival. They are among the few creatures that have survived from the prehistoric era. During the change of times and periods such as the ice age, most prehistoric creatures have become extinct. It is this adaptation of the cockroaches that has allowed them to withstand change and be around until today. Second, it showed that humans need to eat as much as they weigh every 50 days. This shows the balance of intake and output with respect to the usage of food we eat for survival. It shows that an adequate amount of nutrition is important to maintain one’s self. It’s amazing how every 50 days, a 70kg man actually should be taking in 70 kg worth of food which is a large quantity, much more than we’d actually notice day by day. Third, primitive life can multiply very fast at breakneck speeds. The significance of this is yet another method of survival. In the wild, there are many predators which can devour the young. Being able to quickly multiply allows nature to continually keep species alive and in good numbers despite the dangers that abound. Fourth, early giraffes may have started with short necks but as they stretched their necks for food they passed on the genes to next generation. This shows us how each specie can adapt to its environment. This allowed giraffes to adapt in order to provide for its needs. Through time, the lengthening of the neck of a giraffe is proof of an animal’s capability to adjust to its environment for survival. Fifth, some male birds catch fish to attract females. The laws of attraction are indeed as real in nature as they are among us men. Sixth, oxygen isn’t always a requirement for life. Bacteria found in deep oceans do not require oxygen. This shows us diversity in nature. Although we humans use oxygen, other creatures are capable of utilizing the other gases for their survival. Those that don’t have access to oxygen, like the bacteria, can adapt and utilize other means. Seventh, when a live sponge is shredded it will replace itself exactly the same way. Once more we see how one can adapt to its environment and survive. This method of regeneration is how the sponge protects itself from extinction. The same goes for starfish and other similar creatures. They can re-grow a lost appendage or part to replace what may have been damaged by a predator. Eighth, tortoises on the Galapagos Island have a notch in their neck, a mutated trait that is passed on to adapt to their environment. Once more, like the giraffe, nature shows how a specie can adapt through time. Ninth, birds are incredible breathing machines. Some can sing without taking another breath. This is an interesting fact. It shows a similarity of birds to us humans, where professional opera singers can mimic this birdlike quality and sing for extended periods on one breath. Lastly, snails move 0. 0013 km per hour. Indeed, they are among the slowest creatures on earth. Hence, nature for adaptation has provided them with a shell for protection, as although speed may not be used for defense, at least the hard covering may pose some resistance in order to survive. Eyewitness: trees In the second movie, the first fact I learned was that trees once covered 4/5 of Earth’s land mass. Secondly, I also noted that trees still cover half of planet area today. This tells me two things. First, trees apparently through time have been an essential part of wildlife and the balance of nature, as since they covered 4/5th of the earth before, they were very much integrated in nature. Second, it shows me how much we have already lost. To have only a half left shows how much more should be done to preserve these trees before even more are destroyed. The third fact is learned is that the oak tree offers habitat for many living things and is one of 30 thousand kinds of trees. Again, this further shows that trees are essential for animals and other wildlife, and the preservation of them is important to protect many aspects of nature. Frogs, salamanders, insects and many more depend on these trees and protecting these creatures means protecting their trees. Fourth, trees can grow almost anywhere, but occasional nature is inhospitable such as in the North and South poles. This shows us that apart from these obscure places, our protection of the forest may not only consist of preventing destruction, but of rebuilding forests as well. Industry over the years has destroyed much of them. As these trees are very capable of growing in almost anywhere, then there is even greater reason to set forth and begin the restoration of these lost forests. Fifth, I learned that from aspirin to the latest cancer drugs, we find treatment from trees. This is a major contribution of trees to our own survival. As these trees show much promise to the world of medicine, then all the more people must be made aware that they must be preserved. For each time some are taken for study, then new ones should be planted. How is the world to progress if we keep taking and taking, and one day there is no more? Another fact I learned was that it takes 4000 mature trees are needed to build a ship. Given the way industry today has taken over, this shows that thousands of trees have been taken to fill our harbors for cargo and trade. The question is: how many of them were actually replaced? It enlightens us regarding the sheer amount of trees that are being taken. In light of their many uses, such as the medicinal use, then much care should be implemented in maintaining a balance between harvest of these trees and restoration of them. Imagine this, the seventh fact I learned was that one tree provides full year oxygen for 8 people. This means that the 4000 trees taken for one ship is oxygen for 32000 people lost. These trees very much provide for us so much, and such, much more concern should be placed on their survival. Eighth fact I learned was that tropical trees grow all year, and for each year, trees grow by just adding rings around their trunk. They add up a new coat each year. I found this interesting as it shows how nature found a way to account for age just the way we do. Ninth, trees are homes for variety of animals. For example, leopards store their prey on trees. Again, not only do trees provide a way of life for the small creatures like frogs and snakes, but for the larger animals as well. A whole environment and diverse balance of life revolves around one tree, from oxygen production, to shelter, to food, and all these are deprived from creatures by their loss. Thus, by destroying trees, we are contributing to the loss of nature itself. The last fact I learned was an interesting one about the giant sequoia. This apparently is the biggest tree and can grow up until 34-storeys tall. In a tree so great and so large, imagine how much it can provide to all life around it. Amazing. Eyewitness: Mammals I learned many things from this movie as well. The first fact I learned was that elephants never stop growing. Apparently, they can live up until 80 years, however in the wild, only until 30 years. I found it interesting that the elephants can actually live as long as we do. Also interesting was how much shorter they live in the wild, precisely 50 years shorter. This shows us the role of care and resources to life. In the wild, they have to provide food for themselves and in the event of a drought and such, when food is scarce, survival time is shorter. Secondly, in the wild, they are exposed to the elements, such as wind, heat and rain, which bear wear and tear on them also decreasing life. Of course, as an additional factor, they are targets as prey for carnivores and this also can decrease their life span. When in care, they are exempt from many of these, thus they live longer lives. I’d say the same for us humans, and any other creature, who can expect longer lives when in good care and nurturing environment. The second fact I learned was that bats are only mammals that can truly fly. They have great navigation skills, can see pray without using their eyes, and have enough stealth to attack their prey without being heard. This primarily shows that bats are in fact not birds, and belong to our group of species: the mammals. It’s interesting how they have managed to adapt by garnering the ability to approach in stealth. This ensures them adequate food resource needed to survive. It also helps with their habitat, as their flight skills allow them to navigate in the dark caves where the dwell. Third, polar bear have black skin and white fur. This was interesting as it shows camouflage. Polar bears live in icy regions. Their white fur allows them to blend in the surroundings to aid in the hunt for food. Fourth, a duck that lay eggs is a mammal. As ducks are birds, there are some mammals that may look like a duck because they possess a similar foot webbing or beak, such as a platypus. Fifth, some anteaters eat 30000 ants per day. This was another interesting fact as 30000 ants a day, would mean 210000 ants a week, and millions more a month. Sixth, rabbits communicate with tail talk. Communication is one similarity between us and animals only in different form. It interesting to see how just like we do, animals have learned to coordinate by other forms of communication. As whales can use their sonar, rabbits use their tails. Seventh fact is that camels are able to detect water more than few days away. These creatures live in the deserts where water is scarce. This ability is an amazing adaptation as it allows them to survival resources in the harshest conditions. Their hump is also another adaptation is it stores energy and fat needed in the event that water and food are miles away through the desert. Eighth, a dominant male seal can mate 100 times in one season. This is a survival method. By having the capability to do so, one males can impregnate more than a hundred females thus ensuring a lot of newborn seals to increase their number by next season. It keeps them in survival despite being prey to the polar bears and killer whales. Ninth, a mouse is only pregnant 6 weeks and a cat 9 weeks. The short gestation period allows room for multiple births a year, against ensuring survival of a species through regular reproduction. The last fact was that if a hedgehog falls down from height, it bounces. This was so interesting, as it apparently has a ball like quality. This helps it survive a fall as it covering allows the bounce to reduce the pressure of impact, and helping it survive.