Analysis Of The Movie An Accident - 1495 Words

â€Å"An accident,† I repeated. â€Å"My fault, not Kevin’s. Please let me see him†. Pg.10 Dana told the police the injury was an accident and that it was her fault. The police did not believe her, but since there were no witnesses, they had no choice but to release Kevin from jail. I think Dana should’ve told the truth to the police. â€Å"I know. But that seemed to be a good word to use on them to show my ignorance. It wasn’t all that inaccurate either. Then they wanted me to tell them how such a thing could happen. I said I didn’t know kept telling them I didn’t know. And heaven help me, Dana, I don’t know.† â€Å"Neither do I,† I whispered. â€Å"Neither do I.† pg.12 When Kevin got out of jail he went to visit Dana in the hospital and they were both confused†¦show more content†¦If I was Kevin I wouldn’t want to be in near Dana anymore because someone can’t just disappear and return back like everything is normal. The boy already knew more about revenge than I did. What kind of man was he going to grow up into? Pg.26-27 Dana makes an observation about Rufus during the second visit to save him from a fire he stared Rufus comes from a violent world, and he is being raised to be a violent person in my opinion the way Rufus is being raised he will grow up to be the harsh and cruel. Patrollers made sure the slaves were where they were supposed to be at night, and they punished those who weren t. pg.45 Dana s first encounter with white violence comes when she runs into a group of patrollers She has to duck out of sight to avoid encountering a patrol of several young white men they drag a black man out of the cabin and tie him to a tree. The men whip the black man and speak rudely to his wife. This was the first time Dana saw the patrollers she notices a girl young. When she called for Alice the young girl turned around. The cabin was pitch black except for the dying fire in the fireplace. Pg.39 In this sentence imagery was used to describe the cabin the author uses imagery to create a visual idea of the image in our minds. â€Å"I realized that I knew less about loneliness than

Gene Visualisation, Part 2 Research And Development

Maisa Amà ©lia Fernandes Machado SDES2401 Gene Visualisation, Part 2A – Research and development Genetics Genetics is the science of the genes, the part of biology responsible for studying all things related to heredity, genesis, origin of beings and how inherited characteristics are transmitted through generations. It identifies chromosomical abnormalities during the embryonic development and also plays a preventive and curative part in science, using genetic therapies as corrective measures. Since the most remote times men have become conscious of the importance of male and female in the making of new beings of the same species, as well as characteristics like height, skin color, type of hair or fur, textures, etc. When two dogs procriate, they will generate an animal with dog characteristics and never a cat. But why is that? Between 1856 and 1865 Gregor Mendel made a lot of experiments with peas. His goal was to understand how the inherited characteristics were passed through generations. We can say his experiments originated the field of genetics. The pea is a plant that belongs to the same group as the soy beans. Mendel’s choice wasn’t casual: The peas are really easy to farm, its reproductive cicle is short and generates a lot of seeds. Besides, the reproduction occurs through self-fertilization, which originates descendants with the same characteristics as their parents. Mendel made a lot of different lineages of peas with the characteristics that he intended toShow MoreRelatedChoose a Medical Condition That Interests You and Research It. Write About the Possible Uses of Hypnosis in the Treatment as You See Them.1948 Words   |  8 Pagesmedical condition that interests you and research it. Write about the possible uses of hypnosis in the treatment as you see them. Breast cancer affects one in every nine women in Britain, 45,000 women every year are diagnosed with it in some form or stage of development. Life style and cognitive interventions, i.e. counselling and psychotherapy can play an important part in how the patient deals with cancer in their lives and how they recover. Our genes regulate cell growth and cancer occursRead MoreDesigning A Strategy For Increas Ing Riboflavin Production1591 Words   |  7 PagesMotivation: The objective of this set of practicals is to emulate the creation of a model describing riboflavin biosynthesis in Bacillus subtilis able to support the development of a strategy for increas-ing riboflavin production. Results: In this practical series, we walked through the practice of conceptualising a problem and experienced some software for pre-existing network exploration in order to obtain information to solve it. This process led to the realisation of an ER model with high levelRead MoreMy Letter For A Student Program3309 Words   |  14 Pageswhose help I am able to complete my summer project on time and with such efforts. It’s because of this summer project I am able to gain so much knowledge about the preferences of audience. It was an honour for me to work under your guidance and do a research over this topic.I hereby declare that this thesis is my own work and effort and that it has not been submitted anywhere for any award. Where other sources of information have been used, they have been acknowledged .This is to certify that Ms DHRITIRead MoreStrategic Foresight : Scanning And Planning For The Future4365 Words   |  18 PagesStrategic Foresight: Scanning and Planning for t he Future Gene T. Roach Jr. University of Charleston â€Æ' Abstract: Strategic foresight centers on the idea that leaders at all levels conduct an environmental scan and make an assessment. They identify elements that are not easily observed, difficult to quantify, but are affecting future circumstances (Maccoby, 2001). Leaders initially frame the scan based on the method(s) they use. Based on their evaluation of the organization’s current state, whereRead MoreStrategic Foresight : Scanning And Planning4390 Words   |  18 PagesRunning Heading: Scanning and Planning Strategic Foresight: Scanning and Planning for the Future Gene T. Roach Jr. University of Charleston Abstract: Strategic foresight centers on the idea that leaders at all levels conduct an environmental scan and make an assessment. They identify elements that are not easily observed, difficult to quantify, but are affecting future circumstances (Maccoby, 2001). Leaders initially frame the scan based on the method(s) they use. Based on their evaluationRead MoreData Mining16277 Words   |  66 Pagesdisasters like oil slicks etc. Other situations where data mining can be of use include analysis of medical records of hospitals in a town to predict, for example, potential outbreaks of infectious diseases, analysis of customer transactions for market research applications etc. The list of application areas for data mining is large and is bound to grow rapidly in the years 173 174 Srivatsan Laxman and P S Sastry to come. There are many recent books that detail generic techniques for data mining and discuss

Animal Rights Pros and Cons of Animal Experiments Free Essays

Animal rightsPros and cons of animal experiments Personaly I don’t think that there are many pros about this subject, but I’ve written down a few. Pros: There are vaccines for most of the diseases. Like the ones you’ll recive when you’re an infant, wich are very important. We will write a custom essay sample on Animal Rights: Pros and Cons of Animal Experiments or any similar topic only for you Order Now If you have a deadly disease, like cancer for example, you can prolong your life for years, if you discover it early enough. Thanks to the science and research with animals. In some cases you can also help sick animals by doing tests on them. In my opinion there are more cons. To some lenght I do agree with animalactivists when they say that †we† kill the animals for no reason what so ever, but at the same time I don’t think they realize that it’s thanks to this that many of them are alive today. This is what I think. Cons: They do many unneccessary tests over and over even though it already exists workable vaccines. Then they simply make the animals suffer. Why do certain when they know that animals react diffrently from humans? Some doctors only does the tests to rise in their position, to get better paid. They would go so far as giving the monkeys a cigarette, to get cancer, just so they can do tests on it! Some of the medicins isn’t even legas or at least not recognized by WHO. So they have done som painful and cruel tests on the animals for their own gain. Cosmetics that are tested on animals doesn’t have to be done. They’re not the ones who will use it in the end anyway, test it on us humans instead! Or is the makeup ingredients so dangerous that you get permenantly damaged? How to cite Animal Rights: Pros and Cons of Animal Experiments, Essay examples

Zeitgeist John Philip Sousa Essay Research Paper free essay sample

Zeitgeist: John Philip Sousa Essay, Research Paper Zeitgeist: John Philip Sousa Artists do non make in a vacuity. They reflect their times or at the really least are affected by the lives they lead which are besides influenced by the populace sphere. The term for this contemplation is? Zeitgeist. ? It literally means? spirit of the times. ? John Philip Sousa and his plants can be classified under this term of? Zeitgeist. ? Most of Sousa? s music was composed during a period known as the aureate age. This period is known for its gross philistinism and blazing political corruptness in the United States. However, Sousa? s music does non look to reflect this corruptness, but instead it reflects a manner to cover with the corruptness and bad lucks of the times. John Philip Sousa, besides known as the? March King, ? was born on November 6,1854, in Washington D.C. , near the Marine barracks where his male parent, Antonio, was a instrumentalist in the marine set. He received his grammar school instruction in Washington and for several of his school old ages enrolled in a private conservatory of music operated by John Esputa, Jr. . There he studied piano and most of the orchestral instruments, but his chief passion was the fiddle. He became really good at the fiddle, and at age 13 he was about persuaded to fall in a circus set. As a immature male child, the soldierly music of ground forces sets in the streets of Washington during and instantly following the Civil War had a profound consequence on him. When he was non yet 14 he enlisted in the Marine Corps and succeeded in going a member of the marine set. This is where he picked up a liking for Marches. After being discharged from the Marine Corps, Sousa toured with several going theatre orchestras and in 1876 moved to Philadelphia. There he worked as an organizer, composer, and proofreader for printing houses. While on circuit with an opera company in St. Louis, he received a telegram offering him leading of the Marine Band in Washington. He accepted and reported for responsibility on October 1, 1880, going the set? s 17th leader. The Marine set was Sousa? s foremost experience carry oning a military set, and he approached it unlike most of his predecessors. Rehearsals became exceptionally rigorous, and he shaped his instrumentalists into the state? s premiere set. The armed forces was of import to Sousa? s music manner. His chief musical composings were Marches, which were the most widely used signifier of music in the armed forces. His first two Marches that he wrote as leader of the set, ? The Gladiator? and? Semper Fidelis, ? were received with great acclamation in military set circles and from that clip on he received ever-increasing attending and regard as a composer. Both of these Marches were ebullient and uplifting, merely the thing to raise moral among the military personnels every bit good as promote patriotism within the provinces. In 1889, Sou sa wrote a March called? The Washington Post? March, which was shortly adapted and identified with the new dance called the two-step. Right after this March was written, a British set journalist remarked that since Johann Strauss, Jr. was called? The Waltz King, ? that American bandmaster Sousa should be called the? March King. ? With this Sousa? s imperial rubric was coined and has remained of all time since. Sousa lived most of his life during a clip known as the aureate age, named after the celebrated book by Mark Twain. The aureate age was a clip of gross material involvement among the American people and blazing corruptness among the politicians. Within Congress the Senate by and large overshadowed the House of Representatives. Some critics even called the Senate a? rich adult male? s club. ? The House was one of the most disorderly and inefficient legislative organic structures in the universe. As a consequence of the civil war, the division between the Democrats and the Republicans was even more sectional than of all time. In this instance it is really difficult to happen the? Zeitgeist? in Sousa? s composings of this clip. In fact they even seem to belie the spirit of that epoch. All of the Marches that Sousa wrote during the aureate age were highly cheerful and energetic, while the clip was corrupt and backhanded. This is because Sousa was reacting to the negative messages being sent out by the political society by assisting Americans recognize how great their state is. All of his musical pieces expressed a certain proud patriotism that helped the people cope with the rough times. Sousa? s most celebrated March, ? The Stars and Stripes Forever, ? was written, in 1896, by Sousa on a boat drive from Europe to the United States. The director of the Sousa set had merely died and Sousa knew that he had to travel back to pull off the set. On the whole drive back he kept hearing a melody over and over in his caput. When he got to set down he put the melody down on paper. Finally he even set words to it. In the March Sousa proclaims that other states may believe that their flag is the best, ? but the flag of the North and South and West is the flag of flags, the flag of Freedom? s state. ? This vocal became so popular with the American people that Sousa? s set played it at about every concert until his decease. On December 10, 1987, 55 old ages after Sousa? s decease, ? The Stars and Stripes Forever, ? was designated as the national March of the United States. A White House memoranda states that the March has become? an built-in portion of the jubilation of American life. ? The March is still identified today with the thoughts of freedom and patriotism. In decision, John Philip Sousa was a great American composer who helped America bury their problems during a clip of disunion and confusion. He reflected the? Zeitgeist? by responding to the corruptness of the twenty-four hours through music. With his aid our state regained its true sense of pride.

Wireless Video Applications an Example of the Topic Science and Technology Essays by

Wireless Video Applications The paper Wireless Video Applications in 3G and Beyond provides thorough examination and evaluation of wireless video applications which are expected to go to the technology market in 3G mobile networks. The paper addresses mainly error control technologies in view of wireless video. Several related 3GPP standards are introduced for readers in order to provide better understanding of wireless technologies. Actually, the authors pay attention to circuit-switch multimedia telephony, multimedia messaging services, multimedia broadcast service and, finally, end-to-end packet-switched streaming. It is necessary to admit that those technologies are discussed in terms of their supporting technologies. Need essay sample on "Wireless Video Applications" topic? We will write a custom essay sample specifically for you Proceed The main reason of discussing 3G technologies is that those standard descriptions give unbiased technical depth about the applications. When highlighting wireless video, the authors discuss future directions of error control technologies stating that layer 1/2 transport aims at providing two main conditions: burst errors during fading period and quasi error free. Therefore, it is suggested that error control technologies are limited in upper levels. It is required to focus more on extraordinary adaptability of error control in order to improve performance and reliability of 3G technologies. The authors identify rate control as essential technology that provides extraordinary adaptability to varying bandwidth. The authors recommend developing signaling link layer information to the upper layers. It would ensure progressive download applications. Nevertheless, one of the challenges of 3G technology is low levels of predicting how and when a new killer application will emerge. Main Points: 3G technologies include general packet radio service, enhanced data global system for mobile communications environment, high speed downlink packet access, universal mobile telecommunications system; 3GPP is viewed as mixture of wireless narrowband integrated services digital network; 3G is discussed in terms of circuit-switch multimedia telephony, multimedia messaging services, multimedia broadcast service and end-to-end packet-switched streaming; 3G technologies include all necessary protocols and meet standards; 3G will be characterized by large bandwidth, delay variations, two error states, error control adaptability, etc. Strengths and Weaknesses: The paper is a well-organized and coherent study of the subject. The author is very persuasive in defending the position that 3G technologies provide more benefits for consumers. One more strong point of the article is abundant data and example to provide better understanding of 3G technologies, especially wireless video applications. Actually, the paper addresses not only theoretical, but also practical implications of the arguments. Relevant conclusion summing up main points is apparent strength of the article. The paper is highly theoretical aiming at expanding existing knowledge of wireless technologies. Nevertheless, the paper is rather complicated for reading and it would be better to illustrate benefits of 3G by comparing it with other currently used wireless systems. Nevertheless, little is told about the drawbacks of 3G and wireless video applications. It seems that the author tries to conceal apparent disadvantages paying most attention to history of development and other related issues. References Etoh, M. & Yoshimura, T. (2005, August).Wireless Video Applications in 3G and Beyond. IEEE Wireless Communications, 66-73.

Interesting Facts and Data About American Indians

Interesting Facts and Data About American Indians Due to longstanding cultural mythology and the fact that Native Americans constitute one of the smallest racial groups in the United States, misinformation about indigenous peoples abounds. Many Americans simply regard Native Americans as caricatures that only come to mind when Pilgrims, cowboys or Columbus are the topics at hand. Yet American Indians are three-dimensional people who exist in the here and now. In recognition of National Native American Heritage Month, the U.S. Census Bureau has collected data about American Indians that reveal noteworthy trends taking place among this diverse racial group. Get the facts about what makes Native Americans unique. Almost Half of Native Americans Are Mixed-Race More than five million Native Americans live in the United States, making up 1.7 percent of the population. While 2.9 million U.S. indigenous peoples identify as solely American Indian or Alaska Native, 2.3 million identified as multiracial, the Census Bureau reported. Thats nearly half of the indigenous population. Why do so many Natives identify as biracial or multiracial? The reasons for the trend vary. Some of these Native Americans may be the product of interracial couples- one indigenous parent and one of another race. They may also have non-Native ancestry that dates back to generations past. On the flip side, many whites and blacks claim to have Native American ancestry because race mixing has taken place in the U.S. for centuries. There’s even a nickname for this phenomenon, â€Å"Cherokee Grandmother Syndrome.† It refers to people who claim that a distant ancestor such as their great-great-grandmother was Native American. This isn’t to say that the whites and blacks in question are always lying about having indigenous ancestry. When talk show host Oprah Winfrey had her DNA analyzed on the television show â€Å"African American Lives,† she was found to have a significant amount of Native American lineage. Many people who claim American Indian origin don’t know much, if anything, about their Native ancestor and are ignorant about Native cultures and customs. Yet they may be responsible for a boost in the indigenous population if they claim Native ancestry on the census. â€Å"Reclaimers are perceived as preying upon the current trendiness of Nativeness as well as perhaps embracing this heritage for economic, or perceived economic, gain,† Kathleen J. Fitzgerald writes in the book Beyond White Ethnicity. Margaret Seltzer (aka Margaret B. Jones) and Timothy Patrick Barrus (aka Nasdijj) are just a couple of the white writers who profited from writing memoirs in which they pretended to be Native American. Another reason for the high number of multiracial Native Americans is the spike in the number of Latin American immigrants in the U.S. with indigenous ancestry. The Census Bureau found that Latinos are increasingly choosing to identify as Native American. Many Latinos have European, indigenous and African ancestry. Those who are intimately connected to their indigenous roots want such ancestry to be acknowledged. The Native American Population Is Growing â€Å"When Indians go away, they don’t come back. Last of the Mohicans, last of the Winnebago, last of the Couer d’Alene people†¦,† says a character in the Native American film â€Å"Smoke Signals.† He alludes to the widely spread notion in U.S. society that indigenous peoples are extinct. Contrary to popular belief, Native Americans did not all disappear when Europeans settled in the New World. Although the warfare and disease that Europeans spread upon arriving in the Americas did decimate entire communities of American Indians, U.S. indigenous groups are actually growing today. The Native American population rose by 1.1 million, or 26.7 percent, between the 2000 and 2010 census. That’s much faster than the general population growth of 9.7 percent. By 2050, the Native population is expected to increase by more than three million. The Native American population is concentrated in 15 states, all of which have indigenous populations of 100,000 or more: California, Oklahoma, Arizona, Texas, New York, New Mexico, Washington, North Carolina, Florida, Michigan, Alaska, Oregon, Colorado, Minnesota, and Illinois. While California has the largest number of Native Americans, Alaska has the highest percentage of them. Given that the median age of the Native American population is 29, eight years younger than the general population, the indigenous population is in a prime position to expand. Eight Native American Tribes Have at Least 100,000 Members Many Americans would draw a blank if asked to list a handful of the nation’s largest indigenous tribes. The country is home to 565 federally-recognized Indian tribes and 334 American Indian reservations. The largest eight tribes range in size from 819,105 to 105,304, with the Cherokee, Navajo, Choctaw, Mexican-American Indians, Chippewa, Sioux, Apache, and Blackfeet topping the list. A Significant Portion of Native Americans Are Bilingual Unless you live in Indian Country, it may be a surprise for you to learn that many Native Americans speak more than one language. The Census Bureau has found that 28 percent of American Indians and Alaska Natives speak a language other than English at home. That’s higher than the U.S. average of 21 percent. Among the Navajo Nation, a whopping 73 percent of members are bilingual. The fact that many Native Americans today speak both English and a tribal language is, in part, due to the work of activists who have striven to keep indigenous dialects alive. As recently as the 1900s, the U.S. government actively worked to stop Native peoples from speaking in tribal languages. Government officials even sent indigenous children to boarding schools where they were punished for speaking tribal languages. As elders in some indigenous communities died, fewer and fewer tribal members could speak the tribal language and pass it on. According to the National Geographic Society’s Enduring Voices Project, a language dies every two weeks. More than half of the world’s 7,000 languages will vanish by 2100, and many such languages have never been written down. To help preserve indigenous languages and interests worldwide, the United Nations created a Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in 2007. Native American Businesses Are Booming Native American businesses are on the rise. From 2002 to 2007, receipts for such businesses jumped by 28 percent. To boot, the number of Native American businesses increased by 17.7 percent during the same time period. With 45,629 Native-owned businesses, California leads the nation in indigenous enterprises, followed by Oklahoma and Texas. More than half of indigenous businesses fall into the construction, repair, maintenance, personal and laundry services categories.

Cultural Impacts of Industrial Revolution on the People of China Assignment

Cultural Impacts of Industrial Revolution on the People of China - Assignment Example Mao Zedong is the leader who led to the significant drawback. Mao did not support the learning process because he believed that the process was tedious for the children and the students needed the first hand experience in agriculture. The ideology of Mao Zedong was based on the principle of simplicity. The country experienced significant problems with the approach developed by Mao Zedong. The drought experienced at the end of the period led to serious catastrophe. The impact of the cultural revolution by Mao Zedong Cultural Revolution took place from 1966 to 1976 under the leadership of Mao Zedong. The goal of Mao was to establish a more effective bureaucracy. Mao employed the young people to spread the idea of socialism around china. The impact of the Cultural Revolution was so adverse that it affected the industrialization of the country. It had a negative impact on the people and the economy a major drawback affecting even the foreign countries. The Cultural Revolution was based o n the concept that the schools did not offer proper learning because of the complexity. The complexity was the major issue the group highlighted in the education system (McCarty 67). Mao’s plan was to brainwash the Chinese citizens in order for them to uneducated and mindless. During the Cultural Revolution May Chinese students were not able to study because they were forced to farm and do manual labor. The values of the Cultural Revolution were taught in schools because it was a requirement of the government. Additionally, during 1966 and 1967, the students were required to complete a course covering the ideals of the Cultural Revolution in order to graduate. The process blocked many students making the completion of the school impossible and increased school drop outs. Over four million high school and college graduates were sent to farm land where they ended up being working in the farms instead of industries. The success of the move was evident because many talented stude nts were wasted by sticking and working in the fields. The ten years of Mao Zedong leadership brought with it significant challenges and affected the economy of china by changing the educational system. The impact of the change was handled for very many years later (McCarty 89). Mao’s philosophy led to adverse problems in all the sectors of the economy leading to serious problems. The industrialization era was postponed to after the end of the Cultural Revolution. Therefore, the country's industrialization was postponed until 1970s. The industrialization of china occurred later on compared to the western world. Industrialization and the Chinese culture Industrialization affected the Chinese culture significantly. The major change occurred in the social values of the community. The industrial revolution brought with it the several challenges including the creation of a great divide in the classes and class warfare. The new culture created the rich in the society with their foc us being on the acquisition of wealth and greed. The poverty gap increased after the end of the Cultural Revolution. The Cultural Revolution helped in creating a balance between the rich and the poor through the use of equity. The change from the agrarian revolution came to an end with the start of the industrial revolution with the Chinese citizen. The citizens were forced to take up jobs in the companies with the

Immanuel Kant Moral Theory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Immanuel Kant Moral Theory - Essay Example Emotions and desires should not hinder one from doing what is morally right. Such a stand raises several questions that Kant failed to state clearly. By emphasizing the superiority of reason, Kant seems to underrate the influence of emotions in decision making (Haidt 93). In some instances, it is difficult to separate emotions from reasoning. To understand this, other critics use an example of a situation where Kant's ambiguous claim is shown. The example goes that if one was to find their mother and another complete stranger drowning, Kant's moral duty theory fails to explain why one would choose to save their mother first. The theory is also not in a position to provide insight as to why that would not be the proper thing to do. Kant’s claim leads to another question. Which between emotion and reason is superior? Plato was of the opinion that the reason was the greater of the two, claiming that the reason was the king of the soul and the controller of passions (Haidt 189). O ther philosophers and psychologists however differ with Plato. David Hume claimed that the reason was the slave of passions whose sole role was to serve continually and obey them (Hume 173-196). Reasoning was just rationalization whereas the ego was the servant of the id. More researchers took to investigate the matter with differing results and findings. According to (Kagan 304), there existed a set of states in a society that formed the basis for various moral categories in which moral judgment and reasoning is embedded.

Comparative Education Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Comparative Education - Research Paper Example One of the primary modules that are used for those that are moving into different forms of education is learning support. This particular concept combines the design and format with teaching with specific learning outcomes that are a part of the educational system. Defining the effectiveness of this module as well as how it can work for students and teachers can then provide a stronger basis for those that are working within education. While there are several different approaches to education that are known to work effectively, many of them do not focus on the educational outcomes that are required for students. With learning support, there is a different set of alternatives that can be used for education and the needs that are for students. The advantage of this particular approach is that it includes several dimensions to cognitive processes and learning that can be used for students within the classroom. The hypothesis of this research paper states that children who are exposed to learning support within the classroom provide stronger results with educational outcome than those who move through a traditional classroom. Specifically, the hypothesis will state that: The objectives and the hypothesis will show that learning support is one of the most effective methods to use with comparative education and is able to provide stronger results for those that are working outside of traditional educational means. Through this specific hypothesis, it can be assumed that more alternatives will be provided for those that begin to move toward learning support in conjunction with traditional methods of education. The methodology that will be used for this research paper will be based on finding specific results from those that are introduced to learning support, as opposed to those that are used in traditional educational

Poverty: Individuals And The Wider Community

Poverty: Individuals And The Wider Community This essay will discuss what is meant by the term Poverty, how it affects individuals and the wider community as well explaining why it is important for Social Workers to have a clear understanding of these issues. By looking at the organisations in place in the UK, in areas such as education and health and social care establishments; this essay will demonstrate how the structures of these organisations both help and hinder Social Workers in their role and how it affects the workings of daily practice. The UK has the oldest and biggest National Health Services in the world, so this essay will also go on to compare the provision in this country with that in the USA. As a first world country, the USA has an economy and culture not vastly different from that in the UK, which makes for some interesting comparisons of the care they both provide. Both the UK and the USA spend the same proportion of their annual budget on social services and education and have a similar rate of poverty. Poverty is a common term which many people would define as simply being a lack of financial resources. This is a very constricted view which makes it difficult to determine how many people live in poverty because the definition is vague and subjective. To understand and measure poverty and its impact upon individuals and the community, it is important to define it further. Instead of one main definition for poverty, sociologists have agreed there are two main types; absolute and relative poverty, as described by Giddens (2009). Absolute poverty is used to describe the inability to provide the basic human needs; food, accommodation and clothing, on a budget of around $1 US dollar per day. The idea of absolute poverty is a global one which can be applied regardless of country or culture and applies equally to people of similar ages and abilities. According to a recent study by UNDP (2010), as many as a third of the worlds population live in absolute poverty. Due to the modern welfare state and benefit system in place in the UK today, no one is expected to survive on $1 per day. However, figures provided by The Poverty Site (2010) show that approximately 9% of the population in the UK have an income which equates to only 40% of the national median income. This has risen almost 7% in just over 20 years and suggests that poverty is on the increase in the UK. These statistics would also suggest that people living in the UK are affected by relative poverty as opposed to absolute poverty. Relative poverty compares the income of individuals to the national or local average, and where it falls below 40-60% of that average, the individual is said to be living in relative poverty. There is still some debate about where the percentage rate should fall but many agree it should be 60% of the national median income (Giddens, 2010). This is referred to as the poverty line; those below this line live in relative poverty. Certain groups of people are more likely to find themselves living in poverty, these include; children, women (particularly single mothers), people with disabilities, ethnic minorities and the elderly. Cunningham Cunningham (2009), Giddens, (2010) and Llewellyn, et al (2008) all agree the reason these groups are more likely to suffer from poverty than other groups is a direct result of social exclusion. Social exclusion is a term which grew in popularity in 1997 when New Labour was re-elected into government. Part of the pre-election campaign of New Labour was to tackle the root causes of the issues affecting those who were marginalised by main stream society (The Poverty Site, 2010). People, who for reasons including; age, race, gender and class are often denied access to service and opportunities making it easier to exclude them from society. This was evident when the BBC undertook a survey, and found that when considering job candidates, whose qualifications and experience were almost identical; those with a name traditionally given to people from non-white backgrounds were far less likely to be called to interview, proving that racism is still present in the workplace, (Cunningham Cunningham 2009). To tackle some of the inequalities present in mainstream society, New Labour introduced a number of initiatives and policy changes to improve the standard of life, these included; The introduction of Tax Credits for families and individuals on low incomes, Every Child Matters a 5 point framework to improve the quality of life for all children, Connections an easily accessible advice point on a range of topics for young adults ages 13 19yrs, SureStart aimed at giving babies and young infants the best start in life by providing advice, drop in centres and child care for their parents. People who face social exclusion often live in the same locality; council house estates for example, which tend to have a higher proportion of single parents and high rates of unemployment. These groups of people are frequently given negative labels, which over time can become self-fulfilling. For example, a young child growing up in a single parent family on an council estate as indicated above is more likely to be viewed negatively and given such labels as; trouble, lazy, good for nothing, which over time can have a detrimental effects upon the child who will begin to view themselves as the labels placed upon them (Llewellyn et al, 2008). This negativity can lead to an increase in truancy, which in turn will lead to a poor education and employment prospects, thus setting up a life in poverty (Mail Online, 2007). According to Bebbington and Miles (1989), children from an impoverished background are 700 times more likely to be involved with social services than children from a wealthy background. This statistic alone shows how vital it is for social workers to have a strong understanding of the impact and experiences living in poverty can have. It is argued by Cunningham and Cunningham (2009) that many professionals in the social work field feel overwhelmed by the structural inequalities faced when tackling poverty, this tends to mean that poverty is dealt with on an individual case basis. Changes in policy, both at national and at local level can have an impact on poverty by the way services are implemented and delivered. As social workers are present at both the point of service and within the organisations where policies are made, it puts them in a prime position to affect change. Understanding and recognising the factors that cause and keep poverty part of modern society will allow a social worker to understand how they can interrupt the poverty cycle encouraging positive change. Placing some of the responsibility for poverty on society and within the structural inequalities that exist, can sometimes be viewed as taking responsibility away from the individual and the choices they have made, making them less accountable. A social worker should always maintain a positive and optimistic outlook and believe that despite the inequalities that exist, change is still possible regardless of the situation. It is important to understand how the education system and health and social care organisations are set up in the UK to recognise how this can impact the access to care. Responsibility for education in the UK has become a devolved matter for each individual country and overseen by their own government. The Department of Education and The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills predominately oversee the education system in England, with involvement from Local Authorities. Since 2005/2006, Local Authorities are given a grant which is ring fenced for the purpose of education and with consultation from all schools under the Local Authorities control, the finance is distributed, (Department for Education, 2010). There are approximately 20,000 public schools in the UK; a growing number of these are faith schools, almost 7000 at present. In addition to these state schools, there are a growing number of independent schools, almost 2600; responsible for the education of 7% of the population, (Independent Schools Council, 2010). There schools are funded primarily through tuition fees and in some faith schools, donations from the associated church. A large proportion of these schools are faith schools who do not take children outside the designated faith of the school within their catchment area. Historically, health and social care has been provided by the private and voluntary sector. Until the introduction of the Poor Law Act 1930, the majority of care for those in need was provided by charities and the work houses. People who lived in poverty had to rely on hand-outs, if they were deemed worthy of charity, or would have to pay at the point of service. Often it was those most in need of the service that were unable to pay forcing them to go without. The Poor Law Act 1930 moved the responsibility of care from these sectors to the Local Authorities, who began to take over the work houses and Poor Law hospitals (Spicker, 2010). The National Health Service was established in 1948 with the ideology that everyone should be entitled to the same level of health and social services which were free at the point of service. Todays modern National Health Service is overseen by the Department of Health. The country is split into 10 Strategic Health Authorities who control the care provided by the trusts in its area. Care is split into two main areas, Primary and Secondary care. Primary care services include; GPs, Opticians, Dentists and NHS Direct. Secondary care is acute health care and normally only accessed in emergency or extreme situations and includes; The Ambulance Trust, Emergency and Urgent Care Units, Mental Health, Care and NHS Trusts. (NHS, 2010). The National Assistance Act 1948 called for Local Authorities to set up Health and Welfare comities, providing the first form of residential care. In 1970, The Local Authority and Social Services Act of the same year created the first Social Services departments including; childrens, welfare and mental health. (The National Archives, 2010). The National Health Service remained largely unchanged until 1990 when the first major reforms took place. With the general population living longer, the cost of providing care was increasing and becoming unviable. The organisation of the National Health Service had also become unproductive and unyielding to those it was meant to help. Bureaucracy and red tape became the norm when trying to access any services or treatment. The National Health Service and Community Care Act 1990 was the first step in the reforms to the health and social services departments. The introduction of the Purchaser/Provider split meant for the first time since the establishment of the National Health Service, government departments were no longer responsible for the provision of all services (Kirkpatrick et al, 1999). The reason for this was threefold; firstly, to lessen the financial responsibility of care provision, secondly, removal of public provision would allow the private and voluntary sectors to grow and expand, making the care market more competitive, and thirdly, to increase choice for service users. This act was also the start for a number of large care homes and institutions being closed and the care provided in the community. The principles behind these changes were well intentioned; allowing people to be cared for within the community promoting independence and control over personal care. However, in reality what was offered were standard care packages and limited resources which did not deliver the true freedom of choice that was promised, (Llewellyn et al, 2008). To supplement the care provided for under the new system, many people have turned to charities to help fill the gap left by the lack of financial assistance. Providing people with the finances to pay for their own care, rather than provide the care itself, has meant people are able to choose how and by whom the care is provided. Many people have chosen to pay friends and relatives for the provision of care rather than rely on agencies and strangers. For Social Workers, this gives an opportunity to think outside the box when producing care plans with individuals. In communities, people are now able to form groups and committees to address and tackle problems and difficulties to provide a tailor made solution. This not only gives people control over their own care but also encourages the community to take action and to help itself. Although the UK has the biggest National Health Service in the world (NHS, 2010), the change in direct care provision and growing reliance on the private and voluntary sectors is more in line with the health and social care services in the United States of America (USA). The USA has a minimalist National Health Service which provides the most basic of health care; caring for those on very low incomes and or in emergencies. Many people living in poverty will be eligible for Medicaid which is a healthcare programme paying for the whole cost of care, but poverty alone is not an automatic eligibility criteria. Many older people, 65yrs and over, are reliant on the Medicare system, which only covers 80% of the cost of care, the remaining 20% must be funded by other means. Anyone who is outside the eligibility for these benefits must pay for private health care insurance, unless it is provided for through employment, (US Department of Health Human Services, 2010). Another benefit provided by the USA government is food stamps; however this is being phased out and replaced by Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, which is a short term benefit aimed at getting families back on their feet, (US Department of Health Human Services, 2010). The health and social care system in the USA is structured much the same as the UK, in that the government provides each state (Local Authority) with a budget to spend on care. In addition to this, states in the USA are allowed to set its own tax rates on things such as Income Tax, Sales Tax and House Tax. The proportion of money put back into care differs between states, some providing a higher level of benefits than others. The USA has a much higher dependency than the UK on voluntary organisations, namely the church; who provide care and financial assistance to those in their communities. Comparing the UK and the USA, there seems to be a different attitude towards the provision of care. The UK system is geared up to help prevent poverty and social exclusion, whereas the USA system is designed to help people get out of poverty but placed a bigger reliance on the individual helping themselves. Both systems are becoming more reliant on the community, voluntary organisations and the private sector for the provision of care; lessening the financial burden on the state in the face of an ever aging population. Both countries seem to be unified in the attitude that people should help themselves out of poverty. Although the role of the Social Worker will always be required, there is a strong shift in the role from the provision of direct care to one of care co-ordination. To provide the best possible level of care for both individuals and the community, Social Workers must maintain a high level of knowledge of both statutory and non-statutory providers of care and how best to access them. This essay has demonstrated that poverty is a global problem which is maintained by the way society works by socially excluding people and keeping them impoverished. It has also shown how two similar countries differ in their approach to care; the UK government provides the majority of care with assistance from charities and the private sector, whereas the USA government provides only the most basic forms of assistance which a strong reliance on the church, charities and the public sector. Both countries are in agreement that with an increasing older population, each government needs to do more to lessen their contribution to the provision of care. During this time of change, Social Workers will need to find a way of providing the best possible care for those in their charge.

Ghost Story of the Haunted Abandoned Factory :: Ghost Stories Urban Legends

Ghost stories and urban legends have a power over people that other types of stories lack. These stories can deeply scare people and lead them to question certain things in life. The fashion in which the story teller delivers the story can greatly affect how haunting the story is and how long it lingers in the listeners’ heads. Urban legends pertaining to a certain region have even more of an effect on people’s beliefs. That scary house on the corner may never be the same to somebody after they are told about the gruesome murder that supposedly happened there many years ago. The ghost story chosen for this paper was told by a 19 year-old Caucasian male college student. The story involves a supposedly haunted building in the nearby town. He heard the story from a friend but does not recall when or where he first heard the story. He recounted the story in the afternoon while sitting in his room with a few other students watching television. According to his story, the haunted building was once used as a factory. One day there was a fire which burned down a good portion of the building and killed all the workers inside. The ruins can still be seen and are alleged to be haunted by ghosts of the deceased factory workers. The teller once tried to locate the factory ruins at night with a few friends but had trouble doing so. He said they found people looking for the same place and joined them to find it. They found an old building in an isolated area but were not sure if it was the correct place. The story teller recalls having an eerie feeling when a rriving at the isolated building. He and his friends soon left without exploring further because the uneasiness about the area began to scare them. The teller told the story in a rushed manner, quickly telling the details. Upon recalling his eerie feelings while searching for the building, he broke into nervous laughter, and one could tell he was somewhat unnerved by the experience. This conclusion led the listeners to believe that searching for the old factory would be a scary experience. From research, it is apparent that Ellicott City has numerous areas believed to be haunted, along with legends behind these areas.