ADHD Epidemic Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

ADHD Epidemic - Research Paper Example Latest research shows significance of the disorder in the society and dangers of administered drug for treatment of ADHD. ADHD was discovered in the second half of the twentieth century. Stolzer (2007) explains that by the year 1950, no case of the disorder had been reported in the United States. This however changed and changed and 2000 cases had been reported in the nation two decades later. The timeline therefore defines between the year 1950 and the year 1970 as the period within which the disorder was discovered. ADHD is a psychiatric disorder and not a biological complication as some may argue. Its history is the first to justify this. Some of the behavioral traits of those diagnosed with the problem were previously considered normal and only a change in classification of these traits has occurred. ADHD was also classified as a psychiatric disorder and according to Stolzer, it is a mythical disease and not a real disease. Behaviors that are currently used to diagnose ADHD are also historical behaviors that have in the past been considered normal. There has also been a disproportionate statistics of the complication in America and this undermines reality of the complication as a disease. Methylphenidate is the most commonly used drug for management of ADHD symptoms but its high usage in the United States, compared to usage in other parts of the world raises concerns on reality of ADHD in the nation. At least 80 percent of produced methylphenidate, worldwide, is consumed in the United States for management of the complication but prevalence of ADHD in the nation, relative to the global incidence cannot be proportionate to the drug usage. In addition, incidence of ADHD has not been consistence across time, animal species, and even nations and this suggest its mythical existence in the United States. The media and pharmaceutical companies could be credited for

The Ways in Which the Principal Teachings of Two Religious Traditions Essay Example for Free

The Ways in Which the Principal Teachings of Two Religious Traditions Essay Peace and its execution and conservation is a concept embedded within the teachings of both Christianity and Islam. Thus the sacred texts of each tradition, namely; the Christian Bible and the Qur’an and Hadith instruct the adherent as to the best way of contributing to peace at a global level. Upon the analysis of the principal teachings of Christianity and Islam pertaining to peace, it is the contention of this paper that; the inspiration and desire for peace derives directly from the sacred texts of the two traditions. Essential to the concept of peace contained within the Christian Bible is the belief that peace as a concept was given to humankind by God, demonstrated by the teaching and example of Jesus Christ as recorded in the New Testament. â€Å"Peace is what I leave with you; it is my own peace I give to you. † (Jn) This teaching is as such evident in a number of movements which advocate and attempt to achieve world peace. The World Conference on Religion and Peace is a prominent initiative created through the influence of Christian teaching, aiming to encourage dialogue between nations in order to foster and conserve the peace ordained by God. They have provided mediation is such areas as Kosovo and have brought together world leaders to discuss issues such as global security and disarmament. This elucidates the way in which global initiatives for peace are heavily influenced by the principal teachings of Christianity. Moreover, another prominent initiative directed towards the attainment of peace at a global level is the promotion of the World Day of Peace by Pope John Paul VI, declaring that annually, New Years Day should be dedicated to reflection regarding the need for peace, saying that; â€Å"peace results from the harmony built into society by its divine founder. (John Paul VI) This highlights the direct influence of Christian teaching on movements for world peace. Although conflict in contemporary society in a global context is still prevalent, it can be observed that small in-roads to peace have been made as a result of the adherent’s capacity to act on the principal teachings of the tradition. Another prominent teaching of Christianity pertaining to world peace encompasses the concept that peace s attainable if adherents exercise the virtues of faith, hope and love which were bestowed by God in all aspects of ife. Moreover, this teaching demonstrates the notion that evil should not be re-paid with evil but must be dealt with by way of righteous action. â€Å"But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. † (Mt) This is thus demonstrated on a practical level through the National Council of Churches in Australia’s (NCCA) initiative, the â€Å"Decade to Overcome Violence. † This employs the aforementioned teaching as its basis and urges the Christian community collectively to practise these virtues. Moreover, the council works to denounce international conflict, saying that; â€Å"war as a method of settling international disputes is incompatible with the teaching and example of Jesus Christ. † (NCCA) This demonstrates the way in which the worldwide Christian movements for peace place at their foundation the ethical principals of Christianity as reflected through the Bible. Perhaps one of the more prominent ethical teachings of Christianity with reference to world peace is that which highlights the correlation between being a Christian and working for peace. If your enemy is hungry, give him food†¦ resist evil and conquer it with good. † (Rom) This highlights the concept that working towards peace is an obligation of being a Christian. This is well exemplified by such movements as Pax Christi International, a peace organisation who sought to rectify the problems of the world in the aftermath of WWII and to promote such ideas as ecological awareness, disarmament and human rights. Moreover the pacifist movement, the Quakers or Society of Friends actively promote pacifism, typifying the notion of the practical application of Christian teaching. With reference to Islam, the cornerstone of the Islamic view of world peace is the Lesser Jihad. The principal teaching surrounding this is that Allah desires peace but acknowledges the human capacity to be violent and aggressive. Thus, the concept of the Lesser Jihad or the struggle against external evil in pursuit of world peace is developed. Adherents focus every aspect of their lives in the pursuit of Jihad and it is through this that one may finally achieve submission. O soul at peace, return to the lord. † (Qur’an) This struggle against external evil is demonstrated at a practical level through the initiatives of Australian Muslims to enter into dialogue with non-Islamic Australians to attempt to quell misunderstandings regarding Islam such as the misconception regarding Jihad. In 1989, The International Scholars Annual Dialogue was established by scholars from various faiths to clarify such issues as the aforementioned, helping to achieve world peace. This organisation believes that the western media â€Å"oversimplifies the position of Islam† on matters such as terrorism, thus impeding initiatives towards peace in a global context. Moreover such movements as the Bridges not Walls Foundation is an interfaith movement instigated by Muslims and Jews in order to oppose the conflict in the Middle East. Although peace in its entirety has not yet been achieved, initiatives such as these possess an incalculable significance in directing the world towards peace. Peace is a concept that is embedded into the sacred texts and principal teachings of both Christianity and Islam. These texts instruct the adherent toward the most appropriate way to peace and as such it is the concluding contention of this paper that; the inspiration and desire for peace derives directly from the sacred texts of the two traditions and although this has not yet been fully achieved, the movement towards world peace has been aided by the capacity of adherents to act practically on the principal teachings contained within the sacred texts of the aforementioned traditions.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee :: To Kill a Mockingbird Essays

In Harper Lee’s book, To Kill A Mockingbird, there are many examples of racism. During this time in history racism was acceptable. Racism is a key theme in her book. Not only those who were black, but also those who affiliated with blacks, were considered inferior. Atticus, a lawyer, who defended blacks in court, was mocked. An example of this is when Mrs. Dubose said, â€Å"Your father’s [Atticus] no better than the niggers and trash he works for!† Mr. Dolphus Raymond was also criticized for affiliating with blacks, especially black females. Example is when Jem said, â€Å"He likes ‘em [blacks] better ‘n he likes us [whites], I reckon.† Basically, you were black if you â€Å"liked† blacks. Blacks, because they were considered inferior, were expected to do everything for whites. Everything had to be perfect, without excuse. Even when Calpurnia, a Finch family friend, did not make the perfect cup of coffee, she was mocked. Book excerpt, â€Å"She [Calpurnia] poured one tablespoon of coffee into it and filled the cup to the brim with milk. I [Scout] thanked her by sticking out my tongue...†. Even when blacks did do good, they were still mocked. An example is when Aunt Alexandra said, â€Å"Jem’s growing up now and you are too. We decided that it would be best for you to have some feminine influence.† Even though Calpurnia was a female, Aunt Alexandra over-looked this, because of her race. People were so biased, it didn’t matter how good a job a black person did. Since there was such strong racism in Maycomb, there were excuses made for whites. In the book, it was obvious that Bob Ewell was a mean man. It was also obvious that he was abusive to his daughter, Mayella, and he was the one who violated her, not Tom Robinson, because what the evidence showed. But, the people of Maycomb over-looked the evidence in favor of Tom Robinson, just because he was black. In Harper Lee’s book, To Kill A Mockingbird, there are many examples of racism. The legal barriers to racial equality have been torn down, and racial exclusion from the benefits of society and the rights of citizenship is no longer nearly total, as it once was. But discrimination still limits the opportunities and stifles the hopes of many black Americans and other minorities. In the realms of housing, employment, medical care, education and the administration of the criminal justice system, we are still, as the 1968 Kerner Commission Report on civil disorders warned, â€Å"two separate Americas.† At this moment

Of Mice and Men: Critical Analysis Essay

It has been once said that, â€Å"all literature shows us the power of emotion. It is emotion, not reason, that motivates character in literature† this quote can be interpreted to mean that all books show us the power of feeling. It is feeling not reasoning that drives characters in it literatures. To fulfill whatever they want in the story. Feelings drive characters to succeed in every possible scenario. The validity of this interpretation can be seen as true by examining the literary elements conflict and characterization in Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck and All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque. See more: how to write a critical analysis outline Steinbeck, in Of Mice and Men, uses the literary element characterization to show the power of interpretation. George and Lenny as well as all the other farm hands dealing with the depression of the early 1900’s are forced to labor intensively for room, board and meager earnings. In order to survive during this difficult time. The reader recognizes George’s sacrifice of his own emotional state by enduring guilt and loneliness. In the story curley lashes out in feeling because he is small and he picks fights with everyone that’s why he hits lenny he has no specific reason.lenny also has emotion like back in weed when he wanted to feel the girls dress and his strong feeling got the best of him and ripped the girls dress in half. All of the characters in Of Mice and Men are different but they all portray strong emotions to fulfill their desires. Steinbeck uses other literary elements to demonstrate the interpretations validity. Steinbeck also uses conflict to validate the interpretation. Lenny accidently kills curlys wife out of his emotional desire to feel soft things that leads to their dream falling out of reach Man vs. Man conflict. George’s dreams of owning his own farm is to unrealistic with lenny and there job landscape Man vs society man vs man. George killing lenny is strictly out of emotion because he did what was best for lenny Man vs. Self. The characters internal and external conflicts are based off emotions and they put each other in different emotions. Remarque in All Quiet on the Western Front uses the same literary element validate the interpretation, Remarque uses characterization to explain the interpretation Corporal himmelstoss is noncommissioned training officer who was a power hungry man to fulfill his need to be in some type of authority. Paul trying to do his duty in the field the enemy soldier jumps in his ditch and Paul’s reaction was to stab him out of emotion. Kemmerich dyeing was a sign of his will to live because he was crying cause he wanted to live so badly. The characterization was really positive and showed their true colors. Remarque also uses the literary element conflict further analyze the interpretation The lost generation was fighting a war they think is wrong for world man vs. society. Fighting purely out of emotion and no reason because they dislike the war man vs. self. Paul telling kemmenrichs mom that kemmerich had a quick and painless death, which was not the case man vs. self. All the conflicts are to meet the goods to survive they need to get food and energy All book do show us the power of feelings not reasoning that drives characters in literatures. To fulfill whatever they want in the story. Feelings drive characters to succeed. Characterization and conflict show validity to the interpretation and provide reasoning for it. They to success are up to the individual.

Literature in the Dark Ages: the Apocrypha

Professor Rodgers Humanities I November 5, 2010 Literature in the Dark Ages: The Apocrypha The Dark ages is referred to as such for many reasons there was plague and sickness that hit humanity during this time and people lived in fear to name a few. But one main reason is the fact that not much information exists about this period in history. Nearly all the ancient critical texts were lost during the Middle Ages. Emperor Flavius Juvianus ordered the burning of Antioch Library.Tons of books were burnt. Pagan temples and libraries were looted or burnt down (1). During the Dark Ages the literature by clergy was produced and preserved more than any other literature. The church was considered the authority on intellect at the time so it was there works that were reproduced in the greatest volume. Clergy therefore dominated literature during this time period. It was in the Dark Ages that there were records of as many as 200 epistles and accounts of the life of Jesus Christ that were said t o have been written.Only 27 were preserved. Of the 193 that were discarded Claytor 2 some people considered them to be fiction pieces of literature, some esteemed them as true and to some they were thought to be fraudulent. The writings that were believed to have been oppressed by Christians during the Dark ages are esteemed by some as lost spiritual teachings. In fact some of these teachings were discovered in 1945 and they expounded on the teachings that are recorded in the bible.They speak of a secret gospel of Mark, secret teachings of John, an account of the Gospels written by Thomas, the Apocalypse of Paul, as well as spiritual insight written by a woman which is called Pistils Sophia. These teachings are by a group called Gnostics. Gnostics were Christians whose belief system was based more upon knowledge than faith. Their name is derived the word Gnosis which is spiritual insight. They heavily embraced the hidden writings.It is likely that due to their Criticisms and differe nces with the Roman Orthodox church that members of the Gnostic sect were burned at the stake and many of their writings destroyed by the Church. Before the discovery of Gnostic writings, our only knowledge of additional accounts of the life and death of Jesus Christ came from a letter written by Church Father Clement of Alexandria (150 AD – 211 AD). In the letter Father Alexandria quotes this secret gospel and refers to it as â€Å"a more spiritual gospel for the use of those who were being perfected.    He said, â€Å"It Claytor 3 even yet is most carefully guarded [by the church at Alexandria], being read only to those who are being initiated into the great mysteries. (2). It is important to note that while Father Alexandria was a proponent of Gnosis, which was a knowledge or insight into the infinite, he rejected the concept as defined by the Gnostic sect. The oppressed writings were considered by some scholars as According to the Early Christian Church the additional writings of the life of Jesus were considered useful but were omitted from records because they weren’t considered to be divinely inspired.The gospels were separated into two categories. They are considered either canonical or non-canonical. The canonical writings are those that were included in the gospels in the bible. The non-canonical were called were considered apocryphal. The word Apocrypha literally means hidden writings. While the different branches of the early church disagreed about which writings were canonical and which were apocryphal they all subscribed to the belief that some writings were divinely inspired by God and others were not. Within the apocryphal writings are accounts of the infancy of Jesus in which they account the childhood of Jesus.There are those that give different perspectives of the passions and the Gospel of Thomas records many sayings of Jesus that are Claytor 4 not included in the bible. The early Christian church deemed many of these writ ings useful but do not believe all were divinely inspired. There are those who believe the lost writings are fraudulent or fiction works. Some of them that subscribe to this belief have concluded that, whether canonical or apocryphal, none of the accounts of the lives of Jesus are true.They believe that by omitting 173 of 200 accounts of the life of Jesus the church proves that it used the writings they selected to merely maintain their power and control. Edward Gibbon, a historian whose work has been heavily criticized by the Christian church, wrote â€Å"The origin of these fraudulent documents was none other than the church. Gibbon tells us: â€Å"Orthodox theologians were tempted, by the assurance of impunity, to compose fictions, which must be stigmatized with the epithets of fraud and forgery. They ascribed their own polemical works to the most venerable names of Christian antiquity. Others who challenge the validity of these writings are Christians who believe some accounts to be true but not others. J. G. Davis, A Christian teacher of Theology, wrote in his book The Early Christian Church â€Å"(they are merely) another genre of literature, devised for reading by the faithful during their leisure time, and corresponding in some ways to the novels of a later era. † Claytor 5 The oppressed ancient writings of Christianity are very controversial.There are little to no facts about the writings that are not debated, disagreed upon or refuted in some way. What is clear is that there are some writings about the life of Jesus that are either currently in existence or evidently existed at some time in history, although the number of apocryphal writings is uncertain. It is also certain that these writings give an account of the same occurrences as those considered canonical by the early Christian church. They are closely related writings that are recorded in the bible and considered by Christians as the true accounts of the life of Jesus.Claytor 6 Cited Workshttp://reluctant-messenger. com/Lost-Doctrines-Christianity003. htm  Ã‚  The Early Christian Church, p. 83 (1965). History of Christianity, p. 598http://www. gnosis. org/library/strom2. htm

Its up to you Essays - Hip Hop, Music, Eminem, Free Essays

It's up to you Essays - Hip Hop, Music, Eminem, Free Essays It's up to you Music is the best way to change someone's mood. Being a musician means that you create art with sound. Creating art with sound is a very difficult thing to do it not only takes talent it takes heart. To join the music industry and make a lasting impact a series of things are necessary but I would say passion is the main one. The master pieces that you want to make as a musician should never be mediocre, and when I say mediocre I do not mean to my standards I mean to yours. How much time are you willing to dedicate to your craft? there is a large different between a hobby and a career. Becoming a musician is something that requires time. To all great things there is a process. they say Rome wasn't built in one night so don't expect to make your dream a reality in one day. To reach your goal, you need a plan. When you're making, this plan understand that the planning/goal setting process will keep you focused, motivated and dilige nt on the beautiful but rough journey that is to come. The first concept to grasp as an artist is motivation. Motivation During this process is a determine factor on the amount of success that you will have. At times throughout your life you will find yourself alone. You will be your own support system. It's important that you understand that things will not always be easy but if you maintain optimism, you will have the strength to keep going. I recommend you right down goals for yourself. Plan when you will write, make sure you give yourself time in the day to sing, make a list of artist that inspire you (from many different genres), Make a hitlist for the producers, artist, and PR managers just in cases you come across an opportunity. Make a Dream board and post it somewhere to remind yourself of where you can be. With any process in life you need to have faith in yourself and if you believe in God the God. Second stand strong on your decisions to be an artist and build your brand. Building your brand will show that you're serious. This step will promote confid ence and you will really start establishing yourself as not only an artist but a professional artist. Branding yourself means that you have a set self-image (typically for specific audience ), taking professional photos, and purging your social media accounts will make you marketable. "yeah , cool you've had 5 boy friends in one year, or you beat up Latasha", but if the image that you want to build for yourself does not correlate with your social media then you have some social media cleansing to do. Producers, Managers a label are not just industry people they are business people and in their mind when people see you they see them for example Lil Wayne himself is a rapper but when we think of ill Wayne we think of the label young money. Lil Wayne has a social standard that he and the music industry has set for himself . because that's what he was established as, that i s what his fan base follows. I f LIl Wayne where to be different in some perspectives fans would feel lied to or as if his art was not real. Building your bran d can also be tricky because it's easy to create a facade but remain true to yourself , keep your originality. not saying change who you are, but what I'm saying is know who you want to be, and take the initiative that is needed to make people think you are who you want to be. Apart of becoming a great singer/or rapper is perfecting your craft. You can have all the faith in the world but if you do not practice then you cannot expect to get better. My own Choir teacher used to say that practice makes perfect I like to think that practice makes permanent and if you don't practice then its nonexistent . So, find innovative ways to use you gift as a blessing to someone else.

StressMgmt HealthPromotion Essay

StressMgmt HealthPromotion Essay StressMgmt HealthPromotion Essay Pender Ch. 8 â€Å"Stress Management and Health Promotion† More than  ¾ of visits to health care professionals are attributed to or made worse by stress. Stress is inevitable, unavoidable, human experience in any society and more often with rapid and accelerating change. General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS)= internal and external manifestations of stress; â€Å"fight or flight† response. Examples of stress behaviors: dilation of pupils, ↑ respiratory rate, ↑ heart rate, ↑ perspiration, ↑ BP, ↑ muscle tension, ↑ gastric motility, ↑ blood glucose level, release of adrenaline, cold, clammy skin. Due to release of catecholamines (adrenaline), glucocorticoids (cortisol), and other hormones. Allostatis= continuous process of adapting to potentially stressful events ~ achieving stability through change. Allostatic load= cumulative negative effects of prolonged environmental and psychosocial stressors. Allostatic load has potential to predict risk for variety of diseases, such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. Stressors= environmental and internal demands and conflicts among them, which tax or exceed a person’s resources† Body systems that respond to stress: nervous, endocrine, immunologic systems ïÆ'  eventually affect all organ systems. Coping regulates stressful emotions (emotion focused coping) and alters the person- environment relationship that is causing the distress (problem- focused coping). The World Health Org, (WHO) & Global Burden of Disease Survey estimate that stress related disorders & mental illness will be the 2nd leading cause of disabilities by 2020. Stress and Health- In heart disease, long term stress is though to sensitize arterioles to catecholamines, (short term stress= causes over constriction of the vessels & endothelial damage). Evidence proves that providing social support may be more beneficial than receiving it. Psychoneuroimmunology= effects of social and psychological phenomena on the immune system as mediated by the nervous and endocrine systems. P.197 Study of male undergraduate college students some w/ high heart rate reactivity were compared to those with low heart rate reactivity- both took a math test. High reactors showed higher stress related levels of plasma cortisol and increased natural killer cell lysis than the low reactors. Results= people deal w/stress differently possible cause is due to hypothalamic-pituitary adrenocortical axis and the sympathetic adrenomedullary systems. Epigenetics= study of how environmental influences regulate gene expression, is an attempt to describe how experiences such as stress- though not altering the DNA sequence- may modify DNA proteins, leading to enhanced or silenced expression of a specific gene. Stress Across the life span- childhood and adolescence are critical periods characterized by increased vulnerability to stressors. Children experience stress and develop coping patterns early in life. Stress factors in children: self esteem, personality characteristics, gender, social support, parental child rearing patterns, previous stressful exp., and illness. Environmental high risk stressors for children: Personal safety concerns Community violence Prolonged poverty Increased availability of drugs Homelessness Child’s well being and health can be enhanced through constructive stress management. Adolescents= most common stressors are family related, peer stressors, and academic concerns. High stress is in early adolescence is associated with: risk taking behavior, smoking, alcohol, & sex. Effective stress coping processes: Behavioral coping (info gathering) Decision making (problem solving) Cognitive coping (minimizing distress, focusing on positive) Adult social support (talking w/an adult) Relaxation As individuals age, they increase their use of problem solving coping and decrease the use of avoidance coping, compared with the preteen and adolescence years. Young

Lets Party!

Lets Party! Lets Party! Lets Party! By Maeve Maddox From a reader comes the question: Could you cover the term carousing and how to use it correctly, along with other party-related terms? Thanks! Carousing suggests noisy, drunken celebration. People leaving bars singing and shouting can be said to be carousing. Examples: The neighbors caroused into the early morning hours. Jack and his friends were carousing in Florida when the accident occurred. The word comes from Middle French carousser drink, quaff, swill. Swill, as a verb, suggests piggish over-indulgence: He swilled one drink after another. Here are some other expressions, some of them euphemisms, for partying in the sense of over-indulging in drink or other mood-enhancers. celebrate party party down rave it up make merry paint the town (paint the town red) whoop it up let your hair down live it up have a ball have a wild time have an orgy (connotes sexual indulgence as well as inebriation) who live at her mansion, Ekeby Manor, and work in her iron mine. These men, the Cavalieri di Ekebu, are certainly a carousing bunch of good-for-nothings. But Giosta joins them, and through various plot contrivances everyone is redeemed (www.nytimes.com) of marches and parties that can easily overwhelm even the most extroverted among us. But there are plenty of ways to celebrate Pride away from some of the weekend’s most crowded events - including Ms. Minogue’s Sunday appearance a (www.nytimes.com) national Democrats have celebrated the President Trump-inspired surge of activist energy coursing through the party in their efforts to take control of the House, many of those same leaders have moved to tame that energy, from Co (www.nytimes.com) Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Expressions category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:70 "Home" Idioms and ExpressionsHang, Hung, Hanged50 Tips on How to Write Good

Incorporating theory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Incorporating theory - Essay Example Thus, experience is seen to be a fundamental prerequisite for a nurse to become an expert. This experience, referred to as nursing experience in this context, is broken down into levels. These levels represent the cumulative education and experience in nursing. The levels start from that level characterized by the lowest education base and the least experience. Subsequently, those levels representing the progressive accumulation of education base and nursing experience follow in order determined by the intensity of the two determining factors. Ultimately, the levels end with that level characterized by the highest education base and the most experience. In their order from the lowest to the highest they are; novice, advanced beginner, competent, proficient and expert (Dracup, Bryan-Brown, & Ward, 2004). There is a profound significance of the novice to expert theory to the proposed solution in this research. The graduation of an individual from one level to another indicates the relevance of the past experience (Dracup, Bryan-Brown, & Ward, 2004). This experience is what influences change within the individual thus he/she is no longer reliant on abstract principles which he/she has been being reliant to (Wandel, 2003). In the case of postpartum detection, expert nurses select the appropriate screening tool thus providing the necessary care following the results given. The theory also enlightens on the need to provide the appropriate environment in order to achieve the provision of the most exquisite care by a nurse (Dracup, Bryan-Brown, & Ward, 2004). A nurse who doesn’t fail in the detection of postpartum depression is able to provide timely intervention. Thus, there is the understanding that for the provision of the best nursing care, a sound education base and profound experience are essential. Human has taken an integral part in the

Personal Statement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 37

Personal Statement - Essay Example hieve the needed personal and professional in the absence of education, especially Higher Education that is known for setting the paradigm for organizations to be run. Personally, I have chosen marketing as a course and this is the area I want to penetrate with my academic studies at UCAS. My reason for choosing marketing is influenced by a number of factors, major among which is the need for me to take total advantage of booming oil and gas riches that is currently in place in Qatar. For me to take advantage of the oil and gas riches do not mean enriching myself through marketing but equipping my knowledge, skill and competence with the ever growing media and advertising popularity in Qatar. Because of the oil and gas riches, a lot of companies continue to spring up by the day. Because the companies are many, there is so much competition among them that they can hardly survive in the absence of media publicity and advertisement. This is where my professional knowledge in marketing will become useful. My ambitions as a marketer in Qatar are well laid out. In the first place, I am hoping to start from the relatively lower rank where I shall work for a number of up and coming multinational companies. As my experience grows, I would move on to higher grounds by taking state-oriented positions, especially towards the World Cup 2022. The World Cup is certainly a very big event that the government attaches so much importance to. The World Cup 2022 will bring Qatar closer to the whole world and thus the need to glorify the image of the country through a successful hosting. This is where the need for the tournament and country in general to be well marketed comes in. I therefore a person who can be described as very hungry for success since my ambition run very high into the long term. I currently have so many experiences, interests and background that make me very suitable for my ambition to go as far as marketing the World Cup 2022 in Qatar. For example I am a very

International Accounting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

International Accounting - Essay Example The objectives of this standard are to give a framework on how to incorporate foreign currency transactions and foreign operations or subsidiaries in the financial statement of the parent company. It also shows how to translate financial statement into presentation currency. The most critical thing in this concept is to determine which exchange rate or rates to use and how to account for the exchange difference in the financial statement. The standard requires the entire initial foreign transaction to be recorded on the bases of the prevailing exchange rate, however, it recognizes the use of average exchange rate to numerous transactions occurring during the year (Doupnik & Perera, 2011). The basis for translation can either be current method or temporal method. Temporal method uses the exchange rate that prevailed when the asset and liabilities were acquired. If the assets are based on historical cost the correct exchange rate to use is also historical. Consequently if liabilities a nd assets are based on current cost the rate to use is also the current one. ... Companies listed in Australia stock exchange reflect the present performance thus, they are the most suitable to influence decision making by stakeholders. With application of IAS 21 it is possible to compare company performance in the two stock exchanges. Companies of the same size in Europe are more profitable than Australian companies simply because exchange rate in ? is higher than â‚ ¬. With financial exchange translation there is either again or a loss in the exchange difference. This component is treated as component of finances in the statement of financial position. Works Cited Books, LLC. (2010). International Accounting Standards:International Financial Reporting Standards, International Public Sector Accounting Standards. Memphis, : Books LLC. Choi, F., & Meek, G. K. (2010). International Accounting. New York: PRENTICE HALL. Doupnik, T., & Perera, H. (2011). International Accounting. New York: McGraw-Hill Companies,Inc.,. Melville, A. (2009). International Financial Re porting. New York: Financial Times/Prentice Hall. Previts, G. (2008). Research in Accounting Regulation, Volume 20. Oxford:

Nursing Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 3

Nursing - Assignment Example The nurse failed to follow the 6 rights prior to the administration of a medication. This went against the required nursing practice. The consequence of this act put the patient’s life at risk because the patient had a negative effect from the dosage administered. The nurse went ahead and ignored filling out the incident report. The physician and the supervisor get information from filled incident reports. Failing to fill implied that the nurse was concealing certain crucial information. The nurse’s act to ignore the incident report violated rules of practice in caregiving. It further put the patient’s life at risk which is opposite to what nurses should do. Patents are entitles to a healthy life, and the caregivers should do their best to see this done. However, the nurse’s actions did not match this requirement. Failing to fill out the incident report did not depict an aspect of duty to care, since it encompasses all that is required of the nurse. The nurse who failed to verify the correct dosage as a witness is also implicated in the failure to fulfill duty to care. This is a procedure carried out in order to ensure that the patient’s life is not endangered, given the practices undertaken by the nurses. This nurse ignores her duty and the result is a negative effect on the patient. This does not only raise concerns in the care giving institutions, but also externally, since patients have a right to proper treatment and administration of medication. Concealing what had unfolded during shift change would complicate the matter even further. During shift report, the nurse had already presented what had happened, evidenced by the fact that the patient was in ICU. Contradiction of information between that presented during shift report and the one the nurse is to present by filling out the incident report would require that investigation into the matter be undertaken. Nursing ethics require transparency and accountability (Ginny, 2009).

Reflection paper Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Reflection paper - Assignment Example I take good care of my appearance and present myself as a confident, friendly and professional person and do not impose myself on others. The important thing is to establish a level of comfort and trust with my associates. Being a manager of my company I consider that my strength is that I instill confidence in my people by giving them challenging assignments to help them build their skills and credibility. During the course of this study I have learnt to present myself in a way so as not to appear arrogant and aloof. I have also learnt to encourage workers to assess their capabilities, and feel comfortable in expressing themselves in front of me, other leaders and clients. As further development of my professional presence I would like to consider the factors that influence my behavior and how it affects others, and accordingly make my presence more effective. According to Albrecht, authenticity is how honestly one views his own personality and attitude. He has said in his book â€Å"to the extent that you respect yourself, have faith in your personal values and beliefs, and deal straight with other people, you are likely to behave in ways that others perceive as authentic.† (Albrecht, 88) When people suffer from poor self confidence, when they believe that other people will not like their values, behavior and attitude, they then attempt to mould themselves according to the desires and wishes of other people and present themselves in accordance to how the others want to perceive them as. In such cases, these people seem to others like they are behaving in an unauthentic manner. Narcissism which is considered as self-love by many psychotherapists, Albrecht sees it is as another type of unauthentic behavior which â€Å"can become pathological if it renders us incapable of engaging in two-way relationships of mutuality, sharing and s upport.† (Albrecht, 98) Authentic leadership means a

Case study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 40

Case study - Essay Example Beverage cost percentage is rising because of the increased production cost and decreased selling. The awareness about the harmful ingredients in beverages and the global economic problems forced the consumers to reduce their drinking habits as much as possible. As a result of that beverage cost percentage is increasing day by day. Jack might be facing problems in maintaining adequate inventory levels in the central stores and preparation kitchen stores because of the problems in the reception and supply of goods. From the case study, it is evident that Jack is allowing the outlet managers and supervisors to take goods from the stores, outside of normal stores operating times. Such a habit would definitely allow the managers and supervisors to misuse their freedom. When items are dispatched outside the normal dispatching hours, it is difficult for Jack to record all the stores operations properly. Trainees definitely may not have the necessary skills to maintain an adequate inventory in the stores all the time. It is necessary to take the inventory of goods in the stores and that in the kitchen periodically to know the details of available stock against the consumption of items. It is necessary to purchase more goods when consumption increases and decrease the purchasing of goods when consumption decreases. Experience and skill are necessary to balance the store activities against the kitchen activities. It is easy for the kitchen managers to mislead the trainees with the help of wrong data. Since trainees are inexperienced, kitchen managers can force the trainees to allot more items than actually required for the kitchen operations. As an F & B manager, the first action I would take to improve the situation would be stopping of allotment of goods outside the normal operating hours of the stores. Secondly, I would ask the company to arrange

Reflection paper Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Reflection paper - Assignment Example I take good care of my appearance and present myself as a confident, friendly and professional person and do not impose myself on others. The important thing is to establish a level of comfort and trust with my associates. Being a manager of my company I consider that my strength is that I instill confidence in my people by giving them challenging assignments to help them build their skills and credibility. During the course of this study I have learnt to present myself in a way so as not to appear arrogant and aloof. I have also learnt to encourage workers to assess their capabilities, and feel comfortable in expressing themselves in front of me, other leaders and clients. As further development of my professional presence I would like to consider the factors that influence my behavior and how it affects others, and accordingly make my presence more effective. According to Albrecht, authenticity is how honestly one views his own personality and attitude. He has said in his book â€Å"to the extent that you respect yourself, have faith in your personal values and beliefs, and deal straight with other people, you are likely to behave in ways that others perceive as authentic.† (Albrecht, 88) When people suffer from poor self confidence, when they believe that other people will not like their values, behavior and attitude, they then attempt to mould themselves according to the desires and wishes of other people and present themselves in accordance to how the others want to perceive them as. In such cases, these people seem to others like they are behaving in an unauthentic manner. Narcissism which is considered as self-love by many psychotherapists, Albrecht sees it is as another type of unauthentic behavior which â€Å"can become pathological if it renders us incapable of engaging in two-way relationships of mutuality, sharing and s upport.† (Albrecht, 98) Authentic leadership means a

Story Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 6

Story - Essay Example In many occasions, the issue of plagiarism is not raised in the legal field, normally because repeatedly there is no room for inventiveness when drafting legal documents. This specific case began with a sad case that involved a family and their child. The family filed a case against British Columbia Women Hospital and Health Care Center and they won an enormous judgment. However, when the health care center went through the ruling of Judge Joel Groves, they found out that he had picked a large portion of his judgment from the complainant’s filings. The hospital went forward to file an appeal, stating that the plagiarism found in his ruling was a sign that the judge did not handle the case correctly and that he was prejudiced against the hospital. The case went to the Canadian Supreme Court and a ruling was made in 2013 (News, 2013). News, C. (2013, May 24). CBC News-British Columbia. Top court reinstates $4M award in plagiarizing-judge suit, 1. Retrieved from

Gender and the Media Essay Example for Free

Gender and the Media Essay Socialisation is the way an identity is defined throughout life for a person. Children are seen a blank slate that is going to have a personality and roles set by the environment he lives in. A child generally has an idea on what gender they are by the time they are 2 years old. A boy will portray himself with the colour blue, would be very hyperactive and tend to bully girls. Females would be more mature, refer themselves to the colour pink and socialise with other girls, this is called primary socialisation. Personalities are defined through interactions with people that are close to them, there societys values and they learn the attributes of their sex at a young age and they know what is expected of them as a certain sex. The person is reinforced by social praise and punishment so the person can learn from mistakes and good deeds. Media has played a massive part on how socialisation as occurred to an individual. I am directly concerned with how the media affects young women within todays society, particularly through the use of gender stereotyping within young womens magazines, mainly through articles and advertisements. Here, the ideas and beliefs already created by the media are useful to advertisers because they are socially accepted ideologies. They know that they will influence women. It has been stated in the past that it is these media interpretations of The Perfect Woman that have been the cause for so many women becoming increasingly pressured into looking good and so dieting, keeping fit etc. This can, in extreme cases lead to serious psychological diseases such as anorexia and bulimia, where one of the main causes has been identified as social pressure. Society affects how people perceive themselves, Body Image awareness still exists in our society. Many people living on our society are influenced by the media and the fashion industry. Both are equally responsible for the increased number of people suffering from eating disorders. Fashion industries tend to only feature whose figures vary from eight to ten. Their androgynous waif-like figures are presented as representative of the everyday woman. In doing so the average woman in the street is forced to measure herself against an unrealistic ideal. Most models are above average height, have naturally lithe bodies and are aged between sixteen and thirty. Their image is constructed and manipulated by a predominately male homosexual industry which appears reluctant to show women as curvaceous individuals. Celebrities themselves fall foul of the dominant media representation of women. When society thinks of a family we automatically think of the nuclear family in which there is a mum, dad and often two or three children. This type is seen as the statistical norm until the 1980s where it was considered abnormal to deviate from this ideal family type and there were characteristics that came with this which were seen as socially acceptable. Children were seen as the outcome of a loving heterosexual couple and each person i. e. the mum and dad should have distinctive roles within the family. The mother should be concerned with motherhood and household chores. The father should protect the family and be a disciplinary role model, as well as their main role being defined as the breadwinner, this meaning they often bring in the most money. The mother should be the housekeeper who attians the house and looks after the children as they grow up. A young male would grow up learning the princilpes of the father and the young female would grow up adobting the mather principles. Post modernism shows that gender is the main topic in an individuals life as events that have occurred are directly linked to a individuals gender. Post modernism gives the individual more choice and that is the basis of post modernism, choice! The individual is more independent on their life choices; such old life ambitions of marriage and children are not compulsory but are a option that some people may seek. Unlike pre modernism and modernity where marriage and kids are ultimate goals and people automatically assume that this is the right path to follow. This gives way to new events that once were either not existent or unethical such as unisex and inter-racial marriages. It shows a deterioration of religion and supernatural belief, which leaves great division among people in identity and lifestyles. People are now working more flexible times, fashion has changed in such away that people can wear what they want, food is more oriental and music comes in a wide variety. Identity has separated into many huge groups such as social classes, ethnic group, age and gender. This leads to unrest to certain groups that want change as people now have a sense of spreading opinion and arguing their rights. Certain groups such as feminists, Marxist ideology and ageist rights. As choice and individual opinion now can be widely credited it gives chance for concern to be broadcasted such as the feminist supporters wanting females to be treated as equals among men. The first wave of feminism gave people the ideology in 1928 when they got the vote, which provoked the idea of gaining more such as the 2nd wave of feminism in the 1960s when women burned the bras, this caused great reasoning between the two gender differences. Karl Marx however says that society not the individual is the important issue as that eventually the working class will soon rule society. This radical change has brought in new changes such as the new man that is a unique gender that of a masculine and unemotional male, the new man focuses on his physical appearance and pays attention to diet, personality and self image, he is more emotional and doesnt fit in with a patriarchy idea. As post modernism has totally effected todays society it shows how an individual can make all the differences and how self concern and freedom is the new ideal but this idea could change and evidence suggests that it could lead to pre modernism of the old age as though it is a long term cycle of a society but critics say this is the final situation of society and the end solution is total equality among genders, races and age. This idea of choice could lead in any direction depending on current affairs within society yet time is not a important issue as this process could last a log time.

Types of Poisonous Snakes and Snake Venom

Types of Poisonous Snakes and Snake Venom In the fourth century BC, India was invaded by Alexander the Greats army, which was accompanied by a number of Macedonian physicians and observers. They were impressed by the achievements of the local Ayurvedic practitioners, particularly in the treatment of snake bite (1). Unfortunately, the legacy of ancient skills, experience and wisdom may have held back rather than encouraged the application of modern scientific research methods to manage this continuing scourge of rural life in India (2).In India, snake envenomation is a huge public health problem, but unfortunately it hasnt got its due attention. There is scant information on epidemiology and minimal research on anti venom. Most of the quoted figures on snake bite are hospital based though most bites occur in villages and among poor population, who rely largely on traditional treatment. Recent Global Snake Bite Initiative of the International Society on Toxicology and by the World Health Organisation, is expected to throw more light on epidemiology and treatment of snake bites (3). Of the 3,000 or so snake species that exist in the world, only about 15% are venomous. Venomous snakes exist on every continent except Antarctica. In India the Big Four (Cobra, Krait, Saw scaled and Russels viper) are the key poisonous snakes(4).Though the hospital records show only 1,300 annual deaths but a recent Nationally Representative Mortality Survey puts this figure to approx. 45,900 deaths a year. Snakebite remains an underestimated cause of accidental death in modern India. Community education, appropriate training of medical staff and better distribution of antivenom, especially in the states with the high prevalence, could reduce snakebite deaths in India(5). Historical Background: Since time immemorial snake has been an object of worship in many countries. According to Hindu mythology this world is resting on a many-headed cobra. Lord Vishnu lies on Sheshnag. The Cobra coils around Lord Shiva. Old Egyptian nobility are pictured with cobra hood on their forehead. Some cultures held snakes in high esteem as powerful religious symbols. Quetzalcoati, the mythical plumed serpent was worshipped as the master of life by ancient Aztecs of Central America. Some African cultures worshipped rock pythons and considered the killing of one to be a serious crime. In Australia, the Aborigines associated a giant rainbow serpent with the creation of life. In Jewish texts, in the old Maya civilization, in Kundalini yoga, theosophy and in many medieval society emblems the world over, snakes form an essential symbol. This shows how intimate has been the historical, social and mythological association of snakes with the mankind and no wonder the cobra is wors hipped in India on Naga Panchami day. Ayurvedic texts written by Vagbhata and Sushruta, have given in fair detail the classification of snakes according to their symptoms and their poisoning. There are many stories about constrictors, particularly anacondas in the Amazon and pythons in the east, which are said to have strangled adult humans, these need to be treated with great deal of skepticism (6,7,10). In practice it is only the poisonous snakes that are of interest. Poisoning from snake bite is an important medical emergency in Africa, South America, India, Pakistan and greater part of south East Asia. Epidemiology As snake bite is not a notifiable illness, there is little reliable information on incidence of snakebite in many parts of the world. Snake bite is an important occupational injury affecting farmers, plantation workers, herders, and fishermen. Open-style habitation and the practice of sleeping on the floor also expose people to bites from nocturnal snakes. Bites are more frequent in young men, and generally occur on lower limbs. The incidence of snake bites is higher during the rainy season and during periods of intense agricultural activity (6). Available data shows 30,000-40,000 deaths from snakebites every year but this figure probably is an underestimate (8), because of incomplete reporting. Recent global estimates suggest 2.5 million bites and 85000 annual deaths. In India recent published literature suggests yearly 45,900 deaths due to poisonous snakebites and 5.6-12.6 deaths per 100,000 population in some states appears to be realistic(4,5). Upto 80% of snake bite patients in developing countries, first contact traditional practitioners, before visiting a medical center (6,7,9). Owing to the delay in reaching hospital many patients die enroute. Going by the fact that around 85-90 % snakes are non-poisonous and even 50% of bites by poisonous snakes are dry runs, number of snakebites in India are enormous(4). Myanmar probably has highest mortality figure in Asia, where over 70% bites are by Russells viper. In India, Maharashtra records the highest number of snakebites, followed by West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and Kerala. In Maharashtra alone, 70 bites per 100,000 population occur yearly with 2.4 per 100,000 mortality. Rajasthan and Jammu region of JK also report large number of viper bites (up to 95% of all bites (10). During rains and floods number of cases shows a steep rise. Most bites occur between 0400 hours to midnight and mere observation that majority of bites are on lower extremity suggest that snake is inadvertently trodden upon. In India 2/3rd of bites are due to saw scaled viper, about 1/4th due to Russells and a smaller proportion due to cobra and Krait. In neighboring Sri Lanka Daboiarussellii accounts for 40% and in Myanmar 70% of snake bites (11,12). For correct epidemiological studies one requires enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to identify antigen and antibody. This permits reliable identification and sensitive quantification of venom antigens and antibody. Natural antibody is detectable in serum by one week of bite, which rises to peak by one year and falls to low levels by 3 years, though may be detectable for up to 40 years after bite. Anti snake venom reduces but doesnt abolish the generation of antibodies. In some countries e.g. Australia, ELISA is routinely used for identification of poison (13). Anatomy and Habits Snakes belong to order Ophidia of the Reptilia general class. Over 3000 species are encountered in the world of which less than 15% are poisonous. Most of these are found in tropical and subtropical regions, Australia and throughout USA except in Alaska, Maine and Hawaii. In India 216 species from 9 families are reported of which 52 species from 3 families are poisonous. Most snakes are non-venomous, have no fangs and belong to colubrid family; a few colubrids are technically poisonous having a venom gland connected to a solid fang at the back of mouth. Bites from back fanged colubrids are generally harmless to man but with some species like African boomslang, Dispholidustypus, serious and even fatal poisoning has been reported in the snake handlers(13). The three families of front fanged poisonous snakes are elapids, vipers and sea snakes. Elapids are land snakes with non-mobile 3-5 mm long fangs in adults. Vipers have 10-30 mm long fangs which are easy to see when erected, but diff icult to see when folded against upper gum. Vipers are divided into crotalids or pit vipers who have heat sensing pit between eye and nose and viperidae which dont have the pit. Sea snakes have very short immobile fangs and flat rudder like tails. There are mainly 4 poisonous snakes encountered in India i.e. Cobra, Krait, Saw scaled and Russells viper. New addition to Big Four is Hump-nosed Pit viper (Hypnale hypnale), recently being reported from India though existent for more than 100 years(16). This has been mistaken for Saw Scaled Viper by most. It is identified by larger, triangular head ending in a snout with large scales on the head in contrast to the small scales of saw scaled viper. The envenomation is manifested by coagulopathy and renal failure. It is reported as one of the most poisonous snakes in India but specific anti venom against this is not available (12). Common poisonous snakes found in India are as below; Viperidae * Saw scaled viper (Echis carinatus) * Russells viper (Vipera russelli) Elapidae * Indian Cobra (Naja naja) * Common Krait (Bungarus caeruleus) Crotalidae * Pit Viper Hydrophidae * Sea snakes Cobra is 1.2-2.1 meters long while King Cobra may be as long as 5.5 meters. Cobra is usually slate gray to brown. The back of hood may or may not have a pattern. They raise their hood when aroused or threatened. They try to avoid mankind unless they are too close or are trodden upon. The distance a cobra can strike in forward direction is the height its hood rises above the ground. Some cobras however can spit venom upto a distance of 3 meters. This can cause redness, corneal abrasions/ulcers etc. King cobra is uniformly olive, brown or green with ringlike cross bands of black. Although it is the largest venomous snake in the world but it avoids attacking another venomous snake for fear of being bitten, therefore it feeds only on harmless species. Females build a nest and then deposit the eggs. Lying close by, she guards the nest and is highly aggressive towards anything which approaches the nest.The king cobra is found in the forests or their vicinity in the Himalayas, Bengal, Assam and South India. The common Indian cobra is found in jungles but also in open country with or without vegetation; in gardens, drains, cultivated fields, and populated areas in mans proximity; in stacks of wood and under rubbish, in loose masonry, crevices of walls and building ruins; in old cemeteries, in temples or mosques.It is often seen in dark corners of bathrooms, stables and servant quarters of old bungalows. It may be found in old hole of a tree, in ant-hill or a rat burrow. It can climb trees and swim well. It feeds on rats, mice, frog; less frequently on birds or their eggs; and sometimes on chickens, squirrels, lizards and other snakes. It is usually diurnal in habit but in populated areas it is more nocturnal(14,15). Krait is black or bluish black with white narrow crossbands and a narrow head. Its average length is 90cm 150 cm. It is found only in Asia. It is active during night and passive during the day. It is found in plains, cultivated fields and human habitations. It has tendency to seek shelter in sleeping bags, boots and tents.Kraits are mostly found in Eastern India, Assam, Bengal and parts of South India and patches all over the country. There are two varieties, banded and non-banded. Although it has most potent venom of all land snakes, it is rather shy and bites human beings least commonly (13,15). Vipers are so called because they are viviparous. There are 110 kinds of vipers and all are poisonous. Vipers have broad plates extending right across the belly and small scales on the head similar to those on the body. Body is light brown and their back is usually covered with black blotches of inverted V shaped markings. Some of the pit vipers have large shield on the head. Russells viper or Daboia is a big stumpy snake  ½-2 meters long with short tail and characteristic marking as described above. It is irritable. When threatened it coils tightly, hisses and strikes with a lightning speed, that victim has no chance of escaping. Indian pit vipers are generally found in hilly areas of Western Ghats and Sunderbans in West Bengal.Russells viper prefers open country, cultivated fields and bushy or grassy fallow lands. It is nocturnal in habit. It is commonly found in plains of Punjab, Bombay, Madras area and Brahamputravalley(4,6,20). Saw scaled viper (Echiscarinatus) is found all over India but particularly in Western India, Punjab, and around Tiruchirapalli. It prefers open dry rocky country or arid deserts.Saw Scaled Viper (Phoorsa) is responsible for maximum bites and deaths all over the world than any other snake. This small stumpy snake measures 25-60cmand camouflages well with the surroundings. Colour is light buff with shades of brown, dull red or gray. Its sides have a white or light coloured pattern. Its head usually has dark stripes that start behind the eye and extend to the rear. It gets its name from the fact it rubs its own body from sides and produces rasping sound. This ill- tempered snake attacks any intruder. It is common in rural settlements, cultivated fields and regions, barns, and rock walls(4,14). Sea snakes resemble cobra and its allies in structure of their fangs and most other characters. Most of them are 3-4 ft. long, and a few may attain a length of 8 feet. Their tails are laterally flattened and are sculled in paddle -like fashion during swimming. Most sea snakes are covered with small round scales and lack the enlarged ventral scales found in terrestrial species. The nostrils are valvularand hey can be closed when snake submerges- and may be displaced towards the top of the head. Excess salt from the sea water and diet is excreted through special glands in the snakes mouth. Venomous sea snakes mostly inhabit the waters of Australia, Indonesia, Southeast Asia and India. Of the more than 50 species some are many times more poisonous than land snakes, with venom 10-40 times more potent than that of cobra. Except for a single species found in creeks and river estuaries sea snakes are all poisonous. They however have a narrow gape and rarely bite effectively.Their bite is re latively painless and, amazingly very low percentage of patients suffer significant envenomation during the attack. In a census in Malay Peninsula less than 25% developed features of poisoning and a small percentage became critically ill (4,12,14). Snakes have a good sensory perception with primitive ears. Their vision is limited to few meters only, with better acuity for moving objects. Lower jaw is a pair of bones joined together centrally by an elastic ligament which doesnt articulate with maxilla thus enabling the snake to swallow its prey as a whole. Fangs are modified teeth on pre maxilla. Venom is secreted from parotid glands and is meant to immoblise the small creatures like rat. Man is an innocent coincident victim. Bite is a well coordinated act involving movement of head and body. It involves coordinated positioning of head, opening of mouth, attack by forward thrust of body and head, piercing the skin by fangs and injecting the venom while the wound is deepened by contraction of temporalis muscle. Vipers have holes at the tip of fangs while elapids have gutters in the fangs(14,15). Identification of Poisonous Snakes Most of the bites are by non-poisonous snakes, but the intense fear of snake bites may cause acute panic reaction or feeling of impending death. If the patient has brought snake to the attending doctor, proper identification can help institute early and appropriate treatment to the victim and also alleviate undue emotional disturbance. Some of the important differentiating features of poisonous from non-poisonous snake are appended below(13,18). (a) Fangs: The most distinctive feature of poisonous snakes is the fangs. These are modified teeth in the upper jaw, generally two in number, one on either side. They communicate with salivary glands and are hollow or grooved. In elapidae and sea snakes they are located in front, are short and immobile while they are large, curved and have wide range of movement in vipers. (b) Scales on Belly: In poisonous snakes the belly scales are large and extend all across the belly. In non-poisonous snakes belly scales are small and generally dont extend across the belly. (c) Head: Vipers have heavier triangular head with small scales all over. In case of pit vipers a pit is located between the nostril and the eye. Cobra and Krait have large head scales. In cobra upper third labial is largest and touches the eye and nasal shield. In Kraits upper third labial does not touch the eye and nose, but the fourth lower labial scale on the under surface of mouth is the largest. All the poisonous sea snakes have large scales on the head and valved nostrils. (d) Pupil: Poisonous snake have generally elliptical or vertical slit. However pupils are round in elapidae (cobra) and most non-poisonous snakes. (e) Body design: Krait has central row of large scales on dorsal side, which are almost hexagonal. It has paired white or black stripes across the body in the banded Krait. Some cobras have spectacle-like mark on their hood. (f) Fang marks: In non-poisonous snakes since all teeth are at same level so bite is stretched and bite marks are along a curved line i.e. row of bites,as in human bite. Bite site can be easily made out. In poisonous snakes since poisonous teeth are generally two (fang marks) and other teeth areat lower level, so only two,1-2 cm spaced puncture marks are seen. A distance of less than 10 mm signifies a small snake while a distance of over 15 mm is suggestive of a large snake. Sometimes one requires hand lens to identify these marks especially in cases of cobra or Krait bite. It is noteworthy that the size of the venom fangs has no relation to the virulence of the venom. The comparatively innocent Indo-MalayLachesis  have enormous fangs, whilst the smallest fangs arefound in the  Hydrophids  which possess very potent venom. (g) Sound: Most venomous snakes produce characteristic sounds, which may also help in recognition of snake. Russells viper produces Hissing, saw scaled viper Rasping and King Cobra Growling sounds. Easy identification of different snakes is as follows: Cobra: Hood while alive, large scales on head. Pupil is round and 3rd upper labial touches the eye and nostril. Large belly scales extend acrossthe width. Krait : The fourth lower labial scale on the under surface of the mouth isthe largest. Hexagonal large scales in the central row on dorsal side. Body may be banded. Belly scales extend across the width. Viper : Triangular heavy head with small scales all over. Large belly scales extend across the width. Snake Venom Snake venoms are the most complex of all natural venoms and poisons. The venom of any species might contain more than 100 different toxic and non-toxic proteins and peptides, and also non-protein toxins, carbohydrates, lipids, amines, and other small molecules. The toxins of most importance in human envenoming include those that affect the nervous, cardiovascular, and haemostatic systems, and cause tissue necrosis (21). Snake venom is primarily meant to paralyse the prey, man is only accidental victim to whom snake strikes if threatened. Proteins constitute 90-95% of venoms dry weight and they are responsible for almost all of its biological effects. Venom is made up of toxins, nontoxic proteins (which also have pharmacological properties), and many enzymes especially hydrolytic ones.  Enzymes (molecular weight  13-150 KDa) make-up 80-90% of viperid and 25-70% of elapid venoms: digestive hydrolases, L-amino acid oxidase, phospholipases, thrombin-likepro-coagulant,andkallikrein-like serine proteasesand  metalloproteinases  (hemorrhagins), which damage vascular endothelium. Polypeptide  toxins (mol weight 5-10 KDa) include  cytotoxins,  cardiotoxins, and postsynaptic neurotoxins (suchas  ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ±-bungarotoxin  and  ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ±-Cobratoxin). Compounds with low molecular weight (up to 1.5 KDa) include metals, peptides, lipids, nucleosides, carbohydrates, amines, and oligopeptides, which inhibit angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) and potentiate bradykinin (BPP).  Phosphodiesterases  interfere with the preys cardiac system, mainly to lower the  blood pressure.  Phospholipase A2  causes  hemolysis  by lysing the  phospholipid  cell membranes  of  red blood cells.  Amino acid  oxidasesand  proteases  are used for digestion. Amino acid oxidase also triggers some other enzymes and is responsible for the yellow colour of the venom of some species.  Hyaluronidase  increases tissue permeability to accelerate absorption of other enzymes into tissues. Some snake venoms carry fasciculins, like the  mambas  (Dendroaspis), which inhibit  cholinesterase  to make the prey lose muscle control (22,23). The most lethal venoms are those of elapids and sea snakes. These toxins are rapidly absorbed into the blood stream thereby causing rapid systemic effects. Large molecular weight viper toxins are absorbed slowly through lymphatics thereby staying longer at local site, hence more local effects. Pathophysiology of ophitoxemia is basically dependent on disruption of normal cellular functions. Some enzymes like hyaluronidase disseminate venom by breaking down tissue barriers. Ophitoxemia can lead to increase in vascular permeability thereby causing loss of blood and plasma volume in extravascular space. Collection of this fluid is responsible for edema and fluid loss, if significant it can lead to shock. Venom also has cytolytic effect leading to necrosis and secondary infection. Neurotoxic effect may lead to paralysis, cardiotoxic effect can cause cardiac arrest and likewise myotoxic or nephrotoxic effect can lead to rhabdomyolysis and renal failure. Ophitoxaemia also can lead to coagul ation disturbances. Among the various species, the lethal dose of venom, for cobra is 120 mg, Krait 60 mg and for Russells viper and saw scaled viper is 150 mg respectively. But clinical features and outcomes are not predictable as every bite does not cause complete envenomation. Pathological effects of venom may not be noticed until about six hours (varying between 1.5-72 hours), and it may remain functionally active causing persistent coagulopathy even after three weeks of bite. Hence duration of antigenemia is an important determinant for the extent of pathological effect. It has been unequivocally proved by studying the venom levels by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), that effects due to envenomation depend on venom hours (i.e. Blood venom level x time elapsed between bite and institution of treatment) rather than blood levels alone. Hence with the same level of venom, features due to envenomation may become progressively severe with passage of time (14,20). There are four distinct types of venom effects: Proteolytic  venom  dismantles the molecular structure of the area surrounding and including the bite. Hemotoxic  venoms  act on the heart and cardiovascular system. Neurotoxic  venom  acts on the nervous system and brain. Cytotoxic  venom  has a localized action at the site of the bite. Pathophysiology of various biological effects of snake envenomation The following few paragraphs shall describe the biological effects of venom. (a) Local Swelling: Most viper bites cause local swelling at the site of bite, which starts within minutes of bite and massive swelling of the limb may develop within 48-72 hours. This is usually the result of hemorragins in the venom. This opens the endothelial pores resulting in leakage of plasma or whole blood. At times leakage may be so much that patient develops hypovolemic shock. This swelling is not due to any venous occlusion or infection. If the exudation is of whole blood, then later discoloration of the limb may develop. In contrast to Echis, in European adder V berus bites, spontaneous bleeding is rare but discolouration is common. Sometimes local swelling is delayed and compartment syndrome may result(10,13,17). (b) Local Necrosis: In viper bites local necrosis appears late if at all and if it occurs, it is due to ischemia, mimicking dry gangrene. On the other hand in Cobra bite local necrosis appears early. Local swelling may develop after 2-3 hours but necrosis develops rapidly after that. It is due to cytolytic factors present in the venom and is a wet gangrene. As this dead tissue provides ideal setting for anaerobes, hence the putrid smell. An early excision is warranted (13). (c) Non-specific early symptoms: With bites of some vipers e.g. V berus, V xanthina, Australian elapids, some rattle snakes etca few symptoms are common. Vomiting, headache, abdominal pain, explosive diarrhea and collapse can occur. These features resolve in 30-60 minutes, suggesting activation of kinin system followed by inhibition of bradykinin (13,17). (d) Shock: It can develop due to extensive volume leak from vessels in cases of viper bite. It can result even before a limb gets swollen. Pulmonary intra vascular clotting, pulmonary edema and cardiac effects can be contributory factors for shock. (e) Spontaneous haemorrhage: Haemorrhages can develop in patients with viper bites even days after the bite. These at times may be life threatening especially if they occur in brain. Local blisters at bite site appear to be depot of venom, which dont get targeted by anti snake venom. Therefore one must keep in mind the delayed absorption from bite site in patients who present with late bleeding manifestations despite having been given anti-snake venom a few days back. (f) Effect on Circulation: Some viper venoms contain procoagulant activity which activates prothrombin to thrombin; which in turn converts fibrinogen to fibrin while in others procoagulant venom may directly affect fibrinogen. This fibrin formed is susceptible to lysis unlike natural fibrin thus resulting in poorly clottable or non-clottable blood because of absent or very low levels of fibrinogen. It should be remembered that bleeding manifestations during envenomation are not generally due to coagulation disturbances but rather due to haemorrhagin. Platelet count may also be low though usually it is normal. Low platelet count is due to consumption of platelets in the repair of endothelial damage. Polymorphonuclearleucocytosis is common in all forms of envenomation especially severe envenomation. Both viper and elapidae bite may have hemolytic activity in vitro but abnormal hemolysis is rarely of clinical importance except probably in renal failure (13,17). (g) Renal Failure: Renal failure is a common manifestation of viperine envenomation especially where treatment has been delayed. On renal biopsy acute tubular necrosis is the commonest underlying lesion in 50-70% of cases and acute cortical necrosis (patchy / diffuse) has been found in 20-25% of cases. Hypovolemia and shock are the usual underlying mechanism. Other contributory factors are hemo/ myoglobinuria, hemolysis, associated sepsis and disseminated intravascular coagulation (24). Glomerular lesions have also been described in snake bite cases. Merchant et al(25) have reported mesangial proliferation, splitting of basement membrane, swelling of endothelial cells and ballooning of glomerular capillaries, but the significance of these lesions in causing renal failure is not clear and is debatable. Seedat et al(26) reported two cases due to puff adder who developed oliguric renal failure and biopsy showed crescenticglomerulunephritis. Authors suspected hypersensitivity of venom as the cause. Occasional casesof severe glomerulonephritis related renal failure have been reported in the literature. Experimental studies carried out on the effect of Habu snake venom (found in Japan) has given some insight into understanding of the glomerular lesion. This venom contains hemorrhagin, like the venom of Echiscarinatus. Within 24 hours of injection of this venom destruction of mesangium occurs resulting in ballooning of capillaries which become packed with red cells and fibrin giving an appearance of blood cysts. This is followed by proliferation of mesangial cells giving appearance of segmental proliferative glomerulonephritis. Rarely crescents are observed. These studies provide evidence that these glomerular changes are due to vasculotoxic effects of hemorrhagin. However about tubular necrosis or cortical necrosis, the commonest lesion encountered in snake envenomation, there is no consensus that venom has any direct toxic effect in producing these lesions (27,28). (h) Neurotoxic effects: Elapidae venom and sea snake venom cause neurotoxic effects due to neuromuscular blockade. Commonly affected muscles in elapidae bite are those of eye, tongue, throat and chest (leading to respiratory paralysis in severe envenomation). Neurotoxins are small molecular weight positively charged molecules with less antigenecity. Neuro- muscular blockade is produced by one of the following mechanisms. (a) Post synaptic block (Cobra) cobratoxin and alpha-bungarotoxins act similar to d-tubocurarine on the post synaptic membrane. There is no decrease in acetyl choline. Response to neostigmine is satisfactory. (b) Pre-synaptic blockade (Krait)beta- bungarotoxin acts like botulism toxin pre synaptically to block the neuro-muscular junction. Post junctional membrane remains sensitive to acetyl choline. The time required for neuromuscular block varies with impulse traffic, therefore intense physical activity shortens the interval between envenomation and neuromuscular bl ock. Response to neostigmine is less satisfactory. It is important to note that these neurotoxins dont cross the blood brain barrier and therefore do not cause alteration in consciousness. Hence in case of altered sensorium an alternative cause should be found (23,29). (i) Cardiotoxic Effects: Cardiotoxin (Cobra) acts on cell membrane of skeletal, smooth and cardiac muscle to produce paralysis and cardiac asystole. Cobramine B and cytoxin cause irreversible depolarization of cell membrane and systolic cardiac arrest. Hyperkalemia following massive hemolysis or rhabdomyolysis also depresses cardiac function. (j) Myotoxic Effects: Although sea snake venom appears to be neurotoxic in animal experiments, the effects in man are primarily myotoxic. There is diffuse effect on all muscles though local effects at the site of bite are minimal. In humans bitten by sea snakes the findings are typical of generalized myopathic lesions in skeletal muscle. Damage to muscles- rhabdomyolysis and hyperkalemia resulting from it may be life threatening. Snake envenomation has so diverse effects that every system of the body is affected directly or indirectly (20,29). CONCLUSION Since ancient times snakes have been worshiped, feared or loathed in India. It is a common and frequently devastating environmental and occupational disease, especially in rural areas of our country. India has the highest number of death to snake bite in the world. One of the major gaps in the battle against snakebite in India is the lack of qualitative work. Most Herpetology text books give snake identification data that is overtly complex and of little use to doctors. Snakes are misidentified by doctors in most cases where snake is brought to the hospital. Without the snake, identification based on symptomatology is clearly fraught with problems. The doctors should be aware of discovery of a new poisonous snake, the Hump-nosed Pitviper (Hypnale Hypnale) which has no available antivenom at present. Community education, appropriate training of medical staff and better distribution of anti venom, especially in the states with the high prevalence, could reduce snakebite deaths in India .

GPS - Global Positioning System Essay -- physics global positioning sy

What is GPS? The Global Positioning System (GPS) was developed by the Department of Defense and consists of a group of 24 satellites which are monitored by five ground stations. It essentially allows you to pinpoint your location anywhere on the surface of the Earth, even in cloudy weather, with the use of a GPS receiver. The GPS receiver is a navigational device that uses these satellites as reference points to calculate your position on the ground. It does this by triangulating your position between at least 3 satellites. The GPS receiver uses the time it takes the coded radio signal to get from the satellite to the receiver to calculate the distance it is from that satellite. So, by accurately measuring the distance from the ground to these satellites, it can triangulate your position. GPS consists of 3 basic parts: 1. Control The control part is the central part of GPS. This is where the satellites are monitored and adjustments (atmospheric corrections, timing corrections, etc.) are made. There are 5 stations located worldide and each satellite passes over a monitoring station twice a day. 2. Space The space part is the NAVigation Satellite Timing And Ranging (NAVSTAR) group of satellites that bradcast the GPS signals. There are 24 satellites orbiting at about 20,200km above the Earth. They each make one revolution approximately every 12 hours. 3. User Consists of a user and a GPS receiver. The possible applications of GPS are limitless. Satellite Ranging GPS is based on satellite ranging. This technique of measurement is based on timing how long it takes a radio signal to travel from the satellite to the GPS receiver a... ...or short, consists of both satellites and ground based stations that supply correction information for your GPS receiver. This correction information can provide an improvement in positional accuracy of up to five times greater. It corrects for GPS signal errors caused by atmospheric disturbances, timing, and other errors. WAAS was developed by the FAA in order to help increase the accuracy of precision flight approaches. The corrected information is broadcast through two geostationary satellites that are located at a fixed location over the equator. Works Cited Trimble: http://www.trimble.com/gps/ The Aerospace Corporation: http://www.aero.org/publications/GPSPRIMER/index.html CMT: http://www.cmtinc.com/gpsbook/index.htm Garmin: http://www.garmin.com/aboutGPS/ GPS Mapping for GIS., 2001, Trimble Navigation Limited.

Gerne Will Ich Mich Bequemen

Johann Sebastian Bach composed this piece. This piece is part of the St Matthew Passion, BWV244. It is a musical composition from the Passions written by Bach in 1727. The St Matthew Passion is written for solo voices, double choir and double orchestra. Picander (Christian Friedrich Henrici) is the libretto of this composition. This is a scared music. Only 2 out of 4 or 5 setting of the Passions survived. Bach was a devouted Christian, so he composed it for Good Friday. Gerne will ich mich bequemen (Gladly will I am comfortable) is the title of this piece. The context of the song is based on biblical story and it is in German text. It is in Da capo aria form where A section is repeated. The instrumentation for this aria are 2 violin which intermingle between the melody and a basso continuo. Bach give more variation to the melody by switching its mode from major to minor mode. This alter its emotional significance completely and is used to provide vivid contrast. The idea of a change of mode in a melody implies some harmonic considerations. He exploited harmonic variation to marvelous effect in this piece. This shown in the starting of the piece in G minor in the ritornello section and then it modulates to D minor at bar 25, and it is back to G minor at bar 65. The first section of the piece starts with a Ritornello and then come the aria. After the aria, there is the ritornello section again which use the first half of the Ritornello, this can be found in bar 24. Bach often writes pieces for human voices that can fit in instrumental idioms for example the Ritornello section at the beginning of the piece and where the bassist starts to sing, the melody is similar. This is how Bach imply his knowledge into his work. Symbolism, symmetry and mathematical relationships can be found in this piece : whenever there is this word â€Å"Kreuz† which mean cross, Bach will always have a sharp in it. The sharp (#) represent + (cross). This is one of the way he uses symbolism. Word painting can be found in this piece in bar 61 â€Å"trink† (drink) the melody is going up with chromatic melodies, Bach wanted to portrait the action of drinking. The piece only have 2 dynamic throughout the piece which are : piano and forte There are lots of Diminished 7th chords in this piece which is not common in Baroque period, during these time, Church plays a very important role in music, they believe that dissonance is not a good sound to praise the god. Bach uses these chords and sudden modulations to accompany Jesus’s apocalyptic prophecy. The recitative often set the mood for a particular passages by highlighting emotionally changed words such as â€Å"Gerne† (gladly). There is a bit of development in the B section but we doesn’t conclude that section as a development section because only part of the melody and rhythm change, we still can see the same use of Fortspinnung in the B section. Fortspinnung (spinning forth), it was conceived in 1915, it is the development or â€Å"spinning out† of a short melodic motif to form a complete phrase, often using sequences or intervallic change. It is much used in the Baroque period rather less in the Classical period. In this piece, Bach tries touch upon many basic human problems such as love, hatred and betrayal. The story itself is given to the Evangelist. Sometime Bach put his signature in some of his composition. His signature can be found in bar 65.

Life of Maya Angelou Essay

Maya Angelou was born an African American. One would feel the agony she went through to be born as such and in America. Her grandmother was raped and bore a child; this child later came to be her mother. Similar to the ferocity her grandmother experienced, she was raped as a child by her mother’s boyfriend who was later on killed by her uncles. Because of this, she didn’t speak for almost six years afraid that her words had killed the man. This must be the dawn of her path to being a writer, realizing that words are powerful. If it could kill then it could give life as well. When her parents divorced, her grandmother took good care of her and her brother Bailey, Jr. and it was him who called her Maya. She became many things: a dancer, a cable car operator, a singer, a waitress, and where she flourished, a writer. The turn of her career came when she went to Egypt and Ghana. She went back to America to support Malcolm X’s Organization of African American Unity but he was assassinated. The struggle of the race continued as she supported Martin Luther King, Jr. who was also assassinated defending the African American cause, this made Maya Angelou devastated. She never stopped working for the emancipation of the African Americans and continued writing for equal rights and liberty. And so, in 1993, she read ‘On the Pulse of Morning,’ at President William Jefferson Clinton’s inauguration at the White House. Her words are valuable to the nation. Her words influence men of power. Her life is interesting which produced works that are priceless to the American people most especially to the African Americans of whom she dedicated her efforts to for their emancipation. Angelou’s style of writing categorized her works in the genre of autobiographical fiction because of her writing styles in dialogues, characterization, development of theme, setting, plot and language. But for her, these are simply autobiographies. She speaks through her writing what she has learned or learning out of life. In her interview with Mike Schneider in Bloomberg TV, she talked to all women as her daughters for her book, â€Å"Letter to My Daughter†. She speaks to them how a woman surpasses an incident in life as she would, given a similar situation. She writes to all the women as her daughters, sharing with them her story like she was one with them. In the poem, â€Å"I Know Why the Caged Birds Sing†, one would feel between the lines how an African American feels in the land called America. The words are simple and yet powerful in the sense that it deeply triggers emotions from the reader. These are deep sentiments of an enslaved race, wanting to be free but â€Å"the bird’s wings are clipped†. Feelings of being held while the other birds are free: is something that she has undergone while the whites enjoy the liberty of being part of their race. A critic named Lupton, considered Angelou’s writings as autobiographies for they contain the elements of such: written by a single author, chronological, and they contain character, technique and them. Although, there are parts that are fictional, the elements necessary for an autobiography are present. Angelou has the tendency to go to the direction against the convention of what an autobiography is. She used the first person singular, â€Å"I† in talking about â€Å"we†. She is placed among the African American autobiographists but other writers insist that she has created a different kind of interpretation of the autobiographical form. The book, â€Å"I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings†, became an acclaim containing the sentiments of the black people. She wrote it out of a challenge by Robert Loomis, her editor, for her to write â€Å"high art†. African American literature is more challenged in such that the authors have to agree about the status of their writings on whether it’s â€Å"high art†. O’Neale considers Angelou’s poetry a â€Å"more expected ghetto expressiveness† and she also avoids a monolithic Black language. The bird was used as metaphor that is struggling to set itself free from its cage. The cage that incarcerates the creature represents â€Å"oppression† of the African American people. It must be emphasized as well that Angelou doesn’t intend to isolate the white people. She wanted to promote the relevance of diligence so as to change the concept of laziness among African Americans. At the latter part of the 1960s, one of her goals was to create a book that satisfied the criteria, â€Å"organic unity†. According to English literature scholar Valerie Sayers, her poetry and prose are similar because of the episodes which are done like a series of short stories, but they do not follow a chronology of events. Her prose and poems are both in â€Å"direct voice†, which are characterized by steady rhythms with lyrical patterns that use figures of speech (similes and metaphors). Hagen has mentioned that Angelou’s works were influenced by the African American community’s literary and oral tradition. She uses the â€Å"blues† music and literary characters in testifying about her life and hardships, with the use of metaphors, rhythms, and intonations. Angelou’s one of the most important themes are â€Å"kinship†, this has something to do with her parents abandonment of her and her brother, her relationship with her son, husbands and lovers all throughout her books. She discusses the value of family relationships of how it can affect development of a person. She spoke of her paternal grandmother who prophesied of her being a teacher when she intentionally went mute. Telling her that she would be a teacher someday but how could that happen if she does not speak. In most of her books, â€Å"motherhood† is predominantly manifested based on her experiences as a single mother, a daughter, and a granddaughter. Like in the book, â€Å"Letter to My Daughter†, she dedicated this book to all women pondering on their life experiences. She delivered words of wisdom to soothe and give directions to their souls. When asked if she would say the same things to her son or sons, she said it would be different. She would never know how it is to be a man. If she would write something for her son/sons, it would be through the perspective of a woman. Her plot often surrounds in this motif – mother & child. â€Å"The woman who survives intact and happy must be at once tender and tough. † – Maya Angelou, Wouldn’t Take Nothing For My Journey Now (1994) She is an embodiment of strength and wisdom. This is where she gets her tenets from – the experiences she has gained from childhood up to the present which molded her to become a woman whom people listen to. For Scholar Mary Burgher, African American women autobiographers have rejected the stereotyping of roles as â€Å"breeder and matriarch† of their kind and they are being presented as â€Å"creative and personally fulfilling†. Maya Angelou also wanted to deliver the message that women are more than the purpose of bringing forth children. Women are valuable beings in society as much as men are. In her books, women are winners and are brilliant who have overcome hindrances of racial discrimination. She has been influenced greatly by her relationship with her grandmother who died early in her third autobiography, â€Å"Singin’ and Swingin’ and Getting’ Merry Like Christmas†. Momma (Angelou’s grandmother), is quoted in the whole book. â€Å"I write because I am a Black woman, listening attentively to her people†. Maya Angelou, 1984[87] She has greatly contributed to the emancipation of the black people in America working alongside with Malcom X and Martin Luther King, Jr. Went through devastation because of their deaths but continued on the struggle of her people. She continued to express the pains she goes through as a black woman through her music and poems. Using her gift in expressing through words her thoughts and struggles, unified the very same sentiments of all the black people in America. Her experiences especially from childhood gave her the foundation she needed to become who she is now. Everything that transpired in her life was a message she depicted in all her books. She resisted racial biases and protested outright to effect change in American society. She mentioned in her interviews when asked if she was angry, she said, â€Å"I am angry but I am not bitter†¦Ã¢â‚¬ , reiterating that anger was necessary to express indignation to the unjust treatment towards the black people. She emphasized, however, that she is not bitter. There is a difference between those two. She used anger to advance the cause of African Americans but made sure there is no bitterness in her heart. Works Cited Hagen, L. (1997). Heart of a Woman, Mind of a Writer, and Soul of a Poet: A Critical Analysis of the Writings of Maya Angelou. Lanham, Maryland: University Press. Lauret, M. (1994). Liberating Literature: Feminist fiction in America. New York: Routledge. O’Neale, S. (1984). Reconstruction of the Composite Self: New Images of Black Women in Maya Angelou’s Continuing Autobiography. Garden City, NY: Doubleday.

Develop Goals Essay

As the course of weeks of planning have interpose realizing a campus improvement plan is an essential item for any growth of a learning environment. Modifying our processes, teaching practices and student learning is vital to notice in order to make our action plan become successful. We must not forget the fact that our action plan is intertwined with the vision and mission set up by the administration team for the campus. Following this will be a chart as a draft of a school improvement plan based on the data acquired from Del Castillo Elementary. It includes a summary of the feedback and goals set by my principal mentor and several other stakeholders from the campus. Through positive collaboration, teamwork from all stakeholders and the correct support the plan can be implemented in a successful manner for continuous improvement. Strategies Set up lessons and assessments based on the TEKS tested for each grade level. Match readiness and supporting standards set up on the TEA blueprint to meet weekly assessments given in class. Provide training for teachers based on best practices and test taking strategies to be used by students. Goals: (See Figure 1.1) The results of the 2014 STAAR test demonstrates a need for improvement in 4th grade writing, 3rd grade reading and math, and 5th grade reading and math subjects. Resources: Journeys Reading Program (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt), Empowering Writers (J. Mariconda), Pearson Envision, Campus Reading Coach, Campus Dean of Instruction, STAAR Workbooks (varies by grade level) Target Barriers: In 2014 the 4th grade percentage for the writing STAAR test was at 47 percent meeting standard, this will need to increase to  70 percent. For 3rd grade reading it was at 37%, it will need to increase to 50%. 3rd grade math was at 41%, it will need to increase to 50%. For 5th grade reading it was at 36% it will need to be raised to 60%, and for math it was at 42% and it will need to be raised to 67%. Action: Data reports of TEKS mastered will be used by teacher to provide interventions for each of the above subject mentioned, to target each learner’s area of difficulties. Provide questionnaires to several stakeholders to improve the structure of testing. (See figures 2.1, 2.2, 2.3) Personnel Responsible: Classroom teachers, reading coach, dean of instruction. Evidence of Completion: District Benchmark (1 for the fall semester (November) see Figure 1.2, 1 spring semester (February).) Percentages, 2015 STAAR results taken in April 2015. Figure 1.1 2014 STAAR Results (Percentage of Students Meeting Standard) Figure 1.2 2014 District Benchmark (November) Figure 2.1 Student Questionnaire Purpose: To improve a testing experience for our students to increase the percentage of students meeting the standards of the standardized test. 1) What grade levels have you attended Del Castillo Elementary? 2) Do you enjoy having no physical education time or pullout time during testing days? 3) Would snacks during testing break help you focus on the test? 4) Do you enjoy incentives provided for passing your benchmarks? 5) How many brain breaks do you believe you should receive during a testing day? Figure 2.2 Parent Questionnaire Purpose: Parents are knowledgeable of testing procedures and improve motivation from parent to student at home. 1) Do you express confidence in your son/daughters campus to teach the skills necessary to meet the standard of the standardized test? 2) Do you prefer public schooling or private schooling? 3) Would you like extra services to teach your child not to have test anxiety? 4) Do you prefer for classroom teachers to teach to test or have enviroment rich activities? 5) Do you believe standardized testing creates a negative impact on your child? 6) If a teacher does not have a good percentage of students passing the STAAR test, would you judge that teacher as a â€Å"bad† teacher? 7) How many years have your children attended Del Castillo Elementary? 8) Are you satisfied with the kind of motivation the campus promotes to your child to motivate them to pass the STAAR test? 9) How many of your children attend Del Castillo Elementary? 10) Are the STAAR scores important for you? 11) What do you consider more important your child’s STAAR scores or report card grades? Figure 2.3 Teacher Questionnaire Purpose: Promote motivation within teachers to increase passing percentages. 1) What is your position at Del Castillo Elementary? 2) How many years have you been teaching in this campus? 3) Would you prefer to work a private school campus that does not require students to take a state mandated standardized test? 4) What do you think should be the student to teacher ratio for the testing grade levels? 5) What kind of motivation rewards should be offered to students that meet the standards on benchmarks and on the STAAR test? 6) Are the resources provided useful to your instruction to teach all TEKS tested in your grade level? 7) What supplemental aids should be provided on a yearly basis to increase the percentage of students passing the STAAR test? 8) Do you feel that you have to â€Å"teach to the test†? 9) Does the emphasis on improving state standardized test scores impact your classroom positively or negatively? 10) How much emphasis did your school place on students’ state standardized test results to evaluate your performance? 11) Has the use of state standardized test scores and outcomes  led you to consider leaving the profession? 12) During the last school year, how much pressure did you feel from school administrators to improve state standardized test scores?