Media Portrayal Of The Media Essay - 2318 Words

The media portrays Africa in many different lights. How the media publishes these events cause indirect consequences that affect many nations that reside in Africa . The media s attention can be short and forgotten, or have gripped the entire world watching a moment in history. We see news on a daily basis today more so now with globalization and the speed of information across the world with the power of the internet. Before that, we had to rely on books, television networks, radio, and credible newspapers to get the news. Sometimes the media controlled by a state, or other actors can smear the truth of an event . Even though some of these new reports are on African issues, a lot of them are overshadowed by other international events; domestic events in our countries; and stories of violence and war. The gaining attention of the world can have an impact on an issue in Africa and the waning of that attention will also have an impact. The attention of the world is critical to those im pacted by severe consequences yet we ignore that news for stories that publishers know people will read. When we think of Africa, we think of beautiful landscapes; large and strange animals; and a history covered in turmoil. Our perception of Africa is dictated by how we obtain this information. Most of us that live outside of Africa do not visit the continent so we can t personally see what life is like there. Today we can the news instantaneously with the power of our current technology, butShow MoreRelatedMedia Portrayal Of The Media938 Words   |  4 PagesTo begin, I will define the more technical terms used in the statement. The theory of â€Å"determined media† states that the media portrayal of culture is directly reflective of the real world. â€Å"Media determinism† is a theory that supports the opposite: media portrayals of the world create the culture, as public behavior is manipulated around what people observe in the media. The â€Å"constraints on the marketplace† can be categorized in two ways: legal and extralegal constraints. Legal constraints are lawsRead MoreThe Media And Its Portrayal Of Athletes1573 Words   |  7 PagesAccording to Knight and Giuliano’s 2001 article, gender equality has been and will remain a current topic of hot discussion in the media and its portrayal of athletes. Athletes have a unique ability to deliver their thoughts and information to the masses through the media outlets given to them in regard to their social status. Once the media has heard what the athletes have to say it can be at the media’s hand for interpretation. In this specific study 92 undergraduates were given a fake newspaperRead MoreThe Media Portrayal Of Nurses1222 Words   |  5 Pagesmore time in direct contact with patients than a physician does (Hendrich et al., 2008). Nevertheless, media sources have always painted the picture of a nurse in various forms. Although nurses are sometimes perceived as life save rs and angels of mercy, the profession is often sexualized, stereotyped, and undermined in its importance (Hoeve et al., 2014). In this paper I will describe how the media portrays a professional nurse, and compare it with the current knowledge in literature –searched throughRead MoreThe Portrayal Of Race On The Media1480 Words   |  6 Pages The Portrayal of Race in the Media Ryker M. Bolden Walla Walla University â€Æ' Abstract This paper takes a look at five popular American television shows and breaks down how race and issues involving racism are portrayed in American media, specifically television, in today’s society. We will analyze the characters, symbols, messages, and interactions in each of the five programs and how they shape the public attitude on racial and ethnic groups. The shows used in this paper are Veronica MarsRead MoreGender Portrayal Of The Media813 Words   |  4 PagesGender Portrayal in Media Media; â€Å"The main means of mass communication (broadcasting, publishing, and the Internet) regarded collectively† Oxford dictionary. In recent years a rising issue of media gender portrayal has been massively looked at from a sociological perspective. Everything and every picture has been depicted in this primarily visual age. There’s a giant number of visual information going through our conscious and subconscious daily at a fast pace. A lot of different point of viewsRead MoreMedia Portrayal Of The Internet828 Words   |  4 PagesThe internet is slowly becoming the most used source of media, with many teenagers listening to music, watching television shows, and reading magazines on their computer as well as reading blogs and maintaining social media profiles. It has also changed the very structure of romantic relationships, with many starting, being maintained, and sometimes even ending online. Pascoe (2011) found that 93% of individuals between 12 and 17 years old were online in 2008 and it can only be assume that the percentageRead MoreFemale Portrayal Of The Media1874 Words   |  8 PagesHowever, t he female portrayal in the media has halted this advancement and even reversed it in some ways. Additionally, the media has deteriorating effects on females. The media of today makes women seem less desirable while also objectifying, over sexualizing and stereotyping them on a great level. This, in turn, has a very negative influence on females of all ages and forces younger girls to conform to the media’s marketed female ideal. Ultimately, the female portrayal in the media has too many orRead MoreMedia Portrayal Of Beauty1140 Words   |  5 PagesMedia’s Portrayal of Beauty Some people occasionally feel that their own appearance is unacceptable to society because of what others are expecting based on published media. Those include, social media, published articles, and even movies and TV shows. The media’s portrayal of beauty has had a generational effect on american society with young people falling victim to unrealistic standards. Failing to participate in these ideals can lead to non acceptance, ostracization, and even bullying due toRead MoreMedia s Portrayal Of The Black Age Of Media Essay1393 Words   |  6 Pages(Gabrenya 3). The portrayal of the class system has always been underrepresented or over represented since the golden age of media. The question arises what kind of ideas it puts in the minds of viewers about their society? Media plays an important role in developing an image of people from other countries or communities because many people have no personal contact with people from other countries and rely mainly on media for information about them (Harris). Unfortunately, media’s portrayal of differentRead MoreMedia s Portrayal Of Women1190 Words   |  5 Pagesit comes as no surprise that women are expressing hate for their bodies more than ever before. Mass media’s portrayal of women is one of unattainable perfection— most models are stick thin with flawless complexions and pearl-white smiles. Consumers are bombarded with images of women being displayed as sex objects, valued for their physical appearance above all else. The evasiveness of media has led women to believe they must resemble the models pictured in advertisements, films, and television. When

Should Prostitution Be Legal - 1230 Words

Prostitution is one of the ‘world’s oldest professions’ that continues to survive centuries of stigma and denunciation. In, Australia, being involved in a paid sexual encounter is not illegal, however each state has its own individual jurisdictions that criminalise particular areas of prostitution. Today, states including NSW, VIC, QLD and ACT have laws that primarily decriminalize prostitution. Whilst NT, TAS, SA WA have an almost criminal approach. Such laws were established to uphold society’s moral values of loyalty and commitment that undermined such a sacred act and to also avert harm by restricting the commodity of sex for those underage and/or trafficked. Although, originally intended to create a safer environment for sex†¦show more content†¦A minority of women enter the sex industry due to its high earnings, flexible work hours or purely for the enjoyment. However, for the vast majority, their exceptionally deprived childhood is what leads them to prostitution as a means of survival. ‘An astounding 96% of juvenile prostitutes are fugitives from abusive domestic situations’ and 66% of those girls began working at just the age of sixteen. Additionally, studies revealed that ‘more than half of children prostitutes are alcoholics or substance abusers’ and 90% became prostitutes after being raped. These statistics are representing the MOST vulnerable within the sex industry. These girls who share a similar age with the girls at OUR school, are the most at risk in the human sex trafficking world. By legalizing prostitution or decimalizing the sex industry, this is an ultimate pathway to paradise for ‘pimps’ behind brothels and traffickers who exploit prostitutes. Former Deputy PM of Sweden, Winberg stated that to â€Å"succeed in combating trafficking†¦we [must work] simultaneously to abolish prostitution.’ In a desperate act to prohibit the trafficking of immigrant women, in 2000 the Netherlands legalised prostitution. However, three years later the Amsterdam major, one of few, admitted that the well-intended law had failed its people. He disclosed that it ‘appeared impossible to create a safe and controllable zone for women that was not open to [trafficking] and organized crime.† Instead, these men who were

Corporate Governance Exam Paper free essay sample

While analysing the Reality of Boardroom we say many games and tactics often employed by directors so that they don’t lose power. Some such games were alliance, coalition, lobbying, scaremongering, log rolling etc. Here also majority of BOD were near and dear ones of Bright so everybody chose to stay quiet about what is going on. Under-reserving Like we say in the HLL case under-reserving is a tactic used by firms but in the long run it cant stop companies from collapsing. Role of independent directors The question Are independent directors really independent has been topic of debate for ages. In the case the role played by independent directors is insignificant. Also it is questionable whether independent directors were present and in the number advised by law or not. Audit Committee The case talks about KPMG and the arguable role it played but what about the audit committee, was it existent, if so how was it functioning. Its composition and leadership needs attention. Manipulation Most of the cases of accounting frauds, falsifying records, deceiving shareholders and bankruptcy rest upon the manipulation of the balance sheet and the tactics used to fudge the data. Ex: Enron The company needs to take inspiration from firms like GSK, Infy, and tata which serve as examples of good CG. GSK * Chairman of board is independent director along with 5 others in in board. Transparency is valued Infosys * Creating wealth legally and ethically Tata * One of the giants and still fascinating governance * In sync with the values * Very elaborate code of conduct Board composition and structure One of the major flaw ways in the board structure is everyone was quiet about the rising storm dominated by power and status of Bright. There should be some independent directors with ability to question the acts and deeds and the following structures are recommended. European Two Tier model Shareholders Supervisory board Executive board Management Employees and staff The supervisory board overlooks functions of executive board and can question and alter the function This model is preferred over unitary board. Chinese model Here we see the presence of the state as a whole also takes society into account along with shareholders Board Leadership One of the major causes of the downfall was the role played by Bright. He was forceful and rigid and thus not a true leader. The features desired for a leader are: Integrity The ability to differentiate between right and wrong and govern in a manner that it is morally correct and sustainable Independence The board was like a dummy/puppet with no or very less degree of independence Intellect The creativity must not come out in form of manipulation and fraud but the betterment of the firm Character He must be ethical and strong character Personality A leader must be flexible and open to new ideas and suggestions. The personality is the holistic perspective. Communication skills, good listener, motivator etc. Board level information Desired CG was not in place and there was no clear information pathway. The board did not check or authenticate the actions. Control systems The case clearly shows violation of many acts and laws. The board was not conforming to the supervisory work. The control system was not in place. Auditors at fault: In cases like Enron and worldcom it has been seen that the external auditors are able to flee away leaving the company in distress. Usually there are tie ups between management and auditors, some internal settlement that leads to uch actions. Role of internal audit committee is arguable. The company should have gone to auditors like Delloitte who are reliable and tested. Risks that should be considered – Financial risk. Operational, compliance, Business Four aspects of CG Internal control, risk management, behavioural governance, independence Sarbax – oxley act This is one of the landmark acts that came in 2002 after Enron and Worldcomm It says criminal and civil penalties for compliances and accounting frauds, certificate for internal audits and annual report is to submitted by all public and private listed companies. Also introduce PCAOBA (Public company accounting oversight board of America) Was criticized for high cost of compliance CG is a process by which companies are directed and controlled Many attempts have been made to define CG and this one by Cadbury is one of the most comprehensive . Cadbury’s definition Corporate governance is the system by which companies are directed and controlled. The boards of directors are responsible for the governance of their companies. The shareholder’s role in governance is to appoint the directors and the auditors to satisfy themselves that an appropriate governance structure is in place. The responsibilities of the board include setting the company’s strategic aims, providing the leadership to put them into effect, supervising the management of the business and reporting to shareholders on their stewardship. The board’s actions are subject to laws, regulations and the shareholders in general meeting. Mike and Minnow: Corporate Governance is a process of governing and directing the performance of any company and the major actors involved are directors, management, society and shareholders CG is basically to overlook, monitor, control and direct the functioning of the management. For this we have BOD and the code of conduct. Some acts, laws and norms facilitate this process of governance. Scope from least to highest Society Media and Press Shareholders Regulatory bodies Contractual Stakeholders Auditors Governance and Management (Diagram) As it is clear that the scope of CG is very wide. It is crucial that CG is acceptable and answerable to many. Functions of the board Majorly there are four functions of the board depending upon the conformity to past or existing and the performance expected for future. The four functions are accountability, strategy formulation, supervising and monitoring and policy making Matrix The accountability along with monitoring and supervising is the conformance part i. e. to past or existing situation. The policy making and strategy formulation comes under the performance part with focus on future value. Usually it is seen that independent directors are forced to conformance because they only understand what is going on. Strategic Formulation * This is the most crucial step of governance There must be shared view according to which governance and management abide * It involves SWOT, PEST, Porter analysis and asking of crucial questions of long term strategic importance * It is important to have helicopter vision balanced of long and short term * San Tzu â€Å"Think the mind alike of your enemy† Policy making * This comes from the strategic formulation * Policies are rules, regulation and procedures that must be followed and abided Supervision amp; monitoring This is the conformance part to check that everything is happening as per the policies and rules or not Accountability * Accountability is to have proper system wherein respective people are accountable for any error or aberration * Only the top management is not accountable but usually is held responsible. Normative: How board thinks directors should spend their time How directors actually do spend their time Relation between functions Strategy formulation Policy making supervision and monitoring Accountability Roles: Agents and Stewards Agency theory Principal shareholders contract with agents seek self interest It says that it is not possible that agents take care of other money with as much vigilance of vow. They seek personal interest and detrimental effect on shareholders Stewardship theory Owners chose and elect stewards(directors) who play the role of stewards Contrary to agency theory it says owners vest their trust in directors who act as stewards of shareholders money. Along with the board the following roles are performed by the director Managing the board Managing the meeting Strategic leadership Cooperation between board and management Company’s face to public By means of all these functions and roles the board makes an effort towards fair and equitable distribution of profit, ethical governance of firm and deters any unethical behaviour It lays clear rules, norms, laws and code of conduct to facilitate governance Maxwell communication 1991 – Risky acquisition using pension funds leading to bankruptcy Bank of credit and commerce international Cadbury report 1992 – best practices suggested How to implement it? For a company to enter in stockmarket it has to that it follows Cadbury suggestions Corporate governance is directly related to market valuation of a company. Better managed companies are valued more. Enron failure 2001 – faulty accounting policies; creation of special purpose entities to conceal losses; excessive executive compensation Worldcom 2002 – The BOD did not oppose the ambitious investment of Worldcom in fiber optic cables and infrastructure to become a market leader (a short term goal). This led to huge losses when the boom for dot com ended. Measures to check such scenarios * Make BOD accountable to stakeholders * Make changes in structure * Clearly explain the responsibilities of Board Make them active board – in giving a leadership to the company * Make the BOD to meet more frequently – listed company at least 4 times a year * Lay down an agenda about what must be discussed Placing constraints, checks on management power including the CEO Eg: SKF micro finance – CEO was sacked as he is no good There should be separation of position of chairman and CEO Ensuring a sound system of internal cont rol and proper disclosure of financial information and executive compensation Auditors are continuing from 20 years Approaches to strengthen the CG 002 – there was a proposal to change companies act 1956 2012 – the bill was proposed in loksabha Very lengthy process to make a law But then one law for all companies reduces flexibility In 1998 CII appointed a committee under Rahul bajaj to create guidelines for cg which is only voluntary. Only 0. 1% adopted them. Voluntary Purely legal approach Cg code Code – a set of practices, guidelines which are expected to be followed by the companies 2 approaches for cg code 1) Principle based – lay down broad principles; comply or explain principles link it with listing. Make the companies which are not adopting explain why they are not adopting 2) Rule based approach – comply or get prosecuted; in extreme cases companies are delisted. But then the shareholders are effected. Rule based approach is rigidity. The companies will try to outsmart the rules if they are rigid. Eg: BJP chief Nitin Gadkari driver was shown as a director in a company. The directors get huge money for just attending 4 meetings, so they agree with whatever the companies say to earn easy money or else they would be removed from the board.

The Poem Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening Essays - Rhyme

The Poem Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening The Poem Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening This poem is layered with different meanings and it requires the reader to contemplate Frosts emotions behind the words. Like most of Frost's poems, Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening can be read on several level yet you can ignore them all and still enjoy the surface meaning. On the surface of this poem, its talking about a man traveling through the woods with his horse and they stop near someones house. The horse wants the man to continue but he wants to stay. Being in the woods causes the man to reflect on the larger tensions between duty; his promises to keep(13) and the desire to do what he wants. However, in order to fully understand the emotions and the deeper meanings within this poem, well analyze these three aspects of the poem: images, rhythms and meanings. This entire poem uses words that paint very vivid images of gorgeous winter, lovely dark woods and peacefulness, which inside causes a certain friction or tension. Also there is a sense of darkness in the poem, such as in the darkest evening of the year(8) and The woods are lovely, dark and deep(16). And the fact that the poem takes place in the isolated woods, there is a certain quality of peacefulness and stillness being portrayed as in the frozen lake(12) and The only other sounds the sweep/Of easy wind and downy flake(11-12). Between the woods and frozen lake(7). This notion of being in between those two things is a significant tension in the poem. Therefore without these exact words, this poem could lack several layers of meaning and emotion. Just below the surface there is the sleep/death metaphor, and the undercurrent of gentle longing for death tinges the surface with a melancholy that reinforces and plays off the night and winter images. But the imagery of the poem quoted ab ove creates in the reader the actual feelings of peace, beauty and tension; these actual feelings make up a range of experience entirely different from the experience of the rational thought that sums up the poem. All stanzas have a regular rhyme scheme of the last word of the first, second and fourth lines in each stanza (AABA, BBCB, etc.) except for the last stanza, which is all in the same rhyme (DDDD). Besides that, the last word from the third line rhymes with the following stanzas lines one, two and four. These perfect rhymes and rhythms lend itself to the light restful feel of the poem. Frosts choice of written words are much like spoken English which lends itself to the conversational feel that his poems have. Form wise, note the predominance of soft, sibilant sounds, evoking the sweep of easy wind and downy flake(11-12). Also the sounds associated with nature in the poem all sound soothing, such as sweep(11) and deep(13) which suggests further that the woods is a place of refuge for the man. The change in rhyme in the final stanza gives us a clue about the shift in the content, too. The shift comes at a point in the poem when we might expect an insight or answer to the question the po em poses, but the same rhyme throughout this final stanza suggests instead that the man is still thinking or still asking the questions. In addition, the final two lines repeat one another, which also suggests that a problem or tension still exists, that the poem doesnt completely provide resolution. Every word has a key role in the deeper meaning of the poem. Normally poems are shorter than other works. This makes each word of a poem extremely significant. Frosts major meaning seemed to be that one should take time to stop and notice the beauty around us but not to dawdle and dwell too long, as there is much to do in a lifetime. In the first stanza, To watch his woods fill up with snow(4), we see a man stopping in the forest to watch it fill up with snow. Here, the woods in the poem symbolize death. The woods and death are both looked at as very cold

Globe Theatre Essays (1285 words) - William Shakespeare,

Globe Theatre Globe Theatre In the cobblestone roadways and roughly built playhouses, an extraordinary development took place in England in the 1500s. At that time, a burst of literary accomplishments arose that was never before seen in the history of the theater. In the all-new idea of theaters, playwrights lifted the Elizabethan Theater to new heights. Men like Shakespeare and Christopher Marlowe dared to write plays about real people in a variety of real situations. (Yowell 13) Through their efforts, these men and those of similar qualities produced dramas that were far more sophisticated and entertaining than ever before. Audiences expressed their pleasure by demanding more and more plays. The public shared a great deal of interest in the theaters and playwrights of this time. People from all over the city of London would travel to experience the dramatic feel of the Elizabethan Theater. The theater was a very important aspect of Elizabethan life in the medieval ages. Life in Elizabethan times was difficult and dangerous. Many people were poor tenant farmers, often living at the mercy of wealthy landowners. People threw trash of all kinds into streets, and tolerated fleas, lice, and rats in their homes and clothing. (Richman 1) Disease and Death were a part of everyday life. Elizabethans sought relief from their harsh lives by attending plays and other forms of entertainment, which made the theater so important to Elizabethan culture. There were many theaters in Elizabethan times, all very similar to each other. However, when William Shakespeare began writing playwrights, the final production was so exceptional, that no other person could compare. With this, Shakespeare was mainly centered at one theater, The Globe. With the popularity of playwrights in the middle ages, the theaters themselves were popular as well. By the late 1500s, performances were becoming expensive, shutting out the non-payers. (Hartz 35) The solution was to find or construct buildings that were suitable for the performance of plays. By the late 1500s, there were over a dozen theaters in the immediate London area. At this time, the most popular theater, "The Theatre" housed the most prestigious of plays. For years, this one individual theater acted as the center of the town, where the most famous plays were shown. But in 1597, the lease on the land on which The Theatre sat expired and the owner of the land would not renew the lease. (Encarta n/p) In the winter of 1598, while the original owner was away, the people of London decided to move the theater, board by board. They began to rebuild the theater in Southwark, London, near The Rose, The Swan, and The Hope theaters. After ten months of rebuilding, the theater was later renamed as The Globe in 1598. The Globe Theatre was rebuilt primarily for the fall of the previous theater. Upon completion of the newer, revised theater, The Globe actually turned out not to be the largest of it's time. The theater was three stories high, one-hundred feet in diameter, and could hold as many as 2,900 patrons if desired. (Encarta n/p) The Globe Theatre was constructed as a mixture between a Roman Amphitheater and an English Tudor House. The architecture of The Globe was very unique. There was no roof over the actual theater. There was however a thatched roof over the stage. The use of a roof over the stage was not only to protect the performers from the weather, but to improve acoustics as well. (Hornell 44) Two very elaborate, almost gaudy pillars held the roof over the stage, a style favored by the Elizabethans. The stage in itself was rectangular and extended into the middle of the auditorium. Various trapdoors were cut in the center of the stage, through which an actor might disappear or leap forth, as the action demanded. A balcony hung over the rear of the stage and a musicians' gallery was tucked behind the balcony. (Richman 1) Unseen, behind the stage, was the Tiring House. Here is where the actors dressed for the plays. Individual dressing rooms were not a feature of Elizabethan playhouses, so actors were to dress in whatever open space they could find. (Yowell 16) The Globe Theater was the home to one of the most honored writers of the time, William Shakespeare. Here, Shakespeare wrote, rehearsed, and performed his plays. Plays such as "Caesar" and "Romeo Juliet" were performed at The Globe, which helped build The Globe into a very popular and prestigious theater. (Richman 1) When the actual performance was taking place, a flag was raised to show that the play was ready to be performed. (Encarta n/p) Inside the

Interesting Personal Statement Essays - Computer, Head Web Designer

Interesting Personal Statement Essays - Computer, Head Web Designer Interesting Personal Statement National Merit Scholarship "Would you please get the mail," my mother implored as I entered the door. Heading towards the mailbox, I wondered if I would find daily assortment of bills and catalogues or something interesting addressed to me. To my delight, the first item was the new issue of PC Computing. Ever since I was introduced to computers when I was five, I have been fascinated by them. The summer before my sophomore year of high school, I wrote a program called Quickchange 95 using Visual Basic. This program changed the startup and shutdown screens of Windows 95. I distributed the program via shareware archives on the Internet, and I received email from all over the world about my creation. I shuffled through one of my mother?s clothing catalogues to find my issue of Money Magazine. I have been interested in business and finance since the day which we started studying the stock market in fifth grade. The summer before my junior year, I combined my interests in business and computers by starting a web design company with a friend. We created a web site for a local bike shop which is only one of two bike shops in Connecticut to have a presence on the Internet. Currently, I am the head web designer for my school. I intend to combine computers and business in my future career. My goal is to work on the business side of a computer firm, and eventually, I would like to start my own computer company. A board of education letter of commendation for my participation in the FIRST robotics program also arrived today. I have been able to develop my entrepreneurial skills through the FIRST robotics program. FIRST is a national engineering competition in which partnerships are formed between local businesses and high schools to design and build a robot-like machine. The team has about six weeks to build a machine, that must be able to compete in a timed sporting event. I have been involved in FIRST each year of my high school career. Last year, I was team captain, and our team finished fourth in the country out of one hundred and fifty-six teams. As a result of my involvement with FIRST, I have improved my confidence, my leadership, and my team working abilities. FIRST gave me experience working with a diverse group of people with a variety of skills. Working alongside engineers from our sponsor company, International Fuel Cells, exposed me to the professional world beyond the classroom . I have a great appreciation for this program which has challenged me to bring out the best in myself and others. My last piece of mail was Tennis Magazine. I began playing tennis at the age of eight. During my freshman year, I played on the junior varsity tennis team, and I received the Manchester Racquet Club deserving player award which is a scholarship for a year of indoor lessons. The next two seasons, I played on the varsity tennis team. Last year, I was named to the Hartford Courant All Academic Team. Tennis has provided a welcome diversion from my technical pursuits. "What took you so long?" my mother asked as I entered the house. "Oh nothing, I really have to start my homework," as I tucked my magazines under my arms and ran up the stairs.

Disscuction Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Disscuction - Article Example Adoption or utilization of the new concepts illustrates either positive or negative aspects of the new opinion or concept. I accept data which challenge my present views. The challenging data provides very many alternative courses of action. For example, I presently believe that the main reason for education is knowledge development for employment purposes. But there are other significant views on benefits of education such as; developing entrepreneurship potential, ensuring innovation and creativity in society, and finally realizing good political governance through developing law abiding citizens. Accepting challenging data ensures understanding of the advantages and disadvantages of the view that I illustrate. For instance, my view on affirmative action is always positive. But there are shortcomings of affirmative action, for example, giving average employees in terms of competencies senior management positions in organizations. There are ideas that can challenge the comfort level that I am in currently; for example technological innovation ideas. New technology creates new processes. The emergence of the social networks has changed the way I communicate with friends. Because of busy work and education schedule, I mostly communicate with friends via Facebook and twitter

Consumer Cultures, Environmental Futures Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

Consumer Cultures, Environmental Futures - Essay Example Catfish is one of the types of fish that people consume, which differentiate the consumers along different lines of the economy, society and political differences. Through this differentiation, people have different perspectives of looking at the catfish both from the perspective they may have from the influence they have from their culture and social ties. The analysis of production and consumption of catfish will help in explaining the various reasons that make it a consumer product of a specific group of people within a society, which may mean a lot of structure formulation within a society. The analysis focuses on the sources of catfish and the places in which it is a common form of food while in some others; it could be a rare commodity (Tucker and Hargreaves, 2004, p.27). Catfish are popularly produced in different places in the world as one of the small-fish that people consume as food for their own and which they sell to a few people around their environment. However, researc h shows that production of small-fish in sector of fishing is an aquaculture that usually target different people who fall in the low economic classes in the society. In the economy, consumption of these small-fish is therefore, related to specific people in the country who could be a having similar general characteristic (Tucker and Hargreaves, 2004, p.39). Catfish is mostly common among the Vietnamese who invest in production of the organisms for food in different place in both large-scale and small-scale levels of the economy. This production is facilitated by the demand that is raised for the food that that has some contents of fish and the different levels of production of catfish through the aquaculture technology implies the different demanding issues that surround food fish production within the society. In this respect, when food fish demand increases, people have adopted various ways through which they can improve the amount of products they obtain from their investment. I n the Vietnamese culture, fish are highly regarded and therefore, people adopt aquaculture in order to meet the local demands as well as the needs of others that are away from the country. In the aquaculture for production of the catfish species of the fish, there are different factors that favour the production in the area, which motivate people to invest in the production as a mode of subsistence or as a commercial activity. In order to produce, people depend on different opportunities that the environment offers, which help people to exploit it for their benefit. In this respect, people have different ways through which they produce the catfish to the different market in Vietnam or away from the country. The most common factors that are important in determining the production of the catfish include the sources of water where the fish will grow, the availability of fingerlings that grow to be the mature catfish and the space that is available for people in to establish their produ ction and the aquaculture. In most cases, people who invest in aquaculture try to establish their production by varying the conditions in the condition of the environment to allow the production even in places that are not very favourable for production. This aquaculture in

How do the views of 'constructivist' theorists about international Essay

How do the views of 'constructivist' theorists about international security differ from those of 'neo-realists'' - Essay Example Much of this analysis will draw from the work of British historian Eric Hobsbawm, arguably one of the most prominent scholars of the history of globalization. We then conclude with an overview of the issues explored and argue that neoliberalism and globalization are intrinsically intertwined. Neoliberalism has been the driving force of the global economic order since the latter half of the twentieth century. The current state of world affairs has its precursors in the social revolution of the 1960s, economic crises in the 1970s culminating the collapse of the New Deal and the OPEC oil crisis, as well as the emergence of neo-liberalism as a driving political and economic force in the 1980s. Events from the late 1960s reverberated in the Communist world and finally came to a head in the 1980s with total economic and political collapse. The Soviet sphere, coupled with the former Yugoslavia, provide the best examples of this phenomenon. Additionally, the end of the Cold War has had important implications for the already precarious states of Africa and has coincided with the emergence of Asian economic â€Å"Tigers†: a global economic shift towards emerging East Asian powerhouses. Our current wave of globalization will be traced back to the late 1960s, beginning with t he â€Å"social revolution† of that decade, and will end with today’s international state of affairs. The social revolution of the 1960s was also a cultural revolution. In fact, the â€Å"rise of a specific, and extraordinarily powerful youth culture indicated a profound change in the relation between generations† (Hobsbawm 1994, p. 324). Leading this cultural revolution were the young: teenagers started wearing jeans – prior to that only farmers wore them – and rock music became the voice of a generation (Hobsbawm 1994, p. 324). In fact, industries saw the potential

Mental Health Service User Case Study

Mental Health Service User Case Study 1.1 Decision making by nurses is now firmly established in practice, policy and educational agendas. New constantly evolving, roles, and a policy context that is challenging traditional professional boundaries mean that, more than ever, nurses are being given autonomy and power to be able to exercise their decision choices (Thompson, 2001). 1.2 Clinical decision making may be defined as having a variety of options and choices and a process that nurses undertake during their everyday activities whilst caring for service users. It usually involves nurses making judgements about the care that they provide to service users (Thompson et al, 2002). Similarly ONeill et al (2005) argues that clinical decision making is a complex activity that requires nurses and other health professionals to be knowledgeable in relevant aspects of nursing, to have access to reliable sources of information and to work in a supportive environment. 1.3 Shared decision-making on the other hand is an interactive collaborative process that occurs between the nurse and the service user that is used to make health care decisions. Adams and Drake (2006) note that in shared decision-making the nurse becomes a consultant to the service user, helping to provide information, to discuss options, to clarify values and preferences and to support the service users autonomy (p.88). 1.4 Policy changes and trends in professional development within the last decade have reiterated the importance that nurses and other relevant health professionals need to recognise that the decisions they make have a direct impact on health care outcomes and service users experiences (DH, 2000). 1.5 Decisions can be easily examined in the form of decision trees which provide a highly effective structure within which many different options can be explored (Goetz, 2010). Goetz (2010) further argues that the decision tree encourages people to think through their options, to act consciously and with consideration. It has also been suggested by Corcoran (1986, cited in Bonner, 2001, p.350) that the decision tree is able to provide a clear structure which helps to assess a range of actions that health professionals may choose when making decisions regarding the care and treatment of a service user. 1.6 In contrast, Bonner (2001) argues that the decision tree is under researched within the scope of mental health practice. He does acknowledge that the use of the decision tree in practice allows nurses to examine the options available to them in more detail, whilst also considering the complex variables that influence the decision-making process. 1.7 It would be expected that the decision tree is hierarchically structured and spans a specific period of time which will be determined within the Justifications section of this report. 2. Methodology 2.1 The purpose of this report is to identify a service user with whom one was currently working with in practice. Using a decision tree, the service users journey will be detailed from their current health needs from the point of referral to mental health services to the current point in time. Once the decision tree is formed, it will then be essential to identify up to three critical decision points and analyse the decision making process for each decision chosen. 2.2 The information required to form the decision tree is to be gathered during a 60-minute unstructured interview with the service user, which can be thought of as a guided conversation. The reason that this type of methodology will be utilised is because unstructured interviews allow a particular focus on specific areas through asking open-ended questions but also allow for probes and follow-up questions to be used in order to effectively obtain more information to construct the decision tree as accurately as possible (Streubert Carpenter, 1999). 2.3 In order to ensure that the information gathered is accurate, it will be beneficial to form a lifeline with the service user, looking at major life events and decisions that have been made. This lifeline can be found in Appendix 1. 2.4 It will also be essential to explore the service users medical notes (with their consent) in order to gain a clearer idea of events that have occurred, the vital decision points and whether service user involvement was evident throughout. 2.5 The decision tree that was formed can be found in Appendix 2. 3. Justification 3.1 The service user that will provide the focus of this report will be referred to as Sarah (a false name in order to maintain confidentiality). 3.2 Sarah is a 43-year old lady who has a diagnosis of borderline personality disorder. She has had multiple admissions to psychiatric units including admissions under the Mental Health Act (See Appendix 3 for supporting information). 3.3 Sarah was chosen because it was felt that the she would be able to provide a good history and account of events that have occurred in her past in relation to the care and treatment that she has received. Sarah was also deemed to have capacity and was therefore suitable to take part within this piece of work. 3.4 The timescale that the decision tree covers will focus upon a 6-year history whereby Sarah began her first contact with adult acute mental health services. This will be explored up to the current point in time. 3.5 During the gathering of information, both primary and secondary sources were used. Primary sources refer to first-hand accounts of events that have occurred (i.e. interview with service user). In comparison, secondary sources refer to information that has already been documented from the past (i.e. medical/nursing notes). It was decided to use both sources as they would provide information richer in validity and ensure the reliability of the findings. 3.6 The report will cross the boundaries between in-patient care and community services within the North of England. The key decision points that have been chosen for analysis within this report were chosen because it was evident that some decisions had a certain degree of service user involvement in comparison with others whereby service user involvement did not seem to be present. This does however introduce a debate in regards to service user involvement because those decisions that did not involve Sarah and that were made on her behalf, can be argued were made in the best interests of the individual i.e. admission to hospital to ensure Sarahs safety and well-being. 3.7 Each of the decisions will now be individually analysed with a specific focus upon the decision itself, the issues that they may involve and the concepts that they may introduce. 4. Referred and taken onto caseload with a Community Mental Health Team following gate-keeping assessment (See Appendix 4) 4.1 Sarah was referred to her local community mental health team following a visit to her General Practitioner (GP) whom was worried about the self-harming thoughts that Sarah was currently experiencing. The General Practitioner was very concerned about Sarahs apparent deterioration in her mental health, therefore he felt that it was necessary to refer her to the community mental health team who would then be able to offer assessment and work from that point onwards. The GP discussed this with Sarah who did admit to being a little apprehensive beforehand however after a short period whereby she was able to reflect on her current circumstances, Sarah was agreeable to this. 4.2 Borg et al (2009) argues that service user involvement has a crucial significance especially for individuals that work within a community mental health setting as this involves accessing patients in their own homes (p.285). Sarah did feel that she had developed a good rapport with her community psychiatric nurse because Sarah was always offered choices in terms of her care and treatment and she felt actively involved in the decisions that were made. The therapeutic relationship that was developed between Sarah and her community psychiatric nurse also played a vital role in Sarahs care as Reynolds and Scott (2000) argue that it is through this therapeutic relationship that we can assess the needs of the patients that we work with and then plan future care to assist in their recovery. 4.3 An important consideration is the potential risk involved in maintaining Sarahs mental health in the community. This was clearly documented within Sarahs treatment plan with specific actions outlined and crisis contact numbers provided to both Sarah and her Husband. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (2009) provides guidance on risk assessment in patients with a diagnosis of emotionally unstable personality disorder. It informs that the risk assessment should take place as part of a full assessment of the patients needs and this is exactly what occurred due to the high level of risk involved and potential self-harm of Sarah within the community. 4.4 The main influences behind the decision to make a referral to the local community mental health team was Sarahs safety and how able she was to maintain this. Also if the GP felt that Sarah required a hospital admission and there were no hospital beds available, then a referral to the community mental health team or crisis resolution would be necessary. This therefore would indicate that care and treatment is dependent upon what resources are available at that specific time. 4.5 In order to ensure that the correct decisions are made, the specific team must have an effective leadership style and a variety of skills amongst team members. The New Ways of Working practice implementation guide (DH, 2007) outlines how a team can effectively achieve their maximum potential. In order for this to be achieved, a number of measures must be addressed which include; Focusing upon skills and matching these to the needs of service users; Distributing responsibility fairly amongst the team rather than delegating; Focusing on ability and competence of team members rather than role. 4.6 The policy discussed in section 4.5 appears to be utilised well within this team because Sarah was allocated to a senior care coordinator that had a large amount of experience of working with individuals with a diagnosis of personality disorder. The health professional was also able to engage and was competent in carrying out Dialectical Behavioural Therapy with Sarah which is a specialised treatment suitable for those with a diagnosis of personality disorder (Comtois et al, 2007). 4.7 There are many alternate decisions that the General Practitioner could have made in order to ensure that Sarah received the treatment that she required to meet her needs. A referral to the local crisis resolution home treatment team could have been made who would offer assessment and then decide a plan of action. Brimblecombe (2001) argues that a team such as this could have the potential to reduce the number of hospital admissions, therefore utilising resources and funding more effectively but at a cheaper cost. 4.8 Another possible course of action could have been to make a referral to the acute community day services (day hospital) who would be able to provide care throughout the day for Sarah if she required support. This would be a less restrictive alternative than hospital admission and Sarah may be more likely to engage with this service based in the community. 4.9 Alternatively, the GP could have chose to not do anything except review Sarah after a few weeks to assess whether her mental health was still deteriorating however this may be seen as unethical especially if Sarah was suffering due to her experiences and self harming thoughts, which ideally should be resolved as soon as possible. 5. Voluntary (informal) admission to acute psychiatric hospital following presentation in Emergency Department (See Appendix 5) 5.1 When Sarah becomes acutely unwell, the most common course of action is to admit her to hospital for her own safety and well-being but also the safety of others. This particular hospital admission was informal which therefore indicates that Sarah was willing and agreed to go into hospital, having been assessed by a team which specialises in self-harming behaviour. 5.2 The Mental Health Act (2007) refers to informal patients as those that accept and agree to go to hospital without the use of compulsory powers. Sarah was not detained therefore she was permitted to have leave from the ward to spend at home with family. This was Sarahs choice and was discussed in collaboration with the Consultant Psychiatrist until an agreement was made. 5.3 The decisions to admit Sarah to hospital was made by a health professional that assessed Sarah in the Emergency Department following an incident of self-harm. Sarah did feel that she was fully involved within the decision because alternatives to hospital admission were discussed with Sarah however she felt that hospital admission was the most appropriate action to ensure her safety at that specific time. Furthermore the Nursing and Midwifery Council code states that as a professional, nurses are personally accountable for actions and omissions in their practice and must always be able to justify their decisions (NMC, 2008). 5.4 The main influences behind this decision were the levels of risk involved due to an escalation in Sarahs self harming behaviours within the community. The Ten Essential Shared Capabilities (DH, 2004) aimed to set out the shared capabilities that all staff working in mental health services should achieve. Promoting safety and positive risk taking is one of the major points within the document with the hope of empowering individuals to determine the level of risk that they are prepared to take with their health and safety. Ideally this includes working with the tension between promoting the individuals safety and positive risk taking which should be detailed within the individuals care plan. 5.5 Positive risk taking and risk management has been largely debated within the scope of mental health nursing. Parsons (2008) argues that people learn through a process known as trial and error. This therefore suggests that if Sarah self-harmed so significantly that her life was endangered then she would not carry out this behaviour again. This theory however can be largely critiqued in regards to Sarahs case because the self-harming behaviour is a regular occurrence with Sarah in full knowledge of the consequences that this may have. 5.6 A study carried out by Bowers et al (2005) examined the purpose of acute psychiatric hospital wards and they concluded that in most circumstances, patients are admitted because the possibility of harming themselves or others had increased significantly. They also found that when an individual is experiencing a severe mental illness whereby their behaviour is unmanageable in the community, this provides the requirements for a hospital admission. 5.7 In contrast, the quality of care on acute psychiatric hospital wards has largely been questioned in regards to the usefulness that hospital admission can actually have upon a person (Quirk Lelliott, 2004). In some circumstances, many individuals will receive high-quality care whilst in hospital however recent studies have suggested that for some individuals, the experience of hospital admission was rather negative (Baker, 2000; Glasby Lester 2005). 5.8 The Royal College of Nursing (2008) acknowledges that every nursing decision made has an ethical dimension and furthermore that ethics and ethical decision making abilities are applicable to every aspect of nursing practice. The decision to admit Sarah to an acute psychiatric hospital ward does introduce ethical dilemmas because it can be argued that it is unethical to admit a person to a locked ward and therefore restricting their freedom. 5.9 Beauchamp and Childress (2001) developed a framework which consists of four main principles. The first principle outlines the respect for an individuals autonomy i.e. respecting the decisions that they make and the reasons for making a particular decision. Sarah was given a choice in regards to hospital admission because she could have been detained under the Mental Health Act (2007) however she agreed to hospital admission and was therefore admitted as an informal patient. 5.10 The second principle is that of Beneficence which examines the benefits of having a particular treatment against the risks involved. This was discussed with Sarah and the reasons for hospital admission were fully explained which were to ensure Sarahs safety. Sarah understood the health professionals concerns and worries and did accept hospital admission therefore the health professional was acting upon beneficence. 5.11 The third principle is Non-Maleficence which refers to the avoidance of causing harm to an individual. It can be argued that any treatment can have to potential to cause harm however the benefits of the treatment must exceed this which in this case, the benefit plays much more of a vital role. 5.12 The final principle within the framework is Justice which examines the distribution of benefits, risks and costs equally. It therefore indicates that individuals should be treated fairly in similar circumstances and offered the same intervention/ treatment. In terms of hospital admission, the choice would be to go in as an informal patient or be detained under the Mental Health Act using compulsory powers. This decision would be given to most individuals however when capacity becomes a concern then detention may be required. 5.13 There are many alternate decisions to a psychiatric hospital admission which may have been decided. Sarah may have been referred to an acute community day service (day hospital) which offers assessment and treatment for working age adults that are experiencing acute mental health difficulties. A systematic review of randomised controlled trials of day hospitals within the United Kingdom, concluded that day hospital treatment is generally cheaper, the outcomes are greater and that there was greater satisfaction with treatment compared with in-patient care (Marshall et al, 2001). 5.14 Another alternative decision to hospital admission may be a referral to a crisis resolution home treatment team that would be able to provide 24-hour care. The Mental Health Policy Implementation Guide (DH, 2001) informs that the crisis resolution team is for adults between the ages of 16-65 with a severe mental illness or experiencing an acute crisis that without the involvement of a crisis resolution home treatment team, hospital admission would be necessary to ensure the safety of the individual. This however had been attempted in the past and Sarah did not feel that she benefitted greatly from the service because although they provide a 24-hour service, they cannot offer the same kind of interventions that a hospital ward could offer. 6. Diagnosed with Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder (See Appendix 6) 6.1 Sarah was diagnosed with Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder whilst an in-patient on an acute psychiatric ward. The decision to change Sarahs primary diagnosis of deep depression with psychotic episodes was made by the Consultant Psychiatrist that was involved in Sarahs care and treatment. 6.2 The National Institute of Mental Health (2001) describes emotionally unstable personality disorder as a serious mental health illness that is characterised by a pervasive instability in moods, interpersonal relationships, self-image and behaviour. The symptoms of emotionally unstable personality disorder are maladaptive behaviour learnt to make sense of the world and to manage the constant negative messages experienced (Eastwick Grant, 2005). It is important to note that Sarah did experience sexual and psychological abuse from an outsider of the family during her childhood which she did not disclose to her family until she was an adult. Sarah recognised that this was a major factor in the way that she perceived the world and was directly linked to her self-harming tendencies. 6.3 During this period of time, Sarahs behaviour became increasingly unsafe to manage in the community therefore warranting a hospital admission. Her self-harming tendencies had increased and there was a great concern for her safety mainly expressed by her family who were worried about Sarahs deterioration in her mental health. 6.4 When Sarah was given the diagnosis, she was unhappy due to the non-apparent involvement within the decision as she was not consulted in regards to the diagnosis or asked about her thoughts and feelings. Bray (2003) argues that decision making and service user involvement cannot always occur with individuals that have a diagnosis of emotionally unstable personality disorder due to the varying symptoms that they may experience i.e. impulsive behaviour which can diminish responsibility. 6.5 Once the diagnosis was made, Sarah felt that peoples opinions and attitudes had changed towards her including ward staff. According to Nehls (1999) individuals with a diagnosis of emotionally unstable personality disorder have described health professionals as being unhelpful, displaying negativity and generally being unhelpful. 6.6 A consultation document known as New Horizons (DH, 2009) outlines a cross Government vision in the hope of eradicating the stigma that surrounds mental health and improving the quality and accessibility of services, ensuring that services are service user friendly. The document stresses the importance of mental health and encourages individuals to understand that mental health problems should be equally as important as physical health conditions. 6.7 Services that are provided by the National Health Service (NHS) are commonly built upon effective partnerships between those providing care and those accessing care. The Department of Health (2004) informs that better healthcare outcomes are achieved when the partnership between health professional and service user is at its strongest. Within this particular decision, there was no partnership as Sarah was not involved in the decision making process in regards to her care and treatment and decision to make a diagnosis without consultation with Sarah. 6.8 An important consideration is that of power because the Consultant Psychiatrist that made the decision, created a position of power over the service user through expertise and knowledge. Pyne (1994) argues that knowledge is a form of power, therefore if we share this knowledge with the patients that we work alongside, then this can promote the process of empowerment in patients. The author then progresses to a stage whereby he questions why nurses do not always demonstrate this behaviour in practice. In comparison, McQueen (2000, cited in Henderson, 2002, p. 502) argues that power associated with special knowledge, that created a barrier between health professionals and patients is slowly diminishing. Furthermore, McQueen believes that both nurses and patients need to be seen as respected autonomous individuals with something to contribute towards an agreed goal. 6.9 There are alternate decisions that could have been undertaken rather than making a diagnosis of emotionally unstable personality disorder. The Consultant Psychiatrist may have decided to not make a formal diagnosis however this could therefore have an effect on Sarahs care and treatment as she would not receive the correct care and treatment to meet her needs. Sarahs previous diagnosis of deep depression with psychotic episodes may have remained the same however it cannot be determined how long this would have lasted due to the frequency of self-harming behaviours and multiple hospitals admissions due to an increased concern for Sarahs safety. 7. Comparisons 7.1 It has become evident that the three chosen decisions for analysis had common themes running through each decision. Power has become an important consideration because although Sarah had a degree of power within each decision, the overall decision was made by those within higher positions i.e. hospital managers and leaders. This can therefore provide the service user with a false misinterpretation of the power that they actually withhold as it is clear that the final decision is not made by the service user and instead it is those with more power i.e. the GP making the referral to the community mental health team and the Consultant Psychiatrist changing Sarahs diagnosis to emotionally unstable personality disorder without consulting Sarah beforehand. 7.2 Leadership has been defined many ways in the literature reviewed, however several features are common to most definitions of leadership and the forms that it can take. Faugier Woolnough (2002) argue that leadership is a process which usually involves a certain degree of influence, but also with a focus upon the attainment of goals .The leadership style mostly present within each of the key decisions is that of a democratic style because there was a degree of consultation with staff on proposed actions before an actual decision was made. 7.3 The care and treatment provided to Sarah was driven by resource availability and this was clearly evident within each decision. If resources are not available, this would impact on the decision whether to allow Sarah to have the treatment. The admission to an acute psychiatric hospital for example would be dependent upon the capacity of that specific organisation because if there was not a bed available for Sarah then other alternatives would have been considered. Fortunately there were resources available for Sarah, however the outcomes may have been different if this was not the case. 7.4 Sarah had also had a large amount of input from a number of services and there was a large amount of movement through mental health services. It can be argued that this is not beneficial towards service users as they are not able to sustain good therapeutic relationships with health professionals which can often be a reason as to why an individual may relapse. 8. Conclusion 8.1 Decision-making within practice takes place in many ways i.e. often the service user is consulted throughout their care and treatment however in some circumstances the service user can be made a recipient of their care and treatment which is not good practice. This report has identified a patient that one is currently working with and using a decision tree, their journey through mental health service was detailed. Three decisions were chosen for analysis and provided the basis of this report, considering factors that influence the decision-making process and also the alternatives that could have occurred. 8.2 Barker et al (2000) argues that the experience of being mentally unwell can be a disempowering period of time because choices can be taken away due to a number of reasons and the patient may feel a recipient of their care and treatment, rather than actively involved in the decision making process. 8.3 Defining decisions as good or bad is problematic, mainly because nurses operate in an environment that is characterised by uncertainty (Buckingham et al, 2000). Baron (2000) further suggests that the best decisions are those that produce the best outcomes for achieving a patients goals and wishes. 8.4 Sarah did feel the majority of time that she was involved in her care and treatment, including reviews and meetings held about her care and treatment whilst an in-patient and within the community. There were times however when Sarah did not feel involved in the decision making process i.e. when her diagnosis was changed without any consultation or discussion. 8.5 Clancy (2003) argues that there is a great tendency in decision-making to bypass a thorough analysis and jump too quickly into solutions. This seems to be evident at times within the chosen decisions for analysis because some decisions were made on behalf of Sarah and there was no consultation or service user involvement. 8.6 Throughout this report, the main aim was to analyse the decision-making process of three key decisions, taking into consideration concepts such as; autonomy, power, leadership and empowerment. It became apparent that they key to successful decision-making was to involve the service user and carers within the decision-making process, listening to their thoughts and opinions and respecting their right to choose between different alternatives. 8.7 It has also become apparent that those within higher positions and those that uphold a certain degree of power were leading the decision-making in Sarahs care. This is obviously not the way that things should work as the service user should be actively involved in all aspects of their care and treatment including decisions that are made. 8.8 Overall I feel that the whole process was an enjoyable one and I feel that I worked well in collaboration with the service user throughout. Collating the decision tree was a rather time-consuming activity, however I understand the importance that they hold and the benefits they possess. I have also become more aware and gained a greater understanding of how the decision-making process can impact on the lives of service user and carers, especially when service user involvement is not evident. 9. Recommendations 9.1 There should be a greater focus upon the decision-making process and how it can affect the service user. Decisions should be decided in collaboration with the service user to promote the nurse-patient relationship and allow good rapports to establish. Service user and carers should be actively involved in the decision making process. Decision making should be an identified topic for pre-registration nursing students to equip them with the desired skills. Decisions are to be based on the best available evidence and regularly discussed with users and carers ensuring that an understanding has been reached. Service users thoughts, feelings and opinions to be clearly documented to inform future nursing practice in regards to decision-making.

David Comparision Essays -- Essays Papers

David Comparision Today, just as Homo erectus did eons ago, modern man strives for expression through art. The evolutionary paths of man and art parallel one another; in that, the complexities, which have accompanied the millenniums, also have brought exponentially progressed forms of art. Sculpture is an art form that maintains a high quality of expression. Two examples of this are the Davids done by Michelangelo and Bernini. Michelangelo’s David and Bernini’s David represent their different time periods and artists while remaining similar. Michelangelo was born in 1475 near Florence. At an early age Michelangelo’s interest in art eclipsed that of his studies, and so he began apprenticing at 13 in lieu of regular school. His time under Lorenzo de Medici was the most influential in his young life; this is where he came in contact with Hellenistic nudes, began with anatomy and embedded his humanitarian views. Michelangelo went to Rome at twenty-one and sculpted the Pieta, which made him famous (Coughlan 85-91). In 1501, in which time, he began the monumental task of carving David from a huge block of marble, Florence was experiencing political turmoil. The central meaning of the piece was to symbolize the greatness of Michelangelo’s proud city. He depicts David before the battle with Goliath as he thought Florence was only just beginning to fight and to remind the people of their duty to defend it (Shaked 1). David is portrayed nude, asymmetrical and in cont...

Multiculturalism in Children’s Writing in the US in the 1980s

Introduction This essay will firstly give an overview of the history of multicultural children’s literature. Secondly, it will map out key theories and debates surrounding multicultural children’s literature in the United States. Thirdly the essay will analyse two books set within the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that were published in the United States in the late 1980s – The Flag Balloon and Israel Is. The essay will analyse if and how multiculturalism is presented in the text and the images and identify how the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is informed in the books. Each analysis will also assess whether the multiculturalism in the text and the images seems imposed or natural. The analysis of each book will also briefly assess whether the multiculturalism is natural or imposed in the society at the time each book was published. THE HISTORY OF MULTICUTURALISM IN CHILDREN’S LITERATURE According to Gopalakrishnan (2010), there is limited evidence and much debate as to when multicultural children’s literature began. For example, certain theorists argue that multicultural literature predates the 20th century (Norton and Norton 2003; Sims Bishop 2007). Regardless of when multicultural children’s writing was created, most theorists agree that before 1965, the number of multicultural children’s books was limited (Gopalakrishnan 2010). The year 1965 is described as the turning point for multicultural literature when a widely published article entitled ‘The All White World of Children’s Books’ (Larrick 1965) sparked a flurry of activity in the years following it. In the article, Larrick (1965) describes a survey she conducted, where she found that of 5206 books published in 1962, 1963 and 1964, only 349 or 6.7% included African American characters in their text or illustrations. After this article was published, two significant groups formed: the Council on Interracial Books for Children (in 1965/1966) and the Coretta Scott King Award, established for authors and illustrators of African American and Black descent in 1972 (Gopalakrishnan 2010). After the formation of these groups, another study similar to that of Larrick (1965) was conducted in 1979 by Jeanne Chall and her colleagues. In this survey Chall found that there was over an 100% increase in the number of children’s books that featured an African American character (14.4% of all children’s multicultural literature in the United States) (Cohen and Cowen 2008). According to Cohen and Cowan (2008) in the late 1980s and early 1990s multicultural children’s publishing experienced a spurt. Almost all major publishers increased their multicultural book lists and the number of smaller publishers specialising in multicultural books increased. This increase was due to sensitivity and growing awareness on the publisher’s part and also the need to purchase these books as the school demographics and requirements changed. Since multicultural children’s books now form a more significant part of the literary landscape, the subject has attracted a number of theorists and scholars who have developed their own theories surrounding children’s multicultural literature Banks and Banks (2001). Although theorists of multicultural children’s literature attempt to theorise and analyse a myriad of topics surrounding the subject of multicultural children’s literature, one of the main theoretical debates surrounds the question, what defines multicultural children’s literature? There are three theoretical approaches surrounding the definition of multicultural literature. The first approach is the all inclusive approach. Advocates of this approach argue that all literature should be defined as multicultural since, in their opinion, every human being is multicultural and each individual may describe their identity in a variety of ways (Shannon 1994; Schwartz 1995; Fisherman 1995). The second approach is the multiple + culture approach. This approaches argues that multicultural children’s writing is defined as books that are simply about more than one culture in a society regardless of who is the dominant group and who is the dominated (Cai 1998). Bloor’s (2010) definition of multiculturalism expands one step further from the multiple + cultures definition and describes a multicultural society as not one where multiple cultures merely exist, but one where diversity is promoted and the mosaic of cultures is celebrated and encouraged. The third approach is the exclusive approach. This approach is one where the theorists believe that children’s multicultural literature should only be defined as literature that is about populations that have experienced marginalisation and oppression. Some proponents of this approach state that multicultural children’s literature should only be defined as literature by and/or about people of colour since this form of literature gives people of colour the opportunity to have a voice. (Lindgren 1991; Harris as cited in Cai, 2002). In addition to the different approaches to defining multicultural children’s literature, Sims Bishop has provided us with a theoretical classification of multicultural books. Sims Bishop (1982, 2007) divides multicultural children’s literature into three sub groups: melting pot literature, socially conscious literature and culturally conscious literature. Melting pot books are characterised by those where aside from skin colour or a cultural definition, the story could apply to any character in the United States (Gopalakrishnan 2010). The second sub group of children’s multicultural literature is categorised as socially conscious books. According to Sims Bishop (2007), socially conscious books introduce one cultural group and its unique experiences to the mainstream to make â€Å"socially conscious† or to educate the larger group about the trials and tribulations of a unique cultural group. The main purpose of socially conscious books is â€Å"to engender empathy and sympathy [and] to promote tolerance for racial desegregation or integration† (Sims Bishop 2007: 61). Thirdly, culturally conscious books, according to Sims Bishop (1982), are those that depict the languages and cultural traditions of a group’s experiences most often from an insider’s perspective. The working definition of multiculturalism in this essay will be the second approach, the multiple + culture definition where there is more than one culture in a society regardless of who is the dominant group and the dominated. The analysis will also explore whether the books expand to Bloor’s (2010) version of multiculturalism where the mosaic of culture is encouraged and celebrated. While analysing how multiculturalism is presented in each book, Sims Bishop (1982, 2007) classification of multicultural children’s literature may be applied to the analysis. THE FLAG BALLOONHOW IS MULTICULTURALISM PRESENTED IN THE TEXT AND THE IMAGES OF THE FLAG BALLOONMulticulturalism is demonstrated immediately on the cover of this book and in the second line of text. The cover of the book has been illustrated in the colours of the Palestinian flag. Flags are a means of representing an identity, and there can only be an ‘identity’ if there is an ‘other’ (Berreby 2008). Although flags tend be representative of a country, state or nation, the second line of text in the book tells us that this flag is certainly not for a country. The narrator asserts ‘I have a flag but no country’ (Stickles and Townsley 1988: 7). The narrator continues to say ‘the soldiers who occupy my town and make all the laws say it is wrong to fly my flag’ (Stickles and Townsley 1988: 7). From this text we can deduce that these are a group of people who are a part of a country where their culture, customs and even identity may not b e accepted. Nonetheless, this text clearly demonstrates that this a society in which the law makers have different ideological beliefs to those representing the cultural minority. In summary, using Cai’s (1998) definition of multiculturalism, multiple cultures living in one society, the cover page and first page of text depicts a multicultural, albeit uncomfortable society. Multiculturalism is further demonstrated in the text, while simultaneously informing the reader about the Israeli-Palestinian. For example, the father of the narrator says he is ‘making bread for the family whose house was destroyed by the soldiers’ (Stickles and Townsley 1988: 11). We are informed that ‘the soldiers shut down the school’ (Stickles and Townsley 1988: 15) and the narrator’s brother is ‘beaten up by soldiers’ (Stickles and Townsley 1988: 15). The text is educating the reader about the trials and difficulties experienced by the Palestinians in the town. This is a clear example of Sims Bishop’s (1982, 2007) sub category of socially conscious, multicultural, children’s literature where the reader is informed of the trials and tribulations of the community (Gopalakrishnan 2010). The images of flag day further emphasise the difficulties faced by the Palestinians and encourages the reader to feel empathy and sympathy for their situation. This is a further demonstration that this book is an example of socially conscious multicultural literature. There are three images depicting how happy, joyful and cheerful the Palestinians are on flag day. Firstly, on page 23, in the square where the festivities of flag day are due to take place, each person has a smile on their face. Secondly, on page 25 there are six Palestinian men playing a series of instruments; while playing the instruments they have smiles on their faces. Thirdly, page 25 depicts five people holding Palestinian flags and smiling (Stickles and Townsley 1988). These images are sharp contrasts to the next three images, which depict the arrival and the after-effects of the opposing force. Firstly, on the image on page 26 we see three angry looking men with rifles in a car. The text informs us that these are the soldiers. Secondly, on page 27 are five soldiers carrying guns. Finally, on page 29 the image shows us the square where the festivities were taking place. All the decorations have been destroyed. In this image we see the ultimate clash of the two cultures, who live together in one society. Although inharmonious, this image demonstrates two groups living in one society (Stickles and Townsley 1988). These images fit the multiple + culture definition (Cai 1998), where two cultures live together within one society regardless of who is dominating and who is dominated. The dichotomy is emphasised further when we see the narrator of the book release her balloon bearing the Palestinian flag into the air. This image is followed by an image of a soldier attempting to shoot the balloon down. The penultimate image speaks volumes regarding the dichotomy between Israel and Palestine. The image shows four Palestinian children cheering, with a look of satisfaction on their faces that the balloon bearing the Palestinian flag is flying free. In contrast to this, the Israeli soldier is looking towards the balloon, holding his gun and frowning. The final image shows the balloon bearing the Palestinian flag flying high above the land (Stickles and Townsley 1988). In summary, multiculturalism is depicted throughout the text and images in the book however the multiculturalism found in this book is characterised by the basic definition of multiculturalism, that is multiple cultures living in one society (Cai 1998). The book does not expand to Bloor’s (2010) version of multiculturalism where the mosaic of cultures is celebrated in the society. Although, the book demonstrates the most basic definition of multiculturalism, the book does fit into Sims Bishop’s (2007) category of social and cultural consciousness, where we learn about the Israel and Palestinian conflict from one cultural perspective and where the reader is encouraged to empathise and sympathise with the narrator, her family and the town’s people.. In essence this book does demonstrate a multicultural society at its most basic level and the book does inform us, albeit from only one perspective of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict The book is effective in conveying multiple cultures living in one society since throughout the book the contrast can be seen between the Palestinians and the Israeli soldiers. DOES THE MULTICULTURALISM PRESENTED IN THE BOOK SEEM IMPOSED OR NATURAL The interpretation of the book by the reader is highly subjective (as demonstrated by a variety of reader-response theorists (Rosenblatt 1978; Bleich 1978) and to a large extent, the answer to this question depends on a variety of factors including the ideological beliefs of the reader and the knowledge and experiences of the reader. For these reasons, it is problematic to prescribe whether or not the multiculturalism in the text and illustrations is imposed or natural. Each reader will interpret this differently. It may be safer to look at the text and illustrations from both angles. One may argue that the images and the text of the book is imposed, forced and unnatural. After all, it is clear from the text and images as described in the examples that the Israeli soldiers do not want the Palestinians to raise the Palestinian Flag and the Palestinians do not want their territory to be occupied by the Israeli soldiers, implying that the multiculturalism is forced, unnatural and unwanted. On the other hand, one might argue that the multiculturalism presented in the text and images is natural and that regardless of the reasons behind these cultures living side by side, both groups live in the same society regardless of who is dominating and who is dominated. This argument would insist that if the reader ignores reasons or circumstance, multiculturalism is natural in the text and images. At the time the book was written, the world was protesting against the treatment of the Palestinians including people in the United States (Neff 1997), thus to these people the multiculturalism would appeared imposed. In fact, regardless of political affiliation it is doubtful that one would describe the society as a natural multicultural one since the multiculturalism was a result of war.ISRAEL ISHOW IS MULTICULTURALISM PRESENTED IN THE TEXT AND IMAGES IN ISRAEL IS From the cover page of this book, we see a striking image of multiculturalism. Three children appear to be on a Muslim prayer rug (Encyclopaedia Britannica 2008) hovering above Jerusalem. The boy is wearing a Kippah; Observant Jewish men keep their heads covered by wearing a skull cap (Kippah) (Board of deputies of British Jews 2006)) indicating that he is Jewish. The second child on the prayer rug has black braided hair in pigtails. While there is no confirmation on the cover, this girl may be Palestinian. Interestingly both the Jewish boy and the girl who may be Palestinian have taken their shoes off, indicating that the Jewish boy is showing respect for the Muslim prayer rug (Encyclopaedia Britannica 2008). There is another girl who is kneeling on the prayer rug. She has her shoes on, however her shoes are not on the prayer rug. Again could she be showing respect for the other culturesThe prayer rug is hovering in the air and in the background are scene depicts Jerusalem. We see t he Dome of the Rock which is known to be symbolic to the Jewish, Muslim and Christian faiths (Petersen 1994). In summary, the cover page surely demonstrates multiculturalism in Israel as we have three children from different cultures together on the prayer rug. This represents three cultures in one society (multiple + cultures) (Cai 1998). The image described is significant as it represents harmony between cultures when at the time (late 1980s), there were hostilities between Israelis and Palestinians (Neff 1997). The second page most definitely represents a society of multiple cultures living harmoniously together. In this illustration there a number of images that demonstrate multiculturalism. Firstly there is a Jewish woman, identified by the fact that she is wearing a Tichel; Observant orthodox married women cover their hair in public (Board of Deputies of British Jews 2006). Interestingly, she is purchasing some products from a woman that is dressed in the colours of the Palestinian flag – black, green and red. In the background there is a man wearing a Kippah but also wearing non- traditional clothes. He may represent a more liberal approach to Judaism. He and his wife (who is not wearing Tichel) are purchasing items from a man wearing traditional Arab attire. In this scene people who seem to interacting with each other are smiling with one another indicating peaceful, harmonious relations between each culture (Topek and Kahn 1988). Not only do these images depict multiple culture s living together in one society, the images are also congruent with Bloor’s (2010) definition of multiculturalism, where the mosaic is celebrated. One interesting scene demonstrating multiculturalism and the comparison between Palestine and Israel is the scene on page 6, which contains the text ‘big farms’ (Topek and Kahn 1988: 6). The farm appears to a Kibbutz demonstrated by the houses towards the left hand side of the page. What is interesting is that although this a Jewish Kibbutz, in the middle of the page there is a large chicken, illustrated in red, green and outlined in black, the colours of the Palestinian flag. The image shows the backdrop of a Jewish Kibbutz and in the foreground a chicken coloured in the Palestinian colours peacefully standing on a cow. Again this image demonstrates peaceful relations between Israel and Palestine and two cultures living together harmoniously side by side. This is Bloor’s (2010) definition of multiculturalism. In the penultimate page, there are dove (a symbol of peace (Soucek 2006)) above a group of people. From the far left is a woman without a Tichel, standing next to a man who is wearing a Kippah, but also western clothes. This family may represent a more liberal attitude to Judaism. He is standing next to a man with a beard, who is wearing a long black coat, black trousers and a black hat. His wife is also wearing a Tichel and his daughter’s skirt below her knees. This family appears to be an observant Orthodox Jewish family. Next to the more conservative Jewish family is what might be assumed to be a more liberal Palestinian family. They are happily standing next to a family who are dressed in a more traditional Palestinian outfit. The son of the more conservative Jewish family is wearing blue and white and the son of the family is also wearing blue (the colours of the Israeli flag). The Jewish boy has his arm extended to the Palestinian liberal boy indicating a desire for a pe aceful multicultural society. The different cultures together on one page fit both the definition of multiple cultures in one society (Cai 1998) and also Bloor’s (2010) definition of multiculturalism where cultures are living together harmoniously. In summary, the book Israel Is certainly demonstrates a multicultural society, both in the most basic of definitions where there are multiple cultures living together in one society and in more advanced definitions; this book also fulfils Bloor’s (2010) definition of multiculturalism where the mosaic is celebrated and encouraged. The intent of the authors seems to be to encourage peace and harmony between all cultures in Israel. The only way this book informs us of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is its underlying insistence on peace. There are no images of war, only images of different cultures living in harmony. DOES THE MULTICULTURALISM PRESENTED IN THE BOOK SEEM IMPOSED OR NATURAL The answer to this question is subjective and an insider’s perspective may be very different from an outsider’s perspective. From an outsider perspective, nothing appears unnatural about the illustrations; however an individual who lived in Israel during the late 1980s may have differing opinion. For example, an individual who may have experienced hostility from another cultural group may argue that the images presented are unnatural and have been imposed by the authors. Given the events that took place in the late 1980s in Israel (the First Infatida) (Neff 1997) one may argue that the multiculturalism presented in the text is imposed and unnatural due to the hostilities between Palestinians and Israelis. Again, this is very subjective and each individual may have their own interpretation of events based on their own experience and knowledge. Bibliography Au, K. H. (1993) Literacy instruction in multicultural settings. Fort Worth, TX: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich College Publishers. Banks, J. A., & Banks, C. M. (2001) (Eds.). Handbook of research on multicultural education. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Berreby, D. (2008) Us and Them: The Science of Identity. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Bleich, D. (1978) Subjective criticism. London: The John Hopkins University Press. . Bloor, K. (2010) The definitive guide to political ideologies. Milton Keynes: AuthorHouse BOARD OF DEPUTIES OF BRITISH JEWS. (2006) Jewish Family Life and Customs: a practical guide. Available from: http://www.bjpa.org/Publications/details.cfm?PublicationID=14876 [Accessed 11th October 2014]. Cai, M. (1998) Multiple definitions of multicultural literature: Is the debate really just â€Å"ivory tower bickering†. The New Advocate, 11(4), 311–324. Cai, M. (2002) Multicultural literature for children and young adults: Reflections on critical issues. Milton Keynes: Lightning Source. Cohen, V., and Cowen J. (2008) Literacy for Children in an Information Age: Teaching Reading, Writing, and thinking. Bedmont: Thompson Wadsworth. Encyclop?dia Britannica. (2008) Prayer Rug. [Online] Available from http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/474169/prayer-rug [Accessed 11th October 2014]. Fisherman, A. R. (1995) Finding ways in: Redefining multicultural literature. The English Journal, 84(6), 73–79. Gopalakrishnan, A. (2010) Multicultural Children’s Literature: A critical approach. California State University, Los Angeles: Sage Publications Larrick, N. (1965, September). The all white world of children’s books. The Saturday Review, 63–65, 84–85. Norton, E., & Norton, S. E. (with McClure, A.). (2003) Through the eyes of a child: An introduction to children’s literature. Upper Saddle Fiver, NJ: Merrill/Prentice Hall. Lindgren, M. V. (1991) The multicolored mirror: Cultural substance in literature for children and young adults. Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin: Highsmith. Neff D., (1997) The Intifada Erupts, Forcing Israel to Recognize Palestinians Washington Report on Middle East Affairs. December 1997, p. 81-83. Peterson, A. (1994) Dictionary of Islamic Architecture. London: Routledge Rosenblatt, L. M. (1978). The reader the text the poem: The transactional theory of the literary work. Carbondale & Edwardsville: Southern Illinois University Press. Schwartz, E. G. (1995). Crossing borders / shifting paradigms: Multiculturalism and children’s literature. Harvard Educational Review, 65(4), p. 634–651. Shannon, P. (1994). I am the canon: Finding ourselves in multiculturalism. Journal of Children’s Literature, 20(1), p 1–5. Sims Bishop, R. (1982) Shadow and substance: Afro-American experience in contemporary children’s fiction. Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of English. Sims Bishop, R. (2007). Free within ourselves: The development of African American children’s literature. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann. Soucek, G. A., (2006) Doves (Complete Pet Owner’s Manual). New York: Barron’s Educational Servies Inc Stevens C. A., (1989) Turkey & Palestine: Both Middle Eastern Secular Democracies Washington Report on Middle East Affairs. March 1989, p 17. Stickles, F.C., and Townsley J. (1988) The Flag Balloon. Washington: Amer Educational Trust Topek, S. R., and Kahn, K. J. (1988) Israel Is. United States: Kar-Ben Pub

Narrative Essay Example

Narrative Essay Example What Is a Narrative Essay? A narrative essay is a type of essay written about a personal experience. If you are looking for narrative essay examples here is a great one below. Narrative Essay Example about Barack Obama Barack Obama, the 44th president of the United States of America, is far from a perfect president. But all politicians are immensely flawed individuals – or why else would they try to run for public office? That is another story altogether. Obama is often seen as the first black president of America, though in reality, he is the first biracial president, born to a white American mother and a black African father. It is unfortunate that the color of his skin is even an issue worth talking about. But to be completely honest here, this problem can easily be interpreted that a great deal of the backlash he, and his administration, receives from the white-majority Republican party derives from their own deeply rooted racism: they don’t want a black man in office. But they’d never say that. People, mostly white, ignorant, elitist Republicans, like to pretend Obama is the Anti-Christ, trying to ruin the United States and take over the world. At the root of this is fear and racism: Growing up, when they thought of what the President of the United States looked like, that person probably, most likely, looked like 2012 Republican Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney: a gray-haired white man who walked, talked and thought like a wealthy, powerful white person. Even if Obama haters never ever tell the truth of why they hate him, they know deep down it is because he is not white. Aside from race, President Obama seems like a relatively good person who means well for his country and countrymen. Yes, he is a millionaire, but he is a low-end millionaire, his money accumulated and earned from a modest president’s salary of $400,000, as well as sales and royalties from his book sales. But unlike multi-billionaires like Russia’s Vladimir Putin, Obama cannot be seen as a power-hungry politician. Conservatives always seem to overlook the fact that he can truly identify with the common man – unlike most republicans who just want to exploit the common man. In the future, once Obama’s presidency has come to a close, he will probably write another book – he has written three – this time about his eight years in office. Readers can imagine he will speak on the agendas of the Right, and how he only wanted to improve the lives of everyday Americans, to improve the country and the world. His book will expose a lot of the conspiracy theories implanted by the Republicans to cast him in a very negative light, claims that are absolutely absurd. It may one day be one of the most enlightening pieces of literature ever written by any president in United States history. To conclude much can be said about Barack Obama the man – both good and bad. He came from humble beginnings and has become (arguably) one of the most powerful men in the world. But mostly the conservatives, who try to make him out to be an enemy of the state, a communist and social, have rarely treated him like a decent human being. They want to believe – or at least have the public believe – he is an evil traitor, a ruthless Putin-like leader, and not America’s great leader. Nonetheless, he has taken all the adversity quite gracefully, in turn demonstrating why he was elected in the first place. He is a man of class, education, intelligence, diplomacy, ideas, wisdom, and character, and he deserves to be given a chance by the Right. He will still go down in history as a truly great president, a great modern-day world leader. The American people, as a whole, did vote for him – and still, so many people will find any and all faults in him so as to dis parage him and his administration. It’s a sad reality that has been tearing this country apart for much too long. Narrative Essay Example Narrative Essay Example Narrative Essay Narrative Essay Operation Fiery Vigil Growing up in the military, I was no stranger to picking up and moving from one place to another. By the age of 6, I had already flown across the Pacific Ocean four times! I was born on Clark Air Base in the Philippines, a large group of tropical islands located in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. After my sister was born, we were relocated to Carousel Air Force Base near Ft. Worth, Texas, which is where I spent the first two years of elementary school. From there, the military moved us back to the Philippines. Our last move, however, was both unexpected and definitely the most eventful. The year was 1991. School was almost out for the summer and our tightly knit military community was still reeling over the 7. 8 magnitude earthquake that shook our world several months ago. As a third grader at MacArthur Elementary School, I remember having to practice what the school called earthquake drills where a loud screeching siren (similar to a tornado siren or other siren indicating a natural disaster) would sound off and our teacher would yell, Drop! Cover! Hold on! We would all then have to drop and crawl underneath our desks and remain there until told otherwise. This was a normal occurrence; the earthquake drills were Just as request and regular as fire drills. One balmy April day, during the normal morning announcements, our principal revealed something that we had never heard before. We would be learning a new emergency drill: a volcanic eruption drill. Met. Punctuation was a dormant volcano with a 5,700 foot summit located on the Philippine island of Luzon. Clark Air Base was Just 9 miles to the east of the volcanos summit. The large 7. Magnitude earthquake that happened the year prior was a precursor of what was going to happen next. The next couple of months proved to be very mundane. We went to school, we played outside, and then we went home. We were even provided gas masks to wear because of the sulfur that was deposited in the air by the volcano. I remember walking to school and smelling the distinct odor of the sulfur in the air, like day old boiled eggs. The news of a possible volcanic eruption was like old news. We continued to perform the eruption drills and they became a normal routine, like the Pledge of Allegiance. At the beginning of June, 1991, my dad sat my sisters and me down for a talk. He told us that we were going to be going away for a while and to gather three things that we could not live without. The volcano had begun to erupt and we were being evacuated. We were told that we would be returning in a few days, so we would only need to pack enough clothes to last for a few days. The next few days leading to the evacuation were anything but ordinary. School was cancelled. I was not allowed to play outside, because of the amount of the sulfur dioxide in the air. I struggled with what three things to bring, which of my favorite shirts to pack. And then the day came: evacuation day. Evacuation day was June 10, 1991. It was still dark when my sisters and I were woken up. My mom got us girls dressed and ready while my dad loaded up our old nearly corpora. It was 6 am when our Journey Degas, Ana I remember looking Deck in the direction of the volcano and seeing the giant mushroom cloud in the sky. The first leg of the evacuation was a 55 mile drive to Cubic Bay Naval Station in Along City, where we were initially told that we would only remain for several days. Then, approximately 48 hours after our evacuation, almost as sudden as the move itself, we encountered the first full eruption of Met. Punctuation. Along with the arrival of Typhoon Yuan and 7 inches of monsoon showers , we faced frequent earth tremors and the effects of total darkness on June 15, 1991. This event was known as Black Saturday. The suspension of the debris in the atmosphere had caused all sunlight to be blocked, turning day into pitch black night. We were confined to our quarters, which was a three bedroom house in military housing that we shared with two other families. Oh, and there was no furniture. There were frequent power outages and a shortage of drinkable water. The ground was covered in a thick blanket of white, dusty ash. We were finally able to leave Cubic Bay for the second leg of the evacuation, now known as Operation Fiery Vigil. Our dad was among the many servicemen and omen who stayed behind to assist with the cleanup of the base. I remember the tearful goodbyes as we waved to him from the bus that took us to the processing station and the naval base. Over 3,500 fellow evacuees boarded the largest aircraft carrier in the world, the ever so spacious US Abraham Lincoln. Our 33 hour voyage to another naval base, Zebu, was a long one, but far from tedious. We were provided absolute kindness by the crew and were given full access to the crews living quarters. There were so many families with small children, as well as family pets on that carrier. I later learned that the more than 5,000 crew members doubled up on sleeping quarters to allow room for all of us evacuees. They provided entertainment, as well as delicious food on the main deck. When we arrived at Zebu, we were shuttled by helicopter to McCann Air Base where we boarded massive C-141 Starlets to Andersen Air Force Base at Guam. The flight was deafening and cold. Once we landed we were able to obtain more clothes that were donated from the Red Cross, since we were only allowed to bring a few pairs for each family member. The flight from Guam to Hickman Air Force Base in Hawaii marked the last leg of the evacuation. From there, some families traveled onward to their next duty station on the mainland USA while others were already at their new homes in a new paradise. When I look back at all that we went through and all that we encountered, being shuffled from processing center to processing center, I can say that I am very proud to have been a part of something so historic and life changing. Needless to say, I am also very relieved to be able to have a hometown. As much as I miss the childhood memories I have of Clark, the long Journey we made to get here makes me appreciate it that much more.