Middlefield Hospital Essay Example

Middlefield Hospital Essay Middlefield Hospital is a 450 bed tertiary care facility in a major urban area in the Northeast. The hospital is an integrated health system that provides the fill array of inpatient and outpatient services. The Hospital has a reputation for quality care in the area. Problem: The Hospital’s turnover rate exceeds 20% and there are over 100 nursing vacancies. Factors that may contribute to the turnover is that a new hospital has recently opened in our market area that has produced competition for Middlefield, employee morale has deteriorated over the past 12 months, and Essex University is considering eliminating its nursing degree program because of the difficulty recruiting quality instructors. Strategy: In order for Middlefield to strive and serve our patients with quality care and motivate our staff to stay employed with us long-term, we must change our operational strategy. First and foremost, we must invest in our employees. We have to offer our employees incentives and motivate them to stay and grow within our organization. Next, we must improve our community relations and form an alliance with Essex University to ensure the pipeline of new recruits continues to come through our doors for careers in nursing and other healthcare fields. And last but not least, we need to develop a triad of care, provide our patients with the best possible care at an affordable price. Recommendation: We will write a custom essay sample on Middlefield Hospital specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Middlefield Hospital specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Middlefield Hospital specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer As the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Middlefield Hospital, I have the following suggestions that I hope will improve our organization and better accommodate our patients’ needs and employee satisfaction. (1) Invest in technology and equipment that will make the experience more productive and cost effective. (2) Expand our services to include preventive counseling and education. (3) Possibly become a teaching hospital for new nurses, doctors, and allied personnel, while providing quality affordable care for our patients. (4) Provide opportunities for our staff to teach at Essex University (5) Reduce the 20% turnover rate and reduce the nursing vacancy rate by offering recruiting incentives and retention bonuses, and continuing education. Middlefield Hospital is in an urban area where patients should have access to the best quality healthcare possible. Middlefield needs to offer their patients a triad of care, which includes access, cost and quality of care. There are many factors why a patient may not be able to access care, such as lack of health insurance or financial resources, therefore Middlefield needs to ensure the population that we are affordable and the patient will receive the best possible care regardless of their financial situation. Cost refers to the total expenditures related directly and indirectly to the provision of healthcare. It is imperative that the hospital manages these costs as effectively and efficiently as possible so that these costs do not reflect to our patients and their care. Quality of care can be conceptualized by two measures, process and outcome. Process measures look at the specific components of providing care and assesses whether these concepts are effective in achieving the desired outcomes, i. e. , did the patient receive the appropriate care for the diagnosis in the ER? Outcome measures evaluate the end result of care and assess whether treatment has produced the desired outcomes, i. e. , did the patient have a heart attack after entering the emergency room or was the heart attack avoided? This leads me to Preventative and Curative Approach to healthcare. The Curative approach refers to a system of care that is based upon treating illness or alleviating symptoms. People fall sick unexpectedly; they can be fine one moment and have the flu the next moment. In a situation like this the curative approach to health is appropriate. However, the Preventative approach, which is preventing illness rather than curing it, is more productive. The hospital can save a lot of money if they do not have to run extensive tests and procedures for diabetes and heart disease and other diseases that could have been stabilized if the patient used proper care. An effective strategy would be to offer classes on diet and exercise and other preventive measures such as smoking cessation programs just to name a few. Employee motivation-Recruiting Qualified health care professionals employed by Middlefield hospital should teach classes at Essex College and the clinical internship should be conducted at Middlefield hospital. That way Middlefield will know that new recruits will already know the proper procedure and will be qualified to work at the hospital upon graduation. This solution will benefit both parties because Middlefield can look forward to qualified new recruits and Essex has qualified teachers with real life experience for their healthcare programs. Employee Motivation- Retention Ways that Middlefield Hospital can motivate employees is to offer intrinsic and extrinsic rewards and offer them an opportunity to climb the corporate ladder. Extrinsic rewards are mostly financial and tangible, such as, wages, raises, bonuses, and benefits. Employees need to feel assured that they are offered a competitive salary and they will be able to take care of their obligations. Although extrinsic rewards a short term remedy to the problem it is still important and needs to be addressed. Intrinsic rewards on the other hand are more effective for employee retention and include: * Sense of meaningfulness, a sense of purpose * Sense of choice- use your judgment and feel responsible * Sense of competence- qualified * Progress- feeling of accomplishing something. An employee can offer intrinsic rewards by promoting the employee to a higher position where they are in charge of a department or project and acknowledging their accomplishments by offering incentives, such as extrinsic rewards. An employee is more likely to stay with a company long-term if they feel appreciated and have a sense of meaningfulness. Our employees are our most valuable asset and we have to make them â€Å"feel at home. † Middlefield Hospital should encourage our employees to climb the corporate ladder. Middlefield should offer continuing education and promotions within the company to motivate our employees to stay. Many people chose to look for work elsewhere or go back to school to change their careers because they are not making enough money and/or they are bored. At Middlefield Hospital, we encourage all of our employees to always strive for more, no matter what their position might be. Education and/or finances should not deter any of our employees from going to the next level. Let’s say for example, Maria was hired to work in environmental and clean the hospital earning $9. 50 /hr, if Maria chooses she should be able to take a course which is provided by the hospital so that she can earn her certified nurse’s assistant license (CNA), making $12. 50/hr. Maria doesn’t have to stop there; she can continue taking advantage of the classes and opportunities offered by Middlefield until she becomes a Registered nurse (RN) making $30/hr. Middlefield should offer their employees endless possibilities. Conclusion There are endless possibilities for Middlefield hospital to offer the best quality care for their patients and motivation for their employees. If the techniques suggested are applied, Middlefield hospital would see a vast improvement in their operation and employee retention.

Free Essays on Similarities And Differences In Windows 2000 And Unix

A process is the most fundamental tool used in modern operating systems. An operating system’s main role is to create, manage, and terminate processes. These process management functions include allocating time for implementation, managing their actions and conflicts, and allocating resources for the processes. An operating system must track each process by keeping a description, or image, which contains the address space and a control block. (Stallings 140) UNIX Process Management Unix takes advantage of a simple process capability that is easily seen by the user. It executes its process in a user process environment. Two processes are necessary for this system to develop correctly. These include a user process and a system process. The system processes are used to execute code used to carry out in-system functions of the operating system. The user processes are broken down into two separate areas; the user mode and the kernel mode. The user mode is called when the system executes a user program. The kernel mode is used when an interrupt occurs. (Stallings 135)... Free Essays on Similarities And Differences In Windows 2000 And Unix Free Essays on Similarities And Differences In Windows 2000 And Unix A process is the most fundamental tool used in modern operating systems. An operating system’s main role is to create, manage, and terminate processes. These process management functions include allocating time for implementation, managing their actions and conflicts, and allocating resources for the processes. An operating system must track each process by keeping a description, or image, which contains the address space and a control block. (Stallings 140) UNIX Process Management Unix takes advantage of a simple process capability that is easily seen by the user. It executes its process in a user process environment. Two processes are necessary for this system to develop correctly. These include a user process and a system process. The system processes are used to execute code used to carry out in-system functions of the operating system. The user processes are broken down into two separate areas; the user mode and the kernel mode. The user mode is called when the system executes a user program. The kernel mode is used when an interrupt occurs. (Stallings 135)...

Public international law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Public international law - Essay Example In establishing whether a political entity can be considered a state, these elements have to be primarily considered. Applying these elements to the assessment of Kosovo, however, is not as simple due to a host of issues involved in its bid for statehood. Nevertheless, these primary elements shall first be considered in assessing Kosovo’s claim to statehood. One of the elements of statehood is population. Population refers to the â€Å"a group of people that live in the same land or region† . In order for an entity to fulfil this requirement of statehood, its people must settle themselves at a definite place. There is an element of permanency to this population where the people are not likely to fall apart but can be expected to persist for a period of time . As far is Kosovo is concerned, it fulfils this requirement of statehood as it has a group of people living in a specific place and their population is sufficient to support state processes. Shared ethnic traditions and religions are not important elements within this group of people for as long as there are sufficient commonalities in terms of language, traditions, values, and beliefs to support harmonious relations with each other. As far as Kosovo is concerned, they share common beliefs, languages, and values as a people, with majority of the people being Albanians, speakin g in the Albanian, Serbian, Turkish, and Roma languages. Some of them are Muslims, Serbian Orthodox, and Catholics. These qualities provide sufficient groupings and commonalities among the people, groupings which are normally expected of any state or political entity. Population as an element of statehood has to be evaluated in terms of territory and government. Scholars highlight the fact that population is one of the more important elements of the state because territory and government elements are present only as a means of serving the population4. Territory defines an area which is well-defined, an area which is inhabited by the people of a state. It is usually defined by its physical borders which have long been defined by kings, emperors, and other significant government officials5. The Encyclopedia of Public International Law also defines territory as a crucial element of statehood because government authorities are endowed with the right and authority to â€Å"take measures in that specific area†6. Governments have exclusive control over their territories, one which cannot legally be intruded on by other states and political entities and states. As far as Kosovo is concerned, it also fulfils this element of statehood, as it has a defined territory where its population is based and upon which it can support its people. Government is also another element of statehood. In general, governments are made up of individuals who have been chosen by the people or by other authorities to carry out political functions and to manage state affairs7. Based on the international perspective, governments are independent entities which enforce authority over a certain population living in a territory8. Governments are usually decided by the general population and in areas where democratic processes are in place, these government officials represent the interests of the people, enforce rules, and implement policies. Various states have varying governments, and each of these types of government is mostly fashioned to fit the needs of the people. Governments have end goals in mind and most of these goals relate to providing common goods to

Seniors and aging Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Seniors and aging - Essay Example There are difficulties seen in the abilities to cope with â€Å"the complex and socially angiogenic world†. These difficulties would increase the dependence of the seniors on psycho-therapeutic support (Mermet, 2005). I agree with author and recommend this to others. The article is significant in that it provides information on the increase in the proportion of seniors in society, their needs and desires, and the possibility of their inability to cope with the world that is become more complex. Hence the likelihood of the requirement of enhanced psycho-therapeutic support for the seniors. It is for these reasons that this article has been included. In the United States of America, the seniors form the segment of population having the highest risk for suicides. This becomes clear from the figures provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for the year 2004. The average suicide rate in the U.S. is eleven for every hundred thousand people, but rises to fourteen per hundred thousand people in the age group of sixty-five and older. Expert opinion suggests that seniors are less likely to seek help and their suicide attempts are more likely to lead to death. Hence there is the need to extend help to the elderly. In spite of all this information the response of society shows lack of concern and the willingness to a lot finances. Ten states have introduced laws in 2006 to curb suicides among children and young adults. Yet, only two states have passed legislation addressing the issue of suicides among senior citizens. This means that the elderly have fewer treatment options for their depressed state than the younger citi zens. This article is thought provoking and recommended for reading. Mermet (2005) has suggested that the complexities of the modern world are likely to increase the requirement of psycho-therapeutic support for the seniors, and this article clearly indicates the need for this enhanced support. The significance of this article lies

Forces in the Context of KFC Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Forces in the Context of KFC - Research Paper Example There are various economic forces that have a significant impact on the business operations of KFC. This organization is greatly affected by global and national economic factors such as inflation and interest rates, cost of labor, stages of business cycle, unemployment rates and growth rates of economy. The recession factor has affected the overall income of KFC and this has resulted into making employees jobless, and some employees were hired for few hours (Ohme, Birinyi and Gupta, 2010). This was majorly due to cutting down of budget by the company. Economic forces restrict customers to spend lavishly in such fast food outlets. Government procedures and policies to certain extent provide the required guidelines for smooth functioning of business operations of an organization. There are certain political forces that affect operations of KFC and these forces encompass some legal factors (KFC, 2014). The stability of political environment, position of government in relation to market ethics, government view on religion and culture, policies of government with respect to economy, and taxation policy on incentives and tax rates are the major forces that outlines the political environment (Ohme, Birinyi and Gupta, 2010). It can be stated that these forces can have an adverse affect or prove to be beneficial for the company. There are some regulatory and legal forces which need to be taken into consideration by the organization in order to achieve their desired goals and objectives. KFC need to maintain the regulations and rules in relation to hygiene factors such as proper training of employees regarding personal hygiene, safety and food, proper usage of utensils and hygienic work environment (Ohme, Birinyi and Gupta, 2010). It even comprise of the legal environment within which a firm operates such as in United States, there has been a legislation passed related to minimum wages and more recycle requirement. Technological forces can be considered as the major drivers in context of globalization. These forces help to increase efficiency levels of production and even some of these forces can be treated as technological developments. In KFC, technology is the most vital component as this facilitates customer satisfaction at its food outlets (Ohme, Birinyi and Gupta, 2010). The organization has been able to incorporate the latest technology into the system.  

Nursing interventions and preventative management in skeletal traction

Nursing interventions and preventative management in skeletal traction Discussion Output 1. List nursing interventions and preventative management related to skeletal traction. Skeletal traction is done is used for treatment for fractures, muscle spasms and immobility due septic joints. In taking care of a patient with skeletal traction assessing should always be done in order to prevent further complications. In assessing the patient, assess for signs edema, skin color, temperature, irritation, abnormal positioning, swelling, hemorrhage, muscle spasms, pain and discomfort, vital signs, fluid balance, urine output and most importantly the safety of the patient. Along with these are, providing emergency care is required (prevention of shock, respiratory care), providing care with the patients cast observing for the signs of circulatory impairment, providing care with the traction checking the weights if hanging freely, providing respiratory exercises to prevent any lung complications, encouraging increase fluid intake, and providing appropriate skin care to prevent pressure sores. 2. Discuss a component of cast care for the pediatric client or adult client. Identify manifestations of compartment syndrome. In taking care of patient with cast, always remember to keep the cast clean and dry. Always check and assess if the cast is attach appropriately, not to tight or loose. If the patient will take a bath, cover the cast with a plastic bag or wrap to prevent water on the cast. But having with cast, it is advisable to avoid showers and better yet use the bathtub and hand the part with cast outside the tub while bathing. Air and water are prevented to get under the cast for this may cause complications like skin breakdown if not prevented. Along with putting of cast, sweating cant be prevented to accumulate under the cast. If any strong odor comes from the cast, it is better to report immediately to the doctor to do the appropriate actions for this. In lieu to patients mobility, crutches are needed to help patient in walking, but be sure to help patient and remove any hazards that can harm patients safety. In terms of manifestations of compartment syndrome, severe pain that dont go away ev en medications are given is the hallmark manifestation of this. Also it comes along with decreased sensation, weakness, paleness of skin and numbness or paralysis. 3. Compare the nursing needs of a total hip replacement patient with those of a total knee replacement patient. Patients who had undergone total hip replacement and total knee replacement has common nursing needs along with these are: relieving the pain of the injured part, monitoring for the vital signs, wound drainage, swelling, edema, pain/discomfort, hemorrhage, and preventing infection. The main difference is that, for the total hip replacement patient, the nurse prevents the patient from having deep vein thrombosis, and dislocation of prosthesis, meaning the nursing needs of the patient are more on preventing infection and dislocation of the hips. In total knee replacement, the nursing care needed are to prevent patient from having peroneal nerve palsy, using the Continuous Passive Motion (CPM) for the physical therapy of the patient, meaning the nursing care needs of the total knee replacement are more on the physical therapy needs of the patient in order to gain better mobilization to the patient. 4. Discuss methods to avoid dislocation after hip replacement surgery. In preventing dislocation after hip replacement surgery the three main cardinal rules are dont cross your legs, dont bend your legs beyond 90 degress and dont turn affected foot inward or internally rote the hips. These cardinal signs should be followed for the first six weeks after the surgery. Crossing the legs can be cause of compromising blood circulation in the lower extremities. Dislocation will be possible if you cross leg and hip in affected part, but dislocation will not result if crossing leg on the strong leg over the operated part. Turning the operated leg inward can cause possible dislocation due to affected leg will turn internally rotate the hip that will cause the head to jump out of the socket. 5. You are caring for a patient who has had skeletal traction placed to treat a fractures femur. Discuss nursing interventions and assessment techniques related to this type of treatment. In caring patient with skeletal traction in treating fracture femur, assessing and monitoring the patient every now and then is very important to prevent any complications. Monitor for any signs of skin abnormalities edema, color, temperature, irritation, swelling, hemorrhage; muscle spasms, pain and discomfort, vital signs, fluid balance and the safety of the patient. Safety of the patient is really important in taking good care of this kind of patient, along with this thing providing emergency care is required to prevent shock and respiratory care. The cast of the past should also be observed for any signs of circulatory impairment. For the traction, check the weights if hanging freely. Encourage the patient to follow diet high protein, high vitamin, high calcium and to increase intake of fluids. Provide proper skin care to prevent any pressure sores and instruct client to any fracture-related issues that can help him/her to have knowledge upon his/her condition. 6. A patient is being discharged with an external fixator for a fractured humerus. Discuss home care instructions for this patient. For home care management of patient with external fixator, checking the fixator is the very important thing to do. Check if there are loose pins, loose nuts on frame, and pain at the fracture site. Cleaning the frame should be twice a week, dampened cloth with alcohol or water can be used to wipe off the frame. Monitoring temperature should be done daily, cause increase temperature may be a sign of infection to the affected site. As the same with the frames, pin sites should also be cleaned once or twice a day to prevent infection. 7. Identify various types of traction and the principles of effective traction. Various types of tractions includes: Skin traction put up by means of adhesive tape or strapping that is applied to the limb; Skeletal traction put up by means of directly upon the bones by means of pins, wires; Bryants traction is a kind of traction used for treatment of fractured femur or correction of hip dislocation; Bucks traction kind of traction which a pull is exerted on the lower extremities in order to align it to treat contractures and diseases of hip and knee; Dunlops traction a mechanism that helps in treating immobilize upper arm due to fracture or contracture of the elbow; Russells traction unilateral or bilateral mechanism that helps in immobilizing, and to aligning lower extremities due to femur, hip, knee contractures and other orthopedic diseases in hip and knee. In order to have effective traction, as a health care provider, you should make sure to position the patient properly with a correct body alignment in the center of the bed to have a good maintenance of the pull. Ropes and weights should be observed and checked regularly to make sure it moving freely on the pulley. The rope knots should be maintained in a right position in order to prevent it from touching the pulley. And lastly, the comfort of the patient should be maintained, and making sure he/she is comfortable in his/her position to avoid any further complications. 8. Discuss the use of Bucks traction, its uses and the involved nursing considerations. Bucks traction is a form of skin traction to the lower extremity specifically the lower limb to provide straight pull through single pulley that is attached to a crossbar at the foot of the bed. It is a short-term measure in treatment for hip dislocations, hip and knee contractures and reduction of back pain. In terms of nursing considerations, the main goal is to provide patients comfort, positioning the patients bed not to high to prevent any discomfort. Checking the alignment of the leg is also a must, it should be in a straight line of pull to maintain the attachment of the bar to the pulley. Part of it, the bandage wrapping should be checked if it attached properly. 9. Discuss the nursing care for a patient undergoing orthopedic surgery. In caring for patient undergoing orthopedic surgery, the main goal is to restore motion, stabilize and relieve pain and disability. For the preoperative care, the nursing care to be done is to assess for the hydration status of the patient. It is important for the patient to have adequate hydration in order to decrease the blood viscosity and venous stasis and also it ensure adequate urine flow. In checking the hydration status of the patient, the skin and mucous membranes, along with the vital signs, laboratory status and urine output are assessed and monitored. More on, the nurse also has the responsibility in helping the patient to relieve his/her discomfort. Relieving pain can be decreased in immobilizing of the fractured bone/joint. It is really important to control the pain of the patient in order to accomplish other nursing care like improving the mobility of the patient. For the postoperative care, it is important to assess and monitor the vital signs, pain/discomfort, wound drainage, level of consciousness, and fluid balance of the patient, in order to prevent any complications. Web Assignment In a patient that has applied cast, the first and most important thing to do is to assess the patients overall health condition, in assessing the patient, start by monitoring for the vital signs and pain/discomfort of the patient; numbness, tingling sensation, and irritation on the injured body part in order to prevent any further complications. Commonly, mild swelling on the injured area is common during the first few days. In caring for this, you can teach the patient or his/her relatives to keep the cast above the level of the heart for about 24-48 hours. This management can help in reducing the swelling, by doing this the injured part can be rested on pillows to maintain this level. Also, putting ice packs can help swelling down. Ice packs can be covered with thin towel to the cast and apply it for about 20 minutes every two hours. Pain relievers prescribed by the physician can also be taken like ibuprofen or acetaminophen. For the cast care, it is important to keep the cast clean and dry. It is advisable to avoid taking showers and better yet use the bathtub and hand the part with cast outside the tub while bathing. One way also is to cover the injured part with plastic bag or wrap to prevent the water on the cast. Also, check the cast if it is attach properly, make sure it is not too tight or loose. These measurements are important because of the reason that air and water if get under the cast may cause complications like skin breakdown if not prevented. Prevent dirt, or sand to get under the cast, to prevent any inflammation due to irritation within the cast. When having a cast, sweating cant be prevented to accumulate under the cast, it is proper to monitor if the cast has strong odor. Monitoring the patients cast is a must to prevent any complications. More on, if the patient experiences these: foul odor from the cast, along with cracks or breaks, loose or tight cast; swelling, tingling or numbness, discoloration, and severe pain from the injured part it is proper to report immediately to the attending physician to avoid worse situation and to do proper measures to treat the following abnormalities.

Use Of The Diary Form Narrative in The Novel Dracula :: Dracula Essays

Use Of The Diary Form Narrative in The Novel Dracula Bram Stoker, being the creative and intellectual writer himself, wrote the novel Dracula in the diary form of narrative. This was a good choice of how to write the novel since it was very beneficial to the plot of Dracula. Examples of how the diary form is beneficial to Dracula is seen in his writing and book. One of the greatest benefits of the diary narrative is that the reader is allowed see, and feel the emotional hearts and souls of the emotional characters. This is great because when a character is not feeling too great and is trying hide something, the reader knows this, and therefore the reader knows everything that is happening; nothing is being hidden from the reader. An example of this happening is when Mina is at the insane asylum and is worried sick about something happening to Jonathan Harker. Mina hides all that she feels when Jonathan Harker is near her. All that Mina is feeling is written by herself, and what, how she is feeling is ready for a reader to examine because they are able to see her diary. If Mina's diary was not open to the reader, or if Someone was telling of what he or she saw, the observation could be false and the reader would lose valuable information that would be valuable to the whole plot of the book. Some things that can be noticed about the diary form is that different views of the same thing can be expressed by many different people; all in first person view. Then, along with that, there are extensive and very detailed descriptions about a thing, or person that is being described. In the novel, this is seen as Jonathan Harker is traveling and he describes almost everything, he does, eat, sees, etc. Another use of the diary form is that Bram Stoker can have people "talk to themselves." So if the person who is writing in his or her diary, that person can make notes to him/herself writing "I must ask the Count about this." So by "talking to him/her own self" in this manner, he is writing it down and they do not in any way make it so that they seem strange in front of public.

Runic alphabet,

Interrogated and first grade, for example, many children write â€Å"b† instead of â€Å"d,† and may sometimes confuse â€Å"p,† â€Å"q,† and â€Å"g. Teachers see these errors all the time, and gradually work to help kids fix them. But as a caring parent, should you worry? The stakes are high. DO these letter problems signal something deeper, such sidesaddle? To sort out the hype, we turned to two pros: Linda Selves, Executive Director of the New York branch of the International Dyslexia Association, and Eileen Marjoram, PhD. A past Board President of that organization, a professor of special education, and a teacher and tutor in private practice with dyslexic children for more than thirty years. Here's what they have to say when it comes to three common fears about Wesleyan, and identifying it in kindergarten and first grade children: Myth You'll know its dyslexia when a kid flips letters or misspells a lot. Fact: While some dyslexic people may do this , it's not the main problem! Dyslexia, explains Selves, â€Å"is a neurologically based learning disability† in which â€Å"people have difficulty associating sounds with letters. Lots of kids who write â€Å"b† for â€Å"d,† or reverse other letters, are just making rookie mistakes; what's more serious is when they cannot hear the â€Å"b† in â€Å"bear,† and think, instead, that it may be a â€Å"d† or â€Å"p. † Backwards letters alone re not cause for worry, according to the experts. In kindergarten, explains Marjoram, dyslexic kids will have trouble in several related areas. Taken together, these Signs indicate that a child is not making the all-important connection between letters, sounds, and word meaning. Instead of worrying yourself sick about reversed letters, â€Å"l would look further,† says Marjoram.If by the end of a full year of good instruction in kindergarten, a child can't do all or most of the following, the n it's time to be concerned: easily name all the letters of the alphabet, with most sounds detect rhyming words ear initial sounds, like the â€Å"c† in cat. Identify basic sight words like â€Å"is† or ‘the† recognize â€Å"environmental print† like the word â€Å"stop† on a roadside sign Myth #2: You can't really diagnose dyslexia until a kid is seven or eight. Fact: Kindergarten is not too early to evaluate a child. In fact, says Selves, â€Å"Early intervention is key†¦.The longer you wait, the more the problem grows. † Children quickly realize when something is wrong. Its all too easy for them to conclude, â€Å"l can't read so I must be really dumb,† Selves says. If your kindergarten does display most of the signs above, both Selves and Marjoram emphasize that you should seek an evaluation with a qualified specialist, either through your school or through independent experts such as those certified by the International Dyslexia Association. Don't let your school convince you to wait. Early intervention makes a huge difference. Http:// c mm/ magazine nee/article/ Kinder Stories, Poems, and Literature from the Viking Age 13th century Icelandic manuscript Our knowledge of the Viking people comes from several sources. One valuable source is the literature from the period. Norse people loved stories, and some of the stories and poems they themselves wrote, and that their ascendants wrote still survive. Stories about the Norse were also written by their contemporaries, including both their trading partners (such as the Arabs) and the victims of their raids (such as the Christian clerics who kept the historical records in Europe).This section describes written records the Viking-age people left behind. Language The Norse spoke Old Norse, which they called downs tuna (the Danish tongue). With minor variations, this language was spoken throughout the Norse lands during the Viking period. Old Norse is one of ten branches that cake up the Indo-European family of languages which have been spoken throughout Europe and southern Asia for the last 3000 years. Old Norse is the root language from which the modern Scandinavian languages descended, and is a close relative of modern English, Dutch, and German.During the period from 550050 AD, rapid linguistic changes occurred, which separated the Norse from other Germanic people on the European continent to the south and west. During the Viking age, language was no barrier to communication across the Norse lands; from Greenland to the Baltic, nearly the same language was spoken throughout. However, there is evidence that, despite the common language, a man's homeland could be identified by his speech.Some scholars today would go further and say that by the start of the Norse era, significant differences already existed between East Norse (Sweden and Denmark) and West Norse (Norway and the Atlantic settlements such as Iceland) dialects. Writing and Runes The footwork runic â€Å"alphabet† (so called for the sounds of the first six letters in the runic row) was in wide use throughout northern Europe from roughly the 3rd to the 12th century. At first, 24 letters were used, but in the 9th century, he footwork alphabet was simplified to 16 letters, beginning in Denmark, then rapidly spreading throughout the region.Many variations of the footwork rune row were used; one of the Danish variants is shown above. In the same way that a modern reader of English would recognize all these glyphs as representing an upper case a Viking-age reader would recognize the many ways a rune might be represented. The runes consist of straight lines, typically in the form of a vertical (a stave) with diagonal branches (twigs). The lack of any curves makes the runes easy to carve into wood, bone, or stone, which were the normal writing materials mongo the Norse.Runes are found carved graffiti-like into historical buildings and statuary not j ust in northern Europe, but all across the continent, clearly showing the extent to which the Norse roamed over Europe. The marble lion shown in the sketch to the left is from outside Piraeus, near Athens, Greece, where some unknown Norse traveler carved runic graffiti into the shoulder of the beast. Judging from the number of inscriptions found on stones in Nordic lands that were clearly intended to be seen and read, and from the number of everyday objects inscribed with runes, it is possible that such of the Norse population could read runes.Many of the inscriptions are in the form of memorial stones, such as those illustrated below on this page. These stones are highly public memorials. There's scarcely any reason to erect them if most of the population could not read them. Many everyday objects are found inscribed with the owner's name, or the maker's name, or other messages. Runic inscriptions have been found ranging from trade and legal documents such as bills of sale, all the way to coarse lavatory scribbling. Some runic inscriptions are clearly just for fun; a comb was found inscribed â€Å"l am a comb†.Some inscriptions may have been the equivalent of â€Å"Post-It' notes; one wooden Ernestine from Bergen is inscribed: â€Å"Cathy says come home†. Additional evidence of widespread literacy comes from the old Icelandic literature. In an episode from Importations (chi 34), it was not considered the least bit remarkable that a poor, unnamed Icelandic from the northern quarter was able to read the inscription on a buried treasure chest. In chapter 18 of Vigilant saga, Striker ¶g's father HLempel left a rune stick on the path where Vigorous and Transit were sure to find it as they rode to the ship that loud take them away from Iceland.On the stick were Striker ¶g's words saying she wanted to marry no other man but Vigilantly. There was no question that V(giggling would be able to read the message. > ¶r ¶our challenged Klaus to a wres tling match via a message on a rune stick in chapter 12 of Savorsla saga. Interestingly, just two chapters later, Klaus and Gar(s found runes carved on a ship naming the skipper, which Klaus was unable to read. He demanded that Grim read them. Wooden writing tablets provide additional evidence of the widespread use of runic writing among ordinary people.The tablet shown in the photos is a odder reproduction. The historic tablets are about 20-CACM high (about 8-12 in) and were filled with blackened wax within their raised borders. A pointed iron stylus was used to write in the wax (top right). The reproduction stylus in the photos is set in an antler which allows a nice grip and which can be used to smooth the wax and erase unwanted writing (bottom right). The wooden surface of historical tablets from the Norse era bear marks where the stylus broke through the wax, and the marks show that the runic alphabet Was being used.These tablets are more commonly found in rural areas, ether th an in towns, suggesting that even remote farm dwellers could read and write runes. On the other hand, objects have been found inscribed with runes which appear to be utter nonsense, or filled with errors. Perhaps it made perfect sense to the craftsman who made the object. Or perhaps, realizing that the object he just made needed to decorated with runes, but not knowing the footwork, the artisan simply made up something rune-like. The medium of choice for runic inscriptions was probably a stick or scrap of wood, which explains why few runic inscriptions are found today.Extraordinary conditions re required for the preservation of these wood scraps over the centuries since the Norse era. The runic writing shown to the right is one of a number of wooden merchant's markers excavated in Bergen. It indicates the owner's name, and was meant to be stuck in or tied to a pile of merchandise. It can be difficult to transcribe and translate runic writings. One difficulty is that there are more s ounds in the language than there are runes to represent them. Thus a single character could represent one of several sounds.Another difficulty is the variations in the various footwork alphabets that were in use ring the period. Further, archaic or otherwise unknown words were used in runic inscriptions. Runes were frequently incorporated into the isomorphic designs (left) favored by the Norse. Additionally, every effort was made to reduce the space required to inscribe the message and the number of runes that needed to be carved. So, for example, if a rune repeated, only the first rune was carved and the second discarded. Generally, there were no breaks between words or between sentences. Runes could be written left to right or right to left.The â€Å"facing† of the runes makes it clear which way to read. For inscriptions longer than one line, alternating lines were frequently written in opposite directions, first leftwards, then rightwards. Sometimes, the lines bent around at the end, so that one line reads left to right and the next line right to left and upside down. The effect is shown with English text using Roman letters to the right. Some rune stones (such as the R ¶k stone shown to the left) have text crammed onto every surface of the stone, with lines reading upwards, downwards, leftwards, and rightwards.Further, runes could be coded into other figures, called cryptic runes. The intent is not always clear. Perhaps it was meant to highlight a portion of the text, or to show off the skill of the person carving the runes. And perhaps it was meant to hide the meaning of the text to those who did not now how the runes were encoded. One example of cryptic runes are skips;near (ship runes), where the twigs adorn the stem and stern of the ship. The number of twigs in a figure indicated two numbers. The rune was coded by these two numbers.The first represented a particular TTT (grouping of runes within the footwork), and the second indicated which ru ne in the grouping was meant. Shown to he right are two figures from a series of cryptic runes in an Icelandic manuscript. Portion of rune stone with several same-stave runes Same-stave rune with missing portion restored Same-stave rune separated into individual runes Transcription into Roman letters Another example of cryptic runes is same-stave runes, in which all of the twigs branch from a single stave.The composite image to the left shows an example of this kind of runic inscription. The left image shows a small portion Of the SÃ'‘ender Kirby Stone in Denmark that uses same-stave runes for a portion of its message. The stave of interest in this example is the second room the left. The stone was damaged in this region, and a portion of this stave is missing. This part of the stone is shown in the second image, with a speculative reconstruction of the missing portion. The individual runes are shown in the next column, and the transcription into the Roman alphabet in the final co lumn.The complete message is >Orr vigil run, or â€Å"Door hallow the runes†. Another form of cryptic runes is visible at the top of the R ¶k stone, above left. With the coming of Christianity, and its educated clergy reading and writing Latin, runes were displaced by the Roman alphabet (modified to it the needs of the various northern European languages), written with pen and ink on vellum. However, runes continued to be used for many centuries, since the materials for runic writing were always readily at hand: everyone carried a knife, and a stick could be picked up from anywhere.The Viking-age people did not develop a written culture until the arrival of the church. In the Viking age, runes were used for short notes only. The Viking culture was oral, and long works were remembered using poetry. Runes certainly could have been used for longer messages in the same way as Roman characters, but hey were not. Perhaps the Norse people saw no need to preserve long works in writ ten form, even though everything was in place to do so. Only a single rune stone containing a complete poem survives, although many stones contain individual verses.In chapter 78 of Sells saga, >regular asked her father Gill to compose a memorial poem, telling him she would carve the verses into a rune stick (rises ; kefir). Whether that was common practice or not is conjectural. The R ¶k stone is an extraordinary rune stone over four meters high (13 feet) and is covered on all five sides with runic inscriptions. The front (and the beginning of the inscription) is shown to the left, and the reverse is shown in the photo above left. Many of the rune stones, particularly later ones, are memorial stones, which commemorated the dead and may have served as declarations of inheritance.The purpose of the Rook stone is subject to debate, but may well be a memorial Stone, as well. Poetry Surviving poems show a wide range of topics and tones: respectful and reverent; boastful and proud; wit ty and humorous; threatening and defiant; vile and obscene. However, scurrilous or satirical poems were banned cause of the injury they caused to the subject and to his reputation. Poems, being a divine gift from ? ¶in (the highest of the gods), were thought to have special power. Poems had the power to bestow honor on a worthy man and to remove honor from a wretch.A skillful poet could earn a valuable reward from a generous king, or save his head from an angry king, by creating a well composed poem. Poems praising a woman were banned, both because of the publicity and the possible effect it might have on her reputation, but also because of possible spell binding effects the poem might have. (Surviving love memos suggest the ban was regularly ignored. ) On hearing certain kinds of poetry (for instance, poetry implying that a man was womanish), a man was at liberty to kill the person reciting the poem. The proscribed types of poetry are described in the medieval Icelandic lowbrow G ar;g;s (K 238).Norse poetry does not have the regular rhythm and end-rhyme that one conventionally associates with poetry, but rather uses alliteration and irregular stress which falls on the most significant words in each line. Norse poetry can be divided into three classes, depending on form and content. Rune poems were usually inscribed on monuments and serve to praise an individual. They are brief and usually have a simple meter and style. Decide poems describe the Norse gods and ancient Norse heroes and their exploits. Decide poetry also has relatively simple meter and style.The stories are exciting, packed with action, and frequently contain valuable object lessons. Little can be said about the development of decide poetry, but it was probably in place and in use at the start of the Viking age. Classic poems typically praise the deeds of notable people, and they were usually written during the lifetime of the person being raised. While some of the surviving classic poetry date s from the medieval period, many of the poems are believed to date from the Viking age. The R ¶k ironstone shown above on this page records one stanza of classic poetry and dates from the middle of the 9th century.The Israeli ironstone shown to the right is the only classic verse in the elaborate dry;takeTTT meter known to have been written down in the Viking age. It dates from roughly the year 1 000 and is located in Land in Sweden. While the decide poetry is uniformly anonymous, much of the surviving classic poetry is credited to a particular tote at a particular place and time. The classic poems have complicated meters, strict patterns of alliteration, and ornate metaphoric language, with wordplay to delight the sophisticated listener. The poems usually celebrate the exploits of a particular king or leader.Since, in the Viking age, exaggeration was considered to be mockery, and since mockery' was considered a lethal insult, these poems are thought to be reliable testimony to th e events, even though (in some cases) they weren't committed to writing for centuries after their composition. Unfortunately, the factual information in such poetry tends to be limited. Classic poetry uses a variety of circumlocutions, such as kenning's. A kenning uses a phrase as a metaphor to represent an idea. The usual form is a noun, qualified by another noun in the genitive case. For instance sweat of the sword is used to mean blood, or horse of the sea to mean ship.Some of the kenning's can only be understood by someone with an extensive knowledge of the culture and of the great stories. For example, flame of the Rhine is used to mean gold but would probably be understood only by someone who is familiar with the V ¶lasagna saga in which the great gold treasure of the V ¶lulus NCAR ended up t the bottom of the river Rhine. Kenning can have multiple levels. For example, a poet might use a kenning for gold, and then use that phrase in place of the word â€Å"gold† in yet another kenning, such as flame of the sea- stead's path.Sea-stead's (ship) path is water, so flame of the water refers to gold. Some kenning's depend on hyperbole. Enemy of gold refers to a man who does not like gold and gives it away: a generous man. Some kenning's take the form of puns, such as using sky of the eel to represent ice in identifying someone as an Icelandic. The form of Norse poetry is complicated beyond the wordplay of the innings. The need to fit strict rules of alliteration and rhyming and rhythm result in verses in which multiple ideas are being formed simultaneously. (This concept is illustrated on the classic stanza page. Because Icelandic is a highly inflected language (word forms change depending on their usage in a sentence), it's possible to jumble the word order yet retain the meaning of a sentence. Norse visual arts share this property (left). Exceedingly complicated forms are used all over a figure to create a single unified image. It's been suggested that this similarity between poetry and visual arts derives from the name underlying sensibility, some innate appreciation of the baroque form in Norse culture. Because of its complexity and wordplay, wonder whether classic poetry could be understood by a listener hearing a verse for the first time.There are examples in the stories that support this belief, such as chapter 18 fog(slab saga. B ¶rids overheard a verse spoken by her brother, Gillis, in which he took credit for the killing of her husband, Programs. Not until she returned home did brd(s interpret the verse and understand its meaning. I may be overstating my case. At least one scholar of classic otter has told me that he believes the verses were easily understood by a listener in the saga age. Additionally, in an oral culture, it would be important to recall poetry without error.Because of the complexities of Norse verse, a defect in a recalled verse would be immediately apparent, since the rhyme, rhythm, or alliterati on would no longer work. Any erroneous substitution would stand out. Thus, the complexity of the verse acted as a mnemonic aid to help recall the verse and to identify errors. This built-in error detection was one of the reasons that information conveyed by poetry during the Viking age as thought to be more reliable than information in prose. The 12th century authors who first wrote the histories and stories of Iceland viewed the words of poets to be more authoritative than other oral sources.Some modern scholars disagree, and they suggest that in oral form, even poetry is unlikely to remain unchanged over long periods of time. Literature Many of the important poems were composed in the 9th through 12th century. These were part Of the oral tradition, and were kept alive by repetition as they were passed from one generation to another. Poetry was likely a major form of entertainment for the Norse. Poets were held in high regard, not only for their ability to improvise poetic entertai nment on the spot, but also because they were the repository of the shared cultural experience.They were the vessel through which the culture was passed from generation to generation. Once committed to poetry, a thought was expected to last â€Å"as long as the land is inhabited† or â€Å"as long as the Norse language is spoken†. Story-telling was a popular entertainment wherever people gathered. Faster ¶RA saga says in chapter 23 that >origami Narrations told a story while sitting on his chair in front of his booth at the Ping. People sat all around him, listening to his tale. When an unexpected downpour forced everyone to leave and seek shelter, Poor ¶Ã‚ ¶r took advantage of the opportunity and killed Door(Mr..Beginning in the 12th century, educated men in Iceland, where the oral tradition was strongest, began to write down the important stories. Iceland Was unique among European countries at this time in having a population comprised of a large number of relativ ely free, land- owning farmers. These men had the means to commission the creation of books in their own language, rather than in Latin as was the rule throughout he rest of Europe. The oral story-telling tradition of the Islanders also favored writings in the vernacular.A wide variety of material was written down in the Icelandic language. One of the first books to be written in the northern lands was the Icelandic law codes, begun in the year 11 17. Prior to this time, the law codes were remembered and recited orally by the law speaker (logs ¶Guam ¶our) at the Piping. A short time later, a history of Iceland was written known as [slandering;k (the Book of Islanders) by Air FRR ¶I (the learned) around the year 1 130. Scholars wrote books describing how to use Roman letters to represent the sounds of the Icelandic language.The First Grammatical Treatise was followed by three others. The genealogy and history of Icelandic settlers were written down in Land;MBA;k (the Book of Se ttlement)s. European literature was translated into Icelandic, including stories of the lives of saints, and learned books on topics including astronomy, natural history, and geography. Travel books were written by Icelandic visitors to Europe. New stories were written to commemorate the exploits of kings or other great leaders. Some of these books were in the form f histories, such as Homemaking's, a history of the kings of Norway.Others described contemporary events, such as the sagas of the lives of Icelandic bishops, untangling saga, a compilation of sagas describing the events in the turbulent times when the sons of Stuart b ¶r ¶arson were changing the political landscape Of the Iceland. Islanders also wrote down the stories of their ancestors. These [sledding ¶guru (Sagas of Islanders, also called family sagas) remain compelling and entertaining reading today. They are a unique and new form of story-telling unlike anything that preceded them. Most of these sagas are thou ght to have been composed between 1200 and 1400.These stories tell of the tales of farmers and chieftains living in Iceland from the 9th through the 12th century. Many of them follow families for generation after generation, from the settlement era to the commonwealth period in Iceland's history. They are distinctive in that they tell heroic tales not about heroes, but about just plain folks: the early Islanders. Although distorted by the time that separates the events depicted and the writing of the stories, the family sagas present one of the best pictures we have of Norse society. We know the names of only a very few of the writers of these works.It was not customary to put the author's name on the manuscript. However, one author who can be identified with some certainty is Snorer Sturgeon (1 179-1241). A 20th century sculpture of Snorer by Vigilant is shown to the left. Snorer feared that the tradition of composing poetry to commemorate great men and great events was dying. For this, and other reasons, he wrote the Sonora dead, a four part textbook on writing classic poetry. The book summarizes Norse mythology (necessary for the poet to understand the innings), teaches the language of poetry, and presents examples of the various verse forms.

Why Study Ethics?

http://faculty. polytechnic. org/gfeldmeth/4. ruggiero1. pdf Ruggiero 1 Why Study Ethics? If we have laws and religion, why do we need ethics? Ethics is the study of right and wrong. Everyone makes decisions each day that are essentially choices. For some, choices are considered strictly personal and no one else’s business: Should I have a strip of bacon with my eggs? But for some, even that simple choice has ethical ramifications: Should I eat meat? Is it anyone else’s concern that I eat meat?Other choices confront us as the day progresses: Should I call in sick? Should I obey the speed laws as I drive to work? Should I answer a friend’s question honestly or lie and potentially hurt her feelings? Should I be faithful to my spouse? How does one find answers to these questions? For some, laws and religion provide the answers. But for most, those two sources are insufficient. Ethical Relativism In the past for most people and even for many people today, an objectiv e moral standard that is binding on all people for all times exists.While there might be disagreement on what the standard was, most acknowledged that there was a â€Å"right† choice. But in the last half-century, there has been considerable erosion in the idea that a standard exists or is even needed. For many, decisions about what is right and wrong are complete personal and completely subjective: what is right for me may not be right for you. This is known as ethical relativism. It asserts that whatever an individual deems morally acceptable is acceptable for that person. To judge that is often considered unacceptably intolerant.As relativism or situation ethics, as it was called by some, grew in the 1960s, some critics warned that an attitude of complete toleration would make it difficult, if not impossible to reasonably discuss ethical issues. If no one view is better than another, how can one distinguish civilized from uncivilized behavior, or good and evil. If ethical choices are essentially the same as aesthetic or taste choices, then pursuing one choice of action is essentially no different that preferring a work of art or an author or a singing group.It is all just a matter of taste and your taste is as good as mine. One result of the growth of relativism is the reluctance of many to pass judgment on an individual or a deed. If the choice is between absolutism (â€Å"that is absolutely wrong† or relativism (â€Å"in some cases, for some individuals, that action may be wrong’), many opt for relativism as it seems more tolerant, more reasonable, less black-and-white. Many civilizations in the past practiced human sacrifice in religious rituals. Is it right to judge that practice as wrong?After all, freedom of religion is a pillar of American beliefs. Should I judge another culture’s practices even if I find it abhorrent? To cite a modern example, some cultures allow marriage of girls as young as 12 years old or a husband to have multiple wives. Are those issues that should be left up to a nation or people-group to decide or are there universal principles that apply? To get even more relevant to students living in American society, is it ok to download copyrighted music or movies?How about copying and pasting a paragraph from an Internet source such as Wikipedia into a paper? If I want to do that, isn’t it my choice? Who are you to say it’s wrong? Ethics and Laws One might wonder why we need ethics if we have laws? If we have a comprehensive set of laws that are consistently enforced, isn’t that enough? Of course, we need to ask who makes 1 Ruggiero 1 the laws and how do they decide whether a behavior is criminal. Consider sexual harassment.Because a legislator or even a number of them might say â€Å"I would never commit such an act† would not be enough reason to conclude that a law should be passed preventing others from committing that act. From the perspective of an ethi cal relativist, no one has the right to criticize another’s actions. The only defensible reason for a law against sexual harassment is that the act is wrong, not just for me but for everyone. And sexual harassment was clearly wrong long before it was made illegal. So laws are not possible without ethics.For a law to be passed, a person or a group of people have to make a decision about right and wrong. That has been the case from the start of human society, whether laws were determined by kings, religious leaders, or elected legislators. It does not mean that every law is morally right but every law starts with a concept of right and wrong. In fact, laws change over times. New circumstances arise so that laws must be revised to fit them. New technologies developed the need for new laws. In addition, attitudes change over time.Women were not permitted to vote in national elections until 1920. The 18th Amendment legalized Prohibition in 1919. The 21st Amendment repealed it in 1 933. Ethics and Religion Just as laws arise from ethics, ethics arise from religion. Religious thinkers have always spoken to the greater society on issues of moral concern. Sometimes they have assumed that their position is the only acceptable one, which hinders discussion and debate. Faith does not usually provide common ground to discuss ethical issues in a dispassionate or even-handed way.Many religious thinkers are absolutists and turn to an outside authority, God or the Bible or the Koran for their authority. Of course, to say the Bible says something suggests that it is a simple book easy for everyone to interpret. In fact, it is complex and subject to many different interpretations. This is why it is important to distinguish between religious ethics and religious beliefs. Religious ethics examines moral situations from a perspective, a set of principles. It is a starting point, not a defining â€Å"right or wrong† point. Inquiries 1.Canada’s government proposed that color photographs of diseased hearts and cancerous lungs and lips be printed on the front and back panels of every pack of cigarettes sold in that country. Canada’s tobacco industry claimed the practice was illegal. What is the ethical issue in this case? 2. When a Michigan man was arrested for soliciting a prostitute, his car was impounded by the police. His wife, who co-owned the vehicle, claimed that the government’s action was improper because it punished her as well as her husband, even though she had no knowledge or part of his crime.Is her argument morally correct? 3. The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) allows colleges and universities to make millions of dollars each year from the sale of tickets and television rights to games. Yet the NCAA does not permit student athletes to be paid. Is the NCAA’s position morally justifiable? 2 Ruggiero 1 4. A married couple, both drug addicts, is unable to care for their infant daughter. The cour t takes her from them and places her in a foster home for a number of years and she comes to view her foster parents as her real parents.When she is nine years old, her natural parents, now in drug recovery, ask the courts to return custody to them. The case is decided in their favor and the girl is returned to them, against her will. Does ethics support the court’s decision? 5. A Milpitas, California, boy raped and then killed his girlfriend and dumped her body in a lovers' lane gully. Over the next few days, the killer boasted to his high school friends and the word quickly spread that the girl was dead and that her body was in the gully. Carload after carload of high school students visited the gully to see the body.Some students prodded it with sticks or kicked it; one girl ripped a decal from the dead girl's jeans. Only one boy reported the murder to the high school principal, and even after the police investigation was well under way, only two students would identify th e killer or volunteer any information. Since failure to report a body or to volunteer to testify is not a crime, the students could not be charged legally. But was the behavior of any of the students morally acceptable? Why or why not? Based on Thinking Critically About Moral Issues by Vincent Ruggiero 3

Blaming Rap and Hip-Hop for Negative Messages Essays

Blaming Rap and Hip-Hop for Negative Messages Essays Blaming Rap and Hip-Hop for Negative Messages Essay Blaming Rap and Hip-Hop for Negative Messages Essay American Military University Joe Guzman CMRJ205 Rape and Sexual Violence Dr. Nation Does Hip-Hop music send a negative message to our youth? Well some people think it does and others think differently about it. I think it goes both ways and but I’ll go more in detail in this essay. As far as I can remember, Hip-Hop music has ruled the industry and continues to till this day. The negative part of rap music that people say sends a negative message is the lyrics. Some songs talk about killing, drugs and gang violence. That’s the part I don’t care for but it sells so, it’ll continue to remain on top. Some music was blamed for shootings and some resulted in death. When it comes to violence, the Tupac and Biggy scandal comes to mind. This was labeled as an East and West coast war between the two. They both talked about killing each others families, having sex with each others wives, which lead to both of them being murdered (Dorian 2010). Tupac had some great songs that hit home for some people. One that hit home for was â€Å"Dear Mama†, it talked about him growing up and how his mother made the best for him and his sister with what they had. I love when rappers speak from experience and in ways can influences people positively. A rapper by the name of â€Å"Hurricane†, tells his four kids that what they see and hear is just a record or video that was produced (Samuels 1995). I think it’s good for rappers to explain this issue with their kids. It’ll give them a better understanding as they get older. Some of the negatives are when rappers get into trouble for drugs, murders and violations. Some kids look up to them as role models and when they see the trouble they get into they do the same or even worse. A lot of rappers stress to kids to stay in school and get an education. (Samuels 1995). Sometimes music is a way out for some people. A lot of rappers grew up in the hood and were in and out of trouble but used music as strength to get out. I think the media portrays it differently and blows rap music out of proportion, as they do everything. The media is quick to put out the negative things but what about the positive things that they do. Some rappers give back and help out in any way they can. I just read about rapper T. I. talking some kid out of committing suicide. That’s definitely a highlight but I bet not too many people heard about it. In closing, I think rap music goes both ways as far as sending negative messages to our youth. Do I think it can be cleaned up, yes but people need to understand that this is a way of living for some. It’ll be an on going battle but in the end Hip-Hop is here to stay and is on top. References Louise I. Gerdes, ED (2008) Sexual violence. , GALE Cengage Learning John H. McWhorter, (2003) City Journal Is Hip Hop The epitome of What’s Wrong with Todays Youth (2010) from, http://doriandonp. wordpress. com/2010/02/11/is-hip-hop-the-epitome-of-whats-wrong-with-todays-youth/ Boyce Watkins, PhD (2009) from, bvonmoney. com/2009/06/07/whats-wrong-with-hip-hop-check-the-paper-trai Anita M. Samuels, (1995) Rap Family Values: Golden Rule Rules

Do government surveillance and data mining operations do more good in Essay

Do government surveillance and data mining operations do more good in protecting against terrorism than they do harm in violating privacy - Essay Example Though sanctioned by the Bush administration, the constitutionality of these acts are being questioned. Another issue is whether wiretapping and data mining are acceptable ways of investigating terrorist threats. The President addressed the controversy in a radio address from the Roosevelt Room by saying that he has the authority to approve wiretapping and surveillance programs and that such activities are being done to protect the Americans' civil liberties. He also claimed that it is a necessary means to prevent terrorist attacks from happening. Bush also condemned the actions of press and media outfits who have exposed the supposedly top-secret program. However, many legal analysts find Bush's arguments unconvincing. The Jurist columnist William Banks in his article, "NSA Eavesdropping and the Fourth Amendment" argues that NSA's domestic surveillance program impinges on the people's rights, especially that of the Fourth amendment, which guards against unreasonable searches and seizures. His conjecture is that individuals have reasonable expectation of their privacy, so they are therefore entitled to it. Banks believes that warrantless surveillance is not only unconstitutional, it lays a groundwork for abuse. James X.

Using appropriate theories and concepts, critically evaluate the value Essay

Using appropriate theories and concepts, critically evaluate the value of the notion of reflection in your own self development - Essay Example Furthermore, it is within such environments that there is a refining of values and this is often done without ensuring reflection is made an important aspect of thinking. It is important to ensure that reflective thinking is developed and made an essential part of individuals because it is the only way through which they can challenge assumptions, and make an assessment of their intuition, and learn more about themselves. It is important to note that some of the biggest barriers for many individuals in achieving their objectives is their lack of reflection (Bowden, 2008, p.4). This is especially because I have realized that many people tend to repeat the patterns and behaviours, which contribute to their failures. However, when they adopt an attitude of reflection before undertaking what they are aiming at, they come to achieve genuine results and personal growth. I find that reflection enables individuals to discover their ability to gain what they want, making it the key to success because without it, all actions are meaningless. Through my own experiences, I have discovered that reflective thinking is a matter of problem solving, which requires an individual to see things in a new way independent of the way that they normally see these problems. It is through their looking at problems differently that individuals are able to find solutions to them in ways that they did not expect (Edwards, 2010). Taking time to reflect on a problem from a different perspective other than the habitual one, especially for a leader within an organization, is extremely important because it makes the individual to have time for constructive thinking. Through thinking outside the box, following Kolb’s reflective model, a leader is able to develop a better understanding of the problem facing the organization and take necessary action to ensure that the solution he comes up with is not only relevant, but it can be applied in a manner that does not threaten organizational