Critically explore some of the issues that should be considered when conducting research in social science

Research with children and young people is essential as it can improve the understanding of how they develop and live their lives, also it can add to academic debates and theories, and its outcomes can impact directly and indirectly on the lives of others in similar situations. â€Å"Data about children can only be understood by studying children†(Ross,1998:97) The best way to support the expansion of children’s studies for children is to enrol them fully in the research process. (Oakley, 1994: 26). Over the years, there has been rapid rise in research with children and young people and the increased respect and demand for children’s views and outlook in the society alongside the concern about ethics in social science when implementing the research Kellett (2010). Lansdown(1994) also supports this argument by stating that we do have a culture of listening to children . The chosen topic for this essay is issues that are to be considered when researching children and young people and vulnerable groups. The Relevant issues when researching with children includes ethics, consent, the legal structure, power relations and methodology. It is essential to consider and address issues appropriately. Social science research involved the collection, exploration and reporting of information about people and societies. (Yates 1998,p. 3) . There are several number of issues to consider when conducting research in social science according to Alderson& Morrow(2007) like privacy and confidentiality, the right selection of participants, consent and the impact the research has on children. Research with children usually tend to emphasis on ethics which moral issue that influence the methodology used governed by the code of practises ( France et al. , 2000) as well as the issues of informed consent and confidentiality (Sieber, 1982) Participants might be harmed as a result of their participation as many vulnerable groups tend to experience distress when talking about their painful experience that happened in their past. (Cooper,1999). The possible harms may include death stress, guilt, reduction in self-respect or self-esteem, unfair treatment, withheld benefits, and slight distress.. Cooper,1999). Relationships with others may be damaged through research (Drake ,2011). One of the main problem in research in social science is that children’s views and opinions are not given much importance and usually there is much large manipulation of the researcher in their research (Miles,2011). This was argued by (Clark et al. 2005) he states that children should be seen as’ beings’ whose opinions and understanding are vital in to listen to and not as adults in the making. Childhood studies research emphasizes the need to recognise children as agents not objects to represent children’s voice and to have children properly involved in all stages of research†(Gregory et al 2005,p. 98). Informed consent is vital when it comes to research involved with children, as Informed consent is required to protect privacy. Informed consent documents too guarantee that their identities will be protected. Such assurances protect them from blackmail, personal attacks and awkwardness (Sieber 1992). Children require the same level of freedom as adults to refuse participation. Sieber,1982). â€Å"Children who are incapable of giving assent should not be allowed to participate because their participation uses them for the benefit of the society at large while threatening their partially actualized and developing personhood. †(Ross,1998:97). Although a child’s assent alone is not sufficient to carry out the research but parental permission is essential while researching children to ensure protection of the child from possible abuse that could happen during the research process. (Ross,1988). Nelson ,2006) also supports the argument by stating child’s assent can only be used in conjunction with the parental consent. Lansdown (1994) supports the above discussion by stating that children are vulnerable because of their physical weakness and lack of knowledge and experience which allows them to depend upon the adults around them as well as their total lack of political and financial power and their lack of social rights. Factors contributing to the vulnerability of children include the motivations of parents and guardians who enter children into research ( Kirk 2007, Paulson 2006). Another issue that could be faced by children in research according to (Fraser et al, 2004) and Kirk (2007) is the power imbalance between the researcher and the children , but this could be overcome through helping the child to become a part of the research team as well as to make the child to be aware of the reason for participation in the research and to give the child the sense of control by reviewing or repeating to the child how to withdraw if the child doesn’t feels comfortable in the study. (Fraser et al, 2004). Time and flexibility are the key things that is required when researching children and to ensure that the participant have full understanding of the research ( Greene &Hogan 2005). There are laws supporting the rights of a child . (Landown,1994).. The law supports the child’s opportunity to be heard in any judicial or governmental procedures affecting the child. The law came into being in 1990 due to the high demand children’s voice to solve or understand the issues that affect them. The law has provided a major move in appreciation of children as participants in the society. Landown,1994). BPS code of conduct ethical principles states that approval of children to take part in research should be obtained from parents/ guardians as children are considered along side with the adults with impairments’ but there is no mention given to obtain consent for children with impairments. (Minkes et al,1994 ). Another issue in social science research is the sensitive research that often researchers do not effectively address the possible emotional and psychological harm that may result from research that draws strong emotional reactions Lee & Renzetti,( 1993). One of the main risks in any research is the effect of a violation of confidentiality. Depending on the sensitivity of the focused area in research, extra care should be taken to guarantee that participants could not be acknowledged. Maintaining the confidentiality is fundamental to ethical research, Kellett (2011)confirmation of research confidentiality can be given about the anonymity of the data, by removing the names of the participant and any identifying information, to meet the concerns of the child and responsible adult. It is suggested that written information should always be provided for the child and responsible adult, and a contact information should be given if they wish to contact the researchers later on. Kellett(2011) Eliminating names and other obvious identifiers does not assure anonymity as sometimes the demographic information can identify participants if the sample size is small. Buchanan (2007) also supports this argument that anonymity cannot be certain as postings can be traced via online search engines. Qualitative method of listening to the participant by exploring and examining their natural environment while conducting research can be one of the best ways to collect quality information especially from children( Willig ,2001). Punch (1994) States ethical failures in qualitative research scarcely occur. Behavior can be viewed directly through some kind of organized observation Focus groups tend to be increasingly successful with children, as children tend to be comfortable and familiar with the process of conversing matters in groups. (Morgan et al. , 2002). Focus groups can be appreciated for their ability to address inherent power differences that can develop in other forms of research such as interviews or questionnaire . (Morgan &Gibbs 2002) . One of the main advantage of focus groups is that it enables and allows children to discuss and express their insights into certain topic and their , understandings and experiences. (Barbour& Kitzinger,2001)Classroom based focus groups helps to create an informal environment and not school work based which could encouraged their positive contributions to the research study. Although the main disadvantage of focus groups for children according to (Barbour& Kitzinger,2001) is that some children take part in the research only for a temporary escape from the classroom . Taking part in focus groups can be an enjoyable experience for children as they explore issues of interest with others who might share common elements of personal knowledge and understanding (Kennedy, Kools, & Kruger, 2001) Finally I can conclude is that research with children offers no easy paths but opinion of a child is important for our research of the society as children are a vital part in the construction of the society. The ethical principle that guides us with research with children demands that the research participant must be protected and that any research is necessary to improve our knowledge and understanding of children. This means that research-involving children cannot be ignored, just because we find it difficult to get them to respond in a manner set out by adults.

A Hard Days Night

Music is one of the Great Britain's most marvelous contributions to the world, despite the tendency of musical movements over the last four decades to spawn cultures that appear to morally damage the social norms, especially on the youth. Much of the phenomenon can be attributed to the advent and development of television as a medium of communication, for television has vastly catapulted the career of popular musicians to a whole new level. In a similar magnitude, cinema has also projected negative implications on how common people treat celebrities. Together with television, cinema has dehumanized celebrities in such a way that society and culture, particularly in the west, have eventually nurtured television viewers with mindless conformity to the media as well as a fully developed system of glorifying celebrities and their radical behavior. The tremors of broadcast media and cinema have produced the concept of superficiality and prejudice as a basis for popularity. It is quite evident on how movie stars, musicians, athletes, and commercial models are treated in restaurants and other public places. The motion picture A Hard Day's Night, for instance, exemplifies and tackles the backlash of the demeaning nature of popularity as felt by celebrities in a personal level since they themselves feel the luxury of a normal life gradually departing from them. The context of the film is inclined on the idea that the visual elements provided by cinema and television create a following of a particular artist or group of artists based on appearance and not on talent. In analysis of the growing problem, Kevin Donnelly's British Film Music and Musicals emphasizes the phenomenon of how A Hard Day's Night became the antidote to the venom brought about by cinema and television's visuals in such a way that the focus is more on The Beatles' music as the storyteller instead of the plot or the cast themselves (Donnelly, 2007). Contrary to other films involving music artists such as the legendary Elvis Presley who has been the guinea pig of film makers who did nothing but to exploit his popularity in film. Donnelly writes that the film virtually connects viewers to the band through the musical score which goes hand in hand with the situation and emotions that the film's scenes raise (2007). The songs suggest how the Beatles scorn about the fringe benefits of popularity while dealing with the punishing nature of their duties such as recording and touring. The virtual contact also happens as the motion picture shares the band's brutal torments of having a celebrity life while sacrificing their personal goals and interests. The visual technologies of cinema and film indeed contribute to the actuality that such mediums of communication make deities out of celebrities. In this sense, A Hard Day's Night represents and reflects the the star-making machinery around The Beatles in such a way that it documents of The Beatles' misadventures in the United States during the peak of their career. The band's grasp with commercial success were represented through encounters of pursuit by law enforcers and a horde of fans as well as their appearances on press conferences, endeavors with their agents, and hotel life (Balio, 1987). Therefore, Such circumstances are quite similar to the cases of modern celebrities being sighted and chased on public places or being arrested for driving fast and under the influence of psychoactive substances. A Hard Day's Night, meanwhile celebrates the band's stardom in a different manner, by highlighting the band's versatility as musicians since part of the film captures the band's latest compositions at the time, being played during practice sessions, live performances, and informal set-ups (Balio, 1987). The film's distinct approach to the topic subjects the tendency of visuals such as film and television as career boosters in such a way that the showcase of the band's talent through live performances are shown, unlike traditional musician oriented films which make use of the artist's recorded material. In a corresponding approach, A Hard Day's Night together with the film and television industry serve as a mockery of the star-making machinery around The Beatles as well as other celebrities and popular personalities, primarily because music is an art form which stimulates appreciation through hearing. As such, the dedicated medium of communication for expressing the art of music and recording artists is supposed to be the radio, not television, film, and definitely not print. The motion picture also insults the The Beatles as artists by humorously tackling the problem of pop fame, which the band members experience, through a medium that caused such a plague in the first place (Glynn, 2005). In addition, the polluting nature of television and cinema has once again made its presence felt as the visuals have proven to be useful aids in exploiting artists and promoting the developed system of idolizing celebrities, which is in this case happens to be The Beatles. Furthermore, the visuals provided by television and film entombs true musical talent by taking away the recording artists' musical credibility (Frith, 2002). Simon Frith (2002) however implies that rock is to be understood as a television product. The key elements and features of television and film, for Frith, have configured the manner of how the audience perceive music and musicians. Simon Frith writes that television has become largely responsible in the field of star-making for the reason that television with its emphasis on close-ups of the performer and musical virtuosity, particular types of staging and spectacle has added flavor to musicians as celebrated public figures (2002). Frith also adds that the emergeance of music networks such as Music Television together with several music related television programs such as Top of the Pops have also aided artists in terms of promotion which affects components of stardom such as record sales and chart ratings (Frith, 2002). The advent of technology has indeed influenced the the norms and standards for treatment of celebrities. Visuals, in an unimaginable, have added spice to musicians as attractions to the public eye, with it, the innovation of promotion for recording artists have revolutionized. Regardless if the changes brought about by the television and motion picture industry to the public status of career musicians have positive or negative undertones, the bottom-line still goes down to a particular point, change. A change that has been felt almost half a century after it has long been innovated and practiced.

Week5 Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Week5 - Case Study Example Despite this picture of heroism, however, historical accounts indicate that the original crusade launched through the founding endeavor or St. Dominic was actually organized in a manner by which crusaders preached and begged on barefoot and plain suit. The mission failed for the objective to convert heretics and administer preaching to general public took on struggling efforts to the extent that the use of force was necessitated. Eventually, St. Dominic and the accompanying Dominicans only met with a narrow capacity to convert few French Cathars of the Languedoc. Hence, on this ground rests the basis for the claim of certain historians that crusades are considered â€Å"successful failures.† I further agree that such crusades made failures that amounted to victory for the zeal of the First Crusade did not merely subside but rather served as a source of motivation for the Second, Third, and Fourth Crusades. Nevertheless, hostilities and misfortunes emerged upon the Second Crusade when crusaders were severely defeated by the Muslims, paralyzing their ability to regain Jerusalem which in 1187 fell into the military clutches of Saladin instead. Perhaps the success side pertained more on the fact that pilgrimage to Jerusalem continued yet the losing side, on the other hand, comprised the truth that for hundreds of years, cultural imperialism of Islam at the longest period was immensely far from being driven out of the Holy Land. Compared to the initial state of crusade, the latter crusades had been influenced by the advancements made to the western civilization whereby the meaning and significance of ‘crusade’ has evolved from martial into clerically contextual implications. For one, legalized persuasions within religion to convert non-believers to a certain Christian denomination may acquire the label ‘crusade’ which can be

Alexander the Great & His Glorious Battles Research Paper

Alexander the Great & His Glorious Battles - Research Paper Example ... It was not the Macedonian Phalanx which penetrated to India, but Alexander." The terms like ‘brilliant’ and Genius† truly represented the character of Alexander. According to Major General J.F.C. Fuller, only a genius â€Å"binds the Great Captains into a common brotherhood.† Alexander’s greatness could be seen in his genius through his visibility, physical and moral bravery, strength, aspirations to materialize the dreams he had, purposefulness, triumphs and accomplishments, which created a feeling of appreciation, reverence, safety and respect among his forces. ? Napoleon Bonaparte was a great admirer of Alexander the great. If one wants to learn the art of war, one should read time and again the war initiatives of Alexander. Alexander was supreme on two fronts, head of the army and political head of the state of Macedonia and knew well that military pursuits were just the tools to achieve political aim of long term peace. Alexander was great be cause he had the insight of using military might and political insight not to indulge in mass killing of enemy forces, a popular perspective of indulging in wars as impressed upon by Clausewitz during the nineteenth century. Alexander pursued a cherished mission of winning the enemy not by looting enemy wealth to bereft the future victorious lands of all the necessary resources or earn the anger and wrath of the enemies unnecessarily. The primary mission of waging wars against foreign lands was to strategically win the confidence of the people through political maneuvering.? The principles followed by Alexander helped in his winning adventures, which included respect for energy, attention, fast turnaround time, sudden action, and cherishing the mission. Alexander had deep understanding of other strategically crucial warfare elements such as playing offensive tactics, using the military power economically, and setting up of safer bases, and risk-free communications. ? The glorious ba ttles fought by Alexander attached the title of â€Å"great† to his name because he fought the battles by adhering to warfare principles, as stated above. He fought different warfare by following a line of thought in leading battles, sieges, small aggressions, guerrilla war tactics, and revolts, making him distinct from other great commanders. Military commanders in his army were adapted in fighting a traditional war fought openly, they were not expert in the guerrilla warfare designs or circumventing the enemy base. Special about Alexander’s battles was that he never lost a battle during the 10 years war adventures initiated between 335 and 325 BC. He regularly led the warfare during his battles at least once a year, each year. His army was very well trained and full of vigor combined-arms army, gifted to him by his father, to complete arduous tasks whatever the circumstances. Alexander’s army was the unparalleled army of that time. ? Alexander took good care o f his soldiers. He never considered them like paid laborers but always boosted their morale by setting an example of bravery before them through his individual power. He did not expect them to accomplish what he himself could not. He set an example of team-spirit in the army unit, and did not let any opportunity miss for the welfare of his soldiers. His humanistic attitude towards his comrades and appreciation of those in front of the whole unit who have set examples of

Case Study or Roger S Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Case Study or Roger S - Essay Example m suing their employers over those injuries.† The medical health provider is entitled to provide an evidenced-based medical treatment proven to cure or relieve medical illness and injuries (Injured Worker Information, 2000). These types of treatment are provided in a set of guidelines and are adopted by the primary treating physician of the industrially-injured worker. At present, employee’s have their injuries cared for by a doctor in a Medical Provider Network (MPN) or a Health Care Organization (HCO). Most of the injured workers recovered fully from the industrial-related injuries. However, there are also injured workers who continue to suffer from the sequelae of the injury. In this case, it is indicated that the plaintiff sustained a back injury at work. In workers’ compensation, it is a must that an injured worker is required to report the injury to his immediate supervisor. Moreover, reporting the case promptly to the employer prevents future problems and further delays in receiving full medical benefits. It should be noted that the injury must be reported to the employer within 30 days from the time of the injury. The supervisor must provide the industrially-injured employee an â€Å"Employee Claim for Workers’ Compensation Benefits† form, which is to be submitted by the employee or his authorized person to the employer within twenty four hours from the time of the injury. The supervisor is also required to fill a â€Å"Report of Injury to Employee† form within twenty four hours upon notification of the injury, which is to be submitted to Workers’ Compensation Program Coordinator. A copy of the â€Å"Report of Inj ury to Employee† must be submitted to Environmental Health and Safety (EH&S) for review and follow-up (Injury and Illness Prevention Program Department Plan, 2006). In cases of emergency, the employee should go to the nearest emergency room facility for immediate treatment, and being the injured worker should inform the employer

Compare the Ways the British and French Ruled Their Respective Essay

Compare the Ways the British and French Ruled Their Respective Mandates. What Are Some of Their Legacies in the Region Today - Essay Example The British and French rule in the Middle East A look into history proves that before the 1st World War, Britain and France were rivals in nature and were worried about the increasing influence of each other in the Arab and African region (Brainard, 2004). While the British developed a north-south axis of power, to balance the equation, the French developed a firm east-west axis of power. However, as both of them realized the benefits of supporting mutual interests, they came together by the beginning of the 20th century through assisting Suez Canal construction by Egypt, the Sykes-Picot agreement and the alliance in the First World War. The period thereafter witnessed a considerable change in the strategy adopted by both. They decided to divide the Middle East into a large number of countries. This helped them balance the power without conflict, and also, it ensured that they could continue their exploitation without considerable amount of opposition from the territories. Similariti es and dissimilarities between he French and British rule in the Middle East Evidently, both the British and the French tried to rule their own regions through established elites, though the British seemed more willing to move their mandates ahead and towards a better qualified form of independence, and the only exception in this connection is Palestine (‘Iraq: Initial contacts with the British’). In Palestine, for the first time in British history, it had to end its rule without establishing a government behind it. In other words, one can say that the British only wanted protectorates and mandates like Egypt and Palestine as permitted by the League of Nations. So, the British allowed the territories under its rule to have their own domestic political policies though the British continued their military bases and controlled their foreign policies. This is evident in the case of Egypt and Iraq. For example, though the British got support from the Arabs in its campaign ag ainst the Ottomans starting in Basra, the British soon realized the fact that the Arabs would not support them in the long term. Though 1919 saw the British getting the responsibility to administer the area from the League of Nations, soon they found widespread unrest and rebellion, and they realized the fact that the only way to bring the situation under control was to make a puppet government, and the victim selected for the purpose was Hashemite ruler Faysal as it was thought that being a descendant from Prophet Muhammed, he would be accepted by all factions. In addition, as he was not from Iraq, it was thought that he would not feel confident enough to rule without the help of the British. The strategy worked out and there were a number of treaties ensuring proper flow of oil and total control of the regimes affairs. Almost a similar picture one can see in the case of Egypt too. Though the British allowed monarchs to rule Egypt, the period after the construction of Suez Canal (1 859-69) saw the British dethroning Ismail, and it was followed by widespread resentment against the foreign domination. So, the British had to capture the control Egypt again, and thus made a protectorate. Later on,

Sustainability of the marine environment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Sustainability of the marine environment - Essay Example Researchers have argued that the realized unfavourable changes in the environment are a result of human actions that have been selfish to facilitate short-term utility at the expense of the environment. Consequences have included extreme emission of carbon monoxide gas among other green house gasses towards global warming and its secondary effects. Extinction of biotic factors has also been a significant factor in human actions. The marine environment has particularly realized diversified human activities such as marine transport and other economic activities like fishing that induce direct and indirect impacts on the environment. While responsible exploitation of the marine environment would ensure its sustainability, personal greed among economic stakeholders have identified threats to sustainability of the marine environment. I, in this paper, reflect on the current marine environment condition and achieved success in the environment’s sustainability. The marine environment is currently susceptible to diversifies sources of pollution that threatens its ecosystem. Human activities have continually polluted the marine environment, directly and indirectly, and the effects are significant to marine lives and derivable benefits from the biotic factors. Plastic debris is an example of significant pollutants in the environment and research indicates its role in killing the ecosystem’s fauna and flora. The litter that may be deposited in large masses through waste disposal or may accumulate over time affects marine animals by trapping them. This limits the animals’ survival potentials by hindering their locomotive potentials and reduces their ability to search for food and even defend themselves from predators in the ecosystem. The animas also suffer from intoxication when they ingest the litter that may be poisonous. Similarly, plastic debris may cause physical injury to the animals, and even plants, because of physical impacts as the debris ar e introduced into the environment. The plastic debris further has secondary effects as the primary death of plants and animals in the water masses further pollute the environment (Derraik 2002, p. 844- 850). Activities such as exploration of natural resources from marine base and chemical use on the water surface also identify current pollution of the environment. Oil spill that has been a significant problem in the past, with the Gulf of Mexico spill being the latest, together with oil leaks from vessels and machineries that operate on or below water surface have been major pollutants. Strong frameworks for preventing and managing further occurrence still lack and this demonstrate vulnerability of the environment and its habitats to future effects of the leaks and spills. Threats in oil spills affect marine habitats and hinder economic activities in the environment. It affects animals’ physiology and significant pollution levels may cause death. Chemical components of oil al so impair cells in marine plants and animals and may force the biotic factors out of their shelters. These effects result in ecosystem imbalance and have consequences on resources from the marine environment. Such pollutants may also hinder economic activities in the environment such as transport and resource exploitation. The direct role of human activities in the pollutions means that these factors can be regulated by ensuring responsible application of resources in the marine environment (ITOPF n.d., p. 2; Xhelilaj and Sinanaj 2010, p. 20, 21). Many threats have also been associated with different marine ecosystems. While these threats may not have direct pollutant effects on the environment, they affect marine lives and threaten economic

Coping with Stress - Model 3 SLP (Stress Management) Essay

Coping with Stress - Model 3 SLP (Stress Management) - Essay Example The information gathered from this source will help in developing a program that comprehensively addresses the need of the audience. Vagg,P.R., Spielberger, C.D. & Wasala, C.F. â€Å"Effects of Organizational Level and Gender on Stress in the Workplace.† International Journal of Stress Management 9:4 (2002): 243-261. Print. This article analyzes the effect of stress at the workplace with respect to organizational level and gender. The study revealed that employees working at higher levels in the organization experienced stress while making critical decisions and handling crisis situations when compared to those employees who worked at lower levels. The stress levels among male employees where strongly related to their fears about their role in the power structure within the organization. Among women, the stress levels were strongly related to factors that led to managing their job and family responsibilities. The information in this article will help formulate an educational p rogram that addresses the gender specific needs with respect to stress management. Coping Strategies for Stress Management Buchwald, Petra. Stress and Anxiety: Application to Health, Work Place, Community, and Education. United Kingdom: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2006. Print. A section of this book provides information on coping strategies within the community.

Should Children Be Educated at Home or School Essay Example for Free

Should Children Be Educated at Home or School Essay I strongly believe that children should be educated at school because socialising is a very important part of life as well as childhoods. In schools there are better facilities and professionally trained teachers for all different subjects for example a science lab and a drama studio. In the following paragraphs I’ll explain the advantages and disadvantages of both school-schooling and home schooling. Going to school is now already a general way of direction for the community but even though it is, some parents still wants their children to be home schooled because there are many advantages in it, such as they get more individual attention from the teacher, have more personal time for hobbies and much more. School is a better way of education for children because it lets you socialise with others and keeps you open minded with lots of friends. At school people are taught responsibility and discipline by professionally trained teachers who are specialised in a particular subject. On the other hand, some people may say that you don’t need friends to help you as you are growing and to achieve a high grade but friends are important and it will be one of the greatest memories from your childhood. There are also many advantages in homeschooling for example, the student will get more individual attention from the teacher, they can learn in their own pace, leave more time for personal things like hobbies and many more. Therefore they can learn in a quiet and peaceful environment with no distractions. According to the graph below, it shows that people who are homeschooled achieve higher grades then people who are public schooled, therefore this graph tells you that people who are home-schooled more often in getting higher grades and can achieve ,ore without the help of friends. Secondly, we can prove that school is better because it has better facilities such as science labs and drama studios. This is important because as you are learning you will be able to use realistic equipments to practise and learn. These are parts of the benefits of public schooling because at home you won’t be able to afford such expensive equipments like stage lights, science labs and much more as a result, school schooling is much better than homeschooling. However, at home you might not have such expensive and big equipments but since you are alone you will have no peer pressure. This is an advantage because if you don’t have peer pressure you will always have confidence in yourself and won’t have to worry about the grades and places that you got in your class or year group. But sometimes competing with others is good because you can see your grades and results compared to others. Overall competing with others isn’t always a bad thing.

Only in America Essay Example for Free

Only in America Essay â€Å"Only in America† was written by Leiber, Stoller, Weill, and Mann (1963) as a song to propagate the American dream. After more than four decades of American dream to own a house, a car, and to have a good-paying job one can see that it is not enough any longer for many ‘new’ Americans. Hard work and determination perhaps were good enough tools to â€Å"take a giant step and reach right up and touch the stars†¦Ã¢â‚¬  four decades ago (that is if you were the right skin color) but not any longer. It does take a genius of Bill Gates and Steve Jobs to become wealthy using their own talents as leverage. Or it takes a sheer luck and some intuition to participate in real estate speculations at exactly the right time. Either, that precludes honest working folks who work their given hours a week and get enough to pay the bills. More (2003) compared such to a drug â€Å"first prescribed to us as children in the form of a fairy tale. † Certainly, it happens for some, for a very few. It does seem that those very few knew exactly what they were doing – either investing into the right stock, buying properties when they still cost in low 100s in California, or get on the tip of the wave of progress, like Bill Gates did. Well, for the few it worked but not for the majority of us. It is not difficult to figure out the reasons. A rational thought would suggest that American government is able to render every citizen rich – not necessarily with the money distribution but with the controlling the purchase power of an average citizen. If to eliminate the political agenda and change the status quo to people-centered market, it is not difficult to see that one carrying President of the country can do so by a) eliminating unnecessary government agencies and departments and b) removing political and financial limitations to the free enterprise. The latter action by itself can be very powerful for business owners not having a need to compensate for the high rents and other costs to run a business will keep their products of low cost. Everything, from energy to communication services, to the infrastructure will cost less, much less as the result. Any business owner understands that selling products by the quantity will bring more financial result than doing so by higher cost and selling by the lesser numbers. As the result, people, even those with meager incomes, will have more purchase power by being able to afford much more than they can do today. That would raise the daily comfort of people. They would become content for their minds would not be preoccupied with the sheer necessities needed by their families. Material things and services, like houses, cars, food, clothes, education needs, health needs should not cost so much of a fortune that people must get into the life-time debt to be able to afford it. If the necessities are met and people do not have a difficult time to find an appropriate for them job, the content should become widespread. As of now, most people live in fear, in fear of loosing their jobs, in fear not being able to pay the mortgage and the car notes, for fear not being able to meet their responsibility to their families. People who live by such fear cannot experience content. I once knew a family, good solid one. He was a teacher working in the same district for over a decade. She worked at the bank. They had a nice house, two cars, good-looking furniture, but could not save enough to pay their financial obligations sooner. They lived a nice life, but in debt. And then, the tragedy stroke. He lost the purpose, feeling stagnated he left to his home country that he came from originally. Looking for happiness, he left his wife and children. To avoid gossip and talk in their community, she moved to another state with 50K dollars that came from his retirement plan. Because she could not afford to continue paying for the house, the house was foreclosed. The same happened with one of the cars. Her credit was in ruin, and now she had to start anew. She was afraid to touch the money, whatever left from moving and initial expenses. After three months, she found a job at the bank. The income was just enough to cover rent and monthly bills. What did happen to such a strong family who used to have everything: each other, nice house, cars, two wonderful kids, and ability to buy things they wanted†¦? One could say they lived American Dream, but did they? Does material things constitute the Dream most people strive to in their lives? It is apparent to me, that people who do not have material comfort around them, whose life is difficult because they have to calculate whether they have enough money to purchase oranges or grapes but cannot afford both, they would think that the end to their means would be living like that couple lived. And yet, my friend, being a nice and decent man felt trapped and not content. Once people obtain the material means around them they soon realize that their American Dream was not fancy cars or bigger homes – it is the opportunity to do what their heart desires: self-expression in the least amount. That would not happen if he had an opportunity to change a job that he was doing for 26 years, or at least to take a year of sabbatical. That would not happen if they were not in debt paying $ 2500 for the house and $ 1000 a month for their two cars. That would not happen if financial obligations did not overload him conflicting with his inner desires. Here, I believe I came to the root of the question whether this great country can give a feeling of being at home. Obviously, having enough income is not enough. Eliminating the need to obtain debts to rise economically perhaps would do for some. To my opinion, however, the concept of American Dream was neither of that: it had nothing to do with the financial part of it. If one looks deeper perhaps it can be seen that the fulfillment of personal dreams through the structure’s support to each family’s happiness can render people happier, and if happy they feel the more at home they would consider the country they live in. When people have to struggle thinking about their family economics and knowing that they cannot change their occupations because the discontinuation of income would bring their family to the financial ruin, they cannot think of their personal development through the change of direction in their life. They grow more and more discontent and discontented people are bitter people, people who can at the brink of a move quit their country and go looking for the happiness elsewhere. In conclusion, more and more people understand that described is not enough to be happy in life, that doing the job for the only purpose to get the money to buy the house and a nice car causes stagnation, and as the result unhappiness and discontent. An opportunity that was promised as a part of all American dream is waning and harder to grasp. That is because people understand more and more that to be called Home, the society must offer something else: as in the promise to personal fulfillment – whatever it be. The idea of a home can be different from different perspectives. Certainly, living in a house with the backyard, driving a brand new car, and having a respectable income can make characteristics of a home for many people who had never had such before. Yet, for others these are not enough for they seek something else, perhaps certain characteristics of the society that increase the degree of their satisfaction from living this life. Yet for others the dream is to become wealthy just to discover (in case if they achieve it) that even that was an illusion. The idea of a home cannot be objectified for it is unique to the subjective perception of every person who lives within the society. References More, M. (2003). Dude, where’s my country? (publisher? ) Jay and the Americans (1963). Only in America. Song written by Leiber, J. , Stoller, M. , Weill, C. , and Mann, B.

Examining Disordered Offenders Within The Prison System Criminology Essay

Examining Disordered Offenders Within The Prison System Criminology Essay As of December 2010, the prison population in England and Wales stands at 84,896. Staggeringly, government figures estimate that over 70% of prisoners have two or more mental health problems of some kind, and 64% of sentenced, male prisoners have a personality disorder (Singleton, Meltzer and Gatward, 2007). This essay will attempt to find out why so many mentally ill people enter and remain in the criminal justice system, and why diversionary methods are not used as often as they should be. If these figures are correct then it seems clear that large numbers of mentally disordered patients are being held in prison as punishment for offending rather than being diverted away from the criminal justice system and into treatment. This essay will attempt to find out why that should be the case. Diversion, in terms of mentally disordered patients, means diverting the individual in question to the health services and seeking treatment, rather than prosecution and entering the criminal justice system. Short of outright insanity, (see the McNaughton rules) no matter how mentally disturbed the offender is, it comes down to whether or not it is in public interest to prosecute. The Crown Prosecution Services ask whether any useful purpose would be served in prosecution, and this can apply to anything from assault to murder (Home Office and Department of Health and Social Security (DHSS), 1975). We can see in the case of Peter Sutcliffe, the Yorkshire Ripper, even when four different psychiatrists told a judge that he was a paranoid schizophrenic, he was sent to prison rather than a secure hospital, as it was in the publics interest to prosecute. Diversion has arguably been around, though not in its current form, since the dark ages. Roth and Kroll (1986: 100) describe a man possessed by evil spirits who goes on to murder three people, yet is not deemed criminal and instead help is sought from wise men, possibly early forms of doctors. It was not formally in existence until the late 19th century when the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions was created, and the power to determine whether it was in public interest to prosecute was introduced. It is generally argued that diversion is beneficial to the mentally disordered offender. Smith and Donovan (1990) argue the opposite case. They postulate that excusing the offenders is not always in their best interests, especially regarding mentally ill patients still possessing most of their faculties. They believe that if the patient is prosecuted normally, it can help instil a sense of responsibility which may deter them from any further crimes, and reinforce the belief that they are in control of their own behaviour. Diversion may do the opposite and reduce their sense of responsibility to adverse effects (Prins, 2010). Similarly, we must consider the effects of diversion from the views of medical staff. They are forced to look after and care for violent patients. This then leads to the use of guards to make sure order is kept, which could be reminiscent of the prison experience the offender has just come from. A significant early factor in the failure of the diversion system would seem to be lack of mental health awareness training for front-line police officers, the first people offenders come into contact with. If a police officer is not trained in identifying mental health problems, the diversion process can not even be started. Also, mental health in regards to the law is often not fully understood by the police, including Section 136 of the Mental Health Act (MHA) 2007, which give the Police the authority to remove a person appearing to be suffering from a mental illness and in need of immediate care or control from a place that the public have access to and take them to a safe place, being a hospital or a police station. A questionnaire regarding police constables knowledge of section 136 was undertaken in 2002 by Lynch, Simpson, Higson and Grout (2002), which found that 40% of those questioned did not realise section 136 was even a police power, and just 22% had had any training on section 136. Section 136 is immensely important in the diversionary process, as it enables trained medical persons to evaluate an offender before they enter the criminal justice system. On the other hand it is used wrongly on far too many occasions where instead being taken to hospitals, the offenders are merely placed in a police station, which could easily put the offender in an even more uncontrolled state of mind. This is not always the fault of the police but down to the lack of mental healthcare experts available in any given area (The Bradley Report, 2009). The report goes on to say that police stations should no longer be used at all as a place of safety. Prins (2010) claims that offender contact with the police is the least developed pathway in terms of engagement with the health and social services. This needs to change as prolonged time spent in police stations or court can exacerbate the conditions of the mentally disordered patients. Rowlands, Inch, Rodger and Soliman (1996) found that diversion, when used properly, can be very effective. They looked at a court diversion scheme and a forensic community psychiatric nurse specialist in particular. A year later, not a single patient in their study area with a psychotic illness was in prison, and just 17% overall had reoffended, while most where living safely back in the community. These figures can be compared to the national figures quoted in the introduction. Rowlands et al. (1996) did, however, conclude that although diversion was better than imprisonment, it was second best to hospitalising the offender, and highlighted the need for a greater number of secure beds and locations. Similarly, Joseph (1992) attributed success to the availability of detailed professional assessments and an increase in inter-service communication. This leads us onto another important point. The diversionary process cannot work without proper communication between the services involved, such as the police, judges, psychiatrists, social and probation services. The Bradley Report (2009) highlights the fact that the healthcare services in each police station are not run by the National Health Service (NHS), but by each individual force instead. This brings up many issues when moving mentally ill offenders between hospitals and police stations, such as police stations not being subject to the same governance and performance measures as the NHS hospitals. The report suggests transferring commissioning and budgetary responsibility for healthcare services in police custody suites to the NHS at the earliest opportunity and also brings to light the polices difficulty in obtaining information from the NHS. Bradley (2009) also states that the number of people who come into contact with the police is not known as there are no requirements for them to keep statistics. One of the majo r changes called upon by the Bradley Report (2009) is the introduction of liaison and diversion services in all police stations which would chiefly identify and assess mental disabilities and learning difficulties swiftly and effectively under arrest, and provide better services for people taken to police stations under Section 136 MHA 2007. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) also has very little contact with the healthcare services. This is worrying because they have to make the decision whether to prosecute a mentally ill offender solely on information received from the police with respect to any charging advice, who are obviously ill equipped to relay such medical matters (The Bradley Report, 2009). Prosecutors are also reminded that not all mentally ill offenders are ineligible for a caution as without which, the possibility of discrimination appears. It is entirely possible the offenders mental disorder played little to no role in the crime they committed, so why shouldnt they be eligible for a caution. The Bradley Report calls for more conditional cautions for mentally disordered offenders while notifying relevant health authorities. When looking at this question, it is easy to assume that all the incarcerated mentally disordered people would rather have been diverted to the healthcare services, which links to Smith and Donovans comments earlier . This is not always the case. Prins (2010) states that there are a number of benefits to the offender if he is dealt with by the normal criminal justice system model. Firstly, hospitalisation orders often result in a much longer length of imprisonment, and if the defendant is declared unfit to plea, immediate, indefinite hospitalization is issued in the majority of cases. Secondly we must consider the possibility of iatrogenic effects brought on by psychiatric intervention. Fonagy and Bateman (2006) tell us that this is down to the difference between ones own experience of ones mind and that presented by another person. Psychiatrists and other mental healthcare workers can only use the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD) , the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) and past experience to treat patients. The possibilities of worsening patient health comes from the fact that all mental disorders can and are different in so many respects and so exact guidelines for experts to follow are less personal and therefore have room for error. To combat this, psychiatrists must integrate the patients own experience of mind with their own (Fonagy and Bateman, 2006). The Bradley Report (2009) highlights the lack of treatment available to mentally disordered offenders in prisons, and questions whether the treatment should be carried out in prisons at all. No longer should inmates be getting their first assessment in jail, they should be assessed for mental disorders or learning difficulties at least once by the courts or the police. Reed and Lyne (2000) explore the inpatient care of mentally ill prisoners, and find it to be wholly unsatisfactory. Of the 13 prisons inspected and the 348 inpatient beds within them, not a single doctor in charge of the inpatients had completed psychiatric training, and only 24% of the nurses had had any mental health training, obviously some disturbing figures. As Prins (2010) states, it is all too easy to blame these shortcomings on a lack of finances, but there must be methods used to overcome them nonetheless. The Bradley Report (2009) also states the need to remove those from prisons with mild or medium mental di sorders and introduce many more community based primary mental health services. The Power of Criminal Courts (Sentencing) Act 2000 lays out the basis for passing custodial sentences on an offender who is, or appears to be mentally disordered. A medical report must be compiled and considered, as must the likely effect of the sentence imposed and any treatment available for the condition. This act is something all judges and magistrates must know, which makes it even stranger that so many mentally disordered offenders make it through to the prison systems. It would seem that much more intense and thorough psychiatric assessments should be made prior to appearing in court, as to enable the courts to recognize mental disabilities in offenders and help the diversionary scheme become more effective. The Bradley Report (2009) says that information regarding people appearing in court is essential in not only sentencing and remand options, but also whether they are even fit to plea. It goes on to say we should make available the same provisions to vulnerable defendants a s we do vulnerable witnesses, as the traumatic courtroom procedures can be very trying on a defendant with a mental disorder. The Bradley Report (2009) criticises the excessive use of remand for offenders with mental disorders. It encourages the use of more mental health service provisions outside in the community, but accepts this is not possible at the moment due to current strain on healthcare, and the fear in communities about the frequent reoffending of some mentally disordered people. More approved premises must be created to house people on remand as opposed to placing them in jail, as just 3 out of 101 of these facilities can specifically deal with mentally disordered offenders. It is worth making the point here that in the current economic climate it is questionable whether funding is likely to be made available for either enhanced community provision or further approved premises. On the other hand, there are studies that show treatment by prison care services is just as, or even more, effective than community hospitals or NHS hospitals. Brooke, Taylor, Gunn and Maden (1996) interviewed 750 unconvi cted males in 3 young offenders institutes and 13 adult male prisons. Of the 63% diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder, the largest majority were deemed to be treated best by the prison care health services and transfer to a NHS bed was advised in just 9% of these cases. Although there is certainly a need for a great increase in mental healthcare services outside of the prisons for diversion to take place effectively, we cannot neglect the mental disorder work that goes on within them. No matter how thorough the screening and assessment processes are, some mentally disordered offenders will fall through the cracks, and some prisoners certainly develop mental illnesses as a result of their prison stay, such as depression. It is vitally important to increase trained staff and facilities both within and outside the prison context. A report by the Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health found many shortcomings within the diversionary schemes currently in place. These range from a lack of locations leading to certain parts of the country with no help, to the offenders lack of engagement with the services. They estimate just one fifth of the potential national caseload is seen to, and this doesnt even count those who are missed by assessments at the police and court stages. Even worse, those that do get seen often drop out of the system as little is done to ensure they engage with the diversion process. Overall, this report is very similar to the Bradley Report, condemning the poor, current use of diversion with regards to mentally disordered offenders. The main remedy they put forward is the introduction of many diversion and liason teams working throughout the country, at all levels of the criminal justice system, as this would be the best way not only to detect the vulnerable offenders, but also help in treating th em. To try and combat the usual defence of a lack of funding, they propose all diversionary and liaison teams are jointly funded by both the mental health services and the criminal justice system. The Bradley Report (2009) also goes into some depth about the benefits of a fully functioning diversionary and liaison team, such as ensuring the police can make a fully informed risk assessment at the early stages, and the links that must be made from the prison mental care services to the continued care of a mentally disordered offender post release. Clearly, the overriding problem with diversion is the lack of assessment and diagnoses before an offender enters the prison system, and a lack of liaison and diversionary services available for when mental disorders are recognized. The Bradley Report (2009) puts forward the need for these services to move back from the court process and into the police stations which can improve the identification and assessment of mental health problems and learning disabilities at an earlier stage, which would also assist and contribute to the increasing communication between all agencies in the criminal justice system, and the healthcare services. This would also enable some mentally disordered offenders to completely avoid the criminal justice system as the police would instantly divert them to the appropriate mental health services, providing the best care for the offender, and reducing the workload of the police and the courts. The amount of prisoners with mental health problems is obviously di sproportionate to the society in general, but many might not display symptoms of mental illness or even develop one until incarcerated. We also must consider whether society wants mentally disordered offenders treated in the community rather than in Prisons, after all, public protective comes first and foremost. Look at the case of Christopher Clunis, a paranoid schizophrenic reviving community care from the psychiatric and social services, who went on to stab a stranger three times in the face. It seems inevitable that these occurrences would be more prevalent with many more psychologically disordered offenders walking the streets,. Of course there is the argument that these individuals would be housed in secure hospitals, but the system is not 100% foolproof, as we can see. In conclusion, while there are undoubtedly many people in the prison system with mental disorders that do not belong there, with the healthcare system in its current state it is hard to argue mentally disordered offenders would be better off receiving treatment in the community and mental healthcare institutions. The fact is they are underfunded and under developed, there would simply be no room for thousands more patients released from prisons or diverted in the first place. Similarly, there are many mentally ill offenders that would prefer to be dealt with via the criminal justice system because it can often lead to a shorter spell of incarceration, and societys reluctance to integrate mentally disordered offenders into the public. Of course, if these problems can be addressed then diversion can be used as a suitable alternative to prisons for the mentally disordered offender (The Bradley Report, 2009).

Self Against Fate Essay -- essays research papers

In the epic poem, Beowulf, we discover a new way of looking at life. The poem, which was written by an unknown author, depicts life as a journey that is set out for you by God, one that is unchangeable and indefinite. Beowulf as a character is a marvelous person, however, not even he with all his power and might can change his destiny. We as people today base our lives around the same thoughts and ideas. No one knows when our last day will be to step foot on earth. Every second of every minute could be our last. We are sent to Earth by God with a purpose, and only we as individuals can determine that purpose after we have truly, fully lived. In the epic poem, Beowulf, Beowulf himself acts as the epic hero in defeating all evil to uphold the glory and safety of his people as fate would allow him with each struggle. Throughout the play, we find Beowulf constantly having to defend himself in the fight not only against three horrid monsters, but the fight against fate. Beowulf starts out the poem as a young man, full of pride and honor. As he ages, his wisdom and capabilities excel while his final destiny draws nearer. The slaughter he takes not only brutalizes him physically, but takes a mental toll on his life in terms of time. â€Å"Physical and moral evil can be challenged and overcome, but the ultimate evil (perhaps at its extremity, age and death) cannot be avoided. Beowulf slays his antagonist and transcends his own death. By dying as he lived, he is a model for triumph in th...

Nihilism in Turgenovs Fathers and Sons :: Fathers and Sons Essays

Nihilism in Turgenov's Fathers and sons Turgenov’s Fathers and Sons has several characters who hold strong views of the world. Pavel believes that Russia needs structure from such things as institution, religion, and class hierarchy. Madame Odintsov views the world as simple so long as she keeps it systematic and free from interference. This essay will focus on perhaps the most interesting and complex character in Fathers and Sons: Bazarov. Vladimir Nabakov writes that "Turgenov takes his creature [B] out of a self-imposed pattern and places him in the the normal world of chance." By examining Bazarov this essay will make this statement more clear to the reader. Using nihilism as a starting point we shall look at Bazarov’s views and interpretations of science, government and institution. Next we will turn to the issue relationships. Finally we examine Bazarov’s death and the stunning truths it reveals. These issues combined with the theme of nihilism will prove that chance, or fate is a strong force wh ich cannot easily be negated. Nihilism as a concept is used throughout Fathers and Sons. To gain a better understanding of the ideas behind this term let’s look at what Bazarov says on the subject. "We base our conduct on what we recognize as useful... the most useful thing we can do is to repudiate – and so we repudiate" (123). The base concept of nihilism is to deny or negate, and as we learn later in the same paragraph, to negate everything. With this ‘destruction’ of everything from science to art there is no building for nihilists, as Bazarov says "That is not our affair" (126). Nihilists view the current structure of society as concerned with such trivialties as ‘art’ and ‘parliamentism’ while ignoring real life issues such as food, freedom, and equally. Nihilists are aware of these social woes and hence mentally deny to recognize any of the present authority or institutions which only serve to perpetuate a myth. Bazarov agr ees with the statement that nihilism "confine[s] [oneself] to abuse" (126). "... I don’t believe in anything: and what is science—science in the abstract? There are sciences as there are trades and professions, but abstract science just doesn’t exist" (98). For Bazarov anything that is not tangible and concrete doesn’t exist. Psychology, quantum mechanics, neurochemistry would be scoffed at by Bazarov. It seems peculiar that Bazarov would say, "... nowadays we laugh at medicine in general, and worship no one," (197) while at the same time he pursues a career as a doctor.

Pros and cons death penalty Essay

Corporal punishment can be defined as physical punishment that is meted out to someone because they have done something wrong. More often than not corporal punishment involves the use of canes to beat someone. Corporal punishment is normally meted out to children in schools by teachers and at homes by parents or guardians. The advantages of corporal punishment It helps to serve as a deterrent. When children see that someone has been whipped for misbehaving, they try not to do similar things in order to avoid getting whipped. With corporal punishment, parents are able to bring their children under control. There are certain children who can only be controlled through the use of the cane. Corporal punishment helps make children obedient, respectful, polite, etc. In the absence of corporal punishment, children likely go wild. Corporal punishment in school makes students take their studies seriously and also helps keep the students under control. Authorities are able to instill discipline in children through the use of corporal punishment in schools. It makes very recalcitrant and stubborn children submit to authority because they fear that if they don’t do the right thing they just might be whipped. The disadvantages of corporal punishment It can be very counterproductive in the sense that it can sometimes make children hardened and no longer afraid. It is very hurtful and can cause severe injuries to a child. This is the reason why in so many places it has been banned in schools. Corporal punishment strikes severe fear in the hearts and minds of students and can easily make them to drop out of school. Here, they are so afraid that they would be whipped for the least mistake they do. And this constant fear can make the students to drop out of school. Corporal punishment is very painful and is inhumane or cruel to use whips or canes to lash someone. Simply put, it is a barbaric practice. Human rights organizations and advocates all over the world consider corporal punishment on children to be a form of child abuse. When corporal punishment is used excessively in schools and at homes, it has the tendency of making children very hostile to their teachers or parents. This can lead to some children  fighting back – especially when the pain gets too much to take. Corporal punishment can scar children or disfigure them for life – both physically and mentally. Another disadvantage of corporal punishment is the fact that it can land the one meting out the physical punishment in big trouble. For example, if in the course of beating the child, the child suddenly gets severely injured or dies from the beating, then the teacher, parent, or guardian meting out the punishment will face the wrath of the law. Should corporal punishment be abolished? Having taken a look at the advantages and disadvantages of corporal punishment, I personally think that the disadvantages of corporal punishment far outweigh the advantages and for that reason I really think it should be abolished everywhere. Capital punishment or death penalty is a very common topic for writing a pros and cons essay, and many students choose it as a really great issue which opens plenty of room for discussion. The controversy of death penalty has been one of the most debatable issues for the last decade, and it is possible to find plenty of materials and plenty of ideas to support both sides of the issue. There are a great number of experts who support death penalty and believe that it is the only good punishment for mass murderers, rapists, killers, and other similar kind of criminals. At the same time, there are plenty of enthusiasts and promoters of death-penalty-free world, who underline that taking a human life is something a government has no right to do. If y ou have got an assignment to write a death penalty essay, continue reading this small article to get some interesting ideas and tips as to writing this kind of academic paper. First of all, let’s focus on the arguments of those people who are against death penalty as a punishment for heavy type of criminals. In addition to their main argument that humans have no right to take lives of other humans, even as a retaliation (since killers and murderers do take lives of other human beings), they very often address to religious issues and say that it is only God who can take our lives. He sends us to this world, and only He can decide when it is time for us to go from this world. They are convinced that death penalty is nothing else but an act of violence which has extremely negative effects on modern society. It violates the main right  that we all have, the right to live, and executing capital punishment is nothing else but a cruel and brutal way to kill a human being. Finally, they underline that practicing death penalty is not something that can stop violence and brutal killings, thus it will not work for increasing safety of our society. When speaking about the arguments of those who are supporting death penalty, those people are usually talking about using capital punishment as an instrument of fair justice. They are convinced that death penalty can serve very effectively as a tool to provide social safety. They are sure that death penalty can play a very powerful role as a deterrent and this way make criminals understand what price they are going to pay for doing such heavy criminal acts as murders, rapes, torturing their victims, etc. etc. Capital punishment proponents believe that death penalty can also serve as a threat to those who are planning acts of terrorism and other serious criminal acts. Finally, there is also an idea that exchanging capital punishment with life-long imprisonment is not a solution, and executing criminals is better and cheaper that supporting them in prison all their life long. They say that putting bad people to death is an expression of a true justice. I think the above mentioned arguments can be useful to those students who need to write death penalty pros and cons essay. Regardless of what side you are at and what viewpoint you’re going to support in your essay, you should mention both pro and con arguments. Start your work on your death penalty pros and cons essay with thinking about the way you’re going to present your arguments and creating a small outline of your essay. You can use several strategies for your presentation. After giving your thesis statement in the introduction of your essay (stating your viewpoint as to the issue, or saying if you are an opponent or a proponent of capital punishment), you can briefly mention the argument of the opponent side (in 2-3 paragraphs), and then bring your arguments to support your point of view. Another strategy is bringing the arguments of the opponent side one by one, and then responding to those with the argument supporting your own point of view. Good luck in your work!

What types of memory are typically impaired in amnesia?

Abstract Amnesia is a condition that impacts many people worldwide. This essay illustrates the basic overview of the condition alongside the primary components that make up the condition. Evidence demonstrates that neurological amnesia can be caused by many separate influences, which can serve to directly impact a person’s life. This study will be of use to the further development of data regarding amnesia. Introduction The problem to the process of learning new information or recalling the past is known as Amnesia (Nissan, Abrahams and Sala 2012). This condition is characterized by two variant conditions: functional amnesia and neurological amnesia. Functional amnesia is not as prevalent as neurological amnesia and can be caused by nonphysical elements (Rugg 1997). In some cases extreme emotion can trigger functional amnesia. In cases that present the functional amnesia condition, the pattern of development is significantly distinct from the neurological amnesia. Amnesia Within the field of neuropsychology, or the discipline of addressing the treatment of memory disorder, the area of Declarative memory, or the section of the brain that deals with conscious facts and day to day events is directly impacted by neurological amnesia (Parkin 2013). Conversely, modern studies suggest that many of the non-conscious or non-declarative forms of knowledge remain intact during these cases. The terms implicit and explicit memory are secondary methods of reference for the areas of non-declarative and declarative memory impacted in the cases of neurological amnesia (Ibid).Most often, neurological amnesia is credited to a traumatic event to the brain including disease that targets the medial diencephalon or the medial temporal lobe or amnesia could be caused by blunt force to the head (Rugg 1997). Two areas are identified within the scope of the functional and neurological amnesia condition: Retrograde and Anterograde (Ellis and Young 1996). The area of neurological amnesia that creates an impediment when patients attempt to learn new facts or acquire new knowledge is known as Anterograde amnesia. The form of neurological amnesia that takes the form of difficulty remembering details that occurred before the trauma is known as retrograde amnesia (Ibid). In nearly every case functional amnesia will be identified by the presence of retrograde amnesia alongside the lack of any anterograde amnesia (Parkin 2013). The functional form of amnesia is classified as a psychological disorder with no specific section of the brain credited with healing. Yet, a common factor of functional amnesia is physical damage to the brain. A distinguishing element present in neurological amnesia is the damage to the function of either the temporal lobe or the diencephalic midline (Rugg 1997). When this form of damage is taken it is labelled as material-specific amnesia. When both sections are involved the results can take any form of functional or neurological amnesia (Ibid). Damage to the left side of the brain is credited with impacting memory for verbal material, while any damage on the right side produces issues with memories in the nonverbal material (Parkin 2013). Alzheimer’s, temporal lobe surgery, extreme illness, alcohol or drug abuse, blunt trauma, ischemia, anoxia or the disruption to an artery aneurism can all be credited with the onset of neurological amnesia. In every case there is a trigger. Case studies In some cases surgery to relieve unassociated conditions can be credited with causing amnesia in both human and animal models (Clark and Squire 2010). In the case of H.M. in the year 1953, surgery was deemed the best option for addressing the patient’s epileptic condition (Ellis and Young 1996). To accomplish this objective surgery removed the medial temporal lobe cortices bilaterally; this was made up of the entorhinal cortex and the majority of the perirhinal cortex. The overall results produced a mixed bag with the rate of epileptic seizures diminishing, yet, the appearance and subsequent persistence of amnesia were noted (Ibid). H.M. was noted to suffer impaired recollection of object locations among other spacial, recall and recognition diminishments. This case illustrates that damage in the hippocampal region has the potential to inflict substantial impairment limited only by the scope of the damage. In areas that exhibit larger medial lesions the tendency to more extre me forms of amnesia is likely (Clark and Squire 2010). An evaluation of this study illustrates the impact that surgery can have on this form of neurological amnesia (Ibid). The onset of this condition was dependant on the trauma caused while undergoing a non-related procedure, resulting in the amnesia diagnosis. The patient NA suffered an injury during a ‘mock duel’ when a portion of the fencing foil entered the right nostril and punctured the base of the brain (Ellis and Young 1996). Following this incident NA exhibited a form of registration amnesia, or issues with acquiring new memories in context with previous memories. In this case the patient had good recall of events that transpired prior to the accident, but very little in the twenty year span since (Ibid). In many ways, his life was suspended at the moment of the trauma. Testing NA produced the knowledge that the subject’s amnesia was considerably tilted towards the verbal over the non-verbal material. NA was much better at syllables and figures than with words (Ibid). In NA’s case his amnesia impacted his ability to incorporate his verbal recall more so than his non-verbal recall capacity. An evaluation of this case illustrates that clear correlation between specific hemisphere damage and resultant amnesia diagnosis. In this case, the targeted area of damage leads to the diagnosis of neurological amnesia. In summary Amnesia is the condition of problems with learning new information or recalling old information. Two separate conditions, functional and neurological forms of amnesia exist. Neuropsychology is concerned with treating memory issues with the Declarative memory, or the day to day operations. Anterograde refers to issues acquiring new knowledge while Retrograde refers to the condition of failing to recall memories. Damage to the right side of the brain impacts memories and nonverbal material while damage to the left side influence verbal memories. Blunt trauma, surgery or illness can produce neuropsychological amnesia. The case of H.M. demonstrates how surgery that impacts the temporal lobe of the can adversely impact memory function, creating a form of neurological amnesia. While surgery did diminish the primary condition, the subsequent result was substantial. Secondarily, the trauma of a puncture to the brain for NA was credited for the onset of neurological amnesia. This condition impacted his verbal retention more so than the non-verbal capacity, creating the perception that the patient was frozen during the period of time in which the trauma occurred. References Clark, R. and Squire, L. 2010. An animal model of recognition memory and medial temporal lobe amnesia: History and current issues. Neuropsychologia, 48 (8), pp. 2234–2244. Ellis, A. and Young, A. 1996. Human cognitive neuropsychology. Hove: Psychology Press. Nissan, J., Abrahams, S. and Della Sala, S. 2012. Amnesiacs might get the gist: Reduced false recognition in amnesia may be the result of impaired item-specific memory. Neurocase, (ahead-of-print), pp. 1–11. Parkin, A. 2013. Memory and Amnesia. Taylor & Francis. Rugg, M. 1997. Cognitive neuroscience. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press.

Defining Historiography Essay

Historians do not always agree about how to interpret the events and people that they study; this leads to multiple explanations, which at times, are diametrically opposed to each other. As students progress into upper-level courses in the Department of History, they must move from the mastery of facts and analysis of primary sources encouraged by lower-level courses to a richer and deeper understanding of how history is written and the fact that events and ideas are open to interpretation. Within History 420 (Readings in History), students then move into another level of explanation, where they read intensively on a topic and provide their own historiographical explanations for a series of events/ideas. Therefore, historiography can be described as â€Å"the history of history.† What this means in practice is an exploration of a specific topic, and how historians have explained events or people over time, i.e. how their explanations have changed due to their own worldview and/or ideological bent, due to re-interpretation of previously-viewed sources, due to the availability of new sources, previously unexplored, and/or due to the application of different questions and/or methodologies to sources. Revision of prior interpretations of the past is an implicit and important element of historiography. It requires students to not only be able to explain the different schools of thought or interpretations but also potentially to develop their own explanations, based on their assigned readings. The focus of a historiographical essay is not on the event or person itself; rather, it is on the interpretations of the event or person. Process: 1. Read and analyze multiple works independently on the same topic (assigned on weekly or bi-weekly basis), including an exploration of the sources that the authors utilize or do not utilize in shaping their arguments. a. Make sure that you are not merely summarizing the author’s ideas; rather, you are providing analysis of the work’s argument, sources, and conclusions and of the author’s own interpretation of said topic. b. In addition, each author is likely to provide an explanation of the fit of his/her work within the larger historiographical context; take careful note of this as well, particularly when he/she references other assigned works. c. Another element of this process is to have a firm understanding of who the author is; be certain to conduct research into previous publications, ideological background and/or current research interests. Are there any parts of his/her background that are directly related to the subject matter and if so, what are the pr os and cons of this? 2. Questions to consider as you write your historiographical essay: Individual Works †¢ What is the â€Å"main point† or argument made by each work regarding your specific topic? Think particularly about whether or not the author is trying to reinforce an earlier perception of history or argue for a re-interpretation of the past. †¢ What kinds of sources are used, how and why? How does the author deal with counter-evidence, i.e. information that seems to weaken or contradict the thesis? †¢ What are the strengths and weaknesses in terms of argument, analysis and conclusions of the work? †¢ How does this work relate to earlier readings, i.e. do they present similar or dissimilar ideas and how/why? †¢ How do these authors or works, as a group, contribute our understanding of this series of historical events and their outcome? 3. Bring these works together in an integrated analysis that incorporates and explains the different arguments, conclusions and evidence of various authors in order to build your own explanation of a central theme. An integrated analysis is one that not only draws on different books/articles but also explains how the works agree and disagree with each other. A particularly strong historiographical essay will do this by considering multiple points of view within discussion of a sub-topic, all in one well-crafted paragraph or series of paragraphs, which is then connected back to the overall argument. Then you would move on to the next connected sub-topic, again linking back to the overall argument. You want to avoid the temptation to simply discuss one work, then the next, and then another, with little explanation or analysis of how they fit together. 4. Questions to consider as you write your historiographical essay: The Big Picture †¢ How has the historiography of your topic evolved over time? What has changed in terms of interpretation of events and ideas? What was the initial interpretation of this event, idea or person? How has it changed and why? †¢ How have ideological shifts had an impact on your topic? Are the authors under study wedded to a particular â€Å"historical school† i.e. Marxist, Feminist, Neo-Conservative, Liberal, and/or how does the author’s main lens of analysis (cultural, political, military, social, etc.) have an impact on his/her interpretations? †¢ Have the â€Å"discovery† or re-interpretation of sources caused historians to ask new questions or take their research in new directions? †¢ Have historians used different methodological approaches (e.g. quantitative, linguistic) in their work and how was this had an impact on conclusions?

Outline Key Legislation and Regulations Which Govern Safeguarding Adults Work Essay

The Human Rights Act 1998 (also known as the Act or the HRA) came into force in the United Kingdom in October 2000. It is composed of a series of sections that have the effect of codifying the protections in the European Convention on Human Rights into UK law. All public bodies (such as courts, police, local governments, hospitals, publicly funded schools, and others) and other bodies carrying out public functions have to comply with the Convention rights. The Human Rights Act protects individuals from torture (mental, physical or both), inhumane or degrading treatment or punishment and deportation or extradition (being sent to another country to face criminal charges) if there is a real risk that they will face torture or inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. Torture occurs when someone acting in an official capacity (for example a police officer or soldier) deliberately causes serious pain or suffering (physical or mental) to another person. This might be to punish someone, or to intimidate or obtain information from them. Public authorities are not allowed to inflict such treatment on individuals, and they must also protect them from this treatment where it comes from someone else. For example, if they know an individual is suffering inhumane or degrading treatment, they must intervene to stop it. Inhuman treatment or punishment includes serious physical assaults, psychological interrogation, inhumane detention conditions or restraints, failing to give medical treatment or taking it away from a person with a serious illness and threatening to torture someone, if the threat is real and immediate. Relating this to Winterbourne house, the staff must be aware that they must maintain the highest standards of care whilst making sure that they do not breach any of the legislation within the Human Rights Act. This means that they must be able to find out if an individual is being abused within or out of the day centre. The Sexual Offences Act 2003: The Sexual Offences Act 2003 was passed with the aim of protecting vulnerable adults and children from sexual abuse and exploitation. A number of the Act’s provisions may be relevant to older people with mental health problems, including the introduction of a number of new offences to protect ‘at risk’ groups such as people with learning disabilities and other groups ith reduced capacity such as people with advanced dementia, strengthening the Sex Offenders Register to ensure that the location of people who have committed serious sex-related crimes are known to the police, addressing the fear of sexual crime and strengthening and clarifying the meaning of ‘non-consensual’ sex and overhauling the law on consent: the Act introduces a test of ‘reasonableness’ on consent and a list of circumstances in w hich it can be presumed that consent was very unlikely to have been given, e. g. hen the victim was asleep. The sections of the Act covering offences committed against those who, because of a very profound mental disorder, lack the capacity to consent to sexual activity may be relevant to older people with a ‘mental disorder’ who are service users. The Act specifically recognises that whilst the vast majority of people working in the care professions act compassionately, it is clear that some unscrupulous individuals have taken advantage of their position to commit a ‘breach of a relationship of care’ by sexual abuse. It is now an offence for those engaged in providing care, assistance or services to someone with a learning disability or mental disorder to engage in sexual activity with that person whether or not that person has the capacity to consent. However, this does not apply if the sexual relationship pre-dates the relationship of care: for example, where a spouse (or long-term partner) is caring for their partner following the onset of a mental disorder, e. . dementia, and continues to have a consensual sexual relationship with that person. Mental Health Act: The Mental Health Act 1996 is legislation for the care and treatment of persons with mental illnesses and for safeguarding their rights. Most people with mental illness can and do seek out treatment for their condition. The Mental Health Act is concerned with the small number of persons who cannot or who do not seek out treatment. This piece of legislation applies to Winterbourne house as it outlines the importance of maintaining the rights of those suffering from a mental health disorder. Those suffering from a mental health disorder may suffer from low self esteem due to the fact that mental health disorders are still surrounded with a stigma. Those working closely with these individuals must ensure that they do not feel they are being discriminated against and must maintain their self confidence, self esteem and self respect. Mental Capacity Act: The main aspects of this act are that a person must be assumed to have capacity unless it is established that he lacks capacity, the person is not to be treated as unable to make a decision unless all practicable steps to help him to do so have been taken without success, a person is not to be treated as unable to make a decision simply because he makes an unwise decision, an act done or decision made, under this Act for or on behalf of a person who lacks capacity must be done, or made, in his best interests and before the act is done, or the decision is made, regard must be had to whether the purpose for which it is needed can be as effectively achieved in a way that is less restrictive of the person’s rights and freedom of action. In terms of Winterbourne house, the carers must ensure that any type of care they take which they have initiated themselves for the individual must be in the best interests of that individual. As well as this, they must ensure that they do not doubt an individual’s own mental capability to make decisions for themselves. Disability discrimination act: The Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) 1995 aims to end the discrimination that faces many people with disabilities. This Act has been significantly extended, including by the Disability Discrimination Order 2006 (DDO). It gives people with disabilities rights in the areas of employment, education, access to goods, facilities and services, including larger private clubs and transport services, buying or renting land or property, including making it easier for people with disabilities to rent property and for tenants to make disability-related adaptations, functions of public bodies, for example issuing of licences etc. Data protection act: The Data Protection Act controls how your personal information is used by organisations, businesses or the government. Everyone who is responsible for using data has to follow strict rules called ‘data protection principles’. They must make sure the information is used fairly and lawfully, used for limited, specifically stated purposes, used in a way that is adequate, relevant and not excessive, accurate, kept for no longer than is absolutely necessary, handled according to people’s data protection rights, kept safe and secure and not transferred outside the UK without adequate protection. There is stronger legal protection for more sensitive information, such as ethnic background, political opinions, religious beliefs, health, sexual health and criminal records. Care standards act: The Care Standards Act 2000 is a piece of primary legislation, which established an independent regulatory body for England known as the National Care Standards Commission. Its remit covered social care, private and voluntary healthcare services. In Wales, the Act provided for an arm of the National Assembly to be the regulatory body for the same services within that country. The principal purpose of the Act was to provide much needed reform of the care services sector within England and Wales. The Act itself defines the range of care services to include: residential care homes, nursing homes, children’s homes, domiciliary care agencies, fostering agencies, and voluntary adoption agencies, private and voluntary healthcare services – including private hospitals, clinics and private primary care premises. It also established equivalence between local authorities and the independent sector in meeting the same standards of care. Race relations act:Â  The Race Relations Act 1965 was the first legislation in the United Kingdom to address racial discrimination. The Act outlawed discrimination on the grounds of colour, race, or ethnic or national origins in public places. It also prompted the creation of The Race Relations Board (in 1966), to consider complaints under the Act. Safeguarding vulnerable groups act: The Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups legislation came about as a result of the recommendations of the Bichard enquiry following the Soham murders. The Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups (NI) Order 2007 aims to prevent unsuitable people from working (either paid or unpaid) with children or vulnerable adult. It does this by vetting all those who wish to do such work vulnerable groups and barring those where the information shows they pose a risk of harm. The police act: This act ensures that employers have access to certain information about the individuals which they employ, ensuring they do not have a criminal record. In the past, it did not have to be disclosed whether or not an individual has a criminal record, however, when working with vulnerable adults it is important that it is disclosed and a check is made of the individual. The rehabilitation of offenders act: This is aimed at helping people who have been convicted of a criminal offence and who have not re-offended since. Anyone who has been convicted of a criminal offence where the sentence was less than 2. 5 years in prison, benefits from the Act, so long as they are not convicted again during the ‘rehabilitation period’. Their conviction then becomes ‘spent’. It is the sentence imposed by the courts that counts, even if it is a suspended sentence, not the time actually spent in prison. Once a conviction is ‘spent’, the convicted person does not have to reveal it or admit its existence in most circumstances. However, there are two main exceptions which relate to people working with children or vulnerable adults. In these cases someone applying for a role is required to reveal all convictions, both spent and unspent.

Bend It Like Beckham Essay

At at the end they realize that racist and close-minded individuals are everywhere and if you desire to be a star, you do not have to accept anybody’s negative opinions but alternately put in the effort yourselves. When moving to another country, culture impact is what shocks families the most. In this case, Mr. Bhamra does not get accepted into a sports team because the way he presents himself, dressing differently from the norm, and the coaches do that welcome that. Due to this past experience that took place when he first came to the country, he closes many doors to his daughter, Jess, by not letting her go to practices, being on his wife’s side and thinking that he is only doing that to protect her from getting rejected and influencing her to profound her Indian culture values. This turns out to be a very difficult situation for Jesminder to handle because without her father’s support, she might end up being a failure. People say that gender stratification is not a common treatment amongst individuals anymore. But in the film, Jess’ father prohibits her from playing soccer because he assumes that it is not a sport for females, and that she will end up obtaining rejection from coaches and friends, just like he did as a teenager. Also because his wife acquaints him with false information stating that Jesminder’s sexuality would change, which results frightening him and causes him to restrain her from the activity completely. Jess accepts this in a very harsh way but does not give up and continues to play soccer without her father’s permission. The modern society states that culture and gender inequality is not in common use anymore, but that does not mean people will stop applying these injustices to others. Throughout the film Mr. Ghamra forbids Jesminder to carry out her passion, which is playing soccer, because he does not agree that ladies should perform the sport and because is not an Indian –like culture task. At the end of the movie he realizes that he cannot guard her forever and that she needs to defend herself alone with courage if she is willing to take risky chances. He becomes aware that it is not the world’s duty to change others but the person’s own to face their challenges. The situation shown in the film proves how Mr. Ghamra and his family suffered from different cultural conflicts between each other and others surrounding them. Certain gender issues and inequalities ,as a result of culture misunderstandings, also affect them. Although Mr. Bhamra did not accept his daughter eagerness to play soccer he realized that letting her persuade her dreams was the best option for her future. Concluding that, according to the film, it does not matter what people say or influence you to do, anything is possible and if you do not risk given chances, others will take along with your dreams.

A Pro Life Philosophy Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

A Pro Life Philosophy Paper - Essay Example Yet, the strongest critics of abortion come from the community of Christianity. How do we reconcile that what is basically an atheist philosophy falls in line with traditional Christianity on being pro-life The reason lies in the misconception that religion has held over the centuries that it is the sole province of morality. However, where religion has surrendered the responsibility for morality to an ever-present God, Epicurian philosophy dictates that the responsibility lies within the self. The fault with abortion is not political, social, or religious. It is the internal anxiety we feel about the issue. This is critical. There is no one that is pro-abortion. They may agree that the right should exist, but they can not argue that the specific action is valid. Abortion causes pain and a life filled with the anxiety of having terminated what may have been a child. It is not God that will judge you for this, it will be your own self doubts. What was most important in Epicurus' philosophy of nature was the overall conviction that our life on this earth comes with no strings attached; that there is no Maker whose puppets we are; that there is no script for us to follow and be constrained by; that it is up to us to discover the real constraints which our own nature imposes on us. Blinded by this disassociation... It is because this is the life there is and this is the one that matters. "Not because God has decreed that such things are 'immoral', but because it is stupid to do anything that would cause you to worry about anything." (Inwood and Gerson). If we knew that our actions would never be revealed, we might do anything. We would have no worry about consequences and we could be as immoral as we chose. However, social norms dictate behaviors that people will find out, we will be uncovered, and we will be left standing naked against the wind of truth. If God does not exist and there is no future judgment, what purpose does a moral life have Konstan illustrates the philosophy when he says, "Where law obtains, Epicurus indicates, it is preferable not to commit crimes, even secret ones, since there will always be anxiety over the possibility of detection, and this will disrupt the tranquillity or ataraxy that is the chief basis of happiness in life". So how does this relate to abortion At the most basic level, abortion takes place at the very beginning of life and as such is central to our anxirty. Critics of the pro-life stance point to individual privacy and the right to remain independent. The capitalist viewpoint is expressed as,A fetus does not have a right to be in the womb of any woman, but is only in there by her permission. The woman may revoke this permission at any time. Rights are not permissions; permissions are not rights. The woman gives this permission, because it is her body -- and not the fetus's body, and certainly not the government's body ("Abortion is pro-life") Though this is an undeniable truth, the consequences will still haunt you. The anxiety that we seek to