EU Initiatives for Contribution to Health and Safety of Workers Coursework

EU Initiatives for Contribution to Health and Safety of Workers - Coursework Example Contributions were made from the member states of the European Union. There was a focus on indicators of health and safety strategies including the extent and costs of occupational injuries and ill health, legislative arrangements, inspection, preventive services, and arrangements for participative management of health and safety and insurance systems. EU HSE directives and specific applications have been reviewed. Hazard has been defined as something such as an object, property of a substance, or a phenomenon or an activity that can cause adverse effects. For example, the breathing of asbestos can cause lung cancer. Risk has been defined as the likelihood that a hazard will actually cause adverse effects, and the effects can be measured. The interpretation is in two parts. Likelihoods are expressed as probabilities, frequencies or in a qualitative way. Effects are described in some measurable way (HSE, 2010). SFAIRP is defined as â€Å"so far as is reasonably practicable† or â€Å"reasonably practicable.† The HSE Act has led to legislation for duty holders to ensure so far as is reasonably practicable. It is a statutory obligation that has to be carried out in the light of current knowledge if it is feasible, irrespective of cost or difficulty. The term requires a cost-benefit analysis to be used while determining actions that have to be taken in response to identified risks or comparison is to be carried out in similar circumstances. The preventive measures should be commensurate with the magnitude of risk (Institute of Engineering and Technology, 2009). SFAIRP is also defined as â€Å"it can be done, it must be done â€Å"or â€Å"practicable.† It is a statutory liability in health and safety legislation. The legislation may be absolute or qualified by expressions for ensuring â€Å"practicability.† The courts make a determination as to whether duty holders have complied with their obligations.

Effects of Dementia | Considering Gender and Age

Effects of Dementia | Considering Gender and Age Dementia has been associated with impaired memory, poor orientation, low thinking capacity, low comprehension, language problems, poor calculation, poor judgment and learning capacity. With such effects there is need to establish the magnitude on the patients so as to paint a clear picture of the pandemic. This proposal seeks to identify the effects of dementia with patients in general and particularly the different genders and age groups. Data from hospitals will be collected to identify the various effects where they will then be recorded in excel worksheets for analysis. The data will be from hospitals in a given region and randomly selected files from each hospital. Age groups and gender representations in the data will also be identified, calculated and presented to ensure there is comprehensive knowledge on the impact of dementia in the region. Introduction Dementia is a word that has been used to describe a set of signs that influence brain function. A number of factors including head trauma, Alzheimers diseases and even stroke can cause this phenomenon. It is usually diagnosed if two or more functions of brain, like language skills, memory or perception, and cognitive skills are affected. In most cases, memory loss is the main common symptom of dementia, however, if that is the only symptom depicted then dementia is not diagnosed. The effects of dementia on patients can affect several aspects of life. It is very vital to be aware of symptoms that may occur when the brain function is influenced. Some of the major common symptoms of dementia are having trouble in completing tasks that previously were familiar, short-term memory loss, problem of identifying what is the time and where one is, changes in mood and personality, forgetting simple terms and phrases, or even losing things, (Schienberg 2010). Review of literature Memory Loss and performing previously activities This is one of the effects of dementia. Long-term and short-term memory can be because of brain damage. A patient dealing with dementia might forget that they have already asked a particular question hence will ask again, or at other times, they might begin to have challenges in completing tasks that they have been doing routinely. The short term memory takes in information and starts the memory process, if it has no ability to move that information, to the long term memory, then such information will be lost and never recovered again. Some types of dementia resulted to problems in this area, for instance an individual might ask similar information he has been given, meaning that it did not pass short-term memory. Brain damage and cell loss, might also lead to challenges with short-term memory. When essential parts of brain that house long-term memories get affected, people start experiencing problems in doing things that they have been doing previously, (Schienberg 2010). The Effects of Dementia on Cognitive Skills It is clear that individuals with dementia have needs for support in undertaking daily activities. This is because the cognitive limitations that occur as a result of being affected by dementia disease set several requirements on the interface design. The need to be supported concerns the facilitation of the short-term memory; the cognitive prosthesis has to recognize physical limitations like reduced Visio-partial functions and reduction in performing activity capabilities. The human traits also become affected because of dementia disease. This usually affects patients who frequently have failures in their day-to-day life due to fading social and cognitive capabilities, (Sidel et al 1999) Dementia and Sexuality Sexual needs and caring expressions are very important during illness course. Progression of symptoms changes the very nature of partners relations. Both care receivers and caretaker might need increased reassurance that comes from being held, loved, touched, and receiving attention from one another. Issues like depression, dementia, or even the impacts of pharmacological regimes change many conditions. Most individuals with dementia rejects all affectionate overtures, while others, inmate contact, affection, sexual pleasures and warmth capacities may remain, and in some cases increase than ever before. When behavior and mind is changed by dementia, normal faculties decline, sexual needs and desires for affection still exists better after normal capacities have declined. Several problems happen at inappropriate times with demented individuals; physical and emotional abuse, decline in personal hygiene, changes in personality, verbal abuse, and even exhaustion of caregivers from care giving demands, (Alzheimers Association 1998) The major problem is that, care receivers ends up displaying inappropriate sexual behaviors even in public places, especially if they are also demonstrating in home setting. In some other cases, dementia individuals loose correct judgment for socially acceptable manners. Dementia makes individuals in some cases, to misperceive the cues of behavior of other individuals. Dementia Has On Language Language skill impairment affects effective communication and can lead to development of disruptive behaviors. Most of this disruption is because of severe dementia symptoms. Dementia individuals use fewer total words, less unique words, fewer subordinate clauses, fewer prepositional phrases, , and more sentence fragments that are incomplete. Greater severity is connected to laconic speech that is syntactically less complex. Research has shown that lexicon deficit is more susceptible to disruption in dementia than the syntax, (Hier et al, 2004). Visual impairment When one has dementia the risk of visual impairment is also possible; this is normally related to the aged. The effects include having problems in focusing on objects where patient will be affected while reading (Iliffe, Manthorpe, 2005). There is also low color and contrast sensitivity where that patient is not able to clearly identify colors. In addition the patient has inaccurate judgment of distance and could result to falling while walking or misjudged placement of objects (Iliffe, Manthorpe, 2005). The patient normally observes blur images which makes him/her unable to conduct normal routine practices hence affects the patients normal life. Problem statement Dementia has continued to affect persons silently where many have continued to be infected and other affected. The ailment has continued to torment the patients with some incurring huge bills whereas it is a chronic ailment. Once it affects the brain patients progressively deteriorate in health, this gives a justified reason for its study. Due to its effects on the patient such as impaired memory, orientation, thinking, comprehension, language, calculation, judgment and learning capacity its effects must be identified and prevented (Winblad, et al., 2001). The causes of the disease such as Alzheimers disease and cerebrovascular disease should be identified and its effects to the patients addressed through the necessary measures. The disease affects the functionality of individuals and if young brains are affected then the population will loose since it will affect their growth and development (Iliffe, Manthorpe, 2005). Once a person has brain dysfunctions, there is a lot of stigma from the society on not only the patient but also family of the patient therefore the issue needs to be addressed. Dementia is also a cause for impairment and death. This leads to pain and anguish for the family and friend of the deceased due to the loss of a loved one. Such effects should be reduced or zero rated so that such incidences never occur. The effects dementia has on the patient are identified by this report through proper data on the leading effects and how they can be addressed (Kitwood, 1997). Graphs, charts, figures, and tables will be used to present the raw data, where proportional representation of the occurrence in each hospital and in the general population will be presented. This will be useful in identifying the cases reported in the sample and deduce inference for the population. Research question The study tries to determine the general effects of dementia and specifically to; Determine the effects that dementia has on memory loss Determine the effects that dementia has on sexuality Determine the effects that dementia has on language Determine the effects that dementia has on cognitive skills Determine the effects that dementia has on visual input Determine the effects that dementia has on thinking reacting and performing activities. Determine the effects of deaths caused by dementia to the family members Methodology The study targets patients with dementia particularly those that are admitted in hospitals but not limited to them. Those who have been discharged and the families of the infected will also provide the necessary data. The data provided in the hospitals will be confidential and will conceal any identity of the persons involved. Data will be obtained from hospitals that will be selected in a region to represent the whole population. Few random samples will be identified from the files from each hospital from the current and former patients with dementia. Hospitals that major on brain ailments will be identified and patient files obtained from management so as to consolidate the data. The main objective will be to identify the causes and effects of dementia on the patients; this will be grouped in to both male and females where the data will be filled in excel worksheets. The data will also seek to identify the effects on the different age groups where the young (16-19), middle aged (20-35) and aged (35 and above) will be identified. The different effects such as memory loss, sexuality, language, cognitive skills, visual input, thinking reacting and performing activities or any other unique effects will be identified and filled up in the worksheet for both male and females (Rockwood, Joffres, 2002). Death cases will also be identified and recorded. The data recorded will then be tallied in the respective effects such that all cases concerning memory loss will be pooled together and counted to establish the numbers. The same will be repeated for all the effects and total of the cases reported calculated. The patients and family members that are out of the hospital setting identified will also be interviewed and their effects recorded in a separate sheet but the total effects grouped into one sheet i.e. data from the hospital and outside the hospital setting. The totals will help identify the number of cases in each effect and the total in the samples which will be used to draw deductions for the population being surveyed. The leading effects of dementia on patients will be identified and the rate of their occurrence identified. Graphs, charts, figures, and tables will be used to present the raw data, where proportional representation of the occurrence in each hospital and in the general population will be presented using charts. Age groups and gender representations in the data will also be identified, calculated and presented to ensure there is comprehensive idea on the number of males and females affected in the region and the most affected age group. Conclusion This research will identify the Effects of Dementia with Patients. This will help one identify the effects of dementia as dementia has the capability of taking different forms and affects every person differently. If one notices any symptoms that concern it, it is very important to seek medical attention immediately. This is because; medical attention or treatment has the capability of helping one to prevent or slow the memory loss process and keep ones brainpower in action.

Be Quiet :: Bible Critics

Bible critics assert that the beloved apostle Paul was a male chauvinist. One might inquire, â€Å"How do they support such a claim?† Critics of the sacred writings often flee to 1st Corinthians 14:34-35 to buttress their accusations of apostolic misogyny citing Paul’s infamous command, â€Å"The women are to keep silent in the churches; for they are not permitted to speak, but are to subject themselves, just as the Law also says. If they desire to learn anything, let them ask their own husbands at home; for it is improper for a woman to speak in church.† Let us employ some excellent, fundamental, Bible study techniques to determine the meaning of Paul’s words. First, Biblical passages do not contradict one another, â€Å"The sum of Your word is truth† (Psalm 119:160). 1st Timothy 2:11-12 states that edification for women in the assembly is allowable provided it’s accompanied by a quiet, submissive attitude. Also, women may prophesy as long as their head is covered (1st Cor. 11:5). Therefore, we must interpret the silence of 1st Cor. 14:34 with the former passages in mind. Moreover, let us remember the ancient Biblical real estate law, â€Å"Location, location, location, â€Å"Context, context, context.† Biblical passages must be interpreted with the context in mind, and the context of 1st Corinthians 14 is the Corinthian is authority and the abuse of spiritual gifts. Therefore, let us examine the word silence in its proper context. Silence is the Greek word sigao, and it’s not used to denote absolute, unqualified silence. Therefore, we must look to the context to determine the type of silence in view. Allow me to illustrate. Discussing the physical toll of refusing to confess sin, David wrote, â€Å"When I kept silent about my sin †¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Psalm 32:3). The word silent doesn’t mean he never spoke, rather it means he never spoke or confessed his adultery. Let’s look at a New Testament example. Jesus took Peter and the sons of thunder, James and John, with him on the mountain to pray. The blessed trio witnessed the transfiguration of Jesus, saw and heard his discussion with Moses and Elijah, and they heard God’s command from heaven to listen to his Son. How did the disciples respond? Be Quiet :: Bible Critics Bible critics assert that the beloved apostle Paul was a male chauvinist. One might inquire, â€Å"How do they support such a claim?† Critics of the sacred writings often flee to 1st Corinthians 14:34-35 to buttress their accusations of apostolic misogyny citing Paul’s infamous command, â€Å"The women are to keep silent in the churches; for they are not permitted to speak, but are to subject themselves, just as the Law also says. If they desire to learn anything, let them ask their own husbands at home; for it is improper for a woman to speak in church.† Let us employ some excellent, fundamental, Bible study techniques to determine the meaning of Paul’s words. First, Biblical passages do not contradict one another, â€Å"The sum of Your word is truth† (Psalm 119:160). 1st Timothy 2:11-12 states that edification for women in the assembly is allowable provided it’s accompanied by a quiet, submissive attitude. Also, women may prophesy as long as their head is covered (1st Cor. 11:5). Therefore, we must interpret the silence of 1st Cor. 14:34 with the former passages in mind. Moreover, let us remember the ancient Biblical real estate law, â€Å"Location, location, location, â€Å"Context, context, context.† Biblical passages must be interpreted with the context in mind, and the context of 1st Corinthians 14 is the Corinthian is authority and the abuse of spiritual gifts. Therefore, let us examine the word silence in its proper context. Silence is the Greek word sigao, and it’s not used to denote absolute, unqualified silence. Therefore, we must look to the context to determine the type of silence in view. Allow me to illustrate. Discussing the physical toll of refusing to confess sin, David wrote, â€Å"When I kept silent about my sin †¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Psalm 32:3). The word silent doesn’t mean he never spoke, rather it means he never spoke or confessed his adultery. Let’s look at a New Testament example. Jesus took Peter and the sons of thunder, James and John, with him on the mountain to pray. The blessed trio witnessed the transfiguration of Jesus, saw and heard his discussion with Moses and Elijah, and they heard God’s command from heaven to listen to his Son. How did the disciples respond?

The Taj Mahal

Taj Mahal – The Taj – is the â€Å"King Emperor† amongst the World Wonders. The Taj is the final achievement and acme of the Mughal Art. It represents the most refined aesthetic values. It is a fantasy-like grandeur. It is the perfect culmination and artistic interplay of the architects' skill the jewellers' inspiration. The marble in-lay walls of the Taj are amongst the most outstanding examples of decorative workmanship. The elegant symmetry of its exterior and the aerial grace of its domes and minarets impress the beholder in a manner never to be forgotten. It stands out as one of the most priceless national monuments, of surpassing beauty and worth, a glorious tribute to man's achievement in Architecture and Engineering. The Taj is threatened with deterioration and damage not only by the traditional causes of decay, but also by changing social and economic conditions which aggravate the situation with even more formidable phenomena of damage or destruction. A private sector preservation organization called â€Å"World Monuments Fund† (American Express Company) has published a list of 100 most endangered sites (1996) in the World. The environment of Agra is today beset with problems relating to the inadequacy of its urban infrastructure for transportation, water and electricity. Residential fuel combustion, diesel trains and buses, and back-up generators cause the densest pollution near the Taj Mahal. Constitution of the proposed Agra Ring Road and Bypass that would divert the estimated daily 6,50,000 tons of trans-India truck traffic financing. Strict controls on industrial pollution established in 1982 are being intensively enforced following a 1993 Supreme Court Order. The Asian Development Bank's proposed $300 million loan to the Indian Government to finance infrastructure improvements would provide the opportunity to solve the chronic problems. Agra contains three World Heritage Sites, including the Taj Mahal. † According to the petitioner, the foundries, chemical/hazardous industries and the refinery at Mathura are the major sources of damages to the Taj. The Sulphur Dioxide emitted by the Mathura Refinery and the industries when combined with Oxygen – with the aid of moisture – in the atmosphere forms sulphuric acid called â€Å"Acid rain† which has a corroding effect on the gleaming white marble. Industrial/Refinery emissions, brick-kilns, vehicular traffic and generator-sets are primarily responsible for polluting the ambient air around Taj Trapezium (TTZ). The petition states that the white marble has yellowed and blackened in places. It is inside the Taj that the decay is more apparent. Yellow pallor pervades the entire monument. In places ugly brown and black spots magnify the yellow hue. Fungal deterioration is worst in the inner chamber where the original graves of Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal lie. According to the petitioner the Taj – a monument of international repute – is no its way to degradation due to atmosphere pollution and it is imperative that preventive steps are taken and soon. The petitioner has finally sought appropriate directions to the authorities concerned to take immediate steps to stop air pollution in the TTZ and save the Taj. The court considered the affidavit filed by the board and directed the board to issue a public notice. Pursuant to the courts order, the board filed affidavit (5. 8. 93), wherein it stated that public notice was published in two national newspapers calling upon the industries to file their replies during the extended time. The affidavit also states that all listed industries were polluting industries and 507 out of them had not even installed any air pollution control device. The 212industries that did not respond to the notice and failed to take any steps towards installing the pollution control devices were closed by order-dated 27. 8. 93. The court was assisted in its efforts to improve air quality in the TTZ by the reports prepared by the NEERI (National Environment Engineering Research Institute), Gas Authority of India Limited (GAIL) on the supply of fuel gas to industries in the area and the study conducted by the Vardharajan Committee, which was constituted in May 1994, by the MoEF. Varadharajan Committee made, among others, the following recommendations: â€Å"Steps may be taken to ensure that no new industry including small industries or other units which can cause pollution are located north-west of the Taj Mahal. Efforts may be made to relocate the existing small industries particularly the foundries, in an area southeast of Agra beyond the Taj Mahal so that emissions from these industries will not be in the direction of the monuments. Similar considerations may apply to large industries such as Fertilizer and Petrochemicals. Such industries, which are likely to cause environmental pollution, may not be located in the neighbourhood of the refinery. The Committee further recommends that no large industry in the Agra region and its neighbourhood be established without conducting appropriate detailed studies to assess the environmental effect of such industries on the monuments. Location should be so chosen as to exclude any increase in environmental pollution in the area. †¦ The Committee wishes to record its deep concern regarding the existing level of pollution in Agra. It recommends that an appropriate authority be created which could monitor emissions by industries as well as air quality at Agra on a continuous basis. This authority should be vested with powers to direct industries causing pollution to limit the level of emission and specify such measures as are necessary to reduce the emissions whenever the pollutant level at the monuments exceeds acceptable limits. The Committee particularly desires that recommendations made in regard to reduction of existing pollution levels at Agra should be covered to a time-bound programme and should be implemented with utmost speed. The Committee also recommends that studies should be undertaken by competent agencies to explore the possibility of protecting the monuments by measures such as provision of a green belt around Agra in the region between Mathura and Agra. Even though assurances have been obtained from IOC that adequate precautions would be taken to contain the pollution on account of using coal in the power plant, the Committee is of the opinion that till such time this problem is studies in depth and suitable technologies have been found to be satisfactorily in use elsewhere the use of coal in the refinery power plant should be deferred. The National Environment Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) gave an â€Å"Overview Report† regarding status of air pollution around the Taj in 1990. â€Å"The sources of pollution, including small and medium-scale industrial units, are scattered all around Taj Mahal. High air pollution load is thus pumped into the Taj air shed. Sudden rises in concentrat ion level are often recorded in all directions in gaseous as well as particulate pollutant depending upon the local micro climatic conditions. On four occasions during the five-year air quality monitoring, the 4 hrly average values of SO2 at Taj Mahal were observed to be higher than 300 ug/m3, i. e. 10 folds of the promulgated CPCB standard of 30 ug/m3 for sensitive areas. The values exceeded even the standard of 120-ug/m3 set for industrial zones. Statistical analysis of the recorded data indicate that 40% (cumulative percentage level) has crossed the standard set for sensitive receptors/zones. The SPM levels at Taj Mahal were invariably high (more than 200 ug/m3) and exceeded the national ambient air quality standard of 100 ug/m3 for SPM for sensitive locations barring a few days in monsoon months. Another study during 1985-87 brought to fore that the overall status of the ambient air quality within the trapezium has significantly deteriorated over this period. â€Å"The Taj Mahal marble samples analyzed by NEERI in 1993 reveal that the black soot on certain protected surfaces contains 0. 6% Calcium and traces of Sulphate. X-ray diffraction studies indicated that soot and quartz (Silicon Dioxide) and the major constituents of the black coating at Taj Mahal (Lal and Holden, ES & T, April 1981). The origin of soot can be traced back to the fuel consumption around the sensitive receptor, while quartz is derived from geocrustal origin and causes surface abrasion. Soot in itself is not chemically destructive, but with tar it acts as a soiling agent. Absorption of the acidic gases is enhanced due to the presence of soot/smoky matter resulting in long-term effects. Further, the presence of soot reduces the aesthetic value of the monument. Ambient air around Taj Mahal is polluted primarily from point/line sources and has adverse impacts on building material by alteration of marble and sandstone structures at microcrystalline level. The earlier studies have revealed that the concentrations of gaseous pollutants and SPM (predominantly soot and carbon particles) are relatively high during winter months due to the frequent inversion conditions restricting vertical dispersion. During monsoon seasons, suspended particles are washed away and this cycle of pollutant builds up and subsequent removal continues exposing fresh surface of the monument to the pollutant. The period industrial development of Agra-Mathura region has resulted in acidic emissions into the atmosphere at an alarming rate. This causes serious concern on the well being of Taj Mahal. †¦ The gaseous pollutants being acidic in nature, significantly both the as well as the biotic components of the ecosystem like plants and building material like marble and red stone. The sources of pollution in Agra region as per the report of the Central Pollution Control Board are iron foundries, Ferro-alloyed industries, rubber processing, lime processing, engineering, chemical industry, brick refractory and vehicles, Mathura Refinery and Ferozabad Glass Industry. On 3 August 1995, the court formed a tentative view that polluting industries in the TTZ would have to be relocated and sought the assistance of the Union Government to device an appropriate solution. Taj, being a cultural heritage is an industry by itself. More than two million tourists visit Taj every year and this is a good source of revenue for the country. The court had monitored this petition for over three years with the objective of preventing and protecting the Taj from deterioration and damage due to atmosphere and environmental pollution. It cannot be disputed that the use of coal/coke by the industries emits pollution in the ambient air. The objective behind this litigation is to stop pollution while encouraging development of the industries. The old concept that development and ecology cannot go hand in hand is no longer acceptable. The development of the industries is essential but not at the cost of the environment. Orders passed by the court time to time indicate that the relocation of the industries from TTZ is to be resorted to only if the Natural Gas, which has been brought at the doorstep of TTZ is not acceptable/ available by/to the industries as a substitute for coal/coke. The GAIL has already invited the industries in the TTZ to apply for gas connections and industries operating in TTZ with the gas connections need not relocate. The atmospheric pollution in the TTZ has to be eliminated at any cost as it's not just the preservation of monument, which is essential, but also the human life. In August 1999, the Supreme Court struck again, ordering the closure of 53 iron foundries and 107 other factories in Agra that had not cleaned up their act. The order has become a call to arms for foundry owners, workers, trade union representatives and small-scale industry. However, industry is buying time: it filed a review petition through the Uttar Pradesh State government and obtained a reprieve on the court order's implementation. The matter comes again before the Supreme Court this summer. In the meantime, Agra's Iron Founders' Association is building up their case. They argue that 3,000 cottage and engineering units depend on the foundries, and that they directly or indirectly employ about 300,000 workers. They hold that the technology for using natural gas in their industries is not yet ready. Taj trapezium project's phase II gets green signal Buoyed by a decline in the pollution levels around the Taj trapezium with the successful implementation of the first phase of the afforestation project, the state administration has okayed the Rs 15. 0-crore second phase. The success of the plantation scheme assumes significance since a report prepared by the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), Nagpur, had pointed out how â€Å"pollution inventory of Agra reflected high concentration of NO2, SO2 and CO2†. Apart from a vigorous re-run of the plantation campaign in the Taj city, this ph ase envisages greening of â€Å"sensitive receptors† of pollution like the heritage monuments and the 42-hectare land strip along the NH-2 (Delhi-Agra-Kanpur), NH-3 (Delhi-Agra-Mumbai) and NH-11 (Jaipur-Agra) highways. A 3

Why Women Should Not Be Assigned to Combat Positions

Throughout history, women have played a role in the defense of their nations. In 1429, Joan of Arc successfully led the French Army into battle against the English at age 17. In 1588, Queen Elizabeth I traveled to Tilbury, Essex to fight beside her Army during the Spanish raid. And in 1788 at the Battle of Monmouth, Mary Ludwig Hayes, also known as â€Å"Molly Pitcher†, took over her husband’s cannon position and continued to engage the enemy after he had fallen in battle. While these are extraordinary accomplishments made by these most admirable women, should this level of close combat be expected, or possibly even required of women in the military? Many will argue that the ban on women in combat is a discrimination issue, and that it creates a structural barrier that can hurt their chances of promotion or advancement. The Defense Department Advisory Committee on Women in the Services actually found that â€Å"women serving in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan have had a positive impact on mission accomplishment. But these women were not assigned to an actual combat position in a unit that has a primary mission of direct ground combat engagement of the enemy. They were either assigned to a combat support unit that was engaged by the enemy, or they were attached to the combat arms unit. There is a vast difference, and this essay will explore why placing women in direct combat roles in the military would have a negative impact on combat readiness. All male units in the field experience bonding that enhances readiness and cohesion. When women are introduced, men stop relating to each other and begin trying to attract the women. This puts them in direct competition with each other and becomes a severe distraction from the mission at hand. Morale cannot be maintained if accusations of harassment are a threat, and Commanders are unable to keep the males focused on the mission when they are at war with each other over a female unit member. â€Å"Helen of Sparta was perhaps the most inspired character in all literature, ancient or modern. A whole war, one which lasted for ten years, was fought over her† (Bell, 1991, p. ). King David of Israel ordered Uriah the Hittite into battle to fight in order to commit adultery with Uriah’s wife in his absence. He would even wage war against another nation in order to eliminate any competition for his women. But a relationship with a supervisor or a co-worker is detrimental to teamwork and fairness in the workplace. A lack of trust or possible resentment toward another soldier can possibly result in poor judgment in the heat of battle when someone decides they are mad at the man that got the girl. Disrespect among the ranks, mistreatment of fellow unit members, and destruction of professional reputations will surely affect the career progression of everyone involved. And what happens to the effectiveness of the unit when a female combat soldier gets pregnant? Naval ships at war must return to shore because of the pregnancy of female sailors, thus hindering the combat mission. Infantry units must evacuate the female soldier out of the war zone and reassign her to a support position back in the States. The disruption to combat readiness is extreme and can be costly. Chivalry is not dead. The basic, instinctual nature of males is to protect females. This is true of any species of animal. Parents raise their sons to protect women, and to ensure their safety because they are less capable of protecting themselves. While this may not be true of all women, it is certainly true of all men. In the New York Times article, Female POW is Abused, Kindling Debate, by Ellaine Sciolino, Army Major Rhonda Cornum was interviewed regarding her captivity during the Persian Gulf War. She said â€Å"Everyone's made such a big deal about this indecent assault,† she said, in her first interview since the war. But the only thing that makes it indecent is that it was nonconsensual. I asked myself, ‘Is it going to prevent me from getting out of here? Is there a risk of death attached to it? Is it permanently disabling? Is it permanently disfiguring? Lastly, is it excruciating? ‘ If it doesn't fit one of those five categories, then it isn't important. † But the male so ldier that was with her had a different opinion. The 22-year-old specialist from Fort Rucker whom Iraqis slapped and beat during interrogations said he had not changed his opinion that omen should not be in combat, despite what he described as Major Cornum's stoicism. â€Å"I worried about her all the time,† he said, â€Å"and being a P. O. W. and going through the torture, the pain, you shouldn't also have to worry about what's happening to the female soldier all the time. † While the women may be able to endure such atrocities that come with war, the men are not psychologically prepared to deal with listening to the screams of their women being raped, sodomized, and tortured by the enemy. Then there is the moral question behind women in combat units. The question isn’t necessarily whether a woman can do it, but whether she should do it. Assigning them into these positions would â€Å"require training men and women to regard the brutalization of women, and a woman’s brutalization of others, as normal and acceptable† (Kirkwood, 2003, p. 1). According to Vietnam War hero Ron Ray, â€Å"Women should only be used in combat if national security depends on it. † This means that all of our men have been killed or captured, and the only possibility of survival is left with the women and children. Even then it should be a last resort. There is something unsavory in the mouths of society in turning a woman into the kind of person that is capable of performing such heinous actions that are required in close ground combat against another human being, while being expected to nurture our children once she returns from such brutal actions. Women by nature are the nurturing gender. What will this do to our society of civilized humans if we turn our women into barbaric warriors? Women certainly play a significant role in today’s armed forces. On a grand scale they have been instrumental in improving the readiness of their organizations, better enabling them to perform on the asymmetrical battlefield. But placing them into close ground combat positions will not improve the readiness or performance of the armed forces. The presence of women in combat units creates sexual tension that eventually puts one man against another in direct competition for her, thus affecting morale and cohesion. As prisoners of war, women will put their male counterparts at risk because a man’s instinct is to protect the woman rather than complete his mission and overcome the enemy. As a civilized society, it is morally wrong to place a woman into a position where she could be brutalized, or where she would have to brutalize another. They simply are not emotionally or psychologically equipped to do that, and nor should they be. But in the quest for equality of the sexes, placing women in combat units isn’t the answer. It should still remain more important to maintain military tradition and combat effectiveness than it is for social experimentation.

lessons of vietnam essays

lessons of vietnam essays The United States learned many lessons from Vietnam. Of those defined, none is more proven that avoiding graduated escalation. If one is going to war, they need to go all out. Gradually increasing forces prolongs the war as well as gives the enemy more time to prepare and learn your tactics. Unfortunately, we learned this the hard way. But, as long as we adhere to the phrase, If its worth doing, its worth doing well, then we should not have any more Vietnams. Graduated escalation is just a way of delaying the inevitable. First, Johnson decided to bomb the North Vietnamese. He made the illusion that bombing the North Vietnamese was not going to war, that it was a way of putting pressure on them. For almost the first half of the war the United States thought that bombing the north would be enough to stop the invasion of the south. This theory came from bombing Germany during World War II. Although the bombing of Germany was to some degree effective, it was not to the effect that they perceived it to be. And the same effect happened in Vietnam; it did slow down some weapons building, but the north was still able to continue fighting freely. Lyndon Johnson was under the impression that as long as there was military action present, then the war was going alright. Thus the graduated escalation. But while bombing the north, troops were losing ground daily. Johnson then decided to amass more troops and ship them over. But this did no t make the job easier. By then the Viet Cong were dispersed throughout the countryside, as well as in villages. And with the Viet Cong not fighting in standard military uniform, it was almost impossible for United States troops to distinguish between civilian and military personnel. The graduated escalation policy was in part due to having no clear objective in Vietnam. Without a set military objective, it hard for military offici ...

All In One Social Media App What Makes CoSchedule the Best

All In One Social Media App What Makes the Best Managing your social media is†¦ well, it isn’t easy. At first it seems like it should take way less  time than a blog or email†¦ But it actually is a MAJOR time suck. First, you have to plan out all your posts Which includes spending time trying to pinpoint the BEST time to publish  your content based on your audience while still making sure you don’t have any gaps in your schedule. Next, you spend a large amount of time creating + curating your social media content†¦ only for it to drop into social media oblivion (a.k.a the very bottom of a newsfeed) just hours or even minutes  after it’s posted. *insert tiny sobs here* ^^#reallife This doesn’t even take into consideration all the social networks (and every associated username and password) you have to manage in that packed spreadsheet of yours. And to make matters worse†¦ After you’ve already spent all that time creating and posting your content†¦ taking any extra time (if you have any) to measure the effectiveness + reach of your social media feels SUPER tedious. And very un-fun. Because your marketing plan is more than just social media.

17 Proofreading Techniques for Business Communication

17 Proofreading Techniques for Business Communication Finally. Your document is just about complete. It’s been written, reviewed, compiled, and re-reviewed. With the final edits in place, it’s now ready to be proofread. Proofreading can seem like a simple task in business communication. However, the attention to detail and intense focus it requires means that proofreading is as challenging as it is important. However, there are many tactics you can use to ensure this task is completed well and effectively. This article highlights our top strategies. Why is Proofreading Important? Proofreading can help you improve the readability and quality of your documents. It is important to ensure that your writing is error free and professional. What is Proofreading? Proofreading includes reviewing for grammar, correct use of language, and format. It’s the final touches needed to ensure a business document is correct, consistent, and professional. When Do I Proofread? Proofreading is often confounded with editing. Editing involves revisions of the document, often with major changes, to ensure alignment with goals, accuracy of information, or modification of tone. Only once those major edits are complete can the document move to the proofreading stage. Proofreading ensures the final content is free of linguistic and formatting errors. 17 Proofreading Techniques: The following list presents the strategies we recommend for better proofreading. These methods strengthen your proofreading process and knowledge. 1. Step Away, Then Focus Whenever possible, step away from the document before proofreading. This is crucial when you are the document’s author. You are too close to the content, making it difficult to have a clear, objective eye on the text. We recommend taking a 24-hour break from the content before proofreading for maximum effectiveness. 2. Print a Hard Copy Proof of Your Document Many editors find it easier to proofread with a physical document. Printing the document makes it easier to read and allows you to proofread in more places. 3. Read Aloud Good proofreading is done slowly. Simply reading it normally allows your brain to fill in gaps and fix errors in your mind and skip them on the page. Reading aloud ensures that each word and punctuation mark is verified. It also highlights awkward sentences because it will sound more awkward out loud than on the page. Conveniently, there are online programs that will help with this task. Use your computer’s text-to-voice function to have your document read to you. Having your computer read to you will help catch typos that you may skip over as you know the original intent of the sentence. 4. Align With Company Style Standards Most companies have style standards for external documents. Ensure you have these guidelines close at hand while proofreading. These guidelines may range from font choice to preferred spellings to margin size and more. These details ensure consistency across an organization. 5. Remove Excess Words Business writing is concise and direct. Excess words, like adjectives or adverbs, can detract from the message. Being careful not to overstep into editing, review the text for superfluous words that do not add value to the text. In addition, accidental excess or repeat words are erroneous and can be missed prior to proofing. 6. Explain or Remove Jargon Specialized terminology or acronyms should be used sparingly, if at all, in business writing. When used appropriately for the reader, they still must be explained. Generally, the first mention of an acronym is spelled out completely with the acronym followed in brackets. An unfamiliar technical term should be explained in the text before being referenced. Terms that are difficult for the reader should be removed and replaced with more accessible wording. 7. Check Sentence Structure A proper sentence must have a subject, a verb, and express a complete thought. Simple, right? Yet, sentence fragments and run-on sentences can sneak into an otherwise great text. Review each sentence for proper structure and punctuation. 8. Review Flow and Sequencing One pass of the document must be a high-level review. This overview checks the organization of the document to ensure it has proper flow and sequencing. Check for formatting consistency, order, and numbering of images, tables, and appendices, and the general presentation. 9. Use Software Technology is your friend when it comes to proofreading. Microsoft’s Spelling and Grammar tool and Grammarly’s online editor are two handy tools to catch spelling, grammatical errors, and some syntax errors that your spellcheck may miss. Use these tools as a first scan. They will catch detectable errors. However, word choice and homonyms are often only found by the human eye. You can check out our list of the top tools for tone, editing, and grammar (among others business writing needs!) on our blog. 10. Hire an Editor or Ask Colleagues/Friends If you’re way, way too close to your document, proofing it yourself may not be a good idea. In this case, seek a truly objective opinion and review. Hiring an editor to complete the proofreading phase can be a valuable investment. Alternatively, asking a friend or colleague to proof your text can provide a fresh perspective. 11. Take a Course Proofreading is a skill that is learned, honed, and improved. Like many other writing aptitudes, proofing can be developed through education. Taking a course on proofing will help you master the process. We offer a Proofreading Course with Grammar Review that hones the skills required to effectively proofread in a business environment. Avoid Common Mistakes These tactics will help you catch the trickiest business communication errors. 12. Check Homonyms When a word sounds right, the quick reader can mistake it for being correct. Homonyms are a painful but important item to check. Including accept where except is intended can be embarrassing or even disastrous in business communication. Ensure the word choice is the correct one. 13. Check Apostrophes Apostrophes are often placed incorrectly. Apostrophes are almost never used for plurals, but somehow they often appear as such. While mixing up companies with company’s may not be disastrous, it is confusing and unprofessional. 14. Fact Check Employees, colleagues, and clients rely on business communications for information and decisions. Therefore, they need to be accurate. Whether it is the client name spelling, the sales division location, or the policy sheet, each detail must be correct. Fact checking these details will ensure the document is valuable and useful. 15. Verify Numbers, Times, and Dates Numerical information is often the most critical and the easiest to mistype. Each number must be verified. A misplaced decimal or zero in a budget line can be a grievous error. Times should be checked that they are correct, including the time zone. Dates must be correct to the day of the month and the week. Triple checking the numbers is not an over-the-top habit. 16. Verify Names Writing a staff’s, colleague’s, or client’s name incorrectly or completely wrong is simply disrespectful. It can lead to confusion, but more importantly, it shows poor attention to detail to the most important people: the reader or subject of the business communication. 17.Test Hyperlinks and Phone Numbers Website and phone numbers are very handy. However, they become very frustrating or ignored if they are incorrect. In the proofreading process, click on each hyperlink, type in each web address, and dial each phone number included in the document to ensure they will correctly direct the reader. Fool-Proof These seventeen strategies will improve your proofreading skills. Carve out the time to properly review and implement each of these strategies and your business communication will be accurate, valuable, and professional.

Case Study 6-2 Johnson & Johnson's Enterprise Infrastructure

6-2 Johnson & Johnson's Enterprise Infrastructure - Case Study Example This paper also looks at the strengths and weaknesses of this strategy. Johnson & Johnson Company is an American multinational company that has been manufacturing and marketing pharmaceuticals, consumer packaged goods and medical devices since 1886 when it was founded (Makower & Pike, 2009, p. 130). In 1995, this company had a plan to offer its key customer with an efficient customer delivery service system through a single point of contact (Ross, 2003, p. 32). This move involved a lot of changes in the company’s structure in view of the fact that, Johnson & Johnson has been operating as a decentralized corporation with nearly one hundred and fifty operating companies. This paper discusses this move by Johnson & Johnson’s towards providing an information technology infrastructure to support its single point of contact customer strategy. The one-face-to-the-customer strategy was meant to provide the key customers to this company with a single point of contact to this firm’s services and products. This strategy was known as the Johnson & Johnson Health care System that was formed for the purpose of marketing the products of all the existing companies under this umbrella company from a single point of sale (Weill & Broadbent, 1998, p. 19). From this single face, its big customers who consisted of large retail stores in the United States like, Wal-Mart could get access to the variety of products this company sold. This strategy was a response to the changing trends in the market from stand-alone customers like physicians and hospitals, to integrated delivery system where different stakeholder are becoming interconnected with an aim of delivering quality and cost effective health products. In addition this strategy was meant to ease the difficult work that these companies had made to its customers, in view of the fact that the customers had to bear with a large number of contracts with the various operating companies of

Analytical methods for engineers Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Analytical methods for engineers - Assignment Example 4)2(31-52.14)2+(16-52.14)2+(27-52.14)2+(82-52.14)2+(42-52.14)2+(57-52.14)2+(67-52.14)2+(51-52.14)2+(23-52.14)2+(56-52.14)2+(66-52.14)2+(59-52.14)2+(37-52.14)2+(62-52.14)2+(35-52.14)2+(43-52.14)2+(31-52.14)2+(57-52.14)2+(59-52.14)2+(70-52.14)2+(38-52.14)2+(47-52.14)2+(61-52.14)2]= Variance=√ [(57-48.74)2+ (40-48.74)2+ (12-48.74)2+ (24-48.74)2+ (67-48.74)2+ (47-48.74)2+ (37-48.74)2+(44-48.74)2+(71-48.74)2+(55-48.74)2+(55-48.74)2+(54-48.74)2+(53-48.74)2+(53-48.74)2+(51-48.74)2+(52-48.74)2+(55-48.74)2+(45-48.74)2+(49-48.74)2+(44-48.74)2+(46-48.74)2+(50-48.74)2+(60-48.74)2+(57-48.74)2+(63-48.74)2+(35-48.74)2+(39-48.74)2(52-48.74)2+(79-48.74)2+(59-48.74)2+(62-48.74)2+(43-48.74)2+(36-48.74)2+(34-48.74)2+(43-48.74)2+(28-48.74)2+(61-48.74)2+(42-48.74)2+(42-48.74)2+(47-48.74)2+(32-48.74)2+(33-48.74)2+(75-48.74)2+(53-48.74)2+(55-48.74)2+(45-48.74)2+(25-48.74)2+(48-48.74)2+(58-48.74)2+(84-48.74)2]=11065.62 The performance of the longercells batteries is lower as compared to that of the powersure batteries. This is because the frequency of the cells that have a frequency of two is 6 for the longercell batteries as compared to 3 for the powersure batteries. There is a better way of modeling the relationship between y and x. This can be achieved by producing a cubic curve rather than a linear curve. This would have produced a better model of the relationship between x and y. a. The diameters of a random sample of 100 rivets produced by this machine in a day have a mean value of 4.76 mm. find a 95% confidence interval for the mean diameter of all the rivets produced by the machine in that day. b. The manufacturer becomes concerned if the lower 95% confidence limit falls below 4.6 mm. A random sample of 80 rivets on another day gave a mean diameter of 4.65 mm. Will the manufacturer be

Reflect on If I could be any historical figure within the time period, Research Paper - 2

Reflect on If I could be any historical figure within the time period, who would I be and why I want this to be on D - Research Paper Example eater importance and long-lasting impact than what a single military commander, philosopher, pop-culture icon, or any other individual within past society has been able to offer. As a function of attempting to prove this point to the reader, the following analysis will be concentric upon providing many of the accomplishments that Martin Luther King realized during his life and draw a clear level of comparison with respect to the fact that these accomplishments, taken as a whole, stood apart from the rest of the individuals during his time, and indeed sense, and represented individual whose strength and perseverance are not only admirable but something which should be desired within the current time. Firstly, it should be stated that few if any individuals in the modern world are able to attain a level of education or expertise at such a young age as did Martin Luther King Junior. For instance, Martin Luther King Jr. became an ordained Baptist minister at the age of 18. Whereas it is true that certain individuals within the modern world are able to accrue a great deal of education and expertise at a relatively young age, Martin Luther King was not only able to become an ordained clergyman within his community, he was also the youngest person ever to receive and Nobel Peace Prize for his work in seeking to end racial segregation (Hinds 469). As can readily be noted, the ability to dedicate himself to his studies and to the cause in question allowed for Martin Luther King to be an admirable character that this student seeks to look up to. Yet, one of the largest reasons for why Martin Luther King Jr. is a historical figure that I would like to be is due to the fact that he struggled tirelessly and fearlessly for the rights of his fellow man. Whereas many individuals during the time period were caught up in returning hatred for hatred, Martin Luther King Jr. was focused upon using nonviolent methods and leading a peaceful civil rights that would channel the same ap proach that Thoreau and Gandhi had used to such great effect (King 33). Whereas it might have been easy to fall victim to the desire for seeking revenge and demanding a level of immediate and violent revolution on the part of the disenfranchised population of the United States, King was able to resist this temptation and take the higher path; aspects of character and virtue that are extraordinarily rare and extremely appealing to this individual author. Such as yet, King’s most notable achievement is not with regards to the fact that he was merely a participant in the nonviolent civil rights movement of the mid-20th century; rather, his most notable achievement is with respect to the fact that he led this civil rights movement and carefully and painstakingly sought the ways in which it could be promoted so that it could affect the greatest benefit towards the exhibition of civil rights within the United States. Naturally,

External Enviroment Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

External Enviroment - Research Paper Example This paper seeks to explain how big companies can affect the government role as an external environment. The government stipulates policies on how and when companies should remit their taxes. Big companies are key contributors to tax collection and when they remit the tax as per the regulation, the government is able to finance other expenses (Claire 13). This enhances government performance. Big companies are likely to have outlets all over wide region of the sphere and still a wide range of products. The explanation of this is that the company will have a lot of product transportation from one region to another or even to its scattered customers. Consequently, roads will wear out more often than not hence that government has to keep on replacing the worn out roads. Although this keeps the government on its toes to in making sure that roads are in good state, this affects the government budget negatively as it has to look for finances and may lead to borrowing (Hardgrave 15). A big company like coca cola uses big and heavy commercial trailers to transport product to its outlets, such trailers speed up the wear and tear of a road. Big organizations are powerful in government during policy formulation and adherence. They have a lot of information from the market which they can use to assist government on decisions. Such advice help the government n make informed decisions (Hardgrave 32). Big companies are likely to carry out activities in more than one country. This shows that it has a big volume of resources and can execute government regulations on product control with ease. For example, if the government passes a bill stipulating that the company should use anew packaging, it becomes easier for bigger companies to pull resources together and act accordingly. Contrarily, big companies can pull its wide range of resources to challenge legally some of

Academic Skills Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Academic Skills - Essay Example twentieth century, when the world was moving towards immense development at a global level, Nigeria was experiencing high unemployment, weak economy, abandoned and ruined educational system, high poverty, increased corruption and other malpractices in the private and public sectors, increased rates of crime, international criticism and imposed sanctions, and a bad management system. Okonkwo (p.58), along with other leaders, sociologists, and researchers advocated a strong need for a revamped and innovated educational system. Although the need for good education was recognized at the beginning of this century, or even earlier dating back to the colonial period (Ajayi, 420), researches conducted in recent times have also identified these or very similar needs. For example, Odia and Omofonmwan (p.81) have identified specific problems related to the educational system such as decline in standard, deterioration of facilities, examination malpractices, mass promotion syndrome and others. Ajibade stated, ‘Many Nigerian elites, going by the quality of their contributions to debates, are suffering from acute â€Å"intellectual malnutrition.† It is now pretty difficult to fight ignorance in Nigeria, a country which the World Bank report for 1991 says is the 13th poorest nation in the world. The per capita income of an average Nigerian hardly permits him the luxury of getting information materials. Not many Nigerians can afford the exorbitant prices of books.’ (qtd. in Ihonvbere, 73). This indicates two factors affecting the Nigerian education, firstly the standard of education and secondly, socioeconomics of the nation. In fact, academic crises and strength of sociopolitical conditions are interdependent. On similar terms, Odia and Omofonmwan (p.82) pointed out that education in the contemporary times has become the privilege of the affordable masses, and a business with great earning potential for the educationalists. Their research discovered that most of the

Starbucks Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Starbucks - Assignment Example Besides the manager himself, there was a separate person attending to other needs and ensuring that orders were prepared exactly as specified by the customers. Yes, it is. The shop’s location is quite strategic, being one of the Starbucks shops most accessible in the area. I suppose that Starbucks should try setting up McFood booths in malls, along the paths or underpasses near it, or in places commonly frequented by people to promote the coffee while selling McFood at affordable costs. The way I see it, I think I do. People just love good coffees all the same, having become second to their nature and stapled to routine, especially before and after work or whenever they would find time to relax with friends. There is a great deal of profiting from consumers with laptops – those often governed by technologies, nowadays – and who would stop by for coffee either to unwind with a gadget playing, reading, or finishing a home-based work. Despite the negative state of economy, people normally find a way to prioritize what they love doing and spend even for expensive drinks. I like the way they treated everyone equally, not discriminating with respect to outfit, appearance, or anything that may allow harmful judgment of one’s class or status in society. At the time, I can feel their respect for every customer, going in and out of the store, as though in keeping up with economic and cultural

Academic Skills Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Academic Skills - Essay Example twentieth century, when the world was moving towards immense development at a global level, Nigeria was experiencing high unemployment, weak economy, abandoned and ruined educational system, high poverty, increased corruption and other malpractices in the private and public sectors, increased rates of crime, international criticism and imposed sanctions, and a bad management system. Okonkwo (p.58), along with other leaders, sociologists, and researchers advocated a strong need for a revamped and innovated educational system. Although the need for good education was recognized at the beginning of this century, or even earlier dating back to the colonial period (Ajayi, 420), researches conducted in recent times have also identified these or very similar needs. For example, Odia and Omofonmwan (p.81) have identified specific problems related to the educational system such as decline in standard, deterioration of facilities, examination malpractices, mass promotion syndrome and others. Ajibade stated, ‘Many Nigerian elites, going by the quality of their contributions to debates, are suffering from acute â€Å"intellectual malnutrition.† It is now pretty difficult to fight ignorance in Nigeria, a country which the World Bank report for 1991 says is the 13th poorest nation in the world. The per capita income of an average Nigerian hardly permits him the luxury of getting information materials. Not many Nigerians can afford the exorbitant prices of books.’ (qtd. in Ihonvbere, 73). This indicates two factors affecting the Nigerian education, firstly the standard of education and secondly, socioeconomics of the nation. In fact, academic crises and strength of sociopolitical conditions are interdependent. On similar terms, Odia and Omofonmwan (p.82) pointed out that education in the contemporary times has become the privilege of the affordable masses, and a business with great earning potential for the educationalists. Their research discovered that most of the

Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 14

Management - Essay Example First of all it presents the general introduction of the outsourcing and in-sourcing. The technique of outsourcing directs a corporation/ business/Company that contracts with another corporation to proffer services that could or else be carried out through in-house personnel. A lot of huge corporations at the present time outsource employments like that e-mail services, call center servicesas well as payroll. These professions are griped through detach corporations that concentrate in every service, as well as are frequently positioned out of the country (Outsourcing?, 2009). There are a lot of causes that businesses outsource an assortment of employments; on the other hand the majority famous benefit appears to be the information that it frequently accumulates money. A lot of the businesses that offer outsourcing facility and services are capable to carry out the job at significantly smaller amount charges, because they do not have to offer profits to their employees, as well as have smaller amount fixed cost expenses to be anxious about (Outsourcing?, 2009). Outsourcing is contracting out practice, like that manufacturing or product design, to a 3rd party business. The assessment to outsource is frequently prepared in the significance of small price or producing enhanced utilization of efforts and time expenses, forwarding or saving efforts going to at the competencies of a particular industry, or else to destroy more well-organized utilization of information, labor, land, capital, technology as well as resources. Outsourcing turned out to befraction of the industry lexicon all the way through the period of 1980s. It is fundamentally a supply of labor.1 Organizations have attempted to enlarge their competitive recompenses as the industrial revolution. Though, in the fifties and sixties variation as well as financial systems of scale turned out to be the novel movement, and in

Influences on American Politics

Influences on American Politics Question 1: What are the two major types of interest groups and examples of each? Which of these types of interest groups tend to be more powerful? Explain your choice. Your response should be at least 200 words in length. You are required to use at least your textbook as source material for your response. All sources used, including the textbook, must be referenced; paraphrased and quoted material must have accompanying citations. Selected Answer: In the United States there two main types of interest groups that actively work to influence public policy. The main differences between the two are how they are organized, funded, and what their main purposes are (Patterson, 2013). Economic groups are the most common, most funded and most influential. They are comprised of businesses, labor unions, professional organizations, and agricultural groups that seek public policy that provides monetary benefits to their members. The funding of economic interest groups comes from the members that willingly contribute money in hopes of receiving political influence and/or profit that only they will benefit from. An example of an economic group would be businesses. Business groups are the most influential of any special interest group and all large businesses lobby the government. Many smaller businesses band together to form associations like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to promote their interests by seeking tax cuts, regulatory changes, and other pro-business benefits (Patterson, 2013). The second type of special interest group, citizens groups, is comprised of single issue groups that work toward a focused goal that they believe in. They fight for causes instead of economic or material gain and for the good of society as a whole (Patterson, 2013). Though the number of citizens groups as increased sharply over the years, the total number still lags behind that of economic groups. One of the main reasons for this is that citizens groups have not nearly the same access to funds that economic groups do. Citizens groups do not generate profits or fees from their daily activity and their only incentive for membership are ones that everyone can take advantage of, member or not. Because of this, many people take advantage of the benefits but do not pay for them. References Patterson, T. (2013).The American Democracy (11th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, Inc. Question 2: How has the news media evolved from the nations founding to what it is today? Discuss the various functions the news media has in American society. How well do you feel the media carries out these functions? Your response should be at least 200 words in length. You are required to use at least your textbook as source material for your response. All sources used, including the textbook, must be referenced; paraphrased and quoted material must have accompanying citations. Selected Answer: The founding fathers felt that a free press was crucial to the health of a successful democracy. That is why they gave us the First Amendment protecting the rights of a free and unrestrained press. Some of our founding fathers were themselves involved with the printing of journalistic newspapers. They understood the importance of keeping the populace informed of the workings of their government. The first press and newspapers were initially closely associated with the days political parties and helped them muster public opinion (Patterson, 2013). This was partly done because without party support and/or subsidization, the newspapers would never have survived; the cost to purchase was prohibitory for the average citizen. The drawback to this was that the newspapers themselves very partisan in the information that they imparted. Eventually, as printing methods improved and the cost decreased newspaper moved away from such partisanship. The height of newspapers power came around 1890-1900; during this time, reporters and editors number one goal was to increase sales of their papers (Patterson, 2013). They did so by sensationalizing the news in order to drive up circulation. This period was termed yellow journalism and thankfully was relatively short-lived by the advent of a new style of reporting: objective journalism. Objective journalism emphasized fair and accurate information and accounts of events. This new approach to reporting was the method that began being taught at newly established journalistic universities and is what still governs the news reporting of todays traditional media. The newest form of media today comes in the form of radio talk shows, cable talk shows, and internet blogs. This type of media has made news more accessible than ever before and has greatly increased the choice viewers have to what they hear. The problem with these outlets, as Patterson points out in The American Democracy, however, is the many address information through a partisan lens. Talk radio is a growing format for political information but is often imparted in a conservative manner, internet blogs lean primarily liberal, and the cable new networks split evenly between the two ideologies. Regardless of the manner in which the information is disseminated, the media performs four basic functions (Patterson, 2013). First, is to act as a signal, alerting and communicating information on breaking events and news developments to the public. Second, is to act as a common carrier of information from political leaders to the general public. Medias third function is as a partisan advocate to influence public response to a particular party, leader, or issue. Lastly, the press acts as a watchdog to the government to expose deceitful and corrupt officials. In my personal opinion, the news media does carry out these functions fairly well. The problem lies in ensuring that, as a citizen, you listen to and pay attention to multiple news outlets in order to get the entire story, not one with a particular ideological bent. As they say There are three sides to every story, his, hers and the truth. References Patterson, T. (2013).The American Democracy (11th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, Inc. Question 3: Discuss how the news audience has changed from the 1970s until now. Do you feel that Americans can still find unbiased news anywhere today? Why or why not? Your response should be at least 200 words in length. You are required to use at least your textbook as source material for your response. All sources used, including the textbook, must be referenced; paraphrased and quoted material must have accompanying citations. Selected Answer: News audiences have changed considerably since the 1970s. Though there is more diversity than ever, cable television and the internet now reign supreme for news information in the lives of the average American, while the daily newspapers and traditional broadcasters are losing audiences by the droves (Patterson, 2013) These new forms of media behave quite differently than the media of the baby-boomers and their parents. News was received in regulated segments, in the morning through your newspaper and then in the evening by the network news. It was all relatively similar as well, owning to the fact that they both received their stories from the same sources. The news reported was objective and fair with little political spin. People received the exact same message regardless of what their own ideology was; it is at that point that people form their opinions on issues. The emergence of cables 24-hour news cycle, political talk shows, and internet blogs, where information is handed out already with partisan spin has made it harder to get just the facts, and also makes it is easy for citizens to only receive their news through the specific ideological lens of their choosing. All of this is leading to more and more polarization in political society (Patterson, T. (2013). Another change that has occurred is an overall decline in consumers of media. Young adults are less likely than older ones to pay attention to any type of news and when they do, it is often from less than reputable sources like social media, a.k.a. Facebook. All of these factors combine to a current generation that is considerably less informed politically than prior generations. References Patterson, T. (2013).The American Democracy (11th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, Inc Question 4: Do you feel that special interest groups have too much power in politics today? Why or why not? Do you think we should allow these interest groups to continue to function as they currently do? Why or why not? What do you think would happen to our nation if we did not allow interest groups to continue to operate? Your response should be at least 200 words in length. You are required to use at least your textbook as source material for your response. All sources used, including the textbook, must be referenced; paraphrased and quoted material must have accompanying citations. Selected Answer: Special interest groups are an important way for people to show support or discontent for governmental policies and are an effective way for the average citizen to influence politics. They help keep their members informed of the current political issues they identify with, make sure policies are carried out effectively, help organize member activities in a more focused manner, and some even offer its members legal representation in grievances against the government, However, in regards to our current political system, I feel that many have grown too powerful. For every case of a SIG promoting the common good, there are cases highlighting the corruption that has eroded the quality of our democratic process, generally through corruption. A good example of what interest groups can achieve is the NAACP brought and won the case of Brown vs The Board of Education of Topeka (NAACP, n.d.). While at the same time you have examples of SIGs buying influence such as when during the 1973 Watergate hearings it was revealed that the milk industry had donated money to President Nixons administration and to members of Congress in exchange for favorable decisions by the Department of Agriculture (Torres-Spelliscy, 2013). The issue comes down to political influence vs. political power. I, along with the vast majority of Americans (Gallup, 2011), feel that lobbyist groups have gone beyond just influencing politicians and politics, and have moved into the realm of over-whelming political power. References Gallup. (2011, April 11). Americans Decry Power of Lobbyists, Corporations, Banks, Feds. Retrieved March 20, 2017, from http://www.gallup.com/poll/147026/americans-decry-power-lobbyists-corporations-banks-feds.aspx milk industry had donated money to President Nixons administration NAACP Legal History. (n.d.). Retrieved March 20, 2017, from http://www.naacp.org/legal-department/naacp-legal-history/ Patterson, T. (2013).The American Democracy (11th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, Inc Torres-Spelliscy, C. (2013, October 21). Got Corruption? Nixons Milk Money. | Brennan Center for Justice. Retrieved March 20, 2017, from https://www.brennancenter.org/blog/got-corruption-nixon%E2%80%99s-milk-money

Pure Luck :: English Literature Essays

Pure Luck During a warm and lucid evening in September my life would change forever. Something like this does not just happen to anyone; fate decides who deserves such a wake up call. That seemed to be the last night I expected a scene so horrifying to happen because the vibe of the whole evening was uplifting. Everything seemed perfect since everyone happened to be in that happy-go-lucky mentality. We did not expect the events that were to follow later that evening. I heard the restlessness in his voice. â€Å"You got a light?† Steve questioned with eagerness. He was not the only one with the anxious tone to his voice. I hooked him up with that so needed light to calm his nerves a little. We were on an excursion to one of the greatest places in the world: New York. Steve, Dennis, and I had planned this journey for several weeks now. Our anticipation grew immensely. The outing was to a club in New Rochelle which would be a new experience for all of us. Riding in the car seemed ominous. â€Å"Na man, you gotta take the exit for the George Washington Bridge,† I nearly screamed at Steve when he almost took the wrong exit, which would have put us in a position we absolutely did not want to be. â€Å"Alright, DICK† he sarcastically replied. After what seemed like an eternity we hit the right exit and it put us down the road from the club. We arrived, jumping furiously out of the car and hauling ass to the line at the front of the club. At the club there were many DJ’s and live acts that I looked forward to catching. Fortunately I got to see most of them. The experience was quite a relief after that car ride. The inside of the club appeared amazingly pleasing to the eye. The surroundings were the most comfortable of leather couches and a balcony over the main floor that was humongous. More than two hundred people occupied the balcony alone: drinking, talking, and staring awestruck at the sights, which included a thirteen foot tall glass case housing two six foot long iguanas and two sixteen-foot long Burmese pythons. After a few hours the party ended and patrons dispersed including my friends and I. Once outside, the masses gathered around handing out flyers that would most likely end up with a new home on the sidewalk.

How the Characters in 1984 Rebel Against Oppression :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are many characters in the novel 1984. These characters all rebel in separate and distinctive ways from each other. In George Owell’s not so sanguine vision of the year 1984 from his standpoint in 1949, he tells of a dreary future of what the world was becoming. In this future, no one has the right to anything, including free speech, freedom of press or even freedom of thought. Even the details like the history of the known world are changed by a corrupt and ever growing political party, which is managed and run by un-emotional and odious officials. From Julia, who rebels by purely simple, sexual acts, to Winston, who dreams to overthrow the party; all the characters have their own personal way of dealing with the oppression.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One example of rebelling against the party is that of Julia’s sexual escapades. She plots and plans to have sex with many of the different party members in order to find release in her otherwise boring lifestyle and by doing so she increases the amount of mass personal rebellion within the party’s regiment. After Winston and Julia are done having sex in the woods for the first time, he asks her how many other men has she done this with. She told him that she had done it with â€Å"scores† of other men and Winston is delighted to hear the good news. He feels that the more men she has had sexual encounters with makes the party weaker because those men don’t really feel committed to their party. Julia does not dream of rebellion against their oppressors as Winston does. However, she accepts her role in society and goes about life enjoying herself when she can.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Syme can also be marked as a rebel of the party. Although we have very little actual contact with him in the book, Winston thinks that Syme is too smart to have the party favor him for long. This is probably the reason that Syme disappears later on. He was working on a new Newspeak dictionary for the party but may have fell out of favor because of his intelligence. Syme is a rebel because of his brain. He refuses to go along with everyone else and bring himself down to the I.Q. of the masses, so he, in turn, gets himself killed by the party. This is an important note because Syme does not actually hate the party or even dislike the party.

Global village Essay

America was a time of challenging authority and established conventions. It was into this era that a Professor of Media studies at Toronto University rose to media personality status. Marshall Mcluhan is famous for introducing society to catchy aphorisms such as â€Å"the medium is the message†. Although his theories have always been contested, they were popular at the time and are currently enjoying a revival. One such theory is his vision of the â€Å"Global Village† which I will discuss in this essay. To understand the term, a comprehension of some of his other ideas is necessary. Mcluhan was influenced by Harold Adams Innis who suggested that each medium of communication had a time â€Å"bias† which affected the stability of society. In short, he saw that â€Å"time biased† media such as stone carving would endure time and lead to a stable society. â€Å"Space biased† media, such as papyrus, could easily be revised and lead to an unstable culture (Meyrowitz 1985:17). Mcluhan went beyond this to suggest that different media have â€Å"sensory bias† (Postman went beyond this to argue that the medium contains an â€Å"ideological bias†). Mcluhan saw each new media invention as an extension of some human faculty. In The Medium is the Massage he notes, â€Å"All new media are extensions of some human faculty† (Mcluhan and Fiore 1967:26). The book illustrates some examples; the wheel of the foot, the book of the eye, clothing of the skin and electronic circuitry of the central nervous system. In terms of the â€Å"global village† the last extension is the most important. He saw us as breaking our ties with a local society and, through our new electronic extensions, connecting globally to a new world of total involvement. â€Å"We now live in a Global Village†¦a simultaneous happening† (Mcluhan & Fiore 1967:63). He refers to the village as a global community, existing with a level of connection associated with small rural settlings. We can see evidence for this in terms of what is sometimes termed an â€Å"always on† culture. News travels instantaneously across the globe, 1 in 6 people own a mobile phone (Guardian 2002) and the Internet smashes old barriers of communication. However, the Internet was in its infancy when Mcluhan used the term, which was first used in response to radio. There is some debate over the origin of the term â€Å"global village†. Eric Mcluhan writes that James Joyce reffered to a similar phrase, as did Wyndham Lewis. His opinion is that his father was probably already developing the concept and found it referenced in Lewis’ work afterwards. Mcluhan’s view of the â€Å"Global Village† was positive. He saw it championing greater social involvement and wrote, â€Å"In an electronic information environment, minority groups can no longer be ignored† This is a technological determinist attitude as it holds the medium as the single key to their involvement. Mcluhan also notes, â€Å"there is absolutely no inevitability as long as there is a willingness to contemplate what is happening† (Mcluhan and Fiore 1967:25). This is rather at odds with some of Mcluhan’s other material. He often makes poetically powerful statements about our helplessness in the face of technology (â€Å"All media work us over completely† (Mcluhan & Fiore 1967:26)). Digital TV offers increasing interactivity with Internet functions such as e-mail and online banking available next to greater entertainment choices. It is being put to an alternative use in sheltered housing by allowing residents in difficulty to contact the manager; an example of how new technology is including minority groups. However, with the advent of digital TV the Government has come under pressure to sell the broadcasting spectrum that analogue occupies and is planning to do so before 2010. The effects of this look set to create a greater divide than the one it healed. 50% of homes currently have digital TV but a third of homes are unable to receive digital TV at all. A report by the Department of Trade and Industry found that 6% of the population are likely to object to the switch-off based on the cost of upgrading and the belief that we watch too much TV (The Observer, 2004). If the analogue signal were to be switched off, those who couldn’t (or wouldn’t) receive digital TV would have no access to TV. The gap between rich and poor would accelerate and a greater social divide would exist. Technological Determinists refer to a â€Å"technological revolution† and since the invention of this term there has been concern for those left outside. The issue is more complex than Mcluhan presents it and subject to factors beyond that of just the medium. In Mcluhan’s time the Internet was far from the widespread facility it is today. He died in 1980, but only 5 years later the system to which the phrase â€Å"online community† is most pertinent was operational. Internet forums allow a number of people across the globe to converse in real time. The Internet seems to provide the most convincing argument for the â€Å"global village†. With broadband most actions are instant, allowing the user to converse, transfer money, view information and order products regardless of geography. Mcluhan’s idea of electronic circuitry extending the nervous system is easier to comprehend when you consider someone sitting down at a computer. The physical action of typing becomes the cause, but the effect is realised in an electronic global network. Meyrowitz notes how â€Å"At one time, parents had the ability to discipline a child by sending the child to his or her room-a form of ex-communication from social interaction† (Meyrowitz 1985:Preface). This is no longer the case. The Internet offers the possibility of extending our central nervous system across the globe. It is intrinsic in today’s society and much has been written over its social effects. Wellman and Gulia remark, â€Å"those on either side of this debate assert that the Internet will create either wonderful new forms of community or will destroy communication altogether† (Wellman: â€Å"The Networked Community†). The reality is unlikely to be as clear as this (although Mcluhan’s â€Å"global village† would suggest that it is). Meyrowitz has argued that new media blur the boundaries between public and private behaviour (Meyrowitz 1985:93-114). The same headline in a newspaper and read by a newsreader are two different messages. Print media does not invite the same depth of character analysis that TV does. The public broadcast begins to merge a private situation and invites a personal reading of the presenter. The personal homepage is an explicit example of the blurring between public and private boundaries. People from all walks of life are making available to the connected world their presentation of themselves. Cheung notes how it can be emancipatory as it allows you to rehearse your presentation (Cheung 2000). Unlike face-to-face communication you can refine your presentation until you are content. Mcluhan envisaged the â€Å"global village† as creating a greater level of social involvement and to some extent we can see this happening with the personal homepage. Individuals are reaching out to a global mass audience to say, â€Å"this is me†. Grosswiler notes that Mcluhan â€Å"would have agreed with the idea that electronic media increase the desire for closeness and intimacy in the Global Village† (Grosswiler 1998:118). However there is a problem in defining what we mean by â€Å"closeness and intimacy†. A personal webpage is more personal than the BBC homepage but not as personal as face-to-face communication. Mcluhan would argue that the â€Å"closeness and intimacy† on the personal webpage is the only type that exists as we live in the â€Å"global village†. For Mcluhan there was no other village and intimacy could be with anyone, anywhere. There is a tendency by those who consider the Internet in a technologically determinist way to view it in isolation. The Internet is for most people not the totality of their social interaction, although it is becoming increasing possible to live your life without human contact. It is possible to order almost everything you could need using the Internet, yet town centres still exist. I may talk to friends online but the majority of communication with them will be face-to-face. Mcluhan is often accused of exaggerating his conclusions and this is evident. While the personal webpage is popular it doesn’t provide a substantial system of interaction. It also clear that while a minority of people make friends online, face-to-face interactions comprise the majority. Mcluhan’s famous aphorism â€Å"the medium is the message,† represents the belief that the medium itself has social impact of which the masses are usually considered to be unaware. If the power of the media is so great, how is it that determinists such as Mcluhan can stand outside of it to comment? Furthermore Mcluhan thought that as soon as we are aware of something as environment, a greater process must be in effect (Mcluhan, Eric). However, Mcluhan was considered knowledgeable enough to sit on a board set up to examine â€Å"the totality of communications problems in modern society† (McBride cited in Briggs and Burke 2002:258-260). The outcome of this report would have made interesting reading but unfortunately political conditions halted proceedings. Maybe I would be discussing a different concept if the report had gone ahead. Mcluhan once remarked that the one thing a fish is not aware of is water. The water determines everything the fish does yet the fish is blissfully unaware. The point is that we are the fish and technology our water. However this doesn’t prove the argument, it simply explains it. At first glance the phrase appears clever yet contains no empirical evidence and is typical of Mcluhan’s inventive and persuasive useful of language. Mcluhan’s global village is perceived as optimistic. Yet a Marxist interpretation offered by Ang notes that â€Å"the making of the â€Å"global village† can be rewritten as the transformation, or domestication, of the non-Western Other in the name of capitalist modernity† (Ang 1996:150-180 cited in Grosswiler 1998:142). While the idea of the spread of communication remains constant, it is seen to destroy individual non-western cultures to make way for capitalist exploitation. The sociologist Tom Nairn argues that while Mcluhan’s â€Å"global village† could be reality, it is prevented from being so by the social forms of capitalism† (Nairn 1968:150 cited in Grosswiler 1998:34). He is not denying that it is achievable, but notes, â€Å"The potential of electric media is, in fact, in contradiction with a great deal of the actual social world†. He accuses Mcluhan of creating myths and ignoring the contradictions of his theory. The graphic below compare the distribution of Internet routers and the global population. (Soon-Hyung Yook, Hawoong Jeong, and Albert-Laszlo Barabasi at http://www. cybergeography. org/atlas/geographic. html) It is obvious from the map that the majority of the world is not connected. According to this the â€Å"global village† is made up of a minority of the worlds population. This is a model far from creating greater social involvement and has the potential to create a global divide between the connected and the unconnected. In my introduction I cited a statistic claiming that 1 in 6 people own a mobile phone in support of the â€Å"global village† concept. As with Mcluhan’s aphorisms this initially seems persuasive but closer inspection reveals the truth. The statistic suggests proportionality. As Briggs and Burke explain, â€Å"While there were 600 million telephones in the world in 1982, half the world’s population lived in countries which together had fewer than ten million†. Again this undermines the â€Å"global village† vision and adds empirical weight to Nairn’s criticism that the potential of the media is in contradiction with reality. As with the Internet, the â€Å"global village† is presented here as almost exclusively existing between developed western countries. Mcluhan’s vision dictated that minorities couldn’t fail to be incorporated, yet they have been excluded by virtue of being unconnected. Furthermore the Marxist view upholds that where third-world nations are included, it is only as means of stripping them of identity for capitalist ends. These points considered, it seems that Mcluhan’s vision is not a reality. Much of the world is unconnected and I need cite no evidence that it has not led to world peace. However, it should be noted that Africa is currently leading the way in the realms of mobile phone ownership. It has become the first continent in which the number of mobile phone users exceeds that of landline subscribers. A report â€Å"has estimated that there will be 60 million people using mobile phones by the end of the year – more than double the 27 million who have a landline† and mobile phone ownership is growing at an annual rate of 65%, double the global average (Guardian, May 2004). It seems that we may be fast heading toward a â€Å"global village†. However even with Africa’s growth in mobile phone ownership, this still only brings the total to 6% of the population (Guardian, May 2004) and Internet access is considerably lower. While it may be true that a virtual village has been created, it is far from the all-inclusive global vision that Mcluhan prophesised.

Peter Skyrznecki Essay

Our idea of belonging is a result of the choices that we make. We feel a sense of acceptance wherever we choose to belong. This is explored in Peter Skrzyneckis poem Feliks Skrzynecki and St Patricks showed the ides of alienation and belonging. They are shown through various techniques such as an allusion, direct speech and many more poetic techniques. Feliks Skrzynecki is a poem that shows a tribute to Peter Skrzyneckis father. Through the use of powerful and vivid imagery, the poet successfully conveys Feliks as a man who is comfortable, content and secure in his own identity. In this poem, concepts of belonging and not belonging occur within place, family, community and culture. The first stanza emphasizes the idea of belonging. Feliks sets standards ‘of his own minds making’. He is comfortable in belonging to his own world, his garden, family and cultural heritage. This is further emphasized through the use of the simile ‘ loved his garden like an only child’ which demonstrates the love he possessed for his garden. The garden can also be interpreted as Feliks constructed world: a place he escapes to in order to feel a sense of belonging. The garden is also the reward for his hard work. Skrzynecki’s poem ‘St. Patricks College’ displays how a sense of belonging is influenced by external forces. For someone to belong to something they must make their own decisions in life, understand their surroundings and build relationships with those around them. These qualities are lacked by Skrzynecki in ‘St. Patrick’s College’ which resulted in him not belonging. Skrzynecki was sent to this school because his mother was ‘only wanting, â€Å"what was best†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢. The direct speech is a cliche as every parent wants what is best for their child. The irony of the situation was that ‘for eight years’ sending Skrzynecki to St. Patrick’s College ‘Wasn’t â€Å"for the best†. He did not understand the ways of the school which led to his lack of belonging. The repetition of the phrase ‘for eight years’ reinforces how long the alienation and detachment lasted for, the feeling of not belonging did not change for eight years. The use of the personal pronoun ‘I’ throughout the poem gives a dreary, detached tone which emphasises his loneliness. No relationships with students, teachers or anyone else at the school were formed over his time there. The time at the school was useless as highlighted by ‘I could say the lord’s prayer in Latin, all in one breath. ’ He claims that as what he received from eight years at the school, a useless skill. Skrzynecki found it so hard to belong to St. Patrick’s College because the decision to go to the school was not his own, he did not understand his surroundings and he did not build any relationships with those around him. In Conclusion the ability to belong can be affected by understanding, choices, culture, relationships and experience. In the poem â€Å"Feliks Skrzynecki† showed the sense of belonging in the respective place, like his garden. In contrast, the poem â€Å"St Patricks College† showed that Skrzynecki lacked in building any relationship with those around him. Peter Skrzynecki used various to show the alienation and belonging in the poems â€Å"Feliks Skrzynecki† and St Patricks College†.