The Medici; Heroes of the Rennaissance

The Medici; Heroes of the Renaissance In the year 2004, PBS broadcasted the series, â€Å"Medici; Godfathers of the Renaissance†. This four-part documentary, in attempt to gain viewer interest, compared the Medici to the mobsters found in Francis Ford’s â€Å"The Godfather†. The relation of the Medici to Italian mobsters in the PBS Medici series is in no way accurate, for they were not villains of the renaissance, but heroes. The Medici were very connected with the church, and used their extensive wealth to promote religion. The Medici became powerful as a result of being the official Papal bankers. They used a lot of their power and wealth to give back to the church throughout their lives. Throughout the Medici timeline there were a total of four Medici Popes. The family was very much intertwined with the church. The Medici patronized the sculpture of David by Michelangelo as a gift to publicly show the beauty their religion. The Medici found and sponsored an architect named Brunelleschi to successfully complete the a dome for the Sistine Chapel. The building of the dome was an on-going problem and embarrassment for the church for many years, and the Medici had solved it. The Sistine Chapel was now a pride for the people of Florence. The Sistine Chapel was also flooded with famous paintings from Medici artists such as Michelangelo and Botticelli. These painting connected the church with modern society because the Medici artists were used, and they were very popular to the people of Florence. The Medici contributed to the church’s beauty, and connection with society throughout the renaissance. Art and architecture was a crucial part of the renaissance. It was the celebration of humanism, the competition between cities, and the start of new ideas. The Medicis were patrons of the most talented and radical people. The people the Medici supported all contributed greatly to the renaissance outlook on life and human pride. Art was so important to the Medici family that Lorenzo di Medici created a Flourentine School of Art. It was at this school Michelangelo was discovered, and brought in as part of the family. Michelangelo under the name of the Medici completed many inspiring pieces of art that would uplift the feel to society. He created the towering statue of David, which became a proud symbol of the city of Florence. Another Medici sponsored artist, Botticelli was famous for a different kind of art. Botticelli’s artwork was sensual , and contained many mythical gods and godesses. In his painting ‘The Birth of Venus’ this is seen the most clear. Venus is known as ‘the goddess of love’ , and in this painting she is naked emerging from the sea. This type of artwork was popular because it radically celebrated humanism, and portrayed ‘the perfect humans’. This type of art inspired people, and were uplifting. However, it was controversial because although society accepted it, the church did not approve. This was only one of many Medici artists’ artworks that was frowned upon by the church during the renaissance. Architecture played a big role in the uplifting of society as well. Architecture, like art, was another chance to out-do other cities, and win the title as most beautiful city. The Medici were patrons of the most famous architecture of the renaissance–Brunelleschi. Brunelleschi was the architect responsible for the completion of many Florentine buildings such as The Orphan’s Hospital, the Chapel of the Pazzi family, and most memorably; the Sistine Chapel’s dome. Brunelleschi’s architectural success brought forth a feeling of accomplishment, pride, and happiness for the people of Florence. These feelings were common characteristics of the renaissance era, brought forth by the Medici family. By supporting a questioning society, proving their power through patronizing, and discovering their own ways of gaining power, the Medici changed the political ways of the renaissance. Before the renaissance, the church was the most powerful and controlling leader. However, it only had power as long as their followers remained loyal. The Medici were household members with, and big supporters of ,the very intelligent, church-defying Galileo Galilei. Galileo’s completely valid discovery that the Earth travels around the Sun defied the teachings of the Old Testament. Galileo published a book of his discoveries disguised as a fiction novel. This was not the first scientific discovery to defy Bible teachings, however it was the most publicised. This caused society to begin to question the teachings of the Bible, and everything they had been taught. This theme of questioning lead to less loyal followers of the church, and more loyal followers of non-religion based rulers. The Medici also introduced power through patronage. Rather than fighting to prove power like in the past, the Medici found creating the most beautiful city was just as rewarding. Their rise to the very top after completing the dome of the Sistine Chapel proved this theory completely. Most of the Medici valued public involvement, modesty, and connections, for that was how they gained power. According to Pope Puis II Cosimo di Medici was â€Å"not so much a citizen, as master of his city†¦he was king in all but name and state. †The more people they befriended, the more loyal followers they would have. Cosimo Medici I however, ran Tuscany based on fear. He felt a powerful military and security would produce better results and less threats. Both forms of government worked for the Medici, and were continued to be used throughout the renaissance, and into today. The Medici positively contributed to the Renaissance through religion, art, architecture, and politics. For this, the Medici should be honoured as heroes of the renaissance. Through their constant contributions to the church, unique taste in art, and daring bold choices, it is not questionable how the Medici kept power and influence throughout the renaissance. Countries in today’s society should aim for well-rounded leaders like the Medici.

Introduction to Conflict Resolution Essay

â€Å"Conflict is one of the drivers for improved team performance. Managed well, conflict can lead to better decisions, more creative ideas and higher quality output from the team. Managed badly, it can stop teamwork and hinder individuals from achieving their personal goals. † (Conflict Resolution: For Team Members (n. d. ) taken from TeamTechnology. co. uk http://www. teamtechnology. com. uk/conflictresolution. html) The assignment presents a situation in which a conflict occurred and what happened. Also, the assignment discusses on what should have been done and which was the wronged party. The conflict presented is between the two groups of the recruits that are undergoing training in the VP-92 navy P-3 squadron. The recruits were divided into two groups for a mock target attack mission: one was responsible for identification of the targets and informing the other group about the location of the targets and the second group was supposed to strike the targets. The problem arose when the area surrounding the vessel was foggy and the targets could not be identified clearly by the first group. Hence, the second group, whose performance was dependent on the first group, could not aim and shoot the targets. This was followed by an argument and a ‘conflict’ between the two groups which was resolved by the officers. Then the writer says which side he would have chosen and why and what actions he would have taken. The conflict, however small it was, was genuine and both the parties were justified and neither one is to be blamed. Title: Introduction to Conflict Resolution Part I – The Organization The organisation that is to be discussed below is VP-92. It is navy P-3 Squadron where the navy conducts its operations. The navy also provides training to its new recruits. â€Å"A Navy is the branch of a country’s military forces principally designated for naval warfare, namely lake- or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It includes operations conducted by surface vessels (ships), submarine vessels, and seaborne aviation, as well as ancillary support, communications, training, and other fields; recent developments have included space-related operations. â€Å" (en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Navy) Part II – The Conflict The conflict at VP-92 was between two groups of the marine crew at an assignment of mock target attack mission. One group, consisting of five crew-members, was responsible for identifying targets to be hit, while the other group, also consisting of five crew men, was responsible for hitting the targets in the assigned target areas to them. The conflict arose when the group that was supposed to identify targets could not identify the targets to be hit on time due to the fog and mist that was blurring their visibility and making it hard for them to locate their targets. As the targets could not be identified on time, the group that was supposed to strike the targets could not perform their duties on time. As a result a conflict arose between the two groups. Basically the ‘striker’s work depended on the ‘identifiers’ and the second group could not perform well because ‘identifiers’ had a problem with identifying the targets. The ‘strikers’ could not rightly strike their targets and their aim was wrong and not rightly focused. Hence, they put all the blame of their bad performance on the first group. Part III – Choose a Side I choose to be on the side of the group that could not properly identify their targets due to the bad weather and the mist that was blurring their view and became a hindrance to performing well. How Was it Managed? The group that was supposed to identify the targets in the mock target attack mission, informed the other group about the weather situation. However, when they persisted that targets should be identified, the assignment was not called off. The ‘ identifiers’ were asked to continue with their searching, which they did but spent a lot of time due to the lack of clarity of vision causes by fog. However, when the ‘strikers’ could not rightly strike their targets, they blamed the ‘identifiers’ for wrongly identifying their targets and also spending a lot of time on searching for targets. I think the conflict was very much genuine and there were no personal reasons for this conflict. The conflict was substantive because the group that was supposed to locate the targets to be struck could not be identified due to external factors such as the weather. Another reason may also have been the location of the ship where the fog was more and the targets were not visible. There was no negative impact on the goal attainment of the organisation or even the personal/ working relationships between the two groups. Since this was a mock assignment that’s aim was to train the new recruits in the navy to properly identify and aim their targets. In my view, the weather condition provided a flavor of the real target attack missions faced by the navy. The goal of this assignment would have been achieved if both the groups became experts in their tasks in variable whether conditions. However, expertise comes with practice and experience. Hence, I think this assignment and conflict was the first step towards attaining the goal. Even though this conflict arose out of a blame game for the two groups, one blaming the weather and the other blaming the first group, the argument was purely professional and not personal. There was a heated debate between the two groups, but this ended when the officers arrived after few minutes to give their remarks. After both the groups had presented their points of view to the officers, they were told that it was a part of the navy life and the navy assignments and no particular group was to be blamed for the failure to aim the target properly. Hence, this argument did not produce any hard feelings between the groups.

Carroway Clothing Limited Essay

Carroway Clothing Limited (CCL) is a Canadian-controlled private corporation (CCPC) that was incorporated 10 years ago. CCL follows accounting standards for private enterprises (ASPE). It is owned by two brothers, Chip and Charles Carroway, who started the company after identifying an opportunity to design and manufacture clothing with innovative fabric. The Carroway brothers have run the business together and have an equal stake in its equity. You are Rose Reddick, a recently graduated CGA assigned as team leader to complete the March 31, 20X3, financial statement audit of CCL. This is the second year that your firm has done CCL’s audit. The audit planning was completed in early March by Blake Mouton, another CGA in your firm, but he has recently announced he is resigning from the firm. Due to scheduling conflicts and an unusually busy season, he will be unable to continue with the remainder of the audit before he leaves, and you have been asked to take over leadership of the audit team. It is now late April, and the team under Blake’s supervision has completed about two-thirds of the audit field work. The audit is scheduled to be completed by May 15, and realizing that you have a limited amount of time to complete your work on this audit, you immediately begin your review of the work done to date and the available client background information. Client background The Carroway brothers started manufacturing athletic wear, utilizing new techniques in fabric treatments to increase the durability of the fabric. CCL’s range of products includes clothing lines for women and men. The products are, primarily athletic wear, but three years ago they added a line of soil-resistant work clothing. Tax losses have occurred in the early years, but sales have grown each year since the company was started. As sales increased, Chip hired a team of design specialists to create new clothing items with innovative features. This team was hired three years ago to begin the research and development required to bring new products to market. Chip also hired a marketing manager with a degree in fine arts to design the tags attached to each piece of clothing and develop the marketing programs. At the same time, specialized software was implemented to produce tags for the products. Because there are specific requirements for content and format of the tags, the production manager is the only individual with authorized access to the software. In July 20X2, CCL signed a contract to produce a line of athletic wear for Sports Shop, a small chain of sporting goods stores. The line of athletic wear features the chain’s logo and trademark colours. CCL ships product to these stores using a company truck. The contract specifies that Sports Shop is to pay for each shipment within 30 days of signed receipt of delivery. Recently, Sports Shop has disputed some of the amounts owing to CCL, maintaining that there is no proof of receipt of the shipment. When Chip questioned the CCL driver, the driver admitted that when he was running late with his deliveries, he simply dropped the shipment at the store counter and did not wait for the store manager’s signature. Chip has not provided an allowance for these receivables since the delivery was made even though there is no signature. In fact, CCL has never recorded an allowance in any fiscal year and has not had any issues with uncollectible accounts. The research and early stages of development of CCL’s products were financed by a combination of capital invested by the brothers, bank financing, and a government grant (see financial statements, Exhibit 1). Scientific Research  and Experimental Development (SR&ED) credits were received in 20X1 and 20X2 and have been reported as government grants for accounting purposes. The sales volume of the soil-resistant clothing is now great enough to assure the lenders and any potential investors that these products are commercially viable. In fact, based on the 20X1/X2 results, they expect the current product line to become a significant commercial success. The cost of developing this product line, called Walton Work Wear has been deferred and is being amortized (straight-line) at the rate of 10% per year starting in 20X2 (see Deferred Development Schedule, Exhibit 2). Original research costs for the Walton Work Wear products were expensed when incurred, net of grants and SR&ED credits. The prior-year audit file shows that this treatment of SR&ED credits is consistent with CCL’s reporting of all taxes (payable and recoverable), which have been accounted for on a current basis without regard to recognition of the future tax effects of any current transactions. During the past year, the brothers have turned their attention to a moisture management and odourreduction feature for the athletics tops. They are confident that within two years their current research will lead to a product line that keeps the sweat away from the skin and minimizes the impact of perspiration on the clothing. The preliminary prototype works effectively for the first several minutes, but the protection barrier degrades quickly and more work is required. This product line will be called Carroway Cool Top and is currently in the research stage only. The deferred development costs for this product line are $975,000. In order to finance completion of the new research and development of the Carroway Cool Top products, Chip Carroway expects to obtain a long-term bank loan for CCL. He is aware that this long-term bank loan will include a more stringent debt to equity covenant than the existing line of credit. He is also interested in the option of going public and issuing new shares to raise funds for future growth. However, Chip is concerned about the implications of losing some control over CCL so he is leaning towards remaining a CCPC. CCL’s chief financial officer, Jack Lawson, was the original office manager  and bookkeeper when CCL was first established, and although he has no professional accounting credentials, he does have a degree in business administration with a major in finance. He is responsible for the preparation of financial reports and is involved in all of the financing discussions. Jack has always been employed by companies which are private and he has no experience in the requirements of going public, so Chip will require additional information from you in order to be able to make an informed decision between the financing options available. CCL has grown rapidly over the last three years, after implementing its research and development activities. During 20X1, the implementation of the research and development department resulted in the hiring of many new employees in research and development, production, and administration. CCL would like to provide an incentive plan to these new employees, but is not in a position to provide a cash bonus. Therefore, CCL is considering a limited issue of stock options to its employees. The stock options would entitle an employee to acquire equity shares of CCL at $50 per share at any time starting six months after the date of their issue. Some employees are uncertain about the impact of the issue of stock options on their taxable income and are considering disposing of them immediately upon acquisition. Chip has recently been notified about a pending lawsuit and provided Blake with some preliminary details when he was at the office in March. Six months ago, the production process of one of the fabric treatments resulted in an accidental but illegal leak of chemicals into the environment. The local environmental agency objected to such a release of chemicals, and when their objections were ignored they filed a lawsuit against CCL, alleging that CCL was negligent in the release of the chemicals and in violation of environmental regulations. Chip is not concerned about this lawsuit since he notes that the amount of chemicals that leaked from CCL equipment was not significant, but he would like to know whether there are any other risks associated with this issue and how they should be dealt with. Review of audit findings to date The audit-planning file indicates that Blake assessed the inherent risk associated with this audit as low. The reasons for this assessment include the fact that this is the second year of the engagement and no audit or financial reporting problems have been uncovered in the past audit. Blake included a note that the design of the clothing tags is now being handled jointly with the marketing manager, who had persuaded the production manager to give her access to the specialized software while he was away from the office on vacation. During this time, the marketing manager redesigned the tags to include more marketing elements and minimized the font size of the list of additives used in the fabric treatment so that there was more room to describe the innovative features of the clothing. The newly designed tags have been on product for the past two months, and CCL has recently heard some feedback from concerned customers that the information about the additives is difficult to read. These customers have allergies to certain chemicals, so it is imperative they are aware of the chemicals used in the treatment of these fabrics. Another important factor influencing the risk assessment is that, in spite of operating losses in the past, CCL has never had serious cash flow problems, due to Jack’s careful business planning and the good relationship CCL has with its lender. CCL is experiencing growth in profits, indicating that the investment in the research and development department is paying off. The draft financial statements show positive net income and strong revenue, with a portion of this revenue being generated by the Walton Work Wear line of products in 20X3 (see Exhibit 1). Although no misstatements or errors have been documented in the work completed so far, you are not sure if this is because conclusions have not yet been drawn on most sections of the audit file. In addition to evaluating all of the evidence gathered so far, the following audit work still needs to be completed: review of the accounts in Exhibit 2; team leader review of all work done by subordinates; completion of the audit work on unrecorded liabilities, subsequent events, and contingencies; and review of the draft  tax returns. Once all of these steps have been completed and approval of the statements is received from the client, the schedule of unadjusted errors and final review of the financial statements must be completed. The file will then be ready for a final partner review before release of the audit report. You see from the files that Blake has used traditional sampling to sample small amounts of data for the audit and you are not comfortable basing your conclusions on the work done because with the increase in sales this year and the research and development activities, there is a large amount of data to audit. You are considering an appropriate alternative, such as generalized audit software. Upon examining the file, you realize that a number of financial reporting and potential tax issues have arisen this year that were not present in prior years. These issues and other new information have not been adequately addressed in the current-year audit plan. You believe that the client should be informed of your concerns regarding the current year’s issues as well as the implications of the financing options.

New Jim Crow Annotated Bibliography Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

New Jim Crow - Annotated Bibliography Example This source supports the fact that new Jim Crow is prevalent in our society even though not readily accepted by the community. This book assists the reader to understand that racism has taken a new form from the previous practices. This article critically examines the height of racism and how racial biasness has taken a new course through criminal justice. It talks about the challenges faced by the blacks because of their skin color and socioeconomic class they are purported to belong to. It goes further to discuss the role of race and class in criminal justice and points out why belonging to the second-class results to unequal justice with the whites. This article supports the argument that new Jim Crow has taken root in our society through mass incarceration, whereby it states how blacks’ imprisonment is seven times that of whites (Cole 22). This argument is supported by the findings in this publication that found why for every one black graduate from college, 100 have been arrested. It also tends to support the argument that racism still exists in many forms. It points out how crime has been used to victimize the minority. This book highlights and genuinely talks about the flawed Justice System in US. It critically questions the trust of American criminal justice system that for a very long time has been praised by many for being fair and equal to all. This book argues that racial biasness is present although it has been disguised form the rest of the world by freedoms and rights stipulated by the constitution. It shows the degree of unequal treatment by the justice system and links the police to enhancing this biased treatment of the blacks. This book explains how 70% of drivers stopped in Maryland and searched were blacks and how they only constitute to only 17.5% of the overall drivers (LCCR & LCEF 3). This book seems to concur with the argument that new Jim Crow is prevalent in the modern US society, by pointing how

English paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 5

English paper - Essay Example That is the function of an art, its relationship to nature and life, distinction of its beauty from the truth, its use, and moral goodness. According to Sartwell, â€Å"It is systematic attempt to pit aesthetics against rationality since it views beauty as a teeming opposite of simplicity. In this case spiritual orientation entails an aesthetic and vice versa† (Sartwell 59). Therefore, in depicting spirituality, different objects are in use by different cultures and religions. For instance, the Christians crucifixion really moves one to see the brutality received by Christ on the Calvary. Mathias crucifixion exaggerates the suffering a depiction that goes beyond realism. The body is covered with big sores of wounds to show the beatings and it is discoloured all over with blood. The legs intertwined with a nail at the place of intersection to hold the body on the cross. Sartwell asserts, â€Å"The legs have begun to putrefy and were turning green beneath the rivers of blood. He hands wide open, fingers contorted in a wild gesture in which were supplication and reproach† (Sartwell 71). This kind of work can move even the non-Christians to belief as they experience beauty in different emotions of this sight. Another example of objects that depict beauty are furniture and other work designs. For instance, the work of Shakers disjoins the physical object from its meaning. Just as the shakers believed that work is a form of worship, looking at their work one can view the devotion. Beauty revolves around some values that depict morality. The simplicity of art works, austerity, and integrity made the Shakers work outstanding, which made them make a lot of money as they marketed genuine items with honesty and quality. This is beauty (Sundara) as one looks at it in all dimensions such as moral aspect, physically, and spiritually. As one admires a good craft and the skilful work that goes into the craft, the mind can

Interview analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Interview analysis - Essay Example Interviewing Joe, a native resident of Florida, whose early childhood witnessed the effects of Cuban immigration, gave me an insight to the situation back then. It also interested me that what opinions, today after so many years do these locals have regarding the immigrants. Talking about Joe’s early life, he told me he was born in 1959 in Coral Gables. The house he was born in belonged to his mother’s parents which they had bought in 1953. Soon his parents moved out, buying a new house and were not living with Joe’s grandparents anymore. Out of the three houses he lived in, his oldest house, in a further west location, was declared unincorporated during the 1960s. Recalling the name change of the county from Dade to Miami-Dade which was accompanied with the voting of several people exercising their home rule powers, Joe called it ‘one big change in my life’. Joe agreed that the name change validated the acknowledgement of Miami as being internationally recognized and that ‘Miami-Dade County is the most popular County in Florida. He believes that during his lifetime, Miami has become more internationally accessible with loads of immigrants flocking in and people of different races seeking residence in here. I continued the conversation, delving further into the topic of immigrants which he brought into discussion. I asked him that living in Miami-Dade County since his childhood; his interactions with immigrants, specifically Cubans may have been numerous. To this, he started narrating me what had happened on the arrival of two Cuban immigrants when he was in primary school. The whole school threw them a party, welcoming them, since they were the very first Cubans to come to his class and school, Joe told as he indulged in a recollection of memories from his childhood with a smile on his face. I was curious to ask him whether they were very good friends with him or not. On my inquiry Joe let out a little laugh and told me that yes

Business plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 3

Business plan - Essay Example Definitely different boutique had clients who had attended the ceremony and whose designs were outstanding. The journalist who reported this on the news paper termed the designs as definitely different. Initially, the owner carried out designing at his home. He could take customer requests and design their outfits. This lasted for seven years till when loyal and impressed customers urged him to direct his talent toward a retail operation with the promise that they will continue to support the boutique. The customers helped in the establishment of the boutique by providing up to 30 percent of the startup costs. Definitely different boutique has been in this business for a while now and people’s responses have been similar. Definitely different boutique’s designs have impressed many people and been receiving positive responses from our clients and prospective clients. Consideration of a client’s request and demands come first in execution of the boutique’s operations. Most of the fashion trends always focus on the youth. Our target market will be the youth mid twenties professional men and women, and mature women with more disposable income who are looking for definitely different outfits for special occasions and home or business wear. Definitely different company has six competent employees, 3 sells assistants and 3 seamstresses. The seamstresses are graduates from the London School of Fashion. In addition, they also have attained needlework degrees from the London School of Needlework. They are highly trained and competent and experienced. They trained for three years and gained experience in dress making and broidery at the Paris Fashion House. Moreover, they also gained experience while training in Italy. The three sales assistants are highly competent and experienced. They previously had been employed on a part time basis as in-house models for a TV show on air fashion

Critical Thinking High School Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Critical Thinking High School - Essay Example Critical thing in Australian universities is a key factor in upgrading student's study skills (Triyoko, 2007). Critical thinking is an examination of the structures or elements of thought contained in all reasoning, such as purpose, problem, question-at-issue, assumptions, empirical grounding, reasoning towards conclusion, implications and consequences, obstructions from alternative view point, and frame of reference. Critical thinking can also be reflected through a person's curiosity to respond to variable subject matter, issues and purposes. Critical thinking is a concept that is incorporated in a company of intertwined modes of thinking, such as scientific thinking, mathematical thinking, historical thinking, anthropological thinking, economic thinking, moral thinking and philosophical thinking. Critical thinking exists in two components; one, critical thinking is viewed as a set of information and belief generating and processing skills. Two, critical thinking is viewed as a habit whose basis is strongly laid on intellectual commitment to use those skills to in guiding behavior. Critical thinking therefore, is very different from; mere acquisition and retention of information, because critical thinking has a peculiar way of seeking, attaining and treating information. Again, critical thinking is different from sheer possession of a set of skills, because, critical thinking is only complete if it exercises use of those skills continuously (Scriven & Paul, 1987). Critical thinking is not made a concept merely by acquiring skills and putting them into practice; it is fulfilled if the skills put into practice are observed to produce results which must be analyzed and accepted to be important into a certain body of knowledge. Critical thinking is governed by some specific motive guidance. Critical thinking which is guided by selfish motives is characteristic of skillful manipulation of ideas to suit the personal interests. Such motivated critical thinking is void of intellectuality, however practically successful it might be. Although such kind of motivated critical thinking can be directed by fair mind and intellectual integrity, it produces results of high order in terms of intellectuality; however, it is not innocent of biasness from idealism connected to its selfish motive. Critical thinking lacks universality in any individual (Scriven & Paul, 1987). All people are culprits of irrational thought. Its quality therefore depends on the quality and depth of experience in a particular field of thinking. The development of critical thinking is continual. It never stops. No one is a critical thinker all along. There are several strategies that are relevant for developing critical thinking in any individual, students included. In this paper, I will evaluate only three of the most common strategies of developing critical thinking used by tutors and students in the Australian Universities. These are, Affective Strategies, Cognitive Strategies - Macro-Abilities, and finally, Cognitive Strategies-Micro-Skills. Under Affective strategies, there are 9 strategies which generate ability to develop exercise critical thinking. I will discuss only one of these. This one is, Thinking Independently.

China Goodwill or Badwill Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

China Goodwill or Badwill - Essay Example Just as all the rising great powers in the world history does, China will have to take measures in order to survive and secure her position as a super. An increasingly powerful China is most likely going to try to dislodge the threat of the United States out of Asia. One scholar paints a picture of an ideal rising China who is more reasonable, flexible and nonviolent; another draws a dark image of a calculating rising China who is aware of her weaknesses (especially in the military capability), and who is wisely trying to extricate herself from the internal and external threats of these weaknesses so as to secure the commanding position in the global balance of power in the future. In lieu of the principles of debate, Mearsheimer's arguments shine through. He was able to defend his stance by providing public historical accounts of the actions of past powerful nations. However, this does not prove that Brzezinski's view is not well-founded. There are, in fact several scholars who share his notion of a reasonable and powerful China based from the country's present peaceful dealings. But just as Mearsheimer had stated, we cannot know what political reality is going to look like in the year 2025. At present, China's actions possibly is a sincere att empt for peaceful progress but 45 years from now when China has grown powerful and far-reaching, who will be capable of preventing them from trying to dominate Asia, prevent them from dictating the boundaries of acceptable behavior in their region and prevent them from translating their economic strength into military might that could create all sorts of trouble for the current regional hegemon that is the United States As competition in all aspects goes, one dedicated player strategizes and tries to outmaneuver his competitor in order to be on top. China is competing for economic prosperity and the United States is trying to preserve his position as title holder. Conflicts are inevitable. China is a threat to the United States. Goodwill or bad will It depends on the players' future behaviors. There will be inevitable frictions as China's role increases and as Chinese "sphere of influence" develops however, Brzezinski believes many negative consequences that often accompany the rise of new powers can be avoided. True. It is possible in an ideal world. Unfortunately, we are not living in one. Everything depends on the stage players' actions. According to Brzezinski, the current Chinese leaders appear much more flexible and sophisticated than many previous aspirants to great power status and therefore would not follow the path of violence like the past great nations have done. Mearsheimer rebuts that China is expected to act the same way as the US-She will want to maintain regional hegemony to get back Taiwan as well as dominate Asia the way US does Western hemisphere. In his words: Are they more principled, more ethical, less nationalistic or less concerned of their sur vival Mearsheimer believes China is none of these things. In my perspective however, who is Mearsheimer to assume authority over the Chinese leaders' intentions And again I state, China is a threat but the reality of this threat depends on the stage players' future actions. Over a decade ago, China did not enjoy full diplomatic relations with several countries due to border disputes, the June 1989 killing of civilians in Beijing, their public attempt to export their

A Natural and Privatized life Essay Example for Free

A Natural and Privatized life Essay Haruki Murakami, a Japanese writer of short story, The Year of Spaghetti. The depiction of Murakami’s stories with point-of-view narratives provides certain distinctiveness to the characters, depending on how the dialogue is conveyed. The abstract things the narrator says and does provide the idea of human isolation with little feelings of fear. Although the story has no definitive plot, it grabs hold of conflicting emotions between fear and loneliness. The unnamed protagonist in The Year of Spaghetti, illustrates the meaning of loneliness through naturalization and privatization. According to the Article, Murakami Haruki and the Naturalization of Modernity, â€Å"Privatization is the process that makes naturalization possible.† (Cassegard 87) The first paragraph of Haruki’s story, The Year of Spaghetti, already shows how alone and private his life it. He says, â€Å"I cooked spaghetti to live, and lived to cook spaghetti.† (pg. 178) It already seems as if his mind is made up for the rest of his life. That he has found his life’s calling to cook spaghetti every day and every night. That is what is natural to him. Naturalization means, â€Å"that one has grown used to an environment that was once shocking.† (Cassegard 83) Nothing really phases him, however, he could not have reached naturalization without having privatization occur first. Privatization is: The process whereby individuals â€Å"become used† to solitude, or—to be more precise—their instinctual needs and fundamental impulses become channeled in such a way that their gratification is made less dependent on relations to other people. The term does not imply that human interaction decreases, but stands for the subjective process whereby such interactions become less important as sources of gratification for individuals. (Cassegard 87) This explains how the protagonist in this story can be conveyed as someone who is lonely, hurt, and avoiding the rest of the world, but could actually just be content with life. Privatization explains that the interactions with other people are not necessarily something he is bad at or is avoiding, but  just has less interest in it. The story then goes on to how the protagonist’s phone rang and how he could barely even recognize the fact that someone was calling him. This was due to the fact that he does not call nor get calls regularly. This is a shock to the protagonist because he was not expecting anyone to call or talk to him. As he answered the phone it was his friend’s ex girlfriend and by the sound of her voice he already knew she needed some kind of help. He then says to himself, â€Å"whatever trouble was brewing I knew I didn’t want to get involved.† (Murakami 180) Before even knowing what the girl’s problem was he already knew he did not want any part of it. This is part of his privatized life. According to Cassegard, â€Å"Their peace of mind is paid for by loneliness.† (pg. 87) Cassegard is trying to say that Murakami’s protagonist likes being alone and therefore, knows, getting involved in any type of way with this girl or anyone else for that matter will interfere with him being alone. He is so use to his everyday life of buying different types of spaghetti every week, cooking it in his, â€Å"huge aluminum cooking pot, big enough to bathe a German shepard in.† (Murakami 178), then eating it all by himself. Perhaps the German shepard is also a symbol of loneliness because this is all he did in 1971. He did it everyday and that is what he sees as normal. He kept his life privatized like this and that is why nothing is a shock to him, because it is natural to him. The protagonist’s tone in the story sounds content with subtle undertones of fear. It is like the spaghetti has some type of deeper meaning in accordance to his loneliness. When explaining how spaghetti is cooked a specific type of way he also mentions more than once how he must eat it alone. He even says he expects to be alone, and him subconsciously thinking people are at his door proves how lonely he really is. The protagonist says: Every time I sat down to a plate of spaghetti- especially on a rainy afternoon- I had the distinct feeling that somebody was about to knock on my door. The person who I imagined was about to visit me was different each time. Sometimes it was a stranger, sometimes someone I knew. Once, it was a girl with slim legs whom I’d dated in high school, and once it was myself, from a few years back, come to pay a visit. Another time, it was none other than William Holden,  with Jennifer Jones on his arm. (Murakami 179) Although he may be content and satisfied with being alone, you can still tell how lonely he really is by his actions. Whenever, he eats spaghetti alone he imagines people coming to visit. He especially imagines people up when it is a rainy day. The rain symbolizes the mood of sadness and loneliness, therefore, especially on rainy days he would doze off. The protagonist in the story shows his loneliness because he has to daydream of random people that are visiting him but do not actually come inside. According to Cassegard, â€Å"Few things are as striking in the protagonists of Murakami as their loneliness, even when they are with other people.† (p. 83) Cassegard is saying that Murakami’s protagonists are always perceived to be lonely even when interacting with others. For example, when the protagonist in The Year of Spaghetti is talking to the girl on the phone, he makes up a lie so that he can hang up with her because he does not want to speak or help her with her problem of needing to contact her ex boyfriend, the protagonist’s friend because he owes her a sum of money. He is not happy to have a phone call because he likes to be alone, so therefore, he lies about cooking spaghetti just to cut the conversation off. After he lies he thinks to himself, â€Å" I lied. I had no idea why I said that. But that lie was already a part of me- so much so that, at that moment at least, it didn’t feel like a lie at all. (Murakami 181) That line can make us idealize the fact that he has been cooking spaghetti for the purpose of a lie that has turned true. Him cooking spaghetti symbolizes his way of privatization. Eating spaghetti provides allusion to the idea of a tangled relationship that he is avoiding with anyone, especially the girl he was speaking on the phone to. His constant rejection to the world has lead him imagining a pot with water, on his stove, and an imaginary match. (Murakami) This collectively provides the constant isolated relationship between him and his world. Murakami is a different kind of Japanese writer. He adapted his writing style from the Western side. DiConsiglo says, â€Å"Growing up, he dreamed of America. He read American detective novels, and listened to American music  on the radio. Even the defining moment in his life was distinctly American. At age 29, while watching a baseball game, he suddenly realized he wanted to be a writer.† (pg. 1) Murakami then says, Writing in Japan for Japanese people is in a particular style, very stiff. If you are a Japanese novelist you have to write that way, Murakami has said. But I am different in my style. I guess Im seeking a new style for Japanese readership, and I think I have gained ground. Things are changing now. (DiConsiglio) Murakami was always teased for the way he writes. He was a disgrace to the older Japanese people because of the way he wrote. Japanese people would tease Americans and call them names like batakusai, which literally means, â€Å"stinking of butter.† (DiConsiglio 1) Murakami has been different from everyone else as he group up because of his interests and that is possibly why his characters in the stories he writes are so lonely, privatized, but also natural. His characters in the stories never seem to be shocked by anything because they accept everything as they are. They do not have any desire to figure out or question why certain things are the way they are. The characters just exist neither happy nor sad. And that is how the protagonist in Murakami’s story The Year of Spaghetti is like. His character shows not much emotion to anything else except his love for spaghetti and his few day dreams of random imaginary people. That is really lonely but does not seem to shock the protagonist nor phase him, because as said, t hat is what is natural to him. (DiConsiglio) In conclusion, the point of view narration has emphasized the point that gives his stories uniqueness and relatable aesthetic. It’s tone helps a reader to understand the author and protagonist’s ideas of privatization from the world that became natural to him. It is only then the symbolism of spaghetti provides a greater and deeper meaning to why the protagonist acts in the certain way that he does- a privatized and natural life. Works Cited Cassegard, Carl. Murakami Haruki And The Naturalization Of Modernity. International Journal Of Japanese Sociology 10.1 (2001): 80-92. Academic Search Premier. Web. 25 Sept. 2014. DiConsiglio, John. Haruki Murakami Stinks. Literary Cavalcade 51.4 (1999): 15. Academic Search Premier. Web. 25 Sept. 2014. Murakami, Haruki. The Year of Spaghetti. (2005): 178-83. Web.

Influence of Banks on the Economy and Finance Sector

Influence of Banks on the Economy and Finance Sector 1. Introduction Fundamentally, banking is a process that help the people to solve the problem in financial, for instance DBS. The term â€Å"finance† sector is the regulatory framework that permit transactions to be made by incurring and settling debts (Parkin, 2014). Banking and finance means a lot in Singapore economy as it helps the Singapore economy to growth gradually over the last one and a half decades. Besides, the economy of Singapore become the strongest among the Asian (Top 10 most competitive economies in Asia-Pacific | World Economic Forum, 2015). Most of the bank are earning profit by charging interest on money that the bank lend and by trading financial instruments in the financial markets (Risksandrewards.org.uk, 2015). Thus, almost every bank is seeking the rich person and give them the best offer and try to persuade them to save the money in their bank. 2. Contribution to the national economy 2.1 Job Market Basically, job market implies the employer looking for employee and the employee that is looking for jobs. Whether the job market grow or shrink, it is depends on the labour demand and supply within the long-term economy. (Investopedia, 2010). Job market has help Singapore economy, according to Ministry of Manpower report, the jobs that available has risen to 67,400 and it is the highest level in six years (Stats.mom.gov.sg, 2015). The jobs help the citizens and foreign workers to get the job more easily in Singapore, thus, the unemployment rate also has been decreased steadily (Channel NewsAsia, 2015). Moreover, the banking and finance sector help the SMEs with provide loan as much as possible and once the SMEs expanded their business and it will let the Singapore economy become more stable. 2.2 Local Financial institution investing offshores projects The primary transaction of local financial institution is dealing with financial transaction, for example, deposits, loans and investments. Practically, everybody has deal with financial institution all the time. Everything from keeping cash to taking out loans and exchange currencies must be done through financial institutions (Investopedia, 2006). Singapore have to build up the local financial institution so that Singapore itself able to invest the offshore project. Thus, the economy of Singapore will go steadily. Singapore has to use it advantage which is longstanding position as a main trading hub in the Southeast Asia, so that Singapore allow to proceed with the projects. The strategy which Singapore used has promote and develop the strategy to let Singapore to become offshore trading hub for the import and export for the foreign currency. By that time, Singapore foreign exchange market has been inseparable. Thusly the banking and finance service sector has been becoming emphati cally as the year goes through with the enormous economic growth that the Singapore is encountering. Growth in the foreign exchange market has surpass the economy in Singapore and it served to create a lot of worldwide banking institutions. For instance, Singapore leading the global marine and offshore engineering market (Singapore Economic Development Board Investing Business in Singapore, 2015). 2.3 Financing SME SME is extremely important to the Singapore economy said by Finance Minister Tharman (Channel NewsAsia, 2015). The Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) announced a series of measures to enhance support for SME to restructure and achieve quality growth. Furthermore, the government will enhance support the SME in the areas of productivity, innovation and capabilities upgrading in order to boost their capabilities and remain the competency between the SME (Mti.gov.sg, 2015). In additional, SMEs are important to economy of Singapore as they make up 99% enterprises, said by MR Tan Ser Luck. As Singapore is a small domestic market, so the SMEs need to take risk abroad relatively in the development in order to grow and there are approximately 74% of the SMEs export the goods and services (News.gov.sg, 2015). 3. Challenge facing by this sectors in present and future 3.1 Government regulation and deregulation Government regulation which means that the law that pass down from government is to control business in order to protect the consumers interest and government institute regulatory law. In contrast, deregulation means government rules and law is removed (Everyday Life Global Post, 2015). There are a ton of regulation that they have to follow all together for the sector to growth in the economy. Without inputting the regulation to sectors, most of the consumer will not be protected if the business has an unscrupulous activity. Banking and finance services sector will face challenges if deregulation happen and it will wind up have confusion in the economy. To keep chaos from occuring in the Singapore economy, it is a difficulties for the government to turn out with the laws and laws for this sector. 3.2 Shortage of skill talent Deficiency of skill talent defined as there is not enough of skill and talented people to help the firm to gain profit by using less employee making more yield. According to the secondary data, runs a business effectively, almost 45% of employers believe that if want a business runs effectively, the skilled talent deficiency is the potential people. Hays done a surveyed of the bosses represent to the employees and it had also figured out that banking and finance services sector is one of the troublesome expert to hire the employees (Hays.com.sg, 2015). According to Hays deficiency of skilled talent may influence the operation and growth of the association. This has additionally indicate the employers in the association to be inventive to attract more employees in this divisions. 3.3 Cyber-crime Basically, Cyber-crime are people utilizing distinctive sort of electronic devices to admonish, affront or login to unauthorised system to abuse the information without authority permission. In Singapore, cyber-crime is one of the difficulties confronting by the banking and finance service division in light of the fact that annual crime brief in 2014 cyber-crime exercises has increment by 1149 cases to make an aggregate of 1659 cases. By contrast, with year 2013 which just have 510 cases. In this cyber-crime it also incorporate crime cyber-extortion, web adoration trick are some of the fabulous crime that are hard to control that why this is one of the difficulties that is face by banking and financial service sector as all this cyber-crime include huge measure of cash being scam (SPF, 2015). 4. Strategic planning by this sectors in the present and future 4.1 Training and Education Due to the shortage of skill and talented employee, training and education is the best planning. The employer send the underperformance employees for training in order to upgrade themselves and learn to be more skilful at the same time while education is send the employees to advance study to gain more knowledge and get a better and higher qualification so can get the banking and finance job. In the banking and finance sector, it required extensive knowledge and skilled so that can produce the good work easily. Banking and finance are very competency as this sector get the very high salary and that’s why government always encourage the firm to send their employees for training to let them be more professional so that it can build up the national economy in Singapore. 4.2 Security and Regulation Security and Regulation is a certificate and all the rules and regulation of the company are stated in the certificate. Singapore government has created the security and regulation in order to preserve the economy and the external intimidation to come into Singapore (Acharya, 2008). Furthermore, security and regulation can preserve the national interest. Therefore, every single rules and regulation has a huge impact for every country and the government have to set it carefully. 5. Conclusion Banking and finance is essential to every country as it will impact the economy of the country. In Singapore, Monetary Authority of Singapore support this sector by setting rules and regulations to supervise the financial institutions. The purpose is to make sure every financial institution abide rules and regulations and hope that this banking and finance sector will create more jobs for and build the Singapore economy stable and better, and have a bright future.

Outdoor Play and Learning | Analysis

Outdoor Play and Learning | Analysis Discuss with reference to curriculum documentation and relevant research literature the importance of effective provision and planning for outdoor play and exploration in UK early years settings. In this assignment I am going to look at why it is relevant for effective provision and planning for the outdoor environment in the early years in the UK. Outdoor play is a vital element of young childrens physical, social and emotional development. Play is a young childs activity for learning. Therefore making the most of outdoor play is essential, providing plenty of experiences in a varied manner for children, early years settings are in a unique position to offer these, fully integrated with the indoors. The four aspects of Birth to Three Matters Framework include examples of experiences that very young children should have both indoors and outdoors. Similarly, the curriculum guidance for the foundation stage includes many ideas for taking learning outside. All six areas of learning can be effectively promoted, from the earliest stepping stones through to the early learning goals at the end of foundation stage. The statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation stage: setting and standards for learning, development and care for children from birth to five. (DCSF 2008) states the following in relation to the outdoor environment; ‘Wherever possible, there should be access to an outdoor play area and this is the expected norm for providers. ‘The indoor and outdoor environments (should be linked) so that children can move freely between them. ‘A rich and varied environment supports childrens learning and development. It gives them the confidence to explore and learn in secure and safe yet challenging, indoor and outdoor spaces. ‘Children must have opportunities play indoors and outdoors. All early year providers must have access to an outdoor play area which can benefit the children. If the setting does not have direct access to an outdoor play area they must make arrangements for daily opportunities for outdoor play in an appropriate nearby location. ‘Being outdoors has a positive impact on childrens sense of well-being and helps all aspects of childrens development. (See EYFS Statutory Framework (p.35 and 37); EYFS Practice Guidance (p.7) and ‘Principles into Practice card 3.3: Enabling Environments- the Learning Environment). The EYFS statutory framework for the EYFS is put in place so that every child in a setting environment has the best possible experience of the outdoors, as so much learning and development goes on within the outdoors and to cover the six early learning goals. The outdoors offers a unique environment, which is very different from the indoors. It offers space and freedom to try things out, to explore and experiment without the constraints associated with an indoor environment (Tovey 2007). Some opportunities for learning can only happen outside. The experience of a change in the weather, finding insects, making a large scale construction/painting all of these motivate children into mental and physical engagement, and can only be done outside. In fact all learning goals can be achieved outside while the childrens health and well-being are also being boosted. Outside children can run fast, shout and squeal and find out what their bodies and voices can really do (Ouvry, 2008). The space is more open, less confided and the greater space; the more unrestricted the movement possibilities. Indoors is a space where adults are in control, but outdoors as fewer restrictions, where children can escape the controlling eyes of adults (Stephenson 2002). The four main thinkers of early childhood towards the curriculum, advocating outdoor provision as essential for childrens learning and development are; Friedrich Froebel , Margaret McMillan ,Susan Issacs and Maria Montessori. â€Å"These four all held the view that the young child is first and foremost a whole person, with thoughts, feelings and imagination that need to be cared for and cherished† (Curtis 1986. P.5).They all believed in a child centred approach and free-flow play. Young children are motivated and wish to learn, they dont have to be sat at a table quietly (Curtis 1986). Friedrich Froebel argued that play was a serious and significant activity for the young child. David Cohen (1987) suggests that Froebel was the first educator to use childrens play for practical purposes. In order to help children learn through play Froebel devised series of playthings and games (Bruce 1991). As Curtis (1986 p.6) points out, he used the ‘timeless playthings of childhood in his curriculum. ‘Balls, boards, sand, clay, for example, have made up childrens play throughout the ages. The role of the adult is crucial in Froebels approach to play. Cohen however doesnt agree that children should learn particular things, as that would be to advocate play as preparation for life. Froebel valued play because it helped children to make meaning, and as Janet Moyles (1989 p.168) points out the importance of adults and children being ‘equal partners in play, as in conversation (Bruce 1991). Janet Moyles (1989, p.24) points out that Froebel pioneered the theory of firsthand experience as the basis of play, but this was entirely different to that, Seguin (1812-1880), who developed learning though the senses for disabled children. This curriculum was aimed towards a particular direction. However, Froebels approach to play was targeted at all childrens needs, rather than Seguin, who concentrated on disadvantaged children (Bruce 1991). As Yvonne Conolly (1983) points out (OMEP), ‘A good Curriculum is a good curriculum for all (in Bruce, 1987, Ch.9). Margaret McMillan, pioneer of nursery education campaigned for an education centred on the garden. She was the first person to model a nursery with children flowing freely between the inside and outside environment she quoted; ‘The best classroom and the richest cupboard is roofed by the sky. She put so much emphasis on the outdoor environment that it has been recognised by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority in its good practice guidelines for the early learning goals, which repeatedly stress those young children, should have access to a well-planned outdoors (Ouvry 2008). McMillan expanded on the ideas of Froebel, to see children playing as the integrated activity. It was through the garden that we see her begin to develop the free-flow play side of the curriculum. It is interesting to see that for Froebel, McMillan and Issacs, it was the childs free play in the outdoors that led to their greatest contributions to the early childhood educational curriculum (Bruce 1991). Issacs valued free-flow play because it gave children freedom in their actions, thoughts and emotional expression. Issacs further stressed that play also meets the emotional needs of a child, as they express all emotional during play (Bruce 1991). Montessori, who was also a pioneer for education, she thought it was an insult to children to suggest they should play. Montessori provided children with specific sense training apparatus which she expected them to use in an exact manner within the classroom, whereas McMillan believed children gained better sensory experience by playing in the garden (Bruce, 1991). Surely if practitioners are planning and setting up the activities that a child plays outdoors it is not really the childs freedom of choice, in a way it is still like the Montessori approach. Both Sylva and Bruner argued, in the 1980s, that structure is a characteristic of materials and activities themselves. Structured activities such as construction are the most challenging and unstructured materials, such as sand and water, and open ended resources, outdoors lack any clear goal structure and, therefore, do not challenge childrens minds (Bruner 1980; Sylva et al 1980). Ouvry (2008) suggests making the most out of the outdoor area is also important, so that the children in that setting have the best opportunities possible and the changing of resources provided should be different daily. Also, it is important that the children have the opportunity to explore different resources and not stick with their favourite all the time i.e. bicycles. So Bruner and Sylvas research isnt very clear as all settings have a number of different opportunities for children to do in the outdoors environment, structured and unstructured. Children learn from them all in different ways and they are all targeting the six areas of learning. Piaget saw movement and physical development as the provision for higher levels of thinking. However Smith (p.68) argues this point and believes ‘it is stillness we have to justify, not movement. Early Years children cant be sat down all day they need freedom to express themselves and explore their environment in order to learn new things, sitting down is going to make them more likely to disengage with what is going on. If movement is such an important aspect of a childs development, access to outdoor space must be part of a daily routine in order to nurture this mind-body growth. ‘Children want space at all ages. But from the age of one to seven, space, that is ample space, almost as much wanted as food and air. To move, to run, to find things out by new movement, to feel ones life in every limb, that is the life of early childhood. So said Margaret McMillan (1930) Childrens entitlement to high quality outdoor play experiences is strongly supported throughout the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) Framework and early years providers have a statutory duty to facilitate daily outdoor opportunities all year round for the children in their care. (See EYFS Statutory Framework (p.35 and 37); EYFS Practice Guidance (p.7) and ‘Principles into Practice card 3.3: Enabling Environments- the Learning Environment). When children are denied adequate space they often feel desperately frustrated and this can lead to uncooperative behaviour. Research has shown that in environments that enable children to move about, to collaborate with others and take frequent breaks during calm activities, the behaviour of children who have a tendency to lose their temper or get over excited is less disturbing (Berk, l. E and Winsler, A 1995). This therefore shows that the tendency for children to shout and squeal and run around and be very ‘hyperactive is taken outside there that type of behaviour is accessible (Ouvry 2008). Ouvry (2008) states that boys brains mature in a different sequence to those of girls and in some areas, at a slower rate. Boys first develop the parts of the brain for knowing about movement and space in which they have to move themselves and other things. Other areas of the curriculum then arise meaningfully out of play. Girls, stereotypically like playing imaginatively in the home corner and working with and alongside adults. Girls come to an understanding of adult world through domestic play and talk; they use reading and writing in their play because their brains are more developed for language at the three to five year old stage. The whole emphasis on activities that focus on children who are good at talking, fitting in, quick at learning and understanding other peoples intentions. Boys can tend to feel uncomfortable because they tend to feel more secure in the outdoor environment, where they can be themselves and still learn from their experiences just in a different manner. By the setting giving less attention to the outdoors environment and quality of outdoor play, they may be denying access to education to a significant number of boys (Bilton, H. 1998). The outdoor space must be viewed as an essential teaching and learning environment which is linked with the learning that goes on inside, but with even greater status because it allows for children to learn through movement. If we believe that young children learn through play and that play is thought in action- then offering children a playing space outdoors would seem the most effective means to fulfil their need to play, learning through first hand experiences and cooperate with others, that also cover the six main learning goals (Ouvry. 2008). Despite the much higher profile given to outdoor play in recent years with the introduction of the Curriculum Guidance for the foundation stage (QCA 2000), there is still evidence that the ‘purpose and value of outdoor play is not well understood'(Tovey. 2007). Many practitioners have an unconscious belief that effective learning only happens when children are still, quiet and calm, with a pencil and paper at hand and with a teacher nearby to offer instruction. The idea that when children are physically active, many people believe they cant be learning anything to do with the curriculum (Ouvry 2008). But then what about forest schools, they are based outside all of the time and are still based on the curriculum and the learning intentions are still met and this is all due to planning for the six areas of learning. It is certainly true that if the outdoors is not well planned and the setting does not have clear aims for the childrens learning outside, then practitioners may find it difficult to see any worthwhile learning going on outside. This is however true when considering any environment for young children inside or outside. Without clarity of aims and learning intentions for children in play situations, it is impossible to know what to look for when observing the children or to know how to further the childrens learning. Structuring the environment and supporting childrens learning is as important outside as in (Ouvry 2008). The key person working with a four-year-old child may have observed on several occasions that the child is rather unsteady when moving around the outside area. The practitioner then plans to build an obstacle course to give the child lots of opportunities to use a wide range of physical movements. These then support the planning for enhanced provision. In many cases, this planned adjustment and enrichment of some aspect of the settings provision will also be relevant to other children in a group. Many of the other children in the group will enjoy helping to build and develop the obstacle course and will join the focus child in actively using and enjoying the challenges it offers. ‘The right of the child to rest and leisure and engage in play and recreational activities appropriate to the age of the child and to participate freely in cultural life and arts. (UNICEF 1989). There are constraints and fears that limit childrens opportunities for play particularly outdoors, deprive children of essential childhood experiences and opportunities- opportunities to develop friendships and to make relationships, to experience all emotions, to take risks, have adventures and misadventures, to have contact with nature and the environment (Casey, T. 2007). Children need to climb, run, jump, an bash balls against walls (Lewis Howdle, lecture, RIHE,1980). http://nationalstrategies.standards.dcsf.gov.uk/node/83976 http://www3.hants.gov.uk/childrens-services/childcare/providers/childcarepublications/horizons/horizons-issue-16/outdoor-learning-and-the-eyfs.htm http://nationalstrategies.standards.dcsf.gov.uk/node/151379 http://nationalstrategies.standards.dcsf.gov.uk/node/132681 http://www.teachingexpertise.com/articles/planning-quality-provision-early-years-5276

Essay --

Text A is a comic strip entitled â€Å"CATHY†, created by Cathy Guisewite and published in 1986. The text talks about gender stereotypes and the fact that people become ignorant when it comes to gender. Text B is an extract from a memoir by Shusha Guppy, â€Å"The Blindfold Horse, Memories of a Persian Childhood†, and is published in 1988. This text is about gender inequality but as well refers to destiny and determinism vs. free will. Both texts deal with the common theme of gender stereotypes, but each one approaches the theme from a different point of view. The comic mainly focuses on the physical and behavioral characteristics that identify each gender, whether the extract focuses on gender stereotypes from a different view, gender inequality, and also talks about determinism and destiny in life. In Text A, Cathy supports her ideas with a series of sketches and the use of visual images by adding facial expressions to the characters. In contrast, Text B has a more na rrative style and passes the message to the audience without the use of direct images. A similarity between the two texts is the date of publication and thus the reader can understand that they have a similar contextual background. However text B, as an extract from a memoir, talks about events that occurred years before the publication. ​Text A has the purpose of showing how people viewed specific characteristics as masculine or feminine and sensitizes people that sex stereotyping is compulsory. From the first image we can see that the mother of the baby is not saying yet the baby’s sex in order for it to have the ability to meet people, continue living free, away from stereotypical characteristics that may affect its life. The reaction of the nurse, â€Å"I’ll bet it’s a boy†, r... ...traditional Persian ways and shows that the narrator stands up for the sex equality. The veil is also literally used as a symbol to hide women’s beauty and highlight their feeling of being less towards the society. At both texts there has been carefully selected word choice to relay the message. This word choice is basically feminized for the description of the women and hence, we can understand that both writers are feminists and they have the similar target audience. To conclude, women nowadays have a more advanced and sophisticated role in society although the sex stereotypes continue to exist and societies’ attitudes change towards gender roles. The contrast between a comic with an extract from a memoir which share a common theme, provides us with information about the different attitudes that cultures have towards gender stereotypes and especially towards women.

Public Schools in America :: Argumentative Persuasive Essays Education

Public Schools in America To respond to the statement made by Kozol regarding the nature of public school in America, one must consider the question of what exactly education is for in this country; what is it's purpose. I believe that education is used to produce what Kozol refers to as "good citizens:" "defeated, unprovocative" people that will fill the necessary jobs, pay the necessary taxes, and perform all the other duties put forth by the government such as voting and jury duty. This is why the situation in America's public schools has not changed since the time Kozol wrote The Night Is Dark..., and why things will probably not change without a revolution within the public school system. For my part, I do not think that schools are the places for children to learn morals and ethics. I believe that those are things someone must learn on their own. The method of authority, described by Charles Peirce in his writings, has no place in the formation of anyone's beliefs. Beliefs are totally subjective--that is, there are no "right," or "wrong" beliefs to hold. Therefore, why should the teaching of morals and ethics, which fall into the category of beliefs, be condoned. According to Kozol, "the first act of an ethical child... might well be to start the demolition of a manifestly anti-ethical structure like a public school," and "no institution goes about the conscious task of subsidizing it's own demolition." If public schools are inherently unethical, why would we want them teaching America's children ethics? The answer, of course, is that we would not want them to. If, for arguments sake, the schools were ethical, then teaching ethics to children would not result in "it's own demolition," just a change in how it teaches. Obviously, though, to change the way the public schools teach, the people in power, who currently run the schools, must be removed. They are the ones who will not "subsidize" their own demolition. One of the problems with America's public school system, as well as democracy, is human nature. Once someone is in a position of power, they generally do not want to leave, even if their act of staying is detrimental to the organization they are involved in. The problem of the "lack of morals and ethics" in this country is a large one, however, and is continually growing. It is understandable that some, or maybe a majority of the people, look at the state of the country, and think that reform of the public schools is the answer.

Induction Theory Essay

Karl popper made his contribution on the induction theory in Vienna during the period of Logical Positivism despite the fact that he was not a Positivist. Before Popper’s contribution, Hume, another philosopher had already critised the theory of induction saying that the theory could not provide rational support for their conclusion (Karl, Raimund P. , 2002). His argument was based on assumption that induction assumes unobserved events which follow the pattern of observed events and ultimately it could not be logically justified whether it was deductible or in-deductible(Nelson, 1992). Hume justified that the theory of induction does not hold since it’s not logically true (Marc, 2000). Later Karl Popper supported Hume’s opinion on induction theory by fact that it could not give amicable solution but disagreed with Hume’s suggestion that science yield no knowledge of the nature of the world. On Popper’s side, he strongly felt that induction theory can be replaced by the principle of conjecture and refutation. On the experimentation of conjecture, it’s not possible to give positive inductive reasons for thinking that they are true while we can give justification of thinking that they are false. To experiment this scenario we take Poppers deductive method of conjecture and refutation principle together with induction principle to test scientific hypothesis. We can determine the expected results if the hypothesis is true, we can say the hypothesis is inductively confirmed if our observation agrees with our expectation while using induction theory. Such criteria of reasoning is not deductively correct, hence as an inductive argument, it faces the problem of induction. It therefore provides a convectional justification that ‘H’ is true. And, given this and the truth of the first premise, ‘0’ would follow. But ‘0’contradicts ‘not 0’which is asserted by second premise. From the hypothesis we can conclude that its not possible for premises to be true and conclusion be false. Popper’s method of conjecture and refutation provide us with the global knowledge to avoid the problem of induction. Karl Popper also asserted that there is no rational method that can be used to evaluate scientist’s justification about the hypothesis, further, there is no sufficient and appropriate evidence that can inductively confirm the hypothesis, that it can give us a positive reason to think that our hypothesis are true. Popper Karl contributed too in improving the meaning theory by providing an alternative solution to positivist verification which sorted out the demarcation issues (Nelson, 1992). Before the invention of Positivist verification there was a major problem in differeciating legitimate scientific inquiry from aspects such as religion and pseudo science. His methodology of conjecture and refutation still provides another basis for distinguishing ‘science’ from ‘non science’ since it enables us to take a hypothesis to be scientifically investigated if and only it’s falsifiable (Karl, Raimund P. 2002). For a hypothesis to be false we only highlight any likelihood observable conditions under which one can judge to ascertain to be false. To justify that it is false that all crows are black, we must state some realistic observable situations. By so doing we can categorically be certain that it is surely false, in case we observed a white crow. So, the assertion that all crows are black can be scientifically investigated. Also for a claim that opium makes sleep since it has normative virtue. This is a pseudo-scientific explanation since it’s not possible to state any observation for us to ascertain it is false. It will not be realistic and permissible to assume for instance, that the total population in Texas is 50 people (in millions) while in actual sense its 45 million people. The presumption would only be having some degree of truth which could be realistically correct to around 0. 9 percentage of the total population which can be inherited with questionable justice. If for instance to say that Jack is ‘borderline tall’ so that ‘Jack is tall’ is assigned the value 0. , then there could be a necessarily falsehood that ‘Jack is tall but not very tall’ to get a value of 0. 5. The most definite disadvantage for relying on such logistics is that they do not dispense with any sharp transition for they only accommodate very gradual heap to non heap at the very expense of exposing a sharp transition from heap to borderline, and from bounder line to non-heap (Catherine, 1997). This can be illustrated by the problem of higher-order vagueness as below   Its shows from the above scenario that we avoid assigning more precise numerical figures as degree of truth since such assignment will not have any substance either (Karl, Raimund P. , 2002). This is because true statements ought to be somehow differeciated from true statements or to treat them as neither true nor false, and categorize them as those which could become true or false (Marc, 2000). Goodman was for the idea that no answers which neither nor justifies limitations of induction. This is because we can satisfactorily distinguish between deductive and in-deductive. This is what made Goodman make tremendous efforts towards formulating canons off inductive interference which had to emphasize on ‘Emerald1 is green and Emerald 2 is green’. Goodman’s new riddle approach on induction indicates that this is a false step since not all instances are confirmed by their instances. This pioneered the invention of the predicate ‘grue’which is defined as; an object is grue only and if only the object is (1) green, and has been observed before now,or (2),blue, and has been observed before. Such definition gives a clear definition by the condition on when the word ‘grue ‘applies to an object, nevertheless it creates a problem when used inductive argument. If experiment 2000 green emeralds it provides sufficient evidence of believing that both the next emerald to be experimented will definite be green after observation, and that it will be blue, but this is absurd, to this assumption will worsen the scenario because inductive theory has weakness with the word grue and possibly with inductive arguments involving green Grue, if in the first instance presumed to be illegitimate for it makes reference to a particular time and it’s defined by the outcome color of an observation if observed at the moment. This makes it appear to be artificial while in actual sense it natural which makes its use an illegitimate inductive arguments. By defining grue in of two more other predicates that is green and blue which are not very simple and elaborative makes it unusual. Goodman has also highlighted that differences between properties of being grue and green which is dependent for them to be restricted to properties. In analyzing evaluation techniques in Goodman‘s New Riddle of induction he ascertained that the bold techniques are most likely to attain the goal of reliably arriving at the most right answer, while the most skeptical technique does not at all mean that in skeptic there is violation of canon of rationality or may be false to recognize nature uniformity. The theoretic learning analysis wholly concedes to be skeptic regardless the many ravens observed in the past, the next one could be white(Catherine, 1997). The rationality of this is that if all observed ravens are generally black, the skeptic doesn’t answer the question that all ravens will be black. In generalization of emeralds where green and blue colors were used Nelson puzzled about new riddle induction by performing the following experiment: supposing that all the examined emeralds before a particular time y are green, our evidence statements indicates that emerald n is green and so on†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦examining another spices which is less familiar than green it is the predicate ‘blue’ and this could mean that it applies to all items which were examined before y just incase they were green but to other things just incase they are blue. In such scenario the challenge is to we should conjecture that all emeralds are green rather than that all emeralds are grue when we obtain a sample of green emeralds examined before. We can still analyze induction theory in making projections, for instance a natural projection rule which conjectures that all emeralds are green as long as only green emeralds are found, and grue, some rule which keeps projecting the next grue predicate consistency with available evidence (Peter, 2003). The theory of meaning from philosophers’ analysis has been difficult to come up with a very clear definition of meaning theory this has been generally because meaning can only be specified by its wording and syntax. This is because only words or marks put on a paper can generate a meaning. Sentence is a composition of prepositions which indicate satisfactory conditions to make each sentence correct. Aspects such as beliefs, hopes and intention which explain speaker’s nervous system are found in the context of language.

Company Comparison: Raytheon (Rtn) and Textron (Txt) Essay

Raytheon was founded in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1922, as the American Appliance Company, by Laurence K. Marshall, Vannevar Bush, and Charles G. Smith. Marshall and Bush were engineering students, while Smith was an inventor and scientist, but they were all entrepreneurs. After failures to market an idea for a new refrigerator the trio began to focus on electronics. (Raytheon, Wikipedia.com) An idea that Smith and Bush had worked on years earlier, â€Å"a new kind of gaseous tube that would allow radios for the first time to be plugged into a wall socket and operate on electricity rather than batteries†, would be their new direction. (Raytheon Company, fundinginguniverse.com) After acquiring a patent for the idea and because an Indian company already had rights to the name American Appliance Company, Raytheon Manufacturing Company was born. (Raytheon Company, fundinginguniverse.com) The consumer demand for electronics was booming and the new radio-receiver power supply (gaseous rectifier), which immediately allow radios to be in every household for pennies of what it cost to continuously replace batteries. (History, Raytheon.com) As the competition for radio-receiving tubes began to intensify Raytheon, mainly Laurence K, Marshall, saw the need to diversify. (Raytheon Company, fundinginguniverse.com) Raytheon’s philosophy soon became to acquire companies that could take Raytheon to new heights in the competitive electronics market and to reinvest profits back into the company for research and to development and improve products. They acquired Acme-Delta Company in1933 a producer of transformers, power equipment, and electronic auto parts and Raytheon soon became â€Å"the world’s largest vacuum tube manufacturing companies†. (Raytheon, Wikipedia.com) During World War II Raytheon had the opportunity to help Allied Forces with the mass production of magnetron tubes, which improved the capability of radar to detect enemy planes. As the war ended Raytheon continued to search for acquisition opportunities in an attempt â€Å"to consolidate independent component manufacturers into one company†. (Raytheon Company, fundinginguniverse.com) They acquired Belmont Electronics, who was developing televisions for commercial use, for $4.6 million in 1945 and Russell Electric for $1.1 million later the same year. (Raytheon Company, fundinginguniverse.com) A merger with Submarine Signal Company in 1946 helped Raytheon make it thru tough times after WWII and it â€Å"was decided that Sub-Sig would specialize in sonar devices and that Raytheon would continue to develop new radar systems†. (History, Raytheon.com) The relationships Raytheon developed during WWII helped it grow the company and the productions of magnetron tubes lead them to their next great invention, the ability to use microwaves to cook food. In 1947 Raytheon demonstrated the first microwave, but it was their acquisition in 1965 of Amana Refrigeration, Inc, a manufacturer of refrigerators and air conditioners that made the microwave oven actually affordable and 1967, â€Å"Raytheon introduced the first countertop, domestic 100-volt microwave oven†. (History, Raytheon.com) The microwave brought great profits to Raytheon. This led to acquisitions of many more companies over the next decade. In 1948 Raytheon developed the first missile guidance system â€Å"in which both the radar transmitter and receiver were carried in the nose of the missile itself. (History, Raytheon.com) This lead to Raytheon receiving a contract from the U.S. Army in 1967 to develop its much needed missile defense system, later named the Patriot Missile System. The missile guidance system, much in demand during the Cold War of the 70’s and 80’s and Persian Gulf Wars, became a major part of Raytheon’s business. Raytheon has continued to acquire companies, including Beech Aircraft in 1980 and the defense businesses of Texas Instruments Inc. in 1997, it deems necessary to achieve its goals and expand its business. Raytheon is currently composed of six major business divisions: †¢Integrated Defense Systems  Ã¢â‚¬ ¢Intelligence and Information Systems †¢Missile Systems †¢Network Centric Systems †¢Raytheon Technical Services Company LLC †¢Space and Airborne Systems (wikinvestment.com) Raytheon’s current CEO and Chairman, William H. Swanson, was named CEO in 2004. He graduated from California Polytechnic State University with a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering and acquired his MBA from Golden State University. (Leadership, Raytheon.com) He joined Raytheon in 1972 and held a â€Å"wide range of leadership positions, including manufacturing manager of the company’s Equipment Division, and general manager of Raytheon Electronic Systems† . (William H, Swanson, wikipedia.com) Swanson is the member of numerous military advisory boards and continues Raytheon’s pursuit to be the leading supplier for defense systems and continued innovations. He has continued to acquire companies that will allow Raytheon to achieve its goals more efficiently. Raytheon’s November 4 acquisition of Trusted Computer Solutions (TCS), an industry leader in cross-domain and cyber security software and services, and acquiring Technology Associates Inc, a company that delivers full life-cycle computer engineering to mission-critical programs in the U.S. intelligence community, in October 2010, are examples of Swanson continuing the philosophies of Raytheon’s founders. (Leadership, Raytheon.com) Textron (TXT) Mission statement: â€Å"to be one of the World’s Best Managed companies; Excellent Managers of Shareholder Resources; A Multi-Industry Company with Global Leadership Positions in Each of Our Businesses†. (Textron Inc., fundinguniverse.com) Background and History Textron was founded by Royal Little in 1923, as the Special Yarns Corporation in Boston, Massachusetts and was a textile company. A Harvard Graduate, Royal Little was an outspoken advocate for â€Å"non-related† diversification, so any down turns of one business would have minimal to no affect on other components of the company. (Textron Inc., fundinguniverse.com) With the acquisition of Franklin Process Company, a cotton yarn processing company in 1928, they became the first multi-industry company. (Textron, Wikipedia.com) Changing its name to Atlantic Rayon Corporation during World War II, business flourished from the demand for parachutes. (Company History,Textron.com) Little was extremely hands on and as revenue slowed at the end of WWII he moved to producing lingerie and other consumer goods. (Textron.com) In 1943 the name was changed to Textron and in 1947 it was listed on the New York Stock Exchange. Royal Little was known for hostile takeovers and his â€Å"irrepressible impulses to acquire more companies†. (Textron Inc., fundinguniverse.com) In 1956, in an attempt to balance his own business style, Little hired banker Rupert Thompson. This partnership became known as the first conglomerate. (Textron Inc., fundinguniverse.com) Thompsons’ main objectives, as the director and head of Textron’s non-textile operations and as Little’s successor, were to balance Textrons’ acquisitions and minimize the affects an economic downturn in one portion of company would have on the rest of the company. Thompson believed the company should sell any division of the company at the first sign of adverse performance and this included the selling of Textrons last textile holding, Amerotron, in 1963. (Textron Inc., fundinguniverse.com) Through the 60’s and 70’s Textron made many more acquisitions. Perhaps the most impressive was the purchase of Bell Aircraft Company for $32 million in 1960. Bell was best known for its helicopters, it gave Textron entrance into the aerospace industry, and Bell Aerospace became the name of this Textron division. (Textron, Wikipedia.com) Royal Little also retired at the end of 1960, but with Rupert Thompson taking over Textron continued growth through acquisition. In 1984 Textron acquired Avco Corporation which doubled the size of Textron and in 1992 the acquisition of Cessna Aircraft Company balanced the Bell Aerospace division’s defense-related business activity. Mission statement: â€Å"to be one of the World’s Best Managed companies; Excellent Managers of Shareholder Resources; A Multi-Industry Company with Global Leadership Positions in Each of Our Businesses†. (Textron Inc., fundinguniverse.com) Background and History Textron was founded by Royal Little in 1923, as the Special Yarns Corporation in Boston, Massachusetts and was a textile company. A Harvard Graduate, Royal Little was an outspoken advocate for â€Å"non-related† diversification, so any down turns of one business would have minimal to no affect on other components of the company. (Textron Inc., fundinguniverse.com) With the acquisition of Franklin Process Company, a cotton yarn processing company in 1928, they became the first multi-industry company. (Textron, Wikipedia.com) Changing its name to Atlantic Rayon Corporation during World War II, business flourished from the demand for parachutes. (Company History,Textron.com) Little was extremely hands on and as revenue slowed at the end of WWII he moved to producing lingerie and other consumer goods. (Textron.com) In 1943 the name was changed to Textron and in 1947 it was listed on the New York Stock Exchange. Royal Little was known for hostile takeovers and his â€Å"irrepressible impulses to acquire more companies†. (Textron Inc., fundinguniverse.com) In 1956, in an attempt to balance his own business style, Little hired banker Rupert Thompson. This partnership became known as the first conglomerate. (Textron Inc., fundinguniverse.com) Thompsons’ main objectives, as the director and head of Textron’s non-textile operations and as Little’s successor, were to balance Textrons’ acquisitions and minimize the affects an economic downturn in one portion of company would have on the rest of the company. Thompson believed the company should sell any division of the company at the first sign of adverse performance and this included the selling of Textrons last textile holding, Amerotron, in 1963. (Textron Inc., fundinguniverse.com) Through the 60’s and 70’s Textron made many more acquisitions. Perhaps the most impressive was the purchase of Bell Aircraft Company for $32 million in 1960. Bell was best known for its helicopters, it gave Textron entrance into the aerospace industry, and Bell Aerospace became the name of this Textron division. (Textron, Wikipedia.com) Royal Little also retired at the end of 1960, but with Rupert Thompson taking over Textron continued growth through acquisition. In 1984 Textron acquired Avco Corporation which doubled the size of Textron and in 1992 the acquisition of Cessna Aircraft Company balanced the Bell Aerospace division’s defense-related business activity. (Company History, Textron.com) Textron has been consistent in acquiring companies that offer complementary products, markets, or manufacturing processes and this has allowed them to easily merge their various companies into one large division. Examples of this are their Textron Automotive Company which merged six different automotive businesses and Textron Fastening Systems Inc. which merged five fastening companies. (Company History, Textron.com) Textron currently consist of the following five major business divisions: †¢Cessna (32%)  Ã¢â‚¬ ¢Bell (27%) †¢Textron Systems (18%) †¢Industrial (12%) †¢Finance (11%) (wikinvestment.com) Textron’s current CEO and chairman is Scott C. Donnelly. He has been with Textron since2008 and became CEO in December of 2009. Donnelly, who was formerly the president and CEO for General Electric (GE) Aviation, got his Bachelor of Science degree in electrical and computer engineering from the University of Colorado. (Company History, Textron.com) Donnelly’s’ philosophies are similar to Textron’s past CEO’s as he continues to implement restructuring and new product development. His work with GE Global Research, the world’s largest and most diversified industrial research organization, will help him keep Textron diversified, which was always the goal of the founder.

Comprehensive Mental Health Assessment Essay

I: Identifying Data. Ashley K. is a 23-year old white female who was admitted to Warner Transitional Services on 11/21/12. II: Chief Complaint. â€Å" I am a little anxious and upset right now. IDTC in Lafayette could not do anything for me†. III: Informants. Assessment information was provided by patient. Interview was conducted in a private room along with psychiatrist, and lead clinician. Other sources used for this evaluation included documents from her previous two placements. IV: Reason for Consultation. Client was referred to Warner Transitional Services by Indiana Developmental Training Center of Lafayette. She became a candidate for Warner’s program due to her progression through treatment, improved behaviors, and being able to function at a higher level than most patients at her previous placement. Patient was discharged from state hospital and transferred to facility. Patient will most likely remain at Warner until she can be transitioned into a group home. The treatment team believes that Warner’s program can improve her overall functioning. The team also believes that she can benefit from a more group orientated, and less restrictive environment. V: History of Present Illness. The information obtained in the assessment, and previous records leads me to assume the patient has had a very complex history. Documents obtained paint Ashley as being known for manipulation, and making up stories. During the interview she was often vivid and graphic when she began to describe details. Also, as she told her story redirection was often needed to stay focused on the question discussed. She tends to want to answer questions with questions, and seemed to prefer elaborating on certain topics, rather than progress and complete the interview. Ashley was forthcoming with information stating â€Å" I usually mess up by hurting myself when I talk, or hear from my family†. She then rolled up her shirt and showed me a bunch of superficial cuts on her right arm. Patient seems to be a good story teller, but a poor historian. During the assessment process the treatment team was somewhat confused as to if some of the historical details provided were derived from Ashley herself, previous documents, or family members. VI: Psychiatric History. Ashley has historical diagnoses of PTSD and major depression, made at the age of seven. St. Joseph County DCS became involved with her in 1999 due to substantiated physical abuse by her father. The very next year she was seen in the emergency room for a 25 pound weight loss sustained in one month. At this time Ashley reported sexual abuse by her father. The patient’s father previously had been investigated for molesting a neighbor’s child. As a result, the patient and her siblings were removed from the home, and made wards of the state. At some point they were returned to the home then Ashley’s sisters made allegations that she had been â€Å"humping† them. In 2004 Ashley was once again declared a Child In Need Of Services. Since then, patient behavior has been difficult to manage. She has a documented history of defiance, property destruction, aggression, and self-harm. As a result, Ashley has had multiple psychiatric hospitalizations in various locations throughout the state of Indiana. VII: Medical History. Patient has no known drug allergies, no surgical history, and achieved developmental milestones on time. Patient currently suffers from hypertension, GERD, and obesity. She is prescribed Toprol XL 25mg for HTN, and Zantac 150mg for GERD management. Upon admission she was given a TB skin test, ordered a CBC with diff, CMP, and TSH. All results were unremarkable. Patient is scheduled to have vision testing, and her wisdom teeth removed bilaterally sometime in December 2012. VIII: Social History and Premorbid Personality. As mentioned above the patient experienced significant trauma, and was removed from the home at very early age. Most of her social interactions have been in an institutional setting. Previous records indicate she has a history of poor relationships with peers and staff at various placements. She is described as unable to tolerate having other peers receive attention from staff. When questioned, Ashley admitted that she would physically intrude, make up stories, and fake illnesses so people would pay attention to her. She also admits to belittling, and taking advantage of lower functioning peers while in various placements. A review of education documents show that she has received special education services for many years for a learning disability, and emotional handicap. Ashley stated she graduated from special education classes while at Madison State Hospital, but was often escorted back to unit for being aggressive, and using profanity. Also, while at IDTC-Lafayette she completed the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale III. This yielded a full scale IQ of 69; verbal, 77; and performance,63. The patient has no children, has never been employed, and she verbalized a sexual preference of both men and women. When I asked her about any substance abuse she began to tell stories about eating a half of pound of marijuana, and â€Å"sniffing† crack-cocaine daily. She also stated that she drinks â€Å"a lot†, but she was unable to describe the type of alcohol, or quantify the amount. IX: Family History The patient has two younger sisters, and their whereabouts are unknown at this time. Ashley’s biological parents are reported to have a history of â€Å"significant substance abuse†. Her father has a history of legal issues including charges of molestation, and drug trafficking. Her mother reportedly is a babysitter. In 2010 Ashley’s judge ordered that the family no longer have contact due to constantly attempting to sabotage treatment, telling her not to comply, and making her promises that never materialized. During the interview the patient looked down at the ground as she spoke slowly about her family, and it seemed to be uncomfortable for her. She stated that she has not spoken with, or seen anyone in her family since 2009. X: Mental Status Exam The patient is overweight with light brown hair that was pulled back in a pony tail. She had a bright affect, and was rather intrusive socially. She had no tics or abnormal movements, and made good eye contact. Ashley denied any current suicidal/homicidal ideation, but endorsed psychosis. She stated that she hears, and has visions of a staff from her previous placement during the day and night, but has not seen her as of today. She identified her mood as depressed and agitated due to a new placement. Patient cognitive functioning seemed to be impaired. She was orientated to the month, but thinks it is still 2011. She stated the current president was George Bush, refused to count from five backwards, and did not seem to know the difference between a tomato and apple. She did not appear to give much effort in answering cognitive questions, and told me she has a bad memory. Also, the patient’s insight and judgment appear to be poor at the time of assessment. . X1: Dynamic Formation Ashley has suffered from a lot of trauma due to very early physical, emotional, and sexual abuse. Also, she basically became an adult behind institution walls. Over the last several years she has been in various residential programs, and has struggled with this process. Ashley’s past and present all indicate that she will need psychiatric services for a very long time, possibly the remainder of her life. Hopefully, Warner Transitional Services can and improve her overall functioning, so that she can move on to an independent living program. XII Assets and Strengths/ Holistic Nursing Assessment. Ashley is a healthy young adult with the capacity to change. If somehow over time she can learn to use the services provided to her advantage, she could very well possibly return to the community one day. XIII: Multiaxial Psychiatric Diagnoses. Axis I: Mood Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (296.90) . Rule out PTSD . Intermittent Explosive Disorder (312.34) Axis II: Mild Mental Retardation (317) Axis III: Hypertension, GERD, and Obesity. Axis IV: Placement issues and no family contact per court. Axis V: GAF was 35 upon admission. XIV: Nursing Diagnoses. I: Risk for Violence Self –Directed Or Other-Directed. Diagnosis is related to history of self –harm, aggressive behaviors, cognitive impairment, and emotional problems ( Varcarolis, 2011). Although she has only been at Warner for a week, staff reported that she has attempted to destroy furniture on the unit. Staff also reported that she punched herself in the stomach yesterday while in the cafeteria. II: Ineffective Coping. Diagnosis is related to historically deficient family/peer support system, and poor impulse control (Varcarolis, 2011). Staff on the unit reports that she becomes negative with any re-direction, especially completing morning ADL’s. III: Chronic Low Self-Esteem. This diagnosis is related to her perceived lack of belonging and a history of disturbed relationships with family, peers, and staff in previous placements (Varcarolis, 2011). During her initial psychiatric evaluation she seemed depressed, and did not verbalize anything positive about h erself. XV: Treatment Plan. I: Give routine psychotropic and PRN medications as ordered by DR. Osman. The patient is currently prescribed Lexapro, Lamictal, and Trazodone daily. Vistaril and Haldol were ordered as needed for agitation/anxiety. II: Inform nurses on duty to complete Suicide Assessment Tool daily until patient is able to process off suicide precautions. Physician/APN on-call is to be notified within 30 minutes if patient is placed in a therapeutic physical hold. III: Educate staff about patients Transition Behavioral Support Plan. Encourage staff to use pro-active, encouraging, and preventative strategies while working with patients. Emergency medication and physical restraint are used only if patient become a danger to self/others. IV: Encourage patient to participate in all associated milieu groups while in treatment. Patient can improve her overall independent, social, and coping skills with consistent positive reinforcement. V: Continue with current antihypertensive and GERD medications as ordered by medical physician. Refer patient to physician for issues/problems related to diagnoses of hypertension and GERD. Refer patient to dietitian for weight, and dietary management. References. Varcarolis, E. (2011 – 4th). Manual of Psychiatric Nursing Care Plans. New York: Elsevier/ 9781437717822 American Psychiatric Association DSM-TR (Text Revision) (2000). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Washington, D.C.: American Psychiatric Association