Our Affect on the Enviornment

Semester Draft Kankakee Island â€Å"Here is your country. Cherish these natural wonders, cherish the natural resources, cherish the history and romance as a sacred heritage, for your children and your children's children. Do not let selfish men or greedy Interests skin your country of Its beauty, Its riches or Its romance. † – Theodore Roosevelt. In my own words I think Theodore Roosevelt implies that we need to be grateful for the natural wonders the earth has given us and the history it has behind it, to be considerate ND think about the future generations of the planet.If the ignorance of selfish people destroys your home, do not let them. It is too valuable. Our limitations have escaped us and we are now crossing the threshold of what our Earth can handle. By that I mean we are Impacting and absorbing more than what the Earth can handle: depletion of resources, environmental disasters, ecological instability, and climate change. We need to set ourselves boundaries in order to keep our planet prosperous. Ignorance and the lack of self control are what push our agenda to doomsday on this dutiful planet of ours that much sooner.I think some people Just don't realize the condition our planet is in and think to themselves, â€Å"How does this affect me? Why do I care? I have a house, a Job, I make my own money, and no one pays my bills? ‘ This inconsiderate attitude towards our society Is what will hinder the well being of our planet, country, state, city, down to the individual. This is our home and we need to start treating it how it deserves to be treated. We hurt the environment in more ways than you could possibly imagine. Misguided construction, irrigation and mining can face the natural landscape and disrupt important ecological processes.Aggressive fishing and hunting can deplete entire stocks of species. Human migration can introduce competitors to native food chains. Greed can lead to catastrophic accidents and laziness to environ mentally destructive practice. For example, It's dinnertime but, there's no food in the house, so you get in your car and drive to the grocery store. You walk down the aisles browsing for something to buy. You pick up chicken and a salad, and then return home to enjoy your meal. Consider the ways your simple trip to the racket affected the environment.Driving to and from the store contributed carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. The electricity required to light the store was powered by coal. The salad Ingredients were grown on a farm treated with pesticides. Getting the goods to the store required trucks, trains and more trucks, all of which emitted carbon. This is why I would love to have my own country, where people with the same ideologies can gather and discuss about any problems. Everyone will have a voice. My own country will be secluded. It will be an island not surrounded by any other countries. The island is small compared to other Islands.The weather is tropical like. There are beaches, rainforest's, hills, and volcanoes. The population Is about 10,000 houses have built in solar panels since it's almost always sunny there. Solar panels will be a big commodity in my country. According to Harry T. Roman from Business Source Elite, â€Å"a well designed solar system can last for more than 20 years. It doesn't create any source of pollution, its quiet, and the sun's energy is free of course. † Harnessing the energy of the sun would greatly impact our society and evidently make our lives and the environment better.Every house would have its own little power source instead of a coal powered plant for a whole city. My main focus is energy conservation and the consequences it would have on the environment. Another alternative energy I have in mind is building large underwater turbines that could harness the endless power of waves. Imagine that. It would be like the giant turbines you see in other cities that are wind powered but these are under water. I t could probably be connected to some sort of transformer and from there be transferred to businesses, restaurants, and other public places.We can also use thermal energy since there's a volcano on the island. The Union of Concerned Scientists references indicate that â€Å"below the Earth's crust, there is a layer of hot and molten rock called magma. Heat is continually produced there, mostly from the decay of naturally radioactive materials such as uranium and potassium. The most common current way of capturing the energy from geothermal sources is to tap into naturally occurring â€Å"hydrothermal convection† systems where cooler water seeps into Earth's crust, is heated up, and then rises to the surface.When heated water is forced to the reface, it is a relatively simple matter to capture that steam and use it to drive electric generators. Geothermal power plants drill their own holes into the rock to more effectively capture the steam. † The Union of Concerned Sci entists also states that, â€Å"many regions of the world are already tapping geothermal energy as an affordable and sustainable solution to reducing dependence on fossil fuels, global warming, and public health risks that result from their use.For example, more than 8,900 megawatts (MM) of large, utility-scale geothermal capacity in 24 countries now reduce enough electricity to meet the annual needs of nearly 12 million typical U. S. Households. † Geothermal energy is definitely the way to go. It can produce vast amounts of energy to the whole country in a non-polluting way. Another implement my city will have is composting. Stainlessness's. Com expresses that â€Å"compost is created by the decomposition of organic matter such as yard waste.Compost systems confine compost so that it can receive air and create suitable temperatures for proper decomposition into fertilizer. † It's sort of another way to recycle; putting sack our waste into the Earth in a harmless way t hat promotes the well being of our community. Stainlessness's. Com also implies that compost waste results in â€Å"saving landfill space, saving energy for transporting material, and the creation of a high quality fertilizer at the location where it can be used (thereby again saving energy). In addition, plastic garbage bags are also saved. Our island will not waste any resources if they absolutely cannot be used again. Our island's main economic income, being that it's a tropical island, grows lush vegetation and other crops. Coconut, banana, sugar, bamboo, rice, pineapple, cocoa beans, are the most important crops we grow. It's what we live off of. There is also a fishing company at the island which goes out and gathers only the fish the island needs. They do it once companies are well known in our island mainly for their mutual, social, and economic benefit.Trade is also practiced in some of the villages around the island as well. We also do not grow our crops with pesticides! On the island we are all aware of the devastation and corruption pesticides do. Everything is grown organically and nothing is tampered with. Raucousness's. Org states that â€Å"at the systems level, organic agriculture that builds soil and encourages biodiversity delivers more diverse/profound benefits and ecological services than farming which amounts to ‘agricultural sacrifice areas' divorced from their geological surroundings†, which would be superb for our environment.Mostly everyone travels on bikes or walks being that the country is small. Only some people own cars, and some of those cars are hybrids, which are imported. On our island some resources are abundant. Metals such as, steel, aluminum, copper, etc, are scarce. Importing these goods is vital for building our city structures and public facilities. Most of the houses are built with a combination of bamboo found on the island, clay, some wood, and steel. The AC is powered by our water from the ocean or fro m geothermal power. Land lines are needed also to use phone service.Internet service requires people to go to the highest elevation and is limited due to the higher cost. But steel is required to build some of these utilities so we must import at times. There are various social services and recreation activities to do around the island as well. Some of the social services include: hospitals, police station, a community center, market/ trade center, a community college, and some restaurants. Those are all located in the downtown area, which is small. There are many things to do for recreation on Kankakee Island. Surfing is a big hit on the island.There's also biking riding, going to the beach, fishing, and hiking. People also go on nature walks. They usually go to the rainforest's, meditate, smoke, and connect with nature. The people of Kankakee are very nature oriented and have a strong spiritual connection with nature itself. There are also events celebrating nature. People Join in dance, smoke herb, eat fruits and vegetables, and praise that their island is the way it is: sustainable and peaceful. Kankakee Island was founded by a husband and wife named George Kankakee and Donna Kankakee in the sass's.George and Donna used to live in the crowded city of Los Angles. George was an architect and Donna was an environmental scientists. They had the typical American life but hated the city they lived in. They didn't like the crowdedness and state the city was in (environmentally wise). So George and Donna decided to do something bold in their lives. They wanted to stand for something they and thousands of people believed in. They wanted their own country where it could be sustainable and all the people that lived in their country had the same ideas.So they sold their house, located an island in international waters with some help of peers, and started to look into making it their home and to the home of now 10,000 people come alive. The only way to get to the islan d is by ship or boat so they set course for the island and were at sea for quite some time. They first had to go to the island and spend some time there to see what it was like. They first observed what resources the island had and experimented with these resources to see which can be sustainable.Being that George was an architect and Donna an environmental community. They started doing research and came up with alternative energy systems that would do no harm to the environment and would still be classified as a livable place. After that, they started to gather up materials, team up with colleagues that would help them in exchange to live on the island, and started to build their own community. Word then got out of the island and people with similar backgrounds in science, math, and business asked if they can settle on the island.From there the community started growing and more sophisticated structures and alternative energies were being built. Kankakee Island was now a livable en vironment. To conclude, Kankakee Island will be one of the most diverse places in the world to live. It has many benefits to any individual that has the right state of mind for the environment. Lush fields of vegetables and plenty of fruit grown organically with no pesticides will make any one happy. Alternative resources harvest the purest forms of sustainable energy on Earth.Using solar, geothermal, and water, we can expand our ideas and create a better life for all of us and our planet. We can show off to the rest of the world what a magnificent Job we've done and can serve as an example to some of the countries in need of an environmental safeguard. Humanity and nature can coalesce into one and start working for each other instead of fighting against it. Not Just the island, but also the people itself; 10,000 conscious individuals doing their part in a systemic community. Kankakee Island is the perfect example of the most perfect place to live.

Macbeth Analysis Scene Essay

?Macbeth Analyse- 2. a How does Shakespeare make the extract below from Act 2 Scene 2 dramatic and interesting? â€Å"Quenched them, hath given me fire. † Shakespeare’s using opposites and oxymoronic use of language (paradox) therefore making a contrast of Lady Macbeth’s phrase. He has also showed a comparison of guilt between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth because Lady Macbeth obviously shows that she is not guilty for what she has done but Macbeth does. Again, Shakespeare uses oxymoronic use of language for when Lady Macbeth is speaking; â€Å"live, or die,† and he also makes the last words dramatic, adding tension and seriousness towards what Lady Macbeth is saying. Another way to make the scene interesting and dramatic is adding conflict. Shakespeare does this when Lady Macbeth is saying how she can’t kill Duncan: â€Å"Had he not resembled my father as he slept, I had done’t. † Lady Macbeth is in conflict with herself because she wants to kill Duncan herself but she can’t because he looks too much like her father, meaning that she has a sentimental heart. Shakespeare uses changes in language in this extract because with the arrival of Macbeth and him holding the bloody daggers, the syntax breaks down suggesting confusion and panic. The theme of Macbeth is death, betrayal and things of that sort. The line â€Å"live, or die,† (what Lady Macbeth says) supports the fact that death is a theme of the story and this scene. Also when Lady Macbeth says: â€Å"that which hath made them drunk,† She orally reminds us of her association with the witches in the heath by using the homonym â€Å"which†. When Lady Macbeth says: â€Å"The fatal bellman which gives the stern’st good-night,† Shakespeare is trying to make us realise that when you are asleep you appear to be dead – you look dead – but Duncan will never wake up, because he is actually dead. Shakespeare uses objective correlative use of language when he writes, â€Å"it was the owl that shrieked,† because owls are nocturnal animals and are associated with darkness and full moons and things of that sort. And all these things suggest evil and mysteriousness. Action is also a way Shakespeare makes the scene seem interesting and dramatic. An example is: â€Å"I have done the deed. † Macbeth is telling Lady Macbeth that he has killed Duncan and Shakespeare has made his phrase mono-syllabic, making every word have an impact on what Macbeth has done. To make the scene more interesting and dramatic Shakespeare has showed Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s relationship in different ways. For example, â€Å"Had he not resembled my father as he slept, I had done’t,† this shows that Lady Macbeth has a soft side and that she didn’t have the courage to kill Duncan because he resembled her father. So this is linking with her relationship with Duncan and Macbeth because she wanted to kill Duncan but she couldn’t because of the resemblance and it shows she is not as powerful in her relationship with Macbeth. â€Å"Hark! I laid their daggers ready; he could not miss ‘em,† also shows she carefully planned the plot showing she is in control of her relationship with Macbeth. And she also manipulated and controlled Macbeth into killing Duncan because she physically wasn’t able to; showing her power over Macbeth and their relationship. Also keep in mind that she doesn’t even have Macbeth’s best interests at heart. Shakespeare is uses pretence, â€Å"I am afraid they have awaked†¦ My husband? † meaning Lady Macbeth knows inside that she is scared but she always gives off the impression that she is evil so maybe she is not as powerful as she thinks she is concerning her relationship with Macbeth. She also shows she wants comfort from Macbeth which shows the closeness of their relationship and her vulnerability. â€Å"I heard the owl scream and the crickets cry. Did you not speak,† this is an example of how Shakespeare uses questions to make the scene more interesting because Lady Macbeth sounds panicked and she uses alliteration to add more drama to what she’s saying.

Policy advocacy to fight HIV discrimination and stigma Essay

Policy advocacy to fight HIV discrimination and stigma - Essay Example The HIV/AIDS-related stigma refers to the negative attitudes, prejudice or maltreatment that is directed at HIV infected people. Some of the consequences that are brought about by discrimination include being shunned by relatives and general community. It also takes the form of being maltreated in the healthcare, education institution and lack of rights. The stigma may also result in the psychological damage of the concerned individual. With increased development of drugs that could improve the living condition of people living with HIV, research has shown that stigma is still the single most barriers to the policy actions of governments. It is, therefore, necessary to formulate and implement a policy that would reduce the stigma associated with HIV. Stigma is the main reason why people are afraid to go the health institutions to determine if they are infected or not. One may, therefore, suspect that they are infected but would prefer to stay in denial so that he or she may not be pu blicly humiliated. The fear of the social disgrace from both friends and general society makes the HIV become a killer disease despite the availability of retroviral medicines. It is the view of this paper that effective sex and HIV education policy needs to be established to prevent stigma. This would be a more effective way of preventing the devastation of AIDS epidemic in the USA as it would not only increase awareness of the scourge but equip the young people with skills to provide support to the infected and affected.

Economics Environment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Economics Environment - Essay Example The central bank of the economy takes its part for issuing such government debts by debt selling in the bond market and in the debt market. Generally the financial institutions of the economy buy such government bonds but the individual citizens of the nation are also allowed to buy the bonds and the national savings certificates. However, when the government caries forward a budget deficit plan regarding its public expanses for a very long time period, the total amount of deficit then called as government debt. In this situation some part of spending of the government used for reimbursement of such debts. (Budget Deficit, n.d.). A deficit financing through public borrowing generally leads to increase in aggregate demand in the economy and therefore stimulate the economic activities so as to increase the growth and level of employment in the economy. At the end of the Second World War Britain got relief from the huge deficits of the war. Government expenditure was mobilized to the other sectors of the economy. But with the rise of military expenditure in 1950 in Korea, the UK government had to take a deficit budgetary policy that led the amount of deficit to reach to almost 4 percent of GDP in 1953. With the entering in the period of cold war Britain took the policy of fiscal activism between 1950 and 1960. The amount of deficit fluctuated from 2 to 3 percent of GDP in almost every year up to 1967 when the deficit rouse again to 4 percent of the GDP. The government immediately took fiscal tightening measurements that ultimately resulted in surplus in 1969 and 1970. However, fluctuation inn deficit became ver y apparent after 1970 and in 1973 the deficit again came back to 4 percent of GDP. The situation further eroded when the deficit touched almost 7.3 percent in 1975 with the significant effect of the post war recession. This situation insisted the

ESL Cause and Effect Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

ESL Cause and Effect - Essay Example Those native in a country expect that immigrants should get integrated into the society. One of the ways this is expected to be achieved, is by having those individuals learning the language of the country and with respect to America, students are required to study English (Kessler& Quinn, 1982). Thus it was thought necessary that the way to assimilate different culture is through making English the uniform language of instruction. The assimilationist orientation was institutionalized by reducing public funding to private and church associated schools and banning bilingual programs in public schools. Bilingual textbooks were burnt with teachers were fired, taken to court, and convicted for clearing up concepts in childrens own native languages. Language minority students display low accomplishment in English only classrooms. When compared with the national norms, they are behind in every subject areas. In addition to losing their native languages, these students exhibit low achievement in English only classrooms. When compared with the national norms, they lag behind in all subject areas. A large number of them eventually drop out or are pushed out of school (Kessler& Quinn, 1982). Classrooms are full of students representing diverse cultural, ethnic, and national origins. They speak one of the many different immigrant languages back home, and have diverse religious, socioeconomic, and educational backgrounds. This means that different approaches would be required but this becomes quite difficult. School failure of language minority students is was attributed to childrens supposed inadequate intellectual, cognitive, and linguistic abilities. It was widely believed that knowing two languages resulted in mental confusion, subdued cognitive and academic development, and led to low achievement of language minority students. Another commonly held belief was that some ethnic groups were genetically

Contract Law. Case study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Contract Law. Case study - Essay Example A court of law usually enforces the contract as long the offeree proves that he posted the letter. A relevant case studied is that of:- For the case of Bella, the letter he posted on 25th September 2006, but arrived on 30th September 2006, the contract to purchase the text book became binding immediately he sent the letter of acceptance. It does not matter that the letter was delayed by the post office. On the issue that since the recommended textbook for the course has changed, and Bella does not wish to buy the textbook, this would not apply. Acceptance one made, it cannot be revoked. The moment Bella expressed his acceptance of an offer, that very moment the contract is concluded, and it does not matter whether the acceptance is by word of mouth or even by writing. Another relevant case studied is that of:- G, applied for the purchase of shares in the plaintiff's company. The offer was accepted promptly, and the company secretary made out a letter of allotment in favour of the defendant. It was held that the contract was complete on posting, and the defendant was liable for the shares. On On the case of Chu who accepted Arun's offer by telephone, his contract became complete when the acceptance was heard by Arun on 30th September 2006. According to the law of contract, there is an exception to the communication of acceptance. A contact is complete only when acceptance is actually communicated to the offeror. But a contract made by telephone is complete only when the acceptance is heard by the offeror. For this case, Chu should not revoke the acceptance on the basis that the book will not be useful since it is not recommended text book in his course. An acceptance once made, it cannot be revoked. On the case of Dilma, who accepted the offer by email sent on 27th September 2006 but read by Arun on 28th September 2006, the contract became binding immediately the email of

Review on the film - Cradle Will Rock Movie Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

On the film - Cradle Will Rock - Movie Review Example the movie primarily revolves around the abortive production of a leftist musical, â€Å"The Cradle Will Rock† which was subsequently banned by the House Committee on Un-American Activities, after the WPA cut the musical’s budget. Through a â€Å"mirror in mirror† technique and dramatic turns, the movie continues to focus on the labor unrest, role of arts in reflecting it and the capitalist repression on the leftist labor unrest accusing it as â€Å"un-American activities†. In the movie, when the musical serves as the symbol of the role and reflection of arts during the labor unrest, the HCUA’s ban on the musical is one of the many symbols of the bourgeois repressive reaction to the labor union and unrest. The surprising turn of the movie is that it does not simply recount the Great Depression stories; rather it itself holds a socialist message that workers should be unite themselves against any exploitation. In this message establishes the movie as a link between the past and the present. Again the movie’s most memorable moments such as the character-playwright Marc Blitzstein’s decision to perform on the stage in the face of prohibition and being joined by other casts of the union, the destruction of Diego Rivera’s mural because of the artist’s refusal to remove Lenin’s head earnestly plead a moviegoer to rethink of the boundaries among art, politics and

Women and Politics in the U.S Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Women and Politics in the U.S - Essay Example America is one region which has always been encouraging about the political stance of the Women in politics in the recent times. Political participation of women has increased to a greater level which is very much evident from the positions that women of today hold. There have been totally 39 women in the United States Senate since the establishment of the body in the year 1789. Women’s political journey in America began with the first starting in the year 1922. There have been some struggle in brining women to the political front but now things are completely different from what it was. Today 17 of the 100 senators are women which stand evidence to the growing equality for women in the political front. It is the need of the hour has women have proved to be successful and have a great hold in the political front. The article â€Å"The Domestication of Politics: Women and American Political Society† by Paula Baker brings out the true essence as to women sexuality, mother hood and also their mission. Women had limited social contact and most of their times were spent of taking care of the household needs alone. There was a psychological belief that feminine and timid qualities are attributed to that of corruption rather than anything else. Women had identification only at home, family and then came community and it took them really a long while to come out of it and plunge into politics. As motherly characters, women had the civilized thought and wanted to do good for the public which is one of the contributing factors. Mothers lacked interest in personal gain in general which is a political advantage for women. It is proved that women have a better sense of mission and responsibility which is essential for a political career. It becomes importance to evaluate the stand of women in politics as it is the need of the hour and the gender difference which was in existence and is fading now is a thing to be taken seriously. Un-tapping of the skills and ac hievement of the women in politics is absolutely important as it gives a great boost to the entire political system of America that has fixed its political path in the same level so far. Women have come to be famous in all sphere of life including business and social affairs and it is high time for them to plunge in the political arena too in order to make things better for the nation as a whole.1 Women would exercise all of their loyalties over the party that gave them the position they were yearning for such a long time. Articles claim that women have gained a substantial position in politics of US. This may be true to some extent but the real issue is that they have become better but have not attained the complete equality status as claimed. African Americans who were initially not successful on the political front have come out to be on the political front now. As far as the political frontage for black people is concerned, it seemed quiet blurry in the past but now things have changed to a great extent with the whole of the region accepting it. Though the black men have gained significance, what remains to be known is the position of black women in politics. There have been several cases in the recent times, the involvement shown by the American black women in the political space. Number of voters has also considerably increased in the past few years which are a thing to be encouraged. It is to be noted that the participation and the frontage given to the black women is not as great as it is given to that of the black men. Some articles claim that the black men represent a major portion of the Congress and there are also instances were they encourage the non-Hispanic white women for the black

Child Abuse Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Child Abuse - Term Paper Example In addition, the warning signs of child abuse and neglect would be assessed. A transcript of a child previously abused was examined and briefly presented. Finally, ways of preventing child abuse would be identified to address this dangerous dilemma. Child abuse is defined by the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC 2009) as â€Å"the term used when an adult harms a child or a young person under the age of 18† (par. 1). Medline Plus (2010) includes the phrase â€Å"failing to do something that results in harm to a child or puts a child at risk of harm† (par. 1) in the definition. Child abuse endangers the welfare of children as adults who are expected to give them their much needed protection either deliberately inflicts harm or neglects taking them under their holistic care. Conflicts arise when the interests and rights of people, particularly of children, do not coincide. More importantly, the study of issues on child abuse aims to ensure that their welfare is properly safeguarded against adults who apply power as a way to impose their actions and selfish interest on them. There are several forms of child abuse, to wit: physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse and neglect. Physical abuse entails injuring the child or inflicting physical harm through punishment. Adults may or may not deliberately harm the child but the force of their actions hurt them physically. Most common of the physical abuse uses the belt to punish a child’s wrong doing. Emotional abuse, on the other hand, is not immediately discerned by leaves psychological damage affecting both the child’s mental development and health status. Emotional abuses could take any of the following forms: (1) â€Å"constant belittling, shaming, and humiliating a child; (2) calling names and making negative comparisons to others; (3) telling a child he or she is â€Å"no good," "worthless,"

Intro to Television Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Intro to Television - Assignment Example f the first question which is the scene’s space, it can be considered that most of the scenes in Teen Wolf have an establishing shot that can serve as a focal point of the scene. For example the shot of the jacket of Allison hanging in one of the trees in Derek’s property when Scott turned into a werewolf and thought that Derek has an evil plan for her. Usually the audience would be puzzled at first regarding the shot which is commonly unrelated to the prior scene, so one’s attention would be triggered. For that matter, it serves as a stimulus for the audience to start the scene with heightened and a bit analytic sense. 2. Every initial shot has the purpose of giving focus and even made to create a foreshadowing of the individual scenario. In general, the different shots in almost every scenario express the eerie atmosphere which matches to the concept about how scary a television show about werewolves are. Although the show is exploring the concept of the werewolves, the fact that it explores the life of a teenager or a teen werewolf lightens the mood making the show attract young viewers. Another reason for attracting the younger population is the eerie and fantasy element. 3. The scenes commonly use multiple camera perspectives on the level of a person. The shots are usually dynamic presenting the perspectives of the different characters on the different scenes. The said technique adheres to the 180-degree rule which can give a more active and young atmosphere to the series. The screen direction is not usually maintained but given a two opposing shots most of the time. The viewer is not disoriented because even thought there are short shots in sequence they are very focused. One example if the scene wherein Scott is trying out for the team. There are alternating running and steady scenes which represent the opposing perspectives of Scott against that of his team

The Advantages of Taking Online Classes Compared to Being in a Classroom Essay Example for Free

The Advantages of Taking Online Classes Compared to Being in a Classroom Essay 1. Online Schooling a. Can work at your own pace from home b. Don’t have as many books to deal with c. Will not interfere with work schedule d. Can still travel throughout the year e. Can still communicate with your teacher at anytime f. Don’t have to worry about being late for school 2. Being in a classroom a. Will spend anywhere from two to eight hours in a day in school b. Have to lug big heavy books around from building to building c. You have to juggle your time around school when it comes to work d. Have designated holidays and time off  e. The teacher student ratio can be overwhelming f. Will have to drive to school, find a parking spot and get to class on time While I was trying to decide on my options of going back to school, I weighed the pros and cons of taking classes online versus being in a classroom with my health problems. Depending on what you are going to school for, taking online classes is more beneficial than going to a college classroom. You can get your assignments and work from the comforts of your own home, without worrying about the weather. Whatever books you require for your classes are at home with you to pick up, as you will. You can continue with your full time job and do your online work once you are off from work. You do not have to alter your family life to attend classes because you can do your work from anywhere you can access to a computer. Your teachers are always available to you to discuss your work and you can always reach them either by email or by phone. You do not have to worry about rushing, getting the kids off to the babysitter, or rushing from school to work. When you are in a classroom, again, depending on what you are going for, you can spend as little or as much as two to eight hours a day in a classroom. If you are attending a University, you will have to go from one side of the campus to the other to get to your classes carrying those big heavy books. I have seen many people in the work force having to cut back on their hours at work because they have to put in more time at school, or they have a ton of work to do and they cannot keep up with the flow. Your vacation time is limited to certain times of the year, so if something comes up, you have a lot of protocol to go through to get that time off. I often visited the college campus where my mom worked and I would sometimes sit in on some of the classes as an observer and there would be as many as fifty students in a classroom. Most of the times your teachers are available to you, but once they go home if they do not respond to your email, they will tell you about it in class. If your school is near or far from where you live, it can take as little as twenty minutes to as much as an hour to get to school and back, which in turn can leave you with hardly any time to yourself. Finally, taking an online class gives you the benefit of not having to leave your home to attend a class room. I personally am seeing a tremendous improvement in my household, now that I am home more and I can be here for my kids without trying to work, go to school and maintain my household. On the other hand to some people, being in a classroom can give a better hands on experience in their field of study.

Human memory Essay Example for Free

Human memory Essay The investigation into whether images aid memory recall has been fairly successful. The experimental hypothesis: participants in condition 1(words with images) would perform better than those in condition 2 (words without images), has been rejected therefore the null hypothesis: there will be no difference in condition 1 (involving grid of random words supported by images) and condition 2 (only consisting of random words) has been accepted. Only to some extent from the line graph (Condition 1 vs. Condition 2), can we say condition 1 (words with images) recalled more words than those in condition 2 (words without images) because the line for condition 1 is generally above the line for condition 2 and this fairly supports the experimental hypothesis. The results measured using central tendency and measures of dispersion moderately support the experimental hypothesis. The mean and median for condition 1 (14. 1 14. 5) was greater than of condition 2 (12. 6 13. 5) indicating that there is a better recall when words are companied by visual aid and this supports the experimental hypothesis. The range (11) illustrated that data for both conditions were equally spread out, which does not necessary support the experimental hypothesis. Standard deviation, a more reliable measure of the dispersion than range has shown data in condition 2 (3. 977715704) is slightly more spread out than in condition 1 (3. 604010112). Descriptive statistics (numerical graphical) have illustrated that condition 1 (words with images) performed better and this supports the experimental hypothesis. Not only do the numerical statistics support the hypothesis but the results are fairly pronounced, simply by looking at the line graph (graphical statistics); there is definitely a difference between both conditions although the Mann-Whitney U-test shows this to be below the level of significance. Inferential statistics, which enable us to draw clear conclusions about the likelihood of the hypothesis being true, is evidence for accepting the null hypothesis. The implication of the results measured using a non-parametric method, The Mann-Whitney U-test clearly shows that at the significance level of 0. 05, the results were very likely to have happened by chance. Though the observed value, 35 is greater than the critical value of 23 but only by 10. Comparatively, the findings of this study support previous theory and research but also are contrary to them. Bower, 1972 imagery recall experiment found that participants, who used imagery, recalled 80% of the words compared to only 45% by the non-imagers. In this investigation, participants in condition 1 (words with images) recalled 70. 5% of the words compared to 63% by the non-imagers. My investigation does support Bowers findings, since there is a difference however the differences between the two conditions is not significant. Previous research does suggest that data in STM is stored in an acoustic manner this was demonstrated by Conrad (1964). Illustrating people may not always use visual codes to remember data and this supports the null hypothesis; in addition Baddeleys (1966) study suggests that data is also stored semantically and this again illustrates that people may not always use visual codes. A possible problem with this experiment is the experimental design which lacks ecological validity and also does not account for individual differences. The study used independent groups, which meant it lacked control of participant variable and needed more participants. A matched participant design could have been used instead to deal with participant variables as participants are matched on key variables such as age and memory ability. Another problem of the study was the sample size. The study only used 20 participants, a small sample; therefore findings cannot be generalised to the rest of the population. So, a larger sample size of 50+ would be more representative and can be generalised. In addition, the investigation used opportunity sampling, which is very biased, and again it cannot be generalised. Random sampling would be the best method to select participants since it is potentially unbiased. An additional problem was the images used; some of the images were cartoon images (i. e. bible pizza) and others were actual photographs (real life images, i. e. greenhouse). This may have been a problem since real life images may possibly be easier to remember than cartoon images or vice versa. To resolve such problem, would be by using only cartoon images alone or only real life images. The recall between genders may have wider implications: on the whole men have performed better than women, when studies have shown women should perform better than men. For example; women perform better than men in tasks such as verbal learning remembering tasks, name face association, and first last name associations learning (Larrabee and Crook, 1993). Ideas for a follow up research study is the effects of gender recall and discover if there is a significant effect for the sex of a participant on the types of gender associated images recalled and to compare the effects of visual and semantic codes in depth. There is evidence to illustrate that people do remember more with the aid of visual representation and evidence to illustrate people remember more without any visual representation. This itself suggests people do remember data and information differently (individual differences), i. e. acoustically, semantically. Therefore it is important to recognize these findings as they have strong insinuations for its involvement in everyday life, for example with teaching, revision and marketing. References Bibliography Atkinson, R. C. Shiffrin, R. M. (1968) Human memory: A proposed system and its control processes. In K. W. Spence and J. T. Spence (Eds. ), The psychology of learning and motivation, vol. 8. London: Academic Press Baddeley, A. D. (1966) Encoding in LTM: The influence of acoustic and semantic similarity on long-term memory for word sequences. Quart. J. exp. Psychol. , 18, 302-9 Bahrick, H. P. (1975) The nature of LTM: Fifty years of memory for names and faces: A cross-sectional approach, Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, vol. 104, pp. 54-75

Mental Illness And Social Theory

Mental Illness And Social Theory Throughout history, there have been differing views of how mental illness was thought to occur, and how it should be subsequently treated. For example Greek and Roman philosophers such as Hippocrates and Plato advocated that abnormal behaviour resulted from an internal disease, with Hippocrates believing it was an imbalance of the four humours that were thought to flow through the body (Comer, 2005). As such, physicians of the time treated it accordingly, using a mixture of methods such as bleeding and restraining (Comer, 2005: 8) to more supportive techniques such as calming atmospheres and music. However with the decline of the Roman Empire from roughly 500 A.D., a change in perceptions of abnormal behaviour occurred with religion dominating thought over science. As such, mental illness became viewed as arising through possession of the Devil, with the only cure being an exorcism by clergymen, or beating and starving the individual (Comer, 2005). However it was only around the 1400 s that mental illness became viewed as a sickness within the mind (Comer, 2005: 10), and as such the asylum was created as an institution to care for the mentally ill, and while often a cruel place, it was seen as the establishment charged with caring for those deemed mentally ill (Scull, 2006). Yet the main so called change in reform of the mentally ill was attributed to the work of Tuke and Pinel (Comer, 2005: 11) where instead of promoting treatment involving beatings and restraint, they used methods where the mentally ill were allowed to be unrestrained and encouraged to monitor their own behaviour, in methods known as moral treatment (Scull, 2006: 115). These methods transformed the way mental illness was handled, however, into the 20th century; many of the mentally ill were still being confined to long term stays in asylums (Comer, 2005). While this is a very brief history of mental illness, the changing perceptions of the causes and subsequent treatment of the mentally ill throughout history raises several important issues. Firstly, the definition of mental illness has not remained constant and indeed mental illness itself has been called madness, insanity (Comer, 2005: 10) and in the field of psychology, is studied as abnormal psychology. This raises the second issue, in that mental illness is still defined as something which could be considered deviant or not normal, and as such requires the individual to receive treatment. The field that has been associated and subsequently dominated diagnosis and treatment of mental illness in the 20th century (Summerfield, 2001) is psychiatry. Psychiatry typically draws upon positivist thinking, in that a mental illness is a real and observable phenomenon (Eisenberg, 1988: 2) that must be diagnosed and subsequently treated, with the usual assumption that the illness has manifest ed due to some biological abnormality (Fisher, 2003). However while this view continues to dominate thinking within psychiatry, it can be argued that these concepts of mental illness have been heavily criticised and indeed, the institution of psychiatry itself has also been criticised. Therefore the aims of this essay are to firstly examine the problems of the psychiatric approach and how social theory has provided a useful evaluation of how mental illness, rather than existing as real and observable illnesses which psychiatrists must find and treat, could actually be seen as socially constructed. This will then lead into a discussion of the debates around how useful a social constructionist perspective is, before evaluating the institution of psychiatry as a whole, drawing on the work of Foucault and associated theorists, arguing that the psychiatric institution, instead of being a liberating force for the mentally ill, actually exercises methods of social control. Finally this will allow for an assessment of whether these evaluations are more useful to consider than continuing adopting the dominant positivist methods forwarded by psychiatry. The Problem of Psychiatric Approaches to Mental Illness The current system which psychiatry utilizes in order to define and diagnose mental illness is the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). This manual, currently in its fourth edition lists what it has defined as mental illness onto 5 axes. For example Axis 1 contains all disorders considered to be related to mental health, from mood disorders to sexual disorders with the exception of personality disorders and what is termed mental retardation, which is placed on Axis 2 (Comer, 2005). In addition to this, certain criteria are listed, in order to determine if an individual can be diagnosed with a specific mental illness. For example, depression would be classified as a mood disorder and in order to be diagnosed as having a major depressive episode, an individual would need to exhibit five out of eight symptoms listed persistently for at least two weeks, with one symptom being either depressed mood or loss of interest or pleasure (Davidson and Neale, 2001: 242) While this is a useful approach, should a positivist stance be taken in that mental illness is an observable fact, waiting to be uncovered in an individual (Eisenberg, 1988), it becomes problematic when considering two issues. Firstly what has been defined as mental illness has not remained constant within psychiatry and has also faced criticism over how it is diagnosed, and secondly, the categorisation of an individual as mentally ill can have serious social consequences such as producing stigma (Thornicroft, 2006). In addressing the first issue, at the inception of the DSM in 1952, sixty categories were listed as being mental illnesses, and this number increased to one hundred and forty five illnesses in the second edition in 1968 (Balon, 2008), however it was perhaps in the third edition, published in 1980, where the biggest change occurred. Not only has 230 illnesses been identified and classified as illnesses, but a change occurred in which homosexuality was removed as being a mental disorder after campaigning from Gay activist groups (Silverstein, 2008). However the DSM in its current form continues to cause controversy over classifications, especially with those surrounding sexuality, for example it has been questioned as to whether issues such as female orgasmic disorder or certain fetishes should actually be classified as disorders (Ussher, 1997: 5). Similarly, classifications for diagnosis have also been somewhat vague. For example, while diagnoses for depression typically include a tim eframe in which the symptoms must be present, there is no such temporal criterion for sexual disorders, meaning that diagnosis could be somewhat ambiguous (Balon, 2008: 190). This idea of the DSMs criteria making diagnosis somewhat vague was highlighted in the classic study by Rosenhan (1973) in which eight participants were each sent to twelve different psychiatric hospitals and instructed, at admissions, to say they had been hearing voices, and had heard the words empty, hollow and thud (Rosenhan, 1973: 251). Each participant was subsequently admitted to the respective hospital, and upon admission, apart from general nervousness of their situation, continued to behave normally and told staff they were no longer experiencing any symptoms. Despite this, participants were admitted to the hospitals for periods ranging between 7 and 52 days, and all but one was discharged with the diagnosis Schizophrenia in remission (Rosenhan, 1973: 252). While this study is flawed due to its deception and would not have been ethically allowed in modern times, it did raise some serious issues about psychiatric evaluation and diagnosis, with perhaps one of the most troublin g aspects being that perfectly sane individuals were labelled as schizophrenic, and likely would have been stuck with that label (Rosenhan, 1973: 252). This leads onto the second problem of psychiatric definitions of mental illness, in that individuals become labelled as having an illness, meaning they are more readily seen as deviating from social norms and as such, reactions to the individual with the mental illness change radically (Bowers, 1998:7). This can often produce a stigma of mental illness meaning once individuals are classified as being mentally ill, they may suffer problems with their family and friends or discrimination at work and this can often be fuelled by media interpretations of mental illness (Thornicroft, 2006). For example because a mental illness such as schizophrenia is classified by the DSM as having at least 2 symptoms including hallucinations, delusions disorganised speech etc, for a significant proportion of time for a least a month (Comer, 2005: 360), it becomes simplified by the media as meaning a person with a mental illness will be mad and dangerous (Thornicroft, 2006: 113). Similarly this transfers into the public who are found to have a profound ignorance (Thornicroft, 2006: 231) over what it means to be mentally ill and also problems for mentally ill individuals who are often targets for discrimination and, as such, find their lives change as a result of the label of mentally ill that is imposed upon them. Alternative Methods of Defining Mental Illness Given the problems that appear to arise from the dominant psychiatric methods of defining and diagnosing mental illness, it would seem that alternative methods should be considered as to how mental illness should be viewed. One method is to take the definitions of mental illnesses themselves and determine how they have arisen through discourse and how they can be subsequently viewed as socially constructed (Ussher, 1997, 4). For example, the psychiatric viewpoint of mental illness is framed as objectively diagnosing an individual with a mental illness, which is seen to be real and identifiable. However if a postmodern approach was adopted, which asserts that there are no absolute truths, e.g. a mental illness doesnt just exist, but instead is different interpretations are formed through language (Walker, 2006: 71). This would imply that instead of psychiatry objectively discovering a mental illness within an individual, they have actually created a perspective whereby someone who has a mental illness is ill and deviating form the norm, and as such needs to be diagnosed and treated (Walker, 2006: 72). This social construction of mental illness is done so through the utilization of discourse. In the case of the psychiatric perspective, the view that mental illness is identifiable and diagnosable is taken as truth, with the psychiatrist patient relationship dominated by the psychiatrist who diagnoses the illness and proceeds to medicate the individual (Armstrong, 1994: 19; Walker, 2006: 74). However while the feelings that an individual presents to a psychiatrist may be very real, the associated labels such as schizophrenia or depression only exist as they have been agreed upon as taking a certain meaning through language. This can also be the case in viewing mental illness as a whole; the psychiatric discourse has created these categories of mental illness, which become associated with wholly negative connotations, producing severe consequences for the individual. For example, if Foucauldian discourse perspective is taken, this categorisation would provide a definition of how the individual understands their identity, and perhaps more importantly how others view their identity (Roberts, 2005: 38). However this can also end up becoming their identity. For example, instead of being an individual with schizophrenia, they become schizophrenic and that is their identity. However if the postmodernist perspective of mental illness is followed through, it suggests that mental illness does not actually exist, nor do the labels that follow it, such as schizophrenia or depression. Instead these are just constructions formed by psychiatry to allow them to categorise people as they feel necessary (Walker, 2006: 75). However this also suggests that individuals who experience these symptoms should not merely be categorised as psychiatry dictates, because, as has been discussed previously, this often produces stigma. Instead, by adopting a postmodernist perspective, subjective accounts of individuals experiences should be used to determine how they construct their illness, rather than viewing them as ill patients who are deviating from the norm. For example by allowing individuals who have been diagnosed with, say, depression to construct their own discourse around their experiences, more useful information may be sought about how they feel in relation to this diagnosis and may also help to reduce stigma that is associated by the categorisation process employed by psychiatry. For example a study by LaFrance, (2007) utilized the discourse of women, to examine how they constructed their experiences of depression having received a medical diagnosis of depression. The findings from adopting a discourse analytic approach found that the women, upon receiving a diagnosis of depression often felt relieved as they could then interpret it as its not my fault (LaFrance, 2007: 134), however in relation to more physical illnesses, they felt it was difficult to gain a legitimacy for their pain as the actual illness was not readily observable what I wish we could do is like stick a thermometer in your ear and check your serotonin level (La France, 2007: 134). By allowing individuals who are diagnosed with depression to discuss more openly their experiences of having being labelled as such, it can allow for a reinterpretation of what these illnesses are. Rather than being objectively defined as a pathological entity within the body, using a postmodernist perspective utilizing discourse, mental illness can be viewed from the perspective of the individuals experiences of the pain, illness and distress (LaFrance, 2007: 137) they encounter. This allows for a removal of mere categorisation and may also help to minimize stigma. However it should also be noted that while taking a postmodern perspective by deconstructing the labels of mental illness could be useful in providing more insight into individuals experiences and as such, minimise stigma, it can have limitations. For example as Ussher (1997) notes, if you take an extreme deconstructionist perspective, a situation is created whereby nothing is real, everything is just a social label; an invention of those in power (Ussher, 1997: 5). This could have consequences, in that there are no longer categories which define a sexual problem or a crime, as they merely become constructions of language. If this argument was followed through, it would mean that issues such as paedophilia would be justified as there would no longer be any reason to warrant criminalising sexual acts with children (Ussher, 1997: 6) and this is clearly wrong. However if a certain level of deconstruction is acknowledged, as mentioned above, it could be useful in creating a shift away fr om the dominant psychiatric view of an objective diagnosis and labelling system of mental illness. The Continuing Dominance of Psychiatry Social Control of Psychiatry It has been outlined above that drawing on a postmodern perspective of utilizing discourse to deconstruct categories of mental illness forwarded by psychiatry could be useful, particularly in gaining insight into those who experience mental illness and also using that to help reduce the stigma which evolves from labelling and categorising. However, despite the clear faults the psychiatric methods have in defining and diagnosing mental illness, these alternative approaches have not been introduced. It could be said that this is due to the power that psychiatry yields over the mentally ill. For example, Scull (2006) notes, in the early 19th century, reform of how mental illness was treated occurred by which it became a condition which could only be authoritatively diagnosed, certified and treated by a group of legally recognised experts (Scull, 2006: 111). While this change occurred as to who could legitimately deal with the mentally ill, a change, as mentioned above, also occurred into how the mentally ill should be treated, with Pinel and Tuke advocating the notion of treating the mentally ill rationally and humanely (Scull, 2006: 114). This may therefore suggest that the 19th century revolutionised how mental illness was viewed and treated, with the idea of the mentally ill being liberated. However, in drawing on the works of Foucault, it could be said that this view is quite misguided. While Foucaults work is complex and wide ranging, his concepts of power/knowledge and the body have been central to providing an alternative account of the domination of psychiatry and how society views mental illness. For example in Foucaults (1967 [2001]) work Madness and Civilization, a detailed history is provided on how madness has been changed and redefined throughout history. In brief, it is argued that a transformation occurred in that there was a change from the sane person being able to communicate effectively with the madman, to a state whereby the madman is segregated and not to be communicated with (Matthews, 1995: 24). This occurred, as from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance period, madness was seen as moving from an entity which was beyond human life, to something that was inherent within the self. As such, it was seen as something that required individuals with the affliction of madness to be confined, and indeed by the 17th century those who were considered deviant were to be segregated, including the mad, the unemployed, prisoners etc (Matthews, 1995: 25). However, it was seen that they were not confined for their own wellbeing or safety, but instead because they were not contributing effectively to society as normal citizens. Towards the 18th century, it is argued that even with the introduction of more humane methods of treating the mentally ill, such as those forwarded by Pinel and Tuke, this was still seen as a method of control, attempting to transform the mad individual into someone deemed socially normal (Matthews, 1995: 25). For example, Foucault (1967 [2001: 255-256]) notes that: the asylum of the age of positivism, which is Pinels glory to have founded, is not a free realm of observation, diagnosis and therapeutics; it is a juridical space where one is accused, judged and condemned, and from which one is never released except by the version of this trial in psychological depth -that is, by remorse This implies that the methods considered as being the liberation of the mentally ill in the 19th century, which pre-empted modern psychiatry, were actually methods of controlling the mentally ill. They are labelled as having an illness such as depression or schizophrenia, which is a deviation from normal functioning, reasonable individuals, and as such, require treatment in order to attempt to return to them to normative state. With this view of modern psychiatry, it could be said that as it is the dominiant institution responsible for mental illness, it acts as a method of social control by having the power to identify deviant individuals and attempt to treat them, subsequently cure them of their illness and return them to normality. Social Control through Surveillance However, crucial to understanding this method of social control, is to also understand the power that the psychiatric institution holds over the mentally ill, and it could be argued that it is through Foucaults (Rabinow, 1991) ideas of disciplinary power. For example, Foucault argued that instead of old methods of control of deviant bodies being used, such as physical punishment (Armstrong, 1994: 21), new methods were created which allowed for bodies to be observed and analysed (Armstrong, 1994: 21) through methods of surveillance. To illustrate this idea, Foucault uses the idea of Benthams design for an ideal prison, known as the panopticon, where a central watchtower looks over cells distributed in a circular fashion (Roberts, 2005: 34). The method of the panopticon was to be able to continuously observe inmates, however from the inmates point of view, they would never know when they were being watched, or if they were being watched at all. This allows for a dynamic in which a powe r relation is created and maintained, whereby the individual is made a subject, never free from knowing when they are being observed and thus having to correct and monitor their behaviour accordingly (Roberts, 2005: 34). For example as Foucault notes, it must be possible to hold the prisoner under permanent observation, every report that can be made about him must be recorded and computed (Foucault, cited in Rabinow, 1994: 217). While this was referring to prisoners being held as criminals, the concept can also be identified and analysed in relation to psychiatric institutions. For example after a diagnosis of a mental illness has been made, individuals become analysed and evaluations for treatment made, and this becomes documented within medical records. While, as Roberts (2005) notes, that this is standard procedures for care, from a Foucauldian perspective, it could be seen as a panoptic method of ensuring the individual is continually watched and assessed, and should any deviations occur, interventions may used, to correct the deviancy (Roberts, 2005: 36). However this does not merely occur within an institution, but the levels of panoptic surveillance may occur within an individuals community. For example if someone is given the identity of schizophrenic, they will be monitored by many different professional staff that will assess their treatment and symptoms but they will also be subject to surveillance from family members or friends (Roberts, 2005: 36). This would imply that the methods of psychiatric social control extend beyond simply having the authority to correct deviancy, but instead psychiatric disciplinary power infiltrates many aspects of an individuals life, meaning they may never be free from surveillance of their illness or having an identity of being mentally ill. This Foucauldian perspective is rather critical of the psychiatric institution, however when considering the stigma that those with a mental illness encounter, it could be a useful theoretical approach to take when considering the dominance of psychiatry. For example, as mentioned previously and highlighted by the Rosenhan (1973) study, a diagnosis and labelling of being mentally ill can become a lifelong issue and often, while being subject to surveillance by psychiatric and medical institutions, individuals are also subject to surveillance by their friends, family and peers, however if what is viewed is negatively perceived, or if the individual does not correct their behaviour this can have consequences. For example as Thornicroft (2006: 25) states from an individual with mental illness, I have lost all my friends since the onset of my illnessà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦I lost my career, my own flat, my car. Mental illness has destroyed my life. This suggests that again, the dominance of psych iatry, even in modern times, if taken from a Foucauldian perspective, can have drastic consequences for those who are diagnosed with mental illness. Other Power Relations as Explanations for Psychiatric Dominance Foucauldian perspectives clearly illustrate that psychiatry can be considered the dominant institution for monitoring those with mental illness, as they are able to correct them by means of social control and also the very manner in which psychiatry functions, allows them to survey those with a mental illness indefinitely, through the ideas of disciplinary power. However one other aspect that should be considered as to why psychiatry has continued to be the dominant institution for identifying those who are mentally ill, is their intrinsic affiliations to the pharmaceutical companies (Scull, 2006: 127). For example, in returning to the methods of the psychiatric institution, they take a positivist view that mental illness is real and observable and requiring treatment and they usually identify it as underlying a biological abnormality of brain functioning, such as serotonin deficencies in depression (Comer, 2005). However it could be argued that it is pharmaceutical industry that continues to allow this approach to be taken. For example, if classifying a mental illness as real and observable with an underlying biological cause, this allows for the assumption that it can be treated, and the pharmaceutical industry fuels this, by providing the medication (Fisher, 2003: 66). However this view is also advocated by psychiatry, because as Scull (2006) and Fisher (2003) argue, the profits that pharmaceutical companies make contribute towards funding research, the journals and the departments of psychiatry (Fisher, 2003: 66). As such, the psychiatric profession have an invested interest in maintaining their positivist standpoint, and as this happens to conform to the positivist natural model of scientific research, it has asserted itself as the only reality, due to holding this power (LaFrance, 2007: 128). Usefulness of the Critical Evaluation of Psychiatry As can be seen in the discussions above, the evaluations of psychiatry drawing on social theory perspectives have been quite critical, both in terms of how psychiatry defines and diagnoses mental illness, but also how the institution of psychiatry as a whole functions. For example it has drawn from post modern perspectives to suggest that the very notion of mental illness is socially constructed through discourse (Walker, 2006) and from a Foucauldian perspective, the psychiatric institution serves to control the deviant population by attempting to normalise them again through the use of disciplinary power (Roberts, 2005). However, while these evaluations are certainly useful and provide a perspective into how psychiatry and mental illness can be viewed, to take this wholly negative view may be just as problematic as adopting the purely positivist assumptions forwarded by psychiatry. For example, in addressing the first evaluation that mental illness can be considered to be socially constructed through discourse, as explained by Ussher (1997), if this is taken to the point of an extreme social constructionist perspective, then nothing will actually be considered real, just multiple realities created through discourse. This could be problematic for those who do suffer from mental illness. For example interpreting mental illness as something that doesnt actually exist, or is not definable but merely a social construction is not very helpful for an individual with real symptoms which they experience. For example as Bowers (1998) mentions, to take a view that mental illness is something that could be considered beneficial or non existent is a failing to accept the reality of their suffering and disability (Bowers, 1998: 104). As such, theoretically it may be useful to consider mental illness as socially constructed, and indeed given the study by Rosenhan (1973), diag nosis can often be difficult or misinterpreted, for those who actually suffer from mental illness, a diagnosis may actually be comforting. For example, in an excerpt from an individual with mental illness, it can be seen that often a diagnosis means that it feels something can then be done. The individual, when discussing her initial diagnosis of schizophrenia recalls it was so enormously helpful to think; (a) this was something diagnosable, and (b) there are self help groups (Thornicroft, 2006: 48). As such, while the psychiatric methods of defining and diagnosing mental illness could be seen as theoretically problematic, as they are known, individuals who are diagnosed may feel comforted to know that the symptoms they experience are not simple constructions, but an actual treatable illness. In addressing the second criticism social theory has levelled at psychiatry, in that from a Foucauldian perspective, it can be seen as an institution of continual surveillance and social control (Roberts, 2005). This implies that psychiatry exists with a unidirectional form of power, selecting deviant individuals and attempting to normalise them through treatment and surveillance. However it could be said that this power/knowledge approach to psychiatry is somewhat simplistic, implying only psychiatric experts are involved in addressing the diagnosis and treatment of lay peoples' mental illness, however this may not be the case. As mentioned in the LaFrance (2007) study, sufferers of mental illness have been invited to express their views on their experiences of mental illness and how they viewed their treatment and this can often be used to inform and re-evaluate how these with mental illness should be treated by experts. For example Pilgrim and Rogers (1997) highlight that often those who had experienced mental illness could not contribute the onset to a singular cause but, identified numerous causes such as a loss of a child, previous abuse, having a broken engagement etc (Pilgrim and Rogers, 1997: 42). However psychiatrists typically noted onset as originating from something which was termed biomedical (Pilgrim and Rogers, 1997: 43) and as such, by identifying how sufferers view their illness, this can help further inform the experts. Similarly, Pilgrim and Rogers (1997) also highlight that there is not expert knowledge of mental illness and lay knowledge of mental illness but often the two are often intertwined, with expert knowledge becoming subject to layification (Pilgrim and Rogers, 39). Therefore to simply assert that psychiatry exerts social control and surveillance over mental illness suffers appears to be ignoring the notion that individuals may not be passive patients and may have their o wn interpretations and views on their illness. Conclusion It is somewhat difficult to determine whether the critical evaluation social theory provides in reaction to the methods psychiatry uses to define and treat mental illness are more useful. For example, while the positivist methodology currently adopted by psychiatry has been problematic given their changing of what constitutes as mental illness (Balon, 2008) and also the reported difficulties in diagnosis (Rosenhan, 1973), it is unclear whether adopting a social constructionist approach would be useful in practice. While it certainly has highlighted the faults of positivist notions of schizophrenia and depression simply existing (Walker, 2006) and this may help to reduce stigma, given that it is such a widely accepted approach, people in some cases may find comfort in being given a diagnosis (Thornicroft, 2006). Similarly, while the works of Foucault are certainly insightful in suggesting that the liberation of the insane was merely a different form of confinement through social control, it does provide an assumption that psychiatry is merely an institution whose aims are to normalise individuals through medication and view them as simple, passive recipients of care. However as Pilgrim and Rogers (1997) highlighted, often knowledge which lay and experts hold of mental illness can become intertwined and, indeed, psychiatrists have utilized research into patients experiences in order to provide a better standard of care for them. Therefore this essay would advocate, in a similar manner to Ussher (1997) that neither the psychiatric positivist methods are completely flawless and neither are social theory approaches, such as post modernism or a Foucauldian analysis. However a combination of the two may not provide a better system either, therefore while it is acknowledged that social theory has provided a useful critical evaluation of psychiatry, it is not necessarily a correct one. As such, it may be more useful to consider the individuals who suffer from mental illness as the ones who should advocate h

My Antonia Essay: Contrasts between the Hired Girls and the Black Hawk

Contrasts between the "Hired Girls" and the Black Hawk Women in My Antonia  Ã‚  Ã‚   Willa Cather draws a stark contrast between the respectable women of Black Hawk and the â€Å"hired girls† in books II and III of My Antonia through Jim’s unavoidable attachment to them.   The â€Å"hired girls† are all immigrants who work in Black Hawk as servants to help support their families in the country.   They are hardworking and charming.   They are simple and complicated.   They are sad and joyful.   They work all day and dance all night.   For Jim they are the most interesting people who   reside in Black Hawk.   The respectable women are boring and predictable.   They all go to bed at the same time every night and get up at the same time every morning.   Their whole lives consist of a series of daily routines. Most of the men in Black Hawk find the â€Å"hired girls† irresistible.   They may even flirt with all or one of them for a while, but inevitably when they are ready to settle down, they choose a respectable woman to marry.   After having an intellectual awakening at college and reuniting with Lena Lingard, one of the â€Å"hired girls,† Jim discovers that â€Å"if there were no girls like them in the world, there would be no poetry† (Cather 173).   At this point he realizes why he preferred the company of Tiny, Lena, and Antonia to that of even the most well refined girl in Black Hawk.   These girls embodied life, wilderness, adventure, and goodness.   To Jim, they represent all that is beautiful and romantic about life on the prairie in a way that no well-respected Black Hawk woman can. The â€Å"hired girls† had lived trying lives.   They had grown up in the hardest times of their families.   Because they worked to support the family, most had not received any ty... ...ares about Jim so much that she will not allow him to be held down by herself or anybody else, even a dear friend like Lena Lingard. The hired girls are important characters in My Antonia both as a connection to the country and contrast against the respectable women in Black Hawk; and as comparison figures for the most important hired girl, Antonia.   Their success is ironic because of their meek beginnings, and says something about the value of poverty.   Through them, the reader is shown the value of overcoming obstacles with hard work.   The vivid descriptions of them, as well as Jim’s attraction to them really make them objects of poetry to read about.   They ultimately show a lot about Antonia in their similarities and dissimilarities to her.       Works Cited Cather, Willa.   My Antonia.   1918.   Foreword Kathleen Norris.   Boston: Houghton, 1995.   

The Hidden Agenda of the News Media Essay -- TV Television Newspapers

The Hidden Agenda of the News Media People use many different sources in order to gain knowledge about current events. In America, historically, mass media and television have been the most dominant sources for information. Over the last decade, internet-based news sites and talk-radio shows have emerged as viable alternatives to the traditional media. While, obviously, the latest forms of news media are very different from their â€Å"elder† counterparts regarding the conveyance of the information, they share some of the same issues regarding the reporting of the news. News coverage can be, and usually is, influenced by many factors including, but not limited to: personal political ideology, religion, culture, and economics. The â€Å"inner† influences of political ideology, cultural values, and religion are not limited to the writer or reporter of a story. Editors, managers, and owners are also subjected to these pressures, in addition to the need to turn a profit, and, therefore, also influe nce the reporting of the news. Because of these influences, the final product is rarely an objective reporting of the facts. News sources convey their subjectivity, sometimes subtly, other times blatantly, through many methods. Listeners, readers, and viewers of all media should consume all information with a grain of salt. The goal of this paper is to take one single news topic, somehow related to the United States, and see how it is treated, or â€Å"spun†, by two different foreign news sources. Although I could have chosen a topic related to the American presence in the Middle East, I chose instead to look for a topic that might be treated with subtle subjectivity: the cancellation of three of pop star Madonna’s concerts in Israe... ...ans. On the other hand, the Arutz SHEVA story is blatantly subjective, almost to the point of becoming propaganda. Freund’s attempt to link the Palestinian Authority to terrorist threats is very apparent, and considering the information found on the Opinion page, it is obvious why. Arutz SHEVA appears to be written by religious conservatives and nationalists, and intended for an audience of the same mindset. Both, the Arutz SHEVA article and, to a lesser extent, the AP story, are examples of how terms, phrases, and emphasis can be used to â€Å"spin† a news topic to convey your message. My analysis of these two stories supports the argument for consumers to take all information with a grain of salt. Works Cited The Straits Times, http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/storyprintfriendly/0,1887,252771-230000,00.html? Arutz SHEVA, http://www.israelnn.com/news.php3?id=62927

Althussers Ideology :: Ideological State Apparatus, God

In the first half of his essay â€Å"Ideology and Ideological State Apparatuses†, Althusser says that, â€Å"the resistances of the exploited classes is able to find means and occasions to express itself there† (99), by which he means in the Ideological State Apparatuses. In the second half of the essay, Althusser argues there are places that can be found in the ISA that allow expression of the exploited class, but this expression is an illusion as they can only express themselves in terms of being subjects. Althusser separates the State Apparatus into two sections, one being the Repressive State Apparatus (RSA) and the other being the Ideological State Apparatus (ISA). The RSA encompasses things like the military, police and government, whereas the ISA contains things like education, religion and family. The RSA is fundamentally different from the ISAs for two reasons, the first being that the RSA is strictly in the public domain whereas the ISAs can exist in both the public and private domain. The second difference is that, â€Å"the Repressive State Apparatus functions ‘by violence’, whereas the Ideological State Apparatus functions ‘by ideology’†(97). Althusser qualifies this statement by saying that the RSA truly functions by both violence as well as ideology since no apparatus can function by one alone. Therefore, conversely, the ISAs function primarily by ideology and secondarily by violence, although most of this violence is usually internal to t he apparatus. Althusser ends his discussion of the distinction between the RSA and ISA by saying that, â€Å"the Ideological State Apparatuses may be not only the stake, but also the site of class struggle, and often of bitter forms of class struggle† (99). By this, Althusser means that it is inherently difficult to take the ISA’s from the â€Å"formal† ruling class since they can retain their roles for a longer period of time than being thrown out of power in the RSA. This also leads us back to the question at hand; how do the resistances of the exploited classes find means and occasions to express themselves in the ISAs? The occasions for expression come from ideology. For Althusser, ideology is, â€Å"conceived as a pure illusion, a pure dream, i.e. as nothingness. All its reality is external to it† (108). Althusser differs from Marx on who controls this reality. Marx argues that this illusion is controlled by those who are in power and is used to control those who are not in power.

Health Promotions and Disease Prevention Paper Essay

Elder Mistreatment Elder mistreatment is a widespread problem in our society that is often under-recognized by health care professionals. As a result of growing public outcry over the past 20 years, all states now have abuse laws that are specific to older adults; most states have mandated reporting by all health care professionals. The term â€Å"mistreatment† includes physical abuse and neglect, psychological abuse, financial exploitation and violation of rights. Poor health, physical or cognitive impairment, alcohol abuse and a history of domestic violence are some of the risk factors for elder mistreatment. Diagnosis of elder mistreatment depends on acquiring a detailed history from the patient and the caregiver. It also involves performing a comprehensive physical examination. Only through awareness, a healthy suspicion and the performing of certain procedures are physicians able to detect elder mistreatment. Once it is suspected, elder mistreatment should be reported to adult protective se rvices (HHS fact sheet, 2005). It is estimated that over 2 million older adults are mistreated each year in the United States. Elder mistreatment first gained attention as a medical and social problem about 20 years ago, when the term â€Å"granny battering† first appeared in a British medical journal. Since that time, elder mistreatment has become a matter of concern not only in the United States, but throughout the world. This heightened awareness has followed a growing awareness of child and spousal abuse. Nevertheless, because of differing definitions, poor detection and under-reporting, the extent of elder mistreatment is unknown. These same factors make the collection of data difficult and its accuracy questionable. Published studies estimate that the prevalence of elder mistreatment ranges from 1 to 5 percent (Healthy people, 2010). Most health care professionals are reluctant to address domestic violence. However, physicians are in an ideal position to detect and manage mistreatment, as they may be the only person outside the family/caregiver role who regularly sees the older adult. In addition, the  physician is the most likely person to order the testing, hospital admissions and support services that are sometimes needed to correct elder mistreatment. This paper will discuss the clinical, ethical and legal issues regarding elder mistreatment. The various forms of elder mistreatment are defined, including ways to identify patient and caregiver risk factors, and history and physical findings that suggest a diagnosis of elder mistreatment. Finally, a systematic approach to patient evaluation, documentation and reporting of suspected cases will be reviewed. Reasons elder abuse may be missed or not reported by health care professionals include unfavorable attitude toward older adults (ageism), little information in medical literature about elder mistreatment, reluctance to attribute signs of mistreatment (disbelief),isolation of victims (patient not seen often by physicians/health care providers), subtle presentation (i.e., poor hygiene or dehydration), reluctance/fear of confronting the offender, reluctance to report mistreatment that is only suspected, mistreated person requests that abuse not be reported (patient/physician privilege), lack of knowledge about proper reporting procedure, fear of jeopardizing relationship with hospital or nursing facility Types of elder abuse Physical Abuse- occurs when a person is touched in an inappropriate way, such as hitting, punching, kicking, slapping, and pushing. Physical abuse often leaves marks on the person’s body: bite marks, bruises, welts, and burn marks. Marks are often left on arms, wrists, face, neck, and abdomen area; Emotional/Psychological Abuse- occurs when a person is demeaning to another person. A person may treat the elder like a child or call them names. An elder may seem unusually depressed or may talk bad about themselves; Sexual abuse- among an elder occurs when sexual contact is made without consent. It also occurs when an elder is incapable of making such a decision, and is rape; Financial abuse- occurs when a person or persons take advantage of an elderly person financially. This includes stealing money, lying about how much the elder needs for certain care, or cashing the elder’s checks without permission; Neglect/Abandonment- occurs when the elder is not being properly cared for, such as not being fed, bathed, and properly medicated. This is also when the elder is being ignored. The care  giver refuses to give care to the individual (Physical abuse of the elderly, 2005). Elder Mistreatment: Definitions and Classifications In an effort to increase physicians’ awareness, facilitate accurate detection and promote further research, the American Medical Association published a position paper on elder mistreatment in 1987. This paper proposed a standard definition: â€Å"‘Abuse’ shall mean an act or omission which results in harm or threatened harm to the health or welfare of an elderly person. Abuse includes intentional infliction of physical or mental injury; sexual abuse; or withholding of necessary food, clothing, and medical care to meet the physical and mental needs of an elderly person by one having the care, custody or responsibility of an elderly person† (HHS fact sheet, 2005). Elder mistreatment may take many forms. Types of elder mistreatment are often classified as physical abuse and neglect, psychological abuse, financial exploitation and violation of rights. A major obstacle to prevention of and intervention for elder mistreatment is a lack of awareness on the part o f physicians and other health care professionals (LA4Seniors, 2005). Risk Factors and Prevention Cognitive impairment and the need for assistance with activities of daily living are important risk factors for elder mistreatment. Caregiver burnout and frustration can lead to elder mistreatment. Substance abuse by the caregiver or the patient, especially abuse of alcohol, significantly increases the risk of physical violence and neglect. Psychological and character pathology in the caregiver and patient are also major risk factors. Prevention of elder mistreatment is difficult and depends as much on the social support network as on the medical network. Preventing elder mistreatment involves identifying high-risk patients and caregivers, and attempting to address the underlying issues. Screening patients and caregivers before placement can be helpful, when it is feasible. Helping patients obtain county or state assistance can also help reduce some high-risk situations. Risk Factors for Elder Mistreatment Older age, lack of access to resources, low income, social isolation, minority status, low level of education, functional debility, substance  abuse by caregiver or by elderly person, psychological disorders and character pathology, previous history of family violence, caregiver burnout and frustration, and Cognitive impairment. History- Recognizing mistreatment is often difficult. The older adult may be unable to provide information because of cognitive impairment. The history is sometimes difficult to obtain from the victim, for fear of retaliation by the abuser. This retaliation can come in the form of physical punishment or threats of violence and abandonment. Older adults are often fearful of being placed in a nursing facility, and some may prefer to be abused in their own home rather than be moved to such a facility (LA4Seniors, 2005). The mistreated older adult often presents with somatic complaints. Physicians should ask older patients about rough handling, confinement and verbal or emotional abuse. Subtle or confusing complaints may actually be indicative of mistreatment. It is important to recognize that abuse and neglect are most often discovered during routine visits at the physician’s office or in the long term care facility. Generally, the patient should be interviewed without the caregiver(s) present. Cognitive impairment may limit the ability to obtain an accurate history. It is important to ask general questions about conditions in the home or nursing facility. The physician should try to obtain an accurate view of the patient’s daily life, including meals, medication, shopping and social outlets (HHS fact sheet, 2005). It is also important to ask the patient about the nature and quality of the relationship with the caregiver. It may be helpful to ask questions such as, â€Å"How do you and the caregiver get along?† and â€Å"Is the caregiver taking good care of you?† It is critical to assess the patient’s mental status for indicators of depression or alcohol and substance abuse. A discussion of the patientâ €™s financial situation may be appropriate. If issues of mistreatment are raised, the caregiver should be interviewed as well. The physician must be careful not to over interpret or to make suggestive comments, especially when the patient is cognitively impaired. Essential Features of the History in the Assessment of Mistreated Elders Medical problems/diagnoses, detailed description of home environment (adequacy of food, shelter, supplies), accurate description of events related to injury or trauma (instances of rough handling, confinement, verbal or emotional abuse), history of prior violence, description of prior injuries and events  surrounding them, description of berating, threats or emotional abuse, improper care of medical problems, untreated injuries, poor hygiene, prolonged period before presenting for medical attention, depression or other mental illness, extent of confusion or dementia, drug or alcohol abuse, quality/nature of relationships with caregivers. Physical Examination and Laboratory Tests The physical examination is often used as legal evidence of mistreatment. Laboratory and imaging studies should be performed to confirm any suspicious findings in the history and physical examination. The presence of dehydration and malnutrition can be established with simple laboratory tests such as a complete blood count and measurement of blood urea nitrogen, creatinine, protein and albumin levels. Radiographic studies provide evidence of old and new fractures. Unfortunately, proving that a fracture was caused by abuse can be difficult (HHS fact sheet, 2005). Role of advance nurse and nursing intervention strategies- The nurses can play a vital role as a case finder, manager, advocate, educator, researcher and caregiver to physically abused elderly and family or caregiver in a given community. Inform the decision makers about the magnitude, trends and characteristics of violent deaths; and, evaluate and continue to improve by educating the patient and the care giver, and if is necessary reporting the abuser to the authorities. Nurses should involve the case managers and the social workers, document all the findings accurately and report the mistreatment case as soon as possible. Documentation Documentation of all findings may be entered as evidence in criminal trials or in guardianship hearings. Documentation must be complete, thorough and legible. Such circumstances dictate that there is a â€Å"chain of evidence.† This need mandates a careful collection of physical evidence, which is critical in cases of suspected sexual or physical abuse. Laboratory data and, when possible, photographs should be used for verification of written documentation. Management Management of elder mistreatment first involves discussing the situation with the patient, if feasible. The patient should be allowed to play a role  in the ultimate resolution, if he or she is able to do so. First, the competency of the patient should be determined. Local and state social services have different methods of addressing mistreatment. Social workers from hospitals, clinics or long term care facilities are valuable resources and should be able to assist with these services. Multidisciplinary teams can be very effective. These teams typically include geriatricians, social workers, case management nurses and representatives from legal, financial and adult protective services. Multidisciplinary teams are often more effective in problem-solving and provide a forum for discussion with participants involved in the older adult’s care. Senior advocacy volunteer groups are also helpful. A senior advocate can provide information to the abused person and enable access to resources from community programs and social services. Basic Features of the Physical Examination Head- Traumatic alopecia or other evidence of direct physical violence; poor oral hygiene; Skin- Hematomas, welts, bite marks, burns, decubitus ulcers; Musculoskeletal- fractures or signs of previous fractures; Neurological- cognitive impairment that is a risk factor for mistreatment and influences management decisions regarding competency; Genito rectal- poor hygiene, inguinal rash, impaction of feces; General- weight loss, dehydration, poor hygiene, unkempt appearance (LA4Seniors, 2005). Reporting All health care providers (physicians, nurses, social workers, etc.) and administrators are mandated by law to report suspected elder mistreatment. The laws differ from state to state; physicians should determine the specific requirements in their states. Any other person may also report suspected abuse and neglect. All reporters are immune from civil liability if they act in good faith and without malice. They are also protected from termination of employment. Health care providers can be found to be negligent if they fail to report the suspected mistreatment. Penalties can include fines, imprisonment or loss of licensure. Reports of suspected elder mistreatment should be given to the state or county division of adult protective services. In the absence of such services, the reporter should contact the county extension office or the state’s office of child and  family services. In addition, any Area Agency on Aging would be able to provide assistance in reporting suspected mistreatment. The National Domestic Violence Hotline (telephone: 800-799-SAFE) or the Older Women’s League (telephone: 800-825-3695) could also help. Contacting the police is always an option, especially in an urgent situation (HHS fact sheet, 2005). In the event that the older adult is a resident of a long term care facility, a separate mechanism often exists for investigating suspected mistreatment through the state agency that surveys these facilities. Identifying the appropriate avenue for investigation can be done through the available adult protective service agency or the state department of child and family services (Elder Abuse, 2005). Once suspected mistreatment has been reported, the responsible agency will assign a social worker to investigate the case. The social worker will provide an accurate description of the home or nursing-facility environment. After assessment, the social worker may provide insight into some possible solutions to the problem and information about available resources. Unlike cases of child abuse, if the older adult is competent to make decisions, he or she may refuse intervention. If the older adult is not competent to make decisions, a guardian can be appointed by the state. The guardian can then direct care as needed until the problem is satisfactorily resolved. Injury Prevention- In healthy people there is no precise data specific for elder abuse, but these are related data from that site. The target rate for physical assault by intimate partner is 3.3 physical assaults per 1,000, and the baseline is 4.4 physical assaults per 1,000. The target rate for annual rate of rape is 0.7 rapes or attempted rapes per 1,000 persons, and the base line is 0.8 rapes or attempted rapes per 1,000 (Health people, 2010). Objectives from Healthy People 2010 Reduce injuries, disabilities, and deaths due to injuries and violence, and educating the primary care givers about the signs and symptoms of abuse or mistreatment, and educating them about alternative coping mechanisms. Several themes become evident when examining reports on injury prevention and control, including acute care, treatment, and rehabilitation. First, injury comprises a group of complex problems involving many different sectors of society. No single force working alone can accomplish everything  needed to reduce the number of injuries. Improved outcomes require the combined efforts of many fields, including health, education, law, and safety sciences. Second, many of the factors that cause injuries are closely associated with violent and abusive behavior (Health people, 2010). Violence and Abuse Prevention Violence in the United States is pervasive and can change quality of life. Reports of children killing children in schools are shocking and cause parents to worry about the safety of their children at school, and if the problem is untreated the aggression later on will turn on the parents or older adults. Reports of gang violence make people fearful for their safety. Although suicide rates began decreasing in the mid-1990s, prior increases among youth aged 10 to 19 years and adults aged 65 years and older have raised concerns about the vulnerability of these population groups. Intimate partner violence and sexual assault threaten people in all walks of life (Elder Abuse, 2005). Violence claims the lives of many of the Nation’s young persons and threatens the health and well-being of many persons of all ages in the United States. On an average day in America, 53 people die from homicide, and a minimum of 18,000 persons survive interpersonal assaults, and as many as 3,000 persons attempt suicide (Elder Abuse, 2005). Elderly, females, and children continue to be targets of both physical and sexual assaults, which are frequently perpetrated by individuals they know. Examples of general issues that impede the public health response to progress in this area include the lack of comparable data sources, lack of standardized definitions and definitional issues, lack of resources to establish adequately consistent tracking systems, and lack of resources to fund promising prevention programs. Disparities Adults aged 65 years and older are at increased risk of death from fire because they are more vulnerable to smoke inhalation and burns and are less likely to recover. Sense impairment (such as blindness or hearing loss) may prevent older adults from noticing a fire, and mobility impairment may prevent them from escaping its consequences. Older adults also are less likely to have learned fire safety behavior and prevention information,  because they grew up at a time when little fire safety was taught in schools, and most current educational programs target children (Healthy people, 2010). Opportunities To reduce the number and severity of injuries, prevention activities must focus on the type of injury—drowning, fall, fire or burn, firearm, or motor vehicle. Understanding injuries allows for development and implementation of effective prevention interventions. Some interventions can reduce injuries from violence-related episodes. For instance, efforts to promote awareness in society can help reduce the risk of assault, intentional self-inflicted and elder neglect and abuse. Higher taxes on alcoholic beverages are associated with lower death rates for some categories of violent crime, including mistreatment, abuse, and rape (Healthy people, 2010). Healthy People Objectives This organization encourages the Individuals, groups, and other organizations to use this framework and integrate it into their current programs, events, publications, and meetings, schools, colleges, and civic organizations to undertake activities in order to further the health of all members of their community. It is a national initiative that aims to improve the health of all Americans and eliminate disparities in health. Reducing the prevalence and overall number of people who suffer from different variety of diseases, and increase concerns for the nation’s elderly, and to reduce the overall rate of elder abuse, prevent its associated health problems, and educating the care givers and enhancing their coping mechanisms and alternative modalities to deal with the related stress. Health care providers can encourage their patients to pursue healthier lifestyles and to participate in community-based programs. By following the national objectives, individuals and organizations c an build an agenda for community health improvement and can monitor results over time. Healthy People objectives have been specified by Congress as the measure for assessing the progress of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act, the Maternal and Child Health Block Grant, and the Preventive Health and Health  Services Block Grant. Healthy People objectives have been used in performance measurement activities (Healthy people, 2010). Many objectives focus on interventions designed to reduce or eliminate illness, disability, and premature death among individuals and communities, and to educate the care giver regarding recognizing elder abuse, and prevention modalities; others focus on broader issues, such as improving access to quality health care, strengthening public health services, and improving the availability and dissemination of health-related information. Each objective has a target for specific improvements to be achieved by the year 2010. Together, these objectives reflect the depth of scientific knowledge as well as the breadth of diversity in the Nation’s communities. More importantly, they are designed to help the Nation achieve Healthy People 2010’s two overarching goals and realize the vision of healthy people living in healthy communities (Healthy people, 2010). Interim Progress toward Year 2000 Objectives Numerous objectives addressed injury prevention in Healthy People 2010. Twenty-six objectives were specific for unintentional injuries, and 19 objectives were specific for violence prevention. By the end of the decade, targets had been met for 11 objectives. Unintentional injury objectives showing achievement were unintentional injury hospitalizations, residential fire deaths, nonfatal head injuries, spinal cord injuries, nonfatal homicide poisonings, and pedestrian deaths. Violence prevention objectives that met their targets were, suicide, weapon carrying by adolescents, conflict resolution in schools, and child death review systems. REFERENCES Elder Abuse and Neglect Statistics (2005). In search of solutions. Retrieved on 8/20/05 from http://www.apa.org/pi/aging/eldabuse.html Healthy people 2010(2005). Retrieved on 8/20/05 from http://www.healthypeople.gov LA4Seniors (2005). A public service website for seniors and their families. Retrieved on 8/20/05 from www.la4seniors.com/elder abuse.htm National center on elder abuse (2005). Retrieved on 8/20/05 from http://www.elderabusecenter.org HHS fact sheet (2005). US department of health and human services. Retrieved on 8/20/05 from www.hhs.gov/news/press/2000pres/20000503b.html Physical abuse of the elderly (2005). Physical abuse of the elderly: signs, descriptions, and what you can do about it. Retrieved on 8/21/05 from http://de.essortment.com/physicalabusee_rfjb.htm