Hamlet Nunnery Scene Analysis

In this essay, I am going to write about the themes and techniques in the â€Å"Nunnery† scene in William Shakespeare's play Hamlet. All of the points I am going to cover have been expressed through different mediums for example in film and televised dramatic plays where the concept of Hamlet’s anger or use of nunnery is perceived to be different through artistic licence and also I will talk about the themes raised during the scene like corruption, deception, passion and betrayalThroughout all the adaptations of the â€Å"Nunnery† scene, deception is a pivotal theme carried and sustained. The universal concept of deception in the scene is presented by three points. Hamlet is being spied on, by Claudius and Polonius. The reason for this is that they both become extremely suspicious of Hamlets current behaviour. They are convinced his new â€Å"madness† is not genuine. The way they go about spying by using Ophelia as a device to retract information for their own personal benefit is a way deception is conveyed.Ophelia is lying to him; this is also a way the theme of deception is successfully carried through the scene, the fact that Hamlet himself lied to Ophelia as defence mechanism to catch out Ophelia’s lies and to reinforce the point that he has a far superior intellect. Another devices or technique that you could say that Shakespeare uses to create and maintain the deception in this scene is that, whenever Ophelia answers Hamlet, she lacks detail and tries to avoid and abetting questions and pretend as if the questions were never asked.An example of this is when Hamlet asks â€Å"Ha, ha, Are you honest? Ophelia replies â€Å"My lord â€Å". Again Hamlet asks â€Å"Are you fair â€Å". And he receives this answer from Ophelia â€Å"What mean you lordship†. This is a clear example of her stalling or ‘beating around the bush’ as it were, to find time to come up with an answer that would bait her out as a spy and a liar. In every single Adaptation and dramatization of the play, the sense of fear and confusion in Ophelia’s voice is extremely apparent. In my opinion this fear she has originates from two possible scenarios.Firstly; she is exposed as a liar. Secondly; she fails to gain any conclusive information from Hamlet and this would lead to the probability her father and Claudius wouldn’t be too pleased with her seeing as they put far too much effort in to this operation and its likelihood of success. I can say this because Claudius and Polonius both went to the extent of eavesdropping on Ophelia so no detail was missed and also to eliminate the possibility that Ophelia would fabricate some elements of her conversation/confrontation with Hamlet to protect him.Corruption and betrayal are two themes that tie in with each other rather well. Corruption is far clearer and more apparent as it is carried throughout the whole play. It is present by the fact Claudius makes it his mission to destroy Hamlet, so he can keep the throne he longed for quite some time seeing as he killed his own brother to obtain it. The only way he can find out what Hamlet is thinking is by using Ophelia as a makeshift operative to extract the information they need. They do this as Ophelia is only person other than his mother he can fully trust.However betrayal is more complex. It is displayed in the so-called â€Å"Turning point† of the Nunnery scene, there are several possibilities for this depending on the type of adaptation the main ones are: when Hamlet asks â€Å"Where’s you Father† and also when a noise (A sound made by either Polonius or Claudius) is heard by Hamlet. In the Mel Gibson version of Hamlet there is no noise but a shadow seen by Hamlet, also in the contemporary Ethan Hawke Version when Hamlet approaches Ophelia for a hug he feels the wire planted on Ophelia to spy on him.However in the Kozintsev version this â€Å"Turning point† arrives much earlier it is not as climatic and chronic as the other adaptations. This discovery made by Hamlet in all its forms opens up the dormant suspicions and reservations of Ophelia thought up by Hamlet. The reason why his suspicions were dormant was that Hamlet generally is a very melancholy young man who has been prevented from attending university, his father dead and he knows who killed him and he’s now married to his mother as we all know. Hamlet always wears both black or unexciting dull colours like brown, grey and a very dark crimson in his clothing.The fact is, Ophelia is after all, his girlfriend and possibly a potential wife therefore she is a person of a great importance in his life. If Hamlet had let her in his life, he clearly would have never expect edto have been betrayed by her at all. Seeing as Hamlet is an extremely complex and possibly insane character so This causes his unstoppable rage which in itself is another theme in the Nunnery scene, which i s carried till the end where he storms out while he shouts that he know he is subject to espionage and he is being lied to. â€Å"God ath given you a face and you go and make yourself another†. He isn’t happy about it (evidently) and he threateningly tells Ophelia to go to a nunnery. â€Å"To a nunnery go! † Love and Passion in a sexual/relationship context, are two other themes that drive both Ophelia and Hamlet to do things, react or act a certain way in the Nunnery. The truth is that they are both in love but because of the complications in the environment in which they live and also the constant interference of their relationship by other people, such as Ophelia’s father Polonius. No my good lord, but I did as you command, I repel his letters and denied his access to meâ€Å". These are the instructions Polonius handed to Ophelia much before the Nunnery Scene in act 2 scene 1. Starting from â€Å"Turning point† Hamlet uses his love for Ophelia as a weapon against her several times. An example of this is when he says: â€Å"I loved you notâ€Å", â€Å"I did love you once† and â€Å"I say we have no mo marriages†.Hamlet does this because he has previously shown his inner character to Ophelia by trusting her and to show that he actually angry he must use a weapon that Ophelia can see through or expect and also a weapon that he has used against her before especially his love for her as she never doubted. The theme of passion however is portrayed in Hamlet’s anger, his reaction shows his disappointment in Ophelia, by shaking her and gripping her tightly and in some adaptations e. g. the Branagh and Lawrence Olivier version Hamlet physical strikes her.This is the one of the clearest indications of the intensity of the love they both shared and the loved they were denied. The set and the setting play a major part in intensifying the themes explained above throughout the Nunnery scene. The generic setting or basis of all the setting in the scene for all the adaptations is Elsinore Castle, the locations that are most commonly used are the court yard or a large hall. In the BBC version takes place in a very enclosed space, strangely this is one of the only version where visually it Hamlet shows absolutely no anger at all and show compassion rather to Ophelia and pities her.However in the other entire version I have seen the setting helps creates a hostile and fragile environment, where hamlet is able do use the acoustic to project his voice and also ironically to aid Claudius and Polonius to eavesdrop. In most versions the Openness as space in which the scene takes place creates a sense of exposure and insecurity for both characters especially for Ophelia as she is trapped both physically by Hamlet and mentally/emotionally by her Claudius and Polonius because she has to complete her ‘mission’ assigned to her. Another Technique used in the Nunnery scene is the dialogue and the conflict within it.These techniques are the main aspect of the theme of deception and betrayal; this is what carries these to themes through the scene and therefore the rest of the play. As mentioned the use of rhetorical questions and sarcasm especially in Hamlet’s tone. For example: â€Å"That is you be honest and fair your honesty should admit no discourse to your beauty† this is a clear example of Hamlet’s sarcasm and rhetorical question. The trigger for all this form of communication is the sudden addressing of Hamlet in a formal way when they never talk in that way.The conflict in the dialogue also helps to know Ophelia is lying. â€Å"My honoured lord, you know right well you did †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. Take these again for the noble mind , rich gifts wax poor when givers prove unkind†. The combination of assonance and alliteration in Ophelia’s line fails to make her spontaneous and genuine it rather makes it sound rehearsed and fake. Also aft er Ophelia’s failed attempt to deceive hamlet in think he gave the remembrances. His response â€Å"Ha, ha are you honest? † shows his far superior intellect.

Was Joseph Conrad a Rascist

Is it fair to call Joseph Conrad a Thoroughgoing Racist? To call someone a thoroughgoing racist is to say that they are a person who completely and knowingly considers one race of humans superior to others. This is precisely what Chinua Achebe is accusing Joseph Conrad of. It is Achebe’s opinion that Conrad wrote his ‘Heart of Darkness’ from a racist point of view intentionally to belittle Africa and its people and to raise up Europe and its people. While I agree that Joseph Conrad may have been a racist and that ‘Heart of Darkness’ certainly has racism in it, I believe it unfair to call Conrad a thoroughgoing racist.Conrad is simply a victim of his time, having lived from 1857-1924 when the racism against Africans was widespread, even considered normal. He was not intentionally trying to be racist. â€Å"It is the desire- one might even say the need- of Western psychology to set up Africa as a foil to Europe, as a place of negations at once remote a nd vaguely familiar, in comparison with which Europe’s own state of spiritual grace will be manifest† (Achebe, 1). In other words, Europeans want to directly compare Africa to Europe in a way that the ‘darkness’ of Africa makes Europe seem lighter.This shows that Conrad may even not have been racist at all. He could be simply writing a novel that the people wanted at that time. Achebe even briefly states this as a possibility: â€Å"It might be contended†¦ that the attitude to the African in ‘Heart of Darkness’ is not Conrad’s but that of his fictional narrator, Marlow, and that far from endorsing it Conrad might indeed be holding it up to irony and criticism† (Achebe, 4). This is my opinion of Conrad. He was not actually a racist. He was a brilliant storyteller of fiction that knew the people who would be reading the book.In that time period, most readers were racist against Africans. That was OK back then. Conrad didnâ€⠄¢t agree with it but he wrote a short novel highlighting it to appease the masses, while subtlety showing how wrong racism is. â€Å"Heat of Darkness projects the image of Africa as â€Å"the other world,† the antithesis of Europe and therefore of civilization, a place where man’s vaunted intelligence and refinement are finally mocked by triumphant bestiality. The book opens on the River Thames, tranquil, resting, peacefully â€Å"at the decline of day after ages of good service done to the race that peopled its banks. But the actual story will take place on the River Congo, the very antithesis of the Thames. The River Congo is quite decidedly not a River Emeritus. It has rendered no service and enjoys no old-age pension. We are told that â€Å"going up that river was like back to the earliest beginnings of the world. † (Achebe, 2). The Heart of Darkness mentions ‘the race that peopled its banks’ on the River Thames and then later talks about the people who people the banks of the River Congo. â€Å"There you could look at a thing monstrous and free. It was unearthly and the men were†¦ No they were not inhuman.Well, you know that was the worst of it- this suspicion of their not being inhuman. It would come slowly to one. They howled and leaped and spun and made horrid faces, but what thrilled you, was just the thought of their humanity- like yours- the thought of your remote kinship with this wild and passionate uproar. Ugly. Yes, it was ugly enough, but if you were man enough you would admit to yourself that there was in you just the faintest trace of a response to the terrible frankness of that noise, a dim suspicion of there being a meaning in it which you- you so remote from the night of the first ages- could comprehend. Conrad, 153). This passage is a direct comparison of the â€Å"savages† in Africa to the â€Å"civilized† in Europe. Yet there is a connection, a â€Å"kinship,† between these two beings. Conrad knows that Europeans love to view Africans as these uncivilized brutes in order to make themselves look better; but then he slips in that the two peoples are actually of the same heritage, separated only by the flow of time. Africans may appear to be these black monsters incapable of speech, only a dialect of grunting and screaming; but they are actually the just as human as any one else. Conrad later depicts the African savages as ‘dogs’: And between whiles I had to look after the savage who was fireman. He was an improved specimen; he could fire up a vertical boiler. He was there below me and, upon my word, to look at him was as edifying as seeing a dog in a parody of breeches and a feather hat walking on his hind legs. A few months of training had done for that really fine chap. He squinted at the steam-gauge and at the hot water-gauge with an evident effort of intrepidity- and he had filed his teeth too, the poor devil, and the wool of his pate s haved into queer patterns, and three ornamental scars on each of his cheeks.He ought to have been clapping his hands and stamping his feet on the bank, instead of which he was hard at work, a thrall to strange witchcraft, full of improving knowledge. † (Conrad, 154). This is a very sudden and drastic change from just half of a page earlier when the African savages were â€Å"kin† to the Europeans. Now they’re dogs. Perhaps Conrad really is a thoroughgoing racist. However, one must remember that the Heart of Darkness is a story within a story. It is Conrad writing of a man in London called Marlow who is recounting his experience in Africa on the River Congo.So it is not Conrad who is the racist; his fictional character Marlow is. This is a very different style of storytelling and it is easy to forget whose words we are reading. Sometimes we are reading Conrad’s words when we are on the River Thames; but usually we are reading Marlow’s words. Achebe c ontends, â€Å"Conrad appears to go to considerable pains to set up layers of insulation between himself and the moral universe of his history. He has, for example, a narrator behind a narrator. The primary narrator is Marlow but his account is given to us through the filter of a second, shadowy person† (Achebe, 4).One of Achebe’s main arguments is that â€Å"art is more than just good sentences; this is what makes this situation tragic. The man [Conrad] is a capable artist and as such I expect better from him. I mean, what is his point in that book [Heart of Darkness]? Art is not intended to put people down. If so, then art would ultimately discredit itself† (Phillips, 1). This statement simply isn’t true. Art is not exclusively a happy thing that only raises people up. There is such a thing as depressing art. The Bluest Eye is a great example of this. It too has tones of racism, being about a girl who hates herself because she is black and therefore ugl y.The ending of that story is very sad and the conflict is not resolved. This means that, according to Achebe, The Bluest Eye does not qualify as art. It’s unfair of Achebe to only accept art that is happy and uplifting. The world is not a happy and uplifting place. There is darkness in the world. Conrad is attempting to point this out in the title alone, Heart of Darkness. He even suggests that London was once one of the dark places of the world. Achebe expects Conrad to be one of the artists who is â€Å"bigger than their times† (Phillips, 5). He says that that is what makes you a great artist.Being ahead of your time is not a requirement of great artistry. That’s not to say that there are no great artists who were ahead of their time; but there are plenty of great artists who weren’t. To be bigger than your time takes a highly innovative and rebellious mind, which is a rare thing. All great innovations are mocked upon first arrival. This is why they ar e called innovations; they go against the norm. One cannot expect a writer in a racist world to right a book that speaks out against racism. That being said, it can be argued that Heart of Darkness does speak out against racism from an ironical standpoint.The overreaching question is, what happens when one group of people, supposedly more humane and civilized than another group, attempts to impose itself upon its inferiors? In such circumstances will there always be an individual who, removed from the shackles of civilized behavior, feels compelled to push at the margins of conventional morality? What happens to this one individual who imagines himself to be released from the moral order of society and therefore free to behave as savagely or decently as he deems fit? How does this man respond to chaos? (Phillips, 4). When considering these questions, I am forced to recall the movie â€Å"Three Kings. † This whole movie seems to be based upon these questions. It takes place in Iraq right at the end of the Gulf War, Operation Desert Storm. A group of American soldiers discover a map leading to the Kuwaiti gold stolen by Iraq. One soldier asks â€Å"what is the most important thing in life?†¦ Necessity†¦ As in people do what is most necessary to them at an given moment† (Clooney, Three Kings). This is the answer to Phillips’ question â€Å"how does this man respond to chaos? He does whatever he needs to do, not whatever he wants to do. In Heart of Darkness each man is thrown into his own chaos and they all respond differently, but each man does what he feels is the most necessary. The idea of necessity can be applied to Conrad as well. What was most necessary to a writer living in the early 20th century? For Conrad, it was to stick to the status quo, to write a book that uses Africa as a foil, which portrays Africans as savage beasts. This does not make him a racist, merely a man who is following the trend of society.Assuming that Conrad wasn’t a racist, what if he had written Heart of Darkness without any racism? He would have been mocked, perhaps even cast out or discredited. Today he would be revered as one of the great futuristic minds of his time of course; but he has no way of knowing that. So he took the safe route and wrote Heart of Darkness from a more racist point of view. This does not make Conrad a thoroughgoing racist, as Achebe would accuse him. Arguments could be made either way; that Conrad was racist or that he wasn’t. If he was not a racist at all then that’s the end of it.However, if he was a racist it becomes more complicated. Although due to the time and society in which Conrad was born and raised, his racism is therefore not intentional. He is not a racist in a non-racist society; he is simply another racist just like nearly everyone else. Works Cited Achebe, Chinua. â€Å"An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrad’s ‘Heart of Darkness’† Massachu setts Review. 18. 1977. Clooney, George, Perf. â€Å"Three Kings† Warner Bros Pictures. 1999. Film. Conrad, Joseph. â€Å"Heart of Darkness† 1902. Phillips, Caryl and Chinua Achebe. Personal Interview. 21 February 2003.

PICOT question Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

PICOT question - Assignment Example re incorrect markings, there was poor communication between the nurses and the doctors, poor teamwork, and there was miscommunication on whether it is the patient’s right or left limb that was to be amputated. In this particular situation the type of question that suits the given nursing situation is the intervention question. This kind of medical question considers a particular intervention or issue and compares it to a standard intervention or issue with regard to the effect that it will have on the population over a given period of time (Melnyk & Fineout-Overholt, 2015). In this instance, since time is not a critical factor, the analysis and search will only consider the population, the intervention , the standard comparison issues and the expected or possible outcome. These three elements ,therefore, need to be determined for the right information to be obtained from the completed PICO question (Melnyk & Fineout-Overholt, 2015). As indicated earlier, the question in this nursing situation will have four vital elements, which are necessary to allow for the execution of an effective and informative search. The population in this case is that of patients who visit various healthcare facilities for surgical operations. This is the group that has been identified to be at risk of the concerns raised. The intervention (issue) here is the use of schedule forms when preparing patients for the surgical operations. The third element for the case is the comparison intervention. From the summary of the nursing situation, it is evident that the staff at health facility relied on markings made using a pen to be able to know the body part that was to be operated on and the identity of the patient. Therefore, the comparison issue is the use of pens to carry out this marking. The final element is the outcome. In this case, it is the reduction in the number of erroneous operations. The reduction is measurable since it only re quires noting the number of operations without

Programming with Alice Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Programming with Alice - Assignment Example Alice does not have primitive methods to perform front left leg up and front left leg down. It is therefore required that the code for this movement be designed. Elegant design requires that methods are kept from being too large. To maintain a small size for the methods, additional methods are added to do the small tasks. The following is done A loop is implemented at the point where the mouse takes a step ahead of the mouse. This loop ensures that whenever the mouse takes a step the cat takes another step of the same magnitude so that the mouse is always one step ahead of the cat. The next step is transforming the storyboard into program code. The first action of the storyboard is the mouse turns to see the cat. The first method is therefore turn to face. We use the turn to face to make the mouse turn to look in the direction of the cat. The next step is the cat taking one step away from the cat. We use the move away method. Alice contains control statements that are vital in controlling movements. In the cat chase program the cat moves away from the cat while the cat moves towards the mouse. The control statement Do in order is used to tell Alice to first make the cat look at the mouse and the mouse move away from the cat. Other actions must be done together. When the front right leg is up for example, the front left leg must be held down. To achieve this functionality Alice is told to Do this actions together through the DO together control statement. To implement this program into Alice a scene must first be created. The initial scene is a room (Farooq, 2012). The intention of the cat is to catch the mouse. It should follow it while the mouse should always be one step ahead of the cat. We select the room scene and then a cat and a mouse. The next stage is in the program code editor. The code that makes the program is written. In Alice the program code editor is at the bottom right of the main window. The instructions are edited in the area

Taxation and Representation Debate Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Taxation and Representation Debate - Essay Example It is evidently clear from the discussion that the British parliament in imposing taxes on colonies and plantations argues that these dominions â€Å"have been, are, and of right ought to be, subordinate unto, and dependent upon the imperial crown and parliament of Great Britain† and that the â€Å"King's Majesty of right ought to have, full power and authority to make laws and statutes of sufficient force and validity to bind the colonies and people of America, subjects of the crown of Great Britain†. As such, colonists have no power to vote or pass any resolutions or question the British Parliament’s actions. The colonists do not refute the fact that they are subordinate to British parliament and just like British residents, they owe allegiance to the Crown but they also have the same rights as natural born of Britain owing to the fact that their ancestors were born there (First Continental Congress). As such, they ought to have equal representation in parliame nt as the Britons. However, this is not the case as they have no representation in the parliament and hence are not bound by decisions of that parliament. Governments are given consent by the people to defend their lives, liberty, and property and according to Adams â€Å"it is the community to assess pay† for such service (Adams, The Rights of Colonists). Since the whole community cannot be in the Assembly, it is their representatives to air their opinions. But the colonists are not represented in British parliament hence do not give consent personally or through their representatives thus are not supposed to be taxed. As for the British argument that parliament represents all British possessions, this may be true but experience has proved that the same parliament does not safeguard their rights or property. Henry Patrick in his article Give me Liberty or Give me Death in 1775 argues that they have tried all the means necessary (petitions, demonstrations, supplications) to h ave parliament listen and act on their pleas to no avail. Instead, navies and armies are placed in the colonies to force them to submit.

Ebay Strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Ebay Strategy - Essay Example The factors that management should take into account at eBay when planning to implement strategic change include how to cope with the further expansion of the business whilst having contingency plans in case future performance fails to match the rapid expansion of the past decade. From the very simple concept of the setting of establishing an on-line market where people pay eBay fees whilst buying and selling the company made $ 778.22 million in profits in 2004 with the United States still representing 58 % of it core sales (Yahoo! Finance Company Profile). Management will also need to take into account threats and competition to its position as the world’s largest on-line auction and one of the world’s largest e-trading companies. The expansion is a major factor that the eBay management should think about implementing to ensure continued success. Well thought out expansion plans could literally give eBay the chance to make money from millions of self -employed on-line traders, sellers, and buyers. Sellers can be doing eBay as a hobby or as a full-time job whilst for buyers, eBay is a global marketplace where you can buy just about anything you can imagine and even more. The expansion of eBay into countries such as China and India has a great deal of strategic significance when planning to implement the changes that are needed to go with them. Given the high cost of implementing the expansion, it is critical that the operational and administrative sections of the company are operationally efficient and cost effective.

Professional Practice Model in Military Nursing Essay

Professional Practice Model in Military Nursing - Essay Example The term â€Å"nursing practice model† refers to operational models for redesigning nursing practice for the provision of patient care in organizational settings, primarily hospitals and long term care facilities ("Professional nursing practice," 2011). Professional practice model (PPM)/Professional nursing model has five subsystems: values, professional relationships, a patient care delivery model, a management approach, and compensation and rewards. Analysis of five PPMs showed that the professional values addressed most often are nurse autonomy, nurse accountability, professional development, and emphasis on high-quality care (Buttell, Hendler, & Daley, 2007). Teamwork, collaboration, and consultation consistently appeared as approaches to enhance professional relationships. Primary nursing and case management are the care delivery systems most often used in the models. Decentralizing decision making, expanding the scope and type of unit nurse manager responsibilities, and instituting structural changes to support professional practice were common activities in the management subsystem. Compensation and reward systems generally recognized professional achievement and contribution toward organizational goals. Recommendations for implementing and evaluating PPMs are offered (Hoffart, & Woods, 1996). For recognition of nurses department there are different designation such as the Magnet designation is the highest level of recognition the American Nurses Credentialing Centre (ANCC) accords to organized nursing services. The award recognizes health care organizations exhibiting excellence in nursing services to patients, the existence of an environment that supports professional nursing practice and growth and development of nursing staff. Magnet institutions act as "magnets" by attracting and retaining outstanding nurses and creating a work environment ("High point regional," ). Influence of professional practice model on change in health care organizatio ns: This model can be implemented organization-wide, they typically redesign nursing practice at the point of patient care delivery, that is, at the nursing unit level. Thus the models are distinguished from such organization that do not specifically address care delivery (Weisman). Nursing practice model are innovative practice arrangement because of the following influential aspects on change in health care. The degree to which the practice of individual nurses is differentiated according to education level or performance competencies so that the competition among the nurses will be established and they will try to improve their educational level as well as expertise in the field. The degree to which nursing practice at the unit level is self-managed, rather than managed by traditional supervisors(Weisman), they need to be in charge of work design and work flow, since they are the professionals involved in the majority of patient care. It is important they have input into the desi gn of the unit or workplace, for instance being on a committee that buys equipment for effective care in order to achieve

Demonstration Speech Explain and define how the game of Rugby is Essay

Demonstration Speech Explain and define how the game of Rugby is played - Essay Example During the 19th century, rugby was considered as one of the different versions of football played by the English public schools of the UK. The signature mark of the game of rugby, which is, running forward with the ball, was innovated only in the latter half of the 19th century. As record goes, the first written rules for playing rugby were produced by the Rugby School in 1845. Describing the rules of the game of rugby, the most important thing in the game is to handle the ball. Biscombe and Drewett (2010) have made it very clear in the beginning of their book: â€Å"All rugby players need good ball-handling skills to cope with the various demands of the attacking game: running with the ball, passing and catching at actual game speed, also called pace.† Keeping the possession of the rugby ball is of utmost significance if the rugby player wants to take full advantage of any attacking position. In order to further understand the various laws of rugby, it is important to know the structure of the rugby field. The rugby pitch is a 100 metres long and 69 to 70 metres wide grass field. The sidelines of are called touchlines. It includes two in-goal areas each of which is 10 to 22 metres deep. The front area is a try line while its back is a dead ball line. Goal posts are located on the try line. Other important lines on the rugby pitch are: The game of rugby starts with the tossing of a coin that determines the team which will kickoff first. Each of the two teams consists of 15 players – 8 forwards and 7 backs. The kicker from the team that wins the toss sets the ball on the ground and starts the match on the referee’s whistle by kicking the ball high and short to the opposing forwards. If a receiving team’s forward catches the ball successfully, then he will try to advance the ball running into the opposition. During this chase, there is a continuous effort of the opposing team

What gendered relationship(s) does your cultural role or practice Essay

What gendered relationship(s) does your cultural role or practice encourage - Essay Example Basically, gender is developed under the influence of culture. Male or female gender roles have been shaped in certain social and national contexts. Therefore, culture depends on gender roles and gender roles depend on culture. If we try to speak figuratively, a dilemma of culture-gender relationship interdependence may be compared with a chicken and egg riddle. Gender role and culture relationship In the context of a given situation on the example taken from Bangladesh and Cambodian cultures, we would further claim that gender role and culture interdependence has been currently interpreted from a different perspective: i.e. with the cultural changes in these countries, gender roles have been also gradually changed. Situation 1 In Bangladesh, like in many other countries, there have always existed differences between â€Å"women’s/men’s work†. With the growth of garment trade policies in this country, many women became a part of a labor force. The norms of purdah (female seclusion) have been changed and women became employees in this field of activity. Moreover, earlier women were not greatly visible in the city of Dhaka, but there is much more women in the streets than earlier. Consequently, we can suppose that there is a consequent shift in women’s roles in their families and at work. We can explain this change of gender role as the result of socio-economical situation in the country. Further on, these changes were borrowed by culture and finally, they were reflected on women’s gender roles. Situation 2 The following changes of gender roles shown on the example of Cambodian culture had different triggers. It is possible to illustrate gender role change in Cambodia by the following saying: â€Å"men are a piece of gold, and women are a piece of cloth. The piece of gold, when it is dropped in mud, is still a piece of gold. But a piece of cloth, once it’s stained, it’s stained forever† (Questions about Culture). Currently, modern Cambodian women do not want to live their lives in accordance with this saying. They consider it to be unfair and irrelevant. There is a need for social justice and equal attitude to men and women. For example, male criminals cannot be considered â€Å"a piece of gold† and widows should have a chance to put a virginal piece of cloth on them. As far as we can see, political, social and economical triggers have launched gender role-cultural accents shift in Cambodia. Therefore, from a modern westerner’s point of view, it is relevant to claim that gender role principles explained by Virginia Woolf are not relevant to the greatest extent. Bangladesh or Cambodia does not have enough money, but their women are on their road to fight for their renovated and reinterpreted gender roles. The ideas of Brady, Pollitt and Tannen may be foun d more relevant in the modern context. Social stereotypes, political, social and economical changes have reached the minds of contemporaries and have triggered changes in gender roles. Therefore, in order to encourage equal and fair opportunities for further development of self-identities, personal professionalism directed on favorable social interactions between men and women, it is relevant to introduce political, social and economical changes internationally. Moreover, a western position concerning equal relationships between men and women is on the way of implementation in the countries of the Third World. Thus, it should be noted that gender role perception in the

Why did the Korean War become an international conflict Essay

Why did the Korean War become an international conflict - Essay Example Fought as a result of disintegration of Korea into two countries due to World War II, Korean War was a result of conflict between USA and USSR as after the World War, one part was occupied by US and other was by USSR. The overall scenario leading to the Korean War is also based upon the rising tension between US and USSR. After the end of World War II though peace started to take its roots in Europe and other developed countries however, the US-USSR conflict started to worsen and both the super powers of the world reached to a point of cold war. The competing ideologies of Communism versus capitalism and dominance of US or USSR on the world political stage set the most part of the War between US supported South Korea and USSR and China supported North Korea. It was also during this war that UN was used for the first time by US as a tool to actually engage into armed conflict with any country. Why this conflict became global in nature and size, why major players including UN and US ac tually involved in this conflict will be discussed in this area. Political Turmoil and role of US and USSR Korea’s geographical location made it one of the most important regions in post-World War-II scenario and it was increasingly viewed as region which would ultimately become the point of contention between the Western powers and Communist bloc. The conditions for war were created due to keen interests of the two of the largest communist states in the world and the overall indecisiveness of US to conduct its foreign policy in the Far East region. Korea has always remained of interest for Russia and China and it was also because of this reason that USSR tried to occupy the country after World War II. Considering the increase in power of USSR, US also attempted to capture part of the country and hence Korea was divided between South and North Korea with US controlling South Korea whereas North Korea was controlled by USSR. The failure to actually hold free and fair elections increased the political tension in the region with North and South Korea forming two different sets of governments. South Korea adapted democracy whereas North Korea became a communist country. The political tension further escalated when small skirmishes started to occur on what was called 38 Parallel, the line controlled by US which was also virtually dividing both the countries from each other. The Korean War erupted in what was called the middle of the cold war between US and USSR and their bid to take control of the world. It was also increasingly seen as the war to determine which ideological framework world would adapt i.e. capitalism versus communism. The direct involvement of USSR in the war and supplying the arms to North Korea also prompted US, under the banner of UN to engage into the conflict with USSR. It is suggested that it was also the first time when US actually used UN as a foreign policy tool. The overall plan was to actually give Korea under the trusteeship of United Nations which would eventually lead it to full independence over the period of time. It was however subsequently realized that the imposition of any political will from other than Koreans may not be easy to implement and region may drift into turmoil as a result of political conflict between the super powers. It is also important to understand the overall diversity of opinions as well as groupings within Korea which could not help materialize the development of a workable plan to actually make the transition. The overall diversity of political opinions was also due to the Japanese Colonial rule which kept the country divided based upon different ideological basis. The suppression of Korean nationalist movement by the Japan also resulted into the lack of

If I Could Change 3 Things About Myself Essay Example for Free

If I Could Change 3 Things About Myself Essay Yes, maybe you will say:†Hey! Thats not enough! I need MORE! † but what are the three most importance things that you decide to change? If I could change three things about myself, I think first and foremost, I would change my desirous of food-ness. I got the stomach ache-ness when I was at Japan and tried not to eat so much. Well, to late for regrets now! I am eating now and just ate some ice-cream just now and ate fish chops for dinner. Well, good luck to me! Secondly, I would like to change my laziness. I had been pretty darn lazy through my whole life until now. Except for the time when my sister who is older than me by a year got to go to school and petty little me didnt get to go. So, I got so interested in learning that I read ALL of my sisters textbooks. And ever since my sister knew that I knew   that she was learning, made up a lame excuse and threw her homework to me and went to play some stupid computer game like MINES. Because she doesnt know how to play it, she just simply pushes some buttons. But now, I inherited her laziness and she inherited my hardworkingness and its the other way round than the time we were kids. Lastly, I would like to change the fact that I dont really have any talents. Im suck in studying, not really good in sports. I would want my talents to be: singing, dancing and acting. So, I could just be a pop star when I grow up. Well, its really nice to be a star, you know, with people fan boy and fan girling you. You just sing, which you awesomely have HUGE talent at and you get tons of money for just ONE song you sing! It would be such an awesome life! Well, its probably pretty obvious that nobody is going to magically materialize from thin air and grant those for me. So seems like I would just need to keep working at it.

Perceptions of Parents With Down Syndrome

Perceptions of Parents With Down Syndrome A COMPARATIVE STUDY ON THE PERCEPTION OF PARENTS OF CHILDREN WITH DOWN SYNDROME: THE CASE OF A FAMILY IN BAMENDA, CAMEROON AND A FAMILY IN LEUVEN, BELGIUM ABSTRACT Down syndrome is a form of disability which retards the growth of children. This form of disability is perceived differently in different cultures and these different perceptions affect the relationship between the rest of the family and the Down syndrome child. While some cultures see Down syndrome children as abnormal beings that have come back in human form to torment families, others see them as just children who have retarded growth and needs an extra help to grow in their own world. These different perceptions therefore enhance the type of treatment granted to these children by their parents. This article is based on evaluating the perception of parents with Down syndrome children within an African context and a Western context. Case study for the case of African will be based on my experience with Down syndrome children in Bamenda and other available literatures while that of the West will be based on ethnographic study with a family in Leuven. This research will examine the different views on the causes of Down syndrome and how this influences the relationship between the Down syndrome child and the family. Also, this article will analyze the type of treatment provided in these different cultural setting. INTRODUCTION Down syndrome most often is caused by trisomy due to no segregation of chromosome 21 in the formation of the oocyte or spermatocyte and it can also be caused by translocation of trisomy 21. This translocation takes place in instances where a piece of chromosome 21 becomes attached to another chromosome often number 14 during cell division. This disability occurs very often in 1 of every 1000 live birth children. This always leads to impairment in cognitive ability and physical growth which could be very mild of severed with some affected children. The recognition of this is very limited. A great number children suffer from Down syndrome disorder in the world today. Not all these children have the means of being diagnosed to know what they are suffering from due to socio economic reasons. Not being diagnosed is a major problem because it affects their development. The number of children who actually are diagnosed and given adequate treatment is greater in developed countries more than developing countries. The perception parents have about the cause, diagnosis and treatment of children with Down syndrome is an interesting aspect that has a great impact on the development of these children. In the light of different cultural point of view, biomedical and socio-cultural factors play a very important role. Betancourt Lopez, 1993 explains that cultural and familial factors are dynamic, non-static entities rather than objective social address variables impacting on child development. The immediate family is the first teacher of a child and their relationship influences the childs development. White and Hastings (2004), also adds that among other factors, the maintaining of positive perceptions of the child, along with optimistic attitudes, gaining information in order further to understand the nature of the condition, fostering family cohesion, and identifying, and gaining access to, support services are all important in the childs development. This is why parents perception about the childs disability whether being biomedical or socio-cultural has a tremendous impact on the childs development. While the modern context perceives biomedicine and other social problems as the cause of this disability, a purely traditional context perceives supernatural, magical, religious and metaphysical factors as the cause of this disability. This different perception affects the relationship between the child and the family and also influences the kind of treatment provided for the children. This article therefore is based on a comparative study on the perception of parents of children with Down syndrome using the case of a modern context and traditional context. Also, evaluating issue of social stigma which puts the disabled child in an inbetween space. OBJECTIVES Main objective To evaluate a comparative study on how different perceptions due to different cultural believes affect the development of Down syndrome children. Specific objectives To assess what the parents believe to be the cause of this disability. Investigate the type of treatment they give as a result of their different perceptions. Compare the social stigma faced DS children in the different cultural backgrounds. Finally to analyze the impacts of these diverse perception on the child development. RESEARCH QUESTION How do the perceptions of parents of children with Down syndrome affect the childs development? METHODOLOGY The perception of parent of children with Down syndrome is an interesting issue with diverse perceptions. These diverse views are influenced by different socio-cultural environment. All of these views have necessitated a multi- approach in collecting data for this article. The methodology therefore was divided into two parts considering the different cultural settings; Data Collection These included the ways in which data was collected from the field. Questionnaires (individual depth interviews), unstructured interview, key informant interview, lectures from class, group discussion, and participant observation were used to collect data from the family with the Down syndrome child in Leuven. I visited this very welcoming and hospitable family seven times and I was allowed to be an active participant observer. While the source of data for the traditional setting in Cameroon came mostly from past experience with the families of children with Down syndrome in a typical African traditional setting and also secondary data were used to collect data. The particular case I used was a child in my neighbourhood. The Perception of Parents of Children with Down Syndrome in a Tradition African Society In a typical traditional society, disability in general is not seen as normal thing. In most of these societies, disable people are not recognised as human beings but are attributed to different things. Not only do these societies have insufficient means of rehabilitating disabled people but they do not treat them as normal people and they suffer from chronic social stigma. This is also the case of children with Down syndrome. This chapter will present the case of Down syndrome children in a typical African traditional society where the people have a strong attachment to their cultural believes. Also examining how the peoples perception of the cause of Down syndrome affects their relationship with the child. Down syndrome is a disability that has been realised only of recent in most developing countries including Cameroon. Though this disability has been diagnosed in this part of the world, Down syndrome children are still widely seen as abnormal children. In my own town, they are considered as witches. They are believed to have come back to torment parents for one reason or the other. I will like to give a brief story of a Down syndrome child who was my neighbour in my home town. This young girl got married and became pregnant and had a normal pregnancy. She was a hairdresser and her husband a bus driver. During her pregnancy she was always advised not to walk at night because it is a common believe that pregnant women should not walk at night or else they will be possess by evil spirits. This womans job made her work late into the night and she had to trek back home every night from work. When she finally gave birth to a girl called Blandine after her due period, the first thing she noticed about Blandine is that she did not cry immediately she was born. This was abnormal but the doctors said she was ok. The child stayed in the incubator for about two weeks because she was not very active. As Blandine grew we discovered that she was not very active like other children. It became clear when she was about 5months because by then she could not seat not to talk of creeping. She started creeping when she was around 9months which was a very slow rate of growth sin ce she was actually suppose to be standing and trying to walk. Her growth rate was relatively low. Being in a traditional society with strong cultural believes different reasons where attributed for the cause of her retarded growth. When the child was 4months due to this slow development the mother consulted a woman who had being a traditional midwife and she was advised to use the bone of an elephant to strengthen the legs of the child and also to apply mbuma oil which is oil from a particular type of snake. She used all these but there was no improvement. The childs parent visited several other traditional herbalists who said different stories. Most of which said she had being possessed by an evil spirit since she walked late in the night during her pregnancy. For them the only thing she could do was to keep the child near a river so that she can return to where she came from. It is a common believe that when you place such children near a big river, after some rituals they turn into snake and return to the water where they came from. For Blandines parents it was very difficult to do such a thing to her, though this perception greatly affected their relationship with their daughter. At the age of 2year, the child had really grown very big and could not be carried around since she could not walk and there were no baby carriers to carry her. She was always abandoned at home alone for hours. We always heard that when she is alone she will play with other invisible witches or evil spirits. There were perceptions that some of these children turn into old people and eat all the food in the house when they are left alone. We always heard very strange stories about these children which frightened us and people around could hardly accept to carry the little girl. Other pregnant women never went near her because they feared she could possess them too. Other parents also restricted their children from going close to the girl. She was not treated like other children and was always neglected. What worsened the situation is the fact that she was always sick too. The general perception was that she became sick only when her father had money in other that the money will be spen t on her. The parents hardly took her to the hospital but often to a traditional herbalist who will demand several things in cash and kind. Other family problems between the couples were attributed to the child. After she had reached certain age, the coupled tried to have another child to no avail. It was therefore believed that this evil child had blocked the woman of the mother. She was always insulted and asked to go back to where she came from. They coupled had serious marital problems since they couldnt get another child knowing the importance of children in an African context. This little girl was never considered as a child but a burden and disgrace to the family. They family members and neighbours hated the child with much passion. Moreso, the child was maltreated because it was a common believe that if you treat such children well they will still come back if they happen to die and when you give birth to another child. So she was badly treated. The worst came when the father became seriously ill and finally died. All these considered as ill lock was attributed to the child and the hatred increased. At the age of 4 this little girl will be abandoned alone, she played alone and you co uld find her smiling to herself. All we knew was that she was smiling with her people of the spirit world. This little girl became very sick finally died at the age of 4years 3months merely due to ignorance and negligence. Before she died on the several visits to traditional doctors, she had being given a mark on her face. This mark will identify her if she should come back again. The mother was cleansed and purified by a diviner to prevent the child from returning. About a year later the mother became pregnant with her new boyfriend and according to them it was really the disabled child that blocked her womb. The little girl might have died of any of the diseases faced by children suffering from Down syndrome. She might have had one of the following; congenital heart defects, gastroesophageal reflux disease, recurrent ear infections, obstructive sleep apnea, and thyroid dysfunctions which are health problems associated with the disability. With such less medical care this health problem might have generated into a chronic disease which is what killed her. But due to the socio-cultural pe rception of the community in which this child found herself it was not discovered. The above therefore shows how the perception of these parents and the social stigma attached by community in general led to the untimely death of this little girl. This story is common in many parts of Africa especially in some rural areas where some of these children are even killed. Cultural influence has therefore a great impact on every disabled childs development. The Cameroon government and Non Governmental Organisations are trying to educate families and communities of children with this disability. Much still has to be done because sensitisation is mostly done in the urban areas, the people in most rural areas are still left with their traditional perception of this disability and many other disabilities. They still consider disability to be some sort of curse caused by supernatural and other mystical factors. An Ethnographic Study on the Perception of Parents of Children with Down Syndrome in a Contemporary Society In the contemporary world of today, many people try to work very hard so as to meet the high expectations and competition. Disability is seen as an impediment notwithstanding the fact that many disabled people are crossing the disable line, though many still remain in luminal stage. Robert Murphy (1987) confirms this by pointing out that people with disability in general exist in partial isolation from society as undefined, ambiguous people. They are neither here nor there, this is the case with the boy with down syndrome as he still suffers from stigmatisation. Down syndrome is a form of disability that has being diagnosed in many countries all over the world. Measures are there for put in place to help these disable children develop. This part of this article is based on an ethnographic study on a family in Leuven with a child disabled by Down syndrome. The main issue here is finding out the perception of the parents towards toward their disabled child and how it affects their family. When a child is diagnosed of Down syndrome or any other disability the family goes through different stages; there is serious morning and regrets at the beginning, then refusal and guilt follows and finally the if the parents still want the child they then accept the child but some parents do abandoned their disabled children and they are sent to the orphanage. This procedure is also experienced in my case study. This is a family made up of two children, a girl who is the first and a disabled boy called Ben. The mother is a teacher and the father a banker. Ben was born in June 2004 with 2.9kg through normal delivery. At birth the obstertrian had suspected he had this disability because of his facial looks and other associate symptoms and a week later he was diagnosed of Down syndrome. The mother too explained that before then she too had noticed that her son had a facial look which was not very straight like her first daughter had. The doctor explained to them the cause of the disability. And after carrying out a genetic counselling to find out the origin of the translocation, it was discovered that the extra copy of the chromosome 21 was from the mother. The doctor explained to them that this was possible because of the maternal age of child birth. The mother had the second child when she was 42years. At the age of 40 the woman has the chances of 1 in 100 and the chances by the age of 42 inc reases to 1 in 60 which was the case of this family. I asked the parents what their reactions were when Ben was diagnosed of this impediment. The mother responded: I was very shocked and deep within I felt really bad knowing that the fault was from me but what consulted me was that our son was just disabled and not sick. What made me mad with the doctor is that why was this disability not diagnosed during my prenatal checkups, that will have prepared me psychologically Most parents hope to have abled children who will meet their future dreams of becoming independent successful men and women. It is always very shocking when they are told these dreams cannot be met because their lovely kid is disabled. Most tend to blame the doctors at first for one reason or the other. In any case though also shocked, this womans response was a positive one because just knowing that the son was not sick was a good beginning coupled with the fact that she knows she is part of the cause of the sons condition. This goes in line with Danseco, Evangeline R. (1997) who explains in her article that mothers who blamed themselves of their childs disability had less caretaking difficulties and less mood disturbances; they also had more positive scores on scales of emotional and verbal responsiveness, organization of the physical and temporal environment, and maternal involvement with the child. This is the exact situation of this family because the mother looked at the situat ion as something she could handle especially when she later explained that she was obliged to attend the numerous counselling sessions which has greatly helped her relationship with her son. For the mother it was not a permanent situation but temporal though she knew that it was a gradual process which needed a lot of patience as the doctor explained to them. She believed that this is the period when Ben needed much love and concern. The mothers perception of Bens condition was however different from the fathers. It was more than a shock to me, I had wanted a son who will grow to be like me or even better than me. In my heart at that moment I knew that no matter what, the situation was irreversible, because growing up we had a boy in our neighbourhood about my age who had the same problem and never developed much The story about his neighbour could have been true because before the 1980s there were less parental support and the quality of education with Down syndrome children was not the best as it is today. Paul T Roger et al 199 acknowledges this by saying that there have been so many changes in the quality of parents support, the education offered and public acceptance and attitude. According to the father this diagnoses greatly affected his relationship with his son. He knows from his own past experience that not much could be done. He confessed that from that moment the love he had hoped for the son greatly reduced. He was very reluctant to take their son home when he was discharged from the hospital. The elder sister too had her own perception. For her she had wanted a kid brother or sister for a playmate and someone she could confined in. If her brother was diagnosed disable it means he will not be very active to play with her as she had hoped. She felt sad because she knew she will be lonely again with no kid brother to play or confine in. All these were the familys perception immediately the child was diagnosed. These different perceptions affected their relationship with Ben at home. The Relationship At Home As Ben grew old the family interaction also changed. Things were not the same as it used to be with their first daughter. Knowing that there is a person who cannot do anything for himself had to affect the lives of those who were close to him. The mother especially was affected. She said, My whole life changed, I had to do all my best to please my son. This also will make me happy and be appeased with myself. For the mother she continuously blamed herself for the childs condition. Therefore taking care of the child despite all odds was not a problem for her. As a teacher, she continued her teaching practise at home by teaching her son and being very patient with him knowing that he is a very slow learner. She is also involved in much reading on issues concerning Down syndrome. She has also made friends with another woman whose daughter also has the disability. These two women often discuss to find out how their children are improving. The learn development skills from each other which will help their children especially when it worked out for one. Bens mother confirmed that the other lady has given her much hope since her daughter is older and has greatly developed. She always advised her on what to do especially concerning the health and hot temper of the child. As a result of his disability his major health problems are dental problems and feeding difficulties. He has to be taken to the dentist at least once a month. The mother explained that it is her job to do that. The father stays most of the time away from their son unless on very rare occasions when the mother cannot make out time. But when it comes to something concerning their daughter he is very fast in reacting. When I tried to discuss with the woman that maybe is it just for the fact that fathers are attached to their daughters more than their sons, she explained to me that the situation worsen between the father/son relationship only after he was diagnosed. She also added that the husband was very excited when he knew he will have a son and was loving and caring before the diagnosed the child of DS. Though things have improved now considering the condition the wife explained to me she went through, you can still see the lukewarm attitude of the father when you come very close to the family especially when the daughter is around. The third time I visited the family, it was on a bright and warm day and they were having some outdoor activities. I noticed that the father played more with the daughter than the son, and the mother though playing with the two children paid more attention to the son since according to what she said he is a delicate person and I have got to be very careful with him so I always have to keep an eye on him. You see that the perception of Bens disability has divided the family somehow. While the mother considers herself to be the cause of the childs situation and wants to do all she can to please the child and herself, the father has less time for him knowing that his condition can hardly be improved and he is more attached to the daughter whom he believes has a brighter future. The mother of Ben explained to me that the situation between her the husband and the son is even much better now. She said that immediately after the diagnoses, the father could hardly even carry the baby boy. It was so serious that she complained to their doctor and they had to go for counselling on several occasions for the situation to improve upon. She explained that there were moments that Ben will even cry when the father came closer. Ben grew to know and love the mother more. The love the mother and the son shared helped the son to develop much. During his happy moments he quickly learns whatever he is bei ng taught and will hardly forget it especially if its from his mother. The sister also showed him some love though it was restricted because he became very violent at times especially when they are playing games and he wants things to be done his own way. This made her stay away from him. Ben loves watching cartoons, tries to read story books with pictures and most interestingly enjoys exploiting the internet. The Familys Daily Routine and Its Impact on the Disabled Child In the morning everybody tries to get up at 7am. Before the boy tends 3years he used to get up only after 9am. Because of that the mother had to shift most of her lessons to begin from 11am so that she will be sure to go to school early. She had to take him to the child day care every morning after a long fight with him in the morning. While the father takes their daughter to her school at 8pm she stayed behind to clean up the son and persuade him take breakfast. Eating was a problem for him because the mother had to force him to eat every morning. She explains that there were moments that he will cry and become so violent that she also got angry. The few times she had lift him with his father Ben had hardly ate anything because the father was not very patient with him. After work the father or the mother picks the children depending on who is early that day. There are days that they go for sport in the evenings especially in summer. They also go for counselling and special instructi on teaching. The mother always tries to be present during the sessions because they are taught how to improve on their childs language, how to make him independent, improve on his cognitive level and social skills at the level of the family. The father attends it just a few and only when the mother really insist he should come with her. After the age of 3 he was enrolled in a special school for children with such disability so the daily routine in the house had to change. They had to teach him how to get up earlier and he was forcefully pulled out from bed especially during the first few months. The name of his school is where there are other children with such disability. Ben is in a class of 15children and the teacher tries to make the lessons very interactive. In class he has a cordial relationship with his classmate since all of them have almost the same reasoning capacity. The teachers are very patient with them though some of these disabled children maybe very violent. A solid relationship at home and in school will help the child to develop more. Children with this disability who have a very supportive family develop faster than those who do not. Bens mother added that if the father had put in much effort as she has done their son would have been perfect. He needed their full support, patience and tolerance. The mother says that with time she will like her son to attend a general education school. Ben is very interested in computer issues and the mother believes that he can become a great computer scientist and she is doing all her best to encourage him. Bens mother also explained that when Ben goes to the general education school she will hire a teacher from the special education school who can give him three hours a week of extra support classes. He will also continue to attend the rehabilitation centre classes for two hours a week for his speech, physical and occupational therapies like computer, since he seems to be very interested in computer. Most parents with disabled children today prefer their children to attend general education schools. They believe that these children will develop more in such schools since they face challenges with normal children, they will also fight to be like them. Most governments are therefore trying to encourage inclusive education for these children. In Flanders (Belgium), inclusive education for children with significant cognitive disabilities has been emerging in a process of gradual change at the individual, systems, and policy levels for the last 15 years (Van Hove, Mortier et al. 2009). CONCLUSION In the two cases above these children though under different cultural setting do face social stigma because of their disability. In the first case there is total denial of the child by the entire community due to their cultural believes which eventually leads to the dead of the child. With the second case, the child is in a better situation though not completely accepted. The mother though under difficult emotional stress accepts the son and the father and the rest of the society around the child accepts the child from a distance. You see that the environment that a DS child finds himself do influence his development. Ben is in a society where there are basic necessities for children with such impediment though he is indirectly rejected while Blandine did not only lack the resources but was openly rejected. But Ben stands at a better position because he has a loving mother who is hoping to give him the best even when the society does not accept him. This shows that attitude the society has about child with Down syndrome has not changed much because people still see these children as a burden and a disgrace to their parents. Their facial look also makes people to look at them in a funny way. Bens mother also explained that she felt really bad when people openly reject her son. For example, when they go to the park some parents will call back their children if they want to play with her son. She explains that it made her feel rejected herself. This is a stigma that she cannot run from she cannot abandon her no matter what the society says. Though in general people are being sentitised world wide about this disability, considering the child as a normal person is still very difficult. Most people still believe that these children with DS and other associate disabilities cannot grow to become independent and contribute to the economic growth of the society. They fail to understand that with the available resources these children can grow to meet their dreams. What they need is acceptance by all and a bit of patience due to their retarded nature to become full members of the society. These children therefore find themselves in a luminal situation. They are in an inbetween situation in which though the society is making efforts to integrate them, they are still suffering from stigmatisation. They are therefore in an ambiguous stage which most of them including their families dream to come out one day. REFERENCES Betancourt, H. Lopez, S.R. (1993). The study of culture, ethnicity, and race in American psychology. American Psychologist, 48, 629-637. Leonard, C.J. (1985). Brief outlines of the parent/family reaction to childhood disability in families from 3 ethnic minority groups. International Journal for the Advancement of Counseling, 8, 197-205. Danseco, Evangeline R. (1997) Parental Beliefs on Childhood Disability: insights on culture, child development and intervention, International Journal of Disability, Development and Education, 44: 1, 41 52 Paul T. Rogers, Mary Coleman, Sue Buckley (1992): Medical care in Down syndrome: a preventive medicine approach. 327 Renu Jain, David C. Thomasma, and Rasa Ragas (2002): Down syndrome: Still a Social Stigma. American Journal of Perinatology/Volume 19, Number 2 White N. and Hastings P. 2004 Social and professional support for parents of adolescents with severe intellectual disabilities. Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disability 17 181-190 Mortier, Kathleen , Hunt, Pam , Desimpel, Lore andVan Hove, Geert(2009) With parents at the table: creating supports for children with disabilities in general education classrooms, European Journal of Special Needs Education, 24: 4, 337 354 Robert Murphy (1987): The Body Silent in America. New York

The Science of Toxicology

The Science of Toxicology Introduction to Toxicology: The science of Toxicology consists of the study of biology, chemistry, and medicine, that is concerned with study of harmful; effects of chemicals on living organisms. It also studies the harmful effects of the chemical, biological and the physical agents in biological systems that establish the extent of damage in living organisms. The relationship between the given dose and its effects on the exposed organism is of very high significance in toxicology. Variables that influence chemical toxicity, includes the given dosage, the probable route of exposure, species, age, sex and environment. A toxicologist is a scientist or medical personal who specializes in the study and observation of symptoms, function and mechanism, treatments and detection of venoms and toxins; especially in case of poisoning. To work as toxicologist one should get a degree in toxicology or a related field like biochemistry and the life sciences. The main branches of toxicology are: Forensic toxicology: It is the use of toxicology and other disciplines such as pharmacology, chemistry such as analytical chemistry and clinical chemistry to aid medical or legal investigation of death due to poisoning, and drug use. The chief concern for forensic toxicology is not always the legal outcome of the toxicological investigation or the technology used, but rather the obtaining and interpreting of the evidence and results. A toxicological analysis now can be done to various kinds of samples. A forensic toxicologist must minutely consider the context of an investigation, particularly any physical symptoms that are recorded, and any evidences collected at scene of the crime that helps in narrowing the search, such as any available chemicals powders and/or trace residue. Armed with this information and samples with which to work, the toxic substances that are present there, its concentrations, the probable chemicals effects on the person, all of these information are determined by the forensic toxicologist. In vitro toxicity: It is the scientific analysis of the effects of toxic chemical substances on cell cultured bacteria or mammalian cells. These methods are used primarily to identify dangerous chemicals, to verify the lack of certain toxic properties in the early stages of development of potentially useful new substances like therapeutic drugs, agro chemicals, food colours and additives and other useful substances. In vitro assays for xenobiotic toxicity are carefully considered by major government organizatios (e.g. EPA, NTP, FDA), to better assess human risks. There are major activities in using in vitro systems to advance understanding of toxicant activities, and the use of human cells, tissues and organs to define human-specific toxic effects. Environmental toxicology: It is a multidisciplinary field of science concerned with study of the harmful effects of various chemical agents, biological agents and physical agents on living organisms. it is a sub discipline of environmental toxicology that is concerned with studying the harmful effects of toxicants, at the general population and ecosystem levels. Medical toxicology: It is a medical subfield focusing on the diagnosis of health problems, their management and prevention of adverse health effects such as poisoning and other complications from medications, occupational toxicants, toxicants in the environment, and/or various other biological agents. Medical toxicologists personal are involved in the assessment and treatment for poisoning, the harmful drug reaction, overdoses and substance abuse. Medical toxicology practitioners are physicians, whose primary specialization is generally in emergency medicine, occupational medicine or pediatrics. Ecotoxicology: It is the study of the effects of toxic chemicals on the biological organisms, at the population, community and at the ecosystem levels. Study of Ecotoxicology is a multidisciplinary field, which combines toxicology and ecology. The ultimate aim of this approach is to be able to predict the effects of pollution so that efficient and effective action to prevent or remediate any adverse effect can be identified. In the ecosystems that are already affected by pollution, Eco toxicological studies can inform as to the best method for action to restore the ecosystem efficiently and effectively. Ecotoxicology differs from science of environmental toxicology in that it combines the effects of stressors across all the levels of biological organizations i.e. from the molecular to whole communities and ecosystems, whereas science of environmental toxicology focuses upon the effects at level of the individual and below. Entomotoxicology: It is the analysis of toxins in arthropods that feed on carrion. Using arthropods in corpse or at crime scene, investigators can correctly determine whether toxins or poisons were present in a body at the exact time of death. This technique is a major advancement in forensics. Before, such determinations were impossible in the case of the severely decomposed bodies, which were devoid of intoxicated tissue and body fluids. Ongoing researches into the effects of toxins on arthropod and their development has also allowed better estimations of the postmortem intervals. Forensic entomology is the application and also the study of insects and other arthropod biology to criminal matters. It also involves application of study of arthropods, such as insects, the arachnids, the centipedes, and millipedes, crustaceans to the criminal or legal proceedings. It is mainly associated with death investigations; however, it may also be used to detect drugs, poisons and determine the location of an incident, and also find the presence and time of when the wounds were caused. Forensic entomology can thus be further broken under three subparts: urban, stored-product and lastly medico-legal/medico-criminal entomology. Toxinology: It is the specialized field of science that deals mainly with the animals, plants, and microbial toxins. It has been defined as the scientific discipline dealing with microbial toxins, plant toxins, and animal venoms. This involves more than just the chemistry and mode of action of toxins. It deals with the working of venom, the poison-producing organisms, also the structure and functions of the venom glands, use of the venom or poison and also the ecological role of these compounds. Toxinology has also been further defined as the science of toxic substances produced by or stored in living organisms, their properties, and their biological importance for the organisms involved. Clinical toxinology: Within toxinology there is also a subgroup, i.e. clinical toxinologists, who studies the medical effects in humans, exposure to the toxins, also in animal venoms or in plant poisons. This includes problems such as venom from snakebite, currently considered to affect more than 2.5 million patients each year, with over more than 100,000 deaths. Clinical toxinology does not have specialist status yet within the field of medicinal study, unlike other fields such as surgery and radiology. However, training courses in clinical toxinology exists. Sample Preparation: Sample preparation is often the first step in an analysis; the result of this step can affect the rest of the analytical process. To get accurate results, a sample should be representative, it should be reproducible, homogenous, and must be suitable for column injection or other assay. The main steps in sample preparation are: Sample Identification Sample reagent and standard pipetting Sample extraction Output to analyzer format Preparative Steps: Removal of Soluble Protein – precipitation – filtration Extraction – single step liquid-liquid extraction – Multiple step liquid-liquid extraction (â€Å"back-extraction†) – solid phase extraction Chemical Modification – derivatization for increase in volatility of sample – chemical hydrolysis of glucuronide enzyme Concentration – evaporation Cell lysis or tissue homogenation Sample Characterization: There are many chromatographic assays (GC, GC/MS, HPLC, TLC, LC/MS/MS, ), that are used for characterization and toxicological analysis of sample. To understand them, it is best to break them down into their modular components/steps: Sample preparation Separation (the actual chromatography) Detection (UV/Vis spectrometry, Fluorescence spectrometry, Mass spectrometry). Chromatographic Components: Sample â€Å"loading† The â€Å"mobile phase† during separation. The â€Å"stationary phase† during separation. Separation of individual molecules in the sample components is always based on their relative affinity for the mobile phase versus the stationary phases. Because some of the molecules have higher affinity for the stationary phase, they will pass through column slower than the others and, therefore, will be separated. Separation of the different Molecules by Chromatography: After the injection, all molecules start out overlapping. Due to the varying relative affinity for the stationary phase versus the mobile phases, individual molecules thus begin to separate As the different molecules then elute off of the column, they are then detected as resolved â€Å"peaks†. Relative Retention Times: During the separation, the absolute rates/times for movement of the molecules are not always reproducible. For example, the columns can get dirty, thus decreasing the amount of stationary phase that is available for the interaction with molecules. This can be compared to shortening the length of the column. However, it affect the rate and all molecules in the same way. Therefore, their relative rates/times are highly reproducible. The â€Å"relative retention time† (RRT) is defined as the detection time for a individual peak divided by the detection time for a known internal standard. RRTs are characteristic and reproducible identifiers of individual molecules. Quantification of Drug Concentrations: Peak â€Å"area† generally correlates with the amount of drug that is loaded onto a column and on the original drug concentration. But, there can be sample-to-sample variations due to the extraction efficiency, the loading volumes, or the detection efficiency, etc. Again, the internal standard is utilized to correct for variations.–Similar to the relative retention time, relative peak intensity is defined and related to drug concentration. Unlike the relative retention time, the given variation in the peak area is not always similar for all the molecules. Thus, the internal standard is chosen to be chemically similar to the analyte of interest to best correct for variations. However, adequate similarity is not easy to predict or establish. Protocol for Quantification of Analyte Concentration Based Upon a Calibration Curve: A known quantity of an internal standard is first added to every sample (including controls and calibrators) before any other preparative step. All samples are then prepared through the identical preparative steps, separated by a chromatographic method and quantitatively detected. The relative peak intensities are measured for a series of calibrators with a fixed amount of internal standard and varying amounts of a known analyte. These relative peak intensities are fit to an equation, generally linear, to define a calibration curve. The relative peak intensities of unknown samples are then calculated and then related to the calibration curve to quantify the concentration of the analyte(drug) in the original clinical sample. Some Characterization Techniques: Affinity Chromatography: Affinity chromatography is used for separating biochemical mixtures based on the highly specific interaction between conjugates such as that between antigens and antibodies, enzymes and substrates, or receptors and ligands. Principle: Here, the stationary phase used is typically a gel matrix, often of agarose. Generally, we use an undefined heterogeneous group of molecules in solution, like, for example, growth medium or blood serum. The molecule of interest will be having a well-defined property, and can be put to use during the affinity purification process. This process can thus be seen as a process of entrapment, with target molecule getting entrapped on solid or stationary phase and/ or medium. The molecules of mobile phase component will not become trapped as they do not possess this property. The stationary phase is then removed from the mixture, washed and target molecule released from entrapment in process known as elution. The most common use of affinity chromatography is for the purification of recombinant proteins. Affinity chromatography has use in number of applications, including purification from nucleic acid, and purification from blood and also protein purification from cell free extracts. Thin-layer chromatography (TLC): It is a chromatography technique used to separate non-volatile and stable mixtures. Thin-layer chromatography analysis is performed on sheet of various mediums, such as glass, plastic, or aluminum foil, they are then coated with a thin layer of adsorbent material, like silica gel, cellulose and also aluminum oxide. This layer is known as the stationary phase. After the sample is applied on the plate, a solvent or solvent mixture (known as the mobile phase) is drawn up the plate via capillary action. Because different analytes have different rate of ascension on the TLC plate, separation is achieved. It can monitor the progress of a reaction, or determine the purity of substances and/or identify the compounds present in a given mixture. Some examples are: analyzing the fatty acids, detection of pesticides ,herbicides and/or insecticides in food and water, analyzing ceramides, analyzing the dye composition of fibers in forensic toxicology, or identification of medicinal plants and their constituents and assaying the radiochemical purity of radiopharmaceuticals. A number of enhancements to the original method have been made, to increase the resolution achieved with TLC, to make the different steps automatic and to allow more accurate quantitative analysis. This is called HPTLC, or high-performance TLC. Summary of Major Learning Points: Modular nature of chromatograpy. – Assays are divided into three steps: sample preparation, sample component separation and analyte detection. – The separation steps consist of sample loading, preparing a mobile phase and a stationary phase. Importance of an internal standard for – Calculating the relative retention times for component separation. – Calculation of the relative peak areas and the generation of a calibration curve for the quantification of drug concentrations in the original clinical sample. Analytical specificity provided by – Sample preparation techniques – Separation during chromatography (RRT) – Method chosen for detection

La liberté de lhomme :: essays research papers

Comme nous l'avons vu en classe, la science et la foi sont divisà ©s profondà ©ment dans notre socià ©tà ©. Les scientifiques rejettent, de faà §on assez gà ©nà ©rale tout ce dont touche à   la foi. De leur part, les religieux s'en prennent aux scientifiques pour leurs tentatives de tout expliquer de manià ¨re rationnelle et scientifique. Dans cet article, Pierre Karli essaie de mettre au point les diffà ©rences fondamentales dans le dà ©bat entre la science et la foi, tout en essayant de rapprocher les deux. Il traà ®te d'abord de la science et de la foi de faà §on catà ©gorique, oà ¹ il indique ce dont nous apporte chacun ainsi que les "collusions" dont il voit entre la foi et le pouvoir politique et entre la science et le pouvoir politique. Il saute ensuite vers une discussion de l'à ªtre humain et la question de l'"instinct d'agression" pour finalement tomber sur une discussion du dà ©bat autour de la libertà © de l'homme. Les diffà ©rences entre la science et la foi ont à ©tà © dà ©battues pendant longtemps. Les scientifiques rejettent toute notion d'un Dieu crà ©ateur, puisqu'ils sont incapables de prouver de faà §on concrà ¨te son existence. Les religieux critiquent les scientifiques de toujours rationaliser et d'essayer de tout mesurer. Par exemple, comment peut-on mesurer l'amour? Les scientifiques peuvent-ils tout de mà ªme nier l'existence de cette force, cette à ©motion? De la part des religieux et croyants, le cas est de mà ªme pour Dieu. Karli dit qu'on ne peut pas comparer ces deux aspects par contre, puisqu'ils ne sont pas semblables. Le problà ¨me se retrouve que les religieux se servent d'une approche religieuse pour examiner la science. De l'inverse pour les scientifiques à   l'à ©gard de la religion. Mais ces deux champs ne peuvent pas à ªtre examinà ©s de la mà ªme manià ¨re. C'est ici que provient les affrontements entre les deux. La science se sert de raison pour pouvoir dà ©crire, mesurer et dà ©montrer. Les scientifiques essaient de tout mesurer, dà ©crire et dà ©montrer, mais arrivent à   un mur lorsqu'ils regardent des aspects mystiques ou religieux. La science, elle, nous permet une meilleure connaissance du monde et de notre relation avec celle-ci. De son cà ´tà ©, la foi est "l'adà ©sion à   une và ©rità © rà ©và ©là ©e, donnà ©e entià ¨re dà ¨s le dà ©part, et qui rà ©pond à   un besoin de transcendence, d'absolu." (Karli, p. 138) Elle nous dit ce qu'on doit faire dans la vie pour doter celle-ci d'un sens, d'une raison d'à ªtre. Mais pour Karli, ces deux ne sont pas mutuellement exclusifs comme nous le ferait croire les participants des deux champs. Karli, comme d'autres thà ©ologiens et religieux(Teilhard de Chardin, l'abbà © Laflamme1 entre autres) essaie de reconcilier la science et la religion. La libertà © de l'homme :: essays research papers Comme nous l'avons vu en classe, la science et la foi sont divisà ©s profondà ©ment dans notre socià ©tà ©. Les scientifiques rejettent, de faà §on assez gà ©nà ©rale tout ce dont touche à   la foi. De leur part, les religieux s'en prennent aux scientifiques pour leurs tentatives de tout expliquer de manià ¨re rationnelle et scientifique. Dans cet article, Pierre Karli essaie de mettre au point les diffà ©rences fondamentales dans le dà ©bat entre la science et la foi, tout en essayant de rapprocher les deux. Il traà ®te d'abord de la science et de la foi de faà §on catà ©gorique, oà ¹ il indique ce dont nous apporte chacun ainsi que les "collusions" dont il voit entre la foi et le pouvoir politique et entre la science et le pouvoir politique. Il saute ensuite vers une discussion de l'à ªtre humain et la question de l'"instinct d'agression" pour finalement tomber sur une discussion du dà ©bat autour de la libertà © de l'homme. Les diffà ©rences entre la science et la foi ont à ©tà © dà ©battues pendant longtemps. Les scientifiques rejettent toute notion d'un Dieu crà ©ateur, puisqu'ils sont incapables de prouver de faà §on concrà ¨te son existence. Les religieux critiquent les scientifiques de toujours rationaliser et d'essayer de tout mesurer. Par exemple, comment peut-on mesurer l'amour? Les scientifiques peuvent-ils tout de mà ªme nier l'existence de cette force, cette à ©motion? De la part des religieux et croyants, le cas est de mà ªme pour Dieu. Karli dit qu'on ne peut pas comparer ces deux aspects par contre, puisqu'ils ne sont pas semblables. Le problà ¨me se retrouve que les religieux se servent d'une approche religieuse pour examiner la science. De l'inverse pour les scientifiques à   l'à ©gard de la religion. Mais ces deux champs ne peuvent pas à ªtre examinà ©s de la mà ªme manià ¨re. C'est ici que provient les affrontements entre les deux. La science se sert de raison pour pouvoir dà ©crire, mesurer et dà ©montrer. Les scientifiques essaient de tout mesurer, dà ©crire et dà ©montrer, mais arrivent à   un mur lorsqu'ils regardent des aspects mystiques ou religieux. La science, elle, nous permet une meilleure connaissance du monde et de notre relation avec celle-ci. De son cà ´tà ©, la foi est "l'adà ©sion à   une và ©rità © rà ©và ©là ©e, donnà ©e entià ¨re dà ¨s le dà ©part, et qui rà ©pond à   un besoin de transcendence, d'absolu." (Karli, p. 138) Elle nous dit ce qu'on doit faire dans la vie pour doter celle-ci d'un sens, d'une raison d'à ªtre. Mais pour Karli, ces deux ne sont pas mutuellement exclusifs comme nous le ferait croire les participants des deux champs. Karli, comme d'autres thà ©ologiens et religieux(Teilhard de Chardin, l'abbà © Laflamme1 entre autres) essaie de reconcilier la science et la religion.

Essay --

Introduction The National Security Agency (NSA) is considered to be one of the largest components so the U.S intelligence community stands. It is primarily responsible for gathering intelligence report from detailed communications with the active involvement of the various intelligence tools. It was established in 1952 from the code breaking effort adopted by the handful of military officers and civilians and by and by and by the agency grew in stature and marked its position to gain the role of signal intelligence which is also known as SIGNIT. All of this has resulted from the initiatives taken by the congress and actually it is the congress that helped in providing it the required framework required NSA to carry out its various activities and the enacted laws skilfully guides the limits of NSA. From the perspective of electronic surveillance of US persons and also they are supporting and taking due notice of the public pertaining to the issues at NSA and the related reforms that are directed to make NSA more and more equipped in meeting up with the quotidian technical as well as geopolitical challenges. At present, NSA is constantly coming across multitude of challenges and as well as seeing through a difficult operational environment that brings in certain limitations to its work areas like spending levels for intelligence reports into queries for the future prospects of NSA. The European Parliament has also came forward highlighting the interest of the public who allege that the US along with few other countries are constantly involved in systematic electronic eavesdropping so as to be able to launce the commercial interest of US operations in full effect. (Linda B. 1999) In response to the huge amount of congressional conc... ...concern of the Congress concerning the activity of the NSA is very unlikely to finish and the researchers are of the opinion that amidst attacks on NSA, members of the European parliaments and the members of the Congress jointly may come up and criticize not only the operations and activities as undertaken by the NSA but also its roles and missions. Funding for the efforts being undertaken on part of the NSA has widespread results from the consideration of geopolitical as well as technological work environments that needs to be put into some sort of balance against other prevalent requirements. (Jeremy S. 2000) And more so to a much enhanced degree as compared to that of the past, the Congress is expected to continue to indulge itself in internal challenges in the agency designed to gain in capabilities from the perspective of boosting the technological framework. â€Æ'

Competition Protects Consumers, Politicians Protect Themselves :: Politics Political Essays

Competition Protects Consumers, Politicians Protect Themselves Baltimore Sun political writer H. L. Mencken once warned, "The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed, and hence clamorous to be led to safety, by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary." As saviors politicians then announce an array of government programs to safeguard a grateful electorate from one hobgoblin or another. For that safety, taxpayers are forced to cough up billions of dollars to finance government agencies like the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Consumer Product Safety Administration (CPSC), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). What is it that ultimately protects the consumer? It's not government but competition - many producers competing with each other for our dollars. What motivates a grocery store manager to have sales, introduce new products and services and incessantly search for other ways to please us and make us loyal customers? The easy answer is that the manager seeks greater profits, but profits cannot be simply decreed because he has no power to force us to shop at his store. He must lure us into his store pleasing us more than our next best alternative - his competitor down the street. The life of the manager and his employees, would be much easier if they could get legislators to write "level playing field" laws to "protect consumers" against cutthroat competition. A level playing field law might mandate that all grocers charge the same prices, sell the same items, and provide identical customer services. That way competition would be reduced. Right now your grocer and his employees know that if he charges high prices and provides poor quality service, you will take your business elsewhere. That would result in less business, lower profits and possibly bankruptcy. But if the manager and his employees could persuade lawmakers to enact a level playing field law, it would be a different story. The identical principle applies to workers. Some people think labor unions, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), and minimum wage laws protect the worker. Labor unions, OSHA regulations and minimum wages laws do protect the jobs and income of some workers but at the expense of other workers' jobs and income. Labor unions and many labor laws are little more than a collusion against other workers. Union leaders argue that their right to strike is their most powerful tool in their pursuit of higher wages and better working conditions.