Impact of Affordable Care Act on Medicare

What is the Impact of ACA on Medicare? Tyeisha Molina Managed Care and Insurance Professor Conway October 21, 2012 Abstract There are many changes being made by the Affordable Care Act which will have an impact on Medicare. Affordable Care Act makes Medicare stronger as well as assists the elderly with taking responsibility of their health outcomes.The act will provide essential free assistances which include preventive services, yearly wellness appointments and a fifty percent price reduction towards prescription drugs for the individuals that are in the coverage gap called the donut hole. Medicare recipients can also work with their physicians to develop a personal prevention plan. Affordable Care Act impacts Medicare for the reasons that the elderly for no cost or little cost will receive more benefits than they have before.The intention of the act is to encourage improvement, trial analysis for forms of payment models and enhancements to the ways payments are made for basic healt h services, the promotion of patient centered support given by health institutions, reducing unnecessary inpatient stays and developing an incentive plan for practitioners, hospitals and additional health facilities so that the delivery of care is provided in an efficient manner. Affordable Care Act does not necessarily eliminate every issue associated with Medicare, but it is definitely a start.There are still changes that will have to be made in order to correct the continuing gaps amongst the amount of workforces that pay taxes into the Medicare and the amount of individuals that receive the assistance. There is also the issue of the increasing health care costs which will continue to jeopardize its purpose of being long term solution. Due to the ACA a lot more individuals will be able to afford health care benefits including safeguards which will assist them with keeping insurance at times when a critical health condition arises as well as managing ongoing health problems.The Af fordable Care Act demonstrates actual enhancements for Medicare recipients presently as well as in the upcoming years. What is the Impact of ACA on Medicare? Preventive Services Crucial preventive services can currently be obtained by individual’s that are Medicare participates without a co-pay or deductible such as colonoscopies and breast exams. Enhancing availability to preventive services has the capability of improving detection of illnesses in the early stages and treatments which can possibly reduce the amount being spent and to improve the well-being of Medicare recipients for the long-term.Medicare was beginning to pay for additional preventive care services that were in accordance with the typical United States health care insurances as a measure to decrease the necessity of costly health care treatments in the future. â€Å"The Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement and Modernization Act of 2003 provided that in the first six months which was amended to the first year of a person’s enrollment in Medicare Part B, that person is entitled to an initial preventive physical examination† (Bergthold 2012). The intention of the examination was to encourage healthy lifestyles and identify illnesses in advance to avoid them becoming worse.The exam consists of information, therapy, support services amongst other types of screens for cancer and testing. (Adamopoulos 2012) The Affordable Care Act has now added yearly wellness visits along with the existing exam. The wellness visits consist of an all-inclusive risk evaluation as well as a personal prevention plan. The evaluations will take into account the individual’s health history as well as their family’s history, different observations which include weight, blood pressure, mental deficiencies and extensive list of screening exams that extend to five or ten years.The benefits are covered by Medicare free of charge for participates of the plan and there also is no fee attach ed to the wellness visits. These services will also be available to participants of the traditional Medicare plan due to the Affordable Care Act. Due to the yearly wellness exams being available to every Medicare participate there should be an increased improvement in their medical status and it could possible decrease the Medicare’s program costs in the future. (Adamopoulos 2012) What is the Impact of ACA on Medicare?Prescription Drug Coverage Prescription drugs are a major category of health care costs for the majority of elderly people. In 2006, Medicare Part D began which covered prescription medication attached to it was a coverage gap called donut hole, but before this there was no coverage available for medications. Once the yearly deductible is paid the primary coverage part of the Medicare Part D program begins which obligated participates to contribute to twenty-five percent of the costs of their prescription medications.When required amount prescription drug amount has been reached which includes the amount Medicare pays and the participate pays which is $2,830 the participant enters the donut hole and then they are required to pay the full amount of the medication costs. A participate continues in the donut hole until they have reached medication costs of $6,440. Once that occurs the catastrophic level of prescription drug coverage begins and participate does not spend any more than five percent of the medication costs without any limitations. (Kaplan 2011)The abnormal structure was not equivalent to any type of health care funding agreement whether unrestricted or private in America or any other country. The program was created due to a collaboration of multiple unconnected governmental obligations. The first obligation was that the Medicare prescription program was in need of a reasonably lower yearly deductible to make sure the majority of participants saw individual benefits for being enrolled in the plan. The reason for this was due to a failure of a 1988 regulation made to the Medicare drug program.As a result an enrollee would have to volunteer for any new legislated Medicare prescription program which meant that if the enrollee had to volunteer for the program it was important for the majority of the recipients to be given some form of substantial assistance for participating in the program. (Kaplan 2011) The second obligation pertained to the circulation of the yearly prescription costs that followed the simple design for health costs which was normally the main part of the program’s expenses which were caused by a small number of the programs enrollees.The costs from the small amount of enrollees have the ability to be an enormous amount. Therefore, in order for the Medicare prescription program to offer most support for the participants that required it more than the catastrophic coverage had to have a lower co-pay amount attached to it. The model’s ending fee level has a five percent co-insura nce obligation without a limit of on coverage. (Kaplan 2011) The last obligation was due to the administration directed by President Bush which concluded they were going to assign a specified amount that would go towards the new plan and nothing else.With the combining lower yearly out-of pocket costs with the addition of added benefit once the deductibles are reached, the limitless catastrophic coverage level along with a lower co-insurance fee requirement and the secure worldwide financial plan it was inevitable that changes had to be made. The change that occurred was the diminishing of the donut hole which was located between the start of the coverage and the catastrophic level. (Kaplan 2011) The last part of the Affordable Care Act relates to the prescription drugs which increases the cost for the higher earning individuals that are enrolled in the Medicare program.The Affordable Care Act has also increased the Part D payment the higher earning individuals have to pay in additi on to the method of the raised payments that are required to pay for the Medicare Part B portion of the program. The modification has usually been labeled as a decrease in the payment funding given to the high earning enrollees, but its result on those elderly individuals that are part of this requirement is the identical increased once-a-month charges that are required for registration in the section of the plan. (Kaplan 2011) What is the Impact of ACA on Medicare?Skilled Nursing Home Initiatives Another impact made by the Affordable Care Act is to increase the information that is provided to enrollees pertaining to the long-term services provided in skilled nursing homes. There are additional proposals which support ethics courses for nursing homes staff members, but the primary objective of Affordable Care Act for the skilled nursing home initiative is to add main focus of the ACA’s nursing home initiatives is to require that additional skilled nursing home data be added i nto the current Nursing Home Compare link located on the Medicare site.The information is critical for individuals that are trying to consider placement in a nursing facility. Some of the information is currently available on Medicare’s website, but at times there is insufficient standardization which allows a potential tenant without difficulty assess prospective nursing homes. There are times when an elderly person has limited reasonable options for long-term care as well as need a facility in a short timeframe. (Urban 2012)The type of intentional shopping around for agencies which the new statute requirement seems to visualize is usually common for an assisted living facility rather than a nursing home. The obligation to have illegal violations as well as public fines to be openly revealed has the chance to put additional burden on restrictions which will enhance its defending ability. There are times when the information that is provided can cause incorrect understandings . Also, a suitable level of employee development that the facility requires will depend highly on how severe the occupants’ conditions are.The individuals that are highly informed will have the ability to comprehend the excellence of services being provided by a skilled nursing home based upon the added information the skilled nursing homes have to release. (Urban 2012) In conclusion, the Affordable Care Act health care reform has the ability to improve results as well as save additional revenue. Developing an enhanced Medicare plan and a health care Building an improved Medicare program and an improved health care distribution structure needs to be a collective effort.By allowing individuals to gain additional power with controlling their medical care as well as reinforcing the Medicare plan. The act gives extended coverage for services and an enhanced combination of services for individuals that are in need of care. References Adamopoulos, Helen. (2012). The Supreme Court A ffordable Care Act Decision: Could it Mean Catastrophe for Medicare Advantage? Retrieved from http://medicarenewsgroup. com/context/understanding-medicare-blog/understanding-medicare-blog/2012/06/21/the-supreme-court-affordable-care-act-decision-could-it-mean-catastrophe-for-medicare-advantage-.Accessed on 13 October 2012. Bergthold, Linda. (2012). Seniors Are Asking†¦ What's Next for Medicare? Retrieved from http://www. huffingtonpost. com/linda-bergthold/seniors-are-asking—what_b_1666779. html. Accessed on 13 October 2012. Kaplan, Richard L. (2011). Older Americans, Medicare, and the Affordable Care Act: What’s Really In It for Elders? Retrieved from http://www. asaging. org/blog/kaplan-older-americans-medicare. Accessed on 13 October 2012. Urban, Mike. (2012) Many already feel impact of Affordable Care Act. Retrieved from http://readingeagle. com/article. aspx? id=396360. Accessed on 13, October 2012.

Government Spending and Revenues in America and China

Government spending and revenues in China and America International accounting four 0092962 Chen Yuting Public finance is a subject about the taxing and spending activities of government. Considering the function of government, two opposite views stand out. One is organic view of government. The main idear is that the government can be though of as the society’s heart. Another is mechanisitic view of government. It insists that government is not an organic part of society while it is a contrivance created by individuals to better achieve their individual goals.Government Regulation on Media in AmericaNeverthless, nobody can deny that the spending and revenues have a significant influence on our society. Our living standard is associated with government actions. As a result, it is meaningful to compare the government spending and revenues in China and America. Without doubt, the revenues of government is the root of spending of government. In addition, it gives the government t he power and the ability to put policy into effect. At the beginning of 2011, a piece of news comes that it is the first time for China that its annual revenues are more than 8,000 billion yuan. Details are from: http:// paper. people. com. cn/rmrbhwb/html/2011-01/22/content_730659. htm? div=-1) Just in terms of the number of total revenues, American holds the number of 4214 billion dollars. (Details are from: http://www. usgovernmentrevenue. com/ ) If we conver the dollars to RMB, it is far more than China. However, in my opinions, the number of total revenues is not the unique factor affecting the size of government revenues. In my opinion, it is more rational to consider the rate of revenues in GDP. The rate of China is 20. 88%. The number of GDP is from the website: http://baike. baidu. com /view/368359. htm) Compared to America, its rate is 29. 05%. ( The number of GDP is from the website: http://www. usgovernmentrevenue. com/classic. html? year=2010) As a result, the shortfall between China and America shrinks. In spite of the analysis of government revenues’s size, maybe the structure of the revenues is more attractive and more significant. In China, value-added tax play an important role in the revenues, accounting for almost 25%. (The tax is from: http://gks. mof. ov. cn/zhengfuxinxi/tongjishuju/201101/t20110120_421479. html) The following tax is business income tax and business tax. However, the major portion in America is income tax and ad-valorem taxes, accouting for 32. 99% and 26. 29%. ( The tax is from: http://www. usgovernmentrevenue. com/classic. html? year=2010 ) Actually,the considerable part of taxation in China almostly belong to commodity tax while that of America is income tax. As far as the function of regulating social incomes, America’s revenue is more beneficial to accomplish the mission.Because the commodity tax is nonexcludable. Everyone who buys the product will undertake the tax. On the contraty, the policy of Ameri ca is progressive. The richer you are, the more you pay. So, I think it’s more appropriate. In this day and age, a commonly held belief is that the size of revenue have a positive effect on the balance of social economy. Concretly, its object is that maximuming the social investment, maximuming the efficience of social resources and maximuming the social welfare. Another opinon is balancing revenues with spendings.To some extend, it is reasonable. When the revenues is far more than spendings, it is a waste of resources. When the spendings is far more than revenues, it will add burden to government. So it is also important to compare the spending in China and Ameirica. The total spending of America is 5797 billion (The number is from the website: http://www. usgovernmentspending. com/)while the revenue of Ameirica is 4214. Compared to China, its spending is 8957. 5 billion (http://gks. mof. gov. cn/zhengfuxinxi/tongjishuju/201101/t20110120_421479. html) while the revenue is 83 08.Just compare the revenue to spending, both America and China spend more than it received. To some extent, America is spending the money they haven’t received yet. Personally, it is a bit dangerous and risky to do this. Because excessive deficits will have a negtive effect on dollars and interst rate when investors look down on the ability of government to control the deficits. Eventually, it will present a serious drag on the economy. There is a world of difference between the structure in America and in China. The first three portion of American spending is pensions, health care and education.The counterpart in China is economic construction spending and administrative spending. From what is said above, it is easy to see the primary function of each government. America is a developed country so that it do well in the social securiry. The percent are almost 60%. (http://www. usgovernmentspending. com/classic. html? year=2010)As a result, people in America don’t worr y about the life when they are old. Then let us take a look on China. Because China is a developing country, its main aim is to develop economy. The economic construction spending is always taking an important part.However, in recent years, the spending on economic construction is decreasing while the spending on education, health care and other things related to the people’s livehood is increasing. The impressive increasing items are spending on demnificatory housing and on environmental protection, accouting for 30. 7% and 25. 4%. (http://gks. mof. gov. cn/zhengfuxinxi/tongjishuju/201101/t20110120_421479. html) It is a neccesary and significant step to act on international convention and turn to developed country. As a rising power, it is time to shoulder the responsibility of the world and pay more attention to Gross National Happiness.On the other hand, there are still some problems to deal with. The most urgent problem is the increasing administrative spending. Though ad ministrative department is a huge institution, the percent in Ameirica is about 10%. So the efficiency and effect of Chinese department are supposed to be improved. The act of government should be more apparent and public. On March 14th, Premier Wen said corruption is the most dangerous thing in China. The best method to solve the problem is promoting the system of reform, both in politics and economy.Comparing the revenues and spending in China and America, there is something we can learn from America. Firstly, increasing the percent of things related to people’s livehood, especially education. Secondly, improving the legislation of public finance. Thirdly, enhancing check and balance between people and government. It is a long and endless way for government to improve itself. But the same purpose is to make people live a better life. For public finance, it is important for government to ensure what is taken from people is used in the

College Teachers Role in Society

Alexander the Great once said, â€Å"I am indebted to my father for living, but to my teacher for living well. † Each profession occupies a specific niche in society. Doctors heal, engineers design and bankers handle our money. Teaching, however, stands out as a very necessary entity. At a preliminary stage, teachers instill the beyond and outside the ordinary range of human experience or understanding faculties of communication, decision making and awareness of social responsibilities. Later in life, no matter which field we choose to pursue, we again turn to teachers for training.A strong information base and well developed capabilities of comprehension and analysis are critical for progress. These crucial responsibilities of inculcating knowledge, kindling inspiration and encouraging creative thought are all vested in the teacher. Keeping in mind the increasing trend of both parents working long hours, the teacher is also expected to build a strong moral character and provi de emotional support. Thus, the teacher has to build a rapport with the student and be simultaneously approachable and authoritative. His/her role encompasses that of an instructor, friend, role model and confidant.College teaching is a profession built on top of another profession. Individuals come to the professoriate with specific, professional knowledge and skills, including content expertise, and research techniques. These skills constitute what may be called the base profession of college faculty. But college professors are immediately called upon to perform at professional levels in four possible roles: teaching, scholarly or creative activities (including research), service to the institution and community, and administration. We live in a rapidly changing society. In fact, love for change and progress is inherent in human nature.It is this reason why man, since the dawn of human civilization, has been trying to make adjustment to physical and social world around him. In thi s age of been even more rapid and dramatic, affecting our life styles, our ways of thinking, feeling and acting. The youth, like any other section of people simply cannot remain unaffected. The sacred duty of college teachers is to educate and guide the youth of society to cope with this rapidly changing and challenging society.The College teachers who are considered to be highly intellectual section of the society have even a bigger role to play  in this regard. Objectives:- The objectives of this Research Report are as follows : (I) To highlight the importance of educating and guiding the youth in the fast changing social scenario. (II) (III) To identify the needs, problems and challenges faced by the youth in the changing society and the areas in which they need guidance of the teachers. (IV) To highlight the role of teachers in general and the college teachers in particular in educating and guiding the youth in the changing society. Why the youth need to be educated / guided.I t goes without saying that the youth is the responsible citizens of tomorrow. Again youth is also the period which is characterized by certain unique features which are usually not found in the other stages of human stability and uniformity that marked his preceding stages i. e. childhood and boyhood. Furthermore, youth or adolescence being a period of rapid growth, development and change, is most likely to be accompanied number of difficulties and problems. The needs and problems of the youth are very peculiar and hence, these need to be understood and addressed very carefully.Without proper education and counseling it will be next to impossible on the part of the youth to make proper adjustment in the changing society. In the absence of such guidance, the youths are likely to face the danger of being misled and will be unable to translate their dreams and aspirations into reality. ROLE OF A TEACHER IN BUILDING CHARACTER OF A STUDENT: it is not everything that experience can teach us we cannot learn etiquette and manners from experience because children are like clay in a potter's hand just as a potter's gives a desired shape to the clay in his hands, so do children become what their teachers make them.Therefore there is no denying in the fact that the role of a teacher in a student's life is very crucial right from the time when child joins a day care center to the stage when he/she establishes a professional career. The important connections such as trust, courage, support, self esteem when develops between a student and a teacher often supports the building blocks of their relationship. A teacher plays many roles in the life of a student firstly as a caretaker for student.like parents, teacher shower their care, love, respect on them like a gardener watering his/her plants and even instruct them for their betterment, secondly as a friend by helping them in every right step of life, thirdly as a knowledge bank as proper education is the need of today if we want our country to progress this is because every child must be given the best level of education possible. Teachers create a safer and pleasant environment and their attitude is as positive as mother's have for their children. but as we know there are all type of teachers some are better than others.There are some teachers who just came in to the class and starts teaching. They did not get involved with the students. And students rarely like them so teacher should show their concern about what the students are feeling. Because there are many students who feel shy in interacting with their teachers apart from this students can interact frankly with their teachers by clearing his/her doubts. Therefore, i believe that the way students act depends on the teacher's attitude. that’s why i will always recommend teachers to invite the students to participate in the class.Motivating Students to Attend Class: While student success is important at every educational level, it gains sig nificance during the college years because this phase often represents the last formal education many students receive before competing for work. During the college years, students develop their abilities and match them with specific needs in the labor market. For this reason, education during these years is of particular importance. However, as in other levels of their educational careers, students sometimes fail to attain adequate learning outcomes.Motivation is considered to be the necessary cornerstone on which the other steps follow and build. Although motivation is identified as a fundamental aspect of learning for college students, many teachers at the college level are not trained as extensively in teaching methods and communication as are their counterparts in elementary and secondary school. College teachers must manage several tasks simultaneously. To serve on a variety of committees and to stay on top of administrative duties may compete with the desire to improve classr oom impact.Often the emphasis for college faculty is on research rather than on presentation skills. Faculty members gained social and educational status through scholarly productivity, and even though they might have wanted to gain satisfaction from teaching. They were unprepared for the demands. Major goal of college students was to receive practical training related to specific jobs, whereas their teachers had the goal of encouraging students' broad intellectual development. When college students are not motivated in a particular class, a common outcome is a lost desire to attend class, followed by frequent absences and plummeting grades.Class attendance at colleges was positively correlated with academic achievement. College teachers could enact strict attendance policies and penalize students who failed to attend; college teachers' classroom performance can influence students to attend the class. The teacher's focus is on his students. His task is to convey a fixed body of know ledge to his students and to worry about the best way to do so. He normally follows a textbook and a â€Å"syllabus†. A very important part of his job is to assign homework and to give tests to find out how much his students are learning.He pays attention to what the students think of him and his performance. He sympathizes with his students' worry about their grades. Educating the youth: Collegiate education has undoubtedly a significant role in shaping and moulding the future of the youth, and college teachers, being highly intellectual, are entrusted with the burdensome responsibility of guiding the student youth in the proper direction. In fact, college teachers as social engineers have a multifarious role to play in this respect.The role of college teachers in educating the youth can be discussed under the following headings: I) Understanding the mindset of the youth: The first and foremost task of the teachers in general and the college teachers in particular is that th ey must be capable of reading the mindset of the college youth who are confronted with a innumerous of emotional and psychological problems at this stage. Personal growth imposed by emotional disturbances of varying severity. Furthermore, problems of the youth are unique in that many of the difficulties are related to development issues of general cultural development and population in transition.These developmental issues lead to vague symptoms of anxiety and depression, rather than to clearly define emotional disturbances one would expect in a general adult population. College teachers can play a crucial role in addressing these problems. In order to address these problems of the youth college teachers need to be very sympathetic and cordial towards them. Teachers as counselor: College teachers can effectively play the role of a counselor in educating the young generation.They can not only guide and advise the youth, but also help them  to get over their stress and anxieties whi ch are caused by the fast changing socio-political-cultural environment around them. Giving new direction to the lives of the young people is the prime responsibility of college teachers. When Neil Armstrong set his foot on the moon in 1969, it was just one step for a man but a giant leap for the mankind. Behind this leap were the long hours of day to day scientific research by the scientist, and behind all the scientists was the ordinary day-to-day classroom teaching which is a self evident truth, so it is the good day-to-day classroom teacher on who depends the spectacular leap for the mankind.The main architect of the future of humanity is no one but the honorable teachers. They not only have to teach their subject to the pupils but even more important, the human values, positive attitude, emotional and psychological resilience, the courage of conviction to call a spade a spade on the face of it, and fully equip their students to be able to face the future challenges in their liv es squarely and bravely. A student looks at the teacher as a role model, which he or she likes to emulate if that teacher is able to have a lasting positive impression on his/her students.Teachers must remember, a child sees them as the source of all Inspiration and Truth in life. Whatever teachers do shape the future and affects the life of all heir students. And what our children are going to become tomorrow directly affects the well being of the Society, Country and the World at large. Teachers are directly involved in building the next generation. Much of what students learn from their greatest teachers is not detailed on a syllabus. Teachers who help us grow as people are responsible for imparting some of life’s most important lessons.During their initial school years, students encounter, perhaps for the first time, other children of the same age and begin to form some of their first friendships. Teachers show students how to become independent and form their own relatio nships; they carefully guide them and intervene when necessary. College is as much a place of social learning as academic learning, and this is true, not only in our early years of education, but all the way through college.Though a teacher’s influence on the social sphere of class lessens as students mature, those early lessons still have an effect on how they will interact with others in the future. Teachers are founts of experience. They have already been where their students are going, undergone what they will go through and are in a position to pass along lessons, not only regarding subject matter, but lessons on life. II) Inculcating a sense of social responsibility: Youth is also the period when the society expects something from the young generation.Youth are an asset of the nation, they have great social responsibility. Being a product of the society they must be sensitized to the needs and problems facing the society or the region they live in. It is needless to sta te that a team of dynamic and energetic youth can change the very fabric of a given society. In view of this, college teachers should be capable of sensitizing the young generation to the burning problems of the society and should also prepare them to shoulder social responsibilities in right earnest.The youths should be trained in such a way that they will use their skills and talents in the services of his community, his country and the whole world. III) Making the youth politically conscious: The youth of today being the future could assume the future leadership of the country they must be trained to be conscious of their own rights and duties, and they must be made to feel respectful to the democratic process of their roles in building up the economic prosperity of their country.IV) Cultivating qualities of good citizenship: Though the concept of education for good citizenship has been an old one, it has its role in fast changing world; the necessity of educating the youth for g ood citizenship has assumed greater significance. Youth is the most opportune time to inculcate a sense of good citizenship.The youth should be taught to cultivate the qualities of a good citizen which include, among others, ability to be aware of the importance of meeting human needs and to be concerned with the extension of the essentials of life to individuals, Practice the kinds of relationships that are consistent with a democratic society, Recognizes and endeavours to help in the solution of the social problems of the time, Possesses and uses knowledge, skill and abilities to facilitate the process living, Ability to work with others in a company, Ability to understand, accept and tolerate cultural differences.Ability to be sensitive towards and to defend human rights and rights of women, etc. One of the most important legacies of college education has been to provide students with the critical capacities, the knowledge and the values to become active citizens striving to real ize a vibrant democratic society. Teachers are an important indicator of the well-being of our democratic society. They remind us of the values that must be passed on to young people in order for them to think critically; to participate in decisions that affect their lives; and to transform inequities that close down democratic social relationships.Teachers built Education system on a strong foundation of relationships, human experience, and connectedness. Effective leaders will be expected to put words to the formless longings and deeply felt needs of others. Teachers create communities out of words. Students must be active participants in shaping their future. Student engagement involves the active participation of all students in sustainable environmental practices, a strong student voice in decision making, and involvement in the school and community in meaningful ways.Environmental education stimulates student engagement by focusing on the importance of relationships between ac tion and reflection, local and global issues, and people’s desires and needs. Student engagement has a positive effect on student achievement and motivation. Students who practice leadership in their colleges will become effective citizens in their communities. The community also has a vital role to play in providing environmental education opportunities and linkages for the educational institutions.Community groups can share their expertise and engage students in experiential learning and activities related to environmental education and careers. V) Imparting value education: The period during which the youth prosecute college education is very crucial in so far as the perception of values is concerned, there is great contradiction in what parents, teachers and leaders preach and what they themselves practice.In such confusing situation everybody suffers from a dilemma unique to youth’s time, economic dependency, subordinate role in the society, adult’s attempt s to understand them in the light of their own experience, ambitions and aspirations, distorted perceptions of and aspirations of the youth create a social situation where the youth comes to occupy a marginal place and is pushed to a stage of anxiety.Moreover, the weakening of social and moral values in the younger generation is creating many serious social and ethical conflicts and there is already a desire among some thinkers to balance the knowledge and skills which science and technology bring with the values and insights associated with ethics and religion at its best. Teachers in general and college teachers in particular must be able to inculcate in the youth a clear sense of values – moral, social and spiritual.In this context, the following aspects may be the responsibility of college teachers to take care of; a) To balance knowledge with essential social skills. b) To balance science and technology with ethics and religion. c) To help form character besides training in skills. d) To cultivate true citizenship spirit. e) To work for the fulfillment of national unity. f) To attempt eliminate religious fanaticism, superstition and fatalism. g) To attempt to transcend linguistic regional barriers.VII) Motivating the youth to dream : Adolescence or youth is also the time for dreams and aspirations to achieve better of individuals as well as of societies is propelled by the power of dreams want to become, of what kind of world we would like to live in, of how to find peace and happiness . Education is goal oriented and is motivated by the values we cherish, the ideals we seek, the priorities we choose to live by. In cultural surroundings around them, as a successful guide and counselor a teacher is capable of giving new direction to the lives of the young people of society.We need a vision, a dream. The vision should be the oneness, the essential and organic solidarity of the human family. The dream, that we each in our own way make our personal con tribution towards building unity and peace among us. The college teachers are expected to lead the societies not only by motivating the preparing them to meet the challenges of the changing societies but by empowering them to image preferred futures, better worlds for their generations and for those to come. Teacher is the role model of the society.Teacher inspires and encourages us to strive for greatness, live to our fullest potential and see the best in ourselves. A teacher is someone we admire and someone we aspire to be like. We learn through them, through their commitment to excellence and through their ability to make us realize our own personal growth. We look to them for advice and guidance. (viii) To instill self confidence: Mere making the youth dream high will be of no use unless they are taught to develop the will power.In this fast changing society, newer and newer challenges are coming before them which they must be able to face and get over with their strong will pow er. They must be encouraged to proceed with self confidence towards achieving their goal. Teachers can surely play a crucial role in developing such confidence and positive atmosphere. Conclusion : To conclude it may be said that the importance of the role of the teacher in general as an agent of social change, promoting understanding and tolerance has never been more obvious than today.Teachers have crucial play in preparing the young people not only to face the future with confidence but to build it with purpose and responsibility. This role is likely to become more crucial in the days to come. The need for change from narrow nationalism to universal ism, from ethnic and cultural prejudice to tolerance, understanding and pluralism from autocracy to democracy in its various manifestations, and from a technologically divided world, teachers in general and the college teachers in particular who participate in the molding of the characters and minds of the new generation.

Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 17

Marketing - Essay Example In the past the marketing department was solely responsible for the marketing duties, this is no longer the case. An example of a company that has made marketing a responsibility of every employee is Westernbank Inc. This bank created a policy in which every member of is staff is required to place a huge bumper sticker with the company logo in the vehicle they drive. Greater emphasis is being place in satisfying customers to increase retention rates. Companies are receiving input from different members of the departments in the product design process. Organizational change is a major force that has influenced this new tendency. Companies have realized that teamwork is an important element of a successful business. A tendency in this new corporate environment is the reduction of suppliers. Companies used to have many suppliers in the past. The reasoning was that more suppliers would lead to better prices and more flexibility. Companies realized there is more value in creating a close relationship with a few suppliers. Building a close business relationship leads to better service from the supplier and access to a partner that will help you and accommodate your needs. Having fewer suppliers also is advantageous because it reduces the administrative work of having a lot of accounts. The tendency is aligned with the downsizing movement over the last twenty years. In the past business focused on creating everything they could themselves. In our new age businesses have changed their position tremendously. Outsourcing has become a widespread strategy in many organizations. A lot of components are being purchased in countries such as China that can manufacture at lower prices. A lot of business processes are being outsourced to countries such as India. India is the leading exporter of information technology and business processes in the world. The outsourcing trend has emerged due to economic forces and competition. The

Debate Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Debate - Essay Example The days where nothing could be done to stop or slow the occurrence of death are in the past. Now, there are multiple machines and procedures that can slow or even prevent death. These machines can provide us with functions needed for a person to continue living. II. Pro prolonging life opening statement Human beings, with all their abilities to create objects, cannot summon nor command the retrieval of lost lives. Traditionally, perpetuation of life means continuation of generations; while extending life of people means they are given more time to spend their days with their loved ones, regardless of their medical status. There are positive implications associated with prolonging lives, both in general and individual sense. This debate considers prolonging life a valuable right of individuals protected both by law and by moral ethics in existing societies. By preserving life, individuals from any socioeconomic status are given the respect they deserve. Moreover, the sanctity of life is said to be embedded in the clinical practice of health care professionals, where they are in oath in continually preserving lives, and not the way around. III. Arguments in favor of prolonging Life A. Value of prolonging life Life is valued according to inherent traits that man, alone, possessed, including the ability to experience emotions, rational capabilities, and simply having the consciousness seemingly absent in non-moving forms of life (Bayertz, 1996, p. 206). In spite of poor rational capabilities and consciousness possibly exhibited by patients in critical units, their ability to feel is still presumed intact, as such, sanctity of preserving such exclusive attribute is one of the things to be protected. No one have the right to eliminate such valuable feature in every person. B. Cost Factors 1. Prolonging life is never of limited resources Current medical reports demonstrated less significant difference, in terms of cost-containment, in limiting life support utilizatio n for sustenance of critical patients compared with restricting life support utilization as adherence to bedside rationing to priority patients (Luce & White, 2007). The report demonstrated that limiting measures in life support has minimal impact on the so-called cost-efficiency in intensive care units. The act of prolonging life of individuals as means of effective care can even have a constructive impact on program expenditure of hospital institutions. Reduction in death rates as a measure of clinical outcome improvement generates positive hospital revenues, as institutions save from offering services through departmental programs, providing extra finances for other hospital operations (â€Å"Financial Results,† 2009). Hospital efficiency and longevity are also secured when the patient has the â€Å"appropriate level of care† (Luce & White, 2007, p. 1106). This is one valid proof that substantial reduction in mortality figures by providing effective care through pro longing life can boosts hospital resources. C. Ethical 1) The RIGHT to LIFE is protected by Universal Human Rights As accorded by human rights advocates, the state (including its citizens) must protect life, at all cost. Article 3 in the Preamble of The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (n.d.) had clearly shown its support in preserving to one’s life. Moreover, Cruzan v. Director (1990) is the landmark case that upholds the right to life. There, the

Rewarding Volunteers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

Rewarding Volunteers - Essay Example The paper tells that in order to attract and motivate volunteers, organizations need to come up with effective volunteer management programs that will ensure those individuals are always motivated and at the same time they gain some skills while offering their services to the organization. A comprehensive training program needs to be established to ensure the quality of services that they offer is acceptable and at the same time add value to the volunteers to make them more knowledgeable in their line of specialization thus ensuring they become more attractive to employers in the job market. Understaffing at the online university can be traced to some reasons but the primary factor is the lack of strategic planning. It is prudent that prior to the implementation of the program it ought to have conducted a feasibility study to ascertain that it will meet all the requirements that will see the program running smoothly. Ideally, personnel is the most valuable resource in any organizatio n thus firms have to give it the priority during planning since without the workers who will be implementing the organizational objectives nothing meaningful will be accomplished. Thus, it is evident that poor strategic planning was the key issue that culminated to understaffing at the online university since it is prudent that if the organization did not have sufficient funds to implement the entire program it had to wait until the moment it had acquired all the necessary resources before deploying the program.

CIS212_U5_Discussion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

CIS212_U5_Discussion - Essay Example Legal compliance relates to the kind of rules, regulations, and laws that an institution operating a business activity must comply with (Wood, 2014). These, also apply to the entire staff in such an organization. The institution normally has to identify what requirements the law requires it to have before setting foot into starting the venture. Contrary to this, the business may end up with many penalties that may curtail its ability to survive. These requirements are inclusive of the premises you intend to lease and employment through meeting particular obligations of the employer. Further, it consists the agreements with your suppliers, the structuring of your business, how to manage risks, and dealing with contracts. In addition, look at how safe and healthy your working environment is beside the enormous concentration on information and its privacy. Business continuity plan is a vital step for an institution to respond to an incident for instance floods, fire so as to restore its essential functionalities (Snedaker, 2007). Although each system stipulates how they plan is, there are everyday things in the program. They include threat analysis, areas affected, details on emergency and teams for recovery. Further, methods to backup data off the site are important alongside plans for alternative power. The step seeks to reinstate the business operations to the initial state of operation. To accomplish this, there is need to weigh the damage, have an estimate for the costing and inclusion of companies on insurance. Also deal with managing and following up on the process of recovery. The shift to the standard management team is also

Preforming a Narrative criticism on Jimmy Valvano's speech Essay

Preforming a Narrative criticism on Jimmy Valvano's speech - Essay Example As Jimmy addresses his audience, he gives various accounts of his life as a youth; he narrates what he learnt when he began coaching at 21 years old, how he managed to motivate his youthful team. Additionally, he provides a story of how Coach Lombardi used to motivate his team. This is an imperative aspect of not only a speech, but any other forms of literary works. The use of flashback is imperative in any aspect of literary work owing to the fact that it does not simply enhanced the quality of the work to make it entertaining, but also portray an essence of a deeper meaning (Powell, 7). The use of imagery is not directly applied by Jimmy Valvano in his speech, but rather exhibited in the manner he attempts to subject his audience into certain aspects of imagination. The first incident of imagery in the speech occurs when he narrates to the audience how Coach Lombardi used to keep his players waiting, only to show up in the last few minutes in their locker rooms, banging the door as he moves back and forth. Additionally, the use of imagery is evident, as Jimmy attempts to subject his audience into imagination by describing how he hurt his hand, while trying to imitate Coach Lombardi. The use of imagery as a figure of speech has been associated with certain positive attributes; to begin with, imagery in any form of literary works enhanced the manner by, which these literary works appeals to human senses, thus enhancing their understanding on the literary work presented (Powell, 8). Additionally, the application of imagery as a figure of speech is crucial for placing emphasis on what is being narrated; thus creating some sense of validity of the information as well as an enhanced understanding among the audience (Powell, 9). Hyperbole is a rhetoric use of language; it simply means the use of language to exhibit exaggerations. At the beginning of the speech, Jimmy applies an essence of hyperbole by saying, â€Å"I can’t

Advisor critique including executive summary Essay

Advisor critique including executive summary - Essay Example The business idea of putting an urban salon in the Park Street is a good idea to complement the other high-end establishments in the district. Also, the surrounding business environment in the Bristol area offers a lot of opportunities to the market. Looking at the market study of The Funk, however, the company proves to lack an in-depth study of the market from which it will determine its sales forecast, and subsequent profitability and sustainability of its business operations. Due to this, the company cannot set a clear objective for the business, then create a viable marketing strategy in order to make the business profitable and sustainable. There are also some items in the profit and loss statement that warrant much scrutiny such as drawings. The purchases may also be overestimated or underestimated because it is based on a forecast that is not backed by data to justify it. Although all in all, the profitability of The Funk cannot be truly assessed due to inadequacy of information, the weaknesses in the companys business model proves to have significant impact on the companys future sustainability of operations. These weaknesses can be relative disadvantages to the company which could undermine its profitability in the future. The personal grooming industry is one of the thriving industries for the current as medias influence in culture, as it puts heavy emphasis on personal appearance. The idea behind The Funk which is a trendy salon situated in the Park Street is a good one, to complement the other high-end establishments in the district. The idea also aims to cater to the younger consumers in the Park Street. The urban theme to reinforce the desired image of the brand, as well as being consistent with the other neighboring establishments is a good business idea. Using the PEST analysis, we try to look at the environment of The Funk as we try to identify the various forces that may directly and indirectly impact it. After we have identified the

Morality and Relagion Essay Example for Free

Morality and Relagion Essay Morality refers to a set of principles that guide an individual on how one evaluates right and wrong. People believing in religion consider morality is shaped by religion because they believe that morality can be understood only in the context of religion; therefore, those religious people insist if there were no religion, people would be out of control. However, religious beliefs give people a wrong definition of moral value, indeed, morality is shaped only by instinct and environment. Regardless of religion, morality comes from instinct. Human beings are social creatures; they have to live in groups for reproduction and survival that has not changed at all since the ancient time. Looking back to history, people live in groups to share food, to take care of infants and build social networks to meet the daily challenges of their environment. Similarly, at the present time, people value their society for the same purposes. Even though the way to live has changed for instance, in the Stone Age people hunted and shared foods for their living, unlike people who do business for their living nowadays; they still depend on each other for reproduction and survival. Therefore, people instinctively have to keep their relationship between each other, and morality is formed to maintain the relationship. Consequently, every human being has morality regardless of religious beliefs. If the religious people insist that religions shape morality, non-religious people or atheists shouldn`t have morality. However, those people do have morality and they can judge the things right or wrong like other people who believe in religion. Furthermore, people who believe in religion said that the religion shapes morality, yet there are so many different religions around the world. Some people believe in Christianity, other believes in Buddhism, Hinduism, and Islam etc. Each religion worships different Gods, and has difference belief systems. Christians, for instance, believe in Jesus Christ while Buddhists venerate Gautama. Even though the same religion, there are different branches. Christianity, for instance, has Catholics and Protestants; on the other hand, Buddhism separate to Mahayana and Theravada. Therefore, if the morality is formed base on religion, the definition of morality should vary since there are many different regions. However, morality that people use in an attempt to do the right thing is the same. â€Å"Trolley Problem†, posted by Phillipa Foot in her 1967 paper, â€Å"Abortion and the Doctrine of Double Effect† help for clear understanding about morality (Clark). She was a British philosopher, and she explained if a person put in dilemma to choice for saving five people`s lives or a person`s life, he or she must choose five people`s lives to save instead of one no matter whatever religion he or she believes. Therefore, religion does not affect morality. If the religions control people`s moral values, different religions will define different moral values, and the answer about â€Å"Trolley Problem† may vary. On the other hand, not only humans but also animals have morality. Frans de Waal, Charles Howard Candle professor of Primate Behavior in the Emory University, shared the experimental results that showed the moral behavior in animals. Chimpanzees help each other to get food, and they reconcile after fighting. Those behaviors pretty much indicate their morality (Waal). Since both human and animals have morality, religion that only existence in human world could not be a source of forming moral. Environment shapes moral values. Religion does not affect moral values, but environment does affect because adaption on environment is very important for survival. Darwin`s evolutionary theory â€Å"Natural Selection† proved that all living organisms modified to adapt the environment. Consequently, moral value is different from each environment where people live. Western countries are more individualistic while Asian countries are more collectivistic. Americans, for example, individuality is a moral value; however, helping each other is a moral value in China. Mr Meier, ESL 33B professor, who has an experience for teaching both American and Asian students, mentioned that American students do not willing help each other during the test because they believe self-1 / 2 reliance as a moral value. Contrast, Asian students prefer to help each other during the test because using each other to achieve their gold is a moral value for Asian countries. Consequently, governments get involved in defining the different moral values. The US government has less control on the society; therefore, people have more freedom, and it leads to enhance the self- reliance as a moral value. However, Asian countries, where government strictly controls various aspects, have less freedom and people in those countries have to rely on each other to get to their goals. Therefore, those people regard helping each other as a moral value. In addition, cultures, which co-exist in different environments, also define the moral values. In Asian cultures, people are taught to respect and care elder people. Therefore, people from Asia believe respecting the elder and taking care of those people as a moral value. For instance, in Japan, national health insurance system is running very well because people are willing to pay insurance fees, which helps elder people who need health care services. People consider even though they do not need health services right now, elder people who need health care gain the benefits from insurance system, and they are happy to help those people by paying monthly insurance fees. However, in Western culture, people regard self-belief as a moral value, and they do not prefer to help elder people. Therefore in the US, national health insurance system does not exist, and even though President Obama tried to construct the health insurance system, it did not work well because of different moral values. Therefore, moral value is pretty much related to environment. Religious beliefs exacerbate the collapse the morality. Religion controlled its believers, and people believing in religion tend to believe whatever the rules that religion lay down. For instance, sky burial, which is take place in Tibetan Buddhism, is the most gross burial way if we think from our common sense of morality. Human corpses are placed on a mountaintop as a prey for birds such as vultures, eagles and other scavengers. Buddhist monks are subjected to the sky burial funerary. They go to the mountaintop by themselves to conduct the funeral ceremony. However, that is normal for people who believe in Tibetan Buddhism because religion teaches the believers â€Å"Humans are part of nature. (People) arrive in the world naturally and they leave it naturally. Life and death are part of a wheel of reincarnation. Death is not to be feared. † (Xinran 159). Therefore, they were controlled by religion to believe conducting sky burial is the way to return the body back to the nature. On the other hand, religious belief ignite the people`s competitive spirit that lead to break morality. Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) is one of the examples that easy to understand for how religious belief stir the people`s competitive spirit. ISIS, the biggest Islamic terrorist group, attempts to create a new Islamic country in Middle East. ISIS has rapidly expanded by taking over Iraq and Syria territories. ISIS has killed so many innocents who do not follow Islam. This immoral behavior occurred because of ISIS, which was created by extreme Muslim believers, who regard their religion as the best on the world. They want to spread their religion; therefore, they force other people to become a part of Muslim believer by using immoral ways. Therefore, religious beliefs lead people to collapse the morality. In conclusion, morality is important to maintain our society. Every living organism that depends on each other to maintain life cannot survive without morality. However, humans misunderstand that religion shapes morality, but if we think critically, we can understand that morality is formed not because of religion but because of instinct and environment. Works Cited Clark, Josh. â€Å"How the Trolley Problem Works. † How Stuff Works. N. p. ,n. d. Web, 24 Oct. 2014. Waal, Frans De. â€Å"Moral Behavior in Animals. † TED. N. p. , Nov. 2011. Web. 24 Oct. 2014 Xinran, Xue. â€Å"Sky Burial. † Sky Burial. New York: Anchor Books, July. 2006. Print. POWERED BY TCPDF (WWW. TCPDF. ORG).

Fitness Testing For Sport And Exercise Physical Education Essay

Fitness Testing For Sport And Exercise Physical Education Essay Dip your fingers in chalk with the hand on your strongest arm, then stand with you back flat against the wall with your arms extended as high as they can reach with them flat against the wall then mark out where your arms reach to/push the wall mounted reach board up to the height your arms will extend to, stand side on stronger arm closest to the wall/board, then crouch low then push straight of the floor and touch the wall/board, measure with the ruler how many cm from where the marking where there arm extended max to the chalk marking how many cms is between the 2 markings, on the board there are already cm measurements on there so you just see which number the finger markings are on. Method of assessment: To measure the amount of explosive power in the lower limbs in cm by measuring how high a persons vertical jump is. How analysed: Measured in cm and mm to make it more accurate and marked on a sheet. Target group: Sprinters and basketballers. Reliability of test: The test is reliable because the same action is made each time so fur, if using the board the measurements are accurate Validity of test: This test is very good for validity being the test most people will do for lower limb power and all four factors are shown too. Advantages/Disadvantages Cost Advantages: Cheap and affordable using simple equipment. Disadvantages: Wall mounted board is really expensive. Time Advantages: The test doesnt take long so it doesnt become tedious. Disadvantages: The short amount of time can be considered as quite a rubbish test. Equipment Advantages: Less equipment is required and wall mounted board is very accurate. Disadvantages: Measurements could be inaccurate if using the cheaper equipment. Level of skill required by the person conducting test Advantages: Low level of skill is required so a lot of people are capable to take this test. Disadvantages: Low level skill could lead to the test to be tedium. Cardiovascular endurance Bleep test, beep test, pacer test, leger-test, 20m shuttle run test. Objective To test the amount of cardiovascular endurance someone has by seeing how long someone can last during the bleep test. Resources needed: Metre clicker to mark out 20m, cones, beep test CD and CD player and marking sheets. (This will take place in a no slip surface) How conducted: The beep test CD will be played and you have to stand behind one line facing the other and there will be beeps in between each beep you have to run from one line to the other e.g. beep run 20m to the line beep. The test starts with the first level where the beeps are quite slow but then after approximately 1 minute or 7 runs the level gets higher and the closer the beeps are together so the test gets faster, this test stops on level 20 and for someone to be out is when they miss the beep before they reach the 20m line. Method of assessment: To measure the cardiovascular endurance or vo2 max in shuttle runs the predicted vo2 max is at each level and the shuttle number i.e. level 4 shuttle 2 predicted vo2 max is 26.8. How analysed: Writing down on recording sheets each level and shuttle they reached or dropped out of and the Vo2 max national average for males is 9/3 and for females 6/6. Target group: Long distance runners Reliability of test: The test is accurate is because the CD plays the same thing over and over again so theres no worries on inaccuracy of the test and also motivation could effect the reliability. Validity of test: This test has good validity because the bleep test is the most valid test used for people to measure Advantages/Disadvantages Cost Advantages: cheap for CD because the copy is downloadable. Disadvantages: could be costly if you dont have a CD player, metre clicker and cones and also expensive if having to rent out a facility. Time Advantages: the test has enough time to record the level they reach. Disadvantages: test lasts quite long and becomes quite tedious. Equipment Advantages: less equipment required and also the equipment is straight forward not complex. Disadvantages: faulty equipment like scratched CD. Level of skill required by the person conducting test Advantages: straight forward because its only running and this is an easy or simple skill to conduct. Disadvantages: cardiovascular endurance a lot of people really struggle with. Strength 1 rep max Objective: To test the amount of strength someone has by seeing the max weight someone lifts. Resources needed: Weight machines e.g. bench press, fly machine, leg press, free weights or lat pull down. (Gym) How conducted: You go to the weight machine you are comfortable with the lifting technique if not get someone to learn you the technique or read how the technique is done on the machine. Which ever weight machine you use you start on the smallest weight by warming up with a few reps 5-15 reps then you work your way by increasing the weight each time you do 1 rep, you work your way increasing the weight until you get the weight you cant do 1 rep of. Method of assessment: To test the amount of strength someone has in the pectoral, deltoid, trapezius, lateral, triceps and biceps by seeing the max amount of kgs someone can do 1 rep of. How analysed: How many kg you lifted and marked on recording sheets. Target group: Rugby players, weight lifters. Reliability of test: The test is reliable because weights stay the same weight unless you increase the weight. Validity of test: This test is valid because it tests the strength in the specific muscle that is working or contracting. Advantages/Disadvantages Cost Advantages: some gyms are quite cheep and its also cheep for a day trial. Disadvantages: some gyms cost loads and also buying your own weights costs quite a lot. Time Advantages: test doesnt take long so it doesnt become boring. Disadvantages: people could consider it being rubbish because its a short test. Equipment Advantages: weight machines are safe to use Disadvantages: free weights can be quite dangerous if using a free weight bench weight could collapse on you if too heavy. Level of skill required by the person conducting test Advantages: the skill is quite simple to do. Disadvantages: its common that people tend to arch there backs when lifting weights so this skill people might not be able to do properly and injure themselves. Suppleness/Flexibility Sit and reach Objective: To test the amount of suppleness someone has in the lower back and calfs by seeing how far someone can sit and reach forwards. Resources needed: A bench, a metre ruler/tape measure or a flex tester. How conducted: Sit with you stomach against the bench lengthways with your both legs either side of the bench and you reach out as far as you can with both hands and hold the position and measure from the start of the bench is to where your hands are held furthest. On the flex tester you sit with you stomach against the flex tester lengthways the with your both legs either side of the flex tester on this piece of equipment there is a handle you push forwards as far as you can and where you push it you see how many cm you have pushed it next to the handle you push. Method of assessment: To test the amount of suppleness someone has in there lower back and the amount of cm the person can reach with the extension of the lower back. How analysed: How many cm the person has reached and put down results on recording sheets. Target group: Gymnasts Reliability of test: This test is reliable because the same action is made and accurate measurements are recorded on flex tester. Validity of test: This test is valid because the only flexibility it will test is in the lower back and hamstrings. Advantages/Disadvantages Cost Advantages: using the bench, tape measure and chalk is quite cheap. Disadvantages: Flex tester is really expensive. Time Advantages: The test doesnt take long so it dont become tedious. Disadvantages: because of the test being short could be considered a pointless test to do and boring. Equipment Advantages: Flex tester has accurate measurements Disadvantages: using the bench, tape measure and chalk could come out with inaccurate measurements. Level of skill required by the person conducting test Advantages: Low level skill is needed because its a simple skill being used. Disadvantages: because of the skill being low level this could lead to the test being tedious. Muscular Endurance Maximum amount of push ups Objective: To test how much muscular endurance in the upper body someone has by seeing the max amount of push ups someone can do. Resources needed: Press up mat and press up handles or non-needed in a flat facility. How conducted: You get into press up position which you place both hands on the press up matt if you get bad wrists you grab onto the press up handles shoulder width apart and extend your legs straight and you lower down and push up and you do as many press ups as you can until you cant physically do more. Method of assessment: To test the amount of upper body muscular endurance someone has by seeing how many push ups maximum someone can do. How analysed: Recording sheets of how many press ups someone has done. Target group: Sprinters, long distance runners Reliability of test: This test is reliable because the same action is repeated so results are easily recorded. Validity of test: This test is valid because it measures what it claims to measure which is the muscular endurance in the upper body and monitors the effect in the athletes physical development. Advantages/Disadvantages Cost Advantages: It doesnt cost much to do and also can be self-monitored. Disadvantages: press up mat and handles can be quite expensive. Time Advantages: Doesnt really waste a lot of time. Disadvantages: doing push ups for too long can become tedious. Equipment Advantages: Not much equipment is required and the handles reduce the risk of wrist injuries. Disadvantages: not using handles can cause wrist injuries. Level of skill required by the person conducting test Advantages: its a straight forward skill so its easy to execute the skill. Disadvantages: quite a number of unfit people cant hold them in a press up position so it becomes quite hard for them. Speed 60m sprint Objective: To test the amount of speed someone has by timing how quick someone runs 60m in. you could use an Resources needed: Stop watches, whistle and a metre clicker to mark out 60m How conducted: A person stands at the 60m mark while you stand at the other end, the person says set for you to get ready and then blows the whistle for you to go when the whistle gets blown they start timing, then you sprint as fast as you can through the 60m mark then they stop timing and the time s set how quick you run 60m in. Method of assessment: To test the amount of speed someone has in running in seconds. How analysed: Stopwatch timed and recording sheets in seconds. Target group: Sprinters Reliability of test: The test is quite reliable because its sprinting over a short distance so similar/consistent times are ran but any timing mistakes can make it inaccurate. Validity of test: This test is valid because it measures what it claims to measure which is how quick someone can move there body over 60m. Advantages/Disadvantages Cost Advantages: equipments quite cheep. Disadvantages: could be costly to use a track depending on the sports centres price. Time Advantages: short sprints dont waste time. Disadvantages: doing short sprints can become tedious. Equipment Advantages: metre clicker is accurate to measure 60m. Disadvantages: stop watches could be faulty. Level of skill required by the person conducting test Advantages: Sprinting is quite a straight forward skill so its easy to do. Disadvantages: sprinting is high intensity so some people might get stitches doing the test if there unfit. Body Composition/ Somatotype Body weighing and skinfold measurement Objective: To see the amount of muscle fat and bone someone has by measuring there weight and there skinfolds. Mesomorph, Ectomorph and Endomorph. Resources needed: Scales and skinfold calipers. How conducted: For the weight test the person needs to step on the scales in just shorts so the weight is more accurate and whatever it comes up on the dial in either KGs or stone is the persons weight. Skinfold measurement you stretch out skin around the torso area and the skinfold calipers work like a pincer and you pinch the skin and on the dial of the calipers it comes up with how many mms there is in the skinfold. Method of assessment: To find out the somatotype someone has. How analysed: Body weighing: kg or stone, skinfold measurement: mm average for a male is 91mm and for a woman its 100mm. Target group: Suitable for all. Reliability of test: Body weighing is reliable because scales are accurate and if you weigh routinely every 12 hours, but the weight results can be affected by the amount of fluid in the body. The skinfold test is reliable because the skinfold calipers have accurate measurement but the measurements can vary through skill and experience. Validity of test: The body weighing test is valid because your weight is the first signs of what body composition you are. The skin fold measurement is not really valid to measure the percentage of body fat but it does indicate the body changes. Advantages/Disadvantages Cost Advantages: Weighing regular is cheap because it dont cost. Measuring skin folds regular doesnt cost. Disadvantages: The scales and the skin fold calipers together are quite expensive. Time Advantages: The test is short so it doesnt waste any time. Disadvantages: Being short considered as boring. Equipment Advantages: Both pieces of equipment have really accurate measurements. Disadvantages: Scales can become faulty after a while. Level of skill required by the person conducting test Advantages: Low level skill and no physical activity so its an easy test. Disadvantages: Because no physical activity and low level skill people a number of people will not want to do the test.

Effect of Antidepressant Treatment on Sexual Dysfunction

Effect of Antidepressant Treatment on Sexual Dysfunction IMPROVEMENT IN SEXUAL DYSFUNCTION FOLLOWING ANTIDEPRESSANT TREATMENT IN DEPRESSED FEMALES *Dr. Abhivant Niteen N. 1, Dr. Sawant Neena S.2, ABSTRACT Introduction: Depression is associated with sexual dysfunction. As the depression improves sexual dysfunction also improves. There are not many studies on female sexuality. Aims and objectives: To find out the changes in sexual functioning in depressed females after treatment with anti-depressant drugs. Method: 41 female patients diagnosed to have depression were included in study. Becks Depression Inventory and Female Sexual Functioning Index scales were applied at the beginning and after 6 weeks to assess the improvement in sexual dysfunction and depression. Results: When scores were compared after 6 weeks of antidepressant treatment then a highly significant difference was seen on all the scores of BDI ( pConclusions: This study showed significant improvement in sexual dysfunction and different aspects of sexual dysfunctions after treatment with antidepressants for 6 weeks. Keywords: Female sexual dysfunction, Depression, SSRI, FSFI. INTRODUCTION: The issue of sexual health, once regarded as taboo subject, has been widely debated recently. Reliable estimates of incidence and severity of sexual dysfunctions in females is difficult to obtain as the patients are often unwilling to raise the issue of sexual health with health professionals and both the patient and the physician may be reluctant to discuss it. Female sexual dysfunction is multifactorial and multidimensional condition combining biological, psychological and interpersonal determinants [1]. Although sexual dysfunctions are not life threatening, they have major impact on personal relationships, physical health and quality of life. There are several studies on male sexual dysfunctions in India [2] but literature on the prevalence of sexual dysfunction among women is particularly scant [3, 4]. The prospective Zurich cohort study shows that the prevalence of sexual problems in depressed subjects is approximately twice that in controls [5]. A number of investigators have reported various sexual dysfunctions associated with depression [1, 6, 7, 8].Female sexual function is also regulated by a variety of neurotransmitters and hormones. Estrogen, testosterone and progesterone promote sexual desire; dopamine promotes desire and arousal, and norepinephrine promotes arousal [9, 10]. Prolactin inhibits arousal, and oxytocin promotes orgasm [11]. Hence a need was felt to look into the aspects of female sexual dysfunctions and it’s relation to underlying depression and drug therapy. Increased awareness of this problem in medical community will lead to further research in female sexual dysfunctions and improved treatment. AIMS AND OBJECTIVE To find out the changes in sexual functioning in depressed females after treatment with anti-depressant drugs. MATERIAL AND METHODS This study was a prospective (6 week) study conducted in a psychiatry outpatient department of a general municipal hospital. The sample consisted of 52 female patients who were diagnosed to have depression as per Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition, Text revision, criteria after satisfying inclusion and exclusion criteria. INCLUSION CRITERIA: 1) Females diagnosed to have depression as per Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition, Text revision 2) Those who were willing to participate in the study. 3) Language compatibility. EXCLUSION CRITERIA: 1) Females less than 18 years of age. 2) Those with past history of depression or any psychiatric illness. 3)Those who were on any other psychotropic medications. 4) Sexual dysfunction prior to depression. 52 female patients were screened of which 3 patients refused the consent and so had to be dropped out of the study. 49 female patients gave consent and so were enrolled in the study protocol. Of the 49 patients, 8 patients dropped out of the follow-up period over 6 weeks. At the end of 6 weeks, 41 patients were available for analysis. All patients were explained about the nature of study and it’s applications and informed consent was obtained from patients. A proforma was designed to enquire into the socio-demographic details, details of psychopathology, presence of sexual dysfunctions and questions pertaining to aims and objectives of study. All the patients were interviewed in presence of female co-investigator or another lady doctor or a nurse and were interviewed in drug naà ¯ve state and then they were started on any of the Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor medications viz Sertraline, Escitalopram for underlying depression. All the patients were administered Beck’s Depression Inventory and Female Sexual Functioning Index Scale in the drug naà ¯ve state and all the scales were again administered at the end of 6 weeks of anti-depressant medication to gauge the improvement in mood and sexual functioning. TOOLS: 1) BECK’S DEPRESSION INVENTORY: Developed by A. Beck [12] is a rating to measure the severity of depression in which individuals rate their own symptoms of depression. This is a 21 item scale which evaluates the key symptoms of depression including mood, pessimism, sense of failure, self dissatisfaction, self accusation, self dislike, guilt, punishment, suicidal ideas, crying, irritability, social withdrawal, indecisiveness, body image changes, insomnia, fatigability, loss of appetite, weight loss, somatic pre-occupation and loss of libido. Individuals are asked to rate themselves on a 0 to 3 spectrum [0=least, 3=most] with a score range of 0 to 63. Total score is a sum of all items. 2) FEMALE SEXUAL FUNCTIONING INDEX [13]: The Female Sexual Functioning Index is a 19 item questionnaire. It is a brief, multidimensional, self report instrument to assess the key dimensions of sexual function in females. It assesses six domains of sexual function including 1) Desire 2) Physical arousal-sensation Physical arousal-lubrication 4) Orgasm 5) Satisfaction and 6) Pain. All the scales were translated in Marathi and Hindi and were validated by the departmental staff before administration. DATA ANALYSIS: All analyses were done with SPSS statistical version 11 at 5% significance. The changes in tools (Beck’s Depression Inventory, Female Sexual Functioning Index) were analyzed pre and post treatment using the paired‘t’ test. RESULTS The mean age of this sample (n=49) was 28.9 years (+_ 3.03 yrs) with range of 23- 39 years and majority (81.6%) patients were from 25-31 years age group. Majority (63.26%) of patients had completed their secondary education and 94% were home makers with hardly 6% of them doing some job. As expected, about two-third (67.34%) were Hindus. The mean duration of depression was 2 years with standard deviation of 1.8 years with range being from 3 months to 7 years. When all the patients were assessed for improvement in their depression and areas of sexual functioning after a 6 week treatment with SSRI’s viz. Escitalopram (optimum dose 10 to 15 mg) and Sertraline (100mg), then a highly significant difference was seen on all the scores of BDI ( p On the various domains of FSFI a highly significant difference was seen on the domains of Arousal (p DISCUSSION Depressive disorders are among the most prevalent psychiatric disorders [14]. Depression is characterized by loss of interest, reduction in energy, lowered self-esteem and inability to experience pleasure, irritability and social withdrawal which may impair the ability to form and maintain intimate relationships. This constellation of symptoms may be expected to produce difficulties in sexual relationships, and depression has long been associated with sexual problems [15]. A number of investigators have reported association between sexual dysfunctions and depression [1, 6, 7, 8]. Depression is also associated with various neurotransmitter changes which may also contribute to sexual dysfunction in depression [10, 16, 17]. Our study showed that as depression improves, sexual functioning also improves which has been corroborated by Piazza [18] who had studied depressed women with greater sexual dysfunction at baseline and improvement in sexual functioning with treatment with SSRI’s in areas of improvement in sex drive, physiologic and psychological arousal. SSRI’s due to their antidepressant action improve the depression which may consequently reduce the various faulty cognitions associated with depression and enhance the person’s self esteem and energy. Also as the depression improves the various biological changes associated with it also improves which may also contribute to the reduction in sexual dysfunction. In short, with reversal of biological and psychological changes sexual dysfunction improves with SSRI treatment. There are also various studies which have linked SSRI’s with sexual dysfunction and have been discussed in critical reviews [19, 20] but Montgomery and colleagues [21] have also pointed out numerous obstacles to establishing the exact prevalence of antidepressant-related sexual dysfunction. Sex is more than a physical act. It also includes emotional and psychological dimensions. Studies have also shown that besides antidepressants many other factors influence the incidence and prevalence of sexual dysfunction in patients with depression. These include factors such as, depression itself, cultural and social factors and physical and psychiatric co-morbidities [21]. Given the scarcity of evidence-based treatments, the management of sexual dysfunction is still an art rather than a science. Even a seemingly clear-cut case of medication-associated sexual dysfunction should not be treated in a vacuum or in a strictly biological sense. The overall treatment should always take into consideration psychological factors and normal fluctuation of sexual functioning. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: We sincerely acknowledge the support and guidance of Dr. Shubhangi Parkar, Professor and Head, Department of Psychiatry, Seth G. S. Medical College and K. E. M. Hospital, Parel, Mumbai. 400012 REFERENCES: 1. Mathew RJ, Weinman ML: Sexual dysfunctions in depression. Arch Sexual Behav.1982; 11: 323–328 2. Verma K.K. et al: The frequency of sexual dysfunctions in patients attending a sex therapy clinic in north India, Arch sex behav.1998; 27: 309-314 3. Kulhara P, Avasthi A. Sexual dysfunction on the Indian subcontinent. Int Rev Psychiatry.1995; 7: 231-9 4. Avasthi A, Kaur R, Prakash O, Banerjee A, Kumar L, Kulhara P. Sexual behavior of married young women: A preliminary study from north India. Indian J Community Med.2008; 33: 163-7 5. Angst J. Sexual problems in healthy and depressed patients. Int Clin Psychopharmacol.1998; 13 (Suppl 6): S1–3 6. Clayton A H et al: assessment of Paroxetine induced sexual dysfunction using the changes in sexual functioning questionnaire: Psychopharmacol Bull.1995; 31: 397-413 7. Harvey K. V., Balon R: Clinical implications of antidepressant drug effects on sexual functioning; Ann Clin Psychiatry.1995; 7: 189-201 8. Harrison W.M. et al; Effects of an antidepressant medication on sexual function, a controlled study: J Clin Psychopharmacol.1986; 6: 144-149 9. Buss DM. The evolution of desire: Strategies of human mating. London: Harper Collins; 1994. p. 84-5. 10. Bloom FE. Brain, mind and behaviour. W.H. Freeman Co. 1985-88. p.208-17, 227-8. 11. Panksepp J. The foundfations of human and animal emotions.. New York. Oxford University Press. 12. Beck A T et al: â€Å"Psychometric properties of Beck Depression Inventory: Twenty five years of evaluation†. Clin Psychol Rev.1988; 8: 77-100 13. R Rosen et al: Journ of Sex and Marital therapy.2000; 26: 191-208 14. Rihmer Z, Angst A.; Mood disorders: Epidemiology: in Comprehensive Textbook Of Psychiatry; Sadock B J, Sadock V. A.; 8th edition, Lippincott Williams And Wilkins; 2004. 15. Baldwin DS. Depression and sexual function. J Psychopharmacol.1996; 10 (Suppl. 1): S30–34 16. Clayton A H. Sexual dysfunction in depression. Tricks of the trade in the long-term treatment of depression. Program and abstracts of the American Psychiatric Association 156th Annual Meeting; May 17-22, 2003; San Francisco, California. 17. Levin R. J. et al: The mechanism of human female sexual arousal; Ann Rev Sex Res.1992; 3: 1-48 18. Piazza L. A., Markowitz J. C., Kocsis J.H.: Sexual functioning in chronically depressed patients treated with SSRI Antidepressants: A pilot study; Am J Psychiatry.1997; 154: 1757-1759 19. Rosen RC, Lane RM, Menza M: Effects of SSRIs on sexual function: a critical review. J Clin Psychopharmacology.1999; 19: 67–85 20. Williams VSL, Baldwin DS, Hogue SL, Fehnel SE, Hollis KA, Edin HM: Estimating the prevalence and impact of antidepressant-induced sexual dysfunction in 2 European countries: a cross-sectional patient survey. J Clin Psychiatry.2006; 67: 204–210 21. Montgomery SA, Baldwin DS, Riley A: Antidepressant medications: a review of the evidence for drug-induced sexual dysfunction. J Affect Disord. 2002; 69: 119–140

Mind Control :: essays research papers

It is possible to control your mental and physical well being by controlling your thoughts and emotions. This is true for the following reasons. First, people can change the environment they are in and the people they are surrounded by in order to change their mood. Second, we are aware of what makes us sad and what makes us happy, so that enables us to control our emotions.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Many people are aware of their emotions, whether that is happy or sad. We have become accustomed to these emotions and understand what we need to do in order to change the way we are feeling. When people experience many different situations, whether they are uncomfortable or excited, they become familiar to being able to adapt or leave the situation and completely change their attitude when entering another. When we feel sad, we have different ways of cheering ourselves up. Some just relax while others will play a sport to run or play off the stress they hold. We all have our individual ways to changes our attitudes and perspectives towards different situations. We all have become familiar with our personalities so we are able to control our emotions and thoughts, which makes up our mental well being.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  We are well aware of what makes us sad and what makes us happy, so that enables us to control our emotions. Everyone has grown accustomed and familiar with Ortiz 2 their emotions. We have been able to do studies to determine what can change our moods. Most people have great control over their emotions, and so doing certain things assists us by helping change our mood. People have come to the conclusion that â€Å"there are many number if things you can do to brighten your spirits and pull yourself out of a mood rut†. They suggest many different things such as watching a funny movie, which can put you in a high spirits and make you cheerful. Another suggestion is to play happier role because the roles you play tend to become a reality. â€Å"Since lights affect your moods, especially the absence of light in the winter, you should surround yourself with plenty of bright light†. And there are more, listening to music and talking to your friends are great ways to brighten a mood.

Essay --

The American people love fast food, but little do they know about what is really in their â€Å"hamburger† or â€Å"chicken nuggets†, and what damage the real ingredients in these foods can cause. Fast food has become a great part in many people’s lives today because you could get it fast and on the move and it’s also cheap. Everyone has eaten fast food at one point in their lives, unless of course they don’t eat meat, but they really don’t have a clue as to what they’re ingesting. This paper will inform you as to what scientists have found in these deadly foods and what can happen in the future if you continue to eat these foods. Since 1980 the total number of overweight and obese Americans has doubled. The fattest state in America is Mississippi, with 1 out of every 4 people being obese. Each day approximately one out of fourteen Americans eats at a McDonald’s, and each month about nine out of ten American children visit one (Schlosser and Wilson 7). There are more than 31,000 McDonald’s selling Happy Meals in 120 countries, when in 1968 there were only about 1,000 McDonald’s that were solely located in the United States (Schlosser and Wilson 7). Due to McDonald’s excessive advertising their â€Å"Golden Arches† of the â€Å"M† are now more widely recognized than the Christian cross (Schlosser and Wilson 8). One of the most important things people buy is food and yet most people don’t think, nor care where it comes from (Schlosser and Wilson 9). Fast food is sold everywhere all across the globe. Americans spent approximately $6 billion on fast food in 1 970; in 2006 they spent about $142 billion (Schlosser and Wilson 10). These number changes are astonishing and only increase by the year. What’s even more astonishing is that according to ... ...es telling them to not eat the company’s food. They had a list of diet suggestions on the website. A direct quote from the article was â€Å"Fast foods are quick, reasonably priced and readily available alternatives to home cooking, while convenient and economical for a busy lifestyle, fast foods are typically high in calories, fat, saturated fat, sugar and salt and may put people at risk for becoming overweight.† They inform their employers of the risks of their food, but push their food into the face of the public. In concluding this paper, there are many horrifying facts about fast food. I bet no one expected all of the damage these foods could actually cause. The sad thing is most people don’t know these facts, and don’t care to know they’d rather live in denial and enjoy their â€Å"delicious food† than help their bodies and feed them the proper, necessary foods.

Reconstruction’s Failure Essay

Congress Reconstruction efforts to ensure equal right to freedom failed because the enforcement acts that was giving in Document 2, Prejudice in the south giving Benjamin Boyer’s speech and from the book â€Å"Black Reconstruction in America† in document 6, another reason was the Compromise of 1877. In the exert from the New York times, it states the Ku Klux Klan purpose was to establish a nucleus around which the adherents of the late rebellion might safely rally. The whites thought that it threatened individual freedom because it allowed the government to punish the Ku Klux Klan and banned disguises. The kkk wonted to enforce the fourteenth amendment which is to â€Å"make slaves citizens† to the constitution of the U.S. They believed in the innate inferiority of blacks. The Ku Klux Klan and other terrorist groups tried to keep African Americans from making economic process They killed there livestock, attacked the African Americans who owned land and forced th em to work for previous slaveholders. Many southerners were opposed to African Americans gaining equal right and voting in elections so they formed terrorist groups. They were very prejudice in the south. Benjamin Boyer’s wrote a speech that stated† It is common for the advocates of negro suffrage to assume that the color of the negro is the main obstacle to his political quality† meaning its common for people to see black as people who shouldn’t have the right to vote. He also said Negros are not equal of white Americans and are not entitled. In the book Black reconstruction in America he said the American Negro was compelled to give up his political power. What he was saying if Negros wonted to work or wonted to increase the income they couldn’t handle politics to. Another reason was the Compromise of 1877. After the southerners made great changes affecting the lives of freed African Americans, restricting the right of freed slaves. Hayes got the 20 disputed electoral votes. They were unlimitedly awarded to him after a bitter legal and political battle. The south accepts republican, Hayes becomes President and the North agrees to end reconstruction and withdraw troops. They also agreed to build a railroad from Texas to the West Coast and also agreed to appoint southerners to the cabinet. Reconstruction failed for many different reasons. Reconstruction was suppose to be the period of rebuilding after the Civil war in which all the confederate states returned to the union. Like  may things everything doesn’t always go as planned.

Mines by Susan Straight Author Report Essay

1. Summary and Response. A. Born in Riverside, California, Susan Straight became an award winning regional author. Straight came from a simple beginning, a diverse family and no friends who were writers. Straight wrote her first story at the age of sixteen and wrote sports articles in junior high. As a junior in high school, she began writing short stories again. Straight does like to travel, but enjoys returning home as well. Straight makes no error in advocating the use of writing workshops, so that writers have the opportunity to expand their talent. Straight has been published in various national publications, covered novels for young readers as well and even a children’s book. Straight has received several literary awards for her work and is now a Professor at the University of California. Her short story â€Å"Mines† was included in Best American Short Stories, 2003. The Golden Gopher, another of Straights short stories, received the 2008 Edgar Allan Poe Award. Straights last three novels are Highwire Moon (2001), A Million Nightingales (2006) and Take One Candle Light a Room (2010). Straight has many essays: â€Å"Reckless† (2007), â€Å"El Ojo de Agua† (2007) and â€Å"The Funk Festival at Los Angles Coliseum, Los Angles, May 26, 1979† to name a few. For her younger readers Susan authored Bear E. Bear (1995) and The Friskative Dog (2007). B. â€Å"Mines† is a story about a mother who’s also a corrections officer, trying to keep her children from becoming part of the uneducated youth prison culture. Clarette is a strong, self-sacrificing woman. She has no personal life, due to her distant husband; in essence, she is a single mother. Clarette has conflict with her husband, who seems to be fine with their children growing up to be what society expects. Clarette is trying as best she can to expand their options in their lives. Her job at the Youth Authority takes a physical and emotional toll on her. Because of the job’s nature, Clarette sees the delinquency of the youth, grasping why she should keep going and giving her children an alternative future. She sees the â€Å"wards,† as â€Å"fools.† Just as that they are misguided and immature. Her determination is proven after the fight at the Youth Authority, where she gets up and spits on the spot she was assaulted, returning to work. Nothing is easy for her, but she just won’t give up. C. I sincerely enjoyed reading â€Å"Mines.† At first I just thought it was going to be   about her job, this was just fine with me. Even though her job does play into the story, it is not just about that. Straights descriptions of the scenery, characters, emotions and social influences were beautifully done. Even upon the first reading I indentified with Clarette, since I am also a single mother and did work for a while as a corrections officer myself. It made me recall all the wasted lives I encountered on a daily basis and that some of them acted like it was no big deal. Although these were grown men, it seems like it is now just something that is socially accepted. The short story was a very easy read for me and one that I read several times with no effort. I felt that she was a decent human being, caring, loving and rational. She, like most mothers, put her children before herself, giving up some of her life and that made her more human to me. I felt sorrow when she is injured in the fight at her job and pride when she spat on the cement before she goes back inside. I also felt satisfaction, when she opened the classifieds to look for the upright. 2. Research. A. There are three main points that I would like to cover, in the interview that I   chose on Susan Straight. The title is simply, â€Å"Birnbaum v. Susan Straight.† * All of her fiction has been about how people from places like Louisiana, Oklahoma, Mississippi, Canada and Switzerland have come to a place like Riverside, California. Since her fiction is regional, it helps us  understand better just one part of our country, instead of trying to be so broad that we lose some things in detail. Susan travels to the places in her writings, to get the back-story, making sure that all is accurate and it appears that she enjoys it a lot. When Susan committed to writing A Million Nightingales, she states, â€Å"I spent five years and I read about a hundred books and historical documents and went to Louisiana twice with my neighbor, who is from east Texas† (5). She uses things that are in court documents to help with historical information as well. For example, slaves were never taught to read or write, also they were never taught to read or write, also they were considered property. So for her, court documents are the way to go. â€Å"I read a lot of court documents and I have to tell you I read things like estate sale documents from 1797†¦On the right   side of the document is listed the human property that’s being sold and on the left the physical property and it goes on for several pages. On the right hand side you have all the slaves and the slaves only had first names. They couldn’t have last names† (6). Susan also states, â€Å"The way I know about my family by marriage-slave ancestry-is only through all the stories everyone tells† (6). It is amazing how she researches so much and incorporates that to make sure the story is correct. That does give the reader a more true understanding on what is goin g on in the setting, time period and characters minds. It does appear that she does also keep up with the social and political aspects of the time. Speaking about expectations set by society of her daughters and government mistreatment in response after a natural disaster, due to ethnicity. Susan speaks of the hurricane that destroyed New Orleans, â€Å"New Orleans was 70 percent African-American and it becomes much easier for the federal government-in my community, in the black community, this is common knowledge, people say, ‘Of course they don’t want to rebuild New Orleans.’ I think what people in Louisiana feel, not just in New Orleans but outside the city as well, especially south and in St. Bernard Parish, is  that rejection you feel when the federal government says, ‘Well I don’t know if it’s really worth it.’ Of course, if it’s your birthplace, you want to feel as if you are worth it† (10). Leading me to realize that there is still racial discrimination, even now, in politics as well as society. Susan’s daughters are described as readers of literature, diverse in the music that they enjoy and just like any other fine young lady. Susan is quoted speaking of her daughters as â€Å"really smart besides being beautiful, and that’s frightening. It’s frightening because a lot of times people still expect them to be dumb or want them to be dumb. Because they are beautiful light-skinned black women† (4). â€Å"There are no pure races,† states Susan, which does make you think (4). Susan does give supporting information to prove her quote, simply by reminding the reader of Louisiana in the late 1700s. â€Å"You had Swiss mercenary soldiers who had their own laws and rules. French settlers, French-Canadian trappers who didn’t even speak the same French as the French settlers. African slaves from seven, eight, nine different nations who spoke Congo, Bambara. And then you had German settlers. And then Native Americans who had their own distinct languages†¦And the truth is, if there is English and if there is French, if there is African it all melds to become this Creole language-what is it then, and what are we then?† (7). While a student at the University of Massachusetts, Susan did study with James Baldwin. Mr. Baldwin is known for his activism, in the civil rights movement, as well as his writing on African American life in the United States. When Susan got to the University of Massachusetts, she had been â€Å"a sportswriter and editor, and I’d only been writing fiction for a year.† Mr. Baldwin would assist Susan with her stories, helping develop characters that she thought were minor and had her think on a larger scale. Susan says that Mr. Baldwin â€Å"was immensely helpful the way he taught me to think about these larger questions†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Susan was unsure that Mr. Baldwin knew what he was talking about, but came to realize â€Å"he was right.† Susan also credits Jay Neugeboren, a professor â€Å"for years† at the University of Massachusetts, as the person â€Å"who really taught me to line-edit. He taught me to go through my work and make it as perfect as it c ould be† (15, 16). References: Straight, Susan. â€Å"Birnbaum v. Susan Straight.† The Morning News. The Morning News, 02 Aug.2006. Web. 21 Jun. 2011. Straight, Susan. Interview by Dominique McCafferty. Riverside Public Library. Riverside Public Library [Riverside, CA]. Spring 2005. Web. 06 Jun. 2011 Straight, Susan. www.Susan Straight.com. www.Jwelches.com. n.d. Web. 30 Jun. 2011