Jon Essays - , Term Papers, Research Papers, Book Reports

Jon 6 December 1999 Religious Studies 6th ARN Chapter 8 This chapter's focus is on wholeness, and our journey toward strength, beauty, and happiness. Everyone, specifically teens, must journey through their path to wholeness; we all struggle with problems such as finding ourselves lovable and freeing ourselves of hooks that seem to grab and control us. One must remember however that wholeness is not perfection. It is the balancing of all the parts of self to create a dynamic and harmonious order. This virtue is also known as temperance. When one tries to be perfect one wages a war against another aspect of oneself. Instead we must realize that we are complex creatures that have many different aspects; we are physical, rational, emotional, social, and spiritual. During our journey to wholeness, we will fall but through perseverance and God's help, we can balance our lives. After, reading the chapter, I realized that self-consciousness caused all of the problems that made us stumble on our road to wholeness. Many Americans believe that they must fit into a mold. For example, many teens are motivated to drink alcohol, smoke, and take drugs because it is cool thing to do. Yet others, who see past such misconceptions, still give in because they feel that they help them relax during parties. People who suffer from eating disorder believe that society calls them to fit the perfect dress or waist size. Young teens feel pressured into premarital sex either because their partner or peers pressure them, or because our culture condones it. In all situations people choose to unbalance their lives for the sake of others. We all seem to be caught up with our reputation, what others think about us. The most compelling example is the story of Doug's death. His body told him that he had had enough yet his struggle to please his peers ultimately led to his death. Why do we waste our lives for people who really do not care for us? It is a viscous circle. One person pressures others to make wrong choices because another has done the same to them. For such reasons, I have resolved to rebuke such calls to unnecessary pride. I will try to love myself first before thinking of how others think of me!

Free Essays on Americas Vehicle Emissions

As the owner of an SUV, perhaps the least environmentally conscious vehicle, I realize that I need to know exactly why my everyday transportation is unhealthy and politically incorrect. My car goes about 18 miles per gallon in San Francisco city driving and perhaps a few more miles per gallon on the freeway. I try to drive my car as little as possible, but as consuming American I often place convenience over health. However, I would like to know how all that burnt fuel affects everyone else? The Environmental Protection Agency stated, "The most polluting activity an average person does everyday is drive his car"(1 factsheet OMS-5). Most pollution that is released by cars comes from the exhaust, mainly in the form of hydrocarbons. Hydrocarbons are organic compounds, a combination of two or more elements that contain only carbon and hydrogen. Hydrocarbons are released when fuel in the engine burns partially. When hydrocarbons come in contact with sunlight they form ground level ozone. Ground level ozone is a major ingredient in the formation of smog. Ground level ozone is responsible for irritating eyes, damaging lungs, and it complicating respiratory problems. When upper level ozone is low; however, people are harmed. At ozone levels 33 percent below the current federal standard, children at summer camp and healthy exercising adults suffer from shortness of breath, coughing, painful breathing and loss of lung function. (American Lung Association 6)Two more pollutants released through car exhaust are carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxide. The first reduces the flow of oxygen to the bloodstream, and could harm pe ople with heart disease. Nitrogen oxide is formed when a car engine gets hot. It contains chemicals that aid in the formation of ground level ozone as well as acid rain (2 factsheet, OMS-5). Acid rain destroys the outsides of buildings, statues, etc. Acid rain can also contaminate drinking water, damage vegetation, and dest... Free Essays on America's Vehicle Emissions Free Essays on America's Vehicle Emissions As the owner of an SUV, perhaps the least environmentally conscious vehicle, I realize that I need to know exactly why my everyday transportation is unhealthy and politically incorrect. My car goes about 18 miles per gallon in San Francisco city driving and perhaps a few more miles per gallon on the freeway. I try to drive my car as little as possible, but as consuming American I often place convenience over health. However, I would like to know how all that burnt fuel affects everyone else? The Environmental Protection Agency stated, "The most polluting activity an average person does everyday is drive his car"(1 factsheet OMS-5). Most pollution that is released by cars comes from the exhaust, mainly in the form of hydrocarbons. Hydrocarbons are organic compounds, a combination of two or more elements that contain only carbon and hydrogen. Hydrocarbons are released when fuel in the engine burns partially. When hydrocarbons come in contact with sunlight they form ground level ozone. Ground level ozone is a major ingredient in the formation of smog. Ground level ozone is responsible for irritating eyes, damaging lungs, and it complicating respiratory problems. When upper level ozone is low; however, people are harmed. At ozone levels 33 percent below the current federal standard, children at summer camp and healthy exercising adults suffer from shortness of breath, coughing, painful breathing and loss of lung function. (American Lung Association 6)Two more pollutants released through car exhaust are carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxide. The first reduces the flow of oxygen to the bloodstream, and could harm pe ople with heart disease. Nitrogen oxide is formed when a car engine gets hot. It contains chemicals that aid in the formation of ground level ozone as well as acid rain (2 factsheet, OMS-5). Acid rain destroys the outsides of buildings, statues, etc. Acid rain can also contaminate drinking water, damage vegetation, and dest...

The Power Trainings Role In The Sports Football Essay

The Power Trainings Role In The Sports Football - Essay Example The defensive players, which rely on extension strength, need to power train their triceps muscle group (i.e. upper arms); meanwhile, the offensive players, which rely on flexion strength, need to power train their biceps muscle group (Sharkey and Gaskill, Sports Physiology 199). The principle of specificity enables the football players to concentrate their power training on the particular muscle group used, as a defensive or offensive player, on the field. The most common power training program is the lifting program. This program usually consists of â€Å"utilizing barbells, dumbbells, exercise machines and plyometrics† (Arthur and Bailey 10). While the use of weights is common for lifting, plyometrics is considered a more advanced power-building technique. It works by â€Å"rapidly stretching and contracting specific muscles under significant resistance† and improves the speed by which contraction commences in the muscles (McCarthy 160). Thus, it does not suffice to say that there is the power behind those muscle groups; it is also essential to understand the mechanisms that enable football players to fully exploit the power potential built in their muscles. In any sports training, an imperative initiative involves warm-up exercises while overdoing the training is considered unhealthy if not risky. These exercises enable the player to â€Å"establish a strength and endurance base† and avoid joint pains or delayed onset muscle soreness (Sharkey and Gaskill, Fitness and Health 197). In plyometrics, warm-ups include a slow start and then the gradual escalation of repetitions and intensity (Sharkey and Gaskill, Fitness and Health 197). It is very important that players recognize the setbacks and dangers involved in this power training since this will enable everyone to safeguard themselves, their muscles in particular, and optimally perform in the field.

Dividend Tax Cut Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Dividend Tax Cut - Essay Example It was believed that in doing this, the overall U.S. economy would profit because investors would be encouraged and more open to invest in companies. "The tax-cut package enacted in 2003 reduced to 15 percent the top tax rate on long-term capital gains and corporate dividends" (Mintz 108). While this is a significant decrease, many citizens were led astray as to who would actually be benefiting from the package because the Bush administration pointed out that almost half of all American households held some form of stock. "What this statistic ignores, however, is that nearly two-fifths of this stock is held in retirement accounts, such as 401(k)s and IRAs. This distinction is crucial, because capital gains and dividend income accruing inside these retirement accounts is not subject to taxation, and thus would not receive a tax benefit from the reduction in the tax rates on capital gains and dividend income" (Amromin 38). Therefore, the actual amount of citizens benefiting from this plan is significantly lower than what the American public was led to believe. Only the wealthiest of stock holders benefit from dividend income. Accor ding to the Tax Policy Center fifty four percent of all dividend income goes to households who make over one million dollars per year and the remaining goes to households that make over two hundred thousand. When looking at the big picture, these households only make up three percent of the country's population. "In contrast, only 11 percent of capital gains and dividend income goes to the 86 percent of households with incomes of less than $100,000. Only 4 percent of this income flows to the 64 percent of households that have income of less than $50,000" (Amromin 39). While this information proves that the wealthy are benefiting from the dividend tax cuts, the remaining majority if the population continues to pay a tax on their dividends. Another negative side affect to the passing of this tax cut package are the affects it will have on different private bond companies and charity organizations. "The stock dividend exclusion will hurt municipal and state bonds, it will reduce the attractiveness of the Low Income Housing Tax Credit amounting to 40,000 affordable housing units lost, and it will harm the marketability of the Historic Preservation Tax Credit, the New Markets Tax Credit and mortgage revenue bonds" (Cohen). In financially strapped cities throughout the country, many are turning to philanthropic foundations to substitute for the loss of government funds. "Many charities believe that the plan for the stock dividend exclusion is bad public policy in terms of equity and fairness in our tax system, and bad for charity and philanthropy" (Cohen). As for the corporations themselves, economic studies have shown that a decrease in taxes does not ultimately play any kind of role in whether corporations decide to pay out higher dividends. Many citizens are concerned that instead of issuing dividends to their shareholders, corporations will substitute "dividend payments for share repurchases, an alternative method of payout that boosts the price of the company's stock for shareholders" (Friedman). Like these "share repurchases", many companies who say they have undertaken the dividend policies have morphed them into one time offers, or special dividends

Religious Movement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Religious Movement - Essay Example Within this concept is the idea of what Wallace calls a â€Å"revitalization movement† in the structure of the religions society. According to Bartleby’s definition of a revitalization movement, a revitalization movement can be defined as: political-religious movements promising deliverance from deprivation, the elimination of foreign domination, and a new interpretation of the human condition based on traditional cultural values, common in societies undergoing severe stress associated with colonial conquest and intense class or racial exploitation. Thus, within this concept, a religious culture undergoing this type of transition would experience the stages of a steady state, a period of increasing individual stress, a period of cultural distortion, revitalization, routinization, and then a new steady state. By taking a close look at how the religion of Christianity developed, we can see these transitions through the stages of revitalization in action, and can hence gain a better understanding of Wallace’s theory. Christianity, like every other religion, has passed through these stages and experienced these transitions. The first stage of this process that applies to Christianity is the steady state. When the birth of Christianity first took place, it occurred during the Roman steady state period. Rome was the strongest Empire in the world at the time, and thus, was undergoing a period of prosperity. The Empire was increasingly expanding, becoming more powerful, and winning even greater conquests. The power of the Romans, at the time, was vast and limitless, and as they continued to conquer, they continued to gain. At the time, it seemed like the Roman power force would be never-ending, and Rome was perhaps the greatest Empire of all time. This would perhaps even put Rome beyond the point of the actual steady state. At the same time, another country affected

Social Care For Older Adults In England Social Work Essay

Social Care For Older Adults In England Social Work Essay During the last two decades social care for older adults in England has witnessed many significant changes. Implementation of the community care reform, privatisation of the social care and Direct Payments have had an impact on the social work as a profession to date. In the first part of the literature review I would like to give an overview how all of these initiatives shaped present social work practice for older adults and then focus strictly on personal budgets and recent research of the practice. Traditional social work characterises working closely with the service user, building very much needed relationship, assessing problems, making a judgment about coping abilities, looking on range of resources and at the end making an informed professional judgment about the best way to support service user (Lymbery, 1998). Dustin (2006) presents traditional set of skills such as communication and interpersonal skills, use of self, negotiation and mediation skills as well as appreciation of organisations and procedures as a core of the practice. In the 1980s governments concerns about increasing number of older people as well as running very expensive residential care have been a driver for transformation delivery of social care (McDonald, 2010). Furthermore, and most significantly, a new Conservative political view included: a belief in the greater economy, efficiency and effectiveness of private sector management; consumerism; the virtues of competition and the benefits of a social care market; and a deep mistrust of public service professions and their claims to special knowledge and expertise (Lymbery, 1998, p. 870) had its reflection in implemented legislations and community care reforms. The White Paper Caring for People: Community Care in the Next Decade and Beyond and The NHS and Community Care Act 1990, implemented in 1993, introduced care management and changed the role of the social worker in statutory sector. Hugman (1994, p.30) argues that the care management is a move away from professionally defined responses to need to managerialist responses dominated by resource priorities. McDonald (2010, p. 28) also states that professional discretion has to a large extend been replaced by formulaic approaches to assessment and service eligibility. Community care reform imposed on practitioners to focus more on the processes and on more complex bureaucracy what affected other aspects of care managers/social workers practice such as limited and formal contact with the service user and therefore difficulties in building up relationships with the client, reduced emotional support, counselling role, advocacy role, group work, less attention to monitoring and reviewing (Lymbery, 1998; Postle, 2002; Weinberg et al. 2003; Carey, 2008). Carey (2008, p. 930) states that: the quasi-market system has also helped to create a complex administrative system based around the management of contracts, assessments, care plans and a seemingly infinite variety of bureaucratic regulations and procedures. Most such tasks are relentlessly processed by often perplexed care/case managers, many of whom quickly begin to question any initial motivations to enter social work. Lymbery (1998) points out that more administrative system and budgetary constraints took away from practitioners a sense of traditional role and increased monitoring of social workers decisions. It has been argued, that key community care reform objectives such as a wider range of choice of services, reducing unnecessary paperwork, meeting individual needs in a more flexible and innovative way have not been achieved (Scourfield, 2006; Carey, 2008). The next important step for the shape of present social care has been introduction of direct payment schemes. The British Council of Disabled People (BCODP) presented findings of their research in publication Cash in on independence with evidence that directly provided services were inflexible, unresponsive, unreliable and take away service users control over the support (Zarb and Nadash, 1994). The BCODP also proved that direct payments can be cheaper and at the same time can provide a higher quality of support (Glasby and Littlechild, 2009). Under the pressure of sustained and strong campaign for reform from the BCODP and other bodies, the government finally implemented The 1996 Community Care (Direct Payment) Act (Glasby and Littlechild, 2009). The Act allowed making cash payments by local authorities to individuals to arrange their own support (McDonald, 2010). In 2000, direct payments were extended to other service user groups and from now on older adults could also benefit from it (Glasby and Littlechild, 2009). Following direct payments, in 2003, the charity organisation in Control, focused on people with learning disabilities, developed the new way of organising care called self-directed support (Glasby and Littlechild, 2009). Browning (2007, p. 3) states that the introduction of self-directed support is potentially the biggest change to the provision of social care in England in 60 years. The terminology has developed during the process of implementation of this concept. By 2004 in Control started using the term individual budget which describes budget from several different streams such as the Access to Work; the Independent Living Fund; Supporting People and the Disabled Facilities Grant; local Integrated Community Equipment Services, adult social care and NHS resources. In the pilots where funding streams were not integrated and projects relied on social care funds the term personal budgets was being used (Glasby and Littlechild, 2009). The in Control Partnership desire was to have the ir concept to be fitted to the existing social care arrangements, to free up available resources, which were tied up in existing buildings and pre-paid services and to allow people to use them flexibly and creatively (Glasby and Littlechild, 2009, p. 77). The aim of personal budgets was to shift power to service users by adaptation to the way of allocating resources, controlling and using the support (Routledge and Porter, 2008). At the same time the government was facing challenges such as aging population, care within the family becoming less an option, more diverse communities, higher expectation form the service as well as continuing desire to retain by people control over their lives as much as possible, including risk management (DH, 2005; HM Government, 2007). Older adults are the largest group of recipients of social care with more than a one million in 2006 (Leadbeater et al., 2008). The number of people of state pensionable age is gradually increasing with twelve million in mid-2009 (ONS, 2010). Some of the above factors have been a drive for governments increasing interest in a personalised system as a way of saving cost in already constrained budget (Glasby and Littlechild, 2009). From 2005, numerous documents such as Independence, Well-Being and Choice, Our Health, Our Care, Our Say: A New Direction for Community Services, Opportunity Age and Improving the Life Chances of Disabled People, Transfo rming Social Care stated governments support and shift towards personalisation (Routledge and Porter, 2008). In 2007, The Putting People First concordat informs about reforms to transform the system, based on  £522 million Social Care Reform Grant, to include service users and carers at every step of organising care (HM Government, 2007). Although the government states the way forward, it gives little explanation what it will mean for the front-line practitioners, for their roles and tasks required under new arrangements (Lymbery and Postle, 2010). It states the time has now come to build on best practice and replace paternalistic, reactive care of variable quality with a mainstream system focussed on prevention, early intervention, enablement, and high quality personally tailored services (HM Government, 2007, p 2). The Putting People First concordat (2007, p. 3) also says about more active role of agencies, emphasises greater role of self-assessment, therefore giving social workers more time for support, providing information, brokerage and advocacy. It also underlines importance of person centred planning, self directed support as well as personal budgets being for everyone. Glasby and Littlechild (2009, p. 75) define personal budget as: being clear with the person at the start how much money is available to meet their needs, then allowing them maximum choice over how this money is spent on their behalf and over how much control they want over the money itself. The recently published, in 2009, Working to Put People First: The Strategy for the Adult Social Care Workforce in England states a bit clearer roles and tasks of front-line staff under new arrangements and recognises social workers role as a central in delivering personalised service. Social workers play a key role in early intervention, promoting inclusion and developing social capital as well as safeguarding adults in vulnerable circumstances. They are skilled at identifying models of intervention, some therapeutic, some task centred and working through with people the outcomes to be achieved. They also undertake navigator and brokerage roles as well as supporting self-assessment (DH, 2009, p. 34). However, Lymbery and Postle (2010) points out that the strategy does not explain who will be undertaking specified roles and tasks, we have the right people doing the right roles and not using highly skilled workers for lower skilled tasks (DH, 2009, p. 33), and therefore the situation from community care reforms replicates where introduction of care manager denied the unique position of social worker. On the other hand, Glasby and Littlechild (2009) point out that the change of the social workers role from focusing on assessment to support planning and review will give more chances to work in partnership with service users to support them, what was the reason for many to come to the social care profession. Implementation There is an agreement that social workers motivation and support are crucial for the success of personalisation and based on their education and experience they are best-placed to fulfil roles and tasks in the new arrangements (Tyson et al. 2010; Samuel, 2010). Results from Community Care and Unison this year survey regarding impact of personalisation on social workers reviled that 88% of respondents had recognised some impact on their job, with 40% saying it had been positive and 29% negative (Samuel, 2010). Two years ago in similar survey, negative impact of personalisation claimed only 18% of respondents (Samuel, 2010). One of the most important evaluation of personalised budgets undertaken by IBSEN (2008) indicates that practitioners attitude towards the new system was based on the positive experiences of service users, strong leadership from managers or implementation team. On the other hand, hindrance for positive experience included high workloads, poor information and trainin g about IBs, and the lack of clarity about detailed processes as new systems were put into place (Glendinning et at., 2008, p.22). The IBSEN study also indicates that inclusion of front-line practitioners in developing documentation and processes was key factor for successful implementation. The limitations of the IBSEN study are that it have been conducted in very tight timescales and with continues policy changes and delays, however it is a crucial research on the early impact of individual budgets (Glasby and Littlechild, 2009). My research study will examine in depth the experiences of front-line practitioners of implementation of the personalisation and will also look at their positive and negative drivers. Bureaucracy The Community Care survey has found that two-thirds of respondents experience increase in bureaucracy as a result of transformation (Samuel, 2010). There has been an indication in the IBSEN study, two years earlier, that completing assessment and other office based duties was time consuming, however this increase was not significant. Although increased bureaucracy was an effect of more administrative approach of care management after community care reforms (Weinberg et al., 2003), it has been pointed out by Richard Jones, president of the ADASS, that some councils had over-complicated processes such as self-assessment and support planning (Samuel, 2010a). My research will provide in depth insight of the administrative role of the front-line practitioner in current system. Processes The social workers experiences varied significantly regarding assessment process based on self-assessment, with some seeing it as a complete transformation, where for others it was a move towards further development of practice (Glendinning et al., 2008). At the beginning working in dual assessment systems has been recognised as a major challenge (Glendinning et al., 2008). Moreover, the view of social workers from Community Care survey match with opinion form IBSEN study that self-assessment was not giving complete picture of a persons needs, with no focus on risk, issues regarding carers and their needs, and putting at risk social workers skills and professionalism (Glendinning et al., 2008; Samuel, 2010). The in Control report of the Second Phase (Hatton et al., 2008) sees self-assessment approach as the way to reduce the process and at the same time social workers time on this task. On the other hand, Lymbery and Postle (2010, p. 11) point out that assessment is at the heart of w hat social workers do and that not all service users have a ability and knowledge to recognise their needs and then to find appropriate ways to address these needs. Front-line practitioners reported that self-assessment usually has been undertaken with support from a family member or a friend, which has been seen as essential support (Glendinning et al., 2008). It can be seen as a potential ground for conflict of interest between service users and carers with examples such as need for respite care or risk within home setting (Lymbery and Postle, 2010). On the positive side, some front-line practitioners indicated that self-assessment shows that peoples views were taken seriously and as having the potential to generate positive discussions about needs and outcomes (Glendinning et al., 2008, p. 147). The IBSEN study recognises that social workers involvement in this process in work with older adults may be of more importance. Older people become more isolated, have less available supp ort from family, they tend to under-assess their own needs as well as do not perceive their behaviour as creating risk (Glendinning et al., 2008, p. 147). CSCI (2009, p. 137) back up above points regarding assessment stating that In practice, and particularly for people with complex needs, self-assessment entailed intensive support from care managers, more demanding of staff time and skills than traditional professional assessment. However, Community Care survey (2010) showed that two-third of social workers did not have enough time with service user to support self-assessment. In support planning process, exploring options, co-ordination, building confidence and empowering service users and carers were the main roles and tasks mentioned by care co-ordinators (Glendinning et al., 2008, p. 147). Many co-ordinators taking part in IBSEN study admitted that the focus on outcomes had an important impact on their practice. Some participants said that one of their roles was to translate the information given by service user in order to produce a meaningful plan. One of the key issues, raised by practitioners, was confusion whether allocated monies based on for example personal care needs could be used flexibly to purchase other services. Further source of confusion and frustration for front-line staff as well as service users and carers, reported in the IBSEN study, was regarding the material good allowed to be purchased and whether family member could be paid for provided support. Specifically regarding older adults, the issue has been raised that their needs ten d to change much faster, therefore a support plan may be out of date within a couple of months (CSCI, 2009, p. 140). In relation to support planning, the Resource Allocation System (RAS) has been perceived by front-line staff as purely mathematical, easy to use tool, on the other hand, some practitioners said that such mechanical approach to allocation of resources cannot fairly and accurately distribute resources due to complexity of service users needs and circumstances (Glendinning et al., 2008). This research will look at the experiences of front-line staff regarding assessment process, support planning as well as resource allocation in new arrangements. Risk management In CSCI report (2008) there is indication that the new arrangements for social care might increase the level of risk for service users. This issue arise especially where service user with complex needs is involved, as he/she might not be able to show distress (CSCI, 2008). Lymbery and Postle (2010) state that critical in terms of safeguarding in new arrangements is to retain professional engagement with service user. The IBSEN study states that giving service users more responsibilities and therefore more risk was in personalisation philosophy from the very beginning and also recognises that it is a difficult shift for care co-ordinators (Glendinning et al., 2008). Front-line staff had concerns that money could be spend inappropriately by service users, that they might not have appropriate skills and experience to employ PAs, that PAs had proper training to provide for example personal care tasks in safe and effective way (Glendinning et al., 2008). Contrary to that, in Control Third Phase evaluation (2010, p. 73) evidence suggests that people feel and are safer when they are In Control of their support and their money and they can determine what happens around them on a day-to-day basis. In in Control study 60% of professionals said that there was no change in risk management from the start of Personal Budgets (Tyson et al., 2010). On the other hand, Community Care survey (Lombard, 2010) found that 37% of social workers do not know what to do when care arranged by service user puts him/her at risk. My research project will examine in depth the view of front-line staff regarding risk assessment and implication, if any, of shifting more responsibilities to service users. Training, knowledge and skills The IBSEN study found out that most of the care co-ordinators had training provided before implementation of the individual budgets, however there was some who did not have any before undertaking first IB case (Glendinning et al., 2008). The participants in the IBSEN study said that training was focused more on the idea and philosophy behind individual budgets, and did not concentrate enough on processes (Glendinning et al., 2008). Successful in terms of informal training were recognised interactive activities such as team meetings, meeting with IB team workers and development officers and peer support development groups (Glendinning et al., 2008; Lombard, 2010). The Community Care survey on personalisation shows that there are significant knowledge gaps amongst social workers (Lombard, 2010). 63% of respondents admitted the need for brokerage skills, with only 31% stating that they have them. An understanding of the key terms and overall knowledge about personalisation has improved (57%), however 14% of social workers still understand little or nothing about individual and personal budgets (Lombard, 2010). Only 49% of practitioners said that they feel they have enough knowledge about employing personal assistant (Lombard, 2010). My research will examine the experiences of front-line practitioners regarding received training as well as subjective opinion about skill gaps in their practice. Mindset, culture The need for cultural shift and change of mindset of service users and practitioners has been recognised in several publications as one of the most important issues (Glendinning et al., 2008; CSCI, 2009; DH, 2010). The CSCI report (2009) shows that it was not expected from older adults that they will appreciate additional responsibilities in managing individual/personal budgets, however in some sites more older people decided to have Direct Payment and to manage the money by themselves. In addition, in Control report (2010, p. 135 136) shows that by the end of 2009 30.000 people were having Personal Budgets across 75 local authorities with older people being the largest group of receivers (53%). The in Control evaluation was based on online data voluntarily shared by local authorities, however there was no requirement on authorities to share data as well as not all authorities included breakdown by social care group, therefore the information from this report does not show an accura te national picture (Tyson et al., 2010). The Personal Budgets for older people making it happen guidance (2010) emphasises importance of sharing successful stories and cases in order to challenge front-line practitioners stereotypes and increase positive attitude towards older people as a recipients of personal budgets. Resources In this year Community Care survey 36% of respondents said that resources have been the biggest barrier for successful implementation of personalisation. Moreover, based on the information about planned cuts in public sector by the current government, 82% of respondents said that this will slow down the progress of personalisation (Samuel, 2010). It has been pointed out in several publications (Glendinning, 2008; Carr and Robbins, 2009; Samuel, 2010) that front-line practitioners using only public resources face significant challenges in exercising choice, control and independence of service user and his/her own creativity. It is well pictured in this quote this is more difficult when a budget is strictly for personal care that is essential the equivalent of 30 minutes washing and dressing a day is not going to allow much creativity (Fighting Monsters, 2010). Social workers under new arrangements will still be responsible for control expenditure with funding targeted at those most i n need (HM Government, 2008, p.9) what clashes with one of the key principle Putting People First which is prevention and early intervention (Lymbery and Postle, 2010). This research project will examine in depth the view of front-line staff about using of existing social care resources in order to fulfil policies principles and meet older adults needs. Services In the CSCI report (2009) it has been emphasised that to allow people to exercise choice and control and to feel independent, together with transformation of the system, the existing services need reconfiguration. At the moment services are limited and insufficiently flexible, where day services are traditional and predominantly based in buildings, and where block contracting arrangements limit the range of services on offer (CSCI, 2009, p. 148). The Community Care survey (2010) found out that 56% social workers have noticed that services such as day centres are being closed down on the assumption that using personal budgets will mean reduced use of such services. Services, especially from local authority, will have to by attractive, flexible to needs, affordable, price competitive, sustainable, well structured and managed to meet service users needs (Tyson et al., 2010). My research will examine social workers experiences of changes in structure of services for older adults with the emphasise on increasing their choice, control and independence.

Predatory Men in William Faulkner’s Novel, Sanctuary Essay -- Faulkner

Predatory Men in William Faulkner’s Novel, Sanctuary William Faulkner’s novel, Sanctuary, is replete with subtlety and symbolism. En route to Old Frenchman’s Place, Temple Drake thinks of baseball players in the Saturday game she is missing as â€Å"crouching, uttering short, yelping cries like marsh-fowl disturbed by an alligator, not certain of where the danger is, motionless, poised† (37). In creating such an image of predation, Faulkner prepares the reader for Temple’s arrival at Old Frenchman’s Place —the prey/predator metaphor lending itself perfectly to Temple’s situation vis-à  -vis the men there. Throughout the novel, Faulkner portrays Temple as feline or animal-like. When she objects to Gowan Stevens driving to Lee Goodwin’s in search of alcohol, he tells her, â€Å"Don’t get your back up, now† (37); and she is constantly springing from place to place and clawing at doors or blankets, as if she were an agile and jumpy cat. When Goodwin finds her crouching in the corner of his kitchen he lifts her â€Å"by the scruff of the neck, like a kitten† (52), and Popeye similarly grips her b...

Constitution vs Articles of Confederation Essay

As one of the creators of the new Constitution of 1788, you are chosen to present its strengths as compared to the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation. What areas of importance will you stress in attempting to get it passed unanimously? Give good well-reasoned arguments in a report of approximately 400 words. You will need to research the details of each document, using resources from the library, the Internet, or other sources. Be sure to use proper spelling and grammar. Articles of Confederation The Articles of Confederation were a written agreement, ratified by the thirteen original states of the United States of America, which laid the guidelines as to how the US government was supposed to function. Sometimes, simply referred to as Articles, this agreement was created in November 1777, and ratified by the 13 original states in March 1781. Within a few years of its ratification, it was subjected to severe criticism by the Founding Fathers of the United States. Eventually, it was decided that this agreement had to be revised to suit the needs of the nation as a whole. In May 1787, delegates from the 13 states met in Philadelphia to revise the Articles of Confederation. However, in course of convention all the delegation members came to a mutual conclusion that rewriting the entire Constitution was better than revising the existing Articles of the Confederation. The US Constitution The US Constitution, which is considered to be the supreme law in the United States of America today, is an agreement which provides the guidelines for the organization of the United States government, i.e. the federal government, and its relationship with various states and citizens of the country. Basically, the numerous problems with the Articles laid the foundation for a new constitution. When the delegates from all the thirteen  states met to revise the Articles of Confederation, they came to a mutual conclusion that drafting a new constitution was much viable option than revising the existing one which was full of problems. The delegates involved in the Philadelphia Convention, where the new US Constitution was drafted, included some of the prominent names of the American history including James Madison, George Washington, William Pierce and Benjamin Franklin. Articles of Confederation vs. the US Constitution If you try to compare the Articles with the new Constitution, you realize that the former was full of drawbacks, while the latter had answers to all these drawbacks. The Articles was subjected to severe criticism for the very fact that it centralized all the powers in the hands of state government, and left the national government with no major powers at all. As opposed to the unicameral system which was facilitated by the Articles of Confederation, the US Constitution introduced the bicameral system of governance, which was divided into the upper house and lower house. Yet another difference between the two was pertaining to the number of votes each state had. While the Articles had a provision of one vote for every single state irrespective of its size, the US Constitution had the provision of one vote per representative or senator. Similarly, the new Constitution also made provision for executive and judiciary branches of the government, something which the Articles of Confederation didn’t facilitate. When the Articles were the supreme law of the land, the national government required approval from 9 of the total 13 states to pass new laws. This was also changed in the new Constitution wherein approval of more than half of the total nominees of the states is enough to pass new laws. In order to amend the constitution, the national government required unanimous approval from all the 13 states. As per the new law though, the number was changed and only 2/3rd of the both houses and 3/4th of state legislatures was enough to amend the Constitution. This made the task of amending very easy, and the 27 amendments to the US Constitution highlight this very fact very well. The federal courts were not in picture when the Articles of Confederation was the supreme law. But when the US Constitution was introduced, it did feature provision for federal courts, which were assigned the responsibility of resolving disputes between the citizens as well as the states. While the Articles didn’t give the national government the right to levy taxes on its citizens, the Constitution did give the federal government the powers to do so. Similarly, the federal government required approval from the states to raise an army as per the stipulations of the Articles. According to the Constitution, on the other hand, the federal government has the right to raise an army to deal with conflict situations. The Articles didn’t allow any interference on the part of the federal government in terms of regulation of trade and commerce, but the US Constitution gave the federal government the right to control trade and commerce at the international level as well as the int er-state level. The new Constitution was drafted because the Articles of Confederation, which preceded it, didn’t live up to the expectations. The states were undoubtedly happy as they were in command, with the national government having no enforcing authority whatsoever, but this left the United States of America in a state of chaos – with each state coming up with its own laws. With all this chaos, the US Constitution was surely the need of the hour.

The Four Ps of Marketing essays

The Four P's of Marketing essays After reading Kay Napiers compelling story of her struggle with cancer and bone loss I decided that the best approach to this assignment would be to discuss how her personal struggle affected the four ps of marketing. Ms. Napier, being the vice president of Proctor and Gambles North American pharmaceuticals, and overseeing 1,300 employees shows how her personal struggle was a huge influence on P s new marketing strategy towards the product Actonel. Actonel is drug that is designed to increase bone mass caused by cancer, as well as osteoporosis, a condition that causes bone loss in nearly half of women. This is a very serious condition that Ms. Napier took a unique approach to marketing. The product, price, promotion, and place were all intertwined in an approach that differed greatly from their main competitors at Merck and Co.s. Fosamax, Mercks product is well established in the market for bone loss and is backed by many doctors. The aggressive approach that Napier took to pro mote the new product was innovative and successful. The product, Actonel, is a product that Pblockbuster. Actonel is a drug that is a second mover in the industry behind Fosamax but serves the same purpose. The drug, which is taken by Ms. Napier to reverse her bone loss due to chemotherapy, is one that she pursued and made her own. The time, effort, and image that Napier made for the drug is largely to her own struggle. Napier working on the products development during her illness created the product success and good image. By going to work during months of chemotherapy and handing off responsibilities of other drugs made Actonel Napiers prime concern. Napier development of the image of Actonel is a large reflection of herself. ...

Lo and Behold!

Lo and Behold! Lo and Behold! Lo and Behold! By Maeve Maddox A football fan posted the following: I decided to watch the Duke vs Miami game and low and behold Duke is successful this year Naturally the â€Å"low and behold† caught my eye. Was it just a typo? I hopped on my search engine to see what I could find. Apparently a lot of English speakers write low for the lo of â€Å"Lo and behold!† Some of the misspellings I found were deliberate puns in headlines above stories about something â€Å"low,† like low oil prices, low calorie recipes, and low golf scores. More, however, seemed to be the result of not knowing that the word in the expression is spelled lo and not low. Here are some examples: Low and behold! (a blog title) Low and Behold (a 2007 movie about post-Hurricane Katrina) low and behold I have some pretty awesome DOMS in the mid region (exercise site) But low and behold, some four decades later (printed rap lyrics) Low and behold it worked out great I got a laptop in the mail (testimonial on marketing site) Autumn term will all be about the Old Testament and low and behold, we’ve worked out a complete program (university site in the U.K.) Low and BeholdHow Much Work Are You Willing to do? (headline on an author’s site) If you don’t count the exotic list of words acceptable for Scrabble tournaments, English has very few two-letter words. The fact that only about twenty are in common use may account for attempts to add a little body to lo by adding another letter. Lo may derive from the imperative form of the verb to look. It has been used as an interjection at least since Beowulf was written, but the tautology â€Å"lo and behold† dates only from the 19th century. Long before that, lo–in the sense of Look! See! Behold!– was used to direct attention to something about to happen or about to be said. For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone; (Song of Solomon, 2:11, KJV.) And Lo! the Hunter of the East has caught/The Sultan’s Turret in a Noose of Light. (Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, Edward Fitzgerald translation.) The earliest OED citation for Lo and behold! is from a letter written in 1808. Bulwer-Lytton– he who gave us the novel opening, â€Å"It was a dark and stormy night,† used it in 1841: The fair bride was skipping down the middle..when, lo and behold! the whiskered gentleman..advanced..and cried- ‘La voil!’ (Night Morning II. iii. v. 144  ) Nowadays the expression is used both humorously and cuttingly. Tennessee Williams has Stanley use it in a tirade against Blanche: You come in here and sprinkle the place with powder and spray perfume and cover the light-bulb with a paper lantern, and lo and behold the place has turned into Egypt and you are the Queen of the Nile! (Streetcar Named Desire, scene 10). Modern novelists probably won’t find much use for the expression butâ€Å"Lo and Behold!† still has plenty of life in it for daily conversational use. People who use the expression in their blogs and online conversations may want to check the spelling. Historical novelists putting exclamations in the mouths of pre-19th century characters may want to stick to plain â€Å"Lo!† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Expressions category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Congratulations on or for?Rules for Capitalization in TitlesHow to Address Your Elders, Your Doctor, Young Children... and Your CEO

Your task is to compose your own review of book called Unbroken by Essay

Your task is to compose your own review of book called Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand - Essay Example legendary soldier Odysseus of the ancient Greece, and the trials and challenges he faced are compared to Homer’s Odyssey, and even more intense and agonizing in nature. The author applauds the brave man, whose courage never wavered at the face of hardships during his captivity under the Japanese cruelties, as the Japanese personnel left no stone unturned to torture the POWs belonging to the USA in order to prove their hatred and abhorrence for the Americans. It was the time when the hostility and revulsion between both the countries was at its peak; consequently, the Japanese corps inflicted every type of atrocities on the American prisoners in order to take revenge of the losses Japan had suffered in men and material (129). Since Zamperini had refused to yield before the atrocious Japanese, the author calls her as the â€Å"unbroken one†, who can neither be bent, nor could be overcome by the enemy at any cost (4). Consequently, the struggle made by this legendary soldi er, fills the hearts of the readers with feelings of loyalty and patriotism, and urges them to render services for the great name and fame of their motherland without surrendering before the mountains of hardships as well as series of difficulties on their way. The book reveals the perturbed state of affairs the world was undergoing in the aftermath of the UK’s declaration of war against Germany, which left indelible imprints of death, destruction, chaos and turmoil for the future decades to arrive. Commenced from the central Europe in 1939, the Great War II immediately captured the entire globe in its ugly and awkward fold. The war observed intensity day by day, and German-led Axis Alliance dominated the war. At last, British statesmen had to seek the support from the USA in order to combat with German and Japanese successive triumphs in the battlefields. Consequently, the USA arrived for the rescue of the Allies, and declared war against the Axis Powers in 1941. Instead to calming down the

Vipassana Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Vipassana - Essay Example In 528 BCE, after his enlightenment, the Buddha spent the 45 years of his life that remained teaching on the way out of suffering. Vipassana symbolizes the most vital part of his teachings. For 5 centuries, millions of people in the Buddha’s homeland- India were helped by Vipassana. However, after around 500 years, the practice had vanished from India. Luckily, an uninterrupted chain of meditation teachers in the neighboring country of Burma maintained it until the present day. In recent times, the practice of Vipassana has been to India and to individuals worldwide. This has been done by a retired industrialist named S. N. Goenka. He is of Indian heritage but was born in Burma. Mr. Goenka was taught the technique of Vipassana by Sayagyi U Ba Khin. U Ba Khin was a famous lay Vipassana teacher and was the first one to teach westerners in English. In 1969, Goenka was appointed by U Ba Khin to teach Vipassana (Hart, 1987). Vipassana is translated to mean ‘insight’. It utilizes awareness to take note of all details of our physical as well as mental experiences from time to time with an attitude that is without bias. There are three methods of practicing Vipassana. The main focus of all three is on breathing and the difference is the points on which attention is focused when breathing. The first method involves watching the belly. The belly is regarded as the location where the Hara center is. The Hara is a point of awareness that is regarded as the center of one’s subtle body. It is found just behind and below the navel. One can easily achieve a meditative state of mind by focusing their attention on the Hara center (Catherine, 2011). The second method is watching the coolness in the nostril. When the air enters an individual’s body through the nostril, it creates a little coolness that is soothing. This method involves focusing one’s attention on this