Capitalism and leisure

Capitalism depends on a continuous sense of dissatisfaction to exist.   The temporary relief experienced by dissatisfied workers engaging in leisure activities such as shopping is not caused by the acquisition of an object, but rather is produced through the action of conspicuous consumption of those objects.   In other words, the relief is felt during the pursuit of certain objects and the exchange of money for goods, but diminishes almost immediately once the desired object is obtained. IPods and MySpace are recent examples that seem to bear this out.   The acquisition of an IPod necessitates the pursuit of music and the desire to perpetually obtain more music, while MySpace consumes massive amounts of free time and functions by the constant acquisition of â€Å"friends†.   They cannot create satisfaction in their original state; they only create satisfaction through the promise of acquiring infinitely more. Leisure activities such as attending the movies, on the other hand, produce temporary satisfaction through the conspicuous consumption of personal time and diminishes shortly after the movie ends.   Marx and Singer are correct in their assertion that life in the modern era is essentially dissatisfying: the capitalist economy could not exist without a pervasive and perpetual sense of dissatisfaction. However, the assumption that workers who are not alienated from their labor are generally more satisfied seems to discount other concomitant factors, such as the spirituality and close personal and family relationships that both capitalism and communism discount as irrelevant or unnecessary to life in the modern era.   Both can be considered leisure activities, and both have been reported to produce levels of satisfaction among those who participate in these types of activities.

Johannes Vermeer: Girl with a Pearl Earring Essay

Johannes Vermeer’s, â€Å"Girl with a Pearl Earring† was painted in 1665-66. It is oil on canvas painting of an ordinary girl that is turned sideways and appears that she is glancing over her left shoulder. Not too much is known about the girl, but there are speculations that it could be one of three people. Some think it is his daughter Maria; while others are torn between the daughter of Vermeer’s benefactor, Magdalena and a maiden he hired to help with his masterpieces. The servant girl speculation was derived from a novel that was written by Tracy Chevalier and a film starring Scarlet Johansson, which was depicting a more romanticized theory of the story behind the â€Å"Girl with the Pearl Earring†. Personally speaking, I think it is a toss-up between his daughter or a servant girl like the movie depicts†¦ One reason for my belief of the servant girl mentality is because of the significance of the pearl itself. Not only is it a piece of jewelry b ut it symbolizes the virginity of the protagonist. The fact that Vermeer put so much emphasis on the earring could signify the he was emphasizing an expectant virgin. Her eccentric attire with a pale, muddy brown turban, which was not a regular custom for that period, eludes me to feel that it could be his daughter. Why? Well simply because the dress and the rest of the attire were considered â€Å"special garments† that were worn and loved by children during that time. Vermeer Also known as â€Å"The Mona Lisa of the North† or the â€Å"Dutch Mona Lisa† this figurative theme has been intriguing spectators from around the world for many, many years. The highlighting of the earring and the light illuminating the girls face is one of the strengths of this painting. This naturalistic style creates a realistic view. Dark space (background) surrounding the woman creates depth and makes the other colors in the paining more vivid. The intensity of the white, teardrop shape of the earring is the emphasis of the painting. Folds and shadows on her garment give heaviness and texture to the fabric. There is contrast between the brightness of her white blouse meeting up with the tone of the yellow fabric. The shadows from the light and the dark background help to bring out the 3 dimensional form of the girl. The blue part of the turban, painted with ultramarine. Ultramarine is a highly expensive pigment made out of crushed semi-precious stone. These, along with the yellow hues complement one another and go along with the flesh tone of the face. The  casting of the light creates a symmetrical balance. Vermeer’s masterstroke with the collaboration of background light brings life to the entire color scheme. One of Vermeer’s main characteristics, a speckled methodology of applying paint, is known as pointille. Pointillism is a method of painting with dots to achieve various affects. You can see the use of this technique in this painting. One of the best examples of this technique would be the corner of her mouth that is highlighted with light colored points. Overall, Johannes’ â€Å"Girl with a Pearl Earring† is a wonderful masterpiece that represents unequivocal expressions in a profound way. It inspired things like a bestselling novel, a successful movie, and a play; all with the same title. Mauritshuis, The Royal Picture Gallery. Web. 5 Novemeber 2012

Barriers to Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Essay

Health promotion has been defined as the process of enabling people to increase control over their health and to improve it. This process requires personal participation and supportive environments. For people with disabilities, however, personal participation is often limited by non-supportive environments. Lack of knowledge on how to modify programs to meet specific needs, poor attitudes, and unfriendly environments often creates insurmountable barriers to participation for many people with disabilities. While innovative medical technology has increased the life span of individuals with disabilities, little attention has focused on improving their health span. The reportedly high incidence of chronic secondary conditions seen in persons with disabilities, including pain, fatigue, low functional capacity, obesity, and depression, is often related to environmental conditions that include poor health promotion practices. Smith wrote: â€Å"People with disabilities therefore represent significant health needs and investment in health care resources, both in terms of the primary disability and secondary complications. Although the prevention of these conditions is important, of equal importance is to make living with them as healthy as possible, as many disabilities are life-long. Although health promotion may be significant in leading to lower levels of premature mortality, higher quality of life and lower health care costs for the general population, it has the potential to be even more significant for those already with a disability, whose quality of life and independence rely critically on their ability to maintain their narrow margin of health.† With the emerging concept that individuals with disabilities can improve their health in the same manner as anyone else, there is growing momentum for providing quality health promotion programs for people with disabilities. Maintaining health and wellness is especially important for people with disabilities because functional limitations that often accommodate a primary impairment (neurological dysfunction) may reduce a person’s capacity to engage in health promoting behaviors and result in a higher frequency of secondary conditions. These secondary conditions are defined as â€Å"†¦physical, medical, cognitive, emotional, or psychosocial consequences to which persons with disabilities are more susceptible by virtue of an underlying impairment, including adverse outcomes in health, wellness, participation and quality of life†. The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of health promotion for people with disabilities in the areas of exercise, nutrition and health education, and to describe a health promotion service delivery model that addresses the gap in services between rehabilitation and community-based health promotion. The vast majority of people with disabilities are not obtaining the recommended amount of physical activity needed to confer health benefits and prevent secondary conditions (e.g., heart disease, obesity, and osteoporosis). In a study by Rimmer, it was found that less than 10 percent of adults with physical disabilities engaged in structured physical activity programs. A possible reason for this high level of inactivity may be linked to the number of actual and perceived barriers to exercise reported by people with disabilities. Transportation, cost of the exercise program, and not knowing where to exercise were listed as the three most common barriers. In a related study, Messent reported that the barriers to physical activity participation in adults with developmental disabilities were unclear policy guidelines in residential and day service programs; transportation and staffing constraints; limited financial resources; and limited availability of physical activity programs in the person’s community. While these external barriers may impose major limitations on exercise participation, internal barriers may also create obstacles to participation. Kinne reported that exercise self-efficacy and motivational factors were significant predictors of exercise maintenance in a group of adults with disabilities. Health disparities refer to differences between groups of people. These differences can affect how frequently a disease affects a group, how many people get sick, or how often the disease causes death. Many different populations are affected by disparities. These include †¢Racial and ethnic minorities †¢Residents of rural areas †¢Women, children, the elderly †¢Persons with disabilities While better nutritional habits are a major concern for most people with and without disabilities, there may be some specific differences in diet and nutrition guidelines pertaining to people with specific types of disabilities. Issues related to accessing healthy foods, determining food interactions with commonly used medications to control various secondary conditions ( pain, seizures, depression), and establishing specific requirements for food supplements ( vitamins, minerals, fluid intake) are all major concerns among people with certain disabilities. For example, people with spinal cord injury have a higher rate of bone loss after their injury, which increases their risk of osteoporosis. A few studies on persons with cerebral palsy and Down syndrome have also reported a higher incidence of osteoporosis. While it is the recommended daily allowance for calcium intake and vitamin D may need to be increased for certain types of disabilities to offset the rate of bone loss, recommen ded guidelines are not available. There are little data available to support this theory. There is a pressing need to conduct more research on various types of disabilities that have a reportedly higher incidence of bone loss, to determine the effects of exercise and nutritional supplements (calcium, vitamin D) in reducing or slowing the progression of this condition. Health education can have a measurable impact on empowering people with disabilities to improve their own health. For example, people with depression, manic depression, schizophrenia etc. should practice medication management with the assistance of a physician or nurse practitioner. Many states offer education classes dealing with communication with family members and the public along with skills on how to cope with mental illness. There are also cooking, cleaning, and hygienic classes and job training skills. In my experience job coaches are available to help ease the transition from unemployment to gainful employment practices. Many disabled individuals still experience discrimination from others who do not understand what mental illness is and don’t take the time to find out how to cope daily with a friend, family member or co-worker who may suffer from mental illness. In Belize Central America poverty is a big problem. In an article I read had this to say, â€Å"The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) said Tuesday that it had approved a US$15 million loan to help Belize provide better basic health care, improve secondary education and strengthen its capacity to target, coordinate and evaluate social protection programs.†These measures will help the government achieve the goals of its National Poverty Elimination Strategy,† the IDB said in a statement. It said that one-third of the country’s population lives under the poverty line and the poorest sector of society lacks adequate basic health and secondary education services. â€Å"In some southern rural areas, like the Toledo district, 79 per cent of the population is poor and 56 per cent is classified as indigent. â€Å"The IDB said that in order to strengthen primary health care for the most vulnerable sectors, the funds will support government plans to increase enrolment in the National Health Insurance (NHI) pilot program.†It will also protect the 2009-2010 budget lines needed to at least maintain NHI coverage at 95 per cent of the population in south-side Belize City and 84 percent in the Southern Region. The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) is also addressing the significant barriers to mental health care experienced by African American, Asian American and Pacific Islander, American Indian, and Latino/Hispanic populations. NAMI is developing national partnerships and strategies to overcome the crisis. There is also increasing emphasis on improving quality of health care within the existing services in the United States. To achieve quality, there must be: 1. Improved access to care for all people. 2. Appropriate and acceptable treatment plans that incorporate multidisciplinary knowledge. 3. A workforce of sufficient numbers and qualifications. 4. Agreement on indicators for health care quality. 5. Responsible practices and follow-through on the part of patients. One study of infants revealed the cost of hospitalizing premature infants, the need to improve prenatal care to women at high risk for delivering preterm or low-birth-weight infants, and the need to improve outcomes for those infant. There is still so much to be done to increase health and the quality of life in persons with disabilities and those with chronic health issues. Health promotion has been defined as the process of enabling people to increase control over their health and to improve it. This process requires personal participation and supportive environments. Reference Rimmer JH, (1999). Health promotion for people with disabilities: the emerging paradigm shift from disability prevention to prevention of secondary conditions Physical Therapy. 79(5), 495-502. Ravesloot C, Seekins T, Young Q, (1998). Health Promotion for People with Chronic Illness and Physical Disabilities: The Connection between Health Psychology and Disability Prevention Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy. 5, 76-85. Thierry JM, (1998). Promoting the health and wellness of women with disabilities. Journal of Women’s Health. 7(5), 505-507. Stuifbergen, Alexa K., PhD, RN, Heather Becker, PhD, and Dolores Sands, PhD, RN, (1990). Barriers to health promotion for individuals with disabilities Family & Community Health. Smith RD, (2000). Promoting the health of people with physical disabilities: a discussion of the financing and organization of public health services in Australia Health Prom Int. 15, 79-86. 13(1), 11-22. Belize to receive IDB funds for health, education. (2009, Oct 07). BBC Monitoring Americas. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/460151112?accountid=32521

Smoking Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Smoking - Research Paper Example To understand and minimize the number of smokers, it is relevant to reduce the number of new smokers (Lindson et al., 2011). Studies show that people who smoke acquire the habit from close friends or parents. Generally, having a close person who is a smoker significantly increases the chances of a person ending up smoking. Mohammed, a cigarette addict confesses, â€Å"I got this bad habit from old brother.† He also got the urge to start smoking from his father and his best friends (Mohammed, 2013). The continued exposure to smokers was the main reason why Mohammed was compelled to start smoking. For this reason, the focus group in prevention measures has to be the closest people (Lindson et al., 2011). According to Mohammed, most people who smoke regret ever starting to smoke because they are unable to stop. Their biggest problem is that due to addiction, they are imprisoned by the vice and are unable to pull out. Mohammed claims â€Å"Smoking almost two packs a day has caused different heal problems to me.† In his statement, it is clear that he attributes deteriorating health to his habit of smoking. He enjoys swimming, but due to the effect of smoking on his lungs, he easily gets tired and his attempts are labored (Mohammed, 2013). Khalid is another smoking addict. He started smoking when he was 14 years old. The main reason that compelled him to start smoking was his older cousin. He attributed his ‘coolness’ to smoke and therefore tried it to be cool (Khalid, 2013). This demonstrates that peer pressure plays a big role in introducing people to smoke. The pressure originates from the people around them. Like Mohamed, Khalid had health issues; he is unable to engage in physical exercises. He easily tires and the effects affect his social life because his family has to deal with medical issues that result from his smoking Khalid says, â€Å"I regret every

Employment Law Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Employment Law - Article Example They are the only ones who can file a complaint under this law. But, they are required to show proof of the alleged discrimination because in all cases coming under the jurisdiction of judicial or agencies exercising quasi-judicial functions it is necessary that there is proof to support any claim. Opinions or belief of discrimination are not accepted. There must be proof to show that discrimination did occur. Witness as to events or truth of contents of documents and the actual documents must be presented. A complaint by a person aged 40 or older demonstrating that he/ she was replaced by somebody younger than aged 40 is insufficient. He/ she must show that the younger person has less competence and experience than him/her to handle the tasks of the position as delineated in the office job description. Because it may be possible that the younger person is more knowledgeable, competent and experienced for the job, in such a case there is no discrimination. As in the case of Cerutti v BASF Corp., where the court ruled that there was no discrimination in the case filed by 10 workers laid off due to the restructuring of the corporation because the "employees (retained, though some of younger age) had the skills needed for future performance given the restructuring." Texas has its own Child Labor Law patterned after the Federal Law but some provisions were added or clarified to the needs of the State of Texas. The purpose of the Texas Child Labor Law is to ensure that a child is not employed in an occupation or manner that is detrimental to the child's safety, health, or well-being. Children aged 14 and above are allowed to work except for some tasks that the law either totally prohibits the child to do, or may be allowed at certain ages. There are also tasks that although are prohibited for a certain age but may still be allowed if the child is an Apprentice or a Student Learner. In such cases there are requisites that must be met in order that the task given to the child may be considered legal: For an Apprentice the child must be employed in a recognized apprenticeable trade; works incidental to training; works intermittently, short, and under close journeyman supervision; and registered or under written agreement about work standards. For a Student Learner the child must be enrolled in an authorized cooperative vocational training program; and employed under a written agreement providing that: (1) work is incidental to training; (2) work is intermittent, short and under close supervision; (3) safety instruction are given by school and employer; and a schedule of organized and progressive work is prepared. Guided by the explanations above and the Texas Child Labor Law, as the New Manager of Minyard's Grocery Store located in Texas I have assessed each child worker and found out that only the 16-year-old operating the cardboard bailer violates the Texas State Law for being a prohibited occupation or hazardous occupation (TWC 817.23, no. 8 and 12. Note that in both cases, if the child is an apprentice or a student-learner he/she is not covered by the prohibition.) The rest of the child workers are alright as long as they follow the restrictions as follows: A 14-year-old bagging groceries every Saturday for four hours is not contrary to Chapter 51 of the Texas State law as long as he/she is not assigned to work between midnight and 5 a.m. A 16-year-old slicing lunch meat at the deli counter

Firm Growth and Competitive Advantage Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Firm Growth and Competitive Advantage - Essay Example Firm growth may refer to a company’s rate of increase in a broad form of the economy with the ability to increase revenues that are helpful to the industry for a period of time. One time surge in form of revenues cannot be considered as the growth of a firm as this firm growth has to be demonstrated over long periods of time Whenever the discussion about firm growth is started, attention is drawn to major issues such as the theoretical research besides empirical research on the growth of the said firm. The said research further points out that expected rates of growth are quite independent, according to the Gibrat’s Law, from the size of the firm. Different factors have been proved to determine the dynamics of a firm. Firms should, therefore, play a major role in taking a forward step towards growth. More recent studies have pointed out that for the industrial revolution to be facilitated, then learning more about firm growth should be given the center stage for better results. Firms should, therefore, invest more in these learning activities that have a long-lasting effect on the organization’s well being. Ericson and Pakes’s model further states that just staying in the business also proved to provide the firm with relevant information on what exactly they are capable of during their inactive moments. Given the amount is seen from empirical work, the major point of concern should, therefore, be in dealing with some of the problems that arise from the selection of samples and the subsequent processes of censoring these samples after exiting of the firms.

DX wk 7 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

DX wk 7 - Essay Example he patients history, lab tests and often their brain injury studies who that there may have been stroked, untreated high blood pressure or coronary artery disease (Beidel, Bulik, and Stanley, 2010). The damage can be to a single blood vessel or to many blood vessels that will then be called an infarction in the brain (Beidel, Bulik, and Stanley, 2010). In contrast, 293.0 Delirium Due to a General Medical Condition is a "disturbance in consciousness that is accompanied by a change in cognition" (American Psychiatric Association, 2000, p. 136). Delirium in this case, the cognitive disturbance has to be due to direct physiological consequence of the general medical condition (American Psychiatric Association, 2000, p. 136). Generally, delirium is brought on by a serious medical illness such as a serious infection, toxic effects of medication or AIDS (Beidel, Bulik, and Stanley, 2010). Although both of these conditions are due to serious medical conditions, delirium affects the cognition because of a lengthy illness that affects the brain directly. Although Vascular Dementia also affects cognition, it is a heart problem that has to be present (American Psychiatric Association, 2000). Hans is a 66 year old male who is a retired mail carrier. He did his job well until he began to have challenges with his memory. Hans retired from his job five years ago because he was not able to carry out his duties correctly anymore; in fact, he began to make mistakes as he delivered the mail. At the age of 62, Hans was hiking in an area that he knew well and suddenly he was lost and could not find his way home. Soon after, he also mislaid things and forgot appointments and could not find his way around anymore. His memory continued to fail as he was unable to recognize his friends and lost interest in watching television and newspapers. According to Biedel, Bulik, and Stanley (2010), Alzheimers disease (AD) is a "common subtype of dementia" (p. 458), than other forms of Dementia. It

Hypersensitivity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Hypersensitivity - Essay Example On the other hand, simple organic substances are more commonly known to cause delayed reactions. An individual may be exposed to these allergens through inhalation, ingestion, injection, or skin contact. (Porth, 2002) The classifications of hypersensitivity are not dependent on severity, but the type of cells, and location of tissues that is affected. Hypersensitivity reactions are classified into four types: type I (mediated by IgE), type II (tissue-specific), type III (immune-complex mediated), and type IV (cell-mediated) (Holmes, 2003). The first three types are mediated by antibodies, and the fourth type is mediated by T-cells, which produce a delayed reaction or onset of symptoms. However, it is seldom that one type occurs in isolation from the other (Nowak & Handford, 2004). During a hypersensitivity reaction or allergic reaction, an individual is usually prescribed with bronchodilators, steroids, and antihistamines. This paper will discuss type I hypersensitivity or anaphylactic hypersensitivity, as well as the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of the three agents mentioned above. In addition, Chinese herbal medicines will also be briefly discussed. This type describes the allergy as the immediate hypersensitivty or anaphylactic hypersensit... In addition, Chinese herbal medicines will also be briefly discussed. Type I Hypersensitivity This type describes the allergy as the immediate hypersensitivty or anaphylactic hypersensitivity. It is mediated by the IgE antibody, which results to mast cell degranulation (Porth, 2003). The most common examples are systemic anaphylaxis, hay fever, allergic rhinitis, eczema, and asthma. The mucous membranes of the organs are very richly supplied with mast cells that are filled with IgE antibodies, and these mast cells are ideally located to be able to detect the entry of antigens. Upon initial entry, the individual or host will not manifest any symptoms or reactions. However, the cells have already captured and processed the allergen, and the antigen has then bound with IgE on mast cells, which have caused the cells to degranulate. These granules then spread into the circulation and binds with the mast cells throughout the body. Subsequently, the host is ready for the next contact with the allergen. (Nowak & Handford, 2004) Now during the second exposure, the mast cells are activated, causing the release of mediators, which then result to the immediate responses of the immune system, and this response is mostly cause by the release of preformed histamines (Ewan, 1998; Nowak & Handford, 2004). Kay (2001) gave a concise aetiology of acute allergy. She summarized that immediate hypersensitivity is brought about by the release of preformed granule-associated mediators, membrane derived lipids, cytokines, and chemokines when an allergen interacts with IgE that is bound to mast cells or basophils by the high affinity IgE receptors. In addition, the primary inducers of IgE are interleukin-4 and

Government grants for alternative energy research Proposal - 1

Government grants for alternative energy - Research Proposal Example Because of this, it is important for the United States to find alternative means of energy that are sustainable, and that create less dependence on foreign oil and other fossil fuels. President Obama has instituted a variety of measures that will cut down on the carbon emissions that influence climate change (Obama, 2010). Many people suggest that without an alternative method of fuel, the nation as we know it will change. Al Gore has presented information about how global warming is influencing the world as it is known today, and suggests that something must be done in order to slow the process down. Shown in these descriptions are the facts that there are many issues that must be addressed when looking at the world and how it currently uses fuel. If sustainable energies can be discovered and used, the world would be able to sustain itself better in the long run. Specific Claim Alternative fuels can promote a healthier environment and can create a more sustainable world. With the he lp of government grants to sponsor climate research, many more researchers can have the opportunity to identify those fuels that could help the environment. The discovery of these grants will be an opportunity to understand who is eligible to help in this endeavor and the amount of money that is being presented. Justification of The Claim Since President Obama took office, sustainable fuels have been a concern.

Building your own state prison Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Building your own state prison - Term Paper Example This method will also apply reformation and reintegration of prisoners into society. This method which also follows the method set by Captain Alexander Maconochie, helps the inmate to become ready for life back into free society (Barry, 72) ATTN: please look for it from your book because the online version of the book does not have Bibliography!). 2) Size of the prison: Remember to accommodate for the security levels The size of the prison would be patterned after the Auburn design (Appendix A), with consideration of prison population growth, security, socialization, and economic activities. However, there should be economized space so that instead of cells measuring 8X12 feet, a smaller one at 7X 10 feet cells will be implemented in consideration of population growth as this has been notably consistent over time. 3) Hiring procedures: Discuss in-depth the procedures that you would use to hire staff Hiring procedure for staff should be based on physical and psychological capacity whe re human relations experience is necessary. This is in conformity with the ticket-of-leave system introduced by Walter Crofton of which prisoners were treated confinement stages befitting their behavior. This will require proper capacity of the staff to deal with the kind of persons that offenders are subjected into. Physical capacity of prison staff is necessary in order to handle or subdue assault or attack by rioting inmates. Psychological readiness of the prison worker will help in dealing with rowdiness or unruly behavior, as well as adapt to more humane manner of interacting with prisoners who may deserve better treatment. Inmates who are scheduled for release may also be considered for hiring as they are well-oriented with the rudimentary of prison life. Additional training and orientation may be needed. 4) Inmate classification: As mentioned earlier, three classifications may be provided for inmates and these include the maximum security prisoners who committed heinous crime s and grouped together depending on their entry. This group will not be in solitary but by partner to encourage socialization and openness. There will be employed treatment dependent on the behavior of the prisoner: first the solitary and reduced food rations, next is the provision of agricultural or industrial work with full food provision. Behavior at this stage will determine movement to the next stage which is an open prison with few restrictions, until such time that the inmates reach the fourth stage which is parole or freedom (Mays and Winfree, 45). Then, there are the working inmates who are already allowed to be trained to gain skills and work to earn. These may consist of the largest bulk of the inmate population as they will be given real jobs and allowed to earn decent income. This stage, too, will be the longest period as bulk of their punishment time be spent on this stage. The last classification may be called the probationary stage where prisoners are groomed to beco me free men. Trust, respect, and capacity to deal with the outside world will be experienced by the inmates at this stage. 5) Prison structure As mentioned earlier, the prison design will take from the Auburn style which employs the prison cells for inmates’ rooms, with an entrance court, a yard, garden, shops, chapel, kitchen, guard station,

Bio Medicine Essay Example for Free

Bio Medicine Essay Two Cathy Ann Wilson-Bates Western Governors University EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICE APPLIED NURSING RESEARCH EBP 1 Brenda Luther, PhD, RN January 25, 2012 Task Two Introduction: What I have learned about working with children in a chronic healthcare setting like dialysis is that they are resilient beings with the propensity for rapid changes in their medical condition. Children almost always surprise me in their unique description of symptoms and pain. Depending on their age, they may not be able to describe the symptoms they feel or tell me â€Å"where it hurts†. A simple ear ache may be described as a â€Å"drum in my ear† or may be observed with non verbal cues like tugging on the ear. Acute Otitis Media is seen quite often during the cold and flu season. Recent clinical guidelines suggest waiting twenty four to seventy two hours before beginning antibiotic therapy. Parents of children with symptoms of otitis media are accustomed to receiving a prescription for antibiotics before they leave the medical office. Adults as well are preconditioned for the little white slip of paper from their physician. Waiting twenty four to seventy two hours to evaluate the need for antibiotics will definitely reduce the over-prescription of antibiotics as well as their efficacy. The waiting and watching of several days may seem like an eternity to a parent caring for a sick and crying child. Educating parents during routine visits to the physician office about the risks of over-prescribing antibiotics will help when the physician needs to discuss the possibility of waiting and evaluating before prescribing antibiotics. Providing a list of comfort measures parents can follow may help relieve the anxiety they have in caring for a sick child. Any comfort measure taken to reduce crying is helpful to the parent of a sick child, but mostly to the child. The following table and paragraphs will share the results of how one group of nurses at an outpatient clinic used clinical evidence to manage this situation. Source |Type of Resource |Source appropriate or |Type of Research | | |general information, |inappropriate |primary research evidence, | | |filtered, or unfiltered | |evidence summary, evidence-based | | | | |guideline, or none of these | |American Academy of Pediatrics and American Academy of|Filtered |Appropriate |Evidence-based guideline | |Family Physicians. Clinical practice guideline: | | | | |Diagnosis and management of acute otitis media. | | | |Causative pathogens, antibiotic resistance and |Unfiltered |Appropriate |Evidence-based guideline | |therapeutic considerations in acute otitis media . | | | | |Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal. | | | | |Ear, nose, and Throat, Current pediatric diagnosis and|General |Inappropriate |None of these | |treatment. | | | | |Treatment of acute otitis media in an era of |Filtered |Appropriate |Evidence –based guideline | |increasing microbial resistance. Pediatric Infectious| | | | |Disease Journal | | | | |Results from interviews with parents who have brought |Unfiltered |Appropriate |Primary research evidence | |their children into the clinic for acute otitis media. | | | | | | | | | Subcommittee on Management of Acute Otitis Media. (2004). American Academy of Pediatrics and American Academy of Family Physicians. Clinical Practice Guidelines: Diagnosis and Manegment of Acute Otitis Media. American Academy of Pediatrics , Vol. 13 No 5 1451-1465. This article is an evidence-based clinical guideline. It is a systematic review making it a filtered resource which is very appropriate for this situation. The article describes the current, (as of 2004) recommendations for the diagnosis and management of Acute Otitis Media (Subcommittee on Management of Acute Otitis Media, 2004). These guidelines show several different ways to treat acute otitis media depending on the symptoms of the child. It states that sometimes waiting to give antibioti cs is good and sometimes waiting to give antibiotics is not good. This article is appropriate and provides clarity on the topic. Block, S. L. (1997). Causative pathogens, antibiotic resistance and therapeutic considerations in acute otitis media. The Pediatric Infectious disease Journal , Volume 16 (4) pp 449-456. This article discusses antibiotic resistance and describes the bacterial pathogens which are responsible for infections causing acute otitis media. This article is appropriate. It contains a comparison of studies performed based on the different types of bacteria which cause acute otitis media. It stresses the importance of identifying the bacteria causing the infection before giving antibiotics so that number one the bacteria can be eradicated and other bacteria will not become resistant (Block, 1997). PE Kelley, N. F. (2006). Ear, Nose and. In M. L. W. W. Hay, Current Pediatric Diagnoisis and Treatment (pp. 459-492). Lang. This textbook source contains general information on the ear, nose and throat. There is much more information here regarding basic anatomy and physiology as well as characteristics of the ear nose and throat. The information regarding otitis media is basic and not an appropriate source of research in this situation for three reasons. Number one, the information is very basic, number two, it does not give any up to date information on how to treat this type of infection, and number three there is too much non-relevant information. McCracken, G. H. (1998). Treatment of acute otitis media in an era of increasing microbial resistance. The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal , Volume 17(6) pp576-579. This article is a review of the known etiologies that may cause acute otitis media. The article gives up to date information on therapeutic approaches when selecting an appropriate antibiotic therapy. We don’t practice â€Å"cookie cutter† medicine. The same prescription is not always right for all patients or all communities where some bacteria’s may be more prevalent than others (McCracken, 1998). This is appropriate information for this group of people or community. media, P. o. (n. d. ). Interviews. (C. nurses, Interviewer) This set of interviews is simply raw data. General information can however provide great insight as to what is happening out in the community. For example, this information might shed light on the fact that if the parents are willing to hold off on antibiotics for example, would they be more likely to follow up and come back into the clinic when asked? The reaction of parents is dependent upon other several basic factors like finances, a belief system and possibly the ability to obtain transportation. Knowing how the community is going to respond to their choice may have a great effect on the decisions they make. When evaluating the findings of these sources cumulatively, one must first determine the causative pathogens infecting patients in this given community with acute otitis media. After pathogen determination we can determine which antibiotics may be most useful in eradicating the given bacteria. Careful selection of antibiotic therapy will reduce the propensity for antibiotic resistance. Watchful waiting may be a good thing from the perspective of increasing microbial resistance however we must always evaluate patients on their individual needs or on a patient by patient case. One size doesn’t always fit all. Patient education is the key to keeping the public informed of current practice. Physicians and Nurses need to be consistent in the lesson plan shared with patients and remain true to our scope of practice. Communication is essential between the physician, nurse and other multidisciplinary team members in order to provide the best care. There are many considerations in assessing if patients are able to withstand the waiting and evaluation period. Low income families are one example of how the waiting and watching method might not work. Parents may have to take time off work to come to clinic with a sick child. They might struggle finding money for the additional return trip to the clinic and may risk losing their job if they take more time off work. Many low income families may have already waited before seeking help thus creating their own watchful waiting period. They also may not be able to afford antibiotics and as a result may not give the full dose if symptoms have subsided. The perception is that they will save the medication for the next time symptoms arise. Confidentiality might be an issue in smaller communities. People tend to be concerned about neighbors and co-workers and some may not care to share their experience with others. This may be an issue for parents who don’t share custody as in the case of divorce. It is a greater issue when parents or partners don’t share the same fundamental values, especially those related to healthcare. Conclusion: Watchful waiting like the nurses in this clinic are looking at may be useful for some of the patients, but not all. Again, a one size fits all philosophy is not always appropriate in healthcare. Tools like algorithms may be helpful in determining the appropriateness for watching and waiting versus immediate action as determined by physical findings and social circumstances like parental adherence for follow up and ability to afford treatment. Whatever course you choose, watchful waiting or immediate antibiotics the best practice remains a plan of care based on the individual needs of our patients. References Block, S. L. (1997). Causative pathogens, antibiotic resistance and therapeutic considerations in acute otitis media. The Pediatric Infectious disease Journal , Volume 16 (4) pp 449-456. McCracken, G. H. (1998). Treatment of acute otitis media in an era of increasing microbial resistance. The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal , Volume 17(6) pp576-579. media, P. o. (n. d. ). Interviews. (C. nurses, Interviewer) PE Kelley, N. F. (2006). Ear, Nose and. In M. L. W. W. Hay, Current Pediatric Diagnoisis and Treatment (pp. 459-492). Lang. Subcommittee on Management of Acute Otitis Media. (2004). American Academy of Pediatrics and American Academy of Family Physicians. Clinical Practice Guidelines: Diagnosis and Manegment of Acute Otitis Media. American Academy of Pediatrics , Vol. 113 No 5 1451-1465.

Organic Food Research Essay Example for Free

Organic Food Research Essay When it comes to the food that you put on the dinner table, it is extremely important to understand how the food is grown and how nutritious it is. Some foods are grown using synthetic fertilizers, while others are grown using natural fertilizers. There are foods that are grown using chemical weed killers, while other foods are grown using crop rotation and mulch to help control weeds. You can buy meat that has been raised with antibiotics, growth hormones, and medications. On the other hand there is meat that has been raised using more humane methods. These animals are fed an organic diet as well as given access to the outdoors and raised in cleaner housing to help reduce disease. Organic foods are healthier because they use fewer preservatives and chemicals; therefore they are extremely important in the growth and development of your family. Every parent wants to put the best food on the table for their family. However, it takes an amazing amount of resources and is costly to our planet. The way that food is farmed has changed more over the past fifty years than it did in the previous ten thousand years (Kenner Kenner, 2008). The industrialization of our society has forever changed the way farmers grow crops and raise livestock. Farmers are using man-made chemical fertilizers and pesticides to control their crops. While you may think that the beautiful fruits and vegetables in the local supermarket’s produce section are impressive, it might surprise your what you are putting in your body. There are not seasonal fruits and vegetables any more in the supermarket. Tomatoes are picked green from half way around the world and ripened with ethylene gas during shipment (Kenner Kenner, 2008). It’s astonishing how many chemicals a farmer uses to grow their crop. The average apple has been subjected to twenty-seven chemicals and the average peach has twenty-two chemicals used throughout its growth cycle (Juad Juad, 2008). What is surprising is that when tested, a conventional piece of fruit or vegetable has positive results for lead and pesticides (Juad Juad, 2008). When it comes to the livestock that we are consuming, it used to take a farmer nearly three months to raise a chicken. Tyson has perfected this science with the help of growth hormones and antibiotics. They are now are able to raise a chicken that is three times as large in less than half of the time (Kenner Kenner, 2008). The cattle farmer is now raising their cattle on mainly corn feed and antibiotics (Kenner Kenner, 2008). According to Kenner Kenner (2008), farmers now have to use so many antibiotics mainly due to the fact that the livestock is being raised in a manner that was not intended. Cattle are not supposed to eat an all corn diet and chickens are not supposed to be raised in a chicken house without ever seeing daylight until they are on the truck to be processed (Kenner Kenner, 2008). There are more humane ways of raising livestock and it makes for a much healthier meal at the dinner table. It is simply amazing how far food travels to make it to your local supermarket. On average, food travels over fifteen hundred miles from the time it leaves the farm until it reaches its final destination (Kenner Kenner, 2008). Another amazing statistic is that the transportation of our nutrition accounts for nearly thirty percent of global warming (Juad Juad, 2008). This is because there are only a few multi-national organizations that actually control the industrial food chain. It might be surprising to find out that the largest purchaser of ground beef and potatoes in the United States is McDonald’s (Kenner Kenner, 2008). They are also one of the largest purchasers of pork, chicken, and apples as well (Kenner Kenner, 2008). The largest producer of chicken in the world is Tyson (Kenner Kenner, 2008). The side effects of these monopolies is that you, the consumer, get what the few powerhouse food corporations want you to have and you are left with very few choices. All of these amazing changes would not be possible without modern science. One of the biggest players behind the scenes and the supplier of the herbicides and pesticides is an organization by the name of Monsanto. Over the past few decades, Monsanto has had several groundbreaking developments in the area GMO’s or genetically modified organisms (Kenner Kenner, 2008). Over seventy percent of the items in the local supermarket contain one form of GMO (Kenner Kenner, 2008). There are several unintended side effects to all of these chemicals being used to grow our food. One is that the soil that farmers are using is literally being killed (Juad Juad, 2008). The outcome is that the farmers are becoming more and more dependent on the chemicals to produce food (Juad Juad, 2008). Another environmental issue is that a percentage of this chemical ends up in the water supply and it is simply impossible from preventing this from happening (Juad Juad, 2008). The amount of chemicals that are finding there way into our food is simply amazing. There are health side effects from all of the growth hormones, chemicals, and genetically modified organisms. Studies show that the current generation is the first in history that is predicted to live a shorter life than their parents (Kenner Kenner, 2008). Cases of obesity and diabetes have tripled in the past two decades (Juad Juad, 2008). Type-two diabetes used to be only found in adults in the previous generation and now we are seeing it in our children (Juad Juad, 2008). In Europe, seventy percent of cancers have been linked to the environment (Juad Juad, 2008). When that seventy percent is broken down, thirty percent is linked to pollution and forty percent are linked to the food (Juad Juad, 2008). Also, 100,000 children every year die from diseases caused by the environment (Juad Juad, 2008). If that is not amazing enough, cancer in males has increased ninety-three percent over the past twenty-five years and their sperm count has decreased fifty percent over the past fifty years (Juad Juad, 2008). Top that with the fact that cancer in children has increased one percent a year for the past twenty-five years (Juad Juad, 2008). There are studies that show that fifty percent of all cancers worldwide are linked to the environment and that in certain cancers that ninety percent of the cause is the environment (Juad Juad, 2008). It does not take a Doctor to figure out that all of these chemicals are making their way into our food and they are extremely bad for us. With all of these overwhelming statistics, there is hope for the food that we are eating. According to Duram (2008), â€Å"Agriculture is a highly effective means of converting solar energy into food and fiber. Given sufficient water, and properly managed, the system can operate provided with nothing more than sunshine. But modern agriculture technology has disrupted this efficient relationship. † Thankfully, there are still farmers out there that believe in the organic way of raising their crops and livestock. â€Å"Products must be at least 95 percent organic to use this term† (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2011). Organic farmers are supplying local restaurants and families through their local farmers market (Siegel Taylor, 2008). They control weeds and disease within their farm with crop rotation and treat their livestock in a humane manner. According to Danford (2010), â€Å"mainstreaming of eating locally and organically grown fresh food is almost complete. † The demand for organic food is growing at a rate of twenty percent annually and the major food organizations have taken notice (Danford, 2010). â€Å"For the past fifteen years large multinational food corporations have been buying up organic producers of food in an effort to enter the profitable niche market† (Hauter, 2012). The Demand is extremely obvious and that is why major food corporations are jumping on the bandwagon. In summary, there are two ways to put food on the table. A consumer can purchase conventionally grown food or they can purchase locally grown organic food. Organic foods use only natural fertilizers, mulch, and crop rotation while traditional foods use synthetic fertilizers and pesticides to control disease. There have been numerous studies that link multiple health issues to our food and the environment that it is grown in. As a consumer, society has a choice of how to put food on their dinner table and the smart choice is to choose organic. References: Danford, N. (2010). Vegetable vs. Meat, And Everything in Between. Publishers Weekly, 257(9), 19-26. Duram, L. A. (2005). Good Growing: Why Organic Farming Works. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press. HAUTER, W. (2012). BIG ORGANIC. Boston Review, 37(6), 5. Juad, J. (Producer) Juad, J. (Director). (2008) Food Beware [Motion Picture]. France: CTV International Kenner, R. (Producer) Kenner, R. (Director). (2008). Food Inc. [Motion picture]. United States: Participant Media Mayo Clinic Staff (2011) Organic Foods: Are they Safer? More Nutritious? Retrieved on May 5, 2013 from http://www. mayoclinic. com/health/organic-food/NU00255 Siegel, A. , Taylor, C. (Producers), Taylor, C. (Director). (2008). Food Fight [Motion picture]. United States: Positively 25th Street.

Unitarism in the Workplace

Unitarism in the Workplace Generally speaking, Unitarism means that every workplace should be integrated as well as harmonious entity which exists for common goal. In unitarism the managements role is critical and main aim of management is to provide powerful leadership and good way of communiation.In unitarisized organization, Employees should be loyal to their organization as well as their management to meet up their common goals. Most of the unions in the world are existed for loyalty as well as commitment for their employees; however this is the main reason thats why they are not welcomed by Employers. Sometimes Employees became too familiar with management and sometimes this situation creates conflict between each other.( Morris, R., Mortimer, D. and Leece, P. (Eds). (1999) In Pluralism , Management supposed to make not only powerful and different sub-groups but also they has to powered these groups with its own legal loyalties and with their own set of objectives as well as leaders. From this discussion, there are mainly two major sub-groups arises Management and trade unions. In pluralism it is impossible for management to avoid conflict because Management only cares about achieving its objectives and goals and proper attention on Employees are not given, they just provide usual training to their employees to achieve goals. So in Pluralism, Management is totally focused on achieving goals rather then view employees on personal relationships.( Mortimer, D., Leece, P. and Morris, R. (Eds.), (1998)) What is Unitarisim? Well in simple sentence unitarism can be called as theory of ordinary purpose as well as mutual goals with no basic conflict of attention between labour and wealth (capital) As a result of this, Managements role diversify, less diversify towards enforcing and more powerful towards persuasion and Co-ordination. Mainly Trade unions are legal Council of employees, they are mainly dealt with conflict at workplace and it is not considers as a bad thing if management able to manage trade unions, this can lead management towards progress as well as positive change. (Wiesner, R. and Millett, B. (Eds.), (2001)) Conflict is a deviation, the outcome of Conflict may be: Poor communications in organizations between management and employees Poor management style as management may not be able to handle employees. HRM mainly strategic and logical approach for the management, it is also considered as organisations most precious assets People working in organisation donate for organisations success of the business. Human Resource Management had replaced the term Personnel Management as HRM involves the process of managing people in organisation. By simple mean, HRM is the process of employing people , developing their assets, utilizing, caring and compensating their services in terms of the job and managerial necessity.( Wood, J., Wallace, J., Zeffane, R., Schermerhorn, Hunt and Osborn, (2001)) There are mainly two approaches in HRM i.e. Soft HRM it relates with growth of humanism, Management gives proper training to their employees as if they are their personal. Hard HRM it relates with active combination of employees into firm objectives , Management seems to be hard with their employees , mostly they are focused on achieving goals. In Employment relationship, Neo-institutionalism is the term which is an expanded view of pluralist philosophy which is all about the function of rule-making. In management employee relationship, there are mainly two types rules Formal rules Substantive rules Neo-institutionalism also consists some other features such as Neo-intuitionalism is not only open but also endedness in terms of employee relationship Neo-Intuitionalism helps to understand the present in relationship with past Neo-Intuitionalism also describes and helps employees to understand the real world.( Wooden, M. (2000) , page no . 221) From recent Australian studies and world, it is shown that, Most of the work currently following unitarism tool of HRM ,because its been considered as soft HRM and in this Soft HRM, there are several criteria that fulfils todays dynamic worlds needs and wants , such as Soft HRM mainly focused on individuals own performance and its also focuses on individuals own development and in Unitarism , all of the employees and management of organization doing team-based work , so it is more favourable for employers. Where as in hard HRM , Management is mostly oriented towards result achieving , so Hard HRM is not very favourable for To achieve long term financial goals, most of the employers focused on development of employees because this can be proved positively for them in long term. References: Web references: Unitarism VS Pluralism http://forums.vogue.com.au/archive/index.php/t-122217.html Date assessed on 22-08-2009 Unitarily perspective from www.industrialrelations.naukrihub.com/unitary-perspective.html Date assessed on 22-08-2009 Book references: Teicher, Holland and Gough (2006) text book page no 42 to 46 Braverman, H. (1974) Labor and Monopoly Capital: the Degradation of Work in the Twentieth Century, New York: Monthly Review Press (331.0904 B739 1 c.1) Bray, M., Deery, S., Walsh, J., and Waring, P. (2005) Industrial Relations: A Contemporary Analysis, Sydney: McGraw-Hill. Cole, Kris, (2001) Supervision: The Theory and Practice of First Line Management, Frenchs Forest, NSW: Prentice-Hall. Colvin, J. and Watson, G. (1998) The Workplace Relations Handbook: A Guide to the Workplace Relations Act 1996, Melbourne: Butterworth.

goals :: essays research papers

Aspiring to Achieve   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I firmly believe that if one plans on achieving his aspirations, setting goals is a very important step. Having goals not only gives you a clear focus on things, it also helps you to organize your plans by allowing you to give yourself time limits and boundaries. That is why I try to set goals for myself routinely, whether it is just for one day, or for the rest of my life.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One goal that I work hard at daily is to try to do well in high school. I try to involve myself in any activity that I can, both academically and socially, so that I can graduate with honors. The reason why I do this is because I plan on going to college, and I would like to be able to get accepted into any school that I apply to. Going to college alone would be a major achievement for my family and I, because I will be the first person in my family to attend college. Immediately after I graduate, I want to start my career as police investigator/detective.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  By age 25, after gaining some experience as a policewoman, I would like to make a career switch to become an FBI agent. This is because being an FBI agent has been a dream of mine since I was a child, and to be good at what I do, I need some familiarity in that line of work, among other things. After becoming settled into my second career, I would like to begin a family. By this time, I plan on already being married to my current boyfriend, and preparing to have another child. I will also be ready to buy my first car, and then, my first home. My intentions are to live in Philadelphia, in a beautiful four bedroom house in the suburbs.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Before I turn fifty, one of my major goals is to own a private investigator business, as well as a computer store with my husband. My children will be put through college and out of my house, and my husband and I will be on our way to retirement, after we sell our businesses. By then, I plan on being very well off, if not rich. Either way, I will be able to donate money and give back to my community what they have given to me.

Broken Dreams :: essays research papers

Luke is jogging down the ground, followed closely by a stalker. He feels the hot, heavy breath of his follower on his neck, and can see his large shadow looming in front of him. He tries to fun faster to get away, dodging and weaving, but cannot seem to shake him; he is with him every step of the way. There is no escape. A call from a mate is an enormous relief; Luke has been rescued. He passes the ball to his mate, and continues running towards goal. Ryley lines up for goal about forty meters out, and with a superbly executed drop punt, sends the ball sailing through the goal posts. He kicks the first goal of the 2005 premiership season, and puts the Falcons six points in front, after only three minutes into the first quarter. The crowd erupts into applause and begins to chant, ‘Falcons, Falcons!’ Luke knew that this season would be a lot better than the last. This year he is going to be injury free and the critics have already ranked him highly in the running for the b est and fairest player at the end of the season. The Falcons were also tipped to finish in the top four this year, even though they did not have a full coaching staff. The game continued with a bounce from the umpire in the centre of the oval. The ruckmen battle it out, wrestling each other to get the tap needed for a break out of the centre. The football falls to the ground and is immediately smothered by desperate players trying to help their team. The umpire blows the whistle and signals another bounce. Again, the ruckmen struggle against each other, but this time the ball is punched forward. Luke jumps high into the air to seize the football, however comes crashing down and lands awkwardly, with other players falling in a pile on top of him. Everyone quickly jumps up and chases the pack of players following the ball. Luke is left lying on the ground, curled up in excruciating pain, holding his knee. The Falcon’s team runners come sprinting onto the field to attend to the injured player, signaling for the stretcher. Luke stands up, ignoring the stretcher, and is helped off the ground by two trainers. He is carried down into the clubrooms, where a physiotherapist attempts to identify the severity of the injury.

A Summary of Barbara W. Tuchmans The Guns of August :: Barbara W. Tuchman The Guns of August

A Summary of Barbara W. Tuchman's The Guns of August â€Å"The Guns of August† was written by Barbara W. Tuchman in 1962. The book details the causes of the first World war and describes the first month of the war. The book clearly illustrates how a local war became an entire European struggle by a call to war against Russia. Soon after the war became a world issue. Summary of the Book Plans The Beginning (Chapters 1-5) The book begins at the funeral procession of King Edward VII of England in 1910. This procession contained a glorious array of Kings and Nobles from around the world, this was to be the last. Throughout the procession there are mournful faces, but one â€Å"mournful face† hides happiness. The happiness is of Emperor William II of Germany. Throughout his life and reign, Edward candidly exhibited his love for France over his neighboring country, Germany. Now that Edward was out of the way, William was sure that he had earned the position as the ruler of Europe the entire and would soon take action to prove to the rest of the world that Germany was more powerful than all. In Germany, the Chief of the German General Staff, Count Alfred von Schlieffen, created a plan of attack in case of the possibility of a two-front war. But, this plan required invading Belgium, which(at the time) was neutral territory and proteced by England, Despite the promise of England to Belgium, Schlieffen continued with his attack plans. He believed that Germany’s army was far more powerful and advanced than England, and that there was no reason he should feel threatened. After years of perfecting his plans, they were finally finished in 1906. Nevertheless after all of those years of planning, he failed to properly reinforce the eastern front. Even though he was highly criticized for this, he stood by his decision stating that he knew the Russians would force the army into the cold harsh, Russian winter, such as the case of Napoleon. Even though Schlieffen came up with this wonderful and well thought out plan, his successor, General von Moltke, changed the plans entirely. Like Germany, France also concocted an offensive plan.

Occupational Health & Safety Essay

In any organization, the role of the Human Resource department can not be overemphasized. This is because this department is laden with numerous responsibilities that are cogent to organizational productivity. I would like to see them as the power house and organizational engineer that detect, fix and make sure that the organization is productive and function at an optimum level. Generally, the effectiveness of an organization’s HR determines the effectiveness of the organization workforce. The strength and coordination of an organization’s workforce is to a large extent dependent on the efficiency of the HR department of the company. In order to achieve smooth running of an organization and maintain a safe and healthy workplace, there are some basic practices that are carried out by the Human Resource Department. In this essay, focus will be drawn on some of these practices, highlighting their importance and the role they play in ensuring organizational progress by achieving organizational short and long term goals. I will be making a brief discussion of these practices in the following paragraphs. One of the major practices associated with the human resource is job analysis. Job analysis can be said to be a detailed process or an act that involves the identification and determination of specific job roles and the responsibilities and importance of the specified job duty. Job analysis becomes important because it determines the qualification for job positions, the compensations to be paid, the hierarchy of the job position and the scope of duties and responsibilities that comes with the job position. It also identifies the kind of training and development that the job will require and the formulation of a job design. Furthermore, as a follow-up to job analysis, in order to maintain a safe and coordinated work environment that will ensure organizational productivity, HR makes sure that they painfully select the right people for the right jobs. Once the nature and specifications for the particular job is identified, it then becomes easy to look out for the person that has the right qualification for the job description. No one wants to put a round peg in a square hole and this makes selection an important task. Selecting the wrong person could cause great damage and result in a huge loss for the company. Generally, there are several methods used in the selection process. This includes interviews, personality tests, IQ tests, physical and cognitive ability tests and the use of biographical data. In addition to the above, the HR of a company organizes training for incoming staffs and those that are already in the system. Training is important in HR because this is where the new staffs are introduced to the organizational goals, the dress code, customer relation, and the organizational structure and culture. In the case of current staffs, training is sometime needed in the case of updating the employees about the new company policies and keeping them informed about new developments as well as developing basic skills that will be needed in their working environment. Apart from this, another practice used by the HR to maintain a safe and healthy workplace is performance measurement. Performance measures and feedback are ways of evaluating the overall productivity of individual employees in relation to organizational input. This practice is a sort of evaluation that shows what is happening, diagnose possible inadequacies and this serves as an impetus for the organization to strategize new ways or/and seek solutions to the problems that are identified. On the overall, it is a way of knowing the exact state of the organization as it is and not as it posses itself to be. Finally, men are social beings that have emotions and rational ability. People generally perform better when rewarded for good performances. In the HR practice, incentives are given so as to encourage workers to perform better and be more committed to the organizational goals that are set. Incentives serves as a motivator as it has a psychological effect on the workers and makes them want to put in more effort because they are being appreciated for their good performances.

Paragon Tool

Executive Summary Considering the situation that Paragon Tool is currently in, with uncertainty regarding company’s future, management in disagreement and the lack of tangible information regarding MonitoRobotic’s acquisition it is recommended that Paragon Tool, take a week, gather all of senior management and develop a concrete and agreed upon strategy regarding Paragon Tool’s future growth strategy. Once such a strategy is formulated, if the service business and MonitoRobotic’s fit with these plans, then Nickolas should take the next step in conducting the necessary due diligence to determine that the MonitoRobotic acquisition price and it’s culture will fit with Paragon Tools. Current Situation While Paragon Tool Company seems to be a healthy machine tool manufacturing company surviving in a tough industry, a primary concern for Nickolas Anaptyxi, CEO, is continued growth for the company. Paragon’s current tool manufacturing line is surviving in a fairly saturated market, but not exactly thriving. Mr. Anaptyxi’s primary goal since his start at Paragon is to grow the then small company through acquisitions. The company continues to fund more and more acquisitions while continuing to show diminished profits. While the CFO continues to debate with the CEO, Nick Anaptyxi, Mr. Anaptyxi’s strategy continues to be growth for Paragon through frequent acquisitions while continuing to show poor margins to investors. His belief is that the cost now will pay off in the future. The current situation that Paragon faces is that the recently added line of business of services (repairs, service calls, etc. ) has been experiencing losses which has been pulling down its previously well performing tool manufacturing line. Mr. Anaptyxi believed that a key way for this slow growing and cyclical company to grow and thrive in the difficult market is to expand its market base by offering a service line to complement its tooling business. The CEO has to explain to the company’s investors that it will take time for the company to see a return on its investment in the service sector. Potential New Acquisition In the interim, Paragon has been recently courting a technology company, MonitoRobotics, that focuses on the ability to identify manufacturing malfunctions much more quickly than before through the services of software and technology. While contemplating this relationship, it is made known to the CEO that a major competitor of Paragon is going in on a hostile bid for MonitoRobotics Company. The acquisition of MonitoRobotics would essentially double Paragon’s sales revenue collaborating on remote servicing technology for machine tools. A big plus is that this acquisition would give Paragon a presence in this type of robotic diagnostic business while at the same time, blocking a major competitor from doing the same. The CEO believes this collaboration would greatly benefit the growth of Paragon by offering this additional service to its customers. Mr. Anaptyxi now needs to step up his decision and make his next move. The company first needs to understand that this possible acquisition is more than just a move to attempt to grow sales revenue. It is more a strategy to reposition the company into a more profitable and growing line of business that compliments its existing tool manufacturing line. The company has to make sure it is making a well researched decision with sufficient due diligence versus making a knee jerk decision based upon the threat of the competitor’s impending hostile bid. They need to consider if the company has enough management support and staff to succeed at the overhaul of the company from manufacturing to technology. Executives need to not only be concerned about the investors’ position on the acquisition and continued diminished returns, but on the opinion and attitude existing staff has and their related motivation, whether the culture’s of the two companies can mingle into one. The top management is divided on their stance regarding the acquisition. An effort must be made to get the entire team on the same page or else, half of the team will lose their motivation regardless of the decision made. The acquisition has to be at a fair price and make business sense. Analysis must be done to make sure that Paragon’s existing service line will become profitable in the future, if not, the acquisition of an additional service line that may be unprofitable may mean death for Paragon. Details such as the acquisition costs and performance figures would have been welcoming information in determining if MonitoRobotics’ acquisition makes business sense. However given the lack there of, it is difficult to determine what kind of hardship the acquisition would be on Paragon. The description from the CFO makes it sound like it may be tough on the company’s capital if the deal where to go through. Although the CEO states that the CFO’s style compliments his own style, their differences in strategies and overall mindsets may prove disastrous for the company. The fact that the CFO thinks the company should consider selling of their existing services line while the CEO is talking about acquiring an entire company for their service lines makes not synergy between the two. They may spend more time spinning their wheels arguing over viewpoints than making progress in the company’s growth. Additionally, the CEO’s concern that he may lose the CFO if the deal is finalized should not be a showstopper for the CEO if the deal is in the best interests of the company. Recommendation Before a decision with such magnitude can be made, Paragon Tool must understand its current capabilities. After understanding what it’s management, financial and production capabilities are, then after determining the company’s growth strategy, Mr. Anaptyxi and the rest of Paragon Tool will know if MonitoRobotics is the right fit for Paragon Tool. There exists too much confusion and disagreement between management to make a decision, and even if Mr. Anaptyxi, were to force the acquisition upon his management, as it stands now, Paragon Tools lacks the management team to follow through on the merger process. While MonitoRobotics feels like a can’t miss opportunity, with the services business becoming a booming industry, there will be other opportunity to either acquire smaller service businesses or give time to grow the service business within.

Plight of the American Worker Essay

Ten years from now, I don’t know how wealthy I will be. I don’t know what kind of job my husband will have, nor do I know what kind of job I will have. What I do know though is the American worker is struggling, and the struggles will most likely get worse. The United States used to pride itself on providing for its families through hard work. Today, most people lacking education beyond high school struggle to maintain a lifestyle they once dreamed of. Not only are high school graduates suffering but many college graduates are as well because so many jobs have been eliminated due to globalization and technology. Globalization of companies is most likely the main reason American workers are not satisfied with their lifestyles. Companies are starting to outsource their manual labor to third world countries. People from these countries are fighting for their lives and are willing to work for less than a dollar an hour. For an example, â€Å"in Bangladesh, a garment worker makes 22 cents an hour† (Snyder). How can companies turn down such low wages for the same quality of work they would receive from employees who must earn at least minimum wage in the United States? Factories are closing everyday in the United States as new factories are built in third world countries. These factories would provide employment for many people in the U. S. , but companies are better off when they outsource their labor. Labor costs are cut significantly, and top executives are rewarded for their stellar performance. In this case, the top executives’ salaries go up, and the employees’ salaries might change a bit. The most dramatic change occurs for those high on the corporate ladder. Technology is a cause for concern for some individuals. Many jobs are eliminated because of new advancements in technology. Robots and highly advanced machines have taken the place of once very skilled workers. If jobs do open up, so many people apply for the job. They are either looking to get a job or get a job that is a step up from their previous position. For example, â€Å"over one three day period, approximately 10,000 people showed up to apply for 90 jobs making washing machines in Kentucky for $27,000 a year†(Snyder). 27,000 might sound like a lot for a college student trying to pay for rent and a tuition bill but to support a family on this income would be absurd. * Our world is extremely overpopulated and doesn’t help American’s concern for job security. Not only do individuals need to be concerned with a decrease in jobs from outsourcing and technology, but they also are factoring in how crowded the Earth has become. â€Å"Nine percent of the United States is currently unemployed† (â€Å"Unemployment rate†). The American worker wouldn’t be as affected by this number if there weren’t so many people available to work. Finally, as jobs are eliminated, individuals don’t have the resources necessary to start a new life. So many individuals have worked in the same job for long periods of time. Once certain jobs are eliminated, workers are forced to find new jobs. â€Å"They typical worker is spending 15. 4 weeks unemployed†(Frauenheim). Most of the time, if they want to earn an income equivalent to what they were making, they might even have to go back to school. Some individuals might not have the time to go back to school, or they might have started a family and have to put their children through school first. Whatever the case, with so many jobs eliminated, the American worker struggles to successfully start over. I took the side of American workers who have been in the workforce for more than a few years. I have lived a middle class lifestyle, so this is all I really know. As I talked with my mom just the other night, she told me that she wishes she could have changed occupations to make more money but didn’t have the time or the resources. Maybe the definition of hard work has changed in today’s society. Hard work in the past consisted of manual labor and farm work. Because of how society has progressively advanced, hard work now consists of spending a few additional years in school. To some, hard work might even mean having intelligence and finding a promising place to start a career. Whatever the case, the United States needs to keep its jobs here and eliminate such excessive outsourcing. My mother is a teacher, but before I know it, her job might be cut as schools start transitioning to only online courses. I am concerned for American workers, but if such an event happened to her, I would have even stronger feelings towards protecting the American worker.

Identity struggle †The narrow and broad path in James Baldwin’s Go Tell It on the Mountain Essay

James Baldwin’s life was deeply marked by an identity struggle. A struggle to find out what it meant to be an American and foremost what it meant to be an Afro American. Like in other works he also deals with this topic in his first novel Go Tell It on the Mountain, where John Grimes confronts this problem on his fourteenth birthday. The following paper will therefore take a look at the possibilities offered to the Afro American characters in the story, especially to John, and what role the church plays in this context. Moreover it will outline John Grimes situation between a religious up-bringing in poverty and the longing for a better financial life by adopting white ways. Finally it will try to elaborate on the basis of two key scenes whether John’s decision is based on faith or hopelessness. II. Imposed roles – Afro Americans in a dominantly white society From the very beginning of the novel the possibilities of Afro Americans in American society are depicted as very remote, especially in John Grimes’ case: â€Å"Everyone had always said that John would be a preacher when he grew up, just like his father.† . His entire life and all the people in it are set in a religious environment, blocking out any kind of secular influence. As a matter of fact no other future option for him is ever mentioned in the novel. At some point though his teachers notice that he is very intelligent: â€Å"You’re a very bright boy, John Grimes [†¦] Keep up the good work.† .His parents don’t seem to be aware of this or don’t consider this to be of importance for his future perspectives. This hopelessness can be traced throughout each character’s life in the novel. Those who do not accept their role imposed to them by society tend to fail in life. For example Aunt Florence who sets out North in order to achieve a higher living standard, but ends up alone after driving her husband away from her due to her ambition to gain a higher social standard. Further, John’s real father Richard is crushed by the injustice against black men in a dominantly white society and consequently commits suicide. Hence, John and the following generations are taught to accept the circumstances and their status in American society. In order to cope with this they are advised to lead a highly religious life and to shut out all secular elements. It is this aspect that Baldwin criticizes mostly. He blames the black people for accepting the myth of being inferior to white people without a struggle . Moreover he accuses them of copying white ways and replacing their own African traditions . Aunt Florence even takes a step further in the novel by trying to bleach her skin with beauty products, hereby rejecting her black skin and thus her heritage. At the same time he blames the Anglo-American society for depriving black people of all freedom and power to direct their own lives . This identity struggle is clearly visible in John’s case and will be discussed in detail in chapter three. 2.1. Black church as a helpful companion or a mere distraction from reality? Since the current story evolving around John primarily takes place in a church and deals with his conversion it is important to take a closer look at the role of Black Christianity and the Black Church. The Temple of the Fire Baptized, family Grimes’ church, is presented to the reader as a place of redemption and as a shelter from all the sin in the world. John is confronted with this supposedly sin on his way to church every Sunday in the form of men and women coming home from bars and cat houses . The constant threats of damnation and hell itself, which Macebuh states as being part of the Black Christianity, also appear throughout the entire novel. Due to the permanent warnings of temptations and sin by his parents and the church community, John lives in abiding fear of God’s wrath, even in harmless places such as the movies: He waited for the darkness to be shattered by the light of the second coming, for the ceiling to crack upward, revealing, for every eye to see, the chariots of fire on which descended a wrathful God and all the host of Heaven. In return for refuge and brotherhood, the members are curtailed freedom and have to renounce all worldly pleasures. Especially this aspect of religion is irreproducible for John and even more for Roy, who openly criticizes his father for forcing them to obey: Yeah [†¦] we don’t know how lucky we is to have a father what don’t want you to go to movies, and don’t want you to play in the streets, and don’t want you to have no friends, and he don’t want this and he don’t want that, and he don’t want you to do nothing. We so lucky to have a father who just wants us to go to church and read the Bible [†¦]. In the novel the church primarily seems to be a place of comfort for those in sorrow, such as Aunt Florence. She remembers having gone to church only once since she moved to the North and her visit to the Temple of the Fire Baptized now is due to her cancer and fear of death. So it seems that people rather turn to God out of despair than out of strong belief. This assumption is also enforced by an ironic observation the narrator makes concerning the character’s habits of church going: Tarry service officially began at eight, but it could begin at any time, whenever the Lord moved one of the saints to enter the church and pray. It was seldom, however, that anyone arrived before eight thirty, the Spirit of the Lord being sufficiently tolerant to allow the saints time to do their Saturday-night shopping, clean their houses, and put their children to bed. Especially the younger people do not seem to go to church voluntarily to help out, leaving John usually alone to clean up the Temple, unless Elisha shows up to give him a hand: â€Å"Lord, Sister McCandless,† he said, â€Å"look like it ain’t never but us two. I don’t know what the other young folks does on Saturday nights, but they don’t come nowhere near here.† . Ironically, while Elisha says this, John thinks to himself that not even Elisha shows up frequently on Saturdays. All these passages show that the so called â€Å"saints† in the novel do not go to church out of religious reasons but because they are desperate and consider the church as a â€Å"rallying point around which they sought to lessen their pain by sharing in one another’s joys and suffering† as Macebuh puts it . Peter Bruck interprets this similarly. He sees the Negro Church as the only available social space for the black society in history. But still this social field of activity does not help to change the inhuman conditions each character suffers and the prayers also do not improve their psychological and social circumstance . In this context, particularly in chapter two, â€Å"The Prayers of the Saints†, the reader gets an idea of what the prayer of each member consists. During mass all of them reflect on their past and recall their sins, but they do not pray out of their love for God but out of fear that He might make them suffer his wrath, since He is not the â€Å"compassionate God of the New Testament† . Colin MacInnes goes even further in his essay by referring to religion as â€Å"a fierce and constant compulsion that never abandons them [the characters] a second† . Bone states that religion means refuge from the terrors of everyday life and God therefore represents safety: â€Å"God and safety became synonymous, and the church, a part of his survival strategy†. However, the price for this safety is renouncement of personal power of one’s sex and social power of one’s people . Overall Bone reckons that the church offers either the path of self-hatred or the path of self-acceptance, with Christ as a kind of spiritual bleaching cream. In this structure the Negro masses function as a ritual enactment of their dai ly pain . Edward Margolies depicts the Negro Church as a â€Å"kind of community newspaper† which links the new immigrants to their Southern past and functions as an output for their rage, terror and frustrations . In addition to all the authors here mentioned, Margolies expands the church’s functions upon the field of masculine identity. The church exemplifies by means of the wrathful Old Testament God a masculine role model many Negro adolescences lack in their family environment . This can also be applied to John’s case. Rejected by his father, or as the reader knows, his stepfather, he feels unloved and ugly. On the one hand he despises God, since he sees his father as God’s minister . On the other hand though, he longs to be saved and become God’s son, who would then protect him: Then he would no longer be the son of his father, but the son of his Heavenly Father, the King. Then he need no longer fear his father, for he could take, as it were, their quarrel over his father’s head to Heaven – to the Father who loved him, who had come down in the flesh to die for him. This passage clearly shows that the church provides John with some kind of psychic compensation for the love his father deprives him of and that he sees in God an ally against his father. This would become redundant if he were to find out that Gabriel is not his real father and that he has also sinned in his past life, namely in the form of his unclaimed firstborn son with Esther . As for Elisha, who also tries to bring him closer to God, John sees in him a brotherly and fatherly figure he looks up to, but he also feels attracted to him in sexual ways. Elisha somehow represents the earthly protection and guidance John needs in order to find his identity. He is also the one who shows him another side of God and religion. Instead of the wrathful God his father preaches him, Elisha speaks of a caring and blessing one who protects and saves . In general, the church is depicted as a kind of sanctuary for the characters, just as it was for James Baldwin himself. The black Church offered him in a similar way shelter and refuge from the terrors of the streets . Overall, true belief is disregarded in contrast to safety which now stands for Christianity. III. In search of identity: Between secularization and clericalization Given the background so far John Grimes is trapped between the clerical life his parents force unto him and the secular life that awaits him outside his home on the streets. The title of the novel, the first line of a Negro spiritual, refers to the good news of Jesus Christ’s existence. Additionally, the first chapter that introduces the reader to the characters is called â€Å"The seventh day†, a clear reference to the creation story of Genesis . Both function as allusions to biblical constructions. In a figurative sense, John’s fourteenth birthday can therefore be seen as a creative process, which marks his finding of self-identity, as well in religious terms as in worldly or sexual terms. The following chapters will take a closer look at two passages where John faces different paths concerning his identity, one characterized by a more material and white world and another leading to a strictly religious life. 3.1. John’s getaway to Manhattan – Denial of his black heritage? On his fourteenth birthday John uses the money his mother gives him to buy a metro card and drive down to Manhattan. As mentioned before John feels attracted to the shining and sparkling world of white men and is not so â€Å"much interested in his people† . He cares more about what the white people think of him and feels very proud when they notice his intelligence in school . This intelligence symbolizes for him a special power the others do not possess and which he hopes will bring him the love he lacks: â€Å"Perhaps, with this power he might one day win that love which he so longed for.† . For John the white world represents power and success . Thus, once he arrives at Central Park and reaches the top of the hill, he feels as if he could counter the entire city: He did not know why, but there arose in him an exultation and a sense of power, and he ran up the hill like an engine, or a madman, willing to throw himself headlong into the city that glowed before him [†¦] Then he, John, felt like a giant who might crumble this city with his anger; he felt like a tyrant who might crush this city beneath his heel; he felt like a long-awaited conqueror at whose feet flowers would be strewn [†¦] He would be, of all, the mightiest, the most beloved, the Lord’s anointed, and he would live in this shining city which his ancestors had seen with longing from far away. There alone on the top of the hill he dreams of being part of the city and belonging to the upper white class, which would accept him unconditionally. But as soon as he recalls the people’s reactions to him he is pulled back into reality: â€Å"He remembered the people he had seen in the city, whose eyes held no love for him [†¦] and how when they passed they did not see him, or, if they saw him, they smirked.† . Despite these incidents John still feels as part of the white social stratum due to his intelligence, but reality looks quite different and resembles more his parents’, especially his father’s warnings of the city and white men in general. As he walks along Central Park he keeps imagining what it would be like living in such an environment and being wealthy. The absence of God in this society is not a drawback for John, since he sees that the way of life according to the Lord has not really helped his parents with their everyday struggles: In the narrow way, the way of the cross, there awaited him only humiliation forever; there awaited him, one day, a house like his father’s house, and a church like his father’s, and a job like his father’s, where he would grow old and black with hunger and toil. The way of the cross had given him a belly filled with wind and had bent his mother’s back; they had never worn fine clothes, but here, where the buildings contested God’s power and where the men and women did not fear God, here he might eat and drink to his heart’s content and clothe his body with wondrous fabrics [†¦]. Despite the fact that he knows that â€Å"their thoughts were not of God, and their way was not God’s way† , he cannot believe how the white society, being so beautiful and gracious, could end up in hell. He himself had been witness of their capacity to do good when he was sick and one of his teachers had brought him medicine. Although John does not really know yet who he is and where he belongs, at this point he does know that he never wants to end up like his father. Due to his young age and inexperience it is more likely that he feels attracted to the white society on the grounds of a wealthier future it seems to offer and not because he tries to deny his black heritage. His aversion to black people derives basically from the fact that his entire Negro environment characterizes itself by poverty and does not offer him a successful, strong or caring male role model. On the contrary, John’s self-hatred and accusation are a result of his father’s treatment. Hence, he tries to find an explanation for his father’s rejection in his own shortcomings, such as his desire to leave the ghetto or his intelligence which singles him out . Gabriel’s ongoing criticism of John’s outward appearance leads to insecurity and self-doubt: His father had always said that his face was the face of Satan – and was there not something – in the lift of the eyebrow, in the way his rough hair formed a V on his brow – that bore witness to his father’s words? In the eye there was a light that was not the light of Heaven, and the mouth trembled, lustful and lewd, to drink deep of the wines of Hell [†¦] two great eyes, and a broad, low forehead, and the triangle of his nose, and his enormous mouth, and the barely perceptible cleft in his chin, which was, his father said, the mark of the devil’s little finger [†¦] he most passionately desired to know: whether his face was ugly or not. By contrast, the white society stands for success and seems to offer him all the possibilities his father deprives him of. Most of all John associates access to knowledge with white people. Next to the incident at school, which was mentioned earlier on page three, John feels both attracted and frightened by the Public Library on 42nd Street. He believes books to be part of high culture and thus a white privilege. Scared he stands in front of the building not knowing how people would react to him if he dared to go inside: He loved this street, not for the people or the shops but for the stone lions that guarded the great main building of the Public Library, a building filled with books and unimaginably vast, and which he had never yet dared to enter [†¦] But he had never gone in because the building was so big that it must be full of corridors and marble steps, in the maze of which he would be lost and never find the book he wanted. And then everyone, all the white people inside, would know that he was not used to great buildings, or to many books, and they would look at him with pity. This passage also shows that even though the big city fascinates John, it also seems to him as a kind of maze that terrifies him and brings back his father’s words of warning. Despite all these admonitions and the fact that John is aware of the Negro treatment and history in the United States , he believes that his knowledge is the key to white acceptance. His getaway to Manhattan also leads him to Broadway, which he automatically associates with the broad path to Hell and damnation: â€Å"Broadway: the way that led to death was broad, and many could be found thereon [†¦]† . Still he immediately dismisses this image and decides to see a movie on Sixth Avenue, where once again he is plagued by thoughts of God punishing him for this supposedly sin . Inspired by the main character of the movie, whom he admires for her strength and independency, John tries to figure out whether there is a third path in life: â€Å"John thought of Hell, of his soul’s redemption, and the struggle to find a compromise between the way that led to life everlasting and the way that ended in the pit. But there was none [†¦]† .   This trip to Manhattan signifies for John an escape from his father’s religious world and one step closer to the life he wishes to lead, one that is characterized by financial security and social status independent of his skin color. As mentioned before, this tendency in John can be ascribed to a longing for a better life and not to an intended denial of his blackness. Still his desire to be part of the white society leads automatically to a negation of his ancestor’s past and hence to alienation from his own people. Therefore John’s desired white identity is only a mock identity which would never work. The only way of finding his real identity is by accepting his own heritage and history and consequently his own father . Moreover, by attending the movies he does not only carry out an act of social participation but also an act of defiance both against morality and religion, since he identifies with the white heroine’s attitude, who â€Å"tells the world to kiss her ass† . Ironically, in the end John remains in his secular thinking as much a victim of his fears of God as those who are willing to accept God’s power . 3.2. John’s conversion – True belief or a mere survival gimmick? The other path, the narrow one which is available for John, is the religious one his parents and his community offer him. Here the third chapter â€Å"The Treshing Floor† or rather the conversion scene in this chapter can be taken as a good example. Even though John mentioned before that â€Å"he did not long for the narrow way, where all his people walked† , in chapter three he engages in an ecstatic conversion. Therefore this experience is questionable and rather seems to be a flight from the quest for identity into the ostensible safety the black church offers . During his spiritual experience he encounters various obstacles, his father being the most difficult one. While John is lying in front of the altar he sees his father looking down on him without pity or love, but instead he keeps hearing him say: â€Å"I’m going to beat sin out of him. I’m going to beat it out!† . As mentioned before the only way to God is through his father and by admitting his sin. Like the son of Noah, he too had made fun of his father’s bareness and was now cursed for it to the present just like Ham. By accepting this, namely that â€Å"all niggers had come from this most undutiful of Noah’s sons† and that â€Å"a curse was renewed from moment to moment, from father to son† , he embraces his black heritage. Some critics, e.g. Csaba Csapà ³, go even further by assuming that by doing so he also embraces his homosexuality, which comes to show in his relationship with Elisha . But this is altogether a different topic of the novel, which does not contribute to this essays matter and will therefore not be discussed at this point. His ongoing journey takes him into a grave, which symbolizes the past, isolation, death but also resurrection, where the collective singing and praying further strengthens his realization of his own history : In this murmur that filled the grave [†¦] he recognized a sound that he had always heard [†¦] This sound had filled John’s life, so it now seemed, from the moment he had first drawn breath. He had heard it everywhere [†¦] It was in his father’s anger, in his mother’s calm insistence, and in the vehement mockery of his aunt [†¦] Yes, he had heard it all his life, but it was only now that his ears were opened to this sound that came from darkness, that yet bore such sure witness to the glory of the light. And now in his moaning, and so far from any help, he heard it in himself. This experience creates an identity in John which no longer separates him from his black environment but rather strengthens the feeling of solidarity. Nevertheless, this identity-shaping does not change John’s relationship to his father: â€Å"[†¦] the living word that could conquer the great division between his father and himself. But it did not come [†¦]† . Peter Bruck explains this situation with the fact that John’s experience does not signify relief from his damnation, but merely constitutes a momentary ease from the existing situation, similar to the Noah and Ham network . This assumption is also supported by Gabriel’s comment after John’s conversion: â€Å"It comes from your mouth [†¦] I want to see you live it. It’s more than a notion.† . He reminds John of the fact that his conversion is merely the first step and that he is still to be tested by the long, complex journey of life. This is also emphasized by the unchanged picture the saints face the morning after John’s conversion, which stands in contrast to the development he has undergone: Yet the houses were there, as they had been; the windows, like a thousand, blinded eyes, stared outward at the morning – at the morning that was the same for them as the mornings of John’s innocence, and the mornings before his birth. The water ran in the gutters with a small, discontented sound; on the water traveled paper, burnt matches, sodden cigarette-ends; gobs of spittle, green-yellow, brown, and pearly; the leavings of a dog, the vomit of a drunken man, the dead sperm, trapped in rubber, of one abandoned to his lust. This passage clearly shows the constant burdens of life and the unimproved reality awaiting John. The picture is characterized by decay and waste and thus depicts John’s hopeless situation in spite of his new found identity. As his father mentioned to him he is still endangered by his environment and his relationship to yonder has not improved at all. The people will still confront him with the same pity and hostility as before, calling him â€Å"Frog-eyes† and other names . Hence the church only offers a temporary place of refuge without really creating better options for the future. It only partially illuminates things and merely hides or damns others . But in the midst of all this pessimism there also exists a spark of hope for John. He has now found a new ally in Elisha who already helped him through his conversion and will keep on doing so in the future. Further, he has introduced John to the love of God, instead of the theological terror of the false God his father preaches . As Robert Bone also hints at, the church can function as a â€Å"path of self-hatred† or as a â€Å"path of self-acceptance† . The following lines point to a new start and ongoing journey lying ahead of Jo hn: The sun had come full awake. It was waking the streets, and the houses, and crying at the windows. It fell over Elisha like a golden robe, and struck John’s forehead, where Elisha had kissed him, like a seal ineffaceable forever. Again, this kiss and the rising sun can be interpreted as John’s awakening homosexuality, which in the following works of Baldwin is also seen as a source of hope . The closing lines of the novel â€Å"I’m ready [†¦] I’m coming. I’m on my way.† impart an open ending to the story, leaving out which path John is going to take after all. IV. Conclusion The ending of the novel leaves the reader wondering whether John has definitely chosen the â€Å"narrow path† he so long avoided, even despised. Only several hours before, he still dreamed of a wealthy life midst the white society, far away from his own people and poverty. The moment he realizes that â€Å"this world was not for him† and that â€Å"they would never let him enter† , as his father always kept preaching him, he turns to his only other option, the black church. Thus, it seems to be more a last desperate act to survive in the brutal streets of Harlem, than an act of religious belief. This step can also be found in James Baldwin’s own biography. After having served as a preacher for several years, he left the black church unsatisfied and misunderstood, still searching for his own identity as an American, better as an Afro American. In exchange for sanctuary he had to give up his sexuality and entirely isolate himself from the outer world, which might get him into conflict with the white power. This meant exchanging the personal power of one’s sex and the social power of one’s people in exchange for the power of the Word, in Baldwin’s eyes the historical betrayal of the Negro Church . A similar pattern of behavior can be observed in John, who sees in religion also a survival gimmick. Although during John’s religious ecstasy the reader might get the impression that he is acting according to belief, his final words to Elisha on the way home evoke insecurity in this decision: â€Å"[†¦] no matter what happens to me, where I go, what folks say about me, no matter what anybody says, you remember [†¦] I was saved. I was there.† . It seems as though he knows that his conversion is not the finish line and yet another journey awaits him that may lead him away from the church, as it did James Baldwin. V. Bibliography Primà ¤rliteratur †¢Baldwin, James: Go Tell It on the Mountain. New York: Bantam Dell 1980. Sekundà ¤rliteratur †¢Bone, Robert A.: â€Å"James Baldwin† in: Keneth Kinnamon: James Baldwin. A Collection of Critical Essays. New Jersey: Prentice Hall 1974, p. 28-38. †¢Bruck, Peter: Von der „store front churchâ€Å" zum „American Dreamâ€Å". James Baldwin und der amerikanische Rassenkonflikt. Amsterdam: B. R. Grà ¼ner 1975, p.24-36. †¢Csapà ³, Csaba: „Race, Religion and Sexuality in Go Tell It on the Mountain† in: Carol E. Henderson: James Baldwin’s Go Tell It on the Mountain. Historical and Critical Essays. New York: Peter Lang 2006, p.57-74. †¢Fabre, Michel: „Fathers and Sons in James Baldwin’s Go Tell It on the Mountainâ€Å" in: Keneth Kinnamon: James Baldwin. A Collection of Critical Essays. New Jersey: Prentice Hall 1974, p.120-138. †¢Jones, Beau Fly: „The Struggle for Identity† in: The British Journal of Sociology, Vol. 17, No.2 (June 1966), p.107-121. †¢Kent, George E.: „Baldwin and the Problem of Being† in: Therman B. O’Daniel: James Baldwin. A Critical Evaluation. London: AD. Donker 1977, p.19-29. †¢Macebuh, Stanley: James Baldwin: A critical Study. New York: The Third Press Joseph Okpaku Publishing Company 1973, p.49-68. †¢MacInnes, Colin: „Dark Angel: The Writings of James Baldwin† in: Gibson, Donald B.: Five Black Writers. New York: New York University Press 1970, p.119-126. †¢Margolies, Edward: „The Negro Church: James Baldwin and the Christian Vision† in: Harold Bloom: James Baldwin. New York: Chelsea House Publishers 1986, p.59-76. †¢Rosenblatt, Roger: â€Å"Out of Control: Go Tell It on the Mountain and Another Country† in: Harold Bloom: James Baldwin. New York: Chelsea House Publishers 1986, p.77-90. †¢Sylvander, Carolyn Wedin: James Baldwin. New York: Frederick Ungar Publishing Co. 1980, p.27-44. View as multi-pages