Personal Action Plan

In the last few years I have gone through some major life altering experiences. Everything from losses that were important; including a loved one, a long friendship, gainful employment and a serious illness which affected one of my sources of income, loss of hopes and dreams. I became depressed about all the traumatic events which were happening in my life. The most painful experience, such as the loss of a loved one; due to divorce, a medical illness, or losing everything as a result of putting all my trust into a relationship that ended. All these life altering events took away my sense of control and caused great emotional upheaval. These traumatic events caused more distress for me than I could ever imagine. The end of my marriage has been the most painful experience in my life. Ending a twenty year union and losing my best friend was shocking because of the fear of not knowing what to do or feeling a sense of everything being hopeless had the biggest impact on my life, Even being diagnosed with breast cancer did not have this impact on my life. I started to feel and think as though every event of my life was predetermined and my entire course was laid out for me and no matter what I did or how I tried to avoid it, my life would unfold in some predetermined way. I felt as though there was such a thing as fate or destiny, but in the back of my mind I wondered, what about free will? I thought I was suppose to have the freedom to choose my actions but I felt as though free will was negated since existed. In order for me to find resolve in my pity and my life which had become depressing and stressful, I had to learn everything I could about the changes that were negatively impacting my life. The more I knew about them, the better I thought I would be able to deal with them. I started asking questions such as: What’s the worse thing that can happen? What do I stand to lose because of this change? How is this change affecting me now? Who or what is in control of the effects of this change now? Is there a way to minimize the negative effects of the change? What result do I want to avoid? What result do I want to create? The first thing I decided to do with my life was to move away and get a fresh start. At this point I was not really concerned with financial resources because I was always taught to save for a rainy day. As far as the pain of my marriage I found that women who lose their husbands may be more willing to seek out emotional support. I found this support in a relationship I cultivated and it developed into a friendship which replaced all the voids I felt in my personal life. I always wanted to pursue my educational goals and the new relationship helped pave the way for me to go back to school to finish some educational goals I wanted for myself. It also made a way to get my family back together under one roof. Through everything I now realize traumatic life events and major changes are an inevitable part of life. From the loss of a loved one, personal illness, financial set-back, to starting a new job or moving into a new home, changes throughout life are constant. I now know I moved beyond these crisis and disappointment and made my life better. The changes that seem to cause me the most problems are the changes that I feel I had no control over. Since dealing with traumas and changes I understand that I had no control over such external events. I realize that I cannot change the traumas or crises; they can only change themselves. Creative personal growth has been an ongoing process for me to commit to as a way of developing personally. It is about my psychological and spiritual growth and development. A key component of creative self-growth is to take full responsibility for my life. It is about bringing forth my highest potential as a human being. The benefits of undertaking any form of personal growth were many, including healing family wounds, gaining more confidence and self-esteem, learning to trust myself, forgiving others, developing compassion and kindness toward myself and others, increasing inner peace and a sense of well-being, developing the ability to cope better and meet challenges with more ease, feeling more comfortable in expressing myself, having more skills in creating loving relationships and looking at life's challenges as opportunities to grow and learn for myself. One of my biggest strengths is my communication skills. I work very well with all kinds of people, and understand that everyone has different perspectives about projects and work tasks — so when I work with others I realize that everyone comes to the table with different priorities and objectives. I keep this in mind when I communicate tasks that need to be accomplished with positive reinforcement and awareness of what others are working on. Another strength is my flexibility to handle change. I was able to turn around a negative working environment and develop a very supportive team. I am a hard worker, very punctual, determined, able to prioritize, I believe in myself and I am self confident. One of my greatest strengths I've acquired during my education is good analytical and planning skills. This will benefit me and challenge to set goals and try to achieve them, at the same time, I'm driven by the thoughts of success; I have full commitment to my work. I am highly energetic; I love to learn new things, I process good interpersonal skills; along with being well organized and like to be neat with all my work; I am a good helper towards those who need it. I am a team player and work well with others, I am a quick learner and I possess great problem-solving skills. I'm sometimes told that I am a bit too slow, that's only because I want to do the best job I can. I guess you could say I'm a bit anal when it comes to perfection. I am very headstrong. I really like to be challenged in my job, and I just want to learn as much as I can in my position. At the end of the day I need to be able to look back on my day and feel good about the job that I've done. I guess you could call it sense of self worth. That's why I always put my all into everything I do. I used to have trouble with procrastinating, now I have learned to write down a list of things that I need to do, and I keep a calendar to keep track of deadlines, I have found that this not only helps me to finish things on time, but it has also helped me to be more organized. A weakness of mine would be the fact that I get nervous when speaking in front of groups. I haven't had a lot of experience with this over the past several years. I'm little egoistic when it comes to winning things and get a little ruthless too. I lose patience sometimes when I am not in a position to complete the assigned job in time. I have to work on having more patience and giving myself a break because I always want everything done at once. I am too focused on my work and I need to find more time to relax and I need to develop some after hour’s hobbies. I am a workaholic person and love to dedicate myself to the work I am doing. But at the same time I forget to keep a balance between other things which I am trying to improve on. The big irony is that my future is in much better shape even though I focus most of my attention on the present. By making my present reality as enjoyable as possible, my motivation has just been soaring. I’m working from a state of joy instead of a feeling of obligation. I’ve actually created the very situation I was hoping money would someday grant me. I imagined what I would do if I was already rich beyond my wildest dreams. I saw myself spending lots of time working on personal growth, doing all sorts of interesting experiments, and then sharing what I learned with others. I thought to myself, â€Å"That would be a truly incredible life for me. † Today I’m so happy it’s almost ridiculous. I couldn’t even have imagined being this happy on a daily basis two years ago. And I certainly wasn’t depressed back then, I was at least content. But now my emotional state is highly positive, not just neutral. I stopped seeking happiness in the future and instead looked for ways to create it right now. In order to reach my goals I know I need to start small. I cannot afford to take on more than I can handle too soon, especially since some of my goals are outside of my knowledge and current abilities. I do not want to get discouraged when I realize that my goal of running three miles a day has fizzled out after two weeks because I cannot seem to get past one mile a day. I feel when you start small and set mini-goals for yourself; you are much more likely to succeed also by setting goals that are attainable by assessing the reality of the situation and gathering information. It is great to aim big, but not so big that you can't reach your goal. I was taught by my maternal grandmother to write down your goals, because until you do, it is still a dream. I want to be able to see my goals every day. My goal is long-term and I feel to reach it, I need to write down concrete steps on how I will achieve it which can provide gratification so I will feel as though I am making progress. My affirmations and positive words along with statements I use repetitively help to build my self-confidence and change my attitude and behaviors. I print affirmations on note cards and type them into a screen saver on my computer. Since I have a strong sense of self-motivation, I believe the skill can be acquired by using positive affirmations. A social network can be a powerful motivational force as well as a safety net if I encounter issues along my journey. I have reached out to friends and family to encourage me and to provide support until I achieve my goals.

Journal Topics for The Crucible Essay

As you read the play over the next few days, choose any 3 of the following topics and respond to them in a google document or on paper. Each response must be at least 250 words. You must include references to the text and provide support for all of your claims. Please use your best writing- no grammatical/spelling/capitalization errors- divide ideas using paragraphs etc. Each journal entry is 20 pts. You may do one more extra credit. Again, we are working on providing detailed support for your claims. Be specific! 1. Based on what happens throughout Act I, write a brief character description of Abigail Williams. What positive qualities does she seem to possess? What negative qualities does she possess? If she were a Westwood student, where might she â€Å"fit in† in terms of classes, activities, sports, etc.? Or would she? Explain. 2. What types of persuasive techniques does Abigail use to win Proctor’s affection in Act I? What arguments does she present, and what emotional tactics does she employ? Does she build a persuasive argument, or do you find problems with it? Explain. 3. At the end of Act I, Tituba, Abigail, and others accuse some of their neighbors of afflicting them. Give examples of individuals or groups today who accuse others of causing their problems. How would you evaluate their accusations? 4. Consider: how is the relationship between John and Elizabeth Proctor similar to an ice cream cone 5. Explain how Mary Warren’s character changes over the course of the first two Acts. How was she portrayed at the beginning of the play? How is she portrayed now? To what do you attribute these changes? 6. Puritan society pressured individuals to adhere to strict standards of conduct and belief. To what extent do you think society expects you to conform today? Is conformity always a bad thing? Always a good thing? Explain. 7. Almost a century after the witch trials, delegates to the Constitutional Convention decided to make a clear separation between church and state. How might the court proceedings in Act III have differed if that separation had been in place in 1692? In current events following Sept. 11th, is there still a clear separation between church and state? Explain. 8. Explain how the storyline might be different if there were no Governor Danforth. How does his presence in the play affect the storyline? If he were removed, how might that affect the play overall? 9. Mary Warren is subjected to intense peer pressure from Abigail Williams and the other girls. How would you compare the intensity of the peer pressure she faces with that extended on young people today? What reasonable advice might you give Mary Warren for coping with the peer pressure she faces? 10. In Act IV, how does Elizabeth take part of the blame for her husband’s lechery? Is she justified? What does John’s response to Elizabeth tell you about his character development? 11. Think of a 20th-century person who suffered or died for his / her beliefs, and compare this person to John Proctor. 12. The Crucible was first produced in 1953, during Senator Joseph McCarthy’s congressional investigation to root out suspected Communists in the State Department, the entertainment industry, and the U.S. Army. In his pursuit of Communists, McCarthy sometimes accused individuals on the basis of flimsy evidence and innuendo. In what ways do you think The Crucible is a criticism of McCarthy and his ways? Given current events, what can this play teach us about identifying and prosecuting individuals suspected of terrorist activities? Support your opinion with details from the play.

Ethical behaviour in business Essay

In this task I will be explaining how my business (Ben and Jerry’s) could change or alter some of its practices and showing how these changes would contribute to improved ethical behaviour. The ethical issues I will be working on are CSR and trading fairly. Corporate social responsibility: Businesses do not exist in isolation nor is it simply just to make money; a lot of factors come into play. Customers, suppliers and the local community are all affected by the business and its operations. Ben and Jerry’s products, and the way they produce them all have an impact on the environment. CSR is all about businesses understanding the effects that they have on the community/wider world. Businesses will use this impact in a positive way to benefit both their business and the wider world. CSR means that business such as Ben and Jerry’s will have to take responsible attitude, going beyond the minimum legal requirements (as being ethical is strictly something you don’t have to do by law) and following basic principles that apply. How Ben and Jerry’s are responsible to society? Ben and Jerry’s take on corporate social responsibilities, taking action to achieve more desired goals to expand their business growth and also maintaining open line communication with employees to gain a better outcome. Ben and Jerry’s conduct various CSR activities, some of these include: Use of Fairtrade ingredients- Ben and Jerry’s first started using Fairtrade certified ingredients in 2005; they pledged in 2010 that by the end of 2013 they will go fully Fairtrade. Ben and Jerry’s work with dairy farmers and other farmers from third world countries, they source ingredients like cocoa, vanilla pods and various other ingredients. Fair Trade standards ensure that employees in these countries have good and safe working conditions, work reasonable hours and paid a fair amount for their work. Corporate Philanthropy- Corporate philanthropy in simple terms means a business’s care/love of humanity. Ben and Jerry’s a portion of its pre-tax profits to corporate philanthropy in attempts to become more socially responsible. Corporate philanthropy is led by employees through the B&J’s foundation and community action teams. Ben and Jerry’s award 1.8 million dollars to a philanthropy (an organisation that helps communities and the welfare of others) every year in and around Vermont, where Ben and Jerry’s  was initially set up. Engaging the Community through Community-based Projects- Another way in which Ben and Jerry’s is engaging in corporate responsibility to society is by setting up community –based development projects. The Vermont Dairy Farm Sustainability Project, which was launched by Ben & Jerry’s in 1999, set out to develop practical methods that could be used on day-to-day dairy operations to keep the water quality safe from nitrogen and phosphorus while not sacrificing the economic viability of the farm and making the farm a sustainable business. How can Ben and Jerry’s change/alter corporate social responsibilities (listed above) to contribute even more to improved business ethical behaviour? Ben and Jerry’s do all they can to make sure that they are socially responsible to stakeholders. They have engaged in a wide variety of activities/projects to insure that they do what they claim to do and that is to be as responsible to the wider community as much as they can, this includes Fairtrade, good working conditions, humanitarian concerns and other key factors in making sure that the community is affected in a positive manner. There is no denying that Ben and Jerry’s are very successful in their business operations and also their responsibility toward the society. But there are instances where they can improve on certain things. First of all the business follow all ethical procedures from Sourcing ingredients fairly to protecting the environment to the best of their ability’s, but if you were to be p icky Ben and Jerry’s are unethical in the sense that they are promoting unhealthy food. Now to most people this will not seem like a huge deal, but because obesity levels are on the increase and campaigns have been set up to tackle obesity and unhealthy eating, it seems somewhat of a contradictory move by Ben and Jerry’s to promote and sell Ice cream. This is being very, very picky however as they, like mentioned earlier, they ensure various factors are done ethically. You can argue that their advertisements and marketing techniques do not in any way state the products are healthy, so it’s not that they are misleading people. Some people may say that all Ben and Jerry’s do is sell unhealthy, fattening, chocolate rich ice creams, which can be considered a bit unethical. So in order to tackle this issue and make the company an even more ethically operating organisation, they can introduce healthier ice-cream or produce something alongside their standard ice-creams which is significantly healthier. They can use ingredients that  are healthier/low fat and implement a recipe that is just as good if not better than the original. This would contribute to better ethical behaviour by Ben and Jerry’s because it allows them to give people concerned an option of purchasing healthy (healthier) ice-cream. This will also mean that they are somewhat promoting healthier eating as people will look at them and think highly of them as they are taking these obesity concerns into consideration and doing something about it. Trading fairly: Trading fairly is a movement which strives for fair treatment for farmers. In a fair trade agreement, farmers will negotiate with the purchasers in order to receive a fair price for their products. Farmers who engage in fair trade also aim to pay their workers a fair price, and engage in environmentally-friendly practices. How Ben and Jerry’s trade fairly? Ben and Jerry’s have multiple tasks/missions they conduct to ensure that their operations are done fairly. First of all they are using fair trade. Using the Fairtrade method means that farmers who supply the ingredients get a fair pay, working and living environment. Another way in which they trade fairly is that they give back to society. This may seem like it is not directly trading fairly but Ben and Jerry’s do give something back to society. What they do is that they â€Å"operate the company in a way that actively recognizes the central role that business plays in society by initiating innovative ways to improve the quality of life locally, nationally and internationally† ( Source Ben and Jerry’s website). So while they are producing high quality ingredients at the same time they are giving back to society locally, nationally and internationally. How can Ben and Jerry’s change/alter trading fairly (listed above) to contribute even more to impro ved business ethical behaviour? Like with the previous point I struggled to really find an area within Ben and Jerry’s that they need improving on so I had to be picky, the same goes for trading fairly. Ben and Jerry’s seem to tick all the boxes when it comes to trading fairly; I mean they do everything from Fairtrade to providing the community that little something back. But If I were to be picky I think there is one thing that they might have to improve on ever so slightly and that is the marketing of  the products. The criticism that I have for their marketing is that they have allegedly a couple of times offended customers with the names of their ice creams. Now this may not seem like it has nothing to do with trading fairly but it is. The reason as to why it is because customers are ultimately the ones keeping your business going, now if they were offended with the marketing techniques such as naming then they will be put off in the future. Although Ben and Jerry’s have admitted to using â€Å"cheeky names† on their ice creams they do not do this with the intention of offending people although they have mislead/offended a few. Although they have now changed the names of those products and it was a one off incident they’ll be keen to make sure that this does not happen in the future. (The source where I found out about the names of products offending customers- http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/19/hazed-and-confused_n_5845650.html) So in order to alter the trading of products Ben and Jerry’s can make sure that in future releases of new Ice cream they choose names carefully and make sure that they do not refer to anything in a bad light . Ben and Jerry’s are known for their innovative names but in order to prevent people from getting offended they can make sure they choose names that are simple in the sense that people won’t get offended. They will have to take into consideration various factors that could offend people and make sure that names that are obvious to offend people are not used and well away from the products they make.

The Buddhism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Buddhism - Essay Example It is true that Buddhists seek enlightenment, but the immediate philosophical and spiritual concerns are short-term rather than long term. In order to better understand the unique place held by Buddhism in the spiritual world, this essay will examine how the Buddha characterized the meaning of life, how his characterization was practiced at the individual level, and how Buddha's characterization of life has been misinterpreted by others. As an initial matter, the Buddha was not particularly impressed with the physical world in which he existed. Although he has been reported to have lived a privileged life he was also keenly aware of the suffering of the less fortunate. As noted by Karen Armstrong, a leading religious scholar, "When he looked at human life, Gotama could see only the grim cycle of suffering, which began with the trauma of birth and proceeded inexorably to aging, illness, death, sorrow and corruption only to start again with the next life cycle" (2006: 274). His broad characterization of the meaning of life, therefore, was constructed of three main theoretical assumptions. The first assumption was that birth was a traumatic event, that these traumas persisted throughout life, and that the ultimate trauma was death. Life, as characterized in this manner, was an unhappy affair. The second assumption was that suffering was a varied and nuanced concept; more particularly, the Buddha saw suffering as a prod uct of basic needs (such as food and shelter) as well as the product of human desires for such non-necessary things as excessive food, fame, and excessive wealth. Suffering, in this way, was defined differently by the Buddha than the concept is commonly understood in Western societies. This is because the Buddha linked notions of pain and longings or desires intimately and considered both to be types of suffering. The final assumption was that this life cycle was repetitive. The aforementioned suffering throughout a life was bound to be repeated over and over again unless someone found a way out. This was the Buddha's quest, to find a way for the individual to transcend the suffering, and it consumed the majority of his adult life. The Buddha attempted to transcend the suffering by positing that "these painful states must have their counterparts" (qtd. in Armstrong: 2006: 274) and elaborating by suggesting that "supposeI start looking for the unborn, unaging, deathless, sorrowless, incorrupt, and supreme freedom from all this bondage" (qtd. in Armstrong: 2006: 274). What began as a series of observations, about suffering and the human life cycle, developed into a full-blown thesis ripe for experimentation. The Buddha's thesis was that suffering could not exist in isolation, that it must result from some other underlying cause or causes, and that the counterpoints to pain and suffering must exist. A main theoretical obstacle was how to discover these counterparts; the Buddha solved this theoretical obstacle by relying of what to him was known as Nibbana or Nirvana. Translated literally, Nirvana means a "blowing out." For the Buddha, this meant the "blowing out" of the passions and the desires that led to suffer ing. This belief by the Buddha, that passions and desires caused suffering, was the next step in his characterization of life. It can thus be argued that the Buddha was most

Sergei Diaghilev, Ballet Russes and 19th Century Art Essay

Sergei Diaghilev, Ballet Russes and 19th Century Art - Essay Example However, prominent artists from other European countries also received positive reception among mainstream audiences. For instance, Sergei Diaghilev, a Russian impresario, was one of the artists that influenced 19th century European art through his ballet company, Ballet Russes. The performances of Ballet Russes with Diaghilev helped shape 19th century art forms including music, ballet, and costume design. With the Ballet Russes, Diaghilev advances European art, music, and theater bringing to the international scene. Accordingly, this paper aims to discuss the life and works of Diaghilev as a major influence in the development of 19th century art, particularly through the Ballet Russes. Sergei Diaghilev and the Ballet Russes Sergei Diaghilev revived the Russian ballet dance with his Ballet Russes, and he established the repute of Russian Ballet worldwide with the said troupe. With the Ballet Russes, Diaghilev was able to drive artistic transformations in Russian ballet, particularly from changing the traditional dance steps and setups to modern ones. Diaghilev was born in St. Petersburg and spent his childhood there while taking academic and art classes in St. Petersburg University. Much of the influences of Diaghilev’s works take shape from his childhood experiences, particularly through his inclination to performing arts as a youth.... The first members of the troupe were professional dancers trained in the Tsar’s Imperial Ballet. With the Ballet Russes, Diaghilev was able to gather prominent choreographers during those times, including Vaslav Nijinsky, Fokine, Massine, and Joan Miro (Bloom paras. 1-7). Aside from associating with choreographers, Diaghilev also collaborated with world renowned musicians, such as Strauss, Schumann, Stravinsky, Milhaud, and Ravel, in creating the musical pieces for the Ballet Russes (Gottlieb para. 2). In the visual arts and costume design, the Ballet Russes also receives support from popular artists including Picasso, Rouault, and Derain. Seeing the performances of Ballet Russes, both Russian and French nobles took passion in supporting the efforts of Diaghilev in promoting the troupe to both local and international mainstream audiences. Impact on 19th Century Art Visual Diaghilev’s credit in the visual arts comes from his efforts at collaborating with painters, interi or designers, and other visual art enthusiast to develop and create artworks. He sought the service of well-known artists, and collaborated with them in designing the stage and costumes for the Ballet Russes. Specifically, famous visual artists such as Picasso and Derain took part in creating the stage set-up, costumes, visual materials, and posters of Ballet Russes’ performances. According to Lille, Diaghilev’s Ballet Russes allows artists from different art trends, such as Fauvism, Cubism, Dadaism and Surrealism to show their works (para. 2). Consequently, the performances of Ballet Russes serve as an exhibit featuring the works of various artists including painters, composers and choreographers. For instance, in

Reflective Portfolio Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Reflective Portfolio - Essay Example To make the best use of the funds as well as for the provision of the best care at care homes the public care body introduced numerous policy initiatives. This is made more visible by the National Health Systems (NHS) Plan as well as the reaction of the government towards the Royal Commission on the Long Term Care. The reason behind this has been the helplessness of the residents, the impacts of the demographic changes upon the number of the old people requiring residential care such as subsidy. It has further been noted that there is high cost associated with such care. Therefore, it is quite important to comprehend the key aspects of such health care provisions (Personal Social Services Research Unit, 2001). With the partnership among the local authority and the NHS, the social care related services are generally provided in Cambridgeshire. It has been evident that the Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust aims at serving the older people with all the necessary health as well as the social care related support that can be made available at one place (Cambridgeshire Country Council, 2011). However, it has been noted that there is discrepancy in the provision of the services to the people under the NHS scheme. ... B. Framework of Legislation, Codes Of Practice Influencing Social Care I. National Care Standards Commission Regulations and Standards It is worth mentioning that the care homes for the older people need to meet the National Minimum Standards that have been identified by the National Care Standards Commission in order to determine if the care homes tend to meet the needs of such standards, as well as work for the welfare of the people living there. The standards tend to verify that whether the care homes consist of the individuals who may work at unique and complex situations. In addition to this the individuals need to possess specific skills and knowledge that may be required to deliver individually tailored as well as all-inclusive services. There are various themes that support the drafting of the National Minimum Standards for the care home of the elderly people. The regulators are supposed to comply with the various themes that have been drafted. While applying the standards it is important for the regulator to prove that the policies, the activities the facilities as well as the services that the care centre provides will deliver positive results. While applying the standards the inspector may ask for evidences that prove that the care homes are meeting the needs of the service users and their changing needs are taken care of. Since it is the manager along with the staffs who are responsible for looking after the old age people in such care homes, therefore in implementing the standards the regulators may look for the evidences that tend to show that the managers as well as the staffs of the particular health care organisation have achieved TOPSS requirement which is understood as The National Training Organisation for social care (Department of

Peachtree summize Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Peachtree summize - Essay Example The current pressure stems from standardization in other sectors such as banking that cannot be fully afforded to more critical areas like healthcare without great thought. Moreover, recent failures at new Peachtree Healthcare acquisitions are pressuring management to go for an overhaul of the current IT infrastructure. Change of Opinion Before looking into the commentaries, I was more focused on the technical aspect of the problem with regards to implementing either SOA or a monolithic system. The human aspect of the problem as advocated by Kastor was not under consideration while framing recommendations. Moreover, my approach to problem solving for Peachtree Healthcare was more dependent on deriving a fitting monolithic, SOA or hybrid monolithic SOA framework for Peachtree Healthcare but as advocated by Halvorson, such a resolution would not be possible without considering the objectives that require achievement. Creating and maintaining an effective corporate strategy requires tha t objectives are taken into primary focus before any other implementations are considered (Johnson, Scholes, & Whittington, 2008). Ranking Commentator Opinions George C. Halvorson Paul Lefler’s standardization approach will not be able to deliver results for all parts of the healthcare sector in the case of Peachtree Healthcare. ... Another notable aspect of Halvorson’s approach is his critique on trying to use tools without realizing what objectives require achievement. In this respect, Halvorson is totally justified in commenting that Peachtree Healthcare should tabulate its needs and requirements and should then proceed to procure fitting tools. Monte Ford Ford essentially raises an important point and then fails to see through it – risk management. Ford suggests that Peachtree Healthcare should tabulate the available risk but this is not really possible given the eclectic nature of operations at any healthcare institution. He further suggests that Peachtree Healthcare should follow Candace’s opinion of implementing a â€Å"modular SOA† structure (Glaser, 2007) while keeping in mind areas where such a solution would work and where it would not. Again, the recommendation provided by Ford is largely vague and unrealizable since risk tabulation for what would work and what would not w ork requires taking risks that might entail patient’s lives. Providing analogies for an airline reservation system and a clinic’s basic systems is also illogical since clinical operations are too varied to be standardized this simply. For example, a patient requiring treatment for a common cold would differ significantly from a patient requiring treatment for tuberculosis. Randy Heffner Randy Heffner’s ideas are best summarized by his last line in the commentary when he states that Candace should â€Å"redo her decision analysis and strategy planning, looking at SOA through a business lens† (Glaser, 2007). Heffner is right at declaring the rising popularity and efficacy of SOA but

Organisational Transformation in Practice Essay - 2

Organisational Transformation in Practice - Essay Example Each of the several departments and business units need to revamp their working and management styles while gradually imbuing the change concept. Moreover the process of organizational transformation helps the employees to gain huge insights into the change process. However the process of organizational transformation also renders potential obstacles and challenges to the managers which must be effectively managed to render efficiency. Organizational transformation as a change process becomes effective if the newer business processes and innovations brought about are rightly absorbed by the existing business climate. Similarly while recruiting newer employees or installing newer machineries and production systems learning must be rendered to train the recruited workforce to inherit the existing organizational culture. Again the existing pool of human resources must be also trained to gain insights about operating the newer machineries to rightly adjust them to the innovative environm ent. (Brynjolfsson, Renshaw & Alstyne, 1997). The process of organizational transformation is found to be a spontaneous process involving the transformation of several organizational factors and business processes. Each of the different organizational factors like human and technological attributes tends to act in a collaborative manner to help in the transformation of organizational dynamics. The several business departments pertaining to customer servicing, resource allocations, financing and billing and inventory and management of distribution channels all contribute to the process of organizational change by effectively altering the existing operational and business processes. (Kamoche, Cunha & Cunha, 2002, pp.182-185). Self awareness - Feelings and thoughts The experience of organizational transformation can be studied along certain relevant parameters like alterations in management and leadership styles, alterations along the personal and at the employee level and changes alon g the organizational climate as a whole. Organizational leaders become closely associated with the transformational themes introduced in the concern to bring about a holistic change in the existing business processes. The approach of the business leaders to help in rendering change in the business processes brought about the theory of ‘transformational leadership’. Leadership aspects in the organizations underwent large amount of transformations owing to changes in the external business environment. Moreover transformation brought about in the existing leadership styles also called for large amount of changes in the behavioural patterns of the leaders making them more courageous and accountable. Further the above aspect also demanded the leaders to develop their visionary potential and thereby inculcate an environment of spontaneous learning. (Simic, 1998, pp.50-51). Similarly the roles of managers also assume equal importance and potential to guide the different organi sational levels to rightly adapt the change process. Role of managers in the change process involve guiding the people to perform in an efficient manner in respect to the changing environment. It is observed in this respect that the upper management body of the organisations operate based

Ideological Racism vs Prejudice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Ideological Racism vs Prejudice - Essay Example In the case of the United States, for much of the countrys history, the important institutions were dominated by the White Anglo-Saxon Protestant (WASP) community. As a result, all other immigrant groups were disadvantaged from the outset. Even among whites, Eastern European ethnic groups and South European communities (the most prominent of which are the Italian Americans) were discriminated against. The challenges were all the more steep for immigrant groups of other races. This includes the Hispanics, African Americans and Asian Americans. A typical example of the potency of ideological racism is the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, which barred Chinese immigrants from attaining citizenship. This legislation was prompted by the ideology of the dominant group, the WASPs, who believed in modelling American society on the basis of their traditional values and beliefs. Prejudice, when compared with ideological racism, is relatively unstructured. Prejudice is largely an expression at the individual level, as opposed to ideological racism which is clearly defined and recognized by the entire society. Since prejudice can differ from one individual to the other, and since it does not lend itself to easy definitions, it is tough to study it sociologically. Ideological racism, by virtue of being part of mainstream discourse, as well as being well-documented, gives the sociologist a lot of factual and statistical material to conduct his/her analysis. Seen in this way, ideological racism can be said to be more sociological. Similar logic can be applied in differentiating between institutional discrimination and other forms of discrimination. Institutional discrimination is the blatant expression of prejudiced attitudes and beliefs, which is often backed by legislation. For example, before 1960s, black children were not allowed to register in schools exclusively meant for white children. This policy of segregation was backed by law, which

Sales Exam Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Sales Exam - Essay Example 4. Designing of a proper induction training program in which one or two sales managers will provide them with a fifteen day comprehensive training covering all aspects of the requirements of their job including field training as well. The sales managers providing training will be rotated and in every induction training program there would be a separate sales manager who would be instructing the group. 5. Employment quotas for all leading business schools. The aim of this would be to make the career counseling sections of the business schools act like recruitment agencies for us. They will be provided a commission on per hire basis. A quota of 5 students per college would be kept for the top five colleges. This would ensure that we employ the best of the best. This objectives are time taking and will start providing results in two years, However, the immediate requirement of filling idle territories can be solved within six months through on campus recruitment. The rest of the strategies will start bearing fruit in five years. Mead envelope is a diversified business division of a large paper products company. For the past five years it has been steadily growing at 5-6% per annum. However, the recent market research shows that there is a market potential of growth up to 10-12% per annum. Considering this company has hired Hal Jones as the Vice President of sales to determine why the growth in sales does not match the potential. Based on the industry projections, the management has allocated a budget of US $ 106 million of Mead Envelopes. Currently, the sales force is lagging behind in achieving this target and the chances of achieving it seem bleak. To make the target possible, a higher level of sales effort is required by the sales force. Due to this a new compensation plan is required to give the sales force the right incentive plan to try harder to achieve

Euro Disney Case Essay Example for Free

Euro Disney Case Essay The success of a business, especially immediately after establishment depends on various factors. Branding and goodwill form some of these major factors. It is worth noting that branding points to the value that customers attach to a given product or service and is often informed by their experience or perception that they have about the name as well as the known history of the producer or the service provider. A business on the other hand enjoys goodwill if it uses a brand name whose reputation has already grown and this growth is not only depicted at local level but both national, international and even global levels. Despite enjoying the fore going, EuroDisney did not perform well during its first year of operation for various reasons. Factors That Contributed to Euro-Disney’s Poor Performance during Its First Year of Operation At the outset, the hotel rooms were so much overpriced and to such an extent that staying overnight was out of question for most of the families around. In addition, poor marketing strategies which were very evident at the time as well as their ill advised source of funding from French banks were all to the EuroDisney’s disadvantage. To add to the bargain was the fact that an unforeseen combination of transatlantic airfare wars and currency movements often boiled down to trips to places like Orlando being cheaper while good weather was guaranteed and beautiful Florida beaches were within reach in Orlando. It therefore bears noting that all these factors as well as the ethnocentrism and negative publicity given by the hostility from the French people against the Disney idea right at the projects planning phase, greatly affected the performance of EuroDisney during its first year in operation (Keegan Green, 2002). The role played by ethnocentrism in the story of Euro-Disney`s launch Ethnocentrism is defined as the tendency to believe and perceive one’s cultural or ethnic group to be centrally important than all others. This is evident in the launch of EuroDisney with French visitors staying away while projections had it that they would make 50percent of the attendance figures. The French perceived the EuroDisney in a very different perspective, as depicted this was viewed as American imperialism. They clung to their culture, and as the article puts it, French culture had its own lovable cartoons and characters that included the Asterix, the helmeted and a pint-sized Gallic warrior which EuroDisney did not provide. As a result of the hostility among the French to the Disney ideas as evidenced at the planning of the EuroDisney project, there was a bad publicity that was given about the project to the various stakeholders (Keegan Green, 2002). Why the experience in France was not transferable to Hong Kong Though the EuroDisney had a nasty experience in France, the knowledge and experience acquired may not be transferable to China’s Hong Kong. On the same note, the experience in France was purely informed by cultural difference between Americans and the French. Needless to say, the case may not be the same between the Chinese and American people. It is however notable that Business experience is usually transferable only if it is informed by business related concepts such as the forces of demand and supply which is not the case in EuroDisney. Lastly, owing to the differences in size between the Disney in Hong Kong and that in France, the effects of decisions may as well be considered to be well out phase with each other. Reference Keegan, W. J. , Green, M. C. (2002). Global marketing management. New Jersey: Prentice Hall.

Health Care Delivery System in the United States Essay Example for Free

Health Care Delivery System in the United States Essay Introduction: The problem: Access to health care physically and financially, healthcare system in today’s society has failed to provide quality care for the U.S. Americans. There are so many ways that the system falls short in providing proper care. The healthcare is mainly based on the government to provide care for a particular group of people according to their income and not everyone has the same treatment, some having to pay for care through some type of insurance premium. When looking at this system of care, families are all dealing with the same issues in relations to not getting the treatment and quality care that they need. Many providers is having to see more patients in clinics than anticipated in terms causes a shorter visit with patients to address any kind of concerns and with uncoordinated care this leads to decrease in quality care of patients. High risk patients could be an issue for providers, because of the risk of malpractice, and increase of having malpractice insurance therefore providers are reluctant to see these patients which causes the patients to have less options for treatment choices. Healthcare Expenditure: this will continue to increase and families will continue to struggle and stress over how they will pay their medical bills. Healthcare systems are not slowing down on their costs and most of them are not willing to give families an efficient healthcare system for a better quality of care. The healthcare expenditures are increasing and the families incomes are not sufficient to compensate which makes this so stressful and hard for families to afford. When looking at the pharmaceutical spending, this has increased drastically. Medications is continuing to increase in costs, therefore, families are not able to get medications that are needed for care. Quality of care: has been a proven factor to be declined, patients with chronic and long term disease are not getting the therapy and drug regimen that is needed to give them a better quality of life. Many elderly patients and patients with disabilities are not able to receive homecare services that are needed to assist them with care. This is an ongoing battle with many American families who are uninsured as well as insured families. Care is not being coordinated and managed for patients with long term and chronic illnesses. Internal Factors: finance and delivery systems should be combined, both of these factors work together for the improvement of each other. Delivery system and payments are declined because the quality and effectiveness are not valued in the healthcare system therefore we have less quality of care and increasing in costs. Without improvements in these two areas the healthcare system will continue to fail in providing a more efficient system for our families and ou t-of-pocket payments are burdening families and care is being refused, emergency rooms are overflowing and office visits are declining. External Factors: The development of new technology affecting the healthcare system in ways as such advance equipment to treat certain diseases that wasn’t offered in the past and patients are not able to afford the treatment because of the increase in costs. Many advance technology procedures are performed in surgery that is consuming our incomes. Patients with chronic diseases are not able to receive the care because of new technology and the price increase that goes with the technology. Solution to health care access physically and financially, According to (Nichols, 2007) all Americans must take on a responsibility for their own health and the health of their children. This means having policies established which would be affordable for American families and polices established to assist the families who need financial assistant in acquiring an insurance policy. Guidelines also must be followed with this plan with the responsibility of the individual and the insurance comp any. This would be balanced to assist families with affordable insurance and benefit the insurance market that would create a quality delivery system as well as cost efficient. The responsibilities to the family is following the guidelines and policy, maintaining their health by having their yearly check-ups, scheduling routine appointments to see their provider as necessary when a problem may arise and maintaining their insurance coverage. The shared responsibilities is the insurance companies provide a stable plan that will improve the delivery system by making American families a priority with having access to a health care system in which quality care is provided and affordable to the family. Solution to health care expenditure, Preventive measures and promoting health can help with health care spending. Management of long –care diseases and establishing a good foundation with advance health technology well build better patient satisfaction, along with cost effectiveness. The reforms improvements values is not a routine step, many believe that the change in delivery systems may decrease the costs, but some feel that it should be more stable in costs by establishing guidelines that are more promising and effective. These guidelines and policies should be put in place to improve the health care system.(brennan, cafarella, kocot, mckethan, morrison, nguyen, shepherd and Williams,2009). Solution to quality of care, According to (fingado), electronic health record system will allow a continuum of patient care for better quality and manageable coordination to patient records. When coordinating patient care all systems must be involved to get a better outcome. Health care systems through health care electronic employee record helps with continuation of patient care and prepare better management plans. This health care system also allow staff to advance knowledge through training and exercise to improve better patient care outcome. Why my response is correct, Me as a health care professional have witness patients who are non-compliance regarding their health and working with uninsured families have different outcomes than patients who is compliance with preventive care usually are in better physical health than families who are not. There are many preventive measures that families can initiate better health, exercising on a regular basis, selecting healthier choices in diet menu, seeking preventive care as necessary, and be in compliance with treatment regimen, prevent bad habits such as smoking and alcohol abuse. Patients who maintain good health behaviors usually have better outcomes during surgical procedures, healing process is less and better outcomes with other treatment plans. Conclusion, according to our reading, Americans should have an effective health care system where families are provided with safe care and an affordable health care plan for the continuum of care. Explanation is given how many patients visit their health care provider and usually never see their primary care provider and how care should be directed toward patient satisfaction. Our reading mentions The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act that extends health care plans to primary care that would benefit most Americans to having a better outcome and assessing why acute visits happen so frequently. According to (Thorpe and ogden,2010) excessive spending is being directed towards Fee-For-Service where the main focus is on the amount of patient being seen and costs instead of patient care improvements. The new health reform law is establishing changes to remove this system away from Medicare and other payers. References Niall Brennan, Nichole Cafarella, S. Lawrence Kocot, Aaron Mckethan, Marisa Morrison, Nadia Nguyen, Mark Shephard and Reginald D. Wiliams. (2009). improving quality value in the U.S. Health Care System. Retrieved August 2009, from www.brookings.edu/reports/2009/08/21-bpc-qualityreport Nichols, L. M. (2007). A Sustainable Health System for all Americans. Retrieved July 2007, from www.newamerican.net/files/NSC%20Health%20Policy%20Paper Thorpe, K. E., Ogden, L. L. (2010, June 2010). Analysis Commentary The Foundation That Health Reform Lays For Improved Payment, Care Coordination, And Prevention. Health Affairs, 29,6, 1183.

Rational Characters Versus Irrational Characters In Candide English Literature Essay

Rational Characters Versus Irrational Characters In Candide English Literature Essay Reason is a mental sense found in an individual that is able to generate conclusions from assumptions or premises. In other words, it is among other things the means the way that rational beings propose specific explanations of cause and effect. Rationality, by definition, is the exercise of reason within an individual being. This is presented in the story through the characters; Candide, Cacambo, the old woman, and the farmer. Irrationality is cognitive thinking, talking or acting without inclusion of reason. This is presented in the story through the characters; Pangloss, Martin, Cunà ©gonde, and the Baron. Candide, the protagonist of the novel, is a good-hearted but hopelessly naÃÆ' ¯ve young man. His mentor, Pangloss, teaches him that their world is the best of all possible worlds. After being banished from his adopted childhood home, Candide travels the world and meets with a wide variety of misfortunes, all the while pursuing security and following Cunà ©gonde, the woman he loves. His faith in Panglosss undiluted optimism is repeatedly tested. Candide is less a realistic character than a conduit for the attitudes and events that surround him. His opinions and actions are determined almost entirely by the influence of outside  factors. It seemed to me at first that Candide was an irrational character, but I felt differently by the time I finished the story. He is the one who suggests that he and his comrades move from the temptations of the city to the quiet easy life on the farm. I thought that the way that he continuously fights for his love, against all odds along with his s olution to all the characters problems made Candide one of the most rational characters of the story. Cacambo becomes Candides bodyguard when he travels in South America. A mixed-race native of the Americas, Cacambo is highly intelligent and morally honest. He is savvy and single-handedly rescues Candide from a number of scrapes. He is also directly responsible for Candides reunion with Cunà ©gonde. As a practical man of action, he stands in direct opposition  to ineffectual philosophers such as Pangloss and Martin. In my opinion, Cacambo is the most rational character of the story. Everything he does throughout the story is rational in helping his friend Candide in his journey of love. He saves Candide over and over, which is a very rational thing to do for a friend. The old woman was born the daughter of a Pope. She has experienced the death of a fiancà ©, rape by pirates, slavery, and cannibalism in wartime. She becomes Cunà ©gondes servant. Her misfortunes have made her cyn ical about human nature, but she does not give in to self-pity. She is wise, practical, and loyal to her mistress. Though she has often been close to suicide, she always finds a reason to live. I think that the old lady falls under the category of rational because of her reactions. She has simply had a tough life, and instead of being depressed or overly optimistic, I believe that she has found a good balance. The farmer has a modest farm outside Constantinople.  Candide and his friends are impressed with his lifestyle of hard work and simple pleasures, and adopt it for themselves. I believe that the farmer is rational because he ignores the sin and temptations of the city to live a simple, hardworking life and earn his own way through life rather than have any real help. Every rational character is contradicted by an equally irrational character. Pangloss is a philosopher and Candides tutor. His optimistic belief that this world is the best of all possible worlds is the primary target of the novels satire. Panglosss own experiences challenge this belief, but he remains faithful to it nonetheless. He is an exaggerated parody of overly optimistic Enlightenment philosophers. Pangloss is irrational in my opinion because he has had so many misfortunes in his life that he has the right to be at least a little bit sad. Yet, he stays way more optimistic than anyone in their right mind should be. I also believe that Pangloss philosophy itself is irrational because nothing in this world is perfect, and his biggest belief seems to be that everything is perfect and happens for a reason. This couldnt be more untrue. Martin is a cynical scholar whom Candide befriends as a travel companion. Martin has suffered a great deal in his life and preaches a philosophy of u ndiluted pessimism. More knowledgeable and intelligent than either Candide or Pangloss, Martin is nonetheless a flawed philosopher. Because he always expects nothing but the worst from the world, he often has trouble seeing the world as it really is. Martin is irrational for exactly the opposite reason of Pangloss. I believe that Martin is irrationally over pessimistic. Everyone has a little pessimism in their life, but it seems as though Martin lives by it. I mean he has the right to be sad about some of the things that have happened to him, but there has been good too that Martin seems unaware of. His pessimistic character is a little bit over the top. Cunà ©gonde is the daughter of a German baron who acts as Candides benefactor until he discovers Candides love for his daughter. Throughout much of the novel, Cunà ©gonde is young and beautiful. After her fathers castle is destroyed in war, a number of exploitative men enslave her or use her as a mistress. Cunà ©gonde returns Can dides love but is willing to betray him for the sake of her own interests. Like him, she is neither intelligent nor complex. Her very blandness casts a satiric light on Candides mad romantic passion for her. She is irrational because she has someone who loves her so much and would do anything to be with her and she doesnt seem like she really cares. There are people who would die to find someone like that. It appears as though she cares more about herself than others or what others are doing for her. I believe that is both irrational and stupid. The baron is Cunà ©gondes brother. After his familys castle is destroyed in wartime, he becomes a Jesuit priest. It is implied numerous times that he has homosexual tendencies. He is arrogant about his familys noble lineage and, though he is fond of the commoner Candide, he refuses to allow Candide to marry Cunà ©gonde. His egotism towards his family and his denial of Candides marriage proposal to his sister is irrational and unnecessary. In conclusion, the story Candide, in my opinion gives the reader a lesson on what reason is through the presentation of rational and irrational characters.

Circadian Clocks Essay example -- Biology

What is a circadian clock? A circadian clock is an internal biological clock that is found in almost all organisms, which regulates many metabolic processes. This biological clock allows organisms to adjust physiologically to changes in the environment. It is also influential in an organism’s behavior based on environmental differences. What do circadian clocks regulate? In plants, circadian clocks control flowering, response to seasons, and photosynthesis such as the opening and closing of the stomata. In mammals, circadian clocks manage sleeping, waking, feeding, and controlling whether an animal is nocturnal (most active at night) or diurnal (most active during the day). In cyanobacteria, circadian clocks regulate nitrogen fixation. In general, circadian clocks direct cell replication, amino acid uptake, and carbohydrate synthesis. Why are circadian clocks important? Circadian clocks are an integral part of everyday life for most all organisms on Earth. They regulate the most important functions in each organism. Without these biological clocks, processes such as metabolism would be completely disorganized and all of our bodies would go entirely awry. Life as we know it today would not exist in the regular predictable pattern. It’s as easy as Kai A, B, C! General Info about Cyanobacteria: (the organisms studied in this experiment) * Cyanobacteria are among the oldest organisms on Earth * They are very diverse: different species of cyanobacteria can survive in a broad range of environmental conditions * Even though cyanobacteria are unicellular, they perform many metabolic activities: photosynthesis, carbon fixation, and nitrogen fixation * Their circadi... ...rol the growth of tumors. Studies like this may eventually even lead to a cure for cancer! References Ditty, J.L, S.B. Williams and S.S. Golden. 2003. "A Cyanobacterial Circadian Timing Mechanism." The Annual Review of Genetics 37:513-517. Available at . Golden, Susan S. 2003. "Timekeeping in bacteria: the cyanobacterial circadian clock." Current Opinion in Microbiology 6:535-540. Available at . Johnson, Carl H. and Martin Egli. 2004."Visualizing a biological clockwork's cogs." Nature Structural & Molecular Biology 11(7):584-585. Available at . Vakonakis, Ionannis and Andy C. LiWang. 2004. "Structure of the C-terminal domain of the clock protein KaiA in complex with a KaiC-derived peptide: Implications for KaiC regulation." PNAS 101(30):10925-10930. Available at .

Enternal and Parenteral Nutrition in the Critical Care Setting Essay

Enteral and Parenteral Nutrition in the Critical Care Setting Management of patient nutrition has long been a topic of controversy. Questing of timing, route of administration and composition of feeding solution constituents are several variables that share a lack of consensus.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There is a 50% rate of malnutrition cited in hospitalized patients.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Many states associated with critical care admissions have altered metabolic rates. Some examples of increased catabolism are multiple injury trauma, sepsis, organ failure (CHF, ARF, RF), and ventilator dependent status. It is important to assess for a history of such hyper- or altered metabolic states like Diabetes Melitus, Alcoholism, Renal Failure, and COPD.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Over feeding is associated with: immunosuppression, hyperglycemia, liver dysfunction and refeeding syndrome. Enteral  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  No associated immune suppression, no associated infection complications, easier to maintain electrolyte balance. Parenteral  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Immune suppression (the converse is also true- malnutrition also causes immune suppression), fatty liver, potential for pneumothorax, line infections, loss of gut barrier, hyperosmolality, refeeding syndrome Feeding tubes – great option, if the gut works, use it. Prealbumin (2-3 day t1/2) Transferrin (8-10 day t1/2) Albumin (14-20 day t1/2) Nitrogen balance studies can aid in the clinica...

The personal :: essays research papers

Yahoo! My Yahoo! Mail Welcome, demetriasmith2002 [Sign Out, My Account] Mail Home - Mail Tutorials - Help Mail | Addresses | Calendar | Notepad What's New - Mail Upgrades - Mail Options Check MailCompose Search MailSearch the Web Get unlimited calls to U.S./Canada Folders[Add - Edit] Inbox Draft Sent Bulk (26)[Empty] Trash[Empty] My Folders[Hide] junk What's your Credit Score? See it FREE! Netflix DVD Rentals Delivered! Credit poor? Try us! FREE year's supply of groceries worth $1,800! Previous | Next | Back to Messages Printable View - Full Headers DeleteReplyForwardNot SpamMove... This message is not flagged. [ Flag Message - Mark as Unread ] To: "Donald" From: "Washer Dryer Combos" Add to Address Book Date: Sun, 17 Jul 2005 15:32:28 -0700 Subject: It’s stylish, it’s compact and it’s on us Get a Washer/Dryer Combination for nothing!! See here. You are getting this excellent cyber correspondence you inquired about it or you are a past official member of one of our several online services. If you want to be disconnected from this prominent email service any more. Go ahead and Go Here. The HTML graphics in this message have been blocked. [Show HTML Graphics - Edit Preferences] DeleteReplyForwardNot SpamMove... Previous | Next | Back to Messages Save Message Text Check MailCompose Search MailSearch the Web Move Options [New Folder] Inbox junk Forward Options As Inline Text As Attachment Reply Options Reply To Sender Reply To Everyone Mail Shortcuts Check Mail Ctrl++C Compose Ctrl++P Folders Ctrl++F Advanced Search Ctrl++S Options Help Ctrl++H Address Book Shortcuts Add Contact Add Category Add List View Contacts View Lists Quickbuilder Import Contacts Synchronize Addresses Options Addresses Help Calendar Shortcuts Add Event Add Task Add Birthday

Gram Staining and Distilled Water Essay

The purpose of this experiment was to learn how to properly perform a gram stain and to also understand how gram staining can help identify either gram-positive or gram-negative organisms in the laboratory. The materials needed for this experiment included: two microorganisms (Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas fluorescens) in a slant agar, an inoculating loop, a microscope slide, distilled water, a Bunsen burner, four dyes (crystal violet, Gram’s iodine, ethyl alcohol, and safranin), bibulous paper, and a dye tray. The method for this experiment was as follows: 1) Cleaned the microscope slide with both soap and water and then dried 2) Flamed the inoculating loop with the Bunsen burner and then applied two small drops of water to each side (horizontally) of the slide 3) Flamed the inoculating loop again, allowed it to cool, and obtained a small sample of the first organism 4) Mixed the organisms on the inoculating loop with one of the drops of the water on the slide and spread to a nickel-sized drop 5) Repeated steps 3 and 4 for the other organism using the second water drop on the slide 6) Allowed the samples to dry and then heat fixed both samples. Applied the crystal violet dye, let it soak for 20 seconds, and then washed the dye away with distilled water off into the dye tray 8) Applied the Gram’s iodine and let it soak for a minute 9) Washed it off with alcohol for 20 seconds (or until the dye stopped running), and then immediately washed with the distilled water 10) Applied the counter-stain, safranin, and let it soak for a minute. 11) Washed with distilled water after and gently blotted it dry with bibulous paper 12) Observed both microorganisms on slide under the microscope Two different results were observed under the microscope. The first one was purple colored cocci, and the picture of the slide is on the following page. The second one revealed pink-colored rods, and the image is on the page following the first microorganisms. The results of the experiment came out as expected. There didn’t seem to be any flaws in the experiment, since the colors were distinctly different. The purple cocci were identified as the Staphylococcus aureus. Because the violet dye penetrated the membrane and stained it, it was recognized as a gram-positive organism. The pink rods were Pseudomonas florescens. It was discovered to be a gram-negative organism because the organism didn’t stain from the crystal violet. Since everything was easily identifiable, the experiment seemed to have gone as planned.

Cultural Differences Paper “Driving Miss Daisy” Essay

There are many ways that the movie â€Å"Driving Miss Daisy† portrays cultural issues. There are a number of scenes in the film in which different cultural issues are described and in which racial issues are prominent. It is important to note that the movie is set in 1948 in Atlanta, Georgia. According to Edward Hall there is a reality that everyone lives in that is a particular reality as there are a number of reasons for which this occurs but mainly it is because we are looking through our own reality as though it were a screen. There are a number of cultural issues that are dealt with in the film, â€Å"Driving Miss Daisy† and through this film and looking at Edward Hall’s beliefs on the issue there a number of examples that can be noted. According to Geert Hofstede’s there are five dimensions of cultural patterns. These dimensions are most commonly used in international business but can be adapted to everyday life situations as well. These five patterns include the following: (1) low vs. high power distance (the way that those who are in power interact, meaning between those who are on the low end of the spectrum and have little power to those who are on the high end of the spectrum and have a lot of power), (2) individualism vs. collectivism (this is the extent to which one is able to stand up for himself or expects others around him or those who are part of his group to stand up for him), (3) masculinity vs femininity (this is the association with traits that are generally thought to be gender biased), (4) uncertainty avoidance (when someone tries their hardest to avoid any uncertainty and takes special precautions in order to do so), and (5) long vs short term orientation (this is the standard by which something is measured as in whether or not it is in the long term or in the short term). Each of these areas can be explored through the movie, â€Å"Driving Miss Daisy. † Cultural Identity— Each person has the ability to have an identity. The different social groups, structures and classes that each person fits in with and feels a connection to is an example of their cultural identity. This identity makes each person whom they are and continues to give each person a reason to look for a particular group or a particular culture with which to identify. In the beginning of the movie as Daisy is refusing a driver this is again because of a screen that she is seeing herself through. She believes that if she has a driver that she should be embarrassed. This is because she thinks that there is either going to be a problem where others think of her as very wealthy or they will know her embarrassment of being too old to drive. In this aspect of the film, Daisy is fighting hard against being associated as being part of the aging crowd or so it could be examined through Hall’s theory. This is also an example of Hofstede’s ideas on uncertainty avoidance. This is because Daisy is so uncertain of what will happen when she loses her power to drive. This would mean that she would not be able to come and go as she pleases and that she would not be able to just jump in her car and drive and see friends or to go to the store to grab that last forgotten item. In a way this is so much more important in this situation than it is with other issues as the aging process is one that is hard enough without all of the added dilemmas and problems. So the idea that Daisy is having such a hard time with the aging process should not be a surprise to those who are around them. Another area of culture that is seen in this movie is the culture of the aging. Through Hall’s theory Daisy thinks that she is okay to drive at the beginning of the movie but her son is sure that she needs a driver and that she is not going to be able to drive on her own as there were too many problems with her driving in the past and she was unable to keep her driver’s license. Towards the end of the movie her driver has aged and is no longer able to drive either which makes for an interesting plot as he attempts to take taxi cabs to visit her while she is in the nursing home. While she is in the nursing home it is noted in the movie through character dialogue that Daisy has good days and bad days and when she is having bad days it is hard to connect with her. This could be a way of being able to look at the orientation of the individual as looked at by Hofstede. As Daisy is having problems with losing her identity and losing her ability to communicate as well as she used to she is having a harder time with her orientation and being able to be oriented to the present rather than issues from the past. Cultural Bias— A cultural bias is where one culture is favored over another. Therefore the culture that is favored has an advantage in all areas where concerned. This is because there are a number of different areas in which the culture with the advantage is able to take advantage of the situations and make things easier for their cultural or their beliefs and harder on those whom they disagree or can not connect with. In one scene Daisy truly begins to see the racism that has been around her. She is being taken by Hoke to her brother’s party in Mobile, Alabama. While she is on the trip with Hoke she begins to realize how differently people view him and how he is treated just because he is African American. This is something that she has previously been blind to as she was a very open and accepting individual. Again this is an example of how Hall’s theory has affected Daisy as she has been looking at things from a different perspective than before. This overt racism is a part of the ideas that have been passed down from generation to generation. This is an example of what Hofstede referred to as low vs high power as the racial issues are typically interacted between those who are in low or high power at the time. In this way the lower power race is the African Americans while the higher powered race is the white Americans. Another area of the movie that explores racial issues looks at the many problems that Daisy has faced herself being a Jew. She also realizes at one point, after her synagogue is bombed that she is treated differently too. Through the relationships and beliefs in the movie many different issues involving racism are explored. This movie is able to look at cultural issues and serious issues with racial injustice from a different perspective than other films have done as it was from two different view points, both who were being prejudiced against but in different ways. Again this has been looked at a few different times in the movies and it is again a power struggle between those who have less power and those who have more power. Cultural Patterns— There are many different cultural patterns that can be seen in the movie, â€Å"Driving Miss Daisy. † These patterns include that there are a number of different areas in which there are ways that the cultural identity of a person is considered to be either a negative or a positive trait. The problem is that there is off a miscommunication and a lack of connection between the two. There were a lot of scenes in the movie where there were times when the characters were involved in areas that were necessary for interactions. Verbal and Non-verbal Intercultural Communication— Throughout the movie, â€Å"Driving Miss Daisy† there is a number of different areas of communication. There are times when the communication is done through spoken dialogue while other times the communication is in a look or gesture that is done between two different characters. Each of these type of communication play an important role in the overall communication process and in how a character is able to communicate with another in one way or another. One example of Hall’s theory is the interaction between Miss Daisy and her driver, Hoke Colburn. She believes that she is better than him and that she should be able to have him do what she wishes. This is because the story takes place at a time when African Americans were only known to be servants or slaves to white Americans. Through her screen or her perspectives as they were taught to her, Daisy has been taught in her culture and during this time period that she is above these other citizens and that they are not equal to her. This is a common misconception among many individuals when cultural issues are concerned as there is often a time period where the individual has feelings or thoughts on a subject purely based on what they have learned. After some time however Daisy’s mind is changed about Hoke and she believes him to be a true friend to her, she even tells him that he is her best friend. There was another scene in the movie where an Alabama state trooper sees the two of them driving off together and he states â€Å"An old nigger and an old Jew woman takin’ off down the road together†¦that is one sorry sight! † This just goes to show the overall perceptions of reality in particular areas (the area in the South where Daisy is from) and the time period that they are living in. Through communication it can also be obvious which parts of the communication are through a group effort or group opinion and which ones are that of an individual. This is shown in many areas where racism is occurring in the movie. For example when the synagogue was attacked it was a sign that there was a group of individuals who did not like the idea of being a Jew. Hofstede’s theory would look at these issues and why there were times when this racism was prevalent on an individual basis and there were times when it was based on a group basis or a group effort. Conclusion— In conclusion the movie, â€Å"Driving Miss Daisy† touched on a lot of cultural issues having to do with age and race. This movie is about a growing relationship between an elderly woman and her driver and their amazing bond that they have which helps them to each see and understand a number of things about themselves, their culture, their heritage, and the overall connection between a social group.

An Apology Letter Essay

The electron microscope was first created in 1933 and magnified up to a million times. First electron microscope was a transmission. It used electrons to recreate an image. Scanning electron microscope developed later, it uses a beam of particles to scan across specimen to recreate image of its surface. They are used for the viewing of biological and inorganic species. Electron microscope has higher resolution than light microscope allowing higher magnification. Light microscope has limited magnification as there is a physical limit imposed by photons. The stereomicroscope has low level of magnification, but gives 3-D view. Electron microscopes give a view of structures that would not normally be visible by optical microscopy. Bonus to light microscopes is that it is possible to view living cells, in the electron microscope the specimen must be dry so it is not possible to observe the living. Anti-body viruses were first observed by electron microscope in 1941. Electron tomography ha s demonstrated the structure of viruses. Had discovers with cell ultrastructure’s and individual atoms have been observed. It has viewed nerve and muscle cells and various pollen has been observed. The compound light microscope or optical microscope is a piece of technology that uses light and magnifying lenses to observe small objects which cannot be seen by the naked eye. The ingenious theory behind light and magnification combined; forms a complex enhancement of specimen identification/observation. Light microscopes enable more opportunities for knowledge in biology, research, and material science. The light microscope can magnify up to a whopping 1,500 times! Therefore the specimen has to be small enough for light to pass through it and it displays a 2D view of the specimen. The compound light microscope is able to have one eyepiece (monocular) or two eyepieces (binocular) to look through. Light microscopes were used to discover a very important specimen. They were used to discover cells such as blood cells. The stereo microscope is known as the optical microscope. It has low magnification. It reflects light off the specimen, it has two separate optical paths and is used to study solid specimens. The primary use for the stereomicroscope is looking at large and solid surfaces or specimens. The microscope allows for detailed work such as microsurgery, watch making and circuit board manufacturing. When Robert Hooke published his book Micrographia in 1665 it became a best seller. Hooke had made one of the first microscopes. With it, he observed many types of living things and  made accurate drawings of what he saw, as his detailed picture of the flea shows (Figure 1.4). Hooke’s most famous achievement, as far as science was concerned, was his diagram of very thin slices of cork (Figure 1.5). He was surprised to see that, under the microscope, the cork looked like a piece of honeycomb. He described the ‘holes’ and their boundaries in the ‘honeycomb’ as cells because they reminded him of the rooms in a monastery. Hooke had discovered plant cells. Although some called Micrographia ‘the most ingenious book ever’, others ridiculed Hooke for spending so much time and money on ‘trifling pursuits’. Thankfully for us, and for the whole science of microbiology, which developed from this discovery of cells, Hooke ignored the taunts and kept experimenting with microscopes. It was because of Hooke’s important contribution to microbiology that other scientists went on to develop a further understanding of cells. Cell theory describes the main ideas about the importance of cells and their role in living things. It was first proposed in 1839 by two German biologists, Theodor Schwann and Matthias Schleiden. In 1858, Rudolf Virchow concluded the final part of the classic cell theory. The combined cell theory included the following three principles: all organisms are composed of one or more cells cells are the basic unit of life and structure new cells are created from existing cells. Any living thing that has more than one cell is referred to as multicellular, but there are many living things, such as bacteria, that consist of only one cell! These are called single-celled or unicellular organisms. Micro-organisms are often referred to as microbes. You probably know people who wear glasses to help them read. The glass or plastic lenses magnify the size of the text. In the same way, microscopes magnify the size of the object placed under them. The first microscopes were very basic. However, over time their magnifying ability has improved. Scientists can now look at images that have been magnified thousands of times using various systems of lenses. This makes it possible to study the structure of cells. The stereomicroscope is used for viewing larger objects, such as insects (Figure 1.15). It can magnify up to 200 times and shows a three-dimensional view of  small things. The compound light microscope (Figure 1.16) is used to observe thin slices of specimens, such as blood cells. It can magnify up to 1500 times. Its view is flat—that is, two dimensional. The specimen must be thin enough to allow light to pass through it. The stereomicroscope has two eyepieces to look through, whereas the compound light microscope can have one or two eyepieces. The word monocular is used to describe a microscope with one eyepiece (mono = one). Microscopes with two lenses are called binocular (bi = two). The compound light microscope uses the effect of two lenses (one in the eyepieces and one further down the column called the objective lens) combined with light to give a greater magnification. It can be used to observe much smaller things than those seen under a stereomicroscope. To look at cells clearly through a compound light microscope, very thin layers of a sample must be used. The light has to be able to get through or all you will see is a dark shadow—a bit like a leadlight window. Most cells are clear in colour, so a stain, like iodine, is used to help make them more visible by providing contrast. Although light microscopes, like the compound light microscope and stereomicroscope, had served scientists well for more than 300 years, the explosion of new technology in the 20th century led to the invention of more complex microscopes, such as electron microscopes. An electron microscope uses electrons (tiny negatively charged particles) to create images. The first electron microscope, the transmission electron microscope (TEM), was invented in 1933 to help study the structure of metals. The scanning electron microscope (SEM), developed later, uses a beam of electrons to scan across a specimen and to recreate the image, showing details of its surface. Electron microscopes can magnify up to a million times! Using this technology, many more details of the cell that were formerly invisible to scientists are now beginning to be understood. The development of the synchrotron is one of the biggest changes to microscopes. Synchrotrons are ‘microscopes’ that are about the size of a football field and cost a fortune to build. The synchrotron provides even more magnification than an electron microscope and can ‘see’ down to the level of the molecules (particles) that make up substances. There are currently forty-three synchrotrons across the world. Australia’s synchrotron opened in 2007 and is located near Monash University, in Melbourne. There are many beneficial applications of  synchrotron science. For example, researchers can use the synchrotron to invent ways to tackle diseases, make plants more productive and metals more resilient.

Phenomenology and the Eucharistic Mass Essay

In the study of communications, reaching a common consensus on how to apply a shared and common understanding of communications seems to be a near impossible task. After being introduced to the seven traditions of communications by Craig in his essay â€Å"Communication Theory as a Field†, I choose to explore the tradition he categorizes as Phenomenology. My initial understanding on the study of communications were quite limited to the transmission view, dominated by a sender and receiver framework. Interestingly, the transmission model in it’s origin was culturally rooted in religion, and used as a tool for the dissemination of Euro centric religious values and practices globally. With advancement in technology, especially in the 1920’s, the North American perspective on communication shifted the transmission model from religion to science to reflect a multidisciplinary approach in to the study of communications. As a practitioner of what was once the transmission view, the Catholic Church had experienced tremendous religious propagation of its message through forcible transmission all over the world. Based on Craig’s essay, the Catholic Church of today then embodies traits of a ritual view of communication, and is aligned with religious communication, and expression such as fellowship, participation, community, communion, and common faith. The phenomenological model of communication shares characteristics with the ritual view that I will be exploring through the Roman Catholic Eucharistic liturgy. The phenomenological tradition described by Craig, â€Å"†¦ conceptualizes communication as dialogue or the experience of otherness† (p. 217). Communication in this tradition is not rooted in verbal transmission but instead a shared experience on plains that extend beyond tradition verbal or textual communication. For the purpose of this paper phenomenological tradition can be seen as a form of communication expressed metaphysically as well. Gadamer’s’ theory from â€Å"Truth and Method†, focus on tradition and language as a primary form of communication. His ideology is that: we are only able to make sense of ourselves and the world around us because our consciousness has been shaped by history and traditions in ways we are largely unaware of†¦ wareness expands our understanding of the tradition. His description of an I-Thou relationship as the question-answer logic that underlies hermeneutic experience creates communication by identifying, hermeneutics, â€Å"that lead to a dialectical process of interpretation and growth of understanding. As a phenomenological practitioner, this theory has very intrinsic value. Communication in this practice provides a very meaningful and existential experience that I am to able to engage in with my Creator, in the absence of any other person. As a Roman Catholic, I have had many questions about the way we participate in mass. My parents grew up on the island of Trinidad, in a devout Catholic community. The Spanish, that had at one time colonized Trinidad, were very committed to their mission of converting the indigenous people of the island. The spread Catholicism throughout the country was profuse, with community churches everywhere, (even building one across the street from my mother’s house), and adding a monastery and seminary college a mile further up the mountainside where my father lived. Catholicism was not just a religion in our community, it was a part of the culture, and employed many of the villagers as they worked for the seminary. My grandparents were in fact Hindu, and converted to Catholicism because of the strong influence and presence it had within the community. As a Roman Catholic child, I had been told to repeat, chant, and act with humility, adoration and reverence during mass. I did not understand what we were doing or what the intention was. I became harder and harder to find meaning in going to church. In my late teens I stopped attending mass because there was no intrinsic connection for me in my faith practice. I remained a spiritual and deeply rooted faith based person, but I could not come to terms with many of the teachings of my church. I stayed out of church for many years. At some point, I became curious about what it meant. I was not looking for a theological understanding per se, but instead, what did â€Å"it† mean? The chanting, the collective response in unison, the prayers itself. What was I blindly repeating every Sunday? I chose to study the teachings of the Catholic Church in university at Newman Theological College to gain a scholarly perspective. Many things became clear, although I did acquiesce on some ideological points, (my own hermeneutical experience). Inspired by my academic insights, I returned to church as a knowledgeable participant of the mass, understanding that as part of the community, I would belong to the collective voice of the fellowship of Christ. The Catholic mass is deeply enriched with both Phenomenological Theory as well as Semiotic Tradition. In some regard you must look at the semiotics in order to fully understand what is being communicated during certain points in the eucharistic liturgy. For the purpose of this paper I will focus on the phenomenological aspects. The Eucharistic liturgy is a two century old tradition, considered the real presence of Christ at the last supper carried out each Sunday, and is considered an integral part of Catholic worship. As Catholics we believe Jesus began a significant new fellowship meal that we observe to this day. It causes us to collectively and intrinsically share in the experience of his sacrifice through his death and resurrection. The description of the liturgy I’m presenting here reflects a very basic summation of the ritual. At the start of the liturgy we are asked to offer ourselves up, and surrender to God. As we participate in the Eucharistic Prayer we are in the act of giving thanks. The congregation is humbled as Christ is transubstantiated from man into the elements of bread and wine. We collectively mourn as Jesus is offered to the Father in sacrifice for the sins of man. We participate in the Lords Prayer, and a prayer for peace. The Holy Spirit is invited to come down upon us and unite the community of worshipers into one body as we prepare to accept the communion, and offer each other a sign of peace. As a community we should be considered one body, ready to receive Christ as a single body in the form of the host. Prior to accepting the communion we collectively humble ourselves stating our unworthiness and asking for compassion and forgiveness for our transgressions. As members of the congregation travel to the the altar, it represents a pilgrimage in this life from a journey of birth to death, and to the heavenly Father. Once each individual receives the host, we communally belong to the larger body of Christ. An aspect of the phenomenological theory of communication as seen by Buber can be practically applied in this example. The I-Thou relationship is present when looking at the relationship each individual member of the ongregation has with their Creator, or even Catholicism itself. The act of worshiping communally creates an experience and awareness of each other that reflects dialogue in Gadamer’s model of phenomenology. Prayer itself is a great example of the I-Thou relationship the Buber describes. Although it contradicts Gadamers â€Å"parallel concept of conversation emphasiz[ing] the object or subject matter of conversation that brings people together in dialogue† (p. 219). Buber also notes that, â€Å"dialogue can be entirely wordless, yet deeply meaningful† (p. 19), and talks about how sacred silence itself can be on page 227, which is evident throughout the moments of the liturgy in which individuals respond on an emotional level through reverence, humility, sorrow, or repentance. Burber’s theory of a person living life with an open mind, open to experience and in essence living the life of dialogue is what resonates most for me. My critical exploration into understanding the Catholic mass has supported my dialogue in prayer with my creator, as well as my participation as a member of the Catholic church. It would be assumed that since developing a clearer understanding of the mass, that I would be regularly attending. That is not the case. What I grew to understand is that I cannot effectively belong to the congregation if I am not intrinsically communicating through action, intention and prayer when I attend. For that reason, I go to church when I have a deeper calling to do so. My I-Thou relationship within my faith is not compromised as I connect to my creator in conversation and prayer every day, however, my I-Thou relationship with the other church goers would be compromised and lacking authenticity if I attend mass out of obligation.

Building and Presenting Power Relations in Roots

Building and Presenting Power Relations in Roots Alex Haleys 1976 novel, Roots, portrayed the history of a Kunta Kintes family as an epic story of survival. Haley presented the history of a man and his family torn apart, but not broken, under enslavement in America. The experiences that ravaged Kunta Kintes family life display the lack of institutional power of those enslaved. Although Kunta and Bell do not have institutional power, they do possess a limited amount of power within their nuclear family unit. Haleys depiction of an enslaved family contradicts reports on the black family by sociologists such as E. Franklin Frazier and the Moynihan Report, which supported a matriarchal family structure. Roots depicts Kunta and Bell as equals, with regards to the amount of power vested in each individual. Neither the female nor the male, has a greater amount of power. Both are virtually powerless. Haleys novel, Roots, portrays the conflict between the lack of institutionalized power and the limited amount of familial power. Roots was published at a time where the structure and history of the American black family was a very contentious issue. In 1965, approximately ten years before the novels publication, the U.S. government published the Moynihan Report. The report placed the blame for continuing black inequality, upon the very structure of the black family.1 Moynihans central thesis was that the black family was crumbling and that a major part of the blame lay with the black matriarchy extant in the black community.2 Much of the information in the infamous Moynihan Report was first publicized by the prominent black sociologist Franklin Frazier, who published one of his studies on black culture in 1939. Frazier wrote that, the Negro woman as wife or mother was the mistress of her cabinand her wishes in regard to mating and family matter were paramount.3 In a sense, the Moynihan Report updated the early findings and observations of Frazier. Scholars such as Robert Staples and Angela Davis rose to challenge the assertions made by Frazier and Moynihan. Staples stated that a matriarchy is a society in which some, if not all, of the legal powers relating to the ordering and governing of the family-power over property, over inheritance, over marriage, over-the-houseare lodged in women rather than men.4 He argued that a matriarchal family structure was not plausible because the black woman was exploited because of both her gender and race.5 Davis was another sociologist who refuted the matriarchy thesis. She stated that the matriarchal structure presented by some ignored the profound traumas the black woman must have experienced when she had to surrender her child-bearing to alien and predatory economic instincts.6 In the novel Roots, Alex Haley depicts the struggles of an enslaved family. Under enslavement, Kunta Kinte and Bells lives are dictated by their status of being owned by Master Waller. Bell has a limited amount of power when it comes to trivial matter such as the appearance of her cabin, but when it comes to important matters such as keeping the family together, Bell (and Kunta) possessed no institutional power. Evidence which refutes Fraziers thought that the mother had control over her cabin and family life, is displayed when Kunta and Bells child, Kizzy, is sold. Neither of her parents can change the horrible fate of their only child. Bell pleads with Master Waller, Don split us up!,7 but to no avail. Kunta tries to physically save his daughter but he crumpled to his knees8 after he is hit by the butt of the sheriffs pistol as it crashed above his ear.9 Both the mother and the father, female and male are rendered powerless in the situation. This example exemplifies Davis thoughts on the lack of institutional power held by enslaved women, in the face of the whims of their masters. The cultural stereotype of the domineering black woman belies the existence of the masses of black women who constituted a defenseless group against the onslaught of white racism in its most virulent sexual and economic manifestations.10 The lives of enslaved women could be destroyed at any moment. After Kizzy was taken away, she was sold to a man of the name, Tom Lea2E The first night Kizzy is under Leas ownership, he rapes her. Then came the searing pain as he forced his way into her, and Kizzys senses seemed to explode.11 After Kunta and the other Africans get off the big canoe and wait for the slave auction to commence, he and his mates had had to sit there, burning with humiliation at being helpless to defend their women, let alone themselves.12 The women were powerless, as they could not stop the continual rape at the hands of the toubob and the men were powerless because they could not aid the women. Another instance where Kunta feels hopeless because he cannot aid a woman in need, occurs while at a slave auction, he hears a chained Jola woman shrieking piteouslybeseeching him to help her13 he feels a rush of bitter, flooding shame14 at the prospect that he could not or did not do anything to help the woman. After an argument concerning a visit Kizzy was to have with Missy Anne, Bell lay sleepless in their bed that night, he sat sleepless in the stable beneath the harnesses. Both were weeping.15 Neither of them, as parents could control whether or not their child went. Master Waller said he promise Missy Anne to drop Kizzy off at Massa Johns.16 Even though Kunta objected to this strongly, he could not do anything about it. It was not within his power it was outrageous enough to have to sit by and watch while Kizzy was turned slowly into a lap dog, but now they wanted him to deliver the animal to its new keeper.17 Under slavery, the family structure of the enslaved was neither matriarchal or patriarchal. How could it be? The lives of those bound under slavery were fully controlled by their master. Even the basic rights naming was controlled. When Kunta arrived at his first plantation home he was given a new name, Massa say your name Toby!.18 Kunta was flooding with rageand he wanted to shout I am Kunta Kinte, first son of Omoro, who is the son of the holy man Kairaba Kunta Kinte,19 but he could not utter a word. Kunta had no power. There were instances within Roots, where both Kunta and Bell exercised power to control aspects of their lives, albeit a limited amount of power. Bell had been on the Waller plantation for many years and as the cook for the main house, she had access to information and the master that many field slaves did not, Bell had more influence on the massa than anyone else on the plantation, or probably all of them put together.20 Bell, along with her daughter Kizzy, had another form of power, they were partially literate. Ultimately though, these powers hurt the interests of Bell and Kizzy. Even though Bell had such high standing with Master Waller, she still had no say in the sale of her daughter. Part of the reason Kizzy was sold, was because of her ability to read and write. Kizzys intellectual powers ultimately rendered her powerless. Kunta also struggled to retain power within his life and relationship with Bell. The naming of their daughter was one instance where he asserted power. Kunta wished to keep the traditions of his homeland alive. One way was by naming Kizzy by the same ritual as he was named in Juffure. Bell was reluctant to allow this but as deeply as Bell disapproved, she was even more apprehensive of what Kunta would do if she refused.21 Kunta named their daughter Kizzy, which as he explained to Bell, meant you sit down or you stay put which, in turn meant that unlike Bells previous two babies, this child would never get sold away.22 Unfortunately Kuntas wish for his child, as it was represented by the name he gave her, did not come true. Kizzy was sold and even though Kunta had some power within his own family, he did not have the institutional power necessary for stopping his (and Bells) greatest fear from happening. Alex Haleys poignant novel, Roots, depicts the fight for survival as it was experienced by the family of Kunta Kinte. The novel brutally portrays the conflict between the slaves lack of institutionalized power versus the power they retained within their family unit. Through many harrowing experiences, Haley presents Kunta and Bell as ultimately powerless in the face of their oppressors. Although the novel displays the precarious and vulnerable living conditions of Kunta and Bell, it also celebrates the resiliency of this family. Contrary to the beliefs presented by Frazier and Moynihan, the slave system did not and could not engender and recognize a matriarchal family structure. Inherent in the very concept of the matriarchy is power'.23 The portrayal of the enslaved family in Roots refutes the myth of black matriarchy. The novel does not try to prove a patriarchal family structure, it simply presents the lack of power of those enslaved. Notes 1. U.S. Dept. of Labor, The Negro Family: The Case for National Action (Washington, D.C. : GPO, 1965). 2. Robert Staples, The Myth of Black Matriarchy, Black Scholar, 2 Jan.-Feb. 1970, 341. 3. Deborah White, Female Slaves: Sex Roles and Status in the Antebellum Plantation South, Journal of Family History, 8 Fall 1983, 248 4. Staples, 336. 5. Staples, 335. 6. Angela Davis, Reflections on the Black Womans Role in the Community of Slaves, Massachusetts Review, 13 Winter/Spring 1972, 84. 7. Alex Haley, Roots (New York: Dell Publishing Co., 1976), 452. 8. Haley, 452. 9. Haley, 452. 10. Staples, 334. 11. Haley, 455. 12. Haley, 214. 13. Haley, 322. 14. Haley, 322. 15. Haley, 385. 16. Haley, 385. 17. Haley, 385. 18. Haley, 232. 19. Haley, 232. 20. Haley, 336. 21. Haley, 367. 22. Haley, 368. 23. Davis, 82.