Experiential Learning Essay

Growing up in a southern state with traditional family and religious values has made transitioning into college life a bit difficult. Questioning myself and my own bias from my experiences in life is an ongoing process, as I wonder â€Å"is it me? † or its possible that I feel strongly about issues because my values and ethics overshadow all. I feel as if I move from a state of passive to aggressive in my actions just as I do my own state of internal feeling of who I am. Sometimes I feel like I have been treated unfairly both as a child and now, simply for being female. In my actions I sometimes pretend that this does not bother me and that a woman’s place is in the home, being a good mother and wife, bit other times I lash out when this is expected of me from my church, family, and some facets of society. I struggle in this passive aggressive way in my own religion too. As a Baptist, sometimes I feel like the teachings are true and correct and that social issues, such as homosexuality are undesirable and need to be â€Å"fixed†. Other times, however, I feel like homosexuality and other so-called social issues brought up in the church should not be treated like diseases and we have no business trying to â€Å"cure† others. Growing up white, female, and very religious, I was taught ideals that seemed to contradict themselves. The most notable cases were of people in poverty. We were not a poor family, but I would see a great majority of people in my state of Tennessee living in very unpleasant conditions. From teachings of the church and my family, I was taught to help those, who cannot help themselves. But, the irony was that most conservative people around believed that everyone could help themselves and that their state of poverty was simply due to laziness. I remember thinking that I was just a kid and had no control over my home life and that these other impoverished kids I would see could not help their situation any more that I could. So it was confusing that no one seemed to go out of their way (with a few exceptions) to help poor people back home. We were, also, expected to treat people equally and not have any â€Å"hate in our hearts† for anyone for any reason. It wasn’t obvious to my friends and I that our parents were in any way bigoted toward minorities, because they didn’t use racial slurs or openly discuss their dislike for other races. But, when my friends and I started becoming older and noticing boys, our parents wouldn’t hide their shock when we said that we had an attraction for a boy of another race. Then I realized that my parents did not believe in interracial relationships and for awhile I thought that it was not racist, but now I see that my upbringing was all twisted together with racism, sexism, and contempt for the poor and homosexuality. Like many southern girls, I was supposed to find a nice man to marry and going to college was the way to find this man. My family and the society I grew up in had all these expectations of me, hidden agendas, and covert prejudices that I am still trying to understand fully. I want to be treated like an intelligent woman, whose ideas have merit. I get so angry and feel aggressive when people believe that college is just a â€Å"hobby† and that I am here just to find â€Å"Mr. Right†, I am tired of all the years of playing the passive role of the quiet and complacent â€Å"southern belle†. I, also, want to widen my base of friends to include people who do not let religion become a barrier to their lives. Many times from what I have seen in the church, people mindlessly believe what the preacher says and don’t take time to understand that everyone is human and should be treated fairly. I wish I had the courage to go to speak to people, who are homosexual, but I still can’t. This is one of the goals I am working on now.

Home Birth Vs Hospitalized Births

In the early 1900's and for years before then, almost every single birth that occurred happened inside the home and was the norm. Now a days it's the opposite. In the late 1960's that percent dropped down to only 1% of births happening at home instead of a hospital. The dramatic change in at home births is caused by the advance in technology and medicine this world has experienced since then. Women have so many choices when it comes to giving birth now. They can decide how they want to have the baby, and where.Birth can happen anywhere; at home, in a birthing center or in a hospital. It's all up to the woman. A woman might want look into the risks and benefits of each before deciding which is for her. Although home births are still very rare, we have seen an increase since 2004 and many woman today are looking into the idea of home births. A woman who is having a healthy pregnancy so far with no complications or worries, might look into home births, otherwise giving birth at home cou ld be very dangerous if there isn't a nurse or midwife present.Woman who have any heart problems or high blood pressure should consider other options as well. Even if the partner does not fully agree with the idea of home birth, this option may not be for her. Some of the perks or benefits of giving birth at home is obviously, that the woman can have anybody in the room with her during this time such as friends and family. This making the process much easier with many people to help give encouragement and emotional support as well as people around to help with anything the mother might need and the midwife might require help with.Another benefit is the immediate bonding and breastfeeding to the child. The sooner the mother is allowed to hold her child and breast feed him or her, the faster the child receives important antibodies it needs to fight off any disease. â€Å"Home birth can be significantly easier on your bank account. The average uncomplicated vaginal at home births cost s 60% less then at hospital births† ( American Pregnancy Association).Although at home births are the most natural way to have a baby, there are  some risks. In a very large recent study investigators at New York Presbyterian Medical center reviewed data from about 13 million of 17 million births and found that babies who were born at home were ten times more likely to be still born and four times more likely to suffer from seizures and other neorlogical defects compared to the babies who were born in hospitals. Even though ten percent of all babies who were born still have survived, they have suffered many very major health problems.Most at home births do have a nurse or midwife available to deal with any unexpected situations during birth, many feel it is preferable to have a whole team of doctors and specialists ready and available for any situation at any given time. Birthing centers are the second most natural way to give birth for those looking for natural birth option s. Although some birthing centers are associated with and may even be located inside a hospital, birthing centers differ in the fact that they do not provide C- sections, or inducement with Oxytocin. This being considered a benefit to woman looking for natural ways to give birth.Another benefit of birthing centers are that although it may not look like a hospital and may very well be a house, there are always more nurses and a doctor on call for any complications that may arise so the woman can feel safer without having to give birth at home and deal with any repercussions. With birthing centers there is always that sense of control and safety without being hooked up to an IV and given medications. The baby will also benefit because he or she will not be taken away at any moment for medical examinations, everything happens in the room with the mother present.Cost also plays a factor in chosing a birthing home, because they will not use any medications on you and they do not keep you longer than need be, the cost is always cheaper than from hospital births. The only real risk about Birthing centers is that if you are a high risk mother, meaning your pregnancy isn't completely safe, your baby has a condition or you have a condition anything can happen. But every birthing center runs tests before they accept you anyway. So unless something wasn't caught when they run the tests on you, your pretty safe.â€Å"You can start by calling a birth center and talking to one of the caregivers about your health history. They'll ask you, for example, whether you have certain pre-existing medical problems such as high blood pressure or diabetes and if you've had a cesarean delivery or some other invasive uterine surgery. † (Baby Center) As mentioned before, hospitals can be an option for those women who do not mind getting medication, being induced or having C sections. Or maybe for a woman who doesn't think they can handle the pain without help from medications. Becau se natural birth and at home birth is not for every woman.The obvious benefits being that a woman may feel safer in a hospital setting. More doctors available and more specialists ready for anything can also be a benefit to some women. The feeling of being safe is the biggest benefit of a hospital birth. But the risks can be medications that can interfere or cause more damage than help. Maybe some women prefer not to have a huge needle inserted in their spine and they’re child being vacuum extracted. â€Å"In their rush to prevent problems that aren’t happening, hospital personnel may aggressively push procedures and drugs that can actually cause problems.Pitocin can cause uterine contractions so strong that they stress the baby and cause fetal distress. IV narcotic drugs can affect an infant so strongly that he might not breathe at birth†(Pathways of Family Wellness). So in conclusion, with so much knowledge around and so much technology and medicinal advanceme nts, it is good to know what kind of birth a woman might like. Because it is up to the woman to choose what is in her and her child’s best interest and what may sound good to one woman may not sound to good to another. Every woman must educate herself and choose whats best for her.

“authority”, “responsibility” and Essay

â€Å"authority†, â€Å"responsibility† and â€Å"accountability† - Essay Example One of the candidates who were contesting for captainship of school head girl, due to her wealth and power was stating that the other girl was wasting her time campaigning, for she was sure to win the elections. The second contestant was conducting a fair campaign. When asked as to why was the powerful girl not elected, the teacher replied that she had the authority to choose what was best for the future of the school, not forgetting the welfare of the students as portrayed by the second contestant over power thus enhancing the word, ‘authority’. Responsibility is another part of the process of delegation. Allen states that â€Å"responsibility is the work assigned to a position. Responsibility refers to the mental and physical activities which must be performed to carry out a task or duty†. (Arora, 1985) Responsibility may be continuing or it may terminate with the accomplishment of a single action. The essence of responsibility is obligation. Responsibility, being an obligation to perform, is owed to one’s superior and no subordinate can reduce his responsibility by delegating to another the authority to perform the duty. As she stood in front of her 5th grade class on the very first day of school, she told the children an untruth.   Like most teachers, she looked at her students and said that she loved them all the same.   However, that was impossible, because there in the front row, slumped in his seat, was a little boy named Teddy Stoddard. Mrs. Thompson had watched Teddy the year before and noticed that he did not play well with the other children, that his clothes were messy. It got to the point where Mrs. Thompson would actually take delight in marking his papers with a broad red pen, making bold Xs and then putting a big F at the top of his papers. His third grade teacher wrote, His mothers death has been hard on him.   He tries to do his best, but his father doesnt show much interest, and his home life will soon affect him if some steps arent

Racism in Yoshiko Uchidas Desert Exile and Anne Moodys Coming of Age Essay

Racism in Yoshiko Uchidas Desert Exile and Anne Moodys Coming of Age in Mississippi - Essay Example In Moody’s Coming of Age in Mississippi, the author presents experiences of racism as not limited to a white to black affair, but also a black-to-black affair. According to the author, whites discriminate blacks in Mississippi. To add salt to the injury, the author also points out that some blacks who are light skinned also look down upon fellow blacks that are not light skinned. Dark-skinned blacks suffer more compared to light-skinned blacks in a complex scenario of blacks discriminating against fellow blacks. For instance, Miss Pearl looks down upon Toosweet, as she is much darker than the Raymond’s family. Ann observes that â€Å"Miss Pearl and Raymond’s older sister would pass right by her without saying anything and Mama would be so hurt (Moody 49)†. Anne’s perception of the lighter skinned blacks also comes out that they see themselves as of a socially higher class than the rest of their fellow blacks. Legally, they enjoy to privileges that a re in any way different from the rest of the black community. That points out to some sort of disunity at that particular historical time. Some children innocently respond to racism with an attempt too physically examine the claimed superiority from white children with whom they play. Children are subjected to racial discrimination despite the fact that they do not know anything. The author mentions heard public arguments that blacks were inferior to whites genetically. Innocently, Anne had the white children remove their clothes so that she would examine them to confirm or disconfirm the claim (Moody 34). The incident demonstrates the racial institutionalization and indoctrinated into children’s minds. From a very young age, children are already growing up with negative connotations of race. Mrs. Burke comes out as an example of whites who discriminated against blacks including making false allegations against blacks. Anne responds by

UK Corporate Mergers and Their Implications Essay

UK Corporate Mergers and Their Implications - Essay Example The study has identified multiple HR driven implications of corporate mergers such as downsizing planning, training & development, managing change resistance, deciding optimal human resource portfolio after merger and establishing performance management indicators. It has been found that primary role of HR practitioners would get extension during corporate merger process and for this reason, top level management have started putting more importance to HRD division in order to address HR driven implication of corporate mergers in proper manner. Apart from fulfilling gap in the literature regarding HR driven implication of corporate mergers, the study finding can be used by companies to plan the human resource management strategy during corporate mergers in UK. ... Consideration of research works of Szabla (2007) reveals the fact that although HR practitioners have to play vital during the part of downsizing employee, recruiting new staff, providing training to staff of partner companies which are being important implication of corporate mergers but very few researchers conducted research on the topic in order to understand HR driven implications of corporate mergers. Therefore, aim of the study will be to conduct research human resource implications of corporate mergers and fulfil certain gap in the literature. UK has been selected as location for the research. In such backdrop, following research question has been derived for this research paper. Research Question: What is HR driven implication of corporate mergers in UK? SECTION 2: LITERATURE REVIEW Liveris (2001, p. 19) defined the characteristics of corporate mergers & acquisition as, â€Å"The whole M&A process begins with confidential discussions. What is your company looking to buy? Wh o’s willing to sell? How much will it cost? Is it worth it? These are simple questions on the surface, but they require complex analysis.† In such context, Garavan (2007) and Gallos (2006) pointed out that human resource department works closely with partner organizations on strategic issues throughout corporate merger process such as downsizing of employee in order to decrease operational cost post corporate mergers, manage change resistance from existing workers towards the corporate merger process, recruiting new employees, developing performance management framework post corporate mergers and providing training to employees from partner organization. In UK, human resource departments need to take part in corporate merger process as are covered by the Enterprise Act, 2002, Companies

Police as Crime-fighters Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Police as Crime-fighters - Essay Example Absolute transparency in policing is a pipe dream and it might endanger the operational efficiency of the police. At the same time to leave, police activities totally unleashed can vitiate the very purpose of a police service. The task of combining the right degree of control over the police with sufficient elbowroom for them to achieve operational efficiency is a feat and a few countries have achieved this formidable task. The police performance, the world over, has not only failed to achieve this delicate balance, but has, in many countries, totally lost the focus of citizen centered service. The sense of security that the citizens in a country feel is an incalculable asset. However, this sense security in most countries has become a mirage. In many countries the guardians of civil security, themselves are often the ringleaders of an undesirable criminal nexus. This paper analyses the complex problem of analyzing the police activity in modern times. The study has accepted the compl exity of the problem and would like to offer an integrated approach to remedy the problem of policing relying on the strength of knowledge gained over the years. Various disciplines like Sociology, Psychology, Politics, Philosophy etc will aid in our search for a solution. However, the ultimate force in this attempt is the civil sense of the citizens of a country and their will to build a just society. The important question that lies at the core of developing any adequate measure of police performance is for citizens and their elected representatives to decide what it is that is intrinsically valuable, or what it is that we as a political community value in the activities and operations of a public police department. (Braga and Moore, 2004) The Historical Evolution of the Police Force The idea of modern police force has evolved over many years. However the basic mission of the primitive police and the modern are the same, the mission of keeping public order by enforcing the rules of civil conduct has not changed much in the conceptual level. Like so many noble gifts to the world, the idea of modern police force is a British product. The man behind the organizational set up of modern police force is Sir Robert Peel, the founder and leader of the Conservative party. However, the idea of policing the country is somewhat old. The Praetorian Guard of ancient Rome is the rudimentary form of the modern police. The Romans achieved a sophisticated system of law enforcement. This remained in force until the disintegration of the empire. With advent of Middle Ages and the manorial system, the policing job was the responsibility of the local nobles. The nobles appointed officials called the constables. They carried out the law. The constable's duties included arresting and keeping away forcefully the criminals. For a long time the constables were voluntary citizens, who were not paid anything. In the passage of time, this became burdensome. By the middle of 16th century, the rich citizens often sought the help of paid helpers. Soon this practice became widespread and the quality of policing by these constables came down. The French Monarch King Louis XIV kept a small police group consisting of forty inspectors who

Evolution Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Evolution - Essay Example The effects of evolution, while difficult to prove, have left an archeological record that gives us a picture of how and why evolution occurs. One of the most basic and fundamental forms of evolution occurs when a virus or bacterial agent mutates to become immune to the drugs that are developed to treat them. HIV is a particularly challenging agent to overcome through drug therapy. According to Luskin, "HIV is particularly prone to "evolution" (i.e. change) because of its high replication and mutation rate--nearly one mutation per replication". The physical characteristics of the HIV virus adapt to the agents designed to kill it. While we can measure and observe this in HIV, "The amount of genetic informational change between rapidly mutating virus strains, such as HIV, is miniscule compared to the type of informational changes required in the wild to create new body plans or biochemical pathways" (Luskin). This is evolution being accomplished at the most basic level. Just as HIV evolves as a group, higher life forms also experience change over time to adapt to their environment. Ancient environmental events forced animals to adapt to a new environment and nature accentuated the differences.

Health Insurance Costs Versus Privacy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Health Insurance Costs Versus Privacy - Essay Example If such adjustments cannot be accommodated, CBD may revoke the job offer. This, however, should always be an absolute last resort. Federal regulations illegalize CBD from discriminating against job applicants or workers based on their genetic information. CBD may test workers to ascertain if they have illegal drugs or alcohol or in their systems. The law prohibits them from testing employees' genetic predisposition to alcoholism or drug abuse (Mathiason, 2007). Wellness programs such as the one proposed by owners of CBD in option two of their two- step program cannot be considered illegal by the law. A wellness program that renders an incentive conditioned on participation in a health program is not discriminatory under Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). However, the Act prohibits CBD health plans from discriminating based on a health factors such as; health status, medical condition, claim experience, receipt of health care, and medical history. Examples in clude nicotine addiction and body mass index (Mathiason, 2007). Collective bargaining is where employers and employees negotiate agreements that regulate terms of employment. Employees belong to a union that voices their interests. Collective bargaining in the automobile industry in United States has developed since 1930’s. ... According to Block (2006), Ford and GM companies UAW negotiated wage increases by an average of 7.2% annually from 1961-1980 and increased by 3.6% from 1985-2004. The union also negotiated for employment security, and this amounted to 5.9% to the hourly income paid by the companies. Following this, the union traded half of its wage increase for job security guarantees. However, in 2005 and 2006, the union negotiations focused on health care and employment levels. This resulted to companies faced with the dilemma of paying for health care benefits of retirees. Health insurance was, therefore, not provided by non-U.S.-based firms opened in the mid-1980. In 2006- 2007, GM and Ford reflected this concern by providing health care benefits to active employees for the remainder of their employment contracts. Eventually, the two organizations drew a plan whereby they paid for health insurance of active employees and retirees. This has resulted in severe financial losses for automobile indust ries such as Ford and GM. Considering the Occupational Safety and Health Act, the general duties of first-line managers include providing safe areas of access and exit to place of work, providing healthy and safe place of work, maintaining safe facilities, equipment and working areas and ensuring safe work systems. The first line managers ensure management and other staff members comply with their duties regarding safety and health regulations in the work place (Pomfret, 2006). On the other hand, finance managers ensure the company adopts and integrates an effective Occupational Safety and Health regulation Act. This leads to a sound investment and produces excellent financial rewards for the company. They plan, organize, lead and control all

Do You Believe that Our Sex and Gender Rules are Social Constructions Term Paper

Do You Believe that Our Sex and Gender Rules are Social Constructions - Term Paper Example This essay declares that the gender of newborn had to be identified based on the genitalia, and in cases of â€Å"ambiguous† genitalia, babies had to undergo reparative surgery, whereas the clinical staff assigned a corresponding gender to a child. After the gender was surgically assigned to the baby, it was socially reinforced through various identifications such as clothing, bringing up process, etc. The cases of surgical procedures on reparation children’s genitalia, defined by clinicians as Disorders of Sexual Development perfectly illustrate how people are trying to â€Å"adapt biological diversity to socially constructed sex-gender binary†. This project stresses that nowadays, variation in genders is a more acceptable issue in society and has increased interest in the medical community. Comparing the two articles written by Fausto-Sterling in 7-years interval it is possible to see that during a quite small period of time human perception of intersexuals as full-fledged unit of society has increased significantly. Whether the other three sexes will be soon recognized fully by the society or not, providing those individuals with absolutely equal conditions and treatment, is not known. The only thing that is definitely clear is that scientific research and time do change social perception of the human body. The things perceived a century ago as nonsense, nowadays are viewed as absolutely common and understandable.

Obesity is a problem that gives rise to more problems Essay

Obesity is a problem that gives rise to more problems - Essay Example How ever a measure commonly used by doctors to assess over weight and obesity is the body mass index (BMI). The body mass index does not measure body fat directly but is calculated by dividing a person's weight in pounds by his or her height in square inches and multiplying it by 703. As obesity has harmful consequences as mentioned earlier it is essential for individual to have routine check ups and keep a close watch on their body mass index so they can prevent them selves from becoming over weight or obese. Obesity does not occur overnight in fact it occurs slowly and steadily over time. For most people obesity is a result of an energy imbalance that is they end up taking in more calories than their body uses. But there can be many other causes as well including environmental and genetic causes. The environmental and social causes include decreased physical activity and intake of energy dense foods that are high in calories and fat and low in vitamins, minerals and proteins. The decrease in physical activity can be attributed to modern technology and a high paced life style. People would rather drive than walk, order things online than go out and shop for them, sit in front of the pc or TV than exercise and order in or go out and eat at fast food restaurants than waste their time cooking healthy food at home. Also advertising attracts consumers toward buying junk food and the fact that there are vending machines and fast food restaurants add to the temptation. Genetically obesity is ca used by hormonal imbalances such as an under active thyroid in which as the name suggests the thyroid gland does not make enough thyroid hormone, lack of the thyroid hormone slows down the body's metabolism system and consequently results in weight gain. Other causes include lack of sleep, depression, tension, stress and pregnancy cause weight gain as in all these situations people tend to eat more then usual. Also the intake of certain corticosteroids or medication for seizures results in weight gain. Ageing causes weight gain because as people age their metabolisms slow down. Also people who quit smoking gain weight as food tastes and smells better. (WIM, 2006) Obesity has serious impacts on health. Obesity can cause cardiovascular diseases such as heart attacks and strokes which are caused due to the build up of fatty tissues on the walls of arteries which restrict the supply of blood to the heart. Obesity can cause type 2 diabetes which is caused by high blood sugar levels and osteoarthritis which is the wearing away of the tissue that protects joints due to pressure that results from excess weight. Obesity increases the risk of colon breast gallbladder and endometrial cancers. Also obesity may cause sleep apnea in which breathing stops for short periods during sleep due to build up of fat around the neck and reproductive problems. (Kelly, 2008) Thankfully obesity is treatable it's just a matter of making healthy choices and setting do able goals. Obesity can be cured by making lifestyles alterations which include eating healthy food and staying physically active. An eating plan should be developed as to maintain an energy balance. This plan should be low in total, saturated, and trans fat; cholesterol; sodium and sugar. There fore processed foods like junk food and fast food should be avoided and replaced with fresh vegetables, fruits and meats. Also people should not indulge in over eating and aim for 60 to 90 minutes of daily moderate

Transcultural Nursing Essay Example for Free

Transcultural Nursing Essay The country of Nigeria is located in Western Africa bordering the Gulf of Guinea (Bureau of African Affairs, 2011). The Cultural interview discussed in this paper was conducted on a 33 year old man who migrated to the United States of America from Nigeria 4 years ago. â€Å"Nigeria has over 50 languages and over 250 dialects and ethnic groups† (Central Intelligence Agency, 2011). The three largest groups are the Hausa-Fulani, the Igbo, and the Yoruba. Nigeria music is mostly folk-like. It is very popular worldwide due to the unique instruments played such as the gongon drums (Faola Heaton, 2008). The person I interviewed is a coworker of mine. Our interview took place in Taco Bell in Willoughby, Ohio, November 20th at 11 A. M. We spoke for about 1 hour and 40 minutes. During our interview I asked questions about the standards of living in Nigeria, and cultural beliefs and practices. I also asked individual questions about personal life and perceptions about Nigerian and American culture. According to my interviewee most of the houses in Western Africa are made out of brick. The only people who are able to have things such as air conditioning, televisions, and telephone service are rich people. Most jobs in Nigeria pay in salary rather than by the hour. During my research for this assignment I discovered that the average interest rate to buy a home in Nigeria is 17% -24% (Bureau of African Affairs, 2011). The taxes are also higher when compared to the United States. The unemployment rate is increasing rapidly which is also accompanied by an increased in crime rates. Approximately, there is a hijack taking place every two minutes (Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, 2011). The traditional Nigerian family consists of the father, his wife, and their children. The father is considered the head of the household and usually works to bring in the money while his wife takes care of the house and kids. The oldest male or father is the dominant figure in the household, and all the decisions that may affect the family go through him first. The oldest son in the family can take such a role in the absence of the father. From a very young age, children (especially males) are expected to contribute to family obligations, and help the family in any way necessary. Laziness is unacceptable and is considered a sign of weakness. The children’s responsibilities grow as they get older. It is not uncommon for older sons to drop out of school so they can work and help the family. Daughters usually help with things such as cooking, doing laundry, babysitting, etc. Elders are treated with a lot of respect and their advice and guidance is always taken into consideration when making any important decisions. The proper way to greet an elder person is by kneeling down which is considered a sign of respect and obedience (Anonymous Personal Communication, November 25, 2011). Because of the rising unemployment rates, women are now also expected to work outside of their homes and contribute to their family’s income. There are certain parts of Nigeria that are extremely traditional and where women are treated like possessions with no rights and loss of identity. In many cases women are expected to work and earn an income, maintain the household duties, and fulfill the sexual desires of their men. Males are always admired while women are considered inferior. Females are usually raised to serve and be submissive and obedient to men (Anonymous Personal Communication, November 25, 2011). There are many marriages that end when the woman in the relationship gives birth to too many females (Faola Heaton, 2008). My interviewee states that this is less common in bigger more develop cities. Many families have an average of 10 or more children which is considered a sign of stability and good status; however, this is also becoming less common as having more children also leads to economic burden in today’s society (Faola Heaton, 2008). Nigerians tend to be very family oriented people, and are usually very close to extended family and relatives. Most Nigerians live with their extended family in either the same house or in separate houses that are close together. Neighbors are often considered part of the extended family. It does not matter whether they are related or not (Anonymous Personal Communication, November 25, 2011). My interviewee shared with me several stories of how when he was a kid his neighbors were very involved in his childhood practically raising him. Holiday celebrations are a reason for big family gatherings and parties. There are many similarities when comparing holiday celebrations in Nigeria and the United States. Nigerians celebrate New Year’s Day, Christmas day, and Easter just like people do in the United States. Their labor day is often referred to as â€Å"workers’ day†. They also have a â€Å"freedom day† where they celebrate their first real election of April 27th, 1994 (Faola Heaton, 2008). Election Day is also considered a public holiday. Nigeria has a â€Å"dry season† and a â€Å"rainy season† each year. Their Christmas is usually during the middle of summer. My research done for this assignment indicates that Rugby is the largest and most popular sport in Africa (Bureau of African Affairs, 2011); however, my interviewee states that Soccer is even more popular in Nigeria (Anonymous Personal Communication, November 25, 2011). There are usually big festivals that occur before and after each game for both sports. Hunting is also a very popular sport in Western Africa. My interviewee describes Nigeria as a very beautiful place full of nature, and where deer are a lot bigger than in the United States. It is very common to see lions, leopards, rhinos, elephants and buffalo crossing streets or simply strolling around the side of roads. My interviewee is from South East Nigeria. Besides English, he speaks Ibibio and Efic which are two â€Å"vernacular† languages meaning they are native and indigenous in certain areas (Central Intelligence Agency, 2011). English is considered the official business language. My interviewee has a wife and two kids. He used to have his own business in Nigeria being a traveling agent and attended college to study marketing. His main goal is to become a Registered nurse (which he is currently attending school for) and to one day own his own business. Education is perceived to be very important in Western Africa culture even though many people never get the opportunity to attend college. Traditionally, most young adults continue living with their parents until they get married, even if they have to travel long distances for school (Anonymous Personal Communication, November 25, 2011). Most people living in Nigeria have diets based on organic foods that are low in preservatives, non-fried foods, and non-animal fat. Eating meat and going out to restaurants are options that are often avoided because very few people can afford them. Most food consumed comes from local farms and mainly consists of crops such as plantains, corn, yams, and sweet potatoes. Papaya, pineapples, coconuts, oranges, mangoes, and bananas are also readily available. My interviewee’s favorite dishes are cassava which is a starchy root with a crisp white flesh and Nigerian Suya which are considered delicacies. Nigerian Suya is a method of roasting meat that tastes like barbecue. My interviewee dislikes American food because he says is very unhealthy and very hard to chew (Anonymous Personal Communication, November 25, 2011). West African culture is rich in health care practices that consist of a variety of home and folk remedies. Many people visit shamans, exorcists, card readers, advisors and sorcerers just to mention a few prior to seeking conventional medical help from doctors. Many ethnic groups in Nigeria are against Western medicinal practice including vaccinations or taking any type of pill (Central Intelligence Agency, 2011). Home remedies usually include special teas and foods recommended for specific illnesses. My interviewee states that when he or anyone else in his family is sick they try to rest as much as possible, take plenty of fluids, and visit a doctor. He also does yearly doctor checkups. One major risk behavior in Nigerian culture is the lack of protection when having sex and having multiple sex partners or sex with strangers (Unites States Agency of International Development, 2011). Not participating in Western medicinal practices can be considered a risk behavior. Even though people seem to be very well aware of the dangers of such behavior they continue to do same thing out of ignorance and a variety of personal beliefs. My interviewee shared with me how difficult it was for him and his family to adapt to a new culture. Some examples given were: learning how to drive on the right side of the road, learning how to handle U. S. currency, and understanding American slang. I have been living in the United States for 13 years and I still do not understand American slang. My interviewee also had to learn how to pump his own gas. In Nigeria gas stations pump the gas for you because they are afraid that you might try to drive away without paying (Anonymous Personal Communication, November 25, 2011). One of the hardest things my interviewee had to learn was to control his Sense of distance and attitude when approaching people for the first time. He states that in Nigeria everyone is very close and friendly with each other. Touch is considered an integral part of Nigerian culture but is misinterpreted in the United States (Anonymous Personal Communication, November 25, 2011). He states that when he first moved here he immediately noticed how people reacted to him â€Å"strangely for acting too happy and friendly†. Now he tries to be â€Å"a bit more serious and reserved† when meeting someone for the first time (Anonymous Personal Communication, November 25, 2011). According to my interviewee most people in Nigeria are Christians. The few people that are not Christian usually worship different deities, spirits, ancestors, and Gods. There is a God for every element on earth and many other ones. The reason why Christianity is expanding rapidly is because of the many missionaries that come every year to help people in need and expand the message of God (Anonymous Personal Communication, November 25, 2011). My interviewee did not mention anything about Muslims or Islam. According to my research â€Å"it is estimated that 50 percent of Nigerians are Muslims, 40 percent are Christian, and that remaining 10 percent practice various indigenous religions† (McLaughlin, 2006). Differences between Muslims and Christians have created a lot of conflict in Nigeria. This is why most Nigerians try to marry within their own religion. The majority of Christians live in the southern part of Nigeria while the Muslims predominate in the North (McLaughlin, 2006). This assignment was challenging but very rewarding. I like to travel around the world and learn about different cultures. I will put the knowledge learned from this assignment into action and encourage others to do the same. I think that it is important to keep an open mind and respect and value any differences in culture. Expecting others to assimilate to ones culture is wrong and futile. Cultural diversity will always be a very important issue in nursing practice for many years to come. The United States of America is becoming a lot more than the so called melting pot and we nurses need to be prepared.

The Meaning And Purpose Of Life Philosophy Essay

The Meaning And Purpose Of Life Philosophy Essay What is the purpose of life? What is the meaning of it? Why are we here? Is there a God or isnt there? Which religion is the most correct? Is there an afterlife? There are too many questions that people have struggled for millenniums to tackle. In fact, the way we answer these questions will provide the ultimate context for everything else we do with our lives (Pavlina, 2005). So if nobody knows his purpose of life, maybe, each one of us should choose it independently. Here is a trick I think we should define the purpose of life but not the goals, because our goals may vary and some of them may be reached earlier than the life will end. However, the sense, the meaning passes through the whole life. So, the purpose of life is the life of purpose (Leider). Im Christian and I believe we are created in Gods image for relationship with him. Being in that relationship is the only thing that will ultimately satisfy our souls (Pavlina, 2005). But admittedly, I dont realize what will end the emptiness in my life, what exactly will end such a lack of fulfillment. It is true when people keep God out trying to find fulfillment in something other than God, they will never get enough of that thing. Augustine summarized it in such a way: You [God] have made us for yourself and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in Thee. So there is something inside every human being that cries out for significance; something inside of us that wants to know that we are not just breathing air, not occupying space, but were actually here for a reason and were making a difference. Im convinced there was something in the mind of God when he made each one of us; something that he wanted us to do while we were here. So purpose is not the process of figurin g out what I want to do with my life, but it is really a matter of aligning me with what was in the designers mind. I believe the key is to make a relationship with the creator; so that he can reveal you who you really are, and what your purpose is. My overall religion has effectively become a religion of personal growth. Every day I continue to combine my beliefs trying to bring them into closer alignment with my best understanding of how reality actually works. I think people have been used for many noble purposes in order to recognize the one they were designed for. Children are flowers of life. This is the reason to live. They continue human race, save our life experience, bring infinite happiness to their parents, and at last take care of them when they are old. Loveà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ I think it is the most pure feeling, the source of persistent, unreasonable happiness. One more thing is altruism. Such an unselfish concern for the welfare of others (Eddy, 1998) is an ideal human life. So I consider all these purposes are intended to evaluate my progress and inspire further progress in the realization of my life purpose. I dont believe that money and power can be our purpose of life. Yes, money may satisfy your needs. Power can give you the right not to carry out someones orders. However, people who have money and power are always surrounded with hypocrisy, jealousy, evil and hatred. I know for sure that we didnt come to this world to buy things and die. We came here because each one of us has a unique purpose that gives us a unique drive. So here Im asking myself: what is it that I do naturally; what is it that I do the best. I believe if the person find such an activity, he will be content, fullfilled. Since early childhood I loved to be an actress. I was occupied with puppet-theatre for 8 years. So Id always dreamed when I grew up, I would enter the theatrical university. I knew it is the best thing I could do act. I woke up in the morning energized, excited about the day, excited about my life. Coming back from school even if that day happenned to be a challenging day with many problems, I was full of power, passion and excitement because I knew I had my purpose. But I had such dreambusters as parents, society who told me You should not do that, Youre not god in that, and Thats not a good way to be. So I was completely suppressed and forgot about my dream. A nd now Im here, at LCC International University where Im studying business administration. It was my choice. But Im not happy. There is something that I know Im not in the right place in life. I dont want to do my job just to pay the bills and to be unsatisfied because this is not in alignment with who I am. So, maybe the purpose is being in the right place in the right time doing the right thing. You are what your deep driving desire is; As your deep driving desire is, so is your will; As your will is so is your deed; As your deed is so is your destiny (The Upanishads). There is no one individual on the planet that is not extraordinary. Every person is unique. So there is a potential within us to make a huge difference in the world within our certain sphere of influence because each one of us has a unique purpose.

Carers of elderly Dementia sufferers

Carers of elderly Dementia sufferers Introduction The aim of this patient case study is to discuss the care and nursing interventions that an older person with dementia received in his home within the community during placement. There will be discussions focusing on normal ageing process, taking into account the relevant biological, sociological and physiological perspectives and the impact this had on this individuals life experience. The relevant epidemiology and aetiology factors will be examined and the social and kinship support networks will be identified, how they work together to provide individual holistic patient care, and finally the impact of current legislation on the overall care provided will be analysed. The learning experience and actions that I will take in order to ensure my continued professional development and learning will be discussed, followed by the conclusion. The rationale for this is to demonstrate an understanding of the theoretical and practical links in caring for individuals with this condition in th e community Confidentiality is maintained in conjunction with NMC (2010). Thus a pseudonym (Scot) is adopted where the clients name is mentioned. Scot was chosen for the purpose of this case study because his strength of character was admired and a good relationship was established. . The patients permission was obtained after an explanation of the purpose and proposed content of the case study, with a CPN present. Context Scot is a 67 year old man with a long term history of psychosis. Recently he had been diagnosed with Alzheimers disease, a type of dementia which affects the brain cells and brain nerve transmitters, which carry instructions around the brain. Scot is also a non-insulin dependent diabetic and has hypertension, both of which are controlled by oral medication and had been non-compliant of late. Due to the decline of his mental state, he has been refusing access to his main carer (his wife) and was at risk of self-neglect. His aggressive outbursts follow an unpredictable pattern where his mood could change from pleasant and content to a highly agitated in a short pace of time. More recently, he has been observed to become low in mood and isolate himself. In particular, Scots aggressive behaviour could put others at risk of harm, or Scot could put himself at risk of retaliation from others. He has become lost and disoriented, even within the relatively small confines of the family home. S cot and his wife had been married for over 40 years. Initially his wife managed well, but as time went by and the dementia worsened, she found it increasingly difficult to look after her husband, do her household chores and have any life for herself. She could not leave him alone while she shopped, and it was too difficult to take him along. Eventually the stress, the low morale and the frustration of caring for Scot began to toil on her (Hoe et al 2009). What seemed to have been the last straw for Scots wife was when he started squatting in corners and urinating on the floor. Scot began to progressively have less interest inside and outside home, which is highlighted by intellectual, emotional and memory disturbances of dementia (Dexter et al, (1999). The deterioration again led him to becoming absent- minded, forgetting appointments, forgetting about his meals and forgetting things he has left in the house. It further progressed to extreme situations where he would recall past eve nts of his youthful days but not about the recent events. He would also get up in the middle of the night wandering around the house, which resulted in many falls and injuries to him. This major memory disturbance resulted in manifestation of confusion affecting his daily structure and routine of life. Current medication He had been well managed on Quetiapine until he had stopped taking the medication and his psychosis had worsened. Quetiapine is an oral antipsychotic drug used for treating schizophrenia and similar disorders. Like other anti-psychotics, it inhibits communication between nerves of the brain. Frequent adverse effects include headache, agitation, dizziness, drowsiness, weight gain and stomach upset (Ballard et al 2005). There is an interaction between Scots medication and his behaviour which requires a more skilled professional being required to administer medication. Aetiology Dementia as a disorder, is manifested by multiple cognitive defects, such as impaired memory, aphasia, apraxia and a disturbance in occupational or social functioning Howcroft (2004). Thus disturbances in executive functioning are seen in the loss of the ability to think abstractly, having difficulty performing tasks and the avoidance of situations, which involves processing information. The brain shrinks as gaps develop in the temporal lobe and hippocampus. The ability to speak, remember and make decisions is interrupted (ADS, 2011). Medical history Seven (7) years ago, he had a mild stroke. He has fractured both of his wrists and has no sensation of the heat or cold on his hands but can move and use his fingers perfectly fine. Referral Scot was referred to the CMHT on the 03 May 2011 by his General Practitioner (GP) with severe cognitive impairments due to Alzheimers disease for further assessment and treatment, as concerns have been raised about his vulnerability to exploitation by others. Epidemiology The Health of the Nation (DOH, 1991), Our Healthier Nation (DOH, 1998), and more recently, Living Well with Dementia (DOH, 2009) use information from the public health domain to look at trends and set targets for improvement. It aims to secure continuing improvement in the general health of the population by adding years to life and life to years. Overall, about 5% of the population over 65 has dementia, and the prevalence increases markedly with age (PSSRU 2007, ADL 2011)(Appendix 1). A new dementia map of the UK shows stark variations in the number of people suffering from the disease and those who have actually received a medical diagnosis (Appendix 1). Dementia Care Mapping (DCM), an observation tool designed at Bradford University, is a process internationally recognised for promoting a holistic approach to improving life for each individual because it evaluates the quality of the care being provided from the perspective of the person with dementia (BBC 2011) These prevalence rates have been applied to Office of National Statistics (ONS) population projections of the 65 and over population to give estimated numbers of people predicted to have dementia to 2025. The number of people with dementia nationally is forecast to increase by 38% over the next 15 years and 154% over the next 45 years. The estimates for early-onset dementia (onset before the age of 65 years) are comparatively small but, according to national statistics, are significantly under reported. Dementia is a major cause of disability in older people. According to the 2003 World Health Report Global Burden of Disease estimates, dementia contributed 11.2% of all years lived with disability among people aged 60 and over; more than: Stroke (9.5%), musculoskeletal disorders (8.9%).Cardiovascular disease (5.0%) and all forms of cancer (2.4%). Dementia costs the health and social care economy more than cancer, heart disease and stroke combined. Fewer than half of older people with dementia ever receive a diagnosis (DOH, 2009). Assessment A health needs assessment was carried out using my placement tool called CAREBASE and Observation. Assessment is a systematic process that aims to provide a framework for the collection of information relevant for the clients health experience, engage the client in a therapeutic relationship, and identify appropriate care, interventions and services (Thompson and Mathias, 2002). Psychiatric assessment therefore is the attempts to attribute a persons suffering to an underlying illness and thereby identify appropriate treatment (Barker, 2004). Scots assessment took a form of an assessment interview in consultation with his wife and children. The areas which were assessed included a clear description of his current symptoms; a detail and precise description of the problems that he is experiencing and a description of his social, occupational and domestic circumstances. Some other areas of importance were the support available and level of dependence as well as a comprehensive risk asses sment. These enabled me to elicit important information for a good clinical judgement (Guthrie and Lewis, 2007). A relaxed environment was facilitated in Scots home. Open questions were asked to gather as much information as possible to build a holistic picture of Scot, his needs and his community. I then transferred the details onto the University Tool as its contents met my expected learning outcomes. The model chosen to assess Scots needs was an adaptation of Roper Logan Tierney (RLT) model (1983) and the actual and potential problems based on the 12 activities of living were highlighted. This model was chosen as Walsh (1998) suggests it is trying to promote maximum independence and meet Scots needs. Haggart (1994) suggests the Neumans systems model seeks to involve patients in their health care and focuses on prevention. This is congruent with the needs of community nursing. Analysis Scots baseline observations on assessment were: temperature: 37.4 degrees Celsius, her pulse was 105 beats per minute and her blood pressure was 145 millimetres mercury systolic and 90 millimetres mercury diastolic. Scots Body Mass Index (BMI) was calculated and he scored 26, which classified him as being overweight. The lifespan of an obese person is 9 years less than someone of lower weight (Netdoctor, 2004). Obesity causes raised blood pressure and raised cholesterol levels which lead to CHD and stroke. It also fosters inactivity and generally involves an unhealthy diet which together contributes to cancer, diabetes, gall bladder disease, arthritis and musculoskeletal problems (NAO 2001). Because Scot has a chronic illness such as diabetes and is overweight these factors contribute to delay in healing. King (2001) suggests people with diabetes experience more wound healing problems. However, this does not affect Scot as he had no wounds. A recent study by Brown et al (2004) indicates that majority of people who are obese have some form of skin problems. In Scots case dryness, broken skin, red patches and itchiness were identified. A moving and handling assessment derived by Pilling (1993) score of 5 was obtained for Scot due to his body weight being above 17 stones. Scot is fully mobile and therefore no equipment was needed. Pilling and Frank (1994) report that this is a tool and should not be substituted for professional judgement or knowledge of correct handling techniques. With regards to sleep, it was identified that he has unstructured and lesser sleep patterns which is a contributing factor to his restless and agitations during the day. He also has difficulty in hearing. Furthermore, assessment of other age related physiological and psychological degeneration of vision, auditory, speech, impaired cognition etc. are essential for baseline assessment and understanding the effects of physical and mental capabilities of an older person. Care Plan All identified needs of Scot, which were highlighted as personal hygiene, nutritional intake, safe environment and sleeping (Roper et al, 1996). , were integrated into his care plan approach and the appropriate interventions were taken. The care plan was for Scot to be given one to one counselling sessions each day and encouraged to discuss topics related to reality such as current affairs, his family, home life or social life. The rationale for this action is supported by Schultz and Videbeck (2002), who assert that familiarity with, and trust in staff members can decrease a clients fears and suspicions, leading to decreases anxiety. Discussing familiar topics also stimulates patients to maintain contact with the real world and their place in it (Stuart and Laraia, 1998). He is to be monitored on his medication and mental state in order for him to maintain optimum level of physical and mental wellbeing. This was to include exercise, social group activities and a good balance of flui d and food intake. He was also to be encouraged and engage in social activities during the day to help him have adequate sleep during the night. It was also included that Scot should be on primary observation to ensure his safety. Scots family are his main carers. His daughters visit him regularly. Twigg (1994) suggests that the largest provider of care services in the community is the army of family, friends and neighbours who are reported to number over six million people. The National Strategy for Carers (1990) defines an informal carer as someone providing care without payment for a relative or friend who is disabled, sick, vulnerable or frail (Cooper et al, 2008). Fitting et al (1986) found that women more often feel obliged to give care than men and have more difficulty in coping with the dependency of their dementing relative. INTERVENTIONS Following Scots initial assessment, certain problems were identified and her care plan was initiated. Scots identified problems were nutrition, safety, sleep, pain, medication and dying. The agreed goal for Scots problem of nutrition was to ensure adequate dietary and fluid intake and this was to be achieved by referring Scot to the dietician and offering Scot small, appetising meals and monitor dietary intake. Nutritional assessment according to Harris and Bond (2002) should be integrated with the overall nursing assessment and the plan of care and implemented and evaluated and involves identifying and evaluating patients nutritional status using assessable techniques to quantify any impairment or risk, such as food record charts and risk assessment scores. The degree of Scots safety was assessed due to his potential risk of falling and causing harm to himself. To promote safe environment for Scot, all potential hazardous objects were removed, and that familiar objects including pictures, calendars, activity sheets were rather put in place to orientate him to his surroundings. To reinforce this, he was discussed with what was happening around him. All interaction with Scot also involved communicating clearly about one topic at a time so that he is not confused with excessive information (Holden et al, 1982). He was given hearing aid equipment, which was constantly checked for proper functioning. This was emphasised with effective verbal and non-verbal communication. During these times it was imperative to use tone of voice which was conductive to his hearing, appropriateness of touch, good eye contact, gestures and allowing Scot to express his fears and desires, all in an atmosphere of acceptance and reassurance. This was to build a rap port and maintain a trusting therapeutic relationship with him (Egan 2002). To reduce some of the night time disturbances, Scot was involved in a sleep hygiene programme which included maintaining regular times for rising and going to bed, avoiding stimulants such as alcohol and tobacco and using the bedroom only for sleep. Taking him for a walk, attending OT sessions and other social group activity also increased his daytime activity. Relaxation and breathing exercises was part of the caring process for Scot, which were intended to give him mastery over his symptoms especially when he became anxious or unable to sleep. And although there seemed to be no significant process being made by Scot on the breathing exercise, the programme continued to be reassessed and reviewed. His care programme also took into account some of the normal ageing process associated with old age such as the presence of pathology affecting the overall functioning of the individual. For instance, during Scots assessment for nutritional intake it was important to take into account the fact that many older people have a reduced food intake as result of being less active and reduced lean body mass which leads to a low intake of nutrients such as vitamins and minerals (Norman, et al 1997). A further factor considered was that of the medication which when used to treat certain conditions can in fact cause depression, which is brought on by the toxicity of the drugs. The elderly are more prone to toxicity because of their impaired absorption, metabolism, and excretion of drugs (Cosgray and Hanna, 1993). It was imperative to note that the older person tend to take medication errors such as omission of doses and incorrect dosage when they are self-administering a drug and many elderly people tend to take a number of different drugs for different ailments which causes further confusion. Thus all non-prescription medications such as bottles, out of date prescription items were also removed from the reach of Scot. This was to prevent Scot having access to potentially dangerous medication and inadvertently taking them incorrectly. Until his condition improved, his medication was given to staff in the community. Scot constantly brought up the issue of dying during every one to one session with him. Although he did not want to end his present condition by committing suicide, he accepted death as an invertible end, which he anticipates will inevitably come soon for him (Sampson et al 2011, Samson 2010). His main concern was to be able to work and spend time in his garden again before he died. However, he did have the tendency to be rather depressed of what he saw as not doing much in his prime days to fulfil his ambitions. This sometimes brought on a sense of guilt and sadness to Scot. The National Service Framework for older people (DoH, 2001) emphasised the need to support carers in their role. Scots wife was therefore educated about how to handle the decline capabilities of her husband including how to provide safe environment for Scot and help him with respite programmes that will give her a break from her care-giving responsibilities. Scots wife also received education and information about how and why her husband behaves in his condition and how she can reduce the feelings of anxiety, tension and loss of control that has resulted from the impact of Scots deterioration. CONCLUSION From this study, I learnt that, assessing the health needs of patients like Scot can be beneficial to him and his family. By conducting a thorough assessment and involving patient participation, a satisfactory package of care was made available to meet Scots health needs. Furthermore, I learnt patients can be fully aware of all the services that are available and the capacity of making choices at the time of assessment The NHS plan (2000) was a modernisation strategy where 19 billion pounds was invested for a ten-year plan 2000-2010. It introduced the National Service Frameworks (NSF), which set national standards and identify key interventions for a defined service or care group, put in place strategies to support implementation and established ways to ensure progress within an agreed time scale. The plan was developed to shift the balance of power from top down to bottom up and involve patient participation. The impact of the policy related directly to patient care and all patients including Scot are entitled to a basic package of care by being a member of a PCT. Scot benefits from an enhanced package of care, as the NSF for older people (2001) and NSF for diabetes (1999) is available. Local community facilities such as a bowling club and voluntary services such as Alzheimers Society and Age Concern are also used by Scot. By the end of my placement, evaluations showed that although there have not been significant changes in Scots mental and physical state, it is also imperative to note that he has been supported and maintained well to carry some of the daily activities of living. Whilst Scots care plan continued to be reviewed, there is also an on-going support and educational programmes for his wife, which will enable her to effectively care for Scot. I have understood that whenever I undertake care, I must take a holistic view of the persons physiological, psychological and social circ umstance in order to provide effective and continuous care. The model of care used on the (activities of living) worked fairly well for Scot. However, I do not feel it is a holistic model of care and focuses largely on the biomedical model of health. REFERENCES Alzheimers Disease Society ADS (2011) The prevalence of dementia. London. Alzheimers Society Ballard C, Margallo-Lana M, Juszczak E, Douglas S, Swann A, Thomas A, OBrien J, Everratt A, Sadler S, Maddison C, Lee L, Bannister C, Elvish R, Jacoby R (2005) Quetiapine and rivastigmine and cognitive decline in Alzheimers disease: randomised double blind placebo controlled trial. British Medical Journal 330: 874 Barker, P. (2004) Assessment in Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing. In search of the whole person. London: Nelson Thornes. Guthrie, E. Lewis, S. (2007) Psychiatry. A clinical core text with self-assessment. London: Churchill Livingstone. Hoe, J., Challis, D., Livingston, G., Orrell, M. (2009). Changes in the quality of life of people with dementia living in care homes. Alzheimer Disease and Associated Disorders 23(3), 285-290 Cooper, C., Katona, C., Orrell, M., Livingston, G. (2008). Coping strategies, anxiety and depression in caregivers of people with Alzheimers disease. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry 23(9), 929-936 Department of Health (2009) Living Well with Dementia: A National Strategy. The Stationary Office, London Department of Health (1990). The NHS and Community Care Act. London, HMSO Department of Health (2000). The NHS Plan: A Plan for Investment. London, HMSO Department of Health (1998). Saving lives: Our Healthier Nation. White Paper, Stationary Office, London Department of Health (2009) Living well with dementia: A National Dementia Strategy Department of Health 2009 www.dh.gov.uk/dementia Department of Health. Projecting Older People Population Information System http://www.poppi.org.uk Dementia UK: A report into the prevalence and cost of dementia, Personal Social Services Research Unit (PSSRU) at the London School of Economics and the Institute of Psychiatry at Kings College London, 2007 Dexter G. and Walsh M. (1999) Psychiatry nursing Skills: A patient control Approach. 2nd edition London. Chapman Hall Egan G (2002) The Skilled Helper: A problem management Opportunity Development approach to helping 7th edition C A Brooks/Cole Fitting M, Rabins P, Lucas M J, Eastham J 91986). Caregivers for demented patients: a comparison of husband and wives. Gerontologist 26(3):248-252 Haggart, M (1994. A Critical Analysis of Neumans Systems Model in Relation to Public Health Nursing. Journal of Advanced Nursing. 18: 1917-1922 Holden U Woods R T (1982) Reality orientation:psychological approaches to the confused elderly. Edinburgh Churchill Livingston http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-12598706 Accessed 10/05/2011 http://www.alzheimers-tesco.org.uk/Accessed 13/05/20011 King, L (2001). Impaired Wound Healing in Patients with Diabetes. Nursing Standard. 15(38): 39-45 Kenney R A (1989) Physiology of ageing:a sypnosis 3rd edition Year book medical publishers, Chicago Livingston, G., Leavey, G., Manela, M., Livingston, D., Rait, G., Sampson, E., Bavishi, S., Shahriyarmolki, K., Cooper, C. (2010). Making decisions for people with dementia who lack capacity: qualitative study of family carers in UK.. BMJ 341, c4184- Mental Health Observatory. Estimating the prevalence of common mental health problems in PCTs in England: A first approximation of the expected caseload for new psychological therapy services. May 2008. http://www.nepho.org.uk/mho/needs Morrissey M and Beila C (1997) Snoezelen: benefits for nursing older clients. Nursing Standard. 12 (3); 38-40 National Service Framework for Older People (2001). www.dh.gov.uk. (Accessed 13 May 2011) National Audit Office (2001). Tackling Obesity in England. London, NAO National Service Framework for Diabetes (1999). www.dh.gov.uk. (Accessed 23 April 2011) National Statistics (2001). www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk. (Accessed 5 May 2011) Netdoctor (2004). www.netdoctor.co.uk. (Accessed 12 May 2011) Norman I.J. and Redfern S J (1997) Mental health care for elderly people London Churchill Livingston NMC (2008) The Code: standard of conduct, performance and ethics for nurses and midwives. London: Nursing and Midwifery council Pilling, S (1993). Calculating the Risk. Nursing Standard. 8(6): 18-20 Roper, N., Logan, W.W and Tierney, A.J. (1996). Using a Model for Nursing. Edinburgh, Churchill Livingstone Sampson, E. L., Harrison Dening, K. (2011). Palliative care and end of life care. In Dening, T., Milne, A. (Eds.). Mental Health and Care Homes ( ). Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. Publisher URL [Accepted] Sampson, E. L. (2010). Palliative care for people with dementia. British Medical Bulletin , PMID: 20675657 Schultz G M and Videbeck S D (20020 Linppinacotts manual of psychiatric nursing care plans. 6th edition. Philadelphia. Linppicott Thompson, T. and Mathias, P. (eds.) (2002) Lyttles Mental Health Nursing and Disorder. London: Bailliere Tindall. Twiggs, T (1994). Carers Perceived. Milton Keynes, Open University Press Watson, N and Wilkinson, C (2001). Nursing in Primary Care: A Handbook for Students. London, Butterworth Heinemann

God Promises to Abraham Essay -- Religion, Genesis, Child Sacrifices

After going through the pain of childbirth, naming their babies, seeing their children grow up, and dreaming of their futures, filicide is usually far from the minds of most parents. The emotional ties that parents share with their children are hard to sever, yet in Genesis the culture was accepting of child sacrifices. The fear of the gods was stronger in ancient times, when science was lacking appropriate explanations, and so gods were believed to cause natural events. If the God from Genesis, who was much more powerful than any man and exponentially more vengeful, told parents to sacrifice their child, for the sake of their family (and the rest of the population for that matter), then the pious parents would sacrifice that child—even if the intent was not to kill, but to test worshipers. Modern culture frowns upon the act of filicide, and parallels Greek society’s view that child sacrifice was not an option. Yet, even in that society, Medea commits filicide with hardly any involvement of a Greek god or a seer. Medea willfully chooses to execute her offspring with prideful malice in response to her unfaithful husband in a disapproving society, while Abraham in Genesis piously follows his God and the social norms of his time by offering up his beloved child—and is saved from his loss because of his great faith. The audience of Medea would be repulsed with her selfish motives while Abraham (whose wife was barren for many years) would be praised for his immovable trust in God’s promises. God promises Abraham that He will â€Å"make your [Abraham’s] offspring as numerous as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore† (Genesis 22:17). Abraham is married to Sarah who â€Å"was barren; she had no children† (11: 30). Ch... ...r own children—that was written by Euripides. The chorus, who signifies the common people and the women of Corinth, pleads with Medea to reconsider her choice after they name her â€Å"most unholy woman† for considering this act. They have only heard of â€Å"just one other woman/who dared to attack, to hurt her own children† and so supports that child-killing was not the norm (1323-24). Medea’s hamartia would have been her intense hubris and stubbornness that caused her to kill her children. The audience would not have felt as much sympathy to Medea as they would have given Abraham, the pious follower. Medea’s power struggle was not something the average citizen would have to deal with and the culture would not have been supportive. Abraham, however, was justified in his culture and did what he believed to be right, and so was rewarded by the salvation of his first born.

1984 vs. Brave New World :: compare contrast

There are lots of ways to compare 1984 by George Orwell to Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. They both have to do with very futuristic ideas. I noticed that they both had basically the same character structure. In 1984, there is the leading lady Julia, and in Brave New World, there is Lenina Crowne. The main male character in 1984 is of course Winston Smith, and the leading man in Brave New World is a cross between Bernard Marx and John the so-called savage. There are also two god-like figures in the novels. I noticed this. One is O'Brien from 1984 and the other is Mustapha Mond from Brave New World. The basic ideas of the two novels are also similar. They have to do with rebellion against the so-called perfect new world and the sanctuary they find at the end. John the savage found peace by hanging himself. (It was hard to notice that, but I did. It made an excellent ending to the novel.) Bernard found peace by being transferred to an island where things were different and supposedly better. Winston found peace by being brainwashed into becoming a person with a totally different personality so that things felt more agreeable. A highly discussed topic in both of the books was sex. In 1984, Winston felt like sex was a rebellion. He is drawn to his lover Julia because she is corrupt and she enjoys sex, although she hides it by being a member of the "anti sex rally". In Brave New World, sex isn't looked upon as a crime, nor is pleasure. In fact, sex is promoted. As long as everyone uses regulation birth control and no one gives birth to a child naturally, then sex is considered perfectly normal. It is even promoted with the children who are decanted, which means that the Utopian embryos are taken out of the bottles in which they've matured. The sexual activities the children participate in is called "erotic play", in which they run around naked exploring one another's bodies in which ever way they please. It is designed to forestall any adult feelings of guilt concerning sex when they are older. So that is one way in which the two stories differ. One promotes sex where the other doesn't and actually demotes it. I will now compare Lenina Crowne to Julia. Lenina Crowne is a girl who would be described as voluptuous or the majority of the Utopian society in which she lives call her pneumatic.

An Introduction to Evolution Essay -- Evolution Science Biology Essays

An Introduction to Evolution   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  What is Evolution? Evolution is the process by which all living things have developed from primitive organisms through changes occurring over billions of years, a process that includes all animals and plants. Exactly how evolution occurs is still a matter of debate, but there are many different theories and that it occurs is a scientific fact. Biologists agree that all living things come through a long history of changes shaped by physical and chemical processes that are still taking place. It is possible that all organisms can be traced back to the origin of Life from one celled organims. The most direct proof of evolution is the science of Paleontology, or the study of life in the past through fossil remains or impressions, usually in rock. Changes occur in living organisms that serve to increase their adaptability, for survival and reproduction, in changing environments. Evolution apparently has no built-in direction purpose. A given kind of organism may evolve only when it occurs in a variety of forms differing in hereditary traits, that are passed from parent to offspring. By chance, some varieties prove to be ill adapted to their current environment and thus disappear, whereas others prove to be adaptive, and their numbers increase. The elimination of the unfit, or the "survival of the fittest," is known as Natural Selection because it is nature that discards or favors a particular being. Evolution takes place only when natural selection operates on apopulation of organisms containing diverse inheritable forms. HISTORY Pierre Louis Moreau de Maupertuis (1698-1759) was the first to propose a general theory of evolution. He said that hereditary material, consisting of particles, was transmitted from parents to offspring. His opinion of the part played by natural selection had little influence on other naturalists. Until the mid-19th century, naturalists believed that each species was created separately, either through a supreme being or through spontaneous generation the concept that organisms arose fully developed from soil or water. The work of the Swedish naturalist Carolus Linnaeus in advancing the classifying of biological organisms focused attention on the close similarity between certain species. Speculation began as to the existence of a sort of blood relationship between... ...y different. For example, the wing of a bird and the wing of a butterfly are analogous; both are used for flight, but they are entirely different structurally. Analogous structures do not indicate evolutionary relationships.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Closely related fossils preserved in continuous successions of rock strata have allowed evolutionists to trace in detail the evolution of many species as it has occurred over several million years. The ancestry of the horse can be traced through thousands of fossil remains to a small terrier-sized animal with four toes on the front feet and three toes on the hind feet. This ancestor lived in the Eocene Epoch, about 54 million years ago. From fossils in the higher layers of stratified rock, the horse is found to have gradually acquired its modern form by eventually evolving to a one-toed horse almost like modern horses and finally to the modern horse, which dates back about 1 million years. CONCLUSION TO EVOLUTION   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Although we are not totally certain that evolution is how we got the way we are now, it is a strong belief among many people today, and scientist are finding more and more evidence to back up the evolutionary theory. An Introduction to Evolution Essay -- Evolution Science Biology Essays An Introduction to Evolution   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  What is Evolution? Evolution is the process by which all living things have developed from primitive organisms through changes occurring over billions of years, a process that includes all animals and plants. Exactly how evolution occurs is still a matter of debate, but there are many different theories and that it occurs is a scientific fact. Biologists agree that all living things come through a long history of changes shaped by physical and chemical processes that are still taking place. It is possible that all organisms can be traced back to the origin of Life from one celled organims. The most direct proof of evolution is the science of Paleontology, or the study of life in the past through fossil remains or impressions, usually in rock. Changes occur in living organisms that serve to increase their adaptability, for survival and reproduction, in changing environments. Evolution apparently has no built-in direction purpose. A given kind of organism may evolve only when it occurs in a variety of forms differing in hereditary traits, that are passed from parent to offspring. By chance, some varieties prove to be ill adapted to their current environment and thus disappear, whereas others prove to be adaptive, and their numbers increase. The elimination of the unfit, or the "survival of the fittest," is known as Natural Selection because it is nature that discards or favors a particular being. Evolution takes place only when natural selection operates on apopulation of organisms containing diverse inheritable forms. HISTORY Pierre Louis Moreau de Maupertuis (1698-1759) was the first to propose a general theory of evolution. He said that hereditary material, consisting of particles, was transmitted from parents to offspring. His opinion of the part played by natural selection had little influence on other naturalists. Until the mid-19th century, naturalists believed that each species was created separately, either through a supreme being or through spontaneous generation the concept that organisms arose fully developed from soil or water. The work of the Swedish naturalist Carolus Linnaeus in advancing the classifying of biological organisms focused attention on the close similarity between certain species. Speculation began as to the existence of a sort of blood relationship between... ...y different. For example, the wing of a bird and the wing of a butterfly are analogous; both are used for flight, but they are entirely different structurally. Analogous structures do not indicate evolutionary relationships.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Closely related fossils preserved in continuous successions of rock strata have allowed evolutionists to trace in detail the evolution of many species as it has occurred over several million years. The ancestry of the horse can be traced through thousands of fossil remains to a small terrier-sized animal with four toes on the front feet and three toes on the hind feet. This ancestor lived in the Eocene Epoch, about 54 million years ago. From fossils in the higher layers of stratified rock, the horse is found to have gradually acquired its modern form by eventually evolving to a one-toed horse almost like modern horses and finally to the modern horse, which dates back about 1 million years. CONCLUSION TO EVOLUTION   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Although we are not totally certain that evolution is how we got the way we are now, it is a strong belief among many people today, and scientist are finding more and more evidence to back up the evolutionary theory.

The Causes of the Collapse of the Bretton Woods System

When U. S. President Richard Nixon formally ended the backing of U. S. currency by the gold standard system in 1971, the noble attempts of the Bretton Woods delegates finally ended. . This paper will examine the causes of the death of the Bretton Woods System: Some have blamed it on the changing situation of the international economic system; others blamed it on the failure of the System itself. We will explore the Bretton Woods System, its ideals and contradictions, in an attempt to discern what indeed went wrong.Fixing the exchange rate between the U. S.  dollar and other currencies was doomed to failure because of various principles of macroeconomics which will be analyzed herein. However, in spite of its failures, the Bretton Woods System played a crucial role in the economic development of Europe and Japan in the decades immediately after World War II.Its original purpose was the economic rehabilitation of Europe and Japan, and in this, the Bretton Woods System was indeed succ essful. The collapse of the Bretton Woods System in 1971 could be traced to a number of reasons. The most important of these was the increasing trade imbalance of the U.S. economy. The Cold War between the United States and the USSR drained the U. S. Treasury, leading to deficit spending, and a surge in imports.In particular, the Vietnam War became a veritable black hole of runaway spending. Furthermore, the rehabilitated economies of Europe and Japan soon made up for lost ground, and caught up to the United States’ economy. The U. S. economy, booming throughout the Fifties and Sixties, finally reached the point of deficit in the early 1970s. At this time, the U. S. started to experience massive cash outflow to the rest of the world.This was certainly instrumental in the collapse of the Bretton Woods System, but not the only reason. A second reason for the end of the Bretton Woods System was the lack of autonomy to maintain its workings. As the U. S. currency came to a crisis in the early 1970s, the System collapsed. The International Monetary Fund (IMF), the authority to control the currency exchange rate, had no power to stop the System from collapsing, and the System subsequently spiraled out of control.The powerlessness of the IMF was due to the lack of autonomy of the U.S. currency dominance based on the gold standard. In this paper, we will show that these reasons were the main causes of the end of the Bretton Woods System, by analyzing the economic data and considering the economists’ and historians’ arguments. The origin of the Bretton Woods System will be explored to clarify the theory behind the System. Additionally, we will review the world economy of the 1950s, when the Bretton Woods System was working effectively, and compare it to the world economy of the 1960s, when the System began to lose effectiveness.The comparison is necessary to answer to the question why the Bretton Woods System became ineffective although it was func tional at the beginning. This paper will also analyze the structure of the International Monetary Fund, to see how that too was instrumental in bringing the Bretton Woods System to its close. It is important to understand how the IMF had been trying to standardize the currency until 1973, the year in which the world transferred to the exchange currency system from a pegged exchange rates system.The United Nations Monetary and Financial Conference, better known as the Bretton Woods Conference, was a meeting among 730 delegates representing the 45 Allied nations of the Second World War. The conference was held at the Mount Washington Hotel in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire. The conference followed the conclusion of the Second World War and convened from July 1 to July 22, 1945. The purpose of the delegates at this Conference was to establish a new global economic order following the trauma of the war, not simply a re-hash of the world economic system of the 1930s.Most economists agreed that that system had not been efficient during the period between world wars. Depression hit the United States in 1929, and recession gripped the world economy in the thirties. While some nations let their currencies float, others set a policy of pegging their currency to gold or other currency. This system had outbreaks of â€Å"competitive devaluation†. In order to keep their reserve at a high level, governments introduced exchange control, restricted the use of foreign currency and imposed higher tariffs barriers to limit the volume of imports.World trade declined because of these restrictions, and the world faced very slow economic recovery in the 1930s. Delegates at the Bretton Woods Conference worked to revamp these short-sighted, restrictive policies. They felt the need to establish economic institutions which would transform the world economy into a well-oiled machine, one which promoted international trade for all countries..The delegates created three major structur es: the International Monetary Fund (IMF); the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) or the World Bank; and the International Trade Organization (ITO). However, in 1950, the U.S. Congress nixed the formation of the ITO, and it never got off the ground. In place of the ITO, a treaty was agreed upon by most of the world economic powers and the rest of the world.The treaty was commonly known as the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), which took over the ITO ideology. The other two institutions, IMF and the World Bank, were to take responsibility of being the bi-pillar system of the Post-Second World War global economy. The purpose of the World Bank was to promote development, and that of the International Monetary Fund was to maintain order in the international monetary system.The delegates of the Bretton Woods Conference based the new global economic structure on a code of what they felt to be economic fairness. This code related to a global regime of fixed but adjustable exchange rates. This system of adjustable rates was designed to implement equity on a world economic scale. The adjustable fixed rate provided exchange rate stability in the short run, just like the gold standard system. At the same time, it also allowed the possibility to adjust the exchange rate when a national balance of payment is in a crucial state of disequilibrium.However, the weakness of this adjustable exchange system was that it lacked the stability, the certainty of the gold standard and the flexibility of the flexed exchange rate regime. Despite the demerits of this currency exchange mechanism, the Bretton Woods System worked fairly well in the 1950s and early 1960s. The adjustable-fixed exchange was successful in increasing international trade and supporting the recovery of the economy in Europe and Japan.The system resulted in the per rate system, under which currencies of the member countries were fixed within 1% of the value of the U.S. dollar, which was pegged to the value of gold. With this system, the IMF was successful between 1946 and 1966, although it had its kinks. The Bretton Woods delegates hastened the integration of the world economy, but they could not so easily achieve a smooth currency exchange system, because the destruction of the Second World War was too massive to recover without unilateral action such as discarding the pegged exchange rate system. Some nations set up their own restrictions on trade and currency exchange so that the IMF could not get those countries into the world currency system.Moreover, the ruined European nations requested massive funding from the IMF until 1950. In spite of IMF mistakes, the global economy progressed after 1951. The Fund successfully spread its economic activities to all members, not just to the fund users. However, after 1966, the world economy changed substantially once again. The problems inherent in the Bretton Woods System started to be exposed gradually in the mid-1960s. Richard N. Cooper, in his book The International Monetary System, listed the features of the Bretton Woods System as well its contradictions..The first characteristic of the system was that member countries of the Bretton Woods System would determine their own domestic economic policies. This permitted autonomy of domestic economies, enabling nations to pursue their own internal economic objectives, such as assuring low inflation or achieving the â€Å"natural† unemployment rate. The second feature of the Bretton Woods System, according to Cooper, was that the U. S. currency be pegged to gold. The third feature was that other nations adopted the adjustable-exchange rates system.Cooper argues that these three features of the Bretton Woods System contradicted each other:: Countries could not frame their national economic policies independently and still maintain fixed exchange rates and currency convertibility except by luck and coincidence. That potential conflict w as recognized by the Bretton Woods architects†¦ Cooper suggests that to fix these contradictions, the creators of the system, the delegates, added two elements. One was the establishment of the IMF, and the other was altering exchange rates under the condition that a nation comes to a severe economic imbalance.According to Cooper, the Bretton Woods System architects assumed that new gold production coming into monetary reserves would be an ample supply to fuel adequate growth. The US dollar, they further assumed, would be able to provide for the required liquidity to keep the exchange rate at the fixed level. However, until the 1970s, growth in the global gold demand had been increasing faster than new gold production. World monetary reserves outside the United States increased by $54 billion, a 4. 5 per cent per annum growth rate.United States gold reserves departed to other countries to the tune of $9 billion, while only $4 billion came from new gold production. Foreign excha nge, which was overwhelmingly in dollars as the medium of choice, supplied $30 billion of the growth in reserves. Additionally, the IMF started, in 1970, to provide Special Drawing Rights (SDRs), which is the new type of international reserve assets generally called â€Å"paper dollars†. U. S. gold reserves declined dramatically during this period because its stock of gold had gone to much of the rest of the world.The reasons for this exodus of American capital were complicated and controversial. Military expenditures involved with the Cold War and the Vietnam War predominate. As the result of heightened expenditures, the United States tried to increase its money supply regardless of being able to back it up with gold reserves. The rest of the world accumulated these lost U. S. reserves until the beginning of the 1970s, which caused uncertainty in the value of the US dollar itself. The second reason for the exodus of U. S. capital was that the European and Japanese economies had caught up to the United States’ economy.Due to the increased economic clout of revived nations, the United States began suffering from the trade deficit. European nations and Japan were taking advantage of the underestimated price of their currency, enabling them to increase the volume of their exports. The United States suffered because of the high price of the dollar relative to other currencies. After accumulation of the wealth, European countries and Japan embarked on converting reserve surpluses into dollar reserves. They practiced this policy because of the interest that could be earned on U. S. dollars.Moreover, if it ever became necessary the U. S. dollar could be converted to gold. These were miscalculations of the International Monetary Fund creators.. In these ways, the Bretton Woods economic structure was undermined, as the nominal price and real value of U. S. currency came into conflict. In 1970, in order to restore the system, the IMF introduced a new inter national reserve asset. Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) were expected to supplement the other components of global reserves, i. e. U. S. dollars and gold. The need for liquidity in the international monetary system was the reason for the creation of SDRs.In 1970, when the SDRs were first allocated, the United States had the largest share, totaling about $867 million, followed by the United Kingdom, at $410 million. According to Acheson, â€Å"A problem†¦ is the prospect of conflict over the amount of SDRs to be created. † The development of the new asset system was eventually unsuccessful. Richard Harper argues that the failure of IMF came from a fundamental problem within the system itself. The problem, he says, is that a fixed exchange-rate system requires national governments to arrange their monetary policy in problematic ways.If, for instance, one nation has continuously higher inflation rate than others’, it cannot compete in the world market, and its citizens would be buying more expensive imported products, leading to trade deficits. Therefore, the government has to be adjusting to its trading partners all the time. Harper goes on to say that under the pre-1914 gold standard system, there would no such problem because the inflation rate would spill over to the countries around it and achieve a convergence. By contrast, under the par value system, the mechanism of self-converging is missing.Harper summarizes his thoughts about monetary cooperation between nations: Lack of co-ordination of monetary policies and, in particular, the implementation of inappropriate policies by any individual member, resulted in the countries in question facing runs on their currency when there was perceived to be an imbalance between their internal monetary policies and external exchange rates. He argues that this systematic flaw was closely related to the ultimate obsolescence of the Bretton Woods System. Instability of the System came to a head, and it co llapsed, like a house of cards.The real signal of its death was in 1971, when U. S. officials declared suspending the convertibility between dollars and gold, making other nations’ currency float. The fixed exchange rates between U. S. dollars and other world currencies disappeared, and the Bretton Woods System went the way of the dinosaurs—extinction. After its collapse, on March 19, 1973, the central banks of the world economic powers gave up their commitment to stabilize exchange rates between their currencies and the dollar.After suspending the convertibility from dollars to gold, the fixed exchange rates between U. S. currency and others began to disappear, even though many nations insisted on keeping the pegged exchange rates of the Bretton Woods System. Riccardo says: It now seems clear that the really essential characteristic of Bretton Woods was not the maintenance of party but the convertibility of the dollar†¦ After March 1973, the central banks rapidly discovered that it was simply not possible to abandon exchange rates to market forces completely. In this way, the Bretton Woods System lost its key component—convertibility from dollars to gold–in 1971, then an ancillary key component—adjustable-fixed exchange rates in 1973.Henceforth, currency valuations were determined according to market fluctuations. The IMF lost the function of setting exchange rates.. Conclusion The Bretton Woods System came to an end in 1973, almost three decades after the Conference. The System contained contradictions and flaws since its foundation in 1945. Some economists argue that the system’s defects were negligible, and that the problem lay in the changing world economy, not the Bretton Woods System itself. However, it is undeniable that the mechanisms of the Bretton Woods System were not flexible enough to adjust to a changing world economy.Adaptability is the key to survivability, and in this sense, the Bretton Woods Sys tem was doomed to failure. The revivals of European nations and Japan were predictable, given the scope of international policy to revive these moribund economies. More than thirty years have passed since the collapse of the Bretton Woods System. Some economists say that Bretton Woods II is emerging in the world today.. The fact that China pegs its currency to the US dollar seems similar to the situation at the Bretton Woods Conference of yesteryear.Because of the fixed exchange rate system between the Chinese Renminbi and the U. S. dollar, the United States suffers a huge trade deficit with China today. . Matthias Kaelberer argues that Bretton Woods II would be different from the classic one, for the Bretton Woods System from 1944 to 1973 was agreed upon by its members, while the emerging system of today comes from Chinese de facto unilateral behavior pegging its currency to the U. S. currency. However, he also emphasizes that, no matter what their origin, reviewing the classic Bre tton Woods System will be helpful and important to predict the consequences of the Chinese-American fixed exchange rates relationship.The Bretton Woods Conference helped ease the world’s economy through a tumultuous period after the Second World War. Although the economic solutions they espoused seem anachronistic today, we should also thank the architects for playing a vital role in restoring some semblance of equilibrium to a world in tatters.BibliographyAcheson A. L. K. , Chant, J. F. and Prachowny M. F. J. Bretton Woods Revisited: Evaluations of the International Monetary Fund and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development. Papers Delivered at a Conference at Queen's University, Kingston, Canada.Toronto, On, Canada: University of Toronto Press. 1972.Chacholiades, Miltiades. International Monetary Theory and Policy. New York: McGraw-Hill. 1978.Cooper, Richard N. The International Monetary System: Essays in World Economics. Cambridge, Mass. : MIT Press. 1987. Harper, Richard. Inside the IMF: Ethnography of Documents, Technology, and Organizational Action. San Diego: Academic Press. 1998.Parboni, Riccardo. The Dollar & its Rivals. London, England: Verso. 1981. Witteveen, H. J and Szabo-Pelsoczi, Miklos (ed. ).Fifty Years after Bretton Woods: The New Challenge of East-West Partnership for Economic Progress. Brookfield, Vt. , USA: Avebury. 1996Stone, Randall. Lending Credibility: The International Monetary Fund and the Post-communist Transition. Princeton University Press, 2002 Matthias Kaelberer. â€Å"Structural Power and the Politics of International Monetary Relations. † The Journal of Social, Political, and Economic Studies. Washington: Fall 2005. Vol. 30, Iss. 3;http://proquest. umi. com. myaccess. library. utoronto. ca/pqdlink? Ver=1&Exp=04-03-2012&FMT=7&DID=911841951&RQT=309 Accessed on April 3, 2007. Via ProQuest.