Active Icebreakers That Will Energize Your Students

Ancient Egypt From Belief Systems to a Civilization

Culture is the basis of any society present on our earth today and therefore of any ancient civilization we have historically come to know. Culture may simply be defined as a â€Å"way of life† but in essence, that can be disembodied into a collection of belief systems based on religion, economy, politics, family, and so on. As with construction companies, schools, or government systems, all people who choose to follow a specific philosophy of life must function as one undivided group- a society. A prime example of vast belief systems coming together as one culture could be found around 4000 years ago, during the times of the Ancient Egyptians. As historian Paul Johnson said, â€Å"In the Egypt of antiquity, State, religion and culture formed an†¦show more content†¦Everyday, under the Pharaoh’s procedure, rituals and religious festivals would be held to honor the gods in the idea of maintaining the divine order of daily life. The Egyptian’s strong beli ef in the afterlife and final judgement of the soul led them to consider every action they carried out during their human life on earth. The goal of every non-noble Egyptian was to become an akh- a spirit that is prepared for a life after death. In order to achieve this prepared stage, one must not only build a sturdy tomb and store up treasure, but must also live a truthful and moral life so when their heart is weighed at judgement, it will be balanced. An Egyptian could additionally devote his life to reciting a complicated system of prayers, spells, and other incantations to guarantee a successful trial. The god of the underworld, Osiris, was said to be the most favored god because he used to be a human king, who experienced death, and therefore made sure his followers had an eternal life. Likewise, when a deceased passed judgment, he or she became one with Osiris and was then mummified under the guidance of Anubis. Mummies led to another major staple of Egyptian society: pyramid s. The Egyptians were one of the oldest advanced civilizations and part of this is because their architectural mastery. Around 2,650 BC Imhotep built the first ever Step Pyramid for King Djoser, which has become the oldest large stone building in the world, not only influencing other culturesShow MoreRelatedTaking a Look at Ancient Egypt1181 Words   |  5 PagesThe first ever civilization in Africa was in Egypt along the river Nile. This civilization later spread to the other parts of Africa. The emergence of civilization in Africa provided a framework for most of developments in African history. There were different setups cultural and political aspects when civilization was emerging. The Egyptian civilization was the earliest and it was one of the catalysts in the development of civilization in other parts of Africa. The civilization began around 3000Read MoreMesopotamia, Egypt and China Essay871 Words   |  4 PagesThe civilizations of ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia and China were all different but were also developed similar ways of doing things. The political, economic and intellectual outlooks of these ancient peoples say a lot about their ways of life. The religious views of Egypt and Mesopotamia were rather different. II. Politics The political thinking of these ancient civilizations definitely had their differences and also their similarities. A. Mesopotamia Mesopotamia was divided into city-statesRead MoreThe Most Influential Innovators Of The Ancient World Essay1510 Words   |  7 Pagesthe Euphrates, running from the north to the south flowing into the Persian Sea. Sandy river valleys covered most of the south and mountain ranges dotted the north. This land was also known as the Fertile Crescent. Mesopotamia is one of the first major of civilization along with others that sprung up along major rivers around the world at approximately the same time. Mesopotamia was home to the Sumerians, who became known as one of the most influential innovators of the ancient world. A couple thousandRead MoreSimilarities Between Ancient Egypt And Mesopotamia951 Words   |  4 Pagesto form groups with others who share a mutual understanding and dependency. From small isolated nomads to groups to communities it’s understandable that with time societies would form and later become civilizations. Two of the earliest considered civilizations in human history are Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia. However, because of the different geography, exposure to outside invasion, influence, and beliefs, Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia came to not only contrast in political and social structuresRead MoreCompare and Contrast Ancient India and Egypt Combined Politics and Religion628 Words   |  3 PagesCompare and Contrast ancient India and Egypt combined politics and religion Through history, religion has shaped civilizations in several aspects. In ancient Indian and Egyptian civilizations it was very strong shaping force in political structures, but both the religious beliefs and the resulting political system were different, just like pharaohs were different from rajas. The way Egyptians and Indians blended religion with politics bears certain similarities. First of all, the central role ofRead MoreMesopotamia and Egypt Essay before 600 BC911 Words   |  4 PagesMesopotamia and Egypt Ancient civilizations across history have shown unique and incredible feats of mankind. Arguably, two of the most prominent ancient civilizations in the Middle East and even the world are the Mesopotamians (Beginning 5,000 B.C.) and Egyptians (Beginning 3,150 B.C). Even though these two civilizations peaked about 2,000 years apart, they share numerous similarities contributing to their success, and also show even more differences that distinguish how each had a unique cultureRead MoreThe Impact of the Egyptian and the Hebrew Civilizations on Humanity1459 Words   |  6 PagesIntroduction Throughout history, great civilizations have existed in various parts of the world. The cultural, economic, political, and/or intellectual achievements of these civilizations contributed to the advancement of humankind. Civilization is a term that has various meanings. Most popularly and in this context it can be referred to as an advanced state of human society, in HYPERLINK http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/which which  a high level of HYPERLINK http://dictionary.referenceRead MoreEgyptian Lifestyle, Civilization, Religious Beliefs, Authority, Language, And Overall Information About The Pyramids1336 Words   |  6 PagesIn Cairo, Egypt, one of man s oldest engineered and constructed monuments still remains standing to this day. As one of the wonders of the world these ancient pyramids served as the foundation for the people during this civilization. The Great Pyramid of Giza is also known as the Pyramid of Khufu, Pyramid of Cheops, or Khufu s Pyramid. This pyramid alone is the oldest and the tallest of the three standing on the Giza Necropolis. It stands 15 1/2 miles outside the city of Cairo, Egypt. It is believedRead MoreReligion, Culture And Politics Of Ancient Egypt Civilizations Essay879 Words   |  4 Pagesabout the divergence of religion, culture and politics of ancient society. There were many great civilizations that sprang up and progressed through the ages. One of this civilization was the ancient Egyptian. The Egyptian civilizations settled on the bank of Nile river which influenced the settlers to advance in the social aspect of their lives. In ancient Egypt, ecology played in important role in the development of their religious beliefs, culture, and politics that still influence current societiesRead More Exploring The Four Ancient Civilizations- Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece and Israel1009 Words   |  5 PagesBefore the beginning of history, people from across the land gradually developed numerous cultures, each unique in some ways while the same time having features in common. Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece and Israel are all important to the history of the world because of religious, social, political and economic development. In the first civilization, both Mesopotamia and Egypt relied on a hunter-gatherer economic system, during that time, every country in the world strived on it. Mesopotamia

Scholasticism in Religious Architecture Free Essays

Matt Pearson Professor Ansell Humanities 201 5 August 2013 Scholasticism in Religious Architecture â€Å"Sacred architecture is not, a ‘free’ art, developed from ‘feelings’ and ‘sentiment’, but it is an art strictly tied by and developed from the laws of geometry† (Schneider). This is a governing principle behind the architecture and stained-glass images in Chartres Cathedral: the building wasn’t Just built without a plan or the art didn’t Just happen, it is a systematic creation using geometry (Crossly 232). Scholasticism is the main contributor to the use of geometry to organize how the Cathedral was built. We will write a custom essay sample on Scholasticism in Religious Architecture or any similar topic only for you Order Now Briefly described, scholasticism is taking events, concepts, or miracles, that we can’t understand, and organizing a structured argument to provide an explanation. In the Chartres Cathedral, the architecture and art not only display sacred religious events and scenes from the Bible, but also secular events, such as everyday chores like farming or cleaning. There is clearly a union trying to be made here between things of this earthly world – science, philosophy, reason – and things that go beyond the earthly world – faith, theology, revelation. This is where scholasticism is found, cause it organizes events and understanding to find God in the secular and sacred. In Chartres Cathedral, the building as a whole is meant to take us from the corruption of this world and into the presence of God, which embodies light. There is great detail in each stained-glass window, specifically in the exactness of the geometry and also in the Biblical stories they portray, which again point us to God, and also show how scholasticism has helped shape the organized design behind many things in the Cathedral. Scholasticism is a â€Å"term used to designate both a method and a system. It is applied to theology as well as to philosophy’ (Turner). Historically, it came from early Christian institutions. They would have someone as the head of the school that would act as the philosopher or theologian to help carry out the method of dialectical teaching to the students. This is done in an attempt to put understanding and reason to mysteries like science and faith or reason and revelation, and how these conflicting pairs can exist together. Not only can these opposites exist, but they â€Å"must harmonize† together to form greater understanding (Turner). SST. Thomas Aquinas was one of the greatest Scholastics of his time. He was monumental in bridging the gap between theology and philosophy by his reasoning that â€Å"God is the author of all truth, and it is impossible to think that He would teach in the natural order anything that contradicts what He teaches in the supernatural order† (Turner). A structure, as grand as the Chartres Cathedral, introduces an interesting paradox for religious and secular views, because the architects â€Å"however much directed towards the glory of God, still turned man’s eyes elsewhere and diverted elsewhere he wealth he could have put to better purpose† (Affair 55). This meaner that the architects were trying to turn people’s hearts and minds to God, but, in an attempt to do so, they were expending vast amounts of resources on secular architecture. They wanted to build a place that would mentally take you from this world and into God’s world. This concept is easily seen as people enter the doors of the Cathedral and see all the light that is coming in through the stained-glass windows at all times of the day. These windows truly illuminate the building and allow the participants to feel God or light. The Cathedral also was a place for people to make their religious pilgrimages and would aid them in their search for God. Many of the stained-glass windows show events of Chrism’s ministry, but for the sake of exploring scholasticism and its relation to Chartres Cathedral, we are going to focus on Just two windows: The Tree of Jesse and the Rose Window. The Tree of Jesse shows â€Å"Chrism’s royal genealogy [rising] up from Jesse, who lies at the bottom of the window, to Christ, who sits enthroned at the summit† (Preach 42). The window is a column of squares made up of smaller rectangles. In each square is figure and a continuation of the tree stemming from Jesses frame, which represents the continued line from Jesse to Christ and how Christ is born an heir to the king because of the unbroken chain. At Chrism’s feet sits Mary, and around both of them are seven doves, which represent the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, â€Å"the gift of wisdom†¦ The gift of understanding†¦ The gift of counsel†¦ The gift of fortitude†¦ The gift of knowledge†¦ The gift of fear of the Lord†¦ The gift of Reverence† (Aquinas). Having Christ, Mary, and the doves all together at the top also represents something else, the double personality of Christ, human through His lineage, divine through His union with the Holy Spirit† (Preach 44). The miracle of Chrism’s birth can’t be explained through science, because of Mary and the Immaculate Conception, but some understanding is given to Chrism’s lineage through the structure of the window. It shows Christ is connected to being a King through Mary, or God, and through Jesse, who was an earthly king. The organized structure shows the use of scholasticism, because of its push for organization to explain miraculous events. A main contributor to scholasticism is SST. Thomas Aquinas and his text Sum Theological. One argument he presented was â€Å"The Life of God† and â€Å"Whether all things in God are life? † (Aquinas). He takes all the objections he can find to the question he has asked. He will then make a â€Å"response† or an explanation to every objection to explain the initial question being asked. This is a very structured procedure, but it is seen in â€Å"The Tree of Jesse† window, because it addresses the concern, is Christ really God and is He an earthly and heavenly king. It then takes each objection and finds a response: Christ is an earthly king because of his genealogical connection to Jesse, ND Christ is a heavenly king, because of his miraculous or immaculate conception by the Holy Ghost, through his virgin mother, Mary. The Rose Window is actually in two places in Chartres Cathedral on the south and north walls. The Rose on the south transept has Christ at the center, surrounded by apostles. Below the Rose Window are five â€Å"lancet† windows, which have, from left to right, Isaiah, Daniel, Virgin Mary holding Christ as an infant, Ezekiel, Jeremiah (Affair 90). This is to surround Mary with the â€Å"four great prophets† (Preach 89). On their shoulders sit the â€Å"Evangelists,† Matthew, Mark, John, and Luke, which symbolizes their role in proclaiming Chrism’s birth and divinity. The Rose itself symbolized beauty and perfection, which represents Mary as a fair virgin and also Christ as the only perfect human. The Rose symbolism is only strengthened by the presence of these stained glass windows that surround the rose. To give an example, in one of the medallion windows that surround the center of the rose, â€Å"Mary, is exalted as Queen of Heaven†¦ He is seated on a throne and holds a scepter† (Preach 93). The Rose on the north transept has SST. Anne holding Mary at the center. This is a unique image, because now it isn’t Christ who is the infant, but it is Mary and she is â€Å"in the arms of her mother Anne, the person who establishes the genealogical link with the Old Testament† (Preach 93 ). This shows us the importance of Mary in all of Christianity. Below the Rose are five more â€Å"lancet† windows, like on the south side, except these stained-glass windows have different images, which are, from left to right, Milkweed, David, SST. Anne holding Mary as an infant, Solomon, and Aaron (Affair 91). Anne is â€Å"surrounded by the most famous of the ancient kings† which show how important Anne is and the oracle that came from her (Preach 93). All of this detail and organization in both Rose Windows shows scholastic thought, because, as mentioned before, Chrism’s birth and conception is an unexplainable miracle, but guiding our train of thought with these images helps to explain the miracle. There is one more detail in the Rose that really cements scholasticism in the Cathedral, it is the process to create the Rose. First, a process is carried out to find twelve evenly spaced spaces around a circle. Second, a star with twelve points is drawn in the middle, every line being exactly the name length. At the base of each point, close to the center, twelve equal circles are made. Another star with twelve points is then drawn inside the bigger star, once again each line being the same length. A circle is made around the inner star and in the center of this circle is where Christ is placed in one window and Anne and Mary are placed in the other window. The precision that is used reflects the scholastic procedure Thomas Aquinas uses. Great care and concern are taken to create the desired result and to give an explanation too miracle. Thomas Aquinas used this teeth in writing to explain the miracle of God and the Rose Windows use this method in imagery and biblical symbolism to explain the miracle of Christ and Mary. Thus, we can see that Chartres Cathedral has Biblical symbolism in the stained-glass windows and scholasticism is used within these windows as the organization. Chartres Cathedral is built in great geometric precision to take people’s thoughts from this world into God’s world (Crossly 233). Through the geometric precision, scholasticism is very present. Scholasticism is found in the Stem of Jesse by the organizational structure used to present the explanation of Chrism’s divine birth. This is a miracle that can’t simply be explained, but the Stem of Jesse window systematically takes us from Jesse to Mary and then to Christ to explain the miracle. Scholasticism is also found in the Rose Windows in the precise geometric construction and also in the images that are shown. The conception of Christ is a miracle, but the different images show how it can be explained. In all of these Biblical events and miracles, scholasticism creates an organized way to understanding them. Works Cited Aquinas, Thomas. Sum Theological. Kevin Knight, 2008. New Advent. Web. 6 August 2013. Crossly, Paul. Rhetoric Beyond Words. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2010. How to cite Scholasticism in Religious Architecture, Papers

English gcse media Essay Example For Students

English gcse media Essay English GCSE Media Coursework1. How does advertising reinforce gender stereotypes?Today in the late 1990’s we can not escape advertising it bombards us from all types of media and every aspect of our lives. It is a multibillion-pound industry that stereotypes genders and tells us what we could become if we use certain products. Men being portrayed as cool, tough, athletic and stylish reinforce the gender stereotypes. One advert I have studied which reinforces the male stereotype is an advertisement for ‘Old Spice, White Water’. The advertisement shows a businessman in a kyak kyacking down a white water rapid. This is stereotyping the male businessman by showing him as an adventurous and carefree person who wears ‘Old Spice, White Water’. So this campaign is obviously aimed at businessmen who see them selves as adventurous and care free. Another advertisement I have chosen to study that reinforces the male stereotype is an advertisement for an eau de toilette by ‘Givenchy’. This advertisement reinforces the male stereotype by showing a man in a space suit in outer space looking up beyond infinity. So as space men are looked upon as top class people who have achieved many peoples ambition to look down on the world this what he is portrayed as in the advertisement. The tw o advertisements reinforce gender stereotypes by showing the men as successful, and fearless. One is a business man kyaking and the other is an astronaut. For males this is how advertisements reinforce gender stereotypes. ‘Givenchy’ stereotypes Women as elegant, perfect and classy as in an advertisement for a perfume called ’Organza’. The same stereotypical role is also taken up in most other advertisements aimed at women. The woman in the advertisement for ‘Organza’ is pictured next to an enlarged picture of the bottle for the perfume. Both look similar with the curves of the body being translated into the shape of the bottle. Also the pleats in the dress are mimicked too. The background in the design is smooth and gentle showing and increasing the elegance of the woman. So this still and gentle setting is how advertisers stereotype females in advertisements. As advertising advances though advertisers are using reverse stereotyping to attract attention to their advertisement out of many. One advertisement I have studied that imposes this reverse stereotyping is an advertisement for a larger with a young woman in a snooker club leaning against a snooker table. The whole photo is in shades of brown and in white is a quotation â€Å"I used to dream of a white wedding, what a nightmare.† This is aimed at the young woman who does not see her self as the white wedding kind of girl. This advertisement is typical of one for a male and would work just as well if it was a male and aimed at males in the advertisement. To conclude how advertisers stereotype males and females in advertisements advertisements aimed at males are usually active with the subject doing an activity that is stylish and fearless. Where as advertisements stereotyping females have the subject still and motionless with no action making them seem elegant and stylish. 2.How far do you think advertisements reflect society as it really is?In today’s modern world advertisements reflect society in a materialistic way. They only show the god conditions and perfect lifestyle that people want to believe is their society I like or will become. A good example of how advertisements show a materialistic world is the models that star in them. They are usually tall, thin, and with visible curves when they are female and muscular, young and ‘cool’ when they are male. .ua3c77fa2e8caa66d67ecd8f7f8d7078e , .ua3c77fa2e8caa66d67ecd8f7f8d7078e .postImageUrl , .ua3c77fa2e8caa66d67ecd8f7f8d7078e .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .ua3c77fa2e8caa66d67ecd8f7f8d7078e , .ua3c77fa2e8caa66d67ecd8f7f8d7078e:hover , .ua3c77fa2e8caa66d67ecd8f7f8d7078e:visited , .ua3c77fa2e8caa66d67ecd8f7f8d7078e:active { border:0!important; } .ua3c77fa2e8caa66d67ecd8f7f8d7078e .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .ua3c77fa2e8caa66d67ecd8f7f8d7078e { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .ua3c77fa2e8caa66d67ecd8f7f8d7078e:active , .ua3c77fa2e8caa66d67ecd8f7f8d7078e:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .ua3c77fa2e8caa66d67ecd8f7f8d7078e .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .ua3c77fa2e8caa66d67ecd8f7f8d7078e .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .ua3c77fa2e8caa66d67ecd8f7f8d7078e .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .ua3c77fa2e8caa66d67ecd8f7f8d7078e .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .ua3c77fa2e8caa66d67ecd8f7f8d7078e:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .ua3c77fa2e8caa66d67ecd8f7f8d7078e .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .ua3c77fa2e8caa66d67ecd8f7f8d7078e .ua3c77fa2e8caa66d67ecd8f7f8d7078e-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .ua3c77fa2e8caa66d67ecd8f7f8d7078e:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Hanna Vs. Joe Contrasting Roles In Agelsin America EssayIn an advert for a female perfume by â€Å"Givenchy† a woman is shown who holds the materialistic characteristics. This is not how it really is in society. Not every woman has prominent curves, is slim and tall. This shows how advertisements do not fairly reflect society. The same is true for an advert from a weekday newspaper advertising â€Å"DFS†. A male with similar qualities to above is sitting on a sofa reading a paper. Again this shows a materialistic world which is not a true reflection of society. Both of

Internet Marketing Communication Strategies

The hypothesis of this journal article states that internet marketing communication strategies are targeting consumers personally rather than mass interaction with consumers. Online marketing communication was established more than a decade ago and there have been changes in the methods of communication between marketers and consumers.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Internet Marketing Communication Strategies specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Traditionally, marketers used mass online communication strategies when interacting with consumers. The scenario today is different since marketers are focusing on interacting personally with individual consumers. Social networking online channels are also being focused by marketers to interact with customers personally (Owen, n.d.). As competition increases in the global markets, marketers are seeking better strategies of communicating with consumers and improving product image. Technological advancements have been experienced in the recent past such that marketers can reach as many consumers as possible. However, there has been concern about effectiveness of online communication marketing strategies when using mass communication or individual interaction with consumers. With emergence of global markets competition has increased and online channels have been found to be very effective in reaching a large number of consumers. The use of online communication with consumers has been said to be on the increase and many organizations have used this strategy to improve their relationship with consumers. Personal interactions between marketers and consumers have reduced with establishment of online communication marketing and there is need to improve the link between the two parties. Marketers need to know specific needs of their consumers in order to deliver products in the best way possible. Personal communication with consumers provides a better understanding and improves consumer confidence. Consumers become loyal to marketers who are able to reach them personally instead of using mass communication strategies (Owen, n.d.). Internet communication channels are increasingly being invented and more systems are predicted to evolve in the future. Online communication infrastructures are developed at all levels to achieve competitive edge to marketers. For example, online communication marketing is being used at social, political, business and other levels. Changes in online marketing communication have been experienced at the political arena and there is a direct link between political success and personal online communication. Political candidates who use mass online communication have been found to fail in their attempts to carry out their campaigns (Owen, n.d.).Advertising Looking for research paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Integrated Mar keting Communication (IMC) has emerged such that marketers are focusing on different strategies of communicating with their consumers through online channels (Hartley, Pickton, 1999). Other emerging issues about online communication marketing are social networking web links. Marketers are focusing on social online websites to communicate with different consumer groups. Online marketing structures have also changed in that marketers are seeking social diffusion with consumers by communicating personally with consumers. Communication channels such as Facebook, YouTube and others are being widely used by marketers to promote their products to consumers (Owen, n.d.). The hypothesis has been accepted since the author has concluded by saying that new marketing strategies have been adopted where mass communication to consumers has changed to personal interaction with consumers. Integrated Marketing Communication has been identified as a very important strategy where marketers can interact with consumers by use of different communication systems. Online social networks have been found to improve communication between marketers and consumers. Marketers using direct interaction with their consumers have been found to be more effective than marketers using mass communication strategies. The author is of the opinion that marketers should focus on personal interaction with their consumers rather than adopting mass communication marketing strategy. References Hartley, B. Pickton, D, (1999). Integrated marketing communications requires a new way of thinking. Journal of Marketing Communications, 5, 97-106. Owen, Robert (n.d.). The structure of online marketing communication channels. Journal of Management and Marketing Research. Retrieved from; http://www.aabri.com/manuscripts/09135.pdf This research paper on Internet Marketing Communication Strategies was written and submitted by user Cuck00 to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Free Essays on Same Sex Marriages From Moral And Spiritual Views

Same sex marriages from moral and spiritual views Although homosexual relationships have been going on since the beginning of time, the issue of same sex marriages is a relatively new topic of popular culture. The reasoning behind the push of this issue, one may conclude, is the evermore â€Å"liberal† stance of modern society. Currently, only one man and one woman can be joined in matrimony and have their marriage recognized by the state, except for residents of Massachusetts who successfully won a court battle for the right to get married. Same-sex couples were able to obtain marriage licenses in San Francisco, CA, and in several towns in New Mexico and New York for a short period in 2004. However, none of these people were able to register their marriages legally. There are places around the world that the idea of same sex marriages has been made legal. Most providences of Canada, for example, now allow same sex marriages and are seen as legally binding relationships. Other countries are close behind and will probably end up accepting the issue within a couple of years. The idea of same sex marriages is morally, ethically, and spiritually wrong. The definition of marriage is the union between one man and one woman, and changing this in any way totally demoralizes the very basis of the act itself. Some may disagree with this way of thinking, arguing that same sex marriage is a personal issue that does not, and will not affect anyone except the persons involved in the relationship. They may believe that it is a basic human right and choice of marriage partners should in no way be regulated by government. These same people may believe that every â€Å"sexual orientation† is essentially like every other, and relationships involving any and all â€Å"sexual orientations† shoul... Free Essays on Same Sex Marriages From Moral And Spiritual Views Free Essays on Same Sex Marriages From Moral And Spiritual Views Same sex marriages from moral and spiritual views Although homosexual relationships have been going on since the beginning of time, the issue of same sex marriages is a relatively new topic of popular culture. The reasoning behind the push of this issue, one may conclude, is the evermore â€Å"liberal† stance of modern society. Currently, only one man and one woman can be joined in matrimony and have their marriage recognized by the state, except for residents of Massachusetts who successfully won a court battle for the right to get married. Same-sex couples were able to obtain marriage licenses in San Francisco, CA, and in several towns in New Mexico and New York for a short period in 2004. However, none of these people were able to register their marriages legally. There are places around the world that the idea of same sex marriages has been made legal. Most providences of Canada, for example, now allow same sex marriages and are seen as legally binding relationships. Other countries are close behind and will probably end up accepting the issue within a couple of years. The idea of same sex marriages is morally, ethically, and spiritually wrong. The definition of marriage is the union between one man and one woman, and changing this in any way totally demoralizes the very basis of the act itself. Some may disagree with this way of thinking, arguing that same sex marriage is a personal issue that does not, and will not affect anyone except the persons involved in the relationship. They may believe that it is a basic human right and choice of marriage partners should in no way be regulated by government. These same people may believe that every â€Å"sexual orientation† is essentially like every other, and relationships involving any and all â€Å"sexual orientations† shoul...

Blood Brothers Essay Example for Free (#7)

Blood Brothers Essay In the three plays I have read by Willy Russell, all of them are linked by the fact that they all contain an aspect of social inequality. Russell uses humour in all these plays to show serious messages, mostly through stereotypes. In every play there are two very contrasting social groups, each figure-headed by certain characters in the stories. For example, in Blood Brothers, Mickey figureheads the working class society like Rita does in Educating Rita, and the children do in Our Day Out. Whereas Eddie figureheads the middle class society in Blood Brothers, Frank does in Educating Rita, and Mr. Briggs does in Our Day Out. We found that the people from the working class backgrounds were all very broad scoucers, who tended to use slang words such as â€Å"ciggie† and â€Å"chippie. † They were what you would call a very typical stereotype of a broad liverpudlian. Most of them had problems aswell. For instance, Mickey in â€Å"Blood Brothers† has family problems because he has many older siblings which means he gets a lot of hand-me-down clothes and gets bullied by his older brother Sammy who breaks his toys. Rita in â€Å"Educating Rita† has many conflicts with her husband Denny who doesn’t want her to carry on with her tuition from Frank. She wants to be educated so that she can have choices. As the play progresses and Rita becomes more educated she begins to make her own decisions, she moves out of her house, ends her relationship with Denny and says â€Å"I might even have a baby† The people from the middle class backgrounds however were made to look rather different. Eddie in â€Å"Blood Brothers† doesn’t have to share his toys with brothers or sisters like Mickey does, and his mother doesn’t have to worry about financial problems because they have quite a lot of money. The men that were from the middle class backgrounds (Mr. Briggs and Frank) both wore suits and seemed to be well educated, living a comfortable lifestyle. This society of people in the stories tended to speak more formally using words such as â€Å"What in the world is being off one’s cake? † Eddie is brought up to speak correctly and not use colloquialisms. In â€Å"Blood Brothers† Micky asks him what a dictionary is and Eddie replies â€Å"It is a book which tells you the meaning of words. † I think Russell makes the social classes seem so very different to one another in each play, so that when they come together there is a lot of humour, but also a lot of tension between them because neither social class really understand each other. This forms a rich and poor type of scenario for all three plays. In â€Å"Educating Rita† Frank is a rich lecturer and Rita is a poor university student who has bad problems with her husband at home. In â€Å"Our Day Out† there is a similar contrast between Mr. Briggs the, well-spoken teacher, and the children who come from a poor, run-down area. These rich and poor scenarios are serious messages that Russell conveys in all three plays. Interestingly enough though, it is the people from the middle class backgrounds that turn out to be the most strange of the two societies. Frank in Educating Rita has a drink addiction, yet has a comfortable lifestyle and is on a stable income. Mr. Briggs doesn’t like the children at the school where he works because they are less fortunate than himself, he says â€Å"most of them were rejects on the day they were born. † Eddie’s adopted mother in Blood Brothers, Mrs. Lyons, is supersticious and unhappy. Quote: â€Å"The shoes! The shoes! On the table! Get them off! Get them off! † Frank and Mr. Briggs are in many ways the same, they both wear suits and dress smartly, they both have similar lifestyles and they both have some sort of problem (i. e. the drink and the hatred for people less fortunate than him). This is where I think that Blood Brothers is different, it doesn’t contain a male character as old as Frank or Mr. Briggs who appears often in the story. Whereas the conversations between adult and youth in the other stories are mainly comical, like in Our Day Out when the two lads are caught smoking at the back of the bus, in Blood Brothers they are more intense. I think Blood Brothers on the whole is more intense. In Blood Brothers Russell uses a narrator drifting in and out of the play at certain times, saying daunting things about the scene that has just happened, or is going to happen. I believe this represents the devil and is a good way of creating an eerie tension, because he moves to different places on the stage in the play, and you never see his whole face or body, he is always in the shadows. There are no narrators in the two other plays but dramatic devices also take on the form of dramatic irony. In â€Å"Blood Brothers† this is shown by the two twins not knowing they are twins, when they first become friends. Later in the story when they find out they were born on the same day â€Å"That means we can be blood brothers† the audience can see what is happening, they are going to eventually find out that they are real brothers, and there will be a big disaster because of this. â€Å"Our Day Out† shows dramatic irony when the bus driver is told the children can’t afford sweets or lemonade â€Å"lemonade never touches their lips† but when the driver turns around they all are munching on chocolate bars! Later on their journey the bus stops at a sweet shop and the audience sees the shopkeepers talking about raising the prices of the goods in their shop â€Å"Can I help inflation? † The audience now know that the shopkeepers are going to raise their prices, but the children don’t. The children get their revenge for being ‘ripped off’. They all squeeze into the shop and each time the shopkeepers turn their backs to collect more sweets from the shelves, the kids pocket anything in front of them. The two shopkeepers are oblivious to the stealing taking place until the coach leaves and they realise no money from the till has changed hands â€Å"Thievin’ little bastards! † shouts one of the shopkeepers. Russell also uses the influence of song in â€Å"Blood Brothers† and â€Å"Our Day Out† to show the mood and feelings of the characters as the play progresses. At the beginning of â€Å"Blood Brothers† Mrs. Johnston is seen dancing in a pub singing a song with the lines â€Å"Oh we went dancing. † in the chorus. As the play continues she occasionally sings this line but at a tempo which reflects the mood of the play itself. In â€Å"Our Day Out† the songs are cheerful and uplifting â€Å"We’re off, we’re off, we’re off in a motor car. † The themes of the three plays are all linked in many ways. As I have said before, social inequality connects all three, another is the fact they are all set in and around Liverpool with some of the characters in each play speaking with a very broad Liverpudlian accent. Finally, the last one is that they all contain an aspect concerning death. I. e. In Blood Brothers, Mickey and Eddie, in Educating Rita, Rita’s flatmate tries to commit suicide, and in Our Day Out one of the pupils called Carol also attempts to kill herself â€Å"Try an’ get me an’ I’ll jump over. † I believe that Willy Russell features the aspects of social inequality, hatred, death, abuse, love, irony and humour in each play because he knows they have a hard-hitting impact on the audience. Also I think it is because at some time in his life he has been affected significantly by them and so, involves them in something which he can express his feelings and emotions at. Writing. Blood Brothers. (2017, Sep 23).

Effecte of hyperoxia in bovine bronchail epithelial tissue Dissertation

Effecte of hyperoxia in bovine bronchail epithelial tissue - Dissertation Example Important Use of Hyperoxia in Intensive Care Unit Hyperoxic inspired gas is essential for patients with hypoxic respiratory failure which can be caused by oxygen deficient conditions like acute infection, neuromuscular impairment, etc. (Altemeler and Sinclair, 2007) In the context of critical care medicine, hyperoxia can be beneficial in implementing certain critical care strategies like early goal directed therapy (Calzia et al, 2010). Moreover, oxygen pressure field theory suggests that hyperoxia just before deep hypoxic circulatory arrest takes advantage of increased oxygen solubility and reduced oxygen consumption to load tissues with excess oxygen, which can effectively manage acid-base states during acute hypothermia entailed in circulatory arrest (Pearl et al, 2000) However, studies also testify that hyperoxia adversely affects cilial abundance and cause ciliary disorientation which can lead to dangerous conditions like ciliary dyskinesia (MacNaughton et al, 2007; Kay et al, 2 002; Rutman et al, 1993). Also, hyperoxia may impede the pathways of cell signalling (Lee and Choi, 2003) Side Effects of Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) on Epithelial Tissue Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) are oxygen containing molecules which are highly reactive. The unpaired valance shell electrons in ROS are responsible for their high reactivity. ROS are often regarded as a key factor behind cardiovascular diseases, ischemic injury, programmed cell death, etc. They can also cause damage to DNA, lipid peroxidation and critical oxidative stress. (Thannickal, 2003; Fuhrman et al 1997) ROS would cause oxidative stress on the epithelial tissue by increasing the levels of total glutathione. Since glutathione is an anti-oxidant, increased levels of ROS will increase its concentration as well. In the case of glutathione depletion, increase of ROS levels is unbridled which would lead to early activation of apoptic signalling. In vivo studies involving human B lymphoma cell line testify such possibilities (Armstrong et al, 2002). Moreover, it has also been testified that pulmonary macrophages stimulate cell proliferation of bovine bronchial epithelial cells in vitro. The process involves mediation in airway epithelial repair, which can probably be explained by a proactive role of glutathione against ROS (Takizawa et al, 1990). Another side effect of ROS is lipid peroxidation which has been studied in details through epithelial cell behaviour in vivo in rats with chronic parenchymal iron overload (Bacon et al, 1983). Hepatic and brain epithelial lipid peroxidation by ROS obtained from certain pesticides have been widely testified by both in vivo and in vitro studies in rats and humans (Bagchi et al, 1995). Besides, Fuhrman and his associates conducted in vitro and ex vivo studies in humans to testify the high extent of low-density-lipoprotein oxidation by ROS through measurement of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and lipid peroxides in epithelial cells (F uhrman et al, 1997). Proteins modification is another major side effect of excess ROS generation that has been studied in vivo. The in vivo study conducted in this context further testified that oxidative protein damage could affect the activities of the DNA repair enzymes in the epithelial cells as well (Wiseman and Halliwell, 1996). Further, in vitro studies have established that generation of ROS target the function of redox-sensitive proteins that act as part of a large sub-membranous

Film Review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Film Review - Essay Example Recreating by gone–days accurately involves immense research work and to portray the time frame on screen with accurate dress, props and settings require a quality crew. If three films like John Adams, Looking for Lincoln and Rediscovering Alexander Hamilton are taken into consideration, one will be easily able to weave the thread of similarity in all the three pieces. However, the presentation and the content of the films are so much different from each other that a comparative analysis of the works at a row can actually throw a comprehensive light on the treatment of the directors with the history, their nature of presentation and the motif and the theme, they have intended to present through these films. And all the three works, the mini TV series, John Adams, telecasted from the year 2008, the film Looking for Lincoln released in the year 2009 and the film Rediscovering Alexander Hamilton released in the year 2010 can be compared from a close contour as they have all come up before its audience within a very short span of time in a way making themselves as the contemporary films to one another. Thesis Statement The essay intends to draw a comparative study between the thematic representation of the films, John Adams, Looking for Lincoln and Rediscovering Alexander Hamilton. ... In order to do that, he is always keen to focus on areas, events and aspects of the great man’s life re-appearing from the pages of history to unfold some unknown facts or hidden corners of his professional and personal life. Some facts which are not generally known or discussed, some controversies and some areas which are not known to many people find effective expression holding the hands of these directors in the movie. In 2008, American television witnessed profound phenomena of miniseries at Television that captivates life of America’s second president and founding father John Adams. The series focused on the political life of the historical figure mostly and his contribution in framing the United States as a nation. Tom Hooper directed the miniseries and Kirk Ellis was the writer of the screenplay which was inspired from the book, bearing the title â€Å"John Adams† by David McCullough. The biographical picture of John Adams was telecasted in the HBO channe l in between 16th March to 20th April 2008, divided into seven parts, the series captivated the story of the first fifty years on the United States and was critically acclaimed world-wide. The show stood as the most prestigious miniseries in the history of American television till date winning four Golden Globe and thirteen Emmy awards. The main theme of this film was to uphold the political life and career of the great leader John Adams and thereby displaying the time and other important events in the American history contemporary to his era. Though there are many inaccuracies with the actual historical event, yet the film more or less is able to evoke a compassion for the framing years and founder fathers of the great nation of the United States

The Act of Utilitarianism Essay Example for Free

The Act of Utilitarianism Essay Act utilitarianism states that, when faced with a choice, we must first consider the likely consequences of potential actions and, from that, choose to do what we believe will generate the most pleasure. The rule utilitarian, on the other hand, begins by looking at potential rules of action. To determine whether a rule should be followed, he or she looks at what would happen if it were constantly followed. If adherence to the rule produces more happiness than otherwise, it is a rule that morally must be followed at all times. The distinction between act and rule utilitarianism is therefore based on a difference about the proper object of consequential calculation — specific to a case or generalized to rules. Also to achieve the greater good for the greater number of people. Rule utilitarianism has been criticized for advocating general rules that, in some specific circumstances, clearly decrease happiness if followed. Never to kill another human being may seem to be a good rule, but it could make self-defense against malevolent aggressors very difficult. Rule utilitarians add, however, that there are general exception rules that allow the breaking of other rules if such rule-breaking increases happiness, one example being self-defense. Critics argue that this reduces rule utilitarianism to act utilitarianism and makes rules meaningless. Rule utilitarians retort that rules in the legal system (i. e. , laws) that regulate such situations are not meaningless. Self-defense is legally justified, while murder is not. However, within rule utilitarianism there is a distinction between the strictness and absolutism of this particular branch of utilitarianism. Strong Rule Utilitarianism is an absolutist theory, which frames strict rules that apply for all people and all time and may never be broken. John Stuart Mill proposed Weak Rule utilitarianism, which posits that, although rules should be framed on previous examples that benefit society, it is possible, under specific circumstances, to do what produces the greatest happiness and break that rule. An example would be the Gestapo asking where your Jewish neighbours were; a strong rule utilitarian might say the Do not lie rule must never be broken, whereas a weak rule utilitarian would argue that to lie would produce the most happiness.

Immigration and Discrimination :: Race Racism Prejudice

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  During the late 1800’s and into the 1900’s many people immigrated to the United States from Europe and Asia in hope of finding prosperity, and a better life than the one they were leading in their old homes. Another reason was the sudden industrialization of Europe. (The transformation from small, agriculture-based societies to manufacturing economies was so rapid and sweeping that it became known as the Industrial Revolution.) With all this occurring so quickly many people decided to come to America, but when they arrived here they didn’t get what they expected. More than 12 million people immigrated through Ellis Island between 1892 and 1924, the peak years of the port. They came to America hoping to find the â€Å"promise land† but from their journey till when they first arrived in America wasn’t so promising. Nearly all of the immigrants faced a terrible trip to the U.S., such as sitting in steerage, not receiving a lot of food or proper medical attention, and being crammed together in a very small area. Along with the bad conditions, the immigrants also faced many prejudices and hardships as they arrived.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Upon arriving in Ellis Island, the immigrants were given a physical examination to see whether or not they were fit to live in the United States. In 1891, Congress created the INS, or Immigration and Naturalization Service to administer federal laws dealing with admission, exclusion, and deportation of aliens. The overwhelming majority of immigrants, regardless of ethnicity, were subjected to discrimination. They were not given the same opportunities as native born Americans even if they were equally qualified for certain jobs.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ellis Island though, wasn’t nearly as bad as its counterpart on the west coast, Angel Island. Generally on Ellis Island, immigrants were processed within hours or days, but on Angel Island it took weeks or even months. It soon turned into a detention center and because of its proximity towards Asia it consisted mostly of Asians, predominantly of Chinese descent.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Many laws and acts were passed over the course of several years when the immigrants started filtering in more and more in order to limit the amount of people that came from various countries. Quotas were set for the number of people coming to the U.S. from a certain country and a quota was set for the total number of people that entered America. People were scared for their jobs and didn’t want any more people here to take over the land. Immigration and Discrimination :: Race Racism Prejudice   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  During the late 1800’s and into the 1900’s many people immigrated to the United States from Europe and Asia in hope of finding prosperity, and a better life than the one they were leading in their old homes. Another reason was the sudden industrialization of Europe. (The transformation from small, agriculture-based societies to manufacturing economies was so rapid and sweeping that it became known as the Industrial Revolution.) With all this occurring so quickly many people decided to come to America, but when they arrived here they didn’t get what they expected. More than 12 million people immigrated through Ellis Island between 1892 and 1924, the peak years of the port. They came to America hoping to find the â€Å"promise land† but from their journey till when they first arrived in America wasn’t so promising. Nearly all of the immigrants faced a terrible trip to the U.S., such as sitting in steerage, not receiving a lot of food or proper medical attention, and being crammed together in a very small area. Along with the bad conditions, the immigrants also faced many prejudices and hardships as they arrived.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Upon arriving in Ellis Island, the immigrants were given a physical examination to see whether or not they were fit to live in the United States. In 1891, Congress created the INS, or Immigration and Naturalization Service to administer federal laws dealing with admission, exclusion, and deportation of aliens. The overwhelming majority of immigrants, regardless of ethnicity, were subjected to discrimination. They were not given the same opportunities as native born Americans even if they were equally qualified for certain jobs.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ellis Island though, wasn’t nearly as bad as its counterpart on the west coast, Angel Island. Generally on Ellis Island, immigrants were processed within hours or days, but on Angel Island it took weeks or even months. It soon turned into a detention center and because of its proximity towards Asia it consisted mostly of Asians, predominantly of Chinese descent.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Many laws and acts were passed over the course of several years when the immigrants started filtering in more and more in order to limit the amount of people that came from various countries. Quotas were set for the number of people coming to the U.S. from a certain country and a quota was set for the total number of people that entered America. People were scared for their jobs and didn’t want any more people here to take over the land.

Cambodians Under Pol Pot

Cambodians Under Pol Pot Cambodia, a small country just west of Vietnam, gained independence after nearly 100 years of French rule. They first faced the problem of Communism during the Vietnamese Civil War. They remained neutral by contributing equally to North and South Vietnam. North Vietnam was a Communist country while South Vietnam was advised by the U. S. The Khmer Rouge, a group of Communist rebels, was led by Pol Pot. They soon took over Cambodia, killing hundreds of thousands of people. They transformed the country into a Communist society. The people of Cambodia rebelled because of the harsh dictatorship.Within days of the Khmer Rouge taking over, changes were made. New policies were created stating that the entire population should become a collective federation of farmers. All educated people (doctors, lawyers, teachers, and scientists) were murdered. Schools, factories, and hospitals were shut down. Any and all kinds of political rights were eliminated as well. The peopl e of Cambodia were purposely placed in working camps as far away from their homes as possible, working for extremely long hours and receiving minimal rations. Racism was also a problem. All Chinese, Vietnamese, and Thai’s were murdered.Certain religions were also not acceptable such as Christianity and Muslim. The children of Cambodia were indoctrinated causing them to become extremely brainwashed and almost everyone was a victim of torture as well. There was very little involvement by the U. S. to stop the genocide in Cambodia. This was because the United States was already involved in the Vietnam War and they were facing many social and political pressures. The only reason they were involved was to stop the spread of communism. Finally, the Vietnamese invaded and overthrew the Khmer Rouge.They immediately installed a less repressive government but this didn’t stop the fighting. They only wanted to take over Cambodia so that their Communist society would grow. The Vie tnamese eventually withdrew and Cambodia adopted a democratic constitution which held free elections. The economy and society of Cambodia has never truly recovered from the genocide. Although Cambodia has made many attempts to change its economy, it is still based mainly upon agricultural development because Pol Pot’s policies destroyed their foreign aid and all of Cambodia’s educated professionals were killed.

Childhood Obesity: Parents dilemma Essay

Cardiovascular disease, diabetes, musculoskeletal discomforts are some of the many serious health effects that should be the nightmare we all avoid. So why it is that in today’s society we are faced with the alarming fact of half of our population being obese, which are the causative agents to these malicious health problems? It seems as if this is an ongoing problem that may never cease to exist. Why? If the quandary of obesity isn’t realized and address it would not be acknowledged as a problem, therefore it would not be corrected. According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, child obesity is defined as a Body Mass Index (BMI) at or above the 95 percentile to children of the same sex and age. Obesity is an excess proportion of total body fat. A child is considered obese when his or her weight is 20% or more above normal weight. The most common measure of obesity is the body mass index or BMI. Obesity is rapidly becoming a world wide epidemic, and is starting with our children. Stanford (2001) proposes that the escalation of obesity could be the greatest health threat the world will face in the 21st century. Stanford is highlighting that childhood obesity is a growing health dilemma with a deadly prospect, but who are to blame? In this world today the roles of parents are becoming more demanding than ever before. Our basic knowledge of a parent is one that guides and teaches how to live and survive in this complex world. They are the ones that influence and set out lessons to learn and morals to live by, they are the ones to protect you from harm and detour you from their previous mistakes. Becoming a parent one takes on endless responsibilities and countless blames. However, a parent is only human and can only take full responsibility for certain decisions and behaviors made by their child or children. According to Oxford, a child is defined as a young human being below the age of full development which is 18 and childhood is the period of being a child. Obesity is one of the many hefty misconceptions placed on parents, as we over look the alliance with genetics, environmental and psychological factors. Childhood obesity is in fact highly associated with genetics. A child is in its developmental stage; therefore, genetics plays an accommodating position in the development of obesity. Hills (2011) assume that â€Å"recent studies of genetic syndromes of obesity in rodents have provided insights in to the underlying mechanisms that may play a role in energy homoeostasis. In recent years, research has begun to identify human disorders of energy balance that arise from defects in these or related genes [42]. These mutations have been shown to result in morbid obesity in children without the developmental features that commonly accompany recognized syndromes of childhood obesity. Most children probably have some genetic predisposition to obesity, depending on their family history and ethnicity.† There is no denying that genetic alone is the cause for childhood obesity but it is a major fact that it is a large contributor to this chief health hazard. Harvard (2012) remarks â€Å"subsequent work on the relationship between the FTO gene, physical activity, and obesity yielded contradictory results. (16-18) To arrive at a more definitive answer, investigators recently combined and re-analyzed the data from 45 studies in adults and 9 studies in children—nearly 240,000 people in all. (19) They found that people who carried the obesity-promoting FTO gene variant had a 23 percent higher risk of obesity than those who did not.† Nonetheless, genetics is a contributing factor, and the reality of it is that it can be controlled by means of healthy eating habits and exercise regiments. However, why should parents be blamed for uncontrollably giving their child the â€Å"obesity curse† which was given to them? Determination of a healthy choice is not an easy one for a child when there are a variety of endless environmental factors that alter decision making. Children spend time away from their parents almost 50% of the time in a day which can be spent at school, child care and community environments, while parents meet the demands of world. The development of a child can be a very confusing one based on decision making. It is difficult for many children to make healthy food choices when the environment they are exposed to encourage great availability to high-energy-dense foods and sugar drinks. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stipulate, â€Å"a recent study among children showed that a high-energy-dense diet is associated with a higher risk for excess body fat during childhood. Sugar drinks are the largest source of added sugar and an important contributor of calories in the diets of children in the United States. High consumption of sugar drinks, which have few, if any, nutrients, has been associated with obesity. On a typical day, 80% of youth drink sugar drinks.† Today the schools provide students with vendor machines, school stores, canteens or snack bars lighted up like candy land where you can eat to your hearts content. Cafeterias and lunch programs are no different; Hoang Do Wendt (2009) explains a report by USDA in the School Nutrition Dietary Assessment Study shows that typical school lunches derive 35% of their energy from fat and 12% of their energy from saturated fat, which is higher than the recommended levels of 30% and 10% respectively (USDA 2001). Various lunch vendors and programs want to meet the satisfaction of their buyers, which are the children. Lehmann (2010) proposes that â€Å"even in the face of an obesity epidemic, cafeteria directors say they need the brand-name meals to keep their programs running. Schools and other food distributors are concerned with purchasing and distributing food that would be appealing to children. The choices made by most of the lunch vendors doesn’t exactly encourage healthy eating h abits, as their goal is to reinforce children’s taste for fast food for that golden dollar. In close relation to environmental factors, the additional causative agents of childhood obesity are psychological factors. The weight of depression, low self esteem, and social anxiety plays a major role in childhood obesity. Acceptance for a child, in relation to his or her peers places pressure on their mind and in their bodies. Lawson alleged that at the center of obesity-depression link is biology, notably the hormonal pathway known as the HPA axis. It is the route of communication between the hypothalamus, the peanut-sized part of the brain that governs parts of the nervous system, and the pituitary and adrenal glands, which secrete a variety of hormones, which work together to maintain chemical equilibrium when the body is under stress. The HPA axis is responsible for releasing cortisol, the so-called â€Å"stress hormone.† It plays a critical role in energy metabolism as well as other functions. The problem is, cortisol prompts the body to deposit fat around the abdome n, a pattern that is especially hazardous to health. Chronic stress also begets depression. â€Å"Obesity, depression and behavioral disorders have all been linked to abnormal functioning of the HPA axis,† says Mustillo. It is a fact that many children today battle depression due too many environmental stressor at home, school and friendships. Depression is coped many ways, however in relation to obesity, the comfort is found in food. This over loveable obsession for food in relation to depression contributes to an unhealthy lifestyle followed by an extension of psychological factors. Low self-esteem is also a contributing factor of obesity. When a child suffers from this disorder, what ever discussion, education, talk on caring for their body would travel through one ear and out the next. Eating may become a source of reassurance in reference to how they are feeling. Lawson discloses by acknowledging that there is an interaction between what’s outside your body and what’s inside. â€Å"Obesity carries a large social stigma and may bring on depression if it negatively affects self-esteem, body image or social mobility. It may even disrupt the normal hormonal pathways. Then again, depression may also bring on obesity, if a child lacks the energy to exercise or is immobilized by stress.† Dealing with social ills, social anxiety is one strongly associated with children and their social relationships. Children greatest fear in their psychological development is rejection from their peers. Some children shy away from the normality of having peers for different reasons. Many children are victims of bullying and social discrimination, for many, there only source of comfort is food. Martyn-Nemeth et al (2009) found that low self esteem is clearly associated with over eating and weight gain in adolescents. Many other studies indicate t hat overweight and obese children and adolescents have moderately lower self esteem than non obese peers. There are numerous types of psychological factors and they play with different approaches to obesity. In one study, 70% of obese children had at least one cardiovascular disease risk factor and 39% had two or more. It is heartrending to announce that there is a substantial amount of children affected by obesity today. We are all knowledgeable of health risks caused by obesity which includes physical and emotional dilemmas. These health risks can also create a shadow to follow children in adulthood. If children are overweight or obese, when in adulthood the affects are likely to be more severe. There are multiple factors in this occurrence of childhood obesity which makes food preferences and consumption questionable. Those factors does however, include parent influence and education. It is not denied that parents are totally out of being the causative agents of childhood obesity. They are however a massive contribution with this underlying problem, but we have to think out the box. Think about a thirteen year old girl entering puberty, whose parents love her unconditionally and her mother prepares all meals according to the national food guide, but yet still battles obesity. Are her parents overweight? What kinds of foods does she have access to at school? Is she suffering from depression or social neglect? One can’t look at an obese child and say I blame the parent. For all its worth that parent maybe the only struggling for help and answers. Obesity is a worldwide crisis, affecting millions of children from different ethnicities, cultures and religions. Does this mean that the millions of children affected, parents are to blame? Obesity can only be corrected by addressing all possible contributions to this dilemma. Therefore, the blame for childhood obesity needs to be lifted of the heads of parents and tackled by the world at large. Works Cited Fernando L. Vazquez and Angela Torres. Behavioral and Psychosocial Factors in Childhood Obesity. Hills, Andrew. â€Å"Genetics of Childhood Obesity.† Journal of Obesity 11 (2010) Lawson, Willow. The Obesity-Depression Link Philadelphia Lehmann, Deborah â€Å"Why School Cafeterias are Dishing Out Fast Foods† Intechopen Retrieved from http://www.intechopen.com/books/childhood-obesity

The Edible Woman essays

The Edible Woman essays The Edible Woman written by Margaret Atwood is about women and their relationships to men, to society, to food and to eating. In chapter 22, Marian and Duncan are invited to dine at Trevors (Duncans friend) apartment. I have to say honestly that not many events occur during this chapter but the ones that do are very significant for the development of the characters and satirical. For example, in chapter 22 we really get to see Fishs intellectual side, constantly analyzing poetry and sharing his own perspective on society. On another note, Marian is faced with a plate of food, and this reflects her state of mind at this point of the story; still confused about her role in society, but is slowly finding a way around it, grabbing the chunks of meat and tossing them towards Duncans plate. She scraped most of the sauce from one of the chunks of meat, picked it up between thumb and finger, and tossed it to him over the candles Something else interesting that I noticed in this chapter is when Fish recites his interpretation of Alice in Wonderland. I believe that this is a sort of inroad to understanding the novel, depicting Marian as a type of Alice. Of course everybody knows Alice is a sexual-identity-crisis book . . . this is the little girl . . . trying to find her role ... as a Woman. One sexual role after another is presented to her but she seems unable to accept any of them . . . she rejects maternity . . . nor does she respond positively to the dominating-female role . . . Marian Mc Alpin: Marian Mc Alpin is a very easy going woman that seems to find her way around everything. She is extremely polite, patient and copes with everything throughout the story. Marian copes with her roommate Ainsley's radical ideas about getting pregnant without first getting married, she copes with Peter's moods, adjusting her emotions ar ...

Philosophy of Science Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Philosophy of Science - Coursework Example ve knowledge about things and are capable of even discovering others including those which make up the fundamental truth of the structure of reality supports the underdetermination arguments. This therefore implies that both weak and strong underdetermination are critical aspects in the understanding of philosophy of science. It is however worth noting that his call for more epistemic  resources like the ampliative principles of beliefs which are meant to help in narrowing down merely logical possibilities to come up with those that are rationally defensible is very problematic. Despite the fact that underdetermination is known to pose a threat to the rationality of scientific enterprise, Laudan argued that the significance of underdetermination is often exaggerated in a variety of contexts and claims. To him, underdetermination comes with a variety of strengths2. However, the known or seen strengths primarily depends on what is being said or asserted about a given character, the rational defensibility of the competing hypothesis and the ways through which people revise their beliefs on different evidences which are available to

Course Project Milestone Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Course Project Milestone - Research Paper Example Most of her body systems are well and functioning as they should (Kotecki, 2011, p. 170). The areas of weakness are her related traits and habits, and experiences of mild headaches. There are times when the patient feels so stressed by her past experiences. B. Client’s strengths The patient is active and exercises on a daily basis. She jogs and is involved in some activities in the community. This helps her kip fit and good shape, something that has helped her keep off most diseases (Kotecki, 2011, p. 170). Another area of strength for the patient is her health patterns. The patient ensures that she eats a healthy diet, and does not oversleep (Kotecki, 2011, p. 174). More to that, the patient’s excretory system is normal. To deal with her stresses, the patient attends stress management classes where she learns how to avoid the stress from affecting her health. Another area of strength is that she is a spiritual woman and has a positive attitude towards life and all arou nd her. All these have helped the woman to remain and stable, keeping off diseases that are likely to attack her and especially at her age. C. Areas of concern The woman complained of a persistent pain under her breast bone that lasted for quite some time. She also complained of some difficulties in breathing which prompted her to visit the health facility. One area that may place the woman’s health at risk is her habit of smoking and taking of alcohol(Golden, Fred, Heath, & William, 2009, 34). The woman tends to smoke heavily especially when under a lot of stress. This could place her at risk of acquiring problems especially with her respiratory system. Another area of weakness is that the lady was diagnosed with hypertension. This makes even her habit of smoking more risky. The patient is also allergic to Penicillin, because years back, she had developed a rash after an injection had been administered to her years back. The patient has a history of depression and anxiety wh ich resulted after she lost her husband 10 years ago. Her anxiety is due to the fact that she has not seen her grandkids yet and this increases her chances of getting a heart attack. The patient suffers from mild headaches that could be a result of anxiety and depression. D. Health teaching topics The patient needs to be given more classes on how to deal and manage her levels of stress, so as to reduce the chances of having a heart attack or suffering from high hypertension levels. The patient will also need to be taught about the dangers associated with smoking and especially for a person with hypertension and at her age. 2: Nursing Care Plan Next, plan your care based on your analysis of your assessment data: A. Diagnosis The patient’s priorities are having the best health care services at an affordable price. She does all she can to ensure that she remains healthy and free from chronic diseases which she says are not worth wasting resources over. With this in mind, the bes t nursing diagnosis is the wellness nursing diagnosis. B. Plan One goal that the wellness nursing diagnosis is expected to meet is that the patient’s health gets improved and the hypertension levels kept low. The expected outcome is that the patient will be in a more stable state of health. It is also expected that the headaches will reduce and hypertension levels will remain low. C. Intervention Intervention 1: to define and state a desired BP by explaining hypertension and the effects it has on body. Rationale: To increase the

Employee relations in the public sector have generally been conflict Essay

Employee relations in the public sector have generally been conflict ridden for some time. Discuss the reasons for this and what - Essay Example Privatization, organizational changes, and subsequent withdrawal of trade unions from the public sector further complicate the situation. Conflicts between employees and public sector employers reflect the growing complexity of their relations and reduced role of the trade union support in collective bargaining issues. Given that relatively little is known about public sector employee behaviors and their decisions, a deeper analysis of their conflicts and situations needs to be performed. The development of partnerships between public sector employees and trade unions, and the use of integrative management approaches to organizational change must guarantee active involvement of the public sector employees in the processes and decisions that influence the terms and conditions of their workplace performance. Employment relations in the public sector: Conflicts and underlying reasons That employee relations in public sector have been conflict ridden for some time is a well-known fact. C averley, Cunningham and Mitchell (2006) are correct in that any conflicts in employee relations illustrate and expose a wide range of difficulties, many of which reflect employee resistance to organizational and other changes in work. Such resistance is relevant for all public sector employees, irrespective of the issues and conflicts that affect their performance. The latter may range from a disagreement over benefits and pays to the issues in scheduling in the workplace (Caverley, Cunningham & Mitchell 2006). In these situations, different parties take different positions and argue, make concessions, and reach a consensus (Caverley, Cunningham & Mitchell 2006). Unfortunately, public sector employees often fail to achieve such an agreement with their employees and external parties. For this reason, conflicts are becoming a definitive feature of employment relations in the public sector. The reasons of such conflicts are numerous and varied. Objectively, that the relations between e mployees and employers in the public sector are characterized by a number of peculiar features. First, the state is no longer a silent, neutral representative of the public employee interest but exemplifies a self-interested party in the employee relations field (Beaumont 1992). Second, the state is no longer a mechanism of reacting to the civil society pressures but an autonomous organism, which becomes even more autonomous during the major economic shakes (Beaumont 1992). Third, the growing autonomy of the state is directly associated with increased probability of inter-role conflicts in the public sector, when employees and employers either fail to understand or are not willing to accept the distribution of functions proposed by the state (Beaumont 1992). Ultimately, these are governments’ macroeconomic decisions and policies that usually lead to the growing discontent in public sector employees – therefore, political environment has far-reaching implications for th e quality and stability of industrial relationships in the public sector (Beaumont 1992). In the 20th century, the state in Great Britain used to be the principal provider and, simultaneously, the key employer in numerous public sectors, including health, education, and social services (Prowse & Prowse 2007). As a result, the state was also the key player in the development of

Trends in Workplace Essay Example for Free

Trends in Workplace Essay The ancient Chinese saying May you live in interesting times has perhaps never been more relevant. As the 1990s draw to a close and the new millennium fast approaches, life is phenomenally interestingand demanding. Professionals who are responsible for workplace learning and performance improvement are squarely in the center of the swirl of exciting possibilitiesand requirementsthat are emerging. The inextricable link between rapid technological change and the emergence of the global economy has created the necessity for profound change in the way people and organizations work. As a result, workplace learning is arguably more strategic to the competitive advantage of both individuals and employers than at any point in all of recorded history. So its a great time to be in this profession. But along with the tremendous opportunity that this period of economic history has brought come unprecedented requirements and responsibilities. The same technological advances that are behind the rapid emergence of a truly global economy are forever changing both the demand for and supply of workplace learning opportunities. This article is the third of ASTDs annual reports that identify major trends that are affecting the field of workplace learning and performance improvement. The underlying trends that were identified in the first two of these articles (see the November 1996 and 1997 issues of Training Development) are longstanding and not likely to change in the near term. Four particularly noteworthy demand-side developments are the growing effort given to managing knowledge, the integration of learning and communication functions, a resurgence of interest in leadership development and executive coaching, and the intensifying requirement among employees that career development become an integral part of their employment relationship. The supply-side developments to follow are those that hold the potential for revolutionizing the way in which work and learning occur: the Internet, intelligent tutoring systems, learning objects, and voice recognition. Two important developments in the marketplace for workplace learning, where supply meets demand, are the ongoing consolidation within the supplier community and the creation of an electronic marketplace where buyers and sellers of learning products and tools can meet virtually. Demand and supplypowerful, global forces that  cannot be escaped but that can be harnessed to your advantage. So read on for a glimpse of what the world holds in store for you as the new year and the new millennium unfold. And as you read, keep in mind another old sayingforewarned is forearmed. The demand for workplace learning and performance improvement Periods of rapid change create a premium on learningfor both individuals and organizations. Prosperity and growth are the rewards for those who are the fastest at learning and putting their learning into action; stagnation and decline are the penalties for delay. In an era when it is knowledge rather than physical assets that increasingly defines competitive advantage, the process of managing knowledge becomes a central part of the learning process. Knowledge management. According to some observers, the industrial eras successorthe information age, in which white-collar jobs exceeded blue-collar jobs and entire industries arose just to help companies manage and process informationis already at or past the midpoint of its life cycle. The ever-declining cost of processing information has made it universally available. Indeed, information has become a commodity that is readily bought and sold. As a result, it is no longer enough to define competitive advantage. Gone are the days, for example, when banks could compete exclusively on the basis of which had the fastest information technology or which could slice and dice their account information in more ways than anyone else. Hence, the rapidly growing interest in knowledge as the new source of competitive advantage and the realization that we have now entered a new erathe knowledge era. In many ways, this is nothing new at all. A firms knowledgethe brains of its employees, their know-how, the processes a nd customer knowledge that they createhas always been a source of competitive advantage. And by extension, so too has been knowledge managementthe processes by which a firm creates and leverages knowledge. Whatis unique about the knowledge era is that knowledge is becoming the primary source of competitive advantage within a growing number of industries. Organizations from industrial-era industries, such as automobile manufacturing, to information-age industries such as consulting are recognizing that they each have a unique storehouse  of knowledge, and that the future belongs to those that can grow their knowledge fastest and then apply and use it best. With the benefit of hindsight, it is apparent that in the knowledge era, creating and leveraging knowledge is the business of business. By all available measures, the stock market is already providing handsome rewards to companies that successfully leverage their knowledgea phenomenon that will almost surely grow in significance as knowledge-based organizations increase in size and number. A number of firms are anticipating this and looking to knowledge management to enhance, measure, and manage the knowledge of their employees and organizations more effectively. Why manage knowledge? There are a variety of reasons for the emergence of knowledge management as a real business concern. Among them is the messy transition from industrial-based production and work systems to information-based systems, which rendered many functions and people obsolete. Though downsizing seemed to be the answer of the 1980s, this butchers knife approach often resulted in the loss of valuable knowledge rather than the financial gains that firms expected. Knowledge management offers, instead, a surgeons scalpel that sharpens and refines the value of people and what they know. Certainly, the exponential growth of information technology and the plummeting cost of information processing also helped by laying the technological foundation for the emergence of knowledge management. A necessary, but in no way sufficient, part of most knowledge management efforts is a set of technologies for capturing and synthesizing information from which knowledge can be created and sharedtechnologies such as intranets, Lotus Notes, electronic performance support systems, and specialized software. These technologies provide not only wide and instantaneous access to information by people inside and outside firms who previously lacked such access, but also to the contextual cues that transform information into knowledge. Results from one of the first benchmarking studies on knowledge management, by the American Productivity and Quality Center, suggest several other reasons for its rise, including †¢ the need to capture what employees learn through customer contact. Empowered employees who had no way of sharing new solutions or innovations. †¢ internal and external benchmarking as a way of finding best practices  Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ increasingly global and geographically dispersed operations †¢ customers seeking firms who leverage knowledge to meet their needs †¢ the rise of knowledge work and increased need for collaboration †¢ the need for increased responsiveness and shorter cycle times. What exactly is knowledge management? Like the fable of the blind men and the elephant, what knowledge management means to people depends on which part they are touching. For many, knowledge management is simply a more contemporary label for what they have already been doing under the rubric of information management, total quality management, training, the learning organization, electronic libraries, and so on. Adding further confusion is that some cast the knowledge management net more widely than others. Karl Erik Sveiby, an early advocate of knowledge management, views it as the art of creating value from an organizations intangible assets. For others, knowledge management is confined to the management of the codified, formalized, explicit forms of knowledge such as repositories of lessons learned, documents, databases, and company yellow pages, rather than all intangible assets. In their book Creating the Knowledge-Based Business, David Skyrme and Debra Amidon define knowledge management as the explicit and systematic management of vital knowledge and its associated processes of creating, gathering, organizing, diffusion, use, and exploitation. Perhaps the best way to understand knowledge management is to take a closer look at some examples of what companies actually do when they make knowledge management a priority. In a now classic study, Tom Davenport, along with Mike Beers and Dave DeLong, of Ernst Young found that knowledge management initiatives tend to fall into one of several categories, including †¢ creating and storing knowledge in repositories †¢ measuring the financial value of knowledge †¢ facilitating the transfer of knowledge †¢ creating a knowledge-sharing environment. The most common initiativebuilding knowledge repositoriesis intended to take some form of knowledge that has been extracted from peoples heads and store it in an information system for later access. For example, Hewlett Packard and Sequent Computer both have systems that store sales-oriented documentswhite papers, presentations, marketing collateralfor access by  their field salesforces in selling computers. Other knowledge repositories are less structured, consisting of the insights and observations of employees, sometimes called discussion databases or lessons-learned systems. Some repositories do not hold the knowledge itself, but point to those who have knowledge. Hewlett Packard, for instance, has expert repositories for researchers in its HP Laboratories and Corporate Education groups. A number of firms have undertaken initiatives to measure and manage the economic value of their knowledge. Two of the most widely known firms that have focused on value are Skandia and Dow Chemical. Skandia, the Swedish insurance company whose focus on intellectual capital is perhaps the most widely known, primarily addresses the measurement of value. Dow focuses more on the management of value by harvesting little-used patent and license assets. Many firms have knowledge transfer, the third type of initiative, as their primary objectiveeither through technology or human means. BP Exploration has built a desktop videoconferencing system to enable workers at remote exploration sites to exchange their knowledge with each other. UNISYS relies upon virtual team rooms to allow members of a particular project team to share files and communicate on a regular basis. Yet, other initiatives do not address any specific knowledge domain, but rather try to improve the overall knowledge environment by fostering an appreciation for knowledge and a culture of sharing. These projects may focus specifically on the reward systems for evaluating knowledge generation, sharing, or use. Given the fact that much of the interest in knowledge management has come about because of advances in information technology, it should come as no surprise that most of the initiatives falling into the just-described categories are centered around the introduction or use of information technology. A survey by the Ernst Young Center for Business Innovation found, for instance, that technology-centered efforts dominated the specific knowledge management projects of the 431 U.S. and European organizations that participated (see the table). The same survey found that information technology (IT) departments were twice as likely to lead knowledge management projects as any other pa rt of the organization. Knowledge management roles. Companies going down the knowledge management road, even after just a few timid steps, find that it wont happen on its own. Sure, knowledge has been gathered and shared as long as people have been able to communicate, but leveraging knowledge for business success requires that someone have explicit responsibility for making sure it happens and happens well. Hence the rise of the chief knowledge officer (CKO), director of intellectual capital, and chief learning officer (CLO). Though responsibilities may vary from firm to firm, this new executive-level position is typically charged with organizing, capturing, and distributing the organizations knowledge. Some of the most widely known people with titles such as these include CLO Steve Kerr of General Electric (GE), CKOs John Peetz of Ernst Young and Judith Rosenblum of Coca-Cola, and Leif Edvinsson, director of intellectual capital for Skandia. One estimate suggests there may be more than 250 firms in the United States with positions such as these. However, the jury is still out on the value of CKOs, CLOs, and the like. Though slightly more than half of the participants in Ernst Youngs survey said that a CKO could be valuable for their organization, only about 28 percent said that establishing new knowledge roles would make sense for their organization. Regardless of whether knowledge management is given a seat of its own in the boardroom, large firms especially discover quickly a need for a host of knowledge managers. The knowledge management roles for managing Pricewaterhouse Cooperss intranet KnowledgeCurve and its 150 Lotus Notes servers in the United States is an excellent example. More than 100 people in the firms knowledge management organization report to Ellen Knapp, its CKO. This number does not include the owner, moderator, and administrator of each discussion group or her power user council of more than 200 KnowledgeCurve champions in PricewaterhouseCoopers. These positions are critical for capturing the best knowledge in the organization, ensuring the quality of knowledge, and supporting the smooth operation of the entire system. No one said it would be easy No matter what knowledge management projects organizations undertake or how they support them, we already know that road is paved with obstacles and  fraught with complexity. Ernst Youngs survey reveals that the top four difficulties most organizations are likely to face fall into the areas of culture, measurement, quality, and money (see the table below). Overcoming technological limitations, by contrast, came in nearly last (15 percent). Larry Prusak of the IBM Consulting Group warns, When it comes to successfully managing knowledge, culture trumps all other factors. Some organizations are fortunate to have had a knowledge-sharing culture before beginning to formalize their knowledge management. These firms, typically high-tech or knowledge-driven organizations, according to Davenport and Prusak in their book Working Knowledge, have the advantage that they already attract and hire employees who sought and applied knowledge while in school. Other organizations, however, must cultivate such a culture by providing an  environment that encourages and rewards the sharing and use of knowledge. People must be given the time and opportunity to share and then be reassured that their contributions will be recognized. Perhaps the most critical condition for overcoming a culture in which knowledge is seen as power is senior management support for knowledge management. Robert Buckman, CEO of Buckman Laboratories, puts it moresuccinctly: Frankly, I do not think you can have a successful knowledge project without that proactive entrepreneurial support from the top. Other firms find success by building their knowledge management efforts off of groups or parts of the organization that already share knowledge. Is knowledge management a passing fad? Today, it does seem that there is more talk than action. Thomas Stewart, the Fortune magazine writer who first called the business worlds attention to the importance of peoples brainpower, warns that knowledge management has the potential for becoming a fad solely because of the money to be made from the information technology tools that frequently support it. But the forces behind its emergence are real and fundamental, and likely to continue. One thing is certain: Managing knowledge is not a well-defined process. There are many questions that remain unanswered. What knowledge should you keep and what should you toss away? How do you capture the knowledge of chance hallway conversations? How do you avoid the perception that having the latest, best hardware or software equates to managing knowledge? How do you make tacit knowledge explicit? On the other hand, the potential benefits are enormous. Those firms who answer those questions will benefit from knowledge management by †¢ increasing the amount of learning that takes place †¢ making work less frustrating and onerous †¢ making the promise of the learning organization a reality †¢ creating knowledge, insight, and understanding that can help people in their lives outside of work. All of which will be essential to competing in the knowledge era. Learning and employee communications The business imperative to accelerate organizational learning has created new functions within organizations to speed up the process of creating, capturing, and disseminating information and knowledge. The same forces that are creating a focus on knowledge management are causing firms to combine their learning and communications strategies. As training moves to learning, more and more organizations are looking to foster a learning environment to piggyback on training or to create an architecture in which learning, both formal and informal, is ongoing and consistent. As a relatively young company, Qualcomm (founded in 1985), a San Diego-based wireless communications company, did not have an internal communications department. So when the director of the learning department, Tamar Elkeles, decided she needed to better communicate Qualcomms learning and training initiatives to employees, she created a subdepartment within the learning department, called employee communications. Different from corporate communications, which is located at the headquarters facility and focuses on external public  relations, employee communications informs employees about more than just training events; this group has assumed responsibility for communicating the companys training and learning philosophy, as well as its culture and values. The use of the companys intranet Website for information exchange, as well as for more formal distance learning, has been an essential tool in Qualcomms employee communications efforts. Employee communications has been a part of Silicon Graphicss learning and development department for some time. Drew Banks, manager of integrated performance support at SGI, believes that intranet-based distribution of information was the catalyst that made combining learning and development with employee communications work. But he thinks that the underpinning philosophy that drives it is the view that organizational communication and learning are both on t he same continuum. Lars Thykier, director of training at Scandinavian Airlines System, agrees: The border between training/learning and internal communications is increasingly difficult to draw. And, he continues, There is increasing awareness that internal communications are also learning activities, meaning that there is a need for closer ties between the two strategies. If a corporate learning department is set up for broad-based corporate learning (not just skill-based training), says Banks, then this combination can make sense. In fact, he says, it is one of the four logical placements of an employee communications department (as shown in table). The placement of employee communications within an organization should depend on which goal is more difficult to achieve without an organizational linkage. For example, in a command-and-control culture, the first option in the table is best. Additionally, says Banks, any one of these goals could be more critical than the others depending on where the comp any is in its life cycle. This would mean that the organizational placement of employee communications could change over time. The increasing overlap of learning and employee communications within organizations originates from the need of an organization to link its functional silos, says Michele Miller, director of knowledge, strategy, and facilitation at Arthur Andersen. Much like the trend toward combining learning and performance consulting, organizations are melding learning and internal employee communications. Although many organizations have recognized this need, says Miller, they are taking different approaches to address it. Some organizations, for instance, have  located the employee communications department under the training department umbrella. Other organizations, like Arthur Andersen, are looking at creating stronger partnerships with broad-based groups that may have organizational responsibility for the knowledge and communications areas. This has resulted from the blurring of distinctions among communications, knowledge, and learning and from the increased importance of a holistic approach to address their different dimensions. The desire to move learning from discrete interventions to a complete learning environment appears to be pushing the integration of the learning and employee communications departments. Knowledge management, formal and informal learning, performance improvement, and intellectual capital enhancement appear to form the basis for this push, as well as a desire to help employees better understand their organizations vision, mission, culture, and values. No longer content to work within the constraints of functional silos, learning directors have begun to take a more systemic view of informing and developing employees through the creation of their own, or integration with existing, employee communications departments.