Pay It Forward Essay

Pay It Forward An act of kindness can develop values for both the person receiving the aid and the person offering the support as well as community development. In this summary key points are discussed on altruism. The summary stems from an act of kindness, which was conducted by the author as a student of Capstone Course in Psychology/Psy 490. I presented money to a person who needed money for his or her next meal, without expecting anything in return. A person does not realize the degree of emotions involved in experiencing need nor true concern until he or she begins to offer support with no desire of reward. Altruism, Personal and Professional Social Responsibility, and Codependency Altruism is the act of aiding another without thought of self or reward. Altruism is also the moral obligation to help others (Myers, 2008). These are selfless acts, which grant something to someone else; the ego also desires to develop a responsible identity of self. People also need to identify with personal and professional social responsibility to become mature individuals. According to Chickering and Braskamp (2009), â€Å"a civic and moral identity and sense of obligation to society are more apt to behave in ways, which fulfill individual and social responsibilities† (p. 27). When we cannot fulfill our desires of responsibility codependency can become a reactionary problem where individuals react to problems, pains, lives, and behaviors of themselves and others instead of acting in ways, which are adaptive (Morgan, 1991, p. 724). Applying Altruism to Psychology or Psychological Principles Psychological principles are designed to follow the Code of Conduct and its principles. Psychology practices ethical and humane practices within research as well as promoting mental health. The Code of Conduct is followed strictly by professionals of psychology to uphold the rights of consumers, and to offer help to many of life’s problems. Although psychological approaches are not always acts of giving with no reward, many consumers view psychological interventions as acts of moral obligation. Professionals possess personal and social responsibilities to those in need in the communities. Altruism as it Improves the Human Condition Helping others with no desire for reward is beneficial for the human condition. Performing the act of kindness of providing money for food to someone in need helped to build moral character for both parties involved. The person in need, perhaps has gained knowledge he or she is not alone and others do care about what happens to him or her. The person receiving the gift may reciprocate the act by searching for jobs or applying for social support. The person giving the gift has become responsible to help others; this act can lead to bigger acts in the community of aid to others. Many people in the community practicing altruism can be beneficial in teaching social responsibility to others. In such efforts to promote altruism limits exist in persuading others to become responsible in the plight. Personal and Professional Responsibilities Related to Altruism Altruism is a moral obligation or duty to help others. Responsible individuals are obligated to help those in need, and help provide the direction so he or she may learn independence and responsibility. Psychological professions must uphold a moral character for the reputation of psychology whereas always striving to help clients and patients with social problems. The Future of Psychology in Contemporary Society Society will become more responsible because of psychological interventions. Those individuals who have developed personal and social responsibilities will help others to learn to help themselves. Human society is full of problems, societies’ members cannot expect others not to receive help for their problems. Psychology will play the role of meeting these problems with professional attitudes and awareness. New interventions to promote stronger individual experiences will come from psychology. Altruism will help to mold a society, which eventually will be self-sufficient. Conclusion In conclusion, altruism is a selflessness motive to help others, which can promote betterment for society and lead to personal and social responsibility. Human identity formation must be enriched by experiences, knowledge, and insight or reactionary problems such as codependency can occur. Personal and professional responsibilities to altruism should be conducted without obligation and with awareness of respect and competence. The benefits of altruism to the human condition are immense. Trust and integrity can be learned from acts of kindness. Persons and professionals should always engage altruistic acts for the betterment of social avenues. Psychology’s concepts of preserving future experiences will rely on altruistic codes to promote a healthy future for each member of communities. References Chickering, A., & Braskamp, L. A. (2009). Developing a global perspective for personal and social responsibility. Peer Review, 11(4), 27-30. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/216586612?accountid=458 Morgan, J. (1991). What is codependency? Journal of Clinical Psychology, 47(5), 720-729. Myers, D. G. (2008). Social psychology. New York, NY: McGraw Hill.

The Secret Life of Frogs (Poetry by Gwen Harwood)

‘The Secret Life of Frogs’ is a poem that delves into the childhood perception of war, in particular World War I, and the experiences of their fathers. ‘The Secret Life of Frogs’ deals with the idea of misunderstandings incurred when children attempt to understand adult concepts. This is evident through the use of punning. The term ‘Frog’, which is frequently used throughout the poem adds amusement to the text because to the readers, it not only translates literally to a frog, but also represents the rival French people in the war through a negative light. However, the narrator, who is also one of the children in the poem, does not understand this other meaning attached to the term ‘frog’. This can clearly be seen in the final sentence when the narrator believes in protecting the amphibians, but does not distinguish the term ‘Frogs’ to also represent the French people. The use of allusion, reference to World War I in the poem, emphasizes the idea that children in their innocence, particularly children during the war, can misinterpret what adults talk about. Evident in the line ‘some syllables we used as charms†¦Gallipoli’, where the children have heard of these words and the negative connotations attached, however they do not know of the magnitude of the events that are associated with the words. Throughout ‘The Secret Life of Frogs’ themes that are expressed include childhood innocence and the negative influence of war on children. The theme of the innocence of children is clearly conveyed through the use of the parenthesis, ‘(we thought a brothel was a French hotel that served hot broth to diggers)’. This technique is used to enclose a thought that the children had in their childhood, and helps to further emphasize the idea that they misunderstood the adult concept of brothels. The parenthesis also helps to change the tone of the poem as it cuts the seriousness of the stanza through their misinterpretation of the word brothel. This highlights the idea that the children did not understand the insinuations of the word. The notion that the war had a negative impact on children is discussed throughout stanza 3. The use of the metaphor ‘Dad the Impaler’, accentuates the idea that children saw this term in a very positive manner when in actual fact it has negative connotations. This highlights the brutality of war, and the negative influence of war on children because the children in the poem used ‘Dad the Impaler’ in a heroic manner. The use of simile in the last stanza ‘matchstick hands as pale as the violet stems they lived among’ is used to compare a frog to violet flowers, which are very delicate and easily broken. The innocence of childhood is painted through this visual technique as the narrator only sees the frogs being very delicate, but to the readers the simile also creates a vivid image of the condition of the ‘Frogs’/ the French. The use of first person helps to create a reminiscent tone about the narrator’s experiences, and further helps to stress the ideas of childhood innocence and the influence of war on children because the poem is written from a child’s perspective. The use of enjambment generates a conversational and personal tone, emphasizing to the readers the reality of the themes discussed throughout the poem. The use of symbolism of frogs as pets and also representing the French highlights the idea that adults saw ‘Frogs’ as insignificant or unworthy to speak about, whereas the children could not understand this adult thought, and they placed exemplary regard to the wellbeing of the frogs.

The future of e Marketing Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The future of e Marketing - Research Paper Example McCole (2012) argues that the current wave of marketing is directly intertwined with such social media through COBRA and eWOM models. Among the prominent ways that such marketing occurs in social media is through campaigns that give discounts or deals to individuals that follow the specific organization on the social networking platform, such as Facebook or Twitter. Among prominent element of such marketing is through mobile technology. In these situations individuals grant marketers their cell phone number, and the specific organization can then engage in texting campaigns. Finally, specifically tailored marketing is occurring through data analysis that is gained through individuals’ interactions on social media networks. While social media marketing constitutes the current wave of e-marketing, this research recognizes that with the rapid pace of technological change current trends will soon change. As such, it’s crucially important for organizations to consider the potential future of e-marketing. One prominent mode of thought has considered the aspects of the current marketing system that are unsustainable. An example of this is the current pay-per-click system. Facebook currently implements an advertising model where marketers pay a set fee every time a consumer clicks on a specific link. These models have been challenged by increasing manipulation of the data results, leaving both marketers and hosting bodies unable to gather accurate results. With this recognitions one can rightly assume that the future of e-marketing will still greatly be intertwined with search portals, leaving search engine optimization a major element of future marketing efforts. Another major consideration in terms of the future of electronic marketing is the current state of email marketing. Email marketing has long been a cornerstone element of marketing efforts. Spam efforts persist, but more

Islam in the modern world Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Islam in the modern world - Essay Example It is a distressing reality that people consider themselves superior to others in terms of economic conditions, financial resources, color, caste, creed and even gender. Racism has been divided into scientific racism that involves genetics as well in terms of defining black, white, brown and yellow people. Some authors believe it comes from scientific reasons and theories. However there is a class of believers who justify that racism arises from the ideologies of global capitalism which gives rise to the unequal social relations. However the truth is that racism does not exist in a single form but a combination of all types. It involves culture, traditions, language, people, history, class, politics, ideology, religion, gender and even economical conditions (Berg & Wendt, 2011) European Racism Over the past two hundred years, racism has taken many forms in Europe such as Anti-black racism, colonial racism and Anti-Semitic racism. One of the greatest examples of European Racism was th e series of Crusades which were an attempt against the Muslims in terms of religious differences. Their main purpose was the restoration of Christianity and they were a longitudinal series of violent wars that began hundreds of years ago. At the time when the first Crusade took place Palestine had been ruled by Muslims for over four hundred years. The primary cause of this series of Wars was the Muslim invasion of France as well as the decline of the Byzantine Empire by the Muslims of Turkey. The second crusade was then called after a long silence by both participants where many lives were lost in the barbarous attempts to let each other down. Nothing could have stopped them and the brutality continued to another series of dozens of more to be seen in the next few hundred years to come. Of course it raised the spirits of hatred between both parties for their generations to come and both had been blaming each other for the loss of their territories and people. It was something that w as imitated by the Europeans for the hatred that they felt for the Muslims for being their rulers for thousands of years. This was their last resort to get their power from Muslims. Another notable series of racial highlights was the colonial times where Europe had many colonies by the beginning of the First World War. These constituted of dozens of British French, Dutch and German colonies at that time. The consequences of colonialism were negative in nature, and still have an impact on the world as a whole. The seeds of racism sown by the Europeans have played a major role in making this world a more unfair place to live with unequal rights and discrimination in the name of race, religion, caste, color and history. Where some nations consider themselves superior in all ways, other nations and individuals are treated as second class citizens inferior to them with lesser rights to live a respectable life. The times of colonialism began by spreading diseases all over the world never to be cured and many people died because of these. It also led to people having unequal distribution of resources and strained social relations in terms of relations with other nations as well as individuals and even other religions along with people of a different color. This colonial period also gave way to slavery, as the territories that were conquered, the suppressed people belonging there were made slaves and

Urban economics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Urban economics - Essay Example For instance, there are 2 the automotive parts, accessories and tire store business. Compared to other cities around, Calabasas is not performing that well economically compared to Culver City and Los Angeles which records a number of 5 and 462 of such stores respectively. Los Angeles is leading compared to other cities in terms of motor vehicle numbers, recording a number of 63 compared to 1 in Calabasas, CA. It is so unfortunate that other cities like the Malibu, CA and the Culver City, CA do not have any motor vehicle dealer. According to the NAICS 2014 statistics, Calabasas, CA has a total of 7 automobile dealers, this is far away behind the Los Angeles, CA which had a recording number of 282. Sales of motor vehicles has really contributed to the economic growth of the cities in USA. In 2014 alone, the sales from motor vehicle was 238m dollars in Calabasas, CA, 24.737 m dollars in Culver City, Ca, and 10216067000 dollars in Los Angeles, CA, This is a quite encouraging revenue for the states. Other variables attached to the economic growth finding is the revenue from motor oil and the gasoline. Malibu, CA recorded an amount of 16.583 million dollars, 28.526 m dollars for Calabasas, CA, 24.737 m dollars for Culver City, CA, and 3748190400 dollars for Los Angeles, CA. Based on the household number, Malibu, CA has household number of 5178, Calabasas, CA has household number of 8527,Culver City, CA has a number of 39844, while Los Angeles, Ca recorded a household number of 3881954. The population density per square mile for Malibu, CA was 373, 1423 for Calabasas, Ca, 6489 for Culver City, CA, and 8257 for Los Angeles, CA. Finally, the net outlay for the purchasing the vehicles was 23.031 m dollars for Malibu, CA, 39.544 m dollars for Calabasas, CA, 65.343 m dollars for Culver City, CA, and 4527330600 for Los Angeles, CA. From the above statistics it is so evident that Los Angeles is performing well

Analyze Possible Problems Associated with Reintegration after Research Paper

Analyze Possible Problems Associated with Reintegration after Prisonization - Research Paper Example ii) Evaluation – A summary of the obstacles in the path of rehabilitation of the ex-prisoners, convicted of petty crimes like stealing, larceny, etc. iii) Recommendations - The various methods by which criminals can be corrected and their participation as a part of the society can be improved on. B. Grave Crimes: Incidences and corresponding punishments to graver crimes like murder or manslaughter is discussed. i) Biblical Explanation – Graver crimes like homicide is interpreted in the light of the views in the Bible. Murder entitles the death penalty but there is always the scope of pardon, evident from the biblical story of ‘Cain and Abel’. ii) Evaluation - An analysis of the actual factors that leads normal individuals to turn into hardened criminals and solutions to those problems. iii) Recommendations – Methods of correction for criminals convicted of grave crimes like, murder. III. Economic Perspective : The possible contribution of the rehabil itated convicts to the growth of economy and national income generation. Also, their economic contribution to community services and welfare activities is analyzed. IV. Conclusion : A summary of the process of rehabilitation of ex-convicts and reintegrating them into the society. V. References Abstract The study of the possible problems in the reintegration of the imprisoned into the civil society reveals the complexities that exist in this case. The embarrassment faced by an ex-convict to face society, in the aftermath of his sentence, is a very sensitive issue and hence, should be handled with the utmost kindness and caution. Generosity of heart, in this respect, may reap huge dividends and solve the problems that cannot be solved by a harsher treatment of criminals. If anything, injudicious punishments can actually cause more crimes than solve them as is evident from studying the upsurge of terrorism in various nations. A person who had committed a crime should not be treated as an outcast throughout his life and the society, as a whole, should strive to be less judgmental and hypocritical. Economically, the study shows the benefits in GDP creation that can be accrued if the these imprisonized population is converted into an active workforce, consistently contributing to National Income. This is a section of huge untapped labor power that can find employment in the informal sector and must be fully utilized for optimum growth of the economy. Prisons are considered to be the god-forsaken margins of a society, both from a rigid Christian point of view as well as a general one. To survive in these pockets of crime, malice and violence, an individual has to transform oneself completely, psychologically and physically. No matter how normal or innocent, a person is compelled to develop certain skills and attributes that are â€Å"considered highly dysfunctional in free society† (Marlow, 2008, p.42). Since these sites are infested with mutual mistrust, isol ation from the society at large, dependence on the institution and an ever-dangling danger of bloodshed, a person may feel limited, humiliated, and extremely deprived. This makes a dent on his persona indefinitely and poses as a problem in the path of reintegration into the society. Hence, proper and efficient programs must

Should School Curriculum be Standardized for All Essay

Should School Curriculum be Standardized for All - Essay Example Given this perspective, this paper will seek to set forth why there is need for a standardized school curriculum to all. To begin with, the current system of school curriculum has a multi track system whereby, learners do not have equal learning objectives. Consequently, cases of failure are prevalent amongst many students. The backdrop of this argument seeks to put across that, there is need to have a school curriculum that students have control over what enters their minds (Anderson 69). This will provide an advent opportunity that is of paramount importance to their ability to understand and comprehend with what tutors pass on to them. Presence of a school curriculum where young people can control their learning decisions directly can present students with an aspect with a power to cultivate proficiency (Ross 27). This is because, schools provide an environment that is exclusive from what is countering the outside world and with that respect, standardizing the school curriculum is a requirement acceptable to all as well. Arguably, there is need to have a standardized school curriculum that enables students to interact more with their educators. It is intriguing to understand that it is important to have a set standard of school curriculum that provides a fundamental right to learn. ... It is the responsibility of the school curriculum to provide a balance for both students and educators (Ross 51). According to a number of educational analysts, a standard school curriculum is a vital system of education since it has an equal and quintessential influence on students, which in turn leads to equal and balanced learning. Standardized school curriculum is advantageous hence, its need since it provides learners with self-motivation. With reference to research findings, it is arguable that not many learners like attending school (Phelps 40). Nevertheless, a cognitive prospectus highlights that, a standardized school curriculum does not only provide a basis to developing honesty within learners, but also cultivates self-motivation (Long 54). Motivation is a fundamental aspect in students as it determines the future of the student given the fact that education is beneficial to every person. At this point, you should be able to understand that the standardized school curricul um only assists all learners in making decisions regarding their future rather than leave that opportunity to either the students or parents. It is a joint decision that involves rules set out by the curriculum, prospects of the parents or guardians, and the choice of the learner (Anderson 83). Moreover, standardized school curriculum brings about a sense of specialization and adaptation. This system has the potential to compromise the inputs of both the learner and educators. Today’s generation requires an adaptive curriculum in both the school and in the curriculum itself. Just as some proponents of standardized school curriculum asserts, the world of today needs a curriculum that excludes what is not essential and includes almost every

A direct government action related to Amtrak Research Paper

A direct government action related to Amtrak - Research Paper Example government owned corporation started its operation from 1971. It provides passenger train service in 46 states of U.S.A. and three provinces of Canada. Before 1971 the rail service was provided by several private corporations. Because of the declining financial condition Amtrak was established by U.S. congress. The board of directors’ members is appointed by the U.S. president and the senate of U.S. Most of the track of Amtrak is owned by the freight railroads which is a major source of earning. Amtrak has also its revenue from the ticket sales. In spite of these earning Amtrak needs government subsidies. There were many controversies has taken place about the direct government action. From the inauguration of Amtrak the financial condition was never stable. Despite of several financial aid given by the U.S. government Amtrak has never became self sufficient. This is the main cause of the controversies about Amtrak. But from the year 2007-08 the number of riders increased cont inuously which is a boost for the organization. This paper is an attempt to analyze that whether the government should continue to play a direct role in the operation of Amtrak. Description of Stakeholders The stakeholders of Amtrak are the U.S. government, the employees of Amtrak and the board of directors, the passengers, the taxpayers and the companies who are partners of Amtrak. The government owns all the stock of Amtrak and thus they would get the profit generated by Amtrak, but it is a fact that Amtrak has never been able to generate profit from 1971. The government has to provide subsidies for continuing the operation as it is an important medium of communication. The employees and the board of directors are the major stakeholders of the company. Approximately 19000 employees employee is working with Amtrak till date. They are responsible to provide quality service to its passengers and take steps necessary to improve it and inform the U.S. congress about the operations of A mtrak (duty of inspector general) (Amtrak Office of Inspector General, â€Å"About Amtrak OIG†). The taxpayers are providing tax and funding a major part of the needed capital of Amtrak. Some private companies or other government companies are work as the partner of Amtrak like Access America, AAA, eBags, Continental Airlines, iSeatz, Greyhound. They are the stakeholders of Amtrak as they have certain interest that how Amtrak will perform in the future and it is sensitive decision to continue partnership with them. The passengers are the major stakeholders as they are paying the price of the tickets and receiving the service. They would take the decision whether to continue travelling in the railroad or take some other medium. Arguments in support of Government’s Direct Role According to some critics if Amtrak get privatized then the company would become self sufficient and would generate profit. The private companies would divest the operations which is not so profita ble. But there are also lots of demerits of this decision. These are described as follows. If the transport medium gets privatized there is a high chance that the cost of transport would increase and the common people get affected, as this would cost more. There would be less money in people’s hand and this could be a reason of economic crisis. Though the organization is generating a loss every year the government is providing subsidies to them. The recent increase of riders results in decrease the net loss of the company. If the private sector would be there they would take measures for cost cutting or steps to increase the revenue. They can generate more revenue by increasing the costs of tickets or the cost of advertising and cut down the costs by decrease the budget which may lead to some lower

Hariharan N The Musical Genius Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Hariharan N The Musical Genius - Essay Example This gave way to many concerts, television performance and even TV serial such as â€Å"Junoon†. In 1994, he received the Best Album of the Year Award for the song Abshaar-e-Ghazal. In 1998, he was awarded as the â€Å"Best Male Playback Singer† by the Tamil Nadu State Government Film Awards for his song â€Å"Mere dushman mere bhai†. All of the awards however were nothing compared to the milestone that he achieved in the year 1996, the time when his fusion album ( Indian-English ) â€Å" Colonial Cousins† made him a celebrity. It was a collaboration between Bombay-based composer/singer Leslie Lewis and him. It was popular due to the fact that it : "Colonial Cousins" became the first Indian act to be featured on MTV Unplugged and also won the pair a string of national and international awards, including the MTV Indian Viewers Choice award and US Billboards award†( Hariharan mysticamusic.com ) The popular album showcased Harahan’s musical prowess as a co-writer , musical scorer and artist. This is a hard combination to beat even amongst young artists of today where singing is the only forte one has. What was outstanding about Harihan is that he was able to â€Å" scale the song Hamsathwani raga in three octaves, hitting the lowest and highest notes with equal facility. His other songs like â€Å"Feel Alright â€Å" is a perfect example of fusion wherein he was able to sing the English lyrics yet in typical Indian folk style.

Health Organization Case Study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Health Organization Case Study - Essay Example In the year 2011, UnitedHealth Group Incorporated showed total net earnings of $5.142 billion. UnitedHealth Group is the holding company of the UnitedHealthcare, and is the largest and chief health carrier all over the United States of America. The company was formed in the year 1977 and was initially called the United HealthCare Corporation. The name was changed again in the year 1998, but even the new name has its origin based in a firm that the UnitedHealth Group acquired back in the year 1977 which was called the Charter Med Incorporated and was formed in the year 1974. It was in 1979, that the UnitedHealth introduced their first network-based health plan targeting the seniors citizens in America the company became a publicly traded one in 1984. UnitedHealthcare was very recently given the highest rating in the area of employer satisfaction for all self-insured health plan companies by J.D. Power and Associates. The company also received top ratings in 2011 from the American Medi cal Association (AMA) in the National Health Insurance Report Card published by the AMA. This fourth annual report card published by the American Medical Association assessed seven different national health insurance companies on the criterion of both timeliness as well as the accuracy of their claims basing their evaluation on different metrics like the assortment of payment made to the companies, and some process metrics. UnitedHealthcare also moved to the top spot amongst all of its industry peers on the two metrics: concerning Contracted Fee Schedule Match Rate and Electronic Remittance Advice (ERA) Accuracy. Contracted Fee Schedule Match Rate basically is an indicator of how often the insurer's claim payment tallies the fee schedule put down in the initial contract. Electronic Remittance Advice (ERA) Accuracy is the measure of the rate at which the amount allowed by the insurer actually equals to the expected allowed payment of the physician’s services. In a more recent publication of the health insurance industry called the ‘Business Insurance’, UnitedHealthcare was called the "readers choice" winner for the year 2010 in the category of "Best health plan provider". In contrast to all these ratings, UnitedHealthcare was given a 65% unfavorable rating by a group of hospital executives who had on several occasions dealt with UnitedHealthcare on previous occasions. Though this number is quite good and up by about 33% from the rating in 2010, UnitedHealthcare still is at the bottom of all the companied included in the list. As already mentioned, UnitedHealthcare is a recognized leader in the health insurance claim business and it strives to constantly improve on the quality of the services they are offering to their customers and the overall effectiveness of the notion of healthcare for every American citizen. They want to enhance every individuals reach to health perks and benefits offered by the health insurance companies like theirs. Th ey are striving to constantly create new and innovative health products and services that will make the entire concept of healthcare more affordable to American citizens. They also tend to use technology to make the entire health care system easier to manage and navigate around. The different subsidiaries of the company are constantly coming up with a line up for innovative services and products for an approximate 70 million of its

Time and Order-processing Costs Essay Example for Free

Time and Order-processing Costs Essay After making some wise short-term investments at a race track, Chris Low had some additional cash to invest in a business. The most promising opportunity at the time was in building supplies, so Low bought a business that specialized in sales of one size of nail. The annual volume of nails was 2,000 kegs, and they were sold to retail customers in an even flow. Low was uncertain of how many nails to order at any time. Initially, only two costs concerned him: order-processing costs, which were $60 per order without regard to size, and warehousing costs, which were $1 per year per keg space. On average, the rented warehouse space is only half full. This meant that Low had to rent a constant amount of warehouse space for the year, and it had to be large enough to accommodate an entire order when it arrived. Low was not worried about maintaining safety stocks, mainly because the outward flow of goods was so even. Low bought his nails on a delivered basis. Question 1: Using the EOQ methods outlined in Chapter 9, determine how many kegs of nails Low should order at one time.  Question 2: Assume that all conditions in Question 1 hold, except that Low’s supplier now offers a quantity discount in the form of absorbing all or part of Low’s order-processing costs. For orders of 750 or more kegs of nails, the supplier will absorb all order-processing costs; for orders between 249 and 749 kegs, the supplier will absorb half. What is Low’s new EOQ? (It might be useful to lay out all costs in tabular form for this and later questions.) Question 3: Temporarily ignore your work on Question 2. Assume that Low’s warehouse offers to rent Low space on the basis of the average number of kegs that Low will have in stock, rather than on the maximum number of kegs that Low would need room for whenever a new shipment arrived. The storage charge per keg remains the same. Does this change the answer to Question 1? If so, what is the new answer? Question 4: Take into account the answer to Question 1 and the supplier’s new policy outlined in Question 2, and the warehouse’s new policy in Question 3. Then determine Low’s new EOQ. Question 5: Temporarily ignore your work on Questions 2, 3, and 4. Low’s luck at the race track is over; he now must borrow money to finance his inventory of nails. Looking at the situation outlined in Question 1, assume that the wholesale cost of nails is $40 per keg and that Low must pay interest at the rate of 1.5% per month on unsold inventory. What is his new EOQ? Question 6: Taking into account all of the factors listed in Questions 1, 2, 3, and 5, calculate Low’s EOQ for kegs of nails.

Trickledown Theory Of Harajuku Cultural Studies Essay

Trickledown Theory Of Harajuku Cultural Studies Essay Change in fashion has repeatedly been explained as a trickle-down result of class replication followed by class repugnance. But wearing the latest style is no longer a dispensation that is reserved only for the upper strata. The drastic change in fashion cannot be stated as a straightforward progression of transmission from the elites to the masses. Some studies have made an accessible alternate model where sub cultural innovations bubble-up in anticipation of them being adapted by emulating marketable bodies. According to studies fashion is not something that can be promoted in an artificial manner which gives a commercial aspect to the new trends that have just come in the market. The relationship between fashion and so-called anti-fashion is a recurrently dialectical one and therefore there is no coherence in fashion mainstream. There are some trickle downs and bubble ups theories that happen which sometimes moves horizontally or sometimes they just remain where they are despite the difference in culture, class, lifestyle or age groups. Tastes are not purely dictated and we should acknowledge the complexity and idiosyncratic sensual significance of material things in peoples lives. People invest on clothes with both individual and collective facets of identity, memory and imagination. Beyond social competition, fashion comes from the primal pleasures of recital, amusement, foundation and annihilation. On Shibuya Street The hefty traffic and Shibuya are associated in its history. Shibuya was a diminutive village in Edo period, positioned at the Western edge of Central Tokyo. Because of this location, Shibuya Station on spherical Yamate Line also became the terminal for a subway line to Ginza, a railway to Yokohama and numerous additional railways. Shibuya urbanized with the railways and traffic. The railway companies also made Shibuya a well accepted shopping town. In 1934, an enormous railway company called- Tokyu Group first built the foremost department store here. This is the company which attracted many consumers who used to merely overtake Shibuya to shop at Ginza. In 1968, its rival Seibu Railway Group opened Seibu Department Store. They also opened PARCO for younger customers in 1973. Tokyu Group retaliated back by opening Tokyu Hands in 1978. This kept on happening for years and this is the way that Japan fought amongst itself to come out to be todays most sought after countries for fashion. In the streets of shibuya, a very distinct street in Japan, where fashion is at its peak and it proves to be one of the most amazing spots to be in if you are in search for the Japanese culture and how the youth of Japan have taken their history forward. There are a lot of department stores in shibuya here teenagers in group flock around every day. This hub is lively and full of energy due to the fashion carried out here. The area of shibuya is targeted towards younger generations unlike, the other parts, which are known for being wild and quirky. This area also carries forward the tag of being one of the safest shopping destinations which boosts a lot of energy in the people who come to shop there. This street is also famously known to be an environmentally clean area and a place to be when in Japan. Shibuya street fashion is one of the most fashionable, energetic, modern, and a stylish street which offers the latest trends which are creative and very well thought of. It is one of the most sorted out streets after the Harajuku Street and is also considered youthful in nature and one can easily mingle in with the crowd and be a part of them. Ganguro fashion which prominently hit the streets of Japan in 1990s had initially hit the streets of shibuya and this fashion was a new rage on its street till another decade. This fashion was just like punk which is like a legendary fashion in itself but which mutated in the form of other new style as years passed by. This trend was popular amongst the younger teenagers and young ladies in their 20s who would dye their hair blonde or orange in colour along with a deep tan and white concealer which was often used as a lipstick. On the streets of shibuya this fashion died away but newer trends kept following it with a tinge of Ganguro attitude yet attached to it. The newer fashions stuck to the basic foundation of the Ganguro fashion which was purely based on freedom and strength. The fashion in the shibuya districts are just not a focus on about being extreme in nature but it is also about the amalgamation of styles and just like how they see life to static rather than just being con stant. This street is always looking for something which has a creative aspect and a tinge of novelty in the ideas they put forward in the market. One of the most important places in the Shibuya Street is the 109, a fashion building which caters to amazingly youthful and stylish teenagers and attracts crowds easily. The most daring and wild sides of the street are boutiques like candy, centre Gai and Koen Dori which bring out an energizing vibe which is pleasingly attracting the youth. The most interesting part of visiting this street is that it will make both overtly fashionable and less fashionable people feel alike with rich and energetic youthful vibe inside them when they are on the street. Along with these people are the alternative fashion minded gurus who would like to keep to themselves and also dress likewise. Shibuya is known for rekindling the spirit within the youth through their fashion which is carefree and above all a very individualistic in nature. The center of youth fashion and culture the most spectacular thing that happens on this street is at the intersection of the four roads that go to the fashionable and stylish clothes shops. There are people walking in from all directions when the lights go green but the most surprising thing is that no one ever bumps into another person. This fact has been mentioned here purely to suggest that despite of the hysterical movements of people towards each other there are well thought of precautions which the Japanese government has taken and thus this fact has probably amazed me everything is planned, not just fashion. Shibuya is a convenient place to admittance from all directions, and today it is the most important hangout spots amongst youths. The students who live near this street and also the other youths of Japan make the most of this place by experimenting with fashions and cosmetics along with accessories in an extreme form from this street. The 109 department at the shibuya street is one of the most flashy and commercial neighboring suburb of Harajuku street. Here the people act as major players in innovating novel and fashionable sensibilities which eventually become iconic in nature due to celebrities who follow it. In this street it is not normal for the fashion houses to give an opportunity to charismatic salesgirls as forecasters because they believe in formal training in the field. This poses as a difference between both the streets- the Harajuku and the Shibuya Street. The people who undergo a formal training can be positioned in the departmental stores as designers, merchandisers, sales person, stylists, models and marketers as per the qualifications they have achieved. Difference between shibuya and Harajuku Shibuya- here girls and boys in their mid teens and above shop for sexy fashion and do not wear cute fashions at all, unlike the Harajuku people. Here the youth is more fascinated and attracted to the fashion brands existing in the market and b the top models of sexy fashion magazines. The youth of Japan are known for trying hard to create ones own individuality through fashion and thus the youth on this street also abide by the same rule. They create their individual sense by dressing in a sexy manner but on their own terms and conditions. They pair up branded clothing together and I suppose that their disposable income would be higher than the shoppers at Harajuku. Not that I think that shoppers at Harajuku do not buy branded clothing as I also think that the Japanese youth saves money only to shop and nothing else apart from gadgets of course. Harajuku- here the groups or the individual youth follow a specific fashion style that has been adopted from the past like gothic- Lolita and punk. Here the youth is willing to buy clothes from the streets because they get inspired by musicians from the past and their fashion sense surrounds the trends that are ongoing and that are further merged with the fashions of the past. The street of Uhara on the Harajuku Street is called the black alley as it has casual clothes on its disposal. Lot of people here at Harajuku also get influenced by the kei culture which means doing something and thus like I said people here create their individual recognition through the clothes they wear but in a lot of difference than the youth at shibuya. They also get influenced by what they see I magazines and thus follow trends accordingly. Despite of the fact that there are differences in both these streets, people of Japan and the outsiders form a perception that these two streets have much more common factors than differences. Both these streets highly cater to the youth of today and equally the streets are flocked with these teens. The fashion differs in a very minute way but like I mentioned earlier, the impact of street fashion in Japan is ultimate and thus both streets also get inspired from each other. Japanese youth culture As any typical youth of any other country, there was need for a new identity among the youth who wanted to look separate from the ones who dictated by standard social norms. The Harajuku street fashion expresses the costumes the youth would wear on this street. Harajuku fashion is a form of self- expression and is a way to advertise a specific community identity. All the developments of recent Harajuku street fashion are done with guerrilla marketing. The limited edition along with the designers created an environment in which the Japanese kids have been able to co-opt foreign styles, creating something particular, and a kind of fashion nationalism. Shopping has always been an integral part of the Japanese characteristics and a particular way to assert identity among the youth. The development of youth culture has accelerated the rate of trend turnover in Japan. The youth of Japan are highly fashion conscious and would enjoy being cool despite being a nerd. The fashion oriented youth in America or Europe might just fall under the category of being playful and frivolous when it comes to fashion, but the kids in Japan are very serious about fashion. Their combinations and matches are chosen with deep insight rather than on impulse dressing. They treat fashion with a lot of respect, especially boys and thus there is a magazine dedicated only for the hairstyles for them. This means that even boys in Japan are highly conscious about what they wear and how they look. In Harajuku, clothing is a reaction to the immediate reality of the street. This is a democratic idolatry prevalent there. Celebrities, fashion icons, designers, stylists, shop staff, hair stylists and publicists enjoy a great deal of notoriety in this street. Photographers of huge Japanese fashion magazines like fruits and tunes are posed all along the street to capture the ongoing fashion adorned by the youth. On this street, the styles keep coming and going in a matter of flashes. The youth moves in and out of these styles with amazing agility. The fashion at Harajuku and Shibuya are highly distinct from each other in terms of fashion trends and styles though they are only two minutes away by train from each other. Takashi- Dori is another part of the Harajuku Street which catered to food items but eventually culminated into being a fashion product stores. The Harajuku street was born when the first boutique, late night restaurants and cafes opened in that are to give the people there the feel of becoming the most hep street in Tokyo. After the Olympics, the Harajuku influenced youth and began to develop a unique sensibility and stylishness that distinguished them from groups hanging out in Tokyos other shopping areas such as Ginza. Any and every one from a designer to makeup artists who wanted to become a part of Japans fashion industry flocked to Harajuku. The street offered a charged atmosphere that mesmerized the young men and women. The young designers collections were at least one-third copies of that seasons international designs, which were typically highly sought after by the youth in the domestic market. The collection would be easily mistaken for the overseas brands and thus would be sold in wholesale to small shops. To name a few brands that existed during the 1960s were Okawa, Comme des garcons, Yohji Yamamoto, Mastudas Nicole. These brands originally existed on the streets of Harajuku and then came out to be influential names in the world. As the Harajuku boomed, with the growing numbers of young designers manufacturers and retail outlets for this new fashion scene, the small labels into what came to be known as designer character by the mid 1980s. Harajuku still maintains its unique, close knit neighbourhood feel something that is extremely unusual for a Japanese city. Its identity is still about selling the Japans most modern culture, its trends, stylishness and a certain kind of dream- a sense of possibility. Japanese street fashion magazines Once upon a time it was the fashion magazines that ruled the countrys fashion, but today teenagers themselves create their own styles to make a fashion impression and are thus represented as fashion followers in the media. During this time there was a boom in the industry of media where street style magazines offered youngsters to recruit teenagers as editorial staff, just looking at the way they dress and carry themselves. The FRUiTS magazine that launched itself in 1997 was started to document the emerging street fashion movements which totally focused on the outfits of the wearer and the detail of the same, with minimum advertisements. The photos also gave out details of the wearer who was spotted wearing the fashion on the street. The business magazine named WIRED has had a regular column in its magazine since the time it started, about the Japanese Schoolgirl Watch, trying to follow up of their fads. SUBCULTURES Japanese street fashion and adaptations of its culture has been prominent among the youth of Japan since decades. There are many subcultures that the Japanese youth follow and each of them dress according to their own choice of the category they choose to dress like. The fashion districts of Harajuku, Ginza, Shinjuku and Shibuya have a huge number of youth who flock out there during weekends and pick out clothes from these streets. A few styles that the youth in Japan follow will be mentioned here; Lolita The Lolita style in general represents the world of childhood, the time before girls achieve their womanly sexuality Tanaka said, a Lolita fashion researcher. Lolita as a fashion sprung to the surface of Japanese streets in the late 70s and stayed on from then on. The inspiration has been taken from France and the United Kingdom with the touch of rococo and Victorian eras. The Japanese have adapted to these periods and brought down the fashion to being in the form of cuteness, positivity and pure class. Lolita is considered one of the most recognized forms of street fashion, not only in Japan but also in other parts of the world today. Large amount of people have followed it throughout the world today. This style came to be popular in the leading cities of Japan like Tokyo and Osaka where people accepted this fashion readily. The fashion in Lolita is pretty restricted unlike the other fashions like punk and Kawaii. The basis of all other fashions that emerged in Japan is taken from the Lolita fashion but with its own creative difference. There were many boutiques in Japan that started Lolita fashion as their core but went on to other conte mporary lines after a few decades. Some of these boutiques were- the stars shine bright and pink house. During the initial days of Lolita fashion emergence, the music groups who liked this fashion would promote it while they performed and thus this fashion started gaining popularity amongst the youth. Lolita, in USA connotes with being sexual but in Japan this fashion was not linked with looking sexy but it was mostly related to elegance and cuteness. This began as a street fashion nearly two decades ago but has now entered the mainstream movement of fashion and clothing by the youth. This fashion has also become popular and taken on the ramp which has made this style all the more famous to the outside world. The women who follow this fashion live in the world of fantasy and immaturity and refuse to grow into an adult which is taken as a rebel against certain age groups in the society. The Harajuku culture focuses on Lolita fashion as it draws a feminized aesthetic look from the Victorian dolls that are accessorized with ribbons, laces, embroidery, bonnets, corsetry, frills and ringlets in the hair. It is usually the females who make the Lolita fashion more predominant however there are few men on the streets of Harajuku who adopt the bloomers, bows and stockings which is an ideal dress code of Lolita men. Gothic Lolita It is one of the most famous among other Lolita fashions has been able to draw attention from other parts of the world. This kind of fashion has been inspired from the Victorian Goth style which is characterized by dark colours, bats, spiders and Goth icons. The Japanese, though being inspired by other cultures, make these fashions look original by adding a twist of Japanese culture in their dressing. In this fashion, the young girls pull off knee length skirts with petticoats underneath. Their blouses would have the look of Victorian era, having laces and ruffles on the hems. The look is complete with knee length socks paired with boots and accessories like bonnets and brooches. This style is clearly visible in the streets of Japan adorned by number of teenagers. This fashion is also seen at concerts and anime conventions throughout Japan and Europe along with USA in the frame. The market for this kind of clothing is increasing as there are a lot of girls sporting this look in America and Europe. In Japan, Goth is a very minor subculture with few followers, partly because the emphasis upon visual identity in Japanese youth culture makes other factors such as music and literature less important and perhaps this happens partly because Christianity and Germanic culture are not integral parts of society. Sweet Lolita It is more of a fantasy based dressing which is childlike and is connected to fairytale themes, baby animals and there is a lot of innocence in their dressing up. The most popular feature of sweet Lolita is the hello kitty which has pastel colours along with muted colours like pink, white and powder blue. This fashion is popularized as cute as it consists of large head bows, purses which look cute with pastels hues, parasols and stuffed animals which make the look more childlike and innocent. This is the exact opposite style from the classic Lolita and therefore it suits the younger generations more than the older ones. Since the followers of fashion are more from the younger generations, it is more likely that this fashion has more popularity than the classic Lolita look. Even the makeup is naturally toned which balances the outfit along with bouncy curls and stylishly tied up pony tail. The style of the sweet Lolita stands out as it is all about being pretty and modest. Wearing a b louse underneath the jumper is a must for a sweet Lolita dresser. This childlike innocence of the Lolita started in the 80s and was pioneered by many bands who were inspired by the bell shaped skirts which gave an aristocratic elegance to the wearer. The fabrics used in this style a variety of influences from the fruits, flowers and animals and accessories like bows, laces and ribbons. Many eatery places have sweet Lolitas as their mascots. This whole characteristic of being a Lolita is more about a lifestyle and being more feminine. Additionally, outfits will include things like gingham, colourful prints, lace, ribbons, and bows that emphasize cuteness above all other design elements. Often taking themes and references from Alice and Wonderland as well as imagery of cake and fruits, the design plays to a younger mentality. Shoes will also usually have a much shorter heel than most other Lolita styles because of that childlike nature, and jewellery is heavily influenced by fantasy themes, using cherries, hearts, cakes, ribbons, and bows for accessorization. Purses and bags are similarly catered to a younger mindset with stuffed animals and hearts for accessories. Punk Lolita It is a form of fashionable subculture in which teenagers dress mixing the punk look with the Lolita fashion. The silhouette of the original Lolita is intact while the colours and accessories differ. It also looks like a deconstructed and a crazy look but the youth who can carry it off well, do maintain it with a fashionable approach. They are heavily influenced by the western punk fashion but the Japanese have made it look cuter in a few aspects they adapted. It was a great roar during the 2000s along with other fashions like the gothic Lolita. This style is often more casual-looking than other Lolita styles. A typical outfit will have a mini top hat, a simple cut sew with a deconstructed Lolitaesque print, a pleated tartan skirt and chunky platform boots. Sometimes Punk Lolitas will be seen with nekomimi (cat ears), although its considered Cosplay by the majority of Lolitas. The overall look of this style is quite edgy and at the same time also cute. The influence of this style is taken from the standard punk style with hints of psychobilly. The color schemes that this style adheres by are rather in contrast to each other than a balanced color scheme black and red, black and white are the two major combinations worn by the youth who follow this style. Usually the western punk style has more of solid colors that represent the punk style but here in Japan prints such as checkerboards, diamonds, spider webs and leopard prints are considered for punk. Prints of roses, crosses and skulls are also popular amongst the wearers alo ng with a small amount of laces and frills attached to their outfits. Several fabrics are used to create layers which have on symmetry. Leather jackets and short skirts denote the look for punk- Lolitas. Punk Lolita is the only style among all the fashion prevalent in Japan that sports leg and hand warmers. The accessories donned by these fashion followers are chains, studded belts, spooky rivets, chokers and laces. Edgy bags with a plain surface would very well add to complete the punk look. There is a use of dark eye shadows, mascara and eyeliners with red or pink lipsticks to create a highlight in the all dark outfit. Classic Lolita It is one of the most traditional forms of Lolita fashions. The look is pretty mature and business like as it has colours like blue, green and red. The classic form of the Lolita fashion suits a wider age group and has more aspects of the Victorian era than any other form of Lolita fashions. This fashion is more about the floral patterns and looking classy rather than just being stuck on cuteness and bold colours. This is the main reason that it is easy for the other age groups to flaunt it. Kodona Lolita It means boy style version of Lolita. This fashion is inspired by the Victorian era boys who would dress up in prince pants which are Capri style pants cut off till the knee. Their shirts have a lot of detailing in it with laces while their accessories consist of top hats and knee length socks. Gyaru fashion It had originated in 1970s on the streets of Japan. This look was a huge rage among the girls as it focused on girly- glam style of dressing which broke all the rules of being pretty. Youngsters who followed these styles would wear man-made beauty such as wigs, fake eye lashes and nails. Not all the people who followed this kind of fashion dressed in a proactive manner, it generally varied on the choice of people who adapted only half of what this fashion consisted of. Gyaru means gal or girly in Japanese language. Though it is altogether a different subculture they have a signature look which comprises of big hair which are usually coloured slightly or curled. There is a use of circle lenses, false eye lashes and elaborately designed nails. They dress in a very trendy manner with clothes and makeup like that of a teenager in Japan. This style is also accepted by most movie stars and is often displayed in their movies as well. To imitate the Californian Barbie, which is darker than the normal Barbie, some of the followers of Gyaru even tend to tan themselves. The Gyaru fashion is also described as a prostitute chic look which comprises of wearing hot pants, platforms and over dramatized makeup. This fashion has a thin line between ugly and beautiful and has been able to separate the young women of Japan from their traditional and feminine concepts. It could grant them ownership of their self-image, provide confidence in the male-dominated public sphere where they were encouraged to be modest and acquiescent, and allow strong bonds of female alliance. Ganguro fashion It became popular among the Japanese girls in the 90s and rose to popularity in the 2000s. This fashion includes bright clothing, mini-skirts and tie-dyed sarongs. Ganguro in Japanese means black-face and this style has a peculiar style dyeing hair. The streets of shibuya and Harajuku were filled with this fashion. The look is complete if the hair is bleached completely with a deep tan skin tone along with fake lashes, white and black eye liner. The accessories stand out from the rest of the fashions and it includes bracelets, earrings, necklaces, rings and platform heel shoes. Ganguro magazines were issued where fashions of deeper tans, white lipstick and multicoloured pastel eye shadows in metallic shades were promoted. There was no specific reason that this style came into the market but it is vaguely said that the girls during those years were infatuated with the styles of Janet Jackson or perhaps Naomi Campbell. It was therefore also said to be racist in nature. Ganguro has been identified as a new fashion style imitating certain hip hop outward physical features, such as blackened faces and necks with shimmering makeup, blond or white hair, boots with solid platform soles, and bright colored tight miniskirts. As commonly recognized, such an imitation is in fact an open expression of individuality, freedom, and sexuality. There have been studies which say that Ganguro style of Japan is influenced by the hip hop culture of the west. It is also more than just the style of dance. For Japanese it is an expression to identify oneself from the standard social Japanese cultures. Ganguro is not an isolated social phenomenon, but an impact exerted by hip hop culture upon the Japanese young generation. The other nations have taken the hip hop dance, music and lyrics as an inspiration but for the Japanese it was about taking the look. This is how we know that the Japanese people are way ahead in fashion and adaptations of cultures. A lot of speculations have been made as to from where this style is being taken up from. Some say that teenage girls have adapted this fashion only because they want to rebel against wearing uniforms in order to express their individuality. Some say that there were singers who got popular wearing this style, and thats the reason the youth adapted to it. Although Ganguro as a fashion style does not fit well with traditional Japanese social standards and cultural values, it becomes popular among some girls who are just approaching adult life. Many non-Ganguro girls and boys readily accept some of the Ganguro elements, and fearing exclusion, some may often conform to the style due to peer pressures. Ganguro girls have made their own choice to not follow the pack but, instead, they have chosen a carefree and open approach to living for the moment and for escaping the feelings of being ignored or neglected at home and isolated, bullied or depressed at school. As one of the hip hop characteristics, a carefree life style is the stimulus for Ganguro girls to be largely unconcerned with money and material gain. Like all individuals, Ganguro girls want to enjoy life. They prefer to wear a flamboyant outfit and hang out with their friends for fun instead of struggling with their compelling school tasks or boring jobs.  Ã‚  Ã‚   Some researchers in the field of Japanese social and/or studies believe that Ganguro as a fashion style is the younger generations revenge against traditional Japanese society; others believe Ganguro is promoted by those who intend to change the peripheral female position in Japanese society; others believe that it is some Japanese girls explicit self-expression of sexual attractiveness; others believe that it is just some Japanese girls imitation of some elements of an African womans appearance to be a woman, and still others believe that it makes girls  Kawaii  (cute) or cool because it makes them look different from others.

The Psychosis Case Study Nursing Essay

The Psychosis Case Study Nursing Essay Rational: Episodes of strange behaviors for at least last three months with withdrawal from activities and relationships, undocumented behavior history among relationships and age period of 18-20 years, past episodes of psychosis may be undocumented. Delusion of being a member of CIA and able to communicate telepathically, and auditory hallucination of male voice telling not fulfilling mission, client is a shame to the country, and will be Presidentially reprimanded. Staff observed as enemy agents and fearful in interactions, blank stares at the wall, angry outbursts, and lack of emotional expression. Mother has noted client to be returning home smelling of alcohol and discovered strange pills in bureau drawer (Osterman, 2012). Axis II: Deferred, pending further assessment. Axis III: No medical problem stated by client or mother. Axis IV: Problem related to: Primary support group: few friendships, shades are drawn. Educational problems: failing grades from not attending or completing assignments. Occupational problems: probation at employer for missed days. Primary support problems: discord with brother, break-up of four year relationship three months ago (Osterman, 2012) (American Psychological Association, 2000). Axis V: 25-30, auditory hallucinations, delusions of grandeur, attempt to jump from third floor window, poor attendance of job or school (Osterman, 2012) (American Psychological Association, 2000). Plan of Care The plan for the client at this stage of presentation is an inpatient hospitalization and initiation of an antipsychotic medication. The underlying rational is that the client is a danger to himself and possibly others as proven by the attempt to jump from a third floor window, a perceived duty to country, and perception of others as enemy secret agents (Osterman, 2012). The long-term plan for the client is to decrease hallucinations and delusions while educating client and family on coping skills and illness, inclusive of assessment for best placement of client for self and family. Initial plan of care is: to hospitalize the client; start him on Zyrexa 20 mg daily, initial IM with change over to PO as compliance increases (Stahl, 2011); check blood chemistries through a CBC, Chem panel (electrolytes, BUN/Cr, Ca, Phos, TSH, LFT, B12, Folate), UA with urine toxicology screen; and initiate oral supplements of Thiamin/Folate/MVI to address possible deficiencies. Further, as the clients mentation clears assessment will be made to investigate appropriateness for alcoholics anonymous referral, smoking cessation education with treatment of 14 mcg Nicoderm patch daily for 6 weeks, and intensive outpatient treatment services as manifested psychosis of hallucinations, delusions, breaks in reality, and catatonia may be symptoms of a clinical condition resultant from drugs or toxins (Jacobson and Tarraza, 2013). During hospitalization, the clients home will be searched for access to weapons and all medications will be locked up, family counseling and anger management sessions are initiated, individual cognitive therapy sessions conducted to modify thought patterns, and therapeutic touch utilized to ground the clients mentation in the here and now. Discharge planning for the client should include intensive outpatient treatment inclusive of medication management, individual and group CBT sessions, and anger management sessions with arrangements for activities that reconnect the client with social supports including consideration of enrollment in online classes at the community college attending and modification of job expectations at place of employment. The goals of this client should address short and long-term domains. The short-term goals for the client are hospitalization for safety, consistent attendance at inpatient groups with peers while hospitalized, attain daily medication compliance, increase engagement with others in the inpatient unit, manifest decreased delusions and hallucinations, and evidence decreased behaviors of self-harm. The long-term goals are to engage in activities with old friends, attend outpatient therapy at a minimum of three times weekly, sustained medication compliance in outpatient follow-up, maintain functionality at school and job, and return to living independently either at home or in a group home. Interventions The clients short-term goals can be categorized into issues of safety and issues of disease management. First, issues of safety may be addressed through initiation and maintenance of hospitalization. Hospitalization allows for the daily administration and monitoring of medication providing a means for assessing the hallucinations and delusions in an environment that can provide safety from intentional self-harm or accidental harm from medication effects. Further, the establishment of a therapeutic relationship with a staff of caregivers during hospitalization provides a framework for the client to increase socialization with others among a system of daily therapy that teaches coping skills and reality testing for recognizing safety from actions of hallucinations. Second, issues of disease management are met through education about diagnosis, medications, and coping skills. Education about diagnosis provided daily empowers the client with an understanding of how hallucinations are man ifest in delusions and allows the client security in building relationships with others. Medication education performed with all administrations builds an understanding by the client of how medications are controlling symptoms recognized as hallucinations and allows him to feel comfortable in engaging others in the milieu. Therapy provided in groups and individual sessions daily may address automatic thoughts, perception of thoughts, cognitive impairments, and behaviors manifest with thoughts to assist the client in learning coping skills and reality testing, inclusive of therapeutic touch for centering the consciousness within the self for unblocking of negative thoughts and grounding in immediate reality, for distinguishing what is real from what is a hallucination (Tusaie, 2013). Properly addressing issues of safety and disease management allows the clinician to assess a progression of evidence in decreased behaviors of self-harm and decreasing of hallucinations to meet the short -term goal of stabilization for determining proper discharge placement and monitoring. The long-term goals for the client are categorized as issues of returning to normal functional activities of daily living and issues of disease management with symptom suppression. Primarily, issues of return to daily functional activity are the most important goals for the client in accepting and managing disease symptoms. The client will be coached by cognitive behavioral therapy at outpatient therapy appointments three times weekly in how to engage in activities such as basketball games, group outings with old friends, maintenance of work requirements, and attendance at school classes without manifesting assumptions or automatic thoughts. Staff will support the client in all therapy sessions to find the best living arrangement for his perception of safety, whether returning to living independently at home or in a group home, as evidenced by decrease in behaviors of self-harm in the setting. Family therapies will be conducted monthly to educate the client and family about disease a nd symptom management, as well as to train the family in skills of early detection with intervention and support. Second, issues of disease symptom suppression will be addressed through the clients attendance of intensive outpatient treatment with therapy and medication education/management at a minimum of three times weekly with attendance at a minimum of 90% of sessions. Efficacy of interventions may be assessed by the clinician in evidenced sustained medication compliance and decreased symptoms of hallucinations and delusions in outpatient follow-up for a period of six months. Outcomes The outcomes of this client is anticipated to be a return to an individual living home environment with sustained disease symptom management manifest through lack of self-harm behaviors and consistent medication compliance. The goal of symptom management is reached over a three-month period of diminished hallucinations and delusions through consistent use of an antipsychotic that controls auditory hallucinations and daily utilization of therapeutic touch to ground the energy of negative cognitions among reality for distinction. Further, progression of placement in an environment of safety is followed in a pattern of most restrictive to least restrictive environment, typically manifest as hospitalization with transition to group home environment and then to a home environment with daily contact progressively lengthening between contacts as absence of symptoms or problems dictates. Additionally, the client will maintain a job and continue in education endeavors over a one-year period t hrough utilization of newly acquired coping skills for symptom or hallucination reduction and reconnection with previous support system of friends and family. Finally, the client and family will understand the manifestation of disease with perceived hallucinations and symptom management through monthly family therapy sessions.

Editing, Cinematography, and Sound in Gladiator Essay -- Papers

Editing, Cinematography, and Sound in Gladiator The film that I have chosen to analyse is Gladiator. I have chosen to analyse the scene where the gladiators are battling in the Middle East. The scene contains many features and editing techniques which make the fight sequence exciting and thrilling. The scene begins with a medium high angle shot of a goat with blood dripping down its body. This shot frames the body of the goat and gives it a sense of vulnerability. The shot creates meaning to the viewer who can predict that the scene might contain violence or bloodshed of some sort. The camera then zooms outward into an establishing shot to give the viewer an idea of the setting. The mise en scene conveys the setting, which is in the desert, the costumes are distinctive of the Middle East and to accompany this there is non diegetic Middle Eastern music. All of these aspects of mise en scene and the camera shot completely give the viewer an idea of the setting. The title of the film is Gladiator, from this the viewer would expect the film to be set in Rome, but these features are put together to highlight that the setting is not in Rome. The desert and Middle Eastern music are not typical features of Rome. The props and setting also convey the genre of the film. The genre is a historical adventure and although the scene is not set in Rome there are features such as the coliseum and chariots which suggest to the audience that the film is set in that particular time period. The props i.e. the armour plating, swords, and battle axes are also distinctive to the genre. The establishing camera shot in which all of this is shot is al... ...feels the battle as a haze. The music then begins to go quieter and at this stage the 360ËÅ ¡ shot turns to the crowd instead of Russell Crowe and here the camera begins to become dark and unclear, this is where the next scene begins. This use of the 360ÂÂ ° is effective as it ends the scene mysteriously. The shot is fast and distorted leaving the viewer longing for more exciting and thrilling battles. And because the scene is early on in the film, the viewer could predict more battles to come after the mysterious and distorted ending. In conclusion, the scene contains many camera and editing techniques such as low and high angle shots, quick speed and order of editing and the camera shot behind the netting. All of these shots created a specific meaning to the audience and are intended to create a specific response.

An Overview of Aging and Existing Cultural Differences Essay -- essays

An Overview of Aging and Existing Cultural Differences Society predetermines a specific life course for each person of their community. Missing any stage of this course is detrimental to the development of the human life. But not all societies have these stages of life; ergo different cultures define stages differently. The stages of the life course are childhood, adolescence, adulthood, young adulthood and middle adulthood, old age and death. Society thinks of childhood as the first twelve years of life. In most cultures it is known as the time of autonomy from the weight of the grown-up world. But in other societies, such as Taiwan and Indonesia, childhood is seen as another occasion to send someone to work. The children do not have a normal childhood life of playing house and Barbie’s; instead they are in factories making shoes for approximately fifty cents an hour. In our society, ‘our concept of childhood is grounded in significant biological differences that set the young from the old’ (Macionis & Gerber, 2002).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The next stage of the life course is adolescence. This is the time where kids are in between childhood and adulthood. The preteen and teenage years comprise the stage of life when young people establish some independence and learn specialized skills required for adulthood (Macionis & Gerber, 2002). Adolescence is related with social and emotional confusion; young people have conflicts with their parents, and try to develop their own sense of identity. Adolescence is a product of culture. A study that was done in the 1920’s by Margaret Mead on the Samoan Islands shows that there was little stress among teenagers; their children appeared to move easily into adult standing. Our society, however, defines childhood and adulthood more in opposing terms, making transition between the two stages of life more difficult (Macionis & Gerber, 2002). The experience of adolescence also varies according to social standing and background. Following adolescence comes adulthood which is made up of young adulthood and middle adulthood. ‘Adulthood is the period during which most of life’s accomplishments typically occur, including pursuing careers and raising families’ (Macionis & Gerber, 2002). Young adulthood goes from age twenty to about age forty. This is generally a time of engaging in many goals set earlier ... ... & Gerber 2002). On the other hand, the prevalence of depression & dementia in Japan may be lower than in the West, which implies that culture may exert a protective influence (Dein & Huline-Dickens, 1997). Social isolation may be less likely in the Japanese culture because children often live with their elderly parents; whereas in Canada, elderly parents are often housed in nursing homes or assisted living accommodations. References AFS. (2000). Where in the World. Retrieved April 5, 2003, from http://www.afs.org.au/ where_detail.html?cou_code=JPN Dein, S. & Huline-Dickens, S. (1997). Cultural aspects of aging and psychopathology. Aging-and-Mental-Health, 1(2)112-120. Macionis, J.J & Gerber, L.M (2002). Sociology (4th ed.) Toronto, Ontario: Prentice Hall. Masud, Chika. (1999) Elderly Welfare in Japan. Retrieved April 5, 2003, from http://user pages.umbc.edu/~cmasud1/sowk.html Rosenberg, Matt. (2000). World Life Expectancy Chart. Retrieved April 5, 2003, from http://geography.about.com/library/weekly/aa042000b.htm Traphagan, J.W. (2000). Reproducing elder male power through ritual performance in Japan. Journal of Cross Cultural Gerontology, 15(2)81-97. An Overview of Aging and Existing Cultural Differences Essay -- essays An Overview of Aging and Existing Cultural Differences Society predetermines a specific life course for each person of their community. Missing any stage of this course is detrimental to the development of the human life. But not all societies have these stages of life; ergo different cultures define stages differently. The stages of the life course are childhood, adolescence, adulthood, young adulthood and middle adulthood, old age and death. Society thinks of childhood as the first twelve years of life. In most cultures it is known as the time of autonomy from the weight of the grown-up world. But in other societies, such as Taiwan and Indonesia, childhood is seen as another occasion to send someone to work. The children do not have a normal childhood life of playing house and Barbie’s; instead they are in factories making shoes for approximately fifty cents an hour. In our society, ‘our concept of childhood is grounded in significant biological differences that set the young from the old’ (Macionis & Gerber, 2002).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The next stage of the life course is adolescence. This is the time where kids are in between childhood and adulthood. The preteen and teenage years comprise the stage of life when young people establish some independence and learn specialized skills required for adulthood (Macionis & Gerber, 2002). Adolescence is related with social and emotional confusion; young people have conflicts with their parents, and try to develop their own sense of identity. Adolescence is a product of culture. A study that was done in the 1920’s by Margaret Mead on the Samoan Islands shows that there was little stress among teenagers; their children appeared to move easily into adult standing. Our society, however, defines childhood and adulthood more in opposing terms, making transition between the two stages of life more difficult (Macionis & Gerber, 2002). The experience of adolescence also varies according to social standing and background. Following adolescence comes adulthood which is made up of young adulthood and middle adulthood. ‘Adulthood is the period during which most of life’s accomplishments typically occur, including pursuing careers and raising families’ (Macionis & Gerber, 2002). Young adulthood goes from age twenty to about age forty. This is generally a time of engaging in many goals set earlier ... ... & Gerber 2002). On the other hand, the prevalence of depression & dementia in Japan may be lower than in the West, which implies that culture may exert a protective influence (Dein & Huline-Dickens, 1997). Social isolation may be less likely in the Japanese culture because children often live with their elderly parents; whereas in Canada, elderly parents are often housed in nursing homes or assisted living accommodations. References AFS. (2000). Where in the World. Retrieved April 5, 2003, from http://www.afs.org.au/ where_detail.html?cou_code=JPN Dein, S. & Huline-Dickens, S. (1997). Cultural aspects of aging and psychopathology. Aging-and-Mental-Health, 1(2)112-120. Macionis, J.J & Gerber, L.M (2002). Sociology (4th ed.) Toronto, Ontario: Prentice Hall. Masud, Chika. (1999) Elderly Welfare in Japan. Retrieved April 5, 2003, from http://user pages.umbc.edu/~cmasud1/sowk.html Rosenberg, Matt. (2000). World Life Expectancy Chart. Retrieved April 5, 2003, from http://geography.about.com/library/weekly/aa042000b.htm Traphagan, J.W. (2000). Reproducing elder male power through ritual performance in Japan. Journal of Cross Cultural Gerontology, 15(2)81-97.

The Scarlet Ibis :: essays research papers

James Hurst's short story, "The Scarlet Ibis" reveals that the brotherly bond between the narrator and Doodle is an essential component in the story. If Doodle was a girl, the brotherly connection and bond would be lost, resulting in many variations throughout the story. If Doodle was a girl the narrator probably wouldn't spend as much time with Doodle. A brother-brother relationship is very different than a brother-sister relationship. Doodle would likely be closer to another female such as her mother. Young girls tend to spend more time indoors with their mothers learning to sew, playing with dolls and other girl things. Its not that a brother-sister relationship is non-existent, but its a lot different. With Doodle spending more time inside, "she" wouldn't ever experience summers down by the swamp learning to run, box and climb trees. All of those things are things that little boys do. Brothers spend more time outside running, wrestling and playing sports. They enjoy doing things that take physical skill. Even if Doodle went outside, she probably wouldn't be interested in running through the forest and climbing trees. Chances are that she would be more into picking wildflowers and feeding the squirrels. There are rare occasions where you will find a real special brother-sister relationship, especially at the age Doodle and his brother were at. Younger children often play with other kids of the same gender and thinks the opposite sex has "kuddies." The two children would be at a vulnerable age to risk a close relationship. Close brother and sister relationships don't usually evolve until the mid teenage years. For example I have two older sisters that I am very close with now, but when I was young I didn't want anything to with them. So I began to develop a close relationship with my dad at a young age. That is why I believe that if Doodle was a girl, she would have been connected closer with her mother because of the gender relation. Not as much is expected physically from a girl, therefore I believe Doodle would be handicapped the rest of "her" life.

Religious Freedom

Religious freedom occupies a special place in contemporary political discussions. It should not. This is not because religious freedom is not important but because it is no more and no less important than other forms of freedom of conscience, belief and practice. 2 Many believers point out that faith plays a unique role in their lives. That is often true. Those atheists who dismiss belief in God as no more credible than belief in Santa Claus or in fairies miss the point.Religion is more than an intellectual exercise or a matter of logic; it often has, for believers, a vital social and spiritual function. But acknowledging the vital and unique role of faith in the lives of believers does not commit us to providing it with a privileged position in society. 3 The reason that religious freedom has a special place in contemporary political debate is historical. Ideas of tolerance and of freedom of expression developed in Europe from the seventeenth century onwards primarily within a relig ious framework.Questions of toleration and expression were at heart questions of how, and how far, the state, and the established church, should accommodate religious dissent. We can see this in the arguments of John Locke, whose Letter Concerning Toleration is a key text in the development of modern liberal ideas about freedom of expression and worship. Locke’s starting point was the insistence that the duty of every individual was to seek his own salvation. The means to do so were his religious beliefs and the ability openly to worship.The power of the political authorities could not rightfully extend over either sphere. Written at a time when Europe was rent by tempestuous religious strife, and when intolerance and persecution were the norm, Locke’s was a powerful argument for religious freedom. It was also an exceedingly narrow conception of liberty. Locke’s toleration was rooted primarily in the desire to extend freedom of worship and theological discussion to nonconformist congregations and placed little emphasis on wider issues of freedom of thought or conscience.Indeed Locke was emphatic in refusing to extend toleration to many other groups. Neither Catholics not atheists were, in Locke’s view, deserving of tolerance, the former because they gave their allegiance to a ‘foreign prince’, the latter because their opinions were ‘contrary to human society’ and ‘to the preservation of civil society’. 4 Locke’s near contemporary, the Dutch philosopher Baruch Spinoza, whose views influenced the Radical Enlightenment, proposed a different concept of tolerance.Spinoza’s starting point, was not, as it was for Locke, the salvation of one’s soul, or the coexistence of churches, but the enhancement of freedom, and the quest for individual liberty and freedom of expression. All attempts to curb free expression, he insisted, not only curtailed legitimate freedom but was futile. â⠂¬ËœNo man†¦ can give up his freedom to judge and think as he pleases, and everyone is by absolute natural right master of his own thoughts’, Spinoza wrote, so ‘it follows that utter failure will attend any attempt in a state to force men to speak only as prescribed by the sovereign despite their different and opposing opinion.’ ’The right of the sovereign, both in the religious and secular spheres’, he concluded, ‘should be restricted to men’s actions, with everyone being allowed to think what he wishes and say what he thinks’. It is a more inclusive vision of freedom than Locke’s, and a more useful starting point – and conclusion – when thinking about contemporary freedom. 5 Modern ideas of freedom and tolerance are usually seen, particularly in the West, as having derived from Locke. In fact they draw upon both Locke and Spinoza. The US First Amendment owes much to Spinoza’s conception of freed om.Even in Europe, where freedom of expression is construed in narrower terms, Spinoza’s influence remains important, if unacknowledged. However, despite the broadening of the conception of liberty and tolerance, the idea that freedom of religion is a special freedom, an idea that derives primarily from Locke, remains entrenched. 6 Today, we live in very different world from that in which concepts of religious freedom first developed. Religion is no longer the crucible within which political and intellectual debates take place.Questions of freedom and tolerance are not about how the dominant religious establishment should respond to dissenting religious views, but about the degree to which society should tolerate, and the law permit, speech and activity that might be offensive, hateful, harmful to individuals or undermine national security. We can now see more clearly that religious freedom is not a special kind of liberty but one of a broader set of freedoms. If we were thin k about religious freedom from first principles today, it would not have a special place compared to other forms of freedom of conscience, belief, assembly or action.7 Whatever one’s beliefs, secular or religious, there should be complete freedom to express them, short of inciting violence or other forms of physical harm to others. Whatever one’s beliefs, secular or religious, there should be freedom to assemble to promote them. And whatever one’s beliefs, secular or religious, there should be freedom to act upon those beliefs, so long as in so doing one neither physically harms another individual without their consent, nor transgresses that individual’s rights in the public sphere.These should be the fundamental principles by which we judge the permissibility of any belief or act, whether religious or secular. 8 Many on both sides of the debate about religious freedom continue to treat religion as special. Many atheists want to deny religion the rights a ccorded to others forms of belief. Many religious believers want to retain privileges for religion. Both are wrong. 9 Some atheists argue that secularism requires that religion be kept out of the public sphere.It is an argument that cannot be right any more than the claim that the views of racists, conservatives, communists or gay activists must be kept out of the public sphere. A secular space cannot be one in which religion is not permitted to be present. It is, rather, a space in which one religion is granted no advantage over another, nor over any secular philosophy or ideology. It must also be one, however, in which no religion is disadvantaged with respect to another religion, or with respect to secular philosophies and ideologies. 10Many atheists demand also that religious symbols be banned in the public sphere. Many states and corporations have imposed such bans, from the refusal to allow the wearing of the cross in the workplace to the outlawing of the burqa in public place s. Such bans are infringements of the basic freedoms set out in #7. An employer has every right to ban kinds of clothing that might be, say, dangerous in a particular workplace. He or she also has the right, in certain circumstances, and within limits, to insist that employees wear a particular uniform, or to desist from wearing something inappropriate.But there should be no general ban on particular forms of clothing or adornment, and certainly no general ban on specifically religious clothing or symbols. 11 The real dilemmas with religious freedom arise out of questions not of beliefs or symbols but of practices. Many beliefs, religious and secular, imply particular practices. The belief that homosexuality is a sin requires that one refrain from gay relationships or gay sex. The belief that life begins at conception requires that one does not have an abortion or help anyone else to do so.And so on. As a society we should tolerate as far as is possible the desire of people to live according to their conscience. But that toleration ends when someone acting upon his or her conscience causes harm to another without consent, or infringes another’s genuine rights. 12 It is not just in the case of religion that there is a strong relationship between belief and practice. Racists, communists, Greens, New Age mystics – all could claim that their beliefs enforce upon them certain actions or practices.We do not, however, allow racists, communists, Greens, or New Age mystics to act upon their beliefs if in so doing they harm others or deny them their legitimate rights. A racist pub owner cannot bar black people from his pub, however deep-set his beliefs. It would be a criminal offence for Greens to destroy a farmer’s field of legally grown GM crops, however strongly they might feel about such agriculture. There is a line, in other words, that cannot be crossed even if conscience requires one to. That line should be in the same place for religious bel ievers as for non-believers.Society should accommodate as far as is possible any action genuinely required by conscience, but not where such acts harms another or infringes their rights. Of course, a religious believer might claim that he or she faces a different kind of compulsion to that felt by a racist, a communist or anyone else attached to secular beliefs. He or she may feel commanded by God to act in a particular way. It may well be true that a believer feels a different kind of compulsion. But the reason for which someone feels compelled to act in a particular way is not necessarily relevant to whether or not such acts should be legally permitted. 13The fact that acts of conscience may sometimes have to be curbed does not mean that in these cases there is a ‘conflict of rights’. Just as there is a right to free speech but no right not to be offended, so there is a right not to be harmed and to equal treatment, but no right to harm or to discriminate. This is ess ential to protect religious freedom. An atheist bar-owner should have no right, whatever his conscience may say, to bar people of faith, any more than a Christian bar-owner has the right to bar gays. Such curbs on acts of conscience simply mean that we live not alone on a desert island but together in a crowded society.14 How would the argument so far throw light on recent conflicts over matters of religious freedom? Should religions have the right to prevent the publication of cartoons or books or plays that are deemed offensive? No. Religious freedom requires that people of faith be allowed to speak or act in ways that might offend others. It does not that require others do not cause offence or promote blasphemy. Is it legitimate for a state to ban the burqa? It is not. Wearing a burqa neither harms, nor discriminates against, others.Of course, one might well believe that the burqa harms the woman who wears it and is an expression of discrimination against women. A liberal society accepts, however, that individuals should free to make choices that may not be in their interest and that, to liberal eyes, demean them. This applies even to particularly distasteful expressions of degradation, such as the wearing of the burqa. If women are forced to wear the burqa against their will, the law should protect them against that coercion. It should not, however, impose a ban on those who have chosen to wear the burqa.Some suggest that burqas cause harm because they may pose security problems, or be incompatible with the needs of particular jobs. Such practical problems can usually be solved on a case-by-case basis without the need for draconian legislation. Should an employee be allowed to wear a cross at work? In almost every case the answer should be ‘Yes’. There may be a pragmatic case for, say, banning loose chains that in certain workplaces may be dangerous; but it is difficult to see what right an employer has simply to ban the wearing of a cross as a religious symbol.Should gay marriage be legalized? Yes. This is a matter both of secular equality and of religious freedom. On the one hand, the state should not exclude gays from the civil institution of marriage simply because of religious hostility. On the other, some faith groups wish to bless to gay marriage. For the state to deny them that right because other faith groups disagree would be to undermine religious freedom. What the state should not do is to force religious bodies to accept or consecrate gay marriage. Should a Catholic adoption agency be allowed to turn away gay prospective parents?If the agency receives public funding, or performs a service on behalf of the state, then the answer is ‘No’. It would then be legitimate for the state to insist that the agency does not discriminate, despite Catholic views on homosexuality. If, however, it is a private agency – if it is simply performing a service for Catholic parents who subscribe to its views o n homosexuality – then the answer should be ‘Yes’. Should Christian bed and breakfast owners be allowed to turn away gays? Such owners, even if they are turning their own home into a b’n’b, are providing a service from which a gay couple could reasonably expect equal treatment.The answer, therefore, is ‘No’. Should Catholic-run hospitals or schools be forced to give employees health insurance that includes free contraception? This is, of course, a source of major controversy in the USA. The answer is ‘Yes’. This is not a matter of religious freedom, but of employee rights. Churches are not being forced to provide contraception. In their role as secular employers, they are being asked to provide employee benefits that all employers must provide. To exempt Church-run organizations would be to deny those benefits to a particular group of employees. 15Having said all this, many of these conflicts would be better resolved throug h the pragmatic use of common sense than through the strict application of principle, particularly when those principles remain socially contested. A religious believer should not normally have the legal right to discriminate. But if it is possible to arrange matters so that a believer can act according to conscience without causing harm or discrimination to others, then it might be worthwhile doing so. In principle, a Christian marriage registrar should expect to have to perform gay civil partnerships, whatever their religious beliefs.However, it might make pragmatic sense to roster others to perform ceremonies for gay couples, not because we should accept prejudice – prejudice, whether religious or secular in form, should always be challenged – but in acknowledgement of the fact that genuine social conflict exists on this issue. We should not give an inch to bigotry. Someone whose ‘conscience’ would not allow them to work with gays, or to marry Jews, sho uld clearly not be indulged. Nevertheless, many oppose gay partnerships or marriages as a matter of conscience and not simply through homophobia (albeit that ‘conscience’ can, of course, often be a cover for homophobia).We can both challenge such attitudes and accept that on matters of genuine conscience, a little leeway or accommodation that allows someone to live by their principles may be desirable. The law should not make any such accommodation. But as individuals, or as organizations, it may be wise to, though not at the cost of causing harm, allowing discrimination or endorsing bigotry. 16 There are exceptional cases in which we should set aside these basic principles. A marriage registrar should be expected in principle, if not necessarily in practice, to perform gay civil partnerships.But we should not expect a doctor or a nurse, even in principle, to perform an abortion, if they feel to do so is against their beliefs. Whatever we may think of the belief that li fe begins at conception, it would be unreasonable in the extreme to expect those who do hold that belief to commit what they consider to be murder. 17 A pragmatic approach to matters of religious conscience is neither a sign of ‘weakness’ nor a matter of ‘accommodating’ the devil. Standing by political principle is vitally important, including the principle that people should have the right to act upon their conscience if possible.Why is that principle important? Because we recognize with Spinoza that ‘No man can give up his freedom to judge and think as he pleases, and everyone is by absolute natural right master of his own thoughts’. To recognize that is to recognize also that it is better if people are persuaded to act in a particular way, by exercising their freedom to judge and think, than being forced to do so by the power of the state. There are times when the state has to wield the big stick, particularly if ‘acts of conscienceâ⠂¬â„¢ lead to physical harm or discrimination.But such occasions, as a matter of principle, should be minimized as far as possible. To be pragmatic in this matter is to keep to one’s principles. 18 The aim of rethinking religious freedom is to strengthen, not weaken, it. It is to establish it not as a special privilege arising out of the turmoil of seventeenth century Europe but as one of a set of indispensible freedoms rooted in the needs and possibilities of the twenty-first century world. To defend religious freedom in this manner is not to defend religion. It is to defend freedom.