Consumerism in Contemporary America Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

Consumerism in Contemporary America - Essay Example The paper entails a personal perspective in regards to the lessons learned from â€Å"The Year Without Toilet Paper† and â€Å"Thoreau’s Worst Nightmare† articles. The â€Å"Year Without Toilet† Paper falls within the article of â€Å"No Impact Man†, which is about Beavan, a man desiring to conserve the environment by neglecting commodities produced through modern technology. Beavan decides to live on earth and ensures there is a use of affirmative commodities for the safety of nature. The â€Å"Thoreau’s Worst Nightmare† describes how different the early life of Walden is compared to the life of his children. Consumerism refers to a situation where states desire to safeguard the interest of consumers pertaining to the products they (consumers) access, commodity pricing, and content of adverts. Consumerism in America entails an interest in improving consumption of manufactured products. Cornyn states that changes in American’s economic status led to a concern in the economic sector. Poor quality production in the manufacturing industries contributes to changes in customer preferences and hence decreases in the product demand. Services offered to customers determine the desire to go for other products of lesser costs to satisfy individual’s taste. Low incomes in the market industry disabling the processing departments result from a decrease in the selling of products. The belief that security required during business transactions is by government officers, company accountants, and organization inspectors seized to be truly certain grounds. The reason for the belief being false is because of increase in knowledge of people owning business entities. People with diversity in professional knowledge operate in different departments to guarantee growth of organizations under less expense.

Slavery's Impact on Capital Punishment Research Paper

Slavery's Impact on Capital Punishment - Research Paper Example A stronger and healthier male slave would fetch a higher price than a weaker and older slave. Female slaves were considered more valuable than male and hence would fetch more value as they could reproduce and help increase the number of slaves. Capital punishment is the lawful enforcement of death as a reprimand for hideous crimes. Britain had put an end to the practice of capital punishment in the year1965. However, we find that USA, Japan, China, and many other Asian, African and Middle Eastern still impose death penalty for certain number of crimes and use it with varying regularity. Propagators of capital punishment argue that it is the only way of removing criminals and this would also bring about safety for the people in the society. This can be a permanent way of removing crime completely. In keeping convicts in prison there is a possibility of them escaping from the bars or they could commit crimes within the prison. There is also a third possibility of prisoners being released after the completion of their sentence giving them free rein to start their horrendous practices all over again. There is also a cost factor involved in keeping the convict behind the bars which could be used in a more resourceful way. After the abolishment of capital punishment in Britain, statistics of 2009 reveal that in the past 12 years, 65 prisoners who had served their life sentence and were subsequently released, were yet again convicted for further crime.Their crimes ranged from murder to rape, statistics also show that the people who were given life imprisonment did not serve more than 10 years and moved freely there after.It also revealed that the crimes rose by 125% over the period of five years immediately after the abolishment of the death penalty. The crimes would have attracted death penalty if it were still into force. This means that the removal of death penalty acted as a catalyst to encourage further crime as the criminals became fearless. However, it can be argued that the abolishment cannot be the sole reason for the rise in crime. It might have increased by the same extent even if the death penalty would have been in force.The propagators of abolishment of capital punishment have a vital argument in their support. According to them innocent people could be incorrectly executed and it would not be possible to compensate them for this great injustice done to them and their families as the loss of a life can never be compensated. Secondly, the grievance suffered by the family of the person convicted cannot be totally ignored. The harassment and the trauma that the families and friends have to bear from the time of arrest until the final judgement is unbearable. The anguish and the pain haunts them for many years after the trial. People find it very difficult to accept the fact that their loved ones are guilty of such heinous crime. It is more difficult for them to contemplate such a painful death for their loved ones. However strongly one may support capital punishment, it cannot undo the harm that has already been done. In case an innocent is convicted, it might augment a feeling of revenge among his close ones and thus increasing the probability of crimes. Beccaria introduces one of the first critics of the use of capital punish

Case study of bipolar disorder sufferer

Case study of bipolar disorder sufferer People with bipolar disorder have extreme mood swings (symptoms). They can go from feeling as if they are on top of the world, hyperactive, creative, and grandiose- mania to feeling very sad, despairing, helpless, worthless, and hopeless -depression. This disease is called bipolar disorder because the mood of a person with bipolar disorder can alternate between two completely opposite poles, euphoric happiness and extreme sadness. The extremes of mood usually occur in cycles, in between these mood swings, people with bipolar disorder are able to function normally, hold a job, and have a normal family life. The episodes of mood swings tend to become closer together with age. When a person is in the grip of this disease, chaos can occur. Bipolar disorder can cause major disruption of family and finances, loss of job, and marital problems. In Jims case he becomes completely dependant of his parents. Because of the extreme and risky behaviour that goes with bipolar disorder, it is very important that the disorder be identified. With proper and early diagnosis, this mental condition can be treated. Bipolar disorder is a long-term illness that will require proper management for the duration of a persons life. Jim is in his mid fifths and he still live with his parents, whose are in their late seventies. He is the only child and his parents overprotect him over the years owing to that he became completely de-skilled, dis-empowered and total dependant. He is not able to negotiate and he was not included in family discussions to show his opinion. The only way that he has to show that he is not happy is by screaming and crying. Jim definitely also suffers from Eternal child syndrome, also know as Peter Pan syndrome, and is to blame his parents who been treated him like a child all his life. Psychologists warn that overprotective parents can be responsible for this disorder as this prevents them from developing necessary skills to confront life. Jim chronologically grows older but in truth he has not grown up. Like Peter Pan he breaks societal norms to serve their own purposes and do not care much for the feelings and rights of his parents. He wants all the power but is not willing to share the responsibilities, not ready to sacrifice and reject moral structures which are part of mature adulthood. As the World Health Organization has not yet recognized Peter Pan Syndrome as a psychological disorder, the syndrome is not currently considered a psychopathology. Psychologists make a clear distinction between Peter Pan Syndrome and other, more serious, mental conditions involving adults who behave as children both emotionally and mentally. This is because it is often found that people suffering from Peter Pan Syndrome are mentally fully developed adults who often carry professional activities requiring strong intellectual skills. This syndrome is often associated with narcissism, although not in a negative way, self-centered sense. They are attracted to introspection in an attempt to find that imaginative comfort inside their own minds. On a positive sense this characteristic is seen as being in touch with the unbridled imaginational freedom of childhood. While succumbing to the prescribed order of things, most people forget all that they knew as an idealistic child, the eternal child is able to draw from their own raw, creative energy to remind us of how colorful life really is. Men suffering from the Peter Pan Syndrome display the following traits in their relationship with parents: Are obsessed with their mothers Have estranged relationship with the father They believe that it is not possible to obtain the fathers love and approval They have difficulty interacting with figures of authority Are not mature emotionally Exhibit silly behavior Hide their inner insecurity with macho attitude Males diagnosed with having this syndrome were found to exhibit the following psychological traits: Either exaggerated or paralyzed emotions Anger taking extreme form of rage Joy turning into hysteria Disappointment grows and develops into depression or self-pity As a result males diagnosed with this syndrome find it difficult to express love, refuse to share feelings, feel guilty and have difficulty relaxing. Men with Peter Pan Syndrome find it difficult to make genuine friends and as a result feel desperately alone. They dont feel sorry for inappropriate actions but blame others for their shortcoming. Males diagnosed with having this syndrome were found to exhibit the following psychological traits: Either exaggerated or paralyzed emotions Anger taking extreme form of rage Joy turning into hysteria Disappointment grows and develops into depression or self-pity As a result males diagnosed with this syndrome find it difficult to express love, refuse to share feelings, feel guilty and have difficulty relaxing and find difficult to make genuine friends and as a result feel desperately alone. This has a huge impact in Jims parents who are finding difficult to cope with all this matters, especially in during the winter. They are gradually worried about their ability to cope and what will happen with Jim when they die. They might feel a host of emotions: distress, vulnerability, anger, guilt and, surely they probably are exhausted. As an informal carer for several years, Jims parents revolved all their life on him, they devoted all their live to him. Like Jim who does not has friends (apart form his parents friends), some people that experienced the same condition as him generally have a very limited social network as well, and normally the people that they interact are mainly informal careers. 4 First of all Jims parents have take him to GP and if he is diagnosed with bipolar disorder, the GP will refer him to a psychiatrist (a medically qualified mental health specialist), psychotherapist and /or CPN. At his appointment he will be given an assessment. The psychiatrist will ask him a number of questions to determine whether or not he has bipolar disorder and, if he has, what treatments will be most suitable for you. He will be asked about his symptoms and when he first experienced them. The psychiatrist will also ask him, about how he, usually feel leading up to, and during, an episode of mania, or depression, and whether he has had thoughts about harming yourself or others. The psychiatrist will also want to find out about his medical background and his family history in order to determine whether any of your relatives has had bipolar disorder. If someone else in his family had the condition, the psychiatrist may wish to talk to them. After the assessment the psychiatrist will prescribe the right drugs and refer him to a psychotherapist. Psychotherapists work with individuals, couples, families and groups to help them overcome a range of psychological and emotional issues. With the client as an active participant, psychotherapists use personal treatment plans and a variety of non-medical-based treatments to: address the clients thought processes, feelings and behaviour; understand inner conflicts; find new ways to deal with, and alleviate, distress They take a variety of approaches according to the theoretical models they adopt and the therapy they practice. These talking therapies include: cognitive behavioural therapies; psychoanalytic and psychodynamic therapies; humanistic and integrative psychotherapies; systemic therapies; hypno-psychotherapy; experiential constructivist therapies. Community Psychiatric nurses (CPNs) would be helpful to Jim as they can visit him in his new house and provide him support through the difficult periods of his illness, they also will see him when is well to check that everything is okay and be the first point of contact if he becomes unwell again. The CPN will help Jim with his medication and make sure that he understands what he should be taking and when. They also help patients family (in this case Jims parents) and careers understand and cope with the illness. Jim and his parents would benefit of Occupational therapists (OTs) as well. An occupational therapist can have many different roles. They will help Jim and his parents (when he moves out of his parents house) to adapt to the new environment and to cope with their daily life .OTs may work in hospitals or in the community. They supervise and assess a persons ability to look after themselves, e.g. self-care, cooking and housework, I would like point out that Jim does not know how to cook, clean or do his laundry. . OTs work with both individuals and groups. They can set goals for individuals with depression to encourage them to achieve more than they have been able to do while ill. They might get patients involved in specific job-related training schemes to improve their decision making and planning about the future. Group work is often aimed at increasing peoples social interactions. OTs may use many different types of therapy on an individual or group basis, including cognitive behavi oural therapy and art and music therapy. They may also be involved in providing relaxation training to patients referred to them by the mental health team or GPs. Social workers are employed by social services rather than the health service. However, most mental health social workers are based in multidisciplinary community mental health teams. Social workers may see patients referred to the team by GPs. They are likely to be involved if patients have social problems, such as housing, money and work. They may provide counselling and advice or more specific therapies. They may control access to some services such as day centres, respite care, residential care and other community support services, eg home helps. A social worker will also provide Jim a supported tenancy service which will help and teach him how to gain his independence and improve his quality of life.

Machiavelli Essay -- essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Niccolo Machiavelli, one of the great political minds of the 15th century, accomplished what many mathematicians today only dream of, having one’s name used as an adjective. To be Machiavellian is to demonstrate characteristics of expediency, deceit, and cunning and as Machiavelli wrote in, The Prince, these are the qualities of a great leader. The Prince was published in 1531, creating great controversy with other political thinkers of the time. Machiavelli completely ignored the popular religious teachings of the era and erased the moral and ethical considerations from the leadership equation; the actions of a ruler should be governed solely by necessity. â€Å"Since I intend to write something useful to an understanding reader, it seemed better to go after the real truth of the matter then to repeat what people have imagined† (221). The predominate theme of The Prince is that it is the responsibility of any leader to secure and maintain the polit ical power of their state by any means necessary. One can consider many leaders in history who took this to heart, some into success and some into infamy.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Using the cold light of pure reasoning, Machiavelli analyzed human behavior and concluded that man is not good. Therefore, it is necessary for a leader who wishes to remain in power to learn how to not be good and to use this behavior and knowledge and bring it to bear on the decision he is making. â€Å"Hence a Prince who wants to keep his post must learn how not to be good, and use that knowledge, or refrain from using it, as necessity requires† (222). Machiavelli not only wanted people to let go of the idealistic fact that man is not pure at heart, but to take it a step further and embrace this assumption. Those who do embrace this assumption as a fundamental ‘given’ will be the ones with the power to manipulate and control the masses. â€Å"Men are so simple of mind and so much dominated by their immediate needs, that a deceitful man will always find plenty who are ready to be deceived† (228). Decades of thought about religion and po litics are intertwined in this thought. The common man willing to give up their free will to that of a higher power and many a deceitful theologian willing to exploit that ignorant passivity for their own purposes. Why does Machiavelli has such a low view of man? Was he just cynical ... ...orals have no place in politics because they prevent the ruler from doing what must be done to maintain control. †No prince should mind being called cruel for what he does to keep his subjects united and loyal; he may make examples of a very few, but he will be more merciful in reality than those who, in their tenderheartedness, allow disorders to occur, with their attendant murders and lootings† (225).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Getting a large, mostly Christian populace to suspend ethics and morality for the greater good is no small task. Machiavelli was making a statement about how society really functions rather than how people choose to perceive it. While still very controversial in a timeless way, Machiavelli makes some excellent points and his logic does produce results and much food for thought. However, there is one aspect Machiavelli failed to consider, are results the only thing that are important to a society? What is sacrificed to achieve his ultimate end? And is that price worth paying?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Machiavelli, Niccolo. â€Å"The Morals of the Prince.† 50 Essays: A Portable Anthology. Ed. Samuel Cohen. NY, MA: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2004. 221-229

All by My Self

The room was cold and dark. Oh so cold. All I could hear was the distant sound of traffic, fast traffic in a slow world. I felt so distant from everything. Isolated. The only light there was came from a pale street lamp. The traffic sounded like it was drifting away, but it was me. I felt so tired because of how cold I was. I heard a small sound of the staircase†¦ someone was coming up. *** It was a beautiful summer morning. The sun shined brightly through my silk pinky curtains. It was only five past eight but I had a great day ahead of me. Paul was coming down to see me at three o'clock and to take me out for a meal somewhere. That meant that I could collect some information for my geography project and at least make a start on it. After all, if I didn't get it finished today, I could always finish it tomorrow. My life seemed so much better then. Finally I was beginning to get-around the fact that my parents were Never going to get back together. They had split the day before my 7th birthday, my mum moved out and thought they would sort it out, but a year and a half later the divorce came through. I hated my dad because if it weren't for him, having an affair with his work colleague, my mum and dad would still have been together. I hated myself too though, because deep down I knew what my dad was doing when mum was away was wrong, but I said nothing to anyone. I convinced myself that it was my fault. At least now though I was seeing a councillor and I was beginning to accept the fact that Mum was married to Ian, Dad loved Karen. My parents were happy, and I was a little happier now too. I managed to get all of my feeling out that had been weighing my shoulders down for years. I was happy as long as I was with Paul and I couldn't wait to see him. He loved me. All morning I seemed to be rushing everywhere. I went up town to the Library to research the topic of my project. There were loads of books and I managed to get everything I needed in notes on paper. I can't wait I can't wait! I kept thinking in my mind. Afterwards at about ten past two, I phoned Paul to see if he had got on the train ok only his Mum told me that he was down at the police station because he had got involved in a really big fight and was possibly going to be in for another six hours. I went home and just stayed in my bedroom with my music on full blast. I didn't want to be on my own. Most of my friends were going to a party, but I felt too upset. I didn't want to get drunk or anything, I wanted someone to talk to but I wasn't close to my mum then. I later decided to phone a good friend who I had met on the web. He had sent me a photo recently and he was 17 with a face a little like Craig David, but I didn't really think about it much because we were just good friends. He was seeing a girl called Stephanie and I had Paul. I agreed to meet him an hour later at the train station by sneaking out of the house when everyone was in bed. I told him that I would be wearing jeans and a blue baggy sweatshirt so he knew who I was. We had never met in person but at least he would recognise me and know who I was. The strangest thing was that I had a voice in my mind trying to tell me something, but I just didn't pay any attention to it. This wasn't London where there were bad people. I pushed the little voice to the back of my mind. I was being paranoid, just a little uneasy from stories in the media. He was a friend, and besides, terrible things don't happen in places here. Others yes, but not here. That's what my problem was, I always trusted everyone. Ten o'clock came so I went downstairs, out of the back door and headed towards the station. It was a cool clear night and quite pretty with all the stars. One last road to cross, up the stairs and I was there looking round. I couldn't see him, but then I froze and felt a chill down my spine. A man was walking towards me. He was very tall, quite well built and looked strong. His skin was one of the darkest blacks I had ever seen and he was smiling at me. I didn't know who he was, but he knew me. I had been stupid, very stupid. I wanted to run, to scream†¦ to be back home. There were a couple of people around, but I just couldn't move. He was only a metre away and he put his arm around me, perfectly naturally, and led me to his car. My head was spinning around in circles. I was on my own, no one could help me, no one would know where I was. I was so worried about what was going to happen to me, what if he killed me? How could I escape? What upset me most is how upset my Nan would be, my Mum. It was from that moment on that I decided that I would do anything and everything he said to. I didn't want to die. The car journey was unusual I felt as if I was in a different world. Everything around me was misty, moving fast. I couldn't take in a lot of where we were, but when everything cleared slightly I noticed we were turning into a street and he said â€Å"almost there baby†. I knew I had to have some sort of idea where I was. The road he turned the car into was called Maybush Avenue. He was watching me closely and said we were in Shirley. I made sure I remembered that too. When the car finally stopped we got out and he told me to walk towards the end house. I did as he said. The street was quite long and had about 16 houses each side. It was quite a rough area, with loads of graffiti and rubbish around, and hardly any lights, one worked better than the others but it was still rather faint. When I stopped at the door he opened it and took me inside. The house was different to others. It had no carpets, just a rug here and there. The floor was just stone and the sitting room was like a waiting room, cold and depressing. There was a single sofa that had rips in it and old stains, and a chair in the corner, which was taped up where it had been broken several times. He went into the kitchen and brought back a bottle of wine and two glasses, but I told him about my anti-depressants, so he got me some coke instead. He instructed me to follow him upstairs, and lead me into a dark room with a double bed in it. He told me to.. get undressed and get into bed, and went back down stairs. I didn't want him to get angry with me or hurt me, so I just took my jeans off and got into the bed on the window side. I had left my long nighty and bra under my sweat shirt, and had tights under my jeans because of how cold it was outside. I left them on so that only my hands and face were uncovered. I wanted to hide myself from his clutches. I even felt like jumping out of the window. I felt so upset and mad at myself. I was so insane to trust someone I had never met. I tried not to think of it though. The room was cold and dark. Oh so cold. All I could hear was the distant sound of traffic, fast traffic in a slow world. I felt so distant from everything. Isolated. The only light there was came from a pale street lamp. The traffic sounded like it was drifting away, but it was me. I felt so tired because of how cold I was. I heard a small sound coming from the staircase†¦ someone was coming up. It was him. I woke up at about eight o'clock. I got out of bed and put my clothes on and I was thinking about getting out, but he soon woke up. I decided I would make up an excuse as to why I had to go home, hoping he wouldn't be bothered by it. I told him about my project and said I urgently needed to finish it. He sat up on the bed and said â€Å"its ok I'll take you home now that I have done what I wanted to†. I thought that what happened through the night was just a nightmare. That nothing had happened apart from my head being messed up. I felt so cheap, so worthless. I was in a trance. I couldn't remember who or where I was. When I was dropped outside my house, I just walked inside, hoping everyone was ok. All I felt inside me was hatred, not for him or my family. For myself. I was stupid, cheap, dirty†¦ and I am nothing anymore. Ever since this happened, I have still felt that hatred of myself. I still feel worthless and empty, but I am starting to re-build my life and I hope to find happiness one day.

Diversity, Inclusion, Equality & Participation Essay

†¢Diversity is the differences between individual and groups in society such as culture, belief, faith, background, skills, gender, ethnic origins, sexuality, family structure, appearance, social, values, knowledge, attitudes and life experience of a person from any group or community. When it is conjoined with equality it is about understanding an individual and group differences and instilling peace, harmony, value and respect of diversity both in the community and work setting. Every person from any group must be respected for their individuality and for who they are. †¢Inclusion is used within an educational setting and is a term used for stamping out discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender, disability, class, ethnicity, faith or background. It is about recognising and understanding that all children have the right to a wide range of facilities, learning and opportunities. In other words every child and young person or adult must be given equality of opportunity and allowed access to any form of education and care by meeting the individual’s specific needs. †¢Equality is to make sure that everyone has the same rights as anyone else to make a contribution to society and to be treated fairly no matter what race, gender, language, sexual orientation, age disability, religious beliefs, social origin, marital status and any other personal identity. †¢Participation is when practitioners participate to protect and promote the rights of the child allowing them to express themselves, have a choice and have a say if they wish to do so, in no way should they be forced, influenced or manipulated to prevent them from thinking freely and expressing their opinions. Practitioners should provide clear information about access to resources and provision to all children and their families and even he community. IMPORTANCE OF ANTI-DISCRIMINATORY OR ANTI-BIAS PRACTICE Anti-discriminatory or anti-bias practice is to actively prevent discrimination via words and actions. It also prevents prejudice towards any group or individual. It is a fabulous way of promoting equal opportunities. Practitioners do this by making sure that everybody involved with the  setting is treated equally in a non-biased way. All policies and procedures must demonstrate positive inclusive attitudes towards all members of the setting regardless of their age, gender, background, culture or their needs. Every single activity carried out in the setting concerning children, young people and their families must be underpinned with anti-discriminatory practice by the early year’s staff as they play a major role in promoting equal opportunities and being inclusive towards all children. Anti-discriminatory practice is to implement the settings equal opportunities policy in every area and aspect of the setting from setting out activities to having group discussions. Practitio ners must make sure every child is included and they achieve the best. APPLYING ANTI-DISCRIMINATORY / ANTI BIAS PRACTICE 1.Providing dolls which have needs such as hearing aids or intravenous lines. 2.Providing clothing of different cultures for role play. 3.Look at wall displays is there any stereo typical images such as a female nurse and a male doctor etc. 4.Celebrating diversity by joining in as a class such as learning about and celebrating ‘Chinese New Year’ or ‘Diwali’. 5.Books showing diversity and equality such as a book about the ‘Olympic Game Champions’. 6.‘Mirror Activity’ by getting children to view themselves and paint/draw a picture and see how we are different. 7.Decorative displays showing no stereo types. 8.Dolls dressing up clothes representing different cultures. 9.Dressing up clothes representing different professions. 10.Variety of toys during free flow, encourage boys and girls to play with a variety different toys which are normally branded as ‘girls’ or ‘boys’. Looking at number 5 I would plan this activity keeping in mind how I can implement inclusion and equal opportunities. I would show them a short clip if possible or a book of the Olympic Games which shows the champions who are from different races, gender, age and needs some of the champions even use special equipment to aid their needs such as a wheel chair. I will praise them as they are so motivated, successful and have achieved amazing results. I will give every child the opportunity to participate, I will provide open  questions allowing them to express themselves and clear the air of any misconceptions they may have in a positive way. Hopefully this activity will promote a feeling of self-worth, motivation and sense of achieving positive goals in life. Looking at 4 I would plan ahead by doing research on the background of the celebration so that I can answer any questions in a child friendly way that the children may ask. I will promote inclusion and equal opportunities giving every child a chance to participate in the discussion if they wish to do so. I will accommodate for every child’s needs such as effective communication, provide support, promote independence and additional equipment if required. We will all look at books looking at the beauty, colorful art and customs linked with the celebration and attempt to make and participate in it too such as making a painting of a dragon for Chinese New Year or making a lamp out of clay for Diwali. Looking at number 9, I would play a game with the group asking the children what do they want to be when their big, I could show them images of people in roles that a not stereo typical. I can even wear items of clothing that may fit me such as a builder’s hat. If a child has not decided what they want to wear I can encourage them to wear uniform that is not stereo typical I can ask them if they were a girl if they would like to be fire officer or if they were a boy I may ask them if they would like to be a nurse etc. SCOPE AND PURPOSE OF THE EARLY YEARS SECTOR Scope- the extent of the area or subject matter that something deals with or to which it is relevant. â€Å"we widened the scope of our investigation† Purpose- the reason for which something is done or created or for which something exists. â€Å"the purpose of the meeting is to appoint a trust  (Oxford Dictionary)