Evaluate the Evidence for Human Impacts on Downstream Flood Risk in Rural Catchment Areas in Temperate Regions

Evaluate the evidence for human impacts on downstream flood risk in rural catchments in temperate regions. Before we can evaluate human impacts on flood risk we must first establish what is meant by temperate regions and also rural catchments. Temperate regions are generally regarded as lying between the Tropic of Cancer and the Arctic Circle or the Tropic of Capricorn and the Antarctic Circle and therefore rivers investigated in this essay will fall within these parameters. Rural catchments are slightly harder to define, as today very few large rivers do not have some form of urban development within their catchments area. In this essay a river that is still in a predominantly rural catchment will be discussed even if there are areas of urban land within the catchment. Humans impact on flood risk falls into one of two categories. The first is deliberately and directly, through floodplain restoration, construction of dams and channel rehabilitation and all of these have fairly obvious positive effects on reducing flood risk. However it is when humans indirectly affect the flood risk, through deforestation, land use change and climate change (which all have a negative effect on flood risk) that there is less certainty into the extent of the impact that humans have. Overall though it is clear that human activity has resulted in ‘major changes’ (Goudie, 2006) in downstream flood risk in temperate regions and rural catchments. The most obvious way in which humans impact downstream flood risk is through direct adaptation of the river itself and this is also arguably also the most important way in which humans can have an impact on flood risk (Mrwoka, 1974). Damming is probably the most widespread example of how humans seek to control peak flows on rivers and the construction of dams in the UK has led to significant decreases in flooding. The reservoir created on the River Avon occupies 1. 38% of the catchment but reduces peak flow by 16% and even more impressively the reservoir on the Catcleugh in the Cheviots occupies 2. 72% of the catchment and reduces peak flow by 71% (Petts and Lewin, 1979). The creation of dams clearly reduces the flood risk overall, however, dams have a much smaller effect on rare flood events of high magnitude, due to the fact that there is a finite amount of water a dam can hold during times of high, prolonged precipitation (Goudie, 2006). On the River Avon the ratio of pre-dam discharges to post-dam discharges is a mere 1. 02 in a once-in-10 year event (Petts and Lewin, 1979). However, despite this, man’s construction of dams still has a large impact in reducing peak flood and therefore flood risk in downstream catchment areas. Floodplain restoration is another example of humans deliberately impacting on flood risk. It has been calculated that the flood reduction function of 3800 hectares of floodplain storage on the Charles River, Massachusetts saved US$ 17 million worth of downstream flood damage each year (US Corps of Engineers, 1972). Restoration has taken place on the River Cherwell between Oxford and Banbury. Here the embankments were removed and the channels restore to their pre-1900 dimensions. As a result of the rehabilitation of the channel peak flow was reduced by between 10-15% and the embankments which had been removed were shown to have been increasing peak flow by between 50-150% (Acreman et al, 2003). This clearly shows the extent to which humans can actively work to reduce the flood risk in a rural catchment area, and shows how important the role of floodplain restoration and channel rehabilitation is when reducing peak flows. A prime example of human activity indirectly affecting flood risk patterns is through deforestation. The principle here is that by removing vegetation, you remove the capacity for a significant percentage of precipitation to be intercepted by the vegetation and then evaporated before it reaches the stream. Therefore, if humans remove the vegetation in a catchment area this can increase run-off and therefore flood risk. An experimental study was conducted in 1910 to investigate the extent to which vegetation coverage affected peak flow in Colorado. Stream flows from two watersheds of approximately 80 hectares in size were compared over 8 years, before one valley was clear-felled. The catchment area which had experienced clear felling experienced 17% greater annual flow and also significantly higher peak flows (Goudie, 2006). In 1998 the Yangtze River experienced its worst floods for over 40 years, with high water remaining in some areas for 70 days. Although the precipitation over that time period was extreme, the extent of the flooding (which caused over $20billion in damages) has also been linked to the widespread deforestation that had taken place upstream of the floods. In 1957 the forest coverage of the river basin was 22% but by 1986 this figure had been reduced to 10% (Yin et al, 1998). Despite this, it has been argued that during times of prolonged rainfall, vegetation loses its ability to reduce peak flow as there is a finite limit to how much water vegetation can hold. A study on the Yangtze showed that under 90mm of heavy rainfall, surface run-off was 65mm in forested areas and 35mm in non-forested areas and therefore the forest does not retain more run-off (Cheng et al, 1998) and therefore flood risk is no greater. However, there can be no doubt that deforestation reduces seepage losses and therefore increases the convergence of seepage water and that deforestation increased the seriousness of the flooding that the Yangtze experienced in 1998 (Yin and Lee, 1999). The type of vegetation in a river basin can also have an influence on flood risk, and human activity can indirectly affect this. The principle here is that some types of vegetation retain more water than others and therefore their presence reduces flood risk. The catchment area of the Coweeta River in North Carolina was converted from deciduous hardwood forest to pine (which is evergreen) over a period of 15 years, from 1940 onwards, and as a result stream flow was reduced by 20% (Swank and Douglas, 1974). However, although certain types of plant may indeed significantly reduce stream flow, the impact they have on flood risk is often considerably smaller. It has been estimated that a forest of Ash juniper trees intercept around 40% of the precipitation that falls on them each year (Owens et al, 2006). This figure is so high as Ash juniper trees are evergreen and therefore absorb water all year round however, during storms, this figure is reduced to around 10%. This figure remains fairly similar for most vegetation during high storms. We can therefore say that although humans adapting the type of vegetation in a catchment area does have an impact on overall stream flow, the extent to which this reduces the flood risk downstream is negligible (Wilcox et al, 2006). Land use change is another example of human activity which, although it is not done with the intention of altering river flow characteristics, still has an impact on downstream flood risk. Developing urban areas in formerly rural ones is now widely acknowledged to have a ‘considerable’ hydrological impact, mainly thorough the ways in which it alters runoff (Hollis, 1988). Essentially this urbanization produces a tapestry of impermeable surfaces that increase run-off and therefore discharge during times of high precipitation (Graf, 1977). However, Hollis (1975) argues that whilst urbanization may increase the recurrence interval of small floods, in rare large scale floods, land use change has little effect on the overall peak flow, due to the fact that during large storms, rural areas become saturated quickly and then behave in much the same way as urban areas. Despite this, we can still say that land use change from urban to rural does increase the flood risk, even if this increase in risk is only during smaller events. Although we are examining flood risk in rural catchment areas, development of urban pockets in these areas must still be considered, as even catchments with only some urbanization are still more likely to suffer flooding (Wilson, 1967). Climate change is another way in which man indirectly can have an effect on flooding risk although this is a hotly contested topic, as no completely acceptable explanation of climate change has been presented before (Goudie, 2006). However, some climate models have still predicted that climate change over the next 100 years will lead to higher flood risk. This is due to the fact that in a warmer climate, the air can hold more water, which increases the potential for latent heat release during low pressure systems and therefore increased precipitation is likely (Frei et al, 1998). A model in 2002 produced by the EU group PRUDENCE compared summertime precipitation in mainland Europe from 1961-1990 and the forecast for 2071-2100 based on the climatic predictions made in the IPCC report. This found that although overall precipitation may slightly decrease over the summer, precipitation events in the 95th percentile for intensity would significantly increase (Christensen J and Christensen O, 2003). This would obviously increase the flood risk downstream in rural catchments. However, although climate change may, in the coming century, prove to have a significant impact on flooding, currently the topic is too heavily debated to draw any concrete conclusions on the extent to which human induced climate change increases flooding risk. We can therefore see that humans impact on flood risk in a variety of ways, some positive and some negative and all to varying degrees. It is worth bearing in mind that in some areas man may be impacting on flood risk in both a negative and positive way and therefore having an even larger impact on the stream than would at first be obvious. The evidence for man impacting on flood risk downstream in rural catchments is often disputed; however, it is clear that man is impacting on streams and flood risk. It is worth remembering that flooding is a perfectly natural event however rivers and the floods they can potentially unleash are in a delicate balance, and man is more than capable of upsetting that balance in a variety of ways.

Prepare Environments and Resources for use during healthcare activities Essay

1.1 When going into a call the first thing that should be done is to get all the materials that you need together in order to provide care. For example, if someone is bed ridden and you are changing their pad then you will need to get the clean pad, carrier bag, toilet roll, baby wipes, towel, cream if applicable and usually the slide sheet ready. By not having everything ready you will have to stop what you are doing and go and get things. The individual during this time is rolled on their side and no doubt in some discomfort and delaying the proceedings to go and get things only increases this discomfort. After providing care all materials should either be disposed of or put away ready for the next use. Any soiled clothing or bedding should be changed and put into the washing machine ready for the next wash. When preparing food all dirty dishes should be washed, dried and put away so that they are ready for the next use and all kitchen surfaces should be wiped clean. Any foods that have been opened should be stored correctly either in the cupboard or fridge so that they do not go off and can be used again. 1.2 It is important that team members work together in the management of the environment and resources. The carers who go into the homes and provide care need to be considerate not only of the individual but also of the next carer who is going into that call by leaving the environment ready for use. Care managers need to respond immediately to any problems to ensure that carers can continue with their work without delays. 1.3 Any problems with the environment should be investigated to the extent that no harm comes to the person doing the investigation. For example , if the problems are related to something such as gas, or electricity then the gas or electric board should be called immediately as interfering with this could cause harm. If the problem is something minimal such as changing a light bulb than this can be done as long as no harm can come to the person changing it. For example, if the light bulb can be reached whilst standing on the floor then it is safe to do so but if it requires step ladders or a chair then further assistance is required. All problems should be recorded in the care plan and reported to the care manager. 1.4 The impact of environmental changes on resources including their storage and use largely depends on the setting in which these resources are being used. For example,  in hospitals and nursing homes, there are specific storage rooms, refrigerators’ etc which are temperature controlled at all times and therefore do not specifically undergo environmental changes. However, in individual’s homes environmental changes have a greater impact as the impact as the ability to control certain factors such as storage is reduced. An example of this would be if pads were kept in a shed outside due to lack of storage space in the home. This would be fine in the summer months but once the temperature started to drop damp could set in making the pads wet and non-useable. Another example would be where certain medication was prescribed which needed to stored in the refrigerator. If it is not kept refrigerated it may not work as well as if it had been. OUTCOME 2 2.1 With regards to preparing environments, medical equipment, devices and resources for use during healthcare activities the health and safety measures relevant to the healthcare activity and environment are as follows: Wearing gloves, aprons and masks when necessary  Ensuring that there are no objects in the way which can cause harm, Ensuring all medical equipment, devices and resources are functioning correctly and if they are not report the problem and not use them. Ensuring the equipment, devices and resources are still relevant to the individual e.g. if eye drops were prescribed for use over 5 days are the still required. Ensuring that all equipment, devices and resources are to hand before starting the healthcare activity. 2.2 Gloves and aprons (where necessary) are worn during all calls involving personal care and food preparation. Different gloves should be used for personal care and food preparation to avoid cross contamination. Gloves and aprons should be disposed of at the end of each call. Hands should be washed on entering and leaving each call and after smoking and eating. Hair should be tied back if it is mid length or long. Tissues should be used if coughing or sneezing and disposed of and then hands should be washed. 2.3 The main conditions that affect individual comfort within the environment are warmth, lighting, food and cleanliness. With regards to warmth it is important to ask the individual whether they are comfortable especially in the winter months when the thermostat may need to be turned higher up. A change to the blankets on the bed will be  necessary according to the seasons and particularly in winter a blanket over them while they are sitting in the chair or a hot water bottle may be required. Lighting is more often than not unchangeable and it is important to ensure that light bulbs work. I do care for a lady who felt that the lighting in her front room was to bright so we brought lamps down from of the spare bedrooms to create a softer feel to the room which she is now pleased with. Food is extremely important in affecting individual comfort as we all need to eat and drink and we also like to have snacks to eat between meals or while watching TV. We can ensure that the fridge is stocked up with foods that the individual likes to eat and, if they have mobility problems, leave snacks out for them within easy reach. The same applies to drinks with regards to cleanliness, most people like to sit in a room or lie in bed in which the immediate surroundings are tidy and clean. 2.4 The main resource that I am personally responsible for are gloves and aprons. I can ensure that these are available in advance of planned healthcare activities by ensuring that I have a sufficient supply at all times with regards to essential resources within the individuals home I can ensure that these are available in advance by keeping my eye on stock levels and where levels are running low then advise either the individual, their family or the care manager that stocks need reordering. It is the duty of myself and my colleagues to report any shortages immediately. 2.5 Medical equipment, devices and resources should be checked before they are used each and every time they are used to ensure that no malfunction can harm the individual who is using them or on whom they are to used. Any defects should reported immediately to the care manager and the equipment not only used but put out of the way of the service user who may not understand or realise that there is a problem. If a defect is noted it is important to leave clear instructions for colleagues both in the care plan and also by putting a sign with the equipment, devise or resource so that it can be easily be seen. 2.6 Any problems with medical equipment, devices and resources would be immediately reported to my care manager who would then look into the matter. 2.7 Refer to 2.5 above. 2.8 Clinical governance is the term used to describe a systematic approach to maintaining and improving the quality of patient care within a health  system. Resources are prepared in line with clinical governance by following the standard codes of practice as described in unit 201- preparation to work – 1.1 and also unit 208 preparation to work -1.1. OUTCOME 3 3.1 It is important to ensure that the environments are ready for their next use as it ensures that the area has been left clean and tidy. It also ensures that the next carer who comes in to the call does not have to spend time cleaning up the environment before they can begin their work. For example, if an individual needs to use the commode desperately it is not acceptable for the carer to have to tidy up or move things out of the way that the previous carer left before the individual can use the commode. 3.2 The factors that influence the readiness of environments for use in healthcare activities are as follows: How the previous carer left the environment. How mobile the individual is. Whether the individual lives alone or with family. Whether supplies/equipment has been ordered and is there. 3.3 All equipment must be cleaned and stored correctly once they have been used so that the next colleague can use them straight away. For example, when giving someone a bed bath, the bowl used must be cleaned and rinsed and put back in the place it is stored. Flannels and towels must be put into the washing basket or directly into the machine ready to be washed. Razors must be rinsed and checked to ensure that any unsafe or worn blades are removed and disposed of. If clean blades are needed then these should be put on ready for use the next day. 3.4 Used, damaged or out-of-date items should be disposed of immediately. With regards to soiled pads and catheter bags these should be placed in a carrier bad and disposed of in the outside bin. Damaged items should be removed from the property as they can cause harm to the individual if they continue to be used (the individual may not be aware that something is damaged). Out-of-date items such as medication should be placed in the bin out of the service users sight/reach as the medication may have changed and out-of=date items are no longer in use. Taking the wrong medication can cause serious harm to an individual’s health. 3.5 Un-opened and surplus resources should be returned to the correct location for storage  so that they are not in the way. Leaving them lying around can be a hazard for an individual with regards to mobility, for example , boxes of pads left in the hallway . It also ensures that all opened items are used first. 3.6 It is important to monitor levels of consumable materials used in healthcare activities so that the individual does not run out of things which they need on a regular basis. Examples of things which need to be monitored are pads, creams, catheter bags. Whoever orders these supplies, such as the individual themselves, their family or the care manager, need to be advised in advance so that they can get the order in before supplies run out. 3.7 Consumable materials are replenished by either advising the individual, or their family (or whoever does this for them) what they need more of, or advising my care manager of the individuals requirements. This does not always happen of course. I care for a man who is bed ridden and we visit him four times a day. We use baby wipes when changing his pad in order to ensure that he is clean, however, he never has any wipes as his family don’t bother with him. The office has been informed on a number of occasions yet still the family do not provide what is needed. It is often the carers who will provide these as it make our job very difficult not having them especially when he only has one flannel which we use to wash his body in the morning. 3.8 All information is accurately recorded as specified in local protocols in the care plan. For example under the heading â€Å"household duties† I always state that the pad has been correctly disposed of. If additional supplies are needed I enter this in the â€Å"comments† box and state who I have advised.

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An analysis of pericles' funeral oration from thucydides Essay

An analysis of pericles' funeral oration from thucydides - Essay Example Pericles, the son of Xanthippus was chosen to give the oration to the first batch of war victims2. Giving eulogy during the burial of war fighters who died during battle has been a custom to the Athenians and it was during such time that the speech of Pericles was given. People of different walks of life gathered to witness the interment of those who bravely fought for the freedom of Athens where a casket was used exclusively for a tribe so that there are many caskets paraded for the people to see. In addition, there is an empty casket which represents those whose bodies are not found. During the early period of the Peloponnesian War, Pericles was chosen to give the speech3 and he chose to be very discreet in voicing out his thoughts as expected from a man of integrity during his time. Pericles praised the Athenians in his eulogy first giving credit to their forefathers who have fought to protect the land that they are currently enjoying during that time, preserved and given to them by their great folks as an inheritance4. He also admired the latter version of their forefathers who equally endeavored to keep their lands free and have acquired more areas of land to add to what earlier Athenians have amassed for modern Athens. He boasted of Athens being a 1. Richard Hooker, Ancient Greece: Thucydides, (1996) http://www.wsu.edu/~dee/GREECE/THUCY.HTM (accessed March 28, 2011). 2. Paul Halsall, Ancient History Sourcebook:Thucydides (c.460/455-c.399 BCE): Pericles' Funeral Oration   from the  Peloponnesian War  (Book 2.34-46), (2000) http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/ancient/pericles-funeralspeech.html (accessed March 28, 2011). 3. Loc. cit. 4. Halsall, loc. cit. trendsetter who never copied the laws of his neighbors instead became the influence to them in making their laws. The very reason why Athens was called a democratic nation, according to Pericles was because her administration favored the majority and not a chosen few, referring back to her laws which give equal justice and rights regardless of social status5. The true spirit of democracy, he proudly states, is not just about the freedom each citizen enjoys but the respect to the freedom that they have, not abusing the nation’s leniency but enjoying it while her citizens live up to the administration’s expectation, making efforts to maintain peace and order, safeguarding each other and the country. One of the things that Athens enjoys as a democratic country is not only the freedom to work and improve one’s financial status but her encouragement to her citizens to enjoy life as well. Sports have always been part of the Athenian history as a means of relaxation so that all year round, there is no lack of it. The great size of the city and its beauty draws people from around the world and Athens takes great pride in her attitude towards foreigners, not driving them away rather welcoming them and treating them as importantly as they do to fellow Athenians. In connec tion to this, the military policy is another consideration that Pericles discussed in his speech which he admired in contrast to Sparta’s, saying Athens shows liberality to foreigners who are attracted to the nation. The broad-mindedness of Athens allows the enhancement of bright minds to work well, her citizens being allowed what they want to do in contrast to their enemy who force their citizens to be physically fit ready for

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Criminal justice Individual project & Discussion Board Essay

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Vaux-le-Vicomte Essay Example for Free

Vaux-le-Vicomte Essay Architecture is the style of art in which spatial configuration is most important. The way in which the body of the building situates itself on the landscape, the way in which the building rises and falls with the horizon and the way in which Vaux-le-Vicomte’s facade and garden is what this essay will seek to explore. The Vaux-le-Vicomte is located in Maincy, was built in 1656-1661, with the intention of housing artists/poets/writers by the parliamentarian/financial secretary of France. The essay will focus on the element of light as it applies to the chateaux as well as how the building can be considered a Baroque masterpiece (Blunt 108). The basis of the Vaux-le-Vicomte’s design was a castle. The building actually an offshoot of a castle which explains its grand design. Three men are attributed to the design of the Chateau, which was purchased by Nicolas Fouquet: The architect Le Vau, the painter/decorator Le Brun, and the landscape artist Le Notre (Vaux-le-Vicomte 2008). The structure of the once castle turned into one of the â€Å"predominant chateau’s of France† (Sitwell 100) begins with the Baroque age architecture. Baroque architecture is known for its lavish nature, its supreme accoutrements to buildlings increasing in size and grandeur and the culmination of which is seen in Vaux-le-Vicomte. The elements which define the Baroque era in art and which are exemplified in Vaux-le-Vicomte are fanciful, extravagant and theatrical, each of which are extremely dominant in the facade of the chateaux with the dome, in the spire/gazebo atop the dome and the high windows with Corinthian columns as a faux facade to the architecture. Baroque art was in opposition to the previous artistic movement of the Renaissance in many ways. The Baroque era was the flowering of the Renaissance in different ways: While the Renaissance was static the Baroque had a certain dynamism or movement in their architecture. The Baroque style and the fact that the castle was redesigned into a grand chateaux had a lot to do with the expansion of France in the 1600’s. This is when colonization was very popular and strong and nationalistic monarchs such as Louis the VIIII were pressed into creating such grand scale items in order to prove their powerful positions. The imprisonment of Nicolas Fouquet in fact had to do with him outshining the king during a royal visit to the chateaux. The focus of the Baroque movement can be found with the scientist Galileo. Galileo changed how people see the world around them and thus their place in the world. Space of universe becomes fascinating aspect of Baroque art. Light becomes just as fascinating and symbolism of light and scientific point of view can be seen through the architecture of Vau-le-Vicomte, in the way the windows are situated in the building to the way in which the sun’s reflection from the rivers and the fountains plays upon the building itself. The theme of Baroque art is sensuality with emotion; thus there must be passion in the architecture (despite the Catholic Church’s resistance to such design avenues). Thus, the chateaux was in defiance of religious points of view (which also attributed to Nicolas’ imprisonment) as well as supporting this new scientific outlook on the world while also encapsulating light/sun as a main architectural element of the building (Wolf 45). The truly beautiful and Baroque encompassing element of the chateaux is it’s wide garden space. This space truly sees Galileo’s philosophy of the scientific point of view and one’s relationship with the outer design of things in the gardens pure geometrical forms made with bushes, fountains, walkways and more. Le Vau designed the house to have a pavilion which is in turn surrounded by wings. The crowning achievement of Le Vau is found with the cupola which is extravagant in itself as it is the highest point of the chateaux and therefore the first symbol anyone sees upon coming up to the once castle (McCarthy 3). As well as the copula there is also a pedimented entranceway found on the front of the chateaux – thus the design aspect of the outside of the house if dichotomized in a relaxed form as well as a formal form. This dichotomized nature, â€Å"This dual personality, severely formal on one side, grandiloquent on the other, was repeated in the treatment of its walls. Originally designed in brick, then altered, presumably at Fouquets request, to Creil stone, a concave recession pulls the visitor inward toward the great entrance vestibule, then thrusts him through the immense airy space of the saloon out to the garden terrace† (Shama paragraph 16). It is from this formal standpoint of the raised threshold that the spectator can see the vibrant and lush design of Le Notre. Le Notre’s design encapsulates everything Baroque: The pattern of the plants (i. e. hedges, shrubs, etc. ) there is a distinct nature of lavishness mixed with formality (as is the Baroque style). The element of water and subsequently light is essential in the portrayal of Baroque in the garden, â€Å"The play of water intersects the view, not with the furious drama of the Versailles fountains, but rather the more modest gushing of cascades and drowsy pools where water trickles from lichen-mottled stone mouths. Indeed, the whole house seems elevated on a platform or pedestal so that it appears to be not so much surrounded by a moat as actually floating on a body of limpid water. † (Shama paragraph 17). Another interesting element of the chateaux’s gardens is how very similar in construction it is to Frank Lloyd Wrights’ Falling Water house in Pennsylvania, and how conscious both landscape architects were to the landscape itself; from the horizon to the way in which the water reflected the sun on the facade of the chateaux; the viewer can tell that there was much thought in the placement of each water pool, and fountain (even with Nicolas’ diversion of the river by 45 degrees in order to have such spectacular natural architecture). The design of the gardens by Le Notre is so very singular in its approach and cohesive because Nicolas gave the landscape architect free rein over the garden. The word cohesion is used appropriately here as the entire estate would not have worked well if several gardeners were employed by Nicolas; the design would have been flawed because not every landscape artist can build with unification along with other designers; thus the design process by one ‘gardener’, Le Notre, is so important to the lasting impression of the chateaux. As has been mentioned the beauty of the landscape was achieved through harmony of the building and nature working as a combined force of Baroque architecture. The three architects of the chateaux, architect Le Vau, the painter/decorator Le Brun, and the landscape artist Le Notre, worked as a combined force of Baroque artistry as described by Shama, The result is a pleasing comedy of the unexpected: the house suddenly appearing in its inverted reflection in a mirror pool; steep escarpments that are abruptly made accessible with hidden flights of steps; teasing games of freedom and captivity made more poignant by the inescapable ghost of Superintendent Fouquet. From the stepped terrace at the back of the house, the frame of the great Oriental rug-garden is delineated by white pathways punctuated with mercilessly pruned conical topiary and statues of lions and tigers, the Graces and various deities. Within those borders, low hedges weave embroidery patterns that echo the curves and angles of the house itself. (Shama paragraph 19). Even the way in which the pathways are cut according to exact geometric measurements is breathtaking. The elements of mythology mix in with the complete design of the garden especially as the visitor goes from the promenade to the central allee and back into the grotto. It is this space in the garden that the nature of mythology and the extravagance that the Baroque period is best-known for come into fruition. The grotto is lorded over by two river god statues who are in a reclining mode carved within two niches. In the actual park, past the two reclining gods the viewer sees other elements of the Baroque mixed in with mythology such as little fountain or ‘water grille’ in which woodland deities romp around. It is at this point in Le Notre’s design that the active viewer begins to see how he had some fun with his design, â€Å"The ground drops sharply away toward a rectangular reflecting pool. Advance farther and another barrier interposes itself: a broad lateral canal, uncrossable, as elegant in form as its name, poele (frying pan), is homely. To reach the river gods requires another walk around the canals perimeter† (Shama paragraph 20). This essay has shown how the unification of landscape with construction has lead to one of the Baroque era’s finest accomplishments in architecture: Vaux-le-Vicomte. The design of the gardens could not have been exemplified as the genius that it is without the facade of the chateaux as well as the partnership between each architect (Wolf 67). The elements of water and light played an important role in the overall design in that they allow the chateaux the illusion of floating on water which adds that element of a fairy tale or otherworldliness which is further emphasized by the architects inclusion of various statues around the grounds of wood nymphs and river gods. Thus, the extravagance of the Baroque era is found in an enormous amount in Nicolas Fouquet’s chateaux. Works Cited Blunt, A. Art and Architecture in France: 1500 – 1700. Penguin Books. 1953.McCarthy, G. The Theatres of Moliaere. Routledge. 2002. Shama, S. Palaces and Pleasures: Vaux-le-Vicomte: A Perfect Chateaux Envied by a King. 20 October 1991. Online. 2 April 2008. http://query. nytimes. com/gst/fullpage. html? res=9D0CE1DB1E3FF933A15753C1A967 58260sec=spon=pagewanted=all Sitwell, S. and Smith, E. Great Houses of Europe. Putnam. 1961. Vaux-le-Vicomte. 2008. Online. 2 April 2008. http://www. vaux-le-vicomte. com/en/vaux images-chateau. php. Wolf, J. Louis the XVI. W. W. Norton. New York. 1968.

Should Jobs Be Reserved For Women?

Should Jobs Be Reserved For Women? Most of the high level jobs are done by man, should government encourage a certain percentage of these jobs to be reserved for women ? Most of the high level jobs are done by men, I am not totally agree with this idea, because many high level jobs are done by women. There   is no discrimination between man and woman before   the eye of law. I deeply believe high level jobs are done by qualified person. So government should not encourage a certain percentage of high level jobs to be reserved for women. As a human being all are equal so those who have qualification to do high level jobs, they must will do. If government encourage or enact a law or reserve certain percentage that will be unfair and injustice and discrimination for man. High level jobs should be given on the basis of merit and qualification not consider as a man and woman.we do not agree, to make any reservation on the basis of race, age, sex and minority ,but high level job must be done   by only  Ã‚   qualified person. Man and Woman are equal so there should not have any special attention for women. This concept seriously violates human rights. There should not have any discrimination between man and woman. The discrimination never bring peace and stability in a state, so government must not make any special rules for women. As a democratic state, every state has rule of law and human rights, so high level jobs are only done by man, this is not fair and justice. If women have merit and qualification, they must hold high level jobs. To my mind, there is no restriction in law of a state for woman high level jobs. Human right is most important to live in the world with dignity and honour as a best creation of God. So knowledge and knowledge must be standard for high level jobs not on the basis of sex. So only justice and fair can bring the peace and security in a state, man and woman should not be competitor but dependable. Being a best creation of God, we must have sense of responsibility and duty to one another to make a better and peaceful world for the future generation. As a man   I deeply believe and trust, there should not have any unfair between man and woman. only the basis of merit must get high level post not consider anything else. To hold a sensitive post, need only knowledge and management capacity but disqualification must always discourage and deprive from high level post for betterment of nation and showing honour and justice for qualified and knowledgeable persons. Proper management is the most important to hold a high level job, so   one who will be seated in this post must be qualified and knowledgeable. If any person is woman but she is not qualified for the post but given the high level post she absolutely will be fail to hold the post. Motivation is very important requirement to hold a high prestigious job, one who has no this capacity she/he   cannot hold a high level post. So I hope and believe government should not to make any special attention to women for high level post because if they are qualified, no need to make any rule or law in parliament. Leadership is the best qualification to hold the high level jobs. To be a best leader, so easily can deal any critical situation. Those who will hold better post, musth have leadership skilled to perform   properly his/her responsibilities and   duties.This is the age of globalization,so one who want to be leader one,s has to have leadership skilled otherwisewill be   seriously fail to make any decision. Challenging career, there are many job very challenging so women are not able to perform their responsibilities but if any woman get like that post as a leader she will totally fail to lead the team or group. For example a woman is not fit for post of chief of Army, Navy,and Air force,because they are not able to perform their duty properly with care and strictly.So body fitness is very   important to hold like that high level job.So if government impose like that post, it will be harmful for a nation. Professional services are opened for all men and women,because there is no any condition or restriction for women.women can be professor,lawyer,pilot officer,doctor if they have qualification.So for this reason,no need to care more women for high level job.There are many women in the world who are justice,lawyer, minister,parliamentarian .They perform their responsibilities and duties with dignity and skilled.This is because, they are hardworkers and qualified for this   posts Corruption is the great disease for state , it is worse than cancer . so make a proper well fear state . it is responsibilities for man and women to remove this  Ã‚   corruption   from the grass root level of state , corruption free state and protect and guarantee human rights such kind of well fare state no conflict man between women incase of high level jobs. Misuse is the worst weak point to protect human rights and establish rule of law it is absolutely possible misuse of power in government wish to protect the human rights .disqualified person never get high level jobs .this is possible on the basis of rule of law but we have to keep in mind knowledge and qualification only should be standard for higher level job but not consider sex. Political instability never bring any peace and security, safety and dignity for a nation .for the cause of corruption and missuse of power always coming political instability in a state. For these reason many qualified man and women totally deprive from the higher level jobs.such kind of political environment never consider knowledge and qualification and care fare and justice . There are many states where women hold high level post such as Bangladesh is a highest ranking   for the leadership of women   because there is a prime minister and opposition leader, home minister,foreign minister and agriculture minister all are women. they are not   elected as a women but for theire leadership qualification.so there is no way to say government should have extra care for women .if they become knowledgeable, they will reach their goals. In Pakistan also had an ex-prime minister banzir butto who was a woman and she was elected for her political wisdom but her nation did not make her prime minister just consider as woman .there are many women perform their responsibilities and duties with due care and dignity . there is a president   in india is woman .there were former prime ministers Indira Gandi and Sonia gandi also were women. In usa ,hilari Clinton is secretary   of state of America so it is only possible for her qualification. In UK and Austrilia are handled supreme post by women,we do not like to make different between man and woman.As a human being all are equal,in case of dignity and rights and duties. Criticism of women ;most of the women across the world , to remind themselves busy in the kitchen .their mind do not want to work high abious job.They think , women responsibilities to produce baby and to take care and managing housing work.They do not know what are   their rights and duties.So   for this reason,they are tortured, oppressed,nepressd by men.Their voices are not strong for their rights.They do not know how to establish their civil and political rights.Even now women are not prepared to take leadership of high level jobs.They think leadership and management are only for men. Reservation of negative effect,If government reserve certain percentage for high level jobs,it will make a serious negative effect in a state.Now a days all of the countries have   recognised equal status of men and women.The certain percentage reservation will break the check and balance of a state.Day by day men will be unemployment which is not green signal for democratic states.So we do not agree on the statement of reservation of high level jobs for women.If government want to reserve must be for backward section people.There will be no any discrimination between men and women. It is high for women to raise their voices against injustice and unfair.Government can take effective step to make educated women.Women   have to be conscious for their fundamental rights.If government make them properly educated then they will get high level jobs.No need make any reservation for women,from every part of the world, women should be conscious about their rights and duties, They must   make pressure their own government to provide complete women rights. When they will be able to understand what are their rights and duties and will be qualified then they   will get high level jobs. In brief ,I would like to say dignity and honour should not be   given on the basis of sex.for the causes of sincerity ,honesty,sense of responsibility, punctuality and duty.So any man or woman   will hold high level job if he or she has qualification. No need to make speacil law for woman for high level jobs.Only knowledge and knowledge should be most priority and standard to hold high level job.

Lateralization of Function in Cerebral Hemispheres :: Biology Essays Research Papers

Lateralization of Function in Cerebral Hemispheres One of the major goals of neuroscience is to be able to understand the relationships between the structures of the nervous system and a persons outward behavior. Often times it is difficult or unethical to directly study the nervous system during a behavior and indirect methods must be used instead. One example of such an indirect method is using a subjects preferred hand to predict which of the two Cerebral Hemispheres is dominant. The are some difficulties with his method of studying lateraliztion of function but if it can be better understood it could have many practical and theoretical implications for the study of neuroscience. The Cerebral Hemispheres are very similar in appearance, but they differ significantly in their structure. One of the best known differences between the two structures is motor control; the right hemisphere controls the left half of the body and the left hemisphere controls the right half of the body. These motor control differences were discovered mainly through the examination of paralysis caused by stokes or other damage to a specific hemisphere. In 1861 the theory of lateralization of function was expanded with the discovery by Paul Broca of structure in the right hemisphere that controlled speech, this structure is now known as Broca's area Like many other advances in neuroscience this discovery was made possible by an unfortunate stroke victim, who in this case lost his ability to speak. After his death Broca examined his brain and discovered damage in the right hemisphere at this now famous location. This finding was followed soon after by the discovery of an area, also in the right hemisphere, responsible for understanding of written word. This area become know as Wernicke's area named after the man who discovered it by "studying patients with select comprehension deficits" (1) and comparing these deficits with damages to the brain. These two discoveries created a watershed of experimentation as other scientists attempted to discover more functional differences between the hemispheres. This body of research has created a very stereotyped understanding of the two hemispheres. The left hemisphere is known as the language hemisphere. It is also believed to control general cognitive functions. Some researchers have gone so far as to ascribe consciousness to the left hemisphere. The right hemisphere is assigned nonverbal process such as special relations and the detection of complicated auditory tones . Lateralization of Function in Cerebral Hemispheres :: Biology Essays Research Papers Lateralization of Function in Cerebral Hemispheres One of the major goals of neuroscience is to be able to understand the relationships between the structures of the nervous system and a persons outward behavior. Often times it is difficult or unethical to directly study the nervous system during a behavior and indirect methods must be used instead. One example of such an indirect method is using a subjects preferred hand to predict which of the two Cerebral Hemispheres is dominant. The are some difficulties with his method of studying lateraliztion of function but if it can be better understood it could have many practical and theoretical implications for the study of neuroscience. The Cerebral Hemispheres are very similar in appearance, but they differ significantly in their structure. One of the best known differences between the two structures is motor control; the right hemisphere controls the left half of the body and the left hemisphere controls the right half of the body. These motor control differences were discovered mainly through the examination of paralysis caused by stokes or other damage to a specific hemisphere. In 1861 the theory of lateralization of function was expanded with the discovery by Paul Broca of structure in the right hemisphere that controlled speech, this structure is now known as Broca's area Like many other advances in neuroscience this discovery was made possible by an unfortunate stroke victim, who in this case lost his ability to speak. After his death Broca examined his brain and discovered damage in the right hemisphere at this now famous location. This finding was followed soon after by the discovery of an area, also in the right hemisphere, responsible for understanding of written word. This area become know as Wernicke's area named after the man who discovered it by "studying patients with select comprehension deficits" (1) and comparing these deficits with damages to the brain. These two discoveries created a watershed of experimentation as other scientists attempted to discover more functional differences between the hemispheres. This body of research has created a very stereotyped understanding of the two hemispheres. The left hemisphere is known as the language hemisphere. It is also believed to control general cognitive functions. Some researchers have gone so far as to ascribe consciousness to the left hemisphere. The right hemisphere is assigned nonverbal process such as special relations and the detection of complicated auditory tones .

Self management approach at King Fahd University Hospital in Saudi Arab

Self management approach at King Fahd University Hospital in Saudi Arabia There are many diseases in the world that affect patient’s life. WOH has mentioned that chronic conditions might lead to disability in the future which leads to spend a lot of money to treat patients (WHO, 2005). The prevalence of chronic diseases like cardiovascular diseases, obesity, overweight and diabetes has become a great cause of concern for the Saudi Arabian government. In addition, the number of patients with chronic diseases is increasing. The main reasons for that are people in Saudi Arabia have bad lifestyle, unhealthy diet and lack of physical activities (Maheshwari, 2011). To control chronic diseases and prevent patients from getting worse, we need to distinguish between chronic diseases and cute diseases. Chronic condition is one that 'has been (or is likely to be) present for at least 6 months, or is terminal' (The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners 2000). To treat chronic diseases we need to change lifestyle and we need to consider many things such as cost of drugs, availability of the medication, health providers. In addition, all health professional and patients should be aware about self management. Many studies proved that self-management is an important component of effective management of people with chronic conditions. It is a frame work that consists patients, family and health providers. Self management program can improve the quality of life, increasing patients information, decreasing hospitalization and visiting physician, improving patient's behaviors and improving the health care system for chronic diseases (Epping-Jordan et al. 2004). Unfortunately, Saudi Arabia does not have any self management approach to ... ...which may led to increase patient's confidence (self management toolkit 2011).Self management toolkit shows good communication strategies for improving self management in patients with chronic diseases which are engaging the patients, exploring importance ambivalence and collaborative action planning (self management toolkit 2011). The good self model that can be implanted in my service is Flinders model. The Flinders model of chronic disease management has been developed by Dr. Malcolm Battersby and associates at Flinders University in Adelaide, South Australia. There are many reasons for using Flinders model. Firstly, it is a patient-centered care model and easy to be used. Another reason is that it creates a good partnership between health care providers and patients where the patient can be the decision maker and the health care provider can be facilitator.

Douglas Macarthurs Occupation of Japan :: World War II 2

Formatting Problems The occupation of Japan was, from start to finish, an American operation. General Douglans MacArthur, sole supreme commander of the Allied Power was in charge. The Americans had insufficient men to make a military government of Japan possible; so t hey decided to act through the existing Japanese government. General Mac Arthur became, except in name, dictator of Japan. He imposed his will on Japan. Demilitarization was speedily carried out, demobilization of the former imperial forces was complet ed by early 1946.Japan was extensively fire bombed during the second world war. The stench of sewer gas, rotting garbage, and the acrid smell of ashes and scorched debris pervaded the air. The Japanese people had to live in the damp, and col d of the concrete buildings, because they were the only ones left. Little remained of the vulnerable wooden frame, tile roof dwelling lived in by most Japanese. When the first signs of winter set in, the occupation forces immediately took over all the s team-heated buildings. The Japanese were out in the cold in the first post war winter fuel was very hard to find, a family was considered lucky if they had a small barely glowing charcoal brazier to huddle around. That next summer in random spots new ho uses were built, each house was standardized at 216 square feet, and required 2400 board feet of material in order to be built. A master plan for a modernistic city had been drafted, but it was cast aside because of the lack of time before the next winte r. The thousands of people who lived in railroad stations and public parks needed housing.All the Japanese heard was democracy from the Americans. All they cared about was food. General MacAruther asked the government to send food, when they refus ed he sent another telegram that said, "Send me food, or send me bullets."American troops were forbidden to eat local food, as to keep from cutting from cutting into the sparse local supply.No food was was brought in expressly for the Japan ese durning the first six months after the American presence there. Herbert Hoover, serving as chairman of a special presidential advisory committee, recommended minimum imports to Japan of 870,000 tons of food to be distributed in different urban areas. Fi sh, the source of so much of the protein in the Japanese diet, were no longer available in adequate quantities because the fishing fleet, particularly the large vessels, had been badly decimated by the war and because the U.

The Natural Cycle of Humanity and the Decay of Modern Society in The Wasteland

There is no romance, no passion, only a mundane circular sequence of events, â€Å"crowds of people, walking round in a ring† (56). In The Wasteland, by T. S. Eliot, the society of the twentieth century is described as detached, dreary and monotonous. It is a collection of dysfunctional relationships and tedious tasks, saturated with an anxiety about death. There is a parallel between the atrophy of society and the land destroyed during the Second World War. To escape a routine and apathetic existence, humans strive for the unattainable, to overcome the limits of humanity. However any departure from the natural cycle of the human world leads to the emergence of the wasteland. Although death haunts the speakers in the poem, it is liberation in comparison to the horror of the wasteland. There is persistent angst and fear of death in the poem, yet death is everywhere. The many speakers in the poem wish for immortality and to overcome the confines of humanity. In â€Å"The Burial of the Dead† the woman, anxious about her fate, goes to see the fortune-teller, Madame Sosostris, who pulls out the â€Å"Hanged Man† tarot card and warns her to â€Å"fear death by water† (55). The fortune-teller's words reoccur later in â€Å"Death by Water†, a description of the grotesque death of â€Å"Phlebas the Phoenician. † His death, symbolized by â€Å"the whirlpool,† confirms that there is no regeneration; there is no return from â€Å"the whirlpool. † The realization of the fortune implies that fate cannot be defeated. In â€Å"What the Thunder Said† Eliot again states that there is no escape from death: â€Å"He who was living in now dead/ We who are living are now dying† (328-329). In â€Å"The Burial of the Dead† the speaker desires to abandon memories, he describes spring as cruel; it causes sorrowful memories to resurface, while â€Å"winter kept us warm/ covering Earth in forgetful snow† (5-6). What he does not realize is that human existence is a collection of fragments that distinct memories in an ongoing cycle, illustrated in the first stanza of â€Å"The Burial of the Dead. † Abandonment of memories leads to a futile existence. The wasteland first appears in the second stanza of â€Å"The Burial of the Dead† contrasting the first stanza, which is full of life and memories. The narrator is separated from the natural course of existence and is addressing a person of the human world, â€Å"Son of man (†¦ ) for you only know a heap of broken images† (20-23). The listener is part of the human cycle, he is still part of time: â€Å"Your shadow at morning striding behind you/ Or your shadow rising to meet you† (28-29). He does not understand the true fear that comes once time ceases to exist the way the speaker does: â€Å"I will show you fear in a handful of dust† (30). The speaker has disconnected from society and drifted into the wasteland, suggested by Eliot's diction: â€Å"stony rubbish†, â€Å"dead tree†, â€Å"dry stone†, â€Å"dust†. Only there has he discovered the true meaning of fear; an unearthly abyss. The wasteland is a situation or a place more terrifying than human imagination can conceive. It is complete emptiness, devoid of the structures of person, place and time. Without time memories become meaningless repetitions and cease to exist. The epigram at the beginning of the poem introduces the immortal character Sibyl. Sybil is detached from the rest of the world by her cursed immortality and lives withering away and shriveled up, longing for death, the only escape from her suffering. The other immortal character in the poem, Tiresias, is â€Å"blind, throbbing between two lives† (line 218), also alienated from the human world, not only by his immortality but also because he is a hermaphrodite. Sybil and Tiresias's separation from the sequence of life compel them to lead a miserable existence. The voices of these immortal characters portray how only once immortality is experienced can death become a salvation, a place of peace. The modern relationships that Eliot portrays are devoid of love, companionship and desire. The theme â€Å"when love fails, a wasteland develops† is recurring throughout the poem. The author constantly alludes to the legend of the Fisher King. In the legend, The Fisher King was hurt and became impotent and ill, disabling him to care for his kingdom. He was left alone to lead a meaningless life, fishing. Without his love the land deteriorated, lost its fertility and perished into the wasteland. Similarly, in the modern society, alienation from the natural world and a depletion of love leads to decay. The woman in â€Å"A Game of Chess† attempts to speak to her significant other, distressed about their relationship. She pleads with him to stay with her, to speak to her and to share his thoughts with her (111-113). He is detached, remaining silent and thinking only of death. The man has separated from humanity while the woman remains part of the cyclical existence. The couple remains together yet their relationship has become a wasteland; there is nothing between them. In â€Å"A Game of Chess†, Lil and Albert's relationship is presented though a conversation in a pub. Lil is revolting to Albert, he tells her that he cannot even bare to look at her (144). Lil's body is disintegrating, a consequence of the pills, given to her by the pharmacist, that she took to induce an abortion. They caused her to drastically age and lose her teeth. Lil's desire to not have children is portrayed as unnatural, â€Å"What you get married for it you don't want children? † (164). Lil's actions lead to her body becoming a wasteland. The encounter between the banker and the typist in â€Å"The Fire Sermon† again manifests the absence of love. Their meeting is solely sexual and devoid of any feelings. Even the sex holds no pleasure and is non-reproductive. The woman is indifferent to their relations and upon his departure thinks: â€Å"Well now that's over: and I'm glad it's over† (252), as if she had completed another chore. These series of affairs reflect the atmosphere of the society, the lack of intimacy and the disconnection of human relations. The wasteland is a consequence of the failure to care, to love, to give birth and to partake in the cycle. T. S Eliot creates a parallel between the wretched land of the Fisher King and the slaughter, destruction and ruin created by World War II. The barren landscape left by World War II reflects the inner decay of humanity the same way the sterile land of the Fisher King is an outward projection of his inner sickness. The desolate landscape of the wasteland described in the beginning of the poem, returns along with the character of the Fisher King. Eliot describes the miserable condition of the wasteland, sterile, dry and unbearable. He creates a surreal image of a desert â€Å"mountains of rock without water†, â€Å"endless plains†, â€Å"cracked earth† (370), and â€Å"bats with baby faces in the violet light† (380). This place transforms into the barren kingdom of the Fisher King, suggested by â€Å"the empty chapel†, which is an allusion to the Chapel Perilous. In the legend of the Holy Grail, Parsifal found the Holy Grail in the Chapel Perilous and life returned to the land. However, in the empty chapel in the poem there are only â€Å"dry bones†, signifying that vitality will not return to the land like it does in the legend. Instead society continues to decay illustrated in the line â€Å"London Bridge is falling down† (427). In reality there is no Holy Grail, there is no change: â€Å"I sat upon the shore/ Fishing with the arid plain behind me† (424-425). The banal, circular sequence of human life continues. Eliot explores the themes of life, death, immortality and alienation throughout The Wasteland. These themes are examined in various historical contexts, from ancient myths to the modern society and tied together by the immortal characters, Sibyl and Tiresias. Disconnected by the varying historical context and the many narrators, T. S. Eliot's style of writing in The Wasteland mirrors the disintegrated moments that give meaning to human life. Human life is cyclical, routine and mundane with memories as the only specks of color on an otherwise gray canvas. Death is not an ending; it is only part of the cycle. Immortality, the desire to forget and deprivation of emotion and of love are unnatural and create a partition from the human world where the wasteland appears. Modern Society consists of failed relationships and hollow humans existing in the â€Å"Unreal City. † Its loss of fertility and love results in the emergence of a wasteland.

The world has and entirely new definitions

The world of today is converted into a small sphere were distances have been abridged; connectivity around the globe is possible at the blink of an eye.The world has and entirely new definitions in respect to interdependence of social, technological, cultural, political and economics. A man of today is equipped with the power of that evolved slowly through the passage of time and eventually termed as â€Å"globalization†. Before examining its effect and the impacts it has on the world we need to identify what actually is termed as globalization.The Encyclopedia Britannica says that globalization is the â€Å"process by which the experience of everyday life †¦ is becoming standardized around the world.† While some scholars and observers of globalization stress convergence of patterns of production and consumption and a resulting homogenization of culture, others stress that globalization has the potential to take many diverse forms.In economics, globalization is the convergence of prices, products, wages, rates of interest and profits towards developed country norms. Globalization of the economy depends on the role of human migration, international trade, movement of capital, and integration of financial markets.The International Monetary Fund notes the growing economic interdependence of countries worldwide through increasing volume and variety of cross-border transactions, free international capital flows, and more rapid and widespread diffusion of technology. Theodore Levitt is usually credited with globalization's first use in an economic context.In wider aspects the world in now getting closer and closer into a small village, where there is an increased economic independence. Information technology has been the stepping stone for the this rapid change, telecommunication has set up unconceivable lines of communication which eventually has set up the fast moving trend of progress.Factors of globalization that is unrelated or without technol ogical change in general or information technology in particular does not seem to have a progressive trend, that is the major block of upward movement in the world economy is primarily because of the advancement in information technology.Perhaps the most important of these factors is the more liberal approach to international trade and foreign investment that has been adopted in many countries, developed as well as developing. As noted above from the science and technology point of view policy in developing countries, it is useful to abstract from all these other influences on globalization and focus instead on the respects in which globalization can be described as technological phenomenon.Until just a few years ago, very few people could have imagined that IT would have such an enormous influence on the societies and economies of countries all over the world. Among other things, IT, and particularly the emergence of the Internet with its openness and global reach, is having a dras tic influence on methods of business and communication.The IT revolution is taking place all over the world and Japan is no exception. According to provisional calculations by the Economic Planning Agency, the advancing IT revolution will boost Japan's real GDP by 6% over the next five years, an average of more than 1% a year. Although Japan's aging population with lower birthrate is inevitable, IT is expected to offset the negative impact of the expected decrease in population, according to the same provisional calculations.Globalization has stepped up the economy of the world; developing countries have had a rising uphill trend in its economies.

Youth Culture And The School Of Rock

The movie School of Rock is a film that revolves around a first class pseudo rockstar and bogus school teacher which Jack Black portrays in the film whose exploits to find a temporary way to earn money took him inside the classroom of a prestigious grade school which he transformed from an avenue of academic learning towards his very own band practice and rehearsal studio, complete with a new set of band mates to replace the ones that dumped him at the early part of the film (Christian Spotlight on Entertainment, 2003). The movie takes a spin on education, and how it is important to teach students not just the sciences, math, history, English, literature, art and current events, but as well as the craft in looking more inwardly and less outwardly. While the seemingly unnoticeable improbable areas of the movie was not sought by most viewers, the poor manner by which the principal hires teachers which proves potent in jeopardizing the school’s erstwhile good standing and high esteem is highly improbable considering that the protocol for hiring could have immediately alerted the principal about the fraudulent effort of Black. But because of the effort to justify the point of the creators of School of Rock, viewers are forced to accept the fictional situation Black was into to see how both plot and conflict progresses towards the impending climax of the movie that threads the borderline separating propriety from rebellious attitude, norms and deviance, piety and blasphemy, and the overall outlook of what is right and wrong. I. The extent of the critique that the movie School of Rock provided when it comes to criticizing the existing youth culture as portrayed in the movie can be found in the manner by which that particular age (prep school) was portrayed – including all of the noticeable characteristics of the age group the most important of which is compliance and being overly impressionable. Obviously, the aim of the movie is to glorify rock n roll, and one of the most dedicated soldier of rock n roll – Jack Black – was sent on another mission to educate the modern day heathens of rock n roll by describing children inside prep schools as nothing but geeks, grade-conscious smart alecks, bullies and insecure individuals. That is the main premise of the critique of the movie about the existing youth culture today, but that does not seem to be consistent with the current youth lifestyle. Thanks to technology, music became alive in the digital sphere, and can be accessed more conveniently. Real-world kids with the same age and profile as the kids presented in the movie may have their Ipods on most of the time in between class lessons and at home, their Internet powered computers make them closer to more rock music and rock n roll culture. They listen to rap-metal bands like Linkin Park, Limp Bizkit and punk rockers like Avril Lavigne and Green Day. In the age of MTV, they do not just get to listen to their rock idols; they also get to see them even when there are no scheduled concerts. Because of this, the attack of the movie on the existing youth culture and how it is bereft of rock can be merely deduced into something that the movie presumes. Youth culture is generally the result of the influence of the adults that surround a particular youth and influence him or her either by directly shaping the behavior through conscious actions or efforts or as a result of how a particular youth’s subconscious mind reacts to the experience he or she shares with a person, ultimately creating influence in the youth’s mind and the culture to which it responds and reacts to. Most of the parents portrayed in the film are consistently admonishing their kids to focus on studies and make little time for less important things, like playing the musical instrument and later on, listening to rock n roll albums (Sweat, 2008). The movie illustrates the situation of the youth and the adults when it comes to culture building and cultivating – the youth are generally in a greater position to be left without any other options or alternatives towards what culture to embrace, and that is why there are those who are subservient to the culture that is introduced to the youth. In the movie School of Rock, the prevailing youth culture among the students is a culture that is characterized by the desire to learn, the desire to please the parents with good grades, the desire to go with the existing school program not generally because they were forced to like it but because they were left with very little choice in the options detailing the culture they may and can embrace, a situation that changed when Black arrived (Christian Spotlight on Entertainment, 2003). Characters like Summer Hathaway illustrate the fact that while being submerged in a culture that leaves very little option for variety, selection and the exercise of free will, that still, there is a very good way of making the most of what is being presented to the individual and come out from that experience a better person. The movie did not indicate that the children have bad parents; it just so happen that they did not know rock n roll in any of its types of forms that made the infusion of rock in their new school life as a totally exciting and new experience. The culture of subservience and the characteristic of the students to adapt is the existing youth culture; rock and roll was not the symbolic youth culture – it was the fact that sooner of later a new influence will be introduced to the youth and to the existing culture and this new idea/belief/system will either replace the old culture or assimilate itself to the old culture and create an entirely new and different culture. What happened to the students of School of Rock is the experiencing of the culture change that underwent transformation via the assimilation of a new idea/culture; when they learned how to enjoy rock, the change generally affected the outlook and not the aspects of the student/youth’s life that characterizes the complete taking over of a new culture – remember that music is already part of the youth culture embraced by these children in the movie, as portrayed and established early in the film (Christian Spotlight on Entertainment, 2003). They were excellent musicians who were all oddly enough exposed to classical music and a dose of pop music that included Christina Aguilera and Puff Daddy. And more importantly, they did not slack from studying and that the new musical education was showed as something that the parents later on happily integrated to the culture of their children, and it goes to show that music is not the blanket culture but a section of the culture that is generally about malleability in adjusting to the changing times. There are areas in the American youth culture criticism of the movie towards real life situation that is generally done in poor taste, particularly how some of the students were made to represent stereotyped characters in a modern day grade school – Lawrence, who was an Asian American student was stereotyped as the Asian geek; Billy was a gay stereotype (note the reference to Lisa Minnelli, another effort at stereotyping), a particular aspect of the movie that was also noticed by individuals making comments about the movie in the Christian Spotlight on Entertainment website. All in all, the extent of the critique included the criticism on the use of extreme rigidity to make students obedient, compliant and disciplined which may not be necessary now since more and more schools are now taking a different approach towards a more liberal take on music as well as of life and how these are integrated in the overall holistic approach towards an improved way of student self development. There was also an area in the criticism of the youth culture via the use of the movie that defeats itself – youth culture today is not in need of an out of the box experience to be able to experience pop culture because youth is pop culture, and rock n roll is not a musical elitists anymore that the youth are ignorant about it and the parents of the students are disturbed by the impact of rock n roll to the youth and the assimilation of this type of music to the youth culture. Somehow, the writer and the director of the film made poor research about the drastic change in the personality of rock and how it has crossed towards becoming a mainstream entity that it is today – is rock music is indeed something that does not go well with learning and studying, then why is there a product called Multiplication Rock, wherein the lessons in mathematics are taught using rock music? Why are there products like Toddlers Sing Rock N Roll which is being distributed as a for sale items that parents enjoy and even recommend having? Why is the discussion on rock n roll and the links to related articles found in educational and learning support websites like Lee’s Summit? II. The movie, however focused on the rockstar dreams of the character of Jack Black, put a serious statement regarding the perceived ‘stiffness’, strictness and lack in personality found in some of the schools in America. In the movie, it was clear that prior to Black’s entry to the school system, the students are characterized as compliant to the system, and it was only Black and his effort to teach the kids rock n roll that became the avenue to which the students learned to infuse personal decision and personal direction in how their lives will shape out, and not depend entirely on the system that is designed to make them compliant and obedient members of the society (Christian Spotlight on Entertainment, 2003). Black was trying to teach the kids one of the basic tenets of rock n roll, and that is the characteristic that allows for the constant challenging of the norms, which, according to Black, was an action that is known as ‘sticking it out to the man’. Rock n roll was the instrument that Black used so that the students were made aware of the fact that it is important to known one’s self and reconcile one’s self with the realities in life. The effect manifested itself later on in the movie – there were go-getters and self expression was unhampered by the consideration that they should first please other people and consider first their opinion and say. Because of the breaking of the cycle that makes students compliant through the influence of the school system, some members of the class started understanding themselves and making reality check on their mindset. Music was an effective tool because unlike the other aspects of the youth culture imposed and forced upon them, music is not force-fed to them; it was continuously opening new doors that allowed for many personal conflicts and personal problems to be addressed. The character Zack Mooneyham found rock n roll as an effective way for him to express his artistic side by not just covering songs but also by getting the chance to write and play songs which he himself wrote; the character Freddy Jones managed to re-direct his anger and obvious penchant for hostility by becoming a full fledged drummer and percussionist; Tomika managed to overcome her insecurity about her weight problem while the rest of the band's support crew showed marked excellence in their particular assignment during the performance night. This may not be included in the curriculum, but the children are learning different new things in a different way. III. The movie also indicated how much influence school is, not just in providing an avenue wherein the students can harness their economically viable skills which they can use when they grow up and become members of the workforce, it also showed that the experiences of a student inside the school, as well as the culture wherein a student is a part of, are crucial factors in the formation of the cognition and drive of the student towards what he or she wanted to become as a member of the workforce. Brian Falduto's character already knew what he can and cannot do, and the rock project allowed for him to showcase his potential. This was the case of Summer, who was also showing inclination in making the managing of the band a serious business that can lead to a full time career in the future. While these may all be temporary for these fictional characters, the point is that rock n roll gave the students a chance so that they themselves can see what they wanted to do most probably when they grow up, and get a crack at that with a head start this early. The authoritarian conflict that the students are already subjected to even when Black was not even in their lives was mirrored by Black’s identical authoritarian leadership when he came into the lives of the students, which was in irony about the fact that Black’s character was all about going against the system and sticking it to the man. But Black nonetheless proved to be the tipping point for the students who, through the short course of time they were together prior to the battle of the bands, were already showing signs of skills and competencies that they may or may not use as part of their professional capacity range once they started their active participation in the work and labor strata. Conclusion – It is easily understandable that what Black was hinting on is that the youth culture of today is bereft of the impact and influence of old school rock artists, and it is because of Black’s puritan outlook that School of Rock has become less and less of an effort to show how music influences lives and instead becoming the one man act of the shoving of Black of a particular type of music from a particular era of rock to kids who are exposed to the rock music of their age and time. Black was worshiping his particular understanding of rock n roll so much that the criticism for youth culture did not have enough legs to stand on – it was being attacked by a work of fiction that does not engender musical heterogeneity, which was made obvious during the time when Black showed intolerance to the mere mention of musical artists who are not included in his rock n roll list. Black and his character was a snob, and at the end, he showed how he is not a teacher one bit by showing very poor characteristics and capabilities that is necessary for effective teaching. In retrospect, the movie seemed like a criticism about the lifestyle of rock n roll puritans who cannot and would not go anywhere because of the culture that they imbibe. The kids, it turned out, are all right after all – the question is, can they say the same thing for the character of Black in the movie and his own culture? Maybe what needs a serious scrutiny and criticism is the youth culture of people like Black’s character in the movie. They should stop seeing grade school student as idiots and innocents when it comes to music and perhaps with that, they may be able to provide a more youth culture critique.

The Impact of Co-teaching on the Student Achievement

The term co-teaching refers to a teaching practice whereby two or more professional teachers are involved in delivering substantive instructions to a group or class of students, who are diverse and blended. The delivering of instructions by the teachers occurs in a single physical space. In this arrangement of teaching, the regular and special educators (co-teachers) are involved in teaching students who belong to the same class. In some cases, co-teachimg is done in order to assist students with disabilities or those with learning difficulties, as compared to other students in the class (Brooks, V.2004).The two educators in co-teaching are referred to as the regular and the special educators. The responsibility of a regular educator includes the preparing of the general class content as well as the lesson plan. The special educator on the other hand is responsible for adapting the content of what is to be taught to the students. In addition, the special educator presents the class c ontent in a manner that meets the needs of the students especially those who may have learning difficulties.It is therefore important to note that in co-teaching, the special and the regular educators have their different responsibilities and roles. However,the teachers are expected to work together in harmony so that each individual student ‘s learning needs are catered for. Co-teaching is one of the ways through which collaborative teaching can occur (Adams, L. et al. 1993). Collaborative arrangement based on co-teaching brings together two educators (regular and special) and the related personnel in order to ensure that students with disabilities have all their learning needs met.This requires the teachers to spend some reasonable amount of time in a regular class so that students are provided with the appropriate support. A teaching program that adopts co-teaching as a teaching practice should always be effective for both the teachers and the students. This ensures that th e objectives of co-teaching are achieved. The concept of co-teaching has existed in the education system for some time now. This method of teaching has been growing very fast in schools due to the important role it plays on student achievement.Though effective as a teaching tool, co-teaching has faced some challenges when it comes to evaluation as well as supervision. Just like in the other teaching practices, co-teaching requires the teachers to prepare a co-teaching module in order to increase the success of the education programs. Thesis Statement Co-teaching has now become a very popular method of teaching in many schools. As a concept, the teaching arrangement aims at meeting the needs of all students, including the disabled and those with learning difficulties.This aims at boosting the students’ achievement. The objectives of the education programs that are used in class can be easily achieved through effective co-teaching. This will involve the adoption of good co-teac hing relationships as well as skills. Co-teaching has some impact on the student achivement. In this paper, both the lesser and the greater impacts of co-teaching on the student achievement will be discussed. Discussion Co-teaching increases student achievement by developing a good learning environment.Having a good classroom environment enables students to perform well, because it ensures that factors that increase the students’ achievement are always present. The students show poor performance when the classroom environment hinders their proper concentration and understanding in their learning (Cowley, S. 2006). Therefore, a good learning environment improves the performance of the students and vice versa. A good example of a good classroom environment that improves student performance is the one that is heterogeneous.The co-teaching programs are very instrumental in creating a heterogeneous classroom environment (Cook, L. 2004). This discourages monotony in learning, hence learning becomes exciting and enjoyable for the students. When students enjoy learning, they become more engaged in learning and they are ready to work hard in order to perform well. The increased participation of students in learning promotes a healthy teacher-student relationship, which is very important when it comes to effective teaching and good performance in students.Co-teaching creates more room for learning and sharing for both the teachers and the students, which is a great step towards positive achievement in students. Co-teaching facilitates positive achievement in students through improved instruction. Through the co-teaching programs, the teachers are able to deliver improved instruction to the students. Due to the students’ different academic abilities, the teachers have a great responsibility of ensuring that the students achieve their learning objectives despite their different academic abilities (Kyriacou, C. 2000).The differences are used to determine what needs to be done so as to assist a particular student. For instance, while some students are academically gifted, the others have average ability. In addition, some students are always at the risk of failing in class due to their low academic ability and lack of effective teaching methods by the teachers. It is only by identifying the individual students’ academic abilities that teachers can offer the necessary assistance to students who need special attention. For example, the ability of the disabled students to perform well depends on how well their special needs are met in class.There is need for teachers to ensure that all students learn well, despite the differences in their academic abilities. This can be done by assisting the students to maximize their potential in class. This is what co-teaching does through improved instruction. The needs of the students based on their different academic abilities are well addressed in co-teaching. This improves the achievement of t he students, since their learning needs are addressed on time and in the right manner. The problems that are faced by the students can always be solved at the right time to promote good student achievement.In any profession, having unique professional relationships encourages commitment and dedication of the workers. In the teaching profession, teachers who have unique professional relationships are able to work together in a complementary manner. Because professional relationship has to be built on trust, communication, parity, and respect, the co-teachers integrate these values in their teaching (Richard, A. et al 2008). When the teaching is based on positive values, the students are able to learn properly.This increases the students’ ability to adopt learning based on values that maximize their potential, hence they show a high level of achievement. Creating a sense of belonging and support in the classroom encourages the sharing of learning experiences between the teacher s and the students (Rosenberg, M. 2003). This means that all learning experiences, whether good or bad can be shared. For instance, co-teachers who have been involved in teaching programs have clearly stated that they have enjoyed a sense of support fostered by the teaching programs.Therefore, teachers are always able to share a spectacular lesson with the students. On the other hand, whenever a lesson is challenging, the teachers are able to share their experiences. When students feel that they need to share their learning experiences with the teachers, they are able to appreciate learning. Since the students feel obliged to participate in the learning process, they can perform well to achieve what is expected of them. This increases the students’ achievement. Co-teaching is an innovative approach in teaching, which has both the conceptual and operational aspects.There is need to develop and adopt co-teaching programs through proper planning, implementation, and also evaluat ion. One of the impacts of co-teaching on student achievement is closely related to solving the problem of stigmatization of the students with disabilities. In a regular class, students with disabilities are sometimes faced with learning difficulties due to being perceived as â€Å"different†. This means that the students tend to be disadvantaged when it comes to learning because of their nature of being disabled.The other students in class may stigmatize the students who are disabled because they consider them as lacking something. Consequently, the students with special needs may be treated unfairly by the others due to their special needs. By being stigmatized, students with special needs may tend to show poor performance in class. They fail to meet the goals of the courses that they are taught in class. In order to improve the performance of these students and to increase their achievement, co-teaching can be used (Marston, N. Accesed on October 9, 2008). This is very ben eficial to the students.The teachers who are involved in co-teaching programs are able to deliver their services effectively to the students who are disabled, and therefore have special needs. The stigmatization of the students is greatly reduced, a situation that has been proved to improve the performance of the students. Through the co-teaching programs, the teachers increase understanding of the students about the content of the courses that the students are taught. This motivates the students to learn, as well as to share what they have learned in class with the others.In addition to increasing the students’ understanding, co-teaching advocates for respect towards the disabled children from the fellow classmates. The fact that the disabled students have special needs means that they may require some special attention from the others, a situation that the fellow students may try to ignore. When co-teaching promotes respect for the disabled and minimizes their stigmatizatio n, the student achievement in learning increases. It is very important to note that, co-teaching takes care of the students’ and teachers’ needs.For instance, co-teaching advocates for a teaching approach that minimizes transitions when students show the tendency to disrupt transitions. At the same time, co-teaching approaches create room for frequent changes so that the students’ needs for extra motivation are encouraged. Co-teaching approaches promote the addressing of the teachers’ needs. The approach can either allow independent teaching for teachers with different teaching styles, or working together within a shared approach. The most appropriate approach can then be adopted depending on the teachers’ and students’ needs.The student achievement is increased when the most appropriate approach in co-teaching is adopted. For instance, a student can be able to have a more detailed observation in the learning process. A teaching approach, â €Å"One teach, One Observe† has teachers decide on the type of observational information that needs to be gathered during instruction in advance. The teachers can then easily agree on the best gathering data. The co-teachers are then able to analyze information, which they can use constructively in the classroom. Instructional fragmentation in learning affects the performance of students negatively.This often occurs when service delivery options are offered to students in the learning process. This requires the students to leave the classroom so as to receive the services, a situation that promotes instructional fragmentation. This can be well minimized when students do not have to leave the classroom in order to receive instructions. When students receive instructions through the co-teaching programs, the instructional fragmentation is minimized. This is because, the students do not necessarily leave the classroom to receive the services.Well referred to as the co-teacher, t he special service provider improves student learning by their good understanding of the class curriculum. This means that the curriculum is well developed and implemented to suit the needs of the students (Moran, G. 1997). In addition to this, a special service provider is empowered by the co-teaching programs to understand well the academic expectations. By understanding the curriculum, the teacher concentrates on issues that aim at ensuring that the performance of the students is always improving.Co-teaching encourages the development of a teaching model that promotes positive achievement in students. The teaching models used in co-teaching require individual teachers to always bring certain characteristics and knowledge voluntarily in class. This is further complemented by skills that the teachers voluntarily use in class. Since teachers have special personal charateristics, bringing their characteristics in class voluntarily enable them to work effectively with the other teache rs. By working together in harmony, the teachers are able to strengthen each other in teaching (Jill, A. ET al.2007). A co-teaching model requires teachers to have sets of common skills as well as common knowledge. Furthermore, the teachers show knowledge that is specific to discipline. Through the models, teachers are able to coordinate classroom activities to suit the needs of the students, and to facilitate learning in a good classroom environment. Since teaching becomes voluntary for teachers, they are able to fully maximize their potential in teaching. When the teachers deliver their best, the students on the other hand receive the best. This no doubt improves the performance of the students in class.The classroom dynamics based on co-teaching models make the classroom interactions very unique. Having well defined classroom responsibilities and duties allows the teachers to specialize on particular classroom topics (Gail, E. et al. 2001). These topics can be taught intensively such that the students’ understanding about a particular topic is increased. The teachers are then able to provide support to individual students by ensuring that a whole class instructional flow is successfully maintained. A co-teaching curriculum is very instrumental in reflecting the students’ needs.By so doing, the curriculum is then implemented with the aim of addressing the compensatory, developmental, and academic skills. The student achievement is boosted when skills are improved based on how the co-teaching curriculum is implemented. The students’ efforts are easily monitored by the teachers in a co-teaching program. The students’ performance can be improved when the curriculum and the teaching techniques are reviewed (Ellis, V . 2004) this calls for appropriate teaching measures based on the weaknesses and the strengths of a co-teaching curriculum.Another co-teaching approach, â€Å"One Teach, One Drift†, allows teaching by one teacher wh ile the co-teacher at the same time assists students in class without disrupting the one who is teaching. The student supervision by the teachers is important in good student perfomance. This is what the â€Å"Parallel Teaching† co-teaching approach does. Through such an approach, the students who have been involved in co-teaching have had their class achievement increased greatly. Other approaches that can be used in co-teaching include Station Teaching, Alternative Teaching, and Team Teaching.The diversity of teaching approaches offers teachers an opportunity to adopt the best and the most appropriate teaching approach based on the different and diverse student needs. This encourages proper matching of a given particular approach with the needs. The students’ achievement is increased when proper teaching approaches are adopted in teaching (Curren, R. 2006). Students in a co-teaching program are able to develop a comfortable relationship with the teachers through the well-built relationship between the two parties. The students can express themselves freely, sense harmony, and tension that may exist in a learning environment.A positive relationship can easily be established between a teacher and students in a co-teaching program. Through the relationship, misunderstandings that may arise in class are minimized (Capel, S. , and Turner, T. 2005). The problems that may arise in a class room environment are then resolved before they affect the students’ performance negatively. Co-teaching creates a cohesive classroom where the teacher and the students are able to work together towards achieving the goals of the courses taught in class. While they appreciate the strengths of what they experience during the learning process, they also recognize the weaknesses.By recognizing the weaknesses, the teachers and the students strive to turn the weaknesses into opportunities of improving learning. Furthermore, learning that integrates Individualized Ed ucation Plans can be developed. The plans are very important in ensuring that the needs of the students are well taken care of. Through co-teaching, the teachers are able to take risks . This means that new methods of teaching can be explored. This makes it easy for teachers to learn from each other, and hence they can grow as professionals. Conclusion Learning is very important in any society, whether formal or informal (Cohn, L.1976). The teaching methods in formal and informal education differ, but the two shares certain priciples. In formal education, co-techinh has bee used as one of the most effective teaching practices when it comes to assisting the students to improve their perfomance. This increases the students’ achievement. The impact of co-teaching in student achievement varies. Co-teaching uses different approaches. Despite the differences, the most important thing in co-teaching is to ensure that the students’ needs are appropriately addressed in a class environment. ReferencesAdams, L. , Cessna, K. , and Friend, M. (1993). Effectiveness Indicators of Collaboration in Special Education. General Education Co-teaching Final Report. Denver; Colorado. Department of Education Brooks, V. (2004). Preparing to Teach in Secondary Schools. Open University Press Capel, S. , and Turner, T. (2005). 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