Acting Against Personal Belief to Comply With Other’s Expectations Essay

It is impossible to find a situation in which the individual is not faced with having to act according to the expectations of others. Children react to the expectations of their parents, students must respond to the expectations of fellow students and teachers, employees are guided by the expectations of the employer, and coming full circle, parents feel the expectations of their children. The individual’s moral response to acting in accordance with other’s expectations is very situational. In some circumstances the response is minor. An adolescent may firmly believe good grades are pointless, yet comply with the expectations of parents and teachers. In some cases the response may be much greater. An otherwise honest college student may feel a great deal of remorse when he or she gives in to the demands of a â€Å"significant other† or fraternity to â€Å"share† answers on a take-home exam. The worst-case scenario is the life or death situation. A true pacifist draftee must make the decision to kill someone as the expectations of his fellow soldiers are to obviously protect them from injury or death. Fortunately I have not had to face this sort of dire quandary. The qualifying question is whether the expectation of others goes to what they think is best for me or what is best for the group. Presuming that others honestly have my best interest in mind, I would certainly give weight to their thoughts. This is particularly important when their wisdom and knowledge of a situation is greater than mine. My â€Å"moral compass† has developed from the examples of my family and greater environment, and I alone will have the satisfaction or shame in either living up to or abandoning my beliefs. This was not always easy. I remember breaking a neighbor’s garage window playing ball. I could have run with the other kids, but I told him what had happened because I knew from my parents that it was the right thing to do, an ideal to live up to, and short of endangering the lives of others, I would never give up my ideals. The idea of giving up my ideals is repugnant. I live by my principals and I respect others ideals and principals. Similarly I cannot force my beliefs on anyone, although someone may learn from my example as I have learned from others. I do not believe in bending my ideals to make others happy, besides I could not live with my conscience knowing that I gave up what I believe in to make someone else or an institution happy. Honesty and morality is really all one has; once one compromises up their beliefs and ideals, one loses his sense of self. Perfection is something few, if any of us will ever achieve. At some point in our lives we may succumb to temptation or other factors and temporarily place our sense of morality â€Å"on the shelf†. For instance I may firmly believe in doing the best job possible yet be forced to cut corners by an employer who is under pressure to make a production deadline. I do not have the luxury of quitting and finding another job, and in truth my work is of adequate quality as opposed to the excellent quality I want to produce. My work output will affect the entire company. If I hold up production to meet what I believe is a â€Å"better† standard of quality other workers will suffer the consequences of my decision and make less money because of the slowdown. Similarly, I may have family and teachers who expect me to maintain an excellent GPA. Instead, I find it more important to work to defray the costs of tuition and thus have time to only produce a â€Å"C+† average. In this situation I am the only one affected by my decision. Ethical decisions are not made in a vacuum. In the first example I may have â€Å"compromised† my strong belief in producing quality, and act according to others’ expectations but I can live with it because my actions affect others and my compromise did no harm. In the second situation I cannot live to others expectations particularly when my actions have no effect on them. In either situation the beliefs may differ; what will be important will be my response. Ultimately I must make my decisions based on the effect upon my sense of self as well as what I believe to be the common welfare.

Disability Discrimination Essay

Physical disability discrimination is when people are being treated less fairly because of their disability such as broken leg, deaf, or blind. People can be discriminated direct or indirect. Unfair treatment means that a disable person will be treated disadvantaged in the society and doesnt have the same opportunity or choice as a non-disable person in situation like employment, education, and access goods, services and facilities. Personal Experience I have no personal experience in physical disability discrimination but I have found a story about customers getting rejected by a restaurant because a person is in a wheelchair and the waiter is unwilling to rearrange the table for the customer. He is being discriminated because the waiter wouldn’t treat him the same as other customers and service them, the waiter doesn’t want to give service because he is disable. Main Views Christian ChurchesThe Christian churches views about disability discrimination are based on what is written in the bible. Christians think that everyone should be treated equally no matter if a person is disabling or not as bible referred in John 13:34 â€Å"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. This means that there should be no discrimination in this world because everyone should love one another as god has loved us. Ephesians 2:14 For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility. This verse show that god has destroyed the barriers (e.g. differences) and the dividing wall of hostility between people, therefore people should all be treated the same and everyone should be friendly to each other, no one should ever be discriminated against for their disability, everyone should be equal despite their ability. God indicates that if we verbally abuse someone that means we are harming a person that is created in Gods image, which means that we are mistreating someone that God loves and who Jesus gave up his life for. â€Å"People with Disabilities are called, like all people, to respond in faith to the God revealed in Christ. People with disabilities have gifts which contribute to the building up of the whole body of Christ. Through people  with disabilities Christ may work and bear witness to himself.† (Include Me In – Uniting Church of NSW)This quote is said from Uniting Church of NSW, its said that disability people have different contribution to the community to us, they put in something else for Christ, their disability is helping Christ to work and bear witness to himself. They are contributing equally to those who are not disabled so therefore they should be treated equally. Political View Disability discrimination Act is being created by the government in 1992 to prevent discrimination of a person with disability in public areas. The Disability Discrimination Act allows the Attorney-General to make standards on particular topics. The standards give more information about what needs to be done to ensure people with disability are not discriminated against.The Discrimination Act shows that the government really cares about how people with disability is treated and make sure they do not get further discrimination when they travel around public area. It is against the law to discriminate someone with disability. The two standards of discrimination act is disability Standards for Accessible Public Transport and Disability Standards for Education to let disable people feel free to travel with public transport and educate just like other kids. The government view is to get everyone in the society equal no matter if they are of a different culture or if they have disability. Value Analysis For this issue the political views and Christian views are similar, they are all trying to support people who suffer from disabilities in the society to not get discriminated by other people without disabilities. Christians tries to get their views across by the church and use extracts from the bible to show that god wants us to treat everyone the same, and people with disabilities contributes to Christ just as much as everyone else. Government tries to get their views across by giving out laws about disability discrimination so now in the society people with disabilities are being treated fairly. Example, theres ramps and lift build for public transport for the disabled and there is special school build for people with disabilities. Both government and Christian is trying to make  people with disabilities feels just as normal as the rest of us and not letting them feel left out because there is something different about them. My Decision I think that the government and Christians is doing a really good job at making people with disabilities to live like everyone else and fit in the society. Bible gives a really good outline as to what we should and should not do; the bible says that we should not discriminate against the disabilities because they are just the same as us and sometimes they might do a lot more contribution to the society than us, they shouldnt be discriminated. I think that we should actually learn a lesson from people with disabilities; they have a very high spirit in life, they dont give up on life just because they have disabilities, they are very brave to live through everyday with something missing from them. I think disability discrimination should be stopped and government and Christians should continue raise awareness throughout the society to let other people know people with disabilities is not much different from the rest of us. Bibliogr

A Report On The Strategic Change Issues Facing British

Ancient philosophers always said that the only room that never gets full is the room for change and growth to better levels. Change brings a sound of celebration and relief. In the business sector any change is always geared to the increase in profit. Any business venture has one driving force: creation of wealth and economic growth. This is the reason for existence of businesses like: banking, hotels, airlines, schools, hospitals among others. Operation management is the day to day decisions and ventures that are undertaken to run the company. This can help give a projection into the future 5, 10 or so years.One thing that is very basic is that the world is changing, and an effective business should also help to bring this very necessary difference. â€Å"One of the key roles of a serious manager and entrepreneur is to solve problems decision making is another major role of this officer. † These were the confession of Carleton (2005). Decisions pertaining various departments in a company are made by key management staff in every firm: The key drivers for change that are most likely to impact on the future of business and management are: Stiff and ever increasing competition from key rival firms.One must always be the best in the market place in order to remain advantaged. This will call for several reforms towards improvement, and such challenges will be dealt with as they come. Some decisions to be made, take time and energy. However, the knee-jerk response is to jump straight to the most obvious solution: training and coaching to develop individuals' leadership skills and potential. This conveniently bypasses the problem-diagnosis stage. It also overlooks the disconnect between what happens at individual and organizational levels. Managerial and human resource aspects have always put pressure on firms.Such pressure is sure argent of change. A global trend is another driving factor towards change. Any new standards set up must be adhered to if one need s to e in the market. The main aim is to develop an appreciation to the role of management in the process change in the firms of interest. Management of such a change can never be an individual affair. It explores the forces driving organizational change and offers a contextual understanding of change management principles. Do you do it alone as a manager? Do you involve others? Do you let others make the decisions?Management is an organized, systematic application of the knowledge, tools, and resources of change that provides organizations with a key process to achieve their business strategy. Change Management is a critical part of any project that leads, manages and enables people to accept new processes, technologies, systems structures and values. Changes are inevitable in any firm or sector. Of great interest is change management in British Airline Company. Many such firms as this exist. This calls for real outstanding leadership in the market place. BRITISH AIRWAYS This is an airline with it’s headquarters in London.Europe has increased sharply over the past decade as the introduction of new airlines has helped push prices down significantly. This airline has routes both within and without the great United Kingdom sky. This airline is the world's second largest international airline, with a passenger carrying capacity of more than 27 million passengers from one country to another. Also, as one of the world’s longest established airlines, it has always been regarded as an industry-leader. British Airways’ worldwide route network covers more than 216 destinations in 94 countries (including franchises, subsidiaries and one world partners).British Airways is one of the founding partners of the one world alliance, which took off in February 1999. Fellow members now include American Airlines, Aer Lingus, Cathay Pacific, Finnie, Iberia, LanChile and Qantas and Swiss. The original predecessor airline, called Aircraft Transport and Travel, l aunched the world's first daily scheduled international air service, British Airways traces its origins back to August 1919. At the moment the airline has an amazing fleet of 312 aircraft; including 100 wide bodied long haul aircraft (57 Boeing 747-400s and 43 Boeing 777s).The current world has gone into corporate alliances, with mergers and acquisitions being the common norm of doing business. For this reason, British Airways has one-on-one relationships with a number of airlines. It owns a 17 per cent stake in Qantas and 9 per cent in Iberia. It also fully owns subsidiaries such as British Airways CitiExpress. Members of British Airways’ franchise family include British Mediterranean Airways, GB Airways, Comair, Loganair and Regional Air. Some of the main components of British Airway’s business strategy include investing in its people and products, and continuing to build a competitive cost base.These objectives, along with other strategic goals and values, have been delivered through a program called â€Å"The BA Way,† which was launched in 2004. This was in response to the people wanting real clarity about where company is positioning itself in the marketplace. The leading entrepreneur once observed that major firms often started as either government or public properties. This however is never the case with British Airways. This company is owned entirely by private investors, with more than a quarter of a million shareholders. British airways just like any business have its own problems.The problems always arise in the process of moving to greater heights. As executive assistant to the director of British airways, change issues facing the organization in the next 5 five years are amazing. The major problems are as below: MANAGERIAL The BA Way has five factors for success: be the best U. K. -based network, understand the customers better than the competition, be a powerful brand that people know and trust, foster a competitive cost base and work together as one team. For a progressive development of a business, proper leadership is bedrock to build on.Managerialism, especially in the public and quasi-market sectors, has provided a key development in how organizations are managed, co-coordinated and controlled, and is suggestive of new relationships and a reordering of organizations and management. In the March issue of Fast Company magazine, a fascinating article titled â€Å"What is the Biggest Change Facing Business in the Next 10 Years? † Avram Miler, the CEO of Avram Miller enterprise explained that â€Å"The cornerstone for this millennium is the end of time and space. Most organizations today are run the same way as early-20th-century businesses.Everyone goes to his car, drives to work, has certain hours, and has a certain job. It's all built on the factory model. Moving forward, it really isn't going to be important where you are in order to do your job. Ideas are being worked on 24 hours a day. Nob ody seems surprised anymore if I wake up in the middle of the night and start IM-ing someone in Europe, because the fact is, they don't even know where I am. And it doesn't matter. ’’ He continues to say that â€Å"Fewer and fewer people will want to be employees of corporations, because corporations don't have anything to offer.Corporations don't provide security and provide fewer and fewer benefits. People may find new ways to sell their skills. † This illustrates that many people often get employed in companies, but the never have any intentions of staying for long periods. Tim Brown President and CEO, Ideo, Palo Alto, humorously says â€Å"people are ever on the move to greener pastures. † This is one major problem in management. Employees, some of whom hold very key positions in the company always transfer to the so called green pastures.The human resources manager of British airways observed that many of their staff has often moved to start their ow n ventures. These range from local to international ventures. The best way to manage this problem is to create laws governing employment. Its true that a person performs best only after getting good orientation on an environment. Consistency is another key to excellence. To avoid loosing employees, a minimum duration should be put, such that no employee can leave before finishing some specific time duration. This will help the airline to retain workers for some good time and hence foster consistency.The major hindrance to this implementation is some weakness in management. Friends to departmental heads are always favored and the axe rarely falls on them. This however can be managed by prosecution of any corrupt staff. Another managerial problem often realized in British Airways is lack of commitment in some of the employees. They often take long to finish any assignment given to them, and when asked to give an explanation, this is a ticket to being their enemies. This vice in a comp any leads into loss of money, because people are paid their allowance while they don’t perform their duties.Many researches argue that training and development programs increase the organizations performance and effectiveness. This can help increase the work output because more experience is injected to the generally trained staff. Toward a better understanding of the effects of training and development in the workplace, this research points out the importance of training and development the workforce, determines the major types of training and development programs, discusses the relationship between training and the overall organizational performance, and offers some guidelines for HR managers to design effective training and development programs.Signing of performance contracts has helped to alleviate this vice. This helps to ascertain that an employee indeed deserves to get his salary. Burnes (2004) in his book arrives at a style which enables healthy competition within a firm, resulting into increase of production. He says â€Å"the ability of an enterprise to compete within the prevailing settings relies on two qualities: †¢ The capacity of the firm to identify and understand the competitive forces in play and how they change over time linked together.†¢ The competence of a business to mobilize and manage the resources necessary for the chosen competitive response through time. British Airways have implemented this, and many staff has always been awarded for showing commitment and excellent performance. GLOBALISATION Another method British Airways’ learning division has used to promote organizational values is through owning its Future program, which every employee across the enterprise—from in-flight crews to customer service staff—must go through at some point.This is delivered by the internal senior management teams. It’s about helping people understand the business direction, the environment that they are operating in and the way they are positioning themselves in the business. By understanding that, people will understand the actions the team is taking in driving the business forward (British Airways, 2005) Some of the changes that British Airways has in the next five years include: †¢ BA to increase services between New York JFK and Gatwick, but at the same time drop its link to the US city from Manchester Airport.†¢ BA to enhance the passenger experience at the new London Heathrow Terminal 5 with the installation of art works in its premium lounges. Companies move towards forming alliances, both local and at international level. The environment in which most organizations operate today is continuously changing, and the rate of change is increasing. Almost most organizations are now involving in tremendous increase in international business and foreign assignments. British Airways is not left behind. At the moment, the company has offices in all capital cities in the worl d.At the same time, serious advertisements are on the run. To enhance collisions, BA purchased the small German domestic airline Delta Air Transport in 1992 and renamed it Deutsche BA. By the time it was sold in June 2003, DBA was operating 16 Boeing 737s and was the second-largest German domestic carrier, after Lufthansa. Globalization is a disposition towards international interaction and co-operation. This comes with the general growth of a knowledge based economy. Impacting on the financing structure of organizations and employment practices.The ability of an enterprise to compete within the prevailing settings majorly relies on two qualities: the capacity of the firm to identify and understand the competitive forces in play and how they change over time, linked to †¢ the competence of a business to mobilize and manage the resources necessary for the chosen competitive response through time. . The environment in which most organizations operate today is continuously changin g, and the rate of change is increasing. Almost most organizations are now involving in tremendous increase in international business and foreign assignments.BA aims at increasing the number of passengers greatly. New infrastructure is required for this. Heathrow Terminal 5 was built exclusively for the use of British Airways at a cost of ? 4. 3 billion and officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II on 14 March 2008. It opened to passengers on 27 March 2008. more air crafts are also to be purchased come 2013. for instance, On 27 September 2007, BA announced their biggest order since 1998 by ordering 36 new long haul aircraft. The company ordered 12 A380s with options on a further 7, and 24 Boeing 787s with options on a further 18. TECHNOLOGYTechnological factors are information technology/the internet, new production processes computerization of processes and changes in transport technology (Human Resource Management Journal, 2008). There are also internal triggers for change which inc lude: new chief executive, unionization or de-unionization, structural a change, re-design of factory or office layout, re-design of jobs, new IT equipment or software introduced, cuts in overtime working and redundancies (Epmbook, 2007). As research continues in the energy sector, Bio fuel may be used by BA planes. This is an improvement towards good environment creation.Indeed this is amazing. Currently the test of planes is going on, on their response to bio fuel. The above forces are for easier information transfer, facilitates global structures, requires new competencies and expectations, facilitates telecommuting; new employment relationships, more emphasis on knowledge management, quick competition through globalization, more educated workforce etc (McShane and Travaglione, 2003). Change management entails thoughtful planning and sensitive implementation, and above all, consultation with, and involvement of, the people affected by the changes and BA has mastered this art.Chan ge must be realistic, achievable and measurable. These aspects are especially relevant to managing personal change. Before starting organizational change, ask yourself: What do we want to achieve with this change, why, and how will we know that the change has been achieved? Who is affected by this change, and how will they react to it? How much of this change can be achieve without? These aspects also relate strongly to the management of personal as well as organizational change (Business balls, 2006). If you think that you need to make a change quickly, probe the reasons – is the urgency real?Will the effects of agreeing a more sensible time-frame really be more disastrous than presiding over a disastrous change? Quick change prevents proper consultation and involvement, which leads to difficulties that take time to resolve, (Burns & Stalker, 1994). BA does not sell change to people as a way of accelerating ‘agreement' and implementation. ‘Selling' change to peop le is not a sustainable strategy for success, unless your aim is to be bitten on the bum at some time in the future when you least expect it. Change can be unsettling, so the manager logically needs to be a settling influence.BA has gone through extreme lengths to ensure that they study the market. They are keen on the use face-to-face communications to handle sensitive aspects of customer relations and encourage managers to communicate face-to-face with their people. They discourage the use of email and written notices as they are extremely weak at conveying and developing understanding. At all times involve and agree support from people within system (system = environment, processes, culture, relationships, behaviors, etc. , whether personal or organisational). †¢ In depth understanding of the organisation’s position at all times.†¢ In depth understanding of the direction of the organisation. †¢ Open and clear communication channels. SPECIFIC CHANGES THAT BRI TISH AIRWAYS HAS ENCOUNTERED From a humble background BA has expanded to the giant it is by now. This never occurred in one day, neither was it a very smooth transition. Given time, all have a potential to expand to the highest levels. One of the greatest changes that occurred in BA was mergers and acquisition. During the 1990s BA became the world's most profitable airline under the slogan â€Å"The World's Favorite Airline†. The management then saw the need to expand.A merger is the business transaction that takes pace between two firms. One firm acts as a buyer, while the other company is bought. Mergers take place to help cub extreme competition and also to widen the market scope. In 1992 BA purchased the small German domestic airline Delta Air Transport and renamed it Deutsche BA. This widened the market space into Germany. By the time it was sold in June 2003, DBA was operating 16 Boeing 737s and was the second-largest German domestic carrier, after Lufthansa. The lesson learnt is that mergers bring expansion and growth.In the year 1995, BA formed British Asia Airways, a subsidiary based in Taiwan, to operate between London and Taipei. Owing to political sensitivities, British Asia Airways not only had a different name, but also had a different livery, with the Union Jack tailfin being replaced by Chinese characters. Many airlines followed the same practice, e. g. , Qantas flew to Taiwan as â€Å"Australia Asia Airways† and KLM's Taiwan operations became â€Å"KLM Asia†. British Asia Airways ceased operation in 2001 when the airline suspended flights to Taiwan due to low yield. A change brings with it many resettlements.Some include employment of new staff to handle the expansion. This was the case in the two mergers in Germany and Taiwan. Other changes are indeed not pleasing. An example is the laying off of staff incase of closure. Proper marketing must be done. This is to keep the much esteemed customers aware of the companyâ€℠¢s developments. The road to success is never a smooth one. Any push to the positive is always met by opposing currents. Some of pitfalls to change into a new market include competition. The main competitors of British Airways are bmi and virgin Atlantic. These offer great rivalry.However BA has managed this through its strategies to make sure that clients are satisfied by the service delivery. Capital is another challenge to expansion. Some expansion ventures require much money. This is money to buy planes and to do office set up, with an aim of getting back the profit. Many a times the company has gone through looses especially when they were forced to pull back. Withdrawal is not very pleasant but it is the best option especially when things are not working. This was the case in Taiwan. The world population is large and ever-growing. This has and will provide market for flight industry.The best way to venture is to do market surveys. Once the costumer’s desires are known, follow up can be made to come up with a product to satisfy the need. It pays a lot to be the market leader in terms of innovations. This will give an advantage over other companies. CONCLUSION It takes commitment and vision to be on the top. BA has one dream, which is to be on top in the flight industry. In the next five years, the company shall have diversified its services in terms of quality and quantity expansion. REFERENCES 1. British Airways(2005): The Wings of Learning.Retrieved from World Wide Web as from 19th April 2008 from http://www. clomedia. com/content/templates/clo_article. asp 2. Buchanan, D & Boddy, D. (1992). The Expertise of the Change Agent. Hemel Hempstead. US: Prentice Hall. 3. Burns & Stalker, (1994). The Management of Innovation. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 4. Businessballs (2006). Change management. Retrieved from World Wide Web as from 18th April 2008 from http://www. businessballs. com/changemanagement. htm 5. 5. Change Management (2008). A Thirst fo r Change Leadership. Retrieved from World Wide Web as from 18th April 2008 from http://www.change-management. com/tutorial-change-leadership-mod4. htm 6. DCUBS (1996). Total Quality Management and Organisational Change. Retrieved from World Wide Web as from 18th April 2008 from http://www. dcu. ie/dcubs/research_papers/no15. htm 7. Epmbook (2007). Organisational Change Management. Retrieved from World Wide Web as from 18th April 2008 from http://www. epmbook. com/orgchange. htm 8. Harvard Business Review journal. Retrieved from World Wide Web as from 18th April 2008 from http://www. learnoutloud. com/Catalog/Business/Leadership-and-Management/Change-Management/820 9.Harvard Business Review journal (1995). Retrieved from World Wide Web as from 18th April 2008 from http://www. hbsp. harvard. edu/hbsp/hbr/articles/article. jsp 10. Human Resource Management Journal (2008). Retrieved from World Wide Web as from 18th April 2008 from http://www. blackwellpublishing. com/journal. asp1 11. M cShane S. and Travaglione T. (2003). Organisational Behaviour on the Pacific Rim. Australia: McGraw-Hill. 12. Organisation Studies journal (2008). Retrieved from World Wide Web as from 18th April 2008 from http://www. mbs. ac. uk/research/organisationstudies/cms5/call-papers/talk-power. aspx 13.Personnel Today Journal of Applied Human Capital Management (2007). Retrieved from World Wide Web as from 18th April 2008 from http://www. personneltoday. com/blogs/hcglobal-human-capital-management/2007/04/journal-of-applied-human-capit. html 14. Pettigrew, A and Whipp, R (1991) Managing Change for competitive success. U. K: Blackwell. 15. Strategy + Business (2004). 10 Principles of Change Management. Retrieved from World Wide Web as from 18th April 2008 from http://www. strategy-business. com/ 16. 15. The Economist journal (2008). Retrieved from World Wide Web as from 18th April 2008 from http://www. sciencedirect. com/

DEBATE ON SHOULD THE ROLE OF CLINICAL NURSE SPECIALIST AND ADVANCE Essay

DEBATE ON SHOULD THE ROLE OF CLINICAL NURSE SPECIALIST AND ADVANCE PRACTICE NURSE BE MERGED BOTH PROS AND CONS - Essay Example Merging the roles of CNS and APN would disregard the credibility of a specialized nurse. If the merging of the CNS and APN role pushed through, the future nurses would think that having the CNS degree is good enough since CNS and APN’s role is just the same. This idea may have a negative effect on the part of the future nurses instead of being motivated to pursue a better education and a career. In this sense, the quality and competency of APN would diminish in the long run. Clinical Nurse Specialists plays a critical role in providing a direct care to the patient and his/her family members. At the same time, CNS is responsible in shaping and creating a healing environment for the patient and his/her family, and builds a good relationship with the caregivers and other health professionals. CNS is considered as competent in providing a direct patient care. They are trained to use nursing framework in caring for the patients and families. Although some of them are considered as a specialist in a particular area of patient care. According to AACN, nursing specialties must remain evolving. It is said that we must follow the NCSBN Criteria for APRN Certification Programs which includes the requirements that Advanced Nursing Practice Specialty must be added to the education program.4 If all the future CNS will have the APRN certification, the demand for the specialization will come to a point that it will be less than the supply of specialized nurses5. Also, if all the CNS will be required to take the APRN certification, it is possible for the country to have a shortage of nurses who will be dedicated in performing the tasks of CNS6. Similarly, the role of CNS in providing an excellent advanced practice nursing services which are in demand for improving the quality of life of each individual as well as providing these people, the community and the general public the access to the health care services may also be divided since most of these people would

Role of the Midwife in Supporting Breastfeeding Essay

Role of the Midwife in Supporting Breastfeeding - Essay Example Her responsibilities include delivering the newborn and its care during the first weeks of life in addition to offering advice to women during this time of excitement, anxiety and uncertainty in their life.   An overview of the care provided includes ensuring the mother understands the necessary preventative measures taken during pregnancy to increase the odds for a healthy baby, detect atypical circumstances in both mother and baby, react quickly and appropriately during an emergency situation and secure medical assistance if necessary.   A formal description of the qualifications necessary to become a midwife is as follows: â€Å"A midwife is a person who, having been regularly admitted to a midwifery educational programme, duly recognised in the country in which it is located, has successfully completed the prescribed course of studies in midwifery and has acquired the requisite qualifications to be registered and/or legally licensed to practise midwifery† (â€Å"Defin ition of the Midwife†, 2003).   The Role of the Midwife The midwife’s responsibility is commonly thought to be the delivery of babies. Though this may be the main event in the process, the role of a midwife is much broader. They care and provide support not only to women and newborn babies but to husbands and family members as well.   They are available to all parties of the household during the entirety of the pregnancy, birth and as long as needed thereafter.   â€Å"She [the midwife] has an important task in health counseling and education, not only for the women.

Discussion and self reflection assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Discussion and self reflection assignment - Essay Example Nurses are always a in a position to put forward path breaking views on existing medical system all over the world. A new vision gets easily translated into a reality, if there is sufficient passion to support it all through its phases of conception, growth and manifestation. As a nurse, I would like to remain truthful to myself as much as possible in whatever I do. One can be truly professional only if there is no disparity between one’s goals and what one truly likes do in order to reach that goal. As far as I am concerned, it is always a pleasure to get involved in team work, share my knowledge with others, learn from others and take important, informed decisions as an individual whenever necessary. I have often felt that decision making is possible only when we are not mentally and physically distanced from the issues at hand. The more we could get involved in something, the easier it becomes to take good decisions. What guides one’s decisions is the innate sense of values that is part of one’s self. Therefore, I would always attempt retrospective introspections in situations where I am required to be in a leadership position. The best thing to make this process take place smoothly and effectively is to ask myself constantly whet her I can remain true to myself and my values while indulged in passionate work related to nursing. For me the most important step towards leadership is â€Å"to be true to myself and my values†. A vision, which is an integral part in leadership, comes from true passion and conviction. Therefore, if I am sure that I am doing what I am passionate about, there can be nothing to stop me. A lot of self-confidence and energy can come out of doing what we believe in. It is possible to gradually inculcate values related to one’s career. I watched a video recently. It was on enabling people, and I was really impressed by its depiction of a leader who was very energetic. He was able to motivate the crowd instantaneously. He spoke of

Discuss the main factors that have contributed to policy Essay

Discuss the main factors that have contributed to policy liberalisation towards FDI in LDCs during the last three decades - Essay Example is paper seeks to analyze the reasons why most TNCs have in recent decades been proactive in the transfer of technology and R&D activities to developing countries. In addition, the paper will examine the role played by TNCs in world development, through the transfer of technology and R&D activities. In order to fully understand the factors facilitating technological transfer and R&D services to developing countries by TNCs, it is important understand the terms â€Å"technology†, â€Å"technology transfer† and â€Å"R&D†. According to Kiely (1998, pp.58) technology is the methodical knowledge of how to produce goods and services. Technology transfer, therefore, refers to the process of commercially spreading such knowledge. R&D on its part is concerned with the investigation, experimentation, and verification phases of product and service innovation or improvement (ibid). Technology plays a very fundamental role in the development of any country. Accordingly, developing countries consider the acquisition of technology as the surest way to attain development to the level of their developed counterparts. In prior years, most TNCs with the capacity to develop advanced technology were solely located in industrialized countries. Consequently, developing countries were left behind in the development of technology (Roberts, 2008 pp.260). This scenario has however changed in the last twenty years. For any company, whether domestic-based or transnational, the logistics associated with transport and communication is a major influence on operations. Fundamentally, any TNC wishing to set base in a foreign country must first analyze the transport and communication sector of the host country (Ietto-Gilles, 2012 pp.208). Realizing this, most developing countries, through their governments invested a lot in the transport and communication industry in the last two decades. In turn, many TNCs were able to set base in these countries and run their operations smoothly. According to

Econometrics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Econometrics - Essay Example Moreover, the scatter plots of income versus consumption and income versus investment are also plotted. The graphs show that the actual plots of all the variables except the government non-wage income show fluctuating trends with alternative peaks and troughs in the period of analysis. The correlograms of all the variables except the government non-wage income become zero from the third order ones. This shows that all the variable except the government non-wage income show fluctuating trends in the period of analysis. Government non-wage income show steady rising trend in the period of analysis. The correlogram of this variable is not gradually declining and remains the same. The scatter plots show that there is a significant positive correlation between income and consumption .Though a positive correlation can be seen income and investment, it is not so significant compared to the previous one. The OLS estimation for consumption shows perfect model fit. The coefficients for wage income and profit income are positive and significant. One percent rise in wage income leads to a significant rise of 19 percent consumption while one percent rise in wage income leads to a significant rise of 79 percent in consumption. The actual and fitted values of Consumption shows perfect fit as shown from the graphs in appendix 2. The 2SLS estimation shows that only wage income is significant in determining consumption .Here the coefficient for wage income has increased to 81.6 percent compared to the OLS estimation. At the same time profit income lost its significance here. The actual and fitted vales show perfect fit in this case also. For the estimation of investment with OLS, current and lagged values of profit income are positive and significant while lagged value of capital stock is significant and negative in determining investment. One percent rise in current and lagged

Forced Marriages and UK Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Forced Marriages and UK Law - Essay Example This essay stresses that forced marriages involve the use of threats to get people to enter marriages against the will. Existing UK laws on marriage render such marriages null but voidable. There is no existing criminal liability for partaking in the imposition of forced marriages. Legal reforms have created a civil provision to combat forced marriages. However, this leaves much to be desired. This is because there is a general problem of fear and sympathy for perpetrators by victims because of the familial links that exist between them. In order to prevent forced marriage, it is recommended that there should be a separate criminal law that would complement the criminal statute. Debate should however continue on this subject. This is necessary because there is the need for new issues and situations in the UK society to be integrated into the legal statute to protect the vulnerable appropriately at every point in time. This paper examines forced marriages in the context of UK law. The aim of the paper is to evaluate how sufficient the laws on forced marriages in the UK are. This paper makes a conclusion that the UK House of Commons identified that domestic violence and forced marriages are the main challenges to family law in the UK in recent times. The UK recognises forced marriage as a form of domestic violence and child abuse. The UK social and legal system makes a sharp distinction between forced marriages and arranged marriages . This distinction is necessary because arranged marriages have a bit of a different legal position in the UK society. This is mainly steeped in the concept of choice. Whereas the parties in an arranged marriage might choose to live within the marriage without any duress, a forced marriage is one where one party is forced or coerced into the whole union. 'Duress' defines the main basis for the definition of a forced marriage. As such, a marriage in which duress is not used to coerce one or both parties into the marriage is valid socially, morally and legally in English law. 2.2 Forms of Forced Marriages There are three main types of forced marriages6: 1. An individual who fears that s/he may be forced to marry in the UK

Hybrid Cars Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Hybrid Cars - Research Paper Example Brief Explanation of Hybrid Cars 1 (par.2) Hybrid cars are vehicles that their engines are fusions of both electrical and gasoline engines. Hybrid cars are run on both gasoline and electrical engines and they can alternate between these engines. These hybrid cars make use of both electrical and gasoline engines and these help to provide additional power Advantage of Hybrid cars over gasoline engines 1 (par.3) Hybrid cars have been classified as green products as the presence of the electrical engines have helped to reduce the rate at which greenhouse gases are emitted into the atmosphere. The financial benefit of using hybrid cars 2 (par. 4) Joining the effort of world leaders 2 (par. 5) Thus automobile users are encouraged to make use of these hybrid cars as through this, they would contribute to the effort of the world leaders in making sure that the emission of greenhouse gases are brought to the barest minimum. Conclusion 2 (par. 6) Hybrid cars are green products that have been i ntroduced to curb the global warming that is capable of destroying our world. Thus, automobile consumers should join in this course by making use of the hybrid cars.

Conflict Resolution worksheet Essay Example for Free

Conflict Resolution worksheet Essay Complete the Resolving Conflicts in Teams simulation located on the SOC 110 student Web page for Week Four. Reflect on the experiences with different conflict management styles at K24, in Ch. 12 of Small Group and Team Communication, and on your own experiences. Answer the following questions. 1. What are your strengths in resolving conflict? My greatest strength in resolving conflict is the ability to bring a team together to focus on the issues rather than the personalities involved. I also come from a neutral standpoint when addressing conflict, and have been successful getting members in the team to remove all assumptions and stereotypes and meet me at the same neutral starting point. 2. What skills do you want to improve? I would like to improve my focus on maintenance behaviors. Although I have strong conflict resolution skills as it pertains to tasks, I want to make sure the team interpersonal relationships don’t take a hit as a result of the resolution. 3. Which of the following conflict management styles did you select in managing conflict at K24? Check all that apply. Briefly describe why you selected each, or why you chose not to try a particular method. XAccommodation Didn’t attempt accommodation as there were two strongly opposing points of view and someone would have been unhappy XAvoidance Didn’t attempt to avoid or nothing would have gotten resolved and there was a deadline XCompromise Compromise was not an option due to the fact that the result had to be choosing or not choosing to go with Emily’s idea XCompetition I selected Competition first, as there were two competing ideas, and I needed to get all the information on the table about each and why the points of view were supported or not. XCollaboration After hearing all of the information from both sides, I got the group to agree on the goal, then we analyzed each viewpoint to see why we should or shouldn’t support them as a team. 4. What was your dominant conflict management style? collaboration Was this style effective? Why or why not? This style was effective because it allowed the team to focus on the important issues at hand and analyze the facts after we agreed what the goal was. 5. Provide an example of how you have used the following conflict management styles in your personal or professional life. Accommodation I’ve accommodated team members when a project had requirements in each individual had their own tasks, but may have felt better suited to perform a task that was assigned to me. Being that I was able to complete several tasks, I switched with team members to accommodate them. Avoidance I have worked with team members who have always wanted to complain about projects after team meetings. I’ve picked up my cell phone right after the meetings and walked off to avoid the negativity Compromise I have wanted to meet with my study group on Fridays because it give me more time to work on our team assignments, but the team didn’t want to work on weekends, so we compromised and chose Monday, therefore it still gives us 2 days to work individually before class on Wednesday. Competition I’ve had a problem that was to be resolved by the team a few members had a different suggestion on how to complete the task. We’ve each went away and wrote down our solutions and then met as a team and let the team decided a whole which idea was best in moving forward Collaboration In working on our week 4 assignment, we all met as a team, discussed our strengths and weaknesses, deciding what we wanted our paper to look like and the time in which we wanted to have it submitted. This allowed us to divide up the work so that everyone would be pleased with his or her portion and the time in which it should be done. 6. What conflict management styles do you plan to use in future team or group situations? Explain your answer. I plan to use competition using the nominal group technique and collaboration. I like the idea of putting competing issues out on the table for discussion. I think it’s important to make sure that, in doing so; each member has the chance to voice his concerns and point of view without interruption. I find it equally important that each opposing member have a chance to address why they oppose. This allows everyone’s point of view to be expressed. Then we can focus on what we expect to achieve then collaborate to get that accomplished.

Change Management Plan and Communication Plan Essay Example for Free

Change Management Plan and Communication Plan Essay Workers react to change differently and often feel threatened by it. Reaction to workplace transformations usually manifests itself in one of three ways. There is proactive reaction that sees change as an opportunity to try new and improved things. Reactive workers resist change and try to keep things as they were. Inactive employees take the neutral position and straddle the fence watching the struggle between other employees. Older workers within the company tend to resist change because they want to do things the old way. Employees may feel a loss of identity. They may feel a loss of control. Workers also experience a loss of meaning, belonging, and even a loss of their future. Trying to make the changes seem positive does not erase the uncertainty, rumors, or the ambiguity (Jones, 2011). Managers should strategize on the best way to enforce any changes at Riordan Manufacturing. There should be some expectation of resistance in regard to any change. There should be time restraints and deadlines put into place. The changing process may affect deadlines until everyone is on task with the operational changes and new policies. Managers must plan ahead for any resistance at Riordan. Forming task teams that oversee each department affected by the changes over the next 12 months is one strategy that can prove useful. New goals and expectations as a result of the changes should be outlined and followed. There should be effective communication skills with floor managers and employees (Gul Sahin, 2011). The process can run smoother if the employees at Riordan feel motivated, and teamwork encouraged. There will be employee evaluations over the next year to monitor the success or failure of the changes. New system changes, problems, and success will be determined weekly in a detailed report. The reports from the task team and the floor managers will determine the feasibility of the changes. Employees will be required to take assessments to ensure that they fully understand the new operations. New records will be maintained,  updated, and signed by each employee. Training and educational courses will be provided, including computer classes. References Gul, H., Sahin, K. (2011). The Information Society and Public Employees Perception of Transformational Leadership. Selcuk University Social Sciences Institute Journal(25), p237-249. doi:64368178 Jones, T. (2011, January). Use Resistance to Enact Workplace Change. Business Journal Serving Fresno the Central San Joaquin Valley, p.11. doi:10797394

Parties Involved In Communication Process

Parties Involved In Communication Process In nowadays marketing, advertising is communication tool for majority of businesses. It is important that companies should communicate effectively and properly to their customers either through Ad, s or other sources. In advertising campaign, we will discuss the communication model used in advertising. The major parties which are involved in communication channel of advertising are; Client/vendor/sponsor/advertisers Advertising agency Media e.g. electronic, print, social etc Audience Advertisers: Clients are those people, companies or organizations that do advertising of their new product, services in order to get attention of their target market. For this purpose, advertisers contacts and hire advertising agencies which do advertising for organization to promote their products. Advertising agencies: Advertising agency is consisted of people who do advertising for companies. Advertising agencies is consisted of different departments which do creative work, media selection, brochure making and many more works. Media: After making an Ad, then media is selected, types of media are; Electronic media e.g. TV Print media e.g. Newspaper, magazines Social media e.g. face book, twitter Media plays an important role because the message is conveyed to target customers by using media because media has access to peoples. Role of advertising agency: Advertising agency plays an important role because advertising agency makes an effective and innovative advertisement which attracts customers and customers gets that product. Advertising agency is one which makes awareness about companys product through advertisements. Advertising agency and client relationship is of great importance because client hire advertising agency for making an Ad. so advertising agency tries to make innovative and creative Ad to attract customers. Advertising agency also help company to choose media for the advertisement. Sender: The party sending the message to the customers is called sender. Sender is also called communicator. The Ad agency is sender. Encoding: The party which put the thoughts into symbolic form. Message: The idea or thoughts which the sender transmits to the receiver. Media: The communication channels thought which the Message moves from sender to receiver. Receiver: The party receiving the message sended by sender. This party is also called audience. Responses: The set of reactions that the receiver has after being exposed to the message. Actually after seeing the Ad, audience comments. Feedback. The part of the receivers response that the receiver communicates back to the sender. (http://www.managerialmarketing.com/index.php?option=com_contenttask=viewid=26Itemid=45) Noise Unplanned static or distortion during the communication process, resulting in the receivers receiving a different message than the sender sent. Sometimes the message which sender wants to communicate to the receiver does not communicate properly to the receiver because of wrong media selection, wrong target market etc. Communication Industry of Pakistan If we look at the typical Pakistani Ads so we will find all these tools in some Ads because in majority of Pakistani Ads. We can find easily noise and lack of feedback. In most of Ads we will find noise and lack of feedback because if we see, many people just see Ads for actors or just time pass. Sometimes audience get bore because of again and again showing of similar Ads. But In 20th century, the Ads quality has changed and we have seen improvement. If we consider the Ads of Telecom sectors, so we can say that everything of the model which was discussed previously are present there with target market and good customers response and feedback. P-2: Identify and discuss current trends in advertising and evaluate its impacts Current Trends Micro-Marketing: A marketing strategy in which advertising efforts are focused on a small group of highly-targeted consumers. Micromarketing requires a company to narrowly define a particular audience by a particular characteristic, such as ZIP code or job title, and tailor campaigns for that particular segment. It can be a more expensive technique due to customization and lack of an economy of scale. Micromarketing grew to prominence in the 1990s, as personal computers allowed easier segmentation and dissemination of information to customers. E-commerce websites are able to track the type of products that a consumer views or purchases, which allows the website to suggest related products. Media Fragmentation: In Pakistan Media fragmentation is happening from 2000 onwards. It includes Radio Stations, Television, Internet, Newspapers, and Mobile Phones. When worldwide broadcast I.e. TV cable in some countries was the only way of transmitting video signals over big geographic areas, the result was that there were massive audiences for a small number of channels. The adding up of satellite TV, and a raise in the number of cable channels, means that audiences are now divided between more operators. This is called fragmentation of the media. Sales Promotion: Sales promotion is any activity that offers incentives for a limited time period induce a desired response, such as trial or purchase, from those who are targeted. Sales promotion is frequently misinterpreted and thought to mean literally anything is done to promote sales. Brand Proliferation: Brand Proliferation is important change in the branding environment is the proliferation of new brands and products, in part spurred by the rise in line and brand extensions. As a result, a brand name may now be identified with a number of different products of varying degrees of similarity. Current trends in Pakistani Ads In Pakistan, currently we are using very less amount of electronic billboards. But we hope that in near future these electronic billboard will be more in work than simple billboards. Internet growth is increasing very quickly all over the world and now Pakistani people are also getting familiar with the Internet in their normal routine life. Thus, this is the reason that most of the companies are advertising on the Internet through pop up windows advertising, advertising on both sides of the window, Google advertising etc, with the purpose that many people can watch their advertisements every where on their computers. The cost of Electronic Billboard are cheaper than the simple billboards as on electronic billboards different advertisements will be run one by one, so the overall cost will be less. In European countries, electronic billboard are very common while in Pakistan, these electronic billboards are not the ordinary way of advertising. In Pakistan, still many companies rely on TV advertisements, as Television advertisements are still valuable way of advertising. P-3: Discuss the models of advertising and its impacts on customer behavior AIDA MODEL Attention: The customers attention is got by the saving which is a large amount. Interest: Then the sentence mazay ki offer creates interest of the customers and their emotions are triggered. They feel that the offer is a good one because of the inflation now a day. Desire: The benefit the customers receive is that on every packing of the product they can save if they go for large pack they will have more saving which creates a desire to save more. Action: At the bottom left of the ad it is written that the offer is for some short time which gives enough motivation to the customers to go for it. MODEL 2 Awareness: The awareness I created that we have new offer for our customers. Knowledge: The knowledge is shared with the customers that the new offer which is named as mazy ki offer is on every pack and it is for some short span of time. Liking and preference: The ad creates liking because of the saving which is of large amount on such product. Conviction and purchase: The image of the product is good in the mind of customers and they are giving such offer so the purchase will be increase. AIDA model Attention: Warid bol anmol the sentence is enough to grab the attention because he will think there will be a good offer on calling Interest: The interest is created by giving the customers relaxation from activation and there are no conditions on the offer. Desire: In my opinion the add fails to make the customers desire to go for the offer because no info is given about how much balance will they receive. Action: Giving offer that the balance will be given at once motivating the customers to go for that offer

Roman Empire :: essays research papers

The Roman Empire The people were happy. This is the underlying cause of the astounding length of time and space that the Roman Empire occupied most of the known western land. Great rulers met their downfall when they put their own status in front of the well being of the people they govern. When the citizens are left high and dry and not regarded as important to their society then this is when there is an overthrow of power and a new ruler comes into play. Citizens had a place in politics, they have lots of entertainment, they had the best army in the world to protect them, and Rome was the place to live and would be that way for many years. Many leaders come and go but it is the great ones that we remember, the ones that make people enjoy life. The emperors that are not approved by the people are the ones that turn a new leaf of evil once they have a military victory. The thrill of so much power gives them the urge to be the best in the world. They move on and conquer other nations and forget about their own people. Julius Caesar cared about his people and wanted to be the "ruler for the people," rather than the "ruler of the people." When he gain power of Rome from the hands of Pompey there was no reign of terror, but a policy to restore economic and prosperity to Rome. This period of time in Rome is known today as the golden age of Roman literacy and development. The minds of the people are expanding. Another example of the Roman citizens' happiness and prosperity comes during the rule of Caesar's grandson Octavian, better known to history as Augustus. Once Augustus rises from the new triumvirate as the ruler of the empire, he introduces different types of social reform that appease the people and keep them on his side. Augustus is a classical man and wanted to bring back the ancient moral to the citizens. He reduced the size of the army and gave soldiers land and money. He imports food and gives it away to the people. Augustus transformed Rome from city of bricks to a city of marble by building temples and basilicas to represent his power as well as his love for the city that he takes care of.

The Concept Of Power In Politics Essay examples -- essays research pap

The Meaning of Power   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The instrumental character of power is that of a â€Å"means to an end.† It includes the tools, resources, and abilities used to pursue goals. The meaning of power and its role in politics is understood first with a background of its dual nature. De jure refers to the theory of power. The concept of â€Å"absolute power,† considers tangible factors. When comparing nations’ power, money and gross national product are units of measure; the United States is more powerful than Mexico. Army size and strength are also measurable. World powers, such as the U.S., Britain, and Japan, defeat countries with smaller, weaker armies. From an objective standpoint, tangible assets make a country a world power. But world powers and their leaders also possess intangible qualities. De facto is the subjective aspect of power that is immeasurable. Charisma, such as that of Mahatma Ghandi and Martin Luther King, could not be described, but made them successful leaders. The â€Å"will to win† or morale of people, especially athletes, is power. De facto power is continually changing because of the relative character of power, to time, situation, and contending parties. When power is applied in interaction with contending parties, the situational factors of power and politics come into play. Power is initially proven in a political situation through credibility. The opposing party’s belief that you have power and will use it makes them take you seriously. I...

religions function in society Essay -- essays research papers

Religion has many functions within a society, both social and psychological. According to Ferraro (308) three such social functions are social control, conflict resolution, and intensifying group solidarity. Religion seems to help maintain a social order. It appears to do this by encouraging what a given society deems acceptable behavior and discouraging socially inappropriate behavior. â€Å"Every religion, regardless of the form it takes, is an ethical system that prescribes proper way of behaving.† (Ferraro 308) This social order of rewards and punishment is reinforced when backed by supernatural authority. Thus one’s neighbor may be exorcized from his or her community when a behavior is seen as socially unacceptable or inappropriate. Examples of this in the Jewish-Christian community would be the breaking of the Ten Commandments such as stealing, committing adultery, or murdering.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Another social function of religion is to â€Å"enable people to express their common identity in an emotionally charged environment† ( Ferraro 308). Group solidarity is intensified for those who practice it. When members of a religious group come together to practice religious beliefs, they often bond by participating in other non-religious activities as well. (Ferraro 308) People find religion an easy way to identify with one another. Religion helps to form community, schools, and even government. People who are ‘more’ religious tend to hold more conservative attitudes on sexuality and personal honesty. They are also likely to hold more conservative attitudes about family life, being more likely, for instance, to support the use of corporal   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Vaeth 2 punishment in disciplining children. Strongly religious people also tend to be more accepting and satisfied with their lives and marriages. This is perhaps because they do not question what is unknown. It is perhaps merely accepted upon faith. (Brinkerhoff, White, Ortega 295-305)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Religion also plays the role of reducing stress and frustrations that often lead to social conflict. (Ferra... ...d in a variety of religions.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Rituals are usually practiced within a group of people, many times forming a community such as a church. Going to service every Sunday is a ritual. Meeting a group of friends every Friday night after work for a drink is a ritual. Rituals are spiritual and nonspiritual, religious and magical.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The core elements of religion, belief, ritual, and myth bring people together just as much as they divide them into groups. Religion helps people find personal identity and fit into a community. Being divided into groups is not necessarily a bad thing. It is human nature. If mankind isn’t divisive over religion, it’s over politics, if not politics, then something else. In my perspective, it is not religion that creates the division; it’s the people. According to Ferraro, (322) â€Å"religion has played an important role in global social change through liberation theology (whereby Catholic priests and nuns work for social reform and justice for the poor) and religious nationalism (whereby religious beliefs are merged with government institutions).†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  

Chapter 17 Cat, Rat, and Dog

Harry's mind had gone blank with shock. The three of them stood transfixed with horror under the Invisibility Cloak. The very last rays of the setting sun were casting a bloody light over the long-shadowed grounds. Then, behind them, they heard a wild howling. â€Å"Hagrid,† Harry muttered. Without thinking about what he was doing, he made to turn back, but both Ron and Hermione seized his arms. â€Å"We can't,† said Ron, who was paper-white. â€Å"He'll be in worse trouble if they know we've been to see him†¦.† Hermione's breathing was shallow and uneven. â€Å"How — could — they?† she choked. â€Å"How could they?† â€Å"Come on,† said Ron, whose teeth seemed to be chattering. They set off back toward the castle, walking slowly to keep themselves hidden under the cloak. The light was fading fast now. By the time they reached open ground, darkness was settling like a spell around them. â€Å"Scabbers, keep still,† Ron hissed, clamping his hand over his chest. The rat was wriggling madly. Ron came to a sudden halt, trying to force Scabbers deeper into his pocket. â€Å"What's the matter with you, You stupid rat? Stay still — OUCH! He bit me!† â€Å"Ron, be quiet!† Hermione whispered urgently. â€Å"Fudge'll be out here in a minute –â€Å" â€Å"He won't — stay — put –â€Å" Scabbers was plainly terrified. He was writhing with all his might, trying to break free of Ron's grip. â€Å"What's the matter with him?† But Harry had just seen — stinking toward them, his body low to the ground, wide yellow eyes glinting eerily in the darkness — Crookshanks. Whether he could see them or was following the sound of Scabbers's squeaks, Harry couldn't tell. â€Å"Crookshanks!† Hermione moaned. â€Å"No, go away, Crookshanks! Go away!† But the cat was getting nearer — â€Å"Scabbers — NO!† Too late — the rat had slipped between Ron's clutching fingers, hit the ground, and scampered away. In one bound, Crookshanks sprang after him, and before Harry or Hermione could stop him, Ron had thrown the Invisibility Cloak off himself and pelted away into the darkness. â€Å"Ron!† Hermione moaned. She and Harry looked at each other, then followed at a sprint; it was impossible to run full out under the cloak; they pulled it off and it streamed behind them like a banner as they hurtled after Ron; they could hear his feet thundering along ahead and his shouts at Crookshanks. â€Å"Get away from him — get away — Scabbers, come here –â€Å" There was a loud thud. â€Å"Gotcha! Get off, you stinking cat –â€Å" Harry and Hermione almost fell over Ron; they skidded to a stop right in front of him. He was sprawled on the ground, but Scabbers was back in his pocket; he had both hands held tight over the quivering lump. â€Å"Ron — come on back under the cloak –† Hermione panted. â€Å"Dumbledore — the Minister — they'll be coming back out in a minute –â€Å" But before they could cover themselves again, before they could even catch their breath, they heard the soft pounding of gigantic paws†¦. Something was bounding toward them, quiet as a shadow — an enormous, pale-eyed, jet-black dog. Harry reached for his wand, but too late — the dog had made an enormous leap and the front paws hit him on the chest; he keeled over backward in a whirl of hair; he felt its hot breath, saw inch-long teeth – But the force of its leap had carried it too far; it rolled off him. Dazed, feeling as though his ribs were broken, Harry tried to stand up; he could hear it growling as it skidded around for a new attack. Ron was on his feet. As the dog sprang back toward them he pushed Harry aside; the dog's jaws fastened instead around Ron's outstretched arm. Harry lunged forward, he seized a handful of the brute's hair, but it was dragging Ron away as easily as though he were a rag doll — Then, out of nowhere, something hit Harry so hard across the face he was knocked off his feet again. He heard Hermione shriek with pain and fall too. Harry groped for his wand, blinking blood out of his eyes â€Å"Lumos!† he whispered. The wandlight showed him the trunk of a thick tree; they had chased Scabbers into the shadow of the Whomping Willow and its branches were creaking as though in a high wind, whipping backward and forward to stop them going nearer. And there, at the base of the trunk, was the dog, dragging Ron backward into a large gap in the roots — Ron was fighting furiously, but his head and torso were slipping out of sight — â€Å"Ron!† Harry shouted, trying to follow, but a heavy branch whipped lethally through the air and he was forced backward again. All they could see now was one of Ron's legs, which he had hooked around a root in an effort to stop the dog from pulling him farther underground — but a horrible crack cut the air like a gunshot; Ron's leg had broken, and a moment later, his foot vanished from sight. â€Å"Harry — we've got to go for help –† Hermione gasped; she was bleeding too; the Willow had cut her across the shoulder. â€Å"No! That thing's big enough to eat him; we haven't got time –â€Å" â€Å"Harry — we're never going to get through without help –â€Å" Another branch whipped down at them, twigs clenched like knuckles. â€Å"If that dog can get in, we can,† Harry panted, darting here and there, trying to find a way through the vicious, swishing branches, but he couldn't get an inch nearer to the tree roots without being in range of the tree's blows. â€Å"Oh, help, help,† Hermione whispered frantically, dancing uncertainly on the spot, â€Å"Please†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Crookshanks darted forward. He slithered between the battering branches like a snake and placed his front paws upon a knot on the trunk. Abruptly, as though the tree had been turned to marble, it stopped moving. Not a leaf twitched or shook. â€Å"Crookshanks!† Hermione whispered uncertainly. She now grasped Harry's arm painfully hard. â€Å"How did he know –?† â€Å"He's friends with that dog,† said Harry grimly. â€Å"I've seen them together. Come on — and keep your wand out –â€Å" They covered the distance to the trunk in seconds, but before they had reached the gap in the roots, Crookshanks had slid into it with a flick of his bottlebrush tail. Harry went next; he crawled forward, headfirst, and slid down an earthy slope to the bottom of a very low tunnel. Crookshanks was a little way along, his eyes flashing in the light from Harry's wand. Seconds later, Hermione slithered down beside him. â€Å"Where's Ron?† she whispered in a terrified voice. â€Å"This way,† said Harry, setting off, bent-backed, after Crookshanks. â€Å"Where does this tunnel come out?† Hermione asked breathlessly from behind him. â€Å"I don't know†¦It's marked on the Marauder's Map but Fred and George said no one's ever gotten into it†¦It goes off the edge of the map, but it looked like it was heading for Hogsmeade†¦Ã¢â‚¬  They moved as fast as they could, bent almost double; ahead of them, Crookshanks's tail bobbed in and out of view. On and on went the passage; it felt at least as long as the one to Honeydukes†¦ All Harry could think of was Ron and what the enormous dog might be doing to him†¦He was drawing breath in sharp, painful gasps, running at a crouch†¦. And then the tunnel began to rise; moments later it twisted, and Crookshanks had gone. Ahead Harry could see a patch of dim light through a small opening. He and Hermione paused, gasping for breath, edging forward. Both raised their wands to see what lay beyond. It was a room, a very disordered, dusty room. Paper was peeling from the walls; there were stains all over the floor; every piece of furniture was broken as though somebody had smashed it. The windows were all boarded up. Harry glanced at Hermione, who looked very frightened but nodded. Harry pulled himself out of the hole, staring around. The room was deserted, but a door to their right stood open, leading to a shadowy hallway. Hermione suddenly grabbed Harry's arm again. Her wide eyes were traveling around the boarded windows. â€Å"Harry,† she whispered, â€Å"I think we're in the Shrieking Shack.† Harry looked around. His eyes fell on a wooden chair near them. Large chunks had been torn out of it; one of the legs had been ripped off entirely. â€Å"Ghosts didn't do that,† he said slowly. At that moment, there was a creak overhead. Something had moved upstairs. Both of them looked up at the ceiling. Hermione's grip on Harry's arm was so tight he was losing feeling in his fingers. He raised his eyebrows at her; she nodded again and let go. Quietly as they could, they crept out into the hall and up the crumbling staircase. Everything was covered in a thick layer of dust except the floor, where a wide shiny stripe had been made by something being dragged upstairs. They reached the dark landing. â€Å"Nox,† they whispered together, and the lights at the end of their wands went out. Only one door was open. As they crept toward it, they heard movement from behind it; a low moan, and then a deep, loud purring. They exchanged a last look, a last nod. Wand held tightly before him, Harry kicked the door wide open. On a magnificent four-poster bed with dusty hangings lay Crookshanks, purring loudly at the sight of them. On the floor beside him, clutching his leg, which stuck out at a strange angle, was Ron. Harry and Hermione dashed across to him. â€Å"Ron — are you okay?† â€Å"Where's the dog?† â€Å"Not a dog,† Ron moaned. His teeth were gritted with pain. â€Å"Harry, it's a trap –â€Å" â€Å"What –â€Å" â€Å"He's the dog†¦he's an Animagus.† Ron was staring over Harry's shoulder. Harry wheeled around. With a snap, the man in the shadows closed the door behind them. A mass of filthy, matted hair hung to his elbows. If eyes hadn't been shining out of the deep, dark sockets, he might have been a corpse. The waxy skin was stretched so tightly over the bones of his face, it looked like a skull. His yellow teeth were bared in a grin. It was Sirius Black. â€Å"Expelliarmus!† he croaked, pointing Ron's wand at them. Harry's and Hermione's wands shot out of their hands, high in the air, and Black caught them. Then he took a step closer. His eyes were fixed on Harry. â€Å"I thought you'd come and help your friend,† he said hoarsely. His voice sounded as though he had long since lost the habit of using it. â€Å"Your father would have done the same for me. Brave of you not to run for a teacher. I'm grateful†¦it will make everything much easier†¦.† The taunt about his father rang in Harry's ears as though Black had bellowed it. A boiling hate erupted in Harry's chest, leaving no place for fear. For the first time in his life, he wanted his wand back in his hand, not to defend himself, but to attack†¦to kill. Without knowing what he was doing, he started forward, but there was a sudden movement on either side of him and two pairs of hands grabbed him and held him back†¦ â€Å"No, Harry!† Hermione gasped in a petrified whisper; Ron, however, spoke to Black. â€Å"If you want to kill Harry, you'll have to kill us too!† he said fiercely, though the effort of standing upright was draining him of still more color, and he swayed slightly as he spoke. Something flickered in Black's shadowed eyes. â€Å"Lie down,† he said quietly to Ron. â€Å"You will damage that leg even more.† â€Å"Did you hear me?† Ron said weakly, though he was clinging painfully to Harry to stay upright. â€Å"You'll have to kill all three of us!† â€Å"There'll be only one murder here tonight,† said Black, and his grin widened. â€Å"Why's that?† Harry spat, trying to wrench himself free of Ron, and Hermione. â€Å"Didn't care last time, did you? Didn't mind slaughtering all those Muggles to get at Pettigrew†¦What's the matter, gone soft in Azkaban?† â€Å"Harry!† Hermione whimpered. â€Å"Be quiet!† â€Å"HE KILLED MY MUM AND DAD!† Harry roared, and with a huge effort he broke free of Hermione's and Ron's restraint and lunged forward — He had forgotten about magic — he had forgotten that he was short and skinny and thirteen, whereas Black was a tall, full-grown man — all Harry knew was that he wanted to hurt Black as badly as he could and that he didn't care how much he got hurt in return — Perhaps it was the shock of Harry doing something so stupid, but Black didn't raise the wands in time — one of Harry's hands fastened over his wasted wrist, forcing the wand tips away; the knuckles of Harry's other hand collided with the side of Black's head and they fell, backward, into the wall — Hermione was screaming; Ron was yelling; there was a blinding flash as the wands in Black's hand sent a jet of sparks into the air that missed Harry's face by inches; Harry felt the shrunken arm under his fingers twisting madly, but he clung on, his other hand punching every part of Black it could find. But Black's free hand had found Harry's throat â€Å"No,† he hissed, â€Å"I've waited too long –â€Å" The fingers tightened, Harry choked, his glasses askew. Then he saw Hermione's foot swing out of nowhere. Black let go of Harry with a grunt of pain; Ron had thrown himself on Black's wand hand and Harry heard a faint clatter — He fought free of the tangle of bodies and saw his own wand rolling across the floor; he threw himself toward it but â€Å"Argh!† Crookshanks had joined the fray; both sets of front claws had sunk themselves deep into Harry's arm; Harry threw him off, but Crookshanks now darted toward Harry's wand — â€Å"NO YOU DON'T!† roared Harry, and he aimed a kick at Crookshanks that made the cat leap aside, spitting; Harry snatched up his wand and turned — â€Å"Get out of the way!† he shouted at Ron and Hermione. They didn't need telling twice. Hermione, gasping for breath, her lip bleeding, scrambled aside, snatching up her and Ron's wands. Ron crawled to the four-poster and collapsed onto it, panting, his white face now tinged with green, both hands clutching his broken leg. Black was sprawled at the bottom of the wall. His thin chest rose and fell rapidly as he watched Harry walking slowly nearer, his wand pointing straight at Black's heart. â€Å"Going to kill me, Harry?† he whispered. Harry stopped right above him, his wand still pointing at Black's chest, looking down at him. A livid bruise was rising around Black's left eye and his nose was bleeding. â€Å"You killed my parents,† said Harry, his voice shaking slightly, but his wand hand quite steady. Black stared up at him out of those sunken eyes. â€Å"I don't deny it,† he said very quietly. â€Å"But if you knew the whole story.† â€Å"The whole story?† Harry repeated, a furious pounding in his ears. â€Å"You sold them to Voldemort. That's all I need to know.† â€Å"You've got to listen to me,† Black said, and there was a note of urgency in his voice now. â€Å"You'll regret it if you don't†¦You don't understand†¦.† â€Å"I understand a lot better than you think,† said Harry, and his voice shook more than ever. â€Å"You never heard her, did you? My mum†¦trying to stop Voldemort killing me†¦and you did that†¦you did it†¦.† Before either of them could say another word, something ginger streaked past Harry; Crookshanks leapt onto Black's chest and settled himself there, right over Black's heart. Black blinked and looked down at the cat. â€Å"Get off,† he murmured, trying to push Crookshanks off him. But Crookshanks sank his claws into Black's robes and wouldn't shift. He turned his ugly, squashed face to Harry and looked up at him with those great yellow eyes. To his right, Hermione gave a dry sob. Harry stared down at Black and Crookshanks, his grip tightening on the wand. So what if he had to kill the cat too? It was in league with Black†¦If it was prepared to die, trying to protect Black, that wasn't Harry's business†¦ If Black wanted to save it, that only proved he cared more for Crookshanks than for Harry's parents†¦. Harry raised the wand. Now was the moment to do it. Now was the moment to avenge his mother and father. He was going to kill Black. He had to kill Black. This was his chance†¦. The seconds lengthened. And still Harry stood frozen there, wand poised, Black staring up at him, Crookshanks on his chest. Ron's ragged breathing came from near the bed; Hermione was quite silent. And then came a new sound — Muffled footsteps were echoing up through the floor — someone was moving downstairs. â€Å"WE'RE UP HERE!† Hermione screamed suddenly. â€Å"WE'RE UP HERE — SIRIUS BLACK — QUICK!† Black made a startled movement that almost dislodged Crookshanks; Harry gripped his wand convulsively — Do it now! said a voice in his head — but the footsteps were thundering up the stairs and Harry still hadn't done it. The door of the room burst open in a shower of red sparks and Harry wheeled around as Professor Lupin came hurtling into the room, his face bloodless, his wand raised and ready. His eyes flickered over Ron, lying on the floor, over Hermione, cowering next to the door, to Harry, standing there with his wand covering Black, and then to Black himself, crumpled and bleeding at Harry's feet. â€Å"Expelliarmus!† Lupin shouted. Harry's wand flew once more out of his hand; so did the two Hermione was holding. Lupin caught them all deftly, then moved into the room, staring at Black, who still had Crookshanks lying protectively across his chest. Harry stood there, feeling suddenly empty. He hadn't done it. His nerve had failed him. Black was going to be handed back to the Dementors. Then Lupin spoke, in a very tense voice. â€Å"Where is he, Sirius?† Harry looked quickly at Lupin. He didn't understand what Lupin meant. Who was Lupin talking about? He turned to look at Black again. Black's face was quite expressionless. For a few seconds, he didn't move at all. Then, very slowly, he raised his empty hand and pointed straight at Ron. Mystified, Harry glanced around at Ron, who looked bewildered. â€Å"But then†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Lupin muttered, staring at Black so intently it seemed he was trying to read his mind, â€Å"†¦why hasn't he shown himself before now? Unless† — Lupin's eyes suddenly widened, as though he was seeing something beyond Black, something none of the rest could see, â€Å"– unless he was the one†¦unless you switched†¦ without telling me?† Very slowly, his sunken gaze never leaving Lupin's face, Black nodded. â€Å"Professor,† Harry interrupted loudly, â€Å"what's going on –?† But he never finished the question, because what he saw made his voice die in his throat. Lupin was lowering his wand, gazing fixed at Black. The Professor walked to Black's side, seized his hand, pulled him to his feet so that Crookshanks fell to the floor, and embraced Black like a brother. Harry felt as though the bottom had dropped out of his stomach. â€Å"I DON'T BELIEVE IT!† Hermione screamed. Lupin let go of Black and turned to her. She had raised herself off the floor and was pointing at Lupin, wild-eyed. â€Å"You — you –â€Å" â€Å"Hermione –â€Å" â€Å"?C you and him!† â€Å"Hermione, calm down –â€Å" â€Å"I didn't tell anyone!† Hermione shrieked. â€Å"I've been covering up for you –â€Å" â€Å"Hermione, listen to me, please† Lupin shouted. â€Å"I can explain –â€Å" Harry could feel himself shaking, not with fear, but with a fresh wave of fury. â€Å"I trusted you,† he shouted at Lupin, his voice wavering, out of control, â€Å"and all the time you've been his friend!† â€Å"You're wrong,† said Lupin. â€Å"I haven't been Sirius's friend, but I am now — Let me explain†¦.† â€Å"NO!† Hermione screamed. â€Å"Harry, don't trust him, he's been helping Black get into the castle, he wants you dead too — he's a werewolf!† There was a ringing silence. Everyone's eyes were now on Lupin, who looked remarkably calm, though rather pale. â€Å"Not at all up to your usual standard, Hermione,† he said. â€Å"Only one out of three, I'm afraid. I have not been helping Sirius get into the castle and I certainly don't want Harry dead. An odd shiver passed over his face. â€Å"But I won't deny that I am a werewolf.† Ron made a valiant effort to get up again but fell back with a whimper of pain. Lupin made toward him, looking concerned, but Ron gasped, â€Å"Get away from me, werewolf!† Lupin stopped dead. Then, with an obvious effort, he turned to Hermione and said, â€Å"How long have you known?† â€Å"Ages,† Hermione whispered. â€Å"Since I did Professor Snape's essay†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"He'll be delighted,† said Lupin coolly. â€Å"He assigned that essay hoping someone would realize what my symptoms meant†¦ Did you check the lunar chart and realize that I was always ill at the full moon? Or did you realize that the Boggart changed into the moon when it saw me?† â€Å"Both,† Hermione said quietly. Lupin forced a laugh. â€Å"You're the cleverest witch of your age I've ever met, Hermione.† â€Å"I'm not,† Hermione whispered. â€Å"If I'd been a bit cleverer, I'd have told everyone what you are!† â€Å"But they already know,† said Lupin. â€Å"At least, the staff do.† â€Å"Dumbledore hired you when he knew you were a werewolf,† Ron gasped. â€Å"Is he mad?† â€Å"Some of the staff thought so,† said Lupin. â€Å"He had to work very hard to convince certain teachers that I'm trustworthy –â€Å" â€Å"AND HE WAS WRONG!† Harry yelled. â€Å"YOU'VE BEEN HELPING HIM ALL THE TIME!† He was pointing at Black, who suddenly crossed to the four-poster bed and sank onto it, his face hidden in one shaking hand. Crookshanks leapt up beside him and stepped onto his lap, purring. Ron edged away from both of them, dragging his leg. â€Å"I have not been helping Sirius,† said Lupin. â€Å"If you'll give me a chance, I'll explain. Look –â€Å" He separated Harry's, Ron's and Hermione's wands and threw each back to its owner; Harry caught his, stunned. â€Å"There,† said Lupin, sticking his own wand back into his belt â€Å"You're armed, we're not. Now will you listen?† Harry didn't know what to think. Was it a trick? â€Å"If you haven't been helping him,† he said, with a furious glance at Black, â€Å"how did you know he was here?† â€Å"The map,† said Lupin. â€Å"The Marauder's Map. I was in my office examining it –â€Å" â€Å"You know how to work it?† Harry said suspiciously. â€Å"Of course I know how to work it,† said Lupin, waving his hand impatiently. â€Å"I helped write it. I'm Moony — that was my friends' nickname for me at school.† â€Å"You wrote –?† â€Å"The important thing is, I was watching it carefully this evening, because I had an idea that you, Ron, and Hermione might try and sneak out of the castle to visit Hagrid before his Hippogriff was executed. And I was right, wasn't I?† He had started to pace up and down, looking at them. Little patches of dust rose at his feet. â€Å"You might have been wearing your father's old cloak, Harry–â€Å" â€Å"How d'you know about the cloak?† â€Å"The number of times I saw James disappearing under it†¦Ã¢â‚¬  said Lupin, waving an impatient hand again. â€Å"The point is, even if you're wearing an Invisibility Cloak, you still show up on the Marauder's Map. I watched you cross the grounds and enter Hagrid's hut. Twenty minutes later, you left Hagrid, and set off back toward the castle. But you were now accompanied by somebody else.† â€Å"What?† said Harry. â€Å"No, we weren't!† I couldn't believe my eyes,' said Lupin, still pacing, and ignoring Harry's interruption. â€Å"I thought the map must be malfunctioning. How could he be with you?† â€Å"No one was with us!† said Harry. â€Å"And then I saw another dot, moving fast toward you, labeled Sirius Black†¦I saw him collide with you; I watched as he pulled two of you into the Whomping Willow –â€Å" â€Å"One of us!† Ron said angrily. â€Å"No, Ron,† said Lupin. â€Å"Two of you.† He had stopped his pacing, his eyes moving over Ron. â€Å"Do you think I could have a look at the rat?† he said evenly. â€Å"What?† said Ron. â€Å"What's Scabbers got to do with it?† â€Å"Everything,† said Lupin. â€Å"Could I see him, please?† Ron hesitated, then put a hand inside his robes. Scabbers emerged, thrashing desperately; Ron had to seize his long bald tail to stop him escaping. Crookshanks stood up on Black's leg and made a soft hissing noise. Lupin moved closer to Ron. He seemed to be holding his breath as he gazed intently at Scabbers. â€Å"What?† Ron said again, holding Scabbers close to him, looking scared. â€Å"What's my rat got to do with anything?† â€Å"That's not a rat,† croaked Sirius Black suddenly. â€Å"What d'you mean — of course he's a rat –â€Å" â€Å"No, he's not,† said Lupin quietly. â€Å"He's a wizard.† â€Å"An Animagus,† said Black, â€Å"by the name of Peter Pettigrew.†

Violent and Vulgar Rap Lyrics

VIOLENT AND VULGAR RAP LYRICS What happened to censorship? â€Å"Then shall we allow our children to listen to any story anyone happens to make up, and so receive into their minds ideas that often the very opposite of those we shall thing they ought to have when they are grown up? † Plato, The Republic While Plato may not have had rap music to contend with, he posed a question that could be a leading concept for a society concerned with the impact of today’s music on its kids.In truth, Plato would note a archetype shift from a culture that put their family’s social, emotional, and spiritual well being as primary; to a society that is enslaved to whoever or whatever nets the mighty dollar gets to make decisions regarding what is right for our youth. Let us begin with censorship. Most freedoms are taken for granted, because they always seem to be in effect. Censorship keeps freedoms in check, or so it should. There are some things that are not suitable for the whol e population. Children should not be exposed to vulgar or violent media.The young impressionable minds of our youth should not be exposed to media that promotes relaxed morals, risky sexual behavior, substance abuse, and the glorification of being a violent criminal. There are a lot of arguments regarding censorship, pro and con. I am willing to bet that those opposed to censorship of vulgar music do not have small children, specifically daughters. There are a lot of reasons to support censorship to protect our youth and our future. But those in control, those making major profits from the offensive media, only have their fat bank accounts to protect-not our precious children.On the following pages, I am going to submit some evidence that shows what effects rap music has had on our youth. I am also going to show you some examples of how this insult to our children’s minds, growth and healthy development has been allowed to continue. And finally, since the power’s that be are so hard to stop-I am going to propose a solution that we, as citizens, parents, and teachers can do to help gain some of our power back in educating our youth. The federal government and the states have long been permitted to limit obscenity or pornography. (Deflem) ] While the Supreme Court has generally refused to give obscenity any protection under the First Ammendment, pornography is subject to little regulation. However, the exact definition of obscenity and pornography has changed over time. In fact, federal obscenity law in the U. S. is highly unusual in that not only is there no uniform national standard, but there is an explicit legal precedent (the â€Å"Miller test†) that all but guarantees that something that is legally obscene in one jurisdiction may not be in another. In effect, the First Amendment protections of free speech vary by location within the U. S. , and over time.The â€Å"Miller Test† has 3 basic guidelines for the trier of fact: (a). W hether ‘the average person, applying contemporary community standards would find that the work, taken as a whole, appeals to the *prurient interest, (b). Whether the work depicts or describes, in a patently offensive way, sexual conduct specifically defined by the applicable state law. (c). Whether the work, taken as a whole, lacks serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value. (The First Amendment, Miller vs Californie,1973) An great example of the ambiguity of the Miller Test was during the 2Live Crew obscenity trial in 1991.Legal scholars have argued against each and every decision the Judge Gonzales made when he used to Miller Test during the first trial when he ruled in favor of the plaintiff and found 2Live Crew guilty of violating obscenity laws. First, it was argued that the Judge’s determination of the relevant community and its standards was overtly subjective. The Judge decided upon a geographical concept of community, but this was inappropriate because the fact that people live in close physical proximity does not automatically suggest that they share common values.Judge Gonzalez was also inconsistent in determining, on the one hand, that the considered community is generally more tolerant than others, and, on the other hand, that he could rely on his personal knowledge of the community standards which he never defined, of which he did not say whether they could change over time, and of which he did not determine the defining criteria. Second, the three standards of the Miller test (prurient interest, patently offensive, lacking serious value) were not met.With regard to determination of the album’s prurient interest, it was argued that there was no clear intention on the part of 2 Live Crew to lure hearers into sexual activity, and, referring to the profit-making motive of the rap band, Judge Gonzalez ignored that motive was irrelevant in aesthetic maters. Next, the patently offensive character of the â€Å"Nastyà ¢â‚¬  album was decided upon as the result of a misinterpretation of the lyrics, based upon Gonzalez’ arbitrary determination of â€Å"the† community standards. Actually, the lyrics of 2 Live Crew’s music should not be taken literally as they are comedic parodies in a culturally specific language.Also, music does not appeal to the intellect but to human emotions and imagination. Finally, the Judge’s ruling that â€Å"Nasty† did not have any serious artistic value was by definition mistaken since the â€Å"as a whole† test fails automatically in the case of a recording which after all always has some serious elements (the Judge never heard all the songs). Judge Gonzalez particularly failed to take into account Professor Henrey Louis Gates’s testimony which indicated the specific artistic style of the â€Å"Nasty† recording.Long pointed to the call and response style, the tradition of â€Å"doing the dozens† (a word game with insults), and the meaning of â€Å"boasting† as part of this type of rap music. Judge Gonzalez thus completely ignored the specific African American cultural values that are manifested by the album. Gates testified on behalf of Navarro, arguing that the material that the county alleged was profane actually had important roots in African-American vernacular, games, and literary traditions and should be protected. [ (Deflem) ] What a slipper slope.Not to mention â€Å"the prosecution suffered a setback when Judge June L. Johnson of Broward County Court agreed with the defense that a transcript of the tape contained comments that might distract the jurors and said that it could not be admitted as evidence†. [ (RIMER) ] When Joanne Cantor was asked to comment on Freedom of Speech issues at a Madison Civics Club dinner on October 12, 2002 this is what she had to share, â€Å"Many people have noted that corporate interests control what gets discussed in the media, and one place where this is obvious is the controversy over the media's effects on children.Research shows that violent television, movies, videogames, and even commercials can produce serious harmful effects on children, such as promoting violent behaviors and inducing intense anxieties. Parents need this information so they can make informed choices about their children's viewing, but the media use their corporate power to censor information that might damage their profits. At the same time, these corporations raise First Amendment concerns when solutions that might help parents are proposed. † Here are the examples of what she was referring to: 1.In 1997, I participated in a taping of The Leeza Show. On that show, parents were highly critical of the TV industry's new age-based rating system that was supposed to help them block harmful content using a device called the V-chip. NBC, which opposed making changes in the rating system, refused to let that program air. And five years later, they still have not gone along with the compromise that the other stations adopted. 2. After the National Institute on Media and the Family released a list of the 10 most violent video games, they were sued by the manufacturer of one of the games on the list.Although the lawsuit was eventually dropped, the costly process caused the organization's liability insurance to double, and they were subsequently lucky to get any insurance at all. 3. The Center for Successful Parenting produced a documentary on the effects of media violence for Court TV, a cable channel that is owned by Time-Warner. Before the program could air, the producers were told to remove the mention of Time-Warner's products. They were also required to include remarks by lobbyist Jack Valenti, who claimed that the research showing harmful effects was inconclusive. (Joanne Cantor) ] These are just a few of many examples of corporate interests using their muscle to restrict the free flow of information to parent s. They say that it's up to parents, not the media, to raise their children. But they make harmful products, which come into our homes automatically through television and radio and the internet. They market them to children too young to use them safely, and they try to keep parents in the dark about their effects. There are many studies that show the effects of violent and vulgar lyrics on our youth.The studies are too numerous to dispute and the results are pretty much the same. Teen pregnancy, STD’s are on the rise and although some studies indicate a drop in crime- they don’t’ show you the rise in crime in offenders under the age of 19, which is significant. I don’t want to go into all the statistics and the sources. I want to focus, instead, on the plan to use knowledge to empower ourselves and our youth-It’s called Media Literacy. The impact of media is critical, especially when it comes to the socialization of our children. Dr.Renee Hobbs wr ites that, â€Å"Media messages are representations of social reality, defined as perceptions about the contemporary world, which are shared among individuals. Messages also represent the social realities of times and places far removed, and help us make sense of the past, present and future. People need the ability to judge the accuracy of particular messages, which may or may not reflect social reality† (Handbook of Research on Teaching Literacy Through the Communicative and Visual Arts, 1998). few understand that media literacy consists of teaching about media as well.So the problem is clear: our students are growing up with media messages, messages that fill the bulk of their leisure time and provide them with information about who to vote for and what consumer decisions to make. Yet students receive little to no training in the skills of analyzing or evaluating these messages, many of which make use of language, moving images, music, sound effects, special visual effects and other techniques that powerfully affect our emotional responses. Educator’s are still focusing on historical context of the past, when cultural survival depended upon the mastery of the printed word.While these skills are even more important today, language is only one of a number of symbol systems which humans use to express and share meaning. Changes in communication technologies over the past 100 years have created a cultural environment that has extended and reshaped the role of language and the written word. Over the past decade, there's been a lot of discussion about how to best help teachers, parents and students be more critical consumers of the media. Quite logically, this response has been called â€Å"media literacy. Media scholar David Considine describes media literacy: â€Å"In an age when most Americans get most of their information from television, not textbooks, pictures not print, we need a wider definition of what it means to be literate. [Media lite racy], then, is an expanded information and communications skill that is responsive to the changing nature of information in our society. It moves from merely recognizing and comprehending information to the higher order critical thinking skill implicit in questioning, analyzing and evaluating that information† (Telemedium, Fall 95).Because the presence of media has become so accepted, we mistakenly presume that consumers of media are able to decode, deconstruct and digest media messages. Most of us received considerable teaching on how to interpret the written word, but we've had zero preparation for â€Å"reading† media messages. In an age when most Americans get most of their information from television not textbooks, pictures not print, we need a wider definition of what it means to be literate. Many of us grew up hearing the proverbs and adages like these: You Can't Judge a Book By Its Cover, A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words.These words are even truer today in a n age not only of computers and telecommunications but of virtual reality and imageneering. Today's technologies represent a startling fusion of sight and sound that frequently make it difficult for us to discern illusion from reality, fact from fiction. Special effects like those seen in movies like â€Å"JFK† and â€Å"Forrest Gump† merge the past with the present, color with black and white, the dead with the living, fact with fiction in such a way that the real truth can often be confused with the reel truth.Censorship and the welfare of our youth can not compete with big business, all we can do is try to arm ourselves and our children with the knowledge and understanding to correctly comprehend the messages that are being spewed from the media. With that power we may not be able to control what our children hear and see, but we can protect them with the knowledge of the motives of the messages. BIBLIOGRAPHY Deflem, Mathieu. Rap, Rock, and Censorship: Popular Cultu re and the Technologies of Justice. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Law and Society Association, Chicago, May 27-30.Chicago, 1993. Joanne Cantor, Pd. D. â€Å"Who's Freedom of Speech is it Anyway? † Madison Civic's Club. Madison: Joanne Cantor, Ph. D, 2002. Kirchheimer, Sid. WebMD Health News. 3 March 2003. 1 April 2011. Piotrowski, by Tom. â€Å"Media messages†¦ more than meets the eye? † The Center for Parent/Youth Understanding (2003). RIMER, SARA. â€Å"New Yorimesk T. † 17 october 1990. New York Times Archives. 22 April 2011 .