The World of Text of Prophecy of Ezekiel Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

The World of Text of Prophecy of Ezekiel - Essay Example nderstanding, the reader can come to the appreciation of the fact that it is at least potentially likely that the prophecies that were at alluded to within the book of Ezekiel, specifically chapter 38, had not yet come to pass at the time that revelation itself was written by the apostle John. It is the hope of this particular student that such an exegesis will provide the reader with a more accurate and informed understanding of the overall relevance that Ezekiel 38 has to the prophetic understanding that is represented throughout the Old and New Testaments. As has been previously discussed, the large majority of topics discussed within the book of Ezekiel are predicated upon future events and prophetic understanding of the way in which the experience of the Jewish people would take place. Moreover, as this book was written during a time of exile, the focus of individuals within the era in which it was written was invariably focused upon redemption and a return to their native lands.1 Not surprisingly, the chapters preceding Ezekiel chapter 38 focus upon a discussion and analysis for why the exile had taken place, the sins of previous generations, and fact that God was actively seeking to punish those individuals who had worked against is divine laws, chapter 38 references interpretation and discussion of prophetic vision that is not contingent upon an entirely optimistic future.2 As such, chapter 38, and chapter 39 for that matter, specifically references the fact that the Jewish people will face trials and extreme hardships in the com ing years. Moreover, the memory of exile and difficulties of attempting to keep a relationship with God while amongst the heathens of Babylon is engaged in such a manner as so as to warn the reader that the excitement and jubilation for a long awaited return would not descend immediately into the type of old habits or behaviors that had in fact caused the exile to take originally take place. Yet, what has been discussed thus far

Inter Textual Synthesis Essay Essay Example for Free

Inter Textual Synthesis Essay Essay Kate Chopin’s novel, The Awakening, centers around the theme of discovering oneself. The book shows readers the world of Edna Pontellier and gives them a window into her numerous insecurities and hesitations. Throughout the book, Edna attempts to become the opposite of the stereotypical women of her time. She chooses to be herself instead of the socially acceptable role she is expected to be. Additionally, Natasha Tretheway’s poem â€Å"Domestic Work† and Bobby Coles’ poem â€Å"Finding Yourself† attack the issues of independence, relationships, and gender. These two poems in combination with The Awakening strive to challenge the status quo of women everywhere. In the 19th century, women were expected to be domestic goddesses. As a married woman, it was important to be a positive influence on her husband and children, but was still expected to address to her husband as the head of the household. These restrictions had many women, including Edna in The Awakening, feeling trapped. Some women felt the need to become their own person, as opposed to the woman they were expected to become. In the poem, â€Å"Domestic Work†, the reader is given a preview of a typical woman in the 1930’s: â€Å"She beats time on the rugs, blows dust from the broom like dandelion spores, each one a wish for something better. † (Trethewey 23-26). The poem displays the monotonous life of women in the 19th century, and how some women desired something more. Edna, from The Awakening, is included in the category of women who longed for a life beyond household chores. In both The Awakening and â€Å"Domestic Work†, independence and a woman’s relationships are subjects of choice. Edna feels that she should be able to be free and independent. She wants to make her own choices about men and decide on her own who she loves without anyone else’s opinion influencing her choice. When Edna starts to lose the feelings she once had for her husband, she falls for Robert Lebrun. In fact, Edna had no intention to marry Leonce to begin with; â€Å"Her marriage to Leonce Pontellier was purely an accident, in this respect resembling many other marriages which masquerade as the decrees of Fate† (Chopin 23). Edna desires to have freedom. Robert wants a marriage with Edna, which conflicts with what she wants. Her feelings for Robert are strong but Robert has mature feelings for Edna, eyond what she feels for him. Though Edna wishes she could say the same, her love for him is more an infatuation-not true love. â€Å"As Edna walked along the street she was thinking of Robert. She was still under the spell of her infatuation. She had tried to forget him, realizing the inutility of remembering. But the thought of him was like an obsession† (Chopin 71). In the end, Edna realizes she cannot have both independence and true love. She decides to keep Robert out of her life and ends up drowning herself because of the internal conflict she has endured. In the poem â€Å"Finding Yourself†, author Bobby Coles explains that a person has to reach inside himself/herself in order to discover who he/she is. Similarly, Edna and the woman in â€Å"Domestic Work† are enduring their own journey. In Coles’ poem, he intentionally writes without specificity of gender, therefore making the poem easily relatable to readers of any gender. Coles uses descriptive language to create an image of what it is like to go through the process of finding yourself like Edna and the woman in Domestic Work did. â€Å"When are you most comfortable? Are you being true to yourself? You are in there somewhere. Judge on your own. Listen not to others. Look in the mirror. See beyond the image† (Coles 35-41). Coles encourages readers to not be influenced by the opinions of others, and instead, judge for themselves. In each text, the idea of taking your life in your own hands is present. Each of the poems and The Awakening displays themes of gender, relationships and independence. These themes help shape the stories and give the reader a greater understanding of the messages, as well as make connections to each of the characters.

Impact of Prejudice and Discrimination in Canadian Society

Impact of Prejudice and Discrimination in Canadian Society Arjun Pasricha Introduction Words like prejudice and discrimination have become common terms and they are referred often in our daily life, such as media, books, news, casual conversations, and political discussions. Prejudice and discrimination have been in focus since 1960s and these issues have been researched extensively since the last few decades. This surge of interest to understand the impact of prejudice and discrimination in Canadian society has defined the purpose for this report and the report attempts to explore and examine a complete picture of prejudice and discrimination in the contemporary Canadian society. The report is built on sociological, anthropological and psychological perspectives and aims to examine prejudice and discrimination issues that emerge in Canadian social situations because of social interactions (Eriksen, 2010). The conceptualization of prejudice and discrimination, two forms of social bias have evolved over a period of time and are acknowledged as one of the greatest societal challenges because of their dreadful negative effects on the Canadian society. Presently, there is a universal consensus among all that prejudice and discrimination are one of the serious social issues in Canada and they typically appear together, prejudice is considered as the thought, while discrimination is the action (Dovidio, 2010). According to Driedger and Palmer (2011) prejudice and discrimination is always seen to intersect each other and manifests in many forms. For example, people may have prejudices against some groups and end up engaging in a discriminating manner with them. For instance, social pressures may subject prejudices against women and marginalized population and discriminate them in employment, education, or social services (Chin, 2009). Prejudice is defined as a construction of negative preconc eived beliefs, notions, feelings, attitudes, and opinions about a group of people or individuals, that may be felt or expressed, usually because of ethnicity, religion or race (Chin, 2009). On the other hand discrimination is defined as discouraging or negative treatment towards others because of their sex, gender, race, disability, sexual orientation, religion or belief and age (Dawson, 2013). The discrimination construct not only involves biased treatment , but also unacceptable and inequitable behaviour towards some individuals or some group members, that are excluded from society because of prejudice (Dovidio, 2010). Ageism and Society Ageism is considered as one of the most prevalent prejudices in the society and can be defined as the denial of basic human rights to elderly population (Gutman Spencer, 2010). Sociologists are of the view that people have stereotype prejudice view of older population in the society because of their age, which leads to discrimination. Often aging population experience prejudice in their workplace and typically society holds negative stereotypes for aging population. They commonly presume that old adults are senile, sad, lonely, incompetent, have poor physical or mental health, have conservative thinking, and rigid ideas or opinions. Employment discrimination against old age manifests in different ways, old adults who worked for the company in their younger years are pushed out as they grow older, on the other hand, companies may refrain from hiring old adults, and aging population are unable to get similar employment opportunities as younger population (Gunderson, 2003). Moreover, younger population have negative stereotype thinking that aging population have massive medical expenses and they are a drain on the Canadian system. (Edwards, 2002). Therefore, these negative stereotypes and discriminations can have detrimental effects on aging population. They feel they are being unreasonably blamed for being a burden on health care systems, the Canada Pension Plan and Old Age Security. Therefore, these negative impressions of society foster discrimination against aging population (Mei, et all, 2013). It is time for all of us as individuals to increase our awareness and question our negative stereotype thinking, relook at our assumption about aging and older population. We need to take extra care to reach out to them with an open mind and treat them as valued and important contributors of our Canadian society. Employers too need to value them and make efforts to understand diverse needs of aging population. Moreover, Canadian government has a continued focus on expanding their age inclusive policies that facilitate aging population to have a choice to lead their life to the fullest. Thus, there is a great need for our society as a whole to address the societal issue of ageism. Although, change may not happen overnight, but we all can take the responsibility to collectively build an age-inclusive society. Social Anthropology Perspective on History of Immigrants Immigration to Canada led to an increase in population of diverse cultures. Immigrants were from varied economic and ethnic backgrounds. However, this led to rise in disagreements regarding aspects such as economic benefits or employment for immigrants. This report focuses on social anthropological point of view to describe impact of prejudice and discrimination on immigrants on basis of their ethnicity and culture. Historically, early Canadian immigration policies were largely discriminative Prejudice and discrimination emerged in 17th and 18th centuries in Canada between Aboriginals, and French and European colonizers. Europeans and French viewed those Aboriginals as uncivilized and uncouth. In the 19th century Canada opened its immigration policy and a number of immigrants from other origins were seen. However, Canadians shared prejudices concerning the capabilities of the immigrant groups. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, whites considered themselves superior in front of nonwhite groups and nonwhites faced a great deal of social prejudice (Driedger Palmer, 2011). In the late 1800 and early 1900, Asian immigrants faced anti-Asian sentiments in British Columbia. They were considered inferior and were discriminated because of their willingness to work for lower wages than whites. Moreover, discriminatory social practices in British Columbia made Asians refrain from voting, practicing law, or careers with civil service. Numerous attempts were made by anti-Asians to prohibit Asians from studying in public schools (Driedger Palmer, 2011). Black Canadians also were subjected to extensive patterns of discrimination in the late 1900 and early 2000s in Nova Scotia and Ontario. They were forced to study in segregated schools, faced discrimination in housing, employment and use of public services. Moreover, on various occasions they were refused to be served in hotels or restaurants. Additionally, whites expressed prejudice toward Black Canadians and saw them as backward, ill-mannered, unaware, dishonest, violent, and law breakers (Driedger Palmer, 2011). After the Second World War, in response for human concern, Canada signed the United Nations charter on Universal Declaration of Human Rights in the year 1948 and The Canadian Bill of Rights was adopted in the 1960. This brought in new tolerance policies and helped to weaken the rigid relationships of prejudice and discrimination. The shift resulted in introduction of more unbiased immigration laws and by the 1970s globalization helped in greater inflow of multicultural immigrants (Driedger Palmer, 2011). Thus immigration policies and regulations have changed, mostly to eradicate overt discrimination on the basis of immigrants’ race or culture. Today Canadians are proud of being a tolerant society, where people of all different racial, ethnic, and national backgrounds live together harmoniously (Dion, 2002). An Ethnic Diversity Survey conducted in 2003 examined the ethnic and cultural backgrounds of Canadians and concluded that 93 per cent of population had never, or rarely, encountered discrimination or prejudice because of their ethnicity or cultural attributes. Nevertheless, some new immigrants did sometimes feel discriminated in personal, economic, social, or political situations (Driedger Palmer, 2011). References Chin, J. L. (2009). The psychology of prejudice and discrimination: A revised and condensed edition. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO. Dawson, C. (2013). Prejudice: Reed Business Information Ltd. Dovidio, J. F. (2010). The Sage handbook of prejudice, stereotyping and discrimination. London: SAGE. Driedger, L. , Palmer, H. (2011). Prejudice and Discrimination. The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved on July 12, 2014, from http://www. thecanadianencyclopedia. ca/en/article/prejudice-and-discrimination/ Edwards, A. (2002). Its about time: A new campaign by the ontario human rights commission aims to advance rights for older citizens. Marketing Magazine, 107 (32), 12. Eriksen, T. H. (2010). Ethnicity and nationalism: Anthropological perspectives. New York; London: Pluto Press. Gunderson, M. (2003). Age discrimination in employment in canada. Contemporary Economic Policy, 21 (3), 318-328. doi: 10. 1093/cep/byg013 Gutman, G. , Spencer, C. (2010). Aging, ageism and abuse: Moving from awareness to action. San Diego: Academic Press. Mei, Z. , Fast, J. , Eales, J. (2013). Gifts of a Lifetime: The Contributions of Older Canadians. Retrieved on July 13, 2014, from http://www. rapp. ualberta. ca/~/media/rapp/Home/Documents/Gifts_of_a_Lifetime_2013Sep23. pdf Novak, M. W. , Campbell, L. D. (1993). Aging and society: A Canadian perspective. Scarborough, Ontario: Nelson Canada. Retrieved on July 12, 2014 from http://www. nelsonbrain. com/content/novak0043x_017650043x_02. 01_chapter01. pdf Lozen, J. C. Barratt, J. (2012). Revera report on ageism. Revera Inc. in partner-ship with Leger Marketing. Annotated Bibliography Chin, J. L. (2009). The psychology of prejudice and discrimination: A revised and condensed edition. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO. Dawson, C. (2013). Prejudice: Reed Business Information Ltd. Dovidio, J. F. (2010). The Sage handbook of prejudice, stereotyping and discrimination. London: SAGE. Edwards, A. (2002). Its about time: A new campaign by the ontario human rights commission aims to advance rights for older citizens. Marketing Magazine, 107 (32), 12. Eriksen, T. H. (2010). Ethnicity and nationalism: Anthropological perspectives. New York; London: Pluto Press. Gunderson, M. (2003). Age discrimination in employment in canada. Contemporary Economic Policy, 21 (3), 318-328. doi: 10. 1093/cep/byg013 Gutman, G. , Spencer, C. (2010). Aging, ageism and abuse: Moving from awareness to action. San Diego: Academic Press.

Norovirus: Strategies To Improve Terminal Cleaning

Norovirus: Strategies To Improve Terminal Cleaning This paper provides comprehensive background information related to norovirus outbreak and critically evaluate the implications of the issue by expounding on the adoption of infection control measures and effective management practices to minimise risk factors associated with the epidemic followed by terminal cleaning in an orthopaedic ward. The historical background of the infection was specified when an outbreak of gastro-enteritis was detected in a school in the town of Norwalk, Ohio, USA, more than 25 years ago, and Norovirus (NV) was then recognized as a potential ailment. The virus is derived from a genus within the family Caliciviridae consisting of a diverse group of non-enveloped RNA viruses that generally lead to infection. It was previously named as Small round structured virus (SRSV) infection and Norwalk-like virus (NLV) infection and is said to cause winter vomiting although it can occur at any time of year. Substantial increase has been observed in the outbreaks of nor ovirus infection in recent years and it has been reported that the GII.4 norovirus strain has increased transmissibility and virulence resulting in excess expected mortality and morbidity rates amongst affected patients (Harris et al. 2008). Although the disease is self limiting and is considered mild but elderly and immune-compromised patients are said to be at higher risk. Lopman et al, (2003) after analysing data from norovirus outbreaks in England and Wales during 1992-2000, disagreed to acknowledge norovirus as a trivial disease and emphasized that it is one of the contributing factor to the worsening condition of the immune-compromised patients. The instigation of the infection is acute which is initially characterized by abdominal cramps, diarrhoea, nausea, and vomiting followed by myalgia, headache, malaise and a low grade fever that might transpire in up to 50% of cases (Wilson 2001). The highly contagious viral gastroenteritis is spread by person to person contact through faecal oral route furthermore, aerosols or environmental contamination followed by faecal accidents or droplet transmission through projectile vomiting is another cause of infection as it spread viruses into the air as an indiscernible mist and especially targets the vulnerable individuals in a closed or semi-closed setting e.g. hospital wards and nursing homes. Noroviruses has the tendency to spread quiet easily and may also cause outbreaks due to contaminated food or drink as these viruses may settle on people or food present in the same room. The virus can also be widely spread due to negligence of healthcare staff to maintain hygiene or due to the c ontaminated surfaces especially commodes, toilet doors and chains, taps etc (Chadwick et al. 2000). The symptoms lasting for at least 48 hours indicate that the patient with viral gastroenteritis is considered to be potentially infectious. The symptoms may last longer in case of elderly patients and the severity of the vomiting may also result in dehydration. Test results of faeces or vomit determine the identification of viral gastroenteritis and it has been submitted that the onset of vomiting in a number of people over a period of 1-3 days indicate that the virus is continuously spreading within the setting. It has been studied by Love et al, (2002) that norovirus outbreaks can be devastating in closed or semi-closed communities as for example hospitals, nursing homes, child care centres and leisure industry settings such as hotels, restaurants and caravan camps are more susceptible to trigger the outbreak of infection. The daily routine within a closed or semi-closed setting can be seriously disrupted by the outbreaks due to relatively high attack rates as the transmission of virus is enormously swift. The outbreak of norovirus infection confers short term immunity with a rapid spread out and therefore, absolute prevention from the epidemic is unattainable however, the risk of norovirus outbreak can be mitigated by effective control measures in order to limit its impact and disruption of routine healthcare services. Every single healthcare unit shall prepare a logical series of steps followed by an outbreak plan agreed by the Infection Control Committee of the hospital or Director of Public Health, in order to recognize the risk of outbreak instantaneously and establish the effective control measures. As soon as norovirus outbreak is suspected, the outbreak control team that is usually comprised of consultant microbiologist or other medical staff members, need to take necessary initiatives to identify the extent of outbreak by coordinating the preliminary investigations and take all the necessary measures to impede the spread of infection, if the outbreak is declared (Said et al. 2 008). The most significant aspect after detecting an outbreak is effective communication that can be achieved by placing notices at the entrance to the ward, alerting the relevant and voluntary staff to take charge, distributing leaflets and educating the visitors to postpone their visits. One of the most preliminary preventive measures is stringent hand washing with water and soap followed by the use of gloves and plastic aprons by the healthcare staff while taking care of patients and finally the use of face masks when dealing with vomit or removal of exposed food. Moreover, immediate disinfection of the setting with chlorine releasing disinfectants, when contaminated with vomit or stool prevents embedding of the virus and further spread. Segregation and isolation of affected patients are useful preventive approaches however, it could be problematic due to over occupancy of the rooms and beds. On the other hand, patients might also be unwilling to move from their room to another as the isolated patients express greater dissatisfaction towards their treatment and seem to obtain less documented care however, it is crucial to keep the symptomatic people apart from asymptomatic ones. The uninfected patients could be discharged only if the patient is able to cope up with the situation in case if there is a likelihood of him/her becoming symptomatic. Closure of the entire orthopaedic ward is a wise alternative that significantly discourages the exchange of staff and patients between wards so that the probable spread of the infection to other wards can be prevented (Ayliffe et al. 2000). Exclusion of the symptomatic staff members is imperative and must not show up on work until 48 hours after normal bowel habits have returne d. The excessive admittance to the ward must also be reduced to avoid the over crowdedness and uninfected patients may be discharged to their homes provided their relatives are educated about the personal risk to themselves and also about the preventive measures so that the probable risk of infection can be minimised. As studied by Gallimore et al, (2006) norovirus can be found on a huge variety of hand-touch sites such as toilet taps, door-handles, hospital equipment, elevator and microwave buttons, switches and telephones and therefore additional efforts are anticipated from the cleaning staff during an outbreak. In order to control the outbreaks of norovirus the significance of environmental cleaning must be evidently acknowledged and specifically addressed. Cleaning does not necessarily means to clean the floors, the norovirus outbreak requires a comprehensive terminal cleaning program at least twice a day and the cleaning includes clinical equipment, floors, toilets and general surfaces (Damani 2003). Furthermore, curtains, bed covers and pillow cases should be removed and sent to the laundry, and the rest of the soft furnishings including carpets shall be either washed down or, preferably, steam-cleaned. All general cleaning agents especially those used for cleaning toilets and bathroom area s should be with a chlorine-containing disinfectant or bleach at a specified concentration which is usually 1000ppm chlorine (Horton Parker 2002). With some surfaces the use of 1000ppm chlorine is incompatible and requires correct safety measures to be taken by the cleaning team which sometimes becomes difficult due to lack of training or individual negligence however, no differences were found between disinfection with 250ppm chlorine and the use of no chlorine. Barker et al, (2004) suggested that the cleaning policies should always include the use of chlorine releasing disinfectants since detergent-based cleaning often fails to eradicate the virus from the environment. There are certain factors that significantly influence the management of the overall outbreak within a healthcare setting or an orthopaedic ward. The foremost factor that greatly affects the preventive measure is the delay in the identification of an outbreak as a result of which there could be chaos during the epidemic which could be extremely exasperating. The main reason of such a gaffe could be flawed infection control policy, inconsistent decision making, sheer negligence or simply false judgement. The administrative policy of a healthcare setting plays an important role to determine the success and failure of an organization to combat with complicated health crisis. A clear, concise and effectively documented framework enables the healthcare staff to carry out preventive and control interventions by adhering to the strict rules and regulations and thereby, mitigate the risks of mismanagement. The organizational policy provides a platform for the infection control team to carry out preliminary investigations to substantiate the outbreak and immediately take full control of the situation by integrating the early control measures as for example, segregation and isolation of affected patients and comprehensive cleaning. Regardless of the size and capacity, every closed and semi-closed setting must designate the infection control staff to manage the outbreak. The preliminary investigation should be led by the consultant microbiologist or infection control nurse or any other designated clinician to establish a tentative diagnosis and to convene an outbreak control team if norovirus is suspected (McCulloch 2001). The composition of the team may vary depending on the setting and the extent of the outbreak. The infection control team is responsible to develop a descriptive epidemiology along with environmental health investigation to quantify the extent of the outbreak with the help of survey questionnaires that additionally help to identify the outbreak in terms of an individual, place, time etc followed by which careful preventive measures are undertaken to exclude a sources of contamination. The organizational and structural policy helps the infection control team to compile and analyse data of the reported cases followed by microbiological investigations and complex analytical studies to determine possible exposures and methods of transmission (Pellowe et al. 2003). The role of senior management and decision makers of a healthcare setting is very crucial in addressing the complications raised by the norovirus outbreak within an orthopaedic ward. For an organization capital and revenue, recurring and non-recurring costs must be considered while developing an infection preventive and control policy. It is very important for a healthcare setting to assess the risk control planning process and compare it with the risk exposure costs with the cost of planned improvements to current controls (White et al. 2008). The norovirus outbreak within an orthopaedic ward demands additional staffing, training requirements capacity, cleaning equipment and several other resources. Extra staffing is required depending upon the size and capacity of the setting but usually additional drivers and substitute nurses are arranged prior to an outbreak. Furthermore, training requirements also increases as an outbreak of norovirus within an orthopaedic ward is an emergency situation where the need of highly skilled and trained healthcare staff becomes higher. The increase in resource requirements must also be considered and identified prior to draw infe ction management plan as it is quite possible that the impact in cost or resources required might outweigh the actual impact of the risk materialising on the organisation (Reason 2000). Therefore, it is essential for the policy makers to prioritize the needs and requirements of the issue and compare it with the budgetary restrictions and come up with a sensible and realistic plan that not only addresses the issue but also abide by with the fiscal arrangement of the organization. The preventive and control policy must ensure to respond to the increased demand for cleaning in the affected areas and for additional demand for cleaning supplies etc. The prioritisation of risks allows the organisation to characterise the potential health risks that require early attention on a cost and benefits basis and address them in the most effective way. Moreover, it is wise for the management to develop a partnership culture that guarantees the involvement and participation of all staff in risk ass essment so that the distribution of responsibilities is equally distributed and comprehensively understood. Staffing is yet another factor that subsequently influences the progression of preventive measures and management of infection. Increase workload can be observed followed by a norovirus outbreak within a healthcare setting as there is an incremental admission of patients and this may lead to unmanageable situation. When the workload increases it is quite obvious that the healthcare team is under extreme pressure and a lot of stress on an individual basis and therefore, it becomes vital to draw a sensible management plan to reduce traffic as it becomes very difficult for the healthcare staff to maintain absolute hygiene practices running parallel to incremental workload and visitors. The overcrowded wards shows a potential risk of accelerating the circulation of norovirus in the healthcare setting as well as a wide distribution of the virus in the environment outside a ward or hospital which is alarming. Furthermore, the spread of infection is not restricted to patients and the health care team especially those having direct contact with the patients are equally susceptible to catch the disease and hence there is a probability of shrinkage in staff members (Damani 2003). The increasing absences may lead to a difficult situation for the management as the size of the setting or the overall budgetary restrictions may result in downgrading the infection preventative and control measures. It is very important to retain highly trained staff and nurses in the ward at the time of an outbreak as the lack of trained and experienced staff may also result in the worsening of the overall development. By ensuring hygienic practices and the implementation of strict infection control measures the overall staff benefits as fewer staff members will fall ill, consequently there will be fewer costs for sick leave and the substitution of staff. Moreover, continuous care for the patients will also be guaranteed. The influential factor like human fallacy is another aspect which cannot be ignored. The patients and healthcare staff are both humans and it is quite possible for an individual to deliberately refuse to follow the specified guidelines and hygiene practices or an individual may unintentionally do something which might aggravate the issue (Reason 2000). On the other hand, poor structural and utility planning may also be an aggravating factor especially where there is a lack of wash hand basins in clinical areas then the possibility of virus spread becomes inevitable (Rayfield et al. 2003). The excessive workload and pressure due to rush season especially when there is a declared epidemic within a healthcare setting, the overstretched staff sometimes become ignorant to comply with the infection preventive and control measures that lead to severe consequences. Another significant aspect is the lack of education regarding the underlying issue which significantly becomes the prime cause o f spreading virus. The unhygienic or ignorant behaviour of the patients visitors also add to the worsening of the situation. The correct approach is to educate every single individual about the norovirus and the preventive measures and every possible means of communication as for example, advertisements through television, radio programs, newspapers and magazines must all be utilized to spread the message to common people. The management of closed and semi-closed settings must also ensure to educate people by pasting posters and distributing informative materials and leaflets about the norovirus. Collective human efforts to educate each other about the underlying issue would help to minimise the risk of spreading virus and would also facilitate in maintaining cleaner and healthier environment (Reason 2000). Once the outbreak has been declared the ward should be closed to admissions and the doors of the ward should also be kept closed to avoid the irrelevant visitors. There is a need to place an approved notice on the door indicating that a suspected norovirus outbreak, or outbreak of diarrhoea and vomiting within the orthopaedic ward followed by which the unnecessary traffic to the ward must be stopped. To conclude, the most integral aspect of improving the terminal cleaning of the ward is dependent upon how effectively the awareness has been created amongst the people. It is imperative to educate every individual who is particularly closer to the ward that includes, bed management, nurses, food handlers, waste management staff, cleaners, consultants, and health protection team. According to DoH (2003), daily updates must be circulated among the healthcare staff and the residents of the ward or healthcare setting during norovirus outbreaks. Education is an effective tool as the more individuals are aware of the facts the more they would adhere to preventive and control measures which subsequently result in progression of effective cleaning practices. Apart from educating people, the pragmatic approach should be adopted right after the discharge of patients followed by removing the linen on the beds and curtains to avoid any chances of left over virus attacks. The tangible surfaces s hall be cleaned with neutral detergent and water and then dried. During the terminal cleaning the beds shall not be re-made and every minute aspect shall be emphasized in order to attain a zero defect environment. Noroviruses has the tendency to survive for up to a week on cleaned beds and on clean bed linen and therefore, the terminal cleaning requires careful and thorough cleaning. An adequate amount of literature is available expounding on the infection preventive and control measures pertaining to the norovirus and there is not much difference in the recommended strategies to thwart the issue however, it is significant to realise that despite of such written about issue the prevention of the disease is still unattainable and this is because noroviruses are not visible to the naked eyes and the most critical factor i.e. human fallacy still persists and can never be prohibited. Therefore, to mitigate the spread of norovirus it is important not only to adhere with the specified pre ventive guidelines but also to increase awareness amongst the uninfected people so that the likelihood of virus spread out can be completely controlled and diminished. Barro-Gordon Model: Overview and Analysis Barro-Gordon Model: Overview and Analysis To what extent is there a disconnect between theoretical models of monetary policy, and how monetary policy is conducted in the real world? Your answer should draw on the theoretical models of monetary policy we have covered in lectures, and your knowledge of the monetary policy framework at the Bank of England (minimum 950 words, maximum 1000 words). The theories surrounding monetary policy have been radically transformed in recent decades, ultimately shaping the institutional structure and policies of central banks. The focus until recently was upon ‘a mandate, independence and accountability (Svensson, 2009) which closely reflected theoretical models, however the shifting nature of the economy with the current financial crisis has meant a greater disconnect between theory and practice. The Barro-Gordon model depicted the choices policy makers face when creating monetary policy. The incentive for policy-makers to create surprise inflation is shown below: (Taken from â€Å"The Barro Gordon model of rules vs. discretion†, Costain) This temptation of a temporary rise in employment is correlated with the pressure on governments to achieve high results before elections. The problem becomes time-inconsistent with rational expectations and a multi-period model. The optimal policy for government is positive inflation, which agents know and thus set expectations equal to. This demonstrates the optimal result of a binding rule. The rule vs. discretion debate highlighted the need to constrain government interference, resulting in increasing central bank independence and a focus upon long term horizons. However, rules cannot accommodate all possible events, and have created problems evident in the Thatcher government. The US policy between 1950-66, and 1985-2000 provides evidence that discretionary policy can produce good results. The assumptions of the distinction between only two types of central bankers and perfect control over the price level are deemed unrealistic. The granting of Central Bank independence within the UK in 1997 could be seen as a response to the impetus within theoretical literature such as Barro-Gordon to do so. Following this, the MPC was said to gain instant credibility with long-tern inflation expectations falling sharply. Empirical findings below support independent central banks ability to sustain lower inflation with no output cost. Central banks tend to follow Fischers theory of instrument independence and goal dependence. The idea of â€Å"constrained discretion† is seen in the UK with the Chancellors requirement of a remit letter if inflation strays by 1pp from target. The independence of the UKs Quantitative easing policy is seen by its status of â€Å"the business of the bank† (Mervyn King). However the democratic need for accountability is seen in the UKs allowance of a member of the treasury to sit in on meetings. Reputation and delegation are two theoretical commitment solutions to the dynamic-inconsistency problem. (Romer, 2001). Reputation plays a role in monetary policy, in a state of uncertainty such as the UK, where the image of central bankers of inflation fighting is important to establish credibility thus incentivising them to achieve targets. This issue is seen as being â€Å"near..to the hearts of real central bankers† (Blinder) and is achieved by processes such as publishing votes. Commitment solutions rely on the importance of expectations and are prominent in theory and practice of real world policy. This is reflected in the prominent role of the Bank of Englands inflation and output forecasts. However the New Keynesian Phillips Curve assumption that a rise in inflation expectations would give rise to inflation did not hold in recent times, as shown below. Rogoffs proposal of delegating monetary policy to ‘Conservative central bankers that are more inflation-averse than the general public provided the â€Å"intellectual framework for the redesign of the central banks† (Clement, 2008). It has been influential in the Bank of Englands appointment choices with the Conservative views of insiders dominating monetary policy (Spencer, 2009). The need for the ‘optimal level of conservatism explains ‘flexible inflation targets in many central banks, and the inclusion of ‘outsiders within the MPC. The use of a one-shot game and its exclusion of a disinflation possibility (Hallett, Libich Stehlik) disconnects it from reality. Although there is no such inclusion of a ‘performance contract (Walsh, 1995) within monetary policy, the theory drew attention to optimal incentive structures for central banks, which is a current focus in the financial crisis literature. The use of an inflation target which allows for output stabilisation, seen in the Svensson model (1997), is correlates with this theory and is evident in most central banks. Svensson proposes an optimal reaction function similar to the Taylor Rule, which the UKs MPC is said to follow (Spencer 2009). However due its ‘individualistic (Blinder) nature consolidated in the ‘one member one vote system, one rule could never account for the heterogeneous views within the MPC. However Harris Spencer model (2009) state that â€Å"the institutional status of Bank of England MPC members† holds more importance than differing reaction functions, The MPC contains five insiders appointed from within the bank, and four outsiders, appointed from other professions and academia. Theory correlates with practice, with insiders more likely to hold conservative views and vote as a block, when compared to outsiders. The rapid change of the economy in the recent financial crisis has led to a disconnection between theory and practice. The ‘one tool, one target approach has proved inadequate in dealing with the financial crisis. Blanchflower (2009) stipulated the exclusion of the financial sector as the reason the Central Bank was slow to realise the severity of the crisis. The effect of the financial crisis confirms the view that theory arises from events, and their unpredictability means models will always contain shortfalls. Shortfalls are also evident in healthy economies. The complete markets assumption seen in such influential models like the DSGE and the ones discussed above does not hold in a world â€Å"characterised by herding behaviour speculative bubbles† (Blanchflower, 2009). Critics cite the inclusion of fiscal policy within models as likely to alter results. In conclusion, the models I have discussed have been influential in determining the institutional structure of the bank, the type of central banker appointed and how they are done so. They have signified the importance of the role of bank incentives and expectations in forming policy. However as the recent financial crisis has shown, in such a dynamic complicated world littered with uncertainties, generalised models can never satisfy all the demands of practical monetary policy. Bibliography Books Blinder (1999), â€Å"Central Banking in Theory Practice† Romer (2001), â€Å"Advanced Macroeconomics† Articles Barro, (1977), â€Å"Unanticipated Money Growth and Unemployment in the United States†, The American Economic Review Barro, (1978), â€Å"Unanticipated Money, Output, and the Price Level in the United States†, The Journal of Political Economy Fischer (1994), How independent should a central bank be? Working Papers in Applied Economic Theory Hallett, Libich Stehlik (2007), Rogoff Revisited: The Conservative Central Banker Proposition Under Active Fiscal Policies, CAMA Working Papers Herrendorf, Berthold and Lockwood (1997), â€Å"Rogoff ´s conservative central banker restored†, Journal of Money, Credit, and Banking Spencer Harris (2009), â€Å"The Policy Choices and Reaction Functions of Bank of England MPC Members†, Southern Economic Journal Spencer (2009), Lectures Notes for Loughborough University Svensson (2009), â€Å"Optimal Inflation Targets, ‘Conservative Central Banks and Linear Inflation Contracts†, American Economic Review Walsh (1995), â€Å"Optimal Contracts for Central Bankers†, The American Economic Review Websites Bank of England, â€Å"Monetary Policy†, accessed at http://www.bankofengland.co.uk/monetarypolicy/overview.htm on 22/11/2009 Bank of England, â€Å"Treasury Committee enquiry into the Monetary Policy Committee of the Bank of England†, accessed at http://www.bankofengland.co.uk/publications/other/treasurycommittee/mpc/tsc070219.pdf on 23/11/2009 Bean , â€Å"Is there a New Consensus In Monetary Policy?†, accessed at http://www.bankofengland.co.uk/publications/other/monetary/bean070413.pdf on 23/11/2009 Blanchflower, â€Å"The Future of Monetary Policy† accessed at http://www.bankofengland.co.uk/publications/speeches/2009/speech382.pdf on 24/11/2009 Clements, â€Å"A Rogoff Interview†, accessed at http://www.minneapolisfed.org/publications_papers/pub_display.cfm?id=4117 on 22/11/2009 Costain, â€Å"The Barro-Gordon model of Rules vs Discretion†, accessed at http://www.econ.upf.edu/~costain/theory4/bg.pdf on 22/11/2009 on 22/11/2009 Duncan, â€Å"King rounds on Cameron for trying to interfere in Quantitative Easing†, accessed at http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard-business/article-23767982-king-rounds-on-cameron-for-trying-to-interfere-in-quantitative-easing.do on 22/11/2009 Spencer Dale 2009  «Inflation targeting: Learning the lessons from the financial crisis » http://www.bankofengland.co.uk/publications/speeches/2009/speech395.pdf Svensson (2009), â€Å"Flexible Inflation Targeting: Lessons from Financial Targeting†, accessed at http://people.su.se/~leosven/papers/090921e.pdf on 21/11/2009

Illusion and Fairies in Shakespeares A Midsummer Nights Dream Essay

Illusion and Fairies in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream The main theme of love in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream is explored by four young lovers, who, for the sake of their passions, quit the civilized and rational city of Athens, and its laws, and venture into the forest, there to follow the desires of their hearts - or libidos as the case may be. In this wild and unknown wilderness, with the heat and emotion commonly brought on by a midsummer night, they give chase, start duels, profess their love and hatred and otherwise become completely confused and entangled in the realities and perceptions of their own emotions. What better opportunity for Shakespeare to introduce a world of fairies then this? Shakespeare's fairies live in this wild forest were they love, fight, play and helpfully sort the poor young lovers out before sending them off, back to their own civilized world. Like many of the other elements in this play Shakespeare gives his fairies a healthy mix of illusion and reality. The Fairies use illusion in their exploi ts and Shakespeare uses them in the Dream in such a way that one might ask: are they even real or are they themselves an illusion? Because of Shakespeare's unique portrayal of the fairy world of A Midsummer Night's Dream it is often criticized as being contrary to the popular folk beliefs of fairies at the time. The fairies in the Dream which are described as "Diminutive, pleasing and picturesque sprites" are thought to "present themselves as a new race of fairies, as different from the popular fairies of tradition as are those fairies from the fays of medieval romances" (Latham 180). It is this "diminutive" stature of the fairies that is brought up the most often by critics who b... ...audience, imploring them that if they wish not to believe what they have seen, then they might think of it as a dream as well (Epilogue). This from the mouth of their well-known and loved Robin Goodfellow only serves to convince even more. And Robin has been known as Puck ever since. Bibliography Briggs, K. M. The Anatomy of Puck. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Ltd, 1959. Briggs, Katharine M. The Vanishing People. London: B.T. Batsford Ltd, 1978. Hunt, Leigh Day By The Fire. Boston: Roberts Brothers, 1870. Latham, Minor White Ph.D. The Elizabethan Fairies. New York: Columbia University Press, 1930. Ovid Metamorphoses. Trans. A. D. Melville, Intro and Notes E. J. Kenney. New York: Oxford University Press, 1986. Shakespeare, William "A Midsummer Night's Dream." The Norton Shakespeare: Comedies. Ed. S. Greenblatt et al. New York: Norton, 1997.

The Myth of Equality :: Racial Relations, Politics

In his article, â€Å"The Myth of Equality† written in August 2010 in his official blog, Patrick Buchanan, an American conservative political commentator, suggests that equality will never be achievable here in America when it comes to personal skills and abilities (par. 8). He points out the inequality that is evident in the American professional sports where only those who are considered â€Å"good† are thriving (par. 6-7). Buchanan reveals that the standardize test that is given to students proves that there is a disparity in education among racial groups (par. 16). He infers that here in America, because we vary in our capabilities to perform at something, inequalities among racial groups are almost the standard and it is demonstrated in several institutions. One organization where inequality among racial groups is established is in the American professional sports system; where only those who demonstrate excellence in the sport flourish. Buchanan interprets statistics reported by columnist Walter Williams to conclude that black male athletes dominate majority of the popular sports such as the NFL and the NBA (par. 5). Furthermore, Buchanan reveals that no one complains when Hispanics and Asians who make up a good percentage of the population are not visible nor pursued after in this organization (par. 2). The enactment of standardizes testing given to students to measure their academic abilities and supposedly will close achievement gap only prove that the battle to the end achievement gap between racial groups is a failure. Buchanon elucidate statistics of the results from the national test under the â€Å"No Child Left Behind† program to infer that there is a huge gap between white students and black students (par. 19). On the same note, New Yorks state test scores reveals a large imbalance in academics between different racial groups (par. 16) For Buchanon, here in America, the notion of equality among racial group will never be attained. This is because we as an individual, whether it is academic or athletic, are all different in a great deal of way. We respond to situation differently. There is always some sort of competition that is constantly occurring and it is certainly true that only those who exhibit excellence will be superior over the rest of the population. Although Patrick Buchanan’s essay proves the notion that equality among races when it comes to academic is in fact a myth, he failed to illustrate other influences that drive America in to racial inequality.

Aztec Food and Agriculture Informative Speech Essay

Informative Speech Outline I. Introduction of cultural component: How does it reflect the culture as a whole? Food is considered to be an important part of Aztec society since the Aztecs had no type of currency for their economy. According to allabouthistory.org, the Aztecs had a barter system, basically a trading system where they used foods, primarily cacao beans to trade one another for items such as clothing, eggs, and etc. for daily use. The amount of beans traded would vary from item to item depending on its value. Central Idea: How food influences the culture. Preview Main Points: 1. Diet 2. Agriculture 3. Influence on foods today Transition to Body: II.Body Main Point #1 The Aztecs only ate two meals a day, unlike people today. Since the ancient Aztecs had no access to livestock such as cows and pigs, which were later introduced to them by the Spanish, their main diet consisted of vegetables and fruits such as corn, squash, beans, tomatoes, avocados, and etc. Though they did have domesticated turkeys, ducks, and dogs for food, they only played a minor contribution to the diet. According to foodtimeline.org, the Aztecs also hunted and ate fish, insects, iguanas, and deer but these sources were also very limited like the turkeys and dogs. The Aztecs’ number one staple food was corn, specifically a type of corn called maize. It came in various shapes, sizes and colors and was eaten by  all classes of the Aztec people. Maize is so important to Aztec society that it played a large part in their mythology and religion and was considered as precious as their flesh and bones. It is like the rice in Asia and the wheat in Europe. A meal would not be called a meal unless they had corn in it. There are various ways to eat corn such as corn tortillas, tamales, corn soup also called pozole, and many other ways. One particular method of preparing maize is called nixtamalization where a salty flavor and aroma is added to maize. Apart from maize, other staple foods would be beans and squash. To help add flavor into the food, they would be mixed with tomatoes, fruits, and spices such as chilies and herbs. That way, the food would be nutritionally satisfying and there will be no need for animal protein. The Aztecs also had a very special drink made from cacao, you could say that the origin of chocolate came from the Aztecs. This chocolate drink was spicy unlike the hot chocolate we have today and was intended only for the warriors and nobles of the empire. Main Point #2 Because the lands that the Aztecs lived in were not suitable and fertile enough for farming, they had to invent new methods and use them to increase productivity of foods and crops. That led to a very special way of farming. The Aztecs invented and built Chinampas also called raised fields, which were floating agricultural gardens where they produced their crops. These Chinampas used to be swamps that were turned into highly productive fields for farming. Building Chinampas was a lot more complex than growing their crops because it uses many advanced techniques and methods never seen before during the pre-contact New World period. Other than the Chinampas, they also built irrigation systems for fields of land where water or rainfall could not reach and used fertilizers on fields that didn’t have enough nutrients. According to foodtimeline.org , a Chinampa is built by first finding a swamp/lake near a town or city. Then ditches are dug through the marshes and swamps to drain excess water from the soon to be Chinampas, these ditches will also become the canals where the Aztecs will be traveling through to get from Chinampa to Chinampa. After that, the mud and muck from the ditches and vegetation will be placed on mats, which were made from weeds and straw between the ditches where they will become long artificial islands for farming purposes. The Aztecs would then drive wooden stakes/fences down into the lake to hold the field together. Then trees would be planted in the corners of the island to help stabilize the Chinampa. Once that is done, the Chinampa will be ready to be used for farming corn, squash, beans, etc. The muck and vegetation would act as fertilizer for the crops while the mats would be piled high enough to prevent the roots of the crops from being waterlogged. Fertility is easily maintained by periodically adding more muck and fertilizer to the fields. Since these floating gardens were very productive, they always led to a surplus of crops that would be stored and used during hard times. Main Point #3: Influence on foods today The foods that the Aztecs grew and ate are still used in traditional Mexican food today. Maize, the key ingredient of ancient Aztec food also became the most important ingredient to Mexican food. Other food ingredients in the Mexican diet today would also include beans, squash, chilies and tomatoes that the Aztecs also ate. The Aztec tacos for example, were filled with acocil, a type of crayfish but now, the tacos we have are filled with beef instead. Nixtamalization, is another influence that came from the Aztecs that is still used today. According to threestonehearth.com, what nixtamalization does is that it cooks and steeps dried corn kernels in an alkaline solution then they are cooked until tender. That way, it can be mashed and be made into a dough-like substance where it can be made into tortilla, tortilla chips, tamales, and many other items. Aztec food culture also expanded into many other countries because cacao beans which were the main ingredient of chocolate were brought over to Europe thanks to the Spanish quickly became a delicacy everywhere. III.Conclusion Review Main Points: Overall, the Aztec diet consisted of mainly corn. Without corn, the meal  wouldn’t be considered as a meal. Agriculture techniques was recreated with the invention of the Chinampa. With the newly invented Chinampa, Aztecs were able to dramatically increase the amount of crops they could grow unlike how they were struggling with growing crops on the unfertile lands. The Aztec food culture had inspired many countries today. Look at how chocolate, once a hot and spicy drink, was made into a global phenomenon.