Saturday, December 28, 2019

Descriptive Essay About Raindrops - 1471 Words

Raindrops The sky had never been more beautiful. I smiled to myself deciding it as I lay on the cold hard ground, the smell of the grass below along with the rain penetrating my senses. What a stupid thing to think about at a time like this. In just a little under five months, we were supposed to be graduating the training corps, picking the fraction of our choice. Did I really have a choice? I wondered sometimes. Of course, I did, I knew I did – but I made mine five years ago when I stumbled into Armin Arlert in that settlement we had both been grouped into and befriended him and his two best friends, Eren and Mikasa. There was no one else in the world for me left but those three. Where Eren went we all followed, it didn’t take†¦show more content†¦All gloomy. Its weird. Whats wrong? His curiosity mustve gotten the best of him. Just missing home. I admitted feeling rather talkative, something he always pulled out of me On days like this my mom and I used to s it outside the door of our house and just watch the rain. It was like a little tradition. Wed huddle up in this big ol blanket, sometimes my father or sister would come too. Then there were those nights where it was all of us, peacefully cuddling in the rain. It was one of the only family things we did as a whole, my mom always was the one to bring it up. I guess it just brings back her memory, ya know? You- you lost her, didn’t you? Reiner turned his head to peer over at me through the veil of dark. He probably thought I was a nut case sitting out here so late at night in the rain alone wallowing in the past I uh- I think I remember you saying you came from Shiganshina, like Eren and Armin? I could feel his eyes on me. Yeah. But I mean, we didn’t really know each other before it happened. I only met them when we were all grouped together for some task at our settlement. I remember thinking how different we were at that time. I used to cry about almost everything. They were always so much stronger than I was. But I guess were all the same now, Eren, Armin, Mikasa, and I. All alone, together, forever missing a home that no longer exists. I turned to force a smile beforeShow MoreRelatedHow Does A Middle Paragraph Differ From The Structure Of An Introductory Paragraph? Essay6292 Words   |  26 Pagesof a full essay? a. The structures of a paragraph and a full essay are similar because they both include a beginning, a middle, and an end. 5. What is the function of the first sentence in a paragraph? a. The first sentence in a paragraph is the topic sentence, which tells the reader about what the rest of the paragraph is about. 6. What is the function of the middle section of a paragraph? a. The middle section of the paragraph gives details and illustrates what the main point is about. 7. WhyRead MoreA Short Story Assignment3653 Words   |  15 Pagesshivering and shimmering over the city. He was nowhere. He was everywhere. She missed him. Caitlin felt that dull ache start up again in her chest, that thudding sob start to begin and the line trudged ahead forward. A raindrop fell on her right cheek. She thought it was a raindrop. Caitlin walked forward, emerging onto the memorial park. The footprints of the towers were now twin pools, two abysses that pointed to the absence. She looked at the map. She walked around each one, reading the nameRead MoreGlobalization and It Effects on Cultural Integration: the Case of the Czech Republic.27217 Words   |  109 Pagesidea of making the world a single village, thus, globalization. Globalization is the most talk-about issues in the 21st century. However, there is the difficulty of the world to come up with a single and uniform definition. This is because, so many people doubt if the happenings in the world today are as a result of globalization. Thus, due to these global differences of what this concept actually is about, globalization has grown to involve aspects not only of economy, but politics and other socio-cultural

Thursday, December 19, 2019

The School Setting And Bully Prevention Programs - 1468 Words

Issues in the School Setting and Bully Prevention Programs A positive school climate is definitely essential to effectively prevent bullying behaviors, thus it is vital for school personnel to understand what constitutes a positive school climate. A simple definition for school climate is the quality and frequency of positive interactions between students at school, the quality and frequency of positive interactions between adults at school and equally important is the quality and frequency of interactions among and between adults and students at school (Wang, Berry, Swearer, 2013). Likewise, but more comprehensive, school climate involves far more. It considers the quality and character of school life and is based on patterns of†¦show more content†¦The literature indicates that students are more prone to bullying behavior if the school climate is not healthy for example when students recognize considerable conflict, unfairness, and lack of support in the school atmosphere. The two theories mentioned previously in this literature review supports that a positive school climate is essential to effectively prevent bullying behavior (Wang, Berry, Swearer, 2013). There are a variety of barriers to implementing an ideal bully prevention program in schools. For example, the severity of bullying may be underestimated, lack of a well trained faculty and staff, and other important issues, such as academic performance and graduation rates. However, bullying indisputably is a prevalent problem that can result in many negative outcomes as outlined previously. Thus, an ideal anti-bullying program could help to decrease potential negative consequences and increase achievement. An effective anti-bullying program would consider activities that deal with vital issues involved with the problem of bullying. For example these activities would include school faculty, student, and parent involvement, educational approaches with students, interventions with bullies, victims, and bystanders, and systems-level interventions (Sherer Nickerson). Implementing Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports to fidelity is an ideal approach to breaking barriers and bully prevention.

Wednesday, December 11, 2019

Factors to Consider When Determining the Level of Acceptable Audit Ris

Question: Discuss about the Factors to Consider When Determining the Level of Acceptable Audit Risk. Answer: Introduction Audit risks affects solicitation of GAAS particularly ideals of reporting and is usually reproduced in assessors normal reports (Krishnamoorthy, Wright and Cohen 2002). Therefore, audit risk amongst other matters should be taken into consideration in defining the timing, extent and nature of the audit techniques and in assessing consequences of such events. Generally, audit risk is usually viewed as peril which auditor might innocently miss to properly adjust his or her view on financial reports which are usually substantially misstated (Low 2004). Auditors need to take into account of the audit risk both in designing the auditing procedures and planning the audit as well as in assessing whether financial statement are presented in material respects, fairly and in conformity with the GAAP. In essence, auditors have to take into account of the audit risk in first circumstances in order to get adequate competent evidential substance on which to correctly assess for the financial statem ents (Novyarni 2014). Basically, while conducting an audit, the auditor goals to decrease audit risk in their work to relatively low stage. With these considerations, this essay aims to present some of the factors to be considered while defining level of audit risk when conducting his or her audit work. Factorstobe ConsideredinDeterminingthe Most SatisfactoryAuditRisk To start with, an auditor should take into account of the nature of the firm and accounting policies followed (Low 2004). This comprises of having a greater understanding of legal structure of an organization, ownership, governance structure as well as primary sources of funds used by the firm. Interestingly, complex ownership and governance structure with several locations and subsidiaries is said to increase audit risk (Vander Bauwhede, 2001). Therefore, understanding the nature of an organization could be very crucial and could comprise of understanding accounting policies applied and selected to its financial reports. Hence, the auditor should take into account of the accounting policies applied in an organization and should check whether these policies are in consistent with all applicable financial reporting outlines. Secondly, the auditor should take into consideration of the industry where a company operates in, regulatory as well as other external features including all applicable financial reporting structure for the company. This implies having a greater understanding of the main sector in which an organization operates, including level of rivalry, nature of relationship between the firm, customers and suppliers as well as the level of technological advancement employed in the industry (Carnaghan 2006). An industry in which the company operates could have some specific regulations and laws that impact on its operations. Thus, the auditor should take into consideration of the wider economic aspect like volatility and level of interest rates as well as exchange rates. These aspects are important due to their potential effect on the organizations financial statements and their effect on planning of auditing work (Hahn 2008). For instance, if a specific customer operates in highly regulated secto r, it might be worth taking into account of the inclusion in audit team of individuals with particular knowledge or experience of these regulations. Such regulations could comprise of financial reporting structure like evaluating whether an organization utilizes international or local financial reporting standards. The auditor should also take into account of the strategies, objectives as well as related business risks. They should evaluate whether the management has defined business objective as well as the general tactics for the firm. These tactics comprises of operational techniques that the management wish in meeting distinct ideas. For instance, an organization objective might be maximization of the market share while the tactic to accomplish such objective could be prelaunch new products or brands on yearly basis. On the other hand, the auditor should take consider related business risks. These are aspects which could hinder the firm from accomplishing the set objectives such as launching a new product which has limited demand in the market (Johnstone, Gramling and Rittenberg 2013). These business risks would have relatively greater influence on the financial statements of an organization; hence, the need for the auditors to conduct business risk evaluation as they plan for their auditin g work. Further, the auditor should consider measurement as well as review of an organizations financial performance. In this case, the auditor should look at the measurement and financial performance of an organization in order to gain some understanding of performance measures that the organizations management and other stakeholders might consider important to them as they evaluate the firm performance (Hogan and Wilkins 2008). Performance measures could create some pressure on an organizations management in taking action aimed at improving their financial statements via deliberate misstatement. For instance, bonus payables to organizations management on the basis of the revenue growth could produce some pressure for the companys sales to be overstated. Therefore, an auditor should try to gain a greater understanding of an organizations financial as well as non-financial main performance signs, budgets, segmental information as well as targets. The auditor should also take into account of the internal control in an organization (Low 2004). Here, the auditor should try to gain some understanding of an organizations internal control by being able to consider how diverse factors of the internal control in an organization could affect their audit work (Johnstone 2000). In essence, internal control comprises of organizations risk assessment processes, control environment, control activities, monitoring of the controls as well as information systems (Gavin, Hicks and Scheiner 1987). Basically, they should consider internal control of an organization since assessment of weakness or strength of an organizations internal control is considered a significant aspect in evaluating an audit risk and would therefore has critical effect on audit strategy. In essence, the design as well as execution of internal controls has to be considered as a crucial aspect in gaining a greater understanding about audit risk. Therefore, the auditor shoul d try to understand whether the internal controls employed in an organization are automated or manual. In addition, the auditor should also take into account of the factor that user rely on financial statements. This aspect is very important since it would help in reducing any chance of an organization manipulating the financial data in order to sway financial users that rely on these financial statements while making their investment decisions. Reliance of the financial statements would at time result in intentional manipulation or misstatement of the data by the management with an aim to attract more investors (Houston, Peters and Pratt 1999). Therefore, the auditor should try to look at this aspect at all angles in order to reduce any chance of audit risk. The auditor should also take into account of any likelihood of financial difficulties in an organization (Siliciano 1997). They should look at all the potential or probability of an organization experiencing financial difficulties while conducting its operations. This would help in evaluating or assessing any probability of having some financial misstatement by the management with an intention to influence the financiers and other creditors how the company is financially stable which is not the case. In essence, the management might exaggerate the financial data of an organization when the company is said to be experiencing some financial difficulties in order to attract investors in their stock (Cushing and Loebbecke 1983). Thus, the auditor should be very keen in evaluating whether the firm is experiencing financial difficulties. This would help him or her in ensuring that the financial statement are scrutinized thoroughly and very carefully to reduce any chance of audit risk. Further, the auditor should consider the management of the organization being audited (Novyarni 2014). S/he should assess whether the management followed appropriate accounting standards while preparing the financial statements. S/he should also check whether the management followed the IFRS in reporting their financial performance. This factor would be of great importance to the auditor since it would help him in ensuring that audit risk is at acceptably low level as possible. Conclusion In conclusion, audit risk is usually viewed as peril which auditor might innocently miss to properly adjust his or her view on financial reports which are usually substantially misstated. It affects solicitation of the Generally Accepted Auditing Standards, particularly ideals of reporting and is usually reproduced in assessors normal reports. While auditing an organizations financial data, an auditor aims to lessen as much as possible audit risk in their work to relatively low flat. Hence, in conducting the audit work, the auditor should take into account of various factors. These include account of the nature of the firm and accounting policies followed, industry or sector where a company operates in, regulatory as well as other external facets including all applicable financial reporting structure for the company. The auditor should also take into account of the strategies, objectives as well as associated business risks, dimension as well as appraisal of an organizations financia l presentation. The auditor should also take into account of the internal control in an organization. In addition, the auditor should also take into account of the factor that user rely on financial statements. References Carnaghan, C 2006, Business process modeling approaches in the context of process level audit risk assessment: An analysis and comparison, International Journal of Accounting Information Systems, 7(2), 170-204. Cushing, BE and Loebbecke, JK 1983, Analytical approaches to audit risk: A survey and analysis, Auditing: A Journal of Practice Theory, 3(1), 23-41. Gavin, TA, Hicks, RL and Scheiner, JH 1987, Auditors' common law liability: What we should be telling our students, Journal of Accounting Education, 5(1), 1-12. Hogan, CE and Wilkins, MS 2008, Evidence on the audit risk model: Do auditors increase audit fees in the presence of internal control deficiencies?, Contemporary Accounting Research, 25(1), 219-242. Houston, RW, Peters, MF and Pratt, JH 1999, The audit risk model, business risk and audit-planning decisions, The Accounting Review, 74(3), 281-298. Johnstone, KM 2000, Client-acceptance decisions: Simultaneous effects of client business risk, audit risk, auditor business risk, and risk adaptation, Auditing: A Journal of Practice Theory, 19(1), 1-25. Johnstone, K, Gramling, A and Rittenberg, LE 2013, Auditing: a risk-based approach to conducting a quality audit. Cengage Learning. Krishnamoorthy, G, Wright, A and Cohen, J 2002, Audit Committee Effectiveness and Financial Reporting Quality: Implications for Auditor Independence, Australian Accounting Review Hahn R 2008, A Note on Management Efficiency and International Banking. J. Appl. Econ, 12(1), 69-81. Low, KY 2004, The effects of industry specialization on audit risk assessments and audit-planning decisions, The accounting review, 79(1), 201-219. Novyarni, N 2014, Influence of internal auditor competence and independence on the quality of financial reporting by municipal/provincial government, International Journal of Economics, Commerce and Management, 2(10), 1-14. Siliciano, JA 1997, Trends in independent auditor liability: The emergence of a sane consensus?, Journal of Accounting and Public Policy, 16(4), 339-353. Vander Bauwhede, H 2001, What factors influence financial statement quality? A framework and some empirical evidence. Working Paper. Retrieved from https://venus. unive. it/bauhaus/Heidi% 20Vander% 20Bauwhede. PDF.

Wednesday, December 4, 2019

Language Is A Cultural Factor Social Work Essay Example

Language Is A Cultural Factor Social Work Essay This essay will analyze how issues of race and civilization are pertinent to mental wellness jobs and to service responses to minority communities. However, other hazard or causal factors will be considered which are indispensable in to the full understanding diagnosing, entree to services and results of mental wellness issues including poorness, racism and force against adult females. It appears that a combination of cultural, structural and individualist factors are linked to mental wellness issues and it will be highlight why an over focal point on race and civilization ( without sing other factors ) can be unsafe. Although single factors will non be discussed in this essay, their importance must be emphasised. Personal elements intersect with other factors ( structural and cultural ) lending to mental wellness jobs. Individual factors on their ain therefore are non plenty but need to be considered in combination with cultural and structural factors. This can be linked to Thompsons PCS Model which looks at Personal, Cultural and Structural issues in footings of anti oppressive pattern ( Thompson, 1997 ) . It can non be ignored that issues of race and civilization are highly relevant when sing mental wellness. However, this essay positions race as socially constructed, with small biological cogency as a hazard factor that to the full explains inequalities in wellness ( Bhui et al, 2005, p.496 ) . What is more executable and supported in surveies such as the EMPIRIC survey, is that race is a factor which can be a sociological hazard to persons which can be referred to as racial favoritism holding the possible to ensue in lower ego regard, fewer chances, and emphasis taking to mental wellness jobs ( Bhui et al, 2005 ) . In the UK racial favoritism does non merely mention to the term race as skin coloring material but besides incorporates cultural differences every bit good ( Bhui et al, 2005 ) . Therefore in this essay, when race is referred to as taking to mental wellness jobs ; it will be in footings of the account put frontward antecedently. We will write a custom essay sample on Language Is A Cultural Factor Social Work specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Language Is A Cultural Factor Social Work specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Language Is A Cultural Factor Social Work specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer It appears that race and civilization impact on diagnosing, entree to services and results. However, this position is based on research obtained in a short sum of clip it was merely in 1995 that detecting different cultural groups became obligatory in mental wellness services which are publicly funded ( Mind, 2012 ) . However this position is disputed by Glove and Evison ( 2010 ) who argue that differences in the form of mental wellness attention received by minority cultural groups in England have been noted since the 1960s and widely debated since the 1980s . Irrespective of this difference, both agree that research has identified differences between different cultural groups in diagnosing, intervention and handiness of services. A common designation in literature is that there are high rates of psychosis ( for illustration schizophrenic disorder ) amongst African Caribbean work forces and seemingly low rates of mental unwellness among South Asians ( NCSR, 2002 ) . Influential pieces of research placing these differences include the Count Me In nose count which began in 2005 and was created in support of the Department of Health s five twelvemonth program Delivering Race and Equality in Mental Health Care ( Mind, 2012 ) . The ultimate purpose was to cut down admittance rates, detainment and privacy amongst black and minority cultural groups ( Mind, 2012 ) . The nose count identifies that 22 % of 30,500 persons having in-patient attention were from minority cultural groups ( CQC, 2010 ) . It besides highlights that black work forces are more likely to be detained under the Mental Health Act and that black and black/white assorted race work forces are three times more likely to be admitted to psychiatric wards and had the highest admittance rate of all groups ( Mind, 2012 ) . CRITICISM The Fourth National Survey ( FNS ) of cultural minorities supports this to an extent. It identifies higher rates of psychosis diagnosing amongst Black Caribbean s compared t o white people ( Mind, 2012 ) . However, these differences are lower than old surveies have suggested. Surveies undertaken antecedently have suggested psychosis occurs largely amongst black Caribbean work forces nevertheless this survey suggests higher rates amongst black Caribbean adult females ( Mind, 2012 ) . Despite these figures, findings have besides suggested that Black African Caribbean and South Asiatic patients are less likely to hold their mental wellness jobs detected by a GP ( The Centre for Social Justice, 2011 ) . Black work forces have been found to be more likely to be admitted to psychiatric units via the Criminal Justice System ( CJS ) ( NMHDU, 2010 ) . The Count Me in nose count highlighted that Black Caribbean, Black African and White/Black Caribbean assorted groups are between 40 and 60 per cent more likely to be admitted via the CJS ( CQC, 2010 ) . In contrast to this, findings from the nose count identify that admittance rates among South Asiatic and Chinese groups have remained much lower ( below norm in many instances ) ( Care Quality Commission, 2011 ) . This is interesting, as other research has indicated that some specific subgroups of South Asiatic adult females ( ages 15-24 ) are at high hazard of completed self-destruction ( Raleigh, 1996 ) . Therefore, why ar e they non acquiring the necessary support from mental wellness services? The EMPIRIC survey considers white people as a comparing with Bangladesh, Black Caribbean, Irish, Indian and Pakistani groups ( Bhui et al, 2005 ) . This survey was undertaken in the community which is rather rare. It considers the impact of racial favoritism in the workplace ( Bhui et al, 2005 ) . The survey identified that Black Caribbean people reported the highest sum of occupation denial and Pakistanis the highest degree of abuse ( Bhui et al, 2005 ) . Bangladeshi, White and Irish people were found to be less likely to describe favoritism ( Bhui et al, 2005 ) . Discrimination in the workplace is common and is a hazard factor for common mental upsets ( Bhui et al, 2005 ) . The differences between each group in footings of Common Mental Disorders ( CMD ) were little and there were some fluctuations in footings of age and sex ( Bhui et al, 2005 ) . It found CMD were higher amongst Pakistani and Irish work forces ages 35-54 and higher rates amongst Indian and Pakistani adult females ages 55-74 ( Weich et al, 2004 ) . Common Mental Disorders were found to be lower in Bangladeshi adult females than white adult females which is interesting sing this group has the highest degree of socio economic want and the recognized nexus between poorness and mental wellness ( Weich et al, 2004 ) . There were no differences in rates between Black Caribbean and White people despite them enduring the most occupation denial and this identifies differences to findings from other key surveies which frequently identify higher rates of mental unwellness amongst black work forces in peculiar ( Weich et al, 2004 ) . Therefore this suggests this group may be more resilient or Black Caribbean people with CMD may hold been excluded from occupations ( Bhui et al, 2005 ) . The EMPIRIC survey really identifies that Black Caribbean adult females had more CMD than Black Caribbean work forces ( Bhui et al, 2005 ) and as findings from FNS besides suggest an country of concern for this group, it appears farther research should be undertaken. There are some unfavorable judgments on this survey being that what is perceived as racism does non ever impact on current employment experiences ( Bhui et al, 2005 ) . It does non see the fact that CMD may ensue in more people describing racial favoritism ( Bhui, 2005 ) . More long term and qualitative surveies may be good in understanding the impact of racial favoritism ( Bhui et al, 2005 ) . However, surveies undertaken late 1990s and early 2000 because there was a rise in concern sing this issue ( partly due tot the Rocky Bennett instance ) therefore the authorities commissioned this research due to these concerns. However, in recent old ages things have died down a spot hence less research is being undertaken so cognition is non developing and there is no support available for research workers. Despite this, research already carried out seems to follow suite in placing differences in the diagnosing, intervention and results of mental wellness for cultural groups, nevertheless these differences are non ever on par with each other and identify differences in themselves as already stated ( McLean et al, 2003 ) . It is of import to understand why fluctuations do be between cultural groups in footings of mental wellness which will be the focal point of the remainder of this essay. It can non be ignored that cultural factors doubtless play a function in the findings identified antecedently. Black and minority ethnic ( BME ) groups may talk in a manner which is considered different to white British persons or they may hold dissimilar idiosyncrasies. As a consequence, this may be interpreted wrongly which could later take to an wrong diagnosing of mental wellness issues ( Singh, 2006 ) . As stated western head-shrinkers are more likely to misinterpret behavior and hurt that is foreign to them as psychosis ( Singh, 2006 ) . Persons may be labelled as unusual or unusual because of cultural traits ( Singh, 2006 ) . Therefore, this identifies that a deficiency of apprehension of cultural differences may impact on readings. However, no affair what cultural developing people obtain, readings of behavior are ever traveling to change as civilizations are complex and continuously accommodating. Another statement associating to race and civilization and its nexus with mental wellness is that some cultural groups may non respond to western-type methods of covering with mental unwellness. For illustration, in Western society, psychopathology is viewed as an nonsubjective subject and hence the person having the support/therapy is separated from the healer ( Fernando, 2004 ) . It is likely that the healer will non cognize the person and will seldom hold any physical contact with them. As put frontward the healer learns the intervention and applies it within the overall medical theoretical account of covering with jobs as single unwellnesss, upsets or perturbations of what is assumed to be normal mental operation ( Fernando, 2004, p.121 ) . This manner of nearing mental wellness may be different to other civilizations for illustration where more religious methods of healing may be used ( Fernando, 2004 ) . As a consequence, certain cultural groups may non affect themselves in western methods for illustration traveling to see a General Practitioner ( GP ) . Koffman et Al ( 1997 ) found that in comparing to non-black groups, more black patients who had been admitted were non registered with a physician. This may be a consequence of different cultural methods of healing in which western patterns do non suit. However, civilization should non be considered as stationary or immobile it does and can accommodate and alter. It is of import to recognize that different civilizations can get down to complect with each other as civilizations may respond to the environment they are in contact with ( MDAA, 2012 ) . This identifies how it can be unsafe to concentrate excessively much on civilization which I will look into farther on in the essay. Language is a cultural factor which can impact on the right diagnosing and support for an person: both diagnosing and intervention are handicapped if there is no common linguistic communication between physician and patient ( Farooq and Fear, 2003, p.104 ) . Even when an translator is involved, they may non be trained in psychopathology which can restrict understanding and can hold a negative impact on interlingual rendition ( Farooq and Fear, 2003 ) . However, I would reason that at least if an translator is involved, they can bridge the linguistic communication barrier to a important extent. As argued patients in mental wellness services will see a better quality of attention when accessing translators ( Costa, 2011 ) . This is emphasised in the NICE Guidelines for GA, Schizophrenia, Depression and Dementia which puts forward that written stuff should be translated into different linguistic communications and translators should be used where appropriate ( ref ) . A mental welln ess professional that comes across a patient of a different civilization, who speaks a different linguistic communication, may non recognize the badness of their symptoms due to the cultural and linguistic communication differences ensuing in deficiency of support from services for illustration. Therefore if person nowadayss to their GP with symptoms these may be misinterpreted if an appropriate translator is non present. Therefore although many mental wellness scenes may utilize translators on a regular basis, others may non and the importance of this must be emphasised in order to work through issues of incorrect diagnosing, intervention and results of mental wellness. Although race and civilization are obviously pertinent to mental wellness jobs and service responses, it is necessary to see other factors as an accent on cultural issues can sanitise or dissemble other issues ( Chantler et al, 2002, p.649 ) . It seems that mental wellness services are concentrating on cultural differences and understanding cultural diverseness in an effort to get the better of the differences in diagnosing and support for different cultural groups. However, in their effort to make this they may really be disregarding other cardinal issues therefore potentially doing the state of affairs worse or at least keeping it. Some argue that there is an pressing demand to develop cultural competency among nurses and other attention workers if they are to run into the demands of the diverse populations they serve ( Papadopoulos, L and Tilki M and Lees S ) . However, professionals may non handle black people any otherwise merely because they are trained to be culturally co gnizant ( Fernando, 2004 ) . There are tonss of mentions to cultural competency in the Department of Health and NHS. The authorities scheme No Health Without Mental Health which replaced New Horizons in 2011 seems to concentrate on civilization but does non look to admit of import links between race and mental wellness. It is good known that there is a important nexus between poorness and mental wellness ( Chantler, 2011 ) . It appears that mental wellness societal work is get downing to go around around the bio medical theoretical account hence societal factors such as poorness are non focused on every bit much as they should ( Chantler, 2011 ) . It has been identified that societal exclusion can frequently be a consequence of poorness as a deficiency of fiscal agencies consequences in the poorer sectors of society being unable to affect themselves in social activities therefore ensuing in exclusion ( Gilchrist and Kyprianou, 2011 ) . Social exclusion/isolation can impact on mental wellness therefore poorness can be viewed as a hazard factor for mental wellness jobs ( Chantler, 2011 ) . Bing in the lowest societal category is frequently linked with poorness and this is something which spans across different ethnicities and civilizations. Therefore white, working category members of society may see mental wellness issues which are instigated as a consequence of poorness therefore race and civilization can non be viewed as the lone factors impacting on mental wellness other factors which can besides impact on white sectors must be recognised. However, black and minority cultural groups may happen it more hard to travel into higher categories as a consequence of issues such as racism and favoritism therefore may stay in low socioeconomic fortunes. This highlights a nexus between poorness and ethnicity and emphasises the concern that peoples race and civilization may ensue in them being forced into state of affairss which could increase their likeliness of mental hurt. It appears that there are two chief ways racism can impact on person s wellness: the immediate psychological and physical impact and the consequence of which different races and civilizations are non valued within society ensuing in societal exclusion and disadvantage ( Karlsen and Nazroo, 2000 ) . As argued racism, whether openly hostile or skulking in institutional civilizations and patterns, limits the chances and life picks persons make ( Gilchrist and Kyprianou, 2011, p.7 ) . Therefore, certain people of certain races or civilizations may experience mo re comfy staying in communities together due to racist favoritism or bias and as a consequence may non seek new life chances therefore potentially staying in hapless socioeconomic fortunes as a consequence of this forced exclusion ( Gilchrist and Kyprianou, 2011 ) . Similarly, favoritism and racism may ensue in less support within instruction spheres and less chances to stand out within employment circles ( Gilchrist and Kyprianou, 2011 ) . It has been recognised that unemployment has an impact on mental wellness ( Meltzer et al, 1995 ) . Findingss from the Fourth National Survey identify that four fifths of Pakistani and Bangladesh respondents, two-fifths of Indian and Caribbean respondents and one tierce of Chinese had incomes lower than half the distinct national norm recognised as poorness ( Karlsen and Nazroo, 2000 ) . This compares to one in four white respondents. Therefore, this may be the impact of racism, favoritism and disadvantage ( Karlsen and Nazroo, 2000 ) Therefore at that place seems to be a barbarous rhythm whereby BME groups feel the impact of structural subjugations ensuing in fewer chances to interrupt away from factors which can take to an increased hazard of mental wellness jobs, such as poorness. Therefore, arguably societal exclusion, poorness and category could be grounds why there are higher degrees of mental unwellness in some subcultures of South Asiatic adult females for illustration ( Karlsen and Nazroo, 2000 ) . The fact that communities stick together may ensue in farther hostility and segregation therefore ensuing in inappropriate support for mental wellness jobs as outsiders may non desire to irrupt in these civilizations they may take the attitude leave them to it which can be really unsafe. Therefore a combination of factors including category and poorness can underscore mental wellness issues. It seems that the function of racism as a hazard factor for mental wellness is being ignored or at least undermined by the alliance authorities. Although the No Health Without Mental Health scheme acknowledges the demand to see causal factors for mental wellness, it appears to pretermit to discourse the pertinent issue of racism/institutional racism which can be viewed as a ruin in response ( Watson, 2011 ) . Therefore, it neglects important links between race and mental wellness. This is emphasised in its a call to action papers, which does non include any BME administrations ( Vernon, 2011 ) . Pigeonholing of different groups refers to the favoritism of groups based on positions they are certain manner. So, South Asian groups may be viewed as holding tonss of household support and non believing in mental unwellness. This can be unsafe as it may ensue in services pretermiting to offer support to certain races or civilizations. Therefore, it appears that some mental wellness professionals may inherit positions sing racial stereotypes ( Fernando, 2004 ) . Another common racialist stereotype is that black work forces are unsafe which once more impacts on diagnosing and intervention. A good known illustration is that of Rocky Bennett. He was killed in 2004 in a medium secure psychiatric unit after being restrained by up to five nurses and an independent enquiry into this accepted that it was a consequence of institutional racism ( Athwal, 2004 ) . This is non a lone incident and has been recognised as an issue across mental wellness services. A concern which is shared by many i ncluding Richard Stone ( a member of the Bennett inquriy panel ) and Errol Francis ( a candidate on black mental wellness ) is that cultural/racial consciousness preparation will non cut down institutional maltreatment, it must be acknowledged and so the behavior of the professionals and workers demands to alter ( Athwal, 2004 ) . Once understood and acknowledged, advancement can be made to undertake and understand causes ( McKenzie, 2007 ) . McKenzie ( 2007 ) put frontward concern that the importance of Delivering Race Equality would be undermined, which seems to hold been the instance in No Health without Mental Health as it does non look to recognize the importance of racism as a hazard factor for mental wellness and the impact it has on service responses ( Watson, 2011 ) . Watson ( 2011 ) argues that the feeling given is that we are traveling to a post-racial large society where state multiculturalism is expunged from British values and public consciousness Thus the nexus is being undermined and if this is the instance it is improbable alterations will be made. Chantler et Al ( 2002 ) undertook a 10 month qualitative survey with a group of South Asiatic adult females who are subsisters of self injury or attempted self-destruction. It seems that subsister s highlighted issues doing mental hurt including in-migration position, poorness, and domestic force in their histories nevertheless an over focal point on cultural sensitiveness by professionals and policy shapers means that these factors frequently goes unrecognized ( Chantler et al, 2002 ) . Besides, of import to observe is that there does non look to be much research into the fact that if people are seeking refuge, there is a possibility that their mental wellness demands may be higher as a consequence of their experiences prior to migration ( Chantler, 2011 ) . As a consequence of deficiency of acknowledgment, inappropriate or a deficiency of support was offered by services. The research workers found that the subsisters who had been seeking refuge mentioned policies such as the one tw elvemonth regulation as doing them hurt and subjugation as it meant they were trapped ( frequently in an opprobrious relationship ) for a long period of clip without a opportunity of flight ( Chantler et al, 2001 ) . As stated, current in-migration statute law strips South Asiatic adult females of the legal and personal support available to white British female citizens ( Chantler et al, 2002 ) . The subsisters identified that they felt these policies ensured that all power was given to the adult male ( Chantler et al, 2002 ) . Policies implemented seeking to get the better of jobs in services by using South Asiatic workers demands to be looked into ( Chantler et al, 2002 ) . It seems that policy shapers used cultural clangs as accounts as to why issues such as domestic force, in-migration issues and poorness were non highlighted ( Chantler et al, 2002 ) . Therefore in theoretical accounts of mental wellness, factors such as in-migration are neglected. Servicess claimed to be una ble to run into their demands due to cultural struggle ( Chantler et al, 2002 ) . All but one of the subsisters in the survey had suffered domestic force placing the nexus between domestic force, in-migration position and suicide/self injury ( Chantler, 2001 ) . It is deserving observing that refugees and refuge searchers may hold experienced traumatic events before geting in the UK such as war and poorness therefore they may hold higher mental wellness demands because of their experiences this is non covered much in research and is something which may be good in our apprehension. Burman et Al ( 2005 ) focuses chiefly on domestic force services with respects to African, African-Caribbean, South Asian, Jewish and Irish adult females, it became apparent that civilization was seen to be more of import than covering with domestic force issues. Thus a focal point on civilization can be seen as an obstructor to offering the appropriate support ( Burman, 2005 ) . The survey besides identifies how other issues such as in-migration policies prevent refuge seeking adult females from being able to go forth opprobrious relationships hence this needs to see more ( Burman, 2005 ) . racialised dimensions of such policies heightens their exclusionary effects . The result of these findings suggests that there needs to be new ways of back uping adult females from minoritised groups enduring domestic force ( Burman, 2005 ) . Criticisms of survey? It seems that in favor of civilization, gender issues such as force against adult females are frequently ignored in relation to minority ethnicities ( Chantler, 2002 ) . Would this be the instance if it were white adult females? What is interesting is that force against adult females is considered a gender issue in relation to white adult females but is seen as a cultural issue in relation to South Asiatic adult females ( Chantler et al, 2002 ) . This is something which needs to be recognised and changed. Cultural factors need to be acknowledged to a grade and peculiarly in certain fortunes for illustration honor based force, nevertheless it needs to be recognised that civilization and race are non ever at the head of issues. It is of import to travel off from a complete focal point civilization in many cases, and see gender issues as good. Segregating adult females from minority groups from white adult females with respects to violence can take to miss of support therefore potential ly ensuing in ego harm/attempted suicide amongst other issues, as a consequence of the mental hurt. The research undertaken by Chantler et Al ( 2001 ) and Burman ( 2005 ) high spot this. Decision: As a societal worker it is of import to recognize cultural differences and be unfastened about civilization so that intercessions are non so hard nevertheless, although being culturally cognizant is utile, it is impossible to recognize all factors every bit cultural as there are legion different civilizations which are invariably accommodating. Besides, as this essay has identified, an over focal point on civilization can be unsafe. It is of import to be witting of other risk/causal factors of mental wellness such as force against adult females, category and in-migration position. It is indispensable label or stereotype person based on their race or civilization but instead engage, empower and sympathize with service users. As Chantlers 2001 survey identified, irrespective of a service users race or civilization, they frequently merely desire person to listen to them. Make non ever assume it is approximately civilization as policy has tended to make in recent old ages. It seems that a combination of structural, cultural and single factors including gender, poorness and civilization will enable a greater apprehension of diagnosing, intervention and results of mental wellness. Sing one without the other will restrict apprehension. Therefore, cognition demands to be more nuanced. I am non sabotaging the importance of race and civilization in relation to mental wellness and service responses, as I have acknowledged its importance in this essay. However, do non pretermit other every bit of import factors. Besides gender issues need to be considered for illustration domestic force. Why is domestic force considered cultural merely when related to certain ethnicities e.g south Asiatic adult females? ? SOME force offenses are specific to certain civilizations for illustration honor based force, trafficking ( UMHDU, 2010 ) However, all ethnicities within the uk experience gender based force non merely certain cultural groups and grounds suggests that force and maltreatment cause mental wellness issues ( UMHDU, 2010 ) . However it is sometimes merely seen as a gender issue when it is white adult females enduring maltreatment. Seen as a cultural issue when minority cultural group. Possibly it is nt a cultural issue but a gender issue? ? Research by Chantler et al many adult females from different ethnicities do nt advert culture/race in their survey merely reference maltreatment therefore possibly merely necessitate to see this? ? ?

Wednesday, November 27, 2019

Dylan Anderson Essays (622 words) - Psychology, Personality

Dylan Anderson English 101 Final 12/17/14 Word Count: 607 Susan Cain: The power of introverts Susan Cain stood up in front of a bunch of people to give a wonderful speech about introverts and extroverts and the difference between them and how our society should work with introverts and extroverts. She told us a story about her experience and how it changed and how she did things while not think about it. Susan told us about how she was an introvert that loved to read and stay quit while with her family and not go out and do much. Then she went to summer camp, that's were she found out that she was different from other people and that if was difficult for her to be around people chanting "rowdie" as she stated in her speech. She went along with it and questioned, why they spelt it wrong but also why couldn't they just sit and read. Introverts are people that like to we quite and alone and be able to connect and learn on their own and have little to no interest with extroverted people. Extroverts are people that are outgoing and tend to crave attention or just go off and be energetic, you could say. An interesting fact that she stated in her speech was that "A third to a half of the population are introverts --a third to a half.So that's one out of every two or three people you know.So even if you're an extrovert yourself,I'm talking about your coworkersand your spouses and your children and the person sitting next to you right now --all of them subject to this biasthat is pretty deep and real in our society.We all internalize it from a very early agewithout even having a language for what we're doing." (Cain) She then went on and talked about three main things that we can do to help our society have a ying and yang type of balance. Number one was to stop the madness for constant group work. She deeply believe d that our offices should be encouraging casual, cafe-style types of interactions . It's great for introverts and it's great for extroverts . School same thing , w e need to be teaching kids to work together, but we also need to be teaching them how to work on their own. This is especially important for extroverted children too. They need to work on their own because that i s where deep thought comes from. Number two was g o to the wilderness. Be like Buddha, saying that we could all stand to unplug and get inside our own heads m ore often. Also n umber three; t ake a good look at what's inside your own suitcase and why you put it there. Whatever it is, I hope you will open up your sui tcases for other people to see, because the world needs you and it needs the things you carry. This TED talk would be great for everyone to watch, it is something that I feel is very true and that it needs to be addressed to jobs, schools and our society. The fact that some people choose to be alone and quite isn't a bad thing majority, almost all of our greatest inventions come from introverts but extroverts has created many things too. I personal think I would categorize myself as an extrovert just because I'm a outgoing kind of person but like Susan stated everyone has there own purpose and why of doing things. Work Cited Cain, Susan. "Susan Cain: The Power of Introverts." TED: Ideas Worth Spreading. TED, Mar. 2012. Web.17 Dec. 2014

Sunday, November 24, 2019

Teacher Appreciation Week Activities and Ideas

Teacher Appreciation Week Activities and Ideas Teacher Appreciation Week is a week-long celebration in the month of May, which is designated to honoring and celebrating the hard work and dedication of our teachers. During this week, schools across America show their love and appreciation to their teachers by having students and parents participate in activities to give thanks and acknowledge their teachers. In celebration of this week, I have gathered a few fun ideas and activities to show teachers how special you think they are. You will find ideas for administrators, teachers, and students. Ideas for Administrators One of the most effective ways that administration can show how much they appreciate their teaching staff is to plan something special for their teachers. Afternoon Lunch A simple way to show your appreciation is to prepare a luncheon in the faculty lounge for all the teachers in the school. Order a pizza or if your school has extra money splurge on some take-out. Pull-Out the Red Carpet If you really want to make a big deal out of your teaching staff and get your students in an uproar, try creating a red carpet experience. Get a piece of red carpet and velvet ropes and have each teacher walk down the carpet as they arrive at school. End of Day Celebration Plan a surprise end of the day celebration. Designate the last hour of the day as free time for the students. Then organize for parents to come in and help out with the class while the teacher goes to the lounge for a much-needed break. Have the teachers lounge filled with coffee and snacks, your efforts will be much appreciated. Ideas for Teachers A great way to teach your students about the value of showing appreciation for hard work is to have a class discussion about why teachers are so special. Follow up this discussion with a few fun activities. Read a Book Often students dont really grasp the importance of all their teachers do. To help them understand the time and effort it takes to be a teacher try reading a few books about teachers. Some of my favorites are: Thank you Mr. Falker by Patricia Polacco, Miss Nelson is Missing by Harry Allard and What If There Were No Teachers? By Caron Chandler Loveless. Compare Teachers Have students compare their favorite teacher with a teacher from one of the books you read. Have them use a graphic organizer like a Venn diagram to help them organize their ideas. Write a Letter Have students write a letter to their favorite teacher telling them what makes them so special. First brainstorm ideas together as a class, then have students write their letters on special paper, and when completed, allow them to give it to the teacher they wrote about. Ideas for Students All teachers love to receive recognition for their hard work, but they appreciate it the most when it comes from their students. Here are some suggestions on how fellow teachers and parents can help students can give thanks to their teacher. Give Thanks Out Loud One of the most important ways students can express their gratitude to their teachers is to say it out loud. A unique way of doing this is to give thanks over the loudspeaker. If this is not possible then students can also ask the teacher if they can have a few minutes in the beginning or the end of class to show their appreciation. Door Decorations Before or after school, decorate the teachers classroom door with all the things they love, or what you love about the teacher. If your teacher loves animals, decorate the door in an animal theme. You can add a personal touch such as a letter to the teacher, a Worlds Best teacher certificate or even a painting or drawing. Make a Gift Theres nothing like a handmade gift that really shows a teacher how much you appreciate them. Create something that the teacher can cherish such as, a hall or bathroom pass, magnet, bookmark or anything they can use in their classroom, the ideas are endless.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

EPIC - DSS Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

EPIC - DSS - Research Paper Example The evaluation process will assist in determining the probability and effectiveness of EPIC-DSS. Apart from this, the evaluation process will also help to determine the benefits of implementing DSS in case of business decision making or structuring reports (Louw, 2002). The implementation of DSS has acted as solution to the management in order to increase the effectiveness of decision making process for better effectiveness and efficiency. It has secured the business operations as well as reduced the cost of business operation for the future endeavors. Moreover, it has advanced the business processes and improved an organizations competitive advantage by ensuring facilities in case of production, promotion, pricing, marketing and some logistical functions (Louw, 2002). On the contrary, it also helps to make decisions in case of nursing and clinical purpose. It helps in delegating responsibilities to the people so that the organisation is managed efficiently. The proposed research, aims to evaluate the benefits of EPIC-DSS after implementing DSS. The evaluation approach will review the quality of the decision making in case of various business activities. Apart from this, it will also determine the cost involvement in the EPIC-DSS process to increase the effectiveness of business. Moreover, it will help to identify the improvement of an organization in terms of competitive advantage. Through the evaluation approach it will be possible to identify the effectiveness of the DSS. Beside, this it will also help to determine the advancement of business processes due to the implementation of EPIC-DSS in the management (Louw, 2002). The results of evaluation will help to understand the benefits and threats of EPIC-DSS in case of business activities. Moreover, the result of evaluation will help to take precautions before using the EPIC-DSS in case business activities are

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Property Crowdfunding Position Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Property Crowdfunding Position Paper - Essay Example There are three types of crowdfunding, which include donation, debt and equity. Donation crowdfunding is mostly related to noble causes, where most people decide to invest simply for they believe in the purpose of Crowdfunding. Similarly, debt crowdfunding is based on the concept of peer-to-peer lending process (Mollick, 2014). In debt crowdfunding, the entire process revolves around lending money, wherein the investors expect to receive their interest on their invested amount and thus, gain profits. In this case of debt crowdfunding, along with the financial returns, investors also aim at gaining the benefit of contributing to the success of a particular purpose, which they believe as worthwhile. Additionally, in the case of equity crowdfunding, people invest in exchange for equity. Fundamentally, here the money is exchanged with the shares. Correspondingly, it can be stated that when the funding is successful, the community’s share value goes up, and vice-versa (Bradford, 2012). It is worth mentioning in this regard that both debt crowdfunding and equity crowdfunding can be related to property crowdfunding concepts, wherein investors tend to buy a real estate in order to sell it or let it out in order to obtain profits or returns. Aimed at elaborating on the context of property crowdfunding, the discussion henceforth will elaborate on two main themes, which are property or real estate and crowdfunding. In the view of today’s competitive global business world, crowdfunding in real estate has emerged as a new investment option with secured high returns for many. It was following this augmentation in the rate of property crowdfunding that the Jumpstart Our Business Startups (JOBS) Act of 2012 was brought into effect in the US. This new rule was intended to allow all the investors from every income level to gain direct access to the real estate market with the help of crowdfunding.

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 48

Ethics - Essay Example seek to conduct a comparison of the various differences and similarities that tend to exist between utilitarianism, deontological ethics and virtue theory. The main similarity between the three theories of utilitarianism, deontological ethics and virtue theory is that they all attempt to try and set a common standard by which an individual who is considered to be a good moral person can live by within a given community (Manias et al, 2013). The virtue ethics measure morality in an individual by using aspects such as moral standing and character within a given community so as to effectively determine the individual’s goodness Devettere (2002), this is similar to deontology whereby a person is considered to be good and moral in the event that their actions within a given community are considered to be the right choice and as such, the actions are good and moral (Tännsjö, 2013). In utilitarianism, individuals are encouraged to base their actions and decisions on what action will ultimately be in the best interest for the majority of people (Manias et al, 2013). The common ground between these three theories is based on mora lity and goodness as is perceived by other individuals within the wider community. The three theories of deontological ethics, virtue theory and utilitarianism can also be seen to be similar in that they all share the same consequence of action. Although it might not be the main focus of the action, the outcomes of the action’s consequences are considered to be primary as a result. All these theories work towards what is being perceived to be the best result depending on exactly what someone else happens to believe that the best results may be. The main difference between the three theories of utilitarianism, deontological ethics and virtue ethics is that deontological ethics are primarily based on a fixed moral law and duty, utilitarianism on the other hand is based on an enlightened self interest, or simply what serves to make us all

Friday, November 15, 2019

One Day By David Nicholls Literature Essay

One Day By David Nicholls Literature Essay Born in 1966 in Eastleigh, Hampshire. David attended Toynbee Comprehensive school, and attended Barton Peveril Sixth Form College, before going to the University of Bristol in 1985 to study English Literature and Drama. Having graduated, and keen to pursue a career as an actor, he won a scholarship to study at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York, before returning to London in 1991. There he worked in a number of bars and restaurants before finally earning an Equity card. He worked sporadically as an actor for the next eight years, appearing in plays at Battersea Arts Centre, the Finborough, West Yorkshire Playhouse and Birmingham Rep. In between jobs he worked as a bookseller at Waterstones, Notting Hill. A three year stint at the Royal National Theatre followed, understudying and playing small parts in, amongst others, Arcadia, Machinal, Inadmissable Evidence and The Seagull. During this period, he began to read plays and film scripts as a freelance reader, before taking a job at BBC Radio Drama as a script reader/researcher. This led to script-editing jobs at London Weekend Television and Tiger Aspect Productions. During this period, he began to write, developing an adaptation of Sam Shepards stage-play Simpatico with the director Matthew Warchus, an old friend from University. He also wrote his first original script, a situation comedy about frustrated waiters, Waiting, which was later optioned by the BBC. Simpatico was turned into a feature film in 1999, starring Sharon Stone, Catherine Keener, Jeff Bridges, Nick Nolte and Albert Finney. This allowed David to start writing full-time, and his first TV production followed soon afterwards; I Saw You, a one-off romantic-comedy starring Paul Rhys and Fay Ripley, which won best single play at the annual BANFF television festival. Four episodes of Cold Feet followed, and since then David has written for film and TV as well as fiction. He has been twice nominated for BAFTA awards and his first novel, Starter for 10 was featured on the first Richard and Judy Book Club. Davids TV credits include an updated version of Much Ado About Nothing, with Damian Lewis and Sarah Parrish (BAFTA nominated Best Single Play) and the one-off play After Sun, starring Peter Capaldi and Sarah Parrish. An acclaimed adaptation of Tess of the DUrbervilles followed, starring Gemma Arterton, Eddie Redmayne, Hans Matheson and Jodie Whittaker. In fiction, he has written three novels, Starter for Ten, The Understudy and One Day. In film, Simpatico was followed by the movie version of Starter for Ten, directed by Tom Vaughan, with James MacAvoy and Rebecca Hall, and an adaptation of Blake Morrisons memoir And When Did You Last See Your Father? directed by Anand Tucker, and starring Colin Firth, Jim Broadbent and Julie Stevenson. The feature film version of One Day, directed by Lone Scherfig, began production in July 2010, with Anne Hathaway, Jim Sturgess, Romola Garai, Rafe Spall, Jodie Whittaker, Ken Stott and Patricia Clarkson. At present, David is writing his fourth novel, as well as working on a feature-film version of Dickens Great Expectations. David lives in North London with his partner Hannah and two children. Review: Two students at the University of Edinburgh -Emma Morley and Dexter Mayhew- meet for the first time on the night of their graduation, on 15 July 1988. They had one really nice night together but neither of them expects anything more permanent than that, so they became friends and went on with their lives. One Day revisits Emma and Dexter on this day, St Swithins Day, over the next 20 years. They meet again and again at the same time and on the same day each year while the friendship goes stronger and they never lose track of each other. But there is one thing they can ´t realize: that the love of their lives is right in front of them and they keep on trying to find another person. Dexter dates several girls and even got married with one of them, which who he became a father and an husband. On the other hand, Emma tries to have a serious relationship with her boyfriends but that is never possible because there is always something that goes wrong. After all these complicated relationships of both, Dexter marriage goes wrong and the only person that is always there to help him in every moment is Emma. They meet again because Dexter is feeling terrible and they decide that they should finally be together. They start dating and they Emma move in with Dexter. The both of them are finally happy and together, living their lives and at the same time, Dexter raises, with Emma ´s help, his beautiful daughter. The only thing that they want to change in their lives is their home. They already found a nice job and Dexter opened a coffee shop, his first serious job. Emma helped Dexter move on with his life, and they are very well with each other. But something happened: Emma had an accident and died and Dexter ´s life gets ruined. Dexter couldn ´t handle that situation so he started to drink again and not taking good care of him. It was an awful period of Dexter ´s life but he knew he had a daughter and that he had to take care of her so he tries to rebuild his own life. He moves on and starts to date one of his employees, trying to be happy again. Characters: Emma Morley- Emma, the idealistic, played bass in an all-girl band . . . variously called Throat, Slaughterhouse Six and Bad Biscuit. Joined a strident arts collective called Sledgehammer Theatre Cooperative (intent on doing really good, exciting original political devised work). Took a job at a Mexican restaurant called Loco Caliente. On the other side, she is an principled socialist and she writes poetry, is an aspiring writer. She was a teacher and did some plays with her students because of her taste for reading. Dexter Mayhew- Dexter Mayhew is the typical cute boy that loves to party every single day. Loves alcohol, cigarettes and travelling. He worked as a TV presenter on tawdry late-night television shows like Largin It, a loud lad-fest with rock bands and movie star guests, and cage dancers as backup. Completely in love with Emma, but keeps on chasing other women. Suffers a lot with the pain of lost. He is very confident, very handsome and has a large parental home in the Cotswolds. Quotes: You can live your whole life not realising that what youre looking for is right in front of you. Just kidding was exactly what people wrote when they meant every word. when will you stop trying to educate me, I wonder? Never I hope. Loco Caliente means Crazy Hot; Hot because the air-conditioning doesn ´t work, crazy because that ´s what you ´d have to be to eat here. You ´re gorgeous, you old hag, and if I could give you just one gift ever for the rest of your life it would be this. Confidence. Either that or a scented candle. If you have to keep something secret it ´s because you shouldn ´t be doing it in the first place! Life is failing to imitate art. The true writer, the born writer, will scribble words on scraps of litter, the back of a bus ticket, on the wall of a cell. Friends are like clothes: fine while they lasted but eventually they wore thin or you grew out of them. -The future. My career. It ´s not what I expected. -It never is, is it? The future? That is what makes it so fucking EXCITING! Catarina Rodrigues Fernandes 12 °F

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Remembering Blue and Gray from Black and White Essay -- Informative, H

Tony Horwitz takes a journey through the South to find out why people are still obsessed with the Civil War. On his adventure, he met a wide variety of people and he learned that each person has their own opinion of the war and remembers it in their own way. The Civil War was fought by Americans, on each side, and they all should remember it the same way, but as Horwitz found out on his quest, they are drastically different and still very controversial. Horwitz described different concurrences that undoubtedly show race plays a role in how the Civil War is remembered. The first stop of Horwitz’s journey was in Salisbury, North Carolina. Here, he met Sue and Ed Curtis who introduced him to the United Daughters of the Confederacy and the Sons of Confederate Veterans. These two groups consisted of people from different backgrounds: a doctor, factory worker, gun-shop owner, etc. The only thing these people had in common was their ancestry; they all had blood ties to someone who fought in the Civil War. Their ancestors fought in the war to preserve their honor and they were fighting for what they believed in, which was state sovereignty. Horwitz was invited to attend a Sons of Confederate Veteran’s meeting they had to celebrate Lee and Jackson’s birthdays. The main event of the meeting was a Lee-Jackson trivia quiz. Though it is a captivating game where one can learn facts about these two distinguishing men of the Civil War, it is just a game. It has no relevance for remembering the Civil War for what it truly was. The members are remembering certain Confederate men of the war, not the whole war entirely. At this meeting, Horwitz met several different men and had questions for them. Horwitz went see the owner of the gun shop to get h... ...hose to sacrifice to stand up for what they believed in, whether it was right or wrong. Hodge also admits to Horwitz that reenacting was a way for him to escape from the twentieth century and all the complicating matters life brings (H-209-281). Horwitz does not believe that racism is an omnipresent characteristic in the different ways the Civil War is remembered, but he does recognize that it plays a very crucial role in the memory of the Civil War. He meets several different people (Connor, Wells, and Hodge) that show great respect and recognize the importance of the war. In his work, Horwtiz shows that some individuals and activities are more racist than others. These activities are usually performed by people who lack the knowledge of the true reason the Civil War occurred. These unfortunate people show great stupidity and thoughtlessness in their actions.

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Fiscal Federalism in Nigeria Essay

The question of an acceptable formula for revenue sharing among the component tiers of the Nigerian nation is one of the most protracted and controversial debates in the political and macroeconomic management of the economy. This debate has its foundations in the history and evolution of the Nigerian federation. â€Å"Revenue allocation or the statutory distribution of revenue from the Federation Account among the different levels of government has been one of the most contentious and controversial issues in the nation’s political life. So contentious has the matter been that none of the formulae evolved at various times by a commission or by decree under different regimes since 1964 has gained general acceptability among the component units of the country. Indeed, the issue, like a recurring decimal, has painfully remained the first problem that nearly every incoming regime has had to grapple with since independence. In the process, as many as thirteen different attempts have been made in devising an acceptable revenue allocation formula, each of which is more remembered for the controversies it generated than issues settled† Fiscal federalism refers to the scope and structure of the tiers of government responsibilities and functions as well as the allocation of resources among the tiers of government. Perhaps the most important issue of fiscal federalism is the revenue allocation formula, the sharing of national revenue among the various tiers of government (vertical revenue sharing) as well as the distribution of revenue among the state governments (that is, horizontal revenue allocation). The centralization of Nigeria’s fiscal federalism began with the report of the Dina Commission (1968) which argued that an appropriate revenue allocation system should result in a more equitable distribution of revenue among the states to achieve a balanced development of the federation. Revenue allocation can be described as a method(s) of sharing the centrally generated revenue among the different tiers of government and how the amount allocated to a particular tier is shared among its components. Nigeria is a federal state – under the federal system of government, federation or centrally-generated revenue is shared among the three levels of government, namely; the federal government, the states and the local governments. The theory of revenue sharing in a federal state is that each level of government receives an allocation of financial resources tailored to their specific requirements as defined by the mandate of legislative competence, their actual situation and the statutory indices of calculation. In Nigeria, decisions as to what proportion of centrally-generated revenue that would be retained by the federal government, the proportion that will be shared among the state governments and the proportion that will go to the local government has always been a problem, due to the fact that there is no consensus of opinion as to what could be seen as an ideal formula. The principles that guide the implementation of intergovernmental fiscal relations include: (a) The Principle of Diversity: The federal system must have the ability to accommodate a large variety of diversities. Hence, the fiscal system must provide scope for variety and differences to supply national, regional and local public goods. (b) The Principle of Equivalence: Based on the geographical incidence of different public goods, allocative efficiency requires the equalization of locational advantages arising from inter-jurisdictional differences with a combination of taxes and public goods and services. This requires the use of fiscal instruments for achieving macroeconomic objectives of growth, stabilization and full employment by residents of different geopolitical units; this requirement controls for what is often referred to as â€Å"central city exploitation thesis†. (d) Minimum Provision of Essential Goods and Services: This ensures that fiscal federalism guarantees all citizens, irrespective of where they reside, the minimum provision of ertain basic public goods and services. (e) Principle of Fiscal Equalization: In order to ensure a minimum level of public goods and services same degree of fiscal equalization is required. This is as a result of differences in resource endowment. (f) The Efficiency Principle: This principle implies that efficiency must be applied in the allocation of resources (g) The Principle of Derivation: The component units of a system should be able to control some of its own resources as they desire. h) The Principle of Locational Neutrality: Interregional fiscal differences tend to influence location choices of individuals and firms. Therefore, policy should focus on minimizing distortions due to some interference. Hence, differential taxes which create locational distortions should be avoided as much as practicable. (i) The Principle of Centralized Redistribution: This principle states that the redistribution function of fiscal policy through progressive taxation and expenditure programmes should be centralized at the federal level. That is, if the redistributive function is decentralized, it can result in distortions in location decisions. It should be noted that the above principles are not mutually consistent. There are several challenges and contending issues confronting intergovernmental fiscal relations in Nigeria: 1) Non – Correspondence Problem Ideally, each level of government should be given adequate resources to allow it discharge its responsibilities. Because this is not possible, there is usually a lack of correspondence between the spending responsibilities and the tax powers/revenue sources assigned to different levels of government. It is this incongruence that is often referred to as the non-correspondence problem. In Nigeria, most of the major sources of revenue come under the jurisdiction of the federal government yet lower levels of government are supposed to generate internal revenue. There is, therefore, the need to resolve the imbalance between assigned functions and tax powers. The issues concerning fiscal relations among the constituent units of the Nigerian federation that remain mostly unresolved are the divergence between assigned functions and tax powers, principle of horizontal and vertical revenue allocation, dependence of states and local governments on federal sources of funding, tendency towards concentration and federal presence in the states (Fadahunsi, 1998). The five principles currently applied in the horizontal revenue allocation formula are far from acceptable to all the stakeholders. 2) Fiscal Autonomy and Independence The issue of relative fiscal autonomy and independence of the state and local governments in a true federal structure goes with the corollary issue of the correspondence of governmental functions and revenue sources. Since the creation of the twelve-state structure in 1967, states and local governments have been excessively dependent on the Federation Account. This independence must be reduced if the federating units are to be free to pursue their own development goals without being hampered by the unpredictable fluctuations in their shares of the Federation Account. It is important that revenue sources should be reallocated and made compatible with the fluctuations stated for each tier of government to enhance steady and proper funding of administrative and developmental activities instead of the often experienced unexpected financial constrictions at the two lower tiers of government. 3) Oil Producing States, Oil Producing Local Government Administrative Areas or Communities Professor Omo Omoruyi in his treatise â€Å"the Politics of Oil: who owns the oil, Nigeria, states or communities† (2000) raised three salient questions on true ownership of oil in Nigeria. The question of local control over local resources is an established constitutional principle in federal systems. But the way the Nigerian federal system developed under the external colonial order (1954-60) and continued under the period of geo-ethno-military internal colonial order (1960-1999) and in the democratic dispensation between 1999 to date is yet an unresolved contending issues in the discourse about Nigeria’s federalism. He challenged the â€Å"Tripod† approach to Nigeria’s problem where the three major ethnic nationalities decide the content and the trend of national issues. This tripod approach to Nigerian politics, should have been done away with by now, with the introduction of the notion of ‘federal character’, which takes states in the federation as the units of representation. The tripod approach to Nigerian politics applies to how the oil, which comes from the non-majority areas, is approached in the political and economic discourse. We should also be aware of the feeling among the majority ethnic nationalities that the areas producing oil by virtue of powerlessness in the military and politics should not be allowed to lay claim to the oil from their areas as of right†. However, theres a distinction between oil producing communities and oil producing states. This is the basis of the activities of the Traditional Rulers of the Producing Communities who are dealing with the President and want the money due to states on the basis of the 13% derivation in the Constitution should be paid to the â€Å"oil producing communities/local government areas†. The Traditional Rulers’ argument is that â€Å"communities† own oil and not â€Å"states†. This is an unresolved issue and separates the communities in riverside areas directly affected by oil spillages from their compatriots in landed areas from enjoying the full benefits of allocations to producing states. One does not know the end of this argument. How should the National Assembly address this matter? The federal government should find a way of making the oil producing local government administrative areas as shareholders in the joint venture arrangements with the oil companies, thus making them stakeholders in the oil industry. There was the issue of who should be spending the oil money. Should it be the Nigerian government in conjunction with the oil producing areas? Should it be the oil producing areas alone? The Constitution from 1960 till after the civil war up till 1978 gave the right of ownership to the federal government but the proceeds were shared between the federal government and the regions or states on the basis of derivation like the agricultural crops. 4) Federation Account and the Derivation Fund It is important to define what constitutes the Federation Account – to which the various vertical revenue allocation formulae have been applied and what should be directly financed from it. Up to 1990, the amount accruing yearly to the Federation Account was still over 96% of totally federally collected revenue; but since 1991, when it first dropped to about 75% and nose-dived to around 35% by 1997, it showed no sign of recovery (Olowononi, 1999). It is therefore clear, that in such a situation, whatever the vertical formula applicable, there must still be a serious fiscal imbalance between the ederal government and the two lower tiers of government. It is crucial to redress this revenue imbalance in the spirit of balanced true federalism. What appears to account for this imbalance is the assertion of the self-claimed right by the federal government to finance various first-line charges from the Federation Account before the application of the vertical formula. The first-line charges include funding for external debt service, national priority projects, NNPC priority projects, special reserve account, and excess proceeds of the crude oil sales account, and in addition, the joint venture cash calls account. These deductions are made from the proceeds of crude oil sales before the derivation fund in the Federation Account is arrived at, and after which further deductions for special funds and the funding of the federal capital territory are made. It will seem more logical, with the exception of the joint venture case calls, that these various charges which are federal government obligations be financed solely from the federal government’s revenue proper, that is, from its share of the Federation Account or from its revenue from other sources. Therefore, in order to determine what constitutes the derivation fund, resolving the issue of the Federation Account is crucial. Thereafter, the derivation formula to be utilized can be arrived at. 5) Oil – Producing Areas and the Derivation Principle The crude oil production has been the most important economic activity in the Nigerian economy since the early 1970s is not subject to debate. Its impact is not limited to its contributing almost 90% of Nigeria’s total foreign exchange earnings but also to the fact that the national budgets are predicated on the expected annual production and price of crude oil.

Friday, November 8, 2019

Sediment Grain Size Chart for Rocks

Sediment Grain Size Chart for Rocks The grain sizes of sediments and sedimentary rocks are a matter of great interest to geologists. Different size sediment grains form different types of rocks and can reveal information about the landform and environment of an area from millions of years prior. Types of Sediment Grains Sediments are classified by their method of erosion as either clastic or chemical. Chemical sediment is broken down through chemical weathering  with transportation, a process known as corrosion, or without. That chemical sediment is then suspended in a solution until it precipitates. Think of what happens to a glass of saltwater that has been sitting out in the sun.   Clastic sediments are broken down through mechanical means, like abrasion from wind, water or ice. They are what most people think of when mentioning sediment; things like sand, silt, and clay. Several physical properties are used to describe sediment, like shape (sphericity), roundness and grain size. Of these properties, grain size is arguably the most important. It can help a geologist interpret the geomorphic setting (both present and historical) of a site, as well as whether the sediment was transported there from regional or local settings. Grain size determines just how far a piece of sediment can travel before coming to a halt.   Clastic sediments form a wide range of rocks, from mudstone to conglomerate, and soil depending on their grain size. Within many of these rocks, the sediments are clearly distinguishableespecially with a little help from a magnifier.   Sediment Grain Sizes The Wentworth scale was published in 1922 by Chester K. Wentworth, modifying an earlier scale by Johan A. Udden. Wentworths grades and sizes were later supplemented by William Krumbeins phi or logarithmic scale, which transforms the millimeter number by taking the negative of its logarithm in base 2 to yield simple whole numbers. The following is a simplified version of the much more detailed USGS version.   Millimeters Wentworth Grade Phi (ÃŽ ¦) Scale 256 Boulder –8 64 Cobble –6 4 Pebble –2 2 Granule –1 1 Very coarse sand 0 1/2 Coarse sand 1 1/4 Medium sand 2 1/8 Fine sand 3 1/16 Very fine sand 4 1/32 Coarse silt 5 1/64 Medium silt 6 1/128 Fine silt 7 1/256 Very fine silt 8 1/256 Clay 8 The size fraction larger than sand (granules, pebbles, cobbles. and boulders) is collectively called gravel, and the size fraction smaller than sand (silt and clay) is collectively called mud.   Clastic Sedimentary Rocks Sedimentary rocks form whenever these sediments are deposited and lithified and can be classified based on the size of their grains. Gravel forms coarse rocks with grains over 2 mm in size. If the fragments are rounded, they form conglomerate, and if they are angular, they form breccia.Sand, as you may guess, forms sandstone. Sandstone is medium-grained, meaning its fragments are between 1/16 mm and 2 mm.  Silt forms fine-grained siltstone, with fragments between 1/16 mm and 1/256 mm.  Anything less than 1/256 mm results in either claystone or mudstone. Two types of mudstone are shale and argillite, which is shale that has undergone very low-grade metamorphism.   Geologists determine grain sizes in the field using printed cards called comparators, which usually have a millimeter scale, phi scale, and angularity chart. They are especially useful for larger sediment grains.  In the laboratory, comparators are supplemented by standard sieves.

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Compare two science fiction films which use different themes essays

Compare two science fiction films which use different themes essays A genre normally has a set list of possible themes in there narratives. Science fiction has a few strong themes running throughout the history of this recently popular genre; science fiction wasnt popularized until the 1950s. Most science fiction tales have a prophetic nature and are often set in a future time. They are usually visualized through fanciful settings and advanced technology gadgets, scientific developments or by amazing special effects. A strong theme is science fiction films express societys anxiety about technology and how to forecast and control the impact of technological and environmental changes on society. We use technology everyday of our lives, but most of us do not actually understand how the machine works. And most films show this ignorance and the repercussions of underestimating technological advances. There will be encounters with aliens, creatures or beings, of which a battle will occur, good vs. evil scenario. Although the aliens are not always bad for example, E.T the extra terrestrial. Alien Invader films in the Cold War Era (1950s) portrayed the human race as victimized and at the mercy The film Independence Day contains many strong themes, it contains the aliens. Also the aliens invade our planet, which makes the audience feel the theme of the fear of the unknown. But this theme is treated in a very Alfred Hitchcock attitude, to build up the suspense in the first sequence. The audience is shown the great mass of a spaceship heading past the moon towards the earth, before it is acknowledged by any of the characters. The spaceship is just very metallic and cold, not much is shown at this point, but this adds to the suspense more, for what people dont know scares them the most. Although the film has a serious tone at first, with very dominant military and political characters and situations, there are many humorous moments. For example the song The end...

Sunday, November 3, 2019

Using the product or service of your choice describe the behaviors in Assignment - 1

Using the product or service of your choice describe the behaviors in making a purchase - Assignment Example According to the principles of marketing based on consumers’ behavior, four major factors influence how consumers of food products make their purchase. The main factor that greatly influences the buyer’s behavior is culture. Therefore, the type of food to be sold in a given market should be determined by the buyers’ culture (John 2000, 28). From the time one is born to the time he is fully grown, it is the culture that will dictate the types of food he is going to prefer eating. The social description of the buyers is also another factor that influences the behavior of the buyer in a food market. The amount of food and type a buyer buys greatly depends on the size of his family, his roles in the society and to a greater extent his social status. Personal factor as the third factor touches first on the buyer’s age and life cycle stages. The type of food one buys in a market over a lifetime changes with age and time. Food purchase behavior is also molded by family life cycle in the since that members of the buyer’s families go through different stages with time (Ruth 2000, 20). Therefore, the market should shape their food supply in the market basing on the consumers life- cycle. Secondly, a person’s occupation can also affect food purchase behavior. Buyer who is a blue-collar worker will tend to buy foods reach in calories because of body demand. One’s economic status is the third important factor under this category of personal f actors (Robert 2008, 27). An individual of high economic status will buy food of high cost while one of low economic status will constrain his budget to cheap food. Last but not the least is one’s lifestyle. The food market should try as much as possible to focus on the lifestyle of the buyer as another thing that affects his buying behavior. People from the same culture, society or even community cannot have the same lifestyle.This means different food and other commodities preference.

Friday, November 1, 2019

Own potential as a 'Prospective Manager' Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Own potential as a 'Prospective Manager' - Essay Example A manager can carry out self-skills audit to identify, review and assess his / her own performance. A questionnaire may be helpful but is not a professional way to judge the skills. The right way would be to talk with other related people and managers and observe how do they achieve their objectives. However following questionnaire contains example of some questions: important role how does he / she handle the job. Management style in fact reflects the leadership of a manager and depends much upon the culture of the business and nature of the work and workforce. Following management theories of 20th century became obsolete now. Motivation – Hierarchy of Needs: A.H. Maslow (1950 to 1960): Used to motivate people for his / her competency and creativity competencies, through his / her dignity - respect, love - affection, tutoring from protection and hunger. As the name sounds a leader is a person who influences the others through his / her image and behavior which could be demonstrated by his / her intelligence, courage, skilful capabilities etc. A manager can develop and improve his / her leadership style through learning and practice. A manager can act as a leader adopting one or more following type of leadership styles: Vision of life would be similar to a magnet pulling the iron articles. A life without vision puts long term objectives into dilemma and short term objectives become work-oriented. Vision is a dream, purposeful and object of any person or organization. It keeps motivated and focused all the time. Your vision should be conceived for your happiness, inspiration, enjoy and what you wanted. You may write and draw a meaningful vision and start acting on it. Writing a mission statement is also a challenging job and requires brain exercise. Reflection of vision should fall in mission statement. Mission could be personal for life, organizational or departmental

Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Case Study Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 5

Case Study - Assignment Example Second priority should be given to children as they stand a higher chance of survival. Moreover, they have a lot to achieve in life as compared to elderly who may as well not survive even after the vaccine. On personal reflection, caring for a patient diagnosed with HIV can be of significant challenge. Even after the patient has been found positive for the disease, the patient might not want the information disclosed to the family. On the other hand, the family faces a great risk as it is easier to contracting the disease during the nursing period from the patient. This brings a great fight between code of ethics and personal conscience or compassion. The patient’s confidentiality is important but with utilitarianism, defying the code of ethics is what will bring the great good for the majority. The patient needs to be convinced that making the condition known to family will be of great benefit to all of them. This will help the patient get appropriate care. It will also assist the family stay

Monday, October 28, 2019

Summer Love by Carlisle Naudyn Caroro Essay Example for Free

Summer Love by Carlisle Naudyn Caroro Essay Ice cream on a hot day. Going to the beach. Sleepless nights. Good hair days. Taking a leisure walk along the boulevard. ILC 2013 in Metro Manila. A Hong Kong Disneyland spree. Frolicking under the sun and simply living in that moment—just a few of the things I planned for my summer bucket list. My thoughts were more tangled than the students around me as we gather for our Commencement Exercises. My left eye got badly infected and turned crimson red, the main reason I never had the chance to present with my class. I climbed up the stage, got my award as the standing 1st Honor and got teary-eyed (not because I was in a sentimental condition but because I can barely open my left eye). Having my eye infected made me dislike the start-off of my summer. Well, I won’t say I am lucky. But indeed, I was blessed that the infection nursed back to normal the next day. Now, I can clearly see God’s beautifully engineered creations. And finally! This is SUMMER. We had school finished early. My family spent the Holy Week at home. We had our Lenten Diet and we never planned to go out somewhere until the week’s done. I’ve got nine weeks to enjoy summer and without a doubt, I’ve got all the time. I looked back on my summer bucket list, read it all throughout. Undeniably, my summer didn’t turned out to be the way I wanted it to be. The first of April, I got myself enrolled in a summer voice class in Silliman University College of Performing Visual Arts—which is actually, not a part of my summer bucket list. Classes will be starting on the 10th but my schedule would be starting on the 16th. It’s still a little bit early. I was uncertain to do so since my sister isn’t with me anymore. I started attending summer classes in SU since I was 9 years old. With my sister whose in college right now. I was sort of afraid going there alone. That is why I got doubts in doing so but since music is what my heart screams for, I went for it. My parents both worked in a state college and they will be having a seminar in Bacolod on the 10th. Two by two thoughts conquered my mind if one way or another, I should go or not. Well, Bacolod is still a strange and unfamiliar place for me since I haven’t been there plus it’s in Region VI. Yet my determination to travel pushed me to explore more on some unknown shores and that while I’m still young and my knees are still strong, I have to GO. So that’s it, we traveled to Bacolod with the company of my parents’ officemates. 9th of April, we headed to Dumaguete City and traveled by land (Well, because air flights cause too much expense) My patience lengthened ‘cause I have to sit on a bus for freaking 7 hours which I’m not really used to. We stopped by several bus terminals and a huge one with a food chain to take lunch. Then, went on. A feeling of astonishment showed in my face ‘because a huge mall was standing just in front of the hotel, Gaisano Bacolod Mall. I got myself indulged in a movie house, watched Star Cinema’s two of the recent successful movies—It Takes A Man A Woman and Must Be Love, both actually deserved a standing ovation. I as well got the chance of going to SM Bacolod. It was there my Mama bought me a new-fangled LG phone and beyond doubt, I was happy. Witnessing the dancing lights, the busy crowd in the amazing Panaad Festival was one of a kind. I got myself camera-captured in many of the native booths. I got myself pretty awed too, in Mambukal Resort. The beauty of the falls, the warm sound of the flowing river and the diverse kinds of butterflies in their sanctuary truly caught my eyes. Bacolod, the city of smiles (which is true), gave me a wondrous experience and I really wanted to live there but there are too many alien coasts I have to explore. I bid Adieu to Bacolod and continued my journey. The 16th of April came and my first class started. I went there alone, by the way and I was kind of proud of myself. I still have 2 upcoming classes on the 23rd and on the 30th which means I still have to be more independent. Eating alone at Mc Donald’s, walking to school alone and riding a fast craft to and fro all alone proved it. Within the leisure days, I stayed at home and there were days I met with a couple of friends from my YFC community. I was undoubtedly fortunate that Palarong Pambansa 2013 was held in Dumaguete and the date falls exactly on the week I’m having my second classes. So, I had the chance of witnessing Philippines’ best athletes play around courts and fields. Lucky, indeed. Then came May. The house was a bit of busy since fiesta’s fast approaching. I was actually overwhelmed when the day of the fiesta arrived, just the mere fact of families and friends coming over our house, the food and the moments. A day after the fiesta celebration, I went back to Dumaguete to have my progress recital. My Nanay accompanied me since my mother’s busy taking good care of my father, which is actually in bed for how many days. A feeling of anxiety conquered my whole body that day because I will be rendering a version of Les Miserables ‘On My Own’. I ran into students just like me. They had their stories and I can see it by the way they look and among the many of them, I was caught by a good-looking lad who had a freaking amazing voice. Sincerely I was a little bit boosted and inspired that somehow somewhere there are still good-looking guys who are passionate in music. *wink* I would say I did a great job singing that moment cause I got a feeling of 100% satisfaction. I really had quite a successful day. The next day, my father got confined in Perpetual Succour Hospital for a week in Cebu. I had to be there to accompany my mother. I traveled all alone—another proof of my independence. I was a little bit troubled that my mother won’t allow me to perform in our last summer recital since my family had expenses the past days. It has been my lifelong dream to perform in front a huge crowd and just give happiness and inspiration to young people like me. Yet after we went home, the heavens granted my prayers and my mother gave me the consent. It was May 14 when Papa got confined again in Holy Child Hospital in Dumaguete due to his dialysis sessions. Actually, every time I look at my father’s face, I feel down and I just want to cry but I have to be strong. So, my family stayed in Dumaguete for a week after the elections. While they were busy taking care of my father, I was as well busy going to Silliman COPVA to have rehearsals for our final performance. I wasn’t aware of the costume we had to use for the act and I didn’t bring any back home. My mom was in a full support condition and gave me all the things I needed. We had a 2-day show. We performed a Glee-song medley. The first one was a success. I got teary-eyed singing â€Å"Keep Holding On† since my family was absent on the performance. But the show must go on and by the way, I knew the name of the â€Å"good-looking lad with the freaking amazing voice† and I got the courage to talk to him. 5 points! We became friends and yes, I was happy. The last day, my mother was there and my fighting spirit got braver and I performed like it was the last performance of my life. Moreover, I fished some friends. I spent the following days on my cousin’s home and my grandpa’s since they’re having a fiesta celebration. I’ve had memorable experiences with my family which I haven’t experience a year ago due to some busy days. On the 28th and 29th, the Almighty conquered our province when we had our CFC-YFC ProvCon themed â€Å"iFollow†. The experience was beyond priceless that whenever I raised my hand to sing and worship, I feel saved and redeemed and that’s how powerful God’s grace is. I’m not luck indeed but I’m blessed and highly-favored that the last few days of my summer was spent to exalt the Almighty’s name. So that’s it. I didn’t have chances to go to beaches but I had the chance to be in the city of smiles.