Caged Bird by Maya Angelou Essay

Question: Explore the ways in which the poets in the following poems use imagery to vivid effect. Use examples from both the poems. Caged Bird by Maya Angelou Before the Sun by Charles Mungoshi The poem, Caged Bird by Maya Angelou, dramatizes the discrimination between the blacks and the whites. As this issue relates to the life of the poet, she expresses her way of thinking through this poem. The poet speaks about two birds, one which is free, expressing the freedom which the blacks desire, and another a caged bird, articulating their actual standing. The poet puts across her thoughts in order to evoke an emotion of sympathy towards the Afro-Americans, from the readers. To give a more vivid and an effective outcome, the poet has used various imageries to convey an array of feeling. The poet talks about the liberty of the free bird by saying, â€Å"dips his wing in the orange suns rays and dares to claim the sky†1. This sentence gives us the impression of how the free bird opens its wings and flies around in the blue sky, without any obstructions by anyone. This is a desire which the Afro-Americans in the society had, as they were always under restrictions by the whites. In the next stanza, we see that, Maya speaks of a caged bird that can, â€Å"seldom see through his bars of rage his wings are clipped and his feet are tied so he opens his throat to sing†2. This image of the condition of the caged bird gives us the knowledge that it cannot fly or even walk, on top of it, the bars of the cage makes him furious. The Afro-Americans of the world were in the same position, where the limitations were raising their temper, however they could not demand and fight for their justice. There was a terror in the voice of the caged bird as the poet says that it â€Å"sings with a fearful trill†3. Being restrained from many matters of life, a dread of panic had entered the Afro-Americans. They were terrified of each and every move of the whites, although they longed for a day when they will gain freedom. â€Å"caged bird sings of freedom†4, through this sentence, the poet compares the caged bird and the Afro-Americans of the society, as both hopes for free will. A very strong imagery of the horror of the Afro-Americans is being given in the fifth stanza of the poem. Maya uses the words, â€Å"stands on the grave of dreams†5, to show how the hardships and frustrations of living in a segregated Afro-American community has forced the Afro-Americans to think that their wishes and demands have come to an end, as they are dominated by the rules of white people. An image of a grave tells us that the surrounding is dark, lonely and gloomy; therefore we get an impression about the kinds of thoughts which go across in the Afro-American group of people’s minds. They face so much of annoyance and dissatisfaction that, just a nightmare can make even their shadows scream of terror. The last stanza of the poem again repeats the lines in the third stanza, emphasizing on the yearning of freedom by the Afro-Americans, though having a dread in them. Therefore, we saw how Maya Angelou has used various effective imageries in conveying the sentiments and emotions of the Afro-Americans. The poem, Before the Sun by Charles Mungoshi, sensationalizes the emotions of a child who is in his childhood, but on the verge of becoming an adult. The boy is on the threshold of maturity. The poet speaks about a child, who is in his adolescence and who is very close to nature. Therefore, the poet uses vivid imageries of nature to convey the thoughts of the boy. The boy communes with nature and the universe. We read the poem through the boy’s voice. In the first stanza itself, we get the hint that the boy is close to the nature. We can see that, the child is waiting for the sun to come up as he says, â€Å"Intense blue morning promising early heat†6, so that he can have a new start of the day. The figurative meaning of this would be that, he is waiting for his manhood to come. His childhood is the night, which is innocent of the activities going on in the world, and the sun for which he is waiting is his adulthood, which will bring a new day in his life. This day is revealing, which results in a loss of innocence of the night, i.e. the boy’s childhood, as he will gain experience. The second stanza is an image, where we visualize the boy cutting a wood with an axe. This is a very effective image, as we actually have the vision of cutting of a tree and, the chips flying away. This is shown as Mungoshi says in this stanza, â€Å"The bright chips fly from the sharp axe†7. The word, â€Å"arc†, is very effective, as it has both, visual and an audible image, of the short span of time when the axe is whacked on the tree, and the chip of the wood, flies and settles down n the grass, making the shape of an arc in the air. The third stanza has an imagery of a, â€Å"big log†8, of wood being wanted by the boy to cut. A sense of achievement is being shown by Mungoshi, which the boy desires, as he is in his teenage years. The fifth stanza has again a very strong and an effectual imagery of the wood being cut, and dust coming out of the wood. The phrase, â€Å"It sends up a thin spiral of smoke which later straightens and flutes out to the distant sky: a signal- of some sort, or a sacrificial prayer.†9 This is a visual image, where the boy tells the readers, that how, when the wood is being cut, the smoke makes a spiral shape and moves up. The words, ‘flutes out’, tells us that the smoke makes a sound while going up, which is very similar to the sound of a flute. The boy considers moving away towards his adulthood by sacrificing his childhood, as a result he says, that the smoke which is going is, â€Å"a sacrificial prayer†. â€Å"The wood hisses, The sparks fly†10, is an imagery of log of woods burning in the fire, and the sparks makes a kind of sound. This fire can be the image of a sacrificial fire, as he imagines of sacrificing childhood. The last stanza of the poem has an imagery of the process of eating, as the boy says, â€Å"taking big alternate bites: one for the sun, one for me†11. The last line, â€Å"two little skeletons in the sun†, tells us that the two skeletons are two cobs of maize which the boy was eating, although, this image can be the remains of his childhood, which he sacrificed. Therefore, we see how Charles Mungoshi has used vivid and effective visions and sounds to portray the feelings of the boy in moving towards maturity and adulthood. In the end, it is seen that both the poems have one major theme in common, i.e. the desire of freedom. The Afro-Americans symbolized by the caged bird wants the freedom of rights and speech, and on the other hand the adolescent boy wants to enjoy the same lack of restrictions enjoyed by the adults. Both of them are impatiently waiting for their freedom. 1 Caged Bird, by Maya Angelou Stanza 1, l-3 2 Caged Bird, by Maya Angelou Stanza 2, ll-5-6 3 Caged Bird, by Maya Angelou Stanza 3 l-7 4 Caged Bird, by Maya Angelou Stanza 3 l-10 5 Caged Bird, by Maya Angelou Stanza 5 l-14 6 Before the Sun, by Charles Mungoshi Stanza 1 ll-1-2 7 Before the Sun, by Charles Mungoshi Stanza 2 ll- 5-6 8 Before the Sun, by Charles Mungoshi Stanza 3 l-12 9 Before the Sun, by Charles Mungoshi Stanza 5 ll- 20-25 10 Before the Sun, by Charles Mungoshi Stanza 6 ll- 26-27 11 Before the Sun, by Charles Mungoshi Stanza 8 ll- 38-41

Diploma in leadership and management In Health Essay

Dementia is caused by damage in the brain, and is characterised by memory loss and difficulties with thinking, problem solving, movement co-ordination or language. It can also cause a person to become disorientated in space and time and to experience hallucinations, a decline in communication skills and personality changes. These symptoms also make it difficult for people with  dementia to learn new things and retain newly acquired information. The most common cause of dementia is Alzheimer’s disease, which is progressive. Proteins build up in the brain, forming â€Å"plaques† or â€Å"tangles†. These cause the loss of connections between cells, and eventually nerve cells die and brain tissue is lost. People with Alzheimer’s disease also do not have enough neurotransmitters, which are chemicals used to transmit messages. Vascular dementia is caused by a range of disease of the blood supply to the brain. Atherosclerosis is when fatty deposits build up in blood vessel walls. This causes them to harden and narrow, reducing blood flow to the brain. When brain cells do not get the oxygen and nutrients they need, they start to die. Pick’s disease or frontotemporal dementia is caused by nerve cells in the frontal and/or temporal lobes dying. The connections between these cells change, and there is a loss of neurotransmitters. Over time, the frontal and/or temporal lobes shrink. Lewy bodies are tiny round protein structures in the nerve cells of the brain. The cause of these or how they cause dementia is unknown. There is also a loss of neurotransmitters, and over time, the nerve cells progressively die and brain tissue is lost. People with dementia experience different types of memory impairment. A decline in memory means that people will often struggle to recall recent events or forget messages, routes or names. They may repeat themselves or ask the same questions repeatedly. They may forget how to do things, such as how to use cutlery, tie shoelaces, get dressed or play chess. Difficulties finding the right word, or understanding the meaning of words, can affect communication. Losing the ability to read or to interpret signs, as well as the person being unable to understand what others are saying can have a big impact on communication. Losing reading and writing skills not only impacts on communicating with others, but can also lead to confusion. People with dementia may no longer understand the normal flow of conversation and might interrupt or ignore people. Changes in behaviour are common in people with dementia. They may repeat an activity over and over, pace up and down, or follow people around. Sometimes people with dementia can shout, scream, or become physically aggressive. They can become restless and may wake up during the night. A lack of  inhibition can mean that somebody with dementia might undress inappropriately, be rude or display inappropriate sexual behaviour. People with dementia may hide and lose their possessions. They might be also suspicious of others, thinking that somebody has stolen an object they have misplaced, for example. People with dementia can struggle with mental processes such as reasoning. This can lead to confusion and difficulty with many everyday tasks. Being unable to weigh up all of the facts to make a sensible decision can have a huge impact on a person’s life. Many people with dementia will lose skills which they used to have, whether this be playing a musical instrument, driving or decorating. Abilities of people with dementia can fluctuate day to day. For example, they might be able to recognise a relative some days, but not others. Sometimes they might be able to write, whereas other days they might not. Dementia can affect the areas of the brain responsible for balance and movement, causing movement difficulties. People with dementia may walk more slowly, be only able to walk for short distances, or struggle to get up from chairs. They might need support to walk, or use a cane or a wheelchair. People with dementia might find it difficult to walk outside or on uneven surfaces and may be fearful of stairs or hesitant while walking through doorways. Stimuli including touch, light, heat and sound waves are input through the sensory organs. This information is encoded into our memory system by the brain. Information can be encoded in terms of what a printed word looks like, what a word sounds like, or what the word means. This information then has to be maintained. This is thought to happen in working memory (when information is stored for a maximum of 20 seconds) by electrical signals travelling through neurons in a loop. The hippocampus and the frontal cortex filter the information and decide if it will be stored in long term memory. If so, it is thought to be stored in some proteins. The information is stored in different parts of the brain, but we do not know exactly how this works. To recall a memory, the information must be retrieved. This is  triggered by a retrieval cue. The brain reconstructs the memory, putting together what may have happened by retrieving the information that the brain stored and could recall. Memories can be reconstructed incorrectly, and this can be influenced by the retrieval cue (such as a leading question). In people with dementia, the hippocampus may be damaged. This can make it much more difficult for the person to learn new information or to form new memories. The person might not remember what they did earlier on that day, or they might forget what they have said moments before, causing them to repeat themselves. The hippocampus is used when memories are retrieved, particularly memories which were formed more recently. This is why many people with dementia still have their childhood memories but cannot remember what they have done that day. When damage spreads through the brain, such as in people with Alzheimer’s disease, more areas in the brain become affected. The brain slowly shrinks and earlier memories are lost. The left hemisphere is responsible for semantic memory (the meaning of words) and language, so when it is damaged, the person might struggle to find the right words. The temporal lobes match visual input with memories of previous experiences, so when this is damaged, the person might struggle to recognise familiar faces and objects. Sometimes, a person with Alzheimer’s disease might know who the familiar person is once they hear their voice, because hearing pathways are separate. When a person’s right parietal lobe is damaged, they may struggle to judge distances, causing problems with navigating stairs, for example. The damage can spread to the frontal lobes, causing somebody with Alzheimer’s disease to struggle with planning, organization and decision making. This might include problems with tasks such as following a new recipe. In people with Alzheimer’s disease, many abilities are not lost, especially skills learned a long time ago. Skills such as playing a musical instrument depend on procedural memories, which are stored deep within the brain. These skills are often maintained for a long time in people with Alzheimer’s disease. People with vascular dementia display a wider range of symptoms than other types of dementia. Sometimes a stroke can cause vascular dementia, if the  blood supply to the brain is suddenly cut off and a large area of tissue on one side of the brain dies. The person may struggle with planning, concentrating, thinking, or with their memory. They may also have problems with speech or vision, or have weakness on one side of the body. Several mini-strokes can also lead to vascular dementia, each one causing a small patch of brain tissue in the cortex to die. The symptoms depend on where the tissue is lost. If this is in the hippocampus, the person might have problems with their episodic memory (personal memories of specific events). Damage in the frontal lobe can cause difficulties with executive function (problem solving, setting goals, making decisions, and following sequences to complete tasks). This might mean the person struggles to make cheese on toast, for example, because they cannot organise what they need to do. Vascular dementia can also follow several mini-strokes over time. Each mini-stroke creates a small patch of dead brain tissue, called an infarct, in the cortex. Early symptoms can be very specific to where the tissue is lost. For example, problems with episodic memory can be caused by an infarct in the hippocampus, and problems with executive function can be caused by an infarct in the frontal lobe. When a person has frontotemporal dementia, their temporal and/or frontal lobes shrink. Damage to specific areas causes different problems. The person might become withdrawn and lose motivation, or they might lose their inhibitions. This could cause them to take their clothes off inappropriately, or make inappropriate comments. When the frontal lobes are damaged, the person might repeat themselves constantly. People with dementia with Lewy bodies have less shrinkage of the brain than people with Alzheimer’s disease or frontotemporal dementia. The Lewy bodies form in the cerebral cortex, brain stem and limbic system. Common early symptoms are problems with attention and vision. Lewy bodies in the brain stem can also cause difficulties with movement. Sometimes people can have other conditions which might cause symptoms similar to those of dementia. Depression can mean the person’s mood is irritable,  sad or hopeless. They might be agitated, restless, or tired with no energy. They might lose interest or pleasure in activities that they used to enjoy. Sometimes depression can cause disturbances in sleep, like early waking, along with memory or concentration problems. It can cause a person to eat too much or too little, to have aches and pains with no physical cause, or to experience suicidal thoughts. However, depression usually develops over weeks or months, which is faster than the onset of dementia. People with dementia often experience problems with reasoning, speech and orientation in time and space, which depression would not usually cause. If a person with depression struggles to remember something, they will often remember when prompted, but people with dementia often try to cover up their forgetfulness. People with severe depression may struggle with their memory and reasoning due to poor concentration. These symptoms disappear with treatment, whereas this will not happen in people with dementia. People with depression and dementia can lack motivation, but people with depression are likely to show other symptoms of this, rather than other symptoms of dementia. People with infections, such as urinary tract infections, can also have symptoms which may appear similar to those of dementia. The pain caused by UTIs can cause people to become depressed or agitated, especially if they cannot communicate that they are in pain. Infections can also cause dizziness, confusion, hallucinations or memory problems, which could be mistaken for dementia. However, the confusion caused by infections is acute and comes on suddenly with the onset of the infection, rather than over a much longer period of time, as experienced by people with dementia. Once the infection has been treated then any agitation and confusion will disappear, which is not the case with dementia. Drugs including prescribed medications can have side effects which may mimic those of dementia. These can include confusion, dizziness, problems with movement or speech, difficulties with memory or thinking, agitation or hallucinations. People with these symptoms may appear to have dementia. This is more likely to be the case in older people, because they metabolize medication less efficiently, causing a build up of the drug. However, once  the person is on the correct type and dosage of medication, the symptoms should resolve themselves. People may become confused for reasons other than dementia, such as changes in their environment. Moving home, having different support workers or changing activities could cause a person to be confused. These changes could also cause depression, which in turn can mimic dementia. Once a person becomes more settled in their routine then the symptoms should disappear. Alcohol abuse can destroy brain cells responsible for memory, balance, thinking and decision making. People that drink heavily may also have an unhealthy diet low in thiamine. A severe deficiency in thiamine can lead to Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome, which causes symptoms such as memory loss, confusion and agitation. This could mean the person appears to have dementia. However, a history of alcohol abuse might suggest that this is not the case. Treatment for Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome can reverse the symptoms, which would not happen if the person had dementia. Vision problems caused by conditions such as cataracts or age-related macular degeneration can cause people to become confused and struggle to read or to recognise faces. This can be scary and can mean the person becomes depressed or agitated. Macular degeneration can come on rapidly, furthering the possibility that the person’s symptoms could be viewed as those of dementia. Once a diagnosis is confirmed and symptoms are treated or the person is supported to manage their condition, it would become apparent that the person does not have dementia. There are many reasons why the abilities and needs of an individual with dementia might fluctuate. In people with Alzheimer’s disease, as the condition progresses, the person’s abilities decline over time. People with dementia often have lucid moments, where they may suddenly be more able to communicate or do certain things for a short period of time. People with Dementia with Lewy bodies are more likely to experience fluctuating abilities. Medication changes can cause withdrawal symptoms such as confusion, dizziness or flu-like symptoms. Side effects of the new medication, such as those mentioned above, may be more apparent until the body gets used to this medication. These can mean the person is more agitated or confused than normal and they might need extra support until the symptoms have eased. Sometimes a person may have been on a strong medication for a long period of time, and once this is changed, their abilities and needs can change. Several people that I have worked with have been more able to make and  communicate their decisions, more mobile, alert and independent after certain medications were reduced or withdrawn. Abilities can often be mood dependent – when anyone is in a good mood, they are more likely to want to do things and to communicate more effectively. Being less able to communicate or having to rely on others for support can cause frustration or agitation, particularly where support with personal care is required. Once agitated, the person might be less able to do things independently due to the way they are feeling. People with dementia are often awake at night and they may struggle with their day/night orientation. This can lead to them being tired during the day, affecting their cognitive abilities, communication skills and co-ordination. The support a person receives can impact on their abilities and needs. If there is a lack of continuity in the support provided, the person can become unhappy and more confused, causing their abilities to change. It is important for the person to build trust and familiarity with their support workers. Likewise, better support and improved continuity might mean that the person becomes more independent as they are more settled and have better routines. Developing effective communication methods can mean the person becomes more able to communicate with those around them. Different ways in which the person is supported could also result in fluctuations in abilities while they are supported by different support workers. If a person is experiencing abuse committed by anyone around them, they are likely to become depressed, confused or agitated, meaning their abilities and needs could change. Early diagnosis can help reduce the anxiety experienced by the person which is caused by not knowing what is causing their symptoms. The diagnosis can help the person to feel empowered and they can learn about their condition and what their future may hold. The person or their family might be in denial about the diagnosis, refusing to accept that they have dementia. The diagnosis can make a person feel as if their life has been turned upside down. They are likely to be scared and might feel like they have lost their identity, dignity and control over their life. They may be scared of losing  their home and their privacy and dignity. Sometimes people may be viewed or treated differently by others once they have a diagnosis, including their family and friends, or they might be worried about this happening. However, early diagnosis is important because it enables access to support groups. The person can gain advice on how to manage their condition while living as full a life as possible. The support groups introduce people who are in the same situation, so the person and their family and friends can build a support network. The support group can also provide specialist information related to the person’s condition and their symptoms, with a real understanding of how dementia impacts the life of the person and their friends and family. If the person is diagnosed with dementia early, the underlying cause can be discovered and they can access treatments for their condition. Alzheimer’s disease and dementia with Lewy bodies gradually damage the brain. Medications are available which improve symptoms by increasing the function of the remaining healthy brain cells. These medications do not slow the progression of the disease but they do improve symptoms, which improves quality of life. Other medications can also be reviewed, as they could be affecting cognitive functioning. Risk factors such as smoking, being overweight, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and poorly controlled diabetes contribute to vascular dementia. The presence of these risk factors can also make Alzheimer’s disease worse. Early diagnosis might mean that more attention is given to keeping these risk factors under control, which could slow the progression of vascular dementia or Alzheimer’s. A diagnosis is essential for organising support, including day services, respite care, occupational therapists, dieticians, mental health teams and speech and language therapists. This can not only improve quality of life for the person, but give family and friends a break from supporting the person. Early diagnosis means the person will get the support sooner, possibly improving their long term outcome. A diagnosis will also make financial support accessible to the person, such as Personal Independence  Payment. It may make it easier for the person and their family to receive advice regarding their finances, as well as financial support such as Carer’s Allowance. An early diagnosis will give more time to plan for the future to ensure that everything is in order. A Lasting Power of Attorney may need to be arranged if the dementia is progressive. Safer ways of taking medication can be set up, such as blister packs, for example. This will help the person to take their medication correctly, and can make it simpler for family and friends. This can empower the person, increase independence and reduce the risk of medication errors which could cause health issues. If a person is already diagnosed with dementia, then nurses and doctors will be aware of any difficulties they may encounter and will work harder to communicate with the person effectively. It is essential to record accurately to aid early diagnosis. Recording anything that is unusual for the person or any possible symptoms of dementia, in detail, will give a good picture over time of any changes in a person’s ability or memory. It is important to have agreed methods of recording and reporting within the organisation and for all employees to follow these. These might include verbal, written and electronic communication. Information must be kept confidential and all records and reports must be timely and accurate. Reporting might include communicating with colleagues, key workers and line managers, GPs, nurses, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, speech and language therapists and specialist consultants. Records must be legible, factual, dated and signed. Recording all of these symptoms will help to see if there is a pattern and reporting them to the person’s GP can obtain a referral for diagnosis as soon as possible. When a diagnosis is made, they may use the support records, as well as looking at times where concerns have been reported to the relevant bodies. It is important that all records are detailed to ensure that an early, correct diagnosis can be made. Before and after diagnosis, detailed records will show if a person’s symptoms are improving or worsening over time. It is also essential to record accurately to highlight any risks that arise and to report these. This ensures that the risks can be addressed, reducing the likelihood of harm coming to the person and their support workers. When a support worker records and reports a risk they encounter to  the relevant person or authority, they are also protecting themselves in the event of legal action arising. The organisation would be required to prove that they have agreed methods of recording and reporting in place and that they ensure that these are followed. Having robust support plans and risk assessments in place should mean that they hold up to scrutiny in court. This would mean that employees would be liable for their own actions if they did not work in accordance with them. Part 3 Person centred care is support planned and delivered around the needs of the person. This means involving the person as much as possible, as well as any other people that they wish to be involved, such as family, friends and other professionals. Support workers will be matched to the person being supported, who might be involved in recruitment. The person should be as involved as possible in choosing where they wish to live, who they want to live with, who they want to be supported by, what they want to do each day, what and when they eat and drink, how they are supported with day to day activities, etc. The person will be supported to be as independent as possible and staff will be trained to meet the needs of the person. Support workers will always respect the dignity, privacy and rights of the person. They will work to ensure a holistic approach, meeting all of the person’s needs, including religious and cultural. They will support the person to develop and maintain meaningful relationships and will build a trusting, professional relationship with the person. Support workers will have a positive approach, focusing on what the person can do, what their strengths are, and seeing the person as an individual rather than by their condition. They will work within guidance and legislation, act in the best interests of the person and work to safeguard them from abuse. A multidisciplinary team will often be involved, to support the person in all areas of their life in the best possible way. Non person centred care is the opposite of all of this and is based on a more institutional approach – which is easiest for the staff or the organisation, what fits in best with the other people who live there, or which is  cheapest. Non person centred care is more likely to occur in large group homes, though can happen anywhere. Carers might be very limited by time or resources. Staff may subscribe to the biomedical model of health. The biomedical model focuses on the person being physically healthy, as in having an absence of physical illness. It does not consider wellbeing as a whole, ignoring social and psychological factors. This way of thinking means all of the factors outlined above could be ignored, because staff might think the person is well supported just because they are physically healthy. There are many techniques which can be used to meet the fluctuating needs of the person with dementia. The reality-orientation approach is a type of therapy which reduces confusion and helps the person to understand their surroundings. Information relating to time, place, a person, etc. is presented and repeated regularly. This might be clocks, schedules for the day or a board showing the date, which is reinforced using prompts in conversation. This is helpful because people with dementia may forget what day/time it is, where they are, or who they are with. The validation approach means seeing the world through the person with dementia’s eyes and trying to enter their reality, rather than bringing them back to our reality. This sometimes means not challenging their reality – doing this would often just lead to more stress and confusion. This approach improves the person’s self esteem and can mean they feel more settled. The validation approach subscribes to the idea that there is a reason why people with dementia do and say the things they do, and that we should validate these things and try to understand them. The behaviours are attempts to communicate. It says that we must empathise with the person and try to understand what they are trying to express. The validation approach theorises that the person is expressing things which they have suppressed for many years. Expressing these feelings reduces the intensity of them and enables the person to communicate more. It is based on the idea that when a person has severe short term memory loss, they revert to the more familiar past. This is thought to be to due to having less control over the present, to relive past experiences or to resolve unfinished conflicts. This approach reduces stress experienced by the person with dementia and encompasses the  holistic approach, focusing on the person’s dignity and happiness. This often results in the person displaying less behaviours which challenge. Using the right aids and assistive technology can help carers to meet the changing needs of a person with dementia while maintaining their dignity and independence. Assistive technology such as pressure sensors, door alarms, calendar clocks, talking photo albums, reminder messages and personal alarms can help family or support workers to meet the variety of changing needs of the person with dementia. Changing the environment to meet the needs of the person might include fitting hand rails, ramps or different flooring such as non slip flooring. Practical aids to help the person be more independent are useful, such as touch sensitive lamps, kettle tippers, adapted cutlery and non spill cups. Equipment for personal care, continence and maintaining dignity might include dressing aids, raised toilet seats, bath seats, commodes and continence pads. Some mobility and transfer aids are walking frames, wheelchairs, hoists, transfer turntables and chair raisers. Working with the person to find the best combination of aids and techniques is important as part of a person centred approach. Support workers should use reminiscence techniques such as discussing old pastimes, looking through photo albums, watching old films or listening to music can help stimulate a person’s memory and enhance their quality of life. Alternative therapies such as aromatherapy and massage can mean the person feels more relaxed in what can be a stressful, confusing world. It is important to address sensory needs, whether this is through touch, smell, activities such as swimming or use of sensory rooms, etc. Using effective communication is essential for person centred support. Support workers should be aware of their verbal and non verbal communication, using techniques such as physical prompts where appropriate. As previously discussed, needs and abilities can fluctuate on a daily basis so different techniques might be useful on different days or with differen t people. Myths and stereotypes related to dementia can have a big impact on the individual and their carers. Some of these stereotypes are that people with dementia are aggressive, that they do not have rights or that they do not  understand anything. Some people assume that people with dementia automatically lose their independence so cannot drive or be involved in decisions. This could mean that people are automatically excluded from being involved in decisions regarding their support, which is not person centred. The person’s independence might be compromised as they might not realise that their diagnosis does not prevent them from doing things, including driving. These stereotypes can lead to social isolation for both the person and their carers in attempt to avoid coming into contact with people who hold these beliefs. Negative interactions with professionals such as GPs can negatively impact the person’s self esteem and dignity, as well as that of the carer. This in turn may mean that the person struggles to access the services which they need, or avoids seeking access to these services in fear of discrimination. A lack of access to services can also affect the carer because they can be left to care for the person without any respite or support network around them. The involvement of professionals such as occupational therapists, for example, can greatly improve the lives of both the person and the carer. All of this can negatively impact on the person’s behaviour, further affecting their quality of life (and that of the carer). Individuals and carers can be supported to overcome their fears through person centred planning. Support to do this can empower the individual to be in control of their life rather than fearful about what will happen to them. This support could come from advocates, charities, support groups, friends, line managers, etc. Carers are likely to be less scared and more informed about how they can effectively meet the person’s needs to improve their quality of life. Information about accessible services can demonstrate to the person with dementia that they can still be supported to live a full and active life. They can choose which services they would like to use and can see what is on offer, which might be in contrast to views they already hold about care providers. This information can ease the fears of carers, particularly where family carers are involved, because they may feel more at ease when they know that a wide range of person centred support is available. Where an organisation is providing support, training can help the support worker to feel more informed and confident in their ability to provide person centred care. This can ease any fear which the person has,  along with supervision meetings where they can discuss their development. Team meetings are also helpful, because the team can discuss their ways of working and address any issues that they have come across. Support groups and organisations can greatly help to ease the fears of both the individual and their carers, not only by providing practical advice and support, but through moral support too.

Differences between IFRS and AAIOFI standards Term Paper

Differences between IFRS and AAIOFI standards - Term Paper Example The development of the international accounting standards and its acceptance would help in reducing the compliance costs and in the process would develop consistency in the quality of the audit. (IFRS in your pocket 2005, p. 2) What are IFRS standards? The International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) have been enforced by International Accounting Standards Committee for the better understanding by the equity investors, the lenders and anyone else who uses the information. The world securities regulators have been recommended by the International Organization of Securities Commission to allow the foreign users to use IFRS in making financial statements for the cross border offerings and listings. The uses of IFRSs have been made obligatory in the consolidated statements of the listed Europe companies from the year 2005. It has also been reported that many countries have started replacing their national GAAP by IFRSs in their domestic companies in comparison with the other nation s which are adopting policies to approve IFRSs either verbatim or in the exact manner as their national standards. The IASB and the US counterpart of it, the Financial Accounting Standard Boards, have taken up a comprehensive agenda to converge the IFRSs and the US GAAP as much as possible over the next several years. A convergence project has also been initiated with Japan. The pre-requisites of the global business is a global capital market which is ensured by superior governance, better-quality laws and a set of internationally accepted accounting standards. The IFRSs standards have been largely accepted around the world. The Standards of IFRS 1. The initial acceptance of the International Financial Reporting standards. The objective of the standard was to lay down the process when the IFRSs are being newly adopted by any organization while drafting its financial statements for common purpose. The statement includes an overview of the financial statements for the first time entit ies and they should draft their accounting policies according to the IFRSs which have been enforced from 31st December, 2005. The organization is needed to frame its financial statements at least for the years 2005 and 2004 and also should reaffirm the opening balance sheet. As IAS 1 requires the comparative financial data of the previous one year minimum the opening balance sheet that will be produced should be of January 1, 2004 if not earlier than that. If the entity adopts the standards on 31st December 2005 and produce selected portion of the financial data on an IFRS basis for the period before 2004 along with its financial statements for the year 2004 and 2005, that would not change the fact that the opening balance sheet according to the IFRSs standards will be of 1st January 2004. (p. 57) 2. Share Based Statement The objective of the standard is to lay down for the transaction which involves the receiving or acquiring of goods or services by the entity either as a â€Å"co nsideration for its equity instruments or by incurring liabilities for amount based on the price of the entity’s shares or other equity instruments of the entity†. (p. 58) The Standard specifies the mandatory recognition of the entire share based payments in the financial statements on the basis of a fair value measurement. It also specifies the recognition of any goods and

THE ECHR AS A LIVING INSTRUMENT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

THE ECHR AS A LIVING INSTRUMENT - Essay Example One of the powerful interpretive tools used by the EctHR has been the conceptualization of the ECHR as a living instrument. It is settled case law that the ECHR is â€Å"a living instrument which must be interpreted in light of present-day conditions.† A critique of judicial activism may criticize the use of the living instrument rule as an impermissible intrusion of the Strasbourg Court into the policy-making domain. This paper analyses this proposition and the development of the living instrument rule in light of Strasbourg jurisprudence in respect of two articles of the ECHR, article 3 and article 8. Article 3 of the ECHR states that no one shall be subjected to torture or to inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. The original Court began the articulation of the living instrument methodology in the well-known case of Tyrer v. United Kingdom when it was required to determine the compatibility of judicial corporeal punishment with article 3 prohibition on cruel and degrading punishment. The Government of the Isle of Man argued that judicial corporal punishment was acceptable to the inhabitants of the island. However, the Court held that: â€Å"... the Convention is a living instrument which, as the Commission rightly stressed, must be interpreted in the light of present-day conditions. In the case now before it the Court cannot but be influenced by the developments and commonly accepted standards in the penal policy of the member States of the Council of Europe in this field.

Multicultural Maladjustments Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Multicultural Maladjustments - Essay Example The essay "Multicultural Maladjustments" talks about the people who live amidst two or more cultures and an uncomfortable feeling of being outsiders. This is poignantly brought out in the three books that are discussed, â€Å"The Namesake† by Jhumpa Lahiri, â€Å"Persepolis-2† by Marjane Satrapi and â€Å"Anil’s Ghost† by Michael Ondaatje. All these three books deal with the conflict that results from being between two or more cultures. In â€Å"The Namesake†, it is the struggle for identity of a boy of Indian origin in America that is portrayed, in â€Å"Anil’s Ghost†, the author describes the travails of a young Sinhalese woman, and in â€Å"Persepolis†, the heroine is an Iranian educated in the West. All these characters have one thing in common, which is the feeling of being an outsider among peers. A feeling of perpetual disorientation and discord haunts the lives of the people who are forced by circumstances to live as a p art of multiple cultures. They can overcome this feeling of alienation by consciously trying to become a part of the prevailing culture. The graphic art novel â€Å"Persepolis† by Marjane Satrapi. was originally written in French. A daughter of a noble family of Iran, Satrapi lived a comfortable life in Iran. In 1984, in her early teens, she was forced to flee Iran and study in a school in Austria. She feels like an outsider among her classmates at school but struggles to acquire a sense of belonging.

GMO-genetic modified organism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

GMO-genetic modified organism - Essay Example There are organizations that are either supporting or rejecting the labeling of GMOs. Organizations such as the American Medical Association have strictly stood against the labeling of these organisms, while Truth In Labeling Campaign has quite openly supported the labeling of these organisms (Melnick, 2012). GMOs should be labeled because this will help consumers in making rational decision, will lead to increase in production of food that is not manufactured through genetic engineering, will keep consumers away from health issues caused due to consumption of GMOs and will lead to increase in exports. One of the reasons due to which labeling of GMOs is being favored is that labeling of food products that have been created through genetic engineering will assist consumers in making informed choices. Consumers are able to make informed choices when they have information that is perfect in nature. Information is regarded as perfect only if the ingredients used in manufacturing food products are provided to the customers and consumers through labels. If goods are not labeled properly, the consumers will not have the information required to make rational choices (Scatasta, 2007). Those in favor of GMOs’ labeling believe that labeling will not decrease the revenue of farmers in developing areas and will rather lead to increase in business for them and this is because those importing GMOs are not ready to accept food products that are not labeled. Not only developing nations will benefit from labeled GMOs, even developed nations such as the United States that is a huge exporter o f GMOs will even benefit from labeling as labeling will ensure smooth exports of GMOs. In certain regions it has been made obligatory that all the food items as well as the seeds that may be produced through genetic engineering or constitute of certain percentage of GMOs need to be

Corporate Investment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Corporate Investment - Essay Example Some of the junk bonds are very profitable but they have the highest risk for investment losses. Individuals and corporations must carry out appropriate risk management when purchasing bonds. The issuer make announcement that bonds are to be issued. Usually, the bond is associated with a face value that is redeemed when it is sold by the purchaser in open market. The bond is issued at a value less than the face value, the difference is the profit for the purchaser. The underwriter takes its commission also. Once the purchaser buys the bond, he/she can sell it in the open secondary market or can keep it till maturity when full face value of the bond will be returned by the issuer. If bond is traded before maturity, the selling price is lower than the face value to accommodate profits for the next purchaser. Though bond and stock markets operate separately, yet stock market does have an impact on bond market. The company whose shares are trading at premium in stock market has a better chance to get its bonds purchased by many purchasers. Also, they are in a position to sell bonds at a higher discount rate to minimize its own losses when the bond face value is to be returned at the time of maturity. A company that is not doing well on stock market also faces difficulty in selling its bonds in bond market. I think lower taxes on dividend and ca... A company that is not doing well on stock market also faces difficulty in selling its bonds in bond market. PART 2 Data: 500 shares at $30 per share = $15,000 Initial Margin requirements = 55% = (15000)(0.55) = $8,250 Hence, Loan amount = 15,000 - 8,250 = $6,750 Interest payment = 13% = (6750)(0.13) = $877.5 Dividends received = $1 per share = $500 (for 500 shares) 1. Sold stock for $40 per share: Total earnings from sale = (500)(40) = $20,000 Total earnings + dividends = 20,000 + 500 = $20,500 Total expenses = $878 Net earnings = $19,622 Hence, rate of return = (19,622 - 8,250) / 8,250 Rate of Return on investment = 137.84% 2. Sold stock for $20 per share: Total earnings from sale = (500)(20) = $10,000 Total earnings + dividends = 10,000 + 500 = $10,500 Total expenses = $878 Net earnings = $9,622 Hence, rate of return = (9,622 - 8,250) / 8,250 Rate of Return on investment = 16.66% 3. Cash Purchases: (i) Sold stock for $40 per share: Total earnings from sale = (500)(40) = $20,000 Total earnings + dividends = 20,000 + 500 = $20,500 Total expenses = $15,000 Net earnings = $5,500 Hence, rate of return = 5,500 / 15,000 Rate of Return on investment = 36.67% (ii) Sold stock for $20 per share: Total earnings from sale = (500)(20) = $10,000 Total earnings + dividends = 10,000 + 500 = $10,500 Total expenses = $15,000 Net earnings = ($4,500) Hence, rate of return = (4,500) / 15,000 Rate of Return on investment = -30% PART 3 I think lower taxes on dividend and capital gains can enhance economic development. This is because if taxes are low, the individuals are able to save

Creativity in music and children learning in 3-5 years Annotated Bibliography

Creativity in music and children learning in 3-5 years - Annotated Bibliography Example Creativity in music helps children build their confidence. Children learn to be independent by taking the initiative of forming their own songs. This could be with the help of their parents or their teachers. Examples of these songs are songs on responsibility. The songs help children face the world by making them know their talents count.Creativity in music helps enhance the quality of a child’s life. This is by enabling the child express his or her ideas and experiences by the use of music. Examples of these songs are songs on trust. These songs help guard a child around strangers. A child will remember the message in the song and know what to do when a stranger talks to him or her.Creativity in music allows a child to express his or her feelings through music. When children are given a chance to be creative, they can openly say what they feel or think confidently. Examples of these songs are the ones on compassion. These songs teach them how to behave and how to handle them selves around grownups and around their friends. This book explains that nurturing a child’s talent at an early age is important. Children can use their musical talents to earn a living when they grow up. At these stages, children are usually curious and they are always looking for answers. This stage is not of serious study and exposing a child to critical theory, makes him or her loose the desire to learn. When asking a child, what he or she learnt in school, it is possible that the child will not have a clue of a hint.

Media Analyisis - Big Brother Essay Example for Free

Media Analyisis Big Brother Essay The first feature I observed about Big Brother is how it follows the generic conventions of reality TV. This is particularly true of the narrative; Big Brother shares the same main enigma code of who will win? as various other reality TV programmes such as Strictly Come Dancing, Fame Academy, and Celebrity Love Island. The fact that Big Brother places such emphasis on competition with tasks and challenges constantly presented to the contestants, means that the narrative is based on conflict. The process of nominations is a prime example of this. This again follows the generic conventions of reality TV and is an important factor considering that this genre is based on causality. In a show based on character interaction and emotion it is important to have an element of conflict as it produces greater reactions and drama. However, whilst Big Brother follows the conventions of reality TV, the genre of reality TV is actually very unconventional. Reality TV is actually a hybrid of soap/game show/ documentary which have been merged to create an entirely new genre; this makes it a bricologe. Bricologe is a new media concept and is a good example of how genre must keep changing to avoid repetition to the point of boredom (Tessa Perkins). The mode of address is also typical of other reality shows. Big Brothers presenters talk directly to the audience, giving the show a more personal and inclusive feel; this ensures the audience can relate to the show more easily. Big Brother also employs a voice over which is needed due to practicity issues. The voice used may be formal but the fact that a variety of accents are used (in particular Geordie) means the audience dont feel alienated. I believe that the formality of the voice over is used to give the show more credibility as opposed to a more sensationalist feel. Big Brother also features strong binary oppositions in the form of characters; this is a decision again based on the importance of causality. The housemates were all chosen due to their strong personalities; the producers are aware that this will produce a greater interest and reaction from the public whilst also ensuring that there is likely to be a clash of personalities in the house, resulting in more drama. Examples of character binary oppositions are Grace and Niki. They are bother from very different backgrounds and have different values and morals. Grace comes from a privileged background, going to an all girls school and living in a flat in London that her parents pay for. However she is independent and appears decisive and strong-willed. Grace appeared to look down her nose on what she considers to be slutty women with no class, especially those involved in the glamour industry. Niki on the other hand, works as a glamour model, promotions girl, and dancer, which immediately clashes with Graces morals. Character wise, she is the opposite of Grace; she is very fussy, indecisive, and emotional. Her goal in life is to marry a footballer and not have to work. It is not just Niki and Grace who are binary oppositions; based on their individual tapes every single housemate is in theory an opposition of each other. As I mentioned earlier, this was purposely done in order to cause conflict in the house. The main enigma code is also based on causing conflict, and that is; who will win? The competitive ideology of the programme ensures there will be friction between the housemates. This is reflective of the hegemonic ideology of todays rat race. The other less major enigma codes, such as romances and the tasks ensure that the audiences interest is held at all times. The bright, synthetic lighting of the Big Brother house creates a claustrophobic environment, this again encourages conflict. An important point to consider when analysing Big Brother is the fact that its makes use of selective editing; it is an example of mediation as it uses editing to influence the viewers opinions of the housemates. E. g. by continuously showing clips of Grace bitching exaggerates her nastiness and portrayed her as a villain. Big Brother uses this to get a greater reaction from the public with the aim of keeping in the housemates that provide the most entertainment. Big Brother also retains the power to influence the viewers opinion of the housemates through shot composition and editing; this can completely change or form the representation of a housemate. This is extremely important as the housemates were all chosen to play different parts and portray different stereotypes therefore Big Brother aims to represent them as their allotted characters. An example of this is Nikis portrayal as a spoilt yet loveable drama queen; the programme is edited in a way that shows her tantrums in a humorous light. This was particularly true in the run up to her and Graces eviction, when it was quite obvious Big Brother wanted Niki to remain in the house. Glyn is another example of stereotypical representation, being represented as your typical oversexed, slightly naive, awed country boy. Big Brother again had a part to play in this representation by focusing on his naive comments and fantasising. On a broader scale, Big Brother is not only representing its housemates but is also a reflection of society.

How to create a completely peaceful world Essay Example for Free

How to create a completely peaceful world Essay To create a fully peaceful world, both Federalism and non-violent resistance are necessary. Federalism and non-violent resistance can cooperate well to completely eliminate war in the world. In this essay, I am arguing that neither federalism nor non-violent resistance can achieve a peaceful world independently. War comes from conflicts between communities or nations. We can find the roots of conflicts from human nature. I believe that the human nature is a complex combination including both Hobbes human nature theory and Hegels master and slave theory. By looking at human nature, we can see that federalism, which aims to establish a powerful global government, and non-violent resistance, which includes demonstrations, obstruction, refusal to cooperate, boycotts, strikes, civil disobedience and so on, can deal with the conflicts and achieve peace (Awad 158). In the real world, however, there are some challenges to set up a powerful global federal government and perform the non-violent resistance policy. The challenges are unsolved in this essay. Firstly, a single world government with its own dominant army is one of the necessary prerequisite for a peaceful world. The reason comes from Hobbes human nature theory. Hobbes believes that human nature is the drive for gain, safety and reputation (Hobbes 30). The drive cause conflicts between human beings. Moreover, for as to the strength of body, the weakest has the strength to kill the strongest, either by secret machination, or by confederacy with others, that are in the same danger with himself (Hobbes 29). Thus, without a powerful government, the human society will inevitably be in war, and such a war, as is of every man against every man. (Hobbes 30). And consequently, the life of man will be solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short. (Hobbes 31). At present, the international society is very compatible with Hobbes theory. With nuclear Chen 2 weapons, the weakest nation has the potential ability to destroy the strongest nation. Each nation has the nature drive for economic gain, safety and glory. Conflicts between nations are inevitable because of the natural drive. Therefore, war becomes inevitable. Furthermore, the fast growing globalization has changed the world to be a small village. Before the industrial revolution, people needed months or years to travel cross the continents or oceans. Geographic barriers greatly reduce the incentive of waging war to a faraway nation. The conflicts of gain, safety and reputation were greatly weakened by geographic distance. For example, no nation wanted to wage war from North America to the Middle East thousands of years ago. In fact, lots of nations were sort of isolated from the other nations. Thus, in the ancient time, there had no war of every nation against every nation. However, nowadays technology has made the geographic barrier almost be vanished. Information transfers within the world in a few seconds. People can travel to anywhere in a couple of days. The world becomes a small village. In this small village, every nation is competing with others for gain, safety, and reputations. With the natural conflicts between nations and the deadly power of nuclear weapons, sooner or later, the world will be inevitably in a war of every nation against every nation, and in such a war, the life will be solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short. Only a world government with dominant military power can prevent such horrible condition. The world government can use its great coercive power to maintenance the peace between nations. If there is a war between nations or a civil war inside a nation, the world government can step in by its powerful army to stop the war. In terms of Hobbes first natural law, man is to seek peace, and follow it (Hobbes 33). Here, nations also apply to the first natural law, which is that all nations seek peace, so they follow the global government. Chen 3 However, it should be noted that peace can not be fully achieved by the coercive global government. The global government uses its coercive military power to stop war, but it cannot fully prevent war. For example, when two nations have conflicts, and fight in a war, the world government can only send its powerful army to stop the war after the war has begun. On the other hand, the world government may have to use war to stop the war. For example, if one nation invades another nation, the world government may have to attack the invader to force it to retreat from the victim country. So the war still exists. Under this condition, non-violent resistance is the only way to prevent the war. Non-violent resistance is associated with Hegels view of human nature. Hegel believes that human nature is the drive of gaining recognitions from others. To gain recognition, individual must struggle to have superior power than others. Therefore, individual can have freedom as a master to force others to be slaves. The slaves have to work for the masters, and be surviving by the exchange of acknowledging the masters identity (Hegel 36). According to Hegels theory of human nature, the conflicts between human beings are not necessary to lead to war or violence. In other words, war is not inevitable. Since the human nature is to seek for recognition from others, if other individuals are killed by war or violence, the recognition by the other individual can not exist. So, human beings do not naturally have incentive to use violence or war to solve conflicts. Human beings, however, must want to only threaten others with death for recognition. The threat will never be credible, because the death of the slavers will make the master be meaningless. A master can not be a master if there are no slavers at all. Therefore, non-violent resistance makes sense in dealing with conflicts in the world. For example, suppose there is a very small community with only two men inside. In terms of Hegels Chen 4 human nature theory, both of the two men will struggle for recognition of being the master. The natural drive will cause conflicts between the two men. To solve the conflict, the stronger man will make a death threat to the weaker man. However, the stronger man actually will never kill the weaker man if the weaker man does not use violence against the stronger man, because the stronger man desires the recognition from the weaker man. So the weaker man does not need to fear the death threat. At the same time, the weaker man can not use violence to fight with the stronger man, because the weaker man will definitely be killed during the violent fight. Therefore, the weaker man can deal with the conflicts by non-violent resistance. Firstly, he knows that a violent fight will certainly cause his death. Secondly, he knows that non-violent resistance will never cause his death. By non-violent resistance, the weaker man does not obey the stronger mans order and he does not cooperate with the stronger man. Eventually, the stronger man cannot be a true master, and the weaker man will not be a true slave. Non-violent resistance can be used between communities and nations as well. In the global community, nations have natural desire to be acknowledged to be the dominant nation. For example, during the cold war era, both the Soviet Union and the United States wanted to dominate the world. With much greater military power, the two superpowers have invaded some weaker countries. If all the weaker countries have used non-violent resistance strategy, the war could be prevented. Meanwhile, since the weaker countries do not cooperate with the invader, the weaker countries would never be truly occupied. I am arguing that non-violent resistance can prevent war or violence, but I do not mean that non-violent resistance can always prevent war or violence. The assumption of using the non-violent resistance strategy is that the two individuals or nations in conflicts have very distinct Chen 5 power difference. If the two nations have similar power, nobody can know which nation is undoubtedly more powerful. Thus, while having conflicts, the two similar powerful nations have to fight each other to find out who is really more powerful. As a result, there will have a war before the non-violent resistance to prevent wars. Thus, both federalism and non-violent resistance are necessary to achieve a completely peaceful world. The global government must have superior military power to deal with conflicts between nations. Inside individual nations, the national government must have dominant military power to deal with conflicts between different communities of the nation. While facing conflicts, all the weaker sides, for example, a community which has conflicts with the national government, or a nation which has conflicts with the global government, must deal with the conflicts by either negotiation or non-violent resistance instead of war or violence. Finally, the completely peaceful world will be achieved. Both Federalism and non-violent resistance are necessary because I believe that human nature is a complex combination of both Hobbes and Hegels theory. Human beings have the first natural desire for safety. The second natural desires are gain, glory and recognition. Without life, all the gain, glory and recognition are meaningless. So safety must be the first natural desire. When security is guaranteed, human beings will turn to pursue gain, glory and recognition. In theory, I argue that Federalism and non-violent resistance can completely eliminate war. In the real world, however, there are some challenges to realize Federalism and non-violent resistance. For instance, many people have Hobbesian syndrome. They buy into Hobbes human nature theory, but they do not agree with Hegels theory. Thus, they believe that war is inevitable without a powerful global government. However, there is no powerful global government now, so Chen 6 the people who have Hobbesian syndrome always suggest investing heavily on military resources to prepare for the future inevitable war. If a superpower holds this view, it is very difficult to establish a global government with dominant military power. For example, today the only superpower, the United States, has nearly half of the whole world military spending annually. If the United States does not disarm, it is very difficult to set up a global government which has greater military power than the United States. It is a circle, without a powerful global government, the United States believes that it must engage great military resources. When the superpower United States engage great military resources, it is very difficult to set up a global government with a more powerful military. Another challenge comes from the non-violent strategy. When facing conflicts, sometimes it is ambiguous to know whether the conflicts come from the desire for safety, gain, glory or recognition. If the conflicts come from recognition, the non-violent resistance strategy will be very effective to prevent war or violence. However, if the conflicts come from safety, gain and glory, using non-violent resistance might just simply like suicide. In history, there were lots of evidences of genocide incidents. For example, in the World War II, Nazi tried to kill all the Jews. So it is difficult to persuade everybody to always behave non-violent resistance while having conflicts with much more powerful competitors. In sum, human nature is the natural desires of safety, gain, glory and recognition. To fulfill the natural desires, conflicts between individuals or nations will emerge. The conflicts are the very root of wars. A powerful world government and universally accepted non-violent resistance strategy can terminate wars in the world. However, there are some unsolved challenges of establishing a powerful world government and accepting non-violent resistance universally. Awad, Mubarak E., Nonviolent Resistance: A Strategy for the Occupied Territories from Non-violence in theory and Practice, Robert L Holmes. Ed. Wadsworth Publishing Company, 1990. Hegel, G.W.F, Independence and Dependence of Self-Consciousness: Relations of Master and Servant from Phenomonology of Spirit, 2nd ed. Forrest E.Baird and Walter Kaufmann, eds, Prentice-Hall, 2000. Hobbes, Thomas, excerpt from Leviathan, Public Domain, 1651.

Commercial Exploitation Of Intellectual Property Rights

Commercial Exploitation Of Intellectual Property Rights Nowadays, businesses need to be aware that the value of their enterprises is not based only on physical assets but also on intangible assets, and intellectual property (IP) is the key to protect the value of those assets. It has been estimated that in most technology companies, intangible assets form over 60% of their business value (Shirmon, 2006). The most recognised intellectual property protection is brand, while businesses protect their brands to enhance their value. But in the increasingly competitive environment, the success of many businesses is now based on innovation and new technology. There are four major types of IP including patent, copyright, trademark and trade secret. In general, IP is all about ideas skilfully expressed resulting in innovation and creative works (David, 2009). Innovation in technology is characterised by a process that produces a variety of goods that differ in quality and performances (Cornish, Llewelyin and Aplin, 2010). Ernfried (2003) describes the development of most technologies as an evolutionary rather than a revolutionary process (Suzanne, 2004). It can be identified as a process of creative destruction, in which new technology evolve on the ruins of their technological predecessors. In the essay, I will discuss how each IP could arise by using Psylock invention and in section two I will point out the Commercial Exploitation of IP and some criticism of Intellectual property rights (IPRs). Show me how you type, and I will tell you who you are, this is the concept of Psylock. The company Psylock develops and markets information technology solutions helping businesses to improve security on IT applications. The concept is based on keystroke biometrics technology and has been tested and certified by TÃÅ"V SÃÅ"D for functionality, data security and privacy (Psylock, 2010). Keystroke biometrics technology deals with dynamic characteristics of a persons keystroke behaviour. The system collects numerous individual characteristics such as left or right-handedness, typical typing error, the use of shift keys, dexterity, and assesses these on a person specific basis. In general, Psylock technology is a process of authorisation individuals based on their typing pattern. Applications of Psylock range from e-commerce and online banking to security for computer systems and are available for private users and enterprises (Psylock, 2010). Intellectual Property Application Patent The primary goal of the patent system is to stimulate innovation and commercialisation of technology advances. It provides economic incentives to inventors by granting them monopoly rights for a limited period, normally 20 years (David, 2008). Basically, invention patent is the most valuable and to competitors, potentially the most dangerous of all intellectual property, as it prevent all others from including any form of the invention in their products and services (Alexander, 2008). Any new machines used to manufacture Psylock products and the technology itself can be protectable with patents. A patent may be secured for the United Kingdom either through the British Office (UKIPO) or the European Patent Office (EPO), established under the European Patent Convention 1973 (EPC). Additionally patent can be register internationally through the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO). An international registration could take around 41 months (WIPO, 2010). According to the Patent Act 1997, Psylock invention must meet four basic requirements in order to be granted. It must be novel. The present law requires a patented invention to be new (must not have been done before in a way that was available to the public) and may not have been disclosed in any way to the public. In other words, Psylock technology must not previously used or described in any single publication. It must involve an inventive step and non-obvious. In the EPC and the Patent Act 1997, an inventive step is considered to be present if the invention has something which is seen as an invention by an official examiner who is skilled in that subject area. It must be capable of industrial application. In other words, an invention can only be granted which can be made or used in some kind of industry, such as manufacturing, agriculture and any other commercial enterprise. In order to pass this proviso, Psylock technology also must offer some positive benefits to society. It must not fall within any of the categories of subject-matter. This category arose in 1998 when the Court of Appeal for the Federal Circuit clarified the status of business method patents (Cornish, Llewelyin and Aplin, 2010). Most company hires a registered patent attorney or agent to file their patent application. To file a provisional patent application (PPA), Psylock have to pay a filing fee including search fee and examination fee. Cost can run from 1,500 to 3,000 £ not including annual maintenance fee (APO, 2003). Copyright Copyright aims to protect artistic and literary works, such as books, photographs and phonograms. Different from patent, it gives right holders the exclusive right to copy, reproduce, distribute, perform or display their works; and copyright are not granted or issued by a federal agency, instead rights are created as soon as the work is produced (Garima and Avih, 2002). This right is much narrower than a patent, because copyright only protects expression. Copyright law also protects computer programs, user interface, and in some situation design features of manufactured products (David, 2009). Psylocks operating software uses to implement computer system with the technology and the instruction manual could be copyright protected. Under the law, protection of computer programs shall last at a minimum for fifty years, and shall include exclusive rights to rent the programs (Eland, 2008). Software protections affect openness of standards and interfaces, which could be important componen ts of Psylock competitive strategy in the IT industry. Courts have recognised a defence to a charge of copyright infringement since the 1840s, and its codified in the Copyright Act of 1976 (Eland, 2008). However, Psylock must still register their worked with the government before filing suit for infringement. If infringement occurs, Psylock can seek actual damages based on the higher of own lost of profits (Alexander, 2008). Trademarks Trademarks provide protection to the owner of the mark by ensuring the exclusive right to use it to indentify goods or services. It primarily deals with names, logo, slogan and colour, smell, virtually anything that is used to identify the source of the product distinguishes it from competitors (Garima and Avih, 2002). Trademarks are very useful in combination with inventions. For example, Psylocks logo and slogan could be trademarked. It will be a mark that clearly distinguishes Psylock products from those of his competitors, as it will be instantly recognisable by their customers. Basically, a trademark could provide brand-name recognition to products and a patent provide a tool to enforce a monopoly on its utilitarian function (Muzahidul, 2009). Since trademark right last indefinitely as long as it is been used in commerce, it can be a powerful tool of extending a monopoly, initially created by a patent (David, 2009). Trade secret Trade secret protects any confidential formula, or a piece of information which gives its holder a competitive advantage as long as it remains secret. It can include any formula, pattern, device, or compilation of information that is used in business (Suzanne, 2004). Different from patent, trade secret need not be essentially new, novel, or unique and have an unlimited life time (David, 2008). As a result, Psylock could keep source programs as a secret. Unlike all other forms of IP, trade secret allows Psylock to suppress knowledge. Nevertheless, the law encourages the sharing and sale of secrets (Eland, 2008). The court will look at several factors in determining whether information is a trade secret, including the secret holders effort to protect secrecy of the information, how widely the information is known within and outside the holders organisation and whether information provides a commercial, competitive advantage over others (David, 2008). For example, Psylock can share the secret with potential buyers under a nondisclosure agreement (Suzanne, 2004). In general, if any employees without Psylocks permission disclose or sell that trade secret to someone else, then Psylock is entitle to bring an action in court for misappropriation. Commercial Exploitation of IP Instead of commercialising the new invention by the company itself, Psylock may consider taking other ways of exploiting its Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs). IPRs may be assigned, whereby the ownership in the whole or part of the right is transferred, or licences may be granted. One option is to use IP as a security for loan. Ownership of the IP, including all the exclusive rights in the IP, can be transferred to another owner for a price (Catherine, 2009). For example, in 1996, Enid Blytons copyright was sold for  £13 Million. One potential problem with selling IPRs is that Psylock will lose the ability to control how the IP is used and developed and hence, Psylock will be unable to prevent the IP from being exploited in a manner prejudicial to the interests of its stakeholders (Donald, 2010). However, parties are free to impose conditions in assignments as to reassignment in the event of certain circumstances (Catherine, 2009). As Psylock is selling security software, he can also enter into a non-exlusive licensing agreement with other IT companies in order to commericalise the invention. Licences dont transfer ownership of the IPRs and can restrict commercialisation geographically (Darrel, 2005). In general, commercialising partners will pay a royalty, fee, or dividend in return for the right to use the IP. Commercialisation may assist Psylock economic growth and can generate profit, but risks could arise from the process of commercialisation and failure to pursue commercialisation. Criticism of IP It is debatable whether IP is necessary to encourage the production of inventions. Hettinger argues that this is built on a contradiction, namely that in order to promote the development of ideas, it is necessary to reduce peoples freedom of using them. (Stephan, 2001). Simons (2006) argues that there would be more innovation, if there were no patent law because more money for research and development would be available if it were not being spent on patents and lawsuits (Brain, 2008). It is possible that companies would have an even greater incentive to innovate if they couldnt rely on a twenty year monopoly. As mention before the idea behind patents is to give the inventor exclusive rights for a limited of period to make, use or sell the invention. But there are some cases in which patents have been used to suppress innovation (Stephanie, 2001). Some companies may take out a patent, or buy someone elses patent, in order to inhibit rivals from entering the market. For example, in 1875, the US company ATT collected patents in order to ensure its monopoly on telephones. The result is that the introduction of radio was retarded for some 20 years (Brain, 2008). Charlie (2008) argues many opponents of IPRs typically support only contractual arrangements to protect ideas and innovation. Assume for example, Psylock creates a Security manual for enterprises and sell it to Company A1 and A2, with a contractual condition that each Company is obligated not to reproduce or sell a copy of the manual to a third party. Under the contract law, any buyers become liable to Psylock, if he breaches these provisions. But the advocates of the contractual approach to IP are mistaken if they believe that private contract can be used to recreate the same type of protection afforded by modern IPRs (Stephan, 2001). Patent and copyright are good against all third parties, regardless of their consent to a contract. Steven(2008) argues a contract, by contrast, binds only parties to the contract not third parties as it is like private law between individuals (Stephan, 2001). Thus if company A relates to third parties the plot of the purchase manual, these third parti es are not bound, by the original contractual obligation between Psylock and company A (Stephan, 2001). Intellectual property rights are key elements needed for companies to gain competitive advantage in their marketplace. The benefits of IPRs are multifaceted as they can assist the business in its marketing, product development, raising financial resources and expanding the existing business through licensing and franchising. However, IPR protection is purely economic. IPR laws are generally inappropriate for defending the rights of local communities. There is a conflict between intangible works and free expression and exchange of ideas. For an enterprise like Psylock, it must have a system that can minimise the opportunity cost of this trade off. A system whereby the company is secured in the knowledge that all IP are protected without infringing on someone elses IPRs. Words Count 1999

Canterbury Tales :: essays research papers

In the poem, The Canterbury Tales, there were two characters that were completely from each other. The two characters were two parts of a whole which is a dichotomy, for example there were a ying and a yang. The parson was the light side, which is the ying and the friar represents the yang. The parson is a good man who is poor, but he is rich in holy thoughts and works. He was satisfied with himself for knowing he had very little, and he was also very benign, and was also ready to give his poor parishioners anything that he could get. Chaucer does this to show the good side of The Church, and Chaucer does not do that real often in his tales. The friar is the exact opposite. He was the best friar around because no one knew as much dalliance and sweet talk as he did. He knew all the taverns, innkeepers and barmaids more than the lepers and beggars. He believed that being seen with paupers was not good for a man in his position and there was no profit to be made with them, unlike with the rich and the sellers of food which is profitable. He was also the best beggar in the area and no one else moved into his turf. In his tale he was a man that said he would pretend that he was holy. He also gives the best pardons to the people that give him the maximum amount of money. In the poem, Chaucer makes a statement that says he is the only person that practices his profession accurately. During the Middle Ages friars were supposed to attack sinners and evil away from the people, but they soon figured out that this was a profitable business. The most ironic thing about the friars was that they were supposed to drive evil away from people, but they committed evil deeds themselves.

Ethical Issues in Social Work Essay example -- Papers

Ethical Issues in Social Work I will provide practical help for new social workers to help them understand and deal with ethical issues and dilemmas which they will face. There are many ethical issues which are important to social work, but I feel that these are all covered by the care value base. The care value base Was devised by the care sector consortium in 1992, this was so that the workers in health and social care had a common set of values and principles which they would all adhere to. It is important because for the first time the social care sector had a clear set of guidelines from which ethical judgements could be made. The care value base is divided into 5 elements - The care value base covers - Equality and Diversity - Rights and responsibilities - Confidentiality - Promoting anti Discrimination - Effective communication Equality and Diversity Carers must value diversity themselves before they can effectively care for the different races, religions and differently abled people they will come across in their caring profession. Diversity is where there are many different kinds of people living in a community together. This means that in a set environment there will be black, Asian, gay, straight, differently abled people living together in a community. Discriminatory prejustice must be able to be recognised by the carer, for example, if a woman is being discriminated against in a care home, or treated differently in a hospital setting, the carer must be able to recognise that this behaviour is happening, and inform a higher power, or go through the complaints procedu... ...es. The ethical issues surrounding this Act is who’s rights are more important, the right of the parent to have their child with them, or the right of the child to live happily and without fear of abuse. This also applies to schools The Data Protection Act of 1998 means that service users have a right to keep private information confidential, but it also means that they have a responsibly in relation to the rights of other service users. The confidentiality must be kept within certain borderlines, and can be broken when other service user’s rights come into conflict. Certain information may need to be passed to a senior member of staff when there is someone in danger. This relates to ethical issues as it is difficult to decide when confidential information should be shared, as described in my ethical dilemma above.

Political Science Essay

MSC is a state college funded by the national government and is recognized by the Commission on Higher Education, offering full degree courses in Education, Agriculture, Allied Medicine, Arts and Sciences, Business and Management, Criminal Justice Education, Engineering, Fisheries, Industrial Technology, Information and Computing Sciences, It’s main campus is located at Boac while it has three campuses in Torrijos, Gasan and Santa Cruz Marinduque. Its vision is to become one of the premier colleges in the region, along the fields of instruction, research, extension and production. With the mission of providing quality, responsive, and dynamic leadership in the areas of Education, Technology, Engineering, Environment, Agriculture, Fisheries, Culture, Arts and Sciences to empower God fearing individuals who are innovators and protectors for the sustainable development of the province and the country as a whole. One of its campuses, MSC Santa Cruz offers Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. It is designed to provide students with a broad education in Political Science that prepares students for a wide range of career and employment opportunities. It is considered as the best preparation for a career in law, in government and politics, diplomatic service, and in non-governmental and international organizations. It provides students with formal training in the theoretical and empirical methods in the discipline of Political Science. Students, through their electives, may opt to further specialize in any of the core areas of International Relations, Local and Global Governance, Comparative Politics, Public Management and Political Theory. This study is designed to identify the reasons why students lost their interest in studying a course that is define to be social science dealing with political institutions and with the principles and conduct of government. Furthermore, it strives to identify the contributing factor that affects the continuous decreasing of enrolment of the said course in for the last 2 years. Objectives of the Study The study will focus on determining the reasons why there is a continuous decreasing number of enrollees in the Political Science Course. It will specifically focus on: 1. Determine the profile of the respondents according to: A.) Age B.) Gender C.) Year Level 2. Find the factors that affect the decreasing number of enrollment in AB political Science. 3. Determine the effects of the decreasing number of enrollees to the Political Science Program. 4. Determine the effects of the decreasing number of enrollees of the Political Science Course to the MSC Community as a whole. Significance of the Study This study attempts to determine the factors that affecting the continuous decreasing number of enrollees of Bachelor of Arts Major in Political Science in MSC Santa Cruz Branch. The result of this study may help the school administration to provide new academic programs and policies to strengthen or increase the enrollment of Bachelor of Arts Major in Political Science. Thus, MSC Santa Cruz Campus and administration may benefit from the study, for it will give ideas on how to develop and enhance the current curriculum for AB Political Science. This study may also help the institution to develop the commercial in the career program whenever they visit secondary schools in Marinduque. Moreover, the results of this study may help parents be aware of the factors why students drop-out from these courses. It may also help parents improved their relationship when it comes to decision making on what course what course to take in college. Scope and Delimitation Since the primary objective of this study is to cite factors that affect the continuous decreasing numbers of enrollees of AB Political Science course in MSC Santa Cruz Campus, this study limits particularly on: students of Political Science who did not continue or change their course or transfer to other college or university within the S.Y. 2010-2012. The former students will be used as respondents to determine the factors that affect their decision in changing course or dropping out of school. This study considered students’ demographic profile that might have an impact on their decision making such as their age, gender and year level. One on one interview with the respondents, parents and teachers will be done in order to accomplish more in-depth information. This study will be conducted for 3 months within the month of July to October. Questionnaires, Interviews and Observation will be used to identify the Factors that affect the decreasing number of enrolees of AB-Political Science in MSC Santa Cruz Campus. Chapter 2 REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE During our research, we reviewed these, professional journal articles, mission statements, websites, government reports, school reports and in-depth analyses. Not much analysis has been published concerning our research question. However, many published works discussed some aspects that can help in our research. We discuss the related works below: Political Science Definition (According to Sanorjo, 1992) Political science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government, and politics. Hence, Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior. Political scientists â€Å"see themselves engaged in revealing the relationships underlying political events and conditions, and from these revelations they attempt to construct general principles about the way the world of politics works. Political science intersects with other fields; including anthropology, public policy, national politics, economics, international relations, comparative politics, psychology, sociology, history, law, and political theory. Although it was codified in the 19th century, when all the social sciences were established, political science has ancient roots; indeed, it originated almost 2,500 years ago with the works of Plato and Aristotle. Political science is commonly divided into three distinct sub-disciplines which together constitute the field: political philosophy, comparative politics and international relations. Political philosophy is the reasoning for an absolute normative government, laws and similar questions and their distinctive characteristics. Comparative politics is the science of comparison and teaching of different types of constitutions, political actors, legislature and associated fields, all of them from an intrastate perspective. International relations deal with the interaction between nation-states as well as intergovernmental and transnational organizations. Political science is methodologically diverse and appropriates many methods originating in social research. Approaches include positivism, interpretivism, rational choice theory, behavioralism, structuralism, post-structuralism, realism, institutionalism, and pluralism. Political science, as one of the social sciences, uses methods and techniques that relate to the kinds of inquiries sought: primary sources such as historical documents and official records, secondary sources such as scholarly journal articles, survey research, statistical analysis, case studies, experimental research and model building. (According to Saviours Hub, 2007), the importance of political science is the application of political powers and authority in the realm of government structures. The ordinary citizens may know and learn about their political rights and privileges from a given form of government including the political structure and processes of the state. Therefore, from the understandings of these basic concepts of government, state, laws and institutions those who would study political science must know its importance and function, relationship with other discipline and broader understanding to its specific roles of individual in a civilized society. The students and professionals should not only know the political theories but also deeper insights as to its application in their own field of expertise. Thus the study of political science will also include the empirical investigation of political facts through social research and the application of critical thinking. The key words in the comprehensive analysis on the principles of political science are state, government, law, institution, power relationships, legal process, constitutions and politics. These are the important dimensions to study political science that need to be constantly in touchs to mold the citizens in achieving quality of life to our society. Why students choose Political Science (According to Bellamy Moon), The study of political science prepares one not only for employment, but for life as an informed citizen ready to participate in political activities within interest groups or political parties; related to community organization and political advocacy; or even service as an elected or appointed official. Political science has been called â€Å"the queen of the sciences,† and rightly so. It is the only major where one can obtain practical knowledge and at the same time gain insights into the great issues of our age. What, for example, are the causes and institutional forces behind conflicts between the President and the chairman of a congressional committee? Are nations threatening an armed confrontation? What lies behind this conflict? Is there public and media frenzy over a certain policy? Why do people react this way and is it justified? What is the human condition? What is the meaning of civil society, and what is the individual’s place in it? When you study Political Science you will think about these questions often. You will be able to answer them better than you could otherwise thanks to an understanding of the Presidency and Congress, international relations, political ideologies, and political theory. The knowledge and critical skills gained from the study of politics will enable you to be a more rational citizen, a more constructive participant in public affairs, and a better professional in any vocation that deals with the public domain, including important positions in corporations, government and non-profit organizations. Political Science is a broad and inclusive discipline. Some political scientists are psychological researchers who want to understand why people behave the way they do politically. Some political scientists study institutions such as legislatures, courts, and bureaucracies. Others seek to know the whys and wherefores of judicial processes and constitutional issues. Some study foreign political systems to learn how their political systems work and why they differ from ours and each other. Other political scientists are intellectual historians and social critics who are interested in the quest for the good society. Still others are policy analysts. Some are omnibus students of American politics. Some are statistical theorists and specialists in surveying political attitudes. Some investigate the causes of war and the conditions for peace among nations. Amid this wide diversity of interests and approaches lies a common concern with anything â€Å"political†: issues, institutions, behavior, power, and public goods. Political scientists also share a common interest: the public arena of human society, the uses of power and persuasion, and the ideas which shape it. The different pursuits and the varied methodologies of political scientists all are directed in one way or another toward promoting this common goal of understanding politics. Factors Affecting the Decrease of Enrollment in Schools (According to Charles Pearson, chows Contributor), Education plays a major role in the future economic success and well-being of an individual. Therefore, parents and educators are often concerned when students leave school. However, schools are also often worried about losing funding during periods of low enrollment, especially when a large number of students attend alternative schools or move out of the area. Lower birth rates influence school enrollment. When the general area has fewer children in general, the schools have enrollment shortages that can lead to decreased funding and teacher layoffs. Population affects the enrollment rates. Areas that have people moving away will have lower school enrollments. Also, if no one is moving into the school district, lower birth rates in general can gradually decrease school enrollments. These problems are frequent in rural areas and exacerbate the already limited funding that these schools receive. The number of businesses in a given are a is positively correlated to school enrollment. Geographic areas with fewer businesses have decreased school enrollment. Unemployment rates do not significantly influence enrollment rates, according to studies conducted by the Center for Rural Pennsylvania. Some reform policies have decreased school enrollments. For example, in Chicago, reforms designed to prepare students for high school have lead to decreased school enrollment in high school as fewer students pass through the promotion gate. Low achieving students were the most likely to not enroll in high school. The transition into high school often causes students to drop out of school. Many students cannot handle the transition towards more autonomy. Some schools have sought to ease the transition by having extended elementary schools which go until 9th grade, with a greater emphasis on preparing the students for the high school environment. Some students drop out of school so that they can pursue employment. Some students are forced into financial situations in which they need to work to bring an income in that can support themselves and their f amily. Some families do not value education and prefer that their children enter the workforce. Pregnancy sometimes leads to high school dropout. Pregnant teens often cannot handle the stress of simultaneous pregnancy and education. Other times, doctors predict that the teen will give birth around a time when the teen has crucial academic events such as exams that determine whether or not the teen passes. Some students have poor grades or attendance. As a result, they do not feel that they can graduate and instead choose to drop out. Students cannot drop out of high school until they are 16. Therefore, reaching this age provides students with the opportunity to drop out of high school. Some parents choose to send their children to private schools. Other parents choose to home school their children. These decisions are often made because the parents are not satisfied with the academic curriculum provided by the public schools, so they decrease the public school enrollment rates by pulling their children out. As Cost of Education Rises, Dropout Rates among Filipino Youths Soar (According to GLAIZA MAY MUZONES and JOSETTE EMILY DE JESUS, 2009), MANILA — with six children and an extended family to fend for, Edna Espinosa has already conditioned her children that the highest education they can achieve is high school. â€Å"Even if I wish they could finish college, we cannot really afford it,† Edna said in an interview with Bulatlat. Considering that her husband doesn’t earn much with his job as a plumber, Edna seeks the help of her children for their daily expenses. Glenn, one of the two children of Edna who was able to get to college, said that after graduating from high school, he had to stop schooling for three years and work as a dishwasher in a restaurant so he could send himself to school. At 26, he took up a computer-technology course at STI College, with tuition of P20, 000 (about $422) per semester. Earning a measly amount of P4, 000 ($84) a month, he wasn’t able to enroll himself this coming semester because of the increase in tuition. From P20, 000, the tuition soared to P25, 000 ($527), excluding other expenses for school projects. He should have been in second year. Glenn is among many Filipino youth who cannot afford the increasing cost of education due to incessant tuition increases every year. The dropout rate has worsened over the years as school-aged children are compelled to work and help their parents earn money for their family’s daily expenses. Based on 2008 data from the Commission on Higher Education (CHEd), out of 100 Grade One pupils, only 66 finish Grade Six. Only 58 of the 66 go on to enroll in first-year high school and only 43 finish high school. Of the 43 who finished high school, only 23 enroll in college and only 14 of the 23 graduate from college. The Increase of tuition fee is one factor. â€Å"The average tuition rate both at the national level and in the National Capital Region (NCR) has doubled under the Arroyo administration,† Kabataan Rep. Raymond Palatino said in a privilege speech on May 18 titled, â€Å"The Tragedy of the Philippine Education.† Citing data from CHEd, Palatino revealed that the national average tuition rate has increased by as much as 89.93 percent, from P230.79 ($4.526 at the average 2001 exchange rate of $1=P50.99) in school year 2001-2002 to P437.10 ($9.829 at the 2008 average exchange rate of $1=P44.47) last school year. The Metro Manila average rate, on the other hand, went up by a whopping 94.54 percent, from P439.59 ($8.62) to P855.20 ($19.23) in the same period. Metro Manila has the highest average tuition rate per unit of P855.2 for the school year 2008-2009 This means that for a regular 21-unit load, students are paying P17,959.20 ($403.849) every semester for the tuition alone. Based on its own monitoring, the National Union of Students of the Philippines (NUSP) cited several schools in Metro Manila that will increase their tuition this coming school year amid the global financial crisis and despite appeals from CHEd. Among these are Lyceum of the Philippines, with a five-percent increase in tuition and another five-percent increase in miscellaneous fees; University of the East, five-percent tuition increase; Far Eastern University, six-percent tuition increase. The Philippine School of Business and Arts, 15-percent tuition increase; San Beda College, 20-percent tuition increase; University of Santo Tomas, seven-percent tuition increase for incoming first and third Year students and 8.52-percent tuition increase to incoming 4th year students, according to the NUSP Tuition Watch. Palatino criticized the practice of some schools to get profit even without increasing tuition. â€Å"A school can forgo tuition increase and they can boast that there is no tuitio n hike. But it does not say that there is an increase in miscellaneous fees, in superfluous and exorbitant fees,† Palatino said in an interview with Bulatlat. The youth representative said the energy fee, development fee, accreditation fee, athletics fee, internet fee, insurance fee and air condition fee are just some of the questionable fees being collected in private schools. â€Å"Such tactic has proven to be very profitable to school owners. Unlike tuition, miscellaneous fee of all sorts are not included in the tuition increase consultations provided under CHED Memorandum No. 13, the guidelines for tuition hike applications, which was recently re-implemented following the lifting of the tuition cap,† Palatino said in his speech. â€Å"In our country, education is a big business,† the NUSP said in its primer on the state of Philippine education. Palatino asserted that high cost of education does not guarantee good quality education. â€Å"Most private schools are prof it-oriented diploma mills. They exist for profit. They only give out diplomas and make students their milking cows.† According to Palatino, half of the unemployed in the country belong to the youth sector. One-third of newly graduates do not immediately get employed. â€Å"If we have a good quality of education in elementary and high school, not all youth need to enter college. In other countries you can still be employed even if you just finished high school. In our country, you need to finish and have a college degree for all kinds of available decent jobs,† said Palatino. Palatino also criticized the low budget of the national government for the education sector. â€Å"In other countries, tertiary education is highly subsidized by the state. In the Philippines, higher education is dominated by the private sector,† he told Bulatlat. Palatino said that the ideal spending on education should be 18 to 20 percent of the national budget, but the average spending on education in the Philippines is only 13 percent. The amount is equivalent to only 2.3 to 2.4 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). This is way below the prescribed standard of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNICCO), which states that six percent of GDP must be allotted to education. Because of the limited budget given to public schools, the funds provided for the facilities, salary of teachers, learning materials, and even school feeding programs are also inadequate, Palatino said. He said that despite the free tuition in public schools, it would cost around P15, 000 ($316.78) to P20, 000 ($422.38) to send a student to a public school. This amount covers the auxiliary needs of students that include school fees, books, school supplies, uniform, transportation, and food. Due to the small allocation of budget in education, public schools are forced to collect fees for other services. Palatino co-authored House Bill No. 2440 titled â€Å"An Act Imposing a Three Year Moratorium on Tuition and Other Fee Increases on All Educational Institutions,† principally authored by Bayan Muna Rep. Teddy Casino. The three-year moratorium on tuition hike will serve as a temporary relief for students in accordance with the estimate of the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) that the current economic crisis would last for three years. The bill is pending in the Lower House. For now, Glenn, like many other Filipino youth, will have to strive on his own to realize his dream. â€Å"I want to go back to college and receive a diploma,† he said.