Los Angeles Riots – Speculating About Causes

May 14, 2012 Born of Neglect – The Los Angeles Riots â€Å"It was the city that failed†¦It was police management, past and present, that has failed. This has to be taken into account to reflect a just and fair sentence†¦There simply has to be some allowance for the official negligence of the city which allowed this to take place and which will take place again† (qtd. in Cannon 3) On April 29, 1992, the day the verdict in the Rodney King trial was read, I was seventeen years old. Standing in the living room, I watched the news with my parents as they waited for the verdict.When the four â€Å"not guilty† verdicts were announced, I asked my parents why the police were found not guilty if they were caught on tape, that didn’t seem fair. My mom answered, â€Å"No one ever said life is fair. † This was news to me; however the people of Los Angeles had learned this lesson the hard way. The people of L. A. and the justice system have had a long a nd rocky relationship. There have been three major riots in L. A. since 1942, and coincidentally or not, each has a direct correlation with racial bias of the judicial system.While there is good cause to question whether mob mentality took over and created the riots themselves, the circumstances that created the perfect atmosphere for violence cannot be discounted. The Zoot Suit Riots of 1942 involved the predominately Mexican youth of central L. A. and the predominately white servicemen that had been stationed there. Tension between the two had been building, partly due to the servicemen’s rowdy behavior and perceived disrespect to the Mexican community, and partly due to the Mexican youth’s territorialism and pride.Due to the current wartime state of the country however, the media and most citizens gave favor to the servicemen, and portrayed the Mexican Zoot Suitors as gangsters and troublemakers. When Jose Diaz was discovered murdered, the media and police were quic k to label it a gang killing. The subsequent arrests and trial were such a charade of justice that all of the convictions were later overturned. However, the resentment the Mexican youth had for being treated so unfairly simmered, and created the tinderbox that ignited the Zoot Suit Riots. In 1965 the L. A. P. D. ulled over Marquette Frye, a young black man suspected of drunk driving. Frye was new to L. A. , and did not realize the seriousness of the police in L. A. He attempted to joke with the officers, and being close to his home, Frye’s mother arrived on the scene and began to scold Frye for getting into trouble. At this time a crowd had begun to form, and look on as the police used their batons to subdue Frye, his mother, and his cousin with excessive force. The crowd began throwing things at the police, and the rumblings of what became the worst riot in Los Angeles’s history began.Unlike the previous riots, The Los Angeles Riot of 1992 started abruptly. Still, th ere was a general distrust between the L. A. P. D and the people of Los Angeles, and many complaints of police brutality were ignored. In March of 1991 a fifteen year old girl named Latasha Harlins walked into a Korean-owned store to buy some juice. She had her money in her hand, but put the juice into her backpack before she paid. The store owner, Soon Ja Du, perceived Latasha to be stealing, and grabbed her arm. Latasha struck Soon Ja Du and knocked her down.She threw the juice on the counter, and turned to leave the store. Soon Ja Du pulled out a gun and shot Latasha in the back of the head as she was leaving, and instantly killed her. The community went into an uproar, and racial tension was stronger than ever. Soon Ja Du went to trial and was convicted of voluntary manslaughter, and her recommended sentence was sixteen years. When she went before the judge for sentencing however, the judge assigned her five years probation, 400 hours community service, and a $500 fine.During th is same time period, a black man named Rodney King was pulled over after leading the police on a high speed chase, and brutally beaten by five white police officers. The police were unknowingly being videotaped, and the tape was released to the public. The trial of the officers involved was followed by the entire country, and the conviction of the officers seemed a sure thing. When a white jury returned four â€Å"not guilty† verdicts to an already tense city, it had the effect of setting a match to a fuse. The verdicts were announced at 3:15pm; 45 minutes later a flash mob formed at the intersection of Florence and Normandie.The group of people, angry and betrayed, began throwing bricks, shouting, and breaking windows. When the police arrived, they did not call for back-up to control the situation immediately, and instead retreated. The police formed barricades around the city, effectively protecting the upscale neighborhoods surrounding the city, as well as trapping anyone who might have wanted to escape. Around this time the line between righteous anger and mob mentality may have become blurred. In the full scale riot that ensued, building were looted and burned down, pedestrians were brutalized, and some were killed.One of the most remembered events of the riots was the live broadcast of Reginald Denny being dragged from the cab of his truck, knocked down, and being beaten with a fire extinguisher, hammer, and brick. In retrospect many people considered this a hate crime, because Denny was white. However, some people consider this merely a crime of opportunity, with Denny simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Duncan, Hugh Dalziel. Introduction. Permanence and Change: An Anatomy of Purpose. By Kenneth Burke. 1935. 3rd ed. Berkeley: U of California P, 1984. xiii-xliv. Print.

Movements fighting for gay marriages Essay

The gay marriage debate has been persistent all over the world. It is a divisive political issue that brings out a lot of conflict. In USA for instance, movements fighting for gay marriages and their rights started as early as 1970’s. In the 1990’s it was a great political issue. The US federal government has not legalized gay marriages although some states like Massachusetts allow civil unions. Gay couples in US do not share same rights as straight couples since their marriages are not considered legitimate. Without marriage laws to protect their rights and benefits such couples face turmoil’s in their relationships. For instance automatic inheritance with death of a partner and making important decision for instance signing for emergency medical operations is not allowed. USA should follow Denmark, Netherlands and Canada and legalize gay marriages as a step forward to reducing hate crimes in society and thus promoting social order. Again, since most people who oppose it desires it do so on the basis of religious values the secular values and desires of the people are not considered. It should draw the line between the state and the church so that it accommodates all people in the society. Legalizing gay marriages will see the decline of HIV-AIDS transmission, as gay couples will increase their sense of responsibility for each other. Gay couples should not be denied significant rights like access to partners insurance or medical decision making, workers and compensation benefits. Benefits under annuity and retirement plans all which are important (http://marriageequity. com/facts/index. htm) By not legalizing gay marriage the law discriminates on the basis of sex since one’s ability to marriage depends on one’s sex. Cuba has recently started to involve and respect gay couples by redefining marriage to accommodate all people in society, as socialism should be all inclusive. (http://asp. usatoday. com/community/utils/idmap/13917955. story) Discrimination against gay couples will be abolished and their unions or marriages will be legalized It is ironic that US the world’s leading countries in democracy restricts gay marriages while it should be advocating and fighting for equality of all marriages. Gay marriages should be legalized and couples should be entitled to social security benefits and protection under federal pension laws. This would reduce instances where on death of a partner one cannot access the partner’s benefits. In case the family had children such benefits would be of great importance in maintaining the children’s welfare. Without legal protection gay couples face economic hardships that would have been eradicated had their marriage been legalized. South Africa and Belgium have also embraced it and marriages between same sex couples receive blessings. Today, most children are born out of wedlock to single parents; marriages end divorce and the family as a unit that provides the appropriate atmosphere for children to grow is loosing the grip. Children are still being brought up successfully outside the conceived perfect environment of the ‘family’. Gay marriages should be legalized so as allow partners make important decisions like medical based decisions. It will allow one make important decision that would save the partners life. Arguments in support of gay marriages The government’s purpose is to ensure that people’s rights are respected and that equality is maintained. It is therefore fair that gay marriages be legalized. If gay marriages are recognized gay couples would take the advantage of automatic inheritance in case of death of one partner. Without such gay couples inherit nothing of what they have worked hard for with their partner. Both straight and gay couples should have equal rights. (http://angelfire. com/home /leah/index. html) It is argued that gay relationships are not biologically natural as they cannot produce children of their own naturally. Culturally marriage is the institution that forms and upholds societal and social values and norms. Marriages ensure the continuity of society through procreation. It is therefore argued that society would suffer if gay marriages were to be legalized, as the continuam would be interrupted. Gay marriages should be legalized and efforts by the church t use religious values and imposing them on all people in society are uncalled for. There should be a clear distinction between the church and the state so that the state operates independently to accommodate all its citizens including the secular minded. (Snyder, 2006) Legalizing gay marriages will help create order and stability in society. When legalized the ‘main society’ will change their rigid perception that gay marriage is illegal and they will fit well with them. This will reduce gay-based hate crimes. The whole society will have social unity and discrimination against gay people will reduce. Unions to guide gay couple on how to raise their children can only be effective if gay marriages were legalized. This would counter the argument that gay couples are not good in bring up children. The unions can help create good parenthood through training. Arguments against gay marriages It is argued that legalizing gay marriages will be a step towards welcoming anti-social behaviour. Just as gay couple seek for attention and protection of their rights so would other absurd groups. Moral decadency is likely to occur in society. It would pave way for polygamy, incest and beastiality legalization all of which are not good for society. Traditionally marriage is between a man and a woman and not same sex parties. Gay marriages are therefore against the traditional perception of marriage and should be discouraged. Naturally marriage should be between two people of different sexes. Attraction between two people of same sex is considered unnatural gay marriages should therefore come to a halt. Marriage should be an institution between a man and a woman. And those gay marriages are immoral. God created a woman for the man and not a man for a man or woman for another. Gay couples choose to be gay and should not seek attention for the choices they have made in life. (Hohengarten, 1994) Parents pose as role models to their children. Gay parents are likely to bring up gay children and this will not be good for society. Supporters of this viewpoint argue that children need heterosexual parents to develop. This would be lacking in the gay families and consequently poor child development. The above reasons face much criticism. For instance linking procreation strongly with marriage undermines the other purposes of marriage. Procreation is not the only reason why people marry. Those who support gay marriages consider this point of view incompetent on the basis that there are sterile or barren couples or women at their post menopausal age who marry. The question posed is whether such marriages ought to be considered null since they won’t bear children. Again marriage could be for sexual satisfaction companionship and moral expression. (Strasser, 2002) Another problem with the argument that gay marriage is immoral is that who defines marriage and what is moral or immoral calls for another debate altogether. People have different perception about what is moral or immoral. Using religious values to support eradication of gay marriages by quoting the bible is inappropriate especially to a country that accommodates diverse religions. This is an insufficient approach as freedom of religion will be compromised. Why install your religious aspects to life on people who are for a secular approach to life? (http://atheism. about. com/6/9/007160. html) The argument that children need heterosexual parents to grow and develop is quite shallow. There are cases where their development is jeopardized despite them having heterosexual parents. Children need good nurturing, tender care and love from their parent’s to develop. Again gay parents are more likely to bring up straight children to spare them the pain of discrimination they have through. (Ross, 2002) Some gay people are not gay by choice but by birth. Argument that gay couples are naturally attracted to same sex partners outdoes the argument that gay marriages are unnatural. Nature should take its course and they should be allowed to marry those they are attracted to regardless of their sex. (Pierson et al, 2005) Arguments raised against legalizing gay marriages on the basis of their instability are uncalled for since the straight marriages have proved to be 7% more instable compared to gay marriages. In the USA only two states legalize gay marriages that are Massachusetts and Lowa though they call them civil unions. The federal government under the defense of Marriage Act of 1996 leaves the states to decide on which approach to handle its issues. Gay couples want their marriages to be legalized. This will eradicate the discrimination they face, as society is not comfortable with them and view them as ‘outcast’ with legalization gay couples can gain recognition. (Mello, 2004) The church is used by politicians for their own interests. Politicians are careful in discussing critical issues like whether to legalize or not legalize gay marriages. They are cautious not to offend the people who will determine their stay in government through voting. Conclusion. Gay couples have their rights to be happy. Happiness in marriage would be with the person one is attracted to and willing to be intimate with. Denying gay couples that happiness and trying to impose the person they should marry in terms of gender would be depriving them their rights. The government should ensure that the rights of all citizens are preserved. If gay marriages were legalized the HIV-AIDS prevalence would decline. This is because gay couples would increase their commitment towards their marriages. Forcing people to marry those they are not attracted to is a major reason for increased divorce rates. References: Austin Cline. 2007. Gay Marriage and church/state separation. Retrieved on 16th October 2007 from http://atheism. about. com/6/9/007160. html Leah Moore. 2001. Points in defense of gay marriages. Retrieved on 16th October 2007 from http://angelfire. com/home /leah/index. html USA Today. 2007. When it comes to gay rights, Is Cuba ahead of USA? Retrieved on 16th October 2007 from http://asp. usatoday. com/community/utils/idmap/13917955. story Mello, Michael. 2004. Legalizing gay marriages. University Press. Pierceson, Jason, Courts: 2005. Liberalism and Rights: Gay Law and Politics in the

New Directions and Challenges of Social Sciences Assignment

New Directions and Challenges of Social Sciences - Assignment Example The fact that it has been labeled soft science can affect the perceived value of the discipline as well as the amount of funding available to it (Bernstein, 1983). A perfect example is during the late 2000s recessions where social science disproportionately cut from funding compared to mathematics and natural science, which was never touched. Numerous proposals were made for the National Science Foundation to cease funding all social sciences since they make no impact to development. Secondly, social sciences progress is considered nonlinear because many new ideas have to lead to revolutions while others have had lengthy gestation periods and ultimately met a protracted resistance (Bernstein, 1983). Furthermore, other new ideas have attained overly rapid and faddish acceptance that is usually followed by a quick dismissal. Bernstein further asserts that an earlier generation of research in retail management documented a myriad of characteristics attached to scientific progress, but it was never followed by trans-disciplinary studies that tested and developed the general theories that cropped out. Additionally, social sciences such as retail management deal with people. As such, it becomes difficult in isolating all the variables that may influence the outcome of any social science research. In fact, controlling the variable may even alter the results thus it is hard to devise an experiment in any a soft science. The last two decades, the science of retail management has indeed gained relevance and developed the wealth of instruments. Of great importance are the techniques that are used in carrying out an objective research. In spite of using research as a tool for finding answers to business problems, there still one big challenge: explicit assumptions. Most of these tacit assumptions undermine research more so, in retail management (Collins, 2001). Â  

Source Analysis - Accounts of Louis XIV Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Source Analysis - Accounts of Louis XIV - Essay Example got complete opportunity of introducing and applying his own political, economic and legal policies regarding the administration of country as well as foreign affairs of the monarch. He played decisive role in both peace and war times and France observed triumphs in many wars against England, Denmark and other neighboring countries under his leadership. The grand monarchy left a legacy of financial bankruptcy for his successors, who had to pay ransom amount of his misdeeds and lust for capturing more and more territories of the neighboring countries. One of the given documents has been written by Marquise De Sevigne, who was a French aristocrat of famous Burgundian family. She had developed great taste for writing and maintained command over letter-writing and correspondence in which she used to depict the royal personalities and their activities in a dexterous and refined manner. Her letters, later published by her grand-daughter in 1725, portrayed the political situation of her times and presented significant information of some specific political issue in a prà ©cised but comprehensive way. The given letter was written in 1671 and portrays the King Louis XIV and the procedure of his court in a magnificent way. This letter was written on 26th of April, 1671, at a time when the King had decided to wage a war against Holland in order to subjugate the poor country by threatening her and seizing her territories to get heavy war indemnity and leave long term fear of France over Holland. The royal court spent a lot on such adventures and the masses had to suffer a lot in the form of heavy taxation. The poor peasantry had to bear the brunt of the extravaganza consumed on dinners and drinks of the royal adventures. The Kind went out to see his commander to remote area of Chantilly, which cost a lot to the nation. Moreover, a luxurious dinner had been planned in the forest to enjoy the moments and entertain the nobility so that their unconditional support could be

AAD252 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

AAD252 - Essay Example I believe women should no longer be taught to give up athletic activity all for less energetic activities like midwifery and being housewives. History reflects on the weak image of women who could not participate in sports because of the â€Å"permanent injury† stage in their reproductive cycle. This image stuck in society for more than a hundred years, particularly amongst the opposite gender (Balsamo 42). Past literature sheds light on the procedure in which one series of beliefs is expressed with another broad system. In this case, the series of beliefs entailed female bodily inferiority especially when it came to sports and the broad system entailed women’s insignificant athletic contributions. The sexualization of the female body replaced these series of beliefs gradually (Balsamo 44). I believe this radically, but slow process cured because of the media’s less dramatic portrayal of skillfully trained female athletes. This treatment spurred the â€Å"criminal, deviant, and/or socially unacceptable† point of view on such athletes. The media branded the sexualization process as ordinary culture behavior, which only allowed women to embrace technology as a means of improving their

International Organisation and Successful Harmonisation of Essay

International Organisation and Successful Harmonisation of International Commercial Law - Essay Example At constant time, harmonization of sets of laws controls the danger that subject matter be considered or resolved another way in jurisdictions2. This is to elaborate on the process of harmonization to control trade. In terms of practical principles, harmonization will harmonize the pitfalls that might affect the harmonization process the progress of daily operations and in meticulous traverse –system and traverse –border interactions 3. Harmonization is generally arrived at via international agreements by which nations agree to commence exact rules into their state legislation. This is mainly conducted by harmonization bodies and harmonization instruments. On the other hand, lots of international agreements are on no account fully functional; harmonization is also sought after â€Å"representation rules" or " representation statutory necessities " which are recommended to state legislators for implementation. 1 Harmonization and use of, mechanical standards may donate to growing the simplicity of exchange of ideas and plummeting conflicts equal to those occasions where there may perhaps be a divergence of laws. Standardization of structures is also a precondition for interoperability of structures, and indispensable to any authentic transaction of any business in the trade market 5. The four harmonization techniques include Uniform choice of law rules, Lex mercatoria, Standard form contracts, and Uniform substantive law. Therefore, harmonization laws international law, national laws, and Lex Mercatoria. This classification brings information about the diversity of sources of international business commandment. The pitfalls of this categorization are the importance of condition -made law and the sustenance of solid law necessities. It means a convinced chain of command of worldwide trade law rules which protects international convention and compulsory nationwide rules over contractual conditions and business. Some of the disadvantages and advantag es of harmonization include the following. First of all harmonization is mainly meant to unification of laws. Second, they point towards at law reorganization when the existing commandment cannot manage with developing business-related practices. Whichever the issue is the final purpose are the expansion of a legal structure and the surroundings of intercontinental principles. Alongside these two aims, the compensation of harmonisation of law gives the impression to be self- obvious. On the other hand, the commerce society is a very unenthusiastic to accept any transform in commandment. The identical applies for in cooperation the practising lawyers and law implanters. Some of these advantages include; it facilitates business with plagiarism of barriers consequential from difficulties of dissimilar officially permitted regimes. (2) Harmonisation of intercontinental commercial commandment creates a legal structure adapt -made for intercontinental communication, disregarding dissimila r in the guideline of national communication The chances put across to avoid pitfalls in trade and asset needs legal systems of harmonization with harmonized regulations so as to increase financial behaviour. Harmonization

System Access Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

System Access - Essay Example It should include database dump if applicable. Having a backup will ensure that the end users have certainty in accessing data anytime even when the agency server refuses to give permission for access or when their server fails. If the company providing hosting services refuses to grant access to data to the firm or the end users of the website, the project manager should opt to review the agreement or cancel it as soon as he can. Lastly, it is important for the project manager to have access to the control panel. It is also appropriate to configure the website manually without the use of a control panel. It can guarantee better performance and security because it can allow for customization at a lower level (Ahmed & Boutaba, 2014). If the project manager gets the rights to configure the server, he may know what is running and why the applications are running. Therefore, the end users of the social media website can have an assurance about the accessibility of the social media

How do you think that the Legal Services Act 2007 will change the Essay

How do you think that the Legal Services Act 2007 will change the Legal Profession - Essay Example To note, lawyers are duty-bound to preserve the respectable reputation of their profession. Also, it has been observed that restrictive legal practices prevent professional competition among legal practitioners (Mortensen, Bartlett, & Tranter, 2010). As such, in 2003, the Blair administration commissioned Sir David Clementi to conduct a review of the profession’s regulatory structure (Mortensen et al., 2010). Clementi’s report envisioned three major reforms which were adopted under the act: (1) the creation of the Legal Services Board (LSB); (2) the establishment of the Office for Legal Complaints (OLC); and (3) the authorization of alternative business structures. This set-up has actually been described as consumer-focused and competition-based. The LSB is meant to supervise or oversee the present professional bodies (Mortensen et al., 2010). It can only exercise its intervention power upon finding that the approved regulators have seriously failed or persistently fail ed in its responsibilities (Mortensen et al., 2010). The OLC on the other hand acts as the single handler of all complaints due to unsatisfactory legal services (Mortensen et al., 2010). This body accords the Ombudsman the power to issue orders against erring legal practitioners (Mortensen et al., 2010). ... n a store of knowledge that was more than ordinarily complex†; (2) secure a theoretical understanding of the field with which it tackles; (3) apply its complex and theoretical body of knowledge to the practical and feasible solution of social and human dilemmas; (4) â€Å"strive to add to and improve its stock knowledge†; (5) transmit the knowledge to newcomers formally and deliberately; (6) provide requirements for admission, proper conduct and legitimate practice; and (7) be imbued with altruism (cited in Bowie, 1988, p. 743). Law complies will all the aforementioned requisites. The most important quality is having an altruistic spirit -- the concern for public good. This separates law from the other occupations. It is the core of the profession. In this context, if altruism is absent, then law becomes a business. Business has never been regarded as a profession (Bowie, 1988). Business people are self-centered (Bowie, 1988). They are primarily motivated by self-interes t (Bowie, 1988). This description is clearly in contrast with the seventh quality which Flexner suggested. There is a need to emphasize this point since the Legal Services Act works opposite to the cited principle. The third envisioned reform will make the legal profession a business. Allowing alternative business structures between lawyers and non-lawyers is not the kind of competition that can solve the problem on poor legal services. The change will not lower the number of customer complaints. Stated in another sense, the ends will not justify the means. It is against the basic theory of professionalism (Moorhead, Sherr, & Paterson, 2003). It would be better to implement rules which can enhance the ability of lawyers and enlighten them of the importance of public service. The legal profession must

Historic Fiction Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Historic Fiction - Essay Example The story spins around the life of Edmond Dantes, starting out from the years of his youth and innocence and develops as Dantes’ life takes new turns. Dumas has chosen to start the story with feelings of hope and ambition, only to turn these feelings around as Dantes is conspired against. Eventually Dantes is sent to the Chateau d’Iif, a notorious prison that has the ability to break down even the most potent of men. The innocent Dantes is shown as trusting of his comrades but essentially he is betrayed by the very people that he chooses to trust. The image of an innocent Dantes is something that everyone in the audience can relate to. This is true since human beings have a tendency to associate themselves with innocence and to declare themselves absolvent under most circumstances. Typically, the average human being feels more sinned against than sinned by. This is something that people can associate with regardless of the age that they themselves belong to. Dumas has m anipulated this aspect of human nature adeptly in order to make the story relevant to all kinds of audiences. This aspect has been replicated in order to produce wide appeal for the story being penned. Another notable aspect of Dumas’ work is the development of the plot once Dantes is inside the dreaded Chateau d’Iif. Dantes transforms from a God fearing Christian filled with hope for justice into a godless wretch who breeds nothing but hate and revenge. The actions carried out by Dantes such as his etching out the days in prison on the walls of his cell portray Dumas’ skill of involving the audience. Dantes etches days as long as he carries some hope of justice but he stops when he realizes that justice is not about to arrive. The overall creation of this sub climax inside the story signifies a strong technique used by Dumas – he uses outwards

Role of Port Authorities Essay Example for Free

Role of Port Authorities Essay Ports usually have a governing body referred to as the port authority, port management, or port administration. Port authority is used widely to indicate any of these three terms. The definition of port authority has been defined in various ways. In 1977, a commission of the European Union (EU) defined a port authority as a State, Municipal, public, or private body, which is largely responsible for the tasks of construction, administration and sometimes the operation of port facilities and, in certain circumstances, for security. This definition is sufficiently broad to accommodate the various port management models existing within the EU and elsewhere. (http://www.ppiaf.org/sites/ppiaf.org/files/documents/toolkits/Portoolkit/Toolkit/module3/port_functions.html#2) Ports authorities may be established at all levels of government: national, regional, provincial, or local. The most common form is a local port authority, an authority administering only one port area. However, national port authorities still exist in various countries such as Tanzania, Sri Lanka, Nigeria, and Aruba. The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) Handbook for Port Planners in Developing Countries lists the statutory powers of a national port authority as follows (on the assumption that operational decisions will be taken locally): (http://www.uctc.net/research/diss131.pdf) * Investment: Power to approve proposals for port investments in amounts above a certain figure. The criterion for approval would be that the proposal was broadly in accordance with a national plan, which the authority would maintain. * Financial policy: Power to set common financial objectives for ports (for example, required return on investment defined on a common basis), with a common policy on what infrastructure will be funded centrally versus locally, and advising the government on loan applications. * Tariff policy: Power to regulate rates and charges as required protecting the public interest. * Labour policy: Power to set common recruitment standards, a common wage structure, and common qualifications for promotion; and the power to approve common labour union procedures. * Licensing: When appropriate, power to establish principles for licensing of port employees or agents. * Information and research: Power to collect, collates, analyze, and disseminate statistical information on port activity for general use, and to sponsor research into port matters as required. * Legal: Power to act as legal advisor to local port authorities. Increasingly, central governments implement seaport policies through the allocation of resources rather than through the exercise of wide-ranging regulatory powers. While central governments should pursue macroeconomic objectives through an active seaport policy, port authority objectives should be more narrowly focused on port finances and operations. It is a widely accepted opinion among port specialists that a port authority should have as a principal objective the full recovery of all port-related costs, including capital costs, plus an adequate return on capital. The full recovery of costs will help a port authority to: (http://www.businessnz.co.nz/file/1947/100813%20Port%20Performance%20and%20Ownership.pdf) * Maintain internal cost discipline. * Attract outside investment and establish secure long-term cash flows. * Stimulate innovation in the various functional areas to guarantee a long-term balance between costs and revenues, especially when faced with innovations by terminal operators, port users, rival ports, and hinterland operators. * Generate internal cash flows needed to replace and expand port infrastructure and superstructure. * Compete according to the rules of the market system, without excessive distortions of competition. * Put limits on cross-subsidization, which may be rational from a marketing point of view (market penetration, traffic attraction), but which can undermine financial performance. * Avoid dissipation of the port authorities asset base to satisfy objectives of third parties (for example, port users demanding the use of land in the port area without regard to the lands most economic use or port and city administrations using port authority assets to pursue general city goals). Ownership of the Port of Koper The port of Koper is the largest and the only public cargo port in the Republic of Slovenia. The ownership transformation of the port of Koper was finalized in 1995. Before the ownership transformation, the government of the Republic of Slovenie brought a decree that the shores, land and water territory around the port are also a public asset in the sense of state ownership. The value of the port infrastructure was set at the amount of USD 180 million. A part of the port infrastructure was defined as infrastructural bases, and they included: * Haulage roads, * Railroad tracks, * Entryways, * Partitions, * Sewage * Water supply systems, * Electric power facilities, * Lighting and telecommunication facilities The mentioned part of the port infrastructure, the port superstructure, machinery and other assets were evaluated in 1995 in the amount of USD 220 million. The total capital was divided into 14,000,000 shares at a nominal value of Sit. 1000. The Republic of Slovenia is the owner of 6,860,000 shares, which is a 49% ownership in priority shares and 2% in ordinary shares. The ownership structure of the Port of Koper; 51% the state, 17.33% government funds, 7.65% municipality of Koper, 7.48% internal distribution to employees and pensioners, 10.20% internal buyout from employees and pensioners, 6.34% public sale. In addition to shares in ownership of the state, the Port of Koper deals with shares on the Ljubljana stock market, hence its ownership structure is subject to daily changes The state has decided to sell its share in the ownership of the Luka Koper d. d. in 2003. During the transitional period the state, with its 49% ownership has decreased its ownership share down to 25% + 1% but in the form of ordinary shares, which enables it to gain control of functions connected to certain more important business decisions that are in close association with status changes of the enterprise. Luka Koper d. d. is the manager of the port. On Nov. 21,2002 a Decree was issued according to which the Government Administration allocated concessions, and the decision was reached that the first concession be given to enterprise Luka Koper d. d. for a period of 35 years. Luka Koper d. d. does not have Port Authority in the classical sense of the term. According to the Statute of the Luka Koper d. d., the enterprise has a single-member management supervised by a supervisory board of 9 members in the structure of which there are three representatives of the state, a representative of the local administration of the municipality of Koper that is itself a 7% owner of ordinary shares, a member representing small shareholders, a representative of the funds that the Luka Koper d. d. holds in its portfolio and three representatives of the employees of LukaKoper d. d. Such a structure of the supervisory board that chooses the president of the management of the joint stock company does not allow the predominance of state power over the management of the port. The state has minimal rights in bringing decisions on occasion of shareholder assemblies of the enterprise Luka Koper d. d, with merely 2% of votes. From this we may assess that the autonomy of port management in the Luka Koper d. d. is very high. Managerial responsibility of the port ofKoperLuka Koper d. d., as the sole port operator manages the entire port. The Management of the enterprise Luka Koper d. d. has complete freedom in conducting its economic policies, policy of superstructure development, and the right of bringing forth a medium- term plan of development of the port infrastructure that is previously acknowledged by the Government of the RS. The port management is also responsible for maintenance of the port infrastructure. The Port of Koper can be evaluated as a Full service port.

The Sociological Definition Of Family

The Sociological Definition Of Family At the outset itself, this quotation describes the position of women in practically most society. Women are there to make children, are mothers and wives, act as the house-maid, take care of their husbands and families, bear male authority, being deprived of high status jobs and position of power. So, there is this element of discrimination which has prevailed through time. 2.1.1 Definition of Family According to Sociologists, the family is an intimate domestic group of people related to one another by bonds of blood, sexual mating, or legal ties. It has been a very resilient social unit that has survived and adapted through time. So, the element of time referred to above, is again present here. The family acts as a primary socialization of children whereby the child first learns the basic values and norms of the culture they will grow up in. a child needs to be carefully nurtured, cherished and molded into responsible individuals with good values and strong ethics. Therefore, it is important to provide them the best childcare so that they grow up to be physically, mentally and emotionally strong individuals. Similarly, The United States Census Bureau (2007) defines the family as a relatively permanent group of two or more people who are related by blood, marriage or adoption and who live under the same roof. Stephen (1999) defines the family as a social arrangement based on marriage including recognition of rights and duties of parenthood, common residence for husband, wife and children are reciprocal economic obligations between husband and wife. The family is seen as the main pillar block of a community; family structure and upbringing influence the social character and personality of any given society. Family is where everybody learns to love, to care, to be compassionate, to be ethical, to be honest, to be fair, to have common sense, to use reasoning etc., values which are essential for living in a community. Yet, there are ongoing debates that families values are in decline. Moreover the same family is viewed as an oppressive and bankrupt institution. George Peter Murdock (1949) defines the family as a universal institution. According to him, the family is a social group characterised by common residence, economic corporation and reproduction. It includes adults of both sexes at least two of whom maintain a socially approved sexual relationship and one or more children owned or adopted of the sexually cohabiting adults. However, K. Gough (1959) criticises Murdock definition and argues that the family is not universal. The critics were founded in the Nayar society. 2.1.2 Women and the Family The main role of women according to John Bowlby (1953) is particularly to act as mothers and as such their places are at home to take care of their children in their tender age. He states that juvenile delinquencies among young children are the result of psychological separation from mothers. The mental stability of children rests solely on their mothers. Therefore there is a need for a close and intimate mother and child relationship. However, Oakley (1974) uses the example of Alor, an island in Indonesia to refute Bowlby statement. In small-scale horticultural societies, women are not tied to their offspring, and there is no apparent side effect to it. Moreover, she does not see the intimate and close relationship necessary. Research has proved that mothers return to work after childbirth and that the children of working mothers are less likely to be delinquent than non-working mothers. Crouch (1999) describes the benefits gained by wives and mothers as the mid century social compromise. Duncan et al. (year) argue that women who define themselves as primarily mothers are located at all points on the social spectrum. Patricia Day Hookoomsing (2002) states that, plans and projects are designed and implemented by men. It is assumed that if men as heads of the family will reap the benefit from projects designed, automatically women and children will benefit. 2.1.3 The Darker Side of the Family / Erosion of Family Life Earlier in this review of literature, it is shown that the family is warm and supportive. However, many writers have questioned the darker side of the family. The fact that women spend most of their time either at work or doing household chores can lead to emotional stress in the family. The twentieth century family is mostly nucleus and thus children at times feel isolated and lacking the support of their extended kins: grandparents, aunts, cousins etc. They become introvert and their stress level rise to such an extent that when explosion occurs, it can have dramatic results. This may lead to violence, psychological damage, mental illness, drug intake, crime etc. The breakdown of children may lead to quarrel between parents. In the long run, marriages may fail and consequently lead to divorce. Incidence that may appear trivial can blow out of proportions and cause drastic consequence within the family. The mass media is increasingly bringing to people attention the sexual, physical and emotional abuse of children through neglect. Similarly, The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (2000) parts that around 10% of children suffering from serious abuse or neglect at home by natural parents. Domestic violence is very prevalent in any society. It is estimated that one in four women are victim of domestic violence. 2.1.4 Conception about Family and Work Families and work have often been illustrated as separate entities, with women being linked to the home and men to the workplace. This separation unfortunately emanated by the sociology of the family being carried out as a separate domain from the sociology of work and occupations. However this assumption does not stand good in view of the increased participation of married women in the workplace. Early work by Rhona Raraport and Robert N. Raraport (1969) on dual-career families has talked about the benefits and strains of families with dual-earners. There are, however, many questions still to be answered concerning the interaction of family and work. Harkness and Waldfogel (1999) advocate that the formation of a family touches mostly female rather than male labour force behaviour. The withdrawal from labour after childbirth may lead to a depreciation of human capital. This may affect career commitment to employers and affect career progression. There are changes in family arrangements which prompt changes in production arrangements (Zaretsky 1976). Consumption was favoured to production within the household. Market relation became overruled by a capitalist market society and instead of economy being embedded in social relations, social relations are embedded in the economic system (Polanyi 1957). Dapne Johnson (1982) relates that the hours of work and schooling are organized at such time that it has become difficult to single-parent and dual-worker family. Moreover, school holidays add up to the problems of who will look after the child. Full-time married or cohabiting women generally have less time for leisure, as they are often expected to do two jobs their paid work and unpaid housework inside the family, Ken Brown (2008). 2.2.0 WOMEN AND WORK For most of us, work occupies a larger part of our lives than other single type of activity. In our modern societies having a job is important for maintaining self-esteem and to live in better conditions. According to Ken Brown (2008), work is the production of goods and services that usually earns a wage or salary or provides other rewards. The work may be effected in the formal or informal economy. He argues that work is an important element in occupying, directing and structuring the individuals time the demands of working life involve a high degree of self discipline if jobs are to be kept. It is, for most people, the single biggest commitment of time in any week, and it is perhaps one of the most important experiences affecting peoples entire lives. Work affects the amount of time and money available for family life. Work and family life have always been interdependent, but the increased employment of mothers just like nowadays the number of women working has risen from 66.2 million in 2009 compared to 1950 where it was 18.4 million. Pauline Wilson and Allan Kidd (1998) refer to work as a distinctive and clear cut activity. Work refers to the job or occupation undertaken. Work is both the place where one goes in order to do ones job and the activity that ones does. Sociologies increasingly recognize however that it is not easy to define work. The definitions concentrate solely on paid employment and are too narrow. Keith Grint (1991) also states the same thing and even presents a number of definitions to prove what he says:- Work can be seen as that which ensures individual and societal survival by engaging in nature. The problem is that many activities which cannot be seen are often regarded as work. Work cannot be defined simply as employment. Activities in which people are employed are also performed by people who are not employed. Examples include washing, ironing, etc., Work cannot be defined as something which can be done whether it is liked or not. Work can finally not be seen as non-leisure activities. Activities may be leisure for some but work for others. Work and leisure would be hard to separate if it goes together. 2.2.1 Reasons for working in paid employment Women work in paid employment for a number of reasons. These are as follows: Job satisfaction Money Company and friendship Status and identity To get out of the home and feel free To be independent 2.2.2 Functionalist Perspectives on Work and family Functionalist has given their views on the link between work and family and they argues that family meets the need of the workplace. The family adapts itself in the requirement of the society. They are living in a post modern way of living which is very good for the society as they prefer not to have children because of their career and some prefer to stay single and they are going according to the needs of the society. Functionalist like Talcott Parsons (1981) argues that women are proving the love care and affection to the family and men are maintaining order and security within the family. He also argues that it strengthens the conjugal bond between husband and wife and they complement each other. Young Willmott (1973) lay emphasis on how family evolved with the requirement of the society. Hence, both men and women are equal and they share the household work like for example man help in the kitchen when a woman is taking care of the child. P and B Berger argues that the bourgeois family already teach the child what the society want that is strict moral values and value economic success. Hence, how far does it apply in our modern society is highly debatable. On the other hand the functionalists have been criticized by E.Leach (1966) where he argued that the nuclear family is stressed. They are exploited by the capitalist and alienated; they work because they have no choice. Laing on the other hand argued that they are privatized they do not want people to know what is happening in their yard or house and they do not want people to come at their place without informing. Parents inculcate fear and suspicious in children so that they fear to revolt. 2.2.3 Feminist Perspectives on the work and family However, the Marxist feminists like Margaret Benston (1969) argue that capitalist pay women for their work at minimum wage scale. At present, the support of the family is a hidden tax on the wage earner that is his wage buys the labour power of two people. Thus, at work place women get jobs in the primary labour markets which are insecure, low wage income easily hired or fired. Even if women work they still have to act as a safety valve for the husband and men are still like a boss in the house. Hence, this lead to the work-family role conflict and tension are aroused by conflicting role pressures. Fran Ansley (1972) on the other hand wife still act as a safety valve and men are like boss at home. 2.3.0 WORK-FAMILY CONFLICT 2.3.1 Defining work-family conflict Howard (2008) in summarizing the definitions put forth by prior scholars (Greenhaus Beutell, 1985; Boyar, Maertz, Pearson, Keough, 2003) conceptualized work-family conflict as a type of inter-role conflict where both work and family issues exert pressures on an individual, creating a conflict where compliance with some set of pressures (family matters) increases the difficulty of complying with the other set of pressures (work matters). Work-family conflict has been shown to be related to negative work outcomes such as job dissatisfaction, job burnout, and turnover (Greenhaus, Parasuraman Collins 2001, Howard, Donofrio Boles 2004), as well as to outcomes related to psychological distress, and life and marital dissatisfaction (Kinnunen Mauno 1998, Aryee et al., 1999). Conflict occurs when the demands from one of these domains (home, work, personal, family etc) interferes with the other and causes imbalance (Frone et al., 1992, 1997). In todays hectic society, home and work are two colliding forces (Greenhaus and Powell, 2003) that has often lead to an imbalance, where women, lives to achieve fulfillment and satisfaction (Auster, 2001, Chalofsky, 2003). On the other hand, (Zedeck, 1992) suggests that a persons work experience influence his or her behaviour at home, influencing basic behaviors towards self and family members. Balancing the demands of work and the responsibilities of the family is an ongoing concern in organizational leadership. Today we are busier than ever. Gone are the days of the 40-hour work week, the two-hour lunch, leaving the office on time, and forgetting about office demands until the next business day. With todays advanced technology, such as cell phones with paging and instant messaging, wireless Internet access, and the mobile office following us wherever we go, it is easier to take the office on the road when we travel, even when the road leads home. Once at home, office responsibilities easily impose on family time with a quick call here and an email reply there limiting the amount of quality time available for the family. This incompatibility between the pressures of work and family concerns generates role conflict and stress on the follower. Researchers define the incompatibility between the domain of work and the domain of family as work-family conflict. Conflict between these domains occurs when participation in one role is more difficult due to participation in the other role. Today, work-family conflict (work interfering with family) is more prevalent than family-work conflict (family interfering with work) though both can occur. However, regardless of the direction of causation, when one domain is discordant with another domain, the result is conflict and increased stress on the individual. Current research focuses on the causes of work-family conflict, balance of time, involvement and satisfaction, quality of life, and the outcomes between the two domains. 2.3.2 Types of work-family conflict Greenhaus and Beuthell (1985) identified three major types of work-family conflict: (a) Time-based, (b) Strain-based and (c) Behaviour- based conflict. Time-based conflict occurs when time devoted to one role makes it difficult to participate in another for example, when mothers have to do overtime at work with little notice might make it difficult for them to meet family obligations, like picking up children from school. Time-based conflict, is the most common types of work-family conflict when multiple roles reduce the time and energy available to meet all role demands, thus, creating strain (Goode, 1960) and work-family conflict (Marks, 1977). Strain-based conflicts suggests that strain experienced in one role intrudes into and interferes with participation in another role; for example, mother who is anxious about their childs illness might not be fully concentrate on her job and this can cause mistakes in her work. Behaviour-based conflicts occur when specific behaviors required in one role are incompatible with behaviour expectation in another role. That is, when work roles cause problems at home or when home role causes problems at work. All these three forms are formulated based on the role theory, which conceptualize conflicts as reflecting incompatible demands on the person, either within a single or between multiple roles occupied by the individual (Kahn et al., 1964). (Carlson et al., 2000) also argue that another form of work/ family conflict is the Worry-based conflict in modern industrial society. On the other hand, increasing living cost, marital distress and parental stress may erode the stability of the family life (Lu, in press), causing worries which interfere with work. (Carlson et al., 2000) thus, defined worry-based conflict in terms of pervasive and generalized worries experienced in one role into and interfering with participation in another role. In a study, Fu and Shaffer (2001) identified several family and work specific determinants of FWC and WFC conflict, respectively. Testing these across the three forms of conflict-time, strain, behaviour-based they found that the family- specific variables were only effective in predicting time-based FWC conflict. As a group, the work-specific variables had much stronger effects and role conflict, role overload and hours spent on paid work were especially influential in explaining both time-based and strain-based forms of WFC conflict. Family conflicts was to be strong risk factor for the onset of elevated need for necessary need for recovery from work and fatigue. 2.3.3 Theoretical explanation of work-family conflict Two of the theoretical explanations of work-family conflict are: Attribution theory, Compensation theory. Attribution theory states that there are internal and external explanations for work-family and family-work conflict. An internal explanation is the desire to be successful in multiple roles such as mother or father, brother or sister, leader or follower, and peer or subordinate. Internally, work-family conflict occurs when what needs to be accomplished at work interferes with personal values. Personal values may include spending daily quality time with family or simply rejuvenating after a hard day of work. Internally-generated conflict can also occur when family responsibilities such as attending a school function or taking care of a sick child spills over into the responsibilities of work and increases the time spent away from the job. External causes of work-family conflict may occur when your work assignment takes more time to complete than what you have to give or when your spouse is unwilling to support your endeavors both at home and at work. Conflict between these domains al so occurs when the amount of control followers have over their job is limited and flexibility is minimal. Compensation theory suggests that people add more to one domain than the other in order to balance what lacks in either. In other words, life balance is a direct result of the amount of time and psychological resources an individual decides to commit to both domains. If the individual commits more time or psychological resources to work, then work-family conflict may increase. If an individual decides to commit more resources to family than work, but work requirements increase, then family-work conflict also increases. While the conflict between work and family may be inevitable, researchers such as Friedman and Greenhaus (2000) suggest alternative methods for reducing the stress. For example, more autonomy in the workplace and networking with peers can increase the quality of work life. Their studies show that individuals who work for organizations that allow individuals to spend more time at home, work in virtual employment, and make flexible time arrangements, tend to perform better as a parent than those who do not have these opportunities. Maintaining satisfaction on both fronts is important for reducing the feelings of conflict. 2.3.4 Concept of childcare The concept of childcare does not refer to supervision and responsibility of feeding, clothing and other aspects of daily care for a child for a certain period of time. Infact, childcare includes the responsibility of maintain a healthy balance of love, affection and discipline, to help all-round development of the child. Child care is one of the biggest challenges for working families. Due to their work responsibilities, parents are not always able to stay with their children and take care of them, as they would like to. Parents would like to leave their children in care of such individuals whom they can entrust their precious kids without any worries or misgivings. For a long time, childcare was the responsibility of the extended family. With industrialization and modernization of the family has created rather serious childcare problems. As the extended family weakens, help from relatives before more difficult for women who cannot afford childcare services, may have no choice than to opt out of the labour market. (Situation analysis of women and children in The Republic of Mauritius October 2003). When childcare arrangements break down, employed parents are more likely to be absent, late, report being unable to concentrate on the job, to have higher levels of stress and more stress-related health problems and to report lower parental and marital satisfaction (Galinsky Hugues, 1987; NCJW, 1987; Shin et al; 1987). Whenever a child is sick, very often it is the mother who has to take leave to take care of the child. Women spend more hours per week on household and on childcare than men do. And motherhood is a career liability for women while for men, being married and having children are both associated with higher earnings and being in upper level positions. (Friedman and Greenhaus, 2000). For many women parents stress starts as school ends. Most mothers cope with their child-care needs by taking children with them to work; leaving children with relatives, neighbors or older siblings and for short period of time leaving them alone. Children who are too old for day-care must stay in an empty home for several hours after school before the parents return from work. Such children are sometimes called latchkey children because they are usually given a key of the house or apartment so that they can let themselves in when they get home. Although the recent practice of women working brings financial independence, it also exalts difficulties and stresses to the working womens lives. This stress damages not only the quality of life and health of those who are victims (Parasuraman and Greenhaus 1992; rice et al; 1992). It can drive to unsatisfactory behaviors at jobs: delays, absenteeism, lack of motivation, reduced output (Beuthell et al., 1991) and in more difficult relation within the family (Duxbury and Higgins 1991; Parasuraman et al., 1992; Frone et al., 1992) This increased participation of women in the labour force has changed the traditional roles of men and women within the two-parent family resulting in the phenomenon of the dual-career couples (Kirrane and Monks, 2004). Balancing work, housework, and child-care responsibilities can become strenuous which can result in work-family conflict. This can be very costly to both organizations and employees within them (Posig and Kickul, 2004). As highlighted by Allen, Herst, Bruck, and Sutton (2000), the increase of dual-career couples with young children and changes in the traditional family structural configurations have resulted in changes in home and family responsibilities for both men and women. Even for todays dual-career couples, the transition to parenthood tends to mark a reversion to a more traditional division role, with women doing the lions share of the household maintenance and child care planning (Carler, 1996; Hoschchild, 1989) Childcare is a conceptually distinct and especially burdensome aspect of household labour (Berk, 1985; Rexroat Shehan, 1987). Floge (1986) points out that one major problem facing dual-earner couples are arranging for child care. As the number of dual earner couples with children increases, responsibility for child care arrangements becomes an increasingly important aspects of household labour. In addition to bearing the responsibility of proving adequate child care to their children, women may also experience feelings of guilt if they do not at least devote some of their free time to this task. Some women may therefore reduce their amount of sleep of free time resulting in the accumulation of strain and stress (Sterwart D.Friedman, Jeffrey H.Greenhaus, 2000). In addition to globalization the other key that has affected dual-income working families is the dramatic change in the characteristics of labour force. We all know that that due to globalization there has been a change in the nature of work and this has resulted from long hours of working. We cannot just blame families especially women for not being able to provide enough care for their children we must also know why the situation is like this. Hence, families has no other choice because may be they fear from being unemployed and nowadays being unemployed is not a pleasant thing due to the high standard of living. Families may no choice except from working because of being a single parent who has to take up all the responsibilities alone or because of being poor. However, we do agree with the fact that parents are working for the benefit of the family but how far is it really benefitting the family? When both parent work especially for long hours of work it become impossible to take care of the house and children because of exhaustion, stress and sometimes office work is being continued at home. This usually creates conflicts at home like domestic violence, long disputes where it affects not only parents but children as well. Sometimes everything end up by a divorce, the child will not be able to say anything but it affect him mentally and are unable to cope at school. Moreover, even if children are grown up they still need care and affection of parents which parents are unable to provide them due to their work overload. In a recent research womens work burden and human development in Mauritius (Feb 2006), Miriam Blin found that most women from EPZ felt they could not give their children care and attention they needed. Many could not provide care their children required. This, is why sometime children does not work well at school just like (see, for example, Behrman et al., 1999 Lack of parental support and involvement, as well as the absence of early stimulation, together with the breakdown of the family structure have been found to be important factors affecting childrens performances. Therefore, parents should find time to know what children are doing at school. Nowadays, children spend most of their time on Facebook and due to the fact that there is no parental control they have access to other site like pornography. Children are sometimes infl uence by peer group and may be this is why there is juvenile delinquency, like school truancy, smoking. There is lack of communication at home and children are unable to communicate with parents. Parents take children for granted where they think that their values and way of thinking do not differ. In a way parent should be involve with children so that they know what their children are doing and build a close relationship between both of them because it is not money that count, love, care and affection are more important and we should not forget that todays children are future adults citizen whom lies the responsibility to ensure the social and cultural harmony. Seeing all this we can say that we cannot apply the functionalist view in our society but we should also know that all society and all family differ.

Justice in Socrates’ City Essay -- Socrates Book IV Justice

Justice in Socrates’ City While Adeimantus and Glaucon appear to enthusiastically accept Socrates’ conclusions about the nature and benefits of justice at the end of Book IV, even going so far as to complete his argument about the profit of justice themselves, they only do so because they have followed Socrates’ argument linearly without going back to test new claims against established premises. Had they done so, they would have been to discover the gaps in Socrates’ logic and the full implications of his constructed city—a city that not only failed to illustrate how justice was profitable in itself and correlated with happiness, but actually proved the precise view of justice as a sacrificial act that it was constructed to disprove. Glaucon and Adeimantus’ uncritical willingness to agree with Socrates’ claims throughout the argument is especially dangerous when it leads them to ignore cues that something in his argument is misleading. They assent to the censorship rules he puts forth even as he admits himself that they are somewhat questionable. When Socrates suggests banning all poetry that paints a bleak picture of Hades, he admits that they would, in effect, be banning the best poetry when he says, â€Å"the more poetic [the verses] are, the less they should be heard† (III, 387) . Later, when he suggests banning sensuous Marsyan instruments, he admits that the move constitutes â€Å"purging the city that a while ago we said was luxurious† (III, 399). In both cases, Glaucon and Adeimantus are quick to justify the suppression of things even Socrates ascribes virtue to in the name of the greater good of the city, but in so doing, they are themselves subverting one of their own purpose s in the argument—to show that the common good co... ...le to be both happy and just for the city’s citizens, but it is the existence of men like Glaucon and Adeimantus—those whose knowledge extends beyond the city and from whom the â€Å"noble lie† emanates—that in effect proves Thrasymachus’ point that justice is unprofitable drudgery on someone else’s behalf. The rulers, Socrates explains earlier, are the only citizens permitted to lie (III, 389). Since it is agreed that â€Å"to possess the truth [is] a good,†(III, 413) when the citizens are necessarily deprived of the good, it is in their best interest to grasp for power, as Thrasymachus suggests, because power confers knowledge in the city. Thus, we are returned to Thrasymachus’ introduction to the dialogue, which begins when he demands a fine if Socrates is found to err. His conflation of knowledge and power at the expense of justice is precisely the method of Socrates’ city. Justice in Socrates’ City Essay -- Socrates Book IV Justice Justice in Socrates’ City While Adeimantus and Glaucon appear to enthusiastically accept Socrates’ conclusions about the nature and benefits of justice at the end of Book IV, even going so far as to complete his argument about the profit of justice themselves, they only do so because they have followed Socrates’ argument linearly without going back to test new claims against established premises. Had they done so, they would have been to discover the gaps in Socrates’ logic and the full implications of his constructed city—a city that not only failed to illustrate how justice was profitable in itself and correlated with happiness, but actually proved the precise view of justice as a sacrificial act that it was constructed to disprove. Glaucon and Adeimantus’ uncritical willingness to agree with Socrates’ claims throughout the argument is especially dangerous when it leads them to ignore cues that something in his argument is misleading. They assent to the censorship rules he puts forth even as he admits himself that they are somewhat questionable. When Socrates suggests banning all poetry that paints a bleak picture of Hades, he admits that they would, in effect, be banning the best poetry when he says, â€Å"the more poetic [the verses] are, the less they should be heard† (III, 387) . Later, when he suggests banning sensuous Marsyan instruments, he admits that the move constitutes â€Å"purging the city that a while ago we said was luxurious† (III, 399). In both cases, Glaucon and Adeimantus are quick to justify the suppression of things even Socrates ascribes virtue to in the name of the greater good of the city, but in so doing, they are themselves subverting one of their own purpose s in the argument—to show that the common good co... ...le to be both happy and just for the city’s citizens, but it is the existence of men like Glaucon and Adeimantus—those whose knowledge extends beyond the city and from whom the â€Å"noble lie† emanates—that in effect proves Thrasymachus’ point that justice is unprofitable drudgery on someone else’s behalf. The rulers, Socrates explains earlier, are the only citizens permitted to lie (III, 389). Since it is agreed that â€Å"to possess the truth [is] a good,†(III, 413) when the citizens are necessarily deprived of the good, it is in their best interest to grasp for power, as Thrasymachus suggests, because power confers knowledge in the city. Thus, we are returned to Thrasymachus’ introduction to the dialogue, which begins when he demands a fine if Socrates is found to err. His conflation of knowledge and power at the expense of justice is precisely the method of Socrates’ city.

Native American Schooling Essay -- essays research papers

Native Schooling For many years Native American people have been discriminated against in the United States as well as in the Public School system. Beginning with the common-school movement of the 1830s and 1840s, which attempted to stop the flow toward a more diverse society, the school systems have continued to be geared exclusively toward WASPS (White Anglo-Saxon Protestants). Native Americans have been forced to abandon their culture and conform to our â€Å"American† ways (Rothenberg, 1998, pp. 258-259.)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Thomas L. McKenney focused on deculturalizing the children through public schooling (Spring, 1997, p. 16). McKenney served as superintendent of Indian trade for fourteen years. After that office was abolished in 1823, he was appointed as the first head of the Office of Indian affairs. His idea was that a person could â€Å"civilize† the Native American children in schools when they were away from their parents. He tried to force assimilation on these Native American children. He wanted them to convert to Christianity, and adopt the WASP’s beliefs and morals. In 1827 McKenney wrote to the Secretary of War, James Barbour stating that, â€Å"children, who only needed to be protected from evil . . . and under the conditions of isolation and education Indians could be civilized in one generation (Spring, 1997, p.18).†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Missionaries were sent to the tribes to spread the word of Christianity under the Civilization Act. Today the act of sending in missionaries would be viewed as a violation of the First Amendment. The amendment states that there shall be no governmental support of any religion. In that time though they were still beginning their school day with a reading from the Protestant Bible (Spring, 1997, p. 18). The Presbyterian and Congregationalist churches brought into existence the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions (ABCFM) in 1810. Their mission was worldwide and they sent missionaries abroad as well as the Native American tribes. According to Spring, the missionaries viewed the Native Americans as foreign â€Å"heathen.† A powerful example of the path to deculturalization was Reverend James Ramsey’s visit to a Choctaw school in 1846. As quoted in the Spring text, Ramsey stated, â€Å"`I showed them [on a map] that the people who speak t he English language, and who occupied so small a part of ... ... p. 103), which encouraged Indian involvement in the school systems. This required a separate local committee to represent the population if the majority of the school board was not Native American. This committee was given control over all Native American education programs affiliated with the United States Government. The ideals of this act were expanded upon in 1988 with the Tribally Controlled Schools Act. This act provided for grants to be given directly to tribes to fund the operation of their schools. With these positive modifications equality is in the possible, but distant future.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Native Americans have been oppressed for hundreds of years since the their land was taken from them. The United States Government simply expects the Native American’s to assimilate to our society. Their culture and tribal ways have been stolen without a second thought. The government should provide some sort of retribution for these people. Perhaps Native American culture should be taught in our schools as well as American culture. Hopefully, someday everything will be equal in the world as well as in the public school system no matter what the person’s heritage.

Lord Of The Flies Essay :: essays research papers

The book, Lord of the Flys, can be interpreted in many different ways. Depending on the point of view of the reader, William Golding has opinions on man and society. Golding is inaccurate for making the assumption that all people are born with evil within them and are not affected by their surroundings. In the book, the author uses a being called â€Å"the beast† to simulate the fear and evil people have inside. The boys on the island apparently see a beast in the forest, which scares them and gives them nightmares. Phil says at a meeting, â€Å"Last night I had a dream, a horrid dream, fighting with things. I was outside the shelter by myself, fighting with things, those twisty things in the trees.† Phil had heard things about he beast from other boys, which caused him to have the nightmare. He is a young boy, on an island with no supervision and is afraid of what’s is happening to him and where he is. Without thoughts of the beast, provoked from the other boys, Phil would never have experienced this nightmare. Not only the thoughts that the boys think affect them, but the things they see cause them to have evil intentions.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Golding used a pig’s head on a stick called â€Å" the lord of the flys â€Å" as another animation to substitute the thoughts of evil and fear within the boys. Seeing the head causes Simon to have hallucinations of this head talking to him. The Lord of the Flys says â€Å"   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   .† After hearing this, Simon returns to the other boys, who are rallying around a fire, indulged in a victorious chant, and is soon trampled to death by the preoccupied boys. Being away from civilization has driven the boys to near delirium and as any person does, they easily got wrapped up in their success. These kids are too young and inexperienced to be alone in the world without any kind of

Reflective Account Essay

Introduction This assignment will show a detailed account based on an experience in my second year community placement. The framework I shall be using to reflect is Gibbs’ (1988) model of reflection. Within this model are six phases incorporated into a cycle. Each phase will allow me to think systematically about the experience and identify areas where improvement is needed. This reflective account will incorporate the Scottish Patient Safety Programme (SPSP) aim to ‘Prevent Pressure Ulcers’ (SPSP, n.d.a). Pressure ulcers are defined as â€Å"an area of damage to the skin and underlying tissue that is caused by unrelieved pressure, friction and/or sheer forces† (Posnett and Franks, 2008). The SPSP is co-ordinated by Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS) and aims to improve patient safety and reduce adverse events. (SPSP. n.d.b). This aim is relevant to the patient involved in this experience as they are a high risk of developing a pressure ulcer therefore preventative measures need to be addressed. To ensure privacy and confidentiality in accordance with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC, 2012a), I have renamed this patient Mathew for the purpose of this assignment. Description Mathew is an 82 year old man who recently suffered a fall within his home and was admitted to hospital with a fractured hip and subsequently had to have a total hip replacement. Mathew was discharged from hospital back to his home with the care of District Nurses visiting him on a daily basis to administer his Clexane injection. Due to Mathew’s injury his mobility has been compromised and has subsequently become incontinent. During our first visit with Mathew my mentor asked me to carry out a ‘Waterlow’ assessment with him. This tool is a scoring system which identifies if a patient is at risk of developing a pressure ulcer (HIS, 2009). As the score was above 10 Mathew was deemed ‘at risk’. Both my Mentor and I discussed with Mathew regarding his risk level, we suggested a pressure†¦ In this assignment, I need to reflect on the situation that taken place during my clinical placement to develop and utilize my interpersonal skills in order to maint ain the therapeutic relationships with my patient. In this reflection,  I am going to use Gibbs (1988) Reflective Cycle. This model is a recognized framework for my reflection. Gibbs (1988) consists of six stages to complete one cycle which is able to improve my nursing practice continuously and learning from the experience for better practice in the future. The cycle starts with a description of the situation, next is to analysis of the feelings, third is an evaluation of the experience, fourth stage is an analysis to make sense of the experience, fifth stage is a conclusion of what else could I have done and final stage is an action plan to prepare if the situation arose again (NHS, 2006). Bairdand Winter (2005, p.156) give some reasons why reflection is require in the reflective practice. They state that a reflect is to generate the practice knowledge, assist an ability to adapt new situations, develop self-esteem and satisfaction as well as to value, develop and professionalizing practice. However, Siviter (2004,p.165) explain that reflection is about gaining self-confidence, identify when to improve, learning from own mistakes and behavior, looking at other people perspectives, being self-aware and improving the future by learning the past. In my context with the patient, it is important for me to improve the therapeutic relationship which is the nurse-patient relationship. In the therapeutic relationship, there is the therapeutic rapport establish from a sense of trust and a mutual understanding exists between a nurse and a patient that build in a special link of the relationship (Harkreader and Hogan, 2004, p.243). (Peplau 1952, citedin Harkreader and Hogan 2004, p.245) note that a good contact in a therapeutic relationship builds trust as well as would raise the patient’s self-esteem which could lead to new personal growth for the patient. Besides, (Ruesch 1961, cited in Arnold and Boggs 2007, p.200) mention the purpose of the therapeutic communication is to improve the patient’s ability to function. So in order to establish a therapeutic nurse-patient interaction, a nurse must show up caring, sincerity, empathy and trustworthiness (Kathol, 2003, p.33). Those attitudes could be expressed by promoting the effective communication and relationships by the implementation of interpersonal skills. Johnson (2008) define the interpersonal skills is the total ability to communicate effectively with other people. Chitty and Black (2007, p.218) mention that communication is the exchange of information, thought and ideas via verbal and non-verbal which both present simultaneously. They explain  that verbal communication is consists of all speech whereas non-verbal communication consists of gestures, postures, facial expressions, tone and level of volume. Thus, in my reflection in this assignment would be discussed on my development of therapeutic relationship in the circumstance of the nurse-patient relationship using the interpersonal skills. My reflection is about one patient whom I code her as Mrs. A, not a real name(Appendix I) to protect the confidentiality of patient’s information (NMC, 2004).In this paragraph I would describe on the event takes place and describe that event during my clinical placement. I was on the female psychiatric ward having a 2 weeks clinical placement for mental health care in semester 3.Generally, there were two separated psychiatric wards which were male psychiatric ward and female psychiatric ward but both wards were sharing the small cafeteria in the area of psychiatric ward. The psychiatric wards were locked up from one main entrance. In the ward, the female psychiatric patients were encouraged to walk out from the female ward and combine with the male psychiatric patients at the small cafet eria during their meal time. During lunch, I noticed one lady was still sitting on her bed. She was Mrs. A, 76 years old been diagnosed a schizophrenia. She was unable to control the muscle also called tremor due to lack of the chemical as she was having a side effect of antipsychotic medication which was a Parkinsonism (Sahelian, 2005). She could not walk herself and need to be assisted if she wanted to stand or walk. So I took the Mrs. A’s lunch meal and fed on the bed. This old lady was unable to feed on her own. So I checked her diet and served her meal. I fed her meal until finished. In this paragraph, I would discuss on my feelings or thinking that took place in the event happened. Before I started to feed her, I introduced myself and approached Mrs. A. So I tried to build a good rapport with her as I do not want her to feel strange as I was not her family members or her relatives. My first approached was to her was to ask whether she wanted or refused to take her lunch. She was on soft diet as she was having a difficulty in swallowing or dysphasia. Then I asked her permission to feed her. She looked at me and looked like blur. In this situation, I showed up my emphatic listening as I put myself in her shoes and assuming I was having a hearing problem. According to Wold (2004, p73) the emphatic listening is about the willingness to understand the other person not just judging the person’s  fact. Then, I touched her shoulder, kept saying, and raise my tone a bit because I was afraid if she had a hearing trouble. At the same time, I did somebody gesturers which could be interpreted an action of eating. I paused, repeated my actions but this time I was using some simple words in the patient dialect. Then she looked at me again and nodded her head. Fortunately the body gesturers also helped me in the conversation with her. In the meantime, I was thinking whether the first language was not her mother tongue but I kept myself communicate verbally with her including using my body gesturers and facial expression. Body gesturers and facial expressions are referred as a non-verbal communication (Funnellet al , 2005, p.443). In my thinking, I needed to speak louder and know more words in her language so that she could understand and interpret of my actions towards her. I thought of the language barrier that breaks our verbal communication. Castledine (2002, p.923) mention that the language barrier arises when there are individuals comes from a different social background use their own slang or phrases in the conversations. Luckily, those particular body gesturers could make her understand that I was going to feed her lunch. During the feeding I maintained the eye contact as I do not want her to feel shy. This is because; my eye contact could show up my interest to help her in feeding. This is supported by Caris-Verhallenet al (1999) which mentioned that the direct of eye contact could express a sense of interesting the person to the other person involves in that communication. In the meantime I communicated with my best with her do that she felt comfortable. As a result, she gave a good cooperation and e njoyed the meal until finished. In my evaluating, I feel I make the right decision to accompany and assist Mrs. A in feeding. Furthermore, I could develop my nurse-patient relationship. Although McCabe (2004, p.44) would describe it as a task-centered communication as one of the element caused the lack communication among nurses, but I think my nurse-patient relationship communication both involved a good patient-centered communication and task-centered communication. In my personal opinion, I attended to Mrs. A as a patient to show my empathy because she was unable to feed herself. It was also as my duty to feed her so that I could make sure the patient get the best care in the ward. So my involvement in this nurse-patient relationship does not only restrict to the task-centered communication because (Burnard 1990, and Stein-Parbury 1993,  cited in McCabe 2002, p.44) define attending as a patient-centered process as wells as to fulfill the basic conditions as a nurse to provide the genuineness, warmth and empath y towards the patient. I was able to improve my non-verbal communication skills in my conversation with her during the feeding. As she was having a hearing problem and could not communicate in the first language properly, so the non-verbal communication plays a role. Caris-Verhallen et al (1999, p.809) state that the non-verbal communication becomes important when communicating with the elderly people who develop a hearing problem. Hollman et al (2005, p31) suggests some effective ways to maximize the communication with hearing impairment people such as always gains the person’s attention before speaking, visible yourself to prevent them feel frighten and try to use some sensitive touch. I feel this is a good experience to me because I learn to develop my non-verbal communication. I used most of the body gesturers because of the language barrier was being a gap in my conversation with Mrs. A. She could speak very limited in the first language so I tried to speak in her dialect. Furthermore, Wold (20 04, p.76) mention that gesturers are one specific type of non-verbal communication intended to express ideas and are useful for people who cannot use much words. However I also used my facial expressions to advise her to finish the meal. It might be not so delicious because she withdraws the meal after few scopes but I smiled and assured Mrs. A that it was good for her health to finish her meal. In addition, the facial expressions are most expressive which are not limited to certain cultural and age barriers (Wold, 2004,p.76). Therefore my facial expression worked out to encourage her to finish the meal. Although I could not explain detail to her about the important nutrition diet that she should take, but I could advocate her to finish the meal served because the meal was prepared according to her condition. In order to analysis of the event, I could evaluate that, my communication skills are very important to provide the best nursing care to Mrs. A. My communication with Mrs. A was the interpersonal communication. This is because the interpersonal communication is a communication which involved of two persons (Funnell et al 2005, p.438). I realized that my nonverbal communication did help me a lot in my duty to provide the nursing care to Mrs. A. Even though she could understand few simple words when I was asking her but I noticed that one of the  problems occurs within the communication was the language barrier. As the patient was not using the official language and the second language, I tried to speak in her language. I still could manage the communication in our conversation. However, it was quite difficult to promote the effective verbal communication with the patient. Besides, White (2005, p.112) recommend that a nurse should learn a few words or phrases in the predominant second language to put a patient at ease for better understanding. Although it was quite difficult but using the nonverbal simultaneously with the verbal communication did encou rage her to speak on her best to make me understand her words. In the event showed that, there was a response from Mrs. A. when I was asking her questions. Funnel et al (2005, p.438) point out that a communication would occur when a person responds to a message received and assigns meaning to it. She nodded her head to assign that she agreed with me. Delaune and Ladner (2002, p.191) explain that the channel is one of the component of the communication process which act as a medium during the message is sent out. In addition, Mrs. A also gave me a feedback that she understood my message by transmitting the message via her body gesturers and eye behavior. Thus I could consider that the communication channels used in my conversation were visual and auditory. Delaune and Ladner (2002, p.191) state a feedback is that the sender receives the information after the receiver react to the message. However, Chitty and Black (2007, p.218) define feedback is a response to a message. In my situation, I was a sender who conveyed the message receiving the information from Mrs. A, the receiver who agreed to take lunch and allow me to feed. Consequently, I could analyze that my communication with Mrs. A involved of five component of communication process which are sender, message, channel, receiver and feedback (Delaune and Ladner, 2002, p.191).In a nutshell, for my reflection of this event explores about on how the communication skills play a role on the nurse-patient relationship in order to deliver the nursing care towards the patient especially the adult. She needed quite some time to adapt the ability changes in her daily activities living where I was trying to help her in feeding. I was concerning my feeling and thoughts during the feeding so that I could improve more skills in my communication. I successfully communicated with her effectively as she enjoyed finishing the meal. So it  is vital to build rapport with her to encourage her ability to speak up ver bally and non-verbal. Moreover, this ability could help her to communicate effectively with other staff nurses. Later, she would not be neglected because of her age or her disability to understand the information given about her treatment.(Hyland and Donaldson 1989, cited in Harrison and Hart 2006 p.22) mention that communication express what the patients think and feel. In order to communicate with adult, it is important to assess her common communication language and her ability to interact in the other languages. As I used some words in her dialect, I essentially encouraged the patient to speak out verbally and communicate non-verbal so that the message could be understood and do not break the nurse-patient communication. In my opinion, I evaluated that it does not a matter whether it was a patient-centered communication or task-centered communication because both communication mentioned by McCabe (2004) actually does involves communication to the patients. So it was not a problem to argue which type of communication involves in my conversation with my patient. After I analyzed the situation, I could conclude that I was be able to know the skills for effective communication with the patient such as approach the patient, asking questions, be an active listening, show my empathy and support the patient emotions (Walsh, 2005, p.34). Actually helping the adult was a good practice in delivering the nursing care among adults. My action plan for the clinical practice in the future, if there were patients that I need to help in feeding or other nursing procedure, I would prepare myself better to handle with the patients who would have some difficulty in communication. This is because, as one of the health care worker, I want the best care for my patients. So in related to deliver the best care to my patients, I need to understand them very well. I have to communicate effectively as this is important to know what they need most during warded under my supervision as a nurse. According to my experience, I knew that communication was the fundamental part to develop a good relationship. Wood (2006, p.13) express that a communication is the key foundation of relationship. Therefore a good communication is essential to get know the patient’s individual health status (Walsh, 2005, p.30). Active listening could distinguish the existence of barrier communication when interactions with the patients. This is because, active listening means listening without  making judgment to listen the patients ’opinions or complaints which give me chances to be in the patients’ perspective(Arnold, 2007, p.201). On the other hand, it also crucial to avoid the barriers occurs in the communication with the patients. I could detect the language barriers by interviewing the patients about their health or asking them if they needed a ny help in their daily activities living. However, I would remind myself for not interfere my communication with barriers such as using the open-ended questions, not attending to non-verbal cues, being criticizing and judging, and interrupting (Funnell et al, 2005, p.453). Walsh (2005, p.31) too summary that making stereotyping and making assumptions about patients, perceptions and first impression of patients, lack awareness of communication skills are the main barriers to communications. I must not judge the patients by making my first impression and assumption about the patients but I have to make patients fee devalued as an individual. I should be capable to respect their fundamental values, beliefs, culture, and individual means of communication (Heath, 2000,p.27). I would be able to know on how to build rapport with the patients. There are eleven ways suggest by Crellin (1998, p.49) which are becomes visible, anticipate needs, be reliable, listening, stay in control, self-disclosure, care for each patient as an individual, use humour when appropriate, educate the patient, give the patient some control, and use gestures to show some supports. This ways could help and give me some guidelines to improve my communication skills with the patients. Another important thing to add on my action plan list is to know which the disabilities of the patients have such as hearing disability, visual impairment and mental disability. Once I could know the disability that a patient has, I could well-prepared my method of communication effectively as Heath(2000, p28) mention that communicating with people who was having some hearing impairment, sight impairment and mental health needs required the particular skills and considerations. Nazarko (2004, p.9) suggest that do not repeat if the person could not understand but try to rephrase and speak a little more slowly when communicating with the hearing difficulties people. Hearing problem commonly occurs among adults because of ageing process (Schofield,2002, p.21). To summarize for my action plan, I would start a communication with a good rapport to know what affects the patients’ ability to communicate well and  to avoid barriers in effective communication in future. In conclusion of my reflective assignment, I mention the model that I chose, Gibbs (1988) Reflective Cycle as my framework of my reflective. I state the reasons why I am choosing the model as well as some discussion on the important of doing reflection in nursing practice. I am able to discuss every stage in the Gibbs (1988) Reflective Cycle about my ability to develop my therapeutic relationship by using my interpersonal skills with one patient for this reflection. Reflection on a Clinical Skill The purpose of this assignment is to reflect upon a clinical skill that I undertook whilst on my second year community placement. I have chosen to use Gibbs (1988) model of reflection. In accordance with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), The Code of Professional Conduct (2008), confidentiality shall be maintained and all names changed to protect identity. The clinical skill I have chosen to reflect upon during this assignment is the monitoring of capillary blood glucose (CBG). I have chosen this skill as during my previous acute placements as a student I was not permitted to undertake them, and whilst in the community the Primary Care Trust (PCT) allows it. Having yet to develop this skill I thought that by reflecting on carrying it out would help me to gain the knowledge and confidence needed to perform it in the future. According to Siviter (2004) reflection is about gaining confidence, identifying when you could have improved, learning from your mistakes and about your beha viour, viewing yourself as others do, self awareness and changing the future by learning from the past. Description During a routine daily visit with my mentor Jane, a District Nurse, to Nisha, an elderly Asian lady who was Diabetic, Jane asked me whether I would like to take Nishas CBG. As I had only started doing CBGs during this placement I thought it would be a good learning opportunity so I agreed to do it. Jane asked Nisha whether she minded me doing her CBG and although she did not speak very much English she understood and consented for me to do it. I went into the kitchen and washed my hands. I returned to the living room where  Nisha was and asked her whether her hands were clean, to which she answered yes. I then assessed that Nisha was sat down on a low sofa, and thought it best to kneel down and lay my equipment out on the coffee table so that they were all to hand. Once checking that the blood glucose monitor had been calibrated and that the test strips were in date I opened a test strip and placed it into the monitor. I then put on gloves and asked Nisha whether she was comfortable and ready and which finger she wanted me to use, she said yes and held up her right third finger so I got the single use lancet and pricked the side of Nishas finger, disposing of the lancet into the sharps box. The blood came immediately and I applied it to the test strip and waited for the result, in the meantime I held a clean cotton wool ball to Nishas finger to stop the bleeding. I discarded the test strip and my gloves and recorded the CBG.I then washed my hands again. Once we had left Nishas property my mentor commented that I had done very well, but should have asked Nisha to wash her hands before commencing the CBG test. Feelings When Jane, my mentor, first asked me if I wanted to do Nishas CBG I felt slightly nervous as I had only done a few previously and was aware that she would be observing me through the procedure which also gave me reassurance that if I were to do anything wrong she would be there to highlight it. Once Nisha had consented to me doing the CBG I felt pleased that she trusted me to carry out the process, which allayed my nerves. During the procedure I was aware that my mentor was watching me, which once again made me anxious, but she was encouraging me the whole time and totally supportive. When I instantly got blood once pricking Nishas finger I felt a sense of relief that I had done it correctly. Once the whole process was over Nisha held my hand and smiled and in broken English said â€Å"thank you, thank you†, I was humbled by her response as I felt I was just doing my job. Overall I was satisfied with my performance and felt positive that I wouldn’t be so nervous next ti me round. Evaluation On the whole performing this clinical skill went really well, and having not had much practice at doing this particular skill I was glad to have had the  opportunity to do it whilst under direct supervision from my mentor. I think that my communication with Nisha, even though she spoke little English was very good and that I had formed a strong therapeutic relationship with her. I feel that on reflection I should of asked Nisha to wash her hands before the procedure, and that my mentor should have ensured this, to guarantee that the reading was not contaminated. Analysis I will start by looking at the skill and the evidence supporting it. CBG monitoring is part of many diabetics daily routine. If a patient’s CBG goes up (hyperglycaemia) or down (hypoglycaemia) it can cause the patient to become unwell (Baillie, 2009). Dougherty & Lister (2008) state that in the short term CBG monitoring can prevent hypoglycaemia and ketoacidosis and in the long term can considerably lower complications arising that could affect the patient both vascularly and neurally. Patients can control their condition through diet, oral hypoglycaemic agents, insulin therapy or a combination of the above, (Higgins, 2008). By asking Nisha whether she minded me performing the CBG my mentor had gained informed consent in accordance with the NMC (2008), who say that consent must be gained before any treatment is commenced. I washed my hands following the Ayliffe (1978) technique in order to prevent the spread of infection, Pratt et al (2007) state that hands must be decontamina ted between each and every episode of patient care. I asked Nisha whether her hands were clean, as one of the main causes of inaccuracy of CBG readings are fingers that are contaminated with foodstuffs (Alexander et al, 2000). I assessed that Nisha was sat comfortably on a low sofa, Jamieson et al (2007) says to ensure patient comfort and prevent any injury occurring should the patient feel faint during the procedure . I then knelt down and laid my equipment out on the table, as Baillie (2009) suggests that all equipment needed for a procedure should be within easy reach, and avoid any twisting or stooping which could cause me injury, in line with the PCT Moving and Handling Policy and Procedure (2006). I then checked the CBG monitor had been calibrated and that the test strips were in date, to prevent false positive/ negative readings (Hastings, 2009). I then put on my gloves and asked Nisha whether she was ready and which finger she wanted me to use, Jamieson (2007) says  that gloves should be used to prevent the patient and nurse from any potential blood borne infection. The NMC (2008) state that you must allow patients to make decisions about their care, and also that patients should be treated indiv idually and with dignity. Suhonen et al (2007) conclude that individualised patient care leads to positive patient outcomes, such as patient satisfaction, patient autonomy and patients perceptions on health related quality of life. I used both verbal and non-verbal communication, which involved speaking slowly and clearly so that Nisha could understand what I was saying. I also used non-verbal communication through touch, eye contact, facial expressions and body language, (Funnell et al, 2009). I then using a single use lancet, in accordance with PCT (2005) policy on blood glucose monitoring, pricked the side of Nishas right third finger and disposed of the lancet into the sharps box. Baillie (2009) suggests that the third, fourth or fifth finger should be used as the thumb and index finger are important for touch, and to use the side as it is less painful. To prevent injury sharps and unused drugs must be placed in disposal boxes at the point of use, (Dougherty and Lister, 2008). I applied cotton wool to stop any bleeding and then disposed of the test strip and my gloves, washed my hands again using the Ayliffe (1978) technique and recorded my findings. Hastings (2009) recommends applying pressure briefly to the puncture site to prevent painful extravasation of blood into the subcutaneous tissues. The Department of Health (2007) state that to reduce the risk of cross infection any waste must be disposed of appropriately. Flores (2006) maintains that it is important to wash your hands after removing gloves as bacteria can contaminate them through small defects in the gloves or during removal. Records should be completed as soon as possible following an event (NMC, 2008), and as a student all documentation needs to be countersigned (Siviter, 2004). My mentor said that I should have asked Nisha to wash her hands, not if they were clean the rationale being the same as previously stated, (Alexander et al, 2000), and also Cowan (1997) also agreed that patients hands should be washed to ensure a non-contaminated result. Conclusion In conclusion I now appreciate how in depth a â€Å"simple† CBG procedure actually is, when done correctly. I have looked further for evidence stating that patients hands should be washed before the CBG test is performed and realise that I should have asked Nisha to do so as the result could potentially have been wrong. On reflecting on undertaking this skill I have developed my learning of the need to carry out this procedure and the importance of it to a Diabetic. I have also found that following guidelines is vital to accurate results. Action Plan In future when I carry out this procedure I will continue to practice as I have done as long as this is in line with local trust policy and supporting evidence. I will always ensure that the patient washes their hands before commencing the process, as this is what evidence suggests is good practice and also important for an accurate result.