My Mother Essay Example for Free

My Mother Essay The film centers on Manuela, a nurse who oversees donor organ transplants in Ramà ³n y Cajal Hospital in Madrid and single mother to Esteban, a teenager who wants to be a writer. On his seventeenth birthday, Esteban is hit by a car and killed while chasing after actress Huma Rojo for her autograph following a performance of A Streetcar Named Desire, in which she portrays Blanche DuBois. Manuela has to agree with her colleagues at work that her sons heart be transplanted to a man in A Coruà ±a. After traveling after her sons heart, Manuela quits her job and journeys to Barcelona, where she hopes to find her sons father, Lola, a transvestite she kept secret from her son, just as she never told Lola they had a son. see more:speech about my mother In Barcelona, Manuela reunites with her old friend Agrado, a warm and witty transsexual prostitute. She also meets and becomes deeply involved with several characters: Rosa, a young nun who works in a shelter for battered prostitutes and is pregnant by Lola; Huma Rojo, the actress her son had admired; and the drug-addicted Nina Cruz, Humas co-star and lover. Her life becomes entwined with theirs as she cares for Rosa during her pregnancy and works for Huma as her personal assistant and even acts in the play as an understudy for Nina during one of her drug abuse crises. On her way to the hospital, Rosa asks the taxi to stop at a park where she spots her fathers dog, Sapic, and then her own father, who suffers from Alzheimers; he does not recognize Rosa and asks for her age and height, but Sapic is cleverer and knows Rosa. Rosa dies giving birth to her son, and Lola and Manuela finally reunite at Rosas funeral. Lola (whose name used to be Esteban), who is dying from AIDS, talks about how she always wanted a son, and Manuela tells her about her own Esteban and how he died in a car accident. Manuela then adopts Esteban, Rosas child, and stays with him at Rosas parents house. The father does not understand who Manuela is, and Rosas mother says its the new cook, who is living here with her son. Rosas father then asks Manuela her age and height. Manuela introduces Esteban (Rosas son) to Lola and gives her a picture of their own Esteban. Rosas mother spots them from the street and then confronts Manuela about letting strangers see the baby. Manuela tells her that Lola is Estebans father; Rosas mother is appalled and says: That is the monster that killed my daughter?! Manuela flees back to Madrid with Esteban; she cannot take living at Rosas house any longer, since the grandmother is afraid that she will contract AIDS from the baby. She writes a letter to Huma and Agrado saying that she is leaving and once again is sorry for not saying goodbye, like she did years before. Two years later, Manuela returns with Esteban to an AIDS convention, telling Huma and Agrado, who now run a stage show together, that Esteban had been a miracle by not inheriting the virus. She then says she is returning to stay with Estebans grandparents. When asking Huma about Nina, she becomes melancholic and leaves. Agrado tells Manuela that Nina went back to her town, got married, and had a fat, ugly baby boy.

Political Culture of Texas

Political Culture of Texas Ghiassi-Tari Texas Government The political culture of Texas is both individualistic and traditionalistic. The individualistic culture is rooted in the states frontier experience and includes economic and social conservatism, strong support of personal politics, distrust of political parties, and minimization of political parties importance. The traditionalistic culture grew out of the Old South, where a one-party system developed, policies were designed to preserve the social order, and the poor and minorities were often disenfranchised (not allowed to vote). Today, these two cultures can still be found in the values, attitudes, traditions, habits, and general behavior patterns of Texans and in the governmental policies of the Lone Star State. With more than 267,000 square miles of territory, Texas ranks second in size to Alaska among the 50 states. Cattle, cotton, timber, and hydrocarbons have at different times dominated the Texas economy and influenced the states politics. Today, Texas is a highly industrialized state in which high-tech products are of increasing importance. Texas has a population of over 25 million. More than 80 percent of all Texans live in the states most highly urbanized counties. The three largest groups are Anglos, Latinos (mostly Mexican Americans), and African Americans. Latinos are the fastest growing racial/ethnic group in the Lone Star State. Texas has a small but growing population of Asian Americans, and fewer than 170,000 Native Americans. Although the states energy industry has decreased in importance, Texas has become a leading manufacturer of computers and other high-tech products. Agriculture continues to be important in the states economy, though it employs relatively few Texans. Service businesses provide many low-paying jobs. Challenges that face Texas includes the need to more effectively address immigration protect the environment, develop educational programs to meet the demands of an industrial society, and formulate policies for combating poverty and social problems. Local governments are part of the federal system and thus are affected by decisions made by governments above them (state and national) and other local governments. Under Texas law and its constitution, local governments are largely limited to what is required or permitted by the state. Although local governments provide the most direct contact between residents and their government, voter apathy at this level of government remains a problem. Local government is important to most Texans day-to-day lives. Election rules and the way local governments are organized make a major difference in who is elected and who benefits from government. Texas has two legal classifications of municipalities: general-law cities and home-rule cities. Large municipalities have home-rule charters that spell out the structures and powers of individual cities. Four principal forms of municipal government operate in Texas: strong mayor-council, weak mayor-council, council-manager, and commission. Elections for cities and special districts are nonpartisan, and most are organized as at-large or single-member districts. Increased use of single-member districts; greater pluralism; and the growing number, organization, and political activity of minority Texans are all changing the face of local government. Said another way, both formal rules and socioeconomic change shape the way government works, including who wins and who loses. City governments focus primarily on delivering basic services-police and fire protection, streets, water, sewer and sanitation, and perhaps parks and recreation. They also regulate important aspects of our lives, such as construction and food service sanitation. The two major sources of revenue for cities are property taxes and the sales tax. For counties, it is the property tax. Both cities and counties are making more use of fees and debt. Local governments have a difficult time because they face increasing demands for services from their residents and from the state and national government but have limited revenue sources. County governments have fragmented organizational structures and powers restricted by the Texas Constitution. Counties provide an array of services, conduct elections, and enforce state laws. Actual county activities vary greatly between metropolitan and rural counties. Various county officials are policymakers, but the major policymaker is the commissioner’s court, comprised of the county judge and four elected commissioners. The many special-district governments are separate legal entities providing services that include public schools, community colleges, and mass transit systems. Although they are important for the multitude of services they provide, the smaller and more obscure districts are more subject to fraud and manipulation. Dealing with metropolitan wide problems is a difficult task. To do so, Texas relies heavily on councils of government to increase cooperation and on annexation, a controversial process. The output of the Texas system of justice has improved in some ways in recent years. Whereas Texas courts used to be inhospitable to claims that peoples civil rights and liberties had been violated, they are now more open to such claims. As incidents in Jasper and Tulia illustrate, Texas still contains hardcore racism, but the state judicial system is working to mitigate its effects. Although there is an argument about whether citizens have a right to keep and bear arms, upon inspection this issue turns out to be a dispute over ordinary public policy, and thus a problem for the legislature, rather than over a civil liberty that must be defended by the courts. The Texas courts have courageously taken on the rest of the political establishment, including especially the legislature, in ordering a more equitable distribution of school revenues. They have not completely succeeded in introducing educational, equality into Texas public schools, but they have forced the legislature to make the educational system at least somewhat more equitable. Arguments are ongoing over some questions of rights and liberties. Although the national and state courts participate in social struggles over abortion, prayer in the schools, and personal expression, these issues provoke so much disagreement that they cannot be settled judicially. In two areas, however the rights of criminals in Texas prisons and school segregation, the federal courts have been very active over the past three decades in forcing the reform of the system. In recent years, many businesses became convinced that the outcome of Texas’s tort laws was damaging the states economy. They complained that the courts were too tolerant of frivolous suits that sometimes cost businesses so much money that they were forced to close down. In 1995 and 2003, the legislature, at the urging of Governors Bush and Perry, rewrote many of the tort laws so as to take discretion away from the civil judiciary. It is now much more difficult to file, and to win, a civil lawsuit in Texas. This change made consumer representatives unhappy, but as long as the Republican Party controls most state offices, the changes are unlikely to be undone. Economic conditions, the political climate, and power plays are all part of the government generating revenues for state government and determining how that income will be spent. Both taxing and spending are usually incremental, with major changes rarely occurring. However, the states boom-and-bust economy over the past t wenty-five years meant more tax and tee increases than usual and less budget growth. In comparing Texas with other states, we find that the combined state and local tax burden is relatively low, with Texas ranked in the bottom tilth of all states. These rankings are based only on taxes, not total revenues. We also note the significant absence of any personal or corporate income tax, although business has been asked to pay a larger share of the tax burden through the corporation franchise tax. The fundamental difference in the Texas revenue system from that of many other states is the disproportionate burden borne by the poorest citizens. This regressive system raises serious questions about how democratic the tax system is in the state. Democracies are also responsive to the citizenry. The states spending may not meet the needs of all its citizens, particularly when one considers that it ranks in the bottom quarter of all states in its per capita spending for higher education and highways and only slightly better for welfare and public schools. Texas policymakers have dealt with all the issues described in this chapter to some extent, but problems remain on the public policy agenda: The Texas economy regularly cycles through the highs of booms and the lows of busts. The revenue implications of these cycles were discussed in the previous chapter. This chapter has indicated that such shifts result in varying periods of attention on business development. The legacy of the traditionalistic individualistic political culture is a tendency to try to fulfill the wishes of the business community even if state services go unfunded. The transformation of the welfare system into workfare is a national priority with which Texans can agree. However, the change in philosophy and the reduction in federal social spending are both boon and bane to Texas. Texas will have greater flexibility in making decisions on what programs to offer its neediest citizens. It will not enjoy having to spend more state money to pay for those programs. In addition, the state probably will continue to have one of the highest proportions of poor people in the country for the foreseeable future.

Bullying: Types, Effects and Government Initiatives

Bullying: Types, Effects and Government Initiatives Abstract The UK Government defines bullying as; Repetitive, wilful or persistent behaviour intended to cause harm, although one off incidents can in some cases also be defined as bullying; internationally harmful behaviour, carried out by an individual or a group and an imbalance of power leaving the person being bullied feeling defenceless. Bullying is emotionally or physically harmful behaviour and includes; name calling, taunting, mocking, making offensive comments, kicking, hitting, pushing, taking belongings, inappropriate text messaging and emailing, sending offensive or degrading images by phone or via the internet, gossiping, excluding people from groups and spreading hurtful and untruthful rumours. (HOC 2007, Frederickson et al 2008). Contents (Jump to) Introduction Chapter 1: The Types and Effects of Bullying Chapter 2: Educational Provision within Secondary Schools Chapter 3: Government Initiatives and the Education of Children who are being bullied Conclusion References Introduction This dissertation is going to investigate the links between education and bullying within secondary schools. Chapter One will give an overview of what bullying is and why is such a serious issue within secondary education, the chapter will then focus on the different types of bullying that happens within schools and what effects bullying has on both the person who is doing the bullying and their victims. It will include statistics concerning how many children/young person who have reported getting bullied, as well as the types of bullying these children have had to deal with. The remainder of the chapter will focus on the bully or bullies experiences before their started bullying another child/young person, paying particular attention to their educational experiences and disadvantages, but also taking into account any additional contributing risk factors which can affect a childs/ young persons behaviour and their education. These risk factors include risk around the childs/young per sons family, along with wider risks associated with poverty and deprivation. Risk factors such as peer pressure, jealously and being bullied themselves, which relate to education more directly, will be discussed in more details. The following chapters discuss the educational provision available to those children/young people who are being bullied and also those who doing the bullying, analysing the types of bullying the effects of bullying and also the types of provision and factors related to the reasons of why bullying happens. Chapter Two focuses on the educational provisions for the children who have been bullied, but Chapter Three addresses issues around reintegration and wider Government policy. Both chapters critically analyse current provision, whereas the conclusion will draw this analysis together and consider the extent to which the current system can be seen to be working in the interests of all concerned. Chapter One: The Types and Effects of Bullying The UK Government defines bullying as; Repetitive, wilful or persistent behaviour intended to cause harm, although one off incidents can in some cases also be defined as bullying; internationally harmful behaviour, carried out by an individual or a group and an imbalance of power leaving the person being bullied feeling defenceless. Bullying is emotionally or physically harmful behaviour and includes; name calling, taunting, mocking, making offensive comments, kicking, hitting, pushing, taking belongings, inappropriate text messaging and emailing, sending offensive or degrading images by phone or via the internet, gossiping, excluding people from groups and spreading hurtful and untruthful rumours. (HOC 2007:7-8, Frederickson et al 2008:176-177). Bullying takes many forms. It can be physical bullying, this is when a child is being pushed, beaten or thumped by bare hands. It can involve a weapon and threats. Bullying can also be verbal and emotional, racial or sexual. Elliott (1997a:2) it would seem that boys are more likely to be physical in bullying, while girls tend to be cruel verbally. Research by Olweus (1993:19) indicates that girls are more often exposed to harassment such as slandering, the spreading of rumours and exclusion from the group rather than physical attacks. Olweus (1993) continues it must be emphasised that these gender differences are general and that is some schools, girls are also expose to physical bullying. In more recent times there have been cases in the UK in which girls have violently and aggressively attacked other girls. An example of this was fourteen year old girl was cornered in the playground by a gang of ten boys and girls. She was stripped to the waist and had to beg on her knees to get he r clothes back. She was pushed, punched and had her hair pulled. Tell and youll get worse was the parting words from one of the girls. The victim did not tell until they did it again and took photographs. When her mother confronted the school, she was told it was only horseplay. The victim, who attempted suicide after the latest incident, was transferred to another school in which she is now thriving. (Elliott 1997b:1), this incident had a more positive ending, which is not always the case. There have also been deaths caused by bullying within schools, mainly in secondary schools. An example of this was in 2000 a 15 year old school girl committed suicide after being bombarded with anonymous calls on her mobile phone, the inquest into her found that she was being bullied through her mobile phone Mobile Phone Bullying/Cyber Bullying (The Independent, 2000). The incidence of girls being violent does seem to be increasing and is a trend that must be viewed with concern, as female bulli es, especially in groups or gangs are getting just as violent if not more violent then male bullies. Studies show that bullying takes place in every type of school. Studies on bullying within schools date back to the 1980s, were the first UK nationwide survey was conducted by Kidscape from 1984 to 1986 with 4000 children aged 5 to 16. The survey revealed that 68 per cent of the children had been bullied at least once; 38 per cent had been bullied as least twice or had experienced a particularly bad incident; 5 per cent of the children felt it had affected their lives to the point that they had tried suicide, had run away, refused to go to school or been chronically ill (Elliott and Kilpatrick 1996). Subsequent studies have found very similar results. Researchers at Exeter University questioned 5500 children aged 13 and found that 26 per cent of boys and 34 per cent of girls had been afraid of bullies sometime in their lives (Balding 1996). Bullying calls to ChildLine are growing at a rapid rate, ChildLine (2006) counselled 37,032 children about bullying between 1st April 2005 to 31s t March 2006. A further 4018 called ChildLine for other reasons but went on to talk about bullying. Every Month ChildLine counsels more than 3,000 young people about bullying, that is a quarter (23%) of all calls to the services. One area of growing concern is homophobic bullying. (ChildLine 2006). Bullying is not only a UK problem, it happens throughout the world. Olweus (1993:19) has been researching the problem of bullying in Norway since 1973; he estimated that one in seven pupils in Norwegian schools has been involved in bully/victim problems (Olweus 1993). Similar findings in other countries indicate that if adults are willing to listen and investigate, children will tell them that bullying is one of the major problems children face during their school years. There are different forms of bullying behaviour that has been identified, such as indirect and direct, as involving individuals or groups, verbal and physical. It is generally agreed that the most common form of bullying is verbal abuse is and name calling, followed by various forms of physical bullying. Within this type of behaviour/bullying, there are some important differences, based on age, gender, sexuality and ethnicity. The main types of bullying within school, especially within secondary schools, these are physical school bullying, emotional/verbal school bullying, electronic bullying or Cyber bullying and sexual/homophobic bullying. Physical bullying is when an individual bully or a group of bullies physical harm their victim, examples of this type of bullying are punching, shoving and slapping, and this can also be direct bullying. Emotional/Verbal school bullying is when a bully or bullies use poor and offensive language. Examples of emotional bullying includes the spreading of bad rumours about their victims, keeping their victims out of a group, teasing the victim in means ways and cussing them, getting other people/bullies to gang up on the victims, name calling, harassment, provocation, tormenting, whispering to another/others in front of the victim, walking in groups around school and keeping secrets away from a so called friend(s). Electronic bullying or cyber bullying is when bullying happens online or electronically. It occurs when the bully or bullies bully their victims through the internet, mobile phones or other electronic means and devices. Examples of this type of bullying are sending mean spirited text messages, emails and instant messages, posting inappropriate pictures, messages about their victims in blogs, on websites or social networking sites and using someone elses user name to spread rumours or lies about their victims. Sexual bullying/homophobic bullying is any of the above bullying behaviour, which is based on a victims sexuality or gender. It is when sexuality or gender is used as a weapon by boys or girls towards their victims, although it is more commonly directed at girls. This type of bullying can be carried out to the victims face, behind their back or through the use of technology (cyber bullying). However, it is also argued that sexist bullying or harassment in school is frequently dismissed as inoffensive or legitimised as part of the normal process of gender socialisation, and that it is a form of abuse engaged in by male teachers and male pupils alike (Stainton Rogers 1991). Furthermore, sexual harassment, of a physical as well as verbal kind, has been described as part of the hidden curriculum of many co educational schools (Drouet 1993). Indeed, Duncan (1999:128) presents a complex scenario in relation to what he terms gender abuse in schools. In deconstructs bullying as a manifestation of gender conflict in the pursuit of a desired sexual identity'. He concludes that both girls and boys can adopt a variety of active and passive roles in relation to bullying, but that sexualised nature of much gender abuse serves to remind girls that power is gendered. The threat of rape was identified as a potential sanction against girls who do not conform to male expectations: rape may be (comparatively) rare but physical and sexual assault are not and the lower range of conflictual sexualised gender practices keeps that threat alive on a daily basis. Some school girls have identified sexual assault and even rape within their understanding (and possibly experience) of bullying. Duncan (1999:128). The pervasive nature of homophobic abuse in schools has been widely commented upon, whether the intended target is known to be gay, or not. There is evidence to suggest that homophobic abuse serves to police gender identities, and establish norms of sexual behaviour and gender identity (Mac An Ghaill, 1989:273 286, Douglas et al, 1997) Rivers (1996:19) argues that a significant feature of homophobic bullying is the severity of the abuse. In a retrospective study of gay men and lesbians experience of bullying, one gay man reported having been raped by a teacher, others reported having their clothes set alight, and being burnt with cigarettes while being held down. One lesbian reported having been raped by a male pupil, and another of having been dragged around the playing field by her hair. Other types of bullying are gender bullying which could be linked directly to sexual and homophobic bullying and another type of bullying that is increasing is racist bullying or racial harassment, number of studies on the relationship between bullying and racism. However there appears to be some ambivalence concerning the conceptualisation of racist bullying. Tizard et al (1988:2), for example, report that name calling relating to physical appearance, personal hygiene and race represented the three most frequent forms of teasing reported among 7 year olds. Loach and Bloor (1995:18 20) and Siann (1994:123 134) argue that bullying can function as a cover for racism. A report by the Commission for Racial Equality (1988), describes various case studies of what is defined as racial harassment in schools. Regardless of the terminology used, Gillborn (1993) argues that racism in schools reflects a wider and racially structured society, and consequently, racist abuse carries extra weight . In terms of prevalence, Kelly and Cohns (1988) survey of first (year 7s) and Fourth Year (year 10s) pupils in school in Manchester found that two thirds of pupils said that they had been bullied. Racist name calling was recorded as the third most common form of bullying. In recent survey of Black and ethnic minority pupil in mainly white schools, 26% said that they had experienced racially abusive name calling during the previous week, while at school, or while travelling to and from school (Cline et al 2002:1). However, it is common with many surveys on bullying, that it is likely that racist bullying or harassment is under reported. There is some debate in the literature concerning both the value and validity of identifying typical victim or bully characteristics. Stainton Roger (1991) for example, argues that any child can be a bully or a victim, and that neither denotes an individual psychopathology: bullying is a reflective practice. Bullying creates victims, victims create bullies. On the other hand, Sharp et al (2002:139) claim that some children are more likely to fall into a bully role or victim role, and that is how children learn to manage aggression and assertion in interpersonal skills represents a key contributory factor. Olweus (1993:19) described bullies as physically stronger and victims as having characteristics that differed from the norm, for example in appearance sporting or academic ability. Boulton and Underwood (1992: 73 87) also found that children who perceived themselves to be different in some way, felt more vulnerable to bullying. Olweus (1984:58) found that approximately 20 per cent of bullies were also victims, and that they represented a particularly disturbed group. Others have claimed that some children fall neither into the victim nor bully category and that they therefore provide a useful normative contrast with which to analyses bullying and victim behaviour (Schwartz 1993 and Glover et al 1998). The effects that bullying has on both the bully and especially the victim can be life changing, in a negative way and have severe consequences not just short term, bullying can also have a long term effect on the victims. The effects of bullying have been said to be very serious, it has been reported that around ten children in the UK kill themselves each year because their lives have been made so miserable by being subjected to bullying (NSPCC 2009). There are many effects of bullying, these are include feeling depressed and sad most of the time, having sleeping problems such as insomnia or having nightmares, not wanting to go to school, not eating or over eating, suffering from stomach aches and headaches, feel less confident and also lose their self confidence and stop believing in themselves, feel unhappy and miserable which will result in enjoying life less. The longer the victim is subjected to bullying will probably in turn become a bully themselves, it will take longer for th e victim to recover from it and may continue to destroy the self confidence of the victim, leading to possible suicide. In 1999 Kidscape conducted the first ever retrospective survey of adults to discover if bullying at school affected those who had been bullied in later life. The survey showed that being badly bullied as a child had a dramatic, negative, knock on effect throughout life. The extensive survey of over 1000 adults, showed that bullying affects not only your self esteem as an adult, but your ability to make friends, succeed in education, and in work and social relationships. Nearly half (46 per cent) of those who were bullied at secondary school contemplated suicide compared with only 7 per cent of those who were not bullied. The majority of the adults reported feeling angry and bitter now about the bullying they suffered at school as children. Most received no help at the time to stop the bullying and telling either made the bullying worse or had no effect. Of the 1044 adults who took part in the survey 828 were bullied at school and 216 were not and of those bullied 70 per cent were w omen and 30 per cent were men and of those who were not bullied, 49 per cent were women and 51 per cent were men (Kidscape 1999:1). However, problems may occur if the school fails to recognise and resolve bullying within school, whereby a child may become at risk of truanting and disengagement from education, which could then lead to the risk of self harming and possible suicide. Should a child not experience an educational experience supportive of building resilience against bullying, then those exposed to bullying can turn to someone before it is too late. The following chapter aims to discuss the educational provision available for children who are victims to bullies and the consequences of those who do the bullying. It focuses purely on those children who get bullied in secondary schools. Chapter 2: Educational Provision within Secondary Schools This chapter aims to discuss the educational provisions available for those children who have been bullied and are still getting bullied. It focuses first on the provisions available for children who have been bullied throughout secondary schools, before examining the experiences of those who are living through bullying and also those who are the bullies. The importance of education as a preventative measure against bullying will be discussed along with how education is delivered to those children who are suffering at the hands of bullies. The Government has made tackling bullying in schools a key priority and the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) has made it clear that no form of bullying should be tolerated. Bullying in schools should be taken very seriously, as it is not a normal part of growing up and it can and will ruin lives. It is compulsory for schools to have measures in place to encourage good behaviour and respect for others on the part of pupils, and to prevent all forms of bullying. The DCSF supports schools in designing their anti bullying policies and their strategies to tackle bullying, by providing comprehensive, practical guidance documents. Regional advisers with expertise in the field of bullying are also on hand to help schools implement the guidance and draw on best practices. Teachers can help to reduce bullying both by the way they teach and by what they teach. In terms of approaches to teaching, although it may seem obvious, it may be helpful to consider teaching approaches along a spectrum with, at one extreme approach which actively promote bullying and at the other ones which specifically seek to prevent bullying. An example of actively promoting bullying is whenever a teacher deliberately humiliates a pupil, then the teacher is quite simply engaging in bullying. It really does not matter to the pupil whether the intention is merely to exert control or gain personal gratification. It would be pleasant to assume that this kind of teacher bullying was something that only happened in the past. Unfortunately most secondary school pupils, at least, will tell you that in their school there are one or two teachers who regularly use intimidation, sarcasm, belittling or harassment towards pupils, and that most teachers, on occasions, will resort to this kind of behaviour (Lawson 1994), showing the pupils that it is acceptable to bully others. The contrast from actively promote bullying is bullying preventive teaching. This is an approach to teaching which is alert to and aware of the condition which makes some pupils vulnerable and avoids endorsing these. This is about treating all pupils with a level of respect and avoiding making jokes at the expense of the weakest. It is about not contributing to a pupils vulnerability, about not setting up victims. It is also about acting as a good role model, as somebody who does no misuse the power they have. More proactively bullying preventive teaching is about publicly acknowledging that bullying is not acceptable, putting it specifically on the agenda within the secondary school and in the classroom, and creating opportunities which will help staff and pupils to develop strategies to counteract bullying. Overall what is needed is to change the way that pupils behave towards each other. To do this the pupils themselves must want to change and they need strategies and they must know how to change. The 1996 Education Act placed responsibility on head teachers for discipline and behaviour in schools, and in 1994 the Department for Education encouraged head teachers, in consultations with their governing bodies, staff and parents, to develop whole school behaviour policies and approaches which are clearly understood by pupils, parents and the school staff. The guidance recommended that schools should also have an anti bullying policy; School staff must act and importantly be seen to act firmly against bullying whenever and wherever it appears. School behaviour policies and the associated rules of conduct should, therefore, make specific reference to bullying. Governing bodies should regularly review their schools policy in bullying. School prospectuses and other documents issued to parents and pupils should make it clear that bullying will not be tolerated. Prospectuses should also explain arrangements through which pupils troubled by bullying can draw their concerns to the att ention of staff in the confidence that these will be carefully investigated and, if substantiated, taken seriously and acted upon. Individual members of staff must be alert to signs of bullying and act promptly and firmly against it. Failure to report incident may be interpreted as condoning the behaviour (Elliott 1997c:118). In more recent times, when a secondary school uses SEAL (Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning), if used effectively it contributes to the work secondary schools are doing to reduce bullying. When a school implements SEAL effectively across the whole school it establishes strong foundations to its work to prevent bullying. At the core of SEAL are the social and emotional skills, which are all important because high levels of these skills create social climate that does not tolerate bullying behaviour (DCSF 2007) The partnership between ChildLine and Schools is a recent initiative, called CHIPS which was established by ChildLine aiming to work directly in schools, youth clubs and other settings with children and young people across the UK. In 2007/2008 CHIPS worked with more than 66,000 children and young people across more than 700 primary schools and secondary schools and almost 100 special schools and youth groups, to endorse the view that children and young people can help each other, can play a part in making changes to improve their own lives, and have a right to be listened to and respected. CHIPS provides a range of services from awareness raising assemblies, workshops dealing with bullying issues, to setting up peer support schemes, that encourage children and young people to support each other (NSPCC 2008), all of those services are done within the schools. There are many implications when it comes to initiatives and provision, the first is less attention appears to have been paid to childrens support needs during periods of transition, for example between primary school and secondary school. Children often fear bullying at points of transition in their lives, or at particular turning points, for example, during the move from primary to secondary school. Children in their last year of primary school may be seen as the leaders of their school. Primary schools are generally smaller, both in the fabric of the building and in the size of the school population. Secondary schools are, by contrast, frequently viewed as fearfully large places, where newcomers represent the lowest rung of a long ladder. Children who change schools as a result of moving home may also feel vulnerable to bullying. It would therefore seem useful for more research to be conducted on the support needs of children as they learn the ropes of their new environment. Another implication is making sure that all schools have an anti bullying policy within school and that it is used effectively and at all staff knows how to use it. Some of these studies were prompted by the concerns raised by parents and pupils that anti bullying policies and strategies were having a limited effect). The evidence shows that adopting an anti bullying policy is not enough; policies need to be effectively implemented and sustained over the long term (Glover et al, 1998). Parents and teachers is another implication as they are not seen to be working together or not working together as much as they should. It is every childs democratic right to attend school in safely. As education is one of the very few compulsory activities that parents and the government impose onto children, it involves all adults, in whatever capacity, to ensure that this is possible. Parent and teachers, being the most closely involved have the most valuable role to play. Parents are often extremely anxious to have a bully situation speedily resolved and so will offer the highest level of commitment. Their level of distress can often be reduced by inviting them to become actively involved in any plan as feelings of helplessness may be increasing their concern (Besag 1992:155). It may be easier for the victim to confide in a teacher rather than in their parents who are often bewildered by the childs reluctance to discuss the matter and refusal of their offers of help. The situatio n in such cases remains shrouded in mystery, and parents rely heavily on teacher to support the child and communicate with them appropriately. Another implication is when a parent does not feel that the school of their bullied child has not dealt with the bullying in an effective way and stopped it, and they withdraw their child from the school where the child is getting bullied and either moving them to another school or even educating the child at home, this may have a negative effect on the victim, as if they attended a new school, they would have to make new friend and there in not certainty that they will not get bullied at the new school, it will also have an effect on the childs education because they may possible be at different stages in the curriculum at the new school compared to the school that they were previously at. If the parents of the bullied child decide to educate their child at home, they would have to sort out materials and resources themselves, and this could take time and money. Parents should be warned that if they decide to educate their child at home, they have opted out of the state education sys tem and should not expect any assistance in educating their child from the LEA (Local Education Authority). Under the Education Act 1996, parents have a legal duty to ensure that their child receives an efficient full time education suitable to the childs age, ability and aptitude, whether this be at school or otherwise in some kind of education. (Elliott 1997d:124). Chapter 3: Government Initiatives and the Education of Children who are being bullied The barriers to education both before and after the point at which a child is bullied set out above can be institutionally specific, but it is also clear that some barriers and some of the problems of provision difficulties around reintegration are dependent on government policies and the wider educational system. This chapter will analyse the effectiveness of Government policies, initiatives and how these influence educational systems and may both increase educational involvement or attainment and reduce bullying. However, because of the plethora of local initiatives the chapter will focus on the larger scale initiatives, which aim to tackle the main problems (as set out and evidenced in previous chapters), therefore the primary discussion will focus on how the current Government has tackled the issues as mentioned above since they came into power in 1997. For almost two decades, bullying in schools has attracted the interest and concern of governments and policy makers. In the late 1980s a public enquiry was launched into unruly behaviour in schools, the result of this enquiry was the Elton Report (1989). The Report highlighted the issue of bullying, and suggested that a positive school ethos provides the essential factor in facilitating academic success and positive pupil relations. A positive school ethos has, however, proven a difficult concept to define or quantify. Instead, research has tended to focus on the relative merits of different approaches or interventions designed to reduce or prevent bullying (Mackinnon et al 1995:43). In the 1990s an extensive research funded by the DfEE, indicated that bullying was far more prevalent in some schools than others, and that the reasons for this pattern could not always be attributed to single cause (such as social deprivation, or geographical location). Some schools were also shown to be more effective than others at introducing and sustaining anti bullying work. Despite these complexities, the research provided much needed evidence on what had up till now remained a largely hidden phenomenon, and provided the basis for the governments first major attempt to provide schools with evidence based research on effective anti bullying strategies (DfE 1994, DfEE 2000). Almost a decade later, bullying continues to represent an important issue for public policy, not least because of the links between bullying, academic underachievement and mental health problems Guidance issued to teacher and school governors highlights their duty to prevent all forms of bullying: the emotional distress caused by bullying in whatever form be it racial, or as a result of a childs appearance, behaviour or special educational needs, or related to sexual orientation, can prejudice school achievement, lead to lateness or truancy, and in extreme cases, end with suicide, low report rates should not themselves be taken as proof that bullying is not occurring' (DFEE, 1999:24- 25). The National Healthy School Standard (DfEE 1999) also recommended the development of anti bullying initiatives as part of a whole school approach to raising educational standards, improving the health of children and young people, and reducing social exclusion. The DfES has also recently announced that, as part of the governments national behaviour and attendance strategy, guidance and training will be offered to all secondary schools on tackling bullying from September 2003. However, while the whole school approach might be interpreted as echoing the notion of a school ethos, in other respects the issue of bullying appears to be beset by a numb

Summary of Walden Pond :: essays papers

Summary of Walden Pond For about the first half of the book Thoreau questions the lifestyles that people choose. He makes his readers wonder if they have chosen the kind of life that will really offer them happiness. Are they merely living a career or some other narrowly focused routine or is a worthwhile life being lived. Thoreau wonders if the truly valuable elements of life are being taken advantage of if a person isn't living simply. If a person is so caught up in working or never having enough then life, its wonders, and satisfaction are difficult to obtain. As he states in the beginning (pg4), "most men even in this comparatively free country, though mere ignorance and mistake, are so occupied with the factitious cares and superfluously coarse labors of life that is finer fruits cannot be plucked by them." This to me means that people care more about the fine things in life and easier work instead of nature's gifts and hard work. Thoreau draws a parallel between others preoccupation wit! h money and his own enjoyment of non-monetary wealth. Thoreau's statement " A man is rich in proportion to the number of things he can afford to leave alone" means that rich refers to having the opportunity for spiritual and intellectual gains and afford refers to the self-actualization rather than to cash in the bank. Those are just some of the materialistic terms that Thoreau uses to refer to non-materialist values, making fun of the capitalist in the process. Thoreau uses the opportunity of the first chapter to discuss the issue of how we spend our time and energies. It is obvious that his townspeople are not as economical as they spend many hours working very hard to accomplish very little, showing a false sense of economy. Thoreau believed that all attempts to redeem mankind from its problems were useless unless such attempts began with the person. The individual person had to stop thinking more about the lesson nature had to offer. Thoreau thought that by living simply with few needs or material possessions man would have more time to enjoy life to its fullest natural potential. In the other chapters of the book Thoreau goes on to tell about his experiences with nature while living on Walden Pond. The bean field which he grew, and put so much work into. He did not know himself what the meaning was of planting the garden only that he felt self-respect from doing so. They "attached him to the earth." And he got strength from it.

The United States Visitor and Immigration Status Indicator Technology (

The United States Visitor and Immigration Status Indicator Technology (US-VISIT) Program Introduction The United States Visitor and Immigration Status Indicator Technology (US-VISIT) program was introduced on January 5th, 2004 at all air and sea ports of the United States of America. This program, as outlined by the Department of Homeland Security, aims to increase the level of security in the U.S. while allowing it to remain a multicultural land with people from all parts of the world. Specifically, the US-VISIT programs goals are to:  ·Ã¢â‚¬Å"Enhance the security of United States Citizens, permanent residents and visitors†[1]  ·Ã¢â‚¬Å"Facilitate legitimate travel and trade†[1]  ·Ã¢â‚¬Å"Ensure the integrity of the immigration system†[1]  ·Ã¢â‚¬Å"Safeguard the personal privacy of visitors† [1] US-VISIT utilizes biometric technology[i] to digitally photograph and scan the two index fingers of all non-immigrant visa holders entering and exiting the United States. This means that U.S. citizens, most Canadians, and citizens of the 27 countries[ii] whose people are not required to have a visa, if staying for 90 days or less, are exempt from this program. Using this technology the government hopes to create a database to monitor the travel of foreign citizens, assuring that they do not overstay their visas, and to protect citizens and visitors by refusing entry to known or suspected criminals.[2] The US-VISIT program raises the ethical issue of how much intrusion on the personal privacy of select individuals the world is willing to allow in hopes of combating terrorism and making our daily lives more secure. Collecting and storing information about a person and their movements infringes upon their rights to move freely. It also c... ...s Arab Groups, 2002, 10 February 2004, [11] Fox News, U.S. Begins Foreign Visitor-Tracking Program, 2004, 10 February 2004, [12] Associated Press, Fast Facts: Countries Exempt From US-VISIT, 2004, 10 February 2004, [13] Associated Press, Visitors Reactions Vary on New Tracking Program, 2004, 10 February 2004, [14] Santa Clara University’s Markkula Center for Applied Ethics, 2003?, 10 February 2004, [15] MichNews.com, Sartre, Do Foreigners Have the Right to Enter the United States?, 2004, 10 February 2004,

Parisienne Fashion and Impressionism

Impressionist Effect on Parishioner Fashion The saying, â€Å"A woman is a corset is a lie, a falsehood, a fiction; but for us this fiction is better than reality was decorating Art Institute of Chicago walls, supporting the main idea behind Impressionism, which is â€Å"impression†. This art movement originates back to 19th Century France with a group of Parishioner artists.The trend reflects natural elements through person's perspective in an emotional way; therefore the artists, who adopted Impressionism, do not display the reality objectively, but they filter it through their views and come up with their final impression that appears on the painting. Compositions usually underline the intensity of daylight depending of the hour and vivid pigments that are used, rather than the objects in the painting. Impressionist painting was established in sass's against the conservative and repressive rules of Cad ©mime des Beaux- Arts which is French Fine Arts Academy.Artists like Claude Monet, Camille Pissarro, Pierre- Augusta Renoir, Alfred Sisley, Paul Cezanne, Edgar Degas, Berth Morison did a showcase in 1874, outside of Paris and introduced themselves as Impressionists, as well as they introduced the art movement. As they adopted the trend, the painters had a few elements in common such as preferring to work on their paintings in open air; expressing the temporarily and pugnacity of the present were exclusively important to them. L Therefore being in a dynamic and modern society also affected the technique they used which was applying brush prints rapidly.Besides their preference of using open air as their studios, the artists also used modern life elements for inspiration and therefore fleeted on the social scenery of Paris in 19th century that included cafes, balls and hippodromes, as horseradish was one of the important events. 2 Like in every art movement, Impressionism was also affected by that era's conditions; with the Industrial Revolution, conf ection got bigger in the country and fashion and became more eligible for every class.For instance from sass's through the sass's cashmere shawls from India and Iran (back at the time Persia) were coveted and costly signs of respectability. 3 After this change, every economical class started to have their own apparel codes, which made this adjustment a muse for the artist' production process and James Toots's Shop Girl painting is one of them. The tableau illustrates a young woman standing inside of a ribbon shop, holding the door with one hand while facing the audience and holding a wrapped package in the other hand.The women in the store modestly clothed, however as Taoist highlights the women's bust with slimming their waists; he is almost implying to a social circumstance that is women who work were considered morally dubious. Combining the elements of working at a store and oddest clothing shows that these women did not belong to a class that was higher than average. The room i s filled with piles of ribbons, has antique chairs and an inlaid, large table. On the background, a busy Parishioner street scene is showing through the window.The paintings dimensions are 31. 37 in x 25. 62 in and type is oil on canvas. Taoist created the painting between 1883- 1885 using small brush strokes and dull, dry pigments. The angle of the light is not exposing and not overwhelming as it reminds the viewer a calm, sunny afternoon; it is also used to define the form ND suggest plasticity. Therefore the texture appears to be smooth and soft rather than hard and rough. Also, lines are actual however with the softening effect of light/ shadowing balance, the painting does not look contoured.Due to that, the pictorial impression is deep and with 3 dimensioning effect, it suggests pictorial space. 4 Another Taoist painting that is a successful reflection of Impressionism in Parishioner fashion is Portrait of Mademoiselle L. L.. The setting includes a closed area, a room, and a y oung woman posing for the painter. The completion date is 1864 and quinine is oil on canvas with dimensions being 48 x 39 in. This painting depicts a typical above average Parishioner young woman who seems independent and confident.Taoist maintained this look with softly- rendered pompom Jacket, which is vogue for Spanish fashions set by Empress Genuine as well as uniforms of French Suave soldiers. Penthouse the clothing seems modest; the bright red that is standing out in pastel pigments is courageous enough for the model to have as a jacket. The light and lines help the viewer to see the depth of the painting and even he mirror supports that feeling; therefore according to the audience, the pictorial space is great.Like a typical Impressionist painting, this one also has quality of the surface that is revealed by light is soft and smooth. 5 As James Taoist being only one of the representatives of Impressionist art trend, there has been many others like Eduardo Monet, Gustavo Court ed and Edgar Degas. These artists were all inspired by the social scene and therefore chose to focus on clothing, which were symbolic to to class levels, while expressing their understanding of their time.Penthouse the themes usually include open air, as it can be seen in these two examples of art work, it is easy to find paintings that have closed environments as their settings; and it is impressive how the depth feeling is never lowering because of this element. Also, it is unique and interesting how these artists were able to reflect on class levels and social statuses by highlighting the clothing of individuals in their paintings. But then again, it seems inevitable to not have fashion as a part of the context in art in a city which has â€Å"There are two ways to be Parishioner; by birth or by dress† as its motto.

National Cranberry Cooperative Case

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY In the current scenario, the major bottlenecks in the system are the drying units for wet berries and the berry separation lines. While the drying units’ capacity can be increased by purchasing additional units, the throughput of the system will still be limited by the limitation of the separation lines. If the average rate of inflow of berries is 1500bbl/hr, then with the effective separation capacity of 1200bbl/hr, the plant will incur a backlog of 300bbl/hr. If the shift start times stay as it is, and the processing divisions start four hours after the receiving division, the truckers toward the end of the day will have to wait, since the cumulative backlog caused by processing will exhaust the bin storage capacity. The wait times for the truckers can be reduced by converting some of the dry bins to wet bins. However, this measure will not completely eliminate the trucker wait times. The best solution is to acquire one additional drying unit and advancing the processing shift from 11AM to 8AM. The backlog per hour of 300bbl/hr (due to the separation unit), will be manageable by the available storage capacity in the bins, even without converting the bins. The truckers will not have to wait to offload the berries. The accumulated backlog of berries can be processed in approximately 3. 75 hours after the end of scheduled 12 working hours. With the new expected ratio of wet to dry berries (7:3), not adding an additional drying unit will require the plant to work 9 extra hours to eliminate the backlog. The cost benefit of adding the additional drying unit and advancing the shift start time are higher than the cost benefit of other options considered. THE COMPANY The Receiving Plant I (RPI) of National Cranberry Cooperative (NCC) processes both wet and dry cranberries in a highly mechanized process involving 400 workers during peak season. The processed berries are sold in bulk and bags. PROBLEM STATEMENT NCC is currently wrestling with both runaway overtime costs as well as long waiting time for delivery trucks. PROCESS FLOW The process flow diagram is attached as Exhibit A ANALYSIS From Figure E in the case Delivery begins at 7 AM Processing begins at 11 AM Average Truck per day20/ hour Average load per truck75 bbl Average load per hour1500 bbl Expected split between dry and wet typesDry -30% Wet- 70% Cranberries Delivered Wet768600 Dry1065420 Color 134460 Color 2401080 Color 31398480 Total Pounds1834020 Total No. of trucks243 Time Interval729 Average Truck per day243/12 = 20 per hour Plant capacity and demand ReceivingDryWetTotal Average Receiving per hour (bbls)45010501500 Accumulated berries during 4 hour period (bbls)180042006000 Maximum bin storage capacity (bbls)400032007200 Excess/ Shortage (bbls)2200-10001200 Destone/ Dechaff/Dry Maximum Destoning capacity per hour(bbls)450004500 Excess/ Short over average receiving rate per hour(bbls) for destoning 405004050 Maximum Deschaffing capacity per hour(bbls)150030004500 Excess/ Short over average receiving rate per hour(bbls) for deschaffing 105019503000 Maximum Drying Capacity per hour(bbls)0600600 Excess/Shortage over average receiving rate per hour(bbls) for drying (=600-1050)0-450-450 Quality GradingCombined for Dry & Wet Average Separator line capacity per hour(bbls) (3Ãâ€"400)1200 Average receiving by separator line (600 wet + 450 dry)1050 Average receivings when there are no bottlenecks in the system1500 Excess/ Short over average receiving rate per hour(bbls)-300 1. While the receiving starts at 7. 00 am, the processing starts at 11. 00 am (from Figure E in the case). Accumulated wet berries till the plant starts (1100) is 4200 bbl, about 1000 more than the capacity of wet storage bin. This is the first bottleneck in the system which would cause morning queues of the delivery trucks. This shortage could be eliminated by converting some of the dry bins to wet bins. However, as will be seen, the downstream bottlenecks will still cause the converted bin capacity to be wanting. 2. There are two limitations on throughput for Receiving Plant 1. For wet cranberries, throughput is limited by the Dryer capacity to 600 bbl/hr. In terms of total throughput of RP1, the limitation is on separating capacity at 1200 bbl/hr. At the drying unit, the total processing rate of wet berries falls short of the arrival rate (1050 bbl/hr) by 450 bbl/hr. The solution is to either increase the overtime hours, purchase additional dryers or a combination of both. Option I: No dryers are purchased and overtimes are added: Total received per day (12 hrs)Accumulation till 7. 00 pm if processing start at 11. 00 amProcessing in a day (12 hrs)Additional hours reqd #Additional overtime cost* per peak Peak Season (09/20 – 10/9) wet12x1050=126004200+8*450=7800600Ãâ€"12= 72009 hours for processing USD 9*36*6*20= 38880 dry12x450=54001800 + 8*0=1800600Ãâ€"12= 72000 hours # (shortfall in wet berry processing capacity/processing speed) (12600-7200)/600= 9 hours * staff need to be hired in shipping(15 workers for one additional hour), dechaffing (one worker), milling(15) and shipping units (20) ** overtime charges @ USD 6. 00 per worker per hour Thus dry berries are processed in full while there is considerable backlog in wet berries which will necessitate 9 hours of overtime but still would not able to avoid truckers’ queues. If the some of the dry bins are converted to wet bins to maximize the wet capacity to about 5400 bbl, it will reduce the wait times for the truckers, but not completely eliminate it. As a result the receiving department will have to work over their scheduled 12 hour shift. Option II: One dryer is purchased and overtimes are added: Considering that the separator capacity is 1200 bbl/hour, we can at present add only one dryer line which will enhance the drying capacity to 800 bbl / hr. Let us consider a scenario where wet is processed at 800bbl/hr and dry at 400 per hour Total received per day (12 hrs)Accumulation till 7. 0 pm if processing starts at 11. 00 amAccumulation till 7. 00 pm if processing starts at 8. 00 amProcessing in a day (12 hrs)Additional hours reqd #Additional overtime cost* per peak season (09/20 – 10/9) wet12x1050=126004200+8*350=70001050+8*250=3050800Ãâ€"12= 96003. 75$ 810*20 days= $ 16200 dry12x450=54001800+8*50=2200450+8*50= 650400Ãâ€"12= 48000. 00 # (sh ortfall in processing capacity/processing speed) (12600-7200)/600= 9 hours * staff need to be hired in shipping(15 workers for one additional hour), deschaffing (one worker), milling(15) and shipping units (20) ** overtime charges @ USD 6. 0 per worker per hour Thus dry berries are processed in full while there is considerable backlog in wet berries which will necessitate 3. 75 hours of overtime. If we continue to start the processing shift at 11 am we wouldn’t be able to avoid truckers’ queues because of shortage in bin capacity. However, we start the shift at 8. 00 am, this can be avoided to a large extent Option III: No dryers are purchased and overtimes are added: Let us consider another scenario in which wet is processed at 1000bbl/hr (i. e. two additional dryers) and dry at 200 per hour Total received per day (12 hrs)Accumulation till 7. 0 pm if processing starts at 11. 00 amAccumulation till 7. 00 pm if processing starts at 8. 00 amProcessing in a day (12 hrs)Ad ditional hours reqd #Additional overtime cost* per peak season (09/20 – 10/9) wet12x1050=126004200+8*50=46001050+8*50=14501000Ãâ€"12= 120003. 0$ 648*20= $12960 dry12x450=54001800+8*250=3800450+8*250= 2450200Ãâ€"12= 24000. 0 # (shortfall in processing capacity/processing speed) (12600-7200)/600= 9 hours * staff need to be hired in shipping(15 workers for one additional hour), deschaffing (one worker), milling(15) and shipping units (20) ** overtime charges @ USD 6. 0 per worker per hour EVALUATION OF LIGHT METER SYSTEM In 1980, 75 cent premium was paid per bbl on about 450,000 bbls of berries of which about 225,000 turned out to be not of high quality. This cost the company $168,750. We presume that this is also the cost incurred by the company every year. Since the cost of installation is $20,000 plus hiring of a full time skilled operator. Cost of operator = $6. 50/hourx2000 hours per year=$13,000 per year Savings to the company excluding onetime cost of $20,000 = $155750 RECOMMENDATIONS 1. The company needs to purchase one additional dryer @ cost of 40,000 else it would have to spend $38880/ year in additional overtime. Considering the capital cost and the overtime spent ($16200), the additional expenditure can thus be recouped in less than two years. The last option of two dryers would lead to only marginal savings in additional overtime ($3240/year) over the option of buying one dryer. 2. The processing of berries of berries should start at 8. 00 am instead of current 11. 00 am to prevent shortage of bin capacity. . The limitation in separation capacity is serious and measures need to be taken to overcome it. For this, either the capacity of the system needs to be added or the quality of berries needs to be improved so that the separation system can work at its peak capacity of 450bbl/hour/line. However, without further indications on the cost of additional separation units it is not possible to conduct cost-benefit analysis. 4. In view of the substantial cost saving s, the company should buy the light meter system.