Virginia Woolf’s A Room of One’s Own Proves Students Need Schools of Their Own :: Room of Ones Own Essays

Virginia Woolf’s A Room of One’s Own Proves Students Need Schools of Their Own According to the Children’s Defense Fund, in 1989 an average of 1,375 children dropped out of school every day. As a future educator, my reaction to this figure is one of horror and disbelief. Once I get past the shock of such a figure and the obligatory rhetorical questions: How could we let this happen?, I become an investigator. I begin to look for patterns in the profiles of students who have failed. I consider the curriculum these students ingest and how it is fed to them. I try to understand what circumstances result in the forsaking of 1,375 students per day. As a nation, we have established institutions of learning that cater to the needs of some. Our schools allow a select handful of students to succeed. Certain segments of our population appear to be at greater risk than others. The future does not bode well for young black and Latino men and women who do not make it through high school. According to Duane Campbell, author of Choosing Democracy, the unemployment rate for Latino men and women is substantially higher than the national average and an African American child is as likely to go to prison as to college (15). According to the Economic Policy Institute, in 1991 43% of African American children and 35% of Latino children were living in poverty. It is not surprising that a vast number of the 501,875 annual school drop-outs come from impoverished black and Latino families. Of course it is not only blacks and Latinos who are lost in the educational shuffle. There are hordes of students who simply do not fit into the traditional public school paradigm. Whether this poor fit is the result of an unorthodox learning style, an emotional disability or a need for a higher level of teacher involvement, these students are often failed. Such students may stay in school, but they receive a sub-standard education. Virginia Woolf, in her essay "A Room of One’s Own" makes a strong case for schools which cater to the needs of students who are failed by our existing system. I did not see the connection between "A Room of One’s Own" and education upon my first reading of the essay, as a matter of fact the idea came to me as I read Woolf’s essay "The Common Reader.

The hegemonic decline of the United States and the eastward shift in the global capitalist economy

Abstract The Great Recession of 2007-8 has exposed the inherent weakness of the Western economies, whose growth had been fuelled on heavy indebtedness. This dissertation intends to broach the implications of the Great Recession of 2007-8 by applying the theoretical concepts related to the notion of hegemony in order to determine to what extent there is a geopolitical shift in favour of China, pursuant to the decline of the United States. The dissertation also utilizes the theory of economic crisis in order to ascertain the implications of the Great Recession and corroborate the idea of a hegemonic shift to the East. Objectives The dissertation seeks to intervene in a central debate of our times in the field of Political Economy of International Relations: the possible decline of United States’ â€Å"hegemony† and a possible shift of hegemony towards East Asia, especially China, given East Asia’s growing role in the world economy. This trend has exacerbated since the onset of the Great Recession of 2007-8. Using the theoretical framework of hegemony, I intend to find out to which extent the universalisation of the economic superstructure renders the notion of American hegemony obsolete. A Marxian model of interpretation can potentially shed light into the reasons which China, with competitive advantages that vastly exceed those of the United States will continue to accumulate power and establish itself as the new hegemon. Research questions What is the best way to conceptualise hegemony at the international level in the context of the Great Recession of 2007-8? What elements have to be analysed in order to assess hegemony shifts in Capitalist Global Political EconomyHow does this apply to the crisis 2007-2008? What are the signs that American power decliningWhat are the potential implications of that decline? Did the Great Recession of 2007-8 create an irretrievable hegemonic shift towards the Pacific? Theoretical framework The dissertation is divided into two parts. The first is theoretical and discusses the notion of hegemony at the international level. The second part elaborates on the theory of crises. The way in which hegemony has been conceptualised by influential authors such as Arrighi, Cox, Organski and Kindleberger is critically examined. In particular, the dissertation proposes a re-reading of Gramsci stressing the role of nation states and both elements, coercion and consensus, in the exercise of hegemony. Concerning crises, the dissertation seeks to elaborate an integral and organic theory of economic crises based on Marx, contrasting the latter with recently developed neo-Marxist perspectives, such as the ones espoused by David Harvey and Ernest Mandel. Methodology The method for tackling this dissertation will involve a theoretical treatment of hegemony and the causes of economic crisis. Within that particular methodological framework, I intend to analyse the Great Recession of 2007-8 and its implications for the shift taking place, with the transfer of hegemonic power from the United States to China. Chapter one will be a treatment of the theoretical sources dealing with the notion of ‘hegemony’, as applied to shifts in the international political system. Chapter two deals with the nature of economic crises and long economic cycles, as applied to the hegemonic shift taking place. Chapter three will examine the hegemonic shift taking place as a result of the Great Recession of 2007-8 and how the next long cycle could favour the transition from a US-dominated system to a Chinese-dominated one. I intend to use primary sources which will corroborate the economic and political decline of the United States as well as the rise of China, and analyse my findings through the prism of the Great Recession of 2007-8. I will also utilise theoretical material (as outlined above) in order to examine to what extent there is a hegemonic shift taking place within the context of the ongoing economic crisis of the United States and the West. Literature review Robert Cox uses the Gramscian notion of hegemony in order to expose the structures which arise from shifts in the organisation of the international economy. These structures are kept through consensual and coercive power relations. These power relations are marked by ideological practices which give it an aura of normality, therefore establishing a particular cultural hegemony. Significantly, Cox argued that although specific states may be the bearers of hegemony, at its most fundamental level the term relates to the rooting of a set of elites in different countries that acknowledge certain essential principle on the international economy (Cox in Gill, S. (Ed.), 1993: 42). According to Arrighi, hegemony becomes the added power that a dominant class has as a result of being able to universalise the issues which are capable of leading to conflict (Arrighi in Gill, S. (Ed.), 1993: 148). A state capable of exercising hegemony if it is able to lead the international political system in a particular direction and it is perceived by other states as pursuing the interests of the international community. However, the dominant state could also be interested in leading other countries into their own way of economic development (Arrighi, 1990: 367). Arrighi argues that the competition for resources that promoted the capitalist expansion of the European economy into the wider world is structural rather than conjunctural. Its strength resides in the ability to provoke creative destructions motivated by economic crises, giving rise to the technological breakthroughs that have sustained the process of globalisation (Arrighi, 1998: 128). Organski describes the rise of a hegemonic order in a situation in which powerful nations as well as middle and minor powers accept the given distribution of power and wealth and adhere to the same guidelines when it comes to diplomacy and commerce (Organski, 1969: 354). The international order that arises achieves its legitimacy through the ideology which underpins the ‘power differentials’ between the different states. When a power shift occurs, it may be accompanied by conflict amongst the great powers. This would very much depend on whether the challenger seeks to overhaul the rules of the game in the international political system (Organski, 1969: 354). Gilpin operates with a more deterministic notion of hegemonic cycles, positing that the resolution of a hegemonic war represents the start of another period of growth and eventual decline of a great power (Gilpin, 1981: 210). Kindleberger argues that the need to have a hegemon stems from the idea that only a domina nt power can provide collective goods. He maintains that the main danger that the international political faces is not the existence of too much power accumulated in one single hegemon but the presence of too many free riding states unwilling to exercise authority (Kindleberger, 1981: 253). Gramsci re-examines the Marxian model by positing that the cultural and political ‘base’ of a particular society is necessarily informed by the economic superstructure. The base includes categories such as the legal system, the prevailing ideology, the political make-up of the state and the cultural values of society. These categories are not involved in the production of goods but legitimate the ways in which the productive forces shape society: through surplus value extraction. Gramsci finds that the power of the dominant class goes far beyond the competencies of the state as it extends to the civil society, via institutions like schools, the press and cultural practices. The dominant class maintains hegemony by coopting the civil society, which is imbued with a particular ideology which ensures that the political status quo remains anchored in society and that it legitimates the way the productive forces operate (Holub, 1992: 103). Marx attributed the emergence of economic crises to the tendency of the rate of profit to fall (Marx, 1863). The requirement to provide the workforce with survival wages put limits on the exchange value of the labour capacity. This limits the surplus labour time and surplus value needed for the accumulation of profits. There is a requirement that capital be transformed in consumption, therefore placing another burden on the process of production. Limitations on the production of use value by the requirement to create exchange value and the requisite of private profit before the satisfaction of social needs means that there will be overproduction. Capitalism attempts to create the conditions to resolve the inner contradictions of capitalism, such as the creation of a credit system. However, according to Marxist theory, crises are temporarily resolved until a higher level of economic crisis is attained (McCarthy, 1990: 240). One of the ideas which Harvey puts forward in relation to the rise of neoliberal forms of globalisation is the policy of ‘accumulation by dispossession’, resulting in the centralisation of economic wealth and political power in the hands of a very reduced number of people through policies of dispossession. These policies imply stripping the publics of access to wealth. More precisely, ‘accumulation by dispossession’ entails the practice of financialisation, privatisation, upward state redistribution and the manipulation of crises. Harvey’s work is notably linked in an indirect manner to the ideas postulated by prominent public intellectuals of the Left such as Naomi Klein and Noam Chomsky, who also highlight the symbiosis between accumulation (upwards) and dispossession (downwards). These ideas seem to hark back to the classical Marxian template of a dialectic between the owners of the means of production and those who sell their labour at a fraction of its cost, living permanently in the ‘realm of necessity’ (Harvey, 2005). Mandel maintains the base/superstructure Gramscian symbiosis in its analysis of hegemonic relations in the post-World War Two era, claiming that it ushered in a ‘long-wave’ economic cycle of growth. The working class had been weakened by the effects of Fascism, which focused on the cooperation of the different social classes, and World War Two. Technology had increased the rate of profit, which produced impressive economic growth and accumulation of capital. Drawing on Gramsci, Mandel claims that it is impossible for the working class to capture civil society from a ‘war of position’ as this would lead to reformism instead of creating true change. Any attempt to seize the control of society must be done using a ‘war of maneouvre’. The working class, as a subject of social change, is not capable to capture society in a hegemonic way, as it has always been economically and culturally disenfranchised. Any revolutionary process of change must be dec isively quick. A drawn-out conflict would inevitably lead to an accommodation with the bourgeoisie (Mandel, 1995: 28). The theory of economic crisis is linked to the notion of ‘hegemony’ in its political aspects. Transformations taking place in the international economy, particularly those of the magnitude of the Great Recession of 2007-8, have the potential to create a fracture in the hegemonic order constituted after the end of the Cold War. To be sure, there is a process of political and economic convergence which arises out of the increased level of interconnectedness amongst states. This process of harmonisation has been marshalled by the marriage between democracy and the free market orientation typical of the American political personality which emerged amidst the triumphalist furore of the early 1990s (Fukuyama, 1992: 338). This emerging geostrategic situation steered the hegemonic path taken by the United States towards an expansion of its political personality to the wider world. The Great Recession of 2007-8 created a situation in which the tenets which sustained that hegemon y have been broken. China and the ‘Rest’ (i.e., the non-Western world) have been growing at a healthy rate whilst the West is still mired in an economic crisis which does not seem to have an end. This dissertation will endeavour to united both theoretical frameworks in order to determine to what extent the economic crisis will induce a change of hegemonic order. The most crucial aspect to be analysed is whether China will be able to rework the notion of ‘hegemony’ (which is a Western concept) in order to emerge as a potential challenger to the American dominion over the international order. The Great Recession of 2007-8 will potentially undermine the American military capabilities, which is the main element to be considered in the analysis of a putative hegemonic shift in favour of China. In addition, China seems to be interested in propping up its military capabilities. However, its geopolitical emphasis seems to be on forging commercial links with the Res t, rather than launching a frontal hegemonic challenge against the United States (Jacques, 2009: 22). Case study – The Great Recession of 2007-8 One of my research questions explores the possibility that the Great Recession of 2008 created a hegemonic shift towards the Pacific, specifically China. In some respects, the first stage of globalisation (1990-2008) was successful in creating an extensive network of international governance. The end of bipolarity gave rise to the ability to interconnect mankind by electronic means (personal computers, internet, fast processing of data). Globalisation has also created a uniformity of ideology amongst the nations, such as the concept of liberal democracy and free markets (Dilly, 1992: 59) Although some countries deviated from the norm of untrammelled capitalism after the localised financial crises of the 1990s (Russia, Argentina, etc), by and large there has been a trend towards ideological harmonisation, which also includes a growing concern for human rights. This is true for many countries, notably first world ones. The first stage of globalisation created an interdependence that in ternationalised production and consumption. Whilst the outsourcing of production created benefits for consumers, it also rendered nations incapable of protecting their resources, which are now shared with the rest of the world through its management by transnational economic interests, and managed their economy for the benefit of its populations. As Bobbitt argues, the market-state ushered in by globalisation has as its main purpose the maximisation of opportunities for its citizens instead of protecting their welfare (Bobbitt, 2002: 347). Since economic considerations have overtaken political ones, the increase rate of capitalist profit in the East means that China will continue to accumulate power due to its strategic competitive advantages, lower wages, a young labour force and a huge internal market. The challenges posed by the Great Recession exceed the capacity of individual states to be able to defend themselves. There is no nation, in the incipient stage of globalisation, which can act as steward and caretaker of the system. For example, the total flow of capital in the derivative industries vastly exceeds the size of the major economies of the world like the United States, the European Union and China ($531 tn as of September 2008). In addition, the first state of globalisation was chaotic, horizontal and disorderly. Globalisation brought in many positive elements for the world population, but also created many negative offshoots, which territorial states cannot possibly tackle on their own. The effects of global warming and natural resources degradation, the spread of disease, nuclear proliferation, humanitarian catastrophes and the threat of terrorism has one the one hand exposed the vulnerability of nation-states and created the need for common global action by supranati onal institutions that significantly erode their political sovereignty (Basch, L. et al, 1993: 67) The imperial overstrech that the United States suffers from has resulted in the accumulation of massive debts, which now total more than 100% of its GDP. In addition, its economy is about to be overtaken by China, which is still growing at very high rates (Jacques, 2009: 139). The second stage of globalisation will result in the erosion of hegemonic power of the United States. The Great Recession of 2008 provides an opportunity to recreate the global financial and economic structure as well as create more centralised supranational governance, as seen in the rise of the G20. One of the ways in which the crisis keeps melting down the political sovereignty of the nation-states is seen in the depreciation of the US dollar (the international reserve currency) due to the indiscriminate printing of money (Jansson, 2001: 44). One of the ways in which the second stage of globalisation could bring in a world-state is through the creation of currency harmonisation, possibly based on special drawing rights. The increased indebtedness of nations also harmonises the system towards a world-state, since the nation-state has to rely on a debt-based economy. The socialisation of banking losses through taxpayers’ dollars is also another variable to be reckoned with. The increased fragility of the system at local level creates greater opportunity for extra-national and supranational intervention. To be sure, the role of the nation-state has not gone away. However, their role is subordinated to the requirements of this increasingly emerging extraterritorial financial and economic structure. The reaction to this emerging harmonisation towards a world-state is already being seen in the different arrangements made between BRICS nations and commodity-rich countries seeking to replace the dollar as a medium of exchange (Suominen, 2012: 33) In turn, this will end up hurting the most powerful sovereign nation, which will find it increasingly difficult to maintain military hegemony without the ability to print out as many dollars as it needs. The erosion of political sovereignty as a result of the Great Recession of 2008 and the reaction to it by the ‘Second World’ goes hand in hand with the idea of privatisation of economic power, managed at supranational and extraterritorial level by powerful private concerns (Khanna, 2008: 41). These supranational concerns are in the process of setting up their own regulatory schemes, imposed on individual territorial states, which are finding it increasingly difficult to resist them. My preliminary findings show that the realignment of economic international systems is the main conduit by which harmonisation leading to an hegemonic shift in favour of China will be activated. In addition, there is a definite reaction by what I would call the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation bloc (notably China and Russia, but also the likes of India and Iran). The harmonisation process is proceeding apace in the West. This reaction in the Second World is generating its own kind of harmonisation. The political sovereignty of nations could also be further impaired by the conflict that will arise as a result of it. Trying to eliminate the logic of anarchy brings with it the possibility of conflict. A s Schmitt put it, the political cannot exist outside the realm of conflict. It is expected that the United States will not let China accumulate the necessary military capabilities in order to establish itself as the new hegemon. Preliminary findings There are several factors which enables us to think that a hegemonic transition is taking place. A massive, imposing display of Chinese-constructed fighter aircraft and other military equipment was used to commemorate the 60th anniversary of communist China’s founding, on 1 October, 2009. At the same time, China’s space industry was rapidly burgeoning and continuing to develop. Along with the fact that the Chinese economy continued to expand during a global recession and a rising position on the world political stage, these technological advances indicate China’s movement towards the status of a world superpower. While the rest of the world struggled in 2009, the Chinese economy exemplified a remarkable flexibility in returning to significant growth. The Chinese government attributes this economic resilience to China’s blend of communism with capitalism, in contrast to the laissez-faire approach taken by the West (Guthrie, 1999: 122). In early 2009, a migration of millions of workers from urban areas to rural locales resulted from the closure of factories that produced exports on the east coast and south coast of China. The steep price of fuel and food had put pressure on household budgets in 2008, and in order to halt inflation, stringent financial and credit policies were set in place. These policies caused the construction industry to dip, as well as a slump in the property market. In response, the Chinese government created a stimulus package in November 2008 that was worth 4 trillion yuan (about $586 billion). Approximately 50% of the stimulus package was set aside for improving infrastructure, such as railways and airports, primarily in rural regions, while a further 25% was designated for the Sichuan province, which had been severely affected by a May 2008 earthquake and was in need of rebuilding. Banks were ordered to increase lending, and the result was a 164% upsurge of loans in the first three quarters of 2009. This facilitated a rebound of the economy, which occurred far more quickly than in other countries. (Wright, 2010: 221). Additionally, the latter part of the year saw the recovery of exports, which set China up to overtake Germany as the top exporter world-wide. As a result, speculation grew as to whether China could reclaim the dominant position that it once held prior to the early 1800s, at which time it provided roughly one third of manufacturing in the world, compared to just 25% of manufacturing in the West. This outcome was rendered more probably by a trade deal with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations that transpired at the end of the year. As the world’s largest creditor, China had a symbiotic and mutually beneficial relationship with the U.S., the globe’s biggest debtor, that had become vital in the effort to rebalance the global economy. Zhou Xiaochuan, governor of the People’s Bank of China (PBOC) issued a statement on 23 March 2009 th at called for an international currency that would replace the U.S. dollar as the primary global currency and would remain unattached to individual countries; he argued that this currency would have increased stability over time. The People’s Bank of China also proposed that Special Drawing Rights, which were designed in 1969 by the IMF for utilisation between international institutions and governments, might be employed on a wider scale and used as payment in international finance and trade transactions. This would reduce fluctuations in price and the risks associated with these fluctuations. The initiative was made again at the yearly Group of Eight (G-8) summit that took place in Italy in July 2009. Delegates from China, India, Brazil, Mexico, and South Africa (also known as the â€Å"Group of Five) were also invited to the summit, where China, along with India and Russia (a G-8 member) called for an overhaul of the global financial system and a halt to dollar domination. In the latter part of September 2009, the president of the World Bank, Robert Zoellick, cautioned that the U.S. dollar faced an increasing threat due to the rising force of both the euro and the Chinese yuan. At this juncture China had surpassed Japan as the main creditor of the U.S.; there were concerns coming from Beijing that the $800.5 billion value of U.S. Treasury securities, along with other assets that constituted 60% of China’s foreign-exchange reserves and 30% of foreign-exchange reserves globally, would be attenuated by American debt and decreasing confidence in the U.S. dollar. China presented a temporary solution, which was to resist purchasing U.S. Treasury stock and, more significantly, to advocate the utilisation of the yuan as a world currency. (Kim, 2010: 49). Bibliography Arrighi, G., Capitalism and the Modern World-System: Rethinking the Non-debates of the 1970’s Review (Fernand Braudel Center), Vol. 21, No. 1 (1998), pp. 113-129 Arrighi, G. The Three Hegemonies of Historical Capitalism, Review (Fernand Braudel Center), Volume 13, Number 3 (Summer, 1990), pp. 365-408 Basch, L. et al (1993) Nations Unbound: Transnational Projects, Postcolonial Predicaments, and Deterritorialized Nation-States, Gordon and Breach, London Bobbitt, Philip (2002) The Shield of Achilles: War, Peace and the Course of History. New York, Alfred Knopf Bryson, J. Nick, H., Keebie, D. and Martin, R. (1999) The Economic Geography Reader: Producing and Consuming Global Capitalism, Wiley, New York Dilly, R. (1992) Contesting Markets: Analyses of Ideology, Discourse and Practice, Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh Fukuyama, F. (1992) The Last Man and the End of History, Free Press. New York Gill, S. (Ed.) (1993) Gramsci, Historical Materialism and International Relations, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge Gilpin, R. (1981) War and Change in World Politics, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge Guthrie, D. (1999) Dragon in a Three-Piece Suit: The Emergence of Capitalism in China, Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ Harvey, D. (2005) The New Imperialism, Oxford University Press, Oxford Holub, R. (1992) Antonio Gramsci: Beyond Marxism and Postmodernism, Routledge, New York Jacques, M. (2009) When China Rules the World: The End of the Western World and the Birth of a New Global Order, Penguin Press, New York Jansson, B. (2001) The Sixteen-Trillion-Dollar Mistake: How the U.S. Bungled Its National Priorities from the New Deal to the Present, Columbia University Press, New York Khanna, P. (2008) The Second World, Penguin Books, London Kim, Yong-Ki, The Rise of G20 and Korea’s Response , SERI Quarterly. Volume: 3. Issue: 4 October 2010, pp. 49-66 Kindleberger, C. Dominance and Leadership in the International Economy, International Studies Quarterly 25(2) (1981), pp. 242-54 Mandel, E. (1995) Long Waves of Capitalist Development, Verso, London Marx, K. (1863) The Capital, Volume III, http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1894-c3/index.htm MCCarthy, G. (1990) Marx and the Ancients: Classical Ethics, Social Justice, and Nineteenth-Century Political Economy, Rowman and Littlefield, Savage, MD Organski, A.F.K. (1969) World Politics, Knopf, New York Suominen, K. (2012) Peerless and Periled: The Paradox of American Leadership in the World Economic Order, Stanford University Press, Stanford, CA Wright, T. (2010) Accepting Authoritarianism: State-Society Relations in China’s Reform Era, Stanford University Press, Stanford, CA

Role of Nurses in Gestational Diabetes

The role of nurses in gestational diabetes. (DIABETES CARE)(Brief Article) Journal of Diabetes Nursing | May 1, 2003 | Assignment 2 Research studies, recently conducted in America, have found that diet and exercise play an important role in predisposing a woman for gestational diabetes (GD). This study compared the rate of insulin treatment and perinatal outcome in women with gestational diabetes under endocrinologist-based versus diabetes nurse-based metabolic management. A total of 244 participants received endocrinologist-based care and 283 participants received diabetes nurse-based care.A retrospective analysis was carried out comparing maternal characteristics, rate of insulin treatment and perinatal insulin requirements, in comparison with those who had used diet and exercise as a controlling factor for their diabetes. Pregnancy imposes a great amount of stress on most bodily functions and it is certain that glucose metabolism is no exception. Gestational Diabetes Mellitus is a type of diabetes, which occurs during pregnancy, distinct from the condition that already existed.It is defined as a glucose intolerance of variable degrees with onset or first recognition during pregnancy; it will generally develop in the latter half of the pregnancy and will improve after delivery (Colman, 2004). Gestational Diabetes is generally not dangerous to either mother or fetus. The disease itself is usually mild and even asymptotic; however there is an increased incidence of foetal and perinatal complications (Guthrie & Guthrie, 2004). In addition, if an unreasonable amount of sugar is allowed to circulate in the mother’s blood and then to enter the fetal circulation, potential problems for both mother and baby are serious.The mother’s pancreas work’s overtime to produce insulin, but it is not enough to lower blood sugar levels. Glucose will then cross the placental barrier, increasing work on the pancreas of the fetus, which uses insulin to conv ert the glucose into energy. The baby has more energy than is required so it converts this energy into fat stores, resulting in large birth weight babies and all the problems that can be associated with that (http://diabetes. org). At each visit to the doctor a sample of urine is taken, this is then tested for glucose levels.Sugar in the urine may be the first indications of Gestational Diabetes. Also, during the fifth month a glucose tolerance test is now a routine test for pregnant women. A Glucose Tolerance Test is when the women provide a blood sample taken before and after consuming a glucose drink, glucose levels >9. 0mmol/l indicate Gestational Diabetes is present. However this may be performed earlier on someone who is considered as being at risk (Colman, 2004). The incidence of gestational Diabetes has increased a significant amount, between35% and 59%, over the past ten years (http://diabetes. rg). Studies have found that the figures have shown an alarming incline in th e amount of women being diagnosed with this gestational Diabetes. It is now believed that between 2 and 12% of pregnant women suffer from Gestational Diabetes (Guthrie & Guthrie, 2002). Testing has now become routine for pregnant mothers, so it is being discovered earlier in the pregnancy and as a result is now being treated much sooner. Because of this routine testing the chance of miscarriage and perinatal loss has been greatly reduced.The survival rate of these infants has increased from less than 70% a few years ago to nearly 98% now, a figure which has only come about through care specializing in diabetes in pregnancy, routine testing of all pregnant women and the best care available (Guthrie & Guthrie, 2002). Even though gestational Diabetes is now being discovered more often and being medically controlled a woman who has had Gestational Diabetes will have a much higher chance of developing diabetes later in life.If insulin was required as treatment, there is a 50% cha nce of diabetes within 5years, and even if the diabetes was dietary controlled there is still a 60% chance of developing diabetes within 10-15 years (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2007-08). With these alarming figures it is obvious that further understanding of the treatment and control of gestational diabetes is necessary. From the whole number of applicants, researchers then divide participants into stratified samples; containing those who were at risk for gestational Diabetes and those who had no known predisposing factors.Each of these strata was then further divided into halves, with one half continuing their usual daily activities and progress through the pregnancy with current medical assistance available. The other half of the group was required to stick to a strict regime of healthy diet and exercising at least once a week, more if they wish. There was an initial interview conducted between the 6-12 week period of pregnancy, during the first trimester, to ensure that the required information is collected and any information can be supplied and ensure that is understood.The interview incorporated data from the year prior to conception and continued until 2 months following the births of the children. All participants were required to test daily their Blood Glucose Level (BGL) and also test their urine for sugar and record their findings. While there would be an occasional increase in glucose levels during pregnancy, persistently high levels would indicate Gestational Diabetes and a Glucose Tolerance Test was conducted. Weekly follow ups were conducted to ensure all information was recorded accurately, and also permitted time for the participant to discuss any concerns that had arisen.However pregnancy requires a number of checkups, increasing towards the later trimester, so data was also collected through the ante natal clinics. After delivery another Glucose Tolerance Test was performed to evaluate for preexisting Diabetes and it also allowed time for any complications for the newborn to arise. For the purpose of this study I feel that a larger number would be required to make certain that there would be women who are at risk, have had gestational diabetes and have never suffered from this condition before, and would also allow for the inevitable elimination of some of the participants.This was a quantitative research process, there was a need to interview, assess and gather personal information on the study participants. Some participants may deem this an invasion of privacy. To ensure that no emotional or psychological damage occurs to the participants it would be extremely important to ensure that there would be the strictest confidentiality with the information provided and that it would only be shared with those who require the data.The aim of this research is to understand whether gestational Diabetes can be avoided all together, or whether it can be treated more effectively, providing a better health outcome for the fe tus and mother. By providing conclusions, which benefit society, the principle of Beneficence can be achieved (Roberts and Taylor, 2002). An even more critical consideration is the health and well being of the participants. All women are naturally concerned that their baby will be healthy and normal; a researcher must be able to ensure that no harm will come to the mother or child.The principle of non-malfeasance, makes certain that no injury will occur to either mother or fetus, that the participants are not exploited in any way and that the benefit to the community outweighs any risk that may be present (Roberts and Taylor, 2002). At all times, the participants were treated with respect, confidentiality and their physical and mental welfare was maintained. The most important point to remember here is effective communication, the participants understood exactly what was being researched, and they received accurate information on when, where, how, why and who.They were given educati on sessions on how to use any of the equipment that had been supplied. The equipment used were Urine dipstick and BGL machine, requiring only a small amount of training to make sure they were used properly. As the researcher, it is important to be precise and clear about this information to ensure that participants show up, on time and at the right place. (Roberts and Taylor, 2002). By incorporating the interviews and research into their ante- natal care visits, which would normally take place; the researchers avoided any complications arising from data collection.Participants were required to provide accurate, detailed and correct information on their experiences for the research to be valid and have any true meanings. This requires a great amount of trust on the researcher behalf. By ensuring that the participants understood the importance of this study, for their own health as well as the wider community, it would be hoped that the participants would record precise information. F or many people, being diagnosed with gestational diabetes can be upsetting. Treatment for gestational diabetes substantially reduces adverse perinatal outcomes and improves maternal quality of life.Optimal proven treatment for gestational diabetes includes review by a diabetes educator, dietitian and physician, with insulin used if glycaemic targets are not achieved with dietary control alone. Screening for gestational diabetes should be offered to all pregnant women. Maternity service providers should ensure that adequate resources are devoted to the detection and treatment of gestational diabetes.References Australian Bureau of Statistics. National Health Survey, 2007-08 http://www. abs. gov. au 10/04/10 Colman, M. 2004, Diabetes and you: An owner’s Manual, Diabetes Australia, Melbourne. Diabetes Australia. Diabetes and Pregnancy, http://diabetes. org/gestational-diabetes 05/04/10 Guthrie, D. A. & Guthrie, R. A. , 2004, Nursing Management of Diabetes Mellitus: Fifth Edi tion, Springer Publishing Company, New York. Roberts, K. L. & Taylor, B. J. , 2002, Nursing Research Processes: An Australian Perspective, 2nd Ed. , Nelson Thomas Learning, Southbank, VIC. The role of nurses in gestational diabetes. DIABETES CARE, Journal of Diabetes Nursing, May 1, 2003|

A Tale of Two Cities Dialectical Journal

There was a belief during this time that the Germans and followers of the Germans believed that Jews were aliens, but I actually believe the Germans were the aliens. How they could go from being decent individuals, as stated in this quote, to being madmen who slaughter people for no good reason is utterly beyond me. The aliens must have taken over the minds of the Germans at this point in time. Its the only logical explanation | â€Å"Three days later, a new decree: every Jew must wear the yellow star. The yellow star? Oh well, what of it? You don’t die of it†¦. (Poor Father! Of what then did you die? † (6)| I find this quote to be quite sardonic. When you think about having something sewed onto your clothes such as a yellow star, you wouldnt think at all that it would kill you because, its not directly hurting you in any way. This is what the father, I think, meant when he said So what? Its not lethal But then, you look deeper and realize that the yellow star symbolizes all of these peoples faith and religion, which is whats ultimately the reason these Jews were being persecuted, because of this faith and the things they believed in, and this is why Wiesel added this slightly satirical comment in parentheses. â€Å"I wanted to come back to Sighet to tell you the story of my death. So that you could prepare yourselves while there was still time. To live? I don’t attach my importance to my life any more. I’m alone. No, I wanted to come back, and to warn you And see how it is, no one will listen to me†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (4)| This is when the harshness of what was taking place during the Holocaust first hit me in this book. This man has experienced and seen so much terror take place that he has lost his will to live. It makes me wonder how the Nazis could have lived with themselves after inflicting this kind of trauma into people’s lives (and taking lives, as well). This man feels his only purpose now is to save others from his terrible fate. It shocks me that someone could have been put through that much pain and suffering to the point of not caring about whether they live or not. | â€Å"Behind me, I heard the same man asking: ‘Where is God now? ’  And I heard a voice within me answer him: ‘Where He is? Here He is- He is hanging here on this gallows†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢Ã¢â‚¬  (42-43)| This shows all of the pure evil and hatred that the Nazis and Hitler poured out to the world. They were strangling God. Anything remotely good and wholesome was squashed immediately. God could no longer do anything to save Hitler and the monsters that followed him. They had bound him. For those monsters to have hung a child shows that their hearts are forever gone past the point of return. The poor child that they hung represents God. God’s love was suffocating throughout the world. So many cruel men (if you can consider them men, being the soulless, heartless beings that they were) were trying to destroy God. | â€Å"’There are eighty of you in the wagon,’ added the German officer. ‘If anyone is missing, you’ll all be shot, like dogs † (15) | This is just disgusting to me. Humans are being treated like a herd of animals. I do not understand how you can have such disregard for life. The German officer would not even think twice about killing the entire lot of them. He would not care that he just ended eighty lives, some of which would have been children’s. I am appalled that he would have the nerve to cruelly murder so many people because one person would have tried to escape from the hell they were in. I wonder how the officer would have felt if suddenly, the gun had been turned on him. | The night was gone. The morning star shining in the sky. I too had become a completely different person. The student of Talmud, the child I was, had been consumed in the flames. There remained only a shape that looked like me. A dark flame had entered into my soul and devoured it. (24)| This passage, I think, describes how much a person can change once he or she has been exposed to the many horrors present in the Jewish concentration camps. These people in these camps might have easily become mentally unstable, because they would witness murder and beatings every day; the suffering of countless people. The people themselves also had to endure unknown numbers of days in cattle cars and barracks, which could also have been traumatic. Seeing and experiencing all of these things can change a person, and the way they think. No longer is Elie the innocent child who wanted to study religion in his hometown, but now has to deal with the living hell of his mind, which has ultimately changed him. | What have you come here for, you sons of bitches? have hanged yourselves rather than come here. Didnt you know what was in store for you at Auschwitz? Haven’t you heard about it? In 1944? (20)| This passage surprised me in the severity and urgency of the mans words. But also, how could they have had a choice but to go there? The man stated this right as the Wiesels were entering the camp, and it almost acts as one of those common beware phrases you hear in movies, like when they warn the person before they intrude. Im also surprised that none of the new people entering the camp had heard of Auschwitz before, even though now its seen as one of the most well known Nazi concentration camps from the war. They might not have known about it because the Nazis were trying to keep all of the names of the camps and the happenings going on within them on the down-low, so that Jews (like the Wiesels) didnt know what was awaiting them and so didnt have time to run, and also maybe they tried to keep the camps a secret so that fighting forces didnt know much about them, either. | â€Å"Not far from us, flames were leaping up from a ditch, gigantic flames. They were burning something. A lorry drew up at the pit and delivered its load- little children. Babies! Yes, I saw it- saw it with my own eyes†¦ those children in the flames. † (21)| When I read this, I had to stop, go back, and reread it. I was in total disbelief. You would expect to hear of atrocities such as this in fictional tales of horror, not in actual history. And yet, it is true. Little infants were thrown into fire! How could anyone do that and not want to kill themselves because of their guilt? How could the people doing this have no emotion toward these babies at all! These children all had a place in the world, a life to live, dreams to fulfill, and so much more. Now, those budding lives and dreams have been turned into ash to be swept away by the wind. They could not even form words to cry out because they were so young. These babies were completely innocent and pure. They have never done anything to harm anyone. And they are being murdered. | â€Å"The passengers on our boat were amusing themselves by throwing coins to the ‘natives,’ who were diving in to get them. An attractive, aristocratic Parisienne was deriving special pleasure from the game. † (67)| This made me shake my head in shame, for this is a perfect example of getting pleasure ut of another person’s pain. This woman feels that she is inferior to these poor children, so she decides that she might as well mock their suffering while having some â€Å"fun† with it. This woman only cares about herself, and (whether the children see it or not), is rubbing it in the natives’ faces that she has a pleasant life while they are struggling. The fac t that she would use the children’s poverty and misery to amuse herself revolts me. How could this woman be so uncaring about these people? And then how could she dare to take it a step further by scoffing at their destitution. â€Å"Why, but why should I bless Him? In every fiber I rebelled. Because He had thousands of children burned in His pits? Because He kept six crematories working night and day, on Sundays and feast days? Because in His great might He had created Auschwitz, Birkenau, Buna, and so many factories of death? How could I say to Him: ‘Blessed art Thou, Eternal, Master of the Universe, Who chose us from among the races to be tortured day and night, to see our fathers, our mothers, our brothers, end in the crematory? † (44)| This quote, to me, represents lost hope in the last belief that the Jews have left. What do they have to be grateful for if their God, their Master of the Universe, has let them down? What do they have to be thankful for? What then are you living for? The Jewish people living in the camps still prayed to their God daily, because it was the only thing they felt like they still could do, still had some control over. Many of the people still whole-heartedly believed that the Gods were still with them, on their side, just putting them through some agonizing test to study how they react. The other side of this is that since so much misfortune had been cast upon these people, I can see why the few (like Wiesel) might be mad at God, and choose not to pray to Him anymore. They might think that their God had switched sides, and and even wanted them all gone. Whichever way you think about it, God played a huge role in the fate of the Jews. Its what killed the Jews, yet it also keeps them alive. | Survival in harsh conditions- The commandant announced that we had already covered forty-two miles since we left. It was a long time since we had passed beyond the limits of fatigue. Our legs were moving mechanically, in spite of us, without us. (58)| Throughout Wiesels journey from start to finish, Wiesel had to battle natures fierce elements. He described a time when all the inmates had to go through the showers, only to be driven out into the cold. They were stark naked and it was 30 or 20 degrees Fahrenheit. Another would be the death march. Wiesel marched through the snow and wind gusts. | We stayed motionless, petrified. Surely it was all a nightmare? An unimaginable nightmare? (20)| In these short sentences, Elie Wiesel describes how all of this seemed like a nightmare. A nightmare that you cannot wake up from. He makes the horrors of the Holocaust more understandable to us by relating it to a nightmare. We can imagine our worst nightmare, and imagine if it really was true? If it wasnt a nightmare, but real life? Its unbelievable. Elie Wiesel was standing in a line in a concentration camp, a boy of fifteen. The line led to death, to his grave. He was in line for the crematory. The smell of human flesh in the air. How could we imagine such a sight? It cant. The only thing that can be is perhaps our worst nightmare. | I’ve got more faith in Hitler than in anyone else. He’s the only one who’s kept his promises, all his promises, to the Jewish people. (53)| This quote is definitely one of the more memorable ones from this book. When people started losing sight of their God in the camps, because He had not been listening to their prayers or something, they didnt have faith anymore that He would follow through with anything. Unlike this, Hitler was always carrying out his promises to the Jews. He promised that they would be put in concentration camps. He promised that they most would be killed. He promised that they all would suffer. And so in this sense, people had more faith in what he said, because they knew that whatever he said would be the truth, and he would make it happen. | Someone began to recite Kaddish, the prayer for the dead. I do not know if it has ever happened before, in the long history of the Jews, that people have ever recited the prayer for the dead for themselves. (22)| People dont recite Kaddish for themselves in Jewish law, even when they know theyre about to die. They know that their family friends, and the rabbi will recite it for them. But in the Holocaust, the people knew that they were going to die. Everyone shared the same fate. Many had no one else to recite Kaddish for them. Reciting the Kaddish for themselves made them feel better because who will care enough to recite Kaddish for them? Their family was dying too. They couldnt recite Kaddish for them. | â€Å"Death wrapped itself around me till I was stifled. It stuck to me. I felt that I could touch it. The idea of dying, of no longer being, began to fascinate me. Not to exist any longer. † (58)| Elie is beginning to reach his breaking point. Death has come for him but has continued to fail. However, now, Elie is too tired to run, too tired to fight. Death is considered a gift to him. An escape from the hellish camp. | â€Å"I did not believe him myself. I would often sit with him in the evening after the service, listening to his stories and trying to hardest to understand his grief. I felt only pity for him. † (3)| | In the wagon where the bread had landed, a real battle had broken out. Men threw themselves on top of each other, stamping on each other, tearing at each other, biting each other. Wild beasts of prey, with animal hatred in their eyes; an extraordinary vitality had seized them, sharpening their teeth and nails. (67)| I think there is a level of desperation in which one loses sight of their humanity and turns to being instead a savage animal, as can be proven from this situation. To kill over a crust of bread? These people were getting so desperate to survive, they would do anything to keep themselves alive, even if it meant killing others in the same situation. This relates back to Hobbes theory of human natu re, and that it is that every one is cruel and barbaric at heart. I dont believe we are all this way by choice, but then when things get tough, we have no choice but to do whats in our own best interest. â€Å"The race towards death had begun. † (6)| Elie was aware of everything that was going on. He knew that every action and every word they said would count against them if they did something wrong. He knew that from that point on that everything was a competition and they had to be prepared whether they lived or not. | | | | | We were the masters of nature, masters of the world. We had transcended everythingdeath, fatigue, our natural needs. We were stronger than cold and hunger, stronger than the guns and the desire to die, doomed and rootless, nothing but numbers, we were the only men on earth. (58)| To be able to bring this empowering, inspiring, quote into the story was very uplifting to read. To realize that Wiesel still, at this terrible time, thought of the Jews as t he most powerful people he had ever known was so moving. He realized that these people who had been beaten, murdered, and tortured, were still standing for something so important, and that in the end, they would prevail. Because good always does. They were the strongest men alive. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Pg 30 top of page| |

Public Service Broadcasters in the United Kingdom Thesis Proposal

Public Service Broadcasters in the United Kingdom - Thesis Proposal Example The outcome of the research paper will reveal the requirement for both political independence and political accountability of public service broadcasters in the U.K., the part played by regulators in ensuring these partially conflicting aims, and whether they have been able to achieve their objectives. A comparative perspective will be provided by comparing and contrasting the U.K. experience with that of another country. There are over ten statutory and self-regulatory bodies for media and communications in the UK (Collins and Murroni 1996). To support policy making with specific aims and techniques, meaningful rationales for regulatory interventions have to be determined (Harcourt 2005). There is a requirement for content regulation by Ofcom’s â€Å"Content Board† established by the 2003 Act (Open Society Institute 2009), and for economic regulation of public service broadcasting because of technological The main goal of public broadcasting is to engage viewers and listeners in a dialogue about public life. General characterization of the audiences (Freedman 2008), and a need for Independent of government or vested interests, public broadcasting aims to develop the concept of a shared public life correlating with national or regional communities. Broadcasters committed to quality and creativity contribute to social healing and provide information as well as enjoyment. A profoundly democratic phenomenon through which public opinion is expressed and established (Tracey 1998). Hutchison (1999) emphasizes the function of media policy towards maintaining broadcasting freedom, democracy, the enlightenment of the public, as well protecting the state, the citizen and the society. Various critiques about public service broadcasting include the fact that because of independent television, the BBC is unable to get the audience it requires to justify its license fee monopoly (Franklin 2001).  

Questions Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

Questions - Research Paper Example As a science, curriculum design is not a onetime process, but a continuous process with five phases. These phases are: Assessment, Research, Design, Improvement and Curriculum (Avenues, 2014). The process is continuous in the sense that at the output level (curriculum), there is still assessment being done. As a science the curriculum design involves a lot of research so as to come up with a suitable product. There is therefore need of reexamining the curriculum, its fine- tuning and improving it both within the projects and the end of the projects. It is like monitoring and evaluation, to come up with the best outcome. Morality as a principle contributes to my curriculum design philosophy. I believe in doing what is right not only to me, but to the general public. I do believe that I should come up with curriculum design that will benefit my employer, my colleagues in the place of work and the public in general. Given that one of the attributes of Curriculum design is that it is deliberate, I do believe it should be done with good conscious of not harming anyone but changing the lives for the better. It involves therefore the process of identifying what will be done, at what time it will be done, by whom and when with set kind of responsibility to ensure accountability (Avenues, 2014). The principle of Curriculum Design as a knowledge is of much importance. It views curriculum design as not trial and error stuff, but something to be done by professionals. One of the attributes of Curriculum Design is that it is creative. At every stage of curriculum design there are opportunities of novel concepts, innovative and inventive introduction (Avenues, 2014). It requires an idea of how, where and when to place a puzzle and what to expect in return. It needs one to understand the goal set and come up with ways to meet that goal. The Subject centered design is based on the belief that what makes

According to Premo Levi's book The Survival of Auschwitz how did Essay

According to Premo Levi's book The Survival of Auschwitz how did Auschwitz systematically dehumanize prisoners - Essay Example Men, women and children were dumped in the concentration camps not for the purpose of reformation and rehabilitation. Their spirits were totally subdued before their bodies were disposed of through heinous procedures. Primo Levi writes, â€Å"Then for the first time we became aware that our language lacks words to express this offence, the demolition of a man. In a moment, with almost prophetic intuition, the reality was revealed to us; we had reached the bottom. It is not possible to sink lower than this; no human condition is more miserable than this, nor could it conceivably be so.†(16) Even the garbage that is being lodged in the dumpers commands some sort of discipline and procedure for disposal. But the human beings in the concentration camps were stripped of all their possessions, their self-respect included. Levi’s only apprehension was what he was going to lose next? Was there anything more for being robbed at all! Dehumanization is the psychological process; o ne’s feelings and emotions are attacked. It is more vicious than the physical violence. In the psychological torture of an individual he is made to feel not worthy, he is the lesser category of a human being. He is alienated from the normal society, mocked at for no personal fault. His individuality is put to test severely and conditions are created that he will be facing death at the time, only place and manner to be decided by the authority that has imprisoned him. That was the philosophy of the people who created Auschwitz. When you were confronted with the dehumanizing process, in the circumstances prevailing in Auschwitz, physical confrontation with those responsible for that malicious activity was impossibility. But you were forced to fight for your humanity and to protect the individual dignity. You were conscious in your inner world that you did not deserve the treatment that you were getting. You had the vague conviction that something dramatic would happen and there was going to be an end to the mean process. Those who were in charge of the camp were treating the prisoners like the animals, and you would not like to be one; you resist that with all the inner strength at your command. To survive in those grim circumstances for ten months spoke about the grit and strong will power of Primo Levi, as many of the fellow-suffers in the camp perished. The beginning of the dehumanization process—was it dehumanization or much more? Auschwitz was not the beginning; it was one of the terminals of the dehumanization process. Levi writes, â€Å"With the absurd precision to which we later had to accustom ourselves, the Germans held the roll-call. At the end the officer asked, â€Å"Wieviel stuck?† The corporal saluted smartly and replied that there were six hundred and fifty â€Å"pieces† and that all was in order.†(5) Primo Levi’s desperate struggle against this demonic process began before his arrival at Auschwitz. From Italy preparations for transportation of a group of six hundred and fifty people began and they were to be condemned to death. At the time of boarding the train the dehumanization process began. Levi writes, â€Å"Here we received the first blows: and it was so new and senseless that we felt no pain, neither in body nor in spirit. Only a profound amazement: how can one hit a man without anger?†(5) In the wagon where he was seated, there were forty-five people and only four survived, including Levi. During the journey to Auschwitz they had to encounter cold, torment, and