Iron Crowned Chapter 15

I had two immediate reactions to this. One was that Dorian could wait around forever; he had no right to demand anything of me. My other reaction was outrage that he could come traipsing into my home when I was banned from his. Admittedly, that was my own fault. I hadn't put down any hospitality rules to keep him out. As such, he'd be welcomed like any other non-enemy monarch – particularly by my people. I considered simply sending Volusian to revoke hospitality but then tossed that idea aside. I'd take care of this myself. I drove out to the gateway by my home as fast as I could without getting a ticket and then crossed over to the anchor inside my castle. Once there, I hurried through the halls, oblivious to servants' startled stares. I knew where Dorian would be. My people would have received him in the nicest chamber, the one befitting any visiting monarch. Sure enough. Dorian sat inside the parlor, lounging in a central chair with Shaya, Rurik, and others sitting around him. He looked like he was holding court in his own castle. My anger doubled. Everyone except him jumped up at my sudden approach, giving hasty bows. â€Å"Out,† I snapped. â€Å"All of you. And shut the door.† My words left no question about who exactly I wanted out. Dorian didn't move, but the rest scurried to obey my orders. I saw Shaya and Rurik exchange looks with each other, no doubt worried what was going to happen with the two monarchs they loved. Once we were alone, I turned on Dorian. â€Å"What the hell are you doing here?† He regarded me coolly, face perfectly at ease. â€Å"Visiting, as is my right. There's nothing that says I can't. Unless you're revoking my hospitality?† â€Å"I should,† I said, stepping forward with fists clenched. â€Å"I should have my guards throw you out on your ass.† He snorted and absentmindedly smoothed a piece of his long hair. â€Å"Good luck with that. They'd throw you out first, if I gave the order.† â€Å"So that's why you're here? To start a rebellion in my own kingdom?† â€Å"No. I'm here to remind you of your responsibilities to your kingdom – since you've clearly forgotten.† â€Å"Really?† I crossed my arms across my chest in an effort to stop myself from doing something stupid. â€Å"I think you've forgotten what I've done for my kingdom. Say, like, saving it from disaster. And risking my life for that fucking crown so that we could finally have peace.† â€Å"If memory serves, you caused that disaster when you created an inhospitable desert.† His voice was still damnably calm. â€Å"And that crown is doing you no good.† â€Å"Didn't you hear me? We have peace. The fighting's stopped.† â€Å"The fighting's temporarily stopped. Katrice is playing you, and you're letting her. She's dragging her feet, using this negotiation delay to figure out a way out of this. If you really want to end the war once and for all, you need to get involved and let her know you're serious. Wave the crown around. Dare her to call your bluff. Show her you're in control and stop all of this for real.† I gave a harsh laugh. â€Å"That's so typical of you. Attempting to pull the strings, as usual. You don't even have the crown, but you're telling me what to do with it.† Dorian shot up from the chair, smooth features breaking into annoyance. â€Å"I am remembering what it means to be a king. I'm not running away and letting others deal with things that seem too hard.† â€Å"Right,† I said, keeping an eye on the distance between us. â€Å"Getting the crown was easy. Which is why, of course, you were right out there with me.† He narrowed his eyes. â€Å"You know I would have if I could. So I did the only thing I could: I got you out there after it.† â€Å"By lying!† I exclaimed. I tried to keep my voice strong, letting anger be the only emotion to slip, but grief cracked me a little. â€Å"By creating an elaborate set-up with Masthera in the hope I'd seize more land for us. Why do you not see how wrong that was?† â€Å"Was it?† His volume was starting to match my own. I'd so rarely seen emotion seize him, and it was both terrible and beautiful. â€Å"Do you think our people think it's wrong? The ones whose homes are no longer in danger? The ones who are alive because of this? The crown bought that, and you're going to ruin it all if you don't force her into talks! Not only that, by not acting, you're letting what Leith did to you go unpunished.† â€Å"Oh, he got punished,† I said. â€Å"Yes,† agreed Dorian coldly. â€Å"By me. Something you seem to have forgotten, now that you've jumped back into bed with that animal.† â€Å"Kiyo isn't part of this. And what you did isn't enough to obligate me to stay in a relationship with someone who constantly deceives me.† Dorian turned away, putting his back to me. Somehow, this was more insulting than all the glares in the world. â€Å"I can only assume this is human logic. Achieving peace by bending the truth is deceitful. The greatest sin in the world. But infidelity is moral and just.† â€Å"It's not! And I wasn't – I didn't cheat on you. As far as I was concerned, we were through. I was free to do whatever I wanted.† â€Å"Obviously.† I didn't want to show any weakness in front of him, but the thing was, part of me still questioned if having sex with Kiyo back in the forest had been right or not. I'd even felt conflicted at the time. I'd let my impulses win out, using muddled logic to satisfy both my lust and need for revenge. â€Å"Look,† I said, trying to calm myself down. â€Å"I didn't mean to hurt your feelings – â€Å" He spun around so sharply that my words dropped. I didn't fear Dorian, not with my power and in my home, but something in his eyes made me step back. â€Å"Queen Eugenie,† he said formally. â€Å"Don't trouble yourself over my ‘feelings.' Replacing you in my bed isn't that difficult. You have too high an opinion of yourself in that regard.† Those words slapped me in the face, despite all the reasonable parts of my brain screaming at me that it didn't matter. I had no reason to care what he did. No reason to care about him. â€Å"So,† I said, matching his tone. â€Å"Ysabel has a place to sell her skills again.† â€Å"Very good ones,† he agreed. â€Å"The question now is if you're going to use yours. Put Katrice in her place. Get her to negotiate so that we can get the concessions we deserve. Stop acting like a human.† â€Å"I am human. You keep forgetting that.† He studied me up and down, giving me the opportunity to do the same to him. You don't care, you don't care, I told myself, trying to push aside how much I'd loved that gorgeous face. â€Å"No,† he said at last, contempt in his voice. â€Å"It's impossible to forget. You're acting like one now, refusing to do the right thing just because I've asked you to. You're being contrary out of spite.† He strode toward the door. â€Å"If you don't act soon, you'll regret it.† I didn't like him being the one to end this conversation. It was more of him always having the power. â€Å"Are you threatening me?† Dorian put his hand on the door's handle and glanced at me over his shoulder. â€Å"No. I'm not the threat. Katrice is. And while you keep going on and on about how much I've wronged you and lied to you, I can say with absolute certainty that what I've just told you is the truth.† â€Å"Noted.† Hastily, I made an attempt at acting like the queen around here. â€Å"You can go now. And don't come back.† That earned me a half smile, though there wasn't much humor in it. â€Å"Are you revoking my hospitality?† I hesitated. â€Å"No. I'm above that. I'll just assume you'll do the right thing and stay the hell away from me.† â€Å"Noted,† he replied, imitating my earlier tone. He opened the door and walked away without another look. I stared at the empty space where he'd been, wondering who'd come out on top of that argument. By the time I emerged and found Shaya, Dorian had already left my castle for his own lands. She asked nothing about what had transpired with him, but worry was written all over her face. â€Å"How close are we?† I demanded. â€Å"How close are we to sitting down with Katrice and writing up a treaty?† Shaya paled, and I realized I had turned my anger at Dorian on her. â€Å"Not as close as I'd like. She agreed †¦ she agreed she'd come in person, but only if the talks were held in the Willow Land. Queen Maiwenn has agreed, but Dor – King Dorian says that's unacceptable. He suggests the Linden Land or the Maple Land. Katrice refuses.† Linden and Maple. Kingdoms both staunchly neutral. Maiwenn theoretically was too. She'd always put on the pretense of friendship, and I was certain Kiyo would endorse her hospitality. But something about it made me uneasy. I didn't want to support Dorian †¦ but then I realized that instinct came from exactly what he'd warned me of: wanting to oppose him just out of spite. Our personal mess aside, he was my ally. Neutral ground was best for us. â€Å"Reiterate Dorian's stance,† I said. â€Å"Linden or Maple. I'm going back to Tucson. Let me know what happens.† Shaya opened her mouth, to protest or beg for help, I couldn't say. Dorian's words came back to me. Get actively involved. â€Å"Wave the crown† and make Katrice agree to our terms. No. On that, I wouldn't agree with him. I wouldn't use that crown like he wanted me too, even as a threat. â€Å"That'll be all,† I told Shaya. She nodded, obedient as always. The look on her face as I left made me feel a little guilty. Maybe I could make things easier for her. Maybe I could expedite all this. But for now, there was literally no harm being done. What could Katrice's stalling achieve? If she began hostilities again, she ran the risk of facing the crown she obviously feared. My people were safe. The waiting was frustrating, but it had to end soon. I'd told Dorian I was human, and that's what I intended to be. I would go home, start following up on jobs, and let the gentry deal with this red tape until I was absolutely needed. And that was exactly what I did. I returned to my old life. Kiyo and I continued dating, and being with him, reestablishing our old connection and sex life, went a long way toward blocking out images of beautiful, voluptuous Ysabel in Dorian's bed. My workload increased – as did my income – though my jobs tired me out more than I was used to. That scared me. It made me think about what it meant to be human and gentry. I'd fought to keep my human side dominant. Was the gentry part taking over? Stunting my shamanic abilities? No, I firmly decided. This was stress, pure and simple. In the two weeks that followed, though, I had to concede to my gentry side occasionally. The Thorn Land called to me, so I continued my quick visits, keeping the land strong and – no matter how much I hated to admit it – strengthening myself. Unfortunately, I took little joy from that because no good news ever came from the Otherworld. Katrice kept switching back and forth. Yes, she'd agree to the Maple Land – no, she'd changed her mind. Linden. But only if ambassadors went first, then the monarchs. No – she'd go. But it was back to the Willow Land. Or maybe some place altogether different? What about the Palm Land? Dorian made no attempts at direct contact with me, but there was no need. When I went to bed each night, I could see his face. Wave the crown, wave the crown. Fortunately, my aggressive workload tired me out enough to fall asleep quickly. Good news of sorts finally came one day when Kiyo and I were out hiking. The temperature had shot up, heralding spring, and I'd welcomed the break from work. Traipsing through the wilderness was something Dorian would certainly never do – especially in the desert. But like me, Kiyo appreciated the rugged beauty and heat of the land. I'd missed these excursions with him. His eyebrows rose when my cell phone rang. â€Å"You can get a signal out here?† â€Å"Apparently.† I was as surprised as him. Looking at the ID, I saw Enrique's name pop up. His recent reports, after that brief surge of promising news, had been clipped and vague: simple reminders that he was still working on things. I answered eagerly. â€Å"Please tell me you've found something.† â€Å"I have,† he said. Enrique had that smug tone from when we'd met. It had been annoying then, but now, I found it encouraging. â€Å"I finally tracked down the gun dealer and – â€Å" I didn't hear the rest because a sudden drop in the temperature and tingling in the air heralded Volusian's arrival. Apparently, I could get an Otherworldly signal out here too. My minion's orders to report all urgent news trumped whatever Enrique had to say. â€Å"Hey,† I interrupted. â€Å"I'll call you back.† â€Å"What the – â€Å" I disconnected, not giving him a chance to finish his outrage. He probably wasn't used to being hung up on. I turned to Volusian, who waited patiently and silently for me. He was a spot of darkness on the sunny day; he seemed to suck away the light of the world. â€Å"Please,† I begged. â€Å"Please tell me Katrice has finally given in, so that we can talk.† Volusian stayed silent a few moments. I swear, it was for drama's sake, and I felt like choking him. â€Å"No,† he said. â€Å"The Rowan Queen has not agreed to negotiations yet, although †¦ she has acted.† Kiyo and I exchanged looks. There was no way this could be good. I was also pretty sure Volusian liked delivering this news. â€Å"She's kidnapped your sister,† he said. â€Å"And has a list of demands to be met, if you want to see Jasmine alive again.†

The Sociological Context Of Healthcare Health And Social Care Essay

Ethnicity is a socially constructed term that refers to people sing themselves as different from another type of people in footings of hereditary background, faith, linguistic communication, civilization and where they originate from geographically. Harmonizing to Dyson ( 2005 ) , minority cultural groups are perceived to hold a different civilization or national tradition as compared to the bulk of the population. This explains that different cultural groups co-exist in England and the remainder of the UK. Harmonizing to Taylor and Field ( 2003 ) , this includes people of Afro- Caribbean descent, Africans and Asians merely to advert a few. Taylor and Field ( 2003, pg 72 ) suggest that being cultural agencies, â€Å" †¦ to be seen as a belongings of being black or Asiatic and in the minority†¦ † On the other manus, the bulk white population consists of the mainstream white British society that is dominant in the whole population. Furthermore, harmonizing to the Disea se Control Priorities Project ( 2006 ) , wellness position is a term used to mention to all countries of the wellness of persons in a state and the whole population ; and it includes disablements, mortality hazards and diseases. Therefore, harmonizing to statistics and statements by wellness specializers, sociologists and the media in Britain have ever argued that there is clear grounds of difference in the wellness position of minority cultural groups and the bulk white population. Some wellness sociologists argue that minority cultural groups in Britain and the UK tend to hold a less desirable and worse wellness position compared to the bulk white population due to several factors. Taylor and Field ( 2003 ) argue that racial favoritism undermines the wellness of minority cultural groups whether direct or indirect therefore impacting the people ‘s right to an first-class wellness service. Furthermore, they argue that due to the widening spread in mortality between the upper category and the working category has lead to ill wellness amongst cultural minority communities ; which hence has lead to the differences in wellness positions. Naidoo and Wills ( 2001 ) gave an illustration of institutional racism whereby slow reactions by health care professionals to cultural minority wellness have lead to less reding and testing for instances like reaping hook cell upset and thalassemia. Nazroo ( 1997a, cited in Culley and Dyson, 2001, pg 39 ) , argues that â€Å" †¦ the wellness positions of minority cultural groups in the UK appear, by and large talking, to be worse than the wellness position of the white populations†¦ † . This is a general statement that minority cultural groups are more challenged in footings of wellness compared to the bulk white group. Here, they have concluded from detecting forms in deceases and the causes amongst the population. Harmonizing to Culley and Dyson ( 2001 ) , they have observed forms in cultural factors, background, genetic sciences handiness of wellness services and economic factors. Harmonizing to the 1991 Census ( Culley and Dyson, 2001 ) the worse decease rates were for those persons born outside the UK. Marmot et Al ( 1984 ) published consequences of a survey which had been conducted between 1970 and 1978, on cultural minorities who died aged over twenty old ages in Britain and found out that all cultural mi norities born outside Britain had a higher decease rate runing from mere accidents to tuberculosis compared to the bulk white population. In physical wellness, statistical grounds indicates that persons born in the Caribbean tend to hold lower decease rates as a consequence of lung malignant neoplastic disease, whilst Indian persons besides have high decease hazards due to lung malignant neoplastic disease ; in comparing to Irish and Scots persons who have had high decease hazards from bosom disease and lung malignant neoplastic disease. Taylor and Field ( 2003 ) argued that Asiatic groups tend to hold higher rates of bosom disease and diabetes compared to the bulk white population. They besides observed that the Black groups tend to hold higher rates of high blood force per unit area, diabetes and shot compared to the bulk white population. Sproston and Mindell ( 2006 ) found out from the 2004 Health Survey for England consequences that Indian male childs in Britain have a higher frequence of extended unwellness compared to the misss and other cultural minority groups. In support of consequences from a wellness study, Nazroo ( 1997a ) explained that minority cultural groups indicated well high degrees of self-reported ailment wellness compared to the white population ; particularly those of Pakistani/ Bangladeshi and Caribbean descent. They all reported worse bosom wellness and instances of diabetes compared to their white opposite numbers. In relation to mental wellness instances, Karlsen et Al ( 2005 ) argued that higher rates of treated mental wellness jobs ( schizophrenic disorder ) have been reported for cultural minorities particularly black groups compared to their white opposite numbers. Morgan et Al ( 2004 ) found out that immature black African and Caribbean work forces tend to acquire more constabularies invasion and fewer hospitalization, household intercession and rehabilitation taking to long periods of psychotic agony compared to any other societal group. Reasons from these sociologists were that: Afro Caribbean male childs have been labelled as violent and threatening by head-shrinkers so the minute they approach them for aid, they are already viewed as excessively disturbed upon first presentation at the GP ( physicians ‘ ) . Surveies besides indicated a higher standard mortality rate ( SMR ) amongst Caribbean ; with work forces making 176, whilst 210 for adult females for mental health-related jo bs. However, these statistics did non include the Irish minority. Concentrating on mental wellness, harmonizing to Culley and Dyson ( 2001 ) , surveies have shown a high prevalence of persons from African and Afro-Caribbean descent to be three to five times more likely than Whites to be diagnosed with schizophrenic disorder ( Bagley, 1971 ; Littlewood and Lipsedge, 1988 ) . Cochrane and Bal ( 1989 ) observed that these consequences apply more to immature African and Afro Caribbean work forces who largely were born in Britain. Nazroo ( 1997b ) observed the Fourth National Survey of Ethnic Minorities and found out that Caribbean young persons enduring from mental wellness jobs yearly amounted to fourteen per 1000 compared to the Whites ‘ eight per 1000. This brings out a decision that a greater per centum of cultural minorities had a worse wellness position compared to the white bulk. Furthermore, harmonizing to Balarajan and Botting ( 1989 ) , the pre-birth mortality rates in Britain are higher amongst cultural minority adult females in comparing to babes of British born female parents. They found out that there were 16 deceases per one 1000 live for babes belonging to Pakistani female parents between 1986 and 1988 ; compared to nine for babies belonging to British Born female parents. This is another ground why the wellness position of minority cultural groups is worse than that of the bulk white population. Another ground for the difference in wellness position between these two societal groups is lifestyle. Surveies indicate that persons in a manual societal category, or who tend to make blue-collar manual labor ( working category ) have a higher mortality rate compared to white neckband or non-manual societal categories ( Phillimore et Al, 1994 ) . This besides means that persons in the working category have higher ego reported unwellnesss compared to those i n the non-manual societal category ( white neckband occupations, e.g managerial and high paying occupations ) . Harmonizing to Platt ( 2007 ) , poorness and want is known to be prevailing amongst cultural minority groups compared to the remainder of the population. Groups that suffer most include Africans, Afro – Caribbean persons, Bangladeshis, Pakistanis, Indians and Chinese. Such want ends up taking to hapless life conditions, deficiency of nutrient, wellness commissariats finally taking to ill wellness ; hence this confirms the worse wellness position of cultural minorities compared to the bulk white population ( National Statistics, 2006 ) . However, although the wellness position of cultural minorities seems to be much worse than that of the bulk white population, â€Å" †¦ the life anticipation of both work forces and adult females has improved throughout the twentieth Century†¦ † ( Clarke, 2001, pg 130 ) . Besides, harmonizing to Taylor and Field ( 2003 ) , nowadays cultural minority communities ( African, Asiatic and Indian ) seem to hold similar degrees of health care proviso, if non better, compared to the bulk white population. Decision: Although to a higher extent there are more grounds for the difference in the wellness statuses amongst cultural minorities and white bulk, the new thoughts today, if implemented good, could assist cut down the difference. The differences in wellness positions between cultural minority groups and the bulk white groups in Britain is clearly an issue. Pierson ( 2002 ) argued that socio-inequality in health care could be reduced by bettering the health care proviso for cultural minority groups ; hence finally, acquiring rid of the differences in the wellness positions of both societal groups ( cultural minorities and white bulk ) . Pierson ( 2002 ) suggested that antidiscrimination policies could be implemented through increasing the public assistance and benefits for the disadvantaged ; and, including the less privileged cultural minority groups in determination devising. This would assist better the health care from everyone ‘s point of position, from every societal category.

Case Brief of Terracog Global Positioning Systems Essay

In this case, there is an Organizational Conflict between Sales Department and Design & Development Department in TerraCog. I regard the sources of this conflict as the Differences in Functional Orientation and the Task Interdependence. First of all, I believe that different functions of the departments’ develop different orientations or beliefs about the right way to increase organizational performance. Because Sales Department and Design & Development Department have different tasks, jobs, priorities and goals, their views of what need to be done to increase organizational performance differ. The VP of Sales (Ed) orients toward identifying and finding ways to satisfy customer needs, such as suggesting product innovations and requiring lower sale prices. Meanwhile, the Director of Design & Development (Allen) and his team orient toward innovative technical goals, such as achieving good product qualities to meet sales’ requirements. In addition, I suppose that the development or production of goods and services depends on the flow of work from one function to another. In TerraCog, Design & Development Department create a high product cost, leading to a higher sale price, so that they set a greater challenge for Sales Department. Without an agreement of the price, it is difficult to get Aerial to the market. As far as I am concerned, I suggest that Executive VP (Emma Richardson) act as a third-party negotiator positively and hold negotiations between with the two groups to make Aerial on shelves in time. A later entering to market would lead to losing more shares in the competition, as well as adding new cost to Aerial. To increase organizational performance of the Project Aerial, both of the two departments need to compromise to reach an acceptable solution. For Design & Development Team, I think they should try to make a better control of cost. And for Sales Team, I hope they create new sale styles to attract customers instead of decreasing product sale price.

Movie and book review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Movie and book review - Essay Example In this case, the researcher would like to make a comparative essay critically analyzing the main arguments that were forwarded both by the film â€Å"Freedom Riders† and the book â€Å"The Struggle for Black Equality, 1954-1992.† The researcher would try to identify not only the main thesis of these narratives, but as well as how the authors and the producers of both of these narratives perceived the civil rights movement, which is considered as one of the most important chapters of black history in the United States. What was the point of view of the producer of the film and the author of the book? Are both of these narratives objectives? What are the different biases that these narratives carried? How these narratives do build their arguments, and was it enough to actually persuade both their viewers and their readers? These are just some fop the question that the researcher of this paper would like to find out. The film â€Å"Freedom Riders† This film, produc ed by CBS, actually tried to depict the civil rights movement through the eyes of a group of racially diverse American citizens that rode a bus in order to violate the segregation policies that was being implemented by the inherently racist Southern States (Crook n. p.). Describing the different experiences that was undergone by the participants in that bus ride, the documentary argued that a peaceful campaign for racial equality, when done persuasively and with sheer determination, could overcome even the most violent resistance put up (Crook n. p.). The producers of this film supported this argument by showing the experience of the said bus ride, wherein those â€Å"Freedom Fighters† â€Å"willfully but peacefully violate(d) the segregationist policies routinely enforced in restaurants, bus depots and restroom facilities† (Crook n. p.). In this case, even though the first bus ride project failed because of the violence that was inflicted by the inherently racist Klan members in the racist Deep South, these â€Å"Freedom Fighters† still pursued on and made a second bus ride, reasoning that by not doing so a â€Å"message would have been sent that you could stop a (peaceful) campaign by inflicting massive violence, and it would have been really hard to overcome that message† (Crook n. p.). Of course, the producers of this movie viewed the civil rights movement from the point of view of those â€Å"Freedom Fighters,† putting emphasis on their important contribution to end racism in the racist region of the United States. However, despite having this point of view, the documentary was relatively objective, putting emphasis on the first hand experience of the actual participants in the said event. Given that the documentary presented first-hand, eyewitness accounts, the researcher thinks that the producers have put up a solid backing to their arguments, despite having some biases against the racial segregationist, which was view ed as malice and a rotten part of American society. In this case, the researcher believes that this narrative is very persuasive in forwarding its argument. The

Describe something you have accomplished that makes you proud. what Essay

Describe something you have accomplished that makes you proud. what did you learn from this experience that might help you to ensure high academic achievement for all of your students - Essay Example When I was in college, I was married and I had two children at that time. Studying when one is married and has responsibility of children, cannot be considered an easy task. Studying requires enough time and at graduation level, it is also difficult. I learnt a lot when I studied at the college. I used to keep in mind that I would achieve my aim of obtainment of graduation degree because of my continuous struggle and hard work. I was to give time at my household and also to my studies. While studying for the bachelor’s degree, I learned to manage time and to work hard that plays a crucial role in everybody’s life. Management of time as well as hard work can be regarded as the most important aspects that we have to consider and exercise every time. My experience teaches me that time management and work should not be neglected in any case because if the aspects of time management and hard work are ignored, a person cannot succeed in his/her life. Success is directly attached to time management. In student life, a person learns to manage time. When one appears in the exam, it is only time management that helps him/her. As far as teachers are concerned, time management is also crucial. I was always attracted towards the profession of teaching. While being a student, I also learnt about being a teacher by means of my experiences in my college life with my teachers. As a teacher, my experience of being at a college will be very helpful for my students. I will facilitate with my experience of time management for their educational accomplishments and also, that a person can only succeed if he/she manages time and never loses courage towards the completion of his/her ambition. In my degree education, I never lost heart and struggled for the completion of my bachelors and also I managed time to succeed in my set aim. Pride can only come to a person when he/she

An organization's healthcare marketing plan for an organization Assignment

An organization's healthcare marketing plan for an organization - Assignment Example The paper tells that healthcare organizations face the same challenges as corporations: the ability to provide the right services to the right market segment at the right place, time, and price. This ability has a clear marketing nature to it, which is why many healthcare organizations are pursuing marketing principles and practices to help them develop and achieve their strategic management goals. Kotler and Armstrong define marketing as â€Å"a social and managerial process by which individuals and groups obtain what they need and want through exchanging products and value with others†. The American Marketing Association provides the particular functions of marketing in building relationships that exchange value with one another: â€Å"Marketing† pertains to the wide range of â€Å"activities and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large†. Furthermore, Kotle r and Armstrong underscore that the marketing management’s most important task is to develop profitable relationships with customers. These marketing concepts can also be applied to the healthcare services industry, because healthcare is also considered a service that can be marketed to particular groups. The healthcare campaign is an educational project that will distribute educational information in diverse platforms: opening a health information clinic, mobile communications, electronic information screen, and gym. In the clinic, a doctor and nurse will be available to answer healthcare questions and train patients or customers about healthcare management skills. Leaflets and other educational materials will also be available at this clinic. That clinic can be named as education clinic, where the patient will get any information needed. The Hospital management can seek for an agreement contract with Etisalat, so that it can send educative material through SMS to the public . The public has to key in keywords and send them to a specific number, in order to access health materials, such as first-aid tips and ways of dealing with hypertension and seasonal illnesses, such as colds and heat strokes. The electronic information screen will be set up in the hospital. This screen is going to be similar to those screens that give directions inside malls. The healthcare screen will contain basic healthcare information and tips. The patients or visitors can click on these screens and choose among diverse healthcare topics, such as illnesses and healthcare manage

Supply chain management in new zealand Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Supply chain management in new zealand - Essay Example This fundamental approach particularly in the food management in New Zealand is characterized by the integration of research in the actual Supply Chain Management. This is evident how the consumers have become integral parts of climate or consumer survey in order to ensure awareness of their increasing demand. Not only that. The systematic trainings and programs given to producers in line with food safety solutions and biosecurity solutions are moves that are paving the way for sustainability. In other words, the current state of supply chain management in New Zealand with the aid of individual entities like AgriChain Centre is helping the nation towards the achievement of sustainability that could integrate safety and quality in food production. It is clear that sustainability in food production is the bottom line of this, which further takes New Zealand to unite the concept of supply chain management in a most efficient and systematic manner. The significant proof concerning this claim, as already stated, is visible from how research has become fundamental component in the entire process of obtaining sustainability in the food production. Supply chain management is a broad area of concern, but one important point in doing this is to ensure that the external relationships between the players in the entire supply chain are in good shape and under control for optimum achievement of target goals and objectives. In fact, the processes across the supply chain and the development of supply chain relationships are characteristics of supply chain management (Jespersen & Larsen, 2005, p.14). All of these characteristics are able to take place in New Zealand if we based it on how AgriChain Centre involves itself into the actual agricultural production in participation with private and public sectors and the consumers. In this process, there

Critical review for academic article Literature

Critical for academic article - Literature review Example The article explains that the term â€Å"affective† is utilized in order to refer to emotions, feelings that are provoked among students towards science in general or specifically. This report is presented from several studies conducted in twenty-five different case studies, which utilized a condensed fieldwork strategy in which collection of data was through discussions recorded on audio tapes, interviews as well as notes on field observations. Moreover, there were samples of practical lessons, which were conducted in English comprehensive schools. In fact, this study was conducted in phases, whereby during stage three and four, the research focused on students between the age of 11-14 and 15-16.This report presents findings from the research based on practical work. The findings indicate that practical work for students offers short-term engagements, which is comparatively unproductive in the process of motivating students to study science post compulsory education or for in dividual interest, which is long-term. This academic article presents ideas, which indicates that people directly involved in science education are expected to establish a realistic understanding of shortcomings of practical work in the affective domain especially in post compulsory stages of education. Therefore, in my perspective, this article provides necessary ideas, which are gathered to suggest that practical work is a motivator in primary level school science as against in secondary and post secondary stages of education. This research article presents substantial illustrations focused on lack of precision on the use of crucial terms, while discussing affective value of practical work in relation to the attitude towards science. On the other hand, the research focuses on avoidance of overlap of terminologies, whereby there is ample clarification of terms such as motivation and personal interest. Besides, the report aims at finding out whether pupils are motivated by practical work in learning science. Moreover, the researchers focused on presenting their meaning on psychological sense, while considering the chance of these terms being operational. Methodology: The research presented in this academic article applied a methodology approach that focused on collection of data through observation and tape-recorded interviews, which were undertaken through collaboration with teachers prior to and after lessons. On the other hand, the researchers utilized pre-lesson interviews focused at accounting for practical work, which was observed and its relation to teachers’ perceptions towards achievement of learning objectives. There were collections of teachers’ reflections based on the moment after the lesson interview, which focused on identifying achievement of learning objectives. This focused on their perception towards a teacher’s affective value of practical work in learning. The researchers utilized conversations among groups of pupils d uring and after lessons and they were recorded. Besides, these conversations offered a chance for gathering ideas regarding students’

Peugeot , Ethical and social responsibilities Essay

Peugeot , Ethical and social responsibilities - Essay Example All groups of stakeholders have certain interest in the company. The equity shareholders derive greater interest from the company’s return on investment. The company’s CSR Group presents its shareholders with comprehensive and transparent information and precisely the records and events of its activities that are related to its accounts. The company along with the CSR Group maintain loyalty and transparency towards their customers and suppliers in order to develop and preserve long term confident relationships. PSA Peugeot Citroen has signed an international agreement on social responsibility. They have committed to respect fundamental human rights, sharing social needs with industrial partners, sales network team, sub-contractors and suppliers and impact of company’s activities upon the local boundaries (PSA Peugeot Citroen, n.d.). PSA Peugeot Citroen is guided by certain set of values that are griped by its employees, executives and reaffirmed in the group’s objectives to promote conscientious progression. These aspirations are associated with the collective commitments towards the key stakeholders, consumers, partners, community and employees (PSA Peugeot Citroen, 2010). The laws abided by the company include conformity with laws and regulations, non-admittance of inner information and genuineness of accounting statistics, information and indicator (PSA Peugeot Citroen, 2010). The aspects include respect for essential human civil rights, conformity with place of work related to health and safety rules, Admiration for the surroundings & prevention of prejudice, Nuisance and impolite behaviour, Reverence for private life (PSA Peugeot Citroen, 2010). The factors considered under this aspect are the transparent affairs with consumers, vendors and competitors, restrictions on aids and provocations, utilization and security of

Criminal Investigations & Criminal Evidence Essay Example for Free

Criminal Investigations Criminal Evidence Essay Why is non-verbal communication important when testifying before a jury, and what suggestions do you have for helping a testifying officer make a positive impression on a jury? Jurors are selected by the judge, prosecution and the defending attorney. The judge will provide the list of potential jurors to both the prosecution and the defending attorney for the selection process to participate in the trial case. For either the prosecutor or the defending attorney jury selecting a jury is normally very similar in its process. The selection of the jurors is completed after the trial initiation and the arraignment and plea. The Sixth Amendment provides the any American citizen the right to an impartial jury (Hess Orthmann Hess, 2013). The process both the prosecution and the defending attorney use to select a juror is called â€Å"voir dire† (the preliminary examination of a witness or juror to determine his or her competency to give or hear evidence). These people are questioned by both the prosecutor and the defense attorney. During this process the potential jurors are questioned about a number of things, from their religious practices to things that have happened to them. The reason for these open ended questions is to see if the juror will be biased against the accused, or may have beliefs that will harm a case (Hill, 2005)(Hess Orthmann Hess, 2013). Both the prosecution and the defending attorney utilize some common tactics and potential jury processing techniques. Both parties study their case and establish a tactics to confront the potential jurist with. They may even hire a Philologist with jury selection specialty training to assist their jury selection. First is the belief and attitude examination of the juror (Hess Orthmann Hess, 2013). References Hess Orthmann, C. H., Hess, K. M. (2013). Criminal Investigation (10th Ed). Clifton Park, NY: Cengage Publishing. Business Law. Anti Essays. Retrieved January 12, 2013, from the World Wide Web: http://www.antiessays.com/free-essays/222945.html

Nurse Life Care Planning

Nurse Life Care Planning Debilitating and tragic accidents, painful, chronic illnesses that leave one dependent and unable to do many simple activities of daily life – who would you want to help plan the highly important details of care to maintain the rest of yours or a loved one’s life? Nurse Life Care Planners play a significant role in combining the assessment and diagnoses of a patient to develop a long-term plan with individualized interventions for that patient based on environmental conditions that will lead to optimal outcomes. (Lance, 2007). Nurse Life Care Planners extend beyond the biomedical aspect of an individual and approach care from a holistic perspective that includes managing symptoms, improving quality of life, promoting health, wellness, and managing disease. The American Association of Nurse Life Care Planners (AANLCP) defines a Nurse Life Care Planner duties as â€Å"employ[ing] the nursing process, or critical thinking methodology when developing a life care plan throu gh the diagnosis and treatment of the human response to alleviate suffering, prevent future illness and injury while promoting and optimizing health and abilities, and advocating for care of the individual and their family. The Nurse Life Care Planner may delegate the implementation and ongoing evaluation of the life care plan to a registered nurse case manager, or other nurse life care planners†(citation) . To develop the understanding of the important role Nurse Life Care Planners in healthcare provide, this paper will cover the educational requirements, training, salary, field history, demand, legal aspects, and applicable nursing theories related to a career as a Nurse Life Care Planner. Body Paragraph 1 Educational Requirements Much debate surrounds the level of degree required for Nurse Life Care Planners, specifically if Registered Nurses should have a minimum education of a bachelor’s degree level in Nursing and still remains a point of discrepancy, yet to be defined today. Currently, Registered Nurses with experience caring for critically injured or ill patients primarily in critical care settings are most-qualified to become Life Care Planners, for example Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNA’s) with experience in critical care and a master’s degree level specialized in Anesthesia. Additionally, other professionals, such as counselors, case managers, social workers, psychologists, rehabilitation healthcare professionals and etc. with degrees and background in life care planning are eligible to become Life Care Planners (Van Wieren Reid, 2007). A certification in Life Care Planning is required once minimal education requirements are achieved for Registered Nurses, and at l east two years of experience in critical care are completed. Nurse Life Care Planners must acquire knowledge in all aspects of disability – medical, vocational, psychological, and behavioral – among additional knowledge of facility placement/referrals if long-term facilities are needed for an individual’s plan of care, and methods and skills for preventative care (Van Wieren Reid, 2007). Several Life Care Planning certification programs exist today and offer classes that focus on medical disability and case management, and life care development (â€Å"Becoming a Certified Life Care Planner,† n.d.). Salary The typical wage for nurse Life Care Planners ranges from eighty to one-hundred and fifty dollars per hour and continues to increase due to a great demand for Nurse Life Care Planners (â€Å"Life Care Planning Career†, n.d.). Body Paragraph 2 Job Description Patients who have survived critical illnesses or trauma and remain disabled with long term limitations from illness and/or injury, often require well-planned, coordinated long-term care. Through exercising the nursing process (Assess, Diagnose, Plan, Implement, and Evaluate), Life Care Planners develop the most effective and individualized plan of care for their patient to achieve optimal wellness for their condition. Life Care Planning involves everything from basic and critical care nursing skills to evaluating costs and care providers that patients can afford. In term, Nurse Life Care Planners combine multiple aspects, experiences, and healthcare departments like, â€Å"Case Management, Rehabilitation, Home Health, and Discharge Planning† to provide care for dependent patients (Lance, 2007). Essentially, a complete, practicing knowledge of the nursing process helps define the goals and purpose of Nurse Life Care Planning. For example, consider a burn victim, a Nurse Life Ca re Planner will fully assess the patient and gather a database and effects of the burns holistically; then, the Nurse Life Care Planner will form a nursing diagnosis, coupled with a medical diagnosis based on the evidence gathered from an initial and on-going assessment to identify realistic concerns and risks the patient may face. Following the formed diagnoses, the Nurse Life Care Planner will develop a multidisciplinary-approached care plan for the patient’s diagnoses, including detailed thought and attention to the patient’s individual needs such as finances, environment, esteem, and other personal aspects that are crucial in quality long-term care. Finally, implementing the well-thought, highly detailed plan in a timely action (i.e. before scar maturation) for the patient begins, involving all aspects of healthcare before finally being evaluated and adjusted for the patient when necessary (Weed Berens, 2005). The Nursing Process’ role is a conceptual frame work or model that guides the work of Nurse Life Care Planners and facilitates achievement of individualized care and best outcomes for the patient. Setting Life Care Planning is not exclusive to working in hospital settings, many work for insurance companies, settlement companies, long-term health facilities like nursing homes, legally as attorneys consultants, and even self-employed within personal practices (Lance, 2007). Body Paragraph 3 Field History As a fairly recent practice, Dr. Paul Deutsch publicly described Nurse Life Care Planning thirty years ago to be a specialty of rehabilitation and â€Å"developed the basic tenets, methodologies and processes of Life Care Planning†¦as a fundamental tool of case management in his 1981 text, Damages in Tort Actions† (â€Å"Congratulations, Dr. Paul Deutsch,† 2007, p.). Over the last thirty years, Dr. Deutsch, among others, has continued developing Nurse Life Care Planning and has since begun to involve multiple healthcare fields â€Å"including rehabilitation counseling, rehabilitation nursing, rehabilitation psychology, physiatry, case management, and other areas† (Van Wieren Reid, 2007, p. 25). Demand The need for such an ever-evolving career is very large for the small supply that is currently available today; there are approximately 560 Nurse Life Care Planners in the United States today, thus a hard demand to fulfill (Life Care Planning Career, n.d.). According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service’s website, LongTermCare.gov, sixty-nine percent of the US population requires long-term care for at least three years and eight percent of the US population who are between ages forty and fifty have disabilities that require long-term care services; with these statistics alone, the number of Nurse Life Care Planners compared to population in need of long-term care is easily outweighed. Body Paragraph 4 Legal Issues Surrounding Nurse Life Care Planning More legal and ethical issues, typical to healthcare, surround Life Care Planning, especially when care plans consult end-of-life care. â€Å"End-of-Life Care† is loosely defined, varies among different theories, and has not been scientifically proved to be consistent with a precise period in time; ultimately, it can be defined by policy, procedures, and guidelines of different facilities and is specific to the illnesses and injuries a patient is diagnosed with (Izumi, Nagae, Sakurai, Imamura 2012, p. 613). Guaranteeing a high standard of care, relief from symptoms and preserving dignity by letting patients have control of their end-of-life care plans regardless of their medical and financial situations are key goals for end-of-life care planning. Two ways terminally-ill patients can preserve and form resources to sustain their best interests when not able to for themselves are by referring to previous Advanced Directives for refusals and outlines of treatments or referring t o an individual who has been given detailed directions by the patient themselves as a Power of Attorney (Brown Vaughan, 2013). Incorporating Advanced Directives and respecting Power of Attorneys into the patient’s life care plan is critical among being the most useful resources, yet can create potential ethical dilemmas or conflicts of interest amongst patients, family members, and providers that Nurse Life Care Planners might face during end-of-life care planning if not followed completely. In the 2014 study, â€Å"Narrative analysis of the ethics in providing advance care planning,† a group of researchers asked sixty-two care managers (RN’s or Social Workers) the ethical themes and values that they faced as care managers and when dealing with end-of-life care planning. Those themes were identified as humility, respect, responsibility, setting boundaries, client empowerment, courage, and veracity. The ethical theme and value of humility for understanding the diverse beliefs of clients, along with the respect for a client’s beliefs, similar to humility, regardless of the care manager’s beliefs were identified by the participants. Additionally, responsibility and setting boundaries were identified as ethical themes and values to educate clients on their options for end-of-life care planning and fulfilling their duties to their agencies and professions both legally and morally, while setting boundaries between social and professional obligations , which, in turn, can become legal boundaries. Empowering clients with information and choice needed to develop their end-of-life care plans, but not influencing the client’s decisions as well as courage to advocate for client’s faced with family-influenced decisions, were two other identified ethical themes and values for Nurse Life Care Planners. Finally, veracity, as an ethical theme and value from establishing rapport with clients and their families enough to be trusted with care-planning and the imperative information regarding care-planning (Baughman, Aultman, Ludwick, O’Neill, 2014). Guaranteeing a patient that their best interest and wishes will be maintained and used is not only a duty of the Nurse Life Care Planner, but a basis to providing quality care and allows clients to make critical decisions about their health in times when they do not have such capacity. Subsequently, identifying and maintaining ethical themes and values for quality patient care is an added duty during end-of-life and life care planning. Body Paragraph 5 Applicable Nursing Theory One’s response to chronic illness varies based upon individuals, but ultimately depends on their ability to cope as well as resources available to the patient to manage alterations in their health. In Carrie Jo Braden’s 1990 nursing theory, â€Å"A test of the Self-Help Model: Learned Response to Chronic Illness Experience† the theorist identifies that individuals subjected to chronic illnesses needing assistance with the strategies of managing and coping with the illness may depend more on the individual’s perception of their own ability to help themselves or remain helpless. The perception of learned-helplessness is, ultimately, lacking knowledge to remain in control of the common and manageable, yet irrepressible difficulties associated with chronic illnesses. Comparatively, the learned self-help response incorporates these irrepressible difficulties into a cultivated response, not necessarily as a treatment of the chronic illness, but as coping and man agement of the illness (Braden, 1990, p. 42). Braden (1990) conclusively states that the variables influencing self-help as a learned response to chronic illness are the illness severity, uncertainty, dependency, enabling skill, self-help and life quality. Both the severity of the illness and monitoring the illness remain the preexisting variables contributing to the learned response process, keeping in mind that adversities vary from illness-to-illness and person-to-person. The ability to monitor the complicated adversities of the illness are immediately linked with the severity of the illness and therefore the ability of the individual to find the resources to manage and cope with the severity; this also remains an issue of self-help and desire to access educational and supportive resources. Braden determined that the study’s participants who attended self-help classes were more likely to have gained monitoring and self-enabled care skills. Additionally, those with greater incomes had greater self-help ability to afford measures that maximize coping and management of chronic illness. Further discovery into background topics like predispositions of illness (gender, race, age), class, and income were variables not fully examined but identified as possible and actual contributors to self-help responses (Braden, 1990, p. 46-7). Nurse Life Care Planners connect the learned response to chronic illness and life care planning to resourcefully design individualized care plans that incorporates aspects and perceptions of self-help to cope and manage chronic illnesses. Additionally, Nurse Life Care Planners eliminate factors like financial disposition of the self-help response by examining and identifying life care plans that are affordable and patient-centered. Nurse Life Care Planners also provide critical patient education and support focused on the individual’s condition and outlined in the patient’s life care plan. By combining the Learned Response to Chronic Illness theory and the specialized skill and knowledge of the Nurse Life Care Planner, it is possible to provide the best options and plans for patient coping and management of chronic illnesses. Conclusion Examining the educational requirements/training, salary, history, demand, legal aspects, and nursing theories applicable to Nurse Life Care planning gives great insight into the importance and benefits of becoming a Nurse Life Care Planner. Nurse Life Care Planners are responsible for and play the critical role in alleviating the frustrations patients may encounter when faced with chronic illnesses. Individualizing care plans, remaining sensitive to patient preference and hardships, and providing a high standard of care is the prime objective of Nurse Life Planners. References Baughman, K., Aultman, J., Ludwick, R., O’Neill, A. (2014). Narrative analysis of the ethics in providing advance care planning. Nursing Ethics, 21(1), 53-63. doi:10.1177/0969733013486795 Becoming a Certified Life Care Planner. (n.d.). Nurse Without Borders. Retrieved February 9, 2014, from http://nursewithoutborders.org/becoming-a-certified-life-care-planner/ Braden, C. J. (1990). A test of the Self-Help Model: Learned Response to Chronic Illness Experience. Nursing Research, 39(1), 42-47. Brown, M., Vaughan, C. (2013). Care at the end of life: how policy and the law support practice. British Journal Of Nursing, 22(10), 580-583 Congratulations, Dr. Paul Deutsch. (2007).Journal of Life Care Planning,6(1-2), 53-54. Izumi, S., Nagae, H., Sakurai, C., Imamura, E. (2012). Defining end-of-life care from perspectives of nursing ethics.Nursing Ethics,19(5), 608-618. doi:10.1177/0969733011436205 Lance, K. (2007). Nurse life care planning. Virginia Nurses Today, 15(3), 11 Life Care Planning Career. (n.d.). Becoming a Life Care Planner. Retrieved February 9, 2014, from http://www.healthcarepathway.com/Health-Care-Careers/Life-Care-Planner.html#forms2 Van Wieren, T., Reid, C. (2007). Nursing educational requirements: relevance to life care planning credentialing policy.Journal Of Life Care Planning,6(1-2), 25-45. Weed, R., Berens, D. (2005). Basics of Burn Injury: Implications for Case Management and Life Care Planning. Lippincotts Case Management, 10(1), 22-29. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Who Needs Care?. (n.d.). LongTermCare.gov. Retrieved February 9, 2014, from http://longtermcare.gov/the-basics/who-needs-care/

Literature Review On Skills For Life Education Essay

Literature Review On Skills For Life Education Essay Introduction The importance of the education sector of any country lies in its ability to meet the production demands of its economy. The shaping of traditional education (where students are passive learners), for example, was mostly done at a time where the Government needed the mass to conform to the decisions of the elites (Botsford, 1993), who were the ones to be able to access the best form of learning, which the mass could not reach, irrespective of their abilities (Kelly, 2004). As the needs of the society changed, so did the educational system. From the DFEE report (Department for Education and Employment, 2001), a need for an improvement in basic skills has been identified, hence the document Skills for Life. The Leitch Review (2006) also reinforces the need of the UK society to meet the demand of higher level skills in the job market. This report analyses the impact of the Skills for Life (SFL) document on the curriculum that I am teaching (Postgraduate Diploma in the Lifelong Learning Sector- DTLLS). It is developed in the following manner: A literature review on SFL An evaluation of the curriculum design model being implemented and the impact of SFL on the curriculum The above mentioned impact is also evaluated via the analysis of interviews carried out with the Awarding Body and a College representative and a questionnaire filled by the students in the course of an activity conducted in a session on Skills for Life and the extent to which as a teacher I can influence the curriculum and hence the DTLLS programme itself. Literature Review on Skills for Life Policies are introduced to solve issues identified. The Skills for Life (Department for Education and Employment, DFEE, 2001) endeavour was an attempt by the Government of that time to maximise the earning capacity of citizens by increasing the levels of their essential skills including literacy, and numeracy. The then Secretary of State, Mr D. Blunkett (DFEE, 2001) stated that there were, shockingly, seven million Britons who did not know how to read and write and use numbers. These skills are important throughout an individuals life hence the name Skills for Life. The document discusses on how illiteracy can affect a person physically and emotionally in terms of not being able to do certain tasks by himself/herself, which, consequently, can affect his/her self confidence. The vision expressed in this document is the eradiation of illiteracy and low numeracy skills, (DFEE, 2001). The DFEE proposed to achieve such targets by introducing national standards for numeracy and literacy, assessment tools that will diagnose the exact areas to be improved, and resources to support this endeavour. The department also suggested the training of teachers as specialist in these domains (literacy and numeracy) and promoting and motivating the involvement of learners and those who can support their learning process. This will undoubtedly require quite an effort because it not only means improving the levels of those who have already passed through the formal education pe riod but also ensuring that those who are still in that period do not face the same problems in terms of their functional skills (literacy, numeracy and ICT). One of the major influences of this project is the Moser Report (DFEE, 1999) which is based on research such as It Doesnt Get Any Better. The impact of poor basic skills on the lives of 37 year olds by Parsons and Bynner (1997) and Skills for Life national needs and impact surveys (2003) carried out by the DFES (Department for Education and Skills). Literacy and numeracy levels can be classified from Pre Entry to Level 2 and above (Pre Entry, Entry level 1 to 3, Level 1 and Level 2 and above). Basic skills have sub elements, for example literacy has reading, writing, speaking and listening (The Sector Skills Council for Lifelong Learning, LLUK, 2007). The overall level of a learner will be determined by what they achieve in each of these sub areas. Parsons and Bynner (1997) found a relationship between low levels of literacy and numeracy and many social issues that the learners faced. Such a link is quite obvious because if a person is not able to read and count adequately, he/she wi ll not be confident in social interaction. A solution was put forward in the form of the Leitch Review (2006) where one of the main arguments was that Britain was losing ground in terms of the academic strength of its population compared to countries such as India and China. Another point that I quite agree with is that the educational system of the country should produce individuals with the qualifications which are being demanded by the job market. Therefore if there is a need for increased levels of functional skills, this is the area where the educational investment should be poured. These findings concurred with the survey, conducted by the DFES, which mentioned low levels of literacy and numeracy (2003). The reasons suggested for the lower levels were the social and economic background of the individuals, the extent to which they stayed in education and whether English is their first language or not. The last factor is obvious in my teaching practice. I teach international students for whom low literacy level (English) proves to be a barrier in the achievement of their course. These students are studying a Postgraduate Diploma in the Lifelong Learning Sector, after which they aspire to gain a Qualified Teacher Status in the Lifelong Learning Sector, teaching adult learners. Despite being highly literate in their native language, they find it difficult to critically analyse concepts (an essential skill at their level of studies) due to their low English level. This is where the importance, of the impact of the Skills or Life policy on the programme that I am currently teaching, is apparent. Because of the embedding of strategies to improve the student-teachers functional skills (which are the skills promoted by the policy) the language barrier that they face during this course is being addressed by the curriculum being taught. Over the years, the meaning of the term curriculum has evolved specially with the development of the perceived purpose of education. Thus, there are various types of curriculum identified, among which the learner focused curriculum (Brown, 2003) predominates learning in the institution where I teach. Right from the start of the learning journey of a student, we carry out an initial assessment to identify the needs of that learner and to formulate their individual goals with regards to the course. The delivery and assessment of the curriculum are then shaped bearing in mind the information obtained from these initial and any subsequent assessments done thereafter. Based on the course specifications which are provided by the Awarding Body, I have prepared the curriculum of the course that I teach: Postgraduate Diploma for Teaching in the Lifelong Learning Sector (DTLLS). During this process, I had to incorporate the requirements of Skills for Life through embedding literacy, numeracy and ICT. The Lifelong Learning UK (LLUK) an independent organisation providing guidance to educational stakeholders about the developments in this sector- elaborates on how the learners needs, with regards to their functional skills, can be addressed (Lawton and Turnbull for the Sector Skills Council for lifelong learning on behalf of LLUK,2007). Guidance is given with regards to every aspect of the teaching and learning process namely the resources used, the classroom environment, the teaching and learning approaches and communication strategies. The logic behind embedding these skills is that no matter what a student is learning, he/she will be developing his/he r skills for life, be it knowingly or unknowingly For example by using presentations, the learner will not only be demonstrating knowledge about the topic but also will be improving his/her speaking and listening skills. From the very start of the learning process, therefore, the principles of the Skills for Life project are embedded: the initial assessment process includes a skills test so that their learning plan can include improvement of such skills (for example combining their main courses with a skill course depending on where their need lies). Therefore, developing a curriculum with the principles of the SFL project concurs with the constructivist approach (Bruner, 1960)-which involves constructing learning adopted by my institution. Thus the impact of the SFL principles on the curriculum relevant to my practice has caused it to improve. But investing in skills is not always an applauded endeavour. Investing in human capital has been from long the priority of the Government. There has been a link pointed out between educational background of individuals and their social and economical success. Investment in learning in the 21st Centrury is the equivalent of investment in the machinery and technical innovation that was essential to the first great industrial revolution (DFEE, 1997a, pp.15, cited in Coffield, 1999) I would agree with Coffields (1999) argument that focussing on the Human Capital Theory (HCT) enables politicians to overlook other factors which could have contributed towards the economic status of individuals. Karabel and Harsley (1997) further criticised this theory saying that it puts the blame of being poor on the poor! Investing in human capital does seem to be profitable for the population. But as Levin and Kelley (1997) pointed out, this theory does not state where the individuals will go after being educated if there is no job market for them. Being given that the investment has already been done, the best we can hope for is that it has been profitable. When any policy is suggested and implemented by the Government, I feel the urgency of trying to find its political implications. In an article in the Guardian, Kingston (2006) quotes Mr. Wells (the then Director of the Basic Skills Agency) as criticising the Labour Government for exaggerating the number of adults in the UK who cannot read and write to make their task seem more successful. Vignoles (cited by the Press Association, 2009) further argued that trying to develop literacy skills at an adult age might not be effective because such skills are more easily developed at an early age. Personally, I do not believe that more difficulty teaching adults language is reason enough to completely eradicate the benefits that such a project brought to many individuals: improved chances in terms of job seeking, more confidence, a better social life, among others. Even if the Gover nment may have a hidden agenda for starting the Skills for Life project, the focus brought on these skills have enabled educationalists to give even more weight to their learner-centred approach in designing their respective curricula around very crucial needs of the learners- Basic Skills. This leads us to the analysis of the impact of the SFL policy on the curriculum I teach. Implications of the policy for curriculum change and pedagogy There is much debate about what is to be called a curriculum. With the shift of focus from the teacher to the learner, curriculum is moving away from being just content to be completed during a time period syllabus- and more of a learner centred approach (Dolence,2003; Coles, 2003). For the purpose of this report, Wojtczaks (2002) definition will be adopted. According to him, curriculum is An educational plan that spells out which goals and objectives should be achieved, which topics should be covered and which methods are to be used for learning, teaching and evaluation. (Wojtczak, 2002, pp 6) Therefore, the construction of a curriculum can start from its objectives, its content and the methods used to teach. If Tylers (1949) four questions with regards to curriculum design are considered, another approach of curriculum models can be added namely evaluation (Kelly, 2004). The curriculum I use is designed from the Lifelong Learning teacher training programme. The key driver of the curriculum set by the Awarding Body is the assessment criteria. As the teacher trainer I derive the outcomes to be achieved from the assessment criteria and the content set by the Awarding Body. This is done by discussing the assessment criteria and how to achieve them as a class exercise with the student-teachers at the start of a Unit. The rationale behind this is that if the students are shown what they need to achieve from the start, the learning journey becomes easier. The teaching and learning methods and formative (or ongoing) assessment tools are developed from the outcomes with close adaptation with regards to the learners targeted (in line with being learner focused) whereas the summative assessment is set by the Awarding Body. It is important to note that wherever the starting point of a curriculum design may be, it will have to use the four approaches identified by Tyler (1949). For example, although I designed the curriculum for Lifelong Learning for my College by forming objectives from the assessment criteria, I still need to adhere to the content expected and apply the appropriate teaching methods. At this point it is important that I differentiate between the Unit aims provided by the Awarding Body and the learning objectives that I derive with my learners which are based on the assessment criteria. The learning objectives formed with the learners are more detailed than the aims prescribed by the Awarding Body  [1]  . Since they are formed by the learners (guided by the teacher trainer), they understand better the reasons for these outcomes and thus are able to take control of their learning process (Knowles, 1984). It is also important to differentiate between the prescriptions provided by the Awarding Body and the curriculum that I design for my student-teachers. For the purpose of this part of the report, the curriculum to be analysed will be what I design in terms of a long term plan of how the assessment criteria set will be achieved (the teaching methods, activities, the assessment techniques and resources to be used). The manner in which I build up my sessions is thus objective based (firstly because the assessment criteria set by the Awarding Body act as general objectives and secondly because I derive specific objectives to be achieved with my students) which can be said to be very precise and scientific (Kelly, 2004). As Bobbitt (1918; cited by Kelly, 2004) stated, the learners are more focused in terms of what they need to complete to achieve the certificate. Building a curriculum from objectives has been criticised by Kelly (2004) as assuming passive learning. The learning goals seem to be more extrinsic. This is closer to the behaviourist approach to learning where the learners are moulded to achieve goals, which most of the time, are derived for them. Szasz (1991) strongly criticised such an approach to education stating that humans, unlike animals, need to have intrinsic motives to learn. If Kellys (2004) thinking is considered, one might have the impression that this curriculum is closer to training as opposed to education. According to him, training is very focused on what knowledge is to be gained and does not consider the students at all. But this is where the combination approach to curriculum design comes as a rectifying tool. Although the curriculum starts with objectives (based on assessment criteria), I can adapt the learning journey of my student-teachers through the teaching and learning methods that I use  [2]  which include embedding the requirements of SFL. The curriculum content for the DTLLS programme was introduced after the SFL project. When this project came to be put in place, it has, thus, affected the curriculum that I utilise in two ways. Firstly, SFL amplified the skills required as teachers to include minimum core areas. Secondly, the teachers had to learn skills to embed these minimum core subjects- literacy, language, numeracy and ICT- in their teaching strategies. These two aspects are linked because to be able to address the needs of learners, teachers must have an adequate level of these skills themselves  [3]  . Every Unit of the teacher training programme has opportunities for the student-teachers to improve their own functional skills. This will enable them to be in a better position to identify the SFL needs of their learners and adapt their teaching strategies accordingly. Therefore, each part of the curriculum has to reflect SFL in these two aspects: developing the student-teachers own minimum core skills and equipping them with the ability to develop those of their students. Taking Wojtczaks (2002) definition of curriculum, SFL will have to be reflected in: the goals and objectives to be achieved the methods to be used in the teaching and learning process The above will again be in two folds: as a student-teacher and as a future educator, that is, the improvement of the student-teachers own SFL and his/her ability to embed the minimum core subjects in his/her teaching. To be able to start this teacher training, the student-teachers have to have a level 2 in Literacy and Numeracy. This is conducted, using the skills test, which was developed by the Secretary of State in 1999, following the Green Paper published by the Department for Education and Employment (DFEE) in 1998 on improving skills of teachers (Blunkett,1998). Thus, right from the start of their learning journey (Lawton and Turnbull for the Sector Skills Council for lifelong learning on behalf of LLUK,2007), the student-teachers feel the impact that these skills mentioned in the SFL policy will have on their teaching and also their learning processes. The Individual Learning Plan of the student-teachers then will contain individual objectives to be achieved in terms of their functional skills. The goals are negotiated in line with the principles of Androgogy (Knowles, 1984) as part of my motivation strategy. With regards to the teaching methods, with each Unit of the DTLLS programme, as the teacher educator, I had to make sure that the improvement of these skills was being encouraged. This was done by encouraging more group discussions and presentations and, more recently, by including a literature review hour where the student-teachers will be discussing on the articles and books that they have recently read. These will not only improve their communication and discussion skills and develop their research skills (which are crucial for the professional development of a teacher) but also will enable them to construct learning in line with the principles of social constructivism (Vygotsky, 1978; Bruner,1986, 1990, 1996). Although great emphasis is not made on Numeracy Skills in this teacher training programme (unless the specialist area of the student-teacher is related to numbers such as science and mathematics), there are aspects of these skills which, as a teacher educator, I can develop in my learners. Part of the continuous professional development of the student-teachers is being able to evaluate their own skills. In the second part of the training programme, the student-teachers learn to represent data in a simple graphical manner to be able to interpret the extent of success or a particular teaching method. If such exercises are carried our frequently, the student-teachers improved numeracy skills will enable them to better explain their continuous professional development. Another important aspect proposed by the SFL project is computer skills, which the majority of the student-teachers lack. In the current age, where learners are digital natives  [4]  (Garrison and Anderson, 2003), future teachers cannot afford to be below average in ICT  [5]  skills. Their responsibilities include not only to improve the ICT skills of learners who are not in tune with their peers but also to challenge the skills of the digital natives. The curriculum has thus to comprise of strategies such as use of computers for research and presentation purposes  [6]  . During the completion of the teacher training programme, the student- teachers have to build up their teaching (planning and delivery) and assessment strategies. For each of the strategy developed, they need to demonstrate how they will embed the principles suggested by the SFL project. When embedding these principles in teaching my student-teachers, I am also giving them ideas which they themselves can use in their own teaching practice. It is to be noted, however, that their embedding strategies have to be specific to their own specialist area. The SFL endeavour has thus influenced the teacher training programme to a very large extent. Not only do the student-teachers need to develop their own skills as part of their Continuous Professional Development, but they need to create and/or adapt ways to improve the skills of their learners. Thus the curriculum that they have to follow as learners (and I have to follow as their educator) has to promote the development of their functional skills, be it in terms of the goals to be achieved or the methods and resources to be used. As future teachers, they need to be well equipped with regards to their own SFL to be able to facilitate the learning process of their learners. The purpose of this research is to ascertain the impact of the Skills for Life policy on the curriculum that I teach. After reviewing the literature on the topic and an initial analysis of the SFL policy on the DTLLS programme (which affects the curriculum I build for my teaching), I wanted to analyse the views of three main stakeholders of the College- the department executive, the students and the External Verifier from the Awarding Body- on the matter. Evaluate curriculum changes resulting from the policy / research document. Because of the individualised nature of collecting opinions, a quantitative approach to data collection and analysis will be quite useless (Miles and Hubermans, 1994). Moreover it is the depth and meaning of the data which I am after and therefore a qualitative direction seems to be more appropriate (Bryman, 2001). The data collection tool chosen for this purpose is semi structured interview (Appendix A). Semi structured interviews combine the benefits of structured and unstructured ones. They not only provide the interviewee with the freedom of expressing his/her views in detail (which is required to obtain a deeper understanding of the opinion given), but also, with the questions set by the interviewer, the discussion is more focused on the relevant topic (Horton, Macve and Struyven, 2004). Instead of hindering my conclusion, the subjective nature of this tool (Bryman, 2001) will, hopefully, provide new ideas about the project. Because it is also very specific to the curriculum that I teach, the issue of inability to generalise the results (Bryman, 2001) will also not arise. The third stakeholder to be questioned will be the student-teachers. A session will be conducted on Skills for Life (Appendix F) after which the student-teachers will be asked to work in groups to fill the questionnaires (Appendix B). To ensure confidentiality (Bryman, 2001), the names of the stakeholders will not be disclosed. The results of these two approaches are analysed below. The student-teachers seem to grasp the impact of the SFL policy on the DTLLS programme and even identified the aspects of the programme which develop their own basic skills. As one of the groups mentioned the objectives that they have to achieve have been affected by the SFL policy in that they have to Embed minimum core subjects in the curriculum (Extracts from questionnaires, Appendix D). On the other hand, both the External Verifier and the Vice Principal of the College described the link between SFL and DTLLS programme quite similarly in terms of development of the student-teachers own skills and embedding strategies that he/she has to implement to develop that of his/her students (Appendix C). As the Vice Principal suggests: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ DTLLS students have, to apart from a select group of specialists who do are not involved in SfL, consider SfL as a key focus for all their work. Approaches to delivering DTLLS therefore have to be adapted to achieve SfL requirements (Extract from transcript, Appendix C) I quite agree with both of them that the programme as it stands, although it does offer resources and teaching methods that reflect SFL principles, can still be improved. Offering an optional module which is specific to SFL instead of the fragmented state it is now (as the Vice Principal states) will provide the student-teachers with unique skills that are very much in demand in the education market. As mentioned before, the DTLLS programme came after the SFL policy. However, had there not been this policy, the programme would not have included the minimum core requirements as it does now. The impact that the SFL policy has on the DTLLS programme will inevitably affect the curriculum used to deliver it. This leads us to the evaluation of the curriculum built on the basis of the assessment criteria and general objectives prescribed by the Awarding Body. The first aspect to be analysed is the purpose of the evaluation. Most evaluations done are to determine the extent to which set objectives are being met (Tyler, 1949; Kelly, 2004), that is summative evaluation. However, a more meaningful evaluation would be one which assesses the objectives themselves. As Kelly (2004) states, curriculum should be subject to continuous evaluation as an essential element of continuous change and development (pp 36). This leads to the next issue which is choosing a model of curriculum evaluation. According to Kelly (2004), this should match the curriculum model adopted, otherwise the criteria of evaluation will not reflect the purposes of the planners or the teachers (pp 139). The DTLLS curriculum that I developed is based on a combination of the four perspectives proposed by Tyler (1949) with objectives as starting point  [7]  . But if I use an objective model of curriculum evaluation, it will not serve my purpose as it will only identify success or failure of achieving the objectives set (Kelly, 2004). According to MacDonald, a more holistic approach would be assessing the projects impact on the educational system and the types of evaluation problems which the impact would throw up (1973, pp 83 cited by Kelly, 2004, pp 142). As mentioned before, the curriculum is designed on the basis of the outcomes derived from the assessment criteria set by the Awarding Body. This enables the student-teachers to be focused on what is to be completed to achieve the Units. But one of the consequences of such an approach is a decreased possibility of achieving unintended (but potentially beneficial) outcomes. Although the student-teachers do have to attain a certain level in the minimum core subjects (similar to SFL), if they are already at that level there is no incentive to improve them further (since there are no specified needs to do so in the curriculum). Developing SFL is often drowned in the achievement of the multitude of other objectives to be achieved. Having said that, with the embedding strategies -where the student-teachers learn to develop the minimum core subjects of their own students- the picture is more promising. This is because the focus is then on developing these skills. But the extent to which my curriculum evaluation will be considered by the Awarding Body is questionable. If we take the interview carried out with the EV (Appendix C), when I was discussing about agreeing a date for the interview, she initially did not see a link between SFL and DTLLS, To be quite honest with you Shaivi, at first I thought that there was no direct link. Basic Skills is what it saysà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦..basic. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ But if we analyse it deeper, we can see that one of the requirements for teachers on the programme is to have a level 2 in literacy, numeracy and ICT. (Extract from transcript, Appendix C) After I explained my project and my point of view, she agreed with me and hence the interview was much more useful. The Vice Principals suggestion that SFL delivery techniques should be added as an optional module to the curriculum as the next cycle of improvement is valid because this will increase the marketability of the award. But, although the External Verifier shared his views, from our experience in terms of suggestions we made, it is doubtful that she will take it on board and suggest it to her institution. Thus as a curriculum developer, although I can certainly build up outcomes which will further improve the minimum core levels of my student-teachers, the extent to which I can influence the curriculum development is restricted. This brings us to the argument that the External Awarding Body still has a very strong hold on what is important in terms of delivery and assessment. The extent to which they will consult the Delivery Centres (such as my College) to determine or assess what is to be delivered is quasi nil, that is their own evaluation of the DTLLS programme and resulting curriculum seem to be more autocratic (Mac Donald, 1975, pp 133, cited by Kelly, 2004). A more democratic approach to curriculum evaluation (where the teachers are involved) would have served the purpose of meaningful continuous curriculum development (Kelly, 2004). If we were to measure how stringent the Awarding Body is with regards to the four perspectives of curriculum identified by Tyler (1949)-Appendix E- we can see that assessment has a medium level of stringency since we can choose the evidence linked to practice to be included in the portfolio from a set list. The same is with the specific objectives which we can form on the basis of the assessment criteria set by the Body, which is thus the key driver of the curriculum. The only way that the curricula will differentiate in different centres is through the delivery methods being used and the objectives to be set (which is however based on the assessment criteria set by the Awarding Body). Centralised control (Kelly, 2004) is apparent over the content of the curriculum. This also demonstrates how the programme is driven by its assessment process (Kelly, 2004). Any method or activity used is geared towards the final portfolio of evidence of achievement of learning (based on the assessment criteria set by the Awarding Body). The DTLLS programme, although very specific to the age group the student-teachers are being trained to teach, have similar outcomes to the other programmes on the market (Postgraduate Certificate in Education for Post Compulsary Education) with regards to strategies of embedding basic skills. Because the student-teachers are mostly international, they have specific timeframes within which they have to complete the programme. Therefore, they do not have time to explore the topics in dept

Ancient Egyptian Religion As S :: essays research papers fc

Ancient Egyptian Religion as Seen in Art and Architecture   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As the hot Egyptian sun beats down upon his head, the archeologist realizes his time is drawing to a close. The local government had allotted a period of two weeks for the expedition to take place, and the thirteenth day is now in its peak. The search for the tomb of the great king Menes has, thus far, been a complete failure. The archeologist begins to feel a bit queasy, realizing his sudden failure; however, a cavalcade of shouts suddenly penetrates the intensely hot air. He strains his burning eyes to find the source of the commotion. Then he sees it: the corner of some ancient edifice is peeking sleepily from the sand and grit that buried it so long ago.  ³Could this be it, ² the archeologist asks himself, still in awe over the pale stone that his eyes now gaze upon. It seems almost impossible that the tracks of a culture so great could be covered by such an inadequate foe as time. But even now as he gazes upon the tomb in success, the archeologist sees no culture behind these artifacts; he merely sees the makings of a fortune.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It will be nearly fifty years before the people represented by these pieces of time are honored for their diverse culture. Once vast and thriving, the Ancient Egyptian culture was a center of commerce, philosophy, and religion alike. The people had a culture like that of no other group in history; however, its complexity has led to many misconceptions about the Ancient Egyptian populace. The ever-popular archaic art style of a figure in profile surrounded by hieroglyphs has become the world ¹s favorite view of the Egyptian. As a result of this ignorance, the cultural aspects of this society are not fully appreciated. One of the greatest little-known truths about the people of this society is that they based almost everything they did around their spiritual beliefs.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the life of Egyptian people, religion [played] a far more   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  important part than modern man can imagine. With the peoples   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  of antiquity, as in Europe in the Middle Ages, belief in gods or in   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  one god [formed] the focal point of man ¹s world-outlook. Religion   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  [provided] the stimulus to art and philosophy and a matrix for   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  the development of moral principles.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  (Woldering 28) This similarity between everyday tasks and belief in the gods lead to advances in numerous aspects of this society.

Anne Bradstreet :: Free Essays

Anne Bradstreet   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The poem â€Å" Upon the Burning Of Our House, July 10th, 1666† by Anne Bradstreet is a poem about her house burning down. I can sympathize with many of her feelings in this poem because I shared many of them when my house was robbed. During the beginning of the poem she talks about her belongings that she lost and the things she would never do again, then towards the end she talks about how the incident brought her closer to God. Anne Bradstreet shows how living through a struggle, such as having your house burn down can bring you closer to God.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   â€Å"My pleasant things in ashes lie, And them behold no more shall I,† (108), shows the pain I felt in dealing with the loss that I suffered. I lost all of my money, my TV, and my stereo. I knew I would never get the opportunity to recover my lost items. â€Å"And to my God my heart did cry† (107), compares with the emptiness I felt when my family arrived home and saw the back door kicked in. At that point I didn’t want to continue into the house to find what had been taken from me.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The third stanza starts by saying, â€Å"And when I could no longer look, I blest His name that gave and took,† (107). After everything was over she realized that God had given her everything she had lost in the fire, and that she could once again receive those things from God. This relates to me being robbed in the fact that everything I lost was something that was not needed. This helped me to realize that material things aren’t going to make you happy, but the Love of God is. The last line of the play says, â€Å"My hope and treasure lies above.† (108). I believe that Anne Bradstreet became very spiritual after the fire and looked to God for the answer to everything.

Death Be Not Proud: Simon Birch to The Scarlet Ibis Comparison Essay

It is said that a person can accomplish anything if they put their mind to it. Humans have walked on the moon, swam the English Channel, and overcome disabilities to defy nature itself. In the film Simon Birch and the short story â€Å"The Scarlet Ibis†, two boys work to push past their disabilities that limit their lifestyles to the point of eventual death. Both Simon Birch and Doodle (â€Å"The Scarlet Ibis†) prove that strength does not necessarily have to come from the healthiest of humans, but that the ideas of tolerance for all should be a universal practice. Through their similarities and differences, these unlikely characters teach the reader about might and acceptance of those with disabilities. Doodle and Simon Birch are boys born with handicaps that could easily have limited their lifestyle. Doodle’s developmental delay and Simon’s small stature cause both characters to rely on those around them for support and assistance. Luckily, the kindness of Joe Wentworth towards Simon Birch and the consistent attentions of Doodle’s brother, allow both handicapped boys to live lives greater than most of the world could imagine. Swimming, learning to walk, and boxing were a few things that Doodle learned from his persistent brother. Likewise, Simon enjoyed swimming with his friend Joe, and also playing baseball, which was some thing others did not think he could do. Not only did both characters push themselves with the help of their support systems, they also viewed the world around them as a beautiful place, in which they could learn to defy the limitations of their human bodies. The doctors never believed that Simon would amount to anything and he became a handicapped hero by saving a bus full of kids. Doctors said Doodle would never walk and through pain, frustration, and never giving up, he was able to learn to walk by his 6th birthday. The similarities between these characters are uncanny, but one thing that is continuously evident is that their disabilities did not handicap them. While these two boys have many character traits in common, their differences are most evident in the way they were treated by those around them. Shame and embarrassment in having a handicapped brother is what motivates Doodle’s brother to teach Doodle to walk. In contrast, Simon Birch’s best friend, Joe, never treats Simon as handicapped and willingly brings him everywhere he goes. However, Simon’s family and many people around him do not see Simon as a miracle, but rather fear his â€Å"differences† as they do not understand him. He is ignored, rudely made fun of by others his age, and even told by a priest that God doesn’t have a plan for him. Doodle’s situation is completely different as his family is very supportive, caring, and nurturing, even if pride is the cause in the case of his brother. Pride also leads to another contrast between these characters in their inevitable deaths. While Simon Birch dies a triumphant hero’s death, a disappointed brother leaves Doodle behind when he can no longer keep up. Despite Doodle’s warnings, his brother continues on without him only to return to find Doodle bleeding from the mouth and finally overcome by his handicapped limitations. The early deaths of these two boys are yet different as one dies due to love and other out of embarrassment. The important message of tolerance for all differences can be seen in the likenesses and dissimilarities of Doodle and Simon Birch. Both demonstrate an inner strength, greatly due to their support systems, uninhibited by size or development that makes them mighty. Both also show a love for others that causes them to sacrifice their own lives. Each of their sacrifices paints a picture of how the world treated them differently and how one rose to a hero’s challenge and the other died in miserably being pushed beyond his limits. The greatest lessons are sometimes found in the most unlikely places. Anyone can be a hero, but maybe being a hero is more about looking beyond the surface and most importantly, leaving pride behind.