Human Indifference Essay

In the article â€Å"Americans are shopping while Iraq burns†, Bob Herbert implies that Americans are deeply absorbed in their own interests and are therefore apathetic to developments in Iraq, and by extension the developments in any other place where the United States is at war like in Afghanistan. On the contrary, renowned photojournalist James Natchwey is of the opinion that Americans would like to be informed of what really is happening so that they can act responsively. This must have been his conviction before embarking on his mission to film footage for the documentary â€Å"War Photographer†. A number of credible sources underline this apathetic stance adapted by many Americans regarding the suffering that emanates from wars waged by their nation in their name. This research paper aims to identify both their stances in detail with the aim of establishing which perspective is closer to the truth. It also pays a tribute to James Natchwey’s exemplary journalism. The State of the American Society Bob Herbert creates a reference for his argument on Thanksgiving Day here in the U. S. Shopping malls opened at midnight as Americans gleefully spend on the celebration. In the meantime, over 200 civilians had been killed by car bombs in the Iraqi city of Sadr. This is just one incident: a majority of Americans go about their business oblivious of the suffering Iraqi civilians endure on a daily basis or the fatalities American troops encounter at the battlefields. If indeed they were conscious of the repercussions of the war, we would be up in protest opposing these wars whose benefits to the American society cannot be ascertained. The apathy demonstrated by Americans may originate from the fact that very few Americans are concerned with the nation’s foreign policy. As Ole R. Holsti points out, there is â€Å"absence of sustained public attention to international issues† (Holsti 2004, 285). This is demonstrated in the circumstances that led to the invasion of Iraq: the Bush administration alleged without sufficient proof that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction (Smith 2005) and connected the Baghdad regime with the Al-Qaeda terrorist network, and the American public was ready to believe these charges in the pretext that Iraq really was a threat to national security (Holsti 2004). Media in the U. S. as made it hard for Americans to know what to believe in or what to value. There is insufficient coverage of the destructiveness of the war as media executives strive to make profits in an overly commercialized industry. The importance of news is diluted as news is â€Å"stripped of its credibility and the audience will have no ability to differentiate between the values of news and other forms of entertainment† (Dadge & Schechter 2006, 103). As Bob Herbert points out, most Americans have no personal stake in the Iraqi war and are consequently indifferent to its outcomes. A short survey reveals that very few citizens would be willing to join the military, no wonder most go about their business bearing indifference to the effects of the war on Iraqi civilians whose lives are shattered by war (Gott 2002) and U. S marines who die in the line of duty. The suggestion by Representative Charles Rangel that the Draft be reinstated implies that American politicians would be reluctant to approve of war if the possibility of their constituents being called into active service was real. With these facts out in the open, Herbert’s position is obviously more credible. Media apathy, domestic lack of interest in foreign policy and general disinterest have all contributed to the absence of a collective sacrifice and sharing of the burden of responsibility on the war. This is supported by the other sources cited in this paper. Public Opinion and American Foreign Policy is a comprehensive text describing in detail American foreign policy since September 11th. Why War: The Cultural Logic of Iraq, the Gulf War, and Suez is a thought-provoking text which pushes a reader beyond the periphery of conventional sociological thought. David Dadge and Danny Schechter’s book exposes the ease with which the American public is in most case willing to acknowledge intelligence reports without the desire to validate the background information. War Photographer James Natchwey demonstrates true heroism as he delves deep into some of the most dangerous and desolate spots on earth to bring pictures of what really goes on here to viewers. His work captivates audiences and instills empathy by relaying the destruction and heartbreak occasioned by conflict. He is an embodiment of courage, professional dedication and humanitarianism.

Analysis of William Blake’s Garden of Love Essay

William Blake was an English poet and painter that lived from 1757 to 1827, but first acknowledged as a great writer after his death. He was fascinated by the bible, but against any organized religion. Some people believe he was homosexual because his poems often referred to that, but he was married and had kids for a time. He was against all the rules and empty norms Christianity had, and thought marriage had too many rules. Analysis The first two stanzas have a rhyme scheme of ABCB, but the last one is ABCD with an internal rhyme in the last line. All three stanzas are divided up in 4 lines each. The poet speaker talks about the past, where he went to the garden of love First stanza: â€Å"I went to the Garden of Love† The speaker says, â€Å"I went to the Garden of Love,† showing that he went to a place known as the â€Å"Garden of Love.† He has been there before, but this time he sees that someone has built a chapel. The chapel is taking place â€Å"on the green† where the speaker used to play. Playing shows he wants to be active and playful, and he is disturbed that someone has built a building that probably symbolizes the opposite of his desires. Instead of â€Å"play† the chapel represents stillness and quietness for worship. But this speaker does not want to worship; he wants to â€Å"play.† Second stanza: â€Å"And the gates of this Chapel were shut† The speaker notes that the â€Å"gates of this Chapel were shut.† The chapel would have a door—not â€Å"gates.† And after, the speaker then claims that â€Å"over the door† was written, â€Å"Thou shalt not.† The speaker may not see any difference of â€Å"gates† and â€Å"door† to the chapel. He is already observing the â€Å"Garden of Love† with its gates/door shut. Third stanza: â€Å"And I saw it was filled with graves† Apparently, this other â€Å"garden of love,† to which he turned after he looked away from the chapel, is â€Å"filled with graves.† And there are â€Å"tombstones where flowers should be.† The speaker then sees â€Å"Priests in black gowns.† They are â€Å"walking their rounds / And binding with briars my joys and desires.† The contrast of chapel and garden, of door and gates, of tombstones and flowers, and briars and desires shows that everything has changed in a bad way. The last line indicates that his desires for example playing in the garden has been wrapped in briars, which Jesus also had on his head when he got crucified. Knowing about William Blake’s background I think the poem is about his hate to organized religion, especially Christianity. All of the â€Å"fun† in the religion has been taken away. Everything has rules, and the church threatens you to live a life without sins, or you will burn up in hell. Back then the church was very powerful, and some places ruled countries. William Blake was against religions having control in a country, and that is what I think he means with this poem.

Improving Electronic Store Database Design Essay

Improving Electronic Store Database Design - Essay Example Improving Database Design through Normalization The tables are already in 1, 2, and 3rd Normal Forms. They are as follows: Customer Table (Customer ID, Customer Name, Address, Residence) Sales Order Table (Sale ID, Date, Units Sold, Customer ID, Social_Security_Number) Employees Table (Social_ Security_ Number, First_Name, Last_Name, Address, City, State, Zip_Code, Birth_Date, Full_Time, Part_Time, Salary, Date_Hire) The tables exist in the three normalization forms because they meet the criteria to existing in those states. That is to say, in the first normal form, there is no more than one row of data that has a repeating group of information (Date, 2005). A different table is created for every set of data that is related as well as identifying every set of related data with a primary key. In the second normal form, sets of values containing multiple records should exist in varied tables. The tables are then related using a foreign key. In third normal form, all fields depend on th e primary key otherwise they should be eliminated.

Motivating Hong Kong students in writing English text Essay

Motivating Hong Kong students in writing English text - Essay Example But while the importance of English is recognized in Hong Kong, some students display a marked reluctance to learn English. There may be several reasons underlying this disinclination to learn to speak and write good English. Some of these are a generally low level of proficiency in English or that these students find it boring and somewhat difficult to learn English successfully. This report will examine how students in Hong Kong can be motivated to take a greater interest in the acquisition of English language skills and in learning how to write and communicate effectively in English. The term â€Å"motivation† was originally derived from the Latin word â€Å"movere† which means â€Å"to move†. Allan (1965) defines motivation as the â€Å"force that drives people to do things† (p 15). Biehler have defined motivation as the forces within an individual that are responsible for the â€Å"arousal, selection, direction and continuation of behavior.† (Snowman and Biehler, 1997, p 399). Beardwell et al (2004) subscribe to the view that a precise definition is not feasible, but they do agree that at a very basic level, â€Å"motivation is about motives and needs.† (p 505). Hence, a broad overall definition of motivation may be said to include the internal or external factors that are responsible for increasing an individual’s willingness to work towards the achievement of a particular objective. Motivation is the most important factor that determines the difference between â€Å"what a person can do and what he or she wil l do.† (Amabile, 1983, p 366). In the field of education, teachers may be able to extract a good performance from their students only when they can successfully motivate them. Davis (1999) has highlighted the views of Ericksen that â€Å"effective learning in the classroom depends on the teacher’s ability†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦to maintain the interest that brought students to the course

Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 31

Assignment Example In the case of Motorola, the site makes explicit reference to the company being a Google firm, also connecting with its customers via the brand cachet of Google and its massive influence in technology and in the decision-making of technology buyers and enthusiasts. The Motorola brand and organization, in this case, leverages the strong brand image of Google among not just that subculture of smart phone users that are heavily into technology in general and in Android and smart phones in general, but also the general mass of consumers who are intimate with Google as both a provider of search and of advertising related to search. Here the Motorola brand makes use of the wide reach of Google through its popular mass media properties too, chief among them YouTube, to also further reinforce its attempt to lure in the mass market customers in different parts of the world. The marketing mix element of price, which is deliberately set low for its mass market phones, is reinforced by its lever aging the Google name in its web pages (Motorola Mobility LLC, 2014). In the case of music marketers like Tower, on the other hand, the key social influences relate to the way the site leverages music icons such as Michael Jackson, who by their stature even post-death constitute a heavy influence on the opinions of music consumers, to lure in a wide demographic of music lovers into its site (Tower.com, 2014). The literature states that certain products lend themselves to heavier advertising than others, because of various aspects of the product, such as the product’s being new; the complexity factor associated with the product and its features and benefits; the need to highlight differentiating factors of the product; intense competition; the novelty of the product requiring intensive education and explanation; and the product being of wide appeal to many different market segments for different purposes, requiring different advertisements that cater

Drug War Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Drug War - Essay Example Her life changes when she mixes herself with very scary gangsters. The gangsters tend to take a shine on Laura. The gangsters arrange how Laura will do the unexpected, especially in this corrupt competition. Laura was focused on the sale of clothes which was her source of livelihood. The gangs understood that Laura does few errands and can also use her celebrity to their advantage.   She turns out to be in an ironic position in that seemed to deserve the beauty queen crown that ended up being tarnished by the drug war that came on her way. Laura eventually becomes a victim in the whole drug war context in this movie (Bradshaw 1).She was also determined to improve the life of her brother. She was on the lookout for anything that would promise her a better life. This is the main reason Laura was struggling for this pageant. Laura is closely followed by the drug gang up to the pageant audition. She, however, met her friend in the pageant by the name Suzu. Laura ends up being accepted as a contestant. Laura tried to look for her friend in the club that evening throbbing with dancers and music (Malkin 1). Laura starts staring at figures that were placed against the theatre’s wall. She realized that that the stage evoked a visual sense from the dimmed theater wings to the lighted stage.At some point, there is a creepy scene whereby the drug cartel invaded the club. They started shooting people in the club and killed many the partying drug execution agents inclusive. Laura finally manages to escape.

Migration Within Europe Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Migration Within Europe - Essay Example Going and earning in these countries also helps them to save more money during these hard economic times. It is hard to earn and save in countries like Greece where the basic commodities are only getting more expensive every year. It has become very hard to afford even the most basic necessities in countries like Greece and Spain and people are migrating so that they could earn and save and send some money back to their families. Low standard of living has been another cause of migrating. People spend most of their time in work and even after doing that they do not get the chance to spend on commodities that please them. Leisure products and services are becoming expensive in different parts of Europe and the UK is no exception to that. The cost of watching the favorite sports in England, which is football, is nearly four times more than watching football or any other sports in Germany. Even after earning and saving people in England are not being able to spend money on products and services they desire. The lack of standard in living is forcing people to move from places in Europe where they cannot afford to spend money on leisure activities to other places like Germany where it is much easier to afford time in leisure activities. One other advantage of moving to a country like Germany is that it allows people to spend time on leisure activities. People are allowed to spend as much time as they want on leisure activities as the government believes that peace of mind is as important as putting time for work.

Understanding the U.S. Constitution Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Understanding the U.S. Constitution - Assignment Example As the paper outlines, there are mainly three groups of people where the constitution is involved. The first group subscribes to the theory that the constitution should be based on original intent, the others insist that it should be based on textualism and the rest insist that the constitution is a living document and hence subject to changes and other amendments (Isaacs 5). Textualists hold the belief that the constitution should not be based on intent where judges and others using the constitution make their own interpretations of it. Instead, they should use it according to the way the original drafters of the constitution wrote it. The same views are held by those subscribing to the originalism theory who insist that the original meaning of the constitution should be maintained and if any amendments are to be made whatsoever, they should be in line with the original ideas of those who drafted it and diverse further. These two groups of people go parallel with those arguing that the constitution is a living document which should be dynamic and hence flexible to have as many amendments as necessarily required. This last group, therefore, insists that the constitution should be interpreted according to the situation at hand and in accordance to other laws and also in order for the rest of the citizens who are not legal technocrats to understand it better. These differing ideologies about the constitution were also experienced initially when it was being drafted as not all those congressmen present voted in support of it in the constitutional convention of 1787. The differences were also experienced later on in the late 1700s and early 1800s hence the various amendments that were made among them being the 1st to the 12th amendment all which were made during this period. The founding fathers of the constitution therefore disagreed and finally made changes and hence were not supporters of textualism. Textualism is a good thing since it helps to ensure that the o riginal meaning of the constitution is maintained. However, the original intent of the constitution should be present because times are changing and since even the original drafters of the constitution made changes to the document, then there is no need of fully committing to textualism. Based on the above facts and even the evidence that has been seen through the twenty-seven (27) amendments made since it was drafted, my views are that the constitution is and remains to be a living document and hence will keep on allowing for amendments to be made but at the same time ensure that the original ideas and meaning is not lost during the changes and interpretation. We fought a revolution for "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" because "all men are created equal." Yet the United States remained a slave nation for over 80 years after this revolution even though some founders disapproved and some states abolished the institution. So was this great country of ours founded on hypoc risy? The founders of this nation had the best interest of the rest of the US citizens at heart. It is this love and passion for their country that made them draft the constitution which was not only a declaration of law but also the way forward for the nation for the years to come. However, even though the constitution had articles and even amendments which were meant to ensure equality for all in this nation, some of these founders were still not fully committed to ending slavery or even fully do away with the issue of racism.

Bretton Woods international monetary system Essay

Bretton Woods international monetary system - Essay Example This paper outlines the main features of the Bretton Woods international monetary system, that had effectively replaced the gold standard system. The conference at Bretton Woods was held in the year 1944. The delegates present during the conference were from 44 countries. The conference led to the creation of a new monetary system commonly referred to as the Bretton Woods system. The new system was supposed to be more effective in governing the financial and economic relations among the greatest economies in the world. Judging by the economic disasters that were experienced in the 1930s a new monetary system was considered to be a necessity. Due to the failure of the gold standard during the World War II there was a breakdown in international economic cooperation with each and every country devolving their economic policies. This is believed to have further fuelled the growth of the great depression. As a result of the Bretton Woods system each member country was expected to adopt a monetary policy that ensured that the exchange rates of their currency remain at a certain value. In such fixed rates, there was evidently an increase in the ease of undertaking international commercial transactions. In order to see to it that the Bretton Woods system was successful the delegates decided that they would establish two financial institutions. One of the two institutions was the International Monetary Fund . The other institution that was brought into existence was the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development

Ottawa Charter0National Tabacco Campaign Essay Example for Free

Ottawa Charter0National Tabacco Campaign Essay The Ottawa Charter is a global health promotion run by the world Health Organisation. It involves five action areas called developing personal skills, creating supportive environments, strengthening community action, reorienting health services and building healthy public policies. To combat lung cancer and other health risks the Australian government launched The National Tobacco 2011 Campaign to raise awareness of smoking through the five action areas to reduce the number of daily smokers by 2018. Developing personal skills supports personal and social development through the use of information and resources, which educate health benefits to enhance life skills. In gaining theses skills individuals can make informed decisions to take control of their lives. In relation to the National tobacco Campaign 2011, this will involve raising awareness on the effects of smoking, encouraging individuals to quit therefore reducing their chances of developing ling cancer. Strategies employed by the campaign to address developing personal skills include media campaigns and quit tips. The current media campaign features television, radio, prints and online advertisements to address the issue of smoking and its relation to lung cancer and other health risks. The recent ‘cough’ TV advertisement shows an average Australian male. He is enjoying time with his mates, at work, spending time with the family however he is constantly coughing. Then the voice over states ‘every cigarette brings cancer closer. ’ This short but powerful statement informs individuals that every cigarette they take is putting them at the risk of developing cancer. Thorough the tactic of showing an average Australian male it allows the public to relate to the situation, empowering them to change their habits or else you could end up leaving your loved ones behind. Another strategy is the use of quit tips. This website fact page illustrates new ways that individual can relax as many people smoke while bored or stressed. Some of these relaxation methods include breathing techniques, exercise or a change of routine such as chewing gum or having a stress ball in the car to utilize while stuck in traffic. These strategies are informative yet realistic ways in which individual can swap a smoking habit for a positive health choice instead. This physically helps individuals to make an informed choice to develop their individual skills. By adapting these new life skills through the promotion of stress relief methods individuals are encouraged to take control and empower their own lives. It educates that smoking doesn’t relieve stress yet it only causes stress with its relation to many health risks. Developing personal skills is an important sector of the Ottawa Charter as without it individuals wouldn’t be educated to see the underlying effects of smoking and its strong link to lung cancer. Creating supportive environments focus’s on the environments in which people work, live and play. The aim is to ensure these environments reflect healthy living through the promotion of positive health choices. In relation to the National Tobacco Campaign 2011, this principle involves encouraging one another to quit smoking. This personal and community support takes into consideration the diverse needs of society in the need to fight against smoking. Strategies include providing fact sheets in a variety of languages and providing an online quit service. Australia is a very multicultural society and the campaign has taken this into consideration by creating print and radio advertisements in over 20 languages. This campaign has a goal to reduce the percentage of daily adult smokers by 2018. By providing health promotions in diverse languages, it opens this goal up to the wider Australian population encouraging equity and support. By breaking the language barrier the non-English speakers/readers will feel more supported and encouraged to quit smoking, therefore reducing their chances of developing lung cancer. This advertisement highlights they ways in which the human body will repair itself once smoking has stopped and its motto is ‘Every cigarette you don’t smoke is doing you good. ’ The statement is encouraging and supports the fact that every cigarette has an impact. Another way the tobacco campaign offers a supportive environment is through the telephone quitline. By phoning 131 848 an individual can confidentially speak to a counselor gain information but importantly advice and acknowledgement of their efforts so far. This local cost call can be made from anywhere around Australia, supporting those living in rural areas. Furthermore this quitline can go on to mail individual a quit coach book. This provides the best ways to quit, ways to cope with withdrawal symptoms and details on courses run by local organizations that offer extra help and counseling. This strategy is effective as it helps individuals realize that hey are not alone and their struggle to quit will offer so many advantages. Through first hand advice and the help of professional encouragement individual’s receive the confidence to keep going. Through this support within the environment individuals are more likely to access/continue to use support services to adapt positive behaviors in their lives. These changing life patterns will stop the smoking habits, reduce the ri sk of lung cancer and enhance overall wellbeing. http://www. boredofstudies. org/wiki/Ottawa_Charter_for_Health_Promotion_(1986) Strengthening community action involves public participation to achieve better health. Through initiatives inspired by the community, healthy living patterns can be established to raise awareness and empower action. In relation to the National Tobacco Campaign this involves the help of professional within the community as well as local governments and the public to make and implement action on smoking. Some strategies to strengthening community action include the help someone quit page, and individual community projects. The ‘help someone quit’ initiative provides information on ways to aid a friend by encouraging them and following through with their progress, even if you’ve never smoked before. It states the importance of not nagging a smoker to quit, as that just makes them want to retaliate. Yet the best approach is to clearly explain the motives to stop smoking and offer support. If non smokers and in particular past smokers where to help individuals within the community to quit smoking the whole populations health and attitude would be strengthened, encouraging positive health behaviors. The Bankstown community has specifically strengthened their action by installing ‘No smoking’ signs and restricting smoking 10m within children’s playgrounds. This strategy requires an extra step as it requires the help of the general public to enforce the rule, saving children from passive smoking. The signs educate the public on the hazard of smoking but the enforcement from the public is what will strengthen its success. Through establishing support groups and encouraging social support, the community is brought together to solve smoking through empowerment. (http://www. bankstown. sw. gov. au/Installation-of-New-No-Smoking-Signs/default. aspx) Reorienting heath services refers to utilizing services aimed at prevention, promotion and finding a cure. It is the responsibility of individuals, community groups, health professionals, institutions and governments to work together to achieve good health. In relation to the National Tobacco campaign it involves the sha red role of all health services to lead a change to prevent smoking and support wellbeing. Strategies include working with various campaign partners and a letter to GPs written by the chief medical officer. The campaigns website offers links to both Australian and International organizations who care for health with a goal of tackling smoking. Examples include the National Asthma council, World Health Organization and the Australian Cancer Society. Some of these health services have drop-in-centers or stores/clinics but they all offer information and resources on smoking or lung cancer. Some organizations are preventative while others are curative services. This is effective as through this extra support individuals can expand their knowledge and find a network that works best with their needs. The Australian government’s chief medical officer, Jim Bishop wrote a letter directed at GPs asking for their support on the National Tobacco Campaign. It mentions that smoking is the largest preventable causing disease. He later went on to ask local doctors to conduct brief interventions with their smoking patients, encouraging them to quit. Through this incentive the action of the local GP will maximize society’s members to quit. The smokers will receive professional help from their trusted GP to aid their own individual responsibility. Once both teams work together, this is when good health can be achieved. Through the help of extra health professionals individual can see the overall effects of smoking and with this extra support confidence will be achieved to fight the risk of developing lung cancer by stopping smoking habits Building Healthy Public Policy relates to policies and legislations made by the government to create health improvements. It goes beyond health care as it designs rules also generating consequences for those who disobey. In relation to the National Tobacco campaign it involves rules on where smoking is prohibited and where cigarettes can be sold as well as punishments for those who neglect these rules. The following law states that from March 2006, all cigarette packets require pictorial health warnings and the quitline number. These images are a form of scare tactics that shoot out health warnings in the bid that smokers will become turned off by imagers of cancerous body parts. The quitline on the box encourages individuals to quit and almost plays as a guilty trip, that each cigarette they inhale is causing them damage.

Mental Health Illness and Stigma Literature Review

Mental Health Illness and Stigma Literature Review 1. Introduction 1.1 Mental illness and stigma Inequalities in health services delivery and utilization for people with mental illness has been widely documented.1 Subsequently this results in poorer outcomes for this population in regard to general health, such as circulatory diseases, mortality from natural causes, and access to interventions .2-4 Several issues have been identified as contributing to these disparities in health service access and delivery, including stigma.5-6Stigma associated with mental illness has been defined as negative attitudes formed on the basis of prejudice or misinformation that are triggered by markers of illness.1-5Illness markers include atypical behaviours, the types of medication prescribed and noticeable medication related adverse effects.5-7These markers allow for the continuation of stigma concerning people with mental illness, but they also allow community pharmacists to identify patients with a broad range of what are often unaddressed health related needs.1 Behavioural and mental disorder s are estimated to account for 12% of the global burden of diseases. Mental health related medications account for >10% of all medications prescribed by general medical practitioners8, therefore, it is an inescapable fact that community pharmacists must interact with patients suffering from mental health problems.9 Mental illness is relevant to practising pharmacists who can play vital roles in the treatment of patients with mental illness.10 Throughout the latter half of the previous century, the diagnosis and pharmacological treatment of mental illness improved radically.9 1990-2000 was proclaimed the Decade of the Brain. to promote the study of disorders of the brain, including mental illnesses.11 Despite these advances, the stigma associated with mental illness remains a compelling negative feature in society.10 Unfortunately health care professionals, including pharmacists are not invulnerable to such harmful attitudes.9 Pharmacists attitudes toward mental illness and the menta lly ill are extremely important because they can affect their professional interactions and clinical decisions.12-13 In addition, they could ultimately affect the delivery of pharmaceutical care which has been defined as the pharmacist assuming the responsibility for positive patient outcomes.14 Activities like medication counselling and monitoring of therapy have been documented to improve both satisfaction and adherence to drug therapy in patients with mental illness.15 It has been pointed out that pharmacists must become more involved in such activities for patients with mental illness.9 1.2 Optimising the use of medications for mental illness Community care offers many advantages over institutional care; however, it can place extra demands on family, friends and primary health care practitioners.16 Health professionals have identified people with mental illness as the most challenging patients to manage.8 The quality and accessibility of community care for people with mental illness needs to be improved.17 The appropriate use of medicines plays an imperative role in the effective management of mental illness, nonetheless, there is evidence that psychotropic medicines are often used inappropriately.18-19 Elderly people are especially susceptible to the effects of psychotropic medicines, and may experience adverse effects such as cardio toxicity, confusion and unwanted sedation .8 Contributing factors to the high rates of non-compliance to psychotropic medicines include, psychosocial problems, the emergence of side effects, and the delayed onset of action of anti-depressant medication.20-21 Medical co-morbidity is also comm on, and polypharmacy increases the risk of medication misuse and drug-drug interactions.22 The World Health Organisation (WHO) has indicated that the inclusion of pharmacists as active members of the health care team can improve psychotropic medication use.23 The benefits of dynamically engaging mental health service users in their own management is supported by both clinical experience and research evidence.24 A systemic review of the role of pharmacists in mental health care, published in 2003, concluded that pharmacists can bring about improvements in the safe and effective use of psychiatric medicines.23 The wide range of pharmaceutical services provided by community pharmacists are potentially well suited to assisting patients and prescribers optimise the use of medications for mental illness.8 2. Method 2.1 Literature search strategy Pubmed (1965-March 2010), International Pharmaceutical Abstracts (1970-March 2010), Embase (1974-March 2010), Cinahl (1981-March 2010) and Psychinfo (1972-March 2010) were searched using text words and MeSH headings including: community pharmacist.s, pharmacist.s, pharmaceutical care, pharmaceutical services, mental illness, mental disorders, stigma and mental illness, mentally ill persons, depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, psychotic disorders, psychotropic drugs, antidepressive agents, benzodiazepines, anxiety agents and antipsychotic agents. ~550 abstracts were read. Reference lists of retrieved articles were checked for any additional relevant published material. Exclusion criteria included articles not published in English, no service provided by pharmacists, not relevant to mental illness, and studies and surveys that were carried out to evaluate pharmacist.s services in hospital inpatient or acute care settings. The literature search identified 88 papers that reporte d or discussed community pharmacist.s involvement in the care of patients with mental illness. 2.2 Inclusion criteria and review procedure For section 3.1 of the discussion, studies and surveys conducted into the attitudes of community pharmacists toward mental illness and the impact of stigma were considered. The literature review procedure for section 3.2 of the discussion, which deals with optimising the use of medication for mental illness, differed from that of 3.1, as studies without control groups, results of postal surveys and qualitative interviews were excluded. Studies with a parallel control group that reported the provision of services by community pharmacists in community and residential aged care facilities were considered. This included trials specifically conducted for individuals with a mental illness, and studies of medication reviews and education initiatives to optimise the use of medication for mental illness. Papers that reported pharmacist.s interventions in nursing homes were included, because community pharmacists frequently provide services to nursing homes. Studies of pharmacist.s activities as part of multi-disciplinary teams were also included. The literature search identified 57 papers that reported or discussed community pharmacy services to optimise the use of medications for mental illness. 3. Discussion 3.1 Mental illness and stigma While the views of the public9 and of certain health care professionals25 and health care students26-28 toward mental illness have been well documented over the years, there are limited numbers of investigations accessing community pharmacists and pharmacy student.s attitudes. Crimson et al.12 examined the attitudes of 250 baccalaureate pharmacy students toward mental illness, Phokeo et al.29 studied the outlook of 283 community pharmacists toward users of psychiatric medication, Cates et al.9 detailed the attitudes of community pharmacists toward both mental illness and the provision of pharmaceutical care to patients with mental illness, and Black et al.1 studied the satisfaction that patients with mental illness have with services provided by community pharmacists. 3.1.1 Community pharmacist.s attitudes toward patients with mental illness In general, pharmacists express positive, unprejudiced attitudes toward mental illness,1, 9, 29, 30 and overall they show encouraging attitudes toward the provision of pharmaceutical care.9 Phokeo et al.29 reported that pharmacists feel uncomfortable inquiring about a patient.s use of psychiatric medication and discussing symptoms of mental illness compared to the medication and symptoms associated with cardiovascular problems. Pharmacists also monitor patients with mental disorders for compliance and adverse effects less frequently than patients with cardiovascular problems. Crimson et al.12 found an association between a personal or family history of mental illness and attitudes of pharmacists toward mental illness. Age and years in practice are also connected with attitudes toward providing pharmaceutical care to patients with mental illness. The older and more experienced pharmacists have more encouraging responses than their counterparts.9Pharmacists are of the opinion, however, that patients with mental illness do not receive adequate information about their medication from their physicians. These patients may also receive less attention from pharmacists compared to medically ill patients, which raises concerns that their drug-related needs are not being met.29 3.1.2 Patient.s attitudes toward community pharmacists Consumers of mental health services generally have a positive perception of community pharmacists and their services, however, expectations are limited to standard pharmacy services, like providing patients with information about their medication and resolving prescription issues when dispensing medications.29 The majority of patients feel at ease while discussing their psychotropic medication and related illnesses with pharmacists.31 Clinically orientated services like working collaboratively with other health care providers, making dosing or treatment recommendations, monitoring response to treatment, and addressing the individuals physical and mental health needs have been found to be unavailable to patients.32 Patients with mental health problems, expectations of community pharmacists are low, and do not match the services that they can provide.33 Although stigma has been perceived to be similar with other health care professional, Black et al.1 revealed that 25% of patients with mental illness have experienced stigma at community pharmacies. 3.1.3 Substance misuse The prevalence of coexisting substance misuse and mental illness (dual diagnosis) has increased over the past decade, and the indications are that it will continue to do so.15 A patient with both a mental illness and a substance misuse problem can face prejudice and stigma from health care professionals, who might question the capacity of dually diagnosed individuals to respond to care.34 A Canadian survey into the attitudes of community pharmacist.s toward mental illness showed that only 55% of respondents agreed that substance misuse is a mental health problem. This finding reflects the perception that addiction represents poor self control or is a self inflicted problem.29 Over recent years, the capacity to intervene pharmacologically in substance misuse has increased greatly, pharmacotherapy is now available for opiate, alcohol and nicotine misuse.19 Some psychiatric patients with comorbid substance abuse achieve stabilisation rapidly, furthermore, severe mental illness does not necessarily predict worse outcomes.35 Socio-economic and emotional aspects are the main challenges to recovery, and case management in the context of integrated community and residential services has been shown to increase medication compliance over time.36 The contribution that community pharmacists have in the management of substance abuse has been well documented.37 Most general psychiatrists are only in the position to give patients 5-10 minutes of brief advise or intervention regarding a substance misuse problem,38 whereas community pharmacist.s are easily accessible to the public and are in a central position to provide specific advice about substance misuse.37 Community pharmacists currently provide dispensing services to drug addicts,38 and they are also the first point of contact for people misusing substances who are not in touch with the substance misuse services.39 3.1.4 Overcoming the barriers created by stigma Studies have indicated that patients prefer to go to the same pharmacy for their medication and other pharmacy needs and a significant number of patients favour to interact with the same pharmacist, which suggests that the relationship they have with their pharmacist plays an imperative role in their health and well being.1 A lack of privacy from failure to use an available private counselling room in the pharmacy contributes to patients feelings of discomfort regarding talking about their medication and their illness.31 Pharmacists are trained to educate and support patients regarding psychotropic medications, including how a drug works, monitoring for treatment response and adverse effects, and guiding patients through the process of stopping treatment, however, there are inconsistencies in the provision of these services.29 The potential for discrimination and stigma in community pharmacies has been well documented and initiatives to improve exposure of pharmacists to persons with mental illnesses in practice and in training has been suggested.23, 29 Pharmacists experience an increased level of discomfort in this therapeutic area as they receive inadequate undergraduate training in mental health.9 Adequate training in mental health is needed to improve the professional interactions of community pharmacists toward users of psychiatric medication.1 3.2 Optimising the use of medications for mental illness Community pharmacists are one of the primary health care providers in the community and have the opportunity to influence patient.s perception of their mental illness. Patients are far less likely to adhere to medications for mental health problems outside the hospital setting. Community pharmacists can significantly contribute to optimising medication use in mental illness through counselling, 40-42 patient education and treatment monitoring, 43-36 medication review services, 30, 47-49 pharmacotherapy meetings with general medical practitioners, 50-54 delivering services to community mental health centres and outpatient clinics,55-57 improving the transfer of information between health care settings,58-60 and being active members of community mental health teams.61-63 3.2.1 Counselling services In the Netherlands, three studies were carried out to highlight the impact of community pharmacist.s medication counselling sessions for people commencing non-tricyclic antidepressant therapy.40, 42 Intervention patients participated in three consecutive counselling sessions which lasted between 10 and 20 minutes each. They also received a take-home video that reiterated the importance of adherence. Throughout the counselling session, pharmacists informed patients about the appropriate use of their medications, which included, providing information about the benefits of taking the medication, informing patients about potential side effects, informing patients about the onset of action for antidepressant medication and explaining the crucial importance of taking their medication on a daily basis. Medication compliance was measured using an electronic pill container that recorded the time and frequency that the cover was opened.41 At the three month follow up the intervention patients had significantly more positive attitudes compared to the controls.40 At six months greater medication compliance was observed with the intervention patients that remained in the study25 55, also apparent improvements in symptoms were noted.41 Research on adherence shows that the patient.s knowledge and beliefs about the benefits of adhering to their medication regime plays a critical role in compliance.64 Non-adherence is not an irrational act but rather a product of poor communication.65 Patient compliance to health care recommendations is more likely when communication is optimal.66 The results of these studies indicated improvements in depressive symptoms,41 more positive attitudes,40 and better compliance to their medication.42 A limitation of this method was that the same pharmacist provided counselling services to both the intervention and the control group. As the intervention studied was multifactorial, it is inconclusive whether the three face-to-face counselling sessions or the take home video were primarily responsible for changes in drug attitude, adherence and the symptom scores.40-42 3.2.2 Patient education and treatment monitoring Four studies have reported results from pharmacist conducted patient education and treatment monitoring services for people prescribed antidepressant medications in the United States.43-46 These services involved the pharmacist taking a medication history, providing information about the prescribed antidepressant medications, and conducting telephone and face-to-face follow-ups. In two of the investigations, one of which was controled43 and the other randomised controlled, 62 medication adherence was calculated by reviewing prescription dispensing data, and reported using an intention-to-treat analysis. Both studies also demonstrated that involvement of the pharmacist was associated with a decrease in the number of visits to other primary health care providers; however, statistical significance was only achieved in one of the studies. Improved adherence to antidepressant medication was reported in both studies, 43-44 although patient satisfaction was only evident in one.44 The other two studies were randomised controlled.45-46 One of the studies was conducted using a self administered health survey,45 while in the other study antidepressant adherence was measured by asking patients how many times a day they took their medication in the past month. The results obtained from these investigations45-46 showed that patients who were taking their medication at the six month follow-up exhibited better antidepressant compliance and improved symptoms. However, antidepressant adherence and depression symptoms scores were similar for both the intervention and control group.46 Given the high rates of antidepressant discontinuation during the first three months of treatment, pharmacists have a potentially crucial role in providing medicines information and conducting treatment monitoring for those patients at high risk of non-compliance. Studies need to be conducted to compare outcomes of pharmacist.s treatment monitoring of people commencing antidepressant medication and o ther health professionals monitoring.8 An investigation into the impact of nurses treatment monitoring, also demonstrated improved medication adherence.67 3.2.3 Medication management reviews Pharmacist conducted medication management reviews are crucial in identifying potential medication related problems among people taking medications for mental illness.8 Medication review services provided by pharmacists comprise of comprehensive medication history taking, patient home interviews, medication regimen reviews, and patient education.68 A randomised controlled study of pharmacist conducted domiciliary medication reviews was carried out in the United States. The patients involved in the study were individuals living independently in the community that were identified to be at high risk of medication misadventure. The results showed a significant decline in the in the overall numbers and monthly costs of medication, however, there was no major difference in cognitive or affective functioning between the intervention and control group. The majority of patients were unwilling to follow the pharmacist.s recommendations to discontinue benzodiazepines and narcotic analgesics.47 The great potential of pharmacist conducted medication reviews for people with mental illness may not be limited to optimising the use of mental health medication.8 Physical health care for people with mental illness is generally less than adequate. This is caused by the tendency among health professionals to focus solely on the management of the mental illness among people with both mental and physical illnesses. Pharmacist conducted medication reviews may be a comprehensive strategy to improve medication use for both mental and physical illness.68 3.2.4 Medication management reviews in nursing homes Older people who are cared for in nursing homes are arguably the most vulnerable patient group, and the useful contribution that pharmacists can make to the care of these patients has been documented.30 Older people are particularly sensitive to the effects of medication,69 regular use of psychotropic medication is associated with an increased risk of recurrent falls,70 and also long term usage is linked with tardive dyskinesia.71 Psychotropic medication use may also be connected with an increased rate of cognitive decline in dementia.72 The beneficial effects of psychotropic medication must be balanced against extrapyramidal and other side effects.73 In 1995 it was reported that psychotropic drug use in Australian nursing homes was 59%, although this figure has fallen in recent years.74 In Ireland, 19% of older people in nursing homes were reported to be taking phenothiazines,75 however, this figure is lower now following a tightening of the licensing indications of thiordazine. In the England, a study showed that 30% of residents in nursing homes were taking antipsychotics.76 Two studies have looked at the appropriateness of psychotropic medication prescribing in the United Kingdom. In Scotland antipsychotic medication use in nursing homes is 24%, it was found that 88% of these prescriptions were inappropriate if the United States criteria for use were applied. In England, 54% of prescriptions were found to be inappropriate according to the United States criteria.77 A study conducted in Denmark suggested that behavioural problems were a determinant for the use of antipsychotics and benzodiazepines, irrespective of the psychiatri c diagnosis of the resident.78 A randomised controlled study of pharmacist-led multidisciplinary initiative to optimise prescribing in 15 Swedish nursing homes was carried out. The study involved pharmacists participating in multidisciplinary team meetings with nurses and physicians at regular intervals within a 12 month period. A significant decline in the use of antipsychotics, benzodiazepines and antidepressants by 19%, 37% and 59%, respectively was observed in the intervention facilities.79 A follow-up investigation of the same intervention and control facilities three years later indicated that the intervention facilities maintained a significantly higher quality of drug use, with far fewer residents being prescribed more than three drugs that could lead to confusion, not-recommended hypnotics and combinations of interacting drugs.48 An additional randomised controlled study showed that pharmacist.s medication reviews in residential care facilities demonstrated significant reductions in the number and cost of medications prescribed. 10.2% fewer residents were administered psychoactive medications and 21.3% fewer hypnotic medications. The impact of medication reviews on mortality was also measured and a noteworthy reduction was observed.49 One study indicated that one hour per week of a pharmacist.s time can make a significant contribution to patient care in nursing homes. It was found that this input was well received by nursing staff and prescribers and that general medical practitioners accepted the pharmacist.s advice in 78% of cases.30 Physician.s recognition was 91% in south Manchester, where 55% of interventions resulted in treatment modifications. Community pharmacist.s in Northamptonshire analysed prescriptions of nursing home residents and provided prescribing advice to general medical practitioners. The advice was accepted in 73% of cases and it was estimated that pharmacist involvement could give a 14% reduction in the cost of prescribing.69 A randomised controlled trial in 1 4 nursing homes in England showed that a brief medication review reduced the quantity of medication overall with no detriment to the mental and physical functioning of the patients.58 A reduction in the use of primary and secondary care resources by pharmacist medication review services has also been shown.80 The recommendations provided by pharmacists included stopping and starting medicines, generic substitution, switching to another medicine, dose modification, changes in administration frequency, formulation change and requests for laboratory tests or nurse monitoring.30 Almost 50% of the recommendations were to stop medication and 66% of these were due to the fact that there was no indication for the drug prescribed. This suggested that medication regimes were not reviewed. Conversely, initiation of a new drug made up 8% of recommendations, which implied that indications were present but not always treated76. Pharmacists have an important part to play in multi-disciplinary heal th teams and they must be integrated into any proposed models of care. Nursing home residents are a vulnerable group of patients who deserve the same high-quality clinical care as people of any age living at home.30 3.2.4 Pharmacotherapy interventions to optimise prescribing Pharmacist.s educational visits to general medical practitioners have been shown to modify prescribing behaviour.54 Four studies have evaluated the impact of pharmacists educational visits to general medical practitioners to optimise the prescribing of benzodiazepines and other psychotropic medications prescribed for mental illness,50-53 two of which showed positive results.52-53 A cluster randomised controlled study carried out in the United States found that pharmacists educational visits to general medical practitioners were associated with a significant decline in the prescribing of potentially inappropriate psychotropic medications in intervention facilities.53 An Australian study of educational visits to general medical practitioners, conducted by three physicians and one pharmacist resulted in a noteworthy decline in the prescribing of benzodiazepines.52 In the Netherlands, groups of local pharmacists and general medical practitioners conduct inter-professional meetings to optimise prescribing. These pharmacotherapy meetings are undertaken as part of routine clinical practice. A cluster randomised study of pharmacotherapy meetings to discuss prescribing of antidepressant medications resulted in a 40% reduction in the prescribing of highly anticholinergic antidepressants, compared to a control group of practitioners that did not partake in these meetings39. The possible awareness of prescribing related issues generated by asking general medical practitioners to conduct a self-audit of their prescribing caused this overall reduction.52-53 Additionally, pharmacist.s initiatives to improve prescribing are most effective when both pharmacists and general medical practitioners have an opportunity to build rapport.39 3.2.5 Community mental health centres and outpatients clinics Two studies were carried out to investigate the effect of pharmacist delivered services to community mental health centres and outpatient.s clinics.56-57 In a controlled trial, pharmacists managed patient cases in a community mental health centre in the United States. Significantly better personal adjustment scores were observed from patients receiving case management from a pharmacist in comparison to those receiving it from a nurse, social worker or psychologist.56The patients also rated themselves as healthier and were considerably less likely to seek help from other health care providers. The medication service provided allowed the pharmacist to adjust medication doses and dose timing, and prescribe or discontinue medications under supervision. The cost effectiveness of incorporating a pharmacist as part of the health care team was also measured. It was estimated that a 60% cost reduction can be achieved when medication monitoring is conducted by a pharmacists instead of a clinic psychiatrist. The pharmacist also performed more medication monitoring of patients per month than the clinic psychiatrist and had more contact with each individual patient .56 In Malaysia, a study of patients discharged from hospital after admission for relapse of schizophrenia, who were identified as having poor medication adherence were allocated to receive pharmacist medication counselling or standard care.57 The importance of compliance to medication was also reinforced by the patient.s psychiatrists at follow up visits. At the 12 month follow-up, patients receiving counselling from a pharmacist and who were exposed to daily or twice daily medication treatments, had significantly fewer relapses that required hospitalisation than patients receiving standard care.57 3.2.6 Integrated mental health services The needs of people with recurrent, severe mental illness fluctuate over time and services must be coordinated, and be able to anticipate, prevent and respond to crisis. Integrated mental health services across primary and specialist services should promote early interaction and allow the provision of continuous care to meet patients needs.58 Prescribed medication is an important component in the successful management of mental illness. Accurate information should be transferred seamlessly between primary and secondary sectors to ensure the optimum care of these patients.59 The simple delivery of information to community pharmacists regarding drugs prescribed at discharge enables comparison with general medical practitioners prescriptions and any discrepancies can be followed up and resolved.82 Discrepancies that may occur can be described as any changes observed between supplies of prescribed drugs, including a wide spectrum of observed events.83 These can range from simple changes between supplies of prescribed drugs to more complex errors that might result in adverse reactions.60 This information transfer enables a cost-effective reduction in all unintentional discrepancies, including those judged to have significant adverse effects on patient care.58 An investigation that evaluated the impact of providing mental health patients with a pharmacist generated medication care plan at the time of discharge found that patients with care plans were less likely to be readmitted to hospital than those without. Information contained in the care plan included l ists of discharge medications, a summary of the patient education that was provided, and the potential adverse effects that need to be assessed. Community pharmacists who received copies of the care plan were also more likely to identify medication related problems for the discharged mental health patients than those pharmacists who were not provided with copies of the care plan, however, the results from this study are not significantly significant.57Other methods of transferring information such as electronic transfer have the potential to be of value in this patient population.84 People with mental illness have complex needs which are not recognised by organised boundaries.58When discussing discharge and after-care in the community, medication management must be prioritised.85Mentally ill patients are vulnerable and medication is a vital part of their well being. It is therefore essential that an accurate transfer of information between care settings minimises the potentially har mful discrepancies that can occur. Community pharmacist.s interaction in this area could prevent such incidents.58 3.2.7 Community mental health teams Most people with bipolar mood disorders and psychotic illnesses in the United Kingdom and Australia are managed by interdisciplinary community mental health teams (CMHTs).86 The potential benefits of greater involvement by pharmacists in CMHTs have been documented and debated for over 30 years.87-90 The majority of clinical team meetings conducted by CMHTs do not involve a pharmacist. A review of CMHTs in New South Wales found that just 1 in 5 had a designated pharmacist.91 Pharmaceutical care programs provided by phar

The Role of Religion in Thomas Hardys Poem Channel Firing Essay exampl

The Role of Religion in Thomas Hardy's Poem Channel Firing "Channel Firing" by Thomas Hardy is a poem about the atrocities of war. Published shortly before the beginning of World War I, the poem seems almost prophetic. It not only decries the barbaric nature of war--an institution so vile and obnoxious that in this poem it awakens the dead--but also questions our inability to break our addiction to that institution. Less clear, however, is the answer to a question Hardy seems to be posing: is it our plight to be perpetually engaged in quests for power and vengeance, rendering us unworthy of God's call to judgment, or is it our plight that a sneering, uncaring god forsakes us in our time of need? The religious implications of this poem are more difficult to analyze than the political and social implications because they are more subtle. Throughout the poem both God and the awakened skeletons seem to be in agreement that men are guilty of perpetuating war. Men are "striving strong to make / Red war yet redder. / Mad as hatters / They do no more for Christes sake / Than you who...

Divorce :: essays research papers

Some say time heals all wounds, and I would have to agree with them in some situations. When I was eight or nine, I went through something I thought I would never get over. My parents divorced.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  They had been fighting for awhile, but I never thought that they would actually separate. Then the day after New Years my mom left. I was in shock. My older brother left with her. So it was only my dad, younger brother, and me at the house now. My mom moved into a hotel for awhile, before finding an apartment. My older brother just moved out all together, he did not want to deal with things.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It was very tense between everyone for a long time. My parents did not actually divorce until a year after they separated. It was a bitter dispute. They fought for every little thing they could get. The fight became very expensive, forcing my dad to move my brother and I from our large home in suburbia to an apartment in the city. My mom also moved but she moved further away, in fact all the way down to Texas City from Dallas (where we used to live).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Not too long after that the custody battles started. I think this was what was hardest on my brother and me. My mom was awarded custody first, forcing my brother and me to move after being in a new school and all for only three months. After about a year and a couple moves my dad was awarded custody. For the next few years my brother and me bounced from house to house, new school to new school, having to start fresh each time. Finally after about five years of fighting my parents came to a compromise. They separated my brother and me. I moved in with my dad in Houston, and my brother moved in with my mom in Dallas.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I have now lived with my dad for about three or four years. It was hard adjusting at first, but once I had life has become better. My brother took awhile to adjust also.

The Sexual harassment Issue

Sexual harassment is an issue that grabbed all of America when we saw Anita Hill accuse then Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas of harassing her while she worked in his office. It has been years since that incident brought question of what constitutes sexual harassment to the forefront of legal and business attention. During those years thousands of cases have weaved their way through our court system helping to clear the issue and make it something more easily understood. The business world now has more specific guidelines on how to recognize harassment and how to handle its various forms. Although there are still plenty of gray areas regarding the issue people are now more informed on how to avoid potential problems and how to deal with them if they do arise. This is all well and good but is the workplace the only environment where sexual harassment rears its ugly face? The answer to that question is rather simple. No. One major area where people are still trying work through the issue of harassment is the institute of higher education. Some might say that harassment in our colleges and universities may be handled similarly to they way we handle the problem in the business world and that viewpoint has allies in very high places such as the Supreme Court. In Davis v. Monroe County Board of Education the Supreme Court was faced with deciding whether a school could be held liable for a 10 year old boy making sexual statements and advances to one of his female classmates. The result of this case sent shockwaves through not only elementary schools but also any educational institution receiving federal funding. Justice Sandra Day O†Connor delivered the majority opinion for the court which â€Å"held that the school would be liable for student-on-student sexual harassment if it acted with deliberate indifference to known acts of harassment in its programs or activities provided that the harassment is so severe, pervasive, and objectively offensive that it effectively bars the victim†s access to an educational opportunity or benefit â€Å"(Coulter, 1999)†. Now you ask what does that mean and how would this institute affect higher education. The answer is that the opinion applies the hostile-environment paradigm of sexual harassment, (which arose in reference to the workplace) to any school system financially assisted by the federal government. The concept of the hostile-environment concept if applied to higher education must be used with extreme caution. Approximately 90% of the hostile-environment sexual harassment claims are not based on physical contact but on language â€Å"(Coulter, 1999)†. The ways in which language is used in academia differs greatly from the workplace. Due to the application of the hostile-environment paradigm students and instructors alike must speak very carefully and avoid certain controversial issues that were once openly discussed. The classroom experience may suffer greatly if what was once looked upon as First Amendment-protected speech is now viewed as sexual harassment. Because of O†Connor†s ruling schools must silence students and teachers who might contribute to a hostile learning environment or risk a rather pricey lawsuit â€Å"(Coulter, 1999)†. Since its beginning academia was a place where possibly offensive conversation could be used in order to increase a students understanding and assist in the quest for knowledge although now that quest has strict rules. Recently the Education Departments Office for Civil Rights (OCR) clarified how colleges should define sexual harassment and they followed the course set by Justice O†Connor. Applied through a federal law known as Title IX the OCR defined two types of sexual harassment. The first is known as quid pro quo and it occurs when a school employee threatens to base an educational decision such as a grade on a student†s submission to unwelcome sexual behavior. According to the OCR†s guidance a school is liable for even one instance of quid pro quo harassment â€Å"(Chmielewski, 1997)†. The second type of harassment is the hostile-environment situation described above and their definition mirrors the one delivered by Justice O†Connor. What exactly does all of this mean for college professors and their students? Ramdas Lamb a professor of religion at the University of Hawaii knows all to well the dilemma currently facing our educational institutions. Lamb taught â€Å"Religion, Politics, and Society† a course he designed to meet the student†s desire for relevance â€Å"(Thernstrom, 1999)†. Lamb wanted a course where passionate debate could aid the students to learn and on the first day of class he warned the students that every topic would be covered from all viewpoints and if one particular opinion was not represented that he would play devils advocate and represent it â€Å"(Thernstrom, 1999)†. After his warning three students left the class and Lamb felt confident about the remainder. A student by the name of Michelle Gretzinger was enrolled in the class and had a friendly history with Lamb. She was actively involved in the class but after a disagreement with Lamb during a debate over sexual harassment she became withdrawn and refused to participate in class. Gretzinger received a C in the class based on a lack of participation since that was a large part of the graded criteria. After the semester was over she filed a sexual harassment complaint alleging both of the above types of sexual harassment. Eventually Lamb was cleared of the charges and won a countersuit for defamation, although Gretzinger refuses to pay any of the $132,000 ordered by the court. Although vindicated Lamb is still deeply troubled by the harsh allegations made by Gretzinger. This situation displays just how serious sexual harassment allegations are and just how out of place the current standards are in the realm of higher education. In conclusion sexual harassment cannot be handled in academia as it is in the workplace. Victims need to be protected and no complaint should be taken lightly but the standards must reflect the environment they are applied to. Quid pro quo harassment standards can be the same across the board but what constitutes a hostile-environment in the workplace is extremely different than a hostile-environment in academia. By the nature of college courses the restrictions on free speech must be less stringent than they are in the traditional workplace. In order to aid in the learning process students and teachers alike must be permitted to use unpopular and even sometimes offensive speech. If we continue to apply the same standards to the academic world as we do in the business world the country will suffer. These sometimes-unpopular discussions lead to a better understanding of those whose opinions differ from our own. If the flow of discussion is restricted too much some issues may never be discussed leading to a lack of understanding between women and men. Any issue of a somewhat sexual nature may become taboo in the college classroom. If this happens it could compound the problems we currently have with sexual harassment could be compounded and society as a whole may suffer grave consequences.

Environmental problems Essay

Everyone has heard about global problems. Television and the press often writes about storms, droughts, melting of glaciers, or hunger in Africa. But not too many of us know the details, and the stories behind those problems. These days the biggest environmental problems are: Global warming, Pollution, drought, overpopulation, deforestation, Endangered species. Let’s start from global warming. Global warming is the process by which the Earth’s average atmospheric temperature increases over time.In general Global warming means the difference in the Earth’s global climate over time. This process is timeless and still accelerating. Other big environmental problem is pollution. Pollution can be very diverse. There are several types of pollution, how air pollution, water pollution, soil pollution and noise pollution. I think everyone knows what’s mean air, water and soil pollution, but do you know what means noise pollution? Noise pollution refers to undesirabl e levels of noises caused by human activity that disrupt the standard of living in the affected area. We need talk more about pollution, because everyone can contribute to the solving of this problem. Next environmental problem is drought. Lithuanians think, that drought is never going to be our problem, but is it true? Drought is defined as a long period of time when there is no rain. Drought can be further prejudiced by human activity. Drought often have a significant impact on agriculture. There are other drought consequences. Everyone heard about very large number of people in China, India. This issue is not relevant to us, but in rest of the world this is a very big problem. Situation, when there are too many people living in a certain area, is called overpopulation. This problem is very important to South Asia and Africa. Some countries, such as China, tries to reduce the birth rate, but other don’t have money to try to stop this problem. Other big environmental problem is deforestation. Deforestation is, when forests are lost and not replanted. Sometimes deforestation happens when people change the land into farms and cities. A lot of deforestation is from removal of all the trees from a forest for wood or fuel. Without the forests, the natural habitats of the animals are lost and lots of animals are dying. There are some facts about deforestation. And the last environmental problem is Endangered species. All problems, IÂ  have told you before, have influence for animals and plants. Pollution, global warming, droughts are dangerous for the environment. And some animals and plants are dissapearing. Some animals, we are never going to see again. Other endangered animals are included in the Red Data Book. There is a list of extincted animals.

Compensation and Benefits Recommendations Essay

No matter the size of the business, there is a need to evaluate an individual business’ compensations and Benefits. Each business will be unique; rarely will two businesses have the same benefits. These benefits will show employees, and future employees, what it is worth to work for the company. In this recommendation, it will outline various parts of the compensation and identify the pay act that this package will follow. Market Evaluation Creating attractive compensation package is a difficult task when entering new markets. After reviewing the benefits and compensation for Turner Construction Company, Ames Construction, Inc., and DPR Construction which are located in Arizona, the companies have these benefits in common: Medical, Dental, Retirement/Pension/401K plan. Turner Construction Company does offer more such as vision insurance, health club reimbursement, life insurance, accidental death and dismemberment, short term disability, long term disability, tuition reimbursement program, and professional certifications and licenses (Turner Construction, 2014). The compensation package offered by DPR Construction includes additional benefits like vision insurance, adoption assistance, personal time off, holidays & holiday shutdown, Flexible Spending Accounts, and Critical Illness Insurance. DPR construction has noted that employees must be non-union and full time employees to receive the full benefits package, but part time employees are eligible for medical, dental, and vision coverage (DPR Construction, 2014). The compensation package offered by Ames Construction, Inc. does not include extra benefits that Turner Construction and DPR Construction offer (Ames Construction, Inc., 2014). With the information provided, an attractive compensation and benefit package that is tailored to the area can be created for your employees in Arizona. Recommended compensation structure As commercial construction organization entering a new market you will need  to have a compensation structure that is comparable or higher to others in the area. When entering a new market, it will be essential to offer a structure that attracts experienced employees that will provide creditability to the new market. It will be essential to have these people in place and show your customers that your organization is committed to being their primary choice for new projects. When determining a compensation plan there are steps that should be considered. The first step is to determine what type of pay structure you are going to use. For your business a pay grade system is the best option. This type of system allows for your organization to compensate employees based on their years of experience and knowledge of the field (Martocchio 2011). The next step is determining the market baseline for the positions. In Arizona, a commercial foreman (salary/exempt) earns about $35,000-$92,000 per year, an estimator/project (salary/exempt) manager receives about $32,000 – $98,00 per year, and a general laborer (hourly/nonexempt) receives about $8.71-20.55 per hour (â€Å"May 2013 State Occupational Employment And Wage Estimates Arizona†, 2014). The next step is to identify pay grades. This will allow an employee with more experience to receive more income. Below are examples of the three positions listed above: Foreman I – 0-5 years’ experience as a foreman for a commercial construction. Foreman II – 6-10 years’ experience. Foreman III – 10+ years’ experience. Project Manager I – 0-2 years’ experience, bachelor’s degree, no project management (PMI) certificate. Project Manager II – 3-5 years’ experience, bachelor’s degree in project management, PMI certificate. Project Manager III – 6+ years’ experience, experienced interaction with customers, PMI certificate and a bachelor’s or higher degree in project management. General Laborer I – 0-3 years’ experience, high school diploma or GED and basic commercial construction knowledge. General Laborer II – 4-9 years’ experience, high school diploma or higher, advanced knowledge. General Laborers III – 10+ years’ experience, high school diploma or higher, expert knowledge. The next step will be establishing the pay ranges for the positions. The recommended pay structure is as followed: Foreman I – $35,000 – $42,000 Foreman II – $42,000 – 57,000 Foreman III – $57,000 – $95,000 Project Manager I – $32,000 – $50,000 Project Manager II – $50,000 – $75,000 Project Manager III – $75,000 – $100,000 General Laborer I – $8.75 – $12.00 General Laborer II – $12.00 – $17.00 General Laborers III – $17.00 – $20.50 The last step, which will be an ongoing step, is to evaluate the pay structure. As an organization you will need to determine if the pay scale matches the talent you are hiring and if adjustments need to be made. Another adjustment that may need to be made is include minimum wage for general laborers. Recommend a position on the Market There are three positions that are recommended to position the company in the market. Management must decide which strategy will best fit the goals of the organization. To lead the market in compensation will be costly. The advantage to leading the market is the company will likely get top talent for the pay. This is unless the top talent is already gainfully employed, then the company may get mediocre talent for top pay. Another possibility is to position the company at the bottom of the market, or to lag in the market. This is not a very attractive employment tactic; however there is a plethora of benefits that can be added to the package that would be more attractive to those that do not consider money the primary reason for joining an organization. The recommended strategy for the organization is to be somewhere in between the high and the low. It is feasible to match the competition in salaries but to offer a package of incentives that will distinguish the company from the other competitors. Some of the ideas management might consider are paid time off from work to include holidays, vacation days, personal days, sick days, and paternity or maternity leave (Heathfield, 2014). Another benefit could be comprehensive dental insurance, many companies are forced to offer medical insurance but dental insurance could be a great selling point to attract potential employees. Perhaps the most important to some people will be investment. The company should  consider establishing a retirement plan or 401(k) for employees. This helps in recruiting employees but also increases the opportunity to maintain employees. There are other incentives that can be offered at the discretion of management. Little incentives like day care, a pumping room for new mothers, and incentives for going to college can make the company more attractive than other similar companies with similar salaries for employees. Total compensation and benefits strategy In today’s economy it is important for a company to have a total compensations and benefits package. The new Obama care guidelines state that everyone must have health insurance. Providing this to your employees will help to relieve some of the financial burden associated with health insurance. Other reasons to offer health insurance according to the Center of Disease Control are healthier people are less likely to take time off of work and are more productive while at work (â€Å"Workplace Health Promotion†, 2014). Other health benefits include dental, vision insurance, and health-club reimbursement. Flexible spending, life insurance, short and long term disability are other benefits that are recommended for employees. Tuition Reimbursement is a great way to show your employees that you are committed to their future and rewarding them for obtaining a higher education. This can also include professional certificates. An employee referral program is a great way to reward employees for their referrals and obtain new applicants. Performance Incentives and Merit Pay As with other business transactions, incentive programs need to be managed with a clear definition with planning, setting goals, assigning responsibility, defining objectives and managing the implementation. A well-executed incentive program will justify its cost through reduction in injury costs, reduced time away from work, and slowing the rate of increase in insurance costs (Hislop, R. D., 1993). Incentive programs need to focus on program elements relative to the industry. Safe work habits and the reduction of absenteeism shall be the focus of these incentives. Define the criteria: What is to be accomplished in order to earn the award The recognition to be offered Establish who qualifies for the awards; (individuals, teams, contractors) Provide a definitive time line Evaluate the risks that are present In order to encourage sense of ownership, urge employees to help manage and control their workplace. Incorporate a sound safety program including not only the safety training but regular toolbox talks (Hislop, R. D., 1993). An offer of $.50-per-hour bonus to each work-crew if the entire crew is present throughout an entire pay period has been an effective tool for one Houston based construction firm (Hislop, R. D., 1993). The additional labor costs are moderate in comparison to the costs associated with hiring, training and injury expenses incurred when laborers are injured or present a high absentee rate. Establishing the incentive as one centered on absenteeism than injury related will curb the possibility of workers not reporting injury in order to achieve bonus and will encourage presence on the site thereby alleviating unnecessary absenteeism. Injuries happen often when a full crew is not present on the jobsite and with the incentive pay; every crew has the opportunity for the b onus. Relating Law With this package, the main focus will be towards the Equal Pay Act. This Act is set forth that requires men and women receive equal pay for equal work in the same establishment (USA.gov, 2014). There is room for differences in pay based upon seniority, merit, or even quality of production. If you find your business in a situation where this act is being violated, you are not allowed to lower the higher paid employee, but you must raise the lower paid employee. When evaluating specific benefits compensation, all aspects need to be considered when attempting to move into a new market. Comparison with current competitors is a wise decision to determine where a new company should choose which benefits. Careful planning will greatly assist the business in setting up as a successful company in the new market. References Ames Construction, Inc. (2014). Benefit Package. Retrieved from http://www.amesconstruction.com/benefit-package.cfm DPR Construction. (2014). Benefits. Retrieved from http://www.dpr.com/company/careers/working-at-dpr/benefits#holidayshutdown Turner Construction. (2014). Benefits, Compensation and Rewards. Retrieved from http://www.turnerconstruction.com/careers/life-at-turner/benefits Heathfield, S. M. (2014). What’s in a comprehensive employee benefits package? About.com Human Resources. Retrieved from http://humanresources.about.com/od/compensation-structure/tp/employee-benefits-package.htm Hislop, R. D. (1993). Developing a safety incentive program. Professional Safety, 38(4), 20. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/200382925?accountid=458 Cost Estimators. (2014). Retrieved from http://www.bls.gov/ooh/business-and- financial/cost-estimators.htm May 2013. State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates Arizona. (2014). Retrieved from http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_az.htm Martocchio, Joseph J. (2011). Strategic compensation: a human resource management approach. (6th ed.). Boston: Prentice Hall Equal Pay/Compensation Discrimination. (2014). USA.Gov. Retrieved from http://www.eeoc.gov/laws/types/equalcompensation.cfm

‘Beautiful Burnout’ by Frantic Assembly

The lights, the outstanding choreography, searing vitality, the knockouts and the unbeatable storyline, are all factors which made this particular play an unforgettable one. I had rather high expectations of the play when I read that Mark Ravenhill had directed one of the adaptations plus the engaging reviews I had read had led me to believe it was going to be brilliant. However, even though the play was spectacular, from my point of view the storyline isn't something that would have attracted me initially and to be blatantly honest a few scenes during the production lost my interest and attention several times, therefore my expectations of the play where slightly let down by the ongoing boxing chatter and masculine clichi fight scenes. A brief description of the story is the dream of a young man and his manager for the young boxer to triumph in the boxing world and become a legend, his dreams are in the blink of an eye stolen from him when during a championship game he is injured and disabled for life, showing that his abilities an love of the game when put into perspective weren't worth it due to the loss of his normal everyday abilities, this proves boxing to be a controversial sport. The play was indeed gripping, due to its controversy, mainly because boxing in the past and present day is one of the most dangerous sports ever to be conceived by our society. It creates many disputable topics and arguments in today's world. The play was undoubtedly contemporary as shown by its many predominant features. This is an obvious observation due to the swearing, colloquialism and contemporary linguistics throughout. The use of visual aids were frequently in use, which consisted of lighting and sound, these played a huge factor in the success and outcome of the play, they did so by using the lighting as an emphasis on the emotion of the storyline, both intimate and intriguing moments, for example when Cameron was struck down the lighting was changed from and exciting purple (to convey an up-beat fight) then drastically to a blood red (in order to show defeat and violence). Furthermore, there were absolutely no set changes, instead they impressively did so by depending solemnly on lighting to change it, quite impressive form my point of view. Another inspiring attribute to the settings of the play was the use of screens which were placed behind the stage, they were very useful in transmitting messages concerning the storyline, sentiments and outlook of the characters. Also the stage was combined with a boxing ring, which made the scene more realistic and believable, it was placed in the centre of the theatre, with the audience surrounding the stage accept behind it, where the screens were located. The set was ever-changing, which gave an exuberant and dramatic effect, during emotional and key moments of the play the entire stage would spin round. There were very few props, however the ones that were present, gave the set a symbolic atmosphere and deepened the meaning of the play (e. g. the washing machine). The sound was also incredibly dependent on the emotion of each scene, it played a vital part on transmitting the adrenalin the boxers were feeling, the music was very loud with an engaging and overwhelming base, which gave the audience a lively and exciting rush. On the down side, from my point of view there were limited boxing sound effects, I personally thought they could have played on it and emphasized it, for example when one of the characters hit something or someone they could have added a sound to symbolize the action, such sounds that are stereotypically featured in action pictures, this effect would have transmitted more of an enthusiastic and stimulating experience on the audience's behalf. Both the style and the form of the play were superb. However I was led to believe that the production was going to be along the lines of Berkoff stylistics, physical theatre. It did although have sufficient amounts of physical theatre, although from my perspective if the play was to have used more of it, it would have improved it, one fine example were the training/dancing sequences, the dancing was absolutely in sync, well coordinated and both matched the theme and emotion of the play. Some of the Gestus were quite mediocre and repetitive, on the other hand some created a chilling atmosphere (e. g. at the end fight when Ajay and Cameron were fighting and using still image combined with Gestus in order to make the fight more intriguing). The utter most outstanding piece of acting style in my opinion was the exaggerated still image to which represented feeling and emotions of the characters. The acting style was a mix of naturalistic at times and physical theatre. In amongst all the physical fight scenes and energetic dance scenes, there were also deep and emotional scenes, for example when Carlotta came onto the stage at the end and dressed her disabled son, I believe it was a directors message, showing how dangerous boxing is as a sport and how detrimentally staining and permanent the outcome can be injury wise, this scene was utterly entrancing. I connected most to this scene as I felt immense sympathy and sadness during this particular moment, as did everyone in the theatre. Frantic Assembly pulled off an outstanding performance, however my personal conclusion is mutual, I neither enjoyed it immensely nor did I dislike it. My final conclusion and memories of this play was that I was thoroughly impressed by the occasional build up of tension, exaggerated still images, the lighting, the shadows which echoed throughout the entire theatre and moreover the music, which was both penetrating and perfectly suited for this type of production. This production allowed the audience to uniquely enter and understand the boxing world in more depth, by expressing and transmitting the emotion into the audience, it unexpectedly highlighted the fighter's feelings and thoughts towards boxing and not just the clichi spectator view and opinion.

Plastic – Boon or Bane

Did you know the very first plastics were produced by German chemists in the 19th century via a fermentation processes. Plastics are everywhere! Plastics are â€Å"one of the greatest innovations of the millennium. The fact that plastic is lightweight, does not rust or rot, helps lower transportation costs and conserves natural resources is the reason for which plastic has gained this much popularity. Plastics are everywhere and have innumerable uses! Plastics are durable, lightweight, and reusable. Also, the are used in packaging many goods. Did you know that if the Titanic was made of plastic, it might still be cruising around the world? Below, I will discuss some of the countless number of ways that plastics change your life:Plastic has replaced metals and glass as the primary material used.Used in pillows and mattresses (cellular polyurethane or polyester)Used in cars and hi-tech computersThey provide good insulation for the wiring and are durable in extreme weather conditions.They provide as a good non-reactive medium as water pipes.They are light weight and colourful.Safe for children when they are food grade plastics.Ordinary plastics cause health hazards to humans when eaten in them. Handy as disposable bags, carry bags, wrapping paper, etc. â€Å"Plastic has benefited our society in a number of ways. In fact, plastic has helped in advancements in satellites, shuttles, aircraft, and missiles. As a result, civilian air travel has improved, as well as military air power and space exploration. In addition, the building and construction, electronics, packaging, and transportation industries have all benefited grea tly from plastic. † Did you know that researches are trying to make a television (made of plastic) that will roll up in your living room? Plastic – Health and Environmental Hazards Although plastic has many positive influences in everyday lives, there have been instances when plastics have posed some health and environmental hazards. Most plastics do not pose any health or environmental hazards, but some monomers that are used in manufacturing plastics, have been proved to cause cancer. Even though recycling continues to reuse plastics, most plastics do not rot and cannot be reused. Unfortunately, this has become an environmental problem: Where will the plastic be disposed? But, many researchers hope to find a solution to this dilemma in the future. When every plastic can be broken down, plastic will truly become the most useful product! Plastic – BaneNon biodegradable.Obstruct underground water percolation.Microbes cannot destroy them.Produce harmful gases when burnt.Plastic bags thrown into the open drains and sewers clog them and cause stagnation of water, which in turn poses health hazardsDisposable syringes, drip bottles, blood and urine bags and other medical accessories when disposed off in an irresponsible manner, cause a lot of serious health problems.Animals sometimes feed on plastics and die painfully as plastic chokes their digestive and respiratory tracts. What we can do: Avoid using plastic bags for shopping. Avoid disposing plastic bags with organic wastes. Avoid using plastic chairs and tables. Plastic is made of crude oil. So lesser usage of plastic saves the crude oil. Plastic from Plants: Is It an Environmental Boon or Bane? Plant-based plastics are beginning to replace petroleum. But as the price drops and usage rises, will the advantages outweigh the disadvantages? Facts:-More than 2. billion plastic bottles partially made from plants * PlantBottle from the Coca-Cola Co. is made by converting sugars from sugarcane farmed in Brazil into the polyethylene terephthalate (PET) * Most importantly from Coke's point of view, none of the six other major varieties of plant-based plastic can keep the carbonation from leaking out.PLASTIC WASTE MANAGEMENT IN INDIA Plastic waste is recycled in India in an â€Å"unorganized† way. 60% of the plastic-waste collected and segregated gets recycled back into materials for further processing into consumer products, while the balance is left unutilized. Regulations and legislations are being enforced in two States of India viz. Haryana and Himachal pradesh, while a National Plastic Waste Management Council Task Force has been set up by the Government of India, Ministry of Environment of Forests, with the association of Department of Petroleum and Chemicals, Ministry of Urban Affairs, Municipal Corporation of Delhi and various groups/associations of plastic manufacturers. Scope is there for the recycling/management of plastic waste, as an `organised activity’ in India Municipal solid waste in India contain 1-4 per cent by weight of plastic waste. India’s rate of recycling of plastic waste is the highest (60%) in the world as compared to other countries (China 10%, Europe 7%, Japan 12%, South Africa 16%, USA 10%). As a source of hazard to environment, plastic account for 16% of chlorine in the environment and have 54 carcinogens, polythene bags for disposal if burnt irresponsibly releases highly toxic gases like phosgene, carbon monoxide, chlorine, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, besides deadly dioxin. Polymers are gradually replacing natural materials like metal, timber and fibres and thereby conserving the natural environment. Polymers are now finding diversified uses through blends and alloys and giving higher standards of performance and life cycles to various products. Plastics waste forms a wide range. Predominantly it is film packaging and polythene carry bags, followed by blow moulded containers, and broken and discarded moulded items. POLICY MEASURES IN INDIA Various policy measures are being taken to check the nuisance caused by plastic waste in India, through there is no definite policy and legislation ramed in respect of mitigating the plastic waste in the country. These are – Regulations and legislation: (a) Until recently there has been no definite environmental policy and legislation framed in respect of plastic waste in India. The plastics waste gets generated, collected, traded, and reprocessed by known methods into useful products, thereby supplementing supply3 of raw materials, and at economic price. However, a HP Non-biodegradable Garbage (Control) Act, 1995, has been introduced by the Government of Himachal Pradesh. The Act appropriately envisages prohibition of throwing or depositing plastic articles in public places and to facilitate the collection through garbage in identifiable and marked garbage receptacles for non-biodegradables, placed at convenient places. Haryana State has announced a Bill (1997) on Non-biodegradable Garbage on similar lines as that of Himachal Pradesh. The National Plastics Waste Management Task Force of the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India, has recommended a strategy and action programme of Plastics Waste Management in India. b) Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India have issued criteria for labeling `plastic products’ as `Environmental Friendly’ under its `Ecomark’ Scheme, in association with the Bureau of Indian Standards. One of the requirements for plastic products, is that the material used for packaging shall be recyclable or biodegradable. (c) The Bureau of Indian Standards, New Delhi (BIS) has issued guidelines on recycling of plastics waste including code of practices for collection, sorting through conventional practices continue to be adopted and accepted, need has been voiced to upgrade these, both by the authorities and NGOs. However, while formulating Indian standard specifications for various plastic products, used for critical applications like plastic piping system, water-storage tanks, packaging for food articles, a clause is included which reads â€Å"no recycled plastics waste shall be used†. An exercise has also been carried out by the Ministry of Environment and Forest in association with Bureau of Indian Standards to include use of recycled plastic waste wherever appropriate in the manufacture of plastic products and this should be specified accordingly in the relevant Indian Specifications. (d) The Prevention of Food Adulteration Department of the Government of India, has issued directives to various catering establishments to use only food-grade plastics, while selling or serving food items. Rules have specified use of `foodgrade’ plastic, which meets certain essential requirements and is considered safe, when in contact with food. The intention is to check possible contamination, and to avert the danger from use of recycled plastic. The Scheme announced in February, 1995 is being implemented in cooperation with Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) which has formulated a series of standards on this subject. The Bureau of Indian Standards Sub-committee PCD 12. 17 is charged with formulating guidelines, codes and specifications for recycling of plastics. Two documents, viz. , â€Å"Guidelines for Recycling of Plastics â€Å" and `Recycled Plastics for Manufacture of Products, Designation’ have been finalised. (e) The Central Pollution Control Board, New Delhi had assigned a study on â€Å"Status of Waste Plastics Recycling in NCR Delhi† to Shri Ram Institute for Industrial Research Delhi. Among the conclusions of this study, the following deserve particular mention: – There is need to formulate and enforce code of good practice both for the processor and the consumer. In particular, standards need to be laid down for products from various plastics waste including the co-mingled one. – Directives should be imposed for a periodic air quality and health/hygienic check in the reprocessing units. (f) During September 1996, (and earlier during September, 1994) a National Conference on `Plastics and Environment’ was organised at New Delhi, by FICCI and Plast India Foundation. It was during the Conference that the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India announced the setting up of National Plastics Waste Management Task Force, with representations of Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals, Ministry of Urban Affairs, Municipal Corporation of Delhi, Plast India Foundation, The All India Plastics Manufacturers Association, All India Federation of Plastics Industry, NOCIL, IPCL, and experts from BMTPC, FICCI and CII. The Task Force has submitted its report (August 1997) and drawn Strategy and Action Programmed for Plastics Waste Management in India. (g) A National Association of PET industry has recently been formed by PET manufacturers and users in India which is expected to look after the organized collection and recycling of PET bottles/containers waste. CONCLUSION Plastic Waste Management has assumed great significance in view of the urbanization activities. Plastic waste generated by the polymer manufacturers at the production, extrusion, quality control ; lab. Testing etc. , stages, as well as, by the consumers require urgent disposal and recycling to avoid health hazards. Various strategies are being devised to mitigate the impact of plastic waste in India. Banning plastic bags oversteps the role of government The Huntington Beach City Council voted 4-3 on Oct. 4 to authorize an environmental impact report on the possible effects of banning plastic grocery bags in the city. The study is the next step in the council’s ill-advised crusade to eradicate single-use plastic grocery bags from within city limits and impose a fee of 10 cents per bag on shoppers who opt for paper bags from merchants. The proposed ban would be unwise, invasive and overreaching public policy because it attempts to use the coercive means of government to alter behavior and because it imposes a new fee on shoppers in Huntington Beach — the equivalent of a new tax. Residents of Surf City should be offended. Technically non-partisan Mayor Joe Carchio and council members Don Hansen and Matthew Harper voted against the proposal; all three are Republican, though the council is technically nonpartisan. Council members Connie Boardman, Keith Bohr, Joe Shaw and Devin Dwyer voted to move forward with authorizing the EIR. We find it peculiar that Mr. Dwyer would vote for such a policy, given that he describes himself as a conservative Republican. The council selected Rincon Consulting to conduct the study, which will cost nearly $30,000. The city will front the money for the report, but it is to be eventually borne by local environmental groups. The city will also pay an additional $10,000 in printing and copying costs for the study. Legislating personal behavior This second vote brings the council closer to making a bag ban a reality. But before proceeding, council members supporting the proposed ordinance ought to reconsider and ponder several questions: Is there sufficient evidence to suggest plastic bags actually have a significant impact on the environment compared with socalled reusable bags? Is it the role of the local city council to legislate personal behaviors and purchasing choices? Is it fiscally prudent to impose a paper-bag fee on residents? The Huntington Beach council majority is pursuing a reckless policy that will have a negative economic impact on the community and be a blow to the individual liberties of residents. Voters ought to reach out to City Hall, and, if that does not work, hold the council members who support the bag ban accountable at the ballot box.