Decision to breastfeed is a very personal Essay

Breastfeeding topic always elicits strong opinions from family and friends. What matters is the infant getting proper nutrition for his optimal growth and development. The American college of Obstetricians and Gynecologist and American Academy of Pediatrics, to great emphasis on importance of breastfeeding. Every infant and mother is unique and has different challenges. Breast milk provides complete nutrition for infants. It has the perfect combination of protein, vitamins, fats and everything infants needs for its growth and development. Breast milk also contains antibodies that help infants fight off bacteria and viruses. Risk of having allergies and asthma are greatly reduced with breastfeeding. Infants who are exclusively breastfed for the first six months, without any formula tend to have fewer respiratory illnesses, ear infection and bouts of diarrhea. These infants also have fewer trips to the doctor and hospitalizations. Breastfeeding also results in higher IQ scores in some studies. The physical touch, closeness, skin-to-skin touch and eye contact, helps infants to bond with the mother and feel secure. Breastfeeding also linked to health weight gain in infants and fight childhood obesity. As per American Academy of Pediatrics, sudden infant death syndrome, risk of diabetes, obesity and certain cancers can be prevented by breastfeeding. Educating the new mother regarding breastfeeding is imperative, to make sure proper nutriment of the infant. Breastfeeding education starts with finding out the mother’s current knowledge and perception towards breastfeeding. Once finding out the mother perception and knowledge about breastfeeding. After educating the mother regarding benefits of breast feeding to infants. Nurses should first have to address the most common concerns of new mothers like: * Weight gain – Breastfeeding burns extra calories and helps lose pregnancy weight faster. It releases the hormone oxytocin, which helps return uterus to its original size and reduces uterine bleeding. * Expenses – Breastfeeding can help save money by not needing to buy formula, rubber nipples and other formula related things. * Sore nipples – It is normal to have sore nipples. Make sure baby latches on correctly and use one finger to break the suction of your baby’s mouth after each feeding. Holding ice or frozen bags of peas against sore nipples can also help ease discomfort. * Not producing enough milk – A general rule of thumb is infants wetting six to eight diapers a day is getting enough milk. Breast size does not have to do anything with milk production. Plenty of sleep, good nutrition and proper hydration helps body to produce more milk * Storing and pumping milk – Milk can be expressed by hand or pumped with a breast pump. Breast milk can be safely can be used with 2 days if stored in refrigerator. Frozen breast milk can be stored for 3 months. Thaw frozen milk in warm water or refrigerator. Do not use microwave oven to heat breast milk. * Breast engorgement – Breast engorgement is healthy and natural. It happens when breast become full of milk, it could also mean blood vessels in breast have become congested, difference between two is, in normal breast stays soft and pliable. * Mastitis – Is an infection of the breast caused by bacteria which enters the breast through a cracked nipple after breastfeeding. Antibiotics are usually needed to clear up a breast infection. Call the doctor if flu-like symptoms, fever and fatigue are noticed. * Stress – Feeling overwhelmed during breastfeeding is normal. Being overly stressed or anxious can interfere with your let down reflex, that’s body natural release of milk into milk ducts. Staying as calm and relaxed as possible before and during nursing can help milk let down and flow more easily, that in turns helps infant to be calm and relaxed and increases emotional bonding.

Advertisements Effects on Women

In our culture, our standards for how women must look and act are important to us. So important that they’ve become damaging to our well-being. Women have no way of escaping being judged on what they wear or how they do their hair. There is no â€Å"regular† female, free of standards, unlike a male. Nowadays, media and even language have influenced our ideals for gender conventions, mostly unconsciously. Pressure on females to fit into these conventions is higher than ever.Media—ads, television, movies, magazines, and celebrities—is something we cannot escape. It surrounds us almost every minute of every day. Involuntarily, the average American sees â€Å"3000 ads in a day, and spends 2 years of their life watching television commercials (Kibourne). † The disadvantages of female conventions have become bigger than ever before, and have come to driving women to extremes. Killing Us Softly 4 by Jean Kilbourne is a remarkably eye-opening documentary ab out how media affects our values, concepts, and ideals. As I’ve already stated, we cannot run away from advertising.Most people believe they’re not influenced by ads, but everyone is influenced by ads, whether they like it or not. Media shows us ideals of what we should be, what everyone should strive to be. They do more than try to sell us products. What we also don’t realize is most of the images we’re fed through advertising are an unrealistic ideal. Computer retouching, also known as Photoshop, is more popular than ever in advertising, and the women on ad’s we’re comparing ourselves to, are computer created. Nobody looks like that, but we continue to compare ourselves to them.In doing so, it creates an absurd amount of pressure on women. Our self-esteem is affected greatly. Advertisements drive women to extremes, such as plastic surgery and eating disorders. Plastic surgery is more popular than ever, and 91% of it is performed on women ( Kilbourne). Breast implants are one of the most common plastic surgeries, but when done, most women lose feeling and sensation in their breasts. When we lose feeling, the procedure is less about our pleasure, and more about other people’s satisfaction with a woman’s body.Advertisements show us that aging equals terror. Botox is injected into the face to remove any signs of emotion a woman could have. Ads also show us that women should be ashamed of what they eat, that most food is a â€Å"guilty pleasure. † Our culture, that’s spreading to different parts of the world, has the capability to make woman everywhere to feel terrible about them selves. When a woman’s self confidence is brought down, they give themselves a â€Å"makeover† to try to look more desirable and feel better about themselves.A change of wardrobe, makeup, or hair can help a woman feel a lot better. In doing so, a woman also chooses to â€Å"mark† her self and how pe ople see her. This brings me to Deborah Tannens essay: There is No Unmarked Woman. Tannen defines the term â€Å"marked† as â€Å"the way language alters the base meaning of a word by adding a linguistic particle (Tannen 68). † Some examples are learn, being the unmarked word, and learnt, being marked and defining a more specific word. Marked words also convey â€Å"female† words, as opposed to unmarked words conveying â€Å"male. Just as similar, females have to make decisions about clothing and their appearance, whereas males do not; females are marked, males are unmarked. As Tannen states in the title, there is no unmarked woman. A woman has a widespread choice of decisions to make on her appearance so that she makes a statement about herself. The range of decisions for males to choose from is much narrower. Tannen examines that â€Å"men can choose styles that are marked, but they don’t have to†¦ (Tannen 68). † Women can’t even cho ose a formal title without judgment; â€Å"Mrs. † and â€Å"Ms. † communicate a relationship status.Tannen even goes as far as to state that writing the article on unmarked women may mark her as a feminist, not as a writer. She states â€Å"merely mentioning women and men marked me as a feminist for some (Tannen 70). † Between these two writers, they cover a lot of common ground. A marked woman, also a woman greatly affected by advertisements, succumbs to consumerism. Feminine qualities are devalued by advertisements; therefore being marked is also devalued. Men are portrayed in advertisements to not have any feminine qualities, thus expressing disapproval for all things feminine.Consequently, men devalue women, and feminine qualities are consistently being devalued. Human qualities are divided into two separate parts and labeled, â€Å"masculine† and â€Å"feminine. † An unmarked man conveys being â€Å"masculine† while marked women are â⠂¬Å"feminine† and therefore not taken as seriously as men. Kilbourne states â€Å"men basically don’t live in a world in which their bodies are routinely scrutinized, criticized, and judged, whereas woman and girls do (Kilbourne). † The disadvantages of gender conventions heavily outweigh the benefits. In fact, I couldn’t find any reasonable benefits.Advertisements put pressure on women to choose to dress in a certain way, or do their hair this way. They put pressure on women to be wanted and beautiful. The idea that there is no marked woman is because we have such a vast variety of choices in how we look. Our ideals are inclined greatly thanks to advertising. Most marked choices that women make are because of ideals that advertisements feed us. These gender conventions will never cease, and they’ll continue to perpetuate. Why? Well, because advertisers make a profit off of making us feel terrible about ourselves.As I stated before, when we feel our self-esteem is low, we try to â€Å"make over† ourselves. The only way to â€Å"make over† your self is through buying products. Females try to fit the ideal that’s fed to us. Females do indeed feel a lot of pressure to be desired. After watching Killing Us Softly 4, I understand where this pressure comes from. No one seems to think that advertising really affects us in any way, when you already know it greatly does. The amounts of decisions we have to make about how we look are overwhelming.I believe that Kilbournes documentary is tremendously relieving because she’s opening people’s eyes to the fact that the media does in fact influence us. Even though Tannen tells us that there’s no escaping these judgments based off our decisions, Kilbourne lifts a weight off our shoulders by telling us that these standards are ridiculously unrealistic. More women than ever have disorders and issues because of the demand to basically look unreal, and I think that we need to start educating our youth about advertising and its harmful effects.During adolescence, we’re greatly influenced by everything around us, and I think it’d be beneficial to show children in middle school documentaries similar to Jean Kilbourne’s series of Killing Us Softly. People need to understand the images ads show us are wrong. Women will always feel pressure to be acceptable to everyone, but the pressures ads are giving women nowadays are misleading. I believe that the fashion industry, with its ever increasingly thin models, and the advertisement industry, devaluing women and creating mpractical ideals, both have some small, but significant, changes to make. I also believe that people should be educated in advertising as it becomes harder to avoid, to understand the industry the way Kilbourne does. People should be able to have thoughts and ideals of their own.Works Cited Killing Us Softly 4. Dir. Sut Jhally. Media Education Foundatio n, 2010. DVD. Tannen, Deborah. â€Å"There is No Unmarked Woman. † ENG 701 Fall 2010 Course Packet. Ed. Alessandro Braidotti. Temple University, 2010. 68-70. Print.

How skills and knowledge acquired in a simulated environment can be Essay

How skills and knowledge acquired in a simulated environment can be transferable to real clinical situations - Essay Example How skills and knowledge acquired in a simulated environment can be transferable to real clinical situations? An independent variable is a variable that the researcher has control over. In this case, the independent variable in the research was the mode of training adopted for nursing education. The manipulation of this variable was attained by assigning differing models of nursing education delivery, which included clinical simulation-based education and actual clinical placement. The dependent variable is the measured element of interest, which is affected in the research, and in this research the dependent variable was the medication errors (Sears et al., 2010, p. 52). The problem presents an opportunity to bridge the gap in knowledge so as to effectively achieve a reduction in medication errors and make appropriate decisions with regard to placements (Sears et al., 2010, p. 52). The study was justified by the fact that most Canadian Schools found it hard to acquire enough clinical placements for their students. As such, it was necessary to determine whether simulations were as effective as actual placements. The confirmation of efficiency would mean that the shortage of clinical placements would be solved through implementation of simulations. The literature review provided is relevant to the study and it cites the need to bridge an identified gap in knowledge as the rationale behind the study. The connection of the study to previous studies is established, but the previous studies are not critically reviewed. The conceptual framework of the study is clearly stated. However, there is no clear summary of the previous literature.

Domino's pizza (evaluation essay) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Domino's pizza (evaluation ) - Essay Example Tossed pizzas, Bread Sticks, Cheesy Bread, Cinna Stix, Buffalo Wings, Boneless Chicken, oven-baked sandwiches, Breadbowl Pastas and Chocolate Lava Crunch Cake. This essay aims to evaluate Domino’s Pizza and compare it with another pizza store, Pizza Hut, which is considered to be its major competitor. Their products and marketing strategies will be assessed and weighed against each other. For this essay, one will focus on the pizza products only. A brief background about Pizza Hut will be discussed in this essay too. A major competitor of Domino’s is Pizza Hut. The first Pizza Hut was established in Wichita, Kansas in 1958, two years before Domino’s. At present Pizza Hut has more than 11,139 stores operating in more than 94 countries. Its menu includes Thin N Crispy, Veggie Lovers, Meat Lovers, Tuscani Pastas, WingStreet wings, pastas, bread sticks, Cinnamon Sticks, Hershey’s Chocolate Dunkers, among others. Both Domino’s and Pizza Hut offer almost the same product line. They both have thin and thick crusts pizza. Aside from the regular pizzas, Domino’s has Mexican-inspired pizzas which are offered for a limited time. Another addition to its pizza line are its gourmet pizzas where they use ingredients such as baby spinach and feta cheese. Like Pizza Hut, they also have a variety of toppings on their pizzas. The tomato sauce topping they use are almost similar in terms of sweetness and sourness. Both have the right blend of seasonings and spices that complement the wide range of toppings. Domino’s however boasts of its meatballs topping. Domino’s and Pizza Hut both have different crust offerings for their pizzas. Pizza Hut prides itself of their hand-tossed crust. One finds Domino’s pan pizza as softer and fluffier. For the thin crust pizzas, one is convinced that the Pizza Hut’s thin-crust pizza is crispier than that of Domino’s. In terms of the promotional strategy, both Domino’s and Pizza Hut have a â€Å"buy one, take

CVS Pharmacy Essay Project Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

CVS Pharmacy Essay Project - Research Paper Example As an organization, CVS is well aware of the fact that a company’s culture has got great impact on its customers and performance. They are very much successful of building up their identity as one of the biggest pharmacy innovation company. To be precise, the organizational culture of CVS could be highlighted in three ways. The CVS has a tradition to honor their best employees with appreciation by means of awards and incentives. This creates a motivational boom within the employees and they tend to work harder. At the end of each calendar year two Award functions are held at CVS. Paragon Awards to honor the best employees in different departments. Chairman’s Awards are held to appreciate the members of the corporate management. This not only motivates the employees but by following this tradition CVS is able to produce remarkable results as an organization. One of the best parts of CVS’s culture is their diverse management. This enables CVS to satisfy the needs of the customer and provide them with best of their services (Berlinski, 2006). Diversity helps them to attract and maintain the talented people to work for them. The management always welcomes new innovations and ideas for improvement from their colleagues and everyone has equal right to contribute to the success. It was completely an honor and pleasure to use the CVS Care Mark a couple of weeks before. One of the best customer services that I have ever witnessed till date. As I entered into the store I was greeted with immense respect as if I was a celebrity. The name of the lady who guided me through was Lorna. It was so nice to see such a helpful clerk working in the store who makes its customers feel so comfortable. The most unique part of the CVS Caremark is its instant response to the customers need. I can say this because the moment I placed my order,

According to contract law, can the injured party claim damages for Essay

According to contract law, can the injured party claim damages for every loss which is caused by a breach of contract Discuss, with reference to case law - Essay Example The victim has choices. The victim may avow the agreement or accept the repudiatory breach and consider the agreement as at an end. For contracts apart from sale of goods contracts, an individual, having full breach knowledge, is perceived to affirm the contract where he decides to go on with it in any case (Png, & Stanford University, p342). The obligation to repudiate in such a scenario is finally mislaid. The responsible individual may, of course, still consider bringing an act in damages for the breach and repudiate the contract for all breaches in future. Mitigation: the party that brings the claim cannot in any way be compensated for any loss arising from his part which he may have overcome by taking the necessary actions. This is termed as the duty to mitigate. Two limbs exists in duty to mitigate which usually arise after the breach has taken place: The party complaining about contract breach should take sensible steps in order to minimize her loss; the expenses incurred in taking such steps may also be compensated, and the complainant must not take unrealistic steps that increases the amount of loss. Causation; the complainant about contract breach must prove on a scale of probabilities that the loss was as result of the breach. In most occasions, the court will often first look at what would have occurred ‘but for’ the breach. If this technique will not bare fruits in terms of having certain finding, the court will be left with the option to consider ‘lost chance’ methodology which considers any chances for what may have taken place. Remoteness; whichever loss that has occurred should not be too remote the prove recovery process to be futile. This means that damages must arise in accordance to normal happenings arising from contract breach itself or may sensibly be ought to have been in the contemplation of the involved parties when the contract was made. Hadley v

Assignment 1 Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 14

1 - Assignment Example Such confusion happens because speech sounds and meanings relate in an arbitrary manner. In other words, there is no rational and logical relationship between speech sounds and meanings. The Portuguese model can best illustrate language arbitrariness. Similarity in words should not be an issue, and neither should the words be understandable to a foreigner. However, the tribesmen need to understand what words mean. The Portuguese words tigre-dente-de-sabre mean a sabre toothed tiger. These words are the signifier. Suppose one was to go back 40 years and ask a Portuguese where to find a tiger with a sabre tooth, he or she would have no idea about it. The reason is that there is no connection between the words and the animal in question. Maybe one would wonder how the words are signified or related to the animal. According to Tomasello, every sign is arbitrary and has conventional associations, which have been established by a social rule (Tomasello 87). At first, one could argue that the statement is completely flawed, especially when onomatopoeic words are concerned. However, when one looks gives a detailed look at specific languages, one will notice certain differences. For instance, cock-a-doodle-doo is the English representation of a cock’s crowing whereas cocorico is the French version of the same. It is unlikely that cocks in Britain and France crow differently. In conclusion, all languages are arbitrary but it does not mean they are unpredictable. Precisely, arbitrariness means that one cannot exactly predict specific features that can be found in a language. It is impossible to predict what sounds will occur. Languages have their systems that differentiate sounds and meanings. Not every new concept necessitates the creation of a new word. The wing of a plane, for instance, was lifted from the wing of a bird. Moreover, a banker and a baker sound almost the same

Emirates Telecommunication Corporation (Etisalat) Assignment

Emirates Telecommunication Corporation (Etisalat) - Assignment Example Etisalat is established on three values that include openness, energy and enablement. Etisalat cultivates the value of openness by being direct, fair and honest in business deals and by being friendly and sociable to their suppliers, customers and employees. The company values and foster energy and enthusiasm required for achieving the best performance in business and are prepared for the future opportunities and challenges (Etisalat, 2015). Finally, the corporation focuses on creating new opportunities and enabling people to attain their goals.   Etisalat’s vision states what the company offers and how they do it, for whom and the reason or intended results. It states as follows; â€Å"People will effortlessly move around the world, staying in touch with family, making new friends as they go, as well as developing new interests. Businesses of all sizes, no longer limited by distance, will be able to reach new markets. Innovative technologies will open up fresh opportunitie s across the globe, allowing the supply of new goods and services to everyone who wants them† (Etisalat, 2015).Location Planning The UAEs Etisalat corporation has it is headquartered in Abu Dhabi and other three regional offices in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and the Northern Emirates (Etisalat, 2015). UAE is the central business region with a focus from across the globe. The mobile penetration in the region is the highest globally having reached over 200% penetration. The region has highly developed technological infrastructures.  

United Arab Emirates Foreign Investment Regulations Essay Example for Free

United Arab Emirates Foreign Investment Regulations Essay Introduction The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is a combination of seven countries and was formed the year 1971 immediately after the British withdrew from Gulf war. It has been known as the major exporter of petroleum in the world. In order to reduce over reliance on petroleum the national government has been trying to encourage the foreign investment in Information and communication technology sectors. However various regulatory frameworks have been enacted by the national government to increase investment in the region. The national government assigns duties to federal government explaining how information and communication technologies are set up by foreign companies. Kuwait and United Arab Emirates have been recognized as centres where sophisticated technologies are found in the Middle East because of the policy of being a free trade zone.   Ã‚  Ã‚   In order to have a competitive ability or advantage in the world market the countries have established a foreign investment regulatory framework to enable them fit well in the information and communication technology market. The investment in ICT has been encouraged to avoid full reliance on petroleum as source of revenue to the national government. The regulatory framework has stimulated the growth of different business ranging from global ,regional to local small and medium Enterprises(SMEs).There have been laws governing the ICT ,foreign direct investment and technology transfer in the countries making them to enjoy competitive advantage in the business environment1 .   A good example of a regulatory law governing foreign investors is the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA).The law was established in the year 2003 to ensure that there is adequacy in the distribution of telecommunication services in the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait Land. The services to be provided should encompass quality and other elements that bring substantial development to the communication sector. The Telecommunication Regulatory Authority also issue new licenses to the operational Data Services providers (DSPs) and Internet Service Providers (ISPs).The new licenses issued by the TRA is aimed at ensuring development of the Telecommunication sector.    The other role played by the TRA in order to attract and protect young investors in the countries is inviting telecommunication engineering firms to submit their proposals on technical and financial evaluation so that they can help in taking the responsibilities in operating the telecommunications technical office. The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority therefore has contributed a lot in attracting foreign investors to develop the ICT firms due to low growth of information and communication technology firm in both United Arab Emirates states and Kuwait2..   Ã‚  Ã‚   The other Regulation enacted by the national government is the National Telecommunications Regulatory Authority(NTRA).The NTRA has come up with a new tariff offer with an objective of promoting healthy competition between operators so that development in telecommunication field can be enhanced3 .For instance there has been a contractual or agreement model   of interconnection that makes it easy for an operator to buy a capacity of interconnection for a fixed tariff .This has been enacted to bring a substantial development in the countries. Conclusion. The slow development in Information and Communication Technology sector in UAE and Kuwait called for enactment of various foreign investments regulations to enhance growth in the sector. The foreign investors in the communication field have been encouraged to invest so as to make the states have competitive advantage in the global market. It also aims at reducing full dependence on petroleum as the only source of revenue to the national and federal governments. Bibliography Christian Campbell and Editor Campbell .Legal Aspects of doing business in the Middle East.   Ã‚  Ã‚   London: Lulu 2006. Elizabeth Fox Genovese.The Middle East and North Africa 2000.Middle East: Europa   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Publications 2002. World of Information .Middle East Review. The economic and Business report .London: Kogan   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   2003. 1 Christian Campbell and Editor Campbell .Legal Aspects of doing business in the Middle East. London: Lulu 2006 2 World of Information .Middle East Review. The economic and Business report .London: Kogan 2003 3 Elizabeth Fox Genovese.The Middle East and North Africa 2000.Middle East: Europa publications 2002.

Person Centred Approach Essay Example for Free

Person Centred Approach Essay The definition of person centred values is treating and seeing people in a care setting as equals, who are involved in decision making to promote an independent way of life and to ensure that the care that is provided is appropriate to their needs. It takes into account service users views and needs and places them, along with their family at the centre of all decision making. Working in a way that embeds person centred values is important to meet the needs of my service user. With my clients it helps to build relationships with them and their family members to ensure a good quality of life and provide the best possible quality of care. This ranges from me attending to my service users personal care needs in a respectful way and to support them to achieve tasks on their own, to choices of what activities they would like to do that can help them to express their individuality or help them to create new relationships and overcome any feelings of social exclusion or devaluation. I also believe it’s important to respect any religious or cultural beliefs that they may have and support the individual to follow their chosen faith. Read more:  Person Centred Care Firstly I would look at the way in which I communicate with my service user. If they are verbal the simplest way I find out about the individual is to talk directly to them as it allows them to fully express themselves and make their own decisions. If non verbal then I would communication methods such as makaton, picture cards and visual aids to learn of their likes and dislikes. Another way is to speak with siblings as they could provide information the client may be unaware of or may have forgotten but also so they are included in the building of the care plan and it helps me build an understanding and a relationship with them. Talking with social workers, previous support workers, doctors or any other professional involved in the clients care an also provide information about their preferences and anything that may be important to the individual. With these methods it helps me find as much information as possible about my service user. In order to take into account the history, preferences, wishes and needs of an individual when planning care and support I would refer to the principles of person centred care. Rather than just supplying a service, each person should be treated as an individual by offering a personalised service specific to their needs and preferences. For example if an individual enjoyed an activity such as walking but needed support to do so I would plan a time for a walk so that the individual would get enjoyment from doing activities they choose and feel valued. Also, they should be treated them with the same dignity and respect you would want for a member family of your own. Refer to support plans to ensure the highest level of person centred care is maintained. Each individual’s care plan outlines and details the service user’s preferences and day to day requirements so that they receive the specific care and daily support they require from the level of support required with an individual’s personal hygiene and how to do it in a respectful way to what food and activities they like. The information is centred on the individuals wants and needs to ensure independence and choice rather than control, choice should always be offered regardless of importance of the activity or task, therefore each individuals care plan contributes to working in a person centred way. The term consent means giving permission to do something or agreement to an action and in a care setting consent is needed for a number of things. With my clients I need to ask for consent for administering medication, for help with bills, finances and banking, help with certain type of care such as bathing and personal hygiene. It’s important to gain consent for all activities as lack of it could be deemed as abuse as I would forcing someone to perform or to take part in a task or an activity they don’t want to be involved in. Consent however should not just be gained, but the client must fully understand what they are consenting to and any possible implications that the action or task can imply. It is also essential for protecting myself from any legal challenge. There are a few ways to establish an individual’s consent but it depends upon the individuals preferred communication. The methods I use with my clients are verbal, written notes, visual aids such as picture cards, makaton, some individuals communicate physically with body movements such as a nod or through a representative or advocate. Any of these are forms establishing consent that i would look to use with my clients. Establishing consent will vary as each individual’s capacity to consent is assessed. If consent cannot be established first steps would be to not carry out the task and document the information. If a person is mentally incapable of providing consent then you should refer to the individuals care/support plan that may have been established at a time when they were capable of making informed decisions. If this fails, consent can be given by next of kin or an advocate however I would ensure my client must be involved as much as possible to adhere to person centred values. Active participation is a way of working that allows an individual to be completely involved in every aspect of their lives. This could be what my service users have to eat, what they wear when they go out or go to work in, or it could be planning tasks and activities for the week ahead, deciding on where to go such as day trips out or holidays, arranging appointments to the doctors or the dentists and active participation in services that relate to their own care. Helping to be in control of their lives rather that a passive recipient. Active participation helps individuals by benefitting them in a number of ways. I believe it gives them independence and makes the service user feel in control of their own lives rather than having decisions made for them or having few choices. There are many benefits I’ve noticed such as growth in confidence in social situations, a sense of well being, a sense of achievement of taking control of their lives and I’ve noticed the mental and physical stimulation it also brings. Also encouraging individuals to participate in the planning and arranging of their own care increases their self confidence, independence and it is empowering. There are many ways to reducing barriers of active participation. In order to reduce any barriers to active participation you have to look at what the barriers could be. They could be lack of confidence or self esteem, a lack of opportunity to activities, difficulty in communication and lack of patience of others. To overcome these barriers I support my service users by offering them choices and in every aspect of their day to day lives and offering them opportunity to plan and do activities they enjoy which improves their confidence. I think it’s very important to have the patience to listen to service users and take time to understand how they feel and I find by discussing why they feel like this and talking through it can increase their feeling of self esteem. Communication barriers can be overcome by staff development and training, language and makaton are tools that can be learnt, but there other ways like picture cards and hand gestures I use with some service users to offer choices and to make decisions when they are non verbal. The method I find best to encourage active participation is by communicating and offering choices and then giving praise and encouragement to service users to increase their confidence to then go on to make more decisions in different aspect of their lives for themselves. I find it’s good to look for local events or if they show an interest in a hobby you could find out about local groups that would be prepared to support the individual to participate. You should always highlight the benefits of the activity and getting family members to join in with activities can make a big difference to encouraging participation from individuals. I would support an individual to make informed choices by giving the individual the full information regarding that decision. I would explain the positive and the negative effects of that decision regardless of my beliefs or views as my personal view should not influence an individual’s choice. The choices and decisions can be as simple offering the full information on items when supporting individuals with shopping, giving information on price and helping to find offers or decisions that may require risk assessments to make the individual fully aware of the any risks that may be involved. I believe all staff in a care setting should help to  empower their client by offering the information, knowledge and confidence to make informed decisions. I think risk taking can be part of an individual’s choices because there is risk in many day to day things that we do. Due to the nature of an individual’s disability, a simple task could be deemed a risk and would need risk assessing to make them fully aware of any potential dangers or threats to the individual’s safety. It’s important to make individuals aware of any risks or hazards Risk assessment processes are used to make an individual aware of the positive and negative consequences involved when for example taking part in an activity, we look at and record the risks and hazards involved and then decide if the risk is worth taking. However there are benefits that have to be taken in to consideration as new activities promote confidence and empowers individuals to live more independent lives. Having choice is an individual’s right, risk assessments provide support for them to make decisions in the safest way possible. I believe a worker’s personal views should not influence an individual’s choices because that is taking away their right to make informed choices. My views for example are not fact and should not be used to influence any decisions or life choices. I could inform an individual if a certain food was bad for them and suggest a healthier option however whatever they decide is their choice. Another example is religious or cultural choices and beliefs, my views are my own and I would support them to attend religious or cultural services and acknowledge religious holidays.

Theories on Conflict

Theories on Conflict Introduction Conflicts today abound which demand explanation. Understanding the roots of conflict is especially true now given the rise of populism which catapulted controversial leaders like President Donald Trump of the United States and President Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines, each of their own right riding onto the wave of either anti-immigration or anti-crime sentiment. Trump has sparked numerous protests due to his contentious Muslim travel ban (Thrush, 2017) while Duterte has earned international condemnation for the spate of extrajudicial killings arising from his all-out war on drugs and criminality (Al Jazeera, 2017). Each of these leaders claim to be resolving root causes of conflict in their respective countries Trump, restricting immigration in order to address the imminent security threat that the liberal immigration policies of erstwhile US administrations have posed, while Duterte, clamping down on the drug trade which he considers to be a top cause of underdevelopment and n ational degeneration. The theories on conflict discussed and learned over the course of three weeks helped me frame a deeper understanding as to why both Trump and Dutertes analysis may be critically attacked and in what instances, they are either correct or fall short. A school of theories under the systems theory consider how the roots of violence are all interconnected and are products of social, political and economic interactions. New emerging theories such as the human needs theory consider the deprivation of basic human needs to be a direct cause of conflict and suggest that addressing the same would eradicate conflict. Lastly, various social theories from Karl Marx to Franz Fanon provide me with lenses to be used in studying social disruption for these theories really enunciate what causes societal fractures and what can be done about it. This paper is a critical reflection of the following body of conflicts theories. Discussion of Conflict and Social Theories Systems Theory Simply stated, the systems theory considers conflict to be the whole of many problematic parts of society which are inextricably linked. Conflict therefore arises not due to individual or micro-level differences and contradictions but of a general system. Systems theories seek to understand conflict by looking at how several elements located in a social system interact with one another. Violence, according to systems theorists, should be viewed from the level of (1) individuals (2) dyads; (3) subsystems (family, community, religious groups and general society). Subsystems are organized in a manner which could either encourage or deter or regulate violence. Direct efforts at changing elements of the system will not prosper since the system will immediately provide a replacement for the missing element. Hence, ending violence, which is a systematic problem requires a coordinated and comprehensive approach. The general systems theory is useful in uncovering relationships and interaction s which contribute to violence from different levels. However, its weakness lies in the fact that it is a value-free theory which requires theoretical directions. Structural violence Structural violence, according to John Galtung, pertains to a form of violence arising from a social structure or institution which harms people by deliberately depriving them of capacity to satisfy their immediate human needs. This kind of violence does not take a physical form or image but consists of avoidable impairment of fundamental human needs (Galtung,ÂÂ   1969, p. 32). The notion of structural violence impels one to look for inequalities within social structures may it be inequalities in wealth, power, privilege, access and opportunity which breed injustice. In the same light, structural violence also compels one to look at the connections between what might be falsely considered as mutually exclusive worlds. In essence, the theory of structural violence as a way of addressing conflict encourages people to proceed with moral outrage and critical participation where previously our reflexive response would be passive acceptance of these inequalities. Institutionalized ra cism, classism and sexism are forms of structural violence which are usually considered as inherent characteristics of society. Galtung however encourages to look beyond these inequalities and to find connections in order to dismantle structures which permit these injustices. In my view, structural violence is a timely method of deconstructing conflict in todays world. For instance, the notion of viewing refugees as a potential source of conflict is a worldview tacitly accepted in global policy. Acceptance of refugees is viewed to potentially open the floodgates for terrorism, crime, and other degenerate activities that threaten national security. However, when viewed from perspective of structural violence, we can proceed to view the refugee crisis more critically and conclude that instead of treating refugees as potential threats, they should instead be viewed as people who deserve to be treated with dignity. Relative Deprivation Theory This theory assumes that social conflict arises due to peoples perceptions of inequality. When people perceive that there exists a disparity from what they deserve to enjoy from what they currently enjoy, they became discontented with their situation (Walker Pettigrew, 1984). The relative deprivation theory hypothesizes that conflict arises when the gap between two groups within a particular population is too wide, the possibility of rebellion becomes more likely. The assumption is that people are bound to perceive that they enjoy certain entitlements from society and when they are deprived of this while a number of other people belonging to the same population enjoy the same, dissent comes into being. Relative deprivation theory focuses on value expectations which need to be met within a certain society. Thus, when a society has a relatively high rate of economic inequality, the more likely it is that people will rebel. While the origin of the deprivation is economic, a state of po verty does not necessarily translate to violence. However, when individual expectations of poor people become transformed as a group identity, they become a political force that will not hesitate to use violence in order to combat their perceived discrimination. In other words, relative deprivation theory considers that violence stems from a persons judgment of his or her economic circumstances in the community. To a certain extent, an individuals subjective evaluation of his or her community status is essential to their conduct. Theory of cooperation The theory of cooperation proceeds from the notion that conflicts are generally characterized by cooperation and cooperation as twin motives. Deutsch (1949, 1985) formulated this theory in order to comprehend the conflict process better and how to come up with more effective conflict resolution methods. Deutschs primary thesis is that in order to resolve conflict, it is a key step to understand the nature of interdependence of both parties in conflict. Interdependence could be negative or positive. When the goals of both parties are negatively interdependent, a partys success automatically means the others failure. Upon the other hand, when the goals of both parties are positively interdependent, one partys success is correlated with the other partys success while one partys failure is also correlated with the other party failure. In the latter form of interdependence, cooperative relationships can be had in order to secure a win-win outcome for both parties to a conflict. Cooperative relationships are considered to demonstrate several positive features such as effective communication, openness, a friendly atmosphere and commitment to mutuality. In contrast, competitive relationships bring about the opposite results such as closed communication, lack of coordinated activities, an atmosphere of suspicion and a sense of domination. Based on Deutschs research, constructive conflict resolution is more linked to cooperative processes rather than competitive processes which he considered destructive. In order to foster cooperative relationships towards constructive conflict resolution, Deutsch likened it to friendly social relations. This is marked by empowering gestures and a reframing of attitudes. Thus, he recommends that both parties agree to commit to adherence to norms in the conduct of talks and negotiations. Among these norms include respect, honesty, responsiveness, forgiveness, and acknowledgment of responsibility. These values, due to their universal value and acceptance, can pose as common grounds for both parties to stand on. Emerging Conflict Theories: Human Needs Theory An emerging trend in conflict theory shifts the focus from the political economy to basic human needs. This perspective is anchored on the fact that human beings need to acquire essentials in order to live with dignity. Human needs theorists place the cause of conflict to unmet human needs. In this light, they argue that violence happens when certain groups or individuals are deprived of basic human needs (Burton, 1979). Theorists however have disagreed on what human needs means. In Burtons (1979) view, human needs that need to be addressed in the context of conflict go beyond the basic biological or subsistence needs. Instead, unmet needs related to social conflict include identifiy, recognition, security and development. As Burtons human needs theory progressed, he highlighted how existing state systems have miserably failed to provide a sense of identity thereby fueling ethno-linguistic separatist movements. If certain ethnic groups are deprived of their freedom to express their own national identities within the status quo, they will tend to establish parallel revolutionary systems in order to achieve the same. Burton provides as concrete examples the ethnic nationalist struggle in Kosovo in 1989 as well as various gang subcultures. Burton opined that human need theory can help explain conflict and pave the way for better conflict resolution because Rubenstein (2010) considers the human needs theory as providing a better explanation to social conflict compared to theories which focus only on the errors of a few manipulative leaders or institutions, as embodied in Samuel Huntingtons clash of civilizations theory. Echoing Burtons view, Rubenstein views the human needs theory to provide the study of conflict with a more objective basis which goes beyond local or cultural differences. The needs-based approach to understanding social conflict defies traditional notions of conflict and instead uses unsatisfied human needs as the independent variable to explain why elite dominance or cultural differences lead to conflict. However, Park (2010) critiqued Burtons positivist framework of needs theory and encouraged a more critical definition of needs to mean that there are needs that do not directly bear upon material sustenance like recognition and freedom from coercion that must also not be obstructed lest there be undesirable consequences (p. 1). Park took issue with Burtons reliance on the biological explanation for Needs Theory to support protection of rights and universal freedoms. Instead, she advocates for a psychoanalytic view to suggest that not needs are not universal. According to her, needs are essentially socially constructed. The needs which people pursue are socially engineered and they may even pursue false pleasures. In sum, Park considers with caution the use of the black box that is human needs. The definition of human needs is not simple but very complex and difficult to understand. Conflict from the Lens of Social Theory Equally relevant to the study of conflict is the development of social theory arising from social disruption. In Charles Lemerts (2016) book, multiple social theorists and their viewpoints on conflict are critically discussed. From the classical Great White Men theories arose alternative views on social relationships and social conflict which can be applied to the contemporary context. Among the most notable of these social theorists include of course, Karl Marx, publicly voted as the worlds greatest philosopher (BBC News, 2015). Marx wrote Das Kapital as well as the Manifesto together with Friedrich Engels at a time of extreme economic discontent. Marx focused on his critique of political economy which obscures the internal relationships of labor and capital and discussed a pivotal feature which is the workers alienation and estrangement. What is the most striking and palpable among these types of alienation is what fuels labor unrest: that of labor commodification and the reduction of the worker to a mere object. Simply stated, the more a worker produces out of his labour power, the cheaper he or she becomes as a commodity. Because the worker is paid at a fixed rate, more and more profit is being gained by the capitalist due to his work but unfortunately the worker does not earn additional wages for it. Marxist thought has gained traction especially with the cris is of global capitalism, environmental destruction, and global poverty. Until, his theory of class as the root cause of contradiction in society remains very relevant. However, many theorists developed a more expansive construction of his view on social classes. Max Weber, another classical theorist, came up with an alternative approach to the study of classes. For Marx, ones class is defined and determined by ones ownership of the means of production. Thus, Marx considered historical class antagonisms and identified these two groups in contemporary capitalist society as the proletariat and bourgeoisie. The contradictory relationship that the classes have pushes social development forward. Weber considers social groups and classes as determined through the distribution of power. Social stratification then, occurs through overlapping means and not only through economic differentiation. Other social theorists also focus on micro-level analysis to understand conflict. Sigmund Freud uses psychoanalytic theory to understand inner conflict among human beings. Freuds treatise laid down the anatomy of the self as made up of the interaction between three components dynamically interacting: the id, ego, and superego. All of these components of the self develop with socialization hence constructing the social self. Biology interacting with socialization shapes a human beings personality. When one of the three elements is allowed to dominate the other two, social problems may arise. Also developing Marxs theory of alienation, Horkheimer and Adorno criticized the use of cultural goods in order to project false consciousness. Cultural goods are appropriated into transforming humans as passive and docile objects of a system which was actually oppressing them. Aside from creating a false consciousness, they also suggested that popular culture is geared at creating false needs in order to engineer human beings into consuming in a massive scale. This cultural appropriation in turn heightens humans alienation and creates possible sources of conflict. The readings also tell us that social theories do not stay static. Even among key capitalist thinkers, there have been different approaches to address economic problems. For instance, John Maynard Keynes challenged the neoclassical economic paradigm advanced by Adam Smith and disciples which advocated for minimal to no government interference in favor of full-out control of the invisible hand of the market to attain equilibrium.ÂÂ   Instead, Keynes suggested implementing government regulation and intervention in order to arrest the economic recession. Social theories also help us understand racial conflict. Martin Luther King, Jr. called for an end to racial discrimination which he considered a ghastly reality America must face as a nation. In describing the horrendous social conditions which African Americans and other colored peoples are subjected to, King claimed that America had manacles of segregation and chains of discrimination which breed chronic poverty and injustice for certain segments of the population. Franz Fanon provides a stirring account of decolonization as a form of liberation. His work remains relevant especially in light of the fact that many of todays underdeveloped countries are former colonies of imperialist nations which have not completely been unshackled from their former masters economically, politically and culturally. It is only through liberation, which is necessarily violent that the colonized thing becomes fully a man. C. Wright Mills teaches the student to develop the sociological imagination which is a way of looking at themselves as the result of both biology and history and in always looking at the world through fresh eyes. One is challenged to go beyond looking at ones self as well and instead consider ones development as product of several processes occurring within a system. Conclusion Given the reality of global conflict today, conflict theories and social theories enable one to look at the phenomenon with renewed understanding and critical outlook. There are classical and alternative approaches of looking at conflict and conflict resolution processes. There are also classical and alternative ways of interpreting social conflict throughout history. Having a steady grasp of these theories assist the student thoroughly by providing him with several lenses to look at the problem and identify solutions. References Al Jazeera (2017). Thousands march against Dutertes war on drugs. Retrieved from http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/02/thousands-march-duterte-war-drugs-170218034827033.html Deutsch, M. (1985). Distributive justice: A social psychological perspective. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press. Galtung, J. (1969). Violence, Peace, and Peace Research. Journal of Peace Research, 6 (3), 167-191. Lemert, C. (2016). Social Theory: The Multicultural, Global and Classic Readings (6th ed.) Boulder, CO: Westview Press. Park, L. (2010). Opening the black box: reconsidering needs theory through psychoanalysis and critical theory. International Journal of Peace Studies. Retrieved from https://www.gmu.edu/programs/icar/ijps/vol15_1/PARK15n1-IJPS.pdf Rubenstein, R. E. (2010). Basic Human Needs: The Next Steps in Theory Development. The International Journal of Peace Studies, 6 (1), 51-58. Thrush, G. (2017). Trumps travel ban blocks migrant from six nations, sparing Iraq. Retrieved from: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/06/us/politics/travel-ban-muslim-trump.html?_r=0Deutsch, M. (1949). A theory of cooperation and competition. Human Relations, 2, 129-151.

Free College Admissions Essays: Emerging from the Shadows :: College Admissions Essays

Emerging from the Shadows She stands a staggering 5 feet 2 inches tall, weighs a massive 95 pounds, and has short, brown hair and brown eyes. I see my older sister Leslie. Others see a model of perfection. Don't get me wrong, my sister and I are close and have been inseparable since birth. My mother has kept pictures of us ranging from the time we shared a playpen as babies to just recently at Leslie's graduation. For seventeen years, we've shared every life experience imaginable, and we've dealt with the trials and tribulations that come with growing up. But in September, she left home to attend the University of California at Irvine, leaving me to face life alone. However, it gave me the opportunity to live life by myself as Ryan, instead of Leslie's little brother. Since the beginning, I have gone to the same school as Leslie, and almost every year I got stuck with a teacher that she had had the previous year. Being only eleven months younger than my sibling made the memory of Leslie, being the bright student that she is, easier for my teachers to recall. Every September for eleven years I was greeted by all of my teachers with the same "Oh you're Leslie's little brother." This was really no big deal. The following year, my fifth grade teacher said to me, "Oh you're Leslie's little brother?" This normally did not faze me since it happened to me several times before with different people, but on this occasion, it was the same person. This upset me a little. At first this association with my scholarly sister did not bother me too much. If anything I found it beneficial because I believed that it would help me build relationships with my teachers. But with each passing year, the little comments and remarks literally ate away at my identity. Comments like "You did good, but Leslie got a better grade last year," can easily destroy a child's self-esteem. As I became older, I started believing that I was not growing up as myself, but rather as the product of someone else. It almost made me happy to see older teachers leave and others take their place. Unfortunately, school made up only half of the problem. The other half occurred in the one place where it really should not but often did: at home. Free College Admissions Essays: Emerging from the Shadows :: College Admissions Essays Emerging from the Shadows She stands a staggering 5 feet 2 inches tall, weighs a massive 95 pounds, and has short, brown hair and brown eyes. I see my older sister Leslie. Others see a model of perfection. Don't get me wrong, my sister and I are close and have been inseparable since birth. My mother has kept pictures of us ranging from the time we shared a playpen as babies to just recently at Leslie's graduation. For seventeen years, we've shared every life experience imaginable, and we've dealt with the trials and tribulations that come with growing up. But in September, she left home to attend the University of California at Irvine, leaving me to face life alone. However, it gave me the opportunity to live life by myself as Ryan, instead of Leslie's little brother. Since the beginning, I have gone to the same school as Leslie, and almost every year I got stuck with a teacher that she had had the previous year. Being only eleven months younger than my sibling made the memory of Leslie, being the bright student that she is, easier for my teachers to recall. Every September for eleven years I was greeted by all of my teachers with the same "Oh you're Leslie's little brother." This was really no big deal. The following year, my fifth grade teacher said to me, "Oh you're Leslie's little brother?" This normally did not faze me since it happened to me several times before with different people, but on this occasion, it was the same person. This upset me a little. At first this association with my scholarly sister did not bother me too much. If anything I found it beneficial because I believed that it would help me build relationships with my teachers. But with each passing year, the little comments and remarks literally ate away at my identity. Comments like "You did good, but Leslie got a better grade last year," can easily destroy a child's self-esteem. As I became older, I started believing that I was not growing up as myself, but rather as the product of someone else. It almost made me happy to see older teachers leave and others take their place. Unfortunately, school made up only half of the problem. The other half occurred in the one place where it really should not but often did: at home.

Escaping the Fog of Pride and Prejudice :: Pride Prejudice Essays

Escaping the Fog of Pride and Prejudice The words of the title of Jane Austen's novel, Pride and Prejudice, shroud the main characters, Elizabeth and Darcy in a fog. The plot of the novel focuses on how Elizabeth and Darcy escape the fog and find each other. Both characters must individually recognize their faults and purge them. At the beginning of the novel, it seems as if the two will never be able to escape the thick fog. The scene at the Netherfield ball makes the marriage of Elizabeth and Darcy much more climactic because the pride and prejudice of both increases greatly during the night. The Netherfield ball is the first time Darcy and Elizabeth dance. When Darcy asks Elizabeth she is so surprised and confused that she says yes to a man who she is determined to hate. At the Meryton ball she had quickly made a sketch of Darcy's character. Compared to Jane who "never [sees] a fault in any body" (11), she doesn't believe only the best in everyone. She is usually right about people. From simply hearing Mr. Collins' letter, she asks if he is a sensible man, which he proves not to be. She is precisely perceptive of everyone except Wikham and Darcy. At the Meryton ball, Darcy is very reserved. He refuses to dance with Elizabeth when Bingley asks him to, saying that Elizabeth is not handsome enough to tempt him. Elizabeth's pride is hurt and she characterizes Darcy as disagreeable and proud. When Elizabeth first meets Wikham, she is blinded by her prejudice of Darcy as she accepts everything harmful Wikham has to say of Darcy. The plot of the rest of the book revolves around Elizabeth discovering the true nature of both Darcy and Wikham. At the Netherfield ball, it seems this will never happen. From the beginning of the night, when Elizabeth discovers Wikham didn't attend the ball in order to avoid Darcy she "was resolved against any sort of conversation with him" (60). Her hate of Darcy is sharpened, yet when he asks her to dance, she accepts in her confusement. There is an awkwardness between the two as they start to dance.

Government Health Care

Jerry Trevorrow English 0900-11 Essay #2 Government Healthcare The overwhelming majority of Americans agree that reform of our healthcare system is necessary; debate continues to rage over what specific type of reform we need. Imagine having uk/the-advantages-and-disadvantages-of-governments-providing-free-health-care/">free health care, and never to worry about getting the healthcare you need. This being available would give people a chance to live a little better. Having the government provide healthcare would be better for Americans. This type of health insurance would help the unemployed as well as the employed.The price of health insurance is increasingly costing the American people thousands of dollars on premiums. The quality of medical coverage in the United States is among the best in the Nation. With free health care American’s are able to see a doctor early so that they can help prevent major problems like cancer, HIV or other major illnesses. The positive side of g overnment healthcare is no exclusions for pre-existing conditions. You are insured from the day you are born. No bankruptcies due to medical bills.No deaths due to lack of health insurance or Cheaper , More affordable; everybody in nobody out. Save taxpayers billions a year in bloated corporate administrative and executive compensation costs. Government-funded healthcare would provide access to medical services for all uninsured. Lower costs of government healthcare will cause insurance coverage to be significantly more accessible to millions of individuals and businesses. Doctors and other medical professionals can focus on patient care, and no longer need to spend hundreds of wasted hours annually dealing with insurance companies.Patients too, under government healthcare would never need to fritter inordinate amounts of frustrating time haggling with insurance companies. Other important positives of government-funded healthcare include: 47 million Americans lacked healthcare insur ance coverage as of the 2008 presidential campaign season. Soaring unemployment since then have caused the ranks of the uninsured to swell past 50 million in mid-2009. Conservatives and Libertarians oppose U. S. overnment healthcare mainly because they don't believe that it's a proper role of government to provide social services to private citizens. Instead, conservatives believe that healthcare coverage should continue to be provided solely by private-sector for-profit insurance corporations or possibly by non-profit entities. In 2009, a handful of Congressional Republicans have suggested that perhaps the uninsured could obtain limited medical services via a voucher system and tax credits for low-income families. This is like what Minnesota care is about.Low income or no income you can get Minnesota care. You might have a monthly fee for the policy or have to pay three dollar co-pay for everything. You are only allowed to use up to ten thousand dollars of medical care for a year a t a time. From the patient's perspective, negatives of government-funded healthcare might include. Decrease in flexibility for patients to freely choose from among the vast types of drugs, treatment options, and surgical procedures offered today by higher-priced doctors and hospitals.On June 18, 2009, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi told the press, â€Å"I have every confidence that we will have a public option coming out of the House of Representatives — that will be one that is actuarially sound, administratively self-sufficient, one that contributes as to competition, does not eliminate competition. † Less potential doctors may opt to enter the medical profession due to decreased opportunities for highly compensated positions. Fewer doctors coupled with skyrocketing demand for doctors could lead to a shortage of medical professionals, and to longer waiting periods for appointments.The American Medical Association, which represents 29% of U. S. doctors, opposes any government insurance plan mainly because doctors' reimbursement rates will be less than those from most private sector plans. Not all doctors oppose government-funded healthcare, though. There are many other countries, which have government healthcare and are doing well with it. The percentages of longer life expectancy are better in those countries compare to the U. S. Canada’s life expectancy is 81. 3 percent; compare to the U. S is 78. 1 percent. Physicians per 1000 people as follows; Canada is 2. compare to the U. S is at 2. 4. There is not much difference from what we have now compared to government healthcare in services and quality of care per patience. We will benefit of living longer with government healthcare, as we know we are the lowest in life expectancy to many other countries. The government controlling anything should be healthcare. Instead of the other issues they are regulating now. Having the governments provide healthcare would be the best thing for all Am erican’s. I feel we would greatly benefit from this and become more of a healthier country.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Throughout the many genres of filming, D. W Griffiths’ (David Llewelyn Wark) film, Intolerance (1916) encouraged the beginning of a unique genre of filming; Art House. Art house film’s individuality of filming is targeted at a smaller market audience. Unlike Hollywood cinema, Art house uses a unique strategy of capturing the audience by crossing boundaries and making the basis of the storylines harder to predict, leaving the audience puzzled throughout, and usually after the film has ended.The tale of Joel and Clementine in the film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind shows the director Michael Gondry’s ability to withhold the events of a unique romance and shape it into a genre of Art house through its representations and languages. Michael Gondry’s Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind was released on March the 19th 2004 in North America with a production budget of $20 million and grossed over US $70 million worldwide. The title is taken from the poem Eloisa to Abelard by Alexander Pope, the story of a tragic love affair, where forgetfulness became the star's only comfort.The storyline basis begins with Joel suffering with a heavy break-up with Clementine, a dysfunctional free spirit who decides she wants to erase every memory of her and Joel together. When Joel learns this, he makes his way to the memory erasing company Lacuna Inc.  ® and has the procedure done on himself. As he undergoes the process, he realises he wants to keep his recollections of Clementine and subconsciously avoids the erasure of Clementine from his memory.Typical Hollywood films are limited in their use of camera angles to suit the scene, genre, and storyline, whereas Art house films are unrestricted with plenty of variety of angles, shots, and scene layouts. Gondry filmed in a near-documentary style, giving a large range of camera angles. In the scene where Joel is under the table, in discussion of Joel and Michael Gondry, the table was set up to be hei ghted differently, and furniture was made larger towards the back of the set to give the effect that Joel was miniature.The director chose to make the film in a non-chronological order, with many of the more imaginative sequences being set deep in Joel's mind, as he invades his own memories to keep them from slipping away. Other effects used were in-camera tricks of the eye and lense of the camera used. According to the end credits, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind was filmed in and around Brooklyn, Manhattan, Montauk, Mount Vernon, Wainscott, and Yonkers, New York and also in Bayonne and West Orange in New Jersey.The unusual layout of the scenes were arbitrarily set in a way which confuses the viewer and puzzles their mindset on the events occurring throughout the movie. Art house Cinema is a genre in which specific events occur without reason throughout the many films of Art house, and in which are never explained throughout the entire film. The symbolism Gondry has created t hroughout the film would not usually relate to the conventional Hollywood films. Within most Hollywood films, scenes are set to suit to the stereotypical genre. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind uses many scenes with critical symbolism, such as the use of sand.The use of sand throughout the erasure of Joel’s memories of Clementine reflects upon the Storyline as its constant use of sand in the scenes symbolise Joel’s memories of Clementine are literally slipping through his mind just as sand slips through an hour glass. Another important use of recognised symbolism was throughout the entire subconscious mind of Joel, in which Clementine’s hair was the colour set of the season. For example, throughout the memories of summer, Clementine’s hair was Tangerine and brightly coloured, as summer is bright, and the scene appears to have a lot of brightness.Throughout the genre of typical Hollywood films, the scenes would not appeal as much and have such recogni sable symbolism, as Art house Cinema’s genre permits to give as much symbolism to the audience as possible, just like an art painting, there must be symbolism to the painting or it will not have its own individual theme. Usually an Art house film would be completely not recommended for children, most art house films are rated MA 15+ and also the scenario would completely be misunderstood, in the sense that they would not grasp any of the concepts, symbolism, which all forms the understand of an Art house film.Considering Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is an MA15+ (R 18+ USA) the viewing is for the eyes of young adolescents in which whether their maturity level will provide meaning and understanding of the film. For the viewer’s attention to be grabbed, they must be pulled in by the unsolved mysteries which the film usually withholds, for example, why a certain event occurred, why a specific scene was in there. As Art house films usually structure their design in peculiar ways, they don’t rarely expose the mystery, and questions pondering in the minds of the audience unlike the typical, large marketed, Hollywood films.Art house films generate their storylines fictionally, and usually surreal, with writers who have a vast imagination. Art house is the epitome of rule breaking, fantasy and fictional characters. The audience views a style that not only frees the limits of a story line, but manipulates and shapes the minds of the audience to be captured in the film. The director, Michael Gondry designed Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind through obscure and surreal techniques, and undeniably provides an example of an Art House film. The film exhibits representations and languages that all form appropriately into the genre of Art house. BIBLIOGRAPHY ttp://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Art_film – What is art house films, founder of art house, beginner etc. http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Eternal_Sunshine_of_the_Spotless_Mind#Film_settin g_and_locations – Release, gross http://www. filmeducation. org/pdf/film/EternalSunshine. pdf – Technology used, Budget for movie & estimated budget http://hollywoodjesus. com/eternal_sunshine. htm – Symbolism http://alisonsdirectorstudy. weebly. com/1/post/2010/03/symbolism-in-eternal-sunshine-of-the-spotless-mind. html – Symbolism http://www. imdb. com/title/tt0338013/ – Rating http://hhsdrama. com/documents/LectureEternalSunshine. pdf – basic research Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind The movie â€Å"Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind† is the story of a guy, Joel, who discovers that his long-time girlfriend, Clementine, has undergone a psychiatrist's experimental procedure in which all of her memory of Joel is removed, after the couple has tried for years to get their relationship working right. Frustrated by the idea of still being in love with a woman who doesn't remember their time together, Joel agrees to do the procedure also, to erase his memories of Clementine. The movie takes place mostly in Joel's mind, which follow his memories of Clementine backwards in time as each recent memory is replaced, and the process then goes on to the previous one and then erased. Once the process starts, Joel realizes he doesn't really want to forget Clementine, so he starts sneaking her away into parts of his memory where she don't belong that changes other things about his memories also. â€Å"Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind† is dealing with the ideas of ownership, truth, time, and presence. For example ownership is represented of having the memory of the one person, truth is shown through spirituality, time is shown by the existence of their memories, and presence is brought out through Joel’s mind of Clementine. The character who is most present in their life is Clementine because she is being present, occurring, and existing in Joel’s mind. The character that is most aware of time is Joel because of the existence and events of Clementine. The central theme of â€Å"Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind† is unavoidable romance, but with a difference. The love itself, when it’s finally won, isn’t appealing. It’s not even likely to last, but being in love is the only way these characters feel alive and no void in their brains can get over that. The statement of â€Å"Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless mind† is time because of the events in the past, present, an future of Joel and Clementine’s memories, but also willingness to skip across the memories of forgetting.

Characters of Noli Me Tangere

Main Characters Crisostomo Ibarra Juan Crisostomo Ibarra y Magsalin, commonly referred to the novel as  Ibarra  or  Crisostomo, is the protagonist in the story. Son of a Filipino businessman,  DonRafael Ibarra, he studied in Europe for seven years. Ibarra is also Maria Clara's fiance. Several sources claim that Ibarra is also Rizal's reflection: both studied in Europe and both persons believe in the same ideas. Upon his return, Ibarra requested the local government of San Diego to construct a public school to promote education in the town. Maria Clara de los Santos y Alba, commonly referred to as  Maria Clara, is Ibarra's fiancee.She was raised by Capitan Tiago, San Diego's  cabeza de barangayand is the most beautiful and widely celebrated girl in San Diego. In the later parts of the novel, Maria Clara's identity was revealed as an illegitimate daughter of Father Damaso, former parish  curate  of the town, and Dona Pia Alba, wife of Capitan Tiago. In the end she enter ed local convent for nuns Beaterio de Santa Clara. In the epilogue dealing with the fate of the characters, Rizal stated that it is unknown if Maria Clara is still living within the walls of the convent or she is already dead.The character of Maria Clara was patterned after  Leonor Rivera, Rizal's first cousin and childhood sweetheart. Capitan Tiago Don  Santiago de los Santos, known by his nickname  Tiago  and political title  Capitan  Tiago  is a Filipino businessman and the  cabeza de barangay  or head ofbarangay  of the town of San Diego. He is also the known father of  Maria Clara. In the novel, it is said that Capitan Tiago is the richest man in the region of  Binondo  and he possessed real properties in  Pampanga  and  Laguna de Bay. He is also said to be a good Catholic, friend of the Spanish government and was considered as a Spanish by colonialists.Capitan Tiago never attended school, so he became a domestic helper of a  Dominican  friar   who taught him informal education. He married Pia Alba from  Santa Cruz. Padre Damaso Damaso Verdolagas, or Padre Damaso is a  Franciscan  friar  and the former parish curate of San Diego. He is best known as a notorious character who speaks with harsh words and has been a cruel priest during his stay in the town. He is the real father of Maria Clara and an enemy of Crisostomo's father, Rafael Ibarra. Later, he and Maria Clara had bitter arguments whether she would marry Alfonso Linares or go to a convent.At the end of the novel, he is again re-assigned to a distant town and is found dead one day. In popular culture, when a priest was said to be like Padre Damaso, it means that he is a cruel but respectable individual. When one says a child is â€Å"anak ni Padre Damaso† (child of Padre Damaso), it means that the child's father's identity is unknown. Elias Elias  is Ibarra's mysterious friend and ally. Elias made his first appearance as a pilot during a picnic o f Ibarra and Maria Clara and her friends. He wants to revolutionize the country and to be freed from Spanish oppression.The 50th chapter of the novel explores the past of Elias and history of his family. In the past, Ibarra's great-grandfather condemned Elias' grandfather of burning a warehouse which led into misfortune for Elias' family. His father was refused to be married by her mother because his father's past and family lineage was discovered by his mother's family. In the long run, Elias and his twin sister was raised by their maternal grandfather. When they were teenagers, their distant relatives called them  hijos de bastardo  or illegitimate children.One day, his sister disappeared which led him to search for her. His search led him into different places, and finally, he became a fugitive and subversive. Pilosopong Tacio Filosofo Tacio, known by his  Filipinized  name  Pilosopo Tasyo  is another major character in the story. Seeking for reforms from the governme nt, he expresses his ideals in paper written in a cryptographic alphabet similar from  hieroglyphs  and  Coptic figures  hoping â€Å"that the future generations may be able to decipher it† and realized the abuse and oppression done by the conquerors.His full name is only known as  Don Anastasio. The educated inhabitants of San Diego labeled him as  Filosofo Tacio  (Tacio the Sage) while others called him asTacio el Loco  (Insane Tacio) due to his exceptional talent for  reasoning. Dona Victorina Dona Victorina de los Reyes de Espadana, commonly known as Dona Victorina, is an ambitious Filipina who classifies herself as a Spanish and mimics Spanish ladies by putting on heavy  make-up. The novel narrates Dona Victorina's younger days: she had lots of admirers, but she did not choose any of them because nobody was a Spaniard.Later on, she met and married Don Tiburcio de Espadana, an official of the customs bureau who is about ten years her junior. However, t heir marriage is childless. Her husband assumes the title of medical doctor even though he never attended medical school; using fake documents and certificates, Tiburcio practices illegal medicine. Tiburcio's usage of the title  Dr. consequently makes Victorina assume the title  Dra. (doctora, female doctor). Apparently, she uses the whole name  Dona Victorina de los Reyes  de  de Espadana, with double  de  to emphasize her marriage surname.She seems to feel that this awkward titling makes her more â€Å"sophisticated. † Sisa, Crispin, and Basilio Sisa, Crispin, and Basilio represent a Filipino family persecuted by the Spanish authorities: * Narcisa  or  Sisa  is the deranged mother of Basilio and Crispin. Described as beautiful and young, although she loves her children very much, she can not protect them from the beatings of her husband,  Pedro. * Crispin  is Sisa's 7-year-old son. An altar boy, he was unjustly accused of stealing money from the chur ch. After failing to force Crispin to return the money he allegedly stole, Father Salvi and the head sacristan killed him.It is not directly stated that he was killed, but the dream of Basilio suggests that Crispin died during his encounter with Padre Salvi and his minion. * Basilio  is Sisa's 10-year-old son. An acolyte tasked to ring the church bells for the Angelus, he faced the dread of losing his younger brother and the descent of his mother into insanity. At the end of the novel, Elias wished Basilio to bury him by burning in exchange of chest of gold located on his death ground. He will later play a major role in  El Filibusterismo. Due to their tragic but endearing story, these characters are often parodied in modern Filipino popular culture. Note: The Franciscan Order was shown by Rizal as hypocrites not because they were such during his time but because they are the most loved, and had significant numbers. Strategically, if one must attack the Spanish friars, the best is to attack the most popular during that time. Other characters There are a number of secondary and minor characters in  Noli Me Tangere. Items indicated inside the parenthesis are the standard  Filipinization  of the Spanish names in the novel. * Padre Hernando de la Sibyla  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ a Dominican friar. He is described as short and has fair skin.He is instructed by an old priest in his order to watch Crisostomo Ibarra. * Padre Bernardo Salvi  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ the Franciscan curate of San Diego, secretly harboring lust for Maria Clara. He is described to be very thin and sickly. It is also hinted that his last name, â€Å"Salvi† is the shorter form of â€Å"Salvi† meaning Salvation, or â€Å"Salvi† is short for â€Å"Salvaje† meaning bad hinting to the fact that he is willing to kill an innocent child, Crispin, just to get his money back, though there was not enough evidence that it was Crispin who has stolen his 2 onzas. * El Alferez  or  Alperes  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ chief of the  Guardia Civil.Mortal enemy of the priests for power in San Diego and husband of Dona Consolacion. * Dona Consolacion  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ wife of the  Alferez, nicknamed as  la musa de los guardias civiles  (The muse of the  Civil Guards) or  la Alfereza, was a former laundrywoman who passes herself as a  Peninsular; best remembered for her abusive treatment of Sisa. * Don Tiburcio de Espadana  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Spanish Quack Doctor who is limp and submissive to his wife, Dona Victorina. * Teniente Guevara  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ a close friend of Don Rafael Ibarra. He reveals to Crisostomo how Don Rafael Ibarra's death came about. Alfonso Linares  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ A distant nephew of Tiburcio de Espanada, the would-be fiance of Maria Clara. Although he presented himself as a practitioner of law, it was later revealed that he, just like Don Tiburcio, is a fraud. He later died due to given medications of Don Tiburcio. * Tia Isabel  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Capitan Tiago's cousin, who raised M aria Clara. * Governor General  (Gobernador Heneral) – Unnamed person in the novel, he is the most powerful official in the Philippines. He has great disdain for the friars and corrupt officials, and sympathizes with Ibarra. * Don Filipo Lino  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ vice mayor of the town of San Diego, leader of the liberals. Padre Manuel Martin  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ he is the linguist curate of a nearby town who delivers the sermon during San Diego's fiesta. * Don Rafael Ibarra  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ father of Crisostomo Ibarra. Though he is the richest man in San Diego, he is also the most virtuous and generous. * Dona Pia Alba  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ wife of Capitan Tiago and mother of Maria Clara, she died giving birth to her daughter. In reality, she was raped by Damaso so she could bear a child. Non-recurring characters These characters were mentioned in the novel, appeared once, mentioned many times or have no major contribution to the storyline. Don Pedro Eibarramendia  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ the great-grandfather of Cris ostomo Ibarra who came from the  Basque  area of Spain. He started the misfortunes of Elias' family. His descendants abbreviated their surname to  Ibarra. He died of unknown reasons, but was seen as a decaying corpse on a Balite Tree. * Don Saturnino Ibarra  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ the son of Don Pedro, father of Don Rafael and grandfather of Crisostomo Ibarra. He was the one who developed the town of San Diego. He was described as a cruel man but was very clever. * Salome  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Elias' sweetheart.She lives in a little house by the lake, and though Elias would like to marry her, he tells her that it would do her or their children no good to be related to a fugitive like himself. In the original publication of  Noli, the chapter that explores the identity of Elias and Salome was omitted, classifying her as a total non-existing character. This chapter, entitled  Elias y Salome  was probably the 25th chapter of the novel. However, recent editions and translations of  Noli  prov ides the inclusion of this chapter, either on the appendix or renamed as  Chapter X  (Ex). * Sinang  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Maria Clara's friend.Because Crisostomo Ibarra offered half of the school he was building to Sinang, he gained Capitan Basilio's support. * Iday, Neneng  and  Victoria  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Maria Clara's other friends. * Capitan Basilio  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Sinang's father, leader of the conservatives. * Pedro  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ the abusive husband of Sisa who loves cockfighting. * Tandang Pablo  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ The leader of the  tulisanes  (bandits), whose family was destroyed because of the Spaniards. * El hombre amarillo  (apparently means â€Å"yellowish person,† named as  Taong Madilaw) – One of Crisostomo Ibarra's would-be assassins. He is not named in the novel, and only described as such.In the novel, he carved the cornerstone for Ibarra's school. Instead of killing Ibarra, he was killed by his cornerstone. * Lucas  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ the brother of the  taong madilaw. H e planned a revolution against the government with Ibarra as the leader after he was turned down by Ibarra. He was said to have a scar on his left cheek. He would later be killed by the Sakristan Mayor. * Bruno and Tarsilo  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ a pair of brothers whose father was killed by the Spaniards. * Nor Juan  (Nol Juan) – appointed as foreman of the school to be built by Ibarra * Capitana Tika (Rustica)  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Sinang's mother and wife f Capitan Basilio. * Albino  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ a former seminarian who joined the picnic with Ibarra and Maria Clara. Was later captured during the revolution. * Capitana Maria Elena  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ a nationalist woman who defends Ibarra of the memory of his father. * Capitan Tinong  and  Capitan Valentin  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ other known people from the town of San Diego. * Sacristan Mayor  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ The one who governs the altar boys and killed Crispin for his accusation. * Hermano Pedro, Hermana Rufa, Hermana Sipa, Hermana Juana  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Some of the p ersons included in the Chapter 18. These persons were talking about indulgencia plenaria.

Personal Goal

Throughout my life there have been a lot of people, books and audio tapes that have taught me important lessons. For me, making the right decision in life is crucial as I believe we have only one life and one chance and we should make the most of it. In my life I want to be known for my successful career, my generosity and my positive influence towards people. I guess this is my long term goal in life and I am confident that my study in Northeastern University will take me closer towards my goal in life. Since I was twelve years old, I was in a position where I needed to choose between going to school in Indonesia, where I would stay close to my family and friends, or going to school in Australia, where I would get a better education, but be by myself, far away from my family and friends. I took action and moved from my comfort zone. Moving and living into a totally new country is certainly a great life experience which thought me that determination and self-motivation is the key in helping one succeed in life. My parents always remind me that when the time comes my responsibility is to continue our family business and taking care of my brother and sisters. It is in our culture that the eldest son in the family had the responsibility to take care of the whole family. I believe it is not an easy task but as a responsible son I will prepare and equipped myself with whatever I need to achieve this goal. My short term goal is to have a real working experience in one of the leading company in the United States. When choosing a University in United States, it was always my intention of not getting just a business theory but more importantly real working experience in a company. I do my research and finds that Northeastern University is known for its internship program in United States. In doing MBA degree at Northeastern, I will choose finance as my career track. I choose finance firstly because it is an important area that I need to understand in order to take my family business to the next stage and I also believe that by taking this career track it will get me ready to face the real business world. I am confident that by taking a MBA at Northeastern University will help me to achieve my short term goal of equipping me with knowledge and a real working experience that I really need. Determination and Self motivation is what will keep me moving towards my life goal and I believe that with strong determination and self motivation I will be able to accomplish all of my goals in life. Please answer the following questions: a) What have you learned in your research on Northeastern that has motivated you to apply? ) What unique contributions will you bring to the Northeastern community as a student? c) How will you benefit personally and professionally from your experience at Northeastern? A) The most appealing factor that motivated me to apply is the fact that Northeastern is one of the top Universities in United States that have the best internship program and the recommendation by people who claimed that the schools are so helpful with their students. I believe that University involvement in helping their student succeeding in their career is very important. I read a review that stated that Northeastern provide students with a lots of tools and workshop for their internship. B) In my career both in Indonesia and Australia, I had the opportunity to experience many different kinds of activity from sporting activity, community activity to working experience. My sporting experience includes representing Indonesia to play in an international U-13 competition, playing musical instrument in a band for a concert in Australia, one of a member in Indonesian Student Association in Australia, as well as having two years experience working as a marketing manager in a building material manufacturer company in Indonesia. As a student I am confident that my experience will bring unique contribution to Northeastern Community. C) Personally the most valuable thing that I could have is experiencing and learning in different culture, different environment and diverse people from all over the country. The chance of being able to be around different people from different country and background are priceless for me because it will open my mind about being able to adapt in a diverse environment and a challenge to be able to settle and work together with people from different culture and background. An experience outside university as well as in the workplace will no doubt give me a price less experience especially towards my career internationally, because in a business world we have to be able to deal with almost everyone and I will take this opportunity as my chance to practice this rare opportunity. I look forward to meeting new people from all over the world, making new friends, learning about the western culture, doing new activity and working together as a team. Another personal benefit is that living away from my family will make me able to be live independently and solving problems on my own. I believe that as I move along in my study at Northeastern I will have more and more benefit that right now I have not seen.

What Does a Rigorous High School Schedule Look Like?

We at frequently use the term â€Å"rigorous† to describe course loads and course schedules. That’s because rigorous studies in high school are something that admissions committees look for specifically during the application process. They want to know that applicants are capable of difficult, college-level work.    It’s not surprising then that we often hear from students asking, â€Å"How can I make sure my course load is challenging or rigorous enough?† If you’re wondering how to assess if your classes are up to snuff and how to choose a course load that’s challenging without being overwhelming, this post is for you. Rigorous is a vague term, but it can be more helpful to think of your course load as it compares to the course loads of other students at your high school. Admissions committees understand that not all high schools offer a full suite of challenging course options. While some have dozens of AP classes or an IB program to choose from, others have only college placement or honors tracks available. Luckily, you don’t need to worry too much about how many options are available at your high school, since this is out of your control. Instead, you need to focus on choosing the most challenging options available to you. You can think of a rigorous course load as the one that represents the most challenging track available at your high school. To learn more about how your classes will impact your college applications, check out our post Should I Take AP/IB/Honors Classes? . Being the most challenging track available, a rigorous course load can sometimes be a little overwhelming, especially at first. You should start by easing into a challenging course load. During ninth grade, select classes that are rigorous enough to challenge you, but not enough so as to overwhelm you. Think of 9th grade as a time to test the waters and see what you’re capable of. Remember, it is always easier and looks better to add another class or transfer to a more challenging section than it is to drop a class or move down to a less challenging one.    In addition, balance your course selections with reasonable extracurricular commitments. Focusing on two or three extracurriculars is ultimately enough, especially if you stick with them consistently and work your way up to leadership positions or increased responsibility. Dropping an extracurricular after 9th or 10th grade is no big deal if doing so means that you can keep your grades up and take on more challenging classes. Our Early Advising Program helps students in 9th and 10th grade discover their passions and build strong academic and extracurricular profiles to succeed in high school. Admissions committees generally want to see well-rounded students insofar as having completed four years of coursework in each core subject area. This includes English, history, math, science, and usually a foreign language. In fact, many colleges require that applicants have completed four years of coursework in each of these subject areas just to meet application prerequisites. In these core subject areas, you should strive to take the most challenging courses that you’re capable of doing well in, and your primary focus in studying and achieving should be in these core subject areas. Taking any additional classes is not necessary, but it does represent an opportunity.    Beyond the core subject areas, any elective classes that you take should reflect your interests. This is an opportunity to reinforce any potential career choices or college majors. Rather than worrying about taking especially challenging electives, think of them as a chance to explore and demonstrate your interests. Taking electives shows intellectual curiosity and might even allow you to discover a new interest. The balance between better grades and harder classes is always a delicate one. We hear from many students wanting to know if they should take a harder class and get a B, or an easier one and get an A. While there’s no universal answer that will impress every admissions committee, it’s important to know that admissions committees aren’t interested in easy A’s. In fact, a 4.0 GPA in regular college-placement classes may actually be a deterrent to some admissions committees who are looking for students who want to challenge themselves. In general, a good rule of thumb is that if you think you can achieve a B or higher in it, take the more difficult class. Admissions committees will appreciate that you have worked hard for that B, rather than pursuing a less rigorous track. Planning a rigorous track starts in 9th grade. To get off on the right foot, you should make a four-year plan. The simplest way to do this is by using backward design. Start with 12th grade—what classes do you need to be taking in 12th grade in order to get into the types of colleges you hope to attend? These classes are generally the highest level courses available at your school. They might be AP or IB classes if your school offers them, or they could simply be honors level classes if that’s all your school has available. Work backwards from 12th grade to ensure that your prerequisites are met each year. It is much easier to work backwards incrementally from your final 12th grade goal than it is to start with your ninth grade classes and try to imagine where they’ll take you. It’s a good idea to meet with a guidance counselor as you create your four-year plan. You’ll want to ensure that you’re meeting all graduation requirements and that it represents a course schedule that is rigorous as compared to others available at your school. Your guidance counselor will be able to lend some insight into which paths are commonly taken by students with the same goals as you. In addition, remember that the classes you enroll in aren’t the only way to impress admissions committees. You can also highlight your academic chops through options like independent studies, summer college courses, or online coursework. To learn more about these options, check out our post What To Do If Your High School Doesn’t Offer AP Classes . Lastly, if you’re looking for more personalized guidance through high school, consider the benefits of ’s Mentorship Program , which pairs each student 1:1 with a mentor from a top college who can help you develop the skills you’ll need for becoming a successful college student.