Author: chris

 

The Policy Process

Introduction

Policies in all areas of life including healthcare keep changing through years to accommodate for new needs as well as to come up with newer ideas that serve the public better. In America, healthcare is one of the biggest public services provided for by the government. It is meant to ensure that all people within the united stated have access to medical treatment (Milstead, 2011). Therefore, making new or improving current healthcare policies is quite important and requires a lot of care to ensure access to all. There are many issues to consider while making policies. Thus, it is very important to have a clear understanding of the stages involved in making a policy. The stages of policymaking are in place to ensure that information is gathered, scrutinized and verified before any idea is turned into a policy. The policy process is generally composed of three strategies that are most important, which are the formulation stage, legislative stage and the implementation stage. The formulation stage is concerned with gathering ides and concepts necessary for the policy. Legislative stage is involved in deliberating and discussing the ideas and policies. Finally, the implementation stage is where the findings or ideas are put into place to start acting as a policy. These stages ensure that the right channel is followed in making new policies that are concerned with the wellness of all people without favoring some (Ivanov & Blue, 2008).

Formulation Stage

This is usually the first stage of the policy process in healthcare, which is responsible creation of a formal detail of the concepts agreed. This is the stage in which extensive research concerning the ideas and concepts that are soon to become a policy. Research is carried out by different individuals, institutions and interview groups as well as professionals with vast of experience and knowledge in healthcare. The research includes both primary and secondary researches from the various sources. Some of the credible individuals capable of carrying out a research in healthcare are the professionals within this such as nurses, clinicians, administrators and other individuals within healthcare provision.

The formulation stage involves several things as stated in the previous paragraph. Here I look at them I deeper details and what each process within formulation means. The first activity is identifying the problem that needs to be solved (Abood, 2007). Healthcare policies as mentioned are specific and address certain population. For instance, if it is a healthcare policy for the disabled, the problem facing this people in terms of healthcare has to be researched. The second activity is developing of specific objectives that are identified from the problem/s identified. There has to be a goal or desired destination of the issue identified. This poses a challenge as well since having specific goals means determining time as well (Ivanov & Blue, 2008).

The following stage is concerned with the development of several options and process of choosing. In any policy formulation, making the right choices is what determines a successful policy. The formulators have to choose between different options that could address the issue at hand. Each choice has its impact, and a selection needs to be quite keen since some could have disastrous impacts. The next process of formulation is designing a strategy of implementation to e followed. An implementation strategy is designed at this stage to ensure there are no problems at the other stages when it would be harder for them to reconsider. The following action is the action instruments that involve three information gathering, information analysis and consultation. This can happen at any activity in the formulation process. Information might continue to be needed, requiring more gathering of information. An analysis will entail going back to double check and monitor the policy formulated. On the other hand, consultation involves getting views from the experts on issues such a how the policy relates to other issues that could affect it as well to get the opinion of the stakeholders.

Legislative Stage

The legislative stage is where deliberations, discussions, debating, and justifications as well as evaluations of what has already been agreed upon are made. In this stage, the parties involved come together to discuss no their findings in the formulation stage. This stage is meant for identifying any problems, improvement and conducting an evaluation of the ability of the policy to address the issues. All issues including implementation are discussed in this stage before it passes for implementation. The main purpose of the legislative stage is ensuing that one can proceed to the implementation stage without doubts since everything is justified. It is at this stage that the parties and individuals involved pass the developed policy into a lawful bill to be followed by implementation (Abood, 2007).

The legislative process involves political personnel, who are responsible for passing the proposed policy into a law. This is done by the congress that is responsible for passing legislations into law. After the formulation stage, the proposed bill is taken to congress for deliberations. The congress evaluates the ability of the policy to serve the people as it suggests. To become a law, it goes through several phases that include introduction to the house, referring the policy to a committee, taken to floor consideration; it is debated upon and finally passed if no amendments are required. Upon its passing, it becomes law and goes to the implementation stage.

 

Implementation Stage

Implementation is the last stage in the policy process. After professionals and administrators as well as organizational institutions have finished with policy formulation and legislation, the implementation stage comes to put the policy into action. This is the stage that the ideas and concepts become a policy. Lack of proper implementation would mean the policy would fail to serve its purpose. The implementation stage is quite sensitive since it determines the success of what has been done in the other stages. It involves several activities. The agencies and departments within the health care are held responsible by the government for carrying out the implementation of the policy. The main purpose of this stage is putting into action the policy that is already deliberated in the previous stage (Milstead, 2011).

The administrative agencies within healthcare are served with this responsibility since they are closer to the people than other groups since they are involved in daily activities. The activities involved in the implementation stage are such as creation of new organizations, departments, bureaus, and agencies to be involved in the implementation process. After the forming of such groups, each of them is issued with responsibilities meant to accomplish the implementation. To implement, the policy laws and the formed organizations must turn the laws into operational tasks that can be performed practically within the healthcare. Some of the tasks involved spending money, hiring personnel drawing contracts.

The implementation is a process that takes quite sometime before it can be operational. Some of the activities such as changing the laws enacted in the legislative stage takes time considering new organizations may have to be made. Implementation is not a clear-cut process. Rather, it is a process affected by several factors. It requires a lot of time and resources as well. Implementation has to be well planned to make sure the policy becomes successful.

 

 

Conclusion

In healthcare, policies could be targeted at a certain population or to the public to ensure better provision and access to the service. However, coming up or improving an existing policy is one of the most challenging tasks for any department. Healthcare policies are proposed by professionals within the field who understand what healthcare entail. The three stages serve their purpose in ensuring a better policy. However, care and intelligence is crucial at all stages to ensure success. The formulation stage proves to be quite challenging since a lot of research is required. Legislative stage is responsible for discussing and justifying the ideas brought in by the formulation. Thus, formulations needs to be properly done to ensure it passes this stage. Implementation being the last one is also challenging, and requires time and resources. This is the practical part of the policy (Ivanov & Blue, 2008).

 

 

 

 

References

Abood, S. (2007). Influencing Health Care in the Legislative Arena. Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 12. Retrieved from http://nursingworld.org/MainMenuCategories/ANAMarketplace/ANAPeriodicals/OJIN/TableofContents/Volume122007/No1Jan07/tpc32_216091.html 

Ivanov, L.L. & Blue, C.L. (2008). Public Health Nursing: Leadership, Policy, & Practice. New York, N.Y: Cengage Learning.

Milstead, J.A. (2011). Health Policy and Politics: A Nurse’s Guide. New York, N.Y: Jones & Bartlett Publishers.

Nuclear Weapons and Energy

Nuclear energy refers to the part of the nucleus of an atom which when released by fusion, fission or radioactive delay causes the production of energy. Production of this kind of energy is very expensive as well as dangerous to the people carrying out the procedure. Nuclear energy may be used in various fields such as in technology and in the generation of electricity. Nuclear is the process of using sustained nuclear fission in order to generate electricity and heat. Nuclear technology on the other hand refers to the use of nuclear energy in various disciplines such as medicine. Nuclear power plants in the world provide about 6% of the energy in the world and about 13% of the electricity used in the world. Nuclear energy and weaponry has several advantages and disadvantages.

The countries that rely the most on the generation of electricity from nuclear energy include The United States of America, Japan and France. These three countries together account for about 50% of the electricity generated from nuclear power. However, these three countries are not the only countries operating nuclear reactors, the IAEA reported in 2007 that another 29 countries in addition to the three operate nuclear reactors though in small scale. There has also been the building of naval vessels that use nuclear propulsion for example the USS Bainbridge belonging to the United States. As much as some countries use nuclear power, its use is shrouded in controversy. The origin of this controversy is because nuclear energy is a dangerous method of producing energy.

This is proven by the numerous fatal accidents that have occurred that are caused by nuclear energy. Nuclear power plant energy accidents that have occurred in the past include the Three Mile Island accident of 1979, the Chernobyl disaster of 1986 an the most recent Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster of 2011 (Eerkens, 61). However even with the magnitude of these accidents, their occurrences are not common. Despite the recorded accidents, it has been proven that the safety record of this kind of power is quite high. This is particularly in the case of the number of deaths per the electricity units produced is considered. This proves that the output of nuclear energy is much higher than all the other sources of energy in the world. This is the most important advantage of nuclear energy. This is because the energy produced during the breaking of the atom is very high.

Another advantage is that this kind of energy does not pollute the environment compared to the other energy sources. This makes it the most suitable source of energy especially because the world is trying to stop global warming which is caused by pollution to the environment. Another advantage of their form of energy is that it is very reliable as opposed to the other sources, which are prone to many unnecessary interruptions (Angelo, 85). These advantages are the reasons why some countries have preferred to use this kind of energy. As much as nuclear power has numerous advantages, it also has a significant number of disadvantages. The biggest disadvantage of this kind of energy is that it is very expensive in its initial sages. It requires state of the art equipment in order to run, as it should.

The acquisition of this equipment is very costly, they are complex, and it, therefore, requires specialists to run the power plant. This makes its use be limited only to the wealthy and affluent nations with enough money to finance this venture. As much as developing countries may want to use this source of energy, their financial situation does not permit them to and they have to keep using the other unreliable sources of energy. Another disadvantage of this method of energy is that it is a dangerous method of electricity production. However rare the power plant accidents occur, they are of a large magnitude and cause a lot of destruction to the country in question.

This is why most developed countries prefer to avoid using this source of energy. Nuclear energy affects the health of the people who expose themselves to it. During the process of nuclear fission or fusion, some harmful radiations may be produced and absorbed into their bodies. This increases their prevalence to terminal diseases such as cancer. Most of the employees in such plants are required to dress in protective gear but some rays like gamma rays can penetrate their protective clothing. As much as this source of energy has some disadvantages, it is the best source of energy for the countries that can afford it because it is the most reliable source of energy

Nuclear weapons are explosive devices that acquire their energy from nuclear reactions such as fission or fusion or a combination of the two. These weapons are the most destructive because of the amount of energy produced from the weapon. This is where they obtain the name weapons of mass destruction. The use of nuclear weapons has been stopped by several international policies that forbid the manufacture of this kind of weaponry. The only use of nuclear weapons in the course of war occurred in 1945 during the Second World War. This is the most prominent display of the use of nuclear weapons.

Two nuclear bombs were dropped on the Japanese cities of Nagasaki and Hiroshima by the United States. The fatalities recorded from these two attacks were recorded to exceed 200, 000 people and scores of others injured. These bombings made the Japanese to surrender and ensured that the U.S.A. obtained victory in the war. However, since then, the only nuclear detonations that have taken place are only for testing purposes as opposed to their use in warfare. The number of nations suspected of owning or manufacturing these weapons is minimal due to the intense policies that surround the manufacture of nuclear weapons. The only countries known to possess nuclear weapons include Russia, The United states, The United Kingdom, India, Pakistan, North Korea and the people’s republic of China (Jones, 47).

Israel is also believed to have weapons it these nature though it is not completely proven. South Africa also had some nuclear weapons but it disassembled it in order to conform to the international standards of safety. Generally, there are two types of nuclear weapons based on the origins of their sources of energy. The fist type is formed from these deriving their energy from the process of nuclear fission, which is the breaking of the nucleus. The other type is the one that uses nuclear fission reactions in order to initiate nuclear fusion reactions. Nuclear fusion reactions are known to produce more amounts of energy as compared to the other reactions. This is the reason why the latter type is preferred during warfare by the countries manufacturing them.         These weapons are deployed as either missiles, which can be dropped on the target like in the case of the two Japanese cities, or a self-directed missile that requires computer control to guide it. Nuclear weapons have very few advantages. One such advantage is that they save on the cost of warfare for the country involved. This is because one bomb is the equivalent of about 10, 000 grenades and 1, 000 bombs. The country will save a lot of money by using the nuclear weapons as opposed to the use of conventional bombs. Another advantage is that the country will not require a large army for the war because they can just use the nuclear bombs to launch attacks on their enemies. This will ensure that there will be fewer casualties from the battleground from the country in question.

The disadvantages of these weapons on the other hand are immense. One fatal disadvantage is the effect of the nuclear weapons on the health of the people attacked with them. Apart from death, which is the most obvious effect, there are some other permanent effects caused by these weapons. The survivors of these attacks are prone to blood disorders, infertility, genetic defects birth anomalies and higher risk of acquiring cancer. These effects are attributed to the effects of the ionizing radiation from the nuclear weapons. Another effect of these weapons is on the environment. The blasts associated with the detonation of these bombs cause grievous effects on the environment of the affected area. Examples of these effects include pollution of the air around the area involved and the formation of craters that make the land susceptible to earth movements, which result in earthquakes and landslides.

Nuclear weapons should not be used because they do more harm than good. The policies in place should remain in order to prevent another occurrence like the Hiroshima and the Nagasaki disaster. This is because its effects are genetic and are still being felt in these two cities in Japan by the descendants of the victims of the actual bombing. Nuclear energy and power is both harmful and useful in the society. In the case of nuclear energy, it can keep being used as long as the countries ensure the safety of the workers in the various plants. Nuclear weapons on the other hand should not be used by any country and the countries producing them should disassemble them like South Africa.

 

 

 

 

 

Work cited

Angelo, Joseph A. Nuclear Technology. Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press, 24 Nov. 2004.Web. 25 Sept. 2012.

Eerkens, Jeff W. The Nuclear Imperative: A Critical Look at the Approaching Energy Crisis. Dordrecht: Springer. , 18 Oct. 2006. Web. 25 Sept. 2012.

Jones, Matthew. After Hiroshima: The United States, Race, and Nuclear Weapons in Asia, 1945-1965. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 5 Feb. 2010. Web. 25 Sept. 2012.

How a DNA polymerase Clamp Loader Opens a Sliding Clamp

Deoxyribonucleic acid commonly called DNA is the basis if human life since it is the material that literally runs our body. DNA forms every cell in the body through several processes such as replication and translation. These processes result in the formation of new cells in the body or the repair of some old or damaged ones. DNA is made up of protein in the body and thus the processes involved require protein, as well. Replication is one of the most important processes that take place in the body, and it refers to the copying of the DNA strands. Replication provided the basis of the element of biological inheritance of traits and even diseases termed as hereditary. The process of replication depends on substances called multi-protein replicases.

They enable the copying of DNA to proceed at a faster rate and processivity. Replicases are examples of enzymes that DNA utilizes in order to accelerate the processes of replication in the body. Other such enzymes include the likes of ligases, helicases and polymerases. Every enzyme is formulated specifically to their function, and they, therefore, depict enzyme specificity. DNA occurs in a double strand and for it to undergo replication it needs to unwind. This is to enable the copying of both strands to take place effectively. After it is unwound, it forms a replication fork where the process takes place on the individual strands. The replicase involved in the replication process has several sub-units, but the most functional one in the case of replication is the polymerase sub-unit.

This sub-unit is attached to a ring-like sliding clamp that facilitates the polymerase to engage and disengage from the DNA repeatedly without undergoing dissociation from the replication fork. The use of sliding clamps is a common phenomenon, and both the eukaryotic and prokaryotic organisms use it. Eukaryotes are organisms whose cells are enclosed by a cell membrane while prokaryotes have no covering for their cells. However, the sliding clamps cannot load the DNA on impulse since they are closed circles and have no opening for the clamps. In order to load the DNA strand for replication to take place, they use ATP dependent complexes to create an opening for them to load on the DNA. ATP refers to adenosine triphosphate that acts as a source of energy for most processes taking part in the body.

These complexes called clamp loaders have a lot of energy stored, and they can part the closed ring and enable the replication process to begin. During the loading of the polymerase, it has to be loaded in the correct orientation in order to facilitate the required process to also take place correctly. Clamp loaders belong to the AAA+ super family that comprises of the adenosine triphosphates (ATpases). The main function of this family includes the ability to disassemble, helicases activity and motor activity. As opposed to the other members of the family, the clamp loaders have five sub units rather than the ordinary six contained in the rest of the family members. The lack of this one subunit is fundamental in their function as it enables them to be recognized by the primer templates.

ATP’s major role in the functioning of the clamp loaders is to stimulate the formation of AAA+ molecules in a spiral orientation. This enables them to recognize the DNA in the central region of the twirl they have formed. Some research had also signified that the ATP makes it possible for the loader to bind and untie the sliding clamp thus facilitating the replication to take place. DNA binding causes the hydrolysis of the ATP, which results in the liberation of the closed clamp present on the DNA. From research, it was concluded that DNA and the clamp loader have similar structures in both the complexes obtained from the first crystal. However, its contact with the lattice results in detachment of the loader though it is partial from the clamp if it was in a closed clamp.

The process of untying the clamp usually entails a switch from a ring-like structure that is planar and close to another open lock that is right handed. Their continued interactions result in maintaining the released state of the clamp. The clamp unlocks just as DNA does; the DNA is double-stranded and helical. Inside the complex, the closed clamp then positions the DNA appropriately for the required process to take place. The clamp that is now closed makes restricted contact with the DNA. Their interactions will include ion pairings between the side chains and the phosphates of DNA only. The open clamp takes up a spiral conformation that is identical to that of DNA. The sub-units of the clamp are associated with the other one by rotations about the axis in line with the axis of the DNA strand.

The clamp’s sideway opening results in the closest domains retracting from the DNA strand. It is probable that the clamp opening extent may cause the closing of loader complex before the DNA binding is completed. This is another reason why ATP is required as it enhances the stability of this complex, therefore, enables the binding process to be completed as required. The duplex region of the clamp loader is located in the inner chamber, which makes it oriented to the central pore. The template strand is the closest contact that the loader and the DNA have. The loader causes the conversion of the template strand from the B-form to the A-form. This conversion leads to an enlargement of the groove in order to support the incoming modules.

The template is then converted back into the B-form whereby the hydrolysis of ATP takes place. It is proposed that the hydrolysis of ATP results in the change, in the orientation of the clamp ladder while maintaining minimal interference to the contact points of DNA and those of the clamp. The ATP is hydrolyzed into its constituent components, which leave the complex as phosphate ions in two stages as three different ions. This results in the emergence of a clamp that is loaded with the template DNA strand. The clamp then detaches from the clamp loader which is then recycled in the body where the process takes place again. The clamp contains the template strand, which has already undergone replication in the cell.

The process by which a DNA Polymerase Clamp Loader unlocks a sliding clamp is often considered complicated. This is attributed to the various elements involved in the process and the numerous steps that culminate in the completion of this process. However, without the intricacies of the details is a simple procedure. It includes several small steps such as the binding of ATP in order to result in the required spiral conformation. A template then moves through the formed complex through the gaps. After the binding takes place in the interior chamber, the hydrolysis of the ATP is activated. The continuation of the hydrolysis leads to the detachment of the clamp from the clamp loader. After the completion of their process, the formed template may be used in repair or the formation of new cells. This process has to take place in the specified conditions or it may result in the formation of defective DNA that may result in congenital anomalies. It is, therefore, critical that this process takes place, as it is required.

 

Reference

Kelch, A. Brian et al. (2011). How a DNA polymerase Clamp Loader Opens a Sliding Clamp Science, Volume 10, pages 1-7.

 

Coke Zero. Do Real Men Drink Diet Coke

1. The Coca Cola Company has various products that it aims to reach certain categories of consumers. Diet Coke is meant to appeal to women who have major health concerns. Most women have become increasingly concerned with weight gain and soft drinks. Diet Coke Plus is equipped with a variety of minerals and vitamins. It was meant for a young and even more health conscious group of consumers. Other products by the company were meant to appeal to the male consumers such as Full Throttle Blue Demon and Coca Cola Black. Coca Cola Black has an essence of coffee. This feature is designed to appeal to the older, mature and more sophisticated users. They were also considered ready to pay out more for the drink. Full Throttle Blue Demon was designed to attract Hispanic men (Charles, Joseph & Carl, 2009). The demographics each product by the Coca Cola Company is aiming to reach include sex, either male or female, age, either younger or older and race, such as Hispanics.
2. The Coca Cola products that are most likely to lose from the introduction of Coke Zero include Coca Cola Classic and Sprite. With the introduction of Coke Zero as a new product, the existing consumers of Coca Cola Classic will be attracted. This will lead to a massive migration of consumers from other drinks. The fact that Coke Zero is marketed as a younger improved version of Coke Classic will also attract more of the consumers. In addition, Coke Zero is considered a healthier option to Coca Cola Classic and Sprite. With the increasing health consciousness by consumers, more people will switch to drinking what they considered healthy. In addition, the increased spending on Coke Zero and resources used in its marketing will increase its sales at the expense of other products. Coca Cola is spending more on Coke Zero than any other brand (Charles, Joseph & Carl, 2009).
3. The hidden cameras that were used as a tool to promote Coke Zero are an effective mode of reaching the set target market. This mode of marketing helps maintain previous customers and attracts new consumers. This is because it was used to show that Coke Zero was a younger and more appealing product. The perception created by the video that there was ‘taste infringement’ against Coca Cola Classic (Charles, Joseph & Carl, 2009) made Coke Zero distinct from Coca Cola Classic thus giving consumers the opportunity to discover its new taste. It also showed that Coke Zero was completely different in terms of taste and youth appeal from Coca Cola Classic. In addition, the advertisement distribution on the internet reached a wider audience. This created profound awareness on the product by incorporating entertainment and humor in the video. A similar method of marketing Diet Coke Plus will be highly effective. This strategy is especially valuable when marketing a product differentiating it from the rest. It will show a sharp contrast between Diet Coke and Diet Coke Plus, as many people are yet to understand the difference.
4. The repositioning of Diet Coke to appeal to the male consumers was a step in the right direction to the male consumers. This was because men had mixed perceptions about Diet Coke a similar product. Therefore, there was needed to make the product more appealing to the men. This is because men either rejected Diet Coke because of its ’feminine stigma’ or, it has an aspartame-sweetened after taste. The introduction of the name Coke Zero was an efficient method of selling low calorie soda to the male consumers without using the word ‘Diet’ (Charles, Joseph & Carl, 2009). The drink is now more appealing to the male populace because of its re-brand name. It has also changed its image from that of a girly feminine drink to that which suits the man. As a result, more “real men” will now consume the product.

 

 

References

Charles, W, Joseph, F & Carl, M. (2009). Marketing. Southwestern: Cengage Learning.

TOMS Shoe Company

The advertisement features the presence of a child with a pair of TOMS shoes. Essentially the advertisement could be described as featured in a low class environment. TOMS Shoe is a multinational entity with branches in major cities around the world. The entity deals in shoes for people of both genders as well as shoes for all ages. The ad target parents with young and the children themselves. The advertisement has the ability of the shoes to uplift the lives of people and especially the children in terms of enabling them to enjoy their childhood.

It is evident of the joy of the child from the pair of shoes she wears. Additionally the product advertisement communicates the aspect of comfort in terms of using the shoe in any form of terrain even in rough terrain as evidenced by the surroundings of the environment. Furthermore, the advertisement emphasizes on the issue of a pair of shoes to a child in need of shoes for a single pair of shoe purchased. Hence, the advertisement uses philanthropy as the main bargaining point in that, for each consumer that purchases a pair of shoes, an additional pair is given to a child in need and thus subsequently benefiting two people at the same time.

Modern day advertisements seek to appeal to the various consumer segments in terms of satisfaction of the needs and wants of the consumers of the products. Marketers or makers of the advertisement could assume various approaches used in the marketing of products in making an appeal for such products. Ethos is usually an approach used by marketers in their respective markets to appeal to the individual and societal values of the consumers, thus subsequently influencing them to make purchases of the products.

The advertisement is readable in terms of the visibility of the logo of the entity as well as the information about issue of an additional pair to the needy children. Readability is essential as it enables the organization through marketers to ensure that it is known and associated with such products by the consumers. However, some words are not visible from a distance because of their size, as well as the shade used to highlight such messages. It is also evident of the presences of the band name in the various products highlighted in the advertisement.

Ethos is usually an effective approach in that; it assumes that the consumer habits are influenced by the societal values and consumption patterns. In addition, individual values also determine the purchasing decisions of the consumers. The values of the community could also be a focus since people are driven by the need to help others who are unfortunate and in need of support in various ways. Hence supporting the cause of providing children with shoes is an act of philanthropy.

Pathos is also used in the advertisement. The advertisers or marketers use the aspect of the audiences’ emotions to appeal to purchases, which would subsequently lead to philanthropic acts. Pathos is defined as the use of emotional appeal of the product as a point of creating appeal for the products. The surrounding community as evidenced by the advertisement is one of the main features of the advertisement. The location is used to ensure that the potential consumers of the TOMS products are able to understand what the action of purchasing would lead to; provision of a needy child with new shoes.

Logos is also assumed in the development of the advertisement in that the brand name of the entity is highlighted in the advertisement to ensure that the consumers understand the kind of products sold by the brand with the simple sight of the logo of the entity. In addition, the alpargata shoes sold by the entity are its main brand of shoes. This is defined as the brand of the organization since the consumers are able to identify such products with the organization with ease.

The image of the advertisements gives specific focus on the child in the advertisement. This is the main element of advertisement is child in smiles. This is used as a form of appeal to the audience. In addition, the smile of the child in the photo complements the brightness of the day in the photo. Essentially the photo aims at evoking emotions of the consumer into joy and empathy for the child in the unfortunate situation for the child after receiving the shoes from the entity. The background of the image indicates the presence of poverty in the surrounding community. Hence, the child has been brought up in a poor household. Additionally she finds joy in the new pair of shoes, which could not be purchased by her guardians because of poverty.

The images in the advertisement and with reference to the images of the shoes are placed in an appropriate manner. This enables the potential clients or general audience targeted by the advertisement to ensure that they are able to know the available products or associated products of the organization. In addition, the child in the ad is excited, as she is able to avoid the pain of walking barefoot in a rocky area where shoe could be injured by the rocks or other objects.

The arrangement of the text is appropriate since it indicates that any shoe bought shall lead to a shoe for a needy child. However, the relevant text, which should be among the main message, has been put at the right hand lower side of the advertisement. This message should be highlighted, as it would enable the consumers to view the message. In addition, uninterested consumers of the products would also understand the implications of such purchases from reading the main message if it were visible and larger in comparison to other texts in the advertisement. Essentially the advertisement aims at appealing to the audience from a philanthropic perspective as a purchase could result in a pair of shoes for a needy child.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Book Review over His Excellency, George Washington

Joseph J. Ellis looks at the life of one of America’s founding fathers George Washington. The conquests and failures in battle and his achievements as president have been brought out in a way no historian has been able to capture previously. It presents a biographical masterpiece that is succinct and refreshing from most historical readings and biographies. It is difficult for a biography to bring out the personal and intimate side of a subject yet this biography by Joseph J. Ellis has managed to do just that. The aim of the book is not just to present the political aspect of his life but also his personal life that motivated his political career and his dream for America. In essence, the book has managed to present both the private and public life of George Washington in an informative yet insightful way.

The book marks out the life of George Washington’s military career as an impulsive and youthful military commander and his late life as the President of a new and prosperous democracy, America. As a young man, George Washington wanted to establish himself as a military figure in Ohio Country. His ambitions in the military brought him to the brink of death on several occasions due to the tactical blunders, but his reputation as a military man always got better. He saw an opportunity in the victory by the British over the Indians and bought a track of land close to sixty thousand acres. The British at this time denied him a military commission he had needed. This made discover new ambitions that would propel him to become one of the leading planters in Virginia. George Washington despite his deep affection for Sally Fairfax, he decided to marry Martha Dandridge Custis. The dowry managed to push him to the upper carder of the Virginia planters.

Ellis describes the discovery made by George Washington about the conspiracy by the British to withhold their liberty and his ascension to being commander-in-chief of the revolutionary army. The war for independence was the longest in American History. Ellis does not give every single detail about the battles in the war; however, he uses this opportunity to reveal the character of the man. He did not win many wars, but he was skilled in power and politics. He always asked for the opinion of congress and maintained the allegiance of his men to the cause. Joseph J. Ellis reveals the impact of the war on George Washington. The war made him look at the country from a nationalistic disposition. His fear of the nation’s failure as a union made him break his promise to indulge in politics. He went on to become the president of the new union and promoted schemes that would enhance a sense of patriotism in America. People thought of him as betraying the goals of the Revolution by making it known that he wished for a central government with the same ideals the Revolution denounced. His view of America was bigger than the Revolution, and he knew it. He came to be known as a national symbol with whom the whole of America could identify.

The book has several strengths that can be draw. There are several biographies about George Washington, the founding father. Many will realize that Joseph Ellis does not offer new content about the man, but he writes in an engaging manner that appeals to everyone. He has the skill of simplifying a horde of complicated resources into few sensible sentences. He writes in a straightforward manner that is directed to the reader. He writes confidently using simple language, and at times, the writing is had a conversational tone. Another important strength of the book is in its length. While some historians who have used George Washington as a biographical subject, however, none have managed to achieve the insight and depth into the man despite their length. The book does not celebrate nor does it degrade the figure of George Washington, but serves to demystify this monumental figure and bring out his human nature. However, the greatness of the man is not lost in this process.

Ellis has portrayed George Washington in two paradigms that can be viewed as a weakness. For one, he describes George Washington as being driven by his passions, ambition, aggressiveness, egotistic and greedy. In the second, George Washington is a steadfast leader, a patriot, a wise man and presents his great achievement as the leader who unified the American nation. While it establishes the human character of George Washington, it also serves as a counter effect of the character Ellis tried to portray in the founding father.

An assessment of the books strengths and weaknesses do not just highlight the flaws in the book but determines the impact it has had on the character of George Washington. It is note worthy to recognize the style and approach of the Joseph J. Ellis. His book has a major strength. He has revealed no new details about the life of George Washington, but he offers his explanation of the man in a novel manner that is acceptable across all disciplines. He does not celebrate the figure of George Washington but instead offers the human disposition of the American icon. He presents the man both in his good nature and in flawed nature. However, it may have been a mistake to pit his passions against his principled nature. They cannot be looked at independent of each other. What Joseph J. Ellis should have done was to ensure the two sides appeared hand in hand in describing George Washington. It cannot be denied that George Washington was the most ambitious of the founding fathers, but it is also true that he was a most virtuous and selfless man. He did not seek military honor after winning the Revolution, he instead surrendered the general’s sword and sought no position of power. The effect of this was that he was considered the best man to lead America and he knew this. However, it does not portray him as being any less virtuous. Despite this, the book still manages to offer deep insight into the life of a great general, revolutionary, and American president.

 

 

The Future of Education

There have been tremendous milestones in education over the years. Education has been there since the beginning of time. Even when there were no formal institutions of learning, people found a way of passing on the knowledge that they had through oral narratives and images.

People learned orally before the establishment of formal institutions of learning

(Retrieved from http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/75/Spangenberg_-_Schule_des_Aristoteles.jpg/260px-Spangenberg_-_Schule_des_Aristoteles.jpg)

As time passed on and people developed more interest in learning and research, they developed education that was more formal. However, only a privileged few could afford this, as they had tutors in their homes. Home schooling is therefore not a new concept. They would learn languages, art, and music, from the professionals who were already distinguished in their respective fields.

Traditional home schooling

(Retrieved from http://www.onlinecollegecourses.com/wp-content/uploads/homesch.jpg)

Political, social and economic changes, coupled with renewed interest in learning and religion made it possible for more people to get an education, irrespective of their backgrounds. This led to the establishment of formal institutions, which served majority of the population. The institutions made it possible for many people to become educated (Guisepi, n. d.). Education is one of the many sectors that continue to experience many changes and developments.

Technology has played an important role in ensuring the development of education. This has been the case since the development of printing services, which made it possible for people to print books. The development of computers and the consequent development of the internet made it possible for people to advance their knowledge in many different areas. The development of the internet is especially important, as it has led to continued interest in gaining knowledge. It has made it more possible for people in less developed areas, who can access the internet, have the same level of education as people in the developed areas. People use means such as distance education and online education to acquire education. Technology will continue playing a big role in education.

Advancement in technology has led to the development of gadgets and appliances that ease the way in which people learn. Technology has ensured that more people access learning materials and find easier methods of learning. People have advanced from using the big mainframe computers, which could only be accessed by a few people, to using personal computers, which were relatively cheaper and more accessible. Technology then ensured that people could learn on the go, as people could use laptops, tablets and other mobile devices. Currently, many people use such technologies to access online books. This has changed the traditional classrooms and libraries. Therefore, the future of education is bound to follow the same direction

Conflict might arise between technological advancement in the education sector, and the traditional mode of learning

(Retrieved from http://dalishah.com/2012/06/12/the-future-of-learning-part-2-homeschooling-club/)

There is going to be more advancement in technology, which will influence education. Already, many parents are choosing to educate their children at home for different reasons. Some parents collaborate with different learning institutions, and this enables them to keep up with the rest of students in public and private schools. Online education is set to become more popular in future. In many schools across the country, educators have placed rules regarding the use of technology within the school setting. Most of them prohibit the use of smartphones, cell phones and other mobile devices. They also prohibit or limit the use of the internet, other than for schoolwork related purposes only. This is bound to change in future, as educators continue to see the role of digital technology in future. Teachers are more likely to encourage student to use digital technologies in the classroom, for the purposes of learning. this will enable the students to remain relevant in the technologically changing world (Zhao, 2009).

As much as people foresee great changes in learning technology, it is possible that these changes will not be that significant. Some people foresaw the changes and development in education from the beginning. They predicted the importance of technology in the changing role of development. They foresaw an era when students would only need to click on something, and they would have all the information they needed. While this has been made possible by the internet, most schools continue to use the traditional classroom methods of learning. Some schools are reluctant to adopt the latest technologies in learning. This is because they have to consider the capital investment and other logistics involved in adopting technology in schools (Keim, 2012)

Image of future education as depicted in 1958

(Retrieved from http://churchm.ag/future-of-education-1958/)

There has been continued interest on the changing needs of children when developing the curriculum. Some people have hailed this as a step in the right direction. However, others are of a contrary opinion. They claim that some of the changes in the American education system have led to a detriment in learning. They see this as the cause why America is under threat of remaining the major world economic superpower. There is a need to examine the American education system. Recent international exams portray other countries leading America, especially in sciences and mathematics. The International Student Assessment shows the declining state of American education. In reading and mathematics scores, countries such as China, South Korea, Finland, Singapore and Japan rank higher than America (Koebler, 2011).

Lack of preparedness among American students is a major hindrance to their educational achievements

(Retrieved from http://dangerbrain.files.wordpress.com/2010/07/testtotestha6.png)

Countries in the Asian continent such as China and Japan and in European countries perform better than America in international exams. As America continues looking and researching on the comforts of the child, other countries continue to push their students towards working harder and achieving their goals. America has invested heavily in its education system, yet the results do not show this. Even with the advanced use of technology, America is bound to continue with its poor performance, if it does not learn from the best performing countries.

 

 

References:

Cobo, C. (2011). How we use technology in education is more important than which technology we use. Retrieved from https://edutechdebate.org/ict-in-schools/how-we-use-technology-in-education-is-more-important-than-which-technology-we-use/

Guisepi, R. (n. d.). The history of education. Retrieved from http://history-world.org/history_of_education.htm

Keim, B. (2012). iPad textbooks: Reality less revolutionary than hardware. Retrieved from http://agora-dialogue.com/?p=34966

Koebler, J. (2011). U.S. can learn from other countries’ education systems. Retrieved from http://www.usnews.com/education/blogs/high-school-notes/2011/05/25/us-can-learn-from-other-countries-education-systems

The Associated Press. (2010). In ranking, U.S. students trail global leaders. Retrieved from http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/education/2010-12-07-us-students-international-ranking_n.htm

Zhao, Y. (2009). Catching up or leading the way: American education in the age of globalization. Alexandria, VA: ASCD

 

 

Sporting Relating With Religion

Federer as Religious Experience

Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Religion and sport have an interconnected relationship between them, with Christianity and sport specifically offering a good illustration of this relationship. Traditional sport and religion had an interconnected and interesting relationship. Numerous participants to sporting activities have proclaimed sacred affiliation between the two. Athletes have come forward in proclamation of their religious conversions, crowds vest their faith to God prior to match kick offs.

Jean-Jacques Rousseau came up with the concept of civil religion that could be used to describe public religion and football. He was an 18^th century philosopher, writer and composer whose ideas had a great impact in the world. Rousseau proposes a theory on civil religion where the religion of the citizen establishes a religion with a people identifying his or her own Gods and a set of religious beliefs that befit them. The article, Federer as Religious Experience, is an example of the citizenry having their own form of religious practices. The writer, David Foster describes the religious significance of tennis as a sport that establishes Federer as a tennis god with the rare talent and exempt form certain laws of physics.

In the current society for example, the relationship connecting tennis and religion is regarded as a civil religion expression. The modern concept defining religion draws its reference from Jean Jacques Rousseau’s philosophy. He maintained that civil religion is divided into two. One division is referred to as the religion the man involves a simple and pure religion of the Gospel. On the hand is the religion of the citizen that grants a nation its high deity. The national law normally lays down the rituals, dogmas and external worship forms of this particular religion. Everything contrary to this religion is considered barbarous or aliened.

Robert Bellah

Robert Bellah, an American sociologist and former professor at the University of California, Berkeley, is a known proponent of the American civil religion. He suggests the inspirations of sport as a religious fete as being drawn from existing religious significance from different religions. The writer in the article, Federer as Religious Experience at some point equates the Wimbledon stadium as being the Mecca of the game. The relevance of this statement is not lost to us. Mecca is the Muslim pilgrimage destination and is an important part of the Muslim faith. Attendance of annual Wimbledon games has been assigned a religious connotation of a religious pilgrimage.

Just like religion, sport is difficult to describe since it is has multi facet characteristics. Religion is subjected to constant description and definition by theologians, scholars, and individuals; some who have forwarded theories that attempt to describe the aspect of religion. Based on religion, the findings of these theories can be easily applied to sport. Even though sports and religion express a number of relationship similarities, it is prudent to understand that controversies as well surround them.

Augustine

Augustine, the 4^th century philosopher, describes how evil is a cause of chaos in our lives and distorts priorities. The cause of disordered priorities is the love of immaterial objects that do not add value to human beings. The writer, David Wallace describes the feeling he gets from a tennis game. He describes a game between Roger Federer and Andre Agassi that brought him to his knees awestruck without recognizing the his wife’s presence. Augustine believes such love is disordered and a vice. In conclusion, Even though an overlap of various degrees may exist when considering the values and morals of these groups, their way of celebration and expressing their convictions is unique. One religious group for example might have pilgrimage value to a given place while the other supports confessions of one’s wrongdoings in a private chamber. Among the scenarios where religions express their values and morals is through sports. Sports and religion manifest several similarities based on institutional and social dimensions.

 

 

Early American History

Chapter 1:

The earliest civilizations to enter into the Americas are considered to have entered through the Bering Strait land-ice bridge. They were considered as nomads in the period. The earliest human civilization are considered to have encountered numerous conflicts with the wild animals which were in existence. It was essentially a battle for survival for the existent civilization against the wild animals, which had not evolved. These nomads ere claimed to have followed game herds into modern day Alaska. They also encountered problems with the climate in Alaska as well as the search for food to ensure their survival and their families’ survival.

Between 10,000 and 2500 years ago, some cultures were developed such as the Clovis culture, which was big game-hunting culture that existed in the areas surrounding New Mexico. Other cultures include the Cochise of the southwest who inhabited the areas around Colorado plateau that were mainly hunters and gatherers. The cultures of Mexico were similar to those living in Europe in terms of using spiked projectors in hunting wild game for survival. Cultures in southwest migrated into the south and were favored by the climate.

They ceased the hunting and gathering of wild game and wild plants subsequently and settled on farming as an easier means of growing providing food. They grew mainly beans, corn and cotton as food and cloth subsequently. They deforested large tracts of land to expand their communities as well as obtain land for farming activities. The area in Americas was different in terms of climate and geography enabling farming activities in comparison to the wet and humid climates of Eurasia. Some parts of Eurasia were unpredictable hence could not sustain farming activities. The climates in the areas in Eurasia were good for breeding pests and diseases. Hence, the new arrivals of Europeans brought about new diseases into the Americas. The natives of California were mainly hunters whop had adopted farming as a means of providing for their families.

This picture indicates the Bering Strait, which facilitated the initial migration of people into the Americas.

This picture indicates of the wild game in existence during the early civilizations as well as the climate present at that time.

This picture is an illustration of the clothing and lifestyles of the ancient populations of the first settlers into the Americas.

This is also an illustration of the Aztec era, which was among the earliest civilizations in the history of humankind.

Chapter 2:

The Chinese and ottoman civilizations played a significant role in trade, as they were mainly seafarers and traders voyaging around the world with their merchandise. Europe was faced by the presence of numerous diseases, which mainly came from Asia and centrals parts of Eurasia. Such diseases were devastating as they wiped large parts of the populations of European empires. Africa became part of interest to the European as it was on the way to Asia during that voyages before the discovery of the strait of Gibraltar. In addition, Africa provided slaves for the Europeans as well as other commodities for trade and use by the Europeans.

Africans governments were responsible for the slave trade in that they gave part of their population of the traders in exchange for other goods such as cloth and guns. Plans by Columbus to find a shorter route to chin were of interest, as this would save time for seafarers such as the Spaniards during trade. In addition, this would prove to the British that the Spaniards were better explorers than the British were. The Spaniards took control of the Americas after the fight with the British in South America. They were able to capture only South America whereas the British retained the Northern America. The Europeans brought manioc and peanuts to South America. They also brought bees for honey production in the colonies, night crawlers from the tobacco in the ships for planting and making cigarettes.

Through the Queen Elisabeth I, the monarchy as experienced seafarers were bale to battle the Spaniards ate sea and destroys their ships and ground forces leaving them with the opportunity to claim the Americas. The Spaniards had an extensive control of the Americas before they fought the British. The English were also embodied in fight against the rebellion in the United States after they refused to give autonomy and equal privileges to the population in America.

Prince Henry was one of the pioneers of seafaring in the United Kingdom. He is credited for making a strong naval force for expeditions for the British troops as well as indulging in trade with the Chinese and other civilizations.

This picture indicates the activities of trade between Europe and Americas and the commodities, which came from the respective regions.

 

 

 

This picture indicates the interactions of the Spaniards and the Aztec community after arrival from Europe into the Americas.

 

 

Compensation and Performance Appraisal

One of my most recent jobs is working as a nurse assistant with a home health agency. This job requires a lot of devotion and compassion for the sick. It is not surprising to do more work than nurses do at times. Some of the duties as a nurse assistant in home health include changing beddings, mopping floors, preparing dishes for the patients, helping patients out of bed, bathing, and dressing and among other duties to help their daily lives. This requires a lot of devotion and commitment as well. It is for such reasons that I feel the compensation was not fair enough. The compensation program was not fair and neither competitive. There were too many duties to perform while the pay was minimal. At the time, the middle salary for nursing assistants was ranging from $16,024 to $29,742 per year. As a new nursing assistant, one only received the lower side of the range.

Considering all the work one has to do as a nursing assistant, the compensation is not fair at all. For the job one is required to undertake as a nursing aide, the compensation is not enough. An assistant or nursing aide is supposed to provide patients with all the help they require for living their daily lives. One is supposed to be there when the patients needs them. Each patient varies in terms of needs. Patients requiring an assistant nurse are those with more needs, including assistant to move. Therefore, the quantity of work that one has to do as an assistant nurse is too many varying with each patient. Earning as low as $20000 or less per year for such a job is not adequate compensation. Worse still, is the lack of incentives in this job. There are hardly any incentives. After one is done with the training required for certification, there are minimal incentive programs.

Performance appraisal in the healthcare systems is quite complicated since results are supposed to show improvement of patients. Some patients might not improve from their conditions. For performance appraisal in the assistance nursing considers the satisfaction of the customers and facilities. The agency conducts satisfaction surveys from the facilities and customers. The agency will ask several questions each with a score, to find out the level of satisfaction with the care provided by the assistant nurse. The facility or home in which the patients are provides their feedback about the care provided by the nurse. This is quite valid considering the facilities are the ones held responsible with the wellness of their patients. On the other hand, I feel that customer surveys are more valid since the patients are the ones who receive the services directly. Additionally, a complaint survey is conducted to find out about the complaints filed in by the facility or patient. This provides for fair performance appraisal, where the customer appraises the work. However, this also provides some unfairness to patients since they might not know how they are supposed to be treated. Thus, the facility in which patients are placed should be active as well to help in performance appraisal.

The performance appraisal does allow feedback from the agency as well as the customers since they are the ones providing the feedback about ones performance. The agency provides the employees with feedback about their performance based on the satisfaction of the patients that one is serving. This is quite motivational especially when one learns that patients appreciate the job done by an assistant nurse. Many patients will sow their gratitude while others may show little. The agency supervisors find this system quite fair since once performance is based on the services they provide to the patients. They find it as a way of helping their patients improve by identifying areas in which they lack.