Addressing Nursing Shortages Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Addressing Nursing Shortages - Article Example A recent survey, conducted by the NurseWeek/AONE research advisory council, was aimed at a large population of existing nurses to gauge their perceptions on whether the nursing shortage in America was actually causing problems with the delivery of health care. The results revealed that an alarming seven out of 10 nurses involved in the survey agreed that staffing shortages at many hospitals had actually caused significant problems in the delivery of quality healthcare (Graham, 2002). With this acknowledgment in place, and with the recognition that patients were actively suffering due to insufficient volumes of nursing care, it is important to identify that an inability to recruit new nurses is dramatically impacting patient (and nurse) perceptions about the troubles associated with low levels of competent care givers across the country. However, why are recruitment levels in the field down from previous years? One particular author, in this case, a registered nurse with many years of experience in the field, suggests that the main reason is that public perceptions about nursing positions are that today's potential nursing students do not realize the important role they play in delivering patient care (Begeny, 2004). According to this author, teaching existing nurses as well as incoming nursing students the reality of the connection between care and the patient is a bridge which can be gapped by changing the public perception of the field from one in which people believe nursing is less rewarding today than it was years ago (Begeny). Further, a national funding program known as the Nurse Reinvestment Act is cited as being grossly under-funded, causing individuals who are considering nursing to be worried about potential loan repayment increases as well  as not being able to receive the appropriate funding needed to secure a nursing degree.

Increase and Decrease in Social Capital Essay Example for Free

Increase and Decrease in Social Capital Essay The definition of ‘social capital’ is easiest to define when looking at both words separately. Essentially, the ‘capital’ is the breadth, number and subsequent advantages of ‘social’ bonds. As sociologist John Fielding puts it, â€Å"Its central thesis can be summed up in two words: relationships matter.† (Field, J (2008). Social Capital. 2nd ed. New York: Routledge. 1). These relationships may manifest themselves in numerous social contexts, such as in work, family, academic endeavors and so on. Regardless of context, the benefits that Fielding alludes to, and what really ‘matters’, are the accumulative efforts of social groups and the advantages they hold over individual labour. Social capital is especially applicable to our online social networks, and this essay will be analysing cases that support or reject the statement: ‘The internet has been linked both to increases and decreases in social capital’ (Ellison Steinfield, 2007). Despite existing since the 1960s, the level of integration within society that the Internet maintains now has only been achieved within the last decade. The flourish of social networking sites that make the Internet such a pivotal tool in our interactions with one another began around the turn of the millennia. Since the inception of sites like MySpace in 2003, the concept of a website where users may display their details and interact with one another has been capitalised on. These networks, often establishing themselves in the form of blogs paved the way to what are now fast becoming our online identities. The emergence of Facebook is exemplary of how online interaction has grown into a social institute. ‘Created in 2004, by 2007 Facebook was reported to have more than 21 million registered member generating 1.6 billion page views each day‘ (Needham Company, 2007). It is clear from Facebook’s purpose that the avenues of social capital are fortified and strengthe ned by online social networks. The widespread use of Facebook has revolutionised many aspects of social interaction. Event organization for example, is now almost reliant on Facebook for it’s success. Facebook’s usage has reached such frequency from the population that it is now an eligible and required source of investigation for crime.  The positive effects from this are outlined in the statement ‘Social Capital has been linked to a variety of positive social outcomes, such as better public health, lower crime rates, and more efficient financial markets (Adler Kwon, 2002). At its core, Facebook exists to support networks of friends (initially college students), and in this sense it promotes social capital by enabling distance-independent communication. Despite these obvious virtues of Facebook however, there is some opposition to the idea that it promotes social capital. Donath and Boyd (2004) argue that social network websites do not promote social capital and societal bonds. Instead, they merely sustain weak, superficial bonds due to the ease and facile nature of online i nteractions. Examples of this are ‘liking’ friend’s photos, liking status’ and playing games with other Facebook friends. Bargh and McKenna (2004) argues that ‘Internet use distracts from face-to-face time with others, which might diminish an individual’s social capital’. However, it appears this thesis received criticism from Wellman, Haase and Witte who believe that ‘online interactions may supplement or replace in-person interactions, mitigating any loss from the time spent online’. These statements pronounce information on the rocketing popularity of social networking and how it has become the first choice of communication. Another factor to consider is online shopping. EBay is an online auction website where users can bid on items that other users are selling, users can contact each other about the product they are bidding/buying, this is considered a weak connection. EBay has over 14 million active users has is increasingly growing, one would consider that this increases their social capital, an arguments to support this statement is that EBay is a professional business and has rules and regulations to follow if you are a user, these guidelines also state that you should ‘contact the intellectual property owner with any questions before listing’ which encourages and promotes contacting another seller before, during and after you have purchased their product. Harrison (1998) suggested that it is possible to build social capital in the short term and that this is also known as capacity building EBay stems relationships on the Internet by having your favoured users option, this helps you to revisit any company or professional individual you liked shopping with and gives you the opportunity to view other items they have for sale which would increase one’s individual social capital. However,  Kotha et. Al. (2004), denies this and leads on to say ‘customer and relationship services provide a competitive edge for ecommerce traders. These two communicational factors were found to be more beneficial in creating a long term competitive edge than web site usability and product selection, which may provide short term gain but will not create social capital with the user or give them an emotional connection with the brand or product’ (Kotha, S., Rajgopal, S., Venkatachalam, M., (2004) The role of online buying experience as a competitive advantage: evidence from Third Party ratings for ecommerce firms, The Journal of Business, 77) It has also become clear when researching Social Capital that people argue that you cannot measure the increase in Social Capital, it has been argued that ‘without measurement, change cannot be determined’ (Suna, B. (2011). Building Social Capital. http://www.socialcapitalresearch.com/building.html.). Also, according to Putnam (1993), ‘social capital is largely determined by historical factors; it can thus not be enhanced in the short term’. Putnam’s view is also fully supported by Schmidt (2000) and Uslaner and Dekker (2001). They considered social capital as a by-product of other social activities. This intends that websites such as EBay decrease social capital because there is only a short amount of contact with other people. To support this, EBay’s purpose is for buying, selling and bidding. Once a user has bought a product, the probability that they will never get in contact with that user again is very high due to no face-to-face interaction, which makes it hard to build a relationship for some people. The outcome of this is not being able to maintain or create a strong bond between the two, thus decreasing Social Capital. The last factor to consider is News on the Internet. Having news on the Internet is a great way to increase Social Capital. Norris, (2001) argued that ‘the hope that the Internet would be especially useful in encouraging many people to join political discussions has not been realized’. Norris debates that the Internet is has allowed readers to comment on articles and even start discussions about the article they are reading, but not everyone takes advantage of this option. Discussions help build bonds within people who post comments because they are either support ing or arguing about the information at hand. This does not necessarily mean they are building strong bonds, but a connection is made  between many people that could not happen before the News was posted on the Internet. A following point is that the Internet is always accessible. Modern mobile phones now all have access to the Internet, therefore there is nothing stopping individuals obtaining the news. Smartphones have taken this one step further and created an application to access the news for free. Applications make it simpler for individuals to read the news, email articles to friends and express their opinion with the comment option. Smart phones have given individuals the access to enjoy news wherever they are. During these modern times, Law enforcements have taken to updating the news via social networks. Updating social networks spread to a wider audience of readers, keeps readers aware of what is happening in the news and gives the opportunity for individuals to ask questions and in some cases help. This helps increase Social Capital, serious and local news can be discussed between readers and in some cases solve problems. For example, injecting the media sources with information of a missing person spreads the acknowledgment and creates more wide spread enforcements, which is shown in the following statement . ‘Subsequent researchers (Best Dautrich, 2003; Kavanaugh, Reese, Carroll, Rosson, 2005; Kobayashi, Ikeda, Miyata, 2006; Rà ¤sà ¤nen Kouvo, 2007) found that online communications have a positive effect on individuals social trust and participation in community life’ (Valenzuela, S., Park, N. and Kee, K. F. (2009), Is There Social Capital in a Social Network Site?: Facebook Use and College Students Life Satisfaction, Trust, and Participation; Journal of Comput er-Mediated Communication) Overall, all these factors help increase social capital, because they are creating strong bonds between different people, most of who wasn’t aware of others existence. Alternatively, News on the Internet can also decrease social capital. This is because there is again, no face-to-face interaction with other people, therefore making it hard to build relationships and bonds. Discussions can also lead to arguments on the Internet, the lack of face-to-face interaction gives some readers the confidence to vocalise opinions they would not necessarily vocalise when in physical contact with someone. The Internet for a lot of individuals is seen as a shield of protection, and a small percentage of people can voice hateful words on the Internet and no action can be taken. This decreases an individual’s Social Capital, because people would not want to create bonds  with others with view on the Internet. In conclusion, the Internet has been linked to both increase and decrease Social Capital in numerous ways. Social Networking has increased Social Capital by creating bonds between individuals with a variety of positive social aspects, maintaining old friendships and whilst enabling new ones. However, Social Networking also decreases Social Capital due to the lack of face-to-face interaction, and it is also argued that Social Networks ‘merely sustain weak, superficial bonds due to the ease and facile nature of online interactions’ (Donath and Boyd, 2004). Online shopping platforms have also increased Social Capital, EBay forces users to contact each other to ask about products they are selling, users bid/buy products and are sometimes in competition with other users to win the item. This creates bonds between users even though they are weak. The decrease of Social Capital on EBay is the point of no face-to-face interaction, and after the transition is completed, there is no need for you to contact that user again, so this is an example of short term Social Capital. The last point discussed was News on the Internet, the increase of Social Capital in the news is the point of everyone being able to comment or discuss news stories. Alternatively, the decreasing affect of the news on the Internet is also an invitation for arguments and hurtful opinions. References: Ellison, N. B., Steinfield, C., Lampe, C. (2007). The benefits of Facebook â€Å"friends:† Social Capital and college students’ use of social networking sites. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 12(4), article 1. (2005). What is Social Capital and how might it be used in Scotland’s schools? Available: http://www.ces.ed.ac.uk/PDF%20Files/Brief036.pdf.). (Ellison, N. B., Steinfield, C., Lampe, C. (2007) ‘The benefits of Facebook â€Å"friends:† Social Capital and college students’ use of online social network sites). Donath, J., Boyd, D. (2004). Public displays of connection. BT Technology Journal, 22(4), 71–82. Kotha, S., Rajgopal, S., Venkatachalam, M., (2004) The role of online buying experience as a competitive advantage: evidence from ThirdParty ratings for ecommerce firms, The Journal of Business, 77(S2), pp. 109-13. Dekker, P Uslaner, E (2001). Social Capital and Participation in Everyday Life. London New York: Routledge. Kilpatrick, S. Falk, I. Harrison, L (1998). Learning in rural communities: a rapid economic change. Australia: Centre of Research and Learning in Regional Australia Best, S., Dautrich, K. (2003). Reinvigorating democracy: Generating social capital and political participation on the Internet. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Association for Public Opinion Research, Nashville, TN. Kavanaugh, A., Reese, D., Carroll, J., Rosson, M. (2005). Weak ties in networked communities. Information Society, 21, 119–131. Kobayashi, T., Ikeda, K. i., Miyata, K. (2006). Social capital online: Collective use of the Internet and reciprocity as lubricants of democracy. Information, Communication Society, 9, 582–611. Rà ¤sà ¤nen, P., Kouvo, A. (2007). Linked or divided by the web Internet use and sociability in four European countries Communication Society, 10, 219–241. Websites: http://pages.ebay.co.uk/aboutebay/thecompany/companyoverview.html

Remembering Vietnam :: Vietnam War Essays

Remembering Vietnam "Facing It," by Yusef Komunyakaa talks about a war which most, if not all Americans are familiar with. The ever so controversial Vietnam Conflict, also known as the Vietnam War. This poem was very well written, and I respect all that was said in the context of the poem. "Facing It," discusses his visit to the Vietnam Memorial in Washington D.C., and his emotions that he experienced while he was at the memorial. I can not imagine what the feelings would be like to see one of my friend's name etched in this wall, although Tomas Van Putten can. I had a personal phone interview with him on October 30th, 2002. Tom Van Putten served nine years in the U.S. Army, two of which were spent in Vietnam. In a phone interview with Tom, I asked him if he had ever visited the monument. In fact, he did and he discussed with me how hard it was to see a dozen names of men he knew that were put on that wall. "It's really an awesome monument; it is hard remembering what it was like coming home. I was definitely changed for life " (Van Putten). Most of the content Mr. Van Putten and I spoke about, alluded back to "Facing It." Komunyakaa really shows me that he is emotional about the monument by his visions that he sees when he is at the wall. "My black face fades / hiding inside the black granite" (1-2). Here I believe he is realizing he should be on that wall. I feel as if he may be remembering a point in time in Vietnam that he was involved in an incident that should have cost him his life. Also, these are all names. His fading face makes me think that he realizes that there were no separate races in that war. When I told Mr. Van Putten about this part of the poem, he said "Yea, you are right. We all looked the same. We were all Americans." "I said I wouldn't, dammit: no tears" (3-4). How could you not cry at this scene. Hundreds, if not thousands of fellow Americans that Komunkyaa had interacted with at one point in time, or another, were just names etched on a wall. I asked Mr. Van Putten what the overall environment was like once he arrived in Vietnam. Mr. Van Putten described the environment of Vietnam as a "pretty country, really nice. Remembering Vietnam :: Vietnam War Essays Remembering Vietnam "Facing It," by Yusef Komunyakaa talks about a war which most, if not all Americans are familiar with. The ever so controversial Vietnam Conflict, also known as the Vietnam War. This poem was very well written, and I respect all that was said in the context of the poem. "Facing It," discusses his visit to the Vietnam Memorial in Washington D.C., and his emotions that he experienced while he was at the memorial. I can not imagine what the feelings would be like to see one of my friend's name etched in this wall, although Tomas Van Putten can. I had a personal phone interview with him on October 30th, 2002. Tom Van Putten served nine years in the U.S. Army, two of which were spent in Vietnam. In a phone interview with Tom, I asked him if he had ever visited the monument. In fact, he did and he discussed with me how hard it was to see a dozen names of men he knew that were put on that wall. "It's really an awesome monument; it is hard remembering what it was like coming home. I was definitely changed for life " (Van Putten). Most of the content Mr. Van Putten and I spoke about, alluded back to "Facing It." Komunyakaa really shows me that he is emotional about the monument by his visions that he sees when he is at the wall. "My black face fades / hiding inside the black granite" (1-2). Here I believe he is realizing he should be on that wall. I feel as if he may be remembering a point in time in Vietnam that he was involved in an incident that should have cost him his life. Also, these are all names. His fading face makes me think that he realizes that there were no separate races in that war. When I told Mr. Van Putten about this part of the poem, he said "Yea, you are right. We all looked the same. We were all Americans." "I said I wouldn't, dammit: no tears" (3-4). How could you not cry at this scene. Hundreds, if not thousands of fellow Americans that Komunkyaa had interacted with at one point in time, or another, were just names etched on a wall. I asked Mr. Van Putten what the overall environment was like once he arrived in Vietnam. Mr. Van Putten described the environment of Vietnam as a "pretty country, really nice.

History of the New York Yankees

The New York Yankees are hands down the most successful franchise in professional baseball. They became the modern day goliath in every facet of the game. However, it hasn’t always been like that. The team originated in the late 1800’s in Minneapolis, Minnesota. In 1899, the Minneapolis team moved to Baltimore, Maryland, where they became the Baltimore Orioles. Minneapolis and Baltimore both failed to realize the behemoth that was to become the Yankees. In 1903, the team moved to New York City, and became the New York Highlanders. The New York Highlanders built a stadium at 168th and Broadway, and called it Hilltop Park.After losing their first game against Washington, they won their first home game, against the same Washington team. This is when their uniforms developed the famous pin stripes. In 1913, the team moved to the Polo Grounds and officially became the New York Yankees. The Yankees acquired many players from the Boston Red Sox because the owner of the Red Sox refused to pay high salaries. George Herman Ruth Jr. , known to sports fans as Babe Ruth was the most notable acquisition in 1919. In the 1920’s the Yankees won 3 world championships, and started their rise to worldwide fame.In 1923 the Yankees Stadium was built in the heart of the Bronx, in New York City. This stadium became the home of the Yankees from 1923 to 1973 and from 1976 to 2008 essay writer cheap. The stadium’s nickname, â€Å"The House That Ruth Built†, has the most history, from the dozens of Hall of Famers that played in the pinstripes type my essay online, to all the World Series titles. The Yankees stadium hosted 6,581 Yankees regular season home games during its 85-year history. Many baseball historians consider the 1927 Yankees team to be the best assembled of all time. In the World Series, they swept the Pittsburgh Pirates.This Yankee team is known for their feared lineup, which was nicknamed â€Å"Murderers' Row†. In the 1930’s the winning continued with Joe DiMaggio and Lou Gehrig, and they won four straight titles. From the 1940’s to the 1950’s the winning ways continued, as the Yankees won five more World Series titles. This was the era of Yogi Berra, Mickey Mantle, and Whitey Ford. In 1956, starting pitcher Don Larsen pitched the only perfect game in World Series history. Larsen’s gem during the 1956 World Series was the first and only perfect game to occur during the postseason and World Series.The Yankees would close the decade of the 1950’s winning a total of seven World Series titles. In 1964, CBS bought the Yankees for 11. 2 million dollars. In 1973, CBS sold the Yankees to George Steinbrenner for 10 million dollars. This would go down as one of the worst deals in sports history for CBS. While the Yankees stadium was refurbished in 1974 and 1975, they played their home games in Shea stadium, home of the New York Mets. Yankees off and on again coach Billy Martin held th e position five different times, and led the team over the Los Angeles Dodgers in six games in the 1977 World Series.This is the World Series Reggie Jackson hit three home runs in a single game, and how he earned his nickname â€Å"Mr. October. † The 1980’s were lean times in which they did not win one World Series title. Don Mattingly was the best known Yankee during the 80’s. In 1983, Dave Righetti pitched the 6th no-hitter in Yankee’s history. 1983 also marked the famous â€Å"pine tar game† with the Kansas City Royals. The 1990’s started as the 1980’s ended. A breakthrough happened in 1996 when the Yankees hired Joe Torre, and then went on to win the World Series that same year. Torre brought the winning edge of previous decades to the new age Yankees.Derek Jeter would go on to become the next Yankees legend. The Yankees went on to win the 1998, 1999, and 2000 World Series, to complete the historic three-peat. The 2008 season was the last season played at historic Yankee Stadium. To celebrate the final year and history of Yankee Stadium, the 2008 MLB All-Star Game was played there on July 15, 2008. It wouldn’t take long for their next World Series title, as they won it all in 2009 with manager Joe Girardi at the helm. In all, the Yankees have 27 championships, more than any other team in any American sport.In pursuit of winning World Series titles, the franchise has utilized a large payroll to recruit star talent, particularly under former owner George Steinbrenner. Individual names are never put on the back of a Yankee’s uniform, because you are not an individual, you are a Yankee. The New York Yankees have inducted 36 players into the Hall of Fame, with more to come in the future. Playing for the Yankees is a huge desire for many kids and professional baseball players. Putting on those pinstripes represents history and pride. Hall of famer Joe DiMaggio put it best when he said, â€Å"Iâ€⠄¢d like to thank the good lord for making me a Yankee. †   

Effects of Enzyme

Effects of Temperature on Enzyme Biology Introduction In order to understand the activity of enzymes at different temperatures the ability of the enzyme to function can be measured. This is important in many applications such as Polymerase Chain Reaction for forensics as well as genetics research where manipulation of temperature-dependent enzymes allows for replication of DNA segments. Bennett states, â€Å"when the energy – measured as heat – increases in a chemical reaction the energy increases the reaction speed and reaction rate. (1969) This happens until a threshold though in many biological processes where positive energy input no longer increases reaction speed due to the inhibition of other factors – in this experiment that factor is the degradation or denaturing of the protein complex that is the enzyme working to catalyze the reaction. One would make the hypothesis that for any given enzyme there is a minimum reaction rate which increases with tempera ture then at a maximum point begins to be less and less efficient as the enzyme form no longer works to catalyze the reactions with its given substrates.Materials and Methods After obtaining five clean test tubes and labeling them in order one through five, each were marked at one centimeter and at four centimeters from the bottom with a permanent marker. Next, the potato juice/catalase extract is added to each tube to the one centimeter mark. The following portion of the experiment was in segments for each tube. Tube one was placed in an ice-bath by adding ice and water in a 250ml beaker. Tube two was placed in the tube rack on the lab bench in a room temperature environment.Tube three was placed in a water bath at 50 degrees celsius, and tube four was set in the 70 degree celsius water bath. Tube five was placed in a boiling water bath of a beaker on the hot plate while wearing goggles for protection. Each tube was then left in the conditional environment for ten minutes. The temp erature of the boiling water, room temperature, and ice bath were measured by thermometer. After the ten minutes I used the thermometer to measure the temperatures of the room, ice, and boiling water. Then, after adding water, waited 30 seconds until the foaming in the tube, stopped.The measured the amount of foam was recorded. Results After all the appropriate steps were taken, a table was created and I recorded each temperature that was in the tube and foam height as well. The temperate and the foam height were both recorded to see the resemblance and results concluding the temperature effect on enzymes. An example of my results are recreated as seen below (numbers and titles are accurate and the same as lab test) As shown in the table A, temperature and foam height is represented by different color lines on the graph. The purple line, represents temperature. The blue line represents foam height (mm).As the temperature rose, the heigh of the foam decreased. This did not support my hypothesis. My hypothesis clearly stated,† If the temperature is really high, then the foam will rise highly. 50 degrees will be have the most amount of foam. † This hypothesis was not supported because the highest amount of foam was found at 0 degrees. The enzymes reached optimum temperature, and then denaturing took place. In comparison to another lab, the same results occurred. Campbell Neil from students. cis stated, â€Å"The higher the concentration of substrate, the faster the reaction rate. † This made my hypothesis invalid. DiscussionAlthough my hypothesis was not correct, the lab results agree with previous literature on the effects of temperature on enzyme activity. According to Susan Gilbert, â€Å"Enzymes are sensitive to their environmental conditions. Up to a point, the rate of the reaction will increase as a function of temperature because the substrates will collide more frequently with the enzyme active site. At extremes of pH or temperature, e ither high or low, the native structure of the enzyme will be compromised, and the molecule will become inactive†(2009). Enzymes are very sensitive and do the opposite of what most chemical reactions in this case.According to the Worthington Biochemical Corporation, â€Å"A ten degree Centigrade rise in temperature will increase the activity of most enzymes by 50 to 100%† (2012). This furthers the conclusion that when the temperature rose the foam height decreased and the reaction was less intense. Table A. Bibliography Bennett. 1969. Modern Topic in Biochemistry 43-45 Campbell, N. 2002. Biology, 6th ed. : Enzymes 300-340 Cummings. 1998. Biology in the Laboratory: Temperature and enzymes. 1-9, 10-20 Gilbert, S. 2002. â€Å"Enzymes. † Biology Vol. 2. 3-9 ———————– [pic]

Free Essays on Literary Techniques In “We Real Cool“

emphasizes the feeling of unity among them. For example, when â€Å"Left school. We† (2) is read, the word â€Å"we† stands out, and the pool players’ togetherness is understood. When the last line â€Å"Die soon† stands alone, the reader senses that each pool player is alone once he or she dies. Because of Gwendolyn’s use of these literary techniques, readers understand the theme of her poem: Even though following the carefree crowd appears seems to be the right path, it usually ends in a meaningless and lonely life.... Free Essays on Literary Techniques In â€Å"We Real Coolâ€Å" Free Essays on Literary Techniques In â€Å"We Real Coolâ€Å" Literary Techniques in â€Å"We Real Cool† Gwendolyn Brooks uses literary techniques such as dialect, ironic point of view, and syntax to accentuate the theme and persona in â€Å"We Real Cool.† The speaker, or persona, in â€Å"We Real Cool† has a black dialect. This dialect is used to characterize the group of pool players at the Golden Shovel. In the phrase â€Å"We real cool,† (1) the verb is omitted, which accentuates the pool players’ lack of education. The pool players’ view of themselves and their actions differs from that of Gwendolyn Brooks. This ironic point of view is used to convey that although the pool players believe they are living it up, their lives are actually going nowhere. If Gwendolyn Brooks felt the same way as they do, their lives would appear more glorious to the reader. In the poem, syntax is used to further depict the attitude of the pool players. The abnormal ordering of the words emphasizes the feeling of unity among them. For example, when â€Å"Left school. We† (2) is read, the word â€Å"we† stands out, and the pool players’ togetherness is understood. When the last line â€Å"Die soon† stands alone, the reader senses that each pool player is alone once he or she dies. Because of Gwendolyn’s use of these literary techniques, readers understand the theme of her poem: Even though following the carefree crowd appears seems to be the right path, it usually ends in a meaningless and lonely life....

Women in the Civil War essays

Women in the Civil War essays Many women played many different and important parts in the Civil War. Some famous women from the Civil War include Rose Greenhow, a spy, Clara Barton, a nurse, and Harriet Tubman. Some women helped with the war effort from their homes, while others went to the battlefields to make themselves useful. Womens contributions are probably more widely thought of on the battlefield. Most helped with aiding wounded soldiers. Some nurses, like Clara Barton, went out onto the fields, risking their lives, during battle to comfort dying soldiers and take care of wounded ones. Other women, such as Sarah Edmonds, passed themselves off as men to act as soldiers during battle. It is estimated that hundreds of women pretended to be men to join the army. Many were wounded or even killed. A few women acted as spies, the most famous of them was Rose Wild Rose Greenhow, who worked for the Confederate Army. One woman who acted for the Union was Dr. Mary E. Walker, who was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for her work as a spy, soldier, and surgeon. Still, even some other women acted as maids and cooks for different brigades while at camp. These women tried to encourage troops at times of battle. The women on the battlefields were the only ones who took care of men who were wounded or dying. Without them, the casualties might have been even more drastic and those who did die felt a little better having a nurse there with them. Also, the soldiers, while very few of them, were important because they werent supposed to be in battle but came anyway. Women spies of course, had great effects, because they would be less suspected than a man during times of war. Rose Greenhow had an enormous effect on the Battle of Bull Run. Women who stayed at home also contributed to the Civil War. Women had to take over the jobs that were usually held by men. Wartime volunteers became abundant. They organized the U.S. Sanitary Comm...

The Role of Fate in Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet

The Role of Fate in Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet Theres no real consensus among Shakespearean scholars about the role of fate in Romeo and Juliet. Were the star-crossd lovers doomed from the start, their sad futures determined before they even met? Or are the events of this famed play a matter of bad luck and missed chances? Lets take a look at the role of fate and destiny in the story of the two teenagers from Verona whose feuding families cant keep them apart.  Ã‚   The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet Romeo and Juliets story begins in the streets of Verona. Members of two feuding families, the Montagues and Capulets, are in the midst of a brawl. When the fight is over, two young men of the Montague family (Romeo and Benvolio) agree to secretly attend a Capulet ball. Meanwhile, young Juliet of the Capulet family is also planning to attend the same ball. Romeo and Juliet meet at the ball and instantly fall in love. Each is horrified to learn that their love is forbidden, but they nevertheless secretly marry. A few days later, in another street brawl, a Capulet kills Romeos dear friend Mercutio, and Romeo, enraged, in turn, kills the Capulet. Romeo flees and is banned from Verona. Meanwhile, however, friends help him and Juliet to spend their wedding night together. After Romeo leaves the next morning, Juliet is counseled to drink a potion that will make her appear to be dead. After she is laid to rest, Romeo will rescue her from the crypt and they will live together in another city. Juliet drinks the potion, but because Romeo doesnt learn of the plot, he believes she is really dead. Seeing her dead, he kills himself. Juliet wakes, sees Romeo dead, and kills herself. The Theme of Fate in Romeo and Juliet The story of Romeo and Juliet asks the question are our lives and destinies preordained? While it is possible to see the play as a series of coincidences, bad luck, and bad decisions, most scholars see the story as an unfolding of events predetermined by fate.   In the opening lines of Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare allow the audience to be party to his characters’ destiny. We learn early on what is going to happen to the title characters: â€Å"a pair of star-crossd lovers take their life.† Throughout the story, the words of the play encourage the audience to think about fate and to what extent our actions and outcomes are preordained.Before the Capulets party, in Act 1, Scene 3, Romeo is already feeling that fate is planning his doom. He wonders if he should attend the party, as my mind misgives/Some consequence yet hanging in the stars.  Ã‚  When Mercutio shouts â€Å"a plague on both your houses† in Act 3, Scene 1, hes foreshadowing whats to come for the title couple. This bloody scene in which characters are killed gives us a glimpse of whats to come, marking the beginning of Romeo and Juliet’s tragic downfall.Later, when Mercutio dies, Romeo himself foreshadows the outcome: This days black fate on more days doth depend/This but begins the woe, others must end. The others upon whom fate later falls, of course, are Romeo and Juliet. In Act 5, when he hears of Juliets death, Romeo swears he will defy fate: Is it even so? Then I defy you, stars! Later, in Juliets tomb, as he plans his own death, Romeo says: O, here/Will I set up my everlasting rest,/And shake the yoke of inauspicious stars/From this world-wearied flesh. This brave defiance of fate is especially heartbreaking because Romeos suicide is the event that actually leads to Juliets death. The idea of fate permeates many of the events and speeches in the play. Romeo and Juliet see omens throughout the play, continually reminding the audience that the outcome will not be a happy one. Their deaths are a catalyst for change in Verona: The dueling families are united in their grief and create a political shift in the city. Perhaps Romeo and Juliet were  fated to love  and die for the greater good of Verona. Were Romeo and Juliet Victims of Circumstance? A modern reader, examining the play through the lens of happenstance and coincidence, may feel that Romeo and Juliets fates were not wholly predetermined, but rather a series of unfortunate and unlucky events. Here are just a few of the coincidental or unlucky events that force the story into its apparently preordained track: Romeo and Benvolio happen to meet and talk about love on the very day of the Capulets ball. Had they had the conversation the following day, Romeo would not have met Juliet.Friar Lawrences messenger to Romeo, who would have explained the plan by which Juliet was to pretend death, is detained. As a result, Romeo doesnt get the message.Juliet wakes just moments after Romeos suicide. Had Romeo arrived just a few moments later, all would have been well. It is certainly possible to describe the events of Romeo and Juliet as a series of unfortunate events and coincidences, but that was almost certainly not Shakespeares intent. By understanding the theme of fate and exploring the question of free will, modern readers still find the play challenging and intriguing.

Investigate a social or business issue using statistical techniques Research Paper

Investigate a social or business issue using statistical techniques (including Excel graphs), analysis and interpretation - Research Paper Example In recent years, research has concentrated on the relationship between sex differences and academic performance in various academic levels. For example, Kenney-Benson et al. (2006) conducted a research in European and North American countries on the impact of gender on academic performance. The results were that girls outperform boys even in math-related subjects, such as mathematics. These results are supported by several other researchers, such as Pomerantz, Altermatt and Saxon (2002). However, they contradict the National Science Foundation’ statement that boys outperform girls in math subjects. Further, they oppose previous findings, such as those made by Hyde, Fennema and Lamon (1990) that boys outdo girls in mathematics. There is, therefore, a conflict with respect to boys’ and girls’ performance. It could be that girls are gradually outdoing boys academically such that conclusions from research activities conducted several years ago are no longer true. There is a dire need to establish a fact regarding differences in boys and girls with respect to their academic performance. This paper seeks to clear the air by reviewing and analyzing research results to determine if girls are actually outdoing boys academically. The paper makes use of secondary data to do the analysis and concludes that boys outdo girls academically. Table 1 suggests that boys in general perform better than girls in mathematics related subjects, but girls outdo boys in arts subjects, such as languages. However, when the two variables are subject to overall performance, it is apparent that age plays a role in determining their performance. However, boys are seen to perform better than girls do at all academic levels with the difference in academic performance increasing as they advance in years. Results also indicate that academic performance stagnates or even declines as boys and girls get older. Table three shows interesting results- that boys repeat

Social policy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Social policy - Essay Example aissez-faire, i.e., be completely inactive whether in positive or negative way, or it can be highly interventionist having a well defined pattern of action or may have just a supervisory role. A Welfare state is a channel of expression of power – â€Å"through politics and administration† (Pierson and Francis, 2006, p.16). Depending upon the existing market structure, the state decides its welfare policy. This means that welfare policy is based on the problem caused by market power, so, there is a high correlation between the prevailing market power and welfare policy of the state. Keeping this fact in mind, we will study the changing welfare policy scenario in UK corresponding to its rapidly transforming economic and social conditions between the early 1940’s to the 20th century. The journey of UK from the 18-19th century to its current stature has been immense. In the early 18th century, UK was largely an agricultural economy in which the laborers had complete decision making powers regarding work. Market power was non-existent and thus, so was state welfare. It all started with the â€Å"Industrial Revolution† (Mokyr, 1985, p.39) in the 18th century. The agricultural economy started gradually to turn into an industrial giant. The immediate consequences were â€Å"rapid migration from rural to suburban areas in search of employment, a drastic increase in population in the urban areas and thus, a total upside down juggling of existing condition.† (Pierson and Francis, 2006, pp. 20-22).Due to this rise in population, a need for proper sanitation, housing, and healthcare was felt as these were in deplorable state. Along with these, the state wanted to protect these factory workers from being exploited by the industrialists as well as from the clu tches of abject poverty. So, it decided to make its presence more emphatic. The political scenario in this period is also of immense importance as it can explain why the state implemented respective measures. During this

Communications society Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Communications society - Essay Example In particular, the philosopher believed in the importance of a free press to report actions of the government and individuals; without a free press, unhindered by central control, Marx argued that society could not move forward in an effective, egalitarian way. His views can be positively compared to those of Plato, whose Phaedrus makes similar points as to the role of truth in all communication. As a political philosopher often at odds with the rest of the world in terms of ideas, Karl Marx nevertheless dedicated himself to creating ideological frameworks based on equality for all classes of people in terms of money, resources and public services. His views on the role of communication throughout society were therefore based on this basic notion of equality and honesty in government and individuals (Marx 52-55). Marx anticipated in his writings that future generations around the world would experience communicative technological advancements that would allow for a larger number of people to follow current events day by day. Although communications in Marx's time were not what they are today, they were nevertheless given great importance for news reporting and political events - the problem was that this news could be delayed and much of it would never reach distant regions or foreign countries. Marx believed that if politics were ever to be truly honest and transparent, communication technology would need to be improved so that daily politics could be reported clearly and assessed properly (Hardt 19-42). This belief led to the promotion of the free press; a state of journalism that would not be centrally controlled and censored. As media systems were created and spread, originally across different parts of Europe, newspapers and pamphlets were generally written in accordance with a specific group message or bias; the parliamentary debate would be written to a specific format, the government or the monarchy had the ability to stop any one group or person from publishing certain articles and censorship ran high. The press was, in fact, not something that could be said to inform the masses of current events, but it was more of a gossip trade that people enjoyed for its shocking details (Marr 12). Marx wanted to see the press evolve into something that could build and maintain an equal, functional society but he realised that the only way to do with was to eradicate censorship and promote honest, relevant journalism that affected the masses. Through strong communication networks, Marx h oped to call the public to action where it had been complacent and uninformed for so long (Mehring and Fitzgerald 152). Phaedrus and Communication Plato's Phaedrus is a dialogue between characters that revolves primarily around love, but that also includes ideas on communication and how words should be used. The communication side of the dialogue focuses on rhetoric. Plato writes that rhetoric is the art of persuasion, and that without this aim there can be no true conversation or dialogue at all. It is the clear view of the writer that speech and communication are bound to rhetoric and that no writing can be thought wrong unless it is created without truth or knowledge: "As the Spartan said, there is no genuine art of speaking without a grasp

Criminal law Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Criminal law - Assignment Example However, I would state that this was not just manslaughter but ‘unlawful act manslaughter’ as it shall be discussed later. This case is an example of what is demonstrated in R vs. Creamer1. According to this provision, it is indicated that an individual is considered to have committed unlawful act of manslaughter when in the act of carrying out a criminal act, causes another unexpected harm. In R vs. Dawson, the defendant had attempted to rob a certain petrol station. He was carrying a gun ready to use it if need be. However, he did not know that there was an attendant at the station at that time. When attendant saw the defendant, she collapsed and died. However, the defendant did not do anything that would directly be linked to the death of the attendant. The Judge held that this was an ‘unlawful act manslaughter’ stating that the defendant did not actually kill the attendant. However, it was held that he was ready to use his weapon if there would be any re sistance from anyone. He was therefore sentenced to serve several years in jail. This situation is similar to the one stated in this criminal damage article. The defendant though committed unlawful act of destroying the properties did not was not aware of whether it would have resulted in another catastrophe. He had not intended to harm the toddler, but was just driven by emotions to destroy properties. From the article, I would say that stating that the defendant was charged of ‘manslaughter’ was too general. This is because there is what is referred to as voluntary and involuntary manslaughter. The article should have been able to be clear on the matter. If for instance, the defendant was found guilty of voluntary manslaughter, he should have been jailed for life. This is because this would show that actually the man had planned to commit the criminal act. However, as indicated before, the defendant in this article had no aforethought of wanting to harm anyone in the process. It is for this purpose that this article would be said to be too general in assessing this matter. Articles 2 and 3 These two articles are related in the sense that they both refer to a similar criminal act. In both, the arsonists have set ablaze properties, which is an act of crime. However, in the ‘Britain's oldest radical bookshop is burned, but the ideas survive,’ article, it is clear that the suspects have not yet been identified2. It is therefore difficult to tell the kind of sentence that was held by the court. On the other hand though, the third article, ‘Man, 47, charged with arson attack on 1,000-year-old Winchester Cathedral after ancient deanery doors were set ablaze using charity books,’ the police managed to apprehend a man who pleaded guilty of the offence3. He was charged of being responsible for destruction of properties. However, the article is not clear on how many years the individual was to be sentenced. Despite that, the artic le was accurate in identifying the kind of crime that had been committed. In the articles, if the two individuals would be held responsible for committing a crime of Arson. However, according to the common law statutory, a crime is stated to be an arson if, ‘it was malicious and also involves burning of other people’s properties.’ for the man who was apprehended, it is clear that he maliciously committed the act4. Though the

Pricing Strategy River Side Cafe Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Pricing Strategy River Side Cafe - Essay Example This gives River Side Cafe a distinct competitive advantage over its competitors as its unique Mexican style attracts and retains coffee and tea lovers at its premises. Therefore, the premium pricing strategy is the best strategy for River Side Cafe to adopt because it is also a new entrant into the market with the hope of maximizing its revenues especially in the first stages of the cafe’s product life cycle (Smith, 2011). River Side Cafe is a new player in the tea and coffee industry. As such, it has to curve out a name for itself in the beverages service industry in order to attract and retain loyal customers. However, it faces stiff competition from established industry players who already have reputable brand names and command a large share of the market. These include the likes of Tchibo, Nestle, Wal-Mart and Starbucks. These companies have a wide capital outlay to expand and promote their business thereby remaining relevant in the market over a long period. Therefore, River Side Cafe has to establish its own competitive advantages in order to enter this strongly guarded beverages market. Owing to its unique features in brewing and serving coffee and tea, the cafe also incorporates a pricing strategy in order to penetrate the market further (Jensen, 2013). Premium pricing is the best pricing strategy for the cafe to use in entering the beverages business under such competitive markets. This strat egy gives the cafe class, style and prestige as well as promoting its clients’ base through word of mouth references. Being a new kid in the block and charging high prices for their products and services attracts high-end consumers as well as establish a reputable

Accounting for business decision Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Accounting for business decision - Assignment Example Every investor is concerned about the security of his wealth. An investment is made after considering a lot of factors such as risk and return on investments, the value of an asset or a company and other factors both internal and external. Internal factors are those over which a company has regulatory authority while external factors are those over which a company has no control. Ventura PLC proposes to invest in the CFT; the evaluation of their proposal involves ascertaining the viability of CFT Company. Therefore, a ratio analysis on the company is imperative. Ventura PLC as an investor would be interested in the following: earnings per share ratios, return ratios and gearing ratios (Kumar 2009, pp. 95-115). This ratio shows returns to the shareholders that every share held generates. The ratio is obtained by dividing a company’s earnings after tax by the number of ordinary shares, within a financial period. Concerning CFT, in the year 2011, the company’s EPS = (EAT/Shares) = (410,000/2,500,000) = $ 0.164 per share, whereas, in the year 2012, the Company’s EPS = (547,000/2,500,000) = $ 0.219 per share. A time series analysis of the EPS between the two years indicates an increase in the EPS in 2012 due to an increase in the company’s earnings after tax. The trend experienced is good news for investors since they stand a chance of earning higher returns in the future. Using this short analysis, Ventura plc’s investment proposal is supported. The reason for the support is that the CFT Company promises a future increase in reward to investors (EPS) (Kumar 2009, pp. 95-115). Return on equity – is obtained by dividing a company’s earnings after tax by total shareholder’s equity (EAT/Equity). Concerning CFT, its ROE in 2011 and 2012 are calculated as (410,000/2650, 000) = 15.5% and (547,000/2,897,000) = 18.9% respectively. This ratio indicates the proportion of the net profit attributed to shareholder’s equity. The rate of return

Pricing Strategy River Side Cafe Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Pricing Strategy River Side Cafe - Essay Example This gives River Side Cafe a distinct competitive advantage over its competitors as its unique Mexican style attracts and retains coffee and tea lovers at its premises. Therefore, the premium pricing strategy is the best strategy for River Side Cafe to adopt because it is also a new entrant into the market with the hope of maximizing its revenues especially in the first stages of the cafe’s product life cycle (Smith, 2011). River Side Cafe is a new player in the tea and coffee industry. As such, it has to curve out a name for itself in the beverages service industry in order to attract and retain loyal customers. However, it faces stiff competition from established industry players who already have reputable brand names and command a large share of the market. These include the likes of Tchibo, Nestle, Wal-Mart and Starbucks. These companies have a wide capital outlay to expand and promote their business thereby remaining relevant in the market over a long period. Therefore, River Side Cafe has to establish its own competitive advantages in order to enter this strongly guarded beverages market. Owing to its unique features in brewing and serving coffee and tea, the cafe also incorporates a pricing strategy in order to penetrate the market further (Jensen, 2013). Premium pricing is the best pricing strategy for the cafe to use in entering the beverages business under such competitive markets. This strat egy gives the cafe class, style and prestige as well as promoting its clients’ base through word of mouth references. Being a new kid in the block and charging high prices for their products and services attracts high-end consumers as well as establish a reputable

Sustainable Talent Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Sustainable Talent Management - Essay Example A good work environment, proper relationships and effective compensation are among the preferred and effective motivational strategies which are commonly used by managers and organizational leaders to enhance performance (Seiden & Sowa, 2011). The contemporary work environment is characterized by diversity and influence by the forces of globalization, the two factors which are argued to be justification for effective performance management processes. This paper presents the concept of performance management with a critical review, analysis and discussion of the process of managing employee performance, the review of talent, the global aspects of talent management and recommendations for a sustainable process of talent management. Performance Management Process In the measurement of employee talent, the process of performance management is often employed. Performance management process is described as a specific methodology through which the design of an organizational management is e xecuted with a purpose of ensuring that all elements within the organization are working with a common focus of meeting organizational objectives and goals (Moczydlowska, 2012). Performance management process also plays an important role of ensuring optimization of the strategic goals of an organization (Agbola, Hemans & Abena, 2011). The elements or component of the organization which are involved in performance management process include the departments within the organization, talent or human resource, work processes and activities and groups and teams (Ahmadi, Ahmadi & Abbaspalangi, 2012). Therefore the most effective design of performance management process that is recommended for measurement of employee talent is that which is designed with a view of incorporating all organizational components with a sole purpose of optimizing the overall performance of the organization. Employee talent is normally measured in terms of current performance and potential for future performance ( Seiden & Sowa, 2011). This process involves several activities which are aimed at measuring the propensity of an employee or talent to become productive and beneficial for the organization (Glykas, 2011). Firstly, the goals of performance management and measurement of talent are set. The goals of talent measurement relates to the expected outcomes that are expected to emanate from the process of determining the performance of talent. Secondly, standards are set by the management which is used to measure the results and work outcomes or outputs of organizational talent. These standards act as a guideline or framework within which the work activities of the employees are measured (Moczydlowska, 2012). This means that failure to meet the standards reflects that the performance of talent is below the expectations of the organization. Thirdly, the progress of talent towards the achievement of the preset goals is done. This process represents the role of organizational leadership or manag ement team (Durovic, 2012). Fourthly, feedback is presented to the talent on their performance including the decisions that are reached by the management as motivated by the talent measurement outcomes. In the contemporary business environment, performance management software applications are used to enhance the process of talent measurement to ensure effectiveness and accuracy. Talent Pools and Review In the management of talent, the leadership and management team within an

Famine & Poverty and Famines Essay Example for Free

Famine Poverty and Famines Essay The phenomenon of famine has been widely described and analyzed in socio-political literature. The topic has been considered a controversial one in terms of its definition and its definitive features. In a recent revision of the concept of famine, â€Å"Poverty and Famines,† Amartya Sen retains part of classical vision on famine offered by Malthus, distinguishing â€Å"regular starvation,† which is a â€Å"normal feature in many parts of the world,† from â€Å"violent  outbursts of famine,† a â€Å"particularly virulent form of [starvation] causing widespread death† (Sen, 38-39). USAID defines famine as â€Å"a catastrophic food crisis that results in widespread acute malnutrition and mass mortality† (USAID, 2002).   Proper definition of famine matters not only in terms of labeling an event after the fact, but also in terms of how humanitarian organizations and governments respond to crises as they are happening. Maxwell points out that this is in large part because of the emotional weight the term â€Å"famine† has come to carry (Maxwell, 49). Humanitarian workers spent a considerable amount of time arguing about whether or not to call the 2002-2003 crisis in Ethiopia, ostensibly affecting over 13 million people, a famine. Calling it a famine would have stepped up the international response, but it might also be perceived as â€Å"crying wolf,† which would have a detrimental effect on organizations’ abilities to obtain resources for emergency responses in the long run. Aid agencies want to avoid using the term â€Å"famine† too often because they worry about â€Å"compassion fatigue† or â€Å"donor fatigue† – essentially that donors will be less likely to support emergency efforts if there are too many emergencies. There are also political implications for using the term â€Å"famine,† as can be seen in the case of the 2005 crisis in Niger, which President Mamadou Tandja insisted was a fabrication of relief agencies to obtain more funding (Sengupta, 2005). Aid agencies likewise were reluctant to apply the term famine, and referred instead to â€Å"pockets of severe malnutrition,† in part because they didn’t want to alienate Tandja (Sengupta, 2005). The general discussion in literature indicates that number of deaths, scale, intensity and time frame were main considerations for when to call something a famine. There also is a consensus that lack of access to food had to be the main problem, to distinguish a famine from other types of humanitarian crises. For instance, the 1984/85 famine in Ethiopia was unanimously considered a famine. Iraq in the 1990s was not, mainly because â€Å"the time-frame was too long for a famine and many deaths were the result of a health crisis, not calorie-related† (IDS, 3). Ethiopia in 1999/2000 was probably a famine, but Malawi in 2002 â€Å"represented a famine-threat, rather than a true famine† because â€Å"too few people died† (IDS, 3). In the latter case, the mortality was estimated between 500 and 3,000, and estimates were complicated by the prevalence of HIV/AIDS; thus, it was difficult to attribute deaths specifically to hunger and hunger-related diseases. WORKS CITED Institute of Development Studies. Report on Operational Definition of Famine Workshop. Sussex, UK: Institute of Development Studies, March 14, 2003 Maxwell, D.   Ã¢â‚¬Å"Why do famines persist? A brief review of Ethiopia 1999-2000.† IDS Bulletin, 33 (4), 48-54, 2002 Sen, A. Poverty and famines: An essay on entitlement and deprivation. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1981 Sengupta, K. â€Å"President Tandja: ‘The people of Niger look well fed, as you can see.† The Independent, August 10, 2005 United States Agency for International Development. USAID background paper: Famine. Washington, DC: USAID, 2002. Retrieved July 8, 2009, from http://www.usaid.gov/press/releases/2002/02fs_famine.html

Introduction of The Book of Common Prayer

Introduction of The Book of Common Prayer Introduction The Book of Common Prayer (BCP) or to give it its full title when published (in modern spelling) The Book of the Common Prayer and Administration of the Sacraments, and other Rites of the Church: after the Use of the Church of England is considered by many to be one of the priceless possessions of the English people, ranking alongside the first printed Bible in English and the plays of the quintessential English playwright William Shakespeare. It has been said, with some justice, that the words of this Prayer Book have been recited by English-speakers far more frequently than the speeches and soliloquies of Shakespeare.[1] First published in 1549, with authorship credited to the then Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Cranmer (1489-1556), the book has been utilised by Christians throughout the world since, apart from 2 short periods of time between 1553 to 1558 and 1645 to 1660, having many of its phrases becoming part of our everyday language and still influencing the worship and devotions of millions of Christians today. The BCP comes to us in a number of guises, and is usually referred to by the year of its introduction. The first book of 1549 was rapidly succeeded by versions in 1552 and then 1559. The final version on which the present book is based is that of 1662. Each of the four versions feature a common layout and are related to each other however the content of each book shows considerable revision and thought in terms of theology, political and intellectual context. In a sense the BCP can be looked on as a wonderful example of a book which contains a whole history within it.[2] In order to analyse the impact of the introduction of the BCP some knowledge of the history lying behind the book is essential in order to demonstrate the seismic changes it brought about. Pre-BCP Period. The first version of the BCP was introduced in 1549 during the reign of King Edward VI however its roots were most definitely to be found growing during the reign of Henry VIII and the Protestant Reformation movement that had spread from Europe to Henrys England and influenced his Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Cranmer. Henry was a Roman Catholic and would remain a Catholic until his death in 1547 despite his break from Rome over his divorce from Catherine of Aragon and the Act of Supremacy of 1534 which cut the ties of the English Church from that of Rome and made English monarchs the Supreme Head of the Church of England. Although there was an impetus given by the Reformation movement and Cranmers plans for reform, worship in England remained largely catholic, no uniformity of services but with little tinkerings of the liturgy here and there. There had been suggestions that in the late 1530s Cranmer was engaged in crafting services but nothing was ever published. A definite tinkering though followed after the 1536 sermon by Bishop Hugh Latimer (1487-1555) when he called for the services of matrimony and baptism to be conducted in English.[3] In 1535 the first English Bible produced by Coverdale was allowed to be used, followed in 1537 by Matthews Bible and then Coverdales revised Great Bible in 1539. On the orders of Thomas Cromwell (1485-1540), who was Henrys Vicegerent in Scripturals and Vicar-general, in 1543 an English Bible was to be placed in every church and chapel in the land from which the clergy were to integrate readings in English into Sunday worship. Also in 1543 Tudor rationalisation ordered that this realm shall have one Use[4], the Rite of Sarum[5] from the diocese of Salisbury, that had been amended to remove all references to both the Pope and St Thomas à   Becket.[6] The Sarum Use, which had been in use since the 12/13th century, comprised a number of large service books that the clergy had to use Breviary, Missal, Manual and Pontifical, along with books such as the Diurnal and the Pie, all of which were necessary in order to give directions to the everyday services. Most significant though was that the Use was written and said in Latin and thus these were books largely of the clergy and not the laity. By the end of the first decade after the Act of Supremacy, of 1534, several key changes had been introduced into the English Church, most notably the purging of all Roman authority and Papal references, integration of the use of English in parts of some worship, a state control over liturgy and in particular a requirement for uniformity and the influence of Protestant elements. An important landmark in this budding tradition is reached in 1544 with the introduction of the first officially approved state liturgy written totally in the vernacular English. Cranmers Litany was revolutionary, taking as it did a processional service designed to whip up both religious and patriotic fervour, in this case as a prelude to Henrys invasion of France, and not only having it all said in English but incorporating Lutheran reform and omitting the very Catholic invocations of the many saints. Henrys enforced policy of strict Catholic doctrine and practice made any kind of official advancement towards Reformed liturgical practice move quite slowly, however, the Reform movement continued to apply pressure leading Cranmer to pursue for some further degree of uniformity that would quieten reform advocates for a time.[7] This end was achieved by the issue in 1545 of The Primer set forth by the Kings majesty and his Clergy simply known as The Kings Book, a means of providing one uniform Primer[8] with all others to be withdrawn from sale. Whilst the contents were traditional the primer was available in both Latin and English and was an opportunity from Cranmer to tinker slightly with some of the contents to give them a more Reformed look. Other small but significant reforms by Cranmer followed, a more conservative Daily Office was drafted and a number of ceremonies and customs were abolished for being superstitious. Henry VIII died in January 1547 and was succeeded to the English throne by his 9 year old son, Edward VI. Edward had been brought up in the household of Catherine Parr (1512-1548), the sixth and final wife of Henry VIII, and was very influenced by her Protestant sympathies of the New Learning. Due to his young age he was also surrounded, influenced and advised by his privy council who were also Protestant leaning. With a protestant King now on the English throne the way was now clear for Cranmer to press on with liturgical adaptations and reform that had been stifled under Henry. At the heart of Cranmers reforms of the English expression of religion was uniformity thus work began on a number of texts to bring this about and at the same time appease English reformers. One of the first of these texts was the Book of Homilies issued in July 1547, six months after the accession of Edward. This book contained twelve homilies, containing theology most amenable to the Reformation, that by royal decree were to be preached on each Sunday. At the same time a set of Injunctions appeared for a general visitation of the whole country to ensure that directions regarding the use of the vernacular for Bible readings , the use of an official Homily and a whole raft of other Reformed instructions were carried out.[9] Early in 1548 a significant change was introduced in the form of the Order of the Communion which amongst other things required for provision of the Communion in both kinds[10] to all, clergy and laity alike, which was a big feature in Reformed theology.[11] Whilst the country was becoming accustomed to the appearance and use that these reforms and changes brought about in their worship, Cranmer, along with a committee of certain of the most learned and discreet bishops and other learned men,[12] proceeded apace to work on a new form of consolidated prayer book for the whole kingdom. In 1549 this new book was published and given an into service date of Whit-Sunday 1549.[13] The 1549 Book of Common Prayer introduced The 1549 BCP can be viewed as a logical first step towards a fully English Protestantism although perhaps not a full blown Reformed package of new services. Although influenced by continental reformers this first book is very much more a revision of the old service book of the English church.[14] According to Procter and Frere, simplicity was achieved by the omission of a number of the medieval offices and doctrinal changes against, for example, the theory of transubstantiation and other more popular misconceptions; they see this first book as being less of a composition of new material but a reverent, conservative handling of the earlier Uses of which large portions were simply translated and retained. Chief among the changes introduced was the need to no longer use a multitude of books by the clergy to provide daily and Sunday worship services, everything needed was now contained in one volume except for a copy of the Bible in order to make lectionary based readings, Second, no longer were the congregation excluded from a full participation in the services as all the services, not just parts, were now to be said in English, so whilst the vast majority of the laity were functionally illiterate they could at least hear and understand the worship gone were to be the days of Hocus Pocus.[15] As well as consolidating all daily and Sunday worship into one book, Cranmer also removed many of the Latin services that he and his Reformer compatriots disliked. Just two Daily Offices were kept rather than the eight of the previous Latin Use[16], Morning and Evening prayer, joined by the Litany and Holy Communion. The BCP also contained the other occasional services necessary to minister congregations from cradle to grave. These included the orders for purification of women, baptism, confirmation, prayers to be said and Holy Communion with the sick, marriage and funerals. To complete the book the BCP also sets out all the Epistle, Gospel and Collect readings for each Sunday Holy Communion service ordered by the liturgical calendar, with the Old and New Testament and Psalm readings for daily prayer set out in a tabular form based on the civic calendar. Reception of the 1549 Book of Common Prayer The introduction of the 1549 BCP received a mixed reception, and in what could be seen as a shrewd move on behalf of the powers that be in anticipation of possible trouble and problems with its introduction, the Act of Uniformity 1549 that introduced the BCP gave it its legal standing as the sole Use. Cranmers aim for the book to be not just about a uniformity of common worship but a vehicle fitting for its expression, which was always dear to his heart,[17] was to be clearly seen in his Preface which pointed out how the homogenization of worship on a national platform and scale gave rise to an exchangeability of worship, such that anyone attending services outside of their own parish would experience a familiarity with services being said across the land something not found under the old Latin Uses. However, the BCP was not universally accepted. There was to be some violent opposition, on the Whit-Monday June 10th, the day after its official introduction date, an uprising began in the West Country demanding, among other things, a return to Mass in Latin, Communion in one kind and only at Easter and restoration of other observances from the time of Henry VIII We will not receive the new service, because it is like a Christmas game[18] they claimed. This sense of opposition from simple peasants can be regarded as typical of many in the land who disliked change in customs, traditions and teachings. For some, for whom the difference between Church and State was minimal, they welcomed a book which did away with the varying diocesan Uses and developed a corporate national feeling. For others, including a number of Cranmers Reforming friends, the book did not go far enough such that a leading opponent of reform, Bishop Stephen Gardiner found the books Eucharistic doctrine not distant from the Catholic faith and would have been prepared to use it had he not been incarcerated in the Tower of London.[19] An examination of the book leads one to the conclusion that the most contentious element, the Holy Communion, can be interpreted in two completely opposite ways, in a way that most Reformers would agree with, and also, in a manner agreeable to those who are entirely opposed to the Reformation. Use of expressions comfortable to both sides of the divide to describe the same thing such as referring to the Service of Holy Communion as the Holy Communion and as the Mass, and references to The Holy Table as the Altar and also as Gods board should not make it surprising that different interpretations could be read into the book. On balance it is apparent that Cranmer was walking a very narrow tight-rope in trying to bring about a significant reform that would be lasting and, in anticipation of the likely reception of the book from both ends of the religious spectrum, he showed admirable pastoral wisdom and sensitivity, advocating caution in the task of weaning the English away from what he saw as ancient error, which nevertheless had rooted itself deeply in the collective imagination, and towards the purer landscape of Protestant worship.[20] Perhaps it is not surprising, therefore, that the Book of Common Prayer of 1549 was not reprinted after the year it was issued and a successor was brought forward in 1552. Cranmer, working with Reformed theologians such as Martin Bucer[21] and against sincere Roman Catholics like Bishop Gardiner produce a revised BCP which reveals a decidedly Reformed evolution, no longer a compromise between the old and the new. Cranmers 1549 The Book of the Common Prayer and Administration of the Sacraments, and other Rites of the Church: after the Use of the Church of England can theologically be considered to be a child of the English Reformation, designed as a way of uniting people in worship through liturgy where both clergy and laity throughout the land pray together in a common vernacular tongue and both receive the wonderful mystery that is the body and blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, as former Archbishop of Canterbury Lord Carey states, The fundamental purpose of celebrating Common Prayer is this: to help the church as a whole to pray together in a reflective and structured way,[22] words one is certain that Cranmer would have said himself. Bibliography Carey, G., The Daily Office SSF by Society of St Francis (Mowbray, Continuum International PG, 2010). Cuming, G.J., A History of Anglican Liturgy (London, Macmillan Co Ltd, 1969). Cummings, B., Ed. The Book of Common Prayer: the texts of 1549, 1559 and 1662 (Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2011). Dean, J., God truly worshipped: Thomas Cranmer and his writings (Norwich, Canterbury Press, 2012). Hefling, C., Shattuck, C., Ed. The Oxford Guide to the Book of Common Prayer (Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2006). MacCulloch, D., A History of Christianity (London, Penguin Group, 2010). Procter, F. Frere, W.H., A New History of The Book of Common Prayer, (London, Macmillan, 1961). Rosendale, T., Liturgy and Literature in the making of Protestant England (Cambridge, Cambridge University Press 2011). [1] D. MacCulloch, A History of Christianity, (London, Penguin Group, 2010), p.631 [2] B. Cummings, Editor, The Book of Common Prayer: the texts of 1549, 1559 and 1662, (Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2011), p.xvi [3] C. Hefling C. Shattuck, Editors, The Oxford Guide to the Book of Common Prayer, (Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2011), p.22 [4] Use the liturgy or services [5] C. Hefling C. Shattuck, Editors, The Oxford Guide to the Book of Common Prayer, (Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2011), p.23 [6] T. Rosendale, Liturgy and Literature in the making of Protestant England (Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2011), p.28 St Thomas à   Beckets name was removed as he was seen to be a symbol of church resistance to monarchical control. [7] G.J. Cuming, A History of Anglican Liturgy, (London, Macmillan Co Ltd, 1969), p.58 [8] Primer = A manual of devotions including expositions of the Creed, Decalogue, Graces and prayers. [9] G.J. Cuming, A History of Anglican Liturgy, (London, Macmillan Co Ltd, 1969), p.60 for a more detailed list of visitation requirements. [10] Kinds A term to express either Bread and/or Wine [11] John Calvin asserted, against Roman Catholic doctrine, Christ is not present literally in the elements, but he is spiritually present. Those who receive the elements with faith can receive the actual body and blood of Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit which works through the sacrament, a view sometimes known as Receptionism. [12] Further information of the members of the committee in G.J. Cuming, A History of Anglican Liturgy, (London, Macmillan Co Ltd, 1969) p.66 [13] The BCP was allowed to be used before this date with Whit-Sunday being the cut-off date for introduction [14] F. Procter and W.H. Frere, A New History of The Book of Common Prayer, (London, Macmillan, 1961), p.54 [15] Hocus Pocus an expression thought to come from a perversion of the sacramental blessing from the Latin Mass, Hoc est corpus meum This is my body. [16] Eight daily prayer events: Lauds, Prime, Terce, Sext, None, Vespers and Compline, and the night office, sometimes referred to as Vigils. [17] J. Dean, God truly worshipped: Thomas Cranmer and his writings, (Norwich, Canterbury Press, 2012), p.82 [18] F. Procter and W.H. Frere, A New History of The Book of Common Prayer, (London, Macmillan, 1961), p.56 [19] G.J. Cuming, A History of Anglican Liturgy, (London, Macmillan Co Ltd, 1969), p.96 [20] J. Dean, God truly worshipped: Thomas Cranmer and his writings, (Norwich, Canterbury Press, 2012), p.82 [21] Martin Bucer (1491-1551) Continental Reformer influenced by writings of Luther. Head of Reforms in Strasburg in 1527 but forced to flee to England following Battle of Mà ¼lberg in 1547. Appointed Regius Professor of Divinity at Cambridge University in December 1549. [22] G. Carey, The Daily Office SSF by Society of St Francis, (Continuum International PG, Mowbray, 2010), Foreword

Candida by George Bernard Shaw Essay -- Candida George Bernard Shaw Es

Candida by George Bernard Shaw This isn't necessarily a negative thing; they're all well suited to each other, and create a sort of synergy that drives the play. But they're each quite different in their own respect. The main ones, Candida, Eugene and James are all written to be strong characters, and the way they were portrayed in the production our class saw lived up to this classification. However, this doesn't apply to everything. Some of the characters were stretched to make the play appeal to a newer generation in a newer day and age, at the expense of the dignity of at least one of the characters. Eugene. Eugene is a disowned poet who falls in love with Candida, the wife of Reverend James. He's a brilliant artist and spews nothing but truisms from beginning to end. However, the words don't really match the performance. Eugene uses a level of language that connotes a dignified, noble upbringing, which is supported within the context of the story. However, the actor, and director, inevitably, felt that to modernize the play they needed to make him more undi...

Punishment Versus Rehabilitation

Punishment vs. Rehabilitation Brenda A. Dove AJS/502 Version I September 10, 2012 John V. Baiamonte, Jr. Ph. D. Punishment vs. Rehabilitation Punishment versus Rehabilitation, there has been many debates on the effectiveness of punishment compared to the effectiveness of rehabilitation of convicted offenders in prison and under community supervision. If an individual commits a crime serious enough to warrant incarceration, then the individual is sent to prison as a form of punishment.While incarcerated the individual may have the opportunity to receive rehabilitation. Does it mean that the individual will be rehabilitated? One can only imagine. This is a debatable issue. Is punishment or rehabilitation more effective in combating crime? These findings will be discussed in this paper in more depth. According to DeLuca, Miller, and Wiedemann (1991), â€Å"Some prison facilities use punishment as the main approach, such as Texas. Massachusetts and Connecticut stress rehabilitation, and some facilities use punishment and rehabilitation, such as Michigan.There is currently no prison facility that focuses on incarceration as a short period of punishment followed by a long period of community-based rehabilitation and strict supervision† (para. 6). Rehabilitation wants to educate individuals about the wrong choices that they have made and help encourage these individuals to make better choices in the future. Rehabilitation recognizes that offenders may be victims of social economic conditions, and wants to help offenders learn from their mistakes, with the intention of not committing crimes when they get released.According to Logan, and Gaes (1993), â€Å"Meta-analysis is the study of other studies, and in this case, the studies test the effectiveness of various programs of correctional treatment. Advocates of rehabilitation believe that meta-analysis can be used to supply deposits of prior research, to reveal hidden veins of effective treatment not necessarily revealed by individual studies† (para. 2). According to Logan, and Gaes (1993), â€Å"Each study is coded on a number of variables such as characteristics of the research design, characteristics of the subjects studied, and haracteristics of the treatment applied. In theory, by combining and reanalyzing studies, meta-analysis may be able to separate treatment effects from differences due to uncontrolled characteristics of the subjects, or other deficiencies of research design, even if those sources of error were not controlled adequately by any of the primary studies taken separately† (para. 3). According to Logan, and Gaes (1993), â€Å"It may not be worthwhile to debate whether meta-analysis or other research has identified â€Å"what works† by way of prisoner rehabilitation.Engaging in such debate presupposes that effectiveness, or utility, is the crucial issue in discussing the value of rehabilitation in the criminal justice system generally and inside pris ons in particular. Underlying the zeal with which meta-analysts claim to have proved scientifically that â€Å"something works after all† is the implicit argument that because rehabilitation can be made more scientific it is therefore both a viable and a desirable alternative to punishment† (para. 4).According to Logan, and Gaes (1993), â€Å"The meta-analysts believe that we turned away from treatment and toward punishment because Martinson and others convinced everyone that nothing works; therefore, convincing people of the opposite should help to turn them back in the â€Å"proper† policy direction† (para. 5). According to Rhine, Smith, and Jackson (1991), [In 1974, Robert Martinson published â€Å"What Works–Questions and Answers about Prison Reform,† an article describing research on the effectiveness of correctional treatment.Martinson made several key points about a massive review of research on correctional treatment. His first point was that the research showed that there was not much good news about rehabilitative programs. Some programs worked, but they were few and far between (para. 1). The second point, which was largely ignored, was that the quality of the program implementation and research was so poor that it was hard to draw many strong conclusions. The nuances of his findings were lost, and the research was presented as showing that correctional treatment programs did not work at rehabilitating criminal offenders.The infamous sound bite that emerged from this was that â€Å"Nothing Works† when it comes to rehabilitation (para. 3). In fact, the actual results said no one approach works with everybody. Despite the fact that the sound bite was an exaggeration, the message carried great influence in legislative and public policy debates and actions. The Nothing Works message swept the political and public policy arenas and correctional programs and practice. Rehabilitation programs and services wer e greatly reduced from the correctional landscape (para. ). This belief indicated that if offenders could not be rehabilitated then they should be punished and it was time to get tough on crime. Within a relatively short time parole was attacked and the individual approach of indeterminate sentencing, or release by the authority of a parole board was abolished in 16 states (Rhine, Smith, and Jackson, 1991) and some form of determinate sentencing was adopted in all 50 states (Mackenzie, 2000)]. According to Department of Corrections, (n. d. ), [However, not all hope was lost.A small number of vocal critics of the ‘nothing works’ doctrine actively challenged the assumptions and empirical evidence presented by Martinson and colleagues. Foremost in this debate were a number of North American researchers, including Ted Palmer, Paul Gendreau, Don Andrews and Robert Ross. At the same time as Martinson was announcing that very few things had any effect on recidivism, Palmer (19 75) was reanalyzing the same data and finding that more things worked than the original analysis showed (this position was also supported by Thornton’s (1987) reanalysis of a selection of studies used by Lipton and co-workers in 1975).Similarly, Gendreau and Ross (1979) and Ross and Gendreau (1980) were reporting on research that documented positive outcomes, directly countering the argument that nothing worked. Perhaps the most damaging blow to the ‘nothing works’ position was delivered by Robert Martinson himself. In 1979 he wrote a paper which acknowledged errors in the earlier reviews and reported on a number of new studies which demonstrated that some things did work. On the basis of substantial contradictory evidence, Martinson recanted the ‘nothing works’ statements made in his 1974 article] (para. ). Incarceration is for those offenders that have broken the law and as a result they have received imprisonment. It punishes offenders for what th ey have done wrong and acknowledges the victim by giving them justice for the wrong that has been committed against them by the offender. Incarceration allows the offender to be confined and take some form of initiative to seek help and learn how to change their behavior. If an offender wants to change their life around, they can seek the necessary resources to make those changes. Offenders have to want to change their lives around.If offenders do it simply because they are made to do so then, they will eventually be back in prison. It is about changing the mindset and making a decision to turn away from wrongdoing and make the right decision to make positive choices. Punishment is more effective in combating crime. It helps offenders to understand what they have done wrong and accept accountability and responsibility for their behavior. Punishment is a constructive endeavor, not a destructive endeavor. Punishment is a positive good rather than a negative evil. It requires the right people with the right attitudes.If prison officials are hostile, cruel, and inappropriate towards inmates, it defeats the purpose. Prison officials need to be professional and firm but respectful towards inmates. If inmates are not treated fairly in prison, they will find it hard to understand that it is fair for them to be incarcerated in the first place. In order for inmates to accept their punishment they must understand that it is just, not malicious. The duties and responsibilities of prisons are to manage and handle their facilities to the best of their ability.In closing, it is not the responsibility of prisons to reform, rehabilitate, or reintegrate offenders into society. Each inmate needs to be responsible for their own wellbeing, social correction, and their future conduct. While it may not be an easy task for any inmate, they have to make the decision to change their life around. It has to be there decision; no one can do it for them. They must have the right mindset an d be willing to make changes for the better. References Bureau of Justice Assistance. (n. d. ). â€Å"Nothing Works†, Retrieved on September 10, 2012, from, https://www. bja. gov/Publications/APPA_PSN. df Department of Corrections. (n. d. ). Historical Background: The â€Å"What Works? † Debate, Retrieved on September 10, 2012, from, http://www. corrections. govt. nz/research/the-effectiveness-of-correctional-treatment/historical-background. html Federal Bureau of Prisons. (1993). Meta-Analysis Rehabilitation of Punishment, Retrieved on September 10, 2012, from, http://www. bop. gov/news/research_projects/published_reports/cond_envir/oreprlogangaes. pdf National Criminal Justice Reference Service. (1991). Punishment vs. Rehabilitation: A proposal for revising sentencing practices, Retrieved on September 10, 2012, from,

Advantages And Disvantages About Television Essay

How many hours a day do you watch television? Television has had a deep impact on everybody’s life. This powerful appliance has become an addiction for most people. Children, teenagers, adults and also babies spend hours and hours in front of the screen. Nowadays, it cannot be denied that this technological window is one of the main massive media; however not everything it offers is favorable. Many advantages and disadvantages can be discussed about the TV set. The main media of the world has been and remains to be television. Many advantages can be accounted for this. First of all, news is broadcast around the world immediately. People are notified about politics, social problems, natural catastrophes, of any part of the world without delay. Moreover, entertainment programs are so popular events in people’s life that families enjoy a variety of top-rated TV shows and films without the necessity of going out from their houses. Last but not least, it is important to remark that educational programs can be imparted through this communication channel from which, even in the furthest places, a man could benefit from. On the other hand, there are also many drawbacks to TV. One of the main problems that current society has is sedentariness; people spend too many hours immersed in this world, what turns them into lazy beings, who will eventually shirk their duties. For children and babies times of outdoor activities seem to have finished, consequently the goggle box is now known as the mechanical nanny. At last, in the same way that this TV set imparts education, it also shows immoral programs, violence and an inappropriate use of language, which most of the times has a deep influence on every member of the human civilization. To my way of thinking there should be a control system on what television shows, or at least schedules specifying suitable timetables for some kinds of programs, not without forgetting that people must be conscious about their own use of this boob tube. Sedentariness: sedentarismo. I took references from Oxford Dictionary.

Christopher Nolan

No one has had as impressive of a career as Christopher Jonathan James Nolan. His films have earned $3. 3 billion at the global box office, and the total is still growing. This British/American screenwriter, director and producer’s most popular films include The Dark Knight (2008), Inception (2010) and The Dark Knight Rises (2012). Remarkably, many critics have lined up as well, embracing both Nolan’s more offbeat productions, like Memento (2000) and The Prestige (2006), and his blockbusters (Price and Dawson, 2009). Nolan is now routinely considered one of the most accomplished living filmmakers.This essay will analyze the types of techniques he has used to create heart-stopping films, and will more specifically look at his methods used in creating Insomnia (2002), his first studio film. I will also be analyzing the defaults in some of him major productions, and how his films can be improved. Despite his blockbuster hits, many critics fiercely dislike his work. They re gard it as intellectually shallow, dramatically clumsy, and technically unskilled (Price and Dawson, 2009). As far as I can tell, no popular filmmaker’s work of recent years has received such harsh criticism as Nolan has.People seem to disapprove of his continuity errors and patchy plots, but this severe attack on his films are probably due to his elevated reputation. Personally, I admire some of Nolan’s films and see him as an innovative filmmaker although critics sometimes believe his techniques are weak. His film history gives us an occasion to look at some issues about creativity and innovation in popular motion pictures. There are four main ways that a filmmaker can be innovative; by subject matter, themes, formal strategies and level of style (WordPress, 2011).Out of all four innovation techniques, Nolan seems to be lacking a level of style the most. This evidence can be found in Insomnia (2002), his first studio film; A Los Angeles detective and his partner come to an Alaskan town to investigate the murder of a teenage girl. While chasing a suspect in the fog, Dormer shoots his partner Hap and then lies about it, trying to pin the killing on the suspect. But the suspect who is a famous author who did kill the girl, knows what really happened. He pressures Dormer to cover for both of them by framing the girl’s boyfriend.Meanwhile, Dormer is undergoing scrutiny by Ellie, a young officer who idolizes him but who must investigate Hap’s death. And throughout it all, Dormer becomes bleary and disoriented because, the twenty-four-hour daylight won’t let him sleep. Nolan said at the time that what interested him in the script was the prospect of character subjectivity, â€Å"A big part of my interest in filmmaking is an interest in showing the audience a story through a character’s point of view. It’s interesting to try and do that and maintain a relatively natural look. This is because he wanted to keep the aud ience in Dormer’s head. Having already done that to an extent in Memento, he saw it as a logical way of presenting Dormer’s slow breakdown. But Nolan wanted to keep his work subjective and as a result chose to break up scenes with fragmentary flashes of the crime and of clues—painted nails, a necklace. Early in the film, Dormer is studying Kay Connell’s corpse, and we get flashes of the murder and its aftermath, the killer sprucing up the corpse. At first it seems that Dormer feels what happened by noticing clues on Kay’s body.But the film’s credits started with similar glimpses of the killing, as if from the killer’s point of view, and there’s an ambiguity about whether the images later are Dormer’s imaginative reconstruction, or reminders of the killer’s vision—establishing that uneasy link of cop and crook. Similarly, sudden cutting is used to introduce images that get clarified in the course of the film . At the start, we see blood seeping through threads, and then shots of hands carefully depositing blood on a fabric. Then we see shots of Dormer flying in to the crime scene.We learn in the course of the film that these are flashbacks to Dormer’s framing of another suspect back in Los Angeles. Once again, these images are more or less subjective, and they echo the killer’s patient tidying up. Nolan’s style seems to tie into rapid cutting passages. For example, Insomnia has over 3400 shots in its 111 minutes, making the average shot just under two seconds long (WordPress). This type of fast editing can suit bursts of mental imagery, but makes the dialogue hard to understand.In the scene in which Dormer and Hap arrive at the Alaskan police station as an example of the over-busy tempo that can come along with a style based in â€Å"intensified continuity. † In a seventy-second scene, there are 39 shots, so the average is about 1. 8 seconds—a pace typ ical of the film and of the intensified approach generally (Ressner, 2012). Apart from one exterior long-shot of the police station and four inserts of hands, the characters’ interplay is captured almost entirely in singles—that is, shots of only one actor.Out of the 34 shots of actors’ faces and upper bodies, 24 are singles (Ressner, 2012). Most of these serve to pick up individual lines of dialogue or characters’ reactions to other lines. Fast cutting scenes like this are not supposed to break up spatial orientation. In many of this movie’s scenes there are a couple of bumps in the eyeline-matching, but all in all the shot is continuous. As I watched the DVD commentary, Nolan explains that he tried to anchor the axis of action, around Dormer/Pacino, so the eyelines were consistent with his position.The scene’s development and the actors’ line readings are emphasized by the cutting. In contrast, the lighting and framing remain almost unchanged. The editing-driven approach to staging and shooting is clearly Nolan’s preference for many projects; he storyboards only the big action sequences. We can find this loose shooting and abrupt editing in most of Nolan’s films therefor they don’t seem to display innovative, or skilful visual style. I believe his chief areas of innovation are in theme and form. The thematic dimension is easy to see in his films.There’s the issue of uncertain identity, which becomes obvious in Memento and the Batman films. The lost-woman motif, from Leonard’s wife in Memento to Rachel in the two late Batman movies, gives Nolan’s films the recurring theme of vengeance. There is also the theme of the man doomed to solitude and unhappiness, always grieving. This obsessive circling around personal identity and the loss of a lover carries emotional conviction in most of Nolan’s current films and the success of these films owe a good deal to the perfo rmances of the actors such as Guy Pearce, Hugh Jackman, Christian Bale, and Leonardo DiCaprio.It can be argued that these psychological themes aren’t very original, especially in mystery-based plots, but the Batman films offer something fresher. The Dark Knight trilogy has attracted attention for its search to find real world significance in comic-book material. Many have objected that Superman, who has the power to redirect rivers, prevent asteroid collisions, and expose political corruption, devotes too much of his time to thwarting bank robbers (Price and Dawson, 2009).Nolan and his colleagues have sought to reply to this cliche by adding in plots of heists, fights, chases, explosions, kidnappings, ticking bombs, and pistols with sociopolitical problems. The Dark Knight mainly raises ideas about terrorism, torture, surveillance, and the need to keep the public in the dark about its heroes. It is easy to see that Nolan and his colleagues are undoubtedly giving the superhero genre a new importance in the film industry. Nolan’s innovations seem strongest in the area of narrative form. He’s fascinated by unusual storytelling strategies.Those aren’t developed at full stretch in Insomnia or the Dark Knight trilogy, but other films put them on display. In the Batman trilogy, subjectivity is put on hold. Nolan’s first two films reconcile subjectivity in more unusual ways; instead of expanding our range of knowledge to many characters, nearly the whole film is confined to what happens to one protagonist. Likewise, Memento confines us to a single protagonist and skips between his memories and immediate experiences; one series of incidents is presented as moving chronologically while another is presented in reverse order.While ambitious filmmakers are competing to create cliche narratives and complex films, Nolan raises the stakes by bringing breath-taking cinematic storytelling to life. His movies, unlike any other living filmmaker, are motivated through dreams and modernized with a blend of science fiction, fantasy and action pictures. Above all, the dream motivation allowed him to create unforgettable stories that are now embedded in the minds of millions of viewers.