Different situations in the school Essay Example for Free

Different situations in the school Essay It is found out that parents of children suffering from learning disabilities represent other parents in expression regarding children’s upbringing, education as well as disabilities. Â  Understanding of these parents’ concerns greatly contributes to children’s education since they work together with teachers to assist the disabled children. It is not appropriate to generalize situations of parents whose children suffer from learning disabilities. This is because; the parents have different approaches of dealing with their children’s situation which is necessitated by their different backgrounds. (Myklebust, 2008) Parents have very high expectations, dreams as well as hope concerning their children’s life long before those children is born. The primary hope for every parent is to have healthy children regardless of the kind of sex and the preference of a desired sex comes after good health aspect. In cases where a child is found to possess disabilities and in this particular case, learning disabilities, parents lose dreams that they previously had for their children and they try to replace them with new dreams that fit children’s type of disability. However, grief associated with learning disability possessed by children tend to recur in parents’ mind periodically including previous expectations that fail to take place which mainly occurs during anniversaries. (Donahue, 2002) Parents’ Experiences, Understanding and Expectations for Their Children with Learning Disabilities The parents of millennial generation children are noticed to have more concern for aspects related to their children’s education particularly for those suffering from learning disabilities. Among the areas of concern for this category of parents is safety where parents are concerned with whether their children’s feelings as well as emotions are safe. This is because they fear a situation where they may get hurt by being looked down upon by other normal children. They also worry of the manner in which school personnel treat their children when they fail to respond to learning as expected. Since learning disabilities attract special attention to this category of children, they tend to be vulnerable to bully from other normal children which also affects children’s emotions negatively. (Ramcharan, 2005) The situation where parents mind about their children’s safety sometimes leads to overprotection on the side of children suffering from learning disabilities. This develops negative effects on those children’s development and some of these children suffering find this kind of treatment inappropriate as compared to their age. (Sigel, 2006) Another area of concern for parents whose children possess learning disabilities regards other children’s as well as parents’ attitudes towards their children’s situation of learning disability. They wonder whether their children will be accepted or will be alienated due to their possession of learning disabilities. For instance, some parents of non-disabled children consider education funds directed to education of children who possess learning disabilities as going to waste. They prefer that the funds are entirely used on their children who are more productive. Parents of children possessing learning disabilities experience difficulties in explaining the disability situation to their children. This affects the relationship between them since the children feel that some truth regarding their disability is being hidden from them, which is the reason as to why they are accorded much attention. (Goss, 2001) Attitudes and Experiences of Children Possessing Learning Disabilities within Different Learning Environments There is a wide variety of experiences as well as attitudes that children suffering from learning disabilities undergo within learning environments. These experiences include a situation where they are discriminated by fellow students and find it difficult to have friends as normal students do. This is contributed by their inability to keep up with their friends’ knowledge and speed to learn and understand things which makes them to be alienated. The fact that these children are mostly with their teachers receiving extra guidance on topics taught in class when others are playing make it difficult for other children to interact with them due to the ever presence of their teacher. It follows that children suffering from learning disabilities are always around their teachers where they tend to develop comfort which denies them a chance to learn how to associate with peers. This category of children also finds that avenues in which they can make friends are limited in their learning environment. In cases where there are extracurricular activities in which they can indulge in, they lack time for that since they are mostly getting special classes during their free time. (Gates, 2003) There are situations where children’s learning disabilities tend to overshadow their abilities according to their teachers’ perception. Some teachers direct their focus on the children’s situation rather than capability of those children to develop some understanding of educational concepts. For instance, a teacher may recognize a child’s struggles with science subjects to a point that he/she fails to recognize that the child is gifted in art. This negatively affects this category of children as they feel very inadequate since they are not appreciated for what they are good at doing. (Butler, 2002) Some school personnel may be willing to appreciate areas that children are good at, but it is hindered by identification methods applied in learning environments. Identification is normally conducted through standardized tests which is not the appropriate measure for their giftedness. The standardized tests require some adjustment as well as modifications before being imposed on the children in order to point areas in which they are gifted. (Taylor, 2005) The achievements of children possessing learning disabilities sometimes go unrecognized since there is no clear separation between the work done by teachers and that done by the children. Some people feel that their achievements are accompanied by so much follow up from teachers. This demoralizes the children especially when they are sure that they contributed quite a lot towards their success. Another disturbing situation for children suffering from learning disability is where they have to shift from schooling levels like when moving from elementary level to secondary level. Another transition is when this category of children’s families relocates to new residential areas where the children have to change schools. Children suffering from learning disabilities find it hard to adjust during these two transition periods. The main difficulty comes where they have to initiate new relationships in their new schooling levels as well as schools. That is; they have to introduce themselves and their situation to their new teachers who might treat them differently from their previous school personnel. This makes children to feel out of place when they realize that they are taking more time to adjust compared to normal children and even more when the new learning environment fails to fit their needs appropriately. (Westwood, 2003) These children feel stressed and pessimistic about starting the process of getting special attention in learning with the new school personnel. This stress and discomfort realized from difficulties encountered in adjusting to unfamiliar learning situation is normally manifested in some weird behaviour that was not previously recognized in the children which shows that the transition situation affects them psychologically. (Adelman, 2007) There are certain characteristics that describe the learning environment that children suffering from learning disabilities consider ideal, in which they would be absolutely comfortable if the were provided to them. These include a learning environment where needs, concerns as well as dreams of these children are accorded consideration by their teachers. They also prefer that their disability does not hinder their teachers from recognizing areas where they are gifted. Concerning the manner in which other children treat them, these children would prefer that other children interact with them freely without discriminating them due to their situation. (Kravets, 2003) Conclusion It is clear that; parents encounter distinct experiences with children suffering from learning disabilities including the situation where parents are not in a position to explain the learning disability situation to their children. This affects the relationship between parents and their children since the children feel that everything is not being revealed concerning their situation. These children also encounter challenging experiences from their learning environments. This is normally because they are not treated as they would prefer which makes them feel out of place. They point out that they would prefer to be integrated with other normal children in order that their learning disabilities do not hinder them from living a happy life. They also prefer that everything about their learning disability is disclosed to them in order that they get to know their level of disability and work towards adjusting it. (Sattler, 2007)

Reflective Essay on Personal Performance

Reflective Essay on Personal Performance OLORUNKEMI ONIKOYIÂ   PORTFOLIO SUMMARY (REFLECTIVE ESSAY) This essay is a reflective account on the progress I have made during the on-going nursing training programme I have embarked upon. The areas I intend to cover include the usefulness of assessment feedback for facilitating growth and for understanding the areas that need to be improved in my learning, the extent of the development of key transferable skills, an overview of meetings with my personal development tutor and issues related to my personal learning. Finally, areas for future development will be identified with a view on how to address them, all of which will go towards improving my personal and indeed professional development. Individuals may spend a lot of time thinking over experiences they have had and things they have to do. However, within nursing it is believed that in order to progress, these thoughts should be turned into guided reflection enabling one to improve them in the future. The essential purpose of reflective practice is to enable the practitioner to access, understand and learn through, his or her lived experiences and, as a consequence, to take ‘congruent action towards developing increasing effectiveness within the context of what is understood as desirable practice’ (Johns 2000, p3). As a mature student with experience of an access course I felt I had developed self-discipline, which is important for effective learning. Throughout this course I have gradually developed strength and confidence in all the transferable skills, such as communication, effective learning, and teamwork and information technology. These skills have been developed through both the coursework and the placement.. I felt confident about my verbal communication whereas I was concerned about my literacy skills which are impeded by my dyslexia. In my case dyslexia results in poor spelling, grammatical errors and difficulties with organising work. It should not affect my understanding of my subject, although it can take me time to absorb what I read. The course has helped me to recognize the importance of all aspects of communication, both verbal and non-verbal, such as body language, touch, facial expression and eye contact. It has shown me how crucial non-verbal communication can be in expressing meaning. During my placement visit at the hospital I put into practice my communication skills which enabled me to interact with people from different cultures and backgrounds. For example, while I was working in the ward with a staff nurse, I observed through facial expression that a patient was in pain. I went over to ask her what the problem was. She told me she was in pain. I immediately reported it to the nurse in charge. After this, I made her comfortable and continued to communicate with the patients. From this scenario I have learnt that good communication skills are important in delivering health care services. Good therapeutic communication can help to relieve patient pain and anxiety. I believe the best way of learning is to become an autonomous learner which in itself requires good communication skills and discipline. During this course, I have developed good time management skills, especially for meeting deadlines in submission of assignments and for combining studying with domestic demands. Initially, accessing the internet and using the electronic searching method was a bit difficult but it became clearer with the help of the IT workshop. It also helped greatly when finding articles needed for annotated bibliography assignment. Having to do presentations is another effective way of learning because it provides an opportunity to research the topic and then teach others. I prepared a research presentation and I knew little about the components that would make the type of presentation successful. I experienced some nervousness because I find it difficult to face an audience and deliver a speech but with the help of the tutor’s feedback I am beginning to wo rk on my fears and confidence by becoming involved in group discussion. My IT skills have improved quite considerably since the beginning of this module. I knew how to use e-mail, Microsoft word and various ways to search for information. The IT sessions have contributed greatly, so much, now have the confidence to use the internet regularly. I have also learnt how to use database and PowerPoint I will continue to build on what I have learnt and improve on it because the technology is updating frequently and it is necessary to keep up with this trend. (See appendix). Carrying out a literature search during an assignment, taught me how to use the search engines using keywords in order to find relevant articles. Carrying out a literature review has given me an insight into what research involves the ways in which research can be carried out and the different methodology that is used. I now understand that academic articles are peer reviewed before being published in reputable journals. Assessment feedback is an important part of learning. It gives the student an awareness of what they can do and what needs to be improved, in both written and practical work Whilst evaluating my feedback sheet on the role and function of health related organization, Module IPH1625, I felt that the mark received was above my expectations which left me feeling positive and motivated to continue the good steady progress. I found the research section of the essay quite challenging and spent many hours preparing my essay. Fortunately the organization that I had picked was of great interest to me as British heart foundation was an organization that dealt and helped people from all walks of life. The fact that this topic was of interest to me made it much easier for me to discuss and write about it with passion, and I could really express how I felt about the issues involved. Through the feedback received, I realized that I had addressed all areas of the marking criteria to an effective lev el. Having not previously shown my work to my module leader, to my surprise the contents of my work was above standard and very well done. My dyslexia is a worry regarding typographical errors which I may not notice. To combat this I used the computers grammatical and spelling checkers as well as showing my essays to my dyslexia tutor who helped me to proof reading. I was thrilled to see that in the feedback given, my grammar, spelling and punctuation was not seen as a problem. It is very motivating to receive this kind of feedback and the self satisfaction left me with a positive feeling which I hoped to maintain. (See appendix) My first learning stage was the novice level which Benner (2001, p20) described as ‘beginners who had no experience or skills to practice in the situation in which they are expected to perform’. At this stage of my learning I had limited knowledge and understanding of patient condition as well as the environment in which care is delivered. This made me anxious and nervous. My culture (which forbids me from addressing an elderly person by name) inhibited my ability to communicate effectively with patients and various members of staff. This problem was due to lack of previous experience in caring for patient and lack of understanding of the situation in which am expected to perform. My knowledge regarding patient’s illness or disease process was lacking. Hence I did not know how to assess or carry out patient admissions or pain assessments. For example, when patients complained of pain I always informed my mentor instead of carrying out a pain assessment to identify factors which may be contributing to the pain. However, I constantly relied on my mentor for guidance. Through advice, feedback on my performances and by observing my mentors and other members of staff, I was able to develop strategies on how to overcome communication problems on my next placement. During this placement I was able to reassure patients, carry out pain assessment, monitor and record vital signs (under clinical supervision) as well as understand their implications for patients’ care. Although I had developed confidence in clinical skills in my first placement, there was an increase in my confidence during my second. There was an increase in learning, however, my skills and knowledge within this domain were still limited. I still relied on general guidelines or instructions given to me by my mentor on how to execute some of the duties delegated to me. As a result I could not use my initiatives to prioritize or plan care appropriately or make sound judgment regarding the care which I was giving to patients. My communication skills also improved as I was able to listen and reassure patients, carry out pain assessments. In the future I hope to ensure effective communication in my daily activities, building on my strengths until I become competent in my communication skills, and able to identify potential problems and difficulties and ways to find solutions to the problem. (See appendix) The advanced beginners’ level was the second level of my learning. As explained by Benner (2001, p22) ‘the advance beginner is one who can demonstrate marginally accepted performance; one who has coped with enough real situations to note the reoccurring meaningful situational components’. In relation to performing at this level, the status quo is that the theory sessions are in the final stages, after which we would move into placement, where yet again I would have the opportunity to relate acquired theoretical knowledge to practice. Personally, I have found that the various placements were the biggest learning curve for me and influenced my learning immensely. I feel that I have performed well, as I have done things that I had never done before such as taking measurements of blood pressure, giving injections, and administrating the correct medication. The biggest impact on me was the learning disability placement. I felt that this is where I really put my communication skills into practice. I found learning disability extremely interesting and at the same time challenging. One of the major challenges I encountered was the aggressive behavior of the patient. I learnt the importance of being patient and to try to understand what is making them angry in order to calm them down. Sometimes medication is needed for this. (See appendix) Meeting with my Personal development tutor (PDT) has been extremely useful; at the first meeting we met as a group which we had an open discussion on learning, teaching approaches and available learning support. My second meeting was one to one and I was able to express the problems I faced with modules in terms of understanding prospective assignments and in selecting textbooks which are user friendly to facilitate introduction to new areas of knowledge. It was also a good opportunity for me to discuss issues encountered during placement, in relation to my experiences, which included difficulties as well. I generally found these meeting to be useful because it was and still is an avenue for me to discuss and analyse both personal and professional development. (See appendix) On reflection I can see that I was able to achieve the above nursing needs of patient due to 12 months of acquired knowledge and experiences. In progressing through the stages of skill acquisition, reflecting enabled me to gain new ideas, insights, understanding of clinical practice and I was able to change and improve my practice as I progressed. This ability is vital for personal and professional development. By reflecting I developed reflective skills such as self-awareness, ability to describe, critically analyze, synthesize and evaluate (Bulman and Schutz 2004, p10). ‘Self improvement builds on awareness’ (Moon 1999, p14). Learning is a lifelong process of discovering what is not known and recognition of learning needs is the basis for further development. NMC code of conduct and the life long learning document requires one to be able to recognize when further learning and development may be required. The NMC’s PREP (2001, p7) requires registered nurses to keep up to date with new development and to go for courses that are relevant to the practice area so as to ‘deliver care based on current evidence, best practice and, where applicable, validate research when it is available (NMC 2002, p5). I would like to continue building on my nursing competency so as to increase my knowledge and skills. Achieving this will be through practice and self-directed learning, as well as through clinical supervision which provides support for the student; this will help me in further development of skills, knowledge and enable me to enhance my understanding in practice area. I will also further my education to degree level. In conclusion, I have critically demonstrated how my learning has evolved from novice to advanced beginner of nursing. I have also planned to continue to maintain my personal and professional development by engaging in regular learning activities and also updating my professional portfolio. Furthermore, I will continue to acquire more knowledge to prepare me to face professional challenges, especially in the area of decision making, and the ability to spot opportunities and utilise them. I have an understanding of and confidence in my chosen profession as adult nurse. I want to see learning as part of me; learning new skills everyday is a lifelong experience. Reflective practice will not only improve the quality of care I give but also enhance my personal and professional development thus helping me to close the gap between theory and practice. REFERENCES Benner, P. (2001). From Novice to Expert. Excellence and Power in Clinical Nursing Practice. (commemorative edition). New Jersey: Prentice Hall. Bulman, C. Schutz, S. (2004). Reflective Practice in Nursing. (3rd ed.). Oxford: Blackwell Publishing. Johns, P. (2004). Becoming a Reflective Practitioner. (2nd ed.). India: Blackwell Publishing. Moon, J.A. (1999). Reflection in Learning and Professional Development. London: Kogan Page. NMC. (2001). The PREP handbook. London: NMC. NMC. (2002). Code of Professional Conduct. London: NMC. Appendix 1: Use of key transferable skills. Appendix 2: Feedback sheet. Appendix 3: Evidence of learning from practice assessment / skill development in practice. Appendix 4: Copy of meeting with Professional Development Tutor. 1 WORD COUNT =2200

Media Representation: Body Images

Media Representation: Body Images Images of female bodies can be seen everywhere. Womens bodies are seen on commercials and billboards selling everything from food to cars. Popular actresses on television and in movies are becoming younger, taller and thinner. We hear many stories in the news about actresses fainting on set from lack of food all the time. Gender and body image is portrayed negatively in many different ways throughout the media in todays society. It is estimated that we are exposed to over 3,000 advertisements every day. This makes advertisements a very powerful educational force in society. It can be seen that advertisements sell more than just products. They sell values, images and concepts, love and sexuality, and popularity and normalcy. They ultimately tell us who we are and what we should strive to be. Men, women, teens, boys, and girls all identify people by how they look, to body size and shape, to clothes, as well as hairstyles. Therefore, the way we view our body and image can have a large impact on the way we feel about ourselves. For the most people, especially with adolescents, body image is strongly influenced by mass media and advertising. When looking into advertising within media representation and self body image one can see how powerful of an outlet advertising can be in our current society (Advertising: Its everywhere, 2010). Advertisers emphasize body image and the importance of physical attractiveness in order to sell products. They hope to persuade society that something needs to be added or fixed, because what we have is either not enough or good enough to meet the high demands that society puts on satisfaction. Womens magazines are full of articles convincing women that if they can just lose those a little more weight, then they can have the perfect marriage, loving children, great sex, and a rewarding career. The standard of beauty that is imposed on women is difficult to achieve and maintain and therefore, the cosmetic and diet product industries are sure to profit and grow off the high beauty standard. It is no surprise that youth is increasingly promoted, along with thinness, as an essential criterion of beauty in todays society. Aging is looked at in the media as an issue that needs to be dealt with and ultimately stopped all together (Gerber, 2010). Adolescents are the main target for most media outlets because they are particularly vulnerable and inexperienced consumers. They are still learning their values and roles and developing their self-concepts. Most adolescents are sensitive to peer pressure and find it difficult to resist (Kilbourne, 1999, p.129). This constant exposure to negative body image advertisements may influence individuals to become self-conscious about their bodies and to obsess over their physical appearance. The beauty industry is an extremely large industry that profits off the negative self-esteem and body image of many women in todays society. Women who are insecure about their bodies are more likely to buy beauty products, new clothes, and diet aids. It is estimated that the diet industry alone is worth anywhere between 40 to 100 billion dollars a year selling temporary weight loss products (Cummings, 2005). On the other hand, research indicates that exposure to images of thin, young, air-brushed female bodies is linked to depression, loss of self-esteem and the development of unhealthy eating habits in women and girls. The American research group Anorexia Nervosa Related Eating Disorders, Inc. says that one out of every four college-aged women uses unhealthy methods of weight control, such as fasting, skipping meals, excessive exercise, laxative abuse, and self-induced vomiting (National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders, 2010) . The Canadian Womens Health Network warns that weight control measures are now being taken by girls as young as 5 and 6 years old (The Canadian Womens Health Network, 2005). Another study conducted by Marika Tiggemann and Levina Clark in 2006 titled Appearance Culture in Nine- to 12-Year-Old Girls: Media and Peer Influences on Body Dissatisfaction, notes that nearly half of all preadolescent girls wish to be thinner and as a result, they have engaged in a diet or are aware of the concept of dieting (Clark, 2006). In 2003, Teen magazine reported that 35 percent of girls 6 to 12 years old have been on at least one diet, and that fifty to seventy percen t of normal weight girls believe they are overweight (Gibbons, 2003).Overall research indicates that ninety percent of women are dissatisfied with their appearance in some way (The Canadian Womens Health Network, 2005). Media activist Jean Kilbourne concludes that, Women are sold to the diet industry by the magazines we read and the television programs we watch, almost all of which make us feel anxious about our weight (Kilbourne, 1999, p. 47). Many of the media images of female beauty are unattainable a majority of women. The media continues to set unrealistic standards for what body size and appearance is considered normal. If you look through any magazine or turn on the television, you would see collarbones, hipbones, cheekbones and rib cages as the overall trend in Hollywood. Celebrities like Mary-Kate Olsen and Nicole Richie, both of whom have been reported to have eating disorders, can be seen in designer clothing with designer handbags and gorgeous men along with them. This is the model of success for many adolescent girls. Most of these girls look up to and admire these celebrities and are therefore taught at a young age that Barbie is how a woman is supposed to look; tall, blonde, big breasts, and extremely thin. Barbie in reality is so thin that her weight and body proportions are not only unattainable, but also unhealthy (Gerber, 2010).. Researchers have generated a computer model with Barbie-doll proportions and have found that her back would be too weak to support the weight of her upper body, and would be too narrow to contain more than half a liver and a few centimeters of bowel. A real woman built that way would suffer from chronic diarrhea and eventually die from malnutrition. Jill Barad president of Mattel, the manufacturer of Barbie, estimated that ninety nine percent of girls between the ages of 3 to 10 years old own at least one Barbie doll (Greenwald, 1996). Still, the number of real life women and girls who seek a similarly underweight body is epidemic, and they can suffer equally devastating health consequences (Gerber, 2010). Researchers report that womens magazines have more ads and articles promoting weight loss than mens magazines do, and over three-quarters of the covers of womens magazines include at least one message about how to change a womans bodily appearance through either diet, exercise or cosmetic surgery (Gerber, 2010). Television and movies reinforce the importance of a thin body as a measure of a womans worth. Canadian researcher, Gregory Fouts reports that over three-quarters of the female characters in TV situation comedies are underweight, and only one in twenty are above average in size. Heavier actresses tend to receive negative comments from male characters about their bodies and eighty percent of these negative comments are followed by canned audience laughter (Gerber, 2010). Billboards are one of the largest forms of advertisement. Advertisers tend to make these advertisements especially memorable so they dont go unnoticed. Sometimes, they overlook and take it too far. An example of this was a billboard advertising one of NBCs popular television shows, Friends. The billboard glamorized anorexia by picturing the three female stars of the show and beside them the phrase Cute anorexic chicks. The caption was originally meant to be looked at as a joke regarding the accusations towards the three women of having eating disorders and unhealthy exercise habits, which all of them denied. Although the billboard was removed immediately, it illustrated a spectrum of ads promoting harmful body ideals (Smith, 1999). What may really make a difference in this unhealthy trend are organizations that promote fighting back against the standards that the media presents. An organization that has helped do just that is the About-Face Organization. About-Face is a San Francisco based media literacy organization that concentrates on the effect of the mass media on the physical, mental, and emotional health of females. About-Face encourages personal activism against the thin body ideal. Since 1995 About-Face has been providing education and resources on this subject through research that indicates a relation between exposure to the idealized female in the media and the occurrence of eating disorders (About-Face, 1996). Another organization to promote positive body image is Dove. In 2004, Dove launched the very successful Campaign for Real Beauty which features real women, not models, advertising Doves products. The advertisement is composed of six women all with perfect skin, hair, and teeth. The only thing that is looked at as not perfect is their weight. The women within the Dove advertisement are supposed to portray real women instead of extremely thin models in in hopes to offset the unrealistically thin and unhealthy images associated with modeling and advertisements in an effort to widen the stereotype of beauty and boost sales in the process. The slogan real women have curves as well as the campaigns Web site, which features quotes from each of the Campaign for Real Beauty models, does a great job of capturing the overall message of real beauty (Dove, 2010) . The Campaign for Real Beauty has had a huge impact and response throughout the world. The six women in the U.S. ads are featured in national television spots, magazine advertisements, print advertisements and billboards in major urban markets in North America and similar campaign ads are being run throughout the world by Dove as well. The campaign and its influence on body image have been the topic of many newspapers and blogs, receiving mostly praise, but like any other media outlet, some criticism as well. Some question the legitimacy of real beauty messaging through commercial beauty products along with how the ads might affect women who still do not fit in with the portrayal of beauty in the Dove advertisements. Although the women are not touched up, the models in the series are still smaller than the average American woman at size 14. These women can be paid far less, but they can also break the sameness of advertising (Corbett, 2006). All of this attention is what Dove was really striving for in order to get the message across. According to a press release, Dove wants to make women feel more beautiful every day by challenging todays stereotypical view of beauty and inspiring women to take great care of themselves. The use of women of various ages, shapes and sizes is designed to provoke discussion and debate about todays typecast beauty images (Prior, 2004). According to a study conducted by Dove, only two percent of women describe themselves as beautiful. Sixty three percent strongly agree that society expects women to enhance their physical attractiveness. Forty five percent of women feel women who are more beautiful have greater opportunities in life. The study also looked at the degree in which mass media has played in portraying and communicating an unrealistic view of beauty. More than two thirds of women strongly agree that the media and advertising set an unrealistic standard of beauty that most women coul d not ever achieve. Women feel they are surrounded images unrealistic beauty. The majority wish female beauty was portrayed in the media as being made up of more than just physical attractiveness. Seventy five percent went on to say that they wish the media did a better job of portraying women of diverse physical attractiveness, including age, shape, and size (Dove, 2010). Other advertisers have also been departing from the idealistic body type. In the Just Do It campaign, Nike features muscular, disembodied thighs and butts, labeled Thunder Thighs and Big Butt. These advertisements are very important to understanding the media representation and body image of the direction that society will be heading. It is important to take action with the media and society like represented with the Dove campaign, in order to try and change the trend and get women to love being who they are, no matter what their size, and love the uniqueness of their own body (Corbett, 2006). Another media outlet that should not go unnoticed is the digital media. In todays society this plays a very important role. A great example of this is shown through Doves Evolution video. The video starts off with what appears to be a normal woman and is magically transformed into a beautiful supermodel and placed on a billboard. By using a computer, the womans face is geometrically changed and made to look perfectly proportioned. The video shows people that absolutely perfect faces and bodies are not only rare but nonexistent in many cases (Postrel, 2007). In Madrid, one of the many popular fashion capitals, thin models were banned from the runway in 2006. Spain has recently undergone a project with the aim to standardize clothing sizes through using a process in which a laser beam is used to measure real life womens bodies in order to find the most true to life measurement. This project is hoped to help fight the perception that thin equals beautiful. Milan has also jumped on the idea and also banned ultra thin models from fashion week in 2006 in hopes that models will start to become more healthy sizes (Woolls, 2008). Twenty years ago, the average model weighed eight percent less than the average woman. Todays models weigh twenty three percent less. Advertisers are convinced that thin models sell products and that thin is in. When the Australian magazine New Woman recently included a picture of a heavy-set model on its cover, there was an instant backlash of grateful readers praising the change. The advertisers were less then pleased however. They complained and the magazine soon returned to featuring bone-thin models. Advertising Age International concluded that the incident made clear the influence wielded by advertisers who remain convinced that only thin models spur the sales of beauty products (Gerber, 2010). Mainstream media representations also plays a role in reinforcing ideas about what it means to be a real man in our society. Most media sources portray male characters as rewarding for self-control and controlling of others, aggressive and violent, financially independent, and physically desirability. Although distorted body images have been known to affect women and girls, there is a growing awareness regarding the pressure for men and boys to appear more muscular. Many males are becoming more insecure about their physical appearance due to advertising and other media images that raise the standard and idealize well-built men. Advertising images have been accused of setting unrealistic ideals for males, and men and boys are beginning to risk their health to achieve the well-built media standard (Eating disorders: Body image and advertising, 2008). Another issue is the representation of ethnically diverse women in the media. A 2008 study conducted by Juanita Covert and Travis Dixon titled A Changing View: Representation and Effects of the Portrayal of Women of Color in Mainstream Womens Magazines found that although there was an increase in the representation of women of color, overall white women were overrepresented in mainstream womens magazines from 1999 to 2004. An experiment was designed to view the effects of counter stereotypical portrayals on readers. The research showed that exposure to articles featuring counter stereotypical depictions of women of color tended to evaluate the occupational expectations of women of color among white readers but not people of color (Covert, 2008). In article on African American women and beauty ideals, it is stated that Black women are less vulnerable than white women to reacting negatively is they dont match the ideals pervading prime-time television shows and magazines, according to studies (Smith, 2004). African American women pay little attention to thin images of white women and have better body images than white women, though heavier and unhealthier. African American women have disregarded the idea of thin, pretty white woman as unattainable for themselves and as unimportant to others in the black community (Smith, 2004). It is also found in research that black women were less likely to exhibit signs of bulimia (Smith, 2004). When you think of sexy black women in the media, many would instantly think of Beyonce, Rihanna, or Tyra Banks. However, some would argue that though they are ethnically black, they are whiteified. Their hair has been dyed blonde, straightened hair, and even skin lightened. This is sending a negative message to the darker skinned African American women that they are not beautiful (How the media destroys black beauty, 2010). Some other examples of media sources lighting the skin of African American celebrities by using Photoshop and special lighting techniques is recently shown in Gabourey Sidibes Elle 25th Anniversary Cover. Though the magazine denies the accusations, this is not the first time this has been brought to everyones attention (Everett, 2010). Beyonce Knowles has also been represented several skin shades darker in her LOreal Paris magazine advertisements. Even after the company made a statement claiming this was untrue, many find this hard to believe (Guardian News Media , 2008). Other celebrities to undergo the supposed Photoshop skin lightening include OJ Simpson, Mariah Carey, and even President Obama. The message that media gives about thinness, dieting and beauty tells ordinary women that they are always in need of adjustment. The female body is looked at as an object to be perfected (Gerber, 2010). Jean Kilbourne argues that the overwhelming presence of media images of painfully thin women means that real womens bodies have become invisible in the mass media. This statement implies that the constant exposure of images and texts suggests the idea that the thinner a woman is, the better she is. This has a strong influence on women which then contributes to eating disorders and low self esteem issues. Kilbourne concludes that many women internalize these stereotypes and therefore judge themselves by the beauty industrys standards (Kilbourne, 2010). Some may blame society for accepting negative representation of media. However, it is going to take the media to make a change through better marketing choices and a better view of body image and self-esteem. We are bombarded with images of perfect women and men everyday, whether it is on our favorite television shows, movies, magazines and music. The majority of the women are tall, thin and beautiful and the men are muscular, tanned and seductive. People who do not fall within this media induced norm are left without models to look up to. Instead, they give in to the cosmetic and diet product industry and try to alter their bodies to what they have been told is beautiful. Adolescent girls and boys are constantly striving to acquire an unattainable physique. Across the nation, millions of teens struggle with eating disorders and borderline conditions. With the help of Organizations like the About-Face Organization and programs like the Doves Campaign for Real Beauty, body image can s oon be embraced by men and women of all ages, sizes, and skin color. Work Cited Advertising: Its Everywhere. Media Awareness Network. Web. 10 Nov. 2010. . Body Image and the Media. The Canadian Womens Health Network. 2005. Web. 10 Nov. 2010. . Clark, L. and Tiggemann, M. (2006), Appearance Culture in Nine- to 12-Year-Old Girls: Media and Peer Influences on Body Dissatisfaction. Social Development, 15: 628-643. Cummings, By Laura. BBC NEWS The Diet Business: Banking on Failure. BBC News Home. 5 Feb. 2003. Web. 10 Nov. 2010. . Campaign for Real Beauty. Dove. Web. 10 Nov. 2010. . Corbett, Rachel. Doves Larger Models Spur Sales and Attention. Womens ENews. 29 Jan. 2006. Web. 10 Nov. 2010. . Covert, J. J., and T. L. Dixon. A Changing View: Representation and Effects of the Portrayal of Women of Color in Mainstream Womens Magazines. Communication Research 35.2 (2008): 232-56. Eating Disorders: Body Image and Advertising HealthyPlace. HealthyPlace.com. 11 Dec. 2008. Web. 10 Nov. 2010. . Everett, Cristina. Elle Magazine Accused of Digitally Lightening Gabourey Sidibes Skin on October Cover. NY Daily News. 17 Sept. 2010. Web. 10 Nov. 2010. . Gerber, Robin. Beauty and Body Image in the Media. Media Awareness Network. Web. 10 Nov. 2010. . Guadian News Media. LOreal Denies whitening Beyonce Knowles Skin in Cosmetics Ad. Buzzle Web Portal. 8 Aug. 2008. Web. 10 Nov. 2010. . Gibbons, Sheila. Teen Magazines Send Girls All the Wrong Messages. Womens ENews. 29 Oct. 2003. Web. 10 Nov. 2010. . Greenwald, John, Valerie Marchant, and Jacqueline Savaiano. BARBIE BOOTS UP TIME. TIME.com. 11 Nov. 1996. Web. 10 Nov. 2010. . How The Media Destroys Black Beauty | Socyberty. Socyberty: Society on the Web. 24 Oct. 2010. Web. 10 Nov. 2010. . Kilbourne, Jean. Beautyand the Beast of Advertising. Center for Media Literacy. Web. 10 Nov. 2010. . Kilbourne, Jean. Cant Buy My Love: How Advertising Changes the Way We Think and Feel. New York: Simon Schuster, 1999. National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders. National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders. Web. 10 Nov. 2010. . Postrel, Virginia. The Truth about Beauty. The Atlantic (2007): 1-3. Prior, Molly. Dove Ad Campaign Aims to Redefine Beauty Womens Wear Daily, October 8, 2004. Smith, Dakota. Black Women Ignore Many of Medias Beauty Ideals. Womens ENews. 10 June 2004. Web. 10 Nov. 2010. . Smith, Katie. Effect of the Media on Eating Disorders. Effect of the Media on Eating Disorders. 23 Nov. 1999. Web. 10 Nov. 2010. . Woolls, Daniel. Spain to Make Clothes for Real Women. USATODAY.com. 7 Feb. 2008. Web. 10 Nov. 2010. .

The Most Influential Woman of the Past Millenium: Elizabeth Cady Stanto

The Most Influential Woman of the Past Millenium: Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Mary Wollstonecraft, and Rosa Parks Elizabeth Cady Stanton If there had never been born an Elizabeth Cady Stanton, women may have never seen the rights and privileges granted to us in the Nineteenth Amendment. She was the leading fighter and driving force for women's rights; she dedicated her whole life to the struggle for equality. Elizabeth had learned from her father at an early age how to debate and win court cases, and she had also experienced the discriminations against women first hand. These two qualities lead to the most influential and motivating speeches against inequality when she was older. Elizabeth vowed to herself that she would "change how women were viewed in society" (Hildgard 2); and that, she did! Due to her strong belief in equality, she had the word "obey" removed from her wedding vow before she would marry Henry Brewster Stanton, an abolitionist, who "loved her haughty nature and strong will" (Raven 85). While partaking in their honeymoon, they attended the World's First Anti-slavery Convention in London, Stanton and Lucretia Mott were failed to be noticed as "legitimate delegates"(Read 417). The convention's sexual barrier humiliated and angered Stanton; she promised to start a women's convention to battle the issue of equality. A cause that she faught against for most of her lifetime. Eight years later, Stanton, along with four other women, held the first women's convention at Seneca Falls. Here hundreds of women met to discuss the fact that they had been denied their natural rights and religious freedom. The women used the Declaration of Independence to write the Declaration of Sentiments, which included the women's bil... ...king Press, 1972. "Hildgard." Distinguished Women, Fields of Activtity. Distinguished Women. 28 January 2000 . James, Edward T., et al ed. Notable Women. Volume I. Cambridge, Massachusetts: The Belknap Press. Martin, Linda, et al., eds. 1000 Makers of the Millenium. New York: DK Publishing, 1999. Raven, Susan, and Alison Weir. Women of Achievement. New York: Harmony Books, 1981. Read, Phyllis J., and Bernard L. Witlieb. The Book of Women's Firsts. New York: Random House, 1992. Saari, Peggy, ed. Prominent Women of the 20th Century. Volume 4. New York: International Thompson Publishing Company, 1996. Schlesinger, Arthur M. Jr. Eleanor of Acquitaine. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1987. "The National Women's Hall of Fame." Internet. 19 January 2000 .

Kripkenstein: Rule and Indeterminacy :: Philosophy Philosophical Papers

Kripkenstein: Rule and Indeterminacy ABSTRACT: Indeterminacy theories, such as Wittgenstein's and Kripke's indeterminacy principle on rules and language and Quine's indeterminacy of radical translation, raise some fundamental questions on our knowledge and understanding. In this paper we try to outline and interpret Wittgenstein's and Kripke's indeterminacy, and then compare it to some other related theories on indeterminacy of human thinking, such as raised by Hume, Quine, and Goodman. Quine's indeterminacy differs from Wittgenstein's in several aspects. First, Wittgenstein and Kripke's indeterminacy applies to a single individual in isolation and this indeterminacy disappears when the single person is brought into a wider community. Thus, this indeterminacy is only logically possible or hypothetical. Second, in Quine's problem, two translation manuals are distinguishable; while Wittgenstein's hypotheses, such as 'plus' and 'quus' and many others, are indistinguishable for the subject's past and the subject would never aware of the distinctions. Third, in Wittgenstein's view, whether a member follows the rules or not can be determined by 'outward criterion'. Quine's indeterminacy denies the existence of such 'outward criterion' for his two translation manuals. Goodman's hypothesis of 'grue' is quite different from the above two indeterminacy in terms of both objective of introducing the concept and the usage of it. Goodman's issue is to search for the rules in screening out 'bad' assumptions in induction. This induction issue is not indeterminacy of Wittgenstein's skeptic arguments or Quine's radical translation. Wittgenstein and Kripke's conclusion that that rules are brute facts seems to be questionable. Form of life is one of Wittgenstein's key concepts in his theory on rules and is linked to rules in some crucial ways. A community cannot agree on arbitrary rules and rules other than some highly selected ones cannot bind a community together. What a community agree or disagree is not an arbitrary game. Kripke presents Wittgenstein's theory on rules in his book Wittgenstein on Rules and Private Language. The topic is difficult and the presentation seems to inherit some characteristics of the original work, which "is not presented in the form of a deductive argument with definitive theses as conclusions,..." (Kripke, 1982, p.3). Kripke tells the reader: "The point to be made here is that, at the same time the second part is important for an ultimate understanding of the first.'' (1982, p.84) "In this way the relation ship between the first and the second portions... is reciprocal." (1982, p.85). We find that a reciprocal reading helps me to understand and absorb the main points and arguments.

Unbundled Business Models: Arm’s Focus on IP

This is my first not-technical blog post more towards the business side which I know very little about but still worth trying. I will be discussing the â€Å"unbundled business model† and why ARM is focusing only on designing IP cores. I came across the term unbundled business model in a book called â€Å"Business model generation† by Alexander OsterWalder and Yves Pigneur. Which is a fantastic book and they really take the reader through the entire planning process of a business or business model generation. As most electronic engineers will be aware, ARM holdings which stands for Advanced RISC Machines (Acorn RISC Machines at time of foundation) is a British Intellectual Property licensing company. So basically they license their proprietary processor cores to semiconductor companies like Apple, texas instruments, Freescale, Qualcomm, NVIDIA etc. These cores are specifically popular in mobile computing because of their low power consumption characteristics. In fact almost all of the recent smart phone processors are based on an ARM core. Err I guess we are diverting to electronics again, coming back to the company. So the company has a unique business model, unlike other semiconductor companies like Intel or microchip who design and manufacture their processors. ARM is specialized in designing the barebones of the processor, the core (which technically is a bunch of hardware synthesis files containing thousands of lines of Verilog code, or any other language) and gives out this code to semiconductor companies to let them manufacture their own customized processor. Unbundling Business Models: The term â€Å"unbundled corporation† was coined by John Hagel and Marc Singer and it suggests that there are three types of businesses: Customer Relationship businesses, product innovation businesses and Infrastructure businesses. These sectors require different skill sets are separate entities of a corporation or ideally a separate business itself. The role of Customer Relationship business is acquiring customer and building relationships with them. Similarly product innovation businesses are involved in development of new products and services, while the role of infrastructure businesses is to manage the platform for high volume, repetitive tasks like assembly lines, logistics etc. ARM can be effectively placed into the product innovation category; they are focused on development of their IP cores for which they are well-known for. This keeps the company’s operations aligned with the target which is to build low-power high performance cores. Their business is centered on engineers, talented and creative minds which design their products and keep them ahead of the competition. Customers are not their focus, well at least not directly, customer relationship are taken care at multiple levels by the chip manufacturer, the equipment manufacturer and then the end-user company. This is a win-win situation as the result is a better product and customer satisfaction. Another company which recently unbundled the business is Dell Inc. hich shifted its focus from manufacturing to customer relationship and marketing. Reason being contract manufacturers like Clevo produce computers more cheaply as their entire focus is on finding efficiencies in manufacturing. This means Dell can focus on the brand and building customer relationship which is a much more robust business plan. It is the basic question â€Å"What business are we in? † and finding what is the key business activity. If we try to manage activities across too broad a waterfront, we run a risk of losing our edge across more and more of his waterfront. The business model has worked out well for ARM and in year 2010, 6. 1 billion ARM based chips were sold. ARM’s goal is to have ARM-based processors in more than half of all tablets, mini-notebooks and other mobile PCs sold by 2015. Leave your comments below about what you think about the ARM business model and by the way check out my project Portoscope an open source mini oscilloscope, it runs on an ARM based processor

LGBT

A social movement is a reform concept that characterizes individual collective effort with some degree of organization or community. This move is at least partially outside the normal political process and institutions, to bring about societal change. In the realm of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender rights, activists have played a vital role in reshaping the societal norms, culture and politics. The LGBT are different and unique persons in the world and exhibit an exemplary self-confidence. A common purpose and the goal of the LGBT, in the society is promoting equity the minority. However, some individuals have also focused in building and nurturing LGBT community. They also work towards promoting social liberation for the broader society from sexual stigmatization and discrimination. The LGBT movement in the world today, constitute of a wide rang of political activism and cultural activity. They therefore strategically adopt lobbying, street demonstrations, community participation and social grouping to push for their agenda. The LGBT communities have a universal way of identity. Symbols and art of social movement provide meaning, express social and political solidarity with a particular identity. The symbol mostly used by the LGBT community particularly during the 1980-19990 is the pink triangle among others. The pink triangle for example was mostly used by the Nazi community in Germany to label homosexual and lesbianism. The LGBT movements’ advocates for unique way of lifestyle defined by the world as â€Å"not normal† Consequently, people with such preferences faces a mixed reaction from the normative section of the community. The LGBT community has therefore continually faced opposing both from individuals and organizations. It is widely believed that people with negative attitude towards lesbians and gays are more likely to be male, politically conservatives, religious and older persons who particularly have little personal contact with openly gay individuals and supports the traditional roles. Lesbians, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender lifestyle violates the principles of God on sexuality. The true sexual identity acceptable by God is the sexual union a man and a woman. Other forms of sexual relation are evil and therefore unacceptable before God and humanity. Culturally the actions of the LGBT community are strongly condemned. Their sexual relation is termed as â€Å"not normal† and therefore adoption of such sexual preferences tend to alter the system of values defined by the strict spirit of culture. Thus the acts of LGBT go against the cultural law concept of morality. The LGBT is therefore an Politics establishes structures that promote healthy living in the society. In fact, the spirit and law of politics has its root from religious and cultural principles.   For many years government institutions have not appreciated the rights and freedoms of the LGBT individuals. This is partly because LGBT sexual relation violates the principles of political morality. LGBT is a group of normal people and therefore deserve democratic space consideration. They should be granted the right and freedom of assembly and expression. However, LG BT community appreciate that they are swimming against the wave of normativity. Thus stigmatizations and discrimination will still continue. In response to the social; seclusion and moral uncertainty that surrounds the LGBT community, my consciousness, culture and faith will not allow me to identify with the LGBT community. I therefore will not accept to wear the identification pin. Reference Goodwin J. and James M.J, â€Å" The Gay Liberation Movements.† In the social Movement Reader: Cases and Concept