Socrates And The Era Of Ancient Greece - 2104 Words

â€Å"The only true wisdom is knowing that you know nothing.† To me, no truer words have ever been spoken. People may think that they know all the right answers, or know what to do in every situation, but at the end of the day, they don t really know anything. These words have echoed down through the ages, since the time they were first spoken by one of the greatest philosophical figures to ever walk this earth, Socrates. Socrates lived during the era of Ancient Greece, when philosophy and education was the cornerstone of everything that you needed to know. Although Socrates himself does have any writings accredited to him, we learn much about him from his students Plato and Xenophon. Plato makes it seem as though Socrates simply walks around Athens disputing people about what they think they know, proving his fact stating that we know nothing. It is also unclear how Socrates stayed alive, as Plato made it clear that he had no job and that he never accepted monetary gifts for his teachings. Quite possibly Socrates greatest achievement to modern philosophy is what is now called the Socratic Method. This method consists of asking a person a series of questions about a topic, to ultimately disprove them and make them feel as if they are inferior, something Socrates did quite well. For example, in Book I of The Republic, written by Plato, Socrates argues with a man named Thrasymachus, who believed that h e understood what the meaning of justice was. The first bookShow MoreRelatedAncient Greece : A True Civilization1507 Words   |  7 PagesEugene High School Classical Greece A True Civilization Joshua Soifer and Remy Dunn Eurasian History Mr. Yamada October 6 2017 As the politician and bishop Stephen Gardiner once claimed, â€Å"The center of Western culture is Greece, and we have never lost our ties with the architectural concepts of that ancient civilization†. In many ways, through their academic pursuits, philosophical ideologies, or advanced trade systems, Ancient Greek culture has proven to be the foundationRead MoreComparing The And The Odyssey998 Words   |  4 Pagespast events’, much like a bible or history book. It shaped their culture and what it meant to be a human being. The events of the Illiad and the Odyssey have been reflected in plays in ancient Greece and in the attitudes of many Greeks on what it meant to be a hero at that time. 3. The city-states of Ancient Greece were organized like tiny independent countries. One man, and a council of aristocrats ruled each state. Citizens were encouraged to develop their person by attending the gym, theater,Read More Role Model of the West Essay1539 Words   |  7 Pagesattributed to the great role model, ancient Greeks for their many contributions, such as architecture, fine arts, education, philosophy, and mostly for their form of democracy and ways of government. The architecture and fine arts in ancient Greece had proved to be beyond its time. The Greeks talent for architecture and art was and still is irresistible to many artist of today. The spread of this talent moved from the Greeks throughout Europe, especially Ancient Rome and all the way to present dayRead MoreThe Basic Principle Of Inquiry1195 Words   |  5 Pagesand Eastern. Western philosophy is associated with Ancient Greek, Roman, Western Europe, and later on, the Americas’ process of thought. Being that we are predominantly influenced by this field of philosophy (due to our location) it is essential that we must understand the beginnings and the evolution of this ideology. Western philosophy has developed with each coming era and is widely accepted to be organized chronologically into 3 ages, Ancient, Medieval, and Modern, with each contributing new doctrinesRead More Socrates Essay601 Words   |  3 Pages Philosophy in ancient Greece was merely a type of argument, until a pioneer named Socrates showed the world a new way of thinking. Socrates was born in 469 BC in Athens (where he lived all his life) as the son of Sophroniscus, a stonemason, and Phaenarete. In his life, Socrates changed common philosophy, which was a study of why the way things are, into a consideration of the virtue and health of the human soul. Rather than writing books and recording his thoughts himself, he orally passedRead MoreThe Golden Age Of Greece1270 Words   |  6 PagesThe Golden Age of Greece The golden age of Greece, especially the Periclean age of Athens, was considered to be the defining age of Greek history. The amount of cultural and intellectual innovation in Greece was at its height during the nearly 200 year period. From 500-300 BC, many great thinkers and philosophers rose and gave many a new perspective on life. As Matt Barrett explained, many philosopers, such as Socrates, dwelled in Athens, along with his then pupil, Plato. Socrates was one of the firstRead MoreGreek Mythology And Its Impact On Modern Culture1055 Words   |  5 PagesGreece civilization has its origins from Greek Mythology and has had a significant impact on our history and mythology helped shed light to it’s culture, religion, and government of ancient Greece. The Mediterranean has served as a vessel for the early civilizations., Greek mythology has influenced the life style and religion of the Greeks, especially because Greek mythology served as the primary basis of Greek belief, it became the nearest thing the Greeks had to a holy bible.1 These mythologiesRead MoreThe Great Conversation Of History1573 Words   |  7 Pagesof history spans over many eras where the questions of faith and reason are always things battling for a spot in our minds, but they shouldn’t be in battle because they are very much d ependent on the other. Among the time periods from Ancient Greece, the Enlightenment, and the 19th century, writers such as Socrates, Kant, and Martin Luther King Jr have looked at the issue of faith and reason. Western Civilization has developed and changed over time. In Ancient Greece where the Western CivilizationRead MoreThe Philosophy Of Plato s Philosophy1340 Words   |  6 Pagesbeautiful thing (Thesis statement). One: His Life Plato was a Greek philosopher who viewed life on deeper level; he was an individual who wanted to see and understand the bigger picture of life. Plato was born somewhere around 428 – 347 BCE in Athens, Greece. He is known by the nickname his wrestling coach gave him because of his broad shoulders; in Greek platon means broad. 2 Plato had a successful and respected family. Ariston and Perictione, Plato’s father and mother, came from upper-class familiesRead MoreThe Origins Of Western Civilization1547 Words   |  7 Pagesfive thousand years ago, and slowly moved west into Europe. Tis history is highlighted by the rise of many different kingdoms and empires, each with contribution to modern western culture. The following essay will describe the Ancient Greece, the Assyrians and the Ancient Roman, and the legacy each has the study of western civilization. Between 1100 and 387 BCE, the Greeks evolved from a very primitive agricultural society to the most important cultural and political presence in the Mediterranean

Socrates will Refuse the Jurys Decision - 1397 Words

During Socrates’ defense against Meletus, Anytus, and Lycon in Plato’s Apology, Socrates states that he will refuse the jury’s decision, regarded as the Law of Athens, if the court were to acquit him on the basis that he stops practicing philosophy. However, later in Plato’s Crito, Socrates explains he cannot escape from prison due to the laws of Athens and thus adheres to the jury’s decision of a death sentence. Despite appearing to contradict himself, Socrates is actually not contradicting himself at all. Socrates asserts that he did nothing wrong in regard to the laws of Athens and has never been a bad example for the youth in comparison to everyone in the audience and jury. If Socrates were to lament and agree to the acquittal in order to live, then he would be going against his philosophical mission from god and would be agreeing that he did do something wrong; this is why Socrates testifies that he would die rather than agree to stop pract icing philosophy. Since escaping jail to avoid death would contradict his ideals, Socrates refuses to disobey the laws of Athens, which he always adheres to, and decides he will commit to his sentencing despite the fact he is unjustly convicted. In both cases, Socrates is standing up for his ideals of philosophy and to his notion of goodness, which allows him to sensibly and honestly state that he will adhere to the jury (and therefore the Laws of Athens) in one case and is able to refuse to adhere to their judgments in another.

Chronic Sorrow Free Essays

string(37) " a person goes through after a loss\." Living with Chronic Sorrow The middle range theory of chronic sorrow theory was researched in the 1980’s validating parent’s feelings over the loss of not having the perfect child and having a child with a disability. Chronic sorrow provided a framework for understanding the reactions of individuals to various loss situations and offered a way to view the experience of bereavement. Involvement in an experience of a significant loss is the necessary antecedent to the development of chronic sorrow (Peterson Bredow, 2009). We will write a custom essay sample on Chronic Sorrow or any similar topic only for you Order Now The loss may affect individuals and family members at any time. Chronic sorrow may come to any of us during our lifetime. Chronic sorrow can best be described as a natural response to a tragic situation. Where life experiences cause deep distress, sadness, or regret especially for the loss of someone or something loved ( Gordon, 2009 ). Chronic sorrow is followed by a permanent loss of a personal attachment that may be ongoing with a sadness of such intensity that it recurs for the lifetime of the person. Mental pain, suffering and despair can all occur from chronic sorrow regardless if the loss is caused by injury, trauma or by death ( Alligood, Tomey,(2010). Washington Irving says it best, â€Å"There is a sacredness in tears. They are not the mark of weakness, but of power. They speak more eloquently than ten thousand tongues. They are messengers of over whelming grief and unspeakable love. † The rational for choosing the middle range theory of chronic sorrow was because this theory was easy to identify with. From losing a home to a natural disaster, a job, and even in death of family members, friends and numerous pets this theory really hit home from personnel experiences. Possible Antecedents, Defining Attributes and Consequences Let’s start but trying to understand the antecedents of chronic sorrow and how they relate to ach other and affect each of us as individuals. This may help to understand how strongly emotions control and play an important part in our everyday lives. The antecedents that go along with chronic sorrow are loss and grief. They are experienced periodically by individuals of all ages through their life time. Whether in the death of a family member, friend or pet, losing a home and all worldly possessions or losing a functioning body part. To be able to get through these powerful feelings and emotions can be very difficult and even more difficult for others to understand (Peterson Bredow, 2009). People all over the world are forced to deal with this daily, but until it happens to you, do you truly begin to understand the impact this has on ones’ own life. Every one of us will have to deal with loss at some time in our life. A loss can be described as â€Å"a pervasive psychic pain and sadness, stimulated by certain trigger events, which follows loss of a relationship of an attachment† (Teel,1991, pg. 1316). Losses come in many forms both large and small, such as loss of a job, a home, a way of life, a relationship, or loss of a significant other, spouse, family member or even a pet. The perception of the event, the situational supports, and the coping mechanisms all influence return of equilibrium or homeostasis. A person either advances or regresses as a result of the crisis, depending upon how the person manages the crisis (Potter Perry, 2009). Experiencing a loss can trigger the grief process. Everyone is different and comes to terms with loss in different ways, so it is difficult to say how long a person’s process may take. Losses that are smaller and have less of an impact on peoples’ lives will take a much shorter time to resolve emotionally than more significant losses (Foust, 2006). Some people deal with the loss a day at a time, yet for some people it may be an hour at a time. As long as the person is not denying the loss, they are working through it. Action oriented is an internal management for coping with a loss. This includes continuing to be involved in interests, hobbies, activities, talking with friends, professionals and even joining a support group (Peterson and Bredow,2009). Lost your job, your home, a loved one, or a beloved pet? There are many forms of loss, and all are felt individually on a very personal level (Foust, 2006). A loss is losing or being deprived of something you once had. Any loss can have a profound effect on your life. Loss can happen at any time day or night and does not need a reason. A consequence of a loss can stop you from socializing, cause you to have lack of interests, and take you emotionally away from those who love you. A loss can impact your job, your home, your finances, and your relationships. This is a real emotion that people around the world experience daily. Coping with loss and grief can be challenging in many ways (Teel. 1991). A loss may be felt physically and emotionally, like something is missing. A feeling of worry and emptiness may be felt deep inside. Two types of losses most relevant to depressive symptoms are related to self, goal attainment, and loss of financial resources (Van Horn Mischel, 2008). One may begin to suffer physical symptoms such as headaches, gastrointestinal upset, anxiety, sleeplessness, or anorexia. Emotionally you may feel tired, lack the ability to care about what is going on around you, sleep too much or too little, over eat or under eat, and neglect yourself and those around you. These are all feelings and emotions a person may experience in grief. Loss is an experience caused by changes and recognizing these changes are important in dentify feelings and most importantly, by allowing individuals to feel and express themselves begins the healing process (Love, 2007). Grief comes in many shapes and sizes. There is no â€Å"one size fits all† for the grieving process. Grief is the series of emotions that a person goes through after a loss. You read "Chronic Sorrow" in category "Papers" Grief may invo lve feelings of sadness, anger, guilt, shame, relief, jealousy, hopelessness and powerlessness ( Love, 2007). Many people allow for grief after the passing of a loved one, but many of today’s views tend to ignore the grief that can follow other kinds of losses. As a result, people find themselves unexpectedly alone dealing with the sorrow, anger and other emotions associated with grief at various times in their life. Confused and even ashamed, they may attempt to hide or avoid these emotions, pushing them inward rather than letting them out. This may cause destructive and devastating repercussions which can follow. Yet all of this can be avoided, if people recognize that there are all kinds of grief (Castledine,2002). Learning to deal with the loss and cope with ones misfortunes is where grief comes in. So, how long is the grieving process? Basically, a person grieves as long as it takes to come to terms with their loss and the impact that it has had on their life (Foust, 2006). The obvious time for grieving is after the death of a loved one. Many people experience this first with grandparents and parents, as well as aunts, uncles and family pets. Some people may suffer the difficult loss of siblings or spouses and still others may experience the tragic loss of a child. There is no way to measure grief, and no instrument or scale to measure for sorrow. Each person grieves these losses uniquely and differently. When a death of a loved one occurs those left ehind are often allowed time and space for grieving and usually supported by family and friends (Burglass, 2010). But what happens when someone loses a beloved pet? Or when a family loses a home? Or better yet the loss of a functioning body part, example hearing, seeing or loss of limb? These too are times of great loss. Unfortunately, they are seldom recognized as suc h and because of this the grieving are left alone to work through emotions that are many times misunderstood by those around them (Castledine, 2002). Coworkers, friends or even spouses can find it hard to understand ones grief and even find it difficult to handle. A person must grieve in order to heal and move forward. The suffering of dazed confusion, distress and unrelenting despair will generally ease with time (Love, 2007). At home, whenever you are alone, don’t push or force yourself to do anything. Relax and do what comes naturally. Many cultures do not encourage people to grieve openly. Crying and other ways of expressing distress can be seen as signs of weakness. Crying can actually help relieve stress, so cry, take a bath or watch television (Gipson, 2009). Do whatever makes you feel comfortable and helps you relax. Management forms of grief can be in the form of faith, istractions, like work, hobbies, and honoring your loss through ritual is important in overcoming the loss. There are many ways to go through the grieving process, regardless of how one grieves, grief is critical in the healing process (Potter Perry, pg. 496). Any loss can warrant grief. Grief is a normal reaction to loss and is not usually associated with long term negative consequences. Grief is a natural psychological and sometimes physical response to loss or change. Though death is most commonly associated with grieving, many other life changes can have the same result (911, Oklahoma City bombing). Losing a job (being laid off after working several years for the same company), losing a home (natural disaster, fire, tornado or even hurricane), having children leave home ( go away to college, military service, get married), retiring, divorce, declaring bankruptcy (loss of financial resources) a breakup, even moving can all create a sense of real loss and grief (Love, 2007). Grieving is a natural and healthy reaction to all losses. The five stages of grief denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance are all natural feelings when one experiences a significant loss. These can also be overlapped with shock, yearning and protest, despair, and recovery (Buglass, 2010). Grieving helps people understanding what has occurred and how to adapt to a new set of circumstances in their life. What makes the grieving process so challenging, is that many of the emotions we experience are painful and most people do not want to feel painful emotions. Another challenging piece is that many people are not prepared for the variety of emotions that occur. Most people expect to feel sad, but may not expect to feel angry, anxious, hopeless, terrified, confused, frustrated, lonely, and so on. The emotions felt do not occur in any predictable pattern and many people often tend to cycle through them throughout the grieving process (Drench, 2004). Grief is something that cannot be fixed and one cannot take a pill to make the grief go away. A person needs to experience the loss and all the negative emotions that result in order to accept the loss. Grief cannot be medicated with pills or alcohol. In fact, individuals that do attempt to take medication are using their own form of denial which usually lengthens the process and may even add a drug or alcohol addiction problem on top of their grief. The good news is that there are things that people can do to help cope and work through the grief process (Potter and Perry, pg. 496). These are a few examples people may use to help work through the grieving process. Take care of yourself by getting rest, eating regularly and maintain a regular routine. This can be challenging during the early process, but is essential with recovery (Potter Perry, pg. 496). Support systems of family, friends and colleagues who will listen, offer advice and provide emotional support can benefit you. Talk about your loss helps get your thoughts and feelings ut. Journaling is also a helpful to get your thoughts out. In a private journal or diary people are able to express their emotions and vent their feelings honestly without hurting anyone or without concern for how they may appear to others (Potter Perry, pg. 496). Time management techniques include developing a list of tasks that are felt to be important and need to be accomplished. Perform the t asks at the top of the list that require immediate attention, those that are not as important can be delayed (Potter Perry, pg. 497). Guided imagery and visualization can help with relaxation. Gather pictures and other things that remind you of your loss, person, pet, house or phase of your life you have lost. Try talking with family and friends about your memories. Funniest, worst, happiest, anything you share will help with adjusting to the loss. Play music that reminds you of your loss. Music is a powerful memory that can make you feel good or is comforting to you (Potter Perry, pg. 497). Progressive muscle relaxation may help with physiological tension. Exercise, fresh air, Sunshine, visiting with friends may all help. Deep breathing exercises may help reduce stress nd relax muscles (Potter Perry, pg. 497). Have a friend share in an activity that may have been your activity with what or whom you lost. An example would be if you went to breakfast every morning at McDonalds, it can make you sad and upset to think about going back there. Sharing the activity with a friend will not replace your loss, but may help establish a new routine for you. That is what grieving is about, facing and dealing with your new circumstances rather than avoiding them (Gipson, 2009). Many of these suggestions are easy things to do. What is not easy is managing negative motions. The grieving process does take time, but you can get through the loss and grief by dealing with your emotions one day at a time. None of these suggestions will take grief away, but may help to manage feelings and emotions that are experienced. Managing ones feelings can assist in feeling like the person is taking an active role again in their life. If the feelings a person experiences becomes overwhelming or significantly interferes with their life (can’t go to work, feeling suicidal, panic attacks, difficulty in carrying out every day routines, etc. ). This person ould likely benefit from seeing a therapist that can assist them with the grieving process and help them with acceptance and recovery (Buglass, 2010). Grieving can be difficult and a person does not have to go through this alo ne (Gipson, 2009). Case Study Three young men, Brad, Tom and Mike return home from active military duty with the loss of a lower leg while fighting for our country. Each man experiences their loss differently and uniquely. The first, Brad, is supported by his wife, parents, two children and many other family members and friends. Brad’s leg has healed and a useful diverse type of prosthesis has been itted to his lower leg. After many months of rehabilitation Brad is able to walk again with the use of his new prosthesis. The prosthesis fits well with no skin irritations. Brad is able to enjoy many of the things he did prior to losing the leg (fishing, dancing, playing ball with his child). Brad is a very spiritual man and with the help of his wife, parents, family and friends he has been able to accept his loss and move forward. The quality of life Brad once new has slowly returned to an almost normal state. Although Brad does miss the loss of is leg he has adjusted to his new life and faces daily challenges as they come. The second, Tom, is also supported by his wife, parents, one child and many friends and family. The leg due to infection took longer than Tom expected to heal delaying his recovery time. Tom had a useful diverse type prosthesis fitted to his lower leg. Tom attended many more months of rehabilitation than Brad, do to skin integrity problems. Skin issues have disrupted the daily use of the prosthesis interfering with Tom’s independence and lifestyle. Tom has had difficulty at first adjusting to his new lifestyle. Everyday tasks have been very challenging for Tom at times. Toms’ wife, parents, family and friends have een very supportive to Tom every step of the way. A remote controlled wheel chair is available for Tom on the days he is unable to wear his prosthesis. Tom has learned to do many tricks with his wheel chair and has joined a wheel chair basketball team because he likes showing off. Toms’ acceptance and recovery was a lot slower, but in the end he was abl e to adjust to his new lifestyle. The third, Mike, is supported by his wife, parents, family and friends. Mike was diagnosed with Diabetes after returning home from active duty. Mikes’ leg had a hard time healing due to infection and adjustment to having Diabetes. Mike did not like having Diabetes and would refuse to eat the right foods. Mikes’ blood sugar was out of control because of his refusal to take medication prescribed and frequently drinking. These actions were responsible for causing skin integrity problems. After a long, hard, trying year, the leg finally healed. Mike was fitted with a useful diverse type prosthesis. Skin issues continued to be a problem because of Mikes Diabetes and his refusal to eat healthy and take his medication properly. The prosthesis was painful and awkward for Mike to use. Just looking at the prosthesis filled Mike with such an incredible loss. Mike was angry with everyone that tried to help him. He sat day after day in a wheelchair drinking beer. Mike refused to take a bath, shave, eat, or go anywhere he might be seen by people that knew him. Mike would stay for days at a time in bed and refuse to get up. Counseling was verbally rejected every time counseling was brought up by anyone. Mikes’ doctor placed him on depression medication which he refused to take on a regular basis. Mikes friends stopped dropping by to see him. Mikes’ wife was having difficulties dealing with Mikes’ drinking and verbal abuse. She would argue with Mike till she cried and could no onger take Mikes’ drinking and feeling sorry for himself. His parents tried being very supportive, but also found Mike really difficult to deal with. Mike continued to drink and blamed everyone for the loss of his leg. Mike refused to accept the loss or move forward. Mikes’ wife finally after two years had all the verbal abuse she coul d handle and left him. Mike ended up moving back home and living with his parents. He still is unable to wear the prosthesis and to this day rarely leaves his parents’ home. As a nurse working with individuals, families and patients we need to be able to recognize hese individuals that are suffering. By listening to what the person is saying and their body language should be triggers for nurses if this is a person wanting, needing or requiring some kid of outside assistance. Chronic sorrow is characterized as pervasive, permanent, periodic sadness or other grief- related feelings associated with ongoing disparity resulting from a loss experience (Lindgren, Burke, Hainesworth, Eakes,1992). The concept of chronic sorrow as you have read may go hand in hand with the antecedents grief and loss. For a person to experience one, they can experience the other. Even though the loss may have been for seen or was totally unexpected, a person does not always overcome the loss or grief over night. For some people this may take days, weeks or even years. Then for others like Mike, they may be so devastated over the loss with grief that the loss is unbearable. They never overcome the loss and live with chronic sorrow. Reference Alligood, M. R. , Tomey, A. M. (2010). Nursing Theorists and Their Work (7th ed. ). Maryland Heights, Missouri: Mosby Elsevier Inc. Bickerstaff, K. A. , Grasser, C. M. , and McCabe, B. (2007). How elderly nursing home residents transcend losses of later life. Holistic Nursing Practice May/June 159-166 Bui, K. M. , Raugi, G. J. , Nguyen, V. Q. , Reiher, G. E. , (2009). Skin problems in individuals with lower-limb loss: Literature review and proposed classification system. Journal of Rehabilitation Research Development 46(11)1085-1090 Retrieved September 22, 2011, from: http://web. ebscohost. com/ehost/detail? vid=12hid=17sid=fb4631bd-e30d-4d04-86b9-9daef0a7f731%40sessionmgr104bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3 d#db=rzhAN=2010582711 Castledine, G. ,(2002). Recognizing problems of loss in patients. Britsh Journal of Nursing Retrieved September 5, 2011, from: http://ezproxy. ardner webb. edu/login? url=http://search. ebscohost. com/login. aspx? direct=trued b=c8hAN=2009019179site=ehost-live. Chan, C. , NG, S. , HO, R. , Chow, A. , (2006). East meets West: applying Eastern spirituality in clinical practice. Journal of Clinical Nursing 15(7): 822-832 Retrieved September 18, 2011, from: http://ezproxy. snu. edu:2056/ehost/detail? vid=6hid=8sid =82932029-8cc8- 434b-afd5-63517ab0000e%40sessionmgr14bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ %3d%3 d#db=rzhAN=2009258194 Clements, P. T , Benasutti, K. M. , Carmone, A. , (2003). Support of Bereaved owners of pets. Perspectives in Psychiatric Care 39(2), 49-54 Retrieved September 18, 2011, from: http://web. ebscohost. com/ehost/detail? vid=20hid=127sid=1346ad7f-572a-4072-b160- a0ba9b0916e1%40sessionmgr104bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db= rzhAN=2003162539 Curtis, R. C. , (2010). Social worker practitioners and the human-companion animal bond: a national study. Social Work 55(1), 38-46 Retrieved September 18, 2011, from: http://web. ebscohost. com/ehost/detail? vid=19hid=127sid=1346ad7f-572a -4072-b160-a0ba9b0916e1%40sessionmgr104bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ 3d%3d#db=rzhAN=2010505488 Dickson, A. , Knussen, C. , Flowers, P. (2007). â€Å"That was my old life; it’s almost like a past- life now†: Identity crisis, loss and adjustment amongst people living with chronic fatigue syndrome. Psychology and Health 23(4), 459-476. Dougherty, P. J. , McFarland, L. V. , Smith, D. G. , Esquenazi, A. , Blake, D. J. , Reiber, G. E. (2010). Multiple traumatic limb loss: A comparison of Vietnam veterans to OIF/OEF service members. Journal of Rehabilitation Research Development 47(4), 333-348 Drench, M. E. (2004). Loss, grief, and adjustment: A primer for physical theraphy, part 1 Retrieved September 5, 2011, from: http://ezproxy. snu. edu:2056/ehost/detail? vid=18hid= 126sid=69ff5835-74c8-43e1-bffd-3252bfa3a859%40sessionmgr111bdata=JnNp dGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=rzhAN=2003126574 Durkin, A. , (2009). Loss of a companion animal understanding and helping bereaved. Retrieved September 5, 2011, from: http://ezproxy. snu. edu:2056/ehost/detail? vid= 22hid=126sid=69ff5835-74c8-43e1-bffd-3252bfa3a859%40sessionmgr111bdata= JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=rzhAN=2010347175 Dugan, B. ( 2007). Loss of identity in disaster: How do you say goodbye to home? Perspectives in Psychiatric Care . 43(1),41-46 Retrieved September 8, 2011, from: http://content. ebscohost. com/pdf18_21/pdf/2007/22L /01Feb07/23785080. pdf? T=PP=ANK=2009508445S=RD=rzhEbsco Ehrlich, M. , Harville, E. , Buekens, P. , Pridjan, G. , Elkid-Hirsch, K. , (2010). Loss of resources and hurricane experience as predictors of postpartum depress ion among women in southern Louisiana. Journal of Womens Health 19(5), 877-884 Epstein, R. A. , Heinemann, A. W. , and McFarland, L. V. ,(2010). Quality of life for veterans and servicemembers with major traumatic limb loss from Vietnam and OIF/OEF conflicts. Journal of Rehabilitation Research Development 47(4), 373-386. Retrieved September 18, 2011, from: http://web. ebscohost. com/ehost/detail? vid=22hid=127sid=1346ad7f-572a- 4072- b160-a0ba9b0916e1%40sessionmgr104bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2 ZQ%3d%3d#d b=rzhAN=2010714399 Foust, J. , (2006). Re: Grief sorrow loss and morning [Online forum comment]. Retrieved September 5, 2011, from: http://theraphyinphiladelphia. com/selfhelp/tips/C86/ Gailey, R. , McFarland, L. V. , Cooper, R. A. , Czerniecki, J. , Gambel, J. M. , Hubbard, S. , Maynard, C. , Smith, D. G. , Raya, M. , Reiber, G. E. (2010). Unilateral lower-limb loss: Prosthetic device use and functional outcomes in servicemembers from Vietnam war and OIF/OEF conflicts. Journal of Rehabilitation Research Development 47(11) 317-332 Gipson, J. , (2009) Living with loss. Mental Health Practice 12(5), 22-24. Retrieved September 18, 2011, from: http://ezproxy. snu. edu:2056/ehost/detail? vid=7hid=8sid=82932029- 8cc8-434b-afd5-63517ab0000e%40sessionmgr14bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3Q tbGl2ZQ%3d %3d#db=rzhAN=2010193668 Gordan, J. , (2009). An evidence-based approach for supporting parents experiencing chronic sorrow. Retrieved september 5, 2011, from: http://ezproxy. snu. edu:2056/ehost/pdfviewer /pdfviewer? sid=69ff5835-74c8-43e1-bffd-3252bfa3a859%40sessionmgr 111vid=41hid=126 Hamilton, M. , (2005). Grief and bereavement: coping with loss of a spouse. Journal of Nursing and Residential Care 7(5), 214-216 Retrieved September 22,2011, from: http://ezproxy. snu. edu:2056/ehost/detail? vid=6hid=8sid=82932029-8cc8-434b-afd5- 63517ab0000e%40sessionmgr14bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db =rzhAN=2005101521 Kratza, A. , Williams, R. , Turner, A. , Raichle, K. , Smith, D. , Ehde, D. (2010). To lump or to split? Comparing individuals with traumatic and nontraumatic limb loss in the first year after amputation. Rehabilitation Psychology 55(2), 126-138. Retrieved September 22,2011, from: http://web. bscohost. com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer? sid=fb4631bd-e30d- 4d04-86b9- 9daef0a7f731%40sessionmgr104vid=13hid=17 Lees, J. , (2008). A spiritual perspective on loss and bereavement. International Journal for Human Caring 12(2), 90-94. Love, A. W. , (2007). Progress in understanding grief complicated grief, and caring for the bereaved, Contemporary Nurse 27, 73-83. Mak, M. K. Y. , Yang, F. , Pai, Y. , (2011). Limb collapse, rather than instabilit y, causes failure in sit-to-stand performance among patients with Parkinson disease. American Physical Therapy Association 91(3), 381-391. Retrieved September 18, 2011, from: Peterson, S. J. Bredow, T. S. ,( 2009). Middle Range Theories Application to Nursing Reasearch (2nd ed. ). Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Wolters Kluwer Lippincott Wilkins Potter, P. A. Perry, A. G. , (2009). Fundamentals of Nursing (7th ed. ). St. Louis, Missouri: Mosby Elsevier Inc. Risley-Curtis, C. , (2010). Social work practitioners and the human-companion animal bond: a national study. Social Work 55(1), 38-48. Retrieved September 18, 2011, from: http://web. ebscohost. com/ehost/detail? sid=0d5bc274-2c67-4cb4-8eca- 959ee2d730dd%40sessionmgr12vid=1hid=17bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3 QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=rzhAN=2010505488 Scaletti, R. , Hocking, C. , (2010). Healing through story telling: an integrated approach for children experiencing grief and loss. New Zealand Journal of Occupational Therapy, 57(2), 66-71. Smallbone, C. , Staniland, K. , (2011). Care in the community; what would happen if the lights went out? British Journal of Community Nursing 16 (7), 342-346. Teel, C. S. , (1991). Chronic sorrow: analysis of the concept, Journal of Advanced Nursing, 16, 1311-1329. Van Horn, E. Mishel, M. , (2008). Loss of resources and depressive symptoms after traumatic injury. Southern Online Journal of Nursing Research 8(3), 15-37. Retrieved September 22, 2011, from: http://web. ebscohost. com/ehost/detail? vid=11hid=17sid=fb4631bd-e30d- 4d04-86b99daef0a7f731%40sessionmgr104bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d% 3d#db =rzhAN=2010058219 Wells, D. L. , (2009 ). Associations between pet ownership and self-reported health status in people suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome, The Journal of Alternative Complementary Medicine 15(4), 407-413. Retrieved September 18, 2011, from: http://web. ebscohost. com/ehost/detail? vid=20hid=127sid=1346ad7f-572a- 4072-b160-a0ba9b0916e1%40sessionmgr104bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ ]=%3d%3d#db=rzhAN=2010261702 Wilson, H. S. , (1989). Research in Nursing (2nd ed. ). Redwood City, California. Addison Wesley How to cite Chronic Sorrow, Papers

Who Am I free essay sample

I’ve always been someone else. I could be that concealed, dark-haired insecure teenager or I could be the queen of the world. I could be the world’s happiest sunlight or the CIA’s most wanted criminal. But what I always struggled to be, was myself. If I could pinpoint the day I wanted to be anyone but myself, it would have to be the September morning I changed schools. As I entered a world completely different from the one I always knew, private school, the dingy desks and obvious hand-me-down school supplies of public school compelled my sudden epiphany. I could be the person I never was because I was no longer labeled the poor girl that everyone’s eyes skipped over. In fact, people were already staring at me. It started as little lies that could never hurt, â€Å"I have way more jewelry at home,† and â€Å"I met the producer of that song, it was my friend’s Dad!† But is that not how all bad habits start? As soon as I couldn’t deliver on the lies I made, I made new ones to cover. We will write a custom essay sample on Who Am I? or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page I couldn’t be the person I wanted to be, so I pretended. As they say, â€Å"Fake it ‘till you make it†. But every day I didn’t change, I resented my real self more and more. Eventually it all became too much. My family never knew what happened, in fact no one really knows. This is the first time I have really admitted it or written out the words. Although no one knew, my parents realized I needed help and sent me to therapy. I worked on myself for a while and I would like to think that I was the one to fix my own ideals. I realize that I not only was the source of my own downfall and hatred but I also realized I was the key to my happiness. I would like to think that with college I can learn to accomplish and become proud of the person I have become. I created my own identity crisis and I don’t feel sorry for the walls I put up for myself: they have helped in ways nothing else can. Although I feel I am so far from solving all my problems or becoming what I always wanted to be, I believe this is the direction I need to take to figure out who I really am. For someone who has always hated herself for just be her, I hope to finally find out who I am and how I can prove I’m really not all that bad. Who Am I free essay sample It’s a late night in October and a little girl, about seven, is sitting on her bed in tears. Her father is nowhere to be found. She trembles at every little sound she hears, a creek in the floors, the wind blowing in, everything is keeping her up. That night she realized it was time to grow up. No more nights would be spent in fear and tears. That little girl sitting in her bed crying was me when I was seven years old. At a young age my mom left, leaving all the work to my dad who could barely take care of himself. That’s the last night I let myself be weak. As I look back at the events in my life I wonder if I would have become the same person I am now without those events. The struggles I have faced made me a strong and independent woman. We will write a custom essay sample on Who Am I? or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Each experience had important issues that made me learn how to deal with anything life would throw at me. Nobody denies being a child is a time of laughter and play time, but not for this girl. During my young years, I was stuck doing all sorts of chores and having the stress of taking care of my family on my shoulders. At the young age of two my mother left me along with my five year old brother and my dad. At the time I wouldn’t have know what was going on but I soon realized my life would not be the same. Play time was over by the time I was about seven years old. My dad was working two or three shifts in a row so I had to take it upon myself to grow up. The nights that I would sit awake in my bed I could hear my dad crying. â€Å"Why me God? What did I do to deserve this? I need some help some guidance please! I can’t do this alone!† I never understood what my dad had done wrong and why he was asking for help. All I knew was that I couldn’t let him do it alone. Instead of playing with my Barbie dolls, I was doing laundry and cooking dinner. I never thought I would have to grow up so fast but it was the only option I had. I could hear my dad asking for help but with most stories help would not come. My daddy needed me, so I said goodbye childhood, and hello adult world. With the passage of time, money became even tighter in my little household. Just buying groceries was a challenge. Having to pay for school, clothes, and any bills made my dad worry if he could really keep doing this. Since my sophomore year of high school I have been getting very sick and the sickness would last for a long time. I walked into register for senior year with the fear that I wouldn’t be able to attend because my dad was just swamped with bills. It’s embarrassing to say but this year for the second time in my life, my dad had to file for bankruptcy. Having that talk with my dad was very hard to handle. â€Å"Lauren things are going to be pretty tight for the rest of this year; I won’t be able to buy anything for about 3 more weeks.† He said. â€Å"Dad what’s going on, I don’t understand, where is all our money going, why can’t you afford to buy me food. I can’t eat ramen noodles anymore!† I cried. â€Å"Lauren I know it’s hard to understand and hard for me to talk about but I am filing for bankruptcy so all my bills will get caught up and we will have no worry about all the late fees I’d usually have to pay.† He replied. The last time my dad was so far in debt was when I was seven, leaving me to grow up. Well that toll has hit me once again. All summer long I searched for a job and I finally got one at Old Navy. I deal with the everyday stress my dad deals with such as paying for food and the mortgage but also with school, dance, and a job of my own. I am like no other teenager my age. I am seventeen years old and I have to pay for my own food. The biggest wake up call for my father was when I was sent to the hospital because I had lost so much weight that I fainted in class. Life is never easy for anyone but it seems as if the world is trying to challenge how much strength I really have. Tragically life is unpredictable, sometimes you get handed gold but other times you are handed a shovel and told to get back to work. I have worked very hard and have taken all heart breaking details of my life with a smile. I am a strong and independent woman who will never regret the life she was given. I have gone through hell my entire life and now it’s the worst. I have learned that I am a strong woman and there is nothing in this world that I cannot do. If I have to work in order to pay for my own food then I will do just that. I will work as hard as possible in school in hope of writing my own ticket to college. Though I was forced to grow up I’ve learned many things that teenagers never have to face until they are in their late twenty’s early thirty’s. I am unlike any other teenager you will meet. I will never take a hardship as a failure. Anything that life has thrown at me shows how strong and independent I have become. Without those events I would never had experienced tough times and learned how to deal with them. I am thankful for all I have and all I’ve worked for. If I didn’t have to work so hard for it I’m sure it wouldn’t mean so much. I have grown into a strong and independent young woman that one day will show the world that nothing will ever hold her back. Who Am I free essay sample Throughout my entire life I’ve been posed with the same question: who am I? It seems that as the years go on, the question becomes harder and harder to answer. As a child it was plain and simple, as all childish things are. I am Becky and I am four years old and I like ice cream, was the typical run-on reply I would make. Due to the innocence of a child, the world always appears to be black and white, wrong or right, good and evil. Then, in my adolescent years, the questions’ answer became more clouded. I am Becky, I would state, and I am whomever you wish me to be. Everyone goes through that stage of suppression, where who you are is self-conscience of how you will be perceived. Nobody wants to feel excluded or alone, so to be safe we are â€Å"easy going† so as to make friends with whoever we see fit. We will write a custom essay sample on Who Am I? or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Finally, there is where I am now. Nearing the end of my high school career and on the verge of emerging into adulthood, and only at the age of seventeen. It always puzzled me as to why teenagers who finish high school are supposed to suddenly take on the roles of adults. After eighteen years of being sheltered, they are finally on their own and thrown into the world to fend for themselves. It may not be as barbaric as that sounds, but it is essentially the same idea. So, on the verge of this dramatic change I once again beg the question: who am I? Well, I am eager to learn, adventurous, caring, and funny, but I am also so much more! I am fire, I am wind, I am the sun, I am a dog, I am a button. I have a fiery passion for everything I do. I am as blissful as the wind, but also strong when I need to be. I am always striving to be positive, because I know when there is one grey cloud it seems the sky is filled with them. I am as loyal as a dog and as tenacious as one too, I am not one to give up easily on something. I am a driving force who, like a button, always keeps things together. Whether it be my relationships or events in my life, I keep myself together because wherever there is a problem, there is always a solution. I am Becky and I am a puzzle. There are a million pieces, each of them unique, but when you put them all together it makes the image complete. Who Am I free essay sample I like reading The Economist and watching I love the 80s. I like tennis, Fazolis breadsticks and writing assignments. I value honesty, commitment, scholarship and kindness. These are hard and true facts, but there is a lot I do not know about myself. I dont know how I feel about the death penalty, I have mixed feelings about religion, and I dont know what I think about a cashless society. I have no stock answer to offer about a life-changing experience or a moment of enlightenment, and it is hard for me to give a comprehensive proclamation of who I am, for my identity unfolds more every day as my experiences grow. Since I am only 17 years old, life has a lot of unfolding to do. I dislike saying I am trying to find myself because my identity is not lost, it just needs more uncovering. Luckily for me, what I love to do and want to be helps me uncover more about myself. We will write a custom essay sample on Who Am I? or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page I want to be a writer. I may not end up a professional writer but I will always write, even if I am the only one interested in my work, because writing is my self-reflection. When writing, I sometimes get worked up into such a fervor that I barely know what I am saying. I just let my fingers fly over the keyboard and the ideas pour from my head. When I go back through the jumble of unpunctuated ideas, I notice a theme running through the writing. I dont try to put a moral in the theme, but invariably it happens. Evaluating the theme and the rest of the writing helps me interpret my own character and decipher my at times bottled-up feelings. In opinion essays, my values show. In stories, the fictional characters express my beliefs. Every day my experience and knowledge increase, and I learn more about myself. Each time I write what is in my head as honestly as I can, another piece of the identity puzzle is revealed. Mostly, I like what is unearthed (though this varies depending on how teenage girl-ish Im feeling). I am not worried that I dont know everything about myself. As I get older, Ill figure it out. Who Am I free essay sample Identity.While we grow and develop, we tend to go through many unimaginable situations in order to see what we are really capable of. Along the way we as individuals also go through multiple phases all in the name of defining our own â€Å"Identity†. I find this as one of the most fragile, crucial, and noteworthy moments of our lives. I, as a Muslim American have always found â€Å"identity† to be one of the most significant challenges I have ever faced while growing up as a Muslim young girl in a Western society. I always felt â€Å"out of place† due to living in New York City with an at home culture that resembles the everyday culture of Pakistan, which I must add is unquestionably unique than how people live in Western societies. Establishing a Muslim identity has always been nearly impossible, the media has always kept this mindset that a practicing Muslim cannot be an American at the same time. We will write a custom essay sample on Who Am I? or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page I began to change my morals into the theory of believing that a person can’t be a practicing Muslim and American due to the immense gap of differences. The issue of displacement I felt throughout my life let on an obligation to neglect my spiritual beliefs in order to feel satisfied by materialism and the desires of an average teenage girl. I was around the age five when I was fallen into depths of confusion and oppression that I never knew would go against who I am as a person in the future. I came across many childish jokes while being in elementary school and middle school that gave me urges to demonstrate that I am not â€Å"oppressed† nor a â€Å"terrorist†. My mother always told me â€Å"fight evil with good and you will always find peace.†What she told me till this day is hooked on to me. In the spring 2011 after returning from my trip from Pakistan I had noticed how Muslim women have advanced vastly than what the media has portrayed of them. Since then I had made the devotion to start wearing the Hijab, despite of all the names I was called and stereotypes other Muslims in western societies faced. I had decided to start wearing the headscarf to firstly prove it is a choice and the form of identity I was long searching for. In the beginning semester of attending my new high school of my sophomore year, I wore my light purple hijab with tassels at the edges and felt pride. Of course, students did look at me as if I was out of my mind or thought I was going through a identity crisis but that was not the case at all. My associates approached me and asked; â€Å"You didn’t wear that on your head last year, why now?!† †Did your parents force you to wear it?† I answered them composedly without any fear of what kind of words they might attack me with and simply said,† I stumbled upon it during the journey on defining who I am.† They might have stroke a puzzled face, however, I never felt so comp lete. Who Am I free essay sample Who am I? Am I the teen who peruses dictionaries or the marketer who thrives on competition? Am I the athlete or the idealist? Do I enjoy the frothy sitcom or the heavy novel? Do I rise to the challenge or from my ashes? Am I the introvert who fails others expectations or the extrovert who breaks others barriers? Well, at one time or another I have been all of these and, because of that, I emerged stronger. Not only have I emerged stronger but also wiser. My life has been a constant molding and sculpting of my identity, a mirrored sculpture in the works. One day I can be the successful student who  ­readies himself for the world and another I can be the struggling workman who finds that no amount of preparation can solve his problems. During those times, I am a different person. But my failures do not imply defeat and my triumphs do not imply the end. We will write a custom essay sample on Who Am I? or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page This year I realized I was not good enough to make the soccer team. After playing my passion for over 11 years, I had to give it up. I slouched as I departed from my final practice and pictured my name being slashed from the roster. I felt as though I had not only let myself down, but also my family who had cheered me on for over a decade, and my teammates who always lifted me during my lowest of lows. But my failure did not imply utter defeat. Instead of mourning, I found a silver lining. Other endeavors – including work and studies – washed over my regret and cleansed my mind of failure. I now look forward to working and studying more for personal success. But as always, this is not the end. I have grown wiser from my failure at soccer but where do I take this newfound wisdom? Do I take my hardscrabble pay and invest in the future or do I take my hard-earned grades and invest in my studies? Do I take a risk and go for gold or do I play it safe and go home with a story untold? There are always at least two roads to take in life, and my decisions leave me with another chisel mark in my sculpture. An athlete, a marketer, an idealist, a quagmire, an introvert, an extrovert, the funny guy, the serious persuader, the other guy. At one time or another I have been all of these and, because of that, I am me. So does my unfinished masterpiece fit into your hall of academia?

Availability of Childcare and its Effects on Womens Participation in the Labor Force

Introduction For the longest time, women have been considered and treated as the weaker sex as compared to their male counterparts. The human race is considered to be the only one in nature where females depend on males for survival (Perkins 2006). The relationship between men and women is characterized by women serving as domestic workers and playing the role of mothers.Advertising We will write a custom term paper sample on Availability of Childcare and its Effects on Women’s Participation in the Labor Force specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Prior to civilization, women were treated as objects and man’s property and source of pleasure. This role was passed down to the young generation who in turn passed it to their children. This at last developed into a culture that portrayed man to be a better and a stronger being than the woman. In the recent past, women have come out strongly to defend and fight for their rightf ul position in the society. They have also demanded to receive the same respect and rights accorded to men. This can be said to have been achieved as a result of education. Women have resorted to hiring the services of house help and cooks to take care of domestic chores hence freeing them from house work. Women have also sought the services of baby sitters and even child care centers. Creation of this free time away from family life and domestic hustle has made women reconsider their economic viability. In this paper, the author will look at how the availability of child care has affected the participation of women in the labor force. To this end, the researcher will address some of the benefits and costs of child care to the women. Childcare in Contemporary Society In contemporary society, male superiority can be considered to be a thing of the past. Both men and women are considered equal and studies have shown that women are also as economically viable as men. Both men and women engage in economic activities and are able to meet their needs without one having to depend on the other. Such civilization has also led to division of labor, an act previously considered impossible. Men have learnt to appreciate the fact that women are also human beings just like them and that they deserve equal and fair treatment (Perkins, 2006).Advertising Looking for term paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More One factor that has previously inhibited the success of this evolution is the presence of children in the family. Children inhibited their mother’s mobility. Women would resort to seeking the assistance of their close relatives and even neighbors to keep take care of their children while they went to work. This method was however not effective since the mother would have to create extra time to be around her children. As a result of this concentration at work was minimal (Blau et al., 2 003). Children also greatly influenced the mobility of their mother as compared to that of the fathers. Child care is considered to be the responsibility of the mother and includes activities such as breast feeding at the early stages of child development. This meant that mothers had to stay close to their children. Women would thus be hindered from taking up a career away from home. Men on the other hand would move freely in the job market. Introduction of child care helped turn this round and women would now be able to travel all over the world in search of jobs (Hill, 2006). Introduction of child care has now become popular in many developed and developing countries among them Canada. This development has helped women to get more involved in economic ventures than before. Women are now able to exploit their economic potential in their respective careers without worrying about their children’s welfare. Women are given the opportunity to compete favorably with men (Hill, 200 6). Effects of Childcare on Women’s Labor Force Participation Childcare services relieve mothers of their responsibility to take care of the children. These services may be sourced from babysitters or even baby day care centers. This renders a mother free to do whatever she may want with her time. It is however important for the parents to explain to the children why they need the services of child care provider so that the children may not feel neglected (Kimmel Aronson, 1998). Though helpful, this method may severe the ties between children and their parents. Parents should create extra time to catch up with their children’s progress. Free time such as weekends should be used constructively to try and cover up for the time that the children spent away from their parents. It is also important to acknowledge the fact that no childcare intervention can be considered to be important than parental care. Mothers therefore should not overuse this service (Degler, 1996). Ch ildcare has allowed women to be self reliant. Time that would have been spent watching over the children can be used in more economic viable activities. Today, studies reveal that women contribute to about one third of the world’s workforce. About half of this population has families. This means that about fifteen percent of the world’s labor force benefits from childcare. This also gives women the chance to be independent from their husbands. This also improves a family’s living standards due to increased earnings.Advertising We will write a custom term paper sample on Availability of Childcare and its Effects on Women’s Participation in the Labor Force specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Childcare has also enabled women to be more flexible. Women can now work from different locations yet run their families smoothly. Women get an opportunity to work away from home without negatively impacting on their fa milies. Canadian women for example have been observed to be increasingly ambitious. They compete for top position with men. Studies have also shown that these women attain outcomes comparable to those of their male counterparts or even better. They are also able to seek jobs away from home without the fear of being away from their children. They are assured of the fact that the children are well taken care of. Childcare has also been of great benefit to women who are single parents. Such mothers are given the opportunity to take care of their families with ease and also take up the responsibilities of the father in the family. To fulfill these responsibilities, women engage themselves in economic activities to generate income. They thus move into the job market to provide the much needed labor force. Here they can work peacefully knowing that their children are well taken care of hence increasing their concentration and productivity in their various posts in the job market (Blau et al., 2003). This flexibility and increased concentration has enabled women to make big strides in their participation in the labor force. Many women have excelled in the various posts over the years. Taking the case of Canadian women, it is noted that they have been able to head giant corporations and companies. Women are now known to be as productive as men. They have the capability to lead their organizations into success. Such women have also earned the respect of their male junior staff who they now lead (Degler, 1996). Child care has also empowered women to be of economic importance to the country at large. Women now can provide labor to government departments. Canadian women for example hold important dockets in the government. Some of these women have risen to the ministerial positions. This way, the women not only serve their departments but also their countries and the world at large. Research has shown that women exhibit capabilities to perform just as well as their male c ounterparts in the work place. This further increases the urge of women in the society to participate in the labor market. Those women who are already in powerful positions introduce policies that strengthen and empower the weaker women in the society. They also serve as role models for the young women who strive to be just like them later in life (Perkins, 1996).Advertising Looking for term paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Childcare has also challenged the perception that some jobs are a preserve of men. Women have in the recent past engaged in almost all forms of jobs. Women have provided labor in almost all sectors of the world’s economy. A case in point is the Canadian women discussed above. These women seek both sedentary and manual work just like men to earn a living. They can also engage in technical activities that include engineering among others. This has helped prove to the world that there is no distinction between men and women other than gender. This has gone a long way in enhancing equity in the society (Perkins, 2006). Women have also become more involved in the service provision industry. Childcare has encouraged the participation of women in providing labor force in this sector. Women have actually dominated the service provision sector taking up jobs such as hair dressing and design. Canadian women dominate this section of the economy with many of them running their own busine sses. This has also encouraged self employment with most beauty parlors belonging to women. Conclusion Women participation in the economy can be summed up in one quote, â€Å"what a man can do, a woman can also do† (Kimmel Aronson, 1998: p. 3). Childcare has given women an opportunity to prove their worth to the world. Women have been able to provide the much needed labor force in the economy. This has in some sense created equality between men and women. The earnings of these women can now be used to supplement the family budget. This situation is portrayed best by Canadian women who have engaged in income generating activities to provide for their families. Because of the income generating activities, there has been a decrease in social vices such as prostitution. Women have been empowered to earn respectable income rather than depend on others for support. They have also changed their status from house wives to equal partners in running the affairs of their families like in the case among Canadian women. Women have also been able to dominate the service provision industry that was previously vacant. Caution should however be practiced in providing and using childcare services. Parents would find themselves alienated from their children. Children may also feel neglected by their parents. This may cause tension and disunity in the families. The children may also lack parental love and care. Balance between work and family should therefore be maintained. References Blau, F. D., Ferber, M. A., Winkler, A. E. (2003). The economics of women, men and work. Philadelphia: Temple University Press. Degler, C. (1996). Introduction to women and economics. New York: Harper and Row. Hill, M. A. (2006). Introduction to Charlotte Perkins Gilman- The making of a radical feminist. Philadelphia: Temple University Press. Kimmel, M., Aronson, A. (1998). Focus on Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Women and Economics. Berkeley. California: University of California Press. Perkin s, G. (2006). Women and economics. New York: Harper and Row Press. Perkins, C. (1996). Women economics: New York: Harper and Row. 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What Redshift Reveals About an Object

What Redshift Reveals About an Object When stargazers look up at the night sky, they see light. Its an essential part of the universe that has traveled across great distances. That light, formally called electromagnetic radiation, contains a treasury of information about the object it came from, ranging from its temperature to its motions. Astronomers study light in a technique called spectroscopy. It allows them to dissect it down to its wavelengths to create whats called a spectrum. Among other things, they can tell if an object is moving away from us. They use a property called a redshift to describe the motion of an objects moving away from each other in space. Redshift occurs when an object emitting electromagnetic radiation recedes from an observer. The light detected appears redder than it should be because it is shifted toward the red end of the spectrum. Redshift is not something anyone can see. Its an effect that astronomers measure in light by studying its wavelengths.   How Redshift Works An object (usually called the source) emits or absorbs electromagnetic radiation of a specific wavelength or set of wavelengths. Most stars give off a wide range of light, from visible to infrared, ultraviolet, x-ray, and so on. As the source moves away from the observer, the wavelength appears to stretch out or increase. Each peak is emitted farther away from the previous peak as the object gets recedes. Similarly, while the wavelength increases (gets redder) the frequency, and therefore the energy, decreases. The faster the object recedes, the greater its redshift. This phenomenon is due to the doppler effect. People on Earth are familiar with Doppler shift in pretty practical ways. For example, some of the most common applications of the doppler effect (both redshift and blueshift) are police radar guns. They bounce signals off of a vehicle and the amount of redshift or blueshift tells an officer how fast its going. Doppler weather radar tells forecasters how fast a storm system is moving. The use of Doppler techniques in astronomy follows the same principles, but instead of ticketing galaxies, astronomers use it to learn about their motions.   The way astronomers determine redshift (and blueshift) is to use an instrument called a spectrograph (or spectrometer) to look at the light emitted by an object. Tiny differences in the spectral lines show a shift toward the red (for redshift) or the blue (for blueshift). If the differences show a redshift, it means the object is receding away. If theyre blue, then the object is approaching. The Expansion of the Universe In the early 1900s, astronomers thought that the entire universe was encased inside our own  galaxy, the Milky Way. However, measurements made of other galaxies, which were thought to be simply nebulae inside our own, showed they were really  outside of the Milky Way. This discovery was made by astronomer Edwin P. Hubble, based on measurements of variable stars by another astronomer named  Henrietta Leavitt.   Furthermore, redshifts (and in some cases blueshifts) were measured for these galaxies, as well as their distances. Hubble  made the startling discovery that the farther away a galaxy is, the greater its redshift appears to us. This correlation is now known as Hubbles Law. It helps astronomers define the expansion of the universe.   It also shows that the farther away objects are from us, the faster they are receding. (This is true in the broad sense, there are local galaxies, for instance, that are moving towards us due to the motion of our Local Group.)   For the most part, objects in the universe are receding away from each other and that motion can be measured by analyzing their redshifts. Other Uses of Redshift in Astronomy Astronomers can use redshift to determine the motion of the Milky Way. They do that by measuring the Doppler shift of objects in our galaxy. That information reveals how other stars and nebulae are moving in relation to Earth. They can also measure the motion of very distant galaxies - called high redshift galaxies.   This is a rapidly growing field of astronomy. It focuses not just on galaxies, but also on other other objects, such as the sources of  gamma-ray bursts. These objects have a very high redshift, which means they are moving away from us at tremendously high velocities. Astronomers assign the letter z to redshift. That explains why sometimes a story will come out that says a galaxy has a redshift of z1 or something like that. The earliest epochs of the universe lie at a z of about 100.   So, redshift also gives astronomers a way to understand how far away things are in addition to how fast they are moving.   The study of distant objects also gives astronomers a snapshot of the state of the universe some 13.7 billion years ago. Thats when cosmic history began with the Big Bang. The universe not only appears to be expanding since that time, but its expansion is also accelerating. The source of this effect is dark energy,  a not-well-understood part of the universe. Astronomers using redshift to measure cosmological (large) distances​ find that the acceleration has not always been the same throughout cosmic history. The reason for that change is still not known and this effect of dark energy remains an intriguing area of study in cosmology (the study of the origin and evolution of the universe.) Edited by Carolyn Collins Petersen.

Week 5 discussion and participation questions Essay

Week 5 discussion and participation questions - Essay Example An independent variable for this problem could be income. Hypothesis testing is a procedure that tests the validity of a statement in regards to a population parameter. A hypothesis is a statement about a population parameter. The five-step procedure for testing a hypothesis is: One of the reasons why hypothesis testing has been used in the business world for decades is due to its utility. The procedure can be used in a wide variety of scenarios or problem in order to test a potential hypothesis. One of the limitations of hypothesis testing is that there is a margin for error in the analysis. The ANOVA test compares the sample means through their variances. The test is applied by calculating two estimates of the variance population distributions: the variance between samples and the variance within samples. The application of regression analysis which uses both dependent and independent variables can be used in the business world to calculate a lot of different business problems and scenarios. For example a company can forecast the sales of the business for future periods utilizing the past historical sales data. A marketer could create an equation that uses dependent and independent variables to determine the preference in customer taste. In your example you mentioned the probabilities associated with card games. I am pretty sure that good Poker players are have an excellent understanding of probabilities and statistics. When I go to the casino I like playing blackjack. I know that when the dealer deals a lot of low cards and my turn is up the chances of the dealer giving me a high card increases. An equation that can be used to put the concept of dependent and independent variables into good use is the y = ax + b. In this equation x is the independent variable and y is the dependent variable. This equation can be used in the business world to solve a lot of different problems or scenarios. For example a research

Analyzing the hiring process of the firm Case Study

Analyzing the hiring process of the firm - Case Study Example SG Cowen is investment banking company that is currently looking for new recruits. The company must select good candidates. Currently labor cost represents 50% of the revenues of the firm. Currently the business environment in the investment banking industry is down. Chip Rae the top recruiter for SG Cowen had to select two candidates from hundreds of potential clients at a job fair the firm sponsored. SG Cowen made hiring decision during the early winter and spring of each year in order to fill all available position prior to the start of the summer. The company would hire associates that lacked a college education. These types of employees would be hired as associates, but they would not be promoted to first year associates until the end of their third year as employees. The company believed that working experience at the bank substituted the knowledge a person that went to school for four years would have. Other candidates were hired as interns during the first or second year of b usiness school and were subsequently given full time employment at the end of their internship the following summer. The hiring process for outside associates begins in the fall when SG Cowen would make company presentations at top business schools such as NYU, Chicago, Columbia, Cornell, Emory, USC, Washington University, and Notre Dame. SG Cowen would not discard any candidate, thus they were willing to accept application from students from non-core universities around the nation. SG Cowen would often perform informal interviews with candidates in their office prior to the official interview in which the candidate would be evaluated. One of the recruiting strategies utilized by Rae was to assigned team captains to every school in which the company perform a recruiting effort in order to create a familiar point of contact for the students. The team captains were not human resource professional they were usually investment bankers. The highest quality recruiting yield for the compan y occurred at the Johnson School of Business at Cornell. What is your evaluation of the criteria used by this organization in making hiring decision? SG Cogen utilizes various strategies and criteria in their selection process of candidates. A thing that was disturbing about the criteria process of the bank was that the bank was willing to accept people that had cero college experience as associates. Despite the fact that these employees would not be given first year associate status until the third year I believe that this strategy is completely flawed. It is impossible for a person to learn the business knowledge a college graduate accumulates by simply working for the bank for a few years. These types of hires are people that do not have a long-term future with the company due to the fact that promoting a high school graduate to a higher position would be an irresponsible move that would not be viewed as a good decision by the board of directors or by the shareholders of the comp any. With the current job market in which they are thousands of qualified college graduates looking for work there is no room for a bank to give a job to a non-college graduate. One of the strategies or approaches utilized by the firm to attract recruits is to sell the company as a boutique firm. In such a firm the employees have a greater chance for advancement due to the fact that the firm has a system that is not bureaucratic. The company in its job fairs at universities utilized the captains to make small presentations to allow substantial time to informally talk and answer candidate’s questions. Some team captains would tell students they could call them and come by their offices for informational interviews. This strategy helps create relationships with candidates. One of the problems with

Population Health in South Africa Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Population Health in South Africa - Essay Example Any crucial health promotion effort, would therefore need a thorough knowledge of the epidemiologic factors and their distributions (Ugen, Bendinelli, and Friedman, 2002, 1-24). HIV transmission is known to occur by both homosexual and heterosexual contacts; by blood and blood products; and by infected mothers to infants either intrapartum, perinatally, or via breast milk. It has been intensely investigated since its discovery, but till date there is no evidence that HIV is transmitted by casual contact or that the virus can be spread by insects, which are commonly people's perceptions. HIV infection/AIDS is a global pandemic; every country has its share of this burden. It has been currently estimated that the number of cases of HIV infection among adults is 37 million worldwide. Unfortunately, two-thirds of whom are in sub-Saharan Africa, and about 50% of these cases are women. In addition, an estimated 2.5 million younger than age 15 children are living with HIV/AIDS. Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) undertook study in 2003, and they declared there were an estimated 5 million new cases of infection worldwide. Calculating on a daily basi s, more than 14,000 new infections occur each day which ultimately lead to 3 million deaths. In this way, AIDS becomes the fourth leading cause of mortality throughout the world. The cumulative number of deaths out of AIDS and from conditions related to AIDS exceeded 20 million in the year 2003. The epidemiologic patterns of HIV occurrence in the world is in the forms of "waves", with each wave demonstrating little difference in characteristics which are determined by the demographics of a specific country or a region. It is also determined by the time when the HIV was introduced into the population. This indicates, in different regions of the world, different types of virus may be prevalent (UNAIDS/WHO, 2006, Chapter 4). Demographically and statistically, HIV/AIDS in different regions of the world provide evidence that although the epidemic was first recognized in the United States and thereafter in Western Europe, it most likely indexed in sub-Saharan Africa. The major mode of transmission of HIV worldwide is heterosexual sex unquestionably; since the beginning of the AIDS epidemic in developing countries, where the numbers of infected men and women are approximately equal, the same pattern had been particularly prevalent. Knight has computed the South African data in relation to population and HIV/AIDS in 2006. This comprehensive document highlights many interesting facts in relation to the disease burden of South Africa. These data are important since it is a fact that AIDS epidemic has had a devastating impact on Africa, particularly in South Africa. A mid 2007 data indicate the population in South Africa of 47.9 million with 51% women. Approximately 32% of this population is children of age 0 to 14 years, 5% are older, and 63% belong to age group 15-64, who are working. The burden of the disease becomes more conspicuous

The Performance Appraisal: Advantages and Disadvantages

The Performance Appraisal: Advantages and Disadvantages Shari M. Kern   The performance assessment is the procedure through which employee performance is assessed, feedback is provided to the employee, and corrective action plans are designed (Youssef, 2015, Section 6.2, What is Performance Appraisal and Why is it Important? para 1). Performance appraisal is deemed an important means for decision-making needs of todays businesses. The performance appraisal is the method by which businesses appraise job performance. Typically, a performance appraisal system involves a manager to assess each employees performance corresponding to performance benchmarks that have previously been set up over a period of time. Performance appraisal methods also present a foundation for forecasting improvement, as well as a means for determining merit, raises, new positions within the business and even dismissals. Strategic Advantage of Performance Appraisals One of the several advantages of performance appraisal is, in the hustle and hectic working life, it extends a valuable opportunity for a manager and subordinate to have break for a private conversation about matters positive or negative that otherwise may not be spoken about. Performance appraisal proposes a good effort to focus on job accomplishments and targets, to discern and improve current problems, and to inspire improved future performance. For example, performance appraisals can have a profound effect on motivation and morale, it offers an excellent opportunity for managers to recognize and reach an agreement on individual training and development necessities, and it can examine the success of a businesss recruitment and orientation procedures. The Potential Forms of Bias Within Appraisals Systems Bias can impact employee performance appraisals in extraordinarily damaging ways. A good manager must be impartial about the performance of their workers. A performance appraisal bias can misrepresent a managers and a businesss assessment of how a worker is doing. Some biases are stereotyping (inaccurate results against certain employees belonging to a group), halo effect (erroneous judgments about an employee based on a limited number of performance dimensions), self-fulling prophecies (We tend to see what we expect to see. Research shows that when other things are equal, if managers poorly judge employees to be failures and expect these employees to fail, then the employees are likely to fail. On the other hand, if a manager believes in an employee and expects him or her to succeed, then he or she will be likely to succeed), and the fundamental attribution error (Employee blames others for their failures but do not give them enough credit for their successes. If left unchecked, thi s common attributional bias can be detrimental to performance appraisal) (Youssef, 2015, Section 6.6, Opportunities, Challenges and Recent Developments in Performance Management, para 16). Performance Appraisals Contribute to the Achievement of Strategic Objectives The success of a performance appraisal can be assessed in how good it accomplishes its strategic objectives. Performance objectives determine how a business strategy will be attained. Performance objectives also perform a key function in distinguishing the final outcomes required because of employees intense work and commitment. Performance objectives are a requirement in aligning well-defined objectives for employees. Performance objectives challenge employees to attain the greatest outcomes to encourage business development and make constant progress to meet the challenges and shifting demands of the marketplace. Performance objectives should be well-defined and direct engagement. Knowing the strategic objectives in performance appraisals can support a business to modify performance appraisals to meet business desires. In conclusion, performance appraisal is deemed an important tool for decision-making needs of todays businesses. The performance appraisal is the method by which businesses appraise job performance. When done successfully, employee performance appraisals are incredibly advantageous to the efficiency of a business. Performance appraisals offer a business with the methods to gather data and share business and specific objectives to each employee. These appraisals are methods that can make all employees more beneficial and involved in their work and thus make the business more prosperous. References Youssef, C. (2015). Human resource management. (2nd ed.). San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education.

Comparing Christianity and Stoicism Essay -- Comparison Compare Contra

Introduction Over the course of human history every society, even the most culturally isolated of civilizations, has developed some form of faith-system for interpreting and understanding the spiritual and material worlds. Thousands of such systems have existed over the centuries, and as tribes and cultures expanded, these faith-systems inevitably met each other face-to-face and clashed. Two thousand years ago there was a particularly important collision; one between the Roman stoic and the gentile Christian. At this time in Western civilization, Christianity was just planting its seeds and beginning to grow, whereas stoicism was already legitimate in its foundation and strong in its following (Stavrianos 100). One might wonder how Christianity ultimately replaced stoicism as the prominent and official religion in Rome. There are a few particular political and historical events that tell us exactly when and how it happened, but the curious man is more concerned with the psychology behi nd the transition. In other words, why would men tend to prefer one over the other? Before one can explain this, it is necessary to understand fully the particulars of each system. In general, most faith systems can be understood in three parts: logic, physics, and ethics. There is a famous garden metaphor for understanding the relationship among the three. One should imagine a walled garden where inside there grows a single plant. This plant produces a fruit. Metaphorically, the wall symbolizes logic, the plant represents physics and the fruit symbolizes ethics. Accordingly, the wall of logic protects physics and ethics. Ethics is the fruit that results from studying physics, which is the cosmic order of things. Ethic... ...erer from sin while stoicism offered man an internal battle against himself. It should come as no surprise that Christianity prevailed. Works Cited    Alighieri, Dante. The Divine Comedy. Translation and Introduction by Mark Musa. New York: Penguin, 1995. Barker, Kenneth. The NIV Study Bible. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1995. Clarke, M.L. The Roman Mind. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1960. Metzger, Bruce M. The Oxford Companion to the Bible. 1993. Murray, Gilbert. Stoic, Christian and Humanist. London: C.A. Watts, 1940. Seneca, Lucius Annaeus. Letters From a Stoic. Translation and Introduction by Robin Campbell. New York: Penguin, 1969. Stavrianos, L.S. A Global History: From Prehistory to the Present. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1988. Wenley, T.M. Stoicism and its Influences. New York: Cooper Square Publishers, 1963.

The Gilded Age

The Gilded Age – Immigration & Urbanization Immigration and Urbanization during the Gilded Age were without a doubt a major issue. Many of the political leaders were Immigrants themselves when they started from the bottom. The controversy with them is whether or not they held on to their roots. Urbanization during the Gilded age had a horrible impact for the lower class. Their living environments were beyond unpleasant. Having open sewers also created diseases and contamination. The amount of poverty during this time was very high.The Urbanization of cities separated the classes causing an even bigger mess. The rich and poor no longer lived in the same areas. Instead they each had their own suburbs. (B) Mass amounts off people were homeless, crime rates grew at a fast pace, and children were left starving. All these problems happened because of the urbanization. While the poor were living miserable lives, the rich had all they could ask for living the good life. (D) The Street s were also a very filthy place in any weather condition. When it rained it turned into slimy conditions.When it didn’t rain, the streets were full of dust. The sprinkling in the summer made the dust into mud and then that mud was turned into dust by the winds. No matter what time it was always an unpleasant setting. Sewers were clogged by the grease that came from the wagon axles, pavements couldn’t even be viewed because of the mass amounts of dust. The open sewers filled the air with an unpleasant smell on every land. Once the citizens were tired of it all the voters soon influenced their political leaders to do something about it. O) We’ve seen these types of influences by the voters in the present day as well. The pros of living in a democracy is that with the will power of the people things can be changed for the better. Religion was also a big craze during this time. Reverends during this time focused on converting citizens to Christ’s Religion. Th ey came up with a belief in religious remedies. These remedies were said to purify a man’s whole being. They swore they had converted many foul men and women by sanctifying them. They claimed that by doing this, it would free them from committing any social sins.Desires for drinking, anger, pride, and love were also â€Å"removed† and healed by the blood of Christ. (K) These different types of religions were also a reason as to why different groups were separated. Immigration during this time was good for those who employed. Not so good for those who were employed by them. When big amounts immigrants arrived at one time, those in the industry lowered the wages knowing that the new immigrants would work for any salary. Long hours and very little pay most likely exhausted the workers. Conditions were not the best even though the companies claimed they were. Q) These problems are still slightly seen today. Immigrants are still being paid whatever the employers want and it ’s obviously not fair at all. It is such a shame that there is still no solution to this problem. Cultural differences also separated many couples. They might have started loving each other while in one of their countries and eventually gotten engaged. The opinions of others could also have caused these separations. The fact that couples from two different places could have been the cause of the very judging opinions of others.Those opinions from others could also have created the same thoughts about their partners. (V) The knowledge that some of the people who were joined could have benefited the governments but because of the judgment it became otherwise. All of these factors contributed the bad times during the gilded age. We still see many of those problems in the present day. It makes us think about the different options that we have in order to change these repeated troubles. It is up to the young generation to think these things through. With many contributing great th inking minds anything can be solved The Gilded Age

With reference to the headscarf debate in France, analyze the extent to which laicite has played a major role in the French law 2004-228. The WritePass Journal

With reference to the headscarf debate in France, analyze the extent to which laicite has played a major role in the French law 2004-228. Introduction With reference to the headscarf debate in France, analyze the extent to which laicite has played a major role in the French law 2004-228. ). The majority of them are the immigrants from former French colonies in North and West Africa. Muslims constitute 5-10% of the French population, while Islam is the second largest religion in France (Tarhan, 2011). Hence, the law from 2004 led to objections and protests amongst French Muslims. They regarded the decision of French government as a sign of discrimination and violation of religious freedom in France (Wing and Smith, 2006). French government, in turn, emphasized that French secularism (known also as laicite), assuming separation between state and religion, was a main reason standing behind its decision (Astier, 2004)). Until nowadays the French law 2004-228 is very controversial. The supporters of this law believe that a ban on religious symbols confirmed a secular character of French Republic and defended French national identity. They also postulate that a ban contributed to a greater equality amongst women and men within Muslim society. The opponents, in turn, emphas ize a largely symbolic character of the ban, as it affected only Muslim girls attending public schools and did not apply to Muslim women on the streets or university students. The opponents often also rejected laicite as a basis of the French law 2004-228. Instead, they postulate that a fear of multiculturalism and growing division within the French society, especially after September 11th, had a key impact on the governmental decision (Scott, 2005). The following essay aims to examine whether French secularism, laicite, was a key factor responsible for the banning of headscarves in France. First, the essay explains the role of female headscarf in Muslim religion and tradition in order to understand a strong objection against a ban from Muslim side. Second, the essay presents shortly a debate on wearing headscarves in France that had its beginning in the 1980s. Further, the essay considers the concept of laicite in France and its impact on passing the French law 2004-228.   The essay analyzes other factors that influenced on the banning of religious symbols in France in order to compare their role and the role of laicite in passing the law. Finally, the essay considers the ban as an unsuccessful reform and presents policy recommendations. The role of headscarf in Muslim tradition The headscarf[1] is an important religious symbol in the Islamic tradition. The Quran, perceived as the source of Allah’s command by Muslims, states that: â€Å"believing women (†¦) should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; that they should not display their beauty and ornaments except what must ordinarily appear thereof; that they should draw their veils   over their bosoms and not display their beauty except to their husbands, their fathers, their husbands’ fathers, their sons, their husbands’ sons, their brothers, or their brothers’ sons or their sisters’ sons, or their women or the servants whom their right hands possess, or male servants free of physical needs, or small children who have no sense of the shame of sex, and that they should not strike their feet in order to draw attention to their hidden ornaments. And O you Believers, turn you all together towards Allah, that you may attain Bliss.† (Quran 24:31)Therefore, following Allah’s law, Muslim women are obligated to remain modest and to cover the ir beauty. Moreover, the Quran says: â€Å"O Prophet! Tell Thy wives And daughters, and the Believing women, that They should cast their Outer garments over Their Persons (when outside): That they should be known (As such) and not Molested† (Quran 33:59). It indicates that there are two purposes of the wearing of headscarves by Muslim women. First, headscarf should protect Muslim women from gazes of strange men and from being an object of stranger’s desire. Second, headscarf should help to distinguish Muslim women from women of other religions (Syed, 2001). It is worth adding that the Quran does not state precisely which parts of woman’s body should be covered. Hence, there are different types of head (and body) coverings amongst Muslim women in various countries, depending on Quran’s interpretation and culture. They range from the simple hijab, covering the head and neck to Afghani burqa, covering the entire body and leaving only so-called mesh screen so that the woman is able to see (Wing and Smith, 2006). Further, the following sentence from the Quran: â€Å"O Prophet, tell your wives and daughters and the women of the believers to draw their cloaks close round them (when they go abroad). That will be better so that they may be recognized and not annoyed† (Wing and Smith, 2006, p.751) indicates that Muslim men are also obligated to Quran to make sure that their wives have got appropriate covering when they leave their houses. With the beginning of decolonization in the 1950s and the 1960s, the European countries, in particular France and the United Kingdom, had experienced massive immigrations from the Middle East and African countries. Most of the immigrants were Muslims. Hence, the Western countries, characterized by Christian roots had to face different religion, culture and values brought to the Europe by Muslims. Headscarf has become one of the most visible elements of these differences in the European’s public eyes (Wing and Smith, 2006). Headscarf debate in a contemporary France There are currently around 5 million of Muslims in France, constituting 5-10% of the total French population (CIA, 2012). Mostly they are immigrants from the regions such as the Maghreb, the Middle East, Turkey and Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. Additionally there is an increasing number of people of European descent in France who are deciding to convert into Islam. In the recent years, Muslims in France has strongly manifested its cultural and religious separateness. They aimed to â€Å"create an Islamic identity with local institutional, societal and cultural structures† (Wing and Smith, 2006, p.753) and they focused on building new mosques and loud practices of their religion. It led to Islamophobic tendencies in France which were often manifested by hostility, discrimination in employment and housing as well as larger socio-economic exclusion of Muslim society. Currently Muslims continue to be separated from the rest of French society. Key indicators of this exclusion are li mited access to the education for Muslims, houses in the urban ghettos (known also as the zones of economic and social exclusion) but also lack of involvement in French political life and culture from the Muslim side. The debate on headscarves in France has got its root in 1989 and is known as the affaires de foulard (Scott, 2005, p. 1). At that time, three Muslim girls were expelled from their secondary state school in the town of Creil after they refused to take off their headscarves. Although it was not a first such a case (the director of this school had earlier banned Jewish students from wearing the Kippah in school), it brought an extensive attention of French media. The director of school argued that he made a decision on the basis of French laicite[2], a concept postulating separation between the state and religion (Tarhan, 2011). Muslim society was supported by Catholic, Protestant and Jewish leaders. Together, they postulated that laicite should have been regarded as toleration for other religions rather than condemnation of religion (Scott, 2005).   This approach was also accepted by the former Minister of Education, Lionel Jospin. He announced that religious symbols and clothing at schools were allowed as long as they did not threaten other religious beliefs (Tarhan, 2011). Despite this governmental announcement, a number of similar cases has dramatically increased between 1989 (400 cases) and 1994 (3000 cases), what led to racial and religious violence in France (Bowen, 2007). In 1994 the tensions were so intense that education staff were sending letter to the French government, asking for advices on how to deal with the situation. In result, new Minister of Education, Francois Bayrou implemented new rules on religious symbols in schools. He allowed only discreet symbols in schools, while he prohibited ostentatious symbols. Discreet symbols were defined as those that â€Å"demonstrated personal religious conviction† (Tarhan, 2011, p.18), while ostentatious – as those that led to discrimination and differences into the educational communities. Bayrou’s claim was controversial and brought the attention of French media. In result, the Consei l d’Etat, the highest administrative court in France, decided to investigate the controversial issue. The court rejected Bayrou’s decision and obligated school administrations and teachers to make decision on the actions of their students. The French government appointed a Muslim woman, Hanifa Cherifi, as a governmental mediator responsible for handling the wearing of headscarves. In result, the issue has grown quiet for nine years (Scott, 2005). The issue of headscarves was brought to the public attention again in 2003, when the Minister of Interiors and Cults, Nicolas Sarkozy postulated that Muslim women should take off their headscarves while posing for official identity photographs. As Muslims became an important minority in France with the beginning of the twenty first century, Sarkozy’s claim reflected growing frustration and intolerance towards visibility of religious symbols in public places amongst French politicians and society. It also brought back the issue of headscarves in schools.   In effect, French President, Jacques Chirac formed a commission led by Bernard Stasi in order to investigate the implementation of laicite in French educational institutions. . Students, teachers, intellectuals and also the European Commission got involved in the work of Stasi’s Commission. Muslim girls chose to be interviewed undercover, as they wanted to voice their opinions about wearing the hijab anonymously. The report produced by Stasi’s Commission presented an in-depth study on the role that the hijab plays in the Muslim community. In reference to Islam, one of the most important results was that young Muslim girls, that used to grow up in a society dominated by western culture and values found difficult to reaffirm their identities as Muslims by the way they had to dress. Further, it showed that young Muslim girls were often not participating in classes such as P.E (physical education) as they were afraid of violence and assaults from Muslim men’s side. Moreover, Muslim girls often confessed that they were being forced to wear the hijab by their families and peer groups. The Stasi’s Report also drew open other issues su rrounding Muslim women such as female genital mutilation and forced marriages (Vaisse, 2004). The Stasi’s Report pointed out that the existence of religious symbols in schools was not compatible with the concept of laicite. The Report postulated that the veils were responsible for the alienation of women. As secularism and gender equality were regarded as the important features of laicite, the Report recommended banning religious symbols in schools[3] (Wing and Smith, 2006). It is important to add that the critics of the Stasi’s Report aimed to undermine the validity of the report. They postulated that the report was mainly based on western perceptions on the hijab and Muslim women. The link between forced marriages, female genital mutilation and the hijab, were all based upon the commission negative image of Islam, there was no empirical research to back their findings (Schiek and Lawson, 2011). Muslim women argue that the hijab is worn voluntarily and it brings them a sense of belonging and community (Schiek and Lawson, 2011). Following the Stasi’s Report, on February 10th, 2004, French National Assembly passed the law on the banning conspicuous religious symbols in schools. A huge majority of the Assembly, 494 members, were in favour of the ban, while only 36 members voted against the ban. At the same time, 31 members abstained from voting. Similarly, on March 3rd, 2004, the French Senate also passed the same legislation. 276 voters were in favour of the ban, while 20 of them voted against the ban (Weil, 2009). The implementation of the new law was preceded by three demonstrations, respectively, on December 21st, 2004; on January 17th, 2005; and on February 14th, 2005 that aimed to stop passing the law 2004-228. Mohammed Latreche, an Islamist activist   mobilized and encouraged French citizens to participate in these demonstrations. He established a political party, Pati des msulman de France (the Party of French Muslims) with the headquarters in Strasburg. The demonstrations, showed the Muslim p ublics outrage at the law that was about to be passed. The legislative ban was regarded as an attack on Muslims with the Muslim society. Two girls even went as far as hunger strikes to show their opposition to the ban.   Some posters propagated slangs such as ‘Stasi killed me’ and ‘1 veil= 1 vote’ (Bowen, 2007). Officially, the law was implemented on March 15th and it is known as the law 2004-228. Despite the demonstrations, the legislative ban in France has been largely supported by the French society. According to Pew Research Centre (2006) 78% of the French population have supported the ban, while only 22% of the population have regarded the banning as a bad idea. The concept of laicite and its impact on the banning of headscarves in France Many scholars (i.e. Wing and Smith, Scott) believe that the concept of laicite was a key factor behind the decision on the banning of headscarves in France. Laicite has a long tradition in France and hence, it is crucial to analyze its influence on the ban of religious symbols. As it was mentioned above, laicite, known also as a French secularism, postulates separation between the state and religion as well as freedom of religion (Tarhan, 2011).   It can be viewed as passive neutrality or non-intervention by the state in the private religious domain. This interpretation suggests that the exercise of religion in the private sphere is permissible, and that the French state will not openly support overt religious practices in public spheres (Scott, 2005). Another interpretation of the laicite’ can be viewed as a more active secularism, in terms of which the nation is promoted as a fundamentally political society fiercely independent of any religious authority (Wing and Smith, 2006), and one in which the values of the state can be defended through the concept of L’ORDRE PUBLIC in order to justify interference where necessary with some religious organisations. This definition of laicite’ gives the government more control over public institutions and the amount of religious activity that goes on there, for example schools (Weil, 2009). The concept of laicite was developed during the French Revolution (1789). Initially it concerned the separation between the state and the Catholic Church, which played a major role in France in the seventeenth century. Revolutionaries aimed to redefine citizenship and nationhood and hence, to separate Catholicism from the French identity. New citizenship was meant to be universal, secular and inclusive. Instead, the French Revolution led to ‘xenophobic nationalism’ (Tarhan, 2011, p.4) which targeted foreigners as well as priests, rebels, political opponents and noblemen. Similarly, the Revolution started to reject religion rather than tolerate it. The laicisation of French public schools began with an article that was passed on June 28th, 1833. This law entailed that primary school teaching should have no religious affiliation. Further, laicite was implemented in France through the creation of the public school system, in the years 1881-2 with Jules Ferry’s public school laws (Bowen, 2007). However, despite these steps Catholicism remained an important element of French regime until the end of nineteenth century. More significant changes started in 1901 when France passed a new law, Law of Association according to which religious associations became obligated to have a state supervision. Further, in 1904 the religious communities were forbidden to provide education. In result, approximately 30,000 of clergy lost their teaching jobs and stopped taking salaries from the state. Nonetheless, the legislation passed in 1905, known as the Separation Act, is regarded as first meaningful success of secularists in France (Tarhan, 2011). The 1905 law has become the legal guideline for the separation of the state and the church. The word laicite did not appear in the 1905 law. However, the first article of the law emphasized freedom of religion in France, as it stated that: â€Å"the republic ensures freedom of conscience. It guarantees the free exerci se of religions with the sole restrictions decreed hereafter in the interest of public order† (Tarhan, 2011, p.7). The second article, in turn, declared that â€Å"The Republic does not recognize, fund or subsidize any religion. [†¦]State, departmental and commune budgets, together with all expenses relating to the exercise of religions will be abolished.† (Tarhan, 2011, p.7) and hence, it guaranteed state’s neutrality towards religions. The legislation from 1905 gave a political and legal character to the concept of laicite in France.   More importantly, it indicated that laicite was a process that had emerged in France through the confrontation about national identity between Clerics and Republicans (Scott, 2005). Although the concept of laicite in France does not show any historical links to the Islam religion, the ban on religious symbols from 2004 seems to emphasize an impact of laicite on the French politics and tradition. Nowadays laicite is regarded in France as one of the foundations of French Republic and the French collective (national) identity (The Economist, 2004). It represents a sharp contrast to Anglo-American model of multiculturalism. French believe that laicite guarantees tolerance, freedom of religion, peace as well as social cohesion. Further, laicite postulates a sharp division between public and private spheres. Religion and ethnicity can be manifested in the private sphere. However, the only visible legitimate identity in the public sphere should be French national identity. Further, the laic state has right to interfere in the religious issues if the national unity and common values of the French Republic are threatened (Weil, 2009). According to the concept, Muslim soc iety should accept French norms and culture in order to become a part of French political unity. Nonetheless, Muslims have become a significant minority in France, unwilling to adopt French tradition and lifestyle. Instead, they strongly manifested own culture, tradition and identity (The Economist, 2004). Islam was perceived not only as a religion but also as a rigorous lifestyle that rejected Western values such as liberty, freedom and laicite. Muslims were often regarded as the extremist group. Hence, French started to perceive Muslims and Islam religion as the threads to the French national unity that had to be addressed and resolved. The debate on headscarves in France confirms this negative perception of Muslims within French society (Tarhan, 2011). With the exception of laicite, there were also other factors that had an influence on the ban of religious symbols in France. As stated in the Stasi’s Report, the ban aimed to empower Muslim women and to guarantee greater equality amongst the Muslim women and men. However, in this case, the ban was just a symbolic gesture, as it only applied to the young Muslim girls in public schools and did not affect adult Muslim women, working in some public places or just walking on the streets (Bowen, 2007). In contrast, there are several external factors that might have influenced the timing of headscarves debate in France. When the first debate on headscarves took place in 1989, the Communist system in the Central and Eastern Europe collapsed. Instead, the Europe experienced massive inflows of Muslim immigrants and spreading Islam religion across the European countries. Hence, Islam quickly started to be perceived as a thread to the Western values that replaced an old thread, communism . Further, in 1994 there was a civil war in Algeria, a former colony of France that was caused by the conflict between the secular military government of Algeria and Islamic fundamentalists. The Algerian conflict indicated a possibility of similar problems between the state and its largest religious minority in France. Finally, in 2003 the Europe was still strongly affected by the consequences of September 11th (2001). Additionally, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as the worsening of the conflict between Israel and Palestine resulted in sharp divergence between the West and Islam culture. At that time, French Muslims definitely identified with the Muslims in other parts of the world and the wearing of headscarves manifested such identification. French government, on the other hand, faced real threads of terrorism. Hence, the main principle of French defense became to prevent French citizens and institutions from potential challenges to their integrity (Scott, 2005). Conclusions To sum up, the ban of religious symbols in schools implemented in France in 2004 was very controversial and led to numerous protests and demonstrations in France. The supporters of the ban underlined the secular character of France and the need to separate religion from the public sector. The opponents, in turn, postulated a minor impact of the ban, as it only affected Muslim schoolgirls, constituting relatively insignificant percentage of Muslim female population in France. Without a doubt, laicite had a key impact on the legislative ban. However, the main factor behind the governmental decision was not separation between the religion and the state, regarded as a traditional element of the concept of laicite. In the contemporary France, key elements of laicite have become nation identity and unity. As the French society was characterized by a strong division on Muslims and non-Muslims as well as by strengthening Muslim influences, the French conservative government of Chirac has become responsible for protecting the French national identity. The ban was believed to be a successful tool to achieve this goal. Except laicite, there was a number of international events such as Afghan war, Iraqi war or Israeli-Palestinian conflict that strengthened Islamophobic in Western countries, in particular in secular France that has always been characterized by the opposition to multiculturalism and foreignness. Although some scholars postulate that gender equality wa s also a factor influencing French decision on the ban, there is no strong evidence to support this claim. In fact, the ban affected only small number of young Muslim girls being in public education. Nowadays it is certain that Muslims have to accept cosmopolitan values and freethinking if they aim to stay in the Western countries. Currently a number of Western countries such as United Kingdom, Spain or Germany have been characterized by a trap of two conflicting cultures. However, forcing Muslims to go against their religious practices, as applied in France seems to be counterproductive. The ban of religious symbols in France led to the riots (2005) in so-called les cites, ghettos focusing North Africans and Arabs that spread around the major French cities. During these riots two Muslim teenagers were accidently killed. However, the ban of religious symbols could have disastrous consequences. Young Muslims, rejected by the French government and regarded as a second-class society, often accept extremism and violence as the solution of their problems. The example of the United States demonstrates prominently the negative consequences of rejecting and underestimating its ethnic min ority. The young, radical Muslims in the US, trained by the conservative European imams became responsible for the dramatic events from September 11th (Kiersh, 2008). The French government should have learnt a lesson from the United States and should stop pushing its Muslim society towards extremism and encouraging violence amongst them. Instead, the French government should establish a long-term strategy in order to incorporate their Muslim minority into the environment they regard as unfriendly. The government must develop new, comprehensive measures that will help Muslims to identify with the rest of the French society and to become involved in various aspects of French lifestyle. In order to achieve these goals, the French government must focus on the reduction of job and housing discrimination in the first place as well as on changing the attitudes within the French policy towards Muslim male immigrants.   The French government can expect that other European governments (in particular British, German and Spanish governments) will be also willing to address the problem of separation between Muslims and mainstream society, as they struggle wi th the same problem. Together, these countries have enough resources to implement reforms and changes so that the Muslims can assimilate with the rest of the societies. Also the United States could probably get involved in such a cross-countries program in the framework of the War on Terror. Without a doubt, the European governments would be more willing to accept such a form of terrorism fighting rather than military interventions in the Middle East. The following concept requires in-depth analyzes and detailed policy planning. However, it would definitely bring larger and more positive outcomes than the ban of religious symbols in public schools (Kiersh, 2008). List of references: Astier, H., (2004). The deep Roots of French Secularism [online] available from: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/3325285.stm (Accessed on 25.04.2012). Bowen, J., (2007). Why the French do not like the Headscarves. New Jersey: Princeton University CIA, (2012). The World Factbook: France [online] Available from: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/fr.html (Accessed on 25.04.2012). Kiersh, A., (2008). Why the Headscarf Ban is wrong for France [online] Available from: sikhcoalition.org/documents/AaronKiershEssay.pdf (Accessed on 25.04.2012). Morin, R. and Horowitz, J., (2006). European debate the Scarf and the Veil [online] Available from: http://pewresearch.org/pubs/95/europeans-debate-the-scarf-and-the-veil (Accessed on 25.04.2012). Scott, J., (2005). Symptomatic Politics: The Banning of Islamic Head Scarves in French Public Schools. New Jersey: Institute for Advanced Study. Schiek, D and Lawson, A., (2011). European Union Non-Discrimination Law and Intersectionality: Investigating the Triangle of Racial, Gender and Disability Discrimination. London: Ashgate Publishing. Syed, , (2001). Women in Islam: Hijab [online] Available from: islamfortoday.com/syed01.htm (Accessed on 25.04.2012). Tarhan, G., (2011). Roots of the Headscarf Debate: Laicism and Secularism in France and Turkey. Journal of Political Inquiry, 4, p. 1-32. The Economist, (2004). The war of the headscarves [online] Available from: economist.com/node/2404691?story_id=2404691 (Accessed on 25.04.2012). Vaisse, J., (2004). Veiled Meaning: the French Law Banning Religious Symbols in Public Schools. Washington: The Brookings Institute. Weil, P., (2009). Why the French Laicite is liberal? Cardozon Law Review, 30(6), p.2699-2714. Wing, A. and Smith, M., (2006). Critical Race Feminism Lifts in Veil?: Muslim, Women, France and the Headscarf Ban. California: UC Davis. [1] The headscarf wore by Muslim women is commonly known as hijab in the Europe. However, Quran uses two Arabic terms: â€Å"khimar† and â€Å"jilbaab† in reference to headscarf or veil. [2] The concept of French laicite will be discussed in details in the next chapter. [3] It is worth adding that Stasi’s Report also postulated the recognition of majority religious feasts as public holiday. However, this law was not passed.