Lost and Sex and The City Essay

By choosing any two programmes that you are familiar with describe and discuss what the term ‘Quality Television’ means. Quality television refers to the development and rise of quality television drama. The term ‘quality television’ however mostly refers to the emergence of quality broadcasters’ they themselves use to describe a genre/style of television programming that they argue is of higher quality than other genres. ‘Television is for appearing on, not looking at.’ (Coward, 1993: 436) They are referring to the kinds of programmes that are perceived as more expensively produced and, especially more culturally worthwhile, due to their subject matter or content. In the history of ‘quality’ television, it presents a daunting set of challenges. There is no central register of quality programming quality style is defined by depth and warmth of its characters and the use of self reflexivity and the notion that the writers and viewers enjoyed an unusual degree of freedom. The term also associates mostly on the issue of gender representation. In this essay I will discuss television shows, Lost and Sex and The City and how they have both proved great quality television through their success and interesting storylines. (Jancovich, Mark, Lyons, James, Quality Popular Television, 2003) The complex characters, settings and dilemmas are what make good quality television. This brings me to Lost. Lost is an American television drama that follows the survivors of a plane crash that end up on a mysterious island. Each episode typically features what happens on the island as well as a secondary storyline of the characters lives. Most of the characters in Lost are driven to reconcile a patriarchal crisis; Jack must resolve an ‘Oedipal’ conflict with his alcoholic father, John Locke must redeem his masculinity and after being manipulated by his father and rebuild his disabled body and Kate and Sawyer are repetitively haunted by their fathers and dark pasts. The whole island is an experimental site, emphasizing the constant distress of mystery that the island holds and the unknowing. Within this, each episode continues a story about each character, most encountering their violent fathers and how this will shape the collective islands culture. In one particular episode, ‘The 23rd Psalm’, flashbacks consist between Nigeria, the present day and a Nigerian beechcraft airplane that crashed on the island. ‘Mr Eko’ becomes aware that drug addict ‘Charlie’ has possession of a heroin filled Virgin Mary statue that he realizes has a connection to his own past. After discovering the plane on the island, Eko finds his brothers corpse along with it. The episode has an overall theme of redemption of Mr Eko’s religious leanings that have created a major turn in his life. This also challenges our assumptions about coincidence and fate and how the overall series depicts spirituality and realism through the characters pasts. (www.uk.tv.ign.com/artcicles/101/1011812p1.html) The director, ‘JJ Abrams’, creates strong character development and long term plotting which is why the Lost series remained so strong and captivating for audiences. The fact that people were being forced to live together and survive, made it interesting to watch because relationships were created very fast and viewers wanted to see love, fights and dramas as well as action and supernatural happenings on the island. In the first pilot episode of Lost, the first scene shows an eye close-up and character ‘Jack Shephard’ as he awakens in a jungle and notices a yellow Labrador retriever darting through the forest. He then runs through the jungle to a beach where he is faced with the disaster of the plane crash and people fighting for survival. Quality TV dramas are what make audiences want to keep watching and Lost is a great example of this because in the very first scene, viewers are already given that mind blowing experience and the drive to keep watching. The characters are also faced with the unraveling of the islands mystery and the motives of the unknown ‘Others’ who may also inhabit the island. The series tracks two major, interconnected themes; first, the struggles to survive and live together on the island and second, the lives of the fourteen main characters before the crash which is retold through flashbacks. It doesn’t follow the stereotypical television back story and allows viewers to become connected with the characters, their secrets and motivations. Jack is a doctor becomes the leader of the group; helping Charlie kicks his drug addiction and encourages ‘Shannon’ to pursue her relationship with ‘Syid’. Jack is seen at the very beginning of the series and in the last episode in the last scene where it re creates the first scene again only in a different context. The way Lost starts off, during; with all the inconceivable and unthinkable story lines, makes it so mesmerizing for audiences. After six seasons of plot twists, there was a completely thrilling but not entirely logical finale. Audiences across the world became worried about what Lost would end like and how everything could be explained because of its constant complexity. Lost is full of mind puzzling and gripping drama that has become a huge success through its mind blowing performances. (www.tv.com/shows/lost) Another American quality TV show is Sex and The City. Broadcast from 1998 until 2004, the comedy-drama series follows the lives of a group of four women; three in their mid thirties and one in her forties and throughout their different natures and constant changing sex lives, they remain great friends with high confidence. Sex and The City becomes quality television through the continual of its quirky storylines and modern social issues that explore the differences between friendships, relationships and revolves around femininity. The main character ‘Carrie Bradshaw’ is the narrator of each episode which is structured through her train of thoughts. Throughout the entire series, Carrie is entangled with her on and off relationship with ‘Mr Big’ and whose name eventually is revealed to be John Preston. Each character has their own individual unique personalities which female audiences can relate to and connect with. Sex and The City has proven to be one of the most successful and controversial television programmes of the last decade. In transforms the idea of the incisive widow into the life of the single urban female and emphasizes an upper class life. It also presents sophistication and yet, much of the generic and stylistic conventions, are by no means new to this specific show. (LeMay, Matt, Sex and the City and the Discourse of Quality Television: 2) ‘Once upon a time on a small island not too far away, there lived four smart, beautiful women who were all very good friends’. (LeMay, Matt, Sex and the City and the Discourse of Quality Television: 2) This quote already establishes the genre of the show and the kind of characters the audience may expect to see. Much of the criticism both positive and negative, show degrees of realism which suggests how they are entwined in the history of industry and market standards of quality television and determines gender and class. Many other dramas can be traced back to earlier ‘realist’ family sitcoms and still remain relevant to contemporary quality television such as Sex and The City. There is a particular emphasis on self reflectivity and the program’s representations and intersexuality. Through Sex and the City, the relation to feminism and sexual taboos positions itself in the history of television. Intersexuality occurs through the importance and real-life impact of the cultural phenomenon called ‘Sex and the City’. (Akass, Kim, McCabe, Janet, Reading sex and the city. London: I.B. Tauris, 2004) In conclusion, the serve to clearly set out the intended debate and issue of ‘Quality TV’, is the way in which critics and audiences currently define it and supplying a broad overview of the critical contentiousness of quality TV as a collective term. Quality Television is about captivating storylines, unique characters and enabling viewers to want to watch excellent programming. Within this, audiences are able to connect with the show through the interesting structures that are included in them. Bibliography Books: Jancovich, Mark, Lyons, James, Quality Popular Television, 2003) McCabe, Janet, Akass, Kim, Contemporary American Television and Beyond, 2007) Akass, Kim, McCabe, Janet, Reading sex and the city. London: I.B. Tauris, 2004 Articles: (LeMay, Matt, Sex and the City and the Discourse of Quality Television: 2) Websites: www.uk.tv.ign.com/artcicles/101/1011812p1.html www.tv.com/shows/lost

Guidelines Essay

This article was created by: Jocelyn Howard and Jae Major with the purpose of helping teachers, who decided to produce their own teaching materials; they need to observe some advantages and disadvantages, important factors and guidelines. These aspects help them to provide a coherent design for teaching materials. First, different advantages and disadvantages are examined why teacher might choose to design their own materials. These are some advantages: contextualization: it is generic; it means they do not able to take in consideration the learning environment. The coursebook do not aim any specific group of learners, particular culture or educational context. Everybody is able to use that coursebook. There are a lack commercial materials and cost force the teacher-produce their own material as best option for both students and school. Another advantages is individuals needs, it refers to different aspects or needs of learners that must be taken in consideration by teacher-producer at the moment to create material. They are first language skills, multi-cultural groups, experiences, level of English and why they are learning? Also, to increase motivation and knowledge, engagement in learning, freedom are some aspects to take in consideration in personalization, another advantage. In contrast, the disadvantages for teachers who decided to produce materials are organized in three aspects such as: organization, quality and time. Organization: refers to coherence and clear progression, physical organization and storage material and clear direction. If there are not some order in principles and clearly well-organized system will be difficult to locate them for future material’s use. Second, factors to consider when designing materials: learners: teachers find out information about learners’ needs. After that you are able to create the material. In addition, the students learning needs: skill, preferences learning style, literacy level, interests and purpose of learning English as a second language. Also, curriculum and content: it must include the goals and objectives to keep close for going back and check it. Another important factor is the resources and facilities: teachers must be realistic; they need to adapt their materials to the environment where they work. After this, personal confidence and competence: it refers to the skills, knowledge and attitudes, copyright compliance: you must have to give credits when use resources of internet, and time: organized the place that you use for working are another main factors. Third, guidelines for designing effective English teaching materials: in general they provide a coherent design in materials which emphasize the learning skills and knowledge. ELT materials should be contextualized (guideline1): the curriculum is to give address, specific individual’s needs and the topic is meaningful. And then, in a real communication process, professor must be sure the materials they develop have a clear purpose (guideline 2). Guideline 3: teachers should teach how to learn, help to take advantages and opportunities for self-evaluation. So, metalanguage (out of the class) is an example of these opportunities. Besides, guideline 4: materials make the student focus on form. Guideline 5: produce materials and incorporate more than one skill. Guideline 6: it is not only written material, it’s also visual and spoken. Guideline 7: the materials must be connected between what you did and what will you do. Guideline 8: physical appearance of materials must be attractive to the learners. Guideline 9: the instructions must be clear and easy to follow by learners. Guideline 10: the materials must be adapted to the activities and the learners. In summary, when teachers make the decision of creating their own materials they should be taken in account the different advantages and disadvantages presenting in this text. Also, they need to consider the factors and guidelines which provide them the most important point for developing their own teaching materials.

MCDONALDS Corp Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

MCDONALDS Corp - Research Paper Example McDonalds was established in the year 1955 by Ray Croc in USA as a retailer of snack foods like burgers. The company since then has grown by leaps and bounds with the company presently having its dedicated presence in about 118 diverse nations across the globe and an attractive product offering that includes famous products like Big Mac, Mc Nuggets, Quarter Pounders etc. McDonalds has about 33000 restaurants across the globe that provides the best experience at largely affordable price to the customers. McDonalds serves its customers through a dedicated employee base of over 1.7 million active employees who are determined to provide the best experience to the customers with a touch of excellence to satisfy the needs of the customers (McDonalds, 2011). The mission statement of the company is â€Å"be our customers favourite place and way to eat†. The company believes in creating a marketing mix that is essentially in line with the mission statement of the organization. McDonald s prepares a menu that is in tune with the market demands in an innovative manner that tends to satisfy the demands of the target market audience (McDonalds-b, 2011). The history of McDonalds began in the year 190 when the founder of the organization opened up a Bar-B-Que restaurant in California. This was essentially a drive in restaurants that provided snack items for individuals on the drive. However after a few years this restaurant was closed off an official McDonald’s restaurant brand was launched in 1955. The restaurant met with good success and eventually sold 100 million burgers by the end of the third year into the business. By the year 1963 there were about 500 restaurants operating under the McDonalds brand name. Subsequently the company went public in the year 1965 with IPO of 22.5 US dollars as the price of a share. After three years the company went about to launch the product Big Mac that is one

Discussion board Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 15

Discussion board - Assignment Example Indiana could make better use of the land available to replace the money that is lost as export money. For example industrialize the areas or open animal farms. Better utilization of land could also result in emigration and growth of economy. Therefore, I do not think that it would have a sveere impact on the economy as stated in the article. In this article, the main focus was on the economy. However, I basically think that without farming the lands would be free from chemical pesticides. This would not only safeguard the environment but also make the land available for industrialization and establishment for other sources of state income. It is said in the article, that in dearth of crop products there are chances that more and more people would try and grow them in the garden and sell them for very high prices. However, I do not think most people would like to invest in such time consuming thing. Moreover, since these people would try and utilize their small gardens to the maximum such practice would also increase the usage of chemical fertilizers and harm the environment as well. I also think that the lands now free from harmful agricultural practices, could be sued for growth of economy. The state may open other industries such as dairy, meat etc. which would fetch far more money than basic crop

Housing Market Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Housing Market - Essay Example The dominant contingent valuation approach has been used for many years in the research field work in Europe and unfortunately, is very likely to continue its prevalence in the near future, too. 2. In the article Kartin Rehdanz, presents an interesting and problematic view about the climate change impact on British households. Her study is based on investigating the amenity value of climate on households in Great Britain. She applies the hedonic price approach, which traces the marginal willingness of individuals to pay for changes in the climate. 3. The article claims that climate should be regarded as amenity and thus prices for houses in geographical regions with more sunny days on average have to affect the property price. The study is unique, because it uses for the first time geographic information system to derive the data. In comparison with other researches done, this one is exceptional, because attention is paid to problems of endogeneity when applying the census tract date. Furthermore, various specifications of the climate variables are taken into consideration and at the end, the study conducts an analyses if British households will gain from the global warming. 4. One of the shortcomings of the study is that besides Maddison's empirical work in 2001, there are no other investigations made on the amenity value of climate. ... 5. The administrative boundaries create data limitations, which influence the final results and their interpretations. Thus, the evidence collected varies not only between different counties, but also within Great Britain. Roback (1982) first examined the effects of climate and how they affect both wages and the price of housing. Moreover, obtaining the required information and measures of local amenities, requires mainly distance evaluation. 6. A number of problems into this research also cause the two hedonic equations that have to be estimated. The regression analysis becomes too complicated as the two equations need to be determined. 7. All extensive data collection has to be taken from the specific local areas, which requires extra control of the variables on which the location choices are based. Therefore, the variables must be accurately chosen, to eliminate the variable biases, and to decrease the problems of multicollinearity. The further avoid difficulties in measurements, the proposal given in the articles divides Great Britain into smaller geographical areas, where the local amenities like the climate variables vary, but they are adjusted with the local housing market, because the labour market can not be modified (Englin, 1996). Gayer (2000) took an instrumental variable approach to a hedonic analysis. In his study he estimated a bi-causal relationship between house market prices and the environmental risk. 8. The starting point of all hedonic analysis if the presumption of equilibrium in hedonic markets - salary and rents are adjusted in such a way that people stay indifferent in what location they are living and working (Mler, 1977). Another problem is that

Homeland Defense, History of Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Homeland Defense, History of - Case Study Example homeland. The refusal of the U.S. to negotiate with rebels or terrorists and its eagerness to punish advocates of terrorism has formed the situation as well (Jordan, 2002). Current terrorist organizations are becoming ever more engaged in taking lives than acquiring political agreements, and the fear of retaliations has resulted in a bigger need for underground operations and possible deniability among terrorist organizations and their patrons (Gingrich, 2009). The rise of global and nonstate organizations hence has led to opponents who are harder to monitor and prevent than countries are and who are more engaged in initiating destructive occurrences (Larson & Peters, 2001). Technology also serves a vital function. There are growing concerns about the production of weapons of mass destruction (WMD). These involve fears about unstable ex-Soviet nuclear, biological, and chemical (NBC) weapons or, by means of attempts by purported ‘rogue states’ and highly subsidized organi zations like Osama Bin Laden and Aum Shinrikyo’s group, the growing capability to produce or obtain such weapons (Gingrich, 2009). Likewise, the escalating shipment and range of ballistic missile systems has brought about fears about opponents’ possible capability to attack the U.S. (Jordan, 2002). Lastly, technological developments in information and communication technologies (ICT) have curtailed the value of geography and facilitated assaults on information and communication structures and other computer-reliant structures from all over the world (Nicholson & Biden, 2005). These continuing developments also have been disrupted by several attacks abroad and at home that has emphasized the defenselessness of developed states against terrorism, like the United States (Nicholson & Biden, 2005), and has led to many injuries and fatalities. As cited in Cordesman (2002), as explained in the Report of the President’s Commission on Critical Infrastructure Protection ( 1997), the Report of the National Defense Panel (1997), the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s evaluation of federal outcome management capacities in 1997, and the account of the DoD Tiger Team on incorporation of National Guard and Reserve endorsement of the responses to attacks of WMD, these trends have encouraged policy-level interest to the issue and the recognition of several weaknesses in the nation’s ability to reduce or prevent the approaching threats (Cordesman, 2002). The approaching threats and weaknesses in response also have resulted in the distribution of important resources to the management and deterrence of the outcomes of terrorist assaults against the U.S. and to critical discussion about the bounds of a homeland security, or currently referred to as ‘homeland defense’, undertaking for the U.S. armed forces and the Department of Defense (DoD) (Larson & Peters, 2001). The undertaking would back up the national attempt to mitigate the t hreats and outcomes of potential attacks on the United States. This essay will attempt to give a general idea of the major policy concerns linked to homeland defense. This will be a critical essay presenting a case study

Marketing plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Marketing plan - Essay Example The Apple 1 was a design of a microcomputer system with video terminal and 8k bytes on a single PC card. Steve Jobs approached technology with a â€Å"visionary† perspective, so he insisted that his self and Steve Wozniak try to sell the machine. The birth of the first Apple was April 1, 1976; however, Steve Jobs didn’t approach Apple with serious intentions, until 1977. When Apple 2 debuted at a local computer shows trade it feature was in a plastic case and include color graphs, Apple 2 became an attractive machine. The demand for these new devices increased exponentially shortly after its introduction. With substantial sales revenue growth, Apple was in position to expand the company. In 1980, Apple 3 was released and everyone from employees to managers were purchasing Apple computers. However, shortly after Apple took a hit in 1981 and operations began to slow down, resulting a layoff off 40 employees. In addition, and unfortunate during this slowdown for the compan y, Steve Wozniak suffered a car accident, which resulted in Steve Jobs stepping up and becoming the chairman of Apple. As time progressed with the market growing rapidly IBM released their first PC and they quickly dominated the market. Steve Jobs team worked as quickly as possible to compete with the IBM. In the end, Steve Jobs realized that Apple would need to become a â€Å"grown up† company and then realized that he might not be the man for the job. In 1983, Jobs believed that John Sculley would be the man for the job and he became the president and CEO of Apple. Although Sculley was an overachieving businessman, in which he did not have much knowledge about the computer industry. Jobs, who of course was knowledgeable concluded that Mac would ultimately be made or broken by software industry. In January, Apple had a 60 In second commercial introducing the Macintosh, analysts predicted that the IBM world would be shattered by Macintosh. The Mac had a strong reputation amon g

Case study on chronic illness Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Case study on chronic illness - Essay Example Americans have medical cover and face little dangers of controlling the diseases because the insured go for the checkups which are sponsored by the insurers. Members of the countries with low socioeconomic power are rarely informed of medical cover. Low income in them also imposes great challenges in them taking the cover. From the chapter read on Rosalie’s health, she has no medical cover (Moroflubkin & Pamala 2012). The Healthy people 2020 have a plan to take medical cover to support Rosalie for the rest of her life. She has to also remain on treatment while the medical policy matures. They also have a plan on how to educate her. Rosalie’s aunt will also get a medical cover since her income is low and in future she might not be able to meet her medical needs should they occur. WHO cares for the underprivileged people’s health: providing them with medicines, education, food and shelter. This way, I will also plan to provide the same to Rosalie and her aunt Rita. This will help relieve her of the burden bagging her life. If I had to respond to the call, I would inform the health care professionals to have regular checks on the health of the aging population to avoid high costs of treatment. I would also advise them to take early control measures like immunization on children in order to prevent future problems to the victims when they age (Toombs, David & Ronald 1995). If I had power of control over the resource, I would introduce free and compulsory immunization to the needy and carry out medical researches on people’s health in order to identify how and when to issue treatment to the needy (Dubey

Home-Style Cookies Essay Example for Free

Home-Style Cookies Essay In this case study, the focus revolves around the Lew Mark Baking Company. The Lew-Mark Baking Company according to the case study is from a small town in western New York. Lew-mark Baking company operates in New York and New Jersey. It employs around 200 workers in a mainly blue collar, informal atmosphere. In my paper, I will answer several questions about operations for this company The Cookie Production Process When describing the cookie production process for Lew-mark baking, it is best described as using the batch processing system. The batch processing system can best be described as the execution of a series of programs (jobs) on a computer without human interaction. â€Å"Batch Processing is used when a moderate value of goods or services is desired, and it can handle a moderate variety of products and services† (Stevenson 2009, P 239). This method helps with quantity management because Lew mark only makes cookies according to demand. What are two ways that the company has increased productivity? Why did increasing the length of the ovens result in a faster output? One obvious way the company is increasing productivity is that it only makes cookies according to the demand. What ever order it receives from its distributor is what is made in the factory. This ensures that productivity is centered on the demand and time is not wasted baking products that might or might not sell. This is return, makes productivity quicker and more efficient. As mentioned above, the Batch processing system is a huge contributor to increasing productivity. Having two ovens also helps in speeding up productivity. Lengthen the ovens by 25 feet, increased the rate of production by allowing more cookies to be baked at the same time. Automating the Packing Although automating the packing of the cookies in normally a quicker and more efficient way of doing business, it is my opinion the Lew-mark baking Company is doing the right thing by employing local workers to do this job. It is vitally important to create good relationship within the community. This allows a company to have a stake in the community and thus foster good relationships with the local government, political officials and members of the community. Fostering these types of relationships can also be beneficial when it comes to future plans or expansions. Plus, the company has an obligation to the workers once they are employed with the company. As longs as profits and the bottom line are healthy, it should keep its commitment to the community. This would hold true in a small or large community. It is the obligation of industry to keep workforce engagement in tact. As long as industry is alive, some sort of human engagement is needed. What factors cause Lew-mark to carry minimal amounts of certain inventories? What benefits results from this policy? Obviously, the shelf life of perishables (cookies) keeps companies like Lew-Mark from storing big quantities of cookies in the warehouse. The longer these cookies stay in the warehouse, the lower the possibility of being sold. In reading the text, Stevenson’s goes into great detail about the Single Period Model of Inventory Management. This Model is used for ordering perishables and other items with limited useful life. It is interesting how Lew mark keeps a smaller inventory of labels. Their rationale is that the FDA label requirements change frequently and they do not wan to get stuck with labels they cannot use. Most of their inventory is ordered in small silos two or three times a week to save on ordering cost. This type of inventory control favors smaller businesses as long as they can forecast their production with accuracy. This allows Lew-mark to only buy what they use and use what they buy. If production decreases, they buy less. If production increases, they buy more. In the case of Lew-Mark Baking Company, this type of inventory control makes sense. Quality There are advantageous and disadvantages in using a non additive and non preservative approach to selling products. The advantage is that you can target a more health conscious audience to your product. With all the health disparities facing the country, you can carve out a specific audience for these types of products. On the flip side, you have to race against the clock because these non additives and non preservative shorten the life of these perishable items. In other words, your selling approach needs to be more progressive in its nature Conclusion In conclusion, the Lew-Mark Baking Company has an excellent product available to its consumers. Its pitch to sell non additive non preservative cookies targets and audience that is looking for this type of product. Because of its size, Lew-mark capitalizes in efficiency by using very tight inventory controls and production processes that keeps the company financially conscious and fiscally responsible. Its sensitivity to the community also brings morale responsibility that is noted by many members of the community and abroad. The Companies Strategy is to create a product that is desirable to the consumer and delivering that product in a way that makes the best business sense to its owners. As a consumer, I prefer quality in the form of a soft cookie. Understanding that the cookie has non and non preservatives is a plus.

Billy Elliot film text reponse Essay Example for Free

Billy Elliot film text reponse Essay Jackie Elliot is seen as a traditional man with anti feminist views. he sees that boys should be tough whilst girls should be more placid. Throughout the film Billy Elliot, the directer has created the character Jackie Elliot, a widowed father feeling the grief of the recent lose of his wife. This essay suggests that the grief could be a factor of how Jackie goes about supporting his son. The time that this film is set, is in the mid 80s. It could be that people who do not keep to the social norm are discriminated against, which is a different circumstance in todays society, where people are very unique and most people value eachothers individuality. In the town of Durham, the community has the same expectations as Jackie with gender based traditions and this may have influenced him to think this way. When Billy is taken to the boxing gym by his father, he finds out that he doesnt really like the idea of being a boxer once he steps into the ring for the first time. Billy knows his father must really want Billy to get good at this tough sport, because in this family, that is stricken with poverty; his father still manages to pay for billys lessons and does want him to achieve. they were my dads gloves, youd better take better care of them Jackie and his father were obviously unable to achieve from boxing, hes putting his last hope in Billy. Billy is aware of how his family and the community feel about boys doing ballet and has alot of courage to put their thoughts aside and just do the thing he loves. Upon finding out about Billys dancing. Jackie becomes enraged and expresses views of homophobic, Billy is determined to keep on dancing. It is not until Jackie actually sees Billy dance for the first time, that he realises that dancing might well and trully be his sons future. He sees that Billy does have talent and lowers himself into going back to work just so he can afford to take Billy to London for his audition himself. It is what mum would have wanted, throughout the film, you watch as Jackie  grieves for his dead wife, in that he hates Billy playing his mothers piano. Billy must have inherited his interest in music and dance from his mother which is probably why Jackie must have hated it at first; Billy was like his mother and it reminded Jackie of her too much. He gives into his pain by selling jewelry for his son. Jackie is most proud of his son, when at the end of the film. Billy dances out onto a big stage to perform swanlake. It takes Jackies breathe away. Overall through this film, we see Jackie, a father who does love his son. Aside from hgis traditional and antifeminist beliefs, Jackie was able to come through with great support for his son. All he wants for his son is to see him doing something he loves, even if that is dancing TEACHER COMMENTS: good, try to use lots of quotes and and examples from the film and refer back to the question throughout your essay.

Effects of Climate Change on Human Health

Effects of Climate Change on Human Health Climate change has become a hot issue lately. 21st century has to face a new crisis that could have long term effects on the world as well as on human health. Climate change becomes a hot topic now because of things that human have been doing for the last 100 years have been increasing and can change the Earth climate. If there is no preventions, climate change could happen very fast than any in the last 1000 years. Climate change in many ways. Climate changes dramatic and rapid, some the result of the impacts from comets or asteroids (New England Aquarium, 2012). But today, human activities have become the main force causing climate to change rapidly. Climate change is not only about change to the weather. It could affects the environment that people, plants, and animals depend on. This means that climate change is not affect human only but it is about plants, animal, and all the other living and non-living things such as soil, rocks, oceans, and lakes. The melting of polar ice caps shows that human being needs to be concerned about climate change. The rising of sea level could damage the land and if it is occurs without any attention to stop it, human could lose their homes. The effects of climate change that have occurred could wake the people up about the importance to preserve the Earth. Scientists believe that climate change could increase the spreading of disease. Dissemination of diseases could lead to heat-related illnesses and even death. Extreme weather such as storms, could increase the risk of high winds, dangerous flooding, and direct threats to human being and property (United State Environmental Protection Agency, 2012). The number of people facing health problems caused by climate change will rise. Climate change not only causes damage to the Earth, it could also affect human health. Climate change can lead to mental health problems and stress-related disorders, asthma, respiratory allergies and airway diseases, and foodborne diseases and malnu trition. Climate change could bring mental health problems and stress-related disorders. Mental health is a point of well-being in individual when he or she realizes his or her abilities, can work productively, can cope with the normal stresses of life, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community. In certain cases, many mental health disorders can also lead to other chronic diseases and even death. Stress- related disorders comes from abnormal responses to acute or prolonged anxiety, and included diseases such as obsessive-compulsive disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder. It is been reported that 26.2 per cent of Americans over the age of 18 suffer from a diagnosable mental health disorder in a given year, 9.5 per cent suffer from mood disorders, and 6 per cent undergo serious mental illness (Environmental Health Perspectives and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, 2010). In 2008, a boy is depressed and is admitted to the psychiatric unit at the Royal Childrens Hospital in Melbourne as he refusing to drink water because worrying about millions of people would die if he drink the water (Anthes, 2009). This situation shows that even climate change could lead to mental health problems and stress-related disorders. Some children also having terrible nightmares about global-warming-related natural disasters. Responsible persons should know their roles to prevent mental health problem on children before it is too late as they are too young to face climate change. Family members loss is also one of the cause that lead to mental health problems and stress-related disorders. Tornadoes and wildfires, floods, and droughts have caused mental suffering to people since time eternal (Ferris, 2012). Extreme events cause damage or loss of property, death or injury of loved ones, and last but not least the recovery efforts could also lead to stress. Besides, climate change also could cause asthma, respiratory allergies, and airway diseases. A group of doctors said that climate change can lead to the variety of respiratory diseases (Koebler, 2012). Asthma is a chronic disease in which the airways of the lungs become inflamed or narrowed resulting in disruptions to normal breathing pattern. Asthma has become the second main cause of other chronic diseases affecting children. Asthma affects mostly five years old children. However, the frequency of asthma is highest among adults. This disease is dangerous as it could block the airways and end in death if action is not taken fast. Climate change threatens asthma in many ways. Higher temperatures caused by climate change increase certain greenhouse gases such as ozone, sulphur dioxide, and nitric oxide. Smog caused by minute particles from smoke stack emissions and diesel exhaust particles from vehicles create danger for people with respiratory illnesses such as chronic obstructive pu lmonary disease and cystic fibrosis, as well as asthmatics (Scott, 2012). Ground level ozone which is a toxic component of smog causes asthma attacks and makes existing asthma become worse. Dust, soot, fly ash, and exhaust particles can become lodged in the lungs and also could trigger asthma attacks. Research have been made and shown that the number of hospitalisations for asthma has increases as the level of particulate matter rise (Natural Resources Defense Council, 2005). Air pollution also could lead to asthma, respiratory allergies, and airway diseases. Air pollution includes greenhouse gases that could cause global warming by trapping heat from the Sun in the Earths atmosphere. Climate change could cause foodborne diseases and malnutrition. Foodborne disease is a disease caused by consuming contaminated food or drink (MedicineNet.com, 2012). There are more than 250 known as foodborne diseases and most of them are caused by bacteria, parasites, and also viruses. Foodborne diseases spreading in many ways. First symptoms effect in gastrointestinal tract as all foodborne microbes and toxins enter the body (MedicineNet.com, 2012). High air temperature can boost cases of Salmonella and bacteria-related food poisoning as bacteria tends to grow rapidly in warm environments (United States Environmental Protection Agency, 2012). These kind of diseases are dangerous as it could cause gastrointestinal distress and death. Heavy rainfall also can spread foodborne diseases by the overflows from sewage treatment plants into fresh water sources and finally effect certain food crops with pathogen-containing feces. Other diseases related with foodborne are Campylobacter, E. C oli, and Calcivirus. Malnutrition is the insufficient, excessive or imbalanced consumption of nutrients (Medical News Today, 2010). Climate change causes insufficient in food all over the world. Depletion of nutritionals food causing many mineral deficiency among people and in certain cases it could lead to death. Poor diet could lead to a vitamin or mineral deficiency and sometimes causing in scurvy, a disease where an individual has a vitamin C deficiency (Medical News Today, 2012). Scurvy still occur although it is a very rare disease. It affects elderly people, alcoholics, or people who live on a diet devoid of fresh fruits and vegetables. Beriberi is caused by lack of vitamin B1. This disease affects the nervous system (Elizabeth Quinn, 2008). Pellagra is also a disease related to malnutrition. It is caused by a deficiency of Vitamin B3. Rickets are caused by the deficiency of vitamin D, phosphorus, or calcium in body. People who are infected with this disease suffer from fragi le bones, delayed growth, pain in bones, and muscle weakness (Elizabeth Quinn, 2008). Climate change has many consequences and effects to the Earth and to humans. Climate change can lead to mental health problems and stress-related disorders. mental health problems not only effect adult but also among children. They tend to have nightmares about global-warming-related natural disasters. Family loss also one of the causes of mental health problems and stress-related disorders. Climate change leads to asthma, respiratory allergies, and airway diseases. Asthma is dangerous as it could block the airways and will lead to death if action is not taken fast. Dust, soot, fly ash, and exhaust particles are dangerous as they become lodged in the lungs and also could trigger asthma attacks. Asthma could attack anytime and anywhere. Precautions are needed for people who already suffer from asthma. Climate change decreases the production of foods on Earth. This situation could lead to foodborne diseases and malnutrition. Foodborne disease is a disease caused by consuming contaminat ed food or drink while malnutrition is the insufficient, excessive of imbalanced consumption of nutrients. Foodborne diseases mostly caused by bacteria, parasites, and viruses. Diseases related to malnutrition are scurvy, Pellagra, and rickets. There are many ways to prevent climate change. Prevention is needed to save the Earth and secure a better place for human being. Human should walk, bike, take mass transit, or carpooling to reduce gas consumption that could lead to asthma. Recycle can saved up to 2,400 pounds of carbon dioxide each year if people recycle half of his or her household waste (Earth911.com, 2007). Replacing a compact fluorescent from a regular light bulb could saves 150 pounds of carbon dioxide each year. Turn off your television, computer, and other electronic devices when are not in use as it could save each household thousand of carbon dioxide every year. People can plant trees. Trees can absorb one tone of carbon dioxide over its lifetime. The most important way is by stay informed about the environmental issues (Earth911.com, 2007).

Essay on Food as a Control Mechanism in Handmaids Tale :: Handmaids Tale Essays

Food as a Control Mechanism in Handmaid's Tale      Food traditionally represents comfort, security, and family. We recall the traditional concept of comfort food and the large family dinners in Norman Rockwell's piece Freedom from Want. However, for many, food is also a serious, and potentially damaging, method of control. Anorexia nervosa and bulimia are classic examples of psychological syndromes, related to control, that express themselves with eating disorders. Prisoners of war are denied food as the most basic method of torture and control. Like all humans, Offred, the main character of Margaret Atwood's Handmaid's Tale, finds that food is a central and important feature of life. Food has many meanings in the novel, nourishment, fertility, and luxury; however, this paper will focus on food as a control mechanism of Gilead's government. First, page 11 in the novel introduces tokens,à ® which are the method of payment for food in Gilead. Tokens do not have any writing on them at all, only basic pictures. Here it is important to recognize that handmaids, and all respectable women, in Gilead are not allowed to read. Gilead has biblical mandate for this rule, without doubt, yet the most significant aspect of the rule is its use as a control mechanism. Women are denied the power of knowledge, and hopefully, from the government's perspective, women will eventually lose all ability to gain any knowledge that is not fed to them. We see this same idea expressed on pages 25 and 27 when Offred described the storefronts. All the stores, but specifically the food markets, no longer have written names and signs. The names of these stores are all expressed using rudimentary pictures. As an example, a wooden sign with three eggs, a bee, and a cow indicates Milk and Honey. There is further significance of the tokens mentioned above. Because handmaids must use these tokens to purchase food, they have no choice or free will regarding food at this stage. The food they pick up at the store will be based purely on the tokens that have been given to them, they will hand these tokens to a man behind the counter, and he will hand her the food. It is very simple and extremely passive. The limitation of free will using tokens is expounded upon when Offred realizes that Milk and Honey has oranges, a rare luxury. Offred is longing for one of these fruits yet cannot have it because she doesn't have a token for it (25).

emergence of the internet Essay -- essays research papers

The Internet and the emergence of the Internet news media are affecting the delivery of media content. Many argue that the traditional media is changing the way they report the news. Internet news sites are also affecting the types of stories that gain the most attention because in this day and age people want news that is entertaining. The delivery of media is changing rapidly because of the Internet and it’s easy access to it. In the world of journalism there has always been traditional rules that are followed before any information is dispersed to the public. Some of the most common rules to be followed include checking and crosschecking sources, following the standards of editing, language and grammar. The new technology of the Internet is geared toward speed, an aspect that has always been an important part of journalism, but not always the most important part. Traditional journalism sorts the good information from bad. With the invention of the Internet, information is posted immediately and sources are not always confirmed. When the radio was invented Americans were really impressed by it and how the news was available at all hours. Soon. Twenty-four hour news networks were developed and news was delivered every hour on the hour, but still that wasn’t enough for the general public. Eventually news oriented World Wide Web sites began to be created. These sites number in the thousands and continue to grow rapidly. As we speak and begin to take in the volume of information, people are developing methods to bring the news faster to people at home, in the office or on the go. In ancient times news would be broadcasted at certain hours on television with broadcasters and a weatherman. Now it seems that soon this is going to be out dated and all we need to do is click a button and right in front of your face is the latest news stories. Another traditional way news was delivered was a newspaper. Today people are realizing that it’s expensive to print and deliver a quality paper in high fidelity to your home. There is also limited space where stories can be written and advertisers are able to put in ads. The Internet is endless, space is abundant and availability is infinite. Journalists have come to realize that it’s much easier to make one page of content on the web then to have it printed up. Newspapers are willing to give up accuracy for the speed ... ...he emergence of the Internet can have its downside also. Many times you can have a problem signing on or the news site that you wanted to explore could be down or under construction. Web sites track what users do as they click from page to page which can be a disadvantage to viewing these sites. They can direct a site to provide personalized layouts, shopping carts, and search options each time you return to the site. They can alert advertisers to put specific customized ads tied to your interests on the pages you visit. That is some down falls to using the Internet, but no matter how you look at it there are down falls to everything no body is perfect. The Internet is taking over all of are lives. No matter where we look we see something that relates to the Internet. It’s taking all the old customs of news reporting and creating all new ones. The emergence of the Internet has made news reporting a lot easier and accessible for the public. The world of media is accepting that the Internet is the next step in reporting and realizing that most college students are getting the news online. News media is going to be a changing culture because of all the new ways to deliver stories.

Sentrong Sigla

â€Å"All the evidence that we have, indicates that it is reasonable to assume in practically every human being, and with certainly in almost every newborn baby, that there is an active will toward health, an impulse toward growth, or towards the actualization. † -Abraham Maslow Introduction Department of Health or the Kagawaran ng Kalusugan is the principal health agency here in the Philippines. The department is responsible for ensuring access to basic public health services to all Filipinos through the provision of quality health care and the regulation of providers of health goods and services.DOH has three major roles in the health sector: (1) leadership in health, (2) enabler and capacity builder, and (3) administrator or specific services. The DOH’s vision is to be the leader of health for all in the Philippines, and its mission is to guarantee equitable, sustainable and quality health for all Filipinos, especially the poor, and to lead the quest for excellence i n health. While pursuing its vision, DOH adheres to the highest value of work such as: integrity, excellence, compassion and respect for human dignity, commitment, professionalism, teamwork and stewardship of the health of the people.Because of the department’s dedication in guaranteeing equitable, accessible, sustainable and quality health services for all Filipinos, especially the vulnerable group, the department has formulated different programs to ensure quality health services and one of them is the Sentrong Sigla Program. Sentrong Sigla The Department of Health’s (DOH) Quality in Health (QIH) Program seeks to institutionalize Continuous Quality Improvement or CQI in health care in order to create health impact in terms of health promotion and disease prevention control.Sentrong Sigla Certification has been identified as one of the components and strategies of this program. The quality standards cover total systems quality for outpatient care and public services g raduated into three levels. This quality standards list (QSL) covers the basic certification level or Level 1. The next higher levels of specialty award and award for excellence, Levels 2 and 3 respectively have their own standards lists. Aside from the QSL, other tools available for use of the health facility staff are the Supervisory Forms (SF) and the Facility Certification Form (FCF).The Birth of Sentrong Sigla Quality Assurance Program (QAP) Goal: To make DOH and LGUs active partners in providing quality health services. Key Strategies: 1. Certification / Recognition Program (CRP) 2. Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) In 1999, QAP was renamed the Sentrong Sigla (â€Å"Center of Vitality†) Movement (SSM). Sentrong Sigla Movement Goal: Quality health – quality health care, services and facilities. Objectives: Better and more effective collaboration between DOH and LGUs.Where DOH: serves as a provider of technical and financial assistance package for health care. L GU: serves as prime developers of health systems and direct implementers of health programs. Specific Objectives: * Institutionalization of quality assurance * SS certification targeting 50 % of health facilities in 2003 and 60% in 2004. Pillars: * Quality assurance * Grants and technical assistance * Awards * Health promotions Phases: Phase| Period| Standards| I| 1998 – 2000| Input Quality | II| 2001 – 2004| Process Quality|III| 2005 – 2010| Outcome or Impact Quality| Guiding Principles for Sentrong Sigla Movement To ensure that Sentrong Sigla remains focused on its quality goals and objectives, the following guiding principles are hereby adopted: * Recognition for achieving good quality shall be the main incentive in SS certification. Advocacy and social mobilization activities should be used to enhance the value of prestige and recognition. Other incentives shall not be overemphasized and should only be secondary to recognition. * Quality improvement is an un ending process.SS certification should promote the continuing drive for ever – improving quality by providing multi – tiered and progressively higher quality standards. * SS certification shall focus on core public health programs that have been proven to be most cost – beneficial to the people such as child health, maternal care and family planning, prevention and control of infectious diseases and promotion of healthy lifestyle. Public health programs are best integrated, synergized and synchronized to achieve maximum health impact. Quality improvement is a partnership that empowers all stakeholders. In SS, communication between the DOH and the health facilities to be certified shall be open and shall be based on mutual trust and transparency. All quality standards and the methods by which these shall be assessed shall be openly shared and discussed to ensure clear understanding and strong commitment by all concerned. * In the same spirit, roles, responsibilit ies and contributions shall promote appropriate counterpart and reciprocity. To ensure even distribution of quality health services, DOH assistance shall be purposive, targeting to achieve quality improvement in health facilities that have been identified using carefully selected health priorities and health needs. These should include health facilities in far – flung and underserved areas, in congested urban centers or in marginalized communities. * To ensure objectivity and broad, varying perspectives, SS assessment shall involve partners in health from non – DOH units such as other government and non – government units agencies.They shall be encouraged to actively advocate for and give support to SS. Sentrong Sigla Certification Phase I Phase I of the certification component started in mid – 1999 and extended until 2002. Sentrong Sigla seals were given to health facilities that met at least 80% of the standards. By mid – 2002, 44% of health cent ers, 13 % of district and provincial hospitals, and 1 % of BHS have been certified Sentrong Sigla. Additional national awards were given to several health facilities, the prize for which included P 1 Million for health centers, P 3 Million for district hospitals and P 5 Million for provincial hospitals.More than 135 Million pesos have been awarded to these facilities. The Sentrong Sigla certification during the first phase was successful in terms of promoting interests and participation of local government units in raising the quality of health care in public health facilities and in generating additional support from local chief executives for health and channelling local resources to fund basic equipment, amenities and supplies of local health facilities.The strategy also confirmed that a mechanism that recognizes good quality health services is a powerful tool to maintain DOH leadership in health, with high potential for eventually creating health impact through more effective an d better quality public health programs. Valuable Lessons during Phase I * The realization of the need for total systems quality standards that combine simple yet basic input process and output standards. While the health facilities met input – only standards in Phase I, SSM itself had to be positioned as a total quality movement.Thus, consumers will equate SS with total quality. â€Å"Input only† certified health facilities would raise doubts on the SS seal as a certification of genuine total quality. Changing the standards over the years, as originally planned, was difficult to implement. Besides, The LGUs preferred a stable core of total system quality standards. * The importance of careful selection of incentives. While it is important that incentives be attractive, these should also be appropriate, sensible and sustainable.During SS Phase I, monetary rewards were too much focused. This generated unprecedented interest but distracted the LGUs away from the real qua lity objectives of SS. The quest for the million peso prize led them to skip the capability – building step which was really the most important step in the process. * The need for changing procedures to provide adequate time for crucial processes like the internalization of the quality standards by the Local Chief Executive and is local health staff, the provision of supportive technical assistance by the DOH and other quality improvement activities prior to formal assessment. There was also need to provide multiple, progressing quality standards to drive continuing quality improvement. Formulation of the Philippine Quality in Health Program and the Transition into SS Phase II In 2001, with the change of DOH administration, the effort to raise quality of health services was intensified, leading to the expansion of concern for quality beyond the DOH – LGU interaction level into the entire health sector.Other instruments and interventions that can drive quality higher, s uch as mandatory licensing and the accreditations and payment scheme of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PHIC) were included. Other efforts of professional societies were also acknowledged and incorporated, resulting in the more integrated Philippine Quality in Health Program AO No. 17 – B s. 2003, replacing the Sentrong Sigla Movement. The certification strategy of the â€Å"movement† – The Sentrong Sigla Certification – remained an important strategy in the accreditation approach of the broader Philippine QIH Program.To harness the full potential of the SS Certification in achieving its quality goals and objectives, basic modifications were adopted for SS Phase II (2003 – 2007) in terms of revised quality standards, procedures and incentives scheme. Goals: As one of the accreditation strategies in the QIH Program, Sentrong Sigla Certification has the same long term and intermediate goals as the Philippine QIH Program: Long – Te rm Goals:To institutionalize within the health sector the leadership processes, knowledge, attitudes, skills, and organizations that will generate Continuous Quality Improvement in health care thus creating health impact in terms of health promotion and disease prevention and control. This goal is a process and systems goal, fully recognizing that the quest for better quality health care and services is a continuing or unending process. This is also an expanded goal, aimed to cover the entire health sector, not only the public health or government sections of the sector. Intermediate (5 – year) Goal (2003 – 2007)To improve the quality of health care in outpatient health facilities, hospitals, and the public health services in the communities. In specific terms, this goal will be carried out by establishing specific quality criteria and by targeting (a) to raise the average quality of out – patient care, hospital care and community / public health care; and (b) t o reduce the variation around the average quality of care among these different categories of providers and services. Specific Goal: To improve the quality of outpatient health care (public and private) and of public health services in communities.For 2003 – 2007, SS will put emphasis on improving the quality of services in local government health facilities and of public health services in communities. Objectives for 2003 – 2007, Phase II Sentrong Sigla Certification has the following objectives for 2003 – 2007, Phase II: By 2007, 1. To establish an efficient systems of providing technical and other forms of assistance to outpatient health facilities, of assessing health services against established criteria, and of monitoring key indicators in the Ss certification process. 2.To progressively raise the average quality of public health services through recognition of successful attainment of quality standards: * At least 50% of health centers in the country succ essfully meet the revised SS Phase II Basic Certification (Level I) standards. * At least 20% of Level I certified health centers successfully meet SS Phase II Specialty Award (Level 2) standards for all four core public health programs (child care, maternal care / family planning, prevention and control of infectious diseases, and promotion of healthy lifestyle. 3. To raise public awareness of, public support and demand for, and client participation in SS certification of their health services and facilities. Overall Certification Process The quality standards cover total systems quality for outpatient care and public health services graduated according to the following levels: Level| Category| Description| Level 1| Basic Certification| Minimum input, process and output standards for integrated public health services for 4 core programs, facility systems, regulatory functions and basic curative services. Level 2| Specialty Award| Second level quality standards for selected public h ealth programs (includes other health programs in addition to Level 1 core programs) and facility systems. | Level 3| Award for Excellence| Highest level quality standards for maintaining Level 2 standards for the 4 core public health programs and Level 2 facility systems for at least 3 consecutive years. | All the local health centers and rural health units are qualified to apply for Level I certification. Only those that passed the Level I can go to Level 2; only those that passed the Level 2 can proceed to Level 3.The certification process starts with participatory self – assessment at the local health facility level assisted by the DOH Representative to the area. Then, for a period of about 3 – 6 months, depending on the deficiencies noted, the local health facility will have to improve its systems and services to meet the quality standards for the appropriate level. DOH Representatives and other regional technical staff shall assist the LGU in this transformation process, providing appropriate technical packages and other assistance as needed.Multi – sector Regional SS Assessment Teams that have been trained and certified as assessors shall conduct formal assessments using the appropriate Facility Certification Form. These teams will then recommend the certification of health facilities that successfully meet the standards criteria. Major Steps for SS Certification Step 1: Orientation and invitation. Step 2: Self – assessment by LGU. Step 3: Provision of technical assistance. Step 4: Formal assessment for Level 1, Basic Certification.Step 5: Maintenance of Level 1; working for Level 2 certification. Step 6: Formal assessment for Level 2 certification. Step 7: maintenance of Levels 1 and 2; working for Level 3 certification. Step 8: Formal assessment for Level 3 certification. Step 9: Maintenance of Level 1, 2, and 3 | The above strategy is designed to promote the continuing progression of health facilities towards higher qualit y levels. The pace of progress towards higher levels depends on the motivation of the health facilities.However, should health facilities not actively apply for certification into the next higher levels after 2 years, renewal of their SS certification status would be validated by Regional Assessors every 2 years. The following is the recognition scheme: Level| Recognition| Level 1Basic SS Certificate | SS seal, individual recognition| Level 2Specialty Award| Specialty banner, individual recognition, others| Level 3Award for Excellence| SS trophy, individual recognition, media exposure, others| Levels 1 and 2 recognition shall be conferred by the DOH through its CHDs.Recognition for Level 3 Award of Excellence shall be given at the national level. Matching grants shall be a mechanism to provide assistance to LGUs to achieve basic SS Certification and to continue to attain higher levels of quality. Region – specific procedures to assess needs and motivation shall guide prioriti zation of such grants. Facilities that did not progress into higher level certification after 2 years, but maintained their current certification status based on Regional validation, shall be given stickers confirming the renewal of the validity of their SS status.Validation shall be done every 2 years. There shall be no other incentives for mere renewal of SS status. Grants for technical assistance towards attaining higher level quality, however, may still be granted by the respective CHDs based on thorough assessment of the needs and the commitment of the health facility. The SS Certification Flow Chart Procedures 1. 0. Technical Assistance 2. 1. Self – assessment and planning This process is participatory involving all key staff of the health facility, other units of the local government and the local executive.The DOH Representative to the area is the primary technical assistant of the DOH. He / She shall ensure that the LGU has all the necessary documents and materials n eeded for the certification and that all key LGU staff understands the standards and processes involved. The DOH Rep shall either provide actual technical inputs or tap other regional resource person and technical services to assist his / her LGU. Based on the QSL, The LGU, assisted by their DOH Rep, shall conduct a system and services analysis and shall formulate a plan, synchronized with the DOH Rep‘s assistance plan, to achieve the standards in the QSL. . 2. Designing and providing technical package Based on the improvement plan, the DOH Rep shall provide the technical inputs and packages. 2. 3. Systems improvement Improving the quality of systems, such as logistics and information systems, are better facilitated through field exposure in facilities that demonstrate model systems or by bringing in resource persons knowledgeable in systems analysis and systems improvements. These special arrangements are possible through the DOH Rep and regional TA teams. 2. 0. Assessment 3. 4.Quality Standards for SS Phase II Level 1 (Basic Certification) The 78 SS Phase II Level 1 standards are organized into 4 sections: integrated public health programs, facility systems, regulatory functions, and basic curative services. Integrated Public Health Programs. Only four â€Å"core† public health programs are currently included in Level 1 Basic Certification in order to focus the services on the most crucial public health priorities in child health, maternal health and family planning, prevention and control of infectious diseases especially tuberculosis, and the promotion of healthy lifestyle.Integration is stressed to emphasize the need to combine similar and related interventions, such as child targeted programs like EPI, CDD – ARI, nutrition and others, infection prevention and control interventions, maternal care and family planning, and healthy lifestyle approaches. Integration is achieved by ensuring that facility – based services are reinforc ed by well – planned and well – coordinated, synergistic home – and community – based activities. The synthesized protocols emphasized â€Å"proven† interventions, excluding experimental interventions not yet proven to be cost – beneficial or effective such as the syndromic approach to STD.Note that for Level 1, the program selected is maternal care and family planning, not Women’s Health. This is because there are many developmental and experimental areas in the expanded field. Women’s Health and other programs not in Level 1 Basic Certification are to be included in Level 2 SS. Facility Systems. These standards include systems and services that cut across various programs and support all health facility services. These include planning and budgeting, human resources development, management and health information systems, logistics system, referral system and community systems.Regulatory Functions. Regulatory functions include two aspects: compliance of the health staff with health laws and the performance of the responsibilities of the local health staff in the enforcement of these health laws. Basic Curative Services. The standards refer to routine history – taking, physical and laboratory examination, and systematic assessment of these signs and symptoms. 3. 5. Quality Standards for Level 2 and 3 ideas and direction These standards are still being developed.The concept for Level 2 Specialty certification is to define program – centered higher level quality standards for selected programs. The programs include the four core public health services in Level 1 and other programs that include developmental components, for instance women’s health or reproductive health. Level 2 standards would also include higher quality systems standards. Level 3 standards would be very much like Level 2 standards with emphasis on maintenance of these high quality service levels. 3. 6. Tools for Measur ing SS Quality StandardsAs in any certification process, accurate measurement of the attainment of the quality standards is difficult. The methods of measurement used in SS include direct observation, records reviewand interview of health staff and clients. Of the total 78 standards in the QSL, 53 shall be measured using the Facility Certification Form (FCF). The rest are measured by suing the Supervisory Form, which in turn is also verified through the FCF. Facility Certification Form. The measurement methods include mostly simple direct observation, short review of records and short interviews with either staff or clients.Supervisory Form. These are taught to the health facility supervisors, mainly the nurses or physicians. The methods included in the SF are the lengthy and more highly technical observations of actual patient care, the more thorough review and analysis of records, and the more detailed interview of staff or clients. The records of the supervisory activities, in tu rn, are those assessed by the SS Assessor. 3. 7. Scoring The scoring system puts more weight on the integrated public health services and facility systems. The â€Å"must have† standards are those listed in the FCF. Nice to have† standards are either in the supervisory form or in the discretionary list for SS assessors. 3. 8. Training and certification of assessors To prevent bias and too wide variation of judgement between assessors, only duly trained assessors will be certified to conduct assessments. Assessor Field Supervisors recruit, train and recommend certification / renewal of certification of assessors in the field teams under them. Advocacy, IEC, and Social Mobilization The table below is the media communication plan for SS listing the basic messages and target groups.National advocacy activities will focus on wide tri – media popularization of the SS seal and its symbol. Regional advocacy will focus on raising the commitments of local executives to SS and the awareness and demand for quality services among the communities. Target Audience| Messages| Scope: Media| General public(including politicians) | What is SS? What is the SS seal? What are the SS standards? What facilities have to meet these standards? What are the general benefits of having SS certified health facilities?What can you do to demand for SS certification or help / support the program? | Nationwide: multi – media| Health staff(LGU, DOH, private health sector)| Reinforce the value of quality in health care. What are the updates on SS? (revisions, etc. )What are the specific benefits of being an SS certified facility? Using the revised SS certification processes, how can the health facility become SS? What are the specific and relevant guidelines for LGU action? | By region & LGU: sales conferences, symposia, meetings, handouts, manuals. | Monitoring, Research and EvaluationThe quality level of each health facility, including the deficiencies of those not ye t SS certified, are monitored to detect the increasing average quality level and the needs for assistance. Research is used to develop improved quality standards program components and training packages and top evaluate the SS achievements. Organization and Functions The National Sentrong Sigla Certification Committee (National SSC Committee) sewrves as the multi – sector body that oversees policy recommendations and coordinates the various activities of SS.This committee also assesses the performance of the various subcommittees and DOH units involved in the implementation of the strategy. The subcommittees of the National SSC Committee with their respective functions are as follows: * Sub – Committee on Standards and Procedures 1. Develops and recommends standards and procedures for Sentrong Sigla certification, as well as basic messages to various stakeholders, through multi – sector consultation and pilot – testing and taking into consideration other quality initiatives and accreditation programs of other agencies in the country. 2.Develops and disseminates guidelines on SS implementation to DOH staff at all levels. 3. Coordinates training of various stakeholders on standards, procedures and basic messages. 4. Performs other functions as relevant to the development and dissemination of standards and procedures in SS. * Sub – Committee on Technical Assistance and Monitoring Assists the DOH Regional Offices / CHDs in the following functions: 1. Dissemination of SS standards, procedures, guidelines, and basic messages to the other members of the health sector such as the local government units (LGUs) and private practitioners, among others. 2.Development of training assistance packages, systems and tools that will facilitate the attainment of SS standards. 3. Coordination of various sectors involved in the SS quality assessment of health facilities. 4. Development of monitoring tools and performance indicators and analysis o f the SS results of the database for all health care facilities (certified and not yet certified). 5. Monitoring of the achievement of identified SS program indicators of performance. 6. Identification and coordination of grants and projects that will facilitate the SS certification of target health facilities and systems in the country. . Other functions necessary to assist the LGUs and other members of the health sector in attaining SS quality standards. * Sub – Committee on Advocacy and Awards 1. Designs and recommends revised, graduated incentives scheme that puts emphasis on excellence rather than monetary incentives. 2. Identifies and mobilizes funds and partners in order to deliver these incentives. 3. Develops projects to facilitate SS certification of target health facilities and systems and performs the necessary processes to get these projects approved and implemented efficiently. 4.Advocates for multi – sector participation in the SS program based on the ba sic messages developed by the Standards and Procedures Sub – Committee with emphasis on the quality improvement benefits to different sectors involved. 5. Performs other functions necessary to make the SS incentives focused on the excellence and to sustain interest and participation in the certification strategy. Functions of the DOH Regional Offices / CHDs in SS Certification In addition to the technical assistance functions mentioned under the Sub – Committee on Technical Assistance and Monitoring, the DOH Regional Offices shall: 1.Organize Regional SS Assessment Teams and SS Technical Assistance Team. 2. Advocate for SS certification within their respective regions. 3. Identify and mobilize resources and partners to help enhance the attractiveness of the SS incentives scheme without putting too much emphasis on monetary or material rewards. 4. Develop regional projects that will promote and facilitate SS certification and active partnership. 5. Perform other functio ns as necessary to implement SS certification and quality improvement activities within the health sector.National Structure for Sentrong Sigla Certification Regional Structure for SS Certification Financing SS activities are funded from multiple sources. The BLHD provides funds for SS national operations, including national advocacy and the activities of the National SSC Committee. Regional Health Offices provide the funds for regional operations including regional advocacy, matching grants and other rewards such as the SS seals, certificates and trophies. BLHD may augment the funds of regions that seek financial assistance.BLHD, in coordination with DOH financing units, monitors selected financial indicators for SS certification such as funds allocated and disbursed at all levels, including counterpart funds from LGUs. Future Directions SS Certification is expected to further develop in many directions. The quality standards are expected to reflect higher levels of quality and oth er changes through the years. Assessors and TAs will have to be retained as these changes are incorporated. New programs and new or revised protocols may be added in the â€Å"core† list. Future standards may be developed to cover other units in the LGU and the community.Within 2007, initiatives shall include preparations for expansion of the coverage of SS certification into private outpatient health facilities and the development of Level 2 and 3 standards. In the future, it is also expected that the Licensing requirements would eventually absorb the â€Å"safety† standards currently in SS. PHIC – developed standards for hospital services are expected to become the SS standards for hospitals. Definition of Terms 1. Quality – degree of excellence or desirability of a product, usually measured in relation to conformity with given standard. 2. QualityControl (QC) – set of functions designed to insure quality in manufactured products by relying on pe riodic inspection of finished products, analysis of results of inspection to determine causes of defects and systematic removal of such causes. 3. Quality Assurance (QA) – set of functions designed to insure quality in manufactured products by preventive or pre – emptive removal of potential sources of defects through constant improvement of production technology, engineering design, materials, processes, equipment and workmanship. 4. Quality Management (QM) – the organization – wide pursuit of quality. . Quality Improvement (QI) – the broad all – encompassing generic term for processes involve in the continuing pursuit to improve quality. 6. Performance Improvement – a type of QI focused on the systematic and continuing improvement of organizational performance in order to achieve total quality. 7. Total Quality Management (TQM) – the pursuit of quality that involves not just the production organization but also its clients an d customers, suppliers and sub – contractors, competitors and oversight agencies in the market, and all other stakeholders in the community. 8.Total Quality – the ultimate goal in improvement which involves doing the right thing right the first time and all the time while meeting the needs of internal and external stakeholders and customers. 9. 1998 Quality Assurance Program – refers to DOH quality program formulated in 1998 that is focused on improving the DOH – LGU partnership to provide quality health services. The QAP started the certification and recognition strategy for improving health services in health centers, rural health units and baranggay health stations. The Sentrong Sigla Movement replaced the QAP. 10.Sentrong Sigla Movement – the term used in 1999 to refer to the 1998 QAP. The SSM is essentially the same as the 1998 QAP, with some minor revisions like the inclusion of local hospitals in the certification and the listing of 4 pillar s to support the process. This term was also used to refer to other quality – related concepts such as the quality improvement philosophy, the multi – sector nature of CQI, and the value changes in CQI. The Philippine QIH Program replaced the SSM. 11. QIH Program – refers to the Philippine Quality in Health Program, the current quality improvement program (AO 17 – B s. 003) that replaced the QAP and the SSM. The QIH has expanded the scope of the quality initiatives to involve the entire health sector, not only the DOH and the LGU services, and now includes the licensing and other efforts such as accreditation by PHIC or other professional societies in its strategies. 12. Sentrong Sigla Certification – refers to the strategy of assessing health facilities against established health services criteria and recognizing those that successfully meet the criteria. The certification process is expected to lead to changes in the health facility when they str ive to meet the criteria. 13.SS Quality Standards List (QSL) – the list of basic SS criteria to be met by health facilities. In SS Phase II, the QSL for Level 1 certification includes input, process and output criteria. 14. SS Facility Certification Form (FCF) – the form that is used in the formal assessment of health facilities. The FCF contains standards that will be measured by the SS Assessor and the method by which these will be measured. It also works as the scoring sheet. 15. Supervisory Form (SF) – the form used by the health facility supervisor (the nurse or the physician) in assessing the capability of his / her health staff, usually midwives.This contains the standards that are measured mostly through direct observation of provider – client interactions and in depth review and analysis of records. 16. Inputs – the resources needed to provide care or services such as staff, equipment and supplies. 17. Processes – a series of activi ties or tasks. 18. Outcomes – the result of the processes. Conclusion In 2001, according to the World Bank, â€Å"The quality of service varies between different types of health facilities with the facilities providing better quality of service to be more heavily utilized by the individuals from the higher income groups.Public health facilities such as the rural health units and barangay health stations are generally perceived to provide low quality health services. Few have emphasized the quality of services and most systematic efforts to improve based on findings about the delivery process have been limited to health facilities with adequate resources. † Everybody deserves to receive quality health care. Whether you came from the poorest of the poor or the richest of the rich, there should be a same level of quality care. Sadly, here in the Philippines, the quality of health care services and management system has been widely deficient.With this in mind, quality impr ovement in health system needs to be organized systematically to bring about genuine health systems reform. We should change the general perception that the Philippines have fragmented planning, funding, and management of the quality initiatives. And in order to achieve this – thus achieving quality health care – there should be coordination and collaboration between the government, NGOs, and the community. And it shouldn’t stop there. In order to achieve excellence in health services, it should be remembered that the quest for quality health care is continuous.Honestly, I’m not really aware what Sentrong Sigla Movement is. I don’t know what it is for, how was it being implemented, etc. Because of the limited knowledge I have, and the lack of information and resources, I have decided to visit DOH and ask for information. I have learned that the Sentrong Sigla Movement has been stopped in the year 2007, and only reached the Level 2 where trainings h ave been conducted but there was no implementation. It is stopped because of the PHIC Bench Book, where it is just the same as the Sentrong Sigla Movement, because the DOH also included most of the inputs in the said proposal.Unfortunately, it is still not being implemented, thought it has been revised and just waiting for the sign and review of the Secretary of DOH. I guess, the lack of funds has a major impact why an important program such as Sentrong Sigla was being stopped. But I am sure that there will be always a quest for excellence in providing health care services. I wish that there will come a time that it will not matter if you’re in a public or private hospital for they are providing same quality care.Nevertheless, we should remember that the success of quality initiatives lies in producing change the way people and organization work rather than concentrating standards and measurement alone. Bibliography * Cuevas, F. P. , Reyala, J. , Borja, V. , Serafica, L. , Ma nlangit, C. , Mendoza, M. T. , Ramos, L. , Ruzol, C. , Soliman, R. , Aricheta, J. , Garfin, A. M. C. , Niola, R. , Bocobo, M. , Hipolito, H. (2007). Public Health Nursing in the Philippines 10th Edition. * http://www. doh. gov. ph/sentrong_sigla

The Breville Juicer

If you are looking to shop for a quality juicer and are having problem deciding between Jack Lalanne Juicers and Breville Juicers, it’s best to try a side by side comparison, which I have done for you. Breville Juice Fountain Plus with 2 speeds is the way to go. It's better at producing juice large amounts of juice, it’s a centrifical process of extraction instead of a masticating process and cleanup is a snap. I have used a Jack Lalanne Power Juicer Pro for a year and a half. I used it for greens and fruit and it worked well but I noticed a lot of pulp which was fairly â€Å"wet†, and some of the pieces that I put in the juicer ended up whole in the pulp container. Since I juice so often I decided to try a Breville Juicer-Fountain Ellite. What a difference one product can make. Not only is the Breville juicer faster but it has two speeds-lower for softer fruits and veggies and high speed for harder. I like the speed of the juicer because I am always on the go and don't have the patience for a masticating juicer. Masticating juicers may extract more and the juice may preserve longer-but I would be pulling my pulling my hair out if I had to wait around too long. This juicer works perfectly for me, plus I drink my juice right away. I did quite a bit of research before buying this juicer, I needed something that would be able to stand up to constant use and a machine that would get as much juice as possible from the produce. For the most part, this machine does just that. Depending on what I'm juicing I've found though that for the best results I have to take it apart and scrub the filter down a bit so that the juice can filter into the pitcher. I mostly do kale, celery, apples, limes, carrots, and cucumbers and all of it goes through the juicer really smoothly. The Breville Juice Fountain Plus is an excellent juicer with a powerful enough motor to negotiate a large variety of fruits and vegetables. Whether you’re juicing soft fruits, hard vegetables, or leafy greens, this juicer will perform well and produce numerous gallons of fresh, nutritious juice for your entire family. I noticed that most pulp is drier with this juicer in comparison with the Jack Lalanne juicer. I also noticed that even though both juicers assemble and come apart easily the Breville juicer parts fit together better, and clean quicker. There are only six parts that need cleaning, and if you clean them immediately after juicing, cleanup takes about three to five minutes. It’s important not to let the material dry on any component, especially the filter assembly. The pitcher that comes with the juicer is plastic but it fits around the spout nicely and so does the lid. The pulp catcher fits more securely with this unit than with the Jack Lalanne juicer. One thing I will say with this juicer that some might perceive as a negative-once you put the fruit or vegetables in the juicer you better quickly put your hand over the top of the opening or quickly put the pusher in because the blades spin so fast small parts of the fruits and vegetables might come out the opening. I really enjoy my Breville Juicer and I highly recommend it for personality types like mine-those of us who like our juice but don't have the patience to wait for a masticating juicer.

National economic policy

On the issue of the global war on terror there are various effects which come along with the paying for the long-term war on terror. The huge amounts spent on this kind of war are spent through the government, through the private and other indirect means in the economy and these costs will need to be paid in the years to come.The policy or programs recommended addressing the likely effects of paying for the war on terrorWorld trade organization The world trade organization as an international organization promotes liberalization by encouraging all the nations to lower their existing trade barriers. In addressing the issue of the global war on terror the world trade organization has a mechanism by which it settles and also resolves various disputes without the result of any costly trade wars. Since the United States is a member of the world trade organization the country’s markets have been liberalized (William D. Orpheus 2002)Social securityThe social security program is highl y recommended in addressing the likely effects of war on terror. This ensures that the country has provided its citizens with the security that is needed against the attacks from the country’s enemies. Through the social security program the American citizens are given internal as well as the external security and they are also made to feel very safe in their own country.This is achieved by the continual; manning of the country’s entry points such as the airports and the sea. Ports. On the other hand there is lot of surveillance in the country and this prevents any possible attacks from the terrorists. The social security fund similarly ensures that the social welfare of the country’s citizen is well catered for and the citizens are well aware of their social security in terms of their social welfare. (U.S. Department of Justice 2002)Medicare and Medicaid spendingThe Medicare and also the medic aid spending are also recommended in addressing the likely effects o f paying for the long term war on terror. This provides the soldiers and also those who are involved in the war on terrorism a cover on their medical spending.The long-term financial strategy and the unique fiscal challenges of paying for the long term war on terrorThe American national security highly depends on the country’s financial security. There has been a revolutionary war debt in America and this and this has been a very huge threat to the nation’s creditworthiness and also its very existence. There has been an establishment of various financial principles in order to further secure the country. The country has been borrowing a lot so that it can pay for the war in Iraq as well as the short sighted tax cuts in the face of the long term war on terror which has been running against the American tradition thus placing the country into a security peril. (Daniel McGinnis with Suzanne Smalley 2003)This has led the American government to further realign its economic policies on the country’s taxes, the social security, Medicare, and also the country’s oil dependency so as to safeguard the American liberty as well as its future. The need to pay for the war on terror in America has driven the country to a financial innovation the American common duties for instance have often fallen off with the existing hostilities and this has further led to the increased reliance on the consumption and also the excise taxes.This has highly cut the civilians demand and freeing up the war resources but it has been very burdensome on the poor Americans. On the other hand the taxes on the businesses in America and also the wealthy people are very popular however they do not this do not reduce the consumption in the country and they also discourage an energetic investment in the country’s war industries. If it is broad based the financial debt can cement the support on the war but if it is not then it could lead to a class of creditors who have excessive political power.The shortsighted fiscal policyThe forging of the American fiscal policy has not been very simple since most of the American president’s have been frequently facing the congressional resistance to the country’s massive tax and its borrowing requests on several occasions. It has been found that the fiscal policy can not be only about the raising of very huge sums of money even though this is very important for the country as it addresses the issue of war on terror. But the fiscal policy could also be about finding several ways in resolving the country’s internal differences so as to unite the country behind the war effort as well as maximizing the productive output in the country’s economy.The American fiscal policy is short sighted since it is viewed by large portions of the country’s populations as unfair since the methods employed by the political leaders for securing funds for the war are also not fair. This will howeve r make the efforts for the support for the war to greatly suffer. On the other hand the methods used to raise money for the war on terror have weakened the country’s economy and also the country’s foundation of the military power.America has been faced with a major challenge of financing the war on terrorism since the long war has been fought is being fought in parallel with the ground wars which are prolonged in Iraq and also Afghanistan. The fiscal policy will limit and also prevent the government’s ability to pay for the threats of the catastrophic attacks from the country’s unknown enemies. This is because the policy has led to the elimination, postponement or even the reduction of funding for the low priority domestic projects so that there can be room for the high priority military spending in the budget.How to successfully prosecute the global war on terror while at the same time meeting the growing cost of retirement and the healthcare benefitsThe American leaders can successfully prosecute the global war on terror while at the same time meet the growing cost of the population’s retirements and the healthcare benefits of all the Americans. This could be achieved by finding ways which meet the crucial security needs while at the same time addressing the country’s healthcare costs of the aging population and the escalating retirement benefits.The country’s administration should adapt a long-term fiscal strategy which will allow for such needs to be met. The country’s budget on the other hand should encompass and also as set aside some amounts of money which will cater for the social security demands, together with the healthcare benefits and the growing costs of retirement for the aging population in America. Similarly the strategy should include more thorough prioritization on the allocation of the country’s resources.This will allow the curbing of the non essential spending in the country. On the other hand there should be a tax policy which will help in the avoidance of the country’s chronic deficits. Similarly the American government should adapt fiscal policies and strategies which will match the payouts in the prerogative programs at a closer look to the money which is flowing into the country. (Robert D. Hormat. 2007)The country should also reduce its dependence on the on the foreign capitals as this aggravate s the financial threat which is facing America as a nation. So that there could be a successful prosecution on both the war on terrorism and at the same time meeting the growing cost of retirement and the healthcare benefits the fiscal policy should be consistent and not in any way undermine the American national security.Reference:William D. Orpheus (2002): Iraq, The Economic Consequences of the War.   New YorkReview of Books, December 5,U.S. Department of Justice. (2002):   Explanation of the Process for Computing Presumed Economic Loss. Retrie ved fromAccessed on 12th December 2007Daniel McGinnis with Suzanne Smalley (2003): Now Families Face the Cost of War.Newsweek, April 21, 2003, p. 11..Robert D. Hormat. (2007): The Price of Liberty: Paying for Americas Wars. Published by Henry and Holt Company

It Is Difficult to Remain a Strong Sense of Identity in Our Society

English Speech Hi I'm Maddy and I'm here today to explain why I think that it IS difficult to maintain a strong sense of individual identity in our society. It’s quite often very difficult to maintain a strong sense of your individual identity in this society, it’s a natural instinct for most people to want to feel acceptance into society. We all feel the need to change and leave the parts of us that make us who we are to conform to people’s expectations. Society has become a crucial influence on who we are and how we are perceived.We can never truly be our selves because of the constant fear criticism and judgement that comes with it. Everyone has something about them that makes them who they are but they feel they need to hide it from people because they fear of rejection and embarrassment. This fear can sometimes make us change how we act around certain people and we can end up forgetting who we are. In the book growing up Asian in Australia there is a story i n there about a young boy named Sunil. He tried to change his to Neil because it’s a more westernized name and he thinks it would make him fit in better.This is not the case. Changing your name won’t change who you are as a person and personally I actually like the name Sunil better than Neil anyway. Sure changing your name might stop some of the teasing but sooner or later you will realise that you don’t have to change who you are to gain friends. As Gandhi once said â€Å"The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others. † I think this relates to Sunil’s’ story because he ends up realising that he doesn’t need to change his name to be accepted.In the song ‘This is who I am† by Vanessa Amorosi it says â€Å"Well it's alright to be myself Now I've Learned To Stand, Well it’s OK to be just who I am I've spent years really hating me longing to be friends Now I hope that you can understand, t his Is Who I Am†. I think these lyrics are really powerful and help explain the topic that I’ve chosen to talk about. She explains that it took her years to realise who she was and that she was now okay to show everyone who she really is. I know from personal experience how hard it is to be yourself in this world.We get judged on every little thing we do, how we dress, what we say, how we present ourselves; absolutely everything. Sometimes we speak differently or dress differently to impress the people that shouldn’t matter to us, because if we have to spend hours in front of the mirror trying to change our appearance and who we usually are then these people aren’t worth our time. It’s so common in this day and age to marry someone for their looks or their wealth when really that shouldn’t matter. They should fall in love with their personality, that’s what matters the most.I think this is what makes us confused about who we are becaus e we change so often around different people that it’s so hard to maintain our own identity. This isn’t always a bad thing; sometimes losing our identity is actually good for us. It can make us open our eyes and see who our true friends are. It can make you see things from a different perspective and make you realise that life’s not about trying to impress people, it’s about accepting yourself and being whoever you want to be. In conclusion I believe that it IS hard to maintain our identity with today’s society but when we learn to accept ourselves, hopefully others will too.