BRAC Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

BRAC - Essay Example The report examines the diverse innovative strategies employed by BRAC to reach out at the very poor in segregated regions of the country. The various diverse methods include TUP, STUP, and IGVGD all aimed at ensuring the ‘ultra poor’ people benefit from its programs. The report explores the various diverse programmes from Asia to Africa including education, health services, agricultural and other commercial enterprises. The report also traces the backward and forward linkages employed by BRAC to enhance the potency of its programs. The issue of gender targeting is also scrutinised and outlined in the report: why BRAC and other MFIs deliberately target women. The report extensively evaluates the impact of gender targeting, its effectiveness and negative attributes. Lastly, the report outlines the wider impacts of BRAC and other MFIs particularly on poverty alleviation, women rights awareness, and public health alleviation using empirical data gathered by the MFIs in the field. Microfinance is the concept of providing financial services to the poor and microcredit through small loans to these people who normally lack assets used as collateral. Microfinance is however not confined to credit services alone but also support services including technical assistance, training and other facilities. Microfinance programs have been identified as one of the key approaches that can be used to assist in poverty eradication mostly in developing countries targeting those deemed un-bankable by the mainstream commercial banks. These marginalised groups are usually found in the desperately poor rural households or city slums, many lacking even the basic asset of own land or other viable assets (Arun et al, 2009). One country that has perfected this concept is Bangladesh where over 1,000 non-governmental organisations (NGOs) provide this valuable service to the rural poor. Among them, the most

Data flow diagram Essay Example for Free

Data flow diagram Essay Current state of Technology, statement of the major and minor problems, general and specific objectives, scope and limitation are introduced and discussed in this documentation’s chapter 1. Theoretical framework is stated in chapter 2. This chapter 2 is where methodologies including references and models used in developing Sales and Inventory System are discussed. Essential discussion and introduction for Prosight Eyecare Provider Sales and Inventory System are stated in chapter 3, as well as the diagram needed in developing effective and normalized database and the system itself. Eyecare Provider Inventory and Sales System is an inventory system and Sales System that small business transaction . This is to handle sales, purchasing and inventory management. It helps to organize customer purchase order, By using this, Prosight Eyecare Provider Inventory and Sales System, business can helps for less effort. It offers faster and quicker inventory management that counts the movement of stocks for all the accounts and transaction made. 1.2 Statement of the Problem. Develop module to return products include replacement for returned items automatically. To develop modules to void item need administrator for reduce to purchase an item. To develop modules to purchase item need type a product code for include a purchase order and it computes as well. To develop modules to received a purchase products for show of all purchase every invoice. Scope and Limitation The system is all about Prosight Eyecare Provider Sales and Inventory System. The scopes of the system are the following: Tracking of purchase order, receiving purchase order and return of products to supplier. All transaction will be recorded. Reports needed for the inventory can also be generated by the system. The system is capable of tracking and monitoring of stocks. Inventory will be automatically calculated for every transaction that may affect the inventory. Reorder point is also generated by the system. Purchase item it will be automatic put the inventory records The systems’ functionality will only be limited for the sales and inventory of Prosight Eyecare Provider. Accounting system of the business is not included in the system.

Food Safety Modernization Act and Puerto Rico

Food Safety Modernization Act and Puerto Rico Research Paper Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA): An Assessment of Puerto Ricos Food Industry Readiness and Preparedness Abstract Preliminary Idea The successful development and implementation of compliance policies and activities in the food industry could be directly associated with the access to information and understanding of the law. Discussions and information found in the literature about the impact of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) implementation has been mainly conducted within the United States. However, limited information is available about the impact of this new law in one of the U.S. territories, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. On this research study FDA Official Inspected Establishments in Puerto Rico were questioned about their readiness and preparedness for FSMA using an on-line survey tool. The purpose of this research is to obtain information that can allow to evaluated if the lack of access to FSMA information and language barriers have a direct effect that limits the readiness and preparedness of the FSMA implementation in Puerto Rico. In progress: include results and conclusion headings/sections Chapter I: Introduction Introduction FSMA implementation represents a big challenge that urges food manufacturers to revise their food safety systems and make decisions about resource allocation to reduce food safety risks in their operations. This new law had been building with several years of high-profile food recalls, foodborne illness outbreak, and consumers advisories (3). Discussions and information found in the literature about the impact of the implementation of FSMA has been mainly conducted within the United States. However, limited information is available about the impact of this new law on the food industry in other U.S. territories. On this research study the information collected allow to examine the readiness and preparedness on FSMA in one of the U.S. territories, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. The island of Puerto Rico is part of the Greater Antilles and since 1898 has been part of the United States (1). This unique status requires that food manufacturers in Puerto Rico comply with all federal regulations that cover the food industry (2). It is important to understand that the challenges faced by food manufacturers in Puerto Rico are not different from their counterparts in the United States. FDA Commissioner Margaret A. Hamburg stated that FSMA calls for the strengthening of existing collaboration among all food safety agencies whether they are Federal, state, local, territorial, tribal, or foreign. Building and leveraging the capacity of these food safety partners is how we can have a well-integrated, national food safety system that is as effective and efficient as it can be (12) (13). In order to achieve these statements it is imperative to collect information, actually not available, about food manufactures readiness and preparedness in Puerto Rico for the implementation of the different requirements established on FSMA. This task represents a big challenge; specific topics about the requirements of the FSMA law are outside the scope of this research study. Taking this limitation in consideration, two research questions are intended to be covered by this study. Is the lack of access to FSMA information limiting readiness of food manufacturers in Puerto Rico? Is the lack of understanding due to language barriers among food manufacturers limiting FSMA preparedness? The participants were defined using the FDA Official Inventory Establishment (OIE) list of food manufacturers in Puerto Rico (Appendix 1). An online survey was used as the instrument to obtain information. The survey questionnaire was distributed among the participants by e-mail and descriptive statistics was used to summarize and analyze the data obtained from the survey. Findings, recommendations and future directions will be discussed to learn more about the food manufacturing industry in Puerto Rico. FSMA Rule Requirements The Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) is the most significant amendment of United States food law since passage of the 1938 Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (3). It will impact all domestic and imported food products that are not under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA-FSIS). FSMA was signed into law on January 4, 2011 and since then food manufacturers have been called upon to start preparing their companies to be in compliance with the new law requirements. FDA identified five key elements where its authority was enhanced. The first element is focusing on preventing food borne illness by requiring mandatory preventive controls, Hazard Analysis Risk Preventive Controls (HARPC), for food facilities and mandatory produce safety standards, and also giving the authority to prevent intentional adulteration. The difference from the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) approach is that HARPC is slightly broader requiring identification and controls of hazards generally, not just critical control points (3). The second is by providing the ability to increase FDA inspection frequency based on risk; high-risk facilities will be identified. Third, ability to respond to problems when emerge including authority to conduct mandatory recall for all products, authority to detain products that are in violation, and by suspending facilitys registration. Before, FDA was required to have credible evidence or information than an article of foo d presents a threat of serious adverse health consequences or death to humans or animals with FSMA FDA have the authority to detain an article if the agency has reason to believe that the article of food is adulterated or misbranded (3). The fourth element identified is new requirements for imported products by requiring importers to verify their foreign suppliers have adequate preventive controls. The last element considered is the enhanced of partnerships between FDA by improving training of state, local, and tribal food safety officials (25). In addition, FDA will enhance the partnerships with other food agencies and private entities (24). The FDA is responsible for more than 50 regulations, guidelines, and studies under FSMA, this included seven foundational rules required to fully implement it (See table 1) (25). Among the 7 different rules included in FSMA the well-known part 110 that covers Current Good Manufacturing Practices was removed and replaced it. Now part 117 will covers Good Manufacturing Practice and Hazard Analysis and Risk Controls for Human food and for Growing, Harvesting, Packing and Holdings of Produce for Human Consumption. In addition, it is expected by law that all high-risk domestic firms after the law enactment be inspected in a period of five years and no less than every three years thereafter (3). The FSMA legislations purpose is to renovate the existing approach to food safety by enabling stakeholders to concentrate on preventive controls rather than simply reacting to food safety events (4). Legislative requirements of FSMA can be challenging, especially for small food facilities affected by the regulations immediately or in the near future (4). The new recordkeeping requirements will be science-based and based on the know safety risk of a particular food, including the history and severity of outbreak, and factors related with the likelihood on foodborne illnesses (3). Small and very small plants do not have robust programs in place when compared with larger plants. Historically, small businesses have not had extensive experience with prevalent food safety management systems and standards such as ISO 22000: 2005, SQF code (Safe Quality Food Institute), GFSI guidelines (Global Food Safety Initiative) or HACCP (4). Programs that in most cases larger plants are more familiariz ed (4). In addition, FDA has recognized that small food facilities will likely face financial concerns in the implementation of the preventive control requirements of FSMA because they lack experience with HACCP-based models (4). Nevertheless, the new food safety requirements are the same regardless of size, unless they are partially or fully exempted based on the operations conducted in the facility (5). Small plants and very small plants need to comply within a period of two to three years, respectively, after the publication of the final rule (see table 2) (5). Historical Background and Food Regulatory Structure in Puerto Rico The island of Puerto Rico is similar in size to Connecticut, encompassing 3,492 square miles. The population is about 3.4 million and the main language is Spanish. The island has 6 urban centers designated as Standard Metropolitan areas (SMAs) by the U.S. Census Bureau (6) (7). Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands are under the jurisdiction of the FDA San Juan District office located in the capital area of Puerto Rico. This office is the smallest of the FDAs 20 districts, was established back in 1911 and was officially named in 1971. This office reports to the Regional Field Office, Southeast Region in Atlanta, GA (19). In 2013, FDA reported that they regulated 1,500 facilities, approximately half of them from the food industry (8). FDA in San Juan works closely with the local Health Department Environmental Health Food Division, which is in charge of the inspection of food manufacturing facilities. As other states in the U.S. (20), this agency establishes specific regulatory requirements and issues the mandatory sanitary license that covers food operations in the island. In 2016, the Association of Food and Drug Officials (AFDO), under contract to the FDA, shared data on the progress of FDA Food Code adoptions by States, Territories, and Indian Health Se rvice. They reported that Puerto Rico adopted the Food Code version 2009 based in their population (21). Food Regulatory requirements in Puerto Rico are also promulgated by the Puerto Rico Health Department in Departamento de Salud de Puerto Rico Reglamento General de Salud Ambiental No. 6090 4 de febrero de 2000 (18). On this regulations, the CFR tittle 21 is mentioned as the primary reference for compliance. However, in addition of the regulation established in the CFR title 21 there is specific requirements established in Puerto Rico for food products label language, annual license certificationXXXXâ‚ ¬Ã‚ ¦ In addition, there are other agencies in the island that are or may be involve on food safety oversight. The State Department of Agriculture has regulations thru the program of Inspeccion de Mercado that covers produce, coffee and eggs (22). Also, the Departamento de Asuntos al Consumidor (DACO) protect consumers from being deceiving (23). They are involve on informing recalls of imported products marketed in the Island, inspect and removed expired products from shelves and have the authority to enforce civil penalties. Also, they are involving on the inspection of packaging of meat, fruits, vegetable and others food products by enforcing the Reglamento de Empaque (23). It is important to mention that the USDA-FSIS is responsible for ensuring that meat, poultry, and processed egg products produced in Puerto Rico are safe, wholesome, and accurately labeled. Puerto Rico establishments are under the jurisdiction of the FSISs Atlanta, Georgia District (14). Data obtained from the USDA-FSIS in Puerto Rico showed that eighty seven establishments are inspected by FSIS; thirty four of them under dual jurisdiction with FDA. This means that thirty nine percent of these establishments have to comply at some point based on their size with FSMA requirements (15) (appendix 2). Puerto Rico is highly dependent on importations ninety three percent of the food consumed in the island is imported. This is also extremely important to take in consideration since one of the part of FSMA cover importations and foreign supplier verification. Importers will need to institute risk-based foreign supplier verification programs to assure that imported foods are compliance with the new requirements of the law (3). Although much information can be found related to FSMA, information about the impact of this new law in Puerto Rico is limited. An in-depth literature review showed nothing specifically related to Puerto Rico. Recent U.S. Surveys Outcomes Several surveys in the U.S. have already been conducted, covering specific topics on FSMA readiness and preparedness. One of the recent surveys in 2016 was conducted by Sparta Systems Inc. They conduct an online survey about FSMA readiness and compliance strategy. About 153 food and beverage professionals in the U.S. participated in this survey. The results showed that 61% of the participants felt confident that their organizations are prepared for FSMA. Approximately 20% of the respondents from medium-sized companies disagreed that their organizations were ready for FSMA according to additional finding from the survey (9a) (9b). Safety Chain Software and The Acheson Group (TAG) also conducted a survey in 2016. They used an online survey that received more than 400 respondents, including food processors and manufacturers, produce growers/packagers/shippers, warehouse and distribution companies, animal food manufacturers, domestic suppliers, foodservice companies, retailers, import manufacturers, and import and domestic brokers (10b). More than two-thirds of respondents (68 percent) said they were somewhat ready for FSMA. Only 25 percent of respondents indicated they were ready for FSMA, while 6 percent said they werent ready at all. (10a)(10b). These findings indicate that education and preparation for FSMA remain a challenge for some food manufacturers in the U.S. particularly for medium, small and very small processors. Why its important There are many reasons of the importance of complying with the implementation of this new law. But for to make this task achievable it is important to make sure that the information is accessible and understandable by the regulated firms that fall under the law. The ultimately responsible following the different steps that compose this chain is the food manufacturer. The decisions made by them in order to be in compliance will be critical more than ever. Traditional inspecting styles will change becoming more inspection -oriented and enforcement-minded (). Practices that were usually acceptable it maybe not enough to comply with these new inspections styles (). Firms that receive a Warning Letter following an FDA inspections, will be charged for the follow-up inspection (). In addition, if the firm is enforced by an injunction it will be required to close until corrective actions are completed and re-inspected by FDA, at the firm expense. It is important to note that even after being permitted to reopen, the firm remains under court supervision for the foreseeable future (). Moreover, FDA are resurrecting enforcement actions like criminal liability under the Park doctrine. The application of the doctrine establishes that corporate officials can be held criminally liable for violations of the FDC Act in areas of the company under the officials control, even if the official did not intend for the violations to occur (). If information on FSMA is not readily accessible it can limiting readiness of food manufacturers in Puerto Rico that can severely delay their compliance. Also, language may be a barrier on food manufacturers that can limiting FSMA preparedness. Considering that English is part of the educational curriculum of schools in Puerto Rico, contradictorily in 2000 the US Census showed that 45.1 percent of the total of the population of 481,410 people do not speak English (26). This number could have been changed thru the years but Spanish stills is the main language used by the governmental offices in Puerto Rico and the population. Survey Instrument Description The survey instrument used was similar to the ones already used to obtain information from food manufacturers in the U.S. Taking into consideration that the main spoken language is Spanish, questions were provided in both, Spanish and English. The survey begins with a 5-minutes educational video from FDA about FSMA implementation to help participants be introduced into the topic. After completing the video, the participants will complete 16 questions in Likert and multiple selection formats. The questionnaire is divided into the following three parts: Company and Respondent Profile, FSMA and Resources Preferences. (Appendix 3) Sample Selection The initial target population based on the OEI list submitted by FDA includes 786 firms (Appendix 2). Nevertheless, this number drastically changes because data include establishments reporting a last inspection dated in 1970. Furthermore, several firms appear duplicated on the list with exactly the same address information. Water and Ice Plants were also excluded for the purpose of the study. A further research, conducted me to a list NAME in the FDA webpage that seems to be more updated. This list included firms that were inspected for the period of 2008 2016. At the end, the sample used were considering firms that have their last inspection date from 2008. The only contact information of the firm provided in the list was the address and phone number. Industry groups in Puerto Rico, MIDA and PRIDCO, and the Food Industry Forum (FIF) were contacted and provide me with additional information by sharing their members list that include the e-mails information. Also, information found on the webpages PR Supply Chain On-Line and Hecho en Puerto Rico where extremely helpful to retrieve and validate food manufacturers contact information (16)(17). However some firms have been found that closed business at some point during 2008 2016; which was the period selected. At the end, the final revised number that their contact information can be validated roughly finished in 179 inspected firms. Data Collection The survey was classified as exempt by the Institutional Review Board (IRB) (appendix 2). It was open from February 14 to March 20, 2017 (proposed closing date). A total of 179 FDA food inspected firms were invited via e-mail to participate in the survey. From the 179 firms invited 23 e-mails bounced out and 1 opted out. Only 3 firms responded during the period of February 14 to February 27. A second invitation was sent on March 3, something that may affect the participation on the first invitation is that subject line and message were sent in English taking this premise in consideration second invitation subject line and message were sent in Spanish (on progress). In addition, some firms were contacted by phone to encourage them to participate in the survey. Data Analysis The analytical procedure used to evaluate the data collected was descriptive statistical methods. (Waiting for data) By been FSMA compliant food firms should be able to be better prepared to respond to situations that emerge in the day to day. They should switch from reactive and corrective minded to preventive minded by creating strong food safety plans and HARCP programs. Future directions may include a second project that can be used as a follow-up in conjunction with regulatory agencies in Puerto Rico to evaluate and compare the progress of the FSMA implementation among Food Manufacturers. Classification of the industry will be important to organize strategies by focusing on high-risk operations and offer a better guidance to food manufactures. Development of educational strategies such as guidelines, videos, workshops, and educational campaigns may be developed. Better allocating local and federal economical resources food manufacturers with limited resources can be better assisted. Regulatory agencies in Puerto Rico can unify efforts toward food safety compliance to create a strategy. Puerto Rico can used models from other states in U.S. that compiled information of food agencies in their area in a webpage creating a roadmap for food firms making the information easily accessible to food firms. Food regulatory agencies must enforce their partnership between agencies, identify and share available resources between the agencies. Also, it is needed the establishment of periodic revisions and analysis of recorded data to evaluate the progress of the firms. The use of new media tools such webpages and phone apps can expedite the delivering or retrieving of information from food manufacturers in the island. This will help to maintain open communication and keep information updated ensuring the availability of accurate data when it is needed. References (1) Ayala, C. J., Bernabe, R. (2007). Puerto Rico in the American century: A history since 1898. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press. (2) Code of Federal Regulations, Title 21, Food and Drug: Pt 1403, App. A, page 282 Revised as of April 1, 2011 (3) Fortin, N. D. (2011). The United States FDA food safety modernization act: The key new requirements. European Food and Feed Law Review: EFFL, 6(5), 260-268. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.msu.edu.proxy1.cl.msu.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com.proxy1.cl.msu.edu/docview/903529133?accountid=12598 (4) Grover, A. K., Chopra, S., Mosher, G. A. (2016). Food safety modernization act: A quality management approach to identify and prioritize factors affecting adoption of preventive controls among small food facilities. Food Control, 66, 241-249. doi:10.1016/j.foodcont.2016.02.001 (5) Food and Drug Administration, 2015 Food and Drug Administration FSMA proposed rule for preventive controls for human food(2015, February 21) Retrieved from http://www.fda.gov/Food/GuidanceRegulation/FSMA/ucm334115.htm (6) United States Council for Puerto Rico Statehood http://www.prstatehood.com/about-pr/index.asp (7) United States Census Bureau 2015 Puerto Rico Population Estimates http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?src=bkmk (8) FDA-Island Office Protects Consumers Near and Far http://www.fda.gov/forconsumers/consumerupdates/ucm370079.htm (9a) Sparta Systems Survey Finds Food Beverage Companies Confident in FDA Regulation Preparedness-May 5, 2016 http://www.spartasystems.com/about-us/press-releases/press-archive/press-releases-2016/sparta-systems%E2%80%99-survey-finds-food-beverage-compa (9b) Sparta Systems Food Quality and Safety Survey 2016 http://marketo.spartasystems.com/rs/084-QBA-512/images/Food_Survey_Results_Report_2016.pdf (10a) Food Engineering Are you ready for the FSMA final rules? April 25, 2016 http://www.foodengineeringmag.com/articles/95479-are-you-ready-for-the-fsma-final-rules (10b) 2016 FSMA Readiness Compliance Strategy http://marketing.safetychain.com/acton/attachment/2194/f-01d9/1/-/-/-/-/2016%20FSMA%20Readiness%20%26%20Compliance%20Strategy%20Survey%20Report%20Sponsored%20by%20SafetyChain%20and%20TAG.pdf?sid=TV2:K3Vrv8uFV (11) Kumar, R. (2014). Research methodology: A step-by-step guide for beginners (4th ed.). London: SAGE. Chapter 12 (12) Strauss, D. M. (2011). An analysis of the FDA food safety modernization act: Protection for consumers and boon for business. Food and Drug Law Journal, 66(3), 353 (13) Margaret A. Hamburg. Food Safety Modernization Act: Putting the Focus on Prevention, Jan. 3. 2011, https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/blog/2011/01/03/food-safety-modernization-act-putting-focus-prevention (14) The Food Safety and Inspection Service in Puerto Rico https://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/wcm/connect/8d8574dc-4d0a-4b36-8667-039d8f5f6aac/PR.pdf?MOD=AJPERES (15) Data enviada por OEIO Sepulveda -Evans, J.R. and Lindsay, W.M. (2011),Managing for Quality and Performance Excellence, 8th ed., South-Western Cengage Learning, Mason, OH, pp. 554-555. -Cobb, C. (2000), Knowledge management and quality systems,The 54th Annual Quality Congress Proceedings, 2000, American Society for Quality, pp. 276-287. -Teskey, S., Nassar, M. and Buciarelli, R. (2010),Food Safety: Beyond the Standards How to Build a Culture of Food Safety to Protect Your Customers and Your Brand , Delloite and Touche LLP, available at: www.deloitte.com/assets/DcomCanada/Local%20Assets/Documents/Consulting/call%20for%20papers/ca_en_ers_FoodSafety_230910.pdf (accessed March 5,2012). (16) http://hechoenpr.com/directorio-de-servicios-y-productos/ (17) https://www.prsupplychainonline.com/PRSCO/search.jsf (18) http://cayey.upr.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/07/REGLAMENTO-GENERAL-SALUD-AMBIENTAL.pdf (19) ORA Regional Field Office, Southeast Region, Atlanta, GA Organizational Chart https://www.fda.gov/AboutFDA/CentersOffices/OrganizationCharts/ucm351289.htm (20) State Retail and Food Service Codes and Regulations by State https://www.fda.gov/Food/GuidanceRegulation/RetailFoodProtection/FoodCode/ucm122814.htm (21) FDA- Real Progress in Food Code Adoption 02/22/2016 (last visited 02/26/2017) https://www.fda.gov/downloads/Food/GuidanceRegulation/RetailFoodProtection/FoodCode/UCM476819.pdf (22) Departamento de Agricultura de Puerto Rico Inspeccià ³n de Mercados http://www2.pr.gov/agencias/Agricultura/SAIA/InspeccionMercados/Pages/Leyes-y-Reglamentos.aspx (23) Departamento de Asuntos del Consumidor DACO http://daco.pr.gov/sobre-nosotros (24) Susan A. Schneider, Notes on Food Law: An Overview of the Food Safety Modernization Act, October 10, 2011  · 2011 Ark. L. Notes 650 (25) Renà ©e Johnson, Congressional Research Service, Implementation of the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA, P.L. 111-353) December 2016 (26) Fishman, J. A., Garcia, O. (2011). Handbook of language ethnic identity. 2 : The success-failure continuum in language and ethnic identity efforts. Chapter 9 Learning English in Puerto Rico: An Approach-Avoidance Conflict? Oxford: Oxford University Press. Table 1 Seven Foundational Rules Required to Fully Implement FSMA Congressional Research Service Implementation, December 16, 2016 (1) Preventive Controls for Human Food: Requires that food facilities have safety plans that set forth how they will identify and minimize hazards (FSMA  §103). (2) Preventive Controls for Animal Food: Establishes Current Good Manufacturing Practices and preventive controls for food for animals (FSMA  §103). (3) Produce Safety: Establishes science-based standards for growing, harvesting, packing, and holding produce on domestic and foreign farms (FSMA  §105(a)). (4) Foreign Supplier Verification Program: Importers will be required to verify that food imported into the United States has been produced in a manner that provides the same level of public health protection as that required of U.S. food producers (FSMA  §301(a)). (5) Third Party Certification: Establishes a program for the accreditation of third-party auditors to conduct food safety audits and issue certifications of foreign facilities producing food for humans or animals (FSMA  §307). (6) Sanitary Transportation: Requires those who transport food to use sanitary practices to ensure the safety of food (FSMA  §111). (7) Intentional Adulteration: Requires domestic and foreign facilities to address vulnerable processes in their operations to prevent acts intended to cause large-scale public harm (FSMA  §106(b)) Table 2 Classification of food facilities as per the

Essay --

Do I regret not doing this years ago? No, I do not. It is certainly true, that since a small child, growing up on my Dad’s pig farm, have I been fascinated by birth. Yes, tiny new piglets were beautiful, but other things intrigued me. The sow usually delivered her new brood with both serenity and independence. Some of my early memories are of rushing out to the farrowing house crates (yes, the poor animal in those days was in a pen designed purely for birth, not outside in the freedom of the field) to see how many piglets had arrived and hoping to catch a glimpse of the afterbirth, as we referred to it, sometimes even seeing her deliver it. Gruesome to some but to me it was amazing how this strange looking mass had kept lots of little lives alive. This fascination is still with me today, evident when my family and I went to lambing day at a local farm. But now, following the birth of my children, I brought empathy for the ewe too. Studying on the Access course has already taught me a lot about myself. Although an initially a shock to the system after over twenty years away from stu...

Shadow Kiss Chapter 5

Five MOST DISCIPLINARY ISSUES AT the Academy went to Headmistress Kirova. She oversaw Moroi and dhampirs alike and was known for her creative and oft-used repertoire of punishments. She wasn't cruel, exactly, but she wasn't soft, either. She simply took student behavior seriously and dealt with it as she saw fit. There were some issues, however, that were beyond her jurisdiction. The school's guardians calling together a disciplinary committee wasn't unheard of, but it was very, very rare. You had to do something pretty serious to piss them off to get that sort of response. Like, say, willfully endangering a Moroi. Or hypothetically willfully endangering a Moroi. â€Å"For the last time,† I growled, â€Å"I didn't do it on purpose.† I sat in one of the guardians' meeting rooms, facing my committee: Alberta, Emil, and one of the other rare female guardians on campus, Celeste. They sat at a long table, looking imposing, while I sat in a single chair and felt very vulnerable. Several other guardians were sitting in and watching, but thankfully, none of my classmates were there to see this humiliation. Dimitri was among the watchers. He was not on the committee, and I wondered if they'd kept him off because of his potentially biased role as my mentor. â€Å"Miss Hathaway,† said Alberta, fully in her strict-captain mode, â€Å"you must know why we have a hard time believing that.† Celeste nodded. â€Å"Guardian Alto saw you. You refused to protect two Moroi – including the one whose protection you were specifically assigned to.† â€Å"I didn't refuse!† I exclaimed. â€Å"I†¦ fumbled.† â€Å"That wasn't a fumble,† said Stan from the watchers. He glanced at Alberta for permission to speak. â€Å"May I?† She nodded, and he turned back to me. â€Å"If you'd blocked or attacked me and then messed up, that would be a fumble. But you didn't block. You didn't attack. You didn't even try. You just stood there like a statue and did nothing.† Understandably, I was outraged. The thought that I would purposely leave Christian and Brandon to be â€Å"killed† by a Strigoi was ridiculous. But what could I do? I either confessed to screwing up majorly or to having seen a ghost. Neither option was appealing, but I had to cut my losses. One made me look incompetent. The other made me look insane. I didn't want to be associated with either of those. I much preferred my usual description of â€Å"reckless† and â€Å"disruptive.† â€Å"Why am I getting in trouble for messing up?† I asked tightly. â€Å"I mean, I saw Ryan mess up earlier. He didn't get in trouble. Isn't that the point of this whole exercise? Practice? If we were perfect, you'd already have unleashed us upon the world!† â€Å"Weren't you listening?† said Stan. I swore I could see a vein throbbing in his forehead. I think he was the only one there as upset as I was. At the very least, he was the only one (aside from me) showing his emotions. The others wore poker faces, but then, none of them had witnessed what had happened. If I'd been in Stan's place, I might have thought the worst of me too. â€Å"You didn't mess up, because ‘messing up' implies that you have to actually do something.† â€Å"Okay, then. I froze.† I looked at him defiantly. â€Å"Does that count as messing up? I cracked under the pressure and blanked out. It turns out I wasn't prepared. The moment came, and I panicked. It happens to novices all the time.† â€Å"To a novice who has already killed Strigoi?† asked Emil. He was from Romania, his accent a bit thicker than Dimitri's Russian one. It wasn't nearly as nice, though. â€Å"It seems unlikely.† I dealt out glares to him and everyone else in the room. â€Å"Oh, I see. After one incident, I'm now expected to be an expert Strigoi killer? I can't panic or be afraid or anything? Makes sense. Thanks, guys. Fair. Real fair.† I slumped back in my seat, arms crossed over my chest. There was no need to fake bitchy defiance. I had plenty of it to dish out. Alberta sighed and leaned forward. â€Å"We're arguing semantics. Technicalities aren't the point here. What's important is that this morning, you made it very clear you did not want to guard Christian Ozera. In fact †¦ I think you even said you wanted us to be sure we knew that you were doing it against your will and that we'd soon see what a horrible idea it was.† Ugh. I had said that. Honestly, what had I been thinking? â€Å"And then, when your first test comes around, we find you completely and utterly unresponsive.† I nearly flew out of my chair. â€Å"That's what this is about? You think I didn't protect him because of some kind of weird revenge thing?† All three of them stared at me expectantly. â€Å"You aren't exactly known for calmly and gracefully accepting things you don't like,† she replied wryly. This time, I did stand up, pointing my finger at her accusingly. â€Å"Not true. I have followed every rule Kirova laid down for me since coming back here. I've gone to every practice and obeyed every curfew.† Well, I'd fudged some of the curfews but not willfully. It had always been for the greater good. â€Å"There's no reason I'd do this as some kind of revenge! What good would it do? Sta – Guardian Alto wasn't going to really hurt Christian, so it's not like I'd get to see him punched or anything. The only thing I would accomplish is getting dragged into the middle of something like this and possibly facing removal from the field experience.† â€Å"You are facing removal from the field experience,† replied Celeste flatly. â€Å"Oh.† I sat down, suddenly not feeling as bold. Silence hung in the room for several moments, and then I heard Dimitri's voice speak from behind me. â€Å"She has a point,† he said. My heart thumped loudly in my chest. Dimitri knew I wouldn't take revenge like that. He didn't think I was petty. â€Å"If she were going to protest or take revenge, she'd do it in a different way.† Well, not too petty, at least. Celeste frowned. â€Å"Yes, but after the scene she made this morning†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Dimitri took a few steps forward and stood beside my chair. Having his solid presence nearby comforted me. I had a flash of d? ¦j? ¤ vu, back to when Lissa and I had returned to the Academy last autumn. Headmistress Kirova had nearly expelled me, and Dimitri had stood up for me then too. â€Å"This is all circumstantial,† he said. â€Å"Regardless of how suspicious you think it looks, there's no proof. Removing her from the experience – and essentially ruining her graduation – is a bit extreme without any certainties.† The committee looked thoughtful, and I focused my attention on Alberta. She had the most power here. I'd always liked her, and in our time together, she'd been strict but always scrupulously fair. I hoped that would still hold true. She beckoned Celeste and Emil toward her, and the other two guardians leaned closer. They had a whispered conference. Alberta gave a resigned nod, and the others leaned back. â€Å"Miss Hathaway, do you have anything you'd like to say before we tell you our conclusions?† That I'd like to say? Hell, yeah. There were tons of things. I wanted to say that I wasn't incompetent. I wanted to tell them that I was one of the best novices here. I wanted to tell them that I had seen Stan coming and had been on the verge of reacting. I especially wanted to tell them that I didn't want to have this mark on my record. Even if I stayed in the field experience, I'd essentially have an F for this first test. It would affect my overall grade, which could subsequently affect my future. But again, what choice did I have? Tell them that I'd seen a ghost? The ghost of a guy who'd had a major crush on me and who had quite likely died because of that crush? I still didn't know what was going on with these sightings. One time I could write off to exhaustion†¦but I'd seen him – or it – twice now. Was he real? My higher reasoning said no, but honestly, it didn't matter at the moment. If he was real and I told them, they'd think I was crazy. If he wasn't real and I told them, they'd think I was crazy – and they'd be right. I couldn't win here. â€Å"No, Guardian Petrov,† I said, hoping I sounded meek. â€Å"Nothing more to add.† â€Å"All right,† she said wearily. â€Å"Here's what we've decided. You're lucky you have Guardian Belikov to advocate for you, or this decision might have been different. We're giving you the benefit of the doubt. You'll go on with the field experience and continue to guard Mr. Ozera. You'll just be on a probation of sorts.† â€Å"That's okay,† I said. I'd been on probation for most of my academic life. â€Å"Thank you.† â€Å"And,† she added. Uh-oh. â€Å"Because the suspicion isn't entirely removed, you'll be spending your day off this week doing community service.† I jumped out of my chair again. â€Å"What?† Dimitri's hand wrapped around my wrist, his fingers warm and controlling. â€Å"Sit down,† he murmured in my ear, tugging me toward the chair. â€Å"Take what you can get.† â€Å"If that's a problem, we can make it next week too,† warned Celeste. â€Å"And the next five after that.† I sat down and shook my head. â€Å"I'm sorry. Thank you.† The hearing dispersed, and I was left feeling weary and beaten. Had only one day gone by? Surely the happy excitement I'd felt before the field experience had been weeks ago and not this morning. Alberta told me to go find Christian, but Dimitri asked if he could have some time alone with me. She agreed, no doubt hoping he'd set me on the straight and narrow. The room emptied, and I thought he'd sit and talk to me then and there, but instead he walked over to a small table that held a water dispenser, coffee, and other beverages. â€Å"You want some hot chocolate?† he asked. I hadn't expected that. â€Å"Sure.† He dumped four packets of instant hot chocolate into two Styrofoam cups and then added in hot water. â€Å"Doubling it is the secret,† he said when the cups were full. He handed me mine, along with a wooden stirrer, and then walked toward a side door. Presuming I was supposed to follow him, I scurried to catch up without spilling my hot chocolate. â€Å"Where are we – oh.† I stepped through the doorway and found myself in a little glass-enclosed porch filled with small patio tables. I'd had no idea this porch was adjacent to the meeting room, but then, this was the building the guardians conducted all campus business out of. Novices were rarely allowed. I also hadn't realized the building was built around a small courtyard, which was what this porch looked out to. In the summer, I imagined one could open the windows and be surrounded in greenery and warm air. Now, encased in glass and frost, I felt like I was in some kind of an ice palace. Dimitri swept his hand over a chair, brushing off dust. I did the same and sat down opposite him. Apparently this room didn't see a lot of use in the winter. Because it was enclosed, the room was warmer than outdoors, but it wasn't heated otherwise. The air felt chilly, and I warmed my hands on my cup. Silence fell between Dimitri and me. The only noise came from me blowing on my hot chocolate. He drank his right away. He'd been killing Strigoi for years. What was a little scalding water here and there? As we sat, and the quiet grew, I studied him over the edge of my cup. He wasn't looking at me, but I knew he knew I was watching. Like every other time I looked at him, I was always struck by his looks first. The soft dark hair that he often tucked behind his ears without realizing it, hair that never quite wanted to stay in its tie at the back of his neck. His eyes were brown too, somehow gentle and fierce at the same time. His lips had that same contradictory quality, I realized. When he was fighting or dealing with something grim, those lips would flatten and turn hard. But in lighter times †¦ when he laughed or kissed†¦well, then they'd become soft and wonderful. Today, more than his exterior hit me. I felt warm and safe just being with him. He brought comfort after my terrible day. So often with other people, I felt a need to be the center of attention, to be funny and always have something clever to say. It was a habit I needed to shake to be a guardian, seeing as that job required so much silence. But with Dimitri, I never felt like I had to be anything more than what I already was. I didn't have to entertain him or think up jokes or even flirt. It was enough to just be together, to be so completely comfortable in each other's presence – smoldering sexual tension aside – that we lost all sense of self-consciousness. I exhaled and drank my cocoa. â€Å"What happened out there?† he asked at last, meeting my gaze. â€Å"You didn't crack under the pressure.† His voice was curious, not accusatory. He wasn't treating me as a student right now, I realized. He was regarding me as an equal. He simply wanted to know what was going on with me. There was no discipline or lecturing here. And that just made it all the worse when I had to lie to him. â€Å"Of course it was,† I told him, looking down into my cup. â€Å"Unless you believe I really did let Stan ‘attack' Christian.† â€Å"No,† he said. â€Å"I don't believe that. I never did. I knew you'd be unhappy when you found out about the assignments, but I never once doubted that you'd do what you'd have to for this. I knew you wouldn't let your personal feelings get in the way of your duty.† I looked up again and met his eyes, so full of faith and absolute confidence in me. â€Å"I didn't. I was mad†¦Still am a little. But once I said I'd do it, I meant it. And after spending some time with him†¦well, I don't hate him. I actually think he's good for Lissa, and he cares about her, so I can't get upset about that. He and I just clash sometimes, that's all†¦ but we did really well together against the Strigoi. I remembered that while I was with him today, and arguing against this assignment just seemed stupid. So I decided to do the best job I could.† I hadn't meant to talk so much, but it felt good to let out what was inside of me, and the look on Dimitri's face would have gotten me to say anything. Almost anything. â€Å"What happened then?† he asked. â€Å"With Stan?† I averted my eyes and played with my cup again. I hated keeping things from him, but I couldn't tell him about this. In the human world, vampires and dhampirs were creatures of myth and legend – bedtime stories to scare children. Humans didn't know we were real and walking the earth. But just because we were real didn't mean that every other story-time paranormal creature was. We knew that and had our own myths and bedtime stories about things we didn't believe in. Werewolves. Bogeymen. Ghosts. Ghosts played no real role in our culture, short of being fodder for pranks and campfire tales. Ghosts inevitably came up on Halloween, and some legends endured over the years. But in real life? No ghosts. If you came back after death, it was because you were a Strigoi. At least, that's what I'd always been taught. I honestly didn't know enough now to say what was going on. Me imagining Mason seemed more likely than him being a true ghost, but man, that meant I might seriously be heading into crazy territory. All this time I'd worried about Lissa losing it. Who had known it might be me? Dimitri was still watching me, waiting for an answer. â€Å"I don't know what happened out there. My intentions were good †¦ I just†¦ I just messed up.† â€Å"Rose. You're a terrible liar.† I glanced up. â€Å"No, I'm not. I've told a lot of good lies in my life. People have believed them.† He smiled slightly. â€Å"I'm sure. But it doesn't work with me. For one thing, you won't look me in the eye. As for the other†¦ I don't know. I can just tell.† Damn. He could tell. He just knew me that well. I stood up and moved to the door, keeping my back to him. Normally, I treasured every minute with him, but I couldn't stick around today. I hated lying, but I didn't want to tell the truth either. I had to leave. â€Å"Look, I appreciate you being worried about me†¦but really, it's okay. I just messed up. I'm embarrassed about it – and sorry I put your awesome training to shame – but I'll rebound. Next time, Stan's ass is mine.† I hadn't even heard him get up, but suddenly, Dimitri was right behind me. He placed a hand on my shoulder, and I froze in front of the door leading out. He didn't touch me anywhere else. He didn't try to pull me closer. But, oh, that one hand on my shoulder held all the power in the world. â€Å"Rose,† he said, and I knew he was no longer smiling. â€Å"I don't know why you're lying, but I know you wouldn't do it without a good reason. And if there's something wrong – something you're afraid to tell the others – â€Å" I spun around rapidly, somehow managing to pivot in place in such a way that his hand never moved yet ended up on my other shoulder. â€Å"I'm not afraid,† I cried. â€Å"I do have my reasons, and believe me, what happened with Stan was nothing. Really. All of this is just something stupid that got blown out of proportion. Don't feel sorry for me or feel like you have to do anything. What happened sucks, but I'll just roll with it and take the black mark. I'll take care of everything. I'll take care of me.† It took all of my strength just then not to shake. How had this day gotten so bizarre and out of control? Dimitri didn't say anything. He just looked down at me, and the expression on his face was one I'd never seen before. I couldn't interpret it. Was he mad? Disapproving? I just couldn't tell. The fingers on my shoulder tightened slightly and then relaxed. â€Å"You don't have to do this alone,† he said at last. He sounded almost wistful, which made no sense. He was the one who'd been telling me for so long that I needed to be strong. I wanted to throw myself into his arms just then, but I knew I couldn't. I couldn't help a smile. â€Å"You say that†¦but tell me the truth. Do you go running to others when you have problems?† â€Å"That's the not the same – â€Å" â€Å"Answer the question, comrade.† â€Å"Don't call me that.† â€Å"And don't avoid the question either.† â€Å"No,† he said. â€Å"I try to deal with my problems on my own.† I slipped away from his hand. â€Å"See?† â€Å"But you have a lot of people in your life you can trust, people who care about you. That changes things.† I looked at him in surprise. â€Å"You don't have people who care about you?† He frowned, obviously rethinking his words. â€Å"Well, I've always had good people in my life†¦and there have been people who cared about me. But that doesn't necessarily mean I could trust them or tell them everything.† I was often so distracted by the weirdness of our relationship that I rarely thought about Dimitri as someone with a life away from me. He was respected by everyone on campus. Teachers and students alike knew him as one of the deadliest guardians here. Whenever we ran into guardians from outside the school, they always seemed to know and respect him too. But I couldn't recall ever having seen him in any sort of social setting. He didn't appear to have any close friends among the other guardians – just coworkers he liked. The friendliest I'd ever seen him get with someone had been when Christian's aunt, Tasha Ozera, visited. They'd known each other for a long time, but even that hadn't been enough for Dimitri to pursue once her visit was over. Dimitri was alone an awful lot, I realized, content to hole up with his cowboy novels when not working. I felt alone a lot, but in truth, I was almost always surrounded by people. With him being my teacher, I tended to view things as one-sided: He was the one always giving me something, be it advice or instruction. But I gave him something too, something harder to define – a connection with another person. â€Å"Do you trust me?† I asked him. The hesitation was brief. â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"Then trust me now, and don't worry about me just this once.† I stepped away, out of the reach of his arm, and he didn't say anything more or try to stop me. Cutting through the room that I'd had the hearing in, I headed for the building's main exit, tossing the remnants of my hot chocolate in a garbage can as I walked past.

The Lack of Will Makes Us Lazy

The Industrial Revolution was the beginning of a new era in human history. Thanks to this, many countries were able to experience economic growth at a rate never seen before. Unfortunately, it has brought an unforeseen consequence that today has been taken for granted. Because of lacking regulation laws during the aftermath of the Industrial Revolution, we now face the worst environmental crisis of all time. As a result, the planet is experiencing an increase in temperatures around the world. However, nothing is all lost, yet.With renewable energy, among other things, it’s possible to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, therefore reversing the damage we have done to the planet. For instance, there are wind farms. The wind is a renewable energy that is often overlooked. With new technology, it’s possible to harness the wind and convert it into a power source. The United Kingdom has managed to do this with success. In the southeast coast of England, the government was able t o build an off-shore wind farm with over 100 turbines, which harvests the power of the wind.The Thanet wind farm, as they named it, is capable of producing enough energy to power over 200,000 households in a year. If countries around the world had the will, they could replace non-renewable energy sources with wind farms. This is an excellent idea that could reduce carbon emissions by billions of tons each year. In addition, another renewable source that could help reduce emissions is solar energy. The planet receives more solar energy from the Sun in an hour than it consumes in a year.If every home owner had the will to install solar panels in the rooftops of their homes, not only would it lower their electric bill, but also, their emission levels would drop drastically. Similarly, China is planning to build something close, but in massive scale. The Chinese government struck a deal with First Solar Inc, an Arizona-based company, to build a solar field the size of Manhattan. If the deal goes through, the gigantic solar field will be able to power approximately 3 million Chinese homes. In the end, solar energy is another excellent renewable source with a lot more potential than we might think.Moreover, another way that we can reduce greenhouse gases is by encouraging public transportation. As we know, driving our daily commute can become a struggle. Sometimes, we pollute the environment with carbon dioxide without even moving our cars, stuck in traffic jams, wasting energy in the process. On the other hand, people who use mass transit when commuting save by not spending money on increasingly expensive gas, but more importantly, reduce their carbon emissions. Another plus for using mass transit systems is that you basically have an excuse to meet new people seating next to you.On the contrary, if you rather enjoy commuting alone while driving a car, a hybrid or an electric is a great alternative to regular combustion engine vehicles. Either way, there’s n o excuse for anyone to reduce their carbon emissions while commuting to work or school. In the end, the technology to reduce worldwide greenhouse gases is on our fingertips. The only thing that’s stopping us from doing the right thing and reducing emissions is will in our part. It’s human nature to act after the disaster strikes. Let’s not wait after coastal cities start flooding and act now so we can secure a better future for our descendants.

Expressionism and Realism in Death of a Salesman Essay Example

Expressionism and Realism in Death of a Salesman Essay Example Expressionism and Realism in Death of a Salesman Essay Expressionism and Realism in Death of a Salesman Essay Essay Topic: Death Of a Salesman Expressionism and Realism in Death of a Salesman Death of a salesman is a play written by Arthur Miller in the year 1949. The entire plot it told from the perspective of the protagonist Willy Loman. As the last name alludes, Willy has never accomplished anything in his life and now is at the very end of it where he still hopes of making it big in the world. He is 63 years old and has the mind of a child. Willy literally lives in the glory days of the past where his mind tends to switch back and forth, from the present to the past. From his name we learn how the reader is hanging on a cliff to see Willy â€Å"will he do it†. And His last name gives the feeling of him being a low man, someone low on the social ladder and unlikely to succeed. He alternates between different perceptions of his life. Willy seems childlike and relies on others for support, even though he pretends to refuse the help given by his brother Ben when he’s asked to go to Africa. But in the end he fails to accomplish anything at all. Expressionism is defined as a style of play in which the playwright seeks to express emotional experience through their work. Miller uses many motifs to show this, such as in the very beginning where the flute is played but even though Willy hears it he’s really not aware of it. This imparts to the reader a major characteristic of Willy. It is of the absent minded life that he leads. The flute is one of the many musical motifs in the play such as an indirect reference to Willy’s father. Also music is linked to many tragic elements and events which are present. Biff whistling in the elevator leads him to lose his job. In the past Willy has an affair with another women, when Biff finds this out their relationship sours. The appearance of the women who Willy has been having an affair with is introduced with sensual music. Willy’s wife Linda also has the habit of constantly humming; this appears as tragic because in order to escape the tensions of her life she developed this habit. Realism is defined as tendency to reveal or describe things as they are actually experienced. It attempts to capture real people doing everyday things. There is not much room for imagination because the author tends to revel what he sees in life. The events are sometimes connectable with that of every day man. The novel is set place in the 1930’s during the Great economic depression which hit the United Sates. But more than the historical backdrop the common struggle for money is faced by all. Willy who works with a firm which fools him, refuses to pay him and in the end fires him after all he put in is a everyday experience. Willy wants his children to have a better life than he did so his decision to end his life so that Biff and Happy may have money is an extreme but an possible one in society. Biff and Willly drift apart as time goes by; this is because their ideas of happiness are completely different. Willy viewed success as achieving money and power; Biff however viewed success in life as being happy and doing what he loved which is working and tilling the land and accomplishing something with his own hands. Many times the parent’s view of success is far different from the kind of success that the child sees. The seeds which Willy buys are an important part of the play . Willy is constantly troubled by the thought if he has raised his sons well. He worries that as a father he will be unable to provide for them. There are times Willy says Nothing’s planted. I don’t have a thing in the ground. This is an allusion to the belief that he has within himself that he has done nothing to provide for his sons. There is times where we see Willy regret his affair for example when he sees Linda stitching her old stockings. He is reminded of how during his affair he gave many stocking to the nameless women, and becomes guilt ridden that he can’t provide for his wife now. There are further events which use more of these two elements. As far as the setting is concerned, when we see the room of Willy and Linda, it becomes obvious that only the needs of Willy is taken in to concern. Willy’s room contains only bed, chair and shelf holding Biff’s trophy, no items of Linda’s are shown. Much like Ahab’s white whale, realism is seen as the unachievable dream for Willy. No matter how hard he tries to achieve this it has long been a lost cause. In the end the protagonist realizes that his life has been an failure and that he doesn’t want the same to happen to his sons. They are both travelling down a path which will only end in failure. In order to avoid this Willy takes his own life so that he may be able to give the insurance money to his sons. Here is a time where we see one action fulfilling both of the elements. For as Willy takes his life then he shows how much he loves his sons and how desperate he has become. His family was doing their best to survive from day to day. This is seen at many grass root levels of any society. Many people of our society live in denial as to cover up the worry that’s building up inside. Every time they feel they are getting ahead financially, a problem occurs and they find themselves right back where they started. Most people also have to deal with problems and conflicts within their family throughout their life.

Mayor of Casterbridge essays

Mayor of Casterbridge essays The Thomas Hardy novel, The Mayor of Casterbridge - The Story of a Man of Character, delivers exactly what the title states. The protagonist of this novel, Michael Henchard, is the man whose character is on display and judgement. From first impression at the beginning of the novel, Henchards character is, at best, questionable, because while walking with his wife and baby daughter he is paying no attention to them and is ignoring them on purpose. At this point, while in a poor mental state, Henchard sells his wife, Susan, and daughter, Elizabeth-Jane. The real story begins here, because this is where the reader is going to learn what the title really means, it is when Henchard reinvents himself into the man we see in the novel. Contrary to the view shown to the reader of Henchard at the beginning of the novel and even the majority of impressions throughout, Henchard is a heroic character who has fate and his own flaws working against him. Despite the fact that Henchard does lose the battle in this story and ends in an unexpected environment, he is the hero of The Mayor of Casterbridge. Becoming the Mayor of a town named Casterbridge from a lowly hay-trusser, he is shown as a man who has accomplished much on his own hard work and resilience. He also wants to be a fair man by doing the right thing, for example, when he learns that Susan has come back he wants to make her his wife again. However, this also relates to the fact that Henchard wants to hold his name in good repute, in his eyes and the eyes of everyone else. The most obvious choice that Henchard makes about being concerned about his name is the instructions of his will at the end of the novel when his name does not have the same value it once did. That Elizabeth-Jane Farfrae be not told of my death, or made to grieve on account of me . . . (Hardy 325). Henchards name is...

Analysis of Addiction Service

Analysis of Addiction Service Colin O’Rourke Sankalpa Addiction Services Sankalpa is a Sanskrit word meaning idea or notion formed in the heart or mind, a solemn vow or determination to perform and a desire or definite intention. History of the agency The Millennium Carvings program which was established in 1998 and was supported and funded by FAS and the Local Drug Task Force (LDTF). Designed to deliver rehabilitation programs for stabilised or former drug users in the Finglas/ Cabra area it offered holistic programs exploring individual creativity together with therapeutic rehabilitation programs. Millennium Carvings evolved into Sankalpa and continued to create an holistic and therapeutic environment utilising artwork and creativity. This allows clients participate in their own recovery process while addressing some of the complex needs of service users through personal development and group work. The LDTF now ensure Sankalpa adhere to the National Drug Strategy. Agency Ethos ‘A sustainable p athway out of addiction leading towards a culture of recovery in Finglas & Cabra, built by support organizations and service users working in solidarity’ The characteristic spirit underpinning the Sankalpa culture is that of client centered therapeutic environment in a creative, holistic environment, the emphasis being on community. In creating this community that enables the clients to change intrinsically, the realization being that the client understands what motivates them better than the therapist, change comes from within. It is recognised that the relationship between the client and the therapist is of prime importance when evaluating the success of the therapeutic process, and that the cornerstone of recovery is this relationship. Aims Sankalpa aim to respect the dignity and rights of the client in a just and safe environment while understanding that sole responsibility for any addiction is the responsibility of the client that developed it. In doing so it hopes to en hance intrinsic worth in a therapeutic environment that values learning with a view to facilitating the healing process. It is believed that the therapeutic process is assisted by creating a space where drug related harm is minimised and where well organised levels of drug services are made available. Best practice and evidence based interventions are aimed to be utilised as is the support of non medical treatment of pain. Sankalpa aim to promote problem solving and critical thinking with their clients while remaining honest and open minded in their affairs. Objectives To meet their aims Sankalpa deliver quality programs while utilising trained staff who are  focused on achieving the desired outcomes by being part of the continuum of clients’ recovery  and linking and partnering with other agencies to assist in this continuum. Sankalpa support  clients by offering CE schemes to assist with moving on to employment and education. They  offer accredited further education to clients’ presenting with addiction issues or stabilised on  their medication and assist motivated clients in the continuum of recovery by way of the  development and implementation of their therapeutic model. What kind of treatment approach underpins the agency? The Sankalpa therapeutic model is psychosocial, client centered and evidence based. It utilises structured interventions the aim being to reduce or stabilise the harms associated with illicit drug use. The therapeutic work is mainly done in groups and uses Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), Community Reinforcement Approach (CRA), Motivational Interviewing (M.I) and Mindfulness. One to one sessions include goal setting, reviews and assessments. It is understood by employees of Sankalpa that access to education and employment that may previously have been out of reach due to social deprivation can be the cornerstone of successful recovery.

The Federal Navigation Plan (FRP) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Federal Navigation Plan (FRP) - Essay Example The purpose of FRP is formulating an integrated policy and plan for all commercial, civil and defense navigation systems, while specifying the requirements of common use applications, involving different navigations systems. In addition, FRP is used for providing planning schedules and information pertaining to the US Government (USG) radio-navigation system. While providing a platform for user-input, FRP is meant to clarify unresolved common issues related to radio-navigation system.All navigation systems, as provided federally, to be used in positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) applications would come under the scope of FRP. However, communication and time systems are not covered under the scope of FRP. These include cell phones, radar and WWV, among others. Accordingly, following systems are addressed in FRP:†¢ Global Positioning SystemGPS would be operated by Department of Defense (DOD) and the same would be managed by interagency GPS Executive Board. There will be no us er charges for availability of Standard Positioning Service (SPS) to users, worldwide, on continuous basis. Precise Positioning Service is the most accurate application, directly available from GPS, which is meant for US military and federal government users. (Charron, Status Report)†¢ Augmentation to GPSThe purpose of providing augmentations to GPS is to ensure accuracy, integrity, availability and reliability to positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) for meeting its specific requirements.  

An investigation of the role that the Libyan government and civil Essay

An investigation of the role that the Libyan government and civil society organization can play in facilitating the humanitarian activities of the Libyan red crescent - Essay Example The research is based on the challenges that are faced by LRC or Libyan Red Crescent in terms of providing quality service to all those victims who are affected. The Libyan Red Crescent in the recent years has been deprived of many such facilities that were provided by the civil society organizations. This in turn has resulted into more serious issues for LRC as they are finding it difficult to maintain their humanitarian activities. This study would be focused towards identifying the key issues along with the probable solutions so that the organization can achieve the stage of sustainability in its business operations. The Libyan Red Crescent organization was incorporated in the year 1957 and it comprised of 34 branches in total across Libya. The Libyan government and even the civil society organization of Libya have made the operations of this voluntary aid organization LRC worsen due to lack of support and negligence on their behalf. The primary functions of this organization have greatly been affected due to the unavailability of resources and support that was required to be extended by the Libyan Government. The research study would not be based on the total LRC organization but it would focus majorly on one branch that is Zintan branch. This branch is selected mainly because the researcher is the indigene of the town so it would enable the researcher to gather more appropriate information about the challenges faced by the organization. The major aim of this research study is to identify the possible solutions that would help the organization to enhance their activities by means of leveraging the civil society as well as Libyan government.

Based on the readings, what do you see as the biggest obstacles to Essay

Based on the readings, what do you see as the biggest obstacles to development of poorer nations What can be done about it - Essay Example development in these countries can be divided into four categories: Natural Resources, Human Capital, Poor Infrastructure, and institutional factors.2 However, the difference between the developing and the developed world lies in the human, physical and the socioeconomic environments of the nations in question. This paper has used different theories of development to explain the obstacle to development experienced by poor countries. Most of the poorer countries have inadequate resources including the fertile land. Availability of the resources can bring an increase in the productivity of the economy. In most developing nations, there is shortage of land due to the high population. Lesser land leads to significant fall in cultivation which is the main source of income in the poor nation. This in turn leads to the fall on the nations’ productivity known as the Gross Domestic Products.3 The situation is even worse since these countries have not tapped the technological practices in their productivity. According to the Exogenous Growth theory lack of technology makes it hard for a country to develop. Technology acquisition enables high production per unit of a natural resource like land when it comes to agriculture.4 The land in most of the developing nations is also so much fragmented due to socioeconomic issues such as passing the land to the next generation and the attempt by government to ensure equitable distribution of resources in these areas. It is good to understand that most of these nations over- depends on land which is the backbone of the developing world economy. There is therefore much tension when it comes to land issues.5 Most of the Sub Saharan African countries have vast natural resources that include oil and gold. This line of argument is in agreement with the Exogenous Growth Theory that the problem comes in the identification and affordability of technology that would help in the discovery of mineral deposits.6 This has led corrupting during

Postoperative pain management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Postoperative pain management - Essay Example Some tissues like the liver and lung alveoli do not respond to strong pain stimulus, while skin tissues are very sensitive. Traditionally, pain was considered as a symptom or manifestation of a disease or diseased state. Currently, this view still holds, but more than that, pain is considered as a condition that needs to be managed separately from the medical condition from whence it arose. The understanding of the elements that cause pain has been a pursuit of many researches in medical science. People with various life-threatening and non-threatening medical conditions could suffer diverse form of pain, although acute pain could arise from surgical procedures. Chronic pain is a condition suffered by many. The myriad of medications developed for pain relief alone is an indication of the number of individuals who suffer from chronic and acute pain. In a clinical setting, pain is a subjective condition and its definition is based on what the patient decides it to be. The role of the clinician is to know what the patient actually means, and needs. However, many clinicians, nurses included, do not have a clear understanding of pain and its management. As a result, pain management could be ineffective. Understanding pain at the anatomical and physiological level will increase the clinician’s knowledge of it nature and the interventions that can alleviate it. How pain develops was first described in the classic work of Melzack and Wall in 1965, which proposed the â€Å"gate control theory of pain†. According to Melzack and Wall, pain is perceived by a neural mechanism by the substantia gelatinosa layer of the dorsal horn of the spinal cord, which acts like a gate modulating the flow of nerve impulse from the peripheral nervous system to the central nervous system (CNS). The pain stimuli are felt by nociceptors, receptors in the somatic and visceral tissues. The nociceptors are free nerve endings that are connected to

Can it be decided by you Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Can it be decided by you - Essay Example However, their strong holds were later to be shaken. As a matter of fact the major political changes in the region occurred from 1809 to 1825. This is according to the historyworld.net website. (historyworld.net, 2009) The royal family of Portugal stayed on in Brazil and a treaty was signed between Portugal and England in 1810 and this overlapped the treaty of Methuen of the year 1703. This recognized a direct accessibility to Brazil by the traders of Britain which made faster the movement towards the political independence of Brazil. (Birmingham, 2003 p99) This study is set out to analyze the Brazilian case of independence movement and make a comparison of this case with other Latin American Spanish colonized states. To this an answer will be provided for the study question, â€Å"How was the Spanish- Latin American countries’ independence movements more violent compared to Brazil?† The Brazilian case of decolonization was not devoid of bloodshed. This is as it is written on the about.com website. Towards the end of year 1821, the Cortà ©s were involved in a voting, with just few Brazilian delegates taking part. The voting led to the abolishment of the kingdom of Brazil as well as the royal Rio de Janeiro agencies. The voting also sought to ensure that all provinces subordinated directly to the city of Lisbon. Subsequently, Portugal drove its army troops to Brazil and also placed all the units of Brazil under the command of Portugal. In the beginning of year 1822, the Brazilians who were born in Portugal and the troops of Portugal had a lot of tension between them. This turned into a violent ordeal when Pedro made an acceptance of Brazilian towns’ petitions who wanted his refusal of the order by Cortà ©s to go back to Lisbon. Following this, Pedro responded to the pressure as well as the fact that if he dismantled the central government and departed it would cause separatist movements, by vowing to

Based on the readings, what do you see as the biggest obstacles to Essay

Based on the readings, what do you see as the biggest obstacles to development of poorer nations What can be done about it - Essay Example development in these countries can be divided into four categories: Natural Resources, Human Capital, Poor Infrastructure, and institutional factors.2 However, the difference between the developing and the developed world lies in the human, physical and the socioeconomic environments of the nations in question. This paper has used different theories of development to explain the obstacle to development experienced by poor countries. Most of the poorer countries have inadequate resources including the fertile land. Availability of the resources can bring an increase in the productivity of the economy. In most developing nations, there is shortage of land due to the high population. Lesser land leads to significant fall in cultivation which is the main source of income in the poor nation. This in turn leads to the fall on the nations’ productivity known as the Gross Domestic Products.3 The situation is even worse since these countries have not tapped the technological practices in their productivity. According to the Exogenous Growth theory lack of technology makes it hard for a country to develop. Technology acquisition enables high production per unit of a natural resource like land when it comes to agriculture.4 The land in most of the developing nations is also so much fragmented due to socioeconomic issues such as passing the land to the next generation and the attempt by government to ensure equitable distribution of resources in these areas. It is good to understand that most of these nations over- depends on land which is the backbone of the developing world economy. There is therefore much tension when it comes to land issues.5 Most of the Sub Saharan African countries have vast natural resources that include oil and gold. This line of argument is in agreement with the Exogenous Growth Theory that the problem comes in the identification and affordability of technology that would help in the discovery of mineral deposits.6 This has led corrupting during

Can it be decided by you Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Can it be decided by you - Essay Example However, their strong holds were later to be shaken. As a matter of fact the major political changes in the region occurred from 1809 to 1825. This is according to the historyworld.net website. (historyworld.net, 2009) The royal family of Portugal stayed on in Brazil and a treaty was signed between Portugal and England in 1810 and this overlapped the treaty of Methuen of the year 1703. This recognized a direct accessibility to Brazil by the traders of Britain which made faster the movement towards the political independence of Brazil. (Birmingham, 2003 p99) This study is set out to analyze the Brazilian case of independence movement and make a comparison of this case with other Latin American Spanish colonized states. To this an answer will be provided for the study question, â€Å"How was the Spanish- Latin American countries’ independence movements more violent compared to Brazil?† The Brazilian case of decolonization was not devoid of bloodshed. This is as it is written on the about.com website. Towards the end of year 1821, the Cortà ©s were involved in a voting, with just few Brazilian delegates taking part. The voting led to the abolishment of the kingdom of Brazil as well as the royal Rio de Janeiro agencies. The voting also sought to ensure that all provinces subordinated directly to the city of Lisbon. Subsequently, Portugal drove its army troops to Brazil and also placed all the units of Brazil under the command of Portugal. In the beginning of year 1822, the Brazilians who were born in Portugal and the troops of Portugal had a lot of tension between them. This turned into a violent ordeal when Pedro made an acceptance of Brazilian towns’ petitions who wanted his refusal of the order by Cortà ©s to go back to Lisbon. Following this, Pedro responded to the pressure as well as the fact that if he dismantled the central government and departed it would cause separatist movements, by vowing to

Woodlands Community Center Corporation Case Analysis Essay Example for Free

Woodlands Community Center Corporation Case Analysis Essay The Woodland Community Center Cooperation (WCCC) had been established in 1926 by a social worker who thought that Woodland, an East Coast seaport town, would benefit from a variety of social and human services. Alain Yates, the longest serving executive director, was a long standing icon in the organization for many years, and due to a mixture of longevity and assertion, had shaped the organizational culture of the agency during his time of leadership. He had established a culture that didn’t necessarily reward what would be considered the â€Å"norm†; such has hard work and excellence. Instead he rewarded seniority and loyalty to the organization, and above all, loyalty to him. Employees advanced through becoming Yates’ â€Å"pet† employees, and received perks such as parking and expensive trips to out of state conferences. This preferential behavior created a rift within the organization and its employees. If people complained, then they were slowly trickled out by Yates, and replaced by more loyal employees. After 25 years of service, Yates retired, and while naming his suggestion for a successor, the board quickly and surprisingly undermined his influence and hired Fred Chambers. Fred was a man of substance and experience, and they needed someone to come in and not only change he organizational culture, but improve it. Fred’s wife had advised against taking this appointment, yet Fred took on the challenge, and in this case analysis we meet Fred just as he is beginning to take in the breadth of this challenge. Organization culture at Woodland Community Center Corporation was based on the values imposed by Yates. He believed that â€Å"seniority was sacrosanct, and neither creativity nor hard work replaced it† (McShane 539). This created a dominant organizational culture that believed that loyalty to Alan Yates was all that mattered, considering that the employees enjoyed a secure work environment as few employees ere fired for poor work ethic. â€Å"The key to employee survival and its attendant rewards was loyalty, not competency. Furthermore, loyalty was the sole way to advance in the agency or to receive pay increases for the agency’s over 100 employees† (McShane 539). As Yates continued his tenure, the organization was becoming more incestuous and a breeding ground for a groupthink mentality. â€Å"the agency had one characteristic in common: they swore undying loyalty to Yates† (McShane 539). Although Yates dominated the organizational culture with his own values, there was still a certain subculture that opposed him. The employees who were not impressed by Yates created the counterculture considering that they directly opposed the dominant values in the organization. They tried to maintain the organization’s standards of performance and ethical behavior as one employee stated â€Å"we are committed to working for the betterment of the agency and its clients, and we will stay despite Yates preferential treatment of pet employees† (McShane 539). They tried to maintain the values that kept the firm aligned with the needs of the society and other stakeholders. The subculture opposed to Yates could have been helpful in changing the dominant culture upon his retirement, but the executive director was able to suppress it over time. Employees that were part of the subculture began to retire of slowly trickle out because they could not longer tolerate â€Å"employment injustices† (McShane 540). Each employee that left would then be replaced by a loyal Yates supporter, which made in the more difficult for the New Executive Director Fred Chambers to change contaminated culture. In reading about organizational cultures, our text places images of strong, adaptive cultures. Cultures where the employees strive to improve customer focus and carry on long standing traditions that have carried the success of the companies. However, in this week’s case study, we find a great example of what a weak organizational structure is. Alan Yates has instilled a weak organizational culture during his tenure at WCCC. While at WCCC Alan Yates has allowed an organization culture that has slide away from customer services and has not become adaptive. The organizational culture has become one were loyalty and servitude has more value than ability and knowledge. â€Å"The key to employee survival and its attendant rewards was loyalty, not competency† (McShane 539). From this quote, it is clear to see that Alan Yates has created a culture of â€Å"yes† people, loyal to him and unable to correctly serve their client base. Furthermore, the organizational culture is being eroded as â€Å"adaptive† employees leave the company (McShane 467). As stated before, the organizational culture is further weakened by Mr. Yates as more experienced and â€Å"adaptive† employees are alienated and replaced by â€Å"in-crowd† employees. As the experienced employees leave, they erode the company by taking away many of the â€Å"rituals, legends and ceremonies† of the company (McShane 464). As the more experienced employees leave the company, many of the rituals, legends and ceremonies that had made WCCC successful will be lost, as they will be lost in the transition to new employees. The text also describes the three important functions of a strong culture, â€Å"Control system, Social glue and Sense making† (McShane 466). Again, it is interesting to see how a weak organizational culture works. Looking at WCCC’s control system with Mr. Yates, it is evident that a â€Å"deeply embedded form of social control that influences employee decisions and behavior† is present in the company (McShane 466). The only problem is the control system is too strong and influential. An example from the case study cites â€Å"Both, regardless of how they arrived at the agency, had one characteristic in common: They swore loyalty to Yates† (McShane 540). As more employees became loyal to Yates, the control system became to strong. The weakest part of the culture is tied to the â€Å"social glue† (McShane 466). â€Å"Organizational culture is the â€Å"social glue† that bonds people together and makes them feel part of the organizational experience† (McShane 466). The case study talks of a â€Å"growing rift† among employees that are loyal or not to Yates (McShane 539). The organizational culture suffers from a split in the employees as more experienced employees feel left out by Yates. This effectively shows a lack of â€Å"social glue† within the organizational culture of WCCC. Overall, it is easy to see that the organizational culture during Mr. Yates tenure has been significantly decreased at WCCC. The company lacks any â€Å"social glue† that could improve employee moral and it further harmed by the overbearing control of Mr. Yates. During his 25 year stay at WCCC, Mr. Yates has turned the organizational culture to nothing more than a â€Å"yes† culture. Fred Chambers is well aware how much organizational change is needed at the Woodland Community Center Corporation. There are both driving and restraining forces for change found in this case which will make Fred Chambers’ new position of executive director a difficult one. It is his goal to effectively manage these forces in order to successfully point the Woodland Community Center Corporation into a new direction. Alain Yates left a divided and unhappy workforce for Fred Chambers to fix. â€Å"Yates had encouraged policies of â€Å"double standards† that de-motivated some long-term and industrious agency employees. (McShane 532) Yates had his favorite employees and those who were within his inner circle. Certain people had reserved parking spots, whereas others had to park far away and take the long walk to the building from their car in inclement weather. Others were not allowed to go to training sessions to further their knowledge while they stood buy and watched certain employees go to expensive out of state conferences. â€Å"Yates’s actions resulted in a small but noticeable agency fissure that led to a growing rift between employees who sought to excel and those who just got by on their loyalty. ( McShane 532) Employees wanted to be rewarded for their work ethic and not their loyalty. People would no longer go the extra mile if they weren’t in Yates’s inner circle. This is a definite driving force for change. Fair and equal treatment needs to be implemented throughout the corporation. Despite all of the negative practices that Alain Yates implemented, those employees who were not treated fairly did not leave WCCC. They were paid very well and had a drive to help the clients that the agency worked with. Eventually, most of these employees left and were replaced by loyal supporters of Yates. Chambers needs to drive home that sense of loyalty to Woodland Community Center Corporation’s clients to those employees who remained despite not being in Yates’s inner circle. These employees need to still be competitively paid and reassured that their work will be appreciated. On the other hand, most of the employees of WCCC are loyal to Alain Yates and Fred Chambers will have an up road battle to convince the supporters of Yates that he will do a great job. Fred Chambers will most likely face many restraining forces for change. In some situations employees may be worried about the consequences of change, such as how the new conditions will take away their power and status. In other situations, employees show resistance because of concerns about the process of change itself, such as the effort required to break old habits and learn new skills. †(McShane 490) Fred Chambers needs to set a standard of equality. Yates’s inner circle no longer exists, and these employees need to know that they have to step up to the challenge and prove themselves. One resistance to change is the fear of the unknown. Employees do not know what is in stored for them. People resist change out of worry that they cannot adjust to the new work requirements. †(McShane 491) Workers might not have performed up to their potential because they were favored by Yates. Another resistance to change is when a routine is broken. â€Å"This means employees need to abandon behavioral routines that are no longer appropriate. †(McShane 491) Employees will not be used to the style of Fred Chambers. He most likely wants to do things differently, and they will have to adjust accordingly. Fred Chambers needs to approach organizational change from an evolutionary perspective. Alain Yates had run the WCCC for twenty five years. Many of the employees had been there for a long time and have been accustomed to his leadership style. Fred Chambers needs to implement certain changes right away, but at the same time, one does not want to rock the boat too much. He must create a more equal and level playing field for all employees. Chambers must gain the trust of all his workers and prove to them that he is dedicated to them, the organization, and most importantly, the company’s clients. By being too aggressive in his actions, Chambers will not give off a good impression and turn a lot of people off. He needs to use tact and apply his experiences to his new position. Over the next year or two, employees will realize that they are valued by the work they do and not by the personal connections they may have. Fred Chambers is required to make a lot of changes, and to convince a staff who has been conditioned to be loyal to a man who is no longer at the helm of the ship. Additionally, it seems that decisions had been made that weren’t pro-business, only pro-Yates. These will need to be reversed, which will naturally result in push back from the employees who had had these perks-who wants to give up a good parking spot? We believe that change really needs to begin at the bottom with the employees. First, Chambers should hold a meeting, outlining some initial changes within the organization, as well as explaining what in the world would make the board make such decisions. Providing some transparency at the top would help build some trust from employees. It would be important to not dwell on the past, but to focus on the future. He should talk about how important it is that people focus on the increased productivity and services of the organization, as opposed to the past which was riddled with preferential treatment and poor business decisions. The opportunities here far outweigh negativity brought by employees entrenched in the previous culture. This is an opportunity to have the employees really concentrate and recommit to the mission and vision of the organization. Perhaps he could do a workshop outlining goals, and the mission/vision of the organization. The future of the organizations fiscal and organizational health lies in Fred’s ability to gain the trust of the employees and then steer them towards good work product output, expectations of advancement when warranted through good work, and perhaps some leaner times financially, if there need to be lay offs. Fred needs to make the employees feel as though they belong to an organization who works well together. Create a sense of belonging. This is how Yates succeeded in turning the culture in his way, and it won’t be too difficult to do the same. Chambers also has a leg up when it comes to cost cutting. He will be able to outline to the entire organization that expenses such as trips, far away conferences and training will not be available to anyone, regardless of the reason or connection. This will allow people to see that Chambers will not play favorites, which has been an issue of concern in the past. It also tells the employees that there are financial concerns, and they should be cognizant of where they spend money. While there will be some initial push back, Chambers can and we believe will succeed. He has experience in running non profits; he is a seasoned professional in dealing with non-profit staff. Chambers should approach this challenge with the belief that what one poor leader had done can be undone by a strong leader with a good understanding of the culture, the people, and a strong commitment to the success of the organization.

Trumps Changes to Transgender Bathroom Rules

Trumps Changes to Transgender Bathroom Rules The Proposal for Transgender Bathroom Conversion Now that the Trump Administration has withdrawn Federal enforcement of the transgender bathroom order, it is up to each State to decide what course of action to take, if any (Hersher, Johnson, and para 4-5) It is evident by the number of lawsuits filed against the Federal Government that the constitutionality of Obama’s Executive Order is in question. Recently, the Supreme Court postponed hearing a case involving a Virginian transgender high school’s student, partially due to President Trump’s announcement. The details of the case involve a transgender student, who was already using the boy’s bathroom, but pressure from parents and others forced the school district to change its policy and deny the student’s ability to use the boys’ bathroom. (Liptak, para 2-5). The school adopted a policy that states all students must use the bathrooms/locker rooms according to the gender on their birth certificate and a private bathroom/locker room would be provided for transgender students. The boy sued under protections outlined in the fourteenth amendment stating he was refused civil rights because of his gender. In light of the recent withdraw of Obamaâ₠¬â„¢s order by the Trump Administration, the Supreme Court decided to send the case back to the appellate court of origination for its further review. In August, the Supreme Court decided (5 to 3) that while the student’s case proceeds, temporarily, the school is not compelled to let the student choose his bathroom (Hersher, Johnson, para 17). Besides the lawsuits sparked by the transgender bathroom issue, many religious organizations and activist groups have also voiced concern over the issue. North Carolinians objected so loudly that State legislatures refused to override state laws that stated people had to use the bathroom of the gender corresponding to their birth certificates. In return, the Justice Department sued the State of North Carolina for circumventing the ordering in this manner (Hersher, Johnson, para 11). Other states and communities passed similar laws or already had them in place prior to the order. When there is this much opposition and prejudice it usually stems from a gross misunderstanding of the situation In order to produce any meaningful solutions to this problem, it is paramount to educate the public about the medical realities of hermaphroditic conditions and elicit empathy to replace the anger this subject has released. Once Americans understand that in many cases being transgender is a choice the person’s doctor made for them at birth, it is possible more people will understand the bathroom issue more readily. It is also meaningful to illustrate the costs associated with converting schools to standards acceptable to the entire community, not just the transgender group. A three step plan is proposed that incorporates educating the public about intersex conditions, developing a realistic budget for schools to accommodate transgender bathrooms, and organizing a vote on the issue once the public is better informed.   Many people are opposed to the transgender bathroom because they lack an understanding of the medical issues involving intersex children and the path in life they face. It is difficult for most people to ever imagine having an intersex condition or having a child with a gender identity problem. Educating the public through public service announcements may be an effective way to approach this problem. If more people understood that in some cases, what has happened to an innocent baby at birth should not be the cause of persistent suffering psychologically and physiologically to have a Male XY genetic marker with a vagina. The prejudice transgender people encounter is widespread and educating the ignorant tends to abate some of the prejudice. The transgender community should consider eliciting a well-known or at least well-spoken spokesperson in order to start the process of educating the massed about the transgender plight. The second part of the plan involves preparing budget estimates for school conversions needed to accommodate transgender students. Safety of students seems to be one of the primary concerns of opponents to the bathroom issue, so privacy is of utmost priority. Based on ideas currently being discussed within the Sarasota School District, schools would provide a private, unisex bathroom for transgender students and partition locker rooms to provide a private space there as well. It is currently not known how many specialty unisex bathrooms each school will provide; however, for purposes of this analysis, it is assumed that one per school will be built out. The budget line items represent the total cost of each subcontracted task. For instance, the drywall line item indicates the total cost to partition the locker rooms/private changing areas. Even though not all of the districted schools may have locker rooms, for purposes of this cost illustration, it is assumed each school will requir e the build out. Once the public is sufficiently educated and the costs to convert the schools are properly relayed to the public, it will be time to organize a vote on the issue. Even if Trump rescinded the Federal Executive Order, States must remain concerned and prepared for a ruling by the Supreme Court that may ultimately force State school districts to comply with the initial order after all. In the event this happens, at least the public will be more educated and costs will be spelled out so that voters can make a rational, rather than emotional, decision. It must be emphasized that currently the Transgender Community does not seem to have a ‘famous’ person for their cause. A movement does not move very far without a leader. In the event the State and its voters or the Supreme Court decide to proceed with establishing policies for transgender bathroom availability, it is important to describe the costs that will be associated with revamping schools to fit the new policies. In order to illustrate the cost per school and the impact to the over school district, Sarasota County School District will be used as an example. It should be kept in mind that if legislation impacts all school districts statewide, a further cost analysis will need to be performed. The following budget is based on estimates obtained from local contractors based on a price for completed jobs (Daniel’s Plumbing, Jimenez Drywall). Based on the cost budget analysis, the cost of school bathroom/locker room conversions equal approximately $759,500, or $17.70 per registered student (SSD, Student Enrollment Charts). If the proposed idea of adding unisex bathrooms and converting current locker room space to include a partitioned area wi th showers is acceptable, the costs per student are low enough to justify the conversion.  If more build out is required, this budget analysis will need to be revised to take into consideration any changes. Based on empirical evidence (verbal survey of students from various SSD schools), approximately 0.1% of registered students, or approximately 429 children may be affected by an intersex condition or are transgender. The cost of conversion per transgender child, divided over the 13 years the child is assumed to attend SSD school, equals approximately $136 per child: this amount is rather a small amount to pay for the safety, security, and well-being of all students concerned. It should be noted; the costs contained herein estimates and are for illustrative purposes only.   The time is now for the Transgender movement to strive to educate the public more on the issues that affect them in an effort to reverse some of the prejudice that exists today. It seems imperative for the group to organize and delegate a leader to champion their cause. (Maybe Obama’s free?). Once organized, the group needs to decide how to educate the masses. Next, the group needs to formulate what bathroom arrangements are acceptable and provide a plan that includes cost estimates based on a per child basis in order to make acceptance of any changes more credible. The final phase is for the group to get petitions circulating to get the issue on a ballot and get the voters to approve its proposition. Many movements take years to accomplish their goals: Just think about how long it took women suffragettes, gay right activists, or civil rights leaders to accomplish their goals. The Transgender movement received a head start when Obama made the nation aware of one of its issues; however, the movement needs a powerful leader and some organizational zeal to accomplish its goals. Citations Liptak, A. Supreme Court Won’t Hear Major Cases on Transgender Rights†. Dated March 6, 2017. Retrieved from the New York Times website on April 12, 2017 WEB https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/06/us/politics/supreme-court-transgender-rights-case.html?_r=0 Hersher, R. and Johnson, C., â€Å"Trump Administration Rescinds Obama Rule On Transgender Students Bathroom Use†. Dated February 22, 2017. Retrieved from NPR.org website on 4/11/207 WEB http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/02/22/516664633/trump-administration-rescinds-obama-rule-on-transgender-students-bathroom-use Budget created by Serena Hart on MS Word. Cost estimates based on conversations with two local Sarasota contractors: Daniel’s Plumbing, Jimenez Drywall. Not to be relied on, for illustrative purposes only. For final presentation purposes, this report will be incorporated with an analytical report, also by Serena Hart entitled, â€Å"Color Me Blue†.