Primary Health Care - Indigenous Australian Inequalities Essay Example for Free

Primary Health Care Indigenous Australian Inequalities Essay Page 1 The World Health Organisation (World Health Organisation, 2008) states that the indigenous peoples of Australia are one of the most disadvantaged indigenous groups in the developed world. The health of the Indigenous population of Australia is an increasingly pressing issue. Current research and statistics reveals great inequality in many areas of health care and health status between the Aboriginal people and the general population of Australia. Couzos and Murray (2008, p.29) report that the Indigenous population has â€Å"the worst health status of any identifiable group in Australia, and the poorest access to health systems. † This paper will examine the underlying historical contexts and contributing factors that have lead to the current disparity between the health of the Indigenous Australians and non-Indigenous Australians. Furthermore, the high prevalence of chronic health issues such as diabetes will be analysed and community health initiatives that are needed or currently being enacted will be identified. Many reasons for the current appalling state of health and wellbeing of the Australian Aboriginal people can be explained by examining their recent history to the devastating impacts of colonisation, genocidal policy, loss of land and years of oppression. These several hundred years of cultural destruction, dispossession and social and political upheaval have resulted in generations of trauma and grief (Burke, 2006, para. 4). As reported by Forsyth (2007, p.35-36), government policies enacted towards the indigenous population in the early 20th Century were concerned primarily with protection and segregation, as the prevailing attitude of the time was that the Indigenous people were largely inferior and were unable to care for themselves. Forsyth continues to explain of the injustice created by the New South Wales parliament with the Aborigines Protection Act of 1909, in which â€Å"every aspect of their lives was governed, regulated and controlled† (Forsyth, 2007, p. 36). Furthermore the Indigenous people of this era were not able to imbibe alcohol, own property, vote or cohabit with non-Indigenous people, and the state of their health was largely ignored due to the belief that they were a dying race. (Couzos et. Page 2 al. 2008, p. 3). Due to this essentially complete lack of health care, Forsyth describes the Aboriginal people of the era living on the outskirts of larger towns as suffering from high rates of blindness, infectious diseases, bone diseases and sexually transmitted infections (Forsyth, 2007, p.36). The severity of these health issues was made worse by fear and distrust of the Aboriginal people towards hospitals and white people (Forsyth, 2007, p. 37). As the 20th Century progressed it became obvious that the Aboriginal population was not a soon to be extinct race as earlier thought, and new political policy calling for assimilation and integration reflected this change, though protectionist and segregationist policies remained influential or continued until the 1970s (Couzos et.al. 2008, p. 4). In the 1960s attitudes of Australian society began to became more concerned for the wellbeing Indigenous people, with increased social conciousness and awareness spreading throughout the Western World. As a result of increasing political activity and demonstration, many Aboriginals were forced off stations in 1966, causing a large movement of Indigenous people to more urban areas such as Redfern (Couzos et. al. 2008, p. 7). This sudden increase in numbers highlighted the need for proper health care and services, with the first Aboriginal health service established in 1971. Throughout the 1970s an increase in research and reporting of Aboriginal health resulted in many state and commonwealth reports all with the same conclusion, that the health status of Aboriginal communities was appalling and that there was great â€Å"need for increased priority, increased resourcing, better coordination, and increased Aboriginal community participation and control† (Couzos et. al. 2008, p. 10). However very little action was taken until the 1990s2000s where relevant political policy was brought in and funding made available for Aboriginal health services, though they mostly remain inadequately funded and Aboriginal health care is still largely unrepresented and avoided by the Australian Government. The ongoing effects of racist and unjust political policy and action can in part explain current aspects of dysfunction and overall disadvantage that occurs in many Indigenous Page 3 communities today. Specifically this disadvantage is evident in many areas of community life, with Indigenous people being generally exposed to more risk factors for poor health than other Australians (Thomson, MacRae, Burns, Catto, Debuyst, Krom, Midford, Potter, Ride, Stumpers and Urquhart, 2010, para. 49). Examples of risk factors include social factors such as dispossession, dislocation and discrimination, educational factors such as poor schooling, resulting in much lower literacy and numeracy skills, economic factors such as lower income and higher unemployment, access to good quality health care and GPs, and physical environmental factors such as poor and overcrowded housing. Together these disadvantages provide for a higher likelihood of poor lifestyle choices such as alcohol, tobacco and illicit drug use, a poor and unbalanced diet, obesity and a lack of regular exercise (Thomson et. al. 2010, para. 49, Couzos et. al. 2008, p. 79). Poor access to good quality health care is one of the key predictors for the prevalence of poor health in a community. There are very few GPs available in remote locations, and as a result of no or little access to professional health care providers, these remote areas are susceptible to poor health awareness and knowledge. As reported by Thomson et. al. (2010, para. 3), almost one-quarter of Indigenous people are classified as living in a remote area with very little access to goods and services or opportunities for social interaction. Couzos et. al. (2008, p. 18) also consider poor access to GPs as shown by a 2000-2001 survey of GPs. As reported, only 0. 8% of GP visits were by Indigenous people, though they make up 2. 6% of the general population. Furthermore, more than 70% of GPs did not see a single Indigenous person during the survey period. This under representation of the Indigenous population visiting GPs indicates a clear need for increased access to professional health care, and is just one factor of many which demonstrates the need for improvement in the health and wellbeing of the Australian Indigenous people. Page 4 Diabetes is a chronic metabolic condition which can result in many major long term health complications such as stroke, kidney disease, blindness and greatly reduced life expectancy (Allman, 2008, p. 80, Zeng, 2006, p. 73). Diabetes can be classified into three main types, with the second type, non-insulin-dependant diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) the main form developed as a result of lifestyle factors. As reported by Thomson et. al. (2010, para. 2), NIDDM is currently â€Å"one of the most important health problems for Indigenous populations across Australia†, with only around half of those with the condition know they have it, and the proportion of affected Indigenous population estimated to be around 4 four times that of the general population. Couzos et. al. (2008, p. 525) expand that Aboriginal people are also significantly more likely to develop NIDDM at a much younger age, more likely to be hospitalised, and to die from associated complications. This over representation of diabetes in the Indigenous population is a result of their poor health status and education. Thomson et. al. (2010) report that many studies have linked high levels of obesity among Indigenous populations and high prevalence of NIDDM. The main factors linked to this high levels of obesity are the relatively recent availability of highly processed and sugary Western foods and drinks including alcohol and tobacco use, impaired glucose tolerence, hypertriglyceridaemia, hypertension, hyperinsulinaemia and a higher level of physical inactivity than non-Indigenous people (Thomson et. al. 2010). Diabetes prevalence is also linked to a lower socioeconomic status, and as previously examined, a high proportion of the Indigenous population suffer from many areas of disadvantage, which results in a lower socioeconomic status. As further explained by Thomson et. al. (2010) these effects are further aggravated by poor health promotion and knowledge, mental illness and stress, early emotional development and social status, and recent trends indicate increasing development and prevalence of NIDDM. Clearly the Aboriginal population is exposed to many risk factors for diabetes and other chronic conditions, and with increasing development trends, explains poor mortality rates and overall poor health status of their communities. Page 5. Community based programs are essential for the improvement of Indigenous health due to the close-knit nature of their culture and often remote location. This was begun in 2003 at national level with the development of The National Strategic Framework for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health, which targeted strengthening of health service infrastructure, accessibility to health services, and health promotion, most importantly the importance of balanced nutrition and regular exercise (Couzos et. al. 2008, p.522, Insel, Ross, McMahon and Bernstein, 2010, p. 653). Cribbes and Glaister (2007, p. 167) describe the importance of health promotion and awareness at the community level, with a focus on re-establishing more traditional food choices and encouraging traditional hunting skills. The traditional Indigenous diet is highly nutritious, being high in protein, low in fat and high in complex carbohydrates, and as considered by Cribbes et. al. (2007, p. 167) is an excellent way to protect against chronic conditions such as diabetes. However the majority of remote Indigenous peoples obtain their food from local stores, thus initiatives such as the Remote Indigenous Stores and Takeaway Project were undertaken to establish minimum healthy eating standards and to educate store managers in nutrition. By empowering local store managers in this way, they are able to further educate the local schools and wider community in healthy eating (Cribbes. et. al. 2007, p. 167). As reported by the Dragon and Anderson (2011, p.28), Close The Gap (CTP) is another national level campaign which has a carry on effect to the community level. CTP aims to resolve the disparity in life expectancy rates and health equality between Aboriginal Australians and the general population, and has been endorsed by federal and state governments. CTP focuses on management of chronic conditions such as diabetes and follow up care. Management and awareness of diabetes is an essential component of improving health standards, and as King (2001, p.147-155) explains, Aboriginal people with diabetes commonly avoid mainstream health services for their health care. This mismanagement can lead to the development of diabetes related complications and greatly reduced quality Page 6 of life and life expectancy. On going strategies and studies identified the need for Aboriginal health workers to deliver community level care and health services for successful diabetes management (King, 2001). In conclusion, Aboriginal health standards have been of an appalling standard for many years due to racist policies, attitudes and in-humane treatment. The damage done and denigration of their lives, families and cultures has only recently began to be repaired by collective efforts nation wide, with a unified goal of self and community-empowerment, improvement of quality of life and living standards. With the expansion and ongoing deliverance of community focused solutions, many risks for ill-health and chronic conditions can be greatly reduced and the health status disparity between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians can in the future be eliminated. Page 7 References: †¢ Allman, T. (2008) Genes disease : diabetes. New York; Infobase Publishing. †¢ Dragon, N. and Anderson, K. (2011). Indigenous health. Australian Nursing Journal, 19(2), 24-8. †¢ Burke, S. (2006). Changing practices, changing paradigms: working effectively with Indigenous clients. Australian Psychological Society. Retrieved October, 5, 2011 from http://www. psychology. org. au/publications/inpsych/changing/ †¢ Couzos, S. Murray, R. (2008). Aboriginal primary health care: An evidence-based approach. South Melbourne; Oxford University Press. †¢ Cribbes. M. and Glaister. K. (2007). Its not easy: caring for Aboriginal clients with diabetes in remote Australia. Contemporary Nurse, 25; 163-172. †¢ Forsyth (2007). Telling stories: nurses, politics and aboriginal australians, circa 19001980s. Contemporary Nurse, 24(1), 33-44. Insel, P. , Ross, D. , McMahon, K. and Bernstein, M. (2010). Nutrition. Massachusetts; Jones and Bartless Publishers. †¢ King, M. (2001). The diabetes health care of Aboriginal people in South Australia. Contemporary Nurse, 10(3,4), 147-155. Page 8 †¢ Thomson N, MacRae A, Burns J, Catto M, Debuyst O, Krom I, Midford. R, Potter C, Ride K, Stumpers S, Urquhart B (2010). Summary of Australian Indigenous health, 2010. Retrieved October. 6, 2011 from http://www. healthinfonet. ecu. edu. au/health-facts/summary †¢ World Health Organization. (2008). Closing the Gap in a generation. Health equity through action on the social determinants of health. Commission on Social Determinants of Health Final Report. Retrieved October, 6, 2011 from http://www. who. int/social_determinants/thecommission/finalreport/en /index. html †¢ Zeng, Y. (2006). Longer life and healthy aging. Philadelphia; Springer.

Nissans external environment

Nissans external environment Natural Environment Nissans â€Å"ultimate goal† Nissans is one of the top producers of automobile company which they used up many environmental resources because cars basically run on fossil fuel and gasoline. As a global manufacturer of automobile, Nissan have set an ultimate goal which is to manage the environmental impact generated by (Nissan Global)Nissans corporate activities, customer use of Nissan vehicles, and the companys use of resources on a level that is within natures capacity to absorb. Nissans aim is also to minimize the impact of earth from (Nissan, 2009) Key Issues of Nissan Nissan now focuses on the 3 Key issues which are:- To reduce the Carbon Dioxide emission, To reduce other emission to preserve earth resources including the atmosphere, soil and water To promote the resources cycle through 3rs, Reduction, Reuse Recycle. Task 1. Reducing carbon dioxide emissions Nissan believe that reducing the CO2 emission requires not only by Nissan alone but also a cooperative efforts by all society. Nissan is also making aggressive efforts in reducing the Carbon Monoxide emission in their business activities and thus, their effort will lead to contribution of the society. Task 2. Reducing emissions*1 (protecting the air, water and soil) Nissans 2nd task is to reduce any emission that will have negative impact on earth resources including the atmosphere, air, water and soil. According to Nissan, it is a requirement for them to consider the life cycle of their vehicle from the vehicles development to production and finally to the vehicles disposal. Task 3. Resource recycling (promoting reducing, reusing, and recycling) Nissans aim is to achieve the mobile society through automobile recycling. According to Nissan basic approach, they are implementing the 3 Rs to use their resource effective and efficiently. The 3 Rs are:- Reduce Reuse Recycle They are planning to reduce the material to its minimal when producing their automobile, reuse the resources whenever possible and recycle their resources for the future use. Technology Environment Nissan has four areas of technological goals which include the environment, safety, dynamic performance and life on board. Nissan create these values in order to provide their customers with trusted driving pleasure. (Nissan Global) Environment Nissan has a long term goal to reducing CO2 help the environmental crisis such as global warming. With this goal, Nissan had set their target of reducing CO2 emission in their new car by 70% in the year 2050. (Nissan Environmental Technologies) Safety Nissan claims that their aim is to reduce the number of serious and fatal injuries from accidents involving Nissans vehicle by halve by the year 2015. Nissan has work hard to progressively design a safer vehicle to the customer based on real world accident analysis. Nissan carried out various crash test from normal driving accident to serious and fatal accidents to be analyzed and to provide continuous improvements onto Nissans vehicle. (Nissan Safety Technologies) Dynamic Performance Nissan focuses on qualities such as quietness of the vehicle and the power response. The vehicle handling however such as steering stability, steering responsiveness and vehicle behavior are very important to please the driver of Nissans vehicle according to Nissan. (Nissan Dynamic Performance) Life on Board Nissan vehicle provides an unprecedented value through their every stage from getting into vehicle, preparation to drive, actual driving experience and to getting out from the vehicle. Nissan is also delivering the three kinds of value on the driving experience on Nissan vehicle. (Nissan Life on Board) Cockpit which are design for easy driving Cabin comfort High quality of the interior Sociocultural Environment Nissan is building and manufacturing cars to meet all types of peoples demand. Different people would prefer different types of cars depending on the consumer itself. Assume that if a person prefer vehicle that can go off-road, he could have prefered Nissan Xterra or Nissan Frontier whereas people who are rich and like fast cars would go for cars like Nissan Silvia, Nissan Skyline or Nissan Fairlady 350z. Not all types of driver are suited for all types of cars. This is the reason why Nissan Build many different types of vehicle to suit different types of driver. Below are the some of the lists of different category of Nissan vehicle that are still on production today. Nissan for the adrenaline and want-to-go-fast guys: Nissan Skyline GT-R 35 Nissan 370z Nissan for the adventurous and explorer: Nissan X-trail Nissan Navara Nissan Frontier Nissan for the budget driver: Nissan Latio Nissan Sentra Nissan March International Environment Nissan Company succeeded in selling their automobiles internationally in every continent. This means that Nissan is an international company. Although its availability all around the world, Nissan has to compete on a global basis because there are many high-quality and low price automobiles from all around the world including Toyota, Ford, Mitsubishi and many other more. The international environment provides new competitors, customers and suppliers from everywhere. Although is a good thing Nissan expands their business internationally, this will make the company even harder to control as there are many branches everywhere in the world where Nissan has to retain the standards of every Nissan branches in terms of their services. Nissan would also have to make their automobile available to every place with Nissan branch where they either ship their automobile internationally or the automobile is manufactured locally. Economic Environment Nissan and Renault established as the Renault-Nissan Purchasing Organization (RNPO) in the year 2001. This was key ways to reduce cost by combining both their resources to be more efficient in the organization. Renault and Nissan currently hold 60% shares some part and raw materials suppliers. (Agrawal, 2007) Legal and Political Environment Nissan vehicle have to meet certain standards to be able to enter certain countries to be sold. This is due to the fact that certain states do not allow high performance vehicle such as Nissan Skyline models to enter the state because driver might misuse the vehicle for illegal street racing. Besides high performance automobile, Nissan also needs to meet the Emission Standards whereby it is a requirement that set a specific limit of the pollution produce by an automobile that are released to the environment. These standards are to protect the environment of any air pollution to the country as this may lead to global warming. Emissions that are being tested include carbon monoxide, hydrocarbon, sulfur oxide and others. Aside from that also, there is also safety standards that should be tested before the vehicle is legally produce to the market. In other words, the vehicle should be safe enough for the driver in meeting the safety standards. The safety standards include: Crash Avoidance Control whereby in an event of emergencies, can the vehicle respond when the driver avoids a crash. Crashworthiness is when the vehicle crashes, the vehicle should be safe enough to protect the driver and its passengers. This test will determine the airbag responsiveness, impacts, safety belts and others. (TRANSPORTATION, 1999)

Technologys Impact on the Upper Mississippi River Essay -- Enviroment

Technology's Impact on the Upper Mississippi River Since the days of Lewis and Clark men have dreamed of harnessing the "Father of Waters" in the interests of commerce and development. The long struggle which ensued required incredible ingenuity and determination on the part of engineers as well as enormous capital investment. The Mississippi River Commission, established in 1897, was the first federal program designed specifically to meet these requirements, and early systems, instituted by the Army Corps of Engineers, saw much success. Technological advancements in the fields of transportation, flood control, and natural resource management were needed and, eventually, emerged to provide the level of control possible today. This report will discuss the technological transformation of the upper Mississippi river and the motivation behind it from the middle 1800's. Economics, in the form of cheap transportation, have been the impetus behind most of the development along the Upper Mississippi. In the early 1800's, transportation was limited to keelboats (large rafts made of roughcut lumber) which floated downstream with the current where they changed their cargo and then were poled or warped (pulled from shore with a rope) back upstream. With the development of the steamboat the arduous journey up and down the river, taking up to nine months by keelboat, became a much more reliable route for transporting both products and people. In the late 1800's, the invention of the internal combustion engine led to the powerful towboats seen on the Mississippi today. Towboats move 70 to 85 million tons of cargo annually between Minneapolis and the Missouri River [http://www.emtc.nbs.gov]. Underscoring the economic importance of such ... ...ing fascinating about science, one gets such wholesale returns of conjecture out of such trifling investments of fact." References: Mairson, Alan, "The Great Flood of '93," National Geographic, vol. 185 (January 1994),pp. 42-81. National Biological Service, Department of the Interior, "Environmental Management Technical Center," http://www.emtc.nbs.gov (1996). Twain, Mark, Life on the Mississippi (New York, New York: Harper & Row, Publishers, 1917). Upper Mississippi River Basin Coordinating Committee, Upper Mississippi River Comprehensive Basin Study, vol. 1 and 5 (1972) U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, "Upper Mississippi River--Illinois Waterway System Navigation Study," http://www.usace.army.mil/ncd (1996). U.S. Geological Survey EROS Data Center, "Upper Mississippi River Basin Flooding," http://edcwww.cr.usgs.gov/doc/edchome/sast (1996). Technology's Impact on the Upper Mississippi River Essay -- Enviroment Technology's Impact on the Upper Mississippi River Since the days of Lewis and Clark men have dreamed of harnessing the "Father of Waters" in the interests of commerce and development. The long struggle which ensued required incredible ingenuity and determination on the part of engineers as well as enormous capital investment. The Mississippi River Commission, established in 1897, was the first federal program designed specifically to meet these requirements, and early systems, instituted by the Army Corps of Engineers, saw much success. Technological advancements in the fields of transportation, flood control, and natural resource management were needed and, eventually, emerged to provide the level of control possible today. This report will discuss the technological transformation of the upper Mississippi river and the motivation behind it from the middle 1800's. Economics, in the form of cheap transportation, have been the impetus behind most of the development along the Upper Mississippi. In the early 1800's, transportation was limited to keelboats (large rafts made of roughcut lumber) which floated downstream with the current where they changed their cargo and then were poled or warped (pulled from shore with a rope) back upstream. With the development of the steamboat the arduous journey up and down the river, taking up to nine months by keelboat, became a much more reliable route for transporting both products and people. In the late 1800's, the invention of the internal combustion engine led to the powerful towboats seen on the Mississippi today. Towboats move 70 to 85 million tons of cargo annually between Minneapolis and the Missouri River [http://www.emtc.nbs.gov]. Underscoring the economic importance of such ... ...ing fascinating about science, one gets such wholesale returns of conjecture out of such trifling investments of fact." References: Mairson, Alan, "The Great Flood of '93," National Geographic, vol. 185 (January 1994),pp. 42-81. National Biological Service, Department of the Interior, "Environmental Management Technical Center," http://www.emtc.nbs.gov (1996). Twain, Mark, Life on the Mississippi (New York, New York: Harper & Row, Publishers, 1917). Upper Mississippi River Basin Coordinating Committee, Upper Mississippi River Comprehensive Basin Study, vol. 1 and 5 (1972) U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, "Upper Mississippi River--Illinois Waterway System Navigation Study," http://www.usace.army.mil/ncd (1996). U.S. Geological Survey EROS Data Center, "Upper Mississippi River Basin Flooding," http://edcwww.cr.usgs.gov/doc/edchome/sast (1996).

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee :: Free Essay Writer

To Kill a Mockingbird There are defining moments in a society when one individual can shape events for generations to come. For one to change ones surroundings, and make the situation better for others is a great task. In To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee and in today's society men try and make dents in their unjust surroundings, not only in politics but in their homes and personal lives. Men such as Atticus Finch and Jackie Robinson made actions that changed their communities and homes in suddle but memorably ways. Atticus changed the racist society of Maycomb by defending Tom Robinson in his trial. By acting as Tom's defense Atticus, an influential member of his community, is standing up for an oppressed group in his society. In the quote ." . . If I didn't take this case (Scout) then I wouldn't be able to hold my head up, I wouldn't be about to tell anyone what to do, not even you and Jem." the reader can understand that Tom's case is significant to Atticus. He knows that it will shape his community, that a serious change will be a result from the trial, and if he did not accept the trial no one else in Maycomb would help Tom and the rest of the African-Americans in the community. Atticus also changed his community by standing up against the majority and defending a man he knows is innocent. In the quote " Link, that boy might go to the chair, but he's not going till the truth's told . . . and you know what the truth is" Atticus is facing a mob of his peers (Lee 148). The reader can conclude the he is willing to risk his own safety and reputation to bring justice to the trial, no matter who is in the way. Atticus shows great compassion towards the blacks and makes sacrifices by defending Tom, which is another way he helps change his community. His compassion is displayed in the quote " (Courage is) when you know you licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what. You rarely win but sometimes you do" (116). Atticus was going to see his case all the way through, if the result was positive or negative, under any circumstance. Atticus' choices at home, in the way he raised his children also change his society. He teaches Jem and Scout valuable lessons that help the next generation to break the cycle of discrimination. For example with the quote " You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view .

The Ethics of the Mental Pursuit of Perfection Essay -- Exploratory Es

Introduction    The number of individuals diagnosed for one or more mental disorders and consequently treated with a corresponding drug has significantly increased the past several years. The following statistics displaying this are shocking: * 8.5 million people are prescribed Effexor, an anti-depressant every year (Harris, 2004). * More than 1 million children and teenagers are taking drugs for some form of mental disorder (Elias, 2004). * There are close to 2 million cases each year of drug complications that result in 180,000 deaths or life-threatening illnesses in the eldery (Langreth, 2004). These alarming figures call us to question the causes behind this influx of diagnosed mental disorders as well as the consequential drug prescription as a solution. When asked to discuss the ethics of the mental pursuit of perfection, there are several different aspects to consider. The main ethical issues raised lie in the prescription of drugs to children and the over prescription of drugs. In addition, I will discuss who and what are responsible for our culture’s desire to â€Å"quick fix† every definable problem with some type of drug, be it prescribed, non-prescribed, or self-prescribed.       Mental Disorders in Children When one thinks about mental disorders in respect to children, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) immediately comes to mind. Defined now as â€Å"children who are excessively active, are unable to sustain their attention, and are deficient in their impulse control to a degree that is deviant for their developmental level† (Loewenton, 2002), ADHD now affects up to 5% of schoolchildren and continues in roughly 60% of those youths as they age (Henderson, 2004). There are many different opinions re... ...ago Press, 2002.    Langreth, Robert. â€Å"Just Say No!† Forbes. 29 November, 2004. pgs. 103-112    Loewenton, Ed. â€Å"Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.† Turner toys. 4 October 2004. .    Merrow, John. â€Å"Attention Deficit Disorder-A Dubious Diagnosis?† The Merrow Report. 4 October..    Moore, Thomas. â€Å"No prescription for happiness.† Boston Globe 17 October 1999. .    USA Today. â€Å"FDA cites possible suicide link between children, Paxil.† USA Today. 19 June, 2003. .    Zernike, Kate and Melody Petersen. â€Å"Schools’ Backing of Behavior Drugs Comes Under Fire.† New York Times: 18 August 2004. .

Gender communication

For many years, society has influenced how humans act and communicate towards one another depending on the scenario and the sex that they are specified to. Social and cultural norms can significantly influence both the expression of gender identity, and the nature of the interactions between genders.Gender culture, the set of behaviors or practices associated with masculinity and femininity (Relish p 423), pay a huge contribution on how and why males and females communicate fervently with other genders. Researchers like Susan Relish believe that the differences start from childhood with the games they are influenced to play. The stereotypes the media portray nowadays also play a factor on the difference Of males and females. It ultimately affects the communication styles by the way they process information, the â€Å"leadership† role males tend to feel, and their talk time.Since childhood, little girls are influenced to play house, with no rules, obligations, or worries about anything because the â€Å"dad† is the one who should make the money while the â€Å"mom† stays home. While on the other hand, most if not all, boys are obligated to join sports teams, be competitive, and have goals and strategies. These differences as children cause women to operate from assumptions about communication, and use rules for communication that differ significantly from those endorsed by most men (Relish p 422).Little boys are told to â€Å"suck it up† if they get hurt during a game while the girls are tended to as quickly as possible which can explain why many men don't show as much emotion when they communicate. Aries' research shows that men aren't as open as women are with others: Men are more likely than women to emerge as leaders, to be directive and hierarchical, to dominate in groups by talking more and interrupting more and to be oriented toward solving problems. In contrast, women are found to be more expressive, supportive, facilitative, egalitarian and cooperative than men.In the movie, John Tucker Must Die, the star athlete portrays the typical stereotype male in which they have â€Å"locker room talk†. His friends make fun of him because he is â€Å"whipped† but he turns it around by saying that he only does It so that he can get laid. Reason he does that is because he doesn't ant to show weakness with other men and wants them to know that he is the hierarchy in the relationship. On the other hand, girls are more open and talk with each other for advice using every detail they can. Women are more expressive with each other rather than men who are better at keeping everything bottled in.According to Lewis and Miller, women communicate emotionally through facial expressions. When females communicate, they tend to use mostly their eyebrows to get their message across. The like to look at the person they are talking to, to make sure that they are listen inning and paying attention to them. Women at ofte n times do not care of the leadership role as long as they are listened to. At the University of Texas at San Antonio, a survey was within the students of the campus between the ages of 1 8 to 25 to see how they communicate differently depending on the people they are with.The table below shows the findings: Fig. 1 DUST communication difference between ages 18 to 25 Upon doing the survey, it is found that men tend to change the way they communicate with others because of social stereotypes while females do not change as much. After some more research, males communicate different tit other males and like to show aggressiveness and hierarchy to not show weakness even though it is not always the case unlike women who communicate almost the same with everyone as long as they get their point across to the other person. Attitude is a strategy both female and males do but differently.Carpi's research shows that men interrupt when they want to get their point across to show authority while Women tend to nod their head, wait and listen. When males communicate with each other, they tend to debate and disagree with each other and with not much eye contact while on the other hand , females re inclined to show support as their â€Å"motherly instincts† come out. When males and females get in a heated discussion, males are most likely to just storm off without wanting to talk about it to avoid having long talks and get aggressive rapidly while the females show much emotion and want to talk everything out.Rather than just talk everything out, men would much rather prefer doing some activities instead (Wright p 49). Fig 2. Females Fig. 3 Males The data below are the Wrights finding between males and females of ages 20 to 24. It is safe to with the data that women prefer to talk with friends than o activities while men want to beat around the bush and just take their mind of it. Women like to take their time talking about their issues and men just keep simple. Pond all this research, sex is the root source of differences of how males and females relate and communicate to others. Whether it is to show hierarchy or express their feelings, it is safe to say that both genders ultimately communicate different based on social norms and to get their point across.

Now he makes all the decisions Essay

threatening Q and Steel shows the power Bishop believes he possess. He believes that he has them cornered. He is so confident that he won’t be turned in that he shows up at Raheem’s funeral. He believes that the three of them should carry on with their lives as if nothing changed. He tries to force Q to hang out with him when he meets Q at his locker in school. He question’s Q about why he has not been around. When Q answers that he is not worried about hanging with Bishop. Bishop explains to him that he needs to be worried because he determines if Q and Steel lives or dies. The power of being able to take someone’s life (which he demonstrated twice with Raheem and the man in the store) had consumed him. Now he makes all the decisions. They cannot cut him off he won’t let them. It has even become a kind of game for him. They hide and avoid him, and he searches and finds them. This can be seen in Bishop’s smile when he explains to Q that he is crazy because he doesn’t care about anything. It’s funny to him that they fear him so much now that he has a gun, but feared him so little when he did not have a gun. This is what he always wanted, to be feared. He feels that as long as he is feared he is respected. But Bishop was wrong. He over estimated his power and although Q feared him, he refused to let Bishop control his life. And when he tries to take Q’s life, he fails and falls to his death. Bishop would not have gotten greedy for power and try to control everyone he may have lived. But as was stated previously, people will retaliate and defend themselves, so you cannot expect to live long if you threaten to kill people. Another example of this cycle of destruction is the movie Belly directed by Hype Williams. In Belly, DMX plays the character Tommy, a gangsta turned drug dealer who will do whatever it takes to make money. Tommy would do pretty much anything to get money. He doesn’t care about his girl friend Keisha, his underage mistress, or anything the is in the way of him making money. Tommy basically feels that the most important thing in his life is money everything else is expendable. For example, Keisha is in his life for sexual reasons. She is like an ornament. He cheats on her with an underage girl who gives him oral sex. To him they are both in his life because he has money, so he feels that as long as he has money they will stay around or simply be replaced. He dedicates none of his time or consideration to either one of the women. When Keisha goes to jail because of him, he doesn’t even attempt to do something the help her get out of jail. He simply tells Sincere to explain to her what happen. He feels as though he doesn’t have to do anything for her because she is not that important. She is there for his needs and nothing else. He has to power to tell her when to come, leave, shut up, and have sex with him. This is the power that money gives him. He knows this and tries to explain it to Sincere. He tells Sincere that money is the reason that they are on earth. They were put here to make money and receive all the benefits of money such as: women, and power. For Tommy it is the game of life. He is to make as much money he can anyway he can, and if he does he can have to benefits of money. Because Tommy has power he insults anyone he wants too. I am sure that he never thought that the guy who he made strip in the basement would try to get revenge on him. He felt that he was too powerful to be touched and if someone tried he would reach out and touch them. He also displays this power when he manipulates the two boys and plays them against each other which leads to them killing each other. But in the end Tommy realizes that he was stupid and you need more then money in life. You need people to look out for you like Keisha and Sincere were trying to do. Tommy believed that his power would stop people from setting him up, but he was wrong because the FEDs caught up with him. In his quest for money, Tommy stops respecting mankind and only respected money and those with money. And when you disrespect people, people will do whatever they can to bring you down. In the end you will pay for the pain you cause others. But out of these examples, the movie Belly is the only one in which the cycle was not complete. After Tommy agrees to work with the police to get out of serving time, he gets religious and decides to change his life before he self-destructs. He breaks the cycle because he realizes before it is too late that money is not important. And money does not bring true respect. You have to earn respect and power. And you have to respect others. The power that comes with the ‘fuck it’ attitude is very appealing because it is quick and easy to some degree. It is because it is an easy way to gain power (power through fear or money) it is addictive. It cause people to believe that they cannot be stopped and can do what ever it is that want. But this is a false sense of power. This false sense of power always leads to their self-destruction. You cannot treat people with disrespect and not suffer the consequences one day or another. But the power leads them not believing there are no consequences, and therefore they are not prepared when the consequences come.