Personal development in health Essay

1. How can you evaluate your own knowledge, performance and understanding against relevant standards? So, how do you ensure you are working within up to date standards for health and social care? How do you check this? This is where you improve your performance with training and supervisions and I can check with the CQC to make sure I am doing things right if I was unsure or with my employer. 2. Can you identify your sources of support for planning and reviewing your own development? For examples, sources of support can include formal support, informal support, and supervision, appraisal, within the organisation or beyond the organisation. The code of practice would be my main support and guide lines for planning and reviewing my development or my employer would also help me plan my own development with keeping my training up to date. Also working by the company policy and procedures would keep me within the guide lines. 3. Can you evaluate how any learning activities you have accessed have affected your practice? I completed a fire awareness course and returned to work that evening when one of the clients set a pan on fire on the cooker, by doing the training I learnt to soak a t towel and pay it down from front to back of fire to suffocate it to put it out so was very useful and it worked as before I would have just wet a tea towel and just tried laying it on it no particularly way. So this is just one example of where the training helped with my job in caring for people. I also learnt the best way to deal with a burn is to keep it under cold water to take away the burning sensation, or to keep a cold wet dressing on it till we get to the hospital for treatment. These are just two examples from a first aid course and a fire awareness course. Unit 4222-306- promote and impement health and safety in health and social care 4. Describe the different types of accidents and sudden illness that may occur in your work own work setting. In my work place the most likely accidents is ware clients burn their self when cooking or when then fall over. Another is the self harming which we can in counter quiet regular when our clients are upset about things out of our control. The most often illness is coldsflu or sickness. Quiet often we have clients with breathing problems as well i.e. asthma 5. Explain the procedures to be followed if an accident or sudden illness should occur. If a client had a fall I would check how they was but not move them, just try make comfortable then call a ambulance, I would then notify my employer and they would then notify anyone that needed to no. I would then document everything that happened in the accident book as well as the clients file and on my contact sheets as well. If a client had a problem with their breathing I would get them their inhaler to try and help it but if that didn’t work I would then call an ambulance to assist with a nebuliser or to take them to hospital. I would again notify my employer who would then contact the people who need to no. I would again make sure everything was documented. 6. Explain the main points of legalisation that relates to moving and handling The manual handling operations regulations 1992, which implement the manual handling of loads directive, came into effect on 1 January 1993 and apply to all manual handling activity with a risk of injury. The regulations impose duties on the employers self employed people and employees. Employers must avoid all hazardous manual handling activity where it is reasonably practicable to do so. if it is not they must assess the risk in relation to  the nature of the task, the load, the working environment and the capabilities of the handler and take appropriate action to reduce the risk to the lowest level reasonably The employer’s duties; Avoid the need for hazardous manual handling as far as is reasonably practible. Assess the risk of injury from any hazardous manual handling that can’t be avoided Reduce the risk of injury from hazardous manual handling, as far as reasonably practicable The employee’s duties Follow appropriate systems of work laid down for their safety Make proper use of equipment provided to minimise the risk of injury Co-operate with the employer on health and safety matters. If a care assistant fails to use a hoist that has been provided, they are putting themselves at risk of injury. The employer is unlikely to be liable. Apply the duties of employers, as appropriate, to their own manual handling activities. Taking care to ensure that their activities do not put others at risk 7. Explain principles for safe moving and handling There are some basic principles that everyone should observe prior to carrying out a manual handling operation: Ensure that the object is light enough to lift, is stable and unlikely to shift or move Heavy or awkward loads should be moved using a handling aid Make sure the route is clear from obstructions Make sure there is somewhere to put the load down wherever it is to be moved to Stand as close to the load as possible and spread your feet to shoulder width Bend your knees and try to keep your backs natural, upright posture Grasp the load firmly as close to the body as you can Use the legs to lift in a smooth motion as this offers more leverage reducing the strain on your back Carry the load close to the body with the elbows tucked in to the body Avoid twisting the body as much as possible by turning your feet to position yourself with the load. 8. Describe types of hazardous substances that may be found in the work  setting Bleach can be a hazardous substance if not used right and or enough ventilation is possible or many cleaning products. 9. Describe practices that prevent fires from- a) Starting Keeping things away from flames like tea towels and cloths when cooking. Being very aware and watch you’re cooking so it doesn’t burn dry and catch light. b) Spreading Keep all fire doors shut to try preventing from it spreading and contain the fire. Try to turn off the cause of the fire to try and kill the fire. c) Explain emergency procedures to be followed in the event of a fire in the work setting. To sound the alarm, to call 999, to evacuate the building with a register of who was in and who is out so you can inform the fire service when they arrive. Inform my employer and then when every is safe and fire is out, document it. Unit 4222-374-promote active support 11. Compare the characteristics associated with active support and hotel model in relation to an individual’s support. For guidance here, the ‘hotel model’ refers to institutional style settings organised mainly around staffing needs. They are not person centred and offer a poor quality of life for individuals. An example could be staff undertaking all the domestic tasks and not providing individuals with the opportunity to participate in construction activities. Active support is when you let a client do the things they need to do i.e. cooking, cleaning and self care but are there to assist them when needed. Hotel model is when you going in and do everything as it quicker and easier than waiting for them to do their self and by making them wait to curtain times or days to do some tasks i.e. every has times when they get help to use bathrooms or everyone has the same dinner time to eat or everyone has to go to bed at same time early as easier for staff to cope with if they all in bed. 12. Identify practical changes that could be made within a service setting- A) Promote an individual’s independence To help an individual to have independency could be a simple thing like making a flannel wet and handing it to them to wash their own face instead of you just washing their face, or cutting their food up so they can feed their self as they cannot cut their food up as cant use a knife and fork but could feed their self with a spoon. B) Support informed choices This could be when we go shopping and I suggest different foods for them to choose from or it could be not taking a library book back on time I would just make them aware they would receive a late payment fee that would mean they would then have less money to live on so they would then think about whether it was worth taking it back late or going back and getting it stamped so they can have it again instead of being charged for it. C) Improve quality of life. I could do a risk assessment on them and find they would benefit from some aids to give them a better life for example if they can’t read or see things properly I could arrange for them to see a optician and get glasses so they could see to read and would help with their balance and could lessen the amount of falls that they have had, or it could be someone is not hearing properly and is being a danger to their selves for example when crossing the road they are not hearing the traffic and what’s going on around them. A doctor could arrange a hearing test and a hearing aid which would be better for the client and he would be less dangerous. Unit 4222-325-support individuals during a period of change 13. Describe the types of changes that may occur in the course of an individual’s life. Types of change can include changes that are positive, negative, chosen ,unchosen, temporary or permanent A person could receive news of a death of a family member which they would then grieve. A person could have some good news like winning the lottery or could be their parent wants contact with them after she had put them in care or they got a job or they are clear of any health issues etc They could decide to make a change in their courses they are attending or choose to not have contact with curtain people or could simply be they have chosen to be a vegetarian ect You might have to move house when you don’t want to or move  area when you don’t want to but a family brake down is making you, it could be temporary until your house becomes available or it could be permanent because it wasn’t your house in the first place and you was living with someone. 14. Analyse factors that may make change a positive or negative experience. If someone was being abused but was then moved out it would be a positive move as client would not be being abused any more but the negative side would be the client would have been moved out of the family setting and might not like the idea of being away from family and rebel against it as much as they know it was the right decision they might be confused as to why the person did what they did and why have they been moved and look at it as a punishment as they had not done anything wrong. 15. Can you describe approaches that are likely to enhance an individual’s capacity to manage change and experience change positively? When our clients become 18 they are registered on to the council list for housing so leading up to their 18th birthday we will teach them to cook and clean and look after their selves and to budget and pay bills and how to ask for help when needed and where to go to access what help they need. This all prepares them for change when they have to do things on their own. Unit 4222-342- support positive risk taking for individuals 16. Explain ways in which risk is an integral part of life. Every day life is a risk, crossing the road, cooking, falling over Become ill; making decisions is a risk to weather you makes the right one. 17. Explain why individuals may have been discouraged or prevented from taking risks We may discourage some people of taking risks when they have no fear, like when they might just walk out across the road without looking to see if there any traffic coming, or they turn the cooker on and put a pan on and get distracted and walk away and forget about it until they smell burning, or it could be someone going to the cash point and draws a lot of money out and waves it around for everyone to see and then looses it. 18. Can you describe the links between risk-taking and responsibility, empowerment and social inclusion? The link is offering individuals the opportunity to achieve their goals and dreams of their own choice which empowers the individuals. The person in the support role is responsible for identifying the risks and hazards that come with the chosen activity and decide how the risks could be reduced or the activity adapted to make it less hazardous.

Semiotic Analysis of Teenage Magazine Front Covers

In this essay I will hope to analyse the semiotic codes of the front covers of teenage magazines to demonstrate how the media constructs the image and behavioural ideology of the teenage girl. I will analyse issue 359 of More! (December 27 th 2001 – January 8th 2002) and compare it with the January 2002 edition of 19. I have chosen these specific texts as they are popular mainstream magazines that are available in most newsagents, and therefore arguably represent to the reader what constitutes the modern teenage girl. These are also the most recent issues available for analysis and therefore demonstrate an up-to-date representation of constructed femininity in our media and society. Jonathan Bignell (1997) argues that the magazine is â€Å"just a collection a signs† (Bignell 1997: 78). These signs may include paradigmatic and syntagmatic elements such as the title of the magazine, the fonts used, the layout, the colours, the texture of the paper, the language adopted, the content of the articles and so on, and each of these signs have been chosen to generate a meaning. The magazine is therefore a complex collection of signs that can be extensively decoded and analysed by its reader – â€Å"women's magazines communicate their mythic meaning by means of signs, thus their representations of the imaginary are dependent on the symbolic, the signs which do the communicating† (Bignell 1997: 78). Signs however, consisting (according to Saussure) of two elements, a signifier and a signified, only gain meaning when â€Å"it has someone to mean to† (Williamson 1978: 40). The reader is therefore very important and will bring his/her own interpretations to the texts by drawing on their own cultural values and perceptual codes. As Daniel Chandler argues, â€Å"‘decoding' involves not simply basic recognition and comprehension of what a text ‘says' but also the interpretation and evaluation of its meaning with reference to relevant codes† (Chandler, web source: Semiotics for Beginners). As the relationship between the signifier and the signified is arbitrary and meaning is rooted in cultural values, we can argue that the potential interpretations of any given magazine are therefore endless. As well as being a collection of signs, the magazine is a sign in itself, which â€Å"connects together the mythic meanings of femininity and pleasure† (Bignell 1997: 66). Through reading the pages a reader will gain an insight into the world of the woman and will be taught what are the expectations made of them as women (they learn what it is to be a woman). McRobbie (1996) argues that magazines seek to â€Å"further consolidate and fix an otherwise more unstable sense of both self and gender† (in Curran 1996: 193), and so magazines seem to be central to society as they create a culture, a culture of femininity where a common experience of girlhood is shared. Bignell argues that the function of magazines is â€Å"to provide readers with a sense of community, comfort, and pride in this mythic feminine identity† (Bignell 1997: 61). As the magazine promotes a â€Å"feminine culture† and â€Å"(defines) and (shapes) the woman's world† (McRobbie 2000: 69), we can see that it becomes a familiar friend for the female – it advises her, and provides entertainment, amusement and escapism for the reader and speaks to her in a language she understands – the lingo of teenagers is used in 19 and More! , for example â€Å"Top Totty†. Bignell sees that â€Å"magazines are glossy and colourful, connoting pleasure and relaxation rather than seriousness†¦ the smell and feel of the glossy paper connotes luxury†¦ femininity and its pleasures of self-adornment† (1997: 66). The magazine therefore symbolises a lifestyle, a life of luxury and pleasure. The magazine claims to be simultaneously a luxury item and a familiar friend to its reader. It attempts to convince us that it is not a fictive document, that it is a true reflection of reality, a window into the real world of the woman. It is argued that the average teenage reader will be a heterosexual girl seeking a boyfriend (or seeking a way to gratify the needs of her boyfriend), enjoying shopping, fashion, and popular culture and needing plenty of advice on sex and love. These assumptions pervade the contents of mainstream teenage magazines, with features such as â€Å"Position of the Fortnight† and â€Å"Celebrity Hair Special† frequently appearing within the pages. This is the reader to whom most teenage magazines cater – they broadcast to a stereotypical mass (which is arguably an artificial epresentation and does not reflect the identities and lives of all teenage girls). In order to analyse the image and behavioural ideology of the teenage girl offered within teenage magazines, I will attempt to investigate some semiotic codes within More! and 19. The front cover is an important aspect of the magazine as it initially attracts the reader and is a taster of what can be seen within the c ontents of the magazine. It is an â€Å"important advertisement† and â€Å"serves to label its possessor† (McLoughlin 2000: 5). This is certainly a factor that influences the purchasing behaviours of young teenage girls who attempt to appear more mature and more sexually knowledgeable by buying a magazine aimed at girls 4 or 5 years their senior. The front cover will also promise that â€Å"the contents of the magazine†¦ will fulfil the needs of the individual and her group† and sells a â€Å"future image† of the reader as â€Å"happier, more desirable† (Bignell 1997: 67). By merely looking at the front cover of a magazine therefore, a potential reader will be able to determine how far it will fulfil their needs. There are many similar defining paradigmatic and syntagmatic elements on the covers of More! and 19 that would attract a teenage girl to purchase the magazines. These demonstrate effectively the dominant ideology of teenage femininity in the media. Firstly, the titles anchor the texts to the genre of teenage magazines. 19 seems to be directed at a person who is 19, or at least who thinks she is as mature as a 19year old. As the title stands boldly in the top left-hand corner of the page, this is the image that the eye is initially drawn towards. If we are to adopt Kress and Leeuwen's theory of layout, this will also give the magazine a sense of idealism, suggesting that the reader should aspire to attain the life and image referred to within the pages (in Bell 1997: 193). The title More! also acquires this quality of idealism, but as the word stretches across the width of the page it could be suggested that the More! reader is more sassy and larger than life in comparison to the more mature or sophisticated reader of 19 (this is further substantiated by the exclamation mark -More! and by the girlish pink colour of the 19 logo). The taglines reinforce these ideas as they are placed directly underneath the titles in a contrasting black font. 19 states that the magazine is â€Å"Barefaced Cheek! † which implies that all is bared in the magazine, the reader is given extensive coverage of the issues of sex, love and fashion. However this tagline could also be interpreted (perhaps to a non-teenager reader) as implying that the reader of 19 is cheeky and impertinent. It is only the exclamation mark after the words and the positioning underneath the well-known and recognisable logo of 19 that anchor the preferred reading for the reader – as the reader will presumably be familiar with the content of the magazine, the polysemic nature of the tagline will not be apparent to them. This familiarity with content is also needed to fully appreciate the tagline on the cover of More! – â€Å"Smart girls Get More! â€Å". On the one hand, it is suggested that smart girls buy the magazine as they know it will provide pleasure and information for them, and on the other hand it is suggested that smart girls (the attractive More! reader) get more out of life, love, and, most importantly, sex. Reading More! will improve your life on many levels, if you listen to the advice offered within the magazine. The tagline adopted by More! is therefore effective as the modern British teenage girl will construe an appropriate interpretation that will give them the urge to buy the product. Both 19 and More! lso attempt to attract their readers by placing a female character in the centre of the cover. This is a particularly interesting characteristic if we are to consider that corresponding male magazines similarly adopt central female models, either posing seductively or like the typical ‘girl-next-door', on their covers. It could indeed be argued that one could successfully (and with minimal disruption) take th e models from the covers of More! and 19 and place them on a magazine such as FHM that adheres to its own set of generic codes and conventions and encourages very different interpretations from its reader. According to Bignell, the images of beautiful women on the covers of female magazines are â€Å"iconic signs which represent the better self which every woman desires to become† (Bignell 1997: 69). The figure thus represents the self for the reader, a future image that is attainable for her if she continues reading and learning from the magazine. On a male magazine however the same figure would represent a sexual image, an object to be attained by the male reader. It becomes evident therefore that â€Å"men look at women. Women watch themselves being looked at †¦ Thus she turns herself into an object – and most particularly, and object of vision: a sight† (Berger in Vestergaard & Schroder 1992: 81). This is a somewhat negative interpretation of the centrality of women on the covers of magazines. However, Bignell sees that â€Å"while the cover image is for a woman to look at, it is constructed with reference to a wider social code in which being feminine means taking pleasure in looking at oneself, and taking pleasure in being looked at by men† (my italics, Bignell 1997: 71). Bignell therefore seems to empower the woman in his analysis of cover models, noting that women simultaneously enjoy looking and being looked at. The genre (or textual code) in which the image appears is therefore a fundamental contributor to the construed interpretations made by the reader. As stated above, the model on the cover of a female teenage magazine represents the self for the reader. The models seen on the given issues of 19 and More! therefore seem to illustrate the characteristics of their targeted readers. The model seen on the cover of 19 is the typicalblonde haired, tanned, tall and slim girl with perfect complexion and perfect features. But the reader is not led to feel envious of the model – on the contrary, she is encouraged to believe that this is an ordinary 19 reader (on the inside cover she is identified simply as â€Å"Emily†), and is the beautiful woman inside each of us, waiting to be unleashed (and reading 19 willunleash this beauty from within the reader). The diamante necklace connotes luxury and sophistication, and the sequined boob tube connotes a fun, bubbly nature and draws attention to her slim body (her sex appeal). With her long blond hair flowing gently away from her face to reveal dazzling green eyes (ironically in this context, green traditionally being associated with the colour of envy), she can be seen as iconic for the reader (in the non-semiotic sense), and as seductive for the male reader. She embodies the message that 19 habitually transcribe to the reader – look innocent and beautiful and yet be in control of your own sexuality and your relationships. On the cover of More! the character again embodies the self for the reader. She represents the more! ethos of youthful, cheeky impertinence† (in Curran 1996: 189) Her red, low-cut dress suggests that she is sassy; a vixen that has sexual needs and is not afraid to fulfil them. Again, the clear skin and perfect features encourage the reader to believe that there is an inner-beauty within everyone that will shine through. However, the More! model does not appear as innocent as the 19 model. Her hair is swept more vigorously from her face and therefore creates a more disrupted, chaotic image than the previous. The innocence depicted by the clear complexion of the 19 model is challenged here as the More! odel raises her eyebrow into an arch; she has a glint in her eye and pouts her lips proudly. As we notice the presence of a man in the left hand side of the front cover, we therefore interpret this facial expression as sexual prowess – this girl knows what she wants and she knows exactly how to get it. The male figure is not personalised; indeed we only see a leg, an arm and a crotch and yet we are fully aware of the masculinity of the character. This could suggest that, in subversion to the representation offered within male magazines, the man is the sexual object here. It is also significant that the male is wearing a kilt as it could suggest that the female is metaphorically wearing the trousers in the relationship. This interpretation would only become apparent if the reader was accustomed with the relevant social codes and textual codes of gendered magazines. If the reader is familiar with popular culture however, they could assume the man in the kilt to be the actor James Redmond who portrays Finn in Hollyoaks (a half-Scottish Lord) and therefore presume that there is an in-depth interview with him in the magazine – this is suggested by the text at the top of the magazine cover – â€Å"Finn-tastic! We Check out James Redmond's Morning Glory†. By analysing the title, tagline, and central images of the magazine cover, we have therefore deduced the readership and content of the magazines effectively. As McRobbie notes, sex now fills the space of the magazines' pages. It â€Å"provides the frame for women's magazines in the 1990's† and â€Å"marks a new moment in the construction of female sexual identities† (in Curran 1996: 177). It is worrying to think that the explicit sexual representations within the magazines (such as More! ‘s â€Å"Raunchy resolutions to spice up your sex life†) are being read by underage teenagers; sex has een packaged as a â€Å"commodity† (McLaughlin 200: 13) by these magazines in recent years and the young readers have eagerly jumped at the chance to buy such (what was previously) censored material. Indeed, fifty years ago the teenage magazine industry differed greatly to that of today. According to Vestergaard we have seen a shift from â€Å"motherhood and childcare to the maintenance of physical appearance† (Vestergaard & Schroder 1992: 81) (in the discussed examples, we see â€Å"Be your own stylist – steal insider know-how from the women who dress the stars† on the cover of 19, and on More! Happy New Gear – what every glam girl will be wearing this season†). Dr Nancy Signiorelli of the University of Delaware undertook a study on â€Å"A Focus on Appearance† in the media in November 1996, and she found that one in three (37%) articles in leading teen girl magazines included a focus on appearance, one in three (35%) focused on dating and less than 2% discussed either school or careers (websources Kellner and ChildrenNow). This is certainly reflected on the front covers analysed above – every feature on the covers refer to beauty, fashion, dating, sex and celebrities. Kimberley Phillips argues that these magazines therefore â€Å"reinforce the cultural expectations that an adolescent woman should be more concerned with her appearance, her relations with other people, and her ability to win approval from men than with her own ideas or expectations for herself (websource Hermes). It can also be argued however that young women are encouraged to develop independence by these magazines. In recent years the magazine industry has therefore successfully extended the notion of what it is to be a woman. A teenage girl will see hunting boyfriends and beautifying as a norm; it is argued indeed that these are transcribed as their sole purposes in life. The magazines do not seem to cater for minority interests such as politics, environmental issues, or any kind of music that ventures beyond Westlife or Britney Spears. The teenage girl has therefore been heavily stereotyped by the teenage magazine industry, and her interpretation of the codes and conventions used in the magazine will depend on her personal knowledge of this culture and society. Indeed, some of the readers of these magazines are male (e. g. the brothers or boyfriends of the female readers – Bignell refers to these as â€Å"non-ideal readers† (Bignell 1997: 58)), and they will interpret the codes differently to their female counterparts as they arguably do not share their interests in beauty products and fashion. Their interpretations of the sex issues may also differ, as they will gaze at the images of women as sex objects as opposed to icons and role models. Chandler sees that â€Å"social semiotics alerts us to how the same text may generate different meanings for different readers† (web source, Semiotics for Beginners), and this is certainly true of the gendered readings of teenage magazines. Chandler further notes that the signs (or codes) within the text â€Å"do not just ‘convey' meanings, but constitute a medium in which meanings are constructed† (ibid). Through reading a magazine aimed at her demographic group, a teenage girl will therefore come to learn that society expects her to be interested in boys, sex, fashion, beauty and fame. The magazine is therefore a â€Å"powerful ideological force† in society (McRobbie 2000: 69); the image and behavioural ideologies presented within the magazine covers become the stereotypical norm for the teenage girl. Applying semiotic analysis to the magazine text therefore allows us to identify social ideologies of the teenage girl. One could analyse the front covers of magazine extensively, decoding the codes of colour, font, layout and spatial arrangements as well as the titles, taglines, language and central images to show the construction of the teenage girl in the media. Teenage magazines may not provide an altogether accurate representation of all teenage girls today, but it is certainly a medium that provides escapism and enjoyment for the reader whilst subliminally educating and informing at the same time.

“Hunter in the Dark” by Monica Hughes Essay

Monica Hughes, a truly gifted novelist, has written a first class book titled Hunter in the Dark. I chose this gripping novel, which was published in 1982 because I have immensely enjoyed some of her other works. After reading the preview, I expected that the story would give me a greater appreciation for life, since it focused on a boy’s struggle with leukemia, and how he overcame it. Hughes uses theme to weave a well-developed plot by using her unique style of writing. Sixteen-year-old Mike Rankin is preparing for a hunting trip, with his best friend Doug O’Reilly, that he has been planning and waiting for all year. He is sent to the hospital for treatment, as a result, he misses the hunting trip. Mike’s parents refuses to tell him about his sickness for fear of hurting his feelings, and he had to discover that he has leukemia by tracking down his symptoms and treatments at the library. He becomes angry that his parents hid his sickness from him and wants to discontinue his treatment due to the fact that he feels that he doesn’t have anything to live for. He thinks about how nice it would be if he could go hunting and decides that he wants to go hunting one last time before he dies. With Doug’s help, he plans a solo-hunting trip, and prepares mentally and physically for what he could encounter in the bush. He leaves his protective house and drives into the bush. After numerous days, Mike tracks down a massive whitetail buck and prepares to fire his rifle when he suddenly has a flashback to when he was still in the hospital. He remembers when the nurse clipped a plastic tag, a badge of slavery, around his wrist, and he wonders with despair when it would be cut off. He realized he wasn’t running away to go hunting, he was running away so that he could forget about his sickness and pretends that everything was fine. He saw his life through new eyes. Mike lowers his rifle and prepares to head back home. The following passage from the novel illustrates the author’s descriptive style of writing. â€Å"The pickup was there, just where Doug had parked it. Mike had had an irrational twinge of fear that somehow it might have vanished overnight. But there it was, tan-coloured, squared and business-like, sparkling with frost under the blue lights.† You can tell that Hughes has a descriptive style of writing  because this passage is loaded with adjectives and similes. Some examples are: tan-coloured, squared and business-like and blue lights. These descriptive elements help form a picture of the pickup in the reader’s mind. Monica Hughes has written a fantastic novel, which I couldn’t put down. Hunter in the Dark has a fast paced plot that flowed from event to event. This, along with the suspenseful situations she created, impelled me to continue reading. The characters were complex and seemed as if they were real, due to the fact that their reactions and how they act were realistic. Also, the author used vivid details to form a clear picture of every scene in the reader’s mind. This book deserves to stay on the reading list because it is an outstanding novel.

European Sovereign-debt Crisis Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

European Sovereign-debt Crisis - Research Paper Example Attempts by international monetary fund (IMF) to avail 750 billion Euros to financially support countries with high debt situation did not mitigate the situation. The paper will, therefore, explore on the causes and evolution of the debt crisis, its impact on the US market, and some interventions undertaken by the US to mitigate the impact. Causes of the Crisis Many factors can be attributed to the crisis that has seen the credit ratings of countries decline and caused shock in the global financial markets. The European Union has been accused of failing to take timely actions and of lingering until the situation ran out of hand. The crisis resulted from a mixture of several complex factors like the globalization of finance, international imbalances in trade, housing bubbles, ease credit conditions between 2002 and 2008 that resulted into high risk lending, and the slow economic growth in the year 2008 (Frangakis, 2006). The factors are elaborated below. a) Increased debt level EU mem bers signed a Maastricht treaty in 1992 where members promised to limit their deficit spending and debt amounts. However, the member countries like Greece and Italy failed to adhere to the agreements of the treaty and instead used complex currency and credit derivatives to increase their debt levels. From the data, the debt levels rose because of the large bailout given to financial sector in the late 2000s and the 2008 economic recession. In 2007, the percentage of fiscal deficit was 0.6 before it rose to 7% during the crisis (Frangakis, 2006). The government debt simultaneously rose to 84% from 66% of the GDP. The crisis can thus be attributed to the inappropriate fiscal policy choices and the actions by the governments to bail out troubled banks. The variations in how different countries used borrowed funds resulted in different effects. Ireland banks, for example, increased their lending to property developers, which later led to the housing bubble. Greece, on the other hand, in creased its pledge to the government workers of salary increment and pension rise. These actions increased the government level of debt, which later made it difficult for the states to meet their obligations as they became due. b) Trade imbalances The crisis grew because of the increasing trade imbalances. An increase in the amounts of trade deficits increases the levels of debt hence increasing the debt crisis. Before the commencement of the debt crisis, the trade deficit of Italy, France, and Greece increased, while that of Germany recorded trade surplus. However, Greece position has improved because of the decline in the imports and increment for exports. c) Loss of confidence Immediately after the crisis developed, it became clear that the bonds of weaker economies like Greece were risky. Because of this loss of confidence, sovereign CDS prices rose to match the market expectation of the increased debt. Investors also doubted the ability of the countries to contain the crisis be cause EU countries have few monetary policy choices. d) Monetary Policy Inflexibility Monetary policy inflexibility of all member states of EU established a common monetary policy and used one currency. Countries were, therefore, unable to print money in order to devalue their currency to stimulate exports and reduce the debt level through trade surpluses. Greece and other member states, therefore, lacked

Trade and Lending Act Violation Class Rescission Essay

Trade and Lending Act Violation Class Rescission - Essay Example The families now want to rescind their mortgages. The clinic has already sent a letter to LFB on behalf of all the families. The KF cannot afford individual lawyers and must sue as a class, requesting rescission of the mortgages. LFB has refused to rescind the mortgages, because the three day right of rescission period had passed. Probably. Class action rescissions under the TILA will likely be permissible because while the KF may not be successful in arguing that the plain language of the TILA included class rescissions, the KF will like prevail because of the Congressional intent in protecting consumers along with the KF seeking a judgment as a class in order to then individually seek rescission justify class rescissions under the TILA. The KF will also likely prevail because their particular situation can only be remedied by class rescissions. The TILA was enacted in 1968 to ensure that creditors provide a meaningful disclosure of credit terms giving the consumer the ability to easily compare the various credit terms available to them and avoid uniform uses of credit. Truth and Lending Act, 15 U.S.C. 1601 (1995). Creditors must clearly and conspicuously disclose certain key terms such as annual percentage rates, finance charges, and the total number of loan payments due before consummating a credit transaction. Elizabeth Renuart, Stop Predatory Lending 84 (National Consumer Law Center) (2002). The TILA allows the consumer a right to rescind a transaction for non-purchase money home-secured loans if a creditor fails to make specific disclosures for up to three years. Truth and Lending Act, 15 U.S.C. 1635(f) (1995). Rescission voids the security interest in the home and eliminates the obligation to pay interest or other finance charges or closing costs. Elizabeth Renuart, Stop Predatory Lending 99 (National Consumer Law Center) (2002). Courts have not accepted the TILA class actions lawsuits lightly. Williams v. Empire Funding Corp., 183 F.R.D. 428, 435 (1998). The TILA does create a right for debtors to rescind their contracts under 15 U.S.C.A. 1635, while the TILA addresses class action damages under 15 U.S.C.A. 1640, Truth and Lending Act, 15 U.S.C. 1635, 1640 (1995). It does not address class action suits for rescission explicitly. There is no controlling precedent on this issue; consequently, courts appear divided on this matter. Some courts say that class rescissions are inappropriate, while other courts have relied on carefully drafted complaints to assist in deciding on granting rescission. Elizabeth Renuart, Stop Predatory Lending 106 (National Consumer Law Center) (2002). The factors courts consider are considered in this memo: (1) the plain language of the

How is capability deprivation a more powerful approach for finding Essay

How is capability deprivation a more powerful approach for finding ways to fight poverty than a focus on raising the incomes of - Essay Example The realities faced by the poor people can be termed as dissimilar, multifaceted and dynamic; an aspect that leads to the analysts and researchers looking for explanations and solutions to the problem of unemployment. This paper shall address the issue of unemployment by arguing from the point that, poverty can be easily eliminated by applying the capability restitution mechanism as opposed to raising the income of the poor. The view of poverty in terms of capability perspective is one that is multi-dimensional as seen in the work of Sen (1). In the work, the author continues to argue that since poverty can be analyzed from the perspective of an individual’s lack of the basic items, income is one of the main items that would allow the same individual access their basic wants (2). This is to mean that, insufficient or lack of capital is a major determining factor of the ability of an individual to reassure their daily life. This interprets the reason why some families and perso ns are more economically able as contrasted to others. Therefore, in this case, the incapability of an individual to access the income that would be helpful in reducing poverty is useful in coming up with policies useful for dealing with poverty. It is at this juncture that Sen insists that; it would not be possible to give all these persons the necessary amount of money to maintain their livelihoods (2). Sen poses a question on whether it would be probable to fund a sick or a disabled person with sufficient funds to protract their livelihoods (2). In this case, it would be more sensible and practical to allow these individuals to obtain the skills of accessing income as opposed to giving them the funds. Though Sen is cautious of the fact that it would not be undemanding for persons with special needs and the sick to work equally the same as the ordinary persons, giving them an opportunity to acquire the right skills to work is the best solution in assuaging poverty (2). Capability restitution method is yet another more potent approach in alleviating poverty as the approach deals with issues of handling poverty. Poverty that is realistic, as indicated by Sen, does not revolve around the income liberty, but the main concern is a consideration of the mechanisms that bring out the poor persons from their misery (2). A cited example is that of the elderly members of the society, and other groups that are sinking in misery (1). In this case, apportioning a certain amount of money in an endeavor to fight poverty would result to the same persons being reliant on the fact that, with or with no jobs, they have an amount of money set aside for their use. It is warranted, from this argument, to argue that these persons have undeniably been reduced to slaves of their own desolation, as they have no capability to secure a job, and earn a considerable amount of money that would be helpful for their personal development. Sen gives a case in point whereby a family is allocate d funds as a means of alleviating poverty (2). In the event that the boy-child is given priority over the girl due to their gender difference, as seen in Asia and parts of North Africa, then a new division of poor persons will automatically emerge. In terms of capability deprivation, this means that girls are not given a chance to exercise their full potential as they are neglected in terms of access to healthcare, income amongst others (Sen 1). In the long run, the

Mangerial Economics Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Mangerial Economics - Assignment Example Since sports is an inelastic product, the increase of price for the sports package from $10 to $25 did not have an effect on the quantity demanded. As noted by Gelles and Mitchell (260), although it increases the MC, the fixed costs remain the same. When we have zero fixed costs, the marginal cost is constant. When StarHub raised the price of the sports package from $7 to $15, the MC remained the same since all cable TV providers pay the content providers a royalty based on the number of subscribers of the content. The increase in content resulted in more subscribers subscribing to the service thus an increase to 504, 000 as at December 2007. Considering that sports is an inelastic product, an increase in price is unlikely to cause a substantial change in the quantity of demand. Therefore, the change that was relevant to StarHub’s pricing of cable television services was the increase of sports package from $10 to $15 since the marginal cost was low. The thematic basic packages need to be reduced from $32.95 to $ 22.95 monthly. The price of the sports package need not to be doubled but increased from $7 to $12 so to reduce the marginal costs. Furthermore, the basic packages need to be increased annually by $3. Lastly, being an inelastic product, the sports package need to be increased from $10 to $30 to cater for the initial costs and operational costs. According to Gilles and Mitchell (261), a firm does charge a price that is beyond the marginal