Wednesday, July 31, 2019

Immigration is a new identity in Brick Lane by Monica Ali Essay

Monica Ali’s Brick Lane and Amulya Malladi’s Serving Crazy with Curry both portray the rising identity changes that occur with the first and second generation immigrants. Both novels reveal that when it comes to immigration, due to a difference in their surroundings and exposure to different cultures the second generation experiences a different setting which contributes to their developing identity. However, their developing identities becomes a contrast to the identities of the elder generation; thus creating a â€Å"culture clash†. â€Å"Culture Clash† is the act when one or more cultures are incorporated into one environment and as a result, traditions are challenged causing a disruption. First generation characters share the traits of being indignant of changing cultural values during immigration while the second generation are keen on conforming and leave their roots in exchange for freedom of being accepted into society. Through the characters and u se of language, both Monica Ali’s Brick Lane and Amulya Malladi’s Serving Crazy with Curry demonstrates how immigration creates a difference in identity that exists between the first and second generation. Coming to a completely different country, not knowing anyone at all, the first generation characters tend to be indignant. In both these novels the first generation immigrants express bitterness when adapting to different surrounding. Saroj Venturi from Serving Crazy with Curry, expresses her resentment towards the new culture, when she says â€Å"It was coming here, to this white pit that changed things between Avi and her. If they stayed in India, if only he’d wanted to stay, they would’ve been happy† (Malladi, 15). By comparing her new place of residence to a hole, Saroj feels trapped or exiled within this alien land, proving to be the motive for her resentment. Saroj displays her regret when she wishes to have stayed in India by saying that she would have been happier there thus providing a reason for her refusal to find happiness in her new environment. Similarly in Monica Ali’s novel Brick Lane, Chanu Ahmed was asked for permission by his wife, Nazee n, to attend English lessons and here he demonstrate the characteristic of resentment: Your going to be a mother†¦Will that not keep you busy enough?  And you can’t take a baby to college. Babies have to be fed; they have to have their bottoms cleaned. It’s not so simple as that. Just to go to college, like that. (Ali, 57) In this passage, Chanu rejects his wife’s idea of attending English classes and uses the excuse of his wife’s pregnancy and awaiting motherhood as a way of discouraging her. On top of that he also asks questions upon questions which may suggest bitterness towards her idea of going to school and attempting to fit in with society. Not only does Chanu discourage conform into society, he also discourages his daughters from becoming too westernized because he wanted to keep their Bengali culture rooted within themselves. Both Saroj from Serving Crazy with Curry and Chanu from Brick Lane being first generation immigrants demonstrate a common trait of resentment. Growing up in a place that is nothing like your place of origin, second generation immigrants convey acceptance while being raised in a different environment than their parents. The second generation immigrants identify themselves according to where they were born instead of their place of origin. Both Devi from Serving Crazy with Curry and Shahana Ahmed from Brick Lane, were both raised in a western environment and identify themselves as either â€Å"American† or â€Å"British†. Shahana presents her determination to fit into society when she states that â€Å"She wanted to have her lip pierced. This was latest thing. Last week she wanted to get a tattoo.† (Ali, 240). The act of getting piercings and tattoo’s are activities that are classified under western culture and when Shahana wishes to get them, it shows that she is eager to get involved and fit in with the society she is from. Getting a tattoo on her body, will represent the permanent residence of w estern culture within her life. Both Malladi and Ali portray the difference between resent and acceptance along with the idea of opposite traits enhancing the thought of conflict between generations. In both novels, Monica Ali and Amulya Malladi portray the fact that first  generation immigrants tend to retain their cultural values while the second generation are willing to exchange their roots for greater freedom. In Serving Crazy with Curry, Saroj Venturi wishes to instil Indian values within her children when she says, â€Å"Why couldn’t she learn to cook like all good Indian girls?† (Malladi, 19). She feels that her children do not know enough about their country of origin, and wishes to incorporate some Indian traditions into her daughters’ western lives so that they do not stray away from their Indian culture. Chanu from Brick Lane, faces a similar situation to Saroj as he also tries to incorporate Bengali culture into his daughters. Chanu uses language to discourage his daughters from becoming too westernized: â€Å"[†¦]that I am going to tie her up and cut her tongue. Tell the Memsahib that when I have skinned her [Shahana] alive she will not be looking so pleased with herself† (Ali, 162). Chanu refers to his daughter as a Memsahib which is a title used in colonial India as a form of respectful address for a prestigious woman. Chanu addresses his daughter, Shahana as a memsahib due to her behaviour such as acting snobbish and stubborn like a prestigious woman; qualities that he finds to be developed as a result of westernization. Chanu uses words such as â€Å"cut† and â€Å"skinned† to threaten his daughter so that she would behave. In contrast to the first generation, the second generation exchanges their cultural values for more freedom. In Serving Crazy with Curry, Devi Venturi gets a taste of her own freedoms in the area of dating: â€Å"And each time she [Saroj] snooped, she expected to find an unsuitable man lying naked in Devi’s bedroom, or worse, naked women† (Malladi, 19). The fact that Devi’s mother has to snoop around to find a naked man or women in Devi’s room shows her limits when it comes to controlling her daugh ters life and dating lifestyle. As well as the word â€Å"naked† represents Devi’s growing freedoms that she later uncover after certain stages she comes across within this western culture. From Brick Lane, Shahana has the newfound freedom of wearing what she wants. Having the freedom of choice in clothing Shahana chose to wear a skirt, which is an article of clothing that exposes the legs. When Shahana walks past a group of boys they turn around â€Å"She looked at them and cocked her head. Nazeen wished that Shahana had her trousers on† (Ali, 217). Choosing an article that exposes body parts strongly goes against the typical Bengali culture which proves that her choice in clothing is affected by the western society  that she lives in. Both authors use characters to inform that the first generation attempts to protect their cultural values while the second generation lets go of it, demonstrating their clashing ways of adjusting to changes due to immigration. Many people make the decision to leave their country of origin and immigrate to a foreign land due to the idea of finding success and living a better life. First generation immigrants have an eagerness to acquire success and the second generation has a lack of commitment. In Brick Lane, Chanu graduated with a degree in English literature and moves to London because he finds it to be the key to success. Chanu’s determination is shown when he says â€Å"Now I have to get the promotion† (Ali,36). The term promotion means to move to a higher, more important position than previously and Chanu’s desire to move onto the next level symbolizes his desire to be successful. Avi Venturi from Serving Crazy with Curry, deals with a similar situation as he learns that the military was not the right path for him when he says â€Å"This is all I am left with. The army gave me this and what else? No medal, no nothing.† (Malladi, 85). Avi feels he must obtain achievement, therefore he travels to San Francisco, when he was offered a job there, which leads him to be where he is now, a successful business man. Avi had the determination to be successful and fulfill his ambitions, unlike the second generation who lack this trait. The beginning of Serving Crazy with curry demonstrates Devi Venturi’s character as a failure: After Devi was laid off (yet again) a week ago, it started to dawn on her that she was not going to be able to change her life. Everything she ever wanted had become elusive and the decision to end her life, she realized, was not only a good decision, but her only option. (Malladi, 1) This quote in particular shows Devi’s lack of determination and commitment in achieving her goals to complete tasks and achieve what they want. In the first sentence, Malladi describes Devi’s failure being quite continuous when she states â€Å"yet again†. When she states that â€Å"she was not going to be able to change her life† (Malladi, 1) this displays Devi’s lack of commitment and  determination in accomplishing her goals because once she fails, she no longer has hope and decides that her fate will never change thus cancelling out any possibilities for improvement. The idea of not improving and changing what she thinks could be her fate leads Devi to think that the only choice she has is to end her life, which shows her lack of enthusiasm and determination to fulfill her ambitions and desires. Both novels portray the effect that immigration has on the identities of first and second generations immigrants. Authors, Monica Ali and Amulya Malladi use language to highlight the contrasting traits of characters and focus on the non-parallel connections between the first and second generation immigrants. When it comes to immigration diversity in the external environment contributes to the complex relationship between the two generations.

Baseline Magazine

Baselinemag. com is a site which has been put in place to ideally serve as a guide on various aspects of technology. That is, it manages and disseminates critical information on technology. This information is usually in form of news stories, research studies, financial tools and company dossiers.As such, the site is structured in a formal format which can allow users of the site to gather all the information they need, perform analysis and make decisions on how to utilize the information in advancing their individual IT companies.Considering that the site is targeted at IT executives, the sites sub topics include a range of IT subjects such as IT management, techdirect, projects and white papers (Baseline, 2010). Furthermore, the subtopics which fall under these categories can be observed throughout the site making it easy for site users to access the exact information they are looking for immediately the site uploads. Basically, the site is structured in such a way that one uses li mited time trying to access data, a notion which appeals to the targeted audience.Overall Look and Feel Baselinemag. com targets technology and business leaders who are constantly on the lookout for cutting edge information on technology and on effective ways of managing their companies. As such, the site displays IT systems which have been implemented by other companies, how they have been implemented and the results emanating from them. This sort of information enlightens the users who measure their own success or failures against the expected results.By knowing how the most successful companies utilize IT solutions, companies are able to restructure their systems and alter their management strategies into fitting those of a winning company. All this information is spread out over a white colored background, with topics and subtopics highlighted by orange, brown and blue colors. These colors create a serene environment, depicting calmness which allows the user to fully concentrate on the information without any interruptions. The number of images is limited in the site and this gives the information greater significance.However, the site may not appeal to them as there are no catchy images. Useful Features The feature I found most useful was the stories posted on how to get promoted and on finding jobs online. These stories had no forms of jargon and have been written in a simple language to appeal to ordinary individuals seeking to advance in their careers. Majority of users are employees who are looking to get ahead in their careers, this feature can offer crucial information to ensure that they achieve this. Interesting Features Links visited included www.diskeeper. com, www. insight. com and www. smarttechnology. com. The link sponsored by smart technology was rather interesting as it carried the article on â€Å"the techie’s guide to fitness. † It offered a convenient and easy way of monitoring one’s fitness goals even while working . The gadget can indeed send significant details on one’s fitness directly to their phones or computer. Furthermore, Bottom-line Evaluation and Relation to Learning Objectives Basically, this site is of great value to business leaders and IT executives.However, its values decline in regards to ordinary people due to the irrelevance of the topic and subtopics found on the site. As pointed out earlier, only one or two features are relevant to an ordinary individual. According to Lagace (2000), value is depicted by a customer when the service delivery is effective. As such, the satisfaction of business leaders and executives is what can ideally rate this site while those stumbling on it can only speculate or even find it insignificant.Hoffman (1996) illustrates that past experiences can be advantageous when one is venturing into their own business. As such baselinemag. com offers even better options of evaluating other company’s experiences and learning from them. Bayan ( 2003) contends that there are tools which are quite useful while setting up an effective help desk and in the life of a company executive or business leader, baselinemag. com is one such tool. References Baselinemag. com. (2010). ZiffDavies, Inc. Retrieved on 23rd July 2010, from: www. baselinemag. com Bayan, R. (2004).Try these efficiency strategies when setting up a successful help desk. TechRepublic. Retrieved 23rd July 2010, from http://articles. techrepublic. com. com/5100-10878_11-5112468. html Hoffman, R. (1996). Help is Only a Phone Call Away! How to get good service. The Real World. Retrieved 23rd July 2010, from http://www. animatedsoftware. com/misc/stories/jobs/dbmscntr. htm Lagace, M. (2000). Calling all Managers: How to Build a Better Call Center. Harvard Business School: Working Knowledge. Retrieved on 23rd July 2010, from: http://hbswk. hbs. edu/item/1238. html

Tuesday, July 30, 2019

Edgar Allan Poe Works Essay

Edgar Allan Poe said â€Å"I became insane, with long intervals of horrible sanity.† Throughout his short stories; â€Å"The Black Cat† and â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart†, Poe sets up his characters to subconsciously reveal their insanity. Often using syntax clues and patterns, Poe shows the madness of the narrators of his short stories. The constant theme of denial of insanity further convinces the reader of the character’s psychosis. Characters themselves often prove they are not in touch with reality through their actions. Through syntax, denial of insanity, and character’s actions, Poe allows his narrators in â€Å"The Black Cat† and â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart† to reveal their own insanity. Sentence structure is used consistently by Poe in his short stories to aid in his character’s revealing their own insanity. When the narrator in â€Å"The Black Cat† is listing the pets he and his wife have, the last one he lists is a c at. â€Å"We had birds, gold-fish, a fine dog, rabbits, a small monkey, and a cat.† (Poe H/O) The cat is italicized, causing the reader to wonder why the emphasis is so important. As the reader progresses through the rest of the story, it becomes evident that the cat is of a strong significance to the narrator. In â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart†, the narrator has some sort of disease that heightens his senses. He also has a type of obsessive compulsive disorder, causing him to fixate on his roommate’s clouded eye. In the beginning of the story, he says â€Å"I think it was his eye!-yes, it was this!† (Poe H/O) The short choppy thought pattern here shows the mind of the narrator is less than sound. While in â€Å"The Black Cat†, the syntax proof is less obvious, though foreshadowing the story by placing such a subtle hint as to how much the cat really matters in the rest of the story, the grammatical clues in â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart† are much more obvious because they pertain more to the thoughts of the narrator. Listening and paying attention t o how speakers and narrators in talk in any text are vital in understanding their character. By noting how Poe uses grammar and context clues, readers can more deeply understand the mind of the narrator. Syntax isn’t the only way Poe manipulates his narrators to show their own madness. The constant theme of denial of insanity further convinces the reader of the characters’ senselessness. Poe, in â€Å"The Black Cat† writes â€Å"Mad indeed would I be to expect it, in a case where my very senses reject their own evidence. Yet, mad I am not – and surely do I not dream.†(H/O). Here, the narrator of â€Å"The Black Cat† states that it is possible for his actions and thought process to be interpreted as mad, still in his mind, he is not mad at all. By denying his insanity, the narrator creates a suspicion in the reader, making them question the integrity of his mind. The narrator of â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart† is more adamant about repeating the fact that he is not insane. â€Å"†¦will you say that I am mad?†¦I have heard many things in hell. How, then, am I mad?† (Poe H/O) The narrator obviously worries about the fact that people may see him as a lunatic. The reader can infer that by denying his lack of sanity, and clinging to the hope that he may in fact have a sound mind; the narrator has lost all sense of reality, and cannot be trusted. Both of these stories have similar narrators in the sense that they may have once been sane, and a traumatic event has pushed them over the edge into the depths of derangement. While the above points may be valid and prove a point, nothing really shows who someone is more than what he or she may do. The character’s actions in multiple short stories by Poe show that they are not in touch with reality. The short story â€Å"The Black Cat† may have the best example of them all. When the narrator of this tale is hanging his precious, beloved cat, Pluto, he is well aware of his actions, and yet, he cannot stop himself from performing this murderous deed. One morning, in cool blood, I slipped a noose about its neck and hung it to the limb of a tree; – hung it with the tears streaming from my eyes and with the bitterest remorse at my heart; – hung it because I knew that it had loved be, and because I felt it had given me no reason of offense; – hung it because I knew that in so doing, I was committing a sin – a deadly sin that would so jeopardise my immortal soul as to place it – if such a thing were possible – even beyond the reach of the infinite mercy of the Most Merciful and Most Terrible God. (Poe H/O)

Monday, July 29, 2019

Impact of implementing clinical practice guidelines to prevent Literature review

Impact of implementing clinical practice guidelines to prevent pressure ulcers - Literature review Example The paper tells that over the years, researches and similar works have recognised the ill effects of extended immobility. In fact, Clavet, et al. found that immobility leads to skeletal degeneration, while Smorawiński, et al. found that immobility causes oxygenation problem. In addition, Paddon-Jones, et al. revealed that patients who stay bedridden for a long period of time experience loss of muscle mass, the severity of which depends on the length of immobility. Still, among the most adverse effects of immobility is the development of pressure or decubitus ulcers. Pressure ulcers are usually caused by the shearing effects of friction against the skin surface constantly in contact with the bed or mattress. They are a major concern for healthcare professionals because of their impact on the patient, the costs and challenges they present to the healthcare delivery system, and because of their prevalence and severity. Indeed, in the United States alone, around one million individua ls develop pressure ulcers. Bedsores are also most commonly found in elderly individuals, both in hospitals and nursing homes or similar institutions. According to Park-Lee and Caffrey, 11 percent of nursing home residents (or 159,000 patients) developed pressure ulcers in 2004. Patients who are around 64 years of age are more prone to developing pressure ulcers, the most common of which is Stage 2 bedsores. Moreover, in terms of severity, the same authors noted that pressure ulcers have been observed as the direct cause of death in around eight percent of paraplegic patients. Finally for the United States, Cuddigan, Berlowitz and Ayello (2001) revealed that around 60% of quadriplegics, 25% of nursing home residents, and 10% if all hospital patients all develop bedsores. In the United Kingdom (UK), Clark, et al. (2004) found that one in five admitted hospital patients has, or is developing, a pressure ulcer. This statistic translates to around 20,000 inpatients in the UK at any give n time. As for residential settings, although not much documentation is available, patients are constantly referred to the healthcare system for solutions or interventions. Moreover, around 400,000 patients develop a new bedsore every year in the United Kingdom. This high prevalence of pressure ulcers has also been observed in hospitals and other settings in Ireland. In the study by Gallagher, et al. (2008), the authors found that in three university teaching hospitals, around 18.5% of patients have developed pressure ulcers. Of these, 77% are hospital-acquired, and 49% are grade one. Also, in another study by Moore and Cowman (2011), it was revealed that in the Republic of Ireland, the prevalence rate of pressure ulcers is nine percent. Although relatively low, this percentage is made complicated by the fact that the greatest percentage of the documented cases are grade two sores (33%), mainly located on the heel (25%) and on the sacrum (58%). Also, around 53% of the study’s respondents were completely immobile or had very limited mobility. Other than the risk posed by its prevalence, pressure ulcers also present challenges to the individual and the community. For the patient and his/her family, much pain and discomfort is caused by the presence of pressure ulcers. Indeed, according to the Institute of Medicine (2001), pressure ulcers hamper the patient’s recovery, as well as cause unnecessary strain on the caregiver. For the community, pressure ulcers also present challenges in terms of costs. In terms of costs, pressure ulcers drain a lot of financial resources for the healthcare sector. In the US, for example, around $1 billion was used in 2004 for the treatment of pressure ulcers. Similarly, in the UK, the NHS spends around ?1.8-2.6 billion on hospitalisations and treatments involving pressure ulcers or

Sunday, July 28, 2019

PROFESSIONAL LIABILITY AND EMPLOYEE RELATIONS Essay - 4

PROFESSIONAL LIABILITY AND EMPLOYEE RELATIONS - Essay Example These contracts use the laid down legislation to develop a binding agreement, which guides the employer and employee in their final period of interaction (Pozgar, 2012). This essay looks at the issues that employers and managers should consider when drafting settlement agreements with their employees in the context of a health organization. The agreement must consider the reasons behind the termination of employees. Different reasons will affect the nature of the contract that the employer enters with the terminated employee. For example, employees who are terminated due to breach of contract cannot enter into the same contract with those who are terminated due to other factors beyond their control. Furthermore, the decision of termination is a responsibility of a qualified manager who understands the risks associated with the termination (Pozgar, 2012). Compensation is one of the issues that the termination agreement should consider. The employer must consider paying the employee an amount of money that will compensate him or her for the termination. This especially happens when the reasons for the termination are not due to the inconsistencies and the incapability of the employee. If the reasons for termination are market driven, then the employer must consider the fate of the employee who has nothing to do with the turn of events, which is called the unemployment compensation (Hospital Employees’ Union, 2013) Insurance policies and taxation are other issues that the agreement should consider. Most of the workers in the health sector are insured against risks in the workplace and other risks in their lives. Therefore, the contract must consider the nature of the policies that employees had before their termination. The consideration should be as to whether the employee will continue enjoying protection or the contract will be cancelled. The settlement agreement

Saturday, July 27, 2019

Propaganda methods that Bush uses in his speech on Iraqi threat and Research Paper

Propaganda methods that Bush uses in his speech on Iraqi threat and fact checking his speech - Research Paper Example Convincing people is an art and convincing people regarding a series of lies is mastery. A base that the mass consider as neutral is of utmost importance before the process of convincing a mass through a general address gets started. Besides, highlighting the negative points of the opponent acts as a positive catalyst that slowly but surely moulds the crowd in favour of the speaker. This action was followed by Hitler as a justification of the Second Great War and echoed in his vein vaunt regarding the superiority of German race over others. The Junior Bush taking the cue from the leaders who initiated war on the false ground, created a background to attack Iraq that eventually erupted like a volcano on Iraqi people and proved once again that war mostly happens owing to economic reasons rather than due to security ground. President Bush emerged as a great craftsman with his words in his speech that he delivered on Iraq in Cincinnati, Ohio. An air of fellow feeling spread quickly around the hall when he addressed the present audience as â€Å"Thank you all. Thank you for that very gracious and warm Cincinnati welcome. I’m honoured to be here tonight; I appreciate you all coming† (Bush). Without any further back ground Mr. Bush moved directly to the grave danger that is looming large on the world peace and generating from the old enemy of America and thus the rest of the peace loving world. Whoever can it be other than Iraq? He moves on to state the time frame of violation that Iraq has been indulged in following the first gulf war. Whether it is biological weapon or nuclear weapon; Iraq has vested least faith on the maintenance of the 11 years old treaty. Bush also harped the 9/11 disaster and once again disclose the vulnerable situation of the Americans from attacks generating from the M iddle East. His main point of attack was the Iraqi President Saddam Hussein whom Bush thinks to be disarmed with utmost importance. The

Friday, July 26, 2019

Has the Global Financial Crisis lead to fundamental change in the Essay - 1

Has the Global Financial Crisis lead to fundamental change in the relationship between government and business - Essay Example Business is one segment in which governments made some policy changes in order to strengthen the business activities in a controlled manner. In some sectors governments imposed more restrictions whereas in some other sectors government liberalized the rules and assisted the business people to come out from the recession. For example, governments put more control on the activities of financial institutions like banks whereas they assisted other business entities like the automobile sectors in order to save that sector from total destruction. In other words, the relationship between the government and different business entities has undergone contrasting changes because of recession. This paper analyses the extent of changes happened in relationships between the governments and the business because of recession. The relationship between government and business is important both for the government and the business groups. Governments are primarily operating for safeguarding the interests of the people whereas business always works on making profits. Business always tries to exploit the public resources injudiciously to increase their profits. In other words, the interests of public and business are often contradictory and may not go hand in hand. Governments are fixing the boundaries or the norms in order to reach a compromise between the interests of the people and the interests of business. Government need to protect the interests of both. In order to grow economically, business activities should be increased and for that purpose, more liberalized rules are essential. At the same time, these liberalized rules should never affect the public interest negatively. Thus governments are acting as a bridge between the people and business ensuring that either the people or the business taking any undue advantages. According to the renowned economist John Maynard Keynes, a purely free market system would tend to

Baroque and Classical Period Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Baroque and Classical Period - Essay Example Baroque music refers to the musical style that took center stage in the 1600s and carried on to the 1700s having transitioned from the Renaissance era. According to Paton, et al., â€Å"The baroque period strived to create an overall balance between two parts that were not symmetrical† (1994, p. 4). It is during the baroque period that music tonality was formed due the increased use of harmony attributed to the realization that chords are better than notes. Tonality was as a result of advancements and extensive use of instruments far more than had been used before. In addition, tonality was facilitated by adoption of new and improved techniques of playing instruments. Although this was a great step in music, more needed to be done and it was not until later that perfection on the proper use of instruments was not attained. Baroque period also saw the establishment of opera and sonata among other great advancements in music. Opera was a less instrumental music which did not req uire use of polyphony and was normally done by a solo singer. Musical advancements led to transitioning from the baroque era to a better and improved era, the classical period. The classical period saw the employment of order and hierarchy in music in a bid to create music clarity. Therefore, simplicity was adopted and there were brighter contrasts and colors unlike in the baroque period. In addition, increased use of chords in music to enable melody to play over harmony led to shift from polyphony to homophony.

Thursday, July 25, 2019

Larval therapy for venous leg ulcers Literature review

Larval therapy for venous leg ulcers - Literature review Example The maggots then proceed to consume the infections present in the wound and eventually ‘clean’ up the ulceration. This study shall provide a critical appraisal of larval therapy for venous leg ulcers. Initially, the background and aetiology of the disease shall be provided, followed by a critical appraisal of eight studies pertinent to this topic. This study is being carried out in order to establish a scholarly and comprehensive assessment of available literature on larval therapy on venous leg ulcers; it also seeks to assess the future general applicability of this therapy in the clinical practice. Venous leg ulcers are chronic and non-healing wounds or ulcerations on the leg or foot (NHS Choices, 2010). It is usually accompanied with symptoms of pain, itching, and inflammation in the affected area. Venous leg ulcers are seen when there is a persistent high pressure of blood in the veins of the legs which can later cause damage to the skin. Venous leg ulcers affect 1 i n 500 individuals in the UK with rates increasing sharply with age (NHS Choices, 2010). About one person in every 50 over the age of 80 has a high risk for venous leg ulcers. Risk factors for this disease include immobility, obesity, advancing age, and varicosities (NHS Choices, 2010). The prognosis for venous leg ulcers is more or less good, however, with diabetic and elderly patients, the management may take longer. Nevertheless, with appropriate treatment, the healing can be ensured. Venous leg ulcers are caused by damage to the veins located in the legs (NHS Choices, 2010). Venous problems can be seen with the valves in the veins improperly functioning. As a result, blood flows backwards into the previous valves causing pooling in the lower trunks of the veins. With increased pressure in the veins, damage to the veins, and later the skin can become apparent (NHS Choices, 2010). Constant high blood pressure in the legs can cause leaks which then cause swelling and damage to the s kin, thereby leading to the ulcerations. Critical appraisal In the study by Dumville, et.al., (2009), the authors clearly presented the goals of their research which was basically to compare the clinical effectiveness of larval therapy with standard debridement techniques for necrotic leg ulcers. The relevance and importance of the research was indicated by the authors, mostly in relation to cost effectiveness of various therapies for venous leg ulcers (Dumville, et.al., 2009). This goal is relevant because of the fact that the cost of medical interventions has increased and the need to decrease and manage medical costs for patients and for health care in general has become a more imperative requirement in the current age of health and economic crisis. The introduction and the literature review were able to establish the concept and the idea behind the research, including its possible benefits to the clinical practice. The hypothesis has not however been clearly stated, but can be i mplied from the initial chapters of the study. The author implies the higher benefits which can be gained from the use of larval therapy for venous leg ulcers. The main terms of the study are defined and can easily be deduced from the authors’ presentation. The research also presented a well focused question, including a clearly defined population specifically defined through the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The interventions to be used by the authors were also specified with specific expected outcomes defined. In assessing the design chosen, the

Wednesday, July 24, 2019

History of Race, Sport, and Culture in Modern America Essay

History of Race, Sport, and Culture in Modern America - Essay Example The issue of racial differences between black and white races has come into special focus with the enormous strides being made in genetic mapping and other scientific protocols that attempt to pinpoint the markers of human biodiversity. One application for these studies in eugenic is determining the reason for the dominance of African Americans in sports. This paper will provide a summary of the studies and issues that deal with the social, cultural and political nuances of genetic racial differences in American sports history. The research used for this paper included online journals, commentaries from sports analysts and articles from the Jon Entine Website. There was also considerable material that gave insights on the various viewpoints for and against the concept of racial differences as a determinant of athletic prowess. The history of football, basketball, baseball, track and field and boxing were investigated as it pertained to African Americans, as well as the issues and controversies that attended the progress of African American athletes. Related research that dealt with the social implications of genetics and statistics that illustrated the trends in sports were also included. Jon Entine's book released in 2000 entitled Taboo: Why Black Athletes Dominate Sports and Why We Are Afraid to Talk About It has been vilified by equal rights advocates as a thinly veiled attempt to further propagate racism in sports. However, at this point, the historical insight into African American participation in sports as provided in the book and various other sources will be briefly discussed. (Mosley) It is in the US that the stereotype of the "dumb jock" proliferated in society. In essence, it embodies the idea that physical prowess is inversely proportionate to intellectual capacity, a popular generalization that is the heart of the controversy behind African American athletic ability. (Entine) In European history athletic prowess was considered an indication of intelligence, and leaders were often chosen among the most successful fighters and best warriors. However, the 19th century saw the proliferation of pseudo sciences in Europe that claimed to quantify intelligence and other human characteristics by measuring the skull and other body parts. (Entine) The work of physician Samuel George Morton, for example, popularized the idea of eugenics and racial differences by using craniometry, or the ranking of racial intelligence based on the typical skull size of a certain race. His collection of 600 skulls was the basis of modern day racism in the US, where Asians and Caucasians are ranked at the top of the craniometrical scale while Africans and Native Americans were near the bottom. Many accepted this as incontrovertible truth that races like the Africans and Jews are less civilized, and thus inferior. (Entine) This began the ranking of racial and ethnic groups in which, unremarkably, white Europeans came out as the most superior intellectually and those of African descent were relegated to almost animal-like status. (Entine) The nineteenth century also saw the establishment of racial discrimination as a matter of public policy because Europeans did not want interracial mixing in their population. Their basis for discrimination were IQ tests that revealed that those of

Tuesday, July 23, 2019

The Millenium Dome Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

The Millenium Dome - Essay Example A project is not something that is part of the normal operations of the business. Most of the times a projects are typically created only once, besides being temporary, and specific. A project just like the Millennium Dome consumes a lot resources and it has funding limits. In project management it requires the application of techniques, knowledge, and skills to efficiently and effectively execute the project. Therefore, project management is a competency strategy for most organizations; this enables them to tie the project results to the goals and objectives of the business (Kousholt, 2007:90). In addition, many projects have funding limits and a projected budget unto which it must operate from. This creates the need to have a project manager. Project management process During the project management process of Millennium Dome, it was done in five (5) phases. Project initiation; during this phase an idea of the project to be undertaken is carefully examined to establish if it is bene ficial to the organization. A decision making team is formed to determine whether the project can be realistically be completed. Project definition and planning; a project plan is put in writing giving an outline of the work that is to be performed. It is at this stage that the list of deliverables to be presented and also the potential outcome of a set of specific activities (Meredith & Mantel, 2011:455-7). During project planning the requirements of completing the project are defined. The project manager of Millennium Dome identified how many people and also how much expense was to be involved in the project and any other requirements necessary for the completion of the project. According to Haughey (2013:55) reported that a project manager is to make sure that he manages the assumptions and risks that are related to the project. In addition, he also determined the constraints of the project. The constraints accrued in the Dome were related to budget, scope, schedule, and resource s. It was found out that a small change in one constraint typically affected the other constraints. Project launch or execution; Resources and tasks are distributed and the teams were informed of their responsibilities. This was a good time as any other information related to the project was welcomed so as to make adjustments to the project. The project manager in this phase is to know how many resources and how much budget he had to work with for the project. The Dome cost ?789 million. He was able to assign those resources and allocated the budget to the various tasks of the project. Moreover, he is to ensure that the project team works in harmony. Project performance and control; the incorporation of project managers was tantamount for the Millennium Dome project as there was need to compare the status of the project to the actual plan, as the resources performed the scheduled work. The project managers were tasked with adjusting schedules in addition to doing what was necessary so as to keep the project on track (Meredith & Mantel, 2011:468). The project manager is in charge of updating the plans of the project to reflect on the actual time elapsed for each task. Project closure; this is when the project manager, owner of the project, and any other person having interest in the project, pulls together to analyze the final outcome of the project. Project closure is when the Millennium Dome was completed and the client approved the outcome which was the government of the United Kingdom. Project manager The project manager works with the sponsor of the business who wants to have the

Monday, July 22, 2019

Global Warming Essay Example for Free

Global Warming Essay According to Live Science, global warming is used to describe a gradual increase in the average temperature of the Earths atmosphere and its oceans, a change that is believed to be permanently changing the Earths climate forever. The scientific consensus on climatic changes to global warming is that the average temperature of the Earth has risen between 0. 4 Cto 0. 8 C over the past 100 years (as cited in Live Science, n. d. ). In the article from the American Policy Roundtable Arguments against Global Warming, many claim that global warming is obvious and that all arguments against global warming fall. The problem is that what is obvious often isnt true. Concern over global warming is overblown and misdirected. More than 17,000 scientists have signed a petition circulated by the Oregon Institute of Science saying in part, there in no convincing scientific evidence that human release of carbon dioxide, methane, or other greenhouse gases is causing or will, in the forseeable future, cause catastrophic heating of the Earths atmosphere and disruption of the Earths climate. Satellite readings of temperatures in the lower troposphere show no warming since readings began 23 years ago. These readings are accurate within 0. 01 C, and are consistent with data from weather balloons. Only land-based temperature stations show a warming trend, and these stations do not cover the entire globe, and often contaminated by heat generated by nearly urban development, and are subject to human error (cited in American Policy Roundtable, n. d. ). When it comes to government and industrial leaders, a certain number of these are not being honest to citizens about the amount of pollution the industries and countries create. According to Exact Weather, from an article called Hysteria, all the main players from politicians and scientists to big corporations and the United Nations benefit from instilling fear into billions of human beings over the unproven theory of man-made global warming, Indeed, just three weeks after the U. N. ratcheted up international fears over global warming, a panel of 18 scientists from 11 countries has not reported to the U. N. that the only thing that can stop catastrophic climate change is a global tax on greenhouse gas emissions. Global problems, real or conjured up, require global governmental solutions. Environmentalism is nothing less than the global elitists replacement ideology for communism/socialism. Elitists who desire to rule other peoples lives have gravitated an even more powerful ideology. More powerful because it seems to trump all other considerations, as it claims the very survival of life on earth is dependent on implementing its agenda. (cited in Exact Weather, n. d. ). This is not the first time Americas major media has predicted an impending global climate crisis. It has happened four different time with each prediction warning that entire countries would be wiped out or that lower crop yields would mean the billions would die. In 1895, the panic was over an imminent ice age. Later, in the late 1920s, when the earths surface warmed less than half a degree, the media jumped on a new threat global warming, which continued into the late 1950s. Then in 1975, the New York Times headlined that global cooling was inevitable. Then in 1981, it was back to global warming, with the New York Times quoting seven government atmospheric scientists who predicted global warming of an almost unprecedented magnitude. (cited in Exact Weather, n. d. ). In an article written John Coleman, founder of the Weather Channel, he believes that not only is global warming the greatest scam in history, he believes some dastardly scientists with environmental and political motives manipulated long term scientific data to create an allusion of rapid global warming. Other scientists have also jumped into the circle to support and broaden the research to further enhance the totally slanted, bogus global warming claims. Mr. Coleman also believes that any person who spends a decade at a university obtaining a PHD in Meteorology and become a research scientist, more likely than not, becomes a part of that single minded culture. They all look askance like anyone, certain of their superiority. They respect government and disrespect business, particularly big business. They are environmentalists about all else. These scientists know that if they do research and results are in no way alarming their research will gather dust on the shelf and their research will languish. But if they do research that sounds alarms, they will become well know and respected and receive scholarly awards and, very importantly, more research dollars will come flooding their way. These scientists had to strive to be accepted, invited to present and review papers and travel to international meetings of the committee. Otherwise they were a nobody in the field. When many researchers did climate change studies in the late 90s they were eager to produce findings that would be important and be widely noticed and trigger more research funding. It was easy for them to manipulate the data to come up with results they wanted to make headlines and at the same time drive their environmental agendas. Then their like-minded Ph. D colleagues reviews their work and hastened to endorse ti without question (Coleman, n. d. ). Everyone has heard already that global warming is an international problem. Some say worldwide organizations are needed to address the worldwide issue to make sure all nations adhere to standardized pollution regulations. Some countries and the regions that comproise them have there own rules and regulations set to determine the daily life of how much electricity, coal, nuclear power, and other resources can be used, as well as how cars can be made, how buildings and bridges can be built as to not effect environmental damage. All of this comes at an extra cost to society and put more debt to these countries that implement the regulations. According to the article Destroying America to Save the World, the Kyoto Treaty is a international treaty designed to cut emissions that already contribute to global warming. The heart of the global warming dispute remains quite important. Scientists have been debating the reality of climate change and its potential impact for years. Despite extensive scientific opposition, worldwide environmental groups pushed for action that led to the 1997 Kyoto Protocol on Climate Change. The pact required reductions in emissions below 1990 levels for developed nations. When a ABC News report mentioned the estimated cost of the Kyoto Treaty if the United States implemented it, the result would be a damaging US economu with job losses and a increase in the price of energy by $2,000 per family. When the Fox News channel addressed the issue short, but to the point, it explained the reason for the U. S. opposition was that the treaty would not force reductions by the developing nations including major polluters such as China, but it would have cut emissions by about 30 percent beginning in 2008. Fox also mentioned that the supporters of the treaty believed the cost to American families was about $100 a year, while critics claimed it would have doubled the price of energy, costing families $2,700 a year. (Gainor, n. d. ) But this is not just the only example of regions, states, countries, or international communities imposing treaties or regulations that are costly. Arguments against Global Warming also mentions efforts by state governments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions are even more expensive and threaten to bust state budgets. After raising their spending with reckless abandon during the 1990s, states now face a umulative projected deficit of more than $90 billion. Incredibly, most states nevertheless, persist in backing unnecessary and expensive greenhouse gas reduction programs. New Jersey, for example, collected $358 millions a year in utility taxes to fund greenhouse gas reduction programs. Such programs will have no impact on global greenhouse gas emissions. All they do is destroy jobs and waste money (cited in American Policy Roundtable, n. d. ). There are many developing nations that are beginning to feel the positive impact of economic growth and development. Some of those developing nations have shown high amounts of pollution that is clogging up these countries cities especially in China and India. The Kyoto protocol will not solve the problem because it costs are too much and there is skepticism about it among the international community. The best way to prevent developing countries from have revolutionary and economic uprisings is not through international public policies. In article called International Clean Energy Initiative from the Office of Science and Technology Policy, using Advanced, low-polluting energy technologies, developed and manufactured in the United States. It is an initiative built on a set of recommendations by the Presidents Committee of Advisors on Science and Technology and is directed at leveling the playing field between cleaner U. S. energy technologies and services and polluting alternatives. While this technology carries higher up-front costs, and can be risky to decision-makers in developing countries, the real benefits of the initiative will help lay the technical and policy foundation that will allow developing and transition countries to build a clean energy future, leapfrogging past the polluting energy technologies used by the industrial countries. cited in Office of Science and Technology Policy article, 2001, pg. 1) The best option for world enforcement of pollution control, economic growth, and political stability is no regrets. Arguments against Global Warming mentions that while the alternative demands for immediate action to stop global warming, the best option is to do nothing. The best option is to invest in atmospheric research now and in reducing emissions sometimes in the future if the science becomes more compelling. Right now, investments should be made to reduce emissions only when such investments make economic sense in their own right. This is the strategy of no regrets. The United States spends more on global warming research each year than the entire rest of the world combined, and American businesses are leading the way in demonstrating new technologies for reducing and sequestering greenhouse gas emissions. (cited in American Policy Roundtable, n. d. ). If many countries emulate the way the United States does its research on global warming, and uses its methods, world enforcement becomes less and less likely since there are alternatives other than control, rules, and regulation. (cited in American Policy Roundtable, n. d. ).

Sunday, July 21, 2019

Margaret Thatcher’s Economic Policies: An Evaluation

Margaret Thatcher’s Economic Policies: An Evaluation Abstract Margaret Thatcher inherited an ailing economy, which was the result of several factors inclusive of actions by the previous Labour government, as well as some which were peculiar to Britain. The pivotal focus of her economic policy was reduction in the influence of the public sector, on which she launched a frontal attack by systematically defeating the labour unions, especially in the manufacturing and mining industries, and fall in unemployment and inflation. These were her highest priorities when she assumed office. These were the themes around which her doctrine to tackle these issues, Thatcherism, was predicated. Although the broad term also had some political and cultural connotations,[1] they were essentially economic in nature. The rot that had set in into the economy necessitated major, radical actions on her part; she had to antagonise the labour unions and the public sector, and had to revitalise the ailing economy. The overall results of her policies spread over three terms as prime minister were mixed: while her most resounding success was in rendering the labour unions ineffective and making them defunct in all but name, her other major policy, namely controlling unemployment and inflation, was successful, but not to the same degree, and which too, came about by external, unforeseen favourable factors. Introduction This paper is an assessment of Margaret Thatcher’s economic policies. Since no evaluation is effective when made in a vacuum, in arriving at this evaluation, this paper first makes a narration of her economic inheritance, since this serves as the benchmark for her achievements. After describing the situation the economy was in at the time of her ascension, this paper moves on to describing the major initiatives she undertook to rid the economy of its ills, which are described in detail in the coming paragraphs. In the course of this narration, the major indicators listed are the monetary policies. In this part, her actions in relation to the unions and in taking on unemployment are described; her political and religious philosophy and quantitative analyses are interspersed in the paper in passing, where they fit into this narrative. Finally, this paper offers its conclusion by making an assessment of the sum total of her policies vis-à  -vis the economy, in which its findings are that her policies were neither a startling success nor a miserable failure. It needs mention that this paper takes under its purview only her domestic economic policies, and makes no mention of her actions in relation to economic integration with the EU, because this was at an unfinished stage at the end of her term. Discussion Mrs. Thatcher’s economic policy was derived from the New Right economic philosophy of noted economists, F.A. Von Hayek and Milton Friedman, with its opposition to corporatism, and its belief that the individual and markets performed best when left free of intervention from the state; (Childs Storry, 1999, p. 540) it was grounded in the political and social circumstance of the day. Since her ascension, the cornerstone of her economic policy was the way in which it â€Å"linked the aim of restoring dynamic economic growth with a crusade to revive traditional social values†. The pivot around which it centred was what came to be called â€Å"new realism†. The core theme of this ideal is rooted in drastic economic change; this change implied freeing the industry of crippling state intervention, which she believed was what was depriving capitalism of its innovativeness and vitality. For this, the most important action she had to take was to enervate the trenchant trad e unions, which she saw as the direct and severest obstacle. This was especially so in the manufacturing industry. (Rose, 1991, p. 307) Background to economic policy When the Tories took power by defeating Labour by a margin of 28 seats in the elections of 1979, Thatcher led a Cabinet that inherited an economy in a state of decline, a decline that had been set about three decades earlier, right to almost the end of the war. Thus, her utmost priority was reversing this situation;[2] her most important task was to reduce taxes and more importantly, the overbearing influence of the public sector undertakings, which had turned out to be the economy’s guzzlers, and drastically reducing Public Sector Borrowing Requirement (PSBR) Reversing such entrenched policies needed political conviction and courage. As against the inflation rate of 10.3 percent, the GDP real growth rate was 2.3 percent. The most important tool with which to reach this economic goal was an increase in taxes. When this was introduced, the first effects were results were negative, and only started looking up later. The first and third budgets her Finance Minister, Sir Geoffrey Howe presented, had enormous tax rates. A look at how high Britain’s income tax rate was compared to other industrialised nations gives some idea about the monetary policy: in 1979, Britain had a highest Personal Income Tax Rates of 83 percent, while the same figures were 61.5 percent in Australia, 61.9 in Canada, 73 in Denmark, 60 percent in France, 56 in West Germany, 72 in Italy, 88 in Japan, 72 in Netherlands, 86.5 in Sweden and 70 in the US. This shows that of these 11 countries taken for this comparison, only Japan and Sweden had a higher rate of highest income tax levels. (Canto Laffer, 1990, p. 250) Another critical area that required handling was curbing inflation, whose gravity was spelt out by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Geoffrey Howe, who made an impassioned plea stating his government’s determination to fight this malaise: It will be clear from what I have already said that the Government continue to regard the fight against inflation as the first priority. It is an illusion to suppose that we have any real choice between defeating inflation and some other course. It is quite wrong to suppose that inflation is something with which only Treasury ministers need be concerned. And in the defeat of inflation, monetary policy has an essential role to play [t]he level of spending is planned to fall steadily throughout the next four years. Without these economies, a coherent policy to reduce inflation would be unattainable. . . At the heart of the medium-term strategy is the need to return to a sensible level of public spending and to see government borrowing reduced. In the last 20 years the ratio of public expenditure to GDP has risen by a quarter. It would be all too easy for this ratio to go on rising indefinitely, unless we addressed ourselves to fundamentals†¦This review is crucial to the strategy. Crucial to success in reducing the PSBR, lowering interest rates, and bringing down inflation. And crucial if we are to find room for lightening the tax burden and so to provide scope and encouragement for enterprise and initiative. . .Expenditure in 1983-84 is planned to be about 4 per cent lower in real terms than in 1979-80. The effect will be a marked shift in the burdens imposed by the Government and in the balance between the public and private sectors. Above all we shall have set the volume of public spending on the right course. We shall be creating a climate much more favourable to economic growth. (Holmes, 1985, p. 55) [3] For sure, this method was to turn out to sow the seeds for bearing fruit in later years: the economy had a real growth rate of 3.64 percent in 1985, 3.4 percent in 1986, and 4.21 and 2.59 in the next couple of years. (Canto Laffer, 1990, p. 250) These details are spelt out in later sections of this paper. Thatcher’s policies had the effect of increasing inflation initially, before turning it around: in February 1980, inflation had touched a high of 18.4 percent, a rate that was double the rate of what it was just over half a year ago. (Holmes, 1985, p. 52) In addition, in the first year, PSBR and the money supply indicator, the M3, did not meet their targets, falling short substantially. Another factor impeded successful implementation of reducing inflation in this critical first year of her governance –rise in public expenditure caused by the government’s commitment to increase spending on health, defence, law and order and other social benefit schemes. Added to all this, the government raised public sector pay, as recommended by the Clegg Commission set up during the previous Labour government, which the Conservatives had agreed to. All these resulted initially in fall in employment, the exact opposite of what the government had pledged to achieve. (Tomlinson, 1 990, p. 333) To this, her response was that â€Å"basic economic laws (cannot) somehow be suspended because we are British. . . For government, facing our national problems entails keeping the growth of the amount of money in line with the growth in the amount of goods and services. After years of printing too much money, to which the economy has become addicted, this will take time, but it must be done† (Holmes, 1985, p. 52) During the first three years of Thatcher’ rule, tax revenues rose by 4.7 percent from 25.3 to 30 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), but its budget deficit rose by a whopping 43 percent, to over  £13 billion. (Canto Laffer, 1990, p. 245) Thatcherism[4] Thatcherism was constructed under the guidance of her mentor, Sir Keith Joseph. Its belief was rooted in the Victorian tenets of hard work, independence and self esteem. This perhaps explains why she was so aversive to parasitic public sector industries, in whose reform she believed lay the solution to the economy’s ills. (Cooper, Kornberg, Mishler, 1988, p. 261) The firm and unshakable belief she had in industry were the result of her middle class upbringing. A historian, Paul Johnson, had this to say about her beliefs: [ Margaret Thatcher] has never been able, or wished, to separate her strong religious convictions from her equally strong political ones. In her mind, they are indivisible, springing as they do from the teachings of her father, a storekeeper and local councillor in the small town of Grantham. Her fathers code was simplicity itself: there are real and absolute distinctions between good and evil. Everyone has a personal responsibility to choose the good. This applies equally to public and private life. Choosing the good means working hard to better ourselves and our families and to serve the community. Deal honestly and keep the spirit as well as the letter of the law. Borrow only when absolutely necessary and repay promptly. Save systematically for the future. Give generously. In public life, apply the same high standards as in your private dealings. Remember at all times that you are accountable not only to the voter in this life but to Almighty God in the nextand God sees into our s ecret hearts and judges our motives as well as our actions. (Geelhoed Hobbs, 1992, p. xvii) [5] She believed in the better side of capitalism, which allowed the individual the maximum scope for growth. The route to wealth creation, in the ideal of Thatcherism, was not in creating or pampering the white elephants of the public sector; rather, it was in introducing healthy competition, calculated risk taking and smart marketing, to all of which the public sector was the antithesis. The small capitalist, in her vision, was the microcosm of the bigger enterprise on which the economy was built. The public sector was becoming one of the biggest sources of public expenditure, whose power had to be cut only by emasculating the trade unions, which were hampering productivity and free enterprise. Her idea of free enterprise was one that aimed at creating financial stability that was borne out of curbing public expenses; the greatest barrier to productivity and competition in her perception, the trade unions, were to be targeted forcefully. Her monetary policy was thus aimed at unchaining the economy by introducing capitalism. The role of the government was specific and clear –pulling out of the economy while strengthening its hold and role over other areas. (Cooper, Kornberg, Mishler, 1988, pp. 261-263) Thatcherism was thus â€Å"a package of fiscal and monetary austerity with tight restraint on government spending and borrowing intended to curb inflation and reduce interest rates, thereby overcoming the electoral burden of an unemployment rate that had more than doubled during Thatchers first term.† (Alt Alt, 1988, p. 217) In the pursuit of her clearly defined objectives, Thatcher had not really differed fundamentally from Conservative ideology; the area in which she differed was in the statecraft used to achieve her political and economic aims. The basic fabric of the Tory philosophy of governance, of an increase in the state’s autonomy, did not undergo a major change. In this sense, there was a similarity between Conservative ideology unde r Winston Churchill and Harold Macmillan on the one side, and Thatcher on the other. (Bevir Rhodes, 2003, p. 110) Dealing with the unions Owing to policies by both Labour and the Tories from about 1962, successive governments, in their efforts towards controlling prices, had pampered labour unions and had involved them in major economic decisions, in an era also characterised by growing nationalisation of vital industries. As a result, their numbers had grown from 40 percent of the employees to 55 in this period; this had had the effect of making them aggressive, recalcitrant and militant in their outlook, having grown on the diet of indispensability for the government. They had reneged on most of the promises they had made of their conduct. The role of the government in the affairs of administration almost resembled a socialist state –the government had held not only owned corporations dealing with coal, steel, rail, transport, natural gas, it also had been handling most public utilities. It was a departure from these established Keynesian norms that Thatcherism was conceived and enacted. Because as a result of all these policies, by the time she came to power, the economy had been left in tatters –inflation stood at 10 percent, although this itself was far better compared to the 25 percent of 1975, unemployment had risen to six percent, national income had risen in the six years leading to 1979 at half the rate at which it had in the preceding 13 years, and public sector deficit had multiplied by 400 percent to four percent of the economy. To cap it all, strikes by one or another union were becoming almost a quotidian occurrence. In addition, the labour unions refused to cooperate with the Labour government for wage control below inflation rate. All these added to constitute the notorious â€Å"Winter of Discontent†[6] in the year in which Thatcher took office. Thus, the enormity of the situation was quite high at the time of her ascension. (Alt, 1994, p. 61) There were some important legal actions she took in relation to trade unions to curb their clout. Among her first re gulations was a legal ban on secondary picketing by the unions. In the same breath, she also curtailed the power of the unions by removing their immunity to pay fines they had been imposed by courts for violations of industrial relations laws. (Alt Alt, 1988, pp. 218-219) One more important legislation, perhaps the most radical one she promulgated, was in 1982. Called the Employment Act, it forcefully restricted the ambit of strikes to only the issue of pay and working conditions; the same legislation also tightened procedures on closed shops, and reduced unions’ other immunities, and more importantly, followed up in subsequent legislations by making strike ballots more stringent, and made it compulsory for unions to give seven days’ notice when going on strike. Perhaps the most important part of this legislation was that it deprived workers the automatic right of becoming union members. (Childs Storry, 1999, p. 540) Yet another important step she took in this direct ion was to separate their loyalty to the Labour Party. This she did by making public and mandatory the periodic secret ballots that were being held to some trade establishments such as shops, their members’ right to elect leaders to their association, and finally, their allegiance to the Labour Party. She reduced their importance by deliberately snubbing them by not consulting them over important economic policy,[7] and not seeking their opinion or cooperation over implementation of several economic measures. She also sought to wean the youth away from unions by generating some employment schemes targeted at them. (Alt Alt, 1988, pp. 218-.223) As a result of the systematic attack on the unions, the most important success she achieved, perhaps the most notable one of all her entire economic policy was the dismemberment and break up of the nation’s most powerful union, the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM). When this union went on strike for a whole year protesting pi t closures, the government simply refused to buckle down; rather, the union, apart from ending its strike in April 1985, also had to face the mortification of getting split, almost rendering it impotent. Subsequently, figures of strikes and working days lost to them fell to post-war lows. (Kavanagh, 1997, p. 129) The effect of all this was that these acts debilitated the unions like no other legislation had in the past. Membership was no longer an enticing or lucrative proposition in unions sapped of their vitals; by 1994, total union membership of the workforce had fallen to nine million from 13 million in 1979. Unionism did continue, but with a vastly diluted character. Unions were no longer truculent or militant; instead, they had toned down to becoming business-oriented, strike rates fell down drastically, and were, in their watered down form, almost solely restricted to the public sector, almost totally deserted the private sector. (Childs Storry, 1999, p. 540) Curbing inflation Along with the unions, she had another task that required equal attention –high inflation, which was a major challenge to the economy. Controlling inflation was no easy task, again given the nexus that existed between managements and labour unions; in the words of Sir Walter Salomon, â€Å"both sides of industry were in unholy alliance: management thought a little bit of inflation would increase profits, while labour was persuaded that a little bit of inflation would maintain employment. It was as though a little bit of pregnancy need not lead on to bigger things!† (Holmes, 1985, p. 50) By 1980, inflation was easily among the most important problems for the nation; the government of the day had to take some very stringent, even harsh measures that would cause other problems, if only to control galloping prices. In the immediate months of assuming office, she introduced the Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS). In a sense, it was a takeoff from the policy undertaken by the previous Chancellor of the Exchequer from the Labour Party, Healey as part of an agreement with the IMF. Thatcher’s aim was to stringently divert targets to narrowed down goals like money and borrowing, and an absence of clearly stated goals for prices and economic output. (Alt Alt, 1988, p. 224) Raising taxes and cutting public spending were identified as the mantras with which to tackle inflation, even if it meant administering the economy a mild shock to jolt it out of its situation, akin to using one thorn to remove another. The immediate shocks the nation was administered had immediate effects that were extremely damaging –in 1980-81, industrial production in manufacturing fell by a whopping 14 percent, GNP contracted by over three percent, and unemployment rose by close to three million. This was the steepest rise in Britain’s history since the Great Depression of half a century ago. The slump in manufacturing was so great in terms in gravity that the nation lost a quarter of its manufacturing capacity in 1979-81. Just when a really potent crisis, a seemingly insoluble one, seemed to have gripped Britain, as if out of nowhere, two events turned the tide –the sudden spurt in prices of North Sea oil and gas, over which Britain had access, by an extrem ely pleasant high of 70 percent, (Evans, 2004, p. 21) which balanced the trade account and cushioned the violent swings in the economy, and the Falklands War, which completely diverted the internal turmoil and infused a sudden spurt of nationalism into the country, (Geelhoed Hobbs, 1992, p. xii) making people look to Thatcher as a kind of messiah who had delivered. The truth was that both these were events whose timing could not have been more appropriate for the nation in a morass. Conclusion One of the major charges levelled against Thatcher[8] is that Thatcherism was built on a highly simplified, yet rather cynical view of human nature,[9] and of its subservience to authority. She was extremely stern in her dealings with everyone, and believed that she had to use force to make people accept what she believed in. She was aptly described as â€Å"a Royal Marine drill sergeant inside a classic English matron†. (Champy Nohria, 1999, p. 191) Authors such as Gilmour are unsparing in their criticism of Thatcher’s assumption that every human action is driven by selfish motives, and that unless a leviathan-like government oversaw and strictly regulated it, it would be left to its primeval, selfish interests. Also coming in for severe criticism by this author is the view that Thatcher was less than positive in her perception of how and why people conform to authority, which is she is believed to have used to coerce people into her way of thinking. In the view of th is author, if the One Nation Toryism was not to people’s liking, which they had no compelling reason to like, then, people had no reason to automatically have an interest in the state. (Bevir Rhodes, 2003, p. 110) The whole range of her achievements needs to be seen in the pathetic situation the economy was in when she was appointed Prime Minister. She had come to power inheriting a largely sluggish economy. During this time, in 1978-79, the economy had all it took to take the country towards disaster –high inflation, trade union hooliganism and social problems had eaten into British politics. All this had earned it the dubious epithet, Europe’s â€Å"sick man† at the time; this condition was dubbed the â€Å"British Disease†. So deep had Britain’s image sunk in the eyes of the world that when he was elected to his first term as the president of the US, one of the foremost advices Ronald Reagan received was to strictly avoid taking up any economic policy that resembled Britain’s. The reasons for this were partly to be laid on the previous government, and mostly on the worldwide economic recession that had hit industrialised economies very badly. In fac t, Europe and the US were going through the worst recession they had witnessed since World War II. By the time she had been elected for a record third term in 1987, the economy had seen its sixth consecutive year of good performance; most barometers of the economy –production, foreign trade balance, establishment of new businesses, investment and economic growth, had all looked up. The economy had quietly been put back on its rails, with a consistent three percent growth rate since coming out of the recession. This was by all accounts a remarkable turnaround for an economy that was teetering on the brink less than a decade ago. (Geelhoed Hobbs, 1992, pp. xii- xiv) At the end of her reign, some perceptible changes were indeed seen in the economy: the shifting of the tax burden from individuals to corporations, increase in allocation to defence compared to social welfare, and a significantly lower spending on public investment compared to consumption. One of her apparent successes, reduction in unemployment, was not a uniquely British or Thatcherite phenomenon; it was more in tune with changes wrought about by the international markets attendant on exchange rates. (Alt Alt, 1988, p. 218) As we have seen, her attempted cure of the terminally ill â€Å"British Disease†[10] that she inherited could have actually been worse than the disease, but a streak of fortuity somehow saw the economy making lost ground, when it had been pushed to the brink in the initial years of her office. It is difficult to imagine to what further level the economy would have sunk had it not been for these events. But once this impetus was given, the recovery was quick –inflation was down to single figures by the spring of 1982. From even this dismal scenario, inflation was nipped, during 1982, it had come down to half its rate in 1979, and by the beginning of 1983, it stood at 5.4 percent, its lowest level since 1970. Yet, even this was not very real. The now-oil rich country caused an appreciation in the pound, because of which it was becoming extremely difficult to export manufactured goods. Low price of imports were aggravated by huge rises in unemployment levels, because of which reduced bargaining power by employees was also reducing the rate of wage increase. Added to all these, the government’s best efforts to reduce public spending were making no dent on institutionalised heavy public spending –it continued unabated to 44.5 percent of the GDP even in 1982, and the total tax burden was put at 34 percent of the GDP in the first year of office, and 40 percent in 1982 -83. Thus, whatever successes her policies had in tackling inflation had been more due to luck than anything else. (Evans, 2004, pp. 21-30) Yet, she could not find the same luck or effectiveness when it came to containing unemployment, which continued to be the enemy she could never really defeat till the end. Despite all her policies, although it was her topmost priority, in the period between 1979 and 1988, the cream of her Prime Ministership, UK’s unemployment rate, which was five percent in 1979, the year in when she took office, rose to 6.4 percent in 1980, and was 9.8 in 1981, 11.3 percent in 1982, 12.5 percent in 1983, 11.7 percent in 1984, 11.3 in 1985, 11.5 percent in1986, and10.2 percent in 1987 before finally falling to 8.2 percent the following year. With very few occasional exceptions, no other leading country in the OECD had this rate during this period. (Tomlinson, 1990, p. 334) Again, like the North Sea oil[11] which came as a godsend to her at a most critical time, another factor, though not quite so great a paroxysm, bailed her out of the unemployment morass –the transition of the economy from manufacturing to service and knowledge. Again, this was due in part to the global changes in the mode of industry, than to anything to which she could claim any singular credit. (Geelhoed Hobbs, 1992, p. xv) Thus, in assessing the most crucial parameters of the success of her economic policies, on two major counts, she was blessed to be the right person at the right time. It cannot be denied that Thatcherism brought about some very important changes. In effect, there was a pendulous effect of her economic policies –at first, when she introduced reforms aimed at curbing inflation, they boomeranged, then showed some very perceptible signs of having worked, and then, towards the end of her reign, had brought back the economy to a healthy state. One area over which she could claim total success was in dealing firmly with trade unions. There can be no doubt that this was an unequivocal stamp of her assertiveness. However, assessing her ability to deliver in other crunch areas does not bring the same decisiveness. Seen in this prism, her overall economic policies were a success, but were a qualified one. Considering the onus she inherited, it was commendable that she was able to implement so many changes. Thus, in finally evaluating Thatcher’ economic policy, it needs to be said that they indeed were successes, but a good part of this was due to events over which she had little control. References Alt, J. E., (1994), 3. â€Å"Thatchers Ideology: Economic Cures for English Diseases†, in Margaret Thatcher: Prime Minister Indomitable, Thompson, J. S. Thompson, W. C., (Eds.), (pp. 55-72), Westview Press, Boulder, CO. Alt, J. E., Alt, J. E., (1988), 8. â€Å"New Wine in Old Bottles: Thatchers Conservative Economic Policy†, in The Resurgence of Conservatism in Anglo-American Democracies, Cooper, B., Kornberg, A., Mishler, W., (Eds.), (pp. 217-257), Duke University Press, Durham, NC. Bevir, M., Rhodes, R. A., (2003), Interpreting British Governance, Routledge, New York. Canto, V. A. Laffer, A. B. (Eds.), (1990), Monetary Policy, Taxation, and International Investment Strategy, Quorum Books, New York. Champy, J., Nohria, N., (1999), The Arc of Ambition: Defining the Leadership Journey, Perseus Publishing, Cambridge, MA. Childs, P. Storry, M., (Eds.), (1999), Encyclopedia of Contemporary British Culture, Routledge, London. Cooper, B., Kornberg, A., Mishler, W., (Eds.), (1988), Little Bee, by Chris Cleave: Analysis Little Bee, by Chris Cleave: Analysis Little Bee, by Chris Cleave, is a novel that explores both the frailty of the human condition and the endurance of the human spirit. It delves into unthinkable evil, but simultaneously celebrates its characters in their ability to transcend all that weighs them down, including their pasts, their secrets, and their flaws. The book is about the bond formed between two women and how the relationship that has arisen from the most tragic of circumstances functions to resurrect both of them. For the character of Little Bee, identity is inescapably tied to ethnicity, nationality, gender, race, and class. She is hampered by the weight of her past; yet she also rises above these distinctions in her continued hopefulness, as evidenced in her dreams and active imagination. A representative passage of the book that explores Little Bees point of view (both its unceasing optimism and stark realism) occurs in the books final chapter. Little Bee is on the beach, awaking from a dream. The dream was of her ideal life going forward: Living in a beautiful home in her native Nigeria, working as a journalist who collects stories like her own, Sarah and Charlie with her as family. Little Bee is peaceful, thinking about the noise that has awoken her and, by extension, her place in the world. After the passage are the last few pages of the novel, in which Little Bee separates from Sarah and Charlie because the armed men (presumably soldiers) are searching for her. Ultimately Little Bee, prompted by the men shooting at Charlie, sacrifices herself by revealing her identity to them. The passage is ominous. Structurally, the reader is aware by this point that they are mere pages away from the end of the story. The pages prior have seen several good developments after the turn of Little Bees deportation to Nigeria. Sarah and Charlie have returned with her and they are setting about collecting stories from other native people in order to expose the truths of the oil companies cruelty to the world. They are relaxing in the sun, on the beach near where Little Bees sister Nkiruka was killed. Little Bee is awoken from a good dream, but immediately the reader gets the sense that something bad is about to happen. This comes as a result of the first sentence of the passage, There is a moment when you wake up from dreaming in the hot sun, a moment outside time when you do not know what you are (Cleave 258). The sentence shows that Little Bee is questioning her identity at just the moment when she should be most sure of it. Because Little Bee has been seeking a home, a fami ly, and belonging, and has seemingly found it, the reader realizes that it is still uncertain. It is significant to point out that the reader knows that the thesis of the book is that it is a sad story. We are told early on, Sad words are just another beauty. A sad story means, this storyteller is alive (Cleave 9). Thus we know that the story can not have a happy ending, but nor is the ending ultimately tragic. It is clear that Little Bee has survived merely in the telling of the story, but also that something bad will happen to her in the end. So the passage on the beach is situated at the exact moment between Little Bee at her happiest and the awful events that will make this a sad story. The book as alternates between the points of view of Sarah and Little Bee, though this section is told in Little Bees voice. It is critical that the final chapter be her perspective, given that the so much of the book deals with the lack of western knowledge of people like Little Bee, the silence regarding their stories, and the healing power of storytelling. The most significant element of voice in this passage is the tonal shift between its two paragraphs. In the first paragraph, Little Bee is coming out of her dream and the narration is reminiscent of that half-awake state. The second paragraph is Little Bee, eyes open, in the fog of remembering who and where she is, when she says, a white woman was sitting next to me on the beach in the thing called shade (Cleave 259). This paragraph also hints at the return of Little Bees Africanness in its wording. The implication is that shade, a relatively simple word with her advanced level of English, is again foreign to her. Then she says, regarding Sarah, I searched for the name of her expression in your language frightened, again struggling for easy language. Given that in the previous paragraph she has discussed transformation at length, it is as if the reader is seeing Little Bee regress to the self she was before England and Sarahs influence. Another important element of voice is the use of the second person point of view in the first paragraph. This technique is also used throughout the book, as filtered through Little Bee. The second person is an affecting way of getting the reader to empathize with its speaker. While Little Bees circumstances may be hard for many readers (particularly the audience that might have access and motivation to read the novel) to understand, the second person forces the reader to imagine herself in her stead. The use of second person as a tool ties in with one of the central themes of the book: what it takes for one person to understand the plight of another. This theme is evident at many points: Sarah and Andrew choose to vacation in Nigeria despite its war; Andrew refuses to cut off his finger though it may mean the girls will die; Sarah dismisses Andrews depression. Thus when Little Bee realizes you are a creature with skin she is realizing it not only for herself, but for all the readers (Cleave 259). Being human, they are subject to all the same agonies and ecstasies that she is and are similarly mortal. The passage explores the idea of identity, specifically who one is in relationship to the world and how one knows she is human. The idea is reinforced through the use of several extended metaphors. Repetition of these metaphors gives them heft. The first is you must be money (Cleave 258). This alludes to the previous section, in which she says that the noise that woke her up is the sound of the surf pounding on the beachCrash, like the drawer of a cash register springing open and all the coins inside it smashing against the edge of their compartments (Cleave 258). That the you character is money is ironic, given that prior the reader is told you feel absolutely free (Cleave 258). Money in the book represents evil. It is the main motivation for the oil companies that have corrupted Nigeria and divided its people. Additionally, Sarahs finger is taken as a kind of payment for Little Bees life and as such, she is resentful of her own commodification. Next Little Bee compares herself to environmental elements of the beach itself. The beach represents the very best and worst parts of Little Bees life: It is where her sister was murdered, but also where she met Sarah and Andrew. In the moment of the passage, it is where she is relaxing and dreaming of a better life, but also where she is about to be recaptured. Cleave writes that Little Bee is that hot breeze, (258) but even as breeze she is burdened, as he describes the heaviness you feel in your limbs is the weight of the salt in the wind and the sweet sleepiness that bewitches you is simply the weariness that comes from the day-and-night pushing of waves across the ocean (259). It is as ironic as the monetary comparison: Just as we consider money to be the opposite of free, so is breeze the opposite of heavy. The passage tells us that identity is mutable, at least in ones own imagination. Just as Little Bee has made herself English, she can be African again. She can imagine herself as free as the breeze or as inconsequential as a grain of sand. In the mind, it is as if you could transform yourself into anything at all (Cleave 258). After she is the breeze, she is the sand that the breeze blows up the beach, just one grain of sand among the billions of blown grains (Cleave 259). Again she is a natural element of the beach, but this time one that is inconsequential and one that can simply to go back to sleep, as the sand does, until the wind thinks to awaken it again (Cleave 259). With this comparison, Cleave is exploring Little Bees as an entity that is not burdened (as the wind is) by responsibility, but instead is burdened by others acting upon her. This parallels with Little Bees tragedy, as she had no agency over her own fate or that of her village, or any ability to protect her sister . Next Little Bee realizes her own corporeal presence and its inherent mortality. She says, this skin is your own and a billion fishes have slipped away like this, flapping on the blinding white sand, and what difference will one more make? (Cleave 259). Just as she has realized her inability to control her own destiny, she is realizing her insignificance. This is all the more noteworthy as next she realizes, I am a girl, then, an African girl (Cleave 259). She is subject to the oppression that her gender and her nationality carry with them. As a girl, she has less power than a man, and men in this novel are agents of destruction. The reader is told this earlier in the story when Little Bee says, The men came and theyThat was how all of our stories started (Cleave 79). Her Africanness, as well, leaves her open to danger, as Sarah can return to England and be guaranteed safety but she can not. This realization does not leave Little Bee so much depressed as resigned. She will stay hersel f, as the shape-changing magic of dreams whispers back into the roar of the ocean (Cleave 259). It is a foreshadowing of her final decision. She does not choose to flee or fight, but instead to surrender herself for the sake of Charlie, because he is young and will continue the dream for her. The reader takes from Little Bee the idea that identity is fluid and ones own self-perception can be a tool of transcendence. Little Bees circumstances require that she reinvents herself from village girl, to refugee, to member of an upper-class British family. Because of her brain, her language, and her imagination, she cannot be marginalized, even though she must succumb to evil. To the reader, Little Bee will remain as free as the wind and as peaceful as the undisturbed sand, because she has offered her voice and her story as testimony.

Effect of Reader Schemes and Initiatives on Child Reading

Effect of Reader Schemes and Initiatives on Child Reading Investigate whether the Accelerated Reader Scheme and Star Reader Test has a positive effect on a child’s reading achievement. Abstract An evaluation carried out in a primary school on the implementation of the Accelerated Reader Scheme demonstrates its efficacy in improving reading scores and reading ages for students who are less able readers. The literature review shows that while there is limited evidence on the scheme itself, which is derived from American schools settings, there is evidence which shows that similar schemes, which are targeted on reading development, and also schemes which integrate ongoing support and feedback (either personal or ICT based) are effective in supporting those who are falling behind national literacy standards. However, this study, which utilises marks and reading scores to evaluate the scheme, is limited in its applicability and in the usefulness of its findings. More research is needed into the underlying cultures and pedagogies which affect such reading interventions, and more depth and detail of pupil attitudes and responses are required to understand how such programmes affec t student achievement in reading and in the longer term. Introduction Children’s reading development is a key feature of overall literacy in the primary age group, and as such is subject to considerable governmental governance and input. Achieving standardised levels of literacy is seen as important in ensuring children reach developmental and cognitive milestones, and are properly prepared for secondary school when they move into this phase of their education. However, there are a number of challenges to supporting children to read, because even though this is a key element of their learning, children are often lacking in enthusiasm or confidence about reading, and do not take well to reading for pleasure. Similarly, school resources often mean that support for reading is less than optimal, particularly if teachers do not have enough time to devote to listening to children read and providing them with feedback and guidance. This dissertation describes an evaluation of a new approach to improving literacy in a chosen age group within a primary education setting: the Accelerated Reader Scheme, which includes the Star Reader Test. This scheme uses computer-based resources to encourage children to read. Children take the Star Reader test, are assigned a ‘reading age’, and then are pointed to books associated with that reading age within the school library. Children read the books and then take comprehension tests, which demonstrate their level of learning and their progress. Students can access the website at Think.com to chart their progress and see their own attainment. The scheme originated in America, where its success within primary age schools was demonstrated, and has since been adopted in a number of schools in the United Kingdom. There is some literature to cite the benefits of the Accelerated Reader scheme, and a lot of examples of websites, weblogs and feedback demonstrating enthusia stic approaches to it in certain schools and locations. This dissertation shows an evaluation of this scheme in one school setting in a socio-economically deprived area, and contains primary data on the implementation and effects of the scheme. A critical review of the literature was carried out, to explore the context of the scheme and its place within the pedagogy and practice of primary education within this country. The discussion of the scheme and its results takes into account current theory, and concludes with recommendations for future research and practice. A summary judgement of the efficacy of the scheme is included. The evaluation is based on reading result scores as discussed in the findings sections, and indicates where the scheme has been effective, and where findings were found to be other than those anticipated. The conclusions make recommendations for future research surrounding this intervention, and also explore some of the drawbacks of using such an approach. Literature Review Search Strategy A critical review of the available literature was carried out, in order to set the context of the study and evaluation, and to explore the current state of theory and practice. A literature search was first carried out, in order to identify the pertinent literature which could be used to inform the study. In order to do this, the author first carried out a ‘thought shower’ in order to identify key terms to be used as search words and search word combinations, then used these to search the literature, shortlist articles by abstract, and then select full text articles for reading and review. The Critical Review The changing nature of education, particularly within the state-funded sector, is such that there are emergent issues around the ways in which educational goals are defined and set, and the context of education[1]. However, the concern of this dissertation is the effectiveness of interventions in relation to supporting reading competence in primary schools, and so the focus of the literature review is on reading competence, reading interventions, and factors which might affect reading and the success of such interventions. It was decided to take a broader approach to the literature review because there were very few primary studies which directly assessed Accelerated Reader itself, and therefore the understanding of the current theoretical and practical context needed to be explored in terms of this type of approach to reading competence. The literature demonstrates that there are many factors which may affect children’s reading abilities and progress[2], not all of which are necessarily to do with the child’s cognitive or other abilities[3]. Understanding these factors may be important in understanding the kinds of schemes and programmes which might support reading progress in all children[4]. This review does not specifically address children with Special Educational Needs but does make some mention of them in relation to inclusive schools practices. Although published data presented by governmental and other official sources suggests that there have been significant improvements in reading and literacy overall in children in primary education, there are other authors who argue that this is not the case, and the tests and measured used have been ‘advantageously designed’ to reflect better on the current ruling party and its policies[5]. While standards may be improving, it is suggested tha t these improvements are not as significant as they are claimed to be[6], [7], and that recording and testing processes are sufficiently biased to warrant an independent body being set up to monitor standards[8]. The introduction of the National Literacy Strategy may have something to do with changing responses to reading and even changing attitudes to reading, but this does not mean that the responses are overwhelmingly positive. One study suggests that the ways that children interact with reading and with books, and their attitudes towards books, are much more complex than the official guidelines and strategies might suggest[9]. This study was a questionnaire study with a sample of 5076 pupils in Years 4 and 6, and found that attitudes towards reading, while generally positive, did appear to decline between the younger and older of the sampled age groups[10]. Of the overall sample, it seems sub-sample of 2364 of these pupils were actually in the same schools where the same questionnaire had been implemented previously, in 1998, and it was found from comparison of these two incidences that â€Å"enjoyment of reading had significantly fallen over the five years, whilst confidence as readers had significantly increased over the same period†[11]. It may be that these changes may have something to do with the introduction of the National Literacy Strategy, but it is argued that other, less popular explanations are also possible for this change, including differences in social life and differences in children’s exposure to other media and other forms of entertainment[12]. What is interesting about this study is that children were enjoying reading less, but had more confidence in reading. This might reflect the outcomes based type of education that is now very much the standard with the UK context, and to this author, also reflects the fact that reading literacy is very much related to competence rather than true enjoyment of texts and of wider opportunities for reading. This might also represent a restriction of students to only reading ‘set’ books or texts, perhaps, which would possibly limit enjoyment and pleasure in reading. Strategies towards improving literacy have taken many forms, but on significant change has been the use of classroom assistants, who specifically target reading and other deficits in children in general classroom settings. Interventions to provide extra support through classroom assistants have been shown to improve standards at Key Stage 1 testing[13]. However, studies such as these on meeting national standards in literacy do not address the wider and more complex issues around reading and engagement of students, and around the pedagogy of literacy teaching and the limitations of having standards based education rather than supportive education that encourages children to realise their own potential. Other studies, such as one carried out recently in Ireland, show that specific programmes, such as the Reading Recovery programme, can be efficacious in improving standards[14], but more work needs to be done on evaluating what is described as the ‘depth’ of such approache s, meaning how they really affect student-teacher interactions and quality of experience[15],[16]. Earl and Maynard explore one potential issue in relation to reading progress and proficiency, the ‘reluctant reader’, looking at what makes children behave in this way[17]. They examined the underlying reasons for children to develop a negative relationship with reading, and the possible resulting attitudes that they may develop towards it, and found that while the majority of children claimed to enjoy reading, in actuality, they found reading difficult, and subsequent investigation indicated that these children were not confident n their reading abilities[18]. The study showed that self-efficacy and a sense of autonomy were potential features of improving these responses to reading[19]. Earl and Maynard conclude that reluctant readers should be offered the opportunity to take responsibility for their own reading practice and development, to allow them to learn for themselves the value of reading[20]. â€Å"It was also discovered that it is vital that the childs parents /carers1 are involved with helping to tackle their childrens reluctance to read. Parental input is crucial to a childs education; if this input is provided at an early stage, then reluctance to read is more likely to be successfully overcome and may even offer prevention as well as cure† (p 163)[21]. There is some research to suggest that teachers are one of the important factors affecting student outcomes in literacy[22]. This is not just to do with their ability to use teaching skill in literacy development, but to do with other features of teaching practice. †It is teachers’ expectations, their enacted curriculum, their classroom talk, their relations to young people and their actual ways of inducting them into specific textual practices that most affect literacy outcomes.[23] This would suggest that while there may be specifics of educational practice, and pupil response or individual ability, there can be things to do with teachers themselves that are as important as paying attention to reading ability. In a study by Wilkinsonit was found that teachers used theory effectively to improve the literacy outcomes of students in eight disadvantaged South Australian schools[24]. â€Å"Teachers constructing and using theory to enhance their agency emerged as one of the key factors that made a difference to student outcomes†, which can be viewed as teachers using theory to underpin their actions, and achieving positive effect[25]. It would seem from this study, that â€Å"teacher quality is predicated on teacher knowledge, particularly theoretical knowledge†[26]. However, this study was carried out in Australia, within a different cultural, pedagogical and policy context, and as such would have to be replicated within a UK context to be fully transf erable. Fisher also suggests that there are features of teachers and teaching practice which may affect reading activities and reading attainment[27]. He also suggests that despite a growing awareness and understand of sociocultural nature of language and classrooms, teachers and theorists are continuing to argue for more frequent and extended opportunities for teacher-pupil exchanges and discussions about texts, and more reciprocity in teacher-child dialogue in relation to reading and exploring texts and books[28]. Fisher (suggests that there are studies of classroom teaching practice and activities which demonstrate the continued use of triadic dialogue, in which the teacher predominantly controls the nature and length of any interaction, and effectively closes down discussion rather than encouraging more free exploration and debate[29]. This would seem to indicate that there is more to students developing reading skills and engaging with reading than simple pedagogical practices and activ ities, and much of the work around reading is still functional rather than philosophical. However, it may be that these findings simply reflect the realities of classroom practice, with deliberate control over discussions because of the need to maintain good discipline and achieve the prescribed tasks and goals of the teaching at that point. Certainly a classroom which encouraged more free debate and interaction with teachers could be viewed by some traditionalists as one in which discipline would be harder to maintain. And because of the kinds of limitations on resources, some ideal ways of addressing reading skill might not be practical. A study by Downer (2007) shows that one to one, targeted reading and literacy support, provided by teaching assistants, could be efficacious in improving the reading abilities of pupils who were falling behind literacy standards[30]. The study showed that as little as four minutes one to one support each day could make a difference[31]. However, this study is about supporting children identified as having fallen significantly behind their peers and the natioanl standards for their developmental age, and might require resources that are simply not available in the majority of state schools. It also has the disadvantage of singling out the students who are demonstrating slower progress and development in reading, which is not necessarily a good thing because it highlights the difference between them and their peers. Yet it does highlight the potential value of providing targeted reading support, perhaps even 1 to 1 support, in supporting children’s reading. Hatcher et al (2005) report a randomised controlled trial which evaluated the effectiveness of an intervention for reading-delayed children in Year-1 classes[32]. In this, a sample of 7 children from 14 different schools, children identified as having the poorest reading ability, were randomly allocated to either of the two groups, and the 20 intervention group received the programme for two times ten weeks, the second group only for the second ten weeks[33]. This was a small group programme, providing daily sessions of around twenty minutes, comprising small group and individual teaching[34]. In this study, the children who received the programme during the first ten weeks made markedly more progress on outcome literacy measures, but the children who received the programme in the second 10 week period seemed to catch up with the first group[35]. This programme, as with that described by Downer (2007), used trained teaching assistants, and found it was effective for children who show ed reading delays, although around a quarter of children did not respond to the intervention[36]. Again, this is an intervention which singles out those with less ability and provides specialist input, but it does not really address the notion of reading as a whole within the primary classroom, and, as with the previous study, singles out the poor achievers. This is no surprise, as it really reflects the predominant ideologies of national strategies for literacy[37]. There are a number of ways of targeting literacy, especially in poor achievers. Bunn (2008) reports a study which compared the progress in reading and spelling of 256 children in eleven classes in nine primary schools in England, located in years 3 and 4, and a partially overlapping sample of 126 children who received additional help with literacy during a single year[38]. In this study, teachers and teaching assistants implemented either Additional Literacy Support (ALS), which is a highly structured programme of small group teaching activities and materials, developed by the English National Literacy Strategy, or they used a broad range of other materials and approaches, including other published intervention programmes, reading scheme-based, computer-based and individually designed interventions, alone or in combination with ALS[39]. A strength of this study is that the researchers explored the influence of a broad range of contextual factors, especially whether childrens qualitie s, school factors such as socio-economic status and class size, and delivery differences made any marked differences to the results of the different interventions in relation to reading ability[40]. The design of the study was a naturalistic quasi-experimental design, and the author found ALS was marginally more effective than other interventions in the majority of the classes studies, however, the authors also found limitations in their ability to ‘catch up’ to their peers, and found little difference in attainment in relation to individual factors[41]. Another study demonstrates a targeted, home-based intervention that can be good at supporting literacy in children identified as being at risk of developing reading problems[42]. This was the Literacy Early Action Project, which is described as a home-visiting scheme for these children, carried out by teaching assistants, which involved parents and grandparents[43]. The study of this intervention identified five key factors which supported the child’s progress: â€Å"the flexibility in the teaching assistants approach that enabled extended family members to become engaged in literacy support; the teaching assistants sensitivity to family culture; the playful approach to learning adopted by the teaching assistant; putting the child at the centre of the intervention; and the existence of a school culture that strongly promoted involvement for parents†[44]. What this shows is that not only do certain children need more support than is available in current school settings, but that the individual needs and attributes of the child are important in achieving reading standards. The nature of the intervention, therefore, must be something that would be responsive and sensitive to individual children. Most literacy support programmes, particularly those for under-achievers, are based on phoneme-oriented strategies[45]. Authors of one study suggest that training in phoneme awareness and letter-sound knowledge is a fundamental part of effective interventions for poor reading in the context of reading books in particular, and evaluate the UK Early Literacy Support (ELS) programme[46]. Again, this is a study on children who were already identified as poor readers, and found that this programme offered a cost effective method of boosting 6-year-old childrens reading to an average level[47]. However, it does not address the idea of improving attitudes towards reading, rather, it focused on functional reading skill. A similar study explored why students did not respond well to phoneme-based reading support, and showed that other factors, such as letter knowledge and vocabulary were important in attaining reading competence[48]. This study also fails to address issues in the nature of the reading materials that may affect children’s responses to reading activities. Technological advances and the rapid development of information and communications technologies within the leisure as well as the educational sector an have effects on and provide insight into different ways of supporting reading skill development for children. Wood reports a small scale study of beginning readers using a form of ‘talking books’ software, compared to adult teaching support, using the same books in paper versions[49]. The authors found that â€Å"there were no significant differences between the two groups in their phonological awareness attainment, with both groups showing equivalent gains from pre- to post-test. Use of specific features of the software was associated with gains in rhyme detection ability and with changes in the childrens reading strategies†[50]. While this is a small study with a limited sample, and limited transferability, it does show that children might interact slightly differently with ICT-based reading interventions, perhap s due to differences in autonomy and engagement with reading materials, although more research is definitely needed into what features of the ICT-based reading activities are most effective. Another study describes the evaluation of a parent delivered, computer based beginning reading program[51]. â€Å"Statistically significant treatment effects were found for Kindergarten students in the intervention group on letter-sound fluency, oral reading fluency, non-word decoding, and phonemic awareness skills. Grade 1 students in the intervention group demonstrated significant improvement over time on letter-sound fluency, letter-name knowledge, non-word decoding and oral reading fluency; however, these improvements were not significantly greater than those for the Grade 1 comparison group†[52]. This study was implemented in pupils across the ability range, but the authors also concluded that it might be a very useful intervention for students more at risk of poor achievement in reading and literacy[53]. It is interesting that this computer-based intervention was particularly targeted at reception and year one age students, and this author would raise the question of how well different reading programmes meet the needs of different ages. Also, it would have been good to have more detail about the computer based programme and its components. This may be a feature of these kinds of studies, that they do not really look at what it is about the programme that attracts students or engages them. Another study outlines the use of computer software to identify reading problems and propose ways of addressing these. This is in the form of an adaptive assessment named the Interactive Computerised Assessment System (InCAS), and can be used with children of a wide age range and differing levels of ability, in order to identify specific reading problems[54]. There are different potential formats of feedback to teachers, but overall the feedback provided also indicates how children need to improve[55]. Such programmes may be very useful but it is difficult to see how they can improve on good teacher-student interaction, and whether or not they would help to reduce the major challenges of managing the teaching workload to improve literacy. While it is unsurprising that the programme is aimed at addressing specific reading problems, it also underlines the ongoing theoretical and pedagogical orientation towards eliminating problems rather than enhancing students’ reading experien ce, engagement and enjoyment. However, there is research which shows that reading can be enhanced by ICT-type reading tools and activities[56]. Reading is important for many reasons, not just for the child’s ability to carry out the increasingly difficult tasks which concur with their progress through school[57]. Wallace (2008) shows how literacy an identity are strongly linked within the minds and behaviours of children, and how reading can help them to build links and connections between the childrens diverse personal histories and the texts and practices validated by school[58]. Supporting the development of reading literacy, and also engagement with reading as an activity in itself, may be a more important feature of primary schooling than is suggested by government guidance[59] and by teaching practice and pedagogy. It may, perhaps, be more than a functional skill. There are also some differences found within primary education between the genders[60],[61], [62], and between reading fiction and non fiction independently[63]. Boys tend to be of lower reading ability than girls, [64], [65], and although they may read marginally more non-fiction than fiction, they appear to do this less carefully and with less skill[66]. A mixed methods, but primarily ethnographic study in the North of England found that there were two different discourses around reading, both of which were gendered: â€Å"Two main differently gendered discourses about reading were encountered. The one discourse, dominant in the ‘working class’ classroom, was strongly gendered and afforded reading low status. The other discourse encountered in the ‘middle class’ classroom was gender-inclusive and reading carried high status. It is argued that the interaction between social class and gender is important in understanding children’s discourse about reading.†[67] This seems to show that reading ability is based upon a much more complex interaction of factors than simply the child interacting with the set activities, and being defined as a reading ‘age’ regardless of other features of their life, personality and attitudes. The study also demonstrates the ways in which class and social context affect perceptions of reading and reinforce gender differences in literacy and attainment at this early educational level. How much any reading intervention or teaching approach to redress this balance is debateable. Other research appears to demonstrate that the idea of encouraging reading for pleasure, rather than for necessity[68], is not really a part of current pedagogy and classroom practice[69], [70]. In a study of secondary schools in the south of England, it was found that because of a lack of time and absence of demand for wider reading in the English curriculum, teachers expressed ambivalence about encouraging and assessing wider reading, and teachers with less experience expressed uncertainty about how to introduce and encourage this[71]. Interestingly, it was also found that â€Å"where teachers did initiate wider reading, this was sometimes against departmental practice, a semi-illicit addition to their workload and could thus be seen almost as a form of bootlegging† [72]. This study places emphasis on the need for school children to learn to read widely rather than just because they have to, but also shows that the current approach to reading and literacy is prohibitive rath er than encouraging[73]. It would seem that current pedagogical and classroom cultures are limiting the opportunities for children to develop as individuals, in their own ways, and to engage in individual ways with reading[74], making their own choices[75]. The Accelerated Reader programme appears to increase self-efficacy and motivation in primary students[76], but the evidence for this is limited and is based on American schools, which have a different culture to the UK. However, the interactive, ICT based nature of the programme makes it attractive to the current primary education context, particularly in enhancing cross-curricular knowledge development. The Evaluation The Accelerated Reader Scheme was implemented in three classes, years 3, 4 and 5 in a primary school in an urban, deprived area. The aim was to improve reading scores, using the scheme to support students to engage more with their own reading activities and progress. It is well known that attainment levels suffer in schools with a high proportion of children who are subject to socio-economic deprivation[77]. The Accelerated Reader Programme has been implemented with some success in a range of schools in the