The Comanche Helicopter Program Essay -- The Armed Forces

In 1983 the United States began a program to upgrade the aging fleet of U.S. Army helicopters. What was initially known as the Light Helicopter Experimental (LHX), in April 1991 the LHX program would become the Reconnaissance Attack Helicopter (RAH-66). The program was initially designed to replace all light helicopters in the Army fleet, however, this was reduced to a more attainable goal of replacing the AH-1, OH-58, and OH-6 helicopters. This program greatly enhanced the capabilities of the commander on the battlefield of the future.1 The helicopter of the future would far outclass any helicopter on the planet; boasting capabilities like fly by wire controls, stealth, greater maneuverability, greater speed, and far reaching technological capabilities making it the â€Å"quarterback of the digital battlefield†-. What the Comanche program quickly turned into was an over budget, behind schedule, government project that was being built to combat an enemy that no longer existed. Technological advances found through the 6.9 billion dollars spent on the Comanche have yielded some improvements to the current fleet of Army helicopters (block III Apache), however, it could be argued that the Comanche project simply drained the military and held back the advancement of the current fleet. 2 Twenty years after the birth of the LHX, the United States had invested 6.9 Billion dollars and had two RAH-66 helicopters to show for it. In 2003, with the war on terrorism kicking off, President George W. Bush cancelled the Co manche program to better equip the U.S. Military for the fight that was ongoing. History U.S. strategy in 1983 toward the Cold War with the U.S.S.R. was to simply out spend the Soviet Union in the military sector. The... ...ng†, Defense Media Network, December 16, 2010, www.defensemedianetwork.com 3. NATO’s Nations and Partners for Peace, Comanche Terminated, Air Power, 2004 4. Pelletier, A.J. â€Å"Bell Model 406/OH-58D Kiowa Warrior†, Avia Star, www.aviastar.org/helicopters_eng/bell_warrior.php, 1992 5. U.S. Department of Defense News Transcript. Briefing on the Restructure and Revitalization of Army Aviation, February 23, 2004 6. Department of Defense Office of the Inspector General. Financial Management of the RAH 66 Comanche Helicopter Program, August 6, 1998 7. Department of Defense Office of the Inspector General, Acquisition Management of the RAH-66 Comanche, May 12, 2003 8. Wayne, Leslie. Pentagon Says it Plans to Kill Copter Program, The New York Times, February 24, 2004 9. Werthman, Robert W, Col.. The Comanche Helicopter Program: A Strategic Policy Failure, March 30, 2007

In chapter 5 a lot of different ideas come out about the beast. :: English Literature

In chapter 5 a lot of different ideas come out about the beast. Lord of the Flies In the lord of the flies there where a lot of things happening on the island but one thing that was mentioned through out the story was the beast, there where a lot of different sightings and mentioning of it. The firs time the beast is mentioned is in chapter 2 when a younger child asks Ralph what he is going to do about the beast, he asks Ralph through piggy as the child is to scared to say it in front of everybody. Piggy says to Ralph â€Å"He wants to know what you are going to do about the snake-thing† he the n goes on to say â€Å" the beastie thing came in the dark†,† in the morning it turned into them things like ropes in the trees and hung in the branches†. The child seems anxious to know whether it will return. Although all this information is coming from a small child and he might just be making up there is always a possibility that its true so they cant afford to just laugh it off. Although all this is at the back of Ralph’s mind he tries to put confidence into the group by saying â€Å"but there isn’t a beastie† the group seems to take Ralph’s word for it. Then as things start to settle jack jumps up ands says â€Å"Ralph’s right of course but if there was a snake we would hunt and kill it† this is the best thing to say because it is leaving the minds open to think that there is a beast and it puts everybody’s minds un easy again. In chapter 3 they decide that they need homes for shelter and security. They all say its in case it rains just to give them some shelter if need be, and give them somewhere to sleep. At the back of all there minds is still the beastie so they are doing it for protection, it will be like there home because everybody feels safe at home so they are trying to get some security between them selves like that. In chapter 5 a lot of different ideas come out about the beast. The first person to bring it up is jack he says there isn’t no beast and fear cant hurt you, and all everybody is doing is fearing fear so you are all a bunch of babies, jack is partly correct in what he says but he isn’t think like it really is he is just trying to prove that he

Comparing The Grapes of Wrath and The Power of One Essay -- comparison

Comparing The Grapes of Wrath and The Power of One "Two heads are better than one," it's always been said. But is another person always valuable, or can extra baggage keep an individual from achieving his goals? Both sides can be argued effectively, and both may be true depending on the circumstances. Two historical novels, The Grapes of Wrath and The Power of One, show how two sets of characters took different routes to achieve their goals and how they fared along the way. In The Grapes of Wrath, The Joads, a family of penniless migrant workers, travel to California to look for work, depending on the help of assorted strangers along the way, while The Power of One tells the story of Peekay, a young South African boy growing up alone in a hostile world bent on destroying his chances of success. The books portray very different views on life that are equally valid and convincing; while The Grapes of Wrath is a tale that emphasizes the power that can be achieved in numbers and the consequences of trying to survive alone, Th e Power of One is a testimony to the things one person can achieve when he is forced to depend on and trust in himself only.   Ã‚  Ã‚   The Joads, after they are forced to vacate their farm in Oklahoma, decide to pack all of their belongings and make the voyage to California, where there is supposedly so much work that everyone can make a living. But along the way, they quickly run into trouble. They have little money, an unreliable vehicle, a truckload of people to feed, and miles to go before they reach their destination. The Joads quickly discover something that becomes a major theme throughout the book: cooperating with others to achieve a common goal is sometimes necessary for surviva... ...ss birds banished, their rocky nests turned to river stones"(513;Ch. 24)   Ã‚  Ã‚   Each of these novels, although powerful and influential in its own right, contrasts the other greatly in terms of theme. The Joads in The Grapes of Wrath had to rely on others to obtain their goal, while Peekay in The Power of One struggled to find his way in life completely alone. Though each book is very different from the other, each is an emotional story of life's obstacles and the tremendous human spirit, whether combined or individual, that it takes to overcome them.    Sources Courtenay, Bryce. The Power of One. New York: Random House, 1989 Levant, Howard. "The Fully Matured Art: The Grapes of Wrath." John Steinbeck, Modern Critical Views. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1987. 35-62. Steinbeck, John. The Grapes of Wrath. New York: Penguin Books, 1978.

Collaborative Working †Case Study Essay

The aim of this essay is to examine the significance of collaborative working to achieve positive outcomes for service users. â€Å"Collaboration is a dynamic inter-professional process which two or more professionals make a commitment to solve problems and to learn from each other in order to accomplish identified goals, purposes or outcomes† (Hamric, Spross and Hanson, 2000, p.318). Since the publication of Every Child Matters (2004), social care, health, voluntary sectors and other children’s services have been joining forces to work more collaboratively around an early intervention and preventative agenda (Department for Education and Skills, 2004). This essay will focus on the National Childhood Measurement Programme (NCMP) and by drawing on the author’s experiences as a Nursery Nurse in the School Nursing team it will demonstrate the skills and knowledge required for successful implementation of this service and how to promote seamless working. The NCMP was established in 2005 and involves weighing and measuring all eligible children aged 4-5 years and 10-11 years. Research shows that it is difficult to visually tell if a child is overweight, which is why an objective measure if essential (Department of Health, 2012). The data gathered provides a picture about how children are growing nationally, therefore this information is used by the NHS to plan and provide better health services for children (NHS Choices, 2012). According to the NHS Information Centre (2010) one in four, 4-5 year olds, are overweight or obese; furthermore, these rates are higher among some black and minority ethnic communities and lower socio-econo mic groups. Although the Primary Care Trust (PCT) oversee the delivery of the programme effective partnership working is essential, therefore this essay will explore what partnerships are required and the factors that facilitate or hinder collaborative working in this area of work. Finally, this report will provide evidence from literature and published papers to support the identified barriers and benefits of collaborative working throughout this process. Setting The School Nursing team comprises of a range of skill mix which consists of a Head of Service, one team leader, seven School Nurses, five of which have obtained the Specialist Community Public Health Nurse qualification (Degree or Masters Degree) and three Nursery Nurses evenly spread in three different localities around the City. The team covers fifty two Primary Schools and ten Secondary Schools, mainly in the inner City but also in the rural surrounding areas, therefore an extremely diverse region with varying socio-economic backgrounds. This City has a very large Asian population, however recently there has been an increase in Eastern European, Afro-Caribbean, Chinese and travellers all presenting a multitude of cultures, values and beliefs. Measuring the children takes place in the school setting. Each individual school will be contacted to arrange a suitable date and time as well as organising a private area with adequate space for the ease of measuring and comfort for the children. Every school in this district has its individuality, not only do they vary in size but numerous schools have a large proportion of pupils with English as an additional language (EAL). There three special needs schools, furthermore schools with varying socio-economic backgrounds such as families experiencing poverty within the inner city and in contrast more affluent areas where the school attainment is generally higher. Knowledge and Skills of the Health Professional in the Setting The Knowledge and skills discussed in this section relate to the author’s role as a Nursery Nurse within the School Nursing Team and the planning, implementation and follow-up work required for the growth measurements of all eligible Reception and Yr 6 children as required by the Governments National Childhood Measurement Programme (NCMP). The skills required for successful delivery of this program not only depend on accurate weighing and measuring children but several other elements such as engaging with various professionals, inputting data, maximising the effective delivery of the program which is dependent on excellent communication skills, administration management, IT skills and clinical knowledge. These skills are required from the very beginning at the planning stage; high-quality organisational skills are essential when planning and booking in the measurement sessions with the schools. The Nursery Nurse requires good organisational skills as it is her responsibility to organise the logistics of these sessions; by liaising with the School Nurses a timetable is generated to complete the programme over the year, ensuring there is sufficient staff available for each school. Following this, the Nursery Nurse will contact all the Primary Schools to book in the sessions, good communication skills are necessary to request a suitable room to maintain the privacy and dignity of the children and ensure the session creates as little disruption as possible to the educatio n of the children. Generally, the booking is made with either the School Secretary or the Head Teacher who then cascades this information to the relevant teachers and staff. It is crucial to acquire the knowledge and understanding of the NCMP protocol regarding consent and confidentiality. Parents and children are issued with information prior to the session, subsequently the NCMP operate an opt-out basis, and therefore the parents are given the opportunity to withdraw (Department of Health, 2011). The refusal notification is sent to the Child Health Department who then records this on the specific child’s medical record; therefore communication and information sharing skills are essential for this to be implemented successfully. It is paramount to respect the parent’s choice to refuse and ensure that no pressure is placed on the family to participate (Schwab and Gelfman, 2001), by possessing the knowledge of the ethical considerations of children will assist situations where a child decides they would not like to be measured. According to Lord Scarman, children have the right to make their own decisions when they reach sufficient understan ding and intelligence to be capable of making up their own mind (Children’s Legal Centre, 1985). Annual training is mandatory which ensures competency in the accurate measurement of children to obtain reliable results. It is the Nursery Nurses responsibility to supply the relevant equipment to the sessions ensuring that the height measure is complete, clean and in good working order, furthermore the scales are required to be calibrated as required by the trusts policy therefore good time management and organisational skills are beneficial. Upon arrival, the school will direct the team to a suitable area to perform the growth checks and notify the relevant staff members of our arrival. The team normally consists of a School Nurse and two Nursery Nurses, however if the School Nurse has been requested to attend a Safeguarding issue then the Nursery Nurses will complete the task, so having the ability to adapt to different situations is fundamental. Being able to work as part of a team as well as work independently is a major requirement not only to this particular task but working within the School Nursing team in general. Normally the School Nurse will discuss the process with the class teacher and then talk to the children, explaining what will happen and that the measurements will be confidential and not shared with teachers or other children, furthermore any concerns they have will be addressed. However, if the School Nurse is not in attendance the Nursery Nurse will complete this task, therefore excellent verbal and non-verbal communication skills (Philippot, Feldman and Coats, 2003), empathy and an understanding on how to reduce anxiety is imperative to ease any worries or concerns. Knowledge of the health implications from being overweight or obese would be beneficial, furthermore a general knowledge of how to achieve a healthy lifestyle by eating a balanced diet and regular exercise would be necessary to provide advice if requested. Accurate recording of the measurements is paramount and knowledge of the correct procedure for information sharing is imperative. The trust adheres to the Data Protection Act (1998) furthermore to keep up to date with this information and gain the relevant knowledge, Information Governance training is completed annually. Normally the School Nurse will input the information onto each child’s medical record and send the records off to the Child Health Department via secure internal mail, however according to the trusts policy it is compulsory for the information to be inputted within 24 hours after the measurements have been taken. As School Nurses have more medical responsibilities they might ask the Nursery Nurse to complete this task therefore good IT skills to input accurate and concise information is essential as well as the ability to prioritise workload according to the needs of the project are essential. The final component of this process is responding to calls from parents after they have received the results letters from the NCMP department. Excellent communication skills and being able to calm a conversation if the parent gets upset, angry or has taken offense to the information in the letter is vital (Whitaker and Fiore, 2001). Additionally, it is important to understand the implications of different cultures and the impact they may have on diet and size of children. Knowledge of the programs of support available will enable the Nursery Nurse to advise the parents so they can seek the relevant help and support not only for their child but for the whole family. Obtaining this extensive knowledge is fundamental to ensuring that parent’s receives the correct information, help and support to contribute to understanding the necessity of healthy lifestyles for the long-term well-being of their child. Finally, it is important for the Nursery Nurse to refer any concerns or compla ints to the named School Nurse who will then either contact the parent or report the situation to the specific organisation (Lynn, 2010). There is a plethora of professional’s whom the Nursery Nurse may collaborate with throughout the NCMP process, several of which will be liaised with on a regular basis, such as the one’s named above. HHHnnjjjnjnjnslfjfljjjfieiedddeeergggggeeee333e3e3owever, further interagency working may be required to meet the needs of the children and families, these may include Dietician, Paediatrician, Social Workers, Leisure Centre Staff and MoreLife Weight Management staff. Legislation Legislation has the impetus for collaborative working, transformation in the structure and delivery of services for children and young people initiated new alliances between statutory, public and voluntary agencies (Children Act, 2004). There are numerous Government and Local policies stating the importance of implementing interagency, partnership or collaborative working and that practitioners are required to work more closely together and form integrated teams around children and families (Department for Children, School and Families, 2007). The Governments green paper, Every Child Matters (2004) emphasised that for each child to fulfil their potential there must be a greater deal of co-operation, not only between government agencies but schools, GP’s, sports organisations and voluntary sectors. To help meet the Government strategy of multi-agency collaboration, the Common Core of Skills and Knowledge (HM Government, 2006) was introduced to work alongside the Every Child Mat ters agenda. This emphasised six areas of expertise that are expected to be put into practice by all practitioners who work with children and families. Factors that facilitate or hinder collaborative working Collaborative working is a complex and multi-faceted concept, the Latin translation â€Å"together in Labour† signifies that to meet the individual needs of children and families, successful joint working between services in a more streamlined way is required. However, although collaborative working is regarded as desirable, nevertheless, it is difficult to attain. When the NCMP was established in 2005 the PCT set up a NCMP agency to oversee the programme with joint working with the School Nursing service, therefore clarity of the aims and objectives were to be recognised and understood by all parties for this programme to be successful (Denman, 2002). Lack of formal structure and agreed outcomes may cause confusion and can result in blaming others for inaction and lack of progress (Cameron et al, 2009), therefore clarity of roles and expectation were defined by producing a clear and comprehensive policy based upon the shared vision of all organisations (Rushmer and Pallis, 2002). The Children Act (2004) gives all statutory partners wide powers to pool their budgets in pursuit of improved outcomes for children, furthermore sharing resources reduces cost and prevents unnecessary duplication of work (Atwal and Caldwell, 2005). However, time constraints due to other work commitments by the School Nursing team make it difficult to achieve the 85% participation rate (NMCP, 2012) particularly when children are absent and parents or children refuse. This may cause conflict due to NCMP’s ignorance of the School Nursing complex role and other significant priorities such a safeguarding (Department for Children, Schools and Families, 2010). Working in partnership with Schools is essential for the successful delivery of the programme, maintaining high participation rates by pupils and robustness of data (NCMP, 2012). A good system of communication and information sharing is required to book a convenient date and time to complete the measurements which will enable smooth running of the program with little interruption to the teachers or pupils (Integrated Care Network, 2003). Howeve r, when office staff fails to relay this information to the relevant teachers disruption to class activities, failure to provide suitable facilities and time constraints may occur which impact on the quality of service provided to the children. Factors that aid multi-agency working between schools and health services are willingness to work together, acknowledgement of professional differences, mutual respect and sharing a common purpose. Overall, the collaboration between the schools and School Nursing team is extremely good. However, occasionally conflict of interest may occur when teachers see the measurement programme as an interruption to education rather than acknowledging that children’s health status is related to their ability to learn and that children with unmet health needs have difficulties in engaging in the education process (Board et al, 2011). Therefore, creating a common purpose and employing a whole system approach (Miles and Trott, 2011) will facilitate ea rly intervention for childhood obesity will reduce health implications such as diabetes and heart disease, improve self-esteem and enhance well-being which contributes to better educational achievement. Therefore, mutual respect for each profession is paramount for successful collaboration and better outcomes for children. The Child Health Department works closely with the NCMP, School Nursing team, schools, parents and other professional bodies. Their main responsibility during the NCMP process is distribution of information to parents to explain the purpose of the programme and give parents the opportunity to withdraw. This information is recorded onto each child’s medical record and then highlighted on the lists issued to the School Nurses prior to the sessions. If the withdrawal of consent is not forwarded to the School Nurse in time for the session, then errors may occur, leading to legal and ethical issues, therefore to facilitate collaborative working improved communication and improved information sharing is vital for co-ordinating safe provision of care (Samuel, 2011). It is also the responsibility of Child Health to input the data onto each of the children’s medical record, however due to the NCMP agency possessing a different IT systems this task is duplicated therefore integrated services are hindered (Atwal and Caldwell, 2005). Within the School Nursing team roles and responsibilities are established, the School Nurse takes the lead role in the programme, however the Nursery Nurse will ensure that all the necessary equipment and paper work is present, both will perform the accurate weighing and measuring and recording of the data. According to Rushmer and Pallis (2002) positive joint working relies upon the merging of skills, knowledge and expertise from different professional hierarchies and reliance on team members can contribute to positive attitudes to other professionals. Dilemmas arise when there is a shortage of staff due to staff turnover, lack of trained staff to perform the task or competing priorities which may result in poor staff morale and impact on the accuracy of the task (Maguire and Trustcott, 2006). Furthermore, challenges may occur when there are status issues and blurring of professional boundaries, according to Wall (1998) when staff operates outside their area of expertise there will be loss of efficiency. The author recognises her role in the NCMP process; therefore any queries will be referred to the named School Nurse to respond to. Health and Clinical Excellence, NICE (2006) and Cochrane Collaboration (Summerbell et al, 2005) state there is an urgent need for evidence of effective strategies for reducing childhood obesity, therefore annual weighing and measuring data collected can be shared at National and Local levels to analyse the efficacy of the regional weight management programmes to receive continued funding to sustain the initiative to provide better health services for children (NHS Choices, 2012). Parents will be provided with feedback of their child’s weight status from the NCMP, effective information sharing raise awareness of potential associated health risks and provides parents with the opportunity to seek advice and support if they choose to (NCMP, 2012). However, complications arise when policies and guidelines differ; the School Nursing team employ a different guideline to the NCMP resulting in complex telephone conversations regarding the letter sent by the NCMP stating their child is overweight. Subsequently, for competent collaboration to exist, clarity of referral criteria’s is needed to be standardised across boundaries (NICE, 2013). The Laming Report (2009) stated a need for significant shifts in working relationships between schools, health services and parents and engaging with parents to enabling them to feel valued and encourage decision making will engage parent participation which is essential for positive outcomes to be achieved (Every Child Matters, 2004). Parents are important influences on children’s eating and physical activity behaviour (Golan, 2006) therefore collaboration with parents is vital (Whitaker et al, 1997). School based interventions such as MoreLife are effective when the whole family participate, furthermore NICE Clinical guideline 43 (2006) states that school based interventions engage families regardless of socio-economic status, cultural background and ethnicity, this is evident with the number of participants for this weight management programme in this diverse region. In contrast, barriers may occur with the lack of partnership working, power struggles, lack of commitment an d lack of equal representation, these will decrease opportunities for working together, therefore creating a shared responsibility to reduce obesity will increase the health outcomes for children. Multi disciplinary team work will identify children at risk from obesity and promote quicker and easy access to services (ECM, 2004). Additionally, the Common Assessment Framework (CAF) can be shared between practitioners to refer children to appropriate services, promote information sharing and reduce duplication of and streamline assessments (CAF, 2012). However, collaboration with other professionals can be hampered when there are variations in working conditions, such as the School Nursing team and Schools working on term time only contracts. Furthermore many GP’s and Paediatricians have a professional hierarchy and delegate work to other agencies which in turn may have an effect on job satisfaction. Conversely, working with other professionals can be rewarding, stimulating, improve working relationships and increase knowledge and understanding of specialist practitioners.

Same-Sex Parenting Explorartory

English 2000 18 March 2013 Is Same-Sex Parenting just as Effective as Conventional Parenting? Marriage equality is currently one of the latest civil rights issues; along with marriage equality, same-sex parenting is a controversial topic that has yet to die down. There are usually two views taken on the topic of gay parenting: it’s wrong and should be illegal or it’s normal and should be legal. Gay parenting and marriage has become publicly accepted by some and prohibited by others and the average family has developed into many different forms in the last few years.The majority of society believes that child being raised by a single parent is equivalent to same-sex parents. Studies show that children with two moms or two dads grow up just as well as children with heterosexual parents. Opponents of same-sex parenting believe that just as marriage should remain traditional, parenting should also be specifically between a man and a woman, while proponents believe that DNA does not make a parent. The main issue that needs to be resolved today is if same-sex parenting is just as effective as conventional parenting throughout families.Both sides of the debate have their reasons for their beliefs that need to be explored. An argument of opponents is that same-sex relationships are infamously short-lived and will create an unstable family. By allowing same-sex couples to become parents we are ignoring what is best for children; growing up with a mother and a father. There have been many different studies conducted to get the true background of children being raised by gay parents. Mark Regnerus, Associate Professor of sociology at the University of Texas at Austin, conducted a study on young adults raised within different family arrangements.While sexual orientation or parent sexual behavior has nothing to do with the ability to be an effective parent, his data suggests that it may affect a child’s life experiences. His study reveals that â€Å"ch ildren appear most apt to succeed well as adults—on multiple counts and across a variety of domains—when they spend their entire childhood with their married mother and father, and especially when the parents remain married to the present day† (Regnerus). There are a great number of people who believe that much of the research on same-sex parenting is flawed. This stakeholder usually has a neutral stance on the issue. Judges and lawmakers have relied on a growing body of research on same-sex parenting to make decisions in cases and legislation regarding custody battles and adoption† (Homosexual Parenting). In today’s society, one must need scientific data and research on an issue to decide how it should properly be resolved. Many researchers are aware of this concept and the data usually leads to coincide with the researchers beliefs. Rabbi Daniel Lapin, the President of the conservative public advocacy group Toward Tradition, states that â€Å"flaw ed science is not new, right now it’s swirling around the controversial area of sexuality† (qtd.In Homosexual Parenting). Those who support that gay parenting studies are flawed believe that same-sex parenting is an issue that is based on beliefs, not scientific research. The majority of opposing views are influenced by religious motives. According to the Laws of Nature and Nature’s God, marriage exists for three purposes: companionship, sexual intimacy, and procreation (Fischer). Marriage is viewed as a religious ritual and is established for the purpose of procreation and since same-sex couples cannot conceive children, they should neither get married nor become parents.Those who disagree with same-sex parenting/same-sex marriage tend to be against homosexuality. There is fear in conservative society that being raised by homosexual parents not gives children the fair chance to live a heterosexual life. Bryan Fischer, a conservative radio host and the Director o f issues Analysis for the American Family Association, same-sex parenting and adoption are a form of child abuse. In his article, he includes many scientific researches, including sociologist Mark Regenerus, which confirms same-sex relationships are unstable for children.He believes that while single parent families are an â€Å"unfortunate social tragedy† adopting children into same-sex environments is inexcusably and deliberately creating households with a missing mother or father (Fischer). Professionals trust that fathers contribute necessary ingredients to parenting that mothers cannot provide, and mothers contribute something to the nurture of children that fathers cannot provide (Fischer). The main reason people support same-sex parenting is because they support same-sex marriage.Supporters believe that homosexuals desire an equal chance versus heterosexuals at civil rights. The documentary Fatherhood Dreams follows four gay men who are fathers and shows the incentive that drives gay men to become dads. Julia Ivanoa, the Russian director, depicts the untraditional families as better alternatives than divorce and neglect towards children’s growing experience. Same-sex couples create more opportunities for other families who cannot support their children to find a better home with devoted parents.Convetional parenting, the â€Å"mom and dad† traditional way of parenting, is at an all-time low. Divorce and non-marital birth rates increase drastically every year. The quality of a marriage is proven to be a key factor in a child’s well-being. While research clearly indicates that children benefit from growing up with both biological parents in a low-conflict marriage, there has been very little rigorous research on how to promote and sustain healthy marriages. (Moore, Jekielek, and Emig). There are many sides to the same-sex parenting controversy, and all arguments give reasons to justify their beliefs.Opponents of gay parenting s upport traditional family arrangements between a man and a woman. Not only do they believe the importance of religion is in dang they also fear that allowing children to be raised by same-sex couples will jeopardize their chances of having a stable life in the future. Those who support gay parenting believe that homosexuals desire the right to marry and raise children freely. Everyone has their own different views regarding this issue and is subject to change; however, homosexuals are not going to stop being parents.This raises the question; are we going to continue to fight same-sex parenting? Works Citied â€Å"Homosexual Parenting Studies Are Flawed, Report Says | Fox News. † Fox News. FOX News Network, 18 July 2001. Web. 28 Feb. 2013. Fatherhood Dreams. Dir. Julia Ivanoa. Interfilm Productions, 2007. Film. Fischer, Bryan. â€Å"Bryan Fischer: Same-sex Parenting Is Bad for Kids, Period. † Bryan Fischer: Same-sex Parenting Is Bad for Kids, Period. American Family Ass ociation, 14 June 2012. Web. 28 Feb. 2013. Moore, Kristin, Anderson, Susan M. Jekielek, and Carol Emig. Marriage from a Child's Perspective: How Does Family Structure Affect Children, and What Can We Do about It? † Child Trends. Child Trends, June 2008. Web. 28 Feb. 2013. Prager, Dennis. â€Å"Same-sex Marriage: Good for Gays, Bad for Children. † WorldNet Daily. WND Commentary, 4 May 2004. Web. 24 Feb. 2013. Regnerus, Mark. â€Å"How Different Are The Adult Children Of Parents Who Have Same-Sex Relationships? Findings From The New Family Structures Study. † Social Science Research 41. (n. d. ): 752-770. ScienceDirect. Web. 28 Feb. 2013.

Essay on Television Broadcast News

In today’s journalistic world it is sometimes difficult to decipher between news broadcasts rendered as credible information as opposed to merely entertainment. It is safe to say that the media does have a responsibility in reporting the news truthfully and with honesty. As we begin to look more closely on the role of the News Media, local and national, we will find many interesting facets of the broadcasts to be analyzed. It is also expected that the media deliver news that is detailed, informative and credible.Unfortunately the content of the information sometimes broadcasts has other insignificant focuses such as, news regarding celebrities, entertainment (especially here in Los Angeles so close to Hollywood) and other tragic but unnecessary news. The content seems at times unimportant, weak, and falsely dramatic rather than a factual honest and necessary report of important occurrences local, national and international. At times the news seems more like a dramatic soap ope ra rather than news. Competion and monetary gain seems to drive the media to serve information that can be sometimes manipulated or sometimes just simply inappropriate.Another facet of the news media is the status of female anchors and reporters on network and local newscasts, which will be examined in this paper. It is important to note that the media has been known to be a field influenced by gender, racial and ethnic biases. These important topics will also be examined. It seems that the News Media is not very particular in choosing quality journalism these days. Some exceptions do exist although it seems that shows which function as informative shows are merely just entertainment and tabloid-like journalism.Such shows include, â€Å"Entertainment tonight†, â€Å"The E channel† programs, â€Å"Inside Edition†, and â€Å"Access Hollywood† to name a few. Even reality shows like â€Å"Cops† which are credible and reflect real life experiences are p ackaged for entertainment and sensationalist viewing. Also, when analyzing the role of local and national television broadcast news we still need to view the content of these programs with a grain of salt. News broadcasters are more influenced by events that will cause an immediate impact and sensational effect on the viewers than actual, credible and significant news.It is common for news broadcasters to begin the news  with such broadcasts covering such events as a â€Å"Wild Pursuit† or freeway car chase. Or, other such glamorized topics may include the arrest of famous actors or musicians whom have committed crimes. The O. J. Simpson case was a perfect example of such media frenzy or, the famous pop musician George Michaels being arrested for masturbating in the Beverly Hills Park restroom. How can the media choose to cover such insignificant events when the local areas, the nation or the international community has so many other important social, economical, political and humanitarian problems and events that are hardly addressed.Also, when we pursue to analyze the credibility of broadcasters, how are we sure that the information given to us is factual? Are we to believe everything that CNN reports is untainted and free of excessive nonfactual events and information? It would be justified to question the source of reported events and news stories. There has been so many times in which different views and different versions of the same story have been reported by varying news channels. Therefore it is sometimes difficult to decipher between fact or fiction and credible information or merely entertainment.It is also interesting to note that the media tries to maintain an air of social and political correctness when it comes to choosing its journalists although certain biases still due exists in the journalistic field. It is only in recent times that the news media has decided to hire more ethnically diverse journalists. Also in a field that had bee n mostly dominated by men, in recent times we have seen the hiring of more female anchors, reporters and journalists. Sometimes broadcasters use attractive journalists to gain the interest of the viewers.One of the most important TV news personalities of the last 40 years has been the famous Barbara Walters. She is one of the first women to gain acceptability and credibility from television news viewers. Also Christian Amanpour remains the first female TV broadcaster in our history who commands the same kind of respect as the long line of father figures that started with Murrow and continues with Rather, Brokaw and Jennings. Women journalists such as Walters and Amanpour have gained respect and stardom through many years of hard work and struggle through journalism.Nowadays, historic news stories have become the journalistic fast track to celebrity. And this happens so routinely that the search for the new media stars automatically built into coverage of the events themselves. Withi n hours of the attack on the World Trade Center, you could already hear people in the media world asking, â€Å"Who’s going to be made by this one? † Such celebrity came to female anchorwoman Ashleigh Banfield, a 33-year-old Canadian-born journalist when on September 11, Banfield covered groundzero in New York for MSNBC.Standing firm as she became coated with ash, network executives were so dazzled by her on-camera savvy that, although she had almost as little international knowledge as our president, they jetted her off to Pakistan, where she began anchoring the week-nightly news show â€Å"Region in Conflict. † Since then, she seems to have been everywhere for the cable channels covering a variety of important news stories and issues. A similar story occurred when Andrea Thompson made headlines when she recently revealed that she was quitting ABC’s â€Å"N. Y. P.D Blue† to do a three-month tryout at the CBS affiliate in Albuquerque, N. M. to beco me a TV anchorwoman. Shortly after Andrea Thompson was hired by the CNN as an anchor. The 39-year-old actress and model has said that she believes her skills as an actress are transferable to TV news, even though she does not have any background in journalism. Although it’s not a matter of acting the news, it’s hard to fake a journalism background if you do not have one. Again this proves how today’s news media functions more as entertainment than credible responsible journalism.Some may say that it does not take any journalism skill to read a news script, and most stations want an appealing person, so why not have a pretty person reading a copy of the news? Personally I believe that this is unfair to other journalists male or female who have pursued a career studying and experiencing modern journalism. It is unfair to hire â€Å"sexy† or â€Å"sexual –attractive† journalists to report the news when the most important factor is the content a nd truthfulness of the news itself. It may be appropriate to flaunt ones sexuality in the fictional soap opera or fictional TV show arena, but not in the modern journalistic forum.Gender and sexuality should not be a factor. It would be hopeful to expect the News Media to cover more events with greater importance and significance to all people rather than to use journalism as a form of entertainment for the masses. Furthermore, it seems to me that the actual event and truth in media shouldn’t be tainted by such factors such as gender, ethnicity, age or how one presents him or herself physically, the events and news topics covered should speak for themselves, not the other way around.

Asperger Syndrome 3

Asperger syndrome is an autism spectrum disorder and is considered a high functioning form of Autism. Autism spectrum disorders are also known as pervasive developmental disorders and can affect social skills and communication. Asperger syndrome can also delay the development of motor skills and cause sensory problems. While there is no cure for Asperger syndrome, there are treatments to help teach the skills affected by Asperger to patients to help them cope with the disorder. Research is currently being conducted to find the causes of Asperger syndrome and other effective treatment methods. The symptoms of Asperger syndrome are caused by delays in several areas of development such as social skills, communication skills, motor skills, and language skills. Patients with Asperger syndrome can become over-focused on a single topic or object and will want to know everything about the topic and will talk very little about anything else. Their areas of interest may be extremely narrow and they will often rattle off facts about their topic of interest with no conclusion or connection to conversation (Asperger Syndrome-PubMed Health). Asperger patients also exhibit social awkwardness and have trouble forming relationships. Eye contact, use of facial expressions, and body language are impaired in patients and can inhibit regulation of social interaction. Patients may also lack emotional empathy and the ability to recognize social cues (OASIS @ MAAP – What Is Asperger Syndrome? . Speech may have a lack of rhythm, odd inflection, or a monotone pitch in patients with Asperger syndrome. They may also lack the control to match the volume of their voice to their surroundings (Asperger Syndrome Fact Sheet). Asperger syndrome patients may show delays in motor development and exhibit unusual physical behaviors such as repetitive arm flapping, twisting, or other whole body movements (Asperger Syndrome – PubMed Healt h). Asperger syndrome is very difficult to diagnose. People with Asperger syndrome often function very well in everyday life, so the signs and symptoms exhibited are often just recognized as â€Å"quirks† or a way of just being different. If a child exhibits any symptoms of Asperger syndrome, it is extremely important to seek the help of a doctor and they will refer you to a mental health professional or a specialist for further evaluation. A â€Å"psychological exam† will be performed to compile a history of when the symptoms first apeared, the development of motor skills and language patterns, and other aspects of behavior and ersonality. The earlier an evaluation is conducted, the sooner treatments can be started to improve a child’s development with Asperger syndrome (Asperger Syndrome). Asperger syndrome has no cure, but with treatments and medications, many children with Asperger syndrome grow into well-developed, productive adults. The majority of diagnosed children benefit from specialized treatments that f ocus on social skills training and behavior management. Some of these treatments include communication and social skills training and cognitive behavioral therapy. There are no medications that specifically treat Asperger syndrome, but there are some medications that can help improve symptoms such as anxiety, depression, and hyperactivity including Aripiprazole, Guanfacine, Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, Risperidone, Olanzapine, and Naltrexone (Staff, Mayo Clinic). Parent training is also helpful in continuing treatment at home and teaches parents techniques to be used at home to better their child’s development (Asperger Syndrome – PubMed Health). Research is currently being conducted to understand the causes of Asperger syndrome and to find more effective treatments. A study is currently being conducted using functional magnetic resonance imaging to show how abnormalities in particular areas of the brain can cause the symptoms of Asperger syndrome and autism spectrum disorders. There is also a large-scale study comparing neuropsychological and psychiatric assessments of children with possible diagnoses of Asperger syndrome and high-functioning autism to those of their parents and sibling to try to identify any patterns of symptoms that link Asperger syndrome and high-functioning autism to any specific neuropsychological profiles. A long-rang international study conducted by a collection of scientists from universities, academic centers, and institutions from around the world to collect and analyze DNA sample from children with Asperger syndrome and high-function autism, along with their families, to identify associated genes and how they interact. This study is better known as the Autism Genome Project and functions as a repository for genetic data so that researchers can try to find the genetic â€Å"building blocks† of Asperger syndrome an autism spectrum disorders (Asperger Syndrome Fact Sheet). Asperger syndrome is a high-functioning form of autism and is considered an autism spectrum disorder. It delays the development of many areas such as communication and social skills. Even though there is no cure for Asperger syndrome, with the right treatments and medications, most children with a diagnosis of Asperger syndrome and their families learn to cope with the symptoms of this disorder. Many adults with Asperger syndrome can develop to be happy, well-functioning, and productive adults with successful mainstream jobs and lead fulfilling independent lives with the right kind of treatment plans and support available to them. Works Cited â€Å"Asperger Syndrome – PubMed Health. † Web. 16 Oct. 2011. . â€Å"Asperger Syndrome Fact Sheet. † National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). Web. 16 Oct. 2011. . â€Å"Asperger Syndrome. † KidsHealth – the Web's Most Visited Site about Children's Health. Web. 16 Oct. 2011. . â€Å"OASIS @ MAAP – What Is Asperger Syndrome? † OASIS @ MAAP – The Online Asperger Syndrome Information and Support Center. Web. 16 Oct. 2011. . Staff, Mayo Clinic. â€Å"Asperger's Syndrome – MayoClinic. com. † Mayo Clinic. Web. 16 Oct. 2011. .