Swan Lake Comparative Essay

The timeless Swan Lake is today prized as one of the world's greatest and most renowned classical ballets to ever exist. For over one hundred years Swan Lake has been performed, adapted and rewritten innumerable times to enthrall a wide range of audiences all across the world. Whilst the foundation of how Swan Lake began and came to be is still, to some extent, unknown, it is widely believed that the production was originally choreographed by Julius Resigned with the accompaniment of celebrated Russian composer Russian Tchaikovsky for the musical score.It was first resented as The Lake of the Swans by the Ballet of the Moscow Imperial Abolish Theatre in 1877 in Moscow, Russia. Brash Judgment and calamitous reviews were passed upon this production and in turn, most ballet companies today now establish their staging both choreographically and musically on the revival created by Marcus Petite and Level Vivian, which opened in 1895. Seen through the eyes of millions, countless variations of Swan Lake have been created since its original formation in 1877.One of the most recognized recreations is the Swan Lake modernized by the hieroglyphic genius Grange Murphy and presented by the illustrious Australian Ballet Company in 2002. A spiraling love triangle between the changeable Prince Siegfried, a delicate Dotted and an alluring Baroness von Rotate, Grange Murphy's adaptation of Swan Lake is one to rival most others around the world. Although rewritten countless times, the original plot of Swan Lake follows the tale of the young Princess Dotted, who, under the spell of an evil sorcerer interchanges between a swan and a beautiful young woman.Prince Siegfried, a young man of 21 and soon to e married, stumbles across a lake of beautiful swans whilst on a hunting trip. He discovers through the Swan Queen, Dotted that the evil sorcerer had cast an enchantment on many beautiful girls to turn them into swans, and the tears of their grieving parents had formed the lake. Soon after, Prince Siegfried falls madly in love with Dotted. She reveals to him that the only way the spell could be broken is if a man, pure in heart, pledges his everlasting love to her.This angers the evil enchantress Baroness Von Rotate, and she manipulates Prince Siegfried into infesting his love to Doodle, a girl posing as Dotted and so happens to be Von Rotator's daughter. Dismayed and with a broken heart, Dotted throws herself into the lake, followed by Prince Siegfried who was horrified by his mistake. Together their spirits ascend into the heavens above Swan Lake. Grange Murphy's adaptation breathes new life into the classic Swan Lake by taking a realistic and modernized approach, twisting it in with sensual fantasy and warped spectacle.These themes, combined with others such as betrayal, instability, depression and confusion deviate room the fantasy world seen in the original production and take precedence over the linear narrative of Swan Lake to construct a realistic repres entation that is relatable to audiences all across the world. Murphy's variation of Swan Lake revisits the story of Dotted; the young and naive lover of Prince Siegfried who she is to be married to. After a series of events, Dotted is driven insane by his overpowering infatuation with Baroness Von Rotate.She is then committed to a sanatorium where her emotional damage is irreversible. This is perceived through a range of striking, fragmented events that are seemingly impulsive and uncontrollable. A number of visions are seen through the eyes of the mentally unbalanced Dotted, including a heart shattering pas De deuce between herself and Prince Siegfried, where she appears as a feeble, broken swan and tries to escape his grasp. This is soon followed by an encounter with Baroness Von Rotate, who walks past the window of her enclosed room, arm in arm with the Prince.After much deceit and changeability, the Prince realizes his heart truly belongs to Dotted and tries to find her once mor e, but it is all n vain as Dotted has committed suicide, descending gracefully into the lake, clothed in a long dress. This modern variation, through exploiting the themes of love, loss and desperation maintains an emotional connection to the audience while still fabricating a strong production to be an escape for the audience to enjoy.Grange Murphy made further alterations to the traditional Swan Lake to push the boundaries of contemporary ballet, a style of dance that has recently arisen in the 20th century, incorporating both modern dance and classical ballet. This was flawlessly achieved y Murphy through his involvement in the Sydney Dance Company. The movements used are fundamental to the storyline of Swan Lake as Murphy has staged it to be predominantly driven by romance. He utilizes elements of daring floor work, suspenseful lifts and fluid motions to create a ministering and expressive work of art.In appreciation of classical ballet, many graceful leaps and lifts are used, i ndicative of the traditional swan's fragility. In contrast to this, the scene where Dotted becomes is driven insane wing for the attention Prince Siegfried wild, harassing movements are used, strongly channeling contemporary dance. This is again seen in the imagined fantasy duet between Dotted and Prince Siegfried, when she is locked in the sanatorium. This duet includes variations of movements associated with classical ballet by upside-down grand rondo De Jamb, parallel retires pirouettes and large, sweeping movements.In recognition to the original Swan Lake, Murphy's adaptation still follows the vital elements of the production, including the corps De ballet of graceful swans and a number of unchanged repertoire pieces. The tagging of Grange Murphy's Swan Lake is an astounding construction of visual and aural components to be the driving force behind his modern interpretation. He gives his story a fresh edge by using the original Tchaikovsky score, as recorded by Richard Bonged, r ather than the well-known Richard Dried arrangement that most ballet companies use today when performing Swan Lake.This was a subliminal device used to link the contemporary production back to its foundations. The sets used in Murphy's production are unrivalled. The lake is always present, either in full view or just beyond a foreground interior. In Part 1, it is a fragile, natural spectacle, in Part 2 it is a pool of brooding tranquility and in Part 3 it finishes as a black receptacle of ultimate heartbreak and tragedy. The sanatorium is a minimalist environment- cold, intimidating and antidemocratic.The space used for this scene is small and enclosed limiting movement and in turn, making them more effective. The impeccable costuming influenced by Edwardian times creates a contrast between the traditional Swan lake that focuses it's costuming around the middle ages and drives the narrative forward with repeated motifs. Deist's enormous flowing white wedding dress is one of the most memorable costume devices used, with it hinting at a division between Prince Siegfried and Dotted.

Retired Teacher

Implementing Time To Teach Using a Flow Chart D’Ette Griffin March 11, 2013 EDU 618 Dr. Thinh Nguyen Learning Setting: The learning setting is a middle school in rural Espanola, New Mexico. The school is only 8th and 9th grade, about six hundred students. Having only two grades causes some of the discipline problems of the school to be exaggerated. Schools with only two grades set up unique problems, missing the third grade which balances the school. Eighty five percent of these students are on the free lunch program, many of their families are on welfare, unemployment, disability or have very low paying jobs.The poverty rate in Espanola, New Mexico is very high. The racial break-down is about 49% Hispanic, 28% Native American, 20% Caucasian and 3% African American. The school’s staff has noticed that many of the students lack positive character traits, low level discipline problems; they have low test scores and a huge bullying problem. The administrators and staff hav e decided to bring in a classroom management program that will address these issues. The program the principal has decided to implement is called Time To Teach. The principal has hired a trainer and the dates have been set.This paper will explore the process of choosing and implement a classroom management program by using the project logic model. â€Å"The program logic model is defined as a picture of how your organization does its work – the theory and assumptions underlying the program. A program logic model links outcomes (both short- and long-term) with program activities/processes and the theoretic assumptions/principles of the program. †(Kellogg, 2004 p. 111) The goal of an educator is to educate, but every administrator and educator knows that that is easier said than done.The goal of education is often hindered by inappropriate behaviors that stop teaching, stop learning and are a waste of time. Initial attempts to combat this problem begin with posting all t he school-wide rules and expectations and a list of what the consequences for failure to follow the rules. Schools wanting to create a positive learning environment and sense of community to must go beyond the basic rules and communicate the vision of the school. The vision should be shared among staff, students and the community and all stakeholders need to â€Å"buy-in†.The students must be ‘buy-in’ the importance of good behavior and character, furthermore become active participants in making their school better. The behavioral expectations will be displayed in every classroom as the ‘expectations will posted throughout the campus as well as the schools vision. It is â€Å"equally important to remember to periodically update the vision as necessary to maintain personal and cultural relevance. †(Dahlgren, Malas, Faulk and Lattimer,(2008, p. 188) When choosing a vision for your school it may take on many varied forms the authors continue, there is n o right way to have it, â€Å"the important thing is just to have it. (p. 189) Finally they suggest Vision and Mission statements should be revisited in three to four years to reflect the cultural changes and relevance of the times. Mission Statement The mission of Carlos Vigil Middle School is to guide students to become productive and contributing members of society. Carlos Vigil Middle School will provide strong academic and co-curricular programs. The staff shall coordinate resources of the school and community so that students will respect themselves and others, while appreciating the value of diversity, individuality, creativity.Recognize that problems are opportunities of change. We seek a set of moral standards and character traits that allows them to thrive in the world. Students will be taught with â€Å"Unconditional Positive Regard† and teachers will model appropriate behavior. Students will experience the joy of learning as a lifelong process. The value system t hat underlies efforts to accomplish this mission includes these beliefs and student Expectations: †¢ The school community will be a safe and caring environment that promotes respect, self-worth, creativity, and academic growth. All members of the school community work collaboratively. This process includes good communications, shared decision-making and accountability. †¢ Learning is a process in which all can participate and succeed. Inherent in the process is innovation, risk-taking, and the challenge of one’s personal limits. †¢ The school community should foster the intellectual, emotional, and physical well-being of each student. †¢ Diversity should be welcomed for the strength it brings to the education of all members of the school community. Education should be celebrated as a lifelong process that fosters person and positive growth. The staff and administration and a group of students worked on a committee that helped plan and develop the vision an d mission statements for Carlos Vigil Middle School. Finally, the school will hold a contest to develop a â€Å"Character Logo† that will be in every classroom and part of the school community. The winning design will be made into huge posters, banners, and will represent what we as a school are our most important character traits.Once the vision and mission statements have been decided upon the next step would be to present the ‘Logic Model’, and the flow chart will be explored throughout this paper. The logic model as described by W. K. Kellogg in his Logic Model Development Guide: â€Å"In general, logic modeling can greatly enhance the participatory role and usefulness of evaluation as a management and learning tool. Developing and using logic models is an important step in building community capacity and strengthening community voice.The ability to identify outcomes and anticipate ways to measure them provides all program participants with a clear map of th e road ahead. Map in hand, participants are more confident of their place in the scheme of things, and hence, more likely to actively engage and less likely to stray from the course – and when they do, to do so consciously and intentionally. Because it is particularly amenable to visual depictions, program logic modeling can be a strong tool in communicating with diverse audiences – those who have varying world views and different levels of experience with program development and evaluation. (Kellogg, P. 111) Logic Model Development Guide The school system including the principal, counselors, administrators, and a group of teachers collaborated on helping to decide on the program that would be implemented â€Å"Time To Teach† and which behaviors that we were going to â€Å"Teach To† if we plug these behaviors into the flow chart model each segment will have a chart that represents that particular behavior or character trait. A typical flow chart will incl ude the following:Assumptions| Input| Activities| Outputs | Short & Long Term Outcomes| Impact| Conduct Needs assessment | Money for Staff development and Title 1 monies | Staff training & training activity| Five core beliefs | Students will have better self-esteem| Successful student-teacher relationships | Secure Training facility | Equipment needs | Classroom ecology analysis | Self-control | Improved Test scores | Increased Test Scores by a measurable percentage | Classroom management program will address behavior issues and character traits. Selection of the Time to Teach Program | Teaching classroom expectations & Refocus Establish a base of support Establish â€Å"buddy teachers†Teach Refocus Process Produce Refocus forms | Classroom by Design Teach To’sStudents learn â€Å"expectations† | Lower principal referrals Intended OutcomesStudent Mood Awareness & Rapid Teacher Response (SMARTRTM)Clear classroom expectations â€Å"Teach-To’s†Student s with good self –esteem ~ Unconditional Positive Regard Lower Principal referrals Improved Test Scores| Students will recognize the good in each other and will accept each others differences, there will be less bullying because they are treating each other with the respect that the receive from staff and each other. | Before any program can be implemented the principal will be doing certain activities to get ready for implementing the program. A needs assessment must be completed to determine to what the goals are and what activities are going to be done to reach these goals.After conducting the needs assessment, the principal can determine the goals for the program. Once they have chosen a program, then they must budget for the training, that means acquiring funds. The next activity is choosing a venue to have the training session and planning for lunch and or snacks. Activities â€Å"are the procedures, techniques, tools, events, technology, and actions of the planned pro gram. †(Kellogg, 2004,p. 8) The author continues, â€Å"These may include products-promotional materials and educational curricula; services education and training, counseling, or health screening and infrastructure –structure, relationships, and capacity, used to bring about the desired results. (p. 8) Activities will include students designing character logos and banners, after the implementation of the program. The Time to Teach classroom management program can be implemented into the school system as soon as the training session is over; all the components can be implemented the following school year. The next school year will begin with all the â€Å"classroom expectations† posted in the hallways, classrooms and on the buses. Starting on the first day of school and will continue until all classrooms, school library, cafeteria, behavior on the bus, the first week to two weeks will be spent teaching the expected behaviors to the students.As teachers we cannot afford to assume that students know how to behave properly in need to be taken to prepare for the professional development training program and for implementing strategies after the training has been completed. For example, Implementation activities are â€Å"included for each component of a program logic model. † (McDavid, Huse, & Hawthorn, 2013) These implementation activities teachers can use to immediately start using the techniques of the program. Here is the three classroom integrity classroom questions teachers can mentally ask themselves, â€Å"Am I able to Teach? Are the other students able to learn? Is the student in question able to learn? † (Dahlgren & Hyatt, 2007) This is just a quick sample of a starting point for teachers. Outputs:Outputs can be described as in â€Å"terms of the size and or scope of the services and products delivered or produced by the program. They indicate if a program was delivered to the intended audiences at the intended ‘ dose. †(Kellogg, 2013) The Time To Teach would have to be viewed by the teachers to start to implement the â€Å"product† which in this case it would be the training session. Once the teachers have participated in the training/product they can return to the classroom and begin to implement the Time To Teach strategies and activities so that they can get the desired outcome. The desired outcomes will include ‘buy-in’ by all staff members, parents and teachers.There must be a shared sense of purpose among the staff, students, parents and community. (Dahlgren, & Hyatt, 2007) The authors continue when there is a failure to achieve this ‘buy-in’ by one or more of the stakeholders than there will be limited policy effectiveness and it may even become useless. When the Time To Teach program has been properly implemented and there is ‘buy-in’ by all participating parties then the likely outcomes will be successful. The Five Core Beliefs th at the Time to Teach philosophy incorporates, Self-Control, Classroom by Design, Teach To’s, Refocus, and the student teacher relationships or Unconditional Positive Regard.If the stakeholders do ‘buy-in’ to the program then they end up with 30% higher test scores, better behaved students and lower principal referrals. (Dahlgren & Hyatt,2007) Outcomes: When planning for your program you can demonstrate your programs progress by projecting outcomes. â€Å"Outcomes identify the short-term and long-term outcomes you expect to achieve for each activity. †(Kellogg, 2007p. 14) Outcomes can further be defined as â€Å"specific changes in attitudes, behaviors, knowledge, skills, status, or level of functioning expected to result from program activities and which are most often expressed at an individual level†(p. 8) The activities that are planned ultimately bring the outcomes that are trying to accomplish. The activities approach model also connects progra m resources and activities but does so in great detail. Each outcome is usually dealt with separately by the activities and events that must take place to keep on track. †(p. 12) The intended outcomes for the Time to Teach program will be discussed throughout the rest of this paper. Time To Teach! is an evidence based classroom management program that uses proven, practical, and powerful strategies. These strategies are researched based and ready to be put to use in the classroom. The Five Core components of Time To Teach! mirror what many esteemed researchers say works. Many leading researchers define classroom management in similar terms.Robert Marzano (2003) defined effective classroom as â€Å"the confluence of teacher actions in four distinct areas: (1) establishing and enforcing rules and procedures,(2)carrying out disciplinary actions,(3)maintaining effective teacher and student relationships, and (4) maintaining an appropriate mental set for management†(88-89) C lassroom management was rated as the most important variable in building and sustaining a high achieving classroom in nearly every major study on academic achievement. (Dahlgren, Malas, Faulk, and Lattimer,2008) Once Time To Teach! has been implemented, teachers should be able to read student mood and respond calmly and quickly, as needed. Teachers will correctly read social and emotional cues and correctly perceive students responses to their behaviors. Specifically, when a student becomes disruptive, it is the teachers job to respond calmly and appropriately. Teachers who exhibit this kind of self-control can read their room and will react swiftly, calmly, and compassionately. We call this the SMARTR TM response- Student Mood Awareness and Rapid Teacher Response. †(Dahlgren et. al. ,p. 6) Projected outcome of the Time To Teach! once the program has been implemented students will be taught what the classroom expectations are and the teachers will not how to teach classroom ru les and routines with success. The term Teach To’s was first coined almost four decades ago. (p. 6) With today’s students showing up for class not knowing how to act or what is expected of them is the norm while having students who show up knowing how to act is the exception.The good news is that there is that even if we have students that have bad behaviors that affect the classroom functioning, when successfully â€Å"teaching-to† your classroom rules and routines, â€Å"you will be guaranteed a more effective instructional climate. †(Dahlgren et. al. ,p. 7) The authors continue, â€Å"Teaching-to† behaviors are a foundational and powerful component of the Time To Teach! Program. We have been doing it for forty years. †(p. 7) Conclusion: Students should gain more confidence as teachers continue with the program and as they begin to ‘buy-in’ in to the system. School-wide behavioral- management and character education in todayâ⠂¬â„¢s world is a must. Every classroom in every school can find a room with the rules posted, and talked about once, but these programs â€Å"expectations† will be posted everywhere and will be talked about and taught until every student gets it.Students will be taught how to act and what is expected of them in a positive respectful way with unconditional positive regard. Students will be asked to compete in a contest to design the â€Å"character logos,† whoever wins will receive a prize of some sort and school wide credit. Because somewhere in this face paced world, of video games, cell phones, tablets, and laptops, these latch key students have not been taught how to act appropriately and it is our responsibility as teachers to teach them character traits and behavior management skills. The school administrators have a tough job. They have to try to please the district offices, teachers, parents, students, the community and the government, all while trying to do wh at’s best for the education of the student.In today’s world it is increasingly apparent that it is essential to incorporate the behavior management skills. â€Å"It is important to understand that teaching behavior is as important as teaching academics. †(Dahlgren et. al. ,p. 198) The authors continue, that â€Å"on a school-wide basis, children must be taught these expectations until they understand these expectations, and finally they should be held accountable for these expectations. † (p. 198) Thanks to Time To Teach for making these expectations a reality. References Dahlgren R. , Dahlgren A. , Faulk J. , Lattimer M. , Ludwig. (2011) Associate Training Manual Time To Teach. , Dahlgren R. & Hyatt J. (1994-2007). Time To Teach: Encouragement, Empowerment, and Excellence in Every Classroom. Hayden Lake, ID. , CTE, Center for Teacher Effectiveness. Dahlgren R. , Malas B. , Faulk J. , & Lattimer M. (2008). Time To Teach! The Source for Classroom Managemen t. , Hayden Lake, ID. , CTE, Center for Teacher Effectiveness. W. K. Kellogg Foundation. (2004). Using Logic Models to bring together planning, evaluation, and action: Logic Model Development Guide. , Retrieved from http://www. wkkf. org/~/media/36693510092544928C454B5778180D75/LogicModel. pdf McDavid J. C. , Huse I. , & Hawthorn R. L. , (2013) Program Evaluation and Performance Measurement An Introduction to Practice. , Second Edition. , Thousand Oaks, CA. , Sage Publications.

Interpretation of Martin Luther King's Letter from Jail Essay

Interpretation of Martin Luther King's Letter from Jail - Essay Example The central ideas of the letter: love and justice, can be seen from the first lines of Martin Luther King’s letter. He tries to disapprove accusation of not being a Birmingham insider. Martin Luther King claims that he had an invitation to Birmingham and had managerial ties as the Southern Christian Leadership Conference’s president. In addition, he did not consider himself as Birmingham outsider because of the fact that everyone who live within the territorial boundaries of the United States of America could not be referred to as outsiders. This justifies the justice and love idea of Martin Luther King’s letter. Martin Luther King’s letter focuses on nonviolent resistant defense to racism; Martin Luther King argues in the letter that people have a moral responsibility to resist unjust laws. This shows the commitment of Martin Luther King to advocate love and justice to the people of America. The letter though experienced an early setback; it enjoyed a bro ad publication and was considered the major text for the civil rights movement in the United States in the early 1960s. Martin Luther King responded through his letter to the call for unity and acted as a declaration to fight racial inequality. This again supports the thesis of this paper: the significance of love and justice in using appeals to logic, emotion and ethics. The "Letter from Birmingham Jail" by Martin Luther King literary puts into terms his life thesis statement. Martin Luther King illustrated meticulously his reasoning through the use of appeals to emotion, logic, and ethics. A logical appeal is that which utilizes facts, reason and documented evidence to drive a point. Martin Luther King makes in his letter a logical appeal where he responds to being referred to as an extremist. King does this by asserting that majority of historical figures that are today considered heroes were perceived as extremist in their time. Martin Luther King mentions people like Thomas Jef ferson, Apostle Paul, Jesus Christ and Abraham Lincoln (549). In this particular aspect, King uses facts and reason to put across a logical appeal to the reader: if he is considered an extremist because of campaigning for freedom, then all the other people are extremists as well. Martin Luther King cites an illustration of this by pointing out the manner in which the police at Birmingham mistreated the protesters (522). Although he does not in particular cite a source, the event was publicized widely. Martin Luther King uses evidence to invalidate the accusations by the clergymen. He also uses firsthand accounts in illustrating his points. King talks about the way he expected the white religious leaders to provide aid, but found opposition and reluctance instead (550). Martin Luther King states his arguments through providing firsthand account of his real experience. This however relies on the perception of the writer in order to be useful. Credibility is needed for this reason. In order to obtain credibility, explanations as to why things are done in a particular way must be given. Martin Luther King begins his letter by informing readers that he is writing the letter (540-541). Informing readers the reason for particular writings gives the readers insight to the real meaning of

VoFR, VoIP and ATM Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

VoFR, VoIP and ATM - Essay Example This need of companies has resulted in the development of packet switching technologies. The integrated networks came to be known as 'Voice over Frame Relay' (VoFR), 'Voice over IP' (VoIP) and 'Voice over ATM' (VoATM). As the technology improves, it becomes cheaper. Due to this not only big corporates but small business houses and even schools and colleges will adopt these technologies in the near future. In 'Frame Relay' and IP the data is represented in the form of variable sized packets or frames. In ATM data is chopped into small cells which results in increased switching rate of data through the network. Unlike circuit switching where different time intervals are allocated to different links, the packet switching dynamically allots bandwidth to various links based on their transmission activity. ATM has been designed to reduce delays whereas the other two, FR and IP, have the disadvantage of having delays over circuit switching technologies. However the use of access devices such as routers that use sophisticated schemes enables to overcome this limitation. These schemes include 'Prioritization', 'Fragmentation', 'Silence Suppression' and 'Voice Compression'. The network developers of both service providers and en... Similarly for enterprise network developers the main attraction towards these technologies is the cost savings associated with toll bypass and tandem switching. Besides the cost of development, the maintenance cost is also les. Also, more efficient network control and management is achieved. 'Finally, packet based voice systems offer access to newly enhanced services such as unified messaging and application control. These, in turn, promise to increase the productivity of users and differentiate services' (cisco.com, 2005). The voice-data integration technologies have improved rapidly in recent years due to the eagerness shown by both developers and customers. The demand has increased as the customers are much more interested in investing in these technologies to enjoy integrated voice applications. The network developers have been fortunate enough in this case as there has been advancement in the areas such standards, technology and network performance. Overview of the technologies A general background of these technologies and the basic principles and features are given one by one in this section below:- Voice over Frame Relay (VoFR) Definition VoFR uses a router to carry voice traffic like telephone calls and faxes over a frame relay network. Deployment The most used packet voice technology in networks is VoFR generally used in corporates. Prioritization Frame relays use access devices which put 'Tags' on different applications setting priority to all of them depending on the sensitivity they show towards delay. The higher priority voice packets are allowed to move first and till that time the others are kept waiting. Fragmentation The data packets in this case are divided into small fragments which results

Gender Differences in Love and Intimacy Research Paper

Gender Differences in Love and Intimacy - Research Paper Example Notions related to love covers admire, want, having a preference, possession, care for, service, and even reverence. Intimacy denotes a close bond where reciprocated respect, encouragement, and confidence are shared to the partners (Oxford Dictionaries, 2009). Gender Differences Theorists have put forward that men and women differ, in the types of sentiment, they experience while in close relationships. The strength of the sentiments and how willingly they put across those emotions also varies a lot. A number of theories, starting with evolutionary theory, cognitive social theory, social structural theory as well as gender hypothesis all concur that there is gender difference between men and women regarding sexuality. Men are normally more sexually active as well as more liberal as opposed to women. Cognitive theory, social structural theory, and social learning theory suggest that sexual difference observed between men and women could be reduced by aspects like secular trends and cultural behaviors towards gender empowerment and multiculturalism disparities in sex roles, which ought to differ with each culture. As noted by Petersen and Hyde (2010) it is possible that methods from various theories assist in the complex explanation of this gender differences in intimacy and sexuality. Men watch close relationships as less weighty than women do. Cultural theories suggest that women feel love for people while men labor. This concept has been put forward by an extensive variety of psychologists and sociologists.

Difference between Noir and Neo-Noir Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Difference between Noir and Neo-Noir - Assignment Example All the films of this type had similar idea and topic. Often they described difficult situations that had to be overcome by the antihero. The introduction of antihero is a very important characteristic of noir style. The main hero was not noble and positive, he had many drawbacks, but still managed to make readers like him. The key element of this type of films was portraying the life of people with negative characteristics or bad reputations. The lives of criminals and gangsters were often used as central theme. The noir films were created in 1940 -1950 until the new term was introduced. In the 1970s the term â€Å"neo-noir† appeared. The difference between the genres was in the technologies that were used in the 1970s. Another peculiarity of the neo-noir films was their modernization, as they commonly depicted events, which happen at the time when they were created. Such type of movies appeared due to the great number of social attitudes. The noir films managed to change the views of people. The possibility to have any kind of relations with the antiheroes and not just to reject them was the main idea of the noir films. The noir films made people like and admire the main heroes. The position of the neo-noir films where one had just to observe and not to be a part of the performance was quite different. The theme of the film predetermines such attitude of the watchers. A number of new topics were presented by neo-noir films (Difference between Noir and Neo-Noir). The Double Indemnity is the classical noir film that was created in the 1914 by Bill Walder. The film was based on the play by James Keyne, which had the narrative character or technique. The Double Identity was included in the list of films of the National Register by the Congress Library in 1992. According to the critics, this picture is the most completed and recommended tutorial on the noir films. One of the brightest femme fatale images in the history of filmmaking was create by the Barbar a Stenwick. Experts state that film by Walder had become the model for a number of films about vamp women, who ruinously influenced the honest men. In the 1981 the movie was re-shoot under the title Body Heat. The title of the movie depicted the traditional state of the insurance policy of that time that provided the guarantee of the double payment in case if insured person died from the accident. A handsome insurance agent Walter Neff, the hero of Fred Murrey, met the fatal blonde Fillis Dietrichson that was played by the Barbara Stenwick. Dierichson easily charmed the main hero Neff. The name and the manners of the main heroine remind us about Marlen Dietrich. Dietrichson manipulated Neff and persuaded him to get rid from her husband and in order to guarantee the prosperous life in future gave the insurance policy with the double indemnity for signature to her doomed husband. The criminals had realized their plan skillfully. The next day the coworker and the friend of Neff Barton Kiz intervened. Not even suspecting Neff he turned the life of the murderer into nightmare. Keyne’s narrative was based on the real crime that was committed in the 1927 and stirred up the whole America. First drafts appeared in the 1935 but they were banned by the advocates of the Heise Code who considered the story to be immoral. The isolated detached houses of 1920s build in the colonial style were chosen for shooting. You can notice the script writer Raymond Chandler who had accidently been in the

Employment law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Employment law - Essay Example Case study 1 shows a common instance of what could be termed to as a misunderstanding or misinterpretation of a situation within the business premises. In this situation, a seemingly stolen item that is a hard disk is found in the locker belonging to two employees of the same firm, namely Janice and Kelsey. Both are employees with a good reputation in the firm; however the case of a hard disk found in their locker tends to jeopardize their good resume. Following a different approach to confront the issue should show that neither Janice nor Kelsey could be held reliable; however this is not the case. Upon realization by the manager that the piece of hard disk has no entry in the stock records, both Janice and Kelsey are summoned by the manager in an attempt to discover the truth behind the recovery of such an item in their locker. Following basic human instinct, both culprits result to justification of their own cases against the allegations of theft. In a more detailed view of either employee, Janice has been an employee to the firm for a period not less than two years, within when, she has been able to maintain a clean resume without any implications proving otherwise. On the other hand, Kelsey has been working in the firm for a period just over a year, but similar to her co-worker Janice, has kept a clear record, throughout this time. Despite all this, both are considered guilty of the allegations of concealing the hard drive and face disciplinary measures that involve their immediate dismissal from their positions in the firm. Further information shows that the prior owner of the locker made claims of miss-placing his key to the locker some time back, this only making the decision to dismiss the two Janice and Kelsey somewhat inappropriate. Such cases are very common in the business world, and with their increase, the managerial departments of firms such as the one in question should come up with the appropriate procedures to solve such cases. With the incre ased lack of jobs, coming to a conclusion of dismissal like in this case should be the last option, and viable only, when the culprit is proven beyond any reasonable doubt to be guilty of the allegations. Janice to her defense had stated that she had used the locker as usual and upon noticing the bag that was later revealed to be containing the hard drive, had thought to hers self that it was Kelsey’s’ and had no business with it so just ignored it. Kelsey on the other hand had earlier on come to her defense stating that she had not used the locker lately, and thus had little information regarding the hard drive. It is evident that the procedure followed that resulted to the dismissal of the two was neither very clear nor convincing that either would have actually been considered guilty of the offence. Employment law governs that every employee in any organization of firm is subject to fair trial upon occurrence of such incidences. In this case, their cases of appeal a gainst the dismissal came to a sudden crash, as the appeals were refused and both were dismissed. A working environment that has such personal property as lockers should have 24 hour surveillance, even making use of the latest technology in terms of CCTV cameras, which would have saved the situation

Women in the Workplace A Positive Perspective Essay

Women in the Workplace A Positive Perspective - Essay Example " (Shakespeare's Hamlet, 1603) Whatever be the saying, it is a fact that women are the best creation of God or Mother Nature. Majority of the world's population do not release this and they treat women like slaves; be it at home or at work place. Men believe that women should not be independent and they want their household women (wife, daughter, sister or even mother) to be under the control of a man. In the olden days when the bread winner of the family (man) used to go out for business he would entrust the female of the house in the hands of a boy no matter if he is a kid who can not take care of even himself. This was their plight, then. The goals of human development are deeply interlaced with the development and authorization of women as they comprise a significant proportion of the total population. Women not only represent the precious human resources of a country but their socio economic development sets the velocity for the growth of the rest of the economy. Women in general were not allowed to be independent when growing up. The parents enforced different regulations on a girl which just hindered the girl from maturing enough. Girls were either protected by their parents or the primitive laws and they are never permitted to excel intellectually. The barbaric act of Sati practiced in India is worth to mention here. The practice was when the husband dies the wife has to jump into the pyre and sacrifice her life. If she fails to do so, others will throw her into the burning pyre, forcefully. Sat was a funeral practice among some Hindu communities in which a recently-widowed woman would either voluntarily or by use of force and coercion immolate herself on her husband's funeral pyre. This practice is now very rare and outlawed in modern India.( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sati_(practice). Thanks to Mr. Rajaram Mohan Roy, who was social reformer and Lord William Bentinck, the British governor, the practice of Sati was put to an end by the British government in the year 1832. But times have changed since then. The society reached new realms of progress in all aspects of human life. Civilization and culture prospered. General awareness of the rights of people and impartment of education to women has put women in a more or less equal status with men. Rules and regulations are formed in each and every country and internal and international laws are developed and implemented that guarantee safety of women and her right to live as a human being Let us analyze the topic: 'Women at Work Place - a Positive Perspective', in this context. Introduction: Manu smriti (a Sanskrit word) which is also known as Manava-Dharmasastra (Sanskrit) is the most significant and originally written code of custom of Hinduism. This text has discriminated women in a most atrocious way. According to Manu,"In childhood a female must be subject to her father, in youth to her husband, and then to her sons; a woman must never be independent. There is no God on earth for a woman than her husband.....She must, on the death of her husband allow herself to be burnt alive on the same funeral pyre. That everyone will praise her virtue." This verse from Manu smriti has portrayed woman as the one who is dependent entirely on man right from her birth till her death. Now nobody considers Manu smriti as the final word now, and human society has grown to such a level to discard every law and code of conduct during the passage of time. The world is

Challenges of a Community College Student Personal Statement

Challenges of a Community College Student - Personal Statement Example I registered for 12 credits this semester, which includes 2 English classes and 1 Math. I think I doing good on my Math subject, great so far, even though it's hard to keep up in this 4 hour class. Then again, I try my very best with the help of energy drinks and coffee. My English classes require too much time, but I still manage to do it, even with procrastination. My son goes to the daycare 5 times a week, from 6am to 7pm. He is basically spending his whole day there. Daycare is not a place for a child to grow up. I see family reunions, birthdays; religious celebrations pass by without me. I am never there. I always have the same reason, that I am at school or I have to work to do. Because I have to work long hours, this becomes a conflict with the time I use up for my school. Giving time for my family and friends gets tougher, when I have to work on an 8 to 9 hour job basis and then spend about half of the day at school. Although school and work drives me nuts, the biggest challenge for is not having enough time for my family and friends. My work schedule is Sundays thru Thursdays, from 10pm till 7am. Not only do I have an impossible schedule, but the quantity of work that I perform every night. I work for logistics at Target. Every night I help with the truck unload procedure by scanning 2,500 to 3,000 boxes per truck.

Budgetary Process Essay Example for Free

Budgetary Process Essay â€Å"Identify and describe the key features that a budgetary process should achieve to achieve managerial goal congruent behaviour. However if budgets are over emphasised myopic behaviour may be observed where a manager (or groups of managers) takes action(s) that improve budgetary performance in the short term but may cause long term harm to the organisation† Discuss. A budget is a short term, often one year, business plan, usually expressed in financial terms (Atrill, Mclaney, 2011, p.314). There are three broad functions of budgeting, these are: quantification of plans, help in financial planning, and monitoring and controlling scarce resources through performance measurements. Throughout this essay I shall be discussing these three areas, breaking them down into seven more specific features of budgeting. Furthermore I shall discuss how myopic behaviour can cause long term harm to an organisation. Goal congruence means developing and maintaining the various activities within the enterprise in proper relationship to each other (Welsch, Hilton, gordan, 1988 p.50). From a managerial point of view this is better explained by making sure they are aware of the different goals set by multiply departments within the organisation; as well as making sure their own goals are in line with the organisations overall plans. There are seven key features that a budgetary process should achieve in order to achieve managerial goal congruent behaviour. The first key feature is authorization, this makes managers accountable for their actions/spending and helps prevent fraud in an organisation (Atrill, McLaney, 2011). For an organisation it is important to make the right choice between a centralised control of the budget, where the organisations overall aspirations are at the heart of any decision making, or to delegate the responsibility to subordinates who will have a better understanding of their local environment. Usually a mixture of centralised and delegated control is chosen, giving some responsibility to subordinates to maintain motivated (Berry, Broadbent, Otley, 2005 p.108). Goal congruence is best achieved by using authorization in the budgetary process to keep Managers / Subordinates clear on what is expected of them from a financial point of view. The next four functions come into effect when planning a budget. Forecasting is critical in preparing an organisation for what is to come in the future, â€Å"looking ahead must be better than moving forward with eyes closed† (Garrett, 2010). It involves calculating many variables in order to predict future economic conditions as well as how governments and competitors will behave. On top of this, the company needs to forecast how the relationship between price and demand will change. Planning links in closely with forecasting as both use secondary data to help organisations determine what to do next. Drury (2004) states that managers are encouraged to plan whilst preparing the budget so that they can consider what changes may occur and how they can respond. An organisation needs to plan out how they are going to treat upcoming circumstances, for example seasonal changes, trends in the market and the likely hood of the company incurring growth or decline. A combination of forecasting and planning enables managers to remain goal congruent as they are aware of what is expected from them and what is expected to happen to the market or organisation in the future. This allows them to have a better understanding of how they are going to achieve their goals and helps keep them focused and in line with the organisation. Berry, Broadbent, Otley, (2005) states the budgetary process provides, in different ways, a focus for forecasting and planning, whilst serving as a channel for communication and coordination. Communication is a critical part of the budgetary process as it is vitally important that each area of the organisation is given a budget that is relevant to the overall goals of the organisation as well as to their specific needs. It is extremely difficult to keep every area of the business content with the budgetary targets and goals set. Individual areas in a business will be competing with each other when relating to funding, resources etc. Goal congruence is achieved through communication by making sure communication is efficient between the different hierarchical levels and between each department. Most organisations form a budgetary committee which includes the senior management that are responsible for designing the strategy; they also receive the initial budgets from each functional man ager (Weetman, 2010, p.319). This will enable swift and clear transparent communication when negotiating the budget, resulting in the best possible budget for each area of the business, whilst achieving the organisations overall aspirations. The final feature of a budget that comes into effect during the planning stage is control / coordination. I have touched upon coordination in the budget process whilst talking about communication as there cannot be effective control/coordination without effective communication and vice versa. Control is critical in planning budgets, as it is important to make sure each area of the business is accountable for its actions, as well as being able to link the budget/targets for each area together to compensate for possible weaknesses in the organisation. Such weaknesses arise when one area of the organisation is relying on another area that cannot commit to what is needed (Weetman, 2010, p.325). Having coordinated budgets allows superiors in the organisation to realise where there are weaknesses early on and counteract the negative effect. An example of this would be out sourcing if the work load for one area of the business is more than it can handle. Budgetary control is often implement ed through cost centres or profit centres. Profit centres allow centralised responsible for revenue, expenses and profit. Whereas a cost centre enables responsibility for mainly costs (expenses) (Welsch, Hilton and gordan, 1988 p.597). These again support goal congruence as the business as a whole is able to see how each specific sections of the organisation is financially performing and whether or not they are helping to achieve the company’s aspirations. Motivation and evaluation are features of budgets that come into effect once the budgets are active. Motivation in budgeting can make or break how goal congruent managers are as motivation in budgeting is an extremely tricky procedure. It has been proven that budgetary targets can indeed improve staff motivation. However too soft a target will make it too easy for staff to achieve and therefore staff performance may fall, whereas setting targets that are deemed unachievable are also likely to decrease performance. Geert (1968) reached the conclusion that provided the budget does not exceed the highest target acceptable to an individual; the results will increase in line with increasing difficulty. A budget allows organisation to set targets and goals that are then compared with actual performance and evaluated. When using budgets (that have been used for motivational purposes) for evaluation, managers need to be careful not to look on small deviations to harshly. A motivational budget is harder to achieve as it is there to improve performance and efficiency in the organisation (Drury, 2004, p.595). Managers should remember that the budget is financially based and evaluating areas such as innovation, corporate social responsibility, staff moral and customer satisfaction are also important to the organisation when evaluating good performance. â€Å"In the context of dynamic demand analysis, habit formation is defined to be â€Å"myopic† when in each period the individual takes into account his consumption history but does not recognise the impact of his present consumption decisions on his future tastes,† (Pashardes 1986).Myopic behaviour is where individuals, organisations or managers focus solely on the short term. In an accounting context this can be extremely detrimental to an organisation’s long term goals, as managers are more focused on achieving their short term budgetary plans than looking at the company’s overall targets. A myopic mind can bring many problems to an organisation’s none financial goals. If managers are too focused on ach ieving there budgetary targets it can stifle the creativity and risk taking culture of the organisation (CIMA, ICAEW, 2004). This intern can have dramatic long term effects on an organisation’s creativity and entrepreneurial ability, as it is critical for them to move forward and develop as an organisation. A prime example of this can be seen with the demise of Woolworths, â€Å"history might have been different had woolworths not clung to its time-served ‘pic and mix’ business model† (Boje, Burnes and Hassard, 2012, p.332). In the retail industry it should be critical for managers to remain focused on keeping their store modern. It is proven that modernised stores can set higher prices, leading to larger profits, due to a higher net value added (Hemashree, 2008). Clearly Woolworth lack of enthusiasm towards modernising their stores and being too focused on cutting costs lead to a negative operating environment, hindering their chance of survival. A myopic approach to budgetary goals leads to a concentration on cost reduction and not value creation for managers. For any retailer like Woolworths, managers know that staff take up a huge amount of the companies costs. In the short term it becomes increasingly tempting for managers to enforce staff redundancies to help achieve those targets set by superiors (Berry, Broadbent, Otley, 2005). The actions of cost cutting by retail managers including Woolworths, for example reducing staff during seasonal change (e.g. after Christmas), would cause long term costs to the organisation. Instead of paying high costs due to seasonal staff redundancies and staff training, organisations could reduce staff hours during low points in trading then increase staff hours in line with increasing sales. As well as hindering the organisations ability to think of new ideas, the budgetary process can also have an effect on future development that is already in the pipeline. New projects are often put on hold by organisations which become more worried about meeting financial targets, than trying to expand the company and launch into new markets or create new products. IBM’s budgetary process became so long during the 1970’s that it took 18 months to complete their ‘annual’ planning cycle (Hope, Fraser, 2003, p.7). IBM’s management were affected by another budg etary related issue; becoming excessively inward focused to the point where they were unaware of competitor’s behaviour. Due to their high planning cost this lead them to be unable to, and lacking the agility and ability, to counteract (CIMA, ICAEW, 2004). Whilst competitors like Apple were becoming innovated and pushing through their new ideas involving personal computers, IBM were too busy focused on how they, as market leaders, were going to launch the next big thing. IBM misread the personal computer revolution and was unable to react to lower cost advanced computers created by competitors (Hope, Fraser, 2003). â€Å"Keeping an eye on the potential risks and changes in the operating environment is essential – as one delegate noted, budgeting may provide you with a map but if you drive with your eyes closed, you will crash anyway,† (CIMA, ICAEW, 2004). There are many methods or remedies that IBM and Woolworths could off used to prevent the budgetary problems associated with myopic behaviour. Beyond-budgeting is a modernised version of the traditional budgeting process that allows botto m up empowerment. This seems to be the best way for organisations to adjust to the fast changing world of the information age (Hope and Fraser, 2003). IBM were affected by being inward focused and unaware of competitors actions. If IBM had been aware of the new beyond-budgeting process they would have been setting their goals in relation to beating their competitors and not the budget (principle 7) (de Waal, 2005). This would of kept them market focused and enabled them to react faster to their competitors actions instead of misreading the market. Driver based planning and budgeting would of, again benefited IBM by helping to shorten their ‘annual’ budgetary process. Incorporating operational drivers would have meant IBM could reforecast on request and would have been agile enough to adapt to uncertain trading conditions (Barrett, 2005). This process as well as enforcing beyond-budgeting principles could off shortened the planning process involving three thousand people that IBM had in place. Woolworth main problem, like many organisations suffering from managerial myopic behaviour, was a lack of innovation. They became too focused with cost cutting practices, trying to achieving budgetary goals. â€Å"Everybody has a sandpit to play in. my sandpit financially is my control plan, If I stay within it, I’m free to play† (Marginson, Ogden, 2005). Keeping innovated and flexible is critical to achieve the organisations long term goals as well as meet short term budgetary targets. In conclusion, traditional budgets are seen as being incapable of meeting the demands of the competitive environment and are criticized for impeding efficient resource allocation and encouraging dysfunctional behaviour such as myopic decisions (deWaal, Hermskens-Janssen, Van de Ven, 2011). I have demonstated how individual beyond budgeting principles can add to traditional budgeting to support organisations, using examples of IBM and Woolworths to demonstrate. De Waal (2005) states that research shows the more beyond-budgeting principles an organisation implements, the better it performs. A combination of budgeting and beyond-budgeting principles allows managers to balance the inherent rigidity of their budgets with the more organic processes of innovation. (Marginson, Ogden, 2005). Using the key principles of beyond budgeting enables managers to focus on achieving long term goals, in line with the organisation’s overall objectives, as well as helping to speed up and modernise the traditional budgetary process. It is however important to remember that the features of a traditional budget are extremely important to most organisations. â€Å"Budgeting provides an overall framework of control without which it would be impossible to manage,† (CIMA, ICAEW, 2004). References Atrill, P., Mclaney, E., 2011. Accouting and Finance for non specialists. 7th ed. Essex: Pearson Education Limited. Barrett, R., 2005. Budgeting and Reforcasting, Financial Management. Berry, A. J., Broadbent, J., Otley, D., 2005. Management Control. 2nd ed. Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan. Boje, D., Burnes, B., Hassard, J., 2012. The Routledge Companion to Organisational Change. Oxon: Routledge. CIMA., ICAEW., 2004. Better Budgeting. London: Silverdart Ltd. de Waal, A., 2005. Insights from Practice is your Organisation ready for Beyond-Budgeting?, Measuring Business Excellence. Q Emerald Group Publishing Limited, 9 (2) (November) pp. 56-67. de Waal, A., Hermkens-Janssen. M., Van de Ven, A., 2011. The Evolution Adoption Framework. Emerald Group Publishing Limited. Drury, C., 2004. Management and Cost Accounting. 6th ed. London: Thomas Learning. Garrett, K., 2010. Budgeting. ACCA. Geert, H., Hofstede., 1968. The Game of Budget Control. London: Tavistock Publication. Hemashree, A., 2008. A Study on Working of Modern and Traditional Retail Outlets. Dharwad: University of agricultural sciences. Hope, J., Fraser, R., 2003. Beyond Budgeting. United States: Harvard Business School Publishing Corporation. Marginson, D., Ogden, S., 2005. Budgeting and Innovation, Financial Management. Pashardes, P., 1986. Myopic and Forward Looking Behaviour in a Dynamic Demand System, International Economic Review. Wiley, 27 (2) (June), pp.387-397. Weetman, P., 2010. Management Accounting .2nd ed. Essex: Pearson Education Limited. Welsch, G. A., Hilton, R. W., Gordan, P. N., 1988. Budgeting Profit, Planning and Control. 5th ed. New Jersey: Prentice Hall.

Study On The Definition Of Evidence Based Practice

Study On The Definition Of Evidence Based Practice I have studied Nursing for 4 years in the Philippines and I have not encounter the term Evidence Based Practice. It took me by surprise that such subject exist. On my first day of class at Thames Valley University I have learned that EBP is about exploring a medical intervention through research of published research articles based on clinical trial conducted by various researchers and clinicians. The process starts by proposing a research question, and I chose to focus on Pain Management but I have notice that pharmacological management is too common. For such reason, I have decided to aim the attention of my research to Non-pharmacological Management such as Diversional Therapy. This kind of therapy is seldom used in the clinical setting because a lot of medicines are being discovered and used as often. As the process continues, I have learned how to properly critically appraise an article and notice its importance no matter how old it was and enhance my problem solving skills. Fur thermore, adjusting and somehow changing the learning method is a big alteration I have encounter as I need to spend a lot of time reading and making the paper. After all the amplitude I put into making this Folder of Evidence, I consider the entire course a success. I have learned so much of new things that somehow I ignored before. Mapping Grid: Module Learning Outcomes Evidence 1 Evidence 2 Evidence 3 Evidence 4 Identify and critically examine priorities for improving practice. Page 12 Para 1 [P] Asses the ability to identify evidence and critically appraise its value. Page 15 Para 2 [P] Critically analyze the change description and understanding about the nature of evidence in health care practice. Page 12 Para 1 [C] Page 18- 21 Para 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 [P] Evaluate the possibility and effectiveness of evidence for change in practice. Page 24- 25 Para 2, 5 [P] Learning Log: Study Day 1: 11th October 2010 Topic Understanding the Nature of Evidence Key Concepts/Issues Evidence Based Practice History Development Teaching/Learning Lecture Group Discussion Information Skills Development Classroom Activity AM Exploration of the Concept of Evidence Based Practice. PM Sources of Evidence Developing Search Skills Library Session (1) Brief Notes Evidence based practice is providing the best evidence of treatment to facilitate effective treatment/intervention. A discussion of what to be expected from folder of evidence as it highlights how the folder will be collated and how to set aims and objectives for FOE. Study Day 2: 25th October 2010 Topic Questioning Practice/Research Questions: Finding Evidence Key Concepts/Issues The relationship between questions and types of evidence; Questioning own practice explore types of research questions. Developing simple and structure search strategies Teaching/Learning Lecture Group Discussion Group Presentation Information Skills Development Classroom Activity AM Group Presentation: Evidence Based Practice Group Poster Presentation Concepts Definitions and Understandings Session Relationship Between Questions and Types of Evidence Descriptive and Relational Questions PM Writing Searchable Questions for Evidence Based Practice PICO Identifying Preliminary Search Terms Developing Search Skills Library Session (2) Brief Notes We discussed how to proposed a searchable question and how important it is. I formulated a topic based on my own interest and experience beforehand. Revision of question also was supervised and breakdown using PICO framework. Study Day 3: 8th November 2010 Topic Differentiating Between Research Paradigms. Key Concepts/Issues Evidence Based Practice Experimental Research Naturalistic Research Teaching/Learning Lecture Group Discussion Quiz Information Skills Development Classroom Activity AM Quiz Review Research Designs Discussion of Types of Questions (researchable and unsearchable questions). Group Work to Refine Final Practice Issue and Search Question Refine PICO Framework for Search PM Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria Appraisal Tools, CASP, SIGN, AGREE Group Work Assessment and Discussion of Two Papers Retrieved Last Week. (Question, Design, Methods and Results). Brief Notes I have learn the different types of research designs that supports my research scheme for the 5 primary articles together with supporting documents that will be used in making EBP. This session also emphasizes the importance of PICO as this will help how to refine searches. Different appraisal tool was also discussed and its importance as this provide effective filter for the reliability and validity of published literature. Study Day 4: 29th November 2010 Topic Systematic Reviews/Meta-analysis: An Introduction Appraising Evidence Part 1. Key Concepts/Issues Systematic Reviews Developing Critical Appraisal Skills Teaching/Learning Lecture Group Discussion Group Presentation Individual Exercise Classroom Activity AM Group Presentation Features of Systematic Review Group Discussion How Does an SR Differ From a Traditional Review? Appraising a Systematic Review Individual Exercise and Group Discussion. PM Using Appraisal Tools Appraising of an RCT and a Qualitative Study Using CASP or an Alternative Appraisal Tool. Group Discussion Analysing the Appraisal Process and Effectiveness of the Appraisal Tool. Brief Notes A systematic review is a study that identifies, appraise, select ans synthesize a collection of research articles with relevance to each piece of work. Critically appraising a systematic review article excludes lesser quality studies to minimize error and bias in the findings. It Assess the validity of research by means of determining whether the methods used during the study can be trusted to provide a genuine, accurate account of the treatment being studied. Study Day 5: 6th December 2010 Topic Establishing the Quality of Evidence Key Concepts/Issues Making Judgements About the Quality of Evidence Synthesising Evidence Teaching/Learning Lecture Group Discussion workshop Individual Exercise Classroom Activity AM GRADE How to Move from Evidence to Recommendations. Workshop- Grading Evidence PM Tutorials Independent Work or Further Electronic Searches. Brief Notes As I appraise each primary articles collected, a summary of critical appraisal of the 5 primary articles was made. This strategy helped me to make an apprehension toward the affirmation of each articles towards making the summative 3. Study Day 6 13th December 2010 Topic Implementing EBP Key Concepts/Issues Translating Evidence Into Practice Implementing EBP Guiding Principles for Implementing EBP Barriers to Implementing EBP Teaching/Learning Lecture Group Discussion Group Presentation Individual Exercise Classroom Activity AM Group discussion Identify Barriers to Implementing Evidence Base in Practice Identify Strategies to Implementation that Avoid/Overcome these Barriers. PM Students to work in pairs to devise a search strategy for use in one electronic database to identify an article that describes and evaluates the introduction of evidence based change in practice. Brief Notes Implementation has its various barriers to consider such as time, support, lack of knowledge, lack of motivation of the workers and too much research evidence. As a group activity we critique an implementation article as to determine the process of implementation of the studied intervention. Study Day 7 10th January 2011 Topic Evaluating EBP Key Concepts/Issues Evaluating Changes in Practice Application of a Framework for Evaluating Change. Final Module Evaluation Teaching/Learning Lecture Group Discussion Group Presentation Individual Exercise Classroom Activity Measurement for Improvement/Change Sustainability of Change Examine Effectiveness of Evaluation Strategies. Module Evaluation and Individual Tutorials Brief Notes It discussed about the evaluation process of a study and the use of guidelines in each step. Evaluation meant by achieving a research aims and objectives and most importantly if the study conducted able to answer the hypothesis, as this entails whether the study is effective or not. SUMMATIVE WORK Summative 1: Concept of Evidence-based Practice The challenge for best quality of care, combined with the need for recommended usage of resources has heightened the pressure on health care professionals to ensure that clinical procedures is based on sound evidence. Frequent change and advancement in treatments, an increasingly numbers of research information, and the increase of expectations from clients to provide the best care possible, place high demands on healthcare providers to maintain a service that is based on current best evidence. (Bennett and Bennett, 2000). Evidence-based practice (EBP) is a clear path to healthcare wherein health professionals use the best evidence possible, such as the most suitable information available, clinical decisions for individual patients. EBP values, enhances, and builds on clinical expertise, knowledge of disease process, and patho-physiology (McKibbon,1997). Evidence-based practice presume knowledge of and skills in literature searching, research methodologies apprehension , appraisal an d apprehension of research. It also requires healthcare professionals to have access, critique and coordinate literature study with clinical experience and clients aspect. In order to gain a greater interpretation about the nature of evidence in the context of health care, consideration needs to be given to the history of the evidence-based health care movement while the concept was originated in medicine, it has influenced a wide range of health professions (Trinder Reynolds, 2000). In addition, it is an approach to decision-making that has permeated all aspects of healthcare. Its characterize can be seen in many of the leading health systems and government health policies across the world. EBP model highlights the value of research as a source of information which is potentially less biased than other sources for informing practice, it also clearly acknowledges the importance of integrating this research with clinical expertise and clients perspectives (Sackett et al., 2000). Moreover, it involves complex and reliable decision-making based not on available evidence alone but also on patient characteristics, situations, and preferences. Changing practice is not easy to do therefore careful selection of the topic is very significant. For the benefit of the patient is of first importance when selecting a topic, however it can not be the main basis as to literary evidence is inadequate to figure what are the benefits. Researchers must also consider the time, level of consumption and other resources for the study. Research evidence is most frequently found in peer-reviewed journals as this is where results are first published and where enough detail on methodology exists to make informed judgements on the validity and clinical relevance of the findings (Bury Jerosch-Herold, 1998). Research using the strongest and most appropriate study design for the question being studied, will provide the best evidence. Summarizing the evidence is a vast intellectual endeavor according to Fitzpatrick (2007). Healthcare workers must be capable combining ideas and recommendations from an extent of references to make appropriate advices. Implementing a plan is consider challenging because standards and regulation of an organization can either help or ruin an EBP approach to care. Evaluation process involves short term and long term coverage to provide essential data. Word count= 503 Reference List: Bennett S Bennett J (2000) The process of evidence-based practice in occupational therapy: Informing clinical decisions. Australian Occupational Therapy Journal. 47 p171-180. McKibbon K (1997) Evidence-based practice. Bulletin of Medical Library Association. 86(3)p396-401 Trinder, L., Reynolds, S. (Eds). (2000). Evidence-Based Practice A critical appraisal. Oxford: Blackwell Science. Sackett D, Richardson W, Rosenberg W, Haynes R (2000).Evidence based medicine: How to practice and teach EBM (2nd edn). Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone. Bury T Jerosch-Herold C. (1998). Reading and critical appraisal of the literature. Evidencebased healthcare. A practical guide for therapists Oxford: Butterworth Heinemann. p136-161 Fitzpatrick J (2007. Finding the research for evidence-based practice,part one: The development of EBP 103 (17) p.32-33 Summative 2: Critical discussion on formulating question using PICO There are many times that new information is required when contemplating clients in order to analyze clinical problems and make treatment resolutions, and these questions pertains to a specific client or groups of people. Questions usually arise concerning the effectiveness and choices of an intervention, how treatments are best implemented and whether there are any associated difficulties included (Bennett and Bennett, 2000).The question for this study is about the effectiveness of Diversional Activities as a form of pain management to paediatric clients. Pain management is the alleviation of agony and suffering of a patient with the use of Pharmacological and Non-pharmacological treatment or nursing intervention. Diversional therapy is a non-pharmacological approach and a client centered practice that recognizes the leisure and recreational experiences of an individual (Diversional Therapy Association of Australia,2008).Through the act of psychological and behavioral factors regard ing pain, complimentary medicine are significant in altering pain experiences. These interventions bears to minimize fear, worry, pain and heighten a clients bodily process. According to Bennett and Bennett (2000), when there is uncertainty, the need for information can be interchange into a clinical question. Clearly framing a question not only clarifies what to aim, but it can also facilitate the search for answers. Sackett et al. (1997) point out that the identification of congruent data for answering a particular clinical question may be facilitated by diving the question into components including: A client or a dilemma being considered, an intervention or indicator being considered, outcomes of interest you would like to measure or achieve and a comparison. PICO represents an acronym for Patient, Intervention, Comparison and Outcome. These four components are the essential elements of the research question in EBP and of the construction of the question for the search of evidence (Santos et al. 2007). The PICO strategy can be used to compose several kinds of research analysis, originated from clinical practice, human and material resource management, the search of evidence assessment instruments, among others. The research question allows for the correct definition of which evidence is needed to solve the clinical research question, focuses on the research scope and avoids unnecessary searching (Fleming, 1999). Based on the clinical question formulated and utilization of PICO, a literature search strategy can then be formulated that includes search terms reflecting each component of the question. The next step in the evidence-based practice process is to search the literature for evidence that may assist in acknowledging the question posed. The literature search will be focused by the clinical question that has been identified with use of PICO, as well as other relevant information (Bennett and Bennett, 2000). While evidence for informing clinical decisions may come from various sources including clinical experience, education, textbooks, discussion amongst colleagues and from clients, evidence from well-performed research may be less prone to bias or to the tendency to believe what we want to believe ( Tickle-Degnen, 1999).The internet and the portals of open-access journals allow for accessibility to knowledge, keywords such as non-pharmacological, complimentary medicine and diversional therapy were used to search for the 5 primary articles to be used for this study. An article must be good and interesting, should be well written, and old articles are also considered. Moreo ver, comprises a body of knowledge in academic and scientific based from an original research. Word count= 548 Reference List: Bennett S and Bennett J (2000) The process of evidence-based practice in occupational therapy: Informing clinical decisions. Australian Occupational Therapy Journal. 47 p.171-180 Diversional Therapy Association of Australia(2008) what is diversional therapy?[online]. Available at:http://www.diversionaltherapy.org.au/Home/tabid/38/Default.aspx Flemming K.(1999) Critical appraisal 2: Searchable questions.NT Learn Curve 3(2) p. 6-7. Sackett DL, Straus S, Richardson S, Rosenberg W, Haynes RB (2000) Evidence-based medicine: how to practice and teach EBM. Churchill Livingstone. 2nd edition. Santos C, Pimenta C, Nobre M.(2007) The PICO strategy for the research question construction and evidencesearch. Rev Latino-am Enfermagem maio-junho. 15(3) p.508-11. Tickle-Degnen,L. (1999). Organizing, evaluating and using evidence in occupational therapy practice. American Journal of Occupational Therapy; 53 p.537 539. Summative 3: Synthesis of research findings. This part of work is the review of the 5 primary articles chosen for the topic effectiveness of diversional activities for pain management to pediatric clients. The articles will be analyzed by using CASP tool, examining each relevant findings and by compare and contrasting ideas of each authors, thus, resulting to further evaluation of such intervention in hospital and non-hospital setting for its efficacy. This research desires to have a thorough understanding of non-pharmacological intervention in managing pain to children that soon will complement pharmacological management by provide stronger evidence. Pain is a dreadful feeling and emotional experience related to injury or damage to children s body, it is usually caused by trauma, disease, medical procedure or surgery. Pain may affect children s appetite, sleeping patterns and lessen energy level hence disabling child to do things. Pediatric pain is complex and often difficult to assess, that is why effective pain management in children is a challenge to medical practitioners because there are many special considerations when providing treatment. On the other hand, non-pharmacological therapies or diversional activities are treatment that do not use medicines to decrease or control child s pain. They may convey comfort to the patient during a long standing condition or illness. Certain activities may help improve the child s state by making him/her more comfortable and relaxed. It involves methods such as teaching and leading your child through thinking exercises and other techniques. It can also be used before and after a child undergoes painful experience, such as medical procedure or surgery. Vessey et al. (1994) stated that, Distraction is the single most commonly used diversional activity among children. Fernandez (1986) stated that distraction refers to the direction of attention to a non-noxious event or stimulus in the immediate environment. When a patient worries too much about his/her pain causes more pain than what is really there. Vessey et al (1994) surveyed 100 children, aged 3 years to 12 years, majority are males (62%) to examine the effectiveness of Distraction method during venipuncture or needle prick, the child s memory may lead to stressful psychological responses, such as crying, and physical responses such as venous constriction during the procedures. It is important that in conducting a study the respondent s age, developmental level and prior hospital experience must be considered during the selection, Broome (1985). Furthermore, Researchers uses the Wong-Baker FACES pain rating scale in evaluating children s perception of pain. Wong-baker pains scal e is know to be a reliable and valid device for children 3- 18 years of age in evaluating their pain,Wong and Baker (1988). In using distraction, the patients may paint, play with friends, watch TV and play with board games or video games and other novelty toys to help them relax and deflect their attention during the procedure since it provokes curiosity and require children to use their auditory, visual, tactile and /or kinesthetic senses. These activities may keep them from thinking about the pain. Weekes et al (1988) Distress is known to cancer patients for years during and after the completion of anti cancer treatments. According to National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE), (2005) the role of imagination can play in a childs ability to cope with painful operations. The NICE concluded that there was a strong evidence for the use of hypnosis in alleviating chronic pain associated with cancer. Richardson et al (2006) mentioned that hypnosis is a method where the subject is guided by another to respond to suggestions for changes in subjective experience such as perception, sensation, emotion, thought or behavior. It can be utilized in a variety of ways to cut down stress, acquire coping strategies and halt the experience of pain. Self-hypnosis tends to ease self management of symptoms, hence providing a sense of self-efficacy and control over pain and distress, however, it creates less therapeutic benefit compared to therapist- directed hypnosis. It is evident that patien ts who underwent hypnosis reported less anxiousness and pain while using direct and indirect forms of hypnosis, demonstrating leveled effectiveness. Though, there is some evidence that under hypnosis, girls exhibited more distress behavior compared to boys, Katz et al (1987). Richardson et al (2006) concluded that hypnosis has potential as a clinically valued intervention that could impart to the establishment of procedure- related pain and distress in pediatric cancer patients. Oshikoya et al ( 2008) reported that complementary and alternative medicine has been advantageous for children by some parents, such benefits includes prevention of illness, maintenance of good health, relief of musculoskeletal pain, control of asthma symptoms, treatment of mild respiratory problems, relief of sickle cell anemia and enhancement of the immune system in cancer. 80% of the parents used alternative medicine to cure their children during the study, however, 7% discontinue the use of such practice because the symptoms of the illness come about in their children with exacerbation after their regular medications had been discontinued. Moreover, Kemper et al (2010) expressed that pediatric patients benefit from stress reduction by means of using complimentary medicines and techniques such as biofeedback which teaches the child to control and calm body s reactions when there is pain, it is one of the treatments researched most extensively for migraine, Allen (2004). Guided ima gery is used by letting the patient imagine that he/she is his/her favorite place, the patient will feel safe and relaxed and pain may be decrease. Relaxation and self-hypnosis methods that re mostly used for migraines and headache by asking the child to breathe slowly and deeply and let the patient imagine that his/her muscles are relaxing.. Holroyd and Drew (2006) stated that cognitive behavioral therapy has been utilized successfully to help manage headaches, depression, and anxiety, Lawler and Cameron (2006). This practice has proven effective in reducing migraine headaches, improves mood and cognitive function through an experiment. Also, Acupuncture and Massage can help both adults and pediatric patients who have chronic headache and can be provided by family members, which allows for more regular, inexpensive and favorable treatments. Salantera et al (1999) investigates 265 nurses about the knowledge and abilities of nurses towards pain management of pediatric clients. Health care practitioners such as nurses, are well placed to provide such supportive interventions in both pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments. According to Ross et al (1991) Healthcare providers lack of knowledge and negative attitudes may lead to under medication and under treatment of pain. Nurses are close to the children the whole day and have more chance to use non-pharmacological pain management methods in their work. Clarke et al (1996) that education about pain was most inadequate in areas of non-pharmacological interventions to relieve pain, the difference between acute and chronic pain, and the anatomy and physiology of pain. Nurses knowledge differed according to their age, education, and place of work, and uses a fairly wide range of non-pharmacological pain alleviation methods, most of the time the nurse was in the activ e role and the child was passive, restricting the child to take an active part in their own pain comfort. Studies shows that children like to have some responsibility for their own care. Furthermore, Pederson and Harbaugh (1995) explicit that there are obstacles in terms of using non-pharmacological pain management in hospital setting and found to be that excess workload, lack of proper materials, lack of knowledge and skills, and not knowing the child were the most common problems nurses confronts. Some of them felt that they receive very brief education on non-pharmacological pain management, and 90% had no documented evidence of the use of any non-pharmacological modalities to relieve pain that will serve as nurse s guidelines. The nurses who thought they had good knowledge about non-pharmacological management got a lower score from the survey, nurses consider themselves knowledgeable in stress reduction but not in play therapy and hypnosis method. Effective pain management in ch ildren requires cognition of both pharmacological and non-pharmacological methods. There are evidence found that nurse s characteristics, such as age, knowledge, experience, intuition, attitudes and beliefs, as well as nurses personal experience with pain, determines their implementation of pain interventions and knowledge about it. Nurses should be encouraged to actively seek new information and extend their training. More comparative, dismantling, constructive, and process oriented research strategy is required in the area of non-pharmacological pain management and different practice of pain alleviation should be generalized. Non- pharmacological approach has been found to be an effective adjunct method for the control of pain. A wide range of complementary and alternative medicine therapies are being used by children, including herbs and dietary supplements. Given the influence of psychological and behavioral factors on pain, non-pharmacological interventions are important in altering pain perception/behaviors. Diversional activities are intervention used for managing pain in both children and adult to reduce fear and, minimize distress and pain and increase a childs sense of control. For these techniques to be effective, it must be appropriate to patient s age and developmental abilities and must also be appealing to the recipient. There is still continues need to educate the medical community regarding the long term outcomes of pain control. Word count = 1514 Reference List: Allen KD (2004) Using biofeedback to make childhood headaches less of a pain. Pediatric Annual. 33: 241-245 Broome M (1985). The child in pain: A model for assessment and intervention. Critical care quarterly, 8: 47-55 Fernandez E (1986). A classification system of cognitive coping strategies for pain. Pain. 26: 141- 151. Holroyd KA, Drew JB (2006) Behavioral approaches to the treatment of migraine. Seminar Neurology. 26: 199- 207 Katz E, Kellerman J, Ellenberg L (1987) Hypnosis in the reduction of acute pain and distress in children with cancer. Journal of Pediatric Psychology; 12: 379- 394 Kemper K, Breuner C, (2010) Complimentary, Holistic, and Integrative Medicine; Headaches. American academy of pediatrics, 31(2) p.17- 23 Lawler SP, Cameron LD (2006) A randomized, controlled trial of massage therapy as a treatment for migraine. Annual Behavioral Medicine. 32: p50-59 National Center for complimentary and alternative medicine, NIH (2007) Non-pharmacological pain management therapies for children. Available at http://nccma.nih.gov National Institute for clinical excellence (NICE) (2005) Service guidelines for improving outcomes in children and young people with cancer-second consultation. Available at http://www.nice.org.uk/pdf/cacancer_2ndcons_manual.pdf Oshikoya K, Senbanjo I, Njokanma O, Soipe A ( 2008) Use of complimentary and alternative medicines for children with chronic health conditions in Lagos, Nigeria. BMC complimentary and alternative medicine 8 (66), p.1- 8 Pederson C, Harbaugh B. (1995) Nurses use of Non-pharmacological techniques with hospitalized children. Issues comprehensive pediatric Nursing; 18: 91- 109 Richardson J, Smith J, Pilkington K (2006) Hypnosis for procedure-related pain and distress in pediatric cancer patients: A systematic review and methodology related to hypnosis interventions. Journal of Pain and symptom Management, 31 (1) p.70- 83 Ross RS, Bush JP, Crummette BD (1991) Factors affecting nurses decisions to administer PRN analgesic medication to children after surgery: an analog investigation. Journal of pediatric Psychology, 16: 151-167 Salantera S, Lauri S, Salmi T, Helenius H (1999) Nurses knowledge about pharmacological and non-pharmacological pain management in children. Journal of Pain and symptom Management, 18 (4) p. 289- 299 Vessey J, Carlson K, McGill J (1994) Use of Distraction with Children during an acute pain experience. Nursing Research, 43(6) p. 369-372 Weeeks DP, Savedra MC (1988) Adolescent cancer: coping with treatment- related pain. Journal of Pediatric Nursing; 3: 318- 328. Wong D, Baker C (1988) Pain in children s comparison of assessment scales. Pediatric Nursing, 14: 19- 17.

Fauvism and Orientalism :: Art, Painting, Madame Matisse

Henri Matisse was very undistinguished in his early periods. He was a late bloomer, learning to paint well into his thirties (Wayne 1). His first painting was Nature morte aux livres (Still Life with Books), its realist style wasn’t his forte (moodbooks.com 1). Soon Matisse was experimenting. Matisse when through many art styles in his life, from neo impressionism to pointillism, he had his fingers in many pies. In 1905 Matisse created fauvism, or the wild beasts. From then on his paintings would never be the same. He became the king of color (Cumming 99). In the 1910’s he started Orientalism. The odalisques were of a much different pattern (Abrams/Cameo 28). Fauvism and Orientalism are very different, but still alike in other ways. They can be compared on the backgrounds, colors, subjects, structure, and style. An important of any art work is the background. In the fauvist movement Matisse used different kinds of backgrounds. In portrait of Madame Matisse (The Green Line), on the left side the red background makes the red half of her body blend in to it. On the right side the green back ground makes her shoulder seem more pronounced (Abrams/Cameo 14). In his painting The Woman in the Hat the background is a powerful smear of bright colors. The reds, yellows, greens, and purples make the picture seem hectic and disordered. Some of the fauvist backgrounds had a logical reason. The background in The Young Sailor II is a soft peach color, complementing the dark, muted hues of the sailors clothing. In the Mediterranean Allegories faze of Fauvism, the backgrounds were more distinguishable. In the Game of Bowls the background is a soft green for grass and a light blue for sky. He had many paintings with this kind of background. The focus was less on expressive color and more on the story behind the painting. For about a year his backgrounds became more of the real and less of the feeling. In the same year, Matisse’s fauvist began to look at bright backgrounds again. Matisse’s painting Harmony in Red (La Desserte) has a bright patterned background. It has the feel of a textile piece, with their flat repetitive pattern (Abrams/Cameo 21). The back ground seemed to organize and guide the picture, making it just as important as the other elements (Abrams/Cameo 21). Other works like interior with Aubergines have the same quality.

Only a Girl in Boys and Girls by Alice Munro Essay -- Boys and Girls A

Only a Girl in Boys and Girls Alice Munro's short story, "Boys and Girls," explores the different roles of men and women in society through a young girl's discovery of what it means to be a girl. A close examination of the elements of a short story as they are used in "Boys and Girls" helps us to understand the meaning of the story. The story is set in the 1940s, on a fox farm outside of Jubilee, a rural area only twenty miles away from the county jail. The farm is a place that reflects the ingenuity of the narrator's father. The pens for the foxes are arranged in neat rows, inside a high guard fence like a "medieval town". The pens each contain a kennel, a wooden ramp, and dishes attached to the wire fence. The fox farm is the father's domain, a place of hard work and creativity, in which the narrator feels at home. The house itself is the mother's domain, but it is a place that the narrator shuns, as she shuns many elements of the feminine world. The contrast between the girl's concept of the farm and of the house demonstrates the conflict she experiences between her chosen position as her father's helper and her position in society as a girl. The point of view of the story is first person. The narrator is a young girl in the process of growing up, who is, at the end of the story, only eleven years old. She is a naà ¯ve narrator, being so young, and is unreliable in her view of the people around her, especially her understanding of her mother's motives. By writing the story in this way, Munro gives us a look at women's role in society through the eyes of a girl who is just finding out the effect that society's expectations have on her. The narrator is the main character of the story. As the protagonist, she is a ... ... as a girl, her role in society is different from her father's and brother's. Although limitations are placed on her, she is free to follow her own heart. This, to her, is the meaning of being "only a girl." In conclusion, the elements of this short story work together very well to demonstrate the theme of the story. The narrator's conflict between filling a masculine role and accepting a feminine one, the contrast between her mother and her father, and the setting that is divided between the mother's domain and father's domain all build the effect of the theme well. This story gives a fresh look at the question of women's role in society through the eyes of a young girl. Work Consulted: Munro, Alice. "Boys and Girls." The Norton Introduction to Literature. Eds. Carl E. Bain, Jerome Beaty and J. Paul Hunter. 6th ed. New York: Norton, 1995. 465-75.

Game Playing and Artificial Intelligence Essay -- Video Games AI

Game Playing and Artificial Intelligence Abstract Since the inception of the field of Artificial Intelligence (AI), game playing has had a key role. Likewise, AI has been an integral part of modern computer games. This collaboration of academic and commercial research and development into AI has yielded vast amounts of crossover technology. Academic research problems have become or influenced commercial games and the money gained from the commercial applications of AI have helped advance academic research as well. Highly publicized man-machine tournaments, such as between Gary Kasparov and IBM's Deep Blue have served to showcase the current state of the art in Artificial Intelligence agents. The technology from these game players is finding its way into many other software fields, such as medical databases. Introduction Not long ago, at the mention of Artificial Intelligence (AI) the first thing most people thought of was the science fiction image of computers capable of independent thought and possessing a human-like personality such as HAL from the movie 2001. It is not unusual now to see commercial computer games advertised and reviewed based on their AI capabilities. The strategic war game EARTH 2140 for example is advertised as containing "excellent strategic and economic AI". Where once AI was solely a matter of fiction and research, it has effectively made its way into the consumer market in the form of computer games. While AI artifacts have not yet reached the level of HAL, computers and their games have advanced substantially from the days of punch cards and Pong. The early uses of Artificial Intelligence in game playing were not the highly graphical, user friendly, mass marketed computer games seen today. The e... ...hat the game required "robot-like planning abilities,"2 not deep search. The tools used to solve problems in AI will continue to evolve via game playing as long as there are new games to play and new computers on which to play them. Bibliography 1. AAAI Hall of Champions, Matthew L. Ginsberg, 2. "Smart games: beyond the Deep Blue horizon" Sara Hedberg IEEE Expert July/August 1997 3. "Deep Blue Wins 3.5 to 2.5: Kasparov vs. Deep Blue the rematch" IM Malcolm Pein, London Chess Centre May 11, 1997 4. "Classic Games and AI - What's Been "Solved"", Steven Woodcock 5. "Deep Blue's Hardware - Software Synergy" Scott Hamilton and Lee Garber Computer October 1997 6. "Debbi One: Challenging the Extremes of Computation", George Kaplan 7. Interplay's Earth 2140 Website 8. "Ultima Online", Cindy Yans Computer Games Strategy Plus July 1997 Pages 44 - 49