The Present US Policy on Foreign Born Nurses Essay

The Present US Policy on Foreign Born Nurses - Essay Example As the report declares the present policy allows the foreign nurses to get a working visa in United States hospitals within an average of sixty days. The new policy will make the minimum working visa processing extended to the three years period. The new policy that will eventually affect doctors and technical workers is the result of the September 11 attack on the twin towers of New York and the White House. The longer waiting time for the foreign nurses will help the United States immigration department to scrutinize the application papers of these foreigners. This paper stresses that the advantages of the present US policy limiting the number of foreign workers has the following advantages: Only a selected few are admitted to the US workforce. Only those who pass the CGFNS and NCLEX and the Test of English as a foreign language plus they must have the necessary job experiences and educational requirements are most likely to be admitted to the United States. The job opportunities of the United States nursing workforce is not as much threatened. Only 4% of the total present nursing workforce is dominated by foreign nurses. There is a strong feeling among the a group of United States nurses that there is really no need to hire foreign nurses. Extending the time required to process a nurse working visa from six months to three years will make it similar to the time requirement of three years in other fields of study like engineers, doctors, among others.

Smart phones Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Smart phones - Research Paper Example Also, the process was slow and, in particular, the previous management of information systems where most organizations had fewer computers used to retrieve and store information. In addition, the process of sharing information prior to the advent of smartphones was challenging because workers had to take notes from their seniors who sometimes are fast or not audible. However, smartphones bring flexibility and efficiency at the workplace that can help the organization to improve the speed of sharing information and ensuring projects are completed on time (Baltzan, Detlor, & Welsh, 2012). This paper examines how smartphones help to enhance the management of information systems. The widespread use of smartphones in the office environment as a medium for accessing, sharing and using information is influenced by the need to hasten the communication of vital information between employees in an organization. In a globalized business environment, employees require access to more resources, and this includes vital information that can help them to improve their efficiency and overall performance of the organization. Smartphones are not only portable but also has vital features that can improve the sharing of information between employees in the workplace environment. Such key feature include, for example, voice calling, text, emailing and video conference that has become an important platform where the top management in different geographical location can relay important information to junior staff in other regions across the world. For example, the top management can utilize smartphones for video conferencing since they can communicate important information to w orkers who are million miles away in real time (Carayannis & Clark, 2011). Further, smartphones also have several software applications that are relevant for sharing vital informational

Probation and Life in Prison Essay Example for Free

Probation and Life in Prison Essay Probation In the early days of our country, severe punishments were often meted out with little regard to the seriousness of the offense. There was no such thing as being sentenced to probation in the 18th century. The concept of probation, or giving a convicted criminal a chance to redeem himself without serving time in prison, was first introduced in 1841 by John Augustus. In August of that year, Augustus decided to try a radical approach with a man convicted of being drunk and disorderly. The man swore to Augustus that he would change his ways if only he did not have to serve time in the House of Correction. Augustus believed the man and he posted bail. Augustus went on to help others in the same fashion and eventually became regarded â€Å"a private angel and guardian of men convicted of crime† (Friedman, 1993, 162). Massachusetts was the first state to formally recognize this option in criminal sentencing in 1878 with the remaining states following suit throughout the rest of the century and onto into the early part of the 1900’s. It would take some fine-tuning to bring probation up to its current standards. Early probation officers enjoyed no formal training and many states were without prerequisites for passing this form of sentencing. In the early years, probation was often given in exchange for a guilty plea most often to married men, those who held jobs and exhibited no apparent vices. Judges used the sentence of probation prodigiously for several decades. It was only in the 1980’s, when the public clamored for stiffer penalties, that probation lost favor. In 1986, only 28% of male felony defendants were awarded probation as compared to nearly half of those convicted in 1970 (Friedman, 1993, 409). Probation initially became popular as the thrust of the legal system shifted from focusing on the â€Å"what† (the crime) to the â€Å"who† (the criminal) and how to best reform the offender (Friedman, 1993, 168). More recently, the focus has become a bit more equally fixed on both preventing the crime and rehabilitation of the criminal. Today, offenders on probation are closely monitored by correctional officers through surveillance in the community. Often, some sort of restitution is also involved with the goal of making the offender accountable and responsible in order to rejoin the community without potential further risk (Jones, 2). This option allows the offender to serve a sentence under â€Å"house arrest† and maintain a job rather than be integrated into the prison system, which is already strained to its limit. The level of supervision varies based on the crime committed. For those convicted of drug charges, a more constant monitoring system is used, often electronic. Another alternative is to use a â€Å"combination of prison time and work release/community service† (Jones, 3). Probation is often used as a condition of plea bargaining for a lesser sentence in exchange for information or a guilty plea. Plea bargaining came about as a quick, and cheap way, to move defendants through the legal system and probation helps to keep minor criminals out of jail. The concept of probation has evolved in many ways since its inception in the 1800’s but it still incorporates the integral idea of giving a convicted criminal a degree of trust. Prison Life: Comparison and Contrast with Life in General Society According to the dictionary, the definition of a prison is â€Å"A place for the confinement of persons in lawful detention, especially persons convicted of crimes; a place or condition of confinement or forcible restraint or a state of imprisonment or captivity.† Prisons first came about as a means of correctional punishment. In colonial times, punishment was often a way to shame the criminal in public; putting someone in prison did not have the same effect as putting him or her out in public view to submit to shame and scorn. When prison was used for sentencing, jail terms were generally short and in most cases less than 30 days. It was not until the 1800’s that prisons were built in more abundance and courts used them for sentencing on a regular basis. Today prison systems vary widely according to level of security and the state in which they are located. The aim of each and every one is still the same, however, and that is to deprive a convicted criminal of freedom. For a prisoner there is no freedom of choice. He is told when to wake up in the morning, when it is meal time, when to work, when to exercise, when to go to bed. There are no food choices or menus and the prisoner must either eat what is given him or go hungry. No comforts of home await him in his cell; the prisoner is lucky to be able to have a selection of books and perhaps a photo or two to keep him company. At night, lights are turned off at a particular time. Cell checks can be performed at any time of night or day. There is no privacy for bathing or bodily functions. The prisoner is unable to have any items that are not approved by the system. He also has no choice regarding a cell mate unless undue violence forces a cell change. Most prisons do not allow televisions or even radios as forms of entertainment; even when they are allowed there is no satellite or cable attached and no choice of programming. The work program is enforced in many prisons with prisoners being allocated to do jobs that benefit the community or provide food or clothing for the system. Any â€Å"luxury† items must be earned and paid for with pitifully low wages. In comparison, life in general society is full of choices. As a free citizen, people in this country are allowed to choose where they live, where they work, what they eat and what they do. There are no proscribed times in which they are forced to do anything and if they are unhappy at their job, they are allowed to quit and find work elsewhere. The times in which free citizens awaken in the morning and go to bed at night are at their own discretion; if someone wishes to never turn out the light and stay up all night, he may do so. He has the ability to go out and purchase items at will, as needed or desired. The private citizen can choose to live as he wants whether that be in clean or messy surroundings, in a house filled with knick knacks and furniture or a more austere setting. Entertainment options abound. In short, nothing short of illegal activity is prohibited for a free citizen. Whether in prison or out in general society, there are still rules made by our national and state governments to be abided by and morals which govern our actions. In prison it is more closely monitored while in general society citizens do not warrant such close supervision. As well, people in either situation must earn what they have. Loss of freedom is the biggest difference between living in prison or living outside. Contrast and Comparison of Georgia and Florida State Prisons In the Georgia state prison system, the dormitories shown are used for housing groups of prisoners who require minimal security. Rows of bunk beds are stacked two high and furnished with a thin blanket and pillow. A box beneath the bunk is the only place for personal items. The lighting is industrial and the flooring is utilitarian and easy to keep clean. It is surprising that there is a wide expanse of windows. Other than the addition of appliances and counters, the prison kitchen looks much the same as the dormitory. It looks to be well stocked, much as a large commercial kitchen might be furnished. The health intake area is set up like a school room with rows of small wooden desks headed by a larger desk manned by a prison employee. The state of Georgia’s correctional system offers a boot camp, a diversion center, probation detention, and transitional centers in addition to the state prisons. The state runs several farms, which provide all the food for the prisoners incarcerated at the low cost of $1.51 per prisoner per day. The Florida state prisons use a traditional cell configuration built in two stories overlooking a central corridor as well as the dormitory concept. According to the website, most of the Florida correctional facilities use dorm housing. The bunks in these dorms are not stacked but are situated individually in rows. A row of small, high windows lines one wall while fluorescent lighting illuminates the area. Cells house either one or two men and have two cots that pull down from the wall with a thin blanket and pillow on each. There is one small window in the exterior wall and a narrow door. A sink and open toilet are the only other furnishings. Death row cells are even more sparse and small with a total size of 6’ x 9’ x 9.5’. They have no window and a barred entrance. Death row cells are configured for only one person. The majority of inmates in the Florida state correctional system are enrolled in either a substance abuse program, a vocational education or adult education program. They also participate in Prison Rehabilitative Industries and Diversified Enterprises or Prison Industry Enhancement work programs. Inmates also grow some of their own food and both prison systems seem to be doing a good job of keeping food costs down through farming their own vegetables. The two prison systems are similar in their housing set ups. Cells and dormitories are sparse and barren. Both systems require prisoners to be involved in production of the food used within the facilities and offer work programs. Both Florida and Georgia’s state systems offer probation and transitionary facilities. The Florida state correctional system has more programs available and more options for rehabilitation of prisoners. The Georgia system seems to offer more minimal security facilities although they did not have a virtual tour of anything other than dormitories posted on their website and they most certainly house death row inmates. Georgia’s website is set up more for the convenience of family members of those incarcerated while the Florida website focuses more on the hard facts of prison life as a deterrence measure. While both states offer model facilities for incarceration of criminals, neither system looks particularly inviting or homey. References Friedman, Lawrence M (1993). Crime and Punishment in American History. New York: HarperCollins Publishers. Jones, Calvin. â€Å"Alternatives to Standard Methods of Incarceration†. Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Retrieved November 8, 2007 from the FDOLE Web site: â€Å"Virtual Prison Tour. Georgia Department of Corrections. Retrieved November 8, 2007 from the GDOC Web site: http://www.dcor.state.ga.us/AboutGDC/VRTour.html.

Values Practice Issues Within Mental Health Nursing Practice

Values Practice Issues Within Mental Health Nursing Practice Using the values identified in the attached book (empathy and importance of self expression) review prepare a 2000 word discussion and analysis of values practice issues within mental health nursing practice. Introduction This essay aims to explore some issues around values and practice in mental health nursing. The essay builds upon a previous piece of work undertaken as a formative assignment, a review of a book read by the author, which raised some key points which may be important in mental health nursing practice. The process of uncovering these issues, in response to reviewing and reading a work of fiction, was one which led to a connection of ideas, from what the book presented, and from the author’s personal experience, life experience, and clinical experience and learning to date. The identified issues are to do with compassion, empathy and the importance of self-expression. These are all issues which the author believes are very much taken for granted in everyday life, but which become very significant for users of mental health services, and for mental health service providers, because they affect many areas of the person, their experience, and the therapeutic relationship. This essay will explore these issues in the light of some of the published theory and debate on these topics, and the author’s own point of view and experiences. Discussion It would seem that within mental health nursing, the relationship between the mental health nurse and the client is very important, but this relationship is based on certain values which must underpin nursing care (Eagger et al, 2005), and certain needs or requirements that the client might feel in relation to the nurse. Nurses working within a framework of values is no new thing, and values (and ethics) have always underpinned medicine and healthcare (Eagger et al, 2005). According to Svedberg et al (2003), â€Å"Mental health is created by the interwoven process of one’s relationship to oneself and to others†, which would suggest that the relationships the client forms with anyone involved in supporting mental health are doubly important. The client may find self-expression important for themselves, but also they will require compassion from the mental health nurse. The nurse, in turn, may be challenged by the client’s self-expression, and may find it hard to feel compassion or to empathise with the client at times. One of the challenges of providing compassionate care and even for the mental health nurse to experience compassion is the supposed relationship which some authors have found between perceived suffering and caregiver compassion. Schulz et al (2007) suggest that there are links between perceived suffering and the level of caregiver compassion. If this is the case, then it could be argued that some mental health nurses who do not feel or display compassion are doing so because on some level they do not perceive or believe the client to be truly suffering, or to be worthy of compassion. This would raise an ethical issue, because all the patient’s needs should be met, no matter what the ‘personal’ response to the client. However, this could be a lack of perception on the part of the mental health nurse. Akerjordet and Severinsson (2004) discuss the issue of emotional intelligence in nursing, a concept which affects the nurse-patient relationship, particularly within mental health nursing. Salovey and Mayer (1990) define emotional intelligence as â€Å"the ability to monitor ones own and others feelings and emotions, to discriminate among them and to use this information to guide ones thinking and actions† (p 185). In their qualitative study, Akerjordet and Severinsson (2004) found four dominant themes about emotional intelligence in mental health nursing â€Å"relationship with the patient; the substance of supervision; motivation; and responsibility.† This would suggest that emotional intelligence on the part of the nurse is important within mental health nursing. Akerjordet and Severinsson (2004) suggest that emotional intelligence â€Å"stimulates the search for a deeper understanding of a professional mental health nursing identity† and that â€Å"emotional learning and maturation processes are central to professional competence, that is, personal growth and development.† (p 164). Therefore, the mental health nurse would need to develop the emotional intelligence to understand why they are finding it hard to feel compassion for the client, and to take action to remedy this, and to act in a sensitive and supportive way towards the client, even if they do not truly feel compassionate towards them. Shattell et al (2007) carried out research on the therapeutic relationship within mental health services, and found that clients expressed experiences of the therapeutic relationship under the following themes: relate to me, know me as a person, and get to the solution. â€Å"A therapeutic relationship for persons with mental illness requires in-depth personal knowledge, which is acquired only with time, understanding, and skill. Knowing the whole person, rather than knowing the person only as a service recipient.† (Shattell et al, 2007 p 274). This would suggest that the mental health nurse should be motivated to develop an empathy with the client through this knowledge, and should actively engage in seeking out ways to know and to understand the client. This may relate back to the issue of emotional intelligence, because the mental health nurse needs to know themselves very well, and to understand themselves and their professional persona (Akerjordet and Severinsson, 2004) b efore they can then go on to get to know and understand, and empathise with, the client. Hamilton and Roper (2007) discuss the concept of insight, looking at its theoretical underpinnings, and the fact that it is problematic in mental health nursing because it can be difficult to have insight into patient’s experiences of mental illness. Insight is seen as part of the process of getting to know and understand the client, and from this, developing a knowledge of their mental illness, including diagnosing their particular mental illness (Hamilton and Roper, 2007). However, developing this insight is made difficult by problems such as the perceived difference in power between caregiver and client, and the expectations of ‘patient behaviours’ (Hamilton and Roper, 2007). This would suggest that the mental health nurse needs to see each patient as an individual, as unique, and to take the time to truly get to know the person and their experience of mental illness. Definitions of mental illness, and labels, can make this harder, for the nurse, and for the cl ient as well, who fears being reduced to his or her disease rather than being seen as a person who is ill (Hamilton and Roper, 2007; Shattell et al, 2007). Research by Shatell et al (2006) emphasises this point. In their study, clients raised a number of issues around being understood by mental health caregivers, and it was this concept of being understood which seemed most important in developing an effective therapeutic relationship. Some of these concepts include: feeling important; establishing connections, and being on the same level (Shatell et al, 2006). Research by Svedberg et al (2003) found similar results, and in their study â€Å"the patients described how the feeling of mutuality in the relationship with the nurse was important for the promotion of health processes. Mutuality was achieved by doing things together and by having a dialogue with each other.† (p 451). This author feels that these ideals can be properly achieved by mental health nurses who take time to get to know the client and who develop empathy with the client through focusing attention on them. The patients wanted to feel understood in Shatell et alà ¢â‚¬â„¢s (2006) study. â€Å" Feeling important was a major consequence of being understood. Being understood made patients feel like human beings rather than being treated like a number or being treated like in a factory. Participants wanted to be treated like human beings, not as sick, mentally ill persons; like persons, not a set of diagnoses â€Å" (Shatell et al, 2006 p 237). This could be viewed as a consequence of the compassion and self-awareness of the nurse as a professional, and of their ability to see the client as an individual, to not be prejudiced by anything about them, especially not their illness. This is very important. This author believes that compassion and empathy develop through getting to know the client properly, and that these all enhance the therapeutic relationship. Shatell et al (2006) also suggest that clients feel important when they know the nurse has been thinking of them at times other than face to face contact, and this is something to think of for practice, particularly in relation to the conversations that nurses have with patients. It is also important that mental health nurses develop proper listening skills, which would also allow them to develop compassionate understanding, and support the client in expressing themselves (Freshwater, 2006). Encouraging self-expression is an important part of nurses getting to know their patients, it would seem, but self-expression is not easy for many people. People with mental illness are often negotiating a range of different sense of what constitutes their ‘self’ (Meehan and Machlachlan, 2008). â€Å" For example, a professional woman becomes a mother and wife or ‘homemaker’ when she leaves the office for home. In changing from one self to another type, her multiple self voices renegotiate their hierarchy and positions and create a coherent self story consistent with the role of mother and wife.† (Meehan and Machlachlan, 2008). These negotiations can be problematic for the person with mental illness, and this just provides one example of how complex understanding the self can be, which makes self-expression similarly challenging. Yet it would be worthwhile to develop activities and actions which would sup port this. It may be that there are ways that mental health nurses can encourage or support self-expression and the development of caregiver understanding of the client. For example, Raingruber (2004) discusses the use of poetry in child and adolescent mental health, as a means of self-expression, arguing that poetry has the power to allow clients to develop self awareness and to express their feelings. Raingruber (2004) suggests that â€Å"The complexity, power, and beauty of language within poetry allow the expression of intense human experiences† (p 14). While there are drawbacks and limitations to the therapeutic use of poetry, it might be that this offers one kind of opportunity for self-expression, on the part of the client, and empathy, on the part of the mental health nurse. â€Å" When an appropriate moment arises, poetry should be used to help clinicians, nursing students, and clients become more aware of and open to possibilities.† (Raingruber, 2004 p 16). However, this author believes that the mental health nurse would need some skills in this area, or to be someone who is perhaps comfortable with using or writing poetry themselves, if they were to use it to any great extent with clients. Feen-Calligan et al (2008) make similar assertions about using visual art in supporting mental health users who are substance misusers. Feen Calligan et al (2008) found that â€Å"As the women learned to verbalize their feelings and reflect on their situations through interpretative interactions with visual art, they gained insight into their feelings and issues they faced in their recovery from chemical dependency.† (p 287). This research seems to show that using visual art and image processing allowed the women to fully express their feelings in ways they had not been able to before (Feen-Calligan et al, 2008). Again, some kind of knowledge or skill on the part of the nurse would be necessary. Both of these examples are of arts-related activities, and relate strongly back to the formative assessment and book review. It might be that there is great scope within mental health nursing to encourage self-knowledge, self-expression and mutuality through the use of creative arts an d fiction. Certainly this would provide a way for nurses to relate to clients more readily, to be on their level, and to talk in terms and metaphors that they are familiar with. Conclusion It would seem that underpinning mental health nursing are a number of core values which need to be more explicit in the discourses around the profession and in the practices of those within it. Svedberg et al (2003) state: â€Å"The most important goal of nursing care is to promote the subjective experience of health. The health promoting efforts of mental health care nurses must be aimed at creating encounters where the patient will be confirmed both existentially and as an individual worthy of dignity.† (p 448). The core values of mental health nursing should orientate towards this kind of confirmation of worth on the part of the healthcare provider for the client. Eagger et al (2005) state: â€Å"Organisations, too, would benefit from a clear, values-based statement that staff at all levels can identify with. Institutions encouraging a culture of care can contribute significantly towards creating a healing environment for staff as well as patients.† ( p 28). This would be particularly relevant for mental health nursing and mental health services, and might signify and important area for future practice development. Undertaking this exploration has shown to the author the need for self-awareness and emotional intelligence on the part of mental health nurses, as a prerequisite for developing true compassion and empathy. Fostering self-expression amongst mental health services users, providing opportunities for this, and supporting them by paying attention and understanding them, is also important. While some experiences so far might suggest that in certain contexts and situations, this might be difficult to achieve, it should be the goal that we all strive for, and these are core values which should underpin all of our practice. References 214727 Akerjordet, K. and Severinsson, E. (2004) Emotional intelligence in mental health nurses talking about practice International Journal of Mental Health Nursing 13 (3) 164-170 Benner, P. 2000. The wisdom of our practice: thoughts on the art and intangibility of caring practice. American Journal of Nursing. 100(10):99-105 Busfield, J. 2000 Rethinking the Sociology of Mental Health, Blackwell, London Castledine, G. 2005. Recognizing care and compassion in nursing. British Journal of Nursing. 14(18):1001 Eagger, S., Desser, A. and Brown, C. (2005) Learning values in healthcare? Journal of Holistic Healthcare 2 (3) Feen-Calligan, H., Washington, O. and Moxley, D.P. (2008) Use of artwork as a visual processing modality in group treatment of chemically dependent minority women. The Arts in Psychotherapy 25 287-295. Freshwater, D. (2006) The art of listening in the therapeutic relationship. Mental Health Practice 9 (5). Hamilton, B. and Roper, C. (2006) Troubling ‘insight’: power and possibilities in mental health care. Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing 13 416-422. Meehan, T. and MacLachlan, M. (2008) Self construction in schizophrenia: a discourse analysis. Psychology and Psychotherapy: Theory Research and Practice 81 131-142. Pilgrim, A. Rogers, D. 2005 Sociology of mental health and illness 3rd edition. OUP, Buckingham Salovey, P. Mayer, J.D. (1990) Emotional intelligence Imagination, Cognition, and Personality, 9, 185-211 Schulz, R., Hebert, R.S. and Dew, M.A. (2007) Patient Suffering and Caregiver Compassion: New Opportunities for Research, Practice, and Policy. Gerontologist, v47 n1 p4-13 2007 Raingruber, B. (2004) Using poetry to discover and share significant meanings in child and adolescent mental health nursing. Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Nursing 17 (1) 13-20. Shattell, M., Starr, S. and Thomas, S.P. (2007) Take my hand, help me out: Mental health service recipients experience of the therapeutic relationship. International Journal of Mental Health Nursing. 16(4):274-284. Shattell, M., McAllister,S., Hogan, B. and Thomas, S.P. (2006) â€Å"She took the time to make sure she understood.† Mental Health Patients’ Experiences of Being Understood. Archives of Psychiatric Nursing 20 (5) 234-241. Svedberg, P., Jormfeldt, H. and Arvidsson, B. (2003) Patient’s conceptions of how health processes are promoted in mental health nursing. A qualitative study. Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing 10 448-456.

Skills and Requirements of Professional Educators Essay -- Education

Introduction: An educator is an individual whose work is to pass the required information to the students. A professional educator is effective in all they do and is responsible for the creation of an interactive learning environment. To do this, an educator should understand the requirements needed to satisfy the goals and objectives of their curriculums as well as the content. As much as the work of an educator is to disseminate the required information to the students, they also ensure that all the expectations of these students are met and if possible exceeded. An educator uses a variety of teaching strategies which includes classroom management to ensure that the purpose of education is achieved. In this paper, I will demonstrate the responsibilities, knowledge and skill required of an effective professional educator. Review of literature: A professional educator creates a positive learning environment that is conducive for all the students in the school. To do this, an educator must understand the principles of classroom management and employ these strategies as they interact with the students. The educator applies classroom organization skills to monitor the students mental, physical and social growth. Effective classroom organization skills include planning, communicating and scheduling. Planning helps an educator determine the day to day activities that needs to be carried out. Through communication, an educator tells the students exactly what will be requires of them. Effective communication allows the students to understand the goals and objectives of the curriculums that they are undertaking. Scheduling help in the proper allocation of all the available resources. Effective scheduling helps the educator to fully us... ...Five ways to encourage participation in the classroom. (2009, September 18). Retrieved from The Learning Generalist: http://www.learninggeneralist.com/2009/09/five-ways-to-encourage-participation-in.html Hannaford, A. N. (2009, December 11). INTASC Principles. Retrieved from http://audreymerrell.net/INTASC/principles.html Increasing Student Participation. (2009). Retrieved from The Teaching Center, Washington University in St. Louis: http://teachingcenter.wustl.edu/increasing-student-participation School of education. (n.d.). Intrinsic Motivation. Retrieved from Purdue University Calumet: http://education.calumet.purdue.edu/vockell/edPsybook/Edpsy5/edpsy5_intrinsic.htm The Education Division. (2008, March 11). Demonstrating Skills as an Educational Facilitator. Retrieved from Lewis-Clark State College: http://www.lcsc.edu/education/teacherprep/standards/ef/shtml

Grandmothers jewelry box :: essays research papers

My Grandmothers Jewelry Box An object I found to be most significant and interesting is my grandmother’s jewelry box. This jewelry box has been an important object in my life since I was a little girl. Whenever I glance over, incredible memories dance in my head of my grandmother and me. I chose to write about this jewelry box because it’s so important to me. Ever since I was a little girl I wanted nothing more than to be like my grandmother. My grandmother’s jewelry box rests on my nightstand in my bedroom. It’s a polished dark wooden box which contains three different compartments. One is for necklaces and bracelets, the second earrings, and the third rings. When you open the top there’s a little girl dancing in circles while lovely music would play. This jewelry box was bought in the 1930’s when my grandmother was only ten. Even now in the present the jewelry box looks like new and still so beautiful. My grandmother started this collection with all her mother’s jewelry from when she was a little girl. Year by year the jewelry box would fill up with such stunning things, and I would only wish they could be mine. My grandmother always dressed so beautifully and what made her stand out most was the jewelry she complimented her outfit with. When I stayed at my grandmother’s house, dress up was something I loved to do, and I did it almost every day. I would try on almost all of her jewelry she owned and dance around the house. As I grew up and my grandmother started getting older, that jewelry box meant more to me then just playing dress up. I knew how much the jewelry box meant to my grandmother and every time I glanced at it, it reminds me of how beautiful my grandmother was. At age 80, my grandmother passed away, leaving me the jewelry box. This meant more to me then anything. She knew how much I loved her jewelry and I’m thrilled to know when I get older I’ll be able to show them off, in memory of her. Every time I look at the jewelry box it brings back fond memories of my grandmother and the precious times we had together.

Trade blocs: Economics and politics Essay

Trading BlocsThe key term in this essay is â€Å"Trading bloc† and my interest in this term has been as a result of the major economic changes that have taken place across the world. I have been able to note that there have been great developments in international trading and business (Haftel, 2004). Economic integration is considered as the new form of reality in carrying out international business (Macho-Stadler, & Xue, 2007). Business institutions as well as governments have formulated various institutions, agreements and treaties which help in dealing with trade differences, allow and boost the movement of goods, services and trade across boundaries of countries involved (Chase, 2005). Furthermore, my interest is as a result of the business relationships that I have noted between my country and that of the other nations. A â€Å"Trading bloc† can be defined as countries that have come together to form a set that is closely involved in business and international trade with each other. The countries that form the trading blocs are often related to each other through a mutual agreement known as â€Å"free trade agreement or even other form of association which promotes trade within those countries and among the countries involved (Macho-Stadler, & Xue, 2007). The trading blocs often have rules and regulations which have been set to govern how the member countries relate with each other on business and international trade matters while separate rules and regulations set for non-members that want to trade with the member countries (Egger, 2004). The purpose of the trading blocs’ formation is to help eliminate trade barriers as well as help improve coordination and cooperation among member countries in terms of international trade. The different types include Free Trade Areas, Common Market, Customs Union, Economic Union and Political Union (Krishna, 2005). Article Summary             The article â€Å"From the Outside Looking In: The Effect of Trading Blocs on Trade Disputes in the GATT/WTO†, written by Haftel, Y. Z. (2004) is a journal that discusses the effect of trading blocs on resolution of trade disputes between member countries. There have been major expansion and increase in the number of trading blocs in international trade, which have become part of the economies across the world (Haftel, 2004). Trading blocs have negative effects on third parties whereby there is multilateral trade taking place between countries and non-member countries. Non-member countries are often affected negatively as a result of the trading blocs as compared to the way the member countries are affected. The non-member states often tend to take political action against the trading blocs, which in turn results in to negative effects and fails to assist in the resolution of trade disputes (Haftel, 2004). From this article, the author notes that WTO (World Trade Organization) has become one of the major organizations that help in enhancing international or multilateral trade between countries across the world. The WTO has a system through which disputes can be settled between countries that are in disagreement on trade issues (Haftel, 2004). Furthermore, the author notes that there has been a lot of concentration by scholars on the effects that trading blocs have on the members and on the other hand they have paid very little, if any, attention to the effects that those trading blocs have on third parties or the non-member states. Trading blocs affect the prices of products from non-member states whereby the member states enjoy better prices for their produce as compared to the non-members, despite producing similar products (Haftel, 2004). The third parties often suffer since the members of the trading blocs change trade the products of the member countries, which in some cases are often cheap (Haftel, 2004). This in turn affects their production since the market share that their products command is overtaken by the trading blocs’ members. Formation of trading blocs has been part of international trade and nearly every country across the world has engaged in trading blocs (Haftel, 2004). However, despite the fact that trading blocs attract a lot of attention, scholars as well as policymakers have failed to fully define and appreciate the fact that these trading blocs have negative impacts on third parties and other multilateral institutions. Non-Member states often feel short-changed hence resulting in a lot of disputes brought by the non-member states (Haftel, 2004). Discussion             The primary reason that brought about the formation of trading blocs by countries across the world was to help improve on international trade between members by eliminating trade barriers (Macho-Stadler, & Xue, 2007). The members of a trading bloc enjoy several benefits which include free movement of goods and services between member states, reduction of trade tariffs on their products, and improvement of economic standards of the member countries. Furthermore, trading blocs also help in the improvement of cooperation and collaboration between member states hence political and economic stability in the member states (Krishna, 2005). Furthermore, trading blocs helps improve on competition, increase in productivity as well as affordability in price of products. In addition, it has also been seen that trading blocs helps in creation of employment in the member countries as a result of the increase in trade within the region hence better living standards for the citiz ens of the member countries. However, as noted by Haftel, (2004), trading bloc benefits the members while on the other hand, causes a lot of negative economic impacts on the non-member states. The formation of trading blocs often endangers firms that are less efficient in the non-member states since they lack the market for their products (Haftel, 2004). There is also the danger of over-exploitation of the countries that are less efficient by countries that are efficient, hence causing an increase the wealth-gap whereby the advanced countries continue to become richer while countries that are less developed become poorer. Therefore, it is important to strike a balance on how member states and the non-member countries can continue to trade (Egger, 2004). Despite trading blocs being important in international trade, disputes will continue to arise from the non-member countries since there is no uniformity in trade regulations. References Chase, K. A. (2005). Trading blocs: States, firms, and regions in the world economy. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press. Egger, P. (2004). Estimating Regional Trading Bloc Effects with Panel Data. Review Of World Economics, 140(1), 151-166. Haftel, Y. Z. (2004). From the Outside Looking In: The Effect of Trading Blocs on Trade Disputes in the GATT/WTO. International Studies Quarterly, 48(1), 121-142. doi:10.1111/j.0020-8833.2004.00294.x Krishna, P. (2005). Trade blocs: Economics and politics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Macho-Stadler, I., & Xue, L. (2007). Winners and Losers from the Gradual Formation of Trading Blocs. Economica, 74(296), 664-681. doi:10.1111/j.1468-0335.2007.00589.x Source document