A Wonderful Life Essay

One of the most fundamental mission of our lives has been how can we secure our life from its very uncertainties. Each one of us wants to live a beautiful and joyful life but if we look around and find out, one fact comes out really strong and that is, one who is financially sound and secure is able to enjoy the sweet fruits of life and is able to live a wonderful life. Therefore, securing our lives through financial planning becomes the inner core on which our lives revolve and it is of utmost important if we want to lead a quality life. Saving money is of prime importance as virtually there is nothing tangible that we can have without the exchange of currency. Furthermore, saving gives us a way out from the uncertainties of life and gives us a chance to enjoy a quality and meaningful life. Saving money is one of those tasks that are so much easier said than done. There is more to it than spending less money. How much money will we save, where will we put it, and how can we make sure it stays there? Here is how to set realistic goals, keep our spending in check, and get the most for our money. First and foremost, saving money help to realize our big dreams. As we know, almost everybody set goals to achieve in their life but there are few of them who are really achieve it. For example, a successful person is the one who continually works to make his dreams become true. We can also be among the list of successful persons who are able to achieve their dreams shortly. We can have any dream, but what is important is how we are able to make them come true. We may have the dream of owning a big bungalow, a grand wedding or travelling around the world or something else. However, these dreams cannot be fulfilled in a day as they require a good amount of money to achieve it. Thus, a regular savings can give us the key of fulfilling our dreams in such a simplest way. Besides, saving money is one of the healthy habits that we can practice in our daily life. This means if we are able to inculcate in ourselves a habit of saving, it will pay a long way throughout our life. This is because saving teaches us to be self-disciplined in our life. As for me, just the only a self-disciplined person is able to live in an all-round beautiful and fulfilled life. If we waste our money today then how we will realize our materialistic dreams. In addition, saving also gives security in our life. Thus, it is a healthy habit that we can practise in order to save our money. Therefore, there may be some different reasons for us to save the money but it is crystal clear from the above discussion that saving is highly important for living a secured, happy, and quality life. We can surely realize the powers of money when we start saving. However, we have only one life to live but that one life should be filled with colours of fulfilment and this can only come with â€Å"Savings†. This is because only through savings we can fulfil our dreams, the aspirations of our family and so to the others. Therefore, what I want to say is let the money speak for us through regular savings and become capable of enjoying a long and beautiful life. Apart from that, we should also save money for our family responsibilities and for our personal aspirations. This means if you are not alone and have a family to support, then invariably you are required not only to take care of your own aspirations but also to carry out a lot of various tasks and responsibilities of your family at different stages of life. It may be your child’s birth or your dream of buying a luxury car. It may be also the desire to buy jewellery for your beloved wife or you have a plan to go out on a vacation with your family while travelling in all over the world. By saving money, we already have a saving for the plans. Besides, we could also need some money for the expenditure on our child’s higher education. In today’s world, money is very crucial. Without any saving, we cannot be able to give a good education for our children. From this situation, it is convinced that a good amount of money and saving is a must in such scenarios. Therefore, everyone should starts saving money as much as possible in order to lead a better life in the future. Without we realize, an unexpected and emergency expenditure expenses can come in many ways in one’s life. For example, a sudden situation like a sudden hospitalization, a job loss, an accident, a car breakdown or any other situation might be happen without any sign. Besides that, the financial crisis can also arise any time. Therefore, it is very good for us to have a saving for any such of emergency that can give the much needed and required help to overcome such crises in your life. As a result, our burden in living a life will be lessening. But the most important things is that we did not need or find dependent and search for the support from others, which may at times does not turn up when you require the most. Another importance of saving money is that it provides us with security. We always think that money in the bank will help us out during harsh times in life. Saving money is also a way of planning. Most people keep a certain goal in life when saving money. If one does not â€Å"save it for a rainy day† but instead decides to â€Å"live it up† and spend all their money than they are more likely to face financial difficulties in the future. In this way, people who spend more than save do not take the opportunity to plan. Last but not least, saving money give us a real independence in our life. This is because the real independence comes only with the financial independence by saving our money on a regular basis that will give us the power of living a life of freedom. Furthermore, by savings we can be â€Å"in the right place at the right time†. We will be able to take hold of any advantage that the life puts across to you. Eventually, we can make your opportunities into realities with enough saving that we have. It is proved that by saving money, you will get a lot of benefits for your own goodness. Therefore, I believe that by having enough money through savings it will gives us the chance to grab that life turning opportunity that come just for one time. Therefore, you could not deny that savings can help do all this in such an easy way. In a nutshell, everyone should always think that it is not only about how they earn their money but also about how they spend it. There is an old and common saying that tells us that it is easier to earn money than to spend it wisely. That is the reasons why we should budget yourself by thinking about how much we are willing to spend before we go out to buy something that is not necessary for you. Another good approach is that we need to never buy anything that we did not plan on buying no matter how good a deal we find. This is because it will help to save you from unnecessary expenditures. However, we should always assess what our needs are and buy accordingly. Therefore, do we have to watch our desires, but do not deprive ourselves of necessities. This is the fundamental reason why some people should start the habit of saving today.

Becoming a Servant Leader Essay

â€Å"Becoming a Servant Leader: The Personal Development Path† Servant leadership places the development and growth of subordinates and the broader organization over and above the leader’s opportunities for personal gain and self-promotion. A servant leader realizes that the true effectiveness of any manager is in giving each subordinate the guidance necessary to achieve their total potential, contribute both to the organizations goals, and attain their personal goals at the same time. A servant leader puts these developmental goals and objectives for each subordinate above their own, choosing first to serve and grow others they are responsible for. In this sense, a servant leader is also a steward, or a person who looks out for the welfare of all those they are responsible for over their own self-ambitions. The ultimate goal of the servant leader is to guide, develop, nurture and provide the necessary foundations of support for each subordinate so they can attain their potentials while at the same time growing in the responsibilities of their jobs. This developmental nature of servant leaders is the most effective when these unique leaders look for the intersection of a jobs needs and the abilities of the people working for them to excel at those specific jobs. I am learning that being a leader entails, not only leading others, but also guiding them and then stepping back and letting them excel. In which the leader is exceling, too. I felt that the reading is helpful to those that are open to that type of leadership skills. For others this type of skill may be the wrong method for them. The ones who are open to leadership this way not only help in the â€Å"now† but also are helping themselves in the end with dedicated and devoted employees who are happy to work with you because of the guidance and support that has been given to them in the past.

An overview of Civil disobedience

An overview of Civil disobedience At the beginning of â€Å"Civil Disobedience,† Thoreau expresses agreement with the idea â€Å"that government is best which governs least†. When carried to its logical conclusion, this concept leads to the realization â€Å"that government is best which governs not at all†. Thoreau believes government is the mode people have chosen to affect their will and is apt to be exploited before the people can act through it. Whatever the government assumes or promises, Thoreau argues, it does not keep a country free and it does not educate. He claims that all good that has been accomplished in America has been done not by the government, but by the people. He also argues that further accomplishments may have been reached if the government had not interfered. Thoreau states that as a reasonable citizen, he does not ask for no government at all, but an improved government. The first step in improving a government is for the people to identify what kind of government would earn their respect and loyalty. The problem is that not every individual has a say in how the government should perform, and many do not have the respect or even acknowledgement from the government. The majority can rule simply because it is more physically powerful, and the minority has essentially no say in shaping law. To Thoreau, a government based on majority rule is not based on justice. He asks, â€Å"Should an individual citizen have to resign his conscience to the legislator?† If this is so, why would a person even have a conscience? Thoreau states that we should be men first and subjects later. It is not desirable to develop a high opinion of the law, so much as for justice and right. For an individual to do what he thinks is right is the only duty which one has the right to assume. Thoreau makes a good argument; a group on its own has no conscience. However, a group of conscientious people is a conscientious group. Thoreau claims that when the people have respect for an undeserving government, the only natural result is that the people will be following the law against their wills, against their common sense, and against their conscience. So, Thoreau asks, are these people men at all? He states, â€Å"A wise man will only be useful as a man, and will not submit to be clay†. Thoreau states that most men do recognize the right of revolution when a government’s tyranny or inefficiency are sufficiently great and unendurable. When most of a country is unjustly overrun, then this is the time for honest individuals to rebel and revolt. Thoreau refers to voting as â€Å"a game†. He states that a person votes as he thinks is right, but that he is not necessarily bothered by whether or not his belief – his vote – is successful. The people, he believes, seem to be willing to leave this to the majority. Thoreau argues that a real wise man would not take the risk of what is right not prevailing and would also realize that there is not much virtue in the action of the mass. But as far as real men go, Thoreau believes that they are few and rare. He makes this clear in this essay; â€Å"How many men are there to a square thousand miles in the country? Hardly one.† Thoreau believes that there are few real people, it seems, because we are hypocritical, inconsistent, and weak in our beliefs. He claims that many disapprove of the nature of the government but continue to support it. Such people, he argues, should be resisting the government. An individual cannot genuinely be content when he knows he is consciously being cheated or deceived. Thoreau believes that instead of obeying rules one knows to be unjust, the individual should attempt to alter those laws. He suggests that the power of governmental control is what causes people to perceive resistance as worse than obedience. The government and the mass do not seem to be aware of or appreciate the wise minority who would push for reform, and those who choose to resist are punished and humiliated. Most people would rather wait until the majority agrees that laws should be revised via traditional process than to resist. Thoreau argues that if a government expects an individual to follow and carry out injustice, then that government is not one that should be followed. He makes a very good claim by saying that when one is under a government which unjustly imprisons people, then prison would be the appropriate place for a true, just individual. Thoreau evidently believes that an individual should not follow laws which he or she believes to be unjust. He states, â€Å"Know all men by these presents, that I, Henry Thoreau, do not wish to be regarded as a member of any society which I have not joined.† He declares that a real man would find it less confining to be locked up in a prison cell knowing that he was doing what is right, rather than living â€Å"free† in a society while obeying laws he believes to be wrong. Thoreau tries to make it clear at the end of the essay that he does not hate the idea of government, but that it is in dire need of major improvement, and that it should only be followed if it is just and if it has the consent of those who it governs. He states that the state will never be progressive and free until it recognizes the individuals, rather than the mass, and respects them accordingly.

An Examination of Relaxation Techniques in the Liight of the House of Assignment

An Examination of Relaxation Techniques in the Liight of the House of Lords Report on Complementary and Alternative Therapy - Assignment Example These are grouped together as Complementary and Alternative Methods of Medical treatment. Examples of such alternative methods of medical treatment include Homeopathy, Reflexology, Osteopathy, Aromatherapy, Relaxation Techniques, Spiritual Healing, Herbal Treatment and so on. Results of the medical research have shown that an increasing number of people across the world and trying to seek relief in these methods of treatment. People belonging to the modern generation are used to leading very hectic and stressful lives. Stress becomes harmful when it assumes large proportions and interferes with the healthy equilibrium condition of the human nervous system. An imbalanced nervous system can bring back into a state of equilibrium with the help of relaxation techniques. Relaxation techniques include some specific exercises which help to generate the â€Å"relaxation response†, a condition of deep serenity, which is exactly the opposite of the â€Å"stress response†. The relaxation response is actually â€Å"a mentally active process that leaves the body relaxed, calm and focused†. It does not simply involve lying down, resting or sleeping. When the human nervous system is engulfed by stress, the body starts producing a variety of chemicals that endow the person with the ability to face a critical situation. The relaxation techniques reclaim the physical body and the mind from this heighte ned state to a condition of equilibrium. The concept of the relaxation response had actually originated in the ancient times and has been in practice since then.  

Strategy illustration on External Analysis Essay

Strategy illustration on External Analysis - Essay Example The direct investments in Facebook have valued the company up to $50 billion. The company raised this money for making a further bolster its cash reserves. By this move, the company aimed to strengthen its reserves and surplus thereby increasing financial stability and limiting any liquidity risk by the company in the short term. The company also took care about the limited dilution factor of its shareholders. Macro Environment The investment thereby generated many questions among the shareholders of the company and the investor class as it was against their speculations. The company disclosed no immediate plans to invest the money rose by them and clarified that the money was raised to strengthen the cash position of the company. By this move, the company aimed to strengthen its reserves and surplus thereby increasing financial stability and limiting any liquidity risk by the company in the short term. The company also took care about the limited dilution factor of its shareholders. The company disclosed that under the transaction terms, it had option to accept between $375 million and $1.5 billion to receive from Goldman Sachs by the way of overseas offering. ... Facebook is incorporated in US through Macro-Economic forces in the country have a little impact of the company. Facebook is social networking build on a global platform where factors like inflation rates, interest rate and current exchange rates in bear some impact, but such impact can’t be considered influential. As the interest rates are slashed as a result of recession in the economy, the company could borrow money at a cheaper interest rate. Same is the case with changes in current exchange rates. Global Forces Barriers of trade and information sharing impact the company’s business in a primary way. Removal of such barriers helps the company to expand its operations in other countries. These also help in raising funds globally thereby giving advantage of cheaper funds. Growth in countries like India and China are posing increased opportunities of doing business in these countries. Technological Forces Being a social network company, technological forces impacts the company in a big way. Technology sector in the US includes more than 140,000 companies with combined annual revenue of about $900 billion. AT&T, IBM, Intel, Adobe, Apple, and Microsoft are the major companies (US Technolgy Sector Analysis, 2010). â€Å"Industry concentration is high in many segments with the largest 50 participants generating more than 60% of the segment revenue† (US Technolgy Sector Analysis, 2010). Scientific discoveries and new product developments form the basis of profitability in this industry. Both large and small companies can compete successfully – the mammoths have access to capital and marketing and the miniatures have domain-specific expertise. In the period Aug-10 to Jan-11, the Application Software industry has been on a bullish trend before being thrust

Foreign country Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Foreign country - Essay Example As a late comer in the industry, it is prudent for the company to seek ways to elevate its performance toward the standard benchmarks set forth by its forerunners. In simple terms, benchmarking can be defined as â€Å"learning from the pros† (American Productivity & Quality Center, 1993). Benchmarks are very essential for organizational operations in that they lay in the open the processes that hold the keys to a successful business take off and the subsequent operations. Through such standards, a business venture Lodgit Courier will identify and adopts a mix of practices of top performers that will in effect define the course that the business initiative takes. Put quite simply, benchmarking is the art of finding out straightforward organization and implementation strategies that leads to success. The concept engenders comparative efficiency to other industry key players with the intent to know the exact processes, procedures, and/or technological applications principles that can results in the production of superior outputs (Ammons, 1996; Camp, 1989). Since businesses are all about competition, benchmarking plays a very important role of measuring specific performance gaps that could be used to gain competitive advantage (Boxwell, 1994). Indeed, it is â€Å"not a cost to be avoided, but a tool that when utilized properly can result into quantum leaps in organizational performance" (Dodd and Turner, 2000). Given that this joint venture business, it would take an influential positive stand to convince colleagues that certain standards have to be met for the company to remain competitive in the industry. It is also essential to note that group of investors can consistently utilize a common investment strategy and emerge victorious. As leant in the analysis of market efficiency, market outcomes are not always efficient to all investors due to the cost of information which may lean towards those with the capacity to acquire such, if at

Does the impact of higher education have large effects on an Essay

Does the impact of higher education have large effects on an individual's income - Essay Example e most supportive in respect of offering the individuals with maximum earning level in the aftermath of the completing their formal and professional education. The study will be supported with Labour Theory of Value developed by David Ricardo and Income Distribution Theory of contemporary era. The researcher aims to choose the culturally diversified society of the United Kingdom as the universe of his research, where the people belonging to different education and income levels will be taken as the units of analysis for the present study. In addition, being demographically diversified city, the individuals belonging to divergent cultural, religious, social, economic, racial and ethnic groups and communities could be selected as the sample of the present study. The researcher will select both the genders as well as different age groups by applying quota sampling in his study in order to justify the complete presentation of various groups of society. It may take approximately three months in the completion of the entire research work. After the gathering of the data, the findings would be tabulated and the statistical tests would be applied in order to interpret the results, on the basis of which the hypotheses were either accepted or rejected subsequently. This part of the dissertation has been dedicated to all those who have made their valuable contributions at any level during the completion of the present research. First of all, the researcher pays his humble gratitude to his Lord, Almighty God the Omnipotent, Who has blessed him with the power to accomplish this arduous task of writing the dissertation and displaying his gifted abilities in the field of research and writing. Secondly, the researcher also feels happy in paying his sincere thanks to his compassionate parents, who provided him with the shelter of their unwavering love, affection and kindness as well as a very comfortable atmosphere during the conducting of his research work. Moreover, the

(Counseling) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

(Counseling) - Essay Example Cultural sensitivity knows no negative differences or similarities, such as ‘better or worse,’ or ‘right and wrong.’ Each culture has what they know, regardless of what other cultures have, believe, or follow. Having cultural sensitivity means not finding one culture better than another, but finding them to all be the same in the sense that they have their similarities and differences. There are enough of these similarities and differences to keep cultures balanced with each other without making one more superior or inferior to others. Empathy, or understanding, can simply be described as â€Å"putting oneself into another’s shoes.† Empathy is not the same thing as pity or sympathy, but involves recognizing and entirely understanding what a person is thinking or feeling. Empathy is something that can take place if a person has experienced something that another person is experiencing – it allows that â€Å"outsider† to know exactly what is going on in the mind of that other person, to know what they are feeling, and are able to relate. Another well-known phrase that can be used to fully understand the meaning of empathy is â€Å"seeing eye to eye† with the other person. I have had, at times, the feeling of being an imposter in the career field that I am currently in. I would begin to doubt myself and my abilities, which would lead me to question myself repeatedly about why I am getting myself involved in counseling. It has even gotten to the point where I have found myself considering a career change, though I know that, after all the schooling I have put myself through, switching careers is hardly an option for me. Just from my own experience, I feel that many people that are new to a position or to a certain profession feel like an imposter. People spend a lot of time in school, preparing for what they should do upon graduating and entering their job,

How does Alcohol Affect Crime in the United States Essay

How does Alcohol Affect Crime in the United States - Essay Example From this discussion it is clear that  there are some crimes mostly related to alcohol consumption. Homicide, rape, burglary, theft, robbery, child abuse, road accidents, Domestic violence, Teens pregnancy, suicides e.t.c are all crimes, arguably having alcohol as a factor in their committal. Since addressing crime alone, by apprehending the criminal is not likely to succeed in reducing the acts of crime, then the root cause and the motivation behind the committal of criminal activities needs to be addressed. Among all crime related activities reported to the police in 2009, 43 % were found to have been committed by individuals who had previously consumed alcohol.This paper stresses that  consumption of alcohol is likely to result to wrong doings that are offensive and punishable by law, for example, drunken driving.   Battery is another sort crime well related with alcohol consumption, where an individual who is under the influence of alcohol engages in physical assault to mem bers of t heir families or their partners. Among all the reported crimes in the US in the year 2009, cases of battery accounted for 36% of all the reported crime. This is an indication that individuals under the influence of alcohol have a higher chance of assaulting their partners or their family members, more than engage in committing any other alcohol related crime.... There are some crimes mostly related to alcohol consumption. Homicide, rape, burglary, theft, robbery, child abuse, road accidents, Domestic violence, Teens pregnancy, suicides e.t.c are all crimes, arguably having alcohol as a factor in their committal (Michael, 171). Since addressing crime alone, by apprehending the criminal is not likely to succeed in reducing the acts of crime, then the root cause and the motivation behind the committal of criminal activities needs to be addressed. Among all crime related activities reported to the police in 2009, 43 % were found to have been committed by individuals who had previously consumed alcohol (Michael, 314). With such backgrounds, then I present my claim that to address crime in America, the US government already pay much attention on regulating alcohol consumption, but it is not effective. This is because, many underage are still being involved in alcohol consumption, alcohol related violence and offences are still on the rise and dome stic violence with alcoholic perpetrators is still rife (Michael, 172). Hence, I will propose that US government should devise legislations and policies that would effectively eliminate minor involvement in alcohol consumption. Furthermore, the government should introduce social programs that address alcohol consumption, through engaging the alcohol consumers to seminars and workshops, which will play a great role in minimizing the number of alcohol consumers. Consumption of alcohol is likely to result to wrong doings that are offensive and punishable by law, for example, drunken driving. Battery is another sort crime well related with alcohol consumption, where an individual who is under the influence of alcohol engages in physical assault to

Social contract ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Social contract ethics - Essay Example The idea of social contract originated in philosophical doctrines of Hobbes, Locke and Rousseau. Even though all of them used the notion â€Å"social contract†, each of them had different understanding of how exactly people conclude the contract. This means that ethical principles of social contract are also different for each theory. Still all of them agreed in one crucial point: to create efficient social contract every individual should follow the terms established in the particular kind of agreement. In fact this means that if people live together they need to sacrifice a part of their personal freedom and restrict themselves in different aspects of their lives (Holcombe 1978). It is quite obvious that any ethics require some sorts of restrictions of human personal freedom. As far as humans are the kind of beings who frequently make certain actions that can be harmful for others who live next to them in society, ethical principles are supposed to teach humans how to act no t to harm. Basically, the main principle of social contract ethics is: do as you would be done by. Otherwise it would’ve been impossible for people to cohabitate together. Hobbes’ doctrine of social contract claims that people need to conclude the kind of agreement because their nature is evil and destructive. According to the agreement people give their personal freedom under someone’s control (either monarch’s or government’s) and the society lives in order following some strict rules established by the dictator.

Mussoliniss Foreign Policy Essay Example for Free

Mussoliniss Foreign Policy Essay How consistent was Italian foreign policy between 1922 and 1943? Mussolinis main aim through foreign policy was to exalt Italys pride, which was seen severely deteriorated after the First World War. By the statement My objective is simple. I want to make Italy great, respected and feared Mussolinis objectives are clearly can be clearly deduced. However, historians still disagree over Mussolinis conduct of foreign affairs, in the years between his assumption of the premiership and the conquest of Ethiopia in 1935-6. Some support the view, once he acquired strong dominance on the communists, that the imperialism of 1930s was the unplanned response to domestic problems of a dictator whose main concerns where the internal consolidation of his regime. More recently, however, the balance of opinion has tended towards the belief in the underlying consistency of Mussolinis foreign policy. Mussolinis foreign policy operates along fairly well-worn paths, and his main areas of interest remained the Mediterranean, Africa and the Balkans Mussolinis foreign policy operates along fairly well-worn paths, and his main areas of interest remained the Mediterranean, Africa and the Balkans. As these two aims were, to some extent achieved during the 1920s, Iitalian foreign policy became increasingly expansionist in the 1930s, aiming not only to control the Mediterranean but as well, the African Empire. In the course of 1922-3 the weakness of Italys position became all too clear to Mussolini. He first failed to gain any substantial concessions in Africa or in the middle East from Britain and France when, at the Lausane, the negotiated a new peaceful treaty with Mustapha Kemal after his successful resistance would avoid the Treaty of Sevrà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s to be applied on Turkey. Secondly, he was also unsuccessful in exploiting in the interests of Italy the international crisis caused by the French occupation of the Ruhr in January 1923. Mussolini changed his role from mediator between France and Britain, who opposed the occupation, to opponent of at one point of a potentially anti-British building bloc, composed of the main Continental States. He was mistrusted by both, London and Paris and was set aside from the European stage. The incident in Corfu, in 1923 gave Mussolini the reputation of being a dangerous firebrand. In 1923 Mussolini seized the chance to occupy Corfu, a strategically important island guarding the Southern entrance into the Adriatic, given that the Greek government seemed to refuse to pay the 50 million lira compensation they asked for the assassination of an Italian general and his staff, who were mapping out for an international inter-allied Commission the new Greek- Albanian frontier on Greek territory. Mussolini not only rejected the Leagues intervention but began to build a military base in the island. The incident was celebrated as a great success for Mussolini however, in reality it was a diplomatic defeat for Mussolini, since he had been forced to leave Corfu by Anglo-French pressure. However, Mussolini felt obliged into adopting a more conventional foreign policy. Mussolini could not run the risk of isolating Italy from the rest of Europe, therefore seeked for to establishing closer relationships with Britain and France. Mussolini, in order to maintain an independent state, cultivated the friendship of Austria and Hungary and in 1930 a similar treaty with similar treaty with Austria. Relations with Austria became ever closer after Hitler came to power in Germany after Hitler came to power in Germany and Mussolini provided the arms and money for the Austrian chancellors private army. In 1924 the Pact of Rome was signed with Yugoslavia, by which Italy received the long-disputed town of Fiume, though a part of it, Susak, went to Yugoslavia, along with port Barros. Two treaties with Alabania were signed in 1926 and 1927, firmly established Italian influence in Albania. This marked the first stage in Mussolinis efforts to establish Italy in the Balkans where Czechoslovakia, Roumania and Yugoslavia were tied to France, Italys like enemy, ver closely. During the 1920 Mussolini realised that he needed the friendship of France and Britain in view that he could not yet attempt to have the Versailles treaty revised in his favour. He went to Locarno thus in 1925 he went to Locarno and signed the treaties which guaranteed the frontiers between France and Germany, as well as the ones between Belgium and Germany, and in 1928 he signed. In particular, he drew closer to Britain, and though he privately resolved to end British power in the Mediterranean, he saw her as a possible friend in any future conflict. The frontier between Libya and Egypt was reached through an agreement, and there was a possibility of British aid for the railway building in East Africa. During the 1920 therefore, Italy remained a member of the League of Nations and acted as good citizen of Europe. Mussolinis foreign policy therefore followed a peaceful path. However, the peaceful pattern which Mussolinis foreign policy followed during the 20s was to be changed suddenly in the 30s, and thus also the slight consistency it had been following so far. This was mainly caused by Hitlers advent to power, what obviously altered things considerably. Mussolini saw the potential of a German alliance against Britain and France to revise the 1919 settlement; on the other hand he took care of having Germany too close. In April 1933 Goering and Papen visited Rome, however, all what Mussolini could achieve was German agreement to the Four Power Pact (between Italy, Germany, France and Britain) to keep peace in Europe, thus replacing the League. It was even signed actually by Germany and Italy (on 15 July 1933). A crucial meeting with Hitler took place in his visit to Venice in 1934. The meeting went bad unfortunately, since Mussolini refused to have an interpreter despite his German being very poor, so the meeting meant little to either. Things became worsened by the crisis following the death of Dollfuss a month later, so that Mussolini was far from being an ally of Hitler in 1934-5. Mussolini even attended the Stressa conference in April 1935, which was called by France, and in which it had to be considered what action to take in order to guarantee the independence of Austria. Italy joined to the declarations and protests, partly in genuine hostility to Germany, but mainly to avoid British and French hostility. In the 1920s the Italian empire was hardly promising. In Lybia, which was the territorially the heart of the Empire , but only some 2000 Italians had settled there and by 1930 it was costing over 500 million lire per annum, compared with 107 million in 1921. There were two smaller Italian colonies which looked more promising, for they bordered on to Ethiopia (Abyssinia), one of the few remaining independent kingdoms of Africa. Italy therefore took special interest in Abyssinia, sponsoring her membership on the League in 1923 and signing a treaty of friendship in 1928. However, in view that Haile Selassie (the ruler) did not intend to allow his country to be dominated by a modern power (signature of a treaty with Japan in 1930) Mussolini considered the possibility of war to force Abyssinia under Italian control. The clue incident which brought war about was the Ual Ual incident, in which the Italians claimed the right to use this oasis, which was located in the border of Abyssinia and Italian Somaliland, which was marked in the maps as being part of Abyssinia. Italians in Ual Ual were therefore murdered in the oasis in December 1934. Mussolini demanded an apology as well as compensation from Abyssinia, while the Abyssians claimed investigation from the League of Nations, and were pleased in May 1935. Mussolini made preparations for his attack, by either building up forces and sounding out the attitude of Britain and France. In June, Enden, on behalf of the British government offered the Abyssinians a corridor to the sea through British Somaliland if they gave Mussolini part of Ogaden, offer however rejected by Mussolini. In the summer Italian troops under generals de Bono and Graziani arrived at Eritrea. Mussolini continued to make noises about his intentions, feeling disastified by the League resolutions in which it established that neither part was to be blamed by the Ual Ual incident. Italians brought war about provided that the meeting the held with British and French, in which Italy was offered the opportunity to develop Abyssinia provided that the Abyssinians agreed, did not satisfied Mussolini, since he foreshadow that it would be unlikely to obtain such agreement. The conquest of Abyssinia was regarded as a major triumph in Italy, ranking alongside the Concordat of 1929. Mussolini had said the Italian character has to be formed through fighting, and he stuck at this idea definitely between the 30 and until the 40s, completely contrasting the peaceful means through which Mussolini had been able to achieve good foreign relationships, by the 1920s. When the Spanish civil war broke out Mussolini supported immediately Franco and the Nationalists by providing them with men and equipment, on the grounds that he could not allow a communist government to be formed in the Mediterranean. It deepened the rift between Italy and Britain and France, and aligned Mussolini more firmly with Germany. In 1936, exalting the new closeness between Italian-German relationships, the October Protocols were signed. Italy conceded German predominance in Austria, while Germany recognised the Italian empire in East Africa. Both governments agreed on the danger of Communism and the need to keep a careful watch on alleged British plans for encirclement. There was also to be close co-operation between the two powers in Spain. The axis however was not a formal treaty and Mussolini was by no means committed to German alliance. Mussolini, on his visit to Berlin in September 1937, seemed more convinced than ever that Nazism was an invincible force in Europe and Italy had no choice but to ally herself with it. He thus distanced himself further from Britain and France, and joined with Japan and Germany in the Anti-Comitern pact on November. In 1938 Italys weakness was underlined by the fact that neither Shuschnigg nor Hitler bothered to contact Rome, when the Anshluss was signed. Mussolini also was powerless to back Schuschnigg in his attempt to renounce the ultimatum for the Anshluss. . Mussolini was to pay the price for his break with Britain and France in 1935. Mussolini therefore decided to retake Italys traditional policy of equidistance between the Western powers and Berlin. By the Munich agreement Musolini could effectively stop Hitler plunging Europe into war before he judged Italy to be ready for it. It was a considerable diplomatic succes for Musolini and was praised as the man who saved the world. However, Italys policy of equidistance did not last for long. Since Mussolini decided a full military alliance with Germany, since he considered than a German alliance was intended to be more an instrument of diplomatic pressure than a prelude to war. Mussolinis Foreign policy was therefore inconsistent in the sense that Mussolini not only switched his ideas rather frequently (aiming first to align with the Four powers, and then switching to establish closer relations with Germany, and at the end again with Britain and France), but as well in terms of its degree of aggressiveness, since through the 1920s Mussolinis foreign policy can be said to had been quite peaceful (foreign affairs were mainly solved through Treaties and Agreements), switching in the 1930s to a more aggressive foreign policy with the advent of Hitler. Between the 1930s and 1940s he used war mongering (e.g. The Spanish Civil War, the Abyssinian incident, and the Corfu incident).

Advertising and Promotional Culture Essay Example for Free

Advertising and Promotional Culture Essay Race and Class in Verizon TV Ads No matter what are the patterns of the ads, the ultimate purpose of ad is attracting public attentions and selling the products. Based on different consumption groups, the ads from the same brand also need to change the advertising images, backgrounds and lines, to reach as many consumers as possible. Verizon Communication Inc is one of the most famous broadband and telecommunications company in United States. Its service range is very broad, including mobile phone, TV and Internet, and its consumption groups covers low class, middle class and upper class people. In this paper, I will analysis the class and racial elements in Verizon 4G LTE commercial and Verizon Mobile Devices and Healthcare commercial. Applying multi-racial advertising talents and different story telling methods, Verizon stresses on the class segregation while pays less attention on racial differences. This advertising strategy helps Verizon divide its consumption groups based on their consumption abilities. It is not only one method to avoid the disadvantage of racial selling, which easily limits the consumption groups, but also direct the company to improve the services to satisfy each specific class better. The Verizon 4G LTE commercial is also called â€Å"Bad Idea† commercial. Just as the African American guys keep saying â€Å"Whassup† in the Budweiser ad, Verizon keep showing the bold black â€Å"Bad Idea† sign after the men in the ad say some bad ideas. The background of the ad is a group of lower class men gather together and play basketball. During the break, they chat and share informations. â€Å"You guys check it out, household bleach. † â€Å"Look Good. † â€Å"I know, right? † Then the â€Å"Bad Idea† comes out with a sting sound. I tell you what saves the gas money. My kids hitchhike to the school. † â€Å"Great Call. † Then the â€Å"Bad Idea† sign comes out again. After two more guys share their information and both have been categorized as â€Å"Bad Idea†, the fifth man comes over, says, â€Å"Surprisingly the Verizon 4G LTE is like 6 times bigger, but I am going ATT†. Instead of showing t he â€Å"Bad Idea† sign again, the voiceover tell the consumers what is the â€Å"Good Idea†, â€Å"There are good ideas and bad, with over 6 times more coverage, Verizon, is the good idea†. This ad uses a sarcastic way to impress the people of lower class and the spectacular consumption strategy to sell the service. To sell the product to a group of people, ads always build up the environment and back ground they familiar with first. Watts defined spectacular consumption as â€Å"a process through which the relations among cultural forms, the culture industry, and the lived experiences of persons are shaped by public consumption†. The group of men in the ad have economic pressure and family burden so they come up their own ideas to save the money. Maybe playing basketball on weekends is their only chance to get rid of work and family messes, so they exercise, brag and relax. The group of men in the ad is the epitome of the lower class men in the United States. Their income is limited so they hope for better quality services with reasonable prices. And this the reason that Verizon keeps telling the men in front of the TV that their 4G is over 6 times more coverage compared to ATT, which means we have better quality than ATT and fair price. People’s consumption habits can easily be effected by the surrounding people. The same situation happens in the ad. Though most of the ideas come from those guys are bad ideas, but their friends are willing to accept it. And this is the disadvantage of speculation consumption. Unless people can make right decisions, because good ideas always spread. And this is the ultimate direction that Verizon is willing to go. If the men do not want to make bad decisions and feel brighter in their peers, choosing Verizon is always a good proof. Unlike focusing on social class characteristics mostly, this ad add one African American talent to minimize the racial segregation. It cannot change the fact that even in this small group, it is still white man dominant, but the black talent definitely increase the group diversity and make this more likely in American society. The situation in the other commercial is the other way. This is the TV commercial expressing how Verizon contributed in the health care field. To create out the confidence and reliability of Verizon’s services, the talents who play doctors and nurses in the ad look tidy, calm and helpful. One of the similarities among them is they all use mobile devices to check out the medical records, 3D brian scanner pictures or drug information. The patients are the other essential consumption group that Verizon wants to attract, so Verizon states that patients can measure the heart rate and the contractions and send them directly to the clinic through mobile devices, as well as helping the patients memorize their illness history. All the advantages prove the Verizon tries to â€Å"improve collaborations between care givers and patients†. Also, instead of putting the lines into the talents’ mouth, this ad use the voiceover to tell us the benefits of the service. In this way, Verizon makes the ad more like a Public Addressing Ad instead of a commercial ad. It may makes the consumers feel that Verizon is not only one company which just care about their own profits, it also cares about the society and is willing to pay back. Compared to the former 4G ad portraying the simpleminded, funny and a little arrogant lower class men, this ads pictures doctors and nurses, middle and higher class people as warm-hearted, dedicated and smart. They are the best group to publicize the reliability of high technology. Verizon applies the graphics and the statistics to show how professional Verizon can be in healthcare field. I think the multi-racial aspect is worth mentioning in this ad. Cortese once said in her paper that â€Å"advertising images, as cultural commodities and social constructions, are sites of struggle along racial fault lines in the United States’s cultural landscape†(Cortese, 1), and I think it is a good example of the improvement of racial problem in this country. On the one hand, the white people in this ad is still more than the colored people. After all, the United States is still one white dominancy society, but at the same, it is also a big â€Å"Melting Pot†. So we can still find the Asian American and Latino/African American face from this ad. Moreover, because doctor and nursers are care givers, so they are in a powerful statues, while patients are considered as the care acceptors and they are in a weaker position. In order to show the equal presentation, the ad also categorizes the Asian American as the doctor and the Latino/African American as the patient instead of ask both of them to be the patients. Different company has various adverting strategy. Luxury brands need to show their sharp fashion taste while normal brands must present their money-saving advantage. But for brands like Verizon, which provides necessary services for almost every class people, they need to use diverse selling advertisements to hit all possible consumption groups. From the two typical Verizon ads, people can conclude that the selling strategy of Verizon is dividing consumption groups based on their social class instead of their races. It is a more realistic way to provide different costing plans to various income groups. And it can also attract all people who has this economical ability instead of blocking out of some potential consumers because racial discrimination. In this way, Verizon could possible to increase their consumer range and increase their profit.

Fidel Castro: The Cuban Missile Crisis

Fidel Castro: The Cuban Missile Crisis The purpose of this investigation is to answer the question to what extent was Fidel Castros role in Cuba more significant than Khrushchevs role in the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962. The main body of evidence will investigate how Fidel Castro and Nikita S. Khrushchev were involved with the Cuban Missile Crisis. Evidence will include scholarly journals, articles, books, and documentaries. Documents will be analyzed in regards to their origins, purpose, value, and limitations in order to properly evaluate evidence. The book, Khrushchev Remembers written by Nikita Khrushchev and Lessons of the Cuban Missile Crisis for Warsaw Pact Nuclear Operations written by Mark Kramer have been evaluated and will be used for the evidence to formulate an analysis. An analysis of these documents, as well as the summary of evidence will be used to determine Fidel Castros significance in the Cuban Missile Crisis. B. Summary of Evidence In early 1962, an American invasion was planned to overthrow Castros dictatorship in Cuba. It was beneath these conditions when Cubans learned that the Soviet Union was very much concerned about a direct assault of Cuba by the United States and that they tried to figure out how to increase their countrys capability to defend against an assault (Zubok 9). Soviet Leader Khrushchev imagined a plan of protecting Cuban independence by installing missiles with nuclear weapons in Cuba without the United States noticing or able to discover until it was too late to do anything about it. Castro accepted Khrushchevs proposal. After hearing that Castro approved the Soviet Leaders proposal the Soviet Union began installing nuclear weapons (Allyn 3). Before the Cuban Missile Crisis between the United States and Cuba, Castro and American relationships were tense because of the Bay of Pigs in 1961 (Khrushchev 29). The President of the United States, John F. Kennedy, called for a naval line of defense from Cuba and used diplomatic negotiations with the Soviet Leader Khrushchev to come to a settlement in the removal of the weapons. Numerous events took place during the negotiations that influenced the increased tensions and appeared to bring the world even closer to a nuclear catastrophe (Brenner 6). One of the numerous incidents was that the United States believed that Castro was the one who ordered Cuban artillery to fire at the U.S. planes on the morning of 27 October, 1962 (Hershberg 7). Even though Castro may have ordered Cuban artillery to fire, there was no evidence that he prepared Soviet artillery to fire (Fursenko 42). In addition, an incident that took place and influenced the increased tension between the countries was Castros letter to Soviet Leader Khrushchev which suggested that the Soviet Union should launch a first-strike nuclear attack on the United States (Kramer 126). Castro was pushed into an alliance with communist Soviet Union which left Castro suspicious of American designs in Cuba (Burr 7). The Cuban Missile Crisis came to an end on 28 October 1962 when both the President of the United States and the Soviet Leader came to a settlement which was the Soviet Union removing their weapons from Cuba while being watched by the United States and the United States removing their naval line of defense and promising that they would not overrun Cuba. Soviet Leader Khrushchevs announced a new order on the radio which was to take apart the weapons that they created (Welch 234). Castro would not contribute in the negotiations which left the situation to be resolved between the United States and the Soviet Union. Soviet Leader Khrushchevs announcement on the radio to take apart the weapons not stunned and humiliated Castro for not taking part in the negotiations (Garthoff 51). Although Soviet Leader Khrushchev was in charge during the time period of the Cuban Miss ile Crisis of 1962, Castro was still very much involved with the deployment of nuclear weapons and the shooting of the renaissance plane. Castros role in the Cuban Missile Crisis was pretty significant in the Cuban Missile Crisis; however, because he did not participate in the negotiations between the United States and the Soviet Union his role in the Cuban Missile Crisis was not as important as mine (Khrushchev 101-102). C. Evaluation of Sources Lessons of the Cuban Missile Crisis for Warsaw Pact Nuclear Operations by Mark Kramer, a researcher from the Davis Center for Russian Studies, also known as The Russian Research Center at Harvard University, presents a detailed and comprehensive account of the origins of the Cuban Missile Crisis. The book goes into detail about how Fidel Castro visualizes Cubas troubles and what he hopes to do about it derived from this account of a unique conference held in Havana in 1992. The purpose of this source is to convey what Cuba was going through during the Cuban Missile Crisis and what Cuba has learned from this situation that took place. The value of this source is that this helps answer the question to what extent was the significance of Fidel Castros role in the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 because this sources helps aid the comprehension on Castros influence on Cuba. This source is also valuable because it is written by a researcher that has studied the Cuban Missile Crisis for severa l years and a multitude of information on the topic. A limitation of this source is that it does not address why Castro allowed the Soviet to install missiles. Another limitation is because this source is written in the Soviet Leaders perspective, the role of Fidel Castro in the Cuban Missile Crisis not emphasized. Khrushchev Remembers written by Nikita Khrushchev, the Soviet Leader during the time period of the Cuban Missile Crisis provides an elaborate and inclusive description of the origins of Soviet Leader Khrushchevs experiences during the Cuban Missile Crisis. It goes into elaborate detail about his memories on the Cuban Missile Crisis and his recollections strengthen the impression of gratitude for small things won or not lost. The purpose of this source is to depict what the Soviet Leader of Cuba remembered during the Cuban Missile Crisis period. The value of this source is that this helps answer the question to what extent was Fidel Castros role in Cuba significant in the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 because of the source going into detail about Castro presence during the Cuban Missile Crisis. This source is also valuable because this is told in the point of view of the man who was in charge of the Soviet Union during the crisis. A limitation of this source is that it does not help ad dress why Castro made the trade agreement with Russia. Another limitation is that due to the recently discovered facts about the Cuban Missile Crisis, all facts pertaining to the Cuban Missile Crisis may not be given. D. Analysis Fidel Castros importance in the Cuban Missile Crisis was to damage the reputation of Americans and its inference with internal issues because Cuba was concerned about the failed Bay of Pigs humiliation that they faced (Zubok 9). There was a planned invasion that to overthrow Castros dictatorship in Cuba and the United States was willing to help (Allyn 3). In addition, Soviet Leader Khrushchev installed missiles with nuclear warhead without the consent of the United States. Castro allowed the Soviets to install missiles so close to the United States which brought the world to the brink of nuclear war because the United States found out and retaliated (Khrushchev 29). Castro was able to install such weapons because Castro made a trade agreement with Russia where Cuba sent sugar to Russia in return for oil, machines and money (Brenner 6). Castros role was significant because he allowed Soviet Leader Khrushchev to follow through with the plans he created and because he made a trade agreement with Russia to be able to produce weapons of mass destruction. However, sources have stated that Cuba sent missiles out because of the strategic inequality between the United States and the Soviet Union. Cuba wanted to balance power; therefore, they felt they needed to build nuclear weapons (Hershberg 7). Castro ordered the anti-aircraft officers to gun down the United States reconnaissance plane (Fursenko 42). This demonstrates Castros significance in the Cuban Missile Crisis because he ordered that the plane was shot down and it was which conveys his significance because it was Castros decision that got the plane shot down (Kramer 126). In addition, Castro recommended that the Soviets launched a nuclear attack on the United States. This was Castros greatest significance in the Cuban Missile Crisis. Castros willingness to use violent behavior persuaded Soviet Leader Khrushchev the importance of preserving world peace (Burr 7). The United States stopped trading with Cuba due to the renaissance being shot down and Cuba nationalized all American-owned companies. Moreover, Castros lack of participation in negotiations was another big impact. Because Castro did not participate in the negotiation he was unaware of what was being compromised (Welch 234). For instance, when Soviet Leader Khrushchev removed all the weapons from Cuba, Castro was unaware of the Soviet Leader making that decision (Garthoff 51). Because the Cuban Missile Crisis was between the United States and the Soviet Union, it should have been classified as the Cuban American relation. Soviet Leader Khrushchev states that Castro was solely responsible for the shooting of the renaissance plane (Khrushchev 101). Also, he stated that Castro encouraged the Soviet Union to launch a preemptive strike against the United States. This demonstrates that Castro was a massive impact on the Cuban Missile Crisis because Soviet Leader Khrushchev confessed and states that Castro was fully responsible for the shooting of the plane and launching the strike against the United States. This also depi cts that Castro ignited the Cuban Missile Crisis because when the plane was shot down the United States wanted to retaliate immediately and now knowing that Castro was responsible for the plane being shot down we know that he ignited the flame under the United States. E. Conclusion It is possible to say that Fidel Castro had a huge impact on the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962. Because Castro was responsible for the shooting of the renaissance plane, his role in the Cuban Missile Crisis was greatly significant. This is because when Castro shot down the plane, the United States wanted to strike back immediately; therefore, the tensions between the two countries rose after Castros decision. Also Castro encouraged the Soviet Union to launch a preemptive strike against the United States. This was another huge impact because Cuba alarmed the United States and made the United States become fully equipped for a nuclear war. Furthermore, because Castro allowed the Soviets to install missiles so close to the United States people say that he is responsible for the Cuban Missile Crisis. Because of Fidel Castros actions and decisions, the world was brought to the brink of the nuclear war which demonstrates that Castro did have a significant role in the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962. However, Castro cannot receive full credit for the Cuban Missile Crisis because the major role belonged to Soviet Leader Khrushchev, who caused the entire occurrence of the crisis and resolved the crisis. Nevertheless, one can say that Castro had a huge impact on the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962. Although there are many conclusions that could be made about if Fidel Castro had a significant role in the Cuban Missile Crisis, I believe that Fidel Castro had just as much of a significant role as Soviet Leader Khrushchev did because Castro helped make the decisions that were made; therefore, Castros role was significant role in the Cuban Missile Crisis. F. List of Sources Alexander Fursenko, Tactical Nuclear Weapons, Soviet Command Authority, and the Cuban Missile Crisis Cold War International History Project Electronic Bulletin 3 Bruce J. Allyn, Using KGB Documents: the Scali-Feklisov Channel in the Cuban Missile Crisis. Print., 1995 David A. Welch, The Sino-Indian Conflict, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and the Sino-Soviet Split, October 1962: New Evidence from the Russian Archives Print., 1996 James G. Blight, Kramer vs. Kramer: Or, How Can You Have Revisionism in the Absence of Orthodoxy? Cold War International History Project Electronic Bulletin 3 Print., 1993 James G. Hershberg, More on Bobby and the Cuban Missile Crisis Print., 1997 Khrushchev, Nikita S. Khrushchev Remembers Ed. and trans. Strobe Talbott. Boston: Little Brow, 1970 Kramer, Mark The Lessons of the Cuban Missile Crisis for Warsaw Pact Nuclear Operations Print., 1997. Philip Brenner, The Crisis and Cuban-Soviet Relations: Fidel Castros Secret 1968 Speech Print., 1995 Raymond L. Garthoff, New Evidence on the Cuban Missile Crisis: Khrushchev, Nuclear Weapons and the Cuban Missile Crisis Print., 1998. Vladislav M. Zubok, Dismayed by the Actions of the Soviet Union: Mikoyans talks with Fidel Castro and the Cuban leadership, November 1962, Print., 1995 William Burr, Soviet Cold War Military Strategy: Using Declassified History Print., 1957. Case Study: Adult with Learning Disability Case Study: Adult with Learning Disability The case I have chosen involves a service user that has been with the agency for a while now. He was neglected and cut off from his family during his childhood and has since been longing for a secure attachment or contact with a family. His condition brings about a lot of anxiety and this has made him very unsettled. I am placed with the Luton Borough Council Community Adult learning disability team. The team is a statutory agency; its primary function is to provide support to adult with learning disabilities and their carers. Service users and their carers are pre-assessed or screened under the Fair Access to Care eligibility criteria. This process ensures that services are tailored to meet the needs of the individual. It ensures that potential service users with critical and substantial risk, needs and support are not lost in the system. While adults with moderate or low risk needs are given advice and provided with useful information that will help them to meet their needs. The legislation relevant to this case includes the National Assistance Act 1948; National Health Service and Community Care Act 1990; the Mental Health Act 1983 (as amended by the Mental Health Act 2007), the Human Rights Act 1998 and the Data Protection Act 1998. Relevant policies include the Fair Access to Care; which requires local councils to grade eligibility criteria into four bands of need (critical, substantial, moderate and low) based on the seriousness of the risk to independence if problems and issues are not addressed. Applicants for services are assessed using the new Single Assessment Process first outlined in the National Service Framework (NSF) which incorporates the eligibility assessment, care plan approach, annual assessment, placements, advocacy and referrals. (Royal College of Psychiatry Website, 2010, para. 4.10) A Pen Picture of the Service User. To protect the privacy of the service user and other individuals involved I have anonymised their personal details. This is in line with the provisions of the Data Protection Act 1998 and the Data Protection Policy of the agency. Section 6.2 of the Act, states that local authorities have a general duty in common law to safeguard the confidentiality of personal information which they hold in connection with their social services functions DoH (2000) p.34. This legal responsibility is managed through the Data protection policy of the agency and monitored by team managers. Specifically I have changed the service users name to Mr X and all other actors are also not named. Mr X is a 31-year- old; male with mild learning disability and a borderline personality disorder. He was born in Luton but brought up in Hastings. By virtue of his birth and the fact that he was first accessed for social care services in Luton; Mr X is deemed to be ordinarily resident in the Luton area under the National Assistant Act 1948. Section 24.1 of the Act empowers and mandates local authorities to provide residential accommodation for vulnerable people (made vulnerable by disability or age) who are ordinarily resident in their area. [OPSI (2008) p. 2] His parents divorced when he was five years old, he has had very little contact with them since then. He is the eldest of three siblings. He has had no contact with his only sister following allegations made by her against him of sexual abuse. Contact with his brother who currently lives in Hastings is limited to the occasional cards and phone calls. Mr Xs childhood was characterised by upheaval and deprivation. As a result he has found it difficult to form attachment of his own due to constant changes in his living arrangements. In 1999, while living in Hastings, he expressed a wish to move back to Luton. He secured a tenancy with a local housing association and was given intensive support by the local independent living team. This arrangement soon broke down because Mr X craved constant attention. He indulged in self-Injurious behaviour such as self-harm and a tendency to set fire to property. The tendency to self-harm is not uncommon in people with learning disabilities. Research recently carried out in a specific area of Wales by Lowe (2007 cited in Heslop Macaulay, 2009, p. 13 14) found that 9% adults and children over the age of five using learning disability services were considered to self-injure. Furthermore Heslop and Macaulay (2009, citing Haw and Hawton, 2008; Hawton and Harriss, 2007; Milnes, 2002) p.15 reports that people with multiple life problems are more likely to self-harm. Key amongst these is relationship problems with a partner or family member. Other problems reported include: problems with employment (including unemployment) or studies, and financial problems. This may explain Mr Xs tendency to self-harm. In 1999, after a series of threats to end his life Mr X was detained in a local hospital under section 3 of the Mental Health Act 1983. This was to allow Mr X to receive intensive treatment in a protected environment. Without immediate treatment Mr X would have been a danger to himself by reason of self-harm and to others by his fire setting tendencies. According to Rethink (2010) p. 1 4; The Mental Health Act 1983 (as amended by the Mental Health Act 2007) is the law under which a person can be admitted, detained and treated in hospital against their wishes. It goes on to state that Section 3 allows a person to be admitted to hospital for treatment which must be necessary for their health, their safety or for the protection of other people and it cannot be provided unless they are detained in hospital. Mr X was treated successfully and was reintroduced into the community in 2002. Since then he has lived in several residential and supported living settings (from Wales to Birmingham). Coping with life in the community has led to self-neglect, the accruing of debt and at times anxiety. As a result Mr X still requires intensive support. In Jan 07 he left his residential placement in Telford to look for his mother whom he hadnt seen since he was ten, with the intention of developing a relationship with her. While waiting to secure a placement, he lived with his mother and her partner. The relationship with his mother soon broke down due to his violent and threatening behaviour. On one occasion he threatened to set the house on fire and his mother had to call the police. As a result he was detained under section 2 of the Mental Health Act to reassess his mental health. His condition was such that if untreated he represents a risk to himself and other around him. According Rethink (2010) p. 2; Section 2 of the Mental Health Act 1983 (as amended by the Mental Health Act 2007) allows a person to be admitted to hospital for an assessment of his or her mental health and to receive any necessary treatment. An admission to hospital under Section 2 is usually used when the patient has not been assessed in hospital before or when they have not been assessed in hospital for a considerable period of time. Detention under this section is for a maximum of 28 days. It cannot be renewed but can be followed by a Section 3 order. In Mr Xs case, detention under Section 2 was appropriate because he was last assessed in 2002. After his assessment and treatment Mr X was released back into the community. He requested for a flat of his own close to his relations. With his approval a supported living placement that met his needs was identified and secured for him at a local address in March 2007. Contact was made with the local learning disability service on Mr Xs behalf so he could have local support, should he become anxious. The psychology team and the learning disability nurse attempted to work with him on a regular basis, however Mr X explained that he would like to move from the area and therefore their services were not necessary. As a result the services were discontinued to respect his wishes as not doing so may be viewed as being oppressive in practice and a breach of his human right. The respect principle of the Mental Health Act 1983 (as amended by the Mental Health Act 2007), states that the diverse needs of the service user must be recognised and respected; their views, wishes and feelings, so far as they are reasonably ascertainable must be considered and followed wherever practicable and consistent with the purpose of the decision. There must be no unlawful discrimination. (Law Summaries, Sherwood Directory 2010, p.20) The Webster Online dictionary defines discrimination as unfair treatment of a person or group on the basis of prejudice. As social workers we are expected to be anti-discriminatory and anti-oppressive in practices. These principles are captured in National Occupation Standard and the GSCC codes of practice. In particular Code 4; emphasises the need to respect the rights of service users while seeking to ensure that their behaviour does not harm themselves or the people around them. GSCC, 2010, p. 9. While value D; emphasises the need to value, recognise and respect the diversity, expertise and experience of the individuals, families, carers, groups and communities. NOS (2010) p. 8. Mr X then moved to Birmingham and lived there for just over 14 months, his skills have developed over this time particularly in handling domestic activities such as cooking, cleaning and some aspect of budgeting for healthy meal, however he is unable to know if he gets the correct change in a sale. Thereafter Mr X moved to Northampton to be close to his family. At this point a review was carried out and a care plan implemented. Mr X expressed the desire to learn to drive, do some voluntary work in the community and have a relationship. He undertook to stay in this accommodation for at least 3 years to engage in extended personal development. But he only lived at the above residential home for a year. He found it difficult to settle and found the change of staff difficult to deal with. During his regular review Mr X agreed with the support of his advocate to be part of getting life programme, where he would be assessed on what he would like to do in future; as he had a desire to return to the Luton area he refused the offer. He recently abandoned his placement in Northampton and moved in with his maternal uncle. He has been in touch with the Luton council to request a placement in the Luton area. This move is Mr Xs interest at the moment. From his records, his current support needs centres mainly around his personality disorder. He finds it difficult to get along with other residents and often complained of being scared of the people around him. This makes him anxious and restless, creating a desire to move again. Whenever he feels events are not consistent with his expectations i.e. his desire to move, he becomes agitated. This leads to numerous phone calls to social services, the police and anybody he can get on the end of a phone line. Recently he threatened to take his own life by jumping off a bridge or taking an overdose. This desire to constantly relocate has made it difficult for him to engage in extended personal development activities necessary for him to develop the interpersonal skills he requires. In addition he has not been able to establish long-term social links of his own. The Placement I was placed with the Luton Borough Council Community adult learning disability team. The team is an integrated team made up of various professionals including social workers, community care workers and community nurses. It provides a One stop shop / Single Access point for the teams target group, which are adults aged 18yrs 65yrs with learning disabilities and their carers, who live within the Luton Borough Council area. The role of the team within the social welfare spectrum is to provide comprehensive assessment of the needs of people with learning disabilities and their carers, which forms a basis for developing a package of support (care plan) to meet the assessed needs. The team also monitors the care plan through regular reviews to ensure that the plan has been properly implemented and that it is still appropriate. Changes are made to the care plan where appropriate. Other services available through the team include: Advice and referrals to other services, such as day-time activities, supported employment or residential care, specialist health services The provision of specialist nursing services Assessment of carers needs and sign posting to relevant support services. Support for young adult transiting from children service to adult services Support for service users to access community based services. Coordinating the safeguarding of venerable adults process etc. (Luton Borough Council website.) Referral is a very important part of what the team does. Many service users come to the attention of the team by way of referral from other professionals such as GPs, teachers etc. Also the team refer service users to other support agencies. For instance; service users who require employment (paid or voluntary) are referred to D4; a career support team within the Luton Borough Council. They assist service users to write their CVs, carry out job search, prepare for interviews and provide on-going supporting for service users in employment. The team promotes anti-discriminatory practice and is committed to continuous improvement in the delivery of its services. The Legal Mandate of the placement Agency The legal mandate of the Luton Borough Council Community adult learning disability team derives from the National Assistance Act 1948 and the National Health Service and Community Care Act 1990. The National Assistance Act 1948 gives à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦local Authorities the powers and duties to promote the welfare of people ordinarily resident in their area that are blind, deaf or dumb, mentally disordered or substantially and permanently handicapped by illness, injury or congenital deformity (sec 29) (Sherwood Diaries and Directory (2010) p. 11). The NHS and Community Care Act 1990, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ signified an important development in the philosophy of community care and in the delivery of service called for in other legislations (Sherwood Diaries and Directory (2010) p. 16) Unlike previous legislation the NHS and Community Care Act 1990 lays emphasis on an assessment led care management approach (CPA) that is shaped to fit individual needs; in contrast to previous practice of categorisations of service users to fit pre-defined service packages. To succeed this approach requires a partnership between professionals (social workers etc.) and carers in assessing the needs and designing individualised / person centred care programs. The Act also requires service providers to take into consideration the wishes of the service user in determining the type and level of any service required. This can lead to several conflicts some are discussed later in this paper. According to Powell (2001 para. 15); the Act gives legal backing to the concept that the primary function of the public services should be to design and arrange the provision of care and support in line with peoples needs. That care and support can be procured from a variety of sources. There is value in the multiplicity of provision, not least from the consumers point of view, because of the widening choice, flexibility, innovation and competition it should stimulate. In this arrangement, it is vital that social service authorities see themselves as arrangers and purchasers of care services not as monopolistic providers (Griffiths Report 1988: para. 3.4). The current delivery arrangements adopted by the Luton Borough Council have a more recent history. Its origins can be traced to the Health Act of 1999 which sought to remove the Berlin Walls hampering collaboration and cooperation between various agencies by introducing a number of flexibilities into health and social care delivery. One such flexibility is the One Stop shop or integrated provisioning concept, through which health and local authorities provide a combined service through a multidisciplinary team. Initial assessment of potential service users is carried out against a set of eligibility criteria known as the Fair Access to Care Services (FAC). There are four eligibility bands under FAC. Namely critical, substantial, moderate and Low. Each band represents a level of need. Priority levels are assigned based on the likely consequences if the needs of the service user are not met. The amount of help available from family and friends are also taken into consideration. After the initial assessment, a care plan is prepared for people who meet Luton Borough eligibility criteria. The care plan documents what the service users needs are and the way in which these needs will be met. The care plan is agreed with the service user, their family and all those involved in providing care to the service user such as, nursing home, residential home etc. The Legal Status of the Subject Mr X is an adult with mild learning disability and personality disorder. Having gone through our eligibility criteria / screening; a care plan was developed for him. His care plan is reviewed regularly and his input is sought to ensure that the plan is relevant and continues to meet his needs and aspirations. Sometime in 2007, he was detained under section (2) of the Mental Health Act, due to his violent and threatening behaviour to his mother and those around him. He threatened to set her house on fire and to kill himself. The aim of the detention was to carry out an assessment and provide the necessary treatment. He has since been discharged back into community care. As his behaviour in recent times have not been violent or of any serious concern; there is currently no plan to detain him unless there is a serious deterioration in his condition. Critique of the Social Policy Initiatives Relevant To My Placement Agency and the Subject As mentioned above the NHS and Community Care Act 1990 marked a watershed in the development of social care policy in the UK. It was the first attempt to bring in the concept of marketisation into the provision of social care services. (Brambleby 2009, para. 15) According to Powell (2001) para. 18, Community care was to be used as a vehicle for the marketisation of the public sector. Thus, a contract culture was applied to the provision of personal social services and social services departments would need to develop processes to specify, commission and monitor services delivered by other agencies. (DoH 1989: p. 23). The prevalent wisdom at the time was that marketisation will encourage improvement in the quality and scope of services provided, promote innovation, lead to reduction in cost and provide greater choice for the service user. The policy which is based on the triumvirate of autonomy, empowerment and choice was endorsed by many commentators as the political and philosophical panacea for alleviating the deep and destructive problems confronting the community care system in the UK (Levick 1992, cited in Powell 2001, para. 1) Many commentators have raised issue with the NHS and Community Care Act. For one many of the advantages advanced for the marketisation of the Community Care services were not achieved immediately as the process of these organisational changes were immensely complex (Powell 2001 para. 20). Another flaw in the NHS and Community Care Act 1990 was that the specific grant diverted to local authorities in order to implement the outcomes of individual assessment and encourage the generation of services in the private and voluntary sectors was only ring-fenced in the short term. (Powell 2001, para. 18) This has had specific and wide reaching effect on people with mild learning disability as local authorities are required by law to address available resources to those with greatest need. In situation where there is high competition for resources those with mild learning disabilities are often neglected. Eligibility criteria are another area where the law is a bit unclear. According to Spencer-Lane (2010 para. 7); Once a local authority has completed an assessment, it must decide whether or not to provide services. Under the current law, eligibility for services is determined by reference to statutory guidance (Fair Access to Care Services (DH 2002) and Health and Social Care for Adults (WAG 2002) and often-overlapping statute law, such as the National Assistance Act 1948 and the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act 1970. In our view this structure is complex and at times impenetrable. According to the Law Commission Report (2008 p. 28) this has led to two main criticisms of this framework: it produces wide local variations in eligibility for services: for example in 2006-07, a report by the Commission for Social Care Inspection found that 62% of councils in England operated at the highest two levels of substantial and critical; 32% included moderate needs; and 6% included all four bands; This has led to local authorities increasingly restricting services to those with the highest levels of need. According to the same report: 4% of councils confined their help to the critical band only; councils raising their eligibility thresholds to substantial increased from 53% to 62% in 2006-07; and the trend is expected to continue as 73% of councils anticipate that they will be operating at substantial or critical levels in 2007-08. The National Assistance Act mandates local authorities to provide accommodation for people with learning disabilities who are ordinarily resident in their area. This is good in the sense that it protects vulnerable people from becoming homeless. This is particularly true in the case of Mr X. However, Mr X may be viewed as taking advantage of the system by refusing to settle and engage in the community. He is aware that the agency is mandated to meet his housing needs and therefore uses that as a weapon whenever he wants extra attention. This type of behaviour has significant implication for services delivery. According to Dobson (1999) p. 2, many patients can not get the treatment and care they need partly because the system has found it so difficult to cope with the small minority of mentally ill people who are a nuisance or a danger to both themselves and others. One way to check this problem is to ask the more able service users to sign a charter which gives them certain responsibilities, such as the attending day centre and other developmental activities in return for certain privileges. Failure to abide with the charter should result in the withdrawal of these privileges. The additional cost associated with providing these privileges will be paid for by the time and resources freed up to deal with other cases. Human Rights and Data Protection The Human Rights Act (1998) effectively gives legal bite to the rights contained in the European Convention on Human Rights. The major rights relevant to the agency and the subject are The right to life; every life is equally important. A disability does not make a service users life less important than anyone elses. The right to respect for private and family life; guarantees each individual the right to live as part of a family. For instance this gives gay and lesbian couples the same rights as other couples. The right to dignity and being part of the community; guarantees each individual the care and support they need to have a good life. This means that people with disabilities should be able to join community activities along with everyone else. (Sherwood Directory, 2010, p. 23) The Act is there to ensure that statutory bodies such as local authorities, schools, the police, the courts and hospitals can and actually protect the rights of people with disabilities. The right to dignity is relevant to decisions about placements, accommodation and other services; it requires service providers to as far as is possible take into considerations the wishes of the service user. This concept of choice is central to Valuing People a government white paper published in 2001 and updated in 2009. The proposals in the White Paper are based on four key principles: civil rights, independence, choice and inclusion. Valuing People takes a life-long approach, beginning with an integrated approach to services for disabled children and their families and then providing new opportunities for a full and purposeful adult life. It has cross-Government backing and its proposals are intended to result in improvements in education, social services, health, employment, housing and support for people with learning disabilities and their families and carers. MKADHD (Undated) para. 15. As a result Luton Council is duty bound to continue to consider Mr X wishes to move even though it is costing the council a lot in terms of money and time. Another important consideration is that under the Human Rights Act 1998 victims are allowed to bring action against a local authority if it has acted in a way which is incompatible with the terms of the articles of the European Convention on human rights (Brammer 2007, pg. 110). Applying this to the case; Mr X left the residential placement provided by the council deliberately making himself homeless. He refused to wait for the team to secure another suitable placement before leaving his current placement. He currently resides with his uncle (somewhere in Luton) but claims to be homeless. Mr X has threatened to harm himself and is now threatening to sue the local authority for not providing him with another accommodation. As far as the Agency is concerned Mr X made himself homeless deliberately because he is deemed to have capacity; having been assessed under the criteria set out in the Mental Capacity Act 2005. The assessment was carried out to ensure that Mr X had capacity at the time. Under the Act, a person lacks capacity in relation to a matter if at the material time he is unable to make a decision for himself in relation to the matter because of an impairment of, or a disturbance in the functioning of, the mind or brain. It does not matter whether the impairment or disturbance is permanent or temporary (Beresford and Sloper, 2008, p.40) The Data Protection Act 1998 provides individuals with new right of access to their personal data and imposes new obligations on data controllers; such as local authority social services department to operate good data storage practices and this applies to both electronic and manual records. (Brammer, 2007, p. 114). However, the Act gives the agency the right to retain information about the service user to be able to carry out its statutory duties and obtains the consent of service users or their carer to do so. The agency is required to appoint a data controller whose duty is to ensure that personal data is only used for authorised purposes and data not required is destroyed in the prescribed manner. Applying this to the case I have not used Mr Xs original name. Information personal to Mr X have been made anonymous. Electric and manual information obtained in the course of putting this work together were duly authorised by the appropriate authority and manual documents have been destroyed in the prescribed manner. The case has been put together in such a way that it does not create any link to the actual service user. The service user raised a few SOVA (Safeguarding of Vulnerable Adult) issues. The Care Direct Factsheet (2007, p. 1) defines abuse as à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦a violation of a persons human and civil rights by any other person (s). It may: be a single or repeated act(s); be physical, verbal, psychological, sexual, institutional, discriminatory or financial; or may be an act of neglect or failure to act. The fact sheet defines a Vulnerable Adult as someone aged 18 or over who is, or may be: In need of community care services because of mental or other disability, age or illness and Unable to take care of him or herself, or unable to protect him or herself against significant harm or exploitation. When an abuse is reported local agencies are required to treat each case with the utmost urgency to ensure the alleged victim does not suffer any more abuse. The agency has a multi-agency protocol that is followed in each case; to ensure urgent and appropriate action is taken. The police are almost always involved to ensure a record of the abuse is maintained for future reference. Advocacy, community support team etc. may also be involved. Each case must be dealt within 24 hours of the receipt of the report. Thereafter a strategy meeting of the relevant agencies is called to review the situation and agree a coordinated approach to deal with any outstanding risks. In the case of Mr X, the Police were invited to investigate his allegations. No further action was taken as none of the allegations could be verified. Advocacy was involved to ensure that his worries and concerns were well communicated to the Police and his service providers. He was also advised on the steps he can take should he feel unsatisfied or unhappy with the outcome. A critical analysis based in a policy critique of services provided by the Agency. The agency policy on assessment and residential placement is very well structured; they define the agency duties, responsibilities, roles and boundaries. Initial assessment allows the agency to gain a clear picture of the service users condition and situation. The assessment includes detailed personal information regarding the service users relationships, any significant events and current situation. This provides the baseline for the assessment against the fair access to care services eligibility matrix. One critic of the process is that it is open to abuse. The more able service users can master the process and thereafter exploit the lope holes in the process. In some ways one can argue that, Mr X has reached this critical point. He is very much aware that whenever he raises a red flag someone gets into trouble; as such this has become one of his favourite games. He makes up stories and keeps changing his stories as long as they lead towards his desired goals. I believe that having a detailed long-term plan is critical to maintaining the support required by the service user. One short coming of this process is that not much seems to have been done in addressing the underlying issues i.e. his desire to move regularly. Perhaps Mr Xs care plan could be designed in such a way that he is allowed to change placement every 18 or 24 months. Putting this plan in place will allow the agency to plan ahead and ensure continuity of his development plan. One approach maybe to make sure that each successive placement has the facility to continue his development from where he left off at the previous placement. This approach is in line with the Valuing People Now white paper (DoH 2009, p. 6) which requires agencies to treat each services user as an individual, with the same opportunities and responsibilities. Each care plan should be individualised and does not necessarily have to fit with the norm. On the other hand the current approach is costing the agency so much in terms of time and money as every care plan review involves going out to visit his current placement and visiting new ones to pick a new placement that meets his needs. This often means that resources have to be withdrawn from other tasks to handle his situation as it is often presented as an emergency. In addition each time he leaves a placement a new budget has to be put in place; this could create confusion especially with budgeting. One of the setbacks in this policy is that while some people who need help are not reached or given enough attention others who know the system abuse it

Comparing the Works of Nathaniel Hawthorne and Margaret Fuller Essays

Try as much as possible to be wholly alive, with all your might, and when you laugh, laugh like hell and when you get angry, get good and angry. Try to be alive. You will be dead soon enough. --William Saroyan Although this approach to living life may be humorous and simplistic, William Saroyan describes a common need of people to live wholly and experience life at its fullest. 'Carpe diem' is a phrase that is familiar to more than just Latin scholars. This need for fullness in one’s life also stems a need for completeness. At one time or another most people have experienced the desire to be ‘whole’ – to feel complete and well rounded. Children want to become adults as quickly as possible, students want to become better educated, and college graduates long to find that self-defining career all in the name of becoming a ‘complete’ person. Of course, this could be a reflection of a personal crisis as a graduating senior, but it nonetheless seems to be a universal longing. This longing for fullness and wholeness transcends time and is found in both Nathaniel Hawthorne and Margaret Fuller’s works, albeit in different ways. Summer on the Lakes was written during a period of hiatus and reflection in Fuller’s life. There is a sense of seeking and desiring new experiences that permeates this work, a need to experience new things in order to continually learn and grow as a person. Part of this desire could come from her views on the rights of women to be recognized as whole citizens and people in America in the nineteenth century; also imparted in her discourse is her longing for women to simply want more for themselves. In the following passage, Fuller describes the girls and women in an Oregon farming town. She lament... ...se of being in the process. By diminishing a complete person to parts, Hawthorne demonstrates that a whole sense of being is important and should not be destroyed. Both authors seem to be making statements on wholeness and attaining a sense of completeness in life. Fuller demonstrates this by wanting a sense of wholeness for individual people and by seeing beauty in nature in terms of fullness. Hawthorne shows the reader what can happen if you strip a person of their sense of being; a composite person should not be reduced to parts and destroyed. This theme of desiring wholeness defined by these nineteenth century authors, Fuller and Hawthorne, transcends time and appeals to readers today. As someone still searching for that sense of wholeness, it is reassuring and exciting to find literature that subtly examines personal journeys that are still experienced today.

Psycho :: essays research papers

In about 2 or 3 pages discuss the significance of this piece of dialogue and tell how this scene encapsulates one of the pervading themes of the film. In Psycho by Alfred Hitchcock, the conversation between Marion and Norman has shown extreme importance to both the plot and the themes of the movie. As the movie shown Norman’s psychotic mind, we but give great evidence of how the environment had influence on him. With the comparison of other character’s personalities, audiences are actually persuaded back to see the similarity of his mind to normal people’s. Traps are also discussed in this significant dialogue, to show his logical thinking of his situation. As scenes of logics shown from Norman comes up one by one, Norman’s rational process of thinking give as a big question ‘Is he really a Psycho or just the smartest murderer?’ In comparison from Norman Bates’ psychotic mind to Marion Crane and Sam Loomis’s, they are very similar as shown in one of the example in the dialogue. In the dialogue, Norman’s logical explanation of his situation has shown his rational mind, as normal as any other people. He explained to Marion his loyalty to his mother which if her mother really is like described, he is the best boy a mother can have. In comparison to Marion, the psycho has actually even more logically than she is - a normal person, as he point out she can’t hide from the traps once she choose to step on them. ‘I think that we’re all in our private traps-clamped in them. And none of us can ever get out. We- we scratch for all of it but we never budge an inch.’ The logic of his mind can even explain and redirect a normal person, and therefore, the dialogue is very significant in the proving of Norman Bates is actually a very clever person. Even, after their conversation, the murder of Marion to Norman’s personality is a symbol of sexual act or rape in his psychotic mind. In comparison to Marion and Sam, his sexual desire is similar to their unrespectable affairs in hotel rooms. These shows the complication of Norman Bates mind is actually going the same way as any other normal people’s mind, but in a more extreme level. The abnormal behaviours of normal people in some time of their life are shown to be even more irrational than a so-called psycho.