Beauty and Other Deep Superficial Desires

In our affluent society, we can be said to have everything: our work is not backbreaking. In fact, working conditions are good, and many of us strive to do good work. Technology has advanced so far that we are living longer and better lives. We have come to address many social ills, such as poverty and social forms of oppression, like racism. But more than ever, we Americans seem more and more unhappy and unsatisfied.What accounts for the disparity between the relative comfort and affluence of our lives, and the inversely proportional pleasure we take in living our lives?In his essay â€Å"The Progress of Paradox,† Greg Easterbrook argues that a general discontent and alienation in our culture today come to us because our lives are filled with choices (a glut of choices) but have little meaning. Easterbrook seems to adopt a view of human beings as naturally pessimistic (if left to their own devices), and urges Americans to be more optimistic and to return to seeking more trans cendent experiences that are currently offered by the cornucopia of sex and violence that passes for American culture.Easterbrook is a self-avowed Christian, so talk of pursuing transcendence is code for religious faith, but may be forgiven this given the work that he puts into making his arguments through evidence. Just because, as he puts it, millions of Americans can afford to spend a lot of money on vanity induced plastic surgery, such as â€Å"the navel touch-up† (Easterbrook, 402) does not mean that this is how our resources should or could best be spent.We should instead turn out considerable resources and wealth to trying to make a difference in the world of the less advantaged peoples of the world; this might be worth while and more fulfilling than the choices we seem to be making instead. Where Easterbrook interprets the rise of elective plastic surgery as a superficial and meaningless activity, a sign of our devolution into decadence, Naomi Wolf, on the other hand, sees the beauty industry’s practices as full of meaning.For a woman who considers getting plastic surgery, the question is not a superficial or vacuous one. She writes: â€Å"The beauty myth is always actually prescribing behavior and not appearance† (Wolf, 489). Beauty is never skin deep; that is, one reason why a woman might want to be beautiful is because her exterior appearance is taken to be a sign of her worth and of her interior personhood. A beautiful woman is thought to be a good woman, one who is disciplined and whose life is in proportion.This is evidenced in work that is done with women (and increasingly more and more men) who suffer from eating disorders. These individuals report that, for then, their eating disorders are about control, about showing the world that they have great discipline and are inherently good, disciplined, and virtuous in the particularly American protestant work ethic (See Bordo below, whom I read for another class).Where Easterbro ok fails to see underneath the surface of the plastic surgery craze, Naomi wolf shows us that it is behaviors that are the aim, not simply appearance. The gendered analysis is important because we can begin to question why it is women’s preoccupation with image that is taken as the chief example of frivolous vacuity, when surely men’s investment is the pornography industry can be read as a much more morally objectionable practice.In any case, all of these practices can be taken together and read as signs, as symbols by which culture communicates a code of acceptability to its members. According to popular semiotics professor and cultural critic Jack Solomon: â€Å"America is a nation of fantasizers, often preferring the sign to the substance and easily enthralled by a veritable Fantasy Island of commercial illusions† (Solomon, 413). What Solomon describes is an America closer to that imagined by Easterbrook, but minus the normativity.That is, Solomon sees meanin g in every little sign or symbol in culture. Either all is surface play of meaning without depth, or all these signs point to a depth beyond the immediately apparent. According to this viewpoint, the problem of our culture is not that we have lost touch with some transcendent being (read: God), but that we prefer not to be on communion with anything grander than a pair of Ferragamo shoes or a Ferrari car. We love our status symbols and our wealth, and the dazzling display satisfies us, if only for a short while.We are a nation of dreamers and we will believe in this dream of prosperity for as long as we possibly can. Bibliography Bordo, Susan. (2004) â€Å"Reading the slender body. † Unbearable Weight. Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press. Easterbrook, Greg. (2003) The Progress Paradox. New York: Random House. Solomon, Jack. (1990) The Sign Of Our Times. New York: HarperCollins. Wolf, Naomi. (2002) The Beauty Myth. New York: Harper Perennial.

Building Inspection Checklist

BUILDING INSPECTION CHECKLIST Location: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. Is the building address or identification clearly visible? Are exterior lights in working order? Are periodic inspections conducted and documented? Is an unobstructed access road to the building provided? Are the exits onto public streets free from visibility obstructions? Are trees and shrubs pruned and documented? Are roots pruned and documented? Are all building sides accessible to emergency equipment? Are fire hydrants accessible? Exterior:Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Interior: No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 10. Are sprinkler/standpipe connections accessible? 11. Are sprinkler/standpipe connections clearly marked? 12. Are landscape sprinklers at least 6 inches from walkways or pathways? 13. Does the building appear to be in good repair? 14. Is building free from signs of vandalism? 15.Are exterior walls free from cracks or other damages? 16. Are windows free from cracks or broken panes? 17. Has vegetation been cut back from the building? 18. Are turf areas inspected for holes, exposed roots, etc. and documented? 19. Are paved surfaces inspected and repaired (i. e. , lifts, cracks, etc. )? 20. Are combustible materials stored away from the building? 21. Is the building free from signs of exterior damage? 22. Are stairs, landings and handrails in good repair and fastened securely? (inspect the bottom of each step) 23.Are facilities periodically inspected and documented? 24. Are all sewer clean out caps in place? 25. Are all irrigation covers in place? 26. Are housing authority owned light post bases free of rust and/or deterioration? 27. Do entrance doors close slowly to avoid hazards to fingers? 28. Are utility/cable boxes marked â€Å"Keep Off†? Electrical System: Building Inspection Checklist Page 2 29. Are all electrical panels secured? 30. Is a 3†² clearance provided around all electrical panels? 31. Are all electrical rooms free from combustible storage? 32.Are all electrical panels cool to the touch? 33. Are all electrical panels free from evidence of burning? 34. Have all electrical circuits been identified? 35. Are all electrical switches and receptacles in good repair? 36. Has the use of extension cords been discontinued? 37. Have Ground Fault Interrupter's been provided on circuits in proximity to water? 38. Is there a â€Å"lock-out† procedure in place? Heating System: 39. Is a 3†² clearance provided around all heating equipment? 40. Are furnace/boiler rooms kept locked? 41. Are furnace/boiler rooms free from combustible storage? 2. Are residents reminded to keep combustibles away from heaters? Smoking: 43. Is smoking prohibited in the building common areas? 44. Are designated smoking areas properly identified? 45. Are non-combustible receptacles prov ided in smoking areas? 46. Are smoking materials disposed of properly? Housekeeping: 47. Is trash removed from the building daily? 48. Is storage restricted to designated areas? 49. Is storage neatly arranged and secured from rolling away? Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No No No No No No No No No No N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/AYes Yes Yes Yes No No No No N/A N/A N/A N/A Yes Yes Yes Yes No No No No N/A N/A N/A Yes Yes Yes No No No N/A N/A Building Inspection Checklist Page 3 Private Protection: 50. Is building equipped with an automatic sprinkler system? 51. Is the main sprinkler control valve accessible? 52. Are all valves supplying water or air to the system open? 53. Is system operation monitored by an alarm company? 54. Is valve operation monitored by an alarm company? 55. Is the sprinkler system tested on a quarterly basis and documented? 56. Are spare sprinkler heads available in the building? 7. Is the building equipped with a fire detection system? 58. Doe s the system protect the entire building? 59. Does the system provide an alarm signal in the building? 60. Is system tested on a monthly basis and documented? 61. Is the main alarm panel in normal operating condition? 62. Are portable fire extinguishers provided? 63. Are all extinguishers inspected on a monthly basis and documented? 64. Do all extinguishers have a current inspection tag? Emergency Evacuation: 65. Are all exits and travel paths identified with illuminated â€Å"EXIT† signs? 66.Are travel paths leading to exits free of obstructions? 67. Are exits unlocked and operational? 68. Are working emergency lights provided in the building? 69. Are emergency lights tested periodically and documented? 70. Are evacuation diagrams posted throughout the building? Miscellaneous: 71. Has flammable storage been limited to designated areas? 72. Is all cooking equipment protected by extinguishing systems? 73. Is cooking equipment clean? 74. Are filters inspected periodically and d ocumented? 75. Are all computer areas free from combustible storage?Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No No No No No N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No No No No No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A Building Inspection Checklist Page 4 NOTIFY YOUR SUPERVISOR IF ANY QUESTIONS WERE ANSWERED â€Å"NO† Inspected By: Date: The following items have been followed-up on. This has been accomplished by putting them on a work order: Item No. Work Order # Item No. Work Order # Item No. Work Order #

Psychology of law

Even though psychological region is the primary cause of police-induced false confessions, individuals differ In their ability to withstand interrogation pressure and thus in their susceptibility to making false confessions. All other things being equal, those who are highly suggestible or compliant are more likely to confess falsely. Interrogative suggestibility tends to be heightened by sleep deprivation, fatigue, and drug or alcohol withdrawal. Individuals who are highly compliant tend to be conflict avoidance, acquiescent, and eager to please others, especially authority figures.With these coercive tactics, the police play on these weaknesses and pray on the Individuals. This is a problem even if the individual is in fact guilty but is much more of a problem when the individual is innocent and gives a false confession. Authorities. Researchers and the media have focused a growing awareness of incidences of coerced false confessions, as well as the associated personal and legal im plications involved. The Innocence Project, a non-profit legal clinic that assists those wrongfully convicted of crimes, claims that 8% of wrongful convictions are due o forced confessions prompted by police.Consequently, measures have been taken to try and reduce their frequency. There are many aspects in which coercive tactics are problematic but for the sake of this essay I will focus solely on its leading to false confessions. In the past two decades, hundreds of convicted prisoners have been exonerated by DNA and non-DNA evidence, revealing that police-induced false confessions are a leading cause of wrongful conviction of the innocent. Although the prevalence rate is unknown, recent analyses reveal that 20 to 25% of prisoners exonerated by DNA had confessed to police.In the Central Park Jogger case, for example, all five Juveniles falsely confessed after lengthy unrecorded Interrogations In which they were yelled at, lied to, threatened, and promised Immunity In exchange for t heir admissions to participating in the assault and rape. In 15 to 20 percent of the DNA cases, police-induced false confessions were the primary cause of the wrongful conviction. Once detectives misclassifying an innocent person as a guilty suspect, they often subject him to an customarily interrogation. Getting a confession becomes particularlyI OFF profile cases in which there is great pressure on police detectives to solve the crime, there is no other source of potential evidence to be discovered, and typically there is no credible evidence against an innocent but misclassified suspect. It is perhaps not surprising that most documented false confessions occur in homicides and high- profile cases. In these cases the police have the capability of being very coercive, which in turn can cause false confessions. Once the interrogation commences, the primary cause of police-induced false confession is psychologically coercive police ethos.Psychological coercion can be defined in two w ays: police use of interrogation techniques that are regarded as inherently coercive in psychology and law, or police use of interrogation techniques that, cumulatively, cause a suspect to perceive that he has no choice but to comply with the interrogators' demands. Usually these amount to the same thing. Psychologically coercive interrogation techniques include some examples, such as deprivations (of food, sleep, water, or access to bathroom facilities), incommunicado interrogation, and induction of extreme exhaustion and fatigue.In the modern era, however, these techniques are rare in domestic police interrogations. Instead, when today's police interrogators employ psychologically coercive techniques, they usually consist of (implicit or express) promises of leniency and threats of harsher treatment. As Offset and Leo have written, â€Å"the modern equivalent to the rubber hose is the indirect threat communicated through pragmatic implication†. Threats and promises can take a variety of forms, and they are usually repeated, developed, and elaborated over the ours of the interrogation.Most documented false confessions in recent decades have been directly caused by or have involved promises or threats. Another form of psychological coercion, causing a suspect to perceive that he has no choice but to comply with the wishes of the interrogator, is not specific to any one technique but may be the cumulative result of the interrogation methods as a whole. If one understands the psychological structure and logic of contemporary interrogation, it is not difficult to see how it can produce this effect.The custodial environment and hysterical confinement are intended to isolate and disembowel the suspect. Interrogation is designed to be stressful and unpleasant, and it is more stressful and unpleasant the more intense it becomes and the longer it lasts. Interrogation techniques are meant to cause the suspect to perceive that his guilt has been established beyon d any conceivable doubt, that no one will believe his claims of innocence, and that by continuing to deny the detectives' accusations he will only make his situation (and the ultimate outcome of the case against him) much worse.The suspect may perceive that he has no choice but to comply with the detectives' wishes, because he is fatigued, worn down, or simply sees no other way to escape an intolerably stressful experience. Some suspects come to believe that the only way they will be able to leave is if they do what the detectives say. Others comply because they are led to believe that it is the only way to avoid a feared outcome (e. G. , homosexual rape in prison). When a suspect perceives that he has no choice but to comply, his resultant compliance and confession are, by definition, involuntary and the product of coercion.

I Believe in Happiness Essay

We’re often told that happiness is an illusion, and some of us believe it, despite the experience of our own life. Happiness is obviously not an illusion, because we’ve all felt it, not once but many times. Without a doubt, every person has ever experienced some kind of unhappiness. This is a very sad feeling. We always feel unhappy when we get sad news, or experience sad situations. I believe that if there was only happiness in this world, then all our worries and tears would be washed away. There would be no miseries, no suicides and no getting involved with drugs. I always try my best to be happy on all occasions, no matter which pain I experience. Whether the pain is emotional or physical, I believe was that happiness is the key and answer. There are many ways in which an individual could gain happiness. Personally, I find happiness in helping other people or trying to resolve any problem if is my possibility. Strange as it may seem, this is the truth. I came to know this when I was 14 years old. I believe in happiness, when you make others happy, when you help them to do things happen, your soul will become happy. I believe in happiness when you see others laugh, you feel satisfaction with yourself, you felt good. There is no cause for anyone to be sad all the time; everyone should have something to turn to in their time of need. Happiness is what I believe makes the hard obstacles seem a little softer at the time of impact. Most commonly, we realize after some period of time, a few minutes, or a day, that we have been happy in the time just past. We haven’t thought about it one way or another, but now that we do, we realize we’ve been happy. That’s why I believe in happiness, That happiness occurs when we’re not paying attention to is as part of why happiness seems so mysterious. We know a lot about what doesn’t make you happy. As a rule, nothing you lack now will make you happy when you get it. Similarly, buying things doesn’t make anyone happy, I believe that money doesn’t make you happy enough than no material things. The endless disappointment of shoppers, thronging to the stores to acquire the new clothes of the season, the new car of the year model, is repeated again and again. We make our purchase, and feel happy for a while. But soon the happiness fades. I believe that money does not always buy happiness, but it is not indicated that money cannot brings satisfaction. It is of great importance to deal with money more carefully and appropriately. I believe in happiness, the feeling that we can create everyday and without money, if you help other, if you make a difference you will continue patters for a better life and for a better future.

A Comparative Analysis Of Langston Hughess The Negro Speaks Of Rivers And Sandra Cisneross House On Mango Street

A Comparative Analysis Of Langston Hughes's The Negro Speaks Of Rivers And Sandra Cisneros's House On Mango Street The House on Mango Street History repeats itself in more ways than one and this statement reigns true for almost all aspects of life and this especially holds true with war. Over and over again we see destruction promises of repair and then many decades later another war emerges with the same carnage and promises. The most famous example of this would be Napoleon invading Russia and Hitler invading Russia and the outcome was the same for both men and armies. The repetition that is most prevalent and either undermined or discarded though is the treatment of people and in particular minorities. The treatment of minorities and people of darker color is so outlandish and is visible throughout the world in countries and the whole continent of Africa which faced brutal imperialism and slave trading a couple hundred years ago. This quote worn on a shirt of famous rapper and Outkast member Andrà © 3000 saying â€Å"Across cultures darker people suffer most. Why?† This quote reiterates the idea that darker ski nned people face more scrutiny and have a harder time in life than those of fairer skin. America is the home of thousands of nationalities and ethnicities from all over the world but it is harder for immigrants and minorities to find their identity and make something of themselves while being happy and different but still holding on to their roots in from other countries but still being proud to be American. These struggles are no more prevalent and no more accurate than in the novel â€Å"House on Mango Street† by Sandra Cisneros and the poem â€Å"The Negro Speaks of Rivers† by Harlem Renaissance writer Langston Hughes. These two bodies of work detail the life of African Americans in the United States and a young Latina woman in the United States and their struggles of finding themselves and knowing where they came from while still moving forward in life and dealing with their hardships. In one of the outside sources which is titles â€Å"Straddling Boundaries ident ity culture and school† talks about kids struggling to find themselves and speaks on being able to find themselves in places like school where they learn about their history and their past. The other article â€Å"In search of identity in Cisneross The House on Mango Street† it does focus on the main character Esparanza’s life in America and all she has to deal with along with being a preadolescent female but struggling with the problems and unjust obstacles life has to offer and she has trouble finding herself and identifying herself and who she is in this world which often times can be unforgiving. These two texts in theme of finding identity have similar narratives but set in different times. â€Å"The Negro Speaks of Rivers† talks about the struggle of African Americans as a whole and how lost they are in some cases due to the fact that they have been taken away from their home land and given new identities and new names that they are not familiar with and is not theirs. Langston Hughes is reminding us of this and who African American’s are and where they came from and that they are not just slaves but much much more. â€Å"In House on Mango Street† it is about the life of Esperanza and dealing with life and people not understanding her in particular because she is a woman and she does not have the same freedoms as men do and also because she is not wealthy and lives in a terrible neighborhood people do not understand her as well. Being Hispanic in a tough neighborhood does not let her have the same opportunities as white people in rich or good neighborho ods and she states that they look down on her when they do look at her. She spends the whole novel contemplating leaving home to find herself somewhere else because her barrio is not meant for that. Identity is a huge part of minorities an culture too but as you can see many minorities have trouble finding their identity in America the land of mixed cultures. In â€Å"The Negro Speaks of Rivers† author Langston Hughes he tries to bring a comparison to the negro of his time in the 1920’s and the ancestors who were the first to start civilization in the first thousand years of modern civilization in Africa. He wants to African Americans to reconnect with their roots. People have been almost tricked to forget where they came from and their greatness building the pyramids and creating monuments that millions of people around the world marveled at. The denial of this and the act of taking the truth away and discriminating against African Americans is racism which some say is America’s original sin and what Langston Hughes is fighting against in his poem â€Å"The Negro Speaks of Rivers.† His motive is to uplift African American’s and to show them that they are worth more than what they were told to be, during the time of segregation and Jim Crow laws they still have a voice and a past to be proud of. In the poem Langston speaks from a voice of an ancestor saying the he too knows. Although never being in Africa he speaks as if he was from there and this is the new way of writing because Hughes as a black man now has a voice and can say what he please as well as the way of writing it has changed to a simpler form but still resonates with people just not the super wealthy and those who can read. In this poem the first three lines reiterates features of Africa. â€Å"I’ve known rivers: I’ve known rivers ancient as the world and older than the flow Of human blood and veins. My soul has grown deep like the rivers. I bathed in the Euphrates when dawns were young. I built my hut near the Congo and it lulled me to sleep.† Hughes is talking about the Nile River and he is saying that it is as old as the earth and that it is ingrained in us in our body and we are the earth. He said that his soul has grown deep and it means that he feels as if he is attached to the earth and he is part of it. Another river is the Euphrates which has given life to so many people used for bathing, sailing, and fishing but it has also been here for a long time. What he means by this line is that he along with Africans have been on earth for a long time. The last line talks about having a home in the Congo and he fell asleep with the sound of the river. I looked upon the Nile and raised the pyramids above it. I heard the singing of the Mississippi when Abe Lincoln went down to New Orleans, and I’ve seen it’s muddy bosom turn all golden in the sunset. I’ve known rivers: Ancient, dusky rivers; My soul has grown deep like the rivers. Hughes continues to talk about the Nile and how it raised people and was such an influence on the lives of the Egyptians at the time when they were using it for every aspect of life and it was a catalyst for them being able to flourish without that they would not have been able to make the pyramids. Hughes then makes a comparison to moving down the Mississippi to with Abraham Lincoln to New Orleans and how from having a muddy bosom to being a golden sunset which could annotate the transition from slavery to being freed with the emancipation proclamation. Hughes finishes the poem by saying that he knows these rivers old rivers and those that are shadowy his soul being an African American male has history and runs deep like the rivers. â€Å"The House on Mango Street† by Sandra Cisneros tells the tale of a young girl that is struggling to make it in America with hurdles that she has to go through. This text is different from â€Å"The Negro Speaks of Rivers† because Hughes speaks for an entire group of people who have been hurt and had their identity taken away from them and he is also trying to make a connection between the present day negro and the African of early civilizations. â€Å"The House on Mango Street† it talks about one specific character but can be used for many generations of Hispanic women growing up in America and millions going through the same struggle today. Esperanza gives us her background at first and where she is living and how she got to mango street. Her father is always working and her mother is always at home watching over the kids, she has two younger brothers and one other sister. Esperanza is not very fortunate because she is not popular and it is hard for her to find a friend to tell secrets to. She has her sister but it is not the same due to the fact that her sister is younger than her and cannot cognitively have a conversation with her because she us so young. However, Esperanza is always stuck watching her little sister so she cannot do what her brothers do and play or focus on herself because she is so busy with her little sister. Another way her life is different is because of her ethnicity she details how others do not understand her and how she depicted them looking at her and her people from the outside and not understanding their way of life. Esperanza dictates how people vie her and people like her harshly and crit icize them for living the way do even though they are trying their best with what they can. Again we see in â€Å"The House on Mango Street† like we did in â€Å"The Negro Speaks of Rivers† that minorities struggle to identify themselves and feel the need to overcompensate for their lives and actions to feel better about themselves. This comparison is significant because to different races fear the same things and two different authors writing in different times can still have the same view of their people and America as a whole. Being misunderstood by others and even misunderstanding themselves is something that they have to deal with while trying to identify themselves to their own selves while they are being told what to do by many other people. Although the authors of these two different texts are of different sexes, different races, and writing in different periods the problem remains the same. As the quote from earlier still reigns true why do darker people suffer more across the world. History is repeating itself over and over maybe it is not the exact same way but if this is the result after decades of minorities living in America it is not a very good one and does not show progress at all. This question is part of a problem that is rooted deep in the heart of America racism that has been embedded in the psyche of Americans but has been hidden and for a big extent subtlety regarded as false or not prevalent. These two texts ring them to live without blatantly shouting it out but by bringing us in the lives of minorities in the past and present and shows America not as the great nation everyone believes it is but one of flaw and not perfect like the humans we are, and although it is not perfect and neither are we we must strive for perfection to make this country the best it can for all people.

Final case Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Final case Assignment - Essay Example THINK should not tie-up with an established player, and maintain its own identity. It should enter into partnership with some Chinese firm as a short-term strategy. However, focus should be to enhance relations with Ener1 to overcome their internal weaknesses. Table of Contents 1. Introduction 3 2. Core proposition and long-term customers 3 3. Success strategy for the US and Europe 4 4. Strategic partners 5 5. Industry analysis 5.1 Auto industry within US 6 5.2 Risks 7 5.3 Future trends 8 6. Company analysis 6.1 Strengths 9 6.2 Weakness 10 6.3 Opportunity 10 6.4 Threats 11 7. Competitor analysis 12 8. Recommendations or the way forward for THINK 13 References 15 Table & Charts Chart I: Global Oil prices & US gasoline prices in 2030 8 Chart II: Per-Mile Fueling cost 10 Table I: US supply of electric vehicles from 2011 through 2015 11 1. Introduction THINK, the electric car company, has faced three bankruptcies but has now been able to draw investments from companies from different cou ntries such as the US, Finland, and Norwegian government-backed investment fund. The company is now faced with the challenge of introducing and achieving success in the US market. The potential in the US is very high due to government support for electric vehicles (EVs) and hence THINK wants to be in the US from the beginning to take advantage of early-mover benefits. THINK has been positioned as a modern, efficient and responsive brand. Initially the core customers comprised of the fleet buyers including the government buyers and companies that valued association with green transport. Moreover, electrical vehicles (EVs) have low operating costs apart from the fact they are exempt from congestion charges. They are allowed to operate in otherwise vehicle-restricted parts of the city. The government-bodies are also able to comply with the urban emission regulations. Using and leasing environment-friendly vehicles enhances the corporate image of the government and private organizations which also plays upon the image of the potential employees who value eco-conscious employers. 2. Core proposition and long-term customers The core proposition of the vehicle is to provide cars with zero-emission while making it affordable and user-friendly. These cars may not be able to drive long distances per day but then the customer segment that THINK proposes to tap, would not require daily long distance driving. The car-sharing and rental agencies can be long-term customers of EVs as these can be rented out in congested urban areas as EVs have strong political and economic support. The clients of the car rental agencies become the potential owners of the EVs as they try out the cars first. Another long-term customer segment for the EVs includes the baby boomers who are environmentally conscious and for whom two-wheeler cars are sufficient. Then there are the women shoppers who use the car for day-time shopping and just need a child-fit arrangement in the car. The urban profes sionals also need a â€Å"cool car† that provides them a distinct identity and demonstrates their desire to change the world by being the trend setters. Apart from the green concept, since THINK uses the latest technology, it allows the driver to remain connected with the world outside. In fact the car can be used as a high-powered mobile computing, and communications platform,

The Effectiveness of Training Care Home Staff on Management of Literature review

The Effectiveness of Training Care Home Staff on Management of Challenging Behaviour of Person with Dementia - Literature review Example As far as dementia is concerned, a recent study revealed that one of the best ways to equip nurses and other health professional with the basic skills and knowledge to carry out their duties effectively is by giving them training and education on how to give innovative and result oriented care to handle some of the most disturbing behaviors from dementia patients (Smithers et al, 2007). This section of the dissertation therefore reviews related literature that touches on some of the key innovative ways of addressing challenging behaviour through training in three major areas as reviewed below. 2.1 Non-Pharmacological Approaches to Managing Dementia 2.1.1 Psychosocial intervention for managing dementia Recent studies have actually pointed to the realisation that training in the use of psychosocial intervention for managing dementia is an effective way of handing challenging behaviour in dementia patients (Cohen-Mansfield, Libin & Marx, 2007). The singular reason for the effectiveness of the psychosocial intervention is in the fact that it is multi-active and thus makes use of several approaches that addresses multi-complexity issues about the patient. For instance as part of the psychosocial intervention, social, individual as well as environmental factors of the causes of the challenging behaviour may all be catered for in one pile (Davison, et al, 2007). In a very modern perspective, this intervention could be judged as highly viable because dementia as a cognitive problem does not associate its cause to just one risk factor. This means that the kind of interventions that are prescribed for its solutions must also well be varying in nature like psychosocial interventions. Indeed, practitioners who receive training and education in psychosocial intervention in managing dementia would come to the realisation that their patients are as much relevant in the solution as the caregivers themselves. This way, the practitioners would not see patients who put up challen ging behaviour as elements of problems that must be avoided but rather as companions for a common goal who should be aided to come to terms with how best they can play their part in the solution. 2.1.2 Individualized interventions for patients Even though most commentators have rooted for the use of standardised interventions for handling problematic patients who exhibit challenging behaviour as part of the dementia symptoms, there continues to be some modern researchers who believe interventions for catering for problematic dementia patients should be individualised (O'Connor et al, 2009). By individualised interventions, reference is being made to that kind of approach that sees each patient among the lot as a distinguishably different person who demands personalised approach to his or her problems (McCabe, Davison & George, 2007). Relating to this training and education for caregivers, it is said that the trainee should first and foremost possess an attitude that recognises the p eculiarity of each person and must have a very huge heart to accommodate all such differences. This means that the trainee ought to adapt him or herself in such a way that he or she would use a kind of communication that meets the understanding of the patient. There should also be practical management strategies that focus on the needs of the patient. Finally, it is important to recognise the need to have enough patience for patients to recover at their own rate. The later is indeed a major