Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Historical research paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Historical - Research Paper Example The main objective of the self-strengthening movement in China was to restore values, implied by the term strength, to the weakened country through the introduction of western learning and technology. Kim (2004) identified that students, both at home and abroad, acquire western languages, thoughts and science. Shipyards, arsenals and factories, were based on the western models. Indeed, self-strengthening movement influenced uniquely to the cultural, social, economic and political situation in China (Twitchett 129). The period between 1861 and 1895 is referred self-strengthening movement period of institutional reforms started during the late Qing Dynasty after a series of concessions and military defeat to foreign powers. Most of the ruling elites still subscribed to a conservative Confucian worldview. However, with China’s serious defeats in the first and second Opium Wars, officials debated on the way forward. Kim (2004) pointed out that the officials argued that in order to reinforce itself against the West, the adoption of western military armaments and technology was inevitable. They agreed that shipyards and arsenal shall be established and to hire foreign advisers to enlighten Chinese artisans to fabricate such wares in China (Fairbank 37). Kim (2004) divided the activities of the movement into three phases. The first phase, which lasted from 1861 to 1872, accentuated the adoption of western machines, scientific knowledge, firearms, training of diplomatic and technical personnel through the development of a diplomatic college and office. The second phase lasted from 1872 to 1885. This phase concentrated its attention on modernizing industries, agriculture and commerce as well as to the creation of wealth in an attempt to strengthen the economy (Pong 79). Finally, during the third phase, which occurred between 1885 and 1895, modernization

Monday, October 28, 2019

Educational Purpose Essay Example for Free

Educational Purpose Essay Since childhood, I have always wanted to be an educator. This is because I have always considered education as an essential need. It is certainly because education makes one civilized. It is also through education that the potential of one person is maximized. Significantly, it is the way by which one gains knowledge which is very useful in everyday life. Education is also the means which will make it possible for individuals to achieve his or her dreams. In addition, education is necessary in order to mould one to discern what is right from wrong. Hence, education is one of the most important factors for people to exist in a peaceful and civilized society. Additionally, as widely recognized, being a teacher is the noblest profession. It is not only because teachers educate but also because they are considered as the second parent of the students. Hence, it is not only the intellectual aspect that teacher develops but also the emotional and psychological aspect of the student. Teachers are necessary in forming better persons in the society. Notably, in all these endeavors, the teacher does not merely exert effort and time but also extends care, concern, and love to his or her students. It is for these zealous purposes that I longed to be an educator. In the educational system today, many problems can be observed. The most common and old probably is diversity or socio-cultural differences. Even in the older times, diversity has always been a barrier for most of students. I had my own share of difficulty when it comes to the issue of socio-cultural differences. I have experienced being avoided in debates whenever I attempted to join. Being a person having a different skin color and language makes it difficult to be accepted by the majority. However, being different among the majority has challenged me to break the barriers that impede me from achieving my goals. I know that there are thousands who had experienced and is experiencing what I have been through. As such, I am inspired to make ways on eliminating diversity that hinders other students from pursuing their dreams. Meanwhile, school is considered as the second home of students. Hence, schools should be made as a place for freedom regardless of race, culture, gender, age, and socio-economic status. Another problem that is plaguing the education system is commercialization. Education has been said to be a right of every individual. However, as educational fees continue to increase, the burden to the poor is becoming heavier because the value is making it difficult for the poor to afford. Hence, education is becoming a privilege for the rich. Furthermore, the continued commercialization of education is affecting the quality of education because of competition among schools. At the same time, commercialization deviate the labor market and creates labor shifting. This happens especially when schools offer short courses when the employment demands for graduate courses. Education, as such, is one of the necessities for us to be able to achieve our dreams. A student goes to school to be educated so that someday he will have the employment he has desired for. However, the real situation would merely disappoint the student. It is of no doubt that the technological innovation has affected the drastic change in labor demand. In addition, the nation is also highly industrialized. Hence, the labor offered are those related to technology and industry. This fact puts the students of social sciences in a disadvantaged position because they have a narrower chance of employment in a highly technical and industrialized society. It has been said that education is the window to a student’s dream. Thus, the curriculum should correspond to the need of the society and at the same time aid in the fulfillment of the student’s dream.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

Human Cloning Essay -- Clones, Cloning Essays

Cloning humans has recently become a possibility. It is achieved by the production of a group of identical cells or organisms that all derive from a single individual (Grolier 220). It is not known when cloning humans really became a possibility, but it is known that there are two possible ways that we can clone humans. The first way involves splitting an embryo into several halves and creating many new individuals from that embryo. The second method of cloning a human involves taking cells from an already existing human being and cloning them, in turn creating other individuals that are identical to that particular person. With these two methods almost at our fingertips, we must ask ourselves two very important questions: Can we do this, and should we? There is no doubt that many problems involving the technological and ethical sides of this issue will arise and will be virtually impossible to avoid, but the overall idea of cloning humans is one that we should accept as a possible r eality for the future. Cloning humans is an idea that has always been thought of as something that could be found in science fiction novels, but never as a concept that society could actually experience. "It is much in the news. The public has been bombarded with newspaper articles, magazine stories, books, television shows, and movies as well as cartoons ¡Ã‚ ¨, writes Robert McKinnell, the author of Cloning: A Biologist Reports (24). Much of this information in these sources leads the public in the wrong direction and makes them wonder how easy it would be for everyone around them to be cloned. Bizarre ideas about cloning lie in many science fiction books and scare the public with their unbelievable possibilities. David Rorvik wrote a highly controversial book entitled In His Image. In it he describes the story of a wealthy man who decides to clone himself. He is successful in doing this and causes quite an uprise in his community. This book was written in the late seventies and even then, societies reaction to the issues of human cloning was generally a negative one. We face a problem today even greater than the one in this book and it involves the duplication of human beings in a society that has always been known for its diversity. The main issue as to whether or not human cloning is possible through the splitting of embryos began in 1993 when experimentation was done at George W... ...nkind, ¡Ã‚ ¨ Time (June 21-27): 63-76. Grolier, Thomas. Can We Still Talk. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1994. Hamilton, Bernard. Cloning of embryos. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Inc., 1991. Habgood, John.  ¡Ã‚ §Manipulating mankind. ¡Ã‚ ¨ Nature, Vol. 365 September 23, 1993: 3 04. Kolberg, Rebecca.  ¡Ã‚ §Human Embryo Cloning Reported. ¡Ã‚ ¨ Science, October 29, 1993, Vol.262: 652-653. McCormick, Richard A.  ¡Ã‚ §Should we clone humans? ¡Ã‚ ¨ Christian Century, November 17- 24, 1993: 1148-1149. P. J.  ¡Ã‚ §The pros and cons of freedom of access to human genome data ¡Ã‚ ¨, Nature, Vol. 333 June 23, 1988: 692. McKinnell, Robert. Cloning: A Biologist Reports. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1989. Radford, Tim.  ¡Ã‚ §Designing the Next Generation. ¡Ã‚ ¨ World Press Review, March 1994: 22-23. Rorvik, David. In His Image. New York: Harper & Row Publisher, 1992. Shah, Dilip M.  ¡Ã‚ §Engineering Herbicide Tolerance in Transgenic Plants. ¡Ã‚ ¨ Science, July 25, 1986: 478. Watson, Traci.  ¡Ã‚ §Seeking the wonder in a mote of dust. ¡Ã‚ ¨ U.S. News & World Report, October 3, 1994: 66. Voelker, Roger B.  ¡Ã‚ §Who ¡Ã‚ ¦s Afraid of the Human Genome? ¡Ã‚ ¨ Hastings Center Report, July/August 1989: 19-21. Human Cloning Essay -- Clones, Cloning Essays Cloning humans has recently become a possibility. It is achieved by the production of a group of identical cells or organisms that all derive from a single individual (Grolier 220). It is not known when cloning humans really became a possibility, but it is known that there are two possible ways that we can clone humans. The first way involves splitting an embryo into several halves and creating many new individuals from that embryo. The second method of cloning a human involves taking cells from an already existing human being and cloning them, in turn creating other individuals that are identical to that particular person. With these two methods almost at our fingertips, we must ask ourselves two very important questions: Can we do this, and should we? There is no doubt that many problems involving the technological and ethical sides of this issue will arise and will be virtually impossible to avoid, but the overall idea of cloning humans is one that we should accept as a possible r eality for the future. Cloning humans is an idea that has always been thought of as something that could be found in science fiction novels, but never as a concept that society could actually experience. "It is much in the news. The public has been bombarded with newspaper articles, magazine stories, books, television shows, and movies as well as cartoons ¡Ã‚ ¨, writes Robert McKinnell, the author of Cloning: A Biologist Reports (24). Much of this information in these sources leads the public in the wrong direction and makes them wonder how easy it would be for everyone around them to be cloned. Bizarre ideas about cloning lie in many science fiction books and scare the public with their unbelievable possibilities. David Rorvik wrote a highly controversial book entitled In His Image. In it he describes the story of a wealthy man who decides to clone himself. He is successful in doing this and causes quite an uprise in his community. This book was written in the late seventies and even then, societies reaction to the issues of human cloning was generally a negative one. We face a problem today even greater than the one in this book and it involves the duplication of human beings in a society that has always been known for its diversity. The main issue as to whether or not human cloning is possible through the splitting of embryos began in 1993 when experimentation was done at George W... ...nkind, ¡Ã‚ ¨ Time (June 21-27): 63-76. Grolier, Thomas. Can We Still Talk. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1994. Hamilton, Bernard. Cloning of embryos. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Inc., 1991. Habgood, John.  ¡Ã‚ §Manipulating mankind. ¡Ã‚ ¨ Nature, Vol. 365 September 23, 1993: 3 04. Kolberg, Rebecca.  ¡Ã‚ §Human Embryo Cloning Reported. ¡Ã‚ ¨ Science, October 29, 1993, Vol.262: 652-653. McCormick, Richard A.  ¡Ã‚ §Should we clone humans? ¡Ã‚ ¨ Christian Century, November 17- 24, 1993: 1148-1149. P. J.  ¡Ã‚ §The pros and cons of freedom of access to human genome data ¡Ã‚ ¨, Nature, Vol. 333 June 23, 1988: 692. McKinnell, Robert. Cloning: A Biologist Reports. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1989. Radford, Tim.  ¡Ã‚ §Designing the Next Generation. ¡Ã‚ ¨ World Press Review, March 1994: 22-23. Rorvik, David. In His Image. New York: Harper & Row Publisher, 1992. Shah, Dilip M.  ¡Ã‚ §Engineering Herbicide Tolerance in Transgenic Plants. ¡Ã‚ ¨ Science, July 25, 1986: 478. Watson, Traci.  ¡Ã‚ §Seeking the wonder in a mote of dust. ¡Ã‚ ¨ U.S. News & World Report, October 3, 1994: 66. Voelker, Roger B.  ¡Ã‚ §Who ¡Ã‚ ¦s Afraid of the Human Genome? ¡Ã‚ ¨ Hastings Center Report, July/August 1989: 19-21.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Course Project †Privacy, Security & Confidentiality Training Essay

As we are all aware the Medical Records department has changed by leaps and bounds over the past 20 years with The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) and The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act/The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (ARRA/HITECH) Act 2009 the face of HIT is forever changed. Told we as Health Information Professionals have a plethora of individual patients’ private information at our fingertip and it is paramount that we handle this information with the utmost care. During this training session we are going to go over some of the most important privacy and security components to insure that everyone knows what the rules are, and how to protect the not only the patients information, but also the HIT department and you as the HIT professional. Today we will cover the high points on: * Privacy, Security, and Confidentiality * Regulations that have impacted privacy and security * The Privacy Rule The Security Rule * HITECH Privacy and Security * HIM Role in Privacy, Security, and Confidentiality Privacy, Security, and Confidentiality It is our jobs as health information management (HIM) professionals to ensure the privacy, security and confidentiality of our patients’ personal health information. This has been the fundamental principle for the health information profession throughout its eighty year history. Today the HIM professional must continue to face the challenges of maintaining the privacy and security of the patient information. Although this might sound like a simple task, it grows in complexity as information becomes more and more technical and is distributed through electronic systems. The challenge of this responsibility has also increased due to the constantly changing legislative and regulatory environment. Regulations that have impacted privacy and security  The two regulatory acts that have impacted the health information department the most are: * The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) * The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) * Modifications to the HIPAA Privacy, Security, and Enforcement Rules the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act; Proposed Rule According to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) â€Å"the major goal of the HIPAA privacy rule is to assure that individuals’ health information is properly protected while allowing the flow of health information needed to provide and promote high quality health care and to protect the public’s health and well-being. The Rule strikes a balance that permits important uses of information, while protecting the privacy of people who seek care and healing. Given that the health care marketplace is diverse, the Rule is designed to be flexible and comprehensive to cover the variety of uses and disclosures that need to be addressed. † (Summary, 2003) Where HIPAA was written in an attempt to protect the patients’ medical records by imposing regulation to address the patient confidentiality the HITECH Act added the necessary requirements concerning the privacy and security for the health information that is so frequently being passed through technology in more diverse ways through third party administrators, businesses and individuals. With the rapidly growing use of technology it became necessary to write rules that would also address the information being sent to all business associates as well. The Privacy Rule The privacy rule set the floor in the necessary safeguards to be implemented in protected health information (PHI) across all media. It protects individuals’ medical records and other individually identifiable health information created or received by individuals or others. It protects the individuals’ health information by regulating the circumstances under which covered entities may use and disclose protected health information and by requiring that everyone have safeguards in place to protect the privacy of the information. In addition it states that covered entities are required to have contracts or other arrangements in place with business associates that perform functions for or provide services to the covered entity, and that required access to protected health information to ensure that these business associates likewise protect the privacy of the health information. Lastly it gives individuals rights with respect to their protected health information, including rights to examine and obtain a copy of their health records and to request corrections. The Security Rule The security rule applies only to protected health information in electronic form. It requires covered entities to implement certain administrative, physical, and technical safeguards to protect this electronic information. And also that covered entities have contracts in place with their business associates that the business associates will appropriately safeguard the electronic protected health information they receive, create, maintain, or transmit on behalf of the covered entities. HITECH Privacy and Security The purpose of the HITECH act was to strengthen the privacy and security protections through * Extending privacy and security protections to business associates of covered entities * Establishing new limitations on the use and disclosure of protected health information for marketing and fundraising purposes * Prohibiting the sale of protected health information Requiring the consideration of a limited data set as the minimum necessary amount of information * Expanding individual’s rights to access of their protected health information * Expanding individual’s rights to receive an accounting of disclosures of their protected health information * Expanding individual’s rights to obtain restrictions on certain disclosures of protected health information to health plans HIM Role in Privacy, Security and Confidentiality As the demands for health information become more diverse, health information management (HIM) professionals use their expertise to protect health information and ensure the right information is available to the right people at the right time. Successful privacy, security, and confidentiality programs depend on HIM professionals, the experts on the applicable rules and regulations who are skilled in managing healthcare data. For example, HIM professionals ensure privacy and security programs meet regulatory requirements. Once a program is in place, HIM professionals use their expertise to monitor and audit the program to ensure compliance. HIM professionals hold diverse roles such as organizational and corporate privacy officers, compliance officers, and are change agents in policy development. Sample job descriptions include: Privacy Officer and Security Officer. HIM professionals advocate for strong privacy and security programs as electronic health record (EHR) systems are implemented and upgraded. HIM professionals provide the functional requirements for electronic health information, taking into account federal and state laws, including e-discovery, to ensure appropriate access, use, and disclosure of health information. HIM professionals also impact privacy, security, and confidentiality standards, laws, and regulations outside of their organization. Volunteering on state HIT and HIE initiatives, responding to public comments periods, and looking for ways to participate on standards development groups such as HL7 and HIEs are a few ways HIM professionals may influence and affect change. Organizations count on HIM professionals’ skill sets. The convergence of people, processes, regulations, structure, standards and system design is vital to the organization. Sound privacy, security, and confidentiality practices lead to more effective management of health information, contributing to safe, high-quality patient care. (AHIMA, 2011) Conclusion: We as health information professionals are given the task of protecting thousands of individuals’ private health information every year. We have taken an oath to protect this information and to show the patient respect and reverence when relaying any amount of information to other individuals, be it an inside entity or a business associate. It is up to each of us to do our duty and insure that we follow the guidelines to the letter. We must be vigilant in our daily tasks as well as seeing that we are constantly learning new things to help us do our job better. The Code of Ethics each HIM professional must adhere to states that â€Å"The HIM professional has an obligation to demonstrate actions that reflect values, ethical principles, and ethical guidelines. The American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) Code of Ethics sets forth these values and principles to guide conduct. The code is relevant to all regardless of their professional functions, the settings in which they work, or the populations they serve. These purposes strengthen the HIM professional’s efforts to improve overall quality of healthcare. † (American Health Information Management Association Code of Ethics, 2011)

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Women’s contemporary work

In the United States the labor market is strongly segregated according to sex: there are distinctive men's and women's occupations, jobs, and work tasks. Examples of women's gender-non-traditional occupations are: engineer, manager of a private business, technician, police officer, auto mechanic. This work reveals some of these hidden aspects of women's work. In different ways, the studies reported here point to the pervasiveness of gender as an organizing principle in the world of employment. The first goal of this paper is to identify the systematic and institutionally created and reinforced dimensions of women's work experience. The paper shows how gender affects the ways in which women are included in the labor force, the impact of work technologies, the threat of sexual harassment, government policy toward workers, the accessibility of labor organizations, the ability to protest collectively, and employed mothers' attitudes toward their work lives as related to the division of labor at home. Today the majority of working-age women (18-64) are in the labor force. Single and divorced women tend to have higher labor force participation rates than married or older widowed women, but marital status is having a decreasing effect on women's chances of working for pay. Although giving birth has traditionally been a reason for women to drop out of paid work and begin full-time homemaking, as the labor force participation rate for women has increased, the rate for mothers of young children has increased even faster. By 1983, half of all mothers of two-year-olds were in the labor force, and the proportion of women working increased with the age of the youngest child (Waldman 1983). Over their lifetimes, virtually all women will spend more years in the labor force than as child rearers. Most women, like most men, work as individuals for large or small companies and agencies; the family enterprise has virtually disappeared. The last holdout, the family farm, has largely gone under in the 1980s farm crisis. In 1983, 93 percent of employed women were wage and salary workers, working neither for themselves nor in family businesses, but for companies and businesses. Women workers are important to all industrial sectors. Women are more than 50 percent of the workers in retail trade; finance, insurance, and real estate; and services, particularly entertainment, health, hospitals, elementary and secondary education, welfare, and religion. Only in agriculture, mining, and construction are women less than 20 percent of the workers. Fox and Hess-Biber (1984) have summarized the extensive body of research on women workers: The occupations held by women are concentrated in the secondary labor market – jobs characterized by low wages, poor working conditions, little chance for advancement, lack of stability, and personalized employer/employee relations conducive to arbitrary and capricious work discipline. Although there has been some limited decline in sex segregation since 1970, the work world remains basically segregated into men's jobs and women's jobs. Even the slight decline appears less positive when examined closely: women tend to be able to enter previously male work when those occupations are declining in power and status and males are able to find better jobs elsewhere. On the whole, women have been able to increase their numbers in the labor force because the occupations and industries into which they are segregated have been expanding their need for labor. The barriers to occupational change are extensive, and involve both public and private patriarchy: childhood socialization of boys and girls to want different work, discriminatory practices of career counselors and employment firms, corporate personnel practices, harassment by male coworkers, failure of government to require affirmative action, reluctance of women to face the battles and hostilities that would result from their entering nontraditional work, child care responsibilities, and the refusal or inability of husbands to share housework and child care equally. Women's wages tend to be lower than men's even within the same occupational groupings, whether these are professional subspecialties or blue-collar work. On the whole, women and men do not work in the same occupations. The expansion of women's paid work since World War II has been less in professional or highly paid technical work, and more in service occupations characterized by low pay and lack of promotion opportunities. In some cases the hierarchical relationship of men and women is built directly into the work structure of individuals. The relation of an executive secretary to an executive is that of an â€Å"office wife†. In other cases the hierarchy is occupational. Staff doctors, predominantly male, leave orders for hospital nurses (predominantly female) to carry out. Management of the labor force is a white male prerogative. Although low-level management positions may be filled by women, 96. 5 percent of persons making $50,000 or more in executive, administrative, or managerial positions in the 1980 census were males; 94. 9 percent were white males. Among members of professional specialties making $50,000 or more, 96 percent were male and 90 percent were white males (U. S. Census Bureau 1980). The higher-level managers not only manage the labor force, they also set and carry out the policies and programs of business, public administration, education, medicine, and other fields. Nor does government offer an antidote to disproportionate male power. In 1982, women were only 12 percent of state legislators and 6 percent of mayors; in 1983 they were only 4 percent of the U. S. Congress (U. S. Census Bureau 1985). Promotion tracks tend to require a flow of family work mothers generally lack. Promotion in skilled and semiskilled blue-collar jobs typically depends not on outside schooling but on on-the-job training. Skilled workers such as electricians and plumbers are trained through apprenticeships, many of which require nighttime classes for several years. This may contribute to the fact that women were only 7 percent of registered apprentices in 1991. Semiskilled workers learn their jobs often in training programs that take place in overtime. This means that women are excluded from such training because they are less likely to have a family member available to care for their children (Kemp 247). An increasing amount of control over women's daily labor is held by employers, not husbands. Husbands may willingly accept, even urge, wives to engage in less homemaking and child care in recognition that what women can buy with the money they earn working may be more valuable than what they can produce through their unpaid labor at home. What they can buy depends on what goods and services companies offer; in other words, what employees are paid to do. The goods and services that are produced, the conditions of the work that produces them, and the market relations under which they are offered to clients and customers are all hierarchically ordered. American society is capitalist. The increase of public patriarchy is an increase in the power of corporate managers and the upper class. It is an increase in the power of higher-level men at the expense of the erstwhile privileges of lower-level men. Upper-level men continue to have stay-at-home wives and in addition have women employees, whereas lower-level men have either no wives or working wives and are themselves employees. They obtain goods and services to the extent that the decision-making elite considers the provision of such goods and services to be in the interest of the elite, and to the extent that the men's wage levels or other statuses permit. Although the benefit is largely to the upper-level men, it is not only to them. The jobs of many working women are oriented to giving â€Å"service with a smile,† making life nicer for men at all levels (Hochschild 1983). Examples range from television entertainers, provided free by advertisers to everyone with access to a television set, to airline flight attendants, provided by airlines to those who can afford to fly. It could be said that under public patriarchy, women are provided as a public good for all men. Poorer men who could never afford homemaker wives may now receive the services of working women, albeit at a much lower level. For example, men in some public chronic care hospitals have their beds made and rooms cleaned by women workers. Women's benefit from public patriarchy depends on their economic class and their family status. Although women's wages are well below men's, professional women's wages are higher than unskilled women's wages. Clearly, what can be bought can be bought better by those with more income. The career woman combines freedom and income to a greater extent than other women except those with clear title to inherited wealth. Those who perceive themselves as powerless and fit mainly for motherhood will reject policies and practices connected with public patriarchy. These particulars may be less matters of income and more matters of education and class background. Low-income women may be better off under the programs of the welfare state than under the power of lowincome husbands. Women may get both jobs in the public sector and services from the public sector. Services to low-income people are provided to women as well as men (such as free television or Medicaid hospital beds). Married women at most levels of the class system may enter the welfare system when they become divorced. Compared with husbands, public agencies may be more reliable, more amenable to negotiation, and less likely to become violent while drunk. The increase in working women and the increasing importance of public patriarchy have various implications for men and women. Lower wages and job segregation for women assure the continuation of male domination. Speaking of the relation between women's low wages in public and their subordination in the family, Heidi Hartmann ( 1981b) says, â€Å"The lower pay women receive in the labor market both perpetuates men's material advantage over women and encourages women to choose wifery as a career. Second, then, women do housework, childcare, and perform other services at home which benefit men directly. Women's home responsibilities in turn reinforce their inferior labor market position† (p. 22). Thus public patriarchy continues to uphold private patriarchy even as it undercuts and changes it. Just as women differ from each other, so they share a number of common features almost irrespective of their race, class, and family responsibilities. All women's wages are lower than those of equivalently skilled and qualified men; all women are vulnerable to stereotypical assumptions about their aptitudes and their commitment to work, in particular, about the potential impact of their current or future children upon their work; all women are vulnerable to sexual harassment. Despite the factors which distinguish women from each other, it is still possible to discuss the disadvantages that women suffer as a group. Minority women are differentially affected by the change. Black men and women have always been subject to a patriarchy originating outside of, and destructive to, their family structure. In the early stages of the women's movement some feminists seemed to envy black women their freedom from the private patriarchy of black husbands, without recognizing the oppression they suffered from the public patriarchy of white, male-dominated society. For black women and for other minorities, the family can be both a source of oppression and a protection against the worst excesses of capitalism. It has been suggested that there are very likely to be increased opportunities – in terms of both recruitment and promotion – for women in the field of computing as a consequence of its internal organisational shifts. Commentators are divided as to whether the kinds of social and communication skills which are now seen as critical for such work are attributable to nature or nurture, but are united in thinking that we are more likely to find them in women than in men. Women, typically, are seen as more empathetic, creators of harmony as opposed to hostility, of co-operation. The new technologies associated with computers are being hailed or decried as the basis of a new revolution for women. Women's labor force participation remains high for all ages and marital statuses. But past experience has made it clear that employment in occupations may expand or contract with economic change. There is evidence that the high-tech economy will automate some of the services and clerical work that have been the mainstay of women's employment. One possibility is that decreased employment will send women back into the home. Housewife† has often been a euphemism for â€Å"unemployed,† and may become so to a greater extent. It is not clear, however, that unemployed women will in fact become housewives supported entirely by their husbands (Bose 90). Private patriarchy declined in part because many men did not see a benefit to themselves in supporting a wife. Perhaps unemployed women will become divorced unemployed women. Perhaps they will become welfare mothe rs subject to a particularly important part of the public patriarchy. Perhaps they will find jobs in newly developing industries. All of these changes have taken place within a relatively short space of time. There is no denying that women's employment rights have radically increased in that time. But for all of this, women still earn a great deal less than men (if full-time and part-time women workers are considered together, about 70 per cent of men's hourly wages). Occupational segregation has remained almost constant to date and women are still concentrated, for the most part, at the bottom of the wage hierarchy. A few women have broken through one or more layers of glass ceiling, but the majority remains in jobs which, however demanding and skilled, pay less than those jobs in which men work. The social division of labor is maintained. Women do women's work and men do men's work, both in the home and in the paid work place. Women's work is low paid or unpaid; men's work is higher-paid, enabling men on the whole to buy women's work both at home and in the market. Control over social policies remains in the hands of men.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Major General Darius N. Couch - Civil War

Major General Darius N. Couch - Civil War Darius Couch - Early Life Career: The son of Jonathan and Elizabeth Couch, Darius Nash Couch was born in Southeast, NY on July 23, 1822.   Raised in the area, he received his education locally and ultimately decided upon pursuing a military career.   Applying to the US Military Academy, Couch received an appointment in 1842.   Arriving at West Point, his classmates included George B. McClellan, Thomas Stonewall Jackson, George Stoneman, Jesse Reno, and George Pickett.   An above average student, Couch graduated four years later ranked 13th in a class of 59.   Commissioned as a brevet second lieutenant on July 1, 1846, he was ordered to join the 4th US Artillery. Darius Couch - Mexico Interwar Years: As the United States was engaged in the Mexican-American War, Couch soon found himself serving in Major General Zachary Taylors army in northern Mexico.   Seeing action at the Battle of Buena Vista in February 1847, he earned a brevet promotion to first lieutenant for gallant and meritorious conduct.   Remaining in the region for the remainder of the conflict, Couch received orders to return north for garrison duty at Fortress Monroe in 1848.   Sent to Fort Pickens in Pensacola, FL the following year, he took part in operations against the Seminoles before resuming garrison duty.   As the early 1850s passed, Couch moved through assignments in New York, Missouri, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania.    Possessing an interest in the natural world, Couch took a leave of absence from the US Army in 1853 and conducted an expedition to northern Mexico to collect specimens for the recently-established Smithsonian Institution.   During this time, he discovered new species of kingbird and spadefoot toad which were named in his honor.   In 1854, Couch married Mary C. Crocker and returned to military service.   Remaining in uniform for another year, he resigned his commission to become a merchant in New York City.   In 1857, Couch moved to Taunton, MA where he assumed a position at his in-laws copper fabrication firm. Darius Couch - The Civil War Begins: Employed in Taunton when the Confederates attacked Fort Sumter beginning the Civil War, Couch quickly volunteered his services to the Union cause.   Appointed to command the 7th Massachusetts Infantry with the rank of colonel on June 15, 1861, he then led the regiment south and aided in constructing defenses around Washington, DC.   In August, Couch was promoted to brigadier general and that fall received a brigade in McClellans newly-formed Army of the Potomac.   Training his men through the winter, he was further elevated in early 1862 when he took command of a division in Brigadier General Erasmus D. Keyes IV Corps.   Moving south in the spring, Couchs division landed on the Peninsula and in early April served in the Siege of Yorktown. Darius Couch - On the Peninsula: With the Confederate withdrawal from Yorktown on May 4, Couchs men took part in the pursuit and played a key role in halting an attack by Brigadier General James Longstreet at the Battle of Williamsburg.   Moving towards Richmond as the month progressed, Couch and IV Corps came under heavy assault on May 31 at the Battle of Seven Pines.   This saw them briefly forced back before repelling Major General D.H. Hills Confederates.   In late June, as General Robert E. Lee commenced his Seven Days Battles, Couchs division retreated as McClellan withdrew east.   In the course of the fighting, his men took part in the Union defense of Malvern Hill on July 1.   With the failure of the campaign, Couchs division was detached from IV Corps and sent north. Darius Couch - Fredericksburg: During this time, Couch suffered from increasingly ill health.   This led him submit a letter of resignation to McClellan.   Unwilling to lose a gifted officer, the Union commander did not forward Couchs letter and instead had him promoted to major general to date from July 4.   While his division did not participate in the Second Battle of Manassas, Couch led his troops into the field in early September during the Maryland Campaign.   This saw them support VI Corps attack at Cramptons Gap during the Battle of South Mountain on September 14.   Three days later, the division moved towards Antietam but did not take part in the fighting.   In the wake of the battle, McClellan was relieved of command and replaced with Major General Ambrose Burnside.   Reorganizing the Army of the Potomac, Burnside placed Couch in command of II Corps on November 14.   This formation was in turn assigned to Major General Edwin V. Sumners Right Grand Division.   Marching south towards Fredericksburg, II Corps divisions were led by Brigadier Generals Winfield S. Hancock, Oliver O. Howard, and William H. French.   On December 12, a brigade from Couchs corps was dispatched across the Rappahannock to sweep the Confederates from Fredericksburg and allow Union engineers to construct bridges across the river.   The next day, as the Battle of Fredericksburg commenced, II Corps received orders to assault the formidable Confederate position on Maryes Heights.   Though Couch vehemently opposed the attack feeling that it would like be repulsed with heavy losses, Burnside insisted that II Corps move forward. Advancing early that afternoon, Couchs predictions proved accurate as each division was repelled in turn and the corps sustained over 4,000 casualties.          Darius Couch - Chancellorsville: Following the disaster at Fredericksburg, President Abraham Lincoln replaced Burnside with Major General Joseph Hooker.   This saw another reorganization of the army that left Couch in command of II Corps and made him the senior corps commander in the Army of the Potomac.   For the spring of 1863, Hooker intended to leave a force at Fredericksburg to hold Lee in place while he swung the army north and west to approach the enemy from behind.   Moving out in late April, the army was across the Rappahannock and moving east on May 1.   Largely held in reserve, Couch became concerned about Hookers performance when his superior appeared to lose his nerve that evening and elected to shift to the defensive after the opening actions of the Battle of Chancellorsville.    On May 2, the Union situation worsened when a devastating attack by Jackson routed Hookers right flank.   Holding his section of the line, Couchs frustrations grew the following morning when Hooker was rendered unconscious and possibly sustained a concussion when a shell hit a column he was leaning against.   Though unfit for command after awakening, Hooker refused to turn full command of the army over to Couch and instead timidly played out the battles final stages before ordering a retreat north.   Quarreling with Hooker in the weeks after the battle, Couch requested reassignment and left II Corps on May 22.   Darius Couch - Gettysburg Campaign: Given command of the newly-created Department of the Susquehanna on June 9, Couch quickly worked to organize troops to oppose Lees invasion of Pennsylvania.   Utilizing forces largely comprised of emergency militia, he ordered fortifications built to protect Harrisburg and dispatched men to slow the Confederate advance.   Skirmishing with Lieutenant General Richard Ewell and Major General J.E.B. Stuarts forces at Sporting Hill and Carlisle respectively, Couchs men helped ensure that the Confederates stayed on the west bank of the Susquehanna in the days prior to the Battle of Gettysburg.   In the wake of the Union victory in early July, Couchs troops aided in the pursuit of Lee as the Army of Northern Virginia sought to escape south.   Remaining in Pennsylvania for most of 1864, Couch saw action that July when he responded to Brigadier General John McCauslands burning of Chambersburg, PA.          Darius Couch - Tennessee the Carolinas: In December, Couch received command of a division in Major General John Schofields XXIII Corps in Tennessee.   Attached to Major General George H. Thomas Army of the Cumberland, he took part in the Battle of Nashville on December 15-16.   In the course of the fighting on the first day, Couchs men aided in shattering the Confederate left and played a role in driving them from the field a day later.   Remaining with his division for the rest of the war, Couch saw service during the Carolinas Campaign in the final weeks of the conflict.   Resigning from the army in late May, Couch returned to Massachusetts where he unsuccessfully ran for governor.   Darius Couch - Later Life: Named the customs inspector for the Port of Boston in 1866, Couch only briefly held the post as the Senate did not confirm his appointment.   Returning to business, he accepted the presidency of the (West) Virginia Mining and Manufacturing Company in 1867.   Four years later, Couch moved to Connecticut to serve as the quartermaster-general of the states militia.   Later adding the position of adjutant general, he remained with the militia until 1884.   Spending his final years in Norwalk, CT, Couch died there on February 12, 1897.   His remains were interred at Mount Pleasant Cemetery in Taunton.   Ã‚   Selected Sources Blue Gray Trail: Darius CouchUS Army History: Chancellorsville Staff RideAztec Club: Darius Couch

Monday, October 21, 2019

Enola Gay essays

Enola Gay essays Protests over the public display of the Enola Gay, the plane that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima in WWII, serve as an important symbol of the public struggle between conservative and political ideologies in America. History is largely written by the victors, and it is the victor of this ideological struggle that will shape America's further interpretations of the war. As such, as the protesters urged a display of victim's names alongside the Enola Gay, they are symbolically asking for America to redefine its ideas about the root causes and ultimate costs of Human memory is notoriously fallible, and society's recollection of history is largely dependent on what is written in books, academic journals, and what is portrayed in the media. However, our records of history of are largely often determined by social and political concerns. It is commonly said, that history is written by the victors. As such, the current clash of ideologies over the Enola Gay is more than a simple debate over facts; it is a war between clashing ideologies for who will ultimately be able to write the history of America's use of the atomic bomb. Today, America is often torn between conservative and liberal political ideologies. This division can be seen in current political debates about abortion and health care, and even in campaigns for the Perhaps one of the most identifiable symbols of this ideological debate emerged in recent controversy over the Enola Gay. The Enola Gay is the airplane that dropped America's atomic bomb on Hiroshima (Thomas). As such, it is intimately tied up in America's memory of the war, and interpretations of the justification for dropping the bomb. In short, liberals see the Enola Gay as symbolic of America's destructive war-like tendencies and disregard for human suffering, while conservatives see the ...