An Introduction to the Dunning-Kruger Effect

An Introduction to the Dunning-Kruger Effect At one point or another, you’ve probably heard someone speak with confidence on a topic that they actually know almost nothing about. Psychologists have studied this topic, and they’ve suggested a somewhat surprising explanation, known as the Dunning-Kruger effect: when people don’t know much about a topic, they’re often actually unaware of the limits of their knowledge, and think they know more than they actually do. Below, we’ll review what the Dunning-Kruger effect is, discuss how it affects people’s behavior, and explore ways that people can become more knowledgeable and overcome the Dunning-Kruger effect. What is the Dunning-Kruger Effect? The Dunning-Kruger effect refers to the finding that people who are relatively unskilled or unknowledgeable in a particular subject sometimes have the tendency to overestimate their knowledge and abilities.   In a set of studies testing this effect, researchers Justin Kruger and David Dunning asked participants to complete tests of their skills in a particular domain (such as humor or logical reasoning).   Then, participants were asked to guess how well they had done on the test.   They found that participants tended to overestimate their abilities, and this effect was most pronounced among participants with the lowest scores on the test.   For example, in one study, participants were given a set of practice LSAT problems to complete. Participants who actually scored in the bottom 25% guessed that their score put them in the 62nd percentile of participants. Why Does the Dunning-Kruger Effect Happen? In an interview with Forbes, David Dunning explains that â€Å"the knowledge and intelligence that are required to be good at a task are often the same qualities needed to recognize that one is not good at that task.†Ã‚   In other words, if someone knows very little about a particular topic, they may not even know enough about the topic to realize that their knowledge is limited. Importantly, someone may be highly skilled in one area, but be susceptible to the Dunning-Kruger effect in another domain. This means that everyone can potentially be affected by the Dunning-Kruger effect: Dunning explains in an article for Pacific Standard that â€Å"it may be sorely tempting to think this doesn’t apply to you. But the problem of unrecognized ignorance is one that visits us all.†Ã‚   In other words, the Dunning-Kruger effect is something that can happen to anyone. What About People Who Actually Are Experts? If people who know quite little about a topic think they’re experts, what do experts think of themselves? When Dunning and Kruger conducted their studies, they also looked at people who were quite skilled at the tasks (those scoring in the top 25% of participants).   They found that these participants tended to have a more accurate view of their performance than participants in the bottom 25%, but they actually had a tendency  to underestimate how they did relative to other participants- although they typically guessed their performance was above average, they didn’t realize quite how well they had done. As a TED-Ed video explains, â€Å"Experts tend to be aware of just how knowledgeable they are. But they often make a different mistake: They assume that everyone else is knowledgeable too.† Overcoming the Dunning-Kruger Effect What can people do to overcome the Dunning-Kruger effect?   A TED-Ed video on the Dunning-Kruger effect offers some advice: â€Å"keep learning.†Ã‚   In fact, in one of their famous studies, Dunning and Kruger had some of the participants take a logic test and then complete a short training on logical reasoning. After the training, the participants were asked to assess how they’d done on the previous test. The researchers found that the training made a difference: afterwards, the participants who scored in the bottom 25% lowered their estimate of how well they thought they had done on the preliminary test. In other words, one way to overcome the Dunning-Kruger effect may be to learn more about a topic. However, when learning more about a topic, it’s important to make sure that we avoid confirmation bias, which is â€Å"the tendency to accept evidence that confirms our beliefs and to reject evidence that contradicts them.†Ã‚   As Dunning explains, overcoming the Dunning-Kruger effect can sometimes be a complicated process, especially if it forces us to realize that we were previously misinformed. His advice? He explains that â€Å"the trick is to be your own devil’s advocate: to think through how your favored conclusions might be misguided; to ask yourself how you might be wrong, or how things might turn out differently from what you expect.† The Dunning-Kruger effect suggests that we may not always know as much as we think we do- in some domains, we may not know enough about a topic to realize that we are unskilled. However, by challenging ourselves to learn more and by reading about opposing views, we can work to overcome the Dunning-Kruger effect. References Dunning, D. (2014).   We are all confident idiots.   Pacific Standard.   https://psmag.com/social-justice/confident-idiots-92793 Hambrick, D.Z. (2016).   The psychology of the breathtakingly stupid mistake.   Scientific American Mind.   https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-psychology-of-the-breathtakingly-stupid-mistake/ Kruger, J., Dunning, D. (1999).   Unskilled and unaware of it: How difficulties in recognizing ones own incompetence lead to inflated self-assessments.   Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 77(6), 1121-1134. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/12688660_Unskilled_and_Unaware_of_It_How_Difficulties_in_Recognizing_Ones_Own_Incompetence_Lead_to_Inflated_Self-Assessments Lopez, G. (2017).   Why incompetent people often think they’re actually the best.   Vox.   https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2017/11/18/16670576/dunning-kruger-effect-video Murphy, M. (2017).   The Dunning-Kruger effect shows why some people think theyre great even when their work is terrible.   Forbes.   https://www.forbes.com/sites/markmurphy/2017/01/24/the-dunning-kruger-effect-shows-why-some-people-think-theyre-great-even-when-their-work-is-terrible/#1ef2fc125d7c Wednesday Studio (Director) (2017).   Why incompetent people think they’re amazing.   TED-Ed.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?vpOLmD_WVY-E

Free Essays on Enlace Químico

Enlace quà ­mico, fuerza entre los tomos que los mantiene unidos en las molà ©culas. Cuando dos o ms tomos se acercan lo suficiente, puede producirse una fuerza de atraccià ³n entre los electrones de los tomos individuales y el nà ºcleo de otro u otros tomos. Si esta fuerza es lo suficientemente grande para mantener unidos los tomos, se dice que se ha formado un enlace quà ­mico. Todos los enlaces quà ­micos resultan de la atraccià ³n simultnea de uno o ms electrones por ms de un nà ºcleo. Tipos de Enlace Si los tomos enlazados son elementos metlicos, el enlace se llama metlico. Los electrones son compartidos por los tomos, pero pueden moverse a travà ©s del sà ³lido proporcionando conductividad tà ©rmica y elà ©ctrica, brillo, maleabilidad y ductilidad. Và ©ase Metales. Si los tomos enlazados son no metales e idà ©nticos (como en N2 o en O2), los electrones son compartidos por igual por los dos tomos, y el enlace se llama covalente apolar. Si los tomos son no metales pero distintos (como en el à ³xido nà ­trico, NO), los electrones son compartidos en forma desigual y el enlace se llama covalente polar - polar porque la molà ©cula tiene un polo elà ©ctrico positivo y otro negativo, y covalente porque los tomos comparten los electrones, aunque sea en forma desigual. Estas sustancias no conducen la electricidad, ni tienen brillo, ductilidad o maleabilidad. Cuando una molà ©cula de una sustancia contiene tomos de metales y no metales, los electrones son atraà ­dos con ms fuerza por los no metales, que se transforman en iones con carga negativa; los metales, a su vez, se convierten en iones con carga positiva. Entonces, los iones de diferente signo se atraen electrostticamente, formando enlaces ià ³nicos. Las sustancias ià ³nicas conducen la electricidad cuando estn en estado là ­quido o en disoluciones acuosas, pero no en estado cristalino, porque los iones individuales son demasiado grandes para move... Free Essays on Enlace Quà ­mico Free Essays on Enlace Quà ­mico Enlace quà ­mico, fuerza entre los tomos que los mantiene unidos en las molà ©culas. Cuando dos o ms tomos se acercan lo suficiente, puede producirse una fuerza de atraccià ³n entre los electrones de los tomos individuales y el nà ºcleo de otro u otros tomos. Si esta fuerza es lo suficientemente grande para mantener unidos los tomos, se dice que se ha formado un enlace quà ­mico. Todos los enlaces quà ­micos resultan de la atraccià ³n simultnea de uno o ms electrones por ms de un nà ºcleo. Tipos de Enlace Si los tomos enlazados son elementos metlicos, el enlace se llama metlico. Los electrones son compartidos por los tomos, pero pueden moverse a travà ©s del sà ³lido proporcionando conductividad tà ©rmica y elà ©ctrica, brillo, maleabilidad y ductilidad. Và ©ase Metales. Si los tomos enlazados son no metales e idà ©nticos (como en N2 o en O2), los electrones son compartidos por igual por los dos tomos, y el enlace se llama covalente apolar. Si los tomos son no metales pero distintos (como en el à ³xido nà ­trico, NO), los electrones son compartidos en forma desigual y el enlace se llama covalente polar - polar porque la molà ©cula tiene un polo elà ©ctrico positivo y otro negativo, y covalente porque los tomos comparten los electrones, aunque sea en forma desigual. Estas sustancias no conducen la electricidad, ni tienen brillo, ductilidad o maleabilidad. Cuando una molà ©cula de una sustancia contiene tomos de metales y no metales, los electrones son atraà ­dos con ms fuerza por los no metales, que se transforman en iones con carga negativa; los metales, a su vez, se convierten en iones con carga positiva. Entonces, los iones de diferente signo se atraen electrostticamente, formando enlaces ià ³nicos. Las sustancias ià ³nicas conducen la electricidad cuando estn en estado là ­quido o en disoluciones acuosas, pero no en estado cristalino, porque los iones individuales son demasiado grandes para move...

Financial Econometrics Coursework Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Financial Econometrics Coursework - Essay Example In 2003, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) mentioned that the R-square of the regression analysis was insufficient to determine the effectiveness of hedging. In a speech by a professional accounting fellow from the office of the chief accountant of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, stated that determination of hedge effectiveness should consider the slope of the coefficient of the regression analysis. This coefficient reflects the minimum variance hedge ratio.1 The interpretation of the regression slope coefficient is the average change in the dependent variable: real total expenditure on food for a unit increase in the independent variable: Real total expenditure on goods and services. The slope coefficient it 0.32, thus for every 1 unit change in real total expenditure on goods and services, there is a 0.32 unit change in real expenditure on food. Omission of an important independent variable such as real price of food relative to other goods will result in the decreased ability of the model to predict the real total expenditures on food given the real total expenditures on food. The independent variables used to predict 99.9% of the dependent variable: real consumption expenditure as indicated by the value of the adjusted-R Squared. The Durbin-Watson value of 1.85 indicates there is no signs of first-order serial correlation in the residuals of a time series regression. The values of Akaike info criterion (AIC) -268.2093 and Schwarz criterion -273.6530 are extremely low indicating the need for modification in the regression model by changing the independent variables. The t-statistic value could be compared with the critical t-value which is not available. The reported Probability is the p-value, or marginal significance level. Since this probability value of the regression analysis (F-statistic) is less than the size of the test, say 0.05, the null hypothesis could be rejected. This indicates that the

Film Analysis - The Joy Luck Club - Prajakta Kanegaonkar Essay

Film Analysis - The Joy Luck Club - Prajakta Kanegaonkar - Essay Example Going ahead this becomes a major point of clash between the two generations, none comprehending and understanding other’s view point. For the women in the film ‘The Joy Luck Club’ we see this struggle going on constantly. In this essay based on the film, we are going to analyse this clash of culture as strong as generation gap and how the women in the film try to bridge the gap in the relations with the help of their values and cultures. This film is based on the novel by Amy Tan by the same name. This was completed and released in the year 1993 and received critical as well as mainstream acclaim. This movie and the book is based on the lives of four Chinese women who came to America because of some or the other reason and settled there. They came together and found the club called ‘The Joy Luck Club’ indicating that they would always find joy and happiness wherever they go and would not let circumstances affect them. The story could have happened any where in this world. Howsoever torn we are with the extreme circumstances around us we don’t give up and nor should we. The name of the club in itself is an indicator of the ever going hopeful attitude of the ladies who have formed the club. There are many stories that go on at the same time in the film. Unlike the book the director of the film has to make choices about which character to bring to surface and which one should relegate at the background. Irrespective of a few characters going in the background the weave of the story is not loosened. In fact all these characters contribute to the protagonist’s sketch very beautifully. The purpose of including Jing-Mei in the club is to tell her about her half-sisters in China, whom her mother longed to be reunited with all her life. The seamless flow of the story begins at this point. The story is not about Jing-Mei fulfilling her mother’s last wish. The story narrates the highs and lows of her relationship with h er mother, of broken moments, of tears and joys and most importantly of discovering her mother all over again. The story ends with Jing-Mei meeting her sisters and introducing them the mother they never had. The journey of a relation begins with self-discovery and acceptance of our own self and then the closed ones around us as they are. This journey is portrayed beautifully in the book but is also conveyed with same passion by the actors through their excellent acting and by the powerful media of cinema. The movie impacts the audience as much as the impact caused by the book on the reader. History and traditions are carried forward by the women of the society all around the world. This handing over happens seamlessly through stories, through teachings of pride, memories and is blended beautifully in the upbringing of the children. When we go through the stories of the club members, it becomes increasingly apparent that the cultural gaps between America and China would never be full y reconciled. The question arises when women in the film are trying to blend into a new culture of individualism, freedom of speech and decisions and free thought they are unable to let go of their Chinese ties and traditions. Surprisingly each of them has been a direct or indirect victim of the same ties and tradition. The daughters Jing-Mei, Lena, Waverly and Rose are all American women, because they don’t want to be a part of their Chinese heritage. This is what worries the mothers in the club, while their trying to preserve the Chinese traditions

Analysis of “High Court Curbs Claim on Privacy in a Home Essay Example for Free

Analysis of â€Å"High Court Curbs Claim on Privacy in a Home Essay The article â€Å"High Court Curbs Claim on Privacy in a Home,† by Linda Greenhouse was a New York Times article about a Supreme Court case. The legal issue that the Supreme Court examined was a case where the court overturned a 1997 Minnesota Supreme Court ruling. The Minnesota ruling protected the rights of men doing business in a private home from illegal searches and seizures. The Supreme Court however overturned the Minnesota ruling, stating that people who were doing business in a home did not have the right to invoke their 4th Amendment right. The Supreme Court voted 5 to 4 in the case, which led to majority, dissenting, and concurring opinions.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist, Justices Clarence Thomas, Sandra Day O’Connor, Anthony M. Kennedy, and Antonin Scalia all formed the majority opinion, with Justice Scalia and Justice Thomas forming concurring opinions. Chief Justice Rehnquist’s majority opinion was used in the article, in which Rehnquist argued that since the men in the Minnesota case were conducting business in a private home their 4th amendment right against unreasonable searchers and privacy could not be invoked. Rehnquist’s opinion was a strict construction of the constitution because his opinion reflected the intention of the original framers. Philosophically Rehnquist stuck to the original framers’ intentions because he found no fault in the officer’s actions who witnessed the men committing a crime through venetian blinds. Rehnquist argued that the officer was within his rights to watch and subsequently arrest the men because they had no rights to privacy, which was the goal of the original framers of the constitution because they did not grant any protections to invited guests in a person’s home.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Disagreeing with the majority, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Justice Stephen G. Breyer both had dissenting opinions. Justice Ginsburg’s dissenting opinion was a loose construction of the constitution. Ginsburg’s philosophical view in the case was that the majority overlooked the rights of the invited guests because although they did not live in the home guests still had a right to privacy. However, the framers of the constitution gave no such protections. The 4th amendment states that it protects the right of the people to be secure in their person, houses, paper and effects, it made no mention of invited guest.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Justice Breyer also had a dissenting opinion, but he also agreed with part of the majority’s reasoning. Breyer’s opinion was both a loose and strict construction of the constitution because on one hand he believed that the Minnesota men were protected by the 4th amendment’s privacy right. While on the other hand he agreed with the majority and argued that the officer’s actions did not violate any 4th amendment rights.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Finally, Justices Scalia, Thomas, and Kennedy all had concurring opinions. Kennedy’s views differed from Scalia and Thomas’s opinions and he took a loose construction of the constitution. Philosophically Kennedy believed that social guest have a right to expect privacy while visiting a person’s home, which is a loose construction of the constitution because the constitution’s framers make no mention of a guest’s right to privacy. On the other hand Scalia and Thomas took strict constructions of the constitution. Scalia and Thomas believed that the right of the people to be secure in their person, houses, paper and effects, as stated in the 4th amendment did not include the right’s of visitors in someone’s home, thus they stuck to the literal interpretation the constitution.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Although the Justices came to different reasoning and judgments in this case, the court ultimately made the correct decision and the Justices all made logical arguments. Reference: Greenhouse, Linda. â€Å"High Court Curbs Claim on Privacy in a Home. New York Times Archives 2 December 1998.   http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A07E1DB143BF931A35751C1A96E958260

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee :: To Kill a Mockingbird Essays

To Kill A Mockingbird By: Harper Lee SUMMARY To Kill a Mockingbird opens with Dill coming to visit his Aunt for the summer. Dill becomes a good friend with the Finches, Jean-Louise, who is nicknamed Scout and her brother, Jeremy Finch, who is nicknamed Jem. They live with their father, Atticus, who is a lawyer who had been given a case to handle and did not have any choice but to receive it and work his best for his client. The case was about an African man, named Tom Robinson, who was accused of raping a white woman. The children begin to play together and are oblivious to the stress of their surroundings. Eventually they start spending their time trying to get Boo Radley out of his house. None of the children have ever seen or even talked to the mysterious Boo Radley, but they know he lives shut up in the house next to the Finches. Jem, Scout and Dill spend hours-devising schemes and projects to persuade Boo out of his house. At the end of summer the three children haven't successfully even had a glance at Boo. Dill leaves hi s Aunt's and returns home before school starts. Scout starts school and immediately gets in trouble because she already can read and write. During that year Scout and Jem begin finding gifts in a knot in one of the Radley's trees. They continue finding gifts on their way home until one day the knot is sealed with concrete. Dill returns the next summer and the children resume trying to get Boo out of his house. One night the children sneak into the Radley's backyard. They almost make it to the Radley's window but they are scared off after someone shoots at them. Jem losses his pants fleeing when he returns later that night he finds his pants mended and waiting for him. Once again, summer end and Dill returns home. Late that fall Miss Maudie's house burns down during the night. As a precaution the Finches stand outside watching the fire. Mysteriously Scout wakes up the next morning wrapped in a blanket that are not hers. A little time before Christmas, Scout and Jem begin to get torme nted that there father, Atticus, is a nigger lover. Atticus pleads for the children to not fight about it. Scout manages to restrain herself until her cousin Francis says it. Scout beats her cousin up and then leaves.

Hearts Essay

This case is about a company named Hearts ‘R Us. This company provides research and development for medical devices. According to the information provided the company is in its early stage and has no products in the market. They have developed a Heart Valve System that would be revolutionary in the market if is approved. Also there’s another company called Bionic Body that is a biological medical device company, they have another product that would work well with this new Heart Valve System. Therefore both companies decided to fuse by agreement. The agreement is as follows: $3.5 million preferred stock shares of Series A from Heart Company are sold to Bionics with a par value of $1 each. This transaction was completed on November 30, 2011, according to the information provided. This transaction gave Bionic specific rights: 1. Board Rights, 2. Mandatory Conversion right, 3. Contingent Redemption Rights. Additional Protective Rights, 5. Right of first refusal and Co-Sale Rights. The $3.5 millions of shares would be convertible in common stock according to the agreement when the IPO reaches net proceeds of at least $50 millions. It is stated that if on year five of the agreement the FDA has not yet approve the product to be in the market; the shares could be redeemed at its par value. Hearts R Us is a company that reports on a year basis and it’s planning to make an IPO soon. There are a couple of issues surrounding this case. First is an early-stage company that doesn’t have the financial stability and this might create trouble for further transactions. The only product that might be coming to the market still depends on a series of trials and the approval of the FDA. Since the company is just starting; all of its accounting transactions have being recorded to comply with the covenants of its outstanding debt. Furthermore they are not required to comply with SEC and are currently not doing so. Also theirs an issue of how to be done to register the Series A shares that have being sold to Bionic. Preferred Stock: A security that has preferential rights compared to common stock. †¢Participation Rights: contractual rights of security holders to receive dividends or returns from the security issuer’s profits, cash flows, or returns on investment. FASB has some guide lines of how companies should report or disclose information of their securities. 1.FASB: addresses disclosure of information about capital arrangement is in the FASB Codification 505-10-50-3. 2.Participation Right is contractual right of security holders to receive dividends or returns from security issuer’s profits, cash flows or returns on investments. †¢FASB Codification 505. An entity shall explain, in summary form within its financial statements, the pertinent rights and privileges of the various securities outstanding. Examples of information that shall be disclosed are dividend and liquidation preferences, participation right, call prices and dates, conversion or exercise prices or rates and pertinent dates, sinking-fund requirements, unusual voting rights, and significant terms of contracts to issue additional shares. An entity shall disclose within its financial statements the number of shares issued upon conversion, exercise, or satisfaction of required conditions during at least the most recent annual fiscal period and any subsequent interim period presented.

Policy Framework Development

Introduction In this essay, I will discuss the welfare state since World War II and how it has impacted society in England and Wales. In addition, I will discuss the importance of social policy, how it was developed and the four most frequently used approaches. The ideas behind these approaches will be explained and some examples of such policies in different fields will be provided. Overall, evidence will be provided on how social policy became educational discipline in its own right. The origins of the National Health Service One of the most drastic social policies put into action in England and Wales has been the implementation of free medical treatment for all, through the National Health Service. According to Alcock (2008), illness was very common and health care expensive before the National Health Service (NHS) came into existence in 1948. Poor housing, overcrowding, poor sanitation, malnutrition and lack of education were common, enabling the spread of infectious diseases such as tuberculosis. Life expectancy was considerably lower, at a mere 60 years. During the 19th century, health care was provided through the workhouse, or municipal and voluntary hospitals. The rich were often treated in their own homes or in a private practice. A lady Almoner was responsible for carrying out a means test, which determined who got medical treatment, she was also responsible for approaching charities for funding. (Alcock, 2008) The ideology behind the development of the NHS was to put an end to ignorance, squalor , disease and poverty, by ensuring health care was available to all. This included free treatments for all, a family benefit scheme and full employment. Although some saw it as a politically risky move, Prime Minister Churchill gave his full backing for the NHS in 1943, thus starting the reform towards free health care. As Bochel reports: â€Å"During 1944, White Paper proposing a national health service, and the election of a Labour Government in 1945 made the establishment of a NHS almost certain. The necessary legislation was passed in the 1946 National Health Service Act.† (Bochel, 2009, p. 332). Finally, the NHS became a reality on July 5th 1948. It was an enormous achievement but due to the significant investment in time, money and resources, it was not met without opposition- this was a time when there were food and fuel shortages, as well as a dollar economic crisis. However, the general public wanted the new service to succeed, and as such Britain became the first country in Western Europe to offer free medical service, funded through the general taxation system. According to Bevan: â€Å"It was based on three core principles which include; it meets the needs of everyone, to be free at the point of delivery and it to be based on clinical needs, not ability to pay.† (National Health Service History, 2012). These core principles have remained the same since the creation of the NHS (Bochel, 2009,p. 332). However, free health care as provided by the NHS proved to be very expensive, with the drug bill increasing from ?13 million to ?41 million within the first two years of its creation. Additionally, as medicine progressed as a science, new technologies and methods increased the cost of the NHS from ?200 million to ?300 million. The provision of free health care for all led to excess demand, adding pressure to the already limited medical resources. The Government was reluctant to cover the excess cost, as it needed to invest in other sectors, such as education. As a result, charges for certain services, such as spectacles and dentures, as well as for prescriptions were implemented (Alcock2008). Neo-liberal ideology and the NHS In 1979, when the NHS had been in place for several decades, a Neo Liberal Government was elected, with little sympathy for the state provision of welfare and the high level of expenditure associated with it (Bochel, 2009, p. 332). Neo-liberal ideology supports the reorganization of the financial and organizational aspects of healthcare services worldwide, based on the argument that the then-existing health systems had failed. According to the recommendation report in 1983, four major problems of health systems globally were: i) misallocation of resources; ii) inequity of accessing care; iii) inefficiency; and iv) exploding costs. It was claimed that government hospitals and clinics were often inefficient, suffering from highly centralised decision-making, wide fluctuations in allocations, and poor motivation of workers (Alcock, 2008). Quality of care was also low, patient waiting times were long and medical consultations were short, misdiagnosis and inappropriate treatment were comm on. Also, the public sector had suffered from serious shortages of medical drugs and equipment, and the purchasing of brand-name pharmaceuticals instead of generic drugs was one of the main reasons for wasting the money spent on health (Navarro, 2007). Private providers were more technically efficient and offer a service that was perceived to be of higher quality. Neo-liberal policies Examples of policies implemented by the Neo-Liberal Government were those based on cost-effectiveness. Cost-effectiveness was presented as the main tool for choosing among possible health interventions for specific health problems. Disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) were used to measure the burden of disease and thus allowing comparisons between specific health problems. Greater reliance on the private sector to deliver clinical services was encouraged, with the expectation that it would raise efficiency. It was suggested that Governments should privatise the healthcare services, by selling the public goods and services, buying the services from the private sector, and supporting the private sector with subsidies. In order to increase efficiency, unnecessary legal and administrative barriers faced by private doctors and pharmacies would need to be removed. Neoliberal policies in healthcare were heavily criticised as they reportedly misdiagnosed the problems and its treatment, lea ding to a situation worse than it was before the policies were implemented. Shrinking from welfare state to minimum liberal state, retreating from most of the public services and letting the area to irrationality of market dynamics is making pharmaceutical, medical technology, insurance, and law companies the lead actors. It has been claimed that a system providing services according ability-to-pay rather than healthcare need, ensures decreased availability and accessibility to services† (Danis et al., 2008; Janes et al., 2006; Unger et al, 2008). New Labour and the NHS In 1997, the New Labour Government was elected, with a main focus to make a significant improvement on peoples’ health. This was expected to be done by rebuilding the health services within the NHS through â€Å"decentralizing of power and decision-making to local health trusts†. Decentralising was important in order to achieve increased responsiveness to local health needs by widening patient choice, and promoting organizational efficiency. The underlying premise was that decentralization would shorten the bureaucratic hierarchical structure and allow flexibility for local trust managers and health professionals- thus improving organizational performance from the ‘bottom-up’ (Crinson, 2009 :p 139). In 1997 the Government put forward its plans in the White Paper: â€Å"The New NHS: Modern, Dependable† (Blakemore 2003:p 172). The objective was to reduce bureaucratic control from the centre and restore autonomy to health professionals within the NHS. A t the same time, the Government was determined to limit public expenditure by looking at what was already put in place by the previous government. One of the new Labour objectives was to reduce the number of people on the treatment waiting list by offering patients greater choice of provider at the point of inpatient referral. This was put in place from January 2006 onwards, where patients have been offered a choice of at least four hospitals when referred for treatment by their general practitioner. In addition, a new inpatient booking system was put in place, where patients themselves could book their place and time of treatment (Adam, 2006). In 1998, health inequality targets were included in the public service agreements with local government and cross-department machinery was created to follow up a ‘Programme of Actions’, which had the general aim to reduce inequality in terms of life expectancy at birth, and to reduce the infant mortality rate by 10 per cent by 20 10 (Glennerster, 2007 : p 253). Examples of health care policies implemented by New Labour are: Maximum waiting times for in-patient treatment: six months by 2005 and three months by 2008; Patients able to see a primary care practitioner within twenty-four hours and a GP within forty- eight hours; Maximum waiting time of four-hours in emergency rooms; Plans to improve cancer treatment and health inequalities. In addition, in order to improve efficiency, two bodies were set up to give advice and push for more consistent and effective clinical standards in determining the cost of new drugs and procedures. This was the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) (Glennerster,2007 : p 250). However, as argued by Peckham and colleagues (year?), the decentralization of the NHS had mixed results. They note that the process of decentralization was not clear and that there were contradictions, reflecting a simultaneous process of centralization and decentralization, in which local perf ormance indicators were centrally-set. If achieved, this resulted in increased financial and managerial autonomy. However, there was some supportive evidence that decentralization had improved patients’ health outcome, as well as improved efficiency in coordination and communication processes (Crinson, 2009 : p 140). The Government at the time met its target for treatment waiting lists by 2000- the number of people on the waiting list had fallen by 150,000. However, one main criticism came from the doctors, nurses and other health professionals where they were the ones dealing with prioritizing patients based on medical need, whilst having to explain to other anxious and angry patients why their treatment is delayed (Crinson, 2009). Coalition Government and the NHS In 2010, the newly established Coalition Government published the NHS White Paper ‘Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS policy’, prepared by the Department of Health. This policy included important changes compared to those proposed by the previous Government, and reflected the aims of the Coalition’s five year plan. Some of the proposed changes include: i) responsibility for commissioning of NHS services shifted to GPs, as the Primary Care Trusts and Strategic Health Authorities were dissolved, and ii) Foundation Trust status granted to all hospitals, ensuring increased autonomy and decision-making power. These reforms were part of the Coalition’s broader goal to give more power to local communities and empower GPs. By way of estimation, it is expected that this cost to about 45% for the NHS management. Strengthening of the NHS Foundation Trusts in order for these Trusts to provide financial regulation for all NHS services was another objective of the reform. An independent NHS board was set up, with the aim to lead and oversee specialised care and GP commissioning respectively. The objectives behind the Coalition Government’s plans was to increase health spending in real terms for each year of Parliament, with full awareness that this would impact the spending in other areas. The Coalition Government still maintained Beverage idea that all health care should be free and available to everybody at the point of delivery, instead of based on the ability to pay. It was expected that this approach would improve standards, support professional responsibility, deliver better value for money and as such create a healthier nation. Although the Prime Minister rectified it in his speech, the Government failed to provide a clear account of the shortcomings of the NHS and its challenges. The preparation of the White Paper, which was to pass the coalition committee’s examination, saw more compromises. The elimination of PCTs was not foretold but the conservatives would make PCTs remain as the statutory commissioning authority responsible for public health despite their commitment to devolving real budgets to GPs. It was rumoured that the Liberal Democrats policy of elected representatives to PCTs appear weak. The compromise was to give greater responsibility for public health to local authorities and eliminate PCTs. This resulted in the formation of the GP commissioning consortia and the Health and Wellbeing Boards. Despite concerns raised by stakeholders, the proposals saw just a few changes. Maybe we can call it a missed chance in retrospect. Conclusion In conclusion, it can be argued that without the NHS coming to force when it did at such a dire time after the Second World War, the already high mortality rates would have continued to rise. The NHS was vital in changing peoples’ lives in England and Wales and around the world. The system was designed meet everyone needs, regardless of financial abilities and without discrimination. Many changes have taken place since the birth of the NHS in 1948. Four different Governments adapted the NHS with their policies and legislation. However, throughout its evolution, the NHS still provides healthcare free of charge, as was intended from its conception. References Alcock, (2008). Social Policy in Britain. 3rd ed.Basingstoke: Palgrace Macmillan Alexion Pharma (2010). Politics and Policy [Online] www. [email protected] Available From: http://www.pnh-alliance.org.uk/politics-and-policy/the-department-of-health-publishes-equity-and-excellence-liberating-the-nhs. [Accessed on: 06 Nov. 12] Blakemore, K (2003). Social Policy an introduction. 2nd ed. United Kingdom: Open University Press. Blakemore, K, Griggs, E. (2003). Social Policy an introduction. 3nd ed.England: Open University Press. Bochel, H., Bochel, C., Page, R., Sykes, R. (2009). Social Policy Themes, Issues and Debates. 2nd ed. England: Pearson Education Limited. Crinson, I. (2009) Health Policy a critical perspective. London: Sage Publication Ltd. Glennerster, H. (2007). British Social Policy. 3rd ed. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing. Danis, M.Z., Karatas, K., Sahin, M.C. (2008). Reflections of neoliberal policies on healthcare field and social work practices. World Applied Sciences Journal, 5(2), 224-235. Ezeonu, I. (2008). Crimes of globalization: health care, HIV and the poverty of neoliberalism in Sub-Saharan Africa. International Journal of Social Inquiry, 1(2), 113-134. Hospital Stories from Hell: National Health Videos (1998) [DVD] London: Channel 4. Recorded off –air 19/03/1998 Macara, S. ( 1998). Nursing Studies. BBC News: True to its principles [Online]. Available from: NHS Choices. Moonie N. (2003). Health and Social Care. Series ed. Oxford: Heine Educational Publisher. Navarro, V. (2007). Neoliberalism as a class ideology; or, the political causes of the growth of inequalities. Int J Health Serv, 37(1), 47-62. NHS. ( 2012). Nursing Studies. About the NHS: NHS core principles [Online]. Available from: NHS Choices. Oliver, Adam. â€Å"Further progress towards reducing waiting times†. Health Policy Monitor, April 2006. Available at http://www.hpm.org/survey/uk/a7/1 . [Accessed on: 14 Nov. 12] Pennies from Bevan: National Health Videos (1998) [DVD] London: Chanel 4. Recorded off –air 14/06/1998 Rivett, G (2012). Nursing Studies, National Health Service History. [Online]. Available from: http://www. NHS history.net [Accessed 06 March 2012). Socialist Health (2010). Coalition Health Policy 2010 [Online] http://www.sochealth.co.uk. Available From: http://www.sochealth.co.uk/campaigns/health-and-social-care-bill-2012/coalition-health-policy-2010/. [Accessed on: 06 Nov.12] Viveash, B, Senior, M. (1998). Health and Illness. London: Macmillan Press.

The hatchet essays

The hatchet essays This book is about a young teenage boy named Brian Robeson. He was on a plan by himself with a pilot, but he didnt know his name is was Jake or Jim. He was on the plane going north to visit his dad because his mom and dad got a divorce and during the winter he would live with his dad and summer with his mom but this summer he was going to see his dad. But then he looked at the pilot and he didnt look so well he was rubbing his chest and then suddenly the pilot fell and was having a heart attack and was dieing and being a thirteen year old boy he got scared and then he tried to solve the problem and tried to radio for some help but was not sure how to work the radio and then he started to talk to some one but he didnt remember how to fly the plan or anything so he was in trouble and then the next thing he knows the plan crashes and it hits some kind of lake or ocean. The boy got out of the plan and went for land and there is were he decided to stay and wait for help to get there but he was not sure if they would come, because they might not know where he is, also how long would it take for them to go and find him and to save him. He knows that his dad will come for him or some thing so he stayed there. He built a shelter and made a fire and made a good boy that he might find a rabbit or something and he did find many rabbits and some other big animals but his little boy could not take one of them on they would kill him. So then as it got colder he made a better shelter and made a little pond out side of his little shelter and in side of this new shelter he built a fire that kept him very warm. He did have many problems, he had his little shelter attacked by a big bear and the bear took all of the food and damaged his shelter very bad and it also hurt Brian badly too. He didnt know what to do so he just lay there and he lived. After this he needed to find a way to get some kind of defense and he had to do it fas...

All About Levees in the U.S.

All About Levees in the U.S. A levee is a type of dam or wall, usually a man-made embankment, that acts as a barrier between water and property. It is often a raised berm that runs along a river or canal. Levees reinforce a rivers banks and help prevent flooding. By constricting and confining the flow, however, levees can also increase the speed of the water. Levees can fail in at least two ways: (1) the structure is not high enough to stop rising waters, and (2) the structure is not strong enough to hold back rising waters. When a levee breaks at a weakened area, the levee is considered breached, and water flows through the breach or hole. A levee system often includes pumping stations as well as embankment. A levee system can fail if one or more of the pumping stations fail. Definition of Levee A man-made structure, usually an earthen embankment or concrete floodwall, designed and constructed in accordance with sound engineering practices to contain, control, or divert the flow of water so as to provide reasonable assurance of excluding temporary flooding from the leveed area. - U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Types of Levees Levees can be natural or man-made. A natural levee is formed when sediment settles on the river bank, raising the level of the land around the river. To construct a man-made levee, workers pile dirt or concrete along the river banks (or parallel to any body of water that may rise), to create an embankment. This embankment is flat at the top, and slopes at an angle down to the water. For added strength, sandbags are sometimes placed over dirt embankments. Origin of the Word The word levee (pronounced LEV-ee) is an Americanism - that is, a word used in the United States, but not anywhere else in the world. It should come as no surprise that levee originated in the great port city of New Orleans, Louisiana, at the mouth of the flood-prone Mississippi River. Coming from the French word  levà ©e and the French verb lever meaning to raise, handmade embankments to protect farms from seasonal floods became known as levees. A dike serves the same purpose as a levee, but that word comes from the Dutch dijk or German deich. Levees Around the World A levee is also known as a floodbank, stopbank, embarkment, and storm barrier. Although the structure goes by different names, levees protect the land in many parts of the world. In Europe, levees prevent flooding along the Po, Vistula, and Danube rivers. In the United States, you will find important levee systems along the Mississippi, Snake, and Sacramento Rivers. In California, an aging levee system is used in Sacramento and the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Poor maintenance of the Sacramento levees have made the area prone to flooding. Global warming has brought stronger storms and greater risks of flooding. Engineers are seeking alternatives to levees for flood control. The answer may lie in modern flood control technologies used in England, Europe, and Japan. Levees, New Orleans, and Hurricane Katrina New Orleans, Louisiana, is largely below sea level. The systematic construction of its levees began in the 19th century and continued into the 20th century as the federal government became more involved with engineering and funding. In August 2005, several levees along waterways of Lake Ponchartrain failed, and water covered 80% of New Orleans. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers designed the levees to withstand the forces of a fast-blowing Category 3 storm; they werent strong enough to survive the Category 4 Hurricane Katrina. If a chain is as strong as its weakest link, a levee is as functional as its structural weakness. A full year before Hurricane Katrina slammed into the Gulf Coast, Walter Maestri, the emergency management chief for Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, was quoted in the New Orleans Times-Picayune: It appears that the money has been moved in the president’s budget to handle homeland security and the war in Iraq, and I suppose that’s the price we pay. Nobody locally is happy that the levees can’t be finished, and we are doing everything we can to make the case that this is a security issue for us. - June 8, 2004 (one year before Hurricane Katrina) Levees as Infrastructure Infrastructure is a framework of communal systems. In the 18th and 19th centuries, farmers created their own levees to protect their fertile farmland from inevitable floods. As more and more people became dependent on other people for growing their food, it made sense that flood mitigation was everyones responsibility and not simply the local farmer. Through legislation, the federal government helps states and localities with engineering and subsidizing the cost of levee systems. Flood insurance has also become a way for people living in high risk areas can help with the cost of levee systems. Some communities have combined flood mitigation with other public works projects, such as highways along riverbanks and hiking paths in recreation areas. Other levees are nothing more than functional. Architecturally, levees can be aesthetically pleasing feats of engineering. The Future of Levees Todays levees are being engineered for resilience and built for double duty - protection when needed and recreation in the off-season. Creating a levee system has become a partnership among communities, counties, states, and federal government entities. Risk assessment, construction costs, and insurance liabilities combine in a complex soup of action and inaction for these public works projects. The building of levees to mitigate flooding will continue to be an issue as communities plan and build for extreme weather events, a predictable unpredictability from climate change. Sources USACE Program Levees, US Army Corps of Engineers at www.usace.army.mil/Missions/CivilWorks/LeveeSafetyProgram/USACEProgramLevees.aspxUnited States of Shame, by Maureen Dowd, The New York Times, September 3, 2005 [accessed August 12, 2016]History of Levees, FEMA, PDF at https://www.fema.gov/media-library-data/1463585486484-d22943de4883b61a6ede15aa57a78a7f/History_of_Levees_0512_508.pdfInline photos: Mario Tama/Getty Images; Julie Dermansky/Corbis via Getty Images (cropped)

Life of Moses Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Life of Moses - Dissertation Example (Seters 34) Indeed these historians and archaeologists believe that Moses as well as the exodus story is essentially origin myths devised by later generation of the Israelites. In support of their position, they refer to the â€Å"logical inconsistencies, new archaeological evidence, historical evidence, and related origin myths in Canaanite culture† (Seters 45). Indeed Moses’ existence is greatly supported by most of the Abrahamic religions and their holy texts–the Quran, the Bible and the Torah. Though these holy texts provide some biographical details of Moses, they do not reveal much of the historical facts and figures of Moses’ age. Even these texts claim that Moses was assigned with the holy duty of setting the Israelites free from the communal slavery under an unnamed pharaoh King. By the time Moses was assigned with the duty of leading the Children of Israel out of Egypt from the slavery and bondage, modern Archaeologists believe that King Ramesses is supposed to rule Egypt during the late Moses period from 1391 to 1271 BCE. Though Rabbinical Judaism asserts Moses’ lifespan between 1391 to 1271 BCE, Christian Tradition refers Moses to an earlier date. Brief History of Moses and His Preaching Moses as a religious figure is supported only by some religious texts such as the Quran, the Bible, the Torah and few others. ... His parents, Amram and Jochebed, once immigrated to Egypt with their grandfather Kehath and other 70 Jacobean families (Genesis 46:11). Thus Moses belongs to the second generation of the Jacobean immigrants in Egypt. By the time Moses was born, the Israelites had lived about 450 years in Egypt and reached two millions in number. The particular number of the departing Israelites is often disputed. According to the BBC article, the Israelites were two millions. But Jacob Gebhart argues that the departing Israelites were about six million (6,000,000). In this regard he says, According to this passage 600,000 men descended from Yaacov left Egypt. If each man is married with the average of 5 children, this brings the entire population of Israel to 6,000,000. This is not including the mixed multitude that came out with them. (Gebhart pars.3) Being alarmed by the growth of these people, Pharaoh passed a decree that male babies of the Hebrew would be killed by drowning in the Nile. It is sai d in a BBC article â€Å"Moses†, â€Å"According to the Bible, the descendants of Jacob had lived in Egypt for more than 450 years, during which time they grew into a nation†¦The Egyptians began to see them as a threat†¦forcing them to work as slaves.† (Moses pars.3) According to the Book of Exodus, in his infancy he was fortunate enough to evade the Pharaoh-enforced infanticide. By luck, he was raised as Pharaoh’s daughter Bithiah’s son in the royal palace. The Book of Exodus (2:1) describes how Jochebed saved Moses from the anger of Pharaoh’s wrath: Now a man of the house of Levi married a Levite woman, and she became pregnant and gave birth to a son†¦.But when she could hide him no longer, she got a papyrus basket for him and coated it with tar

Women's rights in Afghanistan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Women's rights in Afghanistan - Essay Example It has also been noted that during the most favorable times in Afghanistan, the overall literacy rate was less than 20% amongst males and less than 5% amongst females; surprisingly considered by some to be optimistic. Against such a backdrop, the country plunged into the hands of Islamic fundamentalists in 1992. This was deemed as a misfortune for women's rights. The new government of the country pledged prompt action to improve the conditions of women. A report by the international women's organization, Womankind Worldwide reported that millions of Afghan women and girls continue to face prejudice and belligerence in their day-to-day lives. Now, it has been acknowledged by the Afghan women's rights groups that women in Afghanistan now have a variety of rights, which they were deprived of earlier. The major religion practiced throughout Afghanistan is Islam. This religion guarantees equal rights to men and women before their Lord and gives them various rights such the right to inheritance, the right to vote, the right to work, and even choose their own partners in marriage. This was practiced over 1400 years ago. But this is not the case observed in Afghanistan, neither now, nor earlier. Here women have been denied these rights either by official government decree or by their own husbands, fathers, and brothers, now for centuries, even though their religion permits them the same. 1996 to 2001 was the worst of all times experienced by the women in Afghanistan, or of any other society. Women were degraded, forbidden to work, leave the house without a male escort, not permitted to seek medical assistance from a male doctor, and were forced to coverthemselves from head to toe, so much so, that even their eyes were to be covered. The female doctors, teachers and other professional s were forced to beg and even become prostitutes just to support their families. Their social rights were snatched away and were badly encroached. The year 2001, brought a revolutionary change in the social, political and cultural condition of women in Afghanistan. According to the newly adopted constitution, women's rights were recognized and they were given equal rights and duties as males, before the law. Women were now allowed to get back to work and resume to their social lives. The obligation on wearing the all covering burqa, was relaxed and they were now respected and even appointed to prominent positions in the government. Despite all these changes, there still remain many challenges for the women of Afghanistan. (Qazi, n.d.) No Improvement in Women's Rights in Afghanistan It is evident that the women in Afghanistan are looked down upon and not given their due rights. Their right to full participation in social, economic, cultural and political life of the country was drastically truncated and soon summarily snatched and denied to them. Women were completely deprived of their birthright of getting education, of the right to work, of the right to travel, of the right to health, of the right to legal recourse, of the right to recreation, and of the right to being human. They were not allowed to travel in private vehicles with male passengers; they did not have the right to raise their