Notes from Doran

How did concerns to keep Catholics happy Influence Elizabethan religious settlement? For both personal and political reasons Elizabeth was anxious to retain certain Catholic ceremonial traditions within her Church. Personally, she disliked the idea of a married clergy, she loved elaborate Church music and refused to accept that all images were idolatrous. Equally, she was aware that she had to persuade Spain that her Church was little different, externally, to theirs.At the same time, she had to persuade the Lutheran that she was a follower of their Suburb Confession. Therefore, outward Catholic signs such as the use of vestments, crosses and candlesticks would serve to reassure both Lutheran and Catholics. How widespread does Doran say Catholicism was up to 1 580? When Elizabeth came to the throne, the ma]royalty of people In England and Wales were Catholic in belief. By 1 559 only 14% of wills in Sussex contained Protestant formulae and bequests; by 1560 only 10% of wills in Kent h ad a statement of Protestantism in the preamble.Therefore, Elizabethan task was to slowly wean the population away from their traditional Catholic beliefs and towards her protestant gem through preaching and education. The government was actually particularly successful in this, reducing Catholicism to a mere household religion with only 1-2% of the population supporting it. Some say this was down to the gentry and clerical leadership's failure to mount any resistance to Elizabethan Religious Settlement, thus allowing ordinary laity to drift into conformity. When the parish priest was ready to use the Book of Common Prayer and the squire publicly appeared at the new services, it was hardly surprising the ordinary people followed the examples of their social superiors† Patrick McGrath The Catholic Church did not simply give in without a struggle when Elizabeth came to the throne. The Clerical leadership made an early start against Elizabethan settlement – the bishops' fo ught against the 1559 legislation In the House of Lords as well as the refusal of all but one of the Marina episcopate to take the Oath of Supremacy.Many of the Catholic Intelligentsia also refused to conform to the new Protestant Church – about 100 fellows and other senior members left the university of Oxford between 1559 – 1566. Corner of these went into exile, some went to the Catholic university of Alluvial publishing 40+ books and pamphlets between 1564- 1568. By 1564 Lavational attacks on the Elizabethan Church scared Elizabeth, and by 1 566 the Queen was so concerned about illegal foreign books entering the country, that she asked for all boats to be searched. What reasons does Doran give for Increasing perceived threat of Catholicism In the 1 5705? OFF England and abroad. The deteriorating relationship with Spain after 1568 and Mary Stuart flight to England in the same year to seek refuge led to many Catholic plots for uprising and rebellion supported by Spani sh military power. The 1566 election of Pope Pips V, who referred to Elizabeth as one Who pretended to be Queen of England', raised anxieties over whether he would send a crusade. Finally, in 1569 the Northern Rebellion broke out which vindicated fears of a Catholic threat; this was followed by the Bull of Excommunication in 1570 and the Riddled Plot in 1571.In 1572 the massacre of French Hugeness on SST. Bartholomew Day scared people that there was an international plot to wipe out Protestantism. How much a threat were Catholics in reality? Not huge, it has been exaggerated slightly. The people of England were mostly loyal to the Queen and Country, they simply hoped for better times under Mary. The Northern Rebellion was largely contained in the Northern counties of Durham, Northumberland, Wasteland and York. John Leslie and Nicholas Sanders were the only two polemicists to write books expressing political opposition.Equally, the government put more pressure on the Catholics which weakened their threat considerably: more enquiries were held into recusant, the Privy Council ordered new groups of people to subscribe to the Prayer Book and supremacy; ewers at the Inns of Court were questioned about their attendance at communion and many bishops took firmer action against recusant; Catholics were usually fined; some lawyers expelled from their Inns at Courts and some lost their position on the bench of magistrates.How loyal were Catholics in the 1 sass? Even though during the sass an intense persecution of their religion took place, Catholics were mostly loyal to Queen Elizabeth. The vast majority of people simply waited for better times ahead when Mary, Queen of Scots was to take to the throne or when they might be granted tolerance under Protestantism. Very few people plotted against Elizabeth or her government. Most people passively accepted laws for recusant and accepted those enforcing penal laws.There were several statements and petitions addressed to the Q ueen by prominent Catholics expressing their loyalty and not all were under duress. In fact, in 1585 Catholic nobles and gentry led by Thomas Howard, Duke of Norfolk presented Elizabeth with a petition stating their complete loyalty. Even after a call for the restoration of Catholicism by force from William Allen and Robert Parsons, there was very little Catholic support.

Within the Context of the Period 1895-1995?

Within the context of the period 1895-1995 to what extent were the anti-Semitic policies implemented by the right wing elites during the Vichy Regime from 1940-1944 a reflection of their popularity within France? To this day the period of French Occupation and the Vichy Regime remains one of the most contentious and sensitive in modern French history.After suffering a crushing military defeat to Germany in the summer of 1940 an armistice was signed and the country was divided: the northern half of France including the capital was occupied by the German forces and became the zone occupee and in the southern unoccupied zone, the zone libre, the ‘autonomous’ yet collaborationist government was set up in the town of Vichy headed by Marshal Philippe Petain. Petain’s government collaborated with the German forces in deportation of some 75,000 Jews who perished in Auschwitz . JJ) These 4 years in French history which have become known as the ‘Dark Years’ sti ll to this day weigh heavily on the French national conscience. Consequently in post-war France there was a widely shared desire to erase these years from French history. The French post-war leaders that had, for the most part, emerged from the Resistance attempted to erase Vichy from French history through not acknowledging the government as legitimate. De Gaulle refused announce ‘the restoration of the French Republic†¦ n the grounds that it had never ceased to exist. ’ De Gaulle had no need to encourage examination of this shameful period of French History and instead went about reinterpreting the Vichy years as the years of the Resistance. However this myth of the Resistance ignored many of the harsh and unfavourable realities of French life during the occupation. Robert Paxton’s Vichy France: Old Guard and New Order marked the first phase of study of Vichy and was written at a time when the Gaullist myth was being questioned and challenged.His historica l study somewhat dispelled the generally accepted and favourable view that Vichy’s collaboration was on the whole involuntary. In addition to this he set about instating Vichy into France’s wider historical context rather than allowing it to be viewed as an anomaly in France’s history. Another work contemporary to Paxton’s study was Marcel Ophuls’ The Sorrow and the Pity an unprecedentedly scathing depiction of the French people under Occupation. Both of these works challenged de Gaulle’s revised version of the French occupation and sought about to shed light on he true nature of the Vichy Regime and France under occupation. Paxton dispelled the view that Vichy collaboration was entirely involuntary and that the line between voluntary and involuntary collaboration ran between Laval and Petain. What this revealed is that the anti-Semitic views that the Vichy government pursued could not said to be fully enforced by the German occupiers. This gives rise to the debate to what extent were the policies followed by the Vichy regime actually their own or were they rather pursued out of necessity to maintain France’s sovereignty as Vichy sympathisers argued.Perhaps what was most abhorrent about the Paxton’s study to the French public was that he made the bold assertion that the nature of the Vichy regime and its policies could be assimilated into the wider French political culture which essentially is the suggestion that the anti-Semitism that proliferated under Vichy was not exclusively present in Vichy. Similarly Ophuls’ documentary suggests that the attitudes adopted by the French public presents a social culture where anti-Semitism was acceptable.However it must be acknowledged that whilst the abovementioned present a scathing unfavourable depiction of French social and political culture this by no means can be said to , as Julian Jackson writes: ‘The history of the Occupation should be written n ot in black and white, but in shades of grey. ’ (JJ) Jackson here comments the complexity of the period of Occupation and the Vichy regime itself whilst Vichy followed policies of anti-Semitism it set about protecting French Jews from the extremities of the German occupation.Whilst the public opinion can be described as attentiste indifference to the Jew’s fate didn’t mean the French public actively encouraged the persecution of the Jewish population. In considering the extent to which Vichy’s policies are a reflection of their popularity in France requires an appreciation of the inherently nuanced nature of the period. The debate between whether Vichy’s collaboration with Germany was voluntary or involuntary is important in forming a judgement on the motives behind the policies the regime implemented.It is noteworthy that both Laval and Petain believed that Germany had won the war and the British would soon surrender. This gave rise three distinct motives behind voluntary collaboration; politico-administrative, politico-diplomatic and the alleviation of the impact caused by the Armistice on daily life. Despite the fact that in theory the Vichy administration was in control of the Occupied Zone this control was very much subjected to German regulation.By actively collaborating with the Germans Vichy leaders hoped to maintain this balance of German intervention in the administration of the country fearing that not being forthcoming with collaboration would encourage further loss of Vichy autonomy. The politico- diplomatic motive was based on the assumption that the Germans had won the war and set about creating an environment for favourable peace treaty negotiations with the victorious axis powers.There had already been portentous signs of the division of France in the Occupied Zone; for example, ‘The two departments of the Nord and Pas-de-Calais were attached to the German military command in Brussels. ’ (JJ) Thi s was to prepare for the British invasion however once this was called off the refugees that had been removed from the area were not returned and instead their properties were being prepared to be handed over to German settlers.If this was to be the case then it was essential for there to be goodwill between Vichy and the Germans in order to ensure favourable terms in the, believed to be, imminent treaty. Much of these considerations harkened back to the German annexation of Alsace-Lorraine after French defeat in the Franco-Prussian war of 1870. The third consideration behind collaboration was to limit the effects of the armistice on the daily lives of French people by being cooperative in other terms of the armistice the French had hoped to limit some of the other strands of the agreement that had become increasingly burdensome.For example, the financial strains being placed on France by the German war effort had been increasingly problematic. These motives exonerate Vichy from the stigma associated with a policy of collaborationism as they present a concerted desire to preserve French interests. However, whilst these were overarching intentions behind collaboration by becoming actively involved in appeasing the Germans Vichy began down the slippery slope of complicity that would eventually lead to the extremes of collaboration.For example, Theodor Dannecker’s radicalisation of anti-Semitic policy in the Occupied Zone meant in order for Vichy to ‘preserve nominal sovereignty’ (JJ) Vichy had to follow suit and this essentially involved carrying out the anti-Semitic policy of the Germans. One can argue that Vichy’s complicity in the most extreme anti-Semitic policy was not motivated by its anti-Semitism but more the logic of their collaboration policy. Whilst Vichy made anti-Semitic policy one of its initial concerns what is clear is that, to some extent, it was necessitated by the German occupation.Viewing the Occupation from a conte mporary perspective can be problematic especially when it comes to assessing Vichy in terms of its anti-Semitic policy as the treatment of the Jews becomes the dominating factor of the Occupation. However, in order to gain a true appreciation of the Occupation one must contend with the fact that the anti-Semitic policy pursued by the Vichy elites was but a facet of the regime’s policy and its concerns. Nevertheless, this is not to say that Vichy did not have its own autonomous and indigenous anti-Semitic policies.The degree of enthusiasm in which Vichy administrators pursued anti-Semitic policy varies however within the Vichy government many anti-Semites were active who acted out of a very much French interpretation of the ‘Jewish Problem’. Xavier Vallat, a Catholic and former member of the extremist right wing group Action Francaise and head Commissariat-General for Jewish Questions from 1941-1942 ( CGQJ), remained during his trial before the High court of Justi ce in December 1947 unrepentantly anti-Semitic.In fact he used his anti-Semitism as a defence claiming that he cannot be accused of collaborating with the French ‘since his ant-Semitism was authentically French†¦ ’ (JJ) However contradictory this may seem as a defence it sheds light on an important reality: the crime anti-Semitism was seen as less of a crime than voluntary collaboration. This reality vindicates Vallat’s claim of his indigenous anti-Semitism; his willingness to concede his own anti-Semitism is an attempt to normalise it and thus is revealed an attitude that propagated in right-wing political culture.When one considers Vallat himself was a former member of right wing group Action Francaise that was borne out of the Dreyfus Affair (1894-1906), in which an innocent Jewish officer was accused of treason having been framed by the military that coalesced with other institutions of the right. We see that this attitude is one that has existed within the political culture of the right within France, one that predates Vichy and perhaps more significantly postdates Vichy. What’s more is that Vallat himself was removed by Laval in April 1942 for is all too evident dislike of the German occupiers.Vallat was both a passionate anti-Semite and an ardent nationalist what can be garnered from this is that whilst Vichy followed a policy of anti-Semitism this was not done in order to maintain the terms of collaboration with the occupiers rather we see that Vichy’s autonomous Jewish policy irrefutably has roots in French anti-Semitism. John Sweets argues that: ‘Vichy attention had been turned to the Jews from the first months of the regime’s existence’. Several examples of Vichy anti-Semitic legislation corroborate this view.The Jewish Statute issued in 1940 imposed by the Vichy administration were the beginning of a web of legislation that would deprive Jewish citizens of the right to hold public office, m ake them a lower class and eventually denaturalise them. It is noteworthy that this statute was not imposed by the Germans. What’s more is that an ordinance passed by the Germans in September 1940 defining the criterion of being Jewish was extended by Vichy to make more Jewish people susceptible to the anti-Semitic policies in work by both the German and the French.This lead to Dannecker ordering ‘the wider definition of Jewishness to be used in preference to the slightly more restrictive German one. ’ There are several examples of the Vichy administrators going beyond the demands of the occupiers in Jewish policy what this reveals is a truly independent desire to address the aforementioned French interpretation of the ‘Jewish problem’ . During the years of the occupation the Jews in France became caught between two, not entirely separate but distinct nonetheless, projects of anti-Semitism.The defining dichotomy of the occupation is ‘collaborat ion’ and ‘resistance’ this seemingly clear contrast however neglects the complexity of the period. One may assume that being a part of the Resistance entails being opposed to the existence and policy of the Vichy regime; however, this was not always the case. Among those in the Resistance were those who supported Petain and the anti-Semitic policies as well as the contrary.In debating whether Vichy attitudes reflected wider French attitudes the stance of the Resistance form a counterpoint; what we see in particular regarding anti-Semitism the lines between Vichy and the Resistance are quite obscure. There was ambivalence towards the plight of the Jews present in Resistance. One respondent to a questionnaire, drafted in October 1943, to evaluate the political attitudes of the Resistance desired all Jews to be ‘kept out of all governmental and public functions’; another ‘the relegation of all Jews, Freemasons†¦ nd former politicians. â€℠¢ However, one must not overstate the similarities between the Resistance and Vichy, they differed on fundamental lines; The Resistance did in fact come to actively oppose Vichy anti-Semitism. However, what is important is that even among the Resistance there was conceived to be a ‘Jewish problem’ whilst they opposed Vichy’s methods the roots of anti-Semitism are visible even amongst those who opposed it in Occupied France.This common ground between those considered collaborationists and members of the Resistance created a state in France where one could move into the Resistance without making any ‘fundamental ideological adjustments. ’ This is characterised by Francois Mitterand, who was to later become president of the 5TH republic, who joined the Resistance after being a prominent Petainist. What we witness is that the principals of the Vichy regime were present in that of its opposition. This reality presents the fact that the Vichy regime cannot be viewed as an anomalous French government.Whilst Vichy and the Resistance oppose each other fundamentally the similarities between these two distinct bodies reveal that in fact Vichy can be assimilated in terms of its ideals into a wider French political culture. However in order to make this assumption the nature of the Vichy regime itself must be assessed. The nature of Petain’s regime was authoritarian Julian Jackson comments that ‘Vichy functioned like a court†¦ At the centre of the court was Petain. ’ Petain was Head of state and had the power to appoint and sack ministers at will.Indeed the Vichy regime was as turbulent as the Third Republic with there being ministerial reshuffles frequently. Vichy did not view itself as a stop-gap French government the occupation of France and the armistice offered France a historic opportunity for political change. Paxton makes the assertion that: ‘the excitement aroused’ at the introduction of this N ational Revolution serves as evidence that Vichy was no mere caretaker regime but rather that there was general dissatisfaction at the state of the Republic pre second World War and as aforementioned politicians.The National Revolution ‘defined itself†¦ in opposition to liberal individualism which uprooted people from the ‘natural’ communities of family, workplace and religion. ’ Vichy also embarked on a programme of moral regeneration for France hoping to rid France of its undesirables (mainly Jews, Freemasons and Communists). Vichy also established a personality cult around Petain this involved portraits of the Marshal were commissioned to be placed in municipal buildings in the unoccupied zone. One can trace lineage from the style and nature of the Vichy regime from Daladier’s Republic that precedes Vichy.The authoritarian style of Daladier is reflected in Petain’s position as Vichy Premier not only that but Daladier’s rhetoric of family values, the role of religion and moral regeneration are remarkably similar to the stance taken by Petain, this continuity of the mantras of these two government go some way to disprove the post-war myth that Vichy was a reactionary clique. Elements of the Vichy style of government would even postdate the regime in the Fifth Republic under de Gaulle. He too believed, like Petain and the Vichy elites, that the former structure of the French Republic was ineffective. e Gaulle’s revision to the constitution empowered him and created a more stable but undoubtedly more authoritarian state. Paxton and Marrus make the assertion that: ‘The government of Petain did not invent the anti-Jewish programme†¦ Every element of this program was present in the years preceding the fall of the Third Republic. ’ The wave of anti-Semitism that surged with the arrival of the Vichy regime cannot simply attributed to the anti-Jewish sentiments that erupted in the 30’ s due to the social and economic issues of the great depression and in the late 30’s the fears of a 2nd world war.Anti-Jewish sentiments were an undercurrent in French political and social culture, a volatile force that at sometimes would be restrained by some ‘external pressure’ but other times could burst out after having amalgamated with economic or social hardship. For example, the dormancy of anti-Semitism can be attributed to the fact that many French Jews fought and died in the 2nd world war and the third tenet of the French national motto is fraternite. As Maurras described this sense of brotherhood led to a ‘semi-tolerance’ of the Jews at the time.However in the 30’s during a time of economic contraction, high unemployment and hardship who more vulnerable a target for blame than the foreigners and Jews? What became central to anti-Jewish sentiment during the 30s a growing obsession with the shortcomings of France. With the sense of in security of the 30’s Jews became a symbol and cause of this ‘terrible French inadequacy’ a phrase coined by a contemporary French novelist. This is what allowed anti-Semitic feeling to permeate the sensibilities of the ‘average’ Frenchman.Similarly the rhetoric of anti-Semitism had become so imbued in the French lexis that one even if speaking against anti-Semitism would speak in a way that would jar modern sensibilities. Anti-Semitism was imbued in France in a way permeated all facets of existence. It is noteworthy that Paxton’s seemingly harsh depiction of this historical track of French anti-Semitism is influenced by the time in which he produced his history. Writing in the 70’s he set about to dispel the Gaullist myth that had been largely accepted by the French public that allowed Vichy to detached from French social and political history/ culture.Paxton’s assertion however does not ignore some shocking realities take for ex ample that some 30 years after the Dreyfus affair a production of the play in Paris was broken up by right-wing toughs. Despite the fact that Vichy collaborators contributed to the genocide of European Jewish population whilst anti-Jewish sentiments were assuaged as Paxton argues they are an undercurrent ever –present in French society. Even among who formed the government in the wake of Vichy still possessed this anti-Semitism.Radical Pierre Mendes France PM of the 5th Republic between 1954-55 was forced to resign as his Jewish background made him unpopular with his contemporaries. Not only this but right-wing movements formed in the post-war period the right wing Poujadist movement that was opposed to industrialisation undermining France’s rural wholesome values- remarkably similar to Vichy ethics. However this attitude was not simply preserved among the cliques of right-wing it is noteworthy that Jean Marie Le Pen of the right-wing National Front Party forced a seco nd round of voting in the Presidential election of 2002 having obtained 16. 6% of voting in the first round. Not only do we see a revival of anti-Semitic right wing cliques but as late as 2002 we see genuine support for these movements in France. The simple assertion can be made that if France had not been somewhat accustomed to a political and social culture of anti-Semitism the policies enacted by the Vichy regime surely would have been abhorrent to the French public and caused general outrage. However in assessing the response of the French public the different stances of the French is an important consideration as well as the main concerns facing the population at the time.The prevailing attitudes towards the Jewish people at the start of the period were that of attentisme, indifference and hostility. The French public, on a personal level, had more serious concerns to contend with life in Occupied France was made much more difficult by the fact and many French people sought to look after their own interests therefore the plight of the Jewish people became an occurrence that was largely ignored between 1940-1942. However Julian Jackson makes the distinction that: ‘Indifference to the fate of the Jews was not the same as non- involvement in it. This was the case as ‘The application of the both Statutes drew people into complicity with anti-Semitism’. Whilst the politicians drafted the measures that would put Jewish quotas in their professions and exclude Jewish teachers the people who ran these professional organisations were made complicit in the anti-Semitism by exacting these measures. Indeed the smoothness in the way in which the Statutes were implemented gives evidence to the disregard of the French people to the unethical nature of the policy.However it is difficult to determine whether the indifference to the plight of the Jews was indeed ‘enough to characterise the attitude of the French population as one of active anti-Semi tism’ or whether the attitudes of the French public towards the Jewish population were a result of the need to protect one’s own interests during the Occupation or perhaps is it too scathing to the French public to describe them as ‘active’ in the anti-Semitism? In some cases, the French public acted to reinforce the opinion that they were active in anti-Semitism.In the South of France the exodus of Jews escaping the seemingly more threatening German Occupied Zone encouraged feelings of resentment and, for example, in Nice anti-Semitic incidents frequented. In there was a contrast between Jewish perception of attitudes towards them between the two zones; A Jewish observer commented at this time about the free zone: ‘here we can still move around freely and don’t fear arrest at any moment. But as for the attitude of the French one feels more at home in the Occupied Zone. This serves as evidence that in the unoccupied zone of France there were s entiments of active anti-Semitism present in that the Jewish population were subject of resentment and hostility. However, the reaction towards the Jewish population somewhat changed when the policy transitioned into deportation of the Jews. Sweets charts public reaction to the plight of the Jews as: ‘At first indifferent, insensitive†¦ and then hostile to government policy as life became increasingly precarious for the Jews with each new action against them. Whilst there was an eventual turning point in public opinion regarding the fate of the Jews it seems that the French public were willing to witness the destabilisation of the Jews within France that saw them humiliated and sectioned aside from the rest of French society but drew the line where manifestations of this destabilisation became physical i. e. having to witness babies being torn apart from mothers who are being arrested for deportation to an internment camp.Whilst a formal and somewhat discreet destabilisat ion of Jewish presence in France had been tolerable the visible sight of this seemed to be unpalatable to the French public. What becomes evident in the enacting of Vichy’s anti-Semitic policy is that it was extremely reliant on public approval. The ease of which Vichy was able to establish anti-Jewish legislation was reliant on the complicity of the French people who did not have the interests of the Jewish people at the forefront during the German occupation.However, we see that one this consensus had been broken in 1942 come to the implementation of the Final Solution Vichy policy loses effectiveness as it is undermined by civil society. We witness that the French population despite being complicit largely did in fact have a great deal of influence over the policy of Vichy. Vichy France and the German occupation has and will continue to be a contentious issue in French history.Whilst it is irrefutable that German influence in the occupation had an influence in bringing abo ut the anti-Semitic policy that proliferated under Vichy it is clear that Vichy had its own indigenous roots of anti-Semitism that almost provided this government with a historical inclination to act in the way it did. The complexity of the period disallows any sweeping judgement of the period however, an acknowledgement of the influence of German factors and an understanding of France’s own historical potential for the anti-Semitic policies allow for a nuanced appreciation of the period.Bibliography Jackson, Julian. ‘France the Dark Years 1940-1944’. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2003. Paxton, Robert. ‘Vichy France Old Guard ad New Order’. New York: Columbia University Press, 2001. Sweets, John. ‘Choices in Vichy France’. New York: Oxford University Press, 1994. Marrus, Michael and Paxton, Robert. ‘Vichy France and the Jews’. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press, 1981. Vinen, Richard. ‘The Unfree French: Life under the Occupation’ London: Penguin Books, 2007. http://www. wikepedia. com

Elimination of Ethnic and Religious Discrimination Essay

The word discrimination can be defined as, â€Å"treatment or consideration of, or making a distinction in favor of or against, a person or thing based on the group, class, or category to which that person or thing belongs rather than on individual merit.† One large type of discrimination in the world of today is religious and ethnic discrimination. Religious and ethnic discrimination is when someone discriminates against another person based solely on their religious beliefs or background and their ethnicity. Unfortunately, religious and ethnic discrimination are problems which stretch across the globe and occur in almost every country. One of the most well known cases of religious discrimination was the Holocaust. For those of you who may be unfamiliar with it, the Holocaust was the genocide of approximately six million European Jews and millions of others during World War II. The Holocaust was led by Nazi-leader Adolf Hitler; he discriminated and disliked the Jews merely because they were Jewish. Rather than actually getting to know any of them and then judging their character once he was a bit more familiar with them, he made a superficial judgment, decided he disliked them, started to discriminate against them, and eventually led the Holocaust. He merely disliked and discriminated against them because of their religion, regardless of who they really were, that it pure religious discrimination. A well known example of ethnic discrimination is the segregation that occurred in the USA during the 20th century, more specifically the early to mid 20th century. Segregation is, â€Å"the enforced separation of different racial groups in a country, community, or establishment.† Schools, living properties, and even playground are just small few of the large amount that was segregated at that time. Although this delegation is not pleased to say it, there is religious and ethnic discrimination in Tunisia as well. Tunisian singer Salah Misbah says that he is constantly discriminated against because of the dark color of his skin, supposedly having been called names such as, â€Å"a dirty slave†. There are also some cases of religious discrimination in the constitution of Tunisia. It declares the country’s determination to adhere to the teachings of Islam, stipulates that Islam is the official state religion, and that the President be Muslim, therefore discriminating against all who are not Muslim. Also, The Government does not permit the establishment of political parties on the basis of religion and prohibits proselytizing, which means attempting to convert someone to your faith, by non-Muslims. Tunisia recognizes that discrimination of any kind is wrong, especially these two, and, for that reason welcomes the possible solutions to this problem. Although religious and ethnic discrimination may seem like a difficult problem to handle, there are solutions. Unjust discrimination of any kind can normally be linked with poor education. If children are taught well about other traditions, religions, and cultures they are less likely to discriminate against people of those backgrounds. Another, slightly harsher, possible solution could be for the government to adopt a no-tolerance policy in relation to religious and racial crimes. Out of fear of being punished, it might dissuade those who are inclined to commit religious and racial crimes. In conclusion, if the necessary education is given, and laws or tolerance polices set in place, it may decrease the amount of religious and ethnic discrimination around the globe. Unfortunately, try as we might it seems as if religious and ethnic discrimination are problems which may never be fully and completely eliminated and eradicated, but that will not stop Tunisia, and hopefully the rest of the UN, from trying our best to do so! Sources: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/discrimination http://www.politicsforum.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=32&t=124377 http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2007/90222.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Holocaust http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/segregation

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Strategy management - Literature review Example However, this fact does not affect his performance. In fact, crafting is characterized by the detailed review of organizational problems, allowing for more precise managerial decisions compared to common methods of strategic decision making, where there is the risk of generic assumptions. This advantage of crafting towards other methods of strategic decision making is made clear through the following statement of Mintzberg: manager as a craftsman ‘has to craft his strategy as a potter has to manage her craft’ (Mintzberg 1988, p.73). Another characteristic of the manager who acts as a craftsman is that he is able to use his critical thinking on a constant basis – even when executing a task using his hands (Mintzberg 1988, p.78); this potential for simultaneous use of mind and hands is an advantage of the manager who acts as a craftsman. The view of Mintzberg that the manager is a craftsman, is in opposition with the view of Miller et al. (2005) who noted that strategic decision making is based on intuition; when being used for decision making in organizations, intuition may have two different forms: it could be either a holistic hunch or an automated expertise (Miller et al. 2005, 22); in its first form, intuition is used in organizations where ‘exploration has been adopted as a goal’ (Miller et al. 2005, p.22-23); on the other hand, intuition in its second form can be identified in organizations that focus on ‘execution and building on past investments’ (Miller et al. 2005, p.22-23). At this point, it is assumed that these managers prefer to avoid focusing on details when having to develop critical strategic decisions (ignoring the theory of manager as a craftsman, as stated by Mintzberg, 1987) considering their intuition as more appropriate criterion for the development of effective strategic decisions. The use of the theory of Mintzberg for

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Mini-Theme 2 - Inductive or Deductive Paper - Essay Example For both women, the anger stems from their experiences in a community where fat is considered to be a cardinal sin spawned primarily from willful choice and lazy action. Their frank language and refusal to make apologies, instead indicating those many areas in which ridicule and simply being overweight has prevented them from experiencing those things that â€Å"thin children take for granted, such as being lifted up effortlessly on the shoulders of their fathers†, is refreshing and provides a glimpse into a world that thin people just can’t understand otherwise. After reading these, I have a better appreciation of the various things that prevent fat people from doing something about their weight, more than just a question of mathematical balance between intake and exercise, and the approach helps to illustrate the tremendous pressures introduced thanks to what I do believe is an overactive focus on physical appearance within the American community. However, these authors make it sound as if fat people are the only people who have ever experienced unhappy families, difficulty in school, troubles with parents, cruel classmates or issues with self-image. Our community reveres the thin person so much that even thin people often feel they are too fat, creating numerous eating disorders that ensures absolutely no one, thin, fat or somewhere in between, can feel comfortable with their physical appearance. I appreciate the insight, but I feel that at some point in life, people need to come to an acceptance of who and what they are and stop attackin g the world – thin or fat – for this condition. Exercise is necessary for proper health regardless of whether a person is overweight, underweight or at the proper weight for their frame. It is also necessary whether one is young or old. The problem for many people, though, is that exercise can often be difficult on a person’s joints and, depending upon their weight, can be overly tiring, forcing them

Scholastic Methods in Education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Scholastic Methods in Education - Essay Example The scholastic environment, including factors like a supportive school atmosphere and the classroom context as well as language barriers, was determined to be directly related to teacher satisfaction (Lam, 2006; Bai, 1995). As our understanding of how children learn has grown, the many ways we teach children has also improved. The scholastic environment is intended to act as a cushion and protects the psychological well-being of children as they develop (Lam, 2006). Research has indicated that a teacher’s effect on their students is often the result of the students’ psychological responses to the teacher’s behavior (Wei, Brok & Zhou, 2009). Studies have shown that children can begin learning from birth and as they age and grow, their ability to learn new ideas and concepts also grows (Sharp, Ward, and Hankin, 2009). The reputation of a school and its influence on the life of the community invariably depend on the kind of teachers working in it. Of many dimensions , the following facets for measuring Teacher Job Satisfaction include: professionalism, teacher learning, innovation, and interpersonal relations (Suryanarayana and Luciana, 2010) Professionalism relates to job security and social prestige, molding young minds, appreciation from others, and the ability to help students resolve their problems (Suryanarayana and Luciana, 2010). ...  Inter-personal relations are associated with relationships with colleagues, parents, students, higher authorities or any personnel relative to school (Suryanarayana and Luciana, 2010). Despite the establishment of these criterions, measuring the teacher’s level of job satisfaction remains a difficult task (Suryanarayana and Luciana, 2010). It is estimated that 157,000 teachers exit the field every year and an additional 232,000 others change schools in pursuit of better working conditions found in prestigious, higher-performing schools (Alliance for Excellent Education, 2008). Combined, this repre sents approximately 12% of the teaching workforce, excluding the teachers that leave due to retirement (Alliance for Excellent Education, 2008). The exit of teachers from the profession and the movement of teachers away from low-performing schools are costly phenomena in regards to the loss students in the value of being taught by an experienced teacher, schools and districts must recruit and train their replacements, and the overall costs financial of teacher attrition (Alliance for Excellent Education, 2008). Fiduciary repercussions can vary widely by district and may include signing bonuses, subject matter stipends, and other recruiting costs specific to the educational forum, totaling an estimated $7.34 billion to hire, recruit, and train the replacement teachers (Alliance for Excellent Education, 2008).

Three Gorges Dam- Tourism Venue and Creation and Loss of Jobs Research Paper

Three Gorges Dam- Tourism Venue and Creation and Loss of Jobs - Research Paper Example The business opportunities will provide a platform through which many people can establish some businesses in the area. For example, as tourists come to visit the site, it is apparent that they would require having some hotels and restaurants around and within the location. In this regard, people will venture into the hotel business thus creating jobs to many people. In order to have tourism facilitate effectively, there is need to have tourist operators who will organize and take tourists to the site. This way, many people will have an opportunity to work in these tour companies (Jim Para. 6). However, in the effort to relocate towns and people living around this area, it means that many people will loose their agricultural land and this could lead to lose of livelihood to these people (Yardley Para 50). People who relied on agriculture as their economic activity will loose it. It is apparent that the towns that will be relocated will lead to lose of jobs to many people. In these towns, many businesses will be destabilized and this leads to lose of jobs to both the owners and people employed to work in those businesses. After completion of the three Georges dam project, visitors will be able to see a wonder in the Yangtze River where a calm lake sits among the steep gorges. Many scenic spots which could not have been entered are now reachable. For example, in Fangyang River, the branch of Madu River, a new site of small gorges comes into view (Agencies Para. 3). The white Emperor city, which was originally hidden in the thick forest before, becomes an attractive island standing in the center of the River. This big scenery will attract more visitors to explore three Gorges (Backenheimer Para. 1). Since tourist will require having access to the site, it therefore means that they need to have means of transport to the area. In this regard, the construction of three Georges dam will largely improve the

Conflict Resolution Interviews, Field Experience Activity, the Three C Essay

Conflict Resolution Interviews, Field Experience Activity, the Three Cs of Conflict Resolution - Essay Example Conflicting parties capitalize on others deficiencies as well as intensifying painful emotions. Conflicts could also satisfy the psychological needs of those indirectly involved. Fix solutions to these conflicts comprise of considering the consequences, which helps in avoidance of negative outcomes thereby solving the conflict. In addition, dialogue, mediation and negotiation could be employed in resolving conflicts between personnel (Morrill 245-256). The principal’s role in dealing with conflicts entails an integrative and collaborative process as well as the discipline of decision making as elements of strategic leadership. These aspects of leadership enable the principal to adopt, define, and understand shared managerial purposes, goals, and priorities based on the vision and identity of the human resource personnel. The principal’s role in conflict resolution, therefore, encompasses elements of human values, information, responsibility and responsiveness, organizational culture as well as conceptual and integrative thinking. The principal’s key responsibility revolves around his ability to communicate effectively with stakeholders, faculty, and students. Communication strategies have offered numerous opportunities for non-campus or central office based interns’ improvement plans. The principal could influence interns’ through their relationships, credibility, expertise, and knowledge. In addition, the principal could generate new realities for interns concerning the campus activities and its organization. Communication strategies also enable the principal to understand and use appropriate tactics in dealing with interns in writing and orally. Communication systems take into account other people’s points of views as well as acknowledging the different perspectives of both the principal and the stakeholders in providing their contributions.  Ã‚  

India Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

India - Essay Example (Andrea and Overfield, 71). The rock edicts of Ashoka reflect the emperor’s strong adherence to the fundamental teachings of Buddhism. He unequivocally asserts that all the benevolent actions he has undertaken as a king have but one objective: â€Å"that the people might practice the Dhamma† (Dhammika, the Seven Pillar Edicts, 7). He urges his subjects to respect and practice Dharma. Although Ashoka does not explicitly expound on Buddha’s teachings, his exhortations to his subjects are undoubtedly based on the Eightfold Path. Ashoka’s edicts list the dictates of Dharma: â€Å"proper behavior towards servants and employees, respect for father and mother, generosity towards friends, companions, relations, Brahmans and ascetics, and not killing living beings† (Dhammika, Fourteen Rock Edicts, 11). All this obviously falls under ‘Right Conduct.’ Again, Ashoka emphasizes â€Å"restraint in speech† (Dhammika, Fourteen Rock Edicts, 12) a nd that â€Å"the truth should be spoken† (Dhammika, Minor Rock Edicts, 2), in deference to ‘Right Speech.’ He urges is subjects towards ‘Right Endeavor’: â€Å"Great fruit will result from doing your duty† (Dhammika, Kalinga Rock Edicts, 1). Ashoka’s desire that his subjects practice â€Å"Kindness, generosity, truthfulness, purity, gentleness and goodness† (Dhammika, Seven Pillars, 7) expresses his hope that Buddhist Dharma will be adopted by all in his kingdom. Ashoka’s edicts define dharma as following the Eightfold Path. In the context of the Bhagavad Gita, Dharma is defined as â€Å"the moral imperative of caste duty† (Andrea and Overfield, 67). The performance of one’s duty, as prescribed by one’s caste, is the highest moral obligation, and the best way to worship God. â€Å"Every man intent on his own respective duties obtains perfection† (Andrea and Overfield, 68). Krishna states that the man who transcends the physical senses, and maintains detachment attains bliss. The way to eternal happiness is to

DISCUSSION FOURM 6 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

DISCUSSION FOURM 6 - Essay Example These are normally identified in the early phases of the emergence of a disease, or an epidemiological ailment. The best communication approach is to open a communication line with environmental investigators, during the early phases of the emergence of an epidemic (Monroe, 2011). These communications should be frequent, and the methods used in communicating should be accessible to all. For example, health care experts should use mobile phones and the internet for communicating (Monroe, 2011). Use of mobile phone is an easy method of sharing information between environmental experts and public health officers (Monroe, 2011). It is important to denote that most infectious diseases normally emanate because of poor hygiene and environmental condition. This includes conditions such as contaminated water, poor sewerage system, etc (Monroe, 2011). Liaising with environmentalist will help a health worker to identify the various environmental health hazards, which might be a cause of an infectious disease (Shetty, 2010). Furthermore, there is a need of establishing health hotlines. Mobile hotlines will enable people to communicate directly with health care workers, in case of the emergence of an infectious disease. This is an efficient and easy method of identifying the source of a disease. All that health care workers have to undertake is to inform the public on the existence of the hotline numbers (Monroe,

Summary 7 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Summary 7 - Essay Example This can validate the identities of culturally diverse children as well as be the role models for these children. Teachers who can understand and appreciate culturally different strengths and cultural resources of children are found to be much more effective teachers are more likely to provide enriching environments that celebrate everyone’s differences. However, since the teachers themselves are exposed to mainstream education where cultural diversity is not as celebrated as it is today, it is quite a challenge to adapt. To address this need to adapt to the culturally-heavy classes, there are professional seminars and trainings that have been offered to them. One of these is the Family Literacy Nights with Latino families and their children since the Latino population comprise the biggest chunk of the culturally diverse population. With Family Literacy Nights, the teachers have interacted with the parents and the kids themselves. This project helped quashed misconceptions about the culturally-diverse families. With family literacy nights, the teachers have firsthand information about the immigrant families. They empathized with the frustration that the parents have over language learning and their affinity to use their old language. They understood that these people can never think like the native speakers. They also learned that the parents want to help their children excel in their English-based classes but cannot help since they do not know the language. They also knew reasons why some families cannot come to school activities: location and time matter. It is not that they do not support their children’s education, it’s because they do not have the means of transportation and the time to go to events (they have to work, and they are too poor to have a car). They also knew not to prevent the children from speaking their native language as this fosters sophisticated linguistic abilities (they had English-only policies

The Similarities and Differences Between Hemodialysis and Peritoneal Dialysis Essay Example for Free

The Similarities and Differences Between Hemodialysis and Peritoneal Dialysis Essay Many individuals are diagnose with kidney disease each year, and some individuals face a difficult situation concerning the possibility of doing dialysis, and choosing what type of dialysis treatment is right for the individual. Both Hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis give patients the quality of life. In contrast both procedures are done differently, Hemodialysis patients are dependent, and peritoneal dialysis patients are self-sufficient. In comparison both removes waste from the bloodstream; however, both procedures are beneficial to treat kidney disease. Hemodialysis is a common procedure that removes waste from the bloodstream in patients’ whose kidneys does not function properly. The hemodialysis procedure consist of using a machine called the dialyzer, and the patients’ own veins, which is often called a fistula, to transfer blood back and forth from the dialyzer to the patients’ arm. However; because the fistula takes approximately six weeks to heal, patients often get a Vortex Graft placed, a Vortex Graft is plastic tubing placed inside of the patients’ vein most patients can use their graft in two to three weeks; However; there are some patients who have to start dialysis immediately; therefore, a Tunnel Catheter is placed, a Tunnel Catheter is a long flexible tube surgically inserted in a large vein in the neck, for immediate dialysis use. Patients often do hemodialysis three days a week, every other day. Most patients’ dialysis treatment runs approximately three to five hours each day, depending on what type of access they have. The day of their hemodialysis treatment, patients weigh themselves at the center and prepare to be seated to start their treatment. The dialysis technicians prep the dialyzer before the patients are ready to start dialyzing. The dialysis technicians take the patients’ temperature and blood pressure before the patients are seated. The dialysis technicians cleans the access site and make sure the site is working properly. Dialysis technicians have to follow a certain protocol when putting dialysis patients on for their treatment. Therefore; patients and technicians wear face mask to keep from cross contaminations of blood and germs. More often; dialysis technicians change gloves throughout the treatment session. The technicians’ monitors the patients’ blood pressure throughout the dialysis procedure, because patients run a risk of their blood pressure getting too low; dialysis technician may have to administer saline solution to bring the patients’ blood pressure back up to a normal range. The dialysis technicians log the patients’ blood pressure throughout the dialysis session. Once the patients are done with their dialysis session, the technicians take their temperature, blood pressure, and make sure their blood pressure is at a normal range before letting the patients leave their chair, once blood pressure is at a normal range; patients weigh themselves, and the technicians log it into the computer. Hemodialysis patients rely on their dialysis technicians for their dialysis treatment needs. In addition, hemodialysis patients run into risk associated with taking hemodialysis. One of the most common risks is clotting of the arteries in the arm. Most of the time patients are sent to a nearby hospital to see a vascular surgeon to have to clot removed. Often the clot can be removed, and the patients can return the next day to restart their dialysis treatment; however, there are times when the clot cannot be removed; therefore patients have a temporary tunnel catheter placed. Tunnel catheter is only placed temporarily placed until the surgeon can either fix the clotted arties, or place a new fistula. Tunnel catheter is the primary cause of most infections in hemodialysis patients and is one the primary reason for hospitalization of hemodialysis patients. Hemodialysis patients often drink too much fluid and in result have to pull off more fluid; therefore, their blood pressure may get too low. When hemodialysis pulls off excess fluid it also pulls off potassium, and patients may experience severe cramping. Furthermore, hemodialysis patients follow a diet called â€Å"The Renal Diet;† patients have to eat foods; low in sodium, low in potassium, and low in phosphorus. Most patients on hemodialysis have a fluid restriction, normally; the fluid restriction is about four cups of fluid a day or six cups a fluid a day. Hemodialysis pulls the protein from the patients’ body; therefore patients have to eat a high protein diet. On the contrary, peritoneal dialysis is a common procedure that removes waste from the bloodstream in patients’ whose kidneys does not function properly. The peritoneal dialysis procedure consists of using a fluid called dialysate, and a catheter; the catheter is placed in the abdomen of the kidney dialysis patients. When patients do peritoneal dialysis the dialysate solution is placed in the abdomen of the kidney patients and sits there for up to four hours; the hours the fluid sits is called the dwell time. Once the fluid has sat for a while the kidney dialysis patients exchange the old dialysate solution with new dialysate solution and start the whole process over again. Peritoneal dialysis can be done in two different ways; Automated Peritoneal Dialysis and Continuous Ambulatory Peritoneal Dialysis. Automated Peritoneal Dialysis is done while the kidney dialysis patients are asleep and Continuous Ambulatory Peritoneal Dialysis is done every four hours approximately five times a day for 30 minutes. Patients who do peritoneal dialysis do it in their own home. Before starting peritoneal dialysis patients are properly trained by a nurse for three weeks. Patients must be able to do own treatments once training is over. Peritoneal dialysis can choose what time a day to do their treatments, and what type of peritoneal dialysis treatment they prefer. Patients must order supplies each month and must have adequate amount of space to store supplies. Typically, patients start the day off by taken their blood pressure, temperature, and weight, and log the results. Before patients start a peritoneal dialysis treatment; patients close doors, window, and clean table with disinfectant. Patients’ then gather supplies for treatment, put on a face mask, and clean hands and exit site. Patients then hook themselves up and began exchanging fluid, after done with treatment patients properly dispose of waste and enjoy the rest of their day. In addition, peritoneal dialysis patients run into risk associated with taking peritoneal dialysis. One of the most common risks is an infection called Peritonitis. Peritonitis is an infection of the peritoneum; a peritoneum is the lining of the abdominal that forms a sack. Most of the time patients are given antibiotics to eliminate the infection. Peritoneal dialysis patients can develop a hernia; a hernia is a tear of the wall where an organ sticks out; therefore, patients should not lift heavy objects. Patients may experience bloating, constipation, weight gain, fluid overload, and dry skin associated with peritoneal dialysis. Furthermore, peritoneal dialysis patients follow a diet called â€Å"The Renal Diet;† patients have to eat foods low in sodium, low in phosphorus; however, patient can eat a potassium rich diet, because they dialyze every day. Some patients on peritoneal dialysis have a fluid restriction; however, most patients who do peritoneal dialysis do not have a fluid restriction, because they dialyze every day. Peritoneal dialysis pulls the protein for the patients’ body; therefore patients have to eat a high protein diet. Peritoneal dialysis patients have to eat a low calorie diet, because they get some of their calories from the dextrose found in the dialysate solution. In conclusion, both hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis are similar in so many ways; for example both dialysis procedures cleanse waste from the bloodstream of patients whose kidneys does not function properly, patients follow the same type of diet, and both treatments have to be done in a clean environment. Hemodialysis use a machine called the dialyzer and the patients’ arteries to transfer blood to and from the machine, and peritoneal dialysis use a fluid called dialysate and transfer fluid through a catheter placed in the patients’ abdomen. Hemodialysis patients rely on their technician for all their dialysis treatments need, and peritoneal dialysis patients basically do all their on treatments. Hemodialysis patients’ schedules are preset, and peritoneal dialysis patients’ schedules are more flexible. In contrast both procedures are done differently, Hemodialysis patients are dependent, and peritoneal dialysis patients are self-sufficient. In comparison both removes waste from the bloodstream; however, both procedures are beneficial to treat kidney disease.

Tribological audit on Gears

Tribological audit on Gears Tribology has been there since the beginning of recorded history. Tribology is the word basically derived from Greek in which ‘tribos means rubbing. From this we understand that â€Å"Tribology is the scientific study of interacting surfaces and of related subjects and practices†. [1] The 3 factors that are considered to be a major factor in tribology are friction, wear and lubrication. Friction is defined as the opposite force created when 2 surfaces are in contact. Friction can cause damage to the parts in contacts due to the heat generation and this can be studied using tribology. Wear is defined as the irregularities caused in a surface due to the external factors. Running a machine with weared parts can reduce the life of the machine. Lubrication is defined as the viscous liquid applied between two surfaces in contact for better performance and longer life. Untitled.jpg Gears are means by which power is transferred from the source to the application. [2] In the present world it has been used in most of the mechanical machines so that power can be transferred in an easier and sufficient way. The gearing technology started at about 100 years before and it was carried out by the Europeans in the ‘Dark Ages to bring out the development in the gears. [2] As years passed by more developed versions of gears were introduced which were lightweight, with high speed and gears that could withstand high loads. The gears are used as an important component in automobiles so that power is transmitted from the engine to the wheels to cause an increase in the speed of the vehicle. Hypoid gears are one of the common gears used in automobiles to do this operation. [2] Transmission which is defined as two or more gears working in tandem is used as an important principle in automobiles. In todays world many gears have been developed and these gears are being used for different purposes. These gears have been been divided into 2 such as: External Gears: In these types of gears the teeth can be found outside the cylinder or cone. Internal Gears: These types of gears have teeths in the inner surface of the cylinder or cone. Spur GearsWith either internal or external gears a lot of gears have been developed for different purposes and these gears are explained below: a) Spur gears: This is one of the most common types of gear. These gears have teeth perpendicular to the face of the gear and the edge of the tooth is parallel to the axis of rotation. The disadvantage of these types of gears is that they are a little noisy at low speeds and this reduces to a minimum at higher speeds. [7] b) Rack and pinion gears: This type of gears consists of a rack more like a spur gear with infinite radius of curvature and a pinion gear which keeps on rotating over the rack. These types of gears are mainly used to convert circular motion into linear motion. Trains run on railway tracks based on this principle. Racks Gears c) Helical gears: Helical gears are almost similar to the spur gears. The difference is that the teeths are in a helicoids shape and are not parallel to the axis of rotation. [7] It is less noisy than the spur gears and is widely used in industries. [7] Double helical gears are also used which has helical gears kept inversely on both sides. Helical Gears d) Worm gears: These are the type of gears that consists of a concave teeth profile and this teeth is usually engaged to helical gears. It is used where power is to be transferred at 90 degrees. Here sliding motion is caused rather than helical motion. [7] Heavy lubricants with good film thickness is used to prevent contact of the metals because since the teeth is small there is a chance in breakage of the teeth causing higher maintenance of the gears. Worm Gears e) Bevel gears: These types of gears have conical shaped teeths. It is mainly used to connect shafts to intersecting lines. The angle between 2 bevel gears can be between 0 to 180 degrees depending upon the purpose. Bevel gears with equal number of teeths and shafts at 90 degrees are called miter gears. Spiral bevel gears also known as hypoid gears are used in automobiles. These gears will always have shafts at 90 degrees. Bevel Gears f) Epicyclic gears: Here 2 or more external gears move inside an internal gear as shown in Fig. 8. These types of gears are mainly used in mechanical differentials. In all the types of gears above due to their contact with each other a frictional force is created between them and due to these frictional forces it can cause wear to the gears. Here the tribological factors come into play and reduce the life cycle of the gears. This can also cause the tooth of the gears to break. So lubricants have to be used to an extent to improve the life of the gears and materials have to be used according to the kind of environment in which the gears are to be used. Materials used for making Gears: Gears can be made from a wide variety of materials such as wood to high steel alloys depending on the requirements. Gears in different mechanical machines needs different materials to overcome the surrounding obstacles, for longer life of the equipment and the machine and also to reduce the cost. Due to these the design of gears will always depend on the accuracy level needed for the gears, load to be applied on the gears, speeds to which the gears will rotate, the noise limitations and the material to be used. So the cost of the gear will always depend on these factors. [2] So while selecting materials we should consider the tribological factors that would affect the gear while its operation like: * Allowable bending and Hertz stress because as the bending stress is low there is a chance for the gear to get bend at higher temperatures. * Wear resistance as the gears and gear tooths should not get weared at higher speed of rotation of the gears. * Impact strength as the gears should not break when it is engaged with higher force with another gear. * Water and corrosion resistance to resist against corrosion due to lubricant action. * Manufacturing cost to make the gears profitable * Size and weight so that the gears can be used in all machines * Lubricant requirements to see that costly lubricants are not required to maintain the gears. * Dimensionally stable and reliable. * Stress free structure [3] Depending upon these factors, different materials are used and the details about properties of the materials and the conditions on which these materials are used are given below: 1) Plastics: In the past, gears were made of wood or phenolic-resin impregnated cloth and as years passed by more light weight, low cost gears were required. With the invention of new polymers in plastics it gave more opportunities for the preparation of light weight, low cost gears. For this the most common plastics used today are acetate and nylon resins. This plastic gear reduces the cost of the gears when produced at large quantities and also is sometimes mixed with metals for longer and quieter operation of the gears. But since these acetate and nylon resins gears are limited to certain conditions such as strength, temperature resistance and accuracy it was required to make a different polymer for the preparation of the gears and a different polymer called ‘Polyamide was developed. This polyamide molded gears could resist higher temperatures and could be used in certain situations in place of metal gears to overcome the tribological factors but due to its higher cost for p roduction its still not used in all situations. [2] 2) Non-ferrous alloys: Titanium is also another material that can be combined with other metals to form a gear. Also the die cast materials like zinc, aluminium, brass, bronze are also used for gears due to its high corrosion property, high strength, less machining. These non ferrous alloys can be used for making gears because it can overcome most of the tribological factors. But these metals cannot be produced at large quantities due to its high cost of production. [2] 3) Cast iron: Cast iron is used for the preparation of gears because of its low cost, machinability and moderate mechanical properties. There are 3 types of cast irons differentiated basically depending on the structure of graphite in these irons. These are gray iron, malleable iron and ductile iron. Out of these the malleable and ductile irons have good shock resisting property and are mostly used in most of the gears by mixing it with other metals so that the gear made from this will be able to overcome most of the external factors affecting tribology. [2] 4) Sintered Powder Metals: These metals are used where high production is required with low cost. The process is simple where powder is put into the suitable high pressure die. A wide variety of selections of powders are available in this section of powdered metals. This sintered powder is also widely used in automotive industries by hot forming process which was recently developed to improve the mechanical properties of gears and resist against the effects of tribology. [2] 5) Hardened steels: This is one the most commonly used material in all industries for the manufacture of gears. These types of materials are used based on the factors like load, time period for which the material will work, lubricants to be used and the surrounding conditions that affect tribology such as temperature, pressure and humidity. When the gears are to be run at moderate temperature a low alloy material will be used for the production of gear and if the work load on the gear is to be high a high alloy material will be used after case carburizing or case nitriding to increase the fatigue strength. Of the 2 processes the case carburizing will have more distortion than the case nitriding process and would require an additional grinding process that would cause an increase in the cost of the gears. [2] Steel alloy is mostly used for the production gears more than normal steels. The materials used for gear preparation are an important factor for the preparation of gears as the working, the life of the gear, strength of the gear will all depend on the material. The material chosen must also be able to withstand the friction, wear and lubrication and have to be overcome to have long lasting and strong gears. If correct material is not chosen according to the criteria the machine can be of a complete failure and may not work properly. While selecting the materials the following factors have to be considered: Surface of the gears: The surface of gear has an important part in the life cycle of the gear as it must be able to withstand friction, wear and it must be able to properly engage with other gears and provide the required power to the required output shaft. For gears the surface texture which is defined as â€Å"the combinations of imperfections on a surface† [11] must be smooth and the gap between two teeths must be of proper size so the the 2 teeths are engaged correctly to each other. Eventhough gears now produced are with poor geometrical perfection or quality of surface texture companies is trying hard to produce gears with reduced surface texture by processes such as honing, lapping and super finishing methods. This is the opposite force caused when one body moves tangentially over another. The force can cause heat between the surface and can lead to the wear of the parts. The quality of the material used and the surface roughness decides the amount of friction that would occur on the surface of gears and this inturn decides the depth of wear that would occur on gears.The different types of wears that occurs on the surface of gears are given below: Ø Adhesive wear: This type of wear occurs on the tooth surface and is very difficult to find. Here the surface of the tooth gets a quashed look due to the long running of the gears. A moderate adhesive wear can also be caused on the gear surface due to variable loading of on the gear at different times. [15] The moderate adhesive wear will appear bright and can be seen with the naked eye 9as shown in fig. 11). Ø Abrasive wear: This type of wear occurs on gear surfaces when fine or severe dust particles are present in the lubricant used to reduce friction between the engaging gear surfaces. This type of wear is mainly seen in machines used at cement factories, road laying machines, mining machineries etc. The abrasives can cause the surface texture of the gear to change which in turn causes the application of more lubricant to the surface for the smooth running of the machine. [15] The abrasives in the lubricant can be of 2 types and cause wear to the gear in 2 methods which are classified as mild abrasion and severe abrasion.  · Mild Abrasion: This type of wear is caused when mild or fine particles are present in the lubricant and this causes wear on the surface of the gear. This cause only small marks on the surface of the gear and wear increases in the longer run of the gears. [15]  · Severe Abrasion: This type of wear is caused when large particles are present in the lubricant. It causes a larger wear in the gear and also can cause the breakdown in the machine. [15]  · Corrosive Abrasion: This type of abrasion is caused when the chemicals in Lubricating oil reacts with the surface. [15] Conformity: It is defined as â€Å"the degree of agreement between the surfaces†.[1] The degree of conformity must be maximum for gears to exactly engage and run for a longer period of time. Initial wear can increase the conformity between the gears. If the right amount of lubricant is added during the initial wear period the initial wear will stop by itself and increase the conformity between the gears. High conformity is found mostly between 2 flat surfaces. The lowest conformity is found between a flat surface and a ball.[1] Surface Texture: It is surface condition that depends on the material of manufacture, the way in which the material was processed, the lubricant used on the surface and the type of wear that occurs on the surface. Surface texture is an important factor for gears movement of the gears and the degree at which the gears touch each other depends on this property. Below the shows the terms that are used for defining the surface texture: The irregularities in the surface of gears must be reduced to minimum while making a gear so that the thin film lubricant can run smoothly between gears and reduce the tribological factors between the gears. The surface finish should be smooth and must be free from sharp irregularities to increase the fatigue strength of the gear and this should be maintained throughout the gears to have a quieter operation. [3] The surface of the gear which is to be in contact with the other gear has to be of higher strength so the tooth dont get weared out easily. The precision of the gears structure should be considered for long lasting of the gears. The surface of the gears can be improved using methods like polishing, heat treatment methods, Lubrication for smoother operation of gears: Lubricants are a viscous fluid applied between 2 gears for reducing the heat generated between them and to lubricate the teeth to reduce the friction between the gears. The selections of lubricant have to be correct to in order to provide high efficiency, good reliability, low maintenance and long life for the gears. [4] Generally the gear operates in 3 modes of lubrication mainly boundary, mixed, full film and hydrodynamic lubrication. The boundary condition is attained when the gear is started or stopped. With increase in relative motion the mixed lubrication condition is obtained and with further increase in speed the gear is said to run at full film lubrication.[3] â€Å"If there is a lubricant between the 2 contact surfaces and it is sufficient to protect the gears from contact then the lubrication is called as hydrodynamic lubrication†. [1] The lubricant differs from the normal liquid by the property of viscosity. Viscosity is defined as â€Å"the measure of the fluids resistance to flow†. [13] Since gears would be under high pressure and sliding it would require a medium to high grade lubricant. As the viscosity of lubricant increases the lubricant is said to be more reliable for the gears. A gear lubricant is said to have the below factors for obtaining a good performance from the gear: * thermal and oxidative stability * thermal durability * compatibility with seal materials * protection against excessive gear and bearing wear * high-temperature extreme pressure protection * gear and bearing cleanliness * emulsibility characteristics * rust and corrosion protection, especially to yellow metal components * antifoaming characteristics [5] The major tribological factors of the lubricant are:  · Viscosity: It is a property of the lubricant for providing the lubrication affect to the engaging gears. The viscosity of the lubricant can protect the gear from friction. Higher the viscosity greater the protection to the gears.  · Additives: It is a chemical substance added to oil to increase the property of oil and protect the gear against wear. Additives can protect the gear from wear and overheating. Better the additives greater will be the protection for the gear.  · Contamination: It is the addition of an external component in the lubricant that could reduce the property of the lubricant. This is a disadvantage for gears. If the contaminated substance is large it can cause a breakdown to the gears.  · Degradation: It is the wearing out of some parts of the gear due to chemical reactions. This is also a disadvantage to the gears. More the degradation more the chance for the tooth to break off. The below table explains the factors affecting selection of industrial gear lubricants: Factor Requirement Gearing Type * Spur and bevel * Helical and spiral bevel * Hypoid * Worm Low slide, low speed Moderate slide, moderate to high loading High slide, high loading Excessive sliding,moderate to high loading Loading High loaded industrial gear drives requires the use of extreme gear pressure gear lubricants. Surface finish Rougher surfaces requires high viscosity oils Smoother surfaces can use low viscosity oils Transmitted power As load is increased viscosity must be increased. Gear speed The higher the speed of the gear drive the lighter the viscosity needs to be Materials compatibility Some types of extreme pressure additives can attack yellow metals like brass and bronze Temperature The industrial gear lubricants viscosity must be selected based on the lowest and highest operating temperature. Types of gear lubricants: There are lots of oil used as lubricant for gears to reduce wear,to protect against corrosion, to protect the gear against oxidation and to prevent the formation of foam between the 2 gears. [12]  · Inhibited oil: This is a lubricant used to prevent the corrosion and foaming between the gears. [12]  · Extreme Pressure Oils: These oils contain inhibited oils and chemically active substances and are used for modifying the friction acting between the 2 engaging gears.[12]  · Compounded oils; These are oils made from steam cylinder stocks compounded with fatless additives. The purpose of this oil is also to reduce friction.[12]  · Open gear compounds: This lubricant consists of additives and is used for high, slow speed heavily loaded gears. This lubricant protects the gear teeth from damage.[12]  · Greases: This is one of the commonly used lubricants. It consists thick soap contents. It can only be used on low speed gear surfaces.[12] Methods of lubrication:  · Grease Lubrication: This type of lubrication is used at gears with0 to 6 m/s tangential speed. It can be applied on all types of gears operating at low speeds. Excess of this lubricant can lead power loss and viscous drag.[5]  · Splash Lubrication: This type of lubrication is applied to gears with speed of 4 to 15 m/s tangential speed. Here the lubrication is done by running the gear through an oil bath. The lubricant is effective only from 3 m/s speed of the gear and the oil should be prevented from mixing with some other liquid or particles which could cause a damage to the gear teeth.[5]  · Spray Lubrication: This type of lubrication is applied to gears with more 12m/s of tangential operating speed. Here the oil for lubrication is sprayed through a nozzle. The nozzle should be engineered properly as there is a chance for the oil to get deflected out of path of flow by centrifugal force or by the air that is flowing out. [5] Lubricants can protect the gears from the tribological factors such as friction and wear. We know what are the types of lubricants to be used, their applications and the types of lubrication processes. It is important that we select the right amount and quality of lubricants for the gears so that they have a longer life and dont get weared out easily. Engineers are still now researching to find the best lubricant for gears so that defects in gears like scoring, scuffing, pitting doesnt occur at all for gears. The gear noise is also prevented to an extend by lubrication. Operating Conditions for Gears: Operating conditions are important tribological factors for gears as this will determine the lubricant to be used, the material to be selected for making gears. The operating conditions of gears are determined by the factors like load applied on the gear, the speed at which the gear is about to rotate,relative motion between the gears, environmental condition, the product of pressure and velocity acting on the gears and the temperature on which the gear is about to work. These operating conditions which are to be considered for operation of gear are applied below: 1) Load: Load is the determining factor for the strength of a gear which determines the material to be used for the gear production, the amount of rubbing that would occur between the gear surfaces, the whole network of surface stresses that would occur in the contact zone of the gear surfaces and the coefficient of friction that would occur between the gears. The load also influences the behaviour of a lubricant or the abrasive particles present in the lubricant which would cause an impact on the gear tooth directly. The other area where the load influence is known is at the bonding between the gears that is directly dependent on the degradation of the surface films, increase in contact area and on temperature. In fact loading has a major impact on the change, age and wear characteristics of the materials. The schematic diagram of the influence of load on the operation of gear is given in the fig. 11.the explains the stresses produced due to load applied and the effects of these sub stances on the element.So in order to keep the gear in good condition and free from wear the following points have to be taken into account: * To keep the gears in good condition progressive loading of gears is a best way. * Decrease in load variation as it would reduce the rise of cavitation in the gears * Decreasing fatigue loading in gears to prevent surface fatigue wear.[14] 2) Speed: Speed of gear is an important factor as it varies from one mechanical component to another and is an important factor for the working of the machine. The parameter of the gears that are greatly influenced by the speed of gears are : a) Temperature: Temperature is a factor which is greatly influenced by the speed of the gear. As the speed of the gears increases the temperature between the gears also increases leading to more heat dissipation. Inorder to maintain the temperature between the gears we have to consider a good coolant and a good heat conducting surrounding medium. b) Friction coefficient: The effect of speed on the friction coefficient comes into play especially in a lubricated circumstance, where this factor determines the hydrodynamic load carrying capacity. At very low speed of the gears there is a chance for the stick-slip phenomenon due to the fluctuation in friction coefficient. [14] 3) Relative motion: The relative motion involves motions like sliding, rolling, spinning and bouncing. These motion can decrease the performance of the gear and also can cause wear in the gear. The use of correct material, lubricant and designing the gear correctly can increase the performance of the gear and also give longer life to the gear. [1] 4) Environment: Environment can cause a decrease in performance of the gear. This is caused by the contamination of the lubricant and also due to the chemical reaction of the lubricant with the gear metals. [1] 5) Product (PxV): Here the quantity of heat generated by friction is calculated from the energy at the contact which is given by the equation E = QVf (where Q = load applied to the contact, V = displacement velocity, f = friction coefficient). Here the term PxV is used as a reference to estimate the limiting conditions for materials such as polymers, solid lubricants, self lubricating sintered materials etc. This in turn can be used as a basis for the selection and comparison of materials. Thus we are able to know the maximum PxV for certain materials and us them for the production of gears. [14] 6) Temperature: Temperature has a major effect on the contact zone of the 2 surfaces of a gear. The temperature increase in the tooth of the gear can cause geometric distortion or loss of clearance in the tooth. It can also cause an increase in the coefficient of friction and wear to the gear. Temperature can also cause deterioration in the mechanical properties of the materials and change the properties of the lubricants. An increase in the interfacial bonds is also caused which lead to a chemical reaction between the materials. [14] Conclusion: Thus the audit of gears using the tribological factors such as material, surface, lubrication and operating conditions was conducted. It is found that gears are useful in most of the mechanical applications and also have a lot of properties that are to be taken care of while the operation of the gear. In todays world, a lot of materials are available for the manufacture of gears. These materials can only be used in different conditions and have their own advantages and disadvantages. So in future a much modern material with zero wearing property and that provides longer life to the gears have to be developed. In the case of surfaces of gears smooth finished gears are already been produced these days. A surface with normal surface texture and conformity will provide smoother running of gears in future. A lots of lubricants are available in todays world. In future a more advanced lubricant can be developed that can reduce wearing of gears completely and also help to increas e the performance of gears to the fullest. All gears today are developed for performing at a particular load and temperature above which the gear can get damaged. So in future gears have to be developed that can operate at maximum temperature and load so that wear of gears due to these characteristics can be reduced to minimum. References: [1] J.A. Williams, Oxford Science Publications, OUP, 1994, pp.1. [2] Coy, J.J., Townsend, P.D. and Zaretsky, E.V., â€Å"Gearing†, NASA RP-1152, December 1985. [3] Gear Materials, Ashoka Group [online].[Accessed on 6th December,2009]. Available from: http://www.gearshub.com/gear-materials.html#selection [4] Gearology, Boston Gear [online].[Accessed on 2nd December,2009]. Available from: http://www.bostongear.com/training/gearology.asp [5] Gear Lubrication [online].[Accessed on 4thDecember,2009]. Available from: http://www.roymech.co.uk/Useful_Tables/Drive/Gear_lubrication.html [6] Lawrence G. Ludwig, Jr., Schaeffer Manufacturing Company, Lubrication Selection for Enclosed Gear Drives.Machinery Lubrication. January 2005 [7] Gear Types, Engineers Edge [online].[Accessed on 4th December,2009]. Available from: http://www.engineersedge.com/gears/gear_types.htm [8] Precision Gears,Inc [online]. [Accessed on 4th December,2009]. Available from: www.precisiongears.com [9] Gears,Monarch Bearing [online]. [Accessed on 4th December,2009]. Available from: http://www.monarchbearing.com/gears.html [10] Surface Finish [online].[Accessed on 6th December,2009].Available from: http://www.mfg.mtu.edu/cyberman/quality/sfinish/index.html [11] Surface Texture –Definition [online].[Accessed on 6th December,2009].Available from: http://www.toolingu.com/definition-350140-22499-surface-texture.html [12] Gear Systems – A Tribological Review [ online].[Accessed on 6th December,2009]. Available from: http://www.chunbotech.co.kr/techinform/ti-13.pdf [13] Viscosity [online].[Accessed on 6th December,2009].Available from: http://www.princeton.edu/~gasdyn/Research/T-C_Research_Folder/Viscosity_def.html [14] Neale.M.J, Polak.T.A., Priest.M, â€Å"Handbook of Surface Treatments and Coatings†, Professional engineering Publishing Limited London and Bury St Edmunds,UK,2003,pp. 24-27. [15] Gear Failures[online].[Accessed on 6th December,2009]. Available from: http://www.nptel.iitm.ac.in/courses/IIT-MADRAS/Machine_Design_II/pdf/2_7.pdf

Preparation and Delivery of Nursing Oral Presentation

Preparation and Delivery of Nursing Oral Presentation A Reflective Commentary on the Preparation and Delivery of the Oral Presentation The presentation undertaken focussed on an eighty-year-old Asian female who spoke extremely limited English. Therefore any communication barriers needed to be addressed and this was achieved by asking the family to interpret. She is an obese individual who has a Body Mass Index of 30. She has type 2 diabetes mellitus, a right-sided chronic lower leg ulcer and arthritis affecting both knees. Her glucose levels are high because of her nutritionally poor diet. After consultation with the required health professional team she was advised about healthy eating that was culturally and religiously appropriate. Her wound was managed with guidance from the tissue viability nurse and her pain level was assessed and addressed. This assignment will provide a reflective appraisal of the preparation and delivery of the oral presentation mentioned above. When commencing a reflective learning task it is important to understand the concept of reflection and the values of the reflective process, especially pertaining to nursing practice. There are many varied and valid interpretations of reflective learning; however, it is suggested that reflection is the contemplation of an event or activity that leads to professional knowledge enhancement and if needed, purposeful change to practice (Wilkinson, 1999, p36). It can be said that one of the main values of reflective learning is that it can bridge the perceived gap between theory and practice by informing and extending students thinking in classroom and clinical situations. Reflective learning can also promote critical self-awareness and cultivate an inquiring attitude to both learning and practice. It is suggested that reflective learning enhances critical thinking through discussion, research of others’ professional opinions and use of appropriate literature. Finally, reflective learning skills when applied to practice can help in improving care by reflecting on what has been undertaken, why it was undertaken a certain way and how could care have been improved (O’Regan and Fawcett, 2006, p60, Johns, 2001, p237). It can be said therefore that reflective learning is thinking critically about an experience and learning from it. It is argued that it is often students and newly qualified nurses that are asked to become reflective practitioners. Debatably however, for the best care and clinical outcomes even expert nurses and clinical managers should undertake reflective practice. As mentioned the presentation focussed on the care given to an elderly obese Asian female who has type 2 diabetes mellitus and has a chronic leg ulcer. Before designing the presentation I felt that the key to a successful presentation was to prepare well. Jones (2003, p96) proposes that â€Å"effective presentation can be defined as the ability to communicate a message to an audience in a way that results in a change in understanding or opinion†. Hadfield-Law (2001, p1208) suggests that when preparing effectively for a presentation you should â€Å"begin with a purpose†. Therefore, I posed the question â€Å"what am I aiming to accomplish and achieve in my presentation.† The intention of this presentation was to convey to the audience the nursing care given and the clinical effectiveness of care, alongside the prioritisation of my patient’s individual care needs. It was important that the presentation also expressed the holistic nature of the care undertak en. One of the key strengths of this presentation was the preparation undertaken before designing it using PowerPoint. However, this was extremely time consuming, but I felt that having a plan of action was imperative to success. Preparing for the presentation included research into how effective presentations are planned and an action plan of the material that I wanted to use. Although there was a lot of material that could have been used in the presentation, I decided to use the most relevant information to get my message across. The presentation was ten minutes in length and there was only enough time to convey the main, relevant points. Having said this, keeping the presentation simple and interesting would have helped to capture the audiences’ attention. The main points to be conveyed were placed on PowerPoint as this gave the presentation a more professional impression. It is important to note however that the use of visual aids such as PowerPoint slides should aid the presentation and not distract from it (Hadfield-Law, 2001, p1210). The structure of the presentation included an introduction, the main text of the talk and a conclusion. The introduction attempted to communicate to the audience a profile of the patient and the care needed. The conclusion was expressed in a way that clearly conveyed the message that I wanted to get across. Another major strength of this presentation was that of time management both in the preparation and delivery of the presentation. I managed to undertake the presentation within the allotted time period. This is imperative as people expect you to keep to your allotted time. If you overrun there is a possibility of people becoming restless and consequently not concentrating on what is being said. Going over the time limit also shows poor preparation, planning and rehearsal. I found delivering the presentation immensely stressful and my anxiety levels were extremely elevated. I felt that control of my anxiety could be worked on for future presentations. However, I consider that one of my main strengths when delivering this presentation was that I felt that my body language conveyed professionalism and knowledge of subject. Writing this reflective commentary on my oral presentation has been difficult because of a number of factors. The lack of feedback has meant that I can only relay my views on how the presentation was received and not the views of the audience. Having reflected on the content of my presentation I wondered if I focussed on the patient enough, as her clinical care, personal, psychological and social needs were the focal point of this presentation. I felt that I excessively discussed the involvement of other the health professionals, clinical symptoms and clinical care given, thereby demonstrating the holistic nature of the care undertaken to the detriment of discussing my patients needs more fully. Again, feedback on my presentation would have enabled me to assess and critically analyse this point. The main learning outcome of this assignment was the realisation of the importance of health professionals working together as a team for the benefit of the patient. Secondly, I acknowledged the effect of giving proper advice on guiding the patient to care for herself. Thirdly, I understood the significance of using appropriate language in communicating with the patient to promote understanding of the situation. Fourthly, I realised the importance of family involvement in the patient’s care. The learning outcomes of the presentation were that of the importance of preparation, planning and rehearsing in order to achieve success and to help reduce stress and anxiety. I have also observed that presentation skills are very useful skills for nurses to learn. It is suggested that these skills can be used to share practice knowledge, influence colleagues and are essential skills for job interviews (Hadfield-Law, 2001, p1208). The process of reflecting has implications for my future nursing practice. The ability to reflect on the hows, whys and ifs of situations and experiences allows decisions and emotions to be examined for the benefit of both the patient and the health professional. The development of these skills will enable me to analyse decisions in the planning and delivery of care so that any risks have been successfully eliminated. It is suggested that reflective practices either in a classroom situation or in a clinical setting should be undertaken as part of everyday practice and as part of continuous professional development (Wilkinson, 1999, p40). Having said that however, questioning every act to be carried out or already undertaken could lead to uncertainty and low professional self-esteem. So it is suggested that it is important to know when to stop reflecting and when to take action. In conclusion, reflective learning promotes critical self-awareness enabling thought to precede action such that care is improved for the patient. The ability to critically review past actions is key to the learning process. Reflective learning is a useful skill to develop in a work setting and has potential benefits in the planning and delivery of clinical care. Careful preparation is vital for a successful presentation and a clear idea of the aim of the presentation at the outset is essential to the planning process. Attention to the timing of the presentation is required in order to ensure the relevance of the material and to meet audience expectations. Feedback is a useful tool to improve performance and its absence limits the scope for improvement. Bibliography Hadfield-Law L (2001) Presentation skills for nurses: how to prepare more effectively. British Journal of Nursing. 10, 18, 1208-1211. Johns C (2001) Reflective practice: revealing the heart of caring. International Journal of Nursing Practice. 7, 4, 237-245. Jones J (2003) Well presented. Nursing Standard. April 2, 17, 29, 96. O’Regan H and Fawcett T (2006) Learning to nurse: reflections on bathing a patient. Nursing Standard. 20, 46, 60-64. Wilkinson J (1999) Implementing reflective practice. Nursing Standard. 13, 21, 36-40.