Thursday, August 6, 2020

Fresh Ink New Books Out Today February 5, 2013

Fresh Ink New Books Out Today February 5, 2013 How  Literature Saved My Life by David Shields (Knopf) The thing about David Shields is that you either love his  books, or you hate them. I really dont know anyone who falls in the middle. Im going to refrain from offering my opinion here, partially  because this column is dedicated to telling you whats out there so you can find out for yourself and partially  because I havent read this one yet. The jacket copy promises an exploration of how  literature can make life survivable, maybe even endurable, and if nothing else, thats a sentiment I can get behind. Who among hasnt thought at some point or other that  books saved our lives? Shields mixes  literary criticism with memoir and personal essay here. If that sounds like something youd be into, why not try it out and report back?           Literary Rogues: A Scandalous History of Wayward  Authors by Andrew Shaffer (Harper Perennial)   Before Andrew Shaffer got famous for writing a 50 Shades of Grey parody, he published a book about the love lives of philosophers. It was quippy and witty and well-researched, a delight to read and filled with facts perfect for showing off at cocktail parties. Im pleased to see Shaffer return to form with  Literary Rogues, a look at the icons and iconoclasts of  literature we love, hate, and love to hate. Ive been dipping in and out of this onecomprised of essays, interviews, and investigation, its great one bite at a time, though hardcore trivia nerds will likely devour it whole. If youre not afraid to learn the less-than-desirable bits of your  favorite authors histories, you cant go wrong here. The Love Song of Jonny Valentine by Teddy Wayne (Free Press)   Imagine Justin Bieber as a remarkably self-aware, image-conscious, music industry jargon-slinging, second-tier pre-teen pop star, and youll have Jonny Valentine, the protagonist and narrator of Teddy Waynes latest. Trapped by a mother who is living vicariously through him and fans who freak out any time he makes the slightest change, Jonny lives in the tension between who he really is and who everyone else wants him to be. They want bubblegum and smiles and perfectly executed dance moves; all he wants is to play video games and be treated like one of the cool kids, and for his long-practiced efforts at self-stimulation to finally pay off. (Spoiler: they do, and its hilarious. Mayonnaise is involved.) As if adolescence isnt awkward and awful enough, Jonny struggles through his in the public eye as he faces the unfortunate realization that hes never going to be number one. Hes both a product and critic of popular culture, and his is one of the best, funniest, and most original voices Ive read in a long time. This is one not to be missed. Highly recommended.         Sign up to Unusual Suspects to receive news and recommendations for mystery/thriller readers. Thank you for signing up! Keep an eye on your inbox.

Saturday, May 23, 2020

A Research Study On Unintended Pregnancy - 1772 Words

Literature Review Unintended pregnancy is a great concern in the U.S. with â€Å"half of all pregnancies are unintended and unintended pregnancy†¦.(is) highly concentrated among low-income women† (Frost, J.J., Sonfield, A., Zolna, M.R., Finer, L.B., 2014). The goal of family planning services is to help reduce that number, and also reduce the economic and health risks associated with unplanned pregnancy. The benefits of family planning services provided by the government are the preventative health services that are provided, and the cost savings from the reduction of birth related costs. Better Programs, Better Outcomes One key way to reduce the number of unplanned pregnancies is through the implementation of comprehensive family planning programs, and increasing access to these services. The research conducted for this study compared rates of unintended pregnancy in similar countries and focused on how contraceptive and family planning care differed in those countries. Bongaarts (2014) researched how family planning programs can improve the care of patients whose reproductive health needs were not being me. Bongaarts explains that programs reduce unmet family planning needs by â€Å"reducing obstacles to use and by providing access to contraceptive methods and services†¦. (thus) producing a rise in the demand for contraception†¦.†. The author goes on to explain that the implementation of family planning programs, and the increase â€Å" modern contraceptives†Show MoreRelatedUnintended Pregnancy : An American Epidemic Essay1280 Words   |  6 PagesUnintended Pregnancy: An American Epidemic This year in America, over one million teens will become pregnant. More than 80% of these pregnancies will be unintended (North Carolina PRAMS 2009). Unintended pregnancy is commonly defined as â€Å"a pregnancy that is reported to have been either unwanted (that is, the pregnancy occurred when no children, or no more children, were desired) or mistimed (that is, the pregnancy occurred earlier than desired)† (CDC 2015). Though some teen pregnancies are intentionalRead MoreAnalysis Of Jodhpur Girl Moves Petition And Annul Child Marriage991 Words   |  4 Pagesannul child marriages, and it has been the first to annul a child marriage in India. It is important in further research because of its heavy involvement in the discouragement and annulment of child marriages. The panchayat is a system of local village council in India, and to the community that it serves, it s word comes before federal law. It is an important keyword for further research because it seems that pressure f rom the panchayat is a lead cause of child marriage as well as a threat to discourageRead MoreThe Argument Of Teen Pregnancy813 Words   |  4 PagesFor some time now, teen pregnancies have become an intense and emotional debate in America. The argument of teen pregnancy has been disputed in households across America, discussed on social media sites like Facebook, debated by many of our most powerful political leaders, and analyzed by researchers. Furthermore, pregnant teens are being judged regularly by political groups/movements, the ultra-religious groups, and ordinary Americans. The highly publicized debate has even compelled networks suchRead MoreCommunity Assessment Results And Analysis1093 Words   |  5 Pagesto a study done by the University of Vermont, $300 million was spent in recreation and entertainment statewide in 2013 (Jones, 2015) with the majority of the money in Burlington. Although Bennington is a small county, funds should be allotted here to address preventa tive issues in this area. By implementing more resources and activities for teens it can significantly decrease obesity rates, unintended pregnancy rates, teen drug and alcohol use, and teen crime rates. Because of the unintended pregnancyRead MoreTeenage Pregnancy And Teen Pregnancy1546 Words   |  7 PagesTeenage pregnancy is pregnancy in human females under the age of 20 at the time that the pregnancy ends. Low-income communities have the highest teenage pregnancy rates in the United States. Because of the fact that this is a very controversial issue in the United States, it is very important that most questions be addressed. Questions like, why is a teenage girl in Mississippi four times as likely to give birth as a teenage girl in New Hampshire? Or why is the teen birth rate in Massachusetts 19Read MoreSince The Rate Of Unwanted Teenage Pregnancies Has Been1676 Words   |  7 PagesSince the rate of unwanted teenage pregnancies has been steadily decreasing over the past forty years (Patten, 2016), many young women will not be faced with the difficult challenges and life-altering decisions that a pregnant teen is presented with. However, of those teenage women who do face the burden of an unforeseen pregnancy, many come to realize how simple preventative measures could have saved them from having to deal with the social, financial, and psychological difficulties caused by anRead MoreReproductive Health Knowledge And Unsafe Induced Abortion Among Female Adolescent1571 W ords   |  7 PagesADOLESCENT {13-19} IN SOME COMMUNITIES IN OSHODI-LAGOS BY Eboh theresa TABLE OF CONTENT ABSTRACT CHAPTER ONE: BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY 1.0 Introduction 1.1 Statement of the problem 1.2 Research Question 1.3 General aim of study 1.4 Objective of study 1.5 Justification of study 1.6 Study of study 1.7 Scope and limitation of study 1.8 Definition of terms CHAPTER TWO :LITERATURE REVIEW AND THEORITICAL FRAMEWORK 2.0 Introduction 2.1Reproductive health 2.3 Sexual and reproductiveRead MorePublic Health Nurses : The Leading Cause Of Death Among Girls Essay1709 Words   |  7 PagesComplications from pregnancy and childbirth are the leading cause of death among girls ages 15-19 in LMIC’s (Morris Rushwan, 2015). The primary reason for these preventable death-causing complications is that teenagers are not properly supplied with contraceptives. Due to these unplanned and unwanted pregnancies approximately 4.5 million teenage girls undergo an abortion each year, with an estimated 3 million of them being performed unsafely (Morris Rushwan, 2015). Some detrimental complicationsRead MoreTeen Pregnancy Prevention : One Of The Most Controversial Subjects875 Words   |  4 Pages9, 2017 Preventing Teen Pregnancy Teen pregnancy prevention is one of the most controversial subjects in today’s society. Many will argue that peer pressure and the area you live in are contributing factors to most adolescent pregnancies. No matter what geographic location you reside in, the problem is usually in the home, in the school system, and the cost of contraception and the barriers in obtaining it. The biggest predicament regarding the issue of adolescent pregnancy is the question of preventionRead MoreReproductive Health Knowledge And Unsafe Induced Abortion Among Adolescents1563 Words   |  7 PagesSELECTED COMMUNITIES IN BADAGRY, LAGOS STATE, NIGERIA BY Eboh theresa TABLE OF CONTENT ABSTRACT CHAPTER ONE:BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY 1.0 Introduction 1.1 Statement of the problem 1.2 Research Question 1.3 General aim of study 1.4 Objective of study 1.5 Justification of study 1.6 Study of study 1.7 Scope and limitation of study 1.8 Definition of terms CHAPTER TWO:LITERATURE REVIEW AND THEORITICAL FRAMEWORK 2.0 Introduction 2.1Reproductive health 2.3 Sexual and reproductive health

Monday, May 11, 2020

The Reform Of The Western Church - 888 Words

Three main basic challenges existed in Europe, leading to the need for reform of the Western church: moral failings of the church – across all levels of leadership, uncertainty toward theology and knowledge as Byzantine influence worked its way westward, and political and economic contentions between the church, secular structures of power, and the people. Along with the need for reform came ripeness for change in the form of the printing press, movement away from Latin to national languages, growing unrest of the peasantry, and the demise of the feudal system. Corruption in the church ranged from the papacy to the local priests. The Great Schism weakened the papacy, and councils fought each other. Monastic discipline and scholastic excellence declined into lax rigor. Local priests were uneducated and positions of leadership bought by nobility for illegitimate children (Gonzà ¡lez, 7-8). Europe’s people were polarized between trusting the church as they had for centur ies and mourning their growing lack of trust as the church’s immorality spread. Byzantine thinkers and scholars had flooded Western Europe after Constantinople’s fall, alerting the Western church to just how far their religious scholarship had strayed from the original texts. The Greek language resurged and questions of theological â€Å"rightness† surfaced; a movement to return to study of scripture emerged (Gonzà ¡lez, 9). Ancient disciplines of science and reason also re-emerged, alongside the development of theShow MoreRelatedPeter I ( The Great ) Became Tsar Of Russia1169 Words   |  5 Pagescomprehensive reforms designed to modernize and develop Russia during his reign. In The Revolution of Peter the Great, James Cracraft’s portrays the Tsar as an ambitious and pivotal leader that sought to create a modern and powerful nation that could compete with other European Powers. Peter planned to reform Russian government by establishing new bureaucrat ic, civil, and educational institutions within the state. Peter also promoted reforms for Russian traditions, society, and the church. Cracraft contendsRead MoreFault in Our Tsars1035 Words   |  4 PagesThe reign of Peter the Great saw Russia evolving from a medieval state into a modern, western state. Peter’s reforms, domestic policies, and foreign policies allowed for Russia to become a legitimate competitor in the global world and to become a power in Eastern Europe. Peter’s reign had a positive, forward effect on the Russian land. Before we acknowledge Peter’s triumphant reign, it is important that we look at the years before he ascended the throne. 1682 had Peter and his half brotherRead MorePeter I ( The Great ) Became Tsar Of Russia1184 Words   |  5 Pagescomprehensive reforms designed to modernize and develop Russia during his reign. In The Revolution of Peter the Great, James Cracraft’s portrays the Tsar as an ambitious and pivotal leader who sought to create a modern and powerful nation that rivalled those in Western European. Peter desired to reform Russian government by establishing new bureaucratic, civil, and educational institutions within the state. Peter also promoted change for Russian traditions, society, and the church. Cracraft arguesRead MoreChhi 301 Papacy Paper1697 Words   |  7 PagesRAMIFICATIONS OF THE PAPACY’S POWER IN ROME Church History 301 April 20, 2014    Ramifications of the Papacy’s Power in Rome The papacy – the office held by the pope as head of the Catholic Church - gained great power from the sixth through eighth centuries, and there are several reasons for this surge in influence. Starting around 590, Pope Gregory I sought to convert Teutonic invaders to Christianity. Islam was also in play, as it had taken over most of Asia and Africa. According toRead MoreEssay on Militirization and Modernization in Petrine Russia1429 Words   |  6 Pagesthe product of broad, deliberate reform, accredited to the reign of Peter the Great (1694-1725), which ushered in European art, literature, philosophy, and ideas of political organization and administration. Willingly accepted or not, large-scale government intervention was evident in almost all aspects of life; the Petrine reforms were therefore extensive and multi-faceted. Nevertheless, we can gain important insights by focusing on particular aspects of reform, which, for the purpose of this essayRead MoreThe Christian Ch urch in the Middle Ages Essay1114 Words   |  5 PagesThe Christian Church in the Middle Ages The Christian Church in the Middle Ages played a significant role in society. Unfortunately though, the church is often regarded as the capital of corruption, evil, and worldliness. Today, so many people depict the medieval church as being led by materialistic popes, devouring tithes from poverty-stricken peasants, having various illegitimate children, and granting indulgences for money from wayward believers. Yes, circumstances like this may have beenRead MoreThe Protestant Reformation And The Catholic Church996 Words   |  4 PagesCatholic Church built upon the bureaucratic organization of the Roman Empire, became powerful, but also very corrupt. Calls for reformation within the Church started as early as the twelfth century. To try to resolve doctrinal issues and reform the church, nine councils were called between 1215 and 1545. However, all nine councils failed to reach any noteworthy protocol and agreement regarding the Church. The clergy was unable to follow the Churchâ€⠄¢s rules and the abuses of the Catholic Church continuedRead MoreThe Rise Of The Church1332 Words   |  6 Pagesthe rise of the Church in Rome it is imperative to recall that the center of the Christianity had been destroyed in AD 70, when the army of Titus destroyed Jerusalem. Looking for leadership, the Christians would have immediately sought out those in Rome as it was the center of power and capitol of the Empire. In the first and second centuries, all roads did indeed lead to Rome. The second reason that Christians looked to Rome for leadership is because they believed that the church would come fromRead MoreThe Reign Of The Holy Roman Empire1458 Words   |  6 Pagesthe history of the Catholic Church set up a precedent for very strong relations between the Holy Roman Emperor and the papacy. During the eleventh century, with the Holy Roman Emperor ruled by Henry IV, relations with the papacy came to a front over several disagreement between Henry IV and Pope Gregory VII. T heir arguments mainly focused on the power that each institution should hold. Gregory felt that the papacy should play a larger political role in the western church and that lay investiture wasRead MoreReformation Essay968 Words   |  4 PagesReformation In the first half of the sixteenth century Western Europe experienced a wide range of social, artistic, political changes as the result of a conflict within the Catholic church. This conflict is called the Protestant Reformation, and the Catholic response to it is called the Counter-Reformation. The Reformation began when Martin Luther posted his Ninety-Five theses against the indulgences of the Church. These indulgences included if you did a good dead, this reduced the amount

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

1984 †Technology in Todays Soceity Free Essays

Not many people are fans of being excessively supervised and observed. From an 11 year old boy being observed in the park by his grandparents, to a student sitting in class being observed by the teacher during examination. Knowing that you are constantly under surveillance can be very intimidating. We will write a custom essay sample on 1984 – Technology in Todays Soceity or any similar topic only for you Order Now Right through history, the intensity of government regulations have altered from low down to sky-scraping. The novel 1984, written by George Orwell consistent of a very dictatorial government. In this fictional commentary novel, George Orwell predicts the future where technology and the power given to the government will reduce privacy in everyone’s day to day life. Today’s society is majorly impacted by the rapid development of technology; in the novel George Orwell had used technology as an example of lack of privacy. To begin with, our advanced technology has reached such an extent that it is very straightforward for the government to figure out everything about us from our past including, our previous vacation, were we live, where we attended school or even last time we made a purchase through our debit or credit. To gain access into a person’s life the government has issued every citizen a social insurance number, this card contains a person’s entire record of everything that they have done in the country. This is related to what George Orwell had expressed in his novel, the government in the novel is being referred to the big brother. In the novel the big brother kept watch over every step that was done by the humans, there was even a sign which said â€Å"big brother is watching you,† this is the same as our government now since most things we do are being watched or even listened to. Another example of this would be the use of telescreens in the novel. The telescreens previewed everybody’s room in the building; therefore if any movement or discussion going on will not be private, â€Å"Any sound Winston made, above the level of a very low whisper, would be picked up by it†. This is now similar to today’s surveillance cameras; although this novel was written in 1948 the first surveillance camera had been invented in 1965. Since then the world had become more advanced than ever before. Cameras are now put up almost everywhere in; business offices, convenience store, apartment buildings, intersections, even all age schools. In the novel the author essentially points out that the future will hold no privacy and telescreens. phone calls, emails, texting are examples of telescreens since they can be accessed by the government authorities anytime. In conclusion, the novel 1984, is a fiction although what George Orwell tried illustrating was us humans are going head over heel with technology which is giving the government power. Some events that occurred in his novel have actually accrued and while he was writing this novel it was all a prediction for the future because some things he mentioned did not exist in that time period. How to cite 1984 – Technology in Todays Soceity, Essay examples

Friday, May 1, 2020

Culture Aspect in Safety Management Systems

Question: Describe about the Culture for Aspect in Safety Management Systems. Answer: Introduction to safety culture In the organizational context, culture simply means the normal way of doing things around. It includes the employees values, beliefs, practices and their attitude. Every successful organization has standard methods used by its employees in the realization of the organizational goals. These methods become normal over time making them the organizations culture. Safety on the other hand is a state of feeling whereby potential causes of harm to employees or products are maintained at acceptable levels. It is worth noting that these potential causes cannot be completely removed. Although from the two definitions safety culture would simply mean normal way of doing things in a manner that reduces the risks of injuries, there is no generally accepted meaning. The term first gained prominence when it was used in the report of Chernobyl nuclear accident[1]. Since then different industry professionals and academia have come up with different meanings. According to the Australian Civil Aviation Safety Authority, it is a combination of perceptions, values, norms, attitudes, and behavioral patterns within an organization concerned with the reduction of the employees exposure to risky and hazardous conditions. Work related injuries have brought enourmous costs to different organisations. There has therefore been efforts by different industry players to reduce workplace risks. For instance the government has formulated laws and many companies have come up with health and safety policies for their employees. While all these efforts are important they cannot assure safety. There is need for companies to establish a safety culture where employees are well trained to understand the hazards and risks involved in their work and continuously strive to identify and overcome them[2]. Advantages of a positive safety culture in an organization Positive safety culture has many benefits to both the organization and its employees. The management and the workforce interact freely in trying to identify and mitigating risks. This is because they all feel responsible for safety[3]. They include: Low employee turnover. Employee turnover is the rate at which employees leave their current employment. Positive safety culture gives employees a sense of security in the workplace therefore no need of finding another employment. Increased productivity. Positive safety culture encourages employees to be responsible for safety. Employees feel free to discuss safety issues with management. This makes them feel valued and further motivates the m to increase their productivity. It also reduces absenteeism due to injuries which lead to reduced working time. Reduced incident rates. Incidences of injuries to employees and general public are costly to organizations in many ways. The organization incurs legal fees, increased insurance premium, medical expenses and the costs of compensation. As Knapfel puts it For every dollar invested towards safety and risk management saves approximately $3 in claims and overheads according to industry experts. Improved public image. Strong safety culture reduces incidents of injuries to the employees and the general public. In the aviation industry, customers like the companies with lower injury incidents. It also brings an image of valued and protected employees. Customers generally like dealing with organizations that value their employees. Key elements of a positive safety culture. There is no single safety culture model that fits into all organizations because it changes over time[4]. But a strong effective safety culture posses the following hallmarks. Visible management commitment and involvement. Senior management should show commitment by providing motivation, leadership and necessary resources to employees[5]. Management should also constantly review their areas of responsibility and ensure due processes are observed. High level communication of the safety culture. Clear ways of communication between different levels of the organization should be adopted. Communication can be through informal conversations, emails, toolbox talks, posters, health and safety policy statements or any other clear method the organization choose to adopt[6]. Commitment to safety being equal to commitment to productivity. More commitment should be shown towards safety just as productivity. This is because as already discussed, safety of the employees and the public greatly influence the productivity of an organization. Stability of the workforce. A stable and mature workforce is an indicator of positive safety culture. Employees tend to stay longer where they feel they are safe. Regular health and safety trainings and awareness programs. Employees should be made aware of the risks they face as a result of the organizations operations[7]. Regular training on health and safety matters will help raise their awareness. Different risks come up every day. Regular effective trainings will therefore help them cope with any event. Existence and compliance with formal health and safety policies and procedures. Written procedures should be helpful in reducing risks. They should therefore be complied with and audited regularly to identify any lapses and for continual improvement. Personal responsibility and accountability to safety. Everyone within the organization should feel responsible for their safety and that of other employees[8]. They should also be accountable for their safety actions. However, just culture where human errors are understood should also exist. Involvement and motivation of the workforce. The employees should be involved in the formulation of safety procedures. Feedback should be taken from employees regarding the existing ones and necessary action taken. Employees should be motivated in order to feel proud of working in the organization Organizational learning. The organization should show willingness to adapt by using accident history as a learning experience. Reported incidents should be acted upon to help prevent future reoccurrence. Challenges faced in the development of a safety culture Implementation of a positive safety culture within an organization may face several challenges both internal and external. They include: Uncommitted management. Management may continually make decisions that appear to put productivity and cost above safety. Some managers fail to see the many indirect benefits a safety culture brings to an organization therefore will only concentrate on productivity [9]. Insufficient resources. Many small organizations dont have enough resources to promote safety culture. Implementation of safety practices requires significant resources for training and awareness. Due to their limited resources they give priority to productivity. Rapidly changing workforce. In this era of globalization and increased competition, organizations regularly poach experienced employees from their competitors. The cost of training the replacements of the poached workforce on safety matters may seem too costly to the organization. Resistance to change by the employees[10]. Health and safety management is an ever changing topic as new risks arise every day. Creation of a strong and sustainable safety culture is therefore a continuous process. If any employee is not committed then the program may fail. Lack of employees motivation. Employees who do not feel appreciated as a result of the management over focusing on productivity lose motivation. Unmotivated employees fail to embrace the safety culture. Assessing safety culture As already seen, safety culture is very important in that in greatly determines the success of any organization through risk management. Safety culture assessment therefore involves the establishment of the current level of safety culture within an organization and formulating ways of making improvements. Information is acquired through the use of questionnaires, interviews, charts and surveys. Questions used in the assessment should be a combination of both positive and negative and should avoid biased. A repeat of safety culture assessment should only be conducted once action has been taken regarding findings of the previous one[11]. Safety culture models Several models of safety culture have been developed over the years. However the major ones are: Accident causation models. It illustrates that continuous breach successive system defenses eventually cause accident. Such breaches may not be discovered at the time but can eventually be triggered by other factors to cause an accident. Safety triad models. It focuses on the resulting interaction between individuals perceptions, behavior and the general safety culture environment. Component models. It involves in-depth explanation of the various components of a safety culture. Safety culture maturity models. Describes the movement through various stages of safety culture as opposed to its components. It concentrates more on the development of the safety culture which occurs over time. Integrating safety culture into management systems. There are a number of management systems focusing on workplace safety. Integrating all these systems reduces duplication as most of them share the same implementation process. Some of the safety management systems include: OHSAS 18001:2007-Occupational Health and Safety Management. It is an international standard that was developed to provide a framework through which organizations health and safety systems could be verified. Over the last few years it has been integrated with the ISO 9001:2008 Quality Management Systems and ISO 14001 Environmental Management Systems. It uses PDCA to enable organizations establish, implement and maintain their occupational health and safety policies. This involves planning by establishing the required processes and objectives, doing by implementing the system, checking by monitoring and evaluating against the requirements and acting to continually improve it. Advantages of an effective OHSAS management system Reduce costs and liabilities thereby increasing profits. Increases levels of trust between management and employees. Creates a platform for continuous improvement. Provides a clear approach in dealing with health and safety issues within the organization. AS/NZS 4801:2001 It was prepared by the Joint Standards Australia/Standards New Zealand Committee SF-001, Occupational Health and Safety Management to supersede both AS 4801:2000, Occupational health and safety management systems and NZS 4801(Int):1999, Occupational health and safety management systems. It combines the best elements of both systemss being used in Australia and New Zealand. ISO 45001 This is a new standard that is expected out in October 2016. The standard uses BS 18001 as a blueprint and is expected to be aligned with the Quality Management Systems and the Environmental Management Systems. This is an attempt to integrate the 3 systems. Maintenance and improvement of safety culture. Safety culture is an ongoing process that should never strop[12]. The following are ways in which it can be improved: Obtaining of the top managements commitment. Make the top management understand the importance of a safety culture within the organization because they are the ones responsible for availing funds. Continuous assessment of the existing culture. The existing culture should be regularly assessed and the findings communicated. This will ensure continuous improvement. Improve communication mechanisms. Communication is vital for the success of any program within the organization. Encourage two- way open communication whereby employees input is also sought in the development of a safety system. Create a common understanding of safety goals. Everyone needs to understand their role in the achievement of the safety culture and work towards it. Top management needs to provide leadership in working toward the attainment of the goals. From the discussion, culture is thus an essential element of any safety management system. It plays an important role in the success of an organization and it can actually be measured using different assessment criteria[13]. An organization may adopt a safety management system which may only serve to assure the public of its commitment to adhere to health and safety requirements. However, the internal employees may find it too technical due to the processes involved like documentation. Safety procedures therefore need to be engraved into their daily activities until it become normal and translates into a culture within the organization. Safety culture develops over time and it may take long before employees view it as a norm. Safety culture cannot also be uniform across all organizations. Some organizations are too large while others are small. Some sub cultures may develop within the bigger organizations.

Saturday, March 21, 2020

The Ps and Qs of Proofreading

THE PS AND QS OF PROOFREADING Proofreaders don’t get enough credit – and a lot of people don’t spend enough time proofreading their own work. Proofreading is about more than just making sure to cross all the t’s and dot all the i’s. I’ve put together a list of helpful proofreading tips to make sure that your documents come out as close to perfect as possible – every time. Keep your spell checking software, but don’t get too comfortable. Spell check is a beautiful thing, and a lot of times it can save people’s you-know-whats, especially if they don’t have a lot of time to proof their work. However, spell checking isn’t magic, it’s not always correct, and it won’t pick up on words that are misused. How many times have you typed â€Å"Through you may think†¦Ã¢â‚¬  or â€Å"You schedules are attached†¦Ã¢â‚¬ , or something similar, only to have your spell check fail you? Print it out. You can’t read properly on a screen. Your mind will make little leaps in logic, automatically filling in missed or misused words. Working from a hard copy makes a proofreader’s job easier. Feel free to get out a pen and just go to town if you feel like it. Read it out loud. That’s right, you may look a little crazy if you happen to do this in a public place. Reading it out loud (or at least whispering to yourself) will force you to slow your pace and get into the rhythm of the language – and that, in turn, will illuminate any mistakes. If you stumble as you read to yourself, that’s a good indication that you should work on the syntax of that line. Get a fresh pair of eyes. There’s no room to be shy – having a friend or colleague look it over and give you feedback is a valuable source of information. Friends can normally pick up on inconsistencies that you may overlook. Double check things you don’t think need to be double checked. This includes very fine print and standard forms like addresses, boilerplate introductions, dates, contact information, and even company letterhead. It’s easy to gloss over these items because they’re often used – but a good proofreader knows that sometimes mistakes happen in the strangest of places. A misspelled name on company letterhead is embarrassing, and an incorrect phone number won’t land any sales. Pay attention to the extras. This means charts, graphs, pictures, titles, page numbers, and even numbered lists. Make sure the numbered bullets are sequential, that you haven’t gone from A. to C. in your outline, and that all of the graphics are right side up and properly labeled. Proof proper names and headlines or titles separately. It’s easy to make mistakes in headings because proofers are usually so focused on the body of the copy, so go back and proof these in a new round. Proper names go in this category too because it can be easy to skip over the spelling. I’ve seen â€Å"Michelle† turned into â€Å"Michael† or â€Å"Mitchell† too many times – and believe me, it doesn’t make your audience think very generous things about your intelligence. Clear your mind. Having a hard time focusing? Editing and proofreading require a keen eye and major amounts of concentration, but it’s also a pretty monotonous job. If you can, refresh yourself by putting a little distance between you and whatever you’re proofreading. Read something else, or try sleeping on what you just wrote before proofing. Do you have any tips that you find useful when proofreading your work? Let us know!

Thursday, March 5, 2020

Definition and Examples of Language Death

Definition and Examples of Language Death Language death is a  linguistic term for the end or extinction of a language. Also called language extinction. Language Extinction Distinctions are commonly drawn between an endangered language (one with few or no children learning the language) and an extinct language (one in which the last native speaker has died).   A Language Dies Every Two Weeks Linguist David Crystal has estimated that one language [is] dying out somewhere in the world, on average, every two weeks (By Hook or by Crook: A Journey in Search of English, 2008). Language Death Every 14 days a language dies. By 2100, more than half of the more than 7,000 languages spoken on Earthmany of them not yet recordedmay disappear, taking with them a wealth of knowledge about history, culture, the natural environment, and the human brain. (National Geographic Society, Enduring Voices Project)I am always sorry when any language is lost, because languages are the pedigree of nations. (Samuel Johnson, quoted by James Boswell in The Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides, 1785)Language death occurs in unstable bilingual or multilingual speech communities as a result of language shift from a regressive minority language to a dominant majority language. (Wolfgang Dressler, Language Death. 1988)Aboriginal Australia holds some of the worlds most endangered languages including Amurdag, which was believed to be extinct until a few years ago when linguists came across speaker Charlie Mangulda living in the Northern Territory.(Holly Bentley, Mind Your Language. The Guardian, Aug. 13, 2010) The Effects of a Dominant Language A language is said to be dead when no one speaks it any more. It may continue to have existence in recorded form, of coursetraditionally in writing, more recently as part of a sound or video archive (and it does in a sense live on in this way)but unless it has fluent speakers one would not talk of it as a living language. . . .The effects of a dominant language vary markedly in different parts of the world, as do attitudes towards it. In Australia, the presence of English has, directly or indirectly, caused great linguistic devastation, with 90% of languages moribund. But English is not the language which is dominant throughout Latin America: if languages are dying there, it is not through any fault of English. Moreover, the presence of a dominant language does not automatically result in a 90% extinction rate. Russian has long been dominant in the countries of the former USSR, but there the total destruction of local languages has been estimated to be only (sic) 50%.(David Crystal, Language Death. Cambridge University Press, 2002) Aesthetic Loss The main loss when a language dies is not cultural but aesthetic. The click sounds in certain African languages are magnificent to hear. In many Amazonian languages, when you say something you have to specify, with a suffix, where you got the information. The Ket language of Siberia is so awesomely irregular as to seem a work of art.But let’s remember that this aesthetic delight is mainly savored by the outside observer, often a professional savorer like myself. Professional linguists or anthropologists are part of a distinct human minority. . . .At the end of the day, language death is, ironically, a symptom of people coming together. Globalization means hitherto isolated peoples migrating and sharing space. For them to do so and still maintain distinct languages across generations happens only amidst unusually tenacious self-isolationsuch as that of the Amishor brutal segregation. (Jews did not speak Yiddish in order to revel in their diversity but because they lived in an a partheid society.)(John McWhorter, The Cosmopolitan Tongue: The Universality of English. World Affairs Journal, Fall 2009) Steps to Preserve a Language [T]he best non-linguists can do, in North-America, towards preserving languages, dialects, vocabularies and the like is, among other possible actions, (French linguist Claude Hagà ¨ge, author of On the Death and Life of Languages, in Q and A: The Death of Languages. The New York Times, Dec. 16, 2009) Participating in associations which, in the US and Canada, work to obtain from local and national governments a recognition of the importance of Indian languages (prosecuted and led to quasi-extinction during the XIXth century) and cultures, such as those of the Algonquian, Athabaskan, Haida, Na-Dene, Nootkan, Penutian, Salishan, Tlingit communities, to name just a few;Participating in funding the creation of schools and the appointment and payment of competent teachers;Participating in the training of linguists and ethnologists belonging to Indian tribes, in order to foster the publication of grammars and dictionaries, which should also be financially helped;Acting in order to introduce the knowledge of Indian cultures as one of the important topics in American and Canadian TV and radio programs. An Endangered Language in Tabasco The language of Ayapaneco has been spoken in the land now known as Mexico for centuries. It has survived the Spanish conquest, seen off wars, revolutions, famines and floods. But now, like so many other indigenous languages, its at risk of extinction.There are just two people left who can speak it fluentlybut they refuse to talk to each other. Manuel Segovia, 75, and Isidro Velazquez, 69, live 500 metres apart in the village of Ayapa in the tropical lowlands of the southern state of Tabasco. It is not clear whether there is a long-buried argument behind their mutual avoidance, but people who know them say they have never really enjoyed each others company.They dont have a lot in common, says Daniel Suslak, a linguistic anthropologist from Indiana University, who is involved with a project to produce a dictionary of Ayapaneco. Segovia, he says, can be a little prickly and Velazquez, who is more stoic, rarely likes to leave his home.The dictionary is part of a race against time to revi talize the language before it is definitively too late. When I was a boy everybody spoke it, Segovia told the Guardian by phone. Its disappeared little by little, and now I suppose it might die with me. (Jo Tuckman, Language at Risk of Dying OutLast Two Speakers Arent Talking. The Guardian, April 13, 2011) Those linguists racing to save dying languagesurging villagers to raise their children in the small and threatened language rather than the bigger national languageface criticism that they are unintentionally helping keep people impoverished by encouraging them to stay in a small-language ghetto. (Robert Lane Greene, You Are What You Speak. Delacorte, 2011)