Computer Science and Information Technology in HR Department of an Research Paper

Computer Science and Information Technology in HR Department of an Organization - Research Paper Example This paper illustrates that computer science designates the mathematical, as well as scientific, approach in computing. There has been an increasing acknowledgment that the power of information technology and computing should be, and can be, enlarged beyond its conventional user base, to reach out to citizens, who up till now have not had admittance to such technology. At the present time business world is enduring a vast change. So, the use of Computer science and Information technology in the organizations department helps to solve the problems, as well as to improve the better communication skill of the various departments. Here the research proposal talks about Computer Science and Information Technology in HR department of an organization. Computer science and Information technology are expected to develop the overall performance of HRM by shifting its focus from management or personnel management to strategic HRM. HR information technology is fundamental for organizations to ad minister their benefits plans and their worker information. It will help to solve the problems and improve communication skill in the particular department. â€Å"Computer Science† is the mixture and application of â€Å"Applied Mathematics†, â€Å"Electrical Engineering†, and â€Å"Complexity Theory/Algorithms† to understand and/or model information. In other words, it is the â€Å"field of computation† â€Å"Information Technology† is the mixture and application of â€Å"Programming†, â€Å"Hardware Administration†, â€Å"Software Administration†, â€Å"Networking†, â€Å"Network Security† and â€Å"Technical Support†. ... In other words, it is the â€Å"management of computers† (Abhishek 2012). Computer science and Information technology in the HR department of the organization must be reasonable, available, and significant. The quick and extensive use of information technology and computers has created a need for extremely trained employees, proficient in different job functions. The most considerable alteration is that the professionals in the HR department at the present focus more on company strategic question from a â€Å"human resource† facet through the top level managers of the organizations rather than only dealing with personnel management. So, the use of Computer science and Information technology in HR department of the organization is extremely helpful to solve the various problems, as well as improve the communication in overall departments. Meanwhile, division of the HR jobs, such as routine management and management performance, are decentralized to line managers. In cont rast, these days, organizations are thirsty for the Computer sciences and IT to decrease cost, develop service, and accomplish effectiveness. To make known the adding value of Computer sciences and IT application in HR department of the organization, it is essential to elucidate how IT can advocate the various functions of the HR department, for example, communication/problem solving. Critical Review of Relevant Literature/Review of Current Systems: The application of IT and computer science in human resource department has been built up since 1990s, the influence of IT on HRM are lengthening over years (Florkowski, Lujan 2006). Its capability of contributing to the whole performance of company, as well as

Assessment and Decision Making in Nursing Essay

Assessment and Decision Making in Nursing - Essay Example It can be stated that decision making is one of the chief elements of the nursing work which is quite significant to comprehend since organisations discover cost effective ways for the purpose of delivering quality healthcare (Boblin-Cummings & Et. Al., 1999). Clinical decision making is also termed as clinical reasoning, clinical inference, clinical judgment as well as diagnostic reasoning. However, the authors Hardy & Smith further suggest being careful regarding their interchangeability when others are making use of the same activity. Clinical decision making can be explained as the procedure through which informed judgment can be made regarding the treatment that is necessary for their patients (Hardy & Smith, 2008). Legal Consideration And Ethical and Moral Conflicts In Respiratory Nursing A respiratory nurse has to deal with the patients suffering from lung diseases. The respiratory nurses are supposed to effectively work with the patients belonging to all the ages in order to promote good health of the lungs. The patients who are suffering from adverse lung conditions need to be placed on ventilators or served with oxygen machines so that they can be assisted with breathing (Rafferty, n.d.). It is to be mentioned that most of the times the ethical responsibilities of the respiratory nurses conflict with the legal considerations in providing such care services. For instance, the role of the respiratory nurses is quite complementary to that of the respiratory physicians. In the recent times, with the widening of the scope of the respiratory nurses, independent clinical decisions in the provision of care and medical management of the respiratory patients is being made by the respiratory nurses. The main responsibility of the respiratory nurses lies in taking clinical de cisions and in performing the requisite technical skills. However, the ultimate responsibility lies with the respiratory physicians (Rafferty, n.d.). For the development of the rules and the regulations regarding the drugs to be prescribed to the patients by the respiratory nurses without the references of the medical doctors, there is not any legal or professional barriers until and unless such rules and regulations meet the legal requirements and is supported by consultant medical staff. In this regard, it can be mentioned that such administration of the drugs for the patients need to have a legal, managerial as well as social support and needs to be accepted practise (Rafferty, n.d.). There are various legal responsibilities that the respiratory nurses are supposed to possess. The respiratory nurses who have obtained registration needs to ensure that their practices and conducts at nursing are according to the standards that has been set and thus meets the legal requirements. It can be stated that the registered respiratory nurses are held responsible for their own action most of the time. They are further responsible for participation in the activities through which the quality could be improved. It is the duty of the registered nurses to evaluate their practices on a continuous basis

A letter from an exchange student in Australia Essay Example for Free

A letter from an exchange student in Australia Essay I’ve been in Australia for about 2 months now and I’m still speechless. It’s such a beautiful country! The land, the people, the climate, everything is amazing! I’ve gotten to experience the most remarkable/wonderful things, things I never could have imagined. As you know I went here as an exchange student and I’m living with a wonderful host family in Brisbane. They have been very welcoming and loving, the student exchange agency made such a good match. Brisbane is located in the east of Australia, in the state called Queensland. I’m attending the Brisbane State High School where I’m taking all the mandatory classes like English, math’s, science, social studies, art, health and physical education and so on. I’ve gotten to continue my French education as well, but everyone in that class is way better than me! Luckily they are all so nice and very patient with me, and that goes for all the classes! I had a hard time understanding the Australian accent at first, but it gets easier and easier every day. My host family taught me some Aussie-slang to help me out a bit, like â€Å"hoo roo† which means goodbye, â€Å"ripper† means something like fantastic or great, â€Å"sheila† is a girl and â€Å"dunny† is a toilet. A word that’s very confusing is â€Å"thongs†. It does not mean what you think it means! It’s another word for flip-flops, which can create quite an awkward situation. Fortunately I managed not to humiliate myself! Anyway, like I said are there mandatory classes just like there is in Sweden. Australia has a national curriculum to make sure that they have the same educational standards in schools all over the country, which resembles our â€Å"Skolverket†. You asked a lot about the schools over here in your last letter, so I’ve asked my new friends in my classes and found out some basic info. Like, something that’s similar to Swedish schools is that you’re in kindergarten or pre-school when you’re 3-5 years old. In Australia you go to Primary School between the ages 6 to 11, unlike Sweden where we go to â€Å"Là ¥gstadiet† and â€Å"Mellanstadiet† when we’re 6 to 12. One year doesn’t make that big of a difference, but Secondary School (High School) resembles both â€Å"Hà ¶gstadiet† and â€Å"Gymnasiet† together. So from what I understand, you can’t choose a specific program like in Sweden, but you can choose some classes you want to take (other than the mandatory ones) in High School. When you graduate from Secondary School you can apply for a University, just like in Sweden. As you can tell there are a lot of similarities to  Australian and Swedish schools, but I found out that there are many differences as well. School uniforms for example, we don’t have any rules about dress code in Sweden, but over here it’s a part of life, at least for the students who attend High School. Almost every school has a special uniform that every student has to wear, even I have to wear one when I go to school. Even in gym class we wear matching shorts and shirts. I think those outfits are better because they’re unisex, and the rest of the day the girls wear skirts while the boys wear pants. I’m not very comfortable in skirts and dresses so I think that if you want to wear pants you should be able to! It’s kind of nice not having to choose an outfit every morning, you only have one thing to wear and everybody else wears it too. There’s not any pressure about having the latest fashion or not changing it up every day. The only thing you have to worry about is bad hair-days! I have to admit that I wish we had to wear these in Sweden as well†¦ Not only are they a gift from heaven for the morning-tired person, they make you feel a bit more fancy and formal too. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not that comfortable being formal all the time and I’d probably get sick of wearing it every day, but I like the idea a lot at the moment. I never think it would work, introducing this to Sweden though. Everyone would lose their right to express themselves through their clothes. If we would have to wear school uniforms, I strongly vote for pants for the girls! Most students bring their own lunch to school. There is a cafeteria, but you have to pay for everything there. That is something I miss about Sweden, even though it’s not great food all of the time it’s still really convenient. I’m having a hard time remembering to bring my lunch every day†¦ That makes me really angry with myself because both of my host parents make really good food, especially sandwiches. I promise you, they’re amazing! Public schools here are free and run by the government of state or territory they’re in, just like in Sweden. Parents are asked pay a voluntary contribution fee and they can also contribute to camping trips and extracurricular activities, but it’s all voluntary. Something that also differs from Sweden is the fact that they have 4 semesters. The school year starts in early February and ends in December. They have short holidays between every semester and their summer holiday is in December and January, during Christmas! I know it’s really strange, but that’s when the Australian summer is! I had no idea that the seasons were so  off over here, but I think it’s really amazing how the world works. Apparently all countries south of the equator have their summer during our winter, and their winter during our summer! A few weeks ago I got to be a part of the Australians celebration of ANZAC Day. ANZAC stands for the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. This day is special to Australians because of what happened on this date 1915. The First World War had just started and Australia wanted to create a reputation for themselves to the rest of the world, since they’d only been a nation for 13 years. They joined forces with New Zealand and set out to take control over the Dardanelles (a narrow strait in northwestern Turkey) so that their allies could travel through. When ANZAC landed on Gallipoli in Turkey they were met by Turkish defending forces. A lot of Australian soldiers lost their lives and today the Australians take this day to remember not only them and their bravery, but every soldier who has died in any war or military operation Australia’s been a part of. Each year the remembrance begins with memorial services in big cities all over the country, they’re known as the â€Å"Dawn Services†. Later in the day there are parades where ex-militaries march along. Aussies also celebrate this day off from work and school with drinking and games! They also have the Australia Day, their National Day. I’m not going to be here for that because it’s celebrated on January 26th, but I really wish I were! They celebrate everything that’s good about the country and being Australian, it sounds like a lot of fun! My host family tells me that you can see the Australian flag hanging from windows of cars and houses and that the whole neighborhood smells like barbeque. There are usually fireworks and music as well! It’s more upbeat than the ANZAC Day. We don’t have anything like this in Sweden, which I think is a bit sad. What I mean is, we don’t really have a day where we remember something or celebrate just being Swedish. I feel like we don’t have that kind of love for our country that the Australians do. At least I know I don’t. I only enjoy our National Day because I don’t have to go to school. I honestly don’t even know why we celebrate it, and if I asked my friends I’m sure they would say the same thing. It would be nice to feel that unity and pride that the Australians have. We’ve been in wars, I’m not sure how many or what kind, but we don’t take pride in them. We don’t have any war heroes we remember. During World War 1, Sweden was neutral. We didn’t officially pick a side; we did  everything we could to not get attacked by anyone. We let Germany use our railways to transport iron-stone, which kept us from getting involved in the war (even though that made us a part of Germany’s success). I think we’re right not to take any pride in that†¦ Something that also would be fun to experience here â€Å"Down Under† is Christmas. Since their summer is during December the climate is at its warmest during Christmas. My friends told me that even though it’s sunny and warm everyone still decorates with snowmen and Christmas lights! Most families have a Christmas tree too. Here in Brisbane they apparently have a competition every year for who has the best Christmas lights. I would love to see all of the extremely decorated houses! We should do something like that at home, we should engage more! In some ways our counties spend Christmas alike, but some prospects are still very different. In Sweden, we open presents, eat delicious food and get a visit from Santa Claus on Christmas Eve. In Australia they only make the last preparations on Christmas Eve, because it’s all about Christmas Day. Children hope to find presents in stockings or under the tree when they wake up, families go to see their relatives and everyone (most people anyway) spend the evening with their loved ones. Some families eat dinner that’s similar to Europe’s Christmas food, but most Australians barbeque or have a picnic on the beach or in the park. On the beach you can see surfing Santa Clauses too. It sounds really laid back and comfortable, so I would love to be able to experience it (even though it’s no real Christmas without snow!). It’s hard to think of Swedish traditions when you don’t usually acknowledge them, but most traditions come with the holidays. Almost all of our holidays have religious significance, like Easter and Christmas for example, but these holidays are not really about what they originally mark in history (if you’re Christian). Easter is more about dressing up as a witch and knocking on doors collecting candy, than remembering Jesus’s crucifixion. Christmas is all about Donald Duck and opening presents, we don’t celebrate Jesus being born. This is the case in Australia too, except for the witches and Donald Duck. In Australia they celebrate Easter by organizing Easter egg hunts (mostly for the purpose of making the children happy), and you’ve probably heard of the ‘Easter Bunny’? Well, over here they’ve exchanged it for an ‘Easter Bibly’. A bibly is a small rodent, who’s an endangered species and they’re hoping this kind of advertisement is going to help save  it. Besides, rabbits are considered pests in Australia as they destroy crops and other things. As you can tell there are a lot of both similarities and differences between Sweden and Australia, but they are both great counties! Unfortunately I only have a month left of my studies, but I am thinking about living here for a year or so when I graduate. I have fallen in love with this land†¦ Enough about me, how have you been? Is everything as usual back home? Hope to see you soon, Love Emelie Sources of information: Aussie slang: http://stricktlydating.hubpages.com/hub/Common-Aussie-Slang-Words 2013-04-14 http://www.koalanet.com.au/australian-slang.html 2013-04-14 About school: http://www.workingin-australia.com/education/system/overview#.UWr117XIagc 2013-04-14 http://www.studyinaustralia.gov.au/en/Courses/Schools/Australian-School-System/Australian-school-system 2013-04-14 http://www.studiesinaustralia.com/types-of-education/secondary-education 2013-04-16 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/School_uniform#Australia 2013-04-16 http://brisbaneshs.eq.edu.au/sites/default/files/bshs/PolicyDocuments/PandC/CanteenMenu.pdf 2013-04-17 http://www.fairhillshs.vic.edu.au/app/webroot/uploaded_files/media/uniform_information_2013.pdf 2013-04-17 http://australianschool1.hubpages.com/hub/Australian-School-Uniform2013-04-16 http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090821161522AAUv95m 2013-04-16 http://australia.gov.au/about-australia/australian-story/austn-weather-and-the-seasons2013-04-16 Traditions: http://www.awm.gov.au/commemoration/anzac/anzac_tradition.asp 2013-04-21 http://www.realaustraliatravel.com/australian-traditions.html 2013-04-21 http://www.realaustraliatravel.com/Christmas-in-Australia.html 2013-04-21 http://www.realaustraliatravel.com/christmas-lights-brisbane.html 2013-04-22 http://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/australia/christmas-day 2013-04-22

Responses to Genocide: Political and Humanitarian Strategies

Responses to Genocide: Political and Humanitarian Strategies Political expediency and humanitarian imperatives in response to genocide   This dissertation examines the humanitarian crisis in the Sudanese region of Darfur during 2003-2004, a situation that has continued through to 2005. Recent reports from the World Food Programme estimate that the violence carried out by the tacitly government-supported militias against the non-Arab civilian population in the region has left 3.5 million people hungry, 2.5 million displaced by the violence and 400, 000 dead.   The Darfur crisis has been a humanitarian disaster unseen since the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. It has been a situation that ultimately foreign governments and international organisations have been unable to ignore. Chapter two examines firstly the theoretical questions behind humanitarian intervention. The realist theory of international affairsis at the heart of the debate – realism suggests that states should puttheir own security and self interest before any moral obligation to intervene. Set in the context of Darfur, there was nothing within the individual national interest of other individual states to intervene, yet at some point in the crisis the common assumption moved towards afeeling that intervention on the basis of humanity was required.   The Rwandan genocide of 1994 and the international response at the time isused as an example of realism dictating the initial response of theinternational community, only to be overtaken by a more moral based response once the sheer scale of the crisis and human rights abuses became apparent. Chapter three looks at events in Darfur in detail, from the beginnings of the crisis to the current situation. Using media sourcesas well as reports from organisation such as the UN and Human Rights Watch, this chapter summarises the main events of the crisis, with examples of the indiscriminate violence used by the government-backed Janjaweed militias against the civilian population in Darfur. The response of the Sudanese government along with the steps it took to prevent humanitarian intervention are describes, as are the actions, or in many cases, the inaction of sections of the international community.  Ã‚   The actions of the Sudanese Government would appear to be driven by the state centric realism that Webber and Smith term â€Å"acentral driving force for human motivation, namely a quest for power† Chapter Four attempts to analyse events in Darfur against the theoretical frameworks detailed in chapter two. Realist assumptions continue to carry a certain weight in international politics, but there are examples of some more ethical policy making within the international community. The roles of the Sudanese Government, the UN, the US and other Western nations are looked at against theoretical positions. Chapter Five offers some conclusions on the internationalresponse to Darfur. At the heart of any analysis of the international response to thecrisis in Darfur lies the question why should anyone care about Darfur.Whilst theories supporting just wars and humanitarian intervention fromthe likes of Kaldor and Walzer argue that there is a basic humanmorality that requires states that are able to intervene to stop thesuffering of oppressed people, a realist perspective, one thatrepresented the initial international response to Darfur, is that thekey value of national interest is independence and security.   It is aquestion that has been at the crux of international relations forcenturies – intervention in the affairs of another sovereign state isan issue that has generated much debate. State sovereignty has long been a fundamental pillar of internationalsociety and non-intervention has ensured that individual states canmaintain their political independence and territorial integrity.International organisations have generally supported this principlewith, for example, Resolution 2131 of the UN General Assembly in 1965stating: â€Å"No state has the right to intervene, directly or indirectly in theinternal or external affairs of any other state. Consequently, armedintervention and all other forms of interference or attempted threatsagainst the personality of the State or against its political,economic, or cultural elements are condemned†. Regional organisationshave taken a similar stance – the Organisation of American Statestotally prohibits direct or indirect intervention in the affairs ofanother state. A wide range of political theory also supports the viewthat sovereignty is all-important and one state should not interfere inthe affairs of another. Nonetheless, international affairs since the establishment of thenation-state have seen intervention by states in the affairs of otherfor a number of reasons. The earliest interventions were for economicand strategic reasons and to secure territorial security – nineteenthcentury European interventions in Africa and Asia to establish coloniesserve as an example of this. In the early twentieth century the USbegan to utilise a different type of intervention, intervening in theaffairs of Central American states such as Nicaragua to encouragedomestic political order, reduce economic corruption and reinforce itsown influence in the region. Such action drew the attention of realistcritics who have influence US foreign policy thinking more recently.Realists have alleged that the adherence to moral principles and thefailure in the past to understand the â€Å"power essence† of interstaterelations has led to unwise and unsuccessful policies , for example tofailed humanitarian int ervention in Somalia. Certainly, the memories ofSomalia will have effected thinking on a political and humanitarianresponse to Darfur. The Cold War saw intervention across the globe by the two superpowerseither to enhance their own strategic security or to advanceideological goals, for example the USSR moving to strengthen communismin Czechoslovakia in 1968 or the US challenging anti-democratic forcesin Grenada in 1983. It is however, humanitarian intervention that is most relevant to thesituation in Darfur, an type of intervention that according to JackDonnelly is foreign intervention that seeks â€Å"to remedy mass andflagrant violations of the basic rights of foreign nationals by theirgovernment†Ã‚  Ã‚   The failure of states and subsequent abuses of humanrights in the latter stages of the twentieth century have presentedother governments with numerous scenarios where they have to makedecisions as to whether military intervention for humanitarian reasonsis justified. It is a complex issue that poses a number of legal andmoral issues. Amstutz argues that humanitarian intervention presents a legalchallenge to the accepted systems of state sovereignty along with amoral challenge to the right of self-determination. Whilst the demandfor order, justice, stability and human rights may override theseconcerns, politicians are also faced with the decision as to whether,how and when their country should instigate humanitarian intervention.Such interventions can generally be justified if two criteria are met:firstly that humanitarian intervention be in the interests of theintervening state, i.e. that it perceives the human rights abuses inthe foreign state as a general threat to the order, legitimacy andmorality of global society, or as a particular threat to its owneconomic prosperity; secondly that the intervention must be in theinterests of the civilian population of the intervened state and thatthe legal and moral issues around military intervention can bejustified by the overall good that is accomplished. NATO intervent ionin Bosnia can be seen as an example of a situation that met the formercriteria, the situationsin both Rwanda and Darfur would appear to meetthe latter. Michael Walzer who has written extensively on just war theory andintervention argues that humanitarian intervention should be seen asdifferent from instigating a military conflict. As well as the legalistargument against intervention in the affairs of another state, there isalso the difficulty of intervention in a country that has not committedaggression against another state – there is a danger that interveningstates can be seen as portraying the message treat your people the waywe believe you should or be subject to the threat of armed punishment.Walzer nonetheless believes that even if intervention threatens theterritory and political independence of another state, there are timeswhen it can be justified. The onus of proof of justification howeverlies with the leader of the state that intervenes and this can be aheavy burden, â€Å"not only because of the coercions and ravages thatmilitary intervention brings, but also because it is thought that thecitizens of a sovereign state have a right, insofar as they are to becoerced and ravaged at all, to suffer only at one another’s hands†. Arguments that states should, regardless of how they are governed,should be left to deal with own affairs and influenced by the thoughtsof John Stuart Mill who argued from a utilitarian viewpoint stronglyfor the right of a single political community to determine its ownaffairs – whether or not its political arrangements are free is not anissue for other states – members of any political society mustcultivate their own freedom in the way that individuals must cultivatetheir own virtue, self-help rather than intervention from an externalforce must be the way towards a just society. Such arguments do notstand up when applied to some of the systematic and well-documentedhuman rights abuses of the twentieth century – foreign governments makedecisions based on a realist perspective not to intervene, butnon-intervention based on the idea of self-determination is to avoidthe issue and hide behind outdated ideas. There is a point at whichrealism has to be put aside and so me form of moral stance must betaken. For Walzer, there are three situations in which theinternational resistance to boundary crossings can be ignored: 1.  when a particular set of boundaries clearly contains two or morepolitical communities, one of which is already engaged in a large-scalemilitary struggle for independence; that is, when what is at issue issecession or ‘national liberation’ 2.  when the boundaries have already been crossed by the armies of aforeign power, even if the crossing has been called for by one of theparties in a civil war, that is, when what is at issue iscounter-intervention; and 3.  when the violation of human rights within a set of boundaries is soterrible that it makes talk of community or self-determination or‘arduous struggle’ seem cynical or irrelevant, that is, in cases onenslavement or massacre His criteria present a realistic scope for intervention. For all theideas of ethical foreign policies there has to be some realism ininternational relations in that states cannot simply intervene in everydispute between neighbours or outbreaks of political unrest in otherstates. Walzer’s criteria, particular his third, limit interventionwhen serious abuses of human rights appear to be taking place. At thispoint, political expediency and national self-interest should be putaside. Ultimately, Walzer’s thinking lead him towards an ethical theory ofpeace on the basis of sovereignty and other widely accepted states’rights. His values form the basis of a legalist paradigm, which providethe moral and legal structure for maintaining international peace. Hislegal paradigm also outlines the criteria for use of force tointervene. Its six key principles are: 1.  An international society of independent states exists; 2.  The states comprising the international society have rights,including the rights of territorial integrity and political sovereignty; 3.  The use of force or threat of force by one state against another constitutes aggression and is a criminal act; 4.  Aggression justifies two types of action: a war of self-defence bythe victim and a war of law enforcement by the victim and any othermembers of the international society; 5.  Nothing but aggression justifies war 6.  After the aggressor state has been militarily repulsed, it can be punished. Irrespective of the situation in a particular state and the legal ormoral issues around any form of intervention, the realist view ofinternational affairs can lead statesmen to decide againstintervention. Realists from Thucydides, Hobbes and Machiavelli throughto the likes of Kissinger and Waltz remain strictly sceptical aboutmoral concepts within international relations and assume that statesgoing to war or engaging in any form of intervention are more motivatedby power and their own national security than any moral issues. Thephrase â€Å"all’s fair in love and war† is often applied to the realistperspective with Walzer writing â€Å"referring specifically to war,realists believe that it is an intractable part of an anarchical worldsystem, that it ought to be resorted to only if it makes sense in termsof national self-interest†Ã‚   – in effect there are no moralconsideration in regard to military intervention, the human rightsabuses occurring in another state are of little importance to realists,intervention will only be considered if it is considered to beeconomically or strategically of value to the intervening state or itsleaders. This value can be political on occasions. There is littledoubt of the power of modern media to put pressure on politicians. TheUS intervention in Somalia and NATO action in Bosnia were to someextent related to public pressure on politicians to do something aboutscenes being broadcast into the homes of the electorate. Thinking on humanitarian intervention has had to adapt more recently tothe new type of wars that have proliferated across the globe since theend of the Cold War, for example the conflicts in the former Yugoslaviadriven by ancient ethnic hatreds. Certainly with the demise of thestand off between two military superpowers there has been greater scopefor the UN and individual states to become involved in conflictresolution and throughout the 1990s the UN has found itself constantlyinvolved in providing humanitarian aid, establishing safe havens,disarmament and demobilisation operations, monitoring and maintainingceasefires. New wars have involved a blurring of the distinction between war(usually defined as violence between states or organised politicalgroups), organised crime (violence undertaken by privately organisedgroups for private purposes, usually financial gain) and large-scaleviolations of human rights (violence undertaken by states orpolitically organised groups against individual).   Some of the ethnichatred that has fuelled new wars has in particular led to terriblehuman rights abuses; events that put moral pressure on others states toconsider intervention. Mary Kaldor suggests that there are two types ofresponse to new wars – one is to draw on the old war idea of the nationstate and look for solutions along the lines of intervention and peacekeeping whilst the other response is a more negative and fatalisticoutlook: â€Å"because the wars cannot be understood in traditional terms,they are thought to represent a reversion to primitivism or anarchy andthe most that can be done there fore is to ameliorate the symptoms. Inother words, wars are treated as natural disasters.† Kaldor’s view rightly challenge the realist assumption that statesshould not involve themselves in humanitarian intervention unless thereis some advantage to be gained in a self-interested pursuit of power.What is required is a more political response to new wars and theattacks on human rights that accompany them. The internationalcommunity should be looking towards politics of inclusion that capturethe hearts and minds of protagonists and any such politicalmobilisation should override traditional geopolitics or short termdomestic concerns. This type of thinking moves closer to a type ofneo-realism which places more of an emphasis on the structural featuresof the international system and avoids the stress on the often anarchicstriving for power that reflects traditional realism.   The drawback tothe neo realist approach is that its reliance on the determining impactof the structure of the international system allow policy makersrelatively little discretion. This can be seen to some extent in Darfuras representative from various states struggled to find a solution tothe crisis that met with consensus. There have of course been embarrassments for individual states andinternational organisations with attempts at humanitarian interventionin the 1990s, setbacks that will give weight to realist theory thatsovereign states should on the whole be left well alone. Kaldorconcludes that humanitarian intervention has had mixed success: â€Å"at best, people have been fed and fragile ceasefires have beenagreed†¦.at worst the UN has been shamed and humiliated, as, forexample, when it failed to prevent genocide in Rwanda, when theso-called safe haven of Srebrenica was overrun by Bosnian Serbs, orwhen the hunt for the Somali warlord Aideed ended in a mixture of farceand tragedy†. Nonetheless, the arguments for humanitarian intervention remain strong.Darfur is as good an example as any for this. As Orend writes â€Å"whyshould foreign states, which themselves respect human rights, be barredin principle from intervening in such illegitimate regimes?†Ã‚   Rwanda in particular serves as an example of both foreign states andinternational organisations initially taking a realist stance only toeventually to be spurred into action by the sheer scale of the genocidetaking place. In France’s case, the links between the powerful elitesin the two countries had long been established – not only had Francelong supported the Hutu regime but Francois Mitterand and RwandanPresident Habyarimana were personal friends, whilst their sons, JeanChristopher and Jean-Pierre were also friends and business associates.The two countries had mutual economic interests and there is evidencethat Jean Christopher was one of France’s biggest arms dealers to Rwanda. The French response to the developing crisis, when it came, was farfrom glorious. Rather than intervene to provide further killings itdecided to pull out its troops. In the previous week, the first of thegenocide they had evacuated as many as 1361 people including 450 Frenchnationals and 178 Rwandan officials and their families. No otherRwandan nationals were evacuated, not even Tutsi personnel from theFrench embassy or well-known opponents of the regime who had alreadybeen targeted by the militia.   The role of the United Nations mission (UNAMIR) has receivedconsiderable criticism in analyses of the genocide. The UN had its owninternal politics to contend with and its policies on Rwanda were inturn determined to some extent by realist self-interest. As anorganisation it was largely reliant on the support of its most powerfulmembers on the Security Council. These nations, mindful of thedisastrous US intervention in Somalia were wary of investing troops andfinances into another African conflict. Realism came to the forefrontof the early decision making process. Human Rights Watch, in additionto criticism of the UN for not taking heed of Dallaire’s warnings, isalso critical of the scale of the mandate itself.   It describes thedetails of the mandate as follows: â€Å"Not only was the UN slow, it was also stingy. The United States, whichwas assessed 31 per cent of UN peacekeeping costs, had suffered fromthe enormous 370 per cent increase in peacekeeping expenses from 1992to 1993 and was in the process of reviewing its policy on such operations. Quite simply the UN was not equipped to keep the peace in Rwanda.Members on its influential Security Council did not have the politicalwill to get involved, nor were they willing to take on the financialburden. The US and the UK, although less involved in Rwanda thanFrance, were similarly guilty of happily ignoring warnings of possiblegenocide and working towards the maintenance of the status quo. Bothhad sold arms to the Hutu regime and had trading links with Rwanda.Both also had little desire to see their own troops caught up as partof an UN force in Rwanda. The theory of non-intervention, as opposed torealism is another view that opposes humanitarian intervention. The keyassumptions and values for this concept are †¢Ã‚  the existing anarchic international system is morally legitimate †¢Ã‚  peoples have a right to political self-determination †¢Ã‚  states have a juridical right to sovereignty and territorial integrity †¢Ã‚  states have an obligation to resolve conflicts peacefully †¢Ã‚  force is a illegitimate instrument for altering the existing territorial boundaries Non –intervention theory argues in favour of an internationallegitimacy of states in which existing states are entitled to autonomyand domestic legitimacy which assumes that states are entitled torespect and support when they fulfil their core obligations as states.In terms of domestic legitimacy, in the light of the fact that thereare wide disparities in conceptions of human rights, this canessentially be interpreted that whether a state is entitled tonon-intervention depends largely on its subject’s approval of theregime itself. The counter-arguments of realism and moral intervention continue toplay a major role in international politics and are likely to continueto do so. It is a sad fact that the list of oppressive governments andmassacred populations is lengthy. Walzer points out that for every Naziholocaust or Rwanda there will be a number of smaller examples ofinjustice and abuse – so many that the international community cannothope to deal with. On a small scale at least, Walzer’s suggestion thatâ€Å"states don’t send their soldiers into other states, it seems, only tosave lives. The lives of foreigners don’t weigh that heavily in thescales of domestic decision-making†Ã‚   rings true – humanitarianintervention in smaller-scale situations is simply not realistic. Agreater test for the moral resolve of NGOs and wealthier nations istheir response in the face of large-scale humanitarian disasters andhuman rights abuses, again using Walzer’s words, when deal ing with actsâ€Å"that shock the moral conscience of mankind†. Ethical questions around the issues of international moral obligationstowards nations suffering from oppressive regimes and human rightsabuses are not easily resolved. Whilst humanitarian aid or interventionis generally seen as a morally correct route of action, politicalexpediency quite often takes precedence. Whilst it is generallyaccepted that, as Grotius believed, war ought not to be undertakenexcept for the enforcement of right and   when once undertaken it shouldbe carried on   within the bounds of law and good faith,  Ã‚   national selfinterest does not always allow for a strategy led by such moralincentives. In Darfur, the action of the Khartoum Government couldcertainly not be described as driven by moral incentives whilstelsewhere early responses to the crisis were driven by politicalexpediency   Major states have to ask themselves which moral valuesshould influence their foreign policies and which international valueis more important – sovereignty or human r ights? The answer should behuman rights, yet there is a fine line between using these values froma moral perspective or manipulating them into a realist opportunity toindulge the national interest with intervention elsewhere. There areother difficult questions – do human rights violations justify foreignintervention and at what scale?   Does international political moralityrequire the removal of illegal military regimes and the restoration ofdemocracy?   There are countless regimes around the world to which theworld might turn its attention and ask itself these questions. For themost part, small conflicts and small-scale abuse of human rights are,rightly or wrongly, ignored. The situation in Darfur from 2003 onwardshowever gave the international community a scenario that it could notignore. The world had to make decisions upon hundreds of thousands oflives would rest. Chapter Three – The crisis in Darfur The current situation in Darfur can be traced back to February 2003when fighters from the Sudanese Liberation Movement (SLM) and theJustice and Equality Movement (JEM) launched joints attacks againstgovernment garrisons in protest at what they saw as decades ofpolitical oppression and economic neglect by the Sudanese government.The attacks came at the same time that there had been high hopes of apeace settlement to the war in southern Sudan that had been ongoingbetween the government and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army(SPLM/A) since independence in 1965. The government’s response was unequivocal. Citing the rebels as anaggressive force against the state it set out to crush the rebellion byforce and utilised the powerful force of Arab Janjaweed militias toattack not particularly rebel soldiers but the civilian populationsfrom where the rebels would have originated.   The government expectedto crush the revolt, partly as it had done so in 1991 when a SPLA unitinfiltrated Darfur, and partly as it expected a lack on internationalinterest as Darfur was an internal Northern Sudanese issue with noChristian population and no oil interests involved. Khartoum –ledmilitary activity in late 2003 to early 2004 was brutal (â€Å"acounter-insurgency of extraordinary ferocity†)   and carried out whilstthe government prevented any humanitarian aid reaching the civilianpopulation. It was an action led by political expediency withabsolutely no regard for the human rights of an innocent civilianpopulation. Hugo Slim describes th e military action as completelydisproportionate to the targeted guerrilla warfare of the two Darfurinsurgent groups and states that â€Å"systematic and widespread governmentand Janjaweed assaults on civilians, their villages, theirinfrastructure and their livelihoods along with forced displacement andland-grabbing, intended to make it impossible for the terrorised andevicted populations to return. As this went on, the Government alsoenforced what was almost a complete ban on humanitarian aid accessingthe country between October 2003 and February 2004. Early talks on the crisis saw the Khartoum Government deliberatelystonewall on major issues. It objected to upgrading the small AUobserver force from 300 to 3500,with an increase in its mandate toinclude protecting civilians, and was then forced to accept thismeasure by the UN Security Council. It was a realist approach – lookingsolely after its own interests and using delay in an internationalresponse to move along with its aim to displace the population ofDrafur. Government and Janjaweed Cooperation There is little realdoubt that the government has worked closely with the Janjaweedmilitias. Human Rights Watch (HRW) investigations concluded thatgovernment forces and militia troops have taken part in massacres andsummary executions of civilians, burnings of towns and villages andforcible depopulation of areas across Darfur. †We are the government†has been a common response of Janjaweed at checkpoints and whenentering villages and HRW reports that â€Å"the government and itsJanjaweed allies have killed thousands of Fur, Masalit and Zaghawa –often in cold blood, raped women and destroyed villages, food stocksand other supplies essential to the civilian population.†. In the early stages of the conflict, the Sudanese government barelyattempted to conceal its close working with the Janjaweed. Mans writesthat â€Å"the Janjaweed militias are said to be of largely Chadian originand finance themselves through plunder and pillage, reportedly enjoyingimplicit support from the Government in Khartoum.† But this isunderstating the relationship between the two. In April 2004, theSudanese Foreign Minister, Mustafa Osman Ismail, admitted a commoncause with the Janjaweed stating â€Å"the government may have turned ablind eye to the militias†¦This is true. Because these militia aretargeting the rebellion.†Ã‚   President Bashir also had spoken on 31December 2003 of the government’s determination to defeat the SLArebellions and warned darkly that â€Å"the horsemen† would be one of theweapons it would use. There is other clear evidence of well established links between thegovernment and Janjaweed leaders. Many of the militia leaders areestablished emirs or omdas from Arab tribes who have previously workedin government. For example, Abdullah abu Shineibat, an emir of the BeniHalba tribe is a Janjaweed leader in the Habila-Murnei area, whilstOmar Saef, an omda of the Awlad Zeid tribe is leader of the Janjaweedfrom Geineina to Misterei. Other evidence pointed to a similarconclusion of complicity between government and militia: Janjaweedbrigades were organised along army lines with forces wearing similaruniforms and officers using the same stripes; militia forces used thesame land cruisers and satellite phones as army personnel and there isevidence that Janjaweed members were given assurances that they wouldnot face local prosecution for crimes, with police forces beinginstructed to leave them alone.   Again, the prevailing issue here ispolitical expediency overcoming any possible humani tarian response.Both the Government and Janjaweed had interests in devastating Darfur –there was political gain for the Government and financial gain for theJanjaweed. Both took the realist option of looking after themselves. Government and Militia forces attack civilians One of the mostnotable traits of the crisis in Darfur has been the fact that bothgovernment and militia forces have largely ignored rebel forces,preferring to use their weapons against the civilian population inareas that rebels may have originated from. HRW investigationsuncovered 14 incidents in Dar Masalit alone between September 2003 andFebruary 2004 in which 770 civilians were killed. It also gatheredwitness testimony to mass executions in the Fur areas of Wadi Salihprovince over the same period.   Aerial bombardment of civilians has also been commonplace. The SudaneseGovernment has made extensive use of attack aircraft, dropping bombsloaded with metal shards to cause maximum injury and also utilisinghelicopter gun ships and MiG jet fighters. Bombing has also beendeliberately targeted at villages and towns where displaced citizenshave gathered – for example on August 27 2003, aircraft carried out anattack on the town of Habila which was packed with displaced civiliansfrom surrounding areas. 24 were killed. Government and Janjaweed forces have also systematically attacked anddestroyed villages, food stocks, water sources and other essentialitems essential for the survival of villages in West Darfur. Refugeesin Chad have confirmed a sweep south east of Geneeina in February 2004saw the destruction of a number of villages including Nouri, Chakoke,Urbe, Jabun and Jedida. The International Response The international response to the situation in Darfur has been mixed,characterised by a willingness to condemn the Sudanese Governmentalongside a dragging of heels in actually intervening to stop what theUS Government has labelled genocide. Alex De Waal suggests thatpolitical repercussions for the Sudanese Government were gravewriting:   â€Å"International attention and condemnation exceeded allexpectations, culminating in Darfur being brought before the UnitedNations Security Council in July 2004† This analysis however fails tomention the scale of the crisis in the preceding months and suggests amore positive and effective response by the international communitythan was actually the case.. The international community may eventuallyhave come around to taking Darfur seriously – but much later than wasrequired. As Hugo Slim concludes: â€Å"the international community has notdenied, but it has delayed and dithered. Once engaged it fumbled andtook far too long to achie ve a united and sufficiently assertiveresponse.†Ã‚   There was a notable reluctance from the UN in particular to use theword genocide in relation to Darfur, a similar pattern to that had beenfollowed in Rwanda a decade earlier. It was in fact US Secretary ofState Powell that announced on September 9th 2004 that the USgo

Niels Bohrs Model Of The Hydrogen Atom :: essays research papers

Niels Bohr's model of the hydrogen atom, was the primary reason for the understanding of energy levels.Bohr was able to explain the bright line spectrum of hydrogen. Sparked by the recent discovery of the diffraction patterns, scientists believed electrons could be described as waves. Bohr hypothesized that energy is being added to the hydrogen gas in the electricity form, and then leaving the gas in the form of light. He figured the light rays to be quantized, meaning only certain frequencies of the light rays can be seen. In turn, he reasoned that the hydrogen atoms themselves were quantized and, that they only can exist in certain energy levels. When the atoms absorb specific amounts of energy, they exist for a small period of time in higher energy levels. But as soon as these atoms lose their energy, they move back down to the lower levels of energy. His theory went on to state how the hydrogen atom can move up and down the energy levels, one level at a time, and can never stop in between. Every hydrogen atom is made up of a single electron - proton system. Because the negative electron is attracted to the positive proton, potential energy is created inside the atom.He figured that the farther away the electron is from the proton, the greater the potential energy is inside. In conclusion, since hydrogen atoms emit light energy in specific frequencies, the hydrogen atom must be within a specific energy level and nothing else. The different wavelengths help to determine the different colors emitted from the atom. The greater the wavelength, the faster the atom can be filled and jump to a higher level.Bohr developed his theory after studying the work of Einstein's ideas on the photons of energy.

Minimum Wage Isnt A Living Wage :: Minimum Wage Essays

Reasons for Minimum Wage Worker’s Tough Lives In 1938, federal minimum wage legislation became effective for the first time when the Fair Labor Standards Act passed (Sidey 573). After sixty-seven years, today, the minimum wage, which was originally set to make sure that working people could support themselves and their family, increased twenty times (Sidey 573). Nevertheless, the low-wage workers have never gotten rid of the hardship in their lives. Two main reasons cause the current situation. The increasing renting prices and the increasing rate of health care, which exceeds low-wage workers’ real income by quite a lot, make their lives tough all the time. Minimum wage, the smallest amount of money per hour that an employer may legally pay a worker, became a part of state law in Massachusetts in 1912 (Sidey 573). After 14 other states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico set similar laws in America, the first federal minimum wage legislation became valid. The Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 â€Å"firmly established the federal government as a regulator of wages in the United States by establishing a minimum hourly wage for all employees engaged in interstate commerce or in the production of goods for interstate commerce† (Huckshorn 167). Based on 2004’s Current Population Survey of America, today two million workers earn at or below minimum wage out of 73.9 million American workers who are paid at hourly rates (Characteristics). In 1996, the minimum wage raised to $5.15 per hour. Some people argue that this federal legislation helped low-wage workers a lot. Nevertheless, low-wage people are still suffering from hardship because of the big gap between their incomes and expenditures. In 1998, the minimum-wage was â€Å"$2,500 below the poverty line for a three-person family† if a worker works 40 hours a week without vacations (Rothman). The minimum wage should be $6.24 to maintain the same average purchasing power in 1998 as â€Å"it averaged in the 1970s† (Rothman). Up until 2005, in California, nearly 16 percent of Californian low-paid workers live below the poverty line according to a study of State Industrial Welfare Commission of California (Garcoa). These figures and examples denied the argument that this federal legislation helped low-wage workers’ lives. Two main reasons cause the big gap between minimum-workers’ real income and basic living requirements, the persistent increasing of the rental price and health premiums. The first reason for hardship concerns the high rental prices in America

Alternative Medicine Essay 9

Abstract This paper is going to educate the reader about Alternative and Complementary Medicine which is also known as CAM. The paper will define Alternative and Complementary Medicine or CAM and compare it to conventional medicine. The main focus of the paper will be examining the different types of CAM. The types of CAM will be broken into five different groups which are : Whole or Alternative Medical Systems, Mind-Body Medicine, Biologically Based Practices, Manipulative and Body-Based Practices, and Energy Medicine. The reader will read about many mainstream practices such as Chiropractic and Physical therapy as well as many less popular practices such as Color Therapy and Reiki. The paper will also briefly discuss my personal opinion and interest of CAM as well as CAM related to health insurance CAM – Alternative and Complementary Medicine Millions of people in the United States suffer from a chronic illness of some kind. A chronic illness is a long-term condition for which there seems to be no cure such as arthritis, allergies, high blood pressure, digestive problems and back pain. Most of the time people that live with chronic illness use conventional medicine, which is taught to medical students in medical schools throughout the world and is based on science and clinical research and most treatments have scientific evidence of their effectiveness but others use Alternative medicine. Alternative medicine has many different origins and philosophies, comes from many different cultures and involves many different practices. Alternative medicine is used for treatment, preventive health care, health maintenance or to enhance well being. There are several established alternative therapies that have earned respectability because they are effective. Methods such as chiropractic, physical therapy, acupuncture and homeopathy are well researched and their practitioners are well trained and have come to be widely accepted. There are also literally hundreds of other types of alternative treatments that, on the surface seem to be a bit bizarre and are less main stream. The list of what is considered alternative medicine changes often as therapies are proven safe and effective and become adopted into conventional health care. Patients with a terminal illness such as cancer, often turn to alternative medicine after conventional medical treatment has failed them or vice versa. An example of alternative medicine in this case would be using a special diet for cancer treatment instead of or after radiation or chemotherapy. In some cases alternative medicine and conventional medicine can be used together. When this occurs it is called Complementary medicine. An example of this would be when physical therapy is used to rehabilitate a patient after surgery. The use of Complementary Methods and Alternative Medicine is often referred to as CAM and includes a group of diverse medical and health care systems, practices, and products that are not generally considered part of conventional medicine (CAM Overview : NCCAM). The chart below show the percentage of adults and children in the U. S who are using some form of CAM (2007 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) results : NCCAM). [pic] It is unfortunate that at this time that even though there are so many people using different forms of alternative medicine, health insurance coverage is not very good at all. Mainstream forms of alternative medicine such as physical therapy is usually covered to some degree by insurance providers but not usually to the level of conventional medicine. Less popular forms of alternative medicine is usually not covered at all. As these practices become more proven and effective providers should be forced to provide more coverage to their customers. It will be interesting to see how the potential new universal healthcare system will or will not incorporate alternative medicine. This could be one of the key factors that influence politicians and the people on this issue. The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) is a government agency that monitors scientific research on alternative medicines and keeps the public informed on the results of alternative medicine research studies. The NCCAM divides alternative therapies into five major groups: Whole or Alternative Medical Systems – These type of medical systems are some of the most common and often come from complex treatments based upon theories that often have evolved over centuries and often in eastern countries such as China, Korea and India. Examples of these types of systems include Acupuncture, Homeopathic medicine, and Naturopathic medicine. According to (NCCAM) the term â€Å"acupuncture† describes a family of procedures involving the stimulation of anatomical points on the body using a variety of techniques. The acupuncture technique that has been most often studied scientifically involves penetrating the skin with thin, solid, metallic needles that are manipulated by the hands or by electrical stimulation. Acupuncture is regulated by the FDA all practitioners must be licensed and abide by the rules and regulations in regards to the use of needles which are set by the FDA. Acupuncture is pretty safe and there have not been many major incidents reported to the FDA. Most of the time if there is a problem it has to do with the sterilization of needles but there is also the risk of punctured organs http://nccam. nih. gov/health/acupuncture (Acupuncture : NCCAM). Homeopathy or Homeopathic medicine seeks to stimulate the body's ability to heal itself by giving very small doses of highly diluted substances. This technique was developed in Germany more than 200 years ago by Samuel Hahnemenn. Homeopathic practitioners believe that these highly diluted solutions can be powerful medicines and can cure various diseases and illnesses such as the common cold, digestive problems, influenza, hay fever, and earaches. Remedies can be taken as a powder, a pill or a liquid, can be rubbed into the skin or injected. There are usually no side effects although sometimes a patient may feel worse before he feels better (Homeopathy : NCCAM). Naturopathic Medicine focuses on supporting health rather than combating disease. Naturopathic medicine uses the healing power of nature to maintain and restore health (Naturopathy : NCCAM). The use of natural treatments is to get to the root of the problem and what actually created the problem in the first place. Its goal is to create a healthy inner body and outer body. Believers claim naturopathic medicine prevents illness because people are taught healthy diet modifications and lifestyle changes to avoid diseases. Since this system focuses on natural healing there isn’t much risk involved only the risk of the condition getting worst Mind-Body Medicine – The concept of the interconnection between the brain and body has been around for quite a while. Ancient healing practices, such as Traditional Chinese Medicine emphasized important links between the mind and body. Recently people have come to appreciate the powerful effect the mind has over the body. People think that their mind has the power to heal their body and if they have a healthy mind they will have a healthy body. There are many techniques that are being used such as meditation, prayer, mental healing, and therapies that use creative outlets such as art, music, or dance (CAM Overview : NCCAM). The three that are most interesting to me are hypnotherapy, biofeedback, and color therapy. Hypnotherapy is the most widely practiced of these therapies. The patient is put into a hypnosis-induced trance and then treated in a variety of ways to relieve anxiety, pain or stress (Clinical Hypnotherapy : Cleveland Clinic). Relaxation and visualization are stress relieving therapies often used together to treat mental and emotional problems and reduce muscle tension. The goal is to induce a calm mind and body. Visualization uses the patient's imagination and right-brain activity to create positive healing images, which initiate changes in attitudes or behavior. Biofeedback is a technique used especially for stress related conditions such as asthma, migraine headaches, high blood pressure and insomnia (Biofeedback using your mind to improve your health : Mayo Clinic). The patient is hooked up to sensitive machines that monitor small metabolic changes in the body such as heartbeat, temperature, muscle tension as well as brainwaves. The patient is trained to control brainwave activity as well as slow the heartbeat and modify the other functions through breathing and relaxation techniques. Color therapy is based on the belief that diseases, pain, cosmetic problems, personality, â€Å"spiritual attunement†, and intellectual or artistic capabilities are each associated with a specific color. There are several different therapies associated with colors: Color Breathing, Color Imagination, Color Meditation, and Hydrochromopathy. Color Breathing involves the patient imagining himself surrounded by a cloud of a specific color. The color depends on what the patient's problem is. For example yellow is used for stomach, nerves, spleen and pancreas. Blue is used for large intestines, skin, connective tissue and lungs. The patient breathes deeply and imagines the color filling his lungs and flowing throughout his body until it gets to the body part in need of treatment. Color Imagination involves visualizing a specific color in order to cure a disease associated with that color. Color Meditation is a combination of the previous two therapies and parts of Eastern philosophies. It involves visualizing cones of different colors, which point to seven major â€Å"chakras† or psychic centers. Each of these chakras has a color that governs it and meditation and the use of colored light helps to open and reinforce the chakras. Hydrochromopathy is a variation that departs a little from the mind-body connection although it still requires a strong placebo influence. It involves filling a colored glass bottle with distilled water and heating it in sunlight for at least three hours. The resulting â€Å"color charged† water is then used as a treatment for various conditions. A fever is treated by blue charged water, red-charged water is taken to increase energy, green charged water improves overall health etc (Color Therapy : About Holistic Healing). Biologically Based Practices – These use natural substances such as herbs, foods and vitamins and dietary supplements, as well as other â€Å"natural† substances such as shark cartilage, shellfish shells, essential oils, metals, gems and crystals. The chart below shows the most commonly used natural products by adults in 2007 (2007 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) results : NCCAM)[pic] A dietary supplement is â€Å"a product (other than tobacco) that contains a dietary ingredient intended to supplement the diet†. This may include vitamins, minerals, herbs or other botanical amino acids, enzymes, organ tissues, and metabolites. These supplements can be taken in several forms such as tablets, liquids or powders and are considered foods not drugs. Many people today take supplements of this kind. Vitamins and minerals such as iron are routinely prescribed to pregnant women and the shelves in health food shops are stacked to the ceiling with â€Å"natural products† that give you energy, make you sleep, help you to lose or gain weight, help women get through menopause or ease menstrual symptoms, help men build muscles, and protect you from a whole range of illnesses. Some dietary supplements have been proven to be effective treatments for some conditions and have been adopted by conventional medical practitioners. For example scientists have found that folic acid prevents some birth defects and an eye disease called age-related macular degeneration, is slowed down by vitamins and zinc. The most common therapy of this kind is a daily multi-vitamin and mineral tablet. The human body needs a variety of vitamins and minerals for health and these days some people believe that the food we eat does not provide enough of these vitamins and minerals (Using Supplements Wisely : NCCAM). Herbal remedies have been in existence for centuries and many herbs and plants have a powerful effect on the body. There are some common herbal treatments such as Aloa Vera for burns, Senna taken for constipation, ginger or mint taken for an upset stomach and ginseng taken to improve overall health and stamina. More recently Gingko Biloba has become very popular as an anti-aging supplement because of its antioxidant properties, which reduce free radicals in the body. Black Cohosh, an American Indian remedy has become a popular treatment for menstrual problems. There are also some very unusual and unorthodox herbal remedies. For example Carnivora therapy uses an extract from the Venus Fly Trap plant as a treatment for cancer. A few years ago there was a controversy over the claim that eating apricots kernels would cure cancer. Apricot kernels was claimed, contain vitamin B-17 also known as Laetrile, which when eaten would kill or prevent cancer in most cases. It was also claimed that if you ate seven apricot kernels a day you would never develop cancer. These claims were not backed up by clinical trials. In fact eating apricot kernels can be fatal as when crushed they produce cyanide, a lethal poison. The Food and Drug Administration banned the sale of apricot kernels, which led to many cancer patients traveling to Mexico for treatment. (Using Supplements Wisely : NCCAM) One of the most controversial dietary supplement therapies is the use of shark cartilage as a treatment for small cancerous tumors. Supporters of this remedy say that shark cartilage extract inhibits blood supply to small tumors and stops them from growing and metastasizing, a process called angiogenesis. So far there have been no clinical trials that prove this theory but this is a very popular supplement taken by many cancer sufferers. Cartiladge : Cancer Institute) Aromatherapy is the therapeutic use of essential oils taken from plants, seeds, roots and flowers. It is not usually the aromas of the oils that have healing properties, but the essence or chemical make-up of the oils. This essence is usually rubbed onto the skin or made into a tea. The most common use of Aromatherapy is Vicks Vapor Rub, a blend of c amphor, menthol and eucalyptus oil, which is rubbed onto the chest as a treatment for a stuffy nose or a cold (Aromatherepy : Cancer Institute). Manipulative and Body-Based Practices This is based on manipulating or moving one or more body parts as in chiropractic treatments, osteopathic manipulation, physical therapy and massage. Chiropractic uses physical manipulation of the body, especially the spinal column, to relieve pain and aid the body's inner healing power. Chiropractic has come to be more accepted into mainstream medicine in recent years as its effectiveness as a treatment for many conditions including back pain, headaches and sciatica has been demonstrated. It is now the second largest primary health care field in the world. Chiropractic doctors believe that problems with alignment in the spinal column can squeeze nerve endings and pathways, a condition they call subluxation. This squeezing of the nerves causes various ailments and conditions. A chiropractic adjustment of the spinal column, where the spine is re-aligned or straightened will release these nerves which will help the body's innate tendency to heal itself. Chiropractic practitioners earn a Doctor of Chiropractic degree from college and have to pass a state licensing board exam (Chiropractic : NCCAM). Osteopathy is a holistic preventive treatment used to restore balance in the musculoskeletal system. Osteopathic therapists believe that all of the body's systems work together and tension or â€Å"mechanical restrictions† anywhere in the musculoskeletal system can adversely affect other systems and organs in the body (Osteopathy : Natural Medicine Suite 101). Some therapists use osteopathic manipulation, a full-body hands-on technique. Some of the illnesses treated by osteopaths are arthritis, allergies, cardiac diseases, chronic fatigue syndrome, high blood pressure, headaches, digestive disorders and bladder problems. Osteopaths earn a college degree, must complete an internship and residency program and pass State Licensing Board exams. They have the ability to prescribe drugs and perform surgery. Physical Therapy is the treatment of disease and trauma by various physical and mechanical therapies including exercise, heat treatment and massage. It is now so mainstream as to be almost no longer considered an alternative form of medicine. A Physical Therapist is trained to help patients with injuries, paralysis, degenerative diseases, dizziness and other diseases that restrict movement or cause chronic pain. Energy Medicine – Many Eastern non-conventional therapies incorporate the concept of energy fields and universal energy into their mind-body treatments, seeing humans as part of an interconnected, universal energy field. These therapies are sub divided into two types Biofield and Bioelectromagnetic (CAM Overview : NCCAM). Biofield Therapies affect â€Å"energy fields that surround and penetrate the human body† by placing the hands on the body or in or through these fields. Examples include Reiki, Therapeutic Touch, Polarity Therapy and Shiatsu. Reiki is an ancient form of energy healing from Tibet. Reiki therapists place their hands on the chakras as well as major organs and glands to â€Å"channel healing energies†. It is used to treat emotional and mental distress as well as to fine tune â€Å"spiritual focus and clarity†. It is believed that if the patient's spirit is healed the body will heal also. (Reiki : NCCAM) Reiki Masters transfer energy that is universal rather than personal. Reiki practitioners are trained by Reiki Masters, which involves a series of initiations to â€Å"activate the practitioner's healing power†. Therapeutic Touch is a similar treatment based on the ancient art of the laying on of hands. The therapists do not actually touch the patient but hold their hands several inches from the body. The therapist has the ability to identify energy imbalances in the invisible energy fields that surround the human body. Therapists clear the defective energy field and replace it with their own personal energy (What is Theraputic Touch : Theraputic Touch). It is used to help the healing of wounds, promote relaxation, relieve pain and â€Å"ease the dying process†. Shiatsu is a Japanese therapy that developed from traditional Chinese medicine and involves the belief that energy in the body (Chi) flows through channels called meridians, which correspond to various organs in the body (Shiatsu : Holistic Online). Health is governed by five elements: water, fire, earth, wood and metal. The practitioner uses thumbs, hands, forearms, knees and feet to apply pressure to the body, which stimulates the flow of energy and restores balance. Polarity Therapy involves using a light touch that focuses on the spine to balance the body's energy flow. It is based on the theory that everything in nature including the human body is influenced by a â€Å"polarity between positive and negative energy charges† (What is Polarity Therapy : APTA). These energy charges must be in balance in order to prevent illness and pain. Polarity Therapists also use diet and nutrition, polarity yoga and psychological counseling, positive thinking and self-awareness. It is a blend of Western therapies such as chiropractic and osteopathy with eastern therapies that use chakras and the five elements associated with them. Bioelectromagnetic based therapies involves the use of magnets and â€Å"electromagnetic fields, pulsed fields, magnetic fields, or alternating current or direct current fields†. Magnetic Therapy is an ancient therapeutic technique based on the use of magnets on the acupuncture points of the body in order to help the body recuperate, relieve stress and ease pain. The theory is that magnetic fields produced by magnets can penetrate the human body and influence individual cells. The magnetic force stimulates nerves to create a blood flow to swollen and injured areas. Magnets used in this way are also supposed to affect the iron in red blood cells or create an alkaline reaction in the body. There are many magnetic products available that can be taped to the skin, worn in your shoes, as a belt, as jewelry or slept on. Many athletes such as golfers, footballers and tennis players wear magnetic devices to relieve sports related injuries or aches. Magnet therapy is used to treat arthritis, insomnia, headaches and back aches. Sometimes a magnet is incorporated into a copper bracelet, a popular alternative treatment for arthritis sufferers (Use Of Magnets : NCCAM). Those are just a few of the alternative medicines and therapies available today. Many of them are rooted in ancient philosophies and practices. Most of them sound logical and plausible and give hope to people seeking treatment for incurable diseases. Some of them are reputable and accepted forms of treatment, but many are considered quackery. A large percentage of American people use alternative therapies and medicines and the number is growing. Any one of these alternative therapies, no matter how strange they sound, may or may not work for you or me. My general thoughts on Alternative Medicine are that I am one of those people who feels like that if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. A lot of Alternative therapies definitely seem too good to be true. Unfortunately for me, I suffer from arthritis and if my arthritis continues to get worse then I have decided to try some form of alternative medicine because I am tired of the pain and will try anything. It will be interesting to see what type of coverage I will get from my health provider. Fortunately for me I was able to find out some valuable information at the NCCAM website (Paying for CAM : NCCAM). I was able to find out that some forms of CAM are more commonly covered than others and I also learned the importance of asking questions and what questions to ask to CAM and health providers. Hopefully when all is said and done with I will be miraculously healed and a true believer of Alternative Medicine. Bibliography 2007 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) results : NCCAM. (n. d. ). Retrieved 11 25, 2009, from The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine: http://nccam. ih. gov/news/camstats/2007/camsurvey_fs1. htm Acupuncture : NCCAM. (n. d. ). 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