Plastic Bags Good or Bad

People have argued about the use of plastic bags for a long time. The arguments for both sides seem to have more and more reasons every time. I believe that plastic bags are great for many reasons. Plastic bags convenient and take up less space in landfills than a paper bag. Plastic bags are an inelastic good. Replacing it would not be easy to do. Plastic bags are super convenient. They have many good things about them. They are light weight so it is easy to transport them and carry them. They are also cheap so we can afford to have all of them. They may be wasteful to some, but they are more helpful then they are wasteful.We can switch to a more expensive, less durable, product, or we can use plastic, an item that is extremely convenient that boast of heavy benefits. Another key feature of plastic bags is the fact that they take up less space in landfills than a paper bag. People complain about how plastic bags take up so much space and we should stop using them and switch to paper. But the facts show that a plastic bag takes up a lot less space. Official sources have stated so. If it takes up less space in landfills than the other main type of bag, why would we want to switch to something that takes up more space? It just seems totally pointless to do so.Plastic bags are here to stay. They are convenient and pollute a lot less than other bags so this makes them an inelastic good because we simply cannot find a more suitable replacement. They say to stop using plastic and to switch to other products, but I think it is a truly wonderful material. It is used to make things cheaper, lighter, and more durable. It is a staple in America, being used in everything from my surfboards to the very computer I am using to type this. The price and the uses of plastic is just too great to get rid of, so I believe that deserves to be the dominate material in society.

John Locke Short Introduction Essay

John Locke, who is widely known as the Father of Liberalism, is a great writer, philosopher and physician of the 17th century. He was born on 29 August 1632 and died on 28 October 1704 when he was 72. He was baptized on the same day as he was born. He was a gifted man and David Hume once described him as â€Å"wrote like a water-drinking local councilor, his style ungainly, his idioms commercial, his imagination puritanical, his humor labored, his purposes wholly practical. † As he is a talented thinker and uses different perspectives to see and think on certain things, he revolutionized the Theory of Mind to the world in his masterpiece, â€Å"An Essay Concerning Human Understanding†. On the other hand, he also developed the idea of liberty among people in society. His contributions to the world are incredible as his ideas of social contract and state of nature laid the theoretical foundation of the Constitutions of the United States of America. In Locke’s life, he came from a very intelligent and faithful Baptist family that gave him a good education and took him to a good school — Christ Church, Oxford. Though he studied medicine but not philosophy or other critical thinking courses, he met prominent people (e. g. Robert Boyle, Thomas Wills) who inspired him immensely in every perspective. One eminent scholar was Thomas Sydenham, who imposed a huge impact on the idea of how man accumulates knowledge. Thanks to Sydenham, Locke wrote one of his famous works – â€Å"An Essay Concerning Human Understanding†. Thomas Sydenham gave advice to Locke in treating Shaftesbury’s liver cancer. Locke realized in the file of Shaftesbury that knowledge in a book could be different from the circumstances Locke was facing. Hence, he raised the pivotal question in his essay: â€Å"Is the foundation of knowledge based on theory or experience? † This essay stimulated several fresh ideas to philosophers in the 17th century. One of the famous philosophers who were greatly influenced by Locke was David Hume, who described John Locke as a magnificent man. After Shaftesbury survived from the liver cancer, he became Lord Chancellor and led Locke to be involved in the field of politics. In the political struggle of Shaftesbury, Locke assisted him by writing another famous work – â€Å"Two Treatises of Government†. It is believed that the ideas mentioned in the essay were influenced by Hobbes’ thinking, but Locke never referred or mentioned the name of Hobbes. Locke countered the statements raised by Hobbes in the book of Leviathan that â€Å"everyone is living in terror† and â€Å"war of every man against every man†. Locke raised a counter statement that everyone is created equally and everyone in society has rights to fight for their life, freedom and property. To accomplish it, we shall hold together and grant greater power to protect ourselves. This also explains how civilization works. The original purpose of this piece is an argument to attack Shaftesbury’s opponents (supporters of Absolute Monarchy). However, the ideas of natural rights and a new reformation of government mentioned inside the essay are recognized as the most influential ideas on the political system in the 17th century. The basis of liberty was widely used by the founding fathers of the United States of America to write the American Declaration of Independence and the Constitutions. The influences of John Locke did not just stop in the 17th century. They still last today. Every time we hear about liberty and freedom, the basis of these concepts had been defined by Locke clearly. Besides, the issue of free religion which is still discussed nowadays was also originated by Locke. The theory of religious tolerance was one of the most controversial ideas during Locke’s lifetime. In this perspective, some historians even regarded the European War as the war between religions. In some statements made by Locke, he argued human knowledge was possibly false unless there was definite proof. By the same token, he considered that religion, which did not have clear proof, was possibly false. Because of this, religious tolerance was necessary. Religious tolerance is still being debated nowadays and it has greatly changed the outlook of modern society after this idea was promulgated. Locke’s life was a legend. He was born in a Baptist family and his writings are full of elements related to Christianity. From the statement of â€Å"All men are created equally†, it clearly shows Locke’s belief in the perspective of equality. Besides, he was also greatly influenced by the idea of knowledge. He questioned the fundamental of knowledge and questioned whether knowledge is true as always. I believe he wrote such ideas because of his experience in the treatment of Shaftesbury’s cancer that led him to start questioning that the things he had learned from the medical books were not really practical. Instead, to him, they were much more proper to be described as imaginary notions. From this perspective, he was inspired to write the essay concerning human understanding. Besides, Locke also influenced the world and created waves of revolutionary ideas in many fields. The great philosophers Voltaire and Rousseau were deeply inspired by Locke’s theories. Ultimately, Locke – Father of Liberalism – was not simply a gifted person born to be the father of liberalism, but also because of circumstances, situations which he encountered in his life to make him the father of liberalism.

Nursing and Reflective Practice Essay

â€Å"Reflection is not just a thoughtful practice, but a learning experience†. (Jarvis 1992) This is a reflection on an incident that occurred during a shift on the labour ward. I have chosen Gibbs model of reflection (1988) to guide my reflective process. (Gibbs 1998) (Appendix I). Gibbs model (1998) goes through six important points to aid the reflective process, including description of incident, feelings, evaluation, analysis, conclusion and finally action plan. The advantage of Gibbs’s six-stage model is that it allows you to learn from experiences and make changes for your future practice. Description The incident involves the administration of a wrong opiate drug to a postnatal patient. The incident occurred whilst checking and administering a controlled drug. The drug error was discovered by the co-ordinator at the end of the day shift. During the daily checking of the controlled drugs, the co-ordinator and another midwife, found a discrepancy with the number of Diamorphine 10mg and Morphine 10mg ampoules, there being one too many Morphine 10mg ampoules and one too few of the Diamorphine 10mg ampoules. Myself, as the midwife checking the drug, along with the midwife who administered the Diamorphine to her patient, were the only midwives to have administered a controlled drug on the shift. The drugs were correct on the previous daily check. Feelings On being informed of the error my initial feelings were of disbelief and horror. I was confused; two midwives had checked the drug and neither of us noted the mistake. I felt very upset and embarrassed that I had made this mistake, since qualifying as a midwife I have never made such an error. When the error was highlighted I instantly remembered checking Diamorphine and mixing the drug with 2mls of water for injections, I remembered talking to the other midwife concerned about personal affairs. I felt ashamed that I had allowed myself be distracted during such an important task. I was very angry that I had allowed myself to become complacent about drug administration. The Code States that midwives shall, â€Å"provide a high standard of practice and care at all times†, (NMC 2008), I felt that I had not only failed the patient but the profession too. I started to worry about the potential effects to the patient concerned. The Standards for Medicine Management, (NMC 2010), states â€Å" as a registrant, if you make an error you must take any action to prevent any potential harm to the patient†. The patient had suffered no real harm as a result of the dug error and she was recovering well post-operatively. Evaluation The main advantage regarding this incident is that the patient concerned came to no serious harm. Personally, I feel that I have learnt from the experience, thus enhancing my clinical practice. Gladstone (1995) agrees that planning problem solving strategies and accepting responsibility is found to lead to positive changes. This incident has highlighted the need for vigilance at all times. I have changed my practice to avoid drug errors occurring in the future, I am aware not to be complacent with drug administration. I will never let this or any other incident occur due to lack of concentration again in my practice. Analysis Drug administration is one of the highest risk areas of nursing practice and a matter of considerable concern for both managers and practitioners (Gladstone 1995). Consequently, detailed and comprehensive procedures and standards exist, thus ensuring safe, legal and effective practice, for example of the Medicines Act (1968) and NMC’s Guidelines for the Administration of Medicines (2007). The Consumer Protection Act 1987 and Medicines Act 1968 require that to administer medication, the practitioner has to ensure that the right medication is given, to the right patient, at the right time, in the right form of the drug, at the right dose and right route. Nursing & Midwifery Council’s Code of Professional Conduct (2004) emphasises the administration of medication is an area of concern for public safety, and generally follow the principles laid down by law. The NMC also publish the appropriate guidelines for nurses on the administration of medicines (NMC 2004). The Standards for Medicine Management (NMC 2010) states that I am â€Å"accountable for your actions and omissions†. This incident has highlighted the need for vigilance at all times. Rule 7 of the Midwives Rules and Standards (NMC2004), states that â€Å"A practising midwife shall only supply and administer those medicines, including analgesics, in respect of which she has received appropriate training as to us, dosage and method of administration†. Although the local policy and procedures were followed, it seems that unintentionally the incorrect drug was administered. As a registered midwife I am up to date with all training, I have never before in my practice made a drug error. Research studies demonstrate that many drug errors within clinical practice occur as a result of distractions on the ward, illegible writing or because nurses failed to check the patient’s name-band (Gladstone 1996). The incident discussed demonstrates how easily practitioners can become distracted when checking and administrating drugs. With regard to reporting drug errors, (Webster and Anderson 2002) found that several areas of concern emerged, including nurses’ confusion regarding the definition of drug errors and the appropriate actions to take when they occurred. Nurses also reported their fear of disciplinary action and the loss of their clinical confidence. The Guidelines for the Administration of Medicine by the Nursing and Midwifery Council advises that an open culture exists in order to encourage the immediate reporting of errors or incidents in the administration of medicines. It also advises that nurses who have been made the subject of local disciplinary action, has discouraged the reporting of incidents which is detrimental to patients. Furthermore, all errors and incidents have a thorough investigation at local level, taking into account the full context of the circumstances, which requires sensitivity (NMC 2004). To learn from our mistakes, Williams (1996) believes we first need to acknowledge that we have made them. As mistakes in a professional capacity do happen, these mistakes need to be used as a learning experience to reflect upon and to therefore avoid them from happening again. Conclusion As discussed previously, the administration of medicines is a vital part of the midwives role. Drug error is costly in terms of increased hospital stay, resources consumed and patient harm (Webster and Anderson 2002). A study by Kapborg (1999) showed that the most common errors among nurses were administration of the wrong drug and levels of drugs administered exceeding the prescribed ones. Action Plan From my experiences of the incident, I have learnt a valuable lesson. I no longer allow myself to be distracted from other members of staff, patients or relatives when I am in the process of administering medication. During this time I only have discussions with the patient to whom which I am given them their medication. I realise the seriousness of my error and I have since read literature to educate myself, the important of not repeating the same mistake again. My reflective practice has encompassed critical analysis of my self-awareness. Through this process, I have been able to learn from my mistake. The drug error incident has been a learning curve and I now feel that I have improved my practice and became a better midwife, thus improving patient care. REFERENCE LIST Alderman, C. (1999). The drug error nightmare. Nursing Standard. Vol.11(25) pp.24-25. Atkins S., Murphy K. (1993). Reflection: a review of the literature. Journal of Advanced Nursing. Vol.18. pp.1188-1192. Armitage, G. and Knapman, H. (2003). Adverse events in drug administration. Journal of Nurse Management. Vol.11(2). pp.130-140. Benner, P. (1982). From novice to expert. American Journal of Nursing. Vol.82. pp. 402-407. Boud, D., Keogh, R. and Walker, D. (1985). Reflection: Turning Experience into Learning. London: Kegan Press. Clarke, M. (1994). Action and reflection: practice and theory in nursing. Journal of Advanced Nursing. Vol.11. pp.3-11. Department of Health. (2004). Building a Safer NHS for Patients: Improving Medication Safety. London: Department of Health. Dzik-Jurasz, D. (2001). A development programme for nurses. Nursing Times. Vol. 97. pp. 14. Gibbs, G. (1988). Learning by doing: A guide to teaching and learning methods. Further Education Unit, Oxford: Oxford Polytechnic. Goff, A. (1995). Reflective practice – what is it? A Literature review. British Journal of Nursing. Vol. 11. pp.24-29. Gladstone, J. (1995). Drug administration errors: a study into factors underlying the occurrence and reporting of drug errors in a district general hospital. Journal of Advanced Nursing. Vol. 22. pp. 628-37. Gladstone, J. (1996). Discipline fears mean drug errors are going unreported. Nursing Standard. Vol.10(2) pp. 4-10. Griffith, R. (2003). Administration of medicines part 1: the law and nursing. Nursing Standard. Vol.18(2) pp.47-54. Hainsworth, T. (2004). Improving medication safety. Nursing Times. Vol.100. p.7. Hibberd, J.M. and Norris, J. (1992). Striving for safety; experiences of nurses in a hospi tal under siege. Journal of Advanced Nursing. Vol.17. pp.487-495. James, C. and Clarke, B. (1994). Reflection practice and nursing: issues and implications for nurses today. Nurse Education Today. Vol 14. pp.82-90. Jarvis, P. (1992). Reflective practice and nursing. Nurse Education Today. Vol.12. pp174.181. Jasper, M. (2003). Beginning reflective practice: foundation in nursing and health care. Nelson Thornes: Cheltenham. Johns, C. (1995). Framing learning through reflection within Carper’s fundamental ways of knowing in nursing. Journal of Advanced Nursing Vol. 22 pp. 226-234. Kapborg, I. (1999) The nurse’s role in drug handling within municipal health and medical care. Journal of Advanced Nursing. Vol.30 p.950. Mayne, W., Jooton, D., Young, B., Marland, G., Harris, M., Lyttle, C.P. (2004) Enabling students to develop confidence in basic clinical skills. Nursing Times. Vol. 100(24) pp. 36-39. McNulty, L. (1999). Time to learn lessons from drug errors. Nursing Standard . Vol. 13(16) pp. 6-12. Newell, R. (1992). Anxiety, accuracy and reflection: the limits of professional development. Journal of Advanced Nursing. Vol.17. pp. 1326-1333 Newell, R. (1994). Reflective practice: an art and science. Nurse Education Today. Vol. 14 pp. 79-81. Nursing and Midwifery Council. (2004). Code of Professional Conduct. London: NMC. Nursing and Midwifery Council. (2004). Guidelines for the administration of medicines. London: NMC. Oborne, C.A., Burgess, V., Cavell, G., Colwill, S., Williams, R. (2002). Annonymous reporting of drug-related errors: application of a modified secondary care model in a community pharmacy setting. The Pharmaceutical Journal. Vol.268. pp. 101-103. O’Shea, E. (1999). Factors contributing to medical errors – a literature review. Journal of Clinical Nursing. Vol.8 p.496. Royal College of Nursing. (2006). Majority of drug errors made by nurses. Nursing Standard. Vol.20(30) p.10. Shephard, M. (2002). Medicines. Nursing Times. Vol. 98(16). pp.45-48. Smith, A. (2005). Reflective practice: a meaningful task for students. Nursing Standard. Vol.19(26) pp.33-37. Sprengel, A. (2004). Reducing Student Anxiety by Using Clinical Peer Mentoring With Beginning Nursing Students. Nurse Education Today. Vol.29(6) pp.246-250. Webster, C. S. and Anderson, D. J. (2002). A practical guide to the implementation of an effective incident reporting scheme to reduce medication error on the hospital ward. International Journal of Nursing Practice. Vol.8 p.176. White, C. (2000). Dummy run. Nursing Times Vol. 96(13) pp. 28-30. Wilkinson, J. (1996). Definiti on of reflective practice. (17th Edition). Edinburgh, Churchill Livingstone.

Fiber Optic Cable use in the European Market Annotated Bibliography

Fiber Optic Cable use in the European Market - Annotated Bibliography Example Moreover, the study has also found that the technology has been improved since the use of fiber optic cables was first introduced. Fiber optic cables have also been the favored choice of communication for Europeans as it has been found that they are able to handle all forms of services with optimum efficiency1. This article says that the optic fiber cable network in Europe offers speeds of up to 10 gbps and is capable of providing as many as 80 channels per cable. The additional motivation behind the heavy use has been the provision of closer spacing of transmission signals both within the frequency as well as the time domains. Fiber optic cables are also capable of transmitting over very long distances (in the range of 500-1500 kilometers) without the need for any form of regeneration midway. In fact, the study of Electronicast suggests that it is the pressure for increasing bandwidth that as been fueling the need within networking companies to opt for the fiber cabling option. The article further states that the trend has also been encouraging fresh research into developing and producing cables with higher speeds and bandwidths2. This article from min... This article from mindbranch has highlighted that the increase in demand for fiber optic cables within Europe has put a huge stress on the supply capability of manufacturers and delays up to periods of up to 1-1.5 years of less are very common. However, in anticipation of this demand and supply imbalance, some of the major network companies have entered into agreements with cable manufacturers that assures them of a periodic and timely supply of fiber optic cables during the agreement period. This has in a way helped the major industry players in getting over the problem of cable shortage. Network service providers in Europe have also sensed this problem and have given importance to the future increase in network traffic. In order to be able to cut down on the costs, they have resorted to using only a portion of the network bandwidth and have left the other parts unutilized so that they can provide for cables with higher speeds in the future without any major overhaul of the existing cabling. With an increasing demand, the total worth of optical fiber cabling in Europe will rise to $20 billion by 2010, up from the $10 billion as on 20053. Yankee (2006), a long look at optical transport: Ultra long haul and submarine systems. New York: Yankee group. It is also worth mentioning about a short article from the Yankee group that has provided information on the nature and volumes of optic fiber cables in Europe. According to them, the total length of fiber optic cables installed in Europe has increased tremendously, with Western Europe accounting for a 22% increase, which was even more than the whole of north America put together. This suggests that the use of fiber optic cables has been more preferred in Europe. Estimates put the rate at 10% by

Can technology replace classroom teachers Essay

Can technology replace classroom teachers - Essay Example With the use of technology, people can obtain information very easily. Social media allows people to stay in contact with each other virtually and exchange information. However, there are many people who believe that development of technology can destroy social life of people. Traditional classroom teachers are very important in the life of children as they are role model for children. Classroom teachers help students understand about a subject in detail. Textbooks and traditional blackboard education helps students understand and learn subjective matters in an appropriate manner. Teachers believe that modern schools install projectors in class room that makes education process simple and teachers need to work less however there are some students, who pay less attention and are unable to cope-up with the teachings. This essay will discuss about the positive and negative impacts of technology and discuss whether they are a threat to classroom teachings. According to the present education system, the influx of technology means that there would be a greater need for teachers. Technology has various positive implications in the society. It is believed that with the advancement of technology people will have a comfortable and safe life whereas some people dispute the fact and imagine growth of technology can lead to extinction of human life. In the modern classrooms, teachers are expected to use technology while teaching. Almost a decade back, classroom education was mandatory and students were taught about subjective facts via textbooks only. Teachers used blackboards to explain students about subjective knowledge. In the modern classrooms most of the knowledge providing equipment is digitalized. Usage of projector instead of blackboard is one of the most common examples that students experience while they are taught in classes (Clemmitt 14). Moreover, introduction of social media

The Evolution of Technology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Evolution of Technology - Essay Example In the early 1990’s Internet has revolutionized the world. Communication is being made at the speed of light. E-commerce is the result of the Internet. Instead of outdoor shopping, many people are purchasing goods through the Internet. Human beings are different from another animal, that’s why they are called as social animals. This is because they can think and most importantly can communicate easily with each other. To reduce the gap between geographical areas and the curiousness of man to know what’s on the side has made him invent different things.Thousands of years ago they started communicating with each other. In 3500BC alphabets were invented in the written form. This helped in the introduction of postal service. This way communication between different parties was made. But for long distances it became difficult.The Chinese invented paper and the book came by 100AD. Slowly all the writings were entered into the books. Books were best for storing informat ion for a long time without causing much damage. Newspapers were introduced into the Europe by 1450AD. Newspapers were the best way to know about the issues happening nationwide. Joseph Henry invented the first telegraph in 1831. With the help of telegraph, information was passed much quicker compared to others in those times. The biggest invention of the 19th century was the telephone. Nowadays we can’t imagine the world without a telephone. Slowly one after the other motion picture, the radio, television, computers, etc., were invented.... With the help of telephone communication between people became much faster. Nowadays we can't imagine the world without a telephone. Slowly one after the other motion picture, radio, television, computers, etc., were invented.In early centuries transportation was carried out with the help of bullock carts, horses and other means. For short distances they were effective but were not that much of help for long distances. Slowly as the centuries gone by many different transport systems were invented and introduced into the market. Ships, trains and automobiles revolutionised the transport system. Long distance travelling was made safer and much better than the earlier ones. Ships and trains were not only used for transporting passengers but also used for transporting large cargo. These transporting systems were very much comfortable to the passengers. Biggest achievement during industrial revolution was the introduction of trains. Railroads played major role for the success. Many railroads were laid across different countries. With invention of steam engine trains were travelling at much higher speeds. Long distances were covered in short periods. Nowadays bullet trains were introduced. They travel at a speed of more than 400 km/h. Here space was covered at fast pace. We could say that time and space was collapsing. One of the biggest inventions of 20th century was the aeroplane. The Wright brothers were the first to invent it. Slowly after making many modifications it was used for transportation. To be airborne an aeroplane has to travel at a speed of more than 90 km/h. Now jumbo jets are used for transporting people. A single jumbo jet can transport more than 300 passengers. And these can move more than 1000 km/h. Concorde can

Efficiency Of The Work Of The Allstate Insurance Company Term Paper

Efficiency Of The Work Of The Allstate Insurance Company - Term Paper Example Necessary knowledge and skills apply in this process, thereby measuring just how much the program is set to work out in favor of the company. In the context of this company, the idea of this condition is down packed. Current job skills and expertise in the company is highly evaluated in the present times in relation to the goals, mission, and objectives of the company. Advancement program for employee skills and expertise is operational, training of workers put in place as well as mentoring services. Creative and critical skill development is therefore at the disposal of workers, and opportunities for advancement are therefore created. As much as the condition here is hectic to functionalize, it clarifies the firm’s goals and initiates efficiency in the operations of the company (Andreas, 1998). Difficult goals call for maximum attention and analysis over time. This is the second's step towards achieving functional goal-setting procedures. The employees must be upfront at all times in regard to the attainment of these difficult goals. Employees focus on their work has been enhanced in this company by the fact there is a childcare unit in the company. The childcare units are favorable to the users since they offer care discounts for the parents. Over and above this fact, Allstate uses other means to keep the workers focused on the goals of the firm. These means are: offering dry cleaning services as well as oil-change services. It is therefore little or no time wasted by the employees during work hours when they need the aforementioned services. Day breaks allow the parents to see their children without wasting so much time. They can, therefore, work as required by the company (Hellriegel & Slocum, 2011). Goal achievement progress needs to be monitored at each point in time, and necessary feedback toward such progress reported from time to time.