Therapists Role in Gastric Bypass Procedure

A Therapists Role in A Pre-Surgical Interview for a Gastric Bypass Procedure Abstract The purpose of this paper is to determine the role of the psychologist when evaluating a patient seeking a gastric bypass procedure. To this date there is no standard avenue given to those conducting the interview. Due to the limited knowledge of long term success post-surgery a guideline is given for psychologists to follow. Continued research is needed to determine what may be needed in the interview that is not being addressed at this time.A Therapists Role in A Pre-Surgical Interview for a Gastric Bypass Procedure A huge problem in the United States for the average individual is obesity. While traditional weight loss programs are failing and more extreme methods are being used, psychologists are being called upon to determine if individuals are mentally fit to have a procedure called Bariatric surgery (ie, gastric bypass). This procedure is used for populations of people whom are extremely obese . Therefore extremely obese patients are turning to this unconventional method to lose weight.Unlike traditional weight lose methods whose risks are low, gastric bypass procedures have high health risks involved. In order for this surgery to be successful patients need to reframe their thinking after surgery to continue to maintain the weight that is lost due to the procedure. There have been no clear assessment tools psychologists’ use for pre-op assessment but many psychologists are using a standard assessment to determine if the individual is a candidate for bar iatric surgery.Even though a patient may not want to undergo a psychological evaluation it is a necessary criterion in order to undergo this extreme weight loss procedure. The information a psychologist collects in the pre-op procedure is why they are seeking surgery, diet and weight history, what are their habits currently in regard to eating, educating patient that future lifestyle changes associated with behavio r modification therapy, history and current social supports, and any psychiatric symptoms (current and past) (Snyder 2009).The psychologist’s 3 responsibilities during the assessment is to collect a history about the patient, act as an educator providing information to patient about the psychological aspect of the surgery, and the therapist motivating the patient to seek post surgical behavior modification treatment while helping the client deal with emotions that may come up during the evaluation (Snyder 2009). The psychologist’s initial question is the patient’s reason for surgery and what are they hoping to accomplish.The therapist therefore will determine the clients expectations to assess if the client has unrealistic expectations centered around the surgery results (ie. motivation due to only changing physical appearance). The results may suggest the patient may not be a candidate for surgery. Researchers have learned the motivation for surgery should be s trictly for health reasons (Bauchowitz, A. , 2007). Patients that have unrealistic expectations regarding weight loss are prone to issues of depression when the surgery and outcome is not what they expected. The second area assessed is a review of the patients eating habits past and current.Researchers found that clients learned messages from family that were contributing factors to weight gain (ie. eat everything on your plate) (Gibbons, L. M. , et al. , 2006). Psychologists’ also determine if a client has had past failures with diets and if not the client is encouraged to try dieting before seeking surgery. The philosophy behind this way of thinking is due to getting used a healthy lifestyle with food intake. The role of the psychologist here is to educate the patient with what will be needed in the future to maintain their ideal weight.They are warned going back to old behaviors with eating behaviors and habits could result in gaining all their weight back. Also, psycholog ists help the patient if they are dealing with shame for failed diet attempts in the past. Another area of assessment is determining the patient’s current eating behavior. It is important for the therapist to determine the motivation for behavior modification and also seek out eating disordered clients. The patient is also questioned about their plan for exercise post surgery.The biggest finding about non-compliance among failures with post treatment was the lack of motivation for exercise (Snyder 2009). Psychologists also determine if a client is bulimic due to the dangers of a bulimic client can have with gastric bypass procedures. Psychologists at this point educate the patient on the importance of exercise for long term benefits of surgery (Snyder 2009). The psychologist also educates the patient to help them to understand what they are agreeing to when seeking gastric bypass. The therapist also should point out the consequences of going back to the past ifestyle with eat ing behavior (Snyder 2009). Another area of importance is the social network of family and friends the patient has when having surgery. The social network can make or break a patient’s success or failure. Therefore, it is important for the psychologist to understand the patient’s social network in the past and present. Negative consequences of the surgery (ie. affair) can lead to jealousy of the spouse and present sabotaging behavior of the spouse. Therefore it is important for a psychologist to address issues that could present themselves if applicable (Snyder 2009).One of the primary reasons an interview is conducted pre-surgery is to determine if there are any psychiatric disorders that might interfere with success of surgery. Symptoms of anxiety, depression, psychosis, mania, suicidal ideation, substance abuse, history of abuse, family history of mental disorders, and any treatment regarding mental health issues are assessed. An examination called a Mini-Mental Sta tus is given to the patient to determine any psychiatric complications that can present themselves (Fabricatore, Crerand, Wadden , et al. 2006). The MMPI-2 is a psychological test given to pre-surgical candidates for a gastric bypass. This is a way to validate that the psychologist’s assessment interview are the same as compared to the MMPI-2. The psychologist should instruct the client to answer all questions honestly so the test results will be accurate. If the clients’ results show defensiveness with the test results the test may have to be taken again (Walfish, S. , 2007). The Millon Behavior Medicine Diagnostic allows for norms within the population that have undergone surgery.These two tests have been selected for psychologists to use even though there are other tests available. In conclusion, it is important for patients to be assessed before having surgery. The psychologist role is to understand the readiness of a patient and how emotional issues can challenge long term success. The psychologist’s role also is to educate the client on all possible issues that they may face post surgical. Overall, this demonstrates how important a pre-surgical evaluation is needed to increase success for the patient short and long term. References Allison G.Snyder (2009) Psychological Assessment of the Patient Undergoing Bariatric Surgery. The Ochsner Journal: Fall 2009, Vol. 9, No. 3, pp. 144-148. Bauchowitz, A. , L. Azarbad , K. Day , and L. Gonder-Frederick . Evaluation of expectations and knowledge in bariatric surgery patients. Surg Obes Relat Dis 2007. 3 5:554– 558. Devlin, M. U. , J. A. Goldfein , L. Flancbaum , M. Bessler , and R. Eisenstadt . Surgical management of obese patients with eating disorders: a survey of current practices. Obes Surg 2004. 14 9:1252–1257. Fabricatore, A. N. , C. E. Crerand , T. A.Wadden , et al. How do mental health professionals evaluate candidates for bariatric surgery? Survey results. Obes Surg 200 6. 16 5:567–573 Gibbons, L. M. , D. B. Sarwer , C. E. Crerand , et al. Previous weight loss experiences of bariatric surgery candidates: how much have patients dieted prior to surgery? Obesity (Silver Spring) 2006. 14 suppl 2:70S–76S. Walfish, S. Reducing Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory defensiveness: effect of specialized instructions on retest validity in a sample of preoperative bariatric patients. Surg Obes Relat Dis 2007. 3 2:184–188.

Sandy Hook Elementary Paper

On December 14, 2012, 20-year-old Adam Lanza fatally shot twenty children and six adult staff members in a mass murder at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. It was the second deadliest mass shooting by a single person in American history, after the 2007 Virginia Tech Massacre. At some point before Adam Lanza, 20, arrived at school, he killed his mother Nancy Lanza. He grabbed three guns from the house – a semi-automatic AR-15 assault rifle and 2 pistols – and went to the elementary school wearing black fatigues and a military vest. Classes were under way at the school.Approximately 700 students were present (CNN, 2012). Earlier this year, the school principal, Dawn Lafferty, ordered a new security system installed that required visitors to be visibly identified and buzzed in. As part of the security system, the school locked its doors each day at 9:30 a. m. The door was locked when the gunman arrived. Authorities now know the gunman used â€Å"an ass ault weapon† to â€Å"literally (shoot) an entrance into the building (CNN, 2012). When Principal Lafferty heard loud pops, she, school psychologist Mary Sherlach and Vice Principal Natalie Hammond went out to investigate.Only Hammond returned from the hallway alive. She was wounded. At 9:30 a. m. , as announcements were read over the loudspeaker to the students, shots were heard across the school. Students described being ushered into bathrooms and closets by teachers after hearing the first shots (CNN, 2012). Lanza moved toward two classrooms of kindergartners and first-graders, police said. In one classroom was Lauren Rousseau, a substitute teacher who was filling in for a teacher out on maternity leave. The gunman shot all 14 students in the classroom, law enforcement officers said (CNN, 2012).In another classroom, Victoria Soto, 27, moved her first-grade students away from the door. The gunman burst in and shot her, according to the father of a surviving student. Six stu dents were killed in that classroom. At the police station, dispatchers began to take calls from inside the school. Officers say the first emergency call about the shooting came in at 9:30 a. m. Police and other first responders arrived on scene about 20 minutes after the first calls. Police report that no law enforcement officers discharged their weapons at any point.The gunman took his own life, police said. He took out a handgun and shot himself in a classroom as law enforcement officers approached, officials said. Twenty students, ages 6 and 7, and six adults were killed at the school. Police secured the building, ensuring no other shooters were on site. Police then escorted students and faculty out of the building to a nearby firehouse (CNN, 2012). As reports of the shooting made their way around town, frantic parents descended on the firehouse where the children had been taken.By nightfall, the firehouse became a gathering point for parents and family members whose loved ones would never walk out of the school (CNN, 2012). The shootings prompted renewed debate about gun control, the ban of certain types of semi-automatic firearms and magazines as well as the effect violent video games have on society. Senator Dianne Feinstein of California introduced legislation that would ban the sale and manufacture of 157 types of semi-automatic weapons, as well as magazines holding more than 10 rounds of ammunition.The goal of the bill, she said, is â€Å"to dry up the supply of these weapons over time. † Unfortunately Senator Feinstein’s bill was killed in the senate and no gun control laws passed (Steinhauer, 2013). The attention has also turned on restricting violent video games from being sold to children. Researchers found that typical college students who played violent video games for 20 minutes at a time for three consecutive days showed increasingly higher levels of aggressive behavior each day they played.Other researchers have conducted a com prehensive review of 136 articles reporting 381 effects involving over 130,000 participants around the world. These studies show that violent video games increase aggressive thoughts, angry feelings, physiological arousal (e. g. , heart rate, blood pressure), and aggressive behavior. Violent games also decrease helping behavior and feelings of empathy for others. The effects occurred for males and females of all ages, regardless of what country they lived in (Whitaker & Bushman, 2012). The effects of these games go beyond making players more aggressive.People who played first-person shooting games were more accurate than others when firing a realistic gun at a mannequin and more likely to aim for and hit the head. Gender is also an issue when it comes to violence. Males are largely responsible for more than 99% of mass shootings. Being a male does not mean that one will become a killer but being a male in a culture that has some measure of gender inequality and links masculinity wit h violence does make it likely. (Raskoff, 2013) To date, no women have perpetrated such mass killings using guns.Women are usually less socially isolated than men. They are raised to be more connected to others and to share their issues while men are encouraged to figure things out on their own and hold in their emotional distress. (Raskoff, 2013) Social class is also relevant when analyzing why these mass shootings occur. The shooters tend to be young men from middle or upper middle class backgrounds. This could explain the access they have to legal automatic weapons, along with their invisibility to law enforcement and the hyper visibility to the media.Vandalism or acting out behaviors are perceived and dealt with differently at the different social classes. Shootings occur much more in working class or poverty stricken. (Raskoff, 2013) According to recent research, a link has been suggested between anti-depressant pharmaceuticals, depression and violence. Antidepressants are supp osed to make people feel happier and more at ease, but a study has linked several prescription antidepressants to an increased risk of violent behavior, including physical assault and homicide. In addition, they can lead to addiction and serious withdrawal symptoms.The United Kingdom has banned nearly all antidepressants in kids in 2004 due to the increased risk of suicide. The United States, however, is still allowing big Pharmaceutical companies to rake in the profits from these deadly, mind-altering drugs (Dr. Mercola, 2008). Entertainment is also an issue when it comes to violence. According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, television programs display 812 violent acts per hour. Further, the typical American child will view more than 200,000 acts of violence, including 16,000 murders, before they turn 18 (Chou, 2013).According to Jane Brown, a professor at the University of North Carolina, The more violence children see in the media, the more violent vi deo games they play, the more likely they are to be aggressive in their own lives. She adds that watching the movie â€Å"Kill Bill† may not make people want to kill someone in real life, but young people who are naturally aggressive see violence in the media and think it's an appropriate way to solve conflict (Chou, 2013). There are many different factors that contribute to violence and we need to address them in order to curb the amount of murders and shootings in the United States.

Reauthorization Act of the Higher Education Act Research Paper

Reauthorization Act of the Higher Education Act - Research Paper Example The act clarifies in writing that colleges are obliged to use processes that guarantee the security of distance learning students and inform students about any probable extra student fees related to student identity verification, if any, when the student is registering of enrolling. How will this impact the college in terms of instruction, resources, economics, testing, and privacy? The consequence of this authorization is that colleges that are presently offering distance learning programs in all states will have to acquire authorization in each of those states. Authorization agencies at the state level are recognized in all the fifty states and nine U.S. territories. In sixteen states, more than one governing agency exists, bringing the full number of agencies to seventy-six. Since each state and agency has its unique authority to set up unique requirements, standards, and procedures; this procedure will be extremely lengthy and intricate.  The application processes and fees in s ome states are ambiguous; others are exposed to interpretation,  while many are presently under revision or review. It is not in all states that accreditation is required as part of its authorization process and a small number of agencies by now need to be authorized in terms of physical presence. Furthermore, several factors determine where and how to request authorization. These include institutional delivery formats, the type of institution, and the kinds of educational activities that are to be undertaken within the borders of a state. In summary, colleges will have to meet the following requirements going by the act: i. Create a unique username/ password solution in case they have not already done that. (ITC Annual Survey for 2008 found that 96% of institutions report they already do this) ii. Expand past this standard depending on projected accreditation expectations and enhanced solutions. iii. Focus more attention to academic integrity issues. (â€Å"ACE Analysis†, 2008) What technological tools exist to assist with meeting the requirements of this provision? Both high-tech and low-tech technological instruments can be used to meet the requirements of this provision. Studies about biometric student authentication systems show that there are a range of familiar identification technologies existing that might be used (Mann & Ward, 2011). Colleges can use these systems anytime a student logs into the learning administration system, during synchronous lecture sessions and in proctoring circumstances. Some of the high-tech technologies include: †¢iris scanning, †¢fingerprint scanning, †¢keyboard typing cadence, †¢handwriting recognition and †¢speech recognition. In terms of non-biometric authentication, some of the technologies that can be used include: †¢remote, onsite proctors who supervise the students sitting for the exam at the location of the students; †¢ Microphones and web cameras that visually record the surrounding of the student during the examination, including background noise and movements; †¢Ã¢â‚¬Å"out-of-wallet† data withdrawal of private information that necessitates that the students answer personal questions prior to taking the exam or in the course of the exam; †¢verification of IP address verification: this requires students to take their exam on a definite computer; †¢ lockdown browsers that forbid students browsing the internet or using instant messaging applications during the course of the exam (inside a learning administ

Analyze the physiological and psychological reactions to stress Essay

Analyze the physiological and psychological reactions to stress - Essay Example No matter what the intensity of stress, its victim reacts to it physically and emotionally. This paper is going to elaborate: Physiological reactions to stress include high blood pressure, gastrointestinal problems, fluctuations in the chemical composition of body fluids, insomnia, addiction to smoking or alcoholism, and other illnesses. Individuals are apt to show different levels of these physiological responses to a particular stressor (Koslowsky, 1998, p. 90). When an individual is undergoing a stressor, such as, being jammed up in traffic when an exam is going to start in a few minutes, an increased heart rate occurs as a stress-response due to the discharge of certain hormones, like adrenaline and cortisol, into the blood. The individual’s respiratory system takes in extra oxygen. Blood gets thickened and is directed more toward imperative muscles which become tightened in preparation for some unexpected action. When the individual comes out of the stressor, heart rate reduces allowing blood to come to its normal constitution and hormone level gets down to normal. All of these physiological stress-reactions are not independent. These depend on psychological responses, that is, orders given by the nervous system or the sensors of the body. When an individual senses that he is in stress, his brain sends orders through neurons or nerve cells to different parts of the body which brings about changes in the physiology. The individual jammed in traffic senses that he is in great stress, his nervous system accepts these signals and passes them over to the neurons which make the body function accordingly. He tends to be irritable and there is an intense startling response. Another psychological reaction is suffering through nightmares and repeated thoughts or flashbacks about the stressor. Under a stressor like the death of a relative, the psychological responses may include getting shocked,

Essay assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 3

Assignment - Essay Example However, these programs cannot eliminate food insecurity completely. This work represents the project, including the number of strategies, which will help to reduce the rate of food insecurity in the USA. The first measure, which must be included in the program, is an annual monitoring of the state of food security. The forecast of socio-economic development of the country should contain the current and medium-term balance of production and the consumption of basic foodstuffs. This step will give the government an opportunity to predict the gabs in the process of development of the food market and take steps for their elimination. The second measure includes the introduction of the analysis of price and food proportions into the practice of the government in order to increase the volume of agricultural products, raise the investment attractiveness of the industry, ensure its financial sustainability and profitability. An important problem of food security remains the quality of food. The poor areas of the USA are often imported with the products, which are of low quality and do harm to human health. Considering this issue, it is necessary to organize a system of quality control of the imported products for the whole technological chain. The particular attention should be paid to the turnover of raw materials and food products with the high level of genetically modified sources. It is necessary to introduce the measures for stimulation and certification of eco products. At the state level, the government should actively promote healthy nutrition policy. The next measure concerns the building of a strong nutrition safety net. Even those people, who have a good level of income, can face financial troubles, caused by seasonal unprofitability, family conditions and so forth. In this case, it is important for them to be supported by the state authorities by means of the available access to the USDA’s assistance

Capstone Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Capstone Paper - Essay Example The perceptions and norms of society by voters influence their economic performance through affecting policies endorsed by politicians. The Americans value equality of political voice and democracy, while China and Russia tend to prefer socialistic values of communism. Russia’s transition to capitalism has been arduous, while China has undoubtedly embraced capitalism although retain their collectivistic ideologies. This paper will discuss the American, Russian, and Chinese societies within the context of political and economic system. The paper will elaborate on how political, economic, and other ideologies in these societies affect the three societies. The US economic ideologies are blend of capitalism and socialism although the vast continuum of social programs does not conform purely to capitalistic ideologies (Harshaw 1). The Americans tend to value equal political voice and democracy. In fact, the US is aggressively engaged in promoting democracy abroad. Such values are under increased threat amid persistent and increasing inequalities. The disparities in income, wealth, and opportunities are growing more steeply in the US than any other country in the world, with racial and ethnic disparities persisting. The realization of American democratic ideals seemed to have halted, and reversed in some areas. The Civil Rights revolution during the 1950s and 1960s made racial discrimination and exclusion to be socially and legally unacceptable in the American society. This resulted in widespread harmonious participation of whites and blacks in institutions of learning, employment, as well as all forms of civic and political organization s. This revolution has led to recognition of rights of women, with American currently accessing most of same political and economic opportunities as men do. The historically marginalized groups have also acquired rights to full participation within American institutions and tend to demand and enjoy the

Hotel Revenue Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 153

Hotel Revenue Management - Essay Example The assessment should be done from different perspectives, which include customers, organisation, and from the human resource point of view. Evaluation strategy enhances acceptability of the changes and has the potential of improving a quality of services offered. Hotel revenue management is fundamental to success in the competitive hospitality industry. Hotels revenue management implies selling the appropriate room to the best client at the most competitive price on the right supply channel. Hotel rooms are considered as perishable products owing to their limited number. Hence, the satisfaction of customer needs and settling for the right price are the main variables to be considered. Revenue management will strive to achieve equilibrium of demand and capacity by predicting and setting prices that ably maximise the utility of all the resources in the hotel (LegoheÃŒ rel, Poutier and Fyall 2013: 96) Emphasis has to be placed on two very important concepts in hotel revenue management. These are rooms’ revenue per available room (RevPAR) and gross operating profit per available room (GOPPAR). RevPAR is used in analysis as a reflection of revenue accrued per available room. The parameter is got from dividing the net revenue collected from a hotel room and the total number of rooms present in the particular hotel. Besides, the value can be arrived at by multiplication of the daily average room rate (ADR) the occupancy of the room. It is, therefore, able to monitor the performance of the system inventory management of the hotel room. Maximisation of RevPAR is the main objective of hotel managements, thus the trade-off between average rate and occupancy. It is very evident that revenue collected from rooms in the hotel constitutes a large portion of the overall revenue generated. Thus, more emphasis should be placed on revenue management in regards to rooms.

Organizational psychology Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Organizational psychology - Assignment Example Administers process organizational tasks and establish work environments. Leaders are mainly mandated with execution of administrative duties, inspiring supporters and creation of underlying common managerial cultures and tenets (Leonard et al, 2013). While managers deal with the underlying intricacy, leaders deal with initiating and adjusting underlying change (Aamodt, 2013). Leaders are majorly mandated with undertaking tasks that pertain to setting a way or idea, aligning populace to share goals, collaborating and motivating. Approaches of studying leadership in I/O psychology are widely categories into Leader-focused, Contingency-focused and Follower-focused approaches. Leader-focused approaches mainly focus on the organizational leaders in determining the underlying features of real leadership. Trait approach defines effective leaders to being having particular traits that are lacks in the ineffective leaders (Hersen & Thomas, 2003). The approach is mainly utilized in predicting leader emergence. Leader emergence is mainly predicted via analysis of the traits such as high intelligence, elevated desires for dominance, lofty self-motivation and communally perceptive (Aamodt, 2013). Behavioral approach as a leader-focused approach mainly emphases on the prevailing behaviors that differentiate effective from the corresponding ineffective leaders. Two main categories of leadership are contemplation and instigating structure. Behavior that is related with category of consideration pertains depiction of subordinates that they leaders value and care about them (Leonard et al, 2013). Moreover, behaviors that are related to initiating structure entail simpl ification of the task performance of the prevailing groups (Aamodt & Aamodt, 2007). Power and influence is also approach of leader-focused that mainly pertains to the means on how effective leaders influence people in line with the underlying organization’s mission and objectives (Hersen & Thomas, 2003). The degree of influence of a leader relies on the social power and corresponding probable in regard to manipulating their subordinates (Messick & Kramer, 2005). The major foundations of supremacy entail forcible power, authentic power, referent power, reward power and informational power. Leaders normally utilize numerous diverse tactics in manipulating others in their respective organization. The common tactics mainly entail rational inducement, inspiring appeal, session, ingratiation exchange, alliance, individual appeal, and pressure and legitimating (Hersen & Thomas, 2003). Contingency-focused approaches of leadership are the most dominant and are mainly based on the lead er’s efficacy on their capability in assessing and adapting to their behavior. The theories within this approach assume that the prevailing leaders are capable of reading the underlying a circumstance and dexterously employ a leadership style that warrant the individuals connections in behavior task at hand (Lowenberg et al, 1998). The main theories in the Contingency-focused approaches are Fiedler’s Contingency theory that outline that effectiveness of a leader depends on the underlying collaboration amidst their features and corresponding characteristics of the condition (Aamodt & Aamodt,

Active Directory Benefits Essay Example for Free

Active Directory Benefits Essay Active Directory is Microsofts trademarked directory service, an integral part of the Windows 2000 architecture. Like other directory services, such as Novell Directory Services (NDS), Active Directory is a centralized and standardized system that automates network management of user data, security, and distributed resources, and enables interoperation with other directories. Active Directory is designed especially for distributed networking environments. A better representation of the network Centralization sums up my primary reason for implementing Active Directory. The Active Directory structure makes it possible for you to achieve truly centralized management of users, regardless of how big your client’s network has become. If youve worked with Windows NT before, you know that in Windows NT a domain is a completely independent entity. While its possible to create a trust relationship between domains that exist on a common network, the domains are never truly integrated with each other because there is no higher authority that manages the domains. Forests Active Directory uses domains, but rather than each domain remaining independent, you can place multiple domains in an AD forest. This brings the entire network under the control of a single domain that oversees the others. AD allows an administrator of a forest to administer multiple domains, reducing cost and complexity while providing greater security. This also can help to reduce the number of domain controller servers in the organization. User Management Active Directory forest architecture allows communication between domains and facilitates centralized user management. The users in one domain are known to the forest domain controller, improving the flexibility of user credential management. This allows much more flexibility for employees who must travel from site to site, each with its own domain. An employee in Domain A that travels to Domain B can just log in with his normal  credentials and gain access to his network resources. Organizational Units The Active Directory structure includes support for organizational units (OU) that represent business units within the organization. AD allows an administrator to delegate some amount of authority for administering organization units. For example, an AD administrator can delegate the authority to reset passwords to the administrative assistant in the Sales department OU. This relieves the network administrator and the help desk of spending time on routine tasks. Rights Management AD provides Rights Management Services to protect files and other resources from unauthorized access. Administrators grant file access and control rights for authorized users and unauthorized users are prevented from accessing those files. This is an essential feature for organizations that require higher levels of security

Yellowstone National Park Essay Example for Free

Yellowstone National Park Essay â€Å"Leisure, in its broadest sense, provides an excellent lens through which we can better understand contemporary Western society’s relationships with nature. † Such a thesis can be best understood through a socio-cultural exploration of the complex relationship of man with nature, and how it has evolved through time. Engaging the literature reveals that there is NO singular ‘nature’ as such, only a diversity of contested natures each â€Å"constituted through a variety of socio-cultural practices from which such natures cannot be plausibly separated† (Macnaghten and Urry, p. 1). For Williams (1972) the idea of ‘nature’ contains an enormous amount of human history, of which the current understanding derive from a complicate array of ideas, linked to may concepts of Western thought (i. e. modernity, democracy, romanticism, etc. ) The ways in which has historically been made singular, abstract and then personified provides key insights on how people thought about themselves, their place in the world, their relationships with each other and the land, their sense of general power and powerlessness in the shaping of their lifeworlds (Macnaghten and Urry, p. 8). In understanding human-nature relationships, a popular theme appears to be religious in tone – the Christian interpretation of the Genesis story. From Merchant (2003), one gets the idea that mankind’s attempt to return to Eden has been a driving force behind Western culture. In the Age of Enlightenment, this manifested in the European zeal to discover new territory, and transforming it into a new paradise through colonization (Adams and Mulligan, 2003; Merchant, 2003) From the patriarchal white European perspective, the New World is depicted as a hapless female in need of rescue. This narrative derived from the story of the Fall of Adam and Eve has been to the detriment of women and people of color (Merchant, 2003; Gibson, 2002). From an environmental frame, we are faced with the message that man ‘screwed up’ paradise, we’re still falling and if we don’t get our act together, things are bound to get worse and we instead get hell on earth (Rees, 2003) – as if we are witnessing endless reruns of Lord of the Rings’ â€Å"The Two Towers† or Star Wars’ â€Å"The Empire Strikes Back. † On the other hand, the mainstream frame on nature maintains that though we did make terrible blunders in managing resources, weve also accomplished a lot for human progress in terms of innovation, technology, and hard work (Porritt, 2005; Boyden, 2004) – a grace-saving â€Å"Return of the King† or â€Å"Return of the Jedi,† of sorts. Images of and references to nature as female, particularly as a â€Å"Mother,† are also found in popular culture. Roach (2003) uses three approaches – gender studies, psychoanalysis, and theology – to unearth the meanings behind the â€Å"Mother Nature† theme, which according to her are generally three: good mother (nurturing and life-giving), bad mother (i. e. gendered references to natural disasters), and hurt mother (repair-based pattern of reconnecting to nature). She illustrates the â€Å"bad mother† motif using an advertisement for the Nissan Pathfinder (a sport utility vehicle), urging the consumer to control your mother, as the SUV helps you control just about anything Mother Nature throws your way. The advertisement’s underlying message is the human conquest of nature and in a gendered manner, the male conquest of females, common throughout Western history and tradition: from Pandora and Eve’s fall from grace, to the Salem witch trials and Sigmund Freuds view of women as ‘morally inferior,’ among others. Movies have also shaped our perception of nature – the untamed, vengeful mother – as evidenced by the popularity of film genres with man-hunting beasts such as â€Å"Jaws† (a great white shark terrorizing a New England town) and â€Å"Anaconda† (a monstrous snake strikes a travelling party deep in the heart of the Amazon). On the other hand, films such as â€Å"Free Willy† tend to highlight Mother Nature’s nurturing side, as the young troubled boy Jesse befriends and develops a bond with fellow orphan Willy, an orca whale in the park aquarium. At the same time these films bring attention to the plight of endangered animals in the wild, and the need for humans to help and protect these creatures. Cartoons and animation targeting the young audience also have a consistent roster of animal characters – think of old Yogi Bear in Yellowstone National Park, Simba the Lion King in the plains of Africa, and more recently Nemo and his underwater exploits. In the end, Roach (2003) argues for the need to draw on other possible images for nature, including the home, as coupling nature too closely to gender affects both feminist and environmental causes negatively, to a certain degree. Cable channels such as Animal Planet, Discovery Channel and National Geographic also provide regular in-depth nature-oriented programs. In a way, these help inform and familiarize today’s largely urban-based generation with nature and ‘the wild,’ and are also powerful means of getting the environmental message across: we need to help save our planet, stop the destruction of ecosystems and protect endangered species. Music is also one influential component in garnering support for the environmental movement. Global concerts in support of environmental causes and projects feature top performers and tend to draw young crowds, such as the 2007 â€Å"Live Earth† concert series initiated by former US Vice-president Al Gore to bring attention to climate change. Overall, the utilization of mass media and technological advances help bring nature closer to people. A recent development is what has been referred to as ‘wildlife tourism,’ based on encounters with non-domesticated animals (Higginbottom, 2004). Tourism is recognized as a very large global business enterprise because people seem to really like travelling. And exotic places, where encounters with wildlife provide people new experiences, stimulate their emotions, and create different impressions, are fast gaining popularity. Wildlife tourism is a fairly recent, specialized aspect of this tourism phenomenon. From a historical perspective, only a generation or two ago, peoples encounter with animals was virtually everyday, with wildlife ubiquitous in the countryside. Today, visions of nature in its gloriously natural state are made available through television. Electronics is now the standard medium for people to experience the wild. Though people may not necessarily be physically in touch with nature, they might be connected mentally to certain aspects of wildlife. Thus in this way, wildlife tourism offers an opportunity to people to get closer to the virtual reality of experiencing nature as our ancestors did. Wildlife tourism provides urbanites the chance to renew their relationship with nature the promise of a different thrill when one faces lions in a safari, or scuba-diving and swimming with whale-sharks in the Pacific. In view of large-scale habitat destruction in the name of progress and development, wildlife tourism provides an essential appeal for governments to help conserve biodiversity. Wildlife tourism now appears to be an important phenomenon, one that has both negative and positive impacts on animals affected by such activities. Negative effects can be in short-term physiological/behavioral changes in individual animals or long-term, i. e. increasing mortality of entire populations which in turn affect the ecosystem. Thus, there is a need for wildlife tourism to be properly managed in a sustainable manner, so as to minimize the impact of animals and their ecosystems. Though people often assume that wildlife tourists tend to empathize with conservation efforts, even they can cause damage, as well as socially and environmentally irresponsible wildlife tour operators. Wildlife tourism is a modern form of leisure, one that augurs well for sustainable development if it could be properly managed and regulated. On a parting note, leisure in its various forms is shaped by our relationship with nature; particularly the way we interact with it, as influenced by our own understanding of nature and how it relates to human existence. Bibliography Adams, W. M. and Mulligan, M. eds. 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