Muslim Women in Medieval Spain Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1

Muslim Women in Medieval Spain - Essay Example wholly foreign race professing a strongly hostile religion took over the country, a totally alien language became the official tongue, a completely novel culture was imposed on the population. Entire sections of the peasantry and the urban à ©lite deserted their Catholic faith and embraced Islam. By the tenth century the territory called Al-Andalus was a country with a solid Muslim majority, and had become the single most powerful and civilized state in western Europe. The Moorish state was never so integrated or unified that it crushed out the cultures that had preceded it (Collins 43). None the less, Islamic culture itself became so imbedded in the Hispanic mentality that it ceased to be alien and became an ineffaceable and authentic part of peninsular history. In Medieval Spain women obtained an important role and had more rights and freedoms in contrast to Christian women and their position in society. In Medieval Spain, the subjected Christian population was usually treated with the limited religious tolerance customary to Islam. Occasional persecution was matched by outbreaks of religious zeal on the part of the conquered. Those who held fast to their faith were called Mozarabs, Christian in belief but Arabized in culture and language. Their numbers, however, shrank, and their faith itself became diluted with novel beliefs and heresies. Many were attracted by the higher quality of Islamic culture. The principal episcopal see, Toledo, once the Visigothic capital, found itself isolated as the sees of the Christian north freed themselves from its jurisdiction. Despite these drawbacks, Mozarabism remained a vitally important phenomenon (Carr 64). It represented a profound dialogue between Muslim and Christian civilization, and retained enough of an identity to prepare the way for an eventual re, conversion of the lands which the Muslims had made their own. Dillard (1993): â€Å"The settlement charters, drawn up by king or count to attract settlers who would defend

Biological Anthropology - Bipedalism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Biological Anthropology - Bipedalism - Essay Example Disadvantages are that the eyes are now further from the ground, so further away from tracks being followed, or from low growing food. Also, by standing tall, the person is more likely to be seen at a distance by enemies and predators. As hominids moved out of Africa into cooler climates they were at a disadvantage as more of the body surface was exposed to colder weather. The Dikika infant was a three year old (Sloan) member of the Australopithecus afarensis group, and was found encased within Ethiopian sandstone. The baby is apelike in her upper body, but human like below the waist. She is very small, and is likely to have been carried a lot of the time. Her skull supports only the same space that a three year old chimp’s brain would, so, in evolutionary terms, bipedalism seems to have come before great brain development. Jenk describes how some argue that the ape like, tree climbing facilities exhibited in this specimen may simply be inherited, and were not necessarily used. Others say that these creatures used both humanoid bipedalism and ape like methods of locomotion. This is the skeleton of a very young child. This means that the skeleton does not exhibit the changes that would have occurred in an adult, because certain muscles were being used in preference to others. What is needed is a complete adult skeleton before a definitive answer can be arrived at with regard to the preferred method of

What does a baby need in order to give it a good start in life Essay

What does a baby need in order to give it a good start in life - Essay Example This essay looks at these essential needs of a baby, by way of gathering supportive evidence from the Ria and Flynn text book and from other relevant scholarly sources. One cannot overstate the fact that babies should be treated with utmost care. It is true that their scope of expression is very limited, but they are capable of feeling and showing basic human emotions of happiness, sadness. It is the responsibility of the caretakers of the baby to keep the baby happy at all times by suitably responding to its calls of distress. More importantly, the baby is capable of feeling whether it is truly loved or not. Only wholehearted expressions of love and affection from its caretakers will satisfy the child and help it grow into a psychologically healthy adult. The adage â€Å"spare the rod and spoil the child† is not backed by scientific evidence (Becker-Weidman, 2005). If anything, the evidence is contradictory to this assessment. Hence, caretakers should avoid corporal punishments to the child in the form of slapping, spanking, etc, as this could be detrimental to its healthy development. For example, â€Å"Punishing may make the undesirable behaviour look more attractive and thus add value to it. Further, punishment may just teach a child how not to get caught. When parents or other adults inflict painful punishment, the children who receive them would learn that administering pain to others is also alright. When children mould their behaviour as ways to avoid pain, they are likely to end up as self-centred and selfish adults†. (Kohn, 2000) Whoever the caretaker is – be it a parent, foster parent or a baby sitter, they should attend to every need of the baby. When the baby shares a close bond with the caretaker then the likelihood of attachment disorders are negated. When the baby’s needs are not being met consistently and if it develops a sense of loneliness as a result of it, then it is

Lojack and Micrologic Alliance Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Lojack and Micrologic Alliance - Assignment Example The intention of this study is the alliance between Lojack and Micrologic as an example of upstream vertical (supplier) alliance. Alliances between companies can be horizontal and vertical. Direct horizontal relations are those in which the company reaches a tactic understanding with its competitors. This understanding might be related to price or other factors. Indirect horizontal alliances are often done with industry outsiders – these alliances help both the companies in research or other factors and do not create a conflict of interest between them. Upstream vertical alliances are done with suppliers. Lojack did not produce the theft detection system. Most of the production and technological work related to the product was done by Micrologic. Thus the alliance is an example of upstream vertical alliance along with the supplier. The other type of vertical alliance is the downstream alliance which is done with buyers. The stolen vehicle recovery system (SRV) had to involve p olitical and regulatory actors such as FCC (Federal communication system as well as various law enforcement agencies. It also involved the partnership with car dealers as well as the technology provider – Motorola. Thus the alliance between Lojack and Micrologic also involved a number of other relational actors. The initial objective of the alliance between the 2 players was intended to develop the necessary base software and equipment and to obtain FCC approves technology for the SVR system. However over a period of time the two have changed strategic objectives – Micrologic now wishes to use the alliance in order to use the marketing network of Lojack. ... ever over a period of time the two have changed strategic objectives – Micrologic now wishes to use the alliance in order to use the marketing network of Lojack. This shows that the objectives of an alliance can vary over a period of time. As the strategic objectives of the firms involved changes, the nature of partnership between them also changes. (George Stonehouse, 2004) They tend to leverage sources or integrate activities with other firm which tend to maximise their value proposition. Evaluation of the Partnership Making partnership is not a very difficult phenomenon. In this age of various multinational companies there are numerous opportunities available for collaboration. However the important thing to do is to evaluate the different collaborations. Evaluation helps both the firms to consider what are the objectives of the partnership, what they have done to achieve them and how do they want to move ahead. Evaluation helps the firm to understand how they need to work in the partnership; it helps both the partners to improve management processes and procedures. They are able to analyse the objectives which had been set by the firms initially and allows for a revision in this objectives if the need arises. Effectiveness of partnerships is important at three levels – input, output and impact. Input factors involve the partners working with each other. Both partners may bring different inputs to the partnership. In the case we are analysing the input from Micrologic was technical expertise whereas the input for Lojack was distribution and marketing strength. Output is the result of the work done by the partners together. The input and output factors both combine in order to create an impact. We will use the life cycle model of evaluating the partnerships in

Women and the Peace Movement in Britain Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4250 words

Women and the Peace Movement in Britain - Essay Example The essay "Women and the Peace Movement in Britain" analyzes the reasons why women did not make an individual contribution to British peace activist until the late 20th century.Though women have been quite instrumental in bringing the changes that led to movements for peace not just in Britain but across the world in the 20th century. The major reform that the Brits had achieved was the abolition of slavery in all the British colonies in the year 1833. This reform was particularly supported by the Christian women who had resolved to aid the movement by boycotting the usage of sugar which was the main export from the slave countries as they believed in the Christian philosophy of equality to all humans. This movement was the result of a long effort by William Wilberforce and Brougham along with their accomplices and Christian women in Britain and America as well. It is important to note that this movement to enforce the reform to end slavery in the world, particularly the British colo nies, had saved over a half a million African slaves. Another development was in the war front which has been quite active because of some major forces like Britain, Russia, France, Germany and almost all other countries of the world. War was on the verge of becoming the concept for social, political and economic strength for almost all of the countries of the world. Different countries and their respective allies had been taking to war increasingly and aggressively thereby changing the social and political scenarios in the world. and thus impacting the economic scenario the most which is the major factor effecting the people, their thinking and their life standards. By the mid - nineteenth century, political reforms had gained much momentum and some of them saw the light of the day after long periods and these reforms had been instrumental in giving the women some freedom from their earlier days of suppression. But still the conditions and the freedom of women was far from being si gnificant [1]. Not all women had been emancipated and the few who were enjoying freedom from the oppressive laws were miniscule even when the 'Custody of Children' bill had been passed in 1839 with much efforts by a much influential Caroline Norton and the then Prime Minister, Lord Melbourne. This bill gave the rights to custody of the child below seven years and permission to see the older ones' above seven to the mother

Economic comment Essay Example for Free

Economic comment Essay Interest rates are proportionate to credit quality and it shows the ability of the investor to pay at any given circumstance. World economic conditions vary by geography and country and the nature of inflation and deflation influences interest rates. Interest rate is also determined by the government through its enactment of public policy called interest rate subsidy (Montalbano, 6). Interest rate term structures evidences how they are determined by future expectations of the value money. However in the absences of the aforementioned determinants, interest rates are determined by the supply and demand for funds. 2. Interest is the premium paid for use of borrowed money. The interest for loans is usually fixed for a certain number of years after which if there is delay in payment the interest rate adjusts upwardly each year. The value of dollar can increase or decrease depending on the supply and demand imbalance. However, lending of money is associated with risks as the lender can not be certain whether or not the borrower will pay the money back. In order for the lender to reduce the risks, it is important to secure the loan with a physical property such as real estate. Additionally, examining of one’s ability to pay back the money by use of credit score range can help reduce the risks of lending. 3. Interest rates are also determined by the supply and the demands for funds. This shows that at whatever rate of borrowing, the borrower believes he/she has borrowed at the lowest rate and he/she can even provide higher interest rates on the same funds (Montalbano, 12). On the other hand, the lender believes the funds cannot be lent at a higher rate and there is certainty to receive interest and return of principal. Works Cited Montalbano, J. How are interest rates determined? 201. Viewed August 14 2010 from http://www. ehow. com/how-does_4880725_how-interest-rates-determined. html

Elderly Empowerment in Social Work and Policies

Elderly Empowerment in Social Work and Policies Social services are nothing if they are not about empowering the powerless: giving older people the chance to stay in their own home, protecting the vulnerable from abuse and neglect, promoting independence and self reliance, bringing hope to families where almost all hope has gone Introduction This report will assess to what extent social policy with regard to the elderly has been successful in achieving its aim. In doing this the paper will look at policy development from the late 1940s onwards. It will evaluate policy success and will look at the role of social work in particular. It will look at the impact of New Right thinking on social work policy, funding and practice. There will be an examination of the effect of social policy on vulnerable and oppressed groups and of how ageism and classism may contribute to oppression. Methodology This is a documentary report using internet sources for Government websites and official data which is supplemented by other literature. There will be some use of figures and a diagram to illustrate certain points. After looking at policy development the findings will be used to assess the impact of policy and its effects on vulnerable adults. Policy Development The introduction of the Britain’s post-war welfare state was aimed at combating disease, poverty and ignorance. It was designed to support people in times of trouble and to protect those who were unable to protect themselves. From 1948 onwards, what were known as the personal social services, was introduced, it consisted of the health services which were responsible for public health, and welfare departments which were responsible for residential care and the care of the elderly and disabled. It also included children’s departments which were responsible for child care.[1] A large proportion of the budget was allocated for residential care. Since its inception the way in which the welfare state has been administered has undergone two major reforms. The first of these was in the 1960s and 70s where allocation of funding to departments was transferred from central government to the treasury.[2] In the 1960s welfare departments and children’s departments were unified into social services departments.[3]The second phase was in the 1980s and 90s and it led to a restructuring of the public sector and the way in which welfare was administered. This led to: The break up of administration into agencies, e.g. NHS Trusts and agencies responsible for Social Security. The introduction of the principles of management and the market which are found throughout the NHS and personal social services The requirement for public services to be run like markets, a separation of purchasing and provision of services and the introduction of competition.[4] During the setting up of the Welfare State the powers that had been held by local authorities were largely usurped by central government which still has the final say in how they conduct their affairs. Much of the work of the Social Services Departments was concerned with child services but this changed with the introduction of the NHS and Community Care Act of 1990 and there is a continuing move to operate services jointly. This also meant that care was no longer the preserve of the state, rather it should be the responsibility of the whole community. and state intervention should only occur as a final resort (Giddens, 2001).[5] The Community Care Act of 1990 was a development not only of the 1948 Act but also of the 1970 Social Services Act which states that: Every local authority shall establish a social services committee, and †¦there shall stand referred to that committee all matters relating to the discharge by the authority of- (a) their functions under the enactments specified in the first column of Schedule 1 to this Act[6] Under the terms of the 1990 Act everyone who wishes to access social care must first undertake an assessment of need (circular LAC (92) 12 states that any needs assessment needs to take into account the capacity of the person, their current living situation, any help or support from friends and relatives and also what the person themselves may want from care. The National Services Framework for Older People which is being continually updated has to be taken into account when such an assessment has been made.[7] Undergoing an assessment does not necessarily mean that a person will be offered services. Different local authorities have their own sets of eligibility criteria, against which the needs of the person are assessed an assessment is also made of their ability to pay for care (Moore, 2002).[8] The Health and Social Care Act 2001 entitled older people in residential care to free nursing care, in an attempt to integrate health and social care for older people. There has been conce rn that this Act might be the beginning of the end of adult social service departments.[9] Goodman (2005) has argued that access to care for older people may vary. The research suggested that those who were in residential care were more likely to be at a disadvantage in accessing other forms of care whereas older people who remained in their own homes were more likely to be able to access social care. The care needs of those older people in residential care tended to be met by care staff with the help of district nurses in order to provide some care to people in residential homes. Assessment of Findings Under the terms of the 1948 Act the state was the primary instrument of welfare and thus social care. As has been documented various later policies changed the way in which social care was distributed and accessed culminating in the Community Care Act of 1990 which shifted responsibility of care from central government to local authorities. It was claimed that this Act would lead to increased choices for service users. In contrast to this claim, some older, perhaps frail people, become socially disenfranchised and are placed in accommodation that is not up to standard nor suited to their needs. Moore (2002) points out that some commentators have argued that a mixed economy of care and the move away from public provision to one that was based on profit making: †¦would actually lower the standards of care, as profit rather than public service becomes the overriding motive†¦(this) will lead to a narrowing of choice†¦clients being seen as receiving charity†¦(and) the extent and the quality of services will differ from place to place (Moore, 2002:259). In 2000 the Government introduced the Care Standards Act as a response to poor standards in care homes. This has not been seen to be effective however, as stories of the abuse of older people in care have proliferated in recent years(Observer, 18th February, 2001). In the last hundred years people’s life expectancy in the western world has increased dramatically and there are now almost 5 million people over the age of 75 in the UK. Conversely the birth rate is now at an all time low. These changes in British demographics have generated an increased demand on the health service and on caring services generally. Although many older people remain in their own homes and may receive some kind of care to help them, there are presently about 200,000 people in registered residential homes in England. 35,000 of these homes are run by the local authority and 165,000 live in homes run by the independent sector. These figures do not include the 150,000 old people who are in nursing homes (Moore, 2002).[10] Older people are a marginalised group viewed by society as no longer useful, they are, of necessity, greater consumers of health and other services (Moore, 2002)[11]. When they feel they can no longer cope alone, or when relatives can no longer care for them, they go into residential or nursing homes, many of which are privately owned and run for a profit. Even when they are in council run homes older people are expected to at least make a contribution to the cost of their care. What is principally needed is a change in the way older people access services. In order for older people to have their needs met in ways which contribute to their quality of life and give them some choice over what happens to them Dunning (2005) suggests a greater need for advocates. He argues that in certain areas advocates should be a requirement for older people at certain times in their lives such as: retirement, which can bring about a reduction of income  and social networks a decline in physical and mental health, sensory impairment  and the need for health and social services a change in housing and living arrangements ageism. ( Dunning, 2005:10).[12] Dunning’s advice is wise if people want to access adequate care particularly as under the terms of the 1990 Act the care is no longer provided by the state alone. If a service user has been assessed as eligible for care then what is called a care package has to drawn up by the social worker. This package is organized primarily by the local authority and voluntary and charitable organizations also play a part in this. Increasingly this has meant that the autonomy of the social worker in this process is rapidly being eroded they are not always able to do what they see fit with regard to a service user’s need due to the need to collaborate with other agencies. Wanless (2006) found that access to care often depends on financial concerns and keeping people in care costs a lot of money. This has to be a consideration when the number of people entering residential care is increasing rapidly and estimated to increase by 50% over the next twenty years. The diagram below shows the cost of social care for older people in 2003/4.[13] Social worker’s decisions are subject to review by the care manager who is the person who holds the budget, this person’s primary job is to keep costs down. The social worker may do their utmost to obtain the best possible care for the older person they are dealing with but the final decision is often taken with regard to financial concerns. This is probably more of a problem with older people accessing care than with anyone else because they place a greater demand on the health and caring services.[14] When the welfare state was formed the total cost of residential care, or care that enabled a person to remain in their own home was met by the state. Those who went into private care did so as a matter of choice rather than a concern for the Government’s coffers. The New Right policies of Margaret Thatcher’s government was to roll back the welfare state and although the present government call their policies the third way they are very close to those of the New Right. Wanless (2006)[15] maintains that there has been fragmentation in the responsibility for social care at both local and central government levels. After the 1990 Act local authorities were no longer the direct providers of care, rather they were care managers. As a result of this a large part of government funded residential care and 69% of domiciliary services are provided by the independent sector. Social care is managed like other businesses whereby those with the most acceptable tender will get the work . Is this an empowering experience for older people, or do they become more oppressed and discriminated against than might previously have been the case? The Government has tried to address some of these issues by its promotion of participation and service user involvement. This is not always helpful as Dunning (2005) has pointed out. This is because of the power imbalance that exists between service users and professionals. Professionals may also use language that is not always accessible to service users. Arguably, in the current climate, it helps older people to have an advocate who is there to offer support and to help promote their interests. The Government pledged, in 201, that an older people’s champion would be appointed in each local authority. The champions would be there to represent older people’s interests. It was anticipated that as the champions should be doctors, nurses, other health professionals or social work practitioners, this might help to drive up standards of care. Quinn et al (2003) have argued that knowing what is on offer, and that if necessary there is someone who will put forward their views can be empowering for older people: Information, advice and advocacy are services in their  own right. They are also fundamental in enabling older  people to receive the services they require.  (Quinn et al., 2003, p. 3)[16] Conclusion While the promotion of advocacy and service user participation may make accessing care easier for older people, and could involve greater levels of empowerment overall policy development appears to have placed financial concerns before the needs of vulnerable people. New Right policies have, to a large extent, been continued under New Labour. Most of the developments since 1970 have hedged social work practice so that professionals are limited in the types and amount of care that they can offer service users. They have introduced market principles into a profession that was built on a concern for justice irrespective of a person’s ability to pay. As a result I would say that policy does not fulfil its aims to bring hope to the hopeless and protect the vulnerable. Bibliography Dunning, A. 2005 Information, Advice and Advocacy for Older People York, Joseph Rowntree Foundation Giddens, A. 2001 Sociology Cambridge, Polity Press Moore, S 2002 Social Welfare Alive Cheltenham, Nelson Thorne Quinn, A., Snowling, A. and Denicolo, P. (2003) Older People’s Perspectives: Devising Information, Advice and Advocacy Services. York: Joseph Wanless 2006 Securing Good Care for Older People: Taking a long term view London, Kings Fund Publications http://www2.rgu.ac.uk/publicpolicy/introduction/pss.htm#UK accessed 11/6/06 http://www2.rgu.ac.uk/publicpolicy/introduction/uk.htm accessed 11/6/06 ibid http://www.dh.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/13/39/91/04133991.pdf accessed June 12th 2006 http://www.after16.org.uk/pages/law5.html accessed 12/6/06 1 [1] http://www2.rgu.ac.uk/publicpolicy/introduction/pss.htm#UK accessed 11/6/06 [2] http://www2.rgu.ac.uk/publicpolicy/introduction/uk.htm accessed 11/6/06 [3] http://www2.rgu.ac.uk/publicpolicy/introduction/pss.htm#UK accessed 11/6/06 [4] http://www2.rgu.ac.uk/publicpolicy/introduction/uk.htm accessed 11/6/06 ibid [5] Giddens, A. 2001 Sociology Cambridge, Polity Press see pages 338-40 [6] http://www.after16.org.uk/pages/law5.html accessed 12/6/06 [7] http://www.dh.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/13/39/91/04133991.pdf accessed June 12th 2006 [8] Moore, S 2002 Social Welfare Alive Cheltenham, Nelson Thorne page 185-6 [9] Ibid page 185 [10] Ibid page 324 [11] Ibid page 327 [12] Dunning, A. 2005 Information, Advice and Advocacy for Older People York, Joseph Rowntree Foundation  Page 10 [13] Wanless 2006 Securing Good Care for Older People: Taking a long term view London, Kings Fund Publications page.24 [14] Moore 2002 ibid page 326 [15] Wanless, D 2006 ibid page 9 [16]Quinn, A., Snowling, A. and Denicolo, P. (2003) Older People’s Perspectives: Devising Information, Advice and Advocacy Services. York: Joseph Rowntree Foundation page 3