Infant Observation: 10 Month old Baby

Infant Observation: 10 Month old Baby Infant Observation Ivan Mitsko Less than a year ago my close family friend delivered a second baby. And since we lived close to each other and the couple already had an experience with infants I realized that it was a perfect place for my observation paper. I decided to observe the child three times at different dates and time of day because it could help me better distinguish infant’s psychological behavior. The baby’s name was Alex and at the time of the observation he was ten months old. He was born healthy and without any complications. At the first day of his life he weighted 7.5 pounds and was 19 inches tall which is considered a normal range (Zinsser, 2015). The parents are very diligent and hardworking people and take care of their children very well. The behavior of the new born baby reminds me of a chain of reactions in response to new sensations which surrounds the infant during first year of life. When I observed Alex it was almost impossible not to notice his reflexes, senses, and natural instincts. When the mother tried to touch his lip with a finger the baby immediately opened his mouth and was prepared to suck. However, I noticed that he more prefers to suck his own fingers rather than someone else’s. When the mother put something sweet on her finger the baby used to start sucking it and in response to something sour or bitter he immediately wrinkled his face and tried to clean his mouth. This phenomenon can be explained by research conducted by scientist who claimed that humans’ affinity to sweet taste over any other taste corresponds to human genetics (Tatter, Schubert, Timischl, Simbruner, 1986). Another very interesting response I observed was a reaction to the loud noise. The sudden loud TV sound made hi m to furrow his brow, he looked very aware, and at the same time very scared. It seems that all of these reflexes are involuntary and the infant doesn’t have a knowledge or experience to realize that he is a baby and that he is the part of the world. All of the infant’s natural reflexes and instincts were very well described by Jean Piaget, a Swiss psychologist who is known for his studies with children. According to Piaget’s cognitive stage theory, the babies have an innate schema which is developed before they have any experience with surrounding environment. These cognitive structures are responsible for innate reflexes which are genetically programmed inside of us (Huitt, Hummel, 2003). For instance, most of the infants have sucking reflex which can be triggered by touching baby’s lips and based on these observations Piaget came up with the idea that infants have a sucking schema. Paget’s schema development can be applied to many other innate reflexes. For example, when something touches baby’s palm he will experience the grasping reflex, or similarly, the rooting reflex in which the child will turn his head in direction of the cheek you touched. For instance, during my observation I realized that rooting reflex works much better when the baby is hungry. Once the mother touched his cheek the infant turned his head right away and slightly open his mouth. It was very interesting to follow this process because it helped me to visualize how the schema works in real life situations. Moreover, I felt like the baby was waiting for the next signal which is food consumption. Both of these actions are nothing more than a reaction to touch which makes the life itself a very unique phenomenon. The overall baby’s physical appearance is very similar when he is still in the womb. His body, arms, and legs tend to take position in the way in which they were occupied in mother’s belly. When I asked my friend to hold a baby, the first thing I noticed was how the musculoskeletal system was undeveloped. Newborn babies tend to have very weak muscles which don’t allow them to hold the head or anything in hands. On the other hand, I noticed that when the infant grasped my finger I felt quiet bit of a power produced by the muscles. This interesting observation made me think how the voluntary and involuntary muscular contractions developed and their role in adaptation with surrounding environment. An innate reflex is the specific response to external stimuli. The study of reflexes is mainly used to assess the state of the nervous system and all of the related pathologies. There can be some exception but in most cases children are born with grasp reflex. In order to activate it the parents should simply touch the palm of baby’s hand and he will immediately flex his digits. Usually, some of the reflexes can be noticed from the birth and it is very important for young parents to distinguish any abnormalities in infants. (Futagi, Toribe, Suzuki, 2012). During the first month of the life the baby spends most of his time lying down either on a bed or in the mother’s hands. Also, it was very obvious to see that the baby liked being rocked, and when the parents surrounded him. I believe that most of the baby’s behavior is strictly automatic rather than deliberate. All of the actions are meant to evoke a sense of attachment. For example, when the infant starts crying he is probably hungry or wants to be held. During the infancy period most of the babies are far away from language/speech development. However, I realized that communication does exist between parents and the child. All of the babies tend to cry a lot and this is one of the main sign for a caregiver that something is wrong. During my observation I realized that babies cry because they feel some sort of discomfort which requires immediate attention. For young parents it might be often difficult to understand what happened and why the baby is crying. However, over some period of time caregivers begin to distinguish main concerns. As a future parent this observational experience was very educational for me. I learned that it takes a lot of compassion and hard work to take care of the baby. This a very demanding job which requires a lot of time and hard work and the knowledge of developmental psychology is a good way to understand scientifically what is like to be a baby. Paget’s cognitive stage theory is a great way for new parents to get familiar with the environment and psychological behavior of the new born baby which can be applied in order to establish connection between caregiver and child. References Futagi, Y., Toribe, Y., Suzuki, Y. (2012, June 11). The Grasp Reflex and Moro Reflex in Infants: Hierarchy of Primitive Reflex Responses. Retrieved February 11, 2015, from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3384944/ Huitt, W., Hummel, J. (2003). Piagets theory of cognitive development. Educational Psychology Interactive. Valdosta, GA: Valdosta State University. Retrieved February 4,2015 from http://www.edpsycinteractive.org/topics/cognition/piaget.html Tatzer, E., Schubert, M., Timischl, W., Simbruner, G. (1985, October 12). Discrimination of taste and preference for sweet in premature babies. Retrieved February 4, 2015, from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/4064994 Zissner, K. Physical development in infancy [PowerPoint slide]. Retrieved from Lecture Notes https://uic.blackboard.com/webapps/blackboard/content/listContent.jsp?course_id=_87219_1content_id=_4081122_1 Is Memory a Constructive Process? Is Memory a Constructive Process? Gemma L Sobah ‘Memory is a constructive and active process’ Psychology To be able to successfully evaluate this claim, it is important that some research is done. A lot of relevant research supports this claim but what information we process and store is actually being actively processes by our conscious and how much of this is being stored in a more automatic, passive manner? Before we can delve any further into memory, we need to find a way to break it down into what memory consists of. This essay will look at the research conducted on memory and evaluate to what extent the memory is a constructive and active system. As we know already, memory is a part of our everyday lives. It enables us to carry out daily tasks and skills from knowledge and gives us access to information we may need at a later date, but has been stored in our memory for the mean time. It is an essential part of our lives, and this makes it important for psychologists to be able to understand how it works and its functions. Over time research has been done that breaks memory down in to three component processors. Encoding Putting information into memory Storage Retaining information into memory Retrieval Getting information back out of memory (Brace et al, 2007) Encoding is putting information into code and then inserting it into our memory to then be stored. Storage is when information is retained and is kept in the form or visual, physical or other depictions. Retrieval is when we try and retrieve information out of our memory, into our conscious mind. The memory is not only broken down into processes but also has subsystems that work parallel to and include sensory memory, short-term memory and long-term memory. William James (cited in Brace et al, 2007) was one of the first psychologists to make this connect and present memory as having these three subsystems. His theory also included the idea that the brain used a primary memory permitting conscious mental activity and a secondary memory responsible for storing knowledge. (Brace and Roth, 2007, p.g 115) This alone supports the claim that memory is a constructive and active process, for it not only receives stores and retrieves information, but it also sorts the information we receive into sections. If the brain was a passive process, we could believe that all information processed would be generically stored. It would take a conscious and active memory to be able to decide which information will be logged as short term, and which should be logged as long term. We will look at th is more later. Memory is an ability that we as humans and also animals to some extent, depend upon to be able to recall different events, relate to experiences, and connect with people. It is a very important system that allows the brain to acknowledge and receive information from our surroundings and from our own bodies, (also known as stimuli), store it, (in either short or long term memory, depending on the information), and then allow it to be accessed in future occasions (known as retrieval). It allows us to continually live one day after the next, without having to relearn everything, giving us the ability to learn from our past actions, relive experiences in different times of our life’s and use all the information we have stored, to carry on and grow. If you think about the first time you read a book or tried roller-skates; those are memories formed, either short or long or term. If we have no memory from the past, you would never learn; thus unable to process and understand. Without memory we would constantly be faced with new and unfamiliar things. This alone and cause us distress. We only have to look at someone with dementia to understand how fragile and vulnerable we would be without the capacity to remember, our everyday lives and actions would be affected and so would our survival. More and more research is being uncovered that suggests that the brain works as a whole, integrating with all areas of its self and aren’t small separate sections doing independent work. When processing a new memory the brain sends information to the Papez circuit which involves many parts of the brain. Research on the brain shows that forming a memory causes physical changes to the organisation of neurons and maybe even the neurons in a process called brain plasticity. (Brace et al. 2007, p.g 146) Ever since William James (1890) first revealed his theories on memory, a substantial body of research has followed. Many other psychologists have shared approaches that conce ptualize memory as a flow of information through a sequence of sub-systems. It is believed information is recoded as and when it is carried from one sub-system to the next. Let’s look at the short term memory. Some research suggests that this form of memory is just a temporary store. But Baddeley and Hitch (1974) (as cited in Brace et al, 2007, p.g 117) allows us to understand it better. They believe that to be able to really understand the functions of short term memory we have to first understand what we use it for. They suggest it has several functions. Brace, 2007 puts it like this: One key function is to concentrate on processing new inputs, and rehearse and code them for transfer to long term memory. Another function is to retrieve information relevant stored knowledge to assist in making sense of these inputs†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..STM is an active store holding information that we are consciously thinking about- it is attention-limited ‘work-bench’ system of memory. (Brace et al, 2007 page p.g 117) Here memory is described as active, and the reason for this is simple. Memory is constantly working or organise its information for the purpose of our life. We are constantly learning and developing, and our memory processes are constantly sorting through all the information we receive, to make sure the everyday things we need to remember, such as how to tie our shoes are stored in the right place, the information we only need temporary, such as the number we are typed into our phone, can be stored for the appropriate length of time, then discarded to utilise the space. We interact with many things in our everyday life’s and our brain are aware of that, and is constantly on standby to help us live, so to speak. Another reason we can say memory is active and not passive is for the simple fact that we are able to consciously control what we want to retrieve from our memories and what information we would rather no remember, at that present time. For example, a young has lost her house keys, and in order to help her find them, she decides to try and remember when she last seen them, this is her consciously selecting memories from a specific time. She hasn’t decided to try and remember the colour of the keys, or when she very first came to own the keys, she has consciously tried to recall a specific moment in her life when she had the keys. This is her memory actively working to select the relevant memory and disregard any memory that is not currently needed that may be related to the keys. If our memory were passive, maybe it would automatically recall every memory she has had with the keys, which wouldn’t help the woman find the keys, it would just create confusion and possible frustration. Memory might for this reason be seen as a perceptually active process of the brain that derives from three key components. As we can see memory isn’t a simple matter. It is very complex and there are still many aspects of it under research and not yet understood, and because memory cannot be directly monitored, psychologists have found ways to analyse it enough to be able to have some understanding of how our memory works and why. Our memory serves a crucial purpose and without it, we cannot evolve, and learn and although it does more good than harm, it can from time to time cause us distress and many other things. Our memories are key to making us who we are and there are times that some people’s bad memories impact their lives greatly. Nevertheless, our memory is active, and we can us this to our advantage. We can change our memories, we can implant some memories deeper than others, and we have found ways to hide or keep some memories dormant. We can actively strengthen and challenge our memories daily and find ways to get the most out of the memory process, because without memory, we can not survive. Word count:1444 References: Brace, N., Ilona, R. (2007) ‘Memory: structures, processes and skills’ in Miell, D., Phoenix, A., and Thomas, K. (eds) Mapping Psychology, Milton Keynes, The Open University. Psychology18th March 2014

Management of Product Recall Issue in Food Business

Management of Product Recall Issue in Food Business Running Head: The Case of Nutritional Foods INTRODUCTION With many companies experiencing issues when it comes to public relations need major assistance changing time to time. Some given products are prone to a major loss of consumer trust given their nature, and food products are undoubtedly topping the list. Some given products are prone to a major loss of consumer trust given their nature, and food products are undoubtedly topping the list. Expectations of consumers when it comes to issues pertaining food safety is high, and they can rebel against taking in a product which shows signs of not being safe. Such situation is as the one facing Nutritional Foods with reports arising from different County Health officials of a possible food poisoning crisis. The procedure the company takes in the fallout of a possible case of food poisoning can wholly determine where a company’s future is headed to. CASE OVERVIEW The Nutritional Foods Inc. is experiencing possibly one of the most hard to deal with crisis, a company in its stated sector of work might have actually faced. With the reports arising from different counties about the claims of a possible food poisoning of consumers, with little kids reportedly affected. The company mandated two mangers to go survey the first two counties in which the first cases were reported, with two more managers being sent to the other two counties were same cases arose. Much information was sought out by the company, with aims to determine the batch numbers of the supposed products with the problems. On the same day at 7pm, more problems were reported and the company resorted to pulling back all of the batches of the products in context, from consumers yet to consume them and also from retail shops yet to sell them. A crisis Action committee meeting was convened early the next morning and considerations about inputting more steps towards redemption were stated . ETHICAL DILEMMA/ISSUE Ethical issues are very common in the corporate sector. Fred, who was the owner of a highly respected fresh juice producer company that specializes in the production of nutritional foods found himself in the wrong side of law when the firm’s apple products were targeted with poisoning claims. If I was the company consultant at the time, I would have detailed knowledge of tackling issues revolving around non pasteurized products, product distribution process and how the company’s growth and success is dependent on acceptance by consumers. If was working there at the time, I would be proactive when handling such issues by devising contingency plan that would mitigate these dilemmas before they arise. If I was privileged to be CEO of this company, I would have enforced fundamental measures that would ensure there is integrity in all the standard operating procedures of the firm. If my firm and integrity were put on the spot, I would form a philosophy encouraging pro-active ness. If the allegations are confirmed, I would remove all products from the company storage for further investigations to determine the cause and call a press conference to discuss the issue at hand with the public. The public have to be made aware that the company is worried about everyone and it is not only focused on profitability. The company can depict ethics when it convinces everyone that it will maintain safety and health standards. If the company does not adhere to ethical practices to consolidate its market base, it will have a bad reputation of producing contaminated products and this may taint its image in future. ALTERNATIVES The company has issued a recall of the product that has been affected, but is depending on primarily on the media to get the information to the public. The company may possibly carry on with that technique, since it estimates that almost 80 percent of the newspapers contain the story, however it may not be smart to presume that the consumers will obtain news in that manner and that manner only. The company is required broad in distributing the information not limiting it to just newspapers. An additional matter that needs to be addressed is how the company should treat victims of the poisoning. The company may decide to give no reimbursement to victims willingly, however as an alternative wait until the source of the poisonings is determined and whether the company is going to be held legally responsible. Instead of making a public proclamation offering reimbursement to victims, Nutritional Foods could approach victims confidentially and propose to pay their medical bills, or facilit ate in any way required. This kind of help could be kept a secret from the journalists and media and contracts could be made with each victim so they know not to speak of it. RECOMMENDATIONS Nutritional Foods Inc. is to take action to relay information, involving the recall of the dispatched products through various channels of the media. With such measures, the company will be enhancing their nearly spoiled reputation and also make strides towards ensuring that many of its targeted consumers get this information about the recall of its products. This whole step towards recall will be based on the ethical principle standards which states that a good for many must always come first, and that the public disposal of information through the use of web pages will indicate clearly the company’s intention of not wanting to hide the information from the consumers, making this an important component of the Ethical behaviors in business (Manuel, 2008). When it will be publicly known that an existing organization will do whatever to its ability to ensure all of its customers are protected from matters or issues that arise concerning their products. On my recommendations towards compensation of the affected, I would urge Nutritional Foods Inc. to get in touch with the victims on a one to one basis and reach an agreement on how they will compensate them and also settle their medical bills. This given approach despite of who is responsible for food poisoning is the ethical of choice (Manuel, 2008). Consumers who in our case bought the unpasteurized products with total confidence in us, and as a company obtained a good rep of natural foods which are of quality to the public. Nutritional Foods Inc. should establish best how they will compensate the affected consumers who were part of the food poisoning crisis. Given it is a company on the rise, its chances of surviving is high if it takes the stated procedures and executes them well to avoid making it look messier. FUTURE IMPLICATIONS for RECOMMENDATION The company is poised to make a good image of its products, regaining the confidence it had bestowed on its base of consumers ensuring there’s no conflict of interest or hostility between them and the consumers. Other businesses in the same industry won’t try to take advantage of the situation at hand facing Nutritional Foods Inc. maintaining the healthy relation existing in the market. Other industries will stick to the good ethics of carrying out business and will follow suit in terms of conveying information to their consumer’s in-case of any errors made by them concerning their products. CONCLUSION The expectation of consumers is that the food they consume is safe, and furthermore those who buy the unprocessed organic foods anticipate elevated level of safety and health. Nutritional Foods has tackled this predicament well so far, but a lot more still needs to be done. The company must keep on performing and running in the prospect of the public, giving as a great deal of information as it can about the conditions and keeping everyone up to date as to the cause and what Nutritional Foods is doing about it. The company also needs to evaluate its internal processes to make sure that it has a working environment where moral behavior is expected and guaranteed. Reference Manuel, N. (2008). A framework for ethical decision-making. Available at  http://www.scu.edu/ethics/practicing/decision/framework.html. Accessed 17 February, 2014.

Comparing the Past in The Ice Palace and The Great Gatsby :: comparison compare contrast essays

The Nature of the Past in The Ice Palace and The Great Gatsby      Ã‚  Ã‚   In "The Ice Palace" and The Great Gatsby F. Scott Fitzgerald explores the nature of the past. He shows us that we can neither return to nor escape from the past. In "The Ice Palace" he writes about the pasts of two different societies, the North and the South. In The Great Gatsby he writes about Daisy's relationships with two men, Tom and Gatsby. â€Å"In both of these stories some characters want to escape from the past and others want to return to the past†(Pendelton, 37). These characters find that neither of these is possible, that the past and the present have become intertwined.    The first society Fitzgerald deals with in "The Ice Palace" is the North. Here people try to ignore the past. We see this when Harry Bellamy tells us that "Everybody has a father, and about half of us have grandfathers. Back of that we don't go"(Fitzgerald, "The Diamond as Big as the Ritz" and Other Stories, 72). They have no interest in what has gone before. Even their buildings are new. An example of this is the library of the Bellamy house. Many of the books haven't been read and the items in it "all looked about fifteen years old"(71). The epitome of Northern buildings is the ice palace, which stands for a winter and then melts away. It is an attempt at a building without a past, built fresh each time. In the Southern graveyard, when Sally Carrol is talking about Margery Lee, Harry Bellamy looks at the grave and says "There's nothing here"(68). To him headstones have no reality beyond the immediate physical one. In the North the snow hides the gravestones, making each "a light sh adow against light shadows"(80). The hiding of the headstones demonstrates the entire Northern attitude toward the past. They feel that it isn't important and should be ignored.    Despite all of these efforts the North is unable to escape the past. The gravestones may be covered with snow, but they are still there. Eventually the snow will melt and everyone will be able to see them. Even the ice palace, the attempt at a building with no past, falls victim to it. The last time an ice palace was built was in 1885, but it is still "peopled by those shades of the eighties"(80).

Use of Symbols in Yeatss Work, A Vision Essay -- Yeats Vision Essays

Use of Symbols in Yeats's Work, A Vision In his 1901 essay "Magic", Yeats writes, "I cannot now think symbols less than the greatest of all powers whether they are used consciously by the masters of magic, or half unconsciously by their successors, the poet, the musician and the artist" (p. 28). Later, in his introduction to A Vision, he explains, "I put the Tower and the Winding Stair together into evidence to show that my poetry has gained in self possession and power. I owe this change to an incredible experience" (Vision p.8). The experience he goes on to relate is the preliminary stage of the composition of the work itself. In A Vision, however, Yeats exhibits his poetic power as well, along with his knowledge of mysticism and affinity for symbology to illustrate the behavior of the forces of human consciousness and history. He ties these two cycles together into the overarching symbol of the work: the Great Wheel. This is a symbol that Yeats uses not only to explain the cycles of one individual's life, but al so through the same motions, to explain the cyclical movement of the centuries, and the conjunction of certain historical events. When asked about the factual reality of his cosmological descriptions, he replies that they are "purely symbolical ... [and] have helped me to hold in a single thought reality and justice" (Vision p.25). Though to a large extent obscure and complicated, these symbols are paramount to an understanding not only of the ideas contained in A Vision, also the thought process Yeats conveys in much of his poetry. The Great Wheel consists of and contains two opposing gyres, the primary and the antithetical, objectivity and subjectivity, which turn in opposite directions, the two... ...mary vein, men worshipping idols of far away deities, or return to its antithetical predecessor, in which man's idols seen as are actual living beings captured in myth. Eventually, he resigns himself to not knowing for certain what the future of mankind will be. He concludes "The particulars are the work of the thirteenth sphere, which is in every man and called by every man his freedom. Doubtless, for it can do all things and know all things, it knows what it will do with its own freedom, but it has kept the secret" (Vision p. 302). Works Cited: Adams, Hazard. The Book of Yeats's Vision. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 1995. Yeats, W.B. A Vision. New York: Macmillan, 1956. Yeats, W.B. The Poems. ed. Richard J. Finneran. New York: Macmillan, 1990. Yeats, W.B. "Magic". Essays and Introductions. New York: Macmillan, 1961. pp. 28-52.

Comparing Women by Henry James and Charlotte Perkins Gilman Essay

Comparing Women by Henry James and Charlotte Perkins Gilman In American literature, women have been portrayed differently depending on the sex and race of the author. Henry James who wrote â€Å"Daisy Miller: A Study† (1878) characterized Daisy as a tramp who breaks expatriate social customs. When a male writes about a woman, she is sometimes portrayed as a troublemaker and often up to no good. On the other hand, in Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† (1892), the narrator is trapped by domestic life. When a woman writes about women, they are usually victims of their society. James and Gilman each seem to display women differently because of their own sex, personal preferences, and experiences. Henry James, a white male, shows the reader what happens to a young lady when she isn’t conservative and goes around town with men without supervision. Daisy Miller was perceived as a tramp because of her actions and the society during this time period. The main character of â€Å"Daisy Miller: A Study† (1978) is Miss Daisy Miller, an American girl, who is traveling with her mother and brother in Vevey and Rome. Throughout her traveling, Daisy’s actions were considered inappropriate for a young unmarried woman. During her first visit to Vevey, she began to converse with Winterbourne, an American male that is visiting his aunt in Vevey, without a chaperone. In Vevey at this particular time, it was very inappropriate for a girl to talk to a man unattended by either a chaperone or her mother. James states, â€Å"In Geneva, as he had been perfectly aware, a young man was not at liberty to speak to a young unmarried lady†¦he wondered if he had gone too f ar; but he decided that he must advance farther, rather than retreat† (471). Ev... .... Works Cited Dock, Julie Bates, Allen, Daphne Ryan, Palaris, Jennifer, and Tracy, Kristen. â€Å"‘But One Expects That’: Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s ‘The Yellow Wallpaper’ and the Shifting Light of Scholarship.† PMLA 111 (1996): 52-65. JSTOR. Penn State U. 7 April 2005. Gilman, Charlotte Perkins. â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper.† Ed. Nina Baym. The Norton Anthology of American Literature. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2003. 832-844. ---. â€Å"Why I wrote ‘The Yellow Wallpaper.’† Ed. Nina Baym. The Norton Anthology of American Literature. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2003. 844-845. James, Henry. â€Å"Daisy Miller: A Study.† Ed. Nina Baym. The Norton Anthology of American Literature. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2003. 468-506. Ohmann, Carol. â€Å"Daisy Miller: A Study of Changing Intentions.† American Literature 36 (1964): 1-11. JSTOR. Penn State U. 3 Feb 2005.

Monopoly and American values Essay

In societies all over the world the board game Monopoly is played by children and adults. The Parker Brother’s game has been sold in 37 different languages; over 200 million copies have been sold, is claimed to be the most popular game, and has also been sold in 103 countries. In America millions have played and is a normal and acceptable â€Å"American Past Time. † From a functionalist perspective the board game teaches and expresses many of the American values such as; equal opportunity, personal achievement and success, obtaining material comfort, progress, and the idea of democracy and free enterprise. The functionalist perspective represents society as system containing various parts that all work together to achieve social solidarity. In a post-industrial society, how does the game of Monopoly socialize people to the American Values? Society sure does function together and is well structured for the benefit of citizens, government, and entrepreneurs. The board game Monopoly has many rules and norms. There have even been Monopoly Etiquette Guides written for the serious players as well as tournament players. The recommended age for play is eight years of age and older and a minimum of two players. In America most of those with siblings of children understand how wrong a game of Monopoly can turn into a big fight. The rules of the game are pretty easy to follow. The object of the game is to become the wealthiest player through buying, renting and selling property. Each player is given $1500 to begin the game. A player must be elected to be the banker and sell property, houses, hotels, and pay the $200 salary that is collected each time a player passes go. The banker is also responsible for collecting fines and taxes owed. The spaces on the board are all labeled and include; GO, Jail, Chance, Community Chest, Taxes, Free Parking, and pay rent when landing on an opponent’s improved property. Each player is represented by a token which is a symbol of the game. These include; a wheel barrow, a car, an iron, a thimble, a cowboy on a horse, a dog , a pot of gold, a top hat, a ship, a boot, or a cannon. Each player is subject to going bankrupt, therefore increasing the other player’s chance of finding wealth. American society is very similar to the game of Monopoly. Players are socialized to these ideas which represent the values of America. Equal opportunity is taught by everyone beginning with the same amount of money, $1500, as well as $200 salary collected with each rotation around the board. Personal achievement and success is demonstrated on becoming the wealthiest player and to own the most property. Striving and working for material comfort is taught through collecting a salary and improving your owned properties, as well as collecting rent. Progress is a value in America that is evaluated by members of society on a daily basis. Progress in the game Monopoly is measured by wealth and property owned and creating a monopoly on resources, buildings, and property. The last important American value taught to players is democracy and free enterprise. The consensus of Monopoly is that it is a fun game to play. The manifest function of Monopoly is to entertain a group of players whether they are children, adolescents, or adults. The latent function is teaching players to think solely of themselves and not their neighbor who they should help. Greed is taught due to the emphasis of becoming the wealthiest player. The most witnessed latent function of Monopoly being causing dishonesty, anger, and even fighting between competitors. Although there are some negatives against the game the most important role is promoting social solidarity by encouraging a better community effort. Progress takes everyone’s help not just a few. Two options were given for a research assignment at the beginning of the course. Option one was to choose a category from; film, sports, or advertising. The second option was to read a book outside of class that focuses on Wal-Mart, minimum wage jobs for women, or how fast food has created a â€Å"now† demand for all of America’s services. The option selected for a personal interest was sports. More specifically how gender plays a role in the racing world. How are women and men treated differently? A major focus will be on drag racing and how times have changed as far as who can and cannot race as demonstrated by NHRA (National Hot Rod Association) Drag Racing. In conclusion Monopoly helps teach and spread the ideas of American culture. Players are to become the wealthiest and may have a higher social status as they can win Monopoly. A study in 2005 found that American’s value self expression more than survival. (Macionis pg. 49) This is even taught through Monopoly by being able to select how you build your property and by picking your game piece to represent yourself. A comparative study found that in 1969 the goal of first year college students was to â€Å"Develop a meaningful philosophy of life† in contrast to 2005 first year college students are wanting â€Å"to be very well off financially†. (Macionis pg. 56) Today in America having wealth is sought by all citizens but few find extreme wealth. According to the values of American’s material comfort should be worked for and can be more important than survival. With the ideas of democracy and free enterprise being key concepts of the game it is not surprising to find that globally approximately 46% of the worlds countries are â€Å"politically free†. (Macionis pg. 44) Although the game has been published in 37 different languages, English is a very common first language as well as a common second language across the globe. (Macionius pg. 47) Following the same thought nearly all of the United States speaks English or Spanish in the home. (Macionius pg. 56)This allows for the further acknowledgement of the American Values to many societies. Overall the game of Monopoly socializes people of many cultures to the American values. All of the American values encourage a person to think personally rather than globally.

Maguindanao Massacre Essay

November 23, 2009 a very significant date to all cotabatenos and a very controversial date to anyone who knows about the massacre. A day that brought the city into darkness.The time where majority of the people were into a great fear.The day where many innocent people were executed due to the willingness of others to win the position. Even for a country long hardened to election violence, the massacre of at least 57 defenseless civilians on the main southern island of Mindanao, many of them relatives and supporters of a local politician and a large group of journalists, sets a new low. This troubled corner of the Philippines usually makes headlines for its long-running Muslim separatist rebellion. But the killings starkly exposed a nationwide malaise: the fierce competition for regional power among the country’s small à ©lite of a few hundred families and clans that control an inordinate amount of the national wealth — and the desperate lengths some will go to protect their hold on power. The most talked about incident that happened 4 years ago has not been resolved until now. The brutal killing of 57 persons that were just about to file candidacy for Cotabato’s former governor Esmael ‘toto’ mangudadatu. On that day, the wife of Esmael Mangudadatu, a local politician, was to submit a Certificate of Candidacy on his behalf. He was to run for provincial governor. Local journalists joined them in a convoy going to the office of the Commission on Election in the municipality of Shariff Aguak. The journalists were interested as it was the first time that there is a man who will take risks to have a rivalry with an ampatuan in terms of running for a  position.. It was a challenge to the Ampatuans, the powerful ruling political clan. The Ampatuans were supporting Andal Ampatuan Jr., son of the then incumbent governor, Andal Sr., to succeed him as governor. But before Esmael’s wife, her party and the journalists could reach the Comelec office, the local policemen, soldiers and paramilitary forces blocked their way at the highway. They were allegedly given orders by Andal Ampatuan Sr., then incumbent governor and also the patriarch of the Ampatuans; and his son, Andal Jr., to kill the group. All the victims were taken to a hilltop where they were executed. Their bodies were buried in a mass grave together with their flattened vehicles. Their purpose was not to know where the killed people were. The magnitude of the Maguindanao massacre stands as evidence of an enormous challenge to the country’s system of justice. In this case, there are 196 defendants, each of them charged with 57 counts of murder for the death of 57 people, all charges being heard at the Regional Trial Court (RTC) in Metro Manila. The body of one journalist, which is required in prosecuting a murder case, could not be found. Over 500 others named only as â€Å"John Does† in the criminal charges have not yet been identified. Of the 196 defendants, 93 have been arrested; however, three of them have accused the police officers of arresting them in the place of real accused. Of the 93 defendants in detention, 29 of them have not been arraigned in open court yet. Before the trial could begin, it took the National Prosecution Service, the prosecution arm of the Department of Justice, over two months to file the 57 counts of murder in court against the defendants. Here, although the prosecution body did comply with its legal obligation to complete the preliminary investigations in at least 40 days for ordinary cases and 90 days for cases involving public officials as required by the Revised Rules of Criminal Procedure, Rule 112 on Preliminary Investigation, to be able to proceed with the trial to ensure that an â€Å"effective remedy† is achieved has been problematic in reality. The failure of the Philippine National Police to arrest the other 103 defendants, who are still at large two years after the massacre, has further delayed the trial of the case. Although all of the accused are charged for murder in a single incident, in determining criminal liability each must be arraigned, tried and examined individually in court during the tria l. The accused could also question the merit of the case by submitting petitions and motions in court either to have their names  excluded from the murder charges or having the entire case dismissed on question of merit. However, not all motions and petitions filed by defendants, particularly those of powerful and influential political figures are in good faith. In this case, some defendants who invoked a remedial right filed their petitions to either exclude their names from the murder charge or dismiss case allegedly to deliberately delay the trial. To date, there are still 29 defendants, including Zaldy Ampatuan, former governor of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, who have not been arraigned. Zaldy is the son of Andal Sr. Under the Speedy Trial Act of 1998, section 6, in trial of criminal cases â€Å"in no case shall the entire trial period exceed one hundred eighty (180) days from the first day of trial†; however, four of the seven â€Å"exclusions† applicab le in this case, as stipulated in section 10 of the same law, have rendered the law inoperative. These exclusions are delays due to trials with respect to charges against the accused; interlocutory appeals; hearings on pretrial motions from orders of inhibition, or proceedings relating to change of venue of cases; finding of the existence of a valid prejudicial question; and absence or unavailability of the accused or an essential witness. Thus, the delay in this trial has so far been justifiable in the domestic law. I argue that these open-ended and broad exclusions have denied both the accused and the complainants their constitutional rights to speedy trial. The absence, if not lack of, adequate legal provisions that would ensure that motions and petitions that the defendants filed are examined thoroughly to prevent any attempt to deliberately frustrate the course of justice has exposed the court system as being open to manipulation. In this case, the defendants filed numerous petitions, motions and appeals that were legally justifiable in the  ¡Ã‚ §exclusions ¡Ã‚ ¨ clause of the Speedy Trial Act. Even though according to the Philippine Daily Inquirer â€Å"the court (had) practically holds three hearings a week — motions are heard on Mondays in Quezon City while the actual trial is conducted at Camp Bagong Diwa in Bicutan, Taguig City, on Wednesdays and Thursdays† (23 November 2011) for over a year now, there is no sign that the trial of the massacre case could reach its conclusion anytime soon. Therefore, the remark by one of the private lawyers, Harry Roque that the trial could take â€Å"55,000 years† if we take as a basis that â€Å"it takes five years to try a single case in the Philippines† (according to one study) is  not an overstatement. This could in fact be the length of the trial if the 196 defendants would be tried each for charges of 57 counts of murder. Effective remedy: violations in international law I argue that the Speedy Trial Act, in particular its section 10, does not conform to international norms and standards because its exclusions institutionalize delays in trial of cases and thereby deny an â€Å"effective remedy†. The domestic law and the rules of procedures that protect these rights exist, but they do not conform to international law. The domestic law rather has diluted substantive rights to be mere procedural rights. The UN Human Rights Committee has already held that the Philippines was in two cases in violation of its obligation under the Covenant for failing to ensure the â€Å"effective remedies† at the domestic level. In its views on Evangeline Hernandez v the Philippines (Communication No. 1559/2007, views adopted on 26 July 2010, UN Doc. CCPR/C/99/D/1559/2007), the Committee held it was in violation  ¡Ã‚ §of article 6, as well as a violation of article 2, paragraph 3†³ because domestic remedies had been â€Å"unreasonably prolonged† . The Committee reminded that the â€Å"State party may not avoid its responsibilities under the Covenant with the argument that the domestic courts are dealing with the matter, when the remedies relied upon by the State party have been unreasonably prolonged.† Evangeline is the mother of Benjaline Hernandez, a human rights defender murdered by the military and paramilitary forces in Arakan, North Cotabato in April 2002. Evangeline filed the individual communication even without fully exhausting domestic remedies, arguing that investigations, prosecution and trial in her daughter’s murder â€Å"have been ineffective and unreasonably prolonged.† The Committee has also observed that for â€Å"over eight years later, at the time of examination of this communication, it would appear that criminal proceedings initiated against the accused have not yet been finalized.† In another case, Lenido Lumanog and Augusto Santos v the Philippines (Communication No. 1466/200 6, views adopted in 20 March 2008, UN Doc. CCPR/C/92/D/1466/2006), the Committee also held the state party violated article 14, paragraph 3 (c) of the Covenant because it failed in concluding the petition for review into the death sentences of the complainants for eight years. Here, the state party was reminded of its legal obligation with article 2, paragraph 3 (a),  of the Covenant, to ensure â€Å"an effective remedy, including the prompt review of their appeal before the Court of Appeals and compensation for the undue delay†. The complainants, Lenido Lumanog and Augusto Santos, are two of five torture victims, collectively known as the â€Å"Abadilla Five†. The five were illegally arrested and detained, tortured to confess and after over 14 years of trial, were convicted for the assassination of Rolando Abadilla, a police colonel, in June 1996. They were convicted based on the testimony of one witness, Freddie Alejo. Alejo’s credibility has been questioned. In these two cases, the Committee found the Philippines has violated the rights of the complainants because the domestic remedies were ineffective and unduly delayed; however, legally these violations to international law had found justification under the country’s dome stic law, notably the Speedy Trial Act. In the domestic legal framework, delay is justifiable as part of the domestic criminal legal process, even though in these two cases it constituted a breach of the ICCPR. When domestic remedies are â€Å"ineffective and unduly delayed†, the aggrieved parties can file individual complaints with the Committee, since the Philippines has ratified the Optional Protocol of the ICCPR. Even when cases are within domestic procedural jurisdiction, the state could not invoke this as non-compliance to â€Å"exhaustion of domestic remedies.† To my knowledge, the Committee’s views and opinions have so far not been implemented at the domestic level. While the country’s Constitution adopts the â€Å"generally accepted principles of international law†, without an established mechanism to fully implement the Committee’s views, even if a state is held to have committed the violations of the Covenant and international law it signed, the notion of â€Å"effective remedy† will not exist in reality. The Maguindanao massacre is proof that the existing domestic mechanism, despite its recognition of the rights, is unable to comply with its international obligations because of the chronic defects of its own criminal justice system. The recognition of these rights in the 1987 Constitution, the codification of statutory laws and in criminal procedures and adoption of jurisprudence from foreign countries will not have substantial benefits to ensure protection of the right to an â€Å"effective remedy†. A well-developed domestic mechanism is a precondition in order to implement these rights. A backhoe driver has described in chilling detail how he used the excavator to bury the 58 victims of the Philippines’ worst  political massacre, according to a video aired Tuesday. The man said he dug a big hole near where the victims were shot by the Ampatuan clan in November 2009, then pushed the bodies as well as their cars down the pit. â€Å"I am Bong Andal, a trusted employee of the Ampatuans†¦they ordered me to bury the people they had massacred,† said the man in the clip aired by Manila-based GMA network. The clan allegedly ordered the massacre to stop a political rival, Esmael Mangudadatu, from running against one of its members for governor of Maguindanao, a poor farming province in the south. The Ampatuan patriarch, two sons and several family members are in custody and on trial for the murder of 58 victims, including 32 journalists who were covering the political contest. The backhoe driver was arrested last November, while more than 90 other suspects remain at large. GMA said Andal had signed a deposition that was given to state prosecutors. It said it later had an exclusive interview with him, in which he repeated the allegations made in the written deposition. The network said part of his quotes were from the deposition and part from the interview. â€Å"I used the backhoe to push the vehicles into the hole first. Then I flattened them with its metal arm,† the station quoted him as saying. â€Å"Some of the vehicles had dead people inside, so I just closed my eyes out o f fright and got on with it.† Andal also said he used the excavator’s arm to drag the dead bodies into the hole, the station said. Andal alleged in the video clip that the clan patriarch, Andal Ampatuan Senior, ordered him to take the excavator to the place where the 58 people were shot dead, and to make sure it had enough fuel. â€Å"The Ampatuans warned me and my parents not to get myself arrested. They said if I get caught they would kill my parents, my siblings and my children.† The driver is being held by the national government’s witness protection program, along with other witnesses, amid fears they could face retribution for testifying against the clan, GMA said. At least three witnesses have been killed since 2010, including a former Ampatuan family employee whose dismembered remains were found stuffed into a sack in 2012. Andal wants to become a state witness, GMA said GENERAL SANTOS CITY, Philippines – Lest we forget, we must remind ourselves that 4 years ago, 58 people were killed in one of the most reprehensible massacres in the long line of political murders in the country. On a scorching mid-day on Nov 23, 2009, Datu Unsay town Mayor Andal Ampatuan Jr and some 192 relatives, policemen, militiamen, and bodyguards  stopped a convoy of vehicles that was on its way to the provincial capitol of Maguindanao in Shariff Aguak and diverted it to a secluded and remote village in Masalay, Ampatuan town. There, witnesses said Andal Jr and his minions peppered the wailing and begging victims with bullets. Some 4 hours later, the world was jolted and revolted by the gruesome massacre. Thirty-two of those who were mercilessly gunned down were journalists and media workers. Standing accused and being prosecuted for the barbaric crime are members of the most fearsome and influential political warlords in Mindanao, along with their henchmen and avid supporters. Six members of the Ampatuan clan have since been arrested and are now detained at Camp Bagong Diwa in Bicutan, Taguig City. While most suspects have been arrested and detained, many are still at large. At least 8 of those still in the lam bore the surnames of the principal suspects – Ampatuan. And while 96 or so of the suspects are now detained, all but one have yet to face trial, the process bogged down by delaying tactics by the defense. In that one case that has gone on trial, the lawyers of the accused have yet to present their case after the prosecution rested on November 6 – or 4 years to the month since the massacre. At least 3 witnesses have been killed since 2010, including a former Ampatuan family employee whose dismembered remains were found stuffed into a sack in 2012. Despite this, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima has said that President Benigno Aquino III wants suspects convicted before his term ends in 2016. The final road On Thursday, November 21, families of the media workers and journalists who perished in the massacre will retrace the final road traveled by their loved ones and carry one message: When will justice ever be achieved? Indeed, it is not enough to see the masterminds and their minions confined in their detention cells. Paramount is retribution for the victims – for the massacre committed by the Ampatuans. The families are demanding justice. The world is insisting on the day of reckoning. Many are convinced that without it, the culture of impunity will forever be with us. 2009 will go down in history as the darkest year yet for the Philippine media with the killings of 57 people, including 32 journalists in southern  Philippines on 23 November – an event that has come to be known as the â€Å"Maguindanao massacre. A Philippine regional traial court today ordered the arrest of 189 suspects linked to the gory November 23, 2009 Maguindanao killings of 57 civilians, which shook the media worldwide. It was as if some senators read an oracle on the fate of the civilian massacre case in Maguindanao. Though governments all over the world deplored the killings, the case has lost its momentum. The celebrated Maguindanao massacre case took another twist when two members of the powerful Ampatuan clan tagged as two of the main suspects in the November 23, 2009, killings were cleared by the Department of Justice because the â€Å"existence of a conspiracy was not proven† Anger and relatives’ cries for justice reverberated on Thursday at the resumption of the celebrated Maguindanao massacre trial as a medical legal officer testified that one of the victims may have been raped before she was shot. Maguindanao massacre had been the most talked about topic since the day it happened. It affected not just the city of cotabato but also other places as soon as it was aired on television. The people in cotabato, specially those families who had lost their loved ones because of the brutal killing had been traumatized. It brought fear to us because it was the most brutal happening that happened. I know that in cotabato there are a lot of incidents happening. Like bomb threats,kidnapping,killing and the war against the terrorists but this topic was the most fearful. To compare, authorities arrested 12 suspects at the time of the massacre’s second anniversary in 2011. Two other suspects considered â€Å"big fish† who each carried the P300,000 bounty were arrested that year: Tumi Timba Abas and Dukoy Badal. Then in 2012, eight were also arrested, including two prominent Ampatuan clan members, namely: Datu Anwar Upham â€Å"Ulo† Ampatuan and Datu Anwar â€Å"Ipi† Ampatuan Jr. But this year, apart from not arresting any prominent Ampatuan clan member, authorities have only arrested one suspect that carries the P300,000 bounty: Talembo â€Å"Tammy† Masukat, who was collared on February 16. The six others arrested this year carried a lower bounty of P250,000 each: Nasser Guia, arrested on February 8 Maot Bangkulat, April 8; Kudza Uguia Masukat, April 15; Edris Nanding Tekay, May 28; Mama Nomba Habib, July 25; and Alimudin Sanguyod, October 18. An eighth suspect, Maguid Amil, was killed by authorities after resisting arrest in Maguindanao on February 8. Amil reportedly hurled a grenade and fired at one of the arresting officers. As of posting time, the total number of arrested suspects stands at 108. Of this number, 104 have been arraigned and all pleaded not guilty to the multiple murder charges. Among those arraigned are the eight prominent Ampatuan clan members, including patriarch Andal Ampatuan Sr, a former Maguindanao governor, as well as his three sons, Andal Jr, Rizaldy, and Sajid. Considered the worst single-day election-related violence in Philippine history, the Maguindanao massacre claimed the lives of 58 people, including 32 journalists, who were part of a convoy that was supposed to register then Buluan Vice Mayor Esmael Mangudadatu, an Ampatuan rival in the gubernatorial race for the 2010 automated polls. They were said to have been stopped at a checkpoint at Sitio Masalay in Barangay Salman, Ampatuan town and gunned down by armed men led by the Ampatuans. Mangudadatu eventually won as governor. This tragedy will never be forgotten as it was one of the most significant and historic happening that happened in cotabato city.It took us years to moved on to what happened. Mangudadatu stayed strong even though he lost most of his family member. He still continued his filing of candidacy and luckily he won. As he won, it brought happiness to the people as well as the families of the victims because it gave them hope that there will be justice served. But until now there are some petitions and complaints about the case because of the slow movement that causes the family victims to get angry because it is been years and until now there are still improvement in the said case. As the ampatuan denies about the massacre, it is one of the  factor why it is still an ongoing case. It gave the supreme court a hard time to resolve it because of their statements. They’ve been creating new stories for their sake to be not in prison but still there were some evidences that are strong b ut needsa very careful and intelligent study to really know who’s the real suspect to the said crime. http://content.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1943191,00.html http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/336621/news/specialreports/4-years-after-ampatuan-massacre-88-suspects-still-at-large http://www.rappler.com/nation/44427-families-maguindanao-massacre-compensation http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/focus/07/02/13/backhoe-man-describes-maguindanao-massacre-burial http://www.humanrights.asia/resources/journals-magazines/article2/1102/the-maguindanao-massacre-legal-and-human-rights-implications-of-court-delay http://themediaproject.org/page/maguindanao-massacre-story-index