Babe Ruth Research Paper

The Great Bambino George Herman Ruth was born in Baltimore Maryland on February 6th 1895. His mother gave birth to him on the second floor of her father’s house. George is the oldest of 8 children. He was often missing from school. George was officially named a juvenile delinquent after his bouts skipping school. At a very young age George began drinking, chewing tobacco, and stealing (Berke 18). People around him were fed up with his behavior and he was sent to Catholic school. During his stint there, George made a positive out of it and made a 360 turn around.He was taken care of by Xaverian brothers from the School, St. Mary’s  (Berke 19). Ruth’s baseball career began when he was attending St. Mary’s (Berke 19). In the early 1900s, baseball was at its prime. Oddly, he pitched and batted left-handed, but started out catching in his young years. The last two years spent in school he was a staggering six feet, two inches and weighed in at 170 pounds. Ris ing to popularity at school, he became a major asset to the baseball team, and was promoted to pitcher and became the teams lead hitter and pitcher (Berke 22).Orioles signed Ruth to a six-month contract that paid him $600. It is said that in batting practice alone babe attracted up to 30,000 fans (Berke 22). Twenty-two games were won while Ruth was with Baltimore. In the early part of his career, Babe Ruth walked a batter and struck an umpire, getting himself thrown out of the game. In the series against the Dodgers, he pitched 4 games to one (Berke 23 – 24). The rising star soon was sold to the Boston Red Sox. The great Bambino’s salary jumped from a six hundred dollar check to a whopping thirty five hundred dollars.His primary position for Boston was pitcher. Ruth was one of few in the league that pitched left-handed and this would help Boston become exceptionally well. The first game Ruth ever pitched with Boston was a 4 – 3 win over Cleveland. Ruth’s first year with Boston he became good friends with Map, another great ball player at this time. He would also become teammates with him again in the future Yankees team. George Herman Ruth’s first recorded homerun was a game against New York and it was a straight shot to the upper deck of right field in the polo grounds off of Jack Warhop.The year was 1915 and the Bambino was named best pitcher and hitter for Boston (Berke 31,32,33). This year the Red Sox was named the best team in the Major League. Ruth led the team to the 1915 World Series and brought them a win. With all the hard work and determination from the Bambino his salary took another leaping hop from thirty five hundred dollars to five thousand. Ruth claimed that the 1915 Red Sox champion team was his favorite team he had ever played for, even in his later years. Another year passes and yet again the Red Sox make it back to the world series with the help of Ruth and win their second world series in a row.By 1917, Babe Ruth was by far statistically and fan based declared Boston’s best Ace pitcher and left handed hitter in the league (Berke 35 – 36). In 1915 Babe Ruth struck out 112 batters with a season record of 18 – 8. He also had a 2. 44 run average. (ERA) In the year 1916 Babe Ruth lead the Red sox to a 23 – 12 record and had an ERA of 1. 75. The Boston Red Sox family would be the first to help the Great Bambino achieve such an amazing goal as a major league pitcher/player and that was to win a back to back world series. Babe started the1917 Red Sox season 10 – 1. He would go on to end that season with a 24 – 13 record with a 2. 1 ERA. 1917 Ruth went on to end the season with a total of 128 strikeouts, the leagues fifth highest total. This milestone was not broken until more than 4 decades later by Whitey Ford of the New York Yankees. The Bambino set a World Series record of twenty-nine and two thirds scoreless innings (Berke 37). 1918, game one R uth shut out the Cubs tossing a 1 – 0 six hitter and won game 4 of the World Series. With all of the pitching experience in high school, minor league, major league, and four World Series later the Bambino ended his pitching career with this 1918 World Series win against the Cubs (Berke 38).George Herman Ruth married a waitress by the name of Helen Woodford after meeting her in a Boston Restaurant. In the off-season the newly weds spent the winter with Babe’s father. The year 1919 Babe Ruth was now ranked as the greatest pitcher of all time. Being called the greatest pitcher of all time comes Celebrity status. Due to the Bambinos pitching success and batting prowess everyone looked him up to in this time period. Ruth was just as well known with his batting as much as his pitching with Boston. At the beginning of the 1919 season, Ruth became a full-fledged left fielder.He predicted he could help win more games playing every day in the outfield and getting to swing his ba t more than he did pitching every fourth game (Berke 39,40,41). In this day in age a home run hitter was an oddity and completely unheard of especially with the materials of the time frame. The bats weren’t as up to date as ours today and weight lifting is by no means as advanced as it is today. It was more of a game of strategy than a game of power hitters. 1919 was a very dark period of baseball other than Ruth’s home run exploits.The 1919 World Series is best remembered for the Chicago White Sox purposely throwing the game to the Cincinnati Reds to illegally gain money from gambling (Berke 42). 1920, a year Boston will never forget. Honestly one of the most remembered years of Major League baseball history. The Sultan of Swat, the Great Bambino, the Colossus of Clouds, the Babe Ruth was sold to the New York Yankees. Ruth was sold for an astonishing amount of one hundred twenty thousand dollars. Twice the amount ever paid for a player up until that point in history.A t this point, in Ruth’s life, there wasn’t a doubt in his mind that he wasn’t going to take the offer from New York. Do you blame him? One hundred twenty thousand dollars in 1920 was an extreme amount to pay for a player. It is said that New York had to take out loans to pick up Ruth but it was a move that will set New York up to be the greatest Dynasty in the game of baseball (Babe N. P. ). Boston is soon to find out that they had just been left with the curse of the bambino. After Ruth’s transition from Boston to New York he decided to still stay a full time outfielder.He new exactly what he was doing when he decided to become an outfielder and end his pitching career on a good note. The great bambino dominated the game with amassing numbers that had never been seen in the history of baseball. He changed the style of baseball from a high intense grind it out strategy style of game to a power and high scoring kind of game (Babe Babe). The record books we re about to be opened and stay wet with ink as long as Ruth was playing. It would be useless to close the record books because every game it would be opened right back up.Ruth’s records from a hitting standpoint were insane! With a high batting average and an uncontrollable, unbelievable power he had an assault on baseballs most hallowed records (Babe About). 1920 Ruth surpassed the home run record in a single season that he had set a year before at Boston by belting out 54 in just one season. A season in which no other player usually hit more than 19 and that was considered outstanding at this time. There had only been one team that hit more home runs in one season than babe had individually up until this point in history.In the following season Ruth was not done breaking records, he was just getting started. 1920 was the first year that Ruth had won his first home run title and definitely not his last. The Bambino drove an astonishing 114 home runs with the Yankees in the 1 920 season, which is a major league high (Babe teen). All eyes were on Ruth and because of him baseball became Americas favorite past time. Adults, kids, and the retired all spent their time watching or playing the great game of baseball that once did not seem so interesting.George Herman Ruth is responsible for the term the grand slam. A grand slam in the game of baseball is when bases are loaded and the player at bat hits a homerun allowing your team to advance four points. Ruth had 4 grand slams in 1920, which remained a Major league high for forty years (Berke 45 – 46). The New York Yankees ended their 1920 season with a ninety-five –- fifty-nine record and finished just three games behind the AL champions the Cleveland Indians. This was the eighteenth season for the Yankees managed under the one and only Miller Huggins.The Yankees of the 1920’s were the first major league baseball team to have more than a million fans attends their game (Berke 46 – 4 7). The Bambino was built for the expanding New York City of the nineteen twenties and the New York City of the nineteen twenties was built for him, they were perfect for each other. Now the war was long over done and all of our soldiers were back home. America was on top, second to no one with New York City the center attention. Giant skyscrapers, new and fancy cars, shopping centers, Broadway, clubs, sports. Who wouldn’t want to be apart of this growing city of excitement?The famous New York sportswriter Westbrook Pegler once quoted â€Å"The Era Of Wonderful Nonsense† or as another New York sports writer Paul Gallico said â€Å" We were like children who had just been let out of school†. Ruth landed him in the right place at the right time. Ruth acquired several new and fashionable names already within months, Sultan of Swat, the Caliph of Clout, the Wizard of Whack, the Rajah of Rap, the Wazir of Wham, the Mammoth of Maul, the Maharajah of Mash, the Bambino, the Bam, the Big Bam (Montville 106 – 107). The center of a half mile racetrack in Jacksonville Florida is where the Yankees training field was located.They traveled her by train from New York City. The team was already off playing cards for real money before they hit New Jersey. Ruth roomed with Ping Bodie in the Hotel Brunswick. The first night they arrived, Ruth participated in a basketball game for the Shawmut Athletic Club, in which he scored eight points in the 41 – 25 win. Ruth, still tanned from California wearing a large leather coat handing out Cigars left and right, hit the clubs that evening. After a night of fun and excitement he arrived back to his hotel room where he proceeded in shinning his golf clubs.On the first day in Jacksonville, practice was optional since Huggins hadn’t arrived, so the big bam decided to go tour the 18 holes at the Florida Country club with his new clubs. Newspapers reported that he wore a silk shirt and white golf flann els and at one point he threw up a golf club while a ball was in flight and hit it out of the air (Monteville 108 – 110). The place of camp was casual, the Brooklyn dodgers also trained in Jacksonville but on the other side of the city at Barrs Field. From the start, Ruth lived a different way of life than all of his teammates.Yankees owner gave the players five dollars per day for meal money. This changed fast because the players would eat cheap hot dogs every day and saved the money for late night fun. Babe lived on a higher economic and social level than the people around him. Ping Bodie, Ruth’s roommate in Jacksonville gave the press the answer everyone had been waiting for. They asked him what kind of guy George Herman Ruth was and Ping answered, â€Å" I don’t know, I don’t room with babe. I room with his suitcase. † (Monteville 112 – 114). Finally the first day of practice starts and the million-dollar question is asked.Is it possible that the Bambino mysteriously lost his amazing ability to crush a ball higher and farther than anyone else in the league? Maybe, just maybe through winter and Ruth’s off time not keeping up on his skills he lost his ability. March nineteenth, seventeen days after the team had arrived. Babe Ruth hit a smashing ball 478 feet. 50 feet over the center field fence, the fence was 428 feet deep (Monteville 112 – 115) Babe Ruth went on to become not only the greatest baseball player of all time but also a celebrity of his era. Babe helped the New York Yankees win seven pennants and four World Series titles.The Bambino retired in 1935. Just one year later in 1936 Babe was one of the first 5 elected into the baseball hall of fame. The Bambino is credited for the popularity of the game of baseball. He helped pick the speed of the game up from a low scoring speed dominated game to a high scoring power game. Since then he has became one of the greatest sports heroes in American hi story. The legendary power and the charismatic personality made the bambino larger than life itself. He was famous for his charity off of the diamond but also known for his reckless lifestyle.He went on to coach after retiring from the game. August 16, 1948 cancer got the best of the Bambino and he died at the age of 53. The legend of Babe Ruth will live on forever (World). Works Cited â€Å"Babe Ruth a Teen to Adult. † Babe Ruth Central The Site That Ruth Built. N. P. , n. d. Web. 22 Oct. 2012. http://www. baberuthcentral. com/biography/babe-ruths- personal-side/. â€Å"Babe Ruth. † About. com 20th Century History. N. p. , n. d. Web. 22 Oct. 2012. â€Å"Babe Ruth Biography. † Bio. com. A&E Networks Television, n. d. Web 22 Oct. 2012. http://www. baberuthbiography. com/ Babe Ruth Biography. † N. p. , n. d. Web. 22 Oct. 2012. http://espn. go. com/mlb/player/bio/_/id? 27035/babe-ruth. Berke, Art. Babe Ruth. New Yourk: F. Watts, 1988. Print. Fischer, David. B abe Ruth: Legendary Slugger. New York: Sterling, 2012. Print Hampton, Wilborn. Babe Ruth: A Twentieth-century Life. New York, NY: Viking, 2009. Print. Monteville, Leigh. The Big Bam: The Life and times of Babe Ruth. New York: Doubleday, 2006. Print. â€Å"World Biography. † Babe Ruth Biography. N. p. , n. d. Web. 22 Oct. 2012. http://www. notablebiographies. com/Ro-Sc/Ruth-Babe. html.

Religion as a conservative force Essay

There Christian churches manage to force their conservative values onto masses of people. But, within the last 100 years the Anglican church has been very progressive in that the stance the church has on a lot of modern issues has changed. The churches stance on abortion has changed from absolutely against God to acceptable in some cases. And, although they still see sex before marriage as wrong they are no longer as condemning about it. In this example religion as a conservative force is dying as modern values take over religion and religion can no longer reinstate traditional ones. In contrast the Roman Catholic church, while being Christian, is extremely conservative and hasn t changed its stance on most contempory issues. They still believe that abortion is wrong unless its harmful to the mother, that sex before marriage is wrong in all cases and that contraception is not allowed. The Catholic church is still incredibly prominent and important within many countries and so they view that religion is a conservative force is still true. When discussing whether religion is a conservative force it is really a discussion about different religious institutions being conservative. Within Christianity, different churches and interpretations differ greatly regarding being conservative or progressive. In its day, Protestantism was a very progressive force and Catholicism was very conservative, even though they both were Christian churches they were either conservative or progressive. Traditionally sects are not seen as a conservative force. Q. an values. There Christian churches manage to foAssess the view that religion is a conservative force. Religion can be defined in many different ways, from the traditional view of a belief in God, contrasting with the functionalist view that religion only needs to function and help people and does not require a God. Religion can also differ in size and beliefs and, especially in modern countries, how progressive or conservative they are. Conservative religion s religion which religion which conserves a countries values and norms. The Christian religion does this in many western countries as it embodies many of the values which those countries hold. According to functionalists and Durkheim, by religion holding these values it makes them more sacred and re-enforces these values. According to Parsons religion also generalises these values into society. The values which are generally preserved by religion in these countries are very conservative ones. This is where religion is against social change, maintaining the status quo. This is what functionalists see as necessary for keeping and creating social unity. However, this differs greatly from progressive religion. Religion which is progressive brings about change within societies and usually holds very little of the same values which the society does, and by doing so doesn t reinforce them. Religion which usually falls under the category of progressive religion is very New Age, but they do not all challenge the values in western countries. This is where religion helps social change. Churches such as the Anglican church within Christianity are incredibly traditionally and conservative in the way that they hold very much the same values which they held including the views on certain behaviours which they traditionally held. Churches such as the Christian churccts see themselves as progressive within society and institutions which challenge a country s norms instead of conforming to them or agreeing with them. The tend to be very New Age in their beliefs and deviate from traditional conservative religions not just in values but in the way they recruit, have a hierarchy and conduct religious business. As many traditional religions are loosing members sects are rapidly growing in size, and although many don t make it through the first few years, those which do have increasing popularity and manage to recruit members which are more willing to be a force within society. This is where religion is becoming an increasingly progressive force within societies. Many sects are even progressive with how they recruit members. As well as the traditional route of recruiting one-on-one they also do so online. This is a very progressive method as it differs greatly from the usual method of bringing people into religion from birth and ado lance generally through religious ceremony. But, not all sects to this. The increasingly common Christian sect within Britain and American ( ) recruits members from birth within families, instating their values from birth. So, sects sometimes are conservative but in different ways. This shows that even new religions can be conservative and that the force of conservative religion remains strong. Weber look into Protestants and social change found that religion did result in the change of values and norms within British society at the time. Protestantism changed laws and made things such as dancing illegal. But, Protestantism, in many ways, was more traditional than what was in place before. If conservatism is defined as traditional values is was in fact a conservative force that took over Britain and many other countries within Western Europe. This contradicts the view that conservative religion reinforces values and norms with societies. Marxists argue that religion is a conservative force as it does not bring about social change. Many of the traditional values which many churches hold are values which are the same as middle class or are to the benefit of middle class. As they do not change Marxists believe that religion is the force behind this and are therefore a conservative, not a progressive force. Fundamentalists are traditionally seen as conservative religious forces. Taylor defines involvement in fundamentalism as those who believe that there is a challenge to the ultimate authority which the believe in; people who do not tolerate this challenge, they can reaffirm their belief in that authority and oppose those who challenge their beliefs. The reason fundamentalist are usually found to be religious is that according to this view fundamentalism involves the conservative reassertion of beliefs and, usually, action against any change. Conservative fundamentalists are most notably found to be a big force in the USA. They may hold traditional conservative Christian values but they are a progressive movement as they see the USA as declining away from the those values and especially the world. This movement is a return to old values and the reinstatement of them, such as a return to creationalism within schools. This movement is also forceful in that it holds a lot of power with America and its electoral system. President Bust who was elected for two terms manage to get elected mainly on a traditional conservative values campaign, showing that the conservative religion movement is huge within such a powerful advanced modern country. But even conservative fundamentalists can bring about progress change as what they believe are traditional values can differ from what other people believe for traditional values. This is especially true with Islam as within Islam are many different fundamentalist groups, all of whom are interpreting true Islam in different ways. The Sacred Brethren is also an example of a sect which can be seen as conservative and yet does rapidly change. When the leader of this sect died and someone else took over its values changed and although it remained a conservative force it was still resulting in change, not just reinstating its traditional values. And, fundamentalist can be progressive and bring about social change in other ways. In Iran the bringing back of traditional Islamic values brought major change as it overthrew the Iranian Government, in-stating new laws and values. Even tough it was a return to traditional values and came within a conservative force it was still progressive in bringing about change. Religion obviously differs a lot, not just in belief, and it can be spilt into progressive or conservative. But, even with this it can differ when you take into account the conservative religions which bring about change. Even though the evidence points towards sects and progressive religions being the future for this world as they increase their membership as conservative religions decrease their membership. But in countries such as the USA it is conservative religions which are increasing in power, which means the conservative religion and more power within societies. s manage to get elected mainly on a traditional conservative values campaign, showing that the conservative religion movement is huge within such a powerful advanced modern country.

Case study in Forensics - Ashley Coulston

Ashely Mervyn Coulston is known as the ‘Burwood triple murderer’ he murdered three innocent victims in cold blood on 29 July 19921. Coulston had gone to a Burwood house under the guise of renting a room in the house that had been ‘advertised in the Herald Sun’2. Coulston had a bag that contained a . 22 rifle, ammunition, a homemade silencer and plastic cable ties. Coulston bound, gagged and covered the victim’s heads (using a towel or dressing gown) and shot each in the back of the head at point blank range3. I will briefly outline the circumstances of the case and how the perpetrator – Coulston, was eventually captured and the evidence that flowed to convict him for the triple murders in Summit Road, Burwood. In this case study I will examine the forensic evidence (limited to the main ballistic evidence), that was presented in the criminal trials and the forensic evidence that was introduced by the prosecution. Background Coulston was caught by police not for the murders in Burwood but for an armed robbery that occurred several months after the murders in July. Coulston had approached a couple who were returning to their car parked near the National Gallery in St Kilda Road. Coulston was wearing a balaclava and carrying a . 22 calibre rifle when he approached the couple in their car4. The couple believed the assailant was after money; so they threw some money at Coulston hoping that he would leave5. Coulston grabbed the money and forced the couple from the car. He then forced the female to the ground and tied her hands with the cable ties. At that moment the male partner of the couple noticed that Coulston had placed the gun on the ground and he took the opportunity to grapple with Coulston, thus allowing the female to run. The male also fled, with both calling out for help. Two security officers near the scene heard screams for assistance, and subsequently called for police. Coulston followed the couple and fired shots at the security officers which hit one of the officer’s in the hip6. When police arrested Coulston they found a sawn off rifle, a homemade silencer that was made from a motor vehicle oil filter, a knife and plastic cable ties7. Forensic evidence The police forensics department found that the bullets recovered from the scene of the Burwood triple murders had come from the same gun used in the St Kilda armed robbery8. The police also found that the cream cable ties used on the female victim in the armed hold-up were the same brand as those used in in the Burwood murders9. Forensic evidence also established that blood splatter from a dressing gown found over the head of one of the Burwood victims was the same blood that had splattered onto the oil filter of the rifle, used as a silencer10. Police were also able to use the fingerprint of Coulston found on his Melways Street directory that marked the page of the Summit Road, Burwood triple murders11. These pieces of evidence were used to place Coulston as the prime suspect in relation to the three murders in Burwood12. In relation to the specific ballistic evidence; there was considerable debate over the possible contamination of the evidence by Senior Constable Ray Vincent – police forensic examiner. Mr Vincent appears to have incorrectly labelled a job card used to record the test firing of the rifle. The Court of Appeal was less than impressed with the defence’s proposition that due to the error there was a possibility that the bullets had been substituted to make it look like they had been fired from the . 22 Sterling rifle13. Both the High Court and the Court of Appeal dismissed the notion of the evidence being tampered with14. The prime evidence that was used to convict Coulston was the . 22 Sterling rifle he had in his possession, when he was arrested in relation to armed robbery and attempted murder of the security officers in St Kilda Road, Melbourne15. Specific Forensic Evidence There were several specific pieces of evidence that were found at the Burwood murder scene:16 1. There was no sign of forced entry; 2. That the flat was neat and tidy – not disturbed; 3. That the 3 victims had their hands bound with cream coloured tie straps and socks placed in their mouths; and, 4. One of the victims had a dressing gown placed over her head whilst the others had towels. 17 5. A Sterling . 22 rifle was one of a list of weapons that had similar rifling marks to two of the bullets used in the murders – one of the bullets was indistinguishable18. The Sterling rifle that Coulston used in the armed robbery was suspected to have been the weapon used in the Burwood murders19. The police forensic expert Senior Constable Ray Vincent was able to match the distinct impressions left on the bullet by the particular firearm, ‘much like a fingerprint’20. The firearm barrel is manufactured by using a type of drill (reamer) to cut the barrel so it has ‘spiral grooves cut into the inner surface of the barrel’21. The spiralling enables the bullet to spin and therefore maintain a more accurate trajectory22. When the ballistics expert inspects the bullet, he measures the spaces between the markings on the bullet called grooves and lands, and in particular if they twist either to the right or left23. Mr Vincent was able to count the number of grooves, their width and depth, together with the angle of the twist, and compiled a list of manufacturers that had similar rifling marks – one of those was a Sterling . 22 rifle24. Coulston’s defence tried to discredit the ballistic evidence given by Mr Vincent25. By indicating that: 1. 250 bullets had been test fired from the rifle to make a comparison; 2. the job card used to record the firings was incorrectly dated – it was dated August 1993 instead of August 1992; and, 3. the bullets used had been substituted at a later stage. In relation to point 1, His Honour Chief Justice Brenan responded by suggesting that ‘the rifling on these bullets fired at a stage before the burring on the front of the barrel might have changed the perspective of them’26. In essence His Honour was making the comment that the defence may be suggesting that after multiple firings of a weapon the profiling on the bullet may change indicting a possible error being made in the make of the firearm27. In relation to point 2, the defence proposed that the evidence may have been tainted by the fact that ‘something was wrong in the handwritten†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦addition to the document†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦which was a list of weapons having the same rifling characteristics as the weapon inferentially used in the murders’28. The defence was trying to put doubt in the jury’s mind by stating that the list of weapons noted by Vincent, that had the same markings as the murder weapon, was made after Coulston was arrested for the armed robbery in September 1992, noting that Coulston had one of the weapons on the list29. In relation to point 3, the defence stated that the rifling, that is the ‘characteristics of the weapon’ †¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢used in the murders, was based on Vincent’s forensic examination of the bullets’. The bullets had †¦. ‘six lands and grooves with a right hand twist with the lands wider than the groove, land . 063 and groove . 048, Vincent prepared a list of rifles which possessed those characteristics. ’ ‘The list of rifles with those characteristics would therefore identify the murder weapon’30. The defence utilised the services of an expert witness; Mr Barnes (a former Forensic officer later to be discredited) who indicated he was ‘not able to see how you could prepare a list of [weapons] based on those characteristics’ (the land and groove markings on the bullet) to the list of weapons prepared by Mr Vincent31. The inference drawn was the bullets used by Mr Vincent may have been substituted at a later stage. Both the High Court and the Court of Appeal both regarded ‘the issue as improbable’ and regarded ‘Mr Vincent as a credible witness’32. Blood splatter and gun residue Due to the word limit I will only touch on the issue of the other evidence that was gathered from the crime scene in Burwood, as it was not as significant as the ballistic evidence. A forensic scientist had determined that the blood stains from the dressing gown matched blood found on the oil filter that was used as a silencer33. Another forensic scientist determined that the lack of gun residue on the dressing gown was consistent with someone being shot a close range34. These pieces of evidence led to the police interrogation of Coulston who answered â€Å"no comment’. Coulston remained silent in regards to the murder charges throughout the trial and has maintained his innocence to the charges of murder35. Coulston ultimately appealed his conviction of murder to the High Court who dismissed his appeal on the ground that it had ‘no prospects of success. 36 He is now serving three consecutive life sentences and is never to be released. Conclusion The attention to detail and the corroboration of the evidence by another Forensic Officer is tantamount to the credibility of the evidence put before the court. Any mistake made by the Forensic officer can jeopardise the trial and possibly allow a murderer to walk free, as a jury is required to make a decision on the basis of beyond reasonable doubt. In this case, if there was doubt around the date of the job card, the list of weapons and the bullets used; this may put enough doubt in a juries mind to find Coulston not guilty37.

Application Nursing Care and Practice for patients with Irritable Essay

Application Nursing Care and Practice for patients with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) - Essay Example The scope of nursing further identifies functions such as provision of care, educative roles, counseling, administration, and clinical specialist services. Proper background of health issues is fundamental to a practicing nurse and such knowledge bases as causes of a health problem, its symptoms, and preventive and control measures are therefore necessary for a practicing nurse. This paper demonstrate this competence through exploration of irritable bowel syndrome, its signs, symptoms, and causes, medical and alternative interventions, nursing care assessment and considerations in acute care settings, and plans for community follow up and support systems for management of irritable bowel syndrome. Signs, symptoms, and causes of IBS Irritable bowel syndrome is symptomatic, offering a basis for prediction among the public and diagnosis by care personnel. The primary symptom of the syndrome is pain in the victim’s abdomen. ... A slight variation in either direction may initiate discomfort wile extremely lower or higher changes in movements may lead to extreme levels of pain. Observable changes are also made on stool that may be adverse and change with variations in bowel motions. Some cases of irritable bowel syndrome report loose stools that worsen to be more watery while others report harder stools that normally experienced by patients. A number of secondary symptoms also exist to suggest existence of the syndrome. The loose or watery stool may be experienced frequently to define diarrhea, more tat three watery stools per day, and may be associated with sudden need for bowel movement. Frequent hard stools in a week are another secondary indicator of the syndrome and victims may have trouble with bowel movement. Another symptom is the â€Å"feeling that a bowel movement is not complete† and this may lead to longer periods of trying to pass out stool (Digestive, 2012, p. 1). Other symptoms are †Å"passing mucus† and â€Å"abdominal bloating† (Digestive, 2012, p. 1). The symptoms must however have been reported for a minimum of three days in a month in order to suggest existence of irritable bowel syndrome in a patient. The exact cause of irritable bowel syndrome is not yet ascertained but many health complications are believed to initiate the syndrome, either individually or collectively. â€Å"Brain-gut signal problem,† impaired coordination between the brain and nerves in the small intestines is one of the factors. Coordination between the brain and the nerves regulate the intestines’ functionality and poor coordination initiates variation in movements towards changed bowel behavior and associated pain (1). Complications with gastrointestinal

Ethics and policies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 2

Ethics and policies - Essay Example Ethics can best be defined as standards of moral behaviour that are accepted by society as right versus wrong (Nickels et al, 2005). Businesses, as much as an individual, are held accountable for their actions in relationship to societys ethical expectations. Most modern companies are struggling to emerge profitable and reputable in a market that is saturated with competition. One of the tactics used to increase positive visibility in the business world is in establishing a distinctive ethical position. As much important as a companys mission or vision statement is the establishment of a Code of Business Conduct and Ethics annual report. The purpose of this statement is to apply ethical standards to all employees, directors, officers, and possibly subsidiary groups that define disciplinary actions for those who breach the code of conduct. What this serves is to separate the company from any possible negative assessments of its policies on behalf of consumers and to send the message t hat any deviation from ethical code will be immediately corrected through new initiatives or employee accountability for the act. In establishing a distinctive ethical position, most companies tend to address issues such as conflicts of interest, confidentiality, fair dealings with other entities, compliance standards, and sometimes cultural ethical standards when dealing with international organisations. The publicity gained from such an ethics code aids not only the business by securing its ethical actions, but also serve the communities, shareholders, and can prevent costly legalities brought on by unfair business practices. These types of lawsuits can be as minor as a breach in employment policy to as extensive as misrepresenting company earnings to inflate company stock. In a world where multiple businesses have been flattened due to false representation of company revenue, offering a It is quite clear to see the

The Case For, or Against, New Orleans Assignment

The Case For, or Against, New Orleans - Assignment Example 1). Expected Cost = Cost of Implementation + Cost of Major Flooding X Probability of Major Flooding Main flooding is described here as a hurricane with hundreds of approximated fatalities as a result of flooding, and the expense of key flooding consists of property destruction in addition to fatalities. The produce of the cost and the possibility of key flooding in Equation (1) comprise the anticipated loss or risk as a result of flooding: 2). Risk = Cost of Major Flooding X Probability of Major Flooding For the risk alleviation, option of bettering the levee system, procedures have been developed, and the erection cost is approximated to be around $15 billion. With a rate of discount of 5 percent and a supposed yearly cost of $0.25 billion to sustain the enhanced system, the overall cost for this option on a yearly basis is approximately $1 billion. We will presume that this option lessens the possibility of key flooding however, does not affect the cost of significant flooding if i t were to take place (Hallegatte, 2006). The anticipated yearly cost related with this choice is then: (Expected Cost) levees = $1 billion + $100 billion X (Probability of Major Flooding) levees If the possibility of significant flooding is minimized from 0.02 to 0.01 per year, then the anticipated cost for this option is similar to that for the status quo, $2 billion annually. For possibilities of significant flooding lesser than 0.01 per year, this option is favored to the status quo on the base of anticipated cost. For the risk alleviation substitute of bettering the preparation, alarming and migration system, the possibility of significant flooding is unaffected from the status quo: 0.02 yearly. As a result, the anticipated yearly cost for this option is: (Expected Cost) preparation = (Cost of Implementation) preparation + (Cost of Major Flooding) preparation X 0.02 per year. A dynamic that stabilizes the cost and gains of a selection of selections for risk alleviation, for inst ance, using up $0.75 billion annually on advancing the levees scheme and $0.25 billion annually on bettering the preparation, alarming and migration system, would probably be most favorable. In the same way, investing exclusively in the hard scheme (levees) devoid of taking into consideration the soft scheme (public preparation) would not expected to be the most favorable approach. A significant teaching from Hurricane Katrina is that the inhabitants and assets at risk are as much a segment of the Protection System of the Hurricane as the walls and levees (Hallegatte, 2006). 3). Mixtures of yearly cost and the expected cost for a significant flood related with the alleviation option of enhancing preparation, alarming and migration schemes where this option is favored against bettering the levee system (Hallegatte, 2006). The subsequent postulations are prepared in developing this plot: the cost of executing the â€Å"enhanced Levees† option is $1 billion annually, the anticip ated cost in the occurrence of a significant flood with the advanced levee scheme is $100 billion, and the odds of a significant

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

PR week 3 - Essay Example For this case, the company ought to be aware that it should not be having any pending negative incident that might have rocked the company in the recent times. Riordan being an international company the deals with customers from all corners of the world, they must ensure that they have solved any international ethical issues that might be pending. Being an international company also, the company also ought to be aware that it needs to safeguard the customer’s confidential information before it get to the wrong hands. For this case, they must assure their customers that their confidential information or data such as medical information does not get to the media. This fear on the side of their customer might result to most of their customers withdrawing from their organization resulting to losses. There might be an impact that will be experienced as result of relocating Riordan’s Manufacturer China’s plan. Some of the negative impact would be losing some valuable employees who might not be willing to move to new location. This kind of a loss might in the long run have an impact on the good will of the organization. If these employees lands on another job opportunity at a Riordan’s competitor, they might reveal most of Riordan confidential information of doing business. This will in turn affect Riordan manufacturer as their confidential information will be known by their competitors and the competition might even become tougher. manufacture products for our customers that are of high quality with the latest technology. We have always been looking forward to suggestions from our customers on how we can improve our products in order to cater for the ever growing human needs and satisfying them at an affordable cost. We have also ensured that we also lead as far as producing and distributing our products to the world. For this

Smoking related illnesses have claimed a lot of lives in UK Essay

Smoking related illnesses have claimed a lot of lives in UK - Essay Example For women the activity of smoking renders severe implications to the process of pregnancy impairing the reproductive process (Smoking and Health, n.d.). The growth of smoking activity in United Kingdom alone claims around 106,000 lives on an annual basis. Large numbers of people get affected by fatal ailments like cancer, cardiac and pulmonary problems which contribute to the growing deaths in the region. The growth in deaths owing to smoking problems has scaled such heights in United Kingdom that it has become a serious public health concern in the region. Again the frequency and growth of smoking ailments happens to become an economic and social burden for the country (Peate, 2007, p.218). In United Kingdom the treatment and care rendered to smoking diseases demand around 5 billion pounds of annual expenditure during 2005. This expenditure incurred during 2005 accounted for around 5.5 percent of the total health budget prepared by National Health Service in United Kingdom for the p eriod 2005 to 2006. (Smoking disease costs NHS 5 billion Pounds, 2009). Public Health Impacts of Smoking Related Diseases The policies and practice of Public Health Systems in the context of United Kingdom gained importance with the works of the Labour Party during 1997. In fact, the labour government of Britain made the public health practices as one of the key health and social needs of the region. Enhancement of the scope of the National Health Service in the region was done to reduce the impact of economic and social inequalities in getting access to better health services. (Lloyd, Jones & Douglas, 2009, p.10). Growth in the consumption habits of tobacco and nicotine products in different countries has been observed to occur because of difference in the social settings of the large communities. The main social inequality factors like deprivation from better living and economic standards, spread of unemployment in the regions and increase in solitude are observed to be the major reasons which accounts for the growth of smoking habits. People take to these habits of consuming nicotine through smoking to get rid of feelings of depression and loneliness. However on the contrary increased incidence to such objects renders economic impact on the poor people by causing a rise in the emergence of fatal diseases pertaining to heart and lungs. It also happens to cause cancer in many patients, which thereby claim many lives. Poor people suffering from such smoking ailments fail to gain access to better treatments owing to which the number of deaths in the region starts rising. A study made on the smoking characteristics of the people in United Kingdom during 1993 shows that the number of smokers in the deprived community were greater than the people belonging to affluent types. The above observation made during 1993 in United Kingdom can also be graphically represented as follows. It is found that the habit of taking drugs and products like nicotine were much prevale nt in deprived communities of Britain during the 1993 period (Wilkinson & Marmot, 2003, pp.24-25).

Luigi Pirandello 1867-1936 War Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Luigi Pirandello 1867-1936 War - Essay Example However, the real skill of Pirandello in War lies in his ability to show to the readers the actual human side of these characters, which does not understand the claims of the country and the King and which mourns and bereaves the loss of the loved ones. The message of the story is that the emotional side of the human existence is simply unaware of the artificial concepts like national pride, courage and bravery, and tends to miss and bereave the loved one’s lost to such noble sounding and lofty causes. The fat man in the story asserts that, â€Å"it is natural at their age (boys) should consider the love of their country (I am speaking of decent boys, of course) even greater than the love of us (Pirandello 109)?† While saying so, the fat man as a father sounds to be very matter of fact and committed to the larger claims of nationalism and the duty towards one’s country. While saying so, the fat man appears to be very successful in suppressing the emotional side o f his personality to support his so called loyalty towards his country. However, once â€Å"the woman in deep mourning (Pirandello 107)† poses a simple question â€Å"Then†¦ is your son really dead (Pirandello 109)?† the entire idea of national pride simply gives way. What emerges is a father who is deeply sad and disturbed at the death of his son. â€Å"†¦ At the silly, incongruous question- he suddenly realized that his son was really dead- gone forever- forever (Pirandello 109).† A simple question by a grieved mother simply unravels the hollowness inherent in the notions of country, national pride, and selfless sacrifices, to show to the readers the sad, bloody and ruthless side of war. Certainly, the claims of the country look smaller compared to the more pressing claims of the human heart. In War, Pirandello uses the third person point of view. This approach allows the writer to bring out the typical waste and tragedy of war, by extending to the r eaders an insight into the emotional confusion and anxiety of the characters. To begin with, the omniscient point of view makes the readers think that they are witnessing a simple conversation taking place in a group, during a war. Almost all the travelers in that second class carriage are shown to be talking about the young men from their families, who have been sent to the war. Yet, the very same omniscient narrator brings down these displays of patriotism and national cause, by bringing out the emotional confusion gripping the characters. All the men in the carriage try to score over each other by declaring the magnitude of sacrifices made be their family to the national cause, to be greater than others. To one gentleman’s claim that â€Å"You should thank God that your son is only leaving now for the front. Mine has been sent there the first day of the war (Pirandello 108)† the second passenger responds that â€Å"I have two sons and three nephews at the front (Pi randello 108).† In this competition for sacrifice and selflessness, these men simply seem to be unaware of the pain of losing their family members. This very emotional confusion shows how much emotionally disturbed they are. The characterization by Pirandello in the story is very appropriate and masterfully brings out the superiority of human feelings over artificial concepts of patriotism an

Eqyptian Culture Essay Example for Free

Eqyptian Culture Essay Ancient Egypt was a fascinating and complex place. Luckily for historians, Egyptians had made great strides in record keeping which have made studying their culture and society easier than some previous historical eras. Ancient Egyptians were a people who were intensely religious, deeply divided by gender roles and a strong hierarchy, and quite advanced for their period in terms of their technological and economic innovations. Egyptians were deeply religious, and religion played a role in nearly all aspects of their daily lives. When the ancient Egyptians experienced periods of peace and prosperity, they attributed credit for the success to their deities (Slaughter, 5). The Egyptians experienced centuries of remarkable stability and considered this state to be the ma ’at, which was Egyptian for the â€Å"natural order† (Slaughter, 5). Even though they considered good order and balance in their society to be natural, it had to be protected by the pharaoh, who was considered to have been born mortal but imbued with godhood upon receipt of the throne, and was expected to be an earthly presence of the divine (Slaughter, 5). His religious standing gave the pharaoh a unique legal and authoritative position in ancient Egyptian culture. The pharaoh was expected to defend the nation, take responsibility for all administrative duties, declare all of the laws, and own all of the land (Slaughter, 5). For practical reasons, much of the pharaoh’s responsibilities were delegated to a bureaucracy (Slaughter, 5). Within this bureaucracy, staffed mostly by men, success was measured by the degree to which a person promoted order and prosperity within their stewardship (Slaughter, 5-6). Ancient Egypt had a strong social hierarchy, where a small group of the population, mostly the male elders, formed an elite class that that tightly controlled the rest of society (Slaughter, 7). This hierarchy was rooted in a wide variety of economic, political, religious and social causes that imbued those in power with authority in almost all areas of society (Slaughter, 7). The nature of most economic and commercial activity at the time created great â€Å"wealth, power, and opportunities† for elite men, while putting other men and all women in a position of submission to or dependence on the elite (Slaughter, 7). The division of labor that arose based at first on survival needs created societal attitudes about the roles, attributes, and abilities of men and women (Slaughter, 7). Men were the rulers and hard laborers, while women were the family caretakers (Slaughter, 7). The fertility and sexuality of a woman was her main contribution to Egyptian society, and these attributes were celebrated throughout the culture (Slaughter, 7). Women were expected to marry at 12 or 13 years of age, and to bear children often within the first year after marriage (Discussion, Ian Falconer). Although women were usually not part of the religious or political ruling elite, they were highly respected for their fertility, and were given most of the same legal rights as men (Discussion, Keako Crill). In some rare instances, women actually did manage to rise to stations of power and privilege, sometimes as priestesses to a God within the pharaoh’s bureaucracy (Slaughter, 5), and in four instances, including the case of Hatshepsut, women actually became the supreme rulers of the land (Slaughter, 6). Ancient Egyptians achieved an impressive level of manufacturing and commercia l capability for their time, which allowed them to achieve great strength and geopolitical dominance. Egyptians took advantage of many opportunities to learn, such as using the mummification process as a chance to learn about anatomy and medicine (Discussion, Katelyn Dreger). The Egyptians also developed a calendar with the same number of days as ours, though more closely tied to the seasons. Their calendar had three seasons, each consisting of four 30 day months, and an extra five days between harvest and planting that brought the total days in a year to 365 (Discussion, Tad Gale). This system allowed them to know when to plant and harvest based on the seasons of the year and the rise and fall of the water level in the Nile River in order to get maximum utilization of their vital lands. They also managed to develop a forerunner to our modern day beer by either fermenting water with bread crumbled into it, or by actually fermenting barley and wheat in a similar fashion to modern methods (Discussion, Tad Gale.) Their engineering feats were also impressive, and ranged from the technical prowess that showed itself in their massive pyramids, to the mastery of physics involved in developing advanced chariots that ran faster, quieter, and more stable than their counterparts created by their enemies (Discussion, Blair Vanderlugt). The nature of ancient Egyptian society was quite unique for its time period. Egyptian culture was distinct from neighboring nations, and Egyptians had many advantages that gave them an edge politically and commercially.

Experiences in a cross curricular manner education essay

Experiences in a cross curricular manner education essay The following essay will focus on the Skills Framework introduced by the Welsh Assembly Government into the national curriculum. The essay will discuss the shift into developing pupils skills across the curriculum rather than subject specific skills. The essay will also discuss how to develop pupils skills in the core subjects through a series of practical based activities through active learning. The term skill can be hard to define. Resnick argues that the term can not be defined exactly, but the term is easily recognisable, although it is very diverse (Resnick, L.B. 1987). Resnick also argues that in the world of education, we must try to teach study and problem solving skills. However can these types of skills be related to the different skills across the curriculum? The term skill requires a working definition as the different elements associated with skills are far too vast to be confined to one single, ridged definition. The Skills Framework being brought into the National Curriculum is linked to the Education Reform Act of 1988, which suggested that a curriculum should prepare pupils for challenges that they may face in adult life. However, past teaching practices prior to the Skills Framework being introduced were very much based around subject knowledge rather than skills. For example, in Science pupils would have learnt about the human heart. Now, under the new Skills Framework, pupils do still learn about the human heart, but the main focus of the lesson is to improve pupils scientific investigation skills rather develop their subject knowledge alone. Emphasis on teaching has now moved from less subject detail, to looking more at how and why and with a more thematic/topic method of teaching not only the core subjects, but subjects across the curriculum (James, B. et al). The need for a Skills Framework was outlined by the Future Skills Wales 2003 Generic Skills Survey which discovered that emplo yers could see gaps in employees skills, including communication and problem solving skills and in particular, Information Communications Technology (ICT) skills (Skills Framework for 3 to 19-year-olds in Wales. Welsh Assembly Government). As a result of this survey and a previous publication from Estyn in 2002 which also stated a need to improve learning skills within schools, Awdurdod Cymwysterau, Cwricwlwm ac Asesu Cymru (ACCAC) advised the Welsh Assembly Government to revise the National Curriculum to ensure it became more learner centered, skills based, up-to-date with the 21st Century and far more skills based than just focusing on subject knowledge alone. It was also suggested that the new curriculum had to be inclusive for all learners, something it could be argued that a subject knowledge based curriculum is not. The main points suggested by ACCAC were to implement a curriculum that focuses on and meets learners needs, is inclusive and provides equality of opportunity, equi ps learners with transferable skills, supports bilingualism, is relevant, challenging, interesting and enjoyable for all learners, transforms learning to produce resourceful, resilient and reflective lifelong learners, is achievable and adequately resourced. (Skills Framework for 3 to 19-year-olds in Wales. Welsh Assembly Government). With these skills based activities implemented into the National Curriculum, it is believed that a pupils education will be much more fulfilling, enjoyable and successful. The skills framework is organised into four different sections; developing thinking, communication, ICT and number. It is argued that these skills are needed to not only help learners in schools, but also when they reach adult life and require these skills. The Skills Framework has also been organised so that learners can acquire different skills and progress in these skills from the Foundation phase right through the different key stages and into post sixteen education. Although learners acquire and develop skills set out in the framework as they progress through the different key stages, certain skills are not necessarily associated with a particular stage in in education. This is because some skills that young adults in the upper key stages have acquired may also be demonstrated by learners in the Foundation Phase, all be it at a much simpler level. As learners progress from the Foundation Phase and into the different key stages, their skills develop. This can be viewed as learner s begin to work more independently with less support. Learners also choose to work with others to better their education, rather than just casually listening and work with those around them (Skills Framework for 3 to 19-year-olds in Wales. Welsh Assembly Government). Although the Skills Framework has a major influence on the National Curriculum, it is by no means supposed to replace it, but merely act as a guide to help teachers with their planning. One of the main stages of the Skills Framework is developing thinking. Educators believe that it is important to develop thinking to enable learners to have a greater understanding of what they are studying. As part of the Skills Framework the process of thinking is organised into plan, develop and reflect. In relation to the classroom, this process allows learners to plan out tasks effectively, develop their own ideas, and then reflect back upon their work (Swansea Grid for Learning). The Skills Framework has been put in place to help teachers develop a learners thinking across the curriculum, although it is not possible to cover all subjects within the curriculum (Skills Framework for 3 to 19-year-olds in Wales. Welsh Assembly Government). Developing thinking is seen as a continuous process. This allows learners to keep improving, as they are constantly planning, developing and reflecting upon their work (See Figure A). Figure A. (Swansea Grid for Learning) One of the most important features of this continuous process is metacognition, thinking about thinking. Metacognition is a process whereby learners reflect upon their own work, and then use this reflection time to improve their learning. Metacognition is also crucial in allowing learners to progress through the different skills stages. In mathematics, thinking can be developed through a variety of different problem solving activities. Whilst on school placement, I found that Abacus Maths Scheme had a range of practical activities that helped improve pupils thinking skills. The Abacus Activity book 6, by Ruth Merrtens and David Kirkby features a range of different practical mathematical activities whereby learners work through the different activities and then answer questions at the end. One particular activity consisted of letters from A to K. An example of the worksheet used in this activity can be found in Appendix 1. Learners had to work in groups to identify what number each of the different letters represented. To find the correct answer, learners had to answer different questions such as I+C=D. To find the answer, pupils had to reflect upon what answers they already knew, for example they may already know that I= 4 and that C= 8, so they could therefore identify what number D must represent. Once learners ha d identified what numbers all of the letters represented they then had to answer questions such as What is the total of B, C and F? (Merrtens et al 2001). The plenary for this activity also presents an opportunity for learners to use the process of metacognition. Questions such as, what did you learn from this activity? How did you identify what numbers the different letters were? How did you answer the different questions? What parts did you find easy? What parts did you find hard? all allow learners to reflect upon their work and how they planned and developed their work throughout the activity to solve the different problems (Revill 2010). Another method to develop thinking is using a KWHL grid (what learners already Know, what they Want to find out, How they will find out and what they have Learnt). The grid allows learners to reflect upon prior learning to fill out what they already know on the grid. Learners then think about what they might want to find out from the work and how they are going to find this out. Once learners have completed the work, they then reflect up on what they have learnt. The use of KWHL grid very much incorporates the ideas of developing thinking and metacognition as learners must plan what they want to find out, develop this into how they are going to find out, and then reflect upon how they have found out certain information (The Centre for Research in Primary Science and Technology (CRIPSAT) 2007). I have found one of the best uses of a KWHL grid is to assess what learners learn during a science investigation. On school placement I used a KWHL grid during a science lesson looking at different food groups and their effects on the human body. Once the learners had identified what they knew and what they wanted to find out, they then set about writing down how they would find out information. Without prompt, learners reflected on previous lessons when they has been asked to research information from material provided from textbooks and wrote this in their KWHL grids. KWHL grids are not only good at developing thinking skills, but also at as a means of allowing learners an element of control by letting them decide what they want to find out, and how they are going to find out. In the science lesson on food groups, using the KWHL grid also led to pupils working in groups to research the different food groups, and then presenting them back to the class. An example of a KWHL grid prod uced by a pupil from the class can be fond in Appendix 2. The research and presentation skills needed were skills that pupils had previously learnt by doing a similar task. They had then reflected on this task to use the same skills to find out and share information about food groups in the form of presentations, which also promotes practical, active learning. In language lessons, one of the best examples that I found whilst on school placement for developing thinking skills and making the lesson more practical and active was through a method of story writing by Pie Corbett. The Canal by Pie Corbett is learnt not by simply reading text, but by looking at pictures that illustrate events in the story. The Canal and a sample of pictures used to tell the story ca be found in Appendix 3. This process uses a multi-sensory approach, combing actions with speech which enables learners to learn the story quickly and more effectively (Cambridge Literacy Catalogue 2003). Once learns know the story, they can then use the framework to design their own versions. This develops thinking skills as learners have to reflect upon what language and structure they have learnt from the Pie Corbett story, and use this in their own writing. Learners can also reflect upon the structure of the Pie Corbett text to generate speech within their own text. The next step f or learners was to sketch pictures illustrating the events in their stories and then acting them out. This again created an active and practical means of learning, whilst developing learners thinking skills. The main principle of the Skills Framework is to develop learners skills which they may transfer to different aspects of life (Revill 2010). By learning these different thinking skills through a range of practical activities, this section of the framework will definitely help fill the current gap in skills suggested by employers. Another stage of the Skills Framework is developing communication. Communication is a very important aspect of learning as it enables learners to communicate what they already know or want to find out. To be able to communicate correctly, Valette (1973) suggests that learners must engage in a variety of activities such as listening and reading comprehensions and be able to express themselves through speech and writing. Osborn et al (2003) argues that there is increasing evidence which proves that by improving communication skills, other aspects of learning in general will also improve. The Skills Framework organises communication into oracy, reading, writing and wider communication skills such as through ideas and emotions (Skills Framework for 3 to 19-year-olds in Wales. Welsh Assembly Government). In language lessons, a good way to enable learners to communicate is through guided reading activities. The book 20:20 Vision, part of The Navigator series by Harcourt Education et al, offers a range of activities whereby learners read, and then report back answers and ideas to the rest of the group. However, many of the activities in the books do not contain any text but pictures instead. One example is comparing pictures of a town in 1900, with the same town today. Learners must read the pictures, and then answer questions about what they have read in the picture. This helps develop not only a learners reading skills in a way other than reading text, but also their wider communication skills, as they are having to communicate ideas in regards to the picture. Learners also develop oracy skills by answering questions and reporting them to the group. The book also contains written questions to complete at the end of the activity, which will then improve learners writing skills. This e xample of a guided reading activity incorporates all of the skills listed in the Skills Framework under developing communication. It is also an active and practical activity which encourages learners to communicate with each other. There are many opportunities for learners to develop their communication skills in science. When studying science, learners must often write clearly and concisely and be confident with oral presentations (Osborn et al 2003). When writing a science investigation learners are expected to communicate clearly using specific language and structure. Learners use the future tense to communicate what they think may happen in an investigation, the present tense to explain how to do carry out the investigation, and then the past tense to reflect upon it. Learners must also explain the results from the investigation in a way which will enable the reader to understand. Oral presentation is also very important to developing communication skills. Whilst on school placement, part of a science lesson required members of the class to prepare a presentation to the rest of the class which would inform them about the different organs in the body. The children worked in groups to research a particular bo dy organ, produce a fact file and then prepare questions ready to present to the class. This activity developed the childrens communication skills by allowing group members to feedback information that they had researched to the rest of the group. The children then communicated through writing by recording the information they had found out into fact files. The template given to pupils to produce the fact files can be found in Appendix 4. The groups then had to prepare a presentation about their chosen organ to the rest of the class. This allowed for communication within the groups, as the children sorted out what would be said and who was saying it. The groups then presented their information to the class, again drawing on their oral communication skills. After the presentations the rest of the class had to answer questions from the group. An example of the questions asked by the pupils can be found in Appendix 5. This again improved communication skills as pupils were able to answ er questions with confidence, in front of the whole class. This science based activity therefore helped to improve and develop the children written and oral communication skills. In mathematics, learners use mathematical vocabulary when working with others. Learners also use a variety of written methods for communicating data such as diagrams, graphs, tables and symbols (Mathematics in the National Curriculum for Wales. Welsh Assembly Government). At Key Stage 2 level, learners are given opportunities to their reading skills in mathematics by interpreting graphs and diagrams, and then explain the data either orally or in written format. Another feature of developing communication skills in mathematics at Key Stage 2 is to visualise and describe shapes, movements and transformations (Mathematics in the National Curriculum for Wales. Welsh Assembly Government). Whilst on school placement, I carried out a mathematics lesson based on 2d shapes. Over the course of the lesson, the children learnt the names of different 2d shapes, what they looked like and if they were a regular polygon, irregular polygon, or not a polygon. As a plenary activity I arranged for the c hildren to sit back to back in pairs, one facing the whiteboard. The member of the pair not facing the whiteboard was given an individual white board, on which they could write. I then wrote the name of a 2d shape on the main whiteboard. The child facing the board had to communicate with their partner what the shape was by saying if it was a regular polygon, irregular polygon, or not a polygon and how many sides the shape had, but could not say the name of the shape. The other member of the pair then had to interpret this information and draw what shape they thought it may be on their own individual whiteboards. This activity helped to develop communications skills as one member of the pair had to interpret what they were reading on the board, reflect upon what they had learnt about polygons from the lesson, and then orally describe to their partner the information, so that it could be easily interpreted by their partner, who would then be able to draw the correct shape. This activi ty was done more than once so that both members of the pair had an opportunity to describe the 2d shape. The importance of developing communication skills is critical for all learners. Some researchers even suggest that there is a clear relationship between communication skills and having a positive relationship with other peers as well as achieving academically (Brigman et al 1999). It is therefore essential that subjects across the curriculum incorporate the development of communication skills to enable leaners to develop both academically and socially. Another part of the Skills Framework is developing number. Following research over the last twenty years it is apparent that numeracy involves more than calculation work, it also encompasses a learners ability to use number accurately including working with shape, measurement, creating graphs, and then using them to explain data (Skills Framework for 3 to 19-year-olds in Wales. Welsh Assembly Government). Although using number is mainly a mathematical skill, number can also be used in a variety of contexts across the curriculum. In Science, number is often used in scientific investigations. A good activity to involve number in science is to investigate how the heart rate changes with exercise. Whilst on school experiences, the children recorded their resting heart rate over a period of 30 seconds, using a heart monitor linked to a computer. They then interpreted the results from the graph to give their resting heart rate. The children then ran around for five minutes and then once again recorded theyre heart rates. Once they had interpreted the results of the graph following the exercise, they could then compare the two graphs to work out the difference between theyre resting heart rate and heart rate after exercise. This activity helped to develop the childrens number skills because it allowed them to gather information from a graph, compare and interpret data and accurately measure their heart rates using suitable equipment (Skills Framework for 3 to 19-year-olds in Wales. Welsh Assembly Government). Normally, you would not associate developing number with work in language. However, there are a number of activities which incorporate developing number into language lessons. When doing instruction writing, learners develop number along with their language skills. For example, when writing a recipe, learners must use number not only to sequence their writing, but also to quantify the ingredients. Whilst on school experience, the children were firstly given a recipe cut up into different pieces and jumbled up. They then had to put the recipe back into the correct order. This developed the childrens number skills as they had to sequence the order of the recipe from the first instruction to the last. After the children had done this they then had to write their own recipes. An example of a pupils recipe can be found in Appendix 6. Before they began writing the instructions to the recipe, the children had to list the ingredients and what quantity of the ingredients should be used. This again helped develop number because the children had to choose and use everyday units of measurement (Skills Framework for 3 to 19-year-olds in Wales. Welsh Assembly Government). In mathematics it is obvious that the subject helps to develop number skills. However, it is still important to ensure that activities are practical and enjoyable to help learners develop their number skills. One enjoyable, practical activity to help learners develop their number skills is to play multiplication bingo. An example can be found in Appendices 7 and 8. In the activity, each child is given a bingo card with multiplications of six and seven on them. The teacher has cards with times tables on them, for example the six times table and seven times table, but with a blank answer. The teacher had to read out each calculation, and the children would have to mentally work out the answer, and then check if they had the number on their bingo board. Like in normal bingo, the winner was the one to cross off all of their numbers first. I found this activity to particularly enjoyable with the children while on work experience. The activity also helps develop number as it allows learner s to identify suitable calculations to get the result needed for the task (Skills Framework for 3 to 19-year-olds in Wales. Welsh Assembly Government). The use of a calculator to allow the children to check their answers could also be incorporated into the activity to help develop number skills. Developing number is very important to a learners development in all aspects of life. Being able to use numbers is a global activity which brings together people from all cultures. It is therefore essential that learners develop their number skills not only by calculations and formulas, but as a means of solving problems and learning about the world (Sharma 2010). The Skills Framework will help to develop number in a way which helps learners to develop their number knowledge and skills across the curriculum, and not limit the development to mathematics. The Skills Frame work also has a fourth stage, Developing ICT. It is essential that learners today have good ICT skills, as it was one of the main skills gaps pointed out by employers in the Future Skills Wales 2003 Generic Skills Survey. Developing skills in ICT has two strands; finding and developing information and ideas and creating and presenting information and ideas (Skills Framework for 3 to 19-year-olds in Wales. Welsh Assembly Government). It can be argued that all subjects across the curriculum, not only the core subjects incorporate these strands. For example in nearly all subjects, learners will have researcnhed information using software programmes and also the internet. Learners also use ICT to create and present information such as word processing their work, or creating graphs to show results from an investigation. Developing ICT skills is more than just teaching learners about ICT. Rather, it helps learners develop their knowledge of different technologies, add how these technologies maybe used to improve and benefit their learning. Also developing ICT skills will also greatly benefit learners from the very beginning of their journey through education and on into adult life, as ICT skills have become almost essential in modern ways of living. The Skills Framework introduced to into the national curriculum by the Welsh Assembly Government has been incorporated as a means of improving and developing skills that are currently needed not only in Wales, but the rest of the United Kingdom. By introducing skills into the curriculum such as developing thinking, communication, number and ICT will help learns to develop essential skills needed not only in education, but also later in adult life. It can also be argued that these skills will also help a learner improve both academically and socially. With the introduction of the Skills Framework into the national curriculum, we are now beginning to see a shift from a very much subject based way of teaching the curriculum, into a more skills based method. I firmly believe that in the future the shift into more skills based teaching will become even greater, with teachers focusing far more on the Skills Framework, and then planning the curriculum around it.