Wednesday, April 1, 2020

Baldwin Water Works free essay sample

In 1996 the city of Cleveland began a $750 million Plant Enhancement Program. The program’s goal was to renovate and modernize the city’s four water treatment facilities, which are among the 10 largest in the US, and were built in 1856; over 500 million gallons of water are pumped to Cleveland residents daily. In the following paper I attempt to provide with an overview of the Baldwin Water Work Plant Enhancement Program (PEP) (one of the four water treatment facilities) scope, time plan, costs, and objectives; describe the program’s life cycle stages required to execute all projects involved; indentify and analyze the possible associated risks, and present the respective risk responses; define the controlling and monitoring process of the program; indentify and analyze the framework items of the program’s plan that were critical to reach key achievements. Objectives, Scope of Work, Budget The first step towards the definition of the Plant Enhancement Program’s (PEP) objectives is indentifying the need that this set of projects attempt to satisfy: developed in 1924, Baldwin Water Works Plant is in need of renovations and improvements. We will write a custom essay sample on Baldwin Water Works or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The next step is for the program management consultant (PMC) to comprehend the programs objectives. In this business case, as in many other cases, PMC is not assigned early enough in order to participate in the formation of the objectives; the objectives are established by the program’s sponsor. Furthermore, in order to understand and validate PEP’s objectives must, the PMC must take under consideration PEP’s public nature; public programs’ objectives â€Å"should be aligned with the important priorities in the society and the needs of the users† (Samset as cited in Shiferaw and Klakegg, par. 1, pg. 14). According to the need and PEP’s nature, PMC must reach the following objectives: Evaluate and optimize water supply Rehabilitate and modernize water treatment facility, ensuring it is at its highest operational efficiency and safety Develop and implement new plant operating system Reconstruct facilities resulting in the lowest water rates possible Limit future facilities’ operational and maintenance costs Renovate the existing administration building, while maintaining its historical structure Supply Cleveland’s downtown and eastside communities with clean and safe potable water (City of Cleveland 2010, pg. 20). Once the PMC has identified the PEP’s objective, it needs to validate these objectives in the scope of work (Kezner 2013, pg. 521). The Project Management Consultant is responsible for all project activities including planning, design, and construction, and cost, time and quality management. PMC shall: reconstruct and improve water treatment facilities by replacing plant’s valves and pipes, rehabilitating plant’s filters, and moving from a manual operational system to PLC-based operational system; provide training and hands-on assistance on the new operational system for all employees; meet and exceed existing and future regulations set by the state of Ohio; perform architectural and structural rehabilitation of Baldwin Water Works historical administration building. Finally, during reconstructions and renovations the PMC shall keep the plant operational. After the establishment of the program’s objectives and scope of work, the PMC must estimate the project’s completion time, and all costs involved; PMC must develop the program’s time plan and budget. One of the most useful tools for accomplishing those two tasks is Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) (Lewis 2007, pg. 56). The program can be broken down into four levels, as depicted in diagram 1, page 4. By breaking down the program into specific projects and tasks the PMC can better define costs of the material, equipment and effort needed for the programs activities, and also the time required. In addition to the WBS and in order to calculate roughly the PEP’s costs, the PMC will be using approximate estimate. The PEP’s cost is estimated by analogy to the Morgan Water Plant Rehabilitation program, in Cleveland, OH, which has a similar scope of work and capacity (Shook Construction 2013) (Kerzner 2013, pg. 680). The total cost for the Morgan Water Plant Rehabilitation program was $26 million; the Baldwin Water Works Plan Enhancement Program is 15 percent more difficult, taking under consideration the delicate work necessary for the renovation of the historical administration building. These result in an estimated cost of $30 million for the completion of our PEP (Kezner 2013, pg. 680) (www. shookconstruction. com). Finally, the PMC identifies two types of budgets: distributed budget is defined by the man-hours an required for the achievement of the tasks and subtasks established in the WBS, and the essential materials and equipment needed (i.e. 2,500 tons of 20† by 48† ductile iron piping, 48† electrically activated valves, PLC-Based control instruments, filter medias, slate shingles, crane, drillers, concrete, iron gunnels, masonry, exterior windows); management reserve of $3 million used in case of escalations in construction workers salaries, unforeseen delays resulting during personnel training on the new PLC-Based operating system, risks Diagram 1. Baldwin Water Works Plant Enhancement Program WBS (Shook Construction 2013) (Bowen Associates Inc. 2013). Involved in the case of the administration building intricate structures disturbance, fluctuations in prices of essential material and equipment (Kezner 2013, pg. 751). The total PEP’s budget resulting after the identification of the two budget types is $33 million. Life Cycle, Time Plan In addition to WBS and in order to estimate the time plan for the PEP’s completion, PMC must define the programs life cycle. The most commonly type of life-cycle program used for construction projects is the sequential one or waterfall program life-cycle; this is the one that PMC will be using for this specific case. According to waterfall life-cycle the following program phases are defined: Diagram 2. Baldwin Water Works Program Life-Cycle (Hallows 2005, pg. 84) To better estimate the project’s time of completion or schedule, PMC needs to elaborate on the identified phases. During Phase 1, the PMC carries out a feasibility study; at this phase the program’s goals and objectives, technical aspects, challenges, cost estimates and development schedule are defined. At this stage and because of the project’s public nature, the commitment and participation of local, state and federal authorities are of a high importance. The City of Cleveland Water Division provides the PMC with the general guidelines, but it has to participate in the development of the feasibility study in order to make sure that all guidelines have been understood and taken under consideration by the PMC. Furthermore, at this point the project’s financial feasibility is being evaluated. Out of the total of $750 million to be provided towards the city’s four water treatment plants enhancement program, $33 million are distributed towards the Baldwin Water Works Plant Enhancement program. The time required for the completion of the feasibility study is 6 months. At the end of the study the two projects, Renovation and Reconstruction, under the PEP are deemed feasible and approved for development by the City of Cleveland Water Division (owner). The end of Phase 1 initiates Phase 2; planning of the PEP. At this stage the scope of work, mentioned before, is established, objectives are refined, deliverables named, budget and schedule defined. In addition, the City of Cleveland Landmarks Commission’s guidelines towards the renovation of the historic administration building are being evaluated and technical characteristics of that task identified. Moreover, State and Federal Governing Bodies ensure that the program’s objectives and technical aspects are aligned to current water regulations, and that future developments are being taken under consideration. Finally, risks are identified according to the given internal and external challenges, evaluated, and responses are developed. One year for the completion of Phase 2. The PMC then is moving forward with the detail design of the projects and the tasks required in order to reach objectives and deliverables; Phase 3. The two tasks under the Renovation project are being developed at this stage (Case Study). The PMC develops a facility plan by mapping out and prioritizing all the necessary improvements of the plant’s facilities. In addition a facility planning consultant is hired to conduct evaluations of all existing structures and indentify the Renovation’s scope of work. Then Bowen Associates Inc. is hired to provide detail design of the project, provide material, equipment, civil engineers, architects, and construction workers for the architectural and structural tasks and subtasks depicted in Diagram 1 WBS (Bowen Associates Inc. 2013). Furthermore, Shook Construction Company is hired for the design of the Reconstruction project. Shook Construction is responsible for providing all material and equipment, civil engineers, architects, electrical and mechanical engineers, and construction workers required for the completion of the project’s tasks and subtasks depicted in Diagram 1 WBS. The time required for carrying out Phase 3 is one year. After the detail design of the two projects’ tasks and subtasks, it is time for the PMC to initiate the implementation of the program; Phase 4. Both Shook Construction Company, responsible for the Reconstruction Project, and Bowen Associates Inc. , responsible for the Renovation Project, have to work simultaneously for the completion of Phase 4, in order to reach the deadline set by the PMC. During reconstruction, the plant moved from a manual operational mode to a PLC-based operating system that resulted in water usage optimization. Furthermore, construction and renovations crews have to work heavily during the months when the city requires the least amount of water, while ensuring there are no power outages during the months when water demand is at its highest. Finally, during removal and replacement of piping and valves, the plant will completely close down for a total of ten days. The total time required for Phase 4 is 6 months. The final Phase of the PEP is training of plants personnel. During this phase the program management team together with Shook Construction Company’s electrical and mechanical engineers, provides training classes and hands-on assistance on the new PLC-based operating system, for all employees. The time required for Phase 5 is six months, resulting in a total of 3 years and 6 months for the completion of the PEP. Risks Identification Responses We choose to assess and analyze risks associated with the PEP, attacking each of the programs life-cycle phases; Life-Cycle Risk Analysis (Kezner 2013, pg. 887). The following risks and responses are identified and developed respectively: Feasibility Study: The City of Ohio Water Division has budgeted a total of $750 for towards the Plant Enhancement Program of Cleveland’s four water treatment funds. The PMC faces with an external challenge that is to estimate costs of technology, material, equipment and human resource requirements of the Baldwin Water Works PEP and draw a strategy and budget having in mind the feasibility of both Baldwin Water Works program and the city’s remaining three plants enhancement programs; That demands that the PMC work together with the city’s executives in the city’s office, and use of Microsoft’s web-based SharePoint software, which promotes coordination and facilititates the sharing of information and knowledge between the PMC team and city’s officials (Diebel and Catalano 2012, pg 63). Planning: One of the challenges that the PMC has to deal with at this phase is an internal technical challenge, which is to rehabilitate facilities resulting in lower water rates, and limited future operational and maintenance costs. The PMC chooses to transfer this challenge by hiring a construction and engineering company, which will be responsible for the Reconstruction project. Furthermore, the PMC needs to meet and exceed, existing future water regulations set by the state of Ohio and United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); an external risk. Once again the PMC needs to work side by side to the agency’s officials ensuring standards under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) are understood and included in the program’s planning (EPA 2013, SDWA). Design: Designing the renovation project and its architectural and rehabilitation tasks is an external challenge, given that the plant’s administration building was declared a historical landmark in 1970. The PMC needs to make sure that the City of Cleveland’s Landmarks Commission guidelines for restoring the historical building are understood and taken under consideration during the design phase. Again the SharePoint software can be used for the efficient exchange of information between the PMC, Bowen Associates Inc. and the commission; this Web-Based portal enables each party to function effectively within its own area of expertise and at the same time interact with the other groups to work collaboratively (Diebel and Catalano 2012, pg 63). Implementation: The first main internal challenge is the site’s limited space for both contractors to work. The PMC team decides that Shook Construction crew will cut through a 24-inch thick concrete wall, 28 ft  bellow ground to route all material and equipment necessary for the reconstruction project. Another challenge is that the water facility is kept operational during construction. The PMC decides that both crews will work heavily during the months of low water consumption, and reconstruct and renovate each of the facility’s wings sequentially, in order to attack this challenge. Training: The final internal challenge is to train plant’s employees in order for the implementation of the computerized operating system to be quick and efficient. In order to attack this challenge the PMC team together with Shook Construction company engineers provides training classes and hands-on assistance for all employees, which may result in a smooth transition from the manual mode to the PLC-based operating system. Monitor Control The PMC team will develop a management cost and control system, which will be separated into the following cycles: planning cycle (planning and control); operating cycle (cost and control) (Kezner 2013, pg. 738). Planning and control of the program is a very useful tool for the PMC to manage scope change, and/or scope creep. During the planning phase the PMC has developed a detailed description, schedule, and budget of the program’s projects, tasks, and subtasks defined in WBS (Diagram 1). The planning phase’s end results need to be documented and signed by the city, state and federal government officials, and then converted in a pdf. file format (only the administrator can modify pdf. files) in order to be communicated to the two project contractors. In this way the PMC can eliminate the risks of scope creep. Furthermore, at this stage the PMC will define types of scope change requests and the reason for the change, and whether change is essential or not (Khan 2006, pg. 15). PMC will use an earned value management system (EVMS) during the operating cycle. EVMS is a comparison of the actual work performed, in each of the WBS tasks and subtasks, versus the actual work scheduled to be performed at that given point of the program; schedule performance.   Moreover, the PMC will compare the actual costs incurred at that given point versus the budgeted cost (cost performance). In order for the MPC to efficiently track cost and schedule performance at anytime, a specialized â€Å"dashboard view† in SharePoint is created, were both contractors submit information about the progress of their projects. Site inspections on regular intervals and weekly meetings are also used for monitoring and controlling the program (Diebel and Catalano 2012, pg 63). Finally, the PMC will produce monthly reports of the program’s performance for local, state and federal government officials. Key Achievements Conclusions By identifying the key achievements of the Baldwin Water Works Plant Enhancement Program case study, we understand how vitally important is the successful planning phase of the program for its victorious completion. During the planning phase the program’s objectives, scope of work, budget, and of course risks and responses to them are identified and evaluated. The detail and successful planning of the PEP resulted in the following key achievements: the program was completed $2,884,075 (approximately 10 percent) below the awarded amount of $33; reached milestones on or ahead of schedule; complete close down of plant lasted four days instead of the 10 days given by the customer; reconstruction and renovation was completed eight months early. Another key aspect of the program’s successful is the design phase. During that period the two contractors for carrying out the reconstruction and renovation projects are chosen by the PMC; selection process was crucial for the successful completion of the program and the achievement of key objectives. During implementation phase both contractors had to work simultaneously in order to carry out the tasks and subtasks defined in the WBS. Efficient communication between contractors and the PMC, through SharePoint and weekly meetings, proved to be the main factor for the successful completion of tasks and subtasks, ahead of time schedule, and bellow budget.

Sunday, March 8, 2020

Burnt by the Sun - Film Crtitique essays

Burnt by the Sun - Film Crtitique essays In analyzing the two main characters-Kotov and Mitia-there are many distinctions and similarities between the two, insomuch that they were both burnt by the sun. The film takes place in 1936 Russia, nineteen years after the Communist Revolution and well into Stalins purges. The film centers on Colonel Kotov, a revolutionary in the Bolshevik uprising and Mitia, a member of Stalins secret political police who was sent to retrieve Kotov for his execution. In analyzing Kotov, one can understand why Stalin would consider him a threat to his desire to be dictator of Russia. The Colonel was a strong and powerful man, and very charismatic. He rose from meager rural beginnings to be transformed by Socialism into the man Stalin wanted as men of Russia-a good soldier who loves his people, his revolution, and his Motherland. Respected and glorified by all, nothing seems to be able to get in his way as demonstrated in the opening scenes of the movies as he orders a battalion of tanks and airplanes to withdraw their maneuvers in a rural area. The film therefore illustrates the age-old injustices inherent in absolute power and how easily past loyalties is betrayed, or in other words, how he (and later Mitia) were burnt by the sun. Kotov, does not exude the image of one who could be accused of treason. Accounts of amazing confessions aired on the radio of trials and executions of other leading Communists didnt perturb him. When Stalin's political police force, comes to arrest him, Kotov remains very calm, expecting to resolve everything with a simple phone call to the Kremlin, but when the arresting officers turn violent, Kotov understands. Therefore his tragedy is not that of a guilty man, but the tragedy of a man blinded by the precepts and principles of the all-powerful regime he fought to establish. The most obscure and probably the most important point of the movie was the ominous fireballs that appeared throughout the fil...

Thursday, February 20, 2020

How might a seaside resort in 1870 be expected to differ from the same Essay

How might a seaside resort in 1870 be expected to differ from the same resort in 1930 What accounts for the changes - Essay Example People began to filter into the cities to find work and thus seashore towns were developed. Many of the first settlers along the seashore began to open up boarding houses and hotels. The wealthy stayed in hotels and the less wealthy people used the boarding houses. The first boarding houses rented for a fee of $8 – 12 a week for room and board and often included meals and a wagon ride through the cornfields to the beach. As an example, Point Pleasant Beach, New Jersey developed in the 1870s as a destination for visitors through Captain John Arnold. He retired from a sea career and bought land in Point Pleasant Beach. He built a railroad to the ocean, which is now known as Arnold Avenue. As in other seashore towns, the railroad was the most influential factor in development and tourism of seashore towns. The 1870s were an era of major tourism expansion brought on by developers who bought and subdivided old farms for vacation home lots. In 1877 The Point Pleasant Land Company bo ught a 250 acres farm and began selling lots. To attract buyers, a Resort House was built and began a horse-drawn trolley service for tourists. The Resort House was a four-story hotel type structure that housed 200 guests, and was the largest building in town. The resort featured shaded oak and locust trees, a manicured lawn and a clear view of the beachfront dunes. The inside included a ballroom and bowling alley, which was very upscale for that time. Several other hotels and boarding houses were built similar before the turn-of-the-century. Some of the hotels advertised access to New York and Philadelphia trains, trolley lines, water works, electric lights plants and no mosquitoes. Many of these hotels burned to the ground due to being wood structures and others lost business due to changing tastes in lodging. The first beachfront pavilion was constructed in 1880, and ten years later the first boardwalk was built. The first boardwalk was very flimsy and washed away within two year s. During the Victorian period rapid growth in population began in the seaside resorts. The railways made if possible for visitors to travel to the seashore, and it became much more affordable. The seashore had a nostalgic draw to people as a focal vacation point. A seaside holiday was considered very charming at that time. Again, only a few ordinary people owned cars or telephones until the 1950s. Even when televisions became available, they were very expensive for the average family. The working class worked hard all week in factories, offices, shops and mines and very rarely had the opportunity to travel. However, it became popular to set aside a time during the year to take a seaside holiday. This was popular both in England and the Americas. Traveling to the seaside became popular when it was decided that the sea and bathing in the sea was good for your health. Dr. Richard Russell advocated the use of seawater in bathing and in drinking to treat many early illnesses, in the lat e 1700s. So it became fashionable for the rich especially to visit the seashore. For people of England a railway trip to the seaside and a week or two-holiday stay at a resort was the highlight of the year. The popularity of holiday seaside trips grew until it became popular to take trips abroad to experience different lifestyles. This became very popular with the wealthy, as the ordinary person could not afford such luxuries. Just as the industrial revolution helped build the

Tuesday, February 4, 2020

Creating a cooperative Inter-Departmental atmosphere in Emergency Research Paper

Creating a cooperative Inter-Departmental atmosphere in Emergency Management - Research Paper Example For example, Chernobyl disaster and Three Miles Island disaster has taught the world the necessity of interdepartmental cooperation in emergency management. It is impossible for a single department to manage huge disasters effectively. In fact, many countries seek the assistance of other countries when severe disasters occur. For example, Pakistan sought international aid recently when severe flood and storm struck many parts of that country which made the human life standstill. This paper reviews the available literature in order to learn more about the necessity of interdepartmental cooperation in managing emergency situations. â€Å"An effective emergency management system requires the most efficient use of all available resources. Whenever possible, emergency responsibilities should be the extensions of federal agencies† (Haddow et al, 2008. p.6). Many countries have emergency management and disaster preparedness agencies and programs. However, when disaster strikes heavily, it is impossible for these agencies to manage the problems independently because of the complex elements involved in the rescue and disaster management process. For example, nuclear disasters are common nowadays because of the increased use of nuclear power plants to produce nuclear energies. The Chernobyl accident in 1986 was the result of a flawed reactor design that was operated with inadequately trained personnel. The resulting steam explosion and fires released at least 5% of the radioactive reactor core into the atmosphere and downwind. Two Chernobyl plant workers died on the night of the accident, and a further 28 people died within a few weeks as a result of acute radiation poisoning (Chernobyl Accident, 2009) Chernobyl nuclear power plant staffs were not trained properly to face any eventualities. Moreover, improper design of the reactor was the major cause of this disaster. It is difficult for the emergency management agency alone to

Monday, January 27, 2020

Hybrid Model of Crisis Intervention Case Study

Hybrid Model of Crisis Intervention Case Study Frances Roulet The assignment: (3-4 pages) Provide an analysis of the crisis depicted in the Case Study in this weeks Learning Resources. Explain how you would apply the Hybrid Model to the crisis in the Case Study. Integrate Maslows model into your evaluation and explain how you did so. In 1972 a military infantryman flew home alone from Vietnam. When he arrived in his hometown, San Antonio, TX, no one was there to greet him. His return was not communicated to his family, and his wife was at work in the mayor’s office while his six-year-old daughter and 10-year-old son were at school. Feeling confused and without family, friends, or military support, he took a bus to a nearby stop and walked the remainder of the way home. He searched out two guns in his home and asked his neighbor if he could borrow her car. He then left to pick up his children at school and walked into the school firing at faculty and students. Several teachers and students were gunned down. He found his two children, took them, and left for the San Antonio mayor’s office to find his wife. At that time he left his children in the car, re-loaded his guns, and went into his wife’s office, again firing his guns and apparently killing several individuals including a number of counc ilpersons, police officers, and the mayor. You are a Professor of Counselor Education and Supervision at a university in San Antonio, TX. Apply the Six-Step Model of Crisis Intervention for responding in this community. Case study: Vignette. Analysis. In the Case Vignette No. 1, the soldier had been deployed back to his hometown in San Antonio, Texas. Hoge, Lesikar, Guevara, Lange, Brundage, Engel, Orman, Messer (2002) explained that researches conducted after military conflicts, deployment stressors and exposing soldiers to combat were considered risks factors of mental health problems, including post-traumatic stress disorder, [PSTD], major depression, substance abuse, impairment in social functioning and in the ability to work and the increase use of health care services. In this case, although there is insufficient information about the infantry soldier; and, we do not know if he faced directly combat, this soldier and part of his comrades were exposed to danger, injuries and death on a daily basis. Although not everyone exposed to violence or traumatic events may develop PTSD, factors, such as, the intensity of the trauma and proximity to the circumstances can increase the propensity of developing the disorder (Phillips, LeardMann, Gumbs Smith, 2010). According to Phillips, LeardMann, Gumbs Smith (2010) when a person is exposed to combat, and have constant threats of death or witness to it, serious injury or witness to it become significant risk factors for screening positive for postdeployment PTSD among soldiers as well as, violence exposures prior entering the infantry. Hoge, Castro, Messer, McGurk, Cotting, Koffman (2004) explained that soldiers and marines presented new onset PTSD after returning from combat several months later. These investigators explained that in their study a 7.6% was revealed with probable new onset PTSD. In the Case Vignette No. 1, he definitely was presenting new onset symptoms for PTSD because he felt confused, alone without support and no communication. There is a probability that he might have been impacted and presented symptoms of PTSD before being deployed to Vietnam, and returned traumatized with his experience in Vietnam. The infantry soldier of this case, was impacted, and presented symptoms of PTSD apparently before being deployed to Vietnam, and returned even more traumatized with his Vietnam experience. These same investigators explained that one study was conducted before the military operation with Iraq and Afghanistan and they discovered that a 6 of all US military service personnel on active duty received treatment for mental disorders each year (Hoge, Castro, Messer, McGurk, Cotting, Koffman, 2004). Based on my analysis, this case has greater risk for developing a combat related psychological disorder, not to mention criminal charges for hurting and killing innocent people. And, at his return, he found out that there was no communication was done before his arrival, no family member’s to receive. Phillips, LeardMann, Gumbs Smith (2010) explained that when a person is exposed to combat, and, have constant threat of death or witness to it, serious injury or witness to it become significant risk factors for screening positive for post-deployment PTSD. Hybrid Model to the crisis in the Case Study TRIAGE ASSESSMENT FORM: CRISIS INTERVENTION CRISIS EVENT. Identify and describe briefly the crisis situation: The identified male is a Vietnam infantry soldier rushed in emergency during morning hours. There were direct witness to several traumatic events and victims of a shooting. Some of these traumatic events were: The lost of coworkers, friends and neighbors of the community. The impact of an extreme loud noise impacting their physical being. AFFECTIVE DOMAIN Identify and describe briefly the affect that is present. (If more than one affect is experienced, rate with #1 being primary, #2 secondary, #3 tertiary.) No. 1. Feeling of fear and anxiety: The victims remain with a high level of fear that could be badly hurt or killed. After being a direct witness to the whole event of shooting and seeing people he knew from the community and how they were falling and dispersing. The victims may present a possibility of not being able to remember details of how they managed to escape from the traumatic event. No. 2. Feeling of being confused: Feeling confused of what happened or not being able to comprehend the traumatic event. No. 2. Feeling of guilty: Feeling guilty of running away from the event when they could of helped a neighbor, friend or co-worker. No. 2. Feeling anguished when speaking of the traumatized events. No. 2. Feeling sad. No. 3. Anger feelings completely repressed. Affective Severity Scale Circle the number that most closely corresponds with client’s reaction to crisis. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Moderate Impairment à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ ¢Ã‚  7 Affect may be incongruent with situation. Extended periods of intense negative moods. Mood is experienced noticeably more intensely than situation warrants. Affects may be obviously incongruent with situation. BEHAVIORAL DOMAIN Identify and describe briefly which behavior is currently being used. (If more than one behavior is utilized, rate with #1 being primary, #2 secondary, #3 tertiary.) APPROACH: Direct witness to several traumatic events, such as the scene of bodies of people around the victims. The tendency of the victims is running as far as they can from the traumatic and noxious event. AVOIDANCE: Victims may not want to avoid meeting new friends in order to develop and maintain a social circle. And, also may avoid having the opportunity of a new relationship. IMMOBILITY: The victims may constantly be re-experiencing the traumatic event of Vietnam. Their spontaneous memories of the traumatic events, recurrent dreams about the mornings where he was exploded the attacks, that killed several people and injured others were rushed that same morning. They might present flashbacks of the dramatic and traumatic events of the morning. The victims explained especially when they turn around to see what had happened. And, they see others being abused and terrorized. They immediately remember the traumatic event and they keep seeing more people dead. Then, they begins feeling scared and non trustful from all people that surrounds them. They present a prolonged distress. Behavioral Severity Scale Circle the number that most closely corresponds with client’s reaction to crisis. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Moderate Impairment à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ ¢Ã‚  7 Behaviors are maladaptive but not immediately destructive. Behaviors are difficult to control even with repeated requests. Behavior is becoming a threat to self or others and increasingly difficult to control. Ability to perform tasks necessary for daily functioning may be noticeably compromised. COGNITIVE DOMAIN Identify if a transgression, threat, or loss has occurred in the following areas and describe briefly. (If more than one cognitive response occurs, rate with #1 being primary, #2 secondary, #3 tertiary PHYSICAL (food, water, safety, shelter, etc.): During the escape from the shooting, and although they do not recall how they managed to escape or how they managed to get to the opposite side of the affected area, they suffered deprivation of safety and medical and psychological attention for several minutes. According to Gilliland (2013) the transgression, threat, loss or the three may be perceived as an association to whatever the person physical needs are. ___1___ TRANSGRESSION ___1____THREAT ___1____LOSS PSYCHOLOGICAL (self-concept, emotional well being, identity, etc.): They present a persistent and distorted sense of confusion or guiltiness of not able to help others. They may present arousal when presenting sleep disturbance, hyper-vigilance during the following weeks. ___1___ TRANSGRESSION ___1____THREAT ___1____LOSS SOCIAL RELATIONSHIPS (family, friends, co-workers, etc.): Some of the victims may have lost friends, family members, and neighbors when they were forced to run for their lives in order to continue living after the traumatic event suffered. They may markedly diminished interest in activities, such as their social life and interpersonal relationships. Gilliland (2013) explains that the disturbance, regardless of its triggers causes clinical significant distress and at times impairment in her social interactions and capacity to work. ___1___ TRANSGRESSION ___1____THREAT ___1____LOSS MORAL/SPIRITUAL (personal integrity, values, belief system, etc.): They might questioned their spiritual believes, or may want to see a representative of their religious community in order to feel reassure their spiritual believes ___1___ TRANSGRESSION ___1____THREAT ____1___LOSS Cognitive Severity Scale Circle the number that most closely corresponds with client’s reaction to crisis. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Moderate Impairment à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ ¢Ã‚  7 Client’s perception and interpretation of crisis event may differ in some respects with reality of situation. Intrusive thoughts of crisis event with limited control. Problem solving and decision-making abilities adversely affected by obsessiveness, self-doubt, confusion. Client experiences recurrent difficulties with problem-solving and decision making abilities. Problem-solving and decision making abilities minimally affected. Client’s perception and interpretation of crisis event substantially match with reality of situation. DOMAIN SEVERITY SCALE SUMMARY Affective à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ ¢Ã‚  7 Cognitive à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ ¢Ã‚  7 Behavioral à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ ¢Ã‚  7 Total à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ ¢Ã‚  21 Developmental Ecological Assessment Approach. Stage of Psychosocial Development. In this particular case, the developmental psychosocial stages of all the victims were working class adults in their working environment and during normal working hours. And, school students in an early morning studying period hours of a regular weekday. References Hoge, C., W., Castro, C., A., Messer, S., C., McGurk, D., Cotting, D. I. Koffman, R., L. (2004). Combat duty in Iraq and Afghanistan, mental health problems, and barriers to care. New England Journal of Medicine, 351(1): 13-22. Hoge, C., W., Lesikar, S., E., Guevara, R., Lange, J., Brundage, J., F., Engel, C., C., Orman, D., T. Messer, S., C. (2002). Mental Disorders among US military personnel in the 1990s: Association with high levels of Health care utilization and early military attrition. American Journal Psychiatry, 159: 1576-1583. James, R. Gilliland, B. (2013). Crisis Intervention Strategies. (7th Edition). Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole, Cengage Learning. Phillips, C. J., LeardMann, C. A., Gumbs, G. R., Smith, B. (2010). Risk factors for posttraumatic stress disorder among deployed US male marines. BMC Psychiatry, 10(1): 52. Vogt, D. S., Tanner, L. R. (2007). Risk and resilience factors for posttraumatic stress symptomatology in Gulf War I veterans. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 20(1): 27-38.

Sunday, January 19, 2020

Comparing the Role of the Black in the South in Clotelle and Absalom, A

Role of the Black in the Southern Family as Evidenced in Clotelle and Absalom,   Absalom!  Ã‚  Ã‚        Ã‚   Southern Literature, more than anything else, is a discussion of the family. And in the family, particularly the Southern family, no question is as pivotal--or causes as many disputes--as "who belongs?" Southern Literature has been, in many ways, a canon of exclusion. From a culture built upon controlling and utilizing an entire race for the express purpose of advancing another, a canon of yearning and despair is left. And in no place is this as clear as within the family, the unit by nature designed to nurture and support--and ultimately overcome. Stereotypically, the family longed for by every Southerner is one of impeccable repute, a white triumph, clean of any African blood, with a heritage predating the Revolution and a lineage reaching beyond the next millennium. Clotelle, by William Wells Brown, is an appeal to the Southern ideal that African-Americans do not and can not fit into the traditional, lily-white aristocratic familial structure which ruled the South during his time--and reigned for many years thereafter. Traditional Southern canon emphasizes the Thomas Sutpens--of William Faulkner's Absalom, Absalom! --who ejects African-Americans from his family (as he attempts to create a new one), and men like the Sheriff of Charles W. Chesnutt's "The Sheriff's Children," who sells a pregnant slave--carrying his unborn mulatto child--into slavery. The advancement and protection of one's name is also highlighted by Sutpen and by Clara Hohlfelder in another Chesnutt tale, "Her Virginia Mammy." These are ideals which Brown understands and resists, and tries--ultimately in vain--to defy. Clotelle does not adjust itself to the tr... ...ildren are born as a result--are disposed of as quietly as possible, in order to keep the familial superstructure as maximally pure as possible. A white man does not marry a slave, or make a respectable woman of her. He keeps her and his child in a shed outside of town, he sends them to New Orleans, or sells them to the rice swamps to toil under the whip for the remainder of their lives. Southern literature excludes the African-American from its families, thus robbing her of her identity and forcing her to become a mere brick in the base below the superstructure. Works Cited Brown, William Wells. Clotelle. Miami: Mnemosyne Publishing, 1969. Chesnutt, Charles W. "Her Virginia Mammy" and "The Sheriff's Children." Collected Stories of Charles W. Chesnutt. New York: Penguin, 1992. 114-148. Faulkner, William. Absalom, Absalom! New York: Vintage, 1990.   

Saturday, January 11, 2020

Rating Systems for Films Essay

Movies have been around since the 1890’s for entertainment, artistic brilliance, enlightenment and historical record. During that time period parents would take their children to the movies they thought were rated PG but found content in the films to adult for their children’s eyes and were outraged. Then later on different religious groups started protesting cinemas due to their explicit content full of sex and violence. So avoid censorship picture producers had to form their own rating guidelines. Motion Picture Producers and Distributors Association of America In the early 1920’s filmmakers began to realize that the clean movies they were producing no longer interested America so they began adding more sex and violence into their movies. In 1922, the presidents from major motion picture studios which were Samuel Goldwyn, Louis B. Mayer, Jesse Lasky and Joseph Schenck made the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors Association of America to stop censorship from the government, rating and safeguarding the movies that were made. The portrayal of sex and violence in cinema began to threaten the morality in America, in the 1930’s Motion Picture Producers and Distributors Association of America made a strict set of guidelines called the Production Code, which followed movie content for two decades (Doherty). â€Å"The Production Code stayed in place and was reasonably effective for the next 30 years or so until it was replaced by the rating system we have today†. (Censorship in Hollywood) Moviemakers had to tailor their films to fit the requirements of the production code or have their movie banned from being played. Since the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors Association of America wanted to self-censor all movies that were made, they had to submit all movies made for approval before they were distributed. In 1945, the creator of The Production Code, William hays was succeeded from the role of president by Eric Johnson. During Johnson Presidency he â€Å"added to his mission the promotion of American films, which were gaining in popularity overseas in the post-World War II era.†(MPPA) Later Johnsons changed the organization to â€Å"The Motion Picture Association of America.† Then when Johnson died the MPPA’s presidency was empty for about three years. In the late 1960’s cinema  started to change. New types of filmmaking and filmmakers from different countries started to take place in America. Since America started expanding the society’s freedom and the way of life, the MPPA’s strict self-regulation censorship wouldn’t last. In 1966, Jack Valenti was named MPAA President and many revisions were made to the Hays Code since America was changing social mores. Jack Valenti â€Å"founded the voluntary film rating system giving creative and artistic freedoms to filmmakers while fulfilling its core purpose of informing parents about the content of films so they can determine what movies are appropriate for their kids.†(MPPA) Now the MPPA gets the help of multiple parents to see which content fits in each category. What each rating means Each movie is rated and put into one of the five different categories depending on what content is being portrayed in each different film. Films are even sometimes labeled under the â€Å"Not yet Rated† category because the MPPA has yet to rate the film. â€Å"G- General Audiences. All Ages Admitted† means it contains no type of language, nudity, sex, violence or anything that would offend parents of young children. â€Å"PG — Parental Guidance Suggested. Some Material May Not Be Suitable for Children.† Means that it should be looked over and approved by parents before letting their children attend. There may be some content with brief profanity, violence and or nudity. There’s no drug use and minimal themes call for parent supervision. â€Å"PG-13 — Parents Strongly Cautioned. Some Material May Be Inappropriate For Children Under 13.† Means parents should determine whether or not their children under 13 should view this movie. There may be violence but not realistic. Minimal language and drug use and there may be brief nudity but nothing sexual. â€Å"A PG-13 motion picture may go beyond the PG rating in theme, violence, nudity, sensuality, language, adult activities or other elements, but does not reach the restricted R category†(MPPA) â€Å"R — Restricted. Children Under 17 Require Accompanying Parent or Adult Guardian.† Means it may include adult themes, language, intense violence, sexually-oriented nudity, drug abuse and other graphic content. Children under than 17 not allowed and parents are advised not to bring their children. â€Å"NC-17 — No One 17 and Under Admitted.† Means no one under 17 admitted. Parents consider this movie to adult like. The content is only  appropriate for adult audience. Studies from Harvard University of health show that the MPPA allows more violent and explicit content then they have before, saying that â€Å"movie raters have grown more lenient in their standards.† (Waxman) The study shows that MPPA ratings have vague and confusing descriptions on what content is actually showing. Some of the ratings depending on content still haven’t changed â€Å"a movie rated PG or PG-13 today has more sexual or violent content than a similarly rated movie in the past.† (Waxman) Movie ratings changed depending on what society views as acceptable content in each rating. For example, â€Å"Disney’s 1994 movie †The Santa Clause† was rated PG, while the 2002 sequel, †The Santa Clause 2,† which had comparable content, was rated G. (Waxman) Rich Taylor, a spokesman from the MPPA says that â€Å"the standards for judging acceptable depictions of sex and violence in American society were constantly changing, and that it would not be surprising if that changed for movie ratings as well.†(Waxman) Overall the rating system was made to avoid censorship from the government and for the MPPA to have freedom to rate their movies. If it wasn’t for the outraged parents and all the protesting against cinema the rating system might not have been the same. Though the current rating system today allows more sex and violence into PG and PG-13 movies it’s only based on the judging system from society. â€Å"Motion Pictures and Their Impact on Society in the Year 2001.† MIDCONTINENT PERSPECTIVES: Midwest Research Institute Kansas City, Missouri. April 25, 1978. Web. December 9th 2012 The Numbers Guy. â€Å"Let’s Rate the Ranking Systems of Film Reviews† Wall Street Journal. January (2009) Web. December 9th 2012 Tickle, Jennifer, etal. â€Å"Tobacco, Alcohol, and Other Risk Behaviors in Film: How Well Do MPAA Ratings Distinguish Content?† December, 1 2011. Web. December 10th 2012 Waxman, Sharon. â€Å"Study Finds Film Ratings Are Growing More Lenient† NY Times. Web July 14th 2004 December 9th 2012 Wilson, Barbara J. â€Å"What’s Wrong with the Ratings† 2002. Web. December 13th 2012