Analysis Of The Epic Of Gilgamesh, The Iliad, And The Aeneid Essay

a. Gods and goddesses intervention plays a key role in many of the stories, including The Epic of Gilgamesh, The Iliad, and The Aeneid. Apollo, god of sun and art, intervenes multiple times in The Iliad. He is known for sending the plague to the Greeks. Aruru, goddess of creation, made Gilgamesh and Enkidu in The Epic of Gilgamesh. Aeolus, god of wind, is persuaded by Juno, goddess of marriage, to build a storm. 2. Discuss the importance of the "voices of reason" in three of the stories. (Who or what group emerges that seems to be more rational than the stories ' characters?) a. â€Å"Voice of reason† is important in many stories including The Epic of Gilgamesh, The Song of Roland, and _____. Gilgamesh is a cruel king. He rapes women of all ages and does whatever it takes to get his way. If the men of Uruk had not complained about Gilgamesh then Enkidu would not have been created. Throughout the Song of Roland Oliver suggested that Roland blow the olifant but Roland refused. Although Roland’s actions did result in his death, Oliver knew it was what needed to happen. Oliver was the voice of reason throughout the story. 3. Discuss the theme of strength (inner or outer) in three of the stories. Use specific examples to support your answer. a. The theme of strength can be seen in many stories including Confession, The Song of Roland, and . St. Augustine had behavioral problems as a child but as he grew older became more mature. During his later years he finds the inner strength and courage to believe in God and put all of his faith into Him. Roland’s strength in The Song of Rolarent stories or the same story. a. Three symbols are the ark, olifant, and the inferno. In The Hebrew Bible, God commanded Noah to build an ark. The ark symbolizes God’s promise to Noah and all of the Israelites. The olifant in The Song of Roland is what kills Roland. It symbolizes his death. Dante’s Inferno includes many symbols. The story itself symbolizes one’s spiritual search. 10. What was your favorite story or character? Give at least three specific reasons/examples to support your answer. a. My favorite character was Joseph. Joseph’s brothers hated him very much and because of that they sold him to the Ishmaelites. Even though Joseph’s early years were not pleasant that did not stop him from believing in God. He kept the faith. He is such an inspiration to many because of his love for God. We can learn from him that if we put faith in God we can become a su

Role Model Review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Role Model Review - Essay Example Money and Career For Bill Gates, his profound and innate passion for computers actually made him decide to drop out from Harvard to possibly pursue a career in law. This same drive for computers, particularly software development, catapulted him to fame and fortune. Being pegged as the second wealthiest man by Forbes in 2010, Bill Gates was revealed to have a net worth of $53 billion (Kroll & Miller, 2010). His life manifested an entrepreneurial spirit focusing on doing things that he loved the most. In so doing, his efforts were repaid in multitudes. According to Net Industries (2011), â€Å"Gates’ competitive drive and fierce desire to win have made him a powerful force in business, but have also consumed much of his personal life. In the six years between 1978 and 1984 he took a total of only two weeks’ vacation† (Net Industries, 2011, par. 12). Sexuality, Family and Friends Information about views on sexuality was revealed in Top Synergy (2003) as quoted: â⠂¬Å"Bill's emotional life seems to be overly intense and his sexuality is very strong. Bill Gates is likely to make many demands of his partner and he has to guard against possessiveness, jealousy and a tendency to force someone to love him† (Top Synergy, 2003, par. 7). ... . "I think we've got the right set-up for them. They have a lot of close friends... they have a lot of close family. I think we're doing the best we can at providing them with a normal environment" (Stritof, 2011, par. 23). Bill Gates, from an interview by David Allison of the National Museum of American History revealed his close friends as school friend, Paul Allen, Steve Ballmer, and Kazuhiko Nishi, from Japan (Bill Gates Interview, n.d.). Suffering and Death Spouses Bill and Melinda Gates, through their foundation, seek to alleviate poverty, improve the health of people from diverse cultural orientation hoping to minimize the incidents of suffering and death. As averred, their program on â€Å"the Global Network for Neglected Tropical Diseases is working to end global suffering and death from neglected tropical diseases by expanding access to low-cost and proven treatments. While most of these diseases have little name recognition in industrialized countries, together they cause severe disability in the world's poorest countries and result in billions of dollars of lost productivity. The new grant announced today aims to end the suffering of more than 1.4 billion people worldwide who live on less than $1.25 per day† (Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, 2009, par. 4). Comparison to Christianity According to Stritof (2011), â€Å"Melinda is Catholic. Bill's family was Congregationalist† (par. 17). In the website Jesus is Savior, David Frost who interviewed Bill Gates in 1995 revealed that â€Å"I'm not somebody who goes to church on a regular basis.   The specific elements of Christianity are not something I'm a huge believer in.   There's a lot of merit in the moral aspects of religion.   I think it can have a

Facebook Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Facebook - Essay Example Ashley Watson lists Starbucks, Victoria’s Secret, Zara, McDonalds, H&M, Taco Bell, Subway, Lacoste, Hollister and Forever as the top ten most liked retailers advertising on Facebook and claims they are selling themselves on the site as they discovered it as an innovative way of letting themselves be known to consumers. The advertisers on Facebook generally let their products known on the networking site because of the number of people they can reach as friends of targeted consumers see what they are engaged with when they click on the like button below the pictures of advertisers (Stambor). In addition, Facebook advertising is cheaper on the part of the retailers while they are still able to reach more consumers with the help of their prospects’ free advertisements tot their friends. As mentioned earlier in the ads of Facebook, retailers are also able to interact with customers, telling them more about their products and answering questions which makes consumers appreciate or give suggestions to the retailers. Being the top among the ten retailers mentioned earlier, Starbucks gained its status with a well done Facebook page (Lee) where they communicate with their customers, updating them with new products, promotions and other pertinent information that engage their fans. One noted activity of the retailer is giving away free products when they print out invitations from their advertisement on the networking site which increased their production within the promotional period. Another retailer that took great advantage of the site’s advertisement page is the controversial Taco Bell (Lee, Singer) with the lawsuit claiming its Taco fillings do not meet the standard requirement of the USDA to be labeled as beef, the retailer used Facebook to pacify consumers. It is giving away ten million coupons to those who like them on Facebook which consequently entitles them for free Tacos and the more than five million followers of Taco Bell

MGT 511 slp 3 Work-Life Issues WALMART Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

MGT 511 slp 3 Work-Life Issues WALMART - Essay Example WalMart’s Work Life policies: The company’s website provides a wide and detailed explanation of the company’s focus and commitment on making work as flexible as possible for the employees (WalMart Diversity, 2011). However in the true sense, it has been noted that there have been a number of issues that have been brought out in terms of the company and the excessive work that the company puts on the employees. Employee complains have clearly been on the fact that the company forces employees to work overtime and also the pay provided by WalMart is also quite low. This leads to a number of issues for the employees. There are a number of pros and cons for this approach of work life policy that the company uses. Firstly, the pros are that it proves to be beneficial for the company and helps the company increase the revenues of the company (Armstrong, 2006). However in the long run this can prove to be destructive for the company as it will only lead to higher employ ee attrition and this can prove to be very expensive for the company. The main cons for this method is that it leaves the employees dissatisfied and also leads to work life imbalance for the employees. Based on the company website, it seems that the company plays a lot of attention to social responsibility and ethical work environment. However based on employees views, this seem to be the absolute opposite.

Gender And Nature Of Walt Disney Film Studies Essay

Gender And Nature Of Walt Disney Film Studies Essay In the golden age of animation, Walt Disney was one of the famous animators in the industry who founded The Walt Disney Corporation. He was an American film director, producer, screenwriter, entertainer and entrepreneur. Most of Disneys work represents characters that embody racial, ethnic, and gender stereotypes, middle-class perspective and royalist ideology while focusing on themes like innocence, friendship, magic and fairytale. As Teresa de Lauretis point out the technology of cinema constructs gender, controlling the field of social meaning, creating representations that we negotiate and inhabit. Disneys representation of gender requires an understanding of the cultural hegemony conceptualization of real and ideal because it created subtle messages of acceptable social construct of men and women. Disneys trademark of innocence operates on a systematic sanitization of violence, sexuality, and political struggle concomitant with an erasure or repression of difference. Disney also used the anthropomorphism to satirize society or politics. Disneys ideology of fairy tale appeared in the first animated feature length film released in 1937, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. It was well-known as the first to use Technicolor cel animation, about 250,000 celluloid frames for each animated film. The film was allows some parts of each frame to be repeated from frame to frame, as layers upon layers of retelling, and in particular, a retelling of womans body. The exceptional woman treated in Elizabeth Bells essay locates the construction of gender within the material of production because they used live-action models for the characters and cinematic conventions of representing women. Each individual cel of film was hand-painted by women who creating indelible images of the feminine. A female character in Disneys film  is the inherent expectation to find happiness by falling in love and getting married with the prince.  Snow White character allows girls to have fairy-tales to dream of and hope for. Representations of women in Disney films are ultimately defined by male standards and goals without displaying their own independent desires separated from romantic relationships. This is due to the personal belief and attitude Walt Disney has towards how the family life is shaped and what roles women should play in society. During that time, the standards of contemporary beauty in Hollywood were young, pretty, white, graceful and slender. Disneys main female character moved along with these standards except for old female character and middle-aged women. Middle-aged women represented as femme fatales, dark, independent, treacherous and dressed on extravagant costumes. They usually played the roles of an evil stepmother who envied the younger heroine for her looks and ended up being defeated or killed. For old female characters are depicted as gray and wrinkled, clumsy, and frumpily dressed. Disneys representation of women is the treatments of the feminine life-cycle in hegemonic social disclose and stereotypes about womens bodies. Disney production films showed the ideals of nature conflict through their female protagonists where women are fully dependent on men and female characters are often shown as happy housewives. They set the standards for girls on how to grow up in order to find their prince; women are supposed to be skinny, beautiful, acquiescent, and perform duties of a housewife. They will not disobey direct orders and do not hold jobs of their own. Contemporary society believes that women need to be more independent through the film because it has a huge impact on young audience on how they see the world. They want Disney to show that women can take care of themselves, more independent, be leaders, have jobs and do not rely on men. They also want Disney to transform into equality of gender because most of their films show a male dominated outlook. Feminists concerned about perception of the world and values about the point of view on young children especially girls to watch for unhealthy look of th e physical attributes along with the values supporting male dominance. As gender is a prevalent topic amongst Disney films, representation of nature can also be illustrated within these films In Bambis film, released during World War II, the film still used Technicolor cel animation but the goal was to obtain a highly realistic look than the previous productions. Bambi is one of the most acclaimed classics productions of the history of traditional animation. Each individual shows detail of nature; for instance, in the open scene we saw the shadow of sunlight which represents the morning hours. There was a scene involving two autumn leaves conversing and eventually dying by falling to the ground, but the artist found that talking flora didnt work in the context of the film and instead used a visual metaphor of two realistic leaves falling to the ground. There was a scene of Bambi stepping on an ants nest and showing all the devastation that he caused, but it was cut for pacing reason. Walt Disney attempted to achieve realistic detail in this animated film. He had Rico LeBrun, a painter of animals, come and lecture to the animators on the structure and movement of animals. A small zoo was also established at the studio so animators could study other animals, like rabbits, ducks, owls, and skunks, at close range. The animators learned a lot about animals during the films production that they would utilize in future projects. Animators now had a broader spectrum of animation styles, from the wider stylization of Mickey Mouse to the naturalistic look and realistic movement of t he characters in Bambi. Disney used Anthropomorphism to represent anti-hunter and politics by using non-human characteristics to display an object or abstract concepts. Anthropomorphism ascribes human motivation, characteristics or behavior to things not human, such as inanimate objects, animals or natural phenomena. The whole movie dealt with nature that was interrupted by human but the film did not show any human in the entire film. David Payne also sees a script written in this film which represents the realism of nature. Bambi is a story about the birth and maturation of a young male; the son of the stag who rules the forest and his mother who was killed by man. Disney uses animals to attract children because they are innocence and authentic. Also have the ability to retreat to a world of their own by using their imagination where human can be evil and dangerous to nature. In the scene that Bambi mother gets shot and forest burn down represent the evil side of human. Disneys films maintain power of relation between hegemony and ideology in our culture to justify social groups based on race, gender, age, and ethnicity. Other uses of the concept grasp ideology as justifying the actions of all groups of people so that marginal and subordinate groups also have ideologies in the sense of organizing and justifying ideas about themselves and the world, Barker Chris stated about understanding of ideology. The narratives of media culture offer patterns of proper and improper behavior, moral messages, and ideological conditioning, sugar-coating social and political ideas with pleasurable and seductive forms of popular entertainment.

The Unalterable Human Condition Exposed in Shirley Jacksons The Lotter

The Unalterable Human Condition Exposed in Shirley Jackson's The Lottery The short story, The Lottery, by Shirley Jackson, managed to capture various human tendencies stemming from the very heart of the unalterable human condition. The willingness to follow tradition blindly, the inherent cruelty of humans, and the unwillingness to change were the primary negative behaviors depicted in the story. The unalterable human condition is one of the truths of human existence. Throughout the course of history, humans tend to act in the same ways, repeat the same mistakes, and end up little better than they were a century before. Although technology has changed, increasing the quality of life, behavior patterns have not changed, decreasing both the sanctity and quality of life. One may begin to wonder if the human race will ever change its behavior in any more ways than rhetoric. The short story, The Lottery, by Shirley Jackson, managed to capture various human tendencies stemming from the very heart of the unalterable human condition. The willingness to follow tradition blindly, the inherent cruelty of humans, and the unwillingness to change were the primary negative behaviors depicted in the story. People enter into society with certain traditions having long since been established. People are terrified of changing those traditions because of the fact that those traditions have been in existence for decades, even centuries. If they have survived that long, people consciously or unconsciously reason, they must be correct. However, that is not necessarily the case. In The Lottery, the tradition must have been at least a century old, as the black box used to choose the lucky winner "had been put into use even before Old Man Wa... ...s existed for thousands of years, human beings are still making the same mistakes as they were when the first humans walked the earth. People live and die, empires rise and fall, while human behavior remains the same the entire time. People ought to learn from the mistakes of the past, not forgetting the things that have gone wrong. The great authors of the world have taken advantage of the unalterable human condition, using it to point out the grave errors that the natural behaviors of human beings can lead to. But before humans begin to dwell to such errors, they should remember that the mistakes they have made are not as important as the lessons humans draw from them . . . Works Cited: Jackson, Shirley. "The Lottery." Literature: Structure, Sound, and Sense. 5th ed. Ed. Laurence Perrine. San Diego: Harcourt, Brace, Jovanovich, Publishers 1998. 180-186

A report on Arranged Marriages Essay

Arranged marriages are marriages that are arranged by someone other than the couple themselves, usually by the parents or family. Arranged marriages are experienced all over the globe, some countries include Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Canada and India. These types of marriages have numerous positive and negative points. In a great part of Asia, marriages are still arranged by parents and family. Arrangements are frequently made simply on rational grounds. In countries such as different as Jordan and Cambodia, daughters are usually married to distant family. Arranged Marriages are very controversial. Many people argue that choosing your life partner is a fundamental right, and others seem to say that mommy and daddy know best. The truth is that arranged marriages are completely legal and practiced in many cultures. In the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, everyone has fundamental freedoms. These freedoms are the basic rights that Canadians have. They state that everyone has fundamental freedoms; freedom of conscience and religion; of thought, belief, opinion, and expression, including freedom of the press and other media of communication; freedom of peaceful assembly; and freedom of association. The fact of the matter is, arranged marriages are a cultural thing, and the law is very hesitant to get involved. Most commonly today, children can choose if they want to get an arranged marriage. If the child is lucky, the final vote will be theirs. The idea of arranged marriages is very difficult for our western countries to comprehend. In the western countries, the idea of marrying a stranger seems unnatural and odd. Most North Americans can’t seem to recognize the idea of marrying an outsider. Although, this practice is generally the way things are done in Indian and Muslim countries, they will most likely continue to seem strange to North Americans. In Western countries, we lean on focusing our attention on more material issues such as sex, love, and beauty, which are the center of our relationships. People get married for such reasons, and then as a result, get bored of one another quite easily. In Eastern countries, they tend to look for more practicality in their mates. They look for aspects such as integrity, diligence, ambition, humility and generosity. Arranged marriages can be successful, but either the man or woman may be displeased with the spouse that has been chosen for him/her. Sometimes, the man and woman get along, but at times there can be a lot of conflicting differences. In the case of any marriage, certain qualities are required in order to sustain a healthy relationship. Patience, love, understanding, trust and kindness are a few of many helpful attributes that would help create a long lasting marriage. No matter what your reasons for marrying someone, you can make it a successful relationship by simply being courteous and respectful. In some cases, arranged marriages can improve the social standing of a family. In other cases, women get the chance to get employment, but women are usually stay-at-home mothers. There are certain rules that apply to arranged marriages. For one, you have to be the same nationality, so an East Indian would be pressured to marry one of his kind. In the Sikh culture and religion, the son or daughter have to marry the same caste, which means that the lower class would marry a low class person, and a high class would marry a high-class person. In India, if you try to get a divorce your way out of an arranged marriage, your parents will disown you. In Pakistan, 90 percent of marriages are arranged, compared to Japan, where only 25-30 percent of all marriages are arranged. Some Indian women have overdosed on drugs, in order to escape the harsh reality of their unwanted marriage. Statistics provide evidence that arranged marriages are no less happy, and  even more stable, than so-called love marriages. Through the ages, mothers have reassured their young daughters by the time they where married off that they don’t have to worry; love will come by itself. In some cases, people have grown to love each other, and other cases were not so fortunate. Marriage can be a big decision in one’s life, whether you are getting married because of an arranged marriage or marrying for love. The basis on which marriage is created depends on an amount of factors, which include cultural, economic, and social aspects. Love, on the other hand, is the only factor needed for a love marriage. Two people might support their marriage on rushed, blinding love and find out that they aren’t in the least bit well matched. As Mamoon states, â€Å"Love, marriage and compatibility are not the same†¦ Two people can be completely compatible yet have no love for each other and vice versa.† Although, love might be a beautiful basis for marriage, it is not necessarily the best way to go when choosing whom you want to live with and how you want to be provided for, for the rest of your life. My personal opinion on marriage in general is that it’s all relative. If you feel comfortable that you can choose a suitable spouse, which you will be with for a lifetime, then that should be your personal choice to make. However, if you feel that your parents could decide better than you could, then there is definitely nothing wrong with getting an arranged marriage. The most important thing is that you’re happy. It’s not the route you take getting there, but the destination. If you are married your dream mate, then why does it matter how you found them?

Critiquing nursing research Essay

Through the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) code of professional conduct (NMC, 2004) nurses supply high standards of care to patients and clients. One code nurses adhere to is clause 6 which pronounces nurses must maintain professional knowledge and competence, have a responsibility to deliver care based on current evidence, best practice and validated research (NMC, 2004). Validated research involves critiquing and acquiring the skills of synthesis and critical analysis, this enables nurses to distinguish the relationship between theory and practice in nursing (Hendry & Farley 1998). This assignment will critique the research paper â€Å"Patients’ case – notes: look but don’t touch† written by Bebbington, Parkin, James, Chichester and Kubiak (2003) (Appendix 1) using Benton and Comack’s (2000) framework (Appendix 2). This was selected because of the publicity that surrounds hospital acquired infection (Barrett, 2005). TitleThe framework suggests the title should be concise, informative, clearly specify the content and indicate the research approach. The title of the paper is concise; however it gives no information of content or research subject. Moreover the research approach is unidentified consequently the reader is unsure what kind of research has been performed, perhaps an alternate title could have been â€Å"Case notes, do they pass infection: A quantitative study†. This may indicate that the authors have not used a standard format which Benton (2000) states reports should follow; nevertheless the title captured the imagination of the reader and warrants further reading. AuthorsAccording to the framework, the author(s) should possess appropriate academic and professional qualifications and experience; this according to Carter & Porter (2000) establishes integrity. The qualifications and experiences of the authors are not documented. This could indicate the authors have no relevant qualifications or experiences in this field. However further reading identifies where the authors work which could be relevant to their subject, although there is no indication of their occupation. However the reader performed an online search and found the authors have had previous papers published suggesting research experience,  which gives confidence in their abilities. AbstractThe framework states an abstract should be included, should identify the research problem, state the hypotheses, outline the methodology, give details of the sample subjects and report major findings. The abstract is included and is outlined which makes it distinctive and captures the attention. Burns and Grove (2003) states this helps to influence the reader to read the remainder of the report. Additionally a distinctive abstract is beneficial for a rapid summary (Parahoo, 1997). The search question is included and is noticed immediately on the first line. Also incorporated are the methodology, sample subjects and major findings. Yet they do not state the hypothesis. The abstract is clear and precise which gives the reader belief in the capability of the researches. IntroductionThe framework indicates the introduction should clearly identify the problem, include a rationale and state any limitations. The problem is identifiable and the rational is included, nevertheless the reader would have liked to see these presented earlier in the introduction. Dempsey & Dempsey (2000) concur and states the research problem should be identified early and Polit & Beck (2004) add that readers profit from learning the problem immediately. The authors did not indicate any limitations which could suggest inexperience or could question their professional responsibility (Polit & Beck, 2004), however the reader perceives a limitation as being only one study of hospital inpatients notes have been reported thus only one study to compare findings. Literature reviewThe, framework indicates the literature review should be current, identify the underlying theoretical framework, produce a balanced evaluation of material and to look for absent references. The authors’ literature reviews produce twelve references which range from 1967 to 2002, four were classed as outdated (Burns & Grove, 2003) and nine were classed current. Although the reference from 1967 is outdated it is reasonable the authors included it since it is the only research paper found on their particular subject. However this causes the reader to speculate the reason this subject was studied. Because the authors and the reader did not  discover any other literature concerned with the subject this, could indicate that the authors’ literature search was comprehensive which could prove validity of the study. However it is wondered if other researches believed case notes were irrelevant compared to other objects in the hospital or if this is ground breaki ng research. Improvement could have been made by the authors including the search engines they had used as this would allow replication and evaluation of the paper. The literature the authors cited used a quantitative approach as did the authors themselves thus identifying and employing the underlying theoretical framework and giving credibility to the paper. Cutlcliff & Ward (2003) suggests the literature review guides the researcher in discussing the results of the study in terms of agreement or non agreement with other studies, however there is no evidence of evaluation of material that supports or challenges the position being proposed .This suggests the researches appear to have only reported the finding of other studies and not examined the material, which, Peat (2001) states is essential for making decisions about whether or not to change practice on the basis of published report. The outcome is a research paper without critical analysis which Beyea & Nicoll (1998) states is central to the delivery of evidence based patient care. Following duplication of the researches literature search using their keywords the reader could find no important references omitted which leads to the belief that they performed the search methodically. However it was discovered that one important reference in the text (Semmelweis) had been omitted in the reference list. This leads the reader to question if other things may also have been omitted resulting in an unsound paper. The hypothesisThe framework asks if the hypothesis is capable of testing and if the hypothesis is unambiguous. There is no hypothesis in the paper only a research question. Cormack (2000) states that hypothesis can only be stated for studies which predict a relationship between two variables. Polic & Becks (2004) concur and believe hypotheses are predictions of expected outcomes. Since the authors do not state an expectation of the outcome they did not need to incorporate a hypothesis. This could suggest an understanding of research giving the reader faith in their capabilities. Operational definitionsThe framework suggests the terms used in the research problem should be clearly defined. The terms that the author’s employ are clearly defined and can be found effortlessly. Nevertheless they are very limited in respect of the paper and the reader speculated how they found eleven of the twelve references using the keywords since they related to other objects. This could indicate that they decided upon key words prior to performing the literature research, thus limiting their search (Tarling & Crofts, 2002) which questions the validity of the paper. The reader searched Blackwell Synergy using own keywords such as hospital equipment, contamination and bacteria. Many more articles were discovered indicating the authors did not perform an adequate literature search. MethodologyThe framework indicates that the methodology should clearly state the research approach, appropriate to the research problem and if strengths and weaknesses are noted. Although the authors do not identify the study as quantitative the reader understands that it is since it uses findings that can be measured and deals with quantity of results as opposed to interpretation (Munhall, 2001). Additionally the reader believed it is a deductive study since the authors looked at cross infection and objects in the hospital setting and narrowed it down to cross infection and case notes. No strengths or weaknesses were acknowledged, which, Byrne (1998) states is needed so the reader can ascertain if the research is valid. Furthermore the authors state they sampled the spine of the case notes because this is where most hand contact occurs while reading them, however perhaps it could have been suggested sampling the inside since in, my experience, this is where most hand contact occurs. The researches also stated they did not wash their hands until the last set of notes had been tested because it simulates the typical daily handling of notes by HCW’s. However the Department of health (2000) state before and after patient contact hands should be washed, consequently the validity of their approach is questionable. Finally the reader would have liked the researches to explain why the notes were incubated at 37 degrees since an assumption could be made that they are simulating a hospital environment. SubjectsThe framework suggests the subjects should be clearly identified in  the title abstract and methodology. In this paper there are no subjects only case notes. However the reader would have liked there to be a rationale why the authors chose case notes as this according Polit & Beck (2004) gives the reader an understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the sampling plan. Sample selectionThe framework suggests the selection approach is congruent to the methodology, clearly stated and if sample size is clearly stated. It appears that convenience sampling was utilised though this is not clear; Burns & Grove (2003) suggest this approach should be avoided however as it provides the opportunity for bias. Since the sample selection method is unclear, it may have been inappropriate, denoting further flaws which affect the remainder of the paper. The sample size is clearly stated however but should have been included in the methodology giving the reader a reference when reading it. Data collectionThe framework asks if the data collection procedures are adequately described. The authors describe the data collection procedure as recorded and analysed. This gives the reader no understanding of how the data was collected, who document it, who interpreted it and where it was stored. This could have implications on the results since there may have been weaknesses in these areas such as the reliability of the collection tools, if the people who recorded and analysis it had training and if there could there be any contamination to the notes. Ethical considerationsThe framework asks if the study involves humans has the study received ethics committee approval, if informed consent was sought, if confidentiality was assured and anonymity guaranteed. Although the study does not directly involve human subject’s research involving personal information relating to human subjects requires the approval of the local ethics committee. (Cormack, 2000)(Royal college of physicians, 1998) The authors make no reference these three ethical codes so it is unknown if the patients agreed to their case notes being tested. This implies no consideration of ethical issues from the authors and questions what other considerations they have overlooked. ResultsAccording to the framework the results should be clearly presented, internally consistent, have sufficient detail to enable the reader to judge, and asks how much confidence can be placed in the finding. The results that the authors present are unclear and misleading since the first two lines state 227/228 case notes contained bacteria; however it continues to inform that most were â€Å"environmental†. The authors use a table to portray their results which Crooks & Davis (1998) suggests is all that is needed to convey information. However the table appears complex, confusing and impossible to understand; therefore the reader would question the internal consistency. In addition since the results are difficult to interpret the reader can not judge the reliability of the findings. Data analysisThe framework states the approach should be appropriate to the type of data collected, statistical analysis should be correctly performed, should be sufficient analysis to decide whether significant differences are not caused by differences in other relevant variables and if the complete information is reported. The authors approach was appropriate to the type of data collected since no other approach would be suitable. Nevertheless the researches do not state how they analysed the statistics so the reader can not judge any limitations. DiscussionThe framework states the discussion should be balanced, drawn on previous research, weaknesses of the study acknowledged and clinical implications discussed. The discussion is not balanced since it focus upon the findings of pathogenic bacteria on case notes and subsequently formulates assumptions about MRSA surviving on case notes without research to back this up. It vaguely draws upon the only previous research and mentions the result, which contradicts their own findings. No failings or limitations of the study or literature review are recognized implying no review or evaluation of the literature, which, according to Benton & Cormack (2000) is central to the research process. One clinical implication is discussed briefly however the reader should remember that the authors have not proved the transmission of bacteria on case notes to HCW’s hands only the potential. ConclusionThe framework asks if the conclusions are supported by the results obtained. The conclusion the authors established was the possibility of transferring bacteria, however since the results are indecipherable it is impossible to determine if the conclusions are supported by the results. RecommendationThe framework states the recommendations should suggest further areas for research, and identify how any weaknesses in the study design could be avoided in future research. There is no suggestion for further research; no weaknesses in the study design mentioned and no recommendations on how issues can be avoided. Therefore the reader believes this paper does not establish contamination from case notes, so is unreliable and lacks validity. Application to practiceThe Department of Health (2005) states Clinical governance is the system through which National Health Service organisations are accountable for continuously improving the quality of their services and safeguarding high standards of care. Elcoat (2000) adds evidence-based practice and evidence-based nursing have very strong positions in the Clinical Governance agenda of quality improvement. Evidence-based practice can be defined as using contemporaneous best evidence ensuring actions are clinically appropriate cost effective and result in positive outcomes for patients (Trinder & Reynolds, 2000). Therefore every healthcare team member has to critique evidence, assess its reliability and application before combining it with their own clinical expertise (DePoy & Gitlin, 1998). Before knowing how to critique I did not understand why nurses had to review articles and I would have taken them on face value, however since critiquing this article I have realized it is a very important part of my practice and taking articles on face value is unsafe practice. The authors discussed some important issues concerning cross infection and as a consequence I have reflected more on cross infection in my clinical area. This leads me to believe that every research paper is of value and has something to give to the reader. However the article will have little impact on my practice since the recommendation of hand washing before and after patient contact is already integrated in my nursing practice. References Barrett , S. P. (2005). What’s new in infection control? 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