History. Questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

History. Questions - Essay Example During this period, the baby boom stimulated migration to suburbs (Rusty, 2010 p 4). Growth of suburbs led to numerous developments witnessed across the country. As a result of the suburbs, there emerged the need for automobiles. Thus, the government constructed new roads. The population of the United States increased significantly from 1946. The need to provide for the high population made the government come up with policies that enabled people to access basic needs such as healthcare, education, and provisions for social security. The various developments that happened in the United States after the war can be attributed to the baby boom (Rusty, 2010 p 12). Q2. Eisenhower caution and inactivity can be regarded as a wise prudence in the exercise of power. He reacted cautiously towards the beginning of the civil rights movement and sent troops who enforced court orders. His domestic policies used to be conservative, while the foreign policies appeared to be cautious. He is credited for avoiding military involvement in Vietnam and pressuring Britain, France and Israel to resolve the Suez crisis. Eisenhower sought an end the cold war by seeking negotiations and refusing to get involved in the Hungarian revolt. America become more prosperous during the era of Eisenhower, as science and technology advanced significantly. Women had the opportunity to join the workforce and get white collar jobs (Thomas, 2005 p 20). Q3. The Soviet Union tested its first atomic bomb in 1949. This led to public anxiety as the Americans feared the Russia’s superiority. The US government started investigating who had revealed the US atomic secrets to the Russians (Fried, 1991 p 32). As a result, the red hunting came to being; high profile individuals such as Rosenberg faced persecution. Senator Joseph McCarthy recruited communist hunter Roy Cohn, a prosecutor. McCarthy visited his opponents and campaigned against them; he accused his critics as traitors. He formed a red-hunting c orporation known as AWARE Inc, which prosecuted communists. During his tenure, anticommunist agencies questioned teachers; those suspected of communism lost their jobs. Children took loyalty oaths and pledged not to overthrow the government. This way, he forced many Americans to have a skeptical look at secret subversives (Fried, 1991 p 37). Q4. The invasion of Vietnam by France shortly after the Second World War can be termed as the major cause of the Vietnam War. The French occupied the country, leading to an imbalance of the Vietnamese cultural lifestyle. The communists took advantage of the disruption of a peaceful Vietnamese life. Communist countries such as Russia wanted to exercise their political ideologies on small and weak countries that had been destabilized by the French. After World War II, communist countries wanted to gain control over nations that seemed weak and politically unstable. As a result, the Vietnam War came into being (Thomas, 2005 p 22). The cold war and the differences between the capitalist and the communists also resulted to the cold war. America was opposed to communist ideals of the Soviet Union. Russia and China had supplied arms to the government of North Vietnam. The arms included war materials such as machine guns, rifles, artillery, war boats, and ammunitions. America wanted to slow the growth of communism in the Middle East. The United States joined the war following a call to protect South Vietnam from invasion by North

The Civil War Produced More Radical Changes in America than the Essay

The Civil War Produced More Radical Changes in America than the Revolutionary War - Essay Example Here in this essay, I would discuss that whether the civil war produced more radical changes in America or the Revolutionary war. REVOLUTIONARY WAR: The ideology of John Locke impressed American Colonies and provoked them to fight for their rights. Locke wrote in â€Å"Two Treaties of Government† that it is beyond humanity to rule individuals and rejected the claim of kings and queens of having a divine right to rule masses. Locke infused the spirit of liberalism and democracy. (John Locke, 1821) The main idea of Revolutionary movement was to address the differences that lay within a mother country like religious, traditional and social differences. He stated: â€Å"The natural liberty of man is to be free from any superior power on earth, and not to be under the will or legislative authority of man, but to have only the law of Nature for his rule. The liberty of man in society is to be under no other legislative power but that established by consent in the commonwealth, nor under the dominion of any will, or restraint of any law, but what that legislative shall enact according to the trust put in it.† (John Locke, 1821) Evolutionary War was more than a political agenda and took course during 18th century which initiated in 1763. The seed was sown earlier after the British forces enforced the series of taxes on the American Colonies which was imposed in the name of defense and security cost. American colonies felt the discrimination that was made by British regulatory authorities as British person were not made liable to pay tax. The discrimination enraged American Colonies and in retaliation their Thirteen Colonies in North America collaborated and stood united to form a separate nation which would have no influence or governance from the British Empire. To make their move official, they rejected the rule of Parliament of Britain and together they cast out the royal officials. The colonies demanded for an elected representative in the ruling Brit ish Parliament and within the span of two years, American colonies formed Committees for Correspondence which would direct their own Provincial Congresses in majority of the colonies. The advantage of committees was enormous as it was easy for individuals to share and comment on different issues between British community and American Colonies. With a little more efforts, the provincial congresses proved to be effective and dismissed the parliament and replaced all British ruling bodies. In response to this political setback, British government tried hard to assert pressure and reform authority by dissolving local governments with the help of British troops and to impose rule directly from Royal officials. British troops were confronted by American militia in 1775. George Washington was chosen as commander in chief to guide and lead the army as American Militia lacked in almost every essential skill or training. Washington finely used both army and militia for his strategies to defea t British combat troops. Blacks were promised to be freed if they serve the army and soon blacks in large numbers were recruited in both the armies. Large number of blacks escaped and joined the British Army against Americans. After a constant fight between both nations, the Independence of America was declared on July 4, 1776. The main purpose was to achieve liberty, democracy and equality among the nation which was severely lacking in the British Empire. CIVIL WAR: (Nicolay, 2009) In the middle of 19th Century, Abraham Lincoln was chosen

Project Management Capstone - Problem Identification Assignment - 1

Project Management Capstone - Problem Identification - Assignment Example It has also been identified that for an organization to run efficiently, management should take the responsibility of ensuring that all the necessary factors of effective project management are put into consideration. Thereafter, develops a proper plan to mitigate chances downfalls within the business. However, one of the major problems that automobile companies face is the inability to influence broader market margins. Therefore, this paper unravels problems affection project implementation in an organization and various measures to mitigate such occurrences. Similar to any other project management, project scope addresses initiatives at all levels of project management and the implementation strategies agreed at the initial stages of project development. Based on the human resource problem, several scholars have clarified that poor human resource management would directly affect capital market. For instance, training of newly recruited employees is a large problem to most of the businesses compared to competitors who prosper by retaining their employees. No company would ever love to incur expenses in training employees only to lose them. Besides, constant shifting of employees reduces outcome and competitive development of business. Wagner & Bode (2009), illustrates that the use computerized services and internet facilities within an organization are vital to changes in various ways thus relating organizational skills towards the contribution of adequate returns to the company. It has also been clarified that companies that use technol ogy often has customized response to any slightest change in liaison to consumers demand by producing goods and services through controlled production process Wagner & Bode (2009). Moreover, it may affect some sections of the organization especially members of the staffs who feel that they are ill targeted by the change process. The main purpose of a

The Comitatus Bond Essay Example for Free

The Comitatus Bond Essay â€Å"So now, Beowulf, I adopt you in my heart as a dear son. Nourish and maintain this new connection, you noblest of men. . . (63)†. Beowulf is an epic poem about the adventures, journey and maturation of a young legendary warrior from adolescence to his adulthood as a noble king. He gained his great reputation from his brave deeds of slaying the monstrous Grendel, his avenging mother, and the fiery dragon while being an honorable and selfless hero and ruler. Beowulf also presents an ideal of loyalty to thane, the comitatus bond. The failure to live up to this ideal bond on the part of some thanes point up the extraordinary faithfulness of Beowulf. The comitatus bond is a comradery between a master and his warriors. This relationship requires the warriors/thanes to defend their master to the death in exchange for share of wealth, protection and weapons. However, this comitatus code goes beyond the typical warrior-defending-master relationship but rather into a bond of love and friendship. The epic story of Beowulf started out with the portrayal of a failed brotherhood. Grendel was a descendant of Cain, the most notorious slayer of his own brother and of the comitatus bond. â€Å"Cain got no good from committing that murder because the Almighty . . . exacted a price . . . [and] made him [an] anathema . . . (9).† Grendel’s lineage and the idea of a person against his family were very dishonorable and looked down upon by the Anglo-Saxon culture. Thus, Grendel came to represent a character of resentment and malice. The unfulfillment of this comitatus bond continued with the failure of King Hrothgar’s thanes to defend Haerot Hall and their lord from the vicious Grendel. This inadequacy demonstrated the complexity and the difficulty to uphold the bond between a lord and his warriors but paved as a good introduction for our valiant hero who shall overshadow all with his extreme allegiance and honor. Beowulf was considered a perfect hero through the idea of always living up to the comitatus. He started out as a young hero with a questionable reputation who needed to prove himself. After he heard about the attack on Haerot Hall, Beowulf felt his duty to defend it when the king’s current thanes could not. King Hrothgar believed that â€Å". . . His goodness guided him here to the West-Danes to defend [them] from Grendel. . . (27).† Beowulf believed in what Hrothgar stood for and was willing to fight for him. Besides his allegiance to the king Hygelac, Beowulf felt obliged for a man of great power and strength to defend Haerot in order to preserve life. This obligation fulfilled the comitatus bond between King Hrothgar and King Hygelac as well as Beowulf’s duty as a warrior to defend and protect his lord. Even after he defeated Grendel, Beowulf still did not leave until Haerot Hall was rid of all evil and malicious creatures. He knew the threat and danger Grendel’s vengeful mother posed and willfully eliminated her in order to protect the people and fully fulfill his mission. His actions and morals were defined in the comitatus code. He portrayed this comitatus image with such perfection that he can be no less than a hero and treated as such for â€Å". . . his heroism . . . will recompense him with a rich treasure (27).† This excellently depicted the lord and thane relationship for it showed the great appreciation the lord, King Hrothgar, has for his thane, Beowulf. Even when he was given such compensation and fortune, Bewoulf further demonstrated his honor and commitment to the comitatus bond by sharing the prizes with his brave thanes, who defended and helped defeat Grendel and his mother, and to his homeland. This act depicted and emphasized his chivalrous and selfless character. Even after Beowulf’s legendary feats as a warrior and thane, his extraordinary loyalty to the comitatus code still remained intact as a great and wise king. â€Å"He ruled it well for fifty winters, grew old and wise as warden of the land. . . (151).† Beowulf provided his people and thanes with wisdom, protection and prosperity for fifty years. His gradual ascension to the throne gained him more experience, knowledge and patience on ruling Geatland. However, his and his thanes’ loyalty was tested when the ferocious dragon was provoked and wreaked havoc in his kingdom. Beowulf’s amazing comitatus relationship to his people and his thanes as well as his pride and prowess ultimately led him to his own demise. His decision to fight the dragon with just a few warriors failed to prevail because of his thanes’ worthlessness and cowardice. â€Å"No help or backing was to be had then from his high-born comrades; the hand-picked troop broke ranks and ran for their lives to the safety of the wood (175).† The thanes’ unfulfillment of their comitatus bond to Beowulf proved to be the fatal defeat for their lord and their kingdom. But despite his most of his thanes’ disgraceful actions, Beowulf’s loyalty and commitment to the comitatus persisted and finally destroyed the dragon. It accentuated his amazing devotion and allegiance to his people and his thanes for it emphasized how he’s rather die of a worthy and noble cause than of old age. Beowulf has accepted his fate in confidence and perfection and that even the greatest of heroes cannot live forever. Throughout Beowulf’s life, he has adhered exceptionally to the code of conduct in which all warriors should live by. He has formed ties and set standards for lord and thane and turned a relationship of service into a bond of brotherly love and friendship. In spite of conflicts and disloyalty of some, his faithfulness and allegiance to his people and thanes endured and proved to be one of his greatest assets to turn him into a perfect model hero and a defender of the comitatus code.

Zuzanna Zommer Case Study

Zuzanna Zommer Case Study The following essay examines a case study on a young child that was sexually abused and murdered by a known sex offender, and the serious case review that was written on the case. This essay will also discuss the basic legal policies and the frame work of the Children Act 1989, 2004 and Every Child Matters: National Service Framework. It will demonstrate the understanding of the different types of abuse, an understanding of the child protection system and how it applies to the common assessment frame work. Also the importance of working in a child centred manner will be understood. This essay will criticise the different approaches of multi-professional tactics on child protection. It will take a look at the Lord Laming and Munro reports that were put in place between the death of Victoria Climbie and baby P and safeguarding reforms planned to prevent future deaths. Zuzanna Zommer was a 14 year old girl who came to live the United Kingdom with her parents and young bother from Poland. Not long after the move, Zuzanna was sexually abused and murdered by a known sex offender named Michael Clark who lived two doors down from the Zommers. Unknown to the family and his past history, Clark befriended the Zommer family and would go to family barbeques (Brooke 2008). See appendix 1. Statistics show that nearly a quarter of young adults are sexual abused during childhood, in 2010 and 2011 17.727 children under the age of sixteen were sexually abused in England and Wales (NSPCC 2012). Several agencies failed in the case of Zuzanna Zommer (BBC News England 2012) due to failed communication between agencies. Michael Clark moved to Leeds after being released from Hull prison prior to meeting the Zommer. Humberside police failed to provide the public protection agencies in Leeds with enough warning that Clark would be moving to the area (BBC News England 2012). See appendix 2 A serious case review was released in March 2012 on Zuzanna Zommer which states that Clarks childhood was unhappy. His parents divorced when he was three years old and was brought up by his mother and stepfather, of which he witnessed domestic violence with his mother regularly using physical abuse. Clark was bullied at school and then expelled from junior school before going to a school for the deaf (Cocker 2012). See appendix 3 Over the past thirty years, theories of child maltreatment have shifted from single- cause models (e.g. the transgenerational transmission of child maltreatment, which saw children who grew up with abuse becoming abusive adults) to more integrated and multi-faceted perspectives, emphasising instead a number of interacting factors (Azar et al, 1998; Thomas et al, 2003). Research repeatedly suggests that a history of childhood abuse is associated with low educational attainment and poor physical and mental health in adulthood (Gilbert et al, 2009b; Safeguarding and protecting children are supported by a complicated system of legislation, guidance, regulation, and procedures (Stafford,Vincent,Parton 2010). Within the UK, the Department of Health defines child maltreatment in terms of inflicting harm and/or by failing to act to prevent harm to children (Department of Health, 2006 p26). Significant is not defined in the Act, although it does say that the court should compare the health and development of the child with that which could be reasonably expected of a similar child. So the courts have to decide for themselves what constitutes significant harm by looking at the facts of each individual case (NSPCC factsheet 2012 p2) Within the overall category of child maltreatment, four categories of abuse are traditionally recognised (WHO, 2006) World Health Organisation (2006) Preventing child maltreatment: a guide to taking action and generating evidence. World Health Organization and International Society for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect. The abuse towards Zuzanna Zommer took 11 months to result in her death during which the sexual abuse of the child went undetected. http://whqlibdoc.who.int/publications/2006/9241594365_eng.pdf [Accessed 25 Feb 2010] Sidebotham et al (2006) observed that a wide range of factors are associated with child maltreatment, with the strongest risks coming from socio-economic deprivation and parental background, including poor mental health. Community-level variables consistently linked to child maltreatment include lack of social support (including the availability of childcare), neighbourhood poverty and the accessibility of alcohol (Coulton et al, 1995; 1999; 2007; Korbin et al, 1998; Molnar et al, 2003). Social factors, such as beliefs about using physical punishment to discipline children and the portrayal of violence and sex in the media may additionally contribute to abusive behaviour towards children (Belsky, 1993; Straus and Mathur, 1996). Belsky, J. (1993) Etiology of child maltreatment: A developmental-ecological analysis. Psychological Bulletin 114: 413-434. Following the death of Victoria Climbie, who was known to the social services and many other agencies within the social sector? Victorias parents stated they had noted that the social worker blames the doctors, front line staff blames the management, mangers blame the council, and the councils blame the government for lack of funding. Response to the fallings were I am poorly managed, not my job, (Laming,2003, evidence 19 February 2002,p97). Lord Laming was invited to carry out an enquiry looking at the situations leading up to Victorias death. His report had a 108 recommendation to safe guard children in the future, this inquiry became known as the Laming Report (Laming 2003). Deryk Mead of Action for Children stated, I do believe that inquiry reports have made a positive difference to the child protection system, and I have every confidence that Lord Lamings report will do so too (Katwala and Ciglerova 2003 p5). However there was some criticism to his report Caroline Abrahams and Debora Lightfoot from the Action for Children stated the report was looking more at the case of Victoria Climbie and not at children in general in regards to child protection (Abraham and Lightfoot 2003). .According to Harry Ferguson, a professor of social work at the University of the West of England, Lamings report focuses too heavily on the implementation of new structures and fails to understand the keen intuition that child protection work demands. (Ferguson 2003 p5) All areas of the UK have policies to safeguard children and young people, to be able to protect them and advertise their general well-being. In 2006 Working Together was re- published on which ideas have been further developed which was again called Working Together to safeguarding Children: A Guide to inter- agency Working to Safeguarding and Promote The Welfare of Children (HM Government 2006). In 2004 England and Wales were the first to deliver the policy frame work Every Child Matters and recognised the five outcome for children and young people. This was a response to the Laming Report (2003) and to safeguarding children (Department of health 2002). From this the Common assessment framework (CAF) was implemented and used when assessing children and familys Suffolk County Council (2012) Every Child Matters was planned to be put in place in 2008, however before it was due to be released the tragic death of baby P happened and the medias response was very critical to all the services involved in his case (Stafford,Vincent,Parton 2010). The system had failed again baby p there had been over sixty visits with the family different health and social care professional he died after 48h of being in hospital (Stafford,Vincent,Parton 2010). Criticism has been made regarding Every Child Matters and the Children Act 2004 on what should have been a positive social policy programme, is that it only relates to England. Hilton and Mills (2006) Stated that Every Child matters invades the rights of childrens privacy under article 8 of the European Convention Rights. The loss of space the officer of the Information Commissioner found that children themselves were worried about the invasion of their own privacy (Hilton and Mills 2006). While they create a way of seeing and suggest a way of acting, they also tend to create ways of not seeing, and eliminate the possibility of actions associated with alternative views of the world.(Morgan, 1986, p 202) Other criticism has been made regarding Every Child Matters and the Children Act 2004 on what should have been a positive social policy programme, is that it only relates to England (Hoyle 2012) All areas of the United Kingdom are committed to promoting all areas of the national frame work for young people and children. (Stafford,Vincent,Parton 2010). There is no separate legislation for child protection but legislation covers childs welfare, including support for children in need and children in need of protection (Lindon 2008). While all parts of the United Kingdom have had some restructuring in recent years to the child protection policy, not much change has been done to the legislation. The children Acts which was put in place the 1980s and 1990s these acts are an intervention in family life to help protect children from abuse and neglect ,and the definition of significant harm and children in need theses have not been amended (Owen,2009) The 1989 Children Act still remains, but the Children act 2004has made some amendments. The Children Act 2004 is primarily about new statutory leadership roles, joint planning and commissioning of childrens services, and how organisation ensure their functions are discharged in a way which safeguards children and promotes the welfare (Owen 2009 p.17). Section eleven enforced agencies that are working with children and young people to safeguard and promote their welfare, another change was that the Child Protection Committees were replaced by Local Safeguarding Boards ((Stafford,Vincent,Parton 2010). In 2010 the Government- commissioned Professor Eileen Munro to evaluate the safe guarding practice one of the recommendation was to ask that the ministers establish a national chief social worker whom will advise minister and that the council should be obliged to ensure sufficient provision such as sure start and other support schemes.(Butler 2010) The report found that safeguarding had indeed become overly dependent on procedures and paperwork, with frontline professionals spending over 60% of their time in front of computer screens(Butler 2010 p4) Munro said: A one-size-fits-all approach is not the right way for child protection services to operate. Top-down government targets and too many forms and procedures are preventing professionals from being able to give children the help they need and assess whether that help has made a difference.( Munro review 2010) Some key weakness were found in with the Munro Review this was from social workers, stating that the review states what is being done but dose not offer the path to a better child protection system in the future? (Parliament 2012). In Conclusion this essay has examined an horrific news report on the sexual abuse and the death of Zuzanna Zommer and the back ground of her perpetrator it has looked at how the system failed to protect her from such an ordeal. It has also

Laws, Lawyers, and Punishment in the Victorian Period :: Victorian Era

Laws, Lawyers, and Punishment in the Victorian Period The Law †¢At the beginning of the 19th century there were 3 types of law in England: -Common Law: the â€Å"law of the land†(Pool 127), which was built up over many centuries *referred to in order to determine such cases as the validity of a contract or whether or not someone was guilty of murder †¢3 courts that heard cases: -King’s Bench- criminal cases -Eschequer- disputes about money -Common Pleas- disputes between citizens -Equity: seen over by the Chancery Court; designed to give relief from strict decisions made by the common law -Church Law: 4 courts -Court of Arches-Court of the archbishop -Court of Faculties-granted special permission to do things such as hold multiple livings -Consistory Court-handled divorce and wills -Prerogative Court- wills of bishops However, this system of laws changed much throughout the century. The Chancery became merely a joke for there you could not present evidence during trials and Parliament came to view it as necessary for matters of will and divorce to be referred to new civil courts instead of the church. In 1873 the 3 common law courts and the Chancery were combined to make the Supreme Court Lawyers †¢There were two types of lawyers: -those who argued in court- barristers, sarjeants, and advocates -those who prepared the cases for these lawyers- attorneys, solicitors, proctors †¢Courtroom lawyers held more prestige especially the barrister, who was often well born †¢To become a barrister one had to go to a certain number of dinners at the Inns of Court for 3 years. Then if you were approved of by the older lawyers you’d be â€Å"called to the bar† and then could become a barrister. There was no exam required. †¢Solicitors had to serve as an in-between between the barristers and their clients. So they were â€Å"in trade† which was less respectful to become solicitor one had to be an apprentice for 5 years to a practicing lawyer Punishment †¢In 1800 there were over 200 offences punishable by death including sheep stealing and doing damage to the Westminster Bridge -This harshness was probably due to the lack of real paid policemen at the time. So when someone was actually caught and convicted they were made an example.

Midterm Reflection: Health Literacy Essay

When listening or reading to the news, it is hard to avoid a topic on the health care crisis. It seems that everyone has an opinion on what needs to be fixed, but there is one underlying factor in the system that could be a key player in the delivery of health care for the future. Health literacy has become an issue that is affecting every part of the system, and could be a path leading to improvements in the system (Nutbeam, 2000). After watching the health literacy video exposing various Americans with low health literacy, I was completely shocked. I had heard of health literacy before, but seeing this video was really eye-opening as to the extent that people cannot communicate with health care providers. I knew right away that this was a topic that I wanted to explore. When learning about health literacy, I found it important to note the similarities and differences in health literacy and literacy. Literacy can be defined as one’s ability to read, write, or understand written and spoken language in his or her native language. Health literacy is different to literacy, as it is one’s ability to understand the terms of health and apply that knowledge within the scope of health care (Mayer and Villaire, 2007). However, literacy plays an undeniable role in health literacy, in that those that are illiterate will have an even harder time when trying to understand health terms. While watching the movie about health literacy in class, I could not help but be disturbed when watching adults that had the literacy levels of middle school children (Kalmbach, 2003). It made me wonder how many people are illiterate in the country, and how this is playing a role in health care. The National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL) offers extensive information on past studies done on adults for literacy. A study conducted in 2003 showed that thirty million adults (about fourteen percent) had literacy levels below basic, which includes simple, minimal skills. In addition, sixty-three million, or twenty-nine percent of adults, had a literacy level of â€Å"basic,† which means that simple, everyday skills are met, but nothing beyond that. Knowing this, it is clear that there is a problem in America with literacy in adults. With adults that cannot meet even intermediate literacy skills, that means that over 100 million adults are health illiterate because people that are illiterate tend to also be health illiterate (â€Å"National Assessment,† 2003). Some of these adults may have health care plans, and their lack of literacy may be preventing them from understanding those plans and understanding the services with which they are provided through those plans. Because there is correlation with literacy and socio-economic class, I believe that there needs to be more emphasis put on educating those that have not been properly educated (Mayer and Villaire, 2007). Healthy People 2020 has a great system for approaching this goal in terms of health literacy, but more promotion of this movement is critical (â€Å"Educational and Community-Based,† 2011). In the movie, Mr. Brown reads at the fourth-grade level. Due to this low literacy level, he says that he does not like going to the doctor because of the amount of paperwork he needs to fill out. Even being someone that can read at a proficient level, I can agree with Mr. Brown that filling out paperwork at a doctor’s office can be stressful. There are many abbreviations and words that relate to health care that I simply do not know. However, because of my literacy level, I am able to overcome some of these problems and figure out what the form is asking. It concerns me that people of a low literacy level such as Mr. Brown’s would not be able to do this problem-solving successfully (Kalmbach, 2003). There is no doubt that this can lead to medical miscommunications between the patient and the doctor in regards to billing, medical background information, and future diagnoses and prescriptions. These miscommunications can be costly for insurers, those paying out-of-pocket, and the physicians (Mayer and Villaire, 2007). As a college student, I still have much to learn about living independently without the help of my parents. After learning about health literacy, I feel that I need to educate myself and become more health literate. Because I am a biology major, and I am interested in science, I do try to communicate well and fully understand what my doctor is telling me, but I do not always ask all of the questions needed to improve my health literacy. For example, when I am prescribed a medication, I normally take it without knowing why I am taking that specific dosage, what it will do for me, what side-effects it may cause, etc. Those are questions that I, and others that go to a physician, should be asking. College students are in the years where they prepare for living on our own. Part of that preparation should be becoming more health literate in order to make the best decisions regarding health care options in the present and future. In a study of college students, 21. 7% of the students could not appropriately take a medication four times throughout one day, and 41. 4% would not figure out financing for primary care when taking family size and income into consideration. Since these are issues that may be in the near future for college students, this implies that something needs to be done to better educate students. Melinda Ickes and Randall Cottrell (2010) say that a possible solution to improving health literacy would be to offer consumer health courses. I believe that this could be an option, but there needs to be a great incentive, or it must be mandatory for students to take these courses; with the combination of a busy course load and students simply not knowing their health literacy levels, many students may not enroll. One growing issue with health literacy that I find extremely interesting is the effect that the Internet has played in health care over the past couple decades (Ickes and Cottrell, 2010). As more information about health care is available on the Internet, many people find it more convenient to self-diagnose themselves instead of making the trip to the doctor. I know that when I have a health problem, one of the first things that I do is look it up on a website such as WebMD. While some people, like myself, know that this is not sufficient information, others that are not as health literate may not understand that the most reliable source is a face-to-face interaction with a physician. When a doctor visit becomes necessary, doctors may then have the task of re-teaching the medical information if a person relied heavily on the wrong information from the Internet. This is not just a problem locally or nationally. The Internet is worldwide, so this problem of becoming Internet-dependent for health care may be affecting global health literacy and therefore the quality of global health care. Though those that do not have access to health insurance and cannot see a physician may find this to be easy access at the fingertips, proper health literacy is needed to interpret the information in a way that is safe (Lancellotti-Young and Suk, n. d. ). Because I want to be a genetic counselor, health literacy will definitely play a major role in my future practice. Genetic counselors are responsible for doing genetic tests, interpreting those tests, and communicating results with patients effectively. Having a good understanding of the health literacy of my patients will be critical when advising them to make safe decisions for their health and the health of their future children. Especially in regard to sex education and prevention, health literacy is a problem that needs to be addressed in a major way. With more understanding of the benefits and results of genetic testing and prenatal care, patients may be able to make adjustments related to health and financing health care (â€Å"Health Literacy,† 2010). In my practice, I would highly value health literacy and make an effort to incorporate health literacy education into my practice as much as possible. Health literacy is a growing topic in health care, as it should be. Someone that can effectively communicate with a physician well may be saving time and money for themselves, the physician, and the insurance provider. However, many adults that are responsible for their own health care are not health-literate on a proficient level. While current news has put emphasis on many aspects of health care such as financing and access, health literacy should be emphasized more, especially because it could potentially benefit those financing and access issues (Nutbeam 2000). Watching the health literacy video gave me a perspective on health care that I did not have before. Not only did I begin to learn of this issue on a national level, but I realized that I need to educate myself so that I can become more health literate to be a better contributor to the health care system. Health literacy follows each person that interacts with the health care system, whether he or she is a receiver or provider of that care. Resources Educational and Community-Based Programs. (2011). Retrieved from http://www. healthypeople. gov/2020/topicsobjectives2020/overview. aspx? topicid=11 Health Literacy. (2010). Genetic Counseling Cultural Competence Toolkit. Retrieved October 27, 2011, from http://www. geneticcounselingtoolkit. com/cases/resources_referral/rrf7. htm Ickes, M. J. , & Cottrell, R. (2010). Health literacy in college students. Journal of American College Health, 58(5), 491-498. Kalmbach, Lewis (Producer). (2003). Health Literacy Video [Motion Picture]. United States: Kalmbach Advertising. Lancellotti-Young, C. , & Suk, D. (n. d. ). Online access to health information: The Internet’s impact on the patient-physician relationship. Internet and Social Change. Retrieved October 27, 2011, from.