Critical Evaluation of Intraosseous vascular access and Application of Essay

Critical Evaluation of Intraosseous vascular access and Application of Research Findings to Practice in emergency cases - Essay Example e study involves critical evaluation of research findings of â€Å"Intraosseous versus Intravenous Vascular Access during Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest† article. It is imperative to understand what the topic means so as to attain pertinent research findings. Intraosseous (IO) access is an efficient route for fluid recovery, laboratory evaluation and drug delivery that may be achieved in all patients groups and has a satisfactory safety profile (King and Henretig 2008). In acknowledgment of the worth of intraosseous (IO) vascular access, in patient stabilization and resuscitation, leading international and national corporations have published position articles that have served to alter the principle of care for emergency vascular access (Cottrell 2011). The search strategy for this paper involves critical evaluation of findings of â€Å"Intraosseous versus Intravenous Vascular Access during Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest† research article (Reades et al. 2011). The article’s content is relevant to this paper since it discusses effect of Intraosseous versus Intravenous Vascular Access during cardiac arrest (emergency cases). The research objective is to critically evaluate intraosseous vascular access and application of research findings to practice in emergency cases. The rationale of research selection is attributed to accuracy and effectiveness of its findings. The intervention of Intraosseous Vascular Access in emergency patients is not commonly used in practice yet, and to find out how effective is this intervention in emergency cases (King and Henretig 2008). The statement is the basis of the research since medical intervention must be evidence-based (Greenhalgh 2010; Barker 2013), and the article present findings to support the basis. The choice of article to evaluate justifies the objective of this research. That is so because it has findings and application of Intraosseous Vascular Access in emergency environment. At the end, it is possible to draw a

Manufacturing and Service Technologies Essay Example for Free

Manufacturing and Service Technologies Essay Manufacturing and Service Technologies technology refers to the work processes, techniques, machines, and actions used to transform organizational inputs into outputs. One important theme in this chapter is how core technology influences organization structure. Understanding core technology provides insight into how an organization can be structured for efficient performance. Core technology is the work process that is directly related to the organization’s mission. A non-core technology is a department work process that is important to the organization but is not directly related to its primary mission. Woodward developed a scale and organized the firms according to technical complexity of the manufacturing process. Technical complexity represents the extent of mechanization of the manufacturing process. High technical complexity means most of the work is performed by machines. Woodward’s scale consists of ten categories and these categories were further consolidated into three basic technology groups: The groups are consisted of small-batch and unit production, large-batch and mass production, and continuous-process production. Small-batch production relies heavily on the human operator; it is thus not highly mechanized. The large-batch is manufacturing process characterized by long production runs of standardized parts. In continuous-process production, the entire process is mechanized. Overall, the management systems in both unit-production and continuous -process technology are characterized as organic, as defined in Chapter 4. Mass production, however, is mechanistic, with standardized jobs and formalized procedures. When adopting a new technology, realign strategy, structure, and management process to achieve top performance. Lean manufacturing uses highly trained employees at every stage of the production process, who take a painstaking approach to details and problem solving to cut waste and improve quality. Lean manufacturing techniques have been implemented in hundreds of organizations all over the world and have led to dramatic improvements in quality, productivity, and efficiency. Service technologies are different from manufacturing technologies and, in turn, require a different organization design. The most obvious difference is that service technology produces an intangible output, rather than a tangible product. Hence, service organizations may have an organization structure with fewer boundary roles, greater geo-graphical dispersion, decentralization, highly skilled employees in the technical core, and generally less control than in manufacturing organizations. The feature of service technologies with a distinct influence on organizational structure and control systems is the need for technical core employees to be close to the customer. The impact of customer contact on organization structure is reflected in the use of boundary roles and structural disaggregation. The text also introduces Non-Core Departmental technology, as the section that shifts to the department level of analysis for departments not necessarily within the technical core. The framework that has had the greatest impact on the understanding of departmental technologies was developed by Charles Perrow. Perrow specified two dimensions of departmental activities: Variety and Analyzability. Variety is the frequency of unexpected and novel events that occur in the conversion process. Analyzability is when the work can be reduced to the mechanical steps and participants can follow an objective, computational procedure to solve problems. The dimensions of variety and analyzability form the basis for four major categories of technology: routine, craft, engineering, and nonroutine. (Daft) The text discusses both core and non-core work processes and their relationship to designing organization structure. The nature of the organization’s work processes must be considered in designing the organization for maximum efficiency and effectiveness. The text illustrates that forces affecting organization design come from both outside and inside the organization. External strategic needs create top-down pressure for designing the organization in such a way as to fit the environment and accomplish goals. This illustrates that today’s companies is that strategy, structure, and technology need to be aligned, especially when competitive conditions change. For example, several years ago, Dell created a business model to uild personal computers faster and cheaper, other computer manufacturers had to realign strategy, structure, and technology to stay competitive. Dell made PCs to order for each customer and sold most of them directly to consumers without expense of distributers or retailers. IBM for example, tried to differentiate their products and charge a premium price switched to a low-cost strategy, adopted new technology to enable them to customize PCs, revamped supply chains, and began outsourcing manufacturing to other companies that could do the job more efficiently.

Balanced And Well Rounded Education Education Essay

Balanced And Well Rounded Education Education Essay According to the mission of Singapore Education, the purpose of Singapore Education is to provide our children with a balanced and well-rounded education, develop them to their full potential, and nurture them into good citizens, conscious of their responsibilities to family, society and country. (http://www.moe.gov.sg/about/yearbooks/2005/pdf/mission-vision.pdf) Eventually, they would become the future leader who would make the right decision for their nation in future. Thus, the Desired Outcomes of Educations (DOE) is being introduced at 3 key stages, namely primary, secondary and post-secondary. It acts as a checklist or common purposes for the educators to help students strive towards the mission of Singapore education. To better achieve the desired outcomes of education, Teach less, learn more (TLLM) comes into picture in 2005. At the National Day Rally in 2004, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong called on our teachers to teach less, so that our students could learn more. (http://www.moe.gov.sg/about/yearbooks/2005/teach.html). This policy is focusing on improving the quality of interaction between teachers and students. The aim of this policy is to drive Singapore education to a direction where teachers only act as a facilitator, nurturing students to become self-directed learners and individuals who are capable of think independently. Teach Less, Learn More is a call to re-examine the fundamentals of teaching and learning why we teach, what we teach and how we teach. (http://www3.moe.edu.sg/corporate/contactonline/2005/Issue13/glossary/glossary.htm#ttml) TLLM reminds teachers that their responsibility is to stimulate the students passion in learning so that students are willing to take up challenges that come to them. Disseminating the information to the students should not be the only way to teach. Teachers should always check for the understanding of students by relating them with the materials. Other than that, teachers should help students learn that they are taught to live the tests of their lives, not to learn that their lives are full of tests. The TTLM initiative also calls on teachers to focus on the whole child instead of the subject. Teachers should put more emphasis on the teaching of good values and attitudes to the students, not their grades. In addition, teachers need to help students learn that the learning process is far more important than the results or the end product. Before jumping into the answers, teachers should treasure the teachable moment by throwing the questions to the students. Let them think and encourage curiosity. TLLM urges teachers to engage student more in learning and depend less on drill, practice and rote learning. Teachers should do more guiding, facilitating and modelling and do less telling so that students could take ownership of their own learning. Every student is different. Therefore teacher should apply various differentiated pedagogies to suit students learning. Student should be accessed more qualitatively over a period of time, and less quantitatively through one-off and summative examinations. Lastly, teachers should promote the spirit of innovation and enterprise among students. I come across one journal that was published in 2005 mentioned that in response to the TLLM policy, MOE was going to provide more time and space to teachers to do the right things for the students. To date, MOE has really made some moves to provide teachers more time; such as assigning a Co-curricular Programme Executives to each school, hiring more new teachers and introduced the adjunct teachers programme. However, we still see teachers rushing for syllabuses and busy preparing students for all sorts of exams. Not to mention the large class sizes and the accompanying heavy marking load, how could teachers stay fit physically and mentally with so many workloads? I do believe that most of the teachers would like to make their lessons livelier and have more flexibility in choosing the materials and teaching methods. I also believe that teachers do not wish their students go for tuitions. Euphemistically, the textbooks, syllabuses and teachers handbooks are said to guide teachers in teaching. As a matter of fact, these materials confine teachers way of teaching. Time allocated to each subject in school is just enough for teachers to run through the concepts and basics due to the tight syllabus. Eventually students would need to sit for the standardized tests, which decide their future. To score high for the standardized test, frequent and repeated practices based on the concepts and basics taught are inevitable. And this is the main reason for the increase of tuition centers in Singapore. A lot of parents have the habit of paving the way that would grant successfulness for their children. These include house moving and become school volunteers to get their children admitted into a good school; send their children to enrichment classes and tuitions in hope that their children could pass standardized test with flying colours. Eventually, their children could get admitted into the university, studying a popular subject which promise good prospect. For most of the students, they bow to the reality at a very young age. Since young, under the influence of the media, friends, community, teacher, school and parents, they got the impression that only by doing well academically; they could have a bright future. If they find the subject or what was taught is not going to help give them promising future, even though they know that is their strength or they have passion on that, they would not pursue them. Students rather give up their passions than face failures. Civic and moral education (CME) is supposed to be the subject that helps students develops their characters and values. Good values, attitudes and characters could also be taught in other subjects; but character development and values education are not their emphasis. Recently, MOE has just completed revising the CME materials, which claim to be more interesting and could engage students more. However, a lot of people do not see the importance of the CME subject; probably because of it is not examinable. Many mother tongue teachers have experienced their CME classes being hijacked by the math and science teachers to rush for syllabuses or to prepare students for exams. The hijacking becomes more frequent especially when the exam period is approaching. School leaders are aware of that but turn a blind eye to it. This indirectly acknowledges that the schools are still more prone to grades-centric instead of values-centric. Thus, it is not surprising that students would have the percept ion that CME is the least important subject and they are less likely learn the subject by heart. Singapore is a country that adopts a highly centralised education system and a strong top-down approach in policy-making. (Catherine Chua Richard, 2007) Changes made at the national level often may be difficult to put into practice at the school level. TLLM is one of them. Catherine Chua and Richard (2007) did a study by comparing the science curriculum between two top schools and two mid-level schools. The top schools appear to exercise more flexibility in their curriculum by introducing a more diverse programme. They are placing greater emphasis on research-based and higher order thinking skills, acquiring beyond the basic knowledge. This is in line with the MOEs initiative. The middle category schools are also embarking on introducing and reinforcing some incentive programmes in their schools, especially for those less able students. However, an important observation shows that there was no corresponding decrease in the number of topics taught in class. On the contrary, the numbe r of periods allocated for the science lessons increased in 2005. They also found that the programmes offered by the top schools are more intensive and research oriented than those offered in the middle category schools. By introducing more intensive programme and increase the number of periods, both top schools and middle level schools actually did not put TLLM into practices. These schools rather play safe by teaching more, and add more to the curriculum. This can has negative impacts on the school climate, as teachers will have less time to prepare, teach and interact with their students. Sooner or later, teachers would develop resistance towards government initiatives. (Catherine Chua Richard, 2007) PSLE test is the ultimate test for all the primary students. This test focus on the end result rather than the process of learning. From time to time, different initiatives, including TLLM are being introduced by MOE to better achieve the purposes of Singapore Education. However, PSLE tests on the whole remain untouched. School principals, teachers, parents and students know that no matter what the changes that will take place, at the end, it is the examination that matters. Thus, when MOE first introduced TLLM, many of the principals and teachers would just take that as another initiative that will come and go. In 2009, MOE announced that semester exams for Primary 1 2 would no longer exist. But later announced that mini test would be in place so that teachers could provide regular feedback on pupils learning to parents. So that is a good change or a bad change? Mini tests are still TEST. They could be the replicas of semester test and could end up having few of them throughout the semester. Students stress over exam is still there and hardly reduced. After six years of study, students still need to sit for the PSLE test. This also means that the pace of preparing the PSLE test would be increased once students step into Primary 3 seeing that the time given has been shortened by 2 years. The aims of education policy are to ensure that students not only master scholastic knowledge, but that they are equipped with the knowledge needed to perform well in the globalised economy (Seaton, 2002). In Singapore Education, the decision-making in curriculum policy always lie in the hands of the government. Thus, we can say that Singapore educational policies are the mirrors of the social, economic and political needs of a society. (Catherine Chua Richard, 2007) From the TLLM policy, we can see that Singapore government would like to mould the future leaders in becoming a confident person, a self-directed learner, an active contributor and a concerned citizen. Although TLLM encourages teachers to teach less so that student could learn more, what students actually learn are still very much depends on what would be assessed finally. We still see some schools hesitating to put TLLM into practice. Thus, I would like to comment that TLLM would be just another MOEs attempt to change the direction of education in Singapore school if MOE still continue its traditional reluctance to let go or downgrade the position of the examination system. Education in Singapore is not education but just a huge examination preparation exercise, namely, the high stakes examination system.

President Bill Clinton Impeachment :: William Jefferson Clinton Essays

Interview: Views on Clinton’s Impeachment The impeachment of Bill Clinton is one of the “weirdest episodes'; in our political history. He is the only elected President of the United States ever to be resulted in the passage of impeachment (Johnson was not elected, Nixon resigned to prevent impeachment). The reason for his impeachment is that he lied under the oath during the testimony in the Paula Jones sexual harassment suit, and to grand jury during Monica Lewinsky investigation. He even abused power and lied to the Congress in an attempt to cover up a series of indiscretions, which resulted in the passage of four articles of impeachment. These incidents later turned out to be a political soap opera and ended with Clinton’s presidency preserved, but it is a soap opera that many believed it could be prevent from happening. Clinton’s impeachment made headlines news across the nation ever since it was revealed to the public. Unfortunately, many people still have a long way to know what went on behind the close door of the impeachment. The majority do not have an idea if the Congress is making the right move or not to impeach our President. Hence, many do not realize how the impeachment might affect our nation politically. To answer this, I conducted an interview with my high school physics instructor, Mr. Arnold Burkert. I interviewed him as a person who strongly dislikes the notion of Clinton’s impeachment. My goal of this interview was to write a paper about the impeachment by using public opinion and attitude toward one of the “weirdest episodes'; in our political history. As a supplement to this interview and to write this paper, news magazine articles related to this assignment were also used as in a supporting role. The first remark my instructor made in this interview was that the Congress had made a bad judgement to pass the impeachment. He reasoned that Clinton managed a healthy economy and gained strong approval in the national polls. He believes Clinton’s offenses were personal and minor. Although his sexual relationship with Monica Lewinsky was reckless behavior, the Constitution doesn’t have anything that says one should be impeached for reckless conduct. The Constitution can only impeach President Clinton if he commits treason, bribery, high crimes, and misdemeanors. Therefore, he believed Clinton’s impropriety is not related to the Congress or even us, the people, which means his faulty action is not impeachable according to the rules of the Constitution.

Persuasive Paper: The Crucible Essay

Introduction â€Å"Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it. The violent encounters of the past contain valuable lessons about resolving conflict.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The happenings of the pasts are significant to any events occurring at any point in the present. From the fundamental ideology that past acting as blocks, the actions, decisions and every participating events that have occurred in the past predetermine the possibilities of the present, and eventually the future. In the movie, The Crucible (1953) written by Arthur Miller, the correlations of past events with the happenings of the present are largely illustrated. In different points of view, three unique angles of issues are considered the primary subjects relating to the repetitions of past and the failures of resolving the repeated conflict. For John Proctor, the native Salem farmer, he is confronted by the issues of affair with his previous maid, and maltreatment issues with his current. Meanwhile, Abigail Williams, the niece of the Reverend, has experienced being confronted by her affections and emotional attachments that damaged one relationship; however, after the incident in the past, it has now grown capable of damaging the community. Lastly, Elizabeth Proctor, the wife of John Proctor, has been confronted by trust issues towards her husband in the early parts of the movie, which eventually evolved in trust conflicts that led to the lost of her loved one. Discussion Persuasive Arguments   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The three primary characters of the movie are the best illustration of certain individuals who fail to learn from their pasts and unconsciously repeat the similar instance, yet still end up being trapped within its lairs. In the story of crucible, the plot of has revolved in a latter medieval setting wherein a community happens to fall in the social fear towards the spreading news of witchcraft. It has been initiated by a group of locals headed by Abigail Williams who happened to induce illness towards the daughter of Reverend Samuel Parris, Betty Parris. In such event, the Reverend, being concerned to his reputation than his sick daughter, has initiated the wide search against the corruptions of these so-called witches. The hunt and legal trials have all revolved in the fraud manipulation and lies brought by Abigail, which in the end corrupted various innocents of their community, including the couple, John Proctor and Elizabeth.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Starting with John Proctor, his character in the movie possesses the pride of being a Salem native and the attitude of a hard-working husband. However, his past has revolved in the issue of having an affair with his former maid, Abigail. Markedly in the act 1, Abigail tries to entice and brings back the events of her past with John Proctor,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   â€Å"I cannot sleep for dreamin’; I cannot dream but I wake and walk about the house   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   as though I’d find you comin’ through some door (Act 1).†   However, John denies any attraction towards her and points out that the issue of their affair should not come out to the public. Such scenario illustrates the historical mistake of Proctor, particularly in abusing his authority towards his servant. Hence, the past of Proctor is able to catch up to his present in latter portion of the story. Abigail has brought the name of his wife, Elizabeth, to the courtroom and branded her as one of the witches. Meanwhile, prior to the incidents of his first mistake with Abigail, he is still unable to learn from the conflicts produced by his abuse of authority; hence, he repeats the abuse of power towards his servant Mary Warren. Due to John’s failure of realizing the conflicts brought by his history with Abigail, his encounter with Mary has brought him within the walls when Mary branded him as the warlock who manipulated her thoughts in order to falsely accuse the locals. In the end, since Proctor is not able to learn his lessons in maltreating his first servant, the repetition of the history has brought him a more violent consequence, which leads to his death trail.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Meanwhile, Abigail is also confronted by the same incidents of repeating history and the failure of comprehending the consequences of her action. In the story, Abigail is considered the manipulative character able to entice the manhood of Proctor; hence, leading to their illegal affair. After Elizabeth discovered the affair, she decides to send out Abigail resigning her from her servitude. In defense to her soiled name and humiliated figure, she brags about Elizabeth’s dominative treatment towards her. However, due to the incident, Abigail has considerable ruined the marital relationship between John and Elizabeth, especially considering the status of Elizabeth’s trust towards her husband after the incident. Despite of the trouble she has implicated to the couple, Abigail still pursues her ambition of obtaining back Proctor, and in her preferred process, she has enticed the public with her lies and accusations of witchcraft to various women within their community including Elizabeth. During the second repetition of her conflict, Abigail now damages the lives of various women in her community (i.e. Mary Warren, Sarah Good, Goody Osborne). In the case of the couple’s relationship, Abigail’s lies and enticement have caused further dilemma to both Elizabeth and John by having them imprisoned and branded as witches.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Lastly, Elizabeth Proctor, being the faithful and loving wife of John Proctor, has been confronted by her trust issues towards her husband after discovering John’s affair with Abigail. In the Act II, Elizabeth has manifested her anxiety and paranoia on the possible repetition of mistake that his husband did with their former servant. After the first incident, Elizabeth finds it hard to trust her husband and most of the time suspects him of being with Abigail. Such conflict has first resulted to the argument of the couple. However, during the second time Elizabeth’s trust to her husband is tested in Act III, Elizabeth is not able to comprehend and trust the plans of his husband. When John decides to assert the claims of his affair with Abigail in order to break the hold of Abigail to the courtroom, Elizabeth is asked to validate the statements of her husband; however, due to the conflicts of trust, and fear of tarnishing the name and pride of Salem community and her husband, she decides to deny the claims made by John. In this second encounter, the consequences have led their relationship to further shatter leaving them both separated by prison walls and the accusations of witchcraft practice made by Mary Warren against John Proctor and Abigail Williams against Elizabeth Proctor.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Evidently in the movie, the three characters have shown how history can repeat itself and further causes heightened impact during its second occurrence. Since the lessons in their pasts have been neglected, the repetitions of the conflicts have placed their present in heavier consequences. Personal Perspective   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   From the latter analysis of the concept through the movie – The Crucible, it is possible to conclude the philosophical truth in the initial statement, â€Å"those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it.† In fact, the tragedies of the story have revolved in continuous successions of their role conflicts, particularly (1) John Proctor’s failure of recognizing his maltreatment actions over his subordinates, (2) Abigail William’s failure to realize the damages she have been implicating towards the coupe and eventually towards her community, and (3) Elizabeth Proctor’s trust issues towards her once unfaithful husband. Evidenced by the conflicts and tragedies of the story, the failure of actually realizing the decisions and activities that led to particular events possess greater possibility of occurrence in the future.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Even in real life situations, from larger perspectives of society to personal experiences, negative events in the past most of the time occur in the present, especially when the primary cause/s of the problem is/are not determined. Learning from the events of the past is an essential preventive task in order to avoid the possibility of repeating the mistakes and wrong decisions created in the past. Some of the famous events that illustrate repetitive history due to the failure of undermining the triggers of these mistakes are (1) the events of World War I and its sequel – World War II, (2) Racial Civil war of Blacks and Whites leading to wide factional stereotypes which should have been resolved if the people in the past realized the indifferences only of skin and culture, (3) the bombarding of Pearl harbor to the deadly Hiroshima Bombing which should have been prevented if Japanese realize that the intents of the Pearl Harbor camp were not against the Japanese country.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Evidently, the statement, â€Å"the violent encounters of the past contain valuable lessons about resolving the conflict†, can be considered a factual justification supporting the initial sentence discussed in latter portion. The happenings of the present largely depend on what has actually occurred in the past; hence, without realizing the lesions, the possible causes of mistakes, the triggers of downfall, and the fundamental wrong of acts in the past, the events of the past tend to repeat itself. Clearly, every happening in the past provide significant lessons, which can expose itself either directly or indirectly, and it is only up to humans to determine these potential resolutions. From the examples given in real-time setting, (1) World War II should have been prevented if the Japanese learned the powers of United States; (2) the Racial Civil war between Blacks and Whites should have been prevented if Whites did provide equal treatment towards Black people and based their judgment in the principles of humanity – not in the color of the skin; (3) Hiroshima Bombing should have been prevented if Japanese troops had not bombarded the pearl harbor base camps just because of an assumption of possible plan of attack plotted within the camp.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Evidently, resolutions are presented every time an incident or even when a simple outcome of decision occurs. From simple mistakes to larger scope of damages, resolutions are always born from decision that initiates an effect. From three different perspectives, the characters of John Proctor, Abigail Williams and Elizabeth Proctor, have performed actions in the past, which eventually hunted their present days.

Poverty in Canada Essay

Poverty in Canada has been a long debate on the political and social fronts of the community. According to 2005 reports, an estimated over ten percent of the Canada population are living in poverty. Of much concern is the ever increasing rate of homelessness experienced in the nation over the past two decades (Lee, 2000). However, numerous reports have indicated that the measure of poverty in Canada is negated by the government’s failure to have a definite method of measuring poverty levels. True to the letter, Canadians are current faced with the debate on whether absolute or relative measure of poverty is the best in determining poverty levels in the nation. Nevertheless, numerous measures have been put in place to promote poverty reduction strategies in many provinces of Canada. In addition, non-governmental organizations are increasingly engaging in community based poverty reduction projects. This paper is written as a discussion on poverty in Canada. The author will in particular look at the statistics of poverty in the nation, how poverty is measured in Canada, and the current poverty reduction measures being implemented. Poverty in Canada Poverty in Canada has been an historical issue for many centuries. According to available statistical information, poverty in the nation remains a swing between economic growth and recession as well as numerous evolving initiatives by the government to assist low income members of the community (Raphael, 2002). This information still indicates the emergence of organized assistance to the poor in the twentieth century. True to available literature, most of the poor assistance programs are generally funded by the church. This is evident from the catholic encyclopedia, which funds approximated over eighty seven hospitals in the Canadian nation catering for the poor members of the community (Surhone, 2009). On the other hand, the government has been on the forefront in addressing poverty issues among its citizens. Such can be historically evident from the establishment of the Canada’s welfare state after the great depression as was initiated by Bennett and Mackenzie King. Nevertheless, the problem of poverty in Canada is still a major threat to the sustainable social and economic development of the Canadians. From a 2003 statistical reports, an estimated poverty rate of over 10% has been reported (Raphael, 2002). This percentage has been confirmed by the central intelligence agency as an official value although the absolute rate is undoubtedly expected to be higher. However, the Canadian federal government seems not to agree with this value and have published a current poverty rate to have gone down for the past sixty years to a value less than five percent (Raphael, 2002). This value was determined on the basis of the basic needs poverty measure and deviates very much from what is perceived to be real. Many organizations top on the list being the Fraser institute have not appreciated this value and depict the Canadian federal government as extremely exaggerative. The above contradiction between the government and these conservative organizations has been compounded by the fact that the Canadian federal government has failed to endorse any metric measure of poverty including but not limited to the low income cut off. Altogether, the Canadian federal government seems to have realized the impact of poverty to the society and have employed several measures to reduce it. This is evidenced by the continued decline of poverty in the recent time 1996 when recession which was marked with low income rates. For instance, statistics shows that the less fortunate people such as the physically disabled, mentally ill, and single parent mothers are experiencing higher income rates. Students and recent immigrants have at least higher or average low income rate hence they can afford the basic needs. Measures of poverty in Canada The establishment of an official poverty measuring system in America has been marked with many controversies top on the list being the fact that politicians have failed to agree on a precise definition of poverty (Groot-Maggett, 2002). The have therefore ignored the interest of statistics Canada of defining poverty by it unable and unworthy to determine what is necessary to be a basic necessity. The government and some research institutes use different methods to estimate the extent of poverty of poverty in Canada. However, a debate has emerged on the supremacy of absolute and relative methods of measuring the depth of poverty. The author of this paper discuses both the absolute and the relative measures of poverty. One of the absolute measures of poverty is the basic needs poverty measure. According to libertarian Fraser institute’s economist Chris sarlo, the basic needs poverty measure was conceived to be a poverty threshold (Groot-Maggett, 2002). According to this basic needs approach of poverty, basic needs are those things which are required by people for their physical goods over a long time depending on the current living standards of that particular society. This measure was designed based on different information obtained fro various sources which include but not limited to statistics Canada. An extensive assessment of how much a person can spend in the house was established to give this measure the originality and substance it deserves. This was accomplished by examining the cost of various things which where perceived to meet the above definition of basic need. This included food, clothing, shelter, personal care, transport and communication for different types of societies. Based on the above research and by putting inconsideration the family size, the number of families which had insufficient income to cater for those necessities were determined. Earlier on, the amount of income required to cater for the basic necessities was determined on the basis of gross income which was inclusive of old age pensions and employment insurances. Currently however, the net income has been used the financial ability of a family to sustain its basic requirements (Lee, 2000). A worthy noting point is that this net income is based on reports which can be marked with error such as unreported and underground means of earning income. Based on the basic needs poverty measure, have gone down with an appreciatable rate to a value less than 5% which is estimated to represent less than 2million Canadians. Another absolute measure of poverty is termed the market basket measure. This was designed and established in 2003 by the Canadian government through its department of human resources and skills development (Raphael, 2002). The market basket measure of poverty accommodated a wider range of basic needs than the basic need measure. For instance, it put in consideration the community size and location for at least 48 communities in Canadians and then estimated the sufficient amount of income required to meet those needs. This measure is still understudy and is expected to cover more than 400 communities. The main notable relative property measures is the income distribution measure commonly known as income inequality metrics, gives information regarding the variation of income in a given community. Its effectiveness is evidenced by the fact that when a given group of people increases their income rate then there is a high probability of those earning less to feel an increase in their income. Another often quoted as a relative measure of poverty is the low income cut off which has received many critics from the statistics Canada and they have disregarded it as not a measure of poverty by saying that it does not give reliable and accurate fingers. The low income cut off measure was based on the gross income but the statistics Canada have given reports of both the gross and the net income (Marseken, Timpledon, & Surhone, 2009). This measure was designed to give the lowest mark which when exceeded; a family will have to spend much to cater for basic needs such as food shelter and clothing. Recent results based on this measure showed that approximate of 9. 4% lives below the low the current threshold of 63% of the total family income. Poverty reduction measures Like any other country in the world which is conscious of the well being of its people, the Canadian government through the provinces has employed several measures to eliminate poverty and a gain to reduce its impact to the people. Top on the list of these important measures is reduction of tax burdens. This is evidenced by the progressive income tax system in Canada which has resulted to a difference of about 5% between the gross and net low income cut off (Pohl, 2002). Government social programs cannot go unmentioned here because of their importance and effectiveness in succumbing poverty. The Canadian government has come up with a broad range of social programs aimed at helping the law income people. These programs include but not limited to old age security and employment insurance which have seen through the reduction of chances of falling to poverty of people who were rendered unemployed. In addition to this, government funds have been channeled to subsidizing education and public health with an aim of improving the living standards of people with low income (Raphael, 2002). Another government measure which cannot escape this discussion is the introduction of the minimum wage laws. The constitution of Canada includes the minimum wage laws, which even though they vary for different provinces, they have confirmed there effectiveness in standardizing wages by making sure that people with law income are not exploited (Raphael, 2002). The minimum set minimum wage is $8. 00 per hour although it can go a bit down for unskilled workers. Conclusion In conclusion therefore, poverty is not well defined in Canada because of the failure of politicians to agree on the necessities which should be basic. However, the above discussion shows that a considerable number of people in Canada are poor and lacks the basic needs a defined by the basic needs measure of poverty. In addition to this, the government’s effort to eliminate poverty as well as reducing its impacts cannot fail to be appreciated. This is it has invested sufficiently in social programs and in the enforcement of the minimum law wages which have seen through the reduction of poverty and its effect to the people. It also safeguard the less fortunate people and ensured that the poor people are not exploited or robed there right of living a good life. References Groot-Maggetti, G. (2002). A measure if Poverty in Canada. A Guide to the Debate about Poverty. Retrieved August 1, 2010, from http://action. web. ca/home/cpj/attach/A_measure_of_poverty. pdf Lee, K. (2000). Urban Poverty in Canada: Statistical Profile. Retrieved August 2, 2010, from http://www.ccsd. ca/pubs/2000/up/ Marseken, S. , Timpledon, M. , & Surhone, L. (2009). Poverty in Canada: Poverty, Minimum Wage, Measuring Poverty, Income Taxes in Canada, Economic History of Canada, Great Depression in Canada, Basic Needs, Economic Inequality. Toronto: Betascript Publishers. Pohl, R. (2002). Poverty in Canada. Retrieved August 1, 2010, from http://www. streetlevelconsulting. ca/homepage/homelessness2InCanada_Part2. htm Raphael, D. (2002). Poverty, Income Inequality, and Health in Canada. Retrieved August 2, 2010, from http://www. povertyandhumanrights. org/docs/incomeHealth. pdf