Policy formation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Policy formation - Essay Example Allied health comprises healthcare professionals including doctors, pharmacists, nurses, therapists, nutritionists, counselors and dieticians comprise (Hamburg, 2015). There is necessity  for effective policy creation and implementation that would enhance proper healthcare in the nation. Allied health are vital to the nation’s well-being and provided the fact that majority of persons working within the healthcare parameters are not sufficiently educated and trained, there is an urgent need for creating policies that would ensure only well trained and qualified personnel work as healthcare service providers (Lizarondo, Grimmer & Kumar, 2014). Ailments such as lifestyle diseases emanate from causations that are avoidable when allied health professionals held with high consideration in terms of education, training and employment (Hamburg, 2015). For instance, carcinogens and mutagens introduced to food products due to the negligence of manufacturers cause cancer. Some manufacturers use dangerous (carcinogenic and mutagenic) substance in the production of food in a bid to enhance productivity and revenue for that matter. Policies advocating for the reduction of health personnel illiteracy can help in this measure, especially nutritionists and dieticians are well trained and allowed to access ever food product before they are distributed in the consumer market. The same applies to drugs. An accurate case scenario occurred when the painkiller, Vioxx, was released in the market. The drug had an adverse chemical composition that resulted in massive deaths of American citizens and many others around the globe, a disaster that wo uld be avoidable if proper policies were in place to oversee healthcare professionals’ competency. In the formulation of the policy, it should be observed as government responsibility to establish relevant infrastructure for education, training, professional assessment of the trained and for the

Critical Appraisal of Pereira Da Silva; SS Obesity Meanings Essay

Critical Appraisal of Pereira Da Silva; SS Obesity Meanings - Essay Example Therefore, the study explored the expectations and the beliefs regarding the exigencies and the impacts of bariatric surgery (Bowling, 2009:56-58). The methods included a study population comprised of 30 morbidly obese patients. The results were based on three core themes namely: eating behavior, treatment, and obesity. Critical appraisal is an integral process in the evidence-based practice. The aim of critical appraisal is aimed at identifying the methodological flaws in the literature besides, providing the consumers of research evidence with the opportunity to make informed decisions regarding the quality of the research evidence (Trinder & Reynolds, 2000:69-72). The critical appraisal for both the quantitative and qualitative research is appropriate. Developing a critical appraisal framework for healthcare services allows for the need to have competent healthcare treatment for obesity. Therefore, health professionals are required to be intelligent consumers of research, and this entails the ability to publish research something which Pereira da Silva has accomplished. According to Benton and Cormack (2000) argue that there have been tendencies to evaluate qualitative research against the appropriate criteria against the quantitative research. This has led to attempts by various individuals to analyze the qualitative research within a quantitative framework thus raising the questions of credibility, reliability, dependability, and transferability. Hamers and Colison (2005) state that â€Å"there have been various frameworks that have been reviewed and the common features that are related to quantitative and qualitative research established† Generally, the guidelines tend to reflect upon the respective approaches, whereby the guidelines for quantitative research tend to be in the form of checklists, the guidelines for qualitative research tend to be more discursive. Sajiwandani is of the view that there must be a checklist that covers all the points a ppropriate for covering the points appropriate in treating obesity. They must include the hypothesis, operational definitions, reliability, and validity of any questionnaires (Sajiwandani, 1996). According to Sackett et al. (2002) assert that evidenced-based research is the â€Å"integration of the best research-based evidence with clinical expertise and patient’s value.† The evidence-based practice as described in the work of Pereira da Silva gives an equal emphasis on the situation of the patient, the best available research evidence, the patient’s values, wishes, and goals, and the clinical expertise of the practitioner, in this case, those dealing with obesity cases. The Literature Review The researcher uses contemporary material about the topic being discussed; and the meanings of experiences associated with awaiting bariatric surgery. The research on obesity uses a lot of high-quality material of the obesity topic being researched on (Fried, Hainer, & Basd evant, 2007:267). This led to the development of the research question thus allowing the hypothesis testing and identification of the appropriate method of data collection. Data collection involved the use cognitive interviews, questionnaires, open-ended questions, and the focus groups. The interviews were audio-taped, transcribed, and the coded according to the ground analysis methodology.  

Economic Developments Essay Example for Free

Economic Developments Essay The current system of the world economy has emerged as a result of the historical trends and economic developments that occurred in the past particularly during the periods of World War I, World War II and the Cold War. To a significant extent, the current world order and the capitalist and industrial prosperity that is being experienced today are products of historical economic developments. This paper examines the economic developments from 1913 to the present including the history of self-determination in the world economy in relation to the current world economy. Consequently, the role of the United States from being an isolationist to an economic hegemon is analyzed. Economic Developments from 1913-Present The period from Post World War I up to the present can be considered to be a see-saw of economic prosperity and economic crises for most countries. For countries like the United States the war had brought about economic development but it also caused the economic downturn for countries like France and Germany. Capitalism began to ensue and trading had been more active. Hence, the period from 1920-1929 signaled the massive economic progress in the world economy- industries were established and the percentage of industries to agriculture rose. After this massive growth however, the unemployment rate and poverty that ensued from the period of 1929-1941 had led to the Great Depression- interest rates were high, hyperinflation ensued and the rise in debt had led to stock market collapse. The world economy had experienced a systemic recession leading the collapse of markets worldwide. In this era, the GDP and GNP of nations dropped and poverty ensued as world trade had been inactive. After the Great Depression, the World War II had created another economic era- post World War II had been considered to be a golden era for capitalism worldwide. This is because of the rapid rise in industries, the technological advancement, the prospering and stabilization of world trade, domestic and international institutions had been established in order to facilitate the world economy. Consequently, the World Trade Organization, the World Bank and the IMF were established in order to aid countries needing economic lift in order to aid in their industrialization. Backed by capitalism and foreign direct investments, this era can be considered the time when the world economy had boomed. However, after this period the time between 1970s-1980s, inflation and interest rates grew up and the fixed interest rates were deregulated in order to let the world economy repair itself. This era had however, contributed in terms of the massive plan to reorganize domestic economies through fiscal policies. The post Cold War on the other hand, marked the era when the US became the sole hegemon after the downfall of Russia. Before the Cold War, democratic countries can only trade with democratic countries and communist countries are only limited to trade with communist countries- the downfall of Russia opened the doors for all countries to be participants in the world economy. Hence, during the period of 1990 and up to the present times, despite some economic fluctuations, the world economy can be considered as stable and progressive. While there are ups and downs, the stability of the world economy in the present times cannot easily succumb to another depression. Self-Determination and in the World Economy Self-determination started after the World War I as a result of the Treaty of Versailles- it declared that the sovereignty of the states should take charge of the whole population. World War I led to the breakup of the Hapsburg and Ottoman empires and the birth of a new generation of nation-states. At Versailles, U. S. President Woodrow Wilsons famous Fourteen Pointsthe fifth of which declared that sovereignty should take full account of the interests of the populations concernedformed the basis for the treaty ending the war. After World Wars One and Two, self-determination inspired the demolition of empires and the formation of new sovereign states; the concept being thus extended in the 1940s and 1950s to apply in the context of the decolonisation process. In the 1960s and 1970s, the principle of self-determination clashes with the principle of territorial integrity and global leaders are increasingly seeing this angle to the problem. In fact, even the UN resolution 1514 adopted in 1960 which elevated the status of self-determination, had also emphasized territorial integrity: any attempt aimed at the partial or total disruption of national unity and territorial integrity of a country is incompatible with the Purposes and Principles of the Charter of the United Nations. The international system was caught up in the contradiction and had exhibited some degree of ambivalence at least after the post-war decolonisation. It can be observed that the further extension of the principle today, as it inspires the surge of ethnic politics and threatens the break-up of the established post-colonial order. The United States as the World’s Political and Economic Hegemon The United States before World War I cannot be considered to be an economic or a political superpower, it derived its wealth from World War I from selling ammunitions and exploiting the economic opportunities caused by the war. However, in World War II, the US emerged as one of the more powerful countries not only in terms of technology but also politically and economically after surviving the Great Depression. The Post World War II established the United States from a country in the middle to that of a global hegemon. For one, post World War I saw the US to be involved in trade, the importation and exportation of goods as well as in searching for new territories to expand its power and industries. Post World War II saw the United States cementing its economic and political hegemony- it had established itself as one of the most prosperous and progressive countries not only through its GDP and GNP but also in terms of its ability to impose upon other countries. The United States during this time served as one of the economic powers together with countries in Europe, Japan and the USSR. Upon entering the Cold War, the world became a division of the US and the USSR or democracy versus communism. During this era, the United States served as an international role model for democracies as well as the patron of democratic countries. The fall of the USSR catapulted the US to its role today as a global hegemon- except for North Korea, there had been no real threat to the supremacy of democracy and hence, the United States. During this time until the present times, the United States had been a major player in sanctioning countries that do not abide by international laws and regulations as well as being a forerunner in providing foreign aids as well as regulating trade activities. To be a partner with the US would be tantamount to economic growth. The power held by the US both politically and economically can be considered to spawn countries even in Asia and Third World countries. Needless to say, the United States can be considered to be the most important international player today.

Open Source Software for Creating 3D Visuals

Open Source Software for Creating 3D Visuals An open Source Software for creating 3D Visuals and example for possibility of using Smartphone for Physics Education Abstract There are many students who cannot understand concepts and ideas in physics only with plane static diagrams. The understanding of processes, dynamic phenomena or geometric relations can be enhanced with the use of computer animations POV-Ray is a freely available 3D rendering open source package which has the potential of creating animations not only for physics education but in general for science and technology education. The focus of this paper is the use of POV-Ray to create 3D animations and 3D static illustrations to visualize the packing arrangements, voids and crystal structures which are compulsory in solid state physics curriculum in undergraduate physics and explore the possibility of introducing them to use in smartphones. INTRODUCTION Computers today play an important role in acquiring and applying scientific knowledge, facilitating the learning process. There has been growing research interest in studying the impact of ICT on educational processes, in parallel with the expansion of easy access to many learners around the world [1-4]. Animation plays a major role in ICT based education and it has been demonstrated that animations serves several instructional roles such as attracting and directing attention; simulating dynamic processes and complex phenomena [5,6].As many students are not able to understand 3D environment properly, it very common, crystal structures are explained using commercially available plastic models in many classrooms. Solid State Physics (Condense Matter Physics) course which is compulsory for physics students throughout the world, one of the learning outcomes is underrating crystal structures. Students often fail to understand close packing arrangements, shape and nature of the existing vo ids, number of atoms around and separation of layers by looking at a plane static diagrams accommodated in text books. These particular animations have been chosen not just because of their solid state physics curricular interest, but also to highlight the potential of integrating the POV-Ray rendering package for physics education and science education. As the smartphones are no longer unaffordable luxury gadget for the students, educators embrace the smartphonesto engage with their students and encourage new learning strategies[7-9].The smartphones users are rapidly growing among Sri Lankan undergraduates 3D visual created in this study were checked on smooth playing on smartphone with the intension of distributing among the students in the future. 1.1 POV-RAY OPEN SOURCE POV-Ray stands for the Persistence of Vision Ray-tracer, a tool for producing high-quality computer graphics[10].Ray-tracing is a rendering technique that calculates an image of a scene by simulating the way rays of light travel in the real world. In the real world, rays of light are emitted from a light source and illuminate objects. The light reflects by the objects or passes through transparent objects. This reflected light can form images in human eyes or in a camera. The user specifies the location of the camera, light sources, and objects as well as the surface texture properties of objects, their interiors and environment. POV-Ray scenes are created in a special text language called a â€Å"scene description language (SDL)†. POV-Ray can be used for animation too. Computer animation is the process of drawing objects on a computer screen, that then appearto move around the screen. It can be done displaying a series of stationary scenes with very short time between two scenes. 2. METHOD The production of a 3D images has mainly two stages; writing and debugging source files and rendering. One has to choose the positions to locate the required objects, light source to illuminate the scene and appropriate camera position to capture, more technically called render,the scene. POV-Ray uses a simple Cartesian coordinate (Fig 1) system making easy to identify the suitable location. Figure 1. Pov-ray coordinate system (+Z axis into the computer screen) There are simple Pov-Ray SDL codes to generate almost all geometrical objects such as, box, sphere, and cylinder etc. The object â€Å"sphere† is the most appropriate object to represents the atoms while â€Å"cylinders’ to represent the atomic link.For the creation of scenes and animation described in this paper, exact coordinates of the object locations were simply calculated considering the dimension of the objects. Positioning light source to illuminate the scene, camera was located to get the suitable view. As an example following codes capture the scene, locating the camera at looking at origin, . camera { location look_at } Animations were created generating series of scenes, called frames, looking at the scene from various angles. Movie maker software such as Windows Film Maker, VirtualDub etc.can be used to play the frames continuously to make animation. Animation can be created as either animated jip or as AVI movie.A basic illustration of the process is shown below (Figure 3). Figure 3. Schematic Diagram of Software used to Create Animations 3. SAMPLE CREATIONS The first example portrays the hexagonal close packing (HCP) arrangement of spheres in the space (Figure 4.a). Hexagonal and cubic close packing arrangement (CCP)are explained to the student with the help of static plane diagrams. Many students are failed to understand these arrangements clearly. Even if they are able to explain the nature of alternative layering of the two arrangements, HCP and CCP, few students understand the nature of the voids available in such arrangement. This is valid for any average student, but of cause there may students who can understand those arrangements without any visual aid. The visual are made not for the aforementioned few students but for the majority to strengthen the understanding. These particular animations have been chosen not just because of their curricular interest, but also to highlight some of the features of the POV-Ray rendering package. The first example portrays the hexagonal close packing arrangement (figure 1). As the arrangement is slowly rotates about the vertical axis which passes through the central sphere axis shown, the viewer can interactively explore the symmetry and geometric details for these configurations. (a)(b) Figure 4. Side view of HCP arrangement (b) Top view CCP arrangement Visuals below (Figure 5) illustrate, Body Centered Cubic unit cell (a), and diamond type structure (c)and NaCl structure respectively. These creations are also possible to view from different angles, facilitating to learner to explore the structures. (b)(c) Figure 5: (a) Body Centered Cubic unit cell (b) diamond type structure (c) NaCl structure respectively. Figure 6 shows an interstitial atom which is at an octahedral site, scenes were generated from different visual angles. Figure 6 : An interstitial atom which is at an octahedral site Author has introduced these animations for university undergraduate’s and received positive feedback. Introducing the animations for smartphone users have many advantages than using them only in computers (8). Student can use them freely, anytime any place with their own desire rather using computers. 4. CONCUSION Since 3D visual aid transcends the limitations of static diagrams, it is promising tool to strengthen the understanding of various crystal structures. The animation examples that have been created in this work demonstrate that it is possible to create high quality 3-D animations using open source POV-Ray. POV-Ray visualization provides free access to sophisticated 3-D graphics rendering that could cost thousands of rupees commercially. It is worth explore the potential of Pov–Ray to simulate other complex concepts in physics to make the process of learning more independent and , student oriented. It has been confirmed that there is no any technical incompatibilities embedding these creation on smartphones. The evolution of the modern technology has to be integrated to physics teaching and make learning process more attractive. 5. REFERENCES Muller,D.A, Designing Effective Multimedia for Physics Education (2008), Ph. D thesis Michael R. Gallis, Ping Wang, Proceedings of the 2004 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference Exposition, American Society for Engineering Aravind, VR and Tangrirala, S Open source software for visualization in condensed matter Physics, Lat. Am. J. Physics (2012) vol 6, No, 4, pp 538-540 Poddar, A, Teaching of the phenomena of free, damped and forced oscillations in physics through an all-inclusive java applet,Physics Education, Vol 29, No. 1, Park, O. C., Gittelman, S. S. (1992). Selective use of animation and feedback in computer-based instruction. Educational Technology, Research, and Development, 40 (4), 27-38. Park, O. (1998). Visual Displays and Contextual Presentations in Computer Based Instruction. Educational Technology Research Development, 46 (3), pp. 18-32. Woodcock, B Middleton, B and Nortcliffe,AConsidering the Smartphone Learner: an investigation into student interest in the use of personal technology to enhance their learning, Student Engagement and Experience,, Journal Volume 1, Issue 1 (on line journal) JISC,Multimedia learning with mobile phones. Innovative Practices with E-learning. Case Studies: Anytime, Any Place Learning. [Online] Online at: http://www.jisc.ac.uk/uploaded_documents/southampton.pdf Coca, D,M and Slisko, J. Software Socrative and Smartphones as Tools For Implementation of Basic Processes of Active Physics Learning in Classroom: An Initial Feasibility Study With Prospective Teachers, European J of Physics Education,Vol.4,Issue,2,2013 Wikipedia,http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pov_ray

Video Games: The High Tech Threat To Our Younger Generation Essay

Video Games: The High Tech Threat to Our Younger Generation Anyone who has ever walked through a shopping mall on a weekend knows how popular videogame arcades have become with our young people. It is becoming a force in the lives of millions of kids all across America. Parents and teachers become more concerned and worried when they see their kids devoted to videogames. They are highly concentrated because vidiogames greatly influence the mental and learning processes of the younger generation. Many parents believe that their children learn values more from the mass media rather than their from homes. Generally speaking, the video and computer game industry has been a growing concern to the religious groups, responsible politicians and bewildered parents for the disturbing contents and the substandard themes in some of its games. The videogame technology must be recognised for its role and influence on the younger generation because, for better or worse, it clearly affects their academic and social life. Indeed, statistics are really alarming on the videogame industry. It is a multi-million dollar business growing at 40 per cent a year from 1987 to 1993 (Palmeri 102). Tetzeli in his article "Videogames: Serious Fun" compares videogames $ 6.5 billion--a--year business to the Hollywood film industry (110). He continues to point out that two Japan based conglomerate have put about 64 million videogame machines in US households in total. In addition to that they also produced and licenced for all their softwares for their machines (110). Palmery estimates to produce and market a ful featured videogame it would costs up to $10 million (102). Because of the cost producers attempt to make a return on their investments and earn as much profits as they can. To achieve their goals, they feature more blood, gore and human dismemberment in their games to appeal to the younger generation because violence sells. According to Palmery the game Mortal Kombat has sold a record 5 million copies for about$65 apiece.(102) The advanced technology in upcoming videogame machines even allows the players to interact with screen images in ways never before possible. Analysts in this field say that it is only a prelude to the emerging world-wide network popularly known as the electro... ...which would require the stores to place signs on shelves in stating : "Warning. Think before you buy. This is a war toy. Playing with it increases anger and violence in children. Is this what you really want for your child? (WAR TOYS). Which may not be very effective altogether to control the vidiegames with violent contend. But still the warning gives a chance and may be the parents pause a moment before they decide to buy any thing for their offspring. Voluntary rating system or any other form of self regulatory arrangement will only help to widen the loop holes of the existing system. By including this multi billion dollar industry under the existing film rating system or something similar to that would greatly reduce the risk of violence and ultimately would prevent the youths on turning for violent solution for all their problems. And also would help to form a violent free life style and prevent the younger generation and spend their quality time with their studies and parents. All other arrangements will, at least help us to further delay the process of controlling the emerging violent theme and content of the many thousands of videogames yet to be produced or released.

The sain case :: essays research papers

SAIN V. CEDAR RAPIDS COMMUNITY SCHOOL DISTRICT: PROVIDING SPECIAL PROTECTION FOR STUDENT-ATHLETES? The scholarly article I chose was of great interest to me for several reasons. The case is an educational malpractice case in which a student-athlete said he was provided false information by his high school consolor and lost his basketball scholarship as a result. I was a student athlete in high school and sports are still a big part of my life. On top of that I am considering teaching and coaching after I graduate, making this a very relevant topic to me. In the next several paragraphs I am going to summarize the article and cases that it mentions, then I will try and decide what the authors intent was with writing this piece. It has been said for years that any case of educational malpractice was doomed from the start. Because of this, it was a huge surprise when the Iowa Supreme Court denied the defendant, Cedar Rapids Community School District’s motion for summary judgement. This was a case where a student sued for negligent misrepresentation by a school guidance counselor. One reason why the court may have denied the motion was because it was trying to protect a category of people who were considered especially vulnerable, the student-athlete. Bruce Sain who was the plaintiff in the case attended Jefferson High School, which was in the defendants school district. He played basketball for the school and was very good at it, so good that he planned on getting a scholarship to finance his college education. In order to be eligible to play sports in college you must meet certain course requirements be the NCAA, which Sain was working on doing. In his senior year he still needed three English credits to satisfy the NCAA requirements and since he went to a school that brock their year down into trimesters, he thought this would be no problem. He completed his first English course and enrolled into his second, but for some reason or another he disliked the class, so he went to his school counselor to see what he could do. The counselor told him to enroll into a class called technical Communications, which the counselor assured him would be approved by the NCAA clearinghouse. But the school did not include that particular course on the list of classes that was sent to the clearinghouse. The next and final trimester Sain completed his third English credit and accepted a five year scholarship to Northern Illinois University.

“Look” in The Searchers

Contradicting Ideologies in The Searchers While The Searchers can be viewed from a critical standpoint as a ‘revisionist' Western in terms of its portrayal of Native Americans, certain aspects of the film contradict this overall message. One such aspect is the character Look, who serves a role both as comic relief and as commentary on racist depictions of Native Americans. The Searchers does a superb Job of highlighting the contorted representation of Indians in the Western genre, but Director John Ford's comic portrayal of Look unwittingly reflects the prejudices and stereotypes entrenched inAmerican culture in the 1950s. Look, or â€Å"Wild Goose Flying Across the Night Sky,† appears in a brief flashback sequence delivered from Marty's point of view in a letter to Laurie. The scene portrays Martys quest with Ethan to find the Comanche Chief Scar who had kidnapped his adoptive sister Debbie years earlier. While attempting to purchase a blanket from a Comanche tribe with connections to Scar, Marty inadvertently bestows a bride token upon Looks father, resulting in an accidental marriage.The mise-en-scene in the first flashback sets the tone for the remainder of he scenes featuring Look, establishing a racial hierarchy and foreshadowing the power structure in Marty and Looks relationship. The traditional Native American tune playing throughout serves as a sound bridge that connects all of the scenes featuring Look with an upbeat tempo that sets a lighthearted mood continued throughout the comedic climax in the second flashback. Additionally, character blocking offers insight into Looks social position and foreshadows the outcome of her relationship with Marty.While Marty is negotiating with Looks father, an establishing hot shows Marty standing above Look as she sits cross-legged on the ground. The scene then cuts back and forth between a towering Marty and Look sitting meekly on the ground. This eludes both to white man's dominance and Marty's supr emacy in their relationship. Ford uses scenes of this ill-fated marriage as a humorous interlude in a film otherwise dense with revisionist commentary, grim scenes, and desolate landscapes.While Look is a source of irritation for Marty, it is evident almost immediately that Ford means for Look to be a source of comedic relief from the otherwise intense storyline. In the subsequent scene, as Look dutifully follows Marty away from the Comanche camp and it dawns on Marty that he has accidentally married her, Ethan bursts into delighted guffaws exclaiming, â€Å"[c]ome along Mrs. Pauly! † Look is a source of entertainment for both Ethan and the audience as well, who is expected to laugh along with Ethan's quips.Other characters in the film also find Martys marriage comical; after hearing about Martys marriage, Mr. Jorgensen and Charlie laugh heartily, and while Laurie is upset, she is clearly less concerned about her love interest being married than she is with his new wife's eth nicity. The response of the film's characters to Marty and Looks marriage encourages the audience to view the situation in a comical light. In the second flashback, Look obediently takes care of Marty and attempts to do domestic work at the campsite.Doing everything she can to please Marty, she obligingly agrees to answer to â€Å"Look† despite it having no relation to her real name. The scene climaxes when she dutifully lies down next to Marty on his bedroll tor the night Enraged, M rty kicks ner ott and she tumbles down the hill with a crash. This is followed not with concern for Look by he characters or a change in the tone of the scene, as one would expect when encountering violence against a woman in a movie today, but with yet another quip from Ethan. Laughing, he yells, mfou know that's grounds for di-vorce in Texas!You're really rough. † Additionally, Ford focuses on Ethan rather than Look after her fall. Ethan's lighthearted reaction and the overall tone of the scene signal to the audience that Looks mistreatment should be a source of amusement rather than concern. The same upbeat soundtrack and Ethan's steady stream of mockery connect the first and econd flashbacks, maintaining the first's humorous feel. The stereotypical native tune amplifies Looks already hyperbolized Native American characteristics, and stylized acing greatly contributes to the comedic vibe of the scene.Martys exaggerated anger and seemingly irrational response to Look lying beside him is a directorial play for laughs, as is the fact that Marty's violence is further emphasized by the addition of sound effects. As Look rolls down the small hill, a large crash is heard, increasing the magnitude of the situation while simultaneously increasing comedic effect. Race plays a key role in the audience's reception to this scene as amusing rather than disturbing. This is highlighted best when contrasted with an earlier scene in which Laurie enters a room while Martin is taking a bath, invading his privacy in a similar way.It is unlikely Ford would elicit laughter from audiences at the time if Marty responded to Laurie's intrusion with violence. It is due to the cultural racism and prejudice of the time that audiences were far more likely to value the life of, and therefore care about the treatment of, Laurie. Looks diminished value s a person is made evident by clear differences in how Ford handles both characters in the film. The final flashback has a somber tone and soundtrack meant to elicit sympathy and reflection from the audience.This, however, conflicts directly with how Ford uses Looks character as a comic figure in previous scenes. When Looks body is discovered in the final flashback her death even awakens a moment of sympathy from the profoundly racist Ethan, who covers her body with a blanket. This scene highlights incongruities in the value of white and Indian lives. Historically, the udiences of Westerns were encouraged to grieve for the loss of white characters and applaud the death of Indian characters. This trend is continued in The Searchers.Although Looks death is treated with sorrow and compassion, her death is comprehensible and viewable to the audience because her portrayal rarely rises above that of a comic stereotype. By contrast, Ford's camera does not reveal Martha and Lucy's bodies to the audience out of deference and reverence to their characters. While Ford's contradictory treatment of Look as captured by her death scene may be iewed as revisionist commentary, one can't overlook the fact that there was no precedent at the time for the use of a Native American woman as a comic fgure.It is far more likely that Looks portrayal was not social commentary but rather reflected the director's own prejudices and the reflection of a racially-charged society coming through in his work. Made in 1956, The Searchers came at the beginning of an era of great cultural change toward race and racial stereotypes in America, and therefore may be among the last of its era and genre to offer such an unapologetic portrayal of tradition of racism.Look is a one-dimensional character compared with the strong temale roles ot Laurie and Debbie, and the discrepancies in Ford's portrayal ot white and Indian women underscore the idea that Ford viewed them as inferior. More than ten minutes pass between Looks initial and final appearance and, denied a voice, she has only one line of dialogue. The audience never knows Looks story and has little foundation to connect with her in any significant way; she is viewed only through the eyes of the white men around her.The death of her character is noted, but the udience is given few reasons to care about the human being who has died. By overemphasizing the racism and Native Americans stereotypes in The Searchers, Ford encourages the audience to reflect on the deeply rooted tradition of portraying Native Americans in an excessively negative light in the Western genre. This noble revisionist effort, however, is impaired by Ford's use of Look as a source of comedy. Essentially nothing more than a comic buffoon, the fact that her abuse is entertaining to the audience is an important reflection on Ford and American society at the time.