USS Shangri-La (CV-38) in World War II and Vietnam

USS Shangri-La (CV-38) in World War II and Vietnam An  Essex-class aircraft carrier, USS Shangri-La  (CV-38) entered service in 1944. One of over 20 Essex-class carriers built for the US Navy during  World War II, it joined the US Pacific Fleet and supported Allied operations during the final phases of the  island-hopping campaign  across the Pacific. Modernized in the 1950s,  Shangri-La  later served extensively in the Atlantic and Mediterranean before taking part in the Vietnam War.   Completing its time off Southeast Asia, the carrier was decommissioned in 1971. A New Design Designed in the 1920s and 1930s, the US Navys  Lexington- and  Yorktown-class aircraft carriers were intended to meet the limitations set forth by the  Washington Naval Treaty. This levied restrictions on the tonnage of different types of warships as well as placed a ceiling on each signatory’s total tonnage. This system was further revised and extended by the 1930 London Naval Treaty. As the international situation deteriorated in the 1930s, Japan and Italy elected to depart the treaty structure. With the collapse of the treaty, the US Navy moved forward with efforts to create a new, larger class of aircraft carrier and one which made use of the experiences gained from the  Yorktown-class. The resulting ship was wider and longer as well as possessed a deck-edge elevator system. This had been incorporated earlier on  USS  Wasp  (CV-7). The new class would normally embark an air group of 36 fighters, 36 dive bombers, and 18 torpedo planes. This included the  F6F Hellcats, SB2C Helldivers, and  TBF Avengers. In addition to embarking a larger air group, the new design mounted a more powerful anti-aircraft armament. The Standard Design Construction commenced on the lead ship,  USS  Essex  (CV-9), on April 28, 1941. With the US entry into  World War II following the  attack on Pearl Harbor, the  Essex-class soon became the US Navys principal design for fleet carriers. The first four vessels after  Essex  followed the class initial design. In early 1943, the US Navy requested several changes to improve future vessels. The most noticeable of these changes was lengthening the bow to a clipper design which permitted the installation of two quadruple 40 mm mounts. Other alterations included moving the combat information center under the armored deck, enhanced ventilation and aviation fuel systems, a second catapult on the flight deck, and an additional fire control director. Referred to as the long-hull  Essex-class or  Ticonderoga-class by some, the US Navy made no distinction between these and the earlier  Essex-class ships. Construction The first ship to move forward with the altered Essex-class design was USS  Hancock  (CV-14) which was later re-named Ticonderoga. This was followed by additional ships including USS Shangri-La (CV-38).   Construction commenced January 15, 1943, at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard. A significant departure from US Navy naming conventions, Shangri-La referenced a distant land in James Hiltons Lost Horizons. The name was chosen as President Franklin D. Roosevelt had cheekily stated that the bombers used in the 1942 Doolittle Raid had departed from a base in Shangri-La.   Entering the water on February 24, 1944,  Josephine Doolittle, wife of Major General Jimmy Doolittle, served as sponsor. Work quickly advanced and Shangri-La entered commission on September 15, 1944, with Captain James D. Barner in command.  Ã‚   USS Shangri-La  (CV-38) - Overview Nation:  United StatesType:  Aircraft CarrierShipyard:  Norfolk Naval ShipyardLaid Down:  January 15, 1943Launched:  February 24, 1944Commissioned:  September 15, 1944Fate:  Sold for scrap, 1988 Specifications Displacement:  27,100 tonsLength:  888 ft.Beam:  93 ft. (waterline)Draft:  28 ft., 7 in.Propulsion:  8 Ãâ€" boilers, 4 Ãâ€" Westinghouse geared steam turbines, 4 Ãâ€" shaftsSpeed:  33 knotsComplement:  3,448 men Armament 4 Ãâ€" twin 5 inch 38 caliber guns4 Ãâ€" single 5 inch 38 caliber guns8 Ãâ€" quadruple 40 mm 56 caliber guns46 Ãâ€" single 20 mm 78 caliber guns Aircraft 90-100 aircraft World War II Completing shakedown operations later that fall, Shangri-La departed Norfolk for the Pacific in January 1945 in company with the heavy cruiser USS Guam  and the destroyer USS Harry E. Hubbard.. After touching at San Diego, the carrier proceeded to Pearl Harbor where it spent two months engaged in training activities and carrier-qualifying pilots. In April, Shangri-La left Hawaiian waters and steamed for Ulithi with orders to join Vice Admiral Marc A. Mitschers Task Force 58 (Fast Carrier Task Force).   Rendezvousing with TF 58, the carrier launched its first strike the next day when its aircraft attacked Okino Daito Jima. Moving north Shangri-La then began supporting Allied efforts during the Battle of Okinawa. Returning to Ulithi, the carrier embarked Vice Admiral John S. McCain, Sr. in late May when he relieved Mitscher.   Becoming flagship of the task force, Shangri-La led the American carriers north in early June and began a series of raids against the Japanese home islands. The next several days saw Shangri-La evade a typhoon while shuttling between strikes on Okinawa and Japan. On June 13, the carrier departed for Leyte where it spent the remainder of the month engaged in maintenance. Resuming combat operations on July 1, Shangri-La returned to Japanese waters and began a series of attacks across the length of the country. These included strikes that damaged the battleships Nagato and Haruna. After replenishing at sea, Shangri-La mounted multiple raids against Tokyo as well as bombed Hokkaido. With the cessation of hostilities on August 15, the carrier continued to patrol off Honshu and airdropped supplies to Allied prisoners of war ashore. Entering Tokyo Bay on September 16, it remained there into October.   Ordered home, Shangri-La arrived at Long Beach on October 21. Postwar Years    Conducting training along the West Coast in early 1946, Shangri-La then sailed for Bikini Atoll for the Operation Crossroads atomic testing that summer. After this was completed, it spent much of the next year in the Pacific before being decommissioned on November 7, 1947. Placed in the Reserve Fleet, Shangri-La remained inactive until May 10, 1951. Re-commissioned, it was designated as an attack carrier (CVA-38) the following year and was engaged in readiness and training activities in the Atlantic.   In November 1952, the carrier arrived at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard for a major overhaul. This saw Shangri-La receive both SCB-27C and SCB-125 upgrades. While the former included major alterations to the carriers island, relocation of several facilities within the ship, and the addition of steam catapults, the later saw the installation of an angled flight deck, an enclosed hurricane bow, and a mirror landing system.    Cold War The first ship to undergo the SCB-125 upgrade, Shangri-La was the second American carrier to possess an angled flight deck after USS Antietam (CV-36). Completed in January 1955, the carrier rejoined the fleet and spent much of the year engaged in training before deploying to the Far East in early 1956. The next four years were spent alternating between San Diego and Asian waters. Transferred to the Atlantic in 1960, Shangri-La participated in NATO exercises as well as moved to the Caribbean in response to troubles in Guatemala and Nicaragua. Based at Mayport, FL, the carrier spent the next nine years operating in the western Atlantic and Mediterranean. Following a deployment with the US Sixth Fleet in 1962, Shangri-La underwent an overhaul at New York which saw installation of new arrestor gear and radar systems as well as removal of four 5 gun mounts. Vietnam While operating in the Atlantic in October 1965, Shangri-La was accidentally rammed by the destroyer USS Newman K. Perry. Though the carrier was not badly damaged, the destroyer suffered one fatality.   Re-designated an anti-submarine carrier (CVS-38) on June 30, 1969, Shangri-La received orders early the following year to join the US Navys efforts during the Vietnam War. Sailing via the Indian Ocean, the carrier reached the Philippines on April 4, 1970. Operating from Yankee Station, Shangri-Las aircraft commenced combat missions over Southeast Asia. Remaining active in the region for the next seven months, it then departed for Mayport via Australia, New Zealand, and Brazil. Arriving home on December 16, 1970, Shangri-La began preparations for inactivation. These were completed at the Boston Naval Shipyard. Decommissioned on July 30, 1971, the carrier moved to the Atlantic Reserve Fleet at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard. Stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on July 15, 1982, the ship was retained to provide parts for USS Lexington (CV-16).   On August 9, 1988, Shangri-La was sold for scrap.

Geology and Topography of Antarctica

Geology and Topography of Antarctica Antarctica is not an ideal place for a geologist to work - it is widely considered one of the coldest, driest, windiest and, during winter, darkest places on Earth. The kilometers-thick ice sheet sitting on top of 98 percent of the continent makes geologic study even more difficult. Despite these uninviting conditions, geologists are slowly gaining a better understanding of the fifth-largest continent through the use of gravity meters, ice-penetrating radar, magnetometers, and seismic instruments. Geodynamic Setting and History Continental Antarctica makes up just a portion of the much larger Antarctic Plate, which is surrounded by mostly mid-ocean ridge boundaries with six other major plates. The continent has an interesting geologic history - it was part of the supercontinent Gondwana as recently as 170 million years ago and made a final split from South America 29 million years ago. Antarctica has not always been covered in ice. At numerous times in its geologic history, the continent was warmer due to a more equatorial location and differing paleoclimates. It is not rare to find fossil evidence of vegetation and  dinosaurs  on the now-desolate continent. The most recent large-scale glaciation is thought to have begun around 35 million years ago. Antarctica has traditionally been thought of as sitting on a stable, continental shield with little geologic activity. Recently, scientists installed 13 weather-resistant seismic stations on the continent that measured the speed of earthquake waves through underlying bedrock and mantle. These waves change speed and direction whenever they encounter a different temperature or pressure in the mantle or a different composition in the bedrock, allowing geologists to create a virtual image of the underlying geology. The evidence revealed deep trenches, dormant volcanoes, and warm anomalies, suggesting that the area may be more geologically active than once thought. From space, Antarcticas geographic features seem, for lack of a better word, nonexistent. Underneath all of that snow and ice, however, lie several mountain ranges. The most prominent of these, the  Transantarctic  Mountains, are over 2,200 miles long and split the continent into two distinct halves: East Antarctica and West Antarctica. East Antarctica sits on top of a Precambrian craton, made up of mostly metamorphic rocks like gneiss and schist.  Sedimentary deposits from the Paleozoic to Early Cenozoic age lie above it.  Western Antarctica, on the other hand, is made up of orogenic belts from the past 500 million years. The summits and high valleys of the Transantarctic Mountains are some of the only places on the entire continent not covered in ice.  The other areas that are free from ice can be found on the  warmer Antarctic Peninsula, which extends 250 miles northward from West Antarctica  towards South America. Another mountain range, the  Gamburtsev Subglacial Mountains, rises almost 9,000 feet above sea level over a 750-mile expanse in East Antarctica. These mountains, however, are covered by several thousand feet of ice. Radar imaging reveals sharp peaks and low valleys with topography comparable to the European Alps. The East Antarctic Ice Sheet has encased the mountains and protected them from erosion rather than smoothing them into glacial valleys. Glacial Activity Glaciers affect not only the topography of Antarctica but also its underlying geology. The weight of ice in West Antarctica literally pushes the bedrock down, depressing low-lying areas below sea level. Seawater near the edge of the ice sheet creeps between the rock and glacier, causing the ice to move much faster towards the sea. Antarctica is completely surrounded by an ocean, allowing sea ice to greatly expand in winter. Ice normally covers around 18 million square miles at the September maximum (its winter) and decreases to 3 million square miles during the February minimum (its summer).  NASAs Earth Observatory has a nice side-by-side graphic comparing the maximum and minimum sea ice cover of the past 15 years. Antarctica is almost a geographic opposite of the Arctic, which is an ocean semi-enclosed by landmasses. These surrounding landmasses inhibit sea ice mobility, causing it to pile up into high and thick ridges during the winter. Come summer, these thick ridges stay frozen longer. The Arctic retains around 47 percent (2.7 of 5.8 million square miles) of its ice during warmer months. The extent of Antarcticas sea ice has increased by approximately one percent per decade since 1979 and reached record-breaking levels in 2012 to 2014. These gains do not make up for diminishing sea ice in the Arctic, however, and global sea ice continues to disappear at a rate of 13,500 square miles (larger than the state of Maryland) per year.

Miller and Modigliani Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Miller and Modigliani - Essay Example The higher the company is able to retain earnings, the lesser the dividends and the lower the retention, the larger the dividends. Finance managers then need to make a wise decision on dividends payments and investment fuelling funds from the net profit of the firm. Since the overall goal of doing business is profit maximization, organizations must know which of the two practices is better in terms of wealth creation. If it will not lead to wealth creation for the shareholders, the funds should be retained to support investment programmes. A conflict therefore arises on whether dividends payment impacts the value of the organization or not. Some critics argue that dividends are irrelevant in that the percentage paid to the shareholders does not impact the value of the business while others maintain that dividends are relevant as far as the value of the organization is concerned (Baker,2009). Modigliani and Miller Hypothesis (MM Hypothesis) Both are on the idea that dividends are irre levant in that they have no effect on the organization’s value and do not have serious repercussions on the firm. According to them, choosing an investment programme that will contribute to the firm’s profit is what is important in adding value to the business. The process of dividends sharing is less important. In the event of good markets, realistic investments, and proper tax allocation between dividend revenue and business capital, provided the organization’s investment programme, dividend sharing has no effect on the market price of shares. Their theory on irrelevance of dividends is grounded on the following assumptions; First is that the business is conducted in an environment of perfect capital markets characterized by availability of sufficient and free information at all times, no or less exchange expenses and realistic investments. The investors are not a threat to the market price of goods and services. Also the investors are assumed to be realistic, implying that the main and only goal of shareholders is wealth maximization without discriminations on dividends sharing. They need to be satisfied with the amount that they get from the shares. Modigliani and Miller assumed that tax is ‘non-existent’. Therefore there should be no tax disparities such that the tax levied on dividend is not the same with that of the earnings. If there is tax, it should be equal. The idea is to provide a differentiation between revenue from dividends and from capital earnings. Again, the investment programmes of the organization are assumed to be consistent, i.e. they do not change constantly. The investors most also be in a position to make an intelligent guess about future investment programmes and how much profit they will generate (Frankfurter, wood & wansley, 2003). The argument’s bone of contention is that provided the firm’s investment decision, it can keep its revenue for financing investment programmes or distribut e the profit to the shareholders. The market share increases from the payment of dividends while other added shares pose a drop in the value of shares. This means that the market price does not change with dividends payment. The external business support is said to affect the dividend payment on the wealth of shareholders which makes them indifferent in deciding between dividends and keeping the firm’s revenue to channel investment programmes. In this view, the business external support that is said to affect dividends payment fails to capture mm’s hypothesis of dividends irrelevance. If dividends were irrelevant, the organization’s capital expenses would rely on their rate of dividend distribution (Banarjee, 1990). The assumption on perfect capital m

Knowledge Management and Organisation Learning Essay

Knowledge Management and Organisation Learning - Essay Example Modern business history lists a number of instances when knowledge-centred management has helped create competitive advantage of organisations and even countries formerly limited in financial and other resources. For Microsoft, Dell, IBM (which is believed to be one of the founders of the paradigm), Compaq, British Airways, Ryan Air and other major organisations knowledge management has become the cornerstone of success. The same is true for such countries as South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong which rely on the national knowledge economy. Over the last two decades, organizations have often been described in terms of knowledge and learning with the help of such concepts as "learning organisation", "intellectual capital", "people-centred approach" or "knowledge based management". Cakar and Bititci (2001) perfectly summarise this trend in the following statement: "1980s were all about automation. In the manufacturing industry FMS, FAS, Robots, AGV'S etc. were commonplace. The 1990s have been about people, this is evident in the development of concepts throughout the 90's focusing on delegation, involvement, ownership cross functional teamwork, self managed works teams and so on The needs of modern business emphasize the role and importance of people and knowledge" (p.2). Also the idea of knowledge management appeared requested in 1990s the concept itself dates back early 1960s. Its advent is associated with classic works of Peter Drucker w. Drucker found out that on 1960s, He called this new era an informational one (Drucker, 1994). The ideas of Peter Drucker (1994), whom was the first to use term 'knowledge worker', became widely recognised in 1980s when a number of followers supported his idea that investments in human resources were increasingly becoming more cost-efficient than investments in machines. In 1986, European knowledge management pioneer Karl-Erik Sveiby described the concept of a "know-how company" (Doz, Santos & Williamson, 2001), and in 1991 the ideas of knowledge management were reconsidered by Ikujiro Nonako whom presented the idea of "knowledge-creating company". The 1996 could be considered the turning point in history of knowledge management: the influence of this paradigm became overwhelming in absolute majority of the developed countries (Skyrme, 2002). The ideas and concepts related to knowledge managements were successfully applied in the oil, pharmaceutical, high technology, financial, and other industries. Main Body Knowledge management is a new form of management which helps organizational adaptation, survival and competence in face of increasingly discontinuous environmental change. This broader perspective incorporates the processes of knowledge use, knowledge creation, knowledge sharing, knowledge transfer and knowledge renewal (Malhotra, 1998). Therefore, knowledge management is commonly defined as "the explicit and systematic management of vital knowledge and its associated processes of creating, gathering, organizing, diffusion, use and exploitation, in pursuit of

Stem Cells Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Stem Cells - Research Paper Example Stem Cells The most important characteristic of stem cells is the potential to transform into different types of cells. Besides, stem cells can perform the role of a repair system within human body. Within this scenario, Embryonic Stem Cells are generally used for regenerative medical purposes. On the other side, Adult Stem Cells are helpful for the treatment of deadly diseases generally noticed among human beings. The Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells are used for research purposes, aiming to develop proper medication for deadly diseases. So, one can see that the scientific research related to stem cells can solve some of the health problems faced by human beings in general. Thesis statement: The stem cells like Embryonic Stem Cells (ESC), Adult Stem Cells (ASC), and Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (iPSC) are helpful to develop medicines and proper remedy for deadly diseases, especially like bone-marrow transplantation for blood cancer. Stem cell types This section is broadly divided in to: Embryonic Stem Cells, Adult Stem Cells, and The Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells. Embryonic Stem Cells These stem cells are developed from human embryos, especially from the inner parts of embryos undergoing the process of growth. Crocker (2008) states that, â€Å"Stem cells, both embryonic and adult, could be used to replace damaged tissue in several ways† (p.6). To be specific, these cells within this stage of growth can be used for tissue transplantation and similar medical uses. But these cells cannot be simply injected into human bodies because the same may develop into unexpected tumors. Besides, some human bodies may reject this type of stem cells and scientists are working hard to find out an apt solution for this problem. Still, these stem cells can be used for regenerative medication purposes. On the other side, one can see that the research work related to these stem cells provide hope to humanity because the same was successfully used in the year 2010 among the victims of spinal injury. In short, further research within this field may prove importance of this stem cell because research work related to the same is undergoing gradual progress. Adult Stem Cells These stem cells are generally used for research and treatment purposes. In addition, the research on this type of stem cells attracts less criticism because it is not produced from embryos. Zyl (2009) states that, â€Å"Some physicians and scientists believe that adult stem cells are not as versatile or effective as embryonic stem cells, while others have shown that adult stem cells are highly effective against most major diseases† (p. xiii). As these stem cells are collected from adults, there is less risk because rejection related to human immunity is out of focus. Besides, medical treatment related to these stem cells proves to be successful because the same is used for the treatment of leukaemia and other diseases. Still, further research can unveil the future scope of this type of stem cells within the context of medical treatment. So, one can see that the research related to this type of stem cells show rapid progress and is helpful to fight some deadly diseases. The Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells The IP stem cells are developed by scientists by reprogramming the same to acquire the main characteristics of ES cells. To be specific, this stem cell is important within the scenario of stem cell research, especially in

Plato, three Socratic Dialogues Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Plato, three Socratic Dialogues - Essay Example Euthyphro is aghast that a wise man like Socrates is being tried for corrupting the young ones and tells him that people do not like others to spread wisdom and are jealous of people who are wise. The two start talking and in the ensuing dialogues Socrates asks Euthyphro to explain the concept of piety. Euthyphro replies that piety is fighting for justice as he is doing by prosecuting his father for a murder. He laments the fact that he is hated for his action by the people although those very people have high regards for Zeus, the king of Gods, even though Zeus had punished his father (Kronos) for devouring his sons! When further pressed for the definition of piety, Euthyphro tells Socrates that whatever is held dear to God is pious and what is not dear to God is impious. He further said that even Gods have enmities and differences. Socrates counters that argument by telling that what may be liked by one God may not necessarily true for another God. Hence difference of opinion may account for the enmities and hatred between Gods and people. He asserts that everyone likes just and honourable things or persons and dislike the opposite. But it is the difference of opinions that brings about enmities and hatred. When Socrates is still not satisfied with the definition of piety, Euthyphro finally says that everything that Gods love is pious and holy and the things or persons they hate is impious and unholy. Socrates confused Euthyphro by questioning whether Gods loved things because they were pious or things were pious because Gods loved them? The dialogues, in the form of questions and answers, between the two are especially relevant even today because they establish the credibility of questions as an important means to reach towards a correct and justified answer. In simple words, the questions make us thinks about the different aspects of the problems and help us to come to a right conclusion. Socrates was a great philosopher who

Psychology For Social Care Practice Essay Example for Free

Psychology For Social Care Practice Essay This essay will demonstrate my understanding of developments which occur at each stage of an individuals life cycle. I will relate these developments to two relevant psychological theories and discuss how an individuals needs must be met to enable them to develop. The human life cycle can be broken down into 5 basic stages (Bingham et al. 2009); Infancy 0-2 years Childhood 2-12 years Adolescence 12-21 years Adulthood 21-65 years Older Adulthood 65+ years During each stage of the life cycle, different physical, emotional, cognitive, social and cultural developments occur; In infancy, physical changes include learning to sit up, crawl and walk independently. At this stage, the infant will begin to look for attention from others and seek affection and love. Infants are able to interact with others by smiling/laughing and crying, and begin to form attachments to main care givers such as family members from around 6 months. Fine motor skills and communication skills (understanding and formation of words) develop rapidly in infancy and individuals will become used to the routines and norms of those around them. In childhood, physical development extends to skills in balance and control over the body. Emotionally, the child will continue to strengthen bonds with primary care givers and social development will move on to interactive play and forming friendships. Language and expression develop further and the child shows a capacity to learn new information and skills as well as learning about and conforming to social and cultural norms. The body begins to change significantly in adolescence; the individual will go through puberty. An adolescent will be more self aware than in childhood and will become detached from primary care givers, instead preferring to form closer relationships with friends and peers. The individual will form stronger affiliations to certain cultural and sub-cultural norms and will express these through personal appearance, partaking in activities and choosing certain peer groups. In early adulthood, the individual will reach a peak of physical fitness which they will thereafter have to work at to maintain. More physical demands are made on the body such as childbearing, work and aging. Emotionally, a person  in adulthood will have established a role possibly in their place of work, or at home as a parent- how effectively they fill their role can effect self esteem. Social development can become limited to those with similar careers or interests and can be hindered by other responsibilities s uch as work and family commitments. Older adults may experience a decline in physical fitness eyesight may deteriorate and the body may become weaker. Some individuals may remain fairly fit well into older adulthood and some may find that physical fitness can deteriorate rapidly. Older adulthood can be isolating and ones self image can be altered through changing of roles eg. retirement. Socially, some find a sense of freedom in being able to leave work behind and live, others lose a sense of purpose and find that their world may become smaller and more family focused. Older adults will have a well established perception of themselves and what they find acceptable as part of their culture. For this essay I have used Mrs. Oswald as a case study. Mrs. Oswald is a resident at Thorneycroft residential care home for older people. She has been a resident at Thorneycroft for six months and at ninety-five years old, is in the final stage of development as detailed in the life cycle breakdown above. Mrs. Oswald is relatively able bodied, she is able to bathe herself but requires help getting in and out of the bath. She is able to move around independently, she does have a tripod to help her with this but she doesnt tend to use it. She is prone to falling over and has fallen fifteen times since moving to Thorneycroft, this is not helped by her insomnia which leaves her restless at night so she ends up wandering around unattended. Mrs. Oswald is hard of hearing and requires a hearing aid but her eyesight is good when wearing her glasses. She has a good level of personal hygiene and takes pride in her appearance. Before coming to Thorneycroft she had home help who assisted her with household tasks such as cooking and housework and helped her with medication for her cellulitis. Mrs. Oswald was a midwife for fifty years, she is well educated and enjoys sharing her knowledge and talking about her career. She keeps her mind active by reading the newspaper, doing crossword puzzles and playing dominoes when she goes to the day centre but it is possible that these activities are not stimulating enough fo r her. She is a little confused at times about her roles; she behaves as though Thorneycroft staff are her employees and adopts a matron-like attitude with them, which probably  crosses over from her role in her career as a midwife. She can be forgetful but does not have dementia and before moving to Thorneycroft was quite vulnerable as she sees the best in people and was being exploited by people doing odd jobs and coming in and out of her home. Mrs. Oswald appears to be content on the surface, she has started to accept death and talks about it openly. Her remaining family all live some distance away in England but she looks forward to a phonecall from her cousin each evening and seems to take comfort in speaking to him, appearing more settled after their conversations. She has outlived her close family husband and daughters and appears lonely. Mrs. Oswald doesnt talk much about her husband an daughters the way she does about her career, it is possible that talking about them makes her feel sad. As before, Mrs. Oswald has not made friends with other residents of Thorneycroft, though she has made a few friends at the daycentre. She likes to talk and could be encouraged to mix more which would help with her feel ings of loneliness, she never had friends or visitors at home before she came to Thorneycroft as her family all live far away and only visit to attend review meetings every six months. She has not formed close relationships with staff at Thorneycroft, instead, as mentioned before she treats them as her employees. Mrs. Oswald is an articulate and well spoken individual who has come from a middle class background. She appears to be well educated and has had a successful career as a midwife spanning fifty years. She had her daughters when she was young and out of wedlock, as a result they were brought up by her mother and Mrs. Oswald left at sixteen to begin her training as a midwife. Her career was important to her and she concentrated on this, not having any more children and marrying late in life. Her middle class upbringing has followed her through life, and she still takes pride in her appearance and has a strong sense of what she believes to be proper. Her husband and her enjoyed going on cruises and she is well- travelled. She does not attend church services or appear to be religious at all. In order for them to progress successfully through each stage in the life cycle, an individuals needs at each stage must be met. For example, our most basic physical needs are shelter and nourishment, if these needs are not met in the infant stage, potential for development and progression into childhood will be threatened. For each aspect of development, certain needs must be met; Physical The body must be kept fit and healthy through nourishment, shelter from the elements and the cold, excercise and rest. Emotional The need to be loved and to feel love for others. Good self esteem can be established from feeling loved and wanted by others. Social Being able to interact and build relationships with people around you. Cognitive The need for opportunities to learn and develop knowledge and keep the mind active. Cultural Having your values, religion, diet, language etc.(norms) as part of your daily life. In order for me to understand the needs of Mrs. Oswald and to what extent her needs have been met throughout her life, I examined Erik Eriksons theory of eight psychosocial stages. Erikson believed that humans develop through eight predetermined stages (a detailed table of these can be found in appendix 1) and in order to progress successfully through life, we must successfully negotiate each stage and that failure to do so results in mental deficiencies suc h as lack of trust, which will remain with us throughout life (Collin et al., p. 273). Each stage has one positive outcome and one negative outcome, and individuals progress through each life stage with a mixture of both, the differences between positive and negative being a result of the environment the individual is developing in. Mrs. Oswald, as an adolescent, would have experienced role confusion. She was from a middle class background but fell pregnant at a young age, resulting in her being hidden away and her mother raising her children as her own. It would have gone against Mrs. Oswalds role as a respectable young girl to have children at such a young age. She went off to train as a midwife at sixteen and left her family and her daughters behind. She concentrated on her career and appeared not to have any intimacy throughout young adulthood. This was resolved in mature adulthood when Mrs. Oswald got married and enjoyed the intimacy which she had missed out on in young adulthood. She never had any more children but her husband nd her appeared to have a happy life and they enjoyed travelling together. Mrs. Oswald is now in maturity and has begun to talk about death in an accepting way. Her needs may not have been met in the early stages of her life where she did not conform to her role in society and her life lacked intimacy, but later in life she had a successful and satisfying career and a happy marriage. I have used Abraham Maslows Hierarchy of Needs (see appendix 2) to assess how  Mrs. Oswalds needs are being met now. Maslows Hierarchy of Needs starts at the basic physiological needs we need just to stay alive. Once these are made we have a need for safety, then we want love and affection. Within our group we want to have self esteem. Finally we have a need of satisfying our full potential that Maslow calls Self Actualization (Deeper Mind). Maslow believed that ones needs had to be met at each stage of the hierarchy before the needs at the next stage could be attended to. The first category in Maslows hierarchy refers to physiological needs. I believe that most of Mrs. Oswalds needs are being met at this level. She has plenty to eat and drink and since she is mobile she has some level of excercise. She can have fresh air and she has warmth and shelter. However, Mrs. Oswalds need for sleep is not being met at Thorneycroft. She suffers from insomnia which is not helped by the fact that her bed is too small and therefore uncomfortable for her to sleep in. This has resulted in her being reluctant to settle in bed at night at all, so she is losing out on sleep. As a result of all her physiological needs not being met, all of Mrs. Oswalds safety needs are not being met either. Although she has shelter and security at Thorneycroft, the fact that she does not sleep has compromised her safety as she has a tendency to wander around at night time and is prone to falling as her mobility is not great. Mrs. Oswald appears sad that she has outlived her close family and her husband and doesnt speak about them much. She does have some distant family whom she speaks with on the phone every night which brings her some comfort, but she remains distant with others and reluctant to form close relationships with staff or fellow residents. Her need for love and belonging has not been satisfied. In order for Mrs. Oswald to progress and reach self actualisation the care staff at Thorneycroft must work on the needs which are not being met. Getting her a bed which is comfortable for her to sleep in may help her to settle at night and reduce the risk of a fall. She could be encouraged to mix more with fellow residents and form closer relationships with them as well as staff. This will help with Mrs. Oswalds sense of love and belonging and boost her self-esteem which will help her to reach self actualisation. References BBC (2014) BBC News Magazine. [Online] Available from: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-23902918 [Accessed 13/11/2014] BINGHAM, E. et al (2009) HNC Social Care for Scotland. 12th Ed. Essex: Heinemann. COLLIN, C. et al (2012) The Psychology Book. London: DK London. MACLEOD, S. (2011) Simply Psychology. [Online] Available form :http://www.simplypsychology.org/Erik-Erikson.html [Accessed 11/11/2014]. NORWOOD, G. (2014) Deeper Mind. [Online] Available from: http://www.deepermind.com/20maslow.htm [Accessed 11/11/2014]