Site Visit Essay Example for Free

Site Visit Essay Human Services is a broad field for workers who assist individuals with various types of issues or problems; whether the assistance is housing, mental health, vocational, or elderly services. These workers are housed throughout many organizations and agencies that have department in which they cater to specific needs. Some organizations have departments and programs that specialize in behavioral and cognitive–behavioral techniques to further address behavioral issues or problems. The Children’s Village (CV) is a non-profit human service organization and their mission is to work in partnership with families to help society’s most vulnerable children so that they become educationally proficient, economically productive, and socially responsible members of their communities (The Children’s Village, 2013. ) The type of families CV caters to are foster care and adoption and therapeutic children. In locating this organization online, I spoke with one on the Masters Social Workers (MSW), Benia E. Thomas who further explained the type of behavioral or cognitive-behavioral therapy they provide for the clients served. The Children’s Village employs group behavioral therapy geared toward behavioral modification to adolescents ages 11-21. The types of behaviors the children display are Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), and other conduct disorders. According to Understanding ADHD (2013), â€Å"ADHD is one of the most common childhood psychiatric conditions, affecting 9.5% of school-aged children in the United States.† ADHD is a psychiatric disorder as OCD is another disorder affecting children and promoting disruptive behaviors. According to Internal OCD Foundation (2012), â€Å"Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a disorder of the brain and behavior. OCD causes severe anxiety in those affected. OCD involves both obsessions and compulsions (para. 1.) The techniques CV employs at their organization helps change these potentially self-destructing behaviors such as ADHD and OCD. Behavioral therapy is also called behavioral modification or cognitive behavioral therapy. Medical professionals use this type of therapy to replace bad habits with good ones. The therapy also helps you cope with difficult situations (Healthline, 2013.) This type of treatment is used on the children who have faced difficult times within the home with their biological parents and assists them with any behaviors stemmed from removal from one home to the next. In cases like these children can become very angry, blame themselves, academically failing, and act out differently for attention. Foster children often face multiple adversities putting them at risk for problems in social, emotional, and behavioral adjustment. Some of the risks are experienced prior to placement into foster or adoptive care, such as drug exposure, maltreatment, and institutional care (Adoption and Foster Placement, 2008.) In discussing the population this program participates in, the effectiveness of the interventions is measured by the team of therapeutic social workers at CV. Therapy techniques and approaches must be effective so the children can live normal lives in the community and when placed in other homes. The types of interventions used on the clients at CV are used by a number of therapeutic social workers who work hard at achieving long-term goals for the children. For example, if a child displays disruptive behavior in school and is acting in an aggressive manner at his or her home several techniques and interventions are used to eliminate or calm the situation to a minimal. Techniques such as: homework charts, behavior charts, listening, communication, and documentation of the behaviors are implemented by the social worker or therapist to further allow the child to discuss what is bothering him or her (Benia E. Thomas, personal communication, September 27, 2013.) The most effective technique used by the social workers at CV is the behavioral modification chart. According to Bach, PhD and McCraken, PhD, LCSW (n.d) â€Å"Behavioral treatment is concerned with the analysis and change of behaviors. Thorough assessment is an integral part of any behavioral intervention or behavioral assessment.† Examples of behavior modification that can be used to increase positive behaviors are praise and approval, positive reinforcement, awards, and self -monitoring. The technique used in the behavioral therapy seems to work for some of the children, as they display change when they come in for therapy sessions with the social workers. At this current time the CV only uses behavioral therapy as a technique to assist with cognitive behaviors. Children’s Village is a non-profit organization that has not received the adequate funding to support other programs that would be suitable for the organization at this time, but it is something the organization is interested in later on once funded. Although there are not any plans for other programs, play therapy is used for children (ages 2-10). According to Association For Play Therapy (2013), â€Å"Play therapy refers to a large number of treatment methods, all applying the therapeutic benefits of play. Play therapy differs from regular play in that the therapist helps children to address and resolve their own problems† (para. What is play therapy?.) This type of therapy helps the children act of scenarios with playing and using objects such as dolls and coloring to further explain behaviors. The other models and techniques used at Children’s Village are Functional Family Therapy/Child Welfare (FCT-CW) and Multisystemic Therapy (MST). FFT-CW is a family-based prevention program that helps families make positive changes to their households and MST is an evidence-based program that helps families manage out of control children (Preventative Services, 2013). These two types of models are used in CV to better assist the children and the foster parents who require support from the organization. MST and FCT-CW is form of support that the organization implements to their children and foster parents to ensure safety and structure. In conclusion, the Children’s Village is a foster care and adoption agency that employs behavioral therapy to the children they place in homes. The children are 11-21 and have disorders such as ADHD and OCD among other behavior dysfunctions. These techniques used assist the children with the various behaviors they display as a result of removal from biological families and placement into homes of strangers. When the children display these cognitive behaviors in school or the community behavioral modification charts are used to keep track of the behaviors and monitor improvement. When improvement is noticed the social workers reward the children with movie tickets or other praises they find effective for each individual child. Each behavior is treated differently and addresses in a manner where different techniques are used as well. Children’s Village would like to expand their cognitive behavioral depart, but because of funding they are limited. This agency has displayed the use of the methods and techniques used to change behaviors References Adoption and Foster Placement. (2008). Encyclopedia of Infant and Early Childhood Development, 25-31. Retrieved from http://www.sciencedirect.com.ezproxy.apollolibrary.com/science/article/pii/B9780123708779000025 Association for Play Therapy. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.a4pt.org/ps.index.cfm?ID=1653 Bach, PhD, P., McCraken, PhD, LCSW, S. G. (n.d). Best Practice Guidelines for Behavioral Interventions. Behavioral Health Recovery Management Project. Healthline. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.healthline.com/health/behavioral-therapy Preventative services. (2013). Retrieved from http://childrensvillage.org/nyc-based-programs/preventive-services/ The Childrens Village. (2013). Retrieved from http://childrensvillage.org/about/mission/ Understanding ADHD. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.intuniv.com/attention-deficit-hyperactivity disorder/?utm_source=googleutm_medium=cpcutm_term=adhdutm_campaign=condition

Britain’s Attempts to Appease Mussolini in the 1930’s Were Successful’ Discuss Essay Example for Free

Britain’s Attempts to Appease Mussolini in the 1930’s Were Successful’ Discuss Essay ‘Britain’s attempts to appease Mussolini in the 1930’s were successful’ Explain why you agree or disagree with this view. (24 marks) Britain’s attempt to appease Mussolini were successful up until the Abyssinian crisis of 1935, as Italy were not in league with Germany but on the contrary, were opposed to German expansion and revision of the treaty of Versailles. However after the Abyssinian crisis, this stance from Mussolini disappeared and changed greatly. Hence British attempts becoming unsuccessful, as ultimately Mussolini entered the Second World War on the side of Germany. Britain and Italy’s relationship was cordial before the Abyssinian crisis, indicating success in their appeasement policies. The Stresa front of 1935 between: Britain, France and Italy manifested this, as they agreed to prevent further revision of the treaty from Hitler and to resist him in his expansionist aims, and to also condemn Hitler’s actions. The Stresa front was suggested by Mussolini himself who was very co-operative and acted on the side of Britain and France as they all shared the same opinion on German rearmament. This showed how prepared Mussolini was to take action and stand against German aggression, as Mussolini was the only one who actually sent troops, during the Austrian Putsch of 1934, when the Nazi’s attempted to exploit Austria’s condition by trying to take over and employ a Nazi government. Italy was the only country who was prepared to take stance that was not mere condemnation but an actual military reaction, these clearly suggest ed Mussolini strong feelings in regards to Hitler. This found great success as they all agreed to it and this manifested Britain’s success in appeasement policies. Although Britain applied economic sanctions with the league, the sanctions did not include oil, which was the main necessity required for Italy’s invasion, as they required oil to run their ships for transportation. Britain did not close the Suez Canal, which was a fundamental route for Mussolini to transport his troops by; this meant that Italy’s invasion was not severely obstructed. These actions seemed to have been undertaken to appease Mussolini and to prevent him from engaging in a ‘mad dog’ activity  such as declaring war on Britain, this found success, as Mussolini did not declare war on Britain. This is another example of British success in their appeasement policies. Before the Hoare-Lavale pact was leaked into to the public, it seemed as if Mussolini would accept this proposal. Hitherto the pact, Hoare, the British secretary worked well with Italy, and demonstrated a close relationship. If Mussolini had accepted then it would be a success, as Mussolini would still be on the side of Britain. This could be seen as some sort of success, as at first it did seem that it would be successful. Ultimately, it was a failure of British appeasement, as Mussolini did not accept the proposal to ‘save face’. However, there were also many examples of British failure of appeasement, such as the Anglo-German Naval Agreement, which was poor example of British policy, as it did nothing but completely undermine, consequently damaging the Stresa front irrevocably. As it angered Mussolini greatly and it was almost as if Britain were stabbing the other members of the Front in the back, as they condemned Germany in the Stresa Front and then signed an agreement with them, allowing them some sort of navy. Britain’s condemnation of Mussolini and the sanctions made him disgruntled and dissatisfied. These sanctions were an example of complete failure, as it achieved nothing at all. It was half hearted and it angered Mussolini at the same time, which pushed him into the arms of Germany, resulting in nothing being achieved. As during the time of the crisis, Hitler supported Mussolini and gained his favour, which ended up in them two signing pacts such as the Rome-Berlin axis and the pact of steel. The policy of appeasement failed wholly in some respects, because Britain did not achieve her aim of keeping Mussolini on her side, which was what Britain wanted. But it ended up that Mussolini and Hitler became much closer as they supported the Fascist group during the Spanish Civil War, by both sending troops to aid them, while Britain stood idly by doing nothing. The acceptance of the Anschluss from Italy was a great success for Germany and a  greater blow to the treaty and Britain. Mussolini invaded and conquered Abyssinia in the end, which was the result of Britain’s half-hearted sanctions. This also gave confidence to both Mussolini and Hitler, as it showed them how feeble and indecisive Britain during the Abyssinian crisis, giving them the impression that they could perform such acts again. In conclusion, Britain’s policies of appeasement were successful up until the Hoare-Laval pact, as from then on; British appeasement failed and became unsuccessful, because Italy ended up on Germany’s side in the Second World War. Also after the Abyssinian crisis, appeasement could be seen as an unnecessary policy, due to the fact that Mussolini was on Hitler’s side. Yet Britain pressed on with appeasement, such as the Easter Accords, which accepted the status quo of the Middle East and Abyssinia, but this is negligible as Mussolini did not actually stick to it and did not achieve anything. The successful examples were not significant overall, as the unsuccessful cases were more prevalent and outweigh them.

Bone Growth And Remodeling

Bone Growth And Remodeling Ossification and osteogenesis are two processes deemed necessary in bone. Bone growth, maintenance, repair and remodelling are a continuous process, even throughout early adulthood. Compact bone tissue provides support and protection in attempt to resists the stressors we place upon them. As we grow or encounter a traumatic experience our bones deteriorate allowing new bone tissue to be replaced (McGee-Lawrence, Westendorf, 2010). The metaphysis (mature bone region) is where the bone shaft and the distal or proximal ends of the bone join. A layer of hyaline cartilage is within each growing bone to allow the diaphysis (long bone) to grow in length (Walker, Lovejoy, Bedfford Yee, 2006). When the length of the bone has fulfilled its length, the cartilage is replaced by a bony epiphyseal (bony structure). With its thin layer the articular cartilage reducing resistance to absorb joints that have free movement. The repair of articular cartilage is minimal because it lacks irregular tissue, perichondrium (McGee-Lawrence, Westendorf, 2010). If the articular cartilage is not covering bone surface, the periosteum is put in replacement. The periosteum, acting as a tough sheath of dense irregular tissue is able to serve as an attachment point for ligaments and tendons. This gives them the ability to also assist in bone tissue nourishment and assist in fracture repair (Tortora, 2005). Bone Growth The extracellular matrix is where cells, collagen fibre and crystallised mineral salts are held. Crystallisation is where minerals combine to create the tissue hardness, the beginning of bone formation (McGee-Lawrence, Westendorf, 2010). Within the microscopic spaces of collagen fibres, an abundant amount of inorganic mineral salts such as calcium phosphate, magnesium hydroxide, fluoride and sulphate are deposited. An amalgamation of minerals allows crystallisation to occur within the framework formed by collagen fibres, initiated by osteoblasts. This is the process of calcification. A profuse amount of mineral crystals surround the collagen fibre creating the hardness and characteristics of bone. The hardness of a bone is dependent on the crystallisation formation whereas collagen fibres are responsible for the flexibility (Walker et al., 2006). Mesenchyme stem cells are the foundation of bone formation during embryonic development and have the capability of transformation into a range of cells: osteogenic, osteoblasts, osteocytes and osteoclasts cells. Osteogenic cells are located within the periosteum and within bone containing blood vessels. Their only role is to undergo cell division resulting in osteoblasts (McGee-Lawrence, Westendorf, 2010). Osteoblasts synthesize and secrete collagen fibres in combination with organic components to build extracellular matrix of bone tissue, also responsible for calcification (Tortora, 2005). Plasma proteins bring new bone formation via the synthesis of osteoid, a non-mineralised bone matrix. When osteoblasts trap themselves with an excess amount of extracellular matrix, they are then called osteocytes. Within the Osteoblasts, many receptors are found in bone marrow assisting in regulating osteoclastic bone remodelling. The amount of osteoclast formation is determined by the level of receptor activator of nuclear factor KB-ligand (RANKL). If there is a defect of RANKL, a patient may suffer Paget Disease. This is when bone abnormality can occur; both resorption and formation (Walker et al., 2006). Osteocytes, also known as mature bone because of their function are located in a hardened bone matrix (lacuna). They are the key cell in bone tissue, maintaining daily metabolism (exchange nutrients and waste in blood) and secrete protein such as sclerostin to reduce bone formation (McGee-Lawrence, Westendorf, 2010). They have the capability to communicate with each other to exchange nutrients from capillaries containing nutrient-rich fluids. Osteocytes also communicate with osteoblasts and osteoclasts, signalling both when and where to resorb and form new bone (McGee-Lawrence, Westendorf, 2010). Osteoclasts are the major resorptive white blood cells containing lysosomes or digestive vacuoles filled with hydrolytic enzymes. The release of enzymes digests protein and mineral components in the extracellular matrix of bone, as part of the maintenance, repair and growth of bone. This process is called resorption. Once completed, they revert to their parent cell or become inactive (Walker et al., 2006). Bone remodelling Bone remodelling is an ongoing procedure from new bones at with to healing period of fractures. The strength of a bone is determined by the stressors placed upon it whilst in the remodelling phase. The most common fractures paramedics face on road is:  · Compressed most common in old age, osteoporosis  · Spiral ragged break, mostly seen in sports injuries  · Depressed pressed inwards, skull fracture  · Greenstick Incomplete break, most common in children First action to take place in a fracture is formation of hematoma. Blood vessels are broken, resulting in a leakage from the torn ends (Walker et al., 2006). A blood clot around the site of the fracture usually within 6 to 8 hours following the injury is called hematoma. As clotting continues and fracture hematoma forms, blood flow to the site of injury becomes minimal, causing bone cells to die. Swelling and inflammation is the result of dead bone cells, producing additional cellular debris. This allows phagocytes and osteoclasts to eliminate damaged tissue. This process should take 2 to 3 weeks to conclude (Tortora, 2005). The help of new blood capillaries in the fracture helps growing connective tissue called procallus. Fibroblasts (producing collagen fibres) and osteogenic cells attack the procallus to assist in connecting ends of the broken bones. Osteogenic cells transform into chondroblasts where healthy bone cartilage are developing and become fibrocartilage. Within 3 weeks, signs of bone tissue repair begin to show. This action is successful when the procallus is transformed into a fibrocartilaginous. Whiles this is occurring, phagocytes continue to remove any debris surrounding the fracture (McCance, Heuther, Brashers Rote, 2010). Osteogenic cells are later converted into osteoblasts to produce spongy bone trabeculae, a microscopic tissue. Trabeculae join the living and dead portions of the bone. After 3-4 months, Fibrocartilage changes into bony callus, a spongy bone (McCance et al, 2010). The final phase of bone repair is remodelling. Osteoclasts gradually resorb original fragments of broken bones as compact bone replaces spongy bone. If all cells are working in a healthy patient, detection of fracture line under radiograph is unseen. As the stressor on the bone increases, signs of thickness may later show (McCance et al, 2010). Bone remodelling is a slow process of removing old tissue and producing new bone tissue. As we grow, bone tissue goes through maintenance, repair and development in order to cope with the stressors. The remodelling of bone tissue only occurs when a patient has gone through a traumatic injury; this is where the housekeeping phagocytes are active and inflammation to ensure bacteria do not enter blood vessels, causing further damage.

When Did Global Warming Become Climate Change? :: Climate Change vs Global Warming

"If we want to address global warming, along with the other environmental problems associated with our continued rush to burn our precious fossil fuels as quickly as possible, we must learn to use our resources more wisely, kick our addiction, and quickly start turning to sources of energy that have fewer negative impacts." -- David Suzuki Earlier this year one of my friends asked, â€Å"So which essay topic did you decide on?† To which I responded, â€Å"Global warming.† Then my friend responded, â€Å"That is impossible. Global warming was not even an option,† I was worried. I rushed back to my apartment and opened my course binder to find that I was actually writing about climate change and not global warming. Then I wondered, "When did global warming morph into climate change? Am I in school to learn about fashion? Are we all just following the latest trend? What does any of this have to do with science? According to Erik Conway of NASA, â€Å"Global warming refers to surface temperature increases, while climate change includes global warming and everything else that increasing greenhouse gas amounts will affect† (Conway). Recently the United States has experienced a drop in temperature. This past weekend I was walking with a friend. With nothing to talk about, the awkward silence was finally filled with a comment on the weather. He said, â€Å"It’s so incredibly cold! So much for global warming!!† What my friend, nor I at the beginning of the semester, did not understand was that â€Å"temperature change itself isn’t the most severe effect of changing climate. Changes to precipitation patterns and sea level are likely to have much greater human impact than the higher temperatures alone† (Conway). Thankfully the national media has begun to increasingly reference the more scientifically significant term: climate change.

Economic Pursuits of the Jews in the Middle Ages :: essays research papers fc

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Economic Pursuits of the Jews in the Middle Ages   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Jews in the middle ages progressed economically through various occupations. Their economic status was very volatile for many reasons. No area of Jewish life in Western Europe offers such a perpetual change as the economy does. The Jews most specifically participated in international trade, crafts, slave trade, local trade, and most popularly in money lending.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Jewish people participated in commerce in the countries of western Mediterranean . However, Jewish roles in commerce were rather limited because Syrian merchants in Gaul who supplied the population with luxury articles imported from the East monopolized the whole commerce scene . There would be a consistent war between Muslim and Christian fleets at sea, which left the Jewish merchants at a neutral status. As a result, Jewish merchants who were kidnapped at sea by pirates had a better chance of getting their ransom paid by their co-religionists . Jewish merchants had become very competitive which supposedly put some fear on others. Consequently, in 945, the Venetian government ordered its ship owners not to carry Jewish passengers .   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Jewish merchants traded in amber, textiles, hides, arms, spices, precious stones, and other luxury articles . Their clientele consisted mainly of royal and ducal courts and the aristocracy, both secular and clerical . There were other groups engaged in international trade, and Jewish merchants were not the dominant role in the commerce scene . In the cities re-conquered from the Muslims in Spain, Jews played a decisive role in the revival of commerce and industry, and especially in the production and merchandising of clothing . As well, England’s Jewry had a role in commerce, too .   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  After the year 1100, The Jewish role in international trade began to decline . The Hansa cities began to replace the Jewish traders. Their ships were heavily armed, and were no match for the Jews .   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Some believe that Jews controlled the slave trade . Jews were also accused of kidnapping Christian children and selling them to Muslims in southern Spain. The proportion of Jews among the slave traders was smaller than their proportion in international trade . Jewish participation in trading Christian slaves was limited because a Christian ruler sometimes protected it . The Jewish merchants faced many unfair obstacles because of blunt discrimination. The Christian merchants were not faced with these same obstacles such as not being able to trade other Christian slaves.

Diversity Essay -- essays research papers

Encounters between people of different cultural backgrounds have existed forever.People have always thought bout things that were unusual in other cultures. But, those encounters were relatively slim in early days today, they are almost part of everyday life, At the same time, the interchange between cultures has jeopardized their very existence, and the emergence of a diverse culture, a fixation often referred to as globalization.. Primarily, what makes cultures different from each other is it looks at the process of what an individual goes through in an intercultural races, and how it adapts to culture changes in its environment.The individual learns its culture from its environment more then from its family, or from its social relationships. People found, that over time the world market, would change character to adapt to production and consumption and in its material also in its intellectual process. The intellectual creation of individual nations become common property. From the numerous national and local books, there comes a world literature between all cultures.If the environment changes, our internal learning structure gets disturbed, and we have to adapt after a certain pressure occurs this can well be a small adaption to ajust our behavior so that is new. Cultures do come together and new identities do arise. There are real communities that are formed and dissolved. People do go through many cultures, and identities. But the underlying culture still determine...

Sex Change

The issue of sex (besides being a national obsession) is reasonably interesting from a psycoanalytic and existential perspective. A lot of what drives us is sexual energy (in line with what Freud told us). This so-called energy isn't explicit, but if you stop to think about questions like â€Å"Why am I here? † the â€Å"I† refers to you as a being and your sexuality is intimately tied with that. That â€Å"I† differs quite radically based on whether you are male or female. From a purely reductionist perspective, we are simply â€Å"ugly bags of mostly water† (to use a phrase from Star Trek) for our genes. The main reason we have sex is so our genes can last. The reason that there's sexual dimorphism (as opposed to having only females reproducing asexually) is so the gene pool can be enriched and it is thus capable of withstanding sudden changes in environment. This is actually the reason why there is sex in the first place, but having dimorphism means having a gene pool (thereby phenotype) that's more varied. The sociological perspective is somewhat interesting, but I think it's very irrelevant. In the end, the psychological (perhaps biological) dominates and therefore it it is the one I will consider. I have always wondered what it would be like to be female. I have wondered what it feels like to experience the menstrual cycle each month, to give birth, etc. My perception of what â€Å"I† consitutes would be radically different, I assume, notwithstanding the sociological consequences of becoming female. Human males and females are pretty different in their genetic makeup, given that an entire chromosome present in males is not present in females (and this doesn't even address the issue of expression). This brings us to the interesting fact that a lot of textbooks quote: chimpanzees and humans have DNA which is more than 99% identical. I wonder what the basis of their comparison is, but I digress†¦ A few decades ago, the above sort of thinking would've been mere speculation. Existentially speaking, we are prisoners of our bodies and this sucks. But we humans, being the creatures with superior intellect (yeah, right), have taken control of our environments and now it is possible to reasonably answer some of the questions I ask above in a physical sense. I read an article (parts of which are reproduced here without permission) about this dude who underwent a sex-change operation to be female because he wanted to be a lesbian. He was considered a womaniser, but he really identified with girls and expressed his sexuality by cross-dressing, etc. But after a while he began the process of change. He took females hormones—the most effective blend being premarin, derived from the urine of a pregnant mare—-to produce breasts, greater sub-surface fat, diminished muscle mass and less skin oil than a man normallly secretes. However, hormone treatments cannot shrink the Adam's apple, alter the hips, or raise the voice; male vocal chords are irreversibly developed by adolescence. He also underwent a lot of sartorial changes as well. Finally the irreversible operation known as â€Å"neo-colporrhaphy†, or â€Å"new vagina†, was performed on him. Contrary to popular myth, this two-and-a-half-hour surgery does not involve the penis being cut off. It is instead emptied of its spongy tissue and, like the finger of a rubber glove, turned inside out. The skin of the penis is gently pushed into a cavity formed by separating the lower abdominal muscle fibres, and this inside-out formation becomes the vaginal lining. The scrotum is used to create the frontal lips of the vagina; some of the skin at the base of the inverted penis can be surgically sculpted to look like a clitoris. Enough of the urethra is preserved from the penis to tunnel it under the tissue and place it in the female position. (There was a reasonable discussion during the Beer Social here regarding the logistics of such an operation—in particular the issue of providing lubrication was thought important. ) According to John Money, a professor emeritus at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, who's an expert on this procedure (I can see a lot of demand for it): â€Å"The majority of transsexuals no longer have the spasmodic sensation that comes from squirting out semen. They have, instead, more of a spreading glow that is very satisfactory indeed. † This dude (now dudette) is also married with kids and they still call her â€Å"daddy†. She and her wife get along very well and they find the relationship physically very satisfying. While I share a lot of the philosophy that prompted him to become a transvestite, I doubt if I would undergo such an operation. Perhaps if technology advances so that it can be done in a â€Å"perfect† way, but approaches like this somehow don't grab me. This isn't the only way to go. If you're female, you might contemplate becoming male. I read a while ago about how a female had an operation to have a penis implant. Such physical moves seem very drastic to me, even given what I said earlier about sexual energy driving us. Is the artificial physical change necessary in order to experience a female (or male) existence? While the reason for contemplating what it is to be female is mostly curiousity, it might have to do with my nurture as well. It is said that transsexuals are unhappy with their identities and that they seek an out, but will a physical transformation help them? Shouldn't reconcilation of one's identity with one's self, and transcendence of that identity beyond societal norms, be enough? If you are Cartesian (and to some extent I am), it should be. Maybe Freud was completely off about the Oedipus complex—maybe it's something akin to the Penis Envy thing he proposed—there's some sort of a Vagina Envy among males. Thanks to modern science, this envy can be sated. The surgery costs about $11,000. If you include other plastic surgery such as a nose job and breast implants, the total cost is about $25,000. Now to raise some money†¦