Global warming Thesis Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Global warming - Thesis Example The major controversies surrounding global warming, include - skepticism regarding the change in climate beyond natural variations; questionable evidences against the factors responsible for global warming as well as the likely scope and extent of its impact; effectiveness and validity of the strategies suggested to combat global warming and for reducing carbon footprints; and the estimated size, effect and consequences of the phenomenon. Skeptics have raised serious concerns and questions regarding the scientific consensus about the effects of global warming as well as the adequacy of facts and evidence supporting the theories of global warming. The debates and cynicism regarding the far reaching effects of global warming are large observed among the policy makers and political spheres, rather than within the scientific communities. Furthermore, doubts have also been raised regarding the causes of global warming. According to some the main cause of global warming is yet to be explor ed while others consider it as a natural phenomenon while yet others consider human activities, responsible for the phenomenon. There are various arguments put forward by skeptics, and the same have been rebutted with facts and evidences in the following section, thus further substantiating and reaffirming the fact that global warming is indeed real and not a myth, contrary to rising opinion. Criticisms and Rebuttals: 1. The earth is not warming, instead, it has cooled down over the past decade: According to the skeptics, the earth is not warming, as claimed by the scientists and even if it is, the extent of damage as predicted by them is over exaggerated. They further claim that there exists data / scientific evidence which suggest that the earth is in fact, cooling, rather than warming. It is further stated that the planet was warming during the 20th century but the warming had stopped over a decade ago, and the Earth has been cooling ever since 1998 (Singer & Avery, 2007). This i s supported by the fact that the periods between December 2007 and November 2008 have been the coldest periods of the decade (Singer & Avery, 2007). It is argued that although the earth may not be cooling, but the evidence claiming that the earth is warming, is not credible and holds no relevance. Rebuttal: Although the evidence showing that the average temperature has fallen during the decade holds relevance, but the same, does not prove that the earth is cooling. The differences in temperatures is mostly because of the factors used for comparison, for instance, the year 1998 which was used as a base, was the hottest year of the century. Contrary to the claims made by the skeptics regarding â€Å"cooling of the Earth† the planet never stopped warming. The temperatures during the year 1997 were hotter as compared to that in the year 1995, while 1998 soon surpassed 1997 to become the hottest year of the decade, which in turn was replaced by years 2002 and 2003. According to NA SA, the year 2007 was the hottest year of the century on record. All these reports clearly show that the temperature is constantly rising, with no signs of slowing down (Casper, 2009; Robinson, 2007; Singer & Avery, 2007). 2. Statistics related to surface temperatures are unreliable and are blown out of proportion. The crisis

Critically evaluate, with recommendations, the contribution of Essay

Critically evaluate, with recommendations, the contribution of psychology to our understanding of judge and jury decision making - Essay Example nal justice system pays too much attention to psychology, it may result in excusing certain forms of criminal behaviour hence impeding the administration of justice. (Vidmar, 1989, p1-8) In relation to this, there are also certain factors that have to be considered when dealing with particular issues in the justice systems such as expert testimony. Details of psychology in the courtroom and in other aspects of the criminal and civil justice system will be examined in detail below. There are certain psychological factors that come into play when analysing the criminal and civil justice system. The first one to be considered is communication. Communication is the transmission of information. It can be divided into three main components. These are; verbal communication, vocal communication and non-verbal communication (Berger et al, 1972, p 241-255) Verbal communication involves the use of written or oral formats to convey specific messages to other parties. Vocal communication involves all the audible aspects of communication such as tone, pitch of voice, rate of speech, intonation and inflexion. In this form of communication, focus is kept on how the message is conveyed rather than the subject matter itself. Lastly, there is non-verbal communication; here, visible elements of communication are considered such as personal appearance, facial behaviours, body orientation, posture, touch, gestures, eye contact and even eye movement. Auditory cues are the main area of emphasis in this case. (Casper & Zeisel, 1992, p135-191) Psychologists assert that the most influential form of communication in the courtroom is the non-verbal form. Others have argued that in case jurors or judges are faced with situations where the statements presented to them are in contradiction with each other, then chances are that those jurors will rely on non-verbal forms of communication rather than the actual word spoken. Research has shown that many jurors have been convinced by some forms

Essence Of Informed Consent Nursing Essay

Essence Of Informed Consent Nursing Essay The relationship between a doctor and a patient today is based on the principle of freedom of choice (of doctor, treatment type) which is characteristic of informational relationship model. A new concept has replaced the previously prevailing in medical practice paternalism, when doctor individually, not considering patients opinion, made the decision on the examination and treatment. In the modern system of doctor-patient relationship, a patients right to voluntary informed consent plays an important role. Informed consent, which is a prerequisite for any medical intervention, is a patients voluntary acceptance of treatment after being sufficiently informed by the doctor. The process of obtaining informed consent can be divided into two stages: 1) providing patient with information on the basis of voluntariness and competence and 2) the getting and proper registration of the patients consent (Cohn Larson, 2007). Under the current law a patient has the right to be fully informed (Hoeyer, 2009): about his or her health status (including medical indicators of that state); about the doctors assumed actions, potential risks and benefits of each procedure; about alternatives to the proposed treatment; about the diagnosis, prognosis and course of treatment. When informing a patient, particular attention should be given to the possible risks associated with the course of the recommended treatment. In addition, to make conscious decisions about medical intervention the patient has the right to consult with a disinterested person and get an additional independent opinion on the state of his or her health. The patient also has the right to obtain information about the professional qualities of the person providing medical aid or special care, about the rules that the patient must follow when undergoing treatment and immediately after. The data provided to the patient by the doctor should contain all the necessary information (Schenker, 2011; Sugarman, 2005). Taking into account the principle of voluntariness of obtaining information, the patient has the right to refuse from receiving information about his or her health status or indicate a person who should be informed instead (Felt, 2009). When informing, an important issue is the patients competence and ability to understand the received special medical information. Obviously, information should be communicated to patient in a way consistent with his or her ability to comprehend. It should be differentiated depending on patients individualities and specific circumstances (general health state, educational level, etc.). Explaining the nature of the forthcoming treatment to the patient, it is desirable to use a minimum of medical or technical terms. If necessary, an interpreter should be provided for adequate communication and perception of information about treatment by the patient (Cohn Larson, 2007). At the time of receiving the information the patient should be able to perceive it in order to make conscious decisions about voluntary consent to medical intervention. Informed consent means that the decision should be made on patients own free will without such external factors as coercion; deception; threat; career, financial or other dependency (Cohn Larson, 2007; Sugarman, 2005). The obtained patients consent to medical intervention should be properly recorded. The current law on health care does not provide as a norm a written form of consent, but since getting informed consent is regarded as the right of the patient and therefore implies corresponding obligations of the doctor, the written form of consent is advisable as evidence of doctors execution of his duties. In case of a court issue or a conflict between patient and doctor, the written informed consent of the patient will guarantee objective consideration of the dispute. Literature review In medical literature, an opinion is expressed that informed consent is a doctors means of legal protection, greatly weakening patients legal position and not representing his or her interests fully. Any treatment carried out without patients informed consent is considered illegal, and if it causes harm, the question of obtaining a refund is solved uniquely. The situation changes when a damage occurs after fulfilling the obligation of providing the necessary information to the patient and obtaining the consent. In this situation the plaintiff-patient has to prove the relationship between treatment and harm beyond the limits of informed consent, or disclose the poor quality, insufficiency, or incompleteness of information, only in this case his or her verbal or written consent loses its meaning (Cockcroft, 2009; Felt, 2009; Sugarman, 2005). The current court practice of the dispute between patients and hospitals fully confirms this thesis. The problem can be solved by developing a certain standard of informing a patient about each type of medical intervention taking into account the existing medical standards for the provision of various forms of aid (Cockcroft, 2009). Standard of informing and the unified form of the document for this type of medical intervention can help to prevent or significantly reduce the number of legal disputes over the insufficiency and incompleteness of information provided to the patient. The lack of standard of informing the patient and the unified mechanism of regulation of issues related to its obtaining and registration prevents both the full implementation of the respective rights of a citizen and the protection of medical employees in case of conflict situations (Hoeyer, 2009). Moreover, in recent years a lot of information has appeared that team paternalistic attitude to the patient reduces the effect of therapeutic measures, that openness and collaboration between doctor and patient in making treatment decisions increase patients chances to survive even with the direst diagnoses, including cancer (Cohn Larson, 2007; Schenker, 2011). There is an article (Cunningham Watson, 2004) about the married couple of Simontons, the administrators of Dallas Cancer Center, who have achieved obvious success in treating malignant tumors by developing in patients the attitudes and belief in the possibility of nonspecific treatment of physiotherapy and occupational therapy. Practicing since 1971, the authors of the method managed in 63 out of 159 people condemned by the official medicine to maximum of one year of dying to completely remove the cancer stress (still alive), and help others to at least double their life span making it 24.4 months against 12 in the control g roup of patients treated by standard methods. That is a polar case of a high efficiency of cooperation of doctors and patients (Cunningham Watson, 2004). Due to the increasing number of lawsuits related to poor-quality medical care, unfavorable outcome of medical intervention, many hospitals are developing their own form of the document that displays the patients consent to medical intervention. Practice shows that the most commonly proof of voluntary consent of the patient to medical intervention is registered in case of delivery paid medical services or performing complex interventions, as well as in outpatient clinics that provide dental care. Lately, the principle of informed consent has been actively used in carrying out such interventions as preventive vaccinations. Further, well analyze the concept of informed consent, figuring out its main elements and effects, as well as discuss the implication of the concept in nursing practice. Antecedents, attributes, and consequences of the concept of informed consent The concept of informed consent was born in the fight against paternalism in the relationship between doctor and patient when it was believed that the doctor was all-knowing, wise, stern father, and the patient was an innocent child, who should unquestioningly obey the opinion of elders. Its appearance is associated with two global processes: the development of universal human rights, when with increasing educational and cultural level of the population each individual as a personality has become aware of his uniqueness and value, and the dissemination of market relations in the sphere of medical care, when a doctor gets into the position of the person who sells medical service, and the patient the person buying it (Sugarman, 2005). The bargaining parties are legally equal. In these circumstances, the seller (doctor) should prove himself that the choice made for the patient is the best available and be able to convince the buyer (patient), conveying his own logic of decision in a way that the latter would understand and believe that doctors actions are intended to cure, rather than just pulling the money. Thus, the risk is shared between the parties: the doctor puts his reputation and professional responsibility at risk, and patients put their health and sometimes their life. In general, the concept of informed consent derives from the general concept of individual rights, formulated at the beginning of the century. In particular, it refers to the right of a free citizen (the first and superior to other rights) to the inviolability of his personality, the right to himself implicitly recognized by all the rest (Steinberg, 2009). This law prohibits a doctor to break out his patients bodily integrity without having the permission. By this we mean that the patient is a person who will continue to live after medical penetration with all the consequences produced by it. And there is no legal obligation to the patient to accept the proposed treatment; in addition, laws do not mention that the patient can be subjected to any curative effects without his informed consent. The rights of doctors also do not include mandate to treat someone who is in need of treatment just in the opinion of doctor. The work of a doctor is certainly complicated by the conditions of the legal protection of personality, but the lack of such protection is not good too. For example, a Muslim fundamentalist will die of the idea that he was poured another persons blood when he was in a severe coma, and his relatives will regard it as lethal sacrilege. Thus, the doctrine of informed consent lies in the fact that before the doctor asks the patient to give consent on implementing an individual course of treatment or procedures that are risky, but have alternative options, especially where the chances of success are low, the patient must be provided with the following information (Cohn Larson, 2007; Hoeyer, 2009): what the proposed procedures are, and what they involve; what the risks and benefits of recommended measures are, specifically emphasizing the danger level of the most adverse outcomes (death or severe disability); what alternative ways of treatment and their risks are; what will happen if a patient do not start or delay treatment; which the probability of success is and what kind of success is expected by the doctor; what possible difficulties and duration of rehabilitation are; what other related information can be provided (answers to patients questions, posing similar cases from doctors experience, etc.) The patients are to be informed about the serious risks that increase their liability in the choice of consent to treatment or alternative treatment or in the direction of the full withdrawal from it. For example, the probability of death 1:10 000 should be mentioned, and the probability of postoperative non-threatening complications may not be mentioned. From a legal point of view, the doctrine increases patients self-involvement and self-determination in decision making and thus, increases its validity. The market buyer-seller relations are supplemented by the specific component of personal trust of the patient towards the doctor. The patient believes that the doctor gives him the full amount of information needed for the success of treatment. Thus, the relationship may assume the character of paternalism: the patient entrusts his fate to doctor at a level children entrust themselves to the care of parents. But this is no longer the same command paternalism that was specific for the past soulless administrative management systems. Still, a lot of discussions are focused around the question on how often patients need to be asked for permission. Courts consider that patients are to be asked in all cases fraught with any serious complications, infection, changes in appearance, etc. For example, a pregnant woman was treated by a dermatologist on a case of spots on her face. The doctor applied the traditional methods, without considering pregnancy, and the spots became more vivid on therapy. The court found the doctor guilty, as he did not see a serious reason for treatment and exposed a pregnant woman to unnecessary risk. First of all, courts ask their experts how necessary the treatment was and whether it did not involve additional risks which could be more significant than the expected success (Walker, 2008). Lawyers also in all cases try to find out whether the patients consent was competent, voluntary, and based on clear information. The problem the competence of concerns both parties. The doctor should not go beyond his competence in explanations. For example, the risk for complex anesthesia should be explained by an anesthesiologist. At the same time, every adult patient should a priori be considered legally competent listener, if he has no restrictions on capacity and is not under the acute influence of alcohol, drugs, etc. The question of the competence of the decision often arises in cases of deliberate incompetence of patients (children, persons found legally incapable because of mental disorders, moronity, senile dementia, etc.). Here, a decision is made by the same schemes with the participation of parents or guardians. For example, regarding homelessness people, the decisions are made by specially authorized social workers. If the family or of the guardianship have no consensus, the question of a single custodian is decided by court (Steinberg, 2009). Voluntariness lies in the fact that when making decisions, especially when signing a written consent or refusal, the patient was not subject to any external pressure (threats, bribery, onerous financial terms). Understanding of the provided information can be difficult to prove, which in judicial practice is known as an example of denial of earlier given evidence. Often the patient finally remembers that the choice was made by him voluntarily (Felt, 2009). But if the doctor initially failed to reconcile the expectations of the patient from treatment with the possibilities of modern therapy, it becomes difficult to resolve such conflicts. There are 4 main cases when the doctrine of informed consent may not be applied: 1. In case of emergency care, where any delay threatens the life or preservation of the health of the patient; 2. If the risks are negligibly low and are well known to all the citizens (e.g., risks of blood test); 3. If the patient knowingly refuses to listen to information about the likelihood of death or severe disability (such a refusal is preferably set down). 4. If the doctor believes that the patient cannot psychologically bear the informational trauma from the message on the discovered disease or health state. In this case, the doctor should ask the patient to whom he entrusts the discussion of health problems and future treatment. In modern terms, this occasion is resorted rarely. It would also be wrong to introduce the patient to treatment, allowing him to read professional literature (Schenker, 2011). Such reading could cause the effect of Mark Twain, who, reading the Encyclopaedia Britannica, discovered he had all the diseases, except for puerperal fever. Besides, the language of medical literature is complicated for an average patient. It can only complexity the understanding of what the patient has to move through and what results he has to wait for and when. However, hospitals and clinics have an internal profilization, and for each doctor, there is a small collection of some standardized technologies and procedures, the description of which is easy in the framework of adopted treatment schemes and within the language understandable to an average literate competent patient. In these booklets of internal use, a patient can find the information on risks, alternatives, and consequences of refusing from treatment. Literate patients are provided with booklets and others come through interviews with nurses (Cohn Larson, 2007; Schenker, 2011). Conclusion. Implications for nursing Nursing personnel makes up the largest category of health workers, and the effectiveness of health care institutions largely depends on their professional knowledge and skills. Important functions of the nursing staff are informing patients about their rights and responsibilities when receiving medical aid, about medical interventions conducted by nursing staff including information about the associated risks, options for medical intervention, their consequences and outcomes of treatment (Higgins Daly, 2002). Discussing situation with the patient and possible ways of its improvement, the nurse should consider the significant point that the patient has the right to accept or reject the suggested treatment and care after receiving the necessary information. Therefore, he should be informed about everything that happened to him, everything that will be done, that he himself or his relatives will have to do, and give the consent. Further, the plan can only include the problems, goals and interventions agreed by the patient. It is desirable that the informed consent of the patient was recorded in nursing documentation. In our case the patient cannot speak, but he understands everything and can by any gesture confirm his consent. The nurse must not only respect the rights of the patient but also tell him about his rights (Higgins Daly, 2002; Informed consent for research in critical care: implications for nursing, 2006). The nurse should write down all nursing interventions, actions on addressing the problem, into a report (usually on the reverse side of the page with the plan). This helps to monitor the activities of nurses and to provide continuity, so that the next shift nurse knew what has been done and what needs to be done. The plan of nursing interventions is made by the nurse, who was on the shift when the patient arrived, but during a shift of some other nurse some additional problems may occur. Then the nurse formulates goals and nursing interventions, and inserts an extra sheet into the folder kept for each patient. If the problem is solved, the corresponding sheet is replaced to the bottom of the folder (Ulrich, 2010). It is recognized around the world that the quality of health care depends not only on doctors, but also on the professional nursing care. Therefore after discharging a patient, all the documentation on the nursing process is stored in the archive together with patient record. It is desirable that a patient had a copy of the plan of nursing interventions, so that he could estimate progress on the way to recovery. In any case, the nurse should discuss the situation with the patient and his relatives, show positive changes, etc. (Higgins Daly, 2002; Ulrich, 2010) In any case, nursing interventions can be very diverse, but one of the major responsibilities of nurses is to clarify the patients understanding of purpose and progress of the upcoming treatment and his consent to the procedure. In general, the doctrine of informed consent is the most modern form of the union of medicine with the people, the reflection of the most humane inclusion of medicine for the benefit of living, constantly renewing humanity. Only the further development of the principle of voluntary informed consent to medical intervention, its wide application in medical institutions can help to protect the legal rights and interests of both patients and medical professionals.

Affirmative Action :: essays research papers

AFFIRMATIVE ACTION I. â€Å"We didn’t land on Plymouth Rock, my brothers and sisters – Plymouth Rock landed on us!† Malcolm X’s observation is brought out by the facts of American History. Snatched from their native land, transported thousands of miles – in a nightmare of disease and death – and sold into slavery, blacks were reduced to the legal status of farm animals. Even after emancipation, blacks were segregated from whites – in some states by law, and by social practice almost everywhere. American apartheid continued for another century.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In 1954 the Supreme Court declared state-compelled segregation in schools unconstitutional, and it followed up that decision with others that struck down many forms of official segregation. Still, discrimination survived, and in most southern states blacks were either discouraged or prohibited from exercising their right to vote. Not until the 1960’s was compulsory segregation finally and effectively challenged. Between 1964 and 1968 Congress passed the most sweeping civil rights legislation since the end of the Civil War. It banned discrimination in employment, public accommodations (hotels, motels, restaurants, etc.), and housing; it also guaranteed voting rights for blacks in areas suspected of disenfranchising blacks. Today, several agencies in the federal government exercise sweeping powers to enforce these civil rights measures.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  But is that enough? Equality of condition between blacks and whites seems as elusive as ever. The black unemployment rate is double that of whites, and the percentage of black families living in poverty is nearly four times that of whites. Only a small percentage of blacks ever make it into medical school or law schools.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Advocates of affirmative action have focused upon these differences to support their argument that it is no longer enough just to stop discrimination. Liberal Democrats feel that the damage done by three centuries of racism now has to be remedied, they argue, and effective remediation requires a policy of â€Å"affirmative action.† At the heart of affirmative action is the use of â€Å"numerical goals.† Opponents call them â€Å"racial quotas.† Whatever the name, what they imply is the setting aside of a certain number of jobs or positions for blacks or other historically oppressed groups. Conservative Republicans charge that affirmative action really amounts to reverse discrimination, that it penalizes innocent people simply because they are white, that it often results in unqualified appointments, and that it ends up harming instead of helping blacks.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The issue of preferences to address historical patterns of racial, ethnic, and gender discrimination has received a great deal of attention nationally.

Reflection on Culture Shock

Last class, the professor let us see a picture. The picture tells us unlike America, Canada likes salad; different people can go into its culture and do not need to throw its own culture, like a melting pot. I think this metaphor is very vivid. In my eyes, Canadian is more friendly and more kind than American. When I get on the bus, I see various people from different countries. And they talk about something together, very happy and harmonious. If we bump somebody at school accidently, you will find that before you say sorry to him, he will say sorry to you. At first I feel strange about that. I bump to him, why he don’t angry and say sorry to me? When I back home I ask my home stay mother, she said Canadian is very polite. If you get lost and ask a guy how to get the destination, he will tell you in detail as if he is afraid of you getting lost. Few days ago, after I had supper in East, I want to buy some Korea food, I know there has a supermarket near the restaurant, but I do not know how to get there. So I look around to think the way. Then a man came to me and asked: â€Å" Can I help you? You look confused just now. Where do you want to go? † I told him the name of the supermarket and he said follow me, I lead you to there. I appreciated him and got there. So from my experience, I like this diverse cultural atmosphere, I always think that I am a lucky dog I come to this big culture family!

The Shame of Family Films

The The Shame of Family Films In the article â€Å"The Shame of Family Films† the author, Julia Baird, discusses how there is a lack of female heroines or female main characters in children’s movies. She then goes on to describe a study done by Stacy Smith and Marc Choueiti at the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism at the University of Southern California, who analyzed 122 family films, including the fifty top-grossing ones during the years 2006 to 2009, ranging from G to PG-13. In the study they found that 29. 2 percent of the characters were female.They also found that one in four characters were portrayed â€Å"sexy, tight, or alluring attire†, which was compared to one in twenty-five male characters. The author then went on discuss how many women were found behind all these children’s movies. She referred to a study called The Annenburg Study that was commissioned by Geena Davis Institute and it found that the percentage of animators who were female, the percentage of women who form crowd scenes in family films, and the percentage of female narrators were all seventeen percent. Related article: Shame is Worth a Try SummaryThis article made me think back to the movies I watched as a child and I realized that a lot of those movies were also sexist. Many of the movies were and are made with traditional gender roles set in them. They portrayed a feeble main female character that was saved by a strong male character or a main character was a very strong minded male who was assisted by a female sidekick. I agree with Baird that there is a lack of heroines in children’s movies. Many children may continue to follow the traditional gender roles because of the movies they watch.Boys will think that they are suppose to be strong, powerful, and intelligent and the girls will think that they have to be weak and that even if they are strong and have power, a male will always have more power. I would like to see more female characters in children’s movies not abiding by the traditional gender roles because I think little girls should know that they can give boys a run for their money when it comes to becoming strong and powerful. I grew up with the traditional gender roles and I hated that I had to.I didn’t like when my brothers and I would play â€Å"doctor’s office† or â€Å"school†, I had to be the nurse or teacher when they were able to be the doctor or principal. It made me feel like I was second best compared to them and I don’t think any little girl should feel the way I used to feel. Every child should feel like they can become whatever he or she wants and should not limit themselves because of the gender roles many are taught as a child. Reference: http://www. newsweek. com/2010/09/22/why-family-films-are-so-sexist. html

Boxes and Boxing

Boxes and Boxing Boxes and Boxing Boxes and Boxing By Mark Nichol Is there any connection between the word for a usually square or rectangular container and the name of the contact sport called the sweet science? The pugilistic sense of box may be related to the botanical one and therefore to the general sense of an object in which something is situated or enclosed, but no direct relationship has been traced. However, this post explains the etymological origin of the word in both senses and provides some definitions and usage examples. Box is ultimately from the word pyxos, the Greek name of the box tree, by way of the Latin term buxis. The wood of the box tree, also called boxwood, is used for making things- including, naturally, boxes. (The tree itself is used for hedges and topiary.) Now, however, a box can be made of virtually any material, and though most boxes consist of square or rectangular faces, they come in many shapes. By extension, the word has come to refer to seating compartments for spectators at a sports or performing-arts event, receptacles for mail (though mailbox may refer to both physical and electronic correspondence, and â€Å"letter box† is used in British English), a manually drawn or electronically produced square or rectangular space, or the defined space in which a batter stands while at bat during a game of baseball. (There is also a catcher’s box adjacent to the batter’s box, and the pitcher’s mound, from its origin as a boxed area, is still sometimes referred to as â€Å"the box.†) Box is also a verb meaning â€Å"place in a box,† the act of enclosing something in a box is boxing, and boxy is an adjective meaning â€Å"resembling a box.† In addition, many terms incorporate box as the first or second element in an open or closed compound (for example, â€Å"box office† and hatbox). Boxing Day, a holiday in the United Kingdom and various countries that were part of the British Empire, is said to stem from the tradition of giving boxes containing money or presents to servants and tradespeople on the day after Christmas (or near the holiday). But in the United States, the holiday is not observed and is little known; boxing is in American English solely a reference to the sport in which fists are used to strike or defend oneself from an opponent. The term derives from the verb box, which means â€Å"beat, strike, or thrash with one’s hands or fists.† Box itself can be a noun in this sense, though it is rarely used as such. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:20 Words with More Than One Spelling15 Great Word GamesCapitalizing Titles of People and Groups