Political science Essay

Political federalism is a concept of political philosophy where by member groups are bound with a central governing head. Federalism is also often used in describing a government system that has its sovereignty being divided constitutionally between a central authority of government and political units such as states and provinces. Federalism is the system that involves sharing of the power to govern between state and national governments, hence creating what is commonly known as Federation. The proponents of federalism are referred to as federalists. Democracy is a form of government whereby the basic personal as well as political rights are guaranteed by the constitution. In democracy, the constitution must also guarantee fair and free elections as well as independent law courts. Read more: How does federalism guard against tyranny essay For full democracy to be experienced in any state some basic requirements such as guarantee of basic human rights, separation o powers, freedom of speech, opinion, pres and mass media religious liberty, and good governance must be fulfilled. Federalism enhances democracy and this can well be explained by the public choice theory. It has been clearly argued that individuals are able to participate more and in direct way in the smaller political units as opposed to a unitary government (Elazar 89). In addition, individuals who may be dissatisfied with conditions of a certain smaller state as unit are free to move to another state. This has been believed to promote freedom of movement as well as freedom of expression among the citizens. Promotion and encouragement of such freedom results to enhancement of democracy in a federal system. Moreover, federalism is believed to limit or rather prevent arbitrary action from the entire state, simply by applying the principle of due process. It limits the power that can be exercised by the government and enhance access to the rights by the citizens since it discourages any legislature that wishes to restrict liberties through in access to constitutional power (Elazar 112). Again, the legal process of decision making of federalism limits the speed with which action can be taken by the government. Through federalism the US senators who initially use to be appointed by the legislators of the state are now voted in their seats by the popular vote of each single state. This has enhanced the democracy of the citizens whereby they can now participate in the free and fair elections of their senators. In the United States, federalism is the government system in which power is divided between the government of such state and a central government. The undermining of the federalism by the US constitutions is clearly expresses by the fact that the US constitution is clearly expressed by the fact that the US constitution does not define nor explain the concepts of federalism in any one of its sections (Elazar 54). This was overlooked due to the fact that the states were known to be pre-existing entities. There is also very narrow interpretation of some parts of the constitution such as in the commerce clause, supremacy clause, and the necessary clause. Due to this narrow interpretation, federalism is entitled to jurisdiction only in the constitution grants it. The US constitution also has the power of not delegating to the federal government. The reserved powers are channeled to the people or rather the state. Conclusion. Federalism is an important form of political philosophy that is exercised in several states in the world. It has promoted democracy to a great extend especially in the US where by the citizens have been able to participate in free and fair elections as well as enjoying the freedom of movement and speech within the single states. The US constitution should therefore be reviewed to ensure that it does not underpin federalism. Reference. Elazar J. Exploring Federalism.University of Alabama Press

Martin Luther King Jr’s “A Time to Break Silence” Essay

Dr. Martin Luther King Jrs essay A Time to Break Silence was a small but significant piece of his life and career as a minister, Nobel Peace Prize winner, husband, father, civil rights activist, president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, and an important historical figure for future generations. In this essay, Dr. King discusses why the Vietnam War is important to him. He starts with his first reason, is that he felt like the military had given a promise of hope to the poor, when the government didnt really have the funds or intentions to fulfill their dreams. He felt that the war was almost like an attack on the poor, because it lured them to their death, in a sense. His second reason is recognizing the reality of the war and its impact on the families it affected. Again, he felt like it was an attack on the poor, and especially African Americans, because the government thought they were good enough to fight with white soldiers, leave their families, and die for the country, but not good enough to ride the same bus, go to the same, schools, or have the same equality. Thirdly, he writes about how people need a deeper understanding of war, and need to know that it wont solve all of their problems. He then delves into the fact that although he is a civil rights leader, he still cares about these issues because of the people that it affects. He this talks about the responsibility he carries by receiving the Nobel Peace Prize, and how he feels that it is similar to a commission, and a commitment to work harder for the brotherhood of man. He then goes on to speak about his religious feelings towards the war, and says that it is a privilege and a burden to be human. In the last line of his Importance of Vietman segment, he says For no documents from human hands can make these humans any less our brothers. I feel that his quote has multiple meanings. Taken from his religious views, he follows the teachings of Christ, who is supposed to be the voice for the weak, the voiceless, the victims, ect. I feel this quote also refers to his moral views of treating people equally, and believing that no matter what race, all humans deserve  respect. He begins the next segment of his essay, Strange Liberators, he speaks of his compassion for the people affected by the war. He wonders what the Vietnamese people think of America , and talks about how the U.S government oppressed the Vietamese people because the U.S didnt feel like they were ready for the freedom of running their own government. The U.S and French government poured money into controlling Vietnam , and the U.S ended up paying most of the expenses. This segment basically analyzes the hypocrisy of the U.S, because they were destroying lives and communities, and not actually focusing on liberating Vietnam . The Vietnamese people were treated poorly, and faced the choice of a concentration camp or death. Dr. King compares the treatment of the Vietnamese people to that of the Jews by Germany under Hitlers rule. Dr. King then proclaims that the madness and suffering of the Vietnamese people must end for things to move forward. He speaks of how the war will make the world see America as a place of militarism and violence. He then brings up things that he thinks would help to end the conflicts, such as stopping bombing, removing foreign troops, and accepting the realities of the war. In his next segment, Protesting the War, Dr. King talks about churches, synagogues, and communities bonding together to protest the war, and how American government officials are making peace impossible because they arent willing to give up overseas investments. He feels that America is too materialistic, and that a true revolution of values would soon change the ideals of the people, because war is not the way to peace, justice, and love. He felt that if change was not made, America would approach a spiritual death. He felt that rather than bombing to end communism, America shouldve tried to make positive steps to defeating communism. In the last segment of his this essay, The People are Important, Dr. King says that we must support the revolutions, and make the final analysis of our loyalties. He says that love is the ultimate force of life, and is a  necessity for man. He says that we can no longer afford to hate. Henry Thoreaus essay Civil Disobedience is similar to Dr. Kings, becauseThoreau also feels like the government is run by the majorities, and not the conscious of the people. He feels that the majorities decide right and wrong in the government, and that it is unfair and unjust. Like Dr. King, Thoreau feels that the military is just a tool to the government, disposable lives, an army of machines. Thoreau disagrees with the government, and feels like it is too involved in peoples lives. In conclusion, both essays relate well and give evidence of the wrong doings and mistakes of the government at their time period, and that have and will carry into the future. Work Cited/ Bibliography: King, Martin Luther. A Time to Break Silence. Literature and Society. Ed. Annas, Pamela J. and Rosen, Robert C. Upper Saddle River , New Jersey : Pearson Education Inc, 2007. 1098-1103. Thoreau, Henry. Civil Disobediance. Literature and Society. Ed. Annas, Pamela J. and Rosen, Robert C. Upper Saddle River , New Jersey : Pearson Education Inc, 2007. 1423-.

Succubus Shadows Chapter 4

I spent the whole morning waiting restlessly for Roman. Surely he had to come home at some point to sleep, right? Of course, being part greater immortal, he'd have a lot of the traits of his angelic parentage – and angels and demons never needed to sleep. Roman could likely get by on very little rest and simply chose to sleep in as often as he did for the fun of it. I left a message on Jerome's cell phone, which was useless more often than not. I also kind of wished I hadn't parted from Carter so soon. Caught up in the Pictionary absurdity, I'd totally forgotten about my siren song encounters. Indeed, I'd nearly written them off until last night's repeat. But if Jerome was hard to get a hold of, Carter was impossible. He kept no cell phone and seemed to take personal pride in showing up at unexpected moments. Left with no other options, I called my friend Erik. He was a human who ran a store specializing in esoteric and pagan goods. He was often my backup for bizarre supernatural situations, sometimes knowing more than my friends did. As I dialed his store's number, I couldn't help but marvel at the circles my life seemed to run on. I was repeating the same pattern over and over. Something weird would happen, I'd fruitlessly attempt to contact my superiors, and end up seeking Erik for help. â€Å"Why the fuck does this keep happening to me?† I muttered as the phone rang. Cody never got stalked by paranormal forces. Neither did any of the others. It was like I was specifically being targeted. Or cursed. Or simply imbued with bad luck. Yes, my life was a never-ending spiral, doomed to repeat the same patterns of annoying immortal threats – and miserable romantic situations. â€Å"Hello?† â€Å"Erik? This is Georgina.† â€Å"Miss Kincaid,† he said in his usual genteel voice. â€Å"A pleasure to hear from you.† â€Å"I need your help with something. Again. Are you around? I wanted to swing by before work.† There was a pause, and then I heard regret in his voice. â€Å"Unfortunately, I have to run errands and close the store today. I'll be back this evening. When do you finish work?† â€Å"I'll probably be free at ten.† Another evening shift. â€Å"I can meet you then.† I felt bad. His store usually closed around five. â€Å"No, no†¦that's too late. We could try tomorrow†¦.† â€Å"Miss Kincaid,† he said gently, â€Å"I'm always happy to see you. It's no difficulty at all.† I still felt guilty when we disconnected. Erik was getting old. Shouldn't he be in bed by ten? Nine? There was nothing to be done for it now, though. He said he'd do it, and I'd seen him when he was obstinate. I had nothing to do but wait now and hope Roman would surface before I had to work. When he didn't, I simply left him a note saying I needed to talk to him immediately. It was the best I could do. At work, no one was out or – best of all – hungover. I was caught up on my paperwork, which gave me a lot of free time. Whether that was good or bad, I couldn't say. It kept me from messing up my job but merely left me in a cycle of rumination. It was nearly closing time when I noticed Seth at his usual station in the caf? ¦. Maddie had worked the day shift, which meant I didn't have to face their cute couple antics. He caught my eye as I walked through, and against my better judgment, I sat down across from him. â€Å"How goes it?† I asked. My usual romantic fixation with him was put on pause when I saw that he looked agitated. He tapped the screen in annoyance. â€Å"Bad. I've been staring at this screen for two hours and haven't gotten anything done.† He paused. â€Å"No, that's not quite true. I ordered a Wonder Twins T-shirt and watched some videos on YouTube.† I smiled and propped my chin up in my hand. â€Å"Doesn't sound like a bad day's work.† â€Å"It is when it's been going on all week. My muse is an ungrateful harlot who's abandoned me to actually come up with my own plots.† â€Å"That's a record for you,† I observed. I'd seen him have fits of writer's block when we dated, but it never lasted more than a few days. â€Å"When's your deadline?† â€Å"Not for a while, but still†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He sighed. â€Å"I don't like to be stalled out. I'm not really sure what to do with my days if I'm not writing.† I started to say that he must have wedding stuff to do but then thought better of it. I kept to lighter topics. â€Å"Maybe it's time to pick up a hobby. Fencing? Origami?† That slightly bemused smile that was so characteristic for him crossed his lips. â€Å"I tried latch hook once.† â€Å"You did not.† â€Å"I did. Do you know how hard that is to do?† â€Å"It's actually pretty easy,† I said, trying to hide my laughter. â€Å"Kids do it, you know. Your nieces could probably do it.† â€Å"They can. And you're not making me feel better.† But those beautiful brown eyes were amused. I studied them for a moment, loving the way they would sometimes turn amber. A moment later, I snapped myself out of my lovesick spell. â€Å"There's always dancing,† I said mischievously. This made him laugh too. â€Å"I think we've proven how futile that is.† I'd tried twice to teach him how to do it – swing and salsa – all with disastrous results. Seth's talents lay in his mind, not his body. Well, upon further consideration, I realized that wasn't entirely true. â€Å"You haven't found the right kind,† I said. I'd given up on hiding my grin. â€Å"What's left? Riverdance? Square dancing? And do not even suggest jazz. I saw Newsies and was traumatized for, like, five years.† â€Å"Harsh,† I said. â€Å"You could still probably wear your T-shirts with jazz dancing. I know you must have a ‘Dancing Queen' shirt somewhere.† His shirt today sported Chuck Norris. â€Å"Unless, of course, you wanted some variety. Square dancers have some pretty sweet costumes.† He shook his head in exasperation. â€Å"I'll leave the dancing getup to you. And no, no ‘Dancing Queen' shirt yet – though I do have an Abba one. I think a ‘Dancing Queen' shirt would be better for you anyway, not me.† His eyes moved from my face to what he could see of my body at the table. â€Å"You look like you could go dancing right now.† I started to feel myself flush at his gaze and immediately utilized shape-shifting to nix it. The unseasonably warm weather lent itself to sundresses, and I had another on today. It was a cream-colored trapeze, sleeveless with a keyhole top that may or may not have been showing managerial-appropriate cleavage. He wasn't ogling me or anything, but I had learned long ago that Seth was good at keeping his emotions off of his face. I wondered what went through his mind. Simple aesthetic admiration? Lust? Disapproval of non-managerial cleavage? â€Å"This old thing?† I asked breezily, uncomfortable for reasons I couldn't explain. â€Å"You were wearing that color the first time we met.† He suddenly seemed embarrassed. â€Å"Not sure why I remember that.† â€Å"You don't,† I said. â€Å"I was wearing purple.† Now I felt flustered to remember that. He frowned in a way I found cute. â€Å"Were you? Oh, yeah. I guess you were. The violet top and flowered skirt.† Every detail. If he'd mentioned me wearing a snakeskin jacket, I might have passed out. Yet, I had a feeling he did remember that. Probably my shoes and the way I'd styled my hair too. An awkward silence grew. I might have been keeping the flush off of my face, but there was warmth spreading through me. And only half of it was desire. The rest was something else†¦something sweeter and deeper. I cleared my throat. â€Å"What's the book about? Cady and O'Neill, right?† He nodded, looking grateful for the subject change. â€Å"The usual. Mystery and intrigue, sexual tension and life-threatening situations.† He hesitated. â€Å"It's the last one.† â€Å"I – what?† I felt my jaw drop. Whatever romantic feelings that had been stirring in me immediately got pushed to the back burner. â€Å"You mean like†¦the end of the series?† Seth had written a lot of mysteries over his career, but Cady and O'Neill – his intrepid art and archaeology explorer duo – was his flagship series. â€Å"Why?† He shrugged, eyes moving back to the laptop screen. â€Å"Because it's time.† â€Å"How†¦how will you make your living?† His smile turned wry as he looked back up at me. â€Å"I've written other books that aren't about them, Georgina. Besides, you don't think my fans'll have enough faith to follow me to a new series?† â€Å"True,† I said softly. â€Å"We'll follow you anywhere.† I'd meant to say â€Å"they'll,† but it was too late. â€Å"I hope so,† he said, averting his eyes for a moment. When he looked back, I saw a spark of excitement. â€Å"But I'm actually into doing something new. I've got this idea – and it's really great. I just want to lose myself in it, you know?† I did know. I'd seen him forget parts of his real life plenty of times while caught up in a book. I wondered if this new project he was so enthusiastic about would intensify that zeal. â€Å"So you've got the ending for Cady and O'Neill figured out?† I asked. â€Å"No,† he said with a sigh, glow dimming. â€Å"That's the problem. I don't know how this is going to end.† I suddenly wondered if he was still talking about the books. Our gazes met again, and whatever might have come next was interrupted when Beth appeared at my side. â€Å"Georgina? A friend of yours is here to see you.† My heart leapt. Roman. Roman had read my note. His advice on that eerie siren song was about the only thing that could have dragged me away from Seth. I sprang up from my seat, giving Seth an apologetic look. â€Å"I've got to go.† He nodded, some troubled emotion in his eyes that I couldn't identify. That troubled me in return. He might be good at keeping his emotions off of his face, but at one time, I'd been pretty good at figuring them out. â€Å"No problem,† he said. Wistfulness? Was that the mystery emotion? I couldn't ponder it any longer. Roman was more important. I took the steps downstairs two at a time, anxious to see him. But when I reached the registers, where Beth had said my friend was waiting, it wasn't Roman I saw. It was Cody. Or, well, I think it was. It took me a moment to figure it out. He was dressed all in black – and not just jeans and a T-shirt. We were talking full regalia: a studded-leather jacket, steel-toed boots, and an – ugh – mesh shirt. His blond hair had black streaks in it, and heavy black eyeliner and lipstick over white foundation completed the look. I didn't know what to say, so I simply grabbed his arm and dragged him into my office before anyone else could see him. â€Å"What the hell are you doing?† The sun had only just gone down, which meant he must have doubled the speed limit to make it here so quickly. â€Å"I'm here to see Gabrielle,† he explained, casting an anxious glance at my doorway. â€Å"Where is she? I wanted to get here before you guys closed.† â€Å"She's not working tonight.† His face fell, but I couldn't help but add, â€Å"And honestly, I think that's a good thing.† â€Å"Why? Peter had a copy of The Seattle Sinner, and after going through it, we thought this would be the way to get her attention. He helped dress me.† â€Å"Wait. Peter had a copy of – ? Never mind. I don't want to know. Believe me, you would have gotten her attention. But I'm not sure it'd be the kind you want.† Cody gestured to his attire. â€Å"But she's into this scene. You said yourself that she dresses all in black.† â€Å"Yeah,† I admitted. â€Å"But yours seems†¦I don't know. Overdone. People like her are always on the lookout for wannabes. You try too hard, and you'll just put her further off.† He sighed and slumped into my desk's chair, dejected. â€Å"Then what am I supposed to do? That newspaper was my only lead.† â€Å"Well, for starters, don't let Peter dress you again. Ever. As for the rest†¦I don't know. Let me ask around and see if I can get you more to go on. Just please don't wear this outfit again.† â€Å"Okay,† he agreed. Just then, Doug stuck his head in. It wasn't his night to work, so I was kind of surprised, but not nearly as surprised as he was. â€Å"Hey, Kincaid, I had a question about the schedu – Jesus Fucking Christ! What is that?† â€Å"It's Cody,† I said. Doug walked gingerly into the office and peered at Cody's face. â€Å"Well, I'll be damned. It is. I thought it was the ghost of Gene Simmons.† â€Å"Gene Simmons isn't dead,† said Cody. â€Å"Cody's trying to impress Gabrielle,† I explained. Doug opened his mouth, no doubt to comment on the impossibility of that, but I held up a hand to stop him. â€Å"Yeah, yeah. I know. What did you need?† Doug needed to switch some shifts, and without his ladylove around, Cody decided to leave. I let him out the back door, not wanting to cause a panic in the store. Once the schedule was set, Doug and I bantered about the Cody and Gabrielle situation. Before long, I lost track of time, and closing announcements were being made on the intercom. Doug said his farewells – half afraid I'd put him to work if he stayed – and I set off to finish my own tasks. My meeting with Erik was getting closer, and I felt a mix of excitement and apprehension. An hour after the doors were locked, staff began to go home. I made one last sweep of the store and found Seth still sitting in the caf? ¦. No surprise. My coworkers could never bring themselves to kick him out when we closed. He'd actually gotten locked in once and accidentally set off the alarm. I walked over to his table, noting the enraptured look on his face as his fingers danced along the laptop's keys. â€Å"Hey, Mortensen,† I said. â€Å"You don't have to go home, but you can't stay here.† It took almost thirty seconds for him to look up, and even then, he seemed surprised to see me. â€Å"Oh. Hey.† I could feel a smile playing on my lips. This was picture perfect Seth behavior. â€Å"Hey, we're all closed down. Time to go.† He glanced around, noting the dark windows and lack of people in the store. â€Å"Oh, man. Sorry. I didn't even notice.† â€Å"I take it the muse came back?† â€Å"She did.† â€Å"So you know how it's going to end now?† â€Å"No. Not yet.† I walked Seth to the back door and armed the alarm before letting myself out. He told me good-bye, and if he'd had any dreamy affection for me earlier in the night, it was gone now. His characters now consumed his heart. It was something I'd had to accept when we were together, and watching him walk down the street, I decided that was how it should be. Seth's writing was too much of his being. I let my own dreamy affection go and drove up north of the city to Erik's store. I still felt a little bad about him meeting me so late, but the lights in his windows gleamed out into the night. And inside, the usual music and incense were going strong, just as they would during business hours. Glancing around, I didn't see him right away. Then, I noticed him kneeling down in front of some palmistry books. â€Å"Hey, Erik.† â€Å"Miss Kincaid.† He rose to his feet, but the motions were jerky and unsteady. And when he finally turned to face me, there was a gauntness in his dark-skinned face that hadn't been there the last time I saw him. My instinct was to rush over and support him, but I had a feeling he wouldn't welcome that. Still, I asked the obvious. â€Å"Are you okay? Have you been sick?† He gave me a gentle smile and began moving – slowly – toward the store's main counter. â€Å"A passing cold. They seem to last longer than they used to, but I'll be fine.† I wasn't so certain. I'd known Erik for a long time†¦. I'd lost track of the years, actually. It wasn't an uncommon thing with mortals, one that often blindsided me. One moment they'd seem young and healthy†¦the next, they were old and dying. It never hurt any less, either. Part of the reason Seth had broken up with me was to spare me the pain of that loss because I began growing overly paranoid about his well-being. Now, watching Erik, I felt even worse for keeping him out so late. I also felt bad because I realized I never visited except when I needed something. When had I last seen him? Months ago, when Jerome had been summoned. I'd sought Erik's help then and hadn't been by since. â€Å"Tea?† he offered, just like always. â€Å"No, no. I don't want to delay you,† I said. I leaned against the counter and felt relieved when he settled down on a stool. â€Å"I just wanted to ask you a couple things. Something weird happened.† I almost laughed as the words left my mouth. That was such a typical opening statement for me. Again, that earlier thought returned: my life was one big circle, repeating and repeating. I gave him the rundown on my weird encounters with the unknown and – for the large part – indescribable force. He listened carefully, bushy gray eyebrows knit into a frown. â€Å"I hate to tell you this,† he said when I finished, â€Å"but there are probably a number of things that could describe.† â€Å"Surprise, surprise,† I murmured. That was more a commentary on my life, not his abilities. â€Å"The fact that your†¦uh, friend couldn't identify it is intriguing.† Erik was one of the handful of people who knew Roman was in Seattle. Erik had no interest in Heaven and Hell's policies and wouldn't be tattling anytime soon. â€Å"Of course, he lacks the full skill set his relatives have. I don't suppose you've spoken to any greater immortals?† I shook my head. â€Å"No. They're notoriously absent, as usual. I think I'll be seeing Jerome soon.† He'd probably want to check in with Roman. â€Å"So we'll see then.† â€Å"I'm sorry I don't have any ready answers. I never seem to.† â€Å"Not in the beginning,† I said. â€Å"But you always come through in the end. More patterns.† â€Å"Hmm?† â€Å"Nothing,† I said with a small sigh. â€Å"Sometimes I just feel like the same things are happening to me over and over. Like, even this siren thing. Why me? In the last year, I've been targeted over and over. What are the odds? Why does this keep happening?† Erik's eyes studied me for several moments. â€Å"There are some people around whom the powers and supernatural beings of the world will always circle. You appear to be one of them.† â€Å"But why?† I asked, surprised at the childish tone in my voice. â€Å"I'm just another succubus. There are tons of us out there. And why recently? Why only in the last year?† It had to be the cruelest joke in the world that all these paranormal mishaps had started happening right when my romantic ones had. Apparently, one source of pain just wasn't enough. â€Å"I don't know,† Erik admitted. â€Å"Things change. Forces move that we can't see.† He paused and coughed, making me wince. How sick was he? â€Å"Again, I feel like I'm useless to you.† I reached out and gently squeezed his shoulder. â€Å"No, no. You're invaluable to me. I don't know how I would have gotten by all these years without you.† This earned me a smile. Wanting him to go to bed, I picked up my purse to leave. As I was heading to the door, he suddenly said, â€Å"Miss Kincaid?† I glanced back. â€Å"Yeah?† â€Å"Do you still talk to Mr. Mortensen?† The question caught me by surprise. Erik had been intrigued when Seth and I were dating, marveling at the connection between a human and a succubus, though he didn't have the crazy obsession that Carter used to. â€Å"Sure. Sometimes.† My earlier conversation with Seth came back to me, the ease and warmth that had surrounded us. â€Å"And things are amicable?† â€Å"More or less.† Aside from his impending marriage, of course. â€Å"That's good. It doesn't always happen in these situations.† â€Å"Yeah, I know. Although – † I bit off my words. Erik tilted his head, studying me curiously. â€Å"Although what?† â€Å"It's amicable, except sometimes†¦sometimes this whole situation with him. It's like having my soul split in two.† â€Å"Understandable,† he said. Those eyes burned with compassion, and I felt tears spring up in my own. â€Å"I'm sorry I brought it up. I was just curious.† I assured him it was okay and said good-bye again. The mention of Seth and the recollection of being with him earlier had made my mood go melancholy. I drove back to West Seattle, miserable that I'd be helping with his wedding tomorrow and worried over Erik's sickly state. As heavily as those thoughts weighed on me, they immediately flew from my mind as soon as I walked into my living room. â€Å"Roman!† He sat on the couch as he had last time, now eating a microwavable chicken pot pie. The TV was on, but he didn't seem to be watching it. When he looked up at me, he didn't wear that amused, teasing look. His expression was dark. Troubled, even. â€Å"I've been waiting for you to get home,† I exclaimed, tossing my purse and keys to the floor. â€Å"You won't believe what happened.† Roman sighed. â€Å"No, you won't believe what happened.† â€Å"Yeah, but this is – â€Å" He held up a hand to interrupt me. â€Å"Let me get this out first. It's been driving me crazy.† I swallowed my impatience. â€Å"Okay. I'll bite. Does it have something to do with Simone?† He nodded. â€Å"Yeah. I followed her tonight to this twenty-four-hour coffee shop called Bird of Paradise.† He eyed me carefully. â€Å"Do you know it?† Now I felt a frown creeping over my face. â€Å"Yeah†¦it's in Queen Anne, right around the corner from Emerald City. What was she doing there? I mean, aside from getting coffee?† Roman's expression turned darker and – unless I was mistaken – sympathetic. â€Å"She was there hitting on a guy,† he said. â€Å"Seth.†

Managing the brand Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Managing the brand - Essay Example Once this phase is achieved the brand needs to ensure that the customer appreciates the brand. Finally the customer needs to become familiar with the brand such that it chooses the brand again and again (Chernatony, McDonald & Wallace, 2010, p.452). Perception: Human beings perceive based on their interpretation. According to the concepts of perception, the sense organs of human beings allow them to create interpretations of various situations, other human beings, and objects. Although theoretically it might be true that two individuals observing a same thing have same perception, but in practicality the perceptions might be different. Such perceptions might occur consciously or at times unconsciously (Ott, 2003). Competitive Positioning: Michael Porter’s five forces model explains how the positioning of a brand depends on the five forces. These five forces include the new entrants in the market, the bargaining power of the buyers, bargaining power of the suppliers, the substitutes and the competitors in the industry. These five factors together decide how a brand is positioned in the market as well as in the minds of the consumers with respect to its competitors (Hax, 2009, pp.208-210). Brand: The meaning of a brand can be understood from the perceptions and impressions that get reflected by a company and its products or services. It is the pledge that a company undertakes in order to serve its customers and provide them with their needs and demands. Thus a brand represents a company and a company is known to its customers by the name of the brand that it carries (Brand Definition, 2011). In the current business world of huge competition accompanied by the varying changes in the needs and demands of the customers, it can be understood that the perceptions of the customers are also changing, particularly with newer brands entering the market in greater levels. The competitive positioning also

Slavery Caused Freedom Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Slavery Caused Freedom - Essay Example In America's history, the events surrounding the story of Jamestown and Plymouth are among the most important. They involve the story of the English settlers who went on a voyage and landed the shores of America. These stories became the points of reference of the culture of America. Also, in the century-long gap between the stories of these two civilizations and the Declaration of Independence from England, that means that the original settlers already passed away, and there was no original settler to tell the story --- leaving everything to the latter generations of people who never actually witnessed the events themselves. Plymouth is actually considered as the origin of American democracy because the Pilgrims allowed objections in the midst of struggles between democracy and theocracy (Morgan 35). Jamestown, on the other hand, was founded on purely economic agenda, and it encouraged further colonization, because it showed the Englishmen that one can sustain a colony away from one 's original lands. The impact here is long decades of slavery for the African people. Also, for the Indian natives, it seemed to be the end of their culture. However, one also cannot deny that is during the Jamestown civilization that a more open social order started. The political, social and military history of colonial America affected the evolution in several ways. One way to analyze the political struggle towards independence is to look at the colonial settlement and political history of the USA.   This way, one can see what brought about the changes in the government that led things to where they are now. Foner even states: â€Å"eventually, they would be accorded the right to self-government, although no one could be sure how long this would take. In the meantime, 'empire' was another word for 'exploitation'†

Managing uncertainty Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Managing uncertainty - Essay Example In addition, millennial are more willing to take risks and highly educated compared to the preceding generations. These differences are bound to result in some friction at the workplace, where in the past it has been noted that organizations have opted to leave them to resolve themselves. However, this is proving to be unfruitful as millennial are leaving the workforce to start their own businesses and operate as consultants. Having realized their importance, organizations have to identify ways of attracting and retaining this workforce as well as ensuring they work in cohesion with the older generation (Cahill et al 2012, p.4). Popular social science has attempted to categorize the living generations into five- matures/veterans or builders, baby boomers, and the subsequent generation X, Y and Z. Presently, baby boomers, generation X and Y are the ones actively engaged in the workforce. Every generation is identified with its own unique traits with the baby boomers- born between mid- 1940s and mid-1950s, and builders- usually in their late 60s and 70s, sharing a similarity of being able to work for long hours in a structural manner. Whilst the rest are known for being flexible, having an increased understanding of technology and overall seeking a balanced life, the latter being particularly so for generation X born between mid-1960s to early 1980s. The challenge for HR professionals lies in striking a balance between meeting the needs of an organization and the burgeoning expectations of the multigenerational workforce. Mostly, generation Y and Z desire to have a flexible work schedule that implies them not being tied to the office a whole day. Notably also, organizations are faced with the uphill task of recognizing and dealing with the competing issues of generation Y and Z and the clients/customers which may not be mutually exclusive. HR managers have to recognize and appreciate the different points of view held by a multigenerational workforce (Mitchell 2008 , p.666). Organizations have to re-examine their needs and goals from a holistic standpoint and design a job description that will offer employees an opportunity for growth along with various responsibilities; which in turn will result in them being retained and satisfied in their job. This is complicated by the fact that there will be miscommunications, misapprehensions and detachments in a multigenerational workforce, with respect to work commitment and entitlement. In addition, operational areas such as frontline employees have had to be restructured as management practices have evolved over the years and modes of communication have changed from top-down, task-based instructions to linear contemporary ways of communicating. Clerical positions have also become unnecessary owing to efficiencies created by recent office technologies. This implies that certain positions have become redundant and employees who have been with an organization over a long period will need to have their p rior positions reconsidered. HR managers should look to their strengths and allocate new responsibilities accordingly as opposed to letting them go as their experience creates an opportunity for mentorship to the younger, incoming workforce (Mosley & Kaspar 2008, p.94). Furthermore, HR managers have

Qualitative and Quantitative Research Methodologies Essay

Qualitative and Quantitative Research Methodologies - Essay Example Unlike research studies in other fields, studies in health and social sciences involving the use of human subjects requires greater caution. The Helsinki Declaration of the World Medical Association declares that, though progress in health-related fields requires research and experimentation involving the use of human subjects, considerations related to the 'well being of the human subjects should take precedence over science and the society' and that the primary objective of such studies, involving human subjects, is to better understand and improve on diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, and to better understand the causes and progression of diseases (WMA, 2000). Furthermore, the drive towards evidence-based practice in several fields has also meant that professional decision must be made on the basis of the best available evidence (Crawford et al., 2002). Putting all these factors together, it becomes obvious that making use of the most appropriate research instruments/methodology is not only important for the validity of the final result, but also for the utility and relevance of the result findings to professional practice. This fact has meant that deciding the best research methodology for any particular research effort is one of the most important decisions of a researcher. Obviously in response to this trend, over the decades, several research methods have been developed, while existing ones have been continually refined to meet the demands of the modern researcher. However, quantitative and qualitative research methodologies though composed of an array of several, and at times contrasting principles; have stood the test of time, in a number of research fields (Murphy, 2000). Therefore, the purpose of this essay is to argue in favour of the use of qualitative and quantitative research methods/methodologies to assess 100 risk factors collected over a period of five years based on interviews and considered as the primary data for a research study. To achieve this, the rest of the paper will be structured thus: the next section will define and briefly explain the concepts of qualitative and quantitative research methodologies; this will be followed by an analysis of the difference and similarities of these two methods of inquiry. The third section will examine the benefits of using qualitative and quantitative research methods in the research study at hand that is, assessing 100 risk factors collected over a five year period through interviews; in the light of other research methods like phenomenology and others. This is intended to show that qualitative and quantitative research methods are better suited for the study at hand. The last part of the essay wil l present the concluding remarks. According to Lindsay (2002), considering the fact that the ultimate goal of risk assessment is to achieve a health impact, through understanding the aetiology of disease conditions to effect a reduction in mortality and morbidity due to the risks, and thus, achieve an improvement in health (p.571), research studies involved with risk assessment are therefore better presented and more useful in quantifiable terms. As a result,

Explicative Style Paper on The Lack of Islam in American Public Term

Explicative Style on The Lack of Islam in American Public Schools and the Struggle of Muslim's to gain their own American - Term Paper Example These include the assimilation degree of the Muslims into society, national identity, and religious and civil law inter-relation. One avenue for finding a balance between security and identity issues with diversity tolerance in the society. The United States’ ideal, contending â€Å"out of many, one†, has assured that Muslims can participate in the maintenance and improvement of America as a culturally pluralistic democracy (Moore 286). However, the question arises as to the effects of the war on terror on American assimilation of Islam, both in the education system and society. This paper will argue that there is wanting progress on assimilating Islam into the education system while the formation of an Islamic-American identity is a struggle. The Lack of Islam in American Public Schools Religious illiteracy among American teachers has made it likely that teachers in the system will harbor generalizations and prejudices concerning Islam, which hinder the attempts to acc ommodate Islam in the education system (Aown 1257). Such bodies have long identified the basic requirements that Muslims need to uphold their Islamic faith in public schools as the Council on Islamic Education. These bodies have also raised vital issues that need to be on Islam and State that have now become difficult for public schools resolve. However, some of the state sponsored schools have found it difficult to make some of the accommodations that have been identified. At the heart of this issue is the extent to which the requirements and needs of Islam can be represented in the education system. Another issue that has held accommodation back is the failure of the teachers to understand whether the First Amendment’s establishment clause, prohibits the American state from accommodating religious groups to exercise freely. The religious belief requirement in the First Amendment’s free exercise clause could cause friction with the establishment clause when the studen t wants to practice his/her beliefs in a public school (Aown 1258). The teaching fraternity must ensure that the requirement for belief not to be hindered must be in balance with sensitivity not to give overwhelming state support for specific beliefs (Aown 1259). Some Americans are of the belief that, as long as support by the state is not preferential, then it is all right, whereas others believe that state support is not acceptable. However, it is possible to make thoughtful and sensitive accommodations easily without raising any questions to do with the constitution. For example, it may be possible to allow Muslim students for them to wear modest clothes, or even allow them to skip some social activities without any violation of school policies. In addition, some schools allow Muslim students to be absent for some religious holidays, although this is not widespread. While this accommodation may be considered a reasonable accommodation, some teachers resist it, mostly because they do not understand Islam and the importance of these holidays. Accordingly, some local district and state schools have been criticized for refusing to assent to these holidays (Aown 1259). This can be improved by placing Islamic holidays together with holidays for other religions for teachers to plan on the school calendar. While some schools have began to implement excusal policies that let Muslim

Majority decision in a democracy Research Paper

Majority decision in a democracy - Research Paper Example This paper looks at how decisions are reached in a democratic state and argues that a decision by the majority does not necessarily always yield optimal results. This is because the majority of people may not have access to crucial information for making informed decisions. This conundrum of how best to govern people has confounded sages for ages going back to the times of the ancient Greek philosophers. Various types of government styles were tried in order to find the ideal and perfect form of governance that will give the best results in terms of stability, peace and contentment for all citizens. Governance can be considered as a social experiment in which various governance structures are tried to see which works best. Governmental forms are part of the larger political systems of a country. Among the various forms that were quite common before (with some still existing today in hybrid forms) are monarchy, oligarchy, plutocracy, timocracy, autocracy, anarchy, democracy, socialism and republicanism, among many others. The most common form of political system prevailing in the world today is democracy. However, its being common does not necessarily confer it is a superior political system; all that can be said about democracy is that it is the best option until a better alternative can be found that best fits the objectives of a country when it comes to the issue of governance. The ideal form of government must achieve the triple purposes of peace, stability and contentment where issues and concerns of all citizens are adequately answered. This paper attempts to point out the defects and deficiencies of a democracy and also offers an exciting alternative form of rule which is the elitist type of rule. The word elitist often invites a derisive connotation but it actually offers a better prospective form of governance. Elitism is not bad per se as it envisions a rule by people best qualified to govern the rest of the people. It does not imply exclusivity as any one who qualifies to be a member can become one. Discussion Plato (427-347 B.C.) during his time had already seen the weaknesses of democracy. This was the reason why he advocated for a different form of government – that of the rule by the chosen few, the aristocracy. His version of aristocracy is not what we think of it today that is based on owning vast tracts of land or being fabulously wealthy; rather, an aristocrat is the person who had been educated in philosophy and therefore knows a lot about virtues and in the exercise thereof, will lead people into wealth and happiness. The classical definition of the word aristocracy, as far as Plato was concerned, is a rule by the best persons of a society. This idealistic state of government is rather very utopian in aspirations, though. Plato had given up on democracy as virtually chaotic as he had seen some of its effects on Athenian society in his time, such as some occasions of mob rule and how the electorate or the general populace put into office during an election people who were not well qualified. A fairly strong dislike of democracy led to his criticisms that it will eventually lead to tyranny. In a sense, he was right on this aspect, as democracy can be considered as a form of tyranny, that is, tyranny by the majority on the minority. Further, Plato had only seen the nascent forms of democracy during his time in which it would still naturally and expectedly be chaotic. He had not seen how modern democracy works today in which safeguards are in place. He had regarded democracy as a poor form of government, much inferior than monarchy itself. What Plato instead argued for strongly was aristocracy, in order to put the best people into government positions and let them make all the important policy decisions. He thought that aristocrats are the best people to govern because they

Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 2

Assignment Example Globalization and Agreement or Disagreement on the Issues Wright’s argument was that globalization is a force that has ultimately contributed to why the 9/11 attacks occurred. Wright is saying that if there were more financial equality in the Middle East, then perhaps there would not be rioting and all kinds of dissent among people in the Arab world regarding savage inequalities. These inequalities are problems like poverty and high populations, and not enough resources. Perhaps one of the greatest issues, however, that concerns the Middle East is how poverty has affected the people. People in these regions feel very upset that they are being ignored. Take, for example, the current situation in Syria. These people, hundreds of thousands of them, have been left to die at the hands of Bashar Assad. The president of Syria thinks that just because he can kill people, he should kill people. He hedged a bet that no one would stop him, and he was right. He is figuring on being able t o kill a lot of defenseless, innocent people just because he can. ... America’s â€Å"Grander Mission† and Its â€Å"Deep and Subtle Moral Challenge† What is America’s â€Å"grander mission†? It seems that America’s grander mission would be to help those less fortunate than itself. However, that is not always the case, sadly. While in the U.S. we attempt to give aid to those who most need it, unfortunately what the case is is that we are drowning in a budget deficit that threatens to send us off the edge of a fiscal cliff. While America’s greater or grander mission is to help those who are less fortunate, we must also realize our deep and subtle moral challenges. Those moral challenges include: taking the moral high ground; having interest in situations where they do not necessarily benefit us financially but are still situations in which people need help; and not benefiting from the suffering of others. One of America’s biggest issues is that its leaders only do things that are for their own bene fit or America’s benefit. For example, one of the key reasons America does not have a vested interest in helping the Syrians is because they have no oil. They have no resources to offer the U.S. in return for what the Americans would do for them. And, unfortunately, that kind of reciprocity is exactly why the U.S. got involved in Libya and Iraq—because the oilfields there would have jeopardized the oil deliveries to the U.S. and other countries. The key word here is the United States. Anything affecting the United States directly are what we consider our best interests. Unfortunately, that is a selfish policy that our leaders execute while forgetting about people who are suffering elsewhere that have just as valid plights from which they

Rhetorical Strategies Essay Example for Free

Rhetorical Strategies Essay It is noticed that Margaret Atwoods every latest narrative story produce a fastidious enthusiasm as she has looked target on damaging expectations of the readers of what the narrative will be akin to or in other words the perspective. It is not correct in the case of The Blind Assassin that brought prominent Booker Prize for Atwood. The perspectives of the story in the Blind Assassin explode into movement with the provocation of the aspiration for a rationalization of the anonymity articulated in its opening verdict: Ten days after the war ended, my sister Laura drove a car off a bridge. (Atwood, p1) The Blind Assassin prompts its readers that a chief exposure will come as the rhetorical strategy of using perspective of this lengthy story by building a first-person description that make an impression on readers into a contest with Iris Chase Griffen to shape anonymity earlier than she depict the blameworthy gathering. Additionally, in view of the fact that Iris is creating a diversity of confessional chronicle, the reader is animated by the craving to forfeit concentration to the rhetorical device of perspectives which will join Iris to the lady in the story-within-a-story. Iris symbolizes herself as a historian, investigating the proceedings causing her sisters perceptible suicide. Simultaneously, the storyline must be cautious not to create the rhetorical device of perspectives of the clues so apparent that the person who reads misplaces attention by precipitately forming the responds to the mystery aspects of the novel generated in start of the story. The case of Laura Chases suicide is extremely dissimilar seeing from the start Iristhe narratives I who is as well its eye delicately converse the discern rhetorical device of perspective of both what origin the suicide and even who the offender is. The extraordinarily length of the narrative propose that it will be likely in the completeness of time to be acquainted with the reality, but simply by setting up what led up to Lauras abrupt end. The rhetorical device of perspective of the stratagem of The Blind Assassin is deposit in movement by its conclusion, a conclusion that guides to consider Iris is acquainted with the reality however will not expose until the appropriate moment. This is a narrative that a great deal relates to time and rhetorical device of perspective of the story, and about moment of time in the manner that timing is vital to knowing. The rhetorical device of perspectives toward which the story gradually guides could all be completed at the beginning well ahead of this extended story complete it. On the other hand, their rhetorical device of perspective of the truth would be reduced without the slow preparation for the climax. And with the reveal of the climax perspective it is suitable to revolve for a short time to a narratologist whose outlooks elucidate the reading of this story. The Blind Assassin appears to be self intentionally functioning in this male description concept with its storyteller who has a heart, to make use of that traditional expression, and who consequently seems to be contesting in opposition to the perspective of time to finish her storytelling prior to bereavement forecloses the prospect of supplementary life for storytelling. This fact creates a sagacity of deception for the reason that the readers know that Iris has to stay alive to finish the narrative, from the time when she is the solitary survivor of the disaster of a five decades previously. For that reason, the person who reads this narrative turns out to be concerned in the craving of this description to shift rapidly toward its ending, and nevertheless not too rapidly, for the reason that the climax may well be the climax of the storyteller’s life. In this approach the description appears mannish in the sagacity of sketching its readers into the perspective of contradictory requirements to hasten to the culmination and moreover tarry to extend the enjoyment of the narrative. The story makes coating upon coating of craving: the wish to know ultimately why Laura Chase suicide, a wish challenge by the wish of her sister Iris as storyteller to prevent that antagonizes for which in a variety of senses the cost is death. Additionally, it should be kept in mind that Iris is not merely a storyteller but also a writer, even though an unappreciated one. It might also be disputed that this narrative is itself a narrative, expressing description as an illustration of chronicle but also elevating some charming perspectives about narratives. Works Cited Atwood Margaret, The Blind Assassin: a Novel, Anchor (August 28, 2001), 544 pages, ISBN-10: 0385720955

Eating - Custard Essay Example for Free

Eating Custard Essay Melt in Your Mouth â€Å"Perhaps like falling in love, eating is passion wearing a semblance of decorousness, when delicacy is out of reach because the palate had just been ambushed into helplessness. † mentioned by Merlinda Bobis in her novel Banana Heart Summer. I heard this quote from my brother John, and ever since then I fell in love with it. My brother and I share the same passion when it comes to food. We can never get enough of it. Food for the two of us brings us joy that takes us in a journey together and it strengthens our bond as brother and sister. Just like food, love is one of the main ingredients in every human being to be able to live life melodiously. Food and love go hand in hand with one another; it produces pleasure and satisfaction for everyone. My brother and I are always in the hunt for the best dessert place in town. When I found out that he discovered this specific dessert place in Downtown, San Diego, I got very excited to go and try it out. That same day my brother took me out to this restaurant called Extraordinary Desserts. When we got there, there was a long line of people standing outside waiting to order to-go and or to be seated at a table. The hostess told us the wait is going to be an hour, so we waited, since we both wholeheartedly enjoy eating desserts. The hostess finally called my name and the wait was totally worth it. Then we set foot in the restaurant, I felt stunned since the decoration was striking, lavish and was the proper place to celebrate desserts. I walked in the restaurant and I felt like a kid in a candy store. There were so many varieties from cakes to ice cream. Now, I know why this place is so busy and packed with people waiting just to satisfy their cravings. There were so many choices to choose from that I became indecisive on what I wanted to order; however, one dessert rose up to the occasion. I felt like heaven sent me a sign to pick the perfect one just for me. The waiter approached us and asked what we would like to order. I ordered the creme brulee; my brother ordered it as well. He was very pleased that we ordered this specific dessert. It was evident that all the people around the town enjoyed this dessert. The waiter did not take that long to bring us our order. They were decorated with a nest of caramelized brown sugar on top. Inside contained a rich cream and flan like filling. Flan is usually a sweet or savory filling. It is similar to a custard tart. Creme brulee is also known as burnt cream. The dessert was so inextricably linked to French dessert, that I could smell and taste every ingredient and it was so gratifying. Taking a spoonful of the creme brulee in my mouth was the most pleasing cream I ever had. I had eaten so much that literally I could not take another bite. It was like a burst of rainbow after the rain. It completely takes away all the stress and sorrow that I might be feeling at that moment; and, turned it into a smile and contentment. Now, when I am asked about what is my favorite dessert ever, it is very enjoyable to recall. It is the creme brulee especially made from Extraordinary Desserts. This is a memorable dessert that I have ever eaten, but also one of the most pleasant memories of my life is experiencing it with my brother who shares the same love on exploring and trying new food. We always enjoy each others company where ever we go. We like to reminisce about our childhood and our trouble-maker years while enjoying the mouth-watering creme brulee. I can say that I am one of those people who love to eat and are in a state that is simply breathtaking being in love. Both food and love is the core of my heart right now. They both inspire me to be a better me. Food fulfills my physical body while Love replenishes my spirit. Love to me is like eating. Eating has different tastes, and so as love. We cannot live without food and love in life.

Influence on a River Rates of Discharge

Influence on a River Rates of Discharge Introduction The analysis of river ‘flow regimes’ has evolved into a fundamental aspect of the Geographical discipline. The contemporary geographer is aware of how a complex system of factors can influence a river’s rate of discharge. Factors Influencing Flow Regimes The six constituents of the hydrological cycle effect river flow regime. These are precipitation, infiltration, evaporation, transpiration, surface run-off and ground water flow.[1] Veissman and Lewis have noted the complexity of this cycle by stating: ‘paths taken by precipitated droplets of water are many and varied before the sea is reached.’[2] Precipitation levels vary in accordance with a variety of factors; such as latitude, altitude, vegetation cover and micro-climatic particularities. However, precipitation is relatively uncomplicated to measure and thus grants the most data.[3] Ingle Smith and Stopp have highlighted that a river’s discharge is ‘related to precipitation but complex.’[4] Indeed, there is always a ‘time lag’ from the commencement of heavy periods of rainfall to a marked increase in river discharge.[5] The duration of time lag will depend upon the infiltration capacity of the soil in the river’s catchment area, as well as local topography and the presence of vegetation. Rivers obtain the majority of their water supply via the process of ‘through flow.’[6] Through flow occurs when water held within the soil gradually travels to the river channel and explains why, even during dry periods, ‘few rivers or streams cease to flow.’[7] Vegetation plays a vital role in the character of river regimes. Surrounding plants and trees intercept precipitation and influence the amount of water which will ultimately pass to the water way.[9] Rain water may land on foliage or dead organic matter and evaporate, or be absorbed by roots in the soil. These processes constitute the phenomenon known as ‘evapotranspiration.’[10] Forests have a balancing effect on the hydrological cycle and restrict a superfluous quantity of water entering the river channel during periods of heavy rainfall.[11] In colder climes, such as the Tiaga region, the shade from trees can prevent rapid snow melt causing flash floods.[12] Deforestation has had a marked influence on the nature of river regime characteristics. Comparison of Discharge Values The correlation of the mean monthly discharge values of specific river regimes, in different locations, imparts much fascinating information. The discharge value of a river is measured in cubic metres per second (mà ¯Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ³/sec).[13] The River Suir of the Republic of Ireland and the River Thames of Great Britain both exhibit very similar flow regimes of a uni-modal nature. The two rivers are situated in the north western European temperate zone and flow levels peak in January and ebb in July in tandem with the wet and dry seasons. On an annual basis the Suir has a mean monthly flow rate of 54.250 mà ¯Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ³/sec and the Thames has a rate of 61.583 mà ¯Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ³/sec. The greatest deviation from mean rate occurs in January. During this month the Thames exhibits a discharge rate of 110mà ¯Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ³ /sec whilst the Suir’s rate is 92mà ¯Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ³ /sec. The month of July provides the lowest discharge rate for both water ways: 2.98% of total annual discharge passes through the Thames, whilst it is 4.45% for the Suir. The Mediterranean zone offers a distinct form of river regime flow pattern. The Vinalopo River, which is situated in South East Spain near the town of Alicante, illustrates this actuality. Unlike the rivers of northern temperate regions, the Vinalopo’s range of discharge is more extreme, ranging from an average level of only 25mà ¯Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ³ /sec in September to a substantial 410mà ¯Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ³ /sec in January. This represents a range of 385mà ¯Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ³ /sec. Indeed, the greatest deviations from the monthly mean value of 197.417mà ¯Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ³ /sec take place in the winter, during January (410 mà ¯Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ³ /sec) and February (380 mà ¯Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ³ /sec), and in late summer, in August (30 mà ¯Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ³ /sec) and September (25 mà ¯Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ³ /sec). The mighty Yenisey River of Russia runs from the town of Kyzl in Southern Siberia and traverses theWest Siberian lowlands before entering the Kara Sea 388km away to the north.[14] Mean monthly discharge is 17,916.667 mà ¯Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ³ /sec, and peak discharge of 76,000 mà ¯Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ³ /sec occurs in June, which constitutes 35.35% of total annual discharge in one month.. From November to April average discharge is only 4,750 mà ¯Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ³ /sec and this six month period provides only 13.25% of total annual flow. Discharge rate increases abruptly in spring, peaks in June, and ebbs dramatically from July (28,000 mà ¯Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ³ /sec) to October (15,000 mà ¯Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ³ /sec). Thus, the Yenisey displays an entirely different regime to that of the Thames, the Suir and the Vinalopo. Base flow occurs during April and peak flow during June, and represents an astonishing range of 72,000mà ¯Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ³ /sec throughout the year. South East Asia is home to the Brahamaputra River which flows from high in the Himalayan Mountains before meeting the Ganges River in the delta of southern Bangladesh.[15] Like the Yenisey River, the Brahmaputra also crosses an array of climatic regions. A peak discharge rate of 43,120 mà ¯Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ³ /sec occurs in August and constitutes 18.64% of total annual discharge. This represents the largest deviation from a mean monthly discharge of 19,277.50 mà ¯Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ³ /sec. Base flow is recorded at a rate of 4,190 mà ¯Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ³ /sec in February and represents a flow range of 38,930 mà ¯Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ³ /sec. The Bramhaputra is comparable to the Yennisey as flow trend ebbs in winter and increases in spring and summer. However, flow peaks later in the year and the period of November to April constitutes 17.58 % of total annual discharge, which is slightly higher than that of the Yenisey. The range of discharge rate of this water way is also not as extreme as that of the Yenisey River a nd is more dissipated throughout the months of May to October. The Congo (Zaire) River is the fifth largest river in the world and is situated in central Africa.[16] The river flows through zones of tropical rainforest and savannah. The flow regime of the river is bi-modal due to its situation in the tropics. Discharge peaks at 73,600 mà ¯Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ³ /sec in December which constitutes 15.73% of total annual discharge. The secondary May peak of 62,100 represents 13.27% of yearly discharge. July witnesses a base flow level of 21,600 mà ¯Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ³ /sec. Thus, the range of flow discharge is 52,000mà ¯Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ³/sec. Discharge follows an entirely different pattern to the aforementioned water ways. The volume increases and decreases twice on an annual basis. It rises from March to May and from July to December, respectively, and ebbs during the interim periods. Climatic and Regional Influences Each of the six river regimes exhibit these particular annual flow patterns due to the specific climatic and environmental factors which prevail within their catchment areas. The Thames and Suir regimes are situated in the temperate forest biome which experiences ‘warm moist summers and mild winters.’[17] Precipitation occurs throughout the year and peaks during the winter.[18] This is why both rivers experience the highest levels of discharge in January. Evapotranspiration peaks during the summer, but the heavy peaty soils continue to provide supplies of stored water to the rivers via the process of through flow.[19] The Alicante Mountains north and west of the town of Alicante rise to a height of almost 1600 metres and influence the flow regime of the Vinalopo River. Precipitation levels increase with altitude and, during the autumn and winter rains, the river discharge rate rises as water enters the main channel via mountain tributaries. Evapotranspiration rates far outbalance rainfall in the hot months of July and August when temperatures around the town of Elche can reach as high as 26à ¯Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ °C. Thus, discharge is severely reduced to only 2.33% of total annual discharge in August and September. Indeed, during this period of base flow the river benefits little from through flow as moisture in the arid Mediterranean soil is quickly evaporated upwards. The local demands of the population and vegetation also decreases the water table in the lower lying regions of the Vinalopo catchment. For example, the large incidence of palm trees surrounding the town of Elche naturally reduces the water budget in the region during the dry Mediterranean summer. The flow regime of the Yenisey river is influenced by the continental climate of the Asiatic land mass, which experiences great extremes of temperature.[20] As temperatures gradually rise in the spring time, after the bitterly cold winter, snow melt in the mountains, and ablation of glaciers, causes a surge in discharge. The water from the melting precipitation and ice cannot be absorbed by the permafrost, which underlies the soil, and thus runs off directly to the river and its tributaries.[21] Permafrost will also melt as temperatures rise providing an additional source of water via through flow. The discharge rate of the Brahmaputra River also increases in March and April due to Himalayan snow melt entering the river regime.[22] The monsoon rains commence in April and continue until October. During this period up to 200cm of precipitation can fall and the Brahmaputra is ‘swollen by June or July.’[23] Such a high influx of water explains why discharge increases rapidly. Non-equatorial tropical river systems experience higher rates of precipitation during the summer months and a considerable reduction in winter.[24] Indeed, only 9.54% of total annual discharge flows through the Brahmaputra from December to March. The flow regime of the Congo River is unique amongst the six river regimes as it is of a bi-modal nature, ebbing and flowing twice annually. Precipitation levels are bi-modal[25] and peak at the time of the equinoxes in March and April.[26] This is due to the tropical equatorial location of the river, and discharge rate exhibits a marked increase after these months. Indeed, rainfall is continuous throughout the year and the annual level in Kasangani, Democratic Republic of Congo, is approximately 170cm. This factor highlights why the monthly discharge rate never drops below 4.7% of the total annual volume. Temperature remains practically constant at 25à ¯Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ °C along the route of the Congo throughout the year due to the absence of seasonality in this biome.[27] Conclusion The discharge levels of the Suir, Thames and Vinalopo rivers all correspond with increased levels of precipitation in the winter and reduced precipitation in the summer. The range of discharge in the Thames and Suir is much less than that of the Vinalopo. This is due to the fact that they are situated in a temperate climate and do not experience the extremes of high temperature, altitude and rainfall which exist in the Mediterranean environment. Increased autumn and winter precipitation rates on the Alicante mountains, and the dry hot summers, are responsible for a flow discharge rate which ranges from 410mà ¯Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ³ /sec in January to only 25mà ¯Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ³ /sec in August. Mountain ranges also influence the discharge rates of the Brahmaputra and Yennisey Rivers profoundly. Snow melt and glacial ablation at high altitudes cause a surge in discharge during the spring months in both rivers. However, discharge reduces to 6,000 mà ¯Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ³ /sec on the Yennisey by November and this is due to the onset of the severely cold continental winter. Precipitation in the Siberian mountains is now frozen, and overland and through flow to the river channel is severely reduced. The monsoon climate of south east Asia ensures that the discharge of the Brahmaputra remains high for a longer period of time. In November average discharge is still 11,735 mà ¯Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ³ /sec; almost double that of the Yennisey. Thus, total annual flow is dissipated over a longer time period than the more extreme ‘freeze/thaw’ trend of the Yennisey regime. The Congo has a very different annual discharge trend to the other rivers due to its situation in equatorial Africa. The bi-modal rain season ensures that discharge rises and falls twice on an annual basis. The Congo has the highest total annual discharge of all the rivers. It is almost double that of the Brahmaputra and this is testimony to the incessant precipitation of the equatorial tropics. Bibliography CHARLESWORTH, J. K. Historical Geology of Ireland, Oliver and Boyd, 1963 Pages: 439, 439 DEWDNEY, J. C. A Geography of the Soviet Union, Pergamon Press, Third Edition, 1979 Pages: 5, 7, 13, 18, 20, 29, 31 FACAROS, D. PAULS, M. Spain, Cadogan Books Ltd, Second Edition, 1989 Pages: 18, 160 FORBARTH, P. The River Congo, Seeker and Warburg, 1978 Pages: 4, 5 GANDERTON, P. Mastering Geography, MacMillan, 2000 Pages: 311, 313, 315, 317 GOUDIE, A. THOMAS, D. S. G. The Dictionary of Physical Geography, Blackwell, Third Edition, 2000 Pages: 209, 405 HOLDEN, J. An Introduction to Physical Geography and the Environment, Pearson Education Ltd, 2005 Pages: 37, 39, 178, 179, 183, 185, 186, 189, 193, 194, 196, 301, 309, 312, 328, 470, 471, 476, 531 INGLE SMITH, D. STOPP, P. The River Basin, An Introduction to the Study of Hydrology, Cambridge University Press, 1978 Pages: 15, 19 VEISSMAN, W. LEWIS, G. L. Introduction to Hydrology, Pearson Education Inc, Fifth Edition, 2003 Pages: 2, 3, 9, 10, 27 NICHOLSON, R. Nicholson’s Guide to the Thames, From Source to Sea, Robert Nicholson Publications Ltd, Second Edition, 1974 Pages: 4, 5, 6 WEIGHTMAN, B. A. Dragons and Tigers, A Geography of South, East and South East Asia, John Wiley and Sons, 2006 Pages: 191, 193, 194, 195 WHITE, R. Africa Geographical Studies, Heinemann, 1984 Pages: 44, 45, 46, 167, 169, 170, 171, 286, 396 National Geographic Atlas of the World, National Geographic Society, Sixth Edition, 1995 Pages: 74, 83, 94 1 Footnotes [1] W Viessman, G L Lewis, Introduction to Hydrology, Pearson, 2003) 2 [2] W Viessman, G L Lewis) 3 [3] D Ingle Smith, P Stopp, The River Basin, An introduction to the Study of Hydrology, Cambridge, 1978) 15 [4] D Ingle Smith, P Stopp) 15 [5] D Ingle Smith, P Stopp) 15 [6] J Holden, An Introduction to Physical Geography and the Environment, Pearson, 2005) 312 [7] D Ingle Smith, P Stopp) 15 [9] D Ingle Smith, P Stopp) 9 [10] J Holden) 39 [11] D S G Thomas, A Goudie, The Dictionary of Physical Geography, Blackwell, 2000) 209 [12] D S G Thomas, A Goudie) 209 [13] W Viessman, G L Lewis) 9 [14] National Geographic Atlas of the World, National Geographic Society, 1995) 74 [15] National Geographic Atlas of the World) 83 [16] National Geographic Atlas of the World) 94 [17] P Ganderton, Mastering Geography, MacMillan, 2000) 314 [18] J Holden) 328 [19] J Holden) 328 [20] J C Dewdney, A Geography of the Soviet Union, Pergamon, 1979) 7 [21] P Ganderton) 311 [22] B A Weightman, Dragons and Tigers, A Geography of South, East and South East Asia, Wiley, 2006) 195 [23] B A Weightman) 195 [24] J Holden) 328 [25] J Holden) 328 [26] R White, Africa Geographical Studies, Heinemann, 1984) 169 [27] R White) 167

Free Argumentative Essays: Euthanasia :: Physician Assisted Suicide

Euthanasia Euthanasia means gentle or easy death for those who are incurably ill and in pain. So should a person have the right to take another person's life or his own when he/she is incurably ill and in pain. That is what whole of Australia is trying to decide. The N.T all ready has passed a law that legalise euthanasia in that state. Now other government leaders and members are in support of this are pushing for an Australian euthanasia law. Christian Groups and Anti-Euthanasia have seen euthanasia as a sin and a choice that no-body should make. Some doctors have taken ill patients life's as a request from the patient should this now be openly done.    On the 18/06/96, The head of the NT chapter of the Australia Medical Association, Dr.Chris Wake, and Aboriginal leader Rev.Djiniynni Gondarra   put   forward the NT euthanasia law .But was dismissed by the NT Supreme Court. After appealing and with the support of three major party leaders the law was passed.   Prime Minister John Howard disapproved with the Law and saying that he has no problem reconciling his views on federalism with his views on life and death by voting to over turn the law. Also   Kevin Andrews was strongly not in favour and with Howard's support he  Ã‚   introduced a bill overriding the N.T laws. But still in the end the law was still standing. If our leaders are divided we could say that the citizens of Australia would have been divided on this Issue. Maybe a referendum would have been appropriate, but still euthanasia would still occur illegal and secrecy.    Christian groups and Christian have strongly supported their view on euthanasia , they have seen it as a sin. For a Christian his life is not just his because his life is part of god's. In the Bible, chapter of (Romans 14:18) it states "If we live ,we are responsible to the Lord and when we die we are responsible to the Lord. Both in life and death we belong to the lord. Christian view the death of a human person as their turn to meet god." As Christian Rights groups and Anti- euthanasia believe in   these views they have protested in a number of occasions

Reason Why Elections Are Less Democratic :: essays research papers

Reason Why Elections Are Less Democratic The reason why elections are less democratic is because some people say that money is taking away from our well known democracy, but in other instances we have the greatest democracy compared to other countries of our vast magnitude. Throughout the nineteenth century campaigns were ran and geared toward the party. Instead of voting for a person you were voting for an individual party either federalist or democratic-republican. Today, in the twentieth century, we vote for the candidate and their true character or what they have to offer us. To run a successful campaign now-a-days you need money, a good pollster, well organized debate, direct mail, and positive publicity. â€Å"Money is the mother's milk of politics† if you don't have you aren't going to go any where. Campaign money is received part from federal and part from private donors in a presidential election, but congressional elections are all private donors. Most of the money for a congressional leader comes from individual donors, but they also have political action committees (interest groups) that raise money for their campaign. Presidential candidates also raise money from individual donors because the federal government will match them dollar for dollar. Reform has been successful in the fact that it minimizes some fat cat buying his or her own pet politician, but it also takes away from the parties, provides an advantage to wealthy challengers, gives advantages to candidates with high ideological appeal, penalizes those who start late in the campaign, and helps incumbents and hurts challengers. The Democratic Party has more registered voters so logically the democrats should win. The reasons why they don't always win is because those who are democrats are not firmly stuck with their party like republicans are, republicans also do better with the independent voters, and more republicans actually come out and vote than democrats. Realigning elections are also known as critical elections. It happens when a major party suffers such a defeat (because of a major issue that comes about and separates the party) that it disappears or it is the shifting of voters between major parties. There has been three major realigning elections: 1860, 1896, and 1932. In 1860 it was the slavery issue, in 1896 it dealt with economic issues, and in 1932 it occurred because of an economic depression. Some people say we are getting ready to have one because of the effects of the New Deal, but others say it won't happen again because party labels have lost their meaning. For any given party to win an election you must retain your old voters, but

Patron-Artist Relations in the Renaissance :: essays research papers fc

Patron-Artist Relations in the Renaissance   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The subject of artist-patron relations has been a touchy one since the beginning of the phenomenon. Nowadays it does not take such great precedence, as the artist leans more toward a personal, individual type of art typical of freelance. Serious commissions exist only in public art and architecture, where the needs and feelings of a large group are considered. Artist and patron must work out a compromise as to what is acceptable and also respects the aims of the artist. The patron in this case generally has the last word, as demonstrated by Richard Serra’s â€Å"Tilted Arc† controversy in the mid-80s where the artist’s piece was actually removed from its site because of public objection. However, nowadays the artist is insured against such damages, which was not the case in the beginning of the Renaissance, when artists were just starting to make a name for themselves. At this time, artists still depended greatly on patronage for a living and fought to distinguish themselves from the guild system. They still succumbed to religious guidelines and subject matter which generally limited their exploration of more personal means of expression, but with the rise of secular art collectors such as the Medici, we see a more modern artist-patron relationship emerging. By so distinguishing themselves in their field, patrons gave them certain leeway in commissions. Patrons and artists worked together, the patron outlining material, size, and general subject matter, but leaving aesthetic decisions concerning composition up to the best judgment of the artist--- the master--- himself.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Although there is evidence of a lord-servant type of relationship between the patron and artist in several documents--- Domenico Venenziano writes to a lead Florentine patron, speaking of his â€Å"low condition† and how â€Å"duty-bound† he is to the patron ; Matteo de’ Pasti writes to his patron about specific details concerning the subject matter of a work, referring to himself as the patron’s â€Å"least servant† who wishes to obey his â€Å"master† ; Fra Filippo Lippi writes to Cosimo de’ Medici that he is â€Å"here entirely to be a slave to you† --- one must remember that Italy was still working out final kinks in a new middle-class-minded capitalist system, and dredges of the medieval system of feudalism still influenced aristocratic patrons. The artist could be building up trust and good relations so that he may be referred to other commissions and

Membership in the field of counseling

The discipline of mental health has had a long history of challenges and controversies. In the past decade we have seen an active progress in the way mental health professionals have been recognized and clearly identified as a separate discipline from psychiatry or clinical counseling. Moreover, legislations to promote the welfare of mental health counselors have been lobbied for as well as setting up standards for education, training, certification and practice of the profession. One of the most active proponent for the professionalizing of the mental health discipline is the American Mental Health Counselors Association, the organization have enabled the setting up of a professional organization exclusively for mental health counselors, the setting up of a national certification program for mental health counselors, the accreditation of educational institutions that provide training in mental health education and the setting up of a national system of state licensure (Messina, 1999). The AMHCA have become the primary voice of all mental health professionals in the country and it continues to work for the betterment of the profession and to protect those who are engaged in the counseling profession. As a mental health student, I realized that it is important to join professional organizations not just for certification or to meet licensing requirements. I believe that professional organizations are like the federal government that oversees the conduct of the profession and sets ethical guidelines and standards of practice much in the same way that the government upholds the constitution. Becoming a member of a professional organization would give me a clear direction of what my professional responsibilities are and what limitations I need to be aware of, it would also help me delineate the services that I can offer to my clients given the kind of training and education that I have. It also would keep me abreast of the recent developments in the mental health discipline; it provides trainings and workshops, research funding and a stable support group for the mental health counselor. One of the objectives of the AMHCA (2004) is to work with educational institutions that provide mental health counselor training and to make sure that the curriculum is aligned with the core competencies and skills that a mental health counselor should have even before seeking professional recognition. This is important because it would ensure the standardization of the counselor education and thus makes it possible that all mental health counselors are equipped with the necessary skills to give quality services to their clients. According to Messina (1999), only a small proportion of educational institutions have been accredited by the organization, in the long run this would mean that few mental health graduates would be qualified to become mental health counselors as required by AMHCA. If fewer counselors seek to be accredited or certified, then the professional integrity of the practitioners will deteriorate. This is an important issue to look into since the kind of services and the quality of the client-counselor relationship is dependent on how well-trained and equipped the counselors are to meet the needs of the client. We all know that the efficacy of the counselor in helping the client resolve his/her issues is dependent on the counseling plan that counselor draws up for the client. It takes a certain degree of skill and theoretical knowledge to be able to deal with different clients and it is the responsibility of the counselor to always uphold what is best for the client. It is therefore important to come up with a legislation that would require all educational institutions to seek accreditation from the AMHCA (2004) to further the mental health profession. References American Mental Health Counselors Association found at http://www.amhca.org/ Messina, J. (1999). What’s next for the profession of mental health counseling? Journal of Mental Health Counseling, 21; 3, 285. Retrieved on October 17, 2007 from Academic Premier Search database. Â  

Theories and goals of education don’t matter a whit if you don’t consider your students to be human beings

The book entitled, A Loss for Words, by Lou Ann Walker, tells the wonderful tale of how a child deals with the disabilities of her parents (Walker 1987).The protagonist of the tale, Lou Ann Walker, narrates her experiences of how she acted as the ears and was the voice for her deaf parents.   While the family setting was warm, loving and typical of most happy families, the challenges that Lou Ann Walker and her parents had to face outside the house constantly challenged their character (Walker 1987).The story revolves around the experiences of Lou Ann Walker who was born in the American Midwest in 1952 and recounts the experiences she has as one of the three daughters who were capable of hearing of Gale and Doris Jean Walker who were both deafened as infants due to illnesses.The inspiring tale of how she served as the â€Å"medium† for interactions for her parents with the outside world.   â€Å"I’d seen plenty of families where there was more communication and les s love, (Walker 1987)† as the author declares when she recalls how warm it was in their home despite the hearing disabilities of her parents.The book is not above the frustrations that people have to deal with when they are outcast and misunderstood and Lou Ann Walker is able to show this through the lighthearted narration of just how crude and condescending the reactions of people were to the plight of her parents.The manner of education that her parents got, while seemingly different for those who are unaware of the circumstances of the hearing impaired, showed just how difficult yet heartwarming it was.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The beauty is in the narration of the tale as it seeks to embed itself in the hearts of its readers and finds a way to bring the comfort and warmth of the author’s own family to the reader.References:Walker, Lou Ann (1987) Loss for Words: The Story of Deafness in a Family Harper Perennial ISBN: 0060914254   

Traco vs Arrow

After a bench trial, the trial court held for Arrow solely under the theory of promissory estoppel and awarded Arrow Judgment against Traco for damages in the amount of $ 75,843. 38, plus attorneys' fees and prejudgment interest. Issue Appellant supplier sought review of a Judgment from the 45th District Court of Bexar County (Texas), awarding appellee subcontractor damages, plus attorneys' fees and prejudgment interest, in an action brought for promissory estoppel and negligence for appellant's failure to supply glass doors at the quoted price.Rule The court affirmed the Judgment of the lower court in favor of appellee subcontractor, finding that promissory estoppel was a viable cause of action in a bid construction case. The court found that the award of damages based on this theory was factually supported by the evidence, and that there was statutory authority for the award of attorneys' fees. The determination of the rate of prejudgment interest also was proper. Analysis Appellan t initially argues that the trial court erred in rendering Judgment for Arrow ecause Traco's bid was revocable and properly withdrawn thirty days after it was made.Appellant primarily relies upon the argument that its sliding doors are goods as defined by the Texas Business and Commerce Code, therefore, S 2. 205 of this code is controlling. Nevertheless, appellant's arguments ignore the appellee's basic contention and legal theory under which this suit was brought. Appellee sought relief under the equitable doctrine of promissory estoppel on the premise that appellant's romises, by way of its oral bid, caused appellee to substantially rely to its detriment.Consequently, appellant's assertion that its subsequent letter confirming this bid somehow invokes the application of the Uniform Commercial Code ignores the fact that the appellee relied to its detriment when it reduced its bid based on a telephone conversation with the appellant, prior to the time appellant's confirmation letter was sent or received. Thus, any subsequent written document is irrelevant to Arrow's cause of action; appellant's first point is rejected.Having resolved that the Uniform Commercial Code does not apply under these facts, we must now resolve whether the equitable theory of promissory estoppel applies to bid construction cases and, if so, whether this doctrine applies under the specific tacts ot this case . While no Texas case has previously applied the theory of promissory estoppel in a bid construction case, other Jurisdictions have consistently applied this doctrine under similar facts, recognizing the necessity for equity in view of the lack of other remedies. Conclusion also was proper.

Evidence based practice Essay

INTRODUCTION: Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) is a thoughtful integration of the best available evidence, coupled with clinical expertise. As such it enables health practitioners of all varieties to address healthcare questions with an evaluative and qualitative approach. EBP allows the practitioner to assess current and past research, clinical guidelines, and other information resources in order to identify relevant literature while differentiating between high-quality and low-quality findings. UNIT BACKGROUND: Evidence based practices was founded by Dr.Ardice Cochrane , a British epidemiologist.Cochrane was a strong proponent using evidence from randomized clinical trials because he believed that this was the strongest evidence on which clinical practice division is to be based.Evidence based health care practices are available for a number of conditions such as asthma,smoking cessation,heart failure and others.However these practices are not be implemented in care delivery and variation of practices[CMS,2008;Institute of medicine ,2001].Recent findings in the united states and Netherlands suggest that 30% to 40 % of patients are not receiving evidence based care,and 20% to30% of patients are receiving unneeded or potentially harmful care. DEFINITION: The most common definition of Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) is from Dr. David Sackett. EBP is â€Å"the conscientious, explicit and judicious use of current best evidence in making decisions about the care of the individual patient. It means integrating individual clinical expertise with the best available external clinical evidence from systematic research.† (Sackett D, 1996) Muir Gray suggests that evidence based health care is: â€Å"an approach to decision making in which the clinician uses the best evidence available, in consultation with the patient, to decide upon the option which suits the patient best†(Muir Gray, 1997) PURPOSES 1. Evidence based practice is an approach which tries to specify the way in which professionals or other decision mkers should make decisions by identifying such evidence that there may be for a practice and rating it according to how scientifically sound it may be. 2. Its goal is to eliminate unsound or excessively risky practices in favour of those that have better outcomes. 3. Evidence based practices has contributed a lot towards better patient outcomes. 4. The ultimate goal of evidenced based nursing is to provide the highest quality and most cost-efficient nursing care possible. 5. The purpose of evidence based practice in nursing is mainly to improve the quality of nursing care. For example: If you are caring for a child who was in a motor vehicle accident and sustained a severe head injury, would you want to know and use the effective ,empirically supported treatment established from randomized controlled trials to decrease his or her intracranial pressure? If the answer is â€Å"yesâ€Å",the empirical evidences are essentially very important in most of the clinical decision-making situations. The goal of EBP is the integration of: (a) clinical expertise/expert opinion, (b) external scientific evidence, and (c) client/patient/caregiver values to provide high-quality services reflecting the interests, values, needs, and choices of the individuals we serve. Conceptually, the trilateral principles forming the bases for EBP can be represented through a simple figure: STEPS OF EVIDENCED BASED PRACTICE : Evidence based practice process involves 5 steps as: 1. Formulating a clear question based on a clinical problem  2. Literture review to search for the best available evidences 3. Evaluating and analyzing the strengths and weaknessof that evidence in terms of validity and genelisability 4. Implementing useful findings in clinical practice based lon valid evidence 5. Evaluating efficacy and performance of evidences through a process of self reflection , audit, or peer aseessment 1.Formulating a clear question based on a clinical problem:[ ASK the question ] The first step is to formulate a clear question based on clinical problems.Ideas come from different sources but are categorized in  two areas: Problem focused triggers and Knowledgee focused triggers. Problem focused triggers are identified by healthcare staff through quality improvement,risk surveillance,benchmarking data,financial data, or recurrent clinical problems.Problem focused triggers could be clinical problems,or risk management issues. Example:Increased incidence of deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary emboli in trauma and neurosurgical patients.Diagnosis and proper treatment of a DVT is a very important task for health care professionals and is meant to prevent pulmonary embolism.This is an example of an important re tht more research can be conducted to add into evidence –based practice. Knowledge focused triggers are created when health care staff read research, listen to scientific papers at research conferences.Knowledge based triggers could be new research findings that further enhance nursing ,or new practice guidelines. Example: Pain management .,prevention of skin breakdown , assessing placement of nasogastric tubes, and use of saline to maintain patency of arterial lines. When selecting a question ,nurses should formulate questions that are likely to gain support from people within the organization.The priority of the question should be considered as well as the sevearity of the problem.Nurses should consider whether the topic would apply to many or few clinical areas.Also,the availability of the solid evidence should be considered.This will increase the staff willingness to implement into nursing practice. When forming a clinical question the following should be considered:the disorder or disease of the patient, the intervention or finding being reviewed, possibly a comparison intervention and the outcome.An acronym used to remember this is called the PICO model.: P-Who is the patient population? I-What is the potential intervention or area of interest? C-Is there a a comparison intervention or control group? O-What is the desired outcome? 2.Literature review to search for the best available evidence :[ ACQUIRE the evidence ] Once the topic is selected ,the research relevant to the topic must be reviewed . It is important that clinical studies , integrative literature reviewes , meta analysis, and well known and reliable existing evidence based practices guidelines are accessed in the literature retrieval process .The article can be loaded with optionated nd or biased statements that would clearly taint the findings, thus lowering the credibility and quality of article.Time management is crucial to information retrieval.To maintain high standards for evidence based practice implementation, education in research review is necessary to distinguish good research from poorly conducted research.it is important to review the current materials.Once the literature is located, it is helpful to classify the articles either conceptual or data-based.Before reading and critiquing the research ,it is useful to read theoretical and clinical articles to have a broad view of the nature of the topic and related concepts , and to then review existing evidence based practice guidelines. 3. Evaluating and analyzing the strengths and weakness of that evidence in terms of validity and generalisability: [APPRAISE the evidence] Use of rating systems to determine the quality of the research is crucial to the development of evidence based practice. Once you have found some potentially useful evidence it must be critically appraised to determine its validity and find out whether it will indeed answer your question. When appraising the evidence the main questions to ask, therefore, are: Can the evidence (e.g. the results of the research study) be trusted? What does the evidence mean? Does this answer my question? Is it relevant to my practice? Different appraisal and interpreting skills must be used depending on the kind of evidence being considered. Additionally, guidance and training on appraising different types of evidence are available from some of the websites listed on the Useful Internet Resources. 4.Implimenting useful findings in clinical practice based on valid evidence :Evidence is used alongside clinical expertise and the patient’s perspectives to plan care:[ APPLY:talk with the patient ] After determining the internal and external validity of the study ,a decisions is arrived at whether the information gathered does apply to your initial question.It is important to address questions related to diagnosis ,therpy ,harm, and prognosis. Once you have concluded that the evidence is of sound quality, you will need to draw on your own expertise, experience and knowledge of your unique patient and clinical setting. This will help you to decide whether the evidence should be incorporated into your clinical practice. You must consider both the benefits and risks of implementing the change, as well as the benefits and risks of excluding any alternatives. This decision should be made in collaboration with your patient, and in consultation with your manager or multidisciplinary team where appropriate.The information gathered should be interpreted according to many criteria and should always be shared with other nurses . 5.Evaluating efficacy and performance of evidences through a process of self reflection ,audit , or peer assessment: [self-evaluation ] Finally after implementation of the useful findings for the clinical practices;efficacy and performance is evaluated through process of self reflection ,internal or external audit or peer assessment.Part of the evaluation process involves following upto determine if your actions or decisions achieved the desired outcome. The Steps in the EBP Process: ASSESS the patient 1. Start with the patient — a clinical problem or question arises from the care of the patient ASK the question 2. Construct a well built clinical question derived from the case ACQUIRE the evidence 3. Select the appropriate resource(s) and conduct a search APPRAISE the evidence 4. Appraise that evidence for its validity (closeness to the truth) and applicability (usefulness in clinical practice) APPLY: talk with the patient 5. Return to the patient — integrate that evidence with clinical expertise, patient preferences and apply it to practice Self-evaluation 6. Evaluate your performance with this patient BARRIERS IN EVIDENCE BASED PRACTICE There are many barriers to promoting evidence based practices such as: Lack of professional ability to critically appraise research.this includes having a considerable amount of research evaluation skills ,access to journals ,nd hospital support to spend time are limited to the nurses. Lack of time workload pressure ,and competing priorities of patient care can impede use of evidence based practice. Lack of knowledge of research methods Lack of support from the professional colleges and organizations , and lack of confidence nd authority in the research area Practice environment can be resistant to changing tried and true conventional methods of practice.It is important to show nurses who may be resistant to changes the nursing practice the benefits that nurses, their patients and their institutions can reap from the implementation of evidence base nursing practices which is to provide better nursing care. Values ,resources and evidence are the three factors that influence decision making with regard to health care.In adition the nurses need to be more aware of how to assess the information and determine its applicability to the practice. Lack of continuing educational programs . Practices donot give have the means to provide workshops to teach new skills due to lack of funding, staff and time ;therefore research may be tossed dismissed.if this will occur valuable treatment may never be utilized in the practice. Another barrier is introducing newly learned method for improving the treatments or patients.New nurses might feel it is not their place to suggest oreven tell a superior nurse that newer , more efficient methods and practices are available. The perceived threat to clinical freedom offered by evidence – based practice is neither logical nor surprising.When we make decisions based upon good quality information we are inconsistent and biased. MODELS OF THE EVIDENCE – BASED PRACTICE PROCESS A number of different models and theories of evidence based practice has been developed and are important resources.These models offer frameworks for understanding the evidence based practice process and for implementing an evidence based practice project in a practice setting.Models that offer a framework for guiding an evidence based practice include the following : Advancing research and clinical practice through close collaboration(ARCC) model [Melynk and fineout-overholt ,2005] Diffusion of innovations theory [Rogers , 1995] Framework for adopting an evidence –based innovation [DiCenso et.al.,2005] Iowa model of research in practice [titler et al ,2001] Johns Hopkins nursing evidence based practice models [Newhouse et.al, 2005] Ottawa model of research use [Logan and Graham ,1998] Promoting action on research implementation in health services (PARIHS] model-,[Rycroft – Malone et.al2002 ,2007] Stetler model of research utilization.[Stetler ,2001] Although each model offers different perspectives on how to translate research findings into practice .It provides an overview of key activities and processes in evidence based practice efforts ,based on a a distillation of common elements from the various models.The most prominent models are Stetler model of research utilization and Iowa model of research in practice. Stetler model of research utilization: The Stetler model of evidence-based practice would help individual public health practitioners to use evidence in daily practice to inform program planning and implementation. The Stetler model of research utilization helps practitioners assess how research findings and other relevent evidence can be applied in practice. This model examines how to use evidence to create formal change within organizations, as well how individual practitioners can use research on an informal basis as part of critical thinking and reflective practice. Research use occurs in three forms Instrumental use refers to the concrete, direct application of knowledge. Conceptual use occurs when using research changes the understanding or the  way one thinks about an issue. Symbolic use or political/strategic use happens when information is used to justify or legitimate a policy or decision, or otherwise influence the thinking and behaviour of others. The Stetler model of evidence-based practice based on the following assumptions 1. The formal organization may or may not be involved in an individual’s use of research or other evidence. 2. Use may be instrumental, conceptual and/or symbolic/strategic. 3. Other types of evidence and/or non-research-related information are likely to be combined with research findings to facilitate decision making or problem solving. 4. Internal or external factors can influence an individual’s or group’s review and use of evidence. 5. Research and evaluation provide probabilistic information, not absolutes. 6. Lack of knowledge and skills pertaining to research use and evidence-informed practice can inhibit appropriate and effective use Phase I: Preparation—Purpose, Context and Sources of Research Evidence Identify the purpose of consulting evidence and relevant related sources. Recognize the need to consider important contextual factors that could influence implementation. Note that the reasons for using evidence will also identify measurable outcomes for Phase V (Evaluation). Phase II: Validation—Credibility of Findings and Potential for/Detailed Qualifiers of Application Assess each source of the evidence for its level of overall credibility, applicability and operational details, with the assumption .Determine whether a given source has no credibility or fit and thus whether to accept or reject it for synthesis with other evidence .Summarize relevant details regarding each source in an ‘applicable statement of findings’ to look at the implications for practice in Phase III. A summary of findings should: reflect the meaning of study findings reflect studied variables or relationships in ways that could be practically used Phase III: Comparative Evaluation/Decision Making—Synthesis and Decisions/Recommendations per Criteria of Applicability Logically organize and display the summarized findings from across all  validated sources in terms of their similarities and differences. Determine whether it is desirable or feasible to apply these summarized findings in practice others involved). Based on the comparative evaluation, the user makes one of four choices: Decide to use the research findings by putting knowledge into effect Consider use by gathering additional internal information before acting broadly on the evidence. Delay use since more research is required which you may decide to conduct based on local need Reject or not use . Phase IV: Translation/Application—Operational Definition of Use/Actions for Change Write generalizations that logically take research findings and form action terms Identify type of research use (cognitive, symbolic and instrumental). Identify method of use (informal/formal, direct/indirect). Identify level of use (individual, group, organization). Assess whether translation or use goes beyond actual findings/evidence. Consider the need for appropriate, reasoned variation in certain cases. Plan formal dissemination and change strategies. Phase V: Evaluation Clarify expected outcomes relative to purpose of seeking evidence Differentiate formal and informal evaluation of applying findings in practice. Consider cost-benefit of various evaluation efforts. Use Research Utilization as a process to enhance the credibility of evaluation data. Include two types of evaluation data: formative and outcome CONCLUSION Evidence based practices as using the best evidence available to guide clinical decision making.Evidence based practice in nursing is a pocess of locating ,appraising and applying the best evidence from the nursing and medical literature to improve the quality of clinical nursing practices. Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) is a thoughtful integration of the best  available evidence, coupled with clinical expertise. As such it enables health practitioners of all varieties to address healthcare questions with an evaluative and qualitative approach. EBP allows the practitioner to assess current and past research, clinical guidelines, and other information resources in order to identify relevant literature while differentiating between high-quality and low-quality findings.Evidence based practice involves making clinical division on the basis of the best possible evidence ,usually best evidence come from the rigrous research. REFERENCE 1. Anne M Barker. Advanced Practice Nursing-Essentials of knowledge for the profession. United States of America: Jons and Batlett publishers; 2009. P.337-338 . 2. Suresh k Sharma. Nursing research and statistics. Haryana: Elsevier; 2011. P. 22-27. 3. Dennise F Polit ,Cheryl Tatano Beck. Essentials of nursing research-Appraising evidence for nursing practice. 7th ed. Noida: Lippincot Willaims and Wilkins; 2009. P. 25-47. 4. Potter Perry. Basic Nursing. 7th ed. Haryana: Rajkamal Electric Press; 2009. P. 54-57. 5. Dr.R.Bincy. Nursing Research-Building Evidence for Practice. NewDelhi: Viva Books; 2013. P. 286-297. 6. Judith Habour. Nursing Research. 5th ed. United States of America: Mosby Elsevier; 2010. P. 386-427. 7. Neelam Makhija. A practice based on evidence based practice. Nightingale Nursing Times-A window for health. 2007 September; Vol 3: 18-21. 8. Models of evidence based practice. www.nccmt.ca/registry/view/eng/83-html. Accesed october 15, 2013.