Health Law and Regulations Paper Essay

In the last decade, the debate over the ethics of organ and transplant allocation has intensified and the attention sensationalized in the media. At the core of this issue, critical questions remain. They include but are not limited to those regarding economics, race, and geographic inequity and about the moral relevance and weight of geography, economics, and other disparities and inequities in transplant allocation (Stanford University, 2012). Transplant allocation raises questions regarding the four of the basic major ethical principles of medical ethics: autonomy, beneficence, justice and non-maleficence. As such, bioethicists typically refer to the four principles of health care ethics in their evaluation of the merits and difficulties of medical procedures such as transplants. With regards to issue of transplant allocation, the four ethical principles can be applied to the issue in the following ways: Autonomy The principle of autonomy involves the patient having ‘a voice,’ ownership, autonomy of thought, action, intention and level of advocacy when making decisions regarding their health care procedures. As such, and as it relates to transplant allocation, the decision-making process should and must be free of coercion or coaxing of all involved and even the families of deceased individuals (Robertson, 2005; SU, 2012). In order for a patient and for families to make educated and fully informed decision, they must understand all risks and benefits of the allocation and the actual transplant procedure as well as the likelihood for success, especially since the process can illicit intense emotions, financial and physical set-backs(SU, 2012). Beneficence This principle stipulates that the transplant allocation and procedure be solely conducted with only the best intent of doing well for the patient(s)  involved. As such, the principle then also requires that health care providers develop and maintain the needed skills and knowledge, that they continuously update training and educational courses, consider individual circumstances of each and every patient, and strive to maximize the benefits as healthy and positive as possible (SU, 2012). Justice The principle of justice is grounded in the idea that the burdens and benefits of new or experimental treatments must be distributed equally among all groups in society. Therefore, as it relates to transplant allocation, the allocation or access to organs should be a fair process and not one in which ‘the highest and wealthiest bidder gets the organ transplant or the mere fact of only the rich have access to health insurance. That is not justice fair or equitable distribution of healthcare and in this case transplant allocation (Childress, 2001). The principle requires that transplant allocation and procedures uphold the spirit of existing laws and are fair to all players involved. As such, the health care provider must consider the four main areas when evaluating justice: fair distribution of scarce resources, competing needs, rights and obligations, and potential conflicts with established legislation (SU, 2012). Non-maleficence This principle requires that a transplant procedure does not intentionally or maliciously bring unanticipated harm to the patient, donor or others involved in the process. Surgeons operate under the assumption that they are doing little to no harm by pursuing the greater good. However, overall desired outcomes must be facilitated through the careful monitoring especially since transplant allocation can be inequitable, unfair and even the procedures do fail and can affect the emotional state of the patient. In some extreme cases, sometimes it is difficult for doctors successfully to do no harm principle (SU.2012). Transplant allocation often has a ripple effect as Burdick(2005) asserts: â€Å"Because there are not enough donated organs, all patients and practitioners are bound together by a community of medicine principle: whenever a patient receives a transplant, it diminishes the chance that other potential recipients will be able to receive this gift of life in time to save  them.†(275). Other very sad and disturbing well-known facts include but are not limited to: although through organ transplants many people have been helped and given a new ‘lease on life,’ a growing number of transplant candidates suffer and die waiting for life-enhancing or life-saving organs that just never materialize (SU, 2012). In conclusion, it is imperative that we stop, think and ask: How are organs for transplant allocated? How should they be allocated? In accordance with which ethical principle, theory, or precept? Should this scarce, expensive, life-saving therapy be only available to those who can ‘afford’ it and should it be distributed among the growing numbers of those who need it? (SU, 2012). According to Childress (2001), â€Å"the success of policies of organ procurement may reduce scarcity and hence obviate some of the difficulties of organ allocation. However, distrust is a major reason for the public’s reluctance to donate organs, and policies of organ procurement may be ineffective if the public perceives the policies of organ allocation as unfair and thus untrustworthy.† (p. 366). Transplant allocation creates ethical dilemmas because like general health care and health insurance, access and treatment are not equally available to everyone. Subsequently, in order for a medical practice to be considered â€Å"ethical†; it must respect all of the four ethical principles. Furthermore, it is critical that medical professionals, bioethicists, patients, and health insurers be cognizant of potential conflicts of interest when formulating and evaluating policies regarding transplant allocation (Burdick, 2000; SU, 2012). Many ethical and moral questions remaining include but are not limited to: racial and ethnic inequity, the moral relevance and weight of waiting time, the ethics of directed donation to individuals and groups, as well as those regarding the overarching ethical framework in which organs for transplant should be allocated. With such compelling questions and related aspects considered, it is mandatory, critical, inevitable and beneficial for all involved that the Council on Bioethics pays very close attention to the ethics of organ allocation. References Burdick, J. (2000). Responses to a critique of UNOS liver allocation policy by Kenneth Einar Himma. Cambridge Quarterly of Healthcare Ethics, 9, 275-283 Childress, J. (2001). Putting patients first in organ allocation: An ethical analysis of the U.S. Debate. Cambridge Quarterly of Healthcare Ethics, 10: 365-376 Robertson, C. (2005). Who is really hurt anyway? The problem of soliciting designated organ donations. The American Journal of Bioethics, 5 (4):16-17. Stanford University. (2012).What are the ethical concerns regarding egg donation? Retrieved from http://www.stanford.edu

Teen Mom Evaluation

Rachel Lee Prof. Goode English 190 October 24, 2012 Teen Mom: An Evaluation Don’t worry, everything is going to be fine. You’re just going to have to change the rest of your life. Many people think teen pregnancy is highly unlikely, until, well, your stomach starts to keep growing outward. The MTV show, Teen Mom, takes us into the lives of four pregnant teenage women who face the challenges and the struggles of having a child early in life.Many people might oppose my view and say that this show is completely worthless and just shows couples who have no idea what they’re doing, but for me, I believe that the show is an entertaining yet positive influence that brings out a visual reality of teenage pregnancy, a pregnancy that can change the rest of your life. One day back when I was around sixteen years old, I was flipping through the channels and stumbled upon MTV’s Teen Mom. The first thing that I realize about the show is that it is a reality t. v. show, which is the type of show I can usually get into.There may be some parts that are scripted, but honestly what reality t. v. show these days isn’t somewhat a little scripted? At first, the show had no effect on me. It was something I would only watch for around ten minutes then I would change to another channel, but before I knew it I had already watched all the seasons of it. Now Teen Mom is a guilty pleasure of mine. So what makes this show so easy for me to watch, and why do I like it so much now? First off, it’s not a show where you have to watch the very first episode and the next one picks off where the pervious one left off.You could watch any episode and understand what was going on. Another reason is that the show is so relatable since it is happening to girls who are around my age. I think back to my group of friends when watching the show and just think about what it would be like to have one of them on it. Also, the point of the show is very straight-forward . A girl gets pregnant while she a teen, she loses friendships, she loses her education, she loses money, and she gains disappointment from her family. Then you try to see how she copes with what happened, and how she continues to live her life, but this time with a child.Another thing that draws me to it is that I am a sucker for cute toddlers, and the show focuses not only on the lives of the couples but also on the child and how they develop through the parents’ struggles. I believe that the show scares teens with the reality of having a child. I think this show could be very practical for people who are in the same situation as the people on the show. I think this show was made to bring about peoples’ awareness of the issue on teenage pregnancy. To me, I think this was the purpose of the show, so the show has practicality.I think the show does a good job of being aesthetically pleasing. Instead of just focusing on one couple who undergoes the struggle of teen pregn ancy, they show the lives of four couples from around the world so you get a difference sense of how different people deal with this. The couples range from being well rounded and proper southern teenagers to teenagers who have no filter on their mouths and no discipline in their lives, which is a reason the show is entertaining for me. Each episode is never the same.There is always some new event going on in the lives of these teenagers, whether it’s a positive event or a negative event. The life of these teens seems to be an up and down rollercoaster that never stops. There is meaning to this show which is to inform people about teenage pregnancy so they will avoid it, and through the episodes you see that these teens learned that lesson, but learned it too late. Ethically, I believe that the show does bring about morally wrong decisions. One of the main women, Amber, is seen as an abusive wife to her husband, Gary.Throughout the season she is seen hitting, slapping, pushin g, and verbally abusing him. When things go downhill, she seems to take it out on him in front of their child, Leah. Also another woman, Farrah is seen in countless fights with her mother, some involving punches to the face resulting in black eyes, so domestic violence and abuse seem to be an issue with the show. Also, another woman on the show has a father who is seen in and out of rehab and prison due to drugs. The father has also been said to have abused his wife throughout the show.With this being said, there are some obscene events that do go on throughout the show that could offend some viewers. If you’re looking for a show that goes into the glamorous lifestyle of a famous family or couple, this probably would not be the show for you, but if you’re looking for a show that provides an entertaining look into the lives of your average teenage couple who deal with an everyday struggle, I would highly recommend this show. Some people may see the show as a comedy, but underneath it all it gives them the hard and scary truth about what it would be like to be a teen mom. Related post: Social Studies SBA on Teenage Pregnancy

Importance of language development Essay

Introduction As psycholinguists began to chart the course of language development, they were amazed that children could learn such a complex symbol system at such good pace. After all, many infants are using arbitrary words to refer to objects and activities before they even begin to walk. By age 5, children already seem to know and use most of the syntactical structures of their native tongue, even though they have yet to receive their first formal lesson in grammar. Marian Whitehead, a consultant on the early years of children, compares the Steiner approach with that of a nursery. She states in her book Supporting Language and Literacy Development in the Early Years and believes that Steiner’s growth stems from the fact that parents are worried about the over-formalization in early education (Whitehead, 2004). Learning theorists represent the empiricist point of view. From their perspective, language is obviously learned. However, other theorists point out that children the world over seem to display similar linguistic achievements at about the same age: They all babble by 4 to 6 months of age, utter their first meaningful word by age 12 to 13 months, begin to combine word by the end of the school year, and know the meaning of many thousands of words and are constructing a staggering array of grammatical sentences by the tender age of 4 or 5. Importance of Language in Imparting of Knowledge to Young Children All the other ways of knowing are controlled by language. The appropriate use of language is central to virtually all aspects of learning and social development. Successful and appropriate language communication is also closely linked to the individual’s place in society, while the inability to communicate clearly hampers and may virtually eliminate a person’s ability to cope with even the simplest educational and social situations. For teachers, language is important and in fact, traditionally, psychological accounts of language development have been developed by theorists who have included language learning in their discussions of a general acquisition process (Miller & Dollard, 1941; Skinner, 1957). Skinner, for example, believes that language is learned, in large measure by waiting for children to emit approximations of the forms of speech which are ultimately desired and then by gradual shaping (by parents or other socializing agents) until the correct sounds and sentence forms can be reproduced in appropriate situations with a high degree of fidelity. This is a fair representation of the interrelationship between perception, emotion, reason and language, for numerous experiments have now disclosed that principles for generating novel responses can be acquired through the observation of others (Bandura & McDonald, 1963) If principles of language usage, rather than mere words, can be shown to be acquired through observational learning, then this would provide at least a partial account of the process of language acquisition. Importance of Language in Schools. How the schools perceive language and whether modifications in the curriculum and imparting of knowledge are made as a result are important factors to keep in mind. The fact that English speakers rarely have the opportunity to enter bilingual education programs reinforces status of these programs. This is where the methodology of knowledge is more important than the knowledge itself. Similarly, imitation and reinforcement clearly play some part in early language development. Certainly, it is no accident that children end up speaking the same language their parents speak, down to the regional accent. In addition young children are quicker to acquire and use the proper name for toys when reinforced for doing so by receiving the toys to play with (Whitehurst & Valdez-Menchaca, 1988). One’s cultural and social upbringing affects the way a person views this. There are no assumptions or deducing involved here. One can verify the information by just looking again at the dizzying array of program alternatives in bilingual education, each claiming to be more successful than the others. In general, most research has found that bilingual programs of all kinds are effective not only in teaching students content area knowledge in their native language but also in teaching them English. This has been proven time and again to be the case in research analyses and specific program reviews (Hakuta, 1990). Whitehead claims that there is an insight in Steiner’s kindergarten routine that can be useful in mainstream settings. Examples of these are its emphasis on play, arts and crafts and storytelling and its integrated curriculum. It is important that children have a good background on language development from the early years. Conclusions If we want our schools to educate the students well, we need teachers who are well-trained, highly respected professionals. But teachers today are not given the right opportunities to be trained well. We simply cannot expect to implement rigorous standards and testing, tightened discipline and effective early interventions without true professionals to deliver them. It is imperative that colleges of education should overhaul their curriculums to include methods of evaluating scientific research. Teachers must know how to determine the effectiveness of new ideas, textbooks and methods of teaching. They have eagerly swallowed too many myths and fads for too long. Knowledge of the social learning theory and its application in a classroom set-up will afford them the chance to create activities that will enhance learning through modeling and imitation. The professionalization of teaching extends beyond teacher preparation to the way educators are treated once they enter practice. Schools cannot possibly train, recruit, and retain teachers who possess sophisticated critical thinking skills until they reward teachers with respect and support. But rewards must also be associated with expectations. Almost miraculously, many excellent, dedicated and well-educated teachers work in public schools today. However, society must muster the courage to weed out or retrain educators who lack the necessary talent and skill to teach our young. Our children deserve true, highly regarded professionals to lead them especially during the early years of his language learning. The child is unique and perceives and understands the world differently from the way the adult does. Thus, the child’s ideas are valued. This kind of philosophy has an integrated core curriculum which is best suited to the developmental interaction and sees the child as a thinking self-propelling, well-adjusted individual. A teacher must believe that the basic tenet of her kind of approach is that the growth of cognitive functions–acquiring and ordering information, judging and reasoning, problem solving, using systems of symbol–cannot be separated from the growth of personal and interpersonal processes–the development of self-esteem and sense of identity, internalization of impulse control, capacity of autonomous response and relatedness to other people. This active form of learning permits young children to quickly acquire literally thousands of new responses in a variety of settings where their â€Å"models† are simply pursuing their interests and are not trying to teach them anything. Thus, when we look at it really close, children are continually learning both desirable and undesirable responses and proceeds so very rapidly along so many different paths, especially in the area of language development. REFERENCES Bandura, A. & McDonald F. J. (1963) The influence of social reinforcement and the behavior of models in shaping children’s moral judgments. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology. 67, 274-281. Bandura, A. (1977). Social Learning Theory. New York, NY: General Learning Press. Hakuta, K. (1990). Bilingualism and Bilingual Education: A Research Perspective,† no. 1 Washington, DC: National Clearinghouse for Bilingual Education. Miller, N. E. & Dollard, (1941). J. Social learning and imitation. New Haven: Yale University Press Whitehead, M. (2004). Language and Literacy in Early Years. Whitehurst & Valdez-Menchaca, (1988). What is the role of reinforcement in early language acquisition? Child Development. 59, 430-440.

Philips Maps Out a New Direction Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Philips Maps Out a New Direction - Case Study Example By cutting down to just 3 major divisions, the company's focus is likely to sharpen. Using multiple business units to produce a wide range of products would most likely result of wastage of resources, cost inefficiencies, and lack of a unified direction for the company as a whole. (A&AS, 2002) Cutting down to just 3 units therefore, among other things, aims to reduce operating costs. Divisions which need similar raw materials, man-power and expertise are merged into one unit so that resources can be utilized more efficiently. (A&AS, 2002) This sort of reorganization would also increase brand awareness and recognition, as the products would be better positioned in the minds of the consumers. Producing a wide range of products under one brand name usually creates confusion for the consumers as to what exactly to identify the brand with. By divesting low-margin products, and focusing a narrower and better defined product mix, this confusion would be minimized. (A&AS, 2002) The sort of r estructuring which entails divesting products and cutting down number of work units usually results in laying-off employees. This could result in unemployment, not to mention lower job security for existing employees. As is mentioned in the case, Philips faces problems when it comes to brand recognition, as Philips products are marketed in North America under a variety of names. Also, Philips LCD television technology currently has the No.2 spot in China, however, this success could be short-lived if China pumps.

Changing organizations is as messy as it is exhilarating, as Essay - 1

Changing organizations is as messy as it is exhilarating, as frustrating as it is satisfying, as muddling-through and creative a process as it is a rational one - Essay Example It is complex in its paradigm and encompasses myriad issues which directly or indirectly impact organizational performance. Palmer et al., (2009) argue that changing organization is ‘as messy as it is exhilarating, as frustrating as it is satisfying and as creative a process as it is a rational one’ which actually sums up the challenges of meeting them successfully. The paper would be analysing the statement from myriad perspectives and would look at the change per se because they bring with them the paradoxes that are confusing but pose challenge for the managerial leadership to identify new opportunities in them (McMillan, 2008; Osborne & Brown, 2005). Indeed, they are exhilarating experience for the leadership as they would like it to change into facilitators of success. Thus, businesses make efforts to identify drivers of change to anticipate them and exploit them for not only competitive advantage but also for survival. Changes become important factors that serve as motivation for management to introduce new ways to improve and improvise performance. Organizations need to change mainly because of pressures from external and internal factors that significantly impact organizational performance and credibility (Morgan, 2006). The major drivers of change are described as below: Scholars have defined globalization as ‘the diffusion of goods, services, capital, technology, and people (workers) across national borders’ (Sirgy et al., 2004: 253). The movement of people across geographical borders has been important paradigm that has redefined social structure and considerably influenced business dynamics in terms of inter-dependency of resources. People have become key elements of business necessitating understanding of human psychology in a multicultural society. Diversity has become a reality and business needs to utilize their competencies for improved outcome. At the same time, globalization has considerably expanded the scope of business with

ETHICS AND FINANCIAL SERVICES Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

ETHICS AND FINANCIAL SERVICES - Essay Example During this era, some of its techniques were quite confusing and blatant. The company had excluded some of its expenses from its financial book. The case highlights various red flags such as an extreme growth-oriented management team and growing need for extra capital. With this, the auditors allowed themselves to be misled and missed the red flags that could have alerted them to dig and analyse their analysis more deeply. During the era 1990-1994, the company was involved in a fraud scheme whereby Gottlieb and Drabinsky received $7, 000, 000 directly or through the company owned by Gottlieb. Approximately $ 4, 000, 000 of the total amount was capitalized as the pre-production costs. Gottlieb and Drabinsky operated a kickback scheme with Livent vendors and took the mentioned amount from the company and took into their own pocket. To fully convince the company of the transaction, Gottlieb instructed the two vendors to present an invoice that could not expose their deal. After Livent agreeing to the deal, Gottlieb and Drabinsky received the payment for bogus services. In the mid 1990s, it became difficult for the company to attain its financial goals. Gottlieb and Drabinsky enjoyed their financial gain, and in turn, the company had to bear the loss. It became difficult for the company to raise additional capital to sustain its operation. Further, Gottlieb and Drabinsky manipulated the company by directi ng Livent’s accounting staff to obscure the company’s financial crisis. Some of the manipulations included erasing the accounting records that recorded the liabilities and expenses of the company at the end of each year. The Livent’s accounting staff engaged into an accounting scam of transferring the preproduction costs of existing show to shows that was in production. This transfer manipulated the company to comprehend the cost of the major items used in production. To reduce the costs of

Summary report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Summary report - Essay Example During the period between 1993 and 2010, Dr. Lvov has published more than 70 papers on layer-by-layer assembly. Nano-assembly on microtemplates and nanocapsules are described. The most interesting, however, as the potential applications of halloysite, as described by Lvov: these include delivery of herbicides, fungicides, and insecticides, anticorrosion agents for protective coating, plastic fillers and drug sustained release, hydrogen storage and even catalytic materials (Lvov). This information is followed by empirical research findings. Some authors concentrate on the analysis of nanoparticles use in medicine. Zheng et al discuss the benefits of layer-by-layer encapsulation for the poorly water-soluble anticancer drugs (7679). In this study, the researchers mixed curcumin with an organic solvent miscible with water, obtained curcumin crystals of 60-100 mm size via ultrasonication, and coated them with the help of biocompatible polyelectrolytes (Zheng et al 7679). The use of layer-by-layer encapsulation proved to effective in sustained drug release from nanoparticles (Zheng et al 7679). Franz et al followed the similar pattern and explored nano self-assembly coating of A.vinosum, to gain better knowledge of substrate uptake in bacteria (164). The authors found out that the coated cells surface charge does not affect sulfide uptake: obviously, defining the surface properties of bacteria has far-reaching implications for microbiological and biotechnological applications (Franz et al. 167). In a similar vein, Shutava et al prove that layer-by-layer techniques can be successfully utilized, to help the encapsulated anticancer drug material to retain its biological activity and block hypatocyte growth factor (1877). Layer-by-layer techniques can also involve the use of tubular halloysite clay, to ensure the sustained release of drug loaded halloysite tubes (Veerbadran et al. 100). In this context, Abdullayev et al.

Alternative Energy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Alternative Energy - Essay Example Proven Alternative Energy Sources Several kinds of renewable and clean sources of energy such as wind, solar, geothermal, hydro, biomass energy are now available. Each alternative source has its own characteristic importance depending upon geographical possibilities for its production. It will be most appropriate to delve deeper into each one of these sources. Wind Energy Wind energy is available mostly at the coastal regions where wind velocity is higher. Kinetic energy of the wind is tapped using wind turbines and converted into mechanical or electrical energy. Mechanical energy can be used to produce either electricity or can be used directly to run wind mill. For an efficient use of wind turbines, wind velocity of 11 meters per second or higher is desirable. Wind velocity mapping is necessary while selecting a site for installation of a wind turbine because higher wind speeds will provide higher kilowatts of electricity (Renewable energy sources in the United States, 2011). Solar Energy Solar radiation provides continuous flow of clean and renewable energy and in that sense Sun is the most potential alternative source of energy that can always be relied upon. Earth's existence is linked with Sun. Thus, here is the source of energy that can never get exhausted at least theoretically. Though technologies are rapidly advancing to tap this source of energy yet certain impediments such as cost and space do pose certain difficulties. The state of California leads in solar power installations in the US. World over, many countries particularly those with strong solar radiations have been investing heavily in solar photovoltaic cells to harness this source of energy (Renewable energy sources in the United States, 2011). Hydropower This is a clean and renewable alternative source of energy which can be banked upon. Almost 7 percent of the total electricity produced in the US comes from hydropower sources. The Colorado River and the Tennessee Valley are the potential sources of hydropower production (Renewable energy sources in the United States, 2011). Large and small dams are the places to install turbines where the potential energy of water is used to produce electricity. As per the World Bank report, hydropower currently meets almost 18 percent of the total world electricity needs. Hydropower is considered the most affordable renewable energy source among all available energy sources (Hydropower 2012). Geothermal Energy When Earth's heat is tapped to produce electricity, it is known as geothermal source of energy. Temperature inside our earth remains more or less constant throughout the year. This energy is tapped using various technologies such as heat pumps, direct-use systems, and deep reservoirs. The heat is recovered from water or steam and converted into electricity. Many residential and commercial buildings are heated using heat pumps. Utah, Hawaii, California, Nevada are some of the places where geothermal energy plants are in operat ions (Renewable energy sources in the United States, 2011). Biomass Power or Biopower Food crops, organic municipal wastes, grassy and woody plants and farm residues are used to produce electricity and that falls in this category. Plant sources are used as major feedstock to produce Biopower and because they are available everywhere, Biomass power can be produced in any part of the world.

Queer theory with The Beauty and Beast Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Queer theory with The Beauty and Beast - Essay Example Belle, serving as the protagonist of the work, shows a continued distaste towards the masculine, and instead falls in love with the feminine aspects of the beast, hinting at feminine-feminine attraction as an acceptable mode of sexuality. Gender is developed quite early in the film, and defined primarily by two characters, Belle and Gaston. The film depicts both as the pinnacles of their respective genders: an opening song notes that â€Å"Belle’s name means beauty,† while a song about Gaston point out that â€Å"there’s no man in town that’s as manly/ perfect a pure paragon† (Beauty and the Beast) Thus, from the opening of the film the feminine is identified with Belle while the masculine is identified with Gaston. Using this association, it is possible to determine what the film identifies as being feminine or masculine characteristics. Belle, for example, is an incredibly caring person, taking care of her tottering father as well as caring for various animals around her such as her horse. She also enjoys reading and exploring the world of the mind. Physically, the feminine is defined by long flowing hair (as opposed to the tight pony tails often worn by men) and more delicate features. Gaston, on the other hand, demonstrates the film’s understanding of masculinity. The masculine consists of a series of valued behaviors, such as â€Å"drinking †¦ hunting †¦ fighting,† eating eggs and so forth (Beauty and the Beast). Furthermore, the song â€Å"Gaston† enumerates the aspects physical attributes associated with masculinity: incredible size, a thick neck, a cleft chin, strength (â€Å"biceps to spare†) and â€Å"every last bit †¦ covered in hair† (Beauty and the Beast). The problem, however, is that the masculine is incredibly repulsive to Belle. She has absolutely no attraction to Gaston, and has to turn him down as

Business Financial Metrics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Business Financial Metrics - Essay Example Company managers, investors and government regulators utilize various metrics and ratios to analyze company financial statements such as income statements and balance sheets so as to determine the fiscal viability of the organization in the short and long term. This paper will examine some of the ratios and metrics utilized by various stakeholders to appraise different financial statements, examining how various stakeholders can successfully employ the metrics and ratios in their decision making. The examination of balance sheets entails the use of financial ratios as the primary metrics. These ratios include the quick ratio, leverage or debt-to-worth ration and current ratio. The current ratio, which is also referred to as the liquidity ratio, measures the liquidity or solvency of an entity (Higgins, 2009). This metric offers investors a measure of the business’ capacity to pay its current liabilities using its current assets. Investors typically use this information to decid e whether or not to invest in a business. A high current ratio means the company has vast capabilities to pay its short-term debts using short-term cash. Investors and company managers seek a current ratio that is above 1.0 since this indicates a company’s competence to repay all its current liabilities. Secondly, quick ratio is also a measure of liquidity, which eliminates certain minimally liquid assets from the current ratio equation. Company managers, government regulators and investors utilize quick ratio to analyze a company’s financial strength (Shapiro & Balbirer, 2000). Company managers, investors and business managers use this information to determine a company’s overall capacity to repay its current liabilities, which influences its long term viability. On the other hand, the leverage ratio or debt-to-equity or debt-to-worth ratio provides investors a viable signal of a business’ leverage. When this ratio is high, it means a company’s as sets exceed its stock equity, which indicates that the company has more debt than equity. Leverage ratios of 2:1 or lower mean that liabilities are double the amount of shareholder’s equity. Ratios above 2:1 indicate that a business may be unable to pay its creditors or acquire supplementary long-term funding (Higgins, 2009). Government regulators use leverage ratios to determine whether or not companies can legally file for bankruptcy. Investors use the ratios for control purposes such as deciding either to invest or pull out their investments in a company (Harrington, 2003). The ratios allow current and prospective investors to examine how managers acquire and make use of company resources in their control, thereby influencing investment decisions with a view to deterring the incidence of financial loss. Through the ratios, company managers gain knowledge of the successfulness of the business’ past and present strategies and how to enhance their future viability. Rat ios also enable managers to highlight and exact deviations from optimal performance levels thus allowing organizations to steer their decision making and processes towards the attainment of such optimal performance. Various stakeholders use different ratios and metrics to analyze income statements. For instance, earnings per share ratios tell government analysts and investors the amount of money available to shareholders

Abortion Essay Example for Free

Abortion Essay There’s a lot of speculation going on right now about whether or not abortion is ethical. Many people believe that there should be laws against it, that it should be banned entirely. Thousands spend time protesting abortion, stating that it is a sin, and that it is the same as murdering a child. However, the majority of those who claim these things don’t have their facts quite right. When an abortion is performed, the fetus is in a very early stage of development. Most brain cells are not yet developed, and this means that the fetus cannot feel pain. The â€Å"silent screams† that those who oppose abortion often mention are nonexistent. Fetuses cannot scream, move, or feel at this point in the pregnancy. Additionally, aborting a fetus is certainly not the same as murdering a fully-developed, self-sufficient child. At this stage in a fetus’ development, it is entirely unable to survive outside of the woman’s womb. It is incapable of breathing as well as conscious thought. It is not yet a child, but merely a developing organism with the capability of becoming one. Abortion should be kept legal. While I do not think it should be used as a standard form of birth control, it definitely needs to remain an option. What if you found yourself pregnant after being a victim of rape? Just imagine trying to provide a quality life for a baby while you’re so young yourself, especially seeing as you aren’t pregnant as a result of your own decision, but because of some cruel person’s actions. Why should that child have to grow up to have a life in either a struggling one-parent household or an orphanage? If we get some of the facts out there, I believe that people might begin to see that abortion is really not such a sin. Maybe when others start to realize this, some of the laws in certain countries that do not allow abortion will be lifted. After all, is it not a terrible thing to have tons of children living their entire lives in poverty? Think about this for a second: what’s better, terminating an undeveloped, non-autonomous fetus, or watching a child slowly die due its young parent’s lack of income?

Chem Notes Igcse Essay Example for Free

Chem Notes Igcse Essay Giant Covalent Structures There are 2 examples of Giant covalent structures: Diamond Graphite They are both  allotropes  of carbon, meaning they are  both different  types of the physical  form of Carbon. Diamond Structure: Giant covalent  lattice  of carbon atoms. Each Carbon atom is bonded to 4 others which tetrahedrally surround the atom. They have a  high melting point  as a large amount of heat energy is needed to break their bonds. They are  unable  to conduct electricity as they have no free mobile  electrons to carry the current. Diamond is very  hard  as there are many bonds within the substance. It is the hardest natural substance and is often used in drilling. Graphite Structure: Arranged in  layers  of atoms. Each carbon atom is joined to 3 others, leaving one outer shell electron on each carbon is free to move and able to cary the current. Therefore, they are able to conduct electricity. Graphite also has a high melting point for the same reasons as diamond. However, it is not hard like diamond but in fact very soft. There are weak forces between  the  layers of atoms. They  are able to slide over each other and therefore able to act as a lubricant. Covalent Bonding Definition:  When an atom shares one or more pairs of electrons between atoms to obtain the electronic configuration of a noble gas. Covalent bonds appear in  non-metals  and create  molecules. They can even appear in atoms of the same element,  H2. Molecule:  Two or more atoms  chemically  bonded together. The covalently bonded atoms are held together by  strong attraction  between the  bonding pair of electrons  and the  nuclei  of the atoms. Covalent bonds can be classified into  two  groups:  simple molecular  structures   giant covalent  structures Simple molecular Structures: They have low melting/boiling points due  to the fact that  there  are  weak  intermolecular forces of attraction. Although, they do have strong covalent bonds. Therefore, they need less heat energy to overcome and break the weak bonds. Some substances  sumblime  under heating. i. e. They turn directly into a gas from a solid. Giant molecular Structures:  See post on giant Molecular structures , Ionic Bonding Definition:  The transfer of one or more electrons between 1 atom to another Why? To obtain the electronic configuration of a noble gas. This  is because noble gases are inert/very unreactive. If an atom  loses  an electron then the atom will form a  positive  ion. This is because there are now more protons than electrons in the atom. If an atom  gains  an electron, the atom forms a  negative  ion as there are now more electrons than protons in the atom. The  charge  of an ion is related to where the element’s position is in the periodic table.

Change Leader Jack Welch Business Essay

Change Leader Jack Welch Business Essay This paper will take a closer examination at how Jack Welch changed the General Electric Company using a transformational leader style. Welchs strategic were to change the value system at General Electric. Moreover, Jack Welch is considered one of the greatest leaders in corporate business in the 21st century. What has made Welch so successful is his development of a modern model design for his company. Welchs model has escalated the growth of General Electric profits billions dollars in a span of an about twenty years. There is no corporate leader to this date that has shaped the value of their company for shareholders much and as rapidly as Jack Welch has. He created a market that had share running high to make the company worth billion. Welch transformed General Electric, a key giant company during the industrial age in American into thriving company modern day company that is highly competitive globally. The key to all of Welchs success is his ability to relate to people in an in formal matter. He has protected communicating across the organization informally with his chain command and subordinates alike. Moreover, Welchs charismatic leadership style and his aggressiveness when he attended meeting and events has given him the ability to communicated effectively with a very large number of employee across the entire organization. Jacks Welchs Background Jack Welch was born in 1935 in Salem Massachusetts (Abetti, 2006). Welch received his undergraduate, Masters And Ph. D degrees all in the field of Chemical Engineering. Moreover, in 1960, Welch began his career with General Electric as a Chemical Engineer. According Abetti (2006) to the General Electric Company has been a part of history as far back as the development of new light technology starting with Thomas Edison becoming one of the largest organizations around the World over. However, as time went by General Electric begin to make their employees push in the development of product to in front of their competitive. One executive who had the leadership ability to do this was Jack Welchs (Abetti, 2006). His leadership is considered true transformation leadership. He created a vision base on organization values. Welch efforts has help reform the structure of General Electrical management by cutting the middle management staff members. Jacks Welchs Strategy Jack Welchs strategy was first getting his followers to see the big picture where General Electric was heading in the future. The whole time as CEO, he delivered his messages repeat to reinforce them. Them by handwritten directly to the employee this method has inspired many of the organization. Welch is known to spend most of his time in dealing with issues with employees. He personal knows over 1000 employee in the at all level in the company and this is by a first name bases (Amernic, Craig, Tourish, 2007). Next, he created a completely new organization culture by restructuring the hierarchy of nine management levels in a simple structure that was more cost effective. Welch new that many of his senior leadership would question his policies. However, the key to his plan was to stick with the plan and policies, regardless how subordinates felt. Finally, Jack Welch knew there must be some high risk taken behavior in order for changes to take place (Amernic, Craig, Tourish, 2007). M oreover, he obviously knew, how far to take risks. The strength and weaknesses were in leading the organization. Never the less Jack Welchs strategy created the standard and benchmarks to instill in his subordinates change at General Electric. Jack Welchs Charismatic Style Indeed, there is no doubt that Jack Welch had displayed a substantial level of charismatic leadership during his reign at the General Electric. Jack Welch has shown his ability as a transformational leader by continuously trying to inspire and inspire his staff members to be the absolute best that they can be. There are four factors that Welchs has display he possessed to be a transformational leader: idealized influence (factor 1), inspirational motivation (factor 2), intellectual stimulation (factor 3), and individualized consideration (factor 4) (Northhouse, 2010).Under the term, idealized influence the leader is considered a role model for employees to follow. Welch provided his workforce with his vision, so that they can have an obtainable. Jack Welch is known for having a personality that is out spoken and his has be credited by employees has being the one who spurred growth for general Electric. Welch has conducted idealization influence by decentralizing the entire organizati on and giving his lower level workers some say so in the decision making process in the company  Inspirational motivation (factor2) can be simply  considered as inspiration (Northhouse, 2010). A change leader expects their followers to meet high expectation. Welch had high expectations for the entire business unit in General Electric. He challenged his employees to function to be number one or two in the organization. If any of these units fail to reach these objectives, they would be shut down or put up for sale by Welch. Moreover, this motivated the workforce to maintain Welchs Goal, because they all had a shared value. Intellectual stimulation (factor 3) Transformation leadership must be able to allow the subordinate in became innovated and not be afraid to challenge their current beliefs to develop a better approach to a process. Jack Welch management techniques were so successful that other organization begins to follow his practices in management (Northhouse, 2010). One particular practice in manage that welch was known. Individualized consideration (factor 4) represents the leader who provides a supportive climate in which they listen carefully to the individual nee ds of followers (Northhouse, 2010). Moreover, Welch was thought of by his staff as an innovated leader for the individual. Some critic believe that welch management practice were cruel, but in all actuality Welch use plenty of tact and careful planning when it came to down to laying off his employees. Furthermore, many thought that he was being fair because he lay off worker with very bad work performance and even than he gave these employees, a very generous severance pay. Welch believes that his lever level employees should be more involved in the development of General Electric newly evolving organizational culture. They were instrumental in the development of general Electrics Mission Statements. Welchs Techniques created a sense of unity and Sense of belonging in the organization. In addition, Welch always took many trips to the numerous business unites in the company. Conclusion Jack Welchs leadership principles have changed the corporate model, and will be used for many years to come. Welch is well known by many to cut down on staff at the middle management level that job performance. Jack Welch made many milestones at General Electric here is just a few: According Kieser Hegele, (2001) to Jack Welch, increased General Electric values of shareholder stocks to over 200 dollars a share (Kieser Hegele, 2001). The profits for General Electric soared to more than $400 billion in revenues in one year. (Kieser Hegele, 2001) He had a specific focus on development of the employee; begin the process at the hiring stages in the organization until they reach form of leadership position in the company. Finally, one of the main points to the success of Jack Welch tenor at General Electric is his attitude toward communicating constantly the value of the organization and letting employee share their ideas. Jack Welch allowed this practice to happen so that his manger co uld have a better understanding of their employees behavior to improve the overall organization productivity. Welch will place General Electric Company into ever-higher levels of success, After Welch leaves the organization.

Theme Essay Young Goodman Brown :: Free Essay Writer

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Young Goodman Brown†, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, delves into the classic battle between good and evil; taking the protagonist, Goodman Brown, on a journey to test the resolve of his faith. Goodman ventures out on his expedition deep into the sinister forest, in order to repudiate the attempt of the devil to sway him from Christianity; a test he believes his devout faith is prepared to confront. Goodman Brown is forever altered in ways unforeseeable by taking a stroll with the ultimate antagonist, the devil himself. The prevailing theme in this literary work, which is common in Hawthorne’s gothic writing, is the realization that evil can infect people who seem perfectly respectable. Throughout the course of his journey, Goodman Brown discovers that even highly reputable people of Salem are vulnerable to the forces of darkness.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Goodman Brown embarks on his journey into the forest with the fervent belief that his potent dedication is indomitably ironclad, and thus will be able to overcome even the most tempting persuasions of the devil. As Goodman and the devil continue sauntering along the serpentine path, they encounter Goodman’s old catechism teacher, Goody Cloyse, and it is eventually revealed that she is heading to the satanic occult meeting at the core of the forest. Goodman is absolutely confounded at the sight of her, as he had always considered Cloyse as a moral and spiritual guide in his life. Goody Cloyse’s appearance is the first moment where Goodman begins to question his faith. Brown's illusions about the purity of his society are finally obliterated when he discovers that many of his fellow townspeople, including religious leaders and his wife (aptly named Faith), are attending a Black Mass or â€Å"witch-meeting†. At the end of the story, it is not cle ar whether Brown's experience was a nightmare or biting reality, but the results are nonetheless the same. Brown is unable to forgive the possibility of evil in his loved ones, and as a result spends the rest of his life in desperate loneliness and gloom.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  At the beginning of his journey, Goodman Brown’s will and pride were both embedded in the belief that he was a pious man. Goodman’s pride in piety evidently fails him, as he discovers that his faith was based on the principles of individuals who had sworn allegiance to the devil. This deplorable truth destroyed his conviction, and in this sense the devil prevailed against Goodman Brown. Theme Essay Young Goodman Brown :: Free Essay Writer   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Young Goodman Brown†, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, delves into the classic battle between good and evil; taking the protagonist, Goodman Brown, on a journey to test the resolve of his faith. Goodman ventures out on his expedition deep into the sinister forest, in order to repudiate the attempt of the devil to sway him from Christianity; a test he believes his devout faith is prepared to confront. Goodman Brown is forever altered in ways unforeseeable by taking a stroll with the ultimate antagonist, the devil himself. The prevailing theme in this literary work, which is common in Hawthorne’s gothic writing, is the realization that evil can infect people who seem perfectly respectable. Throughout the course of his journey, Goodman Brown discovers that even highly reputable people of Salem are vulnerable to the forces of darkness.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Goodman Brown embarks on his journey into the forest with the fervent belief that his potent dedication is indomitably ironclad, and thus will be able to overcome even the most tempting persuasions of the devil. As Goodman and the devil continue sauntering along the serpentine path, they encounter Goodman’s old catechism teacher, Goody Cloyse, and it is eventually revealed that she is heading to the satanic occult meeting at the core of the forest. Goodman is absolutely confounded at the sight of her, as he had always considered Cloyse as a moral and spiritual guide in his life. Goody Cloyse’s appearance is the first moment where Goodman begins to question his faith. Brown's illusions about the purity of his society are finally obliterated when he discovers that many of his fellow townspeople, including religious leaders and his wife (aptly named Faith), are attending a Black Mass or â€Å"witch-meeting†. At the end of the story, it is not cle ar whether Brown's experience was a nightmare or biting reality, but the results are nonetheless the same. Brown is unable to forgive the possibility of evil in his loved ones, and as a result spends the rest of his life in desperate loneliness and gloom.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  At the beginning of his journey, Goodman Brown’s will and pride were both embedded in the belief that he was a pious man. Goodman’s pride in piety evidently fails him, as he discovers that his faith was based on the principles of individuals who had sworn allegiance to the devil. This deplorable truth destroyed his conviction, and in this sense the devil prevailed against Goodman Brown.

Christy :: essays research papers

r Christy came upon strange and unusual conflicts in her situations that were fresh and new to her. These conflicts were so traumatic that she felt if better to leave than to stay in the unfamiliarity of the Appalachian culture. I've also experienced feelings of quitting a situation. Like Christy, I was called to sing a solo in my church choir. If I had run from my situation, I wouldn't have had the experience of singing in front of a group. I also had to ask myself the question, "What am I doing this for?" Finally, I figured out that singing in front of church wasn't as bad as I thought. Singing has and will always be a joy of mine. I was a novice when I had to accomplish the task of singing in front of my church. I wanted to be as experienced as my aunts and my Mother, whom can sing in front of anybody. My Mother, like Miss Alice, made me realize that God would be by my side, and that the duty would get more easeful over time. Knowledge from that situation grants me experience for present and future predicaments. Christy, after seeing the poverty and hardships of the Appalachian culture tenfold, asked, "Why am I do this?" I also had the same doubtful questions. These questions were all of out of fear about the strangeness of the situation. Like Christy, I had to answer these questions within myself and when I did it opened my views on singing farther than before. After a while, Christy seemed to form a love or passion for what she was doing. She became comfortable and less frightened of the Appalachian culture. My first experience singing in front of my church was terrifying, but every time I sung thereafter I became more and more confident and easeful.

The Fires of Jubilee : Nat Turners Fierce Rebellion Essay -- Nathanie

The Fires of Jubilee : Nat Turner's Fierce Rebellion   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Fires of Jubilee, is a well written recollection of the slave insurrection led by Nathaniel Turner. It portrays the events leading towards the civil war and the shattered myth of contented slaves in the South. The book is divided into four parts: This Infernal Spirit of Slavery, Go Sound the Jubilee, Judgment Day, and Legacy.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The story takes place in Southampton County, Virginia where little Nat Turner is introduced. Nat led a normal childhood for the most part, supervised by his beloved grandmother. They were working as slaves on a plantation owned by Benjamin and Elizabeth Turner. The Turners became Methodists due to the emphasis on free will and salvation. The impact of religious institutions on slavery gave whites second opinions on slavery. Methodists, Quakers and anti-slavery Baptist made it their duty to see that their voices were heard.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Stephen B. Oats, the author, recalls the unlawful accounts of Nat's mother, Nancy, while being forced into slavery. Being just a teenage girl, she was abducted in North's Nile River Country by slave raiders. She was then marched hundreds of miles to the coast and sold to the Europeans. She endured the "middle passage" which was the dreaded voyage of being in a crammed small area with many other chained Africans. The results of this torment included suicide, starvation, and death from white man's disease. It was also noted that Nancy tried to kill her ba...

Firepower Kills

â€Å"Le feu tue† (‘Firepower kills') Henri-Philippe Petain – 1916 Verdun. World War 1 is often called â€Å"the first modern war†. During World War 1 many new kinds of weapons and technology were invented and improved. Some of these weapons included tanks, chemical gases, grenades, and machine guns. Chemical Warfare was used for the first time on a large scale in World War I. many advancements were made during the war; in the air, on the ground, and in the sea. World War 1 started by a conflict and was fought between countries that were equipped with modern weapons. Some of these weapons rose and were very powerful like machine guns and others declined like bayonets. Both weapons and technology made a drastic impact on World War 1.Land battles were mostly fought on both the Western and Eastern fronts. Soldiers were surrounded by new technology and weapons that helped throughout the battlefield but also caused danger/death. Soldiers experienced a great deal of hardship while fighting on the fronts. The western front consisted of small parts of Europe, most of the fighting took over in France and Belgium. The eastern front was made up of battlefields in Eastern Europe, especially in Russia. â€Å"But on the last day, an astonishing number of English field guns opened up on us with high-explosive, drumming ceaselessly on our position, so that we suffered heavily and came back only eighty strong† (1.4). land war started by the use of Machine guns. Machine guns were the first and most famous weapon used in war, they are claimed to be the most dangerous weapon because the killed numerous lives during the war. Machine guns were invented by the Americans, however, the idea was stolen by the Germans. Machine guns at the time could fire up to 500 rounds per minute, but they were very heavy and they were very heavy. They had to be used by well-trained men who knew how to setup a gun and operate it quickly.Tanks were armored steel plated, belt tired, and heavily armed combat vehicles. First use of tanks on a battlefield was the use of British mark 1 tank at the battle of flers courcelette in 1915. The French soon followed the idea and created Renault FT, which established the look of the tank we see today. The Germans never got to producing their own tanks in WW1. The only German design of war was the A7V.Flamethrowers were first invented by a German inventor named Richard Fiedler. The flamethrower was designed to be carried on soldiers backs. It had two tanks, one that carried flammable liquid and the other that carried propellant gas. The squeeze of the trigger would send shooting flammable liquid up to 18 meters away, it was a weapon used to shoot big flames of fire against its enemies. It was used to burn soldiers and wooden obstacles such as bunkers. The Germans used these flamethrowers to attack more than 650 soldiers, mainly the British and French.Small bombs thrown by hand or shot by a rifle attachment were called grenades/bombs. Germans are the ones who created and mostly used these grenades during the war. The British made their own model of a grenade but it needed more work. By the year of 1917, all troops were required to carry extra grenades to capture and hold them against their enemies.Poisonous gas was introduced by the Germans in 1915. It is toxic smoke that can be very deadly if inhaled by humans. When the gas is inhaled it burns and liquidizes your lungs which causes death. If wind currents occurred while soldiers threw the gas at their enemies then it could easily be brought back to them and kill them. The only way to avoid the poisonous gas was to urinate on a cloth and hold up to ur mouth and nose. However, over time gas mask kits were provided to the soldiers. Airplanes were very recent they were invented by the Wright brothers 11 years ago. Airplanes were simple machines, more like to birds than anything else. The first missions were carried out as an observation. Most airplanes at the time were slow/flimsy contraptions with barely enough power to lift a single pilot and perhaps one passenger. Airplanes technology developed throughout war they became very important/useful.At the beginning of the war, most soldiers used the planes to spy on their enemies strategies. These planes usually carried a pilot and a photographer who would photograph the soldier's positions. The use of planes became very popular during the war, it became a crucial part of achieving victories. One of the first contributions in the war was at the first battle of Marne were reconnaissance planes spotted a gap in the German lines. The allies attacked the gap and were able to split the German army and drive them back. Fighter planes came into the war when they wanted to stop the reconnaissance planes. With more planes in the skies, enemy pilots began to fight each other in the air. At first, they tried throwing grenades at each other or shooting with rifles and pistols. It was useless and it didn't work very well. Pilots soon found out that the best way to shoot down an enemy is to mount a machine gun to the plane. However, because the machine gun was mounted to the front of the plane the propeller would get in the way of the bullets. Soon a new invention called the â€Å"interredur† was invented by Anton Fokker, it allowed the machine gun to be synchronized with the propeller, all planes started using this invention. As the war progressed, both sides began to use airplanes to drop bombs on enemy locations. The first planes used for bombings were made by the Russians and could only carry small bombs and they were very powerless to attack from the ground. By the end of the war, faster long-range bombers were built that could carry much larger weight bombs.Germany used zeppelins to drop bombs on targets from far away. These were slow moving but could carry a large load of explosives. Zeppelins were filled with hydrogen, so a small spark could blow up the entire aircraft. Germans used these zeppelins to bomb London and eastern England. â€Å"Germany's enemies, however, soon found that zeppelins, which were filled with hydrogen gas, quickly became raging infernos when hit by anti-aircraft guns† (Spielvogel, McTighe, 331). As the war continued it became useless because of the fast fighter planes that were used. The battles at sea were known as naval battles. These battles mainly took place in the northern sea and the Atlantic. The wars were mainly between Britain and Germany. Britain was trying to stop Germany from traveling or trading with the rest of the world across the north sea. that meant Germany could not receive important resources like food. Germany reacted by using u-boats to attack the ships that were trading and sending resources to Britain. Germany is the first one to create U-Boats and used them to destroy many enemy ships. U-Boats were dangerous and accurate. â€Å"U-boat is an abbreviation of the German unterseeboot and is a synonym for submarine†(Axelrod, 127). On September 1914, a U-Boat sank 3 British ships. In the U.S. U-boats turned its public opinion against Germany. This increased when Germany ordered a new policy of unrestricted submarine warfare, they sank every boat seen on the surface. This eventually made the U.S start sending ships into the war. Later on the British liner, Lusitania was sunk by a U-boat which carried innocent British and American civilians. Then on February 1, 1917, Germany resumed unrestricted submarine warfare effective, But on February 3, 1917, Germany stopped unrestricted submarine warfare. Britain, France, Russia and the U.S had all developed submarine forces before Germany began development on the U-Boats in 1906, but during WW1 submarines were associated with the Imperial German Navy, which used the submarines to try to bridge the gap in naval strength because it struggles compared to Britain's Royal Navy. Longer-range U-boats were developed and torpedo quality improved during the war. Submarines could strike long bombs from beneath the waves with torpedoes but also surfaced them to use as their deck gun. An unsuccessful post-war effort was made to ban submarine warfare.Torpedoes are self-propelled missiles that can be launched from submarines or ships, or dropped into the sea from the undercarriage of planes. The first torpedoes were produced in the 1870s, it ran on compressed air and was slow and inaccurate. By 1914 German torpedoes could travel at up to 75 kilometers per hour over a range of several miles. This gave German U-boats a deadly advantage over the Allied ships. As the war progressed the British made rapid advances in torpedoes and sank at least 18 German U-boats with them. Mines were large explosive bombs planted underground, they were either remotely activated or by the impact of the soldier's footsteps. Navies also used sea mines which floated on the ocean and exploded when in contact with ships. Trench soldiers often dug tunnels to plant huge mines under enemy trenches and positions. One example of an incident occurred at Hill 60 during the Battle of Messines (June 1917) where Australian tunneling specialists exploded 450,000 kilograms of underground explosives, killing thousands of German troops.So it is clear that although the war was very deadly it still inherited many new weapons and technologies that helped throughout the war. Weapons and new technology really did affect the war it changed many lives, it brought innovation, creativity, and originality. WW1 weapons and technology proved to other countries who fought that humans will adapt to difficult environments and strategies that come by.

A visit to Seri Kasih Orphanage Home Essay

The first week of the last school holidays was a memorable and meaningful moments for the members of the English Language  Society of SMK Kampung Laut.The society has organized a special trip to Seri Kasih Orphanage Home on May 31st the first day of school holidays at Kampung Delima,Batu 8, Pasir Putih.There were a total of 75 students involved of whom 40 of are male students of form four and five while 35 female students comprising mainly of form 3 and 4 students.There were 4 accompanying teachers,Sir Rosdi,teacheradvisor of SMK Kampung Laut English Language Society,Teacher Madihah,our senior science teacher,Puan Marini,our Bahasa Melayu teacher and finally Mr Kim Lian Hing,our Physical Education  teacher.We started our 45 minutes journey with two special chartered buses sponsored by Dato’ Hj Karim,the chairman of PIBG of SMK Kampung Laut.We reached the orphanage home about 9.15 a.m.  We were greeted by the matron,Puan Seri Hajjah Maimunah and her delegations.The cheerful and estatic feelings of the orphans really touched our hearts.Puan Seri started with a welcoming speech.All eyes were on her and many wiped their tears at the end of her speech when many tragic stories of the orphans were revealed. We could see that there were a strong unity among the 95 orphans and they were really superb on their manners and etiquettes.We just loved the ways they behaved and lived within their circles.Sir Rosdi reciprocated with a short but very meaningful speech and then presented the cheque of RM1000 donated by the students of SMK Kampung Laut. The  morning activities started with a gotong royong project viz cleaning-up of surau and the main hall. The students were made up of 15 groups of 5 students each while some senior orphans were also lending their hands.Then the outdoor programme followed with telematches held for the female students while the male had a friendly volleyball matches. We had a short break at around 11.30a.m and later served with a light  refreshment.  The next programmae started when all the students and the orphans were requested to assemble at Seri Kasih main hall for the talentime show.We were entertained by the hidden talents of the orphans particularly on the group singing of nashid and coral speaking. Some of our students also joined the talent show by presenting some classical and  malay traditional songs aided by 3 plus one music. Then we had our lunch and dzohor prayer at around 1.30 p.m.We were served with very sumptuous and appetizing ikan bakar and beryani rice. Our next programme started at around 2.30 p.m with one hour tuition sessions where our form 4 and 5 students willingly broke up into small groups assisting the form 3 orphans mainly on Mathematics and English subjects. Then our own form 3 students were together with form 1 and 2 orphans discussing on some school works and  assignments.It was indeed a short but very helpful sessions.Most of the orphans were very hardworking and dedicated students.Some of them topped the classes and had flying colours results.  Our last programme was photograpy and souvenirs sessions.We brought beautiful souvenirs and presented to each and every orphans.   They were beaming with joy and many had agreed to treat our senior students as adopted brothers and sisters.Besides we also presented large hampers which consisted of chocolates,biscuits, nuts and fresh fruits.The matron,Puan Seri Hajjah Maimunah  presented her closing speech and invited all of us to come back next year for another great programmes.We left Seri Kasih Orphanage Home at about 4 p.m.Many of us had cherished the good memories and glad that we had performed our social responsibility with the residents of Seri Kasih Orphanage Home.We would certainly love to come back next year with many great programmes in hand.

Succubus Blues CHAPTER 6

I woke up the next day, determined to go see Erik and get the truth about vampire hunters. Then, as I was brushing my teeth, I remembered yesterday's other crisis. Seth Mortensen. Swearing, I finished up in the bathroom, earning a disapproving look from Aubrey for my profanity. There was no telling how long this tour thing with him might take. I might have to wait until tomorrow to see Erik, and by then, this vampire hunter or whatever could have struck again. I set out for Emerald City, wearing the most nonattractive outfit I could muster: jeans and a turtleneck, with my hair pulled severely back. Paige, all smiles, approached me as I waited for Seth in the cafe. â€Å"You should show him Foster's and Puget Sound Books while you're out,† she told me conspiratorially. Still waking up, I took a sip of the mocha Bruce had just made me and tried to reason out her logic. Foster's and Puget Sound Books were competitors of ours, though not major ones. â€Å"Those places are dives.† â€Å"Exactly.† She grinned at me with her even white teeth. â€Å"Show him those, and he'll be convinced we're the best place for him to do his writing at.† I studied her, feeling seriously out of the loop. Or maybe I was just distracted still about the Duane thing. It wasn't every day one had his immortality revoked. â€Å"Why†¦ would he do his writing here?† â€Å"Because he likes to take his laptop and write in coffee shops.† â€Å"Yeah, but he lives in Chicago.† Paige shook her head. â€Å"Not anymore. Where were you last night? He's moving here to be closer to his family.† I recalled Seth mentioning his brother, but I had been too caught up in my own mortification to pay much attention. â€Å"When?† â€Å"Now, as far as I know. That's why this was his last stop on the tour. He's staying with his brother but plans on finding his own place soon.† She leaned close to me, eyes gleaming predatorily. â€Å"Georgina, if we have a famous author hanging out here regularly, it'll be good for our image.† Honestly, my immediate concern wasn't where Seth would be writing. What freaked me out was that he would not be departing for a different time zone anytime soon, a time zone where he could then forget about me and let us both get on with our lives. I could run into him every day now. Literally, if Paige's wish was realized. â€Å"Won't that be distracting to his writing if his presence is widely known? Annoying fans and whatnot?† â€Å"We won't let it become a problem. We'll make the most of this and respect his privacy. Careful now, here he comes.† I drank more of my mocha, still marveling at the way Paige's mind worked. She could think of promotional ideas that never would have entered my head. Warren might have been the one to invest capital in this place, but it had been her marketing genius that made it a success. â€Å"Good morning,† Seth told us, walking up to the table. He wore jeans, a Def Leppard T-shirt, and a brown corduroy jacket. The lay of his hair did not convince me he'd brushed it this morning. Paige looked at me pointedly, and I sighed. â€Å"Let's go.† Seth silently followed me outside, that awkward tension building between us like a solid barrier. He did not look at me; I did not look at him. It was only when we stood outside on Queen Anne Avenue and I realized I had no plan for today that conversation had to occur. â€Å"Where to start? Seattle, unlike Gaul, is not divided into just three parts.† I made the joke more to myself, but Seth suddenly laughed. â€Å"Seattle peninsula est,† he observed, playing off my observation. â€Å"Not exactly. Besides, that's Bede, not Caesar.† â€Å"I know. But I don't know very much Latin.† He gave me that quirky, bemused smile that seemed to be his trademark expression. â€Å"Do you?† â€Å"Enough.† I wondered how he would react if I mentioned my fluency in Latin dialects from various stages of the Roman Empire. My vague answer must have been interpreted as lack of interest because he looked away, and more silence fell. â€Å"Is there anything special you wanted to see?† â€Å"Not really.† Not really. Okay. Well. The sooner we got this started, the sooner it would end and I could see Erik. â€Å"Follow me.† As we drove off, I sort of hoped we might naturally flow into meaningful conversation, in spite of our bad start yesterday. Yet, as we traveled, it seemed clear Seth had no intention of carrying on any discourse. I recalled his nervousness in front of the crowd yesterday and even with some of the bookstore staff. This guy had serious social phobias, I realized, though he had made a valiant effort in shedding them during our initial flirtations. Then, I had gone and turned on the back-off vibes, undoubtedly scarring him for life and undoing whatever progress he had made. Way to go, Georgina. Maybe if I could broach some compelling topics, he would muster his earlier confidence and bring back our rapport – in a platonic way, of course. I attempted to recall my profound questions from last night. And once again, they eluded me, so I switched to mundane ones. â€Å"So your brother lives around here?† â€Å"Yup.† â€Å"What part?† â€Å"Lake Forest Park.† â€Å"That's a nice area. Are you going to look for a place up there?† â€Å"Probably not.† â€Å"Do you have another place in mind then?† â€Å"Not really.† Okay, this wasn't getting us anywhere. Annoyed at how this master of the written word could be so short on spoken ones, I finally decided to cut him out of the conversation altogether. Having him involved was too much work. Instead, I chatted on amiably without him, pointing out the popular spots: Pioneer Square, Pike Place Market, the Fremont Troll. I even showed him the shoddier representatives of our competition, per Paige's instructions. I neglected anything closer to the Space Needle than a brief nod, however. No doubt he'd seen it from Emerald City's windows and could pay the exorbitant fees to visit it up close if he really needed the tourist experience. We went to the U District for lunch. He followed without protest or comment to my favorite Vietnamese restaurant. Our meal progressed quietly as I took a break from talking, both of us eating noodles and staring out the nearby window to watch the bustle of students and cars. â€Å"This is nice.† It was the most Seth had spoken in a while, and I nearly jumped at the sound of his voice. â€Å"Yeah. This place doesn't look like much, but they make a mean pho.† â€Å"No, I meant out there. This area.† I followed his gesture back to University Way, at first seeing nothing more than disgruntled students hauling backpacks around. Then, expanding my search, I became aware of the other small specialty restaurants, the coffee shops, and the used bookstores. It was an eclectic mix, somewhat tattered around the edges, but it had a lot to offer quirky, intellectual types – even famous, introverted writers. I looked at Seth, who looked back at me expectantly. It was our first direct eye contact all day. â€Å"Are there places to live around here?† â€Å"Sure. If you want to share a house with a bunch of eighteen-year-olds.† I paused, thinking that option might not be so unappealing for a guy. â€Å"If you want something more substantial in this area, it'll cost you. I guess Cady and O'Neill ensure that's not really an issue, huh? We can drive around and look, if you want.† â€Å"Maybe. I'd honestly rather go there first.† He pointed across the street, to one of the used bookstores. His eyes flicked back to me uncertainly. â€Å"If that's okay with you.† â€Å"Let's go.† I loved used bookstores but always felt a little guilty walking into them. Like I was cheating. After all, I worked around bright, crisp books all the time. I could obtain a reprint of almost anything I wanted, brand new. It seemed wrong to take such visceral pleasure from being around old books, from the smell of aged paper, mildew, and dust. Such collections of knowledge, some quite old, always reminded me of times long past and places I'd seen, triggering a tidal wave of nostalgia. These emotions made me feel both old and young. The books aged while I did not. A gray tabby cat stretched and blinked at us from her spot on the counter as we entered. I stroked her back and said hello to the old man near her. He glanced up briefly from the books he sorted, smiled at us, and returned to his work. Seth stared around at the towering shelves before us, an expression of bliss on his face, and promptly disappeared into them. I wandered over to nonfiction, wanting to peruse the cookbooks. I had grown up preparing food without microwaves and food processors and decided it was high time to let my culinary knowledge expand into this century. Finally settling on a Greek cookbook with lots of colored pictures, I dragged myself away a half hour later and looked for Seth. I found him in the children's section, kneeling next to a stack of books, completely absorbed. I crouched down beside him. â€Å"What are you looking at?† He flinched slightly, startled by my proximity, and tore his gaze away from his find to look at me. This close, I could see that his eyes were actually more of a golden-amber brown, his lashes long enough to make any girl jealous. â€Å"Andrew Lang's fairy books.† He held a paperback entitled The Blue Fairy Book. On top of the stack near him sat another called The Orange Fairy Book, and I could only assume the rest followed color-coded suit. Seth glowed with literary rapture, forgetting his reticence around me. â€Å"The 1960s reprints. Not as valuable as, say, editions from the 1800s, but these are the ones my dad had, the ones he used to read to us from. He only had a couple, though; this is the whole set. I'm going to get them and read them to my nieces.† Flipping through the pages of The Red Fairy Book, I recognized the titles of many familiar stories, some I hadn't even known were still around. I turned the book over and looked inside the cover but found no price. â€Å"How much are they?† Seth pointed to a small sign near the shelf he'd obtained them from. â€Å"Is that reasonable for these?† I asked. â€Å"It's a little high, but it's worth it to me to get them all in one go.† â€Å"No way.† I gathered up part of the books, rising. â€Å"We'll talk him down.† â€Å"Talk him down how?† My lips turned up in a smile. â€Å"With words.† Seth seemed dubious, but the clerk proved an easy target. Most men would eventually cave before an attractive, charismatic woman – let alone a succubus who still sported a residual life force glow. Besides, I had learned bartering at my mother's knee. The guy behind the counter didn't stand a chance. By the time I finished with him, he had happily lowered the price by 25 percent and thrown in my cookbook for free. Walking back to my car, arms laden with books, Seth kept glancing at me wonderingly. â€Å"How did you do that? I've never seen anything like it.† â€Å"Lots of practice.† A vague answer worthy of one of his. â€Å"Thanks. I wish I could repay the favor.† â€Å"Don't worry – hey, you can actually. Would you mind running an errand with me? It's to a bookstore, but it's a scary bookstore.† â€Å"Scary how?† Five minutes later, we were on our way to see my old friend Erik Lancaster. Erik had been ensconced in the Seattle area long before me, and he was a well-known figure to almost every immortal entity around. Versed in mythology and supernatural lore, he regularly proved to be an excellent resource for all things paranormal. If he had noticed that some of his best patrons never aged, he wisely refrained from pointing that out. The only annoying thing about seeing Erik was that it required a visit to Krystal Starz – a stunning example of New Age spirituality gone wrong. I didn't doubt the place might have had good intentions back when it opened in the 1980s, but the bookstore now touted a barrage of colorful, highly commercial merchandise more weighted in price than any sort of mystical value. Erik, by my estimation, was the only employee with legitimate concern and knowledge of esoteric matters. The best of his coworkers were simply apathetic; the worst were zealots and scam artists. Pulling up into the store's parking lot, I immediately felt surprise at the number of cars there. This many people at Emerald City would have constituted a signing, but that sort of event seemed odd in the middle of the workday. A heavy wave of incense poured over us as we entered, and Seth appeared just as surprised as me by all the people and stimuli. â€Å"I might be a minute,† I told him. â€Å"Feel free to look around. Not that there's much here worth seeing.† He melted away, and I turned my attention to a bright-eyed young man standing near the door and directing the crowd around. â€Å"Are you here for the Gathering?† â€Å"Urn, no,† I told him. â€Å"I'm looking for Erik.† â€Å"Erik who?† â€Å"Lancaster? Older guy? African-American? He works here.† The young lackey shook his head. â€Å"There's no Erik here. Not as long as I've been working here.† He spoke like he'd founded the store. â€Å"How long has that been?† â€Å"Two months.† I rolled my eyes. A veritable veteran. â€Å"Is there a manager around here I can talk to?† â€Å"Well, Helena's here, but she's going to be – ah, there she is.† He gestured to the far side of the store where the woman in question appeared as though summoned. Ah yes, Helena. She and I had tangled before. Pale-haired, her neck bestrewn with crystals and other arcane symbols, she stood in a doorway marked meeting room. A teal shawl covered her slim shoulders, and like always, I wondered how old she was. She looked to be in her lower to mid-thirties, but something about her demeanor always made me think she was older. Maybe she'd had a lot of plastic surgery. It would be fitting, really, considering the rest of her trumped-up, artificial persona. â€Å"Everyone? Everyone?† She spoke in this obviously faked, high-pitched voice, meant to sound like a whisper, albeit one that could reach loud volumes. So mostly it came out raspy, like she had a cold. â€Å"It's time to start.† The masses – thirty or so, I'd say – moved toward the meeting room, and I followed, blending into the crowd. Some of the people around me looked like Helena: theme-dressed, in either all-black or too-vibrant shades, with a plethora of pentagrams, crystals, and ohms in attendance. Others looked like average people, dressed much like me in my work clothes, trailing along in excited curiosity. With a frozen, fake smile plastered across her face, Helena beckoned us into the room murmuring, â€Å"Welcome, welcome. Feel the energy.† When I passed by her, the smile faltered. â€Å"I know you.† â€Å"Yes.† The smile diminished further. â€Å"You're that woman who works at that big bookstore – that big, commercial bookstore.† A few people stopped and listened to our exchange, no doubt the reason she refrained from pointing out the last time I was in here, I had called her a hypocrite pushing marked-up crap merchandise. Compared to certain national chains, I hardly considered Emerald City commercial. Still, I shrugged in acknowledgment. â€Å"Yeah, what can I say, we're part of the problem in corporate America. However, we do sell all the books and tarot cards that you do, often at a discount if you're a member of Emerald City's Frequent Readers Program.† I mentioned this last part loudly. Extra advertising never hurt. Helena's weakening smile disappeared altogether, as did some of her raspy voice. â€Å"Is there something I can help you with?† â€Å"I'm looking for Erik.† â€Å"Erik doesn't work here anymore.† â€Å"Where'd he go?† â€Å"I'm not at liberty to discuss that.† â€Å"Why? Are you afraid I'll take my business elsewhere? Believe me, you were never in danger of having it.† She raised delicate fingers to her forehead and studied me seriously, eyes nearly going crossed. â€Å"I sense a lot of darkness in your aura. Black and red.† Her voice rose, drawing in the attention of her acolytes. â€Å"You would benefit greatly from some clearing work. A smoky or rutilated quartz might also help. We have excellent specimens of both for sale here. Either would lighten up your aura.† I couldn't resist a smirk. I believed in auras, knew they were perfectly real. I also knew, however, that my aura looked nothing at all like a mortal one, nor would someone like Helena even be able to see it. Indeed, a true human adept, capable of perceiving such things, would notice that in standing with a group of humans, I would be the only person without a discernible aura. It would be invisible to all, save someone like Jerome or Carter, though some particularly skilled mortal might be able to feel its strength and be understandably cautious. Erik was one such mortal, which was why he always treated me with so much respect. Helena was not. â€Å"Wow,† I crooned. â€Å"I can't believe you were able to deduce all that without your aura camera.† Krystal Starz proudly touted a camera that would photograph your aura for $9.95. â€Å"Do I owe you something now?† She sniffed. â€Å"I don't need a camera to see others' auras. I am a Master. Besides, the spirits who have assembled for this Gathering tell me plenty about you.† My smile increased. â€Å"What do they say?† I'd had little dealings with spirits or other ethereal beings in my long life, but I would know if any were present. She closed her eyes, hands to her forehead again, lines of thought creasing her face. The onlookers watched in wonder. â€Å"They tell me that much troubles you. That the indecision and monotony in your life force you to lash out, and so long as you choose the path of darkness and distrust, you will never find peace or light.† Her blue eyes opened, caught up in her own otherworldly ecstasy. â€Å"They want you to join us. Sit in our circle, feel their healing energy. The spirits will help you to a better life.† â€Å"Like they helped you out of the porn industry?† She froze, paling, and I almost felt bad for a moment. Adepts like Erik weren't the only ones with reputations in the immortal community. A crackpot like Helena was well known too. Someone who had apparently been a fan of hers back in the day had recognized her from a movie and passed on this bit of dirt to the rest of us. â€Å"I don't know what you mean,† she finally said, face struggling for control in front of her minions. â€Å"My mistake. You reminded me of someone called Moana Licka. You sort of rub crystals the way she used to rub†¦ well, you get the idea.† â€Å"You are mistaken,† Helena said, voice on the verge of cracking. â€Å"Erik no longer works here. Please leave.† Another retort rose to my lips, but then, beyond her, I caught sight of Seth. He had wandered up to the edge of the crowd, observing the spectacle with the others. Seeing him, I suddenly felt foolish, the thrill of humiliating Helena turning cheap and shallow. Embarrassed, I still managed to hold my head high as I withheld my remarks and walked away from her. Seth fell into step beside me. â€Å"Let me guess,† I said dryly. â€Å"Some people write the stories, and some people live them.† â€Å"I think you can't help but make a sensation wherever you go.† I assumed he was being sarcastic. Then, I glanced over and saw his frank expression, neither censuring nor snide. His earnestness was so unexpected that I stumbled slightly, paying more attention to him than where I was going. Having a much-deserved reputation for gracefulness, I recovered almost immediately. Seth, however, instinctually held out a hand to catch me. As he did, I suddenly had a flash of†¦ of something. Like that moment of connection back in the map aisle. Or the surge of fulfillment I got when I read his books. It was brief, fleeting, like maybe it hadn't happened at all. He seemed as surprised as I felt and released my arm tentatively, almost hesitantly. A moment later, a voice behind me broke the spell entirely. â€Å"Excuse me?† Turning, I saw a slim teenage girl with cropped red hair and piercings up and down her ears. â€Å"You were looking for Erik, right?† â€Å"Yeah†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"I can tell you where he's at. He left about five months ago to start his own store. It's in Lake City†¦ I forget the name. There's a light there, with a grocery store and a big Mexican restaurant†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I nodded. â€Å"I know that area. I'll find it. Thanks.† I eyed her curiously. â€Å"Do you work here?† â€Å"Yeah. Erik was always pretty cool to me, so I'd rather see him get business than this place. I'd have gone with him, but he doesn't really need any other help, so I'm stuck with Nutso in there.† She jerked her thumb back in Helena's direction. The girl had a serious, practical demeanor different from most of this place's employees. I recalled now that I'd seen her helping customers when I'd come in. â€Å"Why do you work here if you don't like it?† â€Å"I don't know. I like books, and I need money.† I dug through my purse, searching for one of my rarely used business cards. â€Å"Here. You want a new job, come talk to me sometime.† She took the card and read it, surprise filling her features. â€Å"Thanks†¦ I think.† â€Å"Thanks for the info about Erik.† Pausing, I considered further, and dug out another card. â€Å"If you've got a friend – anyone else who works here and is like you – give this to them too.† â€Å"Is that legal?† asked Seth later. † Dunno. But we're short-staffed at Emerald City.† I figured a specialty store like Erik's must be closed by now, so instead I turned toward Lake Forest Park to return Seth to his brother's house. I confess, relief flooded me. Being with one's hero was tiring, not to mention every interaction between us swung between wildly opposing poles. I'd probably be safer limiting our relationship to me simply reading his books. I dropped him off at a cute, suburban home, its front yard littered with children's playthings. I saw no sign of the children themselves, much to my disappointment. Seth gathered up his haul of books, gave me another scattered smile as he voiced his thanks, and disappeared into the house. I was almost back to Queen Anne when I realized I'd forgotten to ask him for my copy of The Glasgow Pact. Annoyed, I entered my building and immediately heard the front desk attendant solicit me. â€Å"Miss Kincaid?† I walked over to him, and he handed me a vase of flowers teeming with shades of purple and dark pink. â€Å"These came for you today.† I accepted the vase with delight, inhaling the mingled scents of roses, irises, and stargazer lilies. They had no card. Typical. â€Å"Who brought them?† He gestured beyond me. â€Å"That man over there.†

Hobbes and Locke: Social Contract Essay

Thomas Hobbes and John Locke held contrasting theories on how government should limit the rights of men, which they referred to as the social contract. Thomas Hobbes’ theory of the social contract is that a government should have complete discretion over the limitations of men’s rights, while Locke’s theory is that a social contract is necessary, but the rights limited should be solely for the protection of property. Thomas Hobbes’ theory of the social contract is that men should give up all of their rights to an absolute government for the protection of their lives. He writes in Chapter 14 of Leviathan that â€Å"man [should] be willing †¦ for peace and defence of himself †¦ to lay down this right to all things †¦. â€Å" (Hobbes 161). He concludes by describing the motive for man handing over rights as being for his security (Hobbes 162). John Locke’s theory is that the social contract should limit the rights of man only to protect his property. In Chapter 9 Locke describes his theory that man joins the social contract â€Å"only with an intention †¦ to preserve †¦ [his] property† (Locke 171). Locke contrasts with Hobbes where he writes in Chapter 7 of Of Civil Government that anyone that thinks that absolute government improves men should read the history of any age to be convinced otherwise (Locke 170). What role the social contract should have in the lives of men is subjective. Thomas Hobbes’ theory on the social contract holds that an absolute government is needed for the protection of men’s lives, while John Locke’s theory focuses on a limited government solely for the protection of men’s property. Works Cited Thomas Hobbes; â€Å"Leviathan†; The Arts 1000 Reader; Pearson 2007; pp 159-163 John Locke; â€Å"Of Civil Government†; The Arts 1000 Reader; Pearson 2007; pp 167-173.

Belonging Strictly Ballroom

Understanding nourishes belonging†¦ a lack of understanding prevents it Understanding can nourish belonging and let it grow, however a lack of understanding can damage a person’s sense of belonging and prevent it. This concept is portrayed in Baz Luhrman’s film â€Å"strictly ballroom† and related text poem â€Å"Rhapsody on a windy night† by T S Elliot. These texts depict the way a lack of understanding may damage a person’s sense of belonging and the foundation of belonging is powerful to one’s self identity.Lack of a sense of belonging is portrayed in the ‘mockumentary’ film â€Å"Strictly Ballroom† through the character Scott Hastings as he is treated as an outcast because he refuse to conform to the mainstream way of ballroom dance. The opening scene portrays the false, fairytale feeling of the world of ballroom dance through the motif showing big red curtains opening with matching theatrical music. The over the top fakery is shown through the fluffy costumes and over the top hair of the dancers in the opening scene.They are shown hugging and exchanging high fives, portraying that they belong because they have conformed to the mainstream way of dance presented by Barry Fife. â€Å"You can dance any steps you like but it doesn’t mean you will win. † This quote spoken by Barry fife shows the power he holds because he controls who wins. Unless you perform his steps that are shown in the video ‘The right way to dance’ you are not going to win. In the extreme close up of his mouth, we see the crooked rotten teeth because symbolically he is a crooked rotten person.When Scott dances his own steps the scene is shown in slow motion with a freeze frame, beautiful music with a pleasing crowd reaction to match shows that everyone including Scott was enjoying the dance. The camera switches to the furious faces of Shirley and Barry fife showing that everyone loved the new steps except for everyone who had confirmed that sat on the federation leaders table. The Table is situated higher than the dancers and audience depicting how they are in charge. Liz’s lack of understanding for Scotts love for his own steps is shown when she threatens Scott to conform to the federation steps for Ballroom dancing. I'm not dancing with you until you are supposed to† Barry has programmed the dancers like robots to follow his ‘Right steps’ â€Å"what did you think of the steps? †Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. â€Å"I don’t think! † Fran as a beginner dancer does not belong in the ballroom dancing world. Her frizzy hair, acne covered skin, thick unattractive glasses and covered figureless body makes her a target for nasty comments. The Slapstick humour when Liz and Scott knocking over Fran when she is trying to comfort them shows how she is not respected and over looked. Understanding however can give a person a sense of belonging in society or within themselves.Fran and Scott both feel like outcasts because they love to dance their own steps and not conform to the federation â€Å"I want to dance with you your way†. When the song â€Å"time after time† plays while Scott and Fran are dancing, Fran shows Scott what she is capable of proving that she is not a hopeless dancer like everyone stereotypes her to be. Scott tells her to dance without her glasses and we notice throughout the movie the tighter clothing she wears to reveal her toned elegant body structure, portraying as she feels a sense of comfort and understanding towards Scott, she starts to gain her own identity.