Directing Melodrama. Specifically. The Play Lady Audley's Secret Research Proposal

Directing Melodrama. Specifically. The Play Lady Audley's Secret - Research Proposal Example But when her real face is disclosed before the audience it is an unexpected shock for them. This novel was later converted into drama by many playwrights. This is a typical melodrama and while converting it into the play the director should adapt the story according to the requirement of the features of melodrama and for that he has to have the knowledge of the genre called melodrama. I have already mentioned above that this novel is a subtle. It is so because it includes an appalling conspiracy orchestrated by a very innocent looking Victorian lady. This conspiracy is both hidden and injurious. It is a subtle novel also because it is difficult to understand the psyche of the protagonist. Her character is complex to analyze. She is villainess but we cannot deny the fact that her circumstance has made her to be villainess. The term sensation novel was widely practiced in the 1860. The term was basically used for the fictions written with surprise and shock. The term can be traced back to the novel Dion Boucicault by Colleen Bawn. It was literally stuffing middle class audience into the Adelphi Theatre in 1860. This novel was full of mystery, action, and emotions which are the special characteristics of the melodrama. Many of these features of the melodrama passed into the sensational novels, like Wilkie Collins’ â€Å"The woman in white† (1860), Dickens â€Å"Great Expectations† (1860-61), and Mary Elizabeth Braddons â€Å"Lady Audley’s Secret.† The plays were adapted from this novel by many playwrights. Among them are George Robert (1863), William Suiter(1863), Tom Taylor (1865), Henry Dunbar (America, 1866), There are ten major characters which include Lady Audley, Sir Michael Audley, Robert Audley (his nephew), George Talboys, Luke Marks, Bibbles, Alicia (Sir Michael’s daughter), Phoebe Marks, and a servant Martin. The stage version of this novel is quite different where the protagonist, Lucy

The Implications of Spanish Essay Example for Free

The Implications of Spanish Essay The United States is the world’s fourth largest Spanish-speaking country. This ranking should not come as a surprise to anyone. According to Renan Alemendarez Coello (qtd. in Hochmuth), it is not that hard to find someone who speaks either limited English or no English at all on the street today. Indeed, recent demographic studies and observations that have been made by researchers have implied that Spanish is the second most widely used language in the country, next to English. This is because as of the year 2000, Mexican immigrants make up 27. 6% of the total foreign-born U. S. population with another 5 million immigrants coming from other Spanish-speaking nations and countless of unaccounted illegal migrants entering the country in the U. S. – Mexico border and Americans learning Spanish through formal education (Carreira 334; Lipski 14; Huntington 26; U. S. English Foundation 15). In certain and territories of the country such as Miami and Puerto Rico, Spanish has become the primary language used not just in homes, but in business and politics (Castro; Lipski 29-31). In fact, in the 1984 national elections Jones had reported to Senator Quentin N. Burdick that in Texas alone 283,000 voters from 1,012 precincts in the states were Hispanics covered by the 1965 Voting Rights Act which mandated that elections be conducted in a language aside from English in order for the minority would be able to exercise in their right to vote (1-2). Even more recently, the Democratic Party’s presidential candidate debate held in September 2003 was done both in English and Spanish (Lipski 30). While the evidence mentioned establishes Spanish as the second language of the United States, these proof that Spanish is flourishing in the country today has given a growing rise of concern among many Americans about its implications. Many have begun to fear that the proliferation of Spanish in the country would cause the nation to be divided and would even hinder the country from progressing (Hochmuth; Lipski 30). One significant issue currently faced by the country today that has been linked to the growth of the Spanish language in the country is the growing academic achievement gap between Hispanics and Caucasians. In a recent study made by Rumberger and Anguiano in 1998 in 120 kindergarten schools in California, they have attributed that the academic achievement gap is caused by two factors namely the socio-economic status of the family of the student and the English proficiency of the student (17). These two factors are interlinked with each other. Since Hispanic immigrants are not fluent or do not speak English efficiently, they are unable to find employment to be able to uplift their socio-economic status (Hochmuth; Lipski 34). Because of this, they are unable to provide their children the skills needed in order to be able to perform competently once they enter school. This is evident in the grade point averages that they receive in secondary schools and in their Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) scores as compared to students from other cultural backgrounds (Lavin-Loucks 3-5; Rumberger and Anguiano 4). This would eventually lead to long term consequences ranging from unemployment to dependency on welfare (Lavin-Loucks 7). In order to address the matter, some government organizations have began to lobby for fluency in the English language should be mandated. Dubbed as the â€Å"English Only† movement, its statutes may range from declaring English as the sanctioned language in the state to the exclusion of non-English assistance and services. Today, sixteen states have become â€Å"English Only† states. These states include Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, Nebraska, North and South Carolina, North Dakota, Tennessee and Virginia. Supporters of this movement see this as the solution to address other concerns such as the academic achievement gap and the high number living in poverty (American Civil Liberties Union 2; Lipski 34). In order to educate immigrants to become fluent in English, they would facilitate the education through the use of English immersion programs. These programs would prohibit the use of any language except English. There are three methods that could be used for these programs. The first is the English as a Second Language (ESL) method which supplements the classes with additional lessons in English. ESL may focus on grammar and language structure or focus on the contents through communication. The second method is the sheltered immersion method where the English taught is dependent on the proficiency level of the student. The third model is called the â€Å"sink or swim† method. This involves were placed in regular classrooms regardless of their proficiency level. This third method was banned by the Supreme Court in 1974 (The Benefits of Bilingual Education). However, there are many who protest to the â€Å"English Only† movement. Coalitions such as the American Civil Liberties Union have noted that while there are some benefits to this movement, there are also a number of consequences which they view as bearing more weight compared to the benefits. For one, the â€Å"English Only† movement would void federal and state laws which require the government to provide services in languages apart from English, such as the 1965 Voting Rights Act (Jones 1) as well as services pertaining to everything from health and education to assistance to victims of crimes or accidents (2). It also leads to the abandonment of multicultural events. This movement would also lead to Spanish-language, and other foreign language, programs in television and radio stations to forfeit their licenses and would eventually go off the air. Furthermore, immigrants who are coerced English one way or another would experience some psychological woes. In an interview, Ronald Rodriguez (qtd. in Torres) found himself becoming aloof in his class where everyone, but him, spoke English as a youngster. When he eventually became fluent with the English language, he began to feel a sense of embarrassment in speaking Spanish and had a feeling that he had betrayed his family for speaking English. Moreover, this movement is contradictory to the Equal Protection Clause protected by the Fourteenth Amendment and would inhibit immigrants who are not proficient in English of certain rights such as the right to vote, education and to be free of discrimination (2-3). This would make the â€Å"English Only† policy as a racist policy (Schmidt 143). Opposing groups have proposed alternatives to the â€Å"English Only† policy. In order to solve national concerns such as the academic achievement gap and the growing poverty due to unemployment on the part of immigrants is through bilingual education (Huntington 30). Bilingual education was initially employed to level out unequal education (Arce 228). Bilingualism refers to an individual’s knowledge of two or more languages apart from his or her own native language and the ability to function in these languages according to the need (Meyer and Fienberg 2; Minami). These abilities include speaking, reading, writing, and understanding (Chiocca). There are three bilingual education models that are currently used in the country today. The first model is the Transitional model. This model accentuates English language development and academic learning using the native language of the students as the medium to instruct them. The second model is the Developmental model. This model is aimed to advance the fluency of the student both in writing, reading and speaking both in their native language and in English. The third model is the dual language program. This program teaches both English and the student’s native language alternately to the students in order to make them fluent in both English and the student’s native language (Lipski 29-30; The Benefits of Bilingual Education). In today’s society, all nations including the United States are geared towards globalization (Robinson). In line with this, more and more individuals view bilingual education and dual language programs to become popular (Lipski 29-30). Children who are enrolled in bilingual education programs in the country have been reported to succeed academically since their language and culture are incorporated in the curriculum of the program and in their daily interactions in the classrooms providing a firm language foundation (Arce 228; Wu and Ito). This environment allows the children enrolled in bilingual programs to foster a feeling of security (Konishi). Being proficient in more than one language also allows students the opportunity to continue their education in other countries (Fallows). Furthermore, bilingual education preserves the student’s sense of pride, making them able to blend in a dominant English speaking easily able to interact with his or her classmates at the same time protecting their sense of identity since language and culture are important to the identity of an individual (The Benefits of Bilingual Education). In line with this, bilingualism also allows Americans in order to understand the other cultures in the country. A few of the languages that Lipski had suggested for Americans to select as a second language to learn are Chinese, Japanese and Spanish (29). Bilingualism also has its benefits in the corporate world. Bilingual candidates, particularly those who are fluent in Spanish and English, have greater employment opportunities than those who can only speak one language (Chiocca). This is due to the growing Hispanic market in the country. As of 2000, the Hispanic community is reported to have a purchasing power of over $300 billion annually (Carreira 334). Thus, many business organizations in the United States prefer to hire individuals who are able to speak both Spanish and English. The need for bilingual employees is more imperative in industries that inquire vast amount of paperwork. Examples of these industries are car sales, insurance, mortgaging companies, and those who cater to foreign clients. In these industries, the transactions between the customer and the company are seen to have high risks. Bilingual employees minimize these risks by being able to communicate effectively with their clients. An employee who is able to speak the same language as the company’s customers would be able to make them feel more secure and important to the business (Jares; Shepherd). An example of this was when Continental Airlines began to service passengers to Latin America and began to hire bilingual stewards and stewardesses for these flights. Erica Roy, spokesperson of Continental Airlines stated that the company decided to hire bilingual stewards and stewardesses because the company’s clientele was improving in Latin America and the company wanted to make the customers feel comfortable (Jares). Despite the many benefits bilingual education may bring about to an individual, particularly to children, many researchers have found that it has its share of disadvantages. According to the studies of these researchers, children who enroll in bilingual education programs experience more hardships in terms of language proficiency as compared to those who grow up learning only one language. Bilingual children have been noted to exhibit vocabulary proficiency scores below normal in either of the two languages. Researchers attribute this to the fact that since they are learning two different languages, they are learning twice as many words within the same time span as that of a child who is only learning one language. Other researchers have also concluded that bilingual education can inhibit the cognitive development of the child which may result to retardation (Minami). Recent studies on the impact of bilingual education to the cognitive development of a child have shown results contrary to the initial findings made by researchers. In fact, studies have shown that children who are raised learning more than one language have a higher potential to become smarter than those who only learned one language. In a study done in Darthmouth College headed by Laura-Ann Petitto, a group of children whose ages were between 4 and 6 years old and spoke either French or English were compared against a group of bilingual children who were learning one spoken and one signed language. The cognitive capability of the participants of the study were compared using a commonly used research device to measure the thinking ability as well as the ability to allocate attention wherein the participants telling the researchers the color of the square appearing on a computer screen and its position on the screen. The results of the study showed that the bilingual children scoring better than those who only knew one language. The results of this study disproved previous studies that cognitive development is compromised in the case of bilingual children (McCoy). Another similar study at the University College in London supported the findings made by Petitto. They had concluded that because they were learning more than one language, the brains of bilingual children are more structurally enhanced as compared to those who can only speak one language (â€Å"Linguists Have Better Brains†). Petitto confirms this by explaining that the increased demands in processing two language systems also increased the computational analysis capabilities of the brains of bilingual children (McCoy). Bilingualism has also shown to cultivate classification skills, concept forming, reasoning through analogy, and a better control in linguistic processing (Chipongian). The latter was evident in a study done by Viberg where bilingual children and monolingual children were given a story which they then needed to relay, the versions given by bilingual children were more detailed than their monolingual counterparts (Minami). Furthermore, bilingual children have been noted to be more flexible mentally and able to conceptualize better. These analytical capabilities demonstrated by bilingual children as well as the recognition of uncertainties and sensitivity towards detail and structure have also been noted to surpass that of children their age who have learned only one language. They are able to focus their attention on important details without being sidetracked by information that have no bearing on the information or details that may be misleading (Chipongian). It is important to remember that currently, the findings on how bilingual education affects the cognitive development of an individual has been concentrated on children. Further research would yet have to be to determine if the same benefits would be exemplified by teenagers and adults who learn a second language.

Physics of Snowmachining :: physics snowmobile snowmachine

Whether zipping along a winding trail, flying through the open flats, or powering up a steep hill snowmachines and the rider need to use physics to stay in control of the machine and themselves. The main compenents are the track, engine, skis and riding. Snowmachine tracks are essential to making a snowmachine move. Ever since snowmachines first originated in the late 50's designers have been finding ways to improve traction in a variety of conditions. Some of these conditions are driving on groomed trails, not groomed trails, overflow, and deep snow. The very first snowmachines had tracks with very bad traction. But you must realize that they weren't driving in the same conditions snowmachines of today can handle. Old machines were limited to readily used trails and very little powder. The tracks used on the old machines looked like the one shown in the picture below. The traction, the little raised bits of rubber, was minimal and the tracks weren't very economical either. The first attempts at making a track was using steel, which was too heavy, and rubber, which was to flexible and brittle at cold temperatures. Eventually manufacturers found the key ingredients. Kevlar tracks with imbedded nylon strands to reinforce and improve strength. A kevlar track is now the standard in today's snowmachines. Another key ingredient to the track is the paddles. Paddles are the pieces coming off of the track itself, a picture these paddles is shown below. This is what provides the traction for the snowmachine to move. In today's market these paddles come in sizes ranging from 1 inch to 3 inches. The saying "bigger is better" does not hold true for these paddles though. When the paddles get to big the rotating mass actually bogs the machine down and reduces performance. Polaris Industries have found, through the use of physics and other tests, that the most efficient paddle length is 2.4 inches. This length gives the most grip in deep snow while still being semi-economical on trails. Snowmachine engines come in two types, two-stroke and four-stroke. Two stroke engines are simpler, lighter, and cheaper to manufacture then four-stroke engines, "plus two-stroke engines also have the potential to pack about twice the power into the same space because there are twice as many power strokes per revolution than in four-strokes". There are other advantages two-stroke engines have which include not having valves which lowers weight and eases construction.

Luna Pen Case Writeup

Report on Luna Pen case PA major 0420830 Lee Joo-Hyun Q1. If you were in Erika’s position, what steps might give you the best chance of achieving your goals? First of all, I think it’s rather dangerous to prepare negotiation plan solely based on stereotype of specific race/nationality. But still it’s foolish to ignore cultural difference. Since negotiation counterpart Feng is not from mainland China but from Taiwan, I believe there would be little or no disadvantage of Erika being female.But in case DGG is planning a bigger picture (for example, sharing distribution system of Global Service in Asia region) than just resolving trademark right issue, I think it is better to consider the fact Taiwanese regard Guan-Xi (relationship) as important aspect in terms of long term, friendly relationship. Therefore it would probably be a good idea to prepare a male represent with similar position to Erika along with her. Secondly Erika needs to gather more information about the counterpart; Feng and Global Service.After all, negotiation process is to find compromise or creative option between my constraint conditions/needs and their constraint conditions/needs. I’ll discuss about it more in following Question #2. Thirdly, Erika needs to build up negotiation plan. She need to determine what DGG intend to/should earn and how far DGG can back down. After defining goals & constraints (or setting Maginot Line), assuming the worst case scenario is also important step.In this case, the worst case possible could be something like this; â€Å"Feng & Global Service refuses to negotiate, pointing out that DGG abandoned and stop making product under the name of Luna. Thus DGG is left with no other choice but to file an uncertain lawsuit which would be both time consuming and costly. † To prevent this from happening, it would be unwise to start the first contact with firm stand like writing Feng that his company must cease its unauthorized use of he L una name, and that DGG is prepared to file lawsuit if necessary. Instead, I think it’s better to mention that DGG is aware of the fact that Luna pen is selling well under the marketing and distribution power of Feng and Global Service and DGG is more than willing to negotiate about the usage of Luna name. Q2. What further information might you need before contacting Feng; and how might you realistically obtain it? First of all, DGG need to figure out brand value (or brand power) of Luna by doing brief market research.By doing so, DGG can tell how much the brand power affected the total sale of Feng’s Luna pen and use it as a sharable standard in negotiation. I believe this data can be obtained rather simply. All DGG have to do is to run series of survey to group of customers, asking their willingness to pay for given pen with/without brand name Luna. Secondly, it would be a good idea to find potential buyers that are willing to buy the trademark Luna. The information o f potential buyers could later be used as a mean to pressure Feng and Global Service if necessary.Since selling Luna brand would not harm DGG, by contacting company in pen making business, DGG can obtain information of potential buyers while spreading news that DGG is trying to sell Luna name as well. And as a last resort, DGG should investigate the legal position of DGG in this case. (Especially in terms of Taiwanese court) If DGG files a lawsuit, what are the odd of winning the case, how long will it take, and how much is the estimated cost of lawsuit?The answers to these questions are key factors to decide whether to file a lawsuit or not. If odds are against DGG, it will be more reasonable to approach this negotiation in more cooperative, soft stand. On the other hand, if the odds are in favor of DGG, DGG can use lawsuit both as leverage to pressure Feng and last resort to settle this matter. Such data can be obtained via corporate legal department.

Children should be required to help with household tasks Essay

?It is ture that only good students gain a higher education has its merits. They have the strong abilitiy to study new things and they have more passtive to explore something unsure. It is not only conductive to themselves, but also contributing a lot to society. However, no matter how outstanding they are, every citizens should be treated equally. Moreover, commonplace people also use their talent to make it better. Therefore, as far as I am concerned, a college or university education should be available to all students. For one thing, all people have their own right to deside whether attend to a college or university and all people also should be treat equally whatever they are good or common. That is a basic rules that everyone should respect for others. If a college or university only choose the people who are amazing, that will hurt others who also desire to attend this school. It will lead to a adverse impact on them, even they are never stimulated by studying due to their odinary gift. In addtion, it is not a truth that good people are always good. Some students might be not aware of their talent and they even do not know what field they want to engage or study before they go to a college or university. Once they attend there, they would find their own route, which fit them and they want to pursue. In this process, a host of people will gain their real dream, and in order to fulfill it, they will become diligent and ambitious. That is why many famous people have not high IQ or special capacity but still seccessful in the future. I think that they could be enlightened by higher education. Some people believe that a college or university education should be available to all students. Others think that higher education should be available only to good students. Maybe both parties have their weights, however, I agree that all students should have the opportunity to receive higher education. To begin with, everyone has the right to receive a better education. It is very important for all the students get higher education. College education improves the quality of people and is a necessary preparation for the later social life. People learn not only knowledge and skills but also interpersonal methods and experience. An higher education experience is of great help in finding a good job and living a good life. Moreover, it is not certain that good students in high school will be still â€Å"good† in further education. Many people claim that it is most effective to give Good students higher education. Nonetheless, there is not promise that every good student going to a college will graduate successfully. Jack, one of my university classmates is a good example. He rolled in the university with a very high score. However, he often was absent in class and indulged himself in drinking. Subsequently, failing to pass many exams, he had to drop out. In this case, a university education is not benefit to Jack. However, many students who were not that good in high school can do well in their college. Many of them have the ability and potentiality to study well, but they did not realize the importance of education when they were in high school. After entering a college, they learn by heart, and become good college students. If they are derived the right to higher education, it will be a big loss to them and the society. To conclude, higher education plays an important role in one’s life. All students have the right to study in a college or university, that is, higher education should be available to all the students, including both good students and bad students. People learn through their entire lives. They constantly improve their knowledge and gain new experience. I think that a college or university education should be available to all students because every person has the right to choose the way to self-perfection. Below I will give some reasons to support my position. First of all, every person should have the chance to get a higher degree, gain new knowledge and experience. However, some people believe that higher education should be available only to good students. I think it is silly. It is like to make unavailable travelling for one who does not have IQ high enough. Secondly, some young people do not do well at school but they have great personality and ability to learn. They are self-confident, persistent and patient. With these qualities they can get higher grades than their classmates who are talented but lazy. Imagine for example situation when a teenager gets high grades because his or her parents constantly make him or her study and help to do most of the homework. In this case a child is good at school but I think a college can show the opposite results. Finally, it is a discrimination against students to make available higher education only for good ones. So, if a student does poor and gets low grades he or she should be sent down. But if a person has never been given a chance to try himself or herself at college what one can do in this case? To sum up, I think that all young people should have the chance to get a higher education. To take or not this chance must be up to them.

The use and importance of official crime statistics Research Paper Example

The use and importance of official crime statistics Research Paper Example The use and importance of official crime statistics Paper The use and importance of official crime statistics Paper This paper will consider which activities are officially counted as crime and feature in the official crime statistics, opening with a view as to why some activities do, whilst others, quite clearly and equally criminal, do not figure amongst these official statistics. This approach acknowledges that not all crimes, for whatever reasons, are reported to or acted upon by the police. We will consider serious and dangerous activities that some may deem equally criminal but which never find their way into the official statistics as a result of what Steven Box identifies as ideological mystification. Having examined this paradoxical situation, we will consider the futility of using crime statistics in the tracking of crimes, and in the implementation of measures against them. Before addressing this question, it would be helpful to be aware of what official criminal statistics represent in reality, and what they can actually tell us. Given this understanding, it seems that we can never be completely sure that the data, which represent certain activities as crime, fully reflects the true extent to which crime is being committed. There are many variables that need to be taken account of, such as the number of pursuits legally counted as crimes that are actually being reported to, and recorded by, the police. The most important issue here is the requirement for consistency in recording; yet the discretion that we know to be open to, and exercised by, the police affords them the freedom to manipulate the records in order to suit some hidden agenda or ulterior motive (e. g. he need for the police to meet Key Performance Indicators; or attempts to show crime as being higher or lower than the figures would in actual fact suggest), thus allowing the statistics to be constructed in such a way as to mislead and misinform politicians and the general public about the level of crime in our society. Therefore, if we do not have a clear picture from true and accurate statistics, it would appear to be futile to rely on these for the purposes of tracking crime or, indeed, in applying the measures taken against it. The dark figure of crime (unrecorded crimes) is not represented within the official criminal statistics. These unrecorded crimes can include anything from the pilfering of property in the workplace, to vandalism and the violent abuse of women and children within the home, (Muncie, J. 1998). These are crimes more usually picked up in self-reports or victimisation studies conducted by the British Crime Study (BCS) and which can be said to illustrate something of the disparity existent between the official statistics and peoples life experience of crimes. In 1982 and 1984, the BCS suggested that only about half of known crime is reported to the police. Since this is the case, and given the fact that very little is known about the bulk of criminal activity in Britain, the official crime statistics are far from representative of the reality of crime in Britain and so are of very little use in informing policy measures taken against it; although it could be argued that they may be of some use to certain politicians wishing to embark upon a law and order campaign. It could also be argued that these statistics may be used to point the finger at certain sections of the populace for purely political reasons. Steven Box (1981), poses the powerful argument, for example, that criminal laws are little more than ideological constructions representing the interests of an influential ruling elite. Box argues that laws tend to focus on those victimizing behaviours that are considered more serious and given greater prominence in the public perception, as constituting the most serious of social problems and deserving of no less serious responses. Crimes such as murder, rape, robbery and burglary are clearly reflected within the official crime statistics as perpetrated by predominantly young men of low socio-economic status. Amongst these, the uneducated, unemployed and ethnic minorities are over-represented and form the bulk of the prison population. This apparently tells us that particular sections of the populace are the most likely perpetrators of crime and criminal activity within society. However, statistics such as these do not tell us that, as Box indicates, far more serious crimes and criminality occur on a regular basis yet go unnoticed. A large number of these offences are crimes committed by the rich and powerful, which are carried out on the relatively powerless; real people who suffer avoidable death and serious injury for want of the proper implementation of current health and safety regulations at work and elsewhere. Criminal law also excludes from protection consumers who have been sold faulty products through the malpractices of manufacturers, or shareholders that incur losses resulting from the deliberate mismanagement of a company by its directors or senior management. (Box, 1981). Thus, the official criminal statistics would appear actually to hide the crimes of the more powerful, wealthy and privileged individuals within society whilst simultaneously serving to overemphasize and overstate those criminal activities of the weak. This effectively distorts and renders unreliable the official picture of crime as portrayed by the state. In relation to our question, it would appear then that the official crime statistics are far from representative of the true extent and reality of crime in our society, and although the vast majority of people wish to be protected from the very real crimes featured in the official statistics, they are notoriously unreliable indicators of the incidence of crime or, indeed, of the types of crime being committed in contemporary Britain. Therefore, the remainder of the question seems to be a fruitless pursuit unless we wish to advocate various conspiracy theories and speak in terms of the official crime statistics serving purposes such as controlling targeted sections of the populace by tracking their particular activities and informing the measures taken in combating these, whilst simultaneously serving to cover up the crimes of the rich and powerful elite and distract attention from their activities. In point of fact, that line of argument would result in the assertion that the official crime statistics actually serve to help maintain this particular, current, status quo.

Rules for Maintaining a Professional Relationship With Your Colleagues

Rules for Maintaining a Professional Relationship With Your Colleagues There are great companies out there- even companies that genuinely set good priorities to take care of their employees. But it is important to remember that you remain in a business relationship with your company and your boss. At the end of the day, no matter your loyalty or their friendliness, you are just a resource to a company- one of many. There are also terrible companies, who never even pretend to care about their employees’ wellbeing. Either way, it’s important to be savvy, and to learn how to conduct yourself in business transactions with your eyes open- to make sure you protect yourself.Here are a few rules of thumb to keep in mind.Don’t be buds with your boss.As tempting as it is to be your boss’s BFF (you get along like a house on fire, you have tons in common, you finish each other’s sentences!), it’s not always the best idea. First, there could be gossip from higher-ups and lower-downs if your promotion or bonus (however well-d eserved) is seen to be a favor from the boss-your-friend. By keeping your boss at a bit of a respectful arms’ length, you avoid any accusations of favoritism, inappropriate conduct, mercenary behavior, even â€Å"sleeping your way to the top.†It’s also best to keep secrets secret in a relationship with a power differential. Don’t spill your skeletons and don’t give your boss the opportunity to spill hers. Remember: you can’t un-know whatever you learn. So if you can’t separate what’s business from what’s personal, and you’re just starting out in your career, it might be best not to get in too deep until you’re sure you can handle the extra intimacy.HR is not your friend.You may think HR is a magic watchdog, protecting employees from all kinds of wrongdoing. But you’d be wrong. While they are there to manage your concerns and occasionally police wrongs, they’re mostly doing these things for the good of the company, not the employees. Remember who pays their salaries. They will always pick the needs and interests of the company over you, the little guy. With a few exceptions, you are â€Å"human capital† to be managed, according to HR. Don’t distrust them necessarily, just learn to function without thinking you need them as some kind of hall monitor for right and wrong.Keep a job offer handy.As often as possible, make sure to have a job offer in your back pocket. When you feel wanted, you work much better and much harder. And when you’re wanted by someone else, your boss looks at you as if through magic rose-colored glasses and sees your value double! Even if you have to hunt undercover (i.e. if your HR department gets really shifty when you update your resume), it’s a good idea to have an exit strategy to keep your ego up in times of stress. Keep looking, even when you already have a job.Your network is your best friend.Your professional networ k doesn’t have to be this scary thing that’s all work all the time. You can make it a truly social thing, you can even make friends. Build a group of like-minded contacts whose interests match up with yours and whose intellectual pursuits and career moves inspire you constantly to do and be better. Keep in touch with them. Do them favors and then ask for a few for yourself. Congratulate old office mates on new jobs. In short: be a good friend to your network contacts and soon they will start to feel like actual friends.Know when to quit.If you’re not happy in a job, it might be time to cut and run. Use that extra handy offer you’re keeping on hand, and use it to get to a better place for you and your career.

Rousseaus Thoughts on Women and Education

Rousseau's Thoughts on Women and Education Jean-Jacques Rousseau is considered one of the key Enlightenment philosophers, and his writings reveal that he was concerned with â€Å"equality among men,† but he certainly did not make womens equality his focus. Having lived from 1712 to 1778, Rousseau was a major influence on the intellectual thinking of the 18th century. He inspired the political activism that led to the French Revolution and influenced Kant’s view of ethics, rooting them in human nature. His 1762 treatise Emile, or on Education and his book The Social Contract influenced philosophies about education and politics, respectively. Rousseaus main argument has been summarized as â€Å"man is good but has been corrupted by social institutions.† He also wrote that â€Å"nature has created man happy and good, but society depraves him and makes him miserable. The experiences of women, however, did not inspire this degree of contemplation from Rousseau, who essentially deemed them the weaker sex, content to be dependent upon men. Rousseaus Contradictory Views on Women While Rousseau is often praised for his views on human equality, the reality is that he did not believe women deserved equality. According to Rousseau, women needed to rely on men for their wellbeing because they were less rational than men. He argued that men might have desired women but did not need them to survive, while women both desired men and needed them. In Emile, he writes about the difference between what he believes women and men need in education. Since the main purpose in life, to Rousseau, is for a woman to be a wife and mother, she doesnt need to be educated to the extent that men traditionally have. He argues: â€Å"Once it is demonstrated that man and woman are not, and should not be constituted the same, either in character or in temperament, it follows that they should not have the same education. In following the directions of nature they must act together but they should not do the same things; their duties have a common end, but the duties themselves are different and consequently also the tastes that direct them. After having tried to form the natural man, let us also see, in order not to leave our work incomplete, how the woman is to be formed who suits this man.† Some critics view Emile as evidence that Rousseau thought woman should be subservient to man, while others contended that he was writing ironically. Some have also pointed out the fundamental contradiction in Emile about women and education. In this work, Rousseau suggests that women are responsible for educating the young while arguing that they are incapable of reason. â€Å"The whole education of women ought to be relative to men. To please them, to be useful to them, to make themselves loved and honored by them, to educate them when young... How can women educate anyone, even young children, if they themselves lack reasoning skills? Rousseaus views about women arguably grew more complex with age. In Confessions, which he wrote later in life, he credits several women with helping him gain entrance into the intellectual circles of society. Clearly, smart women had played a role in his own development as a scholar. Mary Wollstonecrafts Case Against Rousseau Mary Wollstonecraft addresses some of the points Rousseau made about women in Vindication of the Rights of Woman and other writings in which she asserts that women are logical and can benefit from education. She questions whether a woman’s purpose is only the pleasure of men. She also directly addresses Rousseau when she writes with great irony of his affection for an uneducated and ignorant servant girl. â€Å"Who ever drew a more exalted female character than Rousseau? Though in the lump he constantly endeavoured to degrade the sex. And why was he thus anxious? Truly to justify to himself the affection which weakness and virtue had made him cherish for that fool Theresa. He could not raise her to the common level of her sex; and therefore he labored to bring woman down to hers. He found her a convenient humble companion, and pride made him determine to find some superiour virtues in the being whom he chose to live with; but did not her conduct during his life, and after his death, clearly show how grossly he was mistaken who called her a celestial innocent.† The Difference Between Men and Women Rousseaus views on women invited criticism, but the scholar himself acknowledged that he had no solid foundation for his arguments about the differences between the sexes. He wasnt sure what biological differences made women and men distinct, calling them one of degree. But these differences, he believed, were enough to suggest that men should be strong and active, and women should be weak and passive. He wrote: If woman is made to please and to be subjugated to man, she ought to make herself pleasing to him rather than to provoke him; her particular strength lies in her charms; by their means she should compel him to discover his own strength and put it to use. The surest art of arousing this strength is to render it necessary by resistance. Thus pride reinforces desire and each triumphs in the others victory. From this originates attack and defense, the boldness of one sex and the timidity of the other and finally the modesty and shame with which nature has armed the weak for the conquest of the strong. The Link Between Opportunity and Female Heroism Before Emile, Rousseau listed the numerous woman heroes whod impacted society. He discusses Zenobia, Dido, Lucretia, Joan of Arc, Cornelia, Arria, Artemisia, Fulvia, Elisabeth, and the Countess of Thà ¶kà ¶ly. The contributions of heroines should not be overlooked. If women had had as great a share as we do in the handling of business, and in the governments of Empires, perhaps they would have pushed Heroism and greatness of courage farther and would have distinguished themselves in greater number. Few of those who have had the good fortune to rule states and command armies have remained in mediocrity; they have almost all distinguished themselves by some brilliant point by which they have deserved our admiration for them†¦. I repeat it, all proportions maintained, women would have been able to give greater examples of greatness of soul and love of virtue and in greater number than men have ever done if our injustice had not despoiled, along with their freedom, all the occasions manifest them to the eyes of the world. Here, Rousseau makes it plain that if given the opportunity to shape society as men had, women could very well change the world. Whatever biological differences between men and women existed, the so-called weaker sex had shown repeatedly that they were capable of greatness.

When Bad Things Happen to Good People by Harold Kushner Essay

When Bad Things Happen to Good People by Harold Kushner - Essay Example In spite of all the misfortunes, Job remains faithful and loyal to God. He does not denounce God, but he insists that he wants more explanation for the misfortunes. His friends such as Bildad, Zophar and Eliphaz claim that it is his fault. However, Job is not convinced with that explanation. The three friends criticized and accused Job for his problems. It is evident that the friends were jealous of Job since he was a man of God and they were Satan’s followers. His three friends pretended to be sorry for what Job was going throughand wept before Job. God came in the form of tornado to speak to Job. He questioned Job’s whereabouts concerning his creation. God also questioned Job’s power and knowledge of animate nature. Finally, God questioned Job’s audacity to correct Him. Job responded by saying that he was unworthy and not significant to question God’s ways and will. After some time, God reappears in the form of a whirlwind and challenged Job to prepare himself like a man ready for a battle. God questioned him if he was convinced of his righteousness than God’s. Job responded by confessing his foolish ways and words. He agrees that God’s ways are the best. Job ends up

Post-War Development of the German Economy Research Paper

Post-War Development of the German Economy - Research Paper Example There was a little hope of a revival because a considerably large percentage of the German population of working age was dead at the end of the war and at that time Germany was looking at the outside world for all kinds of aids for the restoration of its economy. There is no doubt about the fact that German economy was badly hit by the war, but the years of preparation also contributed to the devastated condition of the economy. Adolf Hitler imposed price controls on German population in 1936 in order to start his preparations for the war and acquire commodities and war materials for the army at the cheapest prices; 3 years later, rationings were also imposed on the German population. Conscription was also imposed on the German population in order to gather up a large military which drastically affected the labor sector and the non-military industries could not find labor to keep their plants running. After Nazis defeat and Hitler’s death, the Allied Control Authority which wa s formed by the succeeding allied forces under the governments of the United States, Britain, France and the Soviet Union, to run the affairs of government in Germany. The Allied Control Authority retained some of the policies of the Nazi Germany for the restoration of the economy; these policies included rationing, price controls and conscription of all types of resources for ensuring rapid economic recovery (Bidwell). An astonishing fact was the low rise in the cost-of-living index, which was only 31 percent high as compared to the values in 1938. The reason behind this was the fact that price controls had been imposed in Germany for the last 12 years by then. Another important observation in this regard was the fact that the amount of wealth in the German economy was also five to six times higher than the amount in the years before the war. So the main concern about the economy was production levels which had fallen to drastically low values. A wealthy economy in terms of money, price controls intact and low production levels; all these factors pointed towards one major problem _ shortages (Smith). During the war and post war years the Germans were only producing weapons, equipments and materials required for the war; the industrial and agricultural production was very low. During the war years, the main source of food for the Germans was the supplies seized from the occupied countries. Moreover the foreigners were also brought to German lands for farming purposes. This ‘system’ of food production served the German population and the military well during the war years but as soon as the war ended the German rationing system was left with very low supplies of food; incredibly insufficient to fulfill the needs of the German population. The United States Army contributed by dispatching large shipments of food to feed the prisoners of war and the German population, however this was not enough and more aid in terms of food was required for meeting t he food demands but the international community was not willing to provide aid to Germany at the time when there were more deserving and innocent people in the world who were also affected drastically by the war. The other factors which contributed were the dissolving of the German Red Cross, whereas the International Red Cross and other international aid agencies were not allowed to work independently

Answer the question Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

Answer the question - Essay Example The student association at grass-root, local, state and national level raises the pertinent issues that influence students’ personal and professional growth and helps create facilitating environment for their growth, both at individual level and professional level. Thus, the various inputs and outputs of student association become important imperatives that influence students’ personal and professional growth. The major input of SA is uneducated youth or youth with low education whose prospects in the employment market could get significant boost through higher education. Another input for SA is the discriminatory practices as faced by students from diverse socio-cultural and economic background. The organization uses the inputs and evolves different mechanisms like running campaigns, creating awareness and taking issues to the local, state and national level so that equity in education can be implemented for the benefit of poor and the ethnic minority. The organization also promotes cross cultural understanding so that students and people at large learn to appreciate the values of other cultures and develop respect for culturally diverse populace. The main output of the organization is the accessibility to higher education for students cutting across the divide of race, culture, income, class, ethnicity and nationality. Thus, educated and professionally qualified students from diverse ba ckground become the major output for the student association. Student Associations are important non-government voluntary organizations that broadly work towards the welfare of the students’ community. The goals of the student association are to ensure that students’ voice is heard at local, state and national levels; strengthen student government; expand access to higher education; promote diversity across the students’ community; ensure accessibility to education cutting across income, race, culture, class and

Nursing criminal justice drugs team Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Nursing criminal justice drugs team - Lab Report Example It should clarify processes and procedures, structures and standards and ensure that new employees have a clear understanding with regard to their legal and ethical responsibilities. The Induction should be time limited (2 months in duration). It is envisaged that the initial 4 weeks would cover external visits and a general introduction to the functioning of the team. The second month would encompass building up a client caseload and taking on more elements of the new post. Whilst on Induction, the new employee should be given a minimum of thirty minutes supervision a week. On completion of the Induction, the new employee should have an initial Personal Development Programme, identifying areas for further development, to carry forward with their line manager and clinical supervisor. They will also have a record of their training and accomplishments to date. The aim of this workbook is to provide a structure to your introduction to the network and to ensure that you acquire the relevant skills and local knowledge to provide a safe and comprehensive service to clients of the team. Visits to other organisations Write about each place you visit and the knowledge you have gained which will help you in your work e.g. Relevant contact details How the services may work in partnership Services offered The application of models of care Referral criteria Information sharing Visits should include local drug and alcohol services, mental health services, and other relevant agencies Mentor's comments: Communication Effective communication Listening skills Non-verbal... On completion of the Induction, the new employee should have an initial Personal Development Programme, identifying areas for further development, to carry forward with their line manager and clinical supervisor. They will also have a record of their training and accomplishments to date. The aim of this workbook is to provide a structure to your introduction to the network and to ensure that you acquire the relevant skills and local knowledge to provide a safe and comprehensive service to clients of the team. Prescribed as methadone mixture 1mg/ml. Prescribed 40mg or less as initiation dose; usually supervised consumption. Titrate to optimal dose 60-120mg. Can be titrated by 10mg per week after discussion with doctor; possibly larger increments at Dr's discretion. The content of the workbook is generic; the role of the supervisior is to guide the new starter to complete it in accordance with the Knowledge and Skills Framework / DANOS level appropriate to their role The Induction should be time limited (2 months in duration). It is envisaged that the initial 4 weeks would cover external visits and a general introduction to the functioning of the team. The second month would encompass building up a client caseload and taking on more elements of the new post. It should be noted that 8 weeks is the maximum time period envisaged for induction, however due to levels of knowledge and previous experience some new starters may satisfactorily complete the induction workbook in a shorter time. †¢ The supervisor should be identified prior to the new employees start date. †¢ The supervisor should be a more senior member of the team than the new post holder

Emeregency Management (Basic Quantitative Methods) Essay

Emeregency Management (Basic Quantitative Methods) - Essay Example Since health effects are included in the scope of consequences, then it may be said that as per ASME specifications, severity of injuries would have been included as part of the assessment of risk as early as the asset characterization stage. Other ASME literature makes further reference to severity, this time in direct relationship to fatality or injury, an illustrates with a table of â€Å"severity ranking†. In this ranking scale, S5 (â€Å"Very High†) specifies â€Å"offsite fatalities and multiple onsite fatalities†; S4 (â€Å"High†) is the â€Å"severity rank for the possibility of onsite fatalities as well as offsite injuries†; S3 (â€Å"Medium†) is allocated to the absence of â€Å"fatalities or injuries anticipated offsite, but with the possible widespread onsite serious injuries.† S2 (â€Å"Low†) is designated for â€Å"onsite injuries that are not widespread but only in the vicinity of the incident†; and S1 (â€Å"Very Low†) is associated with â€Å"possible minor injury onsite; no fatalities or injuries anticipated offsite† (ASME, 2006:28). Such a ranking would lead one to reason, therefore, that indeed RAMCAP would allow for the cons ideration of severity of injuries anticipated in a possible incident. Smith (2006, April), presenting the case for the U.S. Department of Homeland Securities, is inclined to agree with the ASME. On the other hand, a more careful reading of the Cox (2008) article, as already mentioned, specifically stated RAMCAP does not consider severity of injuries (p.1750), although it does allow for the â€Å"severity of possible adverse consequences† (p.1755). Cox argues that there are serious limitations of â€Å"severity† in the RAMCAP model, which essentially requires the estimation of all factors in quantitative terms. First limitation is that there is â€Å"no objective certainty-equivalent for uncertain

Self assessment paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Self assessment paper - Essay Example This shows that I am a people - focused individual living in a world of people possibilities and do have excellent people skills. Analysis My BIG 5 Personality Test also shows that I am an extrovert who shows concern with other people’s needs. It shows that I am a person who sets clear goals and ultimately pursues them with zeal and determination. People often regard me as a hardworking and a reliable person. This works very well with me as a team leader. I am also exceptionally calm, unflappable and composed and I do not retort with extreme emotions, even to situations that a good number people would depict as stressful. I also like thinking in plain terms and not in complexities. People consider me as conservative, practical and down-to-earth. This is ideal for my team as I am able to mingle and work well with other members to achieve good results. Personal Needs Description After a thorough self-assessment on my personal needs, I have extensively done a lot of soul-searchin g of myself and I have done a comprehensive analysis of who I am and a better understanding of myself. Analysis I have good listening skills, which I rely on to ensure that workers are more productive. My good listening skills have enabled me to better understand my team of workers and to know their expectations of me as a team leader. It helps me to build a rapport with my team and my superiors. Since I work better in a team-based environment, my listening skills have enabled me to show support, resolve problems with my team, answer questions correctly and find underlying meaning in what others say. I have tips that enable me to listen well which include maintaining eye contact, being attentive, nodding my head, leaning towards the speaker, never interrupting the speaker, always replicating instructions and soliciting suitable questions when the speaker has closed his address. As a good listener, I know that being attentive to what the speaker does not say is as important as being attentive to what he does say. I also look for non-verbal cues such as facial expressions and posture to get the full glimpse of what the speaker is telling me. I know I am a good listener since I know how to minimize external distractions in order to concentrate fully on what I am being told. I respond fully to the person speaking to me and focus solely on the main topic under discussion with an open mind to draw sufficient information from what is being said. I never take offense or become defensive even where the speaker criticizes me. Instead, I do take criticism positively and totally engage myself as I seek clarification (K Singh, 2012). Motivation is the reason for my actions. Motivation is the feelings and thoughts that make us covet to do something, persist in wanting to do it and turn our wishes into action. A number of factors that motivate me include money, bonuses, future promotion, my job, good working relationships, job security and a favorable working environment. I also do get a lot of motivation when I see satisfied team working under happy customers and me. I thrive in meeting my given deadlines and surpassing my targets. An enabling environment is essential to achieve desired goals; given that environment, I can and do surpass almost any work related target placed before me (Singh, 2012). Team Preference Roles Description On the team preference roles, I am both a gatekeeper and a moderate encourager since I have a strong tendency of encouraging my team

Emeregency Management (Basic Quantitative Methods) Essay

Emeregency Management (Basic Quantitative Methods) - Essay Example Since health effects are included in the scope of consequences, then it may be said that as per ASME specifications, severity of injuries would have been included as part of the assessment of risk as early as the asset characterization stage. Other ASME literature makes further reference to severity, this time in direct relationship to fatality or injury, an illustrates with a table of â€Å"severity ranking†. In this ranking scale, S5 (â€Å"Very High†) specifies â€Å"offsite fatalities and multiple onsite fatalities†; S4 (â€Å"High†) is the â€Å"severity rank for the possibility of onsite fatalities as well as offsite injuries†; S3 (â€Å"Medium†) is allocated to the absence of â€Å"fatalities or injuries anticipated offsite, but with the possible widespread onsite serious injuries.† S2 (â€Å"Low†) is designated for â€Å"onsite injuries that are not widespread but only in the vicinity of the incident†; and S1 (â€Å"Very Low†) is associated with â€Å"possible minor injury onsite; no fatalities or injuries anticipated offsite† (ASME, 2006:28). Such a ranking would lead one to reason, therefore, that indeed RAMCAP would allow for the cons ideration of severity of injuries anticipated in a possible incident. Smith (2006, April), presenting the case for the U.S. Department of Homeland Securities, is inclined to agree with the ASME. On the other hand, a more careful reading of the Cox (2008) article, as already mentioned, specifically stated RAMCAP does not consider severity of injuries (p.1750), although it does allow for the â€Å"severity of possible adverse consequences† (p.1755). Cox argues that there are serious limitations of â€Å"severity† in the RAMCAP model, which essentially requires the estimation of all factors in quantitative terms. First limitation is that there is â€Å"no objective certainty-equivalent for uncertain

Nervous System and Drug Use Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Nervous System and Drug Use - Essay Example Many drugs are at the exposure of many students, with universities and colleges registering the highest number of users around the globe. Drugs are prohibited for a reason, mainly because of their negative effect to the health and performances of people. Majoring on the three commonly abused drugs in the world; methamphetamine, cocaine and alcohol. It remains a fact that the abuse of the three is far much below anywhere near an end to abuse. From my point of view, the question at stake remains on the remedy to these drugs in terms. Years of research and campaigns have done little in stopping the rampant use of these drugs. As a student, I am at the exposure of the same drugs with the highest risk possible since most drug addicts do refer to their college times as the commencement of their addiction. Parties are always the order of events with almost any function being characterized with the latter. Though alcohol is at the forefront in terms of use, methamphetamine and cocaine are in creasingly catching up at an alarming rate. Obviously, with a mention of increased use, college or campus life is the most affected. This calls for an inner depth study of the three drugs. Alcohol destroys the liver and affects the brain in irreversible conditions. Cocaine causes problems to hefty smokers especially in the respiratory system while methamphetamine is a popular party drug with over seventy thousand users. . Meth, crystal, ice, crank†¦ is the one drug that stops at nothing. It is capable of keeping one high for a constant twelve hours or more; methamphetamine is a super speed drug, three or even four times stronger than cocaine. It is very popular, especially among young college adults in the United States. Costing as cheap as twenty-five dollars for a quarter gram, the drug is swallowed, snorted, smoked and shot straight in the veins by use of needles. The drug originated from the western parts of the United States of America knowing no borders or social class; s preading through Nebraska to the eastern cities. As by 2008, there existed a whole bunch of 25 million users of the drug. For instance, in London, Meth is a popular party drug with over seventy thousand users. That demonstrates how much this drug is nothing near a passing phenomenon. It has and shows no signs of stopping its teeth from sinking into our society. According to police in various states, crime committers are the very victims of the drug. They steal property, assault, murder and always possess needles and fake ids. A quick glance at Portland jail reveals that for every four inmates, one is a meth addict. The victims appear ashamed and always hallucinating. Crosschecking at the digital records office, the pictures immediately reveal that the victims appear older; more like the living dead. Even individuals with strong and tough looks are not to spare, the scenario is a devastating one. They suffer many problems. Meth teeth for instance, set in when the acids and bacteria r esulting from meth corrode the gum and the teeth. Imagine ripe fruits falling on a tree; that is the fate of a crack addict’s teeth. This is because the victims rarely brush their teeth nor seek dental attention. The reason is obvious; they only have money to purchase the crystal. The brain on the other hand reacts immediately to meth. It results to euphoria, confidence and an energetic feeling; this is key attraction to the drug. The drug was originally engineered to trick the brain.

Patriotic Act Essay Example for Free

Patriotic Act Essay The Patriotic Act stands for Provide Appropriate Tools Required to intercept and Obstruct Terrorism. This act followed the terrorist attacks of september11 on New York and Pentagon, which prompted the congress to start working on a number of anti-terrorism bills.[1] This bill became a law on October 2001 after United States of America president George Bush assent. The Patriotic Act added the scope of authority of US law enforcement agencies in their effort to combat terrorism in United States as well as other parts of the world. The various provisions of the Act’s enabled law enforcement agencies to search records, e-mail and telephone messages in addition to enhanced discretions in detaining foreigners who are suspected to be involved in terrorism acts.[2] The Patriotic Act also resulted into a lot of changes to other U.S Acts which includes Acts such as Immigration and Nationality Act, Foreign Intelligence Surveillance act (FISA) of 1978, Bank Secrecy act (BSA), Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA) of 1968 and Money Laundering Control act of 1986.[3] However due to its controversial nature, several bills to amend the Patriotic law were later passed. These include bills like: Security and Freedom Ensured act, protecting the rights of the individual act, which failed to be passed.[4] It is important to have a brief overview of the titles if the act. Title 1 and title X The first title is meant to facilitate the domestic security agencies ability to fight terrorism. Under this title, a special fund to combat terrorism was established in addition to increased funding for FBI military support center. Title 1 also authorized the military to intervene in cases in which weapon of mass destruction are involved if they are so requested by the Attorney Generals of United States.[5]   In addition, the National Crime Task Force was expanded together with increasing president’s authority in making decisions related to terrorism like confiscating that properties belongs to foreign person or corporation or country. This title of the Act also condemned discrimination against Muslims and Arab Americans that many Native Americans held against them after the September 11 terrorist attack.[6] On the other hand Title X created and changed several miscellaneous laws that could not fit under other sections of Patriotic Act. In this title of the Patriotic Act, the Inspector General was required to appoint a person to be in charge of monitoring, reviewing, and reporting the congress about any allegation raised against the department of justice. The definition of electronic surveillance was also amended to exclude federal agents interception of communication through protected computers where the owner permits it.[7] In addition to these provisions, aliens who committed money laundering cases could be reported in the district that money laundering originated from. Under this title, $5000000 was allocated to Drug Enforcement Agencies (DEA) to be used for military training in South and East Asia. A new Act called Crime against charitable organizations was created which required telemarketer s calling on behalf of charities to reveal the names and mailing address of the charity the telemarketer is representing.[8] â€Å"Title II Surveillance Procedures† This is the act that has faced a lot of controversy due investigative authority given to federal officer that allows them to disregard procedures that ensure privacy of individuals. This title made amendments to FISA and ECPA and it covers various aspects of surveillance of suspected terrorist, computer frauds and individuals who are suspected to be foreign agents involved in clandestine operations in United States.[9] Under title 2 also the purpose of FISA was reviewed whereby gathering Foreign Intelligence Information was made the significant purpose in contrast to before when it was the primary purpose. This change was initiated in an attempt to remove legal barriers between what is regarded as Criminal investigation and surveillance with the aim of gathering foreign intelligence from immigrants. The government was no longer required to proof that a suspect under surveillance is a non-US or a foreign agent.[10] The scope of wiretap and surveillance order was also increased under this section. The act gave authority to the district court judge to issue search warrants and surveillance orders in terrorism related investigation. Several provisions under this title permitted access to electronic communication including surveillance of protected computers where the owner is required to allow federal officers to intercept communications through the computer. The law enforcement agencies were further given powers to demand from cable companies’ disclosure of customer communication.[11] The most controversial provision of title 2 is: â€Å"roving wiretap†, â€Å"sneak and peak† searches and Federal Bureau of Intelligence’s authority to access records that reveal the behavior patterns of US citizens. The sneak and peak provision for instance allowed FBI officers to notify the suspect about their execution of search warrants after they have already conducted the search.[12] Roving wiretaps are wiretaps orders by a court that do not require to mention all common carriers and third parties in a Survillance order. The department of justice appreciates the importance of roving wiretaps since they realize that terrorists can take advantage of wiretap orders by constantly changing cell phones and locations.[13] The other highly controversial provision is the one that authorizes the FBI to demand the production of tangible things like records, books and documents that can aid in investigation involving terrorism or clandestine intelligence operations as long as such investigations are not carried out against provision of first amendment to the constitution.[14] â€Å"Title III Anti-Money Laundering† This section of the act is aimed at combating money laundering and financing of terrorist by putting measures to detect, prevent and prosecuting the suspects. The act is divided into three subtitles.[15] The first subtitle focuses on strengthening rules of financial institutions by requiring them to monitor transaction from areas prone to money laundering g and put measures to identify the true owners of bank accounts on payable through accounts. The second subtitle dealt with co-operation of the bank and other financial institutions with agencies that fight money laundering and terrorism while the third subtitle dealt with currency crimes.[16] Title IV Title 4 of Patriotic act deals with boarder security. Under this title, additional funds were avai1ed to Immigration and Naturalization Service and necessary provisions enacted to facilitate all government agencies operation to prevent the entry of unauthorized person into US or the movement of people with currency, technology or other illegal commodities out of the country.[17] Title IV This title was created to remove barriers to investigate terrorism. The attorney general together with some specified government officials were authorized to pay rewards to people who could disclose important information that could lead to arrest of terrorist suspects.[18] Education provision act was amended, whereby the US attorney general can collect and retain relevant educational records that can aid in investigation. The most controversial provision of this title 5 concerns National security letters to an organization requiring it to submit relevant data and records of its employees. This act was later challenged and declared unconstitutional since it went against first and fourth amendment.[19] Title VI-amendment victim of crime act of 1984 to ensure that victim of crime fund was managed more efficiently and enough funds were at their disposal. [20] Title VII enhances the US law enforcement agency to combat terrorist. Under this act bureau of justice assistance arranges for contracts with state, on governmental organization and local criminal authorities whereby grants are awarded in exchange for valuable intelligence information. [21] Title VIII:  Ã‚   To Strengthen criminal laws against terrorism Under title of the Act new criminal offences are added against passenger transport vehicles and ferries. The provision of this title also prohibits harboring suspected. terrorist. [22] Title IX: To improve intelligence This title is meant to facilitate intelligence operations whereby the director of CIA is required to give priorities to foreign intelligence gathered under FISA as well as ensuring that information collected search and electronic surveillance is shared with other intelligence agencies.[23] Critique of Patriotic Act The critiques of USA patriotic theory argue that the Act sacrifices the rights and freedoms of US citizens in the name of national security. New inflated powers are given to executive branch of government under this act.[24] However, these executives have misused powers vested on them by detaining innocent suspects especially the immigrants. The act also poses a threat to civil liberties of individuals. The act comprises the provision of fourth amendment relating to privacy of US citizens. The non-citizens are also subjected to unfair treatment whereby they are put in mandatory detention camp and removed from US in some cases.[25] The act also threatens the rights of political activists and critiques of government whereby some of their vigorous acts comments may be wrongly regarded as illegal under the act. Due to vagueness of definition of domestic terrorism Environmental activist are at a sensitive area under this act since the nature of their work involves direct actions. This might be regarded as domestic terrorism leading to their prosecution. The enhanced surveillance powers coupled within the increased sharing of information between criminal and intelligence operations open way for CIA to spy on the members of public.   [26] Moreover sneak and peak searches, which have been authorized under the act, may have negative effects. Under sneak and peak the execution search warrant takes place before notifying the owner of the building. This is purely against the provisions of fourth amendment and federal rules of criminal procedure.[27] According to critiques the FBI, can obtain sensitive files of a person even without suspecting the person of any illegal acts. The act further allows the FBI to access Internet usage and telephone communication. However the act does not specify what content should be accessed by the federal officers. Due to this private information’s and messages falls into the hand as of these officers.[28] Law enforcement agencies are allowed by patriotic act evades the fourth amendment provision. Wiretaps and physical searches can be contented in the name of collecting foreign intelligence information. This can result to spying in the persons claimed as enemy of the government.[29] Another section that has been subjected to critism is section 203.Under patriotic, the FBI, the CIA and NIS are allowed to freely share information. While this sharing may n help to fight terror to some extent, the political freedom of individuals are jeopardized. The immigrants are also vulnerable since their political association to organizations that have violated the law can be labeled terrorists. The immigrants cannot protect themselves by limiting their membership to organizations or curtailing their activities since the act does not have a clear definition of terrorist organization or activities.[30] Supporter However supporters of the patriotic act argue that the act empowers federal agents to combat terror-using court approved tools that have proved to be useful for a long time. They argue that the patriotic act has not been abused since 2001 when it was passed to become the law. /other people feel that patriotic act will equip the federal agents to prevent further catastrophe.[31] According to attorney general, Mr. john Ashcroft, the patriotic act is the key to success of the fight against terrorism. He further argues that the act facilitates the government ability to fight terrorism by expanding its surveillance capabilities.[32] He argued that through the increased powers of federal officers the government has been able to crackdown terrorist cells and disrupted their financing and weapon procurement efforts. [33] Conclusion Even though some amendments were necessary to equip then federal agents not fight terrorism abd other crimes more efficiently, some provisions introduced by patriotic act undermines the basic human rights and freedom that the law seeks to uphold. Some provisions of patriotic act may not be very detrimental to human rights but the extent of power they give to federal officers is a bit exaggerated and when such officers decide to abuse this powers, then democracy is the price to pay in the name of fighting terrorism. However a leeway can be found whereby the federal officers are provided with the necessary tools to fight terrorism at the same time upholding the fundamental rights and freedoms of citizens of United States. [1] www.jurist.law.pitt.edu/forum/forumnew40.htm [2] www.jurist.law.pitt.edu/forum/forumnew40.htm [3] American Library Association [4] American Library Association [5] American Library Association [6] http://www.sptimes.com/2003/11/08/State/Ashcroft__Patriot_Act.shtml [7] http://www.sptimes.com/2003/11/08/State/Ashcroft__Patriot_Act.shtml [8] http://www.eff.org/Privacy/Surveillance/Terrorism//20011031_eff_usa_patriot_analysis.php [9] http://www.eff.org/Privacy/Surveillance/Terrorism//20011031_eff_usa_patriot_analysis.php [10] American Library Association P26-27 [11] American Library Association, P27-29 [12] http://www.sptimes.com/2003/11/08/State/Ashcroft__Patriot_Act.shtml [13] http://www.sptimes.com/2003/11/08/State/Ashcroft__Patriot_Act.shtml [14] www.jurist.law.pitt.edu/forum/forumnew40.htm [15] www.jurist.law.pitt.edu/forum/forumnew40.htm [16] American Library Association, P 28-30 [17] http://www.sptimes.com/2003/11/08/State/Ashcroft__Patriot_Act.shtml [18] American Library Association, P 31-33 [19] American Library Association, P 32-34 [20] www.jurist.law.pitt.edu/forum/forumnew40.htm [21] www.jurist.law.pitt.edu/forum/forumnew40.htm [22]http://www.eff.org/Privacy/Surveillance/Terrorism//20011031_eff_usa_patriot_analysis.php [23]http://www.eff.org/Privacy/Surveillance/Terrorism//20011031_eff_usa_patriot_analysis.php [24] Dana K P [25] John W. [26] Dana K P43 [27] John W. P52 [28] John W.P 44 [29] John W.P 56 [30] Dana K P 46 [31] http://www.sptimes.com/2003/11/08/State/Ashcroft__Patriot_Act.shtml [32] http://www.sptimes.com/2003/11/08/State/Ashcroft__Patriot_Act.shtml [33] http://www.sptimes.com/2003/11/08/State/Ashcroft__Patriot_Act.shtml

Descartes philosophy Essay -- essays research papers

Descartes’ â€Å"evil genius scenario† provides the possibility for the existence of an evil genius that is in control of our world in place on an omnipotent god. By in control, I mean that he would in some magical way compose our lives by his own will, thus making any certain knowledge about material objects impossible. This scenario presents some real questions with Descartes’ argument because it basically completely rules out the possibility of any god.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  We are imagining that Dr. Spiritus has invaded a small rural hospital and has stolen the brains of several babies. He places the brains in a large vat, provides them with the essential nutrients as well as hooking them up to electrodes that feed the false images into their minds. These impulses that the doctor would distribute at his own will would make the babies brains think that they are actually in their bodies living their lives as normal people. The doctor would provide all the necessary experiences such as childhood, school, first love and etc. However since Dr. Spiritus is an evil genius, he feels it necessary to feed these minds the stimuli of pain, suffering, and disaster.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The first question that arises is if it is possible to determine if one is not among Dr. Spiritus’ victims. According to Descartes, the answer is yes. Descartes states that God is an infinite, omnipotent, omniscient substance. He also says that humans are not capable of causing this thoug...

Realizations of Loss Essay -- Personal Narrative

It is no longer the home I grew up in. The loss of my mother is evident now more than ever, cementing the realization of how one person’s impact can be as much the foundation of a home as the concrete itself. It has been two years since our lives changed forever. My dad is recently remarried and trying to move forward after losing his wife of almost thirty-eight years to terminal brain cancer. Since my mother’s death and my father’s subsequent remarriage, our family house has lost its comfortable feel of home; in its place now resides a reflective sadness, an impersonal emptiness, and a surreal urgency. The living and dining rooms are now tidy and impersonal. Gone is the familiar clutter of children’s books and teaching aides. The half-finished crosswords and other reading material are no longer in their stacks next her chair in the living room. The chair isn’t even there anymore. It had traveled with Mom to hospice care after a stroke left her unable to walk. Another major difference is the remodeling activity. Since my parent’s purchased this house when I was four, they had remodeling plans. Somewhere along the way, everyday life and complacency had always gotten in the way. Lately, almost as if in defiance of the past, my father’s current â€Å"do it now, there may not be a later† attitude had taken over. He is currently working on the upstairs master bedroom. My parents had always wanted to make one large master bedroom out of two adjacent bedrooms upstairs, but it always seemed to take a back seat to more urgent fixes or budgetary needs. The two extra bedrooms upstairs now stood as one, finally coming closer towards their fruition. The smell of fresh paint brings a sad nostalgia running through me. Why isn’... ...as my family, my childhood†¦my mother. As time passes, I know that I will have to accept that what once was will never be again. Maybe things would be easier if my dad and his second wife moved to a different house, but that is not my decision to make. Change is part of life and while sometimes it is wonderful, other times it is a painful journey in which we feel alone, even abandoned. My home, the place I grew up in, was not so much the walls themselves, but the person who created the security that I felt through an unconditional love. That is what a home is; home is a nonjudgmental, irreplaceable love that can still see your best even when you are at your worst. Those of us who have had that kind of home should feel fortunate. I didn’t realize how fortunate I truly was until I stood within its absence. I know I do now, in more ways than ever before.

Abortion: Two Sides of the Argument Essay

In today’s society every time a person turns on the television, goes on a computer, turns on a radio, passes a billboard, or picks up a newspaper that person is bombarded with debates. There are many different debates and each debate with two parties both of which have two very different and sometimes conversational opinions. Everywhere a person looks they are faced with arguments such as president Obama’s affordable healthcare act, gay rights, the matters of the death penalty being legalized or illegalized in all states, and many more. In this paper I will not talk about any of the previously stated arguments. I will however talk about one of the most heated and controversial arguments of today. Before I continue with the debate I have chosen I am stating that I will not be sharing any of my personal opinions or views on the matter. I have chosen to discuss the debate regarding abortion and the two sides of the argument. I will explain both Pro Life and Pro choice and the fallacy both sides use when trying to gain followers. Just about every person has an opinion or a side when it comes to the topic of abortion. I have researched percentages based on people who are Pro Life vs. Pro Choice and if abortion is ever Justified. A poll done by Gallup in May of 2013 helps to show some percentages on what side or sides the American people are taking. Based on a one hundred percent model forty five percent of people are Pro Choice, forty eight percent are Pro Life, three percent were mixed, 2 three percent did not understand the meaning of the terms provided, and two percent had no opinion. In the poll a majority of the people who participated had chosen which side of the argument they had agreed with. In another recent model done in May 2013 by Gallup shows the percentages of people’s views on if abortion hould ever be legal and Justifiable. Legal under any circumstances has a vote of twenty six percent, legal under certain circumstances fifty two percent, illegal in all circumstances twenty percent, and no opinion had two percent. Pro Life is a Christian based non- profit anti- abortion organization that was founded in the year 1980 by Joseph Scheidler with the organizations head quarters in Chicago Illinois. The goal of the organization is to protect and save unborn children and their mothers with non violent protests. The organization believes that women are being exploited by the abortion industry. Also that the abortion industry is the main cause of what the organization believes is the murder of an human being. The members of Pro Life have many different tactics implemented to publically protest abortion. The Pro Life organization does not condone any violence in the protesting of abortion, but the organization does use graphic material in the â€Å"Face the Truth: Public Education Initiative†. This educational initiative uses graphic pictures of real aborted fetuses to show the aftermath of the procedure. This protest is described as â€Å"to show our fellow Americans the ugly truth about abortion†. The Pro Life members line the major road ways and intersection while showcasing the graphic images. Pro Life organization also uses less graphic forms of protesting such as sidewalk counseling, youth outreach projects, public, protest, 3 presence at abortion clinics, and confronting abortionists. The majority of protesting takes place at the abortion clinics. Pro Life members will stand outside of the clinics to perform prayer vigils, last minute consulting to women and couples with abortion alternatives, pregnancy resources, as well as confidential counseling. Pro Choice I organized by the National Abortion Federation. It is the national association for professional abortion providers. The N. A. F provides training and services to qualified abortion providers in North America. The goal of the N. A. F is to ensure women’s safety when to comes to abortion whether it is elective or medically necessary. Pro Choice is centered around that women should be able to make private medical decisions with their healthcare providers and to have the right to chose what happens to their bodies. The N. A. F also supports the education for women and youth n different contraceptive methods to help prevent unplanned pregnancies. Also the organization provides resources for women to make inform decisions when it comes to their choices. The organization helps to provide women with the education about abortion, adoption, and parenthood. The organization sets quality standards for abortion care and to make sure the medical providers such as Nurses, Physician Assists, Doctors, and Mid wives are qualified to provide high quality care. N. A. F also helps with legal legislations to keep abortion legal. The organization fears what ould happen to women if abortion was to made illegal. Pro choice does protest to keep abortion legal in the United States. The Pro Choice advertisements are not as graphic as Pro Life’s. Though Pro Choice does have advertisements of what environments women may find themselves in if abortion were to be made illegal. Pro Life also uses education to teach women about what had happened in the 1950’s to the 1960’s before 4 abortion was legal in America. This is used to create awareness so that history will not repeat itself. According to Our Bodies Ourselves a Pro Choice website uses statics o show mortality rate in women to either tried to perform a self initiated abortion. Between 1950 and 1960 before women were legal able to get an abortion 1. 2 million of those women did self performed abortions. In countries where abortion is still illegal unsafe abortion is the leading cause of maternal deaths. This accounts to 219 women dying daily worldwide. Both organizations use medical facts and statics for a large part of their demonstrations, however they both employ of use of a logical fallacy to make their cases. The logical fallacy that Pro Life and Pro Choice both use is appeal to emotion. Appeal to emotion is a fallacy to manipulate the recipients’ views by using an emotional trigger. This means that the parties involved may not be using actual valid intormation to persuade a person. It is very clear botn ot the organizations are against the other. The names are the first thing I had noticed. The names are completely opposite from one another. For example is a person is Pro choice then they are against life or that person is for death or murder. Also if a person is Pro Life then that implies that person is anti-choice. For another example Pro Life members eb advertisement and That I have personally seen driving on 95 is a image of a baby with the saying â€Å"Endangered species. Obviously children are not a endangered species because human beings are not endangered. This is used to evoke a strong emotional response to gain Pro Life members and not using actual facts to prove a point. Pro Choice also use the appeal to emotion to gain members as well. In a advertisement for the Pro Choice Public Education Project it contains a picture of a dirty bathroom thatâ€⠄¢s covered in filth. Above what is the bathtub is a plaque that says † Operating room†. A bathroom is not an operating room this once again used to invoke emotion. The 5 emotions of despair and fear. This is used in the campaign for keeping abortion legal. Also someone the slogans each side uses appeal to emotions a well. For example Pro Life slogan â€Å"You might forgive yourself, but a dead baby sure can’t†. Whether the baby to speak of is dead or alive the said baby does not have the capability to comprehend forgiveness. Both side also use TV adds to discount the other side and to persuade the viewers. The internet video 180 shows how to change a person’s mind about abortion within seconds. The method that was used involved Hitler and his influence on the German people. Ray Comfort is the interviewer in the movie. Comfort asks a few young people about their feeling regarding the killing of the Jewish people. All the participants agreed that what had happened was wrong and that killing a person was wrong. Comfort then moved into abortion after using emotional response to what happened in the holocaust and comparing that to abortion. Comfort put that abortion is America’s holocaust. In conclusion though both Pro Life and Pro Choice have valid points and information both of the rganizations use appeal to emotion to persuade potential followers.

Critical Analysis Top Dog Under Dog

While booth is n awkward person, he tends to try to take the easy way out by doing illegal stunts such as robbery which causes a turning point in the play. In this analysis I Am mainly arguing whether this story was a reenactment of the death of Abraham Lincoln; when he was killed by John Wilkes Booth in an assassination. My main argument is whether it was a racial thing to reenact the assassination but using African Americans in poverty to contribute the roles of one of the biggest assassinations in U.S Offence 2 history. Both brothers going through rough times and Lincoln getting fired and being out of a job. They both have nothing to rely on but Booth thinks getting his brother Lincoln back into the game will change their financial stance significantly. The use of â€Å"Lincoln† and â€Å"Booth† provides a means of rewriting history in terms of an ironic textually and a parodied reversal. This becomes a case of laughter in which Parks' ironic use of the names works t o undermine the social history of the US and slavery.This irony is the fact that Lincoln arcade job is an Abraham Lincoln impersonator, assassinated daily by paying customers. This figure of the black man playing as a white man. As the figures of the white assassin can be made black, these become roles which any individual can take up in his or her own celebration. Yet, what this shows is that such imagery is not merely a formal of history, but rather that it encodes a deeper logic. That is, beneath the play of names and the reversal of black and white, Top dog/Underdog plays on the logic of chance and inevitability.On the one hand, the characters' narrative fate is preordained by their names; on the other hand, they have a choice, a chance to rewrite the historical narrative f Booth killing Lincoln. That the black Booth kills the black Lincoln in the end is explained through the logic that blacks Offence 3 have no one to blame but themselves for black on black violence; it is a mat ter of â€Å"individual† responsibility. Context: Topped/Underdog is in time era of about roughly 1 ass's. These late summer nights puts two grown brothers in a tiny boardinghouse room to work through their past, present, and possible futures.The room is rented by the younger of the two, Booth, a petty thief and wannabe threaded Monte street cutlers; the rent is paid by the elder brother, Lincoln, an arcade performer and former card hustler who has sworn off the cards. Characters: Booth (cards) is a black male who is little brother to Lincoln. He is a daily thief who steals everything he desires. Booth is a guy who thinks he is a know it all but in reality is just a crazy bipolar idiot who thinks he has a plan for everything. Booth tries to learn the hustle game 3 card Monte by pressuring his brother Lincoln into teaching his the cheats and skills of the game.Drop out in school and tells everyone lies o get what he wants such as making Links wife have an affair. He is the mur derer because he kills his brother Lincoln in an Offence 4 altercation where Booth felt as if his brother Link robbed him of his entire inheritance Lincoln (Link) is a Black male in his ass's. He is big brother to Booth. Lincoln is a relaxed chilled character who keeps small. He went to school and worked at an arcade imposing as honest Abe to make a living at a low pay salary. He used to hustle people for their money in a game called card Monte. Ft the gang and hustler life to save his life and get on the eight track because he seen his partner get murdered. Link is very unconfined in his motives and feels that whatever he wants to do is not the right way such as when he is goanna lose his job; he overreacts and is not confident that he will not get his job back. Link is smart; he learns from his mistakes when his friend was murdered. Grace is a Smart intelligent woman who is studying cosmetology. She dates Booth and is supposedly in love with Booth since she was a little girl so sa ys Booth. She is beautiful; she knows how to have a lot of fun and knows what she wants in life.

The Pathology of Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a disease which affects the nervous system, namely the brain and spinal cord. It causes damage the myelin sheath, the material that surrounds and protects nerve cells (Marieb, 2012). This damage slows down the process in which the brain relays messages to the rest of the body, leading to a variety of symptoms. Some of the most common include pain and numbness; fatigue; walking, balance, and coordination problems; bladder and bowel dysfunction; vision problems; cognitive dysfunction; emotional changes and depression (National Multiple Sclerosis Society, n. . ). Though the exact cause of MS is unknown, it’s widely thought to be an autoimmune disease. Autoimmune diseases arise from an overactive immune response of the body against substances and tissues normally present in the body (Marieb, 2012). In other words, the body actually attacks its own cells. The immune system mistakes some part of the body as a pathogen and attacks it. The disease affects women more than men, often beginning sometime between the ages of 20 to 40. Recently, a study found that the incidence of MS appears to be higher in African American women than in caucasians, contradicting previous findings (Langer-Gould, Brara, Beaber, & Zhang, 2013). The disease is usually mild; however, some people lose the ability to write, speak and/or walk. No cause or cure for MS has been found. It remains a mysterious disease with no known pathogen or even known determinants of its severity and course. Three recently published studies say that salt may play a role in MS and other autoimmune diseases, although no study has found a direct link between high salt intake and increased incidence of MS. On a more peculiar note, researchers in England have been investigating how the month of birth (May and November) affects the chances of having MS later in life. It’s thought that it could have something to do with climate, sunlight, and intake of vitamin D (Disanto et al. , 2013). Many of the medicines available for use by MS patients only slow the progress of the disease. The most common treatments involve interferons. Interferons are a group of natural proteins (beta, alpha, gamma) that are produced by human cells in response to viral infection and other stimuli (NMSS, n. d. ). The FDA has approved three treatments in the form of beta interferon called Avonex, Betaseron, and Rebif. Beta interferon has been shown to reduce the number of exacerbations and may slow the progression of physical disability (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, 2012). When attacks do occur, they tend to be shorter and less severe. A synthetic form of myelin basic protein, copolymer I, has also been approved and it has few side effects. For more severe or chronic cases, an immunosuppressant treatment (mitoxantrone) has been approved. While steroids do not affect the course of MS over time, they can reduce the duration and severity of attacks in some patients. Spasticity, which can occur either as a sustained stiffness caused by increased muscle tone or as spasms that come and go, is usually treated with muscle relaxants and tranquilizers (NINDS, 2012). Patients can also help control symptoms through adequate physical activity and occupational therapy. Exercise, especially stretching exercises, helps relieve stiffness and promote flexibility and mobility. With advances in the understanding of the brain come advances towards developing a cure for Multiple sclerosis. Improved ability to create images of the living brain and spinal cord, new understanding of the brain's capacity for repair, and an overall accelerated pace of new discoveries about the cellular machinery of the brain have lead to new therapeutic strategies. These strategies include gene therapy, stem cell transplantation, and neuroprotection strategies (Joy & Johnston, 2001). Very recently, a biotechnology company developed a new MS drug based on peginterferon beta-1a. Studies of peginterferon beta-1a show that, when injected under the skin either every two or four weeks, reduced the relapse rate significantly more than placebo in a study of 1500 people with relapsing MS (Biogen Idec, 2013). Myelin and the cells that make myelin, called oligodendrocytes, are the main focus of many MS studies. Scientists and medical research organizations (such as The Myelin Project) are trying to find ways to stimulate myelin regeneration in patients by uncovering the mechanisms involved in myelin regeneration. Once discovered, they could eventually be translated to promising new therapeutic approaches to restore function in people with MS.