Wednesday, December 25, 2019

Human Rights And International Law - 1078 Words

In order to understand the ASEAN Political and Economic Integration, it is crucial to understand the issues that happened surround ASEAN, particularly to Human Rights and International law issues. With regards to human right issues, the question is whether the ASEAN way is still working or ASEAN should start moving and interfere when the issue involves Human Right. This chapter will study how ASEAN state members solve problems when in relations to Human Rights and International law. It will discuss whether ASEAN can provide solutions on these problems or active passively on these issues. This chapter argues that ASEAN failed to provide any solution to the international law conflicts as well as human rights issues that happens in the†¦show more content†¦Most of these cases are usually handled by International Arbitration or International Court. ASEAN rarely gets involved due to their non-involvement principles. Many had seen this as a failure within the region and had even l abelled ASEAN as toothless and lacking of clear mandate (Gil, 2014). In this article, it will use the case of Singapore and Malaysia in studying how ASEAN solve international law issues mainly, related to borders and boundaries among ASEAN state members. Singapore and Malaysia had always have a unique relations among them. This is due to factors such as geography, history, politics, ideology, economy, culture and ethnicity as well as interdependence with each other with regards to economy and security (Omar, n.d). However, due to these unique relations conflicts and tenses sometimes occurs between the two countries. One of the conflicts that occurs between the two countries is the conflicts with regards to Pedra Branca (previously known as Batu Puteh). It is an island that is located 8 miles from the shore of Malaysia and 28miles of the shore of Singapore (Omar, n.d). Malaysia had first published a map in 1974 after their territorial sea was extended to 12n.m, it shows that the island was a part of Singapore territories (Trost, 1993:28). However, Trost noted that the disputes began in 1979 when Malaysia had drawn a map that

Tuesday, December 17, 2019

The Blind Man In Raymond Carvers Cathedral - 701 Words

Raymond Carver’s short story â€Å"Cathedral† shows the interaction of two men, one physically blind and one prejudiced, with contrasting personalities. Overall, the story illustrates how having a closed mind is much more debilitating than permanently closed eyes. Carver tends to revolve his stories around the bleak lives of middle class members and the situations they face; this could be due to his personal life as an alcoholic, who struggled to support his family. â€Å"Cathedral† embodies certain aspects of his personal life and makes the story appear more genuine. Carver successively conveys the theme of looking versus actually seeing in â€Å"Cathedral† through point of view and symbolism. Carver’s decision to write â€Å"Cathedral† in first person†¦show more content†¦When she showed her husband a poem she wrote, he said â€Å"In the poem, she talked about what she had felt at the time†¦I can remember I didnt think much o f the poem† (page 35). These poems represent the important times in her life, and his indifferent treatment of the works as something trivial shows that he has trouble connecting to his wife on a deeper level. While he can not give more than a passing thought to his wife’s literary art, he believes the blind man’s wife, Beulah, is the unlucky one. The husband said of Beulah, â€Å"I found myself thinking what a pitiful life this woman must have led† all because her husband could never look at her (page 37). He becomes fixated on how unhappy Beulah must have been, because he does not consider that there are any satisfying qualities in someone who can not see. His narrow-minded attitude is clear in his discussion of his wife compared to the blind man’s wife. Since the point of view comes from the husband, his transition from merely looking at Robert to seeing him as human is highlighted. When Robert first arrives, the speaker is only focused on the ph ysical aspect of the man, instead of his personality. One of the first remarks he makes about his guest upon his arrival is that, â€Å"He didnt use a cane and he didnt wear dark glasses. I had always thought dark glasses were a must for the blind† (page 38). He was shocked that Robert did not resemble the blind personShow MoreRelatedThe Lives and Works of Raymond Carver1692 Words   |  7 Pagesstyle of writing, Raymond Carver has left a lasting and outstanding impact on the history of short stories. Even though Raymond Carver left a long impact, his life was of the opposite. Like Raymond Carver’s famous award winning stories, his life was short. Raymond Carver was born on May 25th, 1938 in Clatskanie, Oregon, a mill town on the Columbia River. Carver grew up in Yakima, Washington. Carver had three members to his small family, his mother, his father, and brother. Carver’s only had one siblingRead More`` Cathedral `` By Raymond Carver992 Words   |  4 Page s â€Å"Cathedral† is a short story that was written by Raymond Carver in 1981. Raymond Carver is most well known for his short stories and is even an writer credited with reviving the then dying form of literature. A part of a collection of short stories, â€Å"Cathedral† was the last to be published and was included in 1982’s Best American Short Stories. â€Å"Cathedral is different from the other works of Carver due to the humanistic realism that is given to his characters, which had not been seen before in hisRead MoreAnalysis Of Raymond Carver s Cathedral852 Words   |  4 PagesIn Raymond Carver’s short story â€Å"Cathedral,† a blind man named Robert visits a man and his wife in their home for a short period. In the beginning, the husband is very rude to Robert due to his inability to see. However, by the end of Robert’s stay, the husband realizes that he is quite far from being a blind fool. By analyzing the theme, character, and conflict of the short story, the reader will be able to better understand what messages lay within Carver’s writing. First, by analyzing the themeRead MoreRaymond Carver’s â€Å"Cathedral† vs. Tess Gallagher’s â€Å"Rain Flooding Your Campfire†1575 Words   |  7 PagesRaymond Carver’s â€Å"Cathedral† and Tess Gallagher’s â€Å"Rain Flooding your Campfire† are good examples of intertextual dialogue between two writers. These two stories show us how two writers can grow and develop short stories differently from the same experience. There are similarities between the stories, such as the use of a first person narrator, the plot, setting, and also there is an interchange between the narrator and the blind man in both stories. But within these similarities there are alsoRead More Raymond Carvers A Small Good Thing Essay example842 Words   |  4 PagesRaymond Carvers A Small Good Thing Raymond Carvers A Small Good Thing, a short story that has to do with the lack of interaction and empathy between the baker, Ann and Howard, the finale where the baker is startled to find out about the childs death, asks for mercy and presents them warm cinnamon rolls telling them that Eating is a small, good thing in a time like this and they are comforted, reveals particular significance of the title in terms of the storys theme. Also, Raymond CarversRead MoreAnalysis Of Raymond Carver s Cathedral 1340 Words   |  6 PagesRaymond Carver’s characters were considered to be very much like him: â€Å"’on the edge: of poverty, alcoholic self-destruction, loneliness† (Mays 32). His short story â€Å"Cathedral† is about a young couple, who have a visitor coming to stay with them. This visitor, Robert, is the wife’s friend, and he is blind. The narrator, the husband, has never met someone who is blind, was bothered by that. To him, being blind meant co nstantly needing help from others. His depiction of blindness was what he has seenRead MoreAlcohol and Marijuana in Catherdral by Raymond Carver Essay963 Words   |  4 Pagesefforts from imposed laws: people feel the need to consume these substances and encage in behaviors out of the ordinary. Drugs and alcohol are used in the story â€Å"Cathedral† but also they are used in Raymond Carver’s personal life. Carver began drinking heavily in 1967 and was repeatedly hospitalized for alcoholism in the 1970’s. Carver’s minimum wage jobs, the demand of parenting and the need to bring money home led to his addiction to alcohol. Alcohol became a problem because carver was saddledRead More Blind Faith in Raymond Carvers Cathedral Essay920 Words   |  4 PagesBlind Faith in Raymond Carvers Cathedral      Ã‚   In the story Cathedral by Raymond Carver, the main character, goes through a major personal transformation.   At the beginning of the story, his opinions of others are filled with stereotypes, discrimination and prejudice.   Through interaction with his wifes blind friend Robert, his attitude and outlook on life changes.   Although at first he seemed afraid to associate with a blind man, Roberts outgoing personality left him with virtually noRead MoreAnalysis Of Raymond Carver Cathedral1260 Words   |  6 PagesRaymond Carver is often known for his writing style known as minimalism, a style that often uses short phrases or sentences that convey a great amount of meaning. Carver’s â€Å"Cathedral† is full of minimalism, whether it be short and repetitive dialogue or brief thoughts that go through the narrators mind. These intentionally precise sentences are full of meaning, whether it be the importance of communication, or the lack of, the underlying tone s of death and jealously, or even the psychological connectionRead MoreCharacter Analysis Of Raymond Carver s Cathedral 1426 Words   |  6 PagesCharacter Analysis in Raymond Carver’s â€Å"Cathedral†: The Narrator Literature has the potential to act as a mirror by presenting people’s lived experiences, expectations, and perceptions through characters. Such is what can be deciphered through the analysis of different characters in Raymond Carver’s story â€Å"Cathedral.† This paper focuses on the narrator of the story portrayed by the author as blind, which is used metaphorically not to imply physical blindness, but the inability to have reasoned

Monday, December 9, 2019

Discipline and Punish The Birth of the Prison. A Reflection on the Panopticon free essay sample

Since Michel Foucaults 1975 book Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison was published, it has been met with many criticisms due to the sociologists views on an array of subjects. Foucault contends that panopticism, more specifically the Panopticon, is the ideal form of discipline within the prison institution because it creates a setting in which the inmates subject themselves to real or perceived guards and surveillance. After careful analysis of Foucaults text, 3 questions, the focal point of the present text, are proposed. First, how should prison guards respond in a circumstance when inmates do not act in accordance with the expected self-policing, docile behaviour that was hypothesized by Foucault? Next, does Foucault take the neglect of self-supervised workers into consideration? Third, can perceived self-control and paranoia be considered to be effective tools when attempting to reintegrate inmates into general society? It is my contention that although Foucault makes interesting points from a theoretical point of view, these hypotheses are not ready for practical application. According to Foucauldian theory, the mere architectural structure of the Panopticon, 1 dark tower, centering the surrounding prison cells should trigger a mental response in each prisoner causing them to feel as though they are constantly being watched. Continual observation according to Foucault creates a sequential string of good behaviour, when this behaviour is reproduced over a given amount of time, it is assumed to become permanent part of an inmates psyche, eventually being internalized to the point where inmates can be reintegrated back into society. That being said, the opposite is also a very real possibility. A prisoner can easily assume he is not being watched, leaving him to act almost entirely out of free will. If this same inmates actions of free will are not met with consequences, one can safely assume that his potentially unsupervised behaviour may be repeated. Taken one step further, this inmate may orchestrate an escape, obtain access to other inmates and insight a prison riot. In the event that the inmate is once again apprehended, he is now fully aware that he is not under constant supervision, hence allowing for repeated attempts to escape, arouse a revolt in others and exact revenge on guards. Furthermore, the physical structure of the panopticon seems to favour the inmates, allowing them to potentially surround descend on the guards. In strictly theoretical terms, the panopticon is pragmatic because of its all-seeing eye approach. In terms of practical application, the panopticon is much less interesting because Foucault takes for granted the fact that any given inmate may not be as easily influenced or willing to cooperate with potential prison authority as others should be. Economy and negligence are also tied into Michel Foucaults view of the Panopticon. From the guards point of view, theyre fully aware that the inmates have no concrete way of knowing whether they are being supervised or not. In theory, the central panoptic guard tower could be entirely without prison guards. Should the central prison tower/inmates be left unattended without consequence only one time, this may give way to a string of continual negligent acts on the part of the prison guards. The very definition of the term panopticism entails the few overlooking the many. When taken to the extreme, this definition in literal terms becomes an entire body of people left entirely to themselves. Admittedly, the occasion for an entire prison population to be left unsupervised should never arise. However, it is not entirely implausible to envision a situation where a prison guard or group of guards, knowing the contents of their centralized guard tower to be completely unknown to the prisoners would decide to leave the prison to supervise itself. Yet another very extreme turn of events could see one prisoner escape the confines of his cell, release the others due to his lack of supervision and within a moments notice, an entire prison population may be exiting the front gates of a prison. These hypothetical events could have effects on the psyche, physical safety and emotional safety of many civilians. Once again, the mystery that lays in the central guard tower has a significant downside when speaking of practical application. On a final note, the Panopticon puts an increased amount of pressure on a small number of guards to maintain control over a large number of potentially dangerous criminals. The thought of being physically surrounded and not having the strategic advantage in terms of having more guards than inmates is unsettling to say the very least. Prisons are totalitarian institutions. Speaking in general terms, prisons take criminals in, aim to break their criminal spirit and reconstruct their inmates in a societally acceptable fashion. Foucaults approach to the prison system fails most in this respect. The panopticons structure is set up in such a way that little to no contact is made with any other inmates. That being said, a part of the rebuilding process in a prison is the inmates being given a chance, granted a very controlled one, to be socialized once again. The potential for this second socialization process is eradicated in the Panopticon format of a prison. Also, the fact that inmates would be left to monitor themselves is likely the furthest thing from a real life outside of prison circumstance. In day to day settings, people are asked to consider a great deal of authorities in varying forms, such as police officers, employers while on the job, security guards, civil servants and the like. Essentially, burdening inmates with the task of policing themselves may do more harm than good once they are reintroduced to society. Without being coached or trained on how to correct the impulses or problems that caused them to go to prison in the first place, it is more than likely that these same criminals will engage in the same if not similar acts that instigated their initial incarceration. From this point of view, panopticism when narrowed down to a prison population, may be more of a detriment to society than an aid. When extrapolated onto larger scales, panopticism as a whole is definitely not the best ideal to strive for. Power should be more evenly distributed to a larger part of the population until it accounts for the majority of the population and not only a specialized or select few. Michel Foucaults Discipline and Punish: the Birth of the Prison was a pointed analysis of Western society and its penal system. Although Foucaults worked is based on France, it is readily applicable to a number of other Western countries that have reached similar points in civilization. Throughout his critical observation of the French judicial and prison system Foucault comes to describe the Panopticon. Foucaults presentation of the Panopticon seems sound at first, but upon further analysis several viable critiques have been made. Most of the criticism however targets panopticism and not the architectural structure that gave way to the concept of a similar name, the Panopticon. The following questions are proposed after reading Foucaults text; how should prison guards respond in a circumstance when inmates do not act in accordance with the expected self-policing, docile behaviour that was hypothesized by Foucault, does Foucault take the neglect of self-supervised workers into consideration and finally, can perceived self-control and paranoia be considered to be effective tools when attempting to reintegrate inmates into general society? The mere presence of these questions points to gaps in Foucaults hypothesis, added to the fact that Foucault himself admitted that some of his ideas related to the Discipline and Punish: Birth of a Prison book were a bit extreme, this helps confirm that some of his ideas regarding the Panopticon were in fact better suited to theory than practical application.

Sunday, December 1, 2019

Oil and Gas Management

Executive Summary Oil and gas are very sensitive products. This industry is one of the most lucrative industries in the world. Various operators have succeeded in oil drilling projects, especially when they get experienced and committed drilling contractors.Advertising We will write a custom coursework sample on Oil and Gas Management specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The relationship between the drilling contractor and the operator should always be clearly defined. The drilling contractor has the duty of drilling the oil and delivering it to the operator. The operator will be responsible for transportation, storage and commercialization of the product. The operator will also be responsible for meeting all the legal requirements in order to smoothen the operation process. It is also important to note that the process legalizing the whole project should be done with relevant agencies. Environmental agencies should be contacted in or der to get their approval. The process of drilling oil, its transportation, storage and sale is always dangerous to the environment. Spillage of oil can cause serious environmental damage both on land and in water. A leakage of gas can result in a catastrophe in that particular area. Relevant agencies must therefore approve such projects by determining that the operator, and the drilling company has the capacity to ensure that the whole process is safe enough. The Role of the Various Organisations Involved In the Oil Gas Industry Critical Operations Issues Between Operator and Drilling Contractor Material and Equipments One of the critical operations issues between the operator and the drilling contractor is the materials and equipments. It is a standard practice that it is the responsibility of the contractor to have relevant materials. This should be indicated clearly, stating their quality and quantity in order to avoid disputes. The operator should therefore define the standard s of the equipments and materials needed when developing the contract.Advertising Looking for coursework on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Personnel It is the responsibility of the contractor to bring along qualified and experienced personnel to work on the project. The contractor should ensure that the personnel meet the set physical and academic criteria, and that they are tested for medical fitness before their deployment. Duration When signing the contract, it is important to clearly state the duration that the project will take in details. This will help avoid conflicts that always arise due to delays by the contractor to complete the project in time. However, there should be a clause allowing the project to be closed earlier if it is finished before the stipulated date, or late if there are delays, and any possible consequences for the delays (Kousholt 2007, p. 90). Defective performance It is alway s common to have cases where the assigned work is not done as per the expectations. There must be a provision for such defective work. The operator should inform the contractor the nature of such defects within the right time. It will be the responsibility of the contractor to go over the work again and correct the identified mistakes at its own expense. The operator may be granted the right to look for the third party in case the defect done by the contractor is too gross and indicates that the operator has no capacity to perform the task properly. Risk Allocation In any drilling operations, risks and uncertainties cannot be ignored because they can occur. It would therefore be very prudent to clearly indicate how such risks are allocated between the contractor and the operator. It will be important to identify possible risks that may occur, and the stages at which they might occur, in order to allocate them either to the operator on contractor.Advertising We will write a cust om coursework sample on Oil and Gas Management specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Insurance The need for insuring the whole project is very obvious, given the uncertainties stated above. Both the operator and the contractor will be expected to meet specific costs towards the coverage. The insurance should be taken with a reputable firm that will meet its responsibility should it arise. Some of areas that should be covered include commercial general insurance, general third party insurance and third party insurance. According to Kousholt (2007, p. 90), when two firms come together to work towards a common goal, the driving force is always to share the responsibilities that comes with achieving this goal. The partnering units must embrace togetherness. They must accept working together as a unit in order to have the much expected success. Critical Operational Issues Between Operator and External Agencies (NGO) The oil company will need to come up with three main external agencies (NGO). The three include those concerned with transparency, anticorruption and environment. The environmental agency will work in close coordination with the firm to ensure that the environment is not polluted. This may involve conducting regular inspection at the site, and making recommendation on how best the firm can improve its operations to minimize environmental pollution. Cases such as oil spillage will be eliminated. Environment will be protected from degradation. The transparency body will help ensure that the firm operates within the legal limits of the country. It will also ensure that all the relevant partners in this project relates well. The anticorruption agency will ensure that the project observes all the financial obligations it has towards various bodies within the country. The anticorruption and transparency agencies will also ensure that this firm relates well with the society in general. The environmental body will be instrumental in case there is need to participate in corporate social responsibility such as tree planting.Advertising Looking for coursework on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Critical Operational Issues in the Relationship Between the Operator and the UK Government According to Gerry and Scholes (2008, p. 114), the government is the most important agency that a firm must ensure it conforms to its policies. The government enacts laws and regulations that govern gas and oil production within the country. The government of the United Kingdom has various expectations, and rules that all the firms operating in the country must follow. Different firms in different industries have differing expectations from the government. The government also has different expectations for firms in different industries. In order to ensure that these firms are closely monitored, the government works with different agencies within the country. The department of energy will be directly responsible for monitoring of the activities of all the firms in this industry. The operator must therefore ensure that it acts within the expectations of this department. The government will alway s act in a way to protect the firm as a way of developing the economy. The operator should therefore ensure that the government finds all the reasons to protect the firm and give it the necessary support that would ensure that it succeeds. The government also needs to ensure that there is local involvement and participation in various activities in the project. The government always appreciates it when a firm employs the locals whenever there is an opportunity. There should also be national participation. Risks should also be kept as minimal as possible. On the other side, the operator will also have its concerns to put to the government. It would prefer a longer exploration within the country (Lewis 2006, p. 5). Also of concern to the operator will be relaxed regulations that would ensure that it operates with minimal ease. The operator will also need better tax deals with the government as a way of increasing the profitability of the project. Petroleum Economics and Taxation Regim es, Legal Arrangements and Contractual Relationships Analysis and Contrast of the Advantages of the Concession and PSA governance Regimes from the Viewpoint of the Sovereign State In the global world, governments have always ensured that they control the development projects to their favor. A sovereign state would always make an effort to ensure that it develops the local economy as a way of developing itself. When a state becomes sovereign, there is always the spirit of nationalism. Firms always try to ensure that they get all the resources that the sovereign state would need. There would be an attempt to ensure that the nation is freed from any external interference. Interference may come in various fronts, including the need to depend on external support to run the state. Various sovereign states have therefore been very keen to incline development to their favor. They make every effort to ensure that all firms that operate within the country are able to help in the development o f that nation. To make it clearer, it would be important to analyze advantages and disadvantages from the two standpoints. Concession Advantages to the government The government will get secure and regular revenues at very little effort, increasing its capacity to build the nation. It facilitates early engagement of the oil firm to the government, and the commitment is has towards the government. Disadvantages to the government The government will be the sole bearer of risks that is related to the project. This can result in massive loss to the government. This strategy potentially widens choice of the government on partners to embrace large service companies. There will be no upsides from high economic rents. It will not be in a position to take advantage of the high economic rents fully. The government will have no control in the manner and schedule of development taken in this strategy. Advantages to the operator It will be able to secure broad control and right over the res erves, and it will be in a position to dictate the pace of development. It will be in a position to take advantage of the high economic rents. It will be easy to achieve vertical integration of companies. Disadvantages to the operator Given that the strategy seems to be biased to the favor of the operator, there is a higher risk of nationalism (Murch 2004, p. 59). The operator will be forced to enter into new negotiations whenever there is a change of power. Product Sharing Agreement Advantages to the government In this strategy, all the operative risks are carried by the operator, meaning that the government will be shielded from any consequences resulting from such losses (Lewis 2006, p. 43). The government shall be in a position to secure upsides from high economic rents. The government will retain ownership of the petroleum products produced and all the associated installations. The exploration risks will also be transferred to the operator. Disadvantages to the government Given that exploration risks can be great; this strategy may deter potential investors. The government may not secure all benefits associated with the projects given the fact that it will avoid taking heavy responsibilities. Advantages to the operator This strategy will allow the operator a possible entry point for future business operations. Given technical capability, the operator may convince the insurance company to lower the coverage cost, making the whole process very attractive. The operator will be entitled to share oil produced in the project. In this strategy, there is always equitable share of rents and costs. Disadvantages to the operator The operator will bear all the exploration costs. This can have serious financial consequences on it. The operator will have to cede significant control share to the government in regard to the nature and pace of development of the project. Comparative Numerical Sensitivity Assessment of the Project Profitability to Variation in t he Sales Gas Price Within Each Regime The profitability of this project relies on a number of factors. The cash flow statement of this project shows that there has been a constant profitability. The statement shows that the project has the capacity to succeed in this industry. It is a fact that that this firm has can have success if it succeeds. The operating costs of this firm and the taxable income indicate that the firm is profitable. The costs of operation are always an indication of the profitability of the firm. According to Murch (2004, p. 53), the costs of operation should be low, and the income generation should be high. The ability of the firm to succeed always depends on low costs of operation. The costs of operation should always be minimized as much as possible. Minimizing the costs of the firm’s operation is one of the ways of increasing their profitability. The profitability of the firm is likely to be on the rise. The firm has been able to withstand the pressu re locally. The taxable income of this firm shows that the firm has had a rise in its operating income. The operating income of the firm always determines its taxable income. Given the high taxable income of the firm, it is a demonstration that this project is profitable. The sales of the gas within the product sharing agreement regime will involve low costs. The taxation will be reduced. However, under a concession agreement, the profitability will be reduced because of the increased taxation. Review the Risks Faced by the Industry and Means of Identifying and Managing Them The risks faced in this industry can be categorized into four aspects. There are technological risks. This may come in the form of lack of reliable system within the project. This may result in serious damages to the project and its profitability. This can be avoided by having the right employees with technological knowledge in this field. Another major risk is political and fiscal risks. Political risks may hav e heavy financial consequences in the firm. For instance, changing of the regime will overburden the project through spiraling taxation. Cases where there is political instability in the country may further jeopardize the profitability of the project. It may be difficult to mitigate political risks. As a result of this, the best approach to take in this case would be to take comprehensive insurance coverage against political uncertainties. The project may also face economic risks. Market volatility is the most common economic risks. The prices of oil in the international markets keeps rising and falling frequently. When the prices falls the project may be as less productive as it had been expected. Another risk is on the environment. When this oil spills on the leaves of any vegetation, it suffocates the plants by blocking the air passages on the surface of the leaf. The vegetation will dry off due to lack of air. This oil is also dangerous to the organisms that live under the soil. It suffocates these organisms. When the spillage is swept into water bodies such as lakes, the effect becomes even worse. Oil always form a thick layer (blanket) on top of water. This thick layer will always prevent air from moving into water. All the living organisms that are under that water will perish for lack or air. The effect will viciously affect other organisms that depend on the organisms that have been destroyed in that particular water body. When the living organisms in water are destroyed, other organisms which may not be directly killed by this oil such as crocodile may feel the impact of this destruction. With other organisms they depend on destroyed, these predators may have nothing to depend on. This may lead to their death within that particular habitat. The firm also faces some risks. Environmental bodies will be keenly monitoring the operations of the firm. They will be keen on ensuring that the firm is taken to task over any case of environmental pollution. The agencies will take the firm to court over cases of environmental pollution. This can result in serious fines that can negatively impact on the firm. The litigation process can also bring negative image on the firm. This may cost this firm a lot of resources trying to rebuild the tainted image of the firm. Besides the losses resulting from litigation, this project can also result in losses from cases involving spillage. When there is oil spillage, the firm will suffer a loss to the extent of the spilled oil. There are cases where cargo on transit is hijacked by pirates. This is one of the ways through which firms have suffered serious losses (Murch 2004, p. 27). When the cargo is hijacked, the loss will be to the extent of the hijacked cargo, or even more, because the storage vessels will also be lost. The fluctuation of oil prices is another risk. When the oil prices slumps, the firm will get revenues below the expected value. This will mean that the firm will have to find a mechan ism through which this deficit will be taken care of. The government may also face some risks in this project. One of the main roles of the government is to ensure that the society is clean and that various agencies operate without any interference from other agencies. A project that involves oil drilling and transportation may have serious negative impact to the society, and hence the government. The BP oil spillage in 2010 has serious impact on the American society. Various economic activities in various beaches in the United States were brought to a halt because of this spillage. This clearly demonstrates that government will always be at risk when such incidents occur. The tax generated from such activities will be lost. The populace who are affected by such cases will be left jobless. This will affect the government. Awareness of Future Oil and Gas Sources and Social Responsibility and Climate Change Issues Corporate social responsibility has become one of the most important fu nctions of firms in the current society. There is need for firms to give back to the society. They need to give back to the society because they take away various resources from this society. When a firm that is involved in oil drilling takes part in corporate social responsibility, it will be giving back to the society what it has taken away from it. Oil drilling involves destruction of the environment. It involves activities that will leave the land barren. This barren land may not benefit this community in any way. To compensate for this destruction, the firm should make an effort to ensure that it helps in making other regions around this place greener. The firm may take part in planting of trees in this region. It should also encourage and support farmers in this region. This way, the firm will try to counter the impact they had on the environment. Corporate social responsibility is always a way of gaining a positive image in the society. The current society is very sensitive ( Inkpen Moffett 2011, p. 64). A firm can lose customers when they are accused of causing mayhem to the environment. Firms therefore take part in corporate social responsibility as a way of ensuring that it gains the favor of the watchdogs of the environment. This would help the firm strike a positive relationship with various governmental agencies within the country. Such agencies may use the firm as a positive example of a firm which is not self-centered. This would enable the firm to be embraced by the society. Corporate social responsibility also helps in marketing the firm positively within the target market. Instead of undertaking a commercial advertisement directly, firms consider participating in corporate social responsibility. This way, they will be advertised positively in the market. Analysis of the Challenges Facing the Adoption of Shale Gas Extraction in the UK The United Kingdom is one of the largest consumers of oil and oil products in the world. This country will the refore have a huge benefit when a firm is able to extract oil from the country. A firm that is able to extract oil within this country will have a huge benefit due to a number of reasons. Shale gas can have a huge benefit when is able to extract oil within the country (Roberts 2011, p. 115). The firm will have a ready market for its products. This means that this firm will not incur costs associated with transportation of the product, and its storage facilities. The firm is also expected to benefit from government incentives as a way of encouraging local production of this product. There are a host of other benefits that this firm stands to benefit by conducting local production. However, there are some challenges that this firm faces within this country. Challenges facing Shale gas can be looked from four main fronts. They include social front, environmental front, political front and economic front. Shale gas faces a serious challenge of protecting the environment in the operation s. Environmental bodies in the United Kingdom are always very keen on monitoring operations of firms within the country to ensure that they do not pollute the environment. Shale gas will have the responsibility of ensuring that its operations within this country do not engage in environmental pollution. This makes the operation very difficult. The firm also faces the challenge of ensuring that the society develops a positive image for its products to be accepted locally (Murch 2004, p. 75). This is because the locals have come to embrace BP as the main producer of their petroleum products. Convincing the market that Shale gas will give them superior value may take some time. Shale gas will have to undertake serious marketing within this market in order to win trust of the market. The competition posed by other major players in this industry may be posing serious challenge to the firm. When the management is not able to counter the competition posed by the competitors, then the firm may be forced out of this industry. One of the firms posing serious challenge to Shale gas is PB. PB has been able to create a positive image in the local market. The brand is very strong, and it will require Shale gas to develop serious techniques. List of References Gerry, J Scholes, K 2008, Exploring Corporate Strategy, Pearson Education, Limited, New York. Inkpen, A Moffett, M 2011, The global oil and gas industry: management, strategy and finance, Tulsa, Okla. Kousholt, B 2007, Project management: theory and practice, Cengage, New York. Lewis, J 2006, Fundamentals of project management, American Management Association, New York. Murch, R 2004, Project management: best practices for IT professionals, Prentice Hall PTR, Upper Saddle River. Roberts, P 2011, Effective project management, Kogan Page, London. This coursework on Oil and Gas Management was written and submitted by user Tomas Thompson to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Rosa Parks Essay Example

Rosa Parks Essay Example Rosa Parks Essay Rosa Parks Essay Rosa Parks Outline Rosa Parks affected history by contributing to the NAACP, by helping begin the Montgomery Bus Boycott, and by helping during the Civil Rights movements and fighting for equality for African Americans. L. Introduction A. The only tired I was, was tired of giving in. 1 . Rosa was the youth adviser in the NAACP group, and taught her students to resist segregation whenever they could. 2. She was admired in the black community as a dedicated volunteer who served as secretary of local NAACP since 1943. B. Thesis Statement II. Early Life A. They walked. They rode mules. It took 381 days, but the boycott worked. VI: Conclusion A. Thesis statement? B. Fast forward to the future. 1 . Today we celebrate equality and freedom from segregation with Martin Luther King Jar. Day. 2. Now a days, people from all over, and many different races mingle, and get along. In fact, thats what America is all about. Being one. One nation, many races. This would probably be different if Rosa hadnt stepped up and said No, and if Martin Luther hadnt ran with it. But they did, and now we really do have equality.

Friday, November 22, 2019

Isomer Definition and Examples in Chemistry

Isomer Definition and Examples in Chemistry An isomer is a chemical species with the same number and types of atoms as another chemical species but with distinct properties because the atoms are arranged into different chemical structures. When atoms can assume different configurations, the phenomenon is termed isomerism. There are several categories of isomers, including structural isomers, geometric isomers, optical isomers, and stereoisomers. Isomerization can occur spontaneously or not, depending on whether the bond energy of the configurations is comparable. Types of Isomers The two broad categories of isomers are structural isomers (also called constitutional isomers) and stereoisomers (also called spatial isomers). Structural Isomers: In this type of isomerism, the atoms and functional groups are joined differently. Structural isomers have different IUPAC names. An example is the position change seen in 1-fluoropropane and 2-fluoropropane. Types of structural isomerism include chain isomerism, where hydrocarbon chains have different degrees of branching; functional group isomerism, where a functional group may split into different ones; and skeletal isomerism, where the main carbon chain varies. Tautomers are structural isomers that can spontaneously convert between forms. An example is keto/enol tautomerism, in which a proton moves between a carbon and oxygen atom. Stereoisomers: The bond structure between atoms and functional groups is the same in stereoisomerism, but the geometrical positioning can change. This class of isomers includes enantiomers (or optical isomers), which are nonsuperimposable mirror images of each other, like left and right hands. Enantiomers always contain chiral centers. Enantiomers often display similar physical properties and chemical reactivities, although the molecules may be distinguished by how they polarize light. In biochemical reactions, enzymes usually react with one enantiomer in preference to the other. An example of a pair of enantiomers is (S)-()-lactic acid and (R)-(-)-lactic acid. Alternatively, stereoisomers may be diastereomers, which arent mirror images of each other. Diastereomers may contain chiral centers, but there are isomers without chiral centers and those that arent even chiral. An example of a pair of diastereomers is D-threose and D-erythrose. Diastereomers typically have different physical properties and reactivities from each other. Conformational Isomers (conformers): Conformation may be used to classify isomers. Conformers may be enantiomers, diastereomers, or rotamers. There are different systems used to identify stereoisomers, including cis-trans and E/Z. Isomer Examples Pentane, 2-methylbutane, and 2,2-dimethylpropane are structural isomers of each other. Importance of Isomerism Isomers are especially important in nutrition and medicine because enzymes tend to work on one isomer over another. The substituted xanthines are a good example of an isomer found in food and drugs. Theobromine, caffeine, and theophylline are isomers, differing in the placement of methyl groups. Another example of isomerism occurs in phenethylamine drugs. Phentermine is a nonchiral compound that can be used as an appetite suppressant yet doesnt act as a stimulant. Rearranging the same atoms yields dextromethamphetamine, a stimulant stronger than amphetamine. Nuclear Isomers Usually the term isomer refers to different arrangements of atoms in molecules; however, there are also nuclear isomers. A nuclear isomer or metastable state is an atom that has the same atomic number and mass number as another atom of that element yet has a different excitation state within the atomic nucleus.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

A Danger to Fourth Amendment Rights Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

A Danger to Fourth Amendment Rights - Essay Example This created controversy, where many individuals claimed that the Supreme Court did not follow the fourth amendment and increased the tension with minority communities (Deborah, 1997). Terry v Ohio (1962), addressed a number of reasonsin seizure and search activities. The court decided that it was legal for police to frisk, question and stop any person whom the law enforcement officers believed that he was acting suspiciously. This is referred to a lower standard than what the fourth amendment refers to a probable cause. Deborah (1997) claims that such frisking and question is against the Fourth Amendment rights while majority think that allowing seizures and searches was a serious blow against the fourth amendment, because it is less than a probable cause. Many seizures and searches are based on probable cause, and the Supreme Court has approved those that are suspicious. This was a serious blow to the Fourth Amendment because all these searches were based on less than a probable cause, while the amendment requires that all searches and seizures should have a probable cause. Additionally, the majority should have adopted Justice Douglas position because he disagrees with the court decision, and contends that the Fourth Amendment entails that every search and seizure to have a probable cause. He also goes ahead and explains that when the court decides to have an exception, then the Americans will lose their protection of privacy. However, despite his concern, Terry v Ohio (1962) law remains. Police are still allowed to question and frisk individuals who look suspicious without any reason or cause to believe they are involved in

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

EXPERIENCES OF NURSES WORKING IN PALLIATIVE CARE Dissertation

EXPERIENCES OF NURSES WORKING IN PALLIATIVE CARE - Dissertation Example (Harris, Flowers, Noble, 2011) In a qualitative study by (Brajtman, Higuchi, McPherson, 2006) they looked into the matter related to the challenges the nurses face in palliative care, to explore their experiences in caring for patients with terminal delirium and their families. This qualitative research will emphasize the importance of qualitative interviews as most powerful method for understanding the experiences and meanings related to the topic. This study was conducted in a palliative care unit located in a large Canadian city hospital for 5 nurses working in an interdisciplinary palliative care unit and 4 nurses form palliative home care nursing team located in the same city. Few interview questions have been generated for the nurses to proceed with the qualitative study. Based on the questions results which has been found are like most of the participants said that they experience distress while caring for palliative care patients. They said that if they gather convenient skil ls and knowledge in the identification and diagnosis they can help to support the patient in better way and family during disturbed conditions. Understanding the unique nursing experience is very much important in the process of providing the nurses with required support to make them strong and help them to provide care in challenging situations. Nurses also identified their team members as most major source of support. They also mentioned that effective teamwork would help them to deal with palliative care patients and their families more efficiently. There is need for proper education and training for the nurses to face challenges with palliative care patients. Lack of education may experience in serious stress for these nurses in care of the dying people and their families. It is important to check that nurses should receive appropriate knowledge, skills and support to care for this patient (Brajtman, Higuchi, McPherson, 2006, pp.6-7). Thus from this study we can understand that proper opportunities should be provided to the nurses so that they can face challenges confidently. The support of organization, teammates and family will enhance the quality of care. The number of sample chosen here is very small. A primary research should contain minimum 20 samples to carry on with a proper research. But here amount is very small which is not very good to conduct a research. A larger sample would have been beneficial to obtain greater depth of data as there was no clear evidence to overcome the challenges. White, et al (2004) found similar trends in his study. He explored with qualitative descriptive study using semi structured interviews with nurses caring for palliative care patients. Here 9 experienced palliative care nurses were interviewed. The participants here explained about their experience and challenges they face regularly. The nurses reported that they have enormous impact on their work and personal lives. The nurses here describe about two types of su fferings, physical and emotional or psychological. Most of the nurses reported here that they try their best to relieve a patients suffering and when they cannot help the patient with such condition they get a feeling of helplessness, distress, frustration and a sense of failure. Some of the nurses also mentioned that they did not want to dwell with those things and thus tried to go back home with a fresh

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Reserch Into Memory Recall Essay Example for Free

Reserch Into Memory Recall Essay The main three systems of operation of memory are known as the Multi-Store Model (Atkinson amp; Schiffrin 1968), the Working Model of Memory (Baddeley amp; Hitch 1974), and Levels of Processing Model of Memory (Craig amp; Lockhart 1972). Multi Store Model Figure [ 1 ] http://www. smartpsych. co. uk/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/msmmodel2. png Key features of MSM: * Three types of memory stores – sensory, short term and long term (any stimulus must pass through one or more of these in sequence). Each store retains a different amount of information based on how much the store can retain. * Each of the stores retains a different amount of information in a different way and for a varying length of time. The sensory memory is responsible for taking the information from one of the sensory organs and holding it in that format, prior to transferring the data to the short term memory, and then dependent on the form of rehearsal (either by maintenance or elaborative rehearsal), is stored in either the STM or LTM. The information from any one of the sensory organs is encoded into the STM as one of the following: * Iconic (visual) stored as an image. * Echoic (acoustic) Auditory input from the ears and stored as a sound. * Taste * Haptic (touch) * Smell An example of Iconic sensory storage was demonstrated by Sperling (1960), whereby he tested participants by using a tachistoscope which flashed pictures onto a blank screen for a very brief amount of time. He then tested them on their ability to recall as many of them as possible from a grid of twelve that he would display for one twentieth of a second. His findings showed that whilst they could only recall approximately four images, the overall suggestion was that they had seen a lot more, but not enough time to record them. The presentation of the images was followed by three tone levels of high, medium or low which instructed the participants which rows they should focus their iconic memory on. Recall rate recorded was on verage three out of the four symbols from any one row, which suggests that the iconic store has a retention capacity of approximately 76%. Sperling reported that if a delay occurred between both the presentation of the grid and the sounding of the tone then an increasing amount of information would be lost gradually (50% after 0. 3 seconds and 67% after 1 second delay) (Baddley, 2002). The short term memory has a retention duration of 0-18 seconds, and a capacity of 7(+/-2), as demonstrated by Miller’s (1956) experiment of chunking. He discovered that our capacity to retain information can be increased by chunking large amounts of information together, otherwise referred to as trigrams (3 letter combinations). The length of time information can be retained is only a few seconds in the STM if not rehearsed, whereas rehearsal can increase that from anywhere from a few seconds too years. Peterson and Peterson (1959) found that the STM fades in under half a minute if not rehearsed, within 3 seconds this is reduced by 80% and only 10% of information remains after 18 seconds. The LTM (long term memory) has an unlimited duration and capacity, although these memories can decay over time and become displaced (shunted out of the way in place of new ones). Long term encoding can be semantically associated in which by we link things together, such as school, tie, and teacher. Although there is the possibility of incorrectly making additional connections dependent on the individual LTM and what is personally associated with the key word.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

weed Essay -- essays research papers fc

There is a large drug problem facing the United States today, and this problem extends to all citizens. It’s not just the poor and the uneducated who are effected by this problem. The most largely used illegal drug in the United States is Marijuana, and thus is the drug law enforcement and the media tends to target the most, costing the taxpayers lots and lots of money. I will show you that Marijuana is not as large and evil as it may appear, and that if legalized the economy would be strengthened and the efforts of law enforcement could be focused on more serious drugs. First off, to understand what we are dealing with I will give a brief explanation of what Marijuana is and what it’s uses are. Marijuana is classified as a hallucinogen and is a psychoactive drug. Its scientific name is Cannabis Sativa and it is found in the Indian hemp plant, of which there are three main types; Cannabis Sativa, Cannabis Indica, and Cannabis Rudderalis. Some of its nicknames and stree t names are pot, weed, green, herb, and sensi. The drugs use dates back in manuscripts back to 2700B.C. in China (Nadelmann). The drug was also cultivated by Jamestown settlers, 1611, who used the drug for its fibers to make rope and clothes. Marijuana is widely used, an estimated one out of every three people have used it, and among high school students 44% have experimented with it (Bowmen). Marijuana is almost always smoked to experience the effects, but eating it and brewing it into tea are common practice also. It can be smoked by rolling it into a paper (joint) or by placing it into a pipe (often called a bowl). Often times there is a mixture of marijuana with tobacco to create a pleasurable taste. When someone smokes marijuana for the first time they do not get high, it is usually the second or third time a user feels the effects. These include chronic laughter and heightened senses. Afterwards a dry mouth and hunger, called the munchies, often follow. The ingredient in canna bis sativa that causes the mind altering effects is called THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol). Now that you know a little about the drug I will discuss its health effects. I am not saying that Marijuana is good for you, all I am saying is that comparable negative effects are present in many legalized drugs. Marijuana intoxicates a person in a way somewhat similar to alcohol. Reaction times are decreased and the person may a... ...vidence to warrant the serious consideration. Once lawmakers take off the blinders and actually see the issue as it is we will be in a much better situation. The best way to show them that is to show them how much more money they can get. Many angles can be taken to justify the legalization of marijuana, I feel the most effective is that of the economic analysis. There will be jobs created and a new booming industry with it. People need to put aside preconceived notions and take a fresh perspective, they will see what a great effect that the legalization of marijuana would have on the economy as well as other areas. Bibliography Ethan A. Nadelmann, American Heritage Magazine, Feb-Mar, 1993. Tom Bowmen, â€Å"Schmoke says debate on decriminalization of drugs is gaining momentum.†, The Sun Newspaper, 7-13, 1989. Joseph A. Califano, USA Today, version 125, Mar. 1997. American Journal of Nursing, Annual Report 1992. Martin Evans. â€Å"Schmoke urges NAACP to back decriminalization of drugs.†, The Sun, 1989. Christopher Brown, â€Å"Bring Drugs Within the Law.†, The Economist. Volume 13, 1993. Yahooka - The guide to marijuana on the internet, "http://www.yahooka.com". Word Count: 2056

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Why College Students Cheat

Grades, rather than education have become more important to students. Students are feeling a great deal of pressure to succeed in college; so that they can land that terrific job. With saying all of that, the rate of college students cheating has been increasing every year. There are several forms of cheating that take place; from going old school and writing the answers on your body; to todays’ technology such as cell phones and cameras. Cheating with students has increased over the years and nothing has been done to stop it. Everyday students in this world grow lazier and lazier and begin to neglect their school work. Academic cheating is defined as representing someone else’s work as your own. It can take many forms, including sharing another’s work, purchasing a term paper or test questions in advance, or paying another to do the work for you (www. nocheating. org). Students with all types of majors cheat, Medical students, Engineering students, Business and even Law students. A Rutgers professor did a study on different fields of majors and students to find out how many students would actually admit to cheating. 56 percent of business students cheat; engineering students took 54 percent and law students only had 47 percent. He discovered that law students, although they don’t cheat the most, have the best reason to. â€Å"The stakes are much higher for law students,† McCabe says. â€Å"There's a fear you may not be able to take the bar exam after having spent these three years in law school†. (Gravers, L. ) In todays’ world, technology has made cheating much easier. Students use their cell phones to text students outside of the exam room to obtain the answers. As well as texting, students also take pictures with their cell phones of the material they are studying and use them during the exam.

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Ethical neutrality Essay

In what follows, when we use the term â€Å"evaluation† we will mean, where nothing else is implied or expressly stated, practical value-judgments as to the unsatisfactory or satisfactory character of phenomena subject to our influence. The problem involved in the â€Å"freedom† of a given discipline from evaluations of this kind, i. e., the validity and the meaning of this logical principle, is by no means identical with the question which is to be discussed shortly, namely, whether in teaching one should or should not declare one’s acceptance of practical evaluations, regardless of whether they are based on ethical principles, cultural ideals or a philosophical outlook. This question cannot be settled scientifically. It is itself entirely a question of practical evaluation, and cannot therefore be definitively resolved. With reference to this issue, a wide variety of views are held, of which we shall only mention the two extremes. At one pole we find (a) the standpoint that there is validity in the distinction between purely logically deducible and purely empirical statements of fact on the one hand, and practical, ethical or philosophical evaluations on the other, but that, nevertheless – or, perhaps, even on that account- both classes of problems properly belong in the university. At the other pole we encounter (b) the proposition that even when the distinction cannot be made in a logically complete manner, it is nevertheless desirable that the assertion of practical evaluations should be avoided as much as possible in teaching. This second point of view seems to me to be untenable. Particularly untenable is the distinction which is rather often made in our field between evaluations linked with the positions of â€Å"political parties† and other sorts of evaluations. This distinction cannot be reasonably made: it obscures the practical implications of the evaluations which are suggested to the audience. Once the assertion of evaluations in university lectures is admitted, the contention that the university teacher should be entirely devoid of â€Å"passion† and that he should avoid all subjects which threaten to bring emotion into controversies is a narrow-minded, bureaucratic opinion which every teacher of independent spirit must reject. Of those scholars who believed that they should not renounce the assertion of practical evaluations in empirical discussions, the most passionate of them – such as Treitschke and, in his own way, Mommsen- were the most tolerable. As a result of their intensely emotional tone, their audiences were enabled to discount the influence of their evaluations in whatever distortion of the facts occurred. Thus, the audiences did for themselves what the lecturers could not do because of their temperaments. The effect on the minds of the students was to produce the same depth of moral feeling which, in my opinion, the proponents of the assertion of practical evaluations in teaching want to assure – but without the audience being confused as to the logical distinctiveness of the different types of propositions. This confusion must of necessity occur whenever both the exposition of empirical facts and the exhortation to espouse a particular evaluative standpoint on important issues are done with the same cool dispassionateness. The first point of view (a) is acceptable, and can indeed be acceptable from the standpoint of its own proponents, only when the teacher sees it as his unconditional duty – in every single case, even to the point where it involves the danger of making his lecture less stimulating – to make absolutely clear to his audience, and especially to himself, which of his statements are statements of logically deduced or empirically observed facts and which are statements of practical evaluation. Once one has granted the disjunction between the two spheres, it seems to me that doing this is an imperative requirement of intellectual honesty. It is the absolutely minimal requirement in this case. On the other hand, the question whether one should in general assert practical evaluations in teaching – even with this reservation – is one of practical university policy. On that account, in the last analysis, it must be decided only with reference to those tasks which the individual, according to his own set of values, assigns to the universities. Those who on the basis of their qualifications as university teachers assign to the universities, and thereby to themselves, the universal role of forming character, of inculcating political, ethical, aesthetic, cultural or other beliefs, will take a different position from those who believe it necessary to affirm the proposition and its implications – that university teaching achieves really valuable effects only through specialised training by specially qualified persons. Hence, â€Å"intellectual integrity† is the only specific virtue which universities should seek to inculcate. The first point of view can be defended from as many different ultimate evaluative standpoints as the second. The second – which I personally accept – can be derived from a most enthusiastic as well as from a thoroughly modest estimate of the significance of â€Å"specialised training†. In order to defend this view, one need not be of the opinion that everyone should become as much a pure â€Å"specialist† as possible. One may, on the contrary, espouse it because one does not wish to see the ultimate and deepest personal decisions which a person must make regarding his life, treated exactly as if they were the same as specialised training. One may take this position, however highly one assesses the significance of specialised training, not only for general intellectual training but indirectly also for the self-discipline and the ethical attitude of the young person. Another reason for taking this position is that one does not wish to see the student so influenced by the teacher’s suggestions that he is prevented from solving his problems in accordance with the dictates of his own conscience. Professor von Schmoller’s favourable disposition towards the teacher’s assertion of his own evaluations in the lecture room is thoroughly intelligible to me personally as the echo of a great epoch which he and his friends helped to create. Even he, however, cannot deny the fact that for the younger generation the objective situation has changed considerably in one important respect. Forty years ago there existed among the scholars working in our discipline, the widespread belief that of the various possible points of view in the domain of practical-political evaluations, ultimately only one was the ethically correct one. (Schmoller himself took this position only to a limited extent. ) Today this is no longer the case among the proponents of the assertion of professorial evaluations – as may readily be observed. The legitimacy of the assertion of professorial evaluation is no longer defended in the name of an ethical imperative resting on a relatively simple postulate of justice, which both in its ultimate foundations as well as in its consequences, partly was, and partly seemed to be, relatively unambiguous, and above all relatively impersonal, in consequence of its specifically trans-personal character. Rather, as the result of an inevitable development, it is now done in the name of a motley of â€Å"cultural evaluations†, i. e. , actually subjective cultural demands, or quite openly, in the name of the teachers’ alleged â€Å"rights of personality†. One may well wax indignant over this point of view, but one cannot- because it is a â€Å"practical evaluation† – refute it. Of all the types of prophecy, this â€Å"personally† tinted type of professorial prophecy is the most repugnant. There is no precedent for a situation in which a large number of officially appointed prophets do their preaching or make their professions of faith, not, as other prophets do, on the streets, or in churches or other public places- or if they do it privately, then in personally chosen sectarian conventicles – but rather regard themselves as best qualified to enunciate their evaluations on ultimate questions â€Å"in the name of science† and in the carefully protected quiet of governmentally privileged lecture halls in which they cannot be controlled, or checked by discussion, or subjected to contradiction. It is an axiom of long standing, which Schmoller on one occasion vigorously espoused, that what takes place in the lecture hall should be entirely confidential and not subject to public discussion. Although it is possible to contend that, even for purely academic purposes, this may occasionally have certain disadvantages, I take the view that a â€Å"lecture† should be different from a â€Å"speech†. The unconfined rigour, matter-of-factness and sobriety of the lecture declines, with definite pedagogical losses, once it becomes the object of publicity through, for example, the press. It is only in the sphere of his specialised qualifications that the university teacher is entitled to this privilege of freedom from outside surveillance or publicity. There is, however, no specialised qualification for personal prophecy, and for this reason it should not be granted the privilege of freedom from contradiction and public scrutiny. Furthermore, there should be no exploitation of the fact that the student, in order to make his way in life, must attend certain educational institutions and take courses with certain teachers with the result that in addition to what he needs, i.e. , the stimulation and cultivation of his capacity for understanding and reasoning, and a certain body of factual information – he also gets, slipped in among these, the teacher’s own attitude towards the world which even though sometimes interesting is often of no consequence, and which is in any case not open to contradiction and challenge. Like everyone else, the professor has other opportunities for the propagation of his ideals. When these opportunities are lacking, he can easily create them in an appropriate form, as experience has shown in the case of every honorable attempt. But the professor should not demand the right as a professor to carry the marshal’s baton of the statesman or the cultural reformer in his knapsack. This, however, is just what he does when he uses the unassailability of the academic lecture platform for the expression of political – or cultural-political- sentiments. In the press, in public meetings, in associations, in essays, in every avenue which is open to every other citizen, he can and should do what his God or daemon demands. The student should obtain, from his teacher in the lecture hall, the capacity to content himself with the sober execution of a given task; to recognize facts, even those which may be personally uncomfortable, and to distinguish them from his own evaluations. He should also learn to subordinate himself to his task and to repress the impulse to exhibit his personal sensations or other emotional states unnecessarily. This is vastly more important today than it was 40 years ago when the problem did not even exist in its present form. It is not true – as many have insisted – that the â€Å"personality† is and should be a â€Å"whole†, in the sense that it is distorted when it is not exhibited on every possible occasion. Every professional task has its own â€Å"responsibilities† and should be fulfilled accordingly. In the execution of his professional responsibility, a man should confine himself to it alone and should exclude whatever does not strictly belong to it – particularly his own loves and hates. The powerful personality does not manifest itself by trying to give everything a â€Å"personal touch† on every possible occasion. The generation which is now coming of age should, above all, again become used to the thought that â€Å"being a personality† is a condition which cannot be intentionally brought about by wanting it and that there is only one way by which it can – perhaps- be achieved: namely, the unreserved devotion to a â€Å"task†, whatever it – and its derivative â€Å"demands of the hour†- may be in any individual instance. It is in poor taste to mix personal concerns with the specialised analysis of facts. We deprive the word â€Å"vocation† of the only significant meaning it still possesses if we fail to adhere to that specific kind of self-restraint which it requires. But whether the fashionable â€Å"cult of the personality† seeks to dominate the throne, public office or the professorial chair – its effectiveness is only superficially impressive. Intrinsically, it is very petty and it always has injurious consequences. It should not be necessary for me to emphasise that the proponents of the views against which the present essay is directed can accomplish very little by this sort of cult of the â€Å"personality† for the very reason that it is â€Å"personal†. In part, they see the responsibilities of the university teacher in another light, in part they have other educational ideas which I respect but do not share. For this reason we must seriously consider no only what they are striving to achieve, but also how the views which they legitimate by their authority influence a generation with an already extremely pronounced predisposition to overestimate its own importance. Finally, it scarcely needs to be pointed out that many ostensible opponents of the academic assertion of political evaluations are by no means justified when they invoke the postulate of â€Å"ethical neutrality†, which they often gravely misunderstand, to discredit cultural and social-political discussions which take place in public and away from the university lecture hall. The indubitable existence of this spuriously â€Å"ethically neutral† tendentiousness, which in our discipline is manifested in the obstinate and deliberate partisanship of powerful interest groups, explains why a significant number of intellectually honorable scholars still continue to assert personal preferences in their teaching. They are too proud to identify themselves with this spurious abstention from evaluation. I believe that, in spite of this, what in my opinion is right should be done, and that the influence of the practical evaluations of a scholar, who confines himself to championing them on appropriate occasions outside the classroom, will increase when it becomes known that, inside the classroom, he has the strength of character to do exactly what he was appointed to do. But these statements are, in their turn, all matters of evaluation, and hence scientifically undemonstrable. In any case, the fundamental principle which justifies the practice of asserting practical evaluations in teaching can be consistently held only when its proponents demand that the proponents of the evaluations of all other parties be granted the opportunity to demonstrate the validity of their evaluations from the academic platform . But in Germany, insistence on the right of professors to state their preferences has been associated with the very opposite of the demand for the equal representation of all tendencies- including the most â€Å"extreme†. Schmoller thought that he was being entirely consistent when he declared that â€Å"Marxists and the Manchester school† were disqualified from holding academic positions, although he was never so unjust as to ignore their intellectual accomplishments. It is exactly on these points that I could never agree with our honoured master. One obviously ought not in one breath to justify the expression of evaluations in teaching – and when the conclusions are drawn therefrom, point out that the university is a state institution for the training of â€Å"loyal† civil servants. Such a procedure makes the university, not into a specialised technical school- which appears to be so degrading to many teachers- but rather into a theological seminary, although it does not have the religious dignity of the latter. Attempts have been made to set certain purely â€Å"logical† limits to the range of evaluations which should be allowed in university teaching. One of our foremost professors of law once explained, in discussing his opposition to the exclusion of socialists from university posts, that he too would be unwilling to accept an â€Å"anarchist† as a teacher of law since anarchists, in principle, deny the validity of law – and he regarded this argument as conclusive. My own opinion is exactly the opposite. An anarchist can surely be a good legal scholar. And if he is such, then indeed the Archimedean point of his convictions, which is outside the conventions and presuppositions which are so self-evident to us, could enable him to perceive problems in the fundamental postulates of legal theory which escape those who take them for granted. The most fundamental doubt is one source of knowledge. The jurist is no more responsible for â€Å"proving† the value of these cultural objects which are bound up with â€Å"law†, than the physician is responsible for demonstrating that the prolongation of life should be striven for under all conditions. Neither of them can do this with the means at their disposal. If, however, one wishes to turn the university into a forum for discussion of practical evaluations, then it obviously is obligatory to permit the most unrestricted freedom of discussion of fundamental questions from all standpoints. Is this feasible? Today the most decisive and important political evaluations are denied expression in German universities by the very nature of the present political situation. For all those to whom the interests of the national society transcend any of its individual concrete institutions, it is a question of central importance whether the conception which prevails today regarding the position of the monarch in Germany is reconcilable with the world interests of the country, and with the means- war and diplomacy- through which these are pursued. It is not always the worst patriots nor even anti-monarchists who give a negative answer to this question, and who doubt the possibility of lasting success in both these spheres unless some profound changes are made. Everyone knows, however, that these vital questions of our national life cannot be discussed with full freedom in German universities . In view of the fact that certain evaluations which are of decisive political significance are permanently prohibited in university discussion, it seems to me to be only in accord with the dignity of a representative of science and scholarship to be silent about such evaluations as he is allowed to expound. In no case, however, should the unresolvable question – unresolvable because it is ultimately a question of evaluations – as to whether one may, must, or should champion certain practical evaluations in teaching, be confused with the purely logical discussion of the relationship of evaluations to empirical disciplines such as sociology and economics. Any confusion on this point will hamper the thoroughness of the discussion of the logical problem. However, even the solution of the logical problem will provide no aid in seeking to answer the other question, beyond the two purely logically required conditions of clarity and an explicit distinction by the teacher of the different classes of problems. Nor need I discuss further whether the distinction between empirical propositions or statements of fact and practical evaluations is â€Å"difficult† to make. It is. All of us, those of us who take this position as well as others, come up against it time and again. But the exponents of the so-called â€Å"ethical economics†, particularly, should be aware, even though the moral law is unfulfillable, it is nonetheless â€Å"imposed† as a duty. Self-scrutiny would perhaps show that the fulfillment of this postulate is especially difficult, just because we reluctantly refuse to approach the very alluring subject of evaluation with a titillating â€Å"personal touch†. Every teacher has observed that the faces of his students light up and they become more interested when he begins to make a profession of faith, and that the attendance at his lectures is greatly increased by the expectation that he will do so. Everyone knows furthermore that, in the competition for students, universities when making recommendations for promotion will often give a prophet, however minor, who can fill the lecture halls, the upper hand over a much weightier and more sober scholar who does not offer his own evaluations. Of course, it is  understood that the prohet will leave untouched the politically dominant or conventional evaluations which are generally accepted at the time. Only the spuriously â€Å"ethical-neutral† prophet who speaks for powerful groups has, of course, better opportunities for promotion as a result of the influence which these groups have on the prevailing political powers. I regard all this as very unsatisfactory, and I will therefore not go into the proposition that the demand for abstention from evaluation is â€Å"petty† and that it makes lectures â€Å"boring†. I will not go into the question as to whether lecturers on specialised empirical problems must seek above all to be â€Å"interesting†. For my own part, in any case, I fear that a lecturer who makes his lectures stimulating by the intrusion of personal evaluations will, in the long run, weaken the students’ taste for sober empirical analysis. I will acknowledge without further discussion that it is possible, under the guise of eliminating all practical evaluations, to insinuate such evaluations with especial force by simple â€Å"letting the facts speak for themselves†. The better kind of parliamentary and electoral speeches in Germany operate in this way – and quite legitimately, given their purposes. No words should be wasted in declaring that all such procedures in university lectures, particularly if one is concerned with the observance of this separation, are , of all abuses, the most abhorrent. The fact, however, that a dishonestly created illusion of the fulfillment of an ethical imperative can be passed off as the reality, constitutes no criticism of the imperative itself. At any rate, even if the teacher does not believe that he should deny himself the right of rendering evaluations, he should make it absolutely explicit to the students and to himself that he is doing so. Finally, we must oppose to the utmost the widespread view that scientific â€Å"objectivity† is achieved by weighing the various evaluations against one another and making a â€Å"statesman-like† compromise among them. The â€Å"middle way† is not only just as undemonstrable scientifically – with the means of the empirical sciences – as the â€Å"most extreme† evaluations: in the sphere of evaluations, it is the least unequivocal. It does not belong in the university – but rather in political programmes, government offices, and in parliament. IThe sciences, both normative and empirical, are capable of rendering an inestimable service to persons engaged in political activity by telling them that (1) these and these â€Å"ultimate† evaluative positions are conceivable with reference to this practical problem; and (2) that such and such are the facts which you must take into account in making your choice between these evaluative positions. And with this we come to the real problem.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Insurance and Genetics Testing Essays

Insurance and Genetics Testing Essays Insurance and Genetics Testing Paper Insurance and Genetics Testing Paper Do you have health insurance? When you go to the doctor do you think about how your insurance gives you coverage? When your pay check is a little short because of your premium are you angry? I would like to discuss with you what is going to happen when genetic testing becomes more widely used. In order to discuss how genetic testing is going to affect the insurance industry we must first discuss how insurance works. I know that there are two sides to every story, so I would also like to discuss the pros and cons of genetic testing. Hopefully, by the end of this presentation you will better understand why this is such an important topic. First, I would like to talk about how insurance works. According to Risk Management and Insurance, insurance is defined as a social device in which a group of individuals who transfer risk in order to combine experience, which permits mathematical prediction of losses, and provides for payment of losses from funds contributed by all members who transferred risk. Insurance is based on the uncertainty of life. If you have a risk, then most people tend to want to get rid of the risk, or transfer it. The person who transfers risk is the insured and the one who assumes risk, is the insurer. Once you decide to transfer risk you are put into a pool, or a group in which everyone has the same risk as you. Not everyone in the pool is going to get the disease or ailment but they all pay the same premium to cover the people who do. The premium is based on the amount of risk you have. This is based entirely on history and statistics. This is a topic on the mind of many people who are involved in the industry. It is also an important topic in government. Democrats and civil rights groups favor legislation that would set stringent privacy standards, ban discrimination by insurers and employers, and allow discrimination victims to seek uncapped damages in court. They have so far been unable to pass such a bill. Republicans have supported more narrow legislation, focusing on discrimination by insurers only. Most Americans want privacy, and of course do not want to be discriminated against. The industry wants to find a healthy way of dealing with genetic testing, since there is no way to stop people from getting the tests. There are good things as well as bad that come along with technological advances such as genetic testing. Using genetic testing can help find a disease, that with early detection can be treated. It can also be used to detect a genetic disease in an unborn child, or the probability that the couple will have a child with a genetic disease. This, in effect, reduces the uncertainty of life. That is where the effect on insurance comes in. If we know that we are not going to have a certain disease then it is likely we will choose not to insure against that specific disease. That leaves only the ones who will get sick to seek insurance. Since, insurance uses the premium from the ones who do not develop the disease to pay for the ones who do have the disease, this creates a problem. There would not be enough money to pay for all of the care of the insured. Not all illnesses are caused by genetics, so of course there would still be a need for some insurance. According to an article in Christian Science Monitor , more than 80% of Americans seek to block the access of employers and insurance companies to genetic information according to polls. If insurance companies do not have access to these tests, it is my opinion the insurance industry will go bankrupt. Based on information given to the insurance company, such as; height, weight, age, sex, and previous history, an insured will be put into a pool with others who know they are going to get a disease and are not paying enough to cover it. This will drive the price of insurance so high, to try and cover for those with the disease. Eventually only those who know they have a disease will be willing to pay so much for insurance. Since insurance is based on uncertainty that is where the problem comes in. If everyone with insurance is certain to have a genetic disease there is no uncertainty, therefor no insurance. On the other hand, if they had access to the results of genetic testing, there could be a lot of problems also. They could deny anyone with a genetic disease, and then there would also not be any uncertainty. The insurance company would make a lot of profit off of those who do not have a tendency towards a disease. This way is more easy to fix than the first. The industry is trying to figure out a way to deal with this now. If the government denies insurance companies access to results then they will go bankrupt. If the government allows access, there are ways to prevent a problem. One fix would be set up special pools for those who have a tendency towards a disease. That would allow them to pay a premium based on the fact that they have the tendency. They could then have some sort of government funding to back up the insurance for these people. Or the government could completely fund the medical care of those who cannot get insurance, although either way it is still going to amount to other Americans paying for the disease. I know that many people do not even think about the effect that genetic testing is going to have on our future. As and insurance major, I think about it often. It is a topic that should not be ignored. I am not usually one who is thrilled about government intervention. In this case however, I make an exception. Without laws to regulate the industry it will be impossible for us to continue in the same fashion as today. My fix is to keep the government involved, that is the only way I see to stop the problem.

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

Profile of Andrei Chikatilo, Serial Killer

Profile of Andrei Chikatilo, Serial Killer Andrei Chikatilo, nicknamed The Butcher of Rostov, was one of the former Soviet Unions most infamous serial killers. Between 1978 and 1990, he is believed to have sexually assaulted, mutilated, and murdered at least fifty women and children. In 1992, he was convicted 52 counts of murder, for which he received a death sentence. Fast Facts: Andrei Chikatilo Also Known As: The Butcher of Rostov, The Red RipperKnown For: Serial killer convicted of 52 counts of murderBorn: October 16, 1936 in Yabluchne, UkraineDied: February 14, 1994 in Novocherkassk, Russia Early Years Born in 1936 in Ukraine, to impoverished parents, Chikatilo rarely had enough to eat as a boy. In his teens, Chikatilo was an introvert and avid reader, and attended rallies and meetings with the Communist Party. At 21, he joined the Soviet Army and served two years, as required by Soviet law. By the early 1970s, Chikatilo was working as a teacher, and that was when he committed his first known sexual assault. Both Chikatilo and his wife, as well as at least one former girlfriend, stated he was impotent. Crimes In 1973, Chikatilo fondled the breasts of a teenage student and then ejaculated on her; a few months later there was a repeat offense against another student. Despite complaints by parents, as well as rumors that he repeatedly masturbated in front of pupils, he was never charged with these crimes. Within a few months, however, the schools director finally told him to either resign or be fired; Chikatilo opted for voluntary resignation. He drifted from one school to another over the next several years, until his career ended in March 1981, when he was accused of molesting students of both sexes. Still, no charges were filed, and he took work as traveling supply clerk for a factory. By this time, he had already committed at least one murder. In December 1978, Chikatilo kidnapped and attempted to rape nine-year-old Yelena Zakotnova. Still suffering from impotence, he choked and stabbed her, and then threw her body in the Grushevka River. Later, Chikatilo claimed that he had ejaculated while stabbing Yelena. Police investigators found several pieces of evidence connecting him to Yelena, including blood in the snow near his home, and a witness who saw a man matching his description speaking to the child at her bus stop. However, a laborer who lived nearby was arrested, pushed into a confession, and convicted of the girls murder. He was eventually executed for the crime, and Chikatilo remained free. In 1981, twenty-one-year-old Larisa Tkachenko vanished in the city of Rostov. She was last seen exiting the library, and her body was found in a nearby forest the next day. She had been brutally attacked, beaten and strangled to death. In his later confession, Chikatilo said he had attempted intercourse with her but had been unable to achieve an erection. After killing her, he mutilated her body with a sharp stick and his teeth. At the time, however, there was no link between Chikatilo and Larisa. Nine months later, Lyubov Biryuk, thirteen, was walking home from the store when Chikatilo leaped out of the bushes, grabbed her, tore off her clothes and stabbed her nearly two dozen times. Her body was found two weeks later. Over the next few months, Chikatilo escalated his homicidal urges, killing at least five more young people between the ages of nine and eighteen before the end of 1982. His typical modus operandi was to approach runaways and homeless children, lure them to an isolated location, and then kill them either by stabbing or strangulation. He violently mutilated the bodies after death, and later said that the only way he could achieve orgasm was by killing. In addition to adolescents of both sexes, Chikatilo also targeted adult women working as prostitutes. Investigation A Moscow police unit began working on the crimes, and after studying the mutilations on the bodies, soon determined that at least four of the homicides were the work of a single killer. As they interrogated potential suspects - many of whom were coerced into confessing to a variety of crimes - more bodies began to surface. In 1984, Chikatilo came to the attention of Russian police when he was spotted trying to repeatedly talk to young women at bus stations, often rubbing himself up against them. Upon delving into his background, they soon discovered his past history and the rumors about his teaching career years earlier. However, a blood type analysis failed to link him to evidence found on the bodies of several victims, and he was largely left alone. By the end of 1985, after more murders took place, a man named Issa Kostoyev was appointed to lead the investigation. By now, more than two dozen homicides had been linked as the work of a single person. Cold cases were re-examined and previously questioned suspects and witnesses were interrogated again. Perhaps most importantly, Dr. Alexandr Bukhanovsky, a noted psychiatrist, was given access to all the case files. Bukhanovsky then produced a sixty-five page psychological profile of the as-yet unknown killer, the first of its kind in Soviet Russia. One of the key traits in the profile was that the murderer most likely suffered from impotence, and could only achieve arousal by killing; the knife, according to Bukhanovsky, was a substitute penis. Chikatilo continued to kill for the next several years. Because many of the victims remains had been discovered near train stations, Kostoyev deployed both undercover and uniformed officers along miles and miles of rail lines, beginning in October 1990. In November, Chikatilo murdered Svetlana Korostik; he was observed by a plainclothes officer as he approached the railway station and washed his hands in a nearby well. In addition, he had grass and dirt on his clothes, and a small wound on his face. Although the officer spoke to Chikatilo, he had no reason to arrest him, and let him go. Korostiks body was found nearby a week later. Custody, Conviction and Death Police placed Chikatilo under surveillance, and saw him continuing to attempt conversations with children and single women at rail stations. On November 20, they arrested him, and Kostoyev began interrogating him. Although Chikatilo repeatedly denied any involvement in the murders, he did write several essays while in custody that were consistent with the personality profile described by Bukhanovsky five years before. Finally, police brought Bukhanovsky himself in to talk to Chikatilo, since Kostoyev was getting nowhere. Bukhanovsky read Chikatilo excerpts from the profile, and within two hours, he had a confession. Over the next few days, Chikatilo would confess, in horrifying detail, to thirty-four murders. He later admitted to an additional twenty-two which investigators had not realized were connected. In 1992, Chikatilo was formally charged with 53 counts of murder, and was found guilty of 52 of them. In February 1994, Andrei Chikatilo, the Butcher of Rostov, was executed for his crimes with a single gunshot to the head. Sources â€Å"Andre Chikatilo: The Rostov Ripper.† Crime Investigation, 10 Aug. 2017, www.crimeandinvestigation.co.uk/crime-files/andre-chikatilo-the-rostov-ripper.Kent, James. â€Å"Darkness Visible.† The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 7 Aug. 1999, www.theguardian.com/theobserver/1999/aug/08/life1.lifemagazine.â€Å"Russian Serial Killer Had a Disturbed Past.† Google News -, New Straits Times, 20 Apr. 1992, news.google.com/newspapers?idJMFUAAAAIBAJsjidf5ADAAAAIBAJpg4499,3916322.Treen, Joe. â€Å"A Monster Caged at Last.† PEOPLE.com, Time Inc, 19 Oct. 1992, people.com/archive/a-monster-caged-at-last-vol-38-no-16/.

Sunday, November 3, 2019

Question Responses Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Question Responses - Essay Example The implication was that a country would export one set of industries and export another. In the traditional theory the location decisions are influenced by local inputs and demand as well as transferred inputs and outside demand. Thus this theory supports globalization as it focuses on resource endowments. The traditional theory further suggests rural areas are not very well endowed with human and physical capital and hence opportunities for them are less (Leichenko & Silva, n.d.). Since they have high skilled labor ratio, they are able to compete in manufacturing industries where economies of scale are met. In doing so, the aim of exchange of goods promotes share of economic activity and opens the world market to everybody. It also provides a platform for the developing nations to market their products in regions beyond borders and which could ultimately alleviate them from poverty. These principles are what gave rise to the concept of globalization. 2. The major drivers of globalization include social-demographic (regional, cultural), technological, which includes telecommunications, internet and transportation, economic factors like foreign direct investment, profit motives and market share, ecological and environmental factors like pollution and green laws, and political-legal factors like falling trade barriers, political stability and intellectual property. There is a connection between poverty and globalization and it is generally believed that without globalization inequality would have increased. Free trade would make the world prosperous and assist the poorer nations in coming up. Technological upgradation takes place in developing nations but evidence also suggests that technological change increases inequality between highly skilled workers and the unskilled workers (Singer). Trade and politics should be independent of each