Human Immunodeficiency Virus Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Human Immunodeficiency Virus - Essay Example Heterosexual infection remains the primary route of transmission for the virus in the country. HIV is rapidly transforming itself into a different disease which means that innovative and creative strategies need to be formulated for achieving optimum results. Information exchange and accessibility is another strategy that can lead to superior outcomes. A preventive strategy needs to be modified so that poor and marginalized communities have access to resources. The NHS should strive to develop a coordinated database that can be shared by private health organizations and voluntary organizations. This can be used to ensure that superior treatments are available for patients belonging to vulnerable and susceptible risk groups. The United Kingdom has an advanced and well-developed health system. Public health indicators have been improving due to the advent of technology and rapid interventions. However considerable problems continue to exert a strain on the health system. HIV is considered to be a major problem in the United Kingdom due to a number of reasons. It can inflict a heavy toll on individuals in terms of financial, emotional, and psychological problems (Hough, 2003: Pg 644). It can lead to high levels of anxiety, stress, depression, and frustration among individuals. Further many individuals hesitate to disclose HIV due to the social stigmas associated with it. Empirical studies have documented that heterosexuals and homosexuals comprise the leading risk group for HIV. Minorities are vulnerable to the disease due to the lack of effective and efficient procedures (Flowers & Duncan, 2003: Pg 179). The lack of information means that many individuals forego preventive treatment in order to reduce co sts. This can be deleterious for the NHS that seeks to maintain an integrated and coordinated program for HIV management and prevention. The NHS needs to formulate an efficient and effective system that can be used to attain excellence. A comprehensive strategy should focus on HIV prevention and patient empowerment. Further there is the need to deploy efficient and effective strategies that can be used to attain excellence in combating the disease. This research paper will seek to analyze the issue of HIV as a major public issue in the United Kingdom. It will formulate a smart strategy that can be used to enhance the process of HIV detection, prevention, and management. Background HIV is a condition that can be debilitating and incapacitating for many individuals. It leads the weakening of the immunological system. It can lead to fatal outcomes if not properly treated. HIV can be transmitted through various means. Sexual intercourse is the main cause of the transfer of the disease (Lee, 2003: Pg 2201). Contaminated blood and needles can also lead to infection of individuals with HIV. Finally children who are born from HIV infected mothers are likely to be diagnosed with the disease. HIV has become a major public issue in the United Kingdom. This is due to the fact that it can cause significant health problems in the population (UNAIDS, 2000: pg 23). It can lead to negative outcomes that must be tackled in a systematic and logical manner. The United Kingdom has a comprehensive system for tackling HIV. It has developed a robust program for surveillance and management of

Reformation Essay Example for Free

Reformation Essay The Reformation is a broad term used to describe the period of time beginning around 1500 A. D. extending through the mid-seventeenth century, with roots dating back to around the fourteenth century. Society was in something of an upheaval at the time and the church was faced persistent heresy. A wave that would become known as the Protestant Reformation started in Germany in the early 1500’s and moved throughout the German speaking countries to Scandinavia to the French and finally to England and Scotland. Differing from the Renaissance, the Reformation made an impact in most every Europeans life and forced people to make the decision between the old way and the new. In the early stages of the Reformation there was a man, the pioneer of that Protestant Reformation that swept over Europe, a man who ventured into a new arena of thought in relation to how the Church, his name was Martin Luther. 1] The following writing will be a short biographical work of Martin Luther showing some of the events of his life and how through them, he changed the Church as well as contributed to the progress of the Reformation concluding with a look at his life in a way to show more of who Luther was as opposed to what he did. Martin Luther was born in Eisleben Germany on November 10, 1493 before moving to Mansfield in 1484 where he attended school before moving on to Magdeburg with the Brethren of the Common Life. From there he entered the University of Erfurt in 1501 where he was introduced to nominalist philosophy which taught the inability of natural reason to establish articles of faith. It was here that he also furthered his linguistic skills in the classical tongues, and graduated with his B. A. in 1502 and his M. A. in 1505. The winds of the Reformation had already begun to whirl as Luther was growing up. He had been studying law, before being caught up in the religious revival that had been heading across Western Europe. 2] That July he was knocked to the ground by lightning and the combination of those events, the death of a friend and issues inside himself he entered the chapter house of the Hermits of St. Augustine[3] in Erfurt monastery of the Augustinian Eremites. At this time he was given his very first Bible, which he studied relentlessly, studying carefully Romans and Galatians. He was also deeply into the works of Augustine as well as William of Occam and carried with himself the reputation of being a man of singular piety, devotion and monastic zeal. [4] To the objection of his father he took the vows in September 1506, was elected to study for the priesthood, and was made a deacon in February of 1507 and ordained a priest on April 4 of that same year. His father attended his first Mass where he rebuked Martin for disobeying his parents. [5] At the monastery, Luther practiced ascetic excesses to try to achieve some sense of inner peace. Johann von Staupitz helped him away from his life of standing fearfully in front of a Deity to responding in joy to the loving forgiveness of God through Jesus Christ. In 1510 he went on a business trip to Rome to the Vatican where he was shaken and disturbed by the commercial, showy splendor of the Vatica n. In 1512, Luther began lecturing as a doctorate of theology at Wittenberg, a position he would hold for the rest of his life. For the following two years he lectured heavily on the Psalms before shifting to Romans, Galatians, Hebrews and Titus in 1516. It was after these studies that Luther became convinced that salvation is a new relationship with God, and that it was not a merit-based system but rather it came through placing trust in the promises of God. Humans would still sin, but would live life as a forgiven sinner as a result of their relationship with Jesus Christ. It was also through these studies that Luther had his Gospel epiphany in 1516 while reading in Galatians 3 that the just shall live by faith. At this time that Luther was released from his haunting sense of guilt and crossed over into the freedom that came from relying on Gods grace. During this time he was growing, discovering new convictions, and while he had not written them into an officially theology he did have the principles that would be instrumental in and would define the Reformation; man is justified by faith alone, every believer has direct access to God and the Bible is the sole source of authority for faith and life. In 1517 Luther decided he needed to put these ideas into action. It was in that year that he came across a Dominican, Johann Tetzel, selling indulgences to Luthers parishioners. Going against Tetzel’s methods, bad theology and the fact that the outflow of cash was for a new St. Peters for Leo X, Luther preached against buying pardons and for relying on Gods grace for salvation. He had grown tired of this theology that was lacking Scriptural truth about it. On October 31, 1517, the day for which many remember Luther, he tacked Ninety-five Theses to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg intending to have the questions bring about academic discussion, not a document written to insight a revolt against the pope of the Church of Rome. The Theses were translated and circulated bringing about attacks from Tetzel and the formidable Eck, labeling him a heretic. Luther was ordered by Leo X to appear at Rome in 1518 though it Frederck the Wise changed the hearing to Augsburg and it was through Frederick’s protection that Luther was able to survive. At the time of the hearing, Leo was drafting a papal bull describing indulgences in the exact fashion that Luther had questioned. In 1519 Luthers debate went publicly with Eck and he admitted that he rejected other authority of popes and councils when they were not congruent to the Scriptures. To combat the view that he was going against everything the church stood for, he published three works to clarify his views; â€Å"An Address to Christian Nobility of the German Nation,† â€Å"The Babylonian Captivity of the Church† and the â€Å"Liberty of a Christian Man. On Dec. 10, 1520, he was presented with a papal bull threatening to excommunicate him. He publicly burned the document along with a copy of the canon law, an open defiance of the popes authority in refusal to renounce any of his viewpoints Due to factors beyond just Luthers actions, the Wittenberg civil authorities looked on approvingly as their country was in a rebellious mood. Again he was summoned to appear before the pope, again refusing to budge from his position. A group of German churchmen, princes and nobles approached him one day ordering him to recant to which he replied, â€Å"Unless I am refuted and convicted by testimonies of Scripture or by clear arguments, my conscience is bound in the word of God: I cannot and will not recant anything. I cannot do otherwise. Here I stand. God help me, Amen. It was Frederick that again came to the rescue of Luther, saving him from almost certain martyrdom yet again, abducting him on his journey from Worms and holding him at the Wartburg Castle for ten months. Some consider Luther’s time spent there in the castle his most valuable as, among other things, he translated the Greek Bible to German. Upon his return to Wittenberg in March of 1522 he set about organizing the reformation that had nearly crumbled under the enthusiastic, but unskilled leadership of such people as Carlstadt and Zwilling in Wittenberg. They had gotten a crowd together that started rampages, wrecking statuary and artwork, actions Luther quickly denounced and went about producing forms for instruction, worship and church government. The Peasant’s War came about in 1524, but Luther continued undeterred, holding to the position of upholding authority, calling for social justice and urging the consideration for the economic welfare of the lower class. Luther’s language used in urging the princes to put down the revolt was intemperate and he ended up alienating some of the lower class. [6] During his time in the castle, Luther set out writing a childrens catechism as well as a catechism for the common people. It was also during this time that he composed what some consider the battle hymn for the reformation Almighty Fortress Is Our God. He went on teaching in his position, beginning to teach that priests could marry and soon met and married a former nun named Katharina von Bora who had followed him along with eight other nuns in fleeing from their convent in 1523 to take refuge in Wittenberg. [7] Together they produced six children of their own and opened their home to countless others as well as boarding students and other guests. [8] Luther continued to write, preach and teach and in 1530 he approved the Augsburg Confession and the Augsburg Apology as written by Philip Melanchthon. In 1573 Luther restated his doctrines in the Schmalkald Articles and spent his remaining years spent in inactive and productive service, such as writing â€Å"On Bondage of Will. † Luther died in his home town of Eisleben after mediating a meeting between two princes and experiences mild chest pains[9] in 1546. [10] The life of Martin Luther is something that one could marvel at, but there is more to this man’s story than a whole lot of scholarly achievements and raising questions that ended up causing Christianity to divide. He was a man of great passion and was extremely focused on God, realizing that it was about God and not about himself. When Christ drove the people out of the church saying they made it a den of theives he is angry because he knows that things are not what they should be, and sees what they could become, Martin Luther is another man with the same sort of view. He saw things the way that they could be. This anger was not exclusive to just Luther and Christ, it happens within many men and comes from different places, but what is common is that they are angry at the denialnot to themselves alone, but to their fellowmen as wellof all they have seen of head in their solitude that has been proven in their own personal life. Luther, slated by some as the last angry man of the Reformation, was once quoted saying, I never work better, than when I am inspired of anger when I am angry, I can write, pray and preach well, for then my whole temperament is quickened, my understanding sharpened and my mundane vexations and temptations depart. His life was tumultuous and deep melancholy assaulted him, leaving him weak and desperately ill. Upon tasting the grace of God he was driven with great compassion to preach the unsearchable riches of Christ and publish the Word of God in the native tongue of his countrymen. His passion and resolute faith was so great that it was said that upon hearing him pray people would exclaim: How great a spirit, how great a faith, was in his very words! As a monk he vowed to crucify the flesh through fasting, mortifications, and watchings struggling against deceitful thoughts and the evil inclinations of his heart. Nothing was too great a sacrifice if it would enable him to become a saint of acquired heaven. He was sold out on his quest for attaining holiness. He even claimed himself to be a pious monk stating that, â€Å"If a monk could obtain heaven by his good works, I should, certainly those who have known me can testify. † As he was carrying out this torture on himself he was confronted by John Staupitz, who asked him why he tormented himself the way that he did telling the young Martin, to â€Å"look at the wounds of Christ, to the blood that he has shed for you. † Luther was so wrapped up in literally beating himself up over his sins, he forgot a key element. Staupitz went on to tell him, â€Å"Instead of torturing yourself on account of your sins, throw you self in the Redeemers arms. Trust in Himin the righteousness of His lifein the atonement of His death. † Not long after his conversations with Staupitz, Luther was done being an imitator, keeping to the rules of the religious order, but rather he was a new creation entirely, walking in the full assurance of faith confident that the God that began the good work in him, would perfect His work. For Luther Christ was no longer an option, Christ was the option, or as he said in his Commentary on Galatians, â€Å"Christ is no lawgiver. He is the Lifegiver. † [11] For Luther it was about knowing God, not having a knowledge of God, he was a man full of passion for his Savior, completely sold out on his Master’s plan. It was so much so that he thanked God that he knew enough to believe that God knew more than he did and was able to rest in knowing that that would never change. Knowing that God was greater and surrendering to that knowledge was an undercurrent to Luther’s life, he clung to the word of God for his confidence and promises, not to the tradition of men. [12] The Reformation is a broad term used to describe the period of time beginning around 1500 A. D. extending through the mid-seventeenth century, with roots dating back to around the fourteenth century. Society was in something of an upheaval and the church was faced persistent heresy. In the early stages of the Reformation Martin Luther was the pioneer of that Protestant Reformation that swept over Europe, and who ventured into a new arena of thought in relation to how the Church. [13] The previous writing was a short biographical work of Martin Luther showing some of the events of his life and how through them, he changed the Church as well as contributed to the progress of the Reformation concluding with a look at his life in a way to show more of who Luther was as opposed to what he did.

Essay --

The Fifth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution provides, "No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a grand jury†¦nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property†¦ nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation"(Cornell). The clauses within the Fifth Amendment outline constitutional limits on police procedure. Within them there is protection against self-incrimination, it protects defendants from having to testify if they may incriminate themselves through the testimony. A witness may plead the fifth and not answer to any questioning if they believe it can hurt them (Cornell). The Bill of Rights, which consists of the first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution, enumerates certain basic personal liberties. Laws passed by elected officials that infringe on these liberties are invalidated by the judiciary as unconstitutional. The Fifth Amendment was ratified in 1791; the Framers of the Fifth Amendment intended that its revisions would apply only to the actions of the federal government. After the Fourteenth was ratified, most of the Fifth Amendment's protections were made applicable to the states. Under the Incorporation Doctrine, most of the liberties set forth in the Bill of Rights were made applicable to state governments through the U.S. Supreme Court's interpretation of the Due Process and Equal Protection Clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment (Burton, 2007). The one exception to asking questions without warning is if there is some type of danger to the public, which allows officers to engage in questioning. The government cannot force citizens to tes... ...ained in their questioning. Officers commonly have small cards with the Miranda warnings on them so they don’t forget or skip over a part of ones right, if this does occur evidence still cannot be properly obtained because the person was not fully warned of all their rights. Currently, the only unwarned questioning that can occur is if the officer believes the public is in some type of danger. For example, if police come across a man standing in a convenience store that fits the description of recent thefts in a nearby neighborhood and the man runs once police confront him and is later caught and searched, when upon the search they realize he has an empty shoulder holster. In this scenario the public is in potential danger, the police can ask him where the gun is hidden without reading the man his rights and it would not be violating his Fifth Amendment rights.

Camar Automotive Hoist Essay -- essays research papers

The licensing contract is only three years, the Bar Maisse is not famous, and the sales is difficult to be estimated, therefore, we suspect if licensing could meet the expectation of rapid growth. The cost of licensing is lower in comparison to joint venture and direct investment, but the royalty is only 5% of gross sales. The growth of CAH might not be significant. Besides, CAH will have no control of operation and reputation if they choose  ¡Ã‚ §licensing ¡Ã‚ ¨ option. Joint venture might be an unviable choice of CAH because Bar Maisse may not be willing to launch joint venture with CAH. CAH has insufficient information about Bar Maisse, CAH doesn ¡Ã‚ ¦t know whether Bar Maisse would seek to control the operation or not, that is, CAH will have limited control of operation and reputation. In additi...

Wealthy and Lower Socioeconomic Communities Differences

There exists an achievement gap among wealthy and lower socio economic communities. Students who come from schools within lower socioeconomic communities do not often receive the same education or services from wealthier districts. New Jersey has responded to this inequitable situation with the Abbot funding process. Recently two local communities, Long Branch and Neptune, have been threatened with the loss of their Abbott status; as a result of additional mandates from the federal No Child Left Behind Act, many such schools are being threatened with the loss of their funding if they fail to meet minimum academic achievement standards. To determine the impact of this potential loss, this paper will provide insights into local concerns in Long Branch to identify how this loss would affect the academic achievement gap. This discussion will be followed by a report on two areas where it is believed equity will be lost to the district. In their Abbott vs. Burke decision, the New Jersey Supreme Court mandated additional assistance for the state's 30 poorest districts, including Long Branch and Neptune (Quinn, 2003). According to an Asbury Park Press survey of enrollment data for Monmouth County found that minorities comprise the majority of the school population in Asbury Park, Red Bank, Neptune, Freehold, Long Branch and Lakewood; of these, the survey found that only Red Bank's poverty rate does not exceed the state's rate (Quinn, 2003). Furthermore, fully 20 percent of the Hispanic students in Monmouth County attend the Long Branch school system (Quinn, 2003). If the additional funding promised by the Abbott decision is halted or reduced, all of the low-income communities will undoubtedly experience further declines in the academic performance levels that are already precipitously low in many cases, with the thrust of this reduction in funding creating two fundamental problems: 1) adversely affect literary rates; and 2) further exacerbate the segregation of low-income and minority citizens into pockets of poverty. As to the first issue, Strickland and Alvermann (2004) reviewed the issues concerning the achievement gap in the U. S. and found that literacy demands of the middle grades are exacerbated when the students come from low income and minority homes; in particular, these issues assumed critical levels when the students are members of low-income and minority families. These students are already likely to attend schools characterized by high mobility rates, inadequate resources and facilities, and large numbers of young students with challenging learning needs (Strickland & Alvermann, 2004). Comparable trends are also apparent in the State of New Jersey as well. According to Lattimer and Strickland (2004), the results from the Grade Eight Proficiency Assessment (GEPA) from 2000-2002 identified consistent differences in partially proficient, proficient, and advanced proficient between District Factor Groups (DFG's) and race/ethnicity. In addition, the differences in academic achievement between special needs districts such as Long Branch and non-special needs districts found similar trends to the 2002 GEPA (Lattimer & Strickland, 2004). In fact, a 35-percentage point difference existed in the total number of students scoring proficient and advanced proficient in Language Arts Literacy in 2002; the authors point out that the District Factor Group is an indicator of the socioeconomic status of citizens in each district and has been useful for the comparative reporting of test results from New Jersey's statewide testing programs in the past (Lattimer & Strickland, 2004). Concerning the second issue of further segregating low-income and minority citizens into â€Å"pockets of poverty,† the school superintendent for Long Branch reported that although minorities tend to live in segregated communities, this was the result of a â€Å"social trend† rather than segregation; notwithstanding these assertions, though, these high concentration of low-income minority members in their own communities has created â€Å"have† and â€Å"have-not† districts, with the Long Branch district representing one of the hardest-hit in the state (Quinn, 2003). Clearly, if the Abbott funding is halted, parents will be faced with a dual-edged dilemma of being unable to provide their children with an adequate education by virtue of substandard schools while being forced to remain in these low-income districts out of sheer necessity. The people of New Jersey in general and the citizens of these low-income regions deserve the quality education that is their American birthright; unfortunately, the promise has not lived up to its legacy in many of these cities, and Long Branch continues to be threatened with even more academic and social miseries if its Abbott funding is stopped.

Happy Birthday Wishes That Make Dreams Come True

Happy Birthday Wishes That Make Dreams Come True Douglas Horton said, If wishes were fishes, wed all be throwing nets. If wishes were horses wed all ride. However, on your birthday, you are entitled to make a wish. It is believed that if you make a silent wish as you blow the candles on your birthday cake, your wish will come true. The History of Birthday Wishes The tradition of putting candles on a birthday cake dates back to early Greek civilization. In ancient times, the Greek lit candles on the cake offered to the Moon Goddess, Artemis. They believed that the smoke emanating from the blown candles carried the prayers to heaven, and these prayers were answered. It was also believed that blowing out candles in one breath brought good luck. The tradition of blowing candles continues even today. The Meaning of Birthday Celebrations But birthday celebrations have become far too elaborate and laborious. Today, it is no longer just about cakes and candles; it is also about exotic party venues, theme birthdays, and expensive goody bags. Let us not forget the significance of birthday celebrations. The presence of your loved ones on your birthday makes you feel cherished. You cannot measure their love with the budget of the birthday party. Even a simple birthday celebration or a heartfelt birthday wish should make you feel blessed. Whether it is your 18th or 60th birthday; whether you have a simple or an elaborate celebration, you are lucky to share this special occasion with your near and dear ones. Birthdays bring families and friends closer and keep you smiling throughout the year. Birthday Wish Quotes Convey warm birthday wishes to your dear ones with these happy birthday wishes. A warm hug, a loving birthday wish, and blessings make birthdays memorable. George HarrisonAll the world is birthday cake, so take a piece, but not too much. Pablo PicassoYouth has no age. Tom StoppardAge is a high price to pay for maturity. Franz KafkaYouth is happy because it has the ability to see beauty. Anyone who keeps the ability to see beauty never grows old. George SantayanaThere is no cure for birth and death, save to enjoy the interval. William Butler YeatsFrom our birthday, until we die,Is but the winking of an eye. Tom WilsonWisdom doesnt necessarily come with age. Sometimes age just shows up all by itself. Anthony PowellGrowing old is like being increasingly penalized for a crime you have not committed. Marie DresslerIt is not how old you are, but how you are old. Gertrude SteinWe are always the same age inside. Chinese ProverbA diamond cannot be polished without friction, nor a man perfected without trials. Muhammad AliAge is whatever you think it is. You are as old as you think you are. Irish BlessingMay you live as long as you want and never want as long as you live. Chili DavisGrowing old is mandatory; growing up is optional. Anna MagnaniPlease dont retouch my wrinkles. It took me so long to earn them. Leo RosenbergFirst, you forget names, then you forget faces, then you forget to pull your zipper up, then you forget to pull your zipper down. Jack BennyAge is strictly a case of mind over matter. If you dont mind, it doesnt matter. Robert FrostTime and tide wait for no man, but time always stands still for a woman of thirty. Frank Lloyd WrightThe longer I live the more beautiful life becomes. Christina RossettiMy heart is like a singing bird. Because the birthday of my life is come, my love is come to me.

Music Masterpiece By Kings Singers And History Of Music By String

Music Masterpiece By Kings Singers And History Of Music By String Music Masterpiece By King's Singers And History Of Music By String Fever – Term Paper Example The King’s Singers: Masterpiece The King’s Singers is a very entertaining acapella group with a wonderful talent for creating a humorous bend on a topic. In this instance, they used the history of music as a theme, recreating styles reminiscent of chronological eras of music with the lyrics being very straight forward without description but rather most often the name of the composer who exemplified the period. The audience was very amused with the use of the Beethoven’s name as the music itself was intense and was punctuated by the use of it in interesting uses of the dark themes that can be found in his work. One of the more interesting moments was when the music fell to the Claude Debussy tribute. The tones were amazingly docile with the dissonant harmonies melodiously resonating with the beauty of Debussy’s work. Of course, it could not stay too serious as one of the group broke away to sing along, as the others stood by embarrassed, a bit of Wagner. S tring Fever and their creation of The History of Music was amusing as well, but did not quite match the brilliance of the singers. The beauty of the music was clear, but the humor did not translate quite as quickly. The electric cellist was compelling, especially when he fell into a pizzicato during the theme to 2010, which then transitioned beautifully into the next piece. A little bit of Scott Joplin was a joy to here, then soon music from the Sound of Music could be heard, along with some Cole Porter. The History of Music couldn’t be complete without a little Elvis and the Beatles. My favorite was the of course, when Another Bites the Dust could be heard. However, Michael Jackson’s Billy Jean was a lot of fun to hear as well as the Theme from Psycho. All in all, the music from both groups was compelling and held the amused interest of the listener. I found the singers to have a stronger performance, although the string quartet were quite amazing as well. This type of playfulness is a wonderful way to experience music.

Chapter 6 Review Quiz Essays

Chapter 6 Review Quiz Essays Chapter 6 Review Quiz Paper Chapter 6 Review Quiz Paper 1. List at least two major reasons that Medicare administrators turned to the prospec? ve payment concept for Medicare bene? ciaries. Medicare payments to hospitals grew, on average, by 19 percent annually (three ? mes the average overall rate of ina? on). The Medicare hospital deduc? ble expanded, crea? ng a burden for Medicare bene? ciaries. 2. How do MS-DRGs encourage inpa? ent facili? es to prac? ce cost management? Linking like pa? ents with like-resource consump? on allows hospitals to perform cost management by DRG or DRG groupings. 3. Why was a severity of illness re? nement performed on the DRG system? Was it supported by the healthcare community? The severity of illness re? nement allows cases with a higher severity of illness ranking to be more appropriately reimbursed. Yes, the re? nement was supported by the healthcare community. 4. List the steps of MS-DRG assignment. Pre-MDC Assignment, MDC Determina? on, Medical/Surgical Determina? on, and Re? nement. 5. Why does the IPF PPS length-of-stay adjustment factor grow smaller during the pa? ent encounter? Cost regression indicated that the per-diem cost for psychiatric cases decreased as the  length of stay increased 6. Describe at least two pa? ent-level adjustments for IPF PPS claims and explain why they are used. An adjustment was implemented for older pa? ents because regression analysis shows the cost per day as increasing with increasing pa? ent age. Another adjustment was implemented for pa? ents receiving electroconvulsive therapy, the cost of which is associated with longer stays and increased use of ancillary services. 7. What is the labor por? on of the IPF PPS per diem rate? What is the non-labor por? on of the IPF PPS per diem rate? Labor-related share is adjusted by the wage index for the hospitals geographic loca? on- based encore-based sta? s? cal areas (CBSAs). The non-labor share is modi? ed by a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA). 8. Why was the ini? al stay and readmission provision included in the IPF PPS? CMS did not want to provide an incen? ve for facili? es to prematurely discharge pa? ents and then subsequently re-admit them since the length of stay adjustment is weighted heavier for the beginning days for an admission. 9. Describe the medical necessity provision of the IPF PPS. Physician recer ca? on to establish con? nued need for inpa? ent psychiatric care is required on the 18th day [emailprotected] admission. 10. When performing the payment determina? on for IPF PPS admissions, which step comes ? rst: wage-index adjustment or applica? on of the pa? ent and facility-level adjustments? Wage-Index Adjustment

The relationship between the executive, legislature and judiciary Essay

The relationship between the executive, legislature and judiciary - Essay Example The orthodox approach to judicial review is therefore based upon the absolute and indivisible sovereignty of Parliament rather than the independence of the judiciary5. Oxford Professor A.V. Dicey set out the fundamental principles of Britain’s unwritten Constitution, and the role of judges within the context of those principles by stating that the indivisibility of Parliamentary power requires that all exercise of Governmental power must be authorized by Parliament, since it is the source of all valid authority.6 As a result, the British power of judicial review would not include the power to invalidate Acts of Parliament, rather the Courts may only use their powers to constrain any abuse of powers by the other arms of Government, such as the legislative and executive branches7. However, existing provisions permit the Lords of the Appellate Committee to also participate in the legislative business of the Upper House8, thereby raising the question of validity of judicial indepe ndence. This has been addressed in the Constitutional Reform Act of 2005, which aims to strengthening democracy and enhance the credibility of public institutions9 while also recognizing the value of judicial independence and the need to preserve it.10 Furthermore, the separation of powers between the three branches of Government as spelt out by Montesquieu11 is unclear in the context of the British judicial process. In view of present threats from terrorism, the Government has enacted sweeping legislation against terrorists12 tilting.

Science Fiction Short Story Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Science Fiction Short Story - Essay Example His devotion for his work has resulted to him sacrificing even his own time for his family. There were moments that he felt he was ready to give up and move on, but agency work runs through his veins. And every time he attempts to leave the agency, another much more interesting and intriguing case comes up and he feels compelled to return to do the job he has been trained to do. After having served the FBI for more than half his life, Richard is determined to leave it all behind to concentrate more on his personal life. In the meantime, he has to face what could perhaps be the most challenging task he would ever encounter. At the FBI Headquarters in Washington DC, a laboratory is being maintained where extensive studies regarding aliens and other non-human creatures is continuously being done. The Sanctuary, a maximum-security area, stores specimen from what is perceived to be over 50 alien races. The FBI delivers to this area every proof of alien life that would come to their attention. This laboratory also holds classified information regarding confirmed sightings and proof of humankind’s interaction with creatures from out-of-this-world. Very few have access to this area and scientists who are assigned to The Sanctuary are committed to serving their mission for the rest of their lives. Otherwise, Scientists who need to return to the ‘outside world’ undergo a process in which their memories are erased and the information taken out from their memory are stored as a software which may be transferred to another person. Only five of FBI’s top ranking Directors know of the existence of The Sanctuary and these very same persons have the task of maintaining the operations of this laboratory. They are likewise in charge of maintaining the confidentiality of this laboratory. For decades now, the US government has yet to arrive at clear conclusions regarding the existence of creatures from outer space. It is now year 2085, and technology has advanced

Freshii restaurant (report about staffing and job analysis ) Assignment

Freshii restaurant (report about staffing and job analysis ) - Assignment Example On the other hand, Bayo-Moriones & Ortà ­n-à ngel (2006, p.451) mentioned that â€Å"Internal promotions are used to protect and favor specific investments, especially those made by firms to assess their workers skills† (p.451). For fresh employees, only one month is fixed as probation period in Freshlii restaurant. Thereafter, the newly recruited employees will be accepted as permanent staff. Some of the prerequisites for a person to consider for a job position in Freshii restaurant are; knowledge about healthy diet, restaurant business in UAE, UAE’s local culture, etc. Moreover, they should have skills such as money and man management as well as problem solving, decision making, English language skills and communication skills. The importance of communication skills for the success of an employee is better understood by Freshii restaurant. Since the business of Freshii is smaller in size, the company is keen on employing more fresh talents. At the same time, the company is interested in keeping a diverse workforce by blending the fresh and experienced employees in a proper manner. The company knows that fresh employees may bring fresh ideas and the support of experienced employees is necessary for the fine tuning of those new ideas brought by the new employees. Honesty is the most important requirement while the company is looking for the recruitment of new employees. Only honest employees would bring better results to the company. Moreover, communication skills and competitiveness are some of the other requirements for an employee to excel in his profession in Freshii. Both verbal and nonverbal communication abilities are essential for a person to get a job Freshii restaurant. â€Å"Verbal communication is the communication which uses words whereas nonverbal communication is the communication which uses body languages†

Simple Process for Water Distillation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Simple Process for Water Distillation - Essay Example Lack of water can lead to dehydration, a condition that occurs when you don't have enough water in your body to carry out normal functions. Even mild dehydration can drain your energy and make you tired† (Mayo Clinic pars. 3 & 4). However, the kind of water that fits human consumption has increasingly been scrutinized due to the level of impurities that were found to exist. In this regard, the current essay aims to explain the method for water distillation by converting impure water into chemically pure water through a simple and straightforward process. Water Distillation Process 1. Required Materials In every procedure, the people tasked to follow and adhere to the process should initially be oriented on the required materials or ingredients to be used. A quick search from the Science Fair Adventure website revealed that the basic materials needed to perform a simple water distillation process are as follows: â€Å"impure (muddy) water; distilling flask with thermometer; Lie big’s condenser with stand; beaker; rubber cork or tubing; Bunsen burner; tripod stand; stand with clamp; and a basin filled with sand† (Science Fair Adventure par. 4). ... to prepare the distilling task was disclosed as placing a sand basin before subjecting it to heat to prevent the apparatus from breaking when it reached the boiling point. Likewise, the thermometer is needed to be installed within the flask to monitor the temperature of the boiling water. The fourth step requires connecting the pout of the distilling flask to the end of the Liebig's condenser. As indicated, the subsequent step explicitly details that the person following the procedure should â€Å"position the Liebig’s condenser using its stand so that it slopes downward slightly; its pout (other end) must open directly above the beaker. The Liebig’s condenser is an integral part of the simple distillation process – it consists of two concentric layers of glass of which the outer layer has air vents that facilitate the cooling of the inner glass tube. This in turn allows condensation of vapors to take place within it† (Science Fair Adventure pars. 10 & 14) . Finally, as the muddy water is brought into boiling point, the condensed liquid that would be collected from the beaker should be observed to be in its pure and clear state that is supposed to be tasteless and odorless. It was likewise noted from the website that the collected distilled water from this simple process is actually not fit for human consumption on a regular basis despite the clarity and its nature of being free from impurities due to lack of essential minerals that are normally inflused in ordinary drinking water (Science Fair Adventure par. 3). Conclusion The essay has successfully achieved its objective of presenting a simple process of water distillation. Through stipulating the needed materials and following the step-by-step procedure, ordinary people could actually find out and try for

Proposal for Implementing Computer-assisted Instruction (CAI) With Article

Proposal for Implementing Computer-assisted Instruction (CAI) With IBMs SPSS Research Analysis - Article Example Benefits: Medical personnel will be able to access this program from their homes by signing into the hospital’s dedicated intranet, designed by IBM, in order to learn analysis components at their will. This program training course will also provide a certification of completion for each level which will be added to the personnel records as part of skillset development on the job. As an additional benefit, there will also be a four-level survey development program added which will train medical personnel on how to efficiently design surveys to maximize the full potential of information gathering from responders in any given research program. This ensures that money spent for research studies are utilized in the most efficient manner possible. This component will utilize Survey Monkey, an online program which gives returns in a number of formats, such as Microsoft Excel, which can then be downloaded into SPSS easily and efficiently. There will also be a process component which s hows how to format the Excel data for easy recognition in SPSS during the analysis training sections (Bridgewater, 2008). Institutional Readiness: The hospital has reached a point where adding on research capabilities that benefit its medical staff, will propel the hospital forward as a leader in the research community, both nationally and internationally. This is a bonus for the hospital to be able to charge those medical personnel from the outside who wish to learn research analysis skills as part of their own training progress. For current hospital medical personnel, including medical students and interns, this program will be free (Bridgewater, 2008). Introduction Every field in the human sciences requires a certain amount of analysis as part of evidence-based research. There are a number... Every field in the human sciences requires a certain amount of analysis as part of evidence-based research. There are a number of software programs available to conduct analysis such as Microsoft’s Excel, Minitab, R, STATS, and others but IBM’s SPSS program has been identified as one of the most extensive programs available to scientific researchers on the market. As many of our nurses at this hospital are in the field of Informatics and /or research, utilizing the IBM SPSS program, along with a learning program, would be of great benefit for those who can assist in additional research in the field of nursing medicine. Accordingly, the hospital has also recognized the value of an efficient training program to help nurses learn this program on their own time. The IBM website has a training session of its own but it is laborious and there would be a more efficient way of training nurses to conduct their research analysis but developing a program geared towards the nursing field.

Simple Process for Water Distillation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Simple Process for Water Distillation - Essay Example Lack of water can lead to dehydration, a condition that occurs when you don't have enough water in your body to carry out normal functions. Even mild dehydration can drain your energy and make you tired† (Mayo Clinic pars. 3 & 4). However, the kind of water that fits human consumption has increasingly been scrutinized due to the level of impurities that were found to exist. In this regard, the current essay aims to explain the method for water distillation by converting impure water into chemically pure water through a simple and straightforward process. Water Distillation Process 1. Required Materials In every procedure, the people tasked to follow and adhere to the process should initially be oriented on the required materials or ingredients to be used. A quick search from the Science Fair Adventure website revealed that the basic materials needed to perform a simple water distillation process are as follows: â€Å"impure (muddy) water; distilling flask with thermometer; Lie big’s condenser with stand; beaker; rubber cork or tubing; Bunsen burner; tripod stand; stand with clamp; and a basin filled with sand† (Science Fair Adventure par. 4). ... to prepare the distilling task was disclosed as placing a sand basin before subjecting it to heat to prevent the apparatus from breaking when it reached the boiling point. Likewise, the thermometer is needed to be installed within the flask to monitor the temperature of the boiling water. The fourth step requires connecting the pout of the distilling flask to the end of the Liebig's condenser. As indicated, the subsequent step explicitly details that the person following the procedure should â€Å"position the Liebig’s condenser using its stand so that it slopes downward slightly; its pout (other end) must open directly above the beaker. The Liebig’s condenser is an integral part of the simple distillation process – it consists of two concentric layers of glass of which the outer layer has air vents that facilitate the cooling of the inner glass tube. This in turn allows condensation of vapors to take place within it† (Science Fair Adventure pars. 10 & 14) . Finally, as the muddy water is brought into boiling point, the condensed liquid that would be collected from the beaker should be observed to be in its pure and clear state that is supposed to be tasteless and odorless. It was likewise noted from the website that the collected distilled water from this simple process is actually not fit for human consumption on a regular basis despite the clarity and its nature of being free from impurities due to lack of essential minerals that are normally inflused in ordinary drinking water (Science Fair Adventure par. 3). Conclusion The essay has successfully achieved its objective of presenting a simple process of water distillation. Through stipulating the needed materials and following the step-by-step procedure, ordinary people could actually find out and try for

Genital Warts Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Genital Warts - Assignment Example According to Genitalwart-s.com, a site managed by the Genital Warts Support Team and whose content is obviously taken from reputable medical sources, genital warts are transmitted mainly through sexual intercourse with a carrier, whether this is vaginal, oral or anal sex. In fact, the possibility of acquiring genital warts from having sex with a carrier accounts for 66% of all cases. However, based on recent medical research, there is no evidence yet that genital warts are transmitted through contaminated medical equipment or even personal items like toothbrush and bath towels. According to the National Institutes of Health, among the factors that increase risk of genital wart infection include having multiple sexual partners, not knowing the sexual history or status of one’s partner at the time of intercourse, being sexually active at a relatively early age, using tobacco or alcohol, having another viral infection like herpes at the time of intercourse, being pregnant or having a weakened immune system that is attributed to a current illness or medication (Zieve, NIH). Other risk factors would include having acquired sexually transmitted infections or diseases in the past, and the use of oral contraceptives and birth control pills instead of condoms and other forms of barrier methods or mechanical prophylaxis, because the former would simply allow unprotected sexual intercourse to take place (â€Å"Genital Warts†). Nevertheless, male and female condoms would often prove to be poor ways of preventing genital warts because the HPV can be on th e skin (Zieve, NIH). Additional risk factors, according to Genitalwart-s.com, include excessive stress, an experience of trauma such as one from a previous surgery, a serious illness, or a serious treatment for diseases such as cervical cancer (â€Å"Genital Warts†). Perhaps, another risk

The Individual And The Environment Essay Example for Free

The Individual And The Environment Essay The turn between the nineteenth and the twentieth centuries brought enormous changes for the American society, and these changes are cogently reflected in the works of the most important writers of the time. In the light of Frederick Jackson Turner’s theory of the significance of the frontier in the American history, one could argue that the multiple changes that took place at this time were determined, in part, by the closing of the frontier in 1890. The ever expanding frontier had functioned as a catalyzing element for the shaping of the American culture, with its main characteristics, pragmatism and individualism. The frontier, as the limit between wilderness and civilization, may have indeed contributed to the development of pragmatism, just as the closing of the frontier affected the following cultural epoch. After the Civil War and up to the World War I, the American economy developed immensely, to the point that The United States was among the greatest world powers at the beginning of the twentieth century. This was due especially to the ever increasing industrialization of the country, to its capitalism, but also to the great number of immigrants that arrived during this period. While economically the changes were indeed positive and influenced the future of the nation, their social impact was more dramatic. As the main literary works of the time show it, the individual suffered inevitably from alienation, and was overwhelmed and oppressed by the major social and economical fluctuations of the time. Civilization however desired begun to feel as a threat for the individual who lost his sense of identity and felt as a wheel in some greater mechanism. The literary works of the time revealed the pressure that the environment now exercised over the individual. This pressure was even heavier for women, who began to feel that they were not even part of the tumultuous activity of the epoch, since they could not even play an active part in the changes they witnessed. One of the most important writers of the time were thus the early feminists, such as Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Kate Chopin, and a little later, Edith Wharton. Their novels put the American discriminating society on display, and point to the gender stereotypes that trapped the women into immutable and pre-established social roles. Gilman (2000) discusses the place of the women in society in her work, Women and Economics: â€Å"In spite of the power of the individual will to struggle against conditions, to resist them for a while, and sometimes to overcome them, it remains true that the human creature is affected by his environment, as is every other living thing.[†¦] To take from any community its male workers would paralyze it economically to a far greater degree than to remove its female workers[†¦] This is not owing to lack of the essential human faculties necessary to such achievements, nor to any inherent disability of sex, but to the present condition of woman, forbidding the development of this degree of economic ability. The male human being is thousands of years in advance of the female in economic status. Speaking collectively, men produce and distribute wealth; and women receive it at their hands.† As Gilman suggests, the woman was in no way able to participate in society, and was taken to be a mere recipient of what the man would provide her with. She also infers that this role is not necessarily the natural role of the woman, but actually the one that was forced on her after many centuries of gender discrimination. The women appear to be even more trapped in their environment at this point in American history. Another salient writer of the time, Henry Adams in his book entitled The Education of Henry Adams constructs a very telling image of the American individual crushed by civilization and by his social circumstances: he represents the dynamo as a great force and a symbol that replaced in the American culture the missing pieces of tradition which were respected by the Europeans, such as Venus or the Virgin. The image has feminist implications as well, as Adams (2001) compares the sexless energy of the dynamo with both the Virgin and Venus, symbols of the woman in European tradition: â€Å"All this was to American thought as though it had never existed. The true American knew something of the facts, but nothing of the feelings; he read the letter, but he never felt the law. Before this historical chasm, a mind like that of Adams felt itself helpless; he turned from the Virgin to the Dynamo as though he were a Branly coherer.† Stephen Crane also creates a memorable image of the cruel universe, which seems to care nothing for the individual existence, and which binds everything to its general laws, not minding the separate lives of the people but only the system: â€Å"A man said to the universe: Sir I exist! However, replied the universe, The fact has not created in me A sense of obligation. (Perkins, 1999) Kate Chopin’s The Awakening is perhaps one of the most remarkable works of her time for its audacity, and it accurately gives a view of the individual in general oppressed by the social, inescapable nets and alienated from his primitive, natural state, and even more emphatically, reveals the condition of the woman, which is even worse. The imagery of the novel is fraught with opposite symbols of freedom versus entrapment, and of the human and natural individual, versus the unnatural and artificial society. Edna Pontellier, the protagonist of the story, is the character who undergoes a true awakening by the end of the novel, both as a woman and as an individual who finally escapes the laws of society and returns to the purity of the natural impulses and natural feelings in a human being. As a married woman and mother of two children, Edna is supposed to fill in the role of the perfect mother as society required, which is personified in the novel by Edna’ s friend, Mrs. Adele Ratignolle. The frequent fights that Edna has with her seemingly perfect husband depict even better her pre-established role as a self-sacrificing mother, who is supposed to think of nothing else but childbirth and all the other things related to nursing. From the start, even before her awakening Edna feels the oppression of her environment, although as yet she is not able to pinpoint it to a specific cause: â€Å"An indescribable oppression, which seemed to generate in some unfamiliar part of her consciousness, filled her whole being with a vague anguish.†(Perkins, 1999) This unconscious feeling is not fully understood even by Edna herself, since the women were not used to thinking and feeling as individuals, and to dissent in any way from what was already prescribed as their imposed conduct. Chopin’s insistence that Edna did not fit in her society and that she did not fit the mother profile is very significant, as it points to the sense that women have to be regarded as individuals who are entitled to their own inner lives, and not limited to their nursing activities, that would eventually â€Å"efface† any trace of their personality: â€Å"In short, Mrs. Pontellier was not a mother-woman. The mother women seemed to prevail that summer at Grand Isle. It was easy to know them, fluttering about with extended, protecting wings when any harm, real or imaginary, threatened their precious brood. They were women who idolized their children, worshiped their husbands, and esteemed it a holy privilege to efface themselves as individuals and grow wings as ministering angels.†(Perkins, 1999) The awakening of Edna is exactly her realization that she is a passionate human being, and moreover an individual who can relate to her environment as she chooses, and not on the basis of some foreordained laws of behavior: â€Å"Mrs. Pontellier was beginning to realize her position in the universe as a human being, and to recognize her relations as an individual to the world within and about her. This may seem like a ponderous weight of wisdom to descend upon the soul of a young woman of twenty-eightperhaps more wisdom than the Holy Ghost is usually pleased to vouchsafe to any woman.†(Perkins, 1999) Chopin is sharply ironical in the commentary she makes with regard to the unexpected wisdom in her character: for centuries women had been discriminated as individuals and as rational beings who could judge for themselves. The main transformation of Edna consists thus of her flaunting of all the social law, and willingly giving in to adultery to escape from the tyranny of her own husband: â€Å"To-day it is Arobin; to-morrow it will be some one else. It makes no difference to me, it doesnt matter about Leonce Pontellierbut Raoul and Etienne! (Perkins, 1999) However, in the end, before she drowns in the sea, undoubtedly a symbol of liberation, Edna achieves more than asserting her own rights and independence as a female. When she faces the sea, that is her freedom, she turns her back to the entrapping civilization and artificial society and is elated when she discovers her own nakedness, a symbol of the primitive and natural state of man: â€Å"[†¦]she stood naked in the open air, at the mercy of the sun, the breeze that beat upon her, and the waves that invited her. How strange and awful it seemed to stand naked under the sky! how delicious! She felt like some new-born creature, opening its eyes in a familiar world that it had never known.†(Perkins, 1999) Thus, at the turn of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, American literature displayed the rupture between the individual and his environment, and the alienation of the human beings in the midst of the overpowering civilization. This marked the beginning of the modern, urbane era, in which the developed society is apt to destroy individuality and the basic and natural humanity of every man. Reference List: Adams, Henry (2001) The Education of Henry Adams. Bartelby.com. http://www.bartleby.com/159/25.html Gilman, Charlotte Perkins (2000) Women and Economics. The Celebration of Women’s Writing. http://digital.library.upenn.edu/women/gilman/economics/economics.html Perkins Charles and Barbara Perkins (1999). The American Tradition in Literature Vol. 1. New York: Mc-Graw Hill College

Use Case Diagram Details For Library Management Computer Science Essay

Use Case Diagram Details For Library Management Computer Science Essay The Library Management System would be a Web application. A simpler form of library based management system provides multi functional processes to log in, register, add books, add categories, search or issue or return the books. The basic language used in the follow up of this system is C# and the data base used for the same is SQL Server and SQL Client. These all have been used in the code of processing a Library Management System at any place (Gupta). There are certain advantages of using visual basic in Library Management System that it provides a very decent atmosphere for all the programmers to develop a graphical user interface which is considere4d to be a ready to use component in the main working of Library Management System. This will be providing all functionality for Abu Dhabi University library operations. The specific details of each user are given below in this document.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A librarian can add all details of new books / journals / periodicals / CDs / DVDs using create new book menu from his administrative panel, from this administrative panel librarian can also delete any previous entry of books / journals / periodicals / CDs / DVDs and if librarian just want to update status of books / journals / periodicals then he can update details of books / journals / periodicals / CDs / DVDs details also but in this case if library management system found any invalid id of any invalid book details then it will give and immediate alert pop-up to administrator of the system will also kept record of each alert and the most useful feature of this library management system is librarian can search any of the books / journals / periodicals / CDs / DVDs from the database using title or author name. Librarian can also update and of the user details and delete or block users if there fee or fine is not submitted or he found a nything wrong with and of the students user account. Librarian is also have privileges to see amount of fee and fine that any user have to pay and also overall money that is going to debited. A database manager can create a new database and took back-up of day to day updated database of library management system. Database manager have to design whole schema once and have to made changes time to time if needed. A guest user will have a limited or no access to data. Guest can register himself/herself and become a regular user of Student or Faculty type after getting approval of library management systems administer. In library management system for Abu Dhabi University there would be two types of user exist. First one would be student type and second type is of faculty type this faculty type users are having unlimited account for borrowing books but in place of student type account there would be some limit for borrowing books at a time. This student type user have to submit their book within a period or re-borrow them if they need it for more longer else the fine will be charged to students type user but in case of faculty type user there is no time limit for any borrowed new books / journals / periodicals / CDs / DVDs. A student type user can login to library management system after fulfilling his/her authentication if it library management system found any invalid account then will give a alert massage and will also report to administer at another hand after logged in he can check is his account which contains the amount that he/she has to pay including all fine details and this will also having all of history of his/her borrowed new books / journals / periodicals / CDs / DVDs. The student user can borrow books / journals / periodicals / CDs / DVDs and the system is also having an option for re-borrow of books / journals / periodicals / CDs / DVDs. The library management system facilitated more to students and faculties too there is an option to put a request of home delivery with any borrow request. The charges of home delivery will be automatically added to their accounts. The biggest useful feature of this library management system is user of all type can search any of the books / journals / pe riodicals / CDs / DVDs from the database using title or author name of borrowing it. The student and faculty type user can also request for any new required book in library and this request will directly goes to the administrator of this library management system which will precede this request to further steps. One more feature of this library management system is feedback the user of student type and faculty can rate for any books / journals / periodicals / CDs / DVDs and also put their comments for any of them which will help other users and librarian too to decide about that books / journals / periodicals / CDs / DVDs so that review also done in this library management system. There are some other categories of Use Case Diagram for Library Management System, for example E Draw Soft Diagrammer 4 which is a new UML Diagram and is considered to be a new type of diagram tool for the software engineers and various designers. E Draw is a short form of Easy to Draw diagram for UML model (Use Case Diagram For Library Management System).

Funeral Customs of African Americans and American Jews :: essays research papers fc

Funeral Customs of African Americans and American Jews  ¡Ã‚ §The chaos of death disturbs the peace of the living. This unsettling fact of life has proven to be a rich source of inspiration for human efforts to find order in disorder, meaning in suffering, eternity in finitude. Religion, culture, social structures, the vitality of these rudimentary elements of communal life depends upon ritually putting the dead body in its place, managing the relations between the living and the dead and providing explanations for the existence of death. ¡Ã‚ ¨ - Gary Laderman - 2003 A  ¡Ã‚ §melting pot ¡Ã‚ ¨ is an accurate description of America ¡Ã‚ ¦s cultural diversity. Everywhere across the country many people from different countries and cultures have migrated to the United States. Some form subcultures or communities while others are dispersed and isolated. Over time, many of the ceremonies and traditions, such as funerals, associated with a particular culture have been influenced by or mingled with Euro-American customs, causing people to loose touch with the context of their own traditions. For example, some conform to American burial customs and adopt secular attitudes about bereavement, which tend to underestimate the power of grief and the impact of loss. This is particularly true with younger generations born in the United States. Also,  ¡Ã‚ §Ã‚ ¡K uniquely American is the mass use of embalming, as it is the base of the American economic funeral industry. ¡Ã‚ ¨ (Mitford  ¡V 1998, Introduction) However, many prideful people keep the traditi ons and customs of their indigenous cultures alive, retaining their distinct ethnic or religious traditions. This paper will compare the similarities and differences in funeral practices between two large populations and sub-cultures of the United States; African Americans and American Jews, and also how American influences have affected their traditional funeral customs. In the past, when a person died no one asked,  ¡Ã‚ §When should we schedule the funeral? ¡Ã‚ ¨ or  ¡Ã‚ §How much would you like to spend on a casket? ¡Ã‚ ¨ Members of the community simply appeared and began preparing the body for burial and the mourners would provide comfort to the bereaved. Death itself has become something of a stranger because it used to be that death was an everyday occurrence of life, for example people did not live as long, higher infant mortality rates, etc. People usually died at home, surrounded by loved ones.  ¡Ã‚ §Funerals, like weddings, were not invitational events, but community-wide gatherings. But today, it is possible to reach the age of forty without ever attending a funeral or visiting a house of mourning.

Comparison of BMW and Mercedes Benz Essay -- Compare Contrast Cars Ess

Comparison of BMW and Mercedes Benz   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The most popular car of this century are the Mercedes Benz and the BMW. Many different cars in the world dont campare to at least half of what a Mercedes Benz and a BMW are. Two specific cars are the 2000 BMW M 2-door Coupe 3.2L, 2000 BMW X5 sports activity vehicle 4-door sport utility 4.4L, 2000 Mercedes-Benz CLK 430 2- door Coupe 4.3L, and the 2000 Mercedes-Benz SLK 230 Kompressor 2-door convertible 2.3L. In this report I will be tlaking about these specific types of Mercedes-Benz and BMW.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Bmw X5 is a 4- door, 5 passenger sport utility available in one trim only. Th X5 is quipped with a standard 4.4-liter, V8, 282-horsepower engine that consumes 13-mpg in the city and 17-mpg on the highway. A 5-speed automatic transmission with overdrive is standard. The X5 is new for the year 2000. Sophisticated powertrain, fully equipped, good driving pleasure, roomy interior, and gives an interesting performance. It is a complex machine, unproven quality of assembly, high priced, limited initial availability. The price for the X5 is $49, 400, $44,620 for the dealer invoice, and $570 for the destination charges. Its competetor is the 2002 Cadillac Escalade 4-door sport utility 6.0L all wheel drive, the 2001 GMC Yukon XL Denali 4-door sport utility 6.0L all wheel drive, the 2001 Lincoln Navigator 4-door utility 5.4l4 wheel drve, the 2000 Toyota Land Cruiser 4-door sport utility 4.7L 4 wheel drive, the 2001 Merc...

Discipline in High School and Elementary Education

When it comes to special education, discipline is a major concern in this area because many students are incessantly being expelled for their behavior issues that are caused by their disabilities. With the previous law students were excluded from school and received long suspension time because of their behavioral problems but when the new law was passed in 2004 students that are disable, is entitle to a free appropriate education under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and can no longer be expel from school if their behavior is due to their disability.With the new law, students can no longer be suspended for more than 10 days during a school term for behavioral issues and 45 days for weapon and illegal drugs. A Functional Behavioral Assessment (FBA) should be included within the special need students Individualized Education Plan (IEP) at the beginning of each school year so that the general education teachers is aware of the students behavioral problems and is able to handle them before the student get out of hand and the other students learning is disruptive.If students know what is expected of them in the beginning, I believe that they will try to keep their behavior under control especially when they are in a more controlled and structure classroom. During the interview process, I learned that both high school and elementary education follow the same guidelines and rules when it comes to discipline special needs students; they have to follow the laws under Individuals with Disabilities Education Act 2004.The only difference that I reconginzed is that high school administrators feel that special need students at their school should be comfortable with their disabilities and have their behavioral under control because they have dealt with many issues throughout their elementary education and had various behavorial intervention plan in place which are various techniques that are used to help alleviate their behavior. With special educatio n teachers being a high demand now, newteachers should be well informed on how to discipline special needs students. Mrs. Davis expressed, issues that frequently occur with special needs students will be, if their wrongdoing is a direct manifestation of the student disability and new or experience teachers should be aware if the student disability is affecting their behavior. Since discipline is a major issue that appears to occur in schools due to special education students being included into regular education classrooms.Students tend to act out because they are not on the same level as their non-disable peers and feel as though they are not able to complete the same course work and receive a passing grade therefore they begin to disrupt the class instead of asking for help when it is needed. I can understand the student frustration when they are not able to answer questions or other students make fun of them because they could not get the correct answer.These students are in a ma instream classroom with their peers but are not on the same reading level as them and it is difficult for them to participate in class and feel as if they are up to part (T. Davis, personal communication, December 16, 2013). Ms. James stated that discipline issues that occur with special needs students in her school are students that are emotionally disturbed. These students disrespect their authority figures, fight other students and it even goes so far as them threatening to harm teachers and other students (S.James, personal communication, December 18, 2013).The court case that influence the school district is Honig v. Doe, the court ruled that students with disabilities can not be excluded from school for any misbehavior that is disability related but the educational service could cease if the misbehavior is not related to the disability (wrightlaw, 2011). We discussed the challenges that administrators and teachers face related to special education students. According to Mrs.Da vis a special need student has a plan of action in place which drives his/her instructions, if special need students commit serious wrongdoings which is not a manifestation of his disability then he/she will be reprimanded; the same as a regular education student (Ms. Davis, 2013). Doe v. Koger (1979) court case influence the school district because the court implied that students with disabilities could be expelled when there was no relationship between their misconduct and their disabilities, a perspective that became known as the manifestation of the disability doctrine (Osborne, 2007).Ms.James stated that this is a big challenge for administrators and teachers because special needs students do not receive the same disciplinary actions as regular students although they committed the same misconduct. It is unfair that their learning and others students learning is being disruptive and teachers have to accept their inappropriate behavior because they are protected under IDEA (S. Ja mes, 2013). The disciplinary procedure is perplex between the two groups; some individual may think that it is fair for the two groups to received different action against them for their misbehaving in the classroom but Mrs.Davis think that disciplinary action is demanding when managing these two groups because it require the teachers to stay abreast of all of the individuality of the special need student so that instructional as well as behavioral problems maybe avoided by quick adjustments in the classroom. On the other hand, Ms. James felt that special needs students are not sent to the office quicker than regular education students. Teachers have to deal with their behavior and try different positive behavior techniques with them.Some students are not aware of disciplinary decisions and actions between both groups of students, special needs students do not realize that they can not be expelled from school. According to Osborne, the court did not leave school officials without re course; it added that they could suspend students with disabilities for up to 10 days if they posed an immediate threat to the safety of others. I also learned that it is imperative that the parents are involved and provided with procedural safeguard information which identifies their child’s rights related to special education under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.The interview goes on to discuss how parents react to how their children are being punished different from a special need student, they are not happy with the rules because they feel that every student should received the same punishment regardless. We also discussed the decision that the district makes and the ladies stated that the district stands behind Tribunal’s decision and the special education director is responsible for training.

Cinema History: the Seventh Seal

Ingmar Bergman’s film, Seventh Seal, reflects his views on life in an allegorical fashion. Bergman utilizes the setting of a medieval, plague-ridden landscape to metaphorically investigate the existence of god and meaning of life. The film follows the knight, Antonius, as he returns from the Crusades with his squire, Jons. Bergman uses black and white to enhance the mood. The film’s vivid imagery and powerful score challenge the viewer to interpret the film’s messages and assign them meaning. The film investigates the deepest philosophical questions of humanity. Compared with Akira Kurosawa’s film, Ikiru, the Seventh Seal expresses a darker outlook on the world. Bergman’s cinematic masterpiece remains a relevant work of art in a world that struggles to address the deepest questions of religion and the phenomena of simply being alive. Seventh Seal begins with a shot of the heavens as a powerful orchestrated piece of music plays. A passage from the Book of Revelation is recited, â€Å"And when the Lamb had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour,† (Revelation 8:1). Antonius and Jons lie on a beach of pebbles. The land is framed proportional to the sky, juxtaposing the kingdoms of heaven and earth. A chess set sits to the right of Antonius. The camera pans away from him, zooming in on the chess pieces. It symbolically equates Antonius as a piece of the game. A man cloaked in black approaches, revealing himself to be death. He states that he has come for them. Antonius challenges him to a chess match. Death agrees that if Antonius is able to defeat death he shall go free. The game is continued throughout the film. As Antonius and Jons move along their journey, death continuosly lurks as an ominous force. The film constantly makes references to death and uncertainty through the presents of the plague. The sky in the background is often cloudy as though God is absent from the heavens and oblivious to the suffering on earth. In one scene, Jons seeks directions from a man who appears to be sleeping; the man is dead and rotting. Not only is the man unable to provide direction, but there is also no divine direction. The plague represents the absence of God and humanity’s uncertainty when faced with unexplainable destruction. In a scene later in the film, death impersonates a confessional priest. He listens as Antonius speaks about the mystery of god, stating, â€Å"Is it so cruelly inconceivable to grasp God with the senses? Why should he hide himself in a mist of half-spoken promises and unseen miracles? What is going to happen to those of us who want to believe but aren't able to? † Death, who embodies the complete absence of life, remains silent. Bergman depicts mans suffering, metaphorically addressing the inabilities of humanity to comprehend the purpose of both the human self and the divine. The plague challenges faith, as an incomprehensible punishment inflicted for unexplainable reasons. It leaves the populous to deal with the absence of divine direction. This is demonstrated very powerfully throughout the film. Jof and his fellow actors dance and sing on a small village stage. The actors represent innocence and good nature. Abruptly, religious music interrupts the actor’s production. A procession of priests, baring crosses and incense, marches though the village. They sing in unison as shirtless men accompanying them whip themselves and each other. The entire village drops to its knees as the horrifying parade of suffering passes. This demonstrates the absence of God. The religious, unable to comprehend the suffering that is the plague, torture themselves in an attempt to appease God. This phenomenon is continued when Antonius witnesses a young girl tied to a post. She is deprived of water and whimpering in pain. The authorities believe her to be bewitched by the devil and the cause of the plague. The girl is to be burned alive. This event communicates the true horror of humans left to suffering and doubt. The actor Jof and his wife Mia represent natural beauty and good nature. The scenes with them bring a warmth and happiness to the, dark suffering depicted. The lighting is often softer and brighter around Jof and Mia, contrasting them with the bleak atmosphere of the film. Antonius befriends the actors, and they all share a picnic of milk and wild strawberries. The simplicity of this meal is symbolic. It represents the beauty that exists in simplicity itself. Antonius reminisces about his life before the Crusades and his love for the wife he left behind. He expresses his ongoing burden of faith stating, â€Å"Faith is a torment did you know that? It is like loving someone who is out there in the darkness but never appears, no matter how loudly you call. † This statement embodies the questions presented by Bergman throughout Seventh Seal. The Seventh Seal concludes with Antonius knocking over the chess pieces in order to distract death from Jof and Mia. Death claims Antonius and his companions as Jof has a vision of them in the distance doing the dance of death. The viewer is eft with powerful messages concerning the existence of God and meaning of life. Comparing the film with Akira Kurosawa’s Ikiru, it is apparent that both share similar ending themes. The protagonist in each film pursues a selfless action. In Ikiru, Watanabe, the protagonist, abandons the bureaucracy he has been a part of for so long in order to fight to create a local park. The Seventh Seal depicts the game of chess between Antonius and death. Antoni us knocks over the pieces, allowing his friends to escape. Both films protagonists fight for things bigger than themselves. Bergman and Kurosawa explore similar themes, but the Seventh Seal maintains a darker outlook on the world. Bibliography â€Å"Analysis of the Church Scene in Bergman. † Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. Web. 3 Mar. 2010. . Cook, David A. A History of Narrative Film. New York: W. W. Norton, 2004. Print. â€Å"Det Sjunde Inseglet (1957). † The Internet Movie Database (IMDb). Web. 3 Mar. 2010. . Holy Bible: English Standard Version. Wheaton, Ill. : Crossway Bibles, 2001. Print. â€Å"Norman N. Holland, Meeting a Movie: The Seventh Seal. † College of Liberal Arts and Sciences | The University of Florida. Web. 28 Feb. 2010. .

Religious Discrimination of Employees in China Essay

Religious Discrimination of Employees in China - Essay Example As the study declares the Chinese labor law activists who act as watchdogs reported that individuals from marginalized religions and ethnicities are constantly discriminated upon in the workplace. The Employment Promotion Law of 2008 appears inspiring, but insufficient. From the report it is clear that the labor arbitration committee make shocking decisions and turn down discrimination cases because of the vagueness of the law on discrimination in the workplace, especially with regards to religion. According to the China Labor movement Bulletin, the constitution of China and other statutes emphasize on workplace equality, but does very little to enforce it. The Chinese government has even enforced restrictive and oppressive laws on Uighur Muslims and Tibetan Buddhists, which only work to perpetuate religious discrimination in the workplace. People have been harassed and arrested in the workplace, curtailing human rights and freedom. On March 1, 2005, the State Council promulgated the "Regulations on Religious Affairs", which sets out regulations concerning religion: religious communities, places of religious items, religious items believers, creation of religious schools, publish religious literature, property management of religious communities, fo reign religious activities and so forth. China has no records of cases of sudden religious conflicts outbursts between believers and nonbelievers. However, there has been minimal implementation of equality law in the workplace.

The American Dream Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The American Dream - Essay Example Far from being dead, the American dream is alive and kicking. For many people, home-ownership has been a large part of the American dream. Owning your own house means controlling your own destiny and having a large asset to borrow against. For many years, the government encouraged this idea and provided tax breaks and other incentives to ensure that people would be able to buy their own homes. While some suggest that these policies helped to create a housing bubble, this does not mean the dream is wrong. The problem begins when a dream is subsidized by the government. Governments are not responsible for giving us our dreams. They should move out of the way and let people be free to pursue their own ideas. Rather than killing the American dream, the governments program of subsidizing home ownership effectively distorted the dream out of recognition. Now it is back again as the economy recovers. Furthermore, the dream is expanding around the world. In Russia, almost 70 per cent of peop le live in apartment buildings and do not own their own homes. The Russian government wants to encourage more home ownership and copy this element of the American dream (Ustinova). There are other elements of the American dream which play an important role in the idea that the dream is alive and kicking. No one can dispute that America has had problems with racial issues in the past. Until the Civil War and emancipation, it can be argued that there was no such thing as the American dream, that it simply did not exist because a large number of Americans were enslaved. Following Reconstruction there was still a lot of racial problems and schools in the South were not desegregated until the 1950s. Perhaps then the dream really came to life as it became at least possible for African-Americans to achieve success in America. But in recent years this dream has come thrillingly to life. With the election of Barack Obama in 2008, America showed that the dream is more alive than ever. Indeed the long-standing American dream of upward mobility and fairness for all was wedded powerfully to Martin Luther King Jr.'s dream of racial equality. For the first time a black man was in the White House. Anything was possible. Some people dispute this and suggest that President Obama's father was African and not African-American and therefore did not have to fight the civil rights battles, but could simply walk into an American university unopposed. But this idea overlooks the true power of the American dream. If the American dream were dead, why would so many people wish to live in America. Why would America continue to be a beacon of hope and prosperity to the rest of the world. Americans live some of the most comfortable lives in the world (Ownby). Consumer and luxury goods are plentiful and available for excellent prices everywhere. Life for most Americans is good and getting better. Unemployment issues will soon be resolved. America is on path to make a more perfect union, welc oming new immigrants to share in their prosperity. Recent problems will not last. The dream is alive and well. It is so strong is cannot be knocked off course by a minor financial crisis. The truth is that America is not in decline. Its system is working fine and the current problems are just a blip on the radar. American is a powerful country that believes in freedom. Its home ownership market is improving and the economy is recovering. Minorities have never had as many opportunities as they do today and Barack Obama is President.

Buddhism as a Critique of Culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Buddhism as a Critique of Culture - Essay Example This is the aim, even with regard to 'normal' people in the world, since they tend get confused, and develop problems due to wrong identification of the patterns of life or 'samsara' (Watts 16) shrouded in 'maya' which is explained as being more than illusory; 'maya' encompasses the entire range of concepts from culture, one's cultural identity, to the way one perceives the world (Watts 9). An individual is an inseparable organism of the universe, and simultaneously unique, since all organisms are not uniform and differ in their identities accorded as per the societal constructs such as sex, class, and others. Conflicts arise because the rules of the universe and cosmos may not always be in consonance with that of the societal conventions, and the individual struggles to integrate between these two inherently differing components of reality and social constructs or maya (Watts 9). In these eastern thoughts, 'nirvana' or liberation (Watts 16) is the solution to the problems arising from afore mentioned conflict. The aim of nirvana is not to destroy maya, but rather, to see through maya; and to do this one must come out of the social constructs and see reality (Watts 9).

The links between the global war on terror and the issues of human Essay

The links between the global war on terror and the issues of human rights and distributive justice in the international system - Essay Example If one incorporates the idealistic framework, one will have to point out that the government should do what ever it takes to make sure that its citizens are safe, even if it involves going over some limitations that were placed on its powers. A realist would argue that surveillance of the ordinary citizens is not likely to prevent new terroristic acts, since the evil doers know how to conceal their communication. As a result, the government has access to personal files of the citizens for not particular reason. Finally, the religious framework would condemn actions of the government when it violates some constitutional rights of the people since this may hardly be justified: as has been noted, the effectiveness of these actions is relatively long, but it surely undermines the trust in the validity of power of the government which might result in further disruptions of the political world. In other words, a country might experience riots of people who want to protect their

Business Ethics Position Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Business Ethics Position Paper - Essay Example The first issue is regarding the working hours of employees in our supply chains. The study indicates that three of our supply chains allow their employees to work for more than 60 hours a week, thus allowing the employees not to utilize their day off. However, I would like to point out here that this is in blatant violation of the Supplier Requirements of the company. The Supplier Requirements point out that the maximum number of hours that can be allowed for an employee in a week is 40 hours (Article 25, Supplier Requirements). Yet another serious issue observed in the assessment was the compulsory overtime enforced by our suppliers. I would like to mention here that this is against the human right policies followed by the company in its entire operation. In addition, it is pointed out in the Supplier Requirements that all kinds of overtime should be strictly voluntary (Article 33, Supplier Requirements). The company has decided to take strict corrective steps in this regard. As yo u rightly know, Motorola is committed to the principles of the United Nations Global Compact in its labor issues. So, the company always upholds the principle that businesses should uphold the elimination of all forms of forced and compulsory labor (Motorola Corporate Responsibility Report 2011). Seeing these violations despite the company’s best efforts to ensure human rights in its entire operations is highly disappointing. ... OTOVOICE’ and it will provide the employees of the supplier chains a chance to raise their concerns and grievances in the workplace keeping anonymity. Most important of all, all the supply chains are required to take corrective measure within 2 months from hereof and duly inform the company. An additional inspection will be conducted by the company on receipt of this intimation. I would like to inform here that failure to meet this deadline would lead to the cancellation of the contract with the respective suppliers. I’m sure that you will take necessary steps in this regard to uphold the values and working culture of Motorola. Expecting your continuing cooperation, To : All the supply chain employee unions of Motorola From : (Name) Date : March 15, 2011 Re : The work environment in supplier chains – STR-CSCC assessment 2011 I am profoundly happy to see your support and cooperation in the company operations making the company a huge success in its operations. How ever, we are seriously saddened to see that some of our employees are denied the basic human rights as evident from the findings by the Specialized Technology Resources (STR) Cal-Safety Compliance (CSCC) in its 2011 assessment in our major supply chains. The issues found in the STR-CC assessment were as follows. The first issue is regarding the working hours of employees in our supply chains. The study indicates that three of our supply chains allow their employees to work for more than 60 hours a week, thus forcing the employees not to utilize their day off, in blatant violation of the Supplier Requirements of the company. The Supplier Requirements point out that the maximum number of hours that can be allowed for an employee in a week is 40 hours (Article 25, Supplier Requirements). Yet another serious

Women in Psychology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Women in Psychology - Essay Example Karen Horney maintained additional views of children and the onset of anxiety, granting her respect in the psychological community. This project describes the background of Karen Horney and highlights her many contributions to psychology. Karen Horney (1885-1952) grew up in Hamburg, Germany to more affluent, upper-middle-class parents with a Protestant background. Horney’s father was a deeply religious man and a ship captain while her mother was a more liberal thinker who promoted Horney to succeed in medical school (Smith, 2007). This was during a period in the early 20th Century when women had not yet achieved the right to vote, making Horney’s arrival in medical school in 1906 a monumental event, especially with her focus on studying Freud’s viewpoints on psychoanalysis (Eckardt, 2005). In the 1920’s, Horney began to challenge Freud’s viewpoint on masculinity and femininity, especially in areas of sexual development and sexual instinct. She began to criticize Freud’s perspective in which he believed that women felt inferior to men because they did not have a penis (Eckardt). Horney felt that this was a very one-sided perspective, riddled with masculine narcissism, which consistently created bias against women during psychoanalysis. Over time, Horney redeveloped Freud’s view on feminine sexuality and created a new template by which women are assessed: One in which the absence of a penis no longer became the perceived foundation of women’s troubles. In a sense, based on the women’s suffrage movements occurring during this time period, Horney managed to liberate women when being analyzed for psychological study as more than merely the product of masculine envy. Sigmund Freud laid the foundation for many of the views of the time regarding anxiety and the development of positive personality traits. Over the years, Karen Horney redeveloped the view of anxiety by suggesting that anxiety is not

Rethinking Altruism Essay Example for Free

Rethinking Altruism Essay In answering the question of whether altruism exists or not, C. Daniel Batson together with his colleagues believe that altruism does exist. On the other hand, Robert B. Cialdini and his colleagues argue that there no such thing as genuine altruism, let alone altruism as we commonly it. Those propose that altruism exists suggest that human beings are oftentimes inclined to help other individuals out of genuine altruism primarily because of our empathy towards others. On the other hand, those who argue that there is no such thing as altruism tell us that it is not enough for people to simply have empathy to help others, especially those who are in dire need of help. More to empathy, Cialdini and his colleagues suggest that people sometimes help other individuals in order gain something in return—and that â€Å"something† is making the self feel better after doing the presumed altruistic deed. In the end, it signifies that at the bottom of altruism rests the inclination to satisfy ourselves such as our conscience through charitable decisions or actions. The concept of empathy—or the act of immersing into another person’s perspective and experiencing compassion along the way—is at the heart of the position of Batson and his colleagues. That is, people can be altruistic if they are able to empathize with those they help. Conversely, the lack of empathy can hardly push people to become altruists at some point in time. I think it is possible for people to empathize or to put their feet into the shoes of others, so to speak. Sometimes people may want to share the burdens of others and, after a while, they end up helping them anyway. The certainty of whether helping these people is an altruistic deed depends on whether or not those who empathized and helped expected something in return or anything at all. This leads us to the other side of the debate, namely the argument that empathy is never enough as people may help others so that they will feel better or be removed of any form of guilt or a heavy conscience. Cialdini and his colleagues propose that empathy is never sufficient in motivating people to help others. In effect, they are suggesting that our efforts to feel the suffering of others as if it was our own and to resolve the problem of other people without expecting anything in return cannot be maintained. Rather, it is the nature of human beings to do something because they are expecting something in return. I think that is true in so far as my experiences are concerned. I have personally experienced situations wherein I felt that I needed to help other people including my friends and my relatives. I tried to help them to the best of my abilities not out of altruism but out of one basic reason: I did not want to feel guilty if I am not able to help them at the end of the day. Although my conscience is pricked each time I am compelled by my sentiments to help them, my conscience is exactly the reason why I push myself to offer my assistance. I did not want to have a heavy conscience for not being able to be of any help. From that, I can say that I was not really being altruistic. Rather, I was seeking to evade a moral failure to help much as I was seeking to avoid keeping a heavy conscience. On the other hand, Batson and his colleagues maintain that there are times when people become altruistic in their deeds. Because of our empathy towards others, we are inclined to help others without expecting anything in return. I think that is partly true in times when our friends or our close relatives are the ones who need our help. We hardly refrain from helping them essentially because they are dear to us. As for strangers seeking our help, perhaps that is an entirely different matter. I think we are less inclined to help strangers because we barely have any idea about their identity unlike our friends and close relatives. I think that this disparity will only reaffirm the position that empathy is never sufficient and that human beings are generally far from being altruists. Since we are more inclined to provide our help to our friends and close relatives than to strangers, I think it is only safe to assume that the reason why we help them is because of our â€Å"ties† or relationship with them. The lack of an apparent connection with others does not strongly encourage us to be unselfish individuals who could only care about the welfare of others and whose personal welfare only comes secondary. I find it difficult to see myself empathizing with strangers because I barely know who they are. I may be able to relate to their experience or suffering but that is just it. Conversely, I am unable to completely empathize with them because I do not have a close association with them. Because we do not have any strings attached, so to speak, I am not inclined to help strangers. More importantly, I think that people are not genuinely altruists. On the contrary, people are still human beings who seek to preserve their own welfare whether or not other people will benefit from such an attempt. The main reason why we help others even though it might lead to our own suffering is that we seek to avoid carrying the burden of a heavy conscience or of the thought of not being able to help someone when they needed help the most. We can hardly stand seeing a person who is drowning because we fear our conscience will come to haunt us and deprive us of peace of mind. We can hardly stand watching someone be mugged to demise by street criminals because we fear that the same thing might happen to us with no one to help us. In other words, we want to help others because we expect something in return, be it in the form of the same help when we experience the same things or in the form of a conscience that is light. Reference Nier, J. (2007). Does True Altruism Exist? In Taking Sides: Clashing Views in Social Psychology (2nd ed. ). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.