The American Grievances free essay sample

Were all the American grievances really justified, or were the British actually being more reasonable than most Americans have traditionally believed? The British were actually more reasonable than most Americans have traditionally believed. For example, the navigation laws, laws that regulated trade to and from the colonies, would be seen as an American grievance but were not really enforced by the British government until 1763, which allowed people to smuggle goods, â€Å"But the truth is that until 1763, the various navigation laws imposed no intolerable burden, mainly because there were only loosely enforced. Enterprising colonial merchants learned early to disregard or evade troublesome restrictions. Some of the first American of John wholesome smuggling†(124). It seems that Americans viewed the British as terrible and controlling, but the colonists actually benefitted from them. The colonists gained free protection from the British colony, and they a gained a monopoly in the British market, â€Å"London paid liberal bounties to colonial producers of ship parts, over protests of British competitors. We will write a custom essay sample on The American Grievances or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Virginia tobacco planters enjoyed a monopoly in the British market, colonists also benefited from the protection of the world’s mightiest navy and a strong, seasoned army of redcoats†(124). It is obvious that they benefited from each other, and they British can be seen as reasonable. 2. What was the revolutionary movement all about? The amount of taxation? The right of parliament to tax? The political corruption of Britain and the virtue of America the right of the king to govern America? The colonies growing sense of national identity apart from the Britain? Was the revolution truly radical overturning of government and society –usual definition of a â€Å"revolution†? The revolutionary movement was about the taxes that Britain placed on the Colonies. Grenville was placing taxes on the colonists to support the new military defense, so they placed the Stamp Act, which used a stamp to make sure the tax on paperwork is paid off, the Quartering Act, which forced people to feed and shelter soldiers, and the Sugar Act which put taxes on imports on sugar, â€Å"Thus some colonial assemblies defiantly refused to comply with the Quartering act, or voted only a fraction of the supplies it called for. Worst of all, Grenville’s noxious legislation seemed to jeopardize the basic rights of the colonists as Englishmen. Both the Sugar act and the Stamp act provided for trying offenders in the hated admiralty courts, where juries are not allowed†(126). The people were against the taxes; they were not fairly represented in the courts when they were tried for violating these acts. This caused uproar by making the colonists feel like they are being controlled by the British government, and that they are not fairly represented. â€Å"Angry throats raised the cry ‘No taxation without representation’†(126). 3. In 1775, which side would a neutral observer have expected to win-Britain or the colonies? Why? As a neutral observer, it would be expected that Britain would have won for several reasons. First and for most Britain outnumbers the colonies with a stronger and trained army, â€Å"The population odds were about three to one against the rebels-some 7. 5 million Britons to 2. 5 million colonists. The odds in monetary wealth and naval power overwhelming favored the mother country. Britain then boasted a professional army of some fifty thousand men, as compared with the numerous but wretchedly trained American militia†(135). Britain had more people and they were better skilled, which displays that Britain has a huge lead on the colonists, especially since colonists are not trained. This would imply that colonists are easier to get rid of then the British army; hence they are the wealthier and stronger nation during this time. Not only were they strong and wealthy, they also received help from the Hessians, German Soldiers, and the Loyalists, colonist who stayed loyal to the King, â€Å"†¦and some thirty thousand Germans-Hessians-were ultimately employed. The British enrolled about fifty thousand American Loyalists and enlisted the services of many Indians, who though unreliable, who fair-weather fighters, inflamed long stretches of the frontier†(135). This extra help from colonists, Loyalist, hessians, and the Indians only add to the army creating a bigger advantage towards the colonists. Even though they did not win it can said that the British seemed to have a bigger lead on the colonists. Colonists presented themselves as weak and disorganized, where one would presume that they wouldn’t win at all, â€Å"Yet the American rebels were badly organized for war. From the earliest days, they had been almost fatally lacking in unity, and a new nation lurched forward uncertainly like an uncoordinated centipede†(136). Organization is important for the colonists because they are competing against a well-developed and trained army. 4. What was radical and new in the Declaration of Independence, and what was old and traditional? What did the statements like â€Å"all men are created equal† mean in their historical context, and what did they come to mean later? The old and traditional of the Declaration of Independence is that the idea of having alienable rights. The British defied these rights to the colonist, and the constitution gave them back or reconnected the colonists with these rights, â€Å"Jefferson’s pronouncement, couched in a lofty style, was magnificent. He gave his appeal universality by invoking the â€Å"natural rights† of humankind-not just British rights. He argues persuasively that because theking had flouted these rights, the colonists were justified in cutting their connections†(145). These ideas are necessarily new because these ideas originate from John Locke and the social contract. Another old and traditional idea is that they sent George III a long list of his misdeeds. â€Å"He then sent forth a long list of the presumably tyrannous misdeeds of George the III. The overdrawn bill of indictment included imposing taxes without consent, dispensing with trial by jury, abolishing valued laws, established a military dictatorship, maintaining standing armies in peacetime, cutting off trade†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (145). King George III shows an continuous pattern of control throughout the colonies and using dictatorship on the colonies, causing the colonists (T. Jefferson) for a piece of the constitution to be about George III and his actions. The newer part of the constitution would be that â€Å"all men were created equal. † This statement doesn’t truly take full meaning during this time because this was not necessarily true/ or did not apply to all men/people. In the historical content this mainly applied to all the white men, however, this did not include the blacks or women. Eventually this will eventually apply to everyone, but not yet. 5. Was the military strategy or politics the key to America victory in the war? How did the two coincide? Both military strategy and politics played a key role in the American victory. The political role in the war is with France. France has some beef with the British, so they decide to help and the Colonists, as way to get back at Britain from the French-Indian war. However, strategy played key role as well, since Britain was considered to have one of the strongest navy, they are seen as big threat to the colonists, especially since the colonists were weak, disorganized, and they did not have uniform troops. They used a hit and strategy which made weapons like, the cannonballs less effective. 6. Did the loyalists deserve to be persecuted and driven out by the country? What difference does it make to understand the revolution as a civil war between Americans as a war against the British? The loyalists did deserve to be prosecuted and driven out by the country because they were against the ideas of America and were fine with British rule; if they were satisfied with British rule then they should live in Britain because they obviously do not want the same rights as the colonists if they do fight for the cause. . What has the revolution mean to later generations of American, including our own? Do we still think of the United States as a revolutionary nation? Why or why not? 8. Which social changes brought by the Revolution was most significant? Could the Revolution have gone further toward the principle that â€Å"all men are created equal† by ending slavery or grating women’s rights? During the Revolution the most significant social change was that American can define itself as its own country without the control of the mother land. This what colonists wanted because the British government was controlling their trade, taxes, etcetera which made the colonists become angry causing them to want independence from the mother land. Another significant social change is that slavery was abolished, however they were not abolished in the south. 9. Was the United States in a crisis under the articles of confederation, or was the â€Å"crisis â€Å"exaggerated by the federalists to justify their movement? Could the United States have survived if the articles have stayed in effect? The Articles of Confederation is considered our first constitution which caused a lot of problems within our colony. The articles of confederation lacked a central government, tax, trade, etc. This caused economy to go down, no control over the states. Each state would make laws that contradicted each other, and they just did not agree on the same matters. 10. Should the founding fathers general elitism and indifference to the rights of the people, women-African Americans, and Indians be held against them?

Art and architecture around the world essays

Art and architecture around the world essays On Friday night, November 12th, I attended the lecture about Art and Architecture around the world, given by Dr. Irini Vallera-Rickerson. Being that I am very interested in both art and architecture, I was very excited to see different cultures forms of these subjects. Dr. Irini Vallera-Rickerson had the goal of filling the Robert B. Moore Theater in order to raise $10,000 for many helpful causes, including AIDS awareness...and her goal was definitely achieved. The theater was full of many different people and their families, including students, teachers, and community members. The lecture began with an informative discussion about AIDS and how it affects the people around the world, and our community. There were many new and interesting facts and statistics concerning this matter, some being a bit saddening, while others were more hopeful and optimistic for the future of those infected with the disease. Soon, Dr. Vallera-Rickerson took the stage as our tour guide around the wor ld of art and architecture within different eras and cultures. Some main focuses of the lecture were sites in Greece, Italy, Spain, and a few in America. The most interesting to me were the creations of the Spanish artist and architect, Antonio Gaudi, whose masterpieces were breathtaking. His works were so creative and odd, and he added great detail that presented such a unique style. Every piece of art I saw that night was amazing, and I would recommend everyone to attend one of these special events; it is definitely worth it. Anyone who enjoys any type of art, travel, entertainment, or just helping out the community shouldnt miss out on this insightful presentation. ...

Are Cover Letters Necessary

Are Cover Letters Necessary Are Cover Letters Necessary? A strong cover letter is a tool most every applicant needs to have in their arsenal. However, a number of people believe it is unnecessary and their rà ©sumà © can stand on its own. Not only is this idea likely a mistake; its practice can negate any chance of being considered seriously by potential employers. What a Cover Letter Can Do Set you apart. A cover letter is an opportunity to pitch yourself and convince the employer or recruiter to meet you in person. Its main purpose is to â€Å"wow† and prove youre a great candidate for the job. Writing a cover letter is similar to advertising a brand. It expresses what kind of team member you may be. A successful cover letter warrants a call for an interview, increases the possibility of of attaining the maximum salary available, and may put you in the top two percent of applicants who are considered for the position. Reveal your personality and ability. If your resume is formal and fact-based, the cover letter may benefit from including a bit of â€Å"personality.† By sharing more about yourself and personal style through the tone of your writing, employers are better able to determine if you fit the company’s culture or philosophy. A cover letter can build advance rapport by providing a glimpse of who you are as a person (beyond a professional facade). Why a Cover Letter May Be Ignored Its poorly written. (Enough said.) Some employers dont read them. Depending upon the type of organization and the personality of upper management, some companies merely peruse rà ©sumà ©s. If a potential employer advertises they dont wish to review a cover letter, dont bother writing one. Some recruiting trends indicate the approach is outdated. One recent Forbes article argued cover letters are passà © and not essential to the application and recruitment process. Some believe networking, experience, and a well-written rà ©sumà © are the only means to nab a job. Despite a few changing opinions, cover letters still have a place among many employers and recruiters. If you are in need of a well-written cover letter to help you land that job interview, has staff dedicated to creating applicant drafts to land the job you want. Call today: (800) 573-0840; let’s start writing!

Constructivists approach towards management of change Essay

Constructivists approach towards management of change - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that social constructionism is considered to be an ‘epistemology’ owing to its approach of knowledge. The philosophy of social constructionism accentuates on the communication among the people in a particular group. Basically, social constructionism is based on three main assumptions. The relational and the social constructionist perspective would be discussed in this paper in order to understand about personality clashes. These perspectives would be discussed so as to bring in clarity for the reason of professional effectiveness. The notion of ‘construct’ focuses on the structure of reality that is made. In other words, it can be said that people build up stories, theories, and ideas in order to assist them in coping up with the real world. Furthermore, the knowledge possessed by people does not impartially mirror the outside reality. It is all the time shaped from one’s own insights, knowledge, and princip les. The notion of ‘social’, states that the structures which are concentrated on the surrounding world are possible to be developed only with the help of communication with others. Knowledge or experiences are said to subsist only in the instance when it is communicated with another individual. Constructs are communicated stories and these facilitate people to operate as a collective group. The notion of social constructionism stresses on the fact that these structures are practical and is bound to be helpful in the course of daily activities.... 00) and Botella & Herrero (2000) that an amalgamative connection between the approaches of social constructionism and cognitive constructionism could be termed as ‘relational constructivism’. The perception of Adlerian reverberates with the theory of social constructionism in relation to the socio-cultural sources for the growth of human psychology. Although it was agreed that humans lived in a world that has individuals or persons and which is socio-cultural but each and every person had a differentiating feature of personhood which is being obtain by every individual. The theory of relational constructionism defines the process undertaken which leads to effective and developmental social construction. A perspective in relation to the relational constructionist provides fresh and prosperous likelihoods for importance in the courses of relations as well as social communications. Relational constructionism facilitates an individual or a person to have a â€Å"participato ry world view† and presumes the dominance of relations to be the source in which identities, intercultural relations, learning and communities, which are viewed as social structures, are constantly formed and altered. In case of relational constructionism, relating is not considered to be a personal action any more and no more condensed to be one-sided informal relations with comments. Being a perspective, it provides a more prosperous set of probabilities in regard to the way relating can be theorized. To add further, the principle of relational perspective is regarding what subsists or is present which is also referred as ontology. It is then linked with the way people recognizes it and makes it probable and helpful to inquire about the methodical suppositions of participants as well as the academic

Annotated Bibliography Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Annotated Bibliography - Assignment Example In this journal, the writer argues that there is no single organization that can perform better without a proper functioning department of human resource management; therefore it is important that the human resource managers cooperate. Elwood F. Holton II, James W. Trott, Jr. (1996). "Trends Toward a Closer Integration of Vocational Education and Human Resources Development", Journal of Vocational and Technical Education, Vol. 12, No. 2, p7. In this text, the writer describes the matter of human resource development in detain and explains all the issues involved for its success, as well as describing its importance to an organization as a whole. In this journal, we find that the writer describes human resource development in detail and then goes ahead to explain how it supports the sharing of knowledge in an organization, as well as the workforce. This journal discusses the issue of integrated managerial training in detail, and explains how it greatly helps or even how it is strategic for the development of management in an organization or company. In this book, the writers try to give the readers a clear understanding of the importance of human resources and its performance, and then describe the benefits that an organization can get from a well structured department of human resources. In this book, the writers try to describe in detail how a typical department of human resources should look like and goes ahead to explain the different components of the department and its leadership. The writer, in this article explains what a human resource management is and discusses the international human resource management comprehensively, which include integrating people, process and context. Budhwar, P. S., Schuler R. S. and Sparrow P.R. (eds.) (2009).   Major works in international human resource management.   Volumes

Rational Choice Theory Essay Example for Free

Rational Choice Theory Essay â€Å"Man is a rational animal who always loses his temper when he is called upon to act in accordance with the dictates of reason. † As seen from Oscar Wilde’s famous quote, rationality is one of the most crucial and controversial subjects in studying human behavior. To study and examine this rationality, numerous scholars have tried to establish their own theories and generalize their explanation with empirical evidences from real world, which ultimately produces so called, the theory of rational choice. Rational Choice Theory is an approach to understand human behavior. The approach has long been the dominant paradigm in economics, but in recent several decades it has become more widely used in other fileds such as Sociology, Political Science, and Anthropology. The main purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of rational choice theory and briefly discuss its basic assumptions, critiques, political implication, and alternative explanations of individual choice mechanism. First of all, historical backgrounds of rational choice theory and its transition from the field of Economics to that of Political Science will be elaborated. Next, various definitions and meanings of the rational choice will be discussed. The basic assumptions of the rational choice approach with political implication will be followed. Several issues raised by rational choice theory will be followed after this discussion. This paper will suggest some of the main criticisms that have been levied against the rational choice approach. Limited empirical validity of rational choice theory and methodological individualism, which reveals innate problematic nature of the theory, will be discussed. Finally, alternative explanations of individual choice mechanism will sum up this discussion. Before elaborating its theoretical discussion, it is necessary to discuss historical backgrounds of rational choice theory. In the article, â€Å"A Genealogy of Rational Choice: Rationalism, Elitism, and Democracy†, Maloy introduces Skinner’s analysis of behaviorism as fundamental background for the discussion of rational choice theory. He argues that, â€Å"Skinner’s analysis deserves the attention of the recent debates around rational choice ecause it calls attention to the ineluctable ideological features of methodological debate† (Maloy 751). According to Maloy, Skinner could â€Å"clarify the sorts of normative force which attach to empirical theories in social sciences by a close textual analysis of some leading contributions to the behaviorist debate†, which ultimately enables the discussion of rational choice to be furthered applied into different fields of study (Maloy 751). Milton Freidman is another crucial figure that provides profound theoretical base for discussing rational choice theory. In â€Å"The Methodology of Positive Economics†, Friedman argues that people and firms make decisions that can maximize their profit under perfect information. He defended rational choice model by arguing that, â€Å"a theory should be judged by its predictive accuracy, not the realism of its assumptions† (Friedman 10). His argument provides theoretical foundations of rational choice theory in Economics, even though it is often criticized by later scholars because of its weak empirical validity and ceteris paribus nature. While rational choice theory has been dominant paradigm in Economics, it has become â€Å"adapted and adjusted in a number of ways to fit† different fields of study such as Political Science; Maloy explains that â€Å"the distinctiveness of the rational choice approach among political scientists consists, in general terms, in the use of economic models to explain and predict political behavior (Maloy 753). Maloy points out three prominent figures, Arrow, Downs, and Olson as rational choice founders especially in the field of political science. According to Maloy, Arrow’s work focuses on so called, â€Å"collective rationality whose underlying purpose is to measure collective choices using standards normally applied to individual choices (Maloy 753). Down uses Arrow’s collective rationality as the starting point of his study and â€Å"aims to articulate a behavior rule for democratic governments so that they could be included in economic theories of general equilibrium, alongside non-state agents like private firms and consumers (Maloy 754). Finally, Olson’s analysis has taken â€Å"the key elements of Arrow’s and Down’s constructs and applied them to a narrower field†; He argues that â€Å"as long as the service provided by a voluntary association is a public good on which an individual can ride-free, there is no incentive actually to take on the costs associated with joining, membership and participation, unless the marginal contribution of that individual appreciably advances the organizational cause† (Maloy 754). All three choice founders’ works have enabled rational choice theory to be in the central place of political discussion in â€Å"the creative and cross-disciplinary ways† (Maloy 755). By arguing that voting results have no specific social meaning, voting has no individual efficacy, and participation in interest group activity has no special individual efficacy, these rational choice founders could criticize unrealistic and irrational assumptions and norms of traditional democratic system and bring rational choice model to the place of political discussion from the field of Economics (Maloy 755). Rational Choice Theory generally starts with consideration of the choice behavior of individual decision-making units, which in economics are often consumers and firms. The theory suggests that the individual decision-making unit is certain larger group such as buyers or sellers in a particular market. Once individual behavior is set up, the analysis generally moves on to examine how individual choices interact to produce outcomes. Then, what does it mean by arguing that a choice is rational? In rational choice theory it means that an agent’s choices reflect the most preferred possible alternative among given opportunities. In other words, choices must reflect utility maximization. Elinor Ostrom defines rational choice theory as a guide to â€Å"understand humans as self-interested, short-term maximizers† in his work, â€Å"A Behavioral Approach to the Rational Choice Theory of Collective Action† (Ostrom 2). In the article, â€Å"The Political Psychology of Rational Choice Theory†, William H.  Riker also suggests that â€Å"the rational choice model begins with the assumption that actors know what they want and can order their wants transitively† (Riker 25). â€Å"Transitively† here means that an agent of rational choice model can do so called, â€Å"a transitive ordering†; â€Å"To know what one wants requires one to choose the best from among several goals and, failing to attain it, to choose the second best, etc† (Riker 24). This formulation of ordering enables an agent to pursue the best option with given constraints that limit choices he or she can have. In their work, â€Å"Rational Choice Theory†, Coleman and Fararo define rational choice sociologically as they use the term, â€Å"models of purposive action†, rather than rational choice; â€Å"These models rest on the assumption that actors are purposive which means they act in ways that tend to produce beneficial results† (Coleman and Fararo 21). These several definitions point out that choices pursuing utility maximization and outcomes made by these choices are key elements in rational choice theory. Then how is different when rational choice theory is applied into the field of Political Science instead of other fields of study such as Economics and Sociology? According to Riker, Economists’ main concern for rational choice is â€Å"the process and outcomes produced by voluntary exchange, where of course, all participants benefit. On the other hand, â€Å"Politics mainly concerns processes and outcomes produced by group decisions which are practically binding on those who cannot resign from the group. Thus, there can be losers and winners in politics according to Riker’s argument (Riker 24). Although Rational choice theory has long been the dominant paradigm in Economics and other fields of study, it has been subject to vigorous criticism. In â€Å"Pathologies of Rational Choice Theory†, Don Green and Ian Shapiro raises several empirical problems that rational choice theory possess; they â€Å"conclude that a number of methodological deficiencies plague empirical applications of rational choice models. They argue that, â€Å"fundamental and recurrent methodological failings rooted in the universalist aspirations that motivate so much rational choice theorizing† (Freidman 59). According to Green and Shapiro, â€Å"these mistakes stem from a method-driven rather than a problem-driven approach to research, in which practitioners are more eager to vindicate one or another universalist model than to understand and explain actual political outcomes† (Friedman 59). Green and Shapiro’s argument can be summarized into three propositions; â€Å"there is a list of methodological characteristics that are undesirable in an empirical science and are thus to be avoided. † â€Å"Empirical applications of rational choice theory are more likely to commit these mistakes than other types of empirical analysis in political science. â€Å"These pathologies are not due to and historical coincidence, but are rooted in fundamental characteristics of rational choice theory, especially its universalist aspirations and the lack of specificity in the rational actor assumption† (Freidman 60). These propositions suggest that rational choice theory has its empirical limit for testing and predicting actual political outcomes. In detail, Green and Shapiro point out several problems of rational choice theory that possibly undermines the empirical validity of the theory itself. Post hoc theory development† known to statisticians as â€Å"curve fitting† is one of these problems that rational choice theory contains. Green and Shapiro â€Å"contend that rather than formulating bold predictions that are falsifiable by empirical evidence, rational choice theorist tend first to look at the empirical evidence, then design a rational choice model that fits it† (Friedman 5). Another problem raised by Green and Shapiro is rational choice theorists’ engagement in â€Å"arbitrary domain restriction† (Friedman 5). As discussed earlier, certain restrictions or constraints enable â€Å"a transitive ordering† in rational choice theory. Green and Shapiro argue that these constraints and restrictions are defined in ambiguous ways in rational choice model, which ultimately makes the empirical validity of the theory weakened. Green and Shapiro’s examination of the phenomenon of voting behavior is another major example that shows these problems rational choice theory innately possesses. â€Å"In a real-world election with a large electorate, it is instrumentally irrational for anyone to case a ballot, since no single vote has more than an infinitesimal chance of deciding the outcome. Whether one favors selfish or selfless ends, virtually any activity in pursuit of those ends would be more effective than the time spent on voting and on educating oneself about candidates and issues. Yet hundreds of millions of people do vote. For rational choice theory, this would appear to be a gigantic anomaly† (Friedman 6); As noted earlier, rational choice theory presumes that an agent of the model seeks best possible outcomes to maximize his or her utility in given constraints. However, according to Green and Shapiro, in a real-world voting behavior does not confirm this assumption of rational choice theory where voters cast a ballot without having enough time to assess or predict its possible outcome and realizing whether his or her action of voting maximize benefit or not. Another issue raised by Green and Shapiro is free riding problem; While voters can easily pursue a free riding action on the efforts of others to help the cause succeed, there is no need for people to devote resources of time and money to cause desired results. In other words, â€Å"rational choice theory would seem to be refuted not only by people who vote, but by those who contribute small amounts of money to political campaigns, attend rallies, and engage in other forms of collective action designed to secure goals whose achievement is independent of the efforts of any single participant† (Friedman 7). As seen from Green and Shapiro’s founding, most criticisms of rational choice theory seem to be that the assumptions of the theory are not literally and completely true. No model can pass such a test, as all theories abstract from reality in certain way. Determining the empirical validity of a model would therefore seem to involve an examination of both feasibility of assumptions and conformity with real-world data. The most basic assumption of rational choice theory is that the primary unit of analysis is the individual decision-maker. Those who believe that groups are fundamental have criticized this assumption. This issue of so called, â€Å"methodological individualism† are dealt in many contexts in the social sciences. In the book, â€Å"Rational Choice Theory: Advocacy and Critique†, Coleman and Fararo argues that models of purposive action or rational choice model can be useful in explaining and predicting human behavior. They further their argument by saying that â€Å"because the values and beliefs of individuals are shaped primarily by the socializing influences of society, especially as mediated through social relationships with significant other, an understanding of the culture and structure of societies and of the positions of individuals within them is necessary† (Coleman and Fararo 22). According to Coleman and Fararo, major problem for applying rational choice model particularly into Economics and Political Science, in which the primary interest has been in aggregate level outcomes, â€Å"is that the postulate of purposive action has been linked to arbitrary and narrow assumptions about what individuals value and believe† (Coleman Fararo 33). Also the assumption that human behavior is narrowly self-interested and the use of the term rationality to refer to the efficient pursuit of economic benefits has often produced incorrect assumption that rational choice model are innately egoistic; â€Å"that they regard individuals as calculating the expected benefit to themselves of alternative lines of action and acting accordingly (Coleman and Fararo 34). Recent empirical evidences suggest that human beings are capable of acting in ways for the interests of others or the social group above their self-interest, which implies that the assumption of individual’s pursuit of self-interest does not match with reality. Coleman and Fararo further their discussion of this â€Å"methodological individualism† by arguing that a social norm can be one primary example, which refutes the basic assumption of rational choice model. According to Coleman and Fararo, â€Å"When a social norm is know to have been violated, some type of formal or informal sanction will result† (Coleman Fararo 35). Formal sanction like a legal code or a set of rules and informal sanction like a disapproval or social ostracism would affect individual’s choice making process. Therefore, unlike the basic assumption of rational choice model suggests that human behavior is oriented from self-interest, by the effect of social norms and values, individuals can consequently act in altruistic or selfless way for pursuing the interests of groups they are involved in. Because of its limit and problematic nature of rational choice theory, the need for alternative explanation has become necessary for many scholars who criticize the theory. Dennis Chong provides some insights for the possible alternative of rational choice theory in his article, â€Å"Rational Choice Theory’s Mysterious Rivals†. According to Chong, even though Green and Shapiro’s critique against rational choice theory has failed to provide complete form of alternative explanation, there are some theoretical debates and discussions that suggest possible theoretical replacement or revision. Chong argues that, â€Å"Green and Shapiro occasionally allude to the influence of social-psychological and moral factors† such as group loyalties, emotions, political identities, ideology, obligation, and altruism (Friedman 47). As found in Coleman and Fararo’s arguments that institutional or social factors can affect individual’s choice making process, many scholars further their discussion of this social motivation as the alternative of rational choice theory. In his article, â€Å"When Rationality Fails†, Michael Taylor argues that social identification and intrinsic motivation can explain some of significant social phenomenon and collective action that has been ignored by rational choice theory; â€Å"If a person defines herself as a member of a group, or if her membership in a group is made cognitively salient, then she is more likely to observe the group’s norms and cooperate with group members in social dilemmas† (Friedman 230). For intrinsic motivation, Taylor explains that there are some activities that are intrinsically motivating people to be participated such as interesting work, volunteering, and political activities. In this case the activity itself or enjoyment of that activity is the reward for people. When extrinsic rewards like money are introduced, intrinsic motivation would diminish (Friedman 231). By suggesting the concept of social identification and intrinsic motivation, problems of rational choice model for explaining some collective action can be resolved. In this paper, a sense of how rational choice theory works and of its methodological foundations has been introduced. It has also been noticed that rational choice theory is not an ultimate answer. The theory is subject to a number of criticisms, but there is no doubt that its influence in various fields of study have brought tremendous amounts of theoretical debates, and increased the depth of economic, sociological, and political discussions. It is impossible to attain complete knowledge about anything, especially social phenomena. However, it is certain that rational choice approach is one of most crucial theoretical resources for human beings to explore and examine to gain this ultimate answer. It can be useful or misleading, depending on how it is treated. It is responsibility of remaining and future scholars and people to correctly apply and use this theory with open-minded attitude.

unforgiven and being there :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are four elements that I will discuss while writing this paper. These four elements will describe the hero’s plot. The two movies that I will apply these elements to are Unforgiven and Being There.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The first element that I will discuss is origin. Origin is the starting point of the movie. It is who the character is at the time you meet him. In the movie Unforgiven, the main character is a man named William Munny. When we first see William Munny, he is on a small farm with his two children. He is not very wealthy and is working in the pigpen. His wife had died a couple of years ago and he is left to take care of a farm and his two children. In the movie Being There, the main character is a man named Chance the Gardner. When the audience first meets Chance, he is sitting on his bed watching television. Chance is a mentally challenged man. A black maid named Louise comes in and tells Chance that the old man has passed away. Louise is very upset and Chance does not show any kind of emotion. This is how both characters in the two movies are introduced to the audience.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The second element, which is important, is the back story. The back story is the unseen but understood theme behind the movie. It is the meaning of the movie in a whole. William Munny’s background is introduced at the beginning of the movie. They portray him as an assassin and a die-hard cowboy. He murdered women and children and was the most feared man in Wyoming. Since then he has changed his life. After getting married to his wife he quit drinking and killing and tried to better his life.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Chance the Gardner is described as being the caretaker of the garden. He lived with and old man who owns a very large estate. They suggest that he was taken into the house at a very young age. Being the gardener, this was the only life he knew.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The third element is development. Development is the changes and challenges that the character faces. One of the challenges that William Munny faces is when a young man comes to Munny’s farm and asks Munny to join him in killing two men that sliced a prostitutes face. He says that he will give Munny five hundred dollars if he helped him kill these two men. unforgiven and being there :: essays research papers   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are four elements that I will discuss while writing this paper. These four elements will describe the hero’s plot. The two movies that I will apply these elements to are Unforgiven and Being There.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The first element that I will discuss is origin. Origin is the starting point of the movie. It is who the character is at the time you meet him. In the movie Unforgiven, the main character is a man named William Munny. When we first see William Munny, he is on a small farm with his two children. He is not very wealthy and is working in the pigpen. His wife had died a couple of years ago and he is left to take care of a farm and his two children. In the movie Being There, the main character is a man named Chance the Gardner. When the audience first meets Chance, he is sitting on his bed watching television. Chance is a mentally challenged man. A black maid named Louise comes in and tells Chance that the old man has passed away. Louise is very upset and Chance does not show any kind of emotion. This is how both characters in the two movies are introduced to the audience.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The second element, which is important, is the back story. The back story is the unseen but understood theme behind the movie. It is the meaning of the movie in a whole. William Munny’s background is introduced at the beginning of the movie. They portray him as an assassin and a die-hard cowboy. He murdered women and children and was the most feared man in Wyoming. Since then he has changed his life. After getting married to his wife he quit drinking and killing and tried to better his life.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Chance the Gardner is described as being the caretaker of the garden. He lived with and old man who owns a very large estate. They suggest that he was taken into the house at a very young age. Being the gardener, this was the only life he knew.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The third element is development. Development is the changes and challenges that the character faces. One of the challenges that William Munny faces is when a young man comes to Munny’s farm and asks Munny to join him in killing two men that sliced a prostitutes face. He says that he will give Munny five hundred dollars if he helped him kill these two men.

Kaplan university science Essay

This assignment concerning the differences between reputable source and questionable sources is in regards to weight loss programs. There are so many different programs available to the public. Unfortunately they are often from a questionable source consisting magic pills and supplements and marketed as the recommendations of a seemingly practicing physician who has conducted scientific research of sorts that will back up his claims. Many times it is stated or at least implied that there is absolutely no necessary change in diet or lifestyle needed. I think this makes their products a best-seller because it feeds into the fears and insecurities of the customer as well as the fantasy of something for nothing. For example, there is a new fad of weight supplements by ’Dr. Oz’. â€Å"Oprah and Other Celebrates Lose 4lbs a Week of BellyFat With This Secret That Readers Can Try Now!†¦According to Dr. Travis Stork, Garcenia Lean Extreme works in more than one way. The fi rst way is it goes in and causes the body to burn glucose, or sugar, and burn fat mainly in the liver. The second way, the most important way, is it slows the release of sugar into the bloodstream. So, when you don’t have sugar building up because sugar turns to fat. When the two combine together, you get this synergistic effect that basically burns and blocks and stops fat, but it is also natural and safe†. (Dr. Oz n.d.) The advertisement goes on further to provide quotes from seemingly satisfied customers whom boast of unprecedented weight loss in record breaking time without changing a single thing in their daily routine or diet. However, there are medical weight loss programs which are the result of legitimate and peer reviewed research. These programs offer no magic pills or supplements but do provide tested and proven facts concerning healthy and sustainable weight loss induced by a routine exercise regimen, significant reduction in calorie intake, and dramatic lifestyle changes. None of which is by any means easy. But, this is the program that can confidently guarantee amazing weight loss results and deliver. For example, â€Å"Specialist dietitians competent in Counterweight Programme delivery conducted two four-hour training sessions and a further 3 hour sessions after 6 months to consolidate the initial training.

Techonology and Decision Making Paper Hcs 482

Running head: TECHNOLOGY AND DECISION MAKING Technology and Decision Making University of Phoenix Healthcare Informatics HCS/482 Richard Ong November 15, 2008 Technology and Decision Making Technology, decision-making processes, and data accessibility have changed dramatically in recent years. This paper will discuss systems and informatics theories. The paper will confer on the Data, Information, and Knowledge (DIK) Model. The role of expert system in nursing care and medicine will be provided. Decision aids and decision support systems are used everyday providing focus, leadership and direction within technology and will be examined. The use of technology for patient and client management will be explored. An analysis of the impact of technology on healthcare and health status will be investigated. Systems and Informatics Theories Systems are â€Å"a group of interacting, interrelated, or interdependent elements forming a complex whole† (Systems, n. d. , Definition). Systems describe healthcare, schools, computers, and a person. The systems are either open or closed. Closed systems are inoperable to function with others third party products and open systems are designed to allow third party products to plug in or interoperate with the system. Neither system interacts with the environment. Open systems consist of three characteristics; purpose, functions, and structure (Englebardt and Nelson, 2002). Systems can have more than one purpose based on the needs of the user. Functions that the system will need to carry out need to be identified for the system to achieve its purpose. The â€Å"systems are structured in ways that allow them to perform their functions† (Englebardt & Nelson, 2002, p. 6). The two types of models used to conceptualize the structure of a system; hierarchical and web (Englebardt & Nelson, 2002). Some examples of system applications are; institution wide, specialty support, documentation, administrations, operations, expert, stand alone information, and decision support. The study of healthcare informatics incorporates theories from information Nursing science, computer science, cognitive science, along with other sciences used in the healthcare delivery (Englebardt & Nelson, 2002). Three models that represent the informatics theories are; Shannon and Weaver’s information-communication model, Blum’s model and The Nelson data to wisdom continuum. Shannon and Weaver’s model states that a message starts with the sender and is converted to a code by the encoder. The converted message can be letters, words, music, symbols or a computer code (Englebardt & Nelson, 2002). The message is carried by a channel and along with the message noise is transmitted in the space to the decoder where the message is converted to a format that is understood by the receiver. â€Å"Bruce L. Blum developed a definition of information from an analysis of the accomplishments in medical computing† (Englebardt & Nelson, 2002, p. 12). According to Blum the three types of healthcare computing applications are; data, information and knowledge (Englebardt & Nelson, 2002). Data is information that is not interpreted. Data that is processed and displayed is categorized as information and when the data and information are combined and formalized knowledge results (Englebardt & Nelson, 2002). â€Å"A knowledge base includes the interrelationship between the data and information† (Englebardt & Nelson, 2002, p. 13). The Nelson Data to Wisdom Continuum states the four types of healthcare computing applications are; data, information, knowledge and wisdom. The four overlap at all times. Data is the naming, collecting and organizing the message. Information is further organizing and interpreting the message. Knowledge occurs when the message is interpreted, integrated and understood. Wisdom is the ability to understand and apply the message with compassion. Data, Information and Knowledge Model â€Å"Nursing informatics, as defined by the American Nurses Association(ANA), is a specialty that integrates nursing science, computer science and information science to manage and communicate data, information and knowledge in nursing practice† (Newbold, 2008, para. 1). Decision making by healthcare professionals is based on the assimilation of data, information and knowledge to support patient care. Organizing data, information and knowledge for the processing by computers is accomplished through the use of information technology and information structures (Newbold, 2008). The first level is data which â€Å"†¦are recorded (captured and stored) symbols and signal readings† (Liew, 2007, Definitions). Data is bits of information though to just have data is not meaningful to decision making. The second level is information which is organized, interpreted and communicated data between machines or humans. Characteristics of quality information are: complete and clear in its descriptions, accurate, measurable, preferably by measurable objective means such as numbers, variable by independent observers, promptly entered, rapidly and easily available when needed, objective, rather than subjective, comprehensive, including all necessary informati on, appropriate to each user’s needs, clear and unambiguous, reliable, easy and convenient form to interpret, classify, store, retrieve and update† (Theoretical issues, 1998, Concepts). Knowledge is the third level of the model and is the collection of information that is obtained from several sources to produce a concept used to achieve a basis for logical decision-making. The information needs to be useful and applied to be known as knowledge. The final level is Wisdom which â€Å"†¦is the highest level of being able to understand and apply knowledge using compassion† (Theoretical issues, 1998, Concepts). â€Å"Information consists of data, but data is not necessarily information. Also, wisdom is knowledge, which in turn is information, which in turn is data, but, for example, knowledge is not necessarily wisdom. So wisdom is a subset of knowledge, which is a subset of information, which is a subset of data† (Steyn, 2001, para. 2). Without an understanding of the source of data and information which is based on activities and situations, the relationship between data, information, and knowledge will not be understood (Liew, 2007). Expert Systems in Nursing Care and Medicine Medical artificial intelligence is primarily concerned with the structure of Artificial Intelligence (AI) programs that perform diagnosis and make therapy recommendations. Unlike medical applications based on other programming methods, such as purely statistical and probabilistic methods, medical AI programs are based on symbolic models, such as statistical and probabilistic methods, medical AI programs are based on symbolic models of disease entities and their relationship to patient factors and clinical manifestations’ as defined by Clancey and Shortliffe (1984). Expert systems (ES) in nursing care and medic ine fill an appropriate role with intelligent programs offering significant benefits. They hold medical knowledge containing specifically defined tasks and are able to reason with data from individual patients responding with reasoned conclusions. The advantages of an expert system over a doctor are: 1. A large database of knowledge can be added and kept up to date with the ability of a large amount to be stored. 2. The system does not forget or get facts wrong. 3. The continued existence of the knowledge is forever not lost with death or retirement. 4. The computer can make contact with specialist knowledge that a doctor may not have. . The ES may shorten time to make the correct diagnosis and reduce diagnostic errors. 6. Countries with a large number of population and have physicians are limited can receive medical knowledge leading to prompt care. ES’s are not replacing doctors or nurses but are being used by them stimulating an interrogated large database of knowledge of a human expert. Decision Aids and Decision Support Systems Decision support systems (DS S) are systems that â€Å"model and provide support for human decision-making processes in clinical situations. They are advanced technologies that support clinical decision making by interfacing evidence-based clinical knowledge at the point of care with real-time clinical data at significant clinical decision points†(Gregory, 2006, p. 21). Decision support systems offer various methods of decision support, including recommendations for diagnostic testing, critical lab value alerts, help with diagnosis and advice for clinicians on what medications to use. According to the British Medical Journal, â€Å"Clinical decision support systems do not always improve clinical practice, however. In a recent systematic review of computer based systems, most (66%) significantly improved clinical practice, but 34% did not† (Kawanoto, Houlihan, Balas, & Lobach, 2005, p. 769). Decision support systems can improve patient outcomes however; more studies are needed to develop better systems. Decisions by their very nature are uncertain, medical decisions have the added complexity of involving an individual’s values and beliefs as related to the risk-benefit profiles or uncertain outcomes of medical treatment. The goal of using a decision aid is to help the patient make informed decisions based on his or her belief and value system. Limited and conflicting research on the use of decision aids makes it impossible to determine if having patients use a decision aid would benefit him or her. According to an article published in the Medical Decision Making Journal â€Å"Decision aids are a promising new technological innovation in health care, however, like any new innovation, their widespread adoption needs to be preceded by a careful evaluation of their potential harms, rather than an uncritical promotion of their potential benefits† (Nelson, Han, Fagerlin, Stefanek, & Ubel, 2007, p. 617). Decision aids can be an important addition to promoting shared decision making between the physicians and patient however, decision aids â€Å"may send the wrong message to patients about the goals of decision making, or lead patients to believe that they can reduce or eliminate uncertainty when confronting decisions† (Nelson, Han, Fagerlin, Stefanek, & Ubel, 2007, p. 618) Technology for Patient and Client Management Technology can be used in many areas of patient and client management. Technology is said to have the potential to bring the patient and healthcare providers together creating patient-centered care. The goal of patient-centered care is to empower the patients, give patients choices and tailor treatment decisions based on the patient’s beliefs, values, cultural traditions, their family situations and their lifestyles. Technology impacts this concept when healthcare providers use clinical information systems such as enhanced patient registration systems which uses the internet or onsite wireless devices, using decision aids and decision support systems, Telemonitoring Devices, and the electronic health record. New technology will help healthcare providers with patient management by increasing the ability of healthcare providers to retrieve and apply accurate information about their patients quickly and allow patients to acquire information to improve control of their diagnosis and or treatments and to talk with their healthcare providers. Technology on Healthcare and Health Status Analysis The future holds many technological changes that will affect healthcare directly and help shape our already powerful profession. Technological advances will dramatically change healthcare provider’s roles and the healthcare delivery systems. Computers are not unusual for a patient to use to surf the Internet to find information related to the diagnosis. Patients may also browse the Internet and find conditions here the symptoms are closely related to what he or she is experiencing. He reads all he can find, and when he goes to the doctor he may be informed, misinformed, or over-informed, regarding the possible diagnosis of his problem. Technology presents to the healthcare consumer a tremendous resource of information regarding his healthcare. Computers, biosensors, implants, genetic therapies, and imaging devices are examples of the emerging technologies of the 21st century. Medical artificial intelligence in contexts such as computer-assisted surgery, electrocardiography and fetal monitoring interpretation, clinical diagnosis, and genetic counseling will have a major impact on our future. Telemedicine currently ranges from radiographic consultations across cities to telebiotic surgeries across hemispheres (Cohen, Furst, Keil & Keil, 2006). Interactive disks already assist patients to make more independent medical decisions regarding their care. Devices for home use can help monitor blood pressure and blood glucose or perform a pregnancy test. Technology also helps assist patients with finding information regarding a diagnosis. Although technology is very beneficial to healthcare other concerns continue to exist. Every day healthcare providers use complex machinery, including many types of monitors, ventilators, intravenous pumps, feeding pumps, suction devices, electronic beds and scales, lift equipment, and assistive devices. The directions for use of many of these machines are not self-evident and may be highly complicated. As a result, some patients may endure injury secondary to misuse of the product (Cohen, Furst, Keil & Keil, 2006). The company may also incur unexpected expenses if the equipment becomes damaged and need to be replaced. Similarly, new computer systems present many learning difficulties for healthcare providers. Many computer systems are not user friendly. Computer systems designers are notorious for supplying computers with numerous advanced but obscure functions, but these systems often lack the ability to make daily tasks easier t accomplish. Millions of dollars have een wasted on computer systems that are not used or are underused because the user needs were not assessed before the systems were designed (Thielst, 2007). There remain three basic reasons for the continued increase in healthcare costs: inflation, increased demand for services as a result of federal programs such as Medicare and Medicaid, and expensive technological advances in medicine. Conclusion In conclusion, sign ificant economic and social trends are dramatically altering the forms of healthcare delivery in the United States and the roles played by healthcare providers. Advances in technology, globalization of culture and communication, ever-widening computer applications, aging of the population, and dynamic changes in the healthcare industry are among major developments (Thielst, 2007). To cope with and to contribute to the future of healthcare, the healthcare team must understand how computers are now being used in healthcare, and they must be able to work with computers in a cost-effective manner in their healthcare practice. No matter what delivery system is in place in a particular institution, healthcare providers will find that each is vitally involved with ensuring quality and in discovering measurable ways of monitoring quality. References W. J. Clancey and E. H. Shortliffe, eds. (1984). Readings in Medical Artificial Intelligence: First Decade. Reading, Massachusetts: Addison-Wesley. Cohen, T. , First, E. , Keil, O. & Wang, B. (2006). Medical equipment management strategies. Biomedical Instrumentation & Technology, 40(3), 233-238. Englebardt, S. P. , & Nelson, R. (2002). Health care informatics: An interdisciplinary approach. St. Louis, MO: Mosby Elsevier. Gregory, A. (2006, January/March). Issues of Trust and Ethics in Computerized Clinical Decision Support Systems. Nursing Administration Quarterly, 30(1), Pp. 21-29. Kawanoto, K. , Houlihan, C. , Balas, A. , & Lobach, D. (2005, April 2). Improving clinical practice by using clinical decision support systems: A systematic review of trials to identify features critical to success. BMJ, 330, P. 765-700. Liew, A. (2007, June). Understanding data, information, knowledge and their relationship. Retrieved November 10, 2008, from Journal of Knowledge Management Practice: http://www. tlainc. com/article 134. htm Nelson, W. , Han, P. , Fagerlin, A. , Stefanek, M. , & Ubel, P. (2007, October 1, 2007). Rethinking the Objectives of Decision Aids: A Call for Conceptual Clarity. Medical Decision Making, 27(5), Pp. 609-618. Newbold, S. (2008). A new definition for nursing informatics. Retrieved November 10, 2008, from Advance for Nurses: http://nursing. advanceweb. com/Article/A-New-Definition-for-Nursing-Informatics. spx Steyn, J. (2001). Data, information, knowledge and wisdom. Retrieved November 12, 2008, from Knowsystem: http://knowsystems. com/km/definition. html System. (n. d. ). Retrieved November 11, 2008, from Answers. com: http://www. answers. com/topic/system Theoretical Issues. (1998). Retrieved November 10, 2008, from University of Texas at Tyler: http://www. uttyler. edu/nursing/ckilmon/ni/theory. htm Th ielst, C. (2007). The future of healthcare technology. Journal of Healthcare Management, 52(1), 7-10. Retrieved from ProQuest database on November 11, 2008.

Free Essays on Physician-Assisted Suicide

Physician-assisted suicide presents one of the greatest dilemmas tothe medical profession. Should someone who is mentally competent, but deemed terminally ill, be allowed to engagein physician-assisted suicide? According to the First Amendment of The Constitution of The United States, â€Å"one hasthe freedom to petition the government for a redress of grievances.â€Å" The Fourteenth Amendment states, â€Å"The Statecannot deprive any person of life, liberty or property, without due process of law; nor deny any person within itsjurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.â€Å" The group believes that a terminally ill patient has the Constitutionalright to decide whether or not to end his or her life with the help of a licensed medical doctor. There have been many cases overthe years where a terminally ill patient who is mentally competent has made the choice to either partake in physician-assistedsuicide or euthanasia. â€Å"Physician-assisted suicide occurs when the physician provides thepatient with the means and/or knowledge to commit suicide†(Death and Dying,91). â€Å"Euthanasia is when the physicianadministers the death causing drug or agent†(Death and Dying,92). The most recent case is that of The Stateof Florida v. Charles Hall. â€Å"Charles Hall is dying of AIDS and challenged the State of Florida to let him die bya self-administered lethal injection without fear of prosecution†(rights.org/ deathnet/open.html). On January31, 1997, a Judge ruled that Charles Hall could take his own life with the aid of a doctor. Senior Judge S. JosephDavis, brought in from Seminole County, â€Å"found that Florida’s strict privacy law and the equal protection clause in theU.S. Constitution entitled Hall, 35, and Dr. McIver to carry out an assisted death without fear of prosecution† (Sun-Sentinel,1A). On February 11, 1997, Charles Hall’s ruling was overturned by the Florida Supreme Court: he no longer hasthe right to end his o... Free Essays on Physician-Assisted Suicide Free Essays on Physician-Assisted Suicide Physician-assisted suicide presents one of the greatest dilemmas tothe medical profession. Should someone who is mentally competent, but deemed terminally ill, be allowed to engagein physician-assisted suicide? According to the First Amendment of The Constitution of The United States, â€Å"one hasthe freedom to petition the government for a redress of grievances.â€Å" The Fourteenth Amendment states, â€Å"The Statecannot deprive any person of life, liberty or property, without due process of law; nor deny any person within itsjurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.â€Å" The group believes that a terminally ill patient has the Constitutionalright to decide whether or not to end his or her life with the help of a licensed medical doctor. There have been many cases overthe years where a terminally ill patient who is mentally competent has made the choice to either partake in physician-assistedsuicide or euthanasia. â€Å"Physician-assisted suicide occurs when the physician provides thepatient with the means and/or knowledge to commit suicide†(Death and Dying,91). â€Å"Euthanasia is when the physicianadministers the death causing drug or agent†(Death and Dying,92). The most recent case is that of The Stateof Florida v. Charles Hall. â€Å"Charles Hall is dying of AIDS and challenged the State of Florida to let him die bya self-administered lethal injection without fear of prosecution†(rights.org/ deathnet/open.html). On January31, 1997, a Judge ruled that Charles Hall could take his own life with the aid of a doctor. Senior Judge S. JosephDavis, brought in from Seminole County, â€Å"found that Florida’s strict privacy law and the equal protection clause in theU.S. Constitution entitled Hall, 35, and Dr. McIver to carry out an assisted death without fear of prosecution† (Sun-Sentinel,1A). On February 11, 1997, Charles Hall’s ruling was overturned by the Florida Supreme Court: he no longer hasthe right to end his o...

Merriam-Websters Words of the Year 2008

Merriam-Websters Words of the Year 2008 Merriam-Websters Words of the Year 2008 Merriam-Websters Words of the Year 2008 By Maeve Maddox The most looked-up words in the online Merriam-Webster dictionary in 2008 reflect the nations preoccupation with discussions surrounding the Presidential campaign. Seven of the tenbailout, vet, socialism, maverick, rogue, misogyny, and bipartisanhave political associations. The other threeturmoil, trepidation, and precipicehave appreared frequently this year in discussions of the stock market and the economy. Some of these words have more colorful backgrounds than others. bailout [bÄ lout] When I hear bailout I have the mental image of corporation executives in 3-piece suits sitting in a leaking boat, tossing bucketfuls of water overboad as fast as they can, and scanning the horizon for a ship that will rescue them. The verb to bail, with the sense toss water out of a boat comes from a word for bucket. vet [vÄ•t] This verb, with the meaning to examine carefully before approving, may derive from the examination of a racehorse by a veterinarian before a race. Kipling used it in this sense in 1904. Its meaning expanded to mean the careful vetting of anything requiring approval, from a manuscript to a job applicant. The word was apparently unfamiliar to a lot of Americans until Obama used it. I heard it used frequently when I lived in England. socialism [sÃ… shÉ™-lÄ ­zÉ™m] Not at all an unfamiliar word to Americans, the spike in looking it up may have had something to do with the contradictory ways in which the word was being used. While the socialism label was being waved about as a Bad Thing by campaigners, the federal government was practicing what seemed to be a form of socialism by taking over ownership of Wall Streets mortgage-backed assets. rogue [rÃ… g] When Sarah Palin supposedly contradicted something McCain had said, TV commentators kept saying shed gone rogue. Their meaning seemed to be that shed become uncontrollable, rather like a rogue elephant trampling its keepers. Here are some definitions of rogue from Merriam-Webster: adjective: resembling or suggesting a rogue elephant, especially in being isolated, aberrant, dangerous, or uncontrollable corrupt, dishonest of or being a nation whose leaders defy international law or norms of international behavior noun: a dishonest or worthless person; scoundrel a mischievous person : scamp a horse inclined to shirk or misbehave an individual exhibiting a chance and usually inferior biological variation misogyny [mÄ ­-sÃ… jÉ™-nÄ“] hatred of women. The question of misogyny comes up whenever a woman runs for office. This years campaign with two high profile women explains interest in this word. maverick [mÄÆ'vÉ™r-Ä ­k or mÄÆ'vrÄ ­k]- John McCain frequently described himself as a maverick. When Sarah Palin joined his campaign, she too adopted the epithet. They used it in the sense of person who is not controlled by others. Maverick is an eponynm. Samuel Maverick (1803-1870) was a lawyer, politician, and land baron who refused to brand his cattle. He claimed he didnt want to hurt them, but other ranchers believed he didnt brand them so that he could then claim any unbranded calf as his own. Maverick first meant an unbranded calf, but came to have the figurative sense of masterless. bipartisan [(bÄ «-prtÄ ­-zÉ™n, -sÉ™n] Heres a word that sounds pretty good at the end of a two year campaign filled with inter- and intra-party bickering: of, relating to, or involving members of two parties; specifically, marked by or involving cooperation, agreement, and compromise between two major political parties. I can vote for that! The remaining three words in the Top Ten are all fraught with scary connotations. trepidation [trÄ•pÄ ­-dÄ shÉ™n] from a Latin word meaning to tremble, trepidation is a synonym for fear. People who regard a situation with trepidation may be shaking in their boots. Ex. Chinas Widening Footprint Prompts Trepidation. precipice [prÄ•sÉ™-pÄ ­s] from a Latin word meaning headlong, a precipice is a steep eminence from which it would be very scary to fall, as in Were hurtling over the economic precipice. turmoil [tà »rmoil] a state or condition of extreme confusion, agitation, or commotion, as in World Economic Turmoil. Maybe next year well be looking up happier words. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Regarding Re:The Four Sounds of the Spelling OU

Bribery and Serving Public Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Bribery and Serving Public - Essay Example We hear these types of incidences almost daily in our lives. All of these acts are crimes and deemed as bribery cases. Bribery is basically a crime which is done by giving any benefit to the other party for changing the outcomes of the result. The term benefit is a very broad term and it could be anything from money to a simple favor. According to the Black's law dictionary, bribery is the offering, giving, receiving, or soliciting of any item of value to influence the actions as an official or other person in discharge of a public or legal duty. Bribery is basically a reward or rewards, which is given to an individual or group to change the decision in favor of the person who is giving the bribe. Generally, the following rewards are given for not being loyal and just: The issue of bribery is not only associated with the public sector organizations but also with private sector organizations - even in the NGOs that come in the market with a commitment to serve the people without any monetary benefits. Bribery is illegal in many countries including the United Kingdom and United States. It is considered an unethical act and a form of political corruption that hinders the success and prosperity of a nation. Another shameful form of bribery exists in the field of medicine - a field that serves to save human lives without any discrimination and unjust behavior. In this form of bribery, pharmaceutical corporations reward doctors for heavy subscription of their drugs to their patients, and in reward the doctors get lucrative gifts in various forms. The US government has already taken several steps to cope with this form of bribery. The American Medical Association (AMA) has already published a set of ethical guidelines for the industry that describes the list of acceptable gifts that can be given to the doctors as rewards. In addition, dentists are also the part of this bribery issue; they receive samples of home dental care products such as tooth cleaning gels. Transparency International Reports (Health) The transparency international reports the types of corruption in health. According to the organization, regulators, payers, health care providers, suppliers and consumers face a complex mix of incentives that can lead to corruption. Forms of corruption in the health sector include: Embezzlement and theft from the health budget or user-fee revenue. This can occur at central or local government level or at the point of allocation to a particular health authority or health centre. Medicines and medical supplies or equipment may be stolen for personal use, use in private practice or resale. Corruption in procurement. Engaging in collusion, bribes and kickbacks in procurement results in overpayment for goods and contracted services, or in failure to enforce contractual standards for quality. In addition, hospital spending may include large investments in building construction and purchase of expensive technologies, areas of procurement that are particularly vulnerable to corruption. Corruption in payment systems. Corrupt practices include waiving fees or falsifying insurance documents for