Criminology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 3

Criminology - Essay Example Discussion The key ideological disparity between positivist theorists and classical theorists is how the two categories differentiate how some individuals are increasingly more prone to crime than others. For instance, classical theorists believe that individuals engage in criminal acts entirely on their own will while positivist theorists assert that people commit crimes outside their free will (Lilly, Cullen, and Ball 45). Classical school of thought that developed in the 17th century anchored on philosophy of utilitarianism. Cesare and Jeremy, as well as other classical thinkers, believed that human beings have free will to direct the choice of their actions, and the deterrence is anchored on the idea of a person as a hedonist being that seeks satisfactions and prevents discomfort, and a ‘reasonable calculator’ estimating the cost and advantages of each action’s results (Hagan 10). Therefore, the school of thought objects the chances of irrationality and involu ntary desires as triggering aspects. In addition, they believe that punishment (of adequate difficulty) can prevent human beings from criminal acts, as the loss (sentence) outweighs advantages, and the difficulty of penalty should be equal to the offense. Classical philosophers suggest that the more swift and precise the penalty (sentence) is, the more efficient it is in preventing crime attitudes. Cesare and other classical philosophers asserted that criminal attitudes or behavior could be reduced through human nature basics (O'Brien and Majid 47). According to classical theorists, criminal behavior is regulated by people’s self-interests. Theorists argued that rational human beings join a social contract where they recognize that maintaining a harmonious society would benefit them. Cesare and his colleagues sought to minimize criminal acts and behavior through reforms to the system of criminal punishment that they saw as hostile, unreasonably excessive and ineffective deter rent. The key purpose of sentencing was to deter criminal behavior among people. Classical theorist believed that the most crucial efficient deterrent from crime would be abrupt penalties instead of a long sentence of trials (Shteir 10). They considered criminal acts as irrational behaviors that resulted from individuals who could not behave from their free will or in society’s interests. They contended that penalties should be constantly imposed for certain criminal acts, with no unique circumstances, to show people that crime will cost them since there are fixed effects. Classical school proponents sought fair and equal justice for crime suspects. Prior to classical ideology, judges punished offenders at their own interests irrespective of the crime severity, an act that made some people perceive the system of a criminal sentence as tyrannical. Consequently, Cesare and his colleagues struggled for penalties for certain offenses to be controlled by legislative arm and forbid unleashing power. They believed that if legal officers could use legislatively authorized penalties, trials would be swift and there would be fair justice because offenders would receive faster and fair punishment (O'Brien and Majid 50). The classical theorist thought that combating crime is increasingly crucial than punishment, but by setting clear system of punishment offenders would utilize their reasoning to realize that criminals behavior is against their self-interests. Similarly,

Sas Institute’s “Best Employer Award” Essay Example for Free

Sas Institute’s â€Å"Best Employer Award† Essay SAS Institute’s â€Å"Best Employer Award† is based largely on its financial success and the overwhelming job satisfaction its employees report. From free health care to copious amounts of MMs, SAS spares no cost to keep their â€Å"chief assets† happy, for, as their CEO / majority owner says Contented cows give more milk. Still, today’s talented workers are not apt to spend the majority of their careers at one company because of luxurious perks. The truth is that what seems like random and excessive, is actually a well-crafted and impeccably executed strategy to create an unparalleled work and life environment. SAS is successful in applying the principles of Cognitive Evaluation Theory that emphasize keeping employees’ cognitive attention on intrinsic rewards rather than extrinsic ones. SAS steers clear of Insufficient Justification or Insufficient Punishment by deemphasizing such extrinsic rewards as pay and promotion, and instead emphasizing intrinsic controllable rewards as membership within a community and a way of life. For example, SAS’s unique sick-day policy which, in contrast to industry standards, does not have a set number of allowable sick-days. David Russo states, â€Å"If youre out sick for six months, youll get cards and flowers†, and â€Å"We expect adult behavior. The result is that SAS employees average only two sick days annually. The focus on â€Å"Adult behavior† makes employees feel responsible for their obligation to the company as part of their overall reciprocity for all that the company has done for them. The lack of any real explicit punishment actually creates intrinsic pressure on the individual employee to not to take advantage of the policy in order to keep his self-perception in line with beliefs about being a good and accountable employee. By downplaying pay as an extrinsic reward and gauge of performance, SAS successfully uses Insufficient Justification to help in sidestepping the usual salary comparisons issues. The informational aspect of Cognitive Evaluation Theory is crucial to the understanding of SAS’s unique structure and policies. SAS avoids assigning tasks that have high probability of failure. Also it allows its employees freedom in choosing what to work on. As Goodnight states, â€Å"If theyve grown bored with their job, they have great freedom to move horizontally instead of having to hunt for another employer.† Jenn Mann echoes Goodnight when she states, â€Å"nobody much cares whether you show up at 9 or 11.† Taking the focus off such trivial extrinsic matters frees up employees to focus their attention on intrinsic motivations such as having fun. Self-concordance suggests that these intrinsic motivations are stronger, more internally justifiable and therefore much more likely to make the individual work harder to achieve his goal. SAS uses Needs Theory to focus its recruiting on people who exhibit a high need for affiliation and achievement, while paying close attention to those with an overtly high need for power. To cater to high achievers’ needs managers make sure to assign tasks that are realistically achievable within the prescribed timeframe and the individual’s competencies. Managers provide subordinates with rapid feedback through everyday walking and talking techniques. Praise and recognition are also provided through increasing responsibilities and tasking employees with full ownership of their products including placing their names on the finished product. Knowing that high achievers generally do not possess the gamblers mentality, SAS tailors its incentive package around security and predictability. Bonuses are not emphasized and stock options are not granted. Instead, employees are offered a competitive salary, full 401K contribution and a myriad of non-merit based benefits for thems elves and their families. For those with a high need for power, SAS provides autonomy, a collaborative environment and control over the life-cycle of a product. For example, each employee gets to plan his own schedule. SAS’s thinly staffed management ranks are designed to boost reliance on an honor code that emphasizes, above all else, adult behavior. This produces ample opportunities for employees to take on additional responsibilities. As a result, employees feel a sense of power and control over their work. SAS does differentiate those individuals whose need for control extends to control over others, or whose need for recognition extends to being treated like superstars. David Russo states, â€Å"SAS is not a good place for someone who wants to feel like a star or feel particularly important†. Recruiters reject these want-to-be star applicants because they believe SAS’s structure and environment cannot accommodate their needs. The need for affiliation is nurtured through a work-life balance that stresses community over personal economic gain. As stated in the article, â€Å"The perks are the most obvious manifestation of corporate munificence, but at their core they are only part of a workplace ethos thats based on a degree of trust.† SAS takes advantage of its relative isolation to reinforce its middle class utopian environment. By design, almost all essential services are provided on campus and by SAS employees. This includes healthcare, education, food services, entertainment, recreation and even subsidized housing (near the campus). The company organizes a plethora of extracurricular group activities that encourage collaboration, provide needed support and connects people on a personal level. Its success in satisfying employees Need for Affiliation manifests itself in SAS’s historical low turnover rate. An unfortunate byproduct of SAS’s homogenous environment is its relative lack o f innovation. Innovation, the better use of a novel idea or method, is a crucial element to the growth of a corporation. SAS has indubitably been successful in reshaping its own software and selling it to additional markets, but has not had the same success in branching out and innovating in other areas. Perhaps SAS, a monopoly in the data software industry, has consciously elected to steer clear of this more risky innovation because of financial and social concerns. Attraction-Selection-Attrition (ASA) model helps explains why today’s SAS, while still being remarkably efficient at providing new or improved software, is not truly a leading innovator. SAS’s pay structure and overall emphasis on a family friendly, low stress environment is a conscious effort to attract the more risk adverse individual. The selection process takes care to repel mavericks who seek power and fame. The problem is that these competitive, challenging personalities are willing to take more chances. SAS is a g reat example of ASA’s chief assertion that â€Å"The People Make the Place†. But while preaching autonomy and individuality, SAS employees are quietly advocating for conformity, cloaked as corporate citizenship. The resulting atmosphere works, through attrition, to weed out any nonconformist. Pushing out dissident voices makes the remaining collective even more homogenous and less likely to innovate. The fact that SAS’s retention at this point is so low is another indication of the high level of homogeneity. The company’s reliance on a small number of working managers makes self-regulation or as they call it â€Å"adult behavior† an essential part of the overall strategy of an employee-regulated firm. Thus, SAS’s focus on attracting and selecting a particular type of risk adverse individual, while allowing attrition to remove dissidence is an effective use of ASA, all be it a rather insensitive one. These polices have essentially forced SAS to outsources the task of innovating to its client base through constant solicitation of fee dback and ideas. Another theory that could explain SAS’s relative weakness in innovation is Equity Theory which focuses on perceptions of fairness. SAS does a good job of shaping their employees perceptions of its overall Organizational Justice through such techniques as the allocation of offices for all, having no executive cafeterias and providing identical health plans for all. The two core principles for SAS are â€Å"†¦that all people at SAS are treated fairly and equally† and â€Å"†¦that the workplace should be fun and people treated with dignity and respect†. The problem is that the two principles are different. The first advocates equality and the latter respect. Treating people with respect and dignity is universally accepted and supports employees’ feelings of Interactional Justice. Equal treatment for all is not universally accepted, and conflicts with the reality of varying levels of individual contributions to a company’s success. Universal equality skews the individual’s perception of Procedural and Distributive Justice. Talented, hardworking employees find it hard to stand out because both the evaluation process and the resulting recognition are purposefully watered down. This lack of strong correlation between risk and reward, input and output makes it less likely that unique innovation will occur b ecause the risk–taking innovator will perceive an inequitable Distributive Justice. The inequitable feeling is compounded by SAS casually defined performance review process which could leave successful innovators feeling a lack of Procedural Justice. Equity theory states that there are four referent comparisons that an employee can use to gauge equitability of his situation. Even if SAS is successful, through isolationist polices, in sheltering its employees from other-outside comparison, it still needs to contend with employees’ past experiences and internal company comparisons. Admittedly, general perception of equality is a major factor in SAS’s tremendous retention rate, but for those few want-to-be superstars it’s a major deterrent to joining the firm. This is evident in the interviewee who stated â€Å"I want to have performance that permits me to do whatever I want. When I walk down the hall, I want to feel like ‘I’m the man.† Who wouldn’t want their stellar performance to lead to more money, autonomy, recognition and better future opportunities? At SAS this potential innovator was quickly ushered out the door. For good or bad, SAS is built around a sense of equality and homogeneity, even if these terms are relative and somewhat reminiscent of an Orwellian Society, where all are equal, but some are just more equal than others. To protect its successful egalitarian culture, SAS would do better to create (like many other have) a separate off-campus RD offshoot. With a distinct culture and a more equitable compensation structure, this entity can compete for innovative talent.

Does Original Voice Exist? :: Ernest Hemingway Literature Essays

Does Original Voice Exist? From Ernest Hemingway's _The Sun Also Rises_: "Mike was a bad drunk. Brett was a good drunk. Bill was a good drunk. Cohn was never drunk. Mike was unpleasant after he past a certain point. I liked to see him hurt Cohn. I wished he would not do it, though, because afterward it made me feel disgusted at myself. That was morality; things that made you disgusted afterward. No, that must be immorality. That was a large statement." Does this sound like a man mumbling? Or is this a complete thought? Hemingway's voice is simple. His voice also allows interpretation from the reader. Does that mean it is also open and vague? Maybe, but you get to make the decisions. Hemingway allows it. The character sounds simple. He thinks on simple terms. He also calls the series of simple comments a " large statement". If the reader delves into the literature, it is a large statement. If the reader takes it for face value, it's a simple statement. The character speaking makes a revelation to himself. That is why I think it is a "large statement". He finds something out about himself. He is honest with himself. Dialogue and exact spelling of pronunciations can show ya what the writer's all about. It's not clear all the time, but it'll be more personal than a bunch of scientific hogwash. Not that that writing doesn't serve a purpose.... Anyway if your gonna be personal, your readers better be able ta understand your tongue, otherwise the communication stops flowing for'em and they hafta look at your words more than your ideas. Does this flow for ya? "Well, I warn't long making him understand I warn't dead. I was ever so glad to see Jim. I warn't so lonesome now. I told him I warn't afraid of him telling the people where I was. I talked along, but he only set there and looked at me; never said nothing. Then I says: 'It's good daylight. Le's get breakfast. Make up your campfire good.' 'What's de use er makin' up de camp fire to cook strawbries en such truck? But you got a gun, hain't you? Den we kin get sumfin better den strawbries.' (Mark Twain from _Adventures of Huckleberry Finn_) It may or may not flow, but ya get a good feel for the characters. You can make assumptions and fit them inta stereotypes so they're recognizable.

The Return: Nightfall Chapter 35

Aprison, with filthy rushes on the floor and bars between her and the sleeping Stefan. Between her andStefan! It was really him. Elena didn't know how she could know. Undoubtedly they could twist and change your perceptions here. But just now, perhaps because nobody had been expecting her to drop into a dungeon, no one was prepared with anything to make her doubt her senses. Itwas Stefan. He was thinner than before, and his cheekbones stuck out. He was beautiful. And his mind felt just right, just the right mixture of honor and love and darkness and light and hope and grim understanding of the world he lived in. â€Å"Stefan! Oh,hold me! â€Å" He woke and half sat up. â€Å"At least leave me my sleep. And meanwhile go away and put on another face, bitch!† â€Å"Stefan! Language!† She saw muscles in Stefan's shoulders freeze. â€Å"What†¦did you†¦say?† â€Å"Stefan†¦it's really me.I don't blame you for cursing. I curse this whole place and the two who put you here†¦.† â€Å"Three,† he said wearily, and bent his head. â€Å"You'd know that if you were real. Go and let them teach you about my traitor brother and his friends who sneak up on people with kekkai crowns†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Elena couldn't wait to debate about Damon now. â€Å"Won't youlook at me, at least?† She saw him turn slowly, look slowly, then saw him leap up from a pallet made of sickly-looking hay, and saw him stare at her as if she were an angel dropped down from the sky. Then he turned his back on her and put his hands over his ears. â€Å"No bargains,† he said flatly. â€Å"Don't even mention them to me. Go away. You've gotten better but you're still a dream.† â€Å"Stefan!† â€Å"I said, go away!† Time was wasting. And this was too cruel, after what she had been through just to speak to him. â€Å"You first saw me just outside the principal's office the day you brought your papers into school and influenced the secretary. You didn't need to look at me to know what I looked like. Once I told you that I felt like a murderer because I said, ;;Daddy, look' and pointed to – something outside – just before the car accident that killed my parents. I've never been able to remember what the something was. The first word I learned when I came back from the afterlife wasStefan . Once, you looked at me in the rearview mirror of the car and said that I was your soul†¦.† â€Å"Can't you stop torturing me for one hour? Elena – the real Elena – would be too smart to risk her life by coming here.† â€Å"Where's ;;here'?† Elena said sharply, frightened. â€Å"I need to know if I'm supposed to get you out.† Slowly Stefan uncovered his ears. Even more slowly he turned around again. â€Å"Elena?† he said, like a dying boy who has seen a gentle ghost in his bed. â€Å"You're not real. You can't be here.† â€Å"I don't think I am. Shinichi made a magic house and it takes you wherever you want if you name it and open the door with this key. I said,  ¡Ã‚ ®Somewhere I can hear and see and touch Stefan.' But† – she looked down – â€Å"you say Ican't be here. Maybe it's all an illusion anyway.† â€Å"Hush.† Now Stefan was clenching the bars on his side of the cell. â€Å"Is this where you've been? Is this theShi no Shi ?† He gave a little laugh – not a real one. â€Å"Not exactly what either of us expected, is it? And yet, they didn't lie in anything they said, Elena. Elena! I said ;;Elena.' Elena, you're really here!† Elena couldn't bear to waste any time. She took the few steps through damp, crackly straw and scampering creatures to the bars that separated her from Stefan. Then she tilted up her face, clutching bars in either hand, and shut her eyes. I will touch him. I will, I will. I'm real, he's real – I'll touch him! Stefan leaned down – to humor her, she thought – and then warm lips touched hers. She put her arms through the bars because they were both weak at the knees: Stefan in astonishment that she could touch him, and Elena in relief and sobbing joy. But – there was no time. â€Å"Stefan, take my bloodnow – take it!† She looked desperately for something to cut herself with. Stefan might need her strength, and no matter what Damon had taken from her, she would always have enough for Stefan. If it killed her, she would have enough. She was glad, now, that in the tomb, Damon had persuaded her to take his. â€Å"Easy. Easy, little love. If you mean it, I can bite your wrist, but†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Do itnow !† Elena Gilbert, the princess of Fell's Church, ordered. She had even gotten the strength to pull herself off her knees. Stefan gave her half a guilty glance. â€Å"NOW!†Elena insisted. Stefan bit her wrist. It was an odd sensation. It hurt a little more than when he pierced the side of her neck as usual. But there were good veins down there, she knew; she trusted Stefan to find the largest so that this would take the least amount of time. Her urgency had become his. But when he tried to pull back, she clutched a handful of his wavy dark hair and said, â€Å"More, Stefan. You need it – oh, I can tell, and we don't have time to argue.† The voice of command. Meredith had told her once that she had it, that she could lead armies. Well, she might need to lead armies to get into this place to save him. I'll get an army somewhere, she thought fuzzily. The starving bloodfever that Stefan had been in – they obviously hadn't fed him since she had last seen him – was dying into the more normal blood-taking that she knew. His mind melted into hers.When you say you'll get an army, I believe you. But it's impossible. No one's ever come back. Well, you will. I'm bringing you back. Elena, Elena†¦ Drink,she said, feeling like an Italian mother.As much as you can without being sick. But how did – no, you told me how you got here. That was the truth? The truth. I always tell you the truth. But Stefan, how do I getyouout? Shinichi and Misao – you know them? Enough. They each have half a ring. Together it makes a key. Each half is shaped like a running fox. But who knows where they may have hidden the pieces? And as I said, just to get into this place, it takes an army†¦. I'll find the pieces of the fox ring. I'll put them together. I'll get an army. I'll get you out. Elena, I can't keep drinking. You'll collapse. I'm good at not collapsing. Please go on. I can hardly believe it's you – â€Å"No kissing! Take my blood!† Ma'am! But Elena, truly, I'm full now. Overfull. And tomorrow? â€Å"I'll still be overfull.† Stefan pulled away, a thumb on the places where he had pierced veins. â€Å"Truly, I can't , love.† â€Å"And the next day?† â€Å"I'll manage.† â€Å"You will – because I broughtthis . Hold me, Stefan,† she said, several decibels softer. â€Å"Hold me through the bars.† He did, looking bewildered, and she hissed in his ear, â€Å"Act like you love me. Stroke my hair. Say nice things.† â€Å"Elena, lovely little love†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He was still close enough mentally to say telepathically: Actlike I love you? But while his hands were stroking and squeezing and tangling in her hair, Elena's own hands were busy. She was transferring from under her clothes to under his a flask full of Black Magic wine. â€Å"But where did you get it?† Stefan whispered, seeming thunderstruck. â€Å"The magic house has everything. I've been waiting for my chance to give it to you if you needed it.† â€Å"Elena – â€Å" â€Å"What?† Stefan seemed to be struggling with something. At last, eyes on the ground, he whispered, â€Å"It's no good. I can't risk you getting killed for the sake of an impossibility. Forget me.† â€Å"Put your face to the bars.† He looked at her but didn't ask any questions, obeying. She slapped him across the face. It wasn't a very hard slap†¦although Elena's hand hurt from colliding with the iron on either side. â€Å"Now,be ashamed !† she said. And before he could say anything else,†Listen!† It was the baying of hounds – far away, but getting closer. â€Å"It'syou they're after,† Stefan said, suddenly frantic. â€Å"You have to go!† She just looked at him steadily. â€Å"I love you, Stefan.† â€Å"I love you, Elena. Forever.† â€Å"I – oh, I'msorry .† Shecouldn't go; that was the thing. Like Caroline talking and talking and never leaving Stefan's apartment, she could stand here and speak about it, but she couldn't do it. â€Å"Elena! Youhave to. I don't want you to see what they do – â€Å" â€Å"I'll kill them!† â€Å"You're no killer. You're not a fighter, Elena – and you shouldn't see this. Please? Remember once you asked me if I'd like to see how many times you could make me say  ¡Ã‚ ®please?' Well, each counts for a thousand now. Please? For me? Will you go?† â€Å"One more kiss†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Her heart was beating like a frantic bird inside her. â€Å"Please!† Blind with tears, Elena turned around and grasped hold of the cell door. â€Å"Anywhere outside the ceremony where no one will see me!† she gasped and wrenched the door to the corridor open and stepped through. At least she'd seen Stefan, but for how long that would last to keep her heart from shattering again – – oh, my God, I'mfalling – – she didn't know. Elena realized that shewas outside the boardinghouse somewhere – at least some eighty feet high – and plummeting rapidly. Her first, panicked conclusion was that she was going to die, and then instinct kicked in and she reached out with arms and hands and kicked in with legs and feet and managed to arrest her fall after twenty agonizing feet. I've lost my flying wings forever, haven't I? she thought, concentrating on a single spot between her shoulder blades. She knew just where they should be – and nothing happened. Then, carefully, she inched her way closer to the trunk, pausing only to move to a higher twig a caterpillar that was sharing the branch with her. And she managed to find a sort of place where she could sit by sidling and then pushing backward. It was far too high a branch for her personal taste. As it was, she found that she could look down and see the widow's walk quite clearly, and that the longer she looked at any particular thing the clearer her vision got. Vampire vision plus, she thought. It showed her that she was Changing. Or else – yes, somehow here the sky was getting lighter. What it showed her was a dark and empty boardinghouse, which was disturbing because of what Caroline's father had said about â€Å"the meeting† and what she had learned telepathically from Damon about Shinichi's plans for this Moonspire night. Could this be not the real boardinghouse at all, but another trap? â€Å"We made it!† Bonnie cried as they approached the house. She knew her voice was shrill, was over-shrill, but somehow the sight of that brightly lit boardinghouse, like a Christmas tree with a star on top, comforted her, even if she knew that it was all wrong. She felt she could cry in relief. â€Å"Yes, we did,† Dr. Alpert's deep voice said. â€Å"All of us. Isobel's the one who needs the most treatment, the fastest. Theophilia, get your nostrums ready, and somebody else take Isobel and run her a bath.† â€Å"I'll do it,† Bonnie quavered, after a brief hesitation. â€Å"She's going to stay tranquilized like she is now, right? Right?† â€Å"I'llgo with Isobel,† Matt said. â€Å"Bonnie, you go with Mrs. Flowers and help her. And before we go inside, I want to make one thing clear: nobody goes anywhere alone. We all travel in twos or threes.† There was the ring of authority in his voice. â€Å"Makes sense,† Meredith said crisply and took up a place by the doctor. â€Å"You'd better be careful, Matt; Isobel is the most dangerous.† That was when the high, thin voices began outside the house. It sounded like two or three little girls singing. â€Å"Isa-chan, Isa-chan, Drank her tea and ate her gran.† â€Å"Tami? Tami Bryce?† Meredith demanded, opening the door as the tune began again. She darted forward, then she grabbed the doctor by the hand, and dragged her along beside her as she darted forward again. And, yes, Bonnie saw, there were three little figures, one in pajamas and two in nightgowns, and they were Tami Bryce and Kristin Dunstan and Ava Zarinski. Ava was only about eleven, Bonnie thought, and she didn't live near either Tami or Kristin. The three of them all giggled shrilly. Then they started singing again and Matt went after Kristin. â€Å"Help me!† Bonnie cried. She was suddenly hanging on to a bucking, kicking bronco that lashed out in every direction. Isobel seemed to have gone crazy, and she went crazier every time that tune was repeated. â€Å"I've got her,† Matt said, closing in on her with a bear hug, but even the two of them couldn't hold Isobel still. â€Å"I'm getting her another sedative,† Dr. Alpert said, and Bonnie saw the glances between Matt and Meredith – glances of suspicion. â€Å"No – no, let Mrs. Flowers make her something,† Bonnie said desperately, but the hypodermic needle was already almost at Isobel's arm. â€Å"You're not giving her anything,† Meredith said flatly, dropping the charade, and with one chorus-girl kick, she sent the hypodermic flying. â€Å"Meredith! What's wrong with you?† the doctor cried, wringing her wrist. â€Å"It's what's wrong withyou that's the matter. Who are you? Where are we? This can't be the real boardinghouse.† â€Å"Obaasan! Mrs. Flowers! Can't you help us?† Bonnie gasped, still trying to hold on to Isobel. â€Å"I'll try,† Mrs. Flowers said determinedly, heading toward her. â€Å"No, I meant with Dr. Alpert – and maybe Jim. Don't you – know any spells – to make people take on their true forms?† â€Å"Oh!† Obaasan said. â€Å"I can help with that. Just let me down, Jim dear. We'll have everyone in their true forms in no time.† Jayneela was a sophomore with large, dreamy, dark eyes that were generally lost in a book. But now, as it neared midnight and Gramma still hadn't called, she shut her book and looked at Ty. Tyrone seemed big and fierce and mean on the playing field, but off it he was the nicest, kindest, gentlest big brother a girl could want. â€Å"You think Gramma's okay?† â€Å"Hm?† Tyrone had his nose in a book, too, but it was one of those help-you-get-into-the-college-of-your-dreams books. As a senior-to-be, he was having to make some serious decisions. â€Å"Of course she is.† â€Å"Well, I'm going to check on the little girl, at least.† â€Å"You know what, Jay?† He poked her teasingly with one toe. â€Å"You worry too much.† In moments he was lost again in Chapter Six, â€Å"How to Make the Most of Your Community Service.† But then the screams started coming from above him. Long, loud, high screams – his sister's voice. He dropped the book and ran. â€Å"Obaasan?† Bonnie said. â€Å"Just a moment, dear,† Grandma Saitou said. Jim had put her down and now she was facing him squarely: she looking up, and he looking down. And there was something†¦very wrong about it. Bonnie felt a wave of pure terror. Could Jim have done something evil to Obaasan as he carried her? Of course he could. Why hadn't she thought of that? And there was the doctor with her syringe, ready to tranquilize anyone who got too â€Å"hysterical.† Bonnie looked at Meredith, but Meredith was trying to deal with two squirming little girls, and could only glance helplessly back. All right, then, Bonnie thought. I'll kick him where it hurts most and get the old lady away from him. She turned back to Obaasan and felt herself freeze. â€Å"Just one thing I have to do†¦,† Obaasan had said. And she was doing it. Jim was bent at the waist, folded in half toward Obaasan, who was on her tiptoes. They were locked in a deep, intimate kiss. Oh, God! They had met four people in a wood – and assumed that two were sane and two insane. How could they tell which were the insane ones? Well, if two of them see things that aren't there†¦ But the housewas there; Bonnie could see it, too. Wasshe insane? â€Å"Meredith, come on!† she screamed. Her nerve breaking completely, she began to run away from the house toward the forest. Something from the skies plucked her up as easily as an owl picks up a mouse and held her in an unrelenting iron grip. â€Å"Going somewhere?† Damon's voice asked from above her as he glided in the last few yards to a stop, with her neatly tucked under one steely arm. â€Å"Damon!† Damon's eyes were slightly narrowed, as though at a joke only he could see. â€Å"Yes, the evil one himself. Tell me something, my fiery little fury.† Bonnie had already exhausted herself trying to make him let go. She hadn't even succeeded in tearing his clothes. â€Å"What?† she snapped. Possessed or not, Damon had last seen her when she had Called him to save her from Caroline's insanity. But according to Matt's reports, he had done something awful to Elena. â€Å"Why do girls love to convert a sinner? Why can you feed them almost any line if they feel that they've reformed you?† Bonnie didn't know what he was talking about, but she could guess. â€Å"What did you do with Elena?† she said ferociously. â€Å"Gave her what she wanted, that's all,† Damon said, his black eyes twinkling. â€Å"Is there anything so awful about that?† Bonnie, frightened by that twinkle, didn't even try to run again. She knew it was no use. He was faster and stronger, and he could fly. Anyway, she had seen it in his face: a sort of distant remorselessness. They were not just Damon and Bonnie here together. They were natural predator and natural prey. And now here she was back with Jim and Obaasan – no, with a boy and girl she'd never seen before. Bonnie was in time to watch the transformation. She saw Jim's body shrink and his hair turn black, but that wasn't the striking thing about it. The striking thing was that all around the edges, his hair was not black but crimson. It was as if flames were licking up from the tips into darkness. His eyes were golden and smiling. She saw Obaasan's doll-like old body grow younger and stronger and taller. This girl was a beauty; Bonnie had to admit it. She had gorgeous sloe-black eyes and silky hair that fell almost to her waist. And her hair was just like her brother's – only the red was even brighter, scarlet instead of crimson. She was wearing a barely-there laced black halter that showed how delicately built she was on top. And, of course, low-rise black leather pants to show the same thing on the bottom. She was wearing expensive-looking black high-heeled sandals, and her toenails were enameled the same brilliant red as the tips of her hair. At her belt, in a sinuous circle, was a curled-up whip with a scaly black handle. Dr. Alpert said slowly, â€Å"My grandchildren†¦?† â€Å"They don't have anything to do with this,† the boy with the strange hair said charmingly, smiling. â€Å"As long as they mind their own business, you don't have to worry about them a bit.† â€Å"It's suicide or an attempted suicide – or something,† Tyrone told the police dispatcher, almost weeping. â€Å"I think it was a guy named Jim who went to my high school last year. No, this is nothing to do with any drugs – I came here to watch my little sister Jayneela. She was baby-sitting – look, just come over, will you? This guy's chewed off most of his fingers, and as I came in, he said,  ¡Ã‚ ®I'll always love you, Elena,' and he took a pencil and – no, I can't tell if he's alive or dead. But there's an old lady upstairs and I'm sureshe's dead. Because she's not breathing.† â€Å"Who the hell are you?† Matt was saying, eyeing the strange boy belligerently. â€Å"I'm the – â€Å" † – and what the hell are you doing here?† â€Å"I'm the hell Shinichi,† the boy said in a much louder voice, looking annoyed to be interrupted. When Matt just stared at him, he added in an annoyed voice, â€Å"I'm the kitsune – the were-fox, you could say – who's been messing with your town, idiot. I came halfway around the world to do it, and I'd think you'd at least have heard of me by now. And this is my lovely sister, Misao. We're twins.† â€Å"I don't care if you're triplets. Elena said somebody besides Damon was behind this. And so did Stefan before he – hey, what did you do to Stefan?What did you do to Elena? â€Å" While the two strange males were bristling at each other – quite literally in Shinichi's case, since his hair was almost standing on end – Meredith was picking out Bonnie, Dr. Alpert, and Mrs. Flowers by eye. Then she glanced at Matt and touched herself lightly on the chest. She was the only one strong enough to womanhandle him, although Dr. Alpert gave a quick nod that said she would be helping. And then, while the boys were working up to shouting volume, Misao was giggling at the ground, and Damon was leaning against a door with his eyes shut, they moved. With no signal at all to unite them, they were running, instinctively, as one group. Meredith and Dr. Alpert grabbed Matt from either side and simply lifted him off his feet, just as Isobel quite unexpectedly jumped on Shinichi with a guttural scream. They hadn't expected anything from her, but it was certainly convenient, Bonnie thought as she hurtled over obstacles without even seeing them. Matt was still shouting and trying to run the other way and take out some primitive frustration on Shinichi, but he couldn't quite manage to get free to do it. Bonnie could scarcely believe it when they made it into the Wood again. Even Mrs. Flowers had kept up and most of them still had their flashlights. It was a miracle. They had even escaped Damon. The thing now was to be very quiet and to try to get through the Old Wood without disturbing anything. Maybe they could find their way back to the real boardinghouse, they decided. Then they could figure out how to save Elena from Damon and his two friends. Even Matt finally had to admit that it was unlikely that they would be able to overcome the three supernatural creatures by force. Bonnie just wished they'd been able to take Isobel with them. â€Å"Well, we have to go to the real boardinghouse anyway,† Damon said, as Misao finally got Isobel subdued and semi-conscious. â€Å"That's where Caroline will be.† Misao stopped glaring at Isobel and seemed to start slightly. â€Å"Caroline? Why do we want Caroline?† â€Å"It's all part of the fun, isn't it?† Damon said in his most charming, flirtatious voice. Shinichi immediately stopped looking martyred and smiled. â€Å"That girl – she's the one you've been using as a carrier, right?† He looked mischievously at his sister, whose smile seemed slightly strained. â€Å"Yes, but – â€Å" â€Å"The more the merrier,† Damon said, more cheerful with every minute. He didn't seem to notice Shinichi smirking at Misao behind his back. â€Å"Don't sulk, darling,† he said to her, tickling her under the chin while his golden eyes gleamed. â€Å"I've never set eyes on the girl. But of course, if Damon says it'll be fun, itwill be.† The smirk became a full-fledged gloating smile. â€Å"And there's no chance of any of them actually getting away at all?† Damon said, almost absently, staring into the darkness of the Old Wood. â€Å"Give me a little credit, please,† the kitsune snapped. â€Å"You're a damned – a vampire, aren't you?You're not supposed to hang out in the woods at all.† â€Å"It's my territory, along with the cemetery – † Damon was beginning mildly, but Shinichi was determined to finish first this time. â€Å"Ilive in the woods,† he said. â€Å"I control the bushes, the trees – and I've brought a few of my own little experiments along with me. You'll all see them soon enough. So, to answer your question, no, not one of them is going to escape.† â€Å"That was all I asked,† Damon said, still mildly, but locking gazes with the golden eyes for another long moment. Then he shrugged and turned away, eyeing the moon that could be seen between swirling clouds on the horizon. â€Å"We've got hours before the ceremony yet,† Shinichi said, behind him. â€Å"We're hardly going to be late.† â€Å"We'd better not,† Damon murmured. â€Å"Caroline can do an awfully good impression of that pierced girl in hysterics when people are late.† As a matter of fact, the moon was riding high in the sky as Caroline drove her mother's car to the porch of the boardinghouse. She was wearing an evening dress that looked as if it had been painted on her, in her favorite colors of bronze and green. Shinichi looked at Misao, who giggled with one hand covering her mouth and looked down. Damon walked Caroline up the porch steps to the front door and said, â€Å"This way to the good seats.† There was some bewilderment as people got themselves sorted out. Damon spoke cheerfully to Kristin and Tami and Ava: â€Å"The peanut gallery for you three, I'm afraid. That means you sit on the ground. But if you're good, I'll let you come sit up with us the next time.† The others followed him with more or less exclamation, but it was Caroline who looked annoyed, saying, â€Å"Why do we want to goinside ? I thought they were supposed to beoutside .† â€Å"Closest seats not in danger,† Damon said briefly. â€Å"We can get the best view from up there. Royal box seats, come on, now.† The fox twins and the human girl followed him, switching on lights in the darkened house all the way up to the widow's walk on the roof. â€Å"And now where are they?† Caroline said, peering down. â€Å"They'll be here any minute,† Shinichi said, with a glance that was both puzzled and reproving. It said: Who does this girl think she is? He didn't spout any poetry. â€Å"And Elena? She'll be here, too?† Shinichi didn't answer that at all, and Misao just giggled. But Damon put his lips close to Caroline's ear and whispered. After that, Caroline's eyes shone green as a cat's. And the smile on her lips was the one of a cat who has just put its paw on the canary.

Drug Addiction and Service Training Program Essay

The National Service Training Program (NSTP) Law, RA 9163, also known as â€Å"An Act Establishing the National Service Training Program for tertiary level students, has three program components; Reserve Officer’s Training Corps [ROTC], Civic Welfare Training Service [CWTS], and Literacy Training Service [LTS] – aiming to enhance civic consciousness and defense preparedness in the youth and developing the ethics of service and patriotism. Under the NSTP-MAPUA Office, which supervises the implementations of CWTS and ROTC, governed by R.A. 9163 of 2001, are MAPUA-CWTS and MAPUA-ROTC Offices. These two independent offices provide students a grading system, and different activities that endows students with theoretical and practical knowledge and experiences that are needed for community services. After finishing LTS/CWTS, graduates become part of National Service Reserved Corps; after finishing ROTC, graduates will be a part of Citizen Armed Forces. A human is a rational being, born free but are responsible for his own action, has his own identity for who he is, intrinsically a social being, and sexual in nature with uniqueness of expression – these are the characteristics of a person. Values are integrated in a person’s physical, intellectual, moral, spiritual, social economic and political aspects. By understanding the character and the definition of a person, maximizing these characteristics are crucial to be able to create a positive result in realizing his competence and ability. There are many opportunities that await each person, but blind enough to notice it. A person himself is best qualified in changing and directing his life for he’s always been given an alternative whether to do or not to do an act, and is accompanied by responsibility. Understanding Filipino values are very important in realizing how Filipinos behave and act, for these values serve as a basis on which every individual’s s trength in facing the challenges of life should be directed. The positive side of the Filipino values should be put in use and disregard the negative ones to be able to bring out the best in the Filipino society in general and the individual in particular. Each Filipino I blessed inherently by a set of values – value of respect for life, concern for the family and the future generations, value of truth, of justice, of equality, of promotion of the common good, and of concern for the environment. These values are in need to be awakened in order to serve as a vehicle and reinforcement towards our goal of realizing social change and progress. A group is defined as a collection of individuals with different personalities acting and interacting with one another in the process of living. Within a group, a leader or a set of leaders is/are appointed; the one who guides his members and possess certain qualities on effective leadership. John C. Maxwell‟s book entitled â€Å"21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader† helps people recogn ize, develop and refine the personal characteristics needed to be a truly effective leader that people would want to follow. For every group, decisions are made. There are different kinds of decision-making, for instance, having only one person to decide or having a majority vote. Difficulties are also encountered but there are some conflict resolutions and styles used to solve the problem. National security is the protection to preserve the nation’s physical integrity and territory. National security has an objective of defending the territorial integrity of the state and the freedom to determine one’s own government while, human security aims the safety and survival of people, shorthand for the same is freedom from fear of physical violence. It responds to ordinary people’s needs in dealing with sources of threats. Disaster is a phenomenon brought about by either natural or man-made hazards that causes great damage and suffering – for instance, in life and property. The community, composed of its people in a state or country, takes extra-ordinary measures on how to survive when everything we take for granted is gone, when structures we depend on have failed. Disaster preparedness is an activity which complies with the preventive measures, ensuring that the community is in a state of readiness to contain the effects of a forecasted disastrous event in order to minimize loss of life, injury, and damage to property. Disaster management is a planned step taken to minimize the effects of a disaster. DRUG – any substance that brings physical, psychological, emotional and behavioral changes when used. There are many consequences when people use drugs; their behavior changes leading them to do bad things to others and their selves, and all sorts of health problems. Every classification of drug abusers – from experimenters, occasional, regular users to drug dependent people, corresponds to certain counter measures, depending on the degree of drug abuse. The Republic Act 9165, known as the Comprehensive Drugs Act of 2002, is the one that deals on cases which involve the use of drugs.

Donatello - Master of Renaissance Sculpture

Donatello - Master of Renaissance Sculpture Donatello was also known as: Donato di Niccolo di Betto Bardi Donatello's Accomplishments Donatello was noted for his superb command of sculpture. One of the foremost sculptors of the Italian Renaissance, Donatello was a master of both marble and bronze and had an extensive knowledge of ancient sculpture. Donatello also developed his own style of relief known as schiacciato (flattened out). This technique involved extremely shallow carving and utilized light and shadow to create the full pictorial scene. Occupations: Artist, Sculptor Artistic Innovator Places of Residence and Influence: Italy: Florence Important Dates: Born: c. 1386, GenoaDied: Dec. 13, 1466, Rome About Donatello: The son of Niccolà ² di Betto Bardi,  a Florentine wool carder, Donatello became a member of Lorenzo Ghibertis workshop by the time he was 21. Ghiberti had won the  commission to make the bronze doors of the Baptistery of the cathedral in Florence in 1402, and Donatello very likely assisted him on this project.  The earliest work that can definitely be attributed to him, a marble statue of David, shows the clear artistic influence of Ghiberti and the International Gothic style, but he soon developed a powerful style of his own. By 1423, Donatello had mastered the art of sculpting in bronze. Sometime around 1430, he was commissioned to create a bronze statue of David, although who his patron may have been is up for debate. The David is the first large-scale, free-standing nude statue of the Renaissance. In 1443, Donatello went to Padua to construct a bronze equestrian statue of a famous, recently-deceased Venetian condottiere, Erasmo da Narmi. The pose and the powerful style of the piece would influence equestrian monuments for centuries to come. Upon returning to Florence, Donatello discovered that a new generation of sculptors had overtaken the Florentine art scene with excellent marble works. His heroic style had been eclipsed in his home city, but he still received commissions from outside Florence, and he remained fairly productive until he died at about aged eighty.   Although scholars know a good deal about Donatellos life and career, his character is difficult to assess. He never got married, but he had many friends in the arts. He did not receive a formal higher education, but he acquired considerable knowledge of ancient sculpture. At a time when an artists work was regulated by guilds, he had the temerity to demand a certain amount of freedom of interpretation. Donatello  was greatly inspired by  ancient art, and much of his work would embody the spirit of classical Greece and Rome, but he was spiritual as well as  innovative, and he took his art to a level that would see few rivals besides Michelangelo.

Free Essays on Everyman

The Reflection of Death in Everyman In the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, the morality play evolved as the popular dramatic form which offered instruction to the audience on the Christian lifestyle and attitudes toward death. Most often, these plays gravitated toward the conflict between good and evil for the human soul, concluding with the soul’s redemption. (Miracle). The matter that morality plays dealt with was allegorical in nature and its intent was to apply Christian doctrine to conduct, in order to promote Christian character (Warren). One of the most celebrated morality plays dates back to approximately 1475 and is titled Everyman. The morality play Everyman serves as a reflection of Medieval and Renaissance views toward death and the concept of a soul’s final struggle for salvation. In order to gain an understanding of how Everyman is reflective of Medieval and Renaissance conceptions about death, it is necessary to have some knowledge of the play’s plot. Everyman opens with an introductory statement which aids this necessity: â€Å"Here beginneth a treatise how ye high Father of Heaven sendeth Death to summon every creature to come and give account of their lives in this world, and is in manner of a Moral play†. The introduction reveals the play’s message and introduces the plot. The character Everyman is visited by the character Death who orders Everyman produce an account book and prepare to journey to the grave: On thee thou must take a long journey. Therefore thy book of count with thee thou bring, For turn again thou cannot by no way! And look thou be sure of thy reckoning For before God thou shalt answer and shew Thy many bad deeds and good but a few, How thou hast spent thy life, and in what wise, Before the chief Lord of Paradise. The idea that Everyman must produce a book filled with all of his deeds was indeed a reflection of the common belief ... Free Essays on Everyman Free Essays on Everyman The Reflection of Death in Everyman In the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, the morality play evolved as the popular dramatic form which offered instruction to the audience on the Christian lifestyle and attitudes toward death. Most often, these plays gravitated toward the conflict between good and evil for the human soul, concluding with the soul’s redemption. (Miracle). The matter that morality plays dealt with was allegorical in nature and its intent was to apply Christian doctrine to conduct, in order to promote Christian character (Warren). One of the most celebrated morality plays dates back to approximately 1475 and is titled Everyman. The morality play Everyman serves as a reflection of Medieval and Renaissance views toward death and the concept of a soul’s final struggle for salvation. In order to gain an understanding of how Everyman is reflective of Medieval and Renaissance conceptions about death, it is necessary to have some knowledge of the play’s plot. Everyman opens with an introductory statement which aids this necessity: â€Å"Here beginneth a treatise how ye high Father of Heaven sendeth Death to summon every creature to come and give account of their lives in this world, and is in manner of a Moral play†. The introduction reveals the play’s message and introduces the plot. The character Everyman is visited by the character Death who orders Everyman produce an account book and prepare to journey to the grave: On thee thou must take a long journey. Therefore thy book of count with thee thou bring, For turn again thou cannot by no way! And look thou be sure of thy reckoning For before God thou shalt answer and shew Thy many bad deeds and good but a few, How thou hast spent thy life, and in what wise, Before the chief Lord of Paradise. The idea that Everyman must produce a book filled with all of his deeds was indeed a reflection of the common belief ...

English Coursework

English Coursework English Coursework English Coursework Writing literature coursework or any other English coursework in any fashion that occurs to a writer may later make him do time-consuming revisions. Before doing any coursework writing, therefore, you should carefully study not only the coursework format but also the style manual recommended by your professor, college or institution. If a coursework writer is specifically granted the right to select a style, he can find several manuals available to serve as guides. After adopting a style, he must adhere to it throughout the college coursework writing, for switching from one acceptable style to another is not permissible. Mastering the methods of academic coursework research is important, for an outstanding scientific investigation is of little value if the findings are not effectively communicated to others. Accomplishing this feat is somewhat different from writing a nontechnical composition. A coursework writer does not try to entertain, amuse, or persuade the reader, nor does he merely discuss his opinions concerning a problem or suggest solutions and argue on the basis of general observations. Rather, college coursework writer presents a hypothesis, explains the procedures employed to test it, cites the factual data collected, and announces whether they confirm or disconfirm the hypothesis. A clear, objective, logical presentation and analysis of the evidence rather than an emotionalized argument or diverting descriptions are required in academic coursework writing: Since an academic coursework is not ordinarily read by laymen but by well-informed individuals with more than a passing interest in the topic, it is critically and systematically scrutinized. Coursework reviewers will be skeptical of any assertions unless demonstrated evidence is presented; they may challenge the writer's reasoning processes, the interpretation placed upon the data, the accuracy of the footnotes, or they may even repeat the experiment to check the results. Hence, a research coursework must be able to stand the test of critical tutor supplied by other academic coursework writing. Custom Coursework If you need coursework help, you have an opportunity to request assistance at our site. We have 24/7 support to answer any question you have about our writers and services. We are working hard to meet the requirements of all clients asking of English coursework writing help. Even if you have already started working on your English coursework but do not know how to finish it, contact us and we will help you. All papers are delivered prior to deadline to allow sufficient time for revision. is a professional and absolutely legal site. Read also: Free Research Papers APA Style Research Paper Writing a Reaction Paper Valentine's Day Essay Sociology Paper

NSA and the 4TH Amendment Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

NSA and the 4TH Amendment - Assignment Example An example of politics not impacting the choice one makes is the fact that the Democrats did nothing to take away the government’s assumed power of warrantless surveillance when they gained control of the White House and the Senate. Warrantless Surveillance will continue to be a mode of operation by the Federal Government. Things will continue to go pretty much as they have since 2001. There will continue to be court cases which will challenge the right of the government to engage in what some would call an illegal operation. It is hard to challenge the right of the government to engage in what some would call an illegal operation. It is hard to argue against the security of our nation as being a reason for gathering certain information and tapping foreign phone calls. When looking at utopia, our country would not need to gather this information because everyone would be doing what is expected of them and not out to harm their neighbor. The government would function as an arm of the people, providing for the common good of all Americans. The court system would be engaged in the enforcement of our laws and not arguing about what is constitutional or unconstitutional. A sad thing that would happen with the disappearance of warrantless surveillance, people would lose their job. The news shows on television would have to find something else to discuss and Senators Kerry and McCain would begin addressing more pressing

CNA Code of Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

CNA Code of Ethics - Essay Example The Canadian Code of Ethics The Canadian Code of Ethics for Registered Nurses plays a vital role because it reflects the involvement and nursing’s interest towards social justice by laying down corresponding ethical responsibilities and primary values which nurses who are registered in Canada are supposed to uphold in their course of duty. The Canadian Nurses Association Code of Ethics for Registered Nurses also comprises of statements with ethical issues which nurses may undertake in order to address social inequities that affect the well-being and health of their clients. The Code of Ethics plays a vital role for Canadian Registered Nurses because it contains ethical practice which stipulate that nurses should work with families, individuals, groups, communities and populations in order to expand the health care choices available and become aware that some individuals have limited choices due to geographic, social or economic factors, the lead to inequities (CNA, 2009). Soci al Justice Social Justice refers to the fair distribution of responsibilities and resources among the members of a given population taking into consideration the relative position of a given social group as compared with others in the community or society as a whole. Social justice also considers the major causes of disparities and the steps that can be taken in order to abolish or eliminate them. The term â€Å"resources† according to the concept of social justice in health and health care refer not only to the direct services but rather to other facets of life which can a have a positive impact on health, like for instance, gainful employment, food security, adequate income, a social safety net, adequate education and social inclusion. According to the Canadian Nurses Association (CNA), these are collectively referred to as the factors found in the social environment which are external to the system of healthcare and which are known to exert a primary and potentially change able influence on the health of various populations. To take action meant for social justice implies attempting to reduce differences occurring on a system wide basis in which certain groups of disadvantaged people are prevented in getting equal access to health care services and the determinants of life (CNA, 2009). On the other hand, Social Justice in Health Care also implies working with the aim of preventing practices which are oppressive such as discrimination of people based on sexual orientation, age, gender or any other factors that comprise the wealth and health of an individual. Social justice can therefore occur on a one-to one interaction between healthcare providers in a health facility themselves or between a patient and the nurse. Social Justice is a Nursing Concern Social Justice is a nursing concern because given the fact that all societies are known to suffer from systematic, broad oppression and inequities, these are bound to have a negative impact on both an indi vidual and the communities’ health. The equity of societal relationships that are based on gender, race and economic status will result in the stability of health population indicators between the various groups, leading to national and international positive outcomes. It is therefore in this same breadth that the professional in the nursing organization endeavors to ensure that no person who is receiving health care is subjected to oppression or discrimination of any form through the

Gun laws In The Usa Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Gun laws In The Usa - Essay Example As such, guns assist in threatening burglars into submission of the law, where they surrender lest the weapon be fired on them. In addition legalizing firearms allows those that possess them to have an upper hand in cases of violence against them, where they buy time for the authorities to arrive and contain the situation by arresting the culprits. This means that legalizing guns is a positive thing to the entire society by curbing the occurrence of crime all over; thanks to the dangerous and life threatening nature of guns into coercing one to comply with demands for the right or moral thing to be done. In addition, the legalization of guns in the American society creates a suitable situation for all to stay away from violent activities that involve life-threatening situations. This is as seen through resolution of disputes through amicable means by persuading aggressors to steer off violence and embrace non-violent means of dispute resolutions. However, the above situation works if the person with the gun exercises his or her rationality in a life-threatening situation since he or she holds the upper hand. Having guns as legal items in America also serve to improve the security countrywide following the equality created in having them. This is through accountability and uniformity that is bound to be all over, considering that anyone with an interest in guns is bound to get and use it according to his or her discretion. This form of uniformity allows individuals to be accountable and responsible with their firearms such that they do not use them at will, but rather in situations that call for them. According to the above statement, cases of threats would be minimal, as would those of violent crime involving guns (Sabhalok). This is because; since everyone can easily get a legal firearm, disputes can and will be resolved more responsibly unlike in cases where only one of those involved owns a gun. As such, rationality will be conventional thing to do since fai lure to be rational would lead to loss of lives. In addition, it is conventional for misuse or abuse of items and substances to go low once the items are legalized for use by the public as is the case for alcohol consumption in relation to binge drinking (CBS News). According to this statement, once guns are legalized, crime rates are bound to go down as guns become prevalent among the public, and with laws governing their use. This is to say that the use of illegal firearms to commit crimes will be low allowing for members of the American society to live their lives in peace. Concerning self-defense, guns are crucial for protection of one’s wellbeing against evil elements in society. This is especially so for individuals with impairments or of a certain age, where their abilities are highly impaired or uncontrollable. As such, senior citizens find security in the guns since they cannot compete against young burglars and criminals (Codrea). As a result, having a gun allows th em to overpower the youth in crime and get their situations under control and save their lives, as well as protect that which belongs to them. Guns also lead to recognition of certain minority groups commonly discriminated against under the pretext of criminal activity. Guns put all the ethnic communities on the map, for the right reasons; thus

Cellular and Molecular Pathological Mechanisms in the Failing Heart Article

Cellular and Molecular Pathological Mechanisms in the Failing Heart - Article Example In many cases, however, it is not possible to arrive at a specific etiologic diagnosis, and thus it is often more desirable to classify the cardiomyopathies into one of three types dilated, restrictive, hypertrophic on the basis of differences in their pathophysiology and clinical presentation. About one in three cases of congestive heart failure (CHF) is due to dilated cardiomyopathy, with the remainder the consequence of coronary artery disease. Left and/or right ventricular systolic pump function is impaired, leading to progressive cardiac enlargement and hypertrophy, a process called remodeling. Symptoms of CHF typically appear only after remodeling has been ongoing for some time. There is, however, no close correlation between the degree of contractile dysfunction and the severity of symptoms. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is characterized by left ventricular hypertrophy, typically of a nondilated chamber, without obvious cause such as hypertension or aortic stenosis. Two fe atures of HCM have attracted the greatest attention: (1) asymmetric left ventricular hypertrophy, often with preferential hypertrophy of the interventricular septum; and (2) a dynamic left ventricular outflow tract pressure gradient, related to a narrowing of the subaortic area as a consequence of the midsystolic apposition of the anterior mitral valve leaflet against the hypertrophied septum. The hallmark of the restrictive cardiomyopathies is abnormal diastolic function. The ventricular walls are excessively rigid and impede ventricular filling. Myocardial fibrosis, hypertrophy, or infiltration due to a variety of causes is usually responsible. The infiltrative diseases, which represent important causes for secondary restrictive cardiomyopathy, may also show some impairment of systolic function. The inability of the ventricle to fill limits cardiac output and raises filling pressure. Therefore, exercise intolerance and dyspnea are usually the most prominent symptoms. As a result o f persistently elevated venous pressure, these patients commonly have dependent edema, ascites, and an enlarged, tender, and often pulsatile liver. The jugular venous pressure is elevated and does not fall normally, or it may rise with inspiration (Braunwald, 2005, 13-78). The current concepts in the cellular mechanism of established cardiac failure suggest that a failing heart is in an energy-depleted state. There are ongoing debate and continued research in this area, and it has been suggested that there is an imbalance between energy production and energy utilization. Human atrial myocytes have been found to be responsive to a swelling-activated outwardly rectifying chloride current. Although the exact function has still not yet been delineated, it has been suggested that these chloride currents are thought to modulate cardiac electrical activity. It has also been suggested that the hemodynamic perturbations responsible for the development of CHF and cellular hypertrophy place myocytes under mechanical stress. This, in turn would lead to complex cellular remodeling and activation of signaling systems at the intracellular levels. In a gross level, congestive heart failure is associated with cardiomyopathy, where the congestive heart failure is the resultant of cardiomyopathy. In cardiomyopathy, due to weakness of muscles of the heart, heart is not able to pump

Team Building Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Team Building - Essay Example But a basic disadvantage in this type of functioning is that the employee doesn't feel the belonging to the organization and therefore may not go for value addition and creativity to the task. An individual is least bothered about the final product, once he/ she has done his/ her share of task. A team on the other hand helps in networking of the individuals, with exchange of ideas and suggestions. This not only helps in regular updation of the knowledge level of the team members but also enriches the final product and service. When the customer feels the advantage of value addition, he'll naturally be attracted towards the product/ service. The figure below depicts the difference between these two types of systems. Teams in general are committed for common goals as they are accountable for them. Teams can pool there resources, synergize their acts and the team members can complement and supplement each other's efforts to come out with the final product. Contribution from the concerned team members helps in widening the thoughts, assigning responsibilities, helps in implementing and constantly monitoring the results and feedback helps in devising a still better strategy. Structure and composition of a team forms the basis of its working. ... But the core characteristic is the commitment to a common goal. The team structure determines how to maximize the common efforts. If any one members of the team works in a manner adversely affecting the final outcome, then it acts as a de-motivating factor for other members in the team, which in turn affects the quality of the final product. Therefore an efficient team structure also takes care of such eventualities. A well designed team structures helps in polishing the abilities of the individual team members. A person's strengths may not always be visible; it might be overshadowed by something that he has done in the past. Sometimes it requires a personal trigger from the team leader. When the team members find that the team is behind them and the leader has enough confidence in them they come out of their shell with readiness to take initiatives. The trigger has to be the right one, because squeezing the wrong one might lead to further detachment. Strategies must be in place to s upport such initiates and experiments. Answer-2 Part-I: Contribution of leadership towards strategy implementation Howard Good (2006), the former president of Highland Central School Board in Highland, N.Y., says, "Being board president brings power and prestige, but you must inspire and help others to be successful". A team leader therefore plays the central role in making or breaking the team. It is the team leader who can synergize the efforts or just wither away the advantage, with his actions. A team leader is supposed to delegate the powers and responsibilities amongst his/ her team mates, inspire the team members by being an example and motivate his team with appropriate motivating factors. A leader

Implementing an Environmental Management System Essay

Implementing an Environmental Management System - Essay Example The process that is going to be described in this paper on how to create an EMS and implement the system is based on the recommended EPA processes and guidelines. The four-phase EMS implementation process has the following four steps: getting ready, plan, do, check & act (Peercenter, 2009). In the first phase of the process, the manager has to recognize that each company has unique needs and the system must be tailored made to cover those needs. The objectives, challenges, and potential benefits must be established. The company also has to establish the reasons for implementing the EMS. The reasons may vary but include: improving public image, reduce environmental pollution, and business politics among others. During the first face, the company has to select the activities or operations where the EMS will apply. The activities and operations selected have to be reasonable as far as the system is able to manage the tasks needed to achieve environmental improvements. The cost of opport unity cannot exceed the benefits achieved from implementing the system. The company has to create a new job position for an employee to be the official EMS representative that coordinates the efforts of the system. The EMS representative has to select a core team of employees for the project and he must also choose and implementation team. The first step of phase II is designing an environmental footprint which is basically the environmental aspects the EMS impacts. Reduced energy consumption and lower CO2 emissions are two examples of environmental aspects. The second step is to identify the hot spot areas of each aspect within the organization. The hot spots must meet the significant criteria the EMS core team established.  

Team Building Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Team Building - Essay Example But a basic disadvantage in this type of functioning is that the employee doesn't feel the belonging to the organization and therefore may not go for value addition and creativity to the task. An individual is least bothered about the final product, once he/ she has done his/ her share of task. A team on the other hand helps in networking of the individuals, with exchange of ideas and suggestions. This not only helps in regular updation of the knowledge level of the team members but also enriches the final product and service. When the customer feels the advantage of value addition, he'll naturally be attracted towards the product/ service. The figure below depicts the difference between these two types of systems. Teams in general are committed for common goals as they are accountable for them. Teams can pool there resources, synergize their acts and the team members can complement and supplement each other's efforts to come out with the final product. Contribution from the concerned team members helps in widening the thoughts, assigning responsibilities, helps in implementing and constantly monitoring the results and feedback helps in devising a still better strategy. Structure and composition of a team forms the basis of its working. ... But the core characteristic is the commitment to a common goal. The team structure determines how to maximize the common efforts. If any one members of the team works in a manner adversely affecting the final outcome, then it acts as a de-motivating factor for other members in the team, which in turn affects the quality of the final product. Therefore an efficient team structure also takes care of such eventualities. A well designed team structures helps in polishing the abilities of the individual team members. A person's strengths may not always be visible; it might be overshadowed by something that he has done in the past. Sometimes it requires a personal trigger from the team leader. When the team members find that the team is behind them and the leader has enough confidence in them they come out of their shell with readiness to take initiatives. The trigger has to be the right one, because squeezing the wrong one might lead to further detachment. Strategies must be in place to s upport such initiates and experiments. Answer-2 Part-I: Contribution of leadership towards strategy implementation Howard Good (2006), the former president of Highland Central School Board in Highland, N.Y., says, "Being board president brings power and prestige, but you must inspire and help others to be successful". A team leader therefore plays the central role in making or breaking the team. It is the team leader who can synergize the efforts or just wither away the advantage, with his actions. A team leader is supposed to delegate the powers and responsibilities amongst his/ her team mates, inspire the team members by being an example and motivate his team with appropriate motivating factors. A leader

Glazing and Wall Ratio Studies for High Rise Building Envelope to Essay

Glazing and Wall Ratio Studies for High Rise Building Envelope to Achieve Energy Saving in Hong Kong - Essay Example When a curtain wall is made of glass, for example the International Finance Center (IFC) in Hong Kong, a great benefit is that light from the sun can penetrate more easily and deeper into the inner rooms. The curtain wall structure is normally spared of any dead load burden from the construction other than the weight of the materials used in its construction (Hart, 2008). The wall transmits lateral wind loads to the building’s pillars through linkages to floors or columns. Curtain walls are designed to prevent air and water penetration. Additionally, the structures also reduce the load caused by air currents and seismic forces playing out on the external surfaces, and its own sway triggered by the dead load weight. The paper explores how glazing to wall ratio affects energy saving in a curtain wall house. 2.0 Background to the project Curtain walling is essentially build with protruding aluminium metals, although in the past steel was used in the making of the structure. Apart from glass, stone veneer, louvers, vents, and metal panels can also be used as in-fills. Copper cladding can be used by architects to achieve visually attractive features into structural design. The project will revolve around the impact of glazed curtain walls on energy saving. 3.0 Aims and broad objectives The study will explore the level at which the metal can a material in terms of conducting heat. A study will be conducted to establish the significance of aluminium metal in heat loss through the curtain wall mullions made of the metal, especially in hot temperature. On the other hand, when it is cold, numerous ways aimed at checking the amount of heat loss will be explored; in IFC for example, apart from the curtain wall shading, the role of thermal breaks to the window will be explored. Due to the fact that thermal breaks are materials made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC), the study will explore the significance of the material and how it is used on the curtain wall to provide a substantial reduction in the heat conductivity of the wall structure. 4.0 Methods to be adopted Owing to the significance of the ‘U’ value in energy efficiency, the coefficient will be studied in shaded curtain walls. U value stands for the effectiveness of a curtain wall window structure to prevent heat transfer. In an effort to ascertain the solar factor in the heating and cooling of the IFC building, heat transfers across solid, liquid and gas will be examined. 5.0 Deliverables According to Glassman (2009), the glazed curtain wall models essentially show smaller U value coefficients as compared to concrete wall. Additionally a mechanically fixed system has a slightly higher U value compared to a hybrid system, if an identical IG spacer was employed. The repercussions of the wearing out of the mechanically fixed system gasket are more pronounced. Owing to the significance of wet sealing, most curtain walls constructed through this method achieve better U-values as opp osed to dry sealing method (Donaldson, 1988). Nonetheless, structurally glazed systems which are dry sealed, usually display high efficiency if IG spacer bars are used. Warm edge spaces made of desiccated silicone foam have been rated highest in terms of energy performance

Children and War Essay Example for Free

Children and War Essay How do children experience war and what coping assistance do they need from adults? What can we do to raise children in war torn times. According to a report by the London based International Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers, an estimated 300,000 children in more than 80 countries are participating in armed conflict. I personally feel that children experience war because adults bring them into this conflict. Professor Henninger mentioned in his post, â€Å"Culture plays a big part,† in how children around the world experience war. Children are seen as innocent and many times are used as undetectable threats in war zones because who would suspect that a child is carrying a bomb or other various weapon devices such as hand-grenades and high powered guns. According to my research on this topic, children are used to having a safe haven and during war safety cannot be a permanent item, which is what children will need. The class text mentions that children’s memory is affected by not so pleasant images of being around a war zone, children can become desensitized to violence which could cause children to display violent behavior; reasoning on moral issues are affected, plus numerous other issues such as anxiety and depression are items children experience during war. It is unfortunate during war time in various areas, young girls can become victims of rape and often young girls are used as â€Å"Soldiers wives† in various foreign countries (Garbarino, Kostelny Dubrow 1998), where they are made to live in slavery and care for the soldiers every need, which includes intimate needs. This is why some of these young girls become pregnant and are then often time abandoned while the solider finds a new young female victim. Research has shown that once these young girls have babies, they seen as outcast and cannot return back to their regular family unit, due to most family members have been killed due to war zones. Young female and male children both experience major disruption to their family unit. I have seen on new reports where children became instant orphans and most likely saw their parent or parents murdered during war and then the child is left to care for themselves or many times they may have to care for other siblings. Young males may lose their fathers permanently due to war and this loss may place this young man as the â€Å"Head of household†, where their maturity level is not consistent (Weisenmiller) with taking over such as important role for the family. Coping Assistance for Children of War How children will experience war is also based on how the adults around them handle the situation. For example, if the parent is able to be with the child by offering comfort during such a climatic time and by being upfront with the child or children of what is happening, this will help ease the anxiety caused by war. The United Nations in the past held special sessions on how to deter the affects of war on children who live in war zones on a worldwide level. Special curriculums have been set-up in many war torn countries to allow children to either discuss, draw, or play act events that occurred to them during war, so they share their story and not hold things in, which could cause more stress in their young life. Assistant for children involved financial backing, which many times under developed countries do not have the mean, so international help organizations cans step in and provide the children with the physical and psychological help they would need to recover. Children need coping assistance that will help provide their basic everyday needs such as food, shelter, reassurance of safety and assistance with social development. Social programs such a UNICEF, Salvation Army, Red Cross, along with family, friends and the community will help children cope during times of war. When a child is raised in war torn times, they need to feel valued and make them become part of the community again by assisting in keeping them in school, healthy, have food and water available. Children need truthful information provided to them during war times because it is very important that they have an understanding of what is happening around them. Overall, support from parents, the community, friendly nations is important in helping to raise children during war time, and also help the child keep a sense of childhood when war issues arise. References: Berk, Laura E. (2009), Child Development Eight Edition. Pearson Education Clements, Paul T, Jr., PhD,R.N., C.S. (2001). Terrorism in America: How do we tell the children? Journal of Psychosocial Nursing Mental Health Services, 39(11), 8-10. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/225547648?accountid=828 Garbarino, J., Kostelny, K., Dubrow, N. (1998). No place to be a child: Growing up in a war zone. Jossey-Bass Weisenmiller, M. (2007, May 11). Health: Trauma haunts children in war zones. Global Information Network. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/457557903?accountid=8289

Incentives in Human Subject Research

Incentives in Human Subject Research Reka Zsilinszka The use of incentives permeates throughout all aspects of medicine; from bonuses for holiday or overnight shifts, to loan forgiveness programs for physicians practicing in underserved areas, incentives serve an important role in promoting patient care. In the vast majority of situations, the use of incentives in medicine is an unproblematic and elegant solution to issues with staffing or access to care. However, when employed in human subjects research (HSR), the use of incentives is often uncharted territory[REM1]. There are limited formal guidelines that delineate the correct application of incentives and compensation in research, and the issue remains largely unresolved. Thus, the ethics [REM2]of compensation often boils down to the specific type of patient population under study. In this paper, I will discuss the differences between vulnerable and non-vulnerable patient populations, and expound on the use of incentives in each of these populations in the context of modern medical ethical codes. Definitions As stated previously, the use of incentives in most aspects of medicine is rarely considered unethical. It is only when incentives – monetary or otherwise – are used as undue [REM3]influence in order to promote participation in a study that the use of incentives can cross an ethical boundary. Oxford English Dictionary defines undue influence as â€Å"influence by which a person is induced to act otherwise than by their own free will or without adequate attention to the consequences.†[1] Therefore, one of the most important concepts in a discussion about the ethics of incentives in human subjects research is that of a vulnerable subject, because it is this population of patients that is most sensitive to the â€Å"undue influence† of incentives. We learned in Dr. Looney’s lecture â€Å"Research with Vulnerable Subjects† that there are several categories that define this population. In general, a vulnerable subject would be anyone that has limi tations on either their mental capacity or their voluntariness to participate in research; it is this latter definition that is most sensitive to undue influence. Thus, some examples of vulnerable subjects include people in emergency situations, children/infants/embryo, the mentally ill, people of a low socioeconomic or educational status, people with terminal illness, and people in hierarchical organizations where there are power differentials. While this list is by no means exhaustive, it gives an important sampling of patients that are often recruited by researchers, and who might be especially susceptible to undue influence by means of compensation in order to participate in a study[REM4]. Ethical Codes In order to properly discuss the ethics of incentives in HSR, it is imperative to also determine a set of ethical codes by which the issue of incentives can be judged. One of the most well known frameworks for medical ethics was the Belmont Report, drafted in 1979.[2] While there exist many other criteria for ethical research, such as the 7 Requirements posed by Emanuel et al[3], the Belmont Report is still considered to be one of the most widely known and widely cited works of ethical research involving human subjects. In the Report, there are three key ethical principles pertaining to human research: those of beneficence, respect for persons, and justice. Briefly, beneficence is the ethical duty to provide some sort of benefit to research subjects; in other words, this concept implies that the research in question minimizes risks and maximizes potential benefits to participants. Next, respect for persons is closely related to the principle of autonomy, and implies the right of the subject to be left alone[REM5]. Thus, the principle of ‘respect for persons’ is crucial when considering the voluntariness of an individual to consent to or refrain from participating in a study. Lastly, the principle of justice refers to the right of the individual and populations to be selected fairly for research, allowing all populations equal access to the benefits of research as well as ensuring that vulnerable populations are not being unfairly targeted. In presenting arguments about the ethics of human subjects research, we will therefore use the 3 main ethical principles of the Belmont Report to examine incentives for both vulnerable and non-vulnerable populations. Incentives in Non-Vulnerable Populations With respect to incentives in a hypothetical non-vulnerable population, we will examine whether there are any conflicts with the aforementioned ethical codes. Of course, the definition of a non-vulnerable population is a subjective one, as most human interactions have some level of a power differential between the participants; thus there are very few situations in research where a subject is completely non-vulnerable and not subject to some form of a power dichotomy[REM6] When considering the principle of beneficience, there is little violation of this code with regards to incentives in human subjects research, if the research has been deemed to have a reasonable risk: benefit ratio. With a non-vulnerable and competent consenting subject participating in research that has been IRB-approved and appropriate, there is no real ethical quandary between incentives and beneficience[REM7]. Next, we consider respect for persons, or autonomy. In a population where power-differentials have been minimized, the patients should have no effect on their free will to choose whether or not to participate in a study[REM8]. Thus, a fair and appropriate incentive would not make them go against their own best judgment to participate in the study, since this latter point would be considered a form of coercion or undue influence. For example, I propose this hypothetical situation: if there were a study that required a number of blood draws and the incentives in this case were monetary, then targeting a population that is financially stable would likely not significantly affect their autonomy; they should be able to weigh the risk and benefits and decide to participate based purely on their own best judgment. However, this situation might be very different when primarily targeting a low income population, where the subjects might have major qualms about needles or getting their blood d rawn, but would feel forced[REM9] to agree to participate due to their need for financial resources. Finally, we consider the juxtaposition of the ethical principle of justice and incentives in non-vulnerable populations. Once again, as with the beneficience, there are really no ethical quandaries in this situation, as there should be fair and equal subject selection with no large variations in access too research. It is only when dealing with vulnerable or â€Å"difficult to reach† populations (i.e., underserved minorities, prisoners, children, people of low socioeconomic status) that there might be issues with the concepts of justice and compensation. Thus, it is clear that when considering non-vulnerable populations, there are no real issues with using incentives to promote participation in approved human subjects research[REM10]. The real ethical quandaries arise when there are major differences in power, status, or ability to make autonomous decisions. Incentives in Vulnerable Populations We will now revisit our familiar ethical codes and discuss them in a different light, focusing on vulnerable populations and using specific historical examples when applicable. In the case of beneficience, it is mostly the job of the research team and governing boards to minimize risk and maximize benefit; thus the use of incentives does not really enter into play here. The only situation in which incentives might alter the researcher’s concept of beneficience, is if, for example, there was a study with a high risk and variable benefit, but the compensation was also comparably large; in this situation, the research team could therefore argue that it is up to the participants to decide the level of risk they are willing to take in exchange for a gain[REM11]. Respect for persons goes hand in hand with autonomy and voluntariness, and it is possibly the most difficult ethical principle to reconcile with incentives in vulnerable populations. In class, there are a few scenarios where incentives to vulnerable populations have resulted in abuse of certain research participants. For example, there was the instance of the US Public Health Service Guatemala STD study, where prisoners (a vulnerable population) were incentivized with prostitutes to participate in a study assessing syphilis and gonorrhea transmission; while this study also had major problems with the informed consent process, it also brings to light the issue that in certain populations such as prisoners, almost all incentives (sexual favors, better rooms, etc) can be considered undue influence because of the significant power between[REM12] the incarcerated participants and researchers. There is another famous example of the Willowbrook School, where parents were encouraged to enrol l their mentally retarded children into a hepatitis research project in exchange for admission into a highly competitive residential facility for the children. In this case, the vulnerable populations were both the children who were often too young and mentally incompetent to make autonomous decisions, and the desperate parents who were subject to the undue influence of admission to the facility to make a decision that might have gone against their better judgment. On the other hand, it is important to remember that, for some research participants, the various incentives gained from research are an invaluable source of income and other benefits. A fellow third year medical student is currently conducting HIV- research in the Dominican Republic, and her population of interest is sex workers; for these workers, the only way to incentivize them to participate in this research is to reimburse them for their time, and it is also an opportunity to provide valuable antiretroviral medication and education[REM13]. Additionally, there is a lot of important medical and epidemiological knowledge to be gained from HSR, which often justifies the use of incentives to boost enrollment in studies, even in vulnerable populations. Thus, in these various situations, it is crucial for the researcher to respect and understand the values and beliefs of the populations they are enrolling and studying. The research team must be sensitive and aware that some incentives may be simply too good to refuse for certain vulnerable populations, and that these people might be acting against their better judgment to participate in research. This sensitivity may require the team to abstain from offering lucrative and tempting offers to vulnerable participants in high-risk and low-reward research settings, even though the enrollment potential of the study may be therefore limited[REM14]. The last principle left to discuss in the context of vulnerable populations is that of justice, especially in the context of fairness in the subject selection. In this case, the populations that are most likely to be affected are either the poor sector, or ethnic minorities. This is due to the fact that people of a low socioeconomic status are sometimes more likely to be targeted and exploited for research participations, due to a potentially lower cost of incentives for certain studies. The converse can also be true when testing out advanced medical innovations where people who are of a lower socioeconomic status or have less access to medical care might not initially be recruited to the benefits of such a study. Another interesting issue that has arisen due to the US history of mistreatment of certain minorities (most notably African-Americans in the Tuskegee syphilis experiments) is that there is a certain level of mistrust among minority populations towards human subjects researc h.[4] However, in order to adhere to the principle of justice, there must be fairness in subject selections as well as equal access to the benefits of research. Due to misdeeds of the past, these seeds of mistrust can prevent certain groups from participating in research, and one of the easier solutions is to offer greater compensation in order to elicit participation. This practice is not fair, since some subjects are receiving greater compensation in order to convince them to participate in studies, and this can blur the ethical lines of both respect for persons as well as justice. This is a yet unresolved issue; on the one hand, we need subjects of different races and ethnicities to participate, but it is not fair to compensate certain subjects differently as compared to others. The greater issue here is to heal the rift and historical mistrust that has developed over years of mistreatment of certain populations, and to treat all participants with maximal respect when enrolling f or studies[REM15]. In conclusion, there are no easy answers when it comes to determining the ethics of incentives. The most important point to consider is that each individual has different sets of values, beliefs, and backgrounds, and it is up to the research team to be diligent about informed consent, autonomy, and education. If researchers are sensitive to the financial, socioeconomic, and various hierarchical power differentials that they may encounter in the process of enrolling patients in studies, then there can be a more open and honest discussion with the participants about the risks and benefits of participating in research, even when there are incentives offered. In this way, we can make sure that our patients are not being coerced into participating in HSR, but are able to contribute to society in a meaningful way that does not conflict with their inner ideals[REM16]. [1] Concise Oxford English Dictionary.Concise Oxford English Dictionary. Ed. Angus Stevenson and Maurice Vaite. N.p.: Oxford UP, 2011. 1575.Google Books. Web. 16 Apr. 2015. [2] The National Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects of Biomedical and Behavioral Research.The Belmont Report: Ethical Principles and Guidelines for the Protection of Human Subjects of Research. Rep. N.p.: n.p., 1979.US Department of Health and Human Services. Web. 17 Apr. 2015 [3] Emanuel, E. J., D. Wendler, and C. Grady. What Makes Clinical Research Ethical?JAMA283.20 (2000): 2701-711.JAMA Network. Web. 17 Apr. 2015. [4] Grant, R. W., and J. Sugarman. Ethics in Human Subjects Research: Do Incentives Matter?Journal of Medicine and Philosophy26.9 (2004): 717-38. Web. [REM1]I’m not sure it’s uncharted. There’s been lots of discussion, but there isn’t a clear consensus. So perhaps â€Å"uncertain territory† fits better. [REM2]It’s fussy, but it’s not the ethics (those are more constant), but rather the issues related to compensation that often boil down to the patient population. [REM3]Critical – what makes it â€Å"undue† – let’s see†¦ [REM4]I hope you pick up that in many cases the influencing factors in cases of vulnerable subjects are meant to induce the signatory agent, who may not be the research subject. Separate influencing the subject and influencing the decision maker. [REM5]Much more than that – it’s the right of the individual to control their own life, to make the decisions that matter to how their life will proceed. [REM6]Maybe â€Å"hierarchy† would be better. â€Å"Dichotomy† implies a binary split – it’s correct, but less flexible. [REM7]This notion seems abstractly reasonable, but might there be some dispute as what represents the best interest of the patient/subject? Does trying to sway someone from one beneficial study to another constitute influencing, perhaps undue? [REM8]I think you could state this more clearly. [REM9]Forced? Or desirous of participating in order to achieve the financial gains? [REM10]Hmm – how would you feel if I offered you $15,000 to participate in research? I don’t consider you vulnerable, but would this make you willing to accept risks that you otherwise might not? [REM11]A classic is bribing parents to â€Å"buy† child research subjects. Diapers work well†¦. The worry is that even with beneficent research, there may be choices, and the vulnerable subject may not be able to navigate the choices well. Beneficence in-and-of-itself is not sufficient to decrease the worry related to undue influence. [REM12]Power differential between [REM13]That’s a great case! You can see the potential of the incentives for good but for those who think the decision to participate in research should be independent of anything other than the intrinsic value of the research, it’s undue inducement (a point with which I do not agree) [REM14]You’ve made a decision that’s different than the purists I described in the last comment would favor. [REM15]Demonstrating that truly achieving justice can be a complicated matter. [REM16]Conceptually, you were on the right track, but your discussion isn’t very nuanced.