The Last Of An Important Ecosystem Environmental Sciences Essay

The Hatchie River is the lone staying of course weaving, undammed and unchannelized river of the Lower Mississippi Valley in Tennessee, doing it geographically and biologically important. The river flows through both Mississippi and Tennessee before eventually emptying into the Mississippi River. Hatchie River is fed by many feeders and flows through a comparatively level flood plain. Chemically, the river faces jobs from siltation and pollutants from industry, agribusiness, and other beginnings non easy identifiable. This river ‘s ecosystem construction is as dynamic and diverse as the workss, animate beings and people that reside in or base on balls through it. This river system, particularly its bottomland hardwood woods, has many maps some of which are wildlife home ground and a biological filter for the copiousness of foods that it carries. Hatchie River is a valuable ecosystem non merely because it exists but because of its importance to scientific discipline and wildlife and is a reminder of what used to be. Though Hatchie has managed to get away channelisation and impounding itself, many of its feeders have non which has led to many concerns affecting deposit, altering land usage and chemical pollutants doing an addition in both habitat loss and hapless H2O quality.A The undermentioned information will explicate the significant importance of Hatchie River as a unique and endangered species. Snaking through parts of Mississippi and Tennessee, the Hatchie River is more than 200 stat mis long ( â€Å" The Nature Conservancy † 2013 ) . The headwaters of the Hatchie are located in Mississippi sou'-west of Corinth in Union County and flows in an unreal drainage canal which continues about to the Tennessee State line ( Diehl 2000 ) . A From that point the river flows north and west through McNairy, Hardeman, Haywood, Madison, Tipton and Lauderdale Counties in Tennessee before emptying in the Mississippi River ( Steed 2002 ) . The Tennessee part of this river flows of course and unimpeded through the Gulf Coastal Plain. A The Hatchie River lies within the Southeastern Gulf Coastal Plain ( Nabb 1996 ) . A Harmonizing to the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, the Hatchie River watershed prevarications within four ecoregions, but most of its length falls within the Northern Hilly Gulf Coastal Plains and Loess Plains ( TDEC 2009 ) . The Northern Hilly Gulf Coastal Plains are characterized by a steeper gradient and a sandier substrate than the Loess Plains which are gently turn overing with sedimentations of loess transcending 50 pess ( TDEC 2009 ) . Soils in this country are classified as Entisols and are prone to eroding and deluging due to the low alleviation and lift of the rivers class ( HNWR 2006, Steed 1979 ) .A A Though the chief channel of the Hatchie River has non undergone channelisation, many of its feeders have. Most of the river ‘s 36 feeders have been channelized and contribute important sums of deposit ( â€Å" The Nature Conservancy † 2013 ) . The hydrolog y of Hatchie River has been affected most by the changes made to its many feeders. Most of Hatchie ‘s 36 feeders have been channelized for agricultural and flood control intents ( Steed et al 2002 ) . The consequence of the increased deposit burden has led to the chief channel ‘s decrease in deepness found to be greater than three pess harmonizing to research reported by Elizabeth Nabb ( 1996 ) . As fluctuations in the bed degree of Hatchie River occur, fluctuations in the inundation happenings addition ( Nabb 1996 ) . Changes in the morphology and hydrology of this system non merely impact the river itself but the construction of the ecosystem it supports. A A A A A A A A A A A The ecosystem represented by the Hatchie River is delicate and its morphology, hydrology and chemical science are intertwined in such a manner as to do each and every portion a continuum of a mega-organism. It is impossible to discourse the rivers hydrology without besides turn toing the workss and animate beings that are dependent upon it. Because of this, as with any wetland system, the system ‘s dynamic nature can non be entirely represented by a individual species of dominant tree or bush. This river system is a combination of many classs of vegetive features while dependant on certain belongingss of the dirt and inundation governments at different degrees of lift and distance from the natural meander of Hatchie River. Studies conducted at Hatchie National Wildlife Refuge ( HNWR ) in Brownsville, Tennessee have shown that flora nowadays in an country is significantly related toA changing grades of streaking and/or gleyingA ( Steed 1979, Steed, Plyler, and Buckner 2002 ) .A In Steeds 1979 survey he indicated that forest screen can be separated into two wide types: hydroseric and mesic. The hydroseric type occurred in countries that remained saturated, sing extended anaerobiotic activity and included communities that were dominated by Tupelo Gum, Bald Cypress or Overcup oak based on increasing grades of gleying respectfully ( Steed 1979 ) . The mesonic type occurred in countries that were at times afloat but dry during the turning season and included assorted communities of Sweet gum, willow oak, cherrybark oak and many others ( Steed 1979 ) .A In add-on, in Steed ‘s joint research of 2002, he and his spouses indicated that there were definite relationships between dirts and dirt drainage categories, topography, and species of trees ( Steed et al 2002 ) . So the connexion between dirt, H2O and workss becomes evident. What of the animate beings that depend on Hatchie River for their support? A A A A A A A A A A A The Hatchie River is more than dirt, H2O and flora. This alone trace of bottomland hardwoods that one time covered huge countries of the Mississippi Alluvial Valley is home to many animals, common and rare. Volumes could be and hold been written on the many of import maps of the Hatchie River ecosystem and one would be distressed to state which is most important.A As it carries vitalizing foods down its unimpeded channel, the Hatchie deposits them all along its flood plain to organize alone dirts that are some of the richest in America. These foods create chiefly two major types of dirt, Amagon and Falayar, which are extremely productive for many species of bottomland hardwood trees, both land and aquatic workss, and are responsible for fertile croplands that are extremely prized by agribusiness. [ General dirt map Hatchie River Basin study, Tennessee and Mississippi. Writer: United States. Soil Conservation Service.Publisher: Nashville, Tenn. , 1969 ] The Hatch ie ‘s seasonal implosion therapy has for many 1000s of old ages brought life with its foods to the dirt of the flood plain, maintaining lands as fertile now as even before Native Americans foremost came to this land. Mankind and animate beings have long depended on the Hatchie ‘s being. Having birthed these exuberant home grounds all along its flow, the Hatchie provides amazing ecological benefits and services to each 1. The hardwood woods, cane interruptions, gangrenes, oxbows, boggy wetlands, and lakes it creates as it meanders are all place to pullulating life. A A major map of this system is wildlife home ground. Because of its singularity, parts of the riverine system have been preserved at both province and national degrees. Hatchie River National Wildlife Refuge, Lower Hatchie National Wildlife Refuge, John Tully Wildlife Management Area and Fort Pillow State Park have all preserved small pieces of this great river and its surrounding landscape ( Nature conservanc y Mississippi river precedence site ) . Hatchie River and its bottomland hardwood woods support many species in many systematic orders. Included in this tremendously diverse group of animate beings, several species are considered to be vulnerable, in demand of direction, threatened, or endangered. The Hatchie Burrowing Crayfish is endemic to an country of merely under 20,000 estates on a individual feeder of the Hatchie River and considered to be critically endangered ( Crandall 2010 ) . The Hatchie River and both National Wildlife Refuges have been designated as one uninterrupted IBA ( Important Bird Area ) by BirdLife International. In this country the Mississippi Kite, Cerulean Warbler, and Swainsons Warbler are species designated as In Need of Management by the province of Tennessee ( www.tnbirds.org ) . The Prothonotary Warbler is a pit squatter in afloat woods and its outstanding genteelness country is within the Mississippi Alluvial Valley ( Prothonotary Warbler Web 2013 ) .A The Swainsons warbler, listed as a high preservation concern by Partners in Flight and on the Audubon Society ‘s ticker list, has, harmonizing to the Nature Conservancy, made slightly of a rejoinder to the Hatchie River country due to the Restoration of bottomland hardwood woods ( www.tnwatchablewildlife.orgA and the Nature Conservancy ) . Migratory birds utilizing the Mississippi flyway depend on the wetlands and the natural harvests provided by the Hatchie to prolong them as they travel each twelvemonth. Many species of birds, mammals and even insects and reptilians depend on the mast produced by bottomland hardwoods along the Hatchie ‘s length. [ U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service, Southeast Regional Office, April 2006 hypertext transfer protocol: //digitalmedia.fws.gov/cdm/singleitem/collection/document/id/655/rec/13 hypertext transfer protocol: //www.fws.gov/southeast/planning/PDFdocuments/HatchieFinal/Hatchie % 20Final % 20CCP.pdf ] A Hatchie River besides holds rare fish like the blue chump and northern madtom and is place to possibly more species of catfish than any other river in the north American continent ( nature.org ) . Though these species belong to different categories of taxonomy, they all have in common the loss of home ground whether it be in the H2O or in the trees or someplace in between. Hatchie Rivers map as wildlife home ground is valuable to these and many other species. That value does non stop with wildlife but continues on to all of those that appreciate in one signifier or another the rareness of the wildlife and the conglobation that is the Hatchie River wetland system. A A A A A A A A A A A What other valuable maps does the Hatchie River perform and how are the benefits realized? Wetlands hold H2O that from extra rain or possibly snowmelt in some countries and so easy let go of it to rivers and watercourses. A Hatchie River serves this map. However, the feeders that drain into the Hatchie have been channelized, there wetland-type countries have been destroyed ensuing in increased H2O speed through those feeders. The consequence is eroding of those stream Bankss which increases the sum of deposit they carry as they enter the chief channel of the Hatchie River. As clip base on ballss, increased siltation produces shoals and in utmost instances valley stoppers ( Diehl 2000 ) . While both of these consequences in altered hydrology of the wetland system, vale stoppers are much more damaging to the bottomland hardwood woods and the river itself. A vale stopper occurs when heavy deposit fills the river channel coercing back-filling across the inundation f ield until a new river channel is realized harmonizing to Diehl mentioning work by Stafford C. Happ in 1975 ( 2000 ) . Harmonizing to Diehl, without control of highland eroding, Hatchie ‘s flood plain may stop up a fen and a topographic point where hardwoods can non last. Wetlands have varied and legion maps. They purify H2O as it moves through the inundation fields and as this slow motion occurs some of the extra H2O percolates through to the aquifer, reloading it. Many countries depend on this map to provide their citizens with clean imbibing H2O. The filtration of H2O through the inundation plains helps to take drosss such as chemical toxins and extra deposit and in some countries wetlands are developed for that exclusive intent. Some chemicals are taken up by certain wetland workss, efficaciously taking them from the H2O and at the same clip the above-ground parts of these workss assistance in pin downing larger atoms. The Hatchie besides creates many types of recreational , fishing, and runing chances as it flows to the Mississippi. Because of its entreaty to migratory birds, duck huntsmans are drawn to the Hatchie ‘s wetlands, fishermen come to partake of the many assortments found in its Waterss, cervid and Meleagris gallopavo huntsmans vie for lands along the Hatchie. Hunters and fishermen, every bit good as leghorns, campers, tramps, bird spectators and nature lovers all flock to the Hatchie, making incomes for those who portion in supplying all these Hatchie visitants with entree. The Hatchie provides rich dirts in which local husbandmans raise bumper harvests, cognizing about anything can be good grown in Hatchie dirts. Farm/food animate beings can be grazed on both deep-rooted harvests, natural grasses and hardwood masts. The Hatchie maps as a supplier to worlds, wild and domestic animate beings, aquatic life, birds, reptilians, insects, trees, and workss, and even industry. A A A A A A A A A A A Although the Hatchie has flowed freely and infinitely for 1000s of old ages, it is non without menaces and jobs. The steady rise in deposit from its feeders and from agribusiness, of all time increasing contaminations, altered flow, every bit good as atomization of home grounds and loss of woods are all endangering the very life of the Hatchie. Heavy sediment tonss flow into the Hatchie from most of the river ‘s 36 feeders. It is this implosion therapy that has brought life in the signifier of foods to the dirt of the flood plain, sing it remains as fertile today as it has been for a thousand old ages, even before the yearss when Native Americans first began populating off this land. However, it is this really implosion therapy that has caused the human population to make inundation control undertakings, convert bottomlands to farms and spread out urban development. The invasion of civilisation has eliminated many full ecosystems in American history, and t he Hatchie is susceptible to the same destiny without sound direction and attention. In the past century, upseting wetland losingss have occurred in the Hatchie wetlands of the Lower Mississippi Valley.A [ hypertext transfer protocol: //designpathmedia.com/twrf/Conservation.cfm? uid=12092520112677465 Tennesse Wildlife Resources Foundation ( TWRF ) ] Hardwood woods have been reduced to 20 % of what they one time were.A Loss of wetlands narrows the cistron pools for migratory birds as some no longer happen ground to halt along the Hatchie to feed or engender ( Bonney et al. , 2000 ) . Chemical contaminations from industry, agribusiness and assorted other beginnings are another job faced by this river. Chemical contaminations were found in the H2O, deposits, and fish of the Hatchie River and included: Organochlorine pesticides, Polychlorinated Biphenyls, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and CUPs ( current-use pesticides ) which include weedkillers like 2,4 D and pesticides like Malathion ( HNWR ) . Mercury was besides detected and like the others was found to be within safe bounds ( HNWR ) .The Hatchie is losing cherished life as a consequence of these major impacts and has seen species of the Lower Mississippi Valley going earnestly threatened, endangered, or nonextant. Already the ruddy wolf and jaguar are gone, and the ivory-bi lledA peckerwood and three warblers that called the Hatchie place are now either critically endangered or genuinely extinct.A It may non be excessively late to change by reversal these jeopardies to the life of the Hatchie, but it will necessitate major preservation attempts, land and H2O direction with these rich home grounds uppermost in head, and better stewardship of this beautiful, rare hoarded wealth that is the Hatchie River and its home grounds. The Hatchie provides all who make usage of its presence with so many vitalizing maps that it deserves our protection to maintain it fluxing free and clean. A A A A A A A A A A A Protecting Hatchie River can non be accomplished by a individual entity or organisation. The continuity of this great wetland system will depend on continued partnerships between organisations of local, province and federal degrees every bit good as private land proprietors, husbandmans and users of the out-of-door infinite provided by Hatchie River. The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation Division of Water Pollution Control adopted what is calledA the watershed attack to H2O quality and preservation ( Lower Hatchie ) . This attack has brought partnerships on many degrees. The Natural Resources Conservation Service, the United States Geological Survey, the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U. S. Army Corp of Engineers are involved on a federal degree harmonizing to the National Wildlife Refuges preservation programs. Federal partnerships provide changing services that enhance eroding control, wildlife direction, preservation attempts, plan ning, planing, building and runing high quality and moderately priced civil plants H2O resource undertakings, care of river navigability, monitoring of inundations and drouths, roll uping extended scientific information, and offering a broad assortment of federally-funded undertakings that conserve, protect, and enhance fish, wildlife, and workss and their home grounds, every bit good as, advice to other bureaus and organisations. A On the province degree, TDEC Division of Water Supply, the State Revolving Fund, the Tennessee Department of Agriculture, West Tennessee River Basin Authority, and Mississippi Department of Environmental QualityA A service to assist forestall H2O pollution, supply low-interest loans to metropoliss and counties for effluent intervention, offer grant plans to better H2O quality and educate the populace, aid continue the natural flow of the Hatchie by bettering impaired feeders or job countries in the Hatchie itself, and supply monitoring and informations t o province bureaus. On the local degree, Friends of West Tennessee Refuges, The Nature Conservancy, the Hatchie River Conservancy, The Chickasaw-Shiloh Resource Conservation and Development Council and The Friend of the Hatchie organisation and others provide voluntaries, fundraising, and educational plans to acquire the local populace involved in stewardship of all of the Hatchie ‘s home grounds. Some of the local spouses have invested in multimillion dollar plans to better H2O quality and halt eroding and to buy lands for saving of bottomlands and wetlands. A A A A A A A A A A A The maps and values of the Hatchie River are countless and unreplaceable, doing the Hatchie cherished by many. Its hydrogeomorphology makes it exceeding as one of a really few natural ecosystems left in America. Though Hatchie River is a wetland system, it is more than a individual home ground. It is a apogee of many that are so closely interlacing as to be identical from each other. Its uniqueness provides home grounds for animate beings that, in some cases, can be found nowhere else. Many obstructions must be overcome in order to continue what remains. Siltation, habitat loss and pollution are elephantine hurdlings but non unsurmountable if bureaus, organisations and the citizens combine forces to continue this invaluable gem of West Tennessee.

The Secret of Ella and Micha Chapter 10

Ella I can remember the first time I wanted to kiss Micha as clearly as the day I found my mother dead. Both times were equally as terrifying, but in two different ways. Micha and I had been sitting on the hood of his car at our secret spot tucked away in the trees, staring out at the lake. It was harder than hell to get back to the spot, but the view and serenity made it worth it. It had been quiet between the two of us for a while, which was normal except for the jealousy stirring inside me over Micha's latest hook up, Cassandra. I'd never felt this way before and it puzzled me. It wasn't like the girl was anything special to Micha, but he'd told Ethan that she had the potential to be girlfriend material and it was bugging me. Micha's arms were tucked under his head and his eyes were shut as the sunlight beamed down on him. His shirt had ridden up and I could see his tattoo peeking out. As I stared at it the urge to run my fingers along it drove me crazy. â€Å"I don't like Cassandra,† I abruptly sputtered out, sitting up quickly. Micha's eyebrows knitted as his eyes gradually opened against the sunlight. â€Å"Huh?† â€Å"That Cassandra girl you were talking about the other day,† I said, staring out at the water rippling in the gentle breeze. â€Å"I don't think you should date her.† He rose up on his elbows. â€Å"Because you don't like her?† â€Å"No†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I tucked strands of my auburn hair out of my eyes. â€Å"I just don't want you to date her.† The wind filled the silence. Micha sat up and wrapped an arm around my shoulder. â€Å"Okay, I won't,† he said as if it was as simple as breathing. I pressed back a smile, not fully understanding why the hell I was so happy. Micha lay back down and drew me with him. I rested my head on his chest and listened to his heart beating, steady as a rock, unlike mine which was dancing inside my chest. The longer I stayed in his arms, the more content I became. I felt safe, like nothing could hurt me, but I was in complete denial that I was starting to fall in love with my best friend. *** It's been a week since the car racing incident and I've been hiding out in my bedroom living on mac n' cheese and Diet Dr. Pepper. Dean still hasn't headed home, but Lila did the morning after the race. She wanted to stay, but I didn't want her to and I think her dad wasn't too keen on the idea either. It's been kind of lonely, though. I still haven't listened to Micha's voicemail, and the constant flashing on the screen torments me. I decide to take a break from the house today and do something I've been meaning to do for a while. I want to sketch my mother's grave because I won't always be close enough to visit it. It's been bothering me the entire eight months that I've been gone. I feel guilty because it was me who put her there and then I just left her. I collect my sketch book and pencils from the drawer of my night stand, slip on my shoes and sunglasses, and head out the front door where I'm less likely to run into Micha. It's a warm day and the blue sky glitters with sunshine. I walk up the sidewalk toward Cherry Hill and decide to make a last minute stop at Grady's. I knock on the trailer door and Amy, the nurse, answers it wearing blue scrubs. â€Å"Oh, hi Ella, I don't think Grady's up for any visitors today, sweetie.† â€Å"But he told me to stop by,† I say stupidly. â€Å"I know it's a little later than I told him and I'm sorry.† â€Å"He's not mad at you, Ella,† she says kindly. â€Å"I've just got him hooked up on oxygen and he's got a cough.† I shield my eyes from the sun and stare up at her. â€Å"Is he okay?† She sighs, leaning against the doorframe. â€Å"He's just having a rough day today, but try back in a few days, okay hun.† I nod and back down the steps as she shuts the door. I stare helplessly at the back window which leads to Grady's room. He's sick and there's nothing I can do. I have no control over this. Micha was right. I can't control everything. As horrid images of my mom's death flash through my mind, I run into the field and throw up. *** The town's cemetery is located up on Cherry Hill, which on foot is quite a hike, but I enjoy the break from the reality of life. There is no one up there – there hardly ever is. I push through the gate and situate by a tree right in front of my mom's headstone. It's a small cemetery bordered by trees and the grass is covered with dry leaves. As I sketch the lines of the fence and the vines that coil it, I angle downward and draw the curve of her tombstone. I become lost in the movements, adding wings to the side of it, because she was always so fascinated with flying. A few weeks before her death, my mother begged me to go on a walk with her. I gave in even though I had plans that day. It was sunny and the air smelled like cut grass. It felt like nothing could go wrong. She wanted to go to the bridge so we walked all the way across town to the lake. When we arrived there, she climbed on the railing and spread her hands out to balance as her long auburn hair flapped in the wind. â€Å"Mom, what are you doing?† I said, reaching for the back of her shirt to pull her down. She sidestepped down the railing out of my reach and stared at the water below. â€Å"Ella May, I think I can fly.† â€Å"Mom, stop it and get down,† I said, not taking her very seriously at first. But when she turned her head and looked at me, I could see in her eyes that she wasn't joking. She really believed she could fly. I tried to stay as composed as possible. â€Å"Mom, please get down. You're scaring me.† She shook her head and her legs wobbled a little. â€Å"It's okay honey. I'll be fine. I can feel it in my body that I can fly.† I took a cautious step toward her and my foot bumped the curb of the bridge. The cement rubbed my toe raw and I could feel blood oozing out, but I didn't look down at it. I was too afraid to take my eyes off her. â€Å"Mom, you can't fly. People can't fly.† â€Å"Then maybe I'm a bird,† she said seriously. â€Å"Maybe I have wings and feathers and they can carry me away and I can become one with the wind.† â€Å"You're not a bird!† I shouted and reached for her again, but she hopped onto one of the beams and laughed like it was a game. I tugged my fingers through my hair and steadied onto the railing. It was a far fall, one that would crush our bodies on impact, even in the water. I braced my hands on the beams above my head. â€Å"Mom, if you love me at all, you'll get down.† She shook her head. â€Å"No, I'm going to fly today.† A truck rolled up and stopped on the middle of the bridge as I edged toward her. Ethan jumped out and didn't so much as flinch at the scenario. â€Å"Hey, Mrs. Daniels. How's it going?† I gaped at him and hissed, â€Å"What are you doing?† He ignored me. â€Å"You know it's not really safe out there.† My mom angled her head to the side. â€Å"I think I'll be okay. My wings will carry me away.† I was mortified, but Ethan didn't miss a beat. He rested his arms on the railing. â€Å"As much as that could be true, what if it's not? Then what? I mean is it really worth the risk?† I glanced back at my mom and she looked like she was weighing the options. She stared at the dark water below her feet and then at the bright sky above her head. â€Å"Maybe I should think about it for a little bit.† Ethan nodded. â€Å"I think that's probably a good idea.† She made a path across the beam and planted her feet on the railing. Ethan helped her down and we got her into the backseat of his truck. She fell asleep within minutes and I slumped my head back against the chair. â€Å"How did you do that?† I asked quietly. â€Å"One of my friends was tripping out of their mind one night and I had to talk him out of jumping off the roof,† he explained. â€Å"It was all about making her realize that there was more than one scenario.† I nodded and we stayed quiet for the rest of the drive to my house. Ethan never brought it up to me, nor did he treat me differently and I was grateful for it. After a doctor's visit, it was determined that my mother had started to suffer from ‘Delusions of Grandeur,' which happens sometimes in bipolar patients. I finally pull away from the drawing when it's nearly dark. I gather my sketchpad and pencils and head down the hill. In front of the arch iron entryway is Micha, sitting on the hood of his mom's car, wearing jeans, and a black and red plaid shirt. His head is tipped down and wisps of his blonde hair cover his forehead as he messes around with his phone. I stop a little ways off from him. â€Å"What are you doing here?† His eyes lift from his phone. â€Å"I'm waiting for you.† â€Å"How did you know I was here?† â€Å"I saw you leave with your sketchpad and head this way, so I came up to check on you.† I take a tentative step forward. â€Å"How long have you been sitting here?† He slides off the hood and puts his phone away. â€Å"For a while, but I didn't want to disturb you. You looked too peaceful.† I press my lips together and stare at him, craving to sketch him like I used to. He would sit on my bed and it was like he owned my hand. â€Å"Look, about the other night, I think – â€Å" He strides across the grass toward me, moving so impulsively that there's no time to react as his finger covers my lips. â€Å"Just let it be for a while, okay?† Uncertain of his exact meaning, I nod anyway. He lets his finger fall from my lips, trailing a line down my chest, finally pulling away at the bottom of my stomach. â€Å"You want a ride home?† His voice comes out ragged. I glance at the grey sky and the birds flying across it. â€Å"That would be nice. Thank you.† Micha She's preoccupied during the drive and so am I. I was so pissed off about my father that I got into the car about to do something reckless, however, then I saw Ella wandering down the street, and I followed her. The way she walked was very entertaining, her auburn hair blowing in the wind, and the way she swayed her ass in the short denim shorts she was wearing. It calmed me down watching her sit up on the hill and draw, but I can't stop thinking about the phone conversation. â€Å"We should go somewhere,† I announce when we drive onto the main road. Ella jolts in her seat and turns away from the window. â€Å"I should probably go home.† â€Å"Come on.† I pout, hoping it'll win her over. â€Å"Just come with me somewhere and we can relax.† She's tempted. â€Å"Where exactly?† I turn the volume of the stereo down and let my arm rest on the top of the steering wheel. â€Å"To our spot by the lake.† â€Å"But it takes forever to get there.† Her eyes rise to the dark sky. â€Å"And it's getting late.† â€Å"Since when have you been afraid of the dark?† â€Å"It's not the dark I'm afraid of.† I sigh and downshift. â€Å"Come on, just you and me. We don't even have to talk. We can just sit in silence.† â€Å"Fine,† she surrenders, tossing her sketchpad into the backseat. â€Å"Just as long as you don't ask me questions.† I hold up my hand innocently. â€Å"Scouts honor. I'll keep my questions to myself.† Her eyes narrow. â€Å"I know you've never been in the scouts before.† I laugh, feeling the pressure lift from my chest. â€Å"It doesn't matter. I'll keep my questions to myself, but with everything else, all bets are off.† She pretends to have an itch on her nose, but really it's to obscure her smile and it makes me smile myself. *** Its pitch black by the time we reach our spot on the shore that's secluded by tall trees. The moon reflects against the water and the night air is a little chilly. I get my jacket out of the trunk and offer it to Ella, knowing she's cold because of the goosebumps on her arms and the way her nipples are poking through her shirt. She slips the jacket on and zips it up, covering up her perky nipples. I sigh, hop onto the hood, and open my arms for her to join me. Hesitantly, she climbs onto the hood, but stays at the front, with her feet propped up on the bumper, gazing out at the water. I scoot down by her and keep my knees up, resting my elbows on them. â€Å"What are you thinking about?† Her eyes are huge in the moonlight. â€Å"Death.† â€Å"What about death?† I wonder if we're finally going to go back to that night. â€Å"That Grady's going to die,† she whispers softly. â€Å"And there's nothing I can do about it.† I brush her hair back from her forehead. â€Å"You need to stop worrying about everything that can't be controlled.† She sighs and leans away from my hand. â€Å"That's just it, though. It's all I can think about anymore. It's like this fixation I have no control over which makes no sense because I'm fixated on controlling the uncontrollable.† She's breathing wildly. Shit. I need to calm her down. â€Å"Hey, come here.† I loop my arms around her waist and lie her down on the windshield with me. She rests her head on my chest and I play with her hair, breathing in her vanilla scent. â€Å"Do you remember when you decided that it would be a good idea if you climbed up the scaffolding in the gym?† â€Å"I wanted to prove to Gary Bennitt that I was as tough as the boys.† She buries her face into my shirt, ashamed. â€Å"Why do you remember everything?† â€Å"How could I forget that? You scared the hell out of me when you fell. Yet, somehow you managed to land on the board just below it.† â€Å"I thought I was going to die,† she murmurs. â€Å"I was so stupid.† â€Å"You weren't stupid, you just saw life at a different angle,† I say. â€Å"I've always envied you for it. Like when you used to dance in a room where no one was dancing or how you stuck up for people. But there was always that wall you put up. You would never let anyone completely through.† She's soundless for a while and I expect for her to push me away. But she sits up and hovers over me, her hair veiling our faces. Her breath is ragged, like she's terrified out of her mind. â€Å"I opened up to you once,† she whispers. â€Å"When we were here in this spot doing this same thing.† I can't take my eyes off her lips. â€Å"I'm not sure what you're talking about.† She licks her lips. â€Å"I told you I didn't want you dating Cassandra.† â€Å"Cassandra†¦ Oh, was that what that was about?† I start to laugh. â€Å"What's so funny?† she asks, but I can't stop laughing. She pinches my nipple and I jerk upward, smacking my forehead against hers. â€Å"Ow.† She blinks, rubbing her forehead and a laugh escapes her lips. â€Å"Tell me what's so funny.† She looks beautiful, trying to be pissed, when deep down she's relishing the moment. I'm enjoying myself, which I didn't envisage tonight, but if anyone can cheer me up, it's her. Like when my dad left and she caught me in the garage, clutching onto his tool box crying like a baby. She gave me her Popsicle and then just sat there with me until I ran out of tears. I eye her over and she fusses with her hair self-consciously. With one quick movement, I flip us over so my body is covering hers. â€Å"When I told Ethan about that day when you told me not to see Cassandra, he told me you had a thing for me. He's usually not right about those things.† â€Å"I didn't have a thing for you,† she argues. â€Å"I just didn't want anyone else to have a thing for you.† â€Å"You're adorable when you deny the truth. You always have been.† â€Å"Micha, I used to have studs on every item of clothing I owned and enough black eyeliner to make an entire sketch. That's not adorable.† â€Å"It is on you.† I wink at her. She shakes her head and pokes a finger at my chest. â€Å"Don't try and use your player moves on me.† We remain silent, frozen in the moment, until I finally speak again. â€Å"I have an idea.† Curiosity slowly takes over her face as I shift over her body. My arms are at the side of her head, barely holding my weight up. My face hovers above hers, our lips only an inch apart, and she lies perfectly still. â€Å"I want to kiss you.† She shakes her head promptly. â€Å"I don't think that's a good idea.† I trace one of my fingers over her lips. I've been going about this all wrong. I can't force myself on her. I have to move slow and think of her as a skittish cat that needs to be approached cautiously. â€Å"Just kiss. I swear to God that's all we'll do.† I move my finger away from her lips. â€Å"And kissing's not that scary, right?† â€Å"With you it is,† she says truthfully. â€Å"If you want me not to, just say it.† Taking my time, I leisurely lower my lips toward hers. She stays stationary, her big green eyes targeted on my mouth. Slowly, so she has time to let her thoughts slow down, I caress my lips across hers. A small gasp flees from her lips and I slip my tongue into her mouth. Her hands glide up my back and into my hair. My body conforms to hers as I explore her mouth with my tongue. She bites down on my bottom lip, sucking my lip ring into her mouth before releasing it. Fuck. She's making this hard. I intensify the kiss as my body becomes more impatient, but I keep my promise and only kiss her, even when she fastens her legs around my waist and rubs up against me. Ella He said just kiss and it seemed okay, but now my body has developed a mind of its own. I'm writhing my hips against him enjoying the pleasure erupting inside me. He's hard between my legs as he kisses me so fiercely that my lips are swollen. His fingers tangle in my hair and his tongue plunges deeper and deeper into my mouth the more I rock against him. My head falls back and my eyes open to the stars shining in the sky. It feels like I'm falling or flying†¦ I'm not sure, but whatever it is I can't seem to control it. For a second, I want to capture the moment, put it in a jar, and always have it with me, but panic seizes my mind and I jerk away from his lips. His eyes snap open and his pupils are vast. â€Å"What's wrong?† â€Å"Nothing†¦ It's just†¦ I have to calm down.† I take a deep breath, my skin still tingling in the spots his hands touched. Micha nods, breathless. Carefully, he moves off of me and leans back against the window, securing his hand around mine. We don't speak as we stare up at the sky. He traces his finger along the folds between my fingers and my eyelids drift shut. I feel a wall crumble, leaving behind dust, debris, and pieces that desperately need to be put back together. *** â€Å"Are you okay?† I ask Micha when we pull into my driveway. He's been quiet the whole drive home and I can tell something's bothering him. â€Å"Yeah, I'm fine,† he says with a shrug and then his gaze darts to the back window as headlights shine up behind us. â€Å"Although, you might not be.† My eyebrows furrow. â€Å"Why? What's wrong?† He points a finger at a car parking at the curb in front of my house; a shiny black Mercedes with a familiar blonde-haired driver sitting in it. â€Å"Oh my God, is that Lila's car?† I ask. â€Å"I'm guessing yes, since I doubt anyone around here owns a Mercedes.† Lila climbs out of the car and it's clear that she's been crying. Her eyes are swollen and her cheeks are red. She has her pajama bottoms on and a hoodie pulled over her head. The last time she walked around in an outfit like that she'd just broken up with her boyfriend. â€Å"I think she might have some issues at home,† I tell him, grabbing the door handle. â€Å"She acted like she didn't want to go home.† â€Å"But you didn't ask her about it?† he questions with an arch of his eyebrow. I bite my lip guiltily. â€Å"I wasn't sure I wanted to know the answer.† God, I'm a terrible friend. Lila heads up the driveway and we get out to meet her around the back. Before I can say anything, she hugs me and starts to sob. I tense, not used to being hugged, except by Micha. â€Å"I didn't want to go back there,† she cries. â€Å"I knew this was going to happen.† I look over Lila's head at Micha for help. â€Å"It'll be okay.† He gives me a sympathetic look and mouths, take her inside. I nod and he waves at me, getting back into his car. I guide Lila into the house holding her weight up for her like she's ill. When I get her into my room, she curls up on my bed and hugs a pillow. I wait a minute before I speak. â€Å"Do you want to talk about it?† She shakes her head. â€Å"I just want to go to sleep.† â€Å"Alright.† I turn off the light and collapse onto the trundle. I need to get into my pajamas, but it's been an exhausting day. â€Å"My dad hates me,† Lila whispers through sobs. I freeze and then sit up, squinting at her through the dark. â€Å"I'm sure he doesn't hate you.† â€Å"Yes, he does,† she says. â€Å"He always says so – that he wished he had sons instead of daughters because they're easier to deal with.† â€Å"Are you going to be okay?† I ask, unsure what else to say. â€Å"I will be. It'll just take some time.† Was that the magical cure? Time. I flop back down and fall asleep to the murmur of her sobs.

Buddhism vs. Christianity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Buddhism vs. Christianity - Essay Example The life of Buddha, the founder of Buddhism started as Siddhartha, the boy who was born in the abundance of life. His father denied him the opportunities of confronting with the real trials and tribulations of life. But Buddha happened to witness certain sights, later referred as the Four Sights of Buddha, which made him realize the realities of life and it ultimately paved the way for Buddhism. It was at the request of his son Siddhartha, the king allowed him to visit the beautiful park outside the palace. Though the father was precautious enough to wrap all the unpleasant sights from his son, some of them caught the sight of him. The sight of Old Age was the first one and it really haunted Siddhartha as it was his debut experience. The haggard state of an old man roused a number of questions in his mind and it provided him a hint about the hard realities of life. His realization that no one can prevent from being old has exerted significant influence in his later teachings. It is the second visit that enables him to encounter with the fearful state of sickness, like the sight of old age torments his mentally. Afterwards, the sights of death and renunciation, the third and fourth respectively, also have the same effect on Siddhartha. This leads him to realize that there are two ways to solve the problems of life—one is to lead a pleasant life by totally ignoring all the problems of life and the other way is realizing that all these sufferings are the part of life and try to overcome these problems. Siddhartha selected the second as it was far better than the first and preached by giving up his luxurious life in the palace. The birth of Jesus was just different from that of Buddha who took birth as a man 2000 years ago in the town of Bethlehem in the land of Israel. One of the notable similarities between the lives of Buddha and Jesus is that both lived a life of simplicity and showed others the real value of it. But a

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS - Research Paper Example In Turkey, the dominant religion is Muslim; others are Christian and Jewish religions. Any problem in Peoplehood, in Turkey, maybe created by the fact that people believing in Christian and Jewish religions, maybe seen as inferior by people believing in the greater Muslim religion (Ibrahim & GÃ ¼rbey 78). Nation-states in their lifetime experience problems pertaining to territory and sovereignty. The conflicts usually arise because of other nation-states scrambling for resources owned by a different nation-state. Various problems regarding Turkey’s territory and sovereignty have been witnessed. In particular, there have been territorial disputes between Turkey and Iraq. To defend its territory and sovereignty, Turkey has retaliated against Kurdish insurgents from Iraq a number of times (Ibrahim & GÃ ¼rbey 98). Nationalism is a political concept that entails citizens of a defined nation or state deeply identifying themselves with their nation or state. The citizens, through self-determination usually strive to sustain and achieve some national goal. Nationalism originates from the idea of having a common origin, traditions, cultural ties and ethnicity. Through nationalism, an individual becomes a citizen of a nation or state voluntarily (Smith 37). Nationalism relates to nation building through the act of individuals in a nation or state voluntarily identifying themselves, their goals and determination with the state or nation. Individuals usually direct their self-determination towards the state, which results in nation building. An example of a demonstration of nationalism has been the act of citizens coming out to fight for the freedom of their state when insurgents or terrorists attack their state (Smith 36). Nationalism relates with international relations through the fact that it identifies simple nations or states, which

Doctor of Pharmacy program Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Doctor of Pharmacy program - Essay Example I am aware of the tremendous progress expected in the field of pharmacy in the coming years. I am fascinated by the transition of pharmacy from dispensing the correct medication to providing total pharmaceutical care. With huge advances taking place in medical science and technology, future pharmacists will have to constantly update their knowledge and be prepared to meet the new challenges. In future, professionals like medical practitioners, pharmacists and caregivers would be working as a team to provide better care and advice to patients. I am eager to be a part of the advances taking place in the field of pharmacy such as direct patient care. Another area that interests me is medication errors. The research I did before applying for the course indicates that this problem has gained a lot of emphasis in medical circles. Further, my brother is a doctor and my sister is already in the pharmacy field. Their discussions about drugs and their effects have awakened in me a keen interest in the subject. I believe that pharmacists can contribute in a significant way towards eliminating the threat. I would like to focus my efforts in this field. A Doctor of Pharmacy program would also fit my background, as mentioned earl

Ethical Standards Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Ethical Standards - Essay Example The new code of conduct will act as a guideline for all the employees to follow, when confronted with a dilemma (Roth, 2005). The devised code of conduct will try to cover all the business aspects where any predicament can arise. Thus, code covers the matters of business conduct, marketing and sales practices, business gifts, relationship with colleagues and clients, insider trading, reporting measures and the use fo company or clients’ resources. Therefore, it is very important for every ECG employee to fully understand and abide by the code of conduct. A company’s image is affected by the manner the employees, within and outside the workplace. With ECG’s plan of venturing into international business market, acquiring rival firms and launching an IPO it is essential for the company employees to be on their finest behaviour. This will affect the company’s representation and in turn affect the planned investments (Johnson, 2006). The purpose of developing a code of conduct and policies is to ensure through mutual consent and understanding that these policies are implemented in order to achieve the ultimate target of integrity. The role of all the HODs is very crucial in this regard. The HODs have to become an example for their subordinates. Until the HODs follow these codes of conduct, it is very unlikely for the members of that department to do so. In order to ensure that these policies are adhered to at all times, the HODs should adopt the â€Å"lead by example† approach in this regard (Roth, 2005). The code of conduct clearly specifies the kind of behaviour which is expected from all the employees, irrespective of their stature in the company. Emphasis has been placed on integrity, honesty and trust which should be the foundation of any ethical code. The general business code of conduct lays down the rules for the employees, for the business practices and for the overall business as well. The code of conduct outlines the cul ture of the organization and provides the employees with a framework which will help them in their daily activities. The code also provides the employees with a framework by which they can judge their own behaviour and also learn how to interact with other colleagues and clients. A successful and positive relationship with our clients is essential for the success of ECG. We as a company have been proud of the fact that all out business activities are dealt with honesty, integrity and fairness. Since the relationship with our clients is so vital for our success, care should be taken with the information we provide to our clients, which is always accurate and never misrepresented. Even though client servicing is important, care should be taken when the company is incurring expenses on account of client entertainment or other benefits. These expenses should not exceed a reasonable limit and should always be approved by the finance department. This is made mandatory in order to increase transparency within the system (Lagan & Moran, 2005). Special attention needs to be paid to the marketing and sales department in particular. The marketing department is the department that directly interacts with the consumers. Therefore, the working of the marketing department is a reflection of the company’s image and policies. Documentation of the transactions is an essential part of the code of conduct. Employees are required to document every transaction which takes place between ECG and its clients. This not only makes audit very easy, but also helps

Biology Research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Biology Research - Essay Example Basal like tumors are most commonly found in Nigeria and Senegal. Research is on to find drugs to block the specific molecules that these tumors need to grow. Women with mutations in a gene called Brca1 tend to develop this kind of aggressive breast tumor. Patterns of genetic activity of these tumors are measured through special tests because what the biological tests reveal turn out to be quite different from what the human eyes perceive. Researchers used new techniques of molecular biology to determine the patterns of gene activity in the cancer cells and then to classify and sort the subtypes by race. Further research is on to find an alternative to chemotherapy. Women of race are advised to get counseling in preventive care well before 40 especially if it runs in their family. As the incidence of breast cancer and mortality due to breast cancer keeps increasing in the USA, researchers and oncologists have been intrigued trying to find the root cause of breast cancer. While various physiological reasons have been associated, recent findings suggest that environmental factors react with genetic and individual predisposing factors and cause malignant tumors to develop in breast tissue. A paper Breast cancer and environmental risks: where is the link? by Mitra et al., (2004) was published in Journal of Environmental Health. To asses the environmental agents, the authors have reviewed previous studies focusing on xenoestrogens, organochlorines, polychlorinated biphenyls, and other environmental agents. Results revealed that exogenous estrogens present in the environment increase the growth of breast cancer cells while hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and oral contraceptives also play a significant role in the development of breast cancer during adolescence. X enoestrogens may increase the risk of cancer among those who are

Compare and contrast of ncaa and nfl football Essay

Compare and contrast of ncaa and nfl football - Essay Example When an end zone is reached, a turnover is forced by a team, the ball is punt away or the ball is lost on downs. In both NFL and NCAA, team members may fail to achieve ten yards during the four downs, and they are expected to turn the ball over to the opposing team. In this situation, the teams punt the ball away to the opposing team on fourth down; hence, the opposing team has to struggle in scoring a touchdown. Teams in these games have a common objective of getting into the opposing team’s end zone in order to score six points that are referred to as touchdown. Alternatively, they have an option of kicking a field goal to score three points, in situation where they are unable to reach the end zone. Both NFL and NCAA apply two common methods in the play, which include passing the ball to a receiver or running back with the ball. Lastly, both games are played on a field of the same size; 100 yards long with a ten-yard end zone and 53 1/3-yards wide. According to ESPN AMERICA (1), the first difference relates to the playing field, whereby NFL’s field has one-yard hash mark running down the middle of the gridiron, and is aligned to the goal post, seventy feet and nine inches from each side. On the other hand, in NCAA, the hash marks are set wide apart with sixty feet from the side, hence making a wider field to one side, and increased angles for the field goals, when the ball is spotted on the hash. The other difference relates to the goal post widths, whereby, NCAA has uprights that are 23’ 4† apart, while in NFL has a width of 18’ 6†. The ball used in NCAA has white a stripe around the ends in order to make it more visible when in flight during the night, but in NFL, the stripe is absent. In addition, in NCAA, the downed runner, carrying the ball is classed as down when any part of his body except his boots and hands are touching the ground. However, in NFL, a player is downed when touched as he goes to the ground or on the

Changes in Intercollegiate Athletic Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Changes in Intercollegiate Athletic - Assignment Example The participation of gaming at colleges has to lead to the formation of national teams taking part in Olympics, tournaments, and creation of professional leagues. The paper dwells on the discussion on changes that have taken place in the intercollegiate athletic. Introduction of athletic scholarship among universities has seen many students discover and nurture their talents besides seeking education. The opportunity has improved sports activities among students, encouraging more female scholars to take up athletic practices. Arianne & Zullo estimates that 78 percent of athletics in universities enroll on scholarship from research done in Penn State. School sports help in achieving education mission as the team such as basketball, hockey development innovative programs that aid in instilling discipline and hard work among scholars. Provision of incentives to athletics and distribution of funds to institutions belonging to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has resulted in the commercialization of sporting activities. Lavish spending is among the main problems facing college sports because many universities pour a large amount of money on types of equipment and facilities in order to produce excellent players in soccer, basket ball forgetting to adhere to the institution’s budget. Failure to plan sports’ events has seen colleges run in sports deficit because funds are to cater for scholarship as well as support sporting, forcing the state and donor to offset the debts even worse use fee levied from all students. In the recent past, athletic achievement has been recognized in the job market thus creating an opportunity for the participants rather than dwell on academics performance alone. The experience both educational and athletic earned during the tenure is essential in the everyday life.

Berry Aneurysms Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Berry Aneurysms - Case Study Example An aneurysm usually balloons and may rupture as the forces increase, which would lead to rupturing of the arterial wall and interior bleeding, a situation that is usually fatal and leads to death. Consequently, berry aneurysms results from rupture of arterial walls in the brain with fatal consequences that may cause brain death. The condition is usually caused by defects in the tunica media muscles and lack of enough support from the brain parenchyma, which creates unprecedented stress to the arterial walls causing rupture (Liebeskind, 2013). Therefore, cerebral aneurysm occur incases were the strength of the internal elastic membrane of the adventitia and the tunica media are compromised mainly resulting from abnormal arterial structure at arterial bifurcations, which results in rupture of the vessels at these sections due to blood pressure (Liebeskind, 2013). Causes of Berry Aneurysms Various conditions may lead to berry aneurysms, which include the following: Arterial malformations, aorta coarctation, inherited polycystic kidney diseases and other vascular problems. Others include sickle cell anemia, fungal infections, Marfan syndrome, hypertension among others (Liebeskind, 2013). However, not much is known about the actual causes of the aneurysms and the formation processes leading to ballooning and rupture, but smoking that leads to vascular changes and hypertension are major some of the major predisposing factors (Jonathan et al., 2006). The main characteristic of aneurysms is reduction in the tunica media leading to arterial structural defects.... the reduced membranes causes formation of balloon like structures at the branching parts of the arteries mainly at the lower part of the brain (Jonathan et al., 2006). Epidemiology Most berry aneurysms are small in that 60% to 80% of all cases may not rupture, meaning they pose much less danger to the patient (Connolly & Solomon, 2004). It is estimated that between 10 and 12 million adults in America have intracranial aneurysms, with berry aneurysms accounting for about 90% of all these cases (Liebeskind, 2013). Those over fifty years of age, females and cigarettes smokers are at a higher risk of the aneurysms (Vega et al., 2002). Consequently, as Vega et al noted, berry aneurysm are responsible for the highest cases of mortality and morbidity affecting about 90% of all intracranial aneurysms. However, more cases are being reported in younger patients and especially in cocaine, users or those with smaller arterial diameters (Nanda et al, 2000) Presentation Most aneurysms do not have any symptoms and they may not be reported until they rupture; hemorrhage through a fatal medical emergency remains the single most prevalent clinical presentation in most cases, accounting for about 58% of patients (Yamaura, Onno & Hirai, 2000). However, patients report acute headaches at the onset, which in some cases may also be associated with brief sessions of unconsciousness, vomiting, meningismus and nausea. These hemorrhages are also misdiagnosed as most patients have milder symptoms that indicate a warning leak before the aneurysm ruptures (Vega et al., 2002). Studies have reported rupture rates of between 1.4 to 1.9 %, though the rates are higher in aneurysms of more than 10mmm diameter. However, rupture has also been reported in cases where the aneurysms are less than 5 mm in

Italian Renaissance 1350-1550 AD Essay Example for Free

Italian Renaissance 1350-1550 AD Essay Italian Renaissance Art remains the basis of all subsequent Western art despite the shattering innovations of the past hundred years. The formulas for imagemaking that were perfected in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, particularly in Italy, are those that painters still rely upon and, more significantly, that have conditioned the way most of us continue to see and even to photograph the world. Cities in Italy still like to celebrate their distant heroes. So the Galleria dArte in Ferrara and the Getty work up their shows with commitment and skill. Women in Italian Renaissance Art fill a void in the history of art. In distinct contrast to other eras, particularly the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, the Renaissance has until now been without a comprehensive examination of gender, representation, and identity. This work focuses on a single aspect of womens involvement in the Italian Renaissance Art. Since the time of Pythagoras, female/feminine and male/masculine have been defined in just such a comparative (or, more rightly, contradictive) relationship. As women continue to be integrated into all aspects of art history it is of critical importance that we do not lose sight of this strategy, for to do so would be to replace one skewed perspective with another. Women as a general category functions in western culture as the â€Å"absolute Other,† a necessary construction in contrast to which the male is able to define himself as rational, strong, productive, and authoritative. Womens historic problem in this male-oriented representation of the world is that there is no â€Å"Other of the Other†: woman has only male cultures projections of her identity on which to build her own subjectivity since the most forcefully organized category operating to define her is the category of the â€Å"not man† (Lacan 73). For early modern women this lack of a discourse defining them as anything but mans undesirable opposite bound together promiscuous and chaste women as different and yet the same in a sharing of essential gender limitations that did not impose itself in analogous ways on the male category. However, there is biblical argument, which draws chiefly on Romans and Galatians, the epistles in which St. Paul had wrestled with problems of religious status and hereditary privilege in the nascent Church. Agrippa uses Pauls discussion of Jews and Greeks to propose an analogous case for men and women, as the apostle himself suggests in Galatians 3:28. By this logic, the age of male dominance parallels the age of Jewish exclusiveness in salvation history; but when Christ established a new, more inclusive dispensation accepting Jews and Gentiles on equal terms, he meant at the same time to abolish gender privilege. The male priesthood, like Jewish Christians in the Pauline Church, is declared to have only a historical and by no means a spiritual priority. If male supremacy still prevails in spite of Christs intention, it is only because of the â€Å"hard-heartedness† of men, which women are entitled to judge and find wanting: Indeed, when men fall short and go astray, women have the power of judgment, to mens disgrace. Even the queen of Sheba is to judge the men of Jerusalem. Therefore all men who, being justified by faith, have become sons of Abraham, which is to say sons of the promise, are subjected to woman and bound by the command that God gave to Abraham, saying: â€Å"Whatever Sarah tells you, listen to her voice† (Chambers 152). Pieros women, spiritually and physically, are as robust as his architecture. In The Queen of Sheba, Piero della Francesca has created an ideal type, especially in his women, with long, thick necks, oval faces and strong chins. We can see Rossos eccentric humor in his drawing of a woman. The drawing is done in the manner of those exquisite female heads of Michelangelo. But whereas Michelangelos figures have an air of grace and dignity, Rossos woman peers bizarrely over her shoulder at the viewer. Rossos lady is suggestive of the frequent satire of women in Renaissance literature, as for example, in Machiavellis roughly contemporary novella, Belfagor. In this satirical tale by the brilliant author of the comedies La Mandragola and La Clizia, Machiavelli humorously indicates how even a devil cannot deal with woman, a situation also humorously illustrated by Bruegel in his Proverbs. The humor in Rossos drawing of a woman is expressed through the subtly playful treatment of physiognomy. This playful handling of facial expression is also evident in Rossos design for the Saturn and Philyra, which was engraved by Caraglio as part of the series of Loves of the Gods. If Raphael had already given a human quality to a horse in his St. George (Washington), Rosso now fully exploits this pathetic fallacy in his charmingly ridiculous image of a horse in love. The ambivalent humor in Bronzinos painting is especially apparent in the female figure, identified by Panofsky as Deceit, and by Levey, following Vasari, as Pleasure. She is a cunning invention: She offers a honeycomb with one hand while she hides a poisonous little animal in the other, and moreover the hand is attached to her right arm, that is the hand with the honeycomb is in reality a left hand, while the hand attached to her left arm is in reality a right one, so that the figure offers sweetness with what seems to be her â€Å"good† hand but is really her â€Å"evil† one, and hides poison in what seems to be her â€Å"evil† hand but is really her â€Å"good† one (Panofsky 226). This â€Å"perverted duplicity,† described perhaps not completely accurately but with mannered virtuosity by Panofsky, is related to the duplicity of Venus who steals the arrow from Cupid and to the perversion in the erotic embrace between mother and son. Michelangelos poem, which evokes the mocking tone of Lorenzo de Medicis Nencia da Barberino as well as the facetious poetry of Berni, would no doubt have been enjoyed by Shakespeare, who conceived of a similar, if more subtle, Petrarchan travesty, â€Å"My mistress eyes are nothing like the sun.† Michelangelos comic hag, with breasts like melons, also evokes the various hideous women in Renaissance art. She might be compared to the caricatured women in Leonardo da Vincis drawings and to the monstrous Ugly Woman of Quentin Metsys, who is closely related to the vain old women mocked by Erasmus in The Praise of Folly for wanting still â€Å"to play the goat.†

Catcher in the Rye Essay Example for Free

Catcher in the Rye Essay The story takes place in Manhattan and is about a young boy named Holden Caulfield, it is about the learning experience that takes place and how an immature child tried to come to terms with multiple problems. In J. D. Salinger’s bildungsroman, Catcher in the Rye, Salinger utilizes the symbols, the red hunting hat; Allie’s catching mitt, and the ducks in central park to portray the theme that it is impossible to preserve natural innocence. Salinger utilizes the symbol of the red hunting hat to portray Holden’s loss of innocence and travel into adulthood. Firstly, when Holden is first mentioning the hat, â€Å"It only cost me a buck. I wore it, I swung the old peak way round to the back-very corny, I’ll admit but I liked it that way. † (17) Holden is talking about how he bought the hat and just wears it to express his own personality and recognizes that he likes to wear it in different ways. When he is explaining why he purchased the hat, he is trying to make people understand, he is constantly looking for acceptance from his peers and others, yet at the same time he tries to push people away by wearing the hat. This helps show that Holden is on his path to trying to figure out how he can stop the inevitable loss of innocence. Secondly, while walking down the street in the cold Manhattan weather, â€Å"My ears were nice and warm, though. That hat I bought had earlaps in it. And I put them on-I didn’t give a damn how I looked. Nobody was around anyway. † (53) As Holden is walking down the street, all he cares about is what he is feeling at that moment, just trying to stay warm and comfortable not caring about what others think. One can infer here that Holden doesn’t care too much about what others think, while this could be a facade to what he really feels inside, he tries to portray himself not caring about what others think and just wants to be happy. This continues to portray his path down the loss of innocence because as he starts to realize other people’s thoughts matter, he understands that he must give a little for the acceptance of others. Finally, towards the end of the novel when Holden angers Phoebe, â€Å"She wouldn’t answer me. All she did was, she took off my red hunting hat-the one I gave her- and practically chucked it right in my face. Then she turned her back on me again. It nearly killed me. † (207) Phoebe is angered by Holden’s immaturity and his lack of caring for others and crushes Holden’s last spirits toward innocence. With ties to the last person in the world crumbling, Holden begins to finally question his stance on life and must decide whether or not he is going to try and salvage the last relationship or completely isolate himself. Holden realizes that by his sisters actions and her disregard of the hunting hat, that he must grow up and this starts a chain reaction within him that could be a cause of his breakdown but it is unknown, Holden finally comes to terms with this loss of innocence and realizes that there is nothing that he can do to stop it. Allie’s catching mitt is also used in the portrayal of the loss of innocence in Holden and the characters around him. We are first shown the mitt when Holden is doing the composition on the catchers Mitt, â€Å" He had poems written all over the fingers and the pocket and everywhere†¦he wrote them on it so that he’d have something to read when he was in the field and nobody was up to bat. He’s dead now. † (39) This is the first time the reader sees Holden tear up and let some of his emotions get the best of him, he is talking of his dead brother Allie who meant a lot to him. One can infer that this was one of the more important relationships that Holden had and the loss of this relationship causes Holden to feel a series of symptoms and change the way he interacts with people. With the death of his brother Allie, Holden experiences for the first time, the lost of a loved one, one of the few people that he makes attachments with and this causes him to try and preserve the innocence within other children and even adults that he meets on his journey. The next time we see the glove, Holden is recollecting his past memories of Jane, â€Å"She was the only one, outside my family, that I ever showed Allie’s baseball mitt too, with all the poems written on it. † (77) Jane was another person who Holden allowed himself to get close to; he shows this by showing Jane his brother’s mitt. Holden is trying to get Jane close to him so that he can have someone in his life that is pure and cares about him, by showing her the mitt; he is revealing a part of him that no one outside of his family knows about. He sees the innocence in Jane and wants to try and preserve it; he wants to get close to Jane to keep her out of the adult world and not allow her to be corrupted by the world around her. The final time the glove is mentioned, Holden is having a flashback on when D. B. ants to prove a point, â€Å"â€Å"He made Allie go get his baseball mitt and then asked him who was the best war poet, Rupert Brooke or Emily Dickenson. Allie said Emily Dickenson† (140) This is one of the only times we see Allie alive and the whole family, besides Phoebe, together. Allie’s innocence is portrayed through the glove, when D. B. asks him which WWII author was better, one that was in the war or one that never saw a day in the war, Allie answers with the latter. This can be int erpreted as Allie seeing how the other author was not corrupted in the war and her work was more pure.

Analyse The Current Strategy Of Ryanair Tourism Essay

Analyse The Current Strategy Of Ryanair Tourism Essay You are to critically analysis the current strategy of Ryanair which comprises the following tasks. Undertake an environmental analysis of the European airline industry with implications for the budget sector and Ryanair in particular. Analyse how Ryanair has been successful in the European budget airline industry. From the above analysis, critically assess the sustainability of Ryanairs strategy. Executive Summary In this recession period to sustain a business and make it different and unique id definitely a big task and to make it growing need to implement different Strategies. Strategy is the direction and purview of a business organization in long run to achieve an advantage over other rivals by adapting with available resources and build competency. today we are discussing the Environment Analysis, strength and weaknesses and its strategy to sustainability of Ryanair a low cost Airline. This assignment will analyse the business environment of the airline industry in Europe, then it considers the competitive strategy and sustainability of Ryanair. Introduction Ryanair start its business by Mr. Cathal and her wife with the financial help of their father Tony Ryan with the total capital of  £1 in 1985. The company Head office is in Dublin, Ireland. Initially Ryanair provide flights between Ireland and UK by using secondary airport due to national airlines monopoly. In 1990 Ryanair loss was IR £20 Million and at the end of 1990 the new management team under the supervision of Michael OLeary adapted the model of Southwest USA base airline introduced the low budget cost concept in Europe and became market cost leader with no frills carrier. Gulf War 1 broke out in 1991 and airline traffic all over the world distorted. Although the down turn in overall airline traffic, Ryanair made a profit of  £ 0.3 million for the year and carry 651,000 passengers with a total work force of 477 people. In 1997 Ryanair first time ranked in Dublin Stock exchange and London stock exchange and in 2002 on NASDAQ. Ryanair added number of aircraft and number of European destinations in 1999. And in 2000 Ryanair introduced Europe largest travel website, www.ryanair.com within three months, the site was record 50,000 bookings per week. In 2005 May 26th Ryanair Holdings, PLC celebrated its 20th birthday. At the celebration party Ryanair CEO Michael OLeary said that Ryanair will be overtake British Airways by carrying 3.5 million passengers a month in 2005 In June 2009 Ryanair is offering 1200 scheduled short haul flights per day along with 145 locations throughout Europe and Morocco with an operating fleet of 196 aircraft flying approximately 845 routes. Environment Analysis The external business environment of Ryanair means the other European airlines and other influencing factors which affect the decision making, making of business strategy and the performance of Ryanair. There are number of external environmental factors which affect the Ryanair like PEST (Political, Economic, social and technological factors) Strategic management in any airline industry plays very important role to make them successful airline. The strategy of Ryanair is depends on the vision and mission its vision and mission which is based on the environment factors which are internal and external factors. These environmental factors normally called environmental analysis. In Strategic planning techniques environmental analysis plays very important role to evaluate or scan that business environment is suitable for business or not. In Ryanair these strategic policies clarify its resource strengths and deficiency, its market opportunities, the outside threats to its future success an d its competitive status relative to rivals. Environmental analysis in airline industry helps them to develop and change their strategy to meet the upcoming external changes and its help the company to lead. D. Stoffels 1994). Concept of Environmental Analysis Environmental analysis means the environmental scanning or appraisal (L M Prasad). There are two types of for Strength, Weaknesses, opportunities and threats. In Ryanair Strength and weaknesses are internal factors whereas opportunities and threats are external factors. Ryanair environment is analysis based on following structure. Figure No 1: Ryanair Environment Analysis External Analysis The external analysis is based on the opportunities and threats. Threats Volcano crises 9/11 terrorist attacks War in Iraq Oil prices Economic downturns Government Regulation The airline industry in Europe has always been under pressure from domestic and European Union. At the end of 1980 E.U deregulate the airline industry and an array of liberalisation measures followed that were to be applied throughout its territories. In 1997 E.U any airline can operate its business from anywhere within Europe. Competition At the start of 21st century competition in airline industry exploded and this competition will continue to grow up new entrants to take this advantage. Due to price competition and economic downturn and financial crises there is no entrants who want to enter in the market. Porters Five Forces Analysis of the low cost Airline According to Porter 1985 Five force analysis is a means of identifying the forces which affect the level of competition in an industry. Porters five forces model is based on the opportunities and threats of Ryanair from the external environment. Here porter analysis is applied on Ryanair external business environment. Porter five forces analysis are as under. Porter Five Forces Analysis Bargaining Power of Suppliers Boeing is the main supplier of Ryanair Airline Regional airports are mostly dependant on one airline Bargaining Power of Customers Customers are price conscious Lack of loyalty Switching airline is comparatively easy without any cost Threat from New Entrants High capital investment Some barriers to entry Threat from Substitutes Lack of brand loyalty for customers No extra cost for customer to switching Other methods of transport like Euro train, cars, Ferries and Euro lines Competitive Rivalry The low cost airline industry is highly competitive PESTEL Analysis PESTLE analysis is the most appropriate model to discuss the Political, Economic, Social, Technological factors, Environmental factors and legal factors. Political Factors Political factors means government regulations like taxation policies, environmental law, employment law, trade restriction by government and political instability. Change of Government taxation policies An international organization like Ryanair may effect by regulate the Government and taxation policies and some time these policies are in favourable and sometime in opposibe favour. Political changes in countries where Ryanair have routes Like in United Kingdom election are coming and may be new party change their business policies. Political instability Political stability plays very important role in an international company like Ryanair. Now a day in United Kingdom if government will be labour party then the policies will be in favour of the business community. Terrorist attacks on airline business Starting of 21st century the mode of terrorism is totally changed and now terrorist attacks through aeroplanes and target airline industry. Considering the events of 9/11 in USA, Manchester Airport chemical attack in UK its totally change the strategy of industry. Local government office may object to noise and new runway projects Currently Ryanair is facing Legal issues and disputes with Government. Economical Factors These factors are purchasing power of consumer and Ryanair, capital cost, economic growth, inflation rate, bank interest rate and currency exchange rate. Economic condition may affect positive or negative in the airline industry according to the country economic situation. If consumers standard of living will be high automatically they will use airline for holidays and other purpose. Fuel prices are rising day by day In these days fuel prices are going up and up and it may affect the consumer purchasing power. Social Factors In Social circumstances Ryanair will affect by peoples attitude towards luxury class, population growth and health matters. Ryanair do not offer luxury class so business trips are frequently possible to reduce company cost. Rapidly increase in travelling life style Lack of consumer loyalty Ryanair low budget airline means to attract more consumers around the globe. Technological Every business organize one unique system to operate its business Ryanair main supplier is Boeing and Boeing have less carbon emission and les noise pollution Good relationship with customers by maintaining online service Online sales/service Environmental Factors Environmental factors plays very important role in external environmental of airline industry. The important factors are as under. Natural disasters In Iceland Volcano ash disturb the whole Europe flights and airline and still writing these word almost 70,000 flights are cancelled. It will affect the airline industry around the globe. Health problems During flight some people feel really bad depression and its can decrease the profitability of the airline industry. Legal Factors Immigration law Immigration law is very major barrier in legal factors. There are some restrictions on the peoples to travel to other some certain countries. Aviation safety rules Every country has its own aviation and safety rules which affect the airline of other country. Swot Analysis of Ryanair SWOT analysis shows the organization existing strategy and position. SWOT analysis based on strength, weakness, opportunity and threats in any organization. In Ryanair this tool is used to analyse the internal strengths and weaknesses and external opportunities and threats. The current scenario of Ryanair on the basis of SWOT analysis is as under. Strengths Brand Name: Ryanair spent 15 years in the LCC market to develop its brand name Low airport charges will automatically reduce the cost of fare. All Boeing aircraft: Uniform fleet save training cost and technical cost High service performance: low baggage loss, in time, high rate of flight completion it gave the good image of the Ryanair performance High Aircraft Utilization Point to point service Small Headquarters: Ryanair try to reduce its administration cost due to small offices Weaknesses Bad press image Restricted expansion possibility due to budget cost Lack of skill staff Opportunities New routes and new destination Provide best and updated customer services may affect the number of customers Threats Threats from competitors like BMI, Easy jet, Air Asia, Atlantic and fly be. Economic downturn may affect disposable income. European Union may put some type of restriction if Ryanair do not accept the rules and policies. Mostly hotels are four stars due to low cost package is risky Change the choice of consumer Change the status of economy may change the situation of business policies. Question No 2. Ryanair European low cost airline Competitive Strategy of Ryanair Competitive strategy is key factor for the success of Ryanair. Ryanair followed different types of strategy which kept itself one step up from its competitor. Ryanair aim was establish itself Europes low fares leading airline through improvements and expanding day by day of its low fares services. The Ryanair strategy was simple to focus on low fares and catch more and more passenger traffic. At the end of 20th century the European aviation industry changes its cost strategy and focused on low budget model and now whole industry became low cost airlines. Ryanair based on low fares airlines and growing rapidly due to its environment friendly policies. Ryanair strategy is to provide their customers latest aircraft and advance technologies facility in their aircraft that reduce fuel burn and emissions of CO2 as much as possible. Figure No 2: Ryanair Business Model Ryanair plan to invest 17bn Euro on expansion programme of fleet replacement and now all Ryanair old Boeing 737-200 aircraft have replaced with the new Boeing 737-800. Here are the key elements of Ryanair Strategy who make itself European leading low cost airline. Low fares: Low fares are the main focus of Ryanair strategy. Ryanair sets its fares on the basis of demand of that flight. Frequent point to point Flights on short haul Routes Commitment to Safety and quality maintenance Ancillary services Choice of route Low operating costs Maximizing the use of the internet Question No 3. Sustainability of Ryanair Ryanair business model is adapted from the Southwest airline of USA. Ryanair focused on the secondary airports because majority of the national airlines concentrated on hub airports. At hubs airport acquired a scarcity value and were typically allocated to incumbent airlines in order of seniority at the airport by a scheduling committee presided over by the home country national airline. First time Ryanair used London-Luton route to promote its strategy in 1986 because slots were not available due to rush at Heathrow airport. Ryanair played a vital role to use these secondary airports and make itself a successful low cost airline. On secondary airports the deregulated market brought the opportunity to progress business with the new market entrants rather than remain underutilised. due unused airports substantial reductions was given to new airlines which they used form the expansion of passenger numbers by low cost would be financially worth it. The Ryanair product At the starting of Ryanair airline business in Europe its strategy was very simple to reduce its cost and sustain itself in the long term in airline industry was to use secondary airport. All major airports was under monopolistic condition of national airlines so Ryanair target secondary airports and its affect on Ryanair the low congestion charges, low landing charges and low rate of missing bags per passenger. Due to this situation Ryanair fully focused on its customer services. The Ryanair airport product The strategy of Ryanair was using secondary airports affect very positive result on consumer. Ryanair offers point to point flights and secondary airports become the hub airports. In secondary airports the consumption of time, cost reduce like less walking time within terminals, less waiting time for baggage retrieve and very cheap car parking. The Ryanair cost base Ryanair becomes the cost leader with very small labour force and fully focused on costs and productivity. Ryanair Europe No 1 in customer service In February 2010 Ryanair ranked No 1 around the Europe airlines. Only Ryanair is guarantee about the low cost and best customer services. These figures are published in customer service statistics in very month. CUSTOMER SERVICE STATS FEB 2009 2010 On-time flights 87% 83% Complaints per 1,000 pax 1.39 0.86 Baggage complaints per 1,000 pax 0.35 0.23 Complaints answered within 7 days 99% 99% External factors Ryanair is world fastest growing airline company According to Ryanair statistics in 2006 42.5 millions peoples travel in Ryanair airline and in 2007 it was 51 million and in 2008 the passengers was 59 millions. Ryanair Passenger Growth in Millions in 2006, 2007 Pax Chart Conclusion The above report examines the environmental analysis of European airline industry and discussed the strategy and sustainability of Ryanair in that environment. Ryanair is using very simple and good strategy according to economic condition at this time which is simple product, strict cost control over airports like aircraft suppliers and distribution costs. Ryanair focused on secondary airports that reduce its operating cost. BIBLIOGRAPHY L M Prasad, Business Policy: Strategic Management, New Delhi: Sultan Chand Sons, Educational Publishers, 2005 An Analysis of European low-cost airlines and their networks accessed on April 10, 2010. From www.sciencedirect.com Nigel Evants and David Campbell, Strategic Management for Travel and Tourism, 2003, Pages375-378 www.ryanair.com R. Casadesus-Masanell, Joan Enric Ricart, From Strategy to Business Models and on to tactics Long Range Planning (2010) Jay b. Barney William S. Hesterly Strategic Management and Competitive Advantage(concepts and cases) 3rd Edition, Pearson

Tolstoys Philosophy of Art Essay examples -- Visual Arts Paintings Ar

Tolstoy's Philosophy of Art Tolstoy approaches art with a very specific and narrow view of what is real and what is counterfeit in classifying artwork and what makes a work of art good or bad. Tolstoy believes that a work of art can be classified as "real" if and only if "one man consciously by means of certain external signs, hands on to others feelings he has lived through, and that others are infected by these feelings and also experience them" (10). He believes that art can only be defined as real by its ability to make the audience feel what the artist had intended to convey with his/her artwork. The feelings the artist intends to convey must also be sincere and true feelings based on personal experience, expressed to the audience in such a way that the viewer/listener feels as if the artist is merely expressing something he/she feels and has always longed to express. To offset this definition, Tolstoy defines counterfeit art as having "no impression on anyone" (513). He says that distinguishing real art from counterfeit art can be done simply by determining the "infectiousness of art" (514). Tolstoy claims that any piece of art, no matter how beautiful, intriguing, interesting, poetic, striking, or realistic cannot be defined as real unless it also maintains this quality of infectiousness. After defining the difference between real and counterfeit art, Tolstoy goes on to relay the difference between what classifies good and bad art. Tolstoy cl...

The Simpsons as a Sitcom Essay -- Television Animation Cartoons Papers

The Simpsons as a Sitcom "The Simpsons" is an example of an American sitcom. A sitcom is situation comedy, which is when the same setting and same characters appear in every episode. Examples of sitcoms are programs such as "The Crosby Show" and more recent sitcoms such as "Friends". Sitcoms surfaced in the 1950's in America showing the "ideal" family. Slowly sitcoms started to show the reality of life and dealt with social issues such as divorce and unemployment. Sitcoms have become very popular because people could relate to the program and sitcoms show problems, which happen in every day life in a light-hearted way. These are some of the reasons why "The Simpsons" is very successful and popular. In this essay I am going to use the example of "The Simpsons" and evaluate to see how it follows the conventions of the sitcom genre. The opening sequence of "The Simpsons" introduces us to the main characters and we can see the stereotypes, which are used in the programme. In the opening sequence we see Homer at work. This is what a stereotypical father's role is. We are also shown how Homer goes against the stereotype because he takes some radioactive waste with him showing that he is careless. Marge is shown doing the shopping and looking after the baby Maggie. Marge fits the stereotypical role of a mother in the sense that she is a housewife and takes care of the house. In the programme Marge sometimes goes against the stereotype because she seems to be the authority figure of the family and this is what the man of the house is supposed to do. Bart is shown in detention in the title sequence. Bart does not fit the stereotypical ... ...f the air because people would take offence to it. "The Simpsons" is a very successful programme and has been running for a very long time. Many people have different views on "The Simpsons" some think that it is rude and stupid others think that it is funny and realistic. I think that "The Simpsons" shows the reality of life in a light-hearted way. I think this is why it is a successful programme and also the humour kind of hides the rudeness and that is why people don't take offence to it. In some ways "The Simpson" is a sitcom because it has a family in it and has the same characters and the same setting in every episode. In some ways it isn't a sitcom because it goes against stereotypes and does not set a good example to others. Despite this I still think it is a very good programme and should be called a sitcom.

Campaign Funding Essay -- essays research papers

Campaign Funding What We Don’t Know About Campaign Finance Does Hurt Us. â€Å"No matter what your social issue, if you want to solve it get the money out of politics. Only then will lawmakers vote for their people rather than their pocketbooks.† Jack E. Lohman. Money corrupts politics, and when contributions are being made to candidates it is not in the best interest of the American people. Campaign Finance is out of control in today’s political races. Candidates are taking money from wherever and whoever they can get it. Soft money is flowing through elections without care or caution. People who make these contributions do not share the views of the average citizen, so politicians end up representing the wrong people. Money decides races, sometimes leaving the better man but lighter spender out of a position. Candidates make decisions based on what will help them financially that what is better for the people. Contributions by industry are made not in the interest of the people , sometimes hurting them in ways they don’t even know. No matter what the opposition may say campaign finance reform is needed urgently to keep our democracy as our founders intended it. People and corporations that make the largest donations to campaigns do not share views with the general population. Politicians will listen to those who give them money so that they can depend on that money being there again when it is time for reelection. Yet individual donors making a $200 dollar or more contribution make up only .33% of the population. This extremely small percentage of mostly wealthy individuals gain the power to influence politicians to their liking. The idea that these people should have power to affect government more than those with less money goes against the concept of equality for all, which is what made this country great. People who make large donations do not share the same views on most issues as the general population. Robert L. Borosage and Ruy Teixeira repo rt that while 53 percent of voters want stricter regulations on businesses and corporations, to give workers a fair salary and working conditions, 58 percent of campaign donors want to see less control over the businesses and corporations of America. Donors also want less government spending with lower taxes, while the majority of citizens want a larger, more powerful government. A very tiny part of our populat... ...r. After cuts from corporate welfare and wasteful government spending this would save taxpayers 495 to 995 dollars a year, not to mention price drops as a result of reduced corporate spending on political campaigns. This would put more money in the hands of the taxpayer to buy more products helping the economy. Most important, politicians would not be swayed by monetary interest offered to them for help in other areas. Donors not representing the public, money, not people and issues deciding races, politicians voting for campaign funds instead of the public, corporations risking the safety of people, these are all problems that could be fixed by reforming campaign finance. Campaign finance is an urgent problem that must be remedied soon or we will be facing a situation in government where the power lies in the hand of those who have money to donate to campaigns. If something is not done we will be heading straight into a corrupt and contemptible government whose only care is that of being reelected. Action must be taken now before it is too late and scandalous congressmen will only support scandalous policy. If our government is to be saved, we must have campaign finance reform.

Person-centred care Essay

1.1Describe person centred approaches. The term ‘person-centred care’ does exactly what it says – it essentially places the person at the heart of everything that the care worker and the care setting do. The individual’s needs and emotions are the focal point, and any difficulties are resolved in the interest of the person with dementia (rather than attempting to change the behaviour of the individual). It places the person at the centre of all – thinking, discussions, processes and procedures. The person- centred approach also sees the interactions between the person and different elements within their support systems as being of paramount importance, and therefore places emphasis on supporting the system that supports the person i.e. the family and friends, and other professionals. Person centred approach seeks to view the person with dementia as a whole and considers how the person is influenced by factors beyond the physical changes in their brain. 1.2 Explain why person-centred values must influence all aspects of social care work Person-centered values must influence all aspects of health and social care work. The Human Rights Act 1998 makes it a law that health and social care should be based on person-centered values. 1.3 Explain how person-centred values should influence all aspects of social care work If person-centered values become guidelines for health and social care practices. It will definitely help to provide anti-discriminatory practices and help to promote and support individual’s rights to equal opportunities, dignity, independence, choice and safety 2.1Explain how finding out the history, preferences, wishes and needs of an individual contributes to their care plan. Finding out the history, preferences, wishes and needs of a customer, when writing their care plan, ensures: Needs and wishes of the customers are met in their daily routine The Care worker has a factual reference point with which to encourage conversation with the customer Helps the Care worker to understand the customer and therefore have empathy which will result in a high level of care 2.2Describe ways to put person centred values into practice in a complex or sensitive situation. I have a customer who is blind; he lives in the house with his wife. He has 4 children, when we started their care, 3 of his children did not speak to him. The one daughter and their grand daughter took care of shopping (online) amongst other things. His wife went into hospital and the children blame him (never explaining to the care provider how or why this was the case) As the care worker for the customer I naturally have the gentleman’s needs first and foremost. Whilst I was on one of my visits to the customer (this day was usually to receive the online shop and put away amongst other things), I rang my manager as the delivery had not come and time was running out before I went to my next customer. I requested that they ring the family member and was informed that there would be no delivery as the customer had stated that he did not want any more deliveries. When I spoke with the customer he was not aware of this and asked me what he should do. I spoke with my office and asked if it was ok for me to do his shop as I knew what foods he liked, where he liked his shop to be done and also the fact that he trusted me to do this for him as I was his regular carer. The customer was happy for me to do this and I was able to calm him down talking about things that I knew were of interest to him. 2.3Evaluate the use of care plans in applying person centred values I believe that care plans are essential in applying person centred values as when dealing with a customer you must have a thorough medical history so you  can deal with their needs effectively and also deal with the medical services GP/Paramedics. A full history on the background of the customer is also important, knowing what work they have done, what are their hobbies and interests, family members that they may have and how they may help them in their lives, as it is a conversation point and shows that you are interested in the customer and their lives. Knowing your customer gives you an understanding and an empathy with them. 2.4Explain the importance of monitoring an individual’s changing needs or preferences. It is very important to monitor and record a customers changing needs or preferences as it will help to make the customer more comfortable and happy that their requests are being heard and acted upon. It is also important because it will let other carers about any changes and if the customer is acting unusual or saying things that do not seem quiet right the this may be due to the fact that they have a UTI or be unwell in some way. 3.1Describe factors that influence the capacity of an individual to express consent It is crucial for a care worker to be aware and take the matter carefully, because the capability to make decisions among individuals are different. It may look quiet simple o think that people with mental impairment, physical illness or people who have got language barriers, may have a lack of capabilities to express agreement. A care worker will understand how to work sensitively with customers individually and design goals to achieve a successful outcome. The mental capacity act states that every adult has the right to make their own decisions. It must be assumed that they have the capacity to do so, unless it has been proven otherwise. It also states people should be supported in making their own decisions. 3.2Explain how to establish consent for an activity or action. Consent for an activity or action must done in writing and signed by the  customer/family member or a person acting on the customers behalf. 3.3Explain what steps to take if consent cannot be readily established. Consent (permission) must be given before care can be given to a person. To even touch a person when forbidden, can be considered assault. If there is nobody available when an intoxicated, unconscious or impaired customer requires care, then consent is â€Å"implied,† as there is nobody to give that consent. It is assumed that consent would be given by family or that person, if they were able to communicate that. 4.1Explain the principles of active participation Active participation is a partnership between a customer and the care workers whom support them; it is designed around the customers, letting them choose to live their life as independently as possible 4.2Explain how the holistic needs of an individual can be addressed by active participation. Holistic means whole so by a customer being involved in active participation it will treat the customer as a whole. Active participation is will enhance the customers life both mentally and physically. They will benefit by being stimulated by the interaction of others and the activity. 4.3Explain how to work with an individual and others to agree how active participation will be implemented. Firstly you must determine the best way to communicate with the customer you must then determine what activity would be of interest to the customer Contact the relevant professional and arrange a meeting to see how they may actively participate in the activity. A taster session may be given to confirm that the customer is happy to continue. Once the customer is happy with the activity then arrangements for the activity can be confirmed. 4.4Explain how to promote the understanding and use of active participation. Discussion and encouragement with the customer Providing useful information and choice. Using friends and family to encourage Using appropriate activity Pier group encouragement Highlight the benefits of the different activities 5.1Describe different approaches to support an individual to make informed choices. How you support an individual to make informed choices depends predominantly on the customer’s abilities or inabilities. The main support you can give them is information so they can make an informed choice and once they have that information then they are able to make that decision. If a customer is unable to speak then you can give them visual options so they can show you what interest them and what they would like to do. You can also refer to the care plan for extra information on how to best support your customer with their choices. Some customers may have problems with the memory, therefore discussing their choices and writing them down so they have a reference point. 5.2Describe how to support an individual to question or challenge decisions concerning them that they are made by others. I believe that giving customers the information they need is vital. You can support them by :- Offering to attend any meeting they may have to offer moral support Finding out the information which they may need. Speaking on the customers behalf (if they are not able to speak) Making written notes for customers so they have the information they need in front of them. 5.3Explain the consequences of allowing the personal views of others to influence an individual’s choices If you allow the personal views of others to influence a customers choice then you may find that:- The customer will not have an interest the choices being made May become insular and feel undervalued as their opinion was not taken into consideration. It may spoil the relationship between the customer and carer. Explain the links between identity, self image and self esteem Just because someone is older/ill it does not mean that they cannot keep their own identity. When looking after a customer in their own home you are trying as a carer to help the person maintain as normal and unchanged life as possible. Helping them to remain as independent as possible. 6.1 Explain the links between identity, self image and self esteem The links between identity, self image and self esteem I believe are as follows:- Identity is knowing who you are and what you what identifies you as THE person you are – with that comes self image which again identifies you as THE person who dresses the way you do, wears your hair the way you do etc, with keeping that same identiy and same self image it contributes how you feel about yourself and/or your self esteem. If you are able to keep all of the above in place for a customer then it will benefit them greatly in their day to day life and in any recovery. 6.2Explain factors that contribute to the well-being of an individual Factors which contribute to the well-being of a customer may be as follows:- Familiar Surroundings – living in their own homes and surrounded by their possession People contact – daily contact with people especially family members and friends Good Care Plans – an indepth care plan can give the care worker the knowledge on how to look after the customer to a high standard 6.3 Explain the importance of supporting an individual in a way that promotes their sense of identity, self image and self esteem To enable a customer to live independently in their own home, giving them a sense of identity, self image and self esteem can I believe help in the physical recover of a customer. If they have dementia then it is vital that they keep the identity as familiarity is very important, to make them feel more at ease with what is a very confusing and sometimes upsetting time. 6.4Describe ways to contribute to an environment that promotes well-being In order to contribute in a positive way, you must firstly know what makes the individual tick Surround the customer with familiar possessions, environment and family and friends. Give the customers the information that they need to feel confident. Enable them to feel confident to question things that make them feel safer 7.1 Compare different uses of risk assessment in adult social care settings There are various uses for doing risk assessments in an adult social care setting Accident Prevention: – carrying out work directions to ensure the safety of the customer and others Prevention of injury to individuals:- Ensuring the correct handling of customers so injury does not happen Prevention of injury to workers and other professional individuals: – Again ensuring the correct handling of customers so the care worker or other professionals are not going to put themselves at risk of injury. Description of procedures or steps:- Ensuring that everything in the written to an exacting standard so other care workers will know the correct steps to ensure the safety of the customer and the care worker. To meet Legal requirements – Rightly so there are rules/regulations and guidelines put into place to protect the customers, care workers and other professionals. These are again done, to protect all concerned. 7.2Explain how risk-taking assessments relate to rights and responsibilities. There are guidelines to follow when doing a risk assessment which are put into place for reasons mainly relating to:- Legal requirement Prevention of danger and harm Clear guidance and instructions. All these are once again for the benefit of customers/care workers and other professionals. 7.3Explain how risk-taking relate to rights and responsibilities. We all need to take some risks in order to have as full a life as possible. Customers have the right to choose the risks they want to take but have the responsibility not to put others in danger. You have a responsibility to support their choices whilst keeping them as safe as possible. 7.4Explain why risk assessments need to be regularly revised Risk Assessments need to be regularly revisited as circumstances change i.e. condition of the customer and that of their surroundings. 7.5 Explain the importance of using agreed risk assessment processes to support choice Using agreed risk assessment processes to support choice are essential as this supports the safety and well being of the customer and that of the care worker and other professionals who come in contact with the customer and their property. It is essential to discuss the risk assessment with the customers as they are the people best placed to make a contribution.