My Favorite Place To Think Essay

Sometimes I get bothered by a bunch of things like school, work or my family judging me for every little things. So, when I need to think a little or to get some quiet time for myself, I go for a walk on the beach because it’s the best place I would go to, to think and to clear my head. It’s the way the waves goes up and down and the fresh salty water gets on your feet like it’s giving me a massage. It’s also a great place to run from your problems. I like the beach when the light covers the water it makes it look so nice. It makes me forget about all my problems and all the nagging of work or school. When my mom is yelling at me for no reason, I just walk out the house and go for a walk by the beach, where the salty water goes on your feet on the sand. It helps me to calm down with the seagull chirping while the sun is going down. I sometimes think â€Å" why can’t I just live by the beach†, then, I’d have peace and quiet, but I realized I would not be able to live near the beach because, in the summer time they might have a beach party and I wouldn’t hear myself think or have my peace and quiet. So I rather let this be my secret place to chill and relax my mind. I like it that way and I wouldn’t have it any other way. So in conclusion the beach is my favorite place to be. I don’t only find it my favorite place because of the smell or the waves floating on your feet, but because it is a great place for me to get some quiet time to think and to get away from my problems. I f I would recommend someone a great place to be, it would be the beach. It is the best place to be at all-time except when they having aa beach party or some sort.

Tata Motors – Macro Environment

For financial year 2008, the TATA motors reported the consolidated revenues (net of excise) at Rs. 356. 51 bn posted a growth of 10. 2% over Rs. 323. 61 bn in the previous year. The Consolidated Profit after tax (PAT) for the year was Rs. 21. 67 bn, a marginal decrease over Rs. 21. 69 bn in the previous year. Standalone EBITDA impacted by 6. 6% to Rs. 30. 92 bn in FY08 from Rs 33. 12 bn in FY07; EBITDA margin stood at 10. 76% in FY08 as compared to 12. 06% in the previous financial year. Following are the main macro environmental factors from FY08 that had direct bearing on the company’s revenue and profitability figures: GDP Growth Encouraged by the continuing thrust in investments which grew by 31. 6%, the GDP growth in the third quarter of fiscal 2008 came in at 8. 4% compared to 9. 1% in the same quarter last year. A good kharif season supported growth of 3. 2% in agriculture while Industry and services grew at a moderated level of 8. 4% and 10. 5% respectively. CSO’s advance estimates projects the overall GDP at 8. 7% in the full year 2008. While the sequential decline in the GDP growth (9. 3% and 8. 9% in the first two quarters of the current year) indicates moderation of growth, it is expected that the growth momentum would continue, led by investments. Risk to growth going forward is expected to come from worsening inflation, increasing interest rates and weak global cues. Infrastructure Index The growth in the infrastructure industries for the period Apr – Feb’08 was subdued with all sectors, except coal , witnessed a lower growth on a y-o-y basis. Crude oil saw the least growth of 0. % followed by Finished steel (5%), Coal (5. 6%), Petroleum products (7. 2%) and cement(7. 5%) during this period. Index of Industrial Production IIP growth for the period Apr-Mar’08 is 8. 1% over the corresponding period of last year. On a sectoral basis, manufacturing showed the largest decline in growth from 12. 5% to 8. 6% followed by electricity (7. 2% to 6. 4%) and mining (5. 4% to 5%). A look at the use-based data indicates that while capital goods have shown a robust growth at 16. 5%, consumer goods decelerated mainly due to decline of 1% in consumer durables. Inflation The headline inflation, which declined from 6. 4% at the beginning of the fiscal year to a low of 3. 1% on October 13, 2007, has seen significant increase in the later half of fiscal year 2008. For the week ended may 10th, the headline inflation had moved to 7. 82%,largely due to the rising global food and oil prices. This has instigated government to take stringent measures such as restricting exports of select products, lowering of excise duties and dissuading domestic manufacturers such as steel and cement companies from undertaking price increases. Prices of key raw materials used in the auto industry have also increased significantly. This is exerting pressure on the input costs of the auto manufacturers. Interest rates In response to the high inflation, RBI increased the Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) by 50 bps to 8% before the scheduled policy meeting and further by 25 bps at the policy meeting on April 29th 2008. With high global commodity prices and ample liquidity in the system indicating significant risk to inflation, it may be expected that RBI will continue to take stringent steps to check the inflationary pressures in the economy. Any move to increase the interest rate would further impact industrial growth and investment momentum in the economy. Freight Rates The benchmark freight rate index registered a moderate 1. 1% y-o-y increase over the last one year while the diesel price index has increased by 3. 2% over the same period. The financing costs also increased during the year, putting up moderate pressure on the truck operators’ profitability position. The Government raised the prices of most widely used automotive fuel products, petrol and diesel, by Rs 2 per litre and Re 1 per litre respectively on February 14, 2008. Since then the global oil prices have moved up significantly crossing $135 per barrel, hence further fuel price hike cannot be ruled out, despite ongoing inflationary pressures on the economy. National Highway Development Project (NHDP) With substantial portion of the GQ having been completed and a significant portion of the NSEW corridor under implementation, the focus is now moved to Phase IIIA and Phase V

Caribbean Economy and Haitian revolution Essay

The Revolution wrecked Haiti’s economy because it challenged the world as it was then. Slavery was the heart of a thriving system of merchant capitalism that profited Europe, devastated Africa, and propelled the expansion of the Americas. Independent Haiti had few friends. All the world’s powers sided with France against the self-proclaimed Black Republic which declared it a haven for runaway slaves. Hemmed in by slave colonies, Haiti had only one non-colonized neighbor, the slaveholding United States; which refused to recognize Haiti’s independence for decades. The Haitian Revolution of 1789-1803 transformed French Saint Domingue, one of the most productive European colonies of its day, into an independent state run by former slaves and the descendants of slaves It produced the world’s first examples of wholesale emancipation in a major slaveowning society, of colonial representation in a metropolitan assembly, and of full racial equality in a European colony. It occurred when the Atlantic slave trade was at its peak, and when slavery was an accepted institution from Canada to Chile. The slave revolt that between 1791 and 1793 laid waste the immensely wealthy colony was probably the largest and sole fully successful one there has ever been. Of all American struggles for colonial independence, the Haitian Revolution involved the greatest degree of mass mobilization, and brought the greatest degree of social and economic change. In an age of tumultuous events and world war, it seized international attention with images of apocalyptic destruction and of a new world in the making. The Black Jacobins by Trinidadian intellectual C.L.R. James remains, although written in the 1930s, the best introduction to the subject.

Quality Management System (Quality in the work environment) Case Study Essay

Quality Management System (Quality in the work environment) Case Study - Essay Example Another reason for introduction of quality management system was the vertical integration of the oil industry. In the present world, with the increasing workload and decreasing resources, standardisation has become a major concern of the world’s oil and natural gas companies and their suppliers. It is the industry which relies highly on API standards in order to get the job done in the right way. Standardisation helps companies to move forward in the right direction besides allowing them to operate safely and reliably anywhere in the world. The standardisation efforts help to assure compliance with government equipment interchangeability to meet the needs of the global industry. (The oil and natural gas industrie’s most valuable resource 2004). Quality management system can be discerned as a series of practices that are constantly being reconsidered and to conform to the international standard. It aims at achieving first class customer service to be derived and at the least costs, and prove to the customers that the supplier in question has an organized and disciplined approach to the achieving that end. ( Fravennec, Trambouze & Baker, p.540). There are three elements of quality management systems that apply to refineries these are: Matter of culture, service to the customer as the quasi religion, implemented by a wide spread network of customer/supplier relationships as possible, based on the contractual approach and monitors by using quantified measures of satisfaction or nonsatisfaction. Technology, that aims continuous improvement which includes a system of correction and prevention of non-quality practices that are reviews by a process of regular audit and a system for continuous improvement to achieve enhancement of quality. Prescriptive, a formal system of procedures to codify, attempts to see that the incident resulting from a

Ethics of Care and Justice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Ethics of Care and Justice - Essay Example Finally, Held perceives people as being â€Å"relational and interdependent, morally and epistemologically† just like the morals of responsibility (Held 148). This is mainly because the theory put forward mainly perceives humans as being individualistic. On the contrary, the morals of justice differ from the morals of care since it emphasizes on the issues of fairness and human rights unlike the latter which emphasizes on the individuals emotions (Walls, p.176). It does not emphasize on handling the individual emotions but on promoting fairness despite the emotions attached to the issue under consideration (Robinson 135). The morals of justice additionally differ from the morals of care since they consider reasons rather than an individual’s emotions and are keen on ensuring that justice prevails in all situations (Walls 178). The morals of justice also differ from the morals of ethics on the ground that the former focuses on the importance of mobilizing the social reso urces available in safeguarding the vulnerable people from exploitation from the people who are in power (Robinson 139). This is different from the morals of care which emphasize on the importance of shaping good and caring relations among individuals (Walls 179). Finally, the morals of justice stipulate that humans are dependent and are solely responsible for their actions but the morals of care stipulate that humans are relational and interdependent (Robinson 142). This implies that according to the morals of care humans rely on one another for moral support and that the relations between them play a vital role in their daily lives (Walls 183). The moral of justice approach differs from the morals of care approach since it can be used in... This essay basically expounds on Held’s views on the principles of care as the primary moral principle, valuing emotions in favor of reason and valuation of partiality rather than impartiality while focusing on private relationships as opposed to relationships in the public realm. The researcher of this essay also tries to ascertain whether people are relational and self-governing rather than being independent along with autonomous. According Virginia Held, the rights of humans begin with ethical responses to oppressions that have been experienced historically. She says that in â€Å"order for them to become operational they must be developed into institutional mechanisms that function effectively to mobilize social resources to protect the vulnerable†. Virginia Held also argues that the morals of care have a lot to talk about concerning moral relationships within the private spheres of the family along with their personal friends. Finally, Held perceives people as bein g â€Å"relational and interdependent, morally and epistemologically† just like the morals of responsibility. In conclusion, the father and mother should be made to account for their mistakes through the standards of care and justice that Virginia Held suggested. This is because they will greatly help in alleviating the emotional breakdowns that the children go through due to their behaviors. The approach I would prefer to be utilized in streamlining their activities is the moral of care as it considers the personal relationship between the individuals in question.

Customer Aquisation Versus Retention Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Customer Aquisation Versus Retention - Essay Example Other statistics reason that a business’ 80% sales are just gotten from about 20%, which spells out the critical need for the business to maintain health relations with these loyal customers. It is easier for the retained relations to communicate over a business’ brands than new customers. They therefore play a critical role of tracking the progress of the business in terms of quality standards of commodities as well as the services. Moreover, findings from a report by Reichheld indicate that retained customers eventually buy a lot from this business and as a result, the business records higher profits. The operating costs in serving retained consumers tend to be lower than the costs for serving new consumers. Retained customers are also better placed to refer and bring other customers on board than is the case in new customers. Businesses therefore analyze the profitability of retaining all the customers but the cost effectiveness analysis dictates that a business shou ld strive to maintain the only segment of customers that prove more profitable than the rest (2001, p. 1). Nevertheless, globalization trends are seen to adversely affect the efforts of retaining customers as the internet has opened a whole view world of advertising and promotion. Via just a click of a mouse, it is possible to lose a retained customer. Therefore, the efforts of retaining a customer get more expensive and complicated. On the other hand, the supporters of the customer accusation reason that there is no more growth.... g one customer through promotional services and sales as to being ranging from six to ten times higher than the costs that the business would incur in retaining a customer. Other statistics reason that a business’ 80% sales are just gotten from about 20%, which spells out the critical need for the business to maintain health relations with these loyal customers. It is easier for the retained relations to communicate over a business’ brands than new customers. They therefore play a critical role of tracking the progress of the business in terms of quality standards of commodities as well as the services. Moreover, findings from a report by Reichheld indicate that retained customers eventually buy a lot from this business and as a result, the business records higher profits. The operating costs in serving retained consumers tend to be lower than the costs for serving new consumers. Retained customers are also better placed to refer and bring other customers on board than is the case in new customers. Businesses therefore analyze the profitability of retaining all the customers but the cost effectiveness analysis dictates that a business should strive to maintain the only segment of customers that prove more profitable than the rest (2001, p. 1). Nevertheless, globalization trends are seen to adversely affect the efforts of retaining customers as the internet has opened a whole view world of advertising and promotion. Via just a click of a mouse, it is possible to lose a retained customer. Therefore, the efforts of retaining a customer get more expensive and complicated. On the other hand, the supporters of the customer accusation reason that there is no more growth that can result from an already retained pool of customers than has already been met. This therefore

The Cognitive Approaches of Challenged the Concept of Behavioral Essay

The Cognitive Approaches of Challenged the Concept of Behavioral Theory - Essay Example A child learns new behaviours or is able to modify existing behaviours, as a function of environmental events that either reward or punish that behaviour. Skinner’s learning theory is a move away from the traditional behaviourist approach of stimulus and response, as he differentiated between types of responses. When a response was elicited by a known stimulus it is considered to be associated with the known stimulus. Alternatively, responses that do not require a specific stimulus, which he termed operants, are independent of the stimulus. Skinner emphasized that it was the operant response that could be strengthened or weakened by the use of personal, social or environmental rewards or punishments respectively. Skinner’s principles advocated the idea that learning could be ‘programmed,’ which fit with the 1960s initial explorations into computer-aided instruction. All that was required was for the student to practice, and to be provided with the ideal rei nforcement (i.e., reward or punishment). Students were perceived to learn through processes of rote memorization and amount of practice. A subject such as English has been greatly influenced by Skinner’s principles of reinforcement in terms of being better able to regulate student behaviours and learning achievements. Information is reduced by the teacher into smaller components (e.g., poetry, spelling, vocabulary), and organized by the teacher into a format believed that the student will understand and can systematically build on.

Why you chose Psychology Major (Personal Autobiography) Essay

Why you chose Psychology Major (Personal Autobiography) - Essay Example I would like to understand the thought pattern of humans and help change how they interact with fellow humans in order to have a more functional society. Therefore, I chose psychology major because apart from it being a fully fledged career on its own, whatever else career one chooses, employability is enhanced when there is a psychology background. By majoring in psychology, I will use research to learn elementary human behavior, and apply the knowledge to solve problems that affect holistic human development. Psychology will enable me to simultaneously use science and practice, stimulating my continuous development of both. I am a person who is inclined to contribute to the wellbeing and prosperity of all areas of the society. Having been brought up in an urban, low-income and marginalized neighborhood, I witnessed many kinds of social ills where school children engaged in sexual immorality, the youth got into crime and adults openly abused drugs and neglected their families. The social fabric was completely ripped apart and no neighbor could stand up to address the rampant problems. Although studies have generalized such neighborhoods to inherently have social breakdowns, to an extent of stereotyping, I believe such societies are as human as any other. They need patience, understanding and dedicated efforts towards achieving normal lives. Stereotyping, marginalizing and segregation will only aggravate the situation. Psychology, therefore, will enable me to work with other professionals in other fields including policymakers, lawyers, physicians, school personnel, computer experts and engineers towards understanding many problems. As a psychology major, my objective is to understand the cause of people being the way they are, doing the things they do and behaving the way they do. Throughout my childhood, even though living a below-average life, I have always been a hard worker and performer in school. Perhaps my forced, early association with the local church saved me from the lifestyle I witnessed and continue to witness among my peers. Through this, I believe I am ready and have the flexibility to face the various and diverse tasks and schedules associated with a psychologist’s career. I want to overcome challenges and satisfy the desire to be part of a team that will adapt technology and benefit human life; to participate in primary healthcare work; to advice disturbed youth; to set up care facilities for the aged and neglected; to encourage children to attend school; to raise awareness of the perils of crime and drug abuse; and ultimately, to be the change that marginal ized societies need. I chose a psychology major because it is also one of the most effective avenues towards understanding myself, not only others. Through psychology, I will achieve this by studying characteristics of human conduct that will help me in my daily life including my perception of the roots of psychological disorders; my capacity to deal with pressure; my memory and learning performance; and my interactions with other people. My key drive towards a psychology major is to understand why the society I grew up in is the way it is. However, I can also integrate any of the other social studies with what I will learn so as to help bring change to the society, not only understand it. For example, an insight of human conduct as

Factors affecting Key Skills Achievements in Further Education Essay

Factors affecting Key Skills Achievements in Further Education - Essay Example During the last years the attention is paid to the key skills development though they are not considered to be popular. Indeed, it was pressure from employers that resulted in the Key Skills standards being revised in QCA’s Phase 1 Report, and recommendations were made in September 2001. The research showed that sometimes the Key Skills are even more effective than the professional ones. That is the reason for Key Skills to be an integral part of the educational programmes. There are some different views as to â€Å"key† skills, but The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) has stated some number of skills which are considered to be â€Å"key†. These are such skills as: problem solving (defining the problems, choosing the alternative solutions to the problem, planning the actions to be taken). The most important of them are: communication, application of number, and information technology. Nowadays a great attention is paid to such a notion as â€Å"functional illiteracy†. But this notion should not be confused with the notion of ignorance. In today’s changing environment employers are demanding different skills from their employees. The Moser Report: A Fresh Start, improving Literacy and Numeracy (1999), opened with the statement: ‘Something like one in five adults in this country is not functionally literate and far more have problems with numeracy and one of the reasons for relatively low productivity in our economy’. This suggests that individuals do not have the functional skills and may be the reason why QCA’s current project may result in a name change from Key Skills to ‘Functional Skills’ According to Alexander Alexander’s (1999 p117) the statistics of the U.N.O. shows that 99 per cent of citizens of the USA, Germany, Great Britain and other European countries are literate people. The problem of functional

Concept analys Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Concept analys - Assignment Example They are proven to have logical connections, physical connections and causal relations (Sassen, 2000, p. 240). Concepts must provide explanations to certain phenomena or events using intuitive thinking which may provide a better understanding using reasons, symbols and cause-and-effect. In addition, concepts have been created by people to represent things to provide meanings to them so that people may get explanations leading to understanding (Novacek and Smrz, 2006, p. 70). In short, concepts do not need to be physically tested as they can be products of intuitive thinking. Concepts are developed when certain phenomena exist with little or no explanations (Dashiff, 2010). People look for the explanations for the events that happen around them so they can better act and solve if ever problems exist. New concepts may also be formed when the established concepts are already out-of-date which require ground-breaking explanations to adapt to the current state of the phenomena (Dashiff, 2010). Change has been constant and some concepts may not be able to adjust to the environment and development so new concepts must be created. Concepts may also come out when there are gaps between practice and research (Dashiff, 2010). Research has been present to provide evidences and support to improve the practice of certain professions. In nursing, it has been necessary to have concept analysis to provide further development for the practice of that profession. Concepts provide the framework for nurses and nursing students to understand certain phenomena in their profession by providing meaning and connections with abstract ideas (Fitzpatrick and Kazer, 2012). For concept analysis to be successful, various traditional approaches have been developed. Concept analysis started with the approach created by Wilson which is composed of 11 steps (Meleis, 2012, p. 372). The steps must come to conclusion in choosing the words that best fit the meaning and concept applied

Women Drive Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Women Drive - Essay Example However, it is a sad reality that the women in Saudi Arabia are not allowed to drive. Government and a big section of the public in Saudi Arabia do not appreciate the women who drive or want to drive. In the past few years the women activists in Saudi Arabia have been demanding the right to drive (TED Talks 1). Yet, irrespective of these protests, women’s driving in Saudi Arabia is something that is considered to be illegal (TED Talks 1). Over the past few years the ban on women driving in Saudi Arabia is an issue that has attracted much international attention. The women are not allowed to drive in Saudi Arabia owing to a variety of reasons like being harassed by anti-social elements, a big section of the population being opposed to women driving and a failure of the government to address this important issue. The mere act of driving a car does not make a woman immoral and bad. It is a fact that every culture happens to have its own definition of character and goodness. Howev er, in Saudi Arabia, many people consider the women who intend to drive to be having a loose character and a faulty sense of morals (TED Talks 1). Hence, even if a woman gets a chance to drive, she is quiet bound to be harassed by the anti-social elements in the Saudi society (TED Talks 1).

Press Release Essay Example for Free

Press Release Essay LOUISIANA- Amnesty International has called for the release of Louisiana inmate and Angola 3 member Albert Woodfox after a federal appeals court ruled on Thursday (Nov. 20) in Woodfox’s favor. The major human right organization, stated in a press release Friday (Nov. 21) that Woodfox spending over forty years in solitary confinement, â€Å"raises serious human rights concerns.† The decision from the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a district judge’s ruling that overturned Woodfox’s conviction of murder in 1972 of an Angola guard. According to court documents, a three judge panel all agreed that Woodfox did not receive a fair trial in 1998 when his case was tried a second time do to racial discrimination in the selection of a grand jury foreperson. â€Å"It is time for Albert Woodfox to walk free, and it is unconscionable to hold him for a single day longer, â€Å"said Jasmine Heiss, Senior Campaiger at Amnesty International USA. â€Å"The Fifth Circuit’s ruling in Albert’s favor only adds more weight to our call on the State of Louisiana to stop standing in the way of Albert Woodfox’s freedom.† According to Louisiana Attorney General Buddy Caldwell, his office plans to put up a fight to prevent Woodfox from being released. Caldwell statement below: While we are still reviewing the 5th Circuits opinion to determine the appropriate action, the important thing to note is that this decision in no way exonerates Albert Woodfox in the brutal 1972 murder of Angola  Correctional Officer Brent Miller. The Appeals Court decision focused on a technicality with the grand jury selection process from as far back as 30 years ago. No court decision, including this one, has ever made a finding which disputes the fact that Albert Woodfox murdered Brent Miller at Angola in 1972. Those facts will always remain true. We respectfully disagree with the Courts ruling, and remain committed to seeing that the trial jurys judgment finding Albert Woodfox guilty of murdering Officer Brent Miller is upheld. Woodfox 67, is the only member of the Angola 3 still behind bars. Angola 3 was derive from a group of supporters who believed that Woodfox and two other prisoners were wrongfully convicted of prison murders for the sole purpose of silencing their activism. The International Coalition to Free the Angola Three is convinced that the men were targeted due to their formation of the Black Panther Party chapter inside the prison. References www.amnestyinternational.com Retrieved on November 22, 2014 www.nola.com Retrieved on November 22,2014

Thurgood Marshall: Supreme Court Nomination and Confirmation

Thurgood Marshall: Supreme Court Nomination and Confirmation Thurgood Marshall began his career fighting for voting rights and equal housing for African Americans and fighting against racial and gender discrimination. As head of the Legal Defense and Education fund of the NAACP, he garnered an impressive success rate arguing cases before the Supreme Court, (Gibson 110), which likely earned him the appointed to the Second Circuit of the United States Court of Appeals by President Kennedy. In 1965 he was appointed Solicitor General by President Lyndon Johnson, and just two years later, on June 13, 1967, President Johnson nominated Marshall as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. Marshall’s nomination led to heated debates in the Senate; opposition was primarily from southern senators who hailed from states where Jim Crow laws were still in force, despite the passage of the Civil Rights Act three years earlier. Senate hearing transcripts cited one senator’s grievance that Marshall’s past record as jurist and attorney led him to believe the appointment would cause a dangerous imbalance in the Court, as he would replace Justice Clark, who was viewed as a conservative. Ultimately, Marshall’s nomination was confirmed with a 69 to 11 vote, and 20 non-voters. (U. S. Senate 24656). Sworn in by Chief Justice Earl Warren, Thurgood Marshall became the first African American Justice in the history of the United States. The 96th Justice served from 1967 until his retirement in 1991. (Thurgood Marshall). Marshall was nominated to fill an anticipated vacancy in the Court due to the impending retirement of Justice Tom Campbell Clark. Clark was stepping down to avoid a conflict of interest caused by the appointment of his son, William Ramsey Clark, to the U.S. Attorney General position by President Johnson. Tom Clark had been the U.S. Attorney General from 1945 to 1949 before his own nomination to the Court by President Truman. Tom Clark had no prior judicial experience and Truman later expressed regret over his choice. (Dutton). Clark was viewed as a conservative, but turned out to be a swing voter. It is evident Johnson created the vacancy by design. In his remarks to the press, Johnson said of Marshall, â€Å"I believe he earned that appointment; he deserves the appointment. He is best qualified by training and by very valuable service to the country. I believe it is the right thing to do, the right time to do it, the right man and the right place.† (Peters and Woolley). It is noteworthy also, that both Marshall and Clark were nominated by Democratic Presidents in a Democratic controlled congress. (Lou Frey Institute). A liberal ideological shift took place in the Warren Court, most significantly when Justice Goldberg replaced Frankfurter and Marshall replaced Clark. (Grofman and Brazill 63-64). The amount of time between Supreme Court nominations and the final committee vote has varied significantly, from three days or less to 117 days, in the case of the 1916 nomination of Louis D. Brandeis. Between 1967 and 2009, from Marshall to Sotomayor, the Judiciary Committee has consistently taken more time; the average is around 50 days, but some took more than 80 days. (Bearden and Rutkus 13). The table below shows how the trend changed between the confirmation of Marshall and his predecessor, Tom Clark. Table 1 Nominee Pres Date rec’d in Senate Public Hearing Dates Final Vote Date Final Vote Date Final Action First Public Hearing Date Committee Final Vote Date Final Action Senate or President Tom Clark Truman 08/02/49 08/09/49 08/10/49 08/11/49 8/12/49 In Favor 9-2 08/18/49 Confirmed 73-8 7 10 16 Thurgood Marshall L Johnson 6/13/67 07/13/14 07/14/14 07/18/14 07/19/14 07/24/14 8/3/67 In Favor 11-5 08/30/67 Confirmed 69-11 30 51 78 Source: Bearden, Maureen and Steven Rutkus. Supreme Court Nominations, present-1789. Analysis. Washington: Congressional Research Service, 2009. Print. 23 Mar 2014, 34-35. In his book, Pathways to the U.S. Supreme Court: From the Arena to the Monastery, Garrison Nelson says, â€Å"44 of the first 88 Supreme Court nominations were previously governors, senators, members of the House or cabinet members.† The Nelson theory claims there are four paths to the Supreme Court. Of those four paths, however, the most common is vertically, as former judges in other courts. Justices elevate from this route 47.3% of the time. Marshall ascended by a less common path, by serving as Solicitor General. Nelson calls this the diagonal route; only 11.6% of Justices elevate by this route. (Reidel). So then, what is the appropriate role of the Senate in Supreme Court nominations? Should the voting public have a more active role in the nominations? Or should it be just left to the President? If left to the President without Senate consent, the nominees would be ideologically suited to the President his party. Since Justices have lifetime appointment and Presidents have term limits, this may cause conflict between the Court and future administrations. The Senate consent feature acts as a check and balance of the Executive as intended by the framers. Similarly, if the nomination is left to the voting population, individuals may not fully comprehend the impact of a decision based solely on popularity or publicity. Individuals may not balance their own personal views against the needs of society in making a decision. Furthermore, the average individual may not be qualified to determine the potential future legal effect a lifetime appointment on the laws of the country. The American B ar Association reports that in 2012, a mere .26% of the U.S. population consists of a combination of lawyers, law students and law professors. (American Bar Association). Using census data from the Bureau of Labor and Statistics and including a more generous pool of the population to include lawyers, law students, law professors, clerks, judges, paralegals and other legal support positions, while narrowing the scope to include only the employed portion of the population, the number is still a meager 0.36% of persons who have some knowledge of the law and courts. (Bureau of Labor and Statistics). Over 100 years ago, Finley Peter Dunnes infamous Mr. Dooley uttered the proclamation, â€Å"No matter whether th Constitution follows th flag or not, th Supreme Court follows th illiction returns.† (Dunne 26). One study linked constituent opinion to Senate voting patterns and researched how the visibility of the roll-call during Senate confirmation hearings influenced outcomes. Senators tend to vote against nominees with controversial policies. Stakes are high in the competition for re-election and senators must be responsive to the views of their constituents. (Kastellec, Lax and Phillips 676,782,783). Despite these results, the intent of the Senate’s role in the process is still sound. Senators are elected officials, representing their constituents. Although Senators tend to vote based on their own views and their interpretation of the nominees views, they also factor in the views of their constituents and the balance of the Court. And finally, Senate consent fulfils the Legislative check and balance requirement on the Executive branch of government as required under the Constitution. Since Marshall supported similar positions on civil rights issues as his predecessor Clark, the argument that Marshall would create a dangerous imbalance in the Court was moot. Although Justice Clark was viewed as a conservative, he was often the swing vote, supporting landmark cases such as Mapp v. Ohio, which applied the Fourth Amendment exclusionary rule to the states, and Abington School District v. Schempp, nullifying daily Bible readings in public schools. Clark also supported the end of racial segregation and joined the unanimous decisions in Brown v. Board of Education. (Reger). Marshall was an influential figure in the civil rights movement, always pursuing the goal of racial equality. His liberal opinions challenged race and gender discrimination, opposed the death penalty, supported the rights of criminal defendants, and defended affirmative action and abortion rights. â€Å"As a Supreme Court Justice, Thurgood Marshall believed the Constitution was a living document that should be interpreted based on the current political, cultural, and moral climate.† (Maki 4). References American Bar Association. Lawyer Demographics. Statistical. Washington: American Bar Association, 2012. Print. Bearden, Maureen and Steven Rutkus. Supreme Court Nominations, present-1789. Analysis. Washington: Congressional Research Service, 2009. Print. 23 Mar 2014. Bureau of Labor and Statistics. Household Data Annual Averages. Statistical. Washington: Government Printing Office, 2013. Print. Dunne, Finley P. Mr. Dooley’s Opinions. New York: R.H. Russell, 1901. Print. Dutton, C. B. MR. Justice Tom C. Clark. Indiana Law Journal 26.2 (1951): 169-206. Print. Gibson, Larry. Young Thurgood: The Making of a Supreme Court Justice. New York: Prometheus Books, 2012. Print. Grofman, Bernard and Timothy J. Brazill. Identifying the median justice on the Supreme Court through multidimensional scaling: Analysis of â€Å"natural courts†. Public Choice 112 (2002): 55-79. Print. Kastellec, Jonathan P., Jeffrey R. Lax and Justin H. Phillips. Public Opinion and Senate Confirmation of Supreme Court Nominees. The Journal of Politics 72.3 (2010): 767-784. Print. Lou Frey Institute. Composition of Congress by Political Party 1855–2013. 2014. Majority and Minority Party Membership Other Resources. Internet. 23 Mar. 2014. Maki, Lisa A. Thurgood Marshall. Research paper. University of North Florida. Jacksonville, 2014. Print. Peters, Gerhard and John Woolley. Lyndon B. Johnson: Remarks to the Press Announcing the Nomination of Thurgood Marshall as Associate Justice of the Supreme Court. 13 Jun. 1967. The American Presidency Project. Internet. 23 Mar. 2014. Reger, Marianne. Meet The NJC’s Founder: U.S. Supreme Court Justice Tom C. Clark. 12 Sep. 2012. Judges.org. Internet. 23 Mar 2014. Reidel, Jon. Path to Supreme Court Runs Through Judicial Monastery. 21 Jan. 2014. University of Vermont. Internet. 15 Feb. 2014. http://www.uvm.edu/~uvmpr/?Page=newsstoryID=17580category=uvmhome>. Texas v. Johnson. No. 491 U.S. 397. U.S. Supreme Court. 21 Jun. 1989. Internet. 15 Feb. 2014. http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3498200303.html>. Thurgood Marshall. The Biography Channel. 2014. Internet. 15 Feb. 2014. http://www.biography.com/people/thurgood-marshall-9400241>. U. S. Senate. Senate Confirmation Hearings-Marshall. Congressional Record. Washington: Government Printing Office, 30 Aug. 1967. Internet.

Fickle Feminism Essay -- Essays Papers

Fickle Feminism "Why did the woman cross the road?" you tell me. In Judith Timson's article, "What's a Girl to do?" she argues what stereotypes women are accepting and doing away with. Written in 2001, Timson is speaking to females in general, focusing on girl's interpretation of the media's messages, understanding of the choices females have, and women's acceptanceof their image despite the media's stereotypical image. By raising questions and room for interpretation about these issues, Timson arguesthat society is counteracting with the positive and strong images that women have fought so hard for. The goal of this article is to try and understand the role of females in our media-crazed society today. The author is trying to convey the serious problem dealing with the image of women by using sarcasm and humor. Timson describes her encounter with a stereotypical joke her adolescent daughter picks up from school. She uses this to grab the attention of the reader because not only does it make the reader (hopefully) angry due to the outdated joke, it considers what has happened to the years of struggle that women have faced to secure equal rights and a positive and strong image in society. To appeal to an audience consisting mainly of women who play many roles, Timson shares her own personal experiences as a working mother and wife. She also uses societal friendly examples such as discussing issues with Playboy, actresses such as Jennifer Lopez, and influences such as Cosmopolitan Magazine. These issues keep the reader tied to the article while raising the important concern of what kind of messages these are for the quickly maturing girls of our time. As our youth are becoming more mature at an ea... ...g that these are the images that all women have chosen; they are instead saying that this is the image the media has chosen for them. So why, after so many years of bra-burning and protesting, have women lagged behind on their upkeep of a positive image in society? Judith Timson's article is a prime argument for the media's influence on the image of women. Her argument that women are stuck in a stereotypical limbo of who and what to be in our world today is credible and intelligent, while funny and intriguing. Timson's experience as a growing woman in the 21st century is reflected in her questions and opinions on the mixed-messages women are facing. Works Cited Timson, Judith. "What's a Girl to do?". Macleans's. 114 (2001): 44- 50. Academic Search Premier, University of Dayton, Roesch Library. http://search.epnet.com/direct.asp?an=5065583&ab=aph.>.

Hamlet and Oedipus Rex: The Birth of Kings :: comparison compare contrast essays

Hamlet and Oedipus Rex: The Birth of Kings Two plays, "Hamlet", written by William Shakespeare and "Oedipus Rex", written by Sophocles share a common bond of illusion and innocence. The protagonists in both plays appear at the beginning only to have changed so that reality has broken through the illusion with less than desirable results for either. In these two plays, two kings must leave their innocence behind as the truth leads them first, to enlightenment and then to their downfall. This is a battle between the light and the darkness, the light being the truth and the darkness being the lie. Throughout the two plays we can see that both are isolated in a world of their own, completely unaware of the truths surrounding them. In Hamlet's case, growing up under the loving care of his parents, he believes that his father died of natural causes. Or, in Oedipus' case, the main character thinks that he has escaped Apollo's prophecy that decreed that he would grow up and murder his father, the king, and marry his mother, the queen. This eventually leads to the point at which both have their "eyes" opened to the reality surrounding their "illusionary" worlds. Hamlet is approached by the ghost of his dead father who reveals that his own brother, Hamlet's uncle, murdered him. Oedipus Rex discovers the truth when the blind prophet, Teiresias accuses him of being the one who murdered King Laios therefore fulfilling his destiny in which he had sought to avoid. In the end, the actions taken by both lead to their downfalls in different ways, death for Hamlet and loss of vision for Oedipus Rex. In the beginning, we see Hamlet living in an illusion blocking him from seeing what is really there. Hamlet is under the belief that his father died of natural causes and nothing more. As he comes to realize the truth, he leaves behind the safe harbor of innocence and naïveté and enters the uneasy world of adulthood and experience. Standing within his castle, he makes a speech to himself and to God commenting on the quickness in which his mother married his uncle. It is at this point where the beginning of the end of his innocence starts. He believes that by marrying his uncle, his mother betrayed his father. By doing that, the illusion that his parents had the perfect union is shattered forever. In the play, Hamlet says, "Must I remember? Why, she would hang on him. As if increase of appetite had grown. By what it fed on, and yet within a month.

My First Kiss :: Personal Narrative

My First Kiss â€Å"Kissing a watermelon? No, I’ve never been THAT desperate.† My sister Amy went on to tell me about her friend who dared to do such a feat. â€Å"Did it help?† I asked. â€Å"We don’t know! She hasn’t kissed a real guy yet!† Amy and I burst into a fit of giggles, and I realized how being in the company of my younger sister regressed me to her awkward, girlish high school age. I had forgotten, until this bedside 2:00 a.m. conversation, how I used to be obsessed with popularity and sports cars, and how I daydreamed of my first kiss. But Amy had much more â€Å"experience† than I did at her age. She and her friends had passed their adolescent initiation of first kisses—at least the kind on the lips. â€Å"In the back of the CHURCH van? With everyone watching? Where did he kiss you?† â€Å"On the LIPS!† she squealed. Amy’s excitement and anxiety about kissing ignited a rush of memories. How I used to romanticize about first kissing someone! I thought that I would be in a long flowing gown, and the handsome young man would bring me flowers, and ask to court me. Our kiss would be done on the porch, under an encouraging moon and a harmony of stars. Or maybe I would be in a MacDonalds, and the most good-looking guy I’d ever seen would come to my table, buy me a hot fudge sundae, and he give me a kiss when he walked me to my car. Ah, the kiss was exciting to think about as well. I had no idea what it would be like, but I knew it would feel wonderful. This quick pucker and follow-through would be my initiation into womanhood, somehow setting me apart from other girls who could barely fill a bra or who, as rumors went, practiced kissing by mutilating fruit. A rite of passage, a first romance, yes. But my girlish head had set itself upon one quest: I would be truly in love with the young man I first

Chapter 37 The Beginning

When he looked back, even a month later, Harry found he had only scattered memories of the next few days. It was as though he had been through too much to take in any more. The recollections he did have were very painful. The worst, perhaps, was the meeting with the Diggory's that took place the following morning. They did not blame him for what had happened; on the contrary, both thanked him for returning Cedric's body to them. Mr. Diggory sobbed through most of the interview. Mrs. Diggory's grief seemed to be beyond tears. â€Å"He suffered very little then,† she said, when Harry had told her how Cedric had died. â€Å"And after all, Amos†¦he died just when he'd won the tournament. He must have been happy.† When they got to their feet, she looked down at Harry and said, â€Å"You look after yourself, now.† Harry seized the sack of gold on the bedside table. â€Å"You take this,† he muttered to her. â€Å"It should've been Cedric's, he got there first, you take it -â€Å" But she backed away from him. â€Å"Oh no, it's yours, dear, I couldn't†¦you keep it.† Harry returned to Gryffindor Tower the following evening. From what Hermione and Ron told him, Dumbledore had spoken to the school that morning at breakfast. He had merely requested that they leave Harry alone, that nobody ask him questions or badger him to tell the story of what had happened in the maze. Most people, he noticed, were skirting him in the corridors, avoiding his eyes. Some whispered behind their hands as he passed. He guessed that many of them had believed Rita Skeeter's article about how disturbed and possibly dangerous he was. Perhaps they were formulating their own theories about how Cedric had died. He found he didn't care very much. He liked it best when he was with Ron and Hermione and they were talking about other things, or else letting him sit in silence while they played chess. He felt as though all three of them had reached an understanding they didn't need to put into words; that each was waiting for some sign, some word, of what was going on outside Hogwa rts – and that it was useless to speculate about what might be coming until they knew anything for certain. The only time they touched upon the subject was when Ron told Harry about a meeting Mrs. Weasley had had with Dumbledore before going home. â€Å"She went to ask him if you could come straight to us this summer,† he said. â€Å"But he wants you to go back to the Dursleys, at least at first.† â€Å"Why?† said Harry. â€Å"She said Dumbledore's got his reasons,† said Ron, shaking his head darkly. â€Å"I suppose we've got to trust him, haven't we?† The only person apart from Ron and Hermione that Harry felt able to talk to was Hagrid. As there was no longer a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, they had those lessons free. They used the one on Thursday afternoon to go down and visit Hagrid in his cabin. It was a bright and sunny day; Fang bounded out of the open door as they approached, barking and wagging his tail madly. â€Å"Who's that?† called Hagrid, coming to the door. â€Å"Harry!† He strode out to meet them, pulled Harry into a one-armed hug, ruffled his hair, and said, â€Å"Good ter see yeh, mate. Good ter see yeh.† They saw two bucket-size cups and saucers on the wooden table in front of the fireplace when they entered Hagrid's cabin. â€Å"Bin havin' a cuppa with Olympe,† Hagrid said. â€Å"She's jus' left.† â€Å"Who?† said Ron curiously. â€Å"Madame Maxime, o' course!† said Hagrid. â€Å"You two made up, have you?† said Ron. â€Å"Dunno what yeh're talkin' about,† said Hagrid airily, fetching more cups from the dresser. When he had made tea and offered around a plate of doughy cookies, he leaned back in his chair and surveyed Harry closely through his beetle-black eyes. â€Å"You all righ'?† he said gruffly â€Å"Yeah,† said Harry. â€Å"No, yeh're not,† said Hagrid. â€Å"Course yeh're not. But yeh will be.† Harry said nothing. â€Å"Knew he was goin' ter come back,† said Hagrid, and Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked up at him, shocked. â€Å"Known it fer years. Harry. Knew he was out there, bidin' his time. It had ter happen. Well, now it has, an' we'll jus' have ter get on with it. We'll fight. Migh' be able ter stop him before he gets a good hold. That's Dumbledores plan, anyway. Great man, Dumbledore. ‘S long as we've got him, I'm not too worried.† Hagrid raised his bushy eyebrows at the disbelieving expressions on their faces. â€Å"No good sittin' worryin' abou' it,† he said. â€Å"What's comin' will come, an we'll meet it when it does. Dumbledore told me wha' you did. Harry.† Hagrid's chest swelled as he looked at Harry. â€Å"Yeh did as much as yer father would've done, an' I can' give yeh no higher praise than that.† Harry smiled back at him. It was the first time he'd smiled in days. â€Å"What's Dumbledore asked you to do, Hagrid?† he asked. â€Å"He sent Professor McGonagall to ask you and Madame Maxime to meet him – that night.† â€Å"Got a little job fer me over the summer,† said Hagrid. â€Å"Secret, though. I'm not s'pposed ter talk abou' it, no, not even ter you lot. Olympe – Madame Maxime ter you – might be comin' with me. I think she will. Think I got her persuaded.† â€Å"Is it to do with Voldemort?† Hagrid flinched at the sound of the name. â€Å"Migh' be,† he said evasively. â€Å"Now†¦who'd like ter come an' visit the las' skrewt with me? I was jokin' – jokin'!† he added hastily, seeing the looks on their faces. It was with a heavy heart that Harry packed his trunk up in the dormitory on the night before his return to Privet Drive. He was dreading the Leaving Feast, which was usually a cause for celebration, when the winner of the Inter-House Championship would be announced. He had avoided being in the Great Hall when it was full ever since he had left the hospital wing, preferring to eat when it was nearly empty to avoid the stares of his fellow students. When he, Ron, and Hermione entered the Hall, they saw at once that the usual decorations were missing. The Great Hall was normally decorated with the winning House's colors for the Leaving Feast. Tonight, however, there were black drapes on the wall behind the teachers' table. Harry knew instantly that they were there as a mark of respect to Cedric. The real Mad-Eye Moody was at the staff table now, his wooden leg and his magical eye back in place. He was extremely twitchy, jumping every time someone spoke to him. Harry couldn't blame him; Moody's fear of attack was bound to have been increased by his ten-month imprisonment in his own trunk. Professor Karkaroff's chair was empty. Harry wondered, as he sat down with the other Gryffindors, where Karkaroff was now, and whether Voldemort had caught up with him. Madame Maxime was still there. She was sitting next to Hagrid. They were talking quietly together. Further along the table, sitting next to Professor McGonagall, was Snape. His eyes lingered on Harry for a moment as Harry looked at him. His expression was difficult to read. He looked as sour and unpleasant as ever. Harry continued to watch him, long after Snape had looked away. What was it that Snape had done on Dumbledores orders, the night that Voldemort had returned? And why†¦why†¦was Dumbledore so convinced that Snape was truly on their side? He had been their spy, Dumbledore had said so in the Pensieve. Snape had turned spy against Voldemort, â€Å"at great personal risk.† Was that the job he had taken up again? Had he made contact with the Death Eaters, perhaps? Pretended that he had never really gone over to Dumbledore, that he had been, like Voldemort himself, biding his time? Harry's musings were ended by Professor Dumbledore, who stood up at the staff table. The Great Hall, which in any case had been less noisy than it usually was at the Leaving Feast, became very quiet. â€Å"The end,† said Dumbledore, looking around at them all, â€Å"of another year.† He paused, and his eyes fell upon the Hufflepuff table. Theirs had been the most subdued table before he had gotten to his feet, and theirs were still the saddest and palest faces in the Hall. â€Å"There is much that I would like to say to you all tonight,† said Dumbledore, â€Å"but I must first acknowledge the loss of a very fine person, who should be sitting here,† he gestured toward the Hufflepuffs, â€Å"enjoying our feast with us. I would like you all, please, to stand, and raise your glasses, to Cedric Diggory.† They did it, all of them; the benches scraped as everyone in the Hall stood, and raised their goblets, and echoed, in one loud, low, rumbling voice, â€Å"Cedric Diggory.† Harry caught a glimpse of Cho through the crowd. There were tears pouring silently down her face. He looked down at the table as they all sat down again. â€Å"Cedric was a person who exemplified many of the qualities that distinguish Hufflepuff house,† Dumbledore continued. â€Å"He was a good and loyal friend, a hard worker, he valued fair play. His death has affected you all, whether you knew him well or not. I think that you have the right, therefore, to know exactly how it came about.† Harry raised his head and stared at Dumbledore. â€Å"Cedric Diggory was murdered by Lord Voldemort.† A panicked whisper swept the Great Hall. People were staring at Dumbledore in disbelief, in horror. He looked perfectly calm as he watched them mutter themselves into silence. â€Å"The Ministry of Magic,† Dumbledore continued, â€Å"does not wish me to tell you this. It is possible that some of your parents will be horrified that I have done so – either because they will not believe that Lord Voldemort has returned, or because they think I should not tell you so, young as you are. It is my belief, however, that the truth is generally preferable to lies, and that any attempt to pretend that Cedric died as the result of an accident, or some sort of blunder of his own, is an insult to his memory.† Stunned and frightened, every face in the Hall was turned toward Dumbledore now†¦or almost every face. Over at the Slytherin table. Harry saw Draco Malfoy muttering something to Crabbe and Goyle. Harry felt a hot, sick swoop of anger in his stomach. He forced himself to look back at Dumbledore. â€Å"There is somebody else who must be mentioned in connection with Cedric's death,† Dumbledore went on. â€Å"I am talking, of course, about Harry Potter.† A kind of ripple crossed the Great Hall as a few heads turned in Harry's direction before flicking back to face Dumbledore. â€Å"Harry Potter managed to escape Lord Voldemort,† said Dumbledore. â€Å"He risked his own life to return Cedric's body to Hogwarts. He showed, in every respect, the sort of bravery that few wizards have ever shown in facing Lord Voldemort, and for this, I honor him.† Dumbledore turned gravely to Harry and raised his goblet once more. Nearly everyone in the Great Hall followed suit. They murmured his name, as they had murmured Cedric's, and drank to him. But through a gap in the standing figures. Harry saw that Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle, and many of the other Slytherins had remained defiantly in their seats, their goblets untouched. Dumbledore, who after all possessed no magical eye, did not see them. When everyone had once again resumed their seats, Dumbledore continued, â€Å"The Triwizard Tournament's aim was to further and promote magical understanding. In the light of what has happened – of Lord Voldemort's return – such ties are more important than ever before.† Dumbledore looked from Madame Maxime and Hagrid, to Fleur Delacour and her fellow Beauxbatons students, to Viktor Krum and the Durmstrangs at the Slytherin table. Krum, Harry saw, looked wary, almost frightened, as though he expected Dumbledore to say something harsh. â€Å"Every guest in this Hall,† said Dumbledore, and his eyes lingered upon the Durmstrang students, â€Å"will be welcomed back here at any time, should they wish to come. I say to you all, once again – in the light of Lord Voldemort's return, we are only as strong as we are united, as weak as we are divided. Lord Voldemort's gift for spreading discord and enmity is very great. We can fight it only by showing an equally strong bond of friendship and trust. Differences of habit and language are nothing at all if our aims are identical and our hearts are open. â€Å"It is my belief- and never have I so hoped that I am mistaken – that we are all facing dark and difficult times. Some of you in this Hall have already suffered directly at the hands of Lord Voldemort. Many of your families have been torn asunder. A week ago, a student was taken from our midst. â€Å"Remember Cedric. Remember, if the time should come when you have to make a choice between what is right and what is easy, remember what happened to a boy who was good, and kind, and brave, because he strayed across the path of Lord Voldemort. Remember Cedric Diggory.† Harry's trunk was packed; Hedwig was back in her cage on top of it. He, Ron, and Hermione were waiting in the crowded entrance hall with the rest of the fourth years for the carriages that would take them back to Hogsmeade station. It was another beautiful summer's day. He supposed that Privet Drive would be hot and leafy, its flower beds a riot of color, when he arrived there that evening. The thought gave him no pleasure at all. â€Å"‘Arry!† He looked around. Fleur Delacour was hurrying up the stone steps into the castle. Beyond her, far across the grounds. Harry could see Hagrid helping Madame Maxime to back two of the giant horses into their harness. The Beauxbatons carriage was about to take off. â€Å"We will see each uzzer again, I ‘ope,† said Fleur as she reached him, holding out her hand. â€Å"I am ‘oping to get a job ‘ere, to improve my Eenglish.† â€Å"It's very good already,† said Ron in a strangled sort of voice. Fleur smiled at him; Hermione scowled. â€Å"Good-bye, ‘Arry,† said Fleur, turning to go. â€Å"It ‘az been a pleasure meeting you!† Harry's spirits couldn't help but lift slightly as he watched Fleur hurry back across the lawns to Madame Maxime, her silvery hair rippling in the sunlight. Wonder how the Durmstrang students are getting back,† said Ron. â€Å"D' you reckon they can steer that ship without Karkaroff?† â€Å"Karkaroff did not steer,† said a gruff voice. â€Å"He stayed in his cabin and let us do the vork.† Krum had come to say good-bye to Hermione. â€Å"Could I have a vord?† he asked her. â€Å"Oh†¦yes†¦all right,† said Hermione, looking slightly flustered, and following Krum through the crowd and out of sight. â€Å"You'd better hurry up!† Ron called loudly after her. â€Å"The carriages'll be here in a minute!† He let Harry keep a watch for the carriages, however, and spent the next few minutes craning his neck over the crowd to try and see what Krum and Hermione might be up to. They returned quite soon. Ron stared at Hermione, but her face was quite impassive. â€Å"I liked Diggory,† said Krum abruptly to Harry. â€Å"He vos alvays polite to me. Alvays. Even though I vos from Durmstrang – with Karkaroff,† he added, scowling. â€Å"Have you got a new headmaster yet?† said Harry Krum shrugged. He held out his hand as Fleur had done, shook Harry's hand, and then Ron's. Ron looked as though he was suffering some sort of painful internal struggle. Krum had already started walking away when Ron burst out, â€Å"Can I have your autograph?† Hermione turned away, smiling at the horseless carriages that were now trundling toward them up the drive, as Krum, looking surprised but gratified, signed a fragment of parchment for Ron. The weather could not have been more different on the journey back to King's Cross than it had been on their way to Hogwarts the previous September. There wasn't a single cloud in the sky. Harry, Ron, and Hermione had managed to get a compartment to themselves. Pigwidgeon was once again hidden under Ron's dress robes to stop him from hooting continually; Hedwig was dozing, her head under her wing, and Crookshanks was curled up in a spare seat like a large, furry ginger cushion. Harry, Ron, and Hermione talked more fully and freely than they had all week as the train sped them southward. Harry felt as though Dumbledore's speech at the Leaving Feast had unblocked him, somehow. It was less painful to discuss what had happened now. They broke off their conversation about what action Dumbledore might be taking, even now, to stop Voldemort only when the lunch trolley arrived. When Hermione returned from the trolley and put her money back into her schoolbag, she dislodged a copy of the Daily Prophet that she had been carrying in there. Harry looked at it, unsure whether he really wanted to know what it might say, but Hermione, seeing him looking at it, said calmly, â€Å"There's nothing in there. You can look for yourself, but there's nothing at all. I've been checking every day. Just a small piece the day after the third task saying you won the tournament. They didn't even mention Cedric. Nothing about any of it. If you ask me. Fudge is forcing them to keep quiet.† â€Å"He'll never keep Rita quiet,† said Harry. â€Å"Not on a story like this.† â€Å"Oh, Rita hasn't written anything at all since the third task,† said Hermione in an oddly constrained voice. â€Å"As a matter of fact,† she added, her voice now trembling slightly, â€Å"Rita Skeeter isn't going to be writing anything at all for a while. Not unless she wants me to spill the beans on her.† â€Å"What are you talking about?† said Ron. â€Å"I found out how she was listening in on private conversations when she wasn't supposed to be coming onto the grounds,† said Hermione in a rush. Harry had the impression that Hermione had been dying to tell them this for days, but that she had restrained herself in light of everything else that had happened. â€Å"How was she doing it?† said Harry at once. â€Å"How did you find out?† said Ron, staring at her. â€Å"Well, it was you, really, who gave me the idea. Harry,† she said. â€Å"Did I?† said Harry, perplexed. â€Å"How?† â€Å"Bugging,† said Hermione happily. â€Å"But you said they didn't work -â€Å" â€Å"Oh not electronic bugs,† said Hermione. â€Å"No, you see†¦Rita Skeeter† – Hermione's voice trembled with quiet triumph – â€Å"is an unregistered Animagus. She can turn -â€Å" Hermione pulled a small sealed glass jar out other bag. â€Å"- into a beetle.† â€Å"You're kidding,† said Ron. â€Å"You haven't†¦she's not†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Oh yes she is,† said Hermione happily, brandishing the jar at them. Inside were a few twigs and leaves and one large, fat beetle. â€Å"That's never – you're kidding -† Ron whispered, lifting the jar to his eyes. â€Å"No, I'm not,† said Hermione, beaming. â€Å"I caught her on the windowsill in the hospital wing. Look very closely, and you'll notice the markings around her antennae are exactly like those foul glasses she wears.† Harry looked and saw that she was quite right. He also remembered something. â€Å"There was a beetle on the statue the night we heard Hagrid telling Madame Maxime about his mum!† â€Å"Exactly,† said Hermione. â€Å"And Viktor pulled a beetle out of my hair after we'd had our conversation by the lake. And unless I'm very much mistaken, Rita was perched on the windowsill of the Divination class the day your scar hurt. She's been buzzing around for stories all year.† â€Å"When we saw Malfoy under that tree†¦Ã¢â‚¬  said Ron slowly. â€Å"He was talking to her, in his hand,† said Hermione. â€Å"He knew, of course. That's how she's been getting all those nice little interviews with the Slytherins. They wouldn't care that she was doing something illegal, as long as they were giving her horrible stuff about us and Hagrid.† Hermione took the glass jar back from Ron and smiled at the beetle, which buzzed angrily against the glass. â€Å"I've told her I'll let her out when we get back to London,† said Hermione. â€Å"I've put an Unbreakable Charm on the jar, you see, so she can't transform. And I've told her she's to keep her quill to herself for a whole year. See if she can't break the habit of writing horrible lies about people.† Smiling serenely, Hermione placed the beetle back inside her schoolbag. The door of the compartment slid open. â€Å"Very clever. Granger,† said Draco Malfoy. Crabbe and Goyle were standing behind him. All three of them looked more pleased with themselves, more arrogant and more menacing, than Harry had ever seen them. â€Å"So,† said Malfoy slowly, advancing slightly into the compartment and looking slowly around at them, a smirk quivering on his lips. â€Å"You caught some pathetic reporter, and Potter's Dumbledore's favorite boy again. Big deal.† His smirk widened. Crabbe and Goyle leered. â€Å"Trying not to think about it, are we?† said Malfoy softly, looking around at all three of them. â€Å"Trying to pretend it hasn't happened?† â€Å"Get out,† said Harry. He had not been this close to Malfoy since he had watched him muttering to Crabbe and Goyle during Dumbledores speech about Cedric. He could feel a kind of ringing in his ears. His hand gripped his wand under his robes. â€Å"You've picked the losing side, Potter! I warned you! I told you you ought to choose your company more carefully, remember? When we met on the train, first day at Hogwarts? I told you not to hang around with riffraff like this!† He jerked his head at Ron and Hermione. â€Å"Too late now. Potter! They'll be the first to go, now the Dark Lord's back! Mudbloods and Muggle-lovers first! Well – second – Diggory was the f-â€Å" It was as though someone had exploded a box of fireworks within the compartment. Blinded by the blaze of the spells that had blasted from every direction, deafened by a series of bangs, Harry blinked and looked down at the floor. Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle were all lying unconscious in the doorway. He, Ron, and Hermione were on their feet, all three of them having used a different hex. Nor were they the only ones to have done so. â€Å"Thought we'd see what those three were up to,† said Fred matter-of-factly, stepping onto Goyle and into the compartment. He had his wand out, and so did George, who was careful to tread on Malfoy as he followed Fred inside. â€Å"Interesting effect,† said George, looking down at Crabbe. â€Å"Who used the Furnunculus Curse?† â€Å"Me,† said Harry. â€Å"Odd,† said George lightly. â€Å"I used Jelly-Legs. Looks as though those two shouldn't be mixed. He seems to have sprouted little tentacles all over his face. Well, let's not leave them here, they don't add much to the decor.† Ron, Harry, and George kicked, rolled, and pushed the unconscious Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle – each of whom looked distinctly the worse for the jumble of jinxes with which they had been hit – out into the corridor, then came back into the compartment and rolled the door shut. â€Å"Exploding Snap, anyone?† said Fred, pulling out a pack of cards. They were halfway through their fifth game when Harry decided to ask them. â€Å"You going to tell us, then?† he said to George. â€Å"Who you were blackmailing?† â€Å"Oh,† said George darkly. â€Å"That.† â€Å"It doesn't matter,† said Fred, shaking his head impatiently. â€Å"It wasn't anything important. Not now, anyway.† â€Å"We've given up,† said George, shrugging. But Harry, Ron, and Hermione kept on asking, and finally, Fred said, â€Å"All right, all right, if you really want to know†¦it was Ludo Bagman.† â€Å"Bagman?† said Harry sharply. â€Å"Are you saying he was involved in -â€Å" â€Å"Nah,† said George gloomily. â€Å"Nothing like that. Stupid git. He wouldn't have the brains.† â€Å"Well, what, then?† said Ron. Fred hesitated, then said, â€Å"You remember that bet we had with him at the Quidditch World Cup? About how Ireland would win, but Krum would get the Snitch?† â€Å"Yeah,† said Harry and Ron slowly. â€Å"Well, the git paid us in leprechaun gold he'd caught from the Irish mascots.† â€Å"So?† â€Å"So,† said Fred impatiently, â€Å"it vanished, didn't it? By next morning, it had gone!† â€Å"But – it must've been an accident, mustn't it?† said Hermione. George laughed very bitterly. â€Å"Yeah, that's what we thought, at first. We thought if we just wrote to him, and told him he'd made a mistake, he'd cough up. But nothing doing. Ignored our letter. We kept trying to talk to him about it at Hogwarts, but he was always making some excuse to get away from us.† â€Å"In the end, he turned pretty nasty,† said Fred. â€Å"Told us we were too young to gamble, and he wasn't giving us anything.† â€Å"So we asked for our money back,† said George glowering. â€Å"He didn't refuse!† gasped Hermione. â€Å"Right in one,† said Fred. â€Å"But that was all your savings!† said Ron. â€Å"Tell me about it,† said George. â€Å"‘Course, we found out what was going on in the end. Lee Jordan's dad had had a bit of trouble getting money off Bagman as well. Turns out he's in big trouble with the goblins. Borrowed loads of gold off them. A gang of them cornered him in the woods after the World Cup and took all the gold he had, and it still wasn't enough to cover all his debts. They followed him all the way to Hogwarts to keep an eye on him. He's lost everything gambling. Hasn't got two Galleons to rub together. And you know how the idiot tried to pay the goblins back?† â€Å"How?† said Harry. â€Å"He put a bet on you, mate,† said Fred. â€Å"Put a big bet on you to win the tournament. Bet against the goblins.† â€Å"So that's why he kept trying to help me win!† said Harry. â€Å"Well – I did win, didn't I? So he can pay you your gold!† â€Å"Nope,† said George, shaking his head. â€Å"The goblins play as dirty as him. They say you drew with Diggory, and Bagman was betting you'd win outright. So Bagman had to run for it. He did run for it right after the third task.† George sighed deeply and started dealing out the cards again. The rest of the journey passed pleasantly enough; Harry wished it could have gone on all summer, in fact, and that he would never arrive at King's Cross†¦but as he had learned the hard way that year, time will not slow down when something unpleasant lies ahead, and all too soon, the Hogwarts Express was pulling in at platform nine and three-quarters. The usual confusion and noise filled the corridors as the students began to disembark. Ron and Hermione struggled out past Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle, carrying their trunks. Harry, however, stayed put. â€Å"Fred – George – wait a moment.† The twins turned. Harry pulled open his trunk and drew out his Triwizard winnings. â€Å"Take it,† he said, and he thrust the sack into George's hands. â€Å"What?† said Fred, looking flabbergasted. â€Å"Take it,† Harry repeated firmly. â€Å"I don't want it.† â€Å"You're mental,† said George, trying to push it back at Harry. â€Å"No, I'm not,† said Harry. â€Å"You take it, and get inventing. It's for the joke shop.† â€Å"He is mental,† Fred said in an almost awed voice. â€Å"Listen,† said Harry firmly. â€Å"If you don't take it, I'm throwing it down the drain. I don't want it and I don't need it. But I could do with a few laughs. We could all do with a few laughs. I've got a feeling we're going to need them more than usual before long.† â€Å"Harry,† said George weakly, weighing the money bag in his hands, â€Å"there's got to be a thousand Galleons in here.† â€Å"Yeah,† said Harry, grinning. â€Å"Think how many Canary Creams that is.† The twins stared at him. â€Å"Just don't tell your mum where you got it†¦although she might not be so keen for you to join the Ministry anymore, come to think of it†¦.† â€Å"Harry,† Fred began, but Harry pulled out his wand. â€Å"Look,† he said flatly, â€Å"take it, or I'll hex you. I know some good ones now. Just do me one favor, okay? Buy Ron some different dress robes and say they're from you.† He left the compartment before they could say another word, stepping over Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle, who were still lying on the floor, covered in hex marks. Uncle Vernon was waiting beyond the barrier. Mrs. Weasley was close by him. She hugged Harry very tightly when she saw him and whispered in his ear, â€Å"I think Dumbledore will let you come to us later in the summer. Keep in touch, Harry.† â€Å"See you. Harry,† said Ron, clapping him on the back. â€Å"‘Bye, Harry!† said Hermione, and she did something she had never done before, and kissed him on the cheek. â€Å"Harry – thanks,† George muttered, while Fred nodded fervently at his side. Harry winked at them, turned to Uncle Vernon, and followed him silently from the station. There was no point worrying yet, he told himself, as he got into the back of the Dursleys' car. As Hagrid had said, what would come, would come†¦and he would have to meet it when it did.

Microelectronic Pill Essay

1. ABSTRACT A â€Å"Microelectronic pill† is a basically a multichannel sensor used for remote biomedical measurements using micro technology. This has been developed for the internal study and detection of diseases and abnormalities in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract where restricted access prevents the use of traditional endoscope. The measurement parameters for detection include real – time remote recording of temperature, pH, conductivity and dissolved oxygen in the GI tract. This paper deals with the design of the â€Å"Microelectronic pill† which mainly consists of an outer biocompatible capsule encasing 4–channel micro sensors, a control chip, a discrete component radio transmitter and 2 silver oxide cells. | Our Body is a sensitive system. Many times even doctors arenà ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢t able to interpret the disease. Thus it become too late to cure it. To remove this problem scientists discovered electronic capsule in 1972. Use of discrete & relatively large componentà ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s, poor reliability, short lifetimes & low sensitivity makes it outdated. To overcome all these problems Professor Jon Cooper and Dr Erik Johanessen from Glasgow University , U.K has led to the development of a modern microelectronic pill. When Microelectronic pill is swallowed, then it will travel through the Gastro Intestinal Tract & simultaneously perform multiparameter in situ physiological analysis After completing its mission it will come out of the body by normal bowel movement The pill is 16mm in diameter & 55mm long weighing around 5 gram It records parameters like temperature, pH, Conductivity, & Dissolved Oxygen in real time. PARTS CONTROL CHIP RADIO TRANSMITTER 2 SILVER OXIDE CELLS BIOCOMPATIBLE CAPSULE ENCASING MICROSENSOR SILICON DIODE 3 ELECTRODE ELECTROCHEMICAL CELL DIRECT CONTACT GOLD ELECTRODE ION-SELECTIVE FIELD EFFECT TRANSISTOR (ISFET) SCHEMATIC DIAGRAM OF MICRO ELECTRONIC CAPSULE It measures the body core temperature. Also compensates with the temperature induced signal changes in other sensors. It also identifies local changes associated with TISSUE INFLAMMATION & ULCERS. SILICON DIODE The ISFET measures pH. It can reveal pathological conditions associated with abnormal pH levels These abnormalities include : Pancreatic disease Hypertension Inflammatory bowel disease The activity of fermenting bacteria The level of acid excretion Reflux of oesophagus Effect of GI specific drugs on target organs. ION-SELECTIVE FIELD EFFECT TRANSISTOR (ISFET) The pair of direct contact Gold electrodes measures conductivity, by measuring the contents of water & salt absorption, bile secretion & the breakdown of organic components into charged colloids etc. in the GI tract. Since the gold has best conductivity among all the elements, Therefore it gives true value of conductivity as measured. DIRECT CONTACT GOLD ELECTRODE The three electrode electrochemical cell detects the level of dissolved oxygen in solution. It measures the oxygen gradient from the proximal to the distal GI Tract It investigates : Growth of aerobic or bacterial infection Formation of radicals causing cellular injury & pathophysiological conditions like inflammation & Gastric ulceration. It develops 1 st generation enzymes linked with amperometric biosensors. 3 ELECTRODE ELECTROCHEMICAL CELL ARRANGEMENT MICRO ELECTRONIC PILL CHIP – 1 CHIP – 2 CONTROL CHIP The ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) is the control unit that connects together other components of the micro system. It contains an analogue signal à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“conditioning module operating the sensors, 10-bit analogue to digital (ADC) & digital to analogue (DAC) converters, & digital data processing module The temperature circuitry bias the diode at constant current so that change in temperature reflects a corresponding change in in diode voltage. The pH ISFET sensor is biased as a simple source at constant current with the source voltage changing with threshold voltage & pH. The conductivity circuit operates at D.C. It measures the resistance across the electrode pair as an inverse function of solution conductivity. An incorporated potentiostat circuit operates the O 2 sensor with a 10 bit DAC controlling the working electrode potential w.r.t the reference Analogue signals are sequenced through a multiplexer before being digitized by ADC. ASIC & sensors consume 5.3 mW power corresponding to 1.7 mA of current. CONTROL CHIP Size of transmitter = 8 ÃÆ'Æ’Ã ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬  5 ÃÆ'Æ’Ã ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬  3 mm Modulation Scheme = Frequency Shift Keying (FSK) Data Transfer Rate = 1 kbps Frequency = 40.01 MHz at 20 ÃÆ'‚ °C Bandwidth of the signal generated 10 KHz It consumes 6.8 mW power at 2.2 mA of current. RADIO TRANSMITTOR OBSERVATIONS ON RECIEVER COMPUTER 2 SR44 Ag 2 O batteries are used. Operating Time > 40 hours. Power Consumption = 12.1 mW Corresponding current consumption = 3.9mA Supply Voltage = 3.1 V 2 SILVER OXIDE BATTERIES RANGE : Temperature from 0 to 70 ÃÆ'‚ ° C pH from 1 to 13 Dissolved Oxygen up to 8.2 mg per liter Conductivity above 0.05 mScm -1 Full scale dynamic Range analogue signal = 2.8 V ACCURACY : pH channel is around 0.2 unit above the real value Oxygen Sensor is ÃÆ'‚ ±0.4 mgL. Temperature & Conductivity is within ÃÆ'‚ ±1%. RANGE & ACCURACY It is being beneficially used for disease detection & abnormalities in human body. There fore it is also called as MAGIC PILL FOR HEALTH CARE Adaptable for use in corrosive & quiescent environment It can be used in industries in evaluation of water quality, Pollution Detection, fermentation process control & inspection of pipelines. Micro Electronic Pill utilizes a PROGRAMMABLE STANDBY MODE , So Power consumption is very less. It has very small size, hence it is very easy for practical usage High sensitivity, Good reliability & Life times. Very long life of the cells(40 hours), Less Power, Current & Voltage requirement (12.1 mW, 3.9 mA, 3.1 V) Less transmission length & hence has zero noise interference. ADVANTAGES read this use this link to download presentation | | | * RE: MICROELECTRONIC PILLS

Article Analysis on Marijuana

Medical Marijuana? A young woman has HIV. In fact, she has had HIV for 7 years. She contracted it from her boyfriend after her first sexual experience. Unfortunately, she has taken a turn for the worse. Her body is now deteriorating. She is going through cachexia, what one would refer to as HIV wasting syndrome. Cachexia defined, is the physical wasting and malnutrition of the body that is associated with chronic disease. HIV wasting syndrome causes infected people to lose weight and to suffer from damaging diarrhea, among other things. She is always in an extensive amount of pain, affecting numerous parts of her body. The physicians that she visits have tried countless treatments to alleviate her suffering; however, nothing seems to work. There is an experimental drug, on the other hand, whose efficacy to alleviate HIV wasting symptoms is being tested now. The drug that could help ease this young woman’s pain and suffering is cannabis or, in other words, marijuana. Marijuana, in most states, is said to have no medical benefits. Therefore, it is considered a schedule 1 controlled drug by the national government. This means that marijuana cannot be used as treatment for any medical conditions or ailments. The young girl now faces the grim reality that something out there may be able to lessen her suffering, but because of governmentally mandated laws, she will not be able to obtain it lawfully. Many American citizens face this scenario each year. Whether marijuana is illegal or not is not up for debate in this essay. What is up for discussion is if marijuana can be used as an effective drug to provide medically defined sick individuals with relief from what ails them. As afore mentioned, this essay is to discuss the legalization or continued illegalization of medical marijuana for the sake of the many citizens in poor health. David G. Evans wrote a letter to the Time magazine editor entitled, â€Å"Medical Marijuana: an oxymoron†. David G. Evans argues that the national government should continue the prohibition of Medical Marijuana. His most justified argument is the fact that the Food and Drug Administration has yet to approve medical marijuana for medical use (Evans par. 2). On the other hand, Kevin O’Brien and Peter A. Clark argue for the legalization of medical marijuana in needed cases. They claim that in some instances medical marijuana is the only form of medicine that is effective. They both collaborated to write the case study â€Å"Mothers and Son: the case of Medical Marijuana†. A third article will be used to discredit or reinforce each article’s claims in a judicious indiscriminate manner. The third article is a research paper written by Tia Taylor from the American College of Physicians. The article is regarding medical marijuana. This in-depth researched paper has highly researched and supported arguments. The research paper’s goal is to clarify the Physicians’ intentions for medical marijuana and to argue reasons how medical marijuana could be an asset to the medical field. The two articles are well written as well as principally factual. Notwithstanding, one article is more persuasive and more factually based then the other. The case study â€Å"Mother and son: the case of medical marijuana† has slightly more reasonable claims, therefore it would seem to have the better argument. In an attempt to be unbiased, a comprehensive analysis of both articles is needed. This will be done in a way that discusses each author’s claims and some of their intrinsic worth. The title of the first article is â€Å"Medical Marijuana: an oxymoron. † This article is a letter to the editor printed in Time Magazine and written by David G. Evans. David G. Evans is the executive director of the Drug-Free Schools Coalition, a program that teaches children about the dangers of using drugs. His job qualifications entail knowing information about marijuana and other harmful drugs. As a result, he is well informed about issues of drugs as well as being a stern opponent of anything pro-drug. He makes a great deal of relevant claims. One such claim is that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has yet to approve smoked marijuana as medicine (Evans par. 2). This is because smoked marijuana has yet to meet the clinical trial standards for public use. Many organizations reject marijuana because smoked marijuana is â€Å"crude† or ineffective (Evans par. 4). Marijuana is not a very good choice of medicine when compared to other safer and effective drugs. Evans claims that smoking is not the most effective way to deliver the drug to the body (Evans par. 5). In addition to not being able to calculate the dosage of marijuana effectively, there are harmful side effects that the use of marijuana can create. He claims that marijuana use increases the chances of addiction and drug use among children (Evans par. 7). He also claims that marijuana’s continued mainstreaming is obstructing children’s view of it as a dangerous drug. He goes on to say that, the states with pro-medical marijuana â€Å"initiatives† have the highest amount of drug addictions (Evans par. 7). He goes on to end by saying that he is a cancer survivor and he knows how it feels to have feelings of hopelessness (Evans par. 9). He says that he is not against people who actually need medical marijuana. He is in opposition to the people who will manipulate the system to support their drug habits (Evans par. 8). The following article is entitled â€Å"Mother and son: the case of medical marijuana† from The Hastings Center Report. This second article is a case study done by Kevin 0’Brien and Peter A. Clark. The subject of the case study is a family, a mother and her seven-year-old son JJ. JJ is hyperactive and aggressive; in fact, he has been like this for most of his life (Clark, O’Brien par 1). He has seen numerous physicians as well as had numerous medicines prescribed to help treat his condition (Clark, O’Brien 2). Nonetheless, nothing seems to work very effectively. JJ’s mother began trying to find alternatives that could possibly help her son. In 2001, she discovered that marijuana could possibly help her son (Clark, O’Brian par. 3). With counsel from her son’s physician, she began JJ on a daily regimen of marijuana. Thus far, JJ’s mother has seen improvement in her son’s condition after treating him with medical marijuana. Medical marijuana has helped this young child function. Kevin O’Brien and Peter A. Clark have written their opinions in this case study; however, this essay will only focus on Peter A. Clark’s opinion for the sake of time. Peter A. Clark is an associate professor of health administration and theology at Saint Joseph's University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is also the bioethicist for Mercer Health System in Philadelphia. He supports the use of medical marijuana. He reinforces his opinion by using information from eleven scientists commissioned by the president of the United States and appointed by the Institute of Medicine to study marijuana in 1999 (Clark, O’Brian par. 14). The reports say that the benefits of the medical use of marijuana are limited because of the adverse affect of the smoke. They still recommended the use of it if no other options were effective. They also found that administering the drug to sick people does not influence the drug use of the general public. According to the study, marijuana is not a gateway drug and the fact that the government still has not reclassified marijuana as a schedule 2 drug is jeopardizing the health and well-being of many Americans (Clark, O’Brian par. 14). He says that we are now faced with two good and bad consequences: marijuana can sometimes work better than some conventional methods and marijuana has adverse long-term effects that can lead to addiction (Clark, O’ Brian par. 5). He also talks about the fact that Marinol is an alternative to marijuana; however, it has its shortcomings (Clark, O’Brien par. 17). Marinol is a synthetic form of marijuana. Although it negates the negative effects of marijuana, Marinol is very expensive: $500 dollars for 100 ten-milligram capsules. It is reported by patient s that Marinol is very strong but weakens severely after continued use. He also says that studies show that marijuana works more effectively than Marinol. That is why marijuana is a better choice of drug than Marinol both costliness and effectiveness (Clark, O’Brian par. 17). He believes that the only main concerns about medical marijuana are the chances of long-term complications and the fact that the dosage, sometime in the future, will have to be increased (Clark, O’Brien par. 18). He ends by saying that it is unacceptable for physicians to refuse to offer medicinal marijuana to patients. Some patients are suffering badly and traditional treatments are not working for them (Clark, O’Brien par. 18). The doctor is obligated to help the patient by any means necessary. Both of the articles talk about whether or not smoked marijuana is an effective way to administer cannabis to a patient. I believe that this argument is a very important argument in order to show which author supports their argument with strong, factual evidence. However, to do this effectively another more proven source must be introduced. The third article is a paper written by Tia Taylor from the American College of Physicians titled â€Å"Supporting Research into the Therapeutic Role of Marijuana†. This article is more scientifically based then the other two. The article is a position paper showing the American College of Physicians’ reasons why they believe the government should support the scientific study of medical marijuana. The position paper has very well written arguments; however, to reach a well thought out conclusion for this essay I will only use one authoritative argument. In â€Å"Supporting Research into the Therapeutic Role of Marijuana†, one of the arguments that Tia Taylor writes about is the difference between smoke marijuana and an orally administered form of marijuana (American College Par. 22). She says that when first administered, oral THC is much slower reacting than its counterpart is. According to the article, oral THC also produces adverse symptoms that last more extensively han those created from smoking marijuana do (American College Par. 22). The article says that smoked THC imbibes quickly through the bloodstream; therefore, the effects are felt quicker than orally administered THC. She ends by saying that in some situation smoked marijuana can be a more appropriate approach than the oral form of THC. At this moment, enough is known on the subject of oral THC opposed to smoke THC to make an informed decision on which author comprehensively argued his position. In his article, â€Å"Medical marijuana: an oxymoron†, David G. Evans says that smoked marijuana is an ineffective way to issue THC (Evans par. ). He also says that it is impossible to calculate the medical marijuana dosage this way. He finishes by discussing the adverse effect on health of marijuana. Although Kevin O'Brien does not talk about the efficacy of smoked marijuana, he does discuss the dosage problem of marijuana. He says that marijuana is a drug and since it is self-medicated, it is supposed to be cautiously used and not abused (O’Brien Par. 10). He also talks about the fact that marijuana is, in the long-term, harmful. However, sometimes there are no other options. Although both authors did not complete a very effective argument, David G. Evans’ argument is more plausible. His argument, in some ways, follows the analytical standard set. He talks more about facts than Kevin O’Brien, who uses more of an emotionally backed argument. The articles from Kevin O’Brien and David G. Evans have valid arguments. This part of the essay will examine the approach that each author took to discuss his respective opinion. Kevin O’Brien’s argument is less based on facts and more based upon emotion. He argues more about the fact that we should be sympathetic for those who need medical marijuana (O’Brien Par. 6). He loses a great deal of credibility relaying so heavily on emotion. David G. Evans bases his arguments on facts. He makes a considerable effort to leave emotion out of his article. He is a cancer survivor and he could have written regarding his own personal battle with a debilitating disease. However, he decided to make a more factual based argument. So therefore, in my opinion, David G. Evans article is more effective at getting his point across. Although this essay is about other authors’ opinion on a certain subject, this subject is very significant today. The national government is in dispute over the issue of medical marijuana, and not just medical marijuana; the government is debating whether to legalize marijuana completely. There are issues with medical marijuana that must be resolved before the government downgrades it to a schedule 2 drug. In addition, both authors recognized these issues and discussed them eloquently even though they had their own individual biases. The intent of this article is not to show that one of the authors was right and one was wrong, but just to show which author constructed a better argument. What needs to be taken away from this essay is the fact that the government needs to address the issue of medical marijuana straight out. Works citied â€Å"American College of Physicians. † Supporting Research into the Therapeutic Role of Marijuana. Philadelphia: American College of Physicians; 2008: Position Paper. Evans, David G. â€Å"Medical marijuana: an oxymoron? † Skin & Allergy News 36. 9 (2005): 14+. Academic OneFile. Web. 16 Nov. 2009. . Evans, David G. â€Å"Medical marijuana: an oxymoron? † Skin & Allergy News 36. 9 (2005): 14+. Academic OneFile. Web. 16 Nov. 2009. .

Biography of William Shakespeare Essay

In the mid-sixteenth century, William Shakespeare’s father, John Shakespeare, moved to the idyllic town of Stratford-upon-Avon. There, he became a successful landowner, moneylender, glove-maker, and dealer of wool and agricultural goods. In 1557, he married Mary Arden. John Shakespeare lived during a time when the middle class was expanding in both size and wealth, allowing its members more freedoms and luxuries as well as a louder voice in local government. He took advantage of the change in times and in 1557 became a member of the Stratford Council. This event marked the beginning of his illustrious political career. By 1561, he was elected one of the town’s fourteen burgesses and subsequently served successively as constable, one of two chamberlains, and alderman. In these positions, he administered borough property and revenues. In 1567, he became bailiff—the highest elected office in Stratford and the equivalent of a modern-day mayor. Town records indicate that William Shakespeare was John and Mary’s third child. His birth is unregistered, but legend pins it on April 23, 1564, possibly because it is known that April 23 is the day on which he died 52 years later. In any event, his baptism was registered with the town on April 26, 1564. Little is known about his childhood, although it is generally assumed that he attended the local grammar school, the King’s New School. The school was staffed by Oxford-educated faculty who taught the students mathematics, natural sciences, logic, Christian ethics, and classical language and literature. Shakespeare did not attend university, which was not at all unusual for the time. University education was reserved for wealthy sons of the elite, mostly those who wanted to become clergymen. The numerous classical and literary references in Shakespeare’s plays are a testament, however, to the excellent education he received in grammar school (and to his ability as an autodidact). His early plays in particular draw on the works of Seneca and Plautus. Even more impressive than his formal education is the wealth of general knowledge exhibited in his works. His vocabulary exceeds that of any other English writer by a wide margin. In 1582, at the age of eighteen, William Shakespeare married the twenty-six-year-old Anne Hathaway. Their first daughter, Susanna, was baptized only six months later—a fact that has given rise to speculation concerning the circumstances surrounding their marriage. In 1585, Anne bore twins, baptized Hamnet and Judith Shakespeare. Hamnet died at the age of eleven, by which time Shakespeare was already a successful playwright. Around 1589, Shakespeare wrote his supposed first play, Henry VI, Part 1. Sometime between his marriage and writing this play, he moved to London, where he pursued a career as a playwright and actor. Although many records of Shakespeare’s life as a citizen of Stratford—including marriage and birth certificates—have survived, very little information exists about his life as a young playwright. Legend characterizes Shakespeare as a roguish young man who was once forced to flee London under suspect circumstances perhaps having to do with his love life. But the little written information we have of his early years does not necessarily confirm this characterization. In any case, young Will was not an immediate and universal success. The earliest written record of Shakespeare’s life in London comes from a statement by the rival playwright Robert Greene. In his Groatsworth of Witte (1592), Greene calls Shakespeare an â€Å"upstart crow†¦ [who] supposes he is as well able to bombast out a blank verse as the best of you. † While this is hardly high praise, it does suggest that Shakespeare rattled the London theatrical hierarchy even at the beginning of his career. It is natural, in retrospect, to attribute Greene’s complaint to jealousy of Shakespeare’s ability, but of course we can’t be sure. With Richard III, Henry VI, The Comedy of Errors, and Titus Andronicus under his belt, Shakespeare was a popular playwright by 1590. * The year 1593, however, marked a major leap forward in his career. By the end of that year, he secured a prominent patron in the Earl of Southampton and his Venus and Adonis was published. It remains one of the first of his known works to be printed and was a huge success. Next came The Rape of Lucrece. Shakespeare had also made his mark as a poet and most scholars agree that the majority of Shakespeare’s sonnets were probably written in the 1590s. In 1594, Shakespeare returned to the theater and became a charter member of the Lord Chamberlain’s Men—a group of actors who changed their name to the King’s Men when James I ascended to the throne. By 1598, he was the â€Å"principal comedian† for the troupe; by 1603, he was â€Å"principal tragedian. † He remained associated with the organization until his death. Although acting and playwriting were not considered noble professions at the time, successful and prosperous actors were relatively well respected. Shakespeare’s success left him with a fair amount of money, which he nvested in Stratford real estate. In 1597, he purchased the second largest house in Stratford—the New Place—for his parents. In 1596, Shakespeare applied for a coat of arms for his family, in effect making himself a gentleman. Consequently, his daughters made â€Å"good matches,† marrying wealthy men. The same year that he joined the Lord Chamberlain’s Men, Shakespeare wrote Romeo and Juliet, along with Love’s Labour’s Lost, The Taming of the Shrew, and several other plays. Two of his greatest tragedies, Hamlet and Julius Caesar, followed around 1600. Hamlet is widely considered the first modern play for its multi-faceted main character and unprecedented depiction of his psyche. The first decade of the seventeenth century witnessed the debut performances of many of Shakespeare’s most celebrated works, including many of his so-called history plays: Othello in 1604 or 1605, Antony and Cleopatra in 1606 or 1607, and King Lear in 1608. The last play of his to be performed was probably King Henry VIII in either 1612 or 1613. William Shakespeare lived until 1616. His wife Anna died in 1623 at the age of 67. He was buried in the chancel of his church at Stratford. The lines above his tomb—allegedly written by Shakespeare himself—read: Good friend, for Jesus’ sake forbear To dig the dust enclosed here. Blessed be the man that spares these stones And cursed be he that moves my bones. *The dates of composition and performance of almost all of Shakespeare’s plays remain uncertain. The dates used in this note are widely agreed upon by scholars, but there is still significant debate around when and where he wrote most of his plays.